South Africa: Proposed changes to school infrastructure regulations

The Department of Basic Education has extended the deadline for the submission of comments on the amendments to the regulations relating to the minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure.

The deadline for the submission of written comments is 31 July 2022, the Department of Basic Education said in a statement on Friday.

The Minister of Basic Education on 10 June 2022 published a Government Gazette, with proposed amendments to the Regulations Relating to the Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure, issued in terms of Section 5A (1)(a) of the South African Schools Act, 1996.

The department said the purpose of releasing the Gazette is to give the public, including stakeholders, an opportunity to participate in the drafting of the regulations and to make substantive input that will be considered in drafting the final regulations.

In addition to the Government Gazette, the department uploaded, as per general practice, the document with the proposals on the website www.education.gov.za for public comment.

The department is committed to a constructive public participation process. It is for this reason that the public should be accorded ample opportunity to engage with the document and submit comments, the department said.

The proposed amendments have come about following consultation with the Minister of Finance and the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) earlier this year.

Improving schooling environment

The department launched the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) programme in 2011. It is aimed at improving learning outcomes and bringing better access to education.

There are currently 1 053 schools on this programme.

The department also launched the Sanitation Appropriate For Education (SAFE) programme in 2018, which is aimed at replacing basic pit toilets with appropriate sanitation, in accordance with the Norms and Standards for school infrastructure.

The department said provinces initially identified 3 898 schools dependent on basic pit toilets.

There are currently 3 407 schools on this programme. Sanitation projects at 2 006 of these schools have progressed to practical completion the department said.

The department said that the implementation of major programmes is dependent on the availability of funding.

The ASIDI programme is funded through the School Infrastructure Backlog Grant, while the SAFE programme is also funded through the same grant, with co-funding from the Education Infrastructure Grant.

In 2021/22, both these grants were fully utilised. It is important to note that infrastructure requirements due to unforeseen events, such as the recent flooding in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, are also in general funded through the same Education Infrastructure Grant.

This may impact on the rollout of the remaining SAFE projects. The department has since stepped up the monitoring of projects to ensure that they are completed on time, to specification and budget, the department said.

Minister Angie Motshekga has since October 2021 conducted weekly accountability sessions with the Director-General and the Infrastructure Branch at the DBE, where progress reports are presented, the department said.

In addition, the DBE said the Director-General holds weekly update meetings with the CEOs of the implementing agents.

The Director-General also convenes monthly infrastructure meetings with heads of provincial Departments of Education to receive progress reports on delivery and expenditure.

Mathanzima Mweli, the Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, has been visiting construction sites since March 2021 to accelerate the delivery of the much-needed infrastructure.

The monitoring function has assisted the department to unblock challenges and resolve issues that delayed the building process, the DBE said.

The department said it is confident that the annual performance plan targets will be met and the budget allocated will be used. It has also developed detailed tracking tools and monitoring is taking place daily to ensure that implementing agents deliver as expected.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
HCM City calls for EU investment in nearly 200 projects

Ho Chi Minh City is calling for investment into 197 projects in ten key areas, including infrastructure development, agriculture, industry, trade and services, healthcare, tourism, education and housing, an official told the Vietnam  Europe Business Forum in the southern largest economic hub on June 30.













The Vietnam  Europe Business Forum takes place in HCM City on June 30. (Photo: VNA)

Dao Minh Chanh, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment, said EU countries are investing in 2,724 projects in HCM City, mostly in the fields of manufacturing and processing, retaile and wholesale, motor and automobile repair and maintenance, and information and communications. Worth a total of 7.69 billion USD, they account for 10.27% of FDI in the city, he said.



HCM City has constantly improved its business climate and adopted various incentives to encourage more FDI, he said, adding that most notably among the incentives include reductions in corporate income tax, import-export duties and land lease.



Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee, highlighted the importance of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) which has entered into force, saying it has brought great and balanced benefits to both sides and there is a huge opportunity for Vietnam and the EU to step up bilateral economic cooperation.



With the EUs technical and financial support, many projects in urban transport, agriculture, climate change mitigation and others have been implemented in HCM City, contributing to the development of the city and Vietnam at large, Hoan noted.



Philipp Rosler, head of the EU business delegation, spoke highly of Vietnams robust growth, noting that there has been a huge volume of search for information and opportunities in trade and investment in Vietnam from European enterprises.



EU firms are particularly interested in production, R&D and innovation projects in HCM City, which will not only help the two sides make the most of the EVFTA but also give EU companies access to other major markets in Southeast Asia and Asia, he added./.
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"Doctors Day greetings to all hardworking doctors who play a key role in saving lives and making our planet healthier," PM Modi tweeted.

National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 in India. It is observed in the honour of the renowned doctor and former West Bengal chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy, whose birth and death anniversaries fall on July 1.

Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1961. This year, National Doctor's Day is very significant as doctors continue to fight the Covid pandemic day and night. This is the third doctor's day amid the pandemic.

This year is once again dedicated to all those doctors and healthcare professionals.

The theme of National Doctors Day 2022 is 'Family Doctors on the Front Line'. (ANI)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday reached the office of the Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case. He will be questioned by the officials for his alleged role in the matter. Raut has also appealed to the Shiv Sena workers to not gather in front of the probe agency's office. The Rajya Sabha MP was scheduled to appear for questioning on Tuesday. However, his lawyer had sought 13-14 days time to present the documents in front of the probe agency, but, the request was declined by the Agency. The ED had sent him a second summons to appear before July 1, after he failed to appear in his first summon on Monday due to the then political crisis in Maharashtra. Raut is being probed in connection with the re-development of Mumbai's Patra Chawl. In April this year, the ED had attached immovable properties worth Rs 11.15 crore, including a flat at Dadar, held by Sanjay Raut's wife Varsha and eight land parcels at Kihim near Alibag, jointly held by the latter with Swapna Patkar, in connection with the redevelopment scam. Swapna is the wife of Sujit Patkar, a close associate of the Sena leader. The federal agency said its investigation revealed that around Rs 100 crore was transferred from the real estate company, HDIL, to the account of Pravin Raut, who in turn diverted part of these funds to various accounts of his close associates, family members, and business entities. Praveen Raut has been a director in an infrastructure company called Guruashish constructions and is stated to be a subsidiary of the HDIL (Housing Development Infrastructure Limited), an accused in the case. Pravin Raut was arrested in the past by the Maharashtra police's economic offences wing. The ED's summons to Raut, who is considered to be a confidant of Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, comes amidst mounting trouble for the party in the wake of internal rebellion. The federal agency has also been probing Rs 4,300 crore PMC Bank money laundering case against Sanjay Raut's wife Varsha Raut who was questioned last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the central probe agency. The agency is probing her role in the alleged bank loan scam with regard to the transfer of Rs 55 lakh funds by the wife of an accused in the case, Pravin Raut, apart from some other transactions. Last year, the ED had also attached Pravin Raut's assets worth Rs 72 crore in this case and has questioned him and his wife Madhuri Raut. The agency had alleged that Pravin Raut had "siphoned off "Rs 95 crore worth funds from the scam-hit bank in the garb of a loan, out of which he paid Rs 1.6 crore to his wife Madhuri Raut who subsequently transferred Rs 55 lakh in two tranches to Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, as "interest-free loan." (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear on July 11 the plea of Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu seeking suspension from Maharashtra Assembly of new Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 15 rebel MLAs against whom disqualification pleas are pending. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the plea filed by Prabhu required an urgent hearing. "There is no merger. The moment he (Shinde) is sworn in he has violated the 10th schedule. So he is not the party. How are you going to control the House? Whose whip is to be followed? This is not the dance of democracy," the senior counsel said. The bench said that it was conscious of the issue and not shutting its eyes. It said it would hear the case on July 11, along with Shinde's plea against disqualification notices to rebel MLAs. "We are conscious of what's happening. We have not shut our eyes. Let us see what the procedure is and how it is applied," said the bench. The fresh application was filed by Prabhu seeking the suspension of 16 rebel Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) till the final adjudication of the disqualification proceedings initiated against them by the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly. It also sought direction to restrain them from entering the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or participating in any proceeding relating to the House till the deputy Speaker's decision. The plea said that the Tenth Schedule should not be rendered toothless by the ingenious device of sending a pre-planned notice for removal of a Speaker in order to pre-empt and thwart the Tenth Schedule proceedings. "Pass an interim order suspending the delinquent MLAs, against whom disqualification petitions have been filed by the applicant herein, from the membership of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, till the final adjudication of the Tenth Schedule proceedings initiated against them," the application stated. It added, "Restrain the delinquent MLAs, against whom disqualification petitions have been filed by the applicant herein, from entering the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or participating in any proceeding relating to the House till the final adjudication of the disqualification proceedings against them." The plea stated that Eknath Shinde becoming the Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis becoming Deputy CM was a clear reflection that Shinde and the delinquent MLAs had been hand in gloves with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) all along with the aim of bringing down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. As a reward for anti-party activity, the BJP offered the post of Chief Minister to Shinde despite having the largest number in the State Assembly, said the plea. "The conduct of the delinquents is so egregious and palpable that it does not even require calling for any explanation, but should straightaway lead to termination from the membership of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly of Eknath Shinde along with all the rebel MLAs supporting him," the plea of Prabhu stated. On June 29, the top court gave a go-ahead to the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on June 30. Refusing to stay the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's direction to the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority support on the floor of the House on June 30, the bench issued notice on Prabhu's plea against floor test. On June 27, the top court granted interim relief to Shinde and other rebel MLAs to file their reply on disqualification notices issued to them by Deputy Speaker by July 12, 5.30 pm. Earlier, Deputy Speaker had granted them time to file a reply by June 27, 5.30 pm. The order of the apex court had come while hearing the petitions filed by the Shinde group challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader. The bench had posted all the matter for hearing on July 11. (ANI)
National Doctors' Day is celebrated every year across the country on July 1. The day is celebrated to acknowledge and appreciate health care workers, and medical practitioners for their selfless contribution towards society. The day helps us understand the importance of doctors in our lives and value them, to offer them our respects by commemorating one of their greatest representatives. The day is celebrated annually the memory of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy an eminent physician, academician, freedom fighter and politician. Dr Roy was the first Chief Minister of West Bengal after India gained Independence. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1961. Doctors have always played a pivotal role in society but for the last two years, when the world was grappling with COVID-19, people have appreciated the roles of doctors and other healthcare professionals, who stood at the forefront day and night in the fight against the pandemic. Hundreds of doctors across the world put their own lives in danger, putting their own safety and that of their families second to that of the general public. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also appreciated their heroic efforts during the pandemic and paid homage to those who laid down their lives in the service of humanity. This year, National Doctor's Day is very significant as doctors continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic day and night. This is the third time that the day is being celebrated amid the pandemic. This year the day has once again been dedicated to all those doctors and healthcare professionals. The theme of National Doctors Day 2022 is "Family Doctors on the Front Line". Pointing out the role of a family doctor, Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder and Director of Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals said that the role of a family physician has been undermined severely. "While many diseases and specialities have emerged in the last three decades, the role of a family physician has been undermined severely. We are seeing some gaps in healthcare delivery because of this missing link. People's healthcare needs often get suppressed in multispecialty healthcare settings. It has been seen that they need a person who can address their apprehensions about their health and guide them to take preventive steps to maintain their wellbeing and take timely action during illness. While there is a specialist for every part of the body, how would a common person know when to go to a specialist and which specialist is appropriate? That's where the role of a family doctor in our society comes into play and we are celebrating their importance this doctor's day," Dr Bajaj said. Talking about increasing cases of mental health problems, Dr Jyoti Kapoor, Founder and Senior Psychiatrist of Manasthali said that the erratic work schedules, risk of exposure to infection and limited interaction with family members and loved ones have made people suffer from anxiety, depression, burnout, insomnia and stress-related disorders. "Therefore, it becomes essential to work towards the lessening of their mental health problems. Enabling them to communicate effectively, mental health problem screening, making quarantine/isolation less restrictive and ensuring interpersonal communication through the various digital platforms and proactively curtailing the misinformation/rumour spread by the media are some of the potential measures. People can work upon their mental health by taking care of their own health, doing meditation and taking a break from the news on media and social media. make sure that we are connected with our family and friends through social media and phone," said Dr Kapoor. India's public healthcare system only has 0.08 doctors for every 1000 patients, Dr Sameer Kulkarni, Regional Director, Paras Healthcare said that there is a shortage of more than 6 lakh doctors in India. "As we observe Doctors Day, it's vital to remember that the country's public healthcare system only has 0.08 doctors for every 1000 patients. These alarming numbers continue to decline rather than rise. Currently, there is a shortage of more than 6 lakh doctors in India. This has a significant impact on how well the country's healthcare is delivered, particularly in rural areas where a strong infrastructure is still lacking. The average man suffers greatly since he cannot receive proper diagnosis and treatment due to a lack of doctors, both general practitioners, and specialists," said Dr Kulkarni. Dr Kulkarni further said that the urgent need is to encourage more young people to pursue this noble profession, as well as to strengthen healthcare education in India so that world-class competent medical physicians graduate each year. "This year's Doctors Day theme is 'Family Doctors on the Front Line'. Family physicians serve as "gatekeepers" in the effort to contain outbreaks because they are frequently the first to interact with patients. When COVID hit India, they were the first to report infections and advised the patients on the value of immunization, isolation, and finding the appropriate treatment. They also switched to telemedicine and gave families in danger all the assistance they could when the entire country shut down due to lockdown. Family doctors also counselled patients who were suffering from the symptoms of post-COVID during these trying two years. As we celebrate Doctors Day, it is vital to remember their significance and how they led from the front when COVID struck India," Dr Kulkarni added. Dr Ritu Sethi, Senior Consultant- Gynaecology, Cloud Nine Hospital, Sector 14 Gurugram and Apex Clinic, Sector 31, Gurugram, said that on this Doctor's Day they aim for a holistic approach to health for all individuals. This deals with preventive aspects, accurate diagnosis and timely treatment. "Gynaecologists and obstetricians play a major role in all preventable aspects like timely follow-ups for genetically inherited gynae cancers (breast and ovary) or pre-conceptional counselling to prevent diseases in the growing fetus or lifestyle diseases in the woman planning to conceive especially during her pregnancy. The obstetrician has a major role to play in determining the optimum growth of the fetus in the womb as the environment in the uterus has a major role to play in the development of the fetus not only during pregnancy but also childhood, adolescence and even adulthood. So, prevent, treat and follow up is the mantra all doctors follow," said Dr Sethi. (ANI)
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday lashed out at the BJP for giving the Chief Ministerial slot to Eknath Shinde, a rebel Shiv Sena leader, and said that had the former ally partner agreed to this earlier, there would have been no Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state. The Shiv Sena and BJP had parted ways after the 2019 Assembly elections in the state after the former demanded 2.5 years of Chief Ministership each for both the parties during the term of five years, which the latter had not agreed to. Shiv Sena had then stitched an alliance with rival NCP and Congress to form the government. Talking about the swearing-in ceremony of Shinde who was appointed as the Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis who was sworn in as his Deputy, Thackeray said, "About what happened yesterday, I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would've been no Maha Vikas Aghadi." Hitting out at Shinde, who led the revolt against him for over a week which culminated in the resignation of Thackeray from the office, the Shiv Sena chief said that the new CM is not from his party which the BJP has aimed at making. He said that he had told Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2019 about the distribution of Chief Ministerial post for 2.5 years each. "The manner in which Govt has been formed & a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could've been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM," Thackeray said. Slamming the new government for its decision to build the metro car shed in Mumbai's Aarey colony, which the earlier Devendra Fadnavis government had termed important, Thackeray asked not to "project anger" for him on Mumbaikars. "Don't project anger for me on Mumbaikars. Don't change the proposal for the metro shed. Don't toy with the environment of Mumbai," he said. In September 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important". Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation announced its plan to cut down over 2,700 trees from the Aarey colony in order to build a car shed for the Metro. The colony, spread over 13,000 hectares, is home to over 27 Adivasi villages and inhabits various animal species. The Bombay High Court in September 2019, verbally directed the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) and the state government not to cut any trees in the Aarey forest area for the construction of a metro car shed, to which they agreed. Later in October 2019, the Bombay High Court had dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in Aarey Colony of Mumbai to make way for a Metro car shed.However, the Maharashtra government had stayed the order for the Aarey metro car shed project following massive public agitation in the city. In 2020, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the state government had withdrawn cases registered against people who were protesting against the proposed metro car shed in Aarey. He had said the proposed car shed has been shifted from Aarey to Kanjur Marg. (ANI)
This comes in the wake of heavy rainfall in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded an orange alert as heavy rains lashed Mumbai causing waterlogging in several parts of the city.

Train and bus services were badly hit across the city. Several parts of Mumbai, including Kurla, Chembur, Sion, Dadar and Andheri, witnessed heavy rain.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis held the first cabinet meeting of the new government in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

The Maharashtra Cabinet has also decided to call a special session of the state assembly for two days-- July 2 and July 3.

Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde took oath as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister on Thursday.

Thackeray resigned on Wednesday after the Shinde-led group kept adding to its numbers and the Supreme Court gave a go-ahead for a floor test in the assembly.

BJP and Shiv Sena had fought the 2019 assembly polls together but differences cropped up over the post of Chief Minister. (ANI)
Scholars and religious leaders condemned the violence, hate and discrimination against the minorities in Jammu and Kashmir at a seminar held at Para-Medical College in Pulwama on Thursday. The event titled "Peaceful Co-Existence and Compassion for humanity at the heart of Islam" was organized by the "Save Youth Save Future" foundation in collaboration with European Union. The program was presided by Chairman "Save Youth Save Future" Foundation Wajahat Farooq Bhat along with Islamic Scholar Moulvi Aijaz Noori, Social Activist and Zonal President South Kashmir "SYSF" Foundation Mudasir Ahmad Dar, Media Fraternity of District Pulwama and other prominent personalities. The event commenced with the recitation of Naat by Moulvi Aijaz Nouri. He shed light on mutual co-existence and further elucidated the need to advocate peaceful co-existence to enhance productive, meaningful lives and sustainable societies. He further spoke on how Islam evidently emboldens unity among various religious groups. He strongly denounced the use of violence, hate, and discrimination against minorities. He stated how Islam clearly focuses on the fraternity among different religions. Another speaker of the event, Zia Ul Islam shed light on his journey from being a stone pelter to an activist. He shared many aspects of his transformation journey. He clearly remembered how he felt his dreams were shattered because of stone-pelting, when he was jailed and how out of that situation he contested election on the Panchayati level and made efforts to change and evolve and significantly contributed to the society and concluded by mentioning how everyone in the society should put their grievances forward through initiating dialogue and not encourage violence. The Chairman "SYSF" Foundation concluded by stating how Islam has built and has been practicing the modern concepts of modern society. He stated how Islam has been righteous towards women and abolished ill-practices that used to take place back in the 7th century against women and how positively things have reformed since then. He stressed providing education besides religious ones. He said, "People should keep their children away from all anti-national elements, ideologies, and structures. He also shed light on the hazardous consequences of misinformation being spread and how negatively it can affect a person's life. An interactive session was also held with the audience where the majority of the girls enthusiastically participated and openly shared their experiences. Mudasir Ahmad Dar, Zonal President of SYSF appreciates everyone's participation with a promise to ensure more such productive sessions. (ANI)
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Former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury on Friday hit out at BJP and said the party should apologise to the country, not Nupur Sharma. This comes after Supreme Court blamed the suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma and said she is responsible for what is happening in the country and said she should "apologise to the whole country". Speaking to ANI, Chowdhury said, "It is wonderful that Supreme Court has taken the Cognizance of Nupur Sharma today. But the entire BJP should apologise to the nation for the kind of divisive policy and politics they do. The party is spreading so much hates around." The Congress leader said it is the entire party that has set the country on fire, don't make women culprit only. "Do not make women to 'Bali ka Bakra'. The BJP should apologize to the country because they have fanned hatred and set the country on fire. The BJP divided the country and spread hate" Chowdhury said. She further said, "It is so funny that we make so many rules to bring women forward but in the whole history of the BJP, they found one woman to fix and SC also does that." "What Nupur Sharma did that is wrong but make her the 'Bali ka Bakra' and leave the rest of the BJP. BJP has to be accountable. they are responsible for divisive politics," she added. Meanwhile, the apex court further blamed the suspended BJP leader and said that she and "her loose tongue" has set the entire country on fire and she is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country and said she should "apologise to the whole country". The Supreme Court came down heavily on Nupur Sharma stating that her outburst is responsible for an unfortunate incident in Udaipur, where a tailor was murdered. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala slammed Sharma for her statement made during a TV news channel debate and while referring to the Udaipur incident, where two men murdered a tailor, said, "her outburst is responsible for an unfortunate incident." Rejecting Sharma's request to transfer all the FIRs registered against her in many states for her alleged remarks on Prophet Mohammad, to Delhi for investigation. Senior advocate Maninder Singh appeared for Sharma and then withdrew the plea. "The way she has ignited emotions across the country. This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country," the bench said. The bench also took a grim view of the TV news channel for hosting the discussion on the Gyanvapi case in which Sharma, who was one of the guests, made the controversial remarks. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Sharma seeking the transfer of all the FIRs registered against her across the country to Delhi for her remarks on TV news channel debate about Prophet Muhammad which had led to violent protests and riots in many States. (ANI)
"During Congress rule, when Rath Yatra was taken out, people used to fear that there'll be riots. During that time, they also tried to take the chariot. But after the people of Gujarat gave powers to BJP, no one has the power to do anything bad," said Amit Shah in Gandhinagar.

He is scheduled to take part in the Rath Yatra celebrations.

Shah performs 'Mangal Aarti' at Shree Jagannathji Mandir ahead of the 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra on Thursday.

Earlier today, Amit Shah attended the inauguration event of Shree Swaminarayan University's admission block and 750-bed PSM hospital's foundation stone laying ceremony at Saij village in Gandhinagar.

The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is the most prominent Hindu festival in the Puri city of Odisha.

This festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July. This year the festival falls on July 1. (ANI)
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raghubar Das on Friday said that Hyderabad's name will be changed to Bhagyanagar if the party comes to power in Telangana. When asked if Hyderabad's name will be changed to Bhagyanagar, he said, "Definitely. The way I am seeing it from the past two days, be it the businessmen or normal people, they have a lot of anger towards the TRS government. This is because this government believes in dynasty politics and thinks only about the family. They don't think about the welfare of the people of Telangana. So people are in favour of the BJP. To end the dynasty politics PM Narendra Modi will address the national executive meeting." Raghubar Das on Friday visited the Bhagyalaxmi Temple in Charminar and took the blessing of Goddess Bhagyalakshmi here in Hyderabad. Speaking on the beheading incident in Udaipur, he said, "Kanhaiya Lal who comes from the poor tailor family was brutally murdered and their (murderers) connection is with ISIS and Pakistan. Home Minister Amit Shah asked for an inquiry into the issue. BJP has always believed in brotherhood." According to him, Ashok Gehlot is trying to incite violence for a political vote bank "Jharkhand people and the Muslim community have rejected Owaisi. He didn't even win a single seat in Jharkhand. The forces that try to divide the people have no place in Indian politics under PM Modi's rule," he further added. The Bharatiya Janata Party is scheduled to hold a national executive meeting on July 2 and 3 at Hyderabad International Convention Centre. PM Narendra Modi will also address the meeting. (ANI)
While the recent US Supreme Court's ruling that abortion is no longer a federal constitutional right in that country, the Bombay High Court in an order passed on June 27, 2022, granted liberty to a minor girl to undergo medical termination of her pregnancy. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States of America (USA) abolished abortion rights while overturning the constitutional right granted to women in a historical 1973 ruling called Roe v. Wade. Through this abortion was legalised across the states. The Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion and ruled that states may regulate the practice of it, according to a media report. "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 ruling said However, the Bombay High Court allowed the termination of a 16 weeks' pregnancy of a minor who was a victim of sexual abuse and noted that the Apex Court in its order in 2009, has observed that reproductive choice is an insegragable part of a woman's personal liberty as envisaged under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The Bombay High Court bench of Justice Urmila Joshi Phalke and Justice AS Chandurkar in an order noted, "She contended that said pregnancy is unwanted. Admittedly, she cannot be forced to give birth to a child. As observed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court that it is the right of a woman to have a reproductive choice. She has a choice to give birth to the child or not." The Court noted that the Medical Board opined that the pregnancy could be terminated if the petitioner is a minor girl. She is subjected for sexual assault. It is difficult for her to carry said unwanted pregnancy. The petitioner or victim girl through plea contends that she is a child in conflict with the law and lodged with the Government Girls Observation Home in Amravati. She is in the custody of Observation Home, Amravati as she had committed an offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The Court noted that during the investigation it revealed to the Investigating Officer that the petitioner is pregnant and, therefore, a separate FIR has been register under Section 376 read with Section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. She is victim of sexual assault and, therefore, another crime was registered on the basis of report lodged by her mother. The petitioner pleaded that she is from an economically weak background and, therefore, she is unable to up-bring the child and is also suffering trauma due to sexual abuse because of the incident. Therefore, she seeks permission from this Court directing to terminate her pregnancy which is of 12 weeks. Moreover, this is unwanted and the same violate her personal liberty. The bench called for a Medical Report, which stated that her pregnancy was 16 weeks, yet it consented for the termination of her pregnancy. "In view of the provisions of Section 3(2)(b)(i) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 a pregnancy may be terminated if continuance of the same would involve a risk of grave injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman," the bench noted. The Court while passing the direction for abortion noted that in such circumstances if the child is born she would not able to receive financial and emotional support from her family members. It would be difficult for her to raise the child as she does not have any source of income. "In such circumstances and a taking overall view of the matter, we are of the view that declining such permission to the petitioner would be tantamount to compelling her to continue with her pregnancy which in the circumstances will not only be a burden on her, but it would also cause grave injury to her mental health," said the Bombay HC Bench. The bench noted that in the present case also petitioner is unmarried. She is not only a victim of sexual abuse. She is lodged in the Observation Home. Her financial condition is also weak. She has already undergone the trauma due to the sexual assault on her. She is also suffering mentally as she is also charged for the offence punishable under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. (ANI)
As Amarnath Yatra has started after a gap of two years amid high threat, 200 high-powered bulletproof vehicles are placed in sensitive locations along with security forces to detect explosives as well as other tasks to ensure safe and secure pilgrimage. These vehicles, an official told ANI on request for anonymity, are equipped with a high-powered automatic mapping facility, and the ability to move easily on planes, forests, water as well as places on heights. Besides, the official said, the key specialization of these vehicles is to detect Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Many of the 200 vehicles have "Deep Penetrating Radar (DPR) to detect IEDs on routes connecting Srinagar and Jammu to Amarnath. "If under attack, these vehicles cannot be damaged from the explosion of IED weighing nearly 25 kg," claimed the official. Amid the latest threat inputs regarding the use of grenades, sticky bombs, and IEDs; the security forces have been using these vehicles too along with high-tech gadgets, said the official. The official said that these vehicles were pressed into Jammu and Kashmir in the last few months considering the 43-day Amarnath Yatra that started on Thursday under high-security arrangements as intelligence reports suggest a high threat to the annual pilgrimage that would culminate on August 11. Security has also been tightened in Jammu and Kashmir with special emphasis on the use of over 130 sniffer dogs on the vehicle routes heading towards the Amarnath shrine. The National Investigation Agency also informed the Central government last week that Pakistan-based commanders of proscribed terrorist organisations are trying for terrorist activities by way of targeting minorities, security personnel and religious pilgrimages including holy Shri Amaranthji Yatra, Shri Vaishno Devi Yatra and other similar religious activities. Considering threats, over 200 drones are being used on twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal to keep a tab on each and every activity said the official, adding major threat is suspected from cadres of offshoots of proscribed terrorist organisations such as "The Resistance Front (TRF), People Anti-Fascist Forces (PAFF)". The investigation has unearthed a deep-rooted conspiracy of Pakistan-based proscribed terrorist organisations joining hands in form of a united group and shifting their modus operandi by floating pseudo offshoot outfits portrayed as indigenous resistance groups, in whose name terrorist acts are being committed with an intention to claim deniability at the international level. After the abrogation of article 370, this shift was discernible in claims of terrorist acts done in J&K. Many affiliate or offshoot outfits such as The Resistance Front (TRF), People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF), United Liberation Front J&K ULF J&K, Muslim Janbaaz Force (MJF), Kashmir Janbaaz Force (KJF), Kashmir Tigers, Kashmir Fight, Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind, Kashmir Gaznavi Force etc had suddenly mushroomed, laying claims to various terrorist acts. As per another official, there is an intelligence report regarding the use of sticky bombs of a minimum of half kg and attack of grenades. The official said that the terrorists are learnt to have started gathering at launching pads along the border on the Pakistan side and they are suspected to enter through riverine areas, and tunnels during the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage which is scheduled to culminate on August 11. Almost double the companies of all security forces have been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir compared to the previous year for the security of Amarnath Yatra. High-tech gadgets like IED detectors and binoculars are being used "first time" during the annual pilgrimage of Hindus, the official said, adding "these gadgets include some of them manufactured by Israel". For the first time, another officer in the CRPF said, an "integrated" effort is being put across all forces concerned including Army, CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Jammu and Kashmir administration and Amarnathji Shrine Board members. The Amarnath shrine pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva, located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, is held from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal. The J&K government had cancelled the annual Amarnath pilgrimage due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in 2020 and 2021 after a discussion with Amarnathji Shrine Board members. (ANI)
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday inspected the 145th Jagannath Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad metropolis and other Rath Yatras in the cities via CM dashboard. The Chief Minister performed the Pahind ritual early in the morning from the Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad and made the chariot of God depart towards the city, according to an official statement by Gujarat CMO. After reaching the Chief Minister's residence, he reached the CM dashboard and did the real-time monitoring of the Rath Yatra on the wall of the CM dashboard. CM Bhupendra Patel closely observed the chariots of Lord Jagannathji, brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadraji, the procession of devotees and the police patrolling on the Yatra route, and the activities of security, the statement read. In this year's Rathyatra, for the first time, the Chief Minister also saw in depth the successful experiment of the state Home Department using drone technology to keep a hawk-eye on the Yatra from a height of 65 meters.He appreciated the security provided to the rath yatra by helicopters and drones. The Chief Minister also observed the activities of the personnel of Gujarat Police who are deployed at sensitive places, and points in this rath yatra in Ahmedabad, which for the first time has been equipped with about 2500 body-worn cameras. Ahmedabad City Police and Mahanagarpalika had set up cameras at more than 100 points to monitor the procession, the details of which were also learned by the Chief Minister from the Minister of State for Home Affairs Harsh Sanghvi at this time, it added. He used real-time monitoring via GPS system of akhada-bhajan congregations and trucks and vehicles involved in the yatra in this year's Rath Yatra on the video wall of the CM dashboard. The CM also got the details of the continuous monitoring system that has been set up with the camera from 46 fixed locations of the entire journey including other moving, vehicle-mounted cameras and high-resolution CCTV. Apart from Ahmedabad, the Chief Minister also watched the live broadcast and control room monitoring of the Rath Yatra held in Dakor, Mahemdavad was viewed from the CM dashboard. Minister of State for Home Affairs Harsh Sanghvi, Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia as well as the Chief Secretary also joined the inspection. The Chief Minister has strengthened the communication during the Yatra by connecting the Dhaba Point, Strategic Police Point and the personnel involved with mobile WhatsApp. CM Bhupendra Patel expressed satisfaction over the details of the facilities provided to the devotees, devotees, saints involved in the Rathyatra, food offerings, water, first aid etc. (ANI)
Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday said senior party leaders will highlight the Centre's efforts toward the welfare of poor people under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive meeting. BJP is all set to hold a national executive meeting on July 2 and 3 at Hyderabad International Convention Centre. "Owing to COVID, we couldn't hold a big meeting in the past two years. Senior leaders would now get a chance to chalk out a strategy. We would get to highlight the Centre's efforts toward the welfare of the poor under eight years of PM Modi's leadership," Thakur told ANI. He further stated that the BJP top brass will also discuss the ways to strengthen the party, keeping in mind the upcoming state assembly elections. "With more state elections on the horizon, we would also decide how we can further strengthen the party," the minister added. Meanwhile, Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhash said, "After 18 years, a national executive committee is being held in Hyderabad... The city is decked up. National leaders, CMs, and other leaders are visiting 119 constituencies wherein a massive public rally is supposed to be held on July 3. We are expecting a huge crowd." According to a senior BJP leader, the expansion of the party will be the key agenda of the meeting. They will also discuss areas where there is a need to induct more party workers, sources said. There will be a photo exhibition where the senior leaders and photos from the earlier national executive meet and important events will be exhibited today at 6 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive in Hyderabad on July 2 and is likely to address the meeting. "Tomorrow, PM Modi will be arriving in Begumpet. We will have a public reception there," added NV Subhash. "National executive meeting will start from 3 p.m. tomorrow and will continue till July 3 evening. At 6.30 pm July 3 pm will arrive at Parade Ground where a massive rally and public speech are organized...These three days will be influencing, wherein people will turn in favour of BJP," said NV Subhash. Expansion of the party, the 2024 general election, and new party policies are likely to be on the meeting agenda, a party source said. Posters, banners, and flags have been put up in Hyderabad ahead of BJP's two-day national executive meeting. BJP national president JP Nadda is expected to arrive in Telanagana's capital today. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and other top leaders are yet to arrive in Hyderabad. (ANI)
The incident occurred after the police brought the gunpowder, recovered from Patna university's hostel. The gunpowder was brought to the court premises to seek permission for further probe.

"ASI Kadam Kuwan Madan Singh's right hand was injured. However, no other injuries were reported," said Senior Superintendent of Police Patna, Manavjit Singh Dhillon.

"A few days ago, gunpowder was recovered in Patel hostel, Patna University. We took it to court for seeking permission for further probe. The blast happened as soon as it was kept on-premises. A police official sustained injuries and is out of danger now," said Sabi ul Haq, Incharge, Pirbahore Police Station. (ANI)
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday felicitated doctors for their outstanding dedication and valuable contribution in the national capital as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and said that the nation's health should be kept as the first priority. "We must take inspiration from Dr BC Roy who was an able doctor and administrator; it is our pious duty to keep the health of our nation as a first priority as envisioned by our PM," said Mandaviya as he attended the Doctors' Day celebrations at Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi. Union Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar was also present at the occasion. "Along with seva of all patients, we all are working towards a Swasthya Bharat and a Sudradh Bharat," said Pawar. He also felicitated the doctors over 75 years of age for their outstanding dedication and valuable contribution as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Lauding the country's tradition of 'Seva bhav' he said, "Medical professionals have followed our country's tradition of "Seva bhav" and "Seva Parmo Dharma" by working selflessly." Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings on the occasion of National Doctors' Day and said they play a key role in saving lives and making the planet healthier. "Doctors Day greetings to all hardworking doctors who play a key role in saving lives and making our planet healthier," PM Modi tweeted. National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 in India. The theme of National Doctors Day 2022 is 'Family Doctors on the Front Line'. It is observed in honour of the renowned doctor and former West Bengal chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy, whose birth and death anniversaries fall on July 1. Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1961. This year, National Doctor's Day is very significant as doctors continue to fight the Covid pandemic day and night. This is the third doctor's day amid the pandemic. This year is once again dedicated to all those doctors and healthcare professionals. (ANI)
A day after forming the new government in Maharashtra, State Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday held a meeting regarding OBC reservation in Mantralaya in Mumbai. Maharashtra Chief Secretary Manukumar Srivastava, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pravin Darekar and Dr Sanjay Kute were also present in the meeting today. In March this year, the Supreme Court declined to accept the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission's recommendation to restore 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the upcoming local body elections. The then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra decided to explore legal options for restoration of Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation in local bodies' polls. The issue was raked up by the BJP in the Maharashtra Assembly. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also held the first cabinet meeting of the new government in Mumbai on Thursday evening. The Maharashtra Cabinet has also decided to call a special session of the state assembly for two days-- July 2 and July 3. A Speaker will be elected during the session since the post is vacant following Congress MLA Nana Patole's resignation last year. Shinde, who claims to have the support of 40 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led a revolt against the Uddhav Thackeray-led party leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. A day after the resignation of Thackeray from the chief ministerial post, Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim to form the government in the state which was in the grip of political chaos for more than a week. Shinde was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Fadnavis took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister yesterday evening. Fadnavis, who was Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that he will not be part of the government. However, later on, under the direction of the BJP's central leadership, Fadnavis took oath as the Deputy CM. The Eknath Shinde camp, which had stayed mostly in Guwahati during the revolt, said that Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are Shiv Sena's traditional rivals. They had earlier urged Uddhav Thackeray to stitch a "natural alliance" with the BJP. Thackeray resigned on Wednesday after the Shinde-led group kept adding to its numbers and the Supreme Court gave a go-ahead for a floor test in the assembly. BJP and Shiv Sena had fought the 2019 assembly polls together but differences cropped up over the post of Chief Minister. Shinde, who was also present at the press conference with Fadnavis, said, "A total of 50 MLAs are with us, including 40 MLAs from Shiv Sena...We have fought this battle so far with their help...I will not let even a scratch mar the trust that these 50 people have placed in me - let alone break that trust." "The decision that we have taken is committed to Balasaheb's Hindutva and for the development work in the constituencies of our MLAs. We have 50 MLAs with us," he added.The Shiv Sena leader further said that though BJP has 120 MLAs, but Fadnavis did not take up the post of Chief Minister. "BJP has 120 MLAs but despite that Devendra Fadnavis didn't take the post of CM. I express my gratitude to him along with PM Modi, Amit Shah and other BJP leaders that they showed generosity and made Balasaheb's Sainik (party-worker) the CM of the state," he said. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to Delhi Police on the plea moved by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair challenging the police custody remand granted by a trial court. He was remanded to four days of police custody on 28 June in a case related to an objectionable tweet. The vacation bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to Delhi Police on the plea and directed it to file a reply in two weeks and a rejoinder to it in one week. The matter has been listed for July 27 for further hearing. Justice Narula observed, "This petition raises a legal question on the remand granted by the lower, the matter will be heard. I am inclined to issue notice on the petition." The bench also said, "The remand is ending tomorrow, the court will decide the matter according to the material police have after the remand." The hearing at the lower court would not be prejudiced by the arguments of the counsel who appeared in this petition and during the pendency of it, the bench observed. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for Delhi Police, urged that the hearing of the matter at the lower court should not be prejudiced. Appearing on behalf of Zubair, Advocate Vrinda Grover argued that the custody in this matter was granted in a mechanical manner and without judicial scrutiny. He argued that no court can take cognizance in this matter as it is barred by the limitation law. "This case is related to a case-related tweet posted in 2018 means four years back. The sections in which the case has been lodged prescribed for a maximum punishment of three years." She also said that this is a case which plunged a dagger into the heart of civil rights. My client who is a journalist was called for interrogation in another case but was arrested in this case, she argued. His mobile with which the alleged tweet was made in 2018 has been lost. This fact has been reported to the police. Now they (police) have taken his new mobile and laptop also, Advocate Grover further said. She submitted that the tweets are stored on the server Twitter, not on the mobile. "Intelligence fusion and strategic operation (IFSO) who is investigating the case is cybercrime expert, still, they require the mobile and laptop for the investigation of this case," she added. Justice Narula said, "This is not a bail petition, this is all on merit. The accused may be remanded to judicial custody or further remanded, all this can be put before the magistrate, and the court will decide it." The counsel for Mohd Zubair said there is no case against her client and police are conducting roving and fishing enquiry against him. "Even the copy of the application was not given to us and the copy of the FIR was given after the court's direction." Mohd Zubair was called for interrogation in another matter in which the High Court has granted protection. He was arrested in this matter and served notice half an hour before arrest. He was produced before a duty magistrate at 10 on the night of 27 June. He was remanded to one-day custody, the counsel. On the other hand, the Solicitor General argued that Delhi Police is not acting in a partisan manner. He also submitted that matter is still at the stage of initiation. "Would not be proper for him to say anything. We have just seized the mobile and laptop," Solicitor General Mehta said. Advocate Grover vehemently opposed the contention saying that it is not a question of mere seizure, it is a question of liberty of a person. "Would you allow us to conduct the proceedings in a civilized manner?" Justice Narula pulled up the lawyer after an argument between them. The bench asked if there was any closer report filed in the other FIR. The Solicitor General replied, "In the present matter we have not said one tweet, we said such tweets." Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who was arrested in connection with an "objectionable" tweet, on Thursday had moved Delhi High Court challenging the police remand granted by the trial court. Advocate Vrinda Grover on Thursday mentioned the matter before the vacation bench of the Delhi High Court. The FIR against Zubair was lodged on June 20 based on the complaint filed by the Duty Officer of the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell which tackles cyber crimes. According to duty officer Arun Kumar, while he was monitoring social media, he saw a tweet shared by a person with the Twitter name 'Hanuman Bhakt' and Twitter ID @balajikijai. The shared tweet was Mohammad Zubair's and contained "objectionable" words. The screenshot of the board is from a Hindi movie. "These words and the picture found to be used by Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear against a particular religious community are highly provocative and more than sufficient to incite hatred amongst people which can be detrimental to the maintenance of public tranquillity in the society. Transmission and publication of such posts have been deliberately done by Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear through electronic media to insult the religious feelings of a particular community with the intent to provoke breach of the peace which attracts offence under Section 153-A and 295. From the contents of the post from Twitter handle Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear, offence 153-A and 295 is made out," the FIR further stated. Zubair was booked under Sections 153A (promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Delhi Police said. (ANI)
Delhi's famous Lajpat Nagar market welcomed the ban on single-use plastic that came into effect on Friday across the country. Kuldeep Kumar, General Secretary of Pushpa Market, Lajpat Nagar said that this called it a "very good decision", saying that they already have stopped single-use plastic in their shops. "We welcome this decision. We know that plastic is not good for the environment as well as our health. Now, we need to think about that. We can't leave everything to the government. We must take steps to stop single-use plastic," Kumar told ANI. A local resident, Jyoti said that the use of single-use plastic has increased very rapidly in the last several years, and now the government has taken a very good decision. "Implementation of this decision is some difficulty. But, with an awareness drive and strict penalties, we can achieve our goal. It is a very good decision," Jyoti said. Sham Sunder Sharma, President of Pushpa Market of Lajpat Nagar said that the government must take action against manufacturing units of single-use plastic. "An awareness drive is already going on and we have stopped single-use plastic. But, there are thousands of manufacturing units of single-use plastic. Government must take action against these units," he said. Under the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, the manufacture, import, storage, distribution, sale and use of any single-use plastic has been banned. Sticks, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, polystyrene for decoration (thermocol), plastic plates, plastic cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette boxes Trays, wrapping or packing film less than 100 microns, stirrers, etc. are banned including plastic or PVC banners. The trade of single-use plastic across the country is estimated to be around 20 thousand crores annually. A National Control Room has been established in the Central Pollution Control Board to monitor the enforcement of the ban, besides asking the state boards to undertake comprehensive Awareness activities including social media campaigns, and interactive meetings with industries, colleges, schools and other institutions. The state boards have further been directed to intensify inspections of industrial and commercial establishments for effective implementation of the ban. In line with the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to phase out single-use plastic items by 2022, the environment ministry had notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, on 12 August 2021. Earlier in the day, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also appealed to people to avoid using single-use plastic during the Jagannath Rath Yatra urging the citizens to turn the move into a "mass movement". (ANI)
Ahead of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s national executive meeting, the party's national president JP Nadda held a road show in Hyderabad on Friday evening. BJP will hold a national executive meeting on July 2 and 3 at Hyderabad International Convention Centre. "After 18 years, a national executive committee is being held in Hyderabad... The city is decked up. National leaders, CMs, and other leaders are visiting 119 constituencies wherein a massive public rally is supposed to be held on July 3. We are expecting a huge crowd," Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhash told ANI. According to a senior BJP leader, the expansion of the party will be the key agenda of the meeting. They will also discuss areas where there is a need to induct more party workers, sources said. There will be a photo exhibition where the senior leaders and photos from the earlier national executive meet and important events will be exhibited today at 6 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive in Hyderabad on July 2 and is likely to address the meeting. "Tomorrow, PM Modi will be arriving in Begumpet. We will have a public reception there," added NV Subhash. "National executive meeting will start from 3 pm tomorrow and will continue till July 3 evening. At 6.30 pm July 3, the Prime Minister will arrive at Parade Ground where a massive rally and public speech are organized...These three days will be influencing, wherein people will turn in favor of BJP," said NV Subhash. Expansion of the party, the 2024 general election, and new party policies are likely to be on the meeting agenda, a party source said. Meanwhile, former MP K Visweshwar Reddy has announced that he will be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana. "I decided today that I'll join BJP in Telangana. Once Telangana achieved statehood, we all had great aspirations. We can do wonders with funds for one of the richest states. But what happened is exactly the opposite," said Reddy. He quit Congress last year. Odisha BJP President Samir Mohanty, MOS Tourism Sripad Naik, BJP National spokesperson KK Sharma, Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai, Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel and other big BJP leaders arrived in Hyderabad ahead of BJP's National Executive Meeting. Posters, banners, and flags have been put up in Hyderabad ahead of BJP's two-day national executive meeting. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and other top leaders are yet to arrive in Hyderabad. (ANI)
Maharashtra MLA Deepak Kesarkar, who is from the Eknath Shinde camp, on Friday said that former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray "is a big stature leader" and they won't speak against him. Kesarkar, who was the spokesperson of the rebel group of Shiv Sena during the Maharashtra political crisis, said that they will speak to former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the right time and all misunderstandings will be sorted out. "Uddhav Thackeray is a big stature leader and we won't speak against him. We will speak to him at the right time. All the misunderstandings will be sorted out," he told the media. Kesarkar said NCP chief Sharad Pawar called Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and congratulated him. "He also said that you belong to Satara so I expect many things from you for Satara... There is a rule of ED now but it's not that ED. ED here means 'E' for Eknath Shinde &'D' for Devendra Fadvanis," Kesarkar said. His remarks came after Uddhav Thackeray said that "this CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM". The political crisis in Maharashtra was created by a revolt in Shiv Sena led by Shinde who stayed in Guwahati with other MLAs supporting him. Uddhav Thackeray resigned on Wednesday. Thackeray clashed out at the BJP on Friday for giving the Chief Ministerial slot to Shindeand said that had BJP leadership agreed to this earlier, there would have been no Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state. The Shiv Sena and BJP had parted ways after the 2019 Assembly elections over the post of Chief Minister. With the BJP not agreeing with Shiv Sena's demand, the party tied up with Congress and NCP to form a government. "About what happened yesterday, I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would've been no Maha Vikas Aghadi." Shinde was sworn in as Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as Deputy Chief Minister on Thursday. "The manner in which government has been formed and a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could've been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM," Thackeray said. Slamming the new government for its decision to build the metro car shed in Mumbai's Aarey colony, which the earlier Devendra Fadnavis government had termed important, Thackeray asked not to "project anger" for him on Mumbaikars. "Don't project anger for me on Mumbaikars. Don't change the proposal for the metro shed. Don't toy with the environment of Mumbai," he said. The Eknath Shinde's government in Maharashtra will face a Vote of Confidence on July 4, to prove its majority in the State Assembly.The Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held on July 3 and 4. (ANI)
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson, Justice Arun Mishra on Friday said that the Indian civilizational ethos is blessed with the power of assimilation and not the imposition of thoughts. Mishra was addressing the closing ceremony of the NHRC-IGNCA National Conference in Delhi. "Indian civilizational ethos is blessed with the power of assimilation of different streams of ideas and faiths, as we want to improve and not impose our culture upon others, which may amount to a violation of human rights," said Mishra. He said that the concept of respecting human rights can be sustained only by understanding that this is an integral part of sustainable development and the carbon emissions should be taken note of. He said that today the world is facing destructive weapons, posing a serious threat to the environment and humanity. "The use of destructive weapons benefits only their manufacturers and not the common people. India's doctrine of nuclear policy is a manifestation of its past ideology that prohibits the use of weapons of mass destruction, which only harm humanity. It has reflected both in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata when the use of weapons of mass destruction was prohibited," he added. Earlier, the NHRC Member, Dr DM Mulay asked that in times of terrorism, a roadmap to sustain humanity is to be thought about. "The Indian view of human rights is not for human beings alone but for the entire world, planet and the universe. This may be used as a fulcrum for building a roadmap for human rights all over the world. He said that democracy is nothing, but the practice of human rights, and India is the best ground for practising human rights given its long traditions of values reflected in art, culture and philosophy," said Mulay. He also highlighted that awareness is needed to be built for the sake of sustaining humanity as most of Indians don't understand the rich Indian heritage of respecting human rights. "There are disturbing trends everywhere which need to be dealt with democratically. The idea of India revolves around 1.3 billion stories, the collection which will set a narrative for human rights," he added. The IGNCA Member Secretary, Dr Sachchidanand Joshi, giving an overview of the various sessions of the two days National Conference, said that the Indian culture stands out as the identity of any Indian abroad. "Our scriptures are the repository of human rights-centric ideas. Those values are seen even today when Indian society, despite facing multiple challenges, sailed through the COVID-19 pandemic," said Joshi NHRC Secretary-General, DK Singh gave the vote of thanks and said that this National Seminar marks the beginning of a discourse wherein twenty-star speakers ignited a thought process to understand, assimilate and take forward the rich traditions of Indian art, culture and philosophy for the sustainable concept of human rights, and the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. The two days National Conference on Human Rights in Indian Culture and Philosophy was jointly organized by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, IGNCA. Prior to the valedictory session, the third thematic session was held on human rights in art and literature. This was chaired by NHRC, Member, Rajiv Jain and co-chaired by Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor, Najma Akhtar. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, the Chief Minister said, "5 people died due to lightning in 3 districts of the state. My deepest condolences to the affected families. An ex-gratia grant of Rs 4 lakh will be given immediately to the next of kin of all the deceased."

He also urged people to be vigilant in adverse weather and to follow the recommendations issued by the Disaster Management Department to avoid thunderstorms.

"All people should take full vigil in bad weather and follow the suggestions issued by the Disaster Management Department from time to time. Stay at home in bad weather and stay safe," he added. (ANI)
As many as 12 more bodies including eight Army personnel and four civilians were recovered during the search operation from the landslide incident site at Tupul in Manipur on Friday, according to an official statement by India Army. So far, a total of 15 Territorial Army personnel and five civilians have been recovered from the Manipur landslide site. The death toll in the Manipur landside rose to 20 till now. "Mortal remains of eight more Territorial Army personnel and four more civilians were recovered during the search on July 1. So far, the bodies of 15 Territorial Army personnel and five civilians have been recovered," Indian Army said. Meanwhile, the Indian Army along with Assam Rifles, Territorial Army, SDRF, and NDRF also rescued 13 Territorial Army personnel and five civilians. Indian Army also said, "Mortal remains of Territorial Army personnel are being despatched to respective home stations with full military honors. Search for 15 missing Territorial Army personnel and 29 civilians will continue unabated." Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh again visited the site to encourage the personnel engaged in rescue operations. The landslide hit on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday near the company location of 107 Territorial Army of the Indian Army deployed near Tupul Railway Station for protection of the under-construction railway line from Jiribam to Imphal. The North-East Frontier Railway CPRO said the landslide triggered by incessant rains caused damage to the Tupul station building of the ongoing Jiribam - Imphal new line project. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed the landslide situation caused due to incessant rainfall in Manipur with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and assured full possible support from the central government. "Spoke to Manipur CM Shri @NBirenSinghJi and reviewed the situation due to a tragic landslide. Assured all possible support from the Centre. I pray for the safety of all those affected. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon," PM Modi tweeted. More details are awaited. (ANI)
Shiromani Akali Dal, which has been an ally of the BJP, on Friday announced that it will support NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the presidential elections. A party release said the party decided to support Droupadi Murmu in the forthcoming presidential poll "as she symbolizes the cause of minorities, the exploited and backward classes as well as women and has emerged as a symbol of the poor and tribal segments in the country." " While our serious reservations with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the prevailing atmosphere of mounting divisive and communal polarization, especially the growing insecurity in the minds of the members of the minoritiy communities under the present NDA government remains strongly intact, the SAD is eventually inspired and guided by the ideals placed before humanity in supporting Ms Murmu as she not only symbolises the dignity of womenfolk but also belongs to the very downtrodden and the minority classes in whose cause the great Guru Sahiban made supreme sacrifices, " said a resolution passed at core committee meeting of the party. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal told the media that the party was also deeply concerned over the dangers posed to human rights, "especially to the democratic values like religious tolerance and freedom of speech as witnessed in the banning of material that highlights injustice to Punjab, especially against the Sikhs". "The party will never swerve from its core pro-Punjab, pro-minority, pro farmers and pro-poor agenda. But in the presidential poll in question, the options before the party is either to support and candidate sponsored and supported by the Congress and its direct and indirect allies, or to be led by its conviction based on the ideals of the ideals great Guru Sahiban and we have chosen to go by the latter," he said. He said SAD can never support a candidate who had been propped up by the Congress party. Badal also noted that several issues related to the Sikh community and Punjab remained unresolved and that the party was committed to doing its utmost to ensure they reached their logical conclusion. He said these included "securing the release of all Sikh detenues whose sentences had been commuted by the central government on the occasion of 550th Prakash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Devji, handing over Chandigarh to Punjab". The SAD president also met Droupadi Murmu at the union territory guest house here along with senior party members Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Prem Singh Chandumajra and Charanjit Singh Atwal. He told Droupadi Murmu, who had earlier rung up the SAD president to seek support of her candidature, that the party's core committee had taken a unanimous decision to support her candidature. (ANI)
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for about 10 hours on Friday in connection with a money-laundering probe. Raut arrived at the ED office located in south Mumbai around 11.30 am on Friday and left around 9.30 pm. The Shiv Sena leader, while leaving the ED office, said he would cooperate with the central agency. "It is our duty to go in front of the central agencies if they have any doubt in their minds so that people do not have any doubt in their minds about us. We were questioned for 10 hours and we gave full co-operation," Raut told reporters outside the ED office. Raut appeared before the central agency on Friday after it issued the second summons in the case to appear before July 1, after the leader failed to appear in his first summon on Monday due to the then political crisis in Maharashtra. Before joining the probe yesterday, he said, "I am a fearless person. I am fearless because I have never done anything wrong in my life. If at all this is political, we will get to know that later. Right now, I feel I am going to a neutral agency and I trust them completely." The Rajya Sabha MP was scheduled to appear for questioning on Tuesday. However, his lawyer had sought 13-14 days time to present the documents in front of the probe agency but the request was declined by the Agency. Raut is being probed in connection with the re-development of Mumbai's Patra Chawl. In April this year, the ED had attached immovable properties worth Rs 11.15 crore, including a flat at Dadar, held by Sanjay Raut's wife Varsha and eight land parcels at Kihim near Alibag, jointly held by the latter with Swapna Patkar, in connection with the redevelopment scam. Swapna is the wife of Sujit Patkar, a close associate of the Sena leader. The federal agency said its investigation revealed that around Rs 100 crore was transferred from the real estate company, HDIL, to the account of Pravin Raut, who in turn diverted part of these funds to various accounts of his close associates, family members, and business entities. Praveen Raut has been a director in an infrastructure company called Guruashish constructions and is stated to be a subsidiary of the HDIL (Housing Development Infrastructure Limited), an accused in the case. Pravin Raut was arrested in the past by the Maharashtra police's economic offences wing. The ED's summons to Raut, who is considered to be a confidant of Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, comes amidst mounting trouble for the party in the wake of internal rebellion. The federal agency has also been probing the Rs 4,300 crore PMC Bank money laundering case against Sanjay Raut's wife Varsha Raut who was questioned last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the central probe agency. The agency is probing her role in the alleged bank loan scam with regard to the transfer of Rs 55 lakh funds by the wife of an accused in the case, Pravin Raut, apart from some other transactions. Last year, the ED had also attached Pravin Raut's assets worth Rs 72 crore in this case and has questioned him and his wife Madhuri Raut. The agency had alleged that Pravin Raut had "siphoned off" funds worth Rs 95 crore from the scam-hit bank in the garb of a loan, out of which he paid Rs 1.6 crore to his wife Madhuri Raut who subsequently transferred Rs 55 lakh in two tranches to Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, as "interest-free loan." (ANI)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that Mumbai metro line 3 cannot be started until the car shed is prepared and land proposed by the previous MVA government for the purpose is disputed. "Mumbai metro line 3 cannot be started until the car shed is prepared. Land proposed by the previous government for the car shed is disputed. During our government, 25 per cent of work has been completed on the land proposed by SC and the remaining 75 per cent work can be done immediately," he told the media. "For the benefit of Mumbaikars, the car shed should only be made on that land proposed by SC in order to start the metro service," he added. Within hours of assuming office, the new Maharashtra government with Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister directed the Advocate General that its view that the metro car shed be built in Mumbai's Aarey colony itself should be placed before the court. Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray had decided to move the Metro-3 car shed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg. The construction of car shed at Aarey had been a sticking point between the BJP and Shiv Sena. The dispute over the construction of a Metro car shed at Aarey has has seen several legal twists. Devendra Fadnavis had said as Chief Minister in September 2019 that the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important". (ANI)
A Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Surya Kant, had on Wednesday declined to stay the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly ordered by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, after which Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray quit. On Friday, the same bench minced no words in slamming former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in connection with her remarks on Prophet Muhammad. On June 29, the bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala -- after hearing counsel of Shiv Sena, rebel MLAs, Eknath Shinde, and the Governor for over three hours in a late evening court hearing - said: "We do not find any ground to stay convening of the special session of the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha on June 30, 2022 i.e, tomorrow at 11 a.m. with the only agenda of a trust vote." "The proceedings of the trust vote to be convened on June 30, shall be subject to the final outcome of the instant Writ Petition as well the Writ Petitions referred to above." The top court's order came on a plea by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu terming Governor's direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test and prove its majority in the House on Thursday (June 30), as illegal, claiming the Governor didn't take into account Deputy Speaker's disqualification notices to 16 rebel MLAs. Thackeray resigned soon after the top court's order. On Friday, the same bench took up a plea filed by Sharma seeking transfer of several FIRs, registered against her in many states for alleged remarks on the Prophet, to Delhi for investigation. Sharma contended she is facing life threats from unsocial elements despite withdrawing her comments. However, the bench noted that Sharma apparently appeared before the court under a "deceptive name". As senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Sharma, replied she has a threat, Justice Surya Kant remarked: "She has a threat or she has become a security threat?" "The way she has ignited emotions across the country. This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country," the bench added. It said the remarks show she is obstinate and arrogant, and queried, "if you are a spokesperson, you have got license to make statements?... sometimes power goes to the head". Singh said that there are multiple FIRs lodged in various parts of the country and her client is an advocate with over 10 years of practice, as he noted during the debate, the foundation was laid for a mischievous provocation and cited top court's judgments ordering clubbing of FIRs in the same alleged offence. "All I am asking is for an investigation done at one place...," said Singh. At this, the bench queried what has been done in an FIR registered with Delhi Police so far. "They must be red carpeting for you....". Singh said his client has joined the investigation and also cited the top court's order in businessman Satinder Singh Bhasin case where multiple FIRs were clubbed into a single FIR. The bench then questioned the police action in the case. "When you lodge a complaint against someone that person is arrested but nobody dares to touch you...That shows your clout." It declined to entertain Sharma's plea and her counsel withdrew it from the court. --IANS ss/vd ( 561 Words) 2022-07-01-19:10:03 (IANS)
The incident occurred when Congress workers staged a protest against the Central government's recently announced scheme Agnipath for Army recruitments.

When the protesters reached near the BJP office and staged a dharna, workers of the saffron party raised an objection. This led to an argument between the sides. Soon this snowballed into a clash and both sides attacked each other.

BJP workers attacked the vehicles of Congress leaders. The incident triggered tension in the area. Police intervened to control the situation, and undertook a baton charge to disperse the clashing groups.

--IANS ms/vd

( 123 Words)

2022-07-01-20:06:03 (IANS)
Nadda arrived at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad on Friday evening to a warm welcome by the BJP's Telangana unit leaders.

Standing on an open-top vehicle, he waved at the BJP supporters who had gathered in large numbers. Flanked by state BJP president Bandi Sanjay, actress and party leader Vijayashanti and MP K. Laxman, Nadda was seen holding a party flag and also showering petals on the supporters.

The road show was held for one km on the main road amid beating of drums and music.

Nadda later drove to Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the venue of the two-day national executive meeting beginning on Saturday. He was accorded a warm welcome in a traditional manner by a group of Telangana artistes.

The BJP chief inaugurated a photo exhibition depicting the history of Telangana and its rich culture. The party also highlighted the 'excesses' committed on people in the Hyderabad State by Nizam's Army.

Nadda will later hold a meeting with the party general secretaries to discuss and decide the agenda for the national executive meeting. The meeting is likely to decide draft resolutions to be passed during the meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and central leaders of the party will be attending the meeting. This will be followed by a huge public meeting to be held on the evening of Sunday at Parade Grounds.

BJP general secretary Tarun Chug said 340 delegates will attend the national executive meeting. He said Prime Minister Modi will attend all the sessions along with the delegates.

Modi, who will be arriving in Hyderabad on Saturday afternoon, will address the national executive on the second day

--IANS ms/pgh

( 315 Words)

2022-07-01-20:48:08 (IANS)
An FIR has been registered against a government school teacher in Bihar's Gaya for allegedly molesting a female teacher and some girl students, on the directions of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), police said on Friday. "We have received a direction from the PMO and sent the matter to Kotwali police station to immediately register the FIR and initiate investigation," Ravi Ranjan, an inspector rank officer of the confidential branch of Gaya SSP's office, said. The incident occurred on January 26, 2021 when a group of students of Ramruchi Girls Inter School went to the District Magistrate's office for Republic Day celebrations. As they were returning after the event, the accused male teacher consumed liquor and tried to molest the female teacher. As she resisted, he tried to molest the female students. The female teacher somehow saved the girls and sent them to their respective homes. After that incident, the female teacher had complained to senior officials of the district but no one listened to her. She eventually wrote a complaint to the PMO, which took the matter seriously and directed Gaya SSP Harpreet Kaur to probe the matter and take strong action against the accused male teacher. --IANS ajk/vd ( 213 Words) 2022-07-01-21:04:04 (IANS)
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday removed Eknath Shinde who revolted against him and succeeded him as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister from the post of Shiv Sena leader. Shinde has been removed for indulging in "anti-party activities", said a Shiv Sena statement. The political crisis in Maharashtra was created by a revolt in Shiv Sena led by Shinde who stayed in Guwahati with other MLAs supporting him. Uddhav Thackeray resigned on Wednesday. Earlier on Friday, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray lashed out at the BJP for giving the Chief Ministerial slot to Eknath Shinde, a rebel Shiv Sena leader, and said that had the former ally partner agreed to this earlier, there would have been no Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state. The Shiv Sena and BJP had parted ways after the 2019 Assembly elections in the state after the former demanded 2.5 years of Chief Ministership each for both the parties during the term of five years, which the latter had not agreed to. Shiv Sena had then stitched an alliance with rival NCP and Congress to form the government. Talking about the swearing-in ceremony of Shinde who was appointed as the Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis who was sworn in as his Deputy, Thackeray said, "About what happened yesterday, I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would have been no Maha Vikas Aghadi." Hitting out at Shinde, who led the revolt against him for over a week which culminated in the resignation of Thackeray from the office, the Shiv Sena chief said that the new CM is not from his party which the BJP has aimed at making. He said that he had told Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2019 about the distribution of the Chief Ministerial post for 2.5 years each. "The manner in which government has been formed and a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could have been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM," Thackeray said. The Eknath Shinde's government in Maharashtra will face a Vote of Confidence on July 4, to prove its majority in the State Assembly. The Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held on July 3 and 4. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden has vowed to end any filibuster on women's abortion rights in the Congress even as his supporters in the democratic party wanted to codify the Supreme Court Judgement of Roe (1973) to appease enraged women on the issue as the verdict has sparked off a nationwide protest among liberals and abortion rights activists and women's groups. Biden condemned on Thursday the SC verdict overturning the Roe 1973 ruling upholding a woman's right to abortion as "outrageous behavior" saying for the first time that he supported ending the filibuster on the issue as protection to women and a broader constitutional right to privacy. He was speaking at a Press Conference in Madrid on the last leg of his G7 visit to Bavaria in Germany and other countries. It is a striking assertion from a president, who is steeped in the traditions of the Senate and has resisted calls from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party to scrap the longstanding Senate practice of requiring a 60-vote threshold to pass legislation. But in chiding the justices for a decision he called "destabilizing" for the country, the president said it was time to push Congress to act, USA today reported from Madrid. "We have to codify Roe v. Wade in the law, and the way to do that is to make sure the Congress votes to do that," Biden said. "And if the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights, we provide an exception for this, or an exception to the filibuster for this action." For a second time, Biden has urged Congress to scrap its rules on the filibuster because only in early January this year he called on lawmakers to make an exception to pass legislation to add voting rights protections. Speaking at a press conference in Madrid ending a week-long series of meetings with NATO allies in Europe, Biden lamented the impact of the court's decision on a woman's right to have an abortion, calling Roe a "critical, critical piece". But he also sought to broaden his critique of the ruling, saying it threatened decades of court precedent guaranteeing other fundamental tenets of American life based on the idea of a right to privacy in the Constitution. Biden's public comments encourage and strengthen democrats in his party to find ways and means to codify the Roe judgement cutting across any filibuster they may encounter in the Congress. His comments also lend support to the public chorus warning that the legality of gay marriage and the availability of legal contraception could be at risk if the court -- now dominated by conservative justices -- decide to expand their rulings to other areas of the law, as Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in a concurring opinion in the case. "I really think that it's a serious, serious problem that the court has thrust upon the US, not just in terms of a right to choose, but in terms of right to who you can marry -- an entire range of issues relating to privacy," Biden said. The US has been embroiled in the Clarence Thomas ruling, a conservative appointee to the SC bench during the Donald Trump era, virtually exacerbating partisan divisions, prompting intense anger among Democrats and other abortion rights supporters, while gratifying the Christian right and satisfying anti-abortion conservatives. --IANS ashok/pgh ( 571 Words) 2022-07-01-21:44:04 (IANS)
Maulana Mufti Nadeem, who made provocative statements against Nupur Sharma during a protest in Bundi, was arrested and produced in the court on Friday, which sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

Another cleric named Maulana Mohammad Alam Ghori was also arrested by the police on Friday on charges of making provocative statements against Nupur Sharma a month ago.

Soon after the brutal killing of a tailor in broad daylight on a crowded street in Udaipur on Tuesday, the demand for the arrest of Maulana Mufti Nadeem and Maulana Alam Gauri intensified, as their videos had gone viral on social media.

After the killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur for reportedly supporting Nupur Sharma, questions were raised over Rajasthan police's 'inaction' in arresting Maulana Mufti despite the latter making a provocative speech.

While protesting against Nupur Sharma outside the Bundi district collectorate, Maulana Mufti had threatened to gouge the eyes and chop the hands of those who speak against Prophet Muhammed.

--IANS arc/arm

( 207 Words)

2022-07-01-21:50:05 (IANS)
In a first-of-its-kind move, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on Friday signed an agreement with DB India for the comprehensive operation and maintenance of the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor for a period of 12 years. According to NCRTC, the rail-based transit systems in India are run by public entities, at times by outsourcing certain activities to private contractors. There has been limited participation by the private sector in this sector and till now, the scope has generally been limited to the provision of facility management and ancillary services. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs issued the Metro Rail Policy in 2017 which, inter alia, advocates the need for private sector participation in regional rail and metro rail projects. By adopting the long-term private participation model entailing comprehensive outsourcing of operation and maintenance activities, NCRTC has initiated steps to fulfil this objective of the Metro Rail Policy-2017 and the key initiatives being pursued by MoHUA. Deutsche Bahn Engineering and Consultancy India Pvt Ltd (DB India) is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, National Railway Company of Germany. Speaking on the occasion, Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC said that "RRTS is a capital-intensive project, where long-term sustainability is paramount without compromising the safety and comfort of commuters. I am certain that, using the expertise and experience of our operation and maintainance partner combined with advanced technology adopted by NCRTC will bring in the predictability of long-term costs, managerial efficiencies and entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector in providing quality services to the commuters." "I truly believe that this pioneering initiative by NCRTC will lead to a paradigm shift in the entire sector and will make the sector cost effective and competitive, thereby realizing the dream of a New India of our Prime Minister," he added. To arrive at the most optimum contracting model, NCRTC undertook extensive discussions with stakeholders to identify the most efficient and effective mechanism for handling the operation and maintenance of RRTS such that there is optimum utilisation of assets, reduced interfacing risks and taking a comprehensive long-term view of the entire spectrum of operation and maintenance aspects. The ultimate objective is to create a superior passenger experience with seamless integration with the passenger area. An optimum risk matrix approach has been adopted and risks allocated to the party best suited to handle. NCRTC has also adopted the first-of-its-kind model for integrated procurement cum long-term (15 years) comprehensive maintenance of rolling stock through private participation to capture lifecycle costing. This procurement model was adopted to tap the use of the most suitable technologies and durable components on the one hand and latest state of the art technologies and practices on the other at optimum costs. The comprehensive operation and maintenance contract and the aforesaid procurement cum long-term maintenance contract are now being proposed to be adopted by Indian Railways and other metro companies. The implementation of RRTS is part of the "Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for Air Pollution Control in Delhi and NCR" and the recommendation of the "High Powered Committee on Decongesting Traffic in Delhi". (ANI)
US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Todd D Robinson, will discuss Karachi-based underworld don Dawood Ibrahim during his four-day visit to Pakistan. Responding to a question on whether Robinson will take up the issue of the transnational criminal and narcotics network of Karachi-based Dawood Ibrahim, a US State Department official said that they will raise the issue of transnational organized crime and narcotics trafficking with Pakistan, Global Strat View reported. "We raise the issue of transnational organized crime and narcotics trafficking with our partners and interlocutors at every available opportunity," a US official said. Besides Dawood Ibrahim, Assistant Secretary will also discuss the US-Pakistan cooperation on various topics, including counter-narcotics, gender issues, transnational crime, and border security. Dawood Ibrahim, who has been designated as a Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 by the US Treasury Department, is involved in large-scale shipments of narcotics in the UK and Western Europe and funding attacks by Islamic extremists aimed at destabilizing the Indian government, according to Global Strat View. His transnational crime syndicate, D Company, principally operates in India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. D Company is involved in various criminal activities, including narcotics trafficking, extortion, smuggling, and contract killings. Dawood Ibrahim and other leaders of D Company are the subjects of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) red notices for their suspected involvement in the 1993 terrorist bombings in Mumbai, India, in which 257 people lost their lives. According to the publication, in October 2003, the Treasury Department named Dawood Ibrahim a specially designated Global Terrorist. While, in June 2006, the US named Dawood Ibrahim and his crime syndicate D Company as significant foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Kingpin Act. Moreover, in May 2012, Treasury designated two senior D Company lieutenants, Chhota Shakeel and Ibrahim Tiger Memon, under the Kingpin Act. Earlier in May, this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), arrested gangster Chhota Shakeel's aides Arif Abubakar Shaikh (59) and Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh (51) involved in handling the D-Company's illegal activities and terrorist financing in the western suburbs of Mumbai. The case pertains to terror activities of the international terrorist network of D-Company (involving Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and his associates), which was allegedly indulged in arms smuggling, narco-terrorism, money laundering, circulation of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) and unauthorized possession of key assets for raising terror funds and working in active collaboration with the international terrorist organization including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Al Qaeda (AQ). (ANI)
Rome [Italy], July 1 (ANI/Xinhua): Italy on Thursday updated coronavirus health protocols in the workplace, as the main pandemic indicators in the country continue to rise. The new rules, developed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies and the Ministry of Health, will require mask use for those with specific health risks, or in cases where workplaces could increase the risk of infection. The guidelines also encourage "smart working" -- working from home instead of the office -- as well as staggered entrance and exit times for employees in the workplace, and in common areas such as food dispensaries and changing rooms. The protocols, which are applicable to private workplaces, also prohibit employees with a body temperature of over 37.5 degrees Celsius from entering a workplace. Any employee presenting flu-like symptoms is required to inform their employer in a "timely" manner. The changes come as Italy's main coronavirus indicators have worsened in recent days. According to a report released Thursday by the Gimbe Foundation, a health monitoring entity, the country's weekly COVID-19 infections climbed more than 50 per cent over the seven-day period ending Tuesday, compared to a week earlier. Based on data from the Health Ministry, the Gimbe Foundation also reported that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 climbed more than 25 per cent over the same period. Meanwhile, the number of people in intensive care units rose by 15 per cent, and the weekly mortality rate rose by 16 per cent. However, the main indicators still remain far below the peaks reached earlier in the pandemic.On Thursday, Italy reported more than 83,000 new cases, down from more than 94,000 cases a day earlier. (ANI/Xinhua)
China on Thursday urged to "avoid politicizing" the issue of the proposed G20 event in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) to be organized by India. Zhao Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson while responding to a question on the proposed G20 event by India said that instead of focussing on the planned event, major economies should focus on the steady recovery of the world economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. "The G20 is the premier forum for international economic and financial cooperation. We call on all major economies to focus on the steady recovery of the world economy, avoid politicizing relevant cooperation and make a positive contribution to improving global economic governance," said Zhao. He said that China's position on Kashmir is consistent and clear-cut. It is a legacy issue between India and Pakistan. It should be properly resolved in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and bilateral agreements. Comments from China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson come after Pakistan rejected any Indian plans of holding certain G20 events in J-K. Pakistan is reaching out to its close allies in the group of twenty - China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to boycott the G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir. India is set to assume the presidency of the G20 in December this year. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as India's Sherpa for the G20 in September 2021. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India will hold the G-20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and convene the first G20 leaders' summit in 2023. India's representation at G20 summits has been led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014. Pakistan has already rejected the proposed meeting, official sources told The Express Tribune that Islamabad would reach out to G20 countries on the issue. Sources said Pakistan would particularly approach countries like China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to convey their concerns. Islamabad would also speak to the US, the UK and other G20 members in order to counter Indian plans, The Express Tribune reported. Recently in March, India hosted an investment conference from Gulf countries in J-K. Entrepreneurs and CEOs from different countries including Dubai, UAE, and Holland were present at the summit. Delegates from over 36 countries attended the event. The Gulf countries' venture into Jammu and Kashmir is a signal to Pakistan which has been harping on the propaganda about Kashmir being a problem that needs to be settled and Muslim countries should support its argument. Zhao also defended China laying out and implementing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through the disputed area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). He said, "What you mentioned are two matters completely different in nature. China has undertaken some projects in Pakistan to help it grow its economy and improve people's livelihood. These projects are in Pakistan-occupied areas of Kashmir. Relevant Chinese companies conduct the relevant projects with the purpose of helping Pakistan to develop its economy and improve people's livelihood." However, on the question of China attending the summit in Kashmir, Zhao said, "I already outlined China's position. We will look at whether China will attend the meeting." The G20 countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom. (ANI)
Nepal Police have arrested three Chinese nationals and a Nepali national from Kaski District with 4.6 million Nepali rupees after raiding a firm suspected to be involved in illegal activities. A team from the District Police Office Kaski on Thursday raided the Chinese firm on suspicion of cyber-crime-related activities, Chief SP Ramesh Thapa told ANI. "We have arrested three Chinese and a Nepali national and 4.6 million cash from the raid site from a rented house at Damsite, Pokhara-17. The possessors couldn't show the source of money which we confiscated. Also, our preliminary investigation has shown that Sino nationals were here on a tourist visa and have been working here in Nepal which is prohibited as per the immigration law. Further investigation is currently underway," Thapa told ANI over the phone. As per police, the firm raided was a software company and had been registered under the name of Suman Tamang, a resident of Kakani Village Council (arrested Nepali national). Identities of Chinese nationals are yet to be ascertained. Police also interrogated three Chinese nationals and 75 Nepali nationals working in the company. The rest of the employees has been released by Police under the term of being presented before the security agencies at the time of necessity. Nepal is turning out to be a gateway for Chinese criminals and the Himalayan nation has raised concern over the increasing involvement of Chinese nationals in illegal activities. This was evident when the authorities arrested 122 Chinese nationals, also with similar equipment, in December 2019 for their alleged involvement in criminal activities - hacking of the SWIFT Code of various banks. Among other things, they are suspected of running Ponzi schemes online and scamming foreign nationals with lures of easy loans. The immigration department is responsible for investigating crimes perpetrated by foreigners. The tip-off provided at the time said that around 4,000 Chinese nationals were carrying out illegal activities from cities such as Pokhara, Biratnagar and Chitwan, among others, excluding Kathmandu. (ANI)
New York [US], July 1 (ANI/Xinhua): The United Nations Security Council on Thursday renewed the sanctions imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Adopting resolution 2641 by a vote of 10 in favour to none against with five abstentions, the council renewed its arms embargo measures, travel ban and asset freezes until July 1, 2023. China, Russian, Ghana, Gabon and Kenya voted in abstention. In an explanation of the vote, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, pointed out that the Security Council's sanctions on the DRC are designed to curb the violent activities of armed groups. "Regretfully, 18 years after its initial implementation, armed groups in the eastern DRC remain rampant, while the DRC government's security capacity has been constrained. The DRC government has repeatedly requested the council to lift the arms embargo on the country," he noted. Recently, the security situation in the eastern DRC has deteriorated, with many civilian casualties and displacements caused by the resurgence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels. "But the DRC security forces, affected by the arms embargo and other factors, do not have adequate security capacity in the face of the threat posed by armed groups such as M23," Zhang said, citing a briefing to the Security Council Wednesday by Bintou Keita, special representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC, who noted that the M23 is far better equipped and armed than the DRC security forces as well as MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country. "It is a worrisome situation, and this issue needs to be addressed," Zhang said. During the consultation for the draft resolution, China and African members of the council expressly supported the lifting of the notification requirement applied to the DRC government, he said. "France, as the penholder, has tried, but we were unable to reach consensus due to the opposition of some members. China finds it regrettable," he said, adding that the resolution will continue to subject the great majority of the weapons and equipment needed by the DRC security forces to the mandatory notification. "It will artificially complicate the process and affect international partners' security cooperation with the DRC, which constrained the DRC security capacity and the efforts to find a fundamental solution to the situation in the eastern DRC," Zhang said. Due to the reasons mentioned, the envoy said China had to abstain from the vote. "We also hope that the DRC government can enhance its management of weapons and ammunition to gain greater confidence from council members to lift the notification requirement in relation to the DRC government," he said. (ANI/Xinhua)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Yair Lapid for becoming the 14th Prime Minister of Israel. "Warm wishes and heartiest congratulations to His Excellency @yairlapid for assuming the premiership of Israel. I look forward to continue furthering our strategic partnership as we celebrate 30 years of full diplomatic relations," tweeted PM Modi. Yair Lapid officially became the 14th Prime Minister of Israel at the stroke of midnight between Thursday and Friday. Lapid's term could be the short one as he takes over the caretaker government ahead of Israel's election which is scheduled to take place on November 1, The Times of Israel reported. "We'll do the best we can for a Jewish, democratic state, good and strong and thriving, because that is the job, and it's bigger than all of us," Lapid said at a handover ceremony with the outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, PM Modi also thanked outgoing PM Bennett for being a true friend of India. "Thank you His Excellency @naftalibennett for being a true friend of India. I cherish our fruitful interactions and wish you success in your new role," tweeted PM Modi. US President Joe Biden also congratulated Lapid for becoming the new Prime Minister. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Congratulations to @YairLapid, Israel's new Prime Minister, and thank you to Alternate Prime Minister @NaftaliBennett for your friendship over the past year. " "I look forward to seeing you both in July to celebrate the unbreakable US-Israel partnership," Biden added. Lapid is also scheduled to make a brief trip on July 5 to Paris, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to The Times of Israel. On Sunday, Lapid is expected to convene the first weekly cabinet meeting of his premiership. Bennett is set to remain in the government as an alternate prime minister. He will also continue to hold responsibility for the country's Iran policy. Bannett announced on Wednesday that he has no plans to participate in the next parliamentary elections. "Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has informed members of the right-wing faction of his intention not to run in the next election. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will remain as an alternate prime minister," Sputnik quoted his office as saying. This announcement comes as the Israeli Knesset is set to vote on a proposal to hold an early election. The Yamina party leader served as the prime minister for a year. (ANI)
Taliban's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is participating in a three-day religious gathering of clerics at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul, local media reported. A total of 3,000 clerics and elders are attending the assembly to rubber-stamp Taliban rule, Bol News reported. Eleven months after the re-establishment of the Taliban in the country, this is the first nationwide gathering of Islamic clerics in the country, reported Tolo News. The media has not been permitted to cover the incident, but according to sources, several topics including education of girls will be discussed during the assembly. Taliban's deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi in a tweet on Friday said that Akhundzada has "entered the assembly hall." Akhundzada has rarely been videotaped or photographed in public since the Taliban's return to power in August. Earlier, several clerics and civil rights activists said that the gathering of Islamic scholars should be inclusive. Many politicians and residents have asked the Taliban to invite women as well as representatives from all Afghan ethnic groups for the gathering (Loya Jirga) of Islamic scholars to be held today. The participants at a gathering on Tuesday called women's inclusion in the Loya Jirga "important" and said that the gathering will be meaningless if women were not included. However, on Wednesday, the deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban, Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi announced that the meeting will convene without the participation of women. On being asked whether women could become a part of the assembly, deputy minister Hanafi responded that male delegates would speak on their behalf. According to Khaama Press, the senior Taliban official stated that the assembly was called at the Ulema's request and the Taliban organized it so that they could talk over a variety of topics, like Islamic regime, national unity, and the improvement of economic and social affairs. However, civil societies have strongly condemned the decision and have called the gathering illegitimate in absence of women. Taliban has suspended the secondary education of girls and enforced a strict form of Hijab. They also provide no opportunities for Afghan women to participate in political and public life, to fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation that is aimed at making women invisible in society. Away from the urban areas, women and girls are not allowed to move out on the streets or travel without a male family member accompanying them. Unrecognized by most of the international community, the Taliban-led government has committed to disrespecting the human rights of women. The atrocities of the Taliban against Afghan women have been on an incessant surge since the organization seized power in Afghanistan in August last year, banning young girls and women of humanitarian rights. (ANI)
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan can face treason charges for abrogating the constitution of Pakistan said Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday, reported Geo News. During a news conference, Aurangzeb said that according to the Supreme Court's verdict, Imran Khan had violated the constitution when he was facing a no-trust motion as the then deputy speaker had ruled out the vote of no-confidence against him unconstitutionally. She was speaking in reference to PTI leader and former deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri's ruling when he had rejected the no-trust motion against then prime minister Imran Khan, however, SC termed it unconstitutional and restored the NA, reported Geo News. Aurangzeb went on to say that Imran Khan has been asking the neutrals continuously to intervene, "This is the case of Article 6 for violating the Constitution. After failing at his attempts to block the no-confidence motion upon realization of falling short of the majority, Khan declared the launch of a "freedom struggle" in the National Assembly within hours of being voted out of power on April 10. Further, the Supreme Court had to repeatedly intervene in the process of the no-trust motion, by taking note of the rejection of the motion in the National Assembly and summoning all parties for a four-day hearing. The relevant provisions of the constitution based on which Khan can face treason charges include Article 5(1) under which "loyalty to the state and obedience to the constitution and law" is an inviolable obligation of every citizen. Another article included in the petitions -- Article 6 -- states that any person who abrogates or attempts to abrogate the constitution by use of force shall be guilty of high treason, adding that an act of treason cannot be validated by any court including the Supreme Court. Thus, a trial against Khan may implicate all those who participated in blocking the parliamentary vote, a legitimate exercise under the Constitution. These cohorts include President Arif Alvi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar, Deputy Speaker Qasim Shah Suri and two former ministers -- Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhary. Moreover, dismissing serious concern from the government's legal wing, Khan sent the Foreign Office diplomatic letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, claiming that a foreign country sent a threatening message through Pakistan's envoy. Lambasting PTI's narrative of a foreign conspiracy, Aurangzeb said that if Imran Khan had received the cypher on March 8, why didn't he initiate an inquiry by setting up a commission, reported Geo News. "Imran Khan should have formed a commission if he already knew about the conspiracy, but he did not hold (an) inquiry because it was a blatant lie," she said. (ANI)
Pakistan's diplomatic envoys in South Africa and the United Kingdom have been accused of illegal business, and a murder plot bringing shame to the country, said a media report. A special report was issued by Kaliph Anaz which stated that two top Pakistani diplomats were accused of selling the vehicles by importing them into the country for the diplomatic purpose by the revenue department of South Africa, Asian Lite reported. The report published by Geo News mentioned that a probe was ordered into the matter by the South African revenue department and an unannounced ban was implemented on the transfer and registration of vehicles of the Pakistani embassy in the country. On the other hand, the government of Pakistan did not order a probe into the matter, but implemented a similar ban on the South African embassy in the country. Another Pakistan diplomat was also accused of an assassination attempt on a dissident at Rotterdam during a court hearing in London, the report added. The conduct of a diplomat, who is often considered to be the flag bearer of its image in foreign lands, can either make or break the perception of the country in the international community. But these acts by the Pakistani envoys has caused a strain in relations with these countries and has affected the image of the country. Pakistani envoys have been accused of several crimes in several parts of the world. Earlier last year, Two diplomats from the Pakistan Embassy in South Korea were caught shoplifting at a store in Seoul. Yongsan Police Station said the two were caught stealing items worth 11,000 won (USD 10) and 1,900 won (USD 1.70), respectively, at the same store in Itaewon, Yongsan District, on different dates, reported The Korea Times One allegedly stole chocolate treats worth 1,900 won (USD 1.70), on January 10, and the other a hat worth 11,000 won (USD 10), on February 23. After the hat was stolen, an employee at the store filed a police report shortly afterwards, and the law enforcement authorities identified the suspect through CCTV footage as a 35-year-old diplomat of the Pakistan Embassy, reported The Korea Times. Following an investigation, officers closed the case without booking the suspect because of diplomatic immunity. (ANI)
Vishvas Vidu Sapkal, an IFS officer of the 1998 batch, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Peru, the Ministry of External Affairs informed. He is presently the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. "Vishvas Vidu Sapkal (IFS: 1998), presently Joint Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Peru," read the MEA statement. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly. Earlier the position was held by Mandarapu Subbarayudu, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1994 batch. Before joining the IFS, Subbarayudu worked as an engineer in the public sector and as a lecturer at a premier technical university in India. He has served at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi as Deputy Secretary in the Central Europe Division and Joint Secretary in charge of Development Partnership Administration. Serving at India's Diplomatic Missions in Jakarta, Warsaw, Rome and Dhaka, he handled political, economic and commercial and cultural and information work. Subbarayudu had also served as the Consulate General of India at Perth in Western Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering and a Master of Technology degree in Geotechnical Engineering. Bilateral relations between India and Peru continued to grow in sectors like trade and commerce, traditional systems of medicine, defence, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, capacity building, culture etc. India-Peru bilateral trade also witnessed substantial growth in the current Financial Year. A series of virtual business interactions and Buyer-Seller Meets were held to highlight trade and business opportunities for Indian companies with a focus on sectors like medical devices, pharmaceuticals, critical health technologies, automobiles, agricultural machinery, customized vehicles, leather and footwear, electronic products, technology, tourism, services, textile machinery, etc. Under the Promotion of Cultural Ties with Diaspora (PCTD) Scheme, a Festival of India titled "Amrit Mahotsav" was held in Lima on December 8, 2021, celebrating the great diversity of Indian culture and tradition. The 6th Ayurveda Day with "Ayurveda for Poshan" as the main theme was celebrated on November 2, 2021, through a virtual event highlighting India's wisdom in Ayurveda and its significance in daily nutrition to maintain a healthy life. Several events were held highlighting India's cultural heritage, achievements, national unity, scientific and technological advancement, development partnership and contribution of diaspora. Constitution Day, Mahaparinirvan Divas, as well as various programs highlighting India's cultural diversity, tourism, development cooperation business opportunities etc. were held from January - to March 2022. (ANI)
Uzbekistan will host an international conference here this month to discuss the promotion of stability, security and post-conflict reconstruction in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Friday. A set of measures and proposals are to be developed at the event, scheduled for July 25-26 with the participation of delegations from more than 20 countries and international organizations, Xinhua reported citing the ministry. It added that the agenda includes the integration of the war-torn country into regional cooperation processes. This comes United Nations has appealed for funds in urgent humanitarian response to some 360,000 Afghans impacted by the earthquake. The UN and the Afghan government have been largely involved in the operations to save civilians. However, the United Nations said it does not have heavy machines and equipment and relies on the Afghan authorities to provide it. After the Taliban takeover of the country in August, the protracted Afghanistan conflict abruptly gave way to accelerating human rights and humanitarian crisis. The Taliban immediately rolled back women's rights advances and media freedom--among the foremost achievements of the post-2001 reconstruction effort. Most secondary schools for girls were closed, and women were prohibited from working in most government jobs and many other areas. The Taliban beat and detained journalists; many media outlets closed or drastically scaled back their reporting, partly because many journalists had fled the country. The new Taliban cabinet included no women and no ministers from outside the Taliban's own ranks. In many cities, the Taliban searched for, threatened, and sometimes detained or executed former members of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), officials of the former government, or their family members. As the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, thousands of people tried to flee the country, but chaos and violence at the airport impeded the evacuation of many at-risk Afghans. The Taliban victory propelled Afghanistan from humanitarian crisis to catastrophe, with millions of Afghans facing severe food insecurity due to lost income, cash shortages, and rising food costs. In the six months before the takeover, fighting between government forces and the Taliban caused a sharp rise in civilian casualties from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mortars, and airstrikes. The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, known as ISKP) carried out attacks on schools and mosques, many targeting minority Hazara Shia. (ANI)
After the rhetoric by Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan on the so-called "foreign conspiracy" by the US to oust him from power, now, ironically, the country is witnessing "imported waste" by some of the friendly countries, local media reported. During a Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change on Thursday everyone was without words when it was learnt that the United Kingdom, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, United States of America, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Canada and Italy, were the top-10 countries, respectively, exporting waste to Pakistan. To add insult to injury, the names which exported waste to Pakistan were some of the friendly countries. Notably, these countries were are the ones who are often found expressing concerns and being vocal about combatting climate change issues. However, these countries are now dumping their waste in Pakistan. In the committee session, some of the senators raised questions as to why no one ever objected to "imported waste", reported The Express Tribune. Right after the words "imported waste" were thrown around in the session, it propelled some of these senators drawing amusing responses from the committee members. It is especially as the political landscape of the country has been echoing with words like "imported government" since former premier Imran Khan's ouster as he blamed foreign powers for his removal and installation of the incumbent rulers. "Why Pakistan never objected to imported waste," asked a committee member while further asking why embassies, ministries, relevant departments and federal and provincial governments never tried to stop it. This "imported waste" information was like a secret which stands revealed. The majority of the senators admitted that they were not even aware of the fact that Pakistan was a dumping destination of the world's most advanced countries. "Why have we been importing waste from abroad," some of the senators wondered. They further asked how long has it been going on and if Pakistan has the capacity to deal with such waste. "Why don't we export waste," some others wondered while amusingly saying the streets were full of toxic and non-toxic waste yet it was not being exported to the top-10 countries in question. "Imported waste Na Manzoor," PTI's Senator Faisal Javed giggled, saying PTI has been raising the slogan since March - a tacit reference to ex-PM's narrative of allegedly imposing an imported government on the country. "Increase exports as well as waste export," Javed added, as per the media portal. "Let's export the opposing parties," Senator Taj Haider quipped as other members laughed in agreement. Amid amusing comments, the committee learnt that the most of the imported waste was being dumped in the sea and what was left of it was being dumped in major cities when the goods are transported there. (ANI)
Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday received permission from the Islamabad district magistrate's office to hold a rally in the federal capital on Saturday. According to a notification, cited by The Express Tribune, PTI was given "permission to use the venue" of Parade ground by "concerned quarters". The notification was also sent to the chief commissioner of Islamabad, the IGP and deputy IGP Islamabad, senior superintendents of police for traffic and operations and the assistant commissioner of the industrial area, The Express Tribune reported. Earlier, the PTI had given an undertaking to the district administration of Islamabad and agreed to 39 conditions for holding a rally on July 2, it added. Meanwhile,former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has announced that his party will approach the Supreme Court on Friday (today) against the Lahore High Court's decision to conduct Punjab chief minister's election again, saying that free and fair elections cannot be held with Hamza Shehbaz in the chair. PML-N's Hamza was "elected" as the new Punjab chief minister on April 16, securing 197 votes while his rival candidate PML-Q Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi declared the polls "illegal". Later, the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified 25 PTI MPAs for deviating from party policy, which is against the Constitution, and voting in favour of Hamza. Responding to a question on how Shehbaz could remain the Chief Minister when the court agreed that the electoral process was "flawed", Khan said that PTI has decided to challenge the Lahore High Court's verdict in the apex court to delay the election process, reported The News International. Imran took exception to the LHC's decision of holding the Punjab CM's re-election within 24 hours, saying that six of his party's MPAs had gone to perform Hajj and within 24 hours, even people from Rajanpur and far-flung areas will not be able to make it in time. "So, free and fair elections cannot be held," he added, The Express Tribune reported. A five-member LHC bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan announced the verdict 4-1 on pleas filed by PTI against Hamza's election as CM. Hamza was elected as Chief Minister of Punjab in a ruckus-marred session of the Punjab Assembly on April 16, 2022. The PTI and PML-Q had challenged the election of Hamza Shahbaz in a chaotic session, reported The News International. (ANI)
In a bid to tighten its grip on Tibet further, the Chinese authorities are arresting Tibetans thinkers, who have been speaking out in favour of their culture and rights which Beijing sees as an act of sedition, and lodging them in secret prisons as part of its "cultural assimilation" policy. The Chinese government has placed constant surveillance on Tibetan thinkers as it considers expressing views for preserving the Tibetan language and culture as secession, Tibet Press reported. According to the latest report of the Central Tibet Administration, a famous poet and writer Rongwo Gendun Lhundup has been handed over four years of the sentence while writer Thupten Lodoe aka Sabuchey for four years. Notably, Gendun Lhundup was tasked to translate Tibetan Buddhist scriptures into the Chinese language. Another thinker Rongwo Gangkar has been under Chinese detention. It is obvious that these decisions are aimed at suppressing the Tibetan intellectuals who seek the preservation of their identity. Similarly, Go Sherab Gyatso, Dhi Lhaden, Rongwo Gendun Lhundup, Pema Tso, Seynam, Rinchen Tsultrim and Kunsang Gyaltsen are facing the wrath of the CCP for the same 'crimes, the report added. The Tibetan intellectuals are further subjected to mental and physical torture and forcefully tutored with lectures on 'patriotism' and hard labour. According to Tibet Press, a large number of Tibetans are held in the notorious Mianyang Prison of eastern Tibet for correcting their views in favour of the CCP's ideology. A number of Tibetans have died either in custody or after their release from detention. These deaths are being attributed to custodial torture carried out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The recent reports (June 21) of handing over sentences and detention of Tibetan scholars come at the time when the UN observes June 26 as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to eradicate torture. The unjustifiable policy of 'cultural assimilation is actually the root cause of the Tibetan resistance being used as the pretext for its crackdown. The Chinese Communist Party has to put an end to its policy of 'cultural assimilation' to Tibetans to appropriate their culture by way of arresting/sentencing their thinkers, destructions of statues and monasteries and denial of the right of practising their religion, Tibet Press reported. Meanwhile, China continues to sinicize Buddhism in Tibet as the Chinese government has recently imposed a ban on sharing religious content on social media. China has always interfered in the matters of Tibet and has strongly condemned them from exercising their spiritual practices. CCP gradually started initiating policies and rules concerning the reincarnation of Lamas which hurt Tibetan sentiments and religious beliefs. (ANI)
Japan is keen to tap the international food market. At a recently held food export fair in Tokyo, around 400 exporters and producers exhibited their produce to attract foreign buyers. Most of the exhibited products are free to taste. The grand exhibition was organised by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO). It also set its own stall named JFOODO. It is a steering organization of Japanese food export and many foreign importers visited them to get a consultation. Amid the shortage of wheat, rice powder is re-evaluated its value. Rice powder is an ingredient used for noodles, dumplings and bread. It is highly evaluated by the gluten-free effect. "So, our purpose to attend this food event is to seek to look for possible negotiation with the Japanese and the most successful companies. And our intention is to provide Mongolian people with the healthy and good organic foods. And Mongolian has lacks gluten-free products. And that's why we are very interested in importing this type of gluten-free products to Mongolia. And due to the allergy to gluten, people can't eat noodle soup in Mongolia. So that's we want to solve this problem in Mongolia," said a Mongolian buyer. Japan is also called a "fruit heaven". Each prefecture of Japan has its own fruit production. "So, I'm actually starting my own cafe in a Japanese French cafe. And I'm almost interested in selling Japanese products to France, to Europe, because, as you know, in France, Japanese products are very, very popular. So that's my reason I am here to look for ideas and also getting some products for France. I was looking for something else at the beginning for like an apple cider, but I got a lot of explanations. And I think this juice is very nice because it's organic. So, I got interested in it after hearing the explanation. This one is very good. It's a bit sour and I really love sour food and drinks," said a French buyer. Japan's strategic food export plan will accelerate world trading and solve the shortage of food the world over. (ANI)
Russia remains a reliable producer and supplier of grain, fertilizers and energy, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a phone conversation on Friday. A Kremlin statement said the leaders held the talks earlier in the day, with the agenda including urgent issues in Russian-Indian relations. "Putin noted that Russia has been and remains a reliable producer and supplier of grain, fertilizers and energy, including to Indian partners," the statement read, as quoted by Sputnik. Putin also briefed him on the key aspects of Russia's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, the Kremlin added. Moreover, the Russian President told PM Modi about the mistakes of a number of countries that had led to the violation of the free trade architecture and provoked price increases. During the talks, PM Modi reiterated India's long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy amid the ongoing situation in Ukraine. "In the context of the ongoing situation in Ukraine, the Prime Minister reiterated India's long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement. The two leaders reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during President Putin's visit to India in December 2021. They also exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products could be encouraged further. The leaders further discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets. The leaders agreed to maintain regular consultations on global and bilateral issues. This phone conversation comes a few days after Putin said Russian oil exports to China and India have noticeably increased and its presence in the BRICS countries is also growing. He made these remarks at the virtual BRICS Business Forum being hosted by China, the first such forum that Putin is attending with the heads of major economies since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Speaking at the event, Putin noted that despite all problems and difficulties BRICS businesses have been "consistently enhancing mutually beneficial ties in the areas of trade, finance, and investment". "For example, negotiations are underway to open Indian chain stores in Russia, increase the share of Chinese cars, equipment, and hardware on our market. In its turn, Russia's presence in the BRICS countries is growing. There has been a noticeable increase in the exports of Russian oil to China and India," he said. (ANI)
The Lahore High Court (LHC) said that the votes for the Punjab Chief Minister's elections will be counted again excluding the votes of the 25 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissidents. The verdict was announced by a five-member bench headed by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan of the LHC comprised of Justice Shahid Jamil, Justice Shehram Sarwar, Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh. Some objections were raised by Justice Sethi, while the others accepted the pleas, Geo News reported. The pleas of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) were also dismissed by the court. The candidate who secures a majority of the votes during the recounting will be declared the Chief Minister of the province. "We could, possibly direct fresh election after declaring the election as unlawful but it would nullify the direction by the apex court to the state functionaries for the conduct of election in accordance with the Constitution and the decision by learned Division Bench of this Court, appointing Deputy Speaker as presiding officer and directing for the conduct of the election on 16th April 2022," Geo News reported citing the verdict. As per the court order, the Punjab Governor has to ensure that the Punjab Assembly session that will be held at 4 pm on July 1 is held without fail, and is not adjourned without holding the poll. The governor also has to ensure that the new CM will administer an oath on July 2 by 11 am. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz on Thursday said that his party respects the decision taken by the LHC which will bring an end to Punjab's three-month-long constitutional crisis. "The Opposition has pushed the province into a constitutional crisis to appease its ego which had to be faced by the people. I do not believe in politics for the sake of it but consider it as a service," Geo News reported citing Hamza. CM Hamza further said that he hopes that the effects of this decision will be "good" for the people of Punjab. On Thursday, Lahore High Court (LHC) annulled Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz's election. Hamza was elected as chief minister of Punjab in a ruckus-marred session of the Punjab Assembly on April 16, 2022. The PTI and PML-Q had challenged the election of Hamza Shahbaz in a chaotic session, reported The News International. Hamza was elected as the new chief minister with 197 votes. While his opponent, Pervez Elahi did not receive any votes as his party and PTI had boycotted the polls. (ANI)
The infections brought the total tally to 10,747,397 with 43,087 deaths. Nationwide, as many as 9,689,663 COVID-19 patients, or over 90 per cent of the infections, have so far recovered, Xinhua news agency reported.

Nearly 232.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country, including roughly 206.1 million shots on people aged 18 and above, said the ministry.

Recently, the Vietnamese Health Ministry issued the regulation, which states that people who do not want a fourth shot need to agree to take responsibility if they later get infected and spread the virus.

This Vietnamese government initiative has received a negative response, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).

An official of Ho Chi Minh City's Center for Disease Control explained to a local newspaper that the request is in line with the Ministry of Health's assessment of the risks.

However, the ministry has not explained how people should take responsibility.

Earlier this week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed in his weekly briefing to journalists that the global figure overall remains "relatively stable", but nobody should be under any illusion, that the coronavirus is on the way out.

"This pandemic is changing but it's not over. We have made progress but it's not over." (ANI)
A regional party in Pakistan's Sindh province has announced a sit-in near a highway in the Khairpur district against the abduction of an eight-year-old Hindu boy who went missing last month. On Thursday, the Hindu community and civil society protested against the abduction of eight-year-old, Adesh Kumar on June 28, The News International newspaper reported. Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) Chairman Sanan Ahmed Qureshi announced to stage a sit-in on National Highway in Khairpur on July 2, if the boy is not recovered soon. The boy was abducted morning by unidentified men from Ranipur town. The incident took place when the boy was playing with his two neighbourhood friends in front of his house, The Express Tribune newspaper reported citing police and family members. According to the report, two suspects riding a motorcycle appeared in the lane and kidnapped him. "Initially, the abductors tried to kidnap two children, but one managed to escape, so they fled the scene with Aadesh in front of the area people," Sawan Raj, maternal uncle of the child, told The Express Tribune. The boy's uncle said that local people tried to chase the suspects but they managed to escape. Hero Mal, the minor's father, said that they belong to the lower middle class and cannot afford to pay ransom to recover his son. "We have not received any call from the kidnappers yet, but such incidents frequently happen with the intention of collecting ransom," he said. Following the abduction, the members of the Hindu community demonstrated in front of the police station. They also demanded the boy's recovery and strict security in the area to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. "Some time ago, a child belonging to the Hindu community was kidnapped from Babarloi Town of Khairpur Mir on World Children's Day. He was later sexually assaulted and murdered," Zameer Solangi, a local activist. Activists say human rights in Pakistan records have touched a new low with several media reports and global bodies reflecting the dire situation for women, minorities, children, and media persons in the country. In Sindh, forced conversions and attacks on minority communities have become even more rampant. Forced conversion of minor Hindu, Sikh, and Christian girls, always under duress, has become an increasingly common phenomenon in the country. (ANI)
Pakistan has refused to ratify the European Union (EU) conditions including the abolition of the death penalty for the extension of a new Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status for 2024, according to local media. The GSP is a trade and development policy instrument in place since 1971 which is set to expire on December 31, 2023. Pakistan, a major recipient of the GSP+ scheme, benefitted from zero duty on several products. The 27-member-bloc sees the coming months as crucial for extending the GSP+ status for 2024. The Express Tribune citing sources reported that the EU Parliament had proposed additional conventions for the new GSP+ scheme (2024-34). These conventions include the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) - Individual complaints against State party in ICC - and First Optional Protocol to the International Convention Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) - Individual complaints against State party in ICCPR-UNHRC. There is also a second optional protocol to the ICCPR which bounds a country to abolish the death penalty. The Pakistani publication further reported citing sources said that Pakistan had not ratified any of the conditions. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will engage with the presidents of the council and the commission to seek a waiver to the conventions. The Pakistani side will take up the matter with an EU delegation that is visiting the country and with the EU Parliament. Meanwhile, taking stock of the progress made on the nine priority areas for the fourth biennial review of GSP Plus, PM Shehbaz asked the chief secretaries of the four provinces to brief the cabinet via video link, The Express Tribune reported. On June 22, a mission of the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday to assess the effective implementation of 27 international conventions. "The GSP+ (Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus) provides wide-ranging tariff preferences for imports to the EU from vulnerable developing countries to support poverty eradication, sustainable development and their participation in the global economy as well as reinforce good governance," the EU mission said in a statement. Eligible countries like Pakistan can export goods to the EU market at zero duties for 66 per cent of tariff lines. This preferential status is conditional on GSP+ countries demonstrating tangible progress on the implementation of 27 international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection, climate change and good governance. (ANI)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was seen joining the voices of the Indo-Pacific leaders at the NATO summit as he sends a warning to China to uphold a rules-based order in the region, become more transparent in its policies. He gave a "strong message" to China saying that the world is under significant threat from "barbarism". On the sidelines of the crucial NATO summit in Madrid, Albanese joined his New Zealand, Japanese and Korean counterparts - the NATO's Asia-Pacific partners, AP4 group - to discuss the threats facing the Asia-Pacific region. During the summit, the leaders of the group said they were committed to security in the region amid the rise of China's might, reported The News, Australia's leading media outlet. Condemning Russia was not an isolated case as the NATO leaders, in strong words, condemned China's "malicious risk". The leaders called out the government's "coercive" policies and misinformation campaigns, as well as the lack of transparency about its intentions. In addition to China's non-transparent policies, leaders expressed their concerns about China's nuclear build-up. In fact, it was this concern about the rise of China that prompted NATO to invite Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea to the summit. Albanese said, "NATO has sent a strong message by including Asia-Pacific leaders in discussions at this forum, adding, "It is clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin's barbaric and illegal invasion of Ukraine has consequences far beyond Europe's borders." "I look forward to continuing to work closely with Asia-Pacific leaders in the pursuit of peace and stability in our region," he added. He noted that it had been important that the AP4 leaders be invited. Meanwhile, in NATO's Strategic Concept, the group of leaders said that China had employed a "broad range" of political, economic and military tools to "increase its global footprint and project power". A statement by NATO's Strategic Concept read, "(At the same time) remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military build up." "(China) strives to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains," it added. "The deepening strategic partnership between the PRC and the Russian Federation and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut the rules-based international order run counter to our values and interests," the statement continued. Speaking at the NATO summit, Albanese urged leaders to work with their Indo-Pacific allies to prevent a situation similar to the one that is unfolding in Ukraine within the region, as per the media outlet. He told a gathering, "Just as Russia seeks to recreate a Russian or Soviet empire, the Chinese government is seeking friends, whether it be ... through economic support to build up alliances to undermine what has historically been the Western alliance in places like the Indo Pacific." All these developments come at a time when a secret leaked document exposes China of its intentions to solidify its military presence in the Solomon Islands. However, the issue still raises concerns in Australia, as well as in Europe and the Americas. Soloman Islands is not the first target of China's plan. Earlier, in 2017, China established its first overseas base in the East African nation of Djibouti and conducted regular military training exchanges. (ANI)
Moscow [Russia], July 1 (ANI/Sputnik): Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova said on Friday she would raise the issue of closing the Russian embassy in Sofia with the Russian leadership, given that the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry had ignored Moscow's appeal regarding the issue. "Unfortunately, our appeal to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has been ignored. In this regard, I plan to immediately raise the issue of closing the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria with the leadership of my country, which will inevitably entail the closure of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in Moscow," Mitrofanova said in a statement published in the diplomatic mission's accounts on social networks. The responsibility for further dire consequences of this decision lies with the Bulgarian authorities, the ambassador added. (ANI/Sputnik)
Under the theme "Solidarity for Peace and Prosperity", the seventh LMC foreign ministers' meeting will be a venue to further broaden cooperation and bonds of friendship among LMC countries, according to the Cambodian foreign ministry statement.

The LMC foreign ministers will evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the Five-Year Plan of Action on the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2018-2022), chart future directions for broadening cooperation, and further strengthen the bonds of friendship and mutual support among the countries, in the spirit of promoting socio-economic development, particularly at a time of unprecedented global threat, it said.

The LMC foreign ministers will also attend the unveiling ceremony of the LMC National Coordination Unit (Myanmar) Building, according to the statement.

The LMC consists of six countries -- China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Lancang River originates on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwestern China. It is called the Mekong River as it flows through the other five countries before emptying into the sea. (ANI/Xinhua)
John Lee was sworn in on Friday as the sixth-term chief executive of Hong Kong, in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, a move meant to signal that Beijing has the former British colony well under its control 25 years after taking over. His oath was administered by Xi, who was here to attend the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the "motherland" and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of Hong Kong, Xinhua news agency reported. In his inauguration speech, Lee expressed gratitude to the central government and the Hong Kong residents for their trust. "I will lead my team to strive to build a more caring and inclusive Hong Kong filled with vibrancy, hope and development opportunities." He said he will strive to fully and faithfully implement the principles of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong," and a high degree of autonomy. He also pledged to safeguard the constitutional order of the city as defined under the Constitution and the Hong Kong Basic Law, to safeguard the country's sovereignty, national security and development interests, and to ensure the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. On 1 July, 1997, Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China (PRC) from the United Kingdom under the conditions set out in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. The Joint Declaration provides for fundamental rights, a high degree of autonomy and the "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong. "25 years later, Hong Kong is no longer the city we once recognised," according to Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). The draconian National Security Law, implemented on the 30th June 2020, has been used to punish dissent, curtails protest and freedom of speech and reduce the city's autonomy. Since the law's adoption, there have been at least 183 arrests made and 113 individuals charged, with more than 50 civil society organisations forced to disband and multiple media outlets ceasing to operate. "Today we will also see John Lee, the city's new Chief Executive, take office. His selection by Beijing through its 'patriots-only' sham election shows how far Hong Kong's democracy has deteriorated since the advent of the National Security Law. Lee has promised to introduce new legislation to further tighten the PRC government's grip over Hong Kong," IPAC said. IPAC called for governments around the world to work to hold China accountable under existing legal mechanisms. The group also called upon our governments to impose sanctions on Chief Executive John Lee, and other Chinese and Hong Kong government officials responsible for the erosion of freedom in the city. "Our governments should also further scrutinise the export of dual-use goods and technologies that can be used for surveillance in Hong Kong and China, and ensure that products made by entities complicit in human rights abuses in Hong Kong and China do not enter our supply chains," IPAC said. (ANI)
India and Pakistan exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody through diplomatic channels simultaneously in New Delhi and Islamabad, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. Such lists are exchanged through diplomatic channels on January 1 and July 1 every year keeping with the provisions of the Agreement on Consular Access signed in May 2008. "India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody. Under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, such lists are exchanged every year on 01 January and 01 July," MEA statement read. India handed over lists of 309 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 95 fishermen in India's custody to Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan has shared lists of 49 civilian prisoners and 633 fishermen in its custody, who are Indians or are believed to be Indians. The Ministry of External Affairs has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats, from Pakistan's custody. "In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 536 Indian fishermen and 03 Indian civilian prisoners to India who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 105 fishermen and 20 civilian prisoners who are in Pakistan's custody and are believed to be Indian," the statement read further. India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. Meanwhile, India has also urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 57 Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation by Pakistan. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-be Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen, the statement added. (ANI)
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday appealed against his extradition from the UK to the US where he faces espionage charges. This comes as UK on June 17 approved extradition of Assange to the US over the spy charges. Assange's organization had marked that decision as a "dark day for press freedom," after UK Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the extradition order. However, now Assange has appealed against his extradition from the UK. This move by Assange set the stage for months of further legal wrangling over whether he should be sent to the US to face espionage charges, reported Wall Street journal. Gareth Peirce, a senior partner at Birnberg Peirce & Partners who is representing Assange, said that two appeals were filed on Thursday to the UK high court in order to contest his extradition. The court must now decide whether the appeals can be heard. Assange had until Friday to bring the appeal. Assange's lawyers are appealing both UK Home Secretary Patel's decision and also elements of a ruling by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser last year, which broadly focused on whether Assange would get a fair trial in the U.S. The details of the appeals were not made public, as per the media outlet. The charges on the WikiLeaks founder are related to the publication in 2010 and 2011 by WikiLeaks of a huge trove of classified material that painted a bleak picture of the American military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their aftermath. After the UK court passed the order to extradite Assange, his organization Wikileaks said, "This is a dark day for Press freedom and British democracy. Anyone who cares about freedom of expression should be deeply ashamed." A London court issued a formal extradition order back in April, leaving Patel to rubber-stamp his transfer to the US after a years-long legal battle. Earlier, Jennifer Robinson, Assange's legal counsel, had said that an appeal would be brought and that the case could ultimately be taken to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. During the extradition order, Assange's wife, Stella Moris, in a press conference had said that the UK "should not be engaging in persecution on behalf of a foreign power that is out for revenge... that foreign power committed crimes which Julian put into the sunlight." His extradition has been the subject of numerous court dates since his arrest, which took place after Assange sought diplomatic refuge in the embassy for seven years. Rights groups have expressed concerns over the US's indictment of Assange, saying it undermines freedom of the press."Allowing Julian Assange to be extradited to the US would put him at great risk and sends a chilling message to journalists the world over," Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International secretary-general, said in a statement. (ANI)
Farmers of Balochistan announced the closure of the Quetta-Karachi highway on July 4 against prolonged load shedding in the province by Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) and termed the unannounced power cuts the "economic murder of farmers", reported local media outlet. According to sources, Zamindar Kisan Ittihad held an emergency meeting against a prolonged power outage in Balochistan, which was chaired by Central President Agha Lal Jan Ahmadzai. At the meeting, the farmer's leaders expressed their concerns over the prolonged and unannounced load shedding of electricity and termed it the economic murder of farmers. On Monday, during a sit-in on the highway, farmers raised slogans and protested the load-shedding for long hours in Balochistan. Due to the demonstrations on the highway, the traffic remained suspended for several hours. They expressed concern about their work getting badly affected due to the unannounced and long hours of load shedding and voltage fluctuation, reported Quetta Voice, Balochistan's media outlet. The farmers said that QESCO delivered bills every month but failed to provide electricity. They lamented saying that the electricity is provided only for two hours a day. Protesters also blocked the main Quetta-Karachi highway on Friday as a protest against unannounced load shedding in the area. In scorching heat, the passengers suffered on both sides of the highway because of the blockade. Agha Laal Jan Ahmedzai, one of the central leaders of the growers' action committee said, "These power outages are paramount to the economic murder of growers. He said the QESCO had failed to provide power supply to growers and other domestic consumers. "Our standing crops have been destroyed due to unannounced and prolonged load shedding," Ahmedzai lamented. The protesters were also chanting slogans against the QESCO and provincial government for their failure to provide power supply to the area. The protestors also gave a clarion call to hold protests in Balochistan on July 4 and Ahmedzai warned that growers would block all highways across the province on that day if QESCO failed to provide an uninterrupted power supply to the growers. However, he urged the masses to avoid travelling during the protest of growers in the province. The Growers Action Committee (GAC) has repeatedly clarified that the QESCO should first provide power supply and then speak about the payment of bills. Jamali in an exclusive interview with Daily Quetta Voice said that QESCO was facing a shortfall of 1000 megawatts currently. Growers in Balochistan's Mastung, Killa Abdullah, Pishin and other parts of the province have been protesting against power outages since the start of the summer season. "Whenever our crops season comes, QESCO stops power supply", Abdul Qahar Agha, another central leader of the GAC claimed. QESCO officials said that it was forced to observe forced load shedding because of the shortfall, as per the media portal. (ANI)
The supreme leader of the Taliban-run administration in Afghanistan, has emphasized the need to implement Islamic laws to ensure justice and safeguard freedom in the country. Addressing a gathering of religious leaders and elders of his country on Friday, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada stated that Afghans had expelled the "occupying forces" from their country to establish an Islamic system. "...we have Islamic system and this is the responsibility of religious scholars to implement Islamic laws," he was quoted as saying Xinhua. About 3,500 ulema or religious scholars and elders, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, have been invited from across the war-torn country to attend the three-day jirga or grand assembly opened on Thursday. Hibatullah attended the grand assembly Friday morning and called upon businessmen to invest in the war-torn country. In his speech aired by local media, Hibatullah called for ensuring justice in society, saying, "No government could survive in the absence of justice and justice is the tool of a government to last." The administration's supreme leader also called for co-existence and said, "We have no ill intentions towards anyone, the neighbouring countries do not feel any harm from us." The three-day gathering will conclude on Saturday. Eleven months after the re-establishment of the Taliban in the country, this is the first nationwide gathering of Islamic clerics in the country, TOLOnews reported. The media has not been permitted to cover the incident, but according to sources, several topics including the education of girls will be discussed during the assembly. Earlier, several clerics and civil rights activists said that the gathering of Islamic scholars should be inclusive. Many politicians and residents had asked the Taliban to invite women as well as representatives from all Afghan ethnic groups for the gathering of Islamic scholars held today. The participants at a gathering on Tuesday called women's inclusion in the Loya Jirga "important" and said that the gathering will be meaningless if women were not included. However, on Wednesday, Taliban-appointed deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi announced that the meeting will convene without the participation of women. On being asked whether women could become a part of the assembly, deputy minister Hanafi responded that male delegates would speak on their behalf. According to Khaama Press, the senior Taliban official stated that the assembly was called at the Ulema's request and the Taliban organized it so that they could talk over a variety of topics, like Islamic regime, national unity, and the improvement of economic and social affairs. However, civil societies have strongly condemned the decision and have called the gathering illegitimate in absence of women. Taliban has suspended the secondary education of girls and enforced a strict form of Hijab.They also provide no opportunities for Afghan women to participate in political and public life, to fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation that is aimed at making women invisible in society. (ANI)
Washington [US], July 1 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States on Friday allowed a halted oil tanker transporting fuel products from Russia to unload its cargo in a Louisiana port after finding no evidence of sanctions violations, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The Daytona tanker, owned by a Greek company, was allowed to unload in New Orleans after US authorities concluded that no breach of sanctions on Russia occurred, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter and a Coast Guard official. The ship was detained for inspection by US Customs and Border Protection last week after arriving in the US following a trip to the Taman peninsula on the Black Sea, where there is a terminal for both Russian and Kazakh oil products. The company was able to establish that the cargo aboard the ship originated in Kazakhstan and were not subject to any US sanctions on Russian energy, a spokesperson for the company reportedly said. (ANI/Sputnik)
"Airbus confirms the signature of orders with Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, and Shenzhen Airlines for a total of 292 A320 Family aircraft, demonstrating the positive recovery momentum and prosperous outlook for the Chinese aviation market. Once the relevant criteria are met, these orders will enter the backlog," Airbus said in a statement.

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, said these new orders demonstrate the strong confidence in Airbus from their customers. "It is also a solid endorsement from our airline customers in China of the performance, quality, fuel efficiency and sustainability of the world's leading family of single-aisle aircraft."

"We commend the excellent work by George Xu and the entire Airbus China team as well as our customers' teams for having brought to conclusion these long and extensive discussions that have taken place throughout the difficult COVID pandemic."

By the end of May 2022, the in-service Airbus fleet with Chinese operators totalled over 2,070 aircraft.

According to the statement, the A320neo Family incorporates new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver at least 20 per cent fuel and CO2 savings, as well as a 50 per cent noise reduction. The A320neo Family offers unmatched comfort in all classes and Airbus' 18-inch wide seats in economy as standard.

At the end of May 2022, the A320neo Family had totalled more than 8,000 orders from over 130 customers.

Since its Entry into Service six years ago, Airbus has delivered over 2,200 A320neo Family aircraft contributing to 15 million tons of CO2 saving. (ANI)
Chinese nationals in Nepal are often found to carry out financial frauds such as running Ponzi schemes online and scamming foreign nationals with lures of easy loans and amid this, the investigation department seems to lack expertise due to which the investigations seldom conclude satisfactorily. The increasing involvement of Chinese nationals in illegal activities has become a serious cause for concern for the authorities in Nepal. In the latest incident on April 22, 22 Chinese nationals were arrested in a raid at a house in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, by a joint team from the Department of Immigration and Nepal Police. At the beginning, the news failed to make headlines and was largely ignored by Nepal's local media outlets. The details of the duping by Chinese nationals also continues to stay unclear and obscure. However, the lack of resources became an obstacle to the investigation. The police was unable to investigate the foreigner's suspicious illegal activities. Especially when it comes to crimes committed through the misuse of technology, the police are woefully incompetent. Nepal's local media outlet Annapurna Express learnt that authorities had been tipped about suspicious activities in the house. Later, the suspects had been caught with 35 laptops, 675 mobile phones, and 760 SIM cards issued by Nepal Telecom and NCell. It is noteworthy that as the police had no substantive ground to lay charges on the 22 suspects, all of them were released a day later on the condition of helping the authorities with the investigation. The immigration department has confiscated their passports to prevent them from leaving the country. The suspects, who were released under the custody of one Manjil Shrestha, are currently staying at a hotel in Thamel. Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, director-general at the Department of Immigration, said that the investigation is being pursued with the assistance of the police. "The suspects had entered Nepal on business visas. We also found that one of them had overstayed his visa," Bhattarai said adding, "We are still trying to find out the nature of their activities here in Nepal." After the confiscation of the laptops and mobile phones from the Chinese nationals, they have been sent to the Central Police Forensic Science Laboratory. Oftentimes, the Chinese nationals are suspected to be part of a syndicate involved in cross-border online betting. However, neither the immigration agency nor the police has the right technology and manpower to confirm their suspicion. In a similar case, the authorities arrested 122 Chinese nationals, also with similar equipment, in December 2019 for their alleged involvement in criminal activities. These arrests were made with the aid of the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, which was worried that the suspects were tarnishing China's image. They were eventually extradited to China. The Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China had chartered two planes to take them back. A senior official of China's Criminal Investigation Department had himself come to Kathmandu to negotiate the extradition with Nepali authorities, as per the media portal. (ANI)
openKylin, China's first desktop operating system developers' platform has been unveiled by China Electronics Corp, the country's largest State-owned comprehensive electronic information enterprise group, the China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team and more than 10 software companies, China Daily reported.

The openKylin platform will allow more developers to participate in the innovation and development of home grown open source operating system, according to CEC.

The domestic operating system serves an important pillar for driving the construction of new infrastructure and boosting the development of digital economy, said Chen Ximing, deputy general manager of the corporation, China Daily further reported.

The openKylin platform aims to build top-tier open source community with global influence by attracting developers across the globe, he added.

China's software operating system industry is currently dominated by foreign labels, such as Microsoft's Windows, Google's Android and Apple's Mac OS.

In August 2020, CEC rolled out self-developed software operating system Kylin V10, which is compatible with more than 10,000 hardware and software products, including central processing units, firmware, cloud platforms and big data produced by domestic and foreign enterprises.

Last year, US multinational technology firm Microsoft is shutting down its social network, LinkedIn, in China, saying having to comply with the Chinese state has become increasingly difficult. (ANI)
Tanuja Nesari, Director of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) was awarded with the Ayurveda Ratna Award by the UK Parliament, recognising her contribution to furthering the growth of Ayurveda in India and abroad. The UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences (ITSappg) conferred the Ayurveda Ratna award on Dr Nesari for her exceptional service of the highest order for the promotion of Ayurveda by an ITSappg committee represented by dignitaries including Amarjeet S Bhamra, Ambassador for Ayurveda and Yoga in Great Britain, Virendra Sharma, MP, UK Parliament and Chair, ITSappg and Bob Blackman, MP, UK Parliament and Chair, ITSappg. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences was formed in 2014 with an aim to spread the knowledge of Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Vastu, Unani and Sangeetam in the United Kingdom and abroad. Its mission is to expand and integrate Medical Pluralism in the National Health Service. It works closely with appropriate government and civil society bodies in the UK, EU, and globally to share best practices. ITSappg is working on a book that will serve as an introductory guide to Indian Traditional Sciences for parliamentarians and would also have contribution from the Ministry of Ayush. It is dedicated to encouraging research in the UK and recently concluded a research on Ashwagandha. "I am humbled and honoured to accept this award from the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences. For me, it represents not only a privilege, but a responsibility that I have been bestowed with. It reinforces my belief in Ayurveda's ability to touch the lives of people across the world and promote holistic healing in sync with nature," Dr Tanuja Nesari said in a statement. "All India institute has associated with London School of Hygiene for doing a research on Ashwagandha. Today, Ayurveda as medicine is gaining momentum and I am thankful to our honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji and Ministry of Ayush for giving thrust to this sector and making it global. It is a moment of pride for me and the entire Ayurveda fraternity," she added. The award was presented to the director at a virtual ceremony on the International Day of Yoga. The European Parliament every year celebrates the International Day of Yoga on June 21 this year. (ANI)
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Friday Moscow is currently in talks with the European Union on the issue of goods transit to its exclave of Kaliningrad through Lithuania, while also working on a package of retaliatory measures to be introduced if the problem is not solved. "After all, we have a certain dialogue with the European Union. And we have conveyed our concerns [to the bloc]. I believe we have been able to explain to them that the decisions Lithuania has insisted on will result in serious costs not only for Lithuania, but also for the EU. According to public statements made by representatives of the European Commission, this signal has reached the addressee and it has become concerned over the problem," Sputnik was quoted Grushko as saying. Despite this fact, Moscow is still working on a package of retaliatory countermeasures, the deputy foreign minister added. "I think that, to date, resources for a solution have not yet been exhausted, but a ball is on the side of the EU and Lithuania. However, I would like to emphasize once again that we are ready for any scenario," Grushko said. Earlier, media reports had said the transit of goods from Russia to its Kaliningrad enclave via Lithuania may resume in a few days thanks to a compromise between Vilnius and the European Union. EU officials are conducting talks to remove the Kaliningrad region from sanctions. The agreement could be made in early July, Sputnik reported citing a news agency. Last week, Russia had lodged a strong protest to EU Ambassador in Moscow Markus Ederer in connection with the extension of sanctions to cargo transit to the Kaliningrad region. The EU diplomat was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry in connection with Lithuania's decision to ban rail cargo transit to the Russian exclave. "The EU representative was strongly protested in connection with the extension of unilateral anti-Russian restrictions to cargo transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of the Russian territory. It was indicated that such actions that violate the relevant legal and political obligations of the European Union and lead to an escalation of tension are inadmissible," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. (ANI)
The Human Rights Council (HRC) on Friday held an urgent debate on the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, hearing Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, say that since the Taliban took power, women and girls in Afghanistan were experiencing the most significant and rapid roll-back in the enjoyment of their rights across the board in decades. Federico Villegas, President of the Council, said that the urgent debate was being held at the request of the European Union and France. He said that discrimination against women was one of the oldest violations of human rights, and it affected more than half of humanity. Today the Human Rights Council was addressing this situation at a critical time, when there were serious regressions in progress and achievements made on the rights of women and girls across the world, including Afghanistan. Bachelet said that since the Taliban took power, women and girls in Afghanistan were experiencing the most significant and rapid roll-back in the enjoyment of their rights across the board in decades. "Their future would be even darker unless something changed. The international community was witnessing the progressive exclusion of women and girls from the public sphere and their institutionalised and systematic oppression," the HRC statement said. The Taliban were a primary duty-bearer in view of Afghanistan's legal obligations under international treaties, including the obligation to eliminate discrimination against women and ensure women's right to equal participation in civic and public life, including politics and decision-making fora. Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, speaking on behalf of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures, said since August 2021, concerns had been raised about the situation of women in Afghanistan and the regression of their rights. He called on the Taliban to create a meaningful dialogue with Afghan women and allow them to fully participate in civil, political and economic life. The HRC said the Taliban should also respect all women and girls' right to education at all levels, open secondary schools for all children, and ensure that women could play an active part in the workforce and be granted access to health care. Fawzia Koofi, first woman Vice President of the Afghan Parliament, former member of the peace negotiation team with Taliban and human rights activist, said the urgent debate was a light at the end of the long dark tunnel in which the women of Afghanistan were living. According to HRC, Afghanistan was suffering from multi-dimensional problems, including humanitarian, economic and political crises. The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan was unique and dire. In the twenty-first century, Afghanistan was the only country where women were second-class and invisible, having to advocate for their basic rights to not be invisible and not to be erased from public life. Afghanistan, speaking as the country concerned, said reports coming out of Afghanistan indicated that the situation of human rights, particularly those of women and girls, was today worse than anywhere else in the world. The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan demanded nothing less than a robust monitoring mechanism to collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of violations, to document and verify information, to identify those responsible, to promote accountability and remedies for victims, and to make recommendations for effective prevention of further violations. In the ensuing discussion, some speakers said that since 15 August 2021, women and girls in Afghanistan had been suffering systematic violations of their rights, directly resulting from the wilful adoption of measures and policies by the Taliban, aiming at erasing them completely from all spheres of public life. Speakers expressed deep concern for the end of schooling for girls, which had major negative effects on the economy and social development, among other spheres. Some speakers said the critical humanitarian situation was a reflection of the failed military invasion by the United States, with crimes against humanity perpetrated. (ANI)
Tashkent [Uzbekistan], July 1 (ANI/Sputnik): The public order has been restored in Nukus, the capital of the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan, after an "illegal protest" over constitutional amendments, the Uzbek Interior Ministry said on Friday. The media has reported that people gathered in the central outdoor market area and demanded the release of a local blogger who called for a protest against constitutional amendments. Protesters believe that Karakalpakstan may lose its right to secede from Uzbekistan via a referendum if amendments are adopted. "On July 1, starting at about 15.00 [10:00 GMT], some citizens of Karakalpakstan, as a result of a misinterpretation of the constitutional reforms being carried out in the republic, ... protested in Nukus, after which they gathered on the territory of the central Dekhkan market and organized an illegal demonstration," the ministry said in a statement for media. Law enforcement officers were deployed in the area to make sure that public order is not violated, the ministry added. "Currently, public order has been restored ... work is underway with citizens to clarify the inadmissibility of violations of the law, as well as to consider citizens' appeals in order," the statement read. (ANI/Sputnik)
The biggest achievement of the 14th Dalai Lama is his success in organizing the Tibetan diaspora into one of the most organized and well-knit refugee communities of recent history and reviving Tibet's national identity in exile, according to media reports. As Tibetans across the world set to celebrate the 87th birthday of the Dalai Lama on July 6, there are various questions that come up in the minds of their supporters. The questions include -- What has he achieved in his six-decade-long self-chosen exile? Was his decision to escape from Tibet a right one? What will happen to the cause of Tibet after him? and What are the challenges he has to meet and settle before his next incarnation takes over the mantle? In March 1959 when the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet, about 80,000 Tibetans followed him in exile, Tibet Press reported. He has also established a universal franchise-based democratic political system for his exile community which regularly elects its Parliament and the 'Sikyong' (an equivalent amalgam of President and Prime Minister) through a secret vote by Tibetans living in over 70 countries at present times. This 'Central Tibetan Administration' (CTA), a clever misnomer for 'Tibetan Government-in-Exile', works from India's Himalayan town of Dharamshala and has every branch of a government accepts the departments like Rail, Mail and Jail. The Tibet community is being persecuted by the Chinese authority in the country. More than two decades since the 11th Panchen Lama was abducted and kidnapped. Tibetans around the world and most ardently those in Tibet, still hope to see him in person again. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was born on April 25, 1989, in Lhari County. After the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, the Dalai Lama chose Gedhun on May 14, 1995, to be the 11th Panchen Lama, which is the second-highest position in Tibetan Buddhism. In May 2007, Asma Jahangir, then-United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, suggested that the Chinese government allow an independent expert to visit and confirm Gedhun's well-being. On July 17, 2007, the Chinese authorities said that he is a "perfectly ordinary Tibetan boy" attending school and leading a normal life and that he "does not wish to be disturbed." Authorities say that the state employs both of his parents and that his brothers and sisters are either working or at university. Moreover, kidnapping the 11th Panchen Lama clearly emphasized their stand as to how even those with high standing and popular support were not beyond the reaches of the party. (ANI)
After a long wait to reach out to the members of the Sindhi minority community in Pakistan, Voice of America, this week, launched a new webpage in the Sindhi language (voasindhi.com), under VOA's Urdu broadcasting service. Voice of America's Urdu Service has been broadcasting to Pakistan since 1952 and reaches over 6 million people every week. With reference to Voice of America's global services, after the addition of Sindhi language, the number of Voice of America listeners and viewers in Pakistan will increase further. The Sindhi language is mostly spoken in the South and East region of Pakistan, where the number of speakers in South Asia is over 35 million. The content of the new language webpage will cover global news, current affairs, science, technology, women's issues and education as well as issues of bilateral relations between the US and the South Asian region and its population. Yolanda Lopez, Acting Director of Voice of America, explains that the new service will provide Sindhi speakers with the important news and information they need, as well as help tell the story of America in the region. According to the press release, after the promotion of the Sindhi language, Voice of America is now broadcasting in 48 languages, nine of which are spoken in the South and Central Asia region. Earlier, Congressman Brad Sherman urged US State Secretary Antony Blinken to direct the US radio broadcaster to start a Sindhi language programming to reach out to the members of the Sindhi community in Pakistan. The Congressman said that they have tried to convince the Voice of America (VOA) for the move however, they ignored all the offers including financial offers. Showing solidarity with the Sindhi community in Pakistan, on April 6, the Sindhi Foundation showed The Long Walk Documentary in a private screening to US members of Congress and staff at the US Capitol. Sherman supported "Long Walk' or "Long March" from New York City to Washington DC by Sindhi Foundation, covering a distance of more than 350 miles on foot to draw attention to issues like enforced disappearances, the plight of Sindhi women in Pakistan and climate change. "I was pleased to meet with leaders of the Sindh community. We discussed issues such as enforced disappearances in Sindh #Pakistan. We also discussed the need to reach out to Sindhis in their own language and my efforts to establish a Sindhi language service at the @VOANews," tweeted Brad Sherman. "The Sindhi Foundation Long Walk for Freedom, April 7 - 29, from the UN in NYC to DC, will draw attention to issues like enforced disappearances and climate change," Sherman said through his tweet. Members of the Sindhi community, a minority from Pakistan staged a protest under the US-based Sindhi Foundation to raise awareness for human rights violations and climate change.Titled 'Long Walk for Freedom, Nature, and Love', is a demonstration that will cut through five US states: Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The idea of the Long Walk stems from the appalling realities of the Southeastern Province of Pakistan- Sindh. Issues such as enforced disappearances, the plight of Sindhi women in Pakistan, environmental problems in Sindh, and even something as basic as water have been some of the major concerns for the people of Sindh for decades, including those who live away from home in exile, including a Sindhi activist based in Washington DC, who is also the person behind the Long Walk. Earlier, Sindhi-American activist Fatima Gul highlighted the plight of Sindhi people in Pakistan and said there is no value of minorities in the country as anyone can violate their rights, especially women." Anyone can abduct us, rape us, and violate our rights. Anyone can force us into marriages, into a lifetime of sexual slavery, and even brutally kill us," Gul said during the 49th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. (ANI)
The United States has accused several companies and research institutes in China of supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, as per the report by US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The US Commerce Department, through its BIS, has issued a new rule adding a total of 36 entities in nine countries to the Entity List, including six specifically for their continued support of Russia's military efforts since imposition of export controls in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The six entities are subject to severe restrictions on access to US technologies and items for having contracted to continue to supply Russian military end-users since February 24, 2022, when the current restrictions were put in place. The Department also publicly identifies two Chinese parties that have been on the Entity List since 2018 as having supported, and continued to support, Russia's military since the imposition of new controls. "The sweeping export controls put in place by the United States and our allies and partners are restricting the Russian military's ability to repair, replace, and resupply and will continue to bite harder the longer Putin persists," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez adding, "Today's action sends a powerful message to entities and individuals across the globe that if they seek to support Russia, the United States will cut them off as well." "We worked hard with our allies and partners to structure our export controls for maximumimpact on Russia's strategic sectors. Given the breadth and cooperation of our multilateralcoalition, we are well positioned not only to impose restrictions but also to track and cut offprivate firms that may seek to support Russia," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce forExport Administration Thea D. Rozman Kendler and added, "We will not hesitate to act, regardless of where a party is located, if they are violating U.S. law." The Department of Commerce has made clear to industries and governments around the worldthat it will aggressively enforce enhanced export controls on Russia to prevent evasion, including by using the Entity List. "The United States and our allies and partners will continue to demonstrate our shared resolve on behalf of Ukraine by continuing to deny Russia's military the technologies and items it needs to perpetrate its atrocities--from whatever source attempts to supply them, wherever they are located," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S.Axelrod. "Our rules are clear, and we will not hesitate to take action when parties backfill in violation of them. The action by the US is an "unequivocal message to parties wherever located that the United States and its allies and partners will not hesitate to act swiftly, in accordance with our laws and policies, to continue to ensure that Russia remains marginalized from the global economy and its capacity to acquire sensitive technologies and other material support for its war effort is severely degraded." "The backfill actions of the six entities which are based in China, Lithuania, Russia, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, along with two additional entities added to the Entity List in August 2018 - China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 13th Research Institute (CETC 13) and its subordinate institution Micro Electronic Technology in China - involved previously supplying items to Russian entities of concern and continuing to contract to supply Russian parties after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, notwithstanding the collective restrictions put in place by the United States and 37 of our coalition partners," it noted. Additional entities are added for a variety of other activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. Two Russia-based entities are being listed on the basis of their attempts to procure items, including U.S.-origin items, for acting as agents, fronts or shell companies for OOO Intertech Instruments, which was added to the Entity List under the destination of Russia on March 4, 2021 (86 FR 12529). Twelve China-based entities are added for engaging in deceptive practices to supply or attempt to supply Iran with U.S. origin electronics that would ultimately provide support to Iran's military. Additional entities based in China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan are added as well. The rule also makes several other revisions and modifications to various existing entries on the Entity List including clarifying the ability of certain entities instrumental to the operation of the International Space Station to receive certain items following U.S. government approval of license applications. (ANI)
China's growing influence poses a threat to the dominance of the existing superpower country, the US and also threatens the peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. "China has become the world's second-largest economy, third strongest military power and global hegemony in the 21st century. It is challenging the dominance of the existing superpower the USA," Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia said in a press release. Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia on Friday organized an international webinar, titled "China's ruling party at 101: History and challenges for the world", where eminent scholars from Australia, India and Jakarta participated. CSEAS has chosen July 1 for its webinar as it coincides with the birthday of the Chinese Communist Party, which was established on July 1, 1921. According to the statement, during the webinar, the speakers exposed the dangers posed by an assertive China to the world and also discussed the current tensions in the South China Sea, and China's aggressive behaviour with Japan, Taiwan, India and Australia. The speakers also exposed the dangers of China's debt-trap diplomacy and discussed the implications of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dependency on China. "China claims more than 90 per cent of the South China Sea (SCS), including a certain portion of Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the North Natuna Sea. It has serious problems with Taiwan, Japan, India, Australia and other countries," the statement reads. The statement also pointed out that to increase its influence in the world, China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013. With an estimated investment of USD 1 trillion, China has expanded its influence in more than 68 countries in Asia, including Indonesia, Africa, Europe and South America through BRI. It is pertinent to mention that the Chinese Communist party is 101-year-old and adopted predatory economic practices like providing huge subsidies, low taxes and cheap finances to Chinese companies. According to the statement, China has given huge loans for unnecessarily unproductive projects, which is nothing but a seductive trap for various countries. "Like a house of play cards, many countries one after the other are collapsing economically as they do not have any money left to repay Chinese debts. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and many others are examples of the victims of China's debt-trap diplomacy," the statement reads. China uses trade, investments, loans and tourists as tools to make countries dependent countries. From a military point of view, China has been building its military power since the 1990s and during the last six years, China has spent more than USD 1 trillion on its military. According to the statement, China is now making more nuclear bombs, hypersonic missiles and aircraft carriers, threatening the peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and igniting an arms race in Asia. "China has been threatening, bullying and intimidating many countries. Assertive China is also threatening Taiwan with daily air intrusions, deploying warships near Taiwan," the statement reads. (ANI)
The United States on Friday announced that it will provide Ukraine with USD 820 million in new military aid as Russia's invasion of the country stretches into its fifth month. As per an official statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Department of Defense inventories will give Up to USD 50 million worth of drawdown equipment to Ukraine for its self-defence. The statement further stated that another USD 770 million will be given in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds, which will bring the total assistance to Ukraine to more than ISD 6.92 billion since Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. It is the 14th package of military weapons and equipment transferred to Ukraine from Defense Department stocks since August 2021, according to The Washington Post. Earlier on Thursday, the armed forces of Russia finally departed from Snake Island after almost four months. Snake Island, a tiny piece of land about 25 miles off Ukraine's southeastern coast, sits on a major shipping lane and is an important access point to the key port of Odesa. As per the report by The Washington Post, "the Ukrainian artillery, rockets and airstrikes this month pushed the Russians out of the Snake Island," wrote Commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny in a Facebook post. He also shared a video of missiles hitting the island and claimed a week earlier it had taken out Russian anti-aircraft systems there. However, Russia denied its systems had been destroyed. "Russian forces tried unsuccessfully to stymie the assault with nighttime fighter jet attacks on the coast of the Odesa region," the Ukrainian military's southern command said on Facebook.As the Ukrainian military operation continued, Russian troops remaining on the island "hurriedly evacuated" the garrison on two speedboats, the statement added. Taking to Telegram, Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said "On Snake [Island] there are no more Russians," stating further that the Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted a wonderful operation and knocked them out, the report said. He also thanked foreign allies for weapons that aided the fight. Meanwhile, Thursday's withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukrainian island also garnered widespread reactions in Ukraine and around the world. "Congratulations Ukrainian warriors on your liberation of Snake Island!" Michael McFaul, US ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, tweeted. "Ukraine's expulsion of Russian forces from Snake Island is a significant accomplishment for Kyiv and an important defeat for Russia," the Russia team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, said in an emailed statement Thursday. "Ukrainian forces are unlikely to reoccupy Snake Island themselves, but they don't need to -- they needed to get the Russians off it, and they did," The Washington Post quoted Russia team Mason Clark as saying. On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine due to which almost 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, according to United Nations (UN) estimates and most of those displaced are women and children. The conflict has left 15.7 million Ukrainians stranded and in need of humanitarian support, with some of them lacking access to water and electricity. Three million children inside Ukraine and over 2.2 million children in refugee-hosting countries are now in need of humanitarian assistance. Almost two out of every three children have been displaced by incessant rocket attacks and fighting between the two nations. (ANI)
This weekend kicks off Fourth of July celebrations across the United States. From coast to coast, there will be plenty of cookouts, fireworks and deals at all your favorite places. GOBankingRates rounded up some of the top freebies you wont want to miss out on  check em out below.

See: 11 Best Cities To Retire on $2,500 a Month

Small Business Spotlight 2022: Nominate Your Favorite Small Biz by July 25

Pressed: Get four juices for $22 starting July 1 through July 4. VIP members receive four juices for $19.

Jamba: Jamba Rewards Members may receive a medium Watermelon Breeze Smoothie for just $5 through the Jamba app, online or participating in-store locations. Offer is valid from July 2 through July 4.

Live Updates: Financial Trends, Money News and More

Krispy Kreme: Doughnut fans that wear red, white and blue to participating Krispy Kreme shops throughout the United States may receive a free doughnut of their choice every day, June 27 through July 4. From July 1 through July 4, fans may receive a free Original Glazed dozen with the purchase of any dozen at regular price. Starting June 27, participating Krispy Kreme locations will offer the new I Heart America doughnut collection available individually and in a limited edition Fourth of July themed box.

SONIC: Receive a free cheeseburger June 27 through July 31 with any purchase through the SONIC app.

Qdoba: Receive an additional 4x points on your purchase July 4 by placing an order online, on the app or in in-store using your rewards account. No exclusions or specific entrees.

Cinnabon: Use code NOPOPCORN in the Cinnabon Rewards App when purchasing a Classic Roll, MiniBon or Center of the Roll and get one free. Offer lasts through July 4.

Auntie Annes: From July 1 until July 4, Pretzel Perks members can purchase any of the three new Dragonfruit Mango drinks and receive a free pretzel (original or cinnamon sugar). Redeem the offer in the Auntie Annes Pretzel Perks app.

7-Eleven: Slurpee Day is back! Starting Friday July 1, a coupon for one free small Slurpee will be added to 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards loyalty members accounts. The free small Slurpee may be redeemed in-store at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes store locations between July 1 and July 11.

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Green Chef: Receive $135 off your meal kit purchase plus free shipping when you use code GCJULY4TH22 now through July 4.

EveryPlate: Use the code EPJULY42022 through July 4 to receive meal kits for $1.79 per meal along with 20% off another two boxes.

Slice: Use code JULY4TH22 on the Slice app to receive $5 off first-time orders on July 4. Minimum order of $20.

Pieology: Receive $5 off any $30 order using the code 50FF30JULY4 when ordering your custom pizza in-store and online.

Applebees: From sip to shining sip, celebrate the summer with the new $5 Star-Spangled Sips including the All-American Mucho and Blue Bahama Mama through July 4.

Chilis: Party like its 1776! Drink specials include $4 large domestic drafts and $5 Southern Back Porch Rita all day July 4 and July 5.

Cracker Barrel: Spark more than just fireworks this July 4 by creating meaningful connections with family and friends over craveable meals at a value. Place an order on crackerbarrel.com including a Southern Fried Chicken Family Meal Basket for curbside pickup or delivery during the weekend of July 4 and receive a free family-size side of Bacon Baked Beans. The offer will run July 1 through July 6, just in time for National Fried Chicken Day.

Millers Ale House: All military personnel, active or retired, will receive 50% off their entree of choice on July 4. Remember to provide proof of service.
AFP

Rescuers were to resume the search for survivors on Monday after an avalanche set off by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps killed at least six people and injured eight others. Authorities said they did not know "the total number of climbers" hit when the glacier collapsed Sunday on Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Italian Dolomites. The disaster struck one day after a record-high temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at the glacier's summit. "An avalanche of snow, ice and rock hit an access path at a time when there were several roped parties, some of whom were swept away," emergency services spokeswoman Michela Canova told AFP. Six people had been confirmed dead and eight were injured, she added while "the total number of climbers involved is not yet known". Two of the injured were taken to hospital in Belluno, another in a more serious condition was taken to Treviso and five to Trento. She did not specify the nationalities of the victims, but Italian media reported that foreign nationals were among them. The Alpine rescue corps has activated a toll-free number for people to report friends or relatives who had not returned from an excursion to the glacier. Several helicopters were scrambled to take part in the initial rescue operation but the search for survivors had to be suspended at nightfall and would resume early Monday. Rescuers in the nearby Veneto region of northeast Italy said they had deployed all their Alpine teams, including sniffer dogs. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressed his "sincerest condolences" to the victims and their families on Twitter. Massimo Frezzotti, a science professor at Roma Tre University, told AFP the collapse was caused by unusually warm weather linked to global warming, with precipitation down 40-50 percent during a dry winter. "The current conditions of the glacier correspond to mid-August, not early July," he said. - Further collapses feared - Images filmed from a refuge close to the incident show snow and rock hurtling down the mountain's slopes and causing a thunderous noise. Other footage shot by tourists on their mobile phones showed the greyish avalanche sweep away everything in its path. The mountain rescue team released images showing rescuers and helicopters at the scene to take victims from the valley to the village of Canazei. Their task was made harder because the bodies were trapped under a layer of ice and rock. A team of psychologists was on hand to support the relatives of the victims. The Trento public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation to determine the causes of the tragedy. Experts quoted by the Corriere della Sera daily said they feared further collapses of ice. Glacier specialist Renato Colucci told the Italian agency AGI that the phenomenon was "bound to repeat itself", because "for weeks the temperatures at altitude in the Alps have been well beyond normal values". The recent warm temperatures had produced a large quantity of water from the melting glacier that accumulated at the bottom of the block of ice and caused it to collapse, he added. The Marmolada glacier is the largest in the Dolomites mountain range, which is part of the Italian Alps and situated on the northern face of Marmolada. The glacier, nicknamed "the queen of the Dolomites", feeds the Avisio river and overlooks Lake Fedaia in the autonomous Italian province of Trento. According to a March report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), melting ice and snow is one of 10 major threats caused by global warming, disrupting ecosystems and infrastructure. The IPCC has said glaciers in Scandinavia, central Europe and the Caucasus could lose between 60 and 80 percent of their mass by the end of the century. The traditional way of life of people such as the Sami in Finland's Lapland, who raise reindeer, has already been affected. Thawing permafrost is also hampering economic activity in Canada and Russia. glr/imm/har/mtp/ssy
FALL RIVER  The City Council has the authority to expend $16 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds as they see fit, and Tuesday they green-lighted six out of seven projects proposed by the administration.

After accepting the six projects, which amount to more than $3.17 million, the City Council still has more than $12.8 million to spend from ARPA money supplied through the Bristol County Commissioners office, which received a total of $110 million. The commission then portioned out that amount among 20 cities and towns, with Fall River receiving the second-highest amount (New Bedford received $17 million).

While state law doesn't require Mayor Paul Coogan to seek City Council approval  which has been a bone of contention with some city councilors  the Bristol County Commission, who must approve all proposed projects from the municipalities, made council approval a requirement.

And there is still plenty more ARPA funding left to expend of the additional $70 million that the city originally was awarded from the federal government, which came in two payments.

COVID bonuses: Fall River will give some city workers $3,000 COVID bonuses, and ARPA is paying for it

Last June, the city received the first installment of nearly $35 million. During the discussion about various proposed projects, City Administrator Seth Aiken informed the City Council that there is about $15 million remaining and the second installment of nearly $35 million in ARPA is available.

However, Coogan, who has final authority to expend that money, has not yet sent it to the City Council to accept the appropriation.

How Fall River will use ARPA funds: Skate park renovations, a splash pad at Kennedy Park

Funding will equip police with body-worn cameras

The biggest ticket item approved by the City Council was an appropriation of $1.52 million for a five-year body-worn camera program.

The money will help with the purchase of 225 body-worn cameras, docking stations, sidearm activation kits and upgraded Tasers. New technology is needed so the body-worn cameras can turn on the cameras and begin recording when officers deploy their Tasers.

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Fall River officers Joshua Carreiro, Tim Magan and Rick Saraiva with new body-worn cameras Friday.

The money will also fund data storage systems.

On June 17, the FRPD started its body-worn camera pilot program, equipping seven walking beat police officers with the technology.

The Community Development Agency provided over $15,680 to the pilot program, which has full support from the Coogan administration and the City Council.

As you know, there is a strong likelihood that body cameras are very much the way of the future. They create both accountability and protection for police, and they create accountability and protection for the public, said Aiken.

Projects for cleaner streets and clearer water

A total of $1.148 million will purchase a graffiti removal machine, two infrared-equipped pothole and asphalt repair equipment that can be used year-round and three street sweeper apparatus.

The Department of Community Utilities was awarded $241,275 for its Blue Water Project to alleviate algae blooms, caused by increased phosphorus, in the South Watuppa Pond.

This photo taken July 15, 2021 by Westport Board of Health Chair Tanja Ryden shows a blue-green algae bloom in South Watuppa Pond near the Tickle Road area.

Algae blooms: Here's what is being done about algae blooms in South Watuppa Pond

The money will be used in conjunction with two matching grants and meant to restore water quality in the South Watuppa, which could mean it potentially could be used as a back-up water supply with recreational use for the public.

In addition, the City Council approved a $305,000 project that will upgrade the city's public safety 911 system.

The City Council voted mostly unanimously on all five projects, except for City Council Vice President Michelle Dionne who opposed the funding for body-worn cameras, graffiti machine, pothole repair apparatus and street cleaning equipment.

Dionne has advocated recently that $15 million of the $16 million appropriation should be used on water and sewer projects to offset future rate hikes.

A member of the mayor's ARPA task force, Dionne said those projects had already been approved for funding from the $70 million COVID relief money.

One project tabled

The Department of Community Utilities has a $1.365 million project proposal to purchase the Adirondack Farm on the North Watuppa Pond and renovate a structure to create a Bioreserve Education and Discovery Center along with environmental and education partners in the bioreserve.

'A great natural treasure': How you can enjoy Fall River's 50 miles of hiking trails

Of that funding, $365,000 would be used toward the purchase of the property in addition to other money and $1 million would be spent to create the education center.

While the City Council expressed support for the project, City Councilor Shawn Cadime said the more appropriate funding would come from the Community Preservation Act fund, a tax used to fund projects in the areas of preservation, acquisition and creation of open space, historic resources, recreation and community housing.

For me I think that project is perfect for CPA. I think when we start talking about community preservation, I think we should be putting aside our Community Preservation Act money for that and freeing up $1.3 million for something else, whether it's for infrastructure or something along those lines, said Cadime.

Looking at many of the CPA funding thats been approved, its a lot of private work being done, said Cadime.

In the final vote, the council agreed to table the matter.

Jo C. Goode may be reached at jgoode@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism and subscribe to The Herald News today!

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River City Council OKs ARPA funds for body cams, algae bloom, 911
Incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading Democratic challenger Beto ORourke by 8 points among likely voters in the states gubernatorial race, a new poll has found.

According to a CBS News-YouGov poll released Thursday, Abbott is leading ORourke 49 percent to 41 percent among likely voters, despite the majority of Texas residents surveyed viewing the governors response to the deadly Uvalde, Texas, school shooting negatively and more than half having an unfavorable opinion of his general performance as governor.

Among the 1,075 respondents to the poll, which was conducted between June 22 and 27, 79 percent of Republican voters said they approved of Abbotts track record compared with 24 percent of Democrats, with 40 percent of independents approving and 60 percent disapproving.

The poll shows a wider gap between Abbott and ORourke compared with a Quinnipiac University poll conducted from June 9 to June 13 that found Abbott had a 5-point lead among Texas voters.

Tensions between Abbott and ORourke came to a head last month during a press conference in Uvalde when ORourke accused the governor of being complicit in the shooting.

You are doing nothing, ORourke said. You said this was not predictable, this was totally predictable, and you choose not to do anything.

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin slammed ORourke for his outburst, calling him a sick son of a bitch for making it a political issue.

The margin of error for the CBS News poll is 4.7 percentage points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The US Supreme Courts new conservative majority, within one week, revoked a constitutional right to an abortion, delivered a devastating blow to government efforts to combat the climate crisis, strengthened Second Amendment protections, and ruled in two cases that the courts liberal justices warned have blown up the firewall between church and state.

Donald Trumps three appointments  Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch  join conservative justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, along with Chief Justice John Roberts, moving the Supreme Court significantly further to the right, and, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, wielding that power by substituting a rule by judges for the rule of law.

In their joint dissent in a landmark case that overturned a half-century of abortion rights, the courts three liberal justices said the conservatives only voted against precedential cases for one and only one reason: because it has always despised them, and now it has the votes to discard them.

President Joe Biden has derided what he calls an extremist court that is committed to moving America backward, with fewer rights and less autonomy.

In the wake of the ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization, which overturned precedent in Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey, abortion rights advocates, providers and civil rights groups took legal action in at least 11 states to block trigger laws and anti-abortion statutes designed to take effect without Roe.

Nancy Northrup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the Dobbs case at the Supreme Court, told reporters on 1 July that abortion rights advocates have been preparing for this moment, the beginning of what is a public health emergency.

State courts have granted temporary restraining orders to block such laws in five states  Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas and Utah  as their legal challenges play out in courts.

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At least eight states  Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee  have outlawed abortion entirely in nearly all instances or severely restricted access, and more legal challenges are expected as more laws take effect. As many as 26 states could outlaw abortion without Roe, with states legislatures poised to draft more-restrictive laws unbridled from constitutional obligations to protect access to care.

One day earlier, Planned Parenthood providers in Montana  a state that has not outlawed abortions  announced they would no longer offer mediation abortion to patients from Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota, and will require proof of residency for the treatment, following widespread confusion over a rapidly changing legal landscape that coud now open providers to criminal prosecution.

We just have to be understanding that what were facing here is a public health crisis where people are operating under a condition of extraordinary chaos, Planned Parenthoods senior litigation director Jennifer Sandman said on 1 July.

The court decided 58 cases this term, marking an increase over the last two years during the Covid-19 pandemic, but still the third-lowest number of cases in more than 80 years.

From those cases, 19 were decided by a vote of 6 to 3, along the courts growing ideological divide.

Broadly, what the Supreme Court has done within the last few weeks is very concerning and a rollback of civil rights and civil liberties, according to Arthur Ago, Criminal Justice Project director with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

What the Supreme Court has done is signaled a substantially conservative term, he told The Independent, pointing to expanding Second Amendment protections and shielding law enforcement officers from liability.

In some cases, the courts opinions could invite further legal challenges that could dismantle 14th Amendment protections  from marriage equality to gay sex  and erode state-level laws to combat the proliferation of guns, or dismantle the federal governments administrative role.

University of Southern California law professor Lee Epstein, who directs the Supreme Court Database, told The New York Times that the court  which the chief justice has sought to steer towards an incremental middle ground  has instead morphed into the divided, partisan, maximalist, activist court that he opposed for nearly two decades.

At least for now hes lost the fight, she said.

In the Dobbs case, for example, Justice Roberts could not convince a single conservative justice  after seven months of deliberations  against overturning 50-year-old precedent. The chief justice ended up ruling only to let Mississippis anti-abortion law at the centre of the case stand, while the five conservatives struck down Roe and Casey entirely.

This was clearly a rough term, but here is the capstone piece of evidence of just how little this is still the Roberts court, University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck told Politico. This is a court that is fighting with each other past the chief. The bitterness, the intensity, the hostility is a reflection of the chiefs powerlessness because he cant control either block.

In the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc v Bruen, the court  on a 6-3 vote  struck down a century-old New York law requiring handgun owners to show proper cause in order to obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon, dealing a blow to state-level efforts to combat the proliferation of firearms and potentially expanding the scope of Second Amendment protections.

The decision could invite legal challenges in at least six other states with similar laws, opening them to scrutiny, and potentially expanding how, and where, guns can be carried in public.

By permitting widespread availability, that violence is only going to increase, Mr Ago said.

With the decision in Vega v Tekoh, the court determined that people who are not warned about their right to remain silent cannot sue a police officer for damages under federal civil rights law, even if that evidence was used against them in their criminal trial.

Jon M Greenbaum, chief counsel for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said the ruling strictly limits the ways in which police can be held accountable.

Taken together with the failure of Congress to pass the Justice in Policing Act, this case has diminished the ability of people to confront police misconduct even further, he said.

A decision in West Virginia v Environmental Protection Agency, issued on the final day for this term, curbs the agencys ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants and, ominously, endorses a legal theory in the major questions doctrine that would prohibit federal agencies from a bulk of their authority without explicit direction from Congress

Jason Rylander, senior attorney, for the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity, told The Independent that the doctrine has the potential to turn federal environmental, health and safety law on its head, forcing Congress to inject itself into the details of standard-setting which, traditionally, it has left to expert agencies.

Two cases involving religion and schools  Carson v Makin andKennedy v Bremerton School District  drew uncompromising dissent from Justice Sotomayor, who joined Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan in the latter case to warn that the majority sets us further down a perilous path in forcing states to entangle themselves with religion, with all of our rights hanging in the balance.

In this term, the court also revived two Republican-drawn congressional maps that lower courts struck down over likely violations of the Voting Rights Act, sending a warning to voting rights groups tracking the nations antidemocratic plunge.

This fall, the court will consider a North Carolina case that could disrupt election laws across the country  with a ruling likely just in time for 2024 elections  with the potential endorsement of a fringe legal theory, debunked by legal analysts, that grants state legislatures broad authority over deciding elections and could curb legal efforts to block racial gerrymandering.

Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, told reporters on 30 June that legitimising the theory would cut that off at the knees.

This would stop states from enforcing voting rights and enforcing prohibitions and partisan and other kinds of gerrymandering at the very moment when that kind of protection is more needed than ever, he said. The stakes are quite high.
Abortion rights activists participate in a Bans Off Our Bodies rally at the U.S. Supreme Court on May 14, 2022. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The message that the Supreme Court faces a "legitimacy crisis" is catching on with progressives and others.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others are condemning decisions they say are partisan.

A recent survey found the message describes the feelings of half of voters on the Supreme Court "very well."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and dozens of other progressive leaders, candidates and groups are hammering a common, poll-tested refrain on the Supreme Court, arguing that it increasingly faces a "legitimacy crisis" as justices' decisions upend abortion rights, the EPA's ability to fight climate change, and expand gun rights.

"Our planet is on fire, and this extremist Supreme Court has destroyed the federal government's ability to fight back," tweeted Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, following Thursday's blow to regulating greenhouse gas emissions. "This radical Supreme Court is increasingly facing a legitimacy crisis, and we can't let them have the last word."

After the Court overturned the landmark abortion-rights case, Roe v. Wade, New York Democrat Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that two justices stand "very credibly accused of sexual assault," an apparent reference to assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh and harassment allegations against Clarence Thomas, "and that's the tip of the iceberg."

She slammed Thomas's wife Ginni for participating in former President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on January 6 and for Thomas siding with Trump in his bid to keep some presidential documents from the House committee investigating the Capitol riot. "This is a crisis of legitimacy and President Biden must address that," Ocasio-Cortez said on Meet the Press.

Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 26, 2022

Progressives have been seeking an expansion of the conservative-dominated Court along with ethics and anti-corruption reforms. They say the Court is unaccountable because its members are unelected, and that five justices were nominated by Republican presidents who lost the popular vote. They say one seat was "stolen" because Senate Republicans denied a hearing for Obama nominee, Merrick Garland, now the US Attorney General.

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Along with Warren, other Senate Democrats pushing the illegitimacy message include Chris Van Hollen, Brian Schatz, Sheldon Whitehouse, Alex Padilla and Ed Markey. House members, along with Ocasio-Cortez, include Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, Jerry Nadler, Pramila Jayapal, Katie Porter, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, Andy Levin, Rashida Tlaib, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

"Its legitimacy gone, the Court should take up residence with the RNC, which defines its agenda," tweeted Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

The message is being encouraged by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and other left-leaning groups who say it polls well nationally and in battleground states. A survey in June by Hart Research for the progressive group Demand Justice in collaboration with PCCC found the increasing "legitimacy crisis" message describes the feelings of 51% of voters in all states and 49% of battleground state voters "very well."

The results are consistent with a June Gallup poll, they note, which shows only 25% of Americans have confidence in the Court, down from 36% in 2021.

"We believe that any critiques of individual Court decisions should also call out this politicized Court itself, and we wanted to ask you to amplify this message in the days ahead," PCCC Co-Founder Adam Green wrote in June 29 message to lawmakers, shared with Insider.

The email was signed by PCCC, March For Our Lives, Evergreen, Ultraviolet, Demand Justice, and the American Constitution Society.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Santa Rosa County is welcoming another vendor to its industrial parks, but this time in the form of the globally recognized company Amazon.

The county's Planning and Zoning Director Shawn Ward confirmed to the News Journal that site plans for a planned distribution warehouse were approved by the county early in June, and building plans are currently under review.

Ward could not confirm the facility was to be operated by Amazon, but District 4 Commissioner Dave Piech told the News Journal the company was the one spearheading the project.

"It just means they recognize that we're business friendly. We have a great work pool, talented workforce here. We are growing and they recognize that," Piech said. "And to get a company of their stature and size to Santa Rosa County is phenomenal."

Amazon Squeeze: The companys push into Floridas tight labor market garners mixed reviews

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Interactive map: See locations of current and future Amazon facilities in Florida with our interactive map

Many of the projects in the county's industrial parks receive nicknames before specifics are disclosed. Santa Rosa Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree said he was not in a position to disclose the company behind the project, but said this proposal is Project "Jungle Cruise."

The proposal combines two structures in the Santa Rosa Industrial Park, which are currently being used by Navy Federal Credit Union as a call center. In total, the facility will be around 81,000 square feet.

"It'll show other companies that investing in Santa Rosa County is a good thing. Hopefully other companies and businesses take notice," Piech said.

The location of a proposed Amazon distribution warehouse in one of Santa Rosa County's industrial parks.

Amazons rapid growth across Florida is making the company one of the largest employers in the state.

The company now has more than 59,000 employees in the Sunshine State  and is looking to hire thousands more for new distribution centers opening soon.

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Amazons wages now average $18 an hour or more companywide and in Florida, plus it offers flexible work schedules  and a comprehensive benefits package, which includes the opportunity to own its stock, on day one.

The company's aggressive expansion has prompted worries that the retailer will draw talent away from local businesses. In many regions where Amazon has launched operations, local employers say they haven't seen immediate workforce deficits attributable to the retail giant, but they are watching trends closely.

In March, USA TODAY Network-Florida reporters identified 85 Amazon facilities currently running operations in Florida, with two dozen more projects either under construction or planned.

The closest Florida facilities are a delivery center opened in Marianna in 2021, and respective delivery and order fulfillment centers set to open in Tallahassee this year.

Clayton Park of The Daytona Beach News-Journal contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Amazon distribution facility is coming to Santa Rosa County
Photograph: Ricardo Oliveira/AFP/Getty Images

Near a sharp bend on the Itaquai River, perched on a steep muddy bank, a lone wooden structure marks the last outpost of a fragile resistance.

This is the informal checkpoint used by the Indigenous rights advocate Bruno Pereira, an isolated stilted shack he hoped could help curb the rampant organised crime which threatens the pristine rainforest of the remote Javari Valley, the ecosystems within it and the Indigenous communities who call it home.

But two weeks after the bodies of Pereira and the journalist Dom Phillips were recovered, there is little here to suggest any improvement in security.

The outpost is intermittently frequented by members of Univaja, the Indigenous rights collective for whom Pereira had worked. But it is currently manned by a lone resident: a 76-year-old Peruvian named Juan da Silva and his black labrador mutt. Equipped with a torch, a fishing rod, a few cans of food and occasionally a radio, he fears for his life every night.

I want to get out of here, says Da Silva. I dont want to die. I want to live.

The outpost is where Phillips and Pereira slept the night before they were killed. Da Silva points to the hooks that held their hammocks, bolted to wooden posts under a small porch.

Pereira had slept on the right side of the building, which overlooks a small estuary used by illegal fisherman to enter a lake with thousands of valuable pirarucu fish  and a pathway into Indigenous land that evades a government checkpoint a few miles upstream.

The fishermen get very angry if we dont let them through, Da Silva says, pointing to the stream, where a shaggy crested Amazon kingfisher sits on a branch scouring the water. Sometimes I cant stop them, because if I did they would kill me.

Such are the contrasts in this underreported part of the Amazon rainforest where magnificent natural beauty has become a backdrop to increasing violence and impunity. It is the setting for a battle over access to resources that has intensified following the election of Brazils far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, in 2018.

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Law enforcement officials say the Javari Valley, an area the size of Portugal and home to the worlds largest concentration of uncontacted Indigenous tribes, is now Brazils second largest drug trafficking route, where the interwoven illicit industries of fishing, logging and mining have proliferated over the past decade.

A few miles downstream from the makeshift checkpoint, at the small fishing community of Sao Rafael, the village president, Manoel Vitor Sabino da Costa, known as Churrasco, spoke of the many threats he has faced in recent years. Churrasco was initially a suspect in the killing, but denied any knowledge or involvement.

Pereira and Phillips had tried to meet with him shortly before they were killed, but the fisherman was out on a nearby lake when they arrived, he said. He pulled a strip of lined paper from a small drawer and showed a note the pair left behind with a request to call.

Pereira had worked with villagers here, trying to steer them away from illegal fishing  many of the rivers species are subject to strict regulation to manage stocks, and it is prohibited to fish in Indigenous territory further upstream. But a single pirarucu, one of the worlds largest freshwater fish, which grows to over 100 kilograms, can be sold for $1,000 at market price, while a single Amazon river turtle can be sold for $200.

Related: Javari valley: the lawless primal wilderness where Dom Phillips went missing

Locals say illegal activities have become commonplace in recent years. One villager recently spotted a boat with three men carrying shotguns, laden with illegally caught fish. Illegal fishermen use small boats, laden with ice, to navigate into Indigenous land under cover of darkness, according to a report by Univaja, and then return to deliver their catches to larger boats waiting on the main river.

Churrasco knew the three men arrested on suspicion of the murders; they lived in the nearby fishing village of Sao Gabriel, now eerily almost empty. Two were his distant nephews. He said one of the suspected murderers, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, had recently threatened him with a shotgun out on the lake.

He put the gun in my face and threatened to kill me, he recalled, saying the men had wanted access to fish illegally. The trigger was never pulled, but they sank his boat instead and Churrasco was left to swim for shore.

They were involved with bad people, Churrasco said of the suspected killers. He claimed to know no more than that.

Last week police said they had expanded their investigation of the murders to examine whether the killings had been commissioned, but said their working theory remained that it was a crime of opportunity.

The illegal fishing industry in the Javari Valley has become just as lucrative as drug trafficking, and operates under an interlinked umbrella of organised crime, said Alexandre Saraiva, a senior federal police officer.

Saraiva served as superintendent for the state of Amazonas until 2021, when he was sidelined by the Bolsonaro administration after leading an investigation that linked Brazils former environment minister Ricardo Salles to illegal logging in the rainforest.

We made dozens of stops in Manaus [the state capital of Amazonas] of boats that carried both drugs and pirarucu, he said, adding that a single boat can carry five tonnes of pirarucu, which can eventually be sold for $50,000. In one instance, Saraiva said, his officers apprehended a boat carrying 600 river turtles, with a street value of over $100,000.

A pirarucu fish is seized by the army after a federal police investigation examined a vessel seized by the taskforce for the rescue of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips at Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas, on 11 June. Photograph: Joao Laet/AFP/Getty Images

Illegal fishing costs next to nothing, he explained. You dont need to waste money feeding the fish, theyre relatively easy to catch, and the workforce is cheap. A fisherman earns about one to two thousand Brazilian reais (around $400) for a whole month of work. And it involves much less legal risk than drug trafficking.

Logging is another lucrative criminal activity. Saraiva described the case of a local mafia figure, Alcides Guizoni, who was sentenced to six years in prison over cocaine smuggling, and later pivoted his activities to illegal logging from which, according to a federal police document, he earned 16.8m reais ($3.2m) over four years.

The potential profits to be made in the Javari Valley have drawn criminal organisations from across the country, including the Family of the North, the Red Command and First Capital Command, three of Brazils largest organised crime groups  and a local drug lord operating on the Peruvian side of the Javari river, known as Colombia.

With sweeping government cuts in the region  there has been no federal environmental agency [Ibama] base here since 2018 and just three, poorly resourced Indigenous protection agency [Funai] outposts  seizures have plummeted under the Bolsonaro administration, according to a report by Publica, a Brazilian investigative newsroom. According to internal Funai documents seen by the Guardian, the Funai outpost closest to where Pereira and Phillips were killed has come under fire seven times in the past two years.

The void has left advocates like Pereira and Univaja forced to undertake increasingly dangerous surveillance operations with no state support.

After Phillips and Pereira went missing, Bolsonaro appeared to blame them, describing their reporting trip an adventure that isnt recommendable. Saraiva poured scorn on the comment.

Dom Phillips was not on an adventure. He was a war correspondent documenting a war.

Saraiva argued that the Brazilian government has more than enough resources to end the crime surge here, citing his own experience combating illegal gold mining in the Yanomami Indigenous territory by using the army to target illegal infrastructure such as boats and equipment.

But they [the Bolsonaro administration] are not doing it for lack of political will.

The police chief, now sidelined to a small municipality outside Rio de Janeiro, said he believed it was almost certain the murder of Pereira had been approved by a senior crime boss.

***

The stretch of the Itaquai where Phillips and Pereira were shot dead is patrolled by a pod of endangered Amazon river dolphins, known as botos. They fish together, the sharp puff of their blowholes piercing the silence on the water.

Indigenous search parties identified the site where the mens boat hit the shore by spotting subtle changes in the foliage around the banks. Twigs snapped at right angles. Patches of grazing on the bark. Two lines of yellow police tape remain tied to a munguba tree: one flutters in the breeze, the other droops to the water. But otherwise there is nothing to distinguish where the two men died.

In Atalaia do Norte, the small riverside town where Pereira and Phillips had been due to return, there has been an extended period of mourning. But there have also been mounting concerns among Indigenous communities that things will get even worse in the months ahead.

Bruno and Dom Phillips were our great warriors, said Delcimar Tamakuri Kanamari, an Indigenous leader and Univaja member. They were part of our movement.

A memorial service last week drew dozens of Indigenous people from at least five communities in the Javari Valley. Some spend the majority of the year in the protected rainforest, and had heard of the murders over the radio. Behind closed doors, a senior Kanamari tribal leader briefed the Guardian on how increasing drug traffic has wrought havoc on his community.

Related: Police losing narco war in deadly Amazon region where duo disappeared

The Javari River marks the border between Brazil and Peru, where cultivation of coca  the plant used to make cocaine has increased by almost 20% in the past year, according to UN data. Jungle laboratories on the Peruvian side of the river illegally transform coca into cocaine and then ferry it across the river to store on protected Indigenous land in Brazil where Peruvian police have no jurisdiction, the tribal leader said.

That way no one will find it, they said. There is no enforcement whatsoever here and the criminals target any of us who try to stop them.

Traffickers have also begun recruiting younger Indigenous men and boys into the drugs operations themselves, said Tamakuri. Drawn in by payments of a few hundred dollars for months of work, promises of clothing and mobile phones, the recruits then face execution if they try to escape.

Last week Tamakuri and others delivered a 20-page document to the Funai office in town, containing photographs of illegal camping, fishing boats and a floating home used by traffickers on their land.

We are being menaced by the whites that come for fishing, the Peruvian loggers and the Colombian narcotraffickers, it said, also mentioning threats from hunters and evangelical missionaries in the area.

Phillips had spent much of his recent career dedicated to reporting on the violence experienced by Indigenous communities here, including an alleged massacre of an isolated tribe by gold miners in 2017.

As the memorial drew to a close last week, the anthropologist Almerio Alves Vadique addressed the mourners near a large image of the two men, surrounded by orange tropical flowers.

This was a tragedy foretold, he said to the silent crowd. Yesterday it was Bruno and Dom. But tomorrow it could be any of the people in here.
Associated Press

More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former President Donald Trump, says a member of a House committee investigating the insurrection. The panel already has subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who investigators remain hopeful will appear Wednesday for a deposition, and said it would also welcome follow-up details from Secret Service members with Trump that day. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., cited Hutchinson's testimony that Trump wanted to join an angry mob of his supporters who marched on Jan. 6, 2021, to the Capitol, where they rioted, as particularly valuable in inspiring more people to step forward as the committee gets set for at least two public hearings this month.
When someone charged with a crime is eligible for release but cannot afford cash bail, they typically will remain in jail until they are sentenced or released  unless someone makes a payment on their behalf.

One option is to enlist the help of a private bail bondsman to pay the court the cash used as a guarantee that a defendant will return for a hearing. But bail bondsmen charge steep fees, and many engage in abusive, or even criminal, practices.

Bail funds, which pool money from donors to pay bail for people who cant afford it, are a better option.

These funds can be relatively large. The Minnesota Freedom Fund received over US$30 million in donations from over 900,000 donors in a four-day period to bail out protesters responding to George Floyds murder in 2020. Others are much smaller and operate through crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe. Individual donations also range widely: Gifts to The Bail Project, for example, range from a few dollars to millions.

We, two social scientists, are describing what are sometimes called community bail funds. More than 90 of these nonprofits are affiliated with the National Bail Fund Network, which operate as part of a broader strategy to end pretrial detention.

Bail is only meant as a guarantee that an accused person will show up in court. Most of the money, aside from court fees, is typically repaid once all conditions are met. That means these funds get back the bulk of what they spend to bail people out of jail, and the same money can then cover someone elses bail. Bail funds, that is, recycle most of their donations after paying potential court fees.

Bail funds often are local and may specialize in helping a specific community, as is the case with the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, Black Lives Matter Oklahoma, Repro Legal Defense Fund, Midwest Immigration Bond Fund and the National Sex Worker Bail Fund. The National Black Mamas Bailout pays the cash bail owed by Black caregivers around Mothers Day, and several mass bailout initiatives exist for Juneteenth and Fathers Day as well.

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The practice of collectively funding the use of money to free loved ones and friends has a long history in the United States that began in the days of slavery. Before the Civil War, Black communities raised funds to purchase the freedom of themselves and their families.

One of the first large bail funds emerged in 1920, when the American Civil Liberties Union established one in response to anti-communist prosecutions known as the Red Scare. Other bail funds arose in the following decades, often led by civil rights and anti-war activists.

Why bail funds matter

More than 80% of the over 650,000 people in jail in the U.S. have not been convicted and are presumed innocent but cant afford bail.

Helping people pay bail is important because it means that they can return home and remain employed or in school. They are also less likely to be pressured to accept a plea deal, in which they plead guilty to a lesser charge to serve less time, whether they committed the alleged offense or not.

The median amount for bail is $10,000. But most people who cant afford to pay bail are living well below the poverty line  defined by the government as being in a family of four earning less than $27,750 a year.

People of color are more likely than whites to be arrested, unable to afford bail and charged higher bail and fee amounts. They are also more likely to receive biased bail decisions, and more likely to be held on bail, spend time in jail and end up incarcerated.

Bail funds can help alleviate these problems, but resolving these serious challenges will require deep reforms throughout the U.S. criminal legal system.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Cynthia A. Golembeski, The New School and Matthew Bakko, University of Michigan.

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Cynthia A. Golembeski receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Matthew Bakko receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
WASHINGTON  Ballot harvesting, ballot curing, ballot duplication. The jargon around American elections can perplex and alienate voters.

States have different sets of rules for both election administration and the voting process, and those rules can vary among jurisdictions. Complicating the issue: ongoing efforts by 2020 election deniers to stoke concerns about ballot security and shake voter confidence in the rules and processes themselves.

Part of it is individuals will use terms, and toss around terms, that get repeated on TV or in newspapers or whatever, often out of context, said Lisa Bryant, a political science professor at California State University in Fresno. She's also a research advisory board member for the Electronic Registration Information Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization run by the states.

Voting, for most citizens, in most locations, is not easy, said Jan Leighly, a political science professor at American University. It takes some practice and having good information.  Because our states vary with respect to most of the important details, it can be confusing even to someone who's trying to get involved or cast a ballot.

Here are some frequently used terms regarding the voting process and what they refer to; there can sometimes be variation from state to state:

Trump turned back in Georgia: Trump called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp a 'turncoat' and fought to defeat him. Here's why he won anyway.

Wanda Walton votes at Concrete Precinct in Powdersville, during State primaries in Anderson County, S.C. Tuesday, June 14, 2022.

Mail voting and absentee ballots

Voters who will be away from their homes during a voting period  such as students at school in another state or military personnel abroad  can request an absentee ballot. Some states operate with an excuse-required system, where absentee ballot applicants must state the reason for the request, while others have no-excuse systems, offering absentee ballots to any requester.

The return process for absentee ballots varies by mail, online or in person with different deadlines than casting ballots in person.

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2022 Midterm Elections: News, Candidates, Races, Analysis - USA TODAY

In 2020, as we were all trying to familiarize ourselves with voting, there was a bunch of confusion around vote by mail, absentee voting, no-excuses, excuse-required. And all of this sort of misinformation started to spread about what type was most secure, or the idea that any kind of mail voting was fraudulent or favored one party, which we found not to be true, said Rachel Orey, a senior policy analyst for the Bipartisan Policy Centers Elections and Congress Projects. Former President Donald Trump tried to capitalize on that.

Since the start of the pandemic, a number of states made voting by mail easier. But that also raised concerns about the security of mailed ballots, though the practice has long been in place with no significant instances of fraud, experts say.

In states like Colorado and Oregon where voting by mail pre-dated the pandemic, all voters receive ballots in the mail as part of a statewide vote-by-mail system. The return process can vary, and there may be options to vote in person for accessibility or other reasons.

Red alert: Could California be a warning sign for Democrats in the fall? Here are takeaways from the latest primaries.

What is ballot harvesting?

Not allowed in all states, ballot harvesting refers to a third party depositing someone elses ballot  not filling it out, but taking a signed and sealed ballot and delivering it to a drop box or mailbox.

In some states, this might mean a caregiver or family member dropping off the ballot of someone who cannot do so themselves.

Ballot harvesting: Supreme Court upholds Arizona ban on ballot collection as states race to pass voting restrictions

'A new American fault line': How new election laws will make it harder for 55 million to vote

The perceived problem with ballot harvesting is that parties will call people and say: Hey, have you returned your ballot? We're going to be in your neighborhood. We can pick up your ballot and take it for you. And so there might be the perception of wrongdoing, that parties are going out and collecting ballots and people and taking them back, said Bryant.

What's the difference between ballot duplication and double voting?

When a damaged ballot reaches a poll worker, it might go through the process of ballot duplication: The votes cast on the original ballot are duplicated onto an undamaged sheet, and the damaged sheet is discarded.

This duplication process is often confused with double voting (casting two votes in separate jurisdictions) or ballot stuffing (one person submitting multiple ballots)  both of which are illegal.

An election worker examines a ballot at the Clackamas County Elections office on Thursday, May 19, 2022, Oregon City, Ore. Ballots with blurry barcodes that can't be read by vote-counting machines will delay election results by weeks in a key U.S. House race in Oregon's primary. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) ORG XMIT: NYAG201

In an effort to increase elections transparency, certain jurisdictions have begun live-streaming ballot counting.

But when you're live streaming ballot duplication, it's ripe ground for disinformation because you look on the video camera, and people are literally filling out ballots. Orey said. And it's difficult to provide sufficient transparency when people see that and (they) immediately start making assumptions.

More primary takeaways: Trump-connected candidates falter, voters pick new faces to replace retiring incumbents

How does ballot curing work?

Sometimes theres an issue with confirming the accuracy of the voters ID on a ballot, such as apparent illegibility, or a signature discrepancy from the one on file.

In many of those cases states and jurisdictions allow ballot curing, a process by which election officials will notify a voter that their ballot has not been counted and give them an opportunity to "cure" the issue before the vote is discarded.

Fact check: Georgia ballot curing is not election fraud

More primary takeaways:: A good night for women such as Bowser in DC and Britt in Ala.; tight House races in Va.

How are open primaries different from closed ones?

Primaries are conducted to determine party nominees for the general election in November.

A closed primary requires voters to register their party affiliation before participating and usually confines them to voting only for candidates within that party, while an open primary allows voters to participate  regardless of their party affiliation.

A voter casts her ballot with her child at a polling station at Rose Hill Elementary School during the midterm primary election on June 21, 2022 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Voting a split ticket or a straight ticket

On a ballot with multiple seats up for election, a straight-ticket voter selects only candidates from one political party, such as selecting only Democrat candidates, straight down the line.

A split-ticket voter, on the other hand, selects candidates from more than one party: for example, Democrats for some offices and Republicans for others.

There is no requirement to cast a split or straight ticket vote. These terms just describe voting patterns.

2022 Midterms: A new 'Big Lie' battleground: secretary of state elections

Audits, recounts and observers

Audits and observers are both mechanisms of transparency in elections.

As with all these terms, the practical applications vary. But broadly, an audit is an examination of an elections process after its concluded, and an observer is an individual who watches an election process as it happens.

More: Pennsylvania to recount votes in GOP Senate primary between Trump-backed Oz and McCormick

After 2020, I think audits were an unexpected area that used to be something no one paid attention to and now are incredibly polarized and loaded with kind of partisan perspectives, Orey said.

This politicization is unfortunate, Orey said, because audits are an essential part of election security that election researchers suggest should be held after all elections.

A routine audit is different from a recount, which is a response to a specific issue, such as a disputed count or a close margin. Some states require recounts when the results are within a certain margin.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election terms: ballot harvesting, closed primaries, double voting
A goat skull at an animal breeders farm that has been affected by the lack of water at Montenegro, in Santiago, Chile (Reuters)

The Penuelas reservoir in central Chile was until 20 years ago the main source of water for the city of Valparaiso, holding enough water for 38,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Water for only two pools now remains.

A huge expanse of dried and cracked earth that was once the lake bed is littered with fish skeletons and desperate animals searching for water.

Amid a historic 13-year drought, rainfall levels have slumped in this South American nation that hugs the continents Pacific coast. Higher air temperatures have meant snow in the Andes, once a key store of meltwater for spring and summer, is not compacting, melts faster, or turns straight to vapour.

The drought has hit mine output in the worlds largest copper producer, stoked tensions over water use for lithium extraction and farming, and led the capital, Santiago, to make unprecedented plans for potential water rationing.

Horses rest on the site of the dried-up Aculeo lagoon at Paine (Reuters)

Segundo Aballay, a rancher, walks next to a water container used for his animals (Reuters)

We have to beg God to send us water, said Amanda Carrasco, who lives near the Penuelas reservoir and recalls line fishing in the waters for local pejerrey fish. Ive never seen it like this. Theres been less water before, but not like now.

The reservoir needs rainfall  once reliable in winter but now at historic lows, said Jose Luis Murillo, general manager of Esval, the company that supplies Valparaiso with water.

Basically what we have is just a puddle, he said, adding that the city now relied on rivers. This is especially significant if you think that several decades ago the Penuelas reservoir was the only source of water for all greater Valparaiso.

A general view of the almost-dry Penuelas lake in Valparaiso (Reuters)

An aerial view of Olivares glacier in the Andes Mountain range (Reuters)

Behind the issue, academic studies have found, is a global shift in climate patterns sharpening natural weather cycles.

Normally, low-pressure storms from the Pacific unload precipitation over Chile in winter, recharging aquifers and packing the Andes mountains with snow.

But naturally occurring warming of the sea off Chiles coast, which blocks storms from arriving, has been intensified by rising global sea temperature, according to a global study on sea temperature and rainfall deficits. Ozone depletion and greenhouse gases in the Antarctic, meanwhile, exacerbate weather patterns that draw storms away from Chile, according to a study on variables affecting Antarctic weather.

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Cattle ranchers at Farellones, close to the Andes mountain range (Reuters)

The almost-dry Penuelas lake in Valparaiso (Reuters)

Water towers

Analysis of tree rings going back 400 years shows how rare the current drought is, said Duncan Christie, a researcher at the Centre for Climate and Resilience in Chile. It is totally unrivalled for duration or intensity.

He said that meant the Andes  which he called the countrys water towers  were not getting a chance to replenish, which in turn meant that as snow melted in spring there was far less water to fill rivers, reservoirs and aquifers.

Miguel Lagos, a civil engineer and water specialist, travelled to measure snow cover near the Laguna Negra station in central Chile, 50km east of Santiago  part of a process to estimate summer water supply.

A sign reading zona de pesca (fishing area) hangs next to a pier at the former Aculeo lagoon at Paine (Reuters)

A dead fish lies in the dried-up lake (Reuters)

There was just nothing, he told Reuters. There were so few precipitation events and such warm conditions that the snow melted that same winter.

As snow compacts, it creates new layers, which help keep it colder for longer. But with warmer weather and less snowfall, Lagos said, top layers of snow were melting faster or turning straight to vapour, a process called sublimation.

A 2019 study in the International Journal of Climatology that analysed Chiles drought from 2010 to 2018 said shifting weather events could ease the drought in future, but much would depend on the trajectory of human emissions impacting climate.

Segundo Aballay, an animal breeder in the village of Montenegro, is praying change comes soon.

Segundo sits as he gives water to his horses (Reuters)

Remains of trees at the dry Runge reservoir at Tiltil in Santiago (Reuters)

If it doesnt rain this year we will be left with nothing to do, he said. The animals are getting weaker and dying day by day.

Unfortunately for agriculture workers such as Aballay, researchers at the University of Chile predict the country will have 30% less water over the next 30 years, based on mathematical models and historic data.

What we call a drought today will become normal, Lagos said.

A pier structure stands at the dried-up former Aculeo lagoon (Reuters)

A goat stands next to words reading agua no potable (non-potable water) at Segundo Aballays farm (Reuters)

In the Laguna de Aculeo, another dried-up lake south of Santiago, local campsite manager Francisco Martinez recalled hundreds of people coming to the area to take out kayaks or swim in the waters.

Now rusting piers and old boats sit in the barren landscape. An eerie island in the middle of what was once water rises up above the dust.

Now there is no water; it is a desert here, Martinez said. The animals are dying and there is nothing to do here in the lagoon any more.

Photography by Ivan Alvarado and Ailen Diaz

Reuters
President Biden will meet virtually Friday with a group of governors whose states have "moved swiftly" to "protect womens reproductive health" following the Supreme Courts ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.

A White House official said the president is hosting an event Friday afternoon to meet with governors "from across the country in a virtual meeting," just a week after the high court announced its decision to return the issue of abortion back to the states after nearly 50 years.

"President Biden will join from the White House and talk with governors whose states have moved swiftly post-Dobbs decision to protect womens reproductive health," the White House official said.

President Biden delivers the commencement address during the graduation and commissioning ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy Memorial Stadium May 27, 2022, in Annapolis, Md. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee are expected to take part in the presidents event.

BIDEN ON SUPREME COURT LEAK: ROE SHOULD NOT BE OVERTURNED, 'A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE IS FUNDAMENTAL'

Lamont signed a first-in-the-nation law that protects medical providers and patients seeking abortion care in Connecticut who may be traveling from other states that have outlawed abortion. Additionally, that law expands abortion access in Connecticut by expanding the type of practitioners eligible to perform certain abortion-related care.

Earlier this month, Hochul signed a package to further preserve, protect and strengthen abortion rights for patients and providers in New York, a state where Medicaid covers the cost of an abortion.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul debates in the race for governor at the studios of WNBC4-TV June 16, 2022, in New York City. Craig Ruttle-Pool/Getty Images

In New Mexico, Lujan Grisham signed an executive order to protect medical providers from attempts at legal retribution. The order protects health care providers from "discipline due to an out-of-state resident receiving abortion services in the state" and makes clear it will "not cooperate with extradition attempts from other states where criminal charges are being pursued against the individual for receiving or performing reproductive services."

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Minnesota and Massachusetts also recently took similar executive action.

And in Illinois, Pritzker is set to call a special session of the General Assembly to focus on legislation to strengthen womens access to abortion.

California, Oregon and Washington issued a multi-state commitment to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, and commitments to protecting patients and doctors against efforts by other states to enforce their abortion bans in the three western states.

Meanwhile, an official said the White House "waited until the end of the foreign trip to announce this event, but it is happening the presidents first day back, without him skipping a beat."

REPUBLICAN 2024 HOPEFULS SAY REPUBLICANS ARE 'EAGER TO SHOW UP' FOR MIDTERMS AFTER SCOTUS ABORTION RULING

The president, during a press conference from Spain on the sidelines of the NATO summit Thursday, teased the meeting, telling reporters he is "meeting with a group of governors when I get home on Friday."

"The first and foremost thing we should do is make it clear how outrageous this decision was and how much it impacts not just a womans right to choose, which is a critical, critical piece, but on privacy generally," Biden said. "And so Im going to be talking to the governors as to what actions they think I should be taking as well."



The president again stressed that the U.S. should "codify Roe v. Wade into law, and the way to do that is to make sure the Congress votes to do that.

"And if the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights, we should require an exception to the filibuster for this action," he added.

Biden had previously called on Congress to codify Roe following the Supreme Court's June 24 ruling, but he had not called for ending the filibuster. Biden has only previously called for the measure during his effort to pass voting reforms, which did not succeed.

The filibuster is a threshold of 60 votes in the Senate that's necessary before a piece of legislation is given an up or down vote.

If Democrats wanted to establish a new filibuster precedent, they could do so with 51 votes  all 50 senators in the Democratic caucus, plus Vice President Harris breaking the tie.
(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration opened the door to selling new oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska in a move likely to anger climate activists pushing to see a domestic ramp down for fossil fuels.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Interior Department is proposing as many as 11 lease sales over the next five years, according to draft plan made public Friday. They include 10 in the Gulf of Mexico and one in the Cook Inlet off the Alaskan coast. The plan also includes an option to conduct no lease sales. Similar to the previous drilling plan, the proposal bars new leases off both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

From Day One, President Biden and I have made clear our commitment to transition to a clean energy economy, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. Today, we put forward an opportunity for the American people to consider and provide input on the future of offshore oil and gas leasing.

The proposal is only an initial step in the process, with several months of public comment and other reviews before it could be finalized. Under federal law, auctions of offshore oil and gas drilling rights can only be held under the formal five-year plans. The current five-year plan expired Thursday.

President Joe Biden vowed on the campaign trail to block new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters, and once in the White House, he halted lease sales so Interior Department officials could scrutinize their environmental impacts. A Louisiana-based judge last year tossed out that leasing pause, and the Interior Department resumed selling onshore oil and gas leases this week.

A lot has changed since the campaign trail. The administration has implored oil companies to produce more amid soaring gasoline prices ahead of the midterm elections.

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Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat whose vote will be needed to pass Bidens economic package, has also pressured the White House to allow more lease sales, complaining that the Biden administration is blocking increased energy production at home while encouraging more oil flows from Venezuela and OPEC producers.

I am disappointed to see that zero lease sales is even an option on the table, Manchin said in a statement after the proposal was released. There is already more than enough flexibility in the program to adjust sales later, which the administration has previously taken advantage of to cancel three sales earlier this year.

Environmental groups and a cadre of other Democratic lawmakers have implored the administration not to include any new leases in its plan, arguing doing so would run counter to the administrations climate and environmental goals. The proposal landed the day after the US Supreme Court dealt a major blow to Bidens climate-change agenda, restricting the Environmental Protection Agencys ability to curb power-plant emissions.

Ruling out new leases this year is an important step toward protecting communities and climate, and we urge the administration to finalize a plan that commits to no new offshore drilling leases, period, said Athan Manuel, a director at the Sierra Club.

Meanwhile, business groups, such as the US Chamber of Commerce, slammed the plan for sending mixed signals.

Reliable, affordable energy requires long-term planning, a government-wide approach and clear signals to the market, Marty Durbin, president of the Chambers Global Energy Institute, said in a statement. This proposal provides none of that.

(Adds responses to plan)

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BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Senate on Thursday approved a major pre-election aid package, sending the government-backed measure to the lower house.

The measures are seen as a crucial pillar of President Jair Bolsonaro's re-election campaign, and use the energy price spike resulting from the Ukraine war as legal justification for overriding a constitutional spending cap.

The package includes a 1,000 reais ($192.38) aid for self-employed truckers, a key Bolsonaro constituency. It also increases by 50% the amount paid in the Auxilio Brasil social welfare program, and increases a gas voucher.

At the last minute, government-backed senators managed to include in the proposal two more measures, an aid targeting taxi drivers and to grant more funding to an existing food security program.

The two latest benefits will together cost an additional 2.5 billion reais, senators said, bringing the cost of the whole proposal to around 40 billion reais ($7.61 billion).

($1 = 5.2340 reais)

(Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by Chris Reese)
Good Morning America

A Texas man who has spent more than five months in a Russian detention center is facing a different challenge from other recent American detainees such as Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner, as authorities in Moscow are accusing him of wrongdoing in his home country. David Barnes, a Huntsville, Alabama, native who has lived in the Houston area in recent years, was taken into custody by law enforcement in Moscow in January and has been incarcerated on Russian soil ever since. "If I could go over there and just sit in that place with him, I would do it in a minute, because this is the most unjust situation I've ever experienced in my entire life," Carol Barnes, David's older sister, told ABC News.
On this episode of In The Know: Find My Dream Room, host Will Taylor (@brightbazaar) helps Brooklynite Niusha find a one-bedroom apartment with enough space to pursue her art and creative projects. With a budget of $2,000 a month and a moving radius of the entire Brooklyn borough, Niusha wants a spacious abode with a separate kitchen and living space, big enough for a dance party and a pole for her performance art. Can Wills mastery of New Yorks real estate market help Niusha find her creative haven? Lets find out!

Apartment number one, described as The Renewed Brownstone, is a modern one-bedroom unit priced at $2,000 a month. Overall, Niusha loves the apartments amenities, including a large, natural, light-filled kitchen with a dishwasher, a bright, modern bathroom, and an expansive living room big enough to fit a pole. Two windows and a large closet in the bedroom also catch Niushas attention, establishing this rental unit as a promising option.

Moving on, Will shows Niusha The Quiet Den, a one-bedroom apartment renting at $1,500 a month. While the unit does feature a separate kitchen, the only living space is located in the corner of the room and is not ideal for accommodating a pole. However, at $500 under budget, the rental price makes the unit an appealing choice. Despite the limited living room space, Niusha loves the bathroom layout, especially the bathtub, another New York rarity. The bedroom is slightly smaller compared to apartment number one, but Niusha appreciates the cozy rooms natural light and ample airflow.

The final stop is an eclectic one-bedroom abode dubbed The Art Deco, priced at $1,800 per month. Immediately, Niusha takes note of the large kitchen with plenty of surface space. Even though the living room and bedroom are filled with natural light, they might be too small to fit Niushas pole. Plus, without a closet, the bedrooms layout isnt ideal for Niusha. While the apartment doesnt include every amenity on Niushas list, its still under budget, making it an attractive contender.

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One month later, Niusha shares that, while she enjoyed touring the three apartments with Will, she ultimately decided to move in with friends in Brooklyn. However, Niusha said that when shes ready to move into her own apartment, she plans to hit Will up for another round to find her dream room.

The post Brooklynite Niusha is searching for the perfect 1-bedroom apartment appeared first on In The Know.

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Thousands of people in several Spanish cities Friday protested the deaths of at least 23 migrants last week at the frontier between the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Africa and Morocco, amid growing calls for an independent, cross-border investigation.

The demonstrations are being held under the moniker Las Vidas Negras Importan in Spanish or Black Lives Matter in English.

The deaths occurred on June 24 during repeated attempts by sub-Saharan migrants and asylum seekers to scale the border fence separating both territories. A sit-in protest to honor the victims was also expected in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.

In Madrid, demonstrators filled the Callao Square and held signs that read Borders Kill and No human being is illegal. In Barcelona, participants, including many from the African diaspora, chanted against racism and colonialism.

Moroccan authorities said the migrants died as a result of a stampede.

Videos and photos that emerged in the days following the deaths have sparked outrage and condemnation by several human rights organizations and officials including the United Nations Secretary-General.

In one video shared by the Moroccan Human Rights Association dozens of young African men, some of them motionless and bleeding, are seen strewn on the floor as Moroccan security forces stand over them. One uniformed man is seen poking a body with his baton. In another video a group of migrants is seen climbing a fence, some hurling rocks at Moroccan anti-riot police trying to stop them. At one point, the fence collapses, sending them to the ground from a height of several meters.

I am shocked by the violence on the Nador-Melilla border, U.N. Chief Antonio Guterres tweeted this week. The use of excessive force is unacceptable, and the human rights and dignity of people on the move must be prioritized by countries.

Spain's state prosecutors announced the launch of a probe to clarify what happened given the significance and seriousness of the events at the Melilla border.

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Moroccos Human Rights Association contested the official death toll, reporting instead that 27 migrants had died, while the Spanish NGO Walking Borders is reporting 37 fatalities.

Authorities in Morocco and Spain also reported that 140 security officers on the Moroccan side and 60 National Police and Civil Guard officers on the Spanish side, were injured.

In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended the way Moroccan and Spanish police handled the incident, calling the attempt an attack on Spains borders.

Meanwhile, the dead have yet to be identified.

Omar Naji of Moroccos Human Rights Association in Nador said they have been contacted by the families of young men from Sudan believed to be among the victims but have not been allowed to see the bodies or the dozens of injured migrants being treated at a local hospital.

We demand a thorough investigation to clarify who is responsible (for the deaths) as well as the necessary autopsies to identify the causes of their deaths, he said.

___

Tarik El-Barakah contributed to this report from Rabat.

___

Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States must meet its international obligations on climate change and do more than "shout slogans", China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling limiting Washington's ability to cut power sector emissions.

The Supreme Court voted to constrain the authority of the U.S.'s Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act, sparking dismay among environmentalists.

Zhao told reporters at a regular briefing that the ruling had been criticised by the international community, adding that "it is not enough to just shout slogans to tackle climate change".

"We urge developed countries, including the United States, to... face up to their historical responsibilities and show greater ambition and action," he added.

Environmentalists in China said the decision could further undermine the broader climate relationship between Beijing and Washington, which has played a crucial role in securing global agreements to curb climate warming greenhouse gas.

"The ruling carries profound implications and will significantly weaken the conditions for future U.S.-China climate talks," said Li Shuo, senior adviser with Greenpeace.

"Backsliding" by the United States could also make it more unlikely that China will take more action to curb its coal consumption, which reached a record high in 2021, Li added.

The Chinese side believes there won't be any quid pro quo on climate between them and the United States," he said.

President Xi Jinping pledged last year that China would start cutting coal consumption in 2026, with state think tanks expecting coal-fired power generation capacity to rise by another 150 gigawatts over the 2021-2025 period.

Amid concerns about economic growth and energy security, senior officials have continued to stress the need to manage the low-carbon energy transition with care.

Vice-Premier Han Zheng this week described coal as a "ballast" for the economy, adding that China "needs to maintain the bottom line of energy security based on the basic national conditions of coal predominance."

(Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard and David Stanway; Editing by Kim Coghill)
NEW YORK (AP)  Chris Pratt portrays a Navy SEAL in his new Amazon series " The Terminal List, " and is surrounded on camera and behind-the-scenes by former members of the U.S. military.

In the 2013 movie Zero Dark Thirty, Pratt played one of the Navy SEALs who helped kill Osama Bin Laden. For that role, he shadowed Jared Shaw, a real Navy SEAL, whom he now counts as one of his very best friends.

He was in my wedding, said Pratt. The two also lived together before he moved in with now-wife Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt.

Shaw introduced Pratt to the book The Terminal List by Jack Carr, a story about a Navy SEAL named Jack Reece, whose platoon is ambushed in a covert operation. When Reece returns home, he begins to question both his memories of what happened and the world around him.

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Chris Pratt in a scene from the series

Pratt loved the book so much that he optioned it with Antoine Fuqua directing the first episode and serving as a co-executive producer alongside Pratt and others.

Shaw was added as an associate producer and also has a role in the show. The team hired real special ops members to appear in a major combat scene in the first episode that sets the series in motion. It also employed former members of the military behind-the-scenes in a variety of roles.

Pratt said he wanted The Terminal List, debuting July 1, to have a layer of authenticity that many Hollywood productions featuring special ops dont have.

Action films over time have turned Navy SEALs into superheroes. I think when actual SEALs watch that stuff, theyre like, Nah, thats Hollywood (expletive.)

By enlisting former special ops as technical advisors, Pratt said they could say, Hey, guys, thats not what that should look like. You have to do it again. The goal was to try to honor that community and make this for that community, So theyd watch us and go, Wow. Thats actually very accurate.

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Chris Pratt in a scene from the series

Beyond realism, Pratt says it makes sense to enlist former military to work on Hollywood productions. They wake up and look for work to get done, he said.

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I love that transition for people getting out of the service and joining the film and television industry. Its a really great place for them. Its very similar in a chain of command. You have departments, and you have initiatives that come down from the top. We had props department people, we had wardrobe people, we had hair and makeup people, we had extras, location people, we had actors, writers, producers who were former military.

Carr has written four other books about the Reese character, and Pratt says hes game to continue the story on screen. If that happens, he will make sure to continue to hire former armed service members. They fit great, he said.

Its also a point of pride for Pratt to help Shaw realize a personal dream of going into showbiz. He had questioned whether attempting a career in Hollywood was realistic.

It was very serendipitous that we met. (Shaw) had been an actor in high school... I was like, Hey, dude. You know, I love this sort of bubble that I live in. And I know that in part, its created by men and women who pick up a gun and grab their boots and their uniform, and they go to work ... You bought our freedom and I appreciate that. I said, Its time to maybe enjoy some of the spoils of his service ... Jump into the film and television industry. Its thriving. Its booming. And we need you.
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Police tape is put up while Cincinnati SWAT looks for a suspect to a fatal shooting behind the Hook Fish & Chicken restaurant in West End on Thursday, June 30, 2022.

Editor note: This story was updated with the correct number of shootings in the West End.

Cincinnati police say they have charged a man with murder in the shooting death of another man in the West End on Thursday.

This is the second fatal shooting in the West End in 24 hours.

Officers responding to a report of a person shot in the 1900 block of Keywitt Alley shortly after 12:30 p.m. found 67-year-old Walter Metz Jr. dead of a gunshot wound, police said in a news release.

They said Darnell Nelson, 36, was subsequently arrested in connection with Metzs death.

Police are investigating another fatal shooting in the West End that happened Thursday:

Mario Williams, 39, was found shot in the 800 block of Poplar Street just after midnight, police said. Williams was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he died. No one has been arrested in connection with his death.

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call police at 513-352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police: Man faces murder charge in latest West End shooting
Tuscaloosa City Hall is again illuminated in yellow and blue, but this time its not just in support of Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.

This week, the lights are for one of Tuscaloosas own.

Alex Drueke, 39, grew up in Alberta and is now a prisoner of war, being held by Russian-backed forces in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Tuscaloosa City Council President Kip Tyner, who has represented Alberta as part of District 5 since 1997, said hes known Alex Drueke since the Tuscaloosa native was a young boy and was not shocked to learn of Alex Druekes insistence on aiding Ukraine.

Please keep the Druekes in your thoughts and prayers, Tyner said.

Read this: Mom of Tuscaloosa veteran held in Ukraine speaks to son by phone

Previous coverage: What's being done to bring a Tuscaloosa man home after being reported missing in Ukraine battle

The re-illumination of City Hall in the colors of the Ukraine flag  it first was lit yellow-and-blue in early March soon after the conflict began  will last through the week and come as Drueke was able to call his mother, Lois Bunny Drueke, on Tuesday.

They spoke for just under 10 minutes, according to a family spokesperson.

Tuscaloosa City Hall is again illuminated in yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. This time, its to support Tuscaloosa native Alex Drueke, one of two Alabama men who were aiding Ukraine soldiers when they were captured by Russian forces on June 9. The families of both men now consider them prisoners of war.

He sounded tired and stressed, and he was clearly reciting some things he had been made to practice or read, but it was wonderful to hear his voice and know hes alive and alright, Bunny Drueke said.

Drueke left the U.S. in mid-April, entering Poland legally and making contact with Ukrainian forces from there to volunteer, his family said.

He moved from unit to unit, helping train Ukrainian soldiers in using the equipment they were receiving from other nations.

Alex Drueke is one of two Alabama men to be captured by Russian soldiers during a June 9 battle north of Kharkiv near the town of Izbytske, which is in a region of northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border.

The other, Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh of Hartselle, has yet to make contact with his family, said his fiancee, Joy Black.

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We are still hoping to get a similar communication from Andy, she said.

Drueke and Huynh failed to return to a meeting spot after their group came under heavy fire in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.

While the two men traveled separately to help Ukraine, they soon became friends there in part because of their shared Alabama background, relatives have said.

On June 13, Bunny Drueke received a phone call from another member of the unit her son had been with to inform her the unit had come under fire and scattered, and that Drueke and Huynh were as of yet unaccounted for.

Two days later, photos and videos began surfacing on Ukrainian and Russian social media showing the two men in captivity.

Since then, U.S. officials have confirmed that Drueke and Huynh are being held in Urkaines Donetsk region.

From early 2022: Tuscaloosa shows solidarity with Ukrainian colors after Russian invasion

In Tuesdays call to his mother, Alex Drueke seemed to be prompted to repeat several times that his captors were anxious to begin negotiations for his release, his family said, but these statements did not specify any terms or conditions, nor with whom negotiations should commence.

In between these statements we were able to exchange personal words, Bunny Drueke said. He wanted to make sure his dog was doing well, that I was holding up. I told him I was doing everything I knew to do to help get him and Andy released.

Alex Drueke told his mother he had not had contact with Huynh for several days, and it is assumed that Huynh is also being held in solitary confinement, the Drueke family said.

Likewise, Alex Drueke told his mother that he is spending most of the time in isolation but has food, water and bedding.

We hope this is all true, said Dianna Shaw, Alex Druekes aunt who is now acting as the family spokesperson. Our family is greatly relieved that the Russian government seems to be using their influence to see that Alex is being treated humanely as a prisoner of war, which he and Andy most certainly are.

For now, the Drueke family continues to receive regular briefings from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine, now located in Poland, the International Committee of the Red Cross, their congressional representatives and other organizations.

The family also said that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have spoken publicly about Drueke and Huynh over the past several days, calling them heroes and vowing to work for their release.

We are grateful the Ukrainian government is standing behind Alex and Andy, Shaw said. These men put their lives on the line to help shore up Ukraines democracy.

On Saturday, Alex Druekes captors telephoned the U.S. Department of State and seemingly prompted him to make statements that he was being treated humanely and that his captors were anxious to begin negotiations for his and Huynhs release, Shaw said.

On Tuesday, the State Department was called again, this time from the same telephone number with a Russian exchange, and Alex Drueke made similar statements, Shaw said.

Later in the day, Bunny Drueke received a call from the same phone number and chose to answer it.

I cant describe how glad I am that I did, she said. He warned me when he went to Iraq, and again when he arrived in Ukraine, that if he ever were to be captured that he might be made to say things to remain safe.

He told me the only thing I should ever believe him saying is, I love you, Mom.

Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Tuscaloosa City Hall lit in honor, support of man captured in Ukraine
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has suggested that Covid vaccines were developed using cells from aborted children.

The remarks by Mr Thomas came on Thursday as part of a dissenting opinion on the Supreme Courts refusal to hear a case challenging New Yorks vaccine mandate based on religion.

They object on religious grounds to all available Covid-19 vaccines because they were developed using cell lines derived from aborted children, Mr Clarence wrote in his dissent, referring to the plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit.

The state of New York created a Covid vaccine requirement for healthcare workers last summer, attracting a lawsuit from a group of employees who raised religious objections.

Lawyers for the state made the case that the healthcare workers already had to be vaccinated against measles and rubella, and there were no religious exemptions for those, so the lawsuit lacked merit.

The presence of a single, limited medical exemption to a vaccine requirement does not require the State to provide a blanket religious exemption from vaccination, they said in their written submissions.

The plaintiffs nevertheless appealed their case to the Supreme Court, which said it would not consider the matter.

Three conservative justices  Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch  expressed their dissent and said the high court should have agreed to hear the case.

To test the efficacy of formulas, Pfizer and Moderna had used foetal cell lines early in their Covid vaccine development  as other vaccines have in the past.

The foetal cells came from elective abortions that happened decades ago. But the cells have since replicated many times, so none of the original tissue is involved in the making of modern vaccines, stated reports quoting experts.

NBC News reported that the vaccines contain messenger RNA  genetic material that instructs our cells to make proteins, which then train the immune system to fight off the coronavirus. They also include fatty substances called lipids that help RNA cross our cell membranes, as well as salt, sugar, and a few substances that help stabilize the other ingredients.

The Vaticans watchdog office for doctrinal orthodoxy had also said in 2020 that it was morally acceptable for Roman Catholics to get the jab after anti-abortion groups had raised concerns about vaccines.
By Aditya Kalra and Abhirup Roy

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - British snack chain Pret will adapt its menu to local tastes when it opens in Indian cities and airports under a partnership with retail giant Reliance to try to satisfy the nation's growing appetite for upmarket refreshment.

As part of its broader plan to target the most affluent 50 million of India's 1.3 billion people, Reliance on Thursday announced a franchise deal with Pret.

The partnership has the potential to make India one of Pret's biggest markets and to challenge incumbents Starbucks and Coca-Cola's Costa Coffee, as well as Tim Hortons of Canada, which said in March it will launch in India this year.

For Reliance, a conglomerate that also runs the country's biggest retail chain and has partnerships with global fashion and luxury brands, the Pret deal marks its first major bet on wealthier Indians' pursuit of new food experiences.

"We are looking at 3%-4% of India's population ... It fits right into our strategy," Darshan Mehta, chief executive of Reliance Brands, told Reuters in an interview.

"Unlike Starbucks, I was looking at something that is more food-led. Starbucks is a beverage-led business," he said, adding the Indian market was big enough for competing brands to grow.

Pret A Manger - or "ready to eat" in French - opened in London in 1986 and has 550 outlets globally, including in the United States and several European countries.

Mehta said Reliance aimed to make India one of Pret's three biggest markets by 2030.

The first Indian outlet of Pret - known for organic coffee and chicken and avocado sandwiches - will open in Mumbai.

A source with direct knowledge said Pret will have 100 India outlets within five years, although Mehta declined to disclose the number targeted.

The broader food services market is predicted to grow significantly. Technopak Advisors estimates India's cafe chain market will be worth $550 million by 2025, growing 34% each year.

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As disposable income rises in cities and small towns, Indians, who have traditionally been tea drinkers, are embracing western-style coffee sold in cafes and restaurants.

When launched in 2012 in partnership with the Tata Group, Starbucks' first store in India attracted long queues. It now has 268 stores in 26 cities, although it also has competition from local chains such as Blue Tokai.

Mehta sipped Blue Tokai coffee during his video interview with Reuters.

When asked about it, he said: "we've not yet launched Pret."

PANDEMIC CLOSURES AND SPICE ADJUSTMENTS

Pret CEO Pano Christou has described the India deal with Reliance as its "most ambitious global franchise partnership to date".

The chain was hard hit by the pandemic as the shift to working from home, which meant a huge drop in sales to the British office workers that had been a major market, and led it to close stores and shed jobs.

As it seeks new opportunities, Ankur Bisen, head of consumer and retail at Technopak, said closures of local cafes in India during the pandemic had created room for Pret to move in.

Bisen said Pret could pose "direct competition" to Starbucks if it successfully adapted its food to local tastes and attracted customers with stores that have room for dining.

Starbucks did not respond to a request for comment.

Like many other foreign chains, Starbucks success in India has been underpinned by a partnership with an Indian conglomerate and a combination of international flavours - Hawaiian and basil tomato sandwiches - and Indian food, such as spiced paneer.

Mehta said about 20% of Pret's offerings will be Indian-inspired.

Many of the remaining items could also be modified to Indian taste, he said. For instance, the amount of spice or tahini sauce in falafel rolls could be changed.

Apart from its partnership wtih Pret, Reliance also plans to open an outlet of Japanese retailer Muji's cafe and Asia's second Armani cafe. Armani and Muji are both partners of Reliance in India.

For all its ambition, Reliance is proceeding in stages, with a few Pret stores by the end of 2023, and then more from 2024 Mehta said.

"Airports are a big part of the offering," Mehta said, but Pret would also be dotted around city centres and company complexes, making up for some of the diminished British office worker market.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi and Abhirup Roy in Mumbai; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Jul. 1A construction complication has halted work on the redesign of Portland's Congress Square, keeping Free Street closed longer than expected and upsetting nearby business owners.

The project's first phase of construction, which began in April, was expected to be completed  and Free Street reopened  in mid-June. But the work is on hold while the city waits for replacement covers for two utility vaults that were damaged during the construction.

"We understand it's an inconvenience for so many people, and we're working to get it opened up as quickly as possible," said Mike Murray, acting director of the city's public works department. "We're not pleased about it. I'm sure businesses aren't pleased about it."

The $7.2 million redesign of the intersection and park across the street, meant to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety, is scheduled to happen in three phases. The first phase  reconfiguring the flow of traffic at Congress, High and Free streets  is expected to be the most disruptive. The second phase is supposed to begin in the fall, with the aim of completing the project by 2024.

Mandy Lacourse, owner of Marcy's Diner on the corner of Oak and Free streets, said her business has been down 40-50 percent during the construction, and she worries about how long she can sustain that.

"The irony is that we made it through 2 1/2 years of COVID  keeping our community, staff and customers safe by not serving inside  only to be maybe put out of business by our own city," Lacourse said.

The two utility vaults  underground structures that house telecommunications equipment  are owned by Central Maine Power and Consolidated Communications, though neither of the utility companies was aware that the vaults existed.

While digging out part of Congress Square in May, a backhoe destroyed the concrete covers of the vaults, which must be water-tight to function properly.

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The city hopes to replace the cover to Central Maine's utility vault next week and resume work that doesn't require digging near the utility vaults. But Consolidated Communication's vault cover needs to be custom made. Because of that, Murray could not estimate how long the delay would be.

"Our primary focus is, we want to get Free Street open to motor vehicle traffic, and we want to re-establish pedestrian access along that section of Congress and High Street," Murray said.

He attributes the complication to the fact that project has been in development for so long.

"It doesn't happen very often. Unfortunately, this project has been eight years in the making, and many of the people who worked on the initial phases of this and the planning portion of it, they're no longer with the city," Murray said.

Under its contract, the construction company working on Free Street, Gordon Contracting of Sangerville, will be granted more time to complete the project because of the delay. Murray does not expect the city to incur additional costs because of it.

"The electrical work and whatnot were not scheduled to start until next week anyway, so there'll be a flurry of activity starting next week," he said. "We lost a couple of weeks on that, we lost a couple of weeks trying to figure out what to do, but the contractors are committed to making sure that this work gets done."

Lacourse is frustrated by the lack of communication from the city, which sent a memo to Free Street businesses about the delay on June 15. She believes that the city should have contacted Free Street businesses as soon as they encountered the utility issue in May.

"Nobody knew (the utility vaults) were there? Not even CMP? I find it to be ridiculous," Lacourse said. "(The city) should have reached out to every business and said, 'Hey, this is happening. Let's think of ways we can counteract some of the down time you could have.' "

Russ Sargent, the owner of Yes Books on Congress Street, doesn't know for sure that the construction has contributed to his declining sales, but he thinks that the extended closure has had an impact on his store.

"I'm in the culture business. People walking out of the art museum are my primary customers. Those people are now blocked," he said.

If the project forces businesses to close, Lacourse said, it could render the goal of creating a more pedestrian-friendly Congress Square meaningless.

"Pedestrian-friendly to what? Because there's not going to be anything left," Lacourse said. "I'm all for improvements, but the city has really dropped the ball."
Rep. Judy Chu (D, CA-27) was among the 181 protesters arrested during a peaceful abortion rights demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

The 68-year-old Southern California legislator was sitting with 180 other protesters in an intersection between the Russell Senate Office Building and the Supreme Court building when the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) arrested them at around 1 p.m. on Thursday, according to Chu's spokesperson Lacy Nelson.

UPDATE: We arrested 181 people for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code  221307) for blocking the intersection of Constitution Avenue, NE and First Street, NE. The intersection reopened at approximately 1:20 p.m. More from NextShark: US State Department criticizes Chinas human rights record in latest report  U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) June 30, 2022



In a series of tweets, the USCP said officers gave the demonstrators three verbal warnings before arresting them.

We have already given our third and final warning. More from NextShark: 15-Year-Old Boy, 52-Year-Old Woman Fall Victims in Separate Anti-Asian Incidents in NYC We are now making arrests for anyone who is illegally blocking the intersection.  U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) June 30, 2022



Chu, the only member of Congress who attended the rally, flew to Washington to join the demonstration, Nelson said.

More from NextShark: YouTuber Fakes Broken Ankle for Free Upgrade to Business Class on Flight

Today, nearly a week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Rep. Judy Chu attended a peaceful Planned Parenthood civil disobedience rally on Capitol grounds, where she was subsequently arrested alongside other activists, Chus office said in a statement.

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Chu, who was issued a citation, was released around two hours later after her arrest, according to Nelson.

When I first heard Roe was overturned, I immediately thought of who would be most harmed by this decision: a young girl who is a survivor of rape, a woman who cannot afford to travel to another state to access critical care, an expecting mother with an ectopic pregnancy whose life is in danger because she cannot have an abortion," the Southern California legislator wrote in a statement following her release.

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So, when I think of all these women  and more  the decision to join a peaceful demonstration to make clear we will not allow the clock to be rolled back on abortion rights was easy," she continued.

The decision to march today was easyI came out to march for the young rape survivor, the woman who cannot afford to travel to another state to access critical care, the mother with an ectopic pregnancy whose life is in danger. I came out to march for all of us. pic.twitter.com/JpkKszmdBG  Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) June 30, 2022



It was an honor to be arrested alongside these young women who are fighting tirelessly to protect our right to abortion, Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress in 2009, tweeted on Friday. It's going to take all of us, but we will prevail!

It was an honor to be arrested alongside these young women who are fighting tirelessly to protect our right to abortion. It's going to take all of us, but we will prevail!#FightBackForFreedom pic.twitter.com/5yb95YCqBR  Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) June 30, 2022

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, a day after a historic ruling that made it legal to carry guns outside the home. The overturning of Roe v. Wade means that access to abortion is no longer considered a constitutional right, and individual states now dictate reproductive healthcare.

Chu called the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade a culmination of decades of extremist anti-abortion strategy following the announcement. Chu, the principal sponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act, has repeatedly spoken out about the ruling, saying it will severely impact AAPIs and communities of color who encounter various types of barriers to abortion care, from economic and language to legal.

Featured Image via Alliant International University
The only abortion clinic in the Miami Valley is now having to send most of its patients out of state for care, according to a doctor at the clinic.

This is due to Ohios Heartbeat law, which went into effect June 24.

The law makes it illegal for women to get abortions after around six weeks into pregnancy.

One doctor shared how this has made them feel like they are not able to care for their patients.

Its horrible. I didnt spend the last 12 years of my life training and becoming pretty good at something for it to be illegal and for me to be forced to abandon my patients, Dr. Catherine Ramanos at Womens Medical Center in Kettering said.

>> Ohio Right to Life: we joyfully celebrate the announcement from the Supreme Court.

On a normal Friday, doctors at the clinic see around 50 patients, but this week Ramanos said everything is different.

She only had six patients Friday.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade Ramanos said it was chaos at the clinic.

Immediately we were thrown into chaos, calling patients, telling them what they made an appointment for last week is now illegal, she said.

Ruling requires patients to wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided, but Ramanos said this puts positions in a tough spot.

>>Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

What do the state lawmakers want people to do? do they want people to think about it, or do they want them to rush into this decision because if they dont, their autonomy is taken away, Romanos said.

For now, patients prohibited from having an abortion in Ohio have the option to drive to the clinics Indiana location.

The owner of the clinic told News Center 7 they are seeing twice as many patients as it normally would, because patients from the Miami Valley, Wisconsin, Texas, Tennesse and Indiana are having to go there.

Last week, there were a handful of patients that we couldnt take care of, and this week its most of the patients that we cant take care of, Ramanos said.

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A feeling she said she has to sit with, as she thinks about what has become of abortion rights in the country and state.

I think its a grief for the patients that I have already seen and wondering what would have happened to them, or how much worse do they feel now? Its a grief for everyone in my life who might be touched by abortion someday and its this really intangible grief for all the people who I will not be able to take care of, she said.




















Wavebreakmedia / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Whether you buy a car new or used, the dealer might try to load you down with add-ons and accessories of every sort -- and they're likely to tell you that it will only add a few dollars to the monthly payment if you fold it into the cost of the loan.

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In truth, add-ons can quickly tack hundreds or thousands of dollars extra onto the sticker price. Some might be dealer add-ons that they try to slip past you. Others they'll try to sell you outright. Before you buy, know which car ad-ons you don't want to buy at the dealership.

Lepro / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Roof-Rack Accessories

Factory crossbars and roof-rack accessories cost more than aftermarket brands, and they only fit that specific vehicle. If your surfing, kayaking or road-tripping adventures require roof storage, brands like Thule and Yakima cost less, function as well or better and can be removed and adapted to almost any vehicle you buy in the future -- all without a big dealer markup.

MarioGuti / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Key Protection

Losing your car keys was always a headache, but with remote entry and remote start devices, laser cutting and high-end fobs, today it's not just an inconvenience, but it's a hefty expense. Replacing sophisticated key systems, particularly on luxury cars, can cause hundreds of dollars, which your car insurance is likely not to cover -- and dealers know it. Some dealers offer key protection, a separate insurance policy just for your keys. That, too, can easily cost more than $100, which is an unnecessary expense for an unlikely event. Instead put that money into a savings account, which you should do anyway to budget for unforeseen mishaps, like losing your keys.

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Marina Khromova / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Windshield Protection

The ACE Group is one of the many companies that offer windshield insurance coverage to car dealers to sell to their customers at a markup -- it says "maximize your profits" right on their website. Yes, windshields can sometimes break, and yes, they're expensive. The truth, however, is that modern resins can fix the most common cracks, and windshields rarely have to be fully replaced. If you're truly worried, you'd be better served by budgeting for repairs like broken windshields than handing over money to your dealer as an add-on for a service you'll likely never need.

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ViktorCap / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Tire Protection

Like windshield protection, the odds favor the dealer with extended tire warranties. Virtually all tires come with prorated warranties that cover craftsmanship defects, which are very rare. Your dealer might try to sell you an extended warranty that covers what standard prorated warranties do not for, say, $10 per tire. First of all, some tires come with more inclusive warranties and even if they don't, the cost of a standard new tire isn't particularly high when you factor in the $40 you didn't spend on unnecessary protection.

Vera_Petrunina / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Dent Protection

Like windshield protection and key protection, a long line of little-known and sometimes-shady third-party companies offer dent and ding coverage to dealers as an upsell to push on their customers. These companies sell the plans for $300-$500 to the dealer, who then sells the plan to unsuspecting buyers for anywhere from $600-$1,500 -- pure profit for no work. The dealer also has no further responsibility and doesn't aid processing claims. You get an 800 number to call to deal with a company you've probably never heard of before. You'll likely have little or no say in who fixes your car, and you'll almost certainly learn that there's plenty that isn't covered.

Pattanaphong Khuankaew / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Credit Insurance

Your dealer also might try to talk you into credit insurance, which comes in the forms of credit life insurance, credit disability insurance, involuntary unemployment insurance and credit property insurance. They all serve the same purpose: to continue making your car payments if you lose your job, become disabled or die. There are few reasons to get credit insurance and many reasons not to. If you think it's right for you, you'll almost always do better buying through your own insurance company with no dealer markup. Also, it's illegal for dealers to tell you they can't sell you a car or approve a loan unless you buy this optional coverage.

tommaso79 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

GAP Insurance

Guaranteed asset protection (GAP) insurance is less scammy than the previously mentioned "coverage" plans that dealers often push. If you total a car shortly after financing it, your insurance company will compensate you for the value of the car, which, thanks to depreciation, is often less than what you owe on the loan. GAP coverage is designed to fill that gap, and in some cases, it makes sense to buy it -- but buy it from your insurance company. When you buy it from a dealer, it will almost certainly be more expensive and, here again, you'll wind up dealing with an unfamiliar company you've never heard of if you ever need to cash in on it.

Hirurg / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Extended Warranties

Like GAP insurance, extended warranties can serve a legitimate purpose, but in almost all cases, you'd be better served to put that money into an interest-bearing savings account set aside for repairs. Extended warranties are designed to stretch your coverage beyond the expiration of your bumper-to-bumper warranty, which is usually three years or 36,000 miles. The truth is, much of the cost goes to the salesperson's commission, most people never wind up using them, and they cost more than the price of the average repair.

vgajic / Getty Images

Car Alarms and Trackers

Most cars come with security systems or even trackers. When they don't, dealers often try to sell them as an add-on. That, in many cases, is because car dealerships install alarms to prevent theft on the dealership lot, which means it's already installed in the car. Instead of uninstalling it and letting you drive off with the car, this upsell allows them to sell cheap alarms and trackers at a premium and also charge you for installation. You can almost certainly do better buying a system on your own and paying a much lower installation fee to your local mechanic.

mbtphotos / Getty Images

Paint Sealants

Modern cars receive factory paint jobs that are designed to withstand the elements -- they have sealants and antirust properties built-in. Paint protection can cost several hundred dollars and it's almost never worth the expense. Wash your car regularly and your paint will last the life of your car in almost all conditions.

algre / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Fabric Protection

The same rule applies to fabric and upholstery protection, which is applied by the manufacturer and built into the price of the car. According to Edmunds, this service can cost $195 or more. If you really feel you need extra protection because you have a dog or messy children or whatever, spend a few bucks on a bottle of spray-on Scotchgard, which is essentially what the dealer is offering anyway.

venusvi / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Nitrogen-Filled Tires

Another add-on that's trending is nitrogen-filled tires, which your dealer will tell you is less susceptible to temperature-based pressure expansion and reduction. It's also supposed to bleed from your tires more slowly than regular air. Edmunds reports that its own research says it makes almost no difference in real-world conditions and that the service costs roughly $100. Regular air is free -- or close to it if you're in a pinch and need to stop at a gas station.

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Window Tints/Clear Protection

You might be in the market for window tints or clear UV protection, but don't let the dealer sell it to you as an add-on. Chances are they don't do the work themselves and instead farm it out to the lowest bidder. You, of course, reap none of those savings -- the difference is pure dealer profit. Check online reviews for local service companies and you'll almost certainly pay less for work done by a company whose reviews you had a chance to research for yourself.

bfk92 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Door Edge Protector

You can pick up a DIY door edge protector kit for less than $10 on Amazon, yet according to Edmunds, dealers commonly charge $169. In theory, door edge protectors keep vulnerable door edges from chipping and scratching. The truth is, modern paint can resist most of this yesteryear type of damage, but if you want the peace of mind, it's an easy, cheap, tool-free DIY job.

Shutterstock.com

Service and Maintenance Packages

Service and maintenance packages aren't always, or even usually, a rip-off. Dealers make a lot of money in their service departments, and they'd obviously love to sell you a car and service it as well, both while under warranty and beyond. This incentivizes good service, as does the fact that good service means you're more likely to come back and buy your next car there, as well. The problem is, buying a car is a ton of information to process on its own and you can opt into the service plan at any time. If they offer you a maintenance package, ask for the details in writing, say you'll think about it and take a few days to look it over and decide if it's worth it.

kitzcorner / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Upgraded Floor Mats

Your dealer might try to talk you into "heavy-duty" or "all-weather" mats. Regular floor mats often come standard from the factory, and in that case, the dealer might not be able to remove them for a discount. That, however, is different than upgrading to a more rugged version at the cost of hundreds of dollars extra, which you might pay for a full set of custom, laser-measured mats from a company like WeatherTech. If you must have generic heavy-duty mats, they're easy to find online with a two-digit price tag.

Photoservice / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Appearance Packages

Among the most common and costly dealer add-ons are so-called "appearance packages," which often take the form of pinstriping or some other graphic design. While it appears to come from the manufacturer, dealers -- particularly used car dealers -- can add them on themselves, try to pass them off as standard and outrageously upcharge for them. Edmunds reports seeing appearance packages for $279. Jaloplink reports seeing them cost as much as $2,000.

Vajira Thongsom / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Mudflaps

Passenger cars don't need mudflaps, despite what your dealer tells you about paint and undercarriage corrosion. Those who have them often find that they catch and trap sand and salt, causing more corrosion than they prevent. Large trucks are an exception, but not most standard trucks or SUVs. Find out if your state requires them on SUVs or standard trucks before letting a dealer explain why you can't go without them. If you really want them, you'll find, as with so many add-ons, that you can buy them and have them installed cheaper somewhere else.

Chansak Joe / Shutterstock.com

Trunk Trays

Trunk trays are formfitting rubberized cargo liners for your trunk or the back of your hatchback or SUV -- they sometimes come with raised cargo blocks. They protect against spills, upholstery tears and other damage, and they're certainly not a bad idea -- provided you pay $200 or so for one online or at your local auto parts store. What you shouldn't do, however, is let a dealer talk you into buying one from them for upwards of $700, which isn't unheard of, according to MotorTrend.

rukawajung / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Color-Changing Valve Stem Covers

You might encounter a dealer who promises magic in your tires in the form of color-changing valve stems that change from green to red when your tires need air, all for the low price of between $40-$100 for a set of four. First of all, most new -- or newish, even -- cars come with low-tire-pressure indicators on the dashboard. Even if yours doesn't, the two tools that have worked for time immemorial -- your eyes and a pressure gauge -- will serve the exact same purpose.

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Photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the images may not reflect the products listed in this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Dont Get Suckered Into Paying for These 20 Useless Things at Car Dealerships
Donald Trump appeared in a Newsmax interview this week where he laid into former aide Cassidy Hutchinson for her testimony about the January 6 attack on the Capitol and, now, some are saying his remarks are tantamount to a form of intimidation.

In the interview, which came after Ms Hutchinson testified that Mr Trump lashed out at the Secret Service agents who drove him away from the Capitol on the day of the insurrection, the former president slammed his former White House aide for her supposed falsehoods and assorted alleged character flaws.

Deriding her as a whack job and claiming he hardly knew her despite her role as a senior aide to former chief of staff Mark Meadows, he also claimed she had asked to decamp to Florida with him for employment after the end of his presidency.

I was going down to Florida with a group of people, Mr Trump claimed, great group of people, patriots, and her name was thrown out there and they said, stay away from her. They said bad things about her.

He did not specify who they were. Mr Trump has denied Ms Hutchinsons testimony that when he found out he was not being taken to the Capitol to march on Congress with his supporters, he lunged at the wheel of his presidential car and then grabbed an agent in his detail.

"Whack job ... I won't say why that she's not good, but plenty of reasons" -- Trump makes all sorts of weird insinuations about Cassidy Hutchinson during a new Newsmax interview pic.twitter.com/Hpwr37n2Wr  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 30, 2022

The response to Mr Trumps interview has been highly negative  and given that the January 6 committee has described efforts to intimidate Ms Hutchinson and possibly others into withholding their testimony, some have even accused him of trying to up that pressure on her in public.

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Other critics on social media lambasted him for gaslighting his audience as he simultaneously claimed not to know Ms Hutchinson while simultaneously offering up a vivid character assassination.

Witness intimidation and tamperingencouraging his deranged base to attack this woman  Allen Glines  (@AllenBGlines) June 30, 2022

Looks like someone is trying to toe the line and slander someone without opening themselves up for a defamation lawsuit.  Sean Bellah (@smuman81) June 30, 2022
Ducati has finally released all the juicy technical details for its first electric motorcycle.

The new V21L, which was first teased last October, will be the star of the MotoE race series starting in 2023. Ducati replaced fellow Italian nameplate Energica as the sole supplier for the competition and will deliver 18 identical battery-powered bikes to fill next years grids.

More from Robb Report

In preparation, the Bologna-based marque has been meticulously refining the V21L prototype. After testing the two-wheeler on the tarmac in Misano in December, the team has given us the skinny on the build and revealed the hotly anticipated performance specs.

The V21L1 will debut on the race track in 2023. - Credit: Ducati

Ducati

The V21L will feature sleek, carbon-fiber bodywork designed by the good folks at the Centro Stile Ducati atelier. Tipping the scales at a svelte 496 pounds, the speed machine can churn out 150hp (110kw) and 103 ft lbs of torque. Thats 12 ft lbs more twist than a Panigale V4 can produce.

The V21L is quick off the line, too. According to Ducati, the zero-emissions ride reached a top speed of 171 mph during recent testing at a circuit in Mugello. For comparisons sake, the Energica Evo Corsa currently used in MotoE can hit 160 mph at full tilt.

Powering the bike is an 800V 18 kWh battery pack that can take in an 80 percent recharge in just 45 minutes. The battery is housed in a carbon-fiber case and weighs 242.5 pounds. As with the Panigale, the battery has been seamlessly integrated into the chassis and connects the aluminum monocoque front frame to the lightweight swing-arm and subframe. The battery also comes equipped with an innovative cooling system and an advanced inverter derived from high-performance racers.

As soon as I sat on the bike I realized the quality of the work done by the team and when I returned to the garage I felt a deep sense of pride for what we were once again able to achieve, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said in a statement.

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The best part? Domenicali previously shared that Ducati will eventually build a production machine for the public, though its not likely to come to fruition until at least after 2025.

Check out more photos below:

Ducati MotoE Prototype V21L1

Ducati MotoE Prototype V21L1

Ducati MotoE Prototype V21L1

Ducati MotoE Prototype V21L1

Ducati MotoE Prototype V21L1

Ducati MotoE Prototype V21L1

Ducati MotoE Prototype V21L1

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Erika Girardi pictured in March 2022. (Willy Sanjuan / Invision/Associated Press)

If diamonds are a girl's best friend, then Erika "Jayne" Girardi just lost a pair of pals worth $750,000.

A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled this week that the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star will have to give up pricey, massive diamond earrings that her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, bought her years ago.

The earrings were purchased in 2007 with $750,000 from a settlement Tom Girardi had reached with a pharmaceutical company on behalf of patients allegedly injured by a diabetes drug. U.S. bankruptcy Judge Barry Russell called the use of funds a crime at a hearing Tuesday and said the earrings should be sold and the money likely directed to cheated former clients.

It was an embezzlement and fraud from day one, Russell said at the hearing, later adding, The fact is, shes still in possession of stolen property, namely, it went directly from the account to buy the diamond earrings, and its stolen property.

Erika Girardis lawyer, Evan Borges, had argued that too much time had passed since the purchase to allow seizure of the earrings and that more information was needed to determine whether it was wrong of her husband to use a check from the settlement account at a downtown L.A. jeweler.

"Once again, Erika is facing consequences for past actions taken by Tom Girardi and Girardi Keese. Erika did nothing wrong," Borges told The Times.

"Where are the lawsuits against him and his enablers? I wish the bankruptcy trustees would focus on the actual aiders and abettors of Tom Girardi and Girardi Keese, and stop pummeling his ex-wife," Borges added. "Legally, the judges decision raises an important issue of whether the law allows revisiting transactions of 15 years ago to take away a gift received by an innocent spouse. But thats for a higher court to decide."

Erika Girardi previously turned the earrings over to a trustee overseeing the bankruptcy proceedings, and they are being held in a safe deposit box pending appraisal. Borges wrote in court filings that his client was being blamed for years-old misconduct at a law firm at which she played no role, and that the earrings were innocently received 15 years ago from her now-estranged and then-extraordinarily wealthy husband.

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Russell noted at the hearing that he had no evidence Erika knew the earrings were purchased with stolen money.

The earrings are the latest fallout from the collapse of Tom Girardi's law firm and dissolution of his relationship with the reality-TV star. . In November 2020, Erika filed for divorce, after 21 years of marriage to Tom, who was disbarred earlier this year and diagnosed with dementia.

The law firm Girardi Keese was forced into bankruptcy in late 2020, and since then, hundreds of former clients, vendors, fellow attorneys and litigation funders have come forward and demanded payment totaling more than $400 million.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Allegations that Ethiopian forces captured and killed Sudanese troops in a contested area along their border -- charges denied by Addis Ababa -- have revived a decades-old dispute over the fertile land.

The brinkmanship over Al-Fashaqa has alarmed regional leaders and fed into wider tensions between the rival powers of Sudan and Ethiopia over land and water in the Horn of Africa.

- Deadly dispute -

Khartoum announced on Monday it would recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa after accusing Ethiopia's army of executing seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian during a clash in Al-Fashaqa last week.

Sudan said the soldiers were "kidnapped from Sudanese territories" on June 22, taken into Ethiopia, and later "killed and their bodies publicly maimed".

During a visit to the contested zone claimed by both countries, Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan instructed soldiers "to not allow any new movements or encroachments" on their soil.

The army, which has been in power since a coup in October 2021, vowed that the "perfidious act will not pass".

Ethiopia's army hit back, denying any role whatsoever in the killings, and vowing to drive Sudanese forces off any seized land if ordered.

Addis Ababa said the casualties resulted from a skirmish with a local militia and accused Sudanese forces of violating Ethiopian territory.

As the sabre-rattling intensified, the African Union and a grouping of regional leaders called for cool heads to prevail.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued an appeal in Arabic for calm and restraint "for the sake of our shared interests and good-neighbourliness".

It is far from the first bloody incident in the restive strip of fertile land along the shared border.

In November, Sudan's armed forces said six soldiers were killed in an attack by armed groups and militias linked to the Ethiopian military in Al-Fashaqa, allegations Addis Ababa again denied.

- Blood and soil -

Arguments over Al-Fashaqa, between two rivers where Ethiopia's Amhara and Tigray regions meet Sudan's Gedaref state, date back to colonial times.

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Al-Fashaqa covers some 12,000 square kilometres (4,630 square miles), but analysts point to a flashpoint zone directly along the border, covering some 250 square kilometres (just under 100 square miles).

Treaties signed over a century ago during the colonial era drew the international boundary east of Al-Fashaqa, giving the land to Sudan.

But in the intervening decades, thousands of Ethiopian farmers have grown crops there during the rainy season, despite being periodically expelled by Sudanese forces.

Relations between Khartoum and Addis Ababa nosedived in 1995 after a failed attempt to assassinate Egypt's then-president Hosni Mubarak while he visited Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia blamed Sudan for the attack and sent forces into Al-Fashaqa.

Since then, thousands of Ethiopian farmers have settled in the area, farming and paying taxes to Ethiopia.

Talks between Khartoum and Addis Ababa over the years have never produced a final deal on a border.

- War and water -

Al-Fashaqa borders Ethiopia's troubled Tigray region, where deadly conflict erupted in November 2020 between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The fighting sent tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees fleeing into Sudan, exacerbating tensions between the two states.

Abiy has leaned heavily on security forces from his country's Amhara region during the fighting, which has reached a stalemate as diplomats push for peace talks.

Many Amhara officials view Al-Fashaqa as rightfully theirs, and some analysts fear Abiy will struggle to rein in their territorial ambitions.

Sudan and Ethiopia both face daunting domestic economic and political challenges.

Aside from Tigray, Ethiopia faces internal unrest including in the Benishangul-Gumuz and Oromia regions.

Sudan has been under military control since October when Burhan took power in a coup, and mass street protests demanding a path to civilian rule have been violently broken up.

The border dispute over farming land also stirs anxieties over resources between the rivals, particularly stoked by Ethiopia's mega dam on the Blue Nile.

Sudan believe the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam threatens its water supply and along with Egypt, another downstream country, is pushing for a binding deal over its filling and operation.

Ethiopia has resisted pressure, and in February said it had begun producing electricity at the dam.

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Friday said Russia's threat to sever diplomatic ties with Bulgaria in response to its decision to expel 70 Russian diplomats is unjustified.

The EU said Bulgaria's action was "fully in line with international law", as the diplomats of the Russian Embassy were acting in violation with international treaties.

"The European Union stands in full support and solidarity with Bulgaria in these circumstances and will follow this matter closely," the EU said in a statement.

Bulgaria's outgoing prime minister on Thursday already called on Russia to withdraw its diplomatic ultimatum, which included a threat to close Russia's embassy in the Balkan nation.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout)
If shes not cheffing it up in her Brooklyn studio Apartment Miso, shes brainstorming the many ways to diversify a rather lucrative food industry. If all kinds of white folks can dominate an industry like food, I dont see why different types of Black folks cant dominate it, said Roe. Theres plenty of space for everybody, and I just really want to somehow further hope for Black women, they need something to hope for so bad.

Serving as the host and face of Vice TVs Counter Space, Roe is taking up some much-needed space on and off the screen. As a result of Roes dedication to provide her viewers with thoughtful, TLC-inducing recipes, Roe is the first and only Black woman chef to be nominated in the culinary host category at the 2022 Emmys. She has also recently received an Emerging Voices Award by The James Beard Foundation for her ongoing work with Vice.  Ive worked 50,000 hours to get here, and I didnt even realize or nevertheless consider that somebody would actually notice it, said Roe. I never really even considered that I could get nominated for an Emmy yet alone get nominated twice, and let alone walk the Red Carpet. That was never the plan and I want to set the record straight that, thats not why I cook.

Changing The Way We View And Consume Food

Roe aims to amplify the voices of BIPOC women. She also wants to change the way we view and consume food. According to The Annie Casey Foundation, Nearly 39.5 million people  12.8% of the U.S. population  were living in low-income and low-access areas, according to the USDAs most recent food access research report, published in 2017.

Within this group, researchers estimated that 19 million people  or 6.2% of the nations total population  had limited access to a supermarket or grocery store. In addition to the vast majority of food deserts that plague American communities, many of them notoriously infiltrate Black and Brown communities on a global scale.

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At the end of the day we are in a food crisis, were in a culture crisis, and were in an environmental crisis, says Roe. These food systems work exactly how they were designed to, and they only give to certain people and completely steer away from our communities, and the communities that really need access to healthy food access more than ever before. Sophia continues. There are so many amazing people. And we just dont know about them because nobodys taking the time to focus on these stories and these people. And that for me is a personal mission. This alone is my mission.

21Ninety spoke to Roe about making food more accessible and combating a whitewashed industry. Read more about the Bedstuy natives journey to success and her mission of wanting to amplify Black voices.

Gabrielle Tazewell: You were just honored by the James Beard Foundation with an Emerging Voices Award and an Emmy nomination for your show Counter Space. How does it feel to be recognized on a global scale?

Sophia Roe: Oh, its hard, its complicated because that trauma friend we all have is really loud you know, its like its hard to not always be acknowledged but its really challenging to have that imposter syndrome when you do get blessed, you know? So much of my internal voice is like, Im not good enough, Im not talented enough. I could have never imagined that I would receive something like the James Beard award, and on the flip side, Ive been cooking for almost 15 years. Its tough to feel good enough, but it also makes me, you know, understand too, that Im worthy and deserving of all thats happening in my life right now. Ive worked pretty much all my life, and, Im so grateful to experience the abundance thats coming in for me. I mean, I lost sleep by working so hard, I cannot tell you enough how I didnt have much fun in my life. You know, I, didnt have fun. I didnt have a good time. People have these memories of staying up late with their friends and going out and doing this and doing that, and, I didnt have any of that. My entire young life, my entire teens, twenties, I just worked. Thats all I did you know, like Malcolm Gladwell, I put 10,000 hours into this man. But all in all, it never crossed my mind that I could get to this point. You know? So now that Im here, I just never want to be the only Black person nominated for anything ever again.

Gabrielle Tazewell: How do you combat whats known to be a rather whitewashed cooking industry?

Sophia Roe: Its not easy, you know, I can have a whole conversation about colorism. Theres a certain level, you know, I make people, particularly white people feel comfortable in a lot of ways. Sometimes they forget that Im Black. There are so many stories to tell and there are so many people out here doing it. Its just the embarrassment of it, its silly that we arent highlighting more Black people in this industry. I can think of a million people that are doing the work like Jessica B. Harris, Micheal Twitty, Steven Satterfield, and so many others. I mean, the list goes on and on, but I am grateful that were getting to a better place with this. And so for me, thats why Counter Space is so beautiful because its not just a show about me, its a show thats also about everyone else. And Im really grateful for that because I dont think its enough to just talk about these things on social media, in fact, I think social media has become a really violent place. Im lucky that I have a great community around me but things were starting to get pretty violent for me on speaking about these things, you know, I knew that I had to go bigger anyway, we just need to be having these conversations.

Gabrielle Tazewell: What is your opinion on consumer guilt?

Sophia Roe: Consumer guilt is silly. Like guys, do the best you can, because a lot of this stuff really has nothing to do with you. Its not. Youre not single-handedly destroying the planet every time you use a straw. There are way bigger fish that need to be held accountable, period. And so thats also a part of my mission here. Its not about right or wrong. Im not saying to not eat meat and to go fully vegan or to completely try and change someones way of life. Its about being mindful and aware, being a conscious consumer. Where is this food made? How is it sourced? Whats the carbon footprint? Just being aware, thats what really matters here.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by i am sophia (@sophia_roe)

Gabrielle Tazewell: If you could shape shift into any type of food what would it be?

Sophia Roe: A mushroom. Oh my God, Id die and come back as a mushroom. Thats a life well-lived.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by i am sophia (@sophia_roe)

Gabrielle Tazewell: What are a few go-to dishes you would consider serving to friends and family when youre entertaining?

Sophia Roe: Some kind of roasted vegetable, because you just put it in the oven. Id also consider serving a dish that has cabbage in it because you can take a lot of the cooking hours out by raising it, roasting it, shave it up raw. You can sear it, and you can do anything with cabbage. So I almost always have some kind of cabbage dish. Thats like a really popular thing. Im also like a little bit of a meringue girl. So the thing about meringue is you can make them ahead of time and then you can just have any kind of stewed fruit to make a delicious dessert. I crush them up with beautiful seasoned fruit, a little Chantilly cream, I mean, come on. Delicious. I could definitely whip that up really, really fast. And I feel like sometimes dessert ends up being like an afterthought. So I like to think about always having some fruit on hand because it doesnt have to be an afterthought. You can put half an hour of thought into a dessert and actually make something really, really, really amazing. I also always have a few bottles of Pitt Nat Rose or some kind of Bogle wine, any wine that tastes better chilled. And I can always also do a good mushroom dish, you can never go wrong with the mushrooms.
SAN ANTONIO  Yazmin Nayarith Bueso Nunez, a single mother from Honduras, had reassured her father that shed be safe on what she said would be a "special trip" to the U.S.

She has been identified as one of the 53 people who died inside a tractor trailer rig found abandoned on a San Antonio roadside Monday, Telemundo News reported.

As of Thursday, 10 survivors remained hospitalized and one had been released.

No words, her distraught father, Jose Santos Bueso, said. He had urged her not to go, but she told him it was a special trip.

I was there, daughter, The Associated Press said he told her, referring to the trip he himself once made across the border. There are no special trips.

She told him the smuggler would be making $15,000, the AP reported.

Image: (Delmer Martinez / AP)

Stories of the humble hopes that drove people to leave their homes and families and risk an ill-fated journey continue to emerge as officials slowly identify the dead and reach their loved ones.

Many of the victims did not have documents or were from remote areas in Latin America.

Buesos brother, Erik Rodriguez, 37, said his sister wanted to get to the U.S., work to give her teenage son a chance to study at a university and one day own a home. She also was seeking treatment for lupus, he said.

One father, Minor Cardona, of Guatemala, learned his 20-year-old daughter is among the survivors, Telemundo News reported.

Its a joy and a blessing, he said.

Roberto Quintero was one of the first to see the grim scene on Monday. A friend had alerted him to the truck and bodies within it. He said the truck doors were open when he arrived. He knew many had died because of their discoloration.

A young girl was on the ground pounding the pavement asking for help. He gave her water and called 911, he told Telemundo.

Federal charges made public in a court hearing Thursday state that one of the men arrested in the case told a government informant the air conditioning in the tractor trailer had stopped working without the driver knowing, The Washington Post reported.

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Federal officials have identified the driver as Hector Zamorano Jr., 45, who made his first appearance federal in court Thursday on one count of illegal transportation of immigrants, punishable with up to life in prison or death if convicted.

Three others have been charged in the case, including Christian Martinez, 28, who had been texting the driver. He became more panicked in the texts when he was not hearing from the driver.

The tragic deaths have stirred emotions in San Antonio, a city with a large Latino population that is mostly Mexican American. Many in the city have strong immigrant roots or family that resided in the state while it was part of Mexico.

The city has a record of compassion for immigrants and empathy for their plight.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio held a memorial Mass on Thursday evening at the historic San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio, founded in 1731.

Image: Paola Martinez (Eric Gay / AP)

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, who presided at the Mass, called for immigration reform in his bilingual homily, The San Antonio Express-News reported. He exhorted people to create political incentives for our elected representatives to fulfill their duty to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Garcia-Siller had pressed for a political change of heart on immigration after visiting some of the victims at the hospital the night after the truck was found. The bottom line is that people were abandoned, he told NBC News this week.

Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More states are preparing for primary elections this summer ahead of the midterms.

STORY: Wolfson Childrens Christmas in July toy and donation drive is now underway

On Capitol Hill, some members of Congress are concerned about the impact of disinformation on voters, election workers and the process itself.

Some Democrats say the false claims about the 2020 election being stolen from former President Donald Trump are a major example of election disinformation.

Meanwhile, some Republicans say that political speech still needs to be protected as free speech.

Experts say disinformation is false content created to intentionally harm a certain group of people or organization.

STORY: Florida teen bitten by a 9-foot shark while scalloping

Members of the nonpartisan organization Common Cause say theyve tracked an increase in disinformation online in 2016 and 2018, with a significant surge in voting-related disinformation during the 2020 election cycle.

Disinformation agents are seeking to keep voters from casting their ballots by spreading content designed to confuse voters about the time, place and manner how to vote, intimidate or harass them from going to the polls, said Yosef Getachew, media and democracy program director at Common Cause.

STORY: Jacksonville man arrested after police say he killed neighbors pet rooster

Several Republicans say they want to focus on making sure elections are run fairly and remain secure.

Some GOP lawmakers also blame Democrats for spreading misinformation about some of the new election laws in the South.

Political speech is protected speech even when you dont agree with its message yet too many on the left are dangerously close to implementing a socialist style ministry of truth in attempts to silence political parties, said Rep. Rodney Davis, R  Illinois.

Common Cause believes social companies should do more to regulate misinformation and disinformation from circulating on its platforms.

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories
US airlines are bracing customers for what will probably be another bumpy holiday weekend as the industry struggles to manage a surge in travel demand that probably exceeds its current capacity.

Yu Su, a computer science professor at Ohio State University, was stranded last Saturday night in Charlotte, North Carolina after his connecting flight home never left.

The airline didn't cancel the 8:30 pm flight until around midnight after numerous delays that created "the delusion of hope," said Yu, who never got a clear explanation for the problem.

Such horror stories are common these days, sparking headlines that warn of airport chaos over the July 4th weekend and drawing scrutiny from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and others in Washington.

In recent days, plane tracking sites have reported hundreds of flight cancelations and thousands of delays.

In an effort to steer passengers away from "potentially challenging weekend travel days," Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday it would waive change fees for customers to shift one leg of their trip to within the July 1-8 period.

- Pilot shortage -

Although federal Covid-19 relief aid meant airlines didn't need to lay off staff, tens of thousands of workers left the industry after carriers urged early retirements.

Today's industry has about 15 percent less staff compared with the pre-pandemic period to handle about 90 percent of pre-2020 passenger volume, estimated analysts at Third Bridge, a consultancy.

Lack of crew was the problem for Crystal Fricker's latest flight, which was canceled an hour before she and two other travelers were scheduled to depart Raleigh, North Carolina for Indianapolis.

Unable to find different flights for all three, the group managed to track down a rental car -- no small feat -- and drove 10 1/2 hours, arriving at 1 am in time for meetings the next day.

"Pretty much every flight I've been on has had some kind of delay," said Fricker, president of Pure Seed, an Oregon seed company.

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Pilots are the most acute issue in a broad airline industry labor crunch, said Third Bridge analyst Peter McNally.

"There's no short-term fix," McNally told AFP. "The issue becomes most pronounced during these seasonal peaks."

Airlines say they're working to address the issue, recruiting pilots and other staff and trimming summer capacity by 15 percent compared with earlier plans.

While acknowledging the pilot supply problem, airline industry officials point to other exacerbating factors, including turbulent weather, increased staff absences due to Covid and insufficient personnel at flight traffic control at some key sites.

- Blame game? -

"The industry is actively and nimbly doing everything possible to create a positive customer experience," said Airlines for America CEO Nicholas Calio in a follow-up letter to Buttigieg after a meeting earlier this month.

"Not every air traffic variable is within an airline's control."

But the Federal Aviation Administration pushed back, saying it "acted on the agency staffing issues raised by airlines" by adding more controllers in high demand areas.

"People expect when they buy an airline ticket that they'll get where they need to go safely, efficiently, reliably and affordably," the agency said. "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."

Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont progressive, called on Buttigieg to fine the airlines for delayed or canceled flights, blasting the industry for the messy travel season and "outrageously high" fares.

Airlines, meanwhile, are trying to reset expectations for customers.

In a message to frequent fliers Thursday, Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian acknowledged "unacceptable" levels of disruption, but said additional hiring efforts and adding more buffer time for crews should help.

"Things won't change overnight, but we're on a path towards a steady recovery," Bastian said.

United Airlines expects nearly 5.2 million customers over the Fourth of July period, a 24 percent increase from 2021 and 92 percent of its 2019 level.

"We anticipate the Fourth of July travel period to be amongst our busiest travel days of 2022 thus far," said a United spokesperson.

United earlier this month announced it was trimming about 50 daily flights from its Newark, New Jersey hub.

A company memo cited "many factors including airport construction," adding that United had sufficient staff to meet the schedule.

Like United and Delta, American Airlines is midway through a recruitment campaign of pilots and other staff. The company has hired 800 new pilots this year, Chief Executive Robert Isom said earlier this month.

The company's regional carrier, Envoy Air, is offering pilots triple pay for trips next month in an effort to avoid disruption, according to reports.

American Airlines did not respond to AFP questions about the upcoming July 4th weekend.

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Florida attorneys provided some insight into how the state Department of Education plans to enforce the new Parental Rights in Education law, which critics have nicknamed Dont Say Gay.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

The statements were part of a response to a lawsuit filed by advocacy groups that accused the state of targeting the LGBTQ population. Activists are asking a federal judge to put a stop to the law to support gay students, families and teachers.

READ: These laws go into effect in Florida on Friday

The response came after confusion mounted within Orange County Public Schools over the weekend. During a private seminar, attorneys and principals hashed out how teachers should behave on the job to avoid running afoul of the law and potentially losing their teaching license. The teachers association said some of the suggestions included a ban on wearing rainbows or displaying photos of same-sex spouses. The district blamed a lack of communication from Tallahassee for the controversy.

Attorneys for the state disputed many of the claims, saying enforcement would be narrow and limited to the text of the law.

Only the instructional restriction applicable to kindergarten through third grade takes effect on July 1, 2022, they wrote. There is no merit, for example, to the suggestion that the statute restricts gay and transgender teachers from put[ting] a family photo on their desk or refer[ring] to themselves and their spouse (and their own children). Those actions are not instruction, which is the action, practice, or profession of teaching.

Today, I signed HB 1557, the Parental Rights in Education Act, into law.



It ensures parents can send their kids to kindergarten without gender ideology being injected into instruction and they will be notified and have the right to decline healthcare services offered at schools. pic.twitter.com/OLnW2GLrJl  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 28, 2022

READ: Gov. DeSantis touts Floridas improvement in civics education

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Essentially, the state would only seek out instances where teachers or other adults discussed sexuality or gender identity as part of a planned curriculum. Additionally, while the law itself applies to older grades, those restrictions wont be in effect immediately because the state standards defining what is age appropriate havent been adopted.

Nothing in the law prohibits forming a Gay-Straight Alliance, displaying LGBTQ-related books in a library or incidental discussions of gender or sexuality in a class, the attorneys added.

Previously, Orange County Public Schools officials said they would provide teachers with formal guidance once it had more information on the states position. The legal response is likely enough for internal discussions to begin taking place, well before the next school year begins.

READ: Jackson sworn in, becomes 1st Black woman on Supreme Court

District leaders had also vigorously defended their reputation as a supportive district for the LGBTQ community.

OCPS wants each of our 206,000 students to be respected and feel safe at school, a district spokesman said. We have consistently recognized and supported our LGBTQ+ community in the past and have no less of a commitment going forward.

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PARIS (Reuters) - An expected reshuffle of the French government after President Emmanuel Macron lost his absolute majority in parliament could take place next Monday or Tuesday, the government spokesperson said on Friday.

Asked on LCI television if this was planned during those days, Olivia Gregoire said: "We can imagine that."

Two government sources told Reuters they expected a reshuffle on Monday, with no change in major jobs such as the finance ministry.

Macron, who was re-elected as president in April, lost control of parliament in legislative elections last month - meaning it is no longer a rubber stamp for the government's plans.

Moreover, three ministers lost their bid to win a parliamentary seat during that vote, which means that, according to an unwritten but established convention, they have to resign from the government.

According to RTL radio, at least four new cabinet ministers will be appointed in the upcoming reshuffle.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, in charge of the government since Macron's re-election, is due to deliver her general policy statement to parliament next Wednesday - at 1300 GMT in the lower house and at 1900 GMT to the Senate.

"There will be a cabinet meeting next week," Gregoire said after several weeks without one, adding that a bill focused on boosting citizens' purchasing power would be submitted to the parliament this month.

(Reporting by Myriam Rivet, Benoit Van Overstraeten and Michel Rose; Editing by Dominique Vidalon , Gareth Jones and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
A Georgia community has raised more than $5,000 to help the family of a 3-year-old boy who died in a hot car in Columbus last week.

Kendrick Engram Jr. died on June 26 after he was found in a family members car outside a Wendys.

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

The child had been in the car for about two hours and 45 minutes by the time he was found dead, Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan told ABC News.

According to the family, the child had been at church and running errands with his grandmother and sisters, but didnt get out of the car when the family got home. Hours later, his uncle took the car to the Wendys, about the same time that the childs grandmother and siblings realized he wasnt taking a nap like they thought..

The grandmother called the childs uncle, who found him unresponsive in the car.

TRENDING STORIES:

Family members said in a GoFundMe that Engram Jr. died of asphyxia.

Kendrick was loved by his mother, Yolanda Thomas, father, Kendrick Engram, along with six siblings and a host of family and friends, family said on the fundraising site. He was energetic, loving and full of life!

The family plans to use funds donated to the GoFundMe to pay for the childs funeral and burial expenses.

On Thursday, a 12-month-old baby was found dead inside a car outside an Athens-area Walgreens where the childs mother worked.

Its unclear if anyone is facing charges in either case.

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You can donate to the GoFundMe HERE.
Germany signed an agreement on Friday to begin sending hundreds of Benin bronzes back to what is now Nigeria, rubber-stamping the biggest effort yet by a European country to return the looted artworks.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Culture Minister Claudia Roth signed the deal with their Nigerian counterparts in Berlin after Germany first announced that it would begin returning the bronzes last year.

The first two artworks -- the head of a king and a plaque depicting three warriors -- were on Friday handed over to representatives from Nigeria.

"Today we have reason to celebrate, because we have reached a historic agreement -- the Benin bronzes are returning home," Baerbock said.

"These pieces are not only magnificent artefacts -- they are some of Africa's greatest treasures. But they are also telling a story of colonial violence," she said.

Thousands of Benin bronzes, metal plaques and sculptures that once decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin are now scattered around European museums after being looted by the British at the end of the 19th century.

Germany has around 1,100 of the 16th- to 18th-century artefacts, split between some 20 museums.

The biggest collection is held by the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has 440 -- considered the most important collection outside London's British Museum.

Negotiations are still ongoing as to which of the bronzes held by the Ethnological Museum will be returned to Nigeria, and which will remain in Berlin on loan.

Nigeria has been negotiating the return of Benin bronzes from several European countries and plans to build a museum in Benin City in southern Edo state, where it hopes to house them.

France in November handed back 26 of the treasures, while two were returned by Britain earlier this year, with talks ongoing for more to follow.

Nigeria's Minister of Culture, Lai Mohammed, thanked Germany for having "taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the past", hailing "the dawn of a new era of cooperation".

"This will go down as one of the most important days in the celebration of African cultural heritage," Foreign Minister Zubairu Dada added.

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This has led to the creation of an entire alternative reality where Russian troops are noble liberators waging a chivalrous campaign against dastardly Ukrainian Nazis who bomb themselves and stage fake atrocities by massacring their own civilian population.

While the official Russian version of events is self-evidently absurd, an understanding of the true meaning behind Moscows preferred terminology is essential for international audiences looking to make sense of the often bizarre statements coming out of the Kremlin.

Read also: Putin: The mask is off. Europe is next

From goodwill gestures to de-Nazification and reclaiming Russian lands, here are some of the key phrases from the lexicon of Putins Ukraine War decoded into plain English.

Special Military Operation: When is a war not a war? When it is a Special Military Operation. This would appear to have been Putins logic when he announced his Special Military Operation against Ukraine in the early hours of February 24.

Despite waging the largest and most widely reported European war since the days of Hitler and Stalin, the Russian dictator remains so paranoid over the negative connotations of the w word that he has banned its use entirely in the Russian media.

Todays Ukraine is actually an emerging democracy with a Jewish president and a far-right fringe that struggled to secure 2% of the vote in the countrys last national election.

De-Nazification: Putin has stated that the main goal of his Special Military Operation in Ukraine is the de-Nazification of the country. This attempt to justify the invasion by portraying it as a crusade against far-right extremism mirrors historic Kremlin efforts to discredit the Ukrainian independence movement by equating it with fascism. Putins de-Nazification claims are emotionally appealing to Russian audiences haunted by the horrors of WWII but they are also deeply misleading.

In reality, the often savage actions of Russian troops in Ukraine have confirmed that the Kremlin views anything identifiably Ukrainian as Nazi and makes no distinction between the two. Putins proclaimed de-Nazification actually means de-Ukrainianization, as this prominent wartime article from Russian state news agency RIA Novosti makes abundantly clear. As far as most Ukrainians are concerned, the only Nazis in the country are the Russian soldiers waging a genocidal war on behalf of an unhinged dictator.

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Military Objects: Russias invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by a massive aerial campaign of bombings and missile strikes across the country. Meanwhile, Putins slowly advancing troops are heavily reliant on indiscriminate and overwhelming artillery attacks that have left thousands dead and reduced dozens of Ukrainian towns and cities to rubble.

While the whole world can see that much of Ukraine now lies in ruins, the Kremlin remains extremely sensitive to accusations of war crimes and continues to insist that Russian forces only ever target military objects.

Based on the experience of the past four months, Russias understanding of military objects apparently includes Mariupol Drama Theater, Kramatorsk Railway Station and Kremenchuk Shopping Mall along with hundreds of schools, hospitals and residential buildings throughout Ukraine. With international war crimes investigations already underway, Russias claims regarding military objects will likely be tested in court.

Goodwill Gesture: Russia expected a quick and victorious war in Ukraine, but things have not gone according to the Kremlin plan. Rather than capturing Kyiv within a few days as anticipated, Russian forces have encountered robust resistance and suffered a series of painful battlefield losses. In a desperate attempt to disguise these defeats and protect Russian dignity, the Kremlin has taken to officially describing its retreats as goodwill gestures.

The first goodwill gesture came in late March when Russia retreated entirely from northern Ukraine after suffering defeat in the Battle for Kyiv. Following Russias most recent retreat from strategically vital Black Sea outpost Snake Island on June 30, the Kremlin similarly declared that it was withdrawing as a goodwill gesture to Ukraine. Ukrainians will be hoping for many more such goodwill gestures in the weeks ahead as they seek to dislodge Russian forces from the south and east of their country.

Read also: Wartime land grabs tend to end badly for tyrants, historian warns

Reclaiming Russian Lands: In the months leading up to the Russian invasion, Putin pretended to be primarily concerned with NATO expansion into the former USSR. He has since abandoned this pretense and declared himself the heir to Peter the Great. Speaking in early June, Putin compared the current war to the eighteenth century conquests of the celebrated czar and stated that like Peter, he was now also engaged in the historic endeavor of reclaiming Russian lands.

Putin has never made any secret of the fact that he views the territory of modern Ukraine as historically Russian land. For years, he has denied Ukraines right to exist while claiming that all Ukrainians are in fact Russians (one people). The real question is which other sovereign nations might also fit Putins definition. He recently set off alarm bells by commenting that the entire former Soviet Union was historically Russian territory.

Nor is it clear if Putins appetite for reclaiming Russian lands is limited to the 14 non-Russian post-Soviet states. Imperial Russia once also ruled Finland and Poland, while the Soviet Empire after WWII stretched deep into Central Europe and included East Germany. One thing is clear: unless he is stopped in Ukraine, Putins imperial ambitions are certain to expand.

This column was first published by the Atlantic Council. NV is republishing it with permission.
Gov. Mike Parson signed the state budget for fiscal year 2023 on Thursday evening, approving a $47.5 billion spending plan driven by federal dollars and surplus revenue from the state.

The budget funds K-12 education and school transportation fully while raising the minimum teacher salary from $25,000 to $38,000; the entirety of Medicaid expansion costs; more than $600 million for water infrastructure projects; over $350 million for broadband internet expansion; and countless other projects and priorities spanning the state. It went into effect Friday morning, the first day of the fiscal year.

Parson struck almost $644 million from lawmakers' final budget with his veto pen, cutting 32 line-items  including two Springfield infrastructure projects and a $500 million tax rebate program pushed by Republican leaders in the House.

"With record revenues, strong economic performance, and significant sums of Missourians' federal tax dollars returning to our state, this session we met the moment and approved strategic investments that will serve generations of Missourians," Parson said in a statement.

Lawmakers came to Jefferson City in January faced with more money than has ever been available  hundreds of millions in projected surplus from revenues and taxes, as well as billions from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The months-long budget process took the General Assembly until just hours before the constitutional deadline to deliver to the governor's desk, clocking in at around $49 billion before Parson's cuts. The wide-ranging plan largely satisfied members from all regions and both sides of the aisle, with many Democrats voting in support of the Republican-led legislature's final proposal.

State budget: Lawmakers finalize teacher pay raises, Medicaid expansion, ARPA funds and more

Tax rebate, Jordan Creek & Jefferson Avenue footbridge nixed

The bulk of money cut by Parson was $500 million intended for income tax rebates of up to $500  a priority pushed by Republican leaders in the House as a way to deliver some of the state's surplus back to taxpayers.

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Democrats opposed the measure, arguing that most taxpayers would receive very little and that the money was better invested in state priorities and programs. In the Senate, the minority party attached an income cap of $150,000 per individual to the measure.

In the end, it was struck from the budget by Parson, who said in a veto letter that because the withdrawal of the money from a certain state fund was not authorized by lawmakers, the rebates would "likely" be unconstitutional. Shortly after the legislative session ended in May, he expressed hesitation in signing off on the program.

Parson also cut a number of projects that were set to receive federal funds, two of which were located in Springfield.

Jordan Creek will no longer see $7.5 million for a public park space, and $5 million dedicated to repairing the historic Jefferson Avenue Footbridge was also scrapped.

Neither of the projects were in Parson's initial budget proposal; they were added by Sen. Lincoln Hough, Springfield's Republican senator and vice chair of the budget committee.

The governor wrote in his veto letter that the money for the footbridge, which has seen hiccups in repair attempts through city contractors, requires the Missouri Department of Transportation to concur with the city on a bid award "that has not yet occurred."

Money for Jordan Creek, meanwhile, could be sought "through other state programs," Parson wrote. But he also pointed to the legislature's "resistance to funding public trail spaces along waterways that have a statewide or regional impact, demonstrated economic return to local communities and the state, and significant citizen interest and advocacy."

His reasoning is likely a reference to Hough's vocal opposition to funding for building a trail along the Rock Island Railroad passage. Senators on the budget committee cut more than $69 million from the project that Parson had initially recommended. Hough had said in a committee vote at the time that he preferred the money go toward existing state parks spaces.

Other prominent vetoes include $83 million in federal funds for a highway patrol academy and $10 million for maintenance at charter schools in St. Louis and Kansas City through a grant program.

New laws in Missouri: Parson signs photo ID, homelessness ticketing bills

What's in Missouri's new state budget?

Education will see its full allocation of state dollars for another fiscal year under the budget, as will school transportation, which will see the most money in decades. Colleges and universities will see $460 million invested into construction and improvement projects, while almost $430 million will go toward child care and early childhood education. Other education and workforce development items include:

$51.6 million of new core funds for colleges and universities.

$30 million for the Missouri One Start program to train workers, assist employers and upgrade training.

$7 million for dual credit and enrollment scholarships.

$6 million for A+ schools program.

MO HealthNet  the state's health care program for low-income residents  receives full funds ($955 million) to continue expanding as approved by voters and ordered by the courts, despite opposition last year by many Republicans. Other health, public safety and economic items include:

Almost $149 million for community health providers to expand services to underserved populations.

Nearly $105 million for a new public safety crime lab to assist local law enforcement.

$78.6 million for a new state health lab.

$30 million for local tourism.

$2.5 million for the prescription drug monitoring program.

A number of prominent one-time infrastructure investments, fueled prominently by federal dollars, also fulfilled a budget priority for Parson. Prominent infrastructure items, alongside the money for water and broadband improvements, include:

$160 million for "efficient and innovative" transportation projects.

$100 million for rural road repairs.

$8.5 million for rural teleheath access.

$12.9 million for public transit.

Despite vetoes for Jordan Creek and Jefferson Avenue footbridge funds, a number of other Springfield projects and programs are receiving money through the state budget  including grants for the Springfield-Greene County Library District, the Discovery Center, the Drew Lewis Foundation, Care to Learn, Jordan Valley Community Health Center and others.

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 Gov. MIke Parson signs budget, but vetoes tax credit program
Residents in one part of Cornelius, an area of north Mecklenburg County many people may not have heard of, are hoping a redevelopment plan recently endorsed by town officials will keep their community from becoming a thing of the past.

But along with their excitement over the plan, Channel 9 has learned theres also some healthy skepticism.

In Mecklenburg County, north Mecklenburg County, we are one of the only three African-American communities that are left, and we are all three facing gentrification, Lisa Mayhew-Jones said regarding the communities of Smithville, Pottstown and Lakeside. Mayhew-Jones is president of the Smithville Community Coalition.

The Smithville neighborhood sits on the edge of Cornelius and, post-slavery, was one of the only places in north Mecklenburg where Black people could own property.

A vibrant community of young families has now transitioned into a quiet community of seniors.

Over the years the houses deteriorated and have been torn down, so its aged, explained lifelong Smithville resident Ronald Potts.

Many residents said they feel like Smithville has been skipped over by the Town of Cornelius when it comes to investment.

ALSO READ: Town council votes to shut down controversial Weddington Green Development

All around in Cornelius there was progress, Potts said. He adds that developers now have their sights set on Smithville.

Newly built duplexes, on the market for more than half a million dollars, sit directly across from homes that are original to the community.

Potts said he is very aware of that interest from developers. I get nervous all the time about people wanting to buy my house, Potts said.

But Mayhew-Jones hopes a revitalization plan that was just unanimously endorsed by town commissioners will protect longtime residents like Potts.

There hasnt really been anything done into the community of Smithville over these 50 years, Mayhew-Jones said.

At an estimated cost of $27 million, the plan would provide a framework for redeveloping Smithville into a mix of new single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, greenways and commercial properties.

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Developers interested in building in Smithville would have to commit to maintaining the areas affordability.

No displacement of the current residents, Mayhew-Jones said. Wed like all of our seniors to be able to age in place. Were trying to keep everything under the 80% AMI (area median income).

ALSO READ: Development debate brings hundreds to raucous Weddington town meeting

Commissioners said they are considering contributing $3 million in American Rescue Plan stimulus funds to the plan.

Thats only half of what Mayhew-Jones coalition requested. The money that we needed in order to buy land, not to do the infrastructure, she explained. The town should be responsible for doing the infrastructure.

While there is optimism around the redevelopment plan, some in Smithville doubt the towns commitment to the historic community.

All the years they been saying they going to do this and do that, and you go to these meetings and they really dont give you straight answers to the questions you ask, said Gladys Henderson.

But Ronald Potts said he is confident that town leaders are committed to finally doing right by Smithville.

Over the years weve developed a relationship, and I think that trust has developed. Lisa Mayhew-Jones added to that sentiment. We know theres going to be a change, but give us the opportunity to lead that change.

(WATCH BELOW: Town council votes to shut down controversial Weddington Green Development)
Hong Kong-based reclusive billionaire Calvin Lo, CEO of life insurance brokerage firm R.E. Lee International, revealed why hes not investing in cryptocurrencies.

In an interview with Tatler, Lo explained that his apprehension over digital currencies volatility stems from his background in insurance.

According to Lo, a friend urged him to buy Bitcoin five years ago. The digital currency was still trading at $6,000 then, and his friend assured him that it would eventually be valued at over $10,000. While it did reach such value three days later, he did not find the outcome promising.

The volatility is attracting a lot of people but the same reason is deterring me, Lo was quoted as saying. Im from an insurance background and Im a bit cautious of something that looks too good to be true. People who invest with us and trust us dont want us to go into these fancy instruments.

More from NextShark: Suspect in 3 Elderly Attacks Charged, Held on $210,000 Bail

Lo revealed the same reluctance to cryptocurrencies in an earlier interview with CNBC International.

There's huge potential for sure, I think, Lo said. In the next five to 10 years, this will be the trend. Even insurance companies are looking into how to incorporate all these kinds of like, bitcoin, NFTs, into policies.

According to Lo, the concept is a little bit too new for him and would take some time for him to fully understand it.

More from NextShark: Miss England 2019 Goes Back to Being a Doctor to Fight on Front Lines

I'm an insurance guy so risk is not the thing that I have too much appetite for, he added. But then again I'm not saying that is not a universe whereby you should not look into. I'm raised in a way where you get properties, get something solid, get bricks that you could put over your head. You know that type of style, I may say old school, too old school, but maybe it's something that I should look into it a little bit more. It will be the future. It's just how it's going to be fine-tuned throughout the next few years.

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Bitcoin, which reached a peak of $63,558 on April 12, 2021, plummeted to as low as $18,000 last week, trading at levels not seen since 2020. Ether, the second-largest crypto, fell by as much as 16 percent to $1,177, the lowest it has been since January 2021.

Lo, whom Forbes has estimated to have a net worth of $1.7 billion, has instead focused on philanthropy, particularly after the pandemic broke out.

More from NextShark: Will it make it home?: An eagle from Asia has been lost traveling around North America for over a year

When COVID hit, it really changed how I see things; it made me realize there are a lot of cracks in the system that need mending, he shared. Previously Id just set up a charity and rubber stamp things. Theres a problem of people not putting as much focus on their philanthropy as they do on their business. It needs a keener edge and a more systematic view.

Lo added: There are kind of similarities to my insurance business. The philanthropic part of these families is also changing. Society is more complex now, so we need to treat philanthropy a bit more seriously.

Based on public filings, Lo has allotted about a quarter of a billion dollars for his philanthropic projects.

More from NextShark: 'Minari' Named the Best Picture of 2020 by The New York Film Critics Online

He also attributed his affinity for helping others to his 10-year-old daughter Isabella, whom he took to an orphanage he was supporting.

One time, during the early days of COVID, I was visiting an orphanage I support with my daughter and explaining how fortunate we are, and she said: I didnt even know you did this. I thought: Wow, even my daughter doesnt know; I should spread the word.

At age 46, Lo is now reflecting on his legacy, which includes the nonprofit think tank The 195 Project.

The purpose of this initiative is to listen, learn and collectively campaign for a global economy that can be kinder and can reward innovation and hard work, Lo said on the initiatives website. Business leaders must listen to those with the least, recognize their individual privilege, and work together for the common good.

Featured Image via CNBC International TV
Hong Kong will commemorate the 25th anniversary of its handover from Britain to China on 1 July

Every year, on 1 July, Hong Kong marks the day where it was returned from British to Chinese control.

This year, the city will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the British handover - at a time when it's coming under increased Chinese control.

But what is Hong Kong's connection to Britain, when was it returned to China, and most importantly, what does its future look like?

Here's what you need to know:

What led to the handover?

Britain first took over Hong Kong island in 1842, after defeating China in the First Opium War. After the Second Opium War, Beijing was forced to also cede Kowloon in 1860, the area on the mainland opposite the island.

In 1898, to enforce its control of the area, the UK leased additional land, known as the New Territories, promising to return them to China in 99 years.

Britain's last governor of Hong Kong receives the Union Jack flag after it is lowered for the last time

Hong Kong developed rapidly under UK rule, becoming one of the world's major financial and business centres.

Then in 1982, London and Beijing began the difficult process of negotiating the territory's return to Chinese rule.

Hong Kong had developed a vastly different political and economic system from mainland China, which since 1949 had been under authoritarian one-party Communist rule.

Read more about Hong Kong since the handover:

What was agreed for the future of Hong Kong?

China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of "one country, two systems", where the city would enjoy "a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defence affairs" for the next 50 years.

Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region, and would retain certain freedoms, including:

an independent judiciary

multiple political parties

freedom of assembly and speech

The territory has its own mini-constitution - the Basic Law - that enshrines these rights.

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It states that "the ultimate aim" is to elect the territory's leader, the chief executive, "by universal suffrage" and "in accordance with democratic procedures".

How is Hong Kong ruled now?

The leader is the chief executive, elected by a 1,500-member election committee.

The parliament is the Legislative Council (LegCo). It is made up half of directly elected representatives and half by representatives chosen by professional or special interest groups.

John Lee, a staunchly pro-Beijing supporter, was selected as Hong Kong's new chief executive in 2022

In 2021, in a sign of China's increasing influence, Beijing passed a resolution that fundamentally altered LegCo.

Under the new "patriots" law, all LegCo candidates must be vetted by a separate screening committee - making it easier to bar anyone deemed as being critical of Beijing.

It also drastically shrank the proportion of lawmakers who can be directly voted in by the people - from 50% to 22%.

As of 2022, nearly all of the LegCo members are pro-Beijing.

The city's chief executive elections also saw John Lee - a staunch Beijing supporter and the only candidate in the running- appointed to the role.

What's happened in Hong Kong since then?

Over the years, China has increasingly tightened its grip over Hong Kong.

The tipping point was 2019 when China proposed an extradition bill that could potentially allow HongKongers accused of of crimes to be tried in China.

Anger over the potential bill erupted into some of the largest protests Hong Kong had ever seen. Police forces responded to demonstrators with water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas, exacerbating tensions between protesters and the government.

And on 1 July, protesters forced their way into parliament, tearing portraits down, smashing furniture, with one even raising the old British colonial flag.

In response, China passed the highly controversial National Security Law (NSL) in 2020 - it criminalised any act of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

Beijing insists the law is necessary for bringing stability to the city, but critics argue its so loosely defined that it;s made it easier for Beijing to clamp down on protests and free speech.

Hundreds of protesters, activists and former opposition lawmakers have also been arrested since the introduction of the law.

Protests against the national security law saw demonstrators being met with water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets

Expressions of political dissent have also been notably muted since.

While 1 July has historically seen pro-democracy protests demanding universal suffrage and Hong Kong's autonomy, recent years have seen few public gatherings.

What will happen after 2047?

After 2047, mainland China is no longer obliged to grant Hong Kong the autonomy agreed on with Britain before the 1997 handover, leaving the city's fate unclear.

But one senior Beijing official said the governing principle of "one country, two systems" would not necessarily change come 2047.

"There is no need to change after 50 years," Shen Chunyao said at a legal conference in the weeks leading up to the 25th anniversary of the handover.

However, he suggested that "timely improvements" needed to be made, saying that otherwise "its potential cannot be achieved in the long run".

But others have taken a stronger stance.

"As an inalienable part of China, we cannot afford to be a country that undermines the security of China," said Regina Ip, one of Hong Kong's most well-known pro-Beijing lawmakers.

"If they don't think the current system is sustainable, the option will be to reintegrate Hong Kong, even before 2047."
By Saurabh Sharma

UDAIPUR, India (Reuters) - Two weeks before a Hindu tailor in India was hacked to death by two Muslim men who filmed the act, he was briefly detained by police after a rival tailor accused him of an "inflammatory" Facebook post on Prophet Mohammad.

Kanhaiyalal Teli's son told Reuters his father had reposted a Facebook post in support of a now-suspended spokesperson of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party, whose incendiary remarks about the Prophet in a television debate had led to national and international outrage in June.

"My father was a very good man, he never had any issues with anyone," Teli's 20-year-old son Yash, his head shaven as per Hindu custom after a parent dies, told Reuters. "Just a repost of a post on Facebook, and they killed him. Before this, Hindus and Muslims lived together peacefully in this area."

Modi's pursuit of a "Hindu first" agenda since coming to power in 2014 has added to communal tensions in India, a country with a ghastly history of Hindu-Muslim violence. Many Muslims, who make up 13% of the 1.3 billion population, complain of feeling marginalised due to Modi's policies.

The video of Teli being killed in Udaipur city in northwestern India, posted by his assailants, went viral on social media, shocking many in the Hindu-majority country. Fearing an outbreak of communal violence, local authorities have banned large gatherings for a month and suspended internet services.

A few days after being released from custody, Teli told police that some people were doing reconnaissance of his shop and that he feared for his life.

In a police complaint seen by Reuters, he said he was aware that his photo had gone viral in Muslim community WhatsApp groups and that he be provided protection.

A police officer said on condition of anonymity two constables were deployed in the area after the complaint but they "got relaxed" when Teli did not open his shop for some days.

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The tailor reopened his shop at the weekend, his son said, and was killed on Tuesday.

Two Muslim men, who brandished a meat cleaver while claiming responsibility for slaughtering Teli and threatening Modi with the same fate, have been arrested and are facing terrorism charges, police have said. They worked in Udaipur but Teli did not know them, his son said.

Nevertheless, the video showed he seemed unsuspicious as he used a tape to measure the chest of a bearded man just before he was attacked.

'LOOSE TONGUE'

In unusually strong comments, India's Supreme Court said on Friday that spokesperson Nupur Sharma of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was "single-handedly responsible" for creating a situation that led to the killing.

"She and her loose tongue has set the entire country on fire," Justice Surya Kant said, dismissing a petition by Sharma to combine police complaints filed against her across the country into one. "Her outburst is responsible for the unfortunate incident in Udaipur."

Political analysts and opposition parties say tensions between the two communities are beginning to bubble over under the eight-year rule of Modi and the BJP.

The party says it works for all but does not believe in appeasing any community for votes. It has asked people to keep calm following the Udaipur incident.

Teli was reported to police by Muslim tailor Nazim Ahmed on June 11 in a complaint, seen by Reuters, which said: "He has posted an indecent comment on the character of our Prophet due to which there is anger in our Muslim society. Legal action should be taken against the said culprit" for his "inflammatory post".

Reuters could not contact Ahmed as his phone was switched off. His shop, opposite Teli's, was closed.

Police have barricaded the Muslim neighbourhood where Ahmed lives and prevented journalists from approaching his family.

Opposition politicians have condemned Teli's murder and sought swift justice, but they also say the BJP hurt Muslim sentiment by failing to push for legal action against its spokesperson.

Alka Lamba of the main opposition Congress party, which rules Rajasthan state where Udaipur is located, said "eight years of BJP rule have fed and sustained the monster of communalism". Two BJP spokespeople did not answer their phones.

Teli's wife Yashoda, her face partially veiled, blamed the police for her husband's death.

"Had the police helped us he would have been alive," she said. "He had to reopen the shop because we were running out of savings. My husband was friends with everyone, including Nazim, so somewhere in his mind he was not that worried."

(Additional reporting by Suchitra Mohanty in New Delhi; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
The Daily Beast

YouTube/Akron PDPolice in Akron, Ohio, have released disturbing body-camera footage showing the moment cops shot an unarmed 25-year-old Black man dozens of times as he fled.I wont mince words, the video you are about to watch is heartbreaking, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan warned at a press conference Sunday. I am urging all of our residents to please reserve your full judgment until our investigation is complete.The body-cam videos begin with officers pursuing Jayland Walker in their squad cars
Jasmin Savoy Brown has some brief encounters with a few familiar faces in her latest music video.

The actress/musician, 28, closed out Pride Month with a treat for her fans, dropping the star-studded video for her new single "Goddamnit" in which her Scream costar Jack Quaid drops his pants for a cameo.

He still doesn't pull focus from Brown, though, who rocks some lingerie of her own in a bed with a revolving slate of guest appearances, including one cuddle session with her Yellowjackets love interest Liv Hewson. Brown previously teased Hewson's cameo to PEOPLE.

RELATED: Scream's Jasmin Savoy Brown Says Jamie Kennedy 'Was Proud' of Her Performance as Randy's Niece

Brown enlisted cameos from several of her onscreen cohorts, including Yellowjackets' Courtney Eaton and Sammi Hanratty, as well as Javicia Leslie (Batwoman), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Bex Taylor-Klaus (Dumplin') and Alicia Sixtos (East Los High).

Jasmin Savoy Brown https://youtu.be/FiaEh7KOm-M

Jasmin Savoy Brown/YouTube

"For the writer in Echo Park (and the comedian in Highland Park, and the photographer in Spain, and the dancer in DTLA, and the psych major in Pasadena)," Brown wrote with the video.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The video, which was directed by Violett Beane, comes after Brown dropped the debut single "Orange Wine" from her upcoming EP East LA in January.

Jasmin Savoy Brown https://youtu.be/FiaEh7KOm-M

Jasmin Savoy Brown/YouTube

Brown previously caught up with PEOPLE as she prepared to film the sixth Scream film in Canada, while celebrating Pride. "Mindy is Mindy as ever and she's still a little homo like me," she said of her character.

"And so certainly I'll be getting up to Pride activities in Montreal, which is very exciting. This Pride I'm really just grateful that I'm out and healthy and happy and that I get to exist visibly as a queer person," Brown added.

RELATED VIDEO: PEOPLE Pop Quiz: Yellowjackets

The Yellowjackets star said the show's LGBTQ fandom has been "really special to me," recalling a recent Pride event in London: "People came up to me in my space, like in a queer space, to offer gratitude or just like a shared moment of love."
By Yuka Obayashi and Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) -The highest temperatures for the season since record-keeping began have scorched much of eastern Japan for a week, prompting the government to ask citizens to cut power use as much as possible, while running air conditioners to stay safe.

The region around Tokyo hit its seventh straight day of temperatures above 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Friday and faced a hot weekend. Slightly cooler temperatures and possibly rain could bring relief on Monday.

For the first time this week, authorities did not on Friday warn of a possible power shortage, although energy supplies will remain tight and prices high, adding fervour to calls within the government to restart more nuclear reactors that have been offline since the Fukushima disaster of March 2011.

The city of Isesaki hit 40.3C (104.5F), the highest in Japan so far this year, and several other towns just north of the capital hit 40.1 and 40. Downtown Tokyo hit 37C (98.6F).

Japan frequently sees similar temperatures, but not this early in the year. The June heat was the worst since record-keeping began 147 years ago.

The government said dangerous conditions would persist and again encouraged people to relax the use of masks outdoors, a message that is slow to take root in Japan, where mask-wearing was popular even before the pandemic.

"Since it raises the risk of heatstroke, please take off your masks outside if you are far away from others and not speaking," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara told a news conference.

The power grid in greater Tokyo, home to 37 million people, came close to usage levels that could have threatened power outages on Thursday. The situation has eased as measures taken by authorities to deal with summer peak demand kicked in with the start of July.

Japan frequently sees scorching summer temperatures. Last year, several events at the Tokyo Olympics in late July had to be rescheduled due to the heat. But unprecedented temperatures this June have caught authorities unprepared.

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"Due to the record high temperatures, we had (power) demand nearly equal to summer peak levels in June - before we were able to gather sufficient supply resources. That's why things got tight," an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) told reporters on Thursday.

Some manufacturers shortened work hours and some companies asked workers to turn off unused appliances earlier this week.

Some commuter train stations also halted escalators, and an amusement park in Yokohama, a city near Tokyo, turned off the lights on its Ferris wheel and ropeway at night, the Nikkei Shimbun reported.

Offices turned off lights and even public broadcaster NHK dimmed the lights in its broadcast studios during the afternoon, when demand peaks.

The heat came with an early end to the rainy season, which in some parts of Japan lasted barely two weeks, leaving dams depleted and some areas calling for water conservation.

A tropical storm may brush Japan next week, bringing rain and slightly cooler temperatures.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi and Elaine Lies; Additional reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Writing by Elaine Lies; Editing by Tom Hogue and Barbara Lewis)
When Arcan Abu-hashish saw the black swastikas painted on his Jefferson Park smoke shop, he felt broken, he said, and scared.

I just wish hed leave us alone, Abu-hashish said about the vandal. Its very disappointing, to see someone carry hate.

The swastikas were painted on the shops back door, boarded-up front door and street sign on Tuesday night. The white supremacist graffiti also appeared at another nearby shop owned by people of color, Abu-hashish said.

As of Thursday, police have not made any arrests and said they are continuing to investigate. The business owner said he has a suspicion about who could have done it: a problematic former customer he believes is affiliated with a white supremacist gang.

This is definitely something I worry about, said Abu-hashish, who is Jordanian. Its targeted. ... Hes racist to the bone.

Police reported two businesses on the block were spray painted and wrote that the vandal was a man.

Representatives of a nearby cannabis dispensary that Abu-hashish said was also tagged with a swastika declined to comment when contacted by the Tribune. The dispensary is also owned by people of color, Abu-hashish said.

Another swastika was found painted across the street from a building used by the Ho-Chunk Nation, an American Indian tribe whose historic territory includes land in Wisconsin and Illinois, tribe spokesperson Kasey Brown said.

Its certainly not welcoming, Brown said.

While Brown wasnt sure if the swastika was directed at his tribe, he said that dealing with racism and white supremacy is not new for the Ho-Chunk.

As a tribal member, Ive dealt with this my entire life, he said. Still, the attack stuck out to tribal members, he added.

Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th, said he has zero tolerance for the hateful messaging that appeared in his ward. The aldermans staff called police when notified about the incident because it involved a hate crime, he added.

Our nation has unfortunately witnessed the negative effects of hate messaging and therefore it is vital our community takes a strong stance to continue embracing and promoting the diversity and inclusivity that makes us proud to live and work in Jefferson Park, Gardiner said.

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The Department of Streets and Sanitation immediately sent a graffiti removal team upon learning about the incident and took down the racist marks Wednesday, department spokesperson Mimi Simon said.

jsheridan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jakesheridan_
Dr. Jennifer Doudna in Berkeley, Calif., on Jan. 18, 2019.

Dr. Jennifer Doudna in Berkeley, Calif., on Jan. 18, 2019. Credit - Anastasiia SaponThe New York Times/Redux

Jennifer Doudna was staring at a computer screen filled with a string of As, Cs, Ts, and Gsthe letters that make up human DNAand witnessing a debilitating genetic disease being cured right before her eyes. Just a year earlier, in 2012, she and microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier had published a landmark paper describing CRISPR-Cas9, a molecular version of autocorrect for DNA, and she was seeing one the first demonstrations of CRISPRs power to cure a human disease. She was in the lab of Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a Harvard researcher who was eager to show her the results from an experiment he had just finished using CRISPR to treat the blood cells from a patient with sickle cell anemia. What the analysis revealed was something that few scientists had seen before: after using CRISPR, the mutation responsible for causing the patients sickle cell anemia was no longer detectable.

It was a thrilling validation of Doudnas work as a co-discoverer of CRISPR, a technology that allows scientists to edit the DNA of any living thing with a precision that had never before been possible. In the case of sickle cell anemia, CRISPR spliced out a single aberrant letter from the 3 billion base pairs of DNA in a patients cells. With the mutated letter gone, the cells would, presumably, start forming healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen instead of the harmful versions that make the disease so painful for the 100,000 people living with the condition in the U.S.

That was the moment when it really hit me that these patients wouldnt have disease anymore, Doudna says. The concept of curing diseases that in the past were manageable at best was really a turning point.

It has been 10 years since Doudna and Charpentier published the first paper describing the technology. During that decade, CRISPR has driven innovative thinking in nearly every aspect of life on earth. Scientists and companies are testing CRISPR not just to treat human disease, but also to improve plant crops and alter the populations of microbes in livestock that contribute to greenhouse gasses due to their methane emissions and ultimately to climate change. Drought and pesticide resistance, more carbon-friendly livestock, and lower-emission populations of gut microbes are all possible with CRISPR.

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But those are its beneficial applications. As with any cutting-edge technology, the power to edit genomes has a dark side. While it holds promise for curing intractable genetic diseases, it could potentially also be used to impart certain traits, like eye color, hair color, intelligence, or specific physical attributes, which could then be passed on to future generations. Potential applications to cells like eggs, sperm, and embryoswhere the changes can be inheritedkeep Doudna up at night. She has spent the past decade evolving her own thinking about her role as a scientist and as the co-discoverer of an awesome technology that snatches the power of evolution out of the hands of nature and places it squarely in the unprepared arms of humankind.

Ten years ago, I was in a very different place. I was a biochemist doing curiosity-driven research, which was what led me to working with CRISPR in the first place. I was teaching my classes, educating my students, and I wasnt thinking in the context of society-level implications, legal implications, and ethical concerns, she says. Nothing I had done in my past work would have fallen in that bucket. But I had to grapple with the fact that CRISPR was different.

Over the past decade, dozens of companies have emerged to take advantage of CRISPR to treat human disease, and Doudnas nagging fear about CRISPR even came true; in 2018, a scientist used the technology to permanently alter the genomes of twin girls, despite Doudna and other leading scientists around the world having agreed to a moratorium on using CRISPR on embryos.

I am always a little bit worried as more and more companies jump on the CRISPR bandwagon and start clinical trials, she says. What if those trials get ahead of themselves, and a negative event occurs that sets the whole field back?

If the first 10 years of living with CRISPR were about working out the scientific challenges behind editing genomes, the next several decades will be about coming to terms with the technologys revolutionary power. Doudna has now embraced her role, and obligation, to lead the right conversations involving the public, patients, scientists, and policy makers to ensure that the changes CRISPR produces ultimately do more good than harm.

Emmanuelle Charpentier, left on screen, and Jennifer Doudna are announced as the winners of the 2020 Nobel prize in Chemistry during a news conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 7, 2020. Henrik MontgomeryTT/AP

The technology that Doudna and Charpentier, who was then at the University of Vienna, first described in 2012 was breathtaking in both its power and simplicity. When opportunistic viruses insert their genetic material into bacterial genomes, using their hosts to churn out more copies of themselves, the bacteria respond with their own genetic defense: They generate repeated DNA sequences that sandwich the viral genes and provide instructions for powerful enzymes that can splice out the intruding DNA. Doudna and Charpentiers teams worked out a way to apply the same strategy to targeting and snipping out specific portions of DNA in the human genomenamely those containing mutations responsible for genetic disorders like sickle cell anemia. CRISPR is programmed to edit DNA only at certain places, operating like a pair of molecular scissors equipped with enzymes that can cut the DNA, and a genetic GPS guide made up of another complementary genetic material called RNA that can find the designated DNA sequence.

The duo won the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing the gene-editing method. But by that time, Doudnaa professor in chemistry and molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeleywas already a scientific rockstar. In the decade since she co-published the seminal paper, the number of students interested in logging time in Doudnas lab has ballooned, due in equal parts to the burgeoning promise of CRISPR, and to the opportunity to add Doudnas name to their resumes.

The Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at Berkeley is Doudnas answer to the profound questions raised by the gene-editing technology she introduced to the world. The airy, light-filled facility has collaborative workspaces on each floor equipped with heavily used whiteboards. Every blank surface, including the glass walls of most offices in the building, is covered with scribbles reflecting the brainstorms of dozens of scientists and students involved in the Doudna lab. In order to capitalize on CRISPRs promise, I quickly realized very early on that there was so much to do that there was no way my academic lab could tackle it, she says. We would have to involve a much bigger team. She shared her vision for an institute that convenes experts from virology, genetics, clinical medicine, agriculture, and climateall focused on finding the most responsible ways to take CRISPR into the real worldwith the dean. CRISPR is something that will absolutely have a broad impact, she recalls telling him, and we have to make sure we are a player in that space.

The promise of CRISPR also means that competition is fierce around every aspect of the technologyincluding its origin. Soon after Doudna and Charpentier published their paper, Feng Zhang, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, published his description of CRISPR in eukaryotic cells, which include mammalian cells. That prompted a seven-year long patent dispute between the institutions: Berkeley and the University of Vienna claimed that their scientists came to the CRISPR breakthrough, and filed their patent application, first, while Broad said that their scientists got the technology to work in eukaryotic cells first. In February, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office finally ruled in favor of the Broad, which could mean that the Broad will collect millions in licensing fees as CRISPR-based companies seek legal access to the technology. The claims of Broads patents to methods for use in eukaryotic cells, such as for genome editing, are patentably distinct, the Broad said in a statement. But the decision doesnt end the dispute; Berkeley and the University of Vienna have filed an appeal.

Doudna has distanced herself from the battle, aside from providing lab notebooks and other documentation to support Berkeleys and University of Viennas case. But she appreciates that such legal questions are part of the baggage that comes with a ground-breaking discovery like CRISPR. Many people who meet her for the first time ask about it, she says, including students at Berkeley. The patent officer or judgedo they know the science well enough to be able to understand the nuances of something like this? These are questions I dont have answers to, she says. I dont think there is a lot of questioning in the scientific field of who did what and when, because you can read it in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, and its dated. I dont lie awake at night worrying about it, I just carry on with what I see coming down the pike.

Cassava plantlets, generated from tissue culture, at the IGI Plant Genomics and Transformation Facility. Benton CheungIGI

Where CRISPR goes next

The first forays into treating human diseases with CRISPR have focused on conditions like blood cancers, in which doctors can remove cells from patients bone marrow, which produces immune and blood cells; edit them with CRISPR to remove unwanted mutations; and then return the fixed, healthy cells back to the patient. Doudnas team is collaborating with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Los Angeles to use a similar strategy to treat sickle cell anemia. One of Doudnas several companies that she set up with former students, Caribou Biosciences, uses CRISPR to edit cancer-causing sequences out of the DNA of immune cells from patients with a variety of cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Scientists, including Doudnas group, are continuing to refine the technology by finding ways to edit even more precisely. While CRISPR is effective, its not perfect at making the type of change that you want to make at the desired position, Doudna explains. Making it so is critical as CRISPR expands into trying to treat not just well-understood genetic diseases like sickle cell, but also more complex ones, like dementia and heart disease, that are the result of multiple changes in a variety of genes. With sickle cell, for instance, CRISPR edits out the single mutation responsible for the disease, after which the cells natural DNA repair mechanisms take over and fix the DNA, now with the correct sequence that can produce normally shaped and functioning red blood cells. But other conditions may require not just removing mutations but replacing them with more complex, correct sequences so that the cell can make the proper proteins or substances. Thats where ensuring that CRISPR is more precise, and able to deliver the appropriate corrected DNA to the right place in the genome in the right cells, is importantand still elusive. Another of Doudnas former students, Ben Oakes, co-founded Scribe Therapeutics with her to refine how CRISPR can edit DNA more precisely. We are really fixated and focused on how to [eventually] enable the use of CRISPR in the human body, says Oakes. His team has pioneered a CRISPR system relying on a different enzyme, or DNA-cutting molecule, than the original CRISPR platform, and in animal models of ALS, the system seems to edit the targeted mutations more efficiently and contribute to a longer lifespan for the animals than the original CRISPR platform.

That will hopefully be the case in people as well, as more scientists find ways to use CRISPR directly inside patients bodies. In 2014, Doudna co-founded Intellia Therapeutics, and its scientists have tested a CRISPR-based intravenous treatment for transthyretin amyloidosis, a relatively rare disease involving the buildup of an abnormal form of a protein in organs and along nerves, causing damage to the heart and nervous system. The treatment, tested in a small number of patients, successfully edited the target genes in the liver and led to an up to 93% drop in blood levels of the abnormal protein a month after the infusion, the company reported in June. Its the first demonstration of the safety and efficacy of CRISPR-based editing in a patients body, and how to take something that is incredibly powerful in the test tube or petri dish and make it start to behave like medicine, says Intellia president and CEO Dr. John Leonard.

Transforming environmental health

Its not just humans who are getting the CRISPR treatment. The worlds biggest crops are, too. On the first floor of the IGI, little sprigs of rice, wheat, corn, banana, cassava, and other plant species are sprouting in plastic containers tucked into dozens of refrigerator-sized incubators. The plants are all seedlings representing the future of agriculture: drought-resistant rice, pesticide-resistant wheat, and better-tasting tomatoes.

Scientists are searching for ways to boost yield and help crops withstand punishing environmental conditions that would otherwise kill them. Myeong-Je Cho, director of IGIs plant genomics and transformation facility, is trying to suss out the genes responsible for making plants susceptible to certain pests or fungior those that make them dependent on an abundant and consistent rainfalland tweak them using CRISPR to become hardier and able to produce higher yields. The work is still in the early stages, but Cho is proud of a rice variant the team has modified with CRISPR to genetically reduce the amount of pores that the plant uses to exchange carbon dioxide and water with the environment, thus making it more tolerant to low-water conditions. Hes shipped the seeds to Colombia for farmers to plant in the first field test of the drought-resistant crop.

The list of features that Cho is hoping to edit with CRISPR is long and continues to grow. He is working on knocking out a gene that could be responsible for making wheat vulnerable to a fungal disease; hes growing corn that could be genetically resistant to herbicides, allowing farmers to control pests without harming the crop; hes also using CRISPR to remove genes responsible for producing solanine, a neurotoxin in potatoes that helps protect the tuber from insects and disease but can cause vomiting and paralysis of the central nervous system in people. His group is also working with Innolea, a French seed company, to develop sunflowers that produce oil with a better consistency and tweaking the tomato plants ethylene gene, which is responsible for controlling ripening, to develop a more delicious fruit.

Solving agricultures biggest blights wasnt part of Doudnas initial agenda. But CRISPR can improve not just human health, but also the health of the planet. Its an unusual experience, being able to bridge all different disciplines of sciencefrom plant biology and commercial agriculture to people working to treat human diseasesyet all of these problems are potentially treatable or can be addressed using CRISPR, she says.

Editing genes could also play a role in what many world leaders see as humankinds most urgent problem: climate change. As Doudna sees it, the most daunting challenges of the climate crisis boil down to carbon emissions, and achieving net zero will ultimately depend on cultivating plants that can pull more carbon from the atmosphere and raising animals that release less. At IGI, Jill Banfield, a Berkeley professor and microbiologist who first introduced Doudna to the odd phenomenon in bacteria that was CRISPR, is currently exploring ways to edit genes in millions of bacteria living in microbiomes like the cow gut in order to manipulate the amount of methanea potent greenhouse gasthey release. Its still early work, but could provide one way to reduce the effects of climate change.

Jennifer Doudna, center, is interviewed during the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong, on Nov. 27, 2018. Isaac LawrenceAFP/Getty Images

CRISPRs dark side

While Doudna finds such explorations fun, she is also keenly aware of CRISPRs power. Soon after she published her paper, she had nightmares in which Adolf Hitler came to her to learn about how CRISPR works. In the wrong hands, the power to edit genes could lead to medical abuses and even eugenics, in which people could select for virtually any feature, including those involved in physical appearance and intelligence. In 2018, her fears about using CRISPR to tweak human genes were realized when she received a shocking email from the Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who told Doudna that he had used CRISPR to change the DNA in human embryos, and that as a result, twin girls had been bornthe first people on record to have their genomes permanently altered by CRISPR. Up to that point, scientists had agreed to a moratorium on such experiments, because of deep ethical concerns. Its hard to explain my emotions on seeing that, says Doudna. It was a feeling of horror, because this was the scenario that we [the scientific community] had been thinking about and trying to mitigate against, and now it actually happened. How do we manage that?

Years later, there still are no easy answers. In the controversial experiment in China, the twins father was HIV positive, and He edited a gene believed to contribute to resistance to HIV, in an effort to protect the children from the virus. But a Chinese court determined that He manipulated consent documents and questioned whether the parents were fully informed of the nature of the study; ultimately, He was jailed for violating medical regulations with his unorthodox experiment. What was so horrifying was realizing that this was an experiment that had been done on human beings that had never even been done in animals, says Doudna. It brought back Mengele, she adds, referring to the Nazi physician who experimented on prisoners, including twins, at Auschwitz during World War II. I thought, Oh my God, I dont want the technology I am involved in to be doing that.

After initially feeling that she was not qualified to tackle the bigger social and ethical implications of CRISPR, Doudna realized that with the remarkable discovery also came a responsibility that she couldnt shirk.

Here we are sitting on this powerful technology, and more and more scientists are adopting it, yet most people outside of the scientific community have no idea about it and what it can do, she says. What do I do, call my Senator? I had no idea. There was nobody to ask.

So she turned to other Nobel laureatesincluding David Baltimore, who had struggled with similar ethical questions after he and others discovered how to manipulate DNA to recombine its sequences in different ways. It was a crude, earlier version of gene editing with much less control than CRISPR affords, but which has contributed to drug treatments and promising vaccine candidates. Doudna, with the help of other leading scientists including Baltimore, drafted guidelines for how and when to best apply CRISPR, and agreed on a moratorium in 2015 on using CRISPR for the type of embryo-editing that He conducted. But without a way to enforce such guidelines, Doudna believes that CRISPRs next battles will be in public opinion and legal settings as the public, courts, and regulatory bodies confront which applications of CRISPR cross ethical and cultural lines. We are going to have to forge a path and figure it out, she says. This powerful technology allows us to change the essence of who we are if we want to. Im not a hyperbolic person, but Im trying to alert people to the fact that this is really going to change things.

The future of CRISPR

Doudna adamantly believes that CRISPR, and editing genomes, whether human or otherwise, can be beneficial. While changing DNA does have serious consequences, if its applied only to individual genomes and not to cellsin humans, at leastthat can be inherited, she views CRISPR as a type of molecular accelerant to the process of natural selection. CRISPR makes it possible to get to a genetic condition or change genes in an organism faster than if we were to wait for evolution to do it, she says. When were dealing with something like climate change, where time is of the essence, it means we can do things faster than waiting for the natural process to take its course.

That could also apply to pandemics. When her lab researchers were desperate to continue their time-sensitive work during the early COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, part of Doudnas team at IGI developed a diagnostic COVID-19 test for all of Berkeleys staff, students, and faculty in just three months. By September, the lab was federally certified to provide diagnostic tests and began testing frontline workers and underserved communities in the Bay Area. Using CRISPR-based strategies not to edit genomes but to identify pathogens, IGIs scientists were able to quickly detect new variants by picking out changes in SARS-CoV-2s genetic sequences, and in May, the lab launched a new assay that can detect which variant of the virus patients are infected with when they test positive. The pandemic provided an opportunity for CRISPR to flex its muscles as a tool for potentially tracking and detecting new infectious disease culprits, as well as variants as COVID-19 continues to spread. Such surveillance would allow public-health experts to better predict where and when to dedicate additional testing and treatment resources.

Doudna recently reread her landmark 2012 paper, and admits that while she had a sense then that it was kind of a moment, she could not have envisioned the profound ways CRISPR is now transforming the world. CRISPR is making us rethink genetic diseases: its now possible to contemplate curing, rather than treating for a lifetime, genetic conditions like sickle cell anemia or vision problems like macular degeneration. The dialogue about climate change has also been redirected, given the possibility that CRISPR could help address major sources of organic carbon emissions at their source, in the gut microbiomes of animals.

There is no turning back the clock on the incredible scientific sovereignty that humans now have over their world, and Doudna is keenly aware of her responsibility in making sure that power is wielded through thoughtful collaboration. She is talking with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about CRISPR-based therapies for human diseases that appear to be coming fast, and is reassured that the agency is trying to stay ahead of the thorny questions editing the human genome will pose. However, while Doudna is optimistic that the transparency and open dialogue that she has advocated for the past 10 years about CRISPR will push the technology in the right direction, she is also aware that it will be impossible to completely control CRISPR.

It wasnt until a few years after publishing her paper that the enormity of what she had discovered, and the weight of responsibility that came with it, finally hit her. Doudna was in Napa Valley, attending one of the first-ever CRISPR meetings, and had arrived a few hours early so decided to take a hike. As she reached an overlook with a spectacular view of the valley, I suddenly felt profoundly sad, she says. I should have felt happyI was in a gorgeous setting and was fortunate to be there. But I hadnt really had a moment like that to myself in a long, long time. I reflected for the first time that there was a before-CRISPR for me and an after-CRISPR. My life had forever changed, and so had the world.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Michael Jordan. Photo by Getty Images

Michael Jordan has been called out.

Ahead of his UFC Hall of Fame induction, MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov said he'd want to fight the NBA icon.

"I think I could take him down," the former UFC champ said.

LAS VEGAS  Michael Jordan better watch out.

Speaking to ESPN social while on the red carpet ahead of his UFC Hall of Fame induction at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Khabib Nurmagomedov picked the NBA GOAT as a celebrity he would fight if he could.

"Michael Jordan. Yes. Do you want to know why? Because I think I could take him down," Nurmagomedov said.

A former UFC lightweight champion who retired from the sport at the top of his game with a 29-0 record, Nurmagomedov was enshrined permanently by the UFC's Hall, remembered as an exciting ground-and-pound master.

Khabib Nurmagomedov walks the red carpet. Photo by Getty Images

The Dagestan wrestler put his region of Russia on the MMA map.

Nurmagomedov beat a who's who of top tier 155-pounders during his heyday, including Rafael dos Anjos, Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.

He has lofty ambitions in his post-fight career, as he owns the combat sports firm Eagle Fighting Championship, and helps train and corner exciting up-and-comers Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Usman Nurmagomedov.

Khabib Nurmagomedov gets inducted into UFC's Hall of Fame. Photo by Getty Images

Jordan, one of the NBA's greatest competitors, won six NBA championships in the 1990s and is arguably the most famous basketball player of all time.

It is not the first time Nurmagomedov has spoken about Jordan

Basketball fan Nurmagomedov was laughing after he said he'd like to take Jordan down, and has spoken positively about the Chicago Bulls legend before.

"I really want to meet Michael Jordan," Nurmagomedov said once on the Full Send podcast.

He later added that he became interested in Jordan because of The Last Dance documentary mini-series that was co-produced by ESPN Films and Netflix.

NBA superstar Michael Jordan. Photo by Getty Images

"I watched his documentary because I'm working on my documentary, and it was very interesting to watch," said Nurmagomedov.

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"My friend advised me, 'You have to watch this. It's very impressive.' Before his documentary, I didn't know about him much.

"I just knew Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player, and that's it."

Khabib Nurmagomedov playing Dagestan basketball. Photo by Anatomy of a Fighter / YouTube

He continued: "In Dagestan, we don't follow the NBA much, and it was very impressive for me to watch, and I really want to meet this guy."

Nurmagomedov plays a popular style of basketball in Dagestan, though he said this style is "not like Michael Jordan."

The Dagestan version combines basketball, running, and wrestling.

There were other UFC Hall of Fame inductees Thursday

Nurmagomedov was joined Thursday in the Hall of Fame by his friend and fellow athlete Dan Cormier, a former two-weight UFC champion who remains employed at the Las Vegas-based fight promotion as a commentator.

Dan Cormier, UFC. Photo by Getty Images

"Winning any UFC title is so hard," Cormier said at the ceremony. "To win one is an amazing accomplishment, to be a double champion is crazy.

"Don't allow for the bad to cripple you. Allow for it to serve as motivation to do something even bigger and better. Because if you get dealt adversity, if something bad happens and you quit, you'll never know what you truly can be."

The 2016 Fight of the Year between Cub Swanson and Dooho Choi was also inducted in the Hall's "Fight Wing." Giga Chikadze, meanwhile, earned the Forrest Griffin Community Award.

Read the original article on Insider
Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krisjanis Karins holds a meeting with his Spanish counterpart at La Moncloa in Madrid, on June 13, 2022. / Credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images

Washington  Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins has warned European and U.S. leaders not to succumb to "war weariness" as Russia's war in Ukraine grinds on, helping to drive energy and food prices higher around the world. In an interview with CBS News, Karins said leaders of countries that aren't experiencing war first-hand can become "tired or less committed to aiding the country which is in need."

He urged countries struggling with inflation to accept it as a small price to pay, as "Ukrainians are paying with their lives."

This week, NATO announced the military alliance's high-readiness forces would be significantly increased from 40,000 to more than 300,000 troops, with a focus on increasing the Eastern flank, close to the EU's borders with Russia.

Latvia, a NATO member sharing a land border with Russia, will host the largest NATO force on the Eastern flank with 1,887 troops. Lithuania will have 1,632 and Estonia 1,430. Karins praised the U.S. for its decision to increase the troop presence in the east, saying the announcements made at a NATO summit in Madrid had put the security alliance "on the right track."

As he left that summit, President Joe Biden vowed that the U.S. would continue to support Ukraine for "as long as it takes," and he said more military aid would be announced in the coming days.

Earlier in the week, Mr. Biden reiterated America's commitment to defend its NATO allies, referencing the Article 5 collective defense clause in the alliance's charter.

"We mean it when we say an attack against one is an attack against all," the president said Wednesday.

During a visit to Turkmenistan on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would outlast Ukraine  whose sovereignty he has repeatedly called into question  saying he was in no hurry to end the war that he refers to only as a "special military operation."

And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also said in an interview with CBS News' Margaret Brennan Thursday that Putin, having prepared for his war on Ukraine for at least a year before inciting it, is likely ready to wage his offensive for a "long time."

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Karins said NATO leaders shouldn't worry about provoking the Russian autocrat, as "there's nothing that we in Europe, or in NATO, can do to provoke or not to provoke Putin. He is on his own trajectory, regardless of what it is that we do."

In early June, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that "we must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means."

Karins argues there is "political danger" in the argument "that we need peace at any cost, because that translates to peace at the cost of Ukraine."

The Latvian leader called it "ludicrous" to imagine any world leader being willing to give up any part of their own nation's territory.

According to a May survey by the Washington Post, 72% of Latvian speakers in Latvia saw Russia as the primary threat to their country, and almost 80% of Latvian speakers supported a larger NATO presence. With a long history of Russian invasion and occupation, the threat of Russia looms large over the collective Latvian subconscious.

Karins warned that a Russian victory in Ukraine "would radically change world order."

"It's like giving the devil your little finger. It might seem good at first, but in the end, you're essentially in the first step of giving up your own way of life," he said.

Latvia has already been on the receiving end of Russia's aggression in the form of cyberattacks and disinformation. Karins described a "steady barrage" of Russian cyberattacks, which he said his own country's defense forces had managed to to stay one step ahead of.

Latvia has been targeted with cyberattacks by the Russian hacking group "Killnet" and its associated groups since May, according to Latvian Radio.

Russia's disinformation campaign has also targeted Russian speakers in Latvia in an effort to "try to split our society," according to Karins. Since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Latvia's media watchdog has shut down more than 100 television channels and websites spreading Russian propaganda, Karins told CBS News.

Just as important, Karins said, have been Latvia's efforts to fill the void left by those Russian language channels with objective information.

"We all need to do a little more,'' he said. "If Latvia, which is not the richest of countries in Europe, can donate the equivalent of one third of our annual military budget to Ukraine, then certainly some of our friends and neighbors, who are relatively more wealthy, can probably donate a little bit more than they have today."

Israel's parliament dissolved, setting stage for another election

Libyan artist shows off his unique skill  drawing with his hands and feet at the same time

Emergency contraceptive pill sales surge after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
With Kentuckys trigger law on pause, medical providers and Kentucky attorneys are facing confusion on how to handle potential court proceedings if the law is reinstated and it becomes illegal for doctors to perform most abortions.

Attorneys from around the state and outside of the commonwealth are working together to provide pro bono services to providers in case they do face criminal charges for operating a procedure which had been federally protected for nearly 50 years before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week.

Under Kentuckys trigger law, which was passed by state lawmakers in 2019 as a way to immediately outlaw almost all abortions in the event that Roe v. Wade was overturned, obstetricians performing abortions or providing abortion pills to women could face up to five years in prison and charged with a Class D felony.

A Louisville judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the trigger law which allows the procedures to continue until at least July 6. This decision was a result of a lawsuit filed on Monday by Kentuckys two remaining abortion providers who sued the state. The judge will determine later whether or not the law violates Kentuckys Constitution.

During the temporary injunction, providers are scrambling to understand what they are legally allowed to do, and what advice they can offer their patients.

Lawyers try to help figure out gray area in KY abortion law

Michelle Lawson, a domestic violence and sexual abuse advocate attorney in Hazard, said Kentuckys trigger law leaves a lot of gray area for providers.

I spoke to one doctor who felt she couldnt practice properly because of this trigger law, Lawson said. There are times where medically, abortions are a necessary option to explain to a patient, and these doctors feel they are not able to explain that.

Sometimes, an abortion is the only treatment in certain situations, and with this law, some feel they are not able to tell patients their proper treatment.

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David Borum, a Louisville attorney, agreed.

I know that obstetricians and OB GYNs are feeling that  and I am sure that many feel the same way  when they are trying to care for a patient their mission to do so is without judgment and with science, but this law creates all kinds of gray areas where a doctor cant rely on science, but a law does that does not create or leave room for science.

Lawson also said the exception in the law, which allows doctors to perform an abortion if they believe its necessary to prevent death or substantial risk of death for the mother, is too vague.

They are only allowed when they can help save the life and health of the mother, she said. Well what does that mean for the law? Those emergencies will be up to a hospital attorney to decide what is an appropriate time to perform an abortion in the situation. Sometimes doctors only have two minutes to make a decision, and what happens if you cant get a hold of a hospital attorney?

With abortion laws changing daily as a result of court proceedings, both Lawson and Borum are offering their services pro bono to providers fearing they could face prosecution.

Lawson said in a tweet that she would provide pro bono services, and if she couldnt take a case due to distance, shed try to refer the person to another attorney.

I will provide pro Bono services to women in Kentucky if they are prosecuted for providing or obtaining an abortion. My office number is (606) 212-3030. If I cant take the case because of distance I can likely refer you to an attorney who can in your area.  Michelle Lawson (@HollerWitch724) June 25, 2022

The tweet received over 35,000 likes and 13,000 retweets.

Aside from one death threat, Lawson said the response to her post has been overwhelmingly positive. Other attorneys have reached out to provide their services.

I have had about 10 to 20 attorneys call to say they can help in other states as well, Lawson said. I have had people in Louisville reach out, as well as Somerset. I have had offers from non-attorneys who want to help out in any way they can.

Providers are feeling frustrated and confused

Borum is also offering pro bono services to watch, monitor, track and report the changes made to the trigger law and court proceedings, to let doctors know their options.

He said after Fridays decision, a national organization of attorneys met with over 1,300 attorneys and law students  all volunteers  to discuss what they can do to help.

There are some attorneys that are doing their own things, but an organization of volunteers that are paying close attention to this, Borum said. We have not seen this prosecuted in Kentucky, but we understand providers especially, but women also, want to know their options, but providers are feeling frustrated and confused on what they can and cannot do.

Right now, Borum, Lawson and Gov. Andy Beshear all say that all they can do is wait for the court system.

Right now we are going to have to see how it plays out in the court. Things are changing very quickly and the ACLU is doing amazing work to stop the trigger ban, Lawson said. (The trigger ban) is very vague, so we have to try to flesh out the meaning in the court system.

As doctors try to figure out what they are or arent allowed to do, Beshear said Thursday hes trying to figure out where the courts are going to come out ... with their rulings. Beshear has been critical of the trigger law, especially its lack of exceptions for victims of rape and incest, and called it extremist.

When asked if he would grant clemency to doctors facing prosecution, Beshear said he hadnt looked at it yet.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said he would grant clemency to doctors charged over his states abortion law, which also bans most abortions.

Lawson said if anyone else wants to become a volunteer or offer services, they can do so by contacting the Kentucky Health Justice Network.
Mayor John Hamilton watches as David Jones checks the metal makeup of a water pipe at the intersection of East Dunstan and South Allendale drives on Friday, June 10, 2022.

Water utility workers plan to dig holes in yards all across Bloomington to determine whether any water lines to households contain lead, which is especially harmful to children.

The work, which Bloomington City Utilities hopes to complete in about 18 months, is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and ultimately will serve as a basis for a lead line replacement plan.

Local utility officials said the mere presence of lead pipes does not mean residents need to worry, but they emphasized the EPA says available science shows there is no safe level of exposure to lead.

We dont want to get rid of just some of it. We want to get rid of all of it, said Tyler Steury, water quality coordinator for Bloomington utilities.

Seeking a primary-care doctor?: Few taking new patients and the wait is long

The EPA says even low levels of lead in the blood of children can cause serious problems, including lower intelligence, and an Indiana University professor in an email warned of potential problems.

"Many cities have a 'ticking time bomb' hidden under all of the streets and yards  their drinking water pipes," said Gabriel Filippelli, executive director of Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute.

In a recent column, Filippelli wrote that children with lead poisoning "tend to perform poorly at school, which reduces their earning potential as adults." He wrote they also face a higher risk of health problems such as stroke, and research has found "strong connections between lead poisoning and incarceration rates for violent crimes."

Gabe Filippelli at IUPUI

Blood lead levels in children have declined in recent decades, primarily because of the elimination of leaded gasoline and most lead-based paints. In the 1970s, nearly 90% of children ages 1 to 5 had blood lead concentrations that under today's health guidelines would be a "level of concern," Filippelli wrote.

Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 2% of children have elevated blood lead levels, though Filippelli noted that higher levels disproportionately harm communities of color.

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Holly McLauchlin, the local utilitys communications manager, said while CBU knows the composition of the large pipes or culverts that bring water to neighborhoods, the utility does not have an inventory of the composition of the smaller lines that carry the water to homes.

Before the mid-1980s, use of lead in water lines was common, she said.

More: IU researcher confirms lead in ash fallout after controlled burn; cleanup ongoing

Lead testing a first step

The testing in Bloomington over the next 18 months will serve as a first step to replacing lead lines, though Steury said that will take years or longer. He said other communities across the country typically have adopted 20-year plans.

Initially, the local utility will check the lines at 150 homes across the city. At each location, workers will dig two holes to determine the composition of the city-owned portion  closer to the street  and the property owners portion  closer to the home.

Mayor John Hamilton uses a spraying device connected to a hydro-excavation truck to dig for a water pipe at the intersection of East Dunstan and South Allendale drives on Friday, June 10, 2022.

A utility crew and Mayor John Hamilton recently demonstrated some new equipment the utility acquired to make lead testing easier. At a residence on Allendale Drive, in southeastern Bloomington, the workers deployed a hydro-excavation truck, which uses high water pressure to weaken soil and essentially turn it into mud, which can be sucked into the truck via an attached hose.

Utility officials said the new truck enables the workers to get to the buried water lines without having to dig holes, which would take more time and increase the risk of damage to water lines and underground infrastructure.

Utility officials said CBU spent $700,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to purchase the truck and personnel to operate it.

Steury said, however, topography and the lines distance to the house sometimes make use of the truck impractical or impossible. In some cases, utility workers still have to dig through asphalt and concrete to get to the lines. Sometimes the work can be done with a crew of three, but more difficult inspections can require seven workers.

City of Bloomington Utilities' David Jones explains to Mayor John Hamilton the readout on his device, an XRF gun, that shows the component percentage of each type of metal found in the pipe he just tested at the intersection of East Dunstan and South Allendale drives on Friday, June 10, 2022.

Once the water line has been exposed, a utility worker touches it with an XRF gun, which immediately provides information about the lines composition. The line of the home on Allendale was made of copper.

Steury said the utility still is working on a way to notify residents of the findings and is considering hanging some information on front doors. So far, he said, workers have simply told people the results.

Utility officials said residents have to give permission before workers can start digging, and the crew has to leave the yards as it found them.

The crew has tested 30 homes so far and found just one where the line contained lead, though 80% of it was made from iron. Steury said the homeowner did not appear worried, as he had lived there for decades and his parents had lived there for decades before him.

Once the utility has gathered information from 150 locations, it will use a predictive algorithm from Ann Arbor, Michigan-based BlueConduit to determine the likelihood of the composition of other nearby water lines. If the collected data do not provide enough certainty for state officials, the local utility may have to do more testing.

The utility will publish a map of its final analysis. Eventually, it plans to provide incentives for property owners to replace their portion of the lead lines. McLauchlin said replacement can cost thousands of dollars, depending on factors including the length of the water line.

Flint crisis spotlights lead concerns

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures, according to the EPA.

The topic gained national attention in 2014 because of a crisis in Flint, Michigan, where a state-appointed emergency manager switched the citys drinking water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. According to USA Today, a sister publication of The Herald-Times, the measure was intended to save money but proved to be a disaster. Michigan officials acknowledged they failed to add corrosion-control chemicals during the water treatment process.

After Flint River water began flowing, corrosive water caused lead to leach from joints, pipes and fixtures, causing a spike in toxic lead levels in the blood of Flint children and other residents, the paper wrote.

More: Sensitive data from IU Health patients breached by unknown perpetrators

Steury said Bloomington City Utilities uses sodium hydroxide to keep the local water, from Lake Monroe, at a pH level of about 9.1 to 9.3. The EPA considers levels below a pH level of 7 to be acidic.

Steury said the local waters pH level is high enough to prevent corrosion, which means even if lead lines exist in Bloomington, the harmful metal would not leach into the water.

Filippelli said the level of danger also depends on how frequently the lines are used.

"Stagnant lines can result in lead leaching into the water from the pipes, and when the line is first used, you get a slug of lead," he said. "This is most common in buildings like schools where they might go an extended time without water use (summer, holidays, etc.)."

Filippelli said while it doesn't hurt to replace lead lines in the home, he has enough confidence in the local water utility he has not replaced the pipes or a lead gooseneck in his house.

Projects like this are going on all across the country, he said.

"I think that nearly all of the time, though, the water company is diligent enough to maintain adequate inhibitors to reduce this risk," Filippelli said.

Boris Ladwig is the city government reporter for The Herald-Times. Contact him at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington City Utilities checking residential water lines for lead
Multiple law enforcement officers are dead and several others are hurt after a shooting in Floyd County, according to the Floyd County sheriff and court documents.

The shooting happened Thursday and multiple agencies responded.

Heres the latest of what we know:

What led up to the shooting

According to court documents, a man opened fire on officers with a rifle at his residence on Main Street in Allen. WKYT, the Herald-Leaders news-reporting partner, reported that officers were serving a domestic violence order before the shooting.

Kentucky State Police spokesman Matt Gayheart said state police received a request for officer assistance shortly after 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The initial complaint was shots fired, but it eventually escalated to an active shooter incident.

The shooting occurred at 6:44 p.m., state police said in a news release Friday afternoon.

At about 10 p.m., the shooter was taken into custody after barricading himself inside his residence for several hours, Gayheart said.

The shooting involved victims from multiple agencies, according to media reports. A spokesperson for the Lexington Police Department confirmed that officers were responding to help.

The Lexington Police Department had and has personnel in place to assist in any way possible, said Sgt. Guy Miller. Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved.

Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt confirmed the news to multiple media outlets late Thursday night. Kentucky State Police spokesman Matt Gayheart told reporters in Allen that the shooter was in custody and there was no threat to the public around midnight as well.

They encountered pure hell. Sheriff says man who killed KY cops opened fire without warning

The suspect is an Allen, Ky., resident

Lance Storz, 49, is accused of the shooting.

As of Friday, he was facing two charges of murder of a police officer, four counts of attempted murder of a police officer, one additional count of attempted murder and one count of assault on a service animal, according to court records. Court documents alleged that Storz was the shooter, and Floyd County Attorney Keith Bartley confirmed Storz as the suspect.

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Officers who were killed have been identified

Storz arrest citation said the shooting left two police officers and one police K9 dead. Late Friday, it was announced that a third officer had died. Several other police officers and one emergency management director were also injured.

The Prestonsburg Police Department confirmed the officers who died were Canine Handler Jacob Chaffins, Captain Ralph Frasure and Floyd County Sheriffs Deputy William Petry.

Kentucky state police said Saturday that two officers who were injured were listed in stable condition and one had been released from the hospital. State police said the civilian who was injured was also being cared for at a hospital.

Injured officers were taken to hospitals in Prestonsburg, Lexington, and Huntington, W.Va., according to LEX18.

Floyd County suffered a tragic loss

In a Facebook post, Hunt thanked everyone for their thoughts and messages and asked people to pray for the ones involved in Thursday nights incident.

Prestonburg Mayor Les Stapleton said the citys administrative offices are closed Friday with plans of re-opening Tuesday. He encouraged people experiencing emergencies to still call 911.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they were responding to the scene just before 9:30 p.m. Gov. Andy Beshear also sent out a tweet offering his thoughts and prayers for those involved.

Tonight I ask the commonwealth to join Britainy and I in holding Floyd County in prayer, especially the family and loved ones of those who have responded to a barricade situation involving a shooting. ^AB  Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) July 1, 2022

Beshear sent out another tweet Friday morning thanking the first responders at the shooting.

Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night. I want to ask all of Kentucky to join me in praying for this community. This is a tough morning for our commonwealth. ^AB  Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) July 1, 2022

Herald-Leader reporter Karla Ward contributed to this report.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas outside the White House in October 2020. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)

To the editor: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should reevaluate decisions that recognized the rights to gay marriage and contraception. So justices can have an "agenda" to target rights? I always believed they were to be neutral, waiting for cases to be presented and then evaluating them in relation to the Constitution.

The conservative justices seem to have their minds already made up and are encouraging cases to be brought before them.

For example, they could have merely ruled on the Mississippi case and left the Roe vs. Wade in place. But by a 5-4 majority, they chose to go beyond the Mississippi case to nullify the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to an abortion.

This sounds like an agenda, and the three newly installed justices deceived Congress regarding this. When does the deception end?

Cheryl Shrock, Tustin

..

To the editor: Passing a federal law to protect rights like access to contraception is exactly the wrong approach, for many reasons. A future Congress could repeal such a law on a whim, and the current Supreme Court would be motivated to strike it down on dubious grounds.

In addition, having such protections would dull the current momentum for change.

Republicans have been willing to play the long game, tolerating a situation they hated while they whipped up resentment so that they could get what they wanted. Democrats need to learn from that playbook.

The Supreme Court has painted itself into a corner; either it must allow states to outlaw contraception (creating a backlash that will overwhelm the justices) or it will have to invent the most specious reasoning yet. Progress will win in the end, but we can bring it about more quickly with patience and intelligent strategy than by reacting to every new travesty.

Geoff Kuenning, Claremont

..

To the editor: The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed by the 21st. Let's hope a similar fate doesn't befall the 19th Amendment.

Ladies, before we also lose our right to vote, let's be sure that our voices are heard loudly at the ballot box. November is not too many months away. Either a candidate supports a woman's sole ownership of her reproductive organs or believes that the government does. Let's not accept "weasel words" intended to mislead or pacify us.

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Gentlemen, while the fight is primarily about women's very lives, you are also involved. For every woman who doesn't want to become a mother at a particular time, there's most likely a man who doesn't want to become a father and have to pay child support for 18 years.

It's our lives and your wallets. So, join us in November.

Betty Rome, Culver City





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The charges against R. Kelly came down like an avalanche: First, four indictments in Cook County. Another in Minnesota. Then a one-two punch of federal cases in Chicago and Brooklyn.

Three years later, the Chicago native, reputed sexual predator, and R&B legend received his first prison sentence: 30 years, handed down Wednesday in the New York case.

Soon enough, Kelly will be back in a federal jail in his hometown, with decisions to make about how to proceed on his other cases. The kind of hard time he got in New York could well change the calculus on how his lawyers and prosecutors in Chicago proceed.

The law is like physics, for every action theres a reaction, said attorney Steve Greenberg, who represents Kelly in his Cook County cases. And only the individual can decide what their risk tolerance is or what consequence theyre willing to stomach.

Kelly is slated for trial in Chicagos federal court in August on charges related to child pornography and obstructing justice. But given that he could be behind bars for decades anyway, attorneys might be more inclined to strike a plea deal, averting at the last minute the stress and public spectacle of a second trial  particularly if the deal included an agreement that his sentences in the New York and Chicago cases would run concurrently, multiple legal experts told the Tribune.

On the other hand, some people would say that from Kellys perspective, theres no downside to going to trial now. He basically got a life sentence and if that sticks, its not like hes getting any more time, Greenberg said.

Prosecutors in Chicago may also be eager to secure a conviction for Kelly as a backup, in case he successfully appeals his New York case, former federal prosecutor Steven Block told the Tribune.

It would ensure that he remains incarcerated, Block said, noting also that the New York case involves different victims than the Chicago indictment.

The prosecutors are likely thinking about this case as vindicating the rights of victims who are not part of the New York case, and that is probably a very compelling reason for them to proceed, he said.

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Greenberg also said that the possibility of a successful New York appeal would probably factor in to any deal that Chicago prosecutors would be willing to strike.

If (prosecutors) make an offer, its going to be a number where they feel if this was the only case, its enough time, Greenberg said.

Any plea would require Kelly to publicly admit wrongdoing, Block noted, which he might not be inclined to do.

Weve seen nothing at all to indicate hes prepared to accept any responsibility or take a plea, Block said. Hed have to be prepared to get up n court and admit to the conduct that hes charged with. Hes given no indication that thats something hes interested in doing.

Kelly was convicted last year in Brooklyn federal court on racketeering charges that accused him of using his stratospheric fame to lure in vulnerable victims and sexually abuse them. Kellys team has vowed to appeal, saying the government overstretched when they charged him under the RICO act.

The Chicago federal indictment, while not as sprawling as the New York case, includes mention of potentially damning evidence: Multiple videos depicting Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

He also taped himself during sexual acts with two other minors, and had sexual contact with two more, the indictment alleges. When police and a Cook County grand jury began to investigate, Kelly and his collaborators paid off witnesses, schemed to buy back the videotapes, and persuaded one girl and her father to lie to authorities, according to the charges.

While Cook County prosecutors brought him to trial for child pornography in 2008, the allegedly underage girl on the video did not testify, and Kelly was acquitted.

If Kellys August trial in fact takes place, it is expected to reveal further details about the way the first Cook County case against him was put together, allegedly sabotaged, then fell apart.

Complicating matters, Kellys Chicago federal case also charges two of his former associates, Derrel McDavid and Milton June Brown, who may want to take the case to trial regardless of what happens to their famous co-defendant.

Meanwhile, the Cook County cases have largely been put on hold. States Attorney Kim Foxxs office was the first to charge Kelly in the most recent wave of court cases, hitting him with four indictments for sexual abuse in 2019. One of the cases was later upgraded to more serious sexual assault charges.

But a few months later, Kelly was hit with the federal indictments. Foxx has said her office agreed to keep the case in a pretrial posture while the federal cases move forward. Kellys attorney has moved to dismiss one of the indictments, saying it violates Kellys right to double jeopardy since it charges some of the same conduct for which he was convicted in New York. That request has been pending for months.

Regardless of what happens in the remainder of Kellys cases, one thing is almost certain: His devoted fan base will stick by his side. In person and online, his supporters

One of those avid fans, Christopher Gunn, appeared in federal court Friday after being charged with threatening the New York prosecutors who handled Kellys case. Among other alleged threats, a video on his YouTube channel featured a photo of the U.S. Attorneys office in Brooklyn, and he told his viewers to get real familiar with this building because If Kellz goes down, everybodys going down, according to the charges.

On Wednesday, Kellz, or R. Kelly, went down, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Madrinian said in court, arguing that Gunn would be a danger to the public if released. The defendant said what he would do if that happened.

Gunns attorney noted that he was not arrested for months after the video was posted, and there was no evidence of a weapon or ammunition when he was taken in.

Ultimately, Kim ordered Gunn released to home detention, but Madrinian said prosecutors in New York would want to appeal that order in an effort to keep Gunn in custody.

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
The Kansas Supreme Court rejected arguments from a pair of big box retailers that Johnson County had overvalued their stores for property tax purposes.

The Kansas Supreme Court rejected arguments Friday from a pair of big box retailers that a Kansas county had overvalued their stores for property tax purposes, a move with potentially major implications for taxation in Kansas.

The unanimous ruling said the Board of Tax Appeals should be free to decide how stores like Walmart, Target or Home Depot should be valued for themselves, rather than relying on past court rulings to guide their work.

The fight, which has raged in Kansas and scores of other states, boils down to how the stores should be considered for property tax purposes.

More: How much should big-box stores pay in property taxes? Debate rages in Kansas  and could impact taxpayers.

Municipalities have attempted to appraise the properties as if they were occupied and raking in revenue, with the valuation tied into a building's lease.

But retailers have fought this determination. They argue the store should be valued as if it were empty, with the appraisal reflecting how much a property would fetch if it were sold on the open market without a tenant. That value is generally much lower.

The latter argument has prevailed in the court system to date.

A 2012 Kansas Court of Appeals ruling said that there was no reason to use lease agreements to calculate the value of a Topeka Best Buy, as they were designed to a specific store's specifications and not reflective of market value.

The latest case involves nearly a dozen Walmart and Sam's Club stores in Johnson County, with an appeals court upholding the decision to slash the stores' value by roughly $60 million in 2016 and 2017, costing the county millions.

Supreme Court rejects past tax rulings in Walmart case

But Kansas Supreme Court Justice Dan Biles, writing for the court, disagreed with the lower court ruling. Moreover, he called the "dark store" debate a "red herring," given that both sides of the argument in fact factor lease conditions into their appraisal.

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The Board of Tax Appeals, he said, should be free to hear expert testimony from both sides and adjudicate whether a lease is a fair market value and thus should be factored into the valuation.

The prior court rulings, he said, unfairly shackled the BOTA's ability to fulfill their role in the tax system.

"BOTA is the highest administrative tribunal established by statute to determine controversies relating to assessments of property for ad valorem tax purposes," Biles wrote. "Prieb's (the 2012 case) rationale invades BOTA's longstanding province as the fact-finder in the statutory process of appraising real property at its fair market value."

The ruling does not mean Johnson County  or other local governments  will automatically recoup taxes from the higher valuation. Instead, the Kansas Supreme Court sent the Walmart and Sam's Club case back to BOTA for further consideration.

Republicans in the Legislature have carefully watched Gov. Laura Kelly's nominees to BOTA, rejecting at least one who they viewed would be inclined to rule against retailers on the matter and giving heavy scrutiny to other potential picks.

Still, counties will almost certainly claim the court's ruling as a victory.

"We appreciate the Kansas Supreme Court taking on this case and providing clarity in this area," Ed Eilert, Johnson County Board of County Commissioners Chairman, said in a statement. "A Kansas Supreme Court decision on the valuation of big box retailers is critical for local governments across the state of Kansas."

Randy Hargrove, a spokesperson for Walmart, said that the company disagrees with the decision but "we look forward to asking the Board of Tax Appeals to reaffirm its prior findings about the proper assessed value of Walmart stores."

More: Political gerrymandering is constitutional in Kansas, divided Supreme Court rules in precedent-setting case

The ruling instantly drew pushback from the state's business community.

But Alan Cobb, president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber, said in a statement that he was confident the BOTA would reaffirm their previous ruling anyway.

"It is very clear that Johnson Countys government leaders and appraisers office disregarded state law when they concocted the imaginary fairy tale of a dark store 'theory,'" Cobb said.

Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at abahl@gannett.com or by phone at 443-979-6100.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Supreme Court rules against Walmart, Sam's Club in tax case
A man posing as a Walt Disney World hotel worker stole a replica of the Star Wars character R2-D2 worth between $6,000 and $10,000, a Florida sheriffs office said.

Deputies responded to Walt Disney Worlds Swan Reserve hotel in Lake Buena Vista on May 31 after hotel management reported a theft, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriffs Office.

Security officers told deputies that there was a suspicious man on the property wearing an orange work vest and pushing a cart who seemed confused about work procedures at the hotel, the affidavit says.

Deputies approached the man, who initially told them his name was David Rogers and that he worked for Disney, but security officers on scene said they had no record of anyone by that name working for them, according to the affidavit.

A deputy brought the man, who was later identified as David Proudfoot, 44, to retrieve his things from an employee locker, but Proudfoot had difficulty leading deputies to the locker room, and when he found it, could not open any of the lockers.

Proudfoot eventually told deputies that he did not work for Disney, according to the arrest affidavit. He also said he had moved items onto the Swan Reserve property, including an R2-D2 replica and a game machine to an unknown location on the property, the affidavit says.

He told authorities that he had a pending application for Walt Disney World security and that he had moved the items to show weaknesses in the propertys security system. He said he hoped that by doing this he would get a better-paying job with the company.

Court records list Proudfoot as being represented by a public defender. A message left with the Orange County Public Defenders office was not returned.

Walt Disney World did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on July 1.

Investigators have also accused Proudfoot of other thefts at Disney properties, including multiple light fixtures and a wooden towel cabinet worth a total of about $6,500 from a health club inside Disneys Fort Wilderness Lodge, according to another arrest affidavit.

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Hes facing charges of third-degree felony theft and obstruction by false information, the affidavits state.

Proudfoot is being held at the Orange County Jail in Orlando.

Disneys Splash Mountain wont exist in the same way come 2024. Heres what to expect

She couldnt believe her big NC lottery win. Now shes taking grandson to Disney World

Disney announces bucket list tour to all of its global parks. But it comes at a price
In a case that used high tech DNA testing that led to a conviction, the man who pleaded guilty in the 2006 rape investigation of a Miami University student was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday.

Lloyd Ailes, 59, raped the student of campus in 2006 and investigators were stymied in the case until a company, Parabon, that does DNA testing on families was able to get a match in the case.

He pleaded guilty on May 3, 2022, to charges of rape, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and gun specifications

Ailes did have a message for the victim on Thursday: Im sorry. If I could take it back, I would. I can even tell the court. I mean, if theres anything I could do to change it, I would," according to a report from Enquirer media partner Fox 19.

Ailes must also register as a sex offender five days after his release from prison and serve a mandatory five years of probation, the report states.

Ailes has been given credit on his sentence for serving more than 200 days.

Enquirer media partner Fox 19 contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man sentenced to 17 years in prison for rape of a Miami Univ. student
Boxes of the drug mifepristone line a shelf at the West Alabama Women's Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Allen G. Breed, File/AP

Rebecca Gomperts, an abortion-rights activist, is aiming to fight back against Roe v. Wade's reversal.

The doctor is trying to start a clinical trial studying the use of the abortion pill as a contraceptive.

Making the medication available as a contraceptive would also allow women to use it to induce abortion.

A prominent reproductive-rights activist is turning to the abortion pill mifepristone as a possible salve in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Rebecca Gomperts, a Dutch physician who founded Women on Waves and several other reproductive rights organizations, has spent the last two decades helping women in abortion-restrictive countries access medical abortion through the use of boats, robots, and drones.

But Gomperts is always interested in the next big thing, she told Insider in an interview this week, and she's betting that the future of reproductive justice might lie in a 50-milligram dose of mifepristone.

Mifepristone, one of two drugs under the umbrella of the "abortion pill," stops pregnancy by halting progesterone production. The medicine is taken orally and can be used to induce abortions up until about nine weeks.

Gomperts is already well-versed in the use of mifepristone as an abortion pill. Her organization Aid Access, which she founded in 2018, provides access to medical abortion via mail in the US and worldwide. But Gomperts is looking to utilize the pill's other health benefits in an attempt to provide people who can become pregnant with a possible fail safe in a post-Roe world and beyond.

"It has amazing health benefits for women," she said. "It works really well against endometriosis. It works really well against myoma. It's a very effective morning after pill, and it's a very effective contraceptive pill once a week that doesn't have the side effects of hormonal contraceptives."

Studies around the world are investigating how mifepristone can be used to combat cancer, addiction, depression, and several other ailments, and Gomperts is eager to start a study of her own.

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Rebecca Gomperts, founder of the Dutch organization Women on Waves, poses in Amsterdam, on September 23, 2020. Photo by REMKO DE WAAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

She said her goal is to have a 50 milligram dose of mifepristone for use as a weekly, on-demand contraceptive on pharmacy shelves within 10 years.

"And then we hope that it will really change women's lives," she added.

If the FDA-approved mifepristone as a weekly contraceptive, people who can become pregnant could then have easy access to the medication as birth control but could also use it as an abortion inducer, should it become necessary.

"The laws are all addressing when people are pregnant," Gomperts said. "So when you can make sure that people have these medicines in their home, then there's no criminalization because there's no pregnancy."

Gomperts' solution, however, only works if access to contraception continues to be a protected federal right in the US  a growing concern, given the conservative bent in the nation's top court. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called on the court in explaining his Friday decision to reexamine Griswold v. Connecticut, the landmark case that protected access to contraception.

But the looming threat of further possible restrictions isn't stopping Gomperts from pushing ahead.

"I think it's really important to try to look for what is possible, what is still possible," she told Insider.

Gomperts said her organization "Women on Web" has the ethical approval of the Ministry of Health of Moldova to run a study because 50 milligrams of mifepristone is already on the market there for treatment of myomas, non-cancerous tumors that can form in or around the uterus.

The group is now in the process of fundraising to implement the clinical trial, which she estimated would take five years, after which she hopes to start applying for the pill's registration as a contraceptive with the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.

A GoFundMe page for the study says the organization has already raised 500,000 euros and needs to secure another 500,000 euros before they can begin the process. The group ultimately needs 2.2 million euros to conduct the year-long trial, the page says.

"We decided this is a medicine that needs to be liberated from the restrictions that have been put on it," Gomperts said, "so that it becomes widely available for women to use for all its indications."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn praised the reversal of Roe v. Wade at a news conference.

Gunn said a child victim of incest should carry a resulting pregnancy to term.

"I believe life begins at conception. And every life is valuable," Gunn said.

Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said 12-year-old who is impregnated by a family member should have to carry that child to term, bucking incest exceptions to abortion bans.

Gunn, a Republican, was speaking during a press conference after the reversal of Roe v. Wade. A Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy was at the center of the Supreme Court opinion that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. The law includes exceptions for a medical emergency or "severe fetal abnormality," but none for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape.

When a reporter asked Gunn about the possibility of an exception in cases of incest, he said he was unsure "what the Legislature's appetite" would be for adding such an exception to the law.

The reporter then asked if he thought Mississippi's legislature should take another look at the matter, to which Gunn replied: "Personally, no. I do not."

"I believe life begins at conception. And every life is valuable. Those are my personal beliefs," he said.

Another reporter pressed Gunn on the point, asking if a 12-year-old child molested by her father or uncle should carry a resulting pregnancy to term.

"That is my personal belief," Gunn replied, reiterating his stance that life begins at conception.

Gunn added that he wanted the day to be about the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

"I want today to be about the fact that we have seen an end to abortion in this country. These other things that y'all are talking about are certainly things we can talk about moving forward. I do not want those things to detract from the significance of this day," he said.

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An even more restrictive "trigger law" is set to take effect in Mississippi next week after the attorney general certified it on Monday. That law bans all abortions, with exceptions if the mother's life is in danger or the pregnancy is the result of a rape that has been reported. It does not include an exception for incest.

Exceptions for rape and incest have long been popular among conservatives. Every Republican president since Ronald Reagan has supported exceptions to abortions bans for cases of rape, incest, or harm to the mother, but that appears to be changing.

An increasing number of Republican lawmakers have come out in opposition to such exceptions, including Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. Of the 13 trigger laws set to take effect upon the fall of Roe, all contain exceptions for the mother's health but most do not include exceptions for rape or incest.

Gunn did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The day after the leaked draft of the Supreme Court opinion about Roe v. Wade was published online, Sam Peagler made an appointment to get a vasectomy.

Peagler, 26, a copywriter for Meta who lives in Austin, Texas, decided with his wife years ago that they didnt want children. He'd figured he would get the procedure after he turned 30, but he moved up the timeline because he felt a need "to exercise my bodily autonomy to protect her and protect myself," he said.

"Ive been wanting to get a vasectomy, at least planning on it at some point, for most of my adult life," Peagler said. "I was comfortable in the decision that I wasnt going to have children, and my wife was comfortable with it, as well. It was something we discussed together."

The vasectomy, a form of medical sterilization in which sperm is surgically blocked in a man, was performed last month.

Sam Peagler and with his wife. (Courtesy Sam Peagler)

"Once [the draft] came out, I knew things werent going to get better, at least not for a while," he said.

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, ending a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling sparked protests across the country and triggered a flurry of legal activity in state courts by abortion rights advocates. It also led more men to seek vasectomies, like Peagler.

On Thursday, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said it has had a "significant increase" in scheduling requests for vasectomies. It usually gets three to four requests a day, but from Friday to Wednesday it got 90, a spokesperson said.

University Hospitals, also in Ohio, said it has seen a "slight increase in inquiries about vasectomies since the ruling but not necessarily appointments."

Dr. David Robbins, a urologist in North Miami, Florida, told WPLG-TV that calls have increased so much at his clinic that he is considering going in on Saturdays to keep up with the demand for appointments.

In Missouri, Dr. Christian Hettinger, a urologist at Kansas City Urology Care, said his office has been bombarded with calls seeking information about the procedure.

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"Since Friday, were up 900% in people looking to get a vasectomy, he told NBC affiliate KSHB.

Ohio, Texas, Florida and Missouri are among the many states that had so-called trigger laws for abortion  designed to quickly ban or severely restrict the procedure after the Roe decision was reversed  or that planned to enforce other bans on abortions.

Jerald Stiedaman, 46, of Evanston, Illinois, who called Friday to schedule a vasectomy consultation, said the end of Roe "absolutely" played a role in his decision, even though abortions are still legal in his state.

"I am married, and we are done having children  however, while I dont plan on having more children, I dont want to ever have it be possible to cause a pregnancy in the future, ever again. Men are part of the pregnancy equation, and we have to take responsibility," he said.

"It was something I had been considering for some time, and this pushed me. Its for my wife and my daughter."

Paul Rahfield Jr., 37, of New Orleans, said he scheduled a vasectomy for similar reasons. A court has temporarily blocked Louisiana's trigger law.

"Between the trigger law, our [attorney general] and the looming death of Roe v. Wade, my wife decided she was going to get a tubal ligation. While she was at her OB-GYN, I decided that I would just get a vasectomy and started calling urologists," he said.

"My thinking was that Id be a pretty terrible husband if I was OK with making my wife bear the sole burden for an issue affecting both of us, especially considering for me to make good only requires a small outpatient procedure."

Rahfield said that with the Supreme Court's decision and Louisiana's ban, he felt his wife's safety was at risk.

"If Roe hadnt been reversed, my wife wouldnt have been looking at getting a ligation, nor would I have opted to get a vasectomy. Louisiana is planning to punish women as much as it can. We dont want kids. Very simply, my wife is my life. These laws create too many scenarios that jeopardize my wifes safety," he said.

Dr. Philip Werthman, the director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine & Vasectomy Reversal in Los Angeles, suggested that people not make any rash decisions that could permanently affect their health.

"Im very, very, very happy and proud to hear that men are taking responsibility for their reproductive health and their reproductive choices. I think for way too long in the country men have been a little bit out of the conversation, and its fallen on the women, and it should fall on both parties," he said. "But if youre going to do something surgical and permanent, you really need to think about it."

According to the Mayo Clinic, vasectomies can be reversed, but they should be considered a permanent form of male birth control.

Peagler, who had a consultation before he had the procedure, said he understands the weight of his decision.

"If my wife can't protect her own body and have control over her own body, then I feel like I have a responsibility to do it for both myself and for her," he said.
A new wave of violence in jihadist-hit northern Mozambique uprooted nearly 33,000 children last month, the UN reported Friday.

June saw a surge in attacks in Cabo Delgado province, where jihadists launched a bloody insurgency in 2017, sparking a regional military mission last year that had restored a sense of security.

Statistics released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) showed that 60,141 people, including 32,978 children, fled their homes in June.

The IOM said close to 785,000 people had now been displaced since 2017.

The June figure was the highest monthly tally for children in the history of the crisis, it said.

Brechtje van Lith, Save the Children's country director in Mozambique said people were running out of options for shelter.

"This is not the first time they are going through this - many are experiencing violence for the umpteenth time with no end in sight," she said in a statement.

The British charity said it was worried about mental health among those had fled.

"Many of them have lost loved ones or witnessed horrors that no child or adult should ever need to see," said van Lith.

The UN children's agency UNICEF told AFP it was "very concerned" for children in Cabo Delgado following the recent displacements.

Dozens of people were killed in June, according to the conflict watchdog ACLED, which lists nearly 4,100 fatalities since the insurgency broke out in October 2017.

Some 3,100 troops from several African countries deployed in Cabo Delgado last June and retook control over much of the territory.

Diplomatic and humanitarian officials say the insurgents have since split into three groups.

"The pattern of insurgent activity is increasingly characterized by hit-and-run raids on remote, vulnerable targets across multiple districts, most likely with the intention of stretching the security forces resources," said ACLED's conflict observatory, Cabo Ligado.

sn/ri
North Korea said Friday it had discovered the source of its ongoing outbreak of COVID-19: residents who came into contact with alien things along its border with South Korea.

The countrys state media said North Korean health authorities believe the outbreak began when two people  an 18-year-old soldier and 5-year-old child  were exposed to the virus by balloons. Pyongyang said the balloons were flown from South Korea, a deeply unlikely method of transmission but one experts say is in line with the Norths efforts to keep up the antagonistic relationship between the two nations, Yonhap News reported.

The country issued a directive that authorities vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders.

Activists in South Korea have flown balloons across the border with North Korea to distribute propaganda leaflets. But the South Korean government quickly moved to say even if balloons had reached the north, there is no chance they may have spread the virus, The Associated Press reports.

The country, which had largely succeeded in keeping the coronavirus at bay by effectively sequestering itself from the rest of the world, announced its first official COVID-19 case on May 12. Experts say cases have since exploded across the nation, which is largely unvaccinated against the virus.

North Korea has now reported about 4.7 million cases of fever, but only a small fraction of those have been identified as COVID-19. The nation says just 73 people have died from the disease, an extremely low fatality rate that would be unlikely given North Koreas health system.

The countrys leader, Kim Jong Un, has described the coronavirus outbreak as the greatest turmoil to fall on our country since the founding, according to state media.

Still, North Korea on Thursday rejected offers of humanitarian aid from the United States. The countrys foreign ministry said any offers were merely a scheme to realize a foul political purpose, Yonhap reported. (The Washington Post notes the country is suspected to have received some aid from China).

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The U.S. is trying to evade the international societys criticism by speaking of humanitarian aid while attempting to isolate and squeeze us to death, state media said.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
(Bloomberg) -- North Korea blamed its Covid-19 outbreak on alien things likely sent by balloon across its border with South Korea, saying a teenage soldier and a five-year-old girl in April were the first people in the country infected by coronavirus.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Kim Jong Uns regime called on its officials to vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders, the official Korean Central News Agency said Friday.

South Koreas Unification Ministry repudiated the claims from North Korea. It said in a briefing with the reporters the balloon launches took place in late April, after Pyongyang said the first infections appeared mid-month. The ministry added medical research shows there are no precedents for the type of transmission described by its neighbor.

The government does not see the possibility of the coronavirus entering the North through leaflets sent by South Koreas side, deputy ministry spokesman Cha Deok-cheol said at the briefing, referring to the balloons that also contained messages critical of Kims government.

Human rights groups led by defectors in South Korea have been sending balloons with what they say is Covid aid across the border from the western side of the peninsula. Although it is possible to contract Covid by touching some surfaces, the chances of it being sent by balloons traveling more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) is extremely low. Kim Dong-hyun, a former president of Korean Society of Epidemiology in South Korea said North Koreas claims sounded like nonsense.

The report in North Koreas state media pinpointed the start of infections, saying cases emerged from the Ipho-ri area in the eastern county of Kumgang.

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While North Korea did not explicitly link the alien things to the Covid relief sent by the defectors group, it certainly guides the citizens to think so, said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute think tank in South Korea.

North Korea, which shut borders at the start of the pandemic more than two years ago, reported in May that it had its first confirmed Covid case. Officials from the US, Japan and elsewhere said as early as July 2020 the virus had almost certainly made its way into the isolated country.

There are plenty of places where the virus could have entered. While airports have largely been shut during the pandemic, the regime reopened a rail link with China in January and black-market traders frequently cross the border. A United Nations body has said satellite images show sea traffic at its main international port of Nampho, and illicit trade is conducted on the open seas in violation of sanctions.

China and Russia had reported outbreaks near their borders with North Korea more than two years ago. The two Koreas are separated by a buffer zone 4 km wide that is lined with land mines and razor-wire fencing on both sides.

Kim has long trumpeted his virus-control measures as evidence of his nations superiority and was probably forced to say the disease had entered the country because the number of people infected had grown so large that it could no longer be brushed aside.

North Korea has so far refused all foreign vaccines, leaving its 26 million people vulnerable to even mild strains in a nation where healthcare is already unreliable. Its Foreign Ministry said on Friday that offers of help from the US and Western countries carried an ulterior political purpose, NK News reported.

In June, officials in Dandong said they suspected the wind blowing from their secretive neighbor North Korea may have carried the virus into the Chinese corder city. In January, China and North Korea restored a rail link between Dandong and Sinuiju on a trial basis after the heavily used trade route had been cut for about a year and a half due to pandemic fears.

(Updates with South Korea dismissing claims made by its neighbor)

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For decades, North Korean defectors and activists have released balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the South Korean border into the hermit nation. Getty Images

North Korea has blamed "alien things" near the South Korean border for its first Covid outbreak.

Residents have been warned to "vigilantly deal with" these things coming by wind and balloons.

For decades, defectors and activists have sent balloons containing leaflets into the hermit nation.

North Korea has blamed "alien things" near the South Korean border for its first Covid outbreak, claiming they most likely came by balloons or the wind.

On Friday, its official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that an 18-year-old soldier surnamed Kim and a five-year-old kindergartener surnamed Wi became the country's first residents to test positive for COVID-19 after they came into contact with "alien things in a hill" in Ipho-ri in early April.

Ipho-ri is located on the east coast near the border with South Korea.

"The investigation results showed that several persons coming from the area of Ipho-ri in Kumgang County of Kangwon Province to the capital city in mid-April were in fever and a sharp increase of fever cases was witnessed among their contacts," KCNA reported.

Residents have been warned to "vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders," it added. Any sightings of such "alien things" must also be reported, the outlet continued.

For decades, North Korean defectors and South Korean activists have launched hydrogen or helium balloons  carrying items such as humanitarian aid, entertainment, and informational leaflets  across the strictly-controlled border into the reclusive nation. In the past, balloons have contained leaflets denouncing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, per The New York Times.

More than two years into the worldwide pandemic, North Korea only reported its first-ever Covid case on May 12, which quickly blew up into an "explosive" outbreak of "fever" a day later.

As of Thursday, North Korea recorded more than 4.7 million cases of "fever," but the vast majority of patients have recovered, KCNA reported. According to the BBC, Pyongyang does not refer to the "fever" outbreak as COVID-19, as poor testing capabilities have hindered its ability to diagnose cases.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Reuters) - Norway on Friday pledged 1 billion euros ($1.04 billion) to help Ukraine defend itself, support people in need and for reconstruction in the wake of Russia's invasion.

Addressing a news conference in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said Norway wanted to express its solidarity with Ukraine's fight for survival.

"I'm here to say that Ukraine's fight is not only for Ukraine. This is about some fundamental principles of the world we are going to offer to our children. This is about security in Europe, this is about the fate of your neighbour," he said.

"We will pledge 1 billion euros in support to your country and your people for the remaining part of 2022 and for 2023," he continued. "This war is a breach of international law. ... You have the right to defend yourself and we have the right to help you defend yourself."

Asked whether Norway was willing to increase gas supplies to Europe, Stoere said Norway was already producing gas "at its maximum" but it would do everything it could to provide gas.

Zelenskiy said pressure needed to be kept up on Russia so the war would end.

He said Russia had used a Soviet-era Kh-22 missile designed to hit aircraft carriers or other large objects to strike a regular nine-storey building - a reference to a strike in the early hours of Friday on an apartment block near Odesa in which Ukrainian officials say at least 16 people were killed.

Russia denies targeting civilians. Asked on Friday whether Russia had struck the apartment building in the resort village of Serhiivka, the Kremlin spokesman said: "I would like to remind you of the president's words that the Russian Armed Forces do not work with civilian targets".

($1 = 0.9630 euros)

(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade and Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Andrew Heavens and David Gregorio)
Oklahoma's top energy official praised a Supreme Court ruling that limits the regulatory power of the Environmental Protection Agency, calling the agency's effort to force electric providers away from coal "a virtuous goal with improper means.

"The idea or the goal of limiting emissions and harmful byproducts should be what we do every day," said Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment Kenneth Wagner, who previously served as a senior adviser to the administrator for regional and state affairs within the EPA under the Trump administration.

"I think regulatory action is necessary and important, but you have to follow the laws and make reasonable interpretations."

Steam rises from the Miller coal Power Plant in Adamsville, Alabama, on April 11, 2021.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to dictate how electric providers go about meeting federal emission standards, which severely limits the Biden administration's ability to mitigate climate change without congressional action.

While West Virginia led the legal challenge, Oklahoma was one of 17 states that joined the litigation.

Wagner said the ruling would have minimal impact on the state, and that Oklahoma was already diversifying its energy production.

Coal-powered electricity in Oklahoma has significantly declined over the last decade with 2020's production level one-sixth of what it was in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Emissions from a coal-fired power plant are silhouetted against the setting sun in Kansas City, Mo., in 2021. The Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation's main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

Coal production has declined nationwide as coal-fired plants have become more expensive, although last year saw an uptick as natural gas prices rose.

Environmental organizations criticized the ruling as a blow to fighting global climate change. The Sierra Club said the Supreme Court's ruling "has effectively eliminated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys most effective tool for reducing climate pollution from existing fossil fuel burning power plants."

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the dissenters in the EPA case, called it "frightening" to see the court inject itself into setting climate policy, especially as a time when scientists believe the world is running out of time to reverse the effects of climate change.

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"We are already perilously close to tipping points that could lead to cascading and irreversible climate impacts," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in April with the release of a climate report that called for immediate action.

But Oklahoma's elected officials largely praised the court's conservative bloc for limiting the federal government's power.

In our country, the federal government has limited powers, and federal agencies are not entitled to invent radical powers out of thin air, like the EPA did here," Attorney General John O'Connor said in a Thursday statement.

While the Biden administration believes a federal approach is necessary to lower the nation's emission levels, U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin said states should be left alone on matters of energy production.

"Oklahoma energy should have its own authority to make decisions based on what is best for Oklahoma," said Mullin in a statement celebrating the court's ruling.





Oklahoma state government reporting is supported in part by a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation. To support work like this, consider purchasing a digital subscription to the Oklahoman today.



This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma energy secretary Kenneth Wagner lauds Supreme Court on EPA
(Reuters) -Britain's Oxford Biomedica said on Friday it had signed a new three-year agreement to potentially make AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine beyond 2022, but no volumes were defined in an indication of waning demand for the shot.

Cell and gene therapy firm Oxford Biomedica said in April that it had manufactured more than 100 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine since their partnership began in September 2020. Commitments under the deal are scheduled to end this year.

Under the expanded deal, AstraZeneca's will have access to Oxford Biomedica's Oxbox manufacturing facility to produce its shot on an as-needed basis beyond 2022.

"While it is positive that AZ wanted a longer-term relationship with OXB, and that uncertainty is now diminished, we had expected a bigger deal," RBC analysts said in a note.

Oxford Biomedica expects to record about 30 million pounds ($36.4 million) in revenue from the original contract in the current year.

($1 = 0.8241 pounds)

(Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
LISBON (Reuters) - A representative from the tiny Pacific nation of Palau hit out at the United Nations on Friday for not allowing Taiwanese nationals to be part of its delegation list at the Ocean Conference in Lisbon.

"The U.N. has excluded the 23 million people of Taiwan from the conversation," the delegate said at the conference's closing ceremony. "They were not given badges and were not allowed to be part of our delegation simply because they hold Taiwanese passports.

"We view this as a violation of our sovereign rights...ocean issues are global issues and we call on all of us to work together without discrimination."

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, is not a member of the U.N. and its citizens are unable to attend U.N. events as representatives of Taiwan, which is largely excluded from international organisations that have China as a member.

A U.S. delegate said it was a "long-standing practice that each member state can decide the composition of its delegation", adding that it was up to Palau and Tuvalu, which also saw its Taiwanese members blocked from attending, to decide whether or not to include people from Taiwan.

"No credential committee should have pressed them to remove those individuals from their delegations," the U.S. delegate said.

Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe withdrew from the conference after China challenged the accreditation of three Taiwanese delegates included in Tuvalu's delegation, Radio New Zealand reported on Monday.

After Palau's intervention, the Chinese representative said it was "regrettable" the Taiwan "issue" was brought up, adding: "Taiwan is part of China and cannot possibly attend a U.N. conference."

(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by David Gregorio)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian authorities in the occupied West Bank and Gaza arbitrarily arrest and systematically torture critics and opponents, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report said.

The international rights group on Thursday called on donors to cut funding to Palestinian security forces and for the International Criminal Court to investigate people involved in abuses, which it said may amount to crimes against humanity.

The report came a year after Nizar Banat, a prominent critic of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, was beaten to death in custody. His death sparked days of protests in the West Bank that were violently suppressed by Palestinian security forces.

The Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank, which Israel occupied in a 1967 Middle East war. The Islamist militant group Hamas rules Gaza, a coastal enclave under blockade by Israel and neighbouring Egypt.

"More than a year after beating to death Nizar Banat, the Palestinian Authority continues to arrest and torture critics and opponents," said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch.

"Systematic abuse by the PA and Hamas forms a critical part of the repression of the Palestinian people."

The ongoing trial of 14 security officers charged with Banat's killing began in late 2021. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Last week, Amnesty International called the trial "flawed" and said those who gave the orders to arrest Banat must also be held accountable.

Officials of the PA and Hamas denied the allegations of systematic abuse.

"We can arrange for human rights organisations to visit any facility that allegedly practices torture and to speak with detainees there," PA security services spokesman Talal Dweikat told Reuters. "For us, the dignity of the Palestinian citizen is above all."

Dweikat added that he regularly meets with members of the security forces to make sure they comply with regulations.

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The spokesman of the Hamas-run interior ministry Eyad Al-Bozom said that the ministry "continuously takes the necessary measures to ban torture at its headquarters and detention centres."

"Freedom of expression and freedom of political affiliation is granted to all citizens without discrimination," he said, adding that Hamas does not detain people on political grounds.

The report also outlined mistreatment and torture of Palestinians by Israeli forces, adding that of the hundreds of torture complaints filed in the past 20 years with Israel's Justice Ministry, none resulted in indictments.

HRW's findings on Thursday followed a 147-page report it released in 2018 detailing patterns of abuse that it said the Palestinian authorities routinely rely on to crush dissent, including use of torture.

"Palestinian authorities have consistently failed to hold security forces accountable," the group said.

The report, authored with the Palestinian rights group Lawyers for Justice, was submitted to the United Nations Committee Against Torture.

(Reporting by Henriette Chacar in Jerusalem; Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Raissa Kasolowsky)
William McCue and Carina McCue. (Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office)

A Georgia couple who had allegedly been on the run evading arrest warrants since early May were arrested on the Appalachian Trail on Thursday.

Carina and William McCue were taken into custody by members of the fugitive unit of the Gwinnett sheriffs office in northern Georgia. They are facing charges stemming from an April 17 house fire that resulted in the death of their 10-year-old daughter Zoe McCue.

One of the McCues other children, a 15-year-old boy, was found hours after the fire at a nearby church in Rockdale County and allegedly confessed to intentionally setting it. He was arrested and has been charged with murder.

But the investigation into the fire didnt stop there. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a further investigation found that children in the home had been living in unsanitary and dangerous conditions, using makeshift toilets and bathing facilities because the residential toilets, showers, and bathtubs did not work. According to 11Alive, warrants also allege that the children were mainly forbade from leaving the house and prevented from recieving a traditional education.

The state opted to charge both of the McCue parents with charges of cruelty to children in the first and second degree and false imprisonment and take away custody of their other three children.

But after police issued warrants for their arrests, the McCues allegedly fled  traveling at one point to Cleveland, Georgia and a motel in Lawrenceville, Georgia before they were tracked down and arrested on the famed Appalachian Trail outside of Helen, Georgia.

Per reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the McCues had been investigated by state authorities twice before the fire but were never charged with any crimes. A longtime neighbor, Mike Kilgore, told 11Alive in May that he had been alarmed by the McCues behavior.

It was kind of like some kind of cult, he said. Im not surprised at all theyre on the run. I hope the kids get the teaching they need, and I hope their mommy and daddy get what they deserve.

The McCues are now being held without bail.
Jul. 1A PBS show premiering this month features a stop in Joplin to visit with the Muslim community, tell their stories and showcase their hospitality.

"In the Joplin community, it was inspiring hearing about their stories and their resilience," said Sebastian Robins, part of the Muslim couple traveling on "The Great Muslim American Road Trip." "After the burning of their mosque in a hate crime and the tornado, they sprang into action and had such an ethos of service. For me, it was inspiring to see that even though they were in a way traumatized, they didn't let that stop them from serving folks when they needed it."

In "The Great Muslim American Road Trip," married Muslim American couple Mona Haydar and Robins travel west along Route 66, exploring the roots of Muslims in America and what it means to be Muslim today. Throughout their road trip, the couple also meet with people like Muhammad Ali's daughter, Maryam Ali, in Chicago, and Bosnian immigrants and restaurant owners Sulejman and Emmina Grbic in St. Louis.

The first episode of the three-part series will premiere at 9 p.m. Tuesday on PBS, pbs.org and the PBS Video app. Titled "Life is a Highway: Chicago to Joplin, Missouri." The episode includes footage of the couple's visit to Joplin.

Haydar is a Syrian American who has a master's degree in Christian ethics. She has gained success with her music, including her hip-hop anthem, "Hijabi (Wrap My Hijab)," that went viral in 2017. Her husband, Robins, who converted to Islam after meeting his wife, worked at the Lama Foundation, where he served as a coordinator and CEO. They have been married for eight years.

In 2015, Haydar and Robins gained international attention for their "Ask a Muslim" project, where they looked to replace some of the trauma and sorrow people were facing following the Paris and San Bernardino, California, extremist attacks. They set up a booth outside the library in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and gave away doughnuts, coffee, fruit and flowers while offering an opportunity to talk to a Muslim and promote fellowship with people.

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Their travels on "The Great Muslim American Road Trip" started out as a chance to reconnect with each other, but it grew into a trip of self-discovery while finding the rich and diverse history of Muslims in America.

"We looked at it as a second honeymoon," Haydar said. "We were excited about spending some time together and getting to know each other again after eight years of marriage and having children. Along the way, we were receiving an education just by traveling while being Muslim, and that was a real gift. We didn't expect to learn as much as we did and encounter as many amazing people as we did. That was a beautiful silver lining."

For Sania Hammad, 17, who is featured in the Joplin visit, the first episode helped her consider the perspectives of Muslims in American history. She said she felt blindsided by how little of this history had been left out of her education.

"In an American history class, they never talk about it," Hammad said. "As they were showing mosques from early American history, I was dumbfounded. Obviously, I knew they existed, but I had to take a second because it made me realize how much I don't know. I have never been taught about a Muslim in history class, ever. I think it's really sad, I think it's pathetic."

Haydar said the couple was inspired to learn that Muslims in this land predate America as an independent nation. For example, in Springfield, Illinois, they learned that one-third of all enslaved Africans who were brought by the trans-Atlantic slave trade were Muslims. These lessons are a part of the story of America, and Haydar believes it's important to study them to understand where we are today.

At a screening at the Joplin Islamic Society on June 22, the public got to see the first episode that featured the Joplin Muslim community. After viewing the episode, Hammad said she hoped showing this history on a nationally televised show will contribute to improving the portrayal of Muslims in entertainment and media.

"This ignorance is holding us back as a country," Hammad said. "How is problem of Islamophobia going to get better if you don't teach children the basics of what Islam is? Now things are slowly starting to change, and I feel a huge relief. It's not just relief for me but for every Muslim, young and old."

The Joplin visit by "The Great Muslim American Road Trip" happened as a combination of needing a place to pray and stay the night, Robins said. While visiting the Joplin mosque for prayer, the couple was invited to a picnic at Mercy Park. Through this spontaneous meeting, Robins and Haydar got to talk with members of the Joplin Muslim community, many of whom were medical professionals.

"The overwhelming sentiment we had there was just the warmth of people and their generosity to welcome us in," Robins said. "I think it was all the more striking, and all the more beautiful, because this was a community that had experienced trauma."

At the picnic, Robins and Haydar heard about the tragedies of the 2011 Joplin tornado and the burning of the Joplin mosque, both within about a year of each other. Many of the physicians were first responders during the tornado, and they also remembered the scars of the mosque arson.

"But they weren't really interested in making that part of their story," Robins said. "We kind of had to draw that out of them. Nor were they interested in making themselves heroes; we had to draw that out of them, too. and that to me is a mark of their character, humility in service. When they told us those stories, their emphasis was on service and was on being a beautiful community."

Hammad was proud to see the hospitality of her community shown on the screen. Although she was young, she vividly remembers the 2011 tornado. She was huddled in a closet with her twin sister as the tornado tore through Joplin. After the tornado, she had friends who lost everything and remembers looking through her toys to find something to donate to them. What most stands out in her memory is the generosity of the Muslim community in the aftermath, as they contributed food and help to tornado victims.

"It was a defining moment for me," Hammad said. "It was a horrible time, but it also brought us together and solidified the community we had built."

Warda Morsy, 14, is another Joplin Muslim teen shown in "The Great Muslim American Road Trip." Like Hammad, she's proud to see the hospitality, which she considers a defining trait of the Joplin Muslim community, featured on the show. She said Joplin's appearance on the PBS show is inspiring for her and gives her hope for the future.

"Service is a big part of being here," Morsy said. "I've been a part of the mosque since I came to Joplin, and I've learned so many things here, like culture and religion. I feel like the services the mosque provides are something that couldn't be described or understood until a program like this came along to help people comprehend that better. I hope that someday I can be like that and do the things that they do here."
Emily Baldridge, a coworker of Jaymeisha Beasley, the fiance of Jayland Walker, joins a protest Friday in downtown Akron over the police shooting of Walker. Beasley was struck and killed by a hit-skip driver last month in Cincinnati.

Emily Baldridge still hadn't dealt with the grief of losing friend and coworker Jaymeisha Beasley, who died in a car accident last month.

Now she's starting the process all over again after Beasley's fiance, Jayland Walker, was shot and killed by Akron police officers Monday morning.

"What happened to her was an accident," she said, gripping a cardboard sign declaring "Justice for Jayland."

"But this wasn't."

Jayland Walker: What we know about the fatal Akron police shooting

Baldridge cried in front of the Stubbs Justice Center Friday, which marked the third day of protests demanding accountability for the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Walker, a 25-year-old DoorDash driver who was killed by multiple shots following a police chase on Monday.

"It's another public execution of a young kid just doing his job," said 27-year-old Cristy Sotres. "I hope all these officers get fully prosecuted for what they did."

Sotres led the crowd in call-and-response chants throughout the afternoon, declaring "no justice, no peace, no racist police."

"How do you spell murderer?" Sotres shouted.

"APD!" the crowd responded.

As of Friday afternoon, the crowd was relatively small  about 20 or so people, all protesting peacefully.

Akron police shooting: City cancels Rib, White and Blue Festival amid concerns over protests

"I think protests are a good way to get people riled up for change," said 25-year old Chris, who did not give his last name.

Friday was Chris' birthday. He didn't expect to spend it protesting but said it's important to show solidarity with the community.

"As a Black man in Akron, I might not see 26," he said. "So I have to be out here while I can."

What happened to Jayland Walker?

Much remains unknown about the case, but some questions may be answered on Sunday, when Akron will release bodycam footage of the shooting death.

Mayor Dan Horrigan and Police Chief Steve Mylett will hold a press conference 1 p.m. to talk about Walker's death and to provide further details and review video footage of the shooting.

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Plow trucks are lined along South High Street, one block away from where a protest of the Akron Police Department shooting of Jayland Walker was taking place in front of the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center Friday afternoon in downtown Akron.

Mylett will meet with members of the Walker family and their legal representation before the press conference to allow them to review the footage.

Press conference Sunday: Akron to release bodycam footage Sunday of Jayland Walker fatal shooting by city police

At this point, police have offered a general outline of what happened, saying officers tried to pull over Walker around 12:30 a.m. Monday in the city's North Hill neighborhood for a traffic and equipment violation.

According to police, Walker fled, and officers chased him just more than 4 minutes across town to the Firestone Park area.

Along the way, police said Walker fired a gun before abandoning his vehicle in a parking lot near the Bridgestone Americas campus. Several officers and police cars arrived on the scene and at least some used stun guns to try to stop Walker before officers opened fire.

A medical examiner's report reviewed by the Beacon Journal said a gun was found in Walker's vehicle.

The preliminary report from the medical examiner showed Walker was shot in the face, abdomen and upper legs. It did not specify how many shots hit him, nor how many shots were fired. Police have declined to say how many shots were fired, although some reports have claimed police fired dozens of bullets.

Akron police have turned over the case to the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The city on Thursday also canceled its annual rib festival over the July 4 weekend, saying it was no time to celebrate.

Who was Jayland Walker?

Walker's family have said they want the community to know that Walker, who had no criminal record, never caused trouble.

The family on Thursday held a press conference at St. Ashworth Temple church in which their attorneys said the family demanded accountability from Akron police, while also calling for peace, understanding and justice.

They described Walker as a good man and loving family member who aspired to start his own delivery business. He worked at an Amazon fulfillment center and also as a delivery driver for DoorDash, family said.

Walker had been a standout wrestler at Buchtel High School. Walker's fiance was killed in May on a highway outside Cincinnati after being struck by a hit-skip driver following a car crash. The driver has not been found.

Among Friday's protesters was Sandra Dees, a resident living in East Akron, whose 26-year-old son was shot and killed by police in Texas last month. Dees said she never found any closure following her son's death, so she came to the protest to demand that Walker's mother gets what she never had.

"I know what that lady's going through," Dees said. "I've gone through it. She will never be able to see her son again, call him on the phone, hear his voice."

What do protesters want?

Protesters are demanding more information from the police department, which has been tight lipped when asked questions.

Those in attendance said they sought not only removal from the force, but prosecution for those who struck Walker and killed him.

"It's all gross and disgusting," Alex Keller, 23, of Cuyahoga Falls said. "We need to end immunity for people just because they're police."

Freedom BLOC, a Black-led organizing collective, on Friday published a list of demands, which include removing the involved officers from paid administrative leave, installing dashboard cameras in all police cruisers, ending the protocol of car chases and more.

"I feel like we're out here for a different person every few months," said 22-year-old Ary, a protester on Friday who did not give their last name. "I'm out here for future generations to hopefully live in a world where this doesn't happen. People deserve safety, not fear."

Beacon Journal staff writers Amanda Garrett and Jim Mackinnon contributed to this report. Reporter Abbey Marshall is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Learn more at reportforamerica.org. Contact her at at amarshall1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron police shooting: Protests continue in death of Jayland Walker
I've worked for seven executive editors during my 24 years at the Courier & Press. One of them was Mizell Stewart III, who came to Evansville in 2007.

A lot of what Mizell did in the job stuck with me  his compassion for his co-workers, his love for the community and the professionalism with which he approached his work.

I had a lot of conversations with him during his five years here. One of them came after we'd written about the arrest of a public figure. All these years later, I don't remember who it was, but I do recall what Mizell said to me that day when we talked about how we'd handle the newspaper's most public face  the executive editor  getting arrested.

His quote was basically: "If I get arrested, the first call I'll make is to my wife. The second call will be to the newsroom so someone can write a story."

Mizell never got arrested, but the conversation was a lesson in accountability that has stayed with me. And it came to mind this week when Courier & Press journalists wrote about the arrest of a local government body's attorney, and the subsequent decision by Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding to remove that attorney's jailhouse mugshot and arrest information from his jail's website.

We wrote about the situation because it seemed unfair that Wedding removed Vanderburgh County Council attorney Jeffrey Ahlers' picture and information from public view  treatment the average person doesn't get.

Ahlers' attorney told the Courier & Press his client should never have been arrested in the first place. The Evansville Police Department has stood by its officer's decision to take Ahlers to jail that night on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Yes, innocent people get arrested. The Courier & Press has made a commitment to follow criminal charges that we write about through what can be a long, winding path through the courts. It's part of our parent company Gannett's approach to covering justice, law enforcement and community safety. We will follow through on this case, too, to see whether the prosecutor's office decides to pursue charges. And whatever the outcome is  charged or not, not guilty or guilty  we'll publish that, as well.

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It's what I'd want the journalists I work with to do if I was arrested. My first call would be to my wife, to let her know I'd need an attorney. My second call would be to the C&P's criminal justice reporter, Houston Harwood.

The criminal justice system in America is far from perfect. But what we should push for, as a community, is to ensure it is an equitable process for everyone, from the people you don't know to those who hold high-profile, influential positions, like politicians, attorneys and journalists.

I hope you have an enjoyable Fourth of July weekend.

Ryan Reynolds is interim editor of the Courier & Press. Reach him via email at ryan.reynolds@courierpress.com, or follow him on Twitter, @ryanreynolds.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: A proper criminal justice system requires accountability and transparency
ALONA MAZURENKO  FRIDAY, 1 JULY 2022, 15:42

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the West is pushing the Russian Federation into "unification processes" with Belarus.

Source: BBC Russian service

Quote: "Unprecedented political and sanction pressure from the so-called "collective West" is pushing us to accelerate unification processes."

Details: Putin did not specify what kind of acceleration he was talking about.

He said that during a meeting with self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexandr Lukashenko on 25 June, they "discussed this issue in detail, in particular agreeing to use the transshipment capabilities of the Russian port terminal in the Baltic for the export of Belarusian goods to foreign markets".

Lukashenko called on other countries of the former USSR to draw closer to Russia and Belarus: "Without the fastest possible unification and cohesion, strengthening of interstate ties and just normal human relations, we may not exist tomorrow."
Dmytro Lubinets

The appointment was approved by 250 out of 421 sitting MPs.

Read also: Ukraine's intelligence reveals Russian invader talking about killing prisoner

Lubinets was nominated to replace former commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova, by Verkhovna Radas Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk.

Ukraines parliament dismissed Ombudsperson Lyudmyla Denisova on May 31, following an appeal to her by representatives of the Ukrainian media and journalists to be more cautious in reporting sexual crimes during the war.

Read also: Rada dismisses human rights commissioner, but why?

The appeal was published by Detector Media on May 25, signed by 89 representatives of the media and journalists and 51 other people, including human rights activists, lawyers, psychologists, teachers and NGO reps.

The authors of the appeal expressed concern about the ombudsperson's rhetoric in her social media posts about sexual crimes during the war. They stressed that Russian war criminals must be punished, but reporting of such crimes must be done with caution, especially concerning children and minors.

Denisova said she intends to appeal her dismissal in courts.

Read also: Ukraines Internal Ministry identifies 13 victims of sexual violence in Kyiv Oblast

Lubinets entered parliament in 2014, as an ally of then-President Petro Poroshenko. He left Poroshenkos party in 2019, and was re-elected as an independent.
CHICAGO (AP)  Boston Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill left Thursday's start against the Chicago Cubs because of a sprained left knee.

Hill had a 4-0 lead through four innings before exiting during a three-run fifth.

The 42-year-old left-hander walked P.J. Higgins leading off. Nelson Velazquez then tripled off the center-field wall and scored on a groundout by Christopher Morel,

Hill appeared to be shaking his leg at one point and was visited by an athetic trainer. Hill exited after hitting Patrick Wisdom to load the bases with two out.

Tyler Danish came in and walked Rafael Ortega, cutting the gap to 4-3.

Hill, who debuted with the Cubs in 2005, gave up three runs and three hits. He walked four and struck out three.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Residents of a North Memphis community werent shocked after police are dispatched to a triple shooting.

The Memphis Police Department said officers responded to 2568 Peres Avenue at 2:37 p.m. Thursday afternoon. When they arrived, they report locating a 19-year-old male victim who has since been transported to Regional One Hospital in critical condition.

PHOTOS: Two children, one man shot near apartments in Hollywood area, police say

Two children were also shot and taken to Le Bonheur Childrens Hospital in non-critical condition.

Residents said, although what transpired today was a sad reality, its something they told FOX13 theyre used to in the area referred to as the Hollywood community.

Its not nothing big, well to us its not nothing big. Its something we see all the time, said George Butler, a 2-year resident of the neighborhood.

RELATED: Two children, one man shot near apartments in Hollywood area, police say

FOX13 spoke with several residents in the area who are tenants at the nearby Cavelier Court Apartment Complex, who said the shootings and violence didnt just start today.

They been shooting at these folks for a couple of days now, said Butler. These folks beefing with people down the street, the next street over and stuff like that; its going to go on. I mean what can we do?

Butler said when he first got word of the shooting, he had only one thing in mind.

All I was thinking about was making sure my folks was straight, Butler said.

One resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed concern about children living in the area in the wake of recent violent shootings, but said its vital that parents still allow kids to be kids.

You cant keep your kids from going outside; they still got to play outside; they kids.

According to police, the minors are 14 and 15 years old.

Theres currently no suspect information. Police ask anyone with information on the shootings to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.

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Its whats expected. Its the hood. This is what go on, said one resident.

Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Trending stories:
A woman exhaling a puff of vapor from a Juul e-cigarette. Associated Press / Craig Mitchelldyer

The e-cigarette company Juul quickly became a Silicon Valley darling with a $38 billion valuation.

But it went through several rebrands, investigations, and valuation slashes since.

On Thursday, the FDA ordered that Juul stop selling and distributing its products in the US.

The e-cigarette company Juul has hit a wall.

The company, valued at as much as $38 billion, staked a precarious path into the limelight, starting as a glitzy gadget and eventually billing itself as something resembling a public-health tool.

But its valuation had been slashed since then. Now, after several rebrands, controversies, and leadership shakeups, Juul products have been banned in the US.

On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration ordered that Juul stop selling and distributing its products, and that its products currently in the market be removed.

Scroll down to see Juul's rise and looming fall:

2004: At Stanford, the product-design grad students James Monsees and Adam Bowen create the idea for Ploom, Juuls precursor.

Juul.com / YouTube

Monsees and Bowen have said they were smokers who met on smoke breaks while pursuing master's degrees in product design at Stanford University. Their thesis presentation, now posted on Juul's website, describes their product as "the rational future of smoking."

2007: Monsees and Bowen found the vaporizer startup Ploom in San Francisco.

YouTube / Hyphy SF

By February 2008, Ploom raised $900,000 in venture funding, putting its valuation at roughly $3 million, according to PitchBook.

A 2011 description of the Ploom device, which sold for $75, described it as a heat-not-burn product that could be filled with single-serve refills called "Ploom Pods." The pods could include tobacco or non-tobacco ingredients, it said.

Aug. 1, 2013: Ploom debuts the Pax with a launch party in San Francisco.

Ploom at Robin Thicke's album-release party in 2013 in New York. Andrew Toth / Getty Images

After raising close to $5 million, Ploom launched a device called the Pax, a vaporizer for loose-leaf tobacco that could also be used for cannabis.

To debut the device, Ploom hosted a launch party in San Francisco's trendy Mission District.

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At this time, Ploom investors included Japan Tobacco, the maker of Winston and Salem cigarettes, along with the software company Originate and the angel investment group Sand Hill.

Feb. 16, 2015: Monsees and Bowen sell the Ploom brand and a vaporizer line to the Japanese tobacco company JTI. They rebrand as Pax Labs.

Japan Tobacco Inc.'s president and CEO, Mitsuomi Koizumi, using a Ploom during an interview with Reuters at the company's headquarters in Tokyo in 2017. Toru Hanai / Reuters

As part of the deal, JTI said in a statement that Ploom would buy back JTI's minority stake in the startup.

June 1, 2015: Pax Labs launches the Juul with a party in New York City.

SRITA

Pax introduced the Juul with a launch party in New York City.

A trove of images collected by Stanford researchers suggested that the campaign focused on a young audience. Guests were invited to try Juul's products free and share selfies on social media, Business Insider reported.

"Juul's launch campaign was patently youth-oriented," Robert Jackler, a practicing Stanford physician who was the principal investigator behind the tobacco-image collection, told Business Insider.

2016: Juul sales skyrocket 700%.

An ad on Juul's website from 2016.

Juul devices gained popularity. Sales rose 700% in 2016, ABC 7 News reported.

July 1, 2017: Monsees and Bowen spin out Juul Labs as an independent company and name former Pax Labs CEO Tyler Goldman CEO.

Pax Labs; Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Goldman came to Pax from the music-streaming startup Deezer then took over Juul Labs.

Nov. 2017: Juul is the best-selling e-cigarette on the market.

Pax Labs

Juul said it'd sold 1 million units. The company also captured a third of the e-cigarette market, according to Nielsen data.

Dec. 11, 2017: CEO Tyler Goldman leaves Juul. The company replaces him with Kevin Burns.

Juul's new CEO, Kevin Burns. Juul/YouTube

Goldman left Juul to "pursue new entrepreneurial activities." The company hired Burns from the yogurt company Chobani.

Dec. 2017: Juul raises $112 million in venture funds and adds Nicholas Pritzker to its board, according to PitchBook.

The industrialist A.N. Pritzker in 1982. The wealthy Pritzker family owned the chewing-tobacco giant Conwood before selling it to the tobacco giant Reynolds. They also founded and expanded the Hyatt Hotels chain. AP Photo

The fresh funds came from firms including Tao Capital, Fidelity, and Evolution, according to PitchBook.

Nicholas Pritzker, Tao's cofounder, joined Juul's board, CNBC reported. Pritzker is a member of the wealthy Pritzker family, which owned the chewing-tobacco giant Conwood before selling it to the tobacco giant Reynolds. The Pritzkers also founded and expanded the Hyatt Hotels chain.

On an undisclosed date, Tao Capital sold its stake in Juul to the hedge fund Tiger Global and Manhattan Venture Partners, PitchBook said.

The venture fund M13, another early Juul investor, sold its shares in the spring of 2018.

This slide has been updated with new information about M13's investment.

March 2018: Dozens of outlets report that 'Juuling' is an epidemic at high schools.

A Juul ad from 2016. Pax Labs

National news outlets including National Public Radio, USA Today, and Business Insider reported that the Juul had a loyal and growing following among young people.

All of the reports said teens were taking to social media to brag about being able to sneak puffs in class or in the bathroom thanks to Juul's discreet design.

April 2018: Led by Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, the US Food and Drug Administration starts an 'undercover blitz' to crack down on sales of the Juul to minors.

Scott Gottlieb, then the FDA commissioner. Reuters

In what the FDA said was the largest coordinated enforcement effort in agency history, the FDA issued more than 1,300 warning letters and fines to retailers who it said were illegally selling Juuls and other e-cigarettes to minors. The FDA found the retailers by conducting what it called "a nationwide, undercover blitz."

"Let me be clear to retailers," Gottlieb, then the FDA's commissioner, said in the statement, "this blitz, and resulting actions, should serve as notice that we will not tolerate the sale of any tobacco products to youth."

April 2018: Wall Street analysts warn that Juul is starting to encroach on Big Tobacco's financial terrain and could negatively affect Altria stock.

A close-up view of cigarettes on June 10, 2015 in Bristol, England. Health campaigners have asked for a levy on the tobacco industry to help fund anti-smoking measures Matt Cardy/Getty Images

In a research note, Citigroup analysts warned investors that the Juul was beginning to disrupt tobacco stocks.

The note suggested that the rise of the Juul could bode poorly for tobacco companies  including Altria, British American Tobacco, and Imperial Brands  as sales were falling faster than expected.

"The US tobacco market is beginning to be disrupted by Juul," the analysts wrote, adding, "We don't expect underlying cigarette trends to improve much in the rest of 2018."

May 2018: Juul doubles its staff to 400 people.

Pax Labs

June 2018: San Francisco bans flavored e-cigs like the Juul, prompting an endorsement from Michael Bloomberg.

An ad from the California Department of Public Health supporting San Francisco's ballot measure to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes like Juul. California Department of Public Health

Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who is CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, called the move "an important step forward for public health" and said it should embolden other cities and states to follow suit.

July 8, 2018: Wall Street analysts say Juul is reviving the formerly comatose e-cig market, which had been slumping since 2014.

AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer

In a research note, Morgan Stanley analysts credited Juul with "driving a revival in the US e-cig market," adding that sales of Juul devices "accounted for almost the entire incremental increase in US e-cig sales as a percent of total cigarette and e-cigarette sales in the last year."

July 10, 2018: Juul raises $1.2 billion in a round that values the company at more than $16 billion, according to PitchBook.

Bowen and Monsees at the Hotel Tortue in December 2018 for Juul's launch in Germany. Getty Images / Picture Alliance

The seven investors in the round included a maker of marijuana therapeutics, called Applied Biosciences, along with the the venture firm Bracket Capital, the hedge funds Darsana Capital and E Squared Capital, the investment giant Fidelity, the angel investor Sand Hill, and Tiger, according to PitchBook.

Aug. 21, 2018: Israel bans Juul products, calling them a 'grave risk to public health' because of their high nicotine content.

A package of the Juul device and flavored Juul nicotine Pods. JUUL Labs

In a statement, Israel's Health Ministry said it's banning the sale and import of Juul devices because they contained more than 20 milligrams per milliliter of nicotine and presented "a grave risk to public health," Reuters reported.

Sept. 11, 2018: The FDA deepens its crackdown on Juul and other e-cig makers.

FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb Reuters

In a statement, then-Commissioner Gottlieb said the FDA was working on creating a system to "properly regulate" e-cigarettes like the Juul.

He said the aim was twofold: make e-cigarettes available as a less-dangerous alternative for adult smokers, but also keep them out of the hands of young people.

Oct. 2, 2018: The FDA surprises Juul at its headquarters and seizes 'thousands of pages of documents' as part of an investigation into its marketing practices.

Reuters/Ronen Zvulun

The agency was running an investigation into whether Juul marketed its products to teens, CNBC said.

The visit was an extension of the FDA's request in April for materials related to how Juul presented its products and whether they were designed to appeal to kids, according to CNBC.

Oct. 2018: Juul surges in popularity, now accounting for over 70% of the US e-cigarette market, according to Nielsen data.

Reuters / Brendan McDermid

Nov. 13, 2018: Juul stops selling its sweet and fruity flavors at stores, making those varieties only available online.

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Juul says it will temporarily stop selling its flavored e-cigarettes in stores.

The move comes on the heels of a similar ban on flavored e-cigs that the city of San Francisco enacted over the summer.

Researchers nearly unanimously praised the move, which they say could help protect young people by making the products less appealing and harder to purchase. Juul's flavored varieties will still be sold online, the company says.

Nov. 15, 2018: The FDA announces plans to curb flavored e-cig sales after reports that youth vaping has ballooned 78%.

A high-school student vaping near a school campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Associated Press

2018: The Federal Trade Commission begins investigating whether Juul marketed its products to minors.

Members of the Federal Trade Commission. REUTERS/ Leah Millis

The Federal Trade Commission began looking into Juul's use of influencers and other marketing tools to appeal to young people, The Wall Street Journal reported in August 2019.

According to The Journal, the FTC's investigation began before it started reviewing a deal between Juul and the Marlboro maker, Altria, in December 2018.

Dec. 20, 2018: Altria buys 35% of Juul for $12.8 billion, bumping Juul's valuation to $38 billion. Gottlieb accuses both companies of backing away from pledges to curb youth vaping.

Packs of Marlboro cigarettes on sale. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

In what the Silicon Valley Business Journal called "the biggest investment ever in a US venture-backed company," Marlboro and the Parliament cigarette maker, Altria, paid $12.8 billion for a third of Juul. That gave Altria more combustible-cigarette market share than the next seven brands combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Juul, which had an annual revenue of about $2 billion at the time, also received a $2 billion bonus from Altria to distribute among its 1,500 employees, CNBC reported. That would have been about $1.3 million a person.

On the heels of the deal, Gottlieb called out both companies, saying they were backing away from previous pledges to fight teen vaping.

March 5, 2019: In a surprise announcement, Gottlieb announces he's leaving his post as FDA commissioner.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Gottlieb attends interview at Reuters HQ in New York Thomson Reuters

Gottlieb, a well-liked figure who spent just two years steering the country's top food and drug regulator, said he was leaving in a month to spend more time with his family in Connecticut.

The commissioner had made a name for himself as both a vocal critic of e-cigarette startups like Juul and a speedy approver of new pharmaceutical drugs.

In a resignation letter, Gottlieb wrote that one of his accomplishments at the FDA was taking actions against "bad actors that put Americans at risk."

March 13, 2019: Gottlieb announces a crackdown on flavored e-cig sales.

Reuters / Mike Segar

Roughly a week after announcing his departure from the FDA, Gottlieb released a plan to crack down on flavored e-cigarette sales at gas stations, pharmacies, and convenience stores. The plan would also crack down on websites without buffers against youth purchases, such as age-verification software or quantity limits.

April 3, 2019: The FDA says it's looking into a 'potential safety issue' related to seizures tied to vaping.

Shutterstock

In a statement, Gottlieb said his agency had seen reports suggesting that a small number of e-cigarette users (35 cases from 2010 to early 2019) had experienced seizures after vaping.

By August, the FDA said it had received 127 reports  but noted that the new figure might simply mean more people were coming forward, not necessarily that cases were increasing.

Gottlieb also noted that seizures were known as possible side effects of nicotine poisoning and said the agency would continue exploring whether there was a connection.

April 8, 2019: Democrats in the US Senate launch an investigation into Juul's deal with Altria as well as its social media and advertising practices.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Sergio Flores/Getty Images

Eleven Democratic senators, including the party whip Dick Durbin and the presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, wrote a letter to Juul demanding that the company answer questions about its advertising practices and its deal with Altria, CNBC reported.

June 13, 2019: The US House of Representatives announces an investigation of Juul's marketing and the Altria deal.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are sworn in on the House floor January 3, 2017. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

House Democrats launch their own investigation into Juul, Fortune reports.

July 16, 2019: Juul's CEO apologizes to parents of teens addicted to its vaping products.

CBS This Morning

In a CNBC documentary, Juul Labs CEO Kevin Burns issued an apology to parents of teens who were addicted to the company's vaping products.

"First of all, I'd tell them that I'm sorry that their child's using the product," Burns said.

July 25, 2019: Officials in Wisconsin warn of eight cases of severe lung disease in teens who'd vaped. It's unclear what kinds of products or substances are involved.

Simah Herman, 18, on September 19 with a photo of her former vaping devices in Los Angeles. Herman was in a medically induced coma and treated for pneumonia and lung-disease from vaping. Reuters / Lucy Nicholson

In July, Wisconsin's chief medical officer wrote a memo to healthcare providers warning them about a cluster of sick adolescents who had used e-cigarettes. Chest X-rays of the teens revealed similarities in lung damage, he says.

The following month, the CDC released an emergency notice about 30 cases of vaping-related lung illness in Wisconsin.

In mid-August, officials reported the first death tied to vaping-related lung illness: an adult in Illinois.

By September, the CDC and the FDA said there had been 530 confirmed and probable cases of the mystery illness since June. Seven people died. The investigation is ongoing, and officials have yet to find a substance or brand that's common among all the cases.

Aug. 16, 2019: Juul raises $785 million in equity and debt financing from Proioxis Ventures, according to PitchBook.

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

The funds will be used to speed Juul's expansion overseas, according to PitchBook. The figure brings the company to $14.2 billion in funds raised.

Aug. 29, 2019: Bloomberg says Juul devices were involved in three reports of seizures linked to vaping.

Brendan McDermid / Reuters

In three reports submitted to the FDA, people said they or their children had used a Juul before experiencing seizures, Bloomberg News reported. Bloomberg obtained the reports through a public records request.

In two of the three reports, the FDA wasn't able to officially confirm that a Juul device was involved, according to Bloomberg.

Aug. 29, 2019: Juul's CEO warns people against using Juuls and says vaping's long-term health effects are unknown.

Juul's new CEO, Kevin Burns. Juul/YouTube

In an interview with CBS, Burns said anyone who wasn't already using nicotine, the addictive drug in Juul, should not start.

"Don't vape. Don't use Juul," Burns told CBS.

Sept. 9, 2019: The FDA slams Juul for portraying its e-cigs as 'totally safe' and marketing them to kids at schools.

An ad showing a plate of food suggesting that users "save room for Juul." Juul

In a warning letter, the FDA said Juul wrongly painted its e-cigarettes, known in the industry as ENDS, as safer than cigarettes and marketed them intentionally to young people.

"Referring to your ENDS products as '99% safer' than cigarettes, 'much safer' than cigarettes, 'totally safe,' and 'a safer alternative than smoking cigarettes' is particularly concerning because these statements were made directly to children in school," the FDA letter said.

"Our concern is amplified by the epidemic rate of increase in youth use of ENDS products, including Juul's products," the letter added.

Sept. 17, 2019: Juul sales are halted in China for unclear reasons.

An employee at a Tmall logistics center in Suzhou, China. Thomson Reuters

A selection of flavored Juul products that went up for sale on two online Chinese marketplaces, JD.com and Tmall, were removed within a week, The Wall Street Journal reported. Both retailers declined to say why.

Juul had long been planning to launch in China, where more than 300 million people smoke, according to the World Health Organization. Its nicotine refills, or Juul Pods, are manufactured in Shenzhen, China.

Sept. 18, 2019: India bans vaping, citing the "impact of e-cigarettes on the youth."

Reuters / Neil Hall

India outlawed the production, sale, import, and advertising of e-cigarettes, citing the need to stop the "impact of e-cigarettes on the youth," BuzzFeed News reported. Penalties include jail time and fines of up to $7,000.

Juul had been planning to launch in India, home to more than 106 million smokers  second only to China  by the end of 2019.

Sept. 23, 2019: The US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into Juul.

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

The Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors in the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California were conducting a criminal investigation of Juul. Further details, such as the focus of the investigation, were not available, and Juul didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Several other investigations are ongoing, including an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission focusing on whether Juul marketed to teens and an FDA investigation focused on marketing, outreach, and Juul's uniquely high nicotine content.

Sept. 24, 2019: Juul reportedly prepares to scale back its staff.

A woman exhaling a puff of vapor from a Juul e-cigarette. Associated Press / Craig Mitchelldyer

Juul began preparing to restructure its staff as it faced slower sales resulting from increasing reports about the mysterious vaping-related lung illness, the proposed US ban on flavored e-cigarettes, and a variety of other investigations, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The company employs roughly 3,900 people, according to The Journal, up from the 200 it had in 2017.

For now, Juul plans to hire less aggressively and start outlining plans to cut some jobs, according to The Journal, but will still continue to expand.

Sept. 25, 2019: CEO Kevin Burns steps down and is replaced by longtime tobacco executive K.C. Crosthwaite.

Former Juul CEO Kevin Burns. CBS This Morning

Crosthwaite was most recently chief growth officer at Altria, and has worked in tobacco for more than 20 years.

In announcing the change, Juul also said it would suspend US advertising and some lobbying efforts. Crosthwaite said he would "strive to work with regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders, and earn the trust of the societies in which we operate."

Oct. 7, 2019: A crop of school districts across three states sues Juul.

Shutterstock

Four school districts sue Juul in what appears to be the beginning of a trend.

The districts include Three Village Central in New York, La Conner in Washington, Olathe in Kansas, and Francis Howell in Missouri. In separate suits filed on Monday, the districts argue that Juul created a public nuisance by intentionally marketing to kids; misrepresenting its products' nicotine content; and endangering teens' health, according to public documents that Business Insider viewed.

Cindy Ormsby, an attorney for the Missouri case, told the Riverfront Times that the Francis Howell lawsuit is "part of a coordinated package of litigation filed by school districts across the country, each dealing with a similar crisis of students addicted to nicotine."

In September, Kansas City school district Goddard became one of the first to announce that it was preparing a lawsuit against Juul.

The lawsuits seek unspecified damages and legal fees.

Oct. 17, 2019: Juul extends its ban on sweet and fruity flavors to include online sales.

SRITA

Juul announces that it is stopping online sales of its mango, fruit, cucumber, and cream varieties. Last fall, the company temporarily banned sales of those varieties in stores. As of Oct. 17, those flavors can't be purchased in-person or online.

In a statement, Juul says it "will continue to develop scientific evidence to support the use of these flavored products."

Oct. 28, 2019: Juul reportedly plans to cut 500 jobs before year's end. Its chief marketing officer departs the following day.

Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images

Juul looks to eliminate roughly 500 jobs by the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The cuts are part of a company-wide reorganization effort, according to the journal, and will involve anywhere between 10-15% of Juul's total workforce.

"As the vapor category undergoes a necessary reset, this reorganization will help Juul Labs focus on reducing underage use, investing in scientific research, and creating new technologies while earning a license to operate in the US and around the world," KC Crosthwaite, Juul's new CEO, said in an emailed statement provided to Business Insider.

The following day, the Journal reports that Juul's chief marketing officer is departing.

"Craig Brommers, an incredibly talented marketing executive, has asked to transition out of Juul Labs in the coming months so that he can pursue opportunities with other companies," a Juul spokesperson told the Journal.

The spokesperson also said that as a result of Brommer's departure, the CMO position would be cut.

Oct. 29, 2019: Juul names a new chief financial officer after its existing CFO asks to leave.

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Juul appoints Guy Cartwright its new chief financial officer after CFO Tim Danaher asks to leave the company, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Cartwright previously served as managing director of the investment firm TowerBrook Capital Partners LP, and joined Juul in July, according to the Journal. Danaher had served as Juul's CFO since 2014.

Oct. 31, 2019: Marlboro maker Altria, which owns a third of Juul, slashes the value of its stake in the company. Juul is now valued at $24 billion instead of $38 billion.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Marlboro maker Altria, which last December purchased a 35% stake in Juul for $12.8 billion, cuts the value of its investment in the company by $4.5 billion.

The move reveals that Juul is now worth $24 billion, down from $38 billion.

On a conference call, Altria cited unexpected market shifts like regulatory crackdowns abroad and a proposed US flavor ban.

"We're not pleased to have to take an impairment charge on the Juul investment," Altria CEO Howard Willard said on the call. "We did not anticipate this dramatic a change in the e-vapor category," he added.

November 7, 2019: Juul stops selling mint flavored options, leaving only menthol and tobacco flavored refillable cartridges.

A screenshot shows 2015 advertising for Juul products displayed in a print magazine Reuters

Juul announces it will stop selling mint-flavored refillable cartridges, or Juul pods.

In a press release, the company said it would immediately stop accepting orders for the mint-flavored pods from retail partners and stop selling mint-flavored pods online.

According to the release, Juul's decision was based partially on new research released this week which suggested that mint and mango were the most popular flavors among high school students who Juul.

"These results are unacceptable," Juul Labs CEO KC Crosthwaite said in the release, adding, "that is why we must reset the vapor category in the US and earn the trust of society by working cooperatively with regulators, Attorneys General, public health officials, and other stakeholders to combat underage use."

2020: Amid the pandemic, Juul lays off 40% of its workforce in April, 2020. It then lays off over half of its remaining staff, resulting in about a further 1,000 employees being cut.

Shopkeepers stand inside a Juul shop at a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 30, 2019. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

2021: By 2021, Altria slashes its valuation for Juul to $5 billion, while Juul itself asserts it was worth $10 billion. Two years prior, the company was valued at $38 billion.

A hand with a cigarette is seen in front of displayed logos of Philip Morris and Altria in this picture illustration Reuters

September 30, 2021: The CDC and FDA releases a study that finds that over 2 million middle-and-high-school students in the US were using e-cigarettes.

At its peak, Juul dominated over 70% of the US e-cigarette market. Eva Hambach/Getty Images

The study found that eight in 10 of those students used flavored e-cigarettes.

"These data highlight the fact that flavored e-cigarettes are still extremely popular with kids," said Mitch Seller, the director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. "And we are equally disturbed by the quarter of high school students who use e-cigarettes and say they vape every single day."

February, 2022: A judge rules that Altria can keep its investment in Juul.

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2018, file photo Juul products are displayed at a smoke shop in New York. The company that makes Marlboro cigarettes will take a $4.1 billion hit from its investment in Juul. Altria took a 35% stake in the e-cigarette company at the end of 2018 at a cost of almost $13 billion. The Richmond, Va., company on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020 cited burgeoning legal cases that it expects to grow. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Associated Press

An administrative judge ruled that Altria didn't break antitrust laws by taking a 35% stake in Juul. The Federal Trade Commission had sued in 2019, and can still appeal the ruling.

June 23, 2022: The FDA bans Juul from selling and distributing its e-cigarette products in the US, and also ordered that all products currently in the market be removed.

Markets Insider

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Wednesday that the FD could make the decision this week. Altria's stock plunged 10% on Wednesday after the Journal published its report.

Read the original article on Business Insider
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA  FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2022, 11:44 AM

In Kherson Oblast, Russians, tearing off their insignias, attempt to escape from the front to Crimea through the Arabat Spit.

Source: press service of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

Quote: "A group of deserters aged 18-20 has appeared in occupied Kalynivka, Kherson Oblast. They are dressed in Russian-style military uniforms, without insignia and hats."

Details: Armed with Kalashnikov rifles, the deserters ask people for food and water  one of them seems to be wounded. They came to the administrative border with Crimea only at night.

The main reason for desertion among Russian troops is significant losses. Deserters break through to the peninsula through the Arabat Spit, this route is considered "the safest" for them.

Reminder: On 30 June, it was reported that Russian troops attacked Ukrainian units in the recaptured settlements of Kherson Oblast, but that the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled the attack. Afterwards, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the village of Potomkyne in Kherson Oblast.
By Ross Kerber and Tommy Wilkes

BOSTON/LONDON (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has exposed a gap in socially-minded investing  a hands-off approach to geopolitics and human rights.

Before Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Sberbank, a Kremlin-backed bank already the target of international sanctions, enjoyed higher ratings for environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks than some western lenders.

MSCI Inc and Sustainalytics improved their ESG scores for Russia's largest lender last year as recently as December, citing factors such as improved data privacy. S&P Global Inc also gave Sberbank a positive review late last year.

The ratings firms quickly changed course after the offensive, downgrading or suspending their scores on Sberbank and other Russian government-linked companies citing pressures such as their exposure to new western sanctions.

The U-turns have sparked calls from some investors for an overhaul of how geopolitics, sovereign governance and human rights are factored into ESG ratings.

A first step would be to include warning signs of war, allowing the selling of stocks while they could still be sold, said Dana DAuria, co-chief investment officer for the asset management division of Envestnet Inc.

Wouldn't it have been great to divest from Russian stocks before they became frozen? DAuria said. She and Envestnet declined to discuss specific holdings.

Simon MacMahon, head of ESG research for Sustainalytics, said the invasion of Ukraine was "a black swan event" because of its low probability and high impact, and said that investors were aware of the risks of investing in the region.

"To suggest that investors were relying solely on ESG ratings to tell them that investments in Russia, (Belarus) and Ukraine were increasingly high risk is nonsensical," he said.

Still, Morningstar Inc-owned Sustainalytics is revamping its methodology to capture companies' exposure to unpredictable, unmanageable events.

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Its new Systemic Event Indicators aims to capture any development it defines as a sea change event that is somehow unpredictable in nature and that affects larger groups of companies at the same time and across a multitude of ESG issues."

Sustainalytics gave Sberbank a 21.47 score pre-invasion, better than scores given to JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank at the time. The Russian banks risk rating was then raised to its current "high risk" rating of 33.4, incorporating the new systemic indicators.

MSCI, which in December upgraded Sberbank to an "A" rating from "BB," said that it regularly reviewed its ratings methodology and that it had put a ceiling on Russian company ratings and removed them from its indexes.

MSCI spokesperson Melanie Blanco said that across all markets covered by MSCI, state-owned enterprises on average have lower ESG ratings, typically due to weaker corporate governance and higher corruption risk.

A spokesperson for S&P said it continued to review its coverage and methodology for affected companies in Russia but declined to discuss ratings in detail.

AUTOCRACY RISK

Funds that exclude or are underweight companies from countries with weak human rights records are a tiny fraction of the tens of trillions of dollars held in ESG investments.

MSCI Managing Director Meggin Thwing Eastman told Reuters that while Russia's invasion was forcing "a revisiting of a lot of people's thinking" in how they assess geopolitics many emerging markets (EM) investors still want exposure to countries despite their sometimes poor human rights records.

"If what you want to do is buy EM, that's part of what you're buying into," she said.

But demand for strategies with a human rights screen is growing.

Julie Cane, CEO of Democracy Investments, investment adviser to the $5 million Democracy International Fund, said it had a rush of new interest and inflows since Russias invasion. It attracted $3 million in net new deposits this year, including $1 million in each of February, March and April, according to Lipper data.

The fund reduces the weighting of some of its holdings if a company's home country receives a low score in The Economist magazine's Democracy Index.

That still leaves it with exposure to state-connected businesses, including in China, which has come under increasing international pressure over human rights in the Xinjiang region.

Cane said it was better to keep such stakes, however diminished, "to put pressure on authoritarians to become better citizens of the world."

China's foreign ministry and the State Council Information Office did not respond to requests for comment.

The United States says China is committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region. Beijing has denied all accusations of abuse.

Another fund, the $220 million Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF, takes a harder line. It excludes companies from countries that score low on a measure of "human freedom" kept by the Cato Institute and the Fraser Institute.

That makes it a rarity among EM funds because it omits Russian and Chinese holdings. Fund manager Perth Tolle said Russias invasion helped attract new money. Lipper data shows it has taken in $117 million so far this year.

The invasion seems to have made investors more aware of autocracy risk than ever before, and they see that freedom works as a leading indicator, Tolle said.

Moscow calls its invasion a "special military operation" to protect Russian speakers from Ukrainians intent on taking Kyiv into NATO, a move Russia says it cannot accept. The West and Ukraine say Russia is waging an unjustified war of aggression.

RUSSIAN EXPOSURE

To be sure, most ESG-focused funds had little or no exposure to Russia. Close to $320 million in securities linked to Russias government, including via sovereign debt and shares in Sberbank and other state-backed companies, was held across 75 ESG labelled U.S. and European funds as of March according to corporate accountability NGO Inclusive Development International.

Some $100 billion is held in passively managed funds linked to sustainable indexes compiled by MSCI and others according to Sustainable Research and Analysis.

Some ESG raters had flagged the sanctioning of government-connected Russian firms pre-invasion, but those assessments had a limited impact. In a Nov. 29 note a unit of S&P credited Sberbank for conducting risk assessments and strategic planning.

The note cautioned against corruption and centralized power in Russia, but said "the inclusion of the bank on international sanctions lists currently does not affect the effectiveness of its corporate management and does not create any immediate financial or operational risks."

Despite being put on 2014 U.S. and European Union sanctions lists after Russia's annexation of Crimea, Sberbank grew in the following seven years, maintaining a sizeable presence in some European markets and reporting a 74% jump in net profits to a record 1.24 trillion roubles for 2021.

Sberbank said in a statement that its "impressive progress" on ESG ratings in 2021 reflected "internal ESG transformation efforts as well as its sustainability leadership in Russia." It did not respond to specific questions about the ratings.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston and by Tommy Wilkes in London. Additional reporting by Simon Jessop in London and Ryan Woo in Beijing. Editing by Greg Roumeliotis and Carmel Crimmins.)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  Emails and phone calls from same-sex couples, worried about the legal status of their marriages and keeping their children, flooded attorney Sydney Duncans office within hours of the Supreme Courts decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.

The ruling last week didnt directly affect the 2015 decision that paved the way for same-sex marriage. But, Duncan said, it was still a warning shot for families headed by same-sex parents who fear their rights could evaporate like those of people seeking to end a pregnancy.

That has a lot of people scared and, I think, rightfully so, said Duncan, who specializes in representing members of the LGBTQ community at the Magic City Legal Center in Birmingham.

Overturning a nearly 50-year-old precedent, the Supreme Court ruled in a Mississippi case that abortion wasnt protected by the Constitution, a decision likely to lead to bans in about half the states. Justice Samuel Alito said the ruling involved only the medical procedure, writing: Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.

But conservative Justice Clarence Thomas called on his colleagues to reconsider cases that allowed same-sex marriage, gay sex and contraception.

The courts three most liberal members warn in their dissent that the ruling could be used to challenge other personal freedoms: Either the mass of the majoritys opinion is hypocrisy, or additional constitutional rights are under threat. It is one or the other.

That prospect alarms some LGBTQ couples, who worry about a return to a time when they lacked equal rights to married heterosexual couples under the law. Many, fearful that their marital status is in danger, are moving now to square away potential medical, parental and estate issues.

Dawn Betts-Green and wife Anna Green didnt waste time shoring up their legal paperwork after the decision. Theyve already visited a legal clinic for families with same-sex parents to start the process of making a will.

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That way, if they blast us back to the Dark Ages again, we have legal protections for our relationship, said Betts-Green, who works with an Alabama-based nonprofit that documents the history of LGBTQ people in the South.

As a white woman married to a Black transgender man, Robbin Reed of Minneapolis feels particularly vulnerable. A decision undermining same-sex marriage or interracial unions would completely upend Reed's life, which includes the couple's 3-month-old child.

I have no expectation that anything about my marriage is safe, said Reed, a legal aide.

Reed's employer, Sarah Breiner of the Breiner Law Firm, is setting up seminars in both the Twin Cities and the Atlanta area to help same-sex couples navigate potential legal needs after the court's decision. Breiner said helping people remain calm about the future is part of her job these days.

We dont know what might happen, and thats the problem, Breiner said.

In a sign of what could come, the state of Alabama already has cited the abortion ruling in asking a federal appeals court to let it enforce a new state law that makes it a felony for doctors to prescribe puberty blockers and hormones to trans people under age 19. The decision giving states the power to restrict abortion means states should also be able to ban medical treatments for transgender youth, the state claimed.

Any attempt to undo same-sex marriage would begin with a lawsuit, and any possible rollback is years away since no major legal threat is on the horizon, said Cathryn Oakley, senior counsel and state legislative director with the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization.

This is definitely a scary moment and people are nervous, but peoples marriages are still safe, Oakley said.

Although the threat to same-sex couples feels particularly acute in conservative states, Oakley said she's heard of people all over the country in recent days seeking second-parent adoptions, which protect a family by having the names of both adoptive parents on the birth certificate. People also are completing medical directives in case one spouse is incapacitated and doing general estate planning, she said.

Ryanne Seybas law firm in Hollywood, Florida, is offering free second-parent adoptions, which are similar to step-parent adoptions, for qualified same-sex couples to help ease some of the stress caused by the possible ripple effects of the abortion decision.

We realized last week when (the ruling) came out we needed to do something, said Seyba of The Upgrade Lawyers.

A judge in Broward County plans to have a special day in August to finalize all the adoptions at once, Seyba said. If nothing else, completing the process should give nervous families more security, she said.

If gay marriage goes away, we dont really know whats going to happen, she said. Its better to be on the safe side.'

___

Associated Press writer Kim Chandler in Montgomery contributed to this report.
SeaWorld Orlando is offering free park admission to veterans, as well as their families and friends, for a limited time.

The theme park is offering U.S. military veterans and up to three guests complimentary one-day admission.

The deal is good through July 10.

READ: SeaWorld Orlando celebrates Independence Day with big savings for you

To get the deal, veterans will have to register by clicking here.

After registering, all tickets must be redeemed by July 10.

READ: SeaWorld hints at new roller coaster

Service members and their direct dependents must have a valid active military ID to participate.

Active-duty military members can enjoy a one-day ticket all year long, the theme park said.

READ: Cheers! Free beer returns to SeaWorld Orlando for the summer

SeaWorld said it has offered free admission to U.S. military personnel for more than 20 years.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
A Russian-backed separatist fighter reportedly trashed Putin's troops in a call with his wife.

Ukraine's military intelligence released on Thursday what it said was a phone call between the two.

Russian troops have been accused of war crimes and other atrocities since the war's early days.

A Russian-backed separatist fighter reportedly told his wife that President Vladimir Putin's troops are war criminals and used a slur for disabled people to call them imbeciles.

Ukraine's military intelligence uploaded a video to YouTube on Thursday of what it alleged was a phone conversation between a soldier from the Moscow-backed and self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and his wife.

During the phone call, the soldier describes disorganization and chaos among the Russian soldiers, using a slur to call Putin's forces morons and comparing soldier infighting to those who mutinied during World War I.

"Like during the war on Potemkin, in the night, they had support come in to help them, and they started firing on themselves, Russians firing on Russians, destroying themselves," he says.

Video: Ukrainians start their own battalion to defeat Russia

The separatist also purportedly blasts Russian military generals for not understanding the situation on the ground.

"In short, they fucked us for everything," the fighter reportedly says.

The separatist fighter also complains that Russian forces aren't allowing them to rotate off the front lines.

"I just want them to get us out of here," he said, adding that he thinks the Russians aren't allowing soldiers off the front lines because they're afraid they'll desert and never return.

"Nobody is going home, because they won't fucking come back," he said. "And mostly, they are right, because even the guy from the 33rd regiment said, 'this is a one-way ticket, I will leave and not come back.' "

Russian troops have been accused by Ukrainian officials and Western states of committing war crimes and other atrocities against civilians since the war's early days.

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Throughout the four-month-long conflict, civilians, journalists, and officials have documented and reported instances where Russian troops have directly targeted Ukrainian civilians with their brutality.

Among the horrors are summary executions and raping of civilians, as well as the indiscriminate bombing of residential areas and hospitals. Ukraine and the West have vowed to prosecute any alleged war crimes.

The soldier's wife is heard in the phone call saying, "the rapes and everything happened there in Ukraine was done by the Russians," but explains that some people say the Russians aren't capable of such a thing.

"They are capable of anything," the soldier replies.

Translations by Nikita Angarski.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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
Law enforcement and officials from around Los Angeles gathered for a memorial service Thursday to remember two police officers who were gunned down in the line of duty.

The crowd packed the Toyota Arena in Ontario to remember El Monte police Sgt. Michael Paredes, 42, and 32-year-old Officer Joseph Santana. Both were killed June 14 while responding to a local motel east of Los Angeles over a reported stabbing.

They both left behind wives and young children.

The day began with a procession from the El Monte Police Department to the arena. At the memorial service, speakers remembered the men for their community service, bravery, sense of duty and devotion to their families.

WEST HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY PUBLIC SAFETY WILL INCREASE WITH FEWER SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES

"Mike and Joseph were heroes. Im not saying that because they died. Im saying that because of how they lived," acting El Monte police Chief Ben Lowry said. "They were the best of us."

"An entire community mourns their loss," said Bianca Santana, Joseph Santanas younger sister said.

Both men were raised in El Monte, where mourners have left flowers and messages of thanks since the killings. They were the third and fourth officers from the department to be killed in the line of duty.

They were dispatched to the motel over a report that a woman was possibly stabbed. They then confronted the suspected gunman, identified as Justin Flores, and a gunfire exchange occurred.

Flores killed the officers and then took his own life, authorities said. At the time of the killings, he was on probation for a gun charge. The shooting occurred a day after his probation officer requested he return to court.

The deaths prompted severe backlash toward Los Angeles County District George Gascon, whose office gave Flores a plea deal on an unrelated charge. In his defense, Gascon said Flores, a known gang member, had no history of violence prior to the officers' deaths.

"It was basically someone that had been drug addicted for many years. He had been arrested mostly for drug-related offenses," Gascon said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Children outside a UN tent in South Sudan

Two children and an adult have died of starvation in South Sudan as the suspension of food aid begins to hit, aid workers have told the BBC.

The deaths occurred in a displacement camp in the northern Warrap state.

It comes after the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said it had suspended rationing programmes in parts of the country due to a lack of funding.

In June, the body said it needed $426m (352m) to continue distributing food.

But that aid has not been forthcoming as the international community has focussed on other overlapping crises, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sami Al Subaihi, a Medecins Sans Frontieres worker at the camp, said that one of the children was just five years old.

"I find the mother of one of the children sitting by her five-year-old son's small, freshly dug grave," he said. "Her three other children, all very thin and weak, sit at the entrance of the family's improvised shelter."

He added that more than 20,000 people living at displacement camps were at risk of starvation.

"In one camp I see people collapsing, physically exhausted. They clearly haven't had enough food for a while. I don't see anyone cooking or any food stored in any of the shelters."

A WFP official told the BBC the body has "suspended assistance to 1.7 million people due to being underfunded, but we continue [to help] 4.5 million people".

They said the suspension was spread out across different regions of the country and added that more than 60% of the population of 11 million now faced "severe food insecurity".

On 14 June, the body said that it had "exhausted all options before suspending food assistance, including halving rations in 2021, leaving families in need with less food to eat".

South Sudan has been wracked with violence since it achieved independence in 2011 and this has contributed to food insecurity, despite the formation of a unity government in 2020.

The situation has also been worsened by four consecutive seasons of flooding that have destroyed homes and farmlands, and displaced tens of thousands.

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A Southwest Florida candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives faces charges in a Thursday protest against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade.

Cindy Banyai, 42, of Fort Myers, made the announcement on her candidate page. She is challenging the Republican winner of the August primary for who represents Florida's 19th Congressional District. The district includes Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples and Marco Island. Republican Byron Donalds won the 2020 race, beating Banyai.

Cindy Banyai, a Southwest Florida candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, faces charges in a Thursday protest against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning the landmark abortion rights case Roe V. Wade.

After Roe v. Wade: Abortion decision means new fight by abortion-rights advocates in Southwest Florida

Previous local rally: March for Equality in Fort Myers draws gubernatorial candidates, other speakers

Donalds' donation: Federal elections agency asks Rep. Byron Donalds to clarify $640,000 in unidentified campaign donation

The Supreme Court ruled on June 24 that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. The ruling returns the authority to regulate abortion to individual states.

It was really inspirational to join together with people from across the U.S. to raise our objection to the Supreme Courts ruling on Dobbs that has stripped us of our right to body autonomy and medical privacy, Banyai said about Thursday's protest.

We know a majority of Americans believe people should have access to abortion care, but far-right extremists in our government and judiciary decided to put their views ahead of the American peoples.

Banyai, who broke her leg and recently had surgery, says she chanted and sang with hundreds of other protesters who Capitol Police arrested.

The U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation of the arrest or any details.

Banyai has been at the forefront of local woman's marches highlighting equality in recent months, including the March for Women's Rights in Fort Myers.

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Donalds faces a challenger, Jim Huff, in the August Republican primary. Banyai is unchallenged and will face the winner of the Republican primary and a write-in candidate, Patrick Post, in the November general election.

Banyai said on her website that she anticipated being held in jail overnight until she could pay her bond.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cindy Banyai, running for US House seat, arrested in abortion protest
Stanley Tucci, an Italian American who is no stranger to the hustle culture in the United States, thinks Americans should take some notes from the Italian way of life.

The "Searching for Italy" host told AOL that he thinks Italians "are much better at taking vacations."

"Most businesses have a lot more time allotted to their employees for vacations which I think is a good thing," he added.

Hes not wrong. Americans already took the fewest days off and with rising inflation, canceled flights and a pandemic, its getting harder to travel.

Tucci recognizes the barriers Americans have and suggested that even during a staycation, Americans can still embrace that Italian spirit by spending time outdoors and cooking a summer recipe, which is "just a delight for everyone," he said.

EVAN KALMAN FOR S.PELLEGRINO

"In Italy, the spirit of summer comes alive through simple things. Its about the wonderful times spent relaxing outdoors gathering around the table with family and friends," Tucci in a statement about his multi-year partnership with S. Pelligrino.

The actor, who has spent two seasons of his acclaimed CNN show exploring Italy, explained to AOL the importance of "a third space," like a cafe or restaurant in Italy, and how they have disappeared from American culture.

"They're in every town where a lot of times people can just walk to them. Because America is so big and weve created this sprawl, you can't walk anywhere. And being able to walk to a pub, to a restaurant, to a cafe and then to walk with each other afterward  that's a really, really important thing and that has disappeared from American life because of the way we killed our cities."

Ultimately, Tucci said, "focusing on food and family and friends, I think that is the key to the success of Italy. I think Americans would do well to have more of that."
Stefano Pilati probably thought nothing much when he tossed straw rugs over wicker armchairs and tucked them around a sofa at a summer home in Sicily, Italy.

Fahad Hariri was so enchanted by the aesthetic impact of these offhand gestures that he invited the Italian fashion designer to do a project for Pinto, the Paris-based interior design agency where hes been owner, chairman and co-artistic director since August 2020.

More from WWD

Pilatis dreamy, undulating hat-like chair and curving, low-slung sofa are being unveiled in the French capital during couture week, drawing a link between fashion design and the haute craftsmanship of bespoke furnishings. Indeed, Pilatis rug-covered chairs will be cast in bronze with a wax-like patina. A limited edition of eight will be produced, starting at 45,000 euros.

The hulking, low-slung sofa emits a perfume of Asia with its origami-like folds, the armrests dressed in an extra swag, like French cuffs on a dress shirt. The rustic, sand-colored fabric is known as Shanghai and comes from the heritage French furnishings specialist Maison Pierre Frey, though it is also available in a velour. The Pinto agency added monkey pillows for whimsy.

A chair by Stefano Pilati for design house Pinto. - Credit: JACQUES PEPION

JACQUES PEPION

Thirty of the couches are to be produced, each boasting a solid oak base, high-resilience foam padding of differing densities, coil springs to ensure comfort and buoyancy, and a price tag of 65,000 euros.

Hariri, a fan of Pilatis designs since his Yves Saint Laurent days, says he wishes to break down barriers between disciplines by inviting guest creatives, here exalting the draping skill and eye for proportions of a seasoned and acclaimed fashion designer.

I agreed to this project because I find industrial and artisanal design generally inspiring, Pilati told WWD. It is possible to find some affinities across the industrial aspect of fashion design where it becomes necessary to recall the physics, gravity, proportions and tensions shared between elements and surfaces. Upholstery, as a craft, is something a fashion designer can understand with a certain familiarity, I believe.

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Pilati said his chair and sofa were conceived to be in spaces where indoor and outdoor coexist seamlessly.

Asked if he could see himself heading further into interior design, the Italian designer replied: I love decorating spaces myself and I trust my style as I do in my fashion. Pinto is a fantastic wardrobe of inspirations.

Pilati is probably best known for his eight-year stint as creative director of YSL, and his three years at the creative helm of Ermenegildo Zegna. The designer also worked in senior design and fabric development positions for a number of Italian design houses, including Miu Miu, Prada and Giorgio Armani.

In 2017, he debuted a new fashion project out of Berlin called Random Identities.

Hariri said hes leaning toward a fine artist for the next collaboration, while noting that Pilati would continue to create designs for Pinto.

Founded by Alberto Pinto in Paris in 1971, the interior design firm has logged more than 500 projects, including the Hotel Lambert in Paris, a mansion-turned-hotel in the citys 4th arrondissement; the Tour Odeon, a double-skyscraper apartment in Monaco; The Lanesborough hotel in London; and several palaces, residences, corporate office, jets and mega yachts.

The son of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, Fahad Hariri has long had a passion for decorative arts and had entrusted the Pinto agency for five personal projects. He took over the firm when the founders sister, Linda Pinto, decided to step down. He shares the artistic direction with Pietro Scaglione.

SEE ALSO:

Stefano Pilati Lets Loose With New Brand, Random Identities

Stefano Pilati Exits Zegna

Alberto Pinto, Interior Designer, Dies at 69

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Supply chains wait as unionized dockworkers and the shipping operators at the U.S. West Coast ports negotiate a new labor contract after the previous contract expired on Friday.

"While there will be no contract extension, cargo will keep moving, and normal operations will continue at the ports until an agreement can be reached between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU)," the two sides said in a joint statement ahead of the 8:00 PM ET expiration of the current contract. "Both sides understand the strategic importance of the ports to the local, regional and US economies, and are mindful of the need to finalize a new coast-wide contract as soon as possible to ensure continuing confidence in the West Coast."

Negotiations can exceed deadlines without seriously disrupting operations. The alternative would be costly: Data commissioned in 2014 by the National Association of Manufactures (NAM) and the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimated that port operations stopping for five days would cost the U.S. economy $1.9 billion  a sum that would certainly be higher nowadays amid elevated inflation and supply chain disruptions.

A container ship is shown at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake

"We've outsourced as far as we can to places that can provide the product at a lowest production price," Larry Parker, a logistics expert at the Dr. Wallace Boston School of Business at American Public University System, told Yahoo Finance. "What we're starting to experience now is the results of the increasing supply costs or supply chain costs."

The expiring ILWU contract was signed in 2015 after nine months of negotiations. In 2019, the ILWU agreed to a three-year extension that increased wages, maintained health benefits, and increased pensions. In November 2021, the ILWU declined an offer to extend the contract, noting that they had not been at the negotiating table since the contract was signed in 2015.

The current talks, which began on May 10 in San Francisco, are unfolding at a moment when the U.S. labor movement has shown leverage amid election victories at dozens of Starbucks (SBUX) locations and the most pro-union president leading the most pro-union administration in American history.

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U.S. President Joe Biden walks after speaking during a visit to the Port of Los Angeles, during the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 10, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Negotiation topics include avoiding work disruptions, offering best-in-class employee benefits, safety protocols, technology to drive efficiency in ports, and ESG regulations. The PMA is also committed to introducing automated systems to its marine terminals, which the ILWU argues would eliminate jobs and create a greater cybersecurity risk for port operations.

"For every robotic or every system that removes a worker from the supply chain process, that's reduction in hours and reduction in needed workforce longterm," Parker said.

He added that delayed PMA-ILWU negotiations could lead to "more of the backed up cargo until it can be redirected. We won't come to a complete stop because there's other ports in the United States."

Dani Romero is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @daniromerotv

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On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Supreme Court rules against EPA effort to regulate power plant emissions

The decision is a major climate suit, as Supreme Court correspondent John Fritze explains. Plus, at least 18 are dead after a Russian attack on an Odesa region apartment building, several are charged linked with the San Antonio migrant deaths, reporter Jordan Mendoza gives a gas price update ahead of the holiday weekend and we talk food for the Fourth.

Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Friday, the 1st of July, 2022. Today, a monumental Supreme Court decision on climate, plus charges in the devastating Texas migrant deaths, and more.

Here are some of the top headlines:

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Biden Administration can scrap a Trump era immigration policy and made asylum seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in US immigration courts. The ruling will have little immediate impact because the policy was seldom applied under Biden, who reinstated it under a court order in December. A 71-year-old woman has been gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park. It's the second time this week and third time this year that a similar incident has happened. She suffered non-life threatening injuries. And NBA star Kevin Durant appears on the move again. The Brooklyn Nets star asked for a trade yesterday.



The Supreme Court yesterday ruled against an environmental protection agency effort to regulate power plant emissions. The decision sends a blow to the Biden Administration in one of the most significant climate cases decided by the high court in more than a decade. Supreme Court correspondent, John Fritze breaks it down.

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John Fritze:

Experts viewed this case as the most important climate case to come before the Supreme Court in probably decades. It essentially raised the question of whether the EPA had the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate power plant emissions. The EPA law and some of these other environmental laws are a little squishy in what they mean. They say things like pollutants and both sides have to sit around and debate about what exactly that means. But in the 6-3 decision by the Supreme Court, the justices said that Congress did not expressly give the EPA authority to regulate power plant emissions. And the rule that the Obama Administration had passed would not pass muster in their view.

So what's interesting about this decision and several others from this term is that the court went beyond just deciding the issue and really reached into creating a new standard for how to look at these kinds of cases. In this case, the court raised this thing called the major questions doctrine. And what that basically is, is the Supreme Court is telling lower courts to, hey, if you've got a situation where an agency is making a rule or a regulation without expressed authorization from Congress, in other words, it doesn't say explicitly in the law that they can do it, and that regulation has a big impact on the economy, then it's out.

And so, they're basically saying like, look, if it's a big deal and you don't have approval from Congress, you can't do it. And that could have really sweeping implications far beyond the environmental law, although environmental law is the place where it's most likely to crop up, but chief workplace rules, public health rules, all sorts of regulations by all sorts of agencies could be in question.

Taylor Wilson:

You can find John's full story with a link in today's episode description.



At least 18 people were killed and 30 injured in a Russian attack on an apartment building in Southern Ukraine's Odessa region yesterday. That comes a day after Russian troops abandoned their position on Snake Island off the coast of Odessa that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invasion. A spokesperson for Odessa's military administration said the strike on the nine-story building was launched by aircraft in the Black Sea. At least two dead were children. The attack follows one on a shopping mall in Central Ukraine earlier this week that also killed 18. A thousand people were inside the mall when the missile struck. Russian President Vladimir Putin though, denied his forces targeted the mall, saying his country does not hit civilian facilities and alleging the airstrike was directed at a nearby weapons depot.



Two Mexican citizens are due in court today, potentially linked to the devastating migrant deaths in San Antonio last weekend. Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez and Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao faced charges of possessing a weapon while in the US illegally. Neither has been charged in the smuggling conspiracy, but federal authorities linked them to the truck were at least 53 people were found dead in Texas heat. The alleged driver of the truck, Homero Zamorano was also arrested. He's been charged with one count of smuggling resulting in death and was scheduled for a court appearance yesterday. Another, Christian Martinez, has also been charged. Officials have called the tragedy likely the deadliest smuggling incident in US history.



Taylor Wilson:

4th of July travelers will have some relief at the pump, though, gas prices are still at levels, never before seen for the holiday weekend. Reporter Jordan Mendoza has some tips on filling up before heading out of town.

Jordan Mendoza:

Gas prices, they're still really expensive, but what we also are seeing is that they're declining at a much better rate than we've seen in recent months. So yes, it's more expensive than it was during Memorial Day weekend and it's the most expensive it's ever been for a 4th of July weekend, but the silver lining to it is that the prices are consistently going down in recent weeks. So it's kind of a little bit of a, it sucks for a lot of people, but for people that do get gas on a frequent basis, they're starting to feel a little bit more of ease at the pump.

There's numerous factors that could be going into this. One thing is that the price of oil has been dipping globally. And while prices are still going up, the demand is almost kind of leveling off and that's going to be really something interesting to see what happens on the 4th of July because there's going to be so many people taking road trips, we're really going to find out if the demand for gas is going to play into effect and prices possibly starting to increase again. It's nice that we are feeling some relief at the pump, but experts are really concerned about thinking out two or three weeks ahead, because they really are starting to get to a point where it's fluctuating so much recently that they aren't sure. And so while it may be nice that we have some ease at the pump, it also could just be starting to rise up again in the next coming weeks as well.

Usually you always hear that the sooner, the better for filling up on gas, if you're going to take a road trip. Right now, it's actually not going to hurt if you wait till the day of to fill up on gas. And that's because we see prices, like experts are pretty confident that the prices are going to drop maybe 1 or 2 cents throughout the weekend. If you are planning to go on a road trip on Friday, you don't need to fill up on Wednesday or Thursday. You can fill up right before you go. So really, you can take that into consideration. It's not going to hurt you to wait to the day of.

Another thing that people all should just be concerned about is, if you're taking a trip through different states, you should be mindful of which states have the cheaper gas, because once you cross a state border, that can dramatically change the price of gas that you'll see. And it could be within a five-mile radius, you can have one station that's charging $6 and on the other side in another state, you can have it charging around $4. So really, be mindful if you're taking out-of-state trips and things like that. There is some ease at the pump, so it's not going to be hurting as much as it was a couple of weeks ago.



Taylor Wilson:

Coming up on this weekend's Sunday Edition of 5 Things, how to throw the perfect barbecue. Here's a look ahead.

James Brown:

Hi, I'm James Brown. And on the Sunday Edition of 5 Things, we're throwing a barbecue just in time for the 4th of July. We're bringing in Pig Beach barbecue owner, Shane McBride and Matt Abdoo, to discuss how they put together their perfect barbecue, including what goes into their spread.

Shane McBride:

Right? A barbecue is about hopefully bringing a bunch of people together, minimum group of 10. When you're cooking barbecue, most big format meats do feed large groups of people. Personally, I would love to have a spread. Wouldn't you?

Matt Abdoo:

Yeah.

Shane McBride:

Like you have a little chicken, have a little brisket, have a little pork, pulled pork or ribs, or both. Throw a couple sausages in the mix.

Matt Abdoo:

Got to have some chicken wings.

Shane McBride:

Some chicken wings. And kind of just the more the merrier. Really, if you have the time to cook it all, and you're planning a big feast for some friends coming over on a barbecue day, you want to check all those boxes. Definitely have some form of poultry, have some form of beef, have some form of pork. And then from there are sides. I'm always a huge fan in the summertime of cold sides, things like a coleslaw or a nice corn salad when you're in peak corn season in the summertime. Things like that for me would be great. Have some watermelon. You got to have some nice fresh fruit, a hot summer day is a perfect addition to any barbecue.

Matt Abdoo:

Tomato salad.

Shane McBride:

Tomato salad. Ooh, that'd be good.

Matt Abdoo:

All day.

Shane McBride:

Watermelon, cucumber and feta salad. That's something kind of fancy, but very, very delicious.

James Brown:

All that and more this Sunday on 5 Things.

Taylor Wilson:

And I want to take a second to ask for your help, listeners. We're spending some time this summer considering different regional food quirks around the country. Whether it's a special type of sandwich or taco, we want to hear what your neck of the woods has to offer. Drop us a note about your favorite local cuisine at podcasts@usatoday.com, and we may reach out to get you on the show. That's podcasts@usatoday.com and we'll drop that address in today's show description.

And a reminder, we're here seven days a week on 5 Things. You can find us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, your smart speaker device, or wherever you get your audio. Thanks to PJ Elliott for his great work on the show, and I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SCOTUS rules against EPA, gas price update ahead of 4th: 5 Things podcast
For six years, Sabrina Taylor talked people into giving her money: for her college tuition, for her multiple sclerosis meds, for her brothers bail. She would pay it back, she said. She had money coming in.

She lied. She wasnt paying tuition at the University of Washington. She didnt have MS, or a brother in jail. The $600,000 she bilked from friends and people she met online paid for airline tickets, clothes, and makeup.

Taylor, a 40-year-old Tacoma resident, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Seattle, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Tacoma woman pleads guilty to wire fraud for stealing more than $600,000 from friends and acquaintances - Defrauded those she met online with false claim about illness, tuition loans, or help for incarcerated family members https://t.co/yp5Wy78p7c  WDWAnews (@WDWAnews) July 1, 2022

From 2013 to 2019, Taylor borrowed money from acquaintances and people in online forums, federal prosecutors found. She admitted stealing $550,000 from a single victim. She falsely promised she could repay the stolen money with her paychecks, with money from a pending legal settlement, with money from her parents.

Prosecutors recommended no more than 27 months in prison for Taylor. Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez, not bound by the recommendation, could impose up to 20 years. Taylors sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The Taliban's secretive leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, has made his first visit to the Afghan capital Kabul, according to Taliban officials.

Mullah Haibatullah was said to have addressed a large gathering of around 3,000 religious scholars convened to discuss issues of "national unity".

No independent journalists have been allowed to attend the gathering, which has taken place amid tight security.

Audio of his speech was broadcast and no video or photographs of Mullah Haibatullah have been published.

Loud cheers could be heard as his presence was announced.

There have been persistent allegations made by critics of the Taliban that Mullah Haibatullah in fact died a number of years ago, though multiple sources have told the BBC that this is not the case.

In his speech Mullah Haibatullah praised the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last year, as "not only a source of pride for Afghans but also for Muslims all over the world".

He also appeared to address continuing international criticism of the Taliban's treatment of women, on issues such as recent rules instructing them to wear the face veil in public.

"Thank God, we are now an independent country. [Foreigners] should not give us their orders, it is our system and we have our own decisions," he said, according to state-run Bakhtar News Agency.

"We have a relationship of devotion to one God, we cannot accept the orders of others which God does not like."

So far there has been no significant discussion on girls' education at the gathering, and girls' secondary schools remain closed in most of the country.

Women have not been allowed to attend the event.

There was tight security ahead of the gathering of religious scholars

Another senior Taliban figure earlier said: "The women are our mothers, sisters, we respect them a lot, when their sons are in the gathering it means they are also involved, in a way, in the gathering."

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Afghan women's rights activists have reacted with anger and dismay.

A number of men and women spoken to by the BBC Afghan Service dismissed the conference as "unrepresentative," and an attempt by the Taliban to legitimise their rule.

"They only gathered to close people's mouths," said one man from southern Helmand province.

Baran is a young woman from Kabul who's been banned from attending school.

She said: "It was a gathering of like-minded people. This is not my word this is what everybody thinks and says.

"As a woman, I am so disappointed. They do not value us as human beings.

Issues such as recent rules instructing women to wear the face veil in public were discussed at the gathering

With foreign development aid largely cut off and some banking sanctions imposed since the Taliban took power last year, the country remains mired in a deep economic and humanitarian crisis.

Shorter-term humanitarian aid via the UN and charities has continued to flow in, but Mullah Haibatullah called on Afghan traders to return to the country and build the economy in order to avoid dependence on "foreign funds."

On Thursday, gunfire was heard in the vicinity of the gathering.

The Taliban have faced guerrilla attacks by both the Islamic State group and "resistance" groups linked to the previous government.

Taliban officials played down the incident, though video circulated of a number of alleged gunmen killed by their security forces.

On Friday there were reports of a number of rockets being fired close to the venue of Mullah Haibatullah's address in Kabul, though no casualties were reported.
By Charlotte Greenfield and Mohammad Yunus Yawar

KABUL (Reuters) -The reclusive supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban hailed the Islamists' 2021 takeover of Afghanistan during a meeting on Friday called to forge national unity and attended by religious leaders from around the country.

Taliban spokesmen confirmed that Haibatullah Akhundzada, who is based in the southern city of Kandahar, had come to the capital Kabul for the all-male gathering of some 3,000 participants.

After receiving pledges of allegiance from participants raising their hands, Akhundzada praised the Taliban's victory last August, which marked the end of a 20-year struggle to overthrow a Western-backed government and drive U.S.-led forces out of the country.

"The success of the Afghan jihad is not only a source of pride for Afghans but also for Muslims all over the world," he said according to state-run Bakhtar News Agency, using the Arabic word signifying a spiritual struggle.

When the Islamist movement announced its interim government in September, Akhundzada retained the role he has held since 2016 of supreme leader, the group's ultimate authority, but he is rarely seen publicly.

His address to the gathering comes a week after a deadly earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, exposing the lack of support the Taliban can count on from the international community.

The Afghan economy has plunged into crisis as Western governments have withdrawn funding and strictly enforced sanctions, saying that the Taliban government needs to change course on human rights, especially those of women.

In Thursday's speech, Akhundzada asked traders to return and invest in the country, saying overseas aid could not build the economy and would make Afghans more dependent on foreign money.

"Thank God, we are now an independent country. (Foreigners) should not give us their orders, it is our system and we have our own decisions," he said according to Bakhtar.

Story continues

"We have a relationship of devotion to one God, we cannot accept the orders of others who God does not like," he said.

He said the group wanted peace and security and that neighbouring nations had nothing to fear.

The Kabul gathering began on Thursday under tight security.

Taliban spokesmen told a press conference that participants had divided into committees to discuss their opinions and would share their requests with the administration on Saturday. He did not elaborate on what issues the committees were discussing.

At least one participant had called for girls' high schools to be opened but it was unclear how widespread support was for that proposal.

Deputy Taliban chief and acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani addressed the meeting on Friday, saying the world was demanding inclusive government and education, and the issues needed time.

"This gathering is about trust, interaction, we are here to make our future according to Islam and to national interests," he said.

The Taliban went back on an announcement that all schools would open in March, leaving many girls who had turned up at their high schools in tears and drawing criticism from Western governments.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that they would respect the decisions of those at the meeting but the final say on girls' education was up to the supreme leader.

A hardline cleric whose son was a suicide bomber, Akhundzada has spent most of his leadership in the shadows, letting others take the lead in negotiations that ultimately saw the United States and their allies leave Afghanistan last August after 20 years of fighting a grinding counter-insurgency war.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Editing by Robert Birsel, William Maclean & Simon Cameron-Moore)
Texas senator Ted Cruz was rumoured to have escaped yet another weather warning for the Lone Star state after he was spotted flying to the Bahamas.

Mr Cruz said Texans should be prepared and heed local officials warnings on Friday because of a flash flood alert for Houston and the surrounding area.

He added in a tweet: My team and I are closely monitoring the ongoing weather.

Less than 24 hours later however, actor Craig Robinson appeared on The View live from the Bahamas and outed the Texas senator for being on his flight.

That meant Mr Cruz was possibly on the popular holiday island when he sent the weather warning tweet.

When approached for comment, Mr Cruzs Special Advisor for Communications Steve Guest told The Independent via email that this is a ridiculous story that has only one goal: get resistance rage clicks.

The Senator is in Texas after a 4-day trip in the Bahamas. We know this time of the year is hard for the angry left, but have a nice 4th of July, he said.

This situation is an echo of Mr Cruzs trip to Cancun, Mexico, in February 2021 while hundreds of thousands of Texans went without power during a winter storm.

You had an interesting seatmate on your flight, said The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg to Robinson, who is well known for his roles in The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She continued: Who was it?

Laughing, the actor responded by saying: It was Ted Cruz...right across (from me).

Actor Craig Robinson reveals Ted Cruz's secret trip to the Bahamas pic.twitter.com/gHnv7QRnJo  Sarah Burris  (@SarahBurris) June 30, 2022

Robinson said the Republican senator had been on his way to the Bahamas, and was probably on the island  a three hour flight away from Houston, where flash flooding was forecast for Friday.

The View co-host Ana Navarro laughed as she told viewers: I didnt know there was a snow storm going on in Texas.

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On social media, dozens also mentioned the ill-fated Cancun trip and tweeted back at Mr Cruz for his weather warning alert.

So are you gonna start trading in those Jet Blue miles soon? Or are our tax dollars gonna keep funding your travels?  MGAN KLLY HALL (@MeganKelleyHall) July 1, 2022

So are you gonna start trading in those Jet Blue miles soon? Or are our tax dollars gonna keep funding your travels?, tweeted author Megan Kelly Hall.

Another person joked: Monitoring the weather while I sip on a Pink Lady cocktail by the pool in my Cancun hotel! Just letting the people of Texas know, Im here for you guys!

Actually, he is currently in the Bahamas, another Twitter user replied, but same concept.

Apologising for his Cancun escape last year, Mr Cruz said his his familys visit to Mexico was obviously a mistake and that In hindsight, I wouldnt have done it.
Photos of the suspected driver were captured on CCTV at a checkpoint

The suspected driver of a truck where 53 migrants died from heat in Texas did not know that the air conditioner had stopped working, court documents say.

Homero Zamorano, 45, was found hiding near the truck on Monday, officials say. He is one of four people charged.

Mr Zamorano and alleged conspirator Christian Martinez, 28, are accused of sending text messages to each other before and after the truck was found.

It is the deadliest human trafficking incident in US history.

Several children found in the vehicle are still being treated in hospital. The victims were from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Mr Zamorano was found hiding in bushes. Mexican officials say he initially tried to pass himself off as one of the survivors.

He was arrested when surveillance photos showed him driving the truck past a US Border Patrol checkpoint in Laredo, Texas.

According to federal court documents, a confidential government informant working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Texas police told officials that Mr Zamorano and Mr Martinez had spoken after the deaths were reported.

Mr Martinez allegedly said: "The driver was unaware the air conditioning unit stopped working and was the reason why the individuals died."

The documents add that the informant and Mr Martinez were standing within several metres of each other when the conversation took place.

Both suspects face the death penalty if found guilty of smuggling and conspiracy charges.

Two other men accused of being involved, Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez and Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao, have been charged with firearms possession and with being in the US illegally. Both are Mexican citizens.

The victims include 27 Mexican citizens, as well as 14 Hondurans, seven Guatemalans and two Salvadorans.

However, Mexican authorities say a total of 67 migrants were inside the lorry, while prosecutors in San Antonio have put the number at 64.

On Friday, the Bexar County medical examiner's office said it had "conclusively identified" six of the 53 victims from Monday's incident.

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In addition, 42 "potential identifications" have been made. Five remain unidentified.

Also on Friday, the Bexar County Sheriff's office began investigating an apparently abandoned 18-wheel truck found in a residential area just a few miles north of where the first vehicle was found.

About 13 migrants were found in the most recent truck, officials tell CBS News.

"Preliminarily, it appears no individuals have suffered any major injuries," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook, adding that more details would be released once they were available.

People-smuggling is a major industry along the US-Mexico border.

In May, a record 239,000 undocumented migrants were detained crossing into the country from Mexico.

Mass deaths of this kind have been uncovered on a number of occasions around the world in recent times. Among the worst cases are:
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.

So, the natural question for Eurasia Mining (LON:EUA) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

View our latest analysis for Eurasia Mining

Does Eurasia Mining Have A Long Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. As at December 2021, Eurasia Mining had cash of UK22m and such minimal debt that we can ignore it for the purposes of this analysis. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through UK6.1m. So it had a cash runway of about 3.6 years from December 2021. Importantly, though, analysts think that Eurasia Mining will reach cashflow breakeven before then. In that case, it may never reach the end of its cash runway. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

How Well Is Eurasia Mining Growing?

Notably, Eurasia Mining actually ramped up its cash burn very hard and fast in the last year, by 117%, signifying heavy investment in the business. It seems likely that the vociferous operating revenue growth of 149% during that time may well have given management confidence to ramp investment. Considering the factors above, the company doesnt fare badly when it comes to assessing how it is changing over time. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.

How Hard Would It Be For Eurasia Mining To Raise More Cash For Growth?

We are certainly impressed with the progress Eurasia Mining has made over the last year, but it is also worth considering how costly it would be if it wanted to raise more cash to fund faster growth. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.

Since it has a market capitalisation of UK157m, Eurasia Mining's UK6.1m in cash burn equates to about 3.9% of its market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

So, Should We Worry About Eurasia Mining's Cash Burn?

As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Eurasia Mining's cash burn. In particular, we think its revenue growth stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. Although we do find its increasing cash burn to be a bit of a negative, once we consider the other metrics mentioned in this article together, the overall picture is one we are comfortable with. It's clearly very positive to see that analysts are forecasting the company will break even fairly soon. After considering a range of factors in this article, we're pretty relaxed about its cash burn, since the company seems to be in a good position to continue to fund its growth. On another note, Eurasia Mining has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is significant) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
(Bloomberg) -- TikTok, the viral video-sharing app owned by Chinas ByteDance Ltd., said certain employees outside the US can access information from American users, stoking further criticism from lawmakers who have raised alarms about the social networks data-sharing practices.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The companys admission came in a letter to nine US senators who accused TikTok and its parent of monitoring US citizens and demanded answers on whats becoming a familiar line of questioning for the company: Do China-based employees have access to US users data? What role do those employees play in shaping TikToks algorithm? Is any of that information shared with the Chinese government?

Currently, China-based employees who clear a number of internal security protocols can access certain information on TikToks US users, including public videos and comments, TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew said in the June 30 letter obtained by Bloomberg News. None of that information is shared with the Chinese government, and it is subject to robust cybersecurity controls, he said.

The social network said its working with the US government on strengthening data security around that information -- particularly anything defined as protected by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or CFIUS. This new effort, called Project Texas, includes physically storing US information in data centers on US servers owned by software giant Oracle Corp. TikTok is also shifting its platform to Oracles cloud infrastructure, which means the app and the algorithm will be accessed and deployed for US users from domestic data centers.

TikToks response confirms our fears about the CCPs influence in the company were well founded, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee told Bloomberg on Friday. The Chinese-run company should have come clean from the start, but it attempted to shroud its work in secrecy. Americans need to know if they are on TikTok, Communist China has their information.

Story continues

Several senators, all Republicans, in a June 27 letter cited a report in BuzzFeed News that said TikToks US consumer data was accessed by company engineers in China. The lawmakers said in the letter that TikTok and its parent are using their access to a treasure trove of US consumer data to surveil Americans. The New York Times reported earlier on TikToks response.

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Baristas at the Starbucks at 5964 N. Ridge Ave. strike July 1, 2022, after raising an alarm about understaffing. The Starbucks is one of the first to unionize in Chicago. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Baristas at one of the first unionized Starbucks in Chicago are on strike. Workers at the Starbucks location at 5964 N. Ridge Ave. in Edgewater are calling on the company to remedy what they describe as chronic understaffing.

Teddy Hoffman, a shift supervisor at the cafe, said workers there have been raising the alarm about understaffing for about three months. Hoffman has worked for Starbucks since 2015 and at the Edgewater store since it opened in 2018, he said.

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Understaffing at the store has resulted in individual baristas doing the work of two or three workers, Hoffman said. He said workers are missing breaks and clocking out late, are not able to stay on top of sanitary requirements and are unable to give that Starbucks experience to customers that we signed up for.

Starbucks denied employees allegations of labor cuts. In a statement Sunday, spokesperson Sarah Albanesi said the Edgewater store has not, by any metric, been understaffed. She said hours at the store had increased since 2021 over the last six months.

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Baristas planned to strike Friday and Saturday, with tentative plans to return to work on Sunday. The store was closed Friday, Hoffman said.

Workers there voted overwhelmingly to unionize in late May, making the store one of the first two unionized Starbucks in Chicago, along with a second location also in Edgewater.

Were not just striking because work is hard, said Alison Guerrin, a barista at the store. She said she has worked for Starbucks for more than two decades and at the Edgewater store since it opened. Guerrin said that though shes experienced understaffing before during her time at Starbucks, this period of understaffing has been longer-lasting than others.

A lot of us have worked for this company for a long time and have seen this company be really great, and we want to be able to provide that amazing customer experience to people consistently like we have in the past, she said.

Starbucks at 5964 N. Ridge Ave. is closed as unionized baristas at the Edgewater store were on strike on July 1, 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Hoffman said he suspected understaffing at the store was the result of upper-level corporate retaliation for its unionization efforts.

Albanesi said claims of retaliation for unionization were categorically false.

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Starbucks has opposed the unionization movement within its ranks. Nationally, the National Labor Relations Boards regional offices have issued more than 60 charges alleging a range of unfair labor practices against the coffee giant. Last week, agency officials filed a legal action in federal court seeking a nationwide cease-and-desist order against the company for what they say is extensive illegal anti-union activity.

In Chicago, four Starbucks have voted to unionize with Starbucks Workers United, the Service Employees International Union affiliate representing Starbucks employees. Two of those stores are located in Edgewater; the others are in Bucktown and Hyde Park. Two other city stores lost union elections in June. In total, 10 Chicago-area stores have filed for elections since January, most recently in Edgewater and West Rogers Park.

As of last week, workers at nearly 300 Starbucks nationwide had filed for union representation, according to the NLRB. Out of 208 completed elections, the union had lost 28. The results of some elections remained contested.
A traffic stop resulted in two arrests and over 100 ounces of cocaine seized, according to Monroe County Sheriffs Office.

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Deputies pulled a car over on Wednesday afternoon on I-75 southbound near mile marker 187.

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During a search of the vehicle, deputies said they found 104 ounces of cocaine.

The cocaine has a street value of approximately $125,000.

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The driver, James Jackson, and passenger, April Jordan, both of Dublin were arrested and booked into the Monroe County Jail.

They have both been charged with trafficking cocaine.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Donald Trump called for Sweden to release ASAP Rocky in 2019 (REUTERS)

Swedens justice minister has revealed how his country was allegedly threatened with a trade war by Donald Trump following the arrest of ASAP Rocky in Stockholm in 2019.

The rapper, whose name is Rakim Mayer, was arrested and charged with assault in Stockholm in July 2019 after video emerged of him beating up a fan on the street.

Mr Trump petitioned Sweden to free the rapper ahead of his trial, and even took to Twitter at the time to say he was very disappointed in Swedens then-prime minister Stefan Lofven for being unable to release Mayer.

Speaking to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter on Thursday, the countrys justice minister Morgan Johansson said the former US president went as far as warning the Swedish government of trade restrictions should ASAP Rocky not be released.

The then-US president also allegedly told Stockholm that he had approached the European Commission, the head of the European Union, for backing.

This story demonstrates how important it really is to stand up for our legal principles and not to take our democracy for granted, the minister and MP argued. If you can try and do something like this against Sweden, what will you then try and do to slightly weaker countries that dont have the European Union behind them?

Swedens Justice Minister Morgan Johansson (Sverigedemokraterna / YouTube)

Mayer was eventually found guilty in a Swedish court and handed a suspended sentence, much to the disappointment of the former US president.

Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM, said Mr Trump on Twitter, where he was later banned for furthering election lies. We do so much for Sweden but it doesnt seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem!
ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkeys media watchdog has banned access to the Turkish services of U.S. public service broadcaster Voice of America and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, prompting criticism of censorship.

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television enforced a February decision requiring international media that air television content in Turkish online to apply for a broadcast license. An Ankara court ruled to restrict access to the websites of the state-owned Deutsche Welle and Voice of America late Thursday.

Neither website was available in Turkey on Friday. In a statement, Deutsche Welle said it did not comply with the licensing requirement because it would have allowed the Turkish government to censor editorial content.

Director general Peter Limbourg said this was explained in detail to the Turkish radio and TV board, abbreviated as RTUK.

For example, media licensed in Turkey are required to delete online content that RTUK interprets as inappropriate. This is simply unacceptable for an independent broadcaster. DW will take legal action against the blocking that has now taken place, Limbourg said.

Ilhan Tasci, a RTUK member from Turkey's main opposition Republican Peoples Party, said he opposed the move to block the two foreign broadcasters. The board applied to the court for the access restriction, he said.

Here is press freedom and advanced democracy, he tweeted sarcastically.

The board is dominated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party and its nationalist allies, and regularly fines critical broadcasters.

The Journalists Union of Turkey called the decision censorship. Give up on trying to ban everything you dont like, this society wants freedom, it tweeted.

In February, RTUK said it identified three websites without broadcast licenses, which also included the Turkish services of Euronews. But Euronews said it argued that it did not broadcast live in Turkish or air visual bulletins and was therefore exempt from the licensing requirements.

Story continues

Voice of America noted in February that while licensing for TV and radio broadcasts is a norm because broadcast airwaves are finite resources, the internet does not have limited bandwidth.

The only possible purpose of a licensing requirement for internet distribution is enabling censorship," VOA said in a statement. For broadcast airwaves, Governments have a recognized responsibility to regulate the spectrum to ensure it is used in the broader publics interest, it said.

State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted when the licensing regulation emerged in February that the U.S. was concerned with RTUKs decision to expand government control over free press outlets.

In response, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic noted that the U.S. required Turkeys state English-language broadcaster, TRT World, to register as a foreign agent under a law intended for lobbyists and public relations firms working for foreign governments. TRT said it was newsgathering and reporting like any other international media.

TRT abides by relevant regulations for its activities in the U.S. Is that censorship? We expect the same from @VoATurkish and others, Bilgic tweeted.

Turkey was rated Not Free for 2021 on the Freedom of the Net index by Freedom House. Hundreds of thousands of domains and web addresses have been blocked.

Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey at 149 out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, saying all possible means are used to undermine critics, including stripping journalists of press cards, online censorship, lawsuits and arrests.

___

Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed.
An Oakdale man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of a hate crime related to the vandalism of two churches.

The Oakdale Police have investigated at least six incidents of vandalism at St. Marys Catholic Church on Olive Street and Sierra Foothills Community Church on West F Street over the past two months, according to a press release.

The vandalism includes broken windows and repeated damage to a sprinkler system at St. Marys, said Lt. Andrew Stever.

William Joe Cupps, 39, was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, vandalizing a place of worship and hate crimes.

Cupps was arrested last year on suspicion of throwing rocks through windows at a church, as well as businesses around Oakdale.

Stever said that while he has vandalized other buildings, the majority of them were churches, which is why detectives added the hate crime charge. He was deliberately targeting places of worship, Stever said.

As of Friday morning, Cupps remained in Stanislaus County Jail with bail set at $150,000. He has not yet been formally charged by the District Attorneys Office.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Madison Falconi at (209) 847-2231.
Two people who fled to California after a drug search in Westmoreland County have been arrested and extradited back to the state.

In August 2021, authorities confiscated nearly $200,000 worth of drugs from the residence of Jack B. Weinman and Marissa L. Tucibat.

Members of the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania district attorneys office, Pennsylvania State Police and Westmoreland County detectives were all present during the search.

They executed their search on 1192 Water Street in Scottsdale. Authorities found around $9,600 worth of Xanax, $4,000 of liquid Methorphan and $185,950 worth of OxyContin in the house.

Authorities said that both people fled to California after the search. The two were arrested in early June on numerous charges and were brought back to Westmoreland County on June 30.

They are being held in the Westmoreland County jail.

These arrests have significantly interrupted the supply of fentanyl being shipped to Westmoreland County from the state of California. We will not relent in this war against drugs impacting so many of our residents. I am thankful to all of the law enforcement agencies and officers who collaboratively and tireless worked this case over the course of many months to bring these arrests to fruition, no doubt saving countless lives, said Nicole W. Ziccarelli, Westmoreland County district attorney.

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Olena Barsukova  FRIDAY, 1 JULY 2022

Ukraine calls on international partners to ban Russians and Belarusians from competing at sports competitions even under neutral flags.

This was stated by the minister of Youth and Sport, Vadym Huttsait, during the summit of sports ministers on July 1.

"Russians and Belarusians have no place next to representatives of the civilised world  neither in sports arenas, nor in sports organisations, nor in the decision-making process. Ukraine insists on a FULL ban," he wrote on Facebook.

Russian attacks have claimed the lives of more than 80 Ukrainian athletes and coaches, and destroyed more than 100 sporting facilities.

Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian athletes are supporting the war with their silence, the minister said. Huttsait also condemned the attempts of certain sports federations to return Russians to international competitions, in particular in judo, bobsleigh, and skeleton.

"Ukraine insists on a full ban on athletes and sports officials from Russia and Belarus. Their participation in international competitions, even under neutral flags, is unacceptable", the minister said.

The summit of sports ministers was held via video-conference with representatives of Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Romania, Japan, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Finland, the USA, Italy, and other countries.

Earlier, in cooperation with the Office of the President and international partners, Ukraine managed to achieve more than 125 sanctions against representatives of Russian and Belarusian sports.

Reminder: Athletes from the aggressor country of Russia and its de facto ally, Belarus, were excluded from more than 90% of world competitions.

However, some federations are trying to return these athletes by allowing them to compete under a neutral flag.

In response, Ukrainian athletes will boycott competitions if Russians or Belarusians are allowed to attend them.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (2nd L) sits at the table with Mario Draghi (L), Italy's Prime Minister, Volodymyr Selensky, Ukrainian President, (C) Emmanuel Macron, France's President, (2nd R) and Klaus Johannis, Romania's President (R) in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 16, 2022. Jesco Denzel/Bundesregierung via Getty Images

Ukraine said Thursday it has started sending "a significant export" of electricity to Romania.

President Zelenskyy said it can help Europe with some of the energy shortfall caused by Russia.

A Ukrainian official said they have the potential to export up to 2.5 gigawatts of energy to Europe.

Ukraine said Thursday that it can help with Europe's energy supply after Russia cut countries off, and that it has already exported 100 megawatts of power to Romania.

In a nightly video address on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country's government has sent a "significant export of electricity" to Romania  a member of the EU  and is preparing to increase supply in the coming weeks.

"At the expense of Ukrainian electricity, a significant part of the Russian gas consumed by Europeans can be replaced," Zelenskyy said in his address.

Zelenskyy appeared to be echoing comments made by Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the chairman of Ukraine's power-system operator Ukrenergo, who said previously that Ukraine has a lot of electricity to spare after millions of people fled the country amid the war.

"We have a surplus of power, and neighboring countries  they all have deficits," Kudrytskyi said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would get revenue from exporting energy, and that Ukraine doing so would also benefit Europe: "That is, it is not just a question of export revenue for us, it is a question of security for the whole of Europe."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal elaborated on Ukraine's energy export plans on Thursday, saying the country has already sent an initial volume of 100 megawatts to Romania and has the potential to send up to 2.5 gigawatts to Europe in total.

"Under this scenario, the state will be able to receive more than 70 billion Ukraine hryvnia ($2.3 billion) per year," he said.

Kudrytskyi said small amounts of electricity could also begin to flow to Slovakia and Hungary in early July.

Story continues

Russia has been gradually choking off natural gas supplies in retaliation for European sanctions and military support for Ukraine following its invasion.

Germany  Europe's largest economy  has been particularly reliant on Russian President Vladimir Putin, receiving around 35% of its natural gas from Russia as of last month. But after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the country vowed to become largely independent of Russian gas by mid-2024.

Read the original article on Business Insider
ROMAN PETRENKO  FRIDAY, 1 JULY 2022, 12:19 PM

"FORPOST", PHOTO: AIR FORCE

On the morning of 1 July, the Armed Forces destroyed a Russian Forpost unmanned aerial vehicle.

Source: Command Air Force

Quote: "On the morning of July 1, the anti-aircraft missile unit of the Pivden [South] Operational Command destroyed a Russian Forpost unmanned aerial vehicle, which was trying to find another target to hit in the Mykolaiv region.

Note: The Forpost is perhaps the most expensive unmanned aerial vehicle in service with the Russian Federation. Its cost is estimated at 7 million dollars.
Belarus holds up to seven battalions on the border with Ukraine

Read also: With missiles hitting Kyiv, Russia wants to bring Belarus into war  CIT analyst

Theres no direct threat (to us) from Belarus today, as they have neither a strike group assembled, nor a command-and-control structure to operate it, said Skybitsky.

That would be a primary indicator they were preparing for a direct intervention.

According to Skybitsky, seven Belarusian battalions are deployed near the Ukrainian border, forcing Kyiv to commit additional forces to the defense of Ukraines northern border and step up intelligence gathering there.

This pulls some of our resources from the eastern front, Skybitsky added.

Besides, this constant troop movement along our border aims to keep us on our toes. (They are) gaming out some isolated tactical elements of a potential offensive from Belarus.

Read also: Ukraines intelligence agency calls Russian missile strikes launched from Belarus a provocation

Belarusian army launched combat readiness exercises on June 7. The countrys dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, established a peoples militia volunteer force, and ordered exercises on transitioning from peace- to wartime, according to Ukrainian intelligence.

Read also: Belarus sends out conscription notices en masse

Other intelligence reports suggested Russia plans a series of false flag operations, in order to draw Belarus directly into the war against Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 6 that the risk of another invasion of Ukraine from the north is minimal, but confirmed that Kyiv is pre-pared for any such eventuality.

Read also: Zelensky tells Belarusians they are being drawn into Russia's war against Ukraine

Even after withdrawing its forces from northern Ukraine, Russia continues to use Belarusian territory to repeatedly launch missile and air stakes at Ukraine.
High-quality Vietnamese rice ST25 goes on sale in Japanese market

Approximately 100 tonnes of Vietnams ST25 rice has hit the shelves of Japanese supermarket chain in order to serve both Japanese consumers and Vietnamese nationals residing and studying in the Far East country.













Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam (left) and President of Tokyo Financial Group at the event to promote Vietnam's ST25 rice



The presence of ST25 rice in the Japanese market is part of trade promotion activities aimed at boosting the export of high-quality Vietnamese rice to demanding markets throughout the world.



Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam pointed out that, despite the nation being the worlds largest rice producer, Vietnamese rice exporters are required to meet the 600 stringent technical standards to penetrate the Japanese market.



The Vietnamese diplomat assessed that the introduction of Vietnamese rice in the fasdious market has been a great success for both local manufacturers and businesses.



Watanabe Hisanobu, president of Tokyo Financial Group and general director of Kiraboshi Bank - a partner that has helped firms gain entry to this market, highlighted the quality of Vietnamese ST25 rice. Indeed, Hisanobu has high hopes that this type of rice will be widely consumed in the Japanese market moving forward.



He went on to reveal that the first batch of rice was shipped to Japan back in March and put up for sale at Japanese supermarkets in June, noting that the group has been interested in the Japanese market and will primarily focus on exporting Japonica rice, apart from Vietnamese ST25 rice.



In 2019, Vietnamese ST25 rice was recognised as the worlds best type of rice. Since 2021, it has been widely sold in the Vietnamese market and has made inroads into several demanding markets, such as Sweden and Germany.
Fans of the 1980 movie The Blue Brothers, it doesnt get any more authentic than this: An inaugural Blues Brothers Con will be held at Old Joliet Prison in August, headlined by a 90-minute live in concert performance with Dan Aykroyd and James Belushi reprising the iconic roles from the movie.

Tickets ($60 and up) are on sale now at www.jolietmuseum.org. Top-tier Crystal Head Platinum VIP tickets ($5,000) include a meet-and-greet with Aykroyd and Belushi.

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Tickets holders can expect all the sites and sounds you loved about the movie, said Greg Peerbolte, the CEO of the nonprofit Joliet Area Historical Museum in announcing the weekend of events on social media.

Also announced for Blues Brothers Con: Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon and Curtis Salgado, from whom the films character Curtis is named. A Saturday gospel music service led by Joliet-area faith based and civic leaders, followed by Chicago blues veterans Mondo Cortez and the Chicago Blues Angels and Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials. A Bluesmobile and Bobs Country Bunker. On the food front: dry white bread and Orange Whips, along with the more usual fest concessions.

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Capping the event will be a free public screening of Blues Brothers Aug. 20.

Since the museum began operations in 2018, the Old Joliet Prison has become a pilgrimage site for Blues Brothers fans from around the world, Peerbolte said in the announcement, referencing the sites scenes in the Chicago-set movie starring Aykroyd and Jim Belushi.

Aug. 19-20 at Old Joliet Prison, 1125 N. Collins Street, Joliet. Free on-site VIP parking and remote/shuttle (GA)

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
Olena Barsukova

There are many creative people in the Ukrainian army: opera musicians, hip-hop artists, screenwriters and artists.

One of these creative soldiers, with the call sign Nebo [Sky - Ed.], serves in the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Before the full-scale invasion, Nebo was a photographer who shot mainly theatre artists and ballerinas.

"I love ballet very much. It is sacred to me. Portraits, people. I photographed a lot of girls from the Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. I also worked with the Shevchenko Theatre," says Nebo.

Until 24 February, Nebo was a photographer. Photo: National Guard of Ukraine

Nebob had no experience of military service, but after a few days of full-scale war, he answered the call to defend Ukraine.

At first, the artist found himself in the infantry, but soon began to train as an artilleryman.

Now Nebo is behind the artillery sighting system day and night as an artillery commander.

The guns orientation, distance measurement, target fixing, and reconnaissance depend on him.

"His commands are clearly and steadily carried out by the fighters who enter the calculations. I can't believe that yesterday he photographed ballerinas in Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre," fellow fighters say.

The fighter photographed mainly ballerinas and theatre artists

Nebo and his wife are representatives of the creative profession.

"When the war started, we decided to stay at home for the first few days. I have a two-and-a-half year old child. On the fourth day of the war aviation actively began to work in Kharkiv," he recalls.

But when the family's home was hit by debris after an airstrike, the couple decided to take the child to safety.

"It was complicated to get to the railway station from Kharkiv Tractor Plant, a taxi didnt work. And there was huge panic at the station," says Nebo.

Now a fighter with a creative past is a gun commander

The family spent the night at the train station for a day. Then they went to Ternopil and spent another 2 days at the station until volunteers helped the family resettle.

Story continues

"I returned to Kharkiv and went from the train station to the military enlistment office. The next day I was in the army. Previously, I had nothing to do with the army.

But now I have an incentive, a desire: my child was threatened, like hundreds of our other children. I won't stand for it!" says Nebo.

Even in war Nebo thinks in beautiful photographs

According to the soldier, war does not kill creative instincts. He still thinks in beautiful photographs.

However, according to the National Guardsmen, now Nebo is giving himself up to a new profession in order to bring Ukraines victory even closer.
A 29-year-old Milwaukee man crashed his vehicle into the parking lot of the Toyota of Brookfield on Thursday afternoon after he fled from police, who stopped the vehicle to arrest a "wanted subject."

The driver was treated for non-life-threatening injuries following the incident.

A news release from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office said Pewaukee police stopped the vehicle near Capitol Drive and Five Fields Road at 12:17 p.m.

"During the initial stop, the passenger exited the vehicle and was taken into custody without issue. When the passenger exited, the driver of the vehicle fled the scene," the release said.

A Waukesha County Sheriffs Office squad pursued the vehicle, which later crashed into the Toyota of Brookfield parking lot at 20655 W Capitol Drive, around 3 miles from the initial traffic stop.

The driver was quickly taken to an area hospital by Flight for Life and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to Lt. Kyle Strandberg of the Waukesha County Sheriffs Office.

The incident shut down traffic on the busy Capitol Drive for several hours.

The incident is under investigation by the Waukesha County Sheriffs Office and Wisconsin State Patrol.

Police have not yet responded to a question about why the passenger was wanted or if whether they plan to seek charges against the driver in the incident.

Police investigate an accident in front of the Toyota of Brookfield car dealership at 20655 W Capitol Drive in Brookfield on Thursday, June 30, 2022. Multiple agencies responded to the scene along with Flight For Life. Capitol Drive is shut down in both directions while investigators work the scene.

Evan Casey can be reached at 414-403-4391 or evan.casey@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecaseymedia.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man crashed vehicle in Brookfield after police pursuit
Victoria Beckham in 2022. Dominique Charriau/WireImage

Victoria Beckham opened up about being forced to weigh herself in front of a live TV studio audience in the 1990s.

"Can you imagine doing that nowadays?" the model said of the incident that happened on the British series "TFI Friday."

Beckham recalled the ordeal in a new interview with Vogue Australia.

Victoria Beckham recalled a humiliating incident in which she was pressured to weigh herself in front of a live studio audience during a new interview with Vogue Australia.

"Can you imagine doing that nowadays?" the model and former member of the Spice Girls said of the awkward television appearance, according to Huffington Post UK.

"I went on a TV show with Chris Evans many years ago and I'd just had Brooklyn and lost a lot of weight after," Beckham recalled to Vogue. "It happened to my mum after her pregnancies. It doesn't mean you have an eating disorder. And he made me stand on the scales to be weighed."

Beckham was referring to her appearance on "TFI Friday" in 1999, which occurred just a couple of months after she gave birth to her first son, Brooklyn, with husband David.

While chatting with host Chris Evans about her relationship and new baby at the time, Evans asked Beckham (around the 3:08 mark in the video below): "A lot of girls want to know, because you look fantastic again, how did you get back to your shape after birth?"

The model revealed she hadn't been to the gym at all, because she was "lazy." Evans then asked her if her weight was "back to normal," and when Beckham said that it was, the host pulled out a scale from under his desk, and encouraged her to step on, asking, "Can I check, do you mind?"

Beckham, who noted that Evans had made fellow Spice Girl Geri Halliwell weigh herself during her previous appearance on his show, stood on the scale. The host subsequently revealed Beckham's weight to the live studio audience: "Eight stone's [112 lbs.] not bad at all, is it?"

Elsewhere in the Vogue Australia interview, the model spoke about the way the media has reported on her weight and body throughout her career and the demeaning headlines she's seen about herself.

Story continues

"I've had 'Porky Posh,' I've had 'Skeletal Posh.' After I had Brooklyn, there was a picture pointing to every single part of my body where I had to focus on losing the weight from," Beckham recalled.

This isn't the first time the former Spice Girl has spoken about body image in recent months. In a May interview with Grazia's Jess Cartner-Morley to promote her form-fitting new clothing collection VB Body, Beckham called the desire to be "really thin" an "old-fashioned" notion.

"It's an old-fashioned attitude, wanting to be really thin. I think women today want to look healthy, and curvy. They want to have some boobs  and a bum," she said.

Read the original article on Insider
Guest host: Lee Cowan

WATCH THE FULL JULY 3 EPISODE!

COVER STORY: Welcome to a summer of travel hell | Watch VideoAfter two years of the pandemic, airlines are struggling to keep up with pent-up demand, as staff shortages, canceled flights and bad weather make Summer 2022 a miserable time for air passengers. CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave talks with aviation experts and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about why the airline sector is not meeting public expectations.

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Transportation Secretary Pete ButtigiegFollow Atmosphere Research's Henry Harteveldt on Twitter

Monuments to the first 43 men who served in the Oval Office, in various states of disrepair, loom over a Virginia field. / Credit: CBS News

HISTORY: Heads of state - A walk among giant presidential busts | Watch VideoDropped onto a swampy field in Croaker, Va., they've become an accidental tourist attraction: gigantic, decaying busts  some 20 feet tall, and weighing several tons each  of every U.S. president from George Washington to George W. Bush. Correspondent Rita Braver visits the giant presidential sculptures that are turning a lot of people's heads.

For more info:

How to tour the Presidents Heads (John Plashal Photo)Sculptor David Adickes (Instagram)

NEWS: Sherri Chessen on her 1962 abortion, and the fate of Roe: "We can't go back to willow sticks and knitting needles" | Watch VideoYears before Roe v. Wade protected a woman's right to choose, an Arizona mother of four faced giving birth to a child with a congenital disorder after having taken thalidomide. With abortion unavailable to her, Sherri Chessen traveled to Sweden for the procedure, her every move followed by a breathless media. Now 89, Chessen talks with CBS News correspondent Major Garrett about her choice (which she said "any mother would do to save her own child from suffering"), and her belief that the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe is awakening "a great dose of anger" among women.

Animals at Funny Farm Rescue in New Jersey get along better than some people. / Credit: From "Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals" by Laurie Zaleski

NATURE: Remarkable friendships from the animal world | Watch VideoCorrespondent Lesley Stahl visits Funny Farm Rescue, a not-for-profit New Jersey sanctuary for retired, abused or neglected animals, where interspecies friendships are formed and predators become pals.

Story continues

For more info:

Funny Farm Rescue, Mays Landing, N.J."Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals" by Laurie Zaleski (Macmillan), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound "Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom" by Jennifer S. Holland (Workman), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indiebound

PASSAGE: In memoriam (Video)"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week, including artist Margaret Keane, known for her paintings of children with "big eyes."

GALLERY: Notable Deaths in 2022

Marine Cpl. Hershel

VETERANS: Remembering WWII Medal of Honor recipient Hershel "Woody" Williams | Watch VideoDuring the Battle of Iwo Jima, in the face of powerful enemy resistance, Marine Cpl. Hershel "Woody" Williams succeeded in destroying several heavily-defended machine-gun pillboxes, and was awarded the Medal of Honor. But his service to his country, and his gallantry, did not end there. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that originally aired on May 30, 2021, Williams (who died on June 29 at the age of 98) talked with CBS News national security correspondent David Martin about his efforts for Gold Star families.

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HARTMAN: A first birthday (Video)Abraham and his brother, James, found their way from a Sierra Leone orphanage to their new family outside Charlotte, North Carolina, and have been wide-eyed with wonder ever since. But 12-year-old Abraham says his first birthday in America means much more. Correspondent Steve Hartman reports.

The Doobie Brothers, from left: John McFee, Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, and Michael McDonald. / Credit: CBS News

MUSIC: The Doobie Brothers: "These are the better days" | Watch VideoThe Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famers, who've been playing together for more than half a century, don't let old resentments get in the way of a new album and tour. Correspondent Jim Axelrod talks with members of The Doobie Brothers  Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and John McFee  about the band's longevity, and about their first studio album in more than a decade, "Liberte." (This story was originally broadcast on October 3, 2021.)

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thedoobiebrothers.com | Tour schedule"Liberte" by The Doobie Brothers, available on Island Records

/ Credit: CBS News

SCIENCE: "Engine Trouble": How greenhouse gases threaten our world (Video)The Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday limiting the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to strictly regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants makes the effort to counter climate change much more difficult. In this "CBS Sunday Morning" video essay, writer and narrator Robert Krulwich explains why rising levels of carbon dioxide in our air since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution pose an existential threat to us and our planet. Based on the work of Aatish Bhatia. Animation directed and designed by Nate Milton. Music by Buck St. Thomas.

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"Engine Trouble," supported by "This American Life"Written and narrated by Robert Krulwich, based on the work of Aatish BhatiaAnimation directed and designed by Nate MiltonMusic by Buck St. Thomas

Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, gives testimony to Vice Chair Liz Cheney of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, June 28, 2022. Hutchinson offered details from inside the White House from the days and hours leading up to the violent insurrection. / Credit: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

COMMENTARY: Douglas Brinkley: Let us celebrate patriots who put country over party | Watch VideoWith Independence Day upon us, the presidential historian says truth-tellers are what guard our Constitution, as demonstrated by January 6 Committee vice chair Liz Cheney, and former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, whose testimony this week speaking out against fellow Republicans' actions during the insurrection is helping protect our nation from the enemies of democracy.

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douglasbrinkley.comSelect Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol

NATURE: Red wolves (Extended Video)"Sunday Morning" takes us among red wolves, a critically endangered species, near Pamlico Sound in eastern North Carolina. Videographer: Carl Mrozek.

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"HERE COMES THE SUN": Professor and author Ibram X. Kendi and artist Romero Britto (Video)Professor and author Ibram X. Kendi sits down with Nancy Giles to discuss the importance of being anti-racist. Also, Faith Salie talks with artist Romero Britto about his incredible works of art.

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Full interview: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan

Gathering strength from looking back on this Fourth of July

Racial disparity in maternal mortality "one of the biggest challenges of public health," expert says
A group of 68 journalists sent a letter to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday demanding that the Biden administration reopen large White House events to all journalists and questioning President Bidens commitment to defending the First Amendment.

The group, which includes leaders of the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) and several veteran reporters, said that journalists have repeatedly asked that the administration return to traditional access norms at the White House, including eliminating an opaque pre-screening process for reporters for certain events.

We once again respectfully request the Biden administration  without exception  re-open all of the traditional venues for presidential remarks at the White House, including the East Room and the South Court Auditorium, for any reporter admitted to the White House campus, the letter reads.

Nearly 70 journalists have signed the letter below to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre protesting press-access restrictions in certain areas of the White House campus that were previously open to all reporters admitted onto the grounds. pic.twitter.com/seLQQyuUZF  ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) June 30, 2022

The current method of allowing a limited number of reporters into these events is not only restrictive and antithetical to the concept of a free press, but it has been done without any transparent process into how reporters are selected to cover these events, the group adds. We are all left wondering who is making these decisions and what are the criteria on which they are based?

The letter says Biden staffers have not been transparent with the WHCA about the selection criteria.

Jean-Pierre said earlier this month, I actually dont know how the selection process works. However, she dismissed concerns that the process was a blacklisting of specific outlets or reporters.

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The journalists acknowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic led to spacing constraints in the White House because of social-distancing efforts but argue that since guidelines have been relaxed  including a return to full-capacity press briefings a year ago  weve never gotten an explanation as to why the areas that have traditionally been opened to all press remain restricted.

Earlier this month, guests were squeezed together for a Pride Month event in the East Room, demonstrating that spacing constraints because of Covid-19 are no longer the reason for limited press access.

The continued inability of the White House to be candid and transparent about the selection process for reporters attending his remarks undermines President Bidens credibility when he says he is a defender of the First Amendment, the group adds.

The letter was drafted by Salon reporter Brian Karem and received its second signature from CBS News Radios Steven Portnoy, who is president of the WHCA, according to the New York Post.

Other signatories include the New York Timess Maggie Haberman, Axioss Jonathan Swan, CNNs Kaitlan Collins, CBSs Ed OKeefe, and Fox Newss Jacqui Heinrich.

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Roe should die

At 75 years old, I can remember life before Roe v. Wade, a decision that came out of the 1970s, a decade when we women became vocal on how we were treated and perceived on many issues: wages, access to high-level jobs, whether we could work and be parents. Roe was caught up in the melee.

After all these years, it seems that Roe was an unnecessary issue. All we really needed was access to contraception. As I remember, we already had access to abortion to save the life of the mother. That is all we need.

A womans right to choose and have control over her own body means the ability to choose when and under what circumstances to become pregnant in the first place. The right to be free from any kind of violence, including rape and incest, is already available to anyone. Equal wages, job opportunities and child care should already be rights afforded to anyone. These are how we have personal autonomy.

Let us stop bemoaning the fate of Roe and recognize that it was an unnecessary oversimplification of our rights. Just let it die.

- Mary Bognich, Overland Park

Going backward

Does 51% of the population know they have just lost a civil right? I am 80 years old and a grandmother. Yesterday, I dug out my ERA bracelet from the 1970s and wrote my U.S. representative, Sharice Davids, to offer to help in her campaign.

I fear for my granddaughters because Title IX could be next, or gay marriage for my friends, or any of our rights to cross state lines to seek reproductive health care.

The answer is at the ballot box, my dear sisters. Get busy in a campaign to restore what has been lost. And, for goodness sake, vote to win back your rights.

- Carolyn Wilson, Overland Park

Oh, we care

Not long ago, Sen. Roger Marshall said in The Star of Jan. 6, 2021, that no one back home is talking about this event (June 10, 1A, Jan. 6 hearings already being downplayed in Kan., Mo.) I am a lifelong Kansan, and I have been watching every minute of these hearings. I am very concerned about what happened and well aware of Marshalls absolute complicity in this attempted coup.

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Even after the extreme violence of that day, he chose to side with Team Coup. Not only have I been watching and discussing with my neighbors and friends, but so have my two teen daughters  both of whom will be old enough to vote soon.

We are watching, we do care and we see whats happening.

- Amy Voelker, Olathe

Not big news?

One might think that the stunning and jaw-dropping sworn testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, former top aide to Donalds Trumps White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, with her firsthand knowledge of the former presidents intentional, unprecedented attempts to overturn our legitimate election on Jan. 6, 2021, would be screaming, large-typeface, front-page news.

Despite such bombshells as Trumps statement regarding armed insurgents (I dont ----ing care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me.), his attempts to commandeer his limo to go to the Capitol and his procrastination of calling off the failed coup participants from their violent, deadly actions despite pleas from his own family, GOP members of Congress and staffers, The Star sadly viewed this information as backpage news and relegated it to 11A Wednesday. (Former aide: Trump was told protesters had weapons on Jan. 6)

No big deal, just another normal day.

- Jane Watters, Kansas City

Exclusive public

Ramesh Ponnuru, in his defense of recent Supreme Court decisions, wrote, They reflect the text of the Constitution as its provisions were originally understood by the ratifying public. (June 29, 13A, US Constitution is conservative, like it or not)

In the late 18th century, the ratifying public consisted almost exclusively of white, property-owning men. Nothing more need be said.

- Tom Witwer, Overland Park

His own life

Well, since Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wants to revisit the gay marriage decision, perhaps he  a Black man married to a white woman  will agree to revisit Loving v. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage.

This game can shake out a couple of different ways, Clarence.

- Donald Pickard, Kansas City
A Zaxbys employee stabbed his manager with a kitchen knife during an argument at the chain restaurant, Texas police said.

The man was upset about his paycheck, according to KTSA.

Cibolo police officers were called to the stabbing shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday, June 30, according to a department news release.

They identified 20-year-old Malik Turner as a suspect, who had ran from the Zaxbys to nearby Wiederstein Elementary school grounds.

There were no students present in the school, police said, and there was no immediate threat to school staff.

He never entered any school buildings, but when he tried running inside, authorities say he was hit with a Taser, according to KSAT.

Turner, who was unarmed, was then taken into custody, police said. After a medical exam, he was booked into jail on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.

The manager who was stabbed was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, where authorities say she was in stable condition. She required surgery for related injuries, according to KSAT.

Cibolo is a suburb northeast of San Antonio.

Fired Little Caesars worker shoots manager because he wouldnt rehire her, Ohio cops say

McDonalds worker arrested after shooting manager during argument, Georgia cops say

Fired Blaze Pizza worker robs manager, employees at gunpoint, Oklahoma police say
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kongs pricey housing has long been a gripe for many of the citys residents. President Xi Jinping has now made addressing that issue a priority for John Lees new government.

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What the people of Hong Kong desire the most are a better life, a bigger apartment, more business startup opportunities, better education, and better elderly care, Xi said in his speech marking the 25th anniversary of Chinese rule. What the people call for, we must strive to deliver.

Making homes more affordable for ordinary citizens is at the heart of Beijings common prosperity agenda. Sweeping crackdowns in mainland China have already triggered the collapse of some of the nations biggest developers and wiped out huge chunks of wealth for their billionaire founders.

Beijing has previously identified housing issues as the root of unrest in Hong Kong. Hong Kongs government has for decades relied on land auctions to the highest bidders  a tiny number of deep-pocketed tycoons  for the bulk of its revenue. The practice, only amplified under Beijings rule since 1997, has limited competition by allowing the same small group to dominate other sectors of the economy such as retail and infrastructure.

Xi called for Hong Kong officials to change their governance philosophy, better grasp the relations between the government and the market and better integrate an active government with an efficient market. That may presage a shift in policy. New Chief Executive John Lee has already pledged to correct the citys housing crisis.

Hong Kong has been maintaining the laissez-faire policy for a long period of time, said Tommy Ong, who runs a financial services firm T.O. & Associates Consultancy Ltd. Xis latest comments shows he doesnt mind if the Hong Kong government intervene more into the markets operation.

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Hong Kongs home prices have jumped 134% starting 1997 and fivefold from a bottom in 2003, according to the Centaline Property Centa-City Monthly Index, outpacing growth in household income. For 12 consecutive years, it has held the position of least affordable city.

Theres no change of the policy but we have to be more mindful about the needs of the local people, said Bernard Chan, a businessman who previously headed a group of Carrie Lams senior advisers. Still, action needs to be taken to fix some of these old problems where vested interests have gotten in the way, he added.

Hong Kong developers have sought to show their loyalty to Beijing. Many have become more charitable, donating land and resources for transitional housing, echoing the governments pledge to help young people climb the social ladder.

(Updates with quote in sixth paragraph.)

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The U.S. Supreme Courts top security officer has asked Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to enforce laws barring picketing outside the Maryland homes of high court justices, saying protests and threatening activity have increased. Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley made the request in a July 1 letter to Hogan, noting that Maryland law prohibits people from intentionally assembling in a manner that disrupts a persons right to tranquility in the persons home. I am writing to request that the Maryland State Police, in conjunction with local authorities as appropriate, enforce laws prohibiting picketing outside the homes of Supreme Court justices who live in Maryland, Curley told Hogan, according to a copy of the letter posted on the Fox News website.
"And I'll tell you another thing that was good was to have another cultural lens on it, because it didn't skew the story where it made me look like the hero. When I view 'In My Father's House,' every time I see it I say, 'Man, I've got things I need to work on.' You know what I mean? When I was hard on my father in the studio (Tillman accompanies Rhymefest to a recording session and hears his son rap in blunt words about the impact of his father's absence) and I saw how sad he was because I was just coming down on him, it was like: 'Yo, I'm a 35-year-old man that's really a child longing for this man in my life.' I could understand myself better through someone else's lens."
A controversial bitcoin mining operation on the largest of central New York's Finger Lakes does not meet the requirements of state climate laws, New Yorks Department of Environmental Conservation ruled Thursday, denying an air permit request the entitys owner, Greenidge Generation LLC., made in March 2021.

Renewing the air permit for the Greenidge facility on Seneca Lake would be inconsistent with or would interfere with the attainment of statewide greenhouse gas emission limits, the Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, said in its ruling. It added that the company, which burns natural gas at its plant, has failed to demonstrate that the continued operation of the facility is justified notwithstanding this inconsistency, as it has not provided any electric system reliability or other ongoing need for the facility.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the plant have increased dramatically since a previous permit was issued to Greenidge in 2016 and after the 2019 enactment of New Yorks Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, DEC said.

Local residents and environmental groups lauded the decision. Greenidge said it would continue to operate the plant under its current permit while it challenged the DEC ruling.

We believe there is no credible legal basis whatsoever for a denial of this application because there is no actual threat to the states Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act from our renewed permit, the company said in a statement on its website. This is a standard air permit renewal governing emissions levels for a facility operating in full compliance with its existing permit today.

The company added that its "facility represents a remarkably insignificant 0.2% of New Yorks target GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions level for 2030" and that its emissions are down by 70% compared to the reference date of 1990 under the law.

Greenidge took over a mothballed power plant on the shores of Seneca Lake in 2014 and requested permits to operate it as a so-called peaker plant, providing electricity to the grid in times of heavy use. While the operation initially supplied most of its power to the grid, DEC found its main purpose has become bitcoin mining, a process in which large computers work to verify transactions in the currency that occur on the internet and earn rewards of bitcoin when they do. The math required to verify the transactions and earn bitcoins gets more complex over time, demanding more and more computer power.

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Bitcoin miners annual electricity use around the world is so prodigious that it roughly equals the consumption of Pakistan, according to the University of Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index.

Concerns about electricity use have made bitcoin mining a target for climate change activists, and Greenidge has sparked considerable controversy among residents and business owners in the region. DEC said it reviewed about 4,000 public comments on the application from individuals or organizations.

When Greenidge applied for its initial permitting, DEC noted, it did not indicate that it intended the facility to primarily serve increasing energy load from on-site cryptocurrency mining operations, rather than provide energy primarily to the electricity grid.

Shares in Greenidge Generation fell by 7% on the ruling Thursday, to around $2.50. As the price of bitcoin has tumbled in recent months, so, too, has Greenidges stock, which is down from about $43 in September. Bitcoin itself has lost over 70 percent of its value from its peak in November.

Yvonne Taylor, the vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian, an environmental advocacy group that has battled the Greenidge facility for over five years, hailed DECs decision.

We are so proud to be part of a community that stands together to protect our clean air and clean water and thriving agriculture and tourism industries in the Finger Lakes, Taylor said. Weve been getting phone calls and texts and emails from members of the Finger Lakes region, all completely elated that the decision has been made.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Friday appointed former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Andrew Wheeler to a newly created Office of Regulatory Management, months after state lawmakers voted Wheeler down for another position.

Wheeler will head the new office, which Youngkin said in a statement will aim to reduce state regulatory requirements by 25 percent. The Trump administration implemented a similar policy in 2017, imposing a requirement that any new regulations be accompanied by the repeal of two existing regulations.

Last year, I pledged to Virginians that we would remove 25% of the regulatory requirements in the Commonwealth, Youngkin said in a statement Friday. In the spirit of this objective, we have created the Office of Regulatory Management, led by Andrew Wheeler, which will create much needed transparency and efficiency in Virginias regulatory process to ensure that we have a government that works for the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Wheeler, who served as EPA administrator from 2019 to 2021, was initially Youngkins nominee as Virginias secretary of natural resources.

Wheelers nomination immediately faced pushback in the Democratic-majority state Senate, due to his history with the Trump administration and as a coal industry lobbyist. While Wheeler did not echo then-President Trumps false claims that climate change is a hoax, he has repeatedly minimized the threat it poses.

Initially, there was speculation that Wheeler might secure confirmation after a largely collegial hearing in which he defended his environmental record and blamed the media for the perception of his tenure. However, the Senate tabled his nomination in a 21-19 vote in March, making him the first Virginia Cabinet nominee who did not clear confirmation since 2006.

Wheeler served as acting secretary for the remainder of the General Assembly session, per the state constitution, and has served as an adviser to Youngkin since March.

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A spokesman for Youngkins office told The Hill that Wheeler will not require General Assembly confirmation as head of the new office.

The announcement comes the same week that Wheelers predecessor as EPA chief, Scott Pruitt, lost in Oklahomas GOP Senate primary to replace retiring Sen. James Inhofe (R).

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the launching of power transmissions to Romania was the start of a process that could help Europe reduce its dependence on Russian hydrocarbons.

Zelenskiy's comments in his nightly video message on Thursday followed an announcement by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal that exports had started earlier in the day - with a volume of 100 megawatts - four months into Russia's war on Ukraine.

The president said the start of exports was "another significant step in our movement toward the European Union".

"Thanks to Ukrainian electricity, a significant part of the Russian gas used by European consumers can be replaced. This is therefore not just a question of export earnings for us but a question of security for all of Europe," Zelenskiy said.

"Let me remind you that linking our country to the common EU energy system took place already after the war began. Ukraine is doing things now that once seemed impossible."

Ukraine reached agreement in mid-March to join the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) as an observer after its grid was linked to that of the EU.

The ENTSO-E said this week that preparations had been completed for the first exports from Ukraine, together with power from ex-Soviet Moldova, starting on 30th June - using an interconnection with Romania.

Electricity trading on other interconnections between Ukraine and Slovakia and Ukraine and Hungary - as well as between Moldova and Romania would soon follow, it said. The group said the total trade capacity would initially be set to 100 MW in the first phase.

In his earlier announcement, Prime Minister Shmyhal said Ukraines electricity export potential towards Europe could reach 2.5 gigawatts.

(Reporting by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Stephen Coates)
The white farmhouse at 10608 Patrick Henry Highway is accessed by a narrow concrete bridge over the bubbling Hat Creek.

After crossing the stream, you make your way up a grassy knoll to a historic home that has all the charming elements of a classic Nelson County farmhouse: white clapboard siding, black shutters and a greenish gray metal roof.

The front of the house faces the most spectacular view  rolling pastures before a layered chain of blue and green mountains  but on a hot June afternoon the house's whole perimeter was a lush, green vision.

According to real estate agent Julie Bendle, the house was built circa 1900 and housed two generations of the same family. One former owner's father was raised in the home, and his grandfather lived in a smaller house further back on the 79 acre lot, which Bendle said used to be even bigger.

She lives in a similar farmhouse nearby and showed off a picture she took of the sun setting behind her mountain view. The rising sun turns the whole landscape red: its like instead of the Blue Ridge you have the red ridge.

Besides a newer addition to the back, much of the house remains untouched and Bendle described the interior as much like her own farmhouse before she renovated. Original hardwood floors run throughout and theres still only one bathroom for four bedrooms. Its on the first floor and has no shower, just a claw foot tub, recalling a time when such amenities werent taken for granted.

Its been loved, thats for sure, Bendle said of the home.

The previous owners used only wood heating after the house's oil furnace broke, she said. The listing instead includes an allowance for a new HVAC system.

Bendles thinks the two fireplaces  with intricately carved mantels  were once working coal burning fireplaces. The wood stove in the kitchen gets so hot it would blow you out of the kitchen, even in the winter, she said.

She pointed out the original molding around the doors in the older section, and how the bullseye corner blocks dont continue into what she believes is the newer addition. The door frames are much simpler in the back half of the house with the dining room, kitchen and one of the upstairs bedrooms.

A narrow staircase runs from the kitchen to the bedroom at the very back of the house. Bendle explained it was probably used by someone who got the kitchen ready in the morning without waking the rest of the house.

The kitchen inspires renovation fever in Bendle; she said shed remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room to open the space up and install double doors out to the back porch.

In fact, Bendle has grand visions for the entire house. Shed make the third bedroom upstairs (with the back staircase, and only accessible from upstairs via another bedroom) into a closet, full bath and sitting room. Shed turn a large closet over the staircase on the front of the house into a bathroom for the other two bedrooms.

This place has so much potential, Bendle said.

But itll take a special buyer, she added. Even though Bendle estimated the drive to Nellysford is only about five to ten minutes, most buyers see the mountains between the Nellysford and Bryant areas as a barrier and are looking for something on the Nellysford side. The house is listed for $879,000.

She said her children loved growing up on her nearby farm. After moving to Montana, Vermont, Europe and New Zealand, theyve all make their way back to Nelson County to raise their own children. She told them she wasnt going anywhere else.

Its such a cool old place, Bendle said of 10608 Patrick Henry Highway.

I so want somebody to come here and love this place.

PHOTOS: Roseland farmhouse offers a vision of the past, and of the Blue Ridge

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For more than half an hour Friday morning, Lynchburg Crane Service, Inc. workers lowered a small hut structure onto a concrete slab just south of Temperance Elementary School in northern Amherst County.

While the hut on Lowesville Road is simple in appearance, its presence is vital as the brain of ongoing efforts to build a fiber network to bring broadband to all Central Virginia Electric Cooperative customers in the county, according to Melissa Gay, communications manager of CVEC. The climate-controlled building protects all the electronics needed for the system to deliver high-speed internet to all customers who want it in rural, underserved or unserved portions of the county.

The fiber will start at the hut and move out to all of the households in the Temperance area, sending the light from the hut to each home along the electric lines and then through service drops straight in to the home, since this is fiber-to-the-home internet, Gay said.

The process to get the service to homes in that area of the county will take several months and involves splicing fiber into each home registered for broadband service through Firefly Fiber Broadband, a subsidiary of Nelson County-based CVEC. Gay said more than 20 similar huts have been installed in portions of 14 counties CVEC provides electricity to, including Amherst and Nelson counties.

CVEC covers portions of 14 counties and Firefly is being offered to all CVEC members at this time, Gay said. So well pass all 38,000 locations across 14 counties, including here in Amherst County.

CVECs fiber build is a $130 million plan to install more than 4,500 miles of fiber-optic cable in the 14 counties. It's slated for completion at the end of this year. The network uses laser beams and glass fibers to move data at speeds up to one gigabit per second, according to CVECs website.

The network is being installed on, and adjacent to, existing infrastructure.

Gay said the main line construction of building the fiber network through the existing power lines is planned to conclude this summer.

We have one more hut to set after this, so were very excited, Gay said, adding the next location is the Massies Mill area of Nelson County.

Firefly offers lightning-fast internet via fiber to the home that is reliable and priced fairly with no hidden costs and no data caps or slowdowns, according to its website.

Fiber is your futureproof answer to the digital divide that our rural communities are experiencing now, Gay said. Many of our members, we know, are dealing with satellite internet, which can be affected by weather and trees. And then we have those who are on fixed wireless that have a little better solution ... none of those are reliable. There have a lot of slowdowns depending on how many people get online at the same time.

Fiber service helps provide much faster internet service regardless of how many people are online or what the weather is like, she said.

The additional infrastructure will increase the tax base in Amherst and Nelson counties, and fiber access for prospective businesses will invigorate economic development, Firefly representatives have said.

Gay said the installation of broadband in today's world is as important as electrification was in rural areas of America nearly a century ago.

And when the loans were put out by the government the rural communities banded together and they served the areas that were not currently receiving power. A lot of those lines are still here today, Gay said. This infrastructure is the backbone for the fiber. Were building on that to put that broadband infrastructure now.

Firefly in late 2020 announced plans to make fiber-connected, gigabit-speed broadband internet service available to every home and business in Nelson County by the end of 2024. Amherst County also has invested $3 million from its share of the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to go toward efforts to make broadband available countywide through a partnership with Firefly.

Gay said the collaboration from Amherst, from residents to county and school officials, has been amazing.

We have just received such an outpouring of support, she said.

Firefly is expanding outside the CVEC footprint to move into areas of the county served by Appalachian Power Company. Other areas targeted include Pleasant View, Elon and Stapleton, and the overall project will take three years, according to Gay.

A news release from Amherst County in December indicated the build out for countywide internet availability is planned for completion in 2024.

Preliminary planning identified 4,322 locations in Amherst County as unserved, which is defined as areas without access to speeds faster than 25 Mbps download or 3 Mbps upload. Plans to reach these locations include 548 miles of new fiber-optic cable installed in the county, the county said in the release.

For more information visit www.fireflyva.com.

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Lakeisha Williams has two big reasons to celebrate the $165 billion state budget that takes effect on Friday.

As a preschool teacher for Richmond Public Schools, Williams will get a 5% raise in the new fiscal year and the next one under the budget, which also increases pay for state employees and state-supported local employees by 10% over two years to attract and keep workers in a labor shortage.

As the mother of four children at her home in South Richmond, she also expects to save on her income taxes through a budget provision that for the first time will allow Virginians who offset a portion of their state taxes with the federal Earned Income Tax Credit to receive a refund of the unused value of the credit.

Every little bit counts, said Williams, who also runs a private tutoring business with members of her family for children in kindergarten through second grade.

The refundable Earned Income Tax Credit represents a political breakthrough for Democrats as Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the first Republican to hold the office in eight years, celebrates the adoption of $4 billion in cuts to Virginia income and sales taxes in a budget flush with billions in new state revenues.

On June 22, Youngkin signed the budgets for the fiscal year that ended on Thursday and the two-year cycle that begins on Friday.

It really is a big and exciting win for the people of Virginia, said Ashley Kenneth, president of the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, which has been advocating for a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit for more than a decade as a way to help working parents of low to moderate means.

Tax cuts

Passage of the refundable credit was central to a budget tradeoff that enabled House Republicans to deliver a $1.6 billion tax cut by increasing the standard deduction for state income tax filers by almost 80%. The budget raises the deduction from $4,500 to $8,000 for individual taxpayers and from $9,000 to $16,000 for couples filing jointly.

The higher standard deduction is expected to save $399 for a family of four earning between $50,000 and $100,000 a year.

The increase is part of a larger tax package that includes one-time rebates of $250 for individual taxpayers and $500 for families to reflect a $2.6 billion surplus in the fiscal year than ended on June 30, 2021, as well as another big surplus expected in the fiscal year that ended on Thursday night. Taxpayers who filed their returns before July 1 will get their refunds no later than Oct. 17.

Youngkin estimates that a family of four will save $209 a year from the elimination of the states 1.5% sales tax on groceries, even though the General Assembly preserved the 1% portion of the tax that goes directly to local governments to fund public services.

Altogether, the new governor expects his tax package to save the typical Virginia family about $1,100 this year, not including an income tax exemption of up to $10,000 in military retirement income for veterans 55 and older. The exemption will grow to $20,000 next tax year, $30,000 in 2024 and $40,000 in 2025.

We enacted historic tax cuts, eliminated the tax on the first $40,000 in military retirement pay, made record investments in education and public safety, we stood for greater accountability and transparency in government, Youngkin said Wednesday. And together, we are building an opportunity society, where Virginians can find the jobs they are looking for right here in the commonwealth.

Democrats are quick to remind the governor that his Democratic predecessor, then-Gov. Ralph Northam, included a big chunk of the tax cuts and much of the new spending on public education, employee salaries and economic development in the two-year budget he proposed in December before leaving office a month later.

The budget is largely Ralph Northams, said Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax, one of six delegates who helped to negotiate the final compromise on the spending plan with eight senators on the budget conference committee.

K-12 education

The budget includes $2.9 billion in new spending on K-12 education, including a big increase for school divisions with high numbers of at-risk students from low-income families, although the assembly substantially reduced what Northam had proposed. For the first time, 3-year-olds from at-risk households will be able to participate along with 4-year-olds in the Virginia Preschool Initiative.

It also takes the first major step since the Great Recession to partially restore state funding for school support personnel  counselors, social workers and others  that local school divisions have been paying by themselves.

The budget carves out a new state role for helping localities replace or repair outdated school buildings  accounting for more than half of the public school buildings in Virginia  by creating a school modernization fund for making grants or low-cost loans for local school divisions, while bolstering the ability of the state Literary Fund to help them with construction.

The spending plan includes $100 million in seed money for lab schools. It also boosts funding for school resource officers, an issue Youngkin and some lawmakers emphasized after a gunman killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, in May.

I-64 gap

The spending compromise also pledges $470 million in state funds to complete the widening of Interstate 64 between Richmond and Williamsburg, a top transportation priority for the Youngkin administration and New Kent County, through which most of the 29-mile stretch of unwidened interstate runs.

The Central Virginia Transportation Authority confirmed on June 17  the same day that the assembly acted on the governors budget amendments  to pledge up to $100 million in regional funds for the $750 million project, which also will rely on federal grants and help from the regional transportation compact in Hampton Roads.

It means the world to me because it has been an ongoing fight for the widening, said New Kent County Supervisor Patricia Paige, who has been outspoken about the need for financial support from the nine localities in the regional authority for the Richmond area.

Paige had just attended Thursdays groundbreaking for a $185 million auto parts distribution center that AutoZone is building in New Kent in an industrial park that depends on I-64 access. Youngkin spoke at the groundbreaking, touting our core infrastructure, like I-64, that were going to finish all the way to Richmond.

State workers

But the heart of the budget  along with tax cuts  is increased spending on compensation for public employees, as well as those who provide care for elderly, poor and disabled Virginians under the states Medicaid safety net.

All of their employers are struggling to find and keep qualified workers despite a generational shift in the workforce because of the COVID-19 pandemic that began 28 months ago. Workers are hard to find, so public employers are competing with fast-food restaurants and convenience stores paying $15 an hour, as well as a gradual increase in the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $11 an hour, and $12 on Jan. 1.

The market rate has been driven up beyond the minimum wage, said Tonya Milling, executive director of the Arc of Virginia, which represents families of people with disabilities who struggle to find people to care for their loved ones, even though Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers rose in the budget. Its almost as if $15 [an hour] is the de facto minimum wage.

In addition to teachers, the new budget includes raises of 10% over two years for state employees, state-supported local employees, and employees and faculty at public higher education institutions. The first of those raises will come in Aug. 1 paychecks for the pay period that begins on July 10.

Those employees also will receive a one-time, $1,000 bonus on Dec. 1. (Federal aid under the American Rescue Plan Act will pay for teacher bonuses.)

The budget includes targeted pay increases  as well as salary adjustments based on years of service  for state police, sheriffs deputies, correctional and juvenile justice officers, regional jail officers, Capitol Police, magistrates, and clerks staff at circuit and district courts.

Mental health

Compensation also will play a major role in attempting to stabilize Virginias understaffed and overcrowded mental hospitals. The budget includes almost $55 million to raise pay for nurses, aides and other direct-care staff from the 10th to the 50th percentile, although the Senate had sought to raise it to the 75th percentile.

This funding is a critical step towards making our state hospitals more competitive with other industries and the private sector, and importantly, making sure our state hospitals are staffed at a level that is safe for both patients and staff, said Lauren Cunningham, spokesperson at the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

The budget also includes funding for the final three steps of the STEP-VA program to provide equal access across Virginia to community-based behavioral health services, as well as money for a 12.5% increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates for home and community-based services and other initiatives.

We believe these efforts will help our system provide better care and services for Virginians that hopefully create better outcomes, Cunningham said.

The private providers who deliver the services feel very good about the budget actions, said Jennifer Fidura, executive director of the Virginia Network of Private Providers.

But Fidura said she does not know whether money will be enough to solve the labor shortage that has made it hard for providers to find people for the jobs that are open.

It will matter in the lives of people who are very vulnerable, she said. I just dont want to convey that this is going to solve the workforce crisis. It is just a different culture and a different time.

Medicaid waivers

The budget includes $377 million in additional spending on services for Virginians who are under Medicaid waivers that allow them to get care in their homes or other settings outside of institutions. Those services include group homes and day support programs for people with disabilities.

Currently, about 14,000 Virginians are waiting for waiver slots, including about 3,000 in the highest-priority category. Northam had proposed funding for an additional 1,200 waiver slots, but the assembly cut that to 600 because the behavioral health agency had not used hundreds of slots approved last year because it wanted to review eligibility.

The budget also includes about $86 million to give a 7% increase in reimbursement rates to pay for personal care attendants for the elderly and disabled. The increase was the third since the COVID-19 pandemic began for people on the front line of providing care, who also received two hazard pay bonuses.

But advocates say the increase isnt enough for home care agencies and consumers who hire their own staff to keep up with the minimum wage and market wage rates that have made it harder to attract workers.

Because of how bad the workforce crisis is, it isnt enough of an investment to make sure we can overcome where we are, said Milling at the Arc. Where we are, the reality is providers are closing because they dont have staff.

Christina Nuckols, spokesperson for Virginias Medicaid agency, said Youngkin and the assembly recognize the critical role our health care providers play in ensuring access to high-quality health care for one in five Virginians.

Adjustments in rates for dentists and a continuum of providers supporting Medicaid members with developmental disabilities will help to ensure that these essential services are available to Virginians and their families across the commonwealth, said Nuckols of the Department of Medical Assistance Services.

For example, the budget includes almost $85 million to boost reimbursement rates by 30% for dentists who treat patients under Medicaid, which has provided dental benefits to children and pregnant women since 2006 and expanded to include adults last year.

Currently, almost 2,000 dentists participate in Medicaid out of more than 6,000 dentists in the state, so with the higher reimbursement rate the attractiveness of the program has been raised, said Ryan Dunn, CEO of the Virginia Dental Association, which represents 4,000 dentists. It definitely is going to help.

Sickles, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, said, It was our number one priority to get our reimbursements up. We compete for the same labor pool as the general economy.

From casinos to cocktails, hazing to hunting, new Va. laws take effect Friday A new state budget with tax rebates of $250 per person and $500 per family gets much of the attention, but hundreds of other new state laws take effect Friday.

As Virginians hit the road for holiday, state gas taxes to rise Friday As Virginians prepare to hit the road for the July Fourth holiday weekend, state gas taxes are going up, along with a fee to replenish a fund for cleaning up leaking underground petroleum storage tanks.
The highest temperatures in at least 147 years have scorched much of eastern Japan for a week as of Friday, with the government asking citizens to cut power use as much as possible, while still running air conditioners to stay safe.

The region around Tokyo was set for its seventh straight day of temperatures above 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) and faced a hot weekend as well, and the western city of Nagoya was predicted to hit a sizzling 40C. Slightly cooler temperatures and possibly rain could bring relief on Monday.

Authorities issued no warning of a possible power crunch for the first time this week, although energy supplies will remain tight amid rising energy prices, adding fervour to calls within the government to restart more nuclear reactors that have been offline since the Fukushima disaster of March 2011.

The government warned dangerous conditions would persist, again encouraging people to relax the use of masks outdoors, a message slow to take root in Japan, where mask-wearing was popular even before the pandemic.

The heat came with an early end to the rainy season, which in some parts of Japan lasted barely two weeks, leaving dams partly empty and some areas calling for water conservation.

A tropical storm may brush Japan next week, finally bringing rain and slightly cooler temperatures. ...continue reading
DES MOINES  Rick Stewart, the Libertarian candidate for Iowa governor, is resuming his campaign after taking time off following his arrest at a non-violent protest in Virginia.

Stewart, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested May 18 in Arlington while protesting at the federal Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in support of allowing terminally ill cancer patients to use psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in certain mushrooms, under the Right to Try act.

In a news release, the Stewart campaign said a friend of Stewarts, a patient diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, had been prescribed psilocybin assisted therapy by her doctor.

Under the 2018 Right To Try law, supported by both Iowa Sens. Chuck Grassley, a sponsor, and Joni Ernst, the prescription is legally allowed. The DEA, however, denied her request and is refusing to speak with the patient, Stewart said.

In 2020, John Hopkins Center released the results of a study that showed promising results of psilocybin in the mental health of terminal cancer patients.

Video taken at the May protest shows Stewart passively resisting while being handcuffed and taken to a paddy wagon.

It is outrageous that drug warriors in the DEA would thwart the will of Congress so blatantly, Stewart said in the news release. If the laws of the land do not apply to government officials, what kind of a republic do we live in?

I feel it is my moral responsibility to stand against this rogue government agency, and I am confident Sens. Grassley and Ernst have my back, he added. The drug war has clearly been lost in America, and it is time to gracefully retire the DEA agents who are still fighting it.

Stewarts trial for trespassing is scheduled for Aug. 10 in Washington, D.C., his campaign said.

Stewart is running for governor against Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds and Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear.

SCHIFF TO FUNDRAISE WITH IOWA DEMOCRATS: California Democrat Adam Schiff, a member of the bipartisan panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, will attend Iowa fundraisers next weekend with U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, and Eastern Iowa congressional candidate Liz Mathis.

Schiff will attend a fundraiser with Axne on July 9 at Fox Brewing in West Des Moines, according to an event flyer published in a news release from the Republican Party of Iowa.

Schiff will attend a fundraiser with Mathis on July 10, according to an event notice on the Iowa Democratic Partys website.

Axne is running for a third term in the U.S. House in Central Iowas 3rd District against Republican challenger Zach Nunn, a state legislator from Altoona.

Mathis is challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in Eastern Iowas new 2nd District.

GUN SAFETY GROUP ENDORSES MATHIS: Giffords PAC, the gun safety advocacy organization founded by former congresswoman and shooting victim Gabrielle Giffords, has endorsed Democrat Liz Mathis in Iowas new 2nd Congressional District campaign.

Mathis, a state legislator and nonprofit leader from Hiawatha, is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.

Having grown up on the farm, I respect the rights of hunters and responsible gun owners and support the Second Amendment, Mathis said in a campaign news release. I also know that its well past time for members of Congress to put partisan politics and gun lobby donors aside and pass legislation to keep our children and communities safe.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ENDORSE HINSON: U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinsons campaign announced more than 50 endorsements from law enforcement members and first responders.

The Marion Republican is running for re-election in Iowas new 2nd Congressional District against Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis of Hiawatha. Hinson currently represents Iowas 1st U.S. House district.

These heroes put their lives on the line for us every single day, and I will continue fighting to make sure they have the resources necessary to keep our families safe, Hinson said in a statement. Law enforcement officers always have our back, and I will always have theirs in Congress.

Hinson launched a law enforcement advisory committee in 2020 to hear about public safety issues in Iowa.
One person was taken to a hospital and another was arrested Wednesday following a two vehicle crash involving a stolen car on eastbound I-80, according to Iowa State Police.

The crash happened around 5:40 p.m. near mile marker 9.

According to police, a stolen 2019 Dodge Durango that was traveling at excessive speed rear-ended a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette that was obeying the speed limit. The SUV came to rest in front of the Chevy.

When the driver of the Corvette, Stephen Hakes of Erie, Colo., got out of his vehicle to check on the driver and passenger in the Durango, they fled the scene.

After a three-hour manhunt, the driver, William Burch III, age 49, and passenger, Shyla Solar, age 45, both of Hernando, Fla., were apprehended.

Both Burch and Solar were taken to Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital. Solar, who was not wearing a seatbelt, is still in the hospital, while Burch was transported to Pottawattamie County Jail.

Burch was charged with first degree theft, a felony, and leaving the scene of an accident, among other lesser offenses. He is being held on $10,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 8.

Hakes, who was wearing a seatbelt, was not seriously injured.

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Gov. Kim Reynolds is not planning to call a special legislative session to pass abortion restrictions, but she suggested she may consider it if her attempt to bring back enforcement of Iowas so-called fetal heartbeat bill fails in state courts.

Reynolds, a Republican, on Tuesday announced plans to challenge a 2018 district court decision that halted enforcement of the bill, which would ban abortions after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus  usually around six weeks. The announcement came after a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a federal right to an abortion, allowing states broad freedom to restrict abortion access.

Shes also asking the Iowa Supreme Court to reconsider a recent ruling that overturned a previous ruling saying the state constitution guarantees the right to an abortion. While a win for Iowa Republicans, the ruling, which came before Fridays U.S. Supreme Court decision, still left room for courts to strike down some abortion restrictions under Planned Parenthood v. Caseys undue burden standard.

Weve got two laws in place, and so were going to move forward with that and wait and see what the ruling is based on that, and then well reassess after that point, she said.

Abortion is currently legal in Iowa until 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Without a special session, the next time state lawmakers will meet in the Capitol is early January 2023. If Republicans keep a majority in the Legislature and Reynolds wins reelection, theyre expected to pass more laws restricting abortion.

In a statement after the Supreme Court ruling on Friday, Reynolds said she would not rest until every unborn Iowan is protected and respected. She didnt indicate on Wednesday what her end goal is for abortion access in Iowa.

We have the heartbeat bill on the books, and so lets lift the injunction and lets make that a law, she said on Wednesday. And so were going to start with that.

On Friday, Republican Senate leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, indicated Senate Republicans would seek abortion restrictions in response to the federal ruling.

As a pro-life caucus, Senate Republicans have led on the protections of life and will continue to do so, he said in a statement. We look forward to continuing to advance the cause of the unborn.

As for when the fetal heartbeat bills injunction may be lifted, Reynolds said the timeline is in the courts hands after she filed the request to review the cases.

Legislative Democrats have decried Reynolds court challenges, saying Republicans are poised to roll back abortion access further.

Iowa Republicans will not stop until they have completely banned abortions without exception, Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, said on Tuesday. This is an incredibly dangerous action that threatens the health, safety, and future of Iowa women.
A woman walks past a building destroyed in Russian shelling in Borodyanka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, June 21, 2022. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)

POKROVSK, Ukraine  A Russian airstrike on residential areas killed at least 21 people early Friday near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, authorities reported, a day after the withdrawal of Moscows forces from an island in the Black Sea had seemed to ease the threat to the city.

Video of the attack before daybreak showed the charred ruins of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Odesa. The Ukrainian presidents office said warplanes fired three missiles that struck an apartment building and a campsite.

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Ukrainian authorities interpreted the attack as payback for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Snake Island a day earlier, though Moscow portrayed their departure as a goodwill gesture to help unblock exports of grain.

Russian forces took control of the island in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraines biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

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The occupiers cannot win on the battlefield, so they resort to vile killing of civilians, said Ivan Bakanov, head of Ukraines security service, the SBU. After the enemy was dislodged from Snake Island, he decided to respond with the cynical shelling of civilian targets.

Large numbers of civilians were killed in Russian bombardments earlier in the war, including at a hospital, a theater used as a shelter, and a train station. Until this week, mass casualties involving residents appeared to become less frequent as Moscow concentrated on capturing eastern Ukraines Donbas region.

Russian missiles struck the Kyiv region last weekend after weeks of relative calm around the capital, and an airstrike Monday on a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk killed at least 19 people.

In this photo provided by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, a damaged residential building is seen in Odesa, Ukraine, early Friday, July 1, 2022, following Russian missile attacks. (AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy expressed outrage over Fridays attack.

These missiles, Kh-22, were designed to destroy aircraft carriers and other large warships, and the Russian army used them against an ordinary nine-story building with ordinary civilian people, he said.

Twenty-one people  including an 11-year-old boy, his mother and the 42-year-old coach of a childrens soccer team  were killed, according to Ukrainian news reports. Thirty-eight others, including six children and a pregnant woman, were reported hospitalized. Most of the victims were in the apartment building, Ukrainian emergency officials said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow is not targeting residential areas.

Oleh Zhdanov, an independent Ukrainian military analyst, said the Russian pullback from Snake Island bears colossal psychological significance for Ukraine.

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Snake Island is key for controlling the Black Sea and could help cover the Russian attack if the Kremlin opted for an amphibious landing operation in Odesa or elsewhere in the region, he said. Now those plans are pushed back.

Ukraines military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee the island in two small speedboats. The exact number of troops withdrawn was not disclosed.

Early in the war, the island became a symbol of Ukrainian defiance. When a Russian warship demanded that its defenders surrender, they supposedly replied: Go (expletive) yourself.

Zelenskyy said that although the pullout did not guarantee the Black Sea regions safety, it would significantly limit Russian activities there.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces kept up their push to encircle the city of Lysychansk, the last stronghold of resistance in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the Donbas.

The shelling of the city is very intensive, Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said. The occupiers are destroying one house after another with heavy artillery and other weapons. Residents of Lysychansk are hiding in basements almost round the clock.

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Haidai said the Russians were fighting for control of an oil refinery on the citys edge. But Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian and separatist forces had taken control of the refinery as well as a mine and a gelatin factory.

Ukraines presidential office said Russian strikes in the past 24 hours also killed civilians in eastern Ukraine  four in the northeastern Kharkiv region and another four in Donetsk province.

More help for Ukraines fight was announced:

The Pentagon said it will supply the country with $820 million in new military aid, including surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radar to respond to Russias heavy reliance on long-range strikes. All told, the U.S. has provided more than $8.8 billion in weapons and training to Ukraine.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announced 1 billion euros ($1.04 billion) in aid to Ukraine.

In other developments, a pro-Moscow separatist news agency in eastern Ukraine reported that two more Britons it identified as mercenaries fighting for Ukraine are facing the same charges on which three other foreigners were recently sentenced to death. The news agency identified the pair as Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill, without providing further details. Britains SkyNews said they had been captured in eastern Ukraine several weeks ago.
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Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM CDT TUESDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values are expected to peak in the 100 to 108 degree range this afternoon and again Tuesday afternoon. * WHERE...eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. * WHEN...From noon today to 8 PM CDT Tuesday. * 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. &&
The UN Secretary Generals Special Adviser for Libya, Stephanie Williams, is set to remain in office for at least one more month in office, Italian news agency Nova has learned.

Unnamed Libyan sources reportedly told the agency the US diplomat will remain in the post, because of the vacancy for a chief of the U.N. Mission in Libya.

Her mandate was set to end June 30 but the UN has failed to appoint her successor. UN Chief Antonio Guterres has proposed former Algerian top diplomat Sabri Boukadoum but the UAE and several other Arab countries have opposed the choice.

There is a regional concern about Boukadoums appointment, especially since Algeria has a common border with Libya, a diplomatic source that asked not to be named told AFP.

Russia and Egypt have been pushing for the appointment of an African diplomat to head the UN mission in the crisis-hit North African country.

Libya has descended into chaos since the assassination of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-led revolution in 2011.

Libya has currently two governments backed by foreign countries vying for influence.
Several members of the European Parliament have voiced support to Moroccos humane management of illegal migration, describing the North African Kingdom as a reliable and strategic partner in the fight against human smuggling and trafficking.

Commenting the latest violent mass crossing attempt by illegal sub-Saharan migrants from Northern Moroccan region of Nador into Spanish enclave of Melilla, MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Renew Europe Group) said: Moroccos humane migration policy in Africa should be supported.

We need to strengthen Morocco as the main strategic and reliable partner of the EU for fighting trafficking, mafias and controlling irregular migration, stressed the European lawmaker in his twitter account.

Last weekend, some 2000 migrants stormed border between Nador and Melilla assaulting security forces using sticks and stones as well as acid and knives, in the most violent crossings ever reported in northern Morocco.

For MEP Tomas Zdechovsky, the massive jump of 2000 sub-Saharan migrants is another proof that Morocco is a credible EU partner which also suffers from migratory pressure.

For his part, Mr. Petar Vitanov, member of the European Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, said Morocco remains a strategic partner for the EU, affirming that the main culprits for the tragedy that occurred in Mellila and the regrettable loss of human life there are the international mafias, which organize these violent attacks.

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez has defended the way Moroccan and Spanish police repelled the incursion attempt of illegal migrants who were armed with axes and hooks.

He blamed the tragedy on international human trafficking rings and mafia groups, while Spanish Foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said that without Moroccos collaboration, it would be impossible to control illegal migration flows.

In a commentary on the events, Italian news website Ajo Noas pointed out that Morocco has shown an unwavering commitment to migration and the fight against human trafficking networks, thus contributing through concrete actions and relevant strategies to the security of the region.

The Kingdom assumes its responsibilities in migration management and fully supports South-South cooperation, while placing the human element at the heart of its concerns, the Italian newspaper says, highlighting the efforts made at the legislative, legal and social levels by Morocco to support, regularize and facilitate the integration of migrants.

For the news site, Europe and immigration exporting countries are called upon to collaborate and support Moroccan action to protect its borders and curb illegal migrants. Multilateralism remains the only possible solution to deal with the large influx of migrants.

The news outlet also underlined that the Moroccan-Algerian border is difficult to control because of the presence of human trafficking mafias, supported by parties who want to exploit and politicize these dramas.

The attempt against the metal fence in the province of Nador, carried out with unprecedented violence by mafia networks, is not innocent, the Italian newspaper comments, adding that external actors are trying to harm Moroccan-Spanish relations, which have recently experienced a dynamism and positive development.
The combined Moroccan-American exercise African Lion 2022 ended on Thursday at Cape Draa, Tan Tan, with a training between the Royal Armed Forces and the American Armed Forces.

During this exercise, which was attended by Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the South Zone, and General Stephen Townsend, Commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), maneuvers were conducted by F16 aircraft, in addition to bombing targets by Apache helicopters and armored vehicles, accompanied by Abrams tanks.

The exercise also included bombing by Abrams tanks during the maneuvers and bombing with HIMARS missile launchers.

We are here to participate in the 18th edition of the African Lion 2022 exercise, which is the largest and most diverse multinational and multidisciplinary operation we have conducted in Africa, in partnership with the Royal Armed Forces since 2004, said General Townsend in a press statement on the occasion, expressing his deep appreciation to the FAR, the Moroccan government and the South Zone Command.

These maneuvers, marking the closing of this 18th edition that I followed, alongside Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, Inspector General of the FAR, Commander of the South Zone, were the result of a training that lasted three to four weeks, he noted, while welcoming the organization of these exercises and the results of these maneuvers.

The African Lion exercise has three main objectives: to perfect the skills of all participating units, improve interoperability and strengthen the ability to work and cooperate now and in the future, noted General Townsend before stressing that these maneuvers have strengthened the partnership between Morocco and the United States as well as the participating countries.

For his part, Colonel Major Abdelhaq Mhasni, Deputy Chief of the Third Staff Office / South Zone, said in a similar statement that the 18th edition of the African Lion was marked by the achievement of all the objectives of military training in the various areas of planning and multinational implementation of operations, logistical support, interoperability, humanitarian assistance, material support and integration of new partners.

The follow-up to these closing exercises demonstrates the importance of the strategic partnership between Morocco and the United States of America, desired by King Mohammed VI, Supreme Leader and Chief of Staff of the FAR, said Colonel Major Mhasni.

The African Lion exercise aims to perfect the intervention capabilities of participating units and strengthen their combined action capabilities in planning and implementing military operations in the framework of a coalition.

This years edition (June 20-30) saw the participation of 10 countries, including Morocco and the United States, as well as some twenty military observers from partner countries.

The drills took place in the regions of Agadir, Benguerir, Kenitra, Mahbes, Taroudant and Tan Tan.
The Spanish government has denounced the maneuvers of the Algerian authorities who have proceeded to the unilateral blocking of trade operations in both directions and violated the association agreement with the European Union.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, confirmed on Thursday that there was indeed a blockade of trade operations by Algeria and that each time a case is detected, it is reported to the European Commission.

Despite Algerian statements claiming that it was ill-intentioned fantasies on the part of Spain, there is indeed a blockage of trade operations, said Albares told the Spanish national radio.

The European Commission requests explanations from Algeria whenever a trade operation is blocked, said the Spanish top diplomat, noting that trade relations between EU Member States and a third country are a competence of the European Commission, which closely monitors developments.

For her part, the Spanish Secretary of State for Trade, Xiana Mendez, denounced before the Congress of Deputies a virtually total blockage of trade operations from Algeria, both in terms of imports and exports, except for energy products.

We are witnessing, de facto, a blockage of trade flows in both directions, which, in our opinion, would constitute a violation of the Association Agreement with the European Union, said Mendez before the Committee on Industry, Trade and Tourism.

According to the Spanish official, Algeria, which announced on June 8 the suspension of the Treaty of Friendship with Spain, in protest against the Spanish position supporting the autonomy plan for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty, violates its trade agreement with the European Union, through the prohibition of trade flows, current payments and capital movements, and the discrimination of one EU member state over others.

In addition, explained Mendez, the friendship treaty signed between Madrid and Algiers in 2002 is a declaration of intent on the recognition of national sovereignty, and the prohibition of interference in internal political affairs. Besides, the agreement does not set the trade relations between the two countries, since this is a competence of the EU, she said.

The EU, through its High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, and the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, had expressed extreme concern over the decision taken by Algeria to suspend the Treaty of Friendship and Neighborliness with Spain.

The Algerian unilateral act constitutes a violation of the EU-Algeria Association Agreement, the two senior European officials said, making it clear that the European Union will oppose any type of coercive measures applied against a member state of the EU.
Tunisia on Thursday published in the Official Gazette the draft constitution, scheduled to be submitted to a referendum on July 25.

The 139-article draft was completed behind closed doors in less than a month, suggesting a substantial change in the countrys political system, which would now grant greater powers to the executive.

Under the draft constitution, the government will not be presented to parliament for a vote of confidence, and the president is the supreme commander of the armed forces, defines the general policy of the state and approves laws, and may also submit legislation to parliament, which must examine it as a matter of priority.

The text also provides for the establishment of a second chamber, the National Assembly of Regions.

The draft constitution guarantees individual and public rights and freedoms and states that men and women are equal in rights and duties. It also states that the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration is guaranteed.

However, critics argue that the text grants vast powers to the Head of State, marking a radical break with the parliamentary system in place.

In this connection, a group of international lawyers strongly criticized the process of this reform, which crystallizes fears of the entrenchment of an autocratic regime.

Illegal, illegitimate, and lacking in transparency. This is the verdict of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), an international organization campaigning for the rule of law and made up of dozens of judges and lawyers, on the constitutional reform process launched by the Tunisian authorities. In a document published earlier this week, the Geneva-based NGO calls on the Tunisian government to withdraw this draft Constitution, which would anchor the country in a presidential regime.

This constitutional reform aims to codify the authoritarianism that has existed for a year already, says Said Benerbia, director of the ICJs North Africa and Middle East program, referring to Kais Saieds suspension of constitutional order on July 25, 2021. The executive, legislative and judicial powers are not recognized as separate powers, but as simple functions, he continues.

The separation of these three powers, theorized in the 18th century to counter royal absolutism, is a cardinal principle of modern democracies. Kais Saied suspended the legislative power by sending soldiers to block the Parliament on July 25th. The post of prime minister was subsequently gutted, concentrating executive power in the hands of the president. As for the judiciary, it has suffered several blows, from the dissolution of the Superior Council of the Judiciary to the recent dismissal of 57 judges by simple presidential decree.

The Tunisian president justified each of his decisions by the desire to return power to the people, to fight corruption and political incompetence.

For the supporters of Kais Saied, the holding of a constitutional referendum on July 25, 2022, followed by elections at the end of the year, are proof that Tunisia is still a democracy.
UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura will start a new tour to the region with a visit to Morocco this Saturday for talks with Moroccan officials to advance the UN-led political process on the Sahara.

The announcement was made Friday by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General during his daily press briefing.

I have an update on the travels of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for () Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, who is planning to conduct a new phase of visits to all concerned interlocutors in the region in the coming days, said the Spokesperson.

The UN envoy will travel to Rabat tomorrow to meet Moroccan officials. It is also his intention to visit Sahara in the course of this trip, said Mr. Dujarric, stressing that during this phase of the engagement, the Personal Envoy intends to remain guided by the clear precedents set by his predecessors.

Following the Personal Envoys regional tour in January, he looks forward to deepening the consultations he initiated at that time with all parties concerned on the perspectives to constructively advance the political process on Sahara, added the Spokesman for the UN Secretary General.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, left, and Chicago police Superintendent David Brown, center, hold a news conference outside Stroger Hospital where a Chicago police officer is being treated after the officer was shot July 1, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

A Chicago police officer was shot and seriously wounded Friday morning while responding to a domestic disturbance call, Chicago Police Department officials said.

The officer, a 15-year veteran of the department assigned to the 12th District, was being treated at Stroger Hospital.

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The person who shot the officer allegedly opened fire on officers as they exited an elevator in a building in the 1300 block of West Taylor Street, Superintendent David Brown told reporters outside the hospital Friday morning.

Update: Man charged with attempted murder in connection to officer shot early Friday. Read more here >>>

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The officer who was injured suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to the hospital in a University of Illinois Chicago police vehicle.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot also addressed the media outside the hospital, and praised officers for their courage. She highlighted the dangers posed by domestic violence calls, which are up in the city. She urged people seeking shelter from domestic violence to call 311 for help.

We have to remember that the officers, every single day, are risking their lives for our safety and today underscores that, Lightfoot said

The person in custody has cuts to his wrists, Brown said, without elaborating on how he sustained the injuries. A gun has also been recovered, he said.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. >

Chicago police did not fire their weapons, Brown said.

Outside the hospital, a helicopter hovered loudly overhead while several unmarked police squad cars with their lights on arrived at the ER.

Raindrops fell briefly from the overcast sky as at least five officers directed traffic into and within the parking lot. Five others lingered in front of the emergency room talking to one another and taking phone calls.

In early June, officers were shot in three separate incidents. A man shot police Officer Erik Moreno during a traffic stop in Englewood on June 5. Moreno was released from the hospital a week later.

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Just four days before, another officer had been shot during a late afternoon traffic stop in Englewood. That officer, who police said was seriously wounded in the incident, was also released from the hospital following the shooting.

That same week, a U.S. Marshals Service officer was shot in the hand and a police dog was also struck by bullets while serving a warrant on the Northwest Side. The officer had declined hospital treatment.
Kawasaki officials say comments in a published report stating that labor issues at its plant in Lincoln are causing delays in the delivery of rail cars to New York City are not true.

The New York Daily News reported Monday that Metropolitan Transit Authority officials are unhappy with the pace of rail cars being delivered from Lincoln to New York and are blaming that on labor problems and mismanagement.

The MTA approved the purchase of 535 state-of-the-art, next-generation R211 subway cars from Kawasaki in 2018, in a contract valued at the time at $1.4 billion.

They were supposed to go into service next summer, but that has been pushed back to January 2025.

The company is also 17 months behind schedule on cars for the Long Island Rail Road, an MTA subsidiary, according to the newspaper.

The Daily News reported that Jim Allen, head of rolling stock for the Long Island Rail Road, said during an MTA committee meeting Monday that Kawasaki would hire employees only to have them leave after a week, leading to a "real systemic problem."

Siu Ling Ko, chief mechanical officer for NYC Transit, was quoted as saying Kawasaki loses about 45 workers every month from its rail car operation, while Joseph Devito, the MTAs independent engineering consultant, said the company's problems have forced MTA to provide "constant oversight and supervision."

A Kawasaki official told the Journal Star that it meets monthly with all of its customers to provide status updates and recently hosted MTA officials.

"Last week we hosted NYC Transit members at our facility and we successfully completed the first car review for the R211T open gangway subway cars, which is a large milestone in the progress of the project," Jason Hellbusch, corporate director of administration for Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A., said in an emailed statement. "Joint understanding is key to progress and during this last visit by NYC Transit we provided a detailed update regarding status and progress of the project, which included supply chain and manpower status."

But it appears something must have been lost in translation for the MTA officials to come away with the impression that Kawasaki has labor problems.

"The New York Daily News article does correctly highlight that a major reason for delays has been supply chain issues," Hellbusch said. "However, we take exception to the comment regarding labor problems at Kawasaki here in Lincoln. We currently have sufficient manpower for all projects in our facility and we continue to hire personnel as our production rate increases."

Hellbusch acknowledged that Kawasaki, like many other companies, faces challenges finding enough workers in the current labor market. Nebraska's 1.9% unemployment rate in May was tied for lowest in the country, while Lincoln's metropolitan area unemployment rate is among the 20 lowest in the country.

The company in July 2020 announced an expansion, partially driven by the startup of the R211 contract, that would require it to hire 550 new employees.

Hellbusch said Kawasaki is committed to fulfilling its contracts with MTA, and the agency appears committed to the company, despite the quotes from officials.

The Daily News reported that MTA plans to exercise an option to buy an additional 640 subway cars from Kawasaki later this year, largely because the company is one of only two that it works with.

The universe of competent, qualified car builders that are in the U.S. are down to two. Were all very mindful of some of those consequences, said MTA chairman Janno Lieber. What were trying to do is help Kawasaki get back on the straight-and-narrow.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
A North Platte couple face felony child abuse charges for the alleged malnourishment of their infant son.

Jason M. and Melinda L. Borda, 37 and 34, respectively, are charged with negligent child abuse with an injury.

Both posted the required 10% of $75,000 bail Thursday.

The two are due back in court July 27.

The couple were arrested Wednesday after an investigation that began June 14, according to court records, when a North Platte police officer responded to Great Plains Health about the welfare of a 6-month-old child.

The officer was told the infant had been brought into the hospital earlier in the day by the Bordas, who were concerned that their son was not gaining weight.

The Bordas said the boy had been born at home, and five days after his birth in early December, they took him to a doctor for a well-baby check so that a birth certificate could be obtained.

The boy weighed 9 pounds, 4 ounces at that initial appointment. He was just 3 ounces heavier on June 14.

The officer was told by Great Plains Health staff that the boy was severely malnourished and was diagnosed with failure to thrive.

He was transported to Omaha Childrens Hospital for treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Tests conducted at the hospital showed there was no medical reason for his malnourishment.

Staff members at Childrens Hospital voiced concerns about the Bordas behavior. Among their concerns was that Melinda gave inconsistent reports regarding how she had fed the boy in the past and what she fed him.

Nursing staff members said they had to prompt or remind her to feed the boy while in the hospital.

The boy weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces on June 16 and eight days later he weighed 11 pounds, 12 ounces.

He reportedly has continued to gain weight during his time in Childrens Hospital.

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For at least 10 early Lincoln County residents, one particular Independence Day must have been an especially joyous yet poignant memory.

They were Civil War veterans who lived through the conflicts two most pivotal battles in the first days of July 1863.

Six fought in southeast Pennsylvania in the July 1-3 Battle of Gettysburg, where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee made his bloodiest but futile effort to win the war.

While those half-dozen rested the next day  the Fourth of July  the other four, 916 miles southwest, celebrated the Confederate surrender of the critical Mississippi River port of Vicksburg.

Eight rest in the North Platte Cemetery. The other two lie in Fort McPherson National Cemetery south of Maxwell.

Of the millions of U.S. service members over 246 years of independence, these 10 were among hundreds of thousands who knew better than most what July 4 means.

Gettysburg

The wars single greatest battle arose, most specifically, from a quest for shoes.

The conflict was in its 27th month when footsore Southern troops under Gen. Henry Heth heard a cache of shoes was there for their taking in Gettysburg, a mere 65 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

They were part of Gen. Robert E. Lees 75,000-strong Army of Northern Virginia, then scattered across lower Pennsylvania.

Lee had tried and failed to invade the North in September 1862, losing a pivotal battle at Antietam, Maryland. Hoping to lure and defeat his Union foes north of Washington  and perhaps gain European recognition of Confederate independence  he led his army into Pennsylvania.

But the Army of the Potomac was closing fast. And when he saw Gettysburg and its easily defensible terrain, Union Gen. John Buford resolved that morning of July 1 to stop Heths shoe-seekers in their tracks.

The two forces collided. Messengers on both sides galloped for reinforcements.

The Confederates enjoyed early success that first day  but by nightfall, Army of the Potomac commander Gen. George G. Meade had his 93,000-man force astride the defensive line Buford had perceived.

The first Northern units to join him included the 147th New York Infantry, in which future Lincoln County settler Solomon T. Rima served in Company H.

The 147th held the vital Chambersburg Pike despite losing 301 of its 380 men, according to its monument at the Gettysburg battlefield. They finally pulled back through town to the defense line.

The 97th New York  with Sgt. Fred Bran, later a Lincoln County resident, among its ranks  repulsed Confederate attacks from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

Though it lost nearly half its 255 men, Brans regiment charged across the field to the west, assisting in capturing Iversons Brigade and capturing the 20th North Carolinas battle flag, says the 97ths monument on Oak Ridge.

July 2, the battles second day, saw Lee order Gen. James Longstreet to attack the Unions extreme left. Despite intense fighting on heavily forested Little Round Top, the Army of the Potomac beat back the Confederates best efforts.

The 93rd Pennsylvania, with eventual North Platte resident Sgt. J.F.E. Kramph in its ranks, had marched 37 miles in 19 hours from Maryland to reach the battlefield as Longstreet attacked.

The units monument on Gettysburgs Wheatfield Road says the 93rd charged the Confederates from the right side of Little Round Top. It captured 25 Southern troops while losing only 10 men.

The struggles climactic moment came on the battles final day, July 3.

Having failed to drive Meade off the high ground, Lee resolved on a massive assault toward his center. Gen. George Pickett would lead 15,000 fresh troops uphill.

Hundreds of Southern cannon boomed across the battlefield, intending to soften the Norths defenses. Picketts men set out for what Longstreet had warned Lee would be a bloody failure.

It was: Despite desperate fighting atop the hill, the Army of the Potomac shredded Picketts forces. Very few came back.

The 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, which had seen action on July 1, engaged Picketts Charge on the left center of the Union line. Cpl. James Wareham, who moved to Lincoln County after the war, was part of the unit.

As the fighting neared its end about 5 p.m., the 1st Vermont Cavalry and future Lincoln County resident Edwin R. Churchill charged through the 1st Texas Infantry and captured a hill.

C.A. Sagasser, the last eventual Lincoln County settler among the six, was with the 5th New York Cavalry but didnt see combat.

The Army of the Potomac had lost 23,000 men, but Lees Army of Northern Virginia had lost 28,000 killed, wounded or missing. It would never quite recover.

After both sides rested on July 4, Lee pulled his troops back toward Virginia.

Vicksburg

As President Abraham Lincoln learned of Meades victory that Independence Day, he received a second dose of cheer in telegrams from lower Mississippi.

Capturing the Mississippi Rivers Southern strongholds would split the Confederacy in two. All but two had been taken by late 1862: Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Port Hudson, Louisiana.

But Gen. Grant, who had risen to fame with several victories in 1862, had been trying for months to take Vicksburg.

As spring 1863 began, Grant decided to take his Army of the Tennessee across the river south of Vicksburg. His troops stormed northeast to the state capital of Jackson, then pivoted west and pinned Vicksburgs defenders inside the town.

After a six-week siege, Confederate Gen. John C. Pemberton gave up  on the Fourth of July, no less. Thirty thousand Southern troops fell into Grants hands.

The 124th Illinois Infantry, with postwar Lincoln County settler Abraham A. Lusk in its ranks, had followed Grant through one of the wars most brilliant campaigns. The 4th Iowa Cavalry, including future county resident E.A. Davis, had helped capture Jackson.

The 15th Illinois Cavalry and eventual Lincoln County resident Jesse Osterhout had been on the siege line. Forming part of Grants rear guard was the 48th Illinois, including Lt. T.M. Anderson, who also would later move to the county.

Port Hudson fell July 9, reopening the river to Union ships. But the war would last another 21-plus months until Lee surrendered to Grant  by then supreme Union commander  at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.

Not every Civil War veterans grave bears its occupants unit identity. These 10 Lincoln County veterans are listed here because online records of their units movements are readily available.

Wareham and Osterhout rest in Section C of the Fort McPherson cemetery, an area due west of the front gate where many of the graves occupants are unidentified. The others rest near the roads in the North Platte Cemeterys western end.

Few birth or death dates appear on their stones. A handful had their obituaries published in North Plattes early papers. Rima died in 1882, Osterhout in 1902, Churchill in 1912 and Lusk in 1926.

From those brief accounts, it appears they were solid citizens but had much less excitement in their later lives than in the years of their youth.

They might have agreed with the words of fellow Union veteran Oliver Wendell Holmes, later a U.S. Supreme Court justice: In our youths, our hearts were touched with fire.

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Omaha police have reclassified a shooting that occurred almost nine years ago as a homicide after the recent death of a man who was shot on his front porch.

Lonnie Williams, 29, recently died because of complications from a gunshot wound he sustained on July 21, 2013, Omaha police said Wednesday.

Williams was 20 years old at the time of the shooting, which occurred before 6 p.m. that day. He was taken by ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition.

Police said the person who shot Williams ran behind the house where Williams was shot. They said at the time that they were looking for a red Dodge Magnum that was seen pulling out of the alley after the shooting.

Police officials said the case has been cleared because the person suspected of shooting Williams died in October 2013.
MILAN, July 01, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. ("Newron") (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system (CNS), today announced that it is extending its Senior Management team through the appointment of Filippo Moriggia to the newly created position of Vice President of Operations, effective today. Filippo joined Newron in November 2016 as IT Director and became Director of Operations in January 2022.

Furthermore, as part of a renewed commitment to Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) within its corporate strategy, Newron is undertaking a comprehensive assessment of key ESG topics that are material to the company and its stakeholders. Based on the findings of this assessment, Newron will subsequently develop relevant and measurable targets for its ESG activities and track progress to achieving these targets over time.

To ensure appropriate oversight of this bolstered ESG commitment, Newrons Board of Directors has established an ESG Committee as per today. On an operational level, ESG implementation and reporting will be spearheaded by Filippo Moriggia.

Stefan Weber, Newrons Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We warmly welcome Filippo to the Senior Management team, and we are proud to have established for the first time an ESG committee on Board level, which underlines our renewed commitment to ESG. We look forward to conducting a thorough, company-wide assessment with our stakeholders to develop and define our ESG goals. Following which we will aim to publish our ESG strategy and targets by the end of 2022 and begin our annual ESG reporting in March 2023 with our next Annual Report".

About Newron

Newron (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. The Company is headquartered in Bresso near Milan, Italy. Xadago/safinamide has received marketing authorization for the treatment of Parkinsons disease in the European Union, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, Latin America, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and South Korea, and is commercialized by Newrons Partner Zambon. Supernus Pharmaceuticals holds the commercialization rights in the USA. Meiji Seika has the rights to develop and commercialize the compound in Japan and other key Asian territories. Newron is also developing evenamide as the potential first add-on therapy for the treatment of patients with symptoms of schizophrenia. For more information, please visit: www.newron.com

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Important Notices

This document contains forward-looking statements, including (without limitation) about (1) Newron s ability to develop and expand its business, successfully complete development of its current product candidates, the timing of commencement of various clinical trials and receipt of data and current and future collaborations for the development and commercialization of its product candidates, (2) the market for drugs to treat CNS diseases and pain conditions, (3) Newrons financial resources, and (4) assumptions underlying any such statements. In some cases, these statements and assumptions can be identified by the fact that they use words such as "will", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "project", "intend", "plan", "believe", "target", and other words and terms of similar meaning. All statements, other than historical facts, contained herein regarding Newron's strategy, goals, plans, future financial position, projected revenues and costs and prospects are forward-looking statements. By their very nature, such statements and assumptions involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that predictions, forecasts, projections, and other outcomes described, assumed or implied therein will not be achieved. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set out in, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors. These factors include (without limitation) (1) uncertainties in the discovery, development or marketing of products, including without limitation difficulties in enrolling clinical trials, negative results of clinical trials or research projects or unexpected side effects, (2) delay or inability in obtaining regulatory approvals or bringing products to market, (3) future market acceptance of products, (4) loss of or inability to obtain adequate protection for intellectual property rights, (5) inability to raise additional funds, (6) success of existing and entry into future collaborations and licensing agreements, (7) litigation, (8) loss of key executive or other employees, (9) adverse publicity and news coverage, and (10) competition, regulatory, legislative and judicial developments or changes in market and/or overall economic conditions. Newron may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements and assumptions underlying any such statements may prove wrong. Investors should therefore not place undue reliance on them. There can be no assurance that actual results of Newron's research programs, development activities, commercialization plans, collaborations and operations will not differ materially from the expectations set out in such forward-looking statements or underlying assumptions. Newron does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements except as may be required by applicable regulations of the SIX Swiss Exchange where the shares of Newron are listed. This document does not contain or constitute an offer or invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities of Newron and no part of it shall form the basis of or be relied upon in connection with any contract or commitment whatsoever.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005099/en/

Contacts

Newron

Stefan Weber  CEO

+39 02 6103 46 26, pr@newron.com

UK/Europe

Simon Conway / Ciara Martin, FTI Consulting

+44 20 3727 1000, SCnewron@fticonsulting.com

Switzerland

Valentin Handschin, IRF

+41 43 244 81 54, handschin@irf-reputation.ch

Germany/Europe

Anne Hennecke, Caroline Bergmann, MC Services

+49 211 52925222, anne.hennecke@mc-services.eu

USA

Paul Sagan, LaVoieHealthScience

+1 617 374 8800, Ext. 112, psagan@lavoiehealthscience.com
Tom Whatley, the incumbent state senator in District 27, conceded the GOP nomination to Jay Hovey in a race that had been declared a tie on Saturday after a provisional vote was added to Whatley's total.

Here is the full statement issued by Tom Whatley and sent to the Opelika-Auburn News by his consultant, Heather Wilson:

The last twelve years have been fantastic. I have loved serving in the Alabama Senate.

I have made lifelong friendships with many fantastic people. Hands down, the best thing about my Senate service has been speaking to an Auburn University class where I met my wife Lauren. We are thrilled to have recently welcomed our daughter, Laurel, into the world.

I am a Republican. I want to thank all my supporters and friends who have reached out to me during this process. Ive been a delegate to the last three Republican conventions. I am the Republican nominee who was voted by Republicans in my district.

With that said, I now believe that it is in the best interest of my friends, colleagues, family, and the Republican Party, for me to step away from this tied race so that we can move forward and have success in November.

I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my wife and daughter, focusing on my law practice and other business interests. It has been the honor of a lifetime serving the people of Lee, Tallapoosa and Russell counties.
Incumbent Tom Whatley has conceded the Republican State Senate District 27 race to Jay Hovey.

Hovey will be running against Democrat Sherri Reese of Opelika in the general election in November.

Whatley released a statement to friends, supporters and the media saying that it was in the best interest of the Republican Party for me to step away from this tied race so that we can move forward and have success in November."

He called his 12 years in office "fantastic" and said serving the people of Lee, Tallapoosa and Russell counties was "the honor of a lifetime."

Whatley said he looks forward to "spending some quality time with my wife and daughter, focusing on my law practice and other business interests."

Hovey told the Opelika-Auburn News around 9:45 a.m. that he'd heard the news from the press but couldn't comment until he was told by either Whatley or the Alabama Republican Party.

ALGOP had scheduled a second hearing by conference call in which Hovey and Whatley would have each had 10 minutes to present his case to the candidate committee regarding the ALEA press statement that was released on Sunday.

At the first hearing on Saturday, the ALGOP's Candidate Committee decided to accept a provisional vote from a Tallapoosa County woman. That vote was added to Whatley's total, and the race was declared a tie. According to Alabama code, the tie would be broken "by lot," such as flipping a coin.

The party felt compelled to go with their feelings instead of the facts, and the facts were substantiated by ALEA a day later, Hovey said this week.

ALEAs statement, released a day after the first hearing, questioned the validity of that provisional vote.

According to the statement, the voter applied for an Alabama drivers license but did not complete the process, was not issued the license and did not sign the required voter declaration.

Hovey filed a motion for a re-hearing based on ALEA's statement, he said, and the committee accepted the motion and scheduled the second hearing for Friday morning.

Hovey had maintained that that the ballot was illegal and should be rejected. My only wish is that my party, the Republican Party, stands by their long-standing pledge to fight for voter and election integrity and revise their decision to accept an illegal vote, Hovey said on Wednesday before the re-hearing was granted. I would hope that with ALEAs confirmation that it is indeed an illegal vote that they would stand by their pledge.

Whatley had called the vote "the most scrutinized ballot in Alabama."
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Auburn University is asking alumni and friends to show their support for a new Auburn specialty car tag that could soon be available in the Sunshine State.

A new Florida law, SB 364 , reduces a requirement of pre-sold, out-of-state college license plates from 4,000 to 3,000. As of June 13, Auburn had sold 2,335 pre-sale vouchers and only requires 665 more residents to place their order for production to begin.

Florida residents interested in purchasing a $33 pre-sale voucher online for an Auburn specialty tag should visit the Escambia County tax collectors website. Escambia County is accepting payments for the entire state of Florida. In-person purchases can be made at any Florida residents local county tag office.

After several years of hard work by Florida legislators and the Auburn clubs across the state, a new car tag will become available in Florida for alumni, fans and friends of Auburn University once the pre-sale number is reached, said Jessica King, director of marketing and communications in Auburn Advancement. With less than 650 pre-sale vouchers left to sell, residents in the state of Florida are encouraged to act now to make driving with Auburn pride a possibility."

Auburn tags are currently available in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Once Florida reaches a pre-sale number of 3,000, a plate will become available for purchase. Proceeds from the sale of Auburn University license plates in Alabama go to the Auburn University License to Learn Scholarship Endowment Fund, a statewide program that raises funds for student scholarships. To date, more than $38 million has been raised for Auburn scholarships since the Auburn license plate programs inception.

For more information, visit the Auburn Alumni Association website.
A Chicago police officer at the scene of an early morning shooting in the 400 block of South Wells Street on July 1, 2022. Five people were shot, two fatally. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Two men were killed and three others were wounded when a gunman opened fire in Chicagos Loop early Friday, police said.

The group of five men had left a downtown business and were in an argument with the unknown gunman when he pulled out a handgun and began firing shots, according to an online notification from the Chicago Police Department.

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Police said the shooting happened at 1:44 a.m. The Cook County medical examiners office listed the location of the shooting that left the two men dead as 425 S. Wells St.

A 29-year-old man was pronounced dead at 3:22 a.m. at Stroger Hospital with gunshot wounds to the left side of his head, according to information from police and the medical examiners office, which had not identified the men as of Friday morning.

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A 26-year-old man also was pronounced dead at 2:18 a.m., after suffering gunshot wounds to his chest.

Chicago police officers investigate the scene of an early morning shooting in the 400 block of South Wells Street where two people were killed and three others wounded on July 1, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The three other victims  a 29-year-old man shot in the buttocks, a 35-year-old man shot twice in the left arm and a fifth man also shot in the buttocks  were rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, police said.

No arrests had been made as of Friday morning and detectives continue to investigate, police said.

[ Police: 9 dead, 47 wounded in Memorial Day weekend that saw 250 guns seized, 11 from North Avenue beachgoers ]

The shooting comes as the long Fourth of July holiday weekend begins, although it will not be included in weekend violence statistics, which typically are counted from Friday evening through 7 a.m. the morning after the weekend ends. During Mays Memorial Day weekend, nine people were killed and 47 were shot, according to Tribune data.

During the Fourth of July weekend last year, 108 people were shot and 17 people were killed.

[ Chicagos Independence Day 2021 weekend marred by violence, with at least 108 people shot, 17 fatally ]

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Rising senior Destini Ambus has worn many hats as a member of The Auburn Plainsman, including campus writer, campus reporter, opinion editor, content editor and now editor-in-chief.

Originally from Beulah, Alabama, Ambus chose to attend Auburn so she could continue to be with friends and near family. While at Beulah High School, Ambus was a member of the yearbook staff and also ran her own news show with her best friend. Those experiences in writing and reporting led her to choose journalism as her major.

Once on the Plains, Ambus got involved with Eagle Eye TV, Auburns student-run television station. After a stint there, she decided she wanted to try something new. That search for something new resulted in her finding a place as a member of The Plainsman.

I applied for The Plainsman on a whim, and a couple weeks later I got an email from Eduardo [Medina], who was editor-in-chief at the time, Ambus said. Then spring semester of 2020, I walked in and have been here ever since.

As a writer for The Plainsman, Ambus has had the chance to cover important events and tell the stories of impactful members of the Auburn Family. An example that stands out to her was interviewing Harold Melton, Auburns first Black Student Government Association president and former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

The interview I did with Harold Melton is probably the most prepared Ive ever been for an interview, Ambus said.

As editor-in-chief, one aspect of Ambus vision for The Plainsman is to expand outreach so that more students are informed about the newspaper and its purpose. She says The Plainsman is planning an event in collaboration with Auburns other student media organizations for the upcoming fall semester to introduce students to the organizations.

In my application [for editor-in-chief], outreach is one of the things I said I wanted to improve upon, Ambus said. I want us to be on the concourse more, doing more events and making sure that students know that we are a resource for them to stay informed.

Another core aspect of Ambus vision is to expand equitable coverage in the stories The Plainsman publishes.

Along with my vision in terms of outreach, equity in our coverage is also important to me, Ambus said. There is like 27 percent of Auburn thats not white, so 27 percent of our content should be representative of people on campus who are not white. I want to make sure that we are getting everyone that we can covered in our coverage and that our writers are aware that they can cover things outside of what they are familiar or used to.

Along with her duties as Plainsman editor-in-chief, Ambus also is completing an internship with the Montgomery Advertiser this summer. Her beat is public safety, and her experiences so far have further cemented journalism as the career path she wants to follow.

I really like it, and the more I do it, the more I am like, Yes, this is what I want to do after college, Ambus said. Its been pretty fun so far.

Ambus also is co-president of the Auburn chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, a student organization dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and protection of the First Amendment. After graduating and working in the industry for a while, Ambus has a goal to one day return to school and eventually become a journalism professor.

She believes the purpose of a student-run newspaper like The Plainsman is to share the stories of the students it represents. In the newspapers Camp War Eagle edition, Ambus wrote directly to students about their purpose.

We say its for you, Ambus said in her address to incoming students. Were here to tell your story. We here at The Plainsman love journalism, and by loving journalism, we love a good story,
Absolutely thrilled about this! Wonder when they start filming again. It'll likely air midseason or summer, I think?



And Juliet/Thomas better end up together, especially after that kiss, thanks.



Edited at 2022-07-01 11:30 am (UTC)

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I'm happy for you I'm happy for you

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I don't watch this but I'm happy for Zach to continue working lol

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Yes! He's one of the best parts of the show.

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I enjoy his face whenever I see it.

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Yay! (Boo for it being 10 episodes each season but better than nothing)



Can they reshoot the kiss without the distractingly awful green screen lol

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Damn. I think yesterday was the last day that they were tied to their contracts, so they sure let that announcement go down to the wire.



I ain't watched this show, but I'm all for a show with a Mexican-American lead (even if they never bring up his ethnicity, from what I've gathered) staying on the air longer.

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but I'm all for a show with a Mexican-American lead (even if they never bring up his ethnicity, from what I've gathered)



and that's how it should be (if the show isn't explicitly about cultural issues).

much like Tom Haverford being played by Aziz.

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Except there was a casual mention that Tom was South-East Asian growing up in, like, South Carolina or whatever. At least I seem to recall him pointing out something along the fact of him growing up where he grew up, looking like he did, being what he is, and having the last name that he does.



It's like how there was one episode where April being Puerto Rican was brought up. I definitely think that some characters (Gloria from Modern Family comes to mind) have aspects of their character that are greatly influenced by their Ethnicity, and others, like the Parks and Rec characters, that aren't. But they should still be acknowledged, even passively.

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omg I'm so happy rn!!!! 

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I am so happy and shocked. I saw the fans were trying to save it but i thought there was no chance and had accepted it was over. This is like the only network show i watch.

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Haha. My sister calls me a grandma because my dramas of choice are usually CBS shows.



Also, hello Nolan. >]



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Mom and I are so pumped! YAY! Although, boo on the short seasons but still...happiness. :D

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I am ridiculously happy about this. And it better end with Juliet and Thomas together.

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Hopefully, we get the wedding that we didn't get in the earlier season.

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Great news for keeping production jobs going in Hawaii too!

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I hope it's still on Friday nights!

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Theyre looking for an actor to replace Daniel Craig for future 007 movies. I think my grandson, Miles Teller, has proven that he has everything theyre looking for- talent, looks, strength,worldwide appeal & oh, so cool. He can be that guy!! Wouldnt he be great?  Leona Flowers (@MupTheQueen) June 29, 2022

To which country do you have a genetic connection, ONTD?

- It seems like Barbara Broccoli should watch her back; Miles' nan thinks that Miles Teller should be the next James Bond;- See above tweets for her arguments;- When a user mentioned him being American (like that would be thestrike against him) she replied "He could make you think he was British", and added that "lots of Europeans have played Americans," adding that Miles "studied acting which includes accents." She also said that her grandson, who reportedly has Scottish heritage, "is very proud of his genetic connection to the British Isles.";- No known comment from either Miles or Miss Broccoli yet.
Bullish sentiment is once again building in oil markets as supply disruptions mount and global oil demand growth continues unabated.





Friday, July 1st, 2022

As uncertainty builds around the supply capacity of OPEC+ and oil demand rages on despite expectations of demand destruction, bullish sentiment is building in oil markets. Now, to add to that bullish sentiment, another form of supply disruption is springing up around the world: strikes. Operations at Frances Fos Refinery were halted by strikes and Norways offshore production was heavily impacted by them as well. It seems the oil market is under siege from all sides, from fundamental tightness to underinvestment, disruptions related to the war in Ukraine, and now strikes.

OPEC+ Summit Fails to Impress. OPEC+ agreed to maintain a 648,000 b/d increase in its production target for August, keeping its commitment unchanged despite increasing evidence that spare capacity within the oil group has thinned to its lowest level in years.

US Supreme Court Limits Federal Emission-Setting Powers. In a blow to US President Biden, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired power plants.

Iran Nuclear Deal Negotiations Fall Apart. According to US officials, as reported by Reuters, the odds of reviving the Iranian nuclear deal are even lower after the Doha talks held this week than before, describing the negotiations as treading water.

Freeport LNG Restart Ban Sends US Natgas Prices Plummeting. US natural gas prices dropped by a whopping 15% on Thursday after US regulators barred Freeport LNG from restarting until risks to public safety, property, or the environment are fully cleared, potentially delaying its startup even beyond Q4 2022.

Government Bailout In Sight for Germanys Gas Giant. Germanys largest gas buyer and power generator Uniper (ETR:UN01) is reportedly in talks with the government regarding a potential bail out of the firm as soaring gas prices and curbed Russian exports have cast a long shadow over its liquidity pool.

Fossil Fuels Make Roaring EU Comeback. With Europes statistics for 2021 published by Eurostat, fossil fuels have once again become the largest source of power generation in the European Union, driven largely by a 4% year-on-year increase in gas utilization despite its soaring price.

ExxonMobil Gets Out of Canadas Shale Gas. US oil major ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) sold its Canadian shale gas assets, jointly owned with its subsidiary Imperial Oil (TSE:IMO) across 600,000 acres, to Whitecap Resources (TSE:WCP) in an all-cash transaction for $1.5 billion.

Algeria Wants to Tinker with European Gas Pricing. With its gas pricing traditionally linked to oil prices, Algerias national oil and gas company Sonatrach wants to revisit its pricing to EU buyers to include a partial link to spot price gas, with TTF trading several times higher than crude on a per barrel basis.

Switzerland Wants to Look into Commodity Traders. Switzerland is set to step up the regulatory scrutiny of Swiss-based commodity traders, with the state having no official data on the sector as commodity trading is not listed as a separate activity in the country and firms do not report the goods they trade.

Gazprom Refuses to Pay Dividends For the First Time Since 1998. Russias pipeline gas export monopoly Gazprom (MCX:GAZP) announced this week that it would not pay dividends on its 2021 results, for the first time since 1998, despite the companys board suggesting the largest-ever payout.

Mexicos Refinery Launched Despite Being Incomplete. Mexico will move ahead with the inauguration of the 340,000 b/d Olmeca refinery in Dos Bocas this week, even though it is still months if not a year from starting commercial production amidst cost overruns ($12 billion instead of $8bn) and delays.

Russia Takes Over Halted Sakhalin-2 Project. Russia has created a new firm that would take over the rights and obligations of Sakhalin-2, Russias only LNG project in the Far East, effectively granting itself the power to decide which foreign partner could stay, jeopardizing the stakes of Shell (LON:SHEL) as well as Mitsubishi and Mitsui.

Ecuador Reaches Deal with Indigenous Protestors. Ecuadors government and protesting indigenous leaders have reached an agreement to end the countrys debilitating wave of protests ending a two-week standoff that saw the Latin American countrys production more than halve to 230,000 b/d.

Libya Declares Force Majeure at Key Oil Ports. After the calls of Libyas National Oil Company were largely ignored, it declared force majeure at the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf ports due to ongoing protests, curbing potential export capacity to a mere 400,000 b/d, a third of the countrys exports in February.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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The three Baltic states, in coordination with the European Union, are ready to switch off from the Russian power grid in an emergency, three years before the planned switch, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting sources with knowledge of the matter.

EU member states Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are still connected to the Russian power grid, but EU membersespecially those Baltic stateshave been wary of relying on Russia for any energy supplies since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The three countries are prepared for any scenario and can cope with power supply even if the link with Russia is cut off, Reuters sources said.

The EU has been working on synchronizing the Baltic States grid with the European energy network. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are now connected to the European electricity network through various electricity lines linking Poland and Lithuania, Lithuania and Sweden, and Estonia and Finland. However, the Baltic States electricity grid is still operated in a synchronous mode with the Russian and Belarusian interconnection systems, the EU said in April. Full synchronization of the Baltic States electricity networks with the Continental European Network should be completed by 2025.

Yet, according to Reuters sources, the linking with the EU network ENTSO-E could be enacted immediately in case of emergency and if necessary.

In recent weeks, Russia-Lithuania relations have further soured after Lithuania, in line with the EU sanctions against Russia, stopped the transit of goods through its territory to Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea surrounded by Lithuania and Poland.

Russia has also significantly cut natural gas supply via pipeline to Europe in recent weeks, including to its major customers, Germany and Italy. The move from Moscow sparked a new gas price surge in Europe and renewed concerns about how the continent would cope with gas and power supply this winter.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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India has initiated a windfall tax on the country's oil producers and oil refiners who are exporting more due to the high international price of crude oil and refined products, Reuters said on Friday.

India's windfall tax will be 23,250 rupees per ton on oil producers and 6 rupees per liter on gasoline and jet fuel. The windfall tax on gasoil exports will be 13 rupees per liter.

What's more, fuel exporters will be required to sell at least some of their product domestically. The new taxes will serve as an incentive to keep more product at home and export lessa reality that will further tighten international markets for oil and oil products.

"As exports are becoming highly remunerative, it has been seen that certain refiners are drying out their pumps in the domestic market," a government-issued statement read.

Shares in India's Reliance Industries fell on the news as the market assesses the damage a windfall tax could inflict on the company's bottom line.

India has been purchasing growing amounts of cheap Russian crude oil, somewhat insulating the heavy oil importer from what would have otherwise been crippling prices. India's Russian crude oil purchases have shot up 50% since April and are five times higher than the volume that India imported from Russia during the entire year last year. Russian crude now makes up 10% of the country's total crude oil imports. About 40% of the crude oil that the country imports makes its way to private refiners.

India's state-run refiners are struggling to compete with India's private refining sector, delivering most of its finished products to the local market at government-capped prices. Shares in state-run oil companies rose on the news.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Mexican President Andre?s Manuel Lo?pez Obrador plans to inaugurate the new Dos Bocas oil refinery on Friday, despite its unfinished status, Reuters reported. While Lo?pez Obrador and En- ergy Minister Roci?o Nahle had said in 2019 that the refinery would be ready by this year, it will only be running near full capacity in 2025, two sources familiar with the matter told the wire service. The refinery project, which initially had an $8 billion budget at its start, may have costs reaching as much as $18 billion,

Bloomberg News reported June 15. Earlier this month, Nahle told a Mexican radio station that she is unsure about when the Dos Bocas, also known as the Olmeca, refinery will produce its first barrel of oil, Reuters reported. I dont want to give a date because it would be irresponsible, she said. A year is a reasonable amount of time, Id like to do it sooner, she added. It is a huge, monumental thing ... everything must be harmonized to obtain the fuel. It will take time,

Lo?pez Obrador said of Dos Bocas last week, the wire service reported. When the refinery is operating at full capacity, it is expected to be able to process 340,000 barrels of crude per day, which will add approximately 20 percent to the current refining capacity in Mexico, Bloomberg News reported.

Lo?pez Obrador will only inaugurate the first portion of the 17-plant complex whose construction Mexican state-owned oil company Petro?leos Mexicanos is overseeing on July 1, exactly four years after he won the Mexican presidency in 2018, Reuters reported.

By Latin America Energy Advisor

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A newly set up state Russian company will take over the rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., the joint venture running the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project, Reuters reported today.

This could mean a forced exit from the project for Shell and Japans Mitsui and Mitsubishi, which are minority shareholders in Sakhalin Energy Investment Co.

Shell already said it would leave the project a few months ago and has since then been looking for buyers for its stake in Sakhalin-2. According to earlier reports, a sale could be made to a group of Indian companies.

The Japanese companies, however, have not announced intentions to leave the project. In fact, earlier this year, Japans economy, trade and industry minister, Koichi Hagiuda, said that the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects are essentially important for energy security because the projects allow Japan to procure supplies below the market price, especially amid current high energy prices.

Despite its participation in Western sanctions against Russia, Japan continues to buy liquefied natural gas from Sakhalin-2. Although it has stated its intention to step up the intake from alternative sources, a complete suspension of Russian energy imports seems unlikely at this point.

Japan has also signaled it had no intention of leaving the energy projects in Russia that it participates in, but following the latest news, it might be forced to do so.

Reuters noted in its report that Mitsubishi was discussing the presidential decree that contained the ownership change with its partners in Sakhalin-2.

The project, per Reuters, accounts for 4 percent of the global annual supply of liquefied natural gas. Its main buyers are Japanuntil recently the worlds biggest LNG importeras well as China and South Korea, which also buy oil from the Sakhalin-2 development.

According to some analysts, the exit of the Western and Asian partners will eventually lead to tighter LNG supply due to the lack of expertise and parts. At the same time, selling the gas would become harder because of the states control of the project, Saul Kavonic from Credit Suisse told Reuters.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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HOUSTON (AP)  A Houston-area sheriff said Monday that he has withdrawn from consideration for Immigration and Customs Enforcement director.

President Joe Biden nominated Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to the ICE director's post in April 2021.

However, more than a year has passed since the President nominated me for this important position, which has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration, Gonzalez said in social media postings.

Gonzalez, who is a Democrat, said he informed Biden administration officials of his decision Sunday.

I arrived at this decision after prayerfully considering whats best for our nation, my family, and the people of Harris County who elected me to serve a second term as sheriff, he posted.

The Senate has not confirmed any nominee for the ICE directorship since 2017.

Gonzalez expressed gratitude to Biden for the honor of nominating me, and I wish this administration well as it strives to overcome the paralyzing political gridlock that threatens far more than our nations border. Frankly, the dysfunction threatens Americas heart and soul.

Gonzalez rose to sergeant during an 18-year run at the Houston Police Department before his 2016 election as sheriff. He pointedly criticized then-President Donald Trumps immigration enforcement raids and policies when Trump vowed to deport millions of people. He had expressed concern then about driving undocumented families further into the shadows, discouraging them from reporting crimes to authorities.

Backers of Trump immigration policies criticized Gonzalez as their staunch opponent who was part of the Biden administrations rapidly expanding practice of releasing migrants on parole, particularly those who were not subject to a pandemic rule that prevents migrants from seeking asylum.

The Border Patrol paroled more than 207,000 migrants who crossed from Mexico from August through May, including 51,132 in May, a 28% increase from April, according to court records. In the previous seven months, it paroled only 11 migrants.

Parole shields migrants from deportation for a set period but provides little else. By law, the Homeland Security Department may parole migrants into the United States only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Parolees can apply for asylum within a year.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Performance Pavilion in Omahas Gene Leahy Mall will host a number of high-caliber performers, including an Emmy winner and a country music star, to kick off the parks opening weekend. But those national acts wont be the first ones to grace the new stage.

That honor belongs to a group of Nebraska high school students and recent graduates.

As the final pieces of the malls three-year overhaul wrapped up around them, a cast and crew of teens took to the pavilions stage Tuesday night for a rehearsal of Fame the Musical.

The rehearsal was one of the groups final practices before its planned show this weekend as part of the parks reopening ceremonies.

In all, 46 students from 21 Omaha-area schools will produce the show through the UNO Summer Musical Theatre Academy. Multiple UNO departments joined forces with Omaha Public Schools and Omaha South High School to launch the tuition-free program on June 6.

Sundays free performance will begin at 8:30 p.m. at the Performance Pavilion.

The theater program has brought together students of varying ages and experience from across the Omaha metro area, and beyond, for the show.

I probably wouldnt have gotten to do theater with any of these people without (this program). We go to different schools. Some of us have graduated, so thats a really unique opportunity that Im grateful to have, said Alex Zaleski, a recent Skutt Catholic High School graduate who will portray Miss Sherman in the musical.

The experience also puts students in contact with professionals in the field, said Andrew Milburn, a recent Chadron High School graduate.

Those professionals include Seattle-based director Vincent J. Orduna, who staged the production with musical direction by Tyler Gruttemeyer, director of vocal music at Omaha South High School, and choreography by Domanic Brown. The production team includes designers with UNO Theatre and the Blue Barn Theatre.

The directors really give you a taste of industry standards, Milburn said.

Milburn has traveled roughly seven hours from his hometown to be a part of the program.

With guidance, the students have been involved in every part of the production, including the performance, lighting, sound, hair and makeup, wardrobe and stage management.

The students are acting pretty much as professionals themselves, said Hal France, a nationally recognized conductor and UNO faculty member serving as director of the summer program. Its really impressive to watch.

A number of students bring their own years of experience to the show.

Olivia Bryant, a junior at Omaha South High School, entered theater at a young age. On Sunday, shell perform as Carmen Diaz.

After more than two years of a high school theater career interrupted by the COVID pandemic, Bryant said shes excited to perform this weekend.

Its all coming together super fast, but the speed did give me the ability to be on top of things a bit more, Bryant said. Were ready.

Omari Montes, an incoming freshman at Omaha South High School, shares Bryants excitement.

Montes performance in the shows ensemble will be his first dive into theater.

I think its going to be a huge experience for everyone in the show and a big crowd of people that are going to get to see us and see what we can do, Montes said.

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Arcan Abu-hashish, owner of Supreme Smoke Shop in Jefferson Park, at his store on June 30, 2022, after it was defaced with racist graffiti. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

When Arcan Abu-hashish saw the black swastikas painted on his Jefferson Park smoke shop, he felt broken, he said, and scared.

I just wish hed leave us alone, Abu-hashish said about the vandal. Its very disappointing, to see someone carry hate.

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The swastikas were painted on the shops back door, boarded-up front door and street sign on Tuesday night. The white supremacist graffiti also appeared at another nearby shop owned by people of color, Abu-hashish said.

As of Thursday, police have not made any arrests and said they are continuing to investigate. The business owner said he has a suspicion about who could have done it: a problematic former customer he believes is affiliated with a white supremacist gang.

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This is definitely something I worry about, said Abu-hashish, who is Jordanian. Its targeted. ... Hes racist to the bone.

Arcan Abu-hashish, owner of Supreme Smoke Shop in Jefferson Park, in his store on June 30, 2022, after it was defaced with racist graffiti. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Police reported two businesses on the block were spray painted and wrote that the vandal was a man.

Representatives of a nearby cannabis dispensary that Abu-hashish said was also tagged with a swastika declined to comment when contacted by the Tribune. The dispensary is also owned by people of color, Abu-hashish said.

Another swastika was found painted across the street from a building used by the Ho-Chunk Nation, an American Indian tribe whose historic territory includes land in Wisconsin and Illinois, tribe spokesperson Casey Brown said.

Its certainly not welcoming, Brown said.

While Brown wasnt sure if the swastika was directed at his tribe, he said that dealing with racism and white supremacy is not new for the Ho-Chunk.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. >

As a tribal member, Ive dealt with this my entire life, he said. Still, the attack stuck out to tribal members, he added.

Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th, said he has zero tolerance for the hateful messaging that appeared in his ward. The aldermans staff called police when notified about the incident because it involved a hate crime, he added.

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Our nation has unfortunately witnessed the negative effects of hate messaging and therefore it is vital our community takes a strong stance to continue embracing and promoting the diversity and inclusivity that makes us proud to live and work in Jefferson Park, Gardiner said.

The Department of Streets and Sanitation immediately sent a graffiti removal team upon learning about the incident and took down the racist marks Wednesday, department spokesperson Mimi Simon said.

jsheridan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jakesheridan_

An earlier version of this story misspelled Casey Browns name.
Aide: Trump dismissed Jan. 6 threats, wanted to join crowd

WASHINGTON (AP)  The latest testimony about the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has Donald Trump rebuffing his own securitys warnings about armed protesters in the crowd gathering for a rally near the White House. A former White House aide also tells the House committee investigating the attack that Trump desperately attempted to join his supporters as they marched to the Capitol. In her testimony Tuesday, Cassidy Hutchinson described an angry, defiant president who grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to allow him go to the Capitol. Trump has dismissed her as a total phony.

Trump painted in testimony as volatile, angry president

WASHINGTON (AP)  A former Trump White House aide has painted a portrait of a volatile commander-in-chief who lashed out at advisers as his grasp on power was extinguished. Though accounts of the former presidents temper are legion, Cassidy Hutchinson offered previously unknown details about the extent of Trumps rage in his final weeks of office, his awareness that supporters had weapons with them and his ambivalence as rioters later laid siege to the Capitol. The testimony to the House Jan. 6 committee deepened questions about whether Trump himself could face criminal charges for his conduct and came as Trump weighs running for reelection in 2024.

1/6 Takeaways: Angry Trump, dire legal warnings and ketchup

The House Jan. 6 committee held a surprise hearing Tuesday delivering alarming new testimony about Donald Trumps actions that day. Witness Cassidy Hutchinson is a lesser-known former White House aide who had proximity to power as an adviser to the then-president and his chief of staff Mark Meadows. She rebuffed Trumps team warnings against testifying and provided firsthand knowledge of what she saw and heard in the run-up to the insurrection. She described an angry and defiant Trump who ignored repeated warnings against summoning the mob to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and then refused to intervene to stop the violence as rioters laid siege.

Colorado GOP deals blow to election denial movement

DENVER (AP)  Colorado Republicans have rejected two prominent election deniers in primaries Tuesday night. It's a setback for the movement to install backers of former President Donald Trump's election lies in positions with power over voting. Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters lost the Republican primary for secretary of state to Pam Anderson, a former clerk in suburban Denver. Peters was indicted for her role in a break-in of her county's election system. An ally, State Rep. Ron Hanks, lost his bid for the GOP Senate nomination. Hanks attended the Jan. 6 protests. He was beaten by businessman Joe O'Dea, a rare GOP backer of some abortion rights.

Takeaways from first primaries since Roe v. Wade overturned

NEW YORK (AP)  A rare Republican who supports abortion rights found success in Colorado in the first primary elections held since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, New Yorks first female governor positioned herself to become a major voice in the post-Roe landscape. In Illinois, Democrats helped boost a Republican gubernatorial candidate loyal to former President Donald Trump in the hopes that he would be the easier candidate to beat in November. And in at least two states, election deniers were defeated, even as pro-Trump lightning rods elsewhere won.

51 migrants die after trailer abandoned in San Antonio heat

SAN ANTONIO (AP)  Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America are seeking word of their loved ones as authorities begin identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas told The Associated Press that the driver of the truck and two other people were arrested. The bodies were discovered Monday afternoon on the outskirts of San Antonio when a city worker heard a cry for help from a truck parked on a lonely back road.

Ukrainian survivor: Only a 'monster' would attack a mall

KREMENCHUK, Ukraine (AP)  The shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk was nothing extraordinary, but in the middle of war it offered an escape for some residents. In a few moments on Monday, it suddenly became a hellish inferno after it was hit by a Russian airstrike. Authorities say at least 18 people are dead, more than 20 are missing and scores are wounded. The Kremenchuk mall is now the latest addition to the allegations of war crimes levied against Russia in the Ukraine war. One mall employee who said he had stepped outside for a cigarette when the air raid siren went off estimated 1,000 people had been in the mall, contradicting Russias claim it was empty.

Turkey lifts its objections to Sweden, Finland joining NATO

MADRID (AP)  Turkey has agreed to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, a breakthrough in an impasse clouding a leaders summit in Madrid amid Europes worst security crisis in decades triggered by the war in Ukraine. After urgent talks, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russias invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland to abandon their long-held nonaligned status. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had blocked the move, insisting the Nordic pair change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told the AP that the membership should be completed the sooner the better.

Drug killings leave agony, savage facet to Duterte's legacy

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The thousands of killings under Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes campaign against illegal drugs have left families in agony and a savage side to his legacy. Duterte ends his turbulent six-year presidency Thursday after building a reputation for expletives-laced outbursts and a disdain for human rights and the West. He's seen as a human rights calamity not only for the deaths in his drug crackdown, but also for his brazen attacks on critical media, the Catholic church and his political opponents. He's still an endearing, popular character to many Filipinos, however, and state-run TV has been highlighting infrastructure and poverty-alleviating projects of his administration. But in the homes of those lost in the drug war, an air of indignation and mourning permeates.

EXPLAINER: Abortion, tech and surveillance

With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that vacuum up personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use data troves from Facebook, Google and other social platforms against people seeking ways to end unwanted pregnancies. History has repeatedly demonstrated that whenever peoples personal data is tracked and stored, theres always a risk that it could be misused or abused.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Bulgaria's president on Friday handed the mandate to try and form a new government to the country's finance minister, four days after pro-Western reformist Kiril Petkov resigned following a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

Asen Vassilev, from Petkov's We Continue the Change party, now has seven days to try to end the European Union and NATO member's latest political crisis amid soaring tensions with Russia.

Before handing over the mandate Friday, President Roumen Radev warned that Bulgaria "is in a political, economic and social crisis.

I expect adequate solutions and the defense of the national interest to build a free, democratic and prosperous European Bulgaria, he added.

The Harvard-educated Vassilev must submit his proposed cabinet for approval to President Radev, and would then face a confidence vote in the 240-seat Parliament. So far, he has secured support from one of Petkov's former coalition partners, but would need much broader backing to obtain a parliamentary majority.

Petkov's minority government lost a no-confidence motion on June 22 that was filed by the center-right GERB main opposition party. GERB accused him of poor budgetary and economic policy. Petkov had previously lost his majority after a junior partner quit his four-party coalition over similar concerns.

Vassilev was given the mandate instead of Petkov, whose party had won the most votes in last December's elections, because another of Petkov's former junior partners ruled out backing him due to a dispute with Russia.

This week, Bulgaria ordered the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomatic staff from Bulgaria, exacerbating tensions between the two historically close nations.

Petkov, who took a strong stance against Russia after it invaded Ukraine on 24. Feb, has claimed Moscow used hybrid war tactics to bring down his government.

Russia's ambassador to Sofia, Eleonora Mitrofanova, appealed Friday to Bulgaria to reverse the expulsion decision, and later threatened that Moscow would fully sever diplomatic ties.

I intend to urgently raise before the leadership of my country the issue of the closure of the Embassy of Russia in Bulgaria, which will inevitably lead to the closure of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in Moscow, she said in a statement.

The EU on Friday called Russia's response an unjustified threat and said it stands in full support and solidarity with Bulgaria.

In 2021, Bulgaria held three separate general elections, lurching from one political crisis to another.

More than three decades after communism ended in Bulgaria, it is ranked the most corrupt country in Europe, and is the EUs poorest member.

Daniel Smilov, a political science professor at the University of Sofia, said a government under Vassilev would be the same politics, the same type of government, (with) the same ideas as Petkov's.

If (Vassilev doesn't) succeed with the first mandate to form a government, the second party is GERB  (but) they have already said they are not going to attempt because they are pretty much in isolation in this parliament, he told The Associated Press.

"Overall I would say the country is moving towards a mid-term election.

McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania; Jonathan Stearns in Brussels, contributed.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
In asking a federal appeals court to stop an injunction temporarily blocking Nebraskas signature requirement for ballot initiatives, the State of Nebraska earlier this week cited the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade to bolster its case.

The arguments, detailed in a court filing dated Monday, represent the latest development in an ongoing legal battle between medical marijuana advocates and the state over Nebraskas requirement that ballot initiative or referendum campaigns collect signatures from 5% of registered voters in 38 of the states 93 counties. The state constitution spells out the requirement.

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, which is working to put a pair of initiatives legalizing medical marijuana on the November ballot, and the ACLU of Nebraska sued the state in May, arguing that the multicounty requirement violates the U.S. Constitution.

In June, U.S. District Judge John Gerrard found that the requirement likely violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution by giving undue power to voters in rural counties. He issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the requirement.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who is named as the defendant in the lawsuit, appealed the injunction to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and filed an emergency motion for stay pending appeal. If the motion is granted, the signature requirement would be reinstated until further legal proceedings determine its constitutionality.

The Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, which is representing Evnen, has asked the court to issue a decision on the motion before July 7  the deadline for initiative signatures to be submitted to the state in order to qualify for the November ballot  but the court has no obligation to do so.

In Mondays filing, the AGs Office echoed many of its previous arguments, including its assertion that the federally protected right to vote applies to electing candidates, not proposing ballot initiatives. To further this argument, the AGs Office cited Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the June 24 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

The Dobbs decision, in part, found that there is nothing in the text of the Constitution to support the right to access abortion services. Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito noted that the Court has been reluctant to recognize rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution.

The AGs filing quotes the above line from the Dobbs opinion after noting that the federal constitution says nothing about the initiative right.

Eric Berger, a constitutional law professor at the University of Nebraska School of Law, said that he wasnt surprised to see the Dobbs decision cited so soon after it was issued.

Its relatively unusual for Supreme Court decisions to be cited so immediately after they are issued, but in this instance its not surprising, Berger said. There has been a long movement to try to overturn Roe, and pro-life activists and conservative state officials have been preparing for this moment.

In its motion for stay pending appeal, the state also argues that enforcing the multicounty signature requirement is in the public interest because of the uncertainty and disorder caused by the injunction. Currently, there are 16 initiative measures in circulation that could potentially make it onto the ballot while the injunction is in place. If the injunction is later overturned, those measures could be deemed invalid.

Lawyers representing the medical marijuana advocates wrote there is no record evidence to suggest that any other initiative is anywhere close to qualifying for the ballot in the absence of the 38-county rule.

And even if there was, they went on to write, it is unclear why the state official charged with protecting the initiative right would deem that problematic.

What happens next depends on what  and when the appeals court rules on the states motion for stay. If the motion is granted before the July 7 signature deadline, enforcement of the signature requirement will resume. If it is denied, the preliminary injunction will remain in place and the state will not be able to enforce the requirement.

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A young great horned owl seems to be recovering after becoming entangled in a fence a few miles north of Lincoln.

Mark Rezac discovered the fledgling as he was raking a field of hay, and thought it was dead until it swiveled its head. He called Nebraska Game and Parks, and Conservation Officer Dina Barta arrived within the hour.

He just looked at us. Like arent you going to help or what? Rezac said.

Veterinarian David Gordon examined the bird at the Bellevue Animal Hospital on Thursday and said one wing had some puncture wounds and was very bruised. The other wing had some mild bruising.

The goal is to allow time to heal the wounds, allow the skin to heal and monitor for any skin necrosis, he said.

Rezac thinks the young bird was either chasing a rabbit or snake hed dislodged as he raked the field with his tractor or fell out of the nest and landed on a strand of the fence. It fell over as it lost its balance, becoming tangled with its wings spread wide.

Rezac and Barta struggled to free it from the tangled fencing.

We pretty quickly realized we werent going to get its wings off that fence, Barta said. Mark worked pretty quickly to cut that fence.

Rezac cut the wire at the end of both wings and then behind the shoulder blades to relieve the pressure on the youngsters wings.

At one point, the owl went Ow. Im not kidding you, Rezac said.

It rode in the cab of Bartas truck to the Raptor Conservation Alliance rehabilitation center in Elmwood, Nebraska, where Betsy Finch and husband Doug removed the barbed wire and administered antibiotics and pain medicine.

The owl was given a few mice for dinner.

Gordon said the bird will stay at the rehabilitation center until its next examination in a week. The hope is that it will be released as soon as it recovers.

Im optimistic, Gordon said, but soft tissue wounds are unpredictable.

Its just another day in the life of a farmer, Rezac said. He joked that  finally  his skills as an EMT and volunteer fireman paid off.

Im glad I was able to help. I think all farmers are probably conservationists in one way or another, he said. Ive seen many a deer. Many a turkey. I surely would have felt bad if it had struggled and died in that fence.

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Downtown artists prepare for First Friday

BLOOMINGTON  Downtown Bloomington art galleries and studios will present the Art Trail on Route 66 over the 4th of July weekend.

First Friday will take place from 5-8 p.m. on July 1.

75 artists are exhibiting and selling paintings, sculptures, prints, cards, ceramics and more.

Guests will be able to view themed art and scenes by local artists in their studios and galleries around the corners on Center, Monroe, Main, Jefferson and Locust Streets.

The eight block walking Art Trail on Route 66 will also continue on Saturday, July 2 with varied hours at galleries.

Peoria Art Guild receives $5,000 grant

PEORIA  The Peoria Art Guild received a $5,000 grant from Illinois Humanities to support Art Around the World classes at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

Illinois Humanities' Community Grants program has welcome welcomed proposals from not-for-profit groups that have a story to tell about the state or use the humanities to enrich community life since 1974. Nonprofit organizations may apply for grants up to $8,000 or Activate History micro-grants of $500.

Visit ilhumanities.org/grants or contact 312-374-1555, or mark.hallett@ilhumanities.org for more information.

Art Around the World classes are offered for free every Friday, July 1-29 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 12-3 p.m. Pre-registration is required.

For more information, visit peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.

Greater Livingston County Arts Council to showcase July 2022 Gallery Show

PONTIAC  The Greater Livingston County Arts Council will present their July 2022 Gallery Show "Multiple Personalities" by Mike Rodino.

The gallery will be featured in the Joe Bailey Gallery in the upper level at the GLCAC Art Center. It will open Tuesday, July 5 and run through the end of the month.

An opening reception will take place Saturday, July 9 at 5 p.m.

Rodino will showcase three different disciplines: assemblages, spray panels and oil painting.

The art center at GLCAC is located at 209 W. Madison St. in Pontiac. The show may be viewed during regular hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; and 12-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free and the show is open to the public.

See Gettysburg Address at Lincoln Library and Museum for free on July 8

SPRINGFIELD  The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will celebrate America's independence with a special edition of "Tales from the Vault" that includes an up-close look at the Gettysburg Address.

The event will be held at noon on Friday, July 8 at the library, 112 N. Sixth St., Springfield. It will also be available for viewing on Facebook live on the ALPLM Facebook page.

The Tales from the Vault program will feature historian Ian Hunt discussing ALPLM artifacts related to American independence and freedom, including the story of Lincoln's grandfather buying a rife and drum for the soldiers he led during the Revolutionary War.

The highlight will be the chance to see the Gettysburg Address, which rarely leaves the ALPLM vault. Written in Lincoln's hand, it is just one of five copies in existence. Lincoln used the address to connect the struggle of the Civil War to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is now regarded as one of history's most powerful expressions of freedom and liberty.

Tales from the Vault is a monthly collaboration between the ALPLM, the Illinois State Museum and the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.

Visit PresidentLincln.Illinois.gov for more information.
Police say nine people have been shot in Newark, New Jersey, including a teenager. Acting Newark public safety director Raul Malave told reporters at the scene that all of the victims are expected to survive and police are searching for a vehicle believed to have been involved in the shooting. Five of the victims, including a 17-year-old, brought themselves to a hospital. Four other victims were taken to a hospital by emergency responders. Officers responded to the shooting near the corner of Sheppard Avenue and Clinton Place at about 6:19 p.m. They are looking for a white Honda Pilot that was stolen in Jersey City.
100 years ago

July 1, 1922: One of the worst storms in 20 years swept through Normal around 5:40 p.m. June 30. The gale lasted for about 30 minutes, blowing hundreds of trees down and leaving a great amount of damage in its wake. Rain and hail in great quantities added to the damage and laid corn, wheat and oats flat, possibly ruining many nearby fields.

75 years ago

July 1, 1947: There has been one fatality and 59 people injured in traffic accidents in Bloomington since the first of the year, records show. The highest number of traffic accidents occurred in May when 84 were reported. The highest number of injuries was in March, when 13 were reported. The fatality occurred in April as the result of an automobile-bicycle collision.

50 years ago

July 1, 1972: The transportation committee of the Association of Commerce and Industry of McLean County has been asked to investigate possibilities of having a businessmen's and shoppers' commuter airline service to Chicago. Ronald Smith, who made the request, said the flight schedule presently offered by Ozark Air Lines Inc. is not convenient for those who would like to make a one-day trip.

25 years ago

July 1, 1997: The dedication of the Wapella Community Center and Park signals a new beginning for the town. The freshly painted center once housed a portion of the Wapella elementary school, which closed along with the high school three years ago after a bitter battle that divided members of the farming community into a group favoring local schools and another wanting a decrease in property taxes.

Compiled by Pantagraph staff
BLOOMINGTON  McLean County health officials said Friday that one individual has died due to COVID as the county remains at a medium community level for the virus.

The death involved a woman in her 70s and was not associated with long-term care. There have now been 381 COVID-related deaths in the county since the pandemic began.

The McLean County Health Department reported 403 new cases of COVID-19 since June 24, bringing the county's total confirmed and probable cases since the pandemic began to 56,054.

The majority of new cases are people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, according to health officials.

The county is considered to be at a medium COVID-19 community level based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's rating, which measures the number of new cases per 100,000 people, admissions per 100,000 and the percentage of hospital beds used for COVID-19 patients.

Other nearby counties considered to be at a medium community level spread include DeWitt, Ford, Livingston, Mason and Piatt, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported.

Central Illinois counties considered to be at a high community level spread include Champaign, Christian, Douglas, Logan, Macon, Marshall, Menard, Peoria, Tazewell and Sangamon.

Health officials recommend individuals at higher risk or who have high-risk persons in their household should consider wearing masks in indoor public places.

The CDC also reported that McLean County had about nine new hospital admissions for COVID per 100,000 people in the week ending June 28, as well as about 250 new positive cases per 100,000 people in the week ending June 29.

IDPH and MCHD continue to encourage people to keep up with their COVID-19 vaccinations. Primary vaccinations, along with first and second boosters for those who qualify, are offered through MCHD. Adults can schedule a vaccination with MCHD by calling 309-888-5435; children's appointments can be made by calling 309-888-5455. Other vaccine locations can be found at vaccines.gov.

Approximately 62.86% of McLean County's population is fully vaccinated against COVID, with around 291,217 doses administered.

Testing clinics are scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon July 5 and July 6 at the McLean County Customer Service Center in the parking lot across East Street from the Government Center in downtown Bloomington. An entrance to the parking lot is at 201 E. Washington St.

Residents can register on site, or online in advance at health.mcleancountyil.gov/735/COVID-19-Local-Testing-Options.

Statewide, 28,216 new COVID cases were reported Friday over the past week, according to IDPH. That included 74 deaths from COVID since June 24 in Illinois.

Illinois health officials have reported 34,150 deaths from COVID in the state since the start of the pandemic.

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CHICAGO - A 6-year-old boy was in good condition early Thursday after being pushed out of a third-story window by a family member in what was being classified as an accident, according to Chicago police.

Officers and paramedics were called to the 1200 block of South Kildare Avenue on the West Side around 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to an online media statement from police. The child fell approximately 30 feet to the ground below and suffered only a broken ankle, officials said.

The boy was allegedly pushed out of the third-floor window by a family member, according to the police statement.

He was taken to Stroger Hospital where he had been listed in good condition.

Police initially provided information on the case under the heading battery. However, a police spokeswoman said as of Thursday morning the case had been classified as noncriminal  accidental injury. Detectives are expected to continue looking into the case to determine what led up to the childs injury.

A 1-year-old fell from a third-story window in Englewood earlier this month. The unrelated case also was classified as accidental, but the victim in that case suffered critical injuries in the fall, officials said.

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CHICAGO - Google is reportedly negotiating to purchase the state-owned James R. Thompson Center downtown. If true, such a deal could spark a turnaround for the struggling LaSalle Street corridor, where many longtime businesses have recently departed, leaving behind huge vacancies.

The state talked for years about selling the 1.2-million-square-foot office center and seemed to reach that goal when Chicago developer Michael Reschke agreed to buy it in March for $70 million. Reschke said he planned to spend nearly $300 million to renovate the Helmut Jahn-designed center, best known for its futuristic exterior and vast atrium, possibly into a luxury hotel, and add modern office and retail space.

But Google entered the picture with its own offer to buy the Thompson Center, according to a report in CoStar News, although how much the company would pay and how it would impact Reschkes plan is not clear. Reschke dismissed the report.

Like everyone else, we dont comment on false rumors, he said. I know of no discussions, and Im not trying to be cute with my words. The transaction we have with the state is unchanged, and were moving forward to buy the building in the next 30 days.

Pritzkers office said the state cant disclose details about ongoing contract negotiations, but added that the closing on (Reschkes deal) remains on schedule and is set for the summer of 2022.

But the governors $70 million sale to Reschkes JRTC Holdings does call for the state to buy back about one-third of the building for $146 million after renovation, a net cost of $76 million.

Thats a great deal for taxpayers, the governors office said in March. The state would gain refurbished office space and either avoid paying $325 million for urgently needed upgrades to the 17-story glass-and-steel building at 100 W. Randolph St., including $60 million to $80 million for new heating and air conditioning, or shelling out millions more for new downtown offices.

The states purchase of a portion of the revived Thompson Center opens the possibility it could cut a deal with the tech giant separate from its deal with Reschke. Landing Google would also send an important signal about the future health of the Central Loop.

The Mountain View, California-based firm helped transform Fulton Market from an industrial meatpacking district into a neighborhood of skyscrapers by establishing in 2015 its Midwest headquarters at 1KFulton, a 10-story former cold storage building, and later renting more space at nearby 210 N. Carpenter St.

Filling Chicagos downtown core with even more Google workers could spark a similar revival. The historic LaSalle Street corridor fell on hard times even before the pandemic when several major financial firms signed deals for offices in gleaming new buildings rising along the Chicago River or in Fulton Market. BMO Financial will soon leave its offices in both 115 South LaSalle St. and 111 W. Monroe St. in favor of the new BMO Tower at 320 South Canal St., and Bank of America last year left 135 S. LaSalle St. for the 57-story Bank of America Tower at 110 N. Wacker Drive.

The Central Loops vacancy rate hit 22.3% in the first quarter, a record and up from 16.6% a year earlier, according to commercial real estate firm Colliers International.

Google is seeking to expand further, according to Paul Giannopulos, senior managing director of Chicago-based JLL, and still likely to sign a lease for about 200,000 square feet at developer Trammell Crows new life sciences building at 400 N. Aberdeen St. in Fulton Market

But like Pritzkers office, Google isnt sharing much information about possible further steps in the downtown office market.

Chicago continues to be an important and growing hub for Google here in the Midwest, according to a company spokesperson. What started as a two-person outpost in River North has expanded to a two-building campus thats home to nearly 2,000 employees in Fulton Market. As Google grows in Chicago, well continue to explore opportunities to ensure our physical space meets the needs of local Googlers.

Reschke is a big believer in LaSalle Street. Aside from his plans for the Thompson Center, he runs the Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Loop, a luxury hotel at 11 S. LaSalle St. He is also in talks to buy both 115 S. LaSalle St. and 111 W. Monroe St., according to CoStar News.

He would also roll out the welcome mat for Google at the Thompson Center.

If Google is looking for office space downtown, we think we have a beautiful building in a great location and wed love to talk to them, he said.

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Attorney Gloria Allred, right, walks out of federal court alongside Lizzette Martinez, left, on June 29, 2022, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. R&B star R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in a federal sex trafficking case in New York. (John Minchillo / AP)

The charges against R. Kelly came down like an avalanche: First, four indictments in Cook County. Another in Minnesota. Then a one-two punch of federal cases in Chicago and Brooklyn.

Three years later, the Chicago native, reputed sexual predator and R&B legend received his first prison sentence: 30 years, handed down Wednesday in the New York case.

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In this courtroom sketch, Kitti Jones, right, speaks during R. Kelly's sentencing in federal court in New York on June 29, 2022. Kelly and his attorney Ashley Cohen are seated, background left. The former R&B superstar was convicted of racketeering and other crimes. (Elizabeth Williams / AP)

Soon enough, Kelly will be back in a federal jail in his hometown, with decisions to make about how to proceed on his other cases. The kind of hard time he got in New York could well change the calculus on how his lawyers and prosecutors in Chicago proceed.

The law is like physics: For every action, theres a reaction, said attorney Steve Greenberg, who represents Kelly in his Cook County cases. And only the individual can decide what their risk tolerance is or what consequence theyre willing to stomach.

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Kelly is slated for trial in Chicagos federal court in August on charges related to child pornography and obstructing justice. But given that he could be behind bars for decades anyway, attorneys might be more inclined to strike a plea deal, averting at the last minute the stress and public spectacle of a second trial  particularly if the deal included an agreement that his sentences in the New York and Chicago cases would run concurrently, multiple legal experts told the Tribune.

On the other hand, some people would say that from Kellys perspective, theres no downside to going to trial now. He basically got a life sentence and if that sticks, its not like hes getting any more time, Greenberg said.

Prosecutors in Chicago may also be eager to secure a conviction for Kelly as a backup, in case he successfully appeals his New York case, former federal prosecutor Steven Block told the Tribune.

Musician R. Kelly emerges from his Chicago studio on Feb. 22, 2019, before turning himself in at Chicago police headquarters. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

It would ensure that he remains incarcerated, Block said, noting also that the New York case involves different victims than the Chicago indictment.

The prosecutors are likely thinking about this case as vindicating the rights of victims who are not part of the New York case, and that is probably a very compelling reason for them to proceed, he said.

Greenberg also said that the possibility of a successful New York appeal would probably factor in to any deal that Chicago prosecutors would be willing to strike.

If (prosecutors) make an offer, its going to be a number where they feel if this was the only case, its enough time, Greenberg said.

Any plea would require Kelly to publicly admit wrongdoing, Block noted, which he might not be inclined to do.

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Weve seen nothing at all to indicate hes prepared to accept any responsibility or take a plea, Block said. Hed have to be prepared to get up in court and admit to the conduct that hes charged with. Hes given no indication that thats something hes interested in doing.

Kelly was convicted last year in Brooklyn federal court on racketeering charges that accused him of using his stratospheric fame to lure in vulnerable victims and sexually abuse them. Kellys team has vowed to appeal, saying the government overstretched when they charged him under the RICO act.

The Chicago federal indictment, while not as sprawling as the New York case, includes mention of potentially damning evidence: multiple videos depicting Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

He also taped himself during sexual acts with two other minors, and had sexual contact with two more, the indictment alleges. When police and a Cook County grand jury began to investigate, Kelly and his collaborators paid off witnesses, schemed to buy back the videotapes, and persuaded one girl and her father to lie to authorities, according to the charges.

While Cook County prosecutors brought him to trial for child pornography in 2008, the allegedly underage girl on the video did not testify, and Kelly was acquitted.

If Kellys August trial in fact takes place, it is expected to reveal further details about the way the first Cook County case against him was put together, allegedly sabotaged, then fell apart.

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Complicating matters, Kellys Chicago federal case also charges two of his former associates, Derrel McDavid and Milton June Brown, who may want to take the case to trial regardless of what happens to their famous co-defendant.

Meanwhile, the Cook County cases have largely been put on hold. States Attorney Kim Foxxs office was the first to charge Kelly in the most recent wave of court cases, hitting him with four indictments for sexual abuse in 2019. One of the cases was later upgraded to more serious sexual assault charges.

But a few months later, Kelly was hit with the federal indictments. Foxx has said her office agreed to keep the case in a pretrial posture while the federal cases move forward. Kellys attorney has moved to dismiss one of the indictments, saying it violates Kellys right to double jeopardy since it charges some of the same conduct for which he was convicted in New York. That request has been pending for months.

Regardless of what happens in the remainder of Kellys cases, one thing is almost certain: His devoted fan base will stick by his side.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. >

One of those avid fans, Christopher Gunn, appeared in federal court Friday after being charged with threatening the New York prosecutors who handled Kellys case. Among other alleged threats, a video on his YouTube channel featured a photo of the U.S. attorneys office in Brooklyn, and he told his viewers to get real familiar with this building because If Kellz goes down, everybodys going down, according to the charges.

On Wednesday, Kellz, or R. Kelly, went down, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Madrinan said in court, arguing that Gunn would be a danger to the public if released. The defendant said what he would do if that happened.

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Gunns attorney noted that he was not arrested for months after the video was posted, and there was no evidence of a weapon or ammunition when he was taken in.

Ultimately, Kim ordered Gunn released to home incarceration, but Madrinian said prosecutors in New York would want to appeal that decision in an effort to keep Gunn in custody.

Kim on Friday said his order releasing Gunn would be placed on hold until at least Tuesday to give prosecutors time to file the appeal.

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
SPRINGFIELD  After easily dispatching a nominal opponent in the Democratic primary, Gov. J.B. Pritzker pivoted to the general election campaign earlier this week by tearing into "extreme" Republican nominee Darren Bailey, a state senator from Xenia.

Let me be clear, someone who seeks out and accepts the endorsement of a racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, twice impeached former president does not deserve to come anywhere near the state's highest office, Pritzker told supporters at an election night event in Chicago.

He was referring to former President Donald Trump's endorsement of Bailey last week. Days later, Bailey routed his five primary opponents to win the opportunity to take on Pritzker.

For as extreme as the first-term governor depicts Bailey to be, it appears he got the opponent he wanted. After all, Pritzker and the Democratic Governors Association spent more than $30 million combined to knock Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin  perceived as a more viable general election candidate  while promoting Bailey as "too conservative for Illinois," a message geared to GOP primary voters.

Pritzker, in a sit-down interview with Lee Enterprises in Springfield on Thursday, addressed this perceived meddling in the opposing party's primary, what's at stake in the coming election and the political divide between the Chicago region and downstate Illinois.

Here is a transcript of that interview, edited for length and clarity, with occasional interjections for context.

Darren Bailey is your opponent after blowing out his competition in the primary election. What are your thoughts on that result?

"I think that Darren Bailey is the most extreme candidate that I've ever seen running for governor of the state of Illinois. I mean, he is a MAGA, right-wing, Trump-y Republican who, frankly, wants to impose Donald Trump's agenda on the state of Illinois. He's out of step with the vast majority of the people of Illinois. And we'll have four and a half months to debate the direction of the state."

You have some folks with the Richard Irvin campaign and I think Irvin himself actually said that you won the Republican primary for governor. They point to the money that the Democratic Governor's Association spent, that you spent.

"Sour grapes," Pritzker said, pointing to the $50 million Irvin received from billionaire Ken Griffin.

What are your thoughts on Ken Griffin leaving the state and announcing it days before the primary? Seems like that wasn't a coincidence.

"Look, I don't like to see anybody leave. And so I would hope that he wouldn't, but that's been his choice. He lost five races  he went 0-5 on Tuesday. And I think he probably knew it going into it and that's why he made the announcement."

Griffin's "slate" lost three contested primaries, but state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, running for treasurer, and McHenry County Auditor Shannon Teresi, running for comptroller, ran unopposed and will be on the ballot in November.

"But he's been planning for years to leave the state and, indeed, enrolled his kids in school months before he made the announcement in Florida. So I think he knew he was leaving, it was just a question when he would announce it."

Obviously, there's been a lot of talk about the Republicans and Darren Bailey and why maybe they would not be good for the state. If you get reelected, what does a second term for J.B. Pritzker look like? What would be your priorities?

Pritzker began by listing achievements from the past three years, including the paying down and elimination of the state's massive $17 billion bill backlog and other measures to bring fiscal stability to the state.

"We've really taken the state to a much better place  fiscal responsibility are the watchwords of the Democratic Party, not the Republican Party. They voted against those balanced budgets. Not a single Republican voted for a balanced budget over the last three years. That's on the fiscal side."

Pritzker also touted increased investments in education, repairs to roads and bridges financed by the state's $45 billion capital construction program and his administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If we had followed the prescription of Darren Bailey, thousands more people would have died. He didn't want people to wear masks, he didn't want people to get vaccinated. He was fighting all of the mitigations, the very ones that kept people alive. And he was dead wrong."

He then turned to what he hopes to do in the next four years.

"I think education is hugely important. I think we should make it free for people to go to college if they earn median income or below. We're almost there. We're getting there as we expand MAP grants.

"I think that we need to make sure that every person that can't afford childcare is able to get child care. And we should limit the amount of expenditure by low income people to 7% of their income.

"Today, I've raised the level of child (care) assistance to make it available for people at 225% of the federal poverty level. I want to take it to 300% on a sliding scale.

"I really believe that my values, which are focused on lifting up working families and those who are struggling, those who have been left out and left behind, I think that's what Illinoisans want in a governor  someone who is thinking about lifting up every region of the state and lifting up everybody in the state, not someone who wants to hive off Chicago and send it off into a separate state, someone who thinks that Chicago is a hellhole. I believe we are one Illinois and we ought to stick together."

If you drive around in the small towns in the farm communities in central and southern Illinois, it's not uncommon to see the "Fire Pritzker" yard signs out.

"Its an election year, I get it."

But there is this increasing regionalism in the state  red downstate, blue Chicago area. And there are some exceptions in both areas.

"You know who's promoting that divisiveness? My opponent. Whose signs are the 'Fire Pritzker' (signs)? They're his. Just to be clear, I really believe that people everywhere in the state want good jobs, they want better pay, they want to be able to send their kids to college, they want to be able to save for retirement. Those are all things that I've been fighting for and getting done for people across the state.

"And yeah, I'm not gonna win every vote. I know that and I know there are areas that are more Republican than Democrat. But I'm fighting for every vote and I'm fighting for every person, even if they aren't going to vote for me.

"I've been investing in areas of the state. I mean, think about the infrastructure that we're building. Most of the roads that are getting built in the state are in Republican areas. So I'm not holding back because people are Republican, I'm investing in people who really need the state to stand up for them. And we'll we'll let the chips fall where they may on the votes."

Here in Central Illinois, we saw far-right Rep. Mary Miller defeat Rep. Rodney Davis in the Republican primary on Tuesday. It's a district that was drawn to pack in as many Republicans as possible  the map passed the legislature, you signed it. Is there any responsibility that you and Democratic legislators have for the increasing partisanship given how gerrymandered this district was where somebody like Mary Miller could win pretty convincingly?

"Look, if I had asked you a year ago and if I had asked most pundits and people who understand politics a year ago who was going to win the race in that district, almost everybody would have said Rodney Davis. So let's be clear, an area where there are more Republicans than there are Democrats shouldn't necessarily mean that you're going to end up with the most right-wing, most extreme person getting elected. That is what happened. I think that's evidence of what's happened to the Republican Party.

"Look, Darren Bailey is evidence to what's happened to the Republican Party. He's too extreme for Illinois. He's somebody that stood at the outer edge of politics (and) does not understand what average working people in the state really need and want. And he's worked against those things. He says that he wants to help people, but then he doesn't vote for the things that help people.

"So, again, I just want to say this extremism, you're talking about Mary Miller beating Rodney Davis, I think the responsibility there is about Donald Trump MAGA Republicans and people like Darren Bailey who are driving the Illinois Republican Party off a cliff."

'Spelunking for misery.' Was that your line? How did you come up with that? And tell me why you kind of adapted that when you talk about Republicans in the state?

"Well, I think you've heard me talk about the challenges of people who constantly badmouth the state of Illinois. And spelunking for misery just seems like such a great way to describe those people. I also like the term 'carnival barkers' because they don't actually do anything to help people in Illinois, they just talk about how terrible the state is. And they only want to take every situation and find blame instead of a solution to the problem.

"So, I like the term. I think it sticks with people, they understand it and they understand who I'm talking about. And we had a governor who fit into that category. That was my predecessor. And I think one of the reasons that I beat him handily in 2018 is because people don't want a governor who's badmouthing the state. They want somebody who actually believes in the people of the state of Illinois, who wants to grow our economy and someone who is looking to the future and not the past."

Contact Brenden Moore at 217-421-7984. Follow him on Twitter: @brendenmoore13

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Last weeks two significant Supreme Court decisions  loosening some restrictions on Americans gun owners and restricting abortions for the nations women  represent the ultimate impact of Donald Trumps narrow 2016 election victory over Hillary Clinton.

They also represent the success of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnells cynical manipulation of Senate confirmation procedures. He kept a Democratic president from installing a justice in the last year of his presidency but enabled a Republican to install one as the nations voters were poised to oust him from office.

Ironically, neither Trump, known primarily before his election as a bombastic developer and reality television host, nor McConnell, a dour master of the Senates inside game, had ever identified strongly with the GOPs most fervent abortion rights opponents.

While wooing religious conservatives cool to his 2016 candidacy, he issued a list of conservative jurists he would consider for the Supreme Court, predicting they would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortions.

Similarly, he took increasingly fervent positions opposing any gun control measures, claiming they threatened the Second Amendment. The result is that, at a time when pervasive gun violence has prompted widespread support for increased limits on firearms ownership, a court with Trumps three nominees further extended gun rights that it decided in 2008 were protected by the Second Amendment.

More dramatically, it repealed the constitutional right to an abortion that it established in 1973, though polls show most Americans favor its retention, some with limits.

These two decisions show a court more at odds with the publics views than at any time in decades.

Critics face one overriding reality: It may take a long time before they can displace the courts current six-justice conservative majority. With liberal Justice Stephen Breyers impending retirement, the courts oldest members, Republican nominees Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, are only in their early 70s.

Republican recapture of the Senate in Novembers election could enable McConnell to block Biden from filing any unexpected vacancies in the second two years of his term, like he blocked former President Barack Obamas choice of Merrick Garland, now the attorney general, in 2016.

In both recent decisions, Trumps three nominees formed the majority, along with fellow conservative nominees of prior GOP presidents: Clarence Thomas (President George Bush) and John Roberts and Samuel Alito (President George W. Bush). Questionable circumstances surrounded the nominations or confirmations of all three justices who joined the court under Trump.

By contrast, in the 1988 presidential election year, a Democratic Senate confirmed President Ronald Reagans nomination of Justice Anthony Kennedy to succeed Justice Lewis Powell.

To enable his confirmation, 54-45, McConnell and the GOP majority changed Senate rules to require only a majority vote, as Democrats had done earlier for district and appellate judicial nominees. It enabled the GOP majority to approve justices without Democratic votes.

A year later, the White House persuaded Kennedy to retire so Trump could name Brett Kavanaugh, a former Kennedy clerk and onetime White House staffer whom President George W. Bush named as an appeals judge. Kavanaugh was confirmed after a contentious hearing, 50-48.

During those proceedings, Kavanaugh, like Gorsuch, told Maine Republican Susan Collins and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, two crucial swing votes, that he considered Roe v. Wade settled law. They cast the decisive votes for Kavanaughs confirmation, but he voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

An entirely different scenario might have unfolded had Ginsburg yielded to entreaties from some Democrats to retire while Obama could name a like-minded successor. As a result, the liberal icon shares some blame for a decision that she would have abhorred.

The potential impact of her decision may have influenced the 83-year-old Breyers decision to step aside for Biden to name his successor.

By then, however, the Trump majority was in place.

Carl P. Leubsdorf is the former Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. carl.p.leubsdorf@gmail.com

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They knew.

Donald Trump. His chief of staff, Mark Meadows. His closest advisers in the White House.

They knew about what could happen on Jan. 6. About how there was a real potential for violence if Proud Boys and Oath Keepers marched on the U.S. Capitol like Trump had asked them to.

About how things could  as Meadows said  get real, real bad.

About how people who attended Trumps rally that morning were heavily armed, with military-grade equipment and AR-15s, and how the Capitol Police would eventually be unable to contain them.

About how what Trump wanted to do that day  march with his supporters to the Capitol to stop certification of the electoral vote count  could lead to them being charged with every crime imaginable, according to the White House counsel.

Until Tuesday, Americans suspected all of this. Then Cassidy Hutchinson walked into Tuesdays Jan. 6 hearing on Capitol Hill and confirmed it.

In an explosive and courageous appearance, the top aide to the presidents chief of staff explained in breathtaking detail how Trump and his enablers, including North Carolinas very own Meadows, allowed an insurrection to occur.

It was un-American, Hutchinson testified. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie.

The House committee had previously said that it would not hold any more hearings until July, after theyd taken time to review new evidence. Tuesdays hearing  the committees sixth so far  was announced at the last minute and largely shrouded in secrecy. Media reports indicated that the urgency was in part due to legitimate concerns about Hutchinsons physical security.

Meadows, who previously represented western North Carolina in Congress, has been implicated in many of the committees hearings despite refusing to testify himself. We know he was deeply involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which, as the committee has laid out, included knowingly false claims of election fraud, a fake electors scheme, a pressure campaign on state election officials and an illegal plot to block or delay the certification of Electoral College votes on Jan. 6.

But on Tuesday, we learned exactly what he said and did as the events of Jan. 6 unfolded.

That morning, Meadows was told that the crowd attending Trumps rally had guns, knives, oversized sticks, bear spray and spears fastened onto the end of flagpoles. Meadows, sitting on a couch in his office, didnt look up from his phone.

Later that day, as it became increasingly likely that the mob would breach the Capitols entrance, Hutchinson tried to get her bosss attention. Again, with chaos unfolding around him, Meadows didnt look up from his phone. Hutchinson remembered thinking, Mark needs to snap out of it  he needs to care.

Eventually, that mob managed to break into the Capitol. White House counsel Pat Cipollone barreled down the hallway and into Meadows office, telling him the president needed to do something. Meadows said Trump didnt want to, and he didnt seem particularly interested in trying to convince him otherwise.

Mark, something needs to be done, or people are going to die and the bloods going to be on your f---ing hands, Hutchinson remembered Cipollone saying.

Hutchinson also testified that Meadows later sought a presidential pardon related to his behavior on Jan. 6. Which is, of course, not exactly the kind of behavior youd expect from a man who believes hes innocent.

We learned a lot about Mark Meadows and his cowardice on Tuesday, but we certainly didnt learn any of it from Meadows himself. Because while Hutchinson was sharing what she knew, Meadows was hiding. Hiding from the truth, hiding from accountability and, most importantly, hiding from the American public, who deserve the answers he is refusing to give.

So Cassidy Hutchinson  a 25-year-old woman with far less rank and power than nearly everyone she testified about  did it instead.

The Charlotte Observer

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The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) is cautioning the general public that fraudsters are taking undue advantage of the linkage of the Ghana Card to bank accounts.



According to EOCO, the fraudsters are sending messages to suspecting customers demanding their bank account details, Mobile App PIN and Mobile numbers.



A statement on Thursday June 30, EOCO indicated that it has taken notice with great concerns the rate at which some members of the general public have fallen victims to fraudulent banking transactions.



EOCO warned that Fraudsters have taken advantage of the ongoing call on customers of bank to link their accounts to Ghana Card. Regarding the bank fraud, the fraudulent messages are sent to individuals requesting them to click on links in order to update their bank records.



Customers are therefore asked to provide their bank account names, Mobile numbers, Mobile App PIN , One Time Password. Some daring fraudsters even make phone calls to members of the public to request for the aforementioned information



Do not click on any link purporting to be emanating from your bank unless you have confirmed from your bank.



Meanwhile, the deadline given by the Bank of Ghana to link the Ghana Card to bank account is today June 30.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Newly elected National Executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), have been sworn into office.



A Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice George Koomson administered the oath of office to the six new executives, namely, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour; President, Mrs Linda Asante-Adjei; Vice President, Kofi Yeboah; General Secretary, Dominic Hlordzi; Organising Secretary, Rebecca Ekpe; Public Affairs Officer and Mrs Audrey Dekalu, Treasurer.



Delivering his inaugural speech, the new President said his administration will work to uplift the image of the GJA.



I wish to declare that today marks the dawn of a new era in the life of the GJA he said, adding that his administration will work to improve salaries and review the welfare scheme for journalists.



He appealed to members of the Association to take a keen interest in the process to review the GJA constitution.



The ceremony was held at the Conference Centre in Accra.





Source: gbc









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Six children between the ages of two to four were rushed to the hospital for medical attention after they were attacked by a swarm of bees at Kananto, a farming community in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region.



One is still in a critical condition after suffering severe stings from the flying insects and is currently receiving treatment from medics at the emergency unit of the West Gonja Hospital.



The regrettable situation occurred on Thursday, June 30, 2022, around 1:37 pm at the premises of the Kananto primary school.



In an interview with GhanaWeb, father of two victims who identified himself as Suglo narrated that the bees were disrupted after some children kicked a ball into their colony located in the corridors of the school building which led to the attack.



According to him, the said children took to their heels to avoid the repercussions of their actions.



"So the information available to me is that my children and the other four innocent victims who had no idea of why the children took to their heels, were still playing around the scene and got attacked by the bees".



Explaining how he got wind of the situation, he said, "while sleeping, I had a distress call about my children being attacked and pursued by a swarm of bees. I dashed out of my room and rushed to the school and realized everybody was fighting for his or her life and with the help and dexterity of personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service who were called to come and salvage the situation, we were able to rescue them".



According to him, the personnel had a hectic time rescuing the victims adding that they were not also spared.



"Immediately after rescuing them, we called Assembly Member to inform him about our predicament and he reported the incident to the National Ambulance Service who acted swiftly to the distress call by transporting the victims to the hospital for medical attention."













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, has slammed the Arise Ghana demonstration organizers and demonstrators over Tuesday's violent clash with the Police Service.



Tuesday's demonstration ended up with both the protesters and Police officers taking cover for their lives as the protesters threw stones and other objects at the Police and the Police also responded with firing tear gas and spraying them with water cannons.



Some of the officers and the protesters sustained injuries.



According to a Police statement following the incident, 29 demonstrators have been arrested "for their participation in violent attacks on the Police and some members of the public including school children during the Arise Ghana demonstration in Accra...Also, the organisers of the demonstration will be arrested and put before court for the attacks and damage to public property, in line with the provisions of Section 3 of the Public Order Act, (Act 491)".



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah rebuked the demonstrators for hurling stones at the security personnel charged with responsibility to protect them.



He also slammed the youth who have been and were using foul language on the President of Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, asking if he was "your relative, would you not like it?"



To him, the organizers and demonstrators should be ashamed of their actions.



"Why would you throw stones? . . . They should bow their heads in shame," he stated.



He further advised the youth to be respectful towards the Police and cautioned them not to challenge a Police officer wielding gun as at the least provocation, the gun could be triggered.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh says former President John Mahama's recent commentary on Ghanas economy is 'unfortunate'.



According to him, the former president could not save the countrys economy during his tenure when there was no global crisis  hence, must be the last to criticize the incumbent.



Sir [John Mahama] under your watch, you even run to the IMF for policy credibility, even without this novel global economic challenge and Covid-19. The lawmaker jabbed



His utterances come after Mr Mahama said the Nana Addo-led government had performed woefully after promising a smooth economy.



He is however piling pressure on the government to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).



Due to the nature and depth of our economic problems, this government virtually has no other sustainable option, Mr Mahama said at the launch of a think tank known as Think Progress Ghana.



According to him, any IMF programme will be expected to come up with terms that will ensure fiscal discipline.



That is one of the things this government lacks. They dont have fiscal discipline and that is why they are even afraid to go into an IMF programme, the former President remarked.



But, Frank Annoh-Dompreh in a tweet perceives Mr Mahama as a mendacious person who has failed to commend the Nana Addo-led government for managing the economy despite the crunch.



Clearly you [Mahama] cannot commend the NPP for political reasons but, within your heart, you know the truth. He noted.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former President John Dramani Mahama appears to have gotten his voice back few years after abysmally mismanaging the countrys economy during his administration.



The former leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who is finding his feet to lead the party once again is taking advantage of the global economic situation of COVID 19 and Russia-Ukraine war which have affected most developed and developing nations to give tips to castigate government on the current state of the economy.



The 2020 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress speaking at a forum in Accra on Thursday June 30 believes that the Akufo-Addo administration has no option but to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resolve the economic challenges.



According to him, the IMF programmes come with fiscal consolidation and insistence on fiscal discipline which can lead to some recovery and improvements on the macro-economic front.



He said that In the last few days, there has been talk from some regime actors about a potential or impending IMF programme. Due to the nature and depth of our economic problems, this government virtually has no other sustainable option.



IMF programs come with fiscal consolidation and insistence on fiscal discipline which can lead to some recovery and improvements on the macro-economic front.



This government has however so mismanaged our economy and left it in such a terrible state that fiscal consolidation alone will not do the trick.



His comment comes on the back of statement made on Monday June 27 by a leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Otchere Darko who mentioned that in principle, he was not against the IMF programme.



Mr. Otchere-Darko explained that he is not for an IMF programme that gives the country peanuts but imposes conditions that will end up hurting the poor, jobs and businesses more.



In series of tweets he said Am I against an IMF program in principle? No



I am not for an IMF program that throws peanuts at us but imposes conditions that will end up hurting the poor, jobs and businesses more. Covid-19 and War in Ukraine are not of Africas doing but more to our doom. A program that pretends it is all our doing is doomed to fail.



We do something that will inject confidence in our capacity to ride this heavy storm and that something should happen pretty quickly. Are you against an IMF program?



The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has maintained that Ghana would not go back to the IMF for support.



According to him, the government has put in place measures including salary cuts and others, and also programmes to deal with the fundamental issues affecting the economy.





Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has challenged the Ghana Police Service to arrest him over the clash between officers of the law and Arise Ghana protesters.



Speaking on Good Morning Ghana programme on Metro TV on June 30, Sammy Gyamfi, a leading member of Arise Ghana group said he will turn himself in if the police extended an invitation to him.



Describing the clash as unfortunate, he stated that it could have been avoided if the police did not heed to orders from above.



He absolved the leadership of Arise Ghana of the blame for the clash saying that their conduct did not breach public safety thus they will be vindicated if the Police decides to take charge them to court over the incidents of June 28.



His comment comes on the back of a notice served by the Ghana Police Service to arrest the leaders of Arise Ghana group and to arraign them before court.



if you had been professional, if you had been honest, if you had been loyal to the state rather than loyal to a political party and politicians, you would have avoided these unfortunate clashes.



And now they say they will arrest some of us. I have since called them and I have told them I am a phone call away. If they want to arrest me, they should call me. I will come for them to arrest me even if they want to handcuff me because my conscience is clean.



I know that none of us, as leaders of Arise Ghana did anything throughout this process [of demonstration] to undermine the Public Order or public safety and no matter where they take this matter to, we will be vindicated at the end of the day, he emphasized.



The Police in a statement issued under the hand of Chief Superintendent Grace Ansah-Akrofi, served notice that it will arrest the organisers or the Arise Ghana demonstration and will subsequently arraign them before court.



According to the police, it is holding them responsible for the clash in line with Section 3 of the Public Order Act, (Act 491) which places a responsibility on organizers of a demonstration and others participating in a protest.



The organisers of the demonstration will be arrested and put before court for the attacks and damage to public property, in line with the provisions of Section 3 of the the Public Order Act, (Act 491), part of the statement read.



Arise Ghana demonstrators poured onto the streets on the June 28, the first day of their two-day march against rising economic hardship.



However, there was chaos as police fired teargas at protesters accusing the protesters of pelting them with stones. According to multiple reportage, the chaos erupted over confusion on the route to use.



While the police insisted that the demonstrators cannot use the route towards the Jubilee House, the demonstrators attempted to force their way from Kwame Nkrumah Circle through Ring Road to Ako Adjei and to the Jubilee House.





























Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A woman from Honduras waits in a shelter for migrants on May 23, 2022, in Tijuana, Mexico. The woman is waiting in Mexico while her case for asylum in the United States goes through the process. (Gregory Bull / AP)

Over the past three years, Julie Contreras, an immigration and humanitarian activist from the Waukegan area, has visited the makeshift tent encampments filled with asylum-seekers on the southwestern border that were erected after the Trump administration enacted the Remain in Mexico program in 2019.

Contreras said she has witnessed the unsanitary conditions in which they live, often hungry and unwashed. Shes also heard the reports of kidnappings and sexual assaults of women and young girls as they are forced to wait for a hearing of their cases in Mexico under the policy also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, which applies to people who left a third country and traveled through Mexico to reach the U.S. border.

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They live in inhumane conditions, Contreras said. As Americans, we should be ashamed for letting this happen.

So on Thursday, Chicago immigration leaders cheered when the Supreme Court gave the green light to the Biden administration to end the policy. But they cautioned that it changed little for those migrants already living at the border.

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Its unclear if the Biden administration will end the program immediately or wait for the lower court to rule.

It gives us hope to create different and more humane policies, said Oscar Chacon, executive director of Alianza Americas, a Chicago-based transnational organization rooted in Latino immigrant communities in the United States focused on improving the quality of life of all people in the U.S.-Mexico-Central America migration corridor. Its a step in the right direction, he said.

While this is a welcome ruling and a hopeful moment for immigration activists, there are other ongoing efforts in Congress and the judiciary to uphold other tenets of President Donald Trumps migration policies, including the preservation of Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allows Border Patrol to turn away asylum-seekers.

A handful of protesters including Julie Contreras of Waukegan, left, and activist Emma Lozano rally outside Genesee Theatre for justice and immigration reform in Waukegan in 2018. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The Supreme Courts ruling, Contreras said, means nothing to me unless Title 42 is revoked and I can rescue some of those migrants to await approval of their cases in a proper setting where they have access to legal aid.

Contreras added: No, this doesnt mean that weve opened the border and that thousands of immigrants will be let in.

Multiple court interventions in states ranging from Texas to Arizona challenged the Biden administration over ending Trump-era migration policies. The lawsuits, some of which have worked their way through to the Supreme Court, resulted in the continuation of Remain in Mexico and Title 42 and threats against DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Since the reimplementation of the policy in November 2021, at least an additional 4,076 asylum-seekers have been enrolled in the program, according to the latest Customs and Border Protection data. The majority of asylum-seekers who were placed in program and awaited at the border hailed from Central American countries and the Caribbean.

Contreras has been working with her organization United Giving Hope to rescue a group of over 100 Haitian pregnant women that are living in a shelter in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, for two months, she said.

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As the group is forced to wait in Mexico for a hearing on their asylum case, there have been reports of women who have been assaulted, raped and some have had miscarriages and other health issues, Contreras said. And many of the womens husbands are living in the streets.

We need to understand that these people risk their lives and choose to wait at the border because that is somehow better than the countries and the conditions they are running away from: extreme poverty, violence, danger, she said.

If the policies were to be reformed, asylum-seekers could be allowed to wait for their hearing on their case legally in the United States, released to a network of family or to organizations that connect them to proper legal aid and resources.

Access to a lawyer to help them with the case is essential, Chacon said. Those at the border may not even have access to that  so how can they even get their case approved?

A man from Nicaragua sits at a shelter for migrants on April 21, 2022, in Tijuana, Mexico. (Gregory Bull / AP)

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. >

Nicole Hallett, director of the University of Chicagos Immigrants Rights Clinic and a practicing immigration rights lawyer,has represented a number of clients in the Chicago area seeking asylum. According to Hallett, before the implementation of the program, asylum-seekers underwent a credible fear interview where authorities would determine whether they had a legitimate asylum claim.

(If they passed that), then the government would roll them into the United States, she said. And once that happens, people tend to come to where they have family. And many of my clients came to Chicago to join family members or other people that they knew and so they end up in Chicago even though they arrived in the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border.

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But since the program went into effect, Hallett said that fewer asylum-seekers have managed to make it to Chicago.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling she expects to see more asylum-seekers in Chicago immigration courts litigating their claims to asylum in the months to come.

In Chicago, there are several nonprofit organizations through the Illinois Access to Justice Program that focus on helping asylum-seekers and refugees to access resources and legal services and are getting ready to assist those migrants who are released, said Erendira Rendon, vice president for the immigrant advocacy and defense project at Chicagos Resurrection Project.

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com

dgill@chicagotribune.com
The former president John Dramani Mahama has urged President Akufo-Addo to carry out a big shake-up of his government.



Mahama said this move will give the president the opportunity to bring out the best brains in Ghana to formulate a comprehensive recovery plan for the economy.



Speaking at the launch of a think tank known as Think Progress Ghana, Mahama declared: He [Akufo-Addo] should conduct a major shake-up of his government to remove all the many dead woods [sic] that have turned the ministries into their kingdoms.



Finally, he should huddle with the best brains of this country to formulate a comprehensive recovery plan for our economy, Mahama added.



He said the government had resorted to unhelpful political posturing over suggestions on how to stem the downward spiral, ensure discipline, and help the economy recover.



Like one drowning and yet clutching at a mere straw to stay afloat, this government has banked all its hopes on the E-Levy, said the former president, which, given the gravity and depth of the problems that have beset our economy, is neither adequate nor viable as a sustainable response to the crisis.



Mahama added: It is painfully obvious that, beyond the ill-conceived E- Levy, the Akufo-Addo administration has no viable or credible plan of action to get us out of the current economic doldrums into which they have plunged us.



Meanwhile, there can be collective buy-ins from the Ghanaian people, development partners and the investor community that is being [sic] ignored, he said.



The former president also called on President Akufo-Addo to address the nation immediately on the state of the economy to rally the support of Ghanaians.

Source: asaaseradio.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minority National Democratic Congress Members of Parliament are happy the Akufo-Addo government failed to meet half of the 2022 revenue projection especially from the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy).



The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu who expressed the groups happiness over the failure to meet the target attributed it to the stiff opposition and constructive criticisms the group mounted against the approval of the E-Levy policy which resulted in the government reducing the proposed rate of 1.75 percent to 1.50 percent.



Speaking on the issue, during an encounter with the members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) he noted that This minority succeeded in reducing percentage the Finance Minister came to Parliament with.



According to him his intention was 1.75 per cent but he was forced to cut it down. There were many other activities that would have been captured by E-Levy, theyve abandoned it.



Thanks to the opposition and our constructive criticisms explain the policy to be able to improve, including, remittances, noted Haruna Iddrisu.



Minority Leader further explained that Even more importantly, government has already lost half-year revenue of whatever it anticipated from E-Levy. That can only be attributed to the purpose and tenacity of the Minority Group in Parliament. You may be dissatisfied with us. We just took a legal step, with probably, we may not satisfy you but I dont think that its all wrong.



Mr. Iddrisu who is also the NDC MP for Tamale South had encounter with the Press to give an update about what the House has been able to achieve over the last six months and what it is expected to do in the coming months.



Mr. Iddrisu further stated that the Minority Group in Parliament will continue to ensure that Ghanaians are treated fairly by the government.



On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, the Parliament of Ghana approved the controversial 1.50 percent tax on electronic payments, known as the E-Levy, after the opposition NDC MPs walked out in protest.



The NDC MPs had claimed not to be part or associated with what they termed killer and unwarranted tax on Ghanaians.



The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had proposed the E-Levy in November 2021 budget, to widen the tax net to mobilize more revenue to address Ghanas financial woes.



However, his proposal hit a snag after the NDC MPs opposed the deal and demanded that the 1.75 percent rate should be reduced to 1 percent. They, therefore, called for the proposed tax policy to be withdrawn and a new one introduced.



After back and forth arguments over the tax proposal, it was withdrawn and a new proposal introduced, this time proposing a rate of 1.50 percent.



Even with the new proposed rate, the Minority Group wasnt satisfied, compelling them to walk out during the consideration of the policy.



The E-Levy covers mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments, and inward remittances.



The Government has projected to raise GHS6.9billion in revenue from the E-Levy in 2022.







Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has disclosed that in the event that he becomes president, no relative of his will serve in his government.



According to the lawmaker, he will contest to become president and when he does become, he will maintain a firm stance on discipline and anti-corruption.



Whiles emphasizing that he will not appoint any member of his family into his government, he said: even my wife who is seated here (studios of a radio station), if my wife misbehaves as First Lady, she will revert to a housewife.



No member of my family will serve in my government. When it is time to fire you, you will be fired, Agyapong who has announced his bid to become the New Patriotic Partys flagbearer for the 2024 polls said.



He made the comments in an interview that took place on June 24, 2022 as a prelude to a programme in the regional capital of the Bono Region, where he was the main speaker.



The event was aimed at motivating the youth and sharing his experiences in life with them.



The current government is accused of 'family and friends' mantra - reference to the president appointing his relatives and close associates who he cannot discipline if need be.



The most recent call for the president to take action on an appointed relative is former President Mahama asking for Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta - a cousin of the President - to be sacked.



Ken Agyapong announces bid to lead NPP



Kennedy Agyapong made the formal announcement of his NPP flagbearership candidature via a Facebook video posted on the wall of the Announcer Newspaper in May 2022.



Among others, he touted himself as the best man to help the NPP break the eight  reference to retaining power beyond the two-term cycle under the Fourth Republic.



But long before this announcement, Agyapong had announced that he will quit the lawmaking chamber when the current term expires in 2025.



The August 2020 announcement meant that Agyapong had planned on quitting Parliament after 24 years representing the constituency located in the Central Region.



His main reason for quitting he said was partly out of disappointment and also from the will to allow another person to try achieving as much as he did during his tenure.











Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A former deputy national organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joshua Akamba, has refuted claims of being arrested by the police during day two of the Arise Ghana protest.



He disclosed on the Anopa Bofo morning show aired on Thursday, June 30, 2022, that he was only asked by the security personnel to surrender the weapon he was in possession of.



There has been a wide reportage in the media landscape claiming that Mr. Akamba, an integral organizer of the #KromAyHyi dubbed demonstration, was arrested on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, for brandishing a pistol at the function.



But reacting to these developments, the vocal politician debunked them and said the police only engaged him with an advise to withdraw the weapon from the masses, which he obliged.



When you are being approached by the police who are familiar with you and advise you that if you have the gun with you, you should keep it in your vehicle, is that an offense?



Exactly, the Police urged me to keep the gun in my car having cited a scenario that someone with a weapon unknowingly might commit a crime but because I am in possession of a gun openly, I maybe figured which will land me in trouble.



And I listened because I wanted a peaceful demonstration, I wasnt there for violence. And then I moved and said if that would be an issue, my driver should take it home because the police had assured us [protestors] of protection, Joshua Akamba explained to Kwamina Sam Biney in Twi.



The ex-military officer emphasized that his decision was considered after the police had earlier suggested to keep the weapon for him till the exercise ended but declined that offer.



He explained further that, having set a good example amidst wanting a peaceful exercise he was quick to ask all protestors with weapons to surrender or send them home.



Setting the record straight, Mr. Akamba stated categorically that the weapon he carried to the ground was for protection and nothing else.



According to him, the gun is a licensed weapon which makes it legal for him to carry along anywhere he goes as hes known many years.





Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former President John Dramani Mahama addressed a gathering on the economy in Accra, Thursday, June 30.



He spoke on various issues including e-levy, economy, and public debt.



Dead woods



Meanwhile, Mahama has urged President Akufo-Addo to sack Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta and remove the "dead woods" in his administration.



"It will serve the President well to use some instruments from the Presidential tool kit in times of crisis such as this. Fire your Finance Minister, conduct a major shake-up of Government to remove the many dead woods that have turned ministries into their fiefdoms and finally huddle with the best brains this country has to formulate a comprehensive recovery plan for our economy".



"I called on President Akufo-Addo and his Head of the Economic Management Team to end the non-chalance and indecision and take urgent steps to address the self-inflicted economic disaster that has brought unbearable economic

hardships, pain, and great suffering to the people of Ghana. I made it clear that the economic problems we are facing stem from imprudent election-related expenditure and reckless decision-making in the management of the economy" he added.

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Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Ghana has formally requested the International Monetary Fund to support its economic program.



It follows a telephone conversation between President Akufo-Addo and IMF Managing Director Kristalian Georgieva conveying Ghana's decision to apply for the support fund.



A statement issued in Accra on Friday 1st July, 2022 and signed by Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said, "the engagement with the IMF will seek to provide a balance of payment support as part of a broader effort to quicken Ghana's build back in the face of challenges induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and recently, the Russia-Ukraine crises."



Ghana is a member of the IMF and recently received 1 Billion dollars for its Covid-19 response program.



The government expects the IMF support to boost the funding sources needed to execute its economic program.



It is expected that capital markets and friendly sovereign countries may also contribute to the program.

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Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Various church denominations have so far contributed GH2.21 million towards the construction of the cathedral.



Major donors to the project include the Church of Pentecost which has donated a total of GH700,000 through the Church of Pentecost Headquarters (200,000) and The Church of Pentecost (General Headquarters) which has contributed GH500,000 - making it the single largest donor.



Other major donors are the Southern Ghana Union of SDA, Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Action Chapel International who have contributed GH200,000 each.



The Methodist Church Ghana, Triumphant Baptist Church-Kwadaso, Christ Apostolic Church International, the Breaking Yoke Ministry Church and the Christian Action Faith Ministry have also donated GH100,000 each.



The board disclosed this when it launched another mass fundraising strategy, dubbed: The National Cathedral Week, at a press briefing on June 29, 2022 in Accra.



Meanwhile, the total fundraising effort by the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana towards the cathedral's construction have accrued GH31.75 million since 2018.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has commended all stakeholders for supporting the advancement of the Fourth Republican Constitution.

In a statement to mark its 30th anniversary, which fell on June 29, 2022, it said the anniversary marked the longest period of democratic practice in the country since independence and called on Ghanaians to sustain it..



In the period, Ghana has earned an enviable reputation for political stability, which is a valuable brand to be cherished, protected and enhanced, it said in a statement signed by its General Secretary, John Boadu.



It thanked the founding fathers and mothers of the party from the days of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in the 1940s, to the days of the Ghana Congress Party (GCP), the National Liberation Movement (NLM), the Northern Peoples Party (NPP), the Togolese Congress Party, the Ga Shifomokpe, the United Party (UP), the Progress Party (PP) and the Popular Front Party (PFP).



The statement said the fact that the party was the only political tradition in the country that had survived all Republics in pre and post-independence Ghana including the most cancerous dictatorial regimes and had stood the test of time, could only be a vindication of the richness and greatness of the partys political tradition.



Reforms

It said since 1992, the NPP had been the champion of electoral reforms as it spearheaded the transition from opaque ballot boxes to transparent boxes, the transition from black and white voter ID cards to coloured ID cards with pictures and the quantum leap from a manual voters register to a biometric register and photo ID Cards for all voters from limiting it to regional and district capital to National.



In spite of the disruptive threat of COVID-19, Ghanas general elections of 2020 have been hailed as perhaps the cleanest, most peaceful, and free and fair, it said.



Touching on the economy, it said every policy of the NPP in government had been designed to benefit as many Ghanaians as possible.



We successfully rolled out some integrated initiatives towards agro-industry, which include One District One Factory (1D1F), One District One Warehouse (1D1W), One Village One Dam (1V1D) and Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). Furthermore, we successfully rolled out the Mobile Money Interoperability, enabling digital payments across diverse platforms, roping in 70 per cent of the bankable population into the financial space, it said.



That, it said, had changed the face of banking in Ghana and set to drive transactions in the African Continental Free Trade Area headquartered in Accra, which is another major plus for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo leadership.



Social interventions

The statement said despite the NPP being a centre-right party, it had implemented more social intervention programmes than any other political party in the history of Ghana.



It cited the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and provision of Free Maternal Health Care, the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) for indigent families and provided the Capitation Grant and the Ghana School Feeding Programme under former President John Agyekum Kufuor.



It said President Akufo-Addo continued with innovative social interventions such as the Free Senior High School, the One Constituency One Ambulance (1C1A), a drone service for delivery of medical supplies, restoration of Teacher and Nursing Training Allowances, introduction of allowances for Arabic and Islamic Instructors under the National Volunteer Service Programme and the absorption of examination registration fees for BECE and WASSCE candidates.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Former General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has revealed that there are several leading members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who pretent to admire President Nana Akufo-Addo but secretly despise him.



Mr Agyepong, who stopped short of mentioning specific names, further disclosed that these stalwarts cannot tell the President to his face that they do not like him but rather during private interactions with him (Agyepong), they share their open dislike for the President.



"We have to protect ourselves, protect the party. I have been a Press Secretary to a President (John Agyekum Kuffuor) for close to 6 years. I will die with the secrets in my head because the leaders pretending to love President Akufo-Addo, they know that I know that a lot of them it is not correct...They come and talk to me. I know what they say. There are people I've gone to their houses, they know what they've said to me about the President. There are a lot of things that one has to go to the grave with," he revealed.



Speaking on a wide-range of issues in an exclusive interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo" on Friday, July 1, 2022, Mr Agyei Agyepong expressed deep bitter feelings about how the party has treated him over the years.



After seven (7) years since he was suspended and restored by the party, he has today set the records straight on whether or not he was guilty of the offences brought against him.



Kwabena Agyepong was suspended in 2015 with the partys former National Chairman, Paul Afoko and a former National Vice Chairman, Sammy Crabbe for misconduct.



His suspension was lifted in 2021 after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and the lifting of the suspension restored him as a member of the partys NEC, Steering Committee and the National Council according to the partys constitution.



An emotionally charged Mr Agyepong was emphatic that he was never at fault but rather some big wigs smeared his reputation so he can lose his position as General Secretary.



According to him, the allegations that were leveled against him, for which became grounds for his suspension, were pure lies which the NPP members and supporters and a section of the Ghanaian populace were made to believe in order for his detractors to succeed in their mission.



He stated that he never caused any confusion in the NPP during his time as General Secretary, stressing there is no way he would have done anything to ruin the fortunes of the party because he is a devout leading member of the party and also played an instrumental role in the candidature of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President of the Republic.



To him, "those who wanted to benefit from my absence, they are the ones responsible for the confusion they caused in the party".



The One-time Director of Communications at the Presidency, also refuted claims that former President John Mahama's brother, Ibrahim Mahama gifted him a Land Cruiser, a story that was run by his adversaries to bait the NPP masses into believing he was working against Nana Addo and the party's fortunes.



"There was no confusion. It was a collaborative attempt to cause instability and heap it on us", he emphasized.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot, OEMC Executive Director Richard Guidice, Superintendent David Brown and Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt will hold a press conference to speak about public safety ahead of the holiday weekend.

The press conference comes on the heels of a mass shooting Friday morning in the Loop that left two dead and three others wounded. And a Chicago police officer was shot and wounded responding to a domestic disturbance Friday morning.

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It is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

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Americans were more likely than people living in the UK to feel threatened by China's growth as a world power, a new survey shows.

The research suggests support in both countries for NATO and the UN to act diplomatically and militarily is high, with citizens in favor of nations working together to protect peace.

Seven out of 10 Americans questioned agreed their country needed a strong military to be effective in international relations, as did 63 percent of Britons.

Both US and UK respondents thought a former Soviet state under threat from Russia should seek support from NATO (55 percent in the UK compared to 41 percent of Americans).

The research, by Catarina Thomson, from the University of Exeter, is published in The RUSI Journal. Dr. Thomson used the Gray Zone Security Survey, carried out in the US, the UK and Lithuania, with nationally representative samples of 4,000, 1,300 and 1,000 in March 2021 respectively. Citizens were asked about their perception of the threat from Russia's territorial ambitions and the development of China as a world power were. Their response was measured using a seven-point scale, varying from 1 (not a threat at all) to 7 (critical threat).

People in Lithuania were more likely to see Russia's territorial ambitions as a critical threat, with a third labeling Russian territorial ambitions as belonging to the highest threat category (compared to just 2 in 10 US respondents, and 12 percent in the UK).

Half of Americans questioned ranked the development of China as a world power as being in the top two highest threat categories, with just over a third regarding it as the most critical threat level. Only 37 percent of respondents in the UK and 32 percent in Lithuania considered China's assent to world power as being at such high threat levels.

Dr. Thomson says that "although the world is now a different place it is still important to analyze views taken before the Russian invasion of Ukraine so we have a clear idea of opinions about Russia's territorial incursions."

"The ongoing war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed the international system. A shared Russian threat has translated into NATO and other Western allies being more united than they have been in decades. It must not be forgotten that just months before this show of Western unity, fractured institutional bonds among NATO members culminated in the disorderly withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan."

"China's development as a world power and Russia's territorial ambitions were considered critical threats, but not equally for citizens in the three sample countries. Interestingly, citizens in the UK did not feel terribly threatened despite the UK military leadership's years-long messaging on the dangers of an assertive Russia."

"US citizens are also quite threatened by China's rise as a global power. Individuals in the UK and Lithuania, on the other hand, do not tend to consider China's development as a global power a critical threat. This discrepancy between threat perceptions in the US and the UK might be especially poignant in light of the new AUKUS alliance, which also includes Australia and has been lauded as an effort to counter China."

A total of 70 percent of people in the UK agreed or strongly agreed the best way for their country to proceed in foreign affairs is to build international consensus compared to 59 percent of people in the US and Lithuania.

About 6 in 10 Britons, and half of Americans, agreed it is sometimes necessary for their countries to 'go at it' alone in international relations, this is the case for 45 percent of Lithuanian respondents. Less than a third of respondents in each country (21 percent in the UK, 29 percent in the US and 31 percent in Lithuania) considered their country's interests are best protected by avoiding involvement with other states.

Explore further More than two-thirds of UK social scientists warn their academic freedom is under threat

More information: Catarina P Thomson, Foreign Policy Attitudes and National Alignments in Times of Chinese and Russian Threats, The RUSI Journal (2022). Catarina P Thomson, Foreign Policy Attitudes and National Alignments in Times of Chinese and Russian Threats,(2022). DOI: 10.1080/03071847.2022.2088610
Imaginary part of the 2D spectrum of the Kitaev ring in (a) the topologically trivial phase with =0.005, w==0.495, and (b) the nontrivial phase with =0.495 and w==0.005 for N=60. Credit: Physical Review Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.017401

Researchers at the Department of Physics and the Cluster of Excellence "CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter" of Universitat Hamburg and the University of California at Irvine have recently proposed a new way to characterize topological superconductors by means of multi-THz-pulse experiments.

This opens a pathway to unambiguously identifying predicted exotic states of matter and can aid in the design of novel materials for future devices that carry and process quantum information.

Scientists around the world are working to build scalable quantum computers based on solid-state matter. One such class of materials are topological superconductors. They are purported to host a particular kind of collective quantum state, the non-abelian anyons in the form of Majorana fermions at their boundaries. By shuffling these quasiparticles around in networks of quantum wires, researchers can construct logical quantum gates, the building blocks of quantum computers.

Bulk instead of boundary properties

Early signatures of the existence of Majoranas were reported on the basis of measurements of quantum transport, but later these studies turned out to be unreliable because Majoranas can easily be confused with trivial boundary excitations. The new theory takes a different approach. Instead of investigating the Majoranas at the boundaries of the device, the bulk material is addressed. Due to the so-called "bulk-boundary correspondence," Majoranas are intimately connected to the topology of the bulk band structure of the superconductor. In some sense, the particle excitations in the bulk material experience a "twist" with the Majoranas at the boundaries. This strong interlinking can be studied by means of two-dimensional THz spectroscopy, a technique widely used in molecules and bulk matter.

"Unlike 'linear' absorption spectroscopy, nonlinear multi-pulse experiments allow us to study the optical response of excited particles and thus help to reveal this 'twisting' clearly, with unique signatures of the exotic topological state in the 2D spectra," says Prof. Dr. Michael Thorwart of Universitat Hamburg and scientist in the Cluster of Excellence.

Appearing in Physical Review Letters, the theory proposal formulates an important step between the detection of the most basic but not fully characterizing properties of Majoranas and the yet too ambitious demonstration of the logical gate operations with non-abelian anyons in the form of braiding of Majorana states.

"Such optical techniques yield spectroscopic information beyond imaging and allow for an undoubtful characterization of topological materials. As such, they might build a bridge to their faraway applications in quantum technologies," adds Felix Gerken, lead author and Ph.D. student at the CUI-Graduate School of the Cluster of Excellence.

Explore further Majorana fermions hold potential for information technology with zero resistance

More information: Felix Gerken et al, Unique Signatures of Topological Phases in Two-Dimensional THz Spectroscopy, Physical Review Letters (2022). Journal information: Physical Review Letters Felix Gerken et al, Unique Signatures of Topological Phases in Two-Dimensional THz Spectroscopy,(2022). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.017401

Provided by Universitat Hamburg
Global daily emissions changes in 2019 and 2020. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-022-00965-8

An international team of researchers has found that the sudden drop in CO 2 emissions during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates that it is possible to reduce emissions enough to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius global temperature increase goal. In their paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers describe studying aspects of the sudden drop of CO 2 emissions in early 2020 and why the believe their data shows that such reductions are possible in today's economy. The editors at Nature Geoscience have also published a short summary of the findings of the group on this new effort in the same journal edition.

During the early days of the pandemic, nobody knew how deadly the coronavirus was, or how fast it might spread. So governments around the world ordered an immediate lockdownpeople stayed home instead of going to work. As result, the word's economy came to a near standstill. At the time, due to massive reductions in truck and automobile traffic and factory shutdowns, air pollution was greatly reduced. In this new effort, the researchers have taken a closer look at the reductions in CO 2 that occurred during the first year of the pandemic.

In 2015, countries around the world met in Paris and signed pledges promising to try to reduce greenhouse gas emission to the extent that average global temperature would not rise above 2 degrees Celsiusthey also agreed in less concrete terms to try to keep temperatures from rising more the 1.5 degrees Celsius. Since that time, multiple research efforts have shown that based on current efforts, the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius will not be met.

Daily CO2 emissions for the four highest-emitting regions (China, United States, EU27 & U.K., India) in 2019 and 2020. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-022-00987-2

The researchers found a drop of 6.3% in 2020, which came to 2,200 metric tons less than the year before. The researchers describe the drop as the largest of modern times, and big enough to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal if it were to be sustained. But it was not sustained, of course. As soon as restrictions were lifted, people began going back to work and levels of CO 2 emissions rose to the levels measured before the pandemic began.

The researchers suggest that the 2020 reductions show that the Paris Agreement goals are possible, and note that it might be possible to make similar reductions without a massive disruption to the global economy. Most of the reduction in 2020, a third of it, they note, was due to a significant reduction in car and truck traffic. If countries around the world applied more pressure on automakers and consumers, electric vehicles powered by renewably resourced electricity could become the norm, putting goals such as 1.5 degrees Celsius back in reach.

Explore further Review suggests current global efforts are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5C

More information: Zhu Liu et al, Global patterns of daily CO2 emissions reductions in the first year of COVID-19, Nature Geoscience (2022). Zhu Liu et al, Global patterns of daily CO2 emissions reductions in the first year of COVID-19,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-022-00965-8 Daily monitoring reveals global CO2 emission patterns, Nature Geoscience (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-022-00987-2 Journal information: Nature Geoscience

 2022 Science X Network
A drawing of the orbiting clouds inside the disk surrounding the galactic nucleus as they produce the MegaMaser spectrum. Credit: XAO

An international research team led by Willem Adrianus Baan from the star formation and evolution research group of the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has found evidence for periodic disk instability in the disk of the H 2 O megamaser galaxy NGC 4258.

Their findings were published in Nature Astronomy on June 30.

NGC 4258, also named Messier 106, is a nearby galaxy that is hosting prominent H 2 O MegaMaser emission. This emission is originated within the fast-rotating disk surrounding the active galactic nucleus, but the physical conditions responsible for these emissions remain unclear.

The researchers conducted Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (SVLBI) experiments with the Russian-built RadioAstron Observatory in an elongated Earth orbit, together with large ground telescopes in Green Bank, U.S., and Effelsberg, GER. They observed that a series of equally spaced clouds inside the gas disk surrounding the nucleus of NGC 4258 were responsible for the H 2 O MegaMaser emission.

These SVLBI experiments were conducted with an Earth-space connecting baseline of up to 19.5 Earth diameters and a high angular resolution of the observations of 11 micro-arcseconds (3 x 10-9 of a degree) corresponding to a footprint of only 62 AU at the galaxy itself. The observed molecular emission regions were found to be orbiting inside the rotating thin disk, at a radius of only about 0.126 parsec (0.38 lightyears) from the black hole nucleus of the galaxy.

The H 2 O MegaMaser emission generated in these regions results from maser-amplification by excited/pumped water molecules as the multiple clouds drift in front of the radio continuum in the nucleus of NGC 4258. The formation of these emission regions, their regular velocity separation and their time-dependent emission appear consistent with the occurrence of a periodic magneto-rotational instability.

This type of shear instability is driven by the differential rotation in the disk, and has long been thought to regulate the radial momentum transfer and viscosity within the accretion disk.

These SVLBI observations have provided a first detailed view inside a thin Keplerian accretion disk around an active galactic nucleus.

Explore further Study provides a comprehensive X-ray view of an active galactic nucleus in NGC 4258

More information: Willem A. Baan et al, H2O MegaMaser emission in NGC 4258 indicative of a periodic disc instability, Nature Astronomy (2022). Journal information: Nature Astronomy Willem A. Baan et al, H2O MegaMaser emission in NGC 4258 indicative of a periodic disc instability,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01706-y
Cultivated rice was developed from wild rice, which is a weed. Credit: Kobe University

Rice has a long history as a staple food in Japan and other parts of Asia. The results of a new study by an international research collaboration suggest that the emergence of cultivated rice from wild rice plants is the result of three gene mutations that make the seeds (i.e. the grains of rice) fall from the plant less easily.

In their investigations, the researchers discovered that each of the three mutations individually have little effect but when all three mutations are present the panicles of the rice plant retain more of their seeds- resulting in a greater crop yield.

It is believed that the domestication of wild rice began when our ancestors discovered and started to cultivate rice plants that do not drop their seeds easily, paving the way for stable rice production. It is hoped that these research results can contribute towards future improvements to the ease in which rice seeds fall (i.e. making the crop easier to thresh) and the development of high-yield rice cultivars where every grain can be harvested, reducing waste.

This discovery was made by an international collaboration which included researchers from Kobe University's Graduate School of Agriculture (Japan), the National Institute of Genetics (Japan), University College London (UK), the University of Warwick (UK), Yezin Agricultural University (Myanmar) and the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

Seed shattering in wild rice and cultivated rice. Credit: Kobe University

Oryza sativa (often referred to as Asian rice in English) is widely grown and consumed worldwide. It is known to have originated from the wild rice weed Oryza rufipogon. It is believed that rice began to be cultivated when hunter gatherers in ancient times chose individual wild rice plants that had suitable characteristics for this purpose. Wild rice plants perform a seed shattering process which scatters their seeds, enabling them to propagate efficiently.

However, when cultivating rice, this seed shattering must be suppressed in order to obtain a stable crop. In 2006, the sh4 gene was discovered: this gene is necessary for the commencement of seed shattering in plants including rice, and it was proposed that a mutation in this gene enabled the cultivation of rice.

However the current research team showed that this sh4 mutation alone is insufficient to prevent seed shattering loss, suggesting that other gene mutations are also involved. With a focus on the early history of rice cultivation, this study brought together specialists in plant genetics, archaeobotany and structural mechanics to elucidate how increasing yields of rice came to be cultivated.

Discovery of the qSH3 gene related to seed-shattering loss in wild rice. Credit: Kobe University

Seed shattering is caused by a structure called the abscission layer that is formed at the base of each rice seed. The researchers found that a single nucleotide substitution (from cytosine to thymine) in the DNA of the qSH3 gene is required to inhibit the abscission layer, in addition to the aforementioned sh4 gene mutation. This qSH3 gene mutation is found in the main types of rice that is cultivated worldwide (indica and japonica).

Individual mutations related to seed shattering, for example in genes sh4 and qSH3, cannot prevent shattering in wild rice plants on their own. However, the researchers discovered that when sh4 and qSH3 mutations were combined, this partially inhibited the formation of the abscission layer, which is required for seed shattering. Despite this, they concluded that such a small inhibition would not be enough to produce a stable crop yield, as seeds drop easily in a natural environment. Thus, they decided to focus on panicle shape next. Panicle refers to the clusters of thin branches at the top of the rice plant that carry the seeds.

Wild rice has an open panicle structure which enables the seeds to fall easily. Through hybridization, the researchers produced 8 wild rice plants, each with a different combination of three gene mutations: a mutation at the SPR3 that causes the panicles to close, and the aforementioned sh4 and qSH3 mutations. They then investigated the yield of each plant. They found that individual mutations had little effect and that even combining two mutations did not result in a large yield increase. However, when all three gene mutations were present, the yield increased exponentially.

Combining qSH3 and sh4 gene mutations partially inhibited the abscission layer. Credit: Kobe University

An analysis of the structural mechanics of the closed panicle alteration and the abscission layer inhibition revealed a complementary relationship between the two. The burden of gravity on the seed base's abscission layer is lower in closed panicle plants than in open panicle plants, which potentially brings about an even greater crop yield by further reducing seed shattering. "Non-seed-shattering behavior" caused by sh4 and qSH3 mutations and "closed panicles" caused by the SPR3 mutation are completely unrelated characteristics, however the incidental collaboration between these characteristics is considered to be what enabled rice to become a crop.

In the three arrows parable, 16th century Japanese warlord MORI Motonari gave each of his three sons an arrow and they were able to break the individual arrows easily. However, a bundle of three arrows is stronger and by showing his sons that three arrows together could not be broken, he explained that the three of them should work together govern the land. In rice cultivars, three mutations that have little effect on their own incidentally work togetheran important stepping stone towards the success of rice as a crop.

Rice has been a source of daily energy for people for thousands of years and some Japanese rice cultivars are considered cultural works of art. These research results not only reveal the seed shattering mechanism, they also give us insight into the long history behind the improvement of rice growing.

Panicle shape in wild rice (open panicles). Credit: Kobe University

Seed gathering rate results for rice plants with a combination of three genetic mutations (in sh4, qSH3 and SPR3). Credit: Kobe University

Even though rice is an essential crop worldwide, it is still not fully understood how it was domesticated. Advances in agricultural techniques were accompanied by the development of rice cultivars that dropped their seeds less and less easily, suggesting that the acquirement of non-seed shattering behavior is the result of multiple gene mutations.

It is hoped that by further investigating these mutations, the cultivation process for rice can be elucidated. In addition the amount of seed shattering could be controlled utilizing genes with many of these mutations, leading to the development of new rice cultivars where all the seeds produced by the plant can be harvested.

The research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Explore further Using CRISPR to turn off genes in corn and rice to improve crop yields

More information: Ryo Ishikawa et al, A stepwise route to domesticate rice by controlling seed shattering and panicle shape, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Ryo Ishikawa et al, A stepwise route to domesticate rice by controlling seed shattering and panicle shape,(2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121692119
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Scientists from Skoltech and their colleagues from the University of Graz & the Kanzelhohe Observatory (Austria), Hvar Observatory (Croatia), and the Belgian Solar-Terrestrial Center of ExcellenceSILSO, Royal Observatory of Belgium presented a new method to predict the strength of the 11-year solar cycle. The results are important for anticipating and mitigating space weather effects on astronauts, pilots and modern technological systems both in space and on Earth. The study will be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

The sun is the source of powerful explosions that can affect astronauts and modern technologies in space and on Earth. At the beginning of the 17th century, Galileo Galilei directed his telescope to the sun and discovered sunspots. In the 19th century, it became clear that sunspots appear and disappear with a certain periodicity, on average, every 11 years. Sunspots are now regularly monitored by more than 80 observatories across the world and researchers have compiled continuous sunspot records for over four centuries, which is the longest scientific experiment in the history of humanity.

Sunspots are visual manifestations of powerful magnetic fields that have risen from the solar interior through its surface. The magnetic tubes carrying solar matter emerge from one sunspot, forming a giant loop, entering the surface again through another sunspot. Therefore, most sunspots come in pairs, which, like a magnet, have opposite polaritiesone being positive and the other negative. Free magnetic energy accumulates in these loops and can be suddenly released, for example, in the form of a flare, or plasma ejection.

In this video: 1) A sunspot in HD. 2)  large active region with a big sunspot group on the solar surface. 3) Transition region/quiet corona in extreme ultraviolet with huge magnetic loops rooted to sunspots in the solar photosphere. Credits: Gregor Solar Telescope / SDO/HMI continuum / SDO/AIA

Within just a few minutes, a solar flare can release 100,000 times more energy than all the power plants on Earth generate throughout a year. The light from the flare reaches the Earth within eight minutes; the dense atmosphere of the Earth absorbs the dangerous radiation of the flare, protecting life on the surface. But nevertheless, this takes its toll, radio communication and GPS can be disrupted. For example, in November 2015 in Sweden, airplanes disappeared from radars because of a solar flare. And when the sun is in a stormy mood, airlines are forced to cancel flights over the poles because there is no radio communication during storms. Often, right after a flare, plasma clouds are ejected from the solar corona and hurled into space. Coronal mass ejections, giant, billion-ton magnetic plasma bubbles, quickly expand outward from the sun and can hit the Earth in a matter of days if its orbit intersects. It is how the sun conveys its mood to our planeta geomagnetic storm rages, and the aurora borealis appears.

"Currently, we entered the rising phase of a new solar cycle (no. 25) and see how more and more sunspots appear on the sun. More sunspotsmore solar storms, flares and coronal mass ejections. Recently, SpaceX launched 49 satellites as a part of Elon Musk's Starlink internet project. But unfortunately, most of the CubeSats were lost and didn't make it to their envisioned orbit. This failure cost more than US$50 million and was caused by a solar storm. Thus predictions of solar activity are extremely important for planning satellite launches, long-term space missions, prediction of radiation exposures on airplane flights, and many other space weather applications to live in harmony with a stormy mood of the sun," says Skoltech associate professor Tatiana Podladchikova, the study's lead author.

The authors of the recent study in Astronomy & Astrophysics came up with a new method to predict the strength of the 11-year solar cycle. The team showed that the maximal growth rate of sunspot activity in the ascending phase of a solar cycle is an effective precursor of the amplitude of the solar cycle. Making use of the new catalog of Hemispheric Sunspot Numbers, recently presented by the team, they showed that the predictions of the solar cycle amplitudes are more accurate when the evolution of solar activity is considered separately for the two hemispheres of the sun.

"The solar magnetic field is the driver of the 11-year solar cycle and of energetic eruptions from our sun. We have learned from our study that we can obtain more accurate predictions of solar activity when using hemispheric sunspot data, which capture the asymmetric and out-of-phase behavior of the solar magnetic field evolution in the north and the south solar hemispheres," says study co-author Astrid Veronig, professor at the University of Graz, and head of the Kanzelhohe Observatory for Solar and Environmental Research.

Skoltech Ph.D. student and study co-author Shantanu Jain highlighted the practical importance of their new study on solar cycle predictions: "This study allows us to accurately determine the evolution of the solar cycle well ahead of time and prepare ourselves in case of an extreme space weather event. With rising dependence on technology in the 21st century, an extreme space weather event can disrupt our daily life as it can damage the power grids, communications lines and affect the internet causing massive economic losses. However effective and accurate space weather prediction techniques can help us to prevent such scenarios."

"Our work confirms the high importance of an independent study of sun's hemispheres and regular data collection for them. Also worth noting that our method can be used in real time, we can predict the cycle amplitude continuously over the development of the ascending phase of a solar cycle and update the prediction when the latest value of the growth rate is larger than the previous one. With currently available data, we predict that the lower estimate of the amplitude of the current solar cycle (no. 25) will be 11026, which is comparable with the previous 11-year solar cycle (no. 24)," says study co-author and Skoltech's MSc graduate Olga Sutyrina, who is currently pursuing her career as a research scientist at Schlumberger.

"Such mid-term predictions can only rest on long past data series retracing the actual evolution of the solar cycle during centuries. Specifically, this work took advantage of the newly re-calibrated sunspot number from WDC-SILSO, combined with hemispheric information retrieved from the Greenwich photographic catalog. This data combination produced an even richer statistical base for building this new prediction technique," the study co-author and the head of the World Data Center SILSO Frederic Clette commented.

"And whatever storms may rage, we wish everyone good weather in space," concluded Tatiana Podladchikova.

More information: T. Podladchikova et al, Maximal growth rate of the ascending phase of a sunspot cycle for predicting its amplitude, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2022). Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics T. Podladchikova et al, Maximal growth rate of the ascending phase of a sunspot cycle for predicting its amplitude,(2022). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243509
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

On June 24, the Supreme Court released a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, upholding the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The court also ruled 5-4 to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 decision that protects pregnant people's right to privacy without excessive government restriction.

CU Boulder Today spoke with Jennifer Hendricks, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School, to understand her interpretation of the rulings.

What does this decision mean?

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminates the constitutional right to abortion, abolishes pregnant women's right to privacy and allows states to make abortion a crime at any point during a pregnancy. It also opens the door to prosecuting women for accidental harm to a fetus during pregnancy, such as if a woman drinks alcohol or gets in a car accident.

In addition, opponents of abortion rights have long claimed, falsely, that many methods of contraception are equivalent to abortion. We can expect to see prosecutors and legislatures applying their abortion bans to the pill, Plan B, IUDs and other long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs). The Dobbs decision adopts a legal standard that will require courts to defer to the views of state legislatures, not scientists, on whether contraceptives are really abortion, which means bans and criminalization of those contraceptives will be upheld.

Is it common for SCOTUS to overturn previous SCOTUS rulings? Why this one?

According to a list kept by the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court has overruled itself 233 times in its history (since 1790). There's a fair amount of interpretation that goes into deciding whether something has been overruled, and that list includes cases that have only been partially overruled or that have been undermined but not definitively undone. Professor David Schultz at the University of Minnesota counts only 145 true overrulings through 2020.

Roe v. Wade is probably the most re-affirmed case in the court's history. The principle that pregnant women have a right to privacy that includes the right to abortion was endorsed by 15 justices out of the 21 who faced that question from 1973 to 2017.

Roe v. Wade has been overruled because the Republican Party and the Federalist Society spent decades orchestrating the appointment of justices who would overrule it. Meanwhile, the governing class of the U.S. has increasingly either tolerated or promoted fascist tendencies in our politics. One of the few shared characteristics of fascist regimes is that they enforce traditional gender roles and control of women's sexuality and reproductive capacity, so the targeting of Roe is consistent with that overall trend.

What are 'trigger laws' we have heard about related to Roe v. Wade? How do they work?

A trigger law is an abortion ban that states passed in anticipation that Roe v. Wade would be overruled. Some of these trigger laws go into effect automatically, while others require a state official to certify that the ban can now be enforced. In addition, some states still have pre-Roe abortion bans sitting on their books, and those are now back in effect. Among Colorado's neighbors, Wyoming and Utah have trigger bans. Oklahoma, like Texas, didn't wait for Roe to be overruled and put its ban into effect as soon as the overruling seemed assured.

Is it constitutional for a state to ban its citizens from going to other states for abortions?

The only time when the Supreme Court has commented on that question, its answer was "no." In 1971, two years before Roe v. Wade, the editor of a campus newspaper at the University of Virginia was prosecuted for running an ad for an abortion provider in New York. In the course of throwing out that conviction, the Supreme Court said Virginia could not "prevent its residents from traveling to New York to obtain those services orprosecute them for going there." The court went on: "A State does not acquire power or supervision over the internal affairs of another state merely because the welfare and health of its own citizens may be affected when they travel to that state."

However, it's likely this precedent, like Roe v. Wade itself, will mean little to the current Supreme Court. In addition, litigation over states trying to enforce their abortion bans across state lines will likely be complex and take a long time, which will serve the purpose of frightening doctors and other people in states like Colorado who would otherwise help women from states like Texas.

How hard is it to change a state's constitution?

Like the federal Constitution, the Colorado Constitution does not expressly mention either abortion or the right to privacy. Whether our state constitution protects the right to abortion therefore depends on the views of the justices on the Colorado Supreme Court.

The text of the Colorado Constitution can also be amended by popular vote, with a 55% majority required to pass. Currently, defenders of abortion rights are working to put an amendment protecting abortion rights on the ballot in 2024. Opponents of abortion have previously proposed amendments, which appeared on the ballot in 2008 and 2020. Both failed by large margins.

Speaking of our state constitution, Colorado has some trigger laws of its own. Colorado's ban on same-sex marriage and "Amendment 2," which prohibited non-discrimination laws that would protect gay or lesbian people, are still in the constitution and would go back into effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the cases that struck them down. Those cases, especially the marriage case, were based on the same legal principles as Roe v. Wade, so they are threatened by the decision in Dobbs. The Dobbs majority distinguished those cases and suggested that it might not overturn them, but the majority did not criticize Justice Thomas' concurrence, in which he argued for overruling the same-sex marriage case as soon as possible.

What does the law currently say about medication abortion?

Under this decision, the state's power doesn't depend on the method of abortion because the Supreme Court completely eliminated the pregnant woman's right to privacy. Texas has already banned medication abortion. Other states will follow, and those bans will be upheld.

What could happen next?

This decision is devasting for women's rights. Women and doctors will risk prosecution to travel for abortion care or to smuggle abortion medications into states where they are banned. Some will be prosecuted and jailed, but those options will hopefully reduce the number of women turning to unsafe alternatives. Doctors in states like Texas will be afraid to treat ongoing miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, so women will suffer and die from those conditions when they could have been treated and saved.

More women will also die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. In the U.S., you are about 30 times more likely to die from carrying a pregnancy to term than from jumping out of a plane. As is currently the case, the women who die will be disproportionately African American.

Among women who know they are pregnant, about 10 to 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and every miscarriage is now a potential criminal case. Women will be investigated and prosecuted not just for intentionally trying to abort a pregnancy but also for "negligently causing" a miscarriage. Women have already been charged for falling down stairs, getting in car accidents, taking drugs and getting shot while pregnant.

Politically, the Women's Health Protection Act could provide support for women, but it has twice failed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, and would likely get struck down by the Supreme Court if it were to somehow pass into law. Furthermore, the next time the Republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House, they will likely abolish the filibuster and ban abortion nationwide. The Supreme Court would likely uphold such a ban.

Explore further The Lancet warns US Supreme Court over abortion
Nature has used 21 different ways over the last 4.5 billion years to create pyrite (aka Fools Gold) -- the mineral worlds champion of diverse origins. Pyrite forms at high temperature and low, with and without water, with the help of microbes and in harsh environments where life plays no role whatsoever. Credit: ARKENSTONE/Rob Lavinsky

A 15-year study led by the Carnegie Institution for Science details the origins and diversity of every known mineral on Earth, a landmark body of work that will help reconstruct the history of life on Earth, guide the search for new minerals and ore deposits, predict possible characteristics of future life, and aid the search for habitable planets and extraterrestrial life.

In twin papers published today by American Mineralogist and sponsored in part by NASA, Carnegie scientists Robert Hazen and Shaunna Morrison detail a novel approach to clustering (lumping) kindred species of minerals together or splitting off new species based on when and how they originated.

Once mineral genesis is factored in, the number of "mineral kinds"a newly-coined termtotals more than 10,500, a number about 75% greater than the roughly 6,000 mineral species recognized by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) on the basis of crystal structure and chemical composition alone.

"This work fundamentally changes our view of the diversity of minerals on the planet," says Dr. Hazen, Staff Scientist with the Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington DC.

80% of Earth's minerals were mediated by water

"For example, more than 80% of Earth's minerals were mediated by water, which is, therefore, fundamentally important to mineral diversity on this planet. By extension, this explains one of the key reasons why the Moon and Mercury and even Mars have far fewer mineral species than Earth."

"The work also tells us something very profound about the role of biology," he adds. "One third of Earth's minerals could not have formed without biologyshells and bones and teeth, or microbes, for example, or the vital indirect role of biology, such as by creating an oxygen-rich atmosphere that led to 2,000 minerals that wouldn't have formed otherwise."

"Each mineral specimen has a history. Each tells a story. Each is a time capsule that reveals Earth's past as nothing else can."

40% of Earth's mineral species formed in more than one way

According to the paper, nature created 40% of Earth's mineral species in more than one wayfor example, both abiotically and with a helping hand from cellsand in several cases used more than 15 different recipes to produce the same crystal structure and chemical composition.

Of the 5,659 recognized mineral species surveyed by Hazen and colleagues, nine came into being via 15 or more different physical, chemical and/or biological processeseverything from near-instantaneous formation by lightning or meteor strikes, to changes caused by water-rock interactions or transformations at high pressures and temperature spanning hundreds of millions of years.

And, as if to show she has a sense of humor, Nature has used 21 different ways over the last 4.5 billion years to create pyrite (aka Fool's Gold)the mineral world's champion of diverse origins. Pyrite forms at high temperature and low, with and without water, with the help of microbes and in harsh environments where life plays no role whatsoever.

Composed of one part iron to two parts sulfide (FeS2), pyrite is derived and delivered via meteorites, volcanos, hydrothermal deposits, by pressure between layers of rock, near-surface rock weathering, microbially-precipitated deposits, several mining-associated processes including coal mine fires, and many other means.

To reach their conclusions, Hazen and Morrison built a database of every known process of formation of every known mineral. Relying on large, open-access mineral databases (mindat.org and rruff.ima/info), amplified by thousands of primary research articles on the geology of mineral localities around the world, they identified 10,556 different combinations of minerals and modes of formation, detailed in the paper, "On the paragenetic modes of minerals: A mineral evolution perspective."

A beautiful example from Alberta, Canada of a biomineral -- an intersection of minerals and life. Credit: ARKENSTONE/Rob Lavinsky

In all, minerals have come into being in one or more of 57 different ways, according to that paper and a sister paper published simultaneously by the same journal, "Lumping and splitting: toward a classification of mineral natural kinds," co-authored by Drs. Hazen and Morrison in collaboration with mineralogists Sergey Krivovichev of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Robert Downs of the University of Arizona.

The goal of their efforts: "To understand how the diversity and distribution of minerals have changed through deep time and to propose a system of mineral classification that reflects mineral origins in the context of evolving terrestrial worlds."

Distinguishing minerals based on how and when each kind appeared through Earth's 4.5 billion+ year history

In earlier studies over more than a century, thousands of mineralogists worldwide have carefully documented almost 6,000 different "mineral species" based on their unique combinations of chemical composition and crystal structure. Dr. Hazen and colleagues took a different approach, emphasizing how and when each kind of mineral appeared through more than 4.5 billion years of Earth history.

"No one has undertaken this huge task before," says Dr. Hazen, honoured by the IMA with its 2021 medal for his outstanding achievements in mineral crystal chemistry, particularly in the field of mineral evolution.

"In these twin papers, we are putting forward our best effort to lay the groundwork for a new approach to recognizing different kinds of minerals. We welcome the insights, additions, and future versions of the mineralogical community."

The papers' new insights and conclusions include:

Water has played a dominant role in the mineral diversity of Earth, involved in the formation of more than 80% of mineral species.

Life played a direct or indirect role in the formation of almost half of known mineral species while a third of known mineralsmore than 1,900 speciesformed exclusively as a consequence of biological activities.

Rare elements play a disproportionate role in Earth's mineral diversity. Just 41 elementstogether constituting less than 5 parts per million of Earth's crustare essential constituents in some 2,400 (over 42%) of Earth's minerals. The 41 elements include arsenic, cadmium, gold, mercury, silver, titanium, tin, uranium, and tungsten.

Much of Earth's mineral diversity was established within the planet's first 250 million years

Some 296 known minerals are thought to pre-date Earth itself, of which 97 are known only from meteorites (with the age of some individual mineral grains estimated at 7 billion yearsbillions of years before the origin of our solar system)

The oldest known minerals are tiny, durable zircon crystals, almost 4.4 billion years old

More than 600 minerals have derived from human activities, including over 500 minerals caused by mining, 234 of them formed by coal mine fires

According to the research, 3,349 (59%) of IMA-approved mineral species are known to occur from just one process (paragenetic mode), 1,372 species (24%) from two processes, 458 (8%) from three processes, and the rest, 480 (8%), from four or more processes.

Diamonds, for example, composed of carbon, have originated in at least nine ways, including condensation in the cooling atmospheres of old stars, during a meteorite impact, and under hot ultra-high-pressure deep within the Earth.

These processes led to distinct diamond variantse.g. stellar, impact, mantle, and ultra-high-pressurewhich the authors designate as different "natural kinds."

The authors propose that, complementary to the IMA-approved mineral list, new categorizations and groupings be created on the basis of a mineral's genesis (paragenetic mode).

For example, science can group 400 minerals formed by condensation (whereby a substance transitions directly from gas to solid without passing through a liquid state) at volcanic fumarolesopenings in the Earth's surface that emit steam and volcanic gasses.

The papers detail other considerations in the clustering and classification of minerals, such as the eon in which they formed. For example, Earth's "Great Oxidation Event" about 2.3 billion years ago led new minerals to form at the planet's near-surface.

Beryl, the most common mineral containing the element beryllium comes in many beautiful colors such as emerald  its common name. The innovative approach to classification includes lumping several species with the beryl structure into a single "root mineral kind" while splitting off several individual "natural kinds" based on their unique formational environments, which create distinct red, pink, blue, and green "kinds" Credit: ARKENSTONE/Rob Lavinsky

And about 4.45 billion years ago, when water first appeared, the earliest water-rock interactions may have produced as many as 350 minerals in near-surface marine and terrestrial environments.

It appears too that hundreds of different minerals may have formed on Earth prior to the giant impact that vaporized much of our planet's crust and mantle and led to the Moon's formation about 4.5 billion years ago. If so, those minerals were obliterated, only to reform as Earth cooled and solidified.

"The sharp contrast between Earth's large complement of minerals and the relative mineralogical parsimony of the Moon and Mercury, as well as the modest diversity found on Mars, stems from differing influences of water," the authors say.

In addition to accidental mineral creations in mining fires, humanity has manufactured countless thousands of mineral-like compounds that don't qualify for recognition by the IMAbuilding materials, semiconductors, laser crystals, specialty alloys, synthetic gemstones, plastic debris and the like. All, however, are "likely to persist for millions of years in the geologic record, thus providing a clear sedimentary horizon that marks the so-called 'Anthropocene Epoch'."

Meanwhile, there are 77 "biominerals," according to the paper, formed by a variety of metabolic processeseverything from corals, shells, and stinging nettles, to minerals in bones, teeth and kidney stones.

Another 72 minerals derive directly or indirectly from the guano and urine of birds and bats. That list includes the rare mineral spheniscidite, which forms when the urine of penguins (order Sphenisciformes, hence the mineral name) reacts with clay minerals beneath a rookery on Elephant Island in the British Antarctic Territory.

Mineral evolution and the origins of life

The authors note that the formation of oceans, the extensive development of continental crust, and perhaps even the initiation of some early form of subduction (the process that drives plate tectonics today) in the early Hadean Eon 4.0 to 4.5 billion years ago, meant many important mineral-forming processesand as many as 3,534 mineral speciesoccurred in Earth's first 250 million years.

"If so, then most of the geochemical and mineralogical environments invoked in models of life's origins would have been present 4.3 billion years ago," they say.

If life is "a cosmic imperative that emerges on any mineral- and water-rich world," the authors say, "then these findings support the hypothesis that life on Earth emerged rapidly, in concert with a vibrant, diverse Mineral Kingdom, in the earliest stages of planetary evolution."

Extraterrestrial mineralogy

The work also points ways forward for future researchers and explorers:

"What mineral-forming environments occur on the Moon, Mars, and other terrestrial worlds? Enumerating paragenetic modes, and placing each mineral species into one or more of those categories, offers an opportunity to evaluate extraterrestrial mineralogy with a new perspective. If Mars had (or still has) a hydrological cycle, what mineralogical manifestations might we expect? For example, are there Martian hydrothermal sulfide deposits and, if so, were a variety of metals mobilized? On the other hand, if the Moon is truly dry, then what paragenetic processes are excluded? And do extraterrestrial bodies display paragenetic processes not seen on Earth, such as cryo-volcanism on Titan?"

Twin papers to debut July 1 in American Mineralogist are: "On the paragenetic modes of minerals: A mineral evolution perspective," and "Lumping and splitting: toward a classification of mineral natural kinds."

By the numbers

5,659: Mineral "species" recognized by the International Mineralogical Association at the time of this research. (That number has since risen to more than 5,800 species)

10,556: Combinations of minerals species and means of origin ("mineral kinds")

57: different physical, chemical or biological processes that created Earth's minerals

40%: Proportion of mineral species that originated in more than one way

3,349 (59%): Minerals that occur in just one process (paragenetic mode)

1,372 (24%): Minerals that occur in two ways

458 (8%): Minerals that occur in three ways

480 (8%): Minerals that occur in four or more ways

9: Minerals that came into being via 15 or more ways

21: Ways in which pyrite (Fool's Gold) has formedthe most of any mineral

9: Ways in which diamonds have formed in environments from outer space to deep Earth

80%: Minerals that water played a dominant role in creating

~50%: Minerals in which biology played a direct or indirect role in creating

1,900 (about 1/3rd): Minerals formed exclusively by biological processes

41: Rare elements (constituting less than 5 parts per million of Earth's crust) involved in forming 2,400 (over 42%) of minerals

296: Mineral thought to pre-date Earth itself

97: Minerals known only from meteorites

7 billion years (pre-dating our solar system by billions of years): The age of individual mineral grains discovered in meteorites

Up to 350: Minerals created in near-surface marine and terrestrial environments when water first appeared on Earth ~4.45 billion years ago

4.4 billion years: Age of the oldest known mineral created on Earth: zircon crystals

3,534: minerals thought to have formed within Earth's first 250 million years

600+: Minerals derived from human activities, including 500+ caused by mining, 234 from coal mine fires

77: Biominerals (formed by metabolic processes)

72: Minerals derived directly or indirectly from the guano and urine of birds and bats

Explore further New mineral classification system captures Earth's complex past

More information: Robert M. Hazen et al, On the paragenetic modes of minerals: A mineral evolution perspective, American Mineralogist (2022). Robert M. Hazen et al, On the paragenetic modes of minerals: A mineral evolution perspective,(2022). DOI: 10.2138/am-2022-8099 Robert M. Hazen et al, Lumping and splitting: Toward a classification of mineral natural kinds, American Mineralogist (2022). DOI: 10.2138/am-2022-8105 Journal information: American Mineralogist
(a) Formulas of BTA molecule and NiBTA and (b) electronic structure of NiBTA. The electronic structure is partitioned into - and -systems. The -system is further decomposed into LMOs of Ni and BTA blocks. Density of Ni lone pairs (LPs) is excluded from DOS (). Ni LMOs are labeled by harmonic polynomials corresponding to the orbital symmetry, 3d and 4p labels are added for clarity. Electrons in BTA and Ni diagrams are shown as dots. The red dots correspond to electrons of BTA that are absent in the ligand moieties of NiBTA. 3dXY, 4s, 4pX and 4pY orbitals of Ni are highly intermixed with other orbitals into -bands and are not shown here. Credit: Chemical Science (2022). DOI: 10.1039/D2SC03127B

Skoltech researchers with the help of their colleagues from Moscow State University unveiled the charge storage mechanisms of NiBTAa recently discovered material that can enable advanced fast-charging batteries. Their report is published in Chemical Science.

Fast-charging batteries are needed for many applications, such as electric vehicles that suffer from the "range anxiety" issue. However, modern battery anode materials are either unsuitable for reliable fast charging or afford only moderate energy density. It motivates the scientists to search for new materials that have larger capacities and can safely operate under fast-charging conditions.

Recently, researchers proposed NiBTA, a new promising anode material which is a nickel-based coordination polymer derived from benzenetetramine. However, it remained unclear how NiBTA is charged and discharged in batteries. Different research groups proposed entirely different mechanisms, mostly because the data were too ambiguous to give reliable conclusions. In the new work, Skoltech scientists used a combination of advanced methods to gain insights about NiBTA behavior in lithium-, sodium-, and potassium-based batteries.

"The beauty of this work is putting together various techniques, both experimental and theoretical," the first author of the study, Skoltech Professor Roman Kapaev said. "This helped to get trustworthy results because each method gives only a part of the picture. Among other things, we used operando X-ray diffraction and operando Raman spectroscopy, which allowed us to track the structural changes inside the batteries in detail. We were the first to apply such a rigorous approach for this class of compounds. This study sheds light on the redox chemistry of coordination polymers, which can be useful for many applications."

More information: Roman R. Kapaev et al, Charge storage mechanisms of a d conjugated polymer for advanced alkali-ion battery anodes, Chemical Science (2022). Journal information: Chemical Science Roman R. Kapaev et al, Charge storage mechanisms of a d conjugated polymer for advanced alkali-ion battery anodes,(2022). DOI: 10.1039/D2SC03127B
Examples of the gnats (left and middle) and springtrail (right) species used in the study. Credit: San Francisco State University

It's not often that you see genetic systems described as "bizarre" in the title of a scientific research paper. That is unless it's from the lab of San Francisco State University Associate Professor of Biology Scott Roy, who has a particular penchant for weird genetics.

In his latest paper for PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), Roy and his collaborators provide the first empirical evidence supporting a hypothesis for the evolution of haplodiploidy, the unusual sex-determining system found in species like bees, ants and wasps.

The most familiar sex-determining system is the XX/XY system, in which females tend to have a pair of X sex chromosomes and males have an X and Y. In many species (like humans), a sperm and egghaploid cells that each contain a single copy of genetic material including a single sex chromosomecome together to create a diploid individual with two copies of genetic material. In haplodiploidy, however, females follow the egg-sperm system while males arise from an egg alone. This means that males only have half the genetic information of their female counterparts (all from their mom).

"There's a sort of fundamental puzzle in biology, which is how is there weird stuff?" Roy said. "Either the weird thing evolved all in one step or it had to have happened by a series of steps, each of which was accepted by evolution."

The problem is that it's hard to explain the evolutionary transition from the more familiar sex determining system to haplodiploidy, Roy says. Since haploid males have less genetic material and no paternal genes (reducing genetic diversity), we'd expect them to have a lower chance for survival. So how have species maintained haploid males?

The key might be in intragenomic conflicts (i.e., conflicts between different genes within an individual) that destabilize genetic systems and promote the origin of new systems (like haplodiploidy). According to this hypothesis, genes linked to dad's X chromosome might be biasing sperm production towards making more X-containing sperm, leading to more daughters (XX) than sons. If so, this could drive the production of haploid males to rebalance the ratio of males to females. Researchers suspect this would happen in the presence of a larger X chromosome.

"The idea that conflict between genes in a single organism could be propelling evolution has been around for a while. But to date there's are very few or no empirical tests of it," Roy said.

That's because it's a difficult hypothesis to test in known species and distinguish from other possible explanations, he adds. But that didn't stop him and his collaborators.

They sequenced the whole genome of dark-winged fungus gnats, gall midges/gnats and springtails to work around some of their experimental challenges. These species are essentially haplodiploid but would allow the researchers to separate the conflict hypothesis from other proposed hypotheses.

The analysis revealed that these species indeed have very large X chromosomes compared with related diploid species. Their large X chromosomes took up between 16% to 66% of a species' genome.

"Typically, 1 to 5% of the genome is about the X chromosome, but in these systems it's almost half the genome. That's a very big and clear difference," said first author Noelle Anderson, a University of California, Merced Ph.D. student in Roy's lab. (Roy has a secondary adjunct professorship at UC Merced.)

The exciting thing is how clear the data is, Roy explains. "We're talking about over tens of millions of years of evolution here, maybe hundreds. And to see this clear a pattern in bioinformatics data is almost unheard of," he added.

This evidence supports the idea that intragenomic conflicts could drive the evolution of novel biological systems, Roy says. He credits SF State's culture for emboldening him to pursue this tricky project.

"I would never have developed the skills or the confidence for us to go off in this [research] direction, and so it's sort of a tribute to San Francisco State," Roy said. "I feel a lot of intellectual freedom here."

Anderson, who initially worked with Roy in the summer of 2014 as an SF State NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates researcher, will return to the University after graduation as a lecturer teaching bioinformatics.

Explore further Research suggests male birds have stronger immune system than females

More information: Noelle Anderson et al, Gene-rich X chromosomes implicate intragenomic conflict in the evolution of bizarre genetic systems, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Noelle Anderson et al, Gene-rich X chromosomes implicate intragenomic conflict in the evolution of bizarre genetic systems,(2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122580119
The ranked choice voting item on Berwyn Township ballots Tuesday was just a concept, not a commitment, but it won a landslide victory that would make Franklin D. Roosevelt jealous.

The electoral method lets voters rank candidates instead of selecting just one, which advocates say is fairer and more efficient than the traditional system, and 82% of township voters said yes to a nonbinding referendum that asked whether the state should allow it.

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I think people would like to feel free to vote their hearts, said Green Party activist Rita Maniotis, who circulated petitions to get the measure on the ballot. It frees them from this fear that theyre doing something irresponsible by voting for someone they believe in, but who they worry couldnt win in the end.

The referendum was one of the first official endorsements for ranked choice voting in Illinois, but it might not be the last.

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Ranked choice voting, a ballot measure championed by Illinois Green Party member Rita Maniotis, was endorsed by Berwyn Township voters during the June 28, 2022, election. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Evanston residents could vote in the fall to adopt the system for their elections. Chicago Ald. Matt Martin 47th, is trying to persuade his colleagues to bring it to the city. And state Sen. Laura Murphy, D-Des Plaines, has introduced a bill that would make it the default for legislative, gubernatorial and other state races.

I know that its a change, but if it encourages more people to become engaged in the election process, everybody wins, Murphy said.

Ranked choice voting, long pitched as a reform by good government organizations, has caught on across the country in recent years. Maine and Alaska use it, while municipalities as varied as New York City and Salt Lake City also have adopted the system.

It works like this: Voters considering a race with, say, seven candidates rank them one to seven. If any of the seven gets more than 50% of first-choice votes, he or she wins.

If not, the candidate with the lowest number of first-choice votes is eliminated, and those who backed that candidate have their votes transferred to their second choice. The process is repeated until one candidate has more than 50% of the vote.

Andrew Szilva of FairVote Illinois, a group that advocates for ranked choice voting, said the method has plenty to recommend it.

It ensures the winner of an election has majority support. It saves money by eliminating the need for runoff elections. It encourages positive campaigning, since candidates are incentivized against alienating a chunk of the electorate. It even leads to more political and ethnic diversity among candidates, he said.

It has what seems like a slew of benefits and very few, if any, drawbacks, he said.

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Martin, the Chicago alderman, said he became a believer after speaking with civic groups that favor the idea and seeing how its being used in other cities (New York used rank choice voting for the first time last year to elect its mayor).

He said it could be particularly useful in Chicago, given its tradition of runoff elections. Turnout usually declines between the first round and the runoff, he said, and holding a second election can cost the city millions of dollars.

Whats more, he said, candidates spend weeks raising more money to contest the runoff when they could be focused on their jobs.

That (time) would be better spent putting together your ward office and connecting with people across the city, he said.

Martin, who faces election next year, said he will make the issue a priority if he wins another term.

Evanston, meanwhile, could soon become the first municipality in the state to fully adopt ranked choice voting. Springfield uses a limited version for military voters sending in ballots from overseas, Szilva said.

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A measure put forth by Ald. Juan Geracaris was approved by the citys rules committee in June, and if the full City Council gives it the green light, Evanston residents will vote in November on whether to adopt it for local elections.

Some council members expressed concern the process could confuse voters, a worry that has come up elsewhere. Geracaris told the Tribune people unfamiliar with the concept quickly figured it out once he walked them through it.

This is a big change, he said. People are accustomed to voting for one person for a position. But after explaining how ranked choice voting works, its always been the case thus far that people have left the conversation feeling more positive about it.

The evidence on voter confusion so far is mixed. Szilva said 95% of New York voters said the system was easy to use, but other surveys have found greater uncertainty elsewhere. Ranked choice voting can also turn a traditional result on its head.

In a 2018 congressional race in Maine, Rep. Bruce Poliquin, the incumbent, finished with 2,000 more first-place votes than his main rival, Jared Golden. But since he had less than 50% support, the election went to second- and third-choice votes, and Golden ended up winning.

Poliquin sued in an unsuccessful attempt to get the result thrown out, claiming he was the true winner.

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It is now officially clear I won the constitutional one-person, one-vote first-choice election on Election Day that has been used in Maine for more than 100 years, he said after the ballots were counted.

A researcher at the MIT Election Lab examined that election and found that one supposed attribute of ranked choice voting  that it discourages nasty campaigning because candidates still want to be a voters second or third choice  didnt hold up: Facebook campaign ads there were even more negative than they were in other districts around the country.

But the researcher also found that third party candidates did indeed get a boost from ranked choice voting, which is why Maniotis wanted to get it on a ballot.

She wasnt able to vote on the referendum  she moved from Berwyn after collecting the signatures  but said ranked choice voting could be a boon for the Green Party and its priorities, even if its candidates dont end up winning.

What it does is send a message to elected officials of what (issues) people are really interested in, the party they are aligned with, the ideals they are aligned with, she said. I think it can also form a consensus around issues and perhaps other candidates will pick up those ideas as well.

jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @JohnKeilman
Humpback whales can quickly learn complex song patterns from other whale populations. Credit: The University of Queensland

A University of Queensland-led study has found humpback whales can learn incredibly complex songs from whales from other regions.

Dr. Jenny Allen, whose doctoral work at UQ's School of Veterinary Science led to the study, said researchers found New Caledonian humpback whales could learn songs from their counterparts from Australia's east coast with remarkable accuracy.

"This really indicates a level of 'cultural transmission' beyond any observed non-human species," Dr. Allen said.

The study looked closely at the song patterns of male humpback whales from each region between 2009 and 2015, to examine how culture transmits between the populations.

Dr. Allen said the complexity of the songs was determined by measuring both the number of sounds the whales made and the length of the sound patterns.

A spectogram of humpback whale song recorded by UQ's Dr Jenny Allen. Credit: University of Queensland

"By listening to the Australian humpback population, we were able to see if the songs changed in any way when sung by the New Caledonian whales," Dr. Allen said.

"We found they actually learned the exact sounds, without simplifying or leaving anything out.

"And each year we observed them they sang a different song, so it means humpback whales can learn an entire song pattern from another population very quickly, even if it's complex or difficult."

The findings support the idea that songs are being learned by whales on shared migration routes like New Zealand or shared feeding grounds like Antarctica.

"It's rare for this degree of cultural exchange to be documented on such a large scale in a non-human species," Dr. Allen said.

"We hope these findings provide a model for further study into understanding the evolution of cultural communication in animals and humans."

While humpback whales have recently been taken off the endangered species list, Dr. Allen said their populations still need to be carefully managed, and these findings could help.

Dr Jenny Allen recording whale song onboard a boat off New Caledonia. Credit: Operation Cetaces.

"Having an in-depth understanding of a species is known to greatly improve the efficacy of conservation and management methods," Dr. Allen said.

"We now have a more holistic picture of the behaviors, movements and interactions of different humpback whale populations, including how they transmit culture.

"It means we're better equipped to protect them against the many threats they face as our climate, and planet, continue to change."

The research is a collaboration with Operation Cetaces from New Caledonia and has been published in Scientific Reports.

Explore further Humpback whales found to compose new communal song every few years

More information: Jenny A Allen et al, Song complexity is maintained during inter-population cultural transmission of humpback whale songs, Scientific Reports (2022). Journal information: Scientific Reports Jenny A Allen et al, Song complexity is maintained during inter-population cultural transmission of humpback whale songs,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12784-3
Threatened: The white rhinoceros (file picture).

A Mozambican park welcomed its first white rhinos in 40 years on Friday after 19 of the threatened animals completed a 1,600-kilometre (thousand-mile) truck ride from South Africa, conservationists said.

The rhinos were reintroduced to Zinave National Park in southern Mozambique under an initiative to restore wildlife and boost the local economy.

Wildlife in the 4,000-square-kilometre (1,500-square-mile) haven was decimated by Mozambique's decades-long civil war, which ended in 1992, and by poaching.

"The return of the rhino allows for Zinave to be introduced as a new and exciting tourism destination in Mozambique," said Werner Myburgh, head of Peace Parks Foundation (PPF), the conservation group that led the project.

Zinave is now the only national park in Mozambique to house all "Big Five" African game animalselephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffaloMyburgh said in a statement.

Since 2015, 2,400 animals from 14 species have been released into the reserve.

The rhinoceroses were hauled to Zinave from neighbouring South Africa over several days in June, in what the PPF said was the longest-ever transfer of rhinos by road.

On Friday, some of the animals were released from their enclosures into a sanctuary featuring extra security to protect them from poachers.

The ceremony was attended by President Filipe Nyusi and Environment Minister Ivete Maibaze.

"The protection of biodiversity is a universal imperative and together we will continue to fight for the preservation of our natural heritage," said Nyusi.

"Only then will future generations be able to enjoy the benefits of nature and join our mission of preserving our natural resources."

The white rhinoceros is classified as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) while its cousin, the African black rhino, is listed as critically endangered.

The PPF said it planned to more than double the park's rhino population over the next three years, adding more from both species.

Explore further One of Africa's largest wildlife relocations begins

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SOUTH GLENS FALLS  A South Glens Falls woman was arrested after police said she provided false COVID vaccine information to the South Glens Falls Central School system.

Angel Isaac, 46, of Tanglewood Drive, is facing a felony charge of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, according to a news release from the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office.

She has a court appearance set in Moreau Town Court for a later date.

No further information on the incident was available Thursday.
ATLANTIC CITY  The citys $235 million budget passed unanimously and without comment at a special meeting Thursday, but the potential lease of the historic Carnegie Library to a Newark nonprofit for $1 a year motivated debate.

City Council voted 7-1 to introduce an ordinance to rent the first floor and half of the second floor to the National Action Networks NAN Newark Tech World for five years at $1 per year for use as a community and education center for youth in Atlantic City.

Council will conduct a public hearing and final vote at a future meeting.

There is only a certain amount of Carnegie Libraries in the state. Ours is one of the most renowned, said Councilman Bruce Weekes, the only no vote. Only in Atlantic City would we be giving this away to someone for $1 a year.

Weekes asked whether the administration looked at local nonprofits to see if they could use the building for $1 a year to propel their mission forward.

Its a beautiful building ... and its going to be used for kids to offer programs that are not necessarily the same as the city (offers), said Business Administrator Anthony Swan. Thats due diligence. Its a good fit for the city.

Highlights of $235 million Atlantic City budget to be voted on Thursday ATLANTIC CITY  The $235 million city budget for 2022 will be voted on during a special meet

Swan also said the lessee will pay half of the utility bill for the building, which has run about $100,000 a year.

They will be paying about $50,000, Swan said.

Council Vice President Kaleem Shabazz, who represents the 3rd Ward where the library is located, sponsored the ordinance. He said the building will continue to house some municipal offices.

Shabazz also said NAN has already been involved in the Leaders in Training program in Atlantic City, which employs and works with young people during the summer.

They have a background and track record helping youngsters from high school to age 24, Shabazz said. We need to focus on them to get them career skills.

I have said I was going to work with the National Action Network, said Mayor Marty Small Sr. I have visited Newark with members of the Attorney Generals Office for my anti-violence program, and we went to the (NAN) center. Its cutting edge and state of the art.

Council may lease Carnegie Library to nonprofit for $1 per year ATLANTIC CITY  City Council will consider at a special meeting Thursday an ordinance to lea

Do we have an escape clause if (NAN) doesnt live up to expectations? asked Council President George Tibbitt.

Swan said there was such a clause in the lease.

If they dont do what they said they would, we can end it. We have to give notice, but we can end it, Swan said.

The citys budget raises $38.6 million from local taxpayers, down 3.7% from the $40 million collected from property taxes last year, resulting in a 2.9% tax rate decrease.

It uses $15 million in surplus to increase spending on city employee salaries by 10% and on debt service by 7%, even as the state will provide $5.7 million less in aid.

The municipal tax rate will fall roughly 5 cents, from $1.6480 to $1.5997 per $100 of assessed property value, Chief Financial Officer Toro Aboderin has said.

For the average household with a $125,000 assessment, thats a decrease of the local tax of $60.43, Aboderin has said.

REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-841-2895 mpost@pressofac.com

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ATLANTIC CITY  Two people, one of whom was found to have an illegal weapon, were arrested during a drug bust in the city Tuesday, police said.

Officers surveying the 2600 block of Pacific Avenue following reports of drug activity in the area spotted David Nesbitt and Gregory Kinash in an alleged drug deal, police said Thursday in a news release.

Nesbitt, 22, of Atlantic City, was found to be in possession of 19.6 grams of heroin, or about 80 wax folds, 1.9 grams of crack cocaine, one crushed white-and-blue pill, a black scale and 50 grams of marijuana.

Kinash, 51, of Millville, was carrying about 1 gram of crack cocaine, police said. Both men were taken into custody.

The investigation led police to a motel in the 3000 block of Pacific Avenue, where Nesbitt rented a room. After being given a search warrant, authorities exploring the room found a loaded semi-automatic handgun  later identified as a ghost gun without a serial number  with a high-capacity magazine, 100 wax folds of heroin and 122 grams of marijuana packaged for street sale, police said.

Additionally, police said they found about $2,510 believed to be proceeds from illegal drug sales.

Nesbitt was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon during a drug offense, possession of a ghost gun, possession of a high-capacity magazine, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute, distribution within 1,000 feet of a public school, distribution within 500 feet of a public park, money laundering and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the Atlantic County jail.

Kinash was charged with possession of a CDS and was released on a summons pending court.

Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin

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LOWER TOWNSHIP  An Essex County man is charged with carjacking after leading police on a 90 mph chase while the car's owner was hanging off the roof, police said.

Woodrow Gibson, 19, of East Orange, was spotted by police officers leaving the North Cape May Wawa about 10:45 p.m. June 20 driving a Ford Edge, with the vehicle's owner on top of the car.

A second vehicle also left the parking lot quickly, in an attempt to run down the Ford, police said.

Police pursued the vehicles, which were traveling at high speeds. Both were found at Bayshore and Fishing Creek roads, where the second vehicle tried blocking the first, all while the owner was still on the roof, police said.

The Ford rammed the other vehicle, clearing space to continue fleeing while police chased it.

Villas crash injures two LOWER TOWNSHIP  Two cars collided Wednesday night on Fulling Mill Road in the townships Vi

Police did not say what prompted the second vehicle to chase the Ford.

The owner was eventually thrown off the vehicle's roof at Bayshore and Fulling Mill roads. Officers stopped their pursuit to tend to the owner. He said he was attempting to stop the theft, police said.

The car eventually was recovered in Camden and returned, police said.

Gibson was charged with carjacking, robbery, aggravated assault, eluding, aggravated assault while eluding police, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft of means of conveyance, theft of movable property and assault by auto.

He was arrested on unrelated charges in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania, and is currently in the Bucks County jail. He will be extradited to New Jersey, police said.

Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin

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BRIDGETON  Police are investigating a robbery outside a liquor store where a man was stabbed with a pocket knife Thursday evening.

While at Inspira Medical Center Vineland for treatment, the victim told police that three men, whom he described as "Spanish-speaking and wearing face coverings," approached him outside the store at 56 S. Laurel St.

During the incident, which happened about 7:30 p.m., the group demanded money from him, and when he told them he didn't have any, one of the men stabbed him, police said.

The suspects seized $60 from the man before running from the area, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident can call police at 856-451-0033 or visit bpd.tips.

Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin

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VENTNOR  The midday white pants crowd was brunching outside The Dorset in Ventnor Heights, as the new owners of Florida Cold Cuts and Liquor on Ventnor Avenue were touting just-arrived artisan craft whiskey delivery.

Never mind that the old owners, Vern and Marion Sutley, were still hanging around to teach the art of sandwich making to the new folks from Steve & Cookies while the deal was finalized. For a time, it seemed Marion might never leave, and nobody wanted to talk too much about the transition.

But the real transition story is bigger than whats behind the counter at Florida Cold Cuts, where the boiled ham will forever go for $3.99 a pound  or so the window sign says. Its bigger than the confidence of Fishtown entrepreneur Vanessa Wong, of Fishtown Social, in choosing Ventnor Heights for her new Wahine Wine Co. and Fish & Whistle Market.

We love Ventnor, said Wong, who moved to Longport full time from Fishtown with her husband, Ryan Slaven, and three children five years ago. I really like the vibe. Its such a cool mix. Fishtown was very similar in terms of that mix. The old guard, the new guard, the energy.

Its Ventnor itself, and maybe the entire Jersey Shore, that is changing by the day, going bougie, upscale, distancing itself from the old feel of a locals town, filled with year-round working class families with jobs in the casinos.

Ventnor these days is feeling more and more like Longport, Brigantine like Stone Harbor, Stone Harbor like the Hamptons. The extravagant new beachfront construction in Margate is like something out of Selling Sunset.

If youve got a foothold, hang on for the ride. But what about the old bread-and-butter working class shore-goers and year-rounders, now all but priced out of places they grew up living in and going to?

Hundreds enjoy second day of Atlantic City Seafood and Music Festival ATLANTIC CITY  Seafood lovers from across New Jersey are at Bader Field this weekend for th

Tim Kreischer, who served as Ventnors mayor from 1996 to 2008, says that year-round community feeling has been diminished, but its a tradeoff for higher ratables and other improvements around town. The 2020 census showed a year-round population of 9,210, down from 2010s 10,650.

I grew up in Ventnor, and there were a number of empty lots to play whiffle ball in, he mused. Now every bit of land is taken up. Im kind of old school. I kind of miss the old Ventnor.

Michael Carr, owner of Jagielkys, the shore candy institution that had its start 50 years ago, says Ventnor is going through growing pains, as houses are torn down and rebuilt, as year-rounders sell and as longstanding summer residents get priced out of a market where the median sale price in April was $499,000, up 28.3% over the year before.

But while Carr can be found on the Facebook Ventnor Community Forum making the occasional wry reference to Bougie Ventnor...now please pass the Grey Poupon, he says people missing the old Ventnor have plenty to be thankful for.

If its so bad, how come your propertys worth so much? Carr says.

Vespas and pickleball

The Vespa was parked outside Ventnors busy new pickleball courts, down Atlantic Avenue from the weekly farmers market, a buzzing success that draws a crowd shopping for hyperlocal pickles and organic kohlrabi.

Nearby on the Boardwalk, the brand new $755,000 lifeguard headquarters is almost complete, part of what current Mayor Beth Holtzman says is the eye candy that represents the ambitions of the town and of her administration. The restored Ventnor Square Theatre and Nuckys bar and restaurant have been a success.

Holtzman has lived in Ventnor all her life: Her father ran a hair salon next to Sack O Subs, in the building that just burned down. In the Heights, where she lives, houses are selling for two and three times their assessed value.

Stockton University jobs program is benefiting students and Atlantic City businesses ATLANTIC CITY  A new Stockton University program has helped students develop real world job

Realtors told me the last few summers, people say they want Ventnor, she said. In her job with the county, Holtzman oversaw a grant program after Superstorm Sandy that helped people pay mortgages. She saw firsthand how some people had to walk away.

The majority of people hung in there, she said. I know theyre glad they did.

Almost every street in the Heights has seen new construction.

Tax Assessor Bob Crowther says there are currently 198 properties receiving a five-year-tax abatement for new construction, another legacy of 2012s Sandy, where homes were damaged and flooded, and needed to be raised to meet FEMA standards.

Even with the abatements, Ventnors ratables are up to $2.65 billion from $2.17 billion in 2017, he said.

The tax abatement ensured Ventnor would not be left blighted. But the concern then-Gov. Chris Christie expressed that the blue-collar character of the Jersey Shore be preserved, that it remain a place that not-rich people could get a foothold in, seems more and more wishful thinking.

The Heights have turned around tremendously, Crowther said of the areas of Ventnor on the bay side of the intracoastal waterway.

The majority of the town is secondary, this is their second or third home, he said. Especially with this last market after the pandemic, I wasnt sure what would happen, would it tank? But it just blew up.

Community raises money for family displaced by Ventnor fire VENTNOR  Community members have joined together to help a family that lost everything in a 

Dorset Avenue influencers

At The Dorset, they were posting about fashion designer Jacqueline City stopping by and posing by their Instagram-ready backdrop wall that reads, Meet me at the Dorset.

Chef Joe Tucker, who owns Catch in Longport, says Ventnor was ready.

Listen, Ventnor Heights, whats the perfect word I want to use, is like up and coming, Tucker said. You know the shore just grew to where this is the next best thing. It was always like that sleepy, how do you say, that quiet little place. Now everybody is noticing it. You see the way theyre building in the Heights.

David Weiman, a psychologist from Montgomery County who has spent summers all his life in Ventnor, says he thinks Ventnor can handle both its influx of new residents and its old guard. Echoing Vanessa Wong, he says that eclectic character is its strength.

Its a place where regulars care about it, and a place where people who just discovered it love it, Weiman said. You have The Dorset opening where Annettes was, that classic old school place where people went in and made their own cup of coffee before it opened.

The newcomers are seeking out the places that have been in Ventnor for decades, he says.

I was in Jagielkys, and there was a couple there that I assumed was visiting, he said. They looked at one another after they got their order and said, OK, were supposed to go to Sack-Os next. These folks might have been bougie, but they hit the local spots.

The Fish & Whistle Market (named after the John Prine song) will sell a selection of gourmet groceries, including cheese, charcuterie, farm-fresh eggs, plus tins of fish like Matiz Wild Cockles from Galicia, Spain, vegan pastries and three types of $10 Bahn Mi and ReAnimator Coffee right out of Fishtown.

There will be tables and chairs on the patio out front on the corner of Dorset and Edgewater, but for now, no drinking of any wine you might buy at Wahine. State regulators would not give her the go-ahead, Wong said.

For now, shes content to limit the hours to lifeguard hours, and the patio to the coffee and Bahn Mi crowd.

Its no different than going home to dinner after college and your parents got all new furniture, she said. Its still home.
TRENTON  Half of state senators and 43 of 80 Assembly members have signed on to sponsor bills to end legal smoking in casinos.

"We will keep this issue front and center over the summer and work to make sure its a top priority when legislators return to Trenton in September," said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers Rights. "Especially in light of the new reality that smoke-free casinos are performing better than their smoking counterparts, theres no reason not to act."

The Casino Association of New Jersey has strongly opposed the bills, saying banning smoking would harm the industry and cost jobs.

A majority of South Jersey legislators, including the entire Atlantic City delegation, support the bills.

We started this fight a year ago  Fourth of July marks one year since poisonous smoking came back to our workplaces," said Pete Nacarelli, co-leader of Casino Employees Against Smokings Effects. "We will continue fighting. ... Our health and our lives are on the line.

The bills (S264/A2151) would close the casino smoking loophole and ban indoor smoking in casinos and simulcasting facilities.

Four more senators and six more Assembly members signed on Monday, according to CEASE and ANR.

Additional legislators have pledged to vote for the bills when they reach the floor in each chamber, the groups said.

While the casino workers union Unite Here Local 54 opposes the bills, other unions support them.

A new study released by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming earlier this month found that banning smoking no longer results in a loss of customers.

Van Drew bill would guarantee visitation rights to hospitalized: U.S. Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, and Andy Harris, R-Md., introduced the No Patient Left Alone Act on Thursday, Van Drew's office said.

The legislation would guarantee a hospital patient's right to receive visitors and require hospitals to honor this right as a condition of Medicare participation.

"The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how current federal law does not protect a hospital patient's right to have a loved one visit during their hospital stay," Van Drew said.

He said he was motivated to write the bill after meeting with a lifelong New Jersey resident, Stephanie Williamson, who was unable to be with her dying husband earlier this year because of hospital policy.

"Hospitals should not be allowed to restrict patients from seeing their loved ones in such a dire time," Van Drew said.

The No Patient Left Alone Act requires hospitals to have written visitation policies and to inform patients of their visitation rights.

Groups oppose bail system changes: Several social justice groups on Thursday wrote to Gov. Phil Murphy, urging him to conditionally veto A2426, a bill that will make it easier to detain people accused of certain firearm offenses.

The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Fair Share Housing Center, NAACP New Jersey State Conference, and Salvation and Social Justice said in the letter that the bill weakens the Criminal Justice Reform Act, which eliminated bail for most offenses.

New Jersey law requires that a racial and ethnic impact statement is provided for criminal justice bills affecting pretrial detention before the Legislature votes on them, the groups said, but that has not happened for this bill.

As it stands now, it is unknown to what degree this legislation will disproportionately impact communities of color, according to the groups.

REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-841-2895 mpost@pressofac.com

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Dylan Frittelli knows what it takes to have success at the John Deere Classic.

The South African tamed the PGA Tour-owned TPC Deere Run course back in 2019 en route to his first and only Tour title.

After waiting a year because of the COVID pandemic to defend his title, he found out how the course can also be humbling when he missed the 2021 cut by a stroke in his delayed title defense.

On Thursday, in the opening round of the $7.1 million event, he was back on the right side of the road, finishing with a 5-under 66 to end up in a four-way tie for fifth. He was four shots off the pace set by leader J.T. Poston.

Yeah, it feels pretty good to have a good round around here, said Frittelli after carding a bogey-free round.

Frittelli, who comes in ranked No. 106 on the FedExCup list and with just one Top 10 finish (Valero Texas Open) on his resume this season, admitted to feeling a bit more comfortable trading the role of defending champ for past champ.

I've only defended three titles before in my life, so it's a different vibe having a bunch of media exposure and people asking for autographs and time and dragging you in different directions, admitted Frittelli. I enjoyed it. It was nice to be celebrated two years after winning my first PGA Tour title, but it's definitely a bit more low-key this week, so it was easier to prep for the first round.

That first round, though, didnt get off to a very smooth start.

I probably should have been 2-, 3-over through the first six holes, he admitted. I don't think I hit a fairway until 9, so I was all over the place early. The wind was pretty blustery so I tried to keep it in perspective and know that once the wind died down, or if it died down, I could get off to the back nine a little bit.

Glad I made some putts on the back nine. Glad I stuck to my plan of hitting fairways and greens.

Heading into Fridays second round in a great position to not only make the cut, but be in contention, Frittelli hopes he can draw on his 2019 success and keep things rolling.

I would like to think there are some tee shots I could feel comfortable over and draw on some experience from the final round in 2019, but only time will tell, Frittelli said. "If I am in contention on Saturday or Sunday I can only answer the question truly then.

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President Xi hails Hong Kong's innovation, technology development

Xinhua) 08:16, July 01, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping has exchanges with Hong Kong-based academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, researchers, and young entrepreneurs, in Hong Kong, south China, June 30, 2022. Xi made an inspection tour of the Hong Kong Science Park on Thursday, accompanied by Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

HONG KONG, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Under the support of the central government, Hong Kong has leveraged its own advantages to make remarkable achievements in basic research, talent cultivation, and development in the innovation and technology sector in recent years, President Xi Jinping said Thursday.

Xi made the remarks during an inspection tour of the Hong Kong Science Park, accompanied by Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam.

He had warm exchanges with Hong Kong-based academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, researchers, and young entrepreneurs.

The president arrived in Hong Kong Thursday afternoon to attend a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR on July 1.

The science park, the largest research and development and business incubation base in Hong Kong, is currently home to more than 1,100 enterprises and 17,000 innovators.

The HKSAR government should give full play to the role of technological innovation in supporting and leading economic development, Xi said.

In a visit to the Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases within the park, Xi learned about the progress in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and encouraged researchers to make more world-leading achievements.

When talking with academicians, researchers, and youth representatives of innovation enterprises, Xi called on Hong Kong to better cooperate with mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, strengthen the collaborative development of enterprises, universities and research institutions, and strive to build the bay area into a global highland for scientific and technological innovation.

Xi expressed the hope that the tradition of loving the motherland and Hong Kong will be carried forward and more contribution will be made to build China into a global leader in science and technology.

Efforts should also be made to pave way for the youths, providing them with more growth space, Xi said.

On Thursday afternoon, Xi's wife Peng Liyuan visited the Xiqu Center in the West Kowloon Cultural District, which is a venue for the art of Chinese traditional theater.

She watched rehearsals and spoke highly of the performances, calling the show a display of the charm of Chinese culture. Peng also encouraged Hong Kong's younger generation to have an in-depth understanding of fine traditional Chinese culture and inherit and promote the culture.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Acting as a Brazilian astronaut in a Chinese film scheduled for next year -- "The Wandering Earth II" -- Daniela Tassy is approaching her acting dream thanks to China's large film market and the friendly relationship between China and Brazil.

The-39-year-old Brazilian came to the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing in 2014 to learn Chinese with a wish to be a translator when going back to Brazil. Fascinated by Chinese culture, she decided to stay after studying for one year.

Wearing Chinese costumes and watching traditional Chinese operas, Tassy filmed and posted what she saw and heard in Portuguese on social media to let more people in Brazil know about China.

"I have my YouTube channel, and I show people a little bit of my daily life. I talk to friends, and we try Chinese food or go to a tourist attraction," Tassy said.

Being an actress has been a dream for Tassy. She found that Chinese TV dramas were popular among Brazilian youth and more Brazilian actors came to China for their stage fever these years.

"When talking about Chinese TV dramas, Brazilian people get very excited," Tassy said.

"I shot a Chinese TV drama 'To Be With You' before. I played the role of a French real estate agent. I watched the whole drama. It was very interesting to know how they shot it," Tassy said.

In 2019, her dreams of being an actress came true. "My role in 'The Wandering Earth II' was small, but I still felt it very rewarding to be part of this team," she said.

"I hope my family and friends could see me on cinema screens or online platforms when the new film is on," she said.

In her daily life, Tassy enjoys visiting Chinese places of interest such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and she posts some video clips on her YouTube channel. "Wearing cheongsam and warriors' clothes with a sword, I felt a little bit Chinese." These pictures on her Youtube channel attract fans globally.

When it comes to the just-concluded 14th BRICS Summit, Tassy shared her opinions about the cooperation between BRICS countries. "I can strongly feel a close and friendly relationship between China and Brazil," she said.

Year after year, she has witnessed enormous progress in China's environmental protection. "The air pollution is getting lower and lower, with many anti-pollution measures taken such as planting bushes in the deserts and arid areas,"

Once she saw a documentary about how Chinese people are turning deserts into forests. "They're planting some bushes that can grow in an arid climate. Brazil is also a vast country, and we can learn from China since the country also has some arid regions," she said.

"We could also cooperate in more aspects, not only bringing famous Brazilian actors to China but also bringing Chinese actors or even the production team to Brazil," Tassy said, expressing her wish to continue her dream of being an actress in China.
CAMBRIDGE, Ill.  An Orion woman filed a two-count lawsuit Wednesday in Henry County Circuit Court against her former employer, Hammond-Henry Hospital.

Kristen Crimmins alleges wrongful termination-disability discrimination based on her seeking time off in late July 2021 to care for her granddaughter, who was born prematurely at 26 weeks in May 2021 and who was on oxygen. The lawsuit states Crimmins informed her employer she would use some of her approximately 13 weeks of vacation time once a week on Tuesdays starting in late August 2021.

According to the suit, the hospital was in violation of U.S. Code 12112(b)(4), which states an employer is "prohibited from discriminating against an employee because of the known disability of an individual with whom the employee is known to have a relationship or association." By being on oxygen, Crimmins' granddaughter had a disability that affected the major life activity of breathing.

Crimmins was terminated on Aug. 10, 2021, after 26 years of working at Hammond-Henry, allegedly for performing a nursing procedure outside the scope of nursing practices in taking a culture of a patient's foot wound "upon the directions and approval of the supervising medical doctor." The suit states there were several other alleged reasons for Crimmins' termination related to that wound culture that did not involve her "whatsoever."

The suit states the care for the disability of Crimmins' grandchild was a motivating factor in the hospital's decision to terminate her.

The second count, wrongful demotion-age discrimination alleges that in April 2021, after she turned 55 and became eligible for IMRF retirement, hospital administrators made statements that she did not have a succession plan and that younger nurses had "complained about her alleged 'old-school' ways" and that she would be demoted as a result. She was demoted to a position of first assist/perioperative surgical nurse with a reduction in pay of approximately $44,000 a year. The suit alleges that Crimmins' age and age/length of services were motivating factors in the hospital's decision to demote her.

The suit seeks lost wages, compensatory damages, reinstatement to her former position or in lieu thereof, front pay, punitive or exemplary damages and reasonable attorney and expert witness fees. She is demanding a jury trial.

Crimmins is represented by Katz Nowinski PC.

Mark Kuhn, chief executive officer for Hammond-Henry Hospital, said Wednesday he had just received notice of the lawsuit and had no comment on the pending suit.

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CAMBRIDGE, Ill.  A Colona man charged with aggravated battery and murder in the Jan. 30 battering death of a 14-month-old girl in Colona had a pre-trial hearing Thursday in Henry County Circuit Court.

Rahsaan M. Strawder, 38, appeared before Judge Daniel Dalton via Zoom because the county jail was under lockdown because of positive COVID-19 tests.

Strawder's attorney, public defender Lance Camp, requested a continuation of the pre-trial hearing to allow him time to review discovery with Strawder.

Strawder is being held on $1 million bond and would have to post $100,000 for his release. The next hearing will be held Aug. 12.

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A man arrested in Arkansas for the May killing of Desavion Foster in Rock Island has been returned to Rock Island County to face the murder charge filed against him.

Terrionce C. Kitchen, 19, Rock Island, was in custody Friday in the Rock Island County Jail, held on a $1 million cash-only bond, according to court records and the jail.

Kitchen faces a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of the 19-year-old Foster on May 22 in the 1000 block of 15th Street, according to the Rock Island Police Department. The Rock Island County States Attorneys Office charged Kitchen in a warrant filed on May 27.

U.S. Marshals arrested Kitchen in June in Stuttgart, Ark., according to the police department.

In the days after the shooting, Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson said preliminary autopsy results showed Foster, of Rock Island, was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest.

Kitchen's first appearance was Friday afternoon, and his next appearance is scheduled for July 19.

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A 20-year-old Davenport man serving a term on probation for three convictions has been arrested by Bettendorf Police in connection with an armed robbery on June 19 during which nine American bulldog puppies were stolen.

Carlos Gerrick Byrd Jr. is charged with one count of first-degree robbery. The charge is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 25 years, 70%, or 17  years of which, must be served before parole can be granted.

In connection with the case, Byrd also is charged with one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm, second-degree theft, assault while participating in a felony, possession with the intent to deliver marijuana and violating Iowas drug tax stamp law. Each of those charges is a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years.

According to the affidavits and search warrants filed by Bettendorf Police Detective Matt Poirier, on June 7 a woman, Byrds girlfriend, reported that her Taurus 9mm pistol that had a tan slide with a black frame, was stolen from her vehicle, a 2013 Black Kia Forte.

Byrd was listed as a suspect in the case. During the theft is was reported that Byrd broke the vehicle's windshield.

Byrd was then developed as a suspect in the robbery and home invasion that occurred June 19 in the 3100 block of 18th Street.

On June 15, Byrd was introduced to a 20-year-old man by a mutual friend. The man told officers that he was provided a ride by Byrd to a veterinarian appointment. The vehicle Byrd was driving had a hole in the windshield on the passenger side and was a four-door sedan.

At 7:35 p.m. on June 18, Byrd and another person described in the affidavits as a light-skinned male with curly hair, knocked on the door of the 20-year-old mans home in the 3100 block of 18th Street. Byrd and his associate wanted to hang out with the resident of the home. The resident told Byrd and the other person to leave. Byrd was driving the same vehicle with the hole in the windshield.

At 12:35 a.m. on June 19, Byrd is alleged to have gone back to the house on 18th Street with his associate. The victim, the man whom Byrd had given a ride to the vet, said he was downstairs when a black man walked into the basement armed with a handgun.

A struggle ensued and the victim was struck in the head with the pistol. The victim described the pistol as a Taurus 9mm. with a distinctive tan slide. The victim told police he is proficient in firearms and knew the weapon to be a Taurus. The victim was led upstairs to the bedroom at gunpoint by Byrd and the other suspect.

The victim was forced to lie face down as Byrd removed six American bulldog puppies from a bedroom. Byrd and his associate also removed the victims Apple watch and stole his iPhone.

The victim was then led at gunpoint to the garage where three more American bulldog puppies were put into a black passenger car. The victims cell phone was located about three blocks to the south.

A search of Bettendorf city cameras showed that the Kia Forte entered the city at 11:54 p.m. The Forte traveled northbound on 18th Street from Spruce Hills Drive, which is the direction toward the victims home, about three blocks away.

A photo lineup was shown to the victim, and Byrd was identified as the man who was at the house five hours before the robbery.

The vehicle Byrd was driving was his girlfriends Kia Forte with the damaged windshield.

Byrd was arrested Monday at the Walmart on West Kimberly Road in Davenport on warrants for probation violations.

Byrd had in his possession the Taurus 9mm stolen from his girlfriends vehicle on June 7. At the time of his arrest, Byrd was wearing a black ski mask and had a second black ski mask in his back pocket.

During a post-Miranda interview, Byrd admitted to possessing marijuana in the Kia Forte. During a search of the vehicle officers seized a small backpack containing 117 grams of marijuana packaged for sale and a digital scale.

Byrd admitted to giving the victim a ride to the vet and being at the victims home just hours before the robbery, but he denied being in the city of Bettendorf before, during or after the robbery.

Currently, Byrd is on probation in three different cases until Jan. 20, 2025.

On Jan. 2, 2019, he was a passenger in a stolen vehicle. At the time he was on juvenile probation for vehicle theft. On April 19, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree theft, a Class D felony. District Court Judge Nancy Tabor sentenced Byrd to three years on supervised probation during a sentencing hearing on May 30, 2019, in Scott County District Court.

On March 20, 2020, he pleaded guilty to a charge of operating a vehicle without the owners consent, an aggravated misdemeanor. During a hearing in Scott County District Court, District Judge Tom Reidel sentenced Byrd to two years on supervised probation.

On July 8, 2021, Byrd was charged with Class D domestic assault in Muscatine County Circuit Court.

He pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 2, 2021, and was sentenced Nov. 5 to five years in the Iowa Department of Corrections by District Judge Tamra Roberts. He was released from prison just over a month later on Dec. 22 after Roberts granted a reconsideration of Byrds sentence. She then sentenced him to three years on supervised probation and ordered him into the Residential Correctional Facility program.

Byrd was being held Thursday night in the Scott County Jail on cash-only bonds totaling $62,000, and without bond on a hold from the Residential Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing in the new robbery case is scheduled for July 8 in Scott County District Court.

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JOLIET - For fans of the 1980 movie The Blue Brothers, it doesnt get any more authentic than this: An inaugural Blues Brothers Con will be held at Old Joliet Prison in August, headlined by a 90-minute live in concert performance with Dan Aykroyd and James Belushi reprising the iconic roles from the movie.

Tickets ($60 and up) are on sale now at www.jolietmuseum.org. Top-tier Crystal Head Platinum VIP tickets ($5,000) include a meet-and-greet with Aykroyd and Belushi.

Tickets holders can expect all the sites and sounds you loved about the movie, said Greg Peerbolte, the CEO of the nonprofit Joliet Area Historical Museum in announcing the weekend of events on social media.

Also announced for Blues Brothers Con: Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon and Curtis Salgado, from whom the films character Curtis is named. A Saturday gospel music service led by Joliet-area faith based and civic leaders, followed by Chicago blues veterans Mondo Cortez and the Chicago Blues Angels and Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials. A Bluesmobile and Bobs Country Bunker. On the food front: dry white bread and Orange Whips, along with the more usual fest concessions.

Capping the event will be a free public screening of Blues Brothers Aug. 20.

Since the museum began operations in 2018, the Old Joliet Prison has become a pilgrimage site for Blues Brothers fans from around the world, Peerbolte said in the announcement, referencing the sites scenes in the Chicago-set movie starring Aykroyd and Jim Belushi.

Event details: Aug. 19-20 at Old Joliet Prison, 1125 N. Collins St., Joliet. Free on-site VIP parking and remote/shuttle (GA).

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U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier sentenced a Kyle man June 24 to 10 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine in South Dakota over the course of a more than 6-year period between January 2015 and March 2021, according to court documents.

Ten years is the mandatory minimum for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Chester Apple, also known as Chester Janis, 39, will undergo five years of supervised release after his sentence. Apple pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 12.

According to a signed factual basis statement, Apple said he distributed methamphetamine in South Dakota and elsewhere. Apple admitted by signing the document that he knowingly, intentionally, and repeatedly obtained methamphetamine and disbursed it to others for use and further distribution.

The document states between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine were distributed during the course of the conspiracy.

The Badlands Safe Trails Task Force, which includes the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation and the Martin Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama represented the government in the case. Kody Kriss defended Apple in the case.

 Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com 

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Western Dakota Tech was put on secure status for about an hour and a half during an investigation of a bomb threat Friday morning.

Brendyn Medina, spokesperson with the Rapid City Police Department, said RCPD, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office and South Dakota Highway Patrol were on the scene. He said the incident is not isolated and other high level education institutions in South Dakota received a similar threat.

Medina said he did not have a list of the other institutions, but that Western Dakota Tech was the only institution in Rapid City with a threat.

He said a threat was called in to the dispatch center around 9 a.m.

Western Dakota Tech President Dr. Ann Bolman said the campus was put into secure status as soon as information came in.

"Fortunately for us, we don't have very many students on campus during the summer," she said.

Students, faculty and staff were made aware of the threat in person and electronically. The campus was released from secure status at approximately 10:30 a.m. Friday.

"We worked with staff and faculty here at Western Dakota Tech, they have their own security protocols and things they do with an emergency. We actually have a law enforcement liaison from the police department assigned to Western Dakota Tech for these types of situations," Medina said. "Communication was great. We immediately got the campus into secure status, looking out for the safety of the students that are still here on campus."

Medina said an explosives K-9 with the Highway Patrol helped methodically check each and every room on campus.

"We're very thankful for those high-level working relationships we have with other law enforcement agencies," Medina said. "That's how we were able to get through this building so quick and just make sure that we did our due diligence and made sure that the area was safe for students and staff."

Siandhara Bonnet contributed to this report.

Contact Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com.

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The South Dakota Department of Tourism has submitted an application to the National Park Service in an attempt to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore in 2023, despite being denied a special permit for the past two years.

As Americans all across our great country make preparations to celebrate their Independence Day, we have once again been denied the opportunity to celebrate at our nations enduring symbol of freedom, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Gov. Kristi Noem said in a statement Friday. But we will not be deterred. We have submitted a request for 2023 and will continue asking the Biden Administration to work with us to give the people the celebration they deserve.

Noem successfully pushed for fireworks at Mount Rushmore in 2020, after an 11-year hiatus. The celebration gave former President Donald Trump an opportunity to be featured at a patriotic display attended by thousands of people during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Park Service denied Noem's requests in 2021 and 2022, citing opposition from Native American tribes and the possibility of igniting wildfires.

The Noem administration filed a federal lawsuit against the Biden administration after it refused to issue a permit for a similar celebration last year. A federal judge rejected her arguments in June 2021, prompting an appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

Noem's request for a fireworks display in 2022 was also denied by the park service. In a letter dated April 18 from the U.S. Department of Interior, Mount Rushmore National Memorial Superintendent Michelle Wheatley said a fireworks event would not be safe and responsible.

In the letter to the South Dakota Department of Tourism, Wheatley noted the March 2021 wildfire that closed the memorial for three days.

Current drought conditions and the 2022 wildfire outlook indicate that fireworks would cause a high likelihood of a wildfire ignition, she wrote.

Local Native American tribes objected to the celebration being held on land they hold as sacred.

There is ample documented opposition from the Tribes to the 2020 event, and we understand from ongoing meetings with the Tribes that these concerns have not diminished, the letter stated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Governor Noem appoints a new attorney general that forgot about a 45-day deadline on a triple murder suspect. Seems like a logical choice.

It seems Governor Noem has no problem letting residents decide about masks and vaccinations, but has an entirety different opinion about your reproductive decisions.

Maybe morality will come back into fashion with the recent U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on abortions.

I am amazed and bewildered that there are still some South Dakotans who still support and defend our 45th president. Trump's attempts to undermine our democracy with his words and actions to illegally hold on to power are totally and completely un-American.

Kristi Noem is spending the better part of this week in New York promoting her book. Apparently the governorship in South Dakota is a part-time gig.

Isnt it the governor's job to look out for the best interest of the states infrastructure and resources? Then why does Noem continue to lobby to burn down the Black Hills and blame it on Biden?

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One month after Rapid City police officers shot and injured a woman during a failed traffic stop, there are a number of questions that have gone unanswered about the investigation, which the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation is conducting.

In the early morning hours of May 31, RCPD officers attempted to stop a vehicle in the Lacrosse and Waterloo streets area for an equipment violation. After the vehicle slowed but did not stop, a passenger jumped out and the driver threw something out of the window, Police Chief Don Hedrick told reporters near the scene during a press conference just hours after the shooting.

Hedrick said officers attempted to conduct a tactical vehicle intervention to cause the vehicle to spin out, which failed. The vehicle continued to Terra Street at Terra Mobile Home Estates on South Valley Drive where the shooting occurred. According to the RCPD, the 31-year-old woman attempted to drive at an officer, who was outside of his car. She was shot multiple times. One window showed bullet holes and another shattered completely.

It is unclear if one or two officers fired their weapons, but Brendyn Medina told the Journal a week after the shooting only one officer was directly involved. One officer returned to work the next day and the other returned on June 6.

The morning of the shooting, the RCPD turned the scene over to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office until DCI arrived and began its investigation  a procedure the department has said is standard for shootings involving an officer.

Since DCI began its investigation, status updates have been vague. The agency has not released the woman's name, and her condition remains murky. She was transported to the hospital, but its unclear if she is still there, if she's alive or if she's in custody.

Until Tuesday, the media contact for DCI was Tim Bormann, former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborgs Chief of Staff. After multiple attempts to get in touch with Bormann, he spoke to the Journal a week after the shooting and said the investigation was ongoing.

He said the last he had heard the woman was stable, but still in the hospital. He said he would check with investigators about releasing the womans name and find out her condition. Bormann also said he would speak with investigators about the status of the investigation, which he said was ongoing. He indicated a 30-day timeline from start to finish is typical.

Thursday marked 30 days since the shooting. Since interim Attorney General Mark Vargo removed Bormann and David Natvig, former director of DCI, on Tuesday, South Dakota Public Safety spokesman Tony Mangan has stepped in to help the Attorney General with media questions.

The Journal spoke with Mangan and asked for updates on the status of the investigation, including the name and condition of the woman, if any charges have been brought against the woman or any officers, how many officers are being investigated, if the investigation is complete, when investigators expect it will conclude, and if DCI will release the investigation report when it is complete.

After speaking with the Attorney General, Mangan provided the following statement.

This remains an ongoing investigation. A third agency will eventually be asked to review and assess the investigation and findings, Mangan said.

Mangan did not clarify which agency would review the investigation or if reviews are standard. He also declined to clarify why the womans name and condition is being withheld.

At this time, the investigation is ongoing and there is nothing else we can release. The Attorney General just started this week and the third agency has not yet been determined, Mangan wrote.

 Contact Shalom Baer Gee at sgee@rapidcityjournal.com 

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China Cultural Center in Cairo on Thursday announced the start of the Chinese song singing contest "Egypt Sings 2022" or "WeSing" contest.

Egyptians and foreigners living in Egypt are eligible to take part in the competition, and auditions will continue from June 30 to July 18 and from August 1 to August 20, said a statement on the center's Facebook page.

The contest is divided into two stages, the audition and the finals, the statement said, adding that contestants have to choose from 25 designated Chinese songs.

The jury will select eight contestants for the finals based on their singing, performance, and the popularity of their songs on the WeSing APP.

The first winner will receive a scholarship from the Chinese government if certain requirements are met, or 20,000 Egyptian pounds (nearly 1,063 U.S. dollars).

The second place will include two winners, each receiving 10,000 pounds, and the third place will include five winners, each receiving 6,000 pounds.
It is time for the people of South Dakota to demand access to public records.

The laws governing access for the public to information about their government and law enforcement agencies are bad. The enforcement of those laws is worse.

The Rapid City Journal recently won a split decision with the South Dakota Supreme Court to get access to court records involving a leader of the State Senate who got his case sealed more than two months early after word of his arrest for driving after drinking a little too much Coke and whiskey reached media outlets.

Even in siding with the Journal and saying that a judge can't write a memo in mid-December to retroactively seal a case in early October, the justices said they didn't believe any "government secrecy" was at play in the case.

The Senate Majority Leader got his case sealed simply by sending an email to a friendly state's attorney and district judge and the state Supreme Court still believes that this favor would have been granted to any member of the public.

We disagree.

But Gary Cammack's attorney got his case sealed early. In the nine months between our case reaching the supreme court and the decision, Cammack was installed in the South Dakota Hall of Fame and won his primary for his State Senate seat.

Fast forward to 30 days ago when two Rapid City Police officers shot a woman after she continued driving when police tried to stop her. During that chase, a male exited the car and got away. Items were thrown from the vehicle.

The woman was shot multiple times. Her car window was destroyed. There were bullet holes in the passenger side of the car.

Thanks to lax public record laws, we still don't know the woman's name. We don't know if she is alive. We don't know if she was arrested or charged. We don't know if her accomplice has been captured or charged.

As a society, we can't allow government officials to shoot a person and have that information covered up for more than a month.

Of course, the Rapid City Police can't investigate their own officers, so the state Department of Criminal Investigations took over. There are two officers and one witness/suspect/victim involved. There should be two body cameras and two dash cameras. Honestly, the only reason this investigation should take a week is if the woman who was shot was physically incapable to be interviewed.

Even then, with cameras, interviews with two officers and a load of evidence to corroborate those interviews, it should be pretty straight-forward.

However, the investigation has yielded no publicly available information in 30 days. The impeachment of an attorney general and the appointment of a new one can slow down that officer, but why would DCI not be able to finish its work? According to a state spokesperson, the agency that will sign off on the DCI investigation hasn't even been chosen.

Once again, information in South Dakota grinds to a halt, but the world keeps turning. Both officers already returned to duty at some level. Surely they would both like to know their fate in the matter, as well.

In November, voters will select candidates to represent them. This is your time make representatives and senators earn your vote. Call on them to commit to better laws regarding public information in order to earn your vote. Make them promise a more efficient and transparent government.

You pay for that. You deserve it.

Citizens have to stop shrugging their shoulders and shaking their heads and using their ballots to send people in Pierre who won't let the state continue to fail when it comes to open and honest government.

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Police on Friday released the name of an 18-year-old driver who died in a two-vehicle crash in Prince George County on Thursday.

Payton Faulkner, of Prince George, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers responded to the 9300 block of Robin Road at around 10:05 p.m. Investigators said a four-door Toyota Corolla driven by Faulkner and traveling southbound on Robin Road hit a Ford F-150 head-on while cresting the hill of the road.

Faulkners passenger was ejected and also had life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Ford also had significant injures. Both were transported to a hospital, police said.

Faulkner was not wearing a seat belt, according to police, and speed was a contributing factor.

Anyone with information related to the crash is asked to contact the Prince George Police Department at (804) 733-2773.
After she was shot, Lakesha Woodson couldnt move.

She couldnt hear. Her ears were ringing from the gun that had been pointed at her head.

She didnt know where the bullets struck her. But she thought shed been shot.

Maybe the head, she remembers thinking, as she lay face down on the floor of a cigarette shop in Richmonds South Side.

She thought that would be a safe place to meet him.

She thought she was safe.

Two days earlier, shed signed a lease on a new apartment. One he didnt know about.

Theyd been evicted from an apartment theyd shared. She had stopped working  because he was not only threatening her, but her children  so bills werent paid.

Woodson considered it a blessing, the eviction. A way out.

"I just knew that I was safe. I thought I was safe," she said looking back.

On the floor of the convenience store, she thought of her children. She has four  three sons, ages 17, 16, and 8, and a 5-year-old daughter. All three boys were with her the day she was shot, in a car parked right in front of the door.

He spoke to them before entering the shop with the gun.

They saw everything.

"Im praying to God. Im praying to my momma. Im praying to my kids dad. Im praying to everyone I know who is dead to protect my kids," Woodson recalled more than two years later.

As her hearing regained clarity, she heard them, yelling curses and threats at the man who shot her. She admonished them later for being disrespectful, but in the moment, it gave her strength, she said.

Then, another shot rang out.

Silence followed, as did her panic.

Im praying to God to spare me. My kids need me. I cant leave them now, Woodson said, adding that her oldest sons had lost their dad just three months earlier. But I did tell him that, God, if you decide to take me, just please protect my kids.

Her prayers were answered quickly.

Her eldest son reached for her and shook her, calling out, Mama? Mama?

I heard the sadness and the hurt in his voice not knowing if Im still alive. I had to find a way to let him know Im still OK, and that gave me the strength, she said.

She turned her head, the only movement shed managed since the two bullets bore through her left arm and neck, and said: Son, Im OK.

***

Woodson survived. Her children survived. Many women dont.

Every day in the U.S., more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends, according to statistics from the YWCA Richmond, which provides crisis services including a 24/7 hotline and emergency shelter for women and children experiencing violence at home.

During 2020, domestic violence increased 8.1% across the United States, according to a study conducted by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice.

Shawntee Wynn, senior director of clinical services at YWCA Richmond, attributes part of that increase to the lockdown, which kept survivors and victims cooped up with their abusers without outlets like work or school where they might have otherwise sought help.

There was really no room for survivors to figure their way out of a situation, Wynn said.

The impact locally, at least initially, was a decrease in people contacting the crisis hotlines, Wynn added. But as the pandemic stretched on, more calls started to come and the increased need became clear.

I think we'll be dealing with the ramifications for years to come, Wynn said.

Hotlines across Virginia, like the one the YWCA helps run, received more than 70,000 calls in 2020, a more than 2% increase from 2019, according to an annual report compiled by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. Violence in the home accounted for over half of violent crimes in Virginia in 2020.

***

At 4:28 p.m. on March 15, 2020, Richmond police responded to the Cigarette Outlet at 4307 Jefferson Davis Highway  its now a Citgo on Richmond Highway.

Three days earlier, then-Gov. Ralph Northam had declared a state of emergency, citing the highly contagious COVID virus and the next day, schools were closed.

Officers found Woodson suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to her body, police said in a press release about the shooting.

Woodson, who was 33 at the time, 35 now, remembered first responders stepping over something as they carried her to ambulance. It was his body, she later pieced together.

Detectives have determined Morrow and the female victim were known to each other and that he shot her during an argument, police said. At this time, investigators are not looking for any other suspects in this case.

Police consider the case exceptionally cleared with the Morrows death.

Several media outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, wrote items about the shooting based on what police said. No one spoke to Woodson at the time.

That wasnt enough for Woodson. She wanted to share her story, in hopes that it will help others.

When it comes to domestic violence, it is not being talked about enough, she said. "It's not normal. If y'all aren't taking this seriously, then nobody else will.

"I got to do something," she said.

That is part of whats motivated her recovery, and to start a nonprofit organization to help women and children trying to escape similar circumstances.

For them, to be the age they was, they shouldn't have to see their mother get shot, Woodson said her boys. They shouldn't have seen the guy take his own life, you know, and thought that he took their mothers life. Shouldn't no kids have to go through that. And that's what keeps me motivated to do what I'm doing.

My kids are not the only kids that have suffered that in Richmond, she continued. Thank God, I made it, but their mothers didn't make it. They didn't make it. They died from gun and domestic violence. So that is what pushes me to get my charity to where I want us to be, so that I can be that safe haven for mothers and children. And that I'll just be there for the children whose mothers don't make. That's my mission. That's my goal.

Its a phrase her grandfather often repeated that has stuck with her. And it might have saved her life.

Woodson said she had an uneasy feeling when he called asking to meet her to collect his paycheck that was still being deposited into her account. Shed asked him to get a card of his own, but she arranged the meeting anyway. She refused when, once in the store, he asked her to talk around the corner of the building.

I was shaky talking to him because I just had a bad feeling, she said. Im buying time because I feel like something is off.

There were no red flags, no warning signs before the abuse started, she said.

They were together for two years. For the first year and a half, he was the sweetest man I ever met," she recalled. "He was perfect, like literally perfect. He opened doors, he was attentive. He was everything a female wanted in a man.

They were engaged for a short time before the jealousy started, she said.

It was like a switch went off, she said snapping her fingers for emphasis. And he just changed overnight.

Jealousy is a common trigger, Wynn said. Often, the warning signs are subtle, and easily brushed aside, she added. And then all of a sudden, those true colors are coming out when that comfort level is there, they feel like they have control the situation and they want to keep control of the situation.

In domestic violence intervention circles, these tactics are referred to as a Power and Control Wheel, developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota.

The wheel serves as a diagram of tactics that an abusive partner uses to keep their victims in a relationship, according to National Domestic Violence Hotlines description. The inside of the wheel is made up of subtle, continual behaviors over time, while the outer ring represents physical and sexual violence. Abusive actions like those depicted in the outer ring often reinforce the regular use of other, more subtle methods found in the inner ring.

Woodson described the abuse she suffered as emotional, rather than physical, but it got to the point where he was pulling out weapons, she said. She recounted two separate occasions involving a knife. In the first, he threatened her; the second came after theyd separated and hed threatened to hurt himself.

But he'd always been scared of guns  at least that's what she thought, until he pulled that "big, rusty" gun, pointed it at her and fired.

"I'll never forget that look," she said describing his "sinister smirk."

It wasn't the first time she'd had gun a pulled on her. But the shots had never landed before.

The presence of a firearm increases the chance that a woman will be murdered by a violent partner by 500%, according to statistics provided by the YWCA.

She's spent months trying to leave. She called shelters; they were full, she said. She called the domestic violence hotline; they told her to make a safety plan.

While nearly 4,000 adults and 2,500 children received 216,725 nights of emergency or temporary shelter due to domestic violence in 2020, that was fewer people sheltered than any of the previous three years, according to the Attorney Generals report. Plus, another 405 families were turned away due to lack of space.

Woodson was one of them. She couldn't find the help she needed, so she stayed. Like a lot of women, she said, because they think it is safer.

"I stayed because I really didnt have anywhere else to go to be honest," she said. "I had been homeless several times and I wasnt trying to be back in that predicament."

But she saw an opening when they were evicted several weeks before she was shot.

"If we lose this house, then I can escape," she remembered telling herself. "I can lie and say Im going to a shelter and its a womens shelter with only kids, and the man cant be there.

"Thats exactly what I told him," she said. "I told him I can help you get into a mans shelter. And we can meet up while the kids are at school, we can still spend time together. Im telling him everything I can to keep him calm thinking he will see me, just to get away safely. Even though it backfired.

Once a survivor starts planning to leave, the risk of violence increases about 75%, Wynn said. Sensing the loss of power and control, an abuser often will resort to violence to regain it.

Its kind of like two-edged sword, she said. Staying in the situation can be very dangerous, especially if things are escalating  And then when someone is trying to leave, it multiplies, like 70%, or increase 75%, in terms of being more dangerous when a person is trying to leave.

Even then, staying away can be harder still. On average, it takes a victim seven times to leave an abuser behind for good, Wynn said.

***

Woodson was shot twice in her left arm. The bullets exited through her neck leaving her with paralysis on her left side.

Doctors at VCU Health have told her shes lucky to be alive. X-rays showed the bullets path was inches away from her spine.

Woodson eventually regained some feeling in her left side, but feeling has brought chronic pain. She had to relearn to walk, and may someday be confined to a wheelchair.

Im not claiming that right now, she said.

She uses a cane to get around most days. On rainy days, shes often bedridden.

A compressive sleeve covers the lower portion of her left arm, which is hypersensitive because nerves leading there were damaged by the bullets. The scars where they entered her body are visible just above the sleeve on her upper arm.

The injuries have left her unable to work. Her disability check wasn't enough to keep her in the apartment she'd secured before she was shot, so earlier this year she moved public housing in Richmond's East End, where the family is exposed to even more gun violence, exasperating the affects of PTSD and anxiety that Woodson and her three boys were diagnosed with after the shooting. She asked not to disclose exactly where for fear of her safety.

"They hearing gunshots every day. They can't play outside without someone coming down the street shooting, and they have to run. They shouldn't have to live like that," she said. "And that right there, it causes trauma for a lot of kids that people don't know. They pretty much become accustomed to it, and they should have to become accustomed to gunshots, because it's not normal."

Before she was shot, she'd previously lived in another one of the courts, when a bullet came through her apartment window.

"My kids was so terrified, like it really bothered them," she said. When they moved out, her kids asked her: "Mom, can we please never go back to one of those again? So I tried my best to keep them away from it."

Rupa Murthy, chief advancement and advocacy officer for YWCA Richmond, said domestic violence, just like gun violence, disproportionately affects people of color and historically marginalized communities.

Black women, between the ages of 0 and 35, are nearly six times more likely than white women to be victims of gun violence, and Black and brown women are more likely to be murdered than their counterparts, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found.

When we're talking about domestic violence, and we're talking about breaking the cycle of violence, we're also talking about breaking the cycle of racism, and we're also talking about breaking the cycle of poverty, she said.

As part of her nonprofit, Woodson has held several community events bringing together children and adults to discuss prevention of gun and domestic violence. Last month, she held an event in Whitcomb Court for gun violence awareness week.

A bouncy castle was a hit among the kids, who also indulged in snow cones and burgers. One toddler played with a toy gun.

***

In March, two years to the day after she was shot, Woodson returned to the scene hoping to find closure.

I caint talk to him, she said in front of the store that looks nothing like the last time she saw it. So I feel like this is my only way to try to close this chapter. Hopefully this will stop the flashbacks or stop the nightmares. Hopefully, this is a fear I can overcome.

Im worried that it will never go away.

***

For more about Woodson's nonprofit, Got 2 BMC, check out her Facebook page or on Instagram .

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, text or call the regional EmpowerNet hotline at 804-612-6126.
On her way to a Richmond Public Schools maintenance facility early Wednesday morning, Judy Deichman received a call.

She quickly learned that a two-alarm fire had damaged a few RPS buses beyond repair, including the Lit Limo.

Two summers ago, Deichman, the instructional specialist for library media in RPS, jump-started the mobile library bus, first aimed at tackling learning loss for students during the summer months.

But once RPS announced the 2020-21 school year would be virtual, the Lit Limo stayed in commission, driving around to children each and every day.

The bus is very personal. Its actually whats gotten me through the pandemic because I was able to see kids five days a week and give them books, so it was kind of like a godsend, Deichman said in an interview Thursday. Deichman facilitated a similar program in a previous school district.

The bus provides brand-new books for children of all ages. The children keep the books, which include picture books, chapter books and bilingual books, as well as books for middle schoolers and high schoolers.

Popular requests include graphic novels, the Nate the Great series and the Magic Tree House series.

When they start asking for a particular book, that love [for reading] is starting to be fostered, Deichman said.

The newly renovated Lit Limo began its summer schedule only two days before the fire at a repairs and maintenance warehouse at 1903 Chamberlayne Ave., a facility the school division has leased for nearly 25 years.

The Lit Limo will continue its summer schedule with the old bus, Deichman said.

At least four school buses and two vehicles inside the facility and a bus outside of the garage were damaged beyond repair in the blaze at approximately 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to fire officials.

The school system originally leased the facility in February 1997. The School Board unanimously approved a one-year lease extension in May. TRP Chamberlayne LLC, owner of the facility, agreed to the one-year extension with RPS for roughly $113,000, an increase of 4% from the prior year.

A May 2014 RPS transportation audit conducted by the city auditors office recommended the division stop leasing the Chamberlayne Avenue site to save money.

In 2004, the division purchased property at 3501 Belt Blvd. for $1.1 million with the intent of remolding it as a repair and maintenance facility.

Last month, the RPS administration recommended that the School Board approve the one-year lease extension so the division could have more time to identify a suitable replacement location, according to the May presentation.

The Lit Limo Twitter account confirmed the fate of the new bus Thursday afternoon: Yes, it is sad but true that the new Lit Limo was in the fire yesterday! We will regroup and we hope to have a wheelchair accessible and air conditioned bus soon!!

Renovations to a new Lit Limo began back in October, but after money ran out, work stalled until recently, when WRIC stepped in during its annual Founders Day. Donations were received from the divisions education association and the public. On June 17, employees of WRIC, the Richmond ABC TV affiliate, worked on the new bus and put in new flooring, cabinets and countertops.

On Wednesday, Deichman was on her way to the facility to go over the final details for the new bus, including a donated sound system for the vehicle. The new bus also had a wheelchair lift and air conditioning.

A spokesperson for Richmond Public Schools did not respond to a list of questions by press time Thursday.

Around 11 a.m. Thursday, in response to questions, a Richmond Fire & Emergency Services spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing.
Gov. Glenn Youngkins new appointees to the Virginia Board of Education include members whose work focuses on private education, charter schools and opposing admission changes to one of the states most sought-after high schools.

Youngkins appointees are:

Grace Turner Creasey, executive director of the Virginia Council for Private Education;

Suparna Dutta, co-founder of the Coalition for TJ (Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology);

William D. Hansen, president and CEO of Building Hope, the nonprofit leader in charter school facilities;

Andrew J. Rotherham, co-founder and partner of Bellwether Education Partners, a research nonprofit rooted in improving learning outcomes for marginalized students; and

H. Alan Seibert, the constituent services and government relations officer for Roanoke City Public Schools.

Youngkin appointed the five individuals to four-year terms on Thursday. They fill three vacancies and the spots of two members whose terms expired on Thursday at the close of the fiscal year.

In a statement about his appointees to the Board of Education, State Council for Higher Education and college boards of visitors, Youngkin said they are tasked to bring their expertise as parents, industry leaders, educators and policymakers, to the table and ensure students are prepared for successful lives.

This includes providing equal access to educational opportunities regardless of background or ZIP code, protecting and promoting free speech, restoring the ability to have civil discourse, keeping tuition affordable, and ensuring that all Virginians have access to in-demand career pathways, Youngkin said.

Youngkins picks not only give him the majority on the Board of Education, but also signal his education goals of charter schools, parental involvement and eliminating what his administration considers inherently divisive concepts in education.

In an October campaign video for the governor, appointee Dutta said: Im supporting Glenn Youngkin because he stands with parents, students and educators in opposing all the big interests that have taken over education in Virginia.

In the summer of 2020 when the national racial reckoning began after the murder of George Floyd, Class of 2024 data was published for the Thomas Jefferson School of Science and Technology in Fairfax County, revealing fewer than 10 Black students had been admitted.

Facing a long history of low acceptance levels for Black and Latino students and a call from alumni to fix the admissions process, the magnet school began its work to create a new admissions policy. A group called the Coalition for TJ formed to fight back on the admission changes.

The Washington Post reported that in December 2020, TJ announced a new holistic review policy that eliminated a rigorous two-part entrance exam and the $100 admission fee. Only race-neutral factors would be taken into account during the application process.

The Post reported that while the Coalition for TJ, co-founded by Dutta, initially found legal success when a federal judge in early 2022 ruled TJs new admissions policy disproportionately harmed Asian American applicants who made up a majority of the schools student body and was motivated by the school systems desire for racial balancing, the Supreme Court upheld the new policies in April.

In response to the Supreme Courts April decision, the coalition said TJ can continue its illegal, unconstitutional and anti-Asian admissions process.

In 2021-22, TJs student body was 66.6% Asian, down from 71.97% the year before, according to Fairfax County Public Schools. Black students made up 3.29%, up from 1.77% in 2020-21. Latino students made up 5.41% of the student body, up from 3.05% the previous year.

In December, when Youngkin appointed Aimee Guidera as the new Secretary of Education, appointee Andrew Rotherham tweeted: this is a really good choice. @AimeeGuidera is terrific and signals @GlennYoungkin wants to get something done substantively on education.

Rotherham served on the Virginia Board of Education from 2005 to 2009.

Hansen, the CEO of Building Hope, a nonprofit that finances charter schools, served as the deputy secretary of education in President George W. Bushs administration from 2001 to 2003.

Gubernatorial appointees to the Board of Education are subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. If the legislature backs the governors appointees, the Board of Education will have all nine seats filled.

The terms of Francisco Duran, superintendent of Arlington County Public Schools, and Keisha Anderson, director of learning and development innovation for Newport News Shipbuilding, expired Thursday. Gov. Ralph Northam appointed them in August 2018.
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Virginia further cemented its image as a mid-Atlantic state with the transfer of its maritime ports and airports to the oversight of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Baltimore instead of Atlanta.

The shift, made during a ceremony on Friday morning in Norfolk, represents the first time in the homeland security agencys nearly 20-year history that it has transferred jurisdiction from one field office to another.

The change affects oversight of the Port of Virginia in Hampton Roads and the Port of Richmond on the James River in South Richmond, as well as Richmond International Airport and other airports in Virginia and Charleston, West Virginia.

Realistically, when you look at the distance, Atlanta is a long way away, Customs spokesman Steve Sapp said, noting that Norfolk is 566 miles from Atlanta but only 233 miles from Baltimore. For me, it makes sense. Hampton Roads is a lot closer to Baltimore.

Customs officials say the change is more than symbolic because it consolidates security and enforcement operations for the Chesapeake Bay under one field office, which also will be able to better coordinate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on disaster response.

This is also good news for our trade and travel industry stakeholders because a unified approach to [Customs and Border Protection] inspections under one field office creates greater efficiencies in our communications, said Stephen Maloney, director of field operations at the agencys Baltimore field office.

Video, documents related to tear-gassing of Lee monument demonstrators to be made public The city is required to hand over a trove of documents and videos related to Richmond polices tear gassing of demonstrators at the former monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on June 1, 2020, to the Library of Virginia as part of a settlement agreement in a federal suit.

This is a great time for international trade and travel growth in the mid-Atlantic region and I am really excited for the bright future that lays ahead for us, Maloney said.

Its not clear what it means for port operations in Hampton Roads and Richmond, or Virginia airports that previously had been under the jurisdiction of the Atlanta field office.

The ports will remain under the direct oversight of the federal agencys Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News, which will report to the Baltimore regional office instead of Atlanta.

Police release ID of 18-year-old driver killed in Prince George County crash Police on Friday released the name of an 18-year-old driver who died in a two-vehicle crash in Prince George County on Thursday.

As we transition, we will be steadfast in our efforts to keep our communities safe and commerce moving through the ports of the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News, said Mark Laria, director of the area port.

Port of Virginia spokesman Joe Harris said he had not been informed of the transfer before it happened. The Port of Virginia and Customs have always worked well together, Harris said. I dont think that would change, no matter where the office is.
The Virginia Employment Commission is resuming collection of its nearly $860 million in overpayments of unemployment insurance benefits to hundreds of thousands of people who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with help from Attorney General Jason Miyares and outside collection agencies.

The VEC made the announcement Friday, after the expiration of temporary protections that the General Assembly had adopted to protect people who were overpaid benefits through no fault of their own or any intention to defraud the unemployment system.

The agency said it is trying to collect more than $859 million in overpayments it made in 366,308 cases since the pandemic began in March 2020, forcing more than 400,000 Virginians out of work and unleashing almost 2 million requests for unemployment benefits.

Those overpayments do not reflect incorrect payments due to intentional fraud, estimated at almost $68 million in 23,907 cases.

Theres no reason workers should be on the hook for the states mistakes, said Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, who sponsored legislation adopted by the General Assembly last year to create a waiver program to help people who could not repay the excess benefits they had received.

Hudson said Friday that she had intended the waiver program to be permanent, but the Senate added a sunset clause to the bill to make it expire at the end of the fiscal year Thursday night.

This was a longstanding problem that COVID exposed, not a temporary glitch, she said.

The VEC said Friday that it had approved 23,310 overpayment waivers for people who had not committed fraud and had waived more than $80 million in overpayments.

The agency said people who have a waiver request or appeal pending will not be referred to billing and collections until all other options have been pursued.

The VEC said that prior to the resumption of collection activities, it has continued to pursue recovery through repayments or installment plans for customers who owe money.

For those who do not enter in a repayment plan, they will now be referred to collections, the VEC said.

The VEC said it would work with the attorney generals office  which also is pursuing cases of fraudulent claims  an outside collection agency and other governmental agencies to collect money from people who did not enter into a payment plan or make regular payments to offset their debts.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission estimated last fall that the state agency had issued $1.25 billion in incorrect payments during the COVID-19 pandemic that began nearly 28 months ago and immediately forced more than 400,000 Virginians out of their jobs.

Some of those overpayments reflect fraud, but JLARC said the large majority is due to a lack of timely information from employers about the reasons people lost their jobs and the VECs inability to determine eligibility before paying claims.

A lot of these individuals are going to be struggling to pay them back, then-Secretary of Labor Megan Healy told the commission in September, when JLARC issued an interim report.

The VEC said then that it had paused efforts to collect incorrect unemployment insurance payments, which the legislative watchdog agency estimated at $930 million in 2020 alone and an additional $322 million in the first half of 2021.

Almost all of these incorrect payments are overpayments, which can occur because of mistakes made by the VEC, the claimant, the employer, or because of fraud, JLARC said in the final report issued in November.

During COVID-19, many incorrect payments may be attributable to practices VEC implemented to pay benefits more quickly, states the report, which also blamed employers incomplete and delayed submission of reports describing separation circumstances.

A coalition of legal advocates for unemployed Virginians filed a class action lawsuit in federal court over the states failure to quickly adjudicate hundreds of thousands of cases of disputed eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits.

The VEC settled the case in December with the advocates and paid legal fees to three nonprofit organizations involved after hiring outside contractors to help speed the adjudication process and to handle hundreds of thousands of phone calls that had been going unanswered from people trying to determine the status of their unemployment claims.

The agency said Friday that it will send affected customers an overpayment billing statement that would include instructions on how to make payments.

Customers who have questions about their billing statements should contact the VECs Benefit Payment Unit at 804-786-8593.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order Thursday tasking the official who was rejected for an environmental Cabinet post with reducing Virginia regulations by 25%.

The move drew a rebuke from one of the states most politically influential environmental groups, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, whose executive director said Youngkin appeared to be creating a campaign issue for a presidential run.

Democrats who control the state Senate in February rejected the nomination of Andrew Wheeler for state natural resources secretary. Wheeler had worked as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator in the Trump administration, where he tried to roll back environmental protections, and became a lightning rod in the General Assembly session.

Youngkin kept Wheeler on his team, however, as a senior adviser at the same Cabinet-level salary of $185,567, and Wheeler remains an active part of the administration. Meanwhile, Youngkin hasnt appointed a permanent natural resources secretary; Travis Voyles remains acting secretary.

Youngkins executive order creates a new Office of Regulatory Management within the governors office that will review all regulations and streamline them.

Last year, I pledged to Virginians that we would remove 25% of the regulatory requirements in the Commonwealth, Youngkin said in a statement.

In the spirit of this objective, we have created the Office of Regulatory Management, led by Andrew Wheeler, which will create much needed transparency and efficiency in Virginias regulatory process to ensure that we have a government that works for the citizens of the Commonwealth.

The League of Conservation Voters issued a statement slamming the idea.

In creating a dedicated office to cut regulations, and tapping a career deregulatory zealot to lead this effort, its clear what comes next: a Virginia where polluters benefit and our environment suffers, executive director Mike Town said in the statement.

In an interview, Town said he expects Wheeler to target environmental protections in Virginia.

Whether you care about public health and safety, protecting the environment, addressing climate change, keeping our water clean, our air clean ... the environment has never been at greater threat than it is right now after this executive order, he said.

Six months into his four-year term as governor, Youngkin is considering running for president in 2024.

The League of Conservation Voters worked in 2021 to elect Democrat Terry McAuliffe as governor, whom Youngkin narrowly defeated in November.

Town said the executive order appeared to be something that would help Youngkins national brand.

Youngkin appears to believe that cutting red tape and streamlining government is a campaign issue for president, and it appears they dont care what the impact is on Virginians, he said.

The governors office, however, said the regulatory review would require state agencies to analyze proposed regulations to ensure theyre not overly burdensome on local government or the public.

Youngkin spokesman Rob Damschen said the executive order is built of a bipartisan, 2018 pilot program agreed to by the General Assembly.

The order is a government-wide, good government effort to provide more transparency into the regulations affecting all Virginians, Damschen said in an email for this story.
Roughly one week ago, the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization upended federal protections for abortion.

As SCOTUSblog explains, the court ruled the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. It returned the authority to regulate abortion to the people and their elected representatives.

Each state now is starting to chart its own course on abortion policy. According to The New York Times laws tracker, four  Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri and South Dakota  already have prohibited abortion altogether, with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Other states have affirmed explicit abortion protections in their laws or constitutions. Nevada, for example, requires a voter referendum to implement any changes to its state law.

Virginia falls in the Times uncertain category: Abortion is legal for now but lawmakers or courts will decide.

With a split General Assembly by his side, Gov. Glenn Youngkin responded to the Dobbs ruling with his intent to take every action to protect life. He also tasked four state legislators to find areas where we can agree and chart the most successful path forward.

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, Youngkin said in a statement.

The governor supports a ban on most abortions after 15 weeks. But the meaning of consensus or success in a legislative chamber is different than in an exam room. Virginias path forward on abortion has to put patient-provider relationships first.

For nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade applied the 14th Amendment right to privacy to womens abortion decisions. Per the Oyez case summary page:

In the first trimester of pregnancy, the state may not regulate the abortion decision; only the pregnant woman and her attending physician can make that decision.

In the second trimester, the state may impose regulations on abortion that are reasonably related to maternal health.

In the third trimester, once the fetus reaches the point of viability, a state may regulate abortions or prohibit them entirely, so long as the laws contain exceptions for cases when abortion is necessary to save the life or health of the mother.

Zero in on the attending physician segment. Its unreasonable to think voters and lawmakers (and even judges) alone possess the institutional knowledge to determine how to regulate abortion.

Patients and physicians are most qualified because trust and ethics are at the core of their highly individualized health care relationships. The American Medical Associations Code of Medical Ethics speaks to this factor:

The practice of medicine, and its embodiment in the clinical encounter between a patient and a physician, is fundamentally a moral activity that arises from the imperative to care for patients and to alleviate suffering. The relationship between a patient and a physician is based on trust, which gives rise to physicians ethical responsibility to place patients welfare above the physicians own self-interest or obligations to others, to use sound medical judgment on patients behalf, and to advocate for their patients welfare.

Abortion policy is no different. It should be about patients welfare, and physicians  not lawmakers or courts  are the best partners in that process. Before the governor and the General Assembly advance any post-Roe abortion proposals, they should fully collaborate with Virginia providers to understand all patient scenarios and assess the ground-level impacts.

National data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2019, 92.7% of abortions were performed at 13 weeks or earlier, which falls within Youngkins 15-week proposal. But the most harmful outcome of the Supreme Courts decision is the wide open door to outright criminalization of abortion at the state level, at all points in a womans pregnancy.

Fear does not belong in any exam room in the commonwealth or elsewhere. Patients face incredibly difficult choices and physicians bear the tremendous responsibility of delivering lifesaving care.

Kaiser Family Foundation data shows Virginia reported more than 15,000 legal abortions in 2019. Say 7.3% of those procedures were performed after the 15-week mark  more than 1,100 womens private health care decisions could be affected by Youngkins proposal.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears  the first woman in the commonwealths No. 2 post, the first woman of color to hold statewide office and a mom of three  offered a motherly, nuanced perspective.

I believe the baby in the womb wants to live, Sears said in a recent interview with WRIC-TV. Now we have to make sure that we take care of the life and the health of the mother and, of course, rape and incest. But at the same time, I thought, this is excellent. We get an opportunity to talk about this some more.

We must talk about this some more. The Supreme Courts decision is in, but states rights do not automatically equate to better health outcomes. If the commonwealth is to protect life, build consensus and create a successful path forward, it has to shape policy that trusts patients and providers to build their own relationships  and make their own choices.

 Chris Gentilviso
Revisiting ancient Chinese poems not only brings aesthetic pleasure, but sharpens people's awareness of problems facing the modern-day world as well, British writer Tim Clissold, author of the critically acclaimed Mr. China, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"There are a lot of concerns in the Tang and Song poems that are still very much concerns in the world now," said Clissold. His latest book Cloud Chamber, a collection of English translation of Chinese poems, was published early this year.

The Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties were a golden age for Chinese literature, art, science and philosophy.

Clissold cited Liu Zongyuan (773-819), who wrote a poem about excessive logging, Bai Juyi (772-846), whose works on tax evasion bring to mind social inequalities in the British society, and Du Fu (712-770) whose works on exile and displacement make readers reflect on the plight of the large number of refugees in Europe and elsewhere.

"The topics that they were concerned about are still very important today," he said.

Reading ancient Chinese poems and getting acquainted with Chinese culture not only make people more empathetic towards those who suffer, but also sheds light on proper ways of settling conflicts, which is vital as the specter of war hangs over Europe, he said.

"The greatest form of excellence is solving a problem without the need for having conflict," he said, quoting The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

"The Chinese have a much greater tendency to try to solve problems in an amicable way," he said. "Zero-sum game is kind of the Western view on it. And it has been proven over the last few decades that Western society is much quicker to use force -- and it's a failure."

Clissold noted that the Chinese people know more about Westerners than Westerners know about the Chinese, calling it "a dangerous knowledge imbalance."

For one thing, not understanding the Chinese well gives the Chinese a competitive advantage, he said.

"And for another, it's bad for China as well, because if Westerners don't really understand it, and try to look at China through a purely Western lens, you can misjudge it," he said. "So that knowledge imbalance is quite dangerous for both sides."

Western media's unbalanced reporting of China is partly to blame for such an imbalance, he noted.

"The press in the West plays a role which emphasizes a certain aspect of Chinese society in Chinese life, and diminishes the others. I think the press does an extremely bad job in Western society about trying to explain," said Clissold.

He said there are things in the Chinese society that the Westerners will always find difficult, as a result of their different historical experiences.

"But I think that the basic needs and desires of Chinese people are very, very similar to the Western people: you want a peaceful environment where you can develop your own life", he said. "I mean everybody should be able to recognize that."

He praised what China has achieved over the past three to four decades as a "pretty amazing achievement". "I don't think that is properly recognized in the Western press."
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A Roanoke man was taken into custody Thursday night, accused of shooting another man and leading police on a car and foot chase through a northwest city neighborhood.

According to a police news release, an E-911 call around 10:30 p.m. notified authorities of a person with a gunshot wound in the 4500 block of Melrose Avenue. Officers found an adult male inside a business at that location with what appeared to be a serious gunshot wound. He was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Investigating officer learned that the shooting followed an argument between two men and identified a suspect, who had fled the scene in a car. Soon after, police saw the suspects car driving in the area.

Police attempted to pull over the car, but it sped away, with officers in pursuit. The chase led to nearby Country Club Drive, where the suspects car crashed. The driver attempted to run away but police caught him after a brief chase.

Police identified the suspect as 51-year-old Sterling D. Whitfield Sr. of Roanoke. He was charged with malicious wounding, brandishing, abduction, hit-and-run and felony eluding and is in custody at the Roanoke City Jail.

This remains an ongoing investigation and further details are not available at this time, police said. The shooting victim was not identified.
Gubernatorial appointments to the Virginia Board of Education include a Roanoke school administrator from Salem.

Alan Seibert was one of five appointments to the board made by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week. Seibert, former superintendent of Salem City Schools, has worked since October for Roanoke City Public Schools as constituent services and government relations officer.

Seibert, who retired last year after 30 years with the Salem schools, said in an emailed statement said he was honored to be appointed.

[I] look forward to the opportunity to help ensure that the needs and perspectives of students, staff and communities in our region are considered at the state level, Seibert said in an email. The experience I have gained over the past 30 years as an educator, in both Salem City Schools and now Roanoke City Public Schools, allows me to bring first-hand experience and perspective to Richmond.

In an emailed statement, Roanoke Superintendent Verletta White said Seiberts appointment is a win for students and families in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Upon retirement in August, Seibert said he would continue advocating for public education as far as he could.

Statewide, regionwide, he said at the time. Whatever I can do, I want to help.

In the announcement, Youngkin said he appointed proven leaders to help ensure every student has a best-in-class education.

I have tasked these innovators to bring their expertise as parents, industry leaders, educators, and policymakers to ensure our classrooms and our campuses prepare students for success in life, Youngkin said. Together, we will make Virginia the best place to learn across a lifetime.

The Virginia Board of Education consists of nine members appointed by the governor and subject to confirmation by the state legislature, serving no more than two consecutive four-year terms. A spokesperson for Youngkin said the Virginia General Assembly would vote on approving the appointees during the next legislative session in early 2023.

Youngkins charge to educators includes providing equal access to educational opportunities regardless of background or ZIP code, protecting and promoting free speech, restoring the ability to have civil discourse, keeping tuition affordable and ensuring all Virginians have access to in-demand career pathways, he said in the announcement.

Also on Thursday, Youngkin appointed members to college boards of visitors, including for Radford University and Virginia Tech.

At Virginia Tech, Dominion Energy Virginia President Edward Baine was reappointed to a second four-year term on the board, and will serve as vice-rector, state and school announcements said.

Also appointed to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors is President and CEO of the Boeing Co. David Calhoun, retired owner of BCR Real Estate and Property Management Sandy Cupp Davis, and president and CEO of Hobbs and Associates, Charles Brad Hobbs, announcements said.

Former board of visitors members Mehul Sanghani, Horacio Valeiras, and Preston White are ending four-year terms, according to a news release from Virginia Tech. Both Sanghani and Valeiras completed their second consecutive four-year term on Thursday, with Valeiras serving as board rector from 2019-21.

And for Radford University, four board of visitors members were appointed: Executive Vice President and CEO of Carilion Clinic Jeanne Armentrout, freelance journalist Jennifer Wishon Gilbert, President of Forfeiture Support Associates George Mendiola, and James Turk, of Harrison and Turk attorneys.

The new Radford Board of Visitors members were appointed to fill the expiring terms of Thomas Brewster, Krisha Chachra, Susan Whealler Johnston, and Nancy Angland Rice, a spokesperson said Friday.

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The Rescue Mission of Roanoke has entered a new partnership with Blue Ridge Racing to handle race management of this years Drumstick Dash 5K run and family walk.

The annual Thanksgiving Day event is Nov. 24, and early registration has already started.

The Drumstick Dash is the Rescue Missions largest annual fundraiser and supports its dining services.

The Drumstick Dash is a longtime Roanoke tradition, and Im honored to be a part of its production. I look forward to implementing new ideas in the event so that we can encourage even more people to move their feet so others may eat, said Molly Bullington, owner of Blue Ridge Racing.

We are excited to partner with Blue Ridge Racing so that we can turn the Drumstick Dash into something bigger than a race  more of an event. With Molly handling course logistics and race details, the Rescue Mission can focus on the festivities surrounding the race, added Kevin Berry, the missions community outreach/marketing manager, in an email.

We are excited to work with Molly and Blue Ridge Racing to build on a 17-year history for the Drumstick Dash. From the earliest Dash with just over 1,200 runners and walkers to more than 10,000 today, the Dash is the regions largest 5K, bringing a fun, festive event that connects families and neighbors together while they move their feet so others can eat. This 17th year will be the best yet, echoed Lee Clark, CEO of the mission.

Together with the city of Roanoke, the Drumstick Dash team also is working on a new route that will wind its way through Downtown Roanoke, much like in the 2019 event and prior years. Additionally, the Move your Feet Virtual Challenge has been added to challenge individuals to log at least a mile each day during the month of November.

In operation since 1948, the Rescue Mission provides life-saving services such as emergency shelter, food, medical care, and more to those in need.

For more information, contact Barry at 540-777-7683 or Bullington at 540-798-8495.

Salem schools

recognize partnership

to help studentsSalems school sdministration and school board recently recognized Salem Area Ecumenical Ministries for its partnership with the school system.

In addition to establishing and funding student-led food pantries at both Andrew Lewis Middle and Salem High schools, SAEM provided nutrition education programs to over 250 elementary school children.

SAEM also recently presented $4,500 in Healthy Communities Action Team Funding awards to East Salem and G.W. Carver.

The awards from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth are funded by a small share of Virginias annual payments from the nations major tobacco manufacturers through the Master Settlement Agreement.

Since the foundation began in 2001, youth smoking in Virginia has been cut more than 75%. Annually, the foundation reaches about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, and other community youth centers.

Bank of Botetourt scholarship

recipients namedJames River High graduates Chase Minnix and Ella Wright, and Lord Botetourt High graduate Sarah Hamblin are sharing the sixth annual Taking Care of You community scholarships from the Bank of Botetourt.

Minnix, the first-place recipient, received $500 and plans to double major in business and finance at the University of Virginia; while Hamblin, the second-place recipient, plans double major in business and marketing with a minor in linguistics. She and Wright, the third-place recipient, received $250. Wright plans to attend Creighton University and major pre-physical therapy.

Roanoke Kiwanis

award scholarshipsThe Roanoke Kiwanis Club has awarded $16,000 in scholarships to six students who graduated from schools where the club sponsors Key Clubs  William Fleming, Patrick Henry, Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, Northside, Roanoke Catholic School and Faith Christian School.

Applicants were scored on financial need, community service and academic achievement.

The winners, out of 28 applicants, sat through interviews and then were ranked to receive the $5,000 Stu and Margaret Franklin Award, named for a former Kiwanis member and his wife who were benefactors of the Roanoke Kiwanis Foundation; the $3,000 Henh Ly Award, named for a Kiwanis Scholarship recipient who was killed in the 2008 shootings at Virginia Tech; and four $2,000 awards.

Ashton Tinsley, a PH grad, received the Franklin scholarship. He plans to attend Liberty University for religious studies.

Treya Gunn of Fleming received the Ly scholarship and plans to attend James Madison University to study dentistry.

Parker Brown, a $2,000 scholarship winner, is a graduate of Northside and plans to attend Virginia Military Institute to study psychology and exercise science.

Makayla Crowder, also a $2,000 scholarship winner, graduated from Northside and plans to attend study pediatric nursing at Liberty University.

Janhya Henderson, another $2,000 scholarship recipient, is a Fleming grad and plans to attend Howard University where she will study business management.

Muneeba Rashid, also a Northside grad, also received a $2,000 scholarship. She plans to attend Virginia Tech and study pre-medicine.

Young artist showcase winners announcedThe 2022 winners of Roanoke Valley Sister Cities annual Young Artist Showcase have been announced.

The theme for the competition, open to students aged 13-18 was Generation Rescue: Sustainable Water for All. The winners pieces have been submitted to Sister Cities International Young Artists Showcase for further judging.

Denzel Marufu, 18, a student at North Cross School, won the first-place prize of $300 for his The last drops.

Hannah Wheeler, 18, a student at Northside High School and Arnold R. Burton Technology Center, earned the second-place $200 for Giving Back.

Third place was a tie between Jackson Patterson, 15, of North Cross and his Every Water Drop and Alaina Eliades, 17, also of North Cross and her Happy Hour. They each received $100.

Marufu and his North Cross art teacher, Amy Jackson, also were honored during the Roanoke Valley Sister Cities annual meeting in June.

Byrd graduate

wins scholarshipThe winner of the EventZone 2022 Scholarship for the Arts is Hunter Muddiman, a 2022 graduate of William Byrd High School who will enter the Savannah College of Art and Design this fall.

He has received many state recognitions for his artwork and wants to pursue a career as an artist with Walt Disney Imagineering in the future.

Junior League

announces grantsThe Junior League of Roanoke Valley has awarded $55,000 under three financial programs  Care That Counts, Community Focus Grant, and the Apel Family Grant.

The Community Focus Grant donated $15,000 to Center in the Square for the development and curriculum of its virtual Get Schooled! field trip videos; $5,000 to Family Promise of Greater Roanoke to assist with skill-building classes and enrichment opportunities for shelter residents; and $14,220 to the Roanoke Public Library Foundation for the Feed, Read, and Grow  Virtual Lactation Support Group and Resource Center.

The Care that Counts Grant gave $5,780 to Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council to provide programming and financial assistance to support 829 Girl Scouts; $5,000 to Girls on the Run for financial assistance for 30-to-45 participants in its physical activity-based positive youth development program; and $5,000 to the Presbyterian Community Center for its Pathways for Youth after-school program.

The Apel Family Grant gave $5,000 to Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline to install a new water heater and well pump for Camp Icimani.

Community Foundation awards grantsThe Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia recently awarded $100,000 from a private foundation grant to three Roanoke Valley social service nonprofit groups.

Family Service of Roanoke Valley, which provides a variety of mental health services to individuals and families, received $40,000 to support the Strengthen Youth Opportunity for Success program.

Feeding Southwest Virginia, regions largest supplier of charitable food relief, received $20,000 to support the Community Solutions Centers Meal Production Training Program.

Free Clinic of Franklin County received $40,000 for its Medicaid Expansion Initiative, which provides basic medical care such as physical examinations, diagnostic testing, treatment plans, referrals, wellness screenings, womens wellness, health education, and prescription medications to Franklin County area adults who are below 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and have no or limited access to insurance.

The Community Foundation, which holds nearly $120 million in charitable assets, is comprised of more than 360 permanent endowment funds, and has awarded over $60 million in grants to community institutions since inception.

Contact JoAnne Poindexter at joanne.poindexter @roanoke.com

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The state Board of Elections will use a regularly scheduled meeting in August to discuss 11 complaints associated with Peter Volosins campaign for Roanoke City Council, according to department spokeswoman Andrea Gaines.

The Virginia Department of Elections is still reviewing the complaints, according to Gaines.

It has not yet been confirmed that all of the complaints are valid, she said by email.

Volosin was one of three winners of the Democratic primary for the council race June 21. Volosin has acknowledged that his campaign distributed a paper sample ballot lacking required language saying who paid for the flyer. Roanoke election officials brought the issue to his attention early on election day, he said. He called it a mistake and said it was corrected within hours.

Volosin did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday about the confirmation of the number of complaints.

Andrew Cochran, Roanokes director of elections and general registrar, said a second version of the sample ballot that was distributed to voters later during primary day also fell short of a disclosure requirement. Volosin said previously that no one notified him of that issue.

Cochran said the elections board, the departments regulatory body, has the authority to fine candidates under certain circumstances.

The discussion is scheduled for 1 p.m. Aug. 16 in Senate room 3 of the Capitol.

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RICHMOND  Although Virginias abortion laws have not changed, elected commonwealth attorneys in Richmond and Henrico County preemptively have pledged not to prosecute anyone who receives an abortion or provides a woman with the procedure in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision last week to overturn Roe V. Wade.

Richmond Commonwealths Attorney Colette McEachin and Henrico Commonwealths Attorney Shannon Taylor have joined 88 elected chief prosecutors, district attorneys and state attorneys general from 28 states  nine in Virginia  who signed a pledge that promises not to use our offices resources to criminalize reproductive health decisions.

Enforcing abortion bans runs counter to the obligations and interests we are sworn to uphold, according to the language of the pledge included in a three-page letter crafted by the organization Fair and Just Prosecution.

Not all of us agree on a personal or moral level on the issue of abortion, the prosecutors who signed the pledge jointly said. But we stand together in our firm belief that prosecutors have a responsibility to refrain from using limited criminal legal system resources to criminalize personal medical decisions.

The nonprofit group, which includes elected prosecutors from across the U.S., is committed to promoting a justice system grounded in fairness, equity, compassion, and fiscal responsibility and advocates for criminal justice reform, among other issues.

The Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion, announced Friday is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half of states.

Virginia has moderately permissive abortion laws that make the procedure legal until the beginning of the third trimester, or 26 weeks. Abortions can be legally obtained after that period if continuing the pregnancy is likely to result in the death of the woman or substantially and irremediably impair the mental or physical health of the woman.

With the Roe ruling, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has outlined a plan to protect the life of unborn children with legislation that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks. Republican legislators have indicated their support for such a change in state law.

Asked to elaborate on her position, McEachin, a Democrat elected as Richmonds chief prosecutor, said the letter disseminated by Fair and Justice Prosecution speaks for itself.

But the bottom line is, I just cannot conceive of this office prosecuting a woman for making a decision about whether or not to bear a child, McEachin said in a phone interview. And I also cant see this office spending our scarce resources  given the volume of violent crime and drug use in the city of Richmondon prosecuting a provider to a woman who is in that situation.

Asked if her office would also decline to prosecute if she became aware of violations under Virginias existing abortion law, McEachin said, You can never say never about anything. Im old enough to know that. But having been a prosecutor in this office for 25 years, theres never been a case come through where someone said, Would you consider prosecuting this?

Likewise, McEachin said shes not aware of anyone in the medical field urging the prosecution of physicians providing abortion.

I dont believe anything like that has ever crossed any commonwealths attorneys desk in the city of Richmond in the past 25 years that Ive been here, she said. I just dont think its something that has ever come up. But I will say that it is not something that I think that the Commonwealth  with scarce and confining financial resources  should be focused on.

Taylor, as Henricos chief prosecutor, said her job is to keep residents and their communities safe, and that abortion is not a public safety issue.

A core principle of American jurisprudence and justice is prosecutorial discretion, Taylor, a Democrat, said in an email. Therefore, I will continue to focus my limited resources on making sure Henricoans are safe in their homes, in their schools, in their workplaces and everywhere else.

State Sen. Steve Newman, R-Forest, who the governor selected along with state Sen. Sibobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, to assist in the drafting of new abortion legislation, was critical of those commonwealths attorneys who pledged not to prosecute.

The law of Virginia is not optional and nearly every Commonwealths Attorney understands the basic rule of law, Newman said in an email. Each of Virginias elected prosecutors swear an oath of fidelity to the Commonwealth, and the majority take their oath seriously, he said.

A very few commonwealths attorneys have consistently been more interested in politics instead of the law, Newman added. They mistakenly believe they can pick and choose what laws they prosecute in their communities. Interestingly enough, its those communities where we are seeing the most dramatic spikes in crime.

Newman said political prosecutors who do not keep their oath will have no effect on the legislation now being drafted. The draft bills likely will rely on the current enforcement process, which is the medical license of the person providing the abortion and the liability of the abortion facility.

To my knowledge and in my lifetime, we have not seen a mother prosecuted under these same Code sections, Newman said. I dont see that changing in any new legislation.

Dunnavant, the General Assemblys only physician, could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokesperson said she was seeing clients Thursday at her medical practice.

There are 120 elected commonwealths attorneys in Virginia. In addition to McEachin and Taylor, the chief prosecutors for Loudoun County, Arlington County/Falls Church, Fairfax County, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Charlottesville and Alexandria have signed the no prosecution pledge.

Asked whether there are hazards for prosecutors who publicly declare they wont support certain laws, Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor, said Virginias commonwealth attorneys are elected by the people and are supposed to exercise discretion in deciding what to prosecute.

If they believe that anti-abortion or other laws are too strict, the prosecutors can exercise that discretion and not prosecute, Tobias said. If the public disagrees with this exercise of discretion, the public can elect someone else to that office.
Ive spent most of my life exploring, nurturing, and loving my familys 855 acres of forests and fields and 3 miles of perennial streams that are adjacent to the proposed Rocky Forge Wind Farm site in Botetourt County.

My parents were determined to conserve some Virginia forest land, and so the land is in a conservation easement. The proposed location for the turbines is a wildlife habitat for innumerable species, but my greatest concerns are the known impacts on the birds and bats and the aquatic species that are at risk from soil erosion and stream sedimentation.

I am blessed to know what clean streams look like. It is a privilege but it shouldnt be. I know if construction begins on the Rocky Forge site, because of the land disturbance, this will cause soil erosion and stream sedimentation into the streams when it rains. Everybody knows it, but the decision-makers in this process have not assessed and disclosed the impacts.

Common sense tells me that when the proposed turbines increase in size, the impacts change. It has been at least eight years since wildlife information to assess the impacts has been collected.

Eight years is a long time when terrestrial and aquatic life are being impacted at an unprecedented rate and scale. Climate change is rapidly impacting our environment.

Wildlife studies done eight or more years ago are useless to describe conditions today. The proposed turbine site is in the southernmost breeding territory for the golden eagle. Golden eagles fly from Canada to the mountains in Virginia every year, specifically the mountain proposed for turbine development.

There is an Indiana bat cave within five miles of the turbine site and Apex has not updated any information about the endangered species also threatened by a widespread fungal disease specifically since this project was first proposed. The natural world is not static, it is changing more rapidly than ever due to the increasing threats to habitat. Nonetheless, the commonwealth of Virginia is shamelessly poised to authorize a project for which it has no idea of the actual impacts, even though the Department of Environmental Quality is required to both know what the impacts are going to be and disclose the impacts to the public. The underlying data here is not meaningful because it is old. Mitigation in the form of turbine operation curtailment means nothing without an accurate baseline of the population conditions. The knowledge of the effectiveness of curtailment itself has not been shown.

The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) submitted a comment letter on June 24, which transmitted its prior letters dated Aug. 10, 2020, and Dec. 21, 2021. The ABC argues for current eagle data among other things, providing the scientific and legal information to support their position. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also weighed in with an electronic mail communication on June 3, 2021, from Thomas W. Wittig, the agencys North Atlantic-Appalachian Region Eagle Coordinator, directed to Jennie Geiger, the senior environmental permitting manager at Apex. In February 2021, Geiger had advised Mr. Wittig that No changes have been made to the BBCS [Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy] document that was approved back in 2016. On June 3, 2021, Mr. Wittig directly challenged Apexs 2016 assertion that no additional eagle studies were warranted or permit recommended because so much had changed in five years. After listing significant factors that influence the agencys assessment of risk to eagles, Wittig firmly states, In the context of current management and science, I do not feel that the BBCS provides enough evidence to support that the project is at low risk of taking eagles. Not enough relevant information.

Wind turbines should be equipped with state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression equipment. The danger and threat of wildfires are frightening, knowing that the industrial turbines can set off a fire at any time, but the effects of climate change on the danger of wildfire have not been considered. Havent we advanced beyond industrializing mountaintop habitats and polluting the water resources that flow from the mountains, especially for marginal energy production at a cost so high that the commonwealth effectively bailed out this boondoggle by agreeing to purchase power that no one else, save Virginia taxpayers, would pay for?

If constructing 50- and 60-story-tall industrial machines on top of mountains higher than 3,000 feet in elevation in Virginia was such a good idea, it would be done by now.

Hundley lives in Clifton Forge.
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" " Vice President Mike Pence swears in retired astronaut Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) into the U.S. Senate at the U.S. Capitol Dec. 2, 2020, while Kelly's wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, stands by in support. Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images

On Dec. 2, 2020. retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly was sworn in as a Democratic Senator of Arizona, ascending no longer into space, but to the same seat once held by the late Republican Sen. John McCain. Like McCain, Kelly is a former Navy pilot.

But Kelly has exceeded his Arizonian senatorial predecessors by many times in altitude. He and his twin brother, retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly who spent a record 340 consecutive days in space, took part in NASA's landmark DNA "Twin Study" to help understand how the human body adapts to long stays in space. And Mark Kelly's not the first astronaut to land into the upper chamber on Capitol Hill.

There have been four others whose careers have taken them from space to senate (or senate to space). Each has a fascinating history. Let's take a look at their paths and how they got there.

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John Glenn

Other than Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon, John Glenn is arguably the most famous name in NASA history. Some might find this ironic, considering, he flew into space just once, orbiting Earth just three times on a flight that lasted less than five hours in 1962. This flight made Glenn a national hero, however, because it made him the first American to orbit Earth at all.

Glenn remained part of NASA for five years after his famous orbital flight, despite being the oldest astronaut in the corps. He was elected to the Senate in 1974 and represented Ohio for 25 years as a Democrat. He served as chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, and as a member of the Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees. Glenn was considered one of the Senate's leading experts on technical and scientific matters.

During his last term as a senator, Glenn served on the Special Committee on Aging. Apropos to this work  and that biological changes from longtime exposure to spaceflight mimic biological changes associated with aging  Glenn was selected to return to space on a nine-day mission on the space shuttle Discovery in 1998. At the age of 77, he was the oldest person to travel in space.

" " The late U.S. Senator John Glenn was the first NASA astronaut to orbit Earth and later became the oldest civilian in space. NASA

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Harrison "Jack" Schmitt

Before joining NASA, Harrison "Jack" Schmitt worked for the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Center at Flagstaff, Arizona, as project chief for lunar field geological methods. He participated in photo and telescopic mapping of the moon, and trained NASA astronauts on their geological field trips. But in 1965, NASA selected him to be a scientist-astronaut.

Schmitt piloted the Apollo 17 mission  the last manned Apollo mission the U.S. flew to the moon, Dec. 6, 1972. Apollo 17 turned out to be the most scientifically productive lunar mission. Although the Apollo lunar program ended with Schmitt's return to Earth Dec. 19, 1972, he remained with NASA until 1975, studying the lunar samples he and other Apollo astronauts collected.

In 1974, Schmitt was appointed NASA assistant administrator for energy programs, a position he held until August 1975, when he resigned to run for Senate in his home state of New Mexico. He was elected Nov. 2, 1976. He served from 1977 to 1983, and sat on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Select Committee on Ethics. He was the ranking Republican member of the Ethics Committee; the Science, Technology and Space Subcommittee of Commerce; and the Consumer Subcommittee of Banking. To this day, Schmitt is the only natural scientist to serve in the U.S. Senate since Thomas Jefferson presided over it.

" " Scientist-astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot, is seen here using an adjustable sampling scoop to retrieve lunar samples during the second Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan/NASA

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Edwin "Jake" Garn

The next U.S. senator got his spaceflight experience in a very different way than our first two. He technically went from the Senate to space. Edwin "Jake" Garn represented the state of Utah as a Republican in the Senate from January 1975 until January 1993. During his tenure, he served as chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and on several subcommittees: Housing and Urban Affairs; Financial Institutions; and International Finance and Monetary Policy. He also was a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and four Appropriations subcommittees, including Energy and Water Resources; Defense; Military Construction; and Interior.

But it was Garn's experience as a naval pilot that made him an obvious choice to work as a payload specialist on the space shuttle Discovery mission in 1985 as part of NASA's program to send civilians into space. Garn had already been a pilot in the United States navy from 1956 to 1960, and flew supply missions to Vietnam with the Utah Air National Guard. By the time he retired as a full colonel in April 1979, he'd flown more than 10,000 hours in military and private civilian aircraft. Garn is the only pilot in aviation history to have wings from the Navy, Air Force and NASA and is the first member of Congress to fly in space.

" " Crewman Senator Jake Garn is seen here during a parabolic or zero-gravity flight. The simulation makes some passengers nauseous, which inspired the nickname "Vomit Comet." NASA

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William "Bill" Nelson

Our last senator, William "Bill" Nelson, also flew aboard a space shuttle in January 1986 as part of the same NASA civilian program. Nelson's mission lasted one week on the shuttle Columbia where he also worked as a payload specialist, becoming the second member of Congress  and first member of the House  to fly into space. At the time he was a 44-year-old Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives serving Florida.

Before that, Nelson was in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1965 to 1971, where he served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970, earning the rank of captain. Afterward, he returned to Florida and in 1970 began working as a legislative assistant to Gov. Reubin Askew. In 1972, Nelson was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. By 1978 he was elected to represent Florida as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives where he served six terms for Florida's 9th and 11th congressional districts. He was elected to U.S. Senate in 2000 and retired in 2019. During his tenure he served on multiple committees, including the Committee on Aging; the Committee on Armed Services; the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and the Committee on Finance.

" " U.S. Representative Bill Nelson, STS 61-C payload specialist, prepares to enjoy a freshly peeled grapefruit on the mid-deck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia. NASA

Now That's Sad Just days after Nelson returned to Earth on his Columbia mission, the Challenger shuttle launched Jan. 28, 1986. This mission also carried a civilian  schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe  along with six other crewmembers. But early in the launch phase the vehicle exploded, killing all seven aboard. The disaster ended NASA's program of sending civilians into space.
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 28, 2021 shows the new Tiexi Plant of BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) under construction in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

In the first five months of 2022, China received 47.68 billion U.S. dollars in foreign capital for major foreign-funded projects each with a contracted investment of at least 100 million U.S. dollars, up 40.3 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed Thursday.

The sum accounted for 54.3 percent of foreign investment in actual use nationwide in the five-month period, according to the data.

Shu Jueting, spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press briefing that a bevy of global firms have sped up their business expansion in China, which shows an unchanged confidence in the Chinese market and their long-term business prospects in China.

The ministry will continue to ramp up support for major foreign-invested projects and help address difficulties faced by enterprises, she said.
Shelley Welton is Presidential Distinguished Professor of Law and Energy Policy with the Kleinman Center and Penn Carey Law. Credit: University of Pennsylvania

In one of the final decisions of a consequential term, the Supreme Court ruled today to limit the ability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate power plant emissions, a major contributor to climate change.

The case, West Virginia v. EPA, concerned the agency's ability to devise a broad system by which to reduce power plant emissions. As it has in many recent decisions, the court split 6 to 3, the majority acting to limit the agency's authority. Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion, which states that the move to "force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a 'sensible solution to the crisis of the day.'" But he goes on to write, "A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body."

To delve into some of the details and implications of today's ruling, Penn Today spoke with Shelley Welton, who joined the Penn faculty this week as Presidential Distinguished Professor of Law and Energy Policy with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and Penn Carey Law.

Can you explain the background of the case?

I think a lot of people were quite surprised that the Court took this case at all, because it concerns a rule that isn't currently in place.

In 2015, the Obama administration put out the Clean Power Plan to deal with greenhouse gases emitted by power plants. When the Trump administration came in, they scrapped that plan and instead put in place the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which functionally did almost nothing. If carried out, I think it would have reduced emissions by something like 1%.

That rule then got challenged as resting on a flawed interpretation of the Clean Air Act. It went to the D.C. Circuit Court, which struck it down.

At that point, the Biden administration indicated that they were not going back to the Clean Power Plan. The world had changed and the emissions reductions goals that plan had put in place had already been mostly achieved, so they were going to craft a new strategy.

The Biden administration requested that this case, seeking to overturn the D.C. Circuit Court ruling, be put aside, as it was functionally moot, concerning the Clean Power Plan which is no longer in effect. Normally courts would listen to the executive branch and say it doesn't make sense to rule on this if there is no live controversy. But here the Supreme Court decided to rule on it anyway.

Will there be immediate effects as a result of this decision?

The immediate effects are that, as the Court has been tortuously winding its way through its impactful decisions this term, the Biden administration has been trying to figure out, What are we going to do to act on climate?

Power plants account for 25% of total U.S. emissions, so this is a huge, critical piece of solving the climate puzzle. And the Biden administration has had to sit on their hands, waiting for the Court to give them guidance on what they can do.

I imagine that people in the administration are now going to be working very hard to creatively craft some kind of policy that will work within the bounds of this guidance.

It may also have reverberating implications in other agencies, like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, as they think through what steps they're willing to take on climate change and how legally risky taking action on climate change might be.

Given the speculation about this ruling and how extreme it might be in hamstringing the EPA, where do you think it landed?

I would say it's not as sweeping as it could have been. Certainly, it limits the tools that the EPA has to address emissions, but it doesn't strip them away entirely.

But I don't want to sugarcoat it. I think it's a devastating decision overall. The decision is bad for climate change and bad for people in the administration who are working creatively on solutions to the big, important problems that are facing the nation.

What are some of the details of what the case considered and how that might impact the EPA and other agencies?

One way to understand what the Court is doing here is that they're really solidifying what is known as the "major questions" doctrine. That doctrine, as articulated by this Court, says that when an agency is working on a big and important problem, Congress is required to give a super clear statement that the agency has the authority to deal with this problem.

What's interesting here is that, in 2007, in Massachusetts v. EPA, the Court already held that the EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases. There's a deep irony here. The more an agency tries to take big action to solve the major problems they're tasked with solving, the less likely it is that the Court will find that they have the authority to take that action.

Here, the consequence is that the Court says the EPA cannot enact what's called a generation-shifting strategy when it comes to regulating power plant emissions. Section 111 of the Clean Air Act says that when the EPA is regulating a source of pollution, it's supposed to come up with the "best system of emissions reduction." In writing the Clean Power Plan, the Obama administration determined that the best system was to shift energy production away from heavily polluting coal-fired power plants toward cleaner energy sources, like solar- or wind-powered plants.

In this case, what the court was asking is, is this generation-shifting strategy a "system?" It revolves around the definition of system. The majority said no because the strategy is too big and does too much. The dissent says hogwash; system is a broad term, and this clearly fits in the notion of a system.

Was there anything about how the decision was written that surprised you?

One thing that interested me about the majority opinion is that they spent basically no time talking about climate change as a problem. In contrast, the dissent started off their opinion with it.

But right at the end, in the last paragraph of the majority opinion, Roberts refers to climate change as the "crisis of the day." It seems flippant, given what's at stake here. Its not the "crisis of the day," its an existential crisis. The EPA has been charged by Congress to address air pollution, and here you have maybe the biggest air pollution crisis that the world and country has ever faced. There seems to be a callous, intentional disregard of that fact.

What avenues remain open for addressing climate change through law and policy?

The EPA can still do something, and maybe even something significant, with respect to power plant emissions. But they can't do generation-shifting. They could require technologies at particular plants to reduce emissions, and perhaps even do something more. The majority's opinion leaves these boundaries somewhat unclear, and that's the question that confronts the EPA now, just how far they can go.

There is also room for action on the state level, and this opinion doesn't take away too much from states' authority to address climate change. Around two dozen states have adopted 100% clean energy targets or goals or laws. Those cover the majority of the U.S. population at this point.

There is also the possibility to target other huge sources of emissions aside from power plants, like the transportation sector. But it's important to note, the current strategy to clean those up centers on electrification. So, there's a funny way in which all the other sectors are bound up with what happens at power plants. If we want to clean everything else up through electrification, then it puts even more weight on what we do with power plants. So, this decision has reverberations across sectors.

Provided by University of Pennsylvania
FLORENCE  A ribbon cutting was held on Thursday in the James Allen Plaza celebrating the Asiya Jordan Foundations joining of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Cutting the ribbon was Shalanda Waiters, director of the foundation, which was established in memory of her daughter, Asiya Jordan.

Sixteen-year-old Asiya Jordan died in a car crash on McIver Road in October 2019. Her mother said she was on her way to Florence-Darlington Tech.

She was a junior at Wilson and a varsity cheerleader.

She was crowned the 2019 Miss Pee Dee Teen, and as Miss Pee Dee Teen, she competed in the Miss South Carolina Outstanding Teen pageant.

Jordan also received the title of Miss Elk South Carolina and competed in the national pageant.

Waiters said her daughter was very community-service oriented and wanted to make a difference in the world.

The foundation gives scholarships to deserving students in memory of Jordan.

Waiters said the purpose of the foundation is to enrich the lives of others through scholarships.

On Oct. 1, the foundation will be giving out scholarships for the second year. The event will be held at SiMT at Florence-Darlington Technical College. The event starts at 6:30.

The first year the foundation gave five $500 scholarships. It hopes to give at least three this year.

It makes me feel like I am still doing something for her and her purpose, her legacy, Waiters said.

Waiter said she joined the chamber because she wanted to expose the foundation to more people and to help more children who want to go to college and get an education. She said her daughter would say education is the universal language and it exposed you to more opportunities and better outlook on life. She was a tutor.

Jordan is remembered for her smile, kind heart and bright personality.

She was quiet, loving, kind, always smiling, even when she was in a bad mood, said her grandmother, Yulanda Charles. She always thought of others first and put them before herself. She was always willing to help others. She saw people as people.

She said her granddaughter always said when she grew up she was going to change the world.

Waiters said the foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and the scholarship money is provided through donations. There is a board of directors, she said.

Donations are always accepted. Contact Waiters at 843-250-7843 or email theasiyajordanfoundation@gmail.com to make a donation or for more information about the Asiya Jordan Foundation.

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FLORENCE, S.C.  After recounts of votes, Roger Kirby is the official winner of the House of Representatives District 101 seat.

The district covers parts of Florence, Willilamsburg and Berkeley counties.

In Tuesdays House of Representatives runoff election, the unofficial results had Kirby as winner with 2,463 votes, or 49.63% and Cezar McKnight, his opponent, with 2,427 votes or 49.63%.

The difference between the two voters was less than 1%, so a recount was ordered by the State Elections Commission.

At 3:15 p.m., the Florence Voter Registration office conducted a recount to certify the results of the election. Every precinct involved within the district was sealed and had tags for identification. Early voting ballots were recounted first and election day ballots followed.

Julian Young, director of the Florence County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, said certifying votes allowed them to add eight provisional ballots to the election total.

We certified the votes yesterday and we added several provisional ballots, Young said. We added 10 or 11 provisional ballots. Two did not count and the other eight did. The board got together and put those provisional ballots in, but they didnt move anything around. In general it just added 8 votes and it is a good thing that we are able to do that. On the State Elections Commissions end, nothing changed and they ordered a recount.

The results of the recounts in Florence, Williamsburg and Berkeley counties confirmed Kirby as winner with 2,463 votes, or 50.35%, and his opponent, Cezar McKnight, with 2,429 votes, or 49.65%. The recount increased McKnights votes by two.

Roger Kirby expressed gratitude to the constituents of District 101 through a Facebook post.

To the constituents of South Carolina House of Representatives District 101, thank you for your support. I can not tell you how excited I am to have the opportunity to represent this new house district. I am so thankful for our hard-working re-election team for their energy and commitment to change. The message of unity has resonated across our district.

The voters recognize that our commitment to working together for progress is the path forward for our communities and four our people. Collectively, we share the message that its time to look forward to a new vision for District 101. A vision where we come together and work together and dream together for positive changes for our area and for our future. Lets get to work. Together, we will get big things done in the new South Carolina House of Representatives District 101!

Cezar McKnight also thanked his supporters via Facebook and said loss is not enjoyable, but is something everyone must learn to deal with. Its the day in which we just have to deal with the facts as they are,  McKnight said. We are 37 votes short from winning and therefore it is time for us to move on. Congratulations to the other side on your victory and best wishes to you. Thank you to everyone who went out and put out signs with me. Who knocked on doors with me, made telephone calls with me, sacrificed their time and efforts to support me, and those people who prayed for me and kept me encouraged.

I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart thank you. No one likes to lose. I most certainly dont. Its not a feeling anyone enjoys, but you cant win them all. For you to enjoy the sunshine you have to have some rain and this is just a rainy day that we have to endure. I anticipate that Ill still be around and that Ill still be active. Ill still be vigilant and I will continue to keep the community abreast of what is going on and I will do my due diligence to help in any way I can. The Lord has made me focus on something else. What those areas of focus will be, we shall see. Thank you to everyone and I love you all. I will quote my favorite poem Invictus, my head is bloodied, but unbowed. Lets continue on.

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Dear Doctors: When I told my dentist that I'm having knee surgery this summer, she said to be sure the surgeon knows that my hair is naturally red and not dyed. She said redheads respond to pain drugs differently, and that she actually has to use more anesthetic on me. Is that really true?

Dear Reader: This sounds like the kind of weird health claim that goes viral on social media, so it's not surprising you might be skeptical. Yet, there is both research and anecdotal evidence to support the idea that people with naturally red hair can have different requirements when it comes to drugs that control pain.

There is a school of thought that says redheads require more local anesthetic to manage pain, as well as increased amounts of general anesthesia to induce unconsciousness, than the rest of the population. That said, it's a somewhat recent and still-evolving concept. It's also a bit controversial, with its fair share of detractors. While more research is needed in order to state definitively if this theory about redheads is either right or wrong, we can help lay out some of the thinking behind it.

Less than 2% of the world's population are natural redheads. That makes red the rarest of hair colors. Red hair results from variants associated with the MC1R gene, which provides the instructions that lead to each person's individual pigmentation. In addition to hair color, this gene influences someone's skin color, their response to UV light and their risk of developing melanoma. The gene also plays a role in pain perception.

Someone with red hair has two copies of the MC1R gene, receiving one from each parent. The gene also carries a certain mutation in most people who have red hair. It's this variant that has been identified as playing a role in why redheads may respond to pain drugs differently than others. But research into the specifics has yielded sometimes contradictory results.

A pair of small studies conducted in the early 2000s focused on tolerance to pain. One found that people with MC1R variants are more sensitive to heat and cold. However, in a separate study, people with MC1R variants were less sensitive to stimulus from electrical currents. This was followed by a small study published in the journal Anesthesiology, which found that women with red hair required up to 20% more anesthesia to keep them sedated than did women with dark hair. A subsequent study, conducted in 2009, found that red-headed patients required higher levels of anesthetics to numb the pain of dental procedures. This backs up your dentist's experience with your own pain-control needs. And to add to the mixed nature of this line of research, a recent study linked differences in pain sensitivity to MC1R variants that are separate from those that cause someone to have red hair.

So where does this leave you as a red-haired patient? As we mentioned earlier, there is anecdotal evidence, both from patients and clinicians, regarding red hair and pain response. That makes it worthwhile to talk about the issue with your surgeon, and to let him or her know about your dentist's experience with your unique needs regarding pain suppression.

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SIOUX CITY -- The City of Sioux City is asking residents in the Indian Hills area not to water their lawns, after a water valve broke.

The city said in a statement that the broken valve is located at 39th Street and Cheyenne Boulevard.

Properties in the area of 29th to 46th streets between Hamilton Boulevard are currently experiencing a decrease in water pressure. A few streets outside of that area may also be affected, according to the statement.

"The City of Sioux City is requesting water conservation efforts by residents in this area, specifically no lawn irrigation until further notice, while crews work to fix the broken valve," the statement said.

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A statement from the Sac County Sheriff's Office said that deputies interviewed Laber, whose job is to maintain both sites. Laber first told deputies that someone had shut off the breakers that control the electricity the night before, causing the pigs' deaths. It was determined after a veterinarian inspection that the pigs had been dead for at least a week, according to the statement. Laber later told deputies that she knew the pigs had been dead for a week but did not know what to do. The pigs were in different stages of decomposition. They had no access to feed or water.
Authorities warn local residents to be extremely cautious using fireworks, citing Red Flag notices for dry conditions.

Residents are asked to be cautious around tall grasses and call 911 early if a fire starts.

The National Weather Service announced a red flag fire notice on Wednesday ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. This notice means warm temperatures; low humidity and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.

The South Sioux City Fire Department and the Sioux City Fire Rescue are warning residents that any small ember can create a fire during these types of conditions, and any sign of a fire should be immediately reported.

Any small ember that leaves a fire can spread quickly, Sioux City Fire Rescue Captain Ryan Collins said.

Collins said the fire departments would rather respond to a fire call and have it already put out when they arrive, than for a resident to call after it has burned out of control.

The difference between an average grass fire and one started by fireworks is often the location, Collins said. An average grass fire will start beside a roadway, train track or home. Fireworks can land in remote areas, difficult for fire departments to reach.

The dry and windy conditions also alter how fire departments respond to reports. Collins said they will call for additional resources very early, sometimes before the first team arrives on scene.

We dont want to be behind the ball, he said. We want to make sure there are plenty of resources.

The fire departments respond to fires caused by fireworks every year, but the last time it was this dry was in 2013, he said.

In Sioux City, fireworks can be set off from 1 to 11 p.m. on July 3 and 4. In South Sioux City, fireworks can be discharged from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 2, 3 and 4. In North Sioux City, fireworks are OK through July 10.

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Like thousands of students across the country, Abby Steffen was unsure of how she was going to pay for a college education.

The sophomore-to-be at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said she didnt qualify for a Pell Grant when she first submitted her Free Application for Financial Student Aid, known as FAFSA, the document used to determine how much help she would be eligible to receive.

The oldest of eight children from a farm family that lives near Crofton, Steffen was assigned a high expected family contribution, meaning shed have to find other ways to pay tuition and other costs.

I was really considering dropping out for a year and working because I wasnt sure how I would be able to afford everything, said Steffen, who worked a second job during the school year, and took on a handful of others this summer.

But when she asked the Office of Federal Student Aid at the U.S. Department of Education to reconsider, citing special circumstances, Steffen learned that she would, in fact, be eligible to receive a Pell Grant.

The Pell Grant, which celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this month, offers up to $6,895 in financial aid to students who demonstrate need, in order for them to pursue a college degree. The money does not have to be paid back.

Steffen said learning she was eligible for a Pell Grant altered her future: College is very stressful as it is, and I know a lot of students are very grateful for the Pell Grant."

According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education and published through the College Scorecard, roughly 36% of students attending Nebraskas public and private colleges and universities received a Pell Grant in the 2019-20 school year.

At UNL, the number of recipients increased from 4,046 in 2010-11 to a high of 4,757 in 2017-18, before leveling off at 4,481 in 2020-21, the office of Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics reported.

For first-time, full-time students, the number of Pell Grant recipients has jumped from 966 to 1,208 in the decade between 2010 to 2020.

As the number of students who receive Pell Grants has increased, so too has the average amount awarded, by a little more than $500, according to UNL.

In 2010-11, undergraduate students at UNL received an average grant of $3,813; the average rose to $4,489, while the average Pell Grant to first-time, full-time students increased from $3,728 to $4,489 over the same time period.

Other schools, including other campuses across the NU system, the Nebraska State College System, and community colleges across the state, as well as private colleges and universities, have also seen success among students who qualify for federal assistance.

At the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, for example, roughly 34% and 36% of the student body received a Pell Grant in the 2019-20 school year, according to the College Scorecard.

NU President Ted Carter, who knew Sen. Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island for whom the grant is named  Pell wrote Carters nomination letter to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1977  said the award, when combined with a competitive tuition rate and support from private donors, adds up to a story of unbeatable success.

About one-third of students who attend state college campuses in Peru, Wayne and Chadron used a Pell Grant to pay part of their way, most of whom are first-generation college students, Chancellor Paul Turman said. Thats up slightly over the numbers from a decade ago.

The current funding of the Pell Grant  about $5,600 per semester  pays the full tuition rate for state colleges, and would cover additional costs of those students.

The vision for those Pell Grants, when that program was first put in place, is how do we find opportunities for the students to continue their education? he said. If you look at all of our aid collectively, Pell is probably the biggest bucket our families draw from.

UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green said the support offered by the Pell Grant has played an important role for the 1 out of every 5 students who receive financial help from the federal government to go to college.

The Pell Grant is often first-dollar aid, reducing the $25,000 cost of attendance at UNL by $4,500 on average before other aid is applied.

When you look at the level of support those students need in order to not go to school with a lot of debt, thats significant, Green said. Pell becomes the foundation on which we stack all of the other aid to try and minimize the cost for these students.

That has helped UNL keep the average debt students graduate with at roughly $24,500, according to the Institute for College Access and Success, which is below both the state average of $30,500 and the national average of $32,700.

Green is a direct beneficiary of the Pell Grant program. As a first-generation student at Virginia Tech University in 1979 who would have qualified for Nebraska Promise, Green received federal assistance.

Stacked with other scholarships, the grant helped Green graduate with no college debt  he acknowledges the difference in cost some four decades later  but says Pell helped him in ways similar to how it helps students now.

I didnt work a lot when I was in college  I worked some as a student worker  but I was able to go full-time as a student and not have to worry about 20-30 hours of workload a week, he said. I was able to finish in 3 1/2 years instead of 5 or 6 years.

Reducing the need to work several jobs in addition to taking a full slate of classes is something more recent college students have experienced as well.

For Sadid Carrillo, who graduated from UNL in 2013 with a degree in finance and accounting, the Pell Grant allowed him to not only attend UNL, but to take part in opportunities he otherwise wouldnt have been able to pursue.

The core of it, in my opinion, is that it just helped me focus on school, said Carrillo. For me, I wouldnt have had the confidence or the overall ability to stay in school if not for the Pell Grant.

The oldest of five children, Carrillo said his parents couldnt cover the full cost of attendance at UNL. Under the Pell Grant program, however, the Schuyler native qualified for the maximum amount, roughly $5,000 a semester at the time.

When he considered dropping out and following his parents to work at Cargill  it was for school reasons and not financial, he said  Carrillo said he surveyed the wide assortment of help he had been offered and decided to stay.

That led to a college degree and, eventually, a job as a bank examiner at the Omaha office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

If it wasnt for the Pell Grant, I dont think I would have stayed in school, he said. All of those resources definitely made the picture of going to college much more realistic and more possible.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS

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By June 30, a total of 42 countries and regions as well as 11 international organizations had officially confirmed they will participate in this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), marking a rise in the number of international participants.

Located on the first floor of the China National Convention Center, one of the venues for CIFTIS, this year's national pavilions will remain a showcase of the business environment, leading industries and national features for participating countries, covering various fields such as culture and tourism, education, e-commerce, healthcare and the digital industry.

So far, 30 countries that have advantages in service trade, including Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, Thailand and Australia, have confirmed their participation. Italy, Switzerland and Australia will set up their national pavilions at the fair for the first time.

During the exhibition, economic and trade promotion institutions from Germany will share investment opportunities and their advanced development philosophies on service trade.

Gianpaolo Bruno, director of the Beijing Office of the Italian Trade Agency, said that CIFTIS is one of the most important exhibitions worldwide and provides a great opportunity for Italian companies to showcase their innovation in services and expand their business in China, thus increasing their competitiveness in the knowledge-driven economy.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan, the Japan External Trade Organization will continue to set up a Japanese Pavilion at this year's CIFTIS, promoting their cross-border e-commerce and healthcare services.

The CIFTIS 2022 is scheduled to be held in Beijing in early September, according to event organizers.
DES MOINES  Joni Ernsts annual summer fundraiser, the Roast and Ride, is back on her campaign calendar in 2022 after a two-year absence.

Ernsts campaign is planning the event for October; an exact date is yet to be determined.

The event, which features a motorcycle ride followed by a hog roast is getting a new addition this year: a ruck march, which is a military term for walking or hiking with a backpack.

Ernsts campaign said more details, including a precise date and lineup of speakers, for Octobers Ruck, Roast and Ride will be announced later.

Ernsts first Roast and Ride was held in 2015 and featured numerous candidates for president in the 2016 cycle. Donald Trump, then the Republican candidate for president, was guest speaker at the 2016 event.

The event was not held last year, and in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic Ernsts campaign held only the motorcycle ride portion of the event as a charity fundraiser.

Ernst is not up for re-election until 2026.

HOLIDAY CAMPAIGNING: Deidre DeJear and Mike Franken, Iowas Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, announced their Independence Day holiday weekend campaign schedules.

DeJear will host a meet and great in Burlington today, attend the West Des Moines Democrats picnic and that citys parade on Sunday, then attend parades in Urbandale and Iowa Falls on Monday, July 4.

Franken plans to attend the Des Moines Farmers Market and American Legion pancake breakfast at the Mitchellville American Legion today, the West Des Moines Democrats picnic on Sunday, and the Tipton parade and Clinton County Democrats office opening in Clinton on Sunday.

DeJear is running for governor against incumbent Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, along with Libertarian candidate Rick Stewart.

Franken is running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

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SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Police Department is offering guidance to all-terrain vehicle and utility terrain vehicle operators in advance of a new state law that goes into effect Friday.

Iowa House File 2130 legalizes the use of ATVs and UTVs on a limited number of roadways. Cities are allowed to regulate operation of such vehicles on two-lane primary and secondary road extensions. ATVs and UTVs cannot be used on highways greater than two lanes, regardless of location in the city or county.

The city currently has no ordinances that either restrict or allow ATV/UTV usage on city streets beyond what is indicated in the new state law.

The following roads are the only roads in Sioux City where ATV and UTV usage is legal based on the amended laws:

 K29  Old Lakeport Road, south of Derocher Path

 D18  Correctionville Road, east of Camp High Hopes

 D25  Old Hwy 141, southeast of the entrance to the cemetery

ATV and UTV operation on other streets is not permitted. A violation carries a fine of $70.

Individuals who choose to operate ATVs or UTVs on approved roadways must also comply with the following restrictions:

 The driver of the ATV/UTV must be at least 18 and have financial liability coverage in effect for the vehicle and carry proof of such insurance.

 The ATV/UTV must display lighted headlamps at all times while the vehicle is operated on the highway.

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Israels parliament has voted to dissolve itself, triggering the countrys fifth election in just over three years. The vote Thursday thrusts veteran politician Yair Lapid into the role of interim prime minister. He will try to persuade a deeply polarized nation to embrace his centrist vision. Polls indicate it will be a difficult road for Lapid to defeat his main rival, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is a divisive figure who is at the heart of Israels protracted political crisis. Lapid is a former author, newspaper columnist and TV host, and was the architect of the outgoing coalition government. As with the previous four elections, the upcoming vote promises to be another referendum on Netanyahu. The election is set for Nov. 1.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  The Michigan Republican Party has resubmitted a list of three nominees to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to fill a vacancy on the states Board of Canvassers after the Democratic governor rejected an initial list due to one nominee, a current state representative, being deemed ineligible.

The list, sent Thursday in a letter to the governor, includes Steve Yoder, Michael Hewitt and Richard Houskamp, according to Michigan GOP spokesman Gustavo Portela.

Yoder and Hewitt both serve as congressional district chairs for the Michigan GOP while Houskamp is a third district committeeman for the party. Hewitt also hosts a conservative radio show.

State Rep. Julie Calley was included on an initial list sent to the governor Wednesday, but the governors office responded by saying Calley was prohibited from receiving an appointment to the Board of State Canvassers during this legislative term.

According to the Michigan Constitution, no elected member of the Legislature can receive any civil appointment within this state, or to the senate of the United States, from the governor.

Portela told The Associated Press that the party is working with the governor to ensure all candidates are eligible.

A seat opened on the four-member Board of State Canvassers, which is tasked with certifying statewide elections, on June 21 when Norm Shinkle resigned after serving in the position for over 13 years.

The Michigan GOP had 10 days after Shinkles resignation to submit the three Republican nominees.

Shinkle, a Republican, came to prominence in 2020 when he abstained from voting to certify the state's results of the presidential election won by President Joe Biden. The three other board members voted to certify, including Republican Aaron Van Langevelde, who was not nominated to serve again the following year by the Michigan GOP.

Shinkle is running for the state House and told the Detroit Free Press that he resigned because of a time-consuming campaign and questions regarding whether he could run for office while serving on the board.

Whitmer will have until July 21 to select one of the three Republican nominees, who will then vote on the certification of the upcoming midterm elections.

Joey Cappelletti is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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

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MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed full control over a major oil and natural gas project partly owned by Shell and two Japanese companies to a newly created Russian firm, a bold move amid spiraling tensions with the West over Moscow's military action in Ukraine.

Putin's decree late Thursday orders the creation of a new company that would take over ownership of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., which is nearly 50% controlled by British energy giant Shell and Japan-based Mitsui and Mitsubishi.

Putins order named threats to Russias national interests and its economic security as the reason for the move at Sakhalin-2, one of the worlds largest export-oriented oil and natural gas projects.

The presidential order gives the foreign firms a month to decide if they want to retain the same shares in the new company.

Russian state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom had a controlling stake in Sakhalin-2, the country's first offshore gas project that accounts for about 4% of the worlds market for liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Japan, South Korea and China are the main customers for the project's oil and LNG exports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that there is no reason to expect a shutdown of supplies following Putins order.

Shell held a 27.5% stake in the project. After the start of the Russian military action in Ukraine, Shell announced its decision to pull out of all of its Russian investments, a move that it said has cost at least $5 billion. The company also holds 50% stakes in two other joint ventures with Gazprom to develop oil fields.

Shell said Friday that its studying Putin's order, which has thrown its investment in the joint venture into doubt.

As a shareholder, Shell has always acted in the best interests of Sakhalin-2 and in accordance with all applicable legal requirements, the company said in a statement. We are aware of the decree and are assessing its implications.

Seiji Kihara, deputy chief secretary of the Japanese cabinet, said the government was aware of Putin's decree and was reviewing its impact. Japan-based Mitsui owns 12.5% of the project, and Mitsubishi holds 10%.

Kihara emphasized that the project should not be undermined because it is pertinent to Japans energy security, adding that anything that harms our resource rights is unacceptable.

We are scrutinizing Russias intentions and the background behind this, he told reporters Friday at a twice-daily news briefing. We are looking into the details, and for future steps, I dont have any prediction for you at this point.

Asked during a conference call with reporters if Putin's move with Sakhalin-2 could herald a similar action against other joint ventures involving foreign shareholders, Peskov said, There can't be any general rule here. He added that each case will be considered separately.

Sakhalin-2 includes three offshore platforms, an onshore processing facility, 300 kilometers of offshore pipelines, 1,600 kilometers of onshore pipelines, an oil export terminal and an LNG plant.

AP reporters Kelvin Chan in London and Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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

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ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkeys media watchdog has banned access to the Turkish services of U.S. public service broadcaster Voice of America and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, prompting criticism of censorship.

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television enforced a February warning to the two companies which air television content in Turkish online to apply for a broadcast license or be blocked. An Ankara court ruled to restrict access to their websites late Thursday.

Neither website was available in Turkey on Friday. Deutsche Welle is German taxpayer-funded and Voice of America is funded by the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

In a statement, Deutsche Welle said it did not comply with the licensing requirement because it would have allowed the Turkish government to censor editorial content.

Director general Peter Limbourg said this was explained in detail to the Turkish radio and TV board, abbreviated as RTUK.

For example, media licensed in Turkey are required to delete online content that RTUK interprets as inappropriate. This is simply unacceptable for an independent broadcaster. DW will take legal action against the blocking that has now taken place, Limbourg said.

The German government said it took note of the reports with regret.

Our concern about the state of freedom of opinion and the press in Turkey continues, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said, adding that Germany is in a regular, critical exchange with Turkey on the issue.

Asked whether the German government can intervene in this case, Hebestreit noted that Deutsche Welle has said it plans to take legal action and we have to wait for that.

Ilhan Tasci, a RTUK member from Turkey's main opposition Republican Peoples Party, said he opposed the move to block the two foreign broadcasters. Here is press freedom and advanced democracy, he tweeted sarcastically.

The move is based on an August 2019 regulation that says the RTUK would give 72-hour advance notice to unlicensed online media regarding when they had to apply and pay three months of licensing fees. Failure to do so could result in legal action against a media organization's executives and access restricted.

In February, RTUK said it identified three websites without broadcast licenses, which also included the Turkish services of Euronews. But Euronews said it argued that it did not broadcast live in Turkish or air visual bulletins and was therefore exempt from the licensing requirements. TRT said it was newsgathering and reporting like any other international media but had to register as a foreign agent in 2020.

The RTUK board is dominated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party and its nationalist allies, and regularly fines critical broadcasters.

The Journalists Union of Turkey called the decision censorship. Give up on trying to ban everything you dont like, this society wants freedom, it tweeted.

Voice of America noted in February that while licensing for TV and radio broadcasts is a norm because broadcast airwaves are finite resources, the internet does not have limited bandwidth. The only possible purpose of a licensing requirement for internet distribution is enabling censorship," VOA said in a statement then.

State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted when the licensing regulation emerged in February that the U.S. was concerned with RTUKs decision to expand government control over free press outlets.

In response, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic noted that the U.S. required Turkeys state English-language broadcaster, TRT World, to register as a foreign agent under a law intended for lobbyists and public relations firms working for foreign governments. TRT said it was newsgathering and reporting like any other international media but had to register as a foreign agent in 2020.

TRT abides by relevant regulations for its activities in the U.S. Is that censorship? We expect the same from @VoATurkish and others, Bilgic tweeted.

Turkey was rated Not Free for 2021 on the Freedom of the Net index by Freedom House. Hundreds of thousands of domains and web addresses have been blocked.

Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey at 149 out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, saying all possible means are used to undermine critics, including stripping journalists of press cards, online censorship, lawsuits and arrests.

Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

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

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York lawmakers approved a sweeping overhaul Friday of the states handgun licensing rules, seeking to preserve some limits on firearms after the Supreme Court ruled that most people have a right to carry a handgun for personal protection.

The measure, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul after passing both chambers by wide margins, is almost sure to draw more legal challenges from gun rights advocates who say the state is still putting too many restrictions on who can get guns and where they can carry them.

Hochul, a Democrat, called the Democrat-controlled Legislature back to Albany to work on the law after last weeks high-court ruling overturning the states longstanding licensing restrictions.

Backers said the law, which takes effect Sept. 1, strikes the right balance between complying with the Supreme Courts ruling and keeping weapons out of the hands of people likely to use them recklessly or with criminal intent.

But some Republican lawmakers, opposed to tighter restrictions, argued the law violated the constitutional right to bear arms. They predicted it too would end up being overturned.

Among other things, the states new rules will require people applying for a handgun license to turn over a list of their social media accounts so officials could verify their character and conduct.

Applicants will have to show they have the essential character, temperament and judgment necessary to be entrusted with a weapon and to use it only in a manner that does not endanger oneself and others.

As part of that assessment, applicants have to turn over a list of social media accounts they've maintained in the past three years.

Sometimes, theyre telegraphing their intent to cause harm to others, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said at a news conference.

Gun rights advocates and Republican leaders were incensed, saying the legislation not only violated the Second Amendment, but also privacy and free speech rights.

New Yorkers constitutional freedoms were just trampled on," state Republican Chair Nick Langworthy said.

The bill approved by lawmakers doesn't specify whether applicants will be required to provide licensing officers with access to private social media accounts not visible to the general public.

People applying for a license to carry a handgun will also have to provide four character references, take 16 hours of firearms safety training plus two hours of practice at a range, undergo periodic background checks and turn over contact information for their spouse, domestic partner or any other adults living in their household.

Hochul's chief lawyer, Elizabeth Fine, insisted the state was setting out a very clear set of eligibility criteria and noted that the legislation includes an appeals process.

The measure signed into law Friday also fixes a recently passed law that barred sales of some types of bullet-resistant vests to the general public. The previous law inadvertently left out many types of body armor, including the type worn by a gunman who killed 10 Black people in a racist attack on a Buffalo supermarket.

The Supreme Courts ruling last week struck down a 109-year-old state law that required people to demonstrate an unusual threat to their safety to qualify for a license to carry a handgun outside their homes. That restriction generally limited the licenses to people who had worked in law enforcement or had another special need that went beyond routine public safety concerns.

Under the new system, the state won't authorize permits for people with criminal convictions within the past five years for driving while intoxicated, menacing or third-degree assault.

People also won't be allowed to carry firearms at a long list of sensitive places," including New York City's tourist-packed Times Square.

That list also includes schools, universities, government buildings, places where people have gathered for public protests, health care facilities, places of worship, libraries, public playgrounds and parks, day care centers, summer camps, addiction and mental health centers, shelters, public transit, bars, theaters, stadiums, museums, polling places and casinos.

New York will also bar people from bringing guns into any business or workplace unless the owners put up signs saying guns are welcome. People who bring guns into places without such signs could be prosecuted on felony charges.

That's a reverse approach from many other states where businesses that want to keep guns out are usually required to post signs indicating weapons arent allowed.

Gun advocates said the law infringes on rights upheld by the Supreme Court.

Now were going to let the pizzeria owner decide whether or not I can express my constitutional right, said Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Staten Island Republican. This is a disgrace. See you in the courts.

Associated Press/Report for America writer Maysoon Khan contributed to this report. Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.

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

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BRIDGEPORT, Calif. (AP)  Improving weather helped firefighters stop the spread of a Sierra Nevada wildfire that forced evacuation of several hundred people from their homes and injured 13 firefighters and a civilian, authorities said Thursday.

The Rices Fire remained at 904 acres while containment increased to 20%, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Firefighters were aided by cooler weather and an increase in humidity, Cal Fire said.

Injuries from the fire were heat-related problems, such as dehydration, fire officials said.

The wildfire began with a building fire Tuesday in Nevada County near the Yuba River. It burned that structure and three nearby outbuildings, fire officials said.

Some evacuation orders were lifted Thursday as firefighters made progress but Cal Fire said 250 homes and other structures in small nearby communities remained under threat.

The fire burned down to the Yuba River but did not cross over into neighboring Yuba County.

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

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A 20-year-old Lincoln man was arrested Wednesday after police say he emailed threats to his former administrators at Lincoln Public Schools over perceived wrongs, according to police.

The investigation into Dominic Booker started in May, when he began sending emails to district employees mentioning a specific administrator, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.

Booker sent an additional email Monday, Vollmer said, "that was more threatening in nature to those Booker believes have wronged him."

Police contacted and arrested Booker on suspicion of terroristic threats around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday near Ninth and G streets, Vollmer said. A search warrant served at his residence later turned up a loaded AR-15-style rifle, Vollmer said.

The 20-year-old is being held at the Lancaster County jail.

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Two teenagers have been arrested and charged with murder in the March 2021 slaying of an Omaha man.

Wednesday, the Omaha Police Department's Homicide Unit obtained arrest warrants for 16-year-old Dech Gach and 15-year-old Gatluak Jiel in connection with the fatal shooting of 59-year-old Larry Thompson. Thompson was killed March 12, 2021, near 28th Avenue and Spencer Street.

Gach and Jiel were taken into custody with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service's Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force. Gach was arrested in Iowa and Jiel was arrested in Arizona, Omaha police said Thursday.

Gach and Jiel each has been charged with first-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and criminal conspiracy.

Another teen, Christopher A. Trejo, now 16, was charged last year in Thompson's slaying. He faces the same charges Gach and Jiel face.

In a June 2021 court hearing, a prosecutor said Trejo borrowed his fathers Chevrolet Cruze on March 12 and, between 3 and 4 p.m., picked up some associates in Sioux City, Iowa. The group returned about 5:30 p.m. to the area near 30th and Spencer streets.

Law enforcement officials determined that Trejo and the people he was with had sent numerous text messages stating that they intended to hunt for people in the projects of North Omaha on March 12, the prosecutor said.

The group returned to the area near 30th and Spencer around 8 p.m. Data from cellphone towers suggests that they turned their phones off.

Thompson was sitting on his porch near 28th and Spencer when he was shot, officials have said. He was taken to the hospital, where he died. Seven shell casings were found at the shooting scene.

Reports indicated that a vehicle matching the one registered to Trejos father was seen in the area around the time of the shooting. A search of the vehicle turned up a disposable nitrile glove that had DNA from Trejo and one of his associates on it as well as gunshot residue.

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Global pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is betting big on innovation in China as the company continues to increase its R&D presence in the world's second largest healthcare market.

At the company's "R&D China Science Day" on Thursday, AstraZeneca launched a translational medicine research grant designed to support and encourage Chinese clinicians to engage in basic medical research, improve R&D capacity and facilitate strategic partnership in the early research of diseases to better serve Chinese patients.

Translational medicine, also known as "bench to bedside," refers to the collaboration between biomedical researchers and traditional healthcare professionals in developing new ways to improve patient diagnosis and corresponding treatment methods.

At the event, the company also introduced CoSolve, part of AstraZeneca's global Open Innovation program, to China.

The program focuses on AstraZeneca's "nine innovation needs" centered around its research priorities and invites Chinese startups and research institutes to propose solutions to empower Chinese innovation to participate in global new drug development.

The program marks AstraZeneca's latest move as the company continues to expand its R&D footprint in its second largest market after the inauguration of its newly upgraded R&D center in Shanghai last October, which involved increased investment, pipeline expansion, hardware upgrades and headcount growth.

"China has become an increasingly important player in AstraZeneca's global R&D network," said Dr. He Jing, senior vice president of AstraZeneca and head of AstraZeneca R&D China. "We have always been confident in the prospects of biopharmaceutical innovation in China, and the global R&D leadership team has continuously provided great support in the expansion and development of the China R&D team."

By 2023, AstraZeneca's R&D investment in China is expected to be 2.5 times that of 2020, and the number of R&D employees in China is expected to top 800, marking a 60% increase from 2020, according to data released by the company.

China's pharmaceutical innovation has now moved from the world's third echelon to the second echelon, and is narrowing its gap with countries in the first echelon, judging from the number of pharmaceutical innovations and their contributions to the world as well as the number of innovation pipelines, according to a report jointly published by the China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association and the R&D-based Pharmaceutical Association Committee under the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment.

"The company's continued R&D investment in China reflects our optimism in China's innovation as well as the country's biopharmaceutical industry," said Dr. He, citing the country's pro-innovation policies, its world-class research institutes and large talent pool, all of which the company believes are key to the growth of the biopharmaceutical industry.

AstraZeneca's R&D pipeline in China currently has over 150 projects, of which nearly 90% are being developed simultaneously with its global pipeline. It is expected that 10-15 new projects will be added every year, and around 60 to 65 new molecular entities or new indications will be approved within five years, according to the company.

AstraZeneca's R&D center in China is also expanding its scope to early research of new drugs and develop new treatments to meet China's unique medical needs, Dr. He added.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian missile attacks on residential areas in a coastal town near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa early Friday killed at least 19 people, authorities reported, a day after Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island.

Video of the pre-dawn attack showed the charred remains of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Odesa. The Ukrainian president's office said three X-22 missiles fired by Russian bombers struck an apartment building and two campsites.

A terrorist country is killing our people. In response to defeats on the battlefield, they fight civilians," Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Ukraines Security Service said 19 people died, including two children. It said another 38, including six children and a pregnant woman, were hospitalized with injuries. Most of the victims were in the apartment building, Ukrainian emergency officials said.

The airstrikes followed the pullout of Russian forces from Snake Island on Thursday, a move that was expected to potentially ease the threat to nearby Odesa, home to Ukraines biggest port. The island sits along a busy shipping lane.

Russia took control of it in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa. The Kremlin portrayed the departure of Russian troops from Snake Island as a goodwill gesture intended to facilitate shipments of grain and other agricultural products to Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world.

Ukraines military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee in two small speedboats. The exact number of withdrawing troops was not disclosed.

The island took on significance early in the war as a symbol of Ukraines resistance to the Russian invasion. Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back, Go (expletive) yourself.

Zelenskyy said that although the pullout did not guarantee the Black Sea regions safety, it would significantly limit Russian activities there.

Step by step, we will push (Russia) out of our sea, our land, our sky, he said in his nightly address.

Ukraines presidential office said a series of Russian strikes in the past 24 hours also killed civilians in eastern Ukraine - four in the northeastern Kharkiv region and another four in Donetsk province.

Russian bombardments killed large numbers of civilians earlier in the war, including at a hospital and a theater in the port city of Mariupol. Mass casualties had appeared to become more infrequent as Moscow concentrated on capturing eastern Ukraine's entire Donbas region.

However, a missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, a city in central Ukraine, killed at least 19 people and injured another 62, authorities said Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied that Russian forces targeted the shopping mall, saying that his country doesnt hit civilian facilities. He claimed the target in Kremenchuk was a nearby weapons depot, echoing the remarks of his military officials.

Follow AP's coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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

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Eighty-three years ago, Mr. Smith went to Washington. Last Tuesday, Lady Ruby did, too.

Georgia election workers Ruby Lady Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye Moss -- Shaye to her friends -- appeared last week before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Like the title character in Frank Capras 1939 film, theyve always been guided by a simple value: serve the common good.

Moss testified that she once enjoyed helping people vote. As an African-American woman, it was especially important to her, because a lot of people, older people in my family, did not have that right. But she and her mom lost the joy of service when Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani plucked them from contented obscurity, and made them featured players in Trumps lie about an election fraud conspiracy.

Trump called Freeman a professional vote scammer and hustler. Giuliani fixated upon video of the mother passing the daughter what the latter identified under oath as a ginger mint to claim they were surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine. The racist subtext of the language could hardly have been clearer.

That the message was received is attested to by the deluge of racist threats that fell upon the two women, threats so vile the FBI advised Freeman to leave her house. A Trump mob even pushed its way into the home of Moss elderly grandmother to effect a so-called citizens arrest. In a stunt that speaks vividly to their utter juvenility, they had pizzas repeatedly sent to the older womans door.

Moss and Freeman say they live now in lingering fear, avoiding public places, declining to give their names to strangers. Do you know how it feels, asked Freeman in video testimony, to have the president of the United States to target you?

Russell Rusty Bowers also went to Washington last week. The Republican speaker of the Arizona House testified alongside two Georgia election officials. He, too, described a life bound by simple values: keep your promises, dont cheat, tell the truth. He, too, went through hell.

For refusing to support spurious claims of voter fraud -- Weve got lots of theories, he recalls Giuliani telling him, we just dont have the evidence -- he was hit with tens of thousands of hateful, emails, voicemails and texts and subjected to weekly demonstrations at his house, where a panel truck displayed a video proclaiming him a pedophile. This, as his daughter lay inside dying of a terminal illness.

Bowers was -- inexplicably, still is -- a Trump supporter. But, he testified, I do not want to be a winner by cheating.

Again, simple values. Mr. Smith, you will recall, also held simple values. He ends up kicked in the teeth by The Way Things Are.

He triumphs in the end -- its Hollywood, after all -- and the movie has gone on to become that classic one hates to love. Its cornier than Kelloggs, cheesier than fondue, yet, it endures because it speaks to aspirations at the very core of American identity -- to be decent, to be honorable, to be brave and to be good.

Tuesdays hearing shrank the devastation wrought by Trump down to relatable dimensions of human lives and human loss, and that was important. But just as importantly, it illuminated the stark choice forced upon us by his willingness to lie, cheat and steal his way to victory. Cynicism and idealism are mutually exclusive. We cannot be defined by both. We can be a nation bound by the aspiration to simple values.

Or, no values at all.

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The surprise summer hit seriesSurvivor in 2000, Stranger Things in 2016has been a phenomenon ever since television broke away from its old fall-centric schedule. But this year, for the first time, the summers most addictive, talked-about limited series is the work of a congressional committee. Even before the shocking, last-minute testimony on Tuesday by Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows, the hearings of the Houses Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the United States Capitol have presented sleekly mounted, smartly constructed narratives full of revelations and portent. Hutchinson merely provided the late-season twist to turn the hearings into a bonafide barnburner, politics transformed into prestige cable drama with a cast of indelible characters to debate around the water cooler.

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Former ABC News president James Goldston, brought in to help the committee organize a vast amount of material into a coherent presentation, has been credited for much of this success. That said, plenty of the grabbiest techniques used in the hearings come not from news reporting but from scripted fiction. Episode 2 ended with a tantalizing preview, a clip of former White House lawyer Eric Herschmannthe source of much enjoyably salty videotaped testimonysaying I told him, Youre out of your effing mind! without revealing who exactly he said it to. You had to tune in the next week to find out. (It was the disheveled kooky-uncle figure in the story, John Eastman, the main proponent of the theory that Mike Pence could overturn the election on Jan. 6.)

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Among the hearings tragic moments come interludes of highly identifiable workplace intrigue that borders on comic relief.

Of course, the major players in this sagaTrump and his loyalistsare largely missing from the stage, even if they do appear in video clips. The dominant Trump wing of the GOP refused to participate in the hearings, presumably so it could denounce them as a partisan kangaroo court. This move left the committee able to craft a tight, suspenseful story free of the usual grandstanding and objections typical of proceedings like the two Trump impeachments. In place of the expected bloviating, bickering, time-wasting politicians, citizens see a sober assemblage of grown-ups shaking their heads over the depths to which the Trump administration sunk, along with helpful graphics and shocking footage of unhinged fanatics screaming for Mike Pences head on the Capitol steps.

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Presiding over it all are the grandfatherly chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-Miss.) and vice-chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who resembles one of those formidably capable moms who never has to shout at her kids because her Im-so-disappointed-in-you face is the most devastating reproach conceivable. Neither displays any anger publiclyalways a tricky proposition for a woman or a Black manjust sadness, dismay, and an immense amount of concern. For Cheney in particular, this is a tough needle to thread at a time when any white woman who seems scoldy gets dismissed as a Karen. She pulls it off masterfully, to the degree that Ive even seen a few men, otherwise opposed to Cheneys policy positions, confess online to having developed sheepish crushes on her. Thompson and Cheney have described themselves as friends with the kindly Thompsonreassuring Shay Moss not to be nervous about testifying and warmly greeting her mother, Lady Rubyplaying approachable good cop to the sterner Cheney. Its always Thompson, for example, who makes the committees plea to potential witnesses to come forward. Wouldnt anyone rather confess to him?

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Nevertheless, the hearings have no central stars. Theyre ensemble pieces, full of compelling recurring and cameo roles. Shay Moss and Lady Ruby were the most moving of the latter, ordinary citizens working on behalf of their communities and targeted by a petulant sore loser and his legions of idiot thugs. And while Arizona Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers belief that the U.S. Constitution is divinely inspired, strikes me as fantastical, he is clearly a man of deeply felt principles who suffered for his refusal to commit, at Trumps urging, deeds foreign to my very being. It wasnt just the nutjobs who harassed his family (including a dying daughter) at home, either. When Bowers read, his voice hitching, from his diary about the pain of having friends who have been such help to me turn on me with so much rancor, he illustrated the daunting punishments the Trump cult inflicts on apostates. Even the halting, digressive testimony of retired Judge Michael Luttigone of the few instances when the brisk pace of the hearings falteredwas redeemed when the judge suddenly announced, with an eloquence that was clearly the product of passion, I would have laid my body across the road before Id have let the VP overturn the 2020 election on the basis of that historical precedent.

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Among the hearings tragic moments come interludes of highly identifiable workplace intrigue that borders on comic relief. Theres Trumpthe worlds worst bossflinging his dinner at the wall when Attorney General William Barr refused to endorse his baseless claims of election fraud and the relentless drubbing various lawyers in the government inflicted on the hapless toady, Jeffrey Clark. Clark, an attorney working for the Justice Department, was the only person in that department willing to support the presidents allegations, and was therefore almost appointed by Trump as his third attorney general in two weeks. Only the threat of mass resignations by DOJ staff dissuaded the president, but not before Clark, who protested that his experience litigating environmental lawsuits qualified him for the post, was told by acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, How about you go back to your office and well call you when theres an oil spill? For his part, Herschmann informed Clark, the only thing you know about environmental and election challenge law is that they both begin with E, and based on your answers tonight, Im not even sure you know that.

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The cleverness of the committees approach was evident when Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) asked former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, whether Clark, anticipating that Trump was about to replace Rosen with himself, offered Rosen a job as his deputy. (He did.) None of this is material to the investigation, but there isnt a office worker in the nation who wouldnt be flabbergasted by Clarks gall. Clark pleaded the Fifth more than 100 times when the committee deposed him, but its hard to imagine how he could have come across worse if hed talked.

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Many of the hearings most colorful charactersClark, Eastman, Meadowsare absent, leaving their co-workers free to sketch unflattering portraits of their personal, professional, and moral failings. The result is officially sanctioned gossip about Meadows numbed doomscrolling and Eastmans blithe disregard for the law. One exception is Mike Pence, who in the episode dedicated to how he was pressured by Trump to invalidate the election and threatened by the mob at Trumps instigation, gets the kid-gloves treatment. The committee has yet to formally invite Pence to testify, and its depiction of him as a pious Christian who did his duty to his country despite intense pressure from the president has been outright heroic.

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This choice is revealing. If the hearings are a sort of prestige cable drama, then who is the main character? Trump, the obvious choice, is really the villain. And those who feel that the whole spectacle is directed at the current attorney general, Merrick Garland, and his prosecutors, are being shortsighted. The real hero of this showor, rather, its antiherois on the other side of the screen. Its the GOP itself.

As Cheney put it, and as members of the committee have repeatedly reiterated, most of the witnesses who have testified have been conservative Republicans for all of their lives. If the religiosity of the episode about Pence is off-putting to secular liberals (Rep. Pete Aguilar intoning He started his day with a prayer and ended it with a Bible verse), thats because its not intended for us. Religious conservatives are meant to see themselves in Pence and Bowers, targets of Trumps immoral vindictiveness. Law-and-order conservatives are shown rioting hoodlums but also officials, fellow Republicans, willing to lose their jobs rather than comply with Trumps illegal demands, while his minions beg for presidential pardons. The focus on Trumps fundraising from small donors for nonexistent election investigation funds, the talk of sacred duties and sworn oaths, the testimony of Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards, who was injured by the riotersall of these arrows are aimed at the heart of the values Republicans claim to hold dear.

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A charged and convicted Trump would gratify every member of the Jan. 6 committee, along with a growing percentage of the American public, but it might not, after all, be its primary goal. Keeping Trump off the ballot is. No doubt Cheney is hoping that the character arc for the hearings anti-hero will lead to redemption, that the GOP will repent, see the error of its ways, and return to her version of virtue. But how often does an anti-heros story end happily? He usually ends up in some version of a grave that hes dug for himself.
President Joe Biden struck a deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to nominate Chad Meredith, a Republican anti-abortion advocate, to a federal judgeship on the Eastern District of Kentucky, Slate has confirmed. Under the arrangement, Meredith would take the seat currently occupied by Judge Karen Kaye Caldwell, a George W. Bush nominee. Caldwell submitted her move to senior status on June 22, which, once complete, will allow Meredith to take the seat. A lawyer with connections to the Kentucky governors office who is familiar with the agreement told Slate that Caldwell conditioned her move upon the confirmation a successorspecifically, the conservative Meredith. In exchange, McConnell will allow Biden to nominate and confirm two U.S. Attorneys to Kentucky.

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The deal has prompted fury from Democrats since it was first reported by the Louisville Courier Journals Andrew Wolfson and Joe Sonka on Wednesday. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, confirmed the planned nomination at a Thursday press conference. Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth also confirmed the White Houses intent to nominate Meredith in an interview with Slate on Friday. Yarmuth described the agreement as indefensible and said he wrote the strongest text message I have ever written to anybody to a contact at the White House expressing his outrage.

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Beshear and Yarmuth were especially frustrated because they had intended to submit potential nominees as soon as vacancy arose on the court. The White House was aware of this plan, but did not inform them that Caldwell planned to take senior status. As a result, Beshear and Yarmuth had no opportunity to make recommendations. Instead, the Biden administration coordinated with McConnell to tee up Merediths nomination once Caldwell announced her intent to leave the seat. According to Slates source in Kentucky, McConnell agreed, in exchange, to stop blocking Democrats preferred nominees for U.S. Attorney in the state. McConnell has sought to place his own allies in these positionsincluding prosecutor Thomas B. Wine, who as the Jefferson County Commonwealths Attorney refused to charge the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor.

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I understand how brutally manipulative Mitch is, Yarmuth told Slate, but at some point you have to stand up to him. You have to just confront him and say, no, were not gonna appoint your people. Were not gonna let Mitch McConnell appoint judges and other federal officials in a Democratic administration.

Meredith is an especially controversial nominee because of his close ties with Matt Bevin, the former Republican governor. He played an integral role in the controversial pardons that Bevin issued after losing reelection in 2019. Most notably, the former governor pardoned Patrick Baker, a man convicted of homicide whose family hosted a political fundraiser for Bevins. U.S. Attorneys later retried Baker in federal court; he was once again convicted by a jury and sentenced to nearly four decades in prison. Meredith assisted Bevins with pardons in his capacity as legal counsel to the governor, recommending which applicants merited clemency. He then withheld records relating to these pardons from the Beshear administration. The Trump administration considered nominating Meredith to a federal judgeship but dropped the plans in 2020 following the pardon controversy, as the Louisville Courier Journal reported at the time.

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Alarmingly for Democrats, Meredith also defended Kentuckys anti-abortion legislation, including a law that forced patients to undergo an ultrasound and listen to audio of the fetal heartbeat before terminating a pregnancy. Meredith prevailed at the court of appeals. He also defended a law requiring abortion providers to secure transfer agreements with hospitals, an onerous burden on clinics with no health benefit to patients. The appeals court upheld that statute, as well.

Presidents routinely strike deals to nominate a package of judges to district courts that includes individuals put forth by each party. Even President Donald Trump nominated some moderate district court judges favored by Senate Democrats, who, as a compromise, voted to confirm the presidents far-right nominees. But Senate Republicans would not have even considered a nominee with a strong record of pro-choice advocacy. When Trump named Michael Bogren, who was put forward with bipartisan approval, to a district court, GOP Sen. Josh Hawley tanked the nominationsolely because Bogren had defended a citys LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance while in private practice. Hawley angrily accused Bogren of being anti-Catholic in an act of baseless assassination. Even the Federalist rose to Bogrens defense, but it didnt matter. The White House pulled his nomination.

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It is impossible to imagine a Republican-controlled Senate confirming a Democratic judicial nominee with a meaningful record of reproductive rights advocacy. In fact, Biden has conspicuously avoided nominating abortion rights lawyers for fear of triggering a GOP backlash; they are dramatically underrepresented among his judicial appointments. Now, however, Biden is poised to send Merediths nomination to a Democratic-controlled Senatein the wake of a catastrophic Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade.

It remains unclear whether he will go through with the planned nomination. This episode marks Bidens first major rift over judges with Democrats, who have so far been pleased with the presidents nominees, if not the pace of nominations. On Friday, Yarmuth told Slate that, according to his White House contact, the president is aware of my concern and the governors concern, but has not yet responded. The congressman added, of Meredith: This is a bad appointment for Kentucky. Its a bad appointment for the federal courts. This guy is aligned with a Federalist Society. He represents everything that is anathema to Democrats.
In the late 1990s, thenconservative hero Bill Kristol offered the Republican Party a warning: If the GOP couldnt figure out how to overturn Roe and move toward a post-abortion America, then in truth, there will be no conservative future. Last Friday, the Supreme Courts far-right majority heeded Kristols warning when it overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. Their conservative future has arrived.

The path to this moment has unfolded in plain sight. The justices who responded to Kristols pivotal call were appointed by Republican presidents and trained by the Federalist Society, the conservative legal movements most successful institution. They are hard-boiled conservative foot soldiers, not the compromise-seeking and incrementalist conservative justices of the past. When Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett struck down Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey last Fridaywith only partial support from Chief Justice John Robertsthey achieved the goal of a decadeslong conservative project.

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Much of the credit for this, of course, will go to former President Donald Trump, whose 2016 campaign declared abortion and the Supreme Court to be on the ballot. With this proclamation, Trump won the white evangelical vote and the power to pick three hard-line originalists as Supreme Court justices. But the buildup to the end of Roe predates Trump. To get an even clearer picture as to how this moment was won, we need to zoom out to review the myriad actions of Trumps Republican predecessor: George W. Bush.

The junior Bushs presidency is mostly associated with the disasters of the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. Yet these associations should not overshadow the fact that myriad disasters were dealing with today have roots in his term: the mass distribution of military-grade assault rifles, the crippling of the Postal Service, the empowerment of oil companies over the environment, and U.S. tensions with North Korea and Iran. With respect to abortion, Bush is also responsible for opening a path for the Republican Party to sideline its pro-choice flankand to nominate judges who would further the anti-abortion cause in the courts.

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This path would not have been possible without SCOTUSs brazen actions in 2000s Bush v. Gore, through which the Rehnquist court all but ensured its own conservative future. Its worth looking back at the timeline to fully recognize how the path to the end of Roe was paved.

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By the late 1990s, Bush was banking on his record as a popular Texas governor to catapult him to become the GOPs presidential nomineewith abortion bona fides to boot. In the summer of 1999, he signed Texas first post-Casey abortion restriction: a bill requiring physicians performing abortions for minors to send a notification to their parents, and to wait for 48 hours post-dispatch, before carrying out the procedure. During legislative negotiations, pressure from anti-abortion organizations forced in language toughening up the bill, including a provision to allow prosecution of physicians who violated this law. The bills passage was key to Bushs appeal to conservative activists: After its enactment, the associate director of the National Right to Life Committee called the governor a good pro-life candidate, in response to accusations that Bush was soft on abortion.

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By the summer of 2000, as Bush cruised to the national candidacy, he built upon that anti-abortion momentum by placing thenWisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a rabid pro-lifer, in charge of the Republican National Conventions platform committee. As the race against Al Gore tightened, Bush furthered such outreach for key evangelical votes, promising that as president hed outlaw late-term abortions and approve a constitutional amendment banning abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, or risk to a pregnant persons life. Gore recognized the stakes here: During the presidential debates, he stated that Gov. Bush has declared to the anti-choice groups that he will appoint justices in the mold of Scalia and Clarence Thomas who are known for being the most vigorous opponents of a womans right to choose.

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Then came Election Day, and the fight over whether to recount ballots to determine which candidate had actually won Floridas electoral votes. John Roberts, formerly the solicitor general for George H.W. Bush, flew to Tallahassee to advise Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on the role that the governor and the Florida Legislature might play in the recount battle, according to the Los Angeles Times. Before meeting with Jeb, Roberts also helped formulate a strategy to bring the vote-recount dispute before SCOTUS in case the Florida Supreme Court granted the Gore campaigns requests for an extension of the ballot-recount process, which it did. (Jeb Bush would personally thank Roberts for his input on Dec. 6, just a week before the Supreme Court intervened.)

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Even more tightly involved was Brett Kavanaugh, whod been a member of Lawyers for Bush-Cheney and worked as a regional coordinator for Bushs campaign. Kavanaugh, like Roberts, joined George W. Bushs legal team, which was trying to halt the recount of Floridas presidential ballots in large part by arguing that the Supreme Court should have the final say in state courts interpretations of state election laws. He also was a willing public face for the team, talking to CNN about its strategy. These lawyers were additionally assisted by a young law firm associate named Amy Coney Barrett, who worked behind the scenes to provide relevant legal research. On top of that, as the Wall Street Journal reported at the time, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Virginia Ginni Thomas, had been recruiting potential candidates to work in a future Bush administration.

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We know what happened next. The Supreme Court stopped Floridas ballot recounts, relying on a cooked-up judicial rationale that even the deciding justices said should not be invoked again. Gore conceded the election, wishing not to trash the Supreme Court. Multiple independent tabulations of Floridas vote after the fact demonstrated that vote tallies would have shown a Gore victory had SCOTUS not stepped in. But it was Bush who was headed to Washington, determined to repay those who had assisted him.

Now president, Bush tapped Tommy Thompson to head the Department of Health and Human Services, over the objections of abortion supporters. Bush also chose Alberto Gonzaleswhod previously served in Texas government and judiciary with the blessings of Gov. Bushas White House counsel. In his new national role, Gonzales picked Kavanaugh as associate counsel, a role he would later use to recommend conservative lawyers for Bush to consider for federal court appointmentsincluding fellow Bush v. Gore lawyer John Roberts.

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In June 2003, Bush appointed Roberts to his first federal judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also took on Kavanaugh as staff secretary, a role he served while his own nomination to the federal bench was being held up by skeptical Democrats. In November, Bush signed into law the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Acttitled after a National Right to Life Committee coinagewhich set out legal punishments for physicians who performed certain second- or third-trimester abortions.

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Going into his reelection campaign in 2004, Bush kept up a successful embrace of conservative social issues, targeting the 20 percent of voters Gallup had identified would hit the polls just for the chance to strike down abortion rights. The GOP platform re-endorsed a constitutional amendment against abortion, and a proabortion rights Republican told the New York Times that he and like-minded party members had given up on trying to dissuade this years convention from its opposition to abortion. Other proabortion rights women politicians in the GOP straight-up turned against Bush following the 2003 law. Both the president and his opponent, John Kerry, addressed the elections stakes when it came to the Supreme Court, especially with public rumors about which justices were about to retire. (Sandra Day OConnor, it had already been reported, had pushed off thoughts of retirement in 2000 out of concerns Gore could win the election.) Kerrys campaign ran an ad intoning in part: The Supreme Court is just one vote away from outlawing a womans right to choose. George Bush will appoint anti-choice, anti-privacy justices.

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Of course, Kerry lost, and his warning proved to be prescient.

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By the fall of 2005, OConnor had announced her retirement, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist died. Bush picked two Bush v. Gore alumni to replace them: Harriet Miers, his personal attorney throughout that litigation, and Roberts, for chief justice. The former, however, was pressured into withdrawing her nominationin part because conservative activists didnt think she was sufficiently opposed to abortion. Bushs replacement pick of Samuel Alito, whom staff secretary Kavanaugh had recommended as a solid justice, was enough to mollify these activists. As a lawyer in Reagans Justice Department, Alito had written that the Republican government should make clear that we disagree with Roe v. Wade.

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In the summer of 2006, Bush finally elevated Kavanaugh to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals after his initial 2003 confirmation was held up. He also tapped Neil Gorsuch, previously a private-practice lawyer whod started working at the Justice Department the previous year, for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuithis first-ever federal judgeship.

In 2007, the legal challenges to Bushs Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act had catapulted the case all the way up to the Supreme Court, which now had two of his picks. Justice Alito proved the key swing vote in Gonzales v. Carhart, in which Alberto Gonzalesnow Bushs attorney generalhad appealed a federal courts nullification of the presidents abortion legislation. With the pro-choice OConnor gone, and Alito in her place, the 54 vote in Gonzales swung the conservative direction, and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was upheld.

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George W. Bush was handed the presidency by a faction of the Supreme Court that wanted him to pick the next generation of justices, and he paid them back in kindnot only through his nominations of Alito and Roberts, but also by his recruitment of conservatives like Brett Kavanaugh and Gorsuch to federal judgeships, setting them up to advance down the line. Instead of moderating, he followed the Republican Partys extremist drift on abortion in order to snatch the evangelical base he needed to win his close presidential races.

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Its important to note another effect Bush v. Gore had: on the state of Texas. Gov. Bushs parental notification act wasnt the only predictor from his term for the future of Texas abortion rights. In 1996, he appointed a state trial judge named Greg Abbott to the state Supreme Court, granting Abbott what was then his highest-profile judicial position. And in 2000, Bush v. Gore cleared the way for Texas Lt. Gov. Rick Perry to take the states top job. In 2002, Perry then won a full term as governor, with Greg Abbott elected as his attorney general. The two worked to enact and enforce seven additional pieces of abortion-restriction legislation within the state, and Abbott signed seven more anti-abortion bills after he became governor in 2015including, of course, S.B. 8, which SCOTUS tacitly approved.

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When Trump came to power in 2016, he took cues from Bushs 2004 playbook, successfully positioning abortion and the Supreme Court as key campaign issues. Once elected president (after having lost the popular vote, like Bush did in 2000), Trump had his judicial work cut out for him, appointing: in 2017, Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court and Amy Coney Barrett for her first federal judgeship; in 2018, Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court; in 2020, Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. And when Kavanaughs nomination became imperiled due to Christine Blasey Fords assault allegations, Bush personally spoke with multiple on-the-fence senators, including Susan Collins, to convince them to confirm Kavanaugh.

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To be sure, George W. Bush is not solely to blame for the demise of Roe; hes just one of many parts of that long process. His path to the presidency and his judicial appointments make clear conservatives had been lining up the anti-abortion dominoes for years before the Supreme Court knocked them down last Friday. Had Bush taken a loss in 2000, had SCOTUS not come to save him, theres a much higher chance we would not be here right now. History is not inevitable; its the product of choices. And in 2000, SCOTUS and the Republican Party made a key choice that ultimately rewarded them handsomely.
In the tradition of the Clintonometer, the Trump Apocalypse Watch, and the Impeach-O-Meter, the Is It a Crime-O-Meter is a wildly subjective and speculative estimate of whether the Jan. 6 select committees work will convince enough individuals of relevance (prosecutors, juries, voters) that Donald Trump committed insurrection-related crimes that he will be, in some fashion, held accountable for them.

The joke about having apostate GOP Rep. Liz Cheney serve as vice-chair of the Houses Jan. 6 select committee was that putting a Republican in charge of something might end up being the most politically effective move that modern congressional Democrats have ever made. It wasnt just any Republican, either; it was the daughter of one of the most ruthless GOP operators of his era, former vice president Dick Cheney, a man so skilled in the deft dance of the political rhumba that he once got away with shooting a guy in the face.

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That analysis has proven sound. The committees success or failure will be determined by election results in 2022 and 2024, and, depending on how that goes, whether there is ever another election afterwards. But, in the meantime, its hearings have pulled high TV ratings, seemingly nudged the share of Americans who believe Donald Trump should be prosecuted for his role in the Capitol riot upwards, and coincided with a relatively non-disastrous period of polling for Democrats in general. (These recent results presumably also have something to do with the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.)

Other members of the committee no doubt deserve credit for the effectiveness of its presentations; chair and Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson in particular has managed to project seriousness and integrity without being sanctimonious or super friggin boring, a balance that has proven elusive for many of his predecessors in similar roles. But, indeed, Cheneys statements and turns questioning witnesses have been the most aggressive, informative, and newsworthy of the past few weeks.

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Among other reasons, this is because shes played to the serialized-television format of the hearings by teasing bombshell-type revelations and then fully airing them later in context that makes them even more dramatic. Most notably, she mentioned during the first hearing that the committee would present testimony suggesting that Trump reacted approvingly when he heard that mob in the Capitol was chanting the phrase hang Mike Pence. She made good on that promise on Tuesday when questioning Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. As an American, Hutchinson said after seeing a clip from a previous interview with the committee during which she recounted hearing Meadows tell another official about Trumps alleged comments, I was disgusted.

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A few other moments on Tuesday suggest Cheney has some more sizzlers planned, particularly regarding the White Houses connection to Jan. 6 violence.

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Early in the hearing, Cheney had Hutchinson recount conversations she says she had on Jan. 2 with Rudy Giuliani (who was at that point Trumps lead campaign attorney) and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Giuliani, in Hutchinsons recollection, said the president planned not just to hold a rally on Jan. 6, but to confront Congress: Were going to the Capitol, she remembered him as saying. Its going to be great. The Presidents going to be there. Hes going to look powerful. Hes going to be with the members, hes going to be with the senators. Meadows, she said, told her that things might get real, real bad on that day. (Hutchinson noted when quoting others that she may not have remembered their remarks verbatim.)

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Soaccording to this witnessa plan existed ahead of time for Trump to not just travel to the Capitol but enter it (because thats where the members [of Congress] and senators are), in order to make some sort of point about power.

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This would in itself have only been a highly unusual breach of typical protocol. Of course, when the time came on Jan. 6 that Trump could have made such a visit, the Capitol was in the process of being overrun by protesters who smashed their way through police lines, doors, and windows to get into the building and interrupt the certification of Joe Bidens victory.

In its statements and presentations, the committee has asserted a number of times (with supporting photos and video) that this incursion was instigated and led by two militia/gang groups, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. During the committees first hearing, it was noted that several hundred members of Proud Boys arrived in the Capitol area en masse before Trump had finished speaking at his rally, which was being held more than a mile away, and that members of the Oath Keepers entered the building (after mobs led by Proud Boys breached it) in what looked like a coordinated stack formation.* This would imply the attack was premeditated rather than being the result of spontaneously inflamed emotion.

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What several moments in Cheneys questioning of Hutchinson hinted was that people close to Trump were in communication with members of these groups in the weeks before the riot.

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First, Cheney played a video from one of Hutchinsons interviews in which she said she generally recalled hearing the word Oath Keeper and hearing the word Proud Boys closer to the planning of the January 6th rally when Mr. Giuliani would be around. Cheney also noted that longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone was photographed with multiple members of the Oath Keepers who were allegedly serving as his security detail on Jan. 5th and Jan. 6th.

Then Cheney and Hutchinson had the following exchange:

CHENEY: Ms. Hutchinson, Is it your understanding that President Trump asked Mark Meadows to speak with Roger Stone and General [Michael] Flynn on January 5th? HUTCHINSON: Thats correct. That is my understanding. CHENEY: And Ms. Hutchinson, is it your understanding that Mr. Meadows called Mr. Stone on the 5th? HUTCHINSON: Im under the impression that Mr. Meadows did complete both a call to Mr. Stone and General Flynn the evening of the 5th.

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(Stone, who was convicted during the Trump-Russia investigation of lying to Congress about who he had communicated with about the Clinton campaigns hacked emails, has denied speaking to Meadows. Cheney also played a select committee deposition video in which FlynnTrumps first national security adviser, who pleaded guilty to lying to federal authorities during the Trump-Russia case as well, but then tried to retract his plea and got pardoned by Trumppleaded the Fifth in response to questions about whether be believed the violence on Jan. 6 was morally and legally justified.)

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Then there was this (Eastman is John Eastman, a Trump election lawyer):

CHENEY: Is it your understanding that Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Eastman, and others had set up what has been called, quote, a war room at the Willard Hotel on the night of the 5th? HUTCHINSON: I was aware of that the night of the 5th. CHENEY: And do you know if Mr. Meadows ever intended to go to the Willard Hotel on the night of the 5th? HUTCHINSON: Mr. Meadows had a conversation with me where he wanted me to work with Secret Service on a movement from the White House to the Willard Hotel so he could attend the meeting or meetings with Mr. Giuliani and his associates in the war room. CHENEY: And what was your view as to whether or not Mr. Meadows should go to the Willard that night? HUTCHINSON: I had made it clear to Mr. Meadows that I didnt believe it was a smart idea for him to go to the Willard Hotel that night. I wasnt sure everything that was going on at the Willard Hotel, although I knew enough about what Mr. Giuliani and his associates were pushing during this period. I didnt think that it was something appropriate for the White House Chief of Staff to attend or to consider involvement in, and made that clear to Mr. Meadows. Throughout the afternoon, he mentioned a few more times going up to the Willard Hotel that evening, and then eventually dropped the subject the night of the 5th and said that he would dial in instead.

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So Meadows was eager to meet personally on the night before the riot with one of the guys whod (allegedly) been throwing around the names of the groups that started the riot.

This information all but put a giant flashing FORESHADOWING sign above an exchange that Cheney and Hutchinson had had earlier, during Hutchinsons rundown of what she remembered from Jan. 6th itself. At one point, Hutchinson said she had tried to find Meadows during Trumps rally speech to tell him that Capitol police security lines were already being overrun:

HUTCHINSON: He was in a secure vehicle at the time making a call. So when I had gone over to the car, I went to open the door to let him know and he had immediately shut it. I dont know who he was speaking with. It wasnt something that he regularly did, especially when I would go over to give him information. So I was a bit taken aback, but I didnt think much of it and thinking that I was  would be able to have the conversation with him a few moments later. LIZ CHENEY: And were you able to have that conversation a few moments later? CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: Probably about 20 to 25 minutes later. There was another period of, between, where he shut the door again, and then when he finally got out of the vehicle we had the conversation. But at that point there was a backlog of information that he should have been made aware of. LIZ CHENEY: And so you opened the door to the control car and Mr. Meadows pulled it shut? CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: Thats correct. LIZ CHENEY: And he did that two times? CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: Thats correct. LIZ CHENEY: And when you finally were able to give Mr. Meadows the information about the violence at the Capitol, what was his reaction? CASSIDY HUTCHINSON: He almost had a lack of reaction. I remember him saying Alright, something to the effect of, how much longer does the President have left in this speech?

Well.

Anyway, after I had connected all of this string, feeling pretty pleased with the sleuthing that had been done, I found out that the following exchange took place on CNN three weeks ago:

CNN ANCHOR JAKE TAPPER: Are there going to be witnesses that describe actual conversations between these extremist groups and anyone in Trumps orbit? JAN. 6 COMMITTEE CHAIR BENNIE THOMPSON: Yes. TAPPER: There will be? THOMPSON: Yes.

So theres that, as well. The meter remains at FULL CRIME, with ketchup that President Baby threw at the wall available for dipping.
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Slovakia to pay Hascak thousands

Oligarch Jaroslav Hascak. (Source: TASR)

Slovakia will have to pay 9,750 to the former head of the Penta investment group, Jaroslav Hascak, following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The court upheld a complaint from Hascak, who had originally demanded 66,000 in damages, over wiretapping carried out by the Slovak Information Service (SIS) related to the 'Gorilla' scandal.

Read more about Jaroslav Hascak, one of the wealthiest Slovaks:

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Feature story for today

A new player has entered the Slovak streaming service market. Disney+ offers a huge library of movies, and has invested heavily in translations into Slovak - which is why the service will be more successful than Netflix, translator Michal Mojzis explains in an interview.

Can a movie be translated in two days? Can translators choose movies they like? Is the job as easy as most people think? Find the answers to these questions and more here.

Subtitle creator: In Slovakia, Disney+ will be more successful than Netflix Read more

Picture of the day

People can pick the Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula stoechas herbs for themselves in the village of Zbehy, Nitra Region, western Slovakia.

Lavandula herbs people can pick for themselves in the village of Zbehy. (Source: TASR)

In other news

Weather forecast for Friday and the weekend according to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute. Daily temperatures will be in the range of 26 to 31 degrees Celsius. Friday will be mostly sunny, Saturday and Sunday will be partially cloudy.

Daily temperatures will be in the range of 26 to 31 degrees Celsius. Friday will be mostly sunny, Saturday and Sunday will be partially cloudy. Bus carrier Slovak Lines is adding two stops to its service to Schwechat Airport in Austria ; one in front of Bratislava Main Railway Station, and a second on Einsteinova Street. From June 27, buses will run six times a day on the route. Departure times have been chosen so that they complement IC trains and express trains from all over Slovakia.

; one in front of Bratislava Main Railway Station, and a second on Einsteinova Street. From June 27, buses will run six times a day on the route. Departure times have been chosen so that they complement IC trains and express trains from all over Slovakia. Environment Minister Jan Budaj is ready to introduce population controls on brown bears , but first he needs the results of a census on the animals. If the results are given to him in September, regulation could be brought in this season, he said. Budaj is facing criticism after bear attacks have been reported, prompting fears and protests.

, but first he needs the results of a census on the animals. If the results are given to him in September, regulation could be brought in this season, he said. Budaj is facing criticism after bear attacks have been reported, prompting fears and protests. Slovakia will support Ukraine and Moldova being given EU candidate status , as well as a European perspective for Georgia. Ukraine joining the EU would benefit eastern Slovakia, according to the PMs advisor.

, as well as a European perspective for Georgia. Ukraine joining the EU would benefit eastern Slovakia, according to the PMs advisor. This year's Childrens Comenius University will take place without restrictions following an end to anti-Covid measures. The matriculation ceremony took place on June 23. Although children can attend lectures personally, they will be streamed as well. The current year consists of a series of nine lectures prepared mostly by scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Comenius University. Children will learn about how the universe came into existence, why trains will one day fly, and why wars are waged.

The matriculation ceremony took place on June 23. Although children can attend lectures personally, they will be streamed as well. The current year consists of a series of nine lectures prepared mostly by scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Comenius University. Children will learn about how the universe came into existence, why trains will one day fly, and why wars are waged. In 2021, more than half of the Slovak population did not travel at all due to the pandemic. In 2019, approximately 3.4 million people travelled either in Slovakia or abroad, but last year that dropped to only two million. This year, Kosice and Bratislava airports are operating flights to various destinations. If Slovaks want to fly from Budapest, they will probably have to pay more than before.

In 2019, approximately 3.4 million people travelled either in Slovakia or abroad, but last year that dropped to only two million. This year, Kosice and Bratislava airports are operating flights to various destinations. If Slovaks want to fly from Budapest, they will probably have to pay more than before. From July 1, there will be a number of changes to the timetables for some Bratislava public transport services, including the 23, 27, 50, 57, 58, 67, 68, 70, 74, 87, 139, 145, 147, 151 a 154 lines, while the number 49 trolleybus, that takes people to the Kramare hospital, will operate so that people can get to appointments before 7 A.M. Meanwhile, during weekdays lines will operate according to a summer holiday timetable.

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Hunting bears in Slovakia was once popular with the Libyan army.

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Before taking the shot, you have to wait for the signal of the guide, who determines the sex and size of the bear. Not wearing rustling clothes helps. Do not shave or spray cologne before hunting.

"A bear is very sensitive to sounds and smells. Even the faintest tap will immediately scare it away," read the instructions on the website of the Slovak company AB-Centrum Safari that offers bear hunting trips near the Croatian town of Ogulin near Zagreb.

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Until recently, similar commercial hunts were carried out in Slovakia and about a third of interested clients were from abroad.

Today, there are not many places left in Europe where commercial bear hunting is possible. It is banned in Romania too, where Prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein illegally shot 17-year-old Arthur, the largest bear in the country, a year ago.

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Related article Bear attacks spread fear, prompt protests Read more

"There used to be hunts in Romania because there is an exceptionally good population of bears. The trophy quality is completely different than from, say, Croatia, where commercial hunting is still allowed," says Norbert Horvath from the company Hunter NH, which organized such trips in Romania in the past. Today, his company focuses mainly on hunting in Hungary, but not on bears. Deer hunting is popular.

In Slovakia, various game is still hunted for a fee. For example, according to the state forest company Lesy SR latest annual report, eight chamois were planned to be hunted in 2020, three for a fee. The price for one reached 5,000.
Levoca hosts the biggest pilgrimage in Slovakia, transactions in Slovak shops are rounded and two hospitals - one in Bratislava and the second in Martin, will be constructed from the Recovery Plan.

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Good afternoon. Here is the Friday, June 24 edition of Today in Slovakia  the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

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For weekend events and news on travel and culture in Slovakia, see the latest edition of our Spectacular Slovakia newsletter.

Volvo is coming, Slovakia will gain fifth carmaker

Slovak PM Eduard Heger and Javier Varela, chief operating officer at Volvo Cars, left, after signing the agreement on constructing the plant in Valaliky industrial park near Kosice. (Source: TASR)

The Volvo Cars automotive group has announced that it will construct its third production plant in Slovakia, near Kosice. The investment will amount to 1.2 billion. The plant will specialise in the production of electric vehicles, the Sme daily reported.

Personally, I am very pleased that Slovakia has succeeded in the competition for this mega investment, which will provide development and many jobs in the eastern part of Slovakia, with many direct and indirect job opportunities, said Economy Minister Richard Sulik.

In other news

The Economy Ministry is preparing another package of measures to improve the business environment , Economy Minister Richard Sulik (SaS) said on Thursday, June 30. The package, the third in the row, contains 285 measures to improve business. In 2020 parliament passed the first package with 115 measures and earlier this year the second package featuring 198 measures.

, Economy Minister Richard Sulik (SaS) said on Thursday, June 30. The package, the third in the row, contains 285 measures to improve business. In 2020 parliament passed the first package with 115 measures and earlier this year the second package featuring 198 measures. Slovakia will use money from the Recovery Plan to build two hospitals , the cabinet decided at its session on Friday. "The presented investment projects are designed for the purpose of shell-and-core construction of a new university hospital in Bratislava in the area of Razsochy (281 million) and the full-fit-out construction of St Martin University Hospital (330 million) in Martin , the Health Ministry-sponsored materials read.

, the cabinet decided at its session on Friday. "The presented investment projects are designed for the purpose of shell-and-core construction of a new university hospital in Bratislava in the area of (281 million) and the full-fit-out construction of St Martin University Hospital (330 million) in , the Health Ministry-sponsored materials read. The historical town of Levoca will host the biggest pilgrimage in Slovakia during the weekend.

will host during the weekend. As of July 1 , transactions in Slovak shops are rounded up to significantly hinder the circulation of one- and two-cent coins when paying by cash.

, to significantly hinder the circulation of one- and two-cent coins when paying by cash. The alley at Palackeho Street in Bratislavas Old Town will be named the Alley of Maria Theresa. While this monarch was crowned in Bratislava on June 25, 1741, not a single square or street bears her name.

Feature story for today

Toblerone chocolate will also be produced in Slovakia. (Source: Pixabay)

Toblerone, the well-known Swiss chocolate, is moving part of its production from Bern, Switzerland to Slovakia. The triangular bar has been manufactured in Bern for more than a hundred years and so far has been the only Toblerone factory in the world.

Next year, part of production should move to the Figaro chocolate factory in Bratislava, which today bears the name of its global owner Mondelez.

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Picture of the day

Mist and drinking fountains help people in Bratislava to tolerate hot weather. (Source: TASR)

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President Xi Jinping is attending a meeting held in Hong Kong Friday morning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is present at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, where the events are held.
Omnibus Theatre will bring The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying and Fiji to Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying by Eoin McAndrew will run at TechCube 0 at Summerhall, 3  28 August at 11:55AM

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In The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying, Rachael Rooney gives a critically acclaimed performance, directed by Fay Lomas, winner of The Peter Hall Emerging Artist Fellowship. The piece is written by Eoin Mcandrew, a member of the BBC Comedy Writers Room and the Royal Court Theatres International Playwriting Group. This run follows a critically acclaimed, award-nominated short run as part of Jermyn Street Theatres Footprints Festival (503 International Playwrighting Award  Longlisted). The play had its first full staging in a three-week run at the Omnibus Theatre, where it received five-star reviews from The Stage, Morning Star and Theatre Weekly and was nominated for the Off West End Awards for Best Director and Best Lead Performance.

Fiji by Evan Lordan, Pedro Leandro and Eddie Loodmer-Elliott will run at the Pleasance Upstairs at the Pleasance Courtyard, 8  29 August at 1:55PM.

In Fiji, Evan Lordan directs Sam Henderson (Sam) and Eddie Loodmer-Elliott (Nick) in the revival of the critically acclaimed true crime rom com co-written by the Evan Lordan, Pedro Leandro and Eddie Loodmer-Elliott. The show received five-star reviews and two Off West End Award nominations for Best Lead Performance (Eddie Loodmer-Elliott and Pedro Leandro) in its original run at the Omnibus Theatre.

Omnibus Theatre Artistic Director, Marie McCarthy, said: I am so proud to see our two most recent co-productions, The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying and Fiji, head to Edinburgh Festival this summer.

Audiences responded to both shows with such enthusiasm and energy during their runs at Omnibus Theatre, something we sorely needed after reopening last summer. We cant wait to now see the response from the crowds at Summerhall and Pleasance Courtyard.

There will be previews of both shows at the Omnibus Theatre in London ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying on 29  30 July; and Fiji on 2  3 August.
He might have a way to go to get his connections even, but Little Expensive is well on his way.

The son of Muscle Hill-Seviyorum impressed in his pari-mutuel debut, taking the second of three $30,000 divisions of the first leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for two-year-old colts and geldings on the trot at The Meadowlands Thursday night (June 30), the first of two-straight Thursdays that will see live racing at The Big M.

The price tag was steep on Little Expensive, but his trainer liked what she saw early on.

I campaigned his mother, said Julie Miller. And I had seen the colt when he was a weanling. I just followed him a little bit and went to Blue Chip Farm to see how he looked and was fortunate enough to have partners willing to pay what we paid.

At the Lexington Select Sale, the Andy Miller Stable, Daniel Plouffe and Jean Goehlen plunked down $260,000 to acquire the bay colt, and so far he has been flawless, winning a baby race at The Big M on June 25 in wire-to-wire fashion in 1:56.4 before scoring Friday in 1:54.3.

Driver Andy Miller never had an anxious moment, rolling down the pike while cutting out fractions of :28.3, :59 and 1:28 before reporting home a 1-1/2-length winner over Point Of Perfect. Winners Bet was third.

I would have loved to have another baby race, said Julie. But Andy said tonight he was way better than in his first outing. When you have that nice a baby race, people take that into consideration. These two-year-olds, they are great, but they give you stress. We are looking for a good year on the Sire Stakes circuit, and he is also staked quite heavily.

As the 3-5 public choice, Little Expensive returned $3.40 to win.

In the first division for colts and geldings, Dire Straits (Muscle Hill-Southwind Cocoa) out-dueled Oh Well to the wire by a nose in 1:53.4 in a battle of the Melander brothers. Driver-trainer Mattias getting the better of trainer Marcus. Dire Straits was the favourite by less than $100 over the second-place finisher and returned $4.40 as the 6-5 public choice.

The final division for males went to Upstaged (Muscle Hill-Stage Fright) for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Marcus Melander in 1:54.3 as the 4-1 second choice.

Quick Stop (Tactical Landing-Falls For You) pulled off an 18-1 surprise in the first of two splits for fillies in 1:55.3 for Dexter Dunn and Anette Lorentzon while Mambacita (Tactical Landing-Bills Lady) took the other filly division in 1:56.2 for David Miller and Tony Alagna as the 2-1 second choice.

A LITTLE MORE: Dunn and Yannick Gingras led the driver colony with two winners apiece. Three 2-1 shots and one 4-1 chance added up to a $352.50 payoff in the lone 50-cent Pick-4. All-source handle on the nine-race program totaled $1,143,157.

Racing resumes Friday (July 1) at 6:20 p.m. (EDT).

(The Meadowlands)
UPDATE: Per the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Mr. Williams has been SAFELY LOCATED, according to a release around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 2 from Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

***

Virginia State Police issued a Critically Missing Adult Alert on behalf of the Orange County Sheriffs Office at 1:10 p.m. on Friday, July 1.

OCSO is looking for David Williams, described as a white male, age 73, 57, 190 pounds with hazel eyes and gray hair.

He was last seen at 5 a.m. Friday, July 1 on Burr Hill Road in Rhoadesville, according to the state police release.

Williams is possibly driving an orange 2013 Chevrolet Sonic with Virginia tags: NOAHSZV.

State Police said this disappearance poses a credible threat to the mans health and safety as determined by the investigating agency.

Report information to 540-672-1234 or Twitter.com/VSPalerts
A Banner County official has submitted a letter of resignation two months after being censured by county commissioners for a sexual tryst at the county courthouse.

Treasurer Monty Stoddard, 59, told the commissioners of his intent to resign on Thursday, June 30. The Board of Commissioners, consisting of Bob Gifford, Sharon Sandberg and Robert Post, will take up the issue during their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 5.

Ive just decided to move on because ... its just best for myself and my family to move on, and best for the county, Stoddard told the Star-Herald, adding that he had another job lined up.

Stoddards name is still on the November ballot, with him having been the only person who ran for the county treasurer position. He said theres not much that can be done about that and Banner County voters will make their decision in the fall.

Stoddard said he believed the Banner County commissioners will likely make a decision as to who would replace him if they accept his resignation. I have an accomplished and capable deputy, he said.

The resignation, if accepted, is effective Aug. 1. Stoddard said he planned to stay on for a month to help the county with its budgeting process.

He, along with County Assessor Bernice Huffman and County Clerks Office employee Caily Reece were convicted on charges of attempted public indecency, a Class III misdemeanor, in April. They had been caught consuming alcohol and having intercourse in the county courthouse in December 2021.

In recent meetings, some Banner County constituents had called for Stoddard and Huffman to resign. Stoddard had refused such a call at an April 19 commissioner meeting, saying Im not a quitter.

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For nearly 40 years, the works of artists from throughout the region have been highlighted during Oregon Trail Days festivities. This year, 19 artists will showcase their works during the Vera Dulaney Memorial Art Show & Sale.

Crystal Sandberg now heads the show that Vera Dulaney headed for more than three decades prior to her passing in 2019.

"I am a newcomer to the group," Sandberg said, saying she learned about organizing the show from Dulaney, working alongside her. She admits she even makes decisions based on what she believes Dulaney would have done. "It was a great honor to get to spend some time with her. She was incredibly knowledgeable about art."

The art show is a juried show, meaning that artists are invited to submit for consideration. Artists that are contacted are past entrants, artists who have shown at the West Nebraska Arts Center or those that organizers have heard about through word of mouth. The artists submit their works for consideration to a committee who decides if they will be a good fit for the show.

"Historically, it is a western-themed art show," Sandberg said. "In fact, 1983 was the first year and it was called a western wildlife show.

Art is not strictly western, but is a large percentage of the show and art that is not still generally fits the theme. Art in a large variety of mediums, from glass to watercolors, will be on display. The majority of items shown by artists has to be original artwork, not prints or other reproductions.

All of the art pieces are for sale. With artists from Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and even Arizona joining local artists, the art show offers people a chance to support artists from throughout the region.

"We are very appreciative of the artists who come in," Sandberg said, noting that there are other art shows in the region during the same week.

The art show begins on Thursday, with art on display from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Gering Civic Center. On Friday, July 8, the show runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, the show will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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The Oregon Trail Days main parade will feature a variety of floats and vehicles on Saturday, July 9, starting at 10 a.m. This years theme is second century as Oregon Trail Days celebrates its 101st annual event.

John Ewing, co-chair of the parade said the parade is the oldest, continuous celebration in Nebraska and were starting another hundred. Hopefully we can keep things going.

Ewing said that there were only two years out of the 100 that he knows of that the parade didnt happen, which is what makes this tradition such a special part of Oregon Trail Days. The parade even happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, although it was not advertised and was smaller than previous years.

As per city ordinance, handouts, candy, water guns and other projectile-type fun will not be permissible in this years parade.

The parade heads south down 10th Street in Gering, with spectators lining the sidewalks for blocks. As the floats and animals pass by, Ewing advised spectators to maintain a safe distance.

Watch your kids and take care of them, he said. We dont want anybody to get hurt. Stay back out of the street and well get along good.

The floats will be separated based on theme for the judges, with categories of general, art, historical, youth, religious and commercial float categories as well as an overall champion. Winners will be announced later that day.

Ewing said he doesnt know for sure how many floats there will be this year since they dont do pre-registration. To register for the parade, bring the decorated float to Gering High School, starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 9, the day of the parade. Bands meet at Gardner Park and livestock and horse entries meet at the Gering Senior Center. Entries must arrive at the GHS staging area before 8:30 a.m. to be considered for awards judging. The float line up is from 8-9 a.m. There is no entry fee.

As floats travel down the main street in Gering, the judges will be looking for the theme, decorations and effort put into the making of each float.

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"It's just appalling the effort that you made to, essentially, blame her, and to make her the one responsible for your conduct," Judge Jodi Nelson told a Lincoln man before sentencing him to prison in connection to a sex assault.
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.

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A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday the United States is worthy of the name of the "empire of wiretapping" and "empire of secret stealing," urging the country to stop its malicious cyber activities immediately.

According to relevant reports, multiple Chinese scientific research institutions have been under cyber attack from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), and the NSA has installed Trojan horse programs inside at least over a hundred important information systems in China. To date, many such programs are still running and sending intelligence back to the NSA.

"China condemns such malicious cyber activities by the U.S. government. We demand that the U.S. offers an explanation and immediately stop such irresponsible behavior," spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily press briefing.

Noting the United States as a well-known habitual offender regarding cyber secret stealing, Zhao said that in 2020, China captured more than 42 million malicious computer program samples. And 53.1 percent of the programs from overseas were traced to the United States, Zhao said citing a previous report from China's National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team website.

Zhao said the United States doesn't even let its own citizens off the hook concerning cyber secret stealing. He said that over the past year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted 3.4 million searches on digital data of U.S. citizens without any warrant, according to a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Zhao pointed out that the relevant report also disclosed that Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has coordinated with the United States to conduct cyber attacks and steal secrets. "This shows the United States and its core allies have become the axis of global cyber secret stealing."

Zhao said that in the face of doubts and opposition from the international community, the United States did not restrain its large-scale cyber secret stealing behavior. Instead, it expanded its national defense budget regarding cyber activities, enlarged cyber troops, and conducted various cyber warfare drills.
When Ryan Long arrived at the Lancaster County Courthouse from the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution for his latest sentencing hearing Thursday morning, the 32-year-old Lincoln man was already serving a 27-year sentence for a fatal shooting.

Now, Long will tack close to another decade onto his stint in Tecumseh after Judge Jodi Nelson sentenced him to 18 to 50 years in prison for shooting his then-girlfriend during a Halloween-night fight in 2019 near 21st and Garfield streets.

A jury in April found Long guilty of second-degree assault, use of a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person for his role in the shooting, which transpired about 4 a.m. Nov. 1, 2019, when Long got into an argument with his then-girlfriend Champaynne King, now 23, according to prosecutors.

Long was standing near the driver's side of a Nissan Pathfinder parked near 21st and Garfield when he fired a gun into the car as King sat in the front passenger seat.

The bullet pierced through King's right thigh and exited the passenger side door, according to police. The woman didn't report the shooting for six weeks.

At trial, Long's attorney Nancy Peterson cast King as unreliable after she admitted in testimony she tried to bribe Long after, telling him for $10,000 she could "make it go away."

"This is a woman you would not trust to walk your dog," Peterson said at the April trial. "How can you trust this woman with the verdict?"

Long denied shooting King and told the court he had "no idea" how she suffered in the injures. But jurors rejected that defense, finding Long guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on all three counts.

On Thursday, Nelson sentenced Long to 10 to 20 years for the second-degree assault and a combined eight to 30 years for the two firearms charges. He received credit for serving four days in jail.

Long would be parole eligible in as few as nine years if not for his previous conviction. A jury in October found the 32-year-old guilty of manslaughter for the fatal 2020 shooting of Michael Whitemagpie in an alley near 33rd and T streets. He will serve at least 27 years in that shooting.

Both sentences will run consecutively, Nelson ruled Thursday. Long won't be parole eligible for nearly 38 years.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley

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Nearly 48 million Americans are expected to travel during the Fourth of July holiday, making it the second-busiest Independence Day travel period since 2000.

The volume of travelers expected over Independence Day is a definite sign that summer travel is kicking into high gear, said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA. Earlier this year, we started seeing the demand for travel increase, and its not tapering off. People are ready for a break and despite things costing more, they are finding ways to still take that much-needed vacation.

AAA projects that despite high gas prices, car travel will set a record during the holiday. Over the five-day holiday period, 47.9 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home. Of those, 89%, or 42 million people, will travel by automobile.

The travel group expects 3.55 million will travel by airplane while 2.42 million will take a train, bus or boat.

In 2021, 46.2 million people traveled for the July Fourth holiday, with 41.8 million going by car. The record was set in 2019, when 49 million Americans traveled for the Fourth of July.

The top destinations for the holiday weekend in Nebraska are expected to be Lake McConaughy/Lake Ogallala, Ponca State Park, Mahoney State Park and Fort Robinson State Park, a Nebraska Game and Parks spokeswoman said. But all state parks are well attended during holidays and on summer weekends, Shawna Richter-Ryerson said.

AAA said gas prices for the holiday will be the highest in history. Pump prices are 64% higher than a year ago. Monday, the national average was $4.89 for regular unleaded. The Nebraska average was $4.70.

During recent years, the Nebraska average on July 4 was $2.95 (2021), $2.10 (2020) and $2.59 (2019). The previous high was $4.02 in 2008.

Traveling by car does provide a level of comfort and flexibility that people may be looking for given the recent challenges with flying, Haas said. But not all destinations are within driving distance, which doesnt mean you have to abandon your vacation plans.

Although air travel volume is forecast to be close to 1.5% higher than last year, domestic traveler volumes are expected to remain well below pre-pandemic levels, Haas said. Recent issues with air travel and ongoing concerns about cancellations and delays are likely the catalyst.

AAA said travelers should be prepared to alter their plans during the busy holiday. AAA offers the following advice:

Be prepared to alter your plans. Flights, car rentals, accommodations, tours, cruises and other activities are in high demand and availability may be limited, which will impact pricing.

AAA expects to respond to over 446,000 calls for roadside assistance over the holiday. Get a full vehicle inspection ahead of any long trip but especially for the vehicles battery, engine and tires.

Travel on off-peak times. Based on AAA booking data, July 1 is shaping up to be the busiest day for air travel during the holiday (June 30 to July 4), with Monday, July 4, being the lightest.

June 30 and July 1 are expected to be the peak traffic days for road warriors.

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NATO expansion only begets confrontation, threatening global security

08:18, July 01, 2022 By Xinhua writers Fu Yiming, Du Juan, Ma Mengli, Zhang Yisheng ( Xinhua

* NATO's latest northward expansion amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis poses a grave challenge to global security, especially in the Baltic Sea region and the North Pole region.

* Instead of making "them (Sweden and Finland) safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure," analysts fear that such accession would only upend the security landscape of Europe and eventually invite disasters.

* NATO has repeatedly said that its role as a regional alliance remains unchanged, and it does not seek to expand its influence in other regions. But what the bloc is doing tells a different story.

MADRID, June 30 (Xinhua) -- NATO has formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance, a sign of how deeply "the product of the Cold War" indulges itself in ideological confrontation and bloc politics.

While emphasizing self-proclaimed security assurances for members, its latest northward expansion amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis poses a grave challenge to global security, especially in the Baltic Sea region and the North Pole region, experts have said.

A man takes part in a protest against NATO in Madrid, Spain, June 26, 2022. (Photo by Juan Carlos Rojas/Xinhua)

ESCALATING CONFRONTATION

Amid highly tightened security measures and widespread discontent from demonstrators, NATO member leaders gathered in Madrid for its 2022 summit, where Sweden and Finland -- two Nordic countries with longstanding neutral and military non-alignment policies -- have been formally invited to join the bloc.

NATO's expansion is bound to further increase Russia's sense of insecurity and trigger corresponding countermeasures as Finland's accession and its 1,300 km land border with Russia would more than double NATO's territorial boundaries with Russia.

Instead of making "them (Sweden and Finland) safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure" as NATO has promised, analysts fear that such accession would only upend the security landscape of Europe and eventually invite disasters.

NATO's expansion and its reactions to the Ukraine crisis "will create huge socioeconomic and political problems and even upheavals in Europe as time goes by," Jan Oberg, director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

He said Europe and the whole world are now "in a more dangerous situation than we have ever been" in the past decades, and that "NATO is responsible for the underlying conflict built upon the perverse idea that there are no limits to expansion. And it continues."

NATO flag and Spanish national flag are seen in Madrid, Spain, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

Croatian political analyst Zarko Puhovski said that NATO's expansion and Russia's strong reaction are bound to result in "long and unfriendly borders," which could eventually spark conflicts.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, noted on Tuesday that NATO's five eastward expansions after the Cold War have not only failed to make Europe securer, but also sowed the seed of conflict.

"The Cold War ended a long time ago. It is necessary for NATO to reconsider its own positioning and its responsibilities, completely abandon the Cold War mentality that is based on bloc confrontation, and strive to build a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security framework in line with the principle of indivisible security," he said.

TOOL FOR HEGEMONY

While promoting northward expansion in disregard of Russia's security concerns, NATO declared Russia as the "most significant and direct threat" to its members' peace and security at the Madrid summit in a new Strategic Concept, its once-in-a-decade set of priorities and goals.

Analysts said the move shows that NATO is now little more than a tool for Washington to maintain its hegemony. The so-called new Strategic Concept is only "old wine in a new bottle," which has not changed the Cold War mentality of bloc confrontation.

Stephen Ndegwa, an international relations lecturer at the Nairobi-based United States International University-Africa in Kenya, said NATO's main objective is to maintain dominance over other countries, he said, adding that by mobilizing more Western countries to join, NATO may further stoke the fires of the Russian-Ukraine crisis.

Participants of the 2022 NATO Summit pose for a group photo in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2022. (Photo by Juan Carlos Rojas/Xinhua)

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov expressed his doubts by saying that Russia condemns the "irresponsible course" of the military alliance that is "ruining the European architecture, or what is left of it."

Meanwhile, China is labeled for the first time as a "systemic challenge" in the Strategic Concept.

"China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. It does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs or export ideology, still less engage in long-arm jurisdiction, economic coercion or unilateral sanctions. How could China be labeled a 'systemic challenge'?" China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

ILL INTENTIONS FOR ASIA PACIFIC

In an effort to contain China, U.S. officials and their NATO allies have been aggressively trumpeting the view that China, an East Asian country, threatens Euro-Atlantic security.

Washington, which has been trying to entrench its influence in Asia for decades, has invited its Asia-Pacific followers, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, to take part in the NATO summit for the first time.

NATO has repeatedly said that its role as a regional alliance remains unchanged, and it does not seek to expand its influence in other regions. But what the bloc is doing tells a different story.

Police stand guard at the blocked Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

"NATO wants to be global," Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said in an interview with Xinhua on the eve of the summit.

NATO has been flexing its muscles in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years, trying to bring the pattern of bloc confrontation from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region.

Former NATO Secretary General Javier Solana said NATO's expansion and its pursuit of a stronger presence in Asia will make it more difficult for NATO members to interact with other countries that do not see China or Russia as enemies or rivals. They do not want to take sides between China, Russia and the West.

Solana warned that a "global NATO" or "NATO plus" could divide the world into adversarial blocs.

(Reporters Meng Dingbo in Madrid and Zhu Shaobin in Nairobi also contributed to the story.)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
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Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve the parliament on Thursday, ending Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's year-long coalition government and sending the country back to polls for the fifth time in fewer than four years, in a move that could see former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back in power.

The 120-member parliament voted 92-0 to dissolve itself and hold the next elections on Nov. 1, a parliamentary spokesperson said in a statement.

Bennett is expected to hand power to Yair Lapid, Israeli foreign minister and leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, under the power-sharing deal they agreed upon following inconclusive elections in 2021.

The change of power will become effective as of Friday and Lapid will hold the position until the next government is formed.

Lapid, a former journalist and media personality, will become Israel's 14th prime minister, replacing Bennett, the country's shortest-serving leader.

Video footage on social media showed Bennett at the parliament plenum after the vote, rising up from his chair and gesturing to Lapid to exchange seats with him.

As interim prime minister, Lapid, 58, has a schedule filled with diplomatic and security issues. On Sunday, he will host his first cabinet meeting as prime minister. Two days later he will travel to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

In mid-July, he will be the one to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden, whose pre-scheduled trip to the Middle East covers Israel and Saudi Arabia. Israel hopes the White House will help form security cooperation with Saudi Arabia against possible Iranian attacks.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Gulf agreed in 2020 to normalize their ties with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, but Saudi Arabia has not followed.

Bennett's coalition pushed for rapid approval of the dissolution bill after he announced last week that his government was no longer tenable.

The coalition was inaugurated in June 2021, when Bennett and Lapid formed it after two years of political crisis in which no candidate, including Netanyahu, could gain enough votes to form a government.

It is made up of eight ideologically diverse parties, including liberal Doves, secular Hawks, religious pro-settlers and the Islamic party of Ra'am, marking the first time an Arab party was part of a coalition government in Israel. The sole motive that united them was to oust Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader who is facing criminal trial on three separate cases of corruption scandals.

A series of defections left the coalition without a majority in the parliament for more than two months.

Bennett said he and Lapid decided to call for new elections in the wake of their failure to pass regulations that provide protections for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. The regulations will expire at the end of June, but the opposition, mostly pro-settler parties, voted against a government-backed bill to extend them in order to force the coalition to resign.

Bennett, leader of the pro-settler party of Yamina, said the expiry of the regulations will create "horrible damage" and he prefers to disband his coalition.

Netanyahu and his allies said earlier that they had been holding talks to form a new government led by Netanyahu within the current parliament without going to new elections. But negotiations showed little progress and the opposition agreed to vote in favor of the bill.
When Tasha Smyre began taking part in the Statesville Neighborhood Spring Yard Contest, she just planned to make her yard look better. But it turns out, she didnt stop there.

I found a new hobby out of it, Smyre said. Every day I come home, theres something else I can do.

Smyre added benches, a fountain, and flowers, among other things to her yard and plans to do more even as the yard contest handed out awards Thursday at the Bentley Center in Statesville.

The contest had 17 participants this time from Ward 3 of Statesville, according to Lesley Marion with the City of Statesvilles code enforcement. However, once neighbors began seeing the changes around them, others not participating in the contest began to start to tidy up as well.

That was one of the pilot programs biggest successes, according to Marion.

Hopefully this will become a trickle effect with the appearance, starting with the outside, Marion said.

Marion said she hopes to see the program, which was sponsored by I-CARE, Inc., grow and expand not just in the southern part of Statesville, but through the city if approved by the city council. She said a number of businesses donated and were eager to take part.

Code enforcement isnt often a fun job, Marion said, but the contest allowed her to bring some positivity to her work while also helping residents improve their neighborhoods and in some cases, get their yards in compliance with city codes.

The citys sanitation department is still in the process of removing some of the items collected from yards for disposal that were part of the program, but Marion said not only has the appearance of yards improved but is safer now as well.

A safer, cleaner neighborhood cant fix every concern of residents overnight, but those involved felt like the program is a step in the right direction. Terry Rose, one of the other contest winners, said that along with the angel she put in her yard, the program helped bring peace to her and the neighborhood.

Im hoping that everyone is looking around, trying to make it look better, the peace is there, everyone got to chip in and help out, Rose said.

Bringing a bit of peace to the neighborhood was part of the goal, and Shelton Moore, the Family Support Services director with I-CARE, said it helps show there is pride among the residents of Statesvilles southside.

I applauded you because what youve done is control the narrative, Moore said. Regardless of what outsiders and others think of South Statesville, you controlled the narrative.

Of the 17 participants, six were selected as winners of the contest for the changes they made to their yard. All six were given the chance to pull a number out of a hat to determine the prize they won, with no one winning bigger than Gwen Dobbins, who left with a new grill to put in her yard.

Whens the first cookout?

Maybe the fourth, we can get something started, Dobbins said with a laugh.

Along with Dobbins, Smyre and Rose, the other winners were Katie Harrington, Larry Redmond and Councilwoman Doris Allison, who donated her prize for another person to receive.

Mayor Costi Kutteh said the program was a success and agreed it should be done again. He said programs like this, as well as Make Statesville Shine, which is being organized in September, help the city as a whole.

Just like this event, which will lead into a bigger event next year, that event will not only clean up the community but bring us all together, Kutteh said.

Follow Ben Gibson on Facebook and Twitter at @BenGibsonSRL

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The N.C. General Assembly has passed a controversial Republican-sponsored bill that would require sheriffs to hold suspects in certain crimes for at least 48 hours when their immigration status is unknown or they are in the country illegally.

The ICE bill was fast-tracked through the General Assembly in the final week of the regular 2022 session.

The next step: a likely veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. He vetoed a similar Republican-sponsored bill in August 2019.

Coopers office could not be immediately reached for comment about his plans for SB101.

Cooper has 10 days to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature.

Senate Bill 101 resurfaced last week after being dormant since March 2021. Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, is among the cosponsors.

Titled Require Cooperation with ICE 2.0, it cleared the House floor by a partisan 65-47 vote Thursday over objections by several Democrat legislators.

Critics say the measure could increase jail time for suspects who have otherwise met the conditions for release. They also point out it would force sheriffs offices to to investigate the immigration status of anyone booked into the jail.

Since the House made a slight change to SB101, the Senate was required to agree or reject the change. The Senate voted Friday 25-19  also along partisan lines  to accept the changes.

At least 32 Senate and 72 House votes are required to overturn a governors veto.

The governor has previously expressed concern about politically motivated laws that allow Washington, D.C., to supersede local law enforcements ability to keep our communities safe, and this appears to be one of those, Mary Scott Winstead, deputy communications director for Cooper, said Tuesday in discussing SB101.

Expectations of a Cooper veto are so high that Senate Democrats didnt even speak against the bill when they had an opportunity Friday, said Mitch Kokai, senior policy analyst with conservative thinktank the John Locke Foundation.

They voted against it, knowing that the governor will almost certainly block the bill and that supporters lack the votes to override the veto.

Kokai has said Republican leadership likely revived SB101 to use it as a campaign issue in this years legislative races.

Supporters have used this legislation to state clear opposition to local sheriffs who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Kokai said. Perhaps the issue will play a role in some electoral contests this fall.

Republicans are likely to revisit this measure with greater success next year if they secure veto-proof supermajorities in November.

The passage of SB101 is a classic messaging bill that is intended to put legislators on record for their votes, and in ways that can sometimes be difficult to defend in re-election campaigns, said John Dinan, political science professor at Wake Forest University who is a national expert on state legislatures.

That is presumably one reason for bringing this bill back for a vote in the final week of the session  to help Republicans in this years state legislative election campaigns and put some Democratic lawmakers on the defensive in their campaigns.

Politics over public safety

Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson and the bills primary sponsor, said changes made to SB101 address Coopers concerns in HB370.

Edwards told the Rules and Operations committee Thursday that SB101 is necessary because a number of sheriffs have refused to cooperate with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Rep. Dustin Hall, R-Catawba, said during the House floor debate that SB101 would prevent sheriffs who arent cooperating with ICE officials from putting politics over public safety.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. wasnt available for comment on the latest versions of SB101. Kimbrough opposed the previous efforts.

We are a law-abiding law enforcement agency, Kimbrough said in March 2021. 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.

Similar opposition has been stated by other urban sheriffs.

Edwards cited what he calls increased interest in SB101 from sheriffs that border the urban counties that crime is escalating and more and more incidents of human trafficking, drug use and increased gang activity.

SB101 details

The current version of SB101 would require sheriffs to:

* Inform ICE when a person charged with certain offenses is in custody and authorities are not sure about that persons legal residency or U.S. citizenship.

According to SB101, those offenses include homicide; rape and other sex offenses; kidnapping and abduction; human-trafficking offenses; certain gang-related offenses; assault; violation of a domestic violence protective order; and other most serious misdemeanors.

* Hold affected suspects in custody for 48 hours or until ICE resolves the request.

* Create reporting requirements related to ICE queries.

Edwards said the current version of SB101 differs from HB370 in two ways.

Instead of requiring a query of ICE on any infraction of anyone who is brought into a jail, it only requires an inquiry when someone is accused of the most heinous crimes.

Edwards said the second major difference reflects concerns expressed by Cooper about potential criminal penalties for sheriffs who decline to cooperate with ICE involving jail detainees.

The initial version of SB101 would have made that a class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a 120-day jail sentence and a discretionary fine. Subsequent language 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.

HB370 would have allowed a Superior Court judge to remove a sheriff or police officer who didnt follow the legislations provisions and did not cooperate with ICE agents.

Those penalties are eliminated in the latest version, Edwards said Tuesday.

SB101 background

In March 2021, the state Senate approved SB101 along partisan lines by a 27-20 vote.

SB101 was amended to 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.

What SB101 will do is require local law enforcement to work with federal immigration officials in the interest of public safety amid growing public concern ... about people who have come across our borders illegally, Edwards said.

SB101 creates a process for a judicial official to follow for every person in custody who is subject to an ICE detainer or administrative warrant.

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.

Rep. Vernetta Alston, D-Durham, said she opposed SB101 primarily because of the oversight and financial burden it places on sheriff offices that adds to their workload. She also questioned the constitutionality of the 48-hour confinement period.

Edwards countered by saying if SB101 were to impose a financial burden on sheriff offices, it would be an illustration of just how desperately this bill is needed ... because it means there would be more folks charged with heinous crimes required to be detained.

According to ICEs website, there are 15 local law enforcement agencies in North Carolina listed as participating entities in what is known as the 287(g) program. It allows local officers to perform limited immigration law enforcement functions.

In Northwest N.C., that includes the Alamance, Randolph and Rockingham sheriffs offices.

Edwards said the N.C. Sheriffs Association was in strong support of (HB370) in 2019. On this version, they have chosen to take no action, which to me says that they are in still in full support of the concept.

Hall repeated the associations strong support during the House floor debate.

The sheriffs association has not issued any statement on this legislation, last year or this year, Eddie Caldwell, the associations general counsel, said Tuesday.
KALAMA  Residents looking to start or grow a business can apply for a spot in the Port of Kalamas under-construction marketplace and potentially receive free training.

The Mountain Timber Market, set to open in 2023, is accepting applications through the end of the month, said Michelle Nelson, market manager. Those interested can get more information and apply at www.mountaintimber.org, or at an open house on Wednesday or July 16.

If you go What: Mountain Timber Market business open house. When: Between 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday or 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 16. Where: Port of Kalama Administrative Office, 110 W. Marine Dr., Kalama. Info: mountaintimber.org.

A selection committee will pick 20 participants for a free business accelerator program with SCORE, a nonprofit that provides mentoring and education to business owners. The 13-week program will run from Sept. 10 to Dec. 3.

The training will help participants identify their target market, work through financial and marketing plans and answer other questions, Nelson said. The program should help participants determine if this is the right time and place for them to open their business before making the investment, she said.

Participants will then pitch to a selection committee, which will recommend businesses for the open spaces to port commissioners.

The market has seven vendor spaces, two small restaurant spaces and a vendor hall. The vendor hall spaces are flexible and will have shorter lease terms. The building also has room for a distillery, which would be available through this application process, and two larger anchor restaurants that are not, Nelson said.

Port of Kalama commissioners approve $19 million bid for marketplace, despite sticker shock KALAMA  The Port of Kalama commissioners Wednesday approved a $19 million bid to construct the Mountain Timber Market, despite the higher tha

Nelson said the port is looking for businesses that will compliment and not necessarily compete with existing stores in Kalama. That could include artisans, coffee shops, tasting rooms, a meat market, local cheese shop, or those selling locally-grown produce or flowers, she said.

Applicants must be 18 or older, live within 100 miles of the port office, not be related to or live with port employees and, if selected, must pass a background and credit check.

Nelson said the port wanted to include a business training to connect local entrepreneurs to resources they need to be successful.

Were trying to take out the scary piece of opening a new business, she said. We want the businesses that open to stay open.

Potential customers will include Kalama-area residents, tourists and river cruise passengers, Nelson said.

Port of Kalama celebrates new cruise dock, expected boost in tourism KALAMA  After years of drive-by stops at the Port of Kalama, an American Cruise Line ship parked at a dedicated cruise dock Friday, a chang

Crews broke ground on the $19 million market earlier this year. The 33,665 square-foot-building located just south of Marine Park is set to open in late 2023.

The project follows the April opening of the cruise ship dock near Marine Park. The port partnered with American Cruise Lines to build the $3.5 million dock as an alternative to boats unloading passengers on the beach.

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A man arrested after a shooting earlier this month outside the Monticello Hotel in Longviews Civic Circle is not charged for a suspected crime.

Police say Daniel Amaro-Anaya, 30, of Longview was not in danger before he shot another man, but prosecutors say the victims inability to recall the nights events leaves them without a way to prove Amaro-Anaya didnt act in self-defense.

Longview police arrested Amaro-Anaya June 15 on suspicion of first-degree assault. A representative from the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorneys Office emailed jail and superior court staff two days later saying charges would not be filed, according to court records.

Amaro-Anaya, a Monticello Hotel employee, called officers around midnight June 15 to report he shot an unruly man who threatened him outside the historic Longview building that includes apartments, event space, a restaurant and coffee shop, according to a police report.

A probable cause statement filed with police says Amaro-Anaya was arrested because he was not in danger before he fired his gun. The victim was shot after he left the Monticello Hotel, which he could not re-enter because the door was locked. Amaro-Anaya followed him outside. He could have called police to remove a trespasser, the report continues.

The victim, 43, was treated at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center, where a bullet was found lodged in his stomach, police say.

While in the hospital, staff at the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorneys Office interviewed the victim, who said he was too intoxicated to remember the nights events, Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jurvakainen wrote in an email to The Daily News. He said without the victims testimony, prosecutors cant refute Amaro-Anayas claim of self-defense.

According to the police report, Amaro-Anaya said the victim was yelling inside the Monticello Hotel, kicked a door and threatened to kill him. Amaro-Anaya asked the man to leave, and he left the building, but not the property, the employee told police in the report.

Surveillance footage, which does not include audio, shows Amaro-Anaya open the buildings locked door after the victim is seen blowing him a kiss from outside, the report states. The victim approached the employee twice and Amaro-Anaya shoved him. On the third approach, Amaro-Anaya fired his gun at the victim, the report states. Jurvakainen described the victims approaches as aggressive. He said on the last approach, the victim can be seen either trying to strike Amaro-Anaya or grab for his gun.

It is on that occasion when Amaro-Anaya can be seen backing up as he fires the lone shot, Jurvakainen wrote in the email. In light of the aforementioned facts, the state cannot meet its burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Amaro-Anaya did not act in self-defense, which is what would be required at trial.

The Daily News, Longview, Wash.

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Demand for local preschools is high, but families in Cowlitz County often have a hard time finding and affording licensed child care providers that offer learning opportunities.

There are more preschool students than we have options, said Sara Rushlo, an early care and education manager with the regional Educational Service District.

In a county where incomes fall below the state average, most local parents work fulltime and most local affordable daycares are unlicensed and not held in classrooms. School districts are hoping a free, publicly funded classroom option before kindergarten can increase access to the more than half of eligible kids who may have fallen through the cracks of local early learning opportunities.

School districts in Kelso, Kalama and Vancouver piloted transitional kindergarten in recent years, and Longview launched its own version called Kinder Bridge. A combination of state and local dollars, with options to get federal grants, will fund the program.

Who has access to early learning?

Transitional kindergarten helps families who cannot afford private preschool or sit on a waitlist for the state-funded Early Childhood Education Assistant Program or federally funded Head Start/Early Head Start, said Nicole Rose, assistant secretary for the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families.

About 45% of eligible Cowlitz County children are being served either through government-funded early learning options or private preschool, according to data from the Educational Service District.

But theres 55% that are still not being served at all, said Longview Early Learning Coordinator Megan Shea-Bates.

As a public school option, families are not barred from entering transitional kindergarten if they were previously enrolled in Head Start or ECEAP. But, Rushlo said, Its truly for students who are not in any preschool or go to any child care provider.

If they qualify, families making a certain income can enroll their child in federally and state-funded programs housed at the Lower Columbia College.

Families that can afford it may pay for private preschool, which on average costs $9,200 a year in Washington state, according to the Education Data Initiative. Or they can pay for daycare, the cost of which still swallows nearly one-fifth of a Washington familys income, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute.

A majority of Cowlitz County families with children under 6 use unlicensed private daycare options, like a family member or neighbor, but most prefer a care center or formal preschool, according to a 2021 county child care access survey from a group of local nonprofits called the Cowlitz Community Network. The DCYF considers early learning as any learning skills and child development taught by licensed professionals from birth to third grade.

Two-thirds of respondents in the Cowlitz Community Network survey listed cost as a significant factor in what type of care they chose, and 42% said they had turned down economic opportunities due to the cost of child care.

I think cost is the No. 1 thing, Shea-Bates said. Its just expensive to pay for child care.

In Cowlitz County, the median monthly cost of child care for preschool-aged children is about $960, according to a 2021 report from advocacy group Child Care Aware.

Census data from 2020 shows the income of Cowlitz County residents lag behind the state average, and about 60% of families who have children under 6 years old have both parents working fulltime.

Transitional kindergartens one program that broadens the landscape of early learning across the region, Rushlo said.

Creating more access

More children are gaining access to early learning options. Recent legislation expanded which families count as eligible for ECEAP. Last year, 649 more children statewide enrolled than in 2020, according to 2021 state data from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

With transitional kindergarten, the number of students served could go from 45% to 60% after the first year, according to data from the regional Educational Service District.

The goal is to have at least 15% of students who enter kindergarten first go through this transitional program, Shea-Bates said.

What we want to make sure is that as we expand access, we always have an eye on high-quality education, Rose said.

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On Wednesday evening, about 100 people gathered at Longviews Civic Circle to protest last weeks Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which removed womens constitutional protections for abortions after nearly 50 years.

The crowd included two friends in their 70s, Donna McLain and Karen Bergquist, who said the right to privacy, which was applied in the Roe v. Wade ruling, was important to uphold for everyone.

The idea of going back to a Constitution that didnt even acknowledge women ... dont do that to me, McLain said. I wanted to get pregnant. I just believe the minority shouldnt dictate rights for the majority.

Younger protestors led chants of my body, my choice, as the crowd lapped the Civic Circle, a handful of passing cars honking in support. A few groups of people stuck around to wave signs as the crowd broke up.

The rally was organized by Lower Columbia Indivisible, Planned Parenthood and other community members. Organizer Katie Rose said the turnout was amazing for a Wednesday night and its great to see this kind of support in our community.

People are realizing theyre not alone, she said. Sixty-five to 70% of Americans disagree with overturning Roe v. Wade, and were seeing that here. People realized they cant stay home and change it.

Longview library visitors answer: How do you feel about the Roe v. Wade ruling? The U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade Friday, eradicating the constitutional right to abortion held in the U.S. for nearly 50 years. In 

Following the leak of the Supreme Courts draft decision in May, a poll by NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist found about 64% of U.S. adults opposed overturning Roe v. Wade. Seven in 10 said they are in favor of some degree of restrictions on abortion rights, NPR reported.

The rally included three speakers who denounced the ruling, encouraged people to vote and voiced concerns the Supreme Court would overturn other rights, like same-sex marriage.

Retired nurse Mary Hennrich told the crowd she began working three years before Roe and we cant go back.

Weve been there before, she said. Its not pretty, its awful. Its not going to stop abortions, it will just push people into unsafe places.

Restricting abortion access will most greatly affect people of color, low-income people and teenagers, Hennrich said.

Dian Cooper, retired Cowlitz Family Health Center CEO, told the crowd that in her years doing pregnancy options counseling and giving people rides to Portland for abortions, no one made that decision lightly.

Cowlitz Family Health CEO Dian Cooper retiring in March after nearly 40 years During Dian Coopers first month as Cowlitz Family Health Center CEO in 1982, every minister in town opposed to abortion walked into her offic

Local healthcare providers do not all offer contraceptive services in the same way, Cooper said, encouraging people to educate themselves available resources.

Local options

Abortion remains legal and protected in Washington and Oregon.

No Cowlitz County clinics offer abortions on site. The closest clinics offering the service are located in Centralia, Vancouver and Portland, according to abortionfinder.org. Washington residents can receive virtual appointments through Abortion on Demand and Hey Jane, which mails abortion pills to patients after telemedicine visits.

PeaceHealth, a Catholic system, does not perform direct abortion anywhere, according to a statement.

Kaiser Permanente provides the full range of comprehensive, integrated womens health services including prenatal, maternity, family planning, contraception, and pregnancy termination services consistent with our obligations to our members, patients, employees, customers, and all applicable laws. The organization stated it provides abortions in the Portland area, but declined to specify at which locations.

Cowlitz Family Health Center provides full-option counseling for pregnancy and information about agencies that offer the services the mother wants, according to the organization.

The Caring Pregnancy Center of Cowlitz County does not perform or refer for abortions and offers spiritual, emotional and practical support to expectant parents and those with children up to 2 years old, according to its website. The Christian nonprofit provides free pregnancy testing, parenting and relationship classes, Bible studies, connections to community resources and opportunities to earn supplies.

Washington state politicians have mixed reactions to Roe being overturned A rallying cry of mourning and celebration echoed nationwide Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of legal precedent

Some clinics and regional or national organizations provide financial assistance for those seeking an abortion. The Northwest Abortion Access Fund helps people in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska pay for care and make sure those traveling have a safe place to stay.

The average out-of-pocket cost for a first-trimester abortion in the Pacific Northwest is $650, according to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund. Cost can vary based on insurance coverage and when the abortion is performed.

The federal Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of any federal funds for abortion, including Medicaid coverage, unless the pregnancy is result of rape, incest or endangers the womans life. Seventeen states, including Washington and Oregon, use state funds to pay for these services for Medicaid patients.

Washington Legislature passed a law in 2018 requiring state insurers offering maternity care to also cover abortions and contraception.

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Samsung Galaxy A Fold could be a possibility as Samsung has now started working on such a device. Here are all the details.

Theres no doubt that Samsung makes some of the best folding smartphones at the moment. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 are the most refined folding smartphones you can buy, and with the Fold 4 generation on the horizon, things could simply get better. Samsung is not content with that, however, and is working on making these foldable devices cheaper. Hence, Samsung could be bringing foldable phones under the Galaxy A series, its popular midrange series of smartphones.

Based on rumours emerging from Korean website ETnews, it is said that Samsung is working on a foldable smartphone that could have a starting price under $771. The folding smartphone could be coming as part of the Galaxy A series and as a result, it could giving up on several basic features. Plans for an affordable foldable were shelved previously but due to the rising competition, Samsung is now considering making that happen.

Cheaper Samsung Fold in the works

It is said that Samsung could be bringing the Galaxy A Fold with the book-style form factor already found on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Eventually, the Galaxy A could also get a Flip style foldable to go down further the price ladder. Being a Galaxy A, Samsung could be cutting corners to achieve a lower price, as is the case with Galaxy A devices.

Rumours suggest that the Ultra Thin Glass used on the flagship foldables wont be used on the Galaxy A foldables. That means we could be seeing a plastic display as seen on the first gen Galaxy Fold. These models could also see the luxuries omitted. Does this mean a Galaxy A Fold will have a tiny Cover Display, a plastic body, fewer cameras, and a midrange chipset? Only time will tell.

Currently, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the most affordable folding smartphone you can buy today. Starting at Rs. 84,557, the Flip 3 offers last years Snapdragon 888 chipset, a 6.7-inch foldable AMOLED display with 120hz refresh rate, a tiny Cover Display for notifications and widgets, and a 3300mAh battery. It is water resistant too.
The largest asteroid impact in recorded history took place just 114 years ago and is now widely known as the Tunguska event, according to NASA. What happened and why is this event significant for scientists? Find out.

Yesterday, June 30, was marked as the World Asteroid Day. The day is celebrated every year to spread awareness and knowledge about the dangers of asteroids and to communicate the crisis-aversion actions which should be taken in case of an asteroid impact threat. The day was first commemorated in 2016 when the United Nations passed a resolution. The choice of date was intentional as it marked the anniversary of the Tunguska event, which is the largest asteroid strike to ever be witnessed by humans. That one isolated event in 1908 ended up becoming so historically significant that it has today influenced technological advancement and scientific discourse in the field of asteroid research led by NASA. So, what happened during the Tunguska event and why is it so important? Read on.

A massive asteroid explodes near the Tunguska river

114 years ago, just above the Tunguska river in Russia in a region which is known as Krasnoyarsk Krai, a handful of people claimed to witness a blue fireball dropping from the sky. Moments later, 500,000 acres (2,150 square km) of uninhabited forest was flattened, and the ground scorched. The shockwaves were felt all across the world. Although not known at that time, it was an asteroid explosion that caused it.

The Tunguska event took place in 1908, but being in a remote corner of the world, it wasnt till 1927 when the first investigation took place. According to a report by EarthSky, Leonid Kulik led the first Soviet research expedition to investigate the Tunguska event. However, he did not find any impact crater or asteroid fragments, which led to him dismissing the idea of an asteroid strike.

It wasnt till later when it was understood what really happened that day. The asteroid, a 5060 meters wide stony space rock, never made it to the surface and instead exploded right above the forest causing the destruction. Three people were killed and more than 80 million trees were flattened in the Tunguska event.

Tunguska is the largest cosmic impact witnessed by modern humans," David Morrison, a planetary science researcher at Ames told NASA. "It also is characteristic of the sort of impact we are likely to have to protect against in the future."

Today, NASA watches over 16,000 near-Earth objects (NEO) and plans countermeasures through its Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). It has been an integral part of the American agency observing and mapping out all the asteroids that can pose a threat to us.
A dying star, also known as a white dwarf, killed the planets it was surrounded by! For perspective, think of our Sun and its planets!

A dying star has ripped apart an entire planetary system, reveal scientists. Dubbed as G238-44, this white dwarf is disrupting an entire planetary system by consuming the rock-metallic and icy material. This cosmic phenomenon known as cosmic cannibalism has been observed for the first time with the help of archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA observatories. The astronomers gathered the findings based on the analysis of material captured by the atmosphere of the white dwarf. A white dwarf is usually very dense and about the size of a planet. It is formed when a low-mass star exhausts most of its nuclear fuel expands and then all that is left is a white dwarf.

Ted Johnson, lead researcher and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) graduate, said in a press statement, We have never seen both of these kinds of objects accreting onto a white dwarf at the same time. By studying these white dwarfs, we hope to gain a better understanding of planetary systems that are still intact.

"Life as we know it requires a rocky planet covered with a variety of elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen," shared Benjamin Zuckerman, co-author of the study. He added that the abundances of the elements seen on the white dwarf seems like a rocky as well as a volatile-rich parent body. He called it the first example we've found among studies of hundreds of white dwarfs."

The findings also show that our Sun might go through this process and become a red giant before swallowing the nearby planets in about five billion years. It will lose its outer layers, forming a nebula. Only a pitiful shell of its former glory will remain- a white dwarf.
Google has rolled out several updates to Google Password Manager. These updates will help you keep your data and details safe and secure online. Know how.

Passwords help your personal data and information stay safe and secure. Whenever you set up a password, may it be for your mobile phone, laptop, or even an app, you are advised to keep a strong, unique password. The more strong your password is, the more secure your personal information can be. Especially in today's internet era, keeping a strong password is of utmost importance to keep your details secure online. Considering these reasons Google informed via a blog post that Google Password Manager can help you create, remember and autofill passwords on your computer or phone: on the web in Chrome, and in your favorite Android and iOS apps.

Google on Thursday, June 30, 2022, started rolling out a number of updates that help make the experience easier to use, with even stronger protections built in. Google is rolling out a simplified and unified management experience that is the same in Chrome and Android settings.

Also Read: iPhone user? Here are 5 reasons why you can switch to Android

According to the blog post, if you have multiple passwords for the same sites or apps, Google will automatically group them. And for your convenience, you can create a shortcut on your Android home screen to access your passwords with a single tap.

Further, Google Password Manager can create unique, strong passwords for you across platforms, and helps ensure your passwords are not compromised as you browse the web. Google is giving you the ability to generate passwords for your iOS apps when you set Chrome as your autofill provider.

Chrome can automatically check your passwords when you enter them into a site, but you can have an added layer of confidence by checking them in bulk with Password Checkup. Google will now flag not only compromised credentials, but also weak and re-used passwords on Android. If Google warns you about a password, you can now fix them without hassle with the help of its automated password change feature on Android.

To help protect even more people, Google is expanding its compromised password warnings to all Chrome users on Android, Chrome OS, iOS, Windows, MacOS and Linux, the company informed.

If you want to add your passwords to the app directly, you will now be able to do that too. Google is adding this functionality to Google Password Manager on all platforms. In 2020, Touch-to-Fill was introduced by Google to help you fill your passwords in a convenient and recognizable way. The company is now bringing Touch-to-Login to Chrome on Android to make logging in even quicker by allowing you to securely log in to sites directly from the overlay at the bottom of your screen.
 Flash

A Chinese envoy on Thursday urged the United States, as the party responsible for the Iranian nuclear crisis, to respond positively to the reasonable demands of Iran.

"The United States should face up to its responsibility, correct its mistake once and for all, make a political decision as soon as possible, and take concrete measures to respond positively to the reasonable demands of Iran," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said while addressing a Security Council briefing on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Iran and the United States held indirect talks on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Qatari capital of Doha to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which started to fall apart after Washington's pullout from the deal in May 2018.

"The previous U.S. administration, in disregard of objections from the international community, unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, and launched a maximum pressure campaign against Iran. We must admit that is the root cause of the current Iranian nuclear crisis," Zhang said.

He noted that the United States, while repeatedly stating its readiness to seek a return to compliance, is nevertheless escalating sanctions against Iran and third parties even during the process of resumed talks.

"Doing so is obviously detrimental to any positive progress in the talks. The United States should live up to its words and lift all relevant unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction measures against Iran, so that Iran can fully partake of the economic dividends of the JCPOA," he said.

Zhang stressed that to keep the resumed Iranian nuclear talks on the right track with a view to an early and positive outcome, double standards should be abandoned.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. All parties must strictly abide by the NPT, he said.

However, Zhang pointed out, the cooperation between the United States, the UK and Australia on nuclear submarines is the first time since the NPT was concluded that a nuclear weapon state has openly transferred nuclear weapon materials to a non-nuclear weapon state.

"Regardless of how the three countries may choose to name their nuclear submarine cooperation, the very essence of their nuclear proliferation behavior cannot be concealed, its negative impact on the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue cannot be undone, the risk it poses to regional peace and stability is a reality that cannot be changed," he said.

He emphasized that the practice of applying double standards to the detriment of the objectives and purposes of the NPT must be rectified in order to maintain the authority and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.

There is no better alternative to the JCPOA agreement, as dialogue and consultation is the only right way forward in the resolution of the Iranian nuclear crisis, Zhang noted.

He said that China welcomes and supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis, welcomes the relaunch of indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Doha, and appreciates the recent good offices by the EU.

He expressed hope that the EU, as the coordinator, will continue to play its unique role and work harder to encourage greater flexibility from the parties.

The envoy also called for eliminating interference in the negotiation process.

"As we approach the final hurdle, it is all the more important for all parties to firm up confidence, reject any and all interference, and preserve the hard-won results of the negotiations achieved to date," he said.

In this context, all parties should be guided by reason, exercise restraint, and refrain from taking unconstructive steps that would cause a spiraling of tensions, he said.

China objects politicizing the mandate of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as reflected in the Iran-related resolution recently forced through by some countries and adopted by the agency's Board of Governors, and supports settling outstanding issues through dialogue and cooperation between the IAEA and Iran, Zhang said.
Lithuanias defense chief said the Baltic nation has come under an unprecedented cyber attack this week after the government announced it would start blocking the transit of sanctioned goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Lithuanias defense chief said the Baltic nation has come under an unprecedented cyber attack this week after the government announced it would start blocking the transit of sanctioned goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

This cyber war has been ongoing non-stop for many years, Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told LRT radio on Tuesday. But this scale and intensity, which is perhaps not yet the highest but medium, is taking place for the first time.

The ministry pointed to the Russian hacker group Killnet as the source of a wave of so-called distributed denial-of-service attacks against state institutions and businesses in the nation of 2.8 million. Anusauskas said the group, which he said has ties with the Russian government, had taken responsibility and called on others to join the campaign.

The Kremlin, which has repeatedly denied that it conducts such campaigns, had no immediate response to the Lithuanian cyber attack.

Killnet has been blamed for similar DDoS attacks, which attempt to overload systems by flooding the target with superfluous requests from multiple sources, on institutions in the US, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic and other NATO countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putins government has said it will retaliate against the EU member state for blocking rail transport of goods such as steel in accordance with the blocs sanction measures. Lithuania has accused the Kremlin of waging a propaganda campaign over the issue, saying the restrictions tied to EU measures that came into force this month involve only 1% of total transit.

Lithuania has been able to successfully fend off the attacks, the ministry said. The cyber assault is likely to continue over the coming days, particularly in the communications, energy and finance sectors, the authorities said, warning of an increased risk of ransomware and defacement attacks.
With TikTok going from one success to another, Meta is looking to stop that surge by turning all Instagram videos into Reels.

Instagram is under immense pressure from China's TikTok, which is winning the war for people's eyeballs. To combat TikTok, Instagram app is reportedly testing a new feature for its video posts that will turn them all into Reels. The change is aimed to simplify the overall video experience on the platform. As per the screenshot shared by Matt Navarra on Twitter, the photo sharing app has already startedturning video posts into Reels for selected users and it may be rolled out for a larger audience across Instagram and Facebook. He tweeted, Instagram is now making EVERY video a Reel. As per the post, once the changes are implemented successfully, anyone will be able to discover anyones Reel and use the original audio to create their own Reel. Those who have a private account, their Insta Reel will only be visible to their followers. The message also adds that anyone will be able to create a remix with their Reel if their account is public. However, it can be prevented by making some changes in the account settings.

Instagram is now making EVERY video a Reel



h/t @ChristinaSBG pic.twitter.com/YLRDhT1nw0  Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) June 30, 2022

A Meta spokesperson confirmed the same with TechCrunch via an email. They wrote, Were testing this feature as part of our efforts to simplify and improve the video experience on Instagram. Instagram Reels were first launched in the year 2020 after the Indian government banned TikTok along with other Chinese apps over security concerns. The platform gained immense popularity with the Reels short video format.

The change is currently under testing and the timeline for its release is not clear yet. It is also not known what will happen to existing videos published to Instagram, and whether well still be able to publish videos up to 10 minutes long.

Meanwhile, the app is also testing another TikTok like feature- a full screen vertical home feed. This will let users enjoy the videos and posts in full screen mode.
The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has revealed that traders are now more welcoming of e-wallets and cashless transactions throughout the country. Its deputy minister, Datuk Rosol Wahid in a statement yesterday shared that a total of 3919 new traders are actively using these cashless transactions nationwide as payment methods.

As reported by Bernama, this was in accordance to an initiative launched by the ministry called the Retail Sector Digitalisation Initiative (ReDI). Furthermore, Rosol also added that e-commerce transactions have surged up to 30 percent in our country in the first quarter of 2021.

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), a whopping RM254.6 billion of cashless transactions were recorded in Malaysia during that period. Besides that, the KPDNHEP deputy minister also referenced a 2022 report by PayNet which showed that cash payments have now dropped to 78 percent in Malaysia compared to 89 percent prior to the pandemic.

This latest development in Malaysia follows a wider trend in Southeast Asia that are currently at the peak of the financial revolution phase. Now, 49 percent of the urban population in the region are using e-wallet services and it is projected to reach 84 percent by 2025.

So, what do you guys think of the increased popularity gained by cashless payment transactions in our country? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for the latest tech news in Malaysia and beyond!
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Critical metals, such as cobalt and lithium, are essential for the green transition. However, citizens' awareness of critical raw materials is low, which may affect their attitudes towards, and acceptance of, mining activities.

"Increased mining activities are the flip side of the coin in the green transition. In Finland, too, several ore exploration and mining projects are currently under way. It is interesting to see how the negative environmental impacts of mining, for example, affect the green transition and on what conditions people are ready for it," Senior Researcher Tuija Mononen says.

Mononen is involved in the SEMACRET project led by the University of Oulu, which secured 7.5 million euros of Horizon Europe funding for the sustainable exploration of critical raw materials in the European Union. The work package led by Mononen examines what EU citizens know about critical materials and the need for them, and how this affects their attitudes towards, and acceptance of, mining activities. The work package accounts for nearly 840,000 euros of the total funding.

"In ore exploration and mining, social acceptance has become a key challenge for the future of the entire industry. Responsibility is an integral part of it. Citizens and communities need information in order to participate in the debate and possible decision-making on an informed basis," Mononen emphasizes.

Finnish sites: Akanvaara in Savukoski and Terrafame in Sotkamo

At the University of Eastern Finland, Mononen leads the SERM research group, which focuses on social-scientific mining research. In the SEMACRET project, her research group examines citizens' awareness of critical materials and their attitudes towards mining activities in Finland, Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic. In Finland, the study sites are Akanvaara in Savukoski and Terrafame in Sotkamo.

Terrafame is an interesting site, as it contains the largest cobalt resources in the European Union.

Researchers have studied the attitudes of local residents towards mining activities in Sotkamo for a long time. Despite the previous problems in Talvivaara mine in Sotkamo, Mononen says that locals in Sotkamo have a surprisingly positive attitude towards mining activities. A comparison study carried out in 2016 found that 71.7% of the respondents in Sotkamo accepted mining activities. The corresponding figure for the whole country was 73.7%.

"Terrafame was included in the SEMACRET study in order to obtain comparative data on whether there has been a change in the acceptance of mining activities. In addition, Terrafame's battery minerals and chemicals production are closely linked to the green transition."

Hopes to increase citizens' awareness of the green transition and critical metals

The SEMACRET study examines where citizens get information about the green transition and where they would like to get itfrom researchers, the media, neighbors, environmental organizations, authorities or mining operators.

A national online survey will be conducted in the four case countries to examine citizens' knowledge base, awareness, attitudes and acceptance of the green transition and mining activities. Workshops will also be organized in the study locations at the start and end of the project, and local stakeholders will be interviewed as well.

The study also follows discussion on the subject in social media. This is theme will be explored by Kyle Bahr, one of the leading international scholars addressing the social license to operate in the context of mining activities.

"Using a variety of methods, we generate data on the main challenges associated with the green transition and acceptance of mining activities. The results reflect stakeholders' concerns and knowledge, attitudes and acceptance."

The other work packages of the SEMACRET project focus on charting soil metal concentrations using sustainable ore exploration methods.

"Our role is to produce material to raise citizens' awareness. We will also make policy recommendations and visualize the results of the study. In addition, we'll make a concise information package for citizens on critical materials and the green transition."

Explore further White paper on critical materials, green energy and geopolitics
The top part of the graphic shows onshore methanol production. The bottom part shows how hydrogen for the engine is obtained from methanol in the reactor (blue arrow). The remaining carbon dioxide is stored in the tank and reused in onshore methanol production. Credit: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Shipping is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gases, and this is leading shipbuilders and operators on a search for environmentally friendly alternative propulsion systems. Researchers at Fraunhofer have joined forces with partners to develop the HyMethShip concept, in which hydrogen is obtained from methanol. This technology does not require large hydrogen tanks to be carried on board, making it much safer. In the future, it may also prove to be an attractive solution for cruise liners.

According to the European Environment Agency, maritime transport is responsible for over three percent of the total carbon emissions in the European Union. In 2019 alone, emissions reached 144 million tons of CO 2 . This may not sound like very much, but shipping has been one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions for many years now due to the sharp rise in the trade volume. As a result, shipbuilders and operators around the world are on the hunt for environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional ship engines powered by fuel oil or diesel. In this context, the focus is increasingly shifting toward green hydrogen as a clean energy source. However, carrying large, heavy special-purpose tanks containing pressurized hydrogen on the open seas always involves a certain amount of risk.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS have worked with partners to develop a technology that uses hydrogen as a zero-emission propulsion concept and avoids these disadvantages. The EU-funded HyMethShip project uses methanol as a liquid hydrogen carrier. In this concept, the ship is refueled with methanol at port. On board, hydrogen is obtained from the methanol through a steam reforming process and is used for ship propulsion. "That way, we kill two birds with one stone: The ship has a virtually zero-emission propulsion system and there is no need for a large and potentially dangerous hydrogen tank," explains Dr. Benjamin Jager from the Catalysis and Materials Synthesis group at Fraunhofer IKTS.

Fill up with methanol, burn hydrogen

The system's technical centerpiece is the reactor. The methanol is mixed with water, then evaporated by applying heat and fed into the preheated reactor, where the mix of methanol and water is converted into hydrogen and CO 2 . When it comes to hydrogen separation and reactor engineering, Fraunhofer IKTS is able to contribute its many years of experience in membrane process technology. The researchers at Fraunhofer developed a ceramic membrane coated with carbon. The hydrogen molecules escape through the extremely fine pores of the membrane, while the larger carbon dioxide gas molecules are retained. In this process, the hydrogen achieves a purity level of more than 90 percent. It is then fed into the engine, which it drives by burning in a conventional combustion engineand generates absolutely no exhaust gases that are harmful to the climate.

The process concept used in the project includes two additional ingenious design elements that optimize the system. Firstly, the waste heat from the engine is used to heat the reactor, significantly increasing the efficiency of the system. Secondly, the remaining carbon dioxide is returned to a fluid state downstream of the reactor and fed into the empty methanol tanks. When the ship arrives at port, the CO 2 is fed into tanks and can then be used for the next methanol synthesis process.

The integrated membranes in the module for a reactor separate the hydrogen from the carbon dioxide. Credit: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

"Methanol is an ideal hydrogen carrier for shipping. Its energy density is twice as high as liquid hydrogen, so the on-board methanol tanks only need to be half the size. It can also be transported safely: Even if a tank leaks, there is no acute environmental risk," says Dr. Benjamin Jager, IKTS expert in this area.

During development, one of the technical challenges was enlarging the ceramic membranes so that they could be used in the context of the propulsion required for ship engines. The researchers managed to scale the membrane from its original length of just 105 mm to 500 mm, enabling engine propulsion of up to 1 MW. The medium-term goal is to develop propulsion systems of 20 MW and above.

Environmentally friendly trips on ferries and cruise ships

A zero-emission propulsion system would be ideal for ferries that sail fixed routes between two ports, with each port having its own methanol filling station. However, the technology may also be an appealing future solution for container ships and cruise ships. Environmentally conscious passengers would be attracted to green cruises with zero greenhouse gas emissions and no large funnels releasing soot from the fuel oil combustion process into the air.

In the EU-funded HyMethShip project, Fraunhofer IKTS worked with a number of partners. The Large Engines Competence Center (LEC) in Graz, Austria, was responsible for the overall coordination of the project, while the startup SES-HyDepot e.U. in Innsbruck operated the small-scale testing facility to validate the underlying technical process. Christian Mair, CEO of SES-HyDepot, is optimistic: "Testing has shown that it is possible to provide hydrogen on a methanol basis. It offers prospects in the medium term for ships and their significant power requirements."

The industry is beginning to come under increasing political pressure in the context of the energy transition and the European Green Deal. In 2020, the European Parliament called on shipping companies to reduce their emissions significantly. With its zero-emission hydrogen propulsion system, the HyMethShip project could make an important contribution in this regard. There are potential applications in other industries too. The principle of generating hydrogen from methanol can also be applied in a range of scenarios in the chemical industry.

Explore further Obtaining hydrogen from methanol: Optimized reformers
Using barcodes and the smartphone app, the current location of a load carrier is fed into Logistikbudes system. Credit: Logistikbude

Load carriers such as pallets, crates or tanks are indispensable for transporting all kinds of products, but hardly ever get any of the limelight themselves. Fraunhofer researchers have devoted themselves to this topic and have now developed a software to track and make visible the paths of the load carriers. This gives the logistics sector enormous opportunities to improve efficiency. With Logistikbude, the Fraunhofer researchers have even founded their own spin-off.

Pallets, crates, containers, racks and tanks play a vital role in transporting goods. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, approximately 101 million flat palletsalso known as Euro-palletswere produced in Germany in 2020. The Center for Applied Research on Supply Chain Services at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS has calculated that the German logistics sector grosses a total of 280 billion euros. As such, the logistics sector is one of the largest economic sectors in Germany. But while the whereabouts of the goods are precisely recorded and tracked, to date, the load carriers themselves have received far less attention. They often remain unattended in warehouses for days. This reduces efficiency.

At the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML in Dortmund, researcher and logistics expert Dr. Philipp Wrycza, together with his co-founders Patrik Elfert, Jan Moller and Michael Koscharnyj, have developed a suitable software solution and recently founded their own spin-off with the appropriate name "Logistikbude," meaning "logistics convenience store." Wrycza has already completed his doctoral thesis on the subject of Euro-pallets at Fraunhofer IML.

The web-based software first generates a label for each load carrier and creates a digital file. At the same time, returnable load carrierspallets, tanks, racks, containers, cratesare equipped with barcodes or active sensors. A smartphone app available for Android or iOS records each load carrier via its label both before transport and when the goods arrive at their destination. It also allows further entries about their status to be made. This data is then immediately synced to the web-based software platform. In addition to tracking the load carriers by scanning them, there is also the option to record quantities.

Joint exchange account for load carriers

The customer or recipient of the goods can also access the account and record, for example, when the goods have been unloaded and the pallets are ready to be returned or to transport other goods. In this way, a joint exchange account is created in which the business partners keep each other informed about the current status of the load carriers. If load carriers that have already been emptied have not been returned promptly, a reminder email is sent automatically.

The solution has been ready and operational since January 2022. "Until now, many companies have often not even known where their own load carriers are at a given moment, for example. Now they can see where they are at any time and when they will get them back. It makes planning easier. The accelerated circulation ultimately ensures that fewer load carriers have to be purchased overall. This, in turn, contributes to increasing sustainability in the sector," says Wrycza, co-founder and CEO of the Fraunhofer spin-off.

"We are pleased not only because Logistikbude has been created at our institute, but also because it represents a valuable tool for making even better use of efficiency potential in the field of transport and logistics. With this, Fraunhofer researchers are once again demonstrating their ability to develop practical and helpful solutions for industry," says Prof. Michael ten Hompel, institute director of Fraunhofer IML.

The features of Logistikbude

The software also helps avoid problems that regularly occur between business partners. For example, if a glass manufacturer loads their transport racks with windows and has them picked up by the carrier, they either receive the empty racks back straight away, or the haulage firm delivers the goods to the recipient and then returns the racks. However, misunderstandings and conflicts arise time and again, for example if a rack is missing or if the recipient believes it is damaged.

The joint management of the load carriers helps to avoid errors and surprises from the outset. This is because the status and position of each individual load carrier can be viewed transparently. For example, the recipient can now record on the smartphone app if a rack arrives damaged. Companies that already have their own load carrier management also benefit from this solution. Previously, it has not been possible, or it has only been possible at great expense, to dynamically track all these packaging materials during transit and seamlessly exchange data with business partners.

Sensors record data such as temperature and humidity

Furthermore, it is also possible to equip the load carriers with sensors. These can record values such as location, temperature or humidity and record them in the digital load carrier file. This would also allow them to provide information about the condition of food.

The Fraunhofer researchers have made the software highly user-friendly. There is no need to customize the system. "We've allocated one day of training, and then the customer can get started right away," Wrycza promises.

Dr. Volker Lange, head of Packaging and Retail Logistics at Fraunhofer IML, has supported the team's work from the very beginning: "Our researchers have come a long way from the initial good idea to having a market-ready and cleanly functioning solution. The spin-off now has the best prerequisites to successfully establish the solution on the market."

Explore further Uber buys trucking software firm for $2.25 bn
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Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan on Thursday put forward a four-point proposal on the development of relations between China and the Philippines.



As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Wang attended the inauguration of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos as the 17th president of the Philippines.

At a meeting with the new Philippine president, Wang said President Marcos and his family have made great contributions to enhancing the China-Philippines friendship.

The Chinese side has always given priority to the Philippines in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is ready to work with the new Philippine government in carrying on their friendship, boosting mutual trust and deepening cooperation so as to usher in a new "golden age" in bilateral ties, he said.

The Chinese vice president said that both sides should develop bilateral relations under the guidance of the two heads of state, who will steer the course of the development of bilateral ties.

The two countries should dovetail their development strategies so as to foster new growth points of pragmatic cooperation in the new era.

The two sides should properly resolve differences and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the South China Sea, Wang said.

He also said the two countries should uphold international equality and justice, and jointly promote peace and development in Asia, as well as the well-being of humanity.

For his part, Marcos welcomed Wang's presence at his presidential inauguration ceremony.

Marcos recalled his 1974 visit to China when accompanying his mother Imelda, and noted that the relationship between his country and China has a long history and the two peoples are close to each other.

Describing China as the most powerful partner of the Philippines, Marcos stressed that good-neighborly friendship is in the fundamental interests of both peoples.

The new Philippine government attaches utmost importance to the relations with China, and is willing to deepen its participation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, join hands with China in coping with regional challenges, and elevate the bilateral ties to a higher level, Marcos added.
For the next month, Neal Elementary School fourth grade bilingual teacher Agustin Lara will be immersed in the culture of Argentina as one of 16 educators from across the United States selected for an international seminar.

The Bryan school district teacher was selected for the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program in April 2020; however, the trip was postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lara said he was worried they would not get the opportunity, but this week, the group of teachers, leaders and translators left out of Houston and arrived in Buenos Aires.

Throughout the month, the group will travel to five cities in the South American country and visit the countryside to learn from educators and also get to know the Argentinian culture.

Its not a vacation, he said about the competitive U.S. Department of Education program. Its learning about history, education system, fine arts, geography, food, dances, just learning about everything from that country.

In addition to another teacher from Texas, the educators traveling with Lara are from Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and Washington.

Before he left, he called it an honor and a privilege to be part of the program, to have the opportunity to learn about a country he has never visited and to learn from American and Argentinian teachers. Upon their return, he said, each of the participants is expected to write a lesson plan that will be posted online for anyone to use.

Lara said he plans to focus his lesson plan, which will be presented in English and Spanish, on the Argentinian folktales, legends and stories he learns. As the director of Ballet Folklorico Los Altos de Jalisco dance group at Neal Elementary, he said he also plans to incorporate dance and other hands-on activities.

Lara said he hopes to develop a network of educators in Argentina and throughout the United States who he can continue learning from, even after they return from the program. Rather than comparing which system or model works better, he said, the program is all about sharing what techniques they use and learning from each other.

Ill be able to interact with bilingual educators, he said, and I want to know what techniques theyre using when teaching English language learners. Ill be able to share also what we use in Bryan ISD, and I think that will be great.

Only some of the educators are bilingual, he said, so translators will be with the group at each stop.

Throughout the month, Lara said he will be collecting artifacts and taking lots of pictures and videos to share with his students, co-workers, district employees and community members. In addition, he will be available to present to other schools outside the district.

This international experience is going to empower my students, teachers, co-workers and my community because nowadays everything is global, he said. We have to think outside of the box. Its not just Bryan, its not just Texas, but everything is global.

A majority of students at Neal are in the free-and-reduced lunch federal meal program, Lara said, and may not have the opportunity to travel outside Texas. He said he hopes his students not only can learn about Argentina, but also can become pen pals with the students he meets.

Lara said he wants to inspire and empower students through learning. He moved to the United States from a small town in Mexico when he was 15 years old to work and enrolled in an English Second Language class in Killeen before enrolling in a high school program for working students.

He is the first member of his family to go to college, attending Central Texas College and then earning a degree in agriculture from Texas A&M University. He went back to school at Sam Houston State University to earn his alternative teaching certification and his masters degree. Now, he is a Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M.

To be honest, I never dreamed in getting an education until I moved to the United States. I had to learn English when I was older, and, to me, its just a blessing, he said of his educational accomplishments. I want to share all of this with my students to let them know that anything is possible. Whenever they want to accomplish something, it will take a lot of hard work, discipline, a lot of dedication, but anything is possible.

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Whenever the Supreme Court comes down with a particularly momentous decision, its customary to look at the majority opinion. After all, the majority makes the law.

Sometimes, though, its the dissenting opinions that are more interesting, more shocking, more passionate and in a very small number of cases, more influential.

John Marshall Harlan was nicknamed The Great Dissenter because he disagreed with so many of his courts decisions during a storied lifetime on the bench. In some very important instances, his dissenting views became the basis of future majority opinions.

The most famous example is the 7-1 majority in Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding the separate but equal standard used to support legal segregation. Harlan was the only holdout, writing in dissent that the Constitution was color blind and that in this country, there is no superior, dominant ruling class of citizens.

Fifty-eight years later, in Brown v. Board of Education, the Warren Court overruled Plessy. Justice Harlan was posthumously vindicated.

Then you have the dissenters who regularly file opinions that run counter to common sense, words that reflect a backward view of the Constitution and a very personal animus toward certain groups, certain principles and certain perspectives.

Thats why I wanted to focus on the dissents in a case handed down last week, because they carry very little of the wisdom and prescience found in Harlans work.

In Carson v. Makin, a majority composed of Chief Justice Roberts, along with Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett ruled that it was a violation of the Free Exercise Clause to deny public funds to parents who want to send their children to a religiously-affiliated secondary school.

The controversy arose out of Maine, which had a program that provided money to parents who lived in school districts that didnt have high schools. The taxpayer money was designed to allow these children to obtain the equivalent of a public education by attending private institutions of their choice. However, private sectarian schools were the only schools specifically excluded from the program.

Enter the dissenters. Justice Stephen Breyer penned a disingenuous opinion  joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor  where he tries to gaslight us into thinking that he wants to honor religion by making sure he starves religious schools.

In a particularly ironic passage, Breyer writes that In my view, Maines [law] is also constitutional because it supports rather than undermines the Religion Clauses goal of avoiding religious strife. He then goes on to point out that people from minority faiths will feel annoyed if they think majority religions are being given an unfair advantage.

What Breyer ignores, and what Roberts makes clear, is that the parents who are barred from using taxpayer money to go to the schools of their choice are the ones being discriminated against. They are equally justified in being upset that the state would penalize them because they choose to go to a religious school as opposed to another sort of private institution.

And lets be clear: this is not about public vs. private. This is about secular vs. religious, two very different things.

Justice Sotomayor wasnt satisfied with joining his opinion. She had to weigh in with her own words, and they were choice.

In one particularly revelatory passage, where she sounds like Cassandra warning the Trojans about the Greeks hiding in that annoying horse, Sotomayor warns society at large of the evil lurking within the majority opinion: [I]n just a few years, the Court has upended constitutional doctrine, shifting from a rule that permits States to decline to fund religious organizations to one that requires States in many circumstances to subsidize religious indoctrination with taxpayer dollars.

You can feel the sneer in religious indoctrination. She continues: Today, the Court leads us to a place where separation of church and state becomes a constitutional violation.

Sotomayors is doing what the majority in Plessy did years ago, turn people of faith into second class citizens who dont have a right to the same benefits that secular folk can claim. Its really quite repugnant, but not surprising.

Of late, Sonias been increasingly strident in her attacks on a society that doesnt agree with her philosophically or politically.

The good news is that her dissent was joined by one person: her. It will not have the impact that Justice Harlans dissent in Plessy had, and although I cant be sure, I suspect that future generations will look at her words as a desperate attempt to keep religion marginalized, behind a wall that exists only in the minds of the prejudiced and intolerant.

Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times, and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
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China donated 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for Myanmar on Thursday.



Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai said it was in support of ASEAN's humanitarian assistance to Myanmar.

At his residence in Yangon, the Chinese ambassador handed over the donation certificate to Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, the ASEAN chair's special envoy on Myanmar, and ASEAN's deputy secretary-general Ekkaphab Phanthavong.

Sokhonn, who is also a deputy prime minister of Cambodia, was on his working visit to Myanmar.

The donation fully reflected China's high regard for the centrality and the role of ASEAN, as well as China's firm position to support ASEAN's humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, the Chinese ambassador said.

"Both China and ASEAN are friends of Myanmar, and Myanmar is an indispensable and important member of the ASEAN family," he added.

The Chinese ambassador said China has provided more than 600 million doses of vaccines to ASEAN countries.

China will provide much-needed help to Myanmar through various channels and work with ASEAN and other friendly partners to play a constructive role in restarting the democratic transition process in Myanmar, he added.

Sokhonn expressed his appreciation to China for the donation, saying China's assistance has fulfilled its commitment to ASEAN's centrality.

ASEAN's humanitarian assistance to Myanmar will be inclusive and "leave no one behind," he added.

To date, China provided 51 million doses of COVID-19 doses of vaccines to Myanmar.
After three years as the superintendent of Booker T. Washington National Monument, Robin Snyder said her goodbyes to park staff last week as she prepares for a new role in the National Park Service.

Snyder will be moving to North Carolina later this month as the new deputy superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial. It is a bittersweet move for Snyder who has spent several years in the area, first as the superintendent of Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park and later also Booker T. Washington National Monument.

"It's been a tough decision to be honest with you," Snyder said.

In her time as superintendent of the two parks, Snyder said she has grown to love the staff at each as well as the important history each park provides. Booker T. Washington National Monument has a team of eight that she said are passionate about the park and its history.

Snyder said she is proud of the accomplishments of the team during her three years as superintendent. They include the development of a long-range interpretive plan for the park, new research on the park's historic tobacco barn and new research on the park's Sparks Cemetery just to name a few.

"It's been a busy three years," Snyder said.

The move to North Carolina won't be a totally new experience for Snyder. She accepted a four-month detail in late 2020 at the three parks as the temporary deputy director. She also admitted to being fond of the area for several years, often taking vacations there.

The new position will be a step up for Snyder with Cape Hatteras National Seashore seeing more than 3 million visitors each year. That is a large increase from Booker T. Washington National Monument that usually averages around 25,000 visitors a year.

While Snyder may be moving, she said she will still keep close connections with the team at Booker T. Washington National Monument. "You stay connected with the good people you work with," she said.

With the move by Snyder, Booker T. Washington National Monument is currently without a superintendent. Snyder said a temporary superintendent will be put in place within the next few weeks.

Temporary superintendents will be placed in the position on 120-day rotations until a permanent replacement can be found. Snyder said that will likely happen sometime in the next six months.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Cooperative Council Education Foundation has awarded 11 scholarships totaling $31,000 for the 2022/23 academic year to students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis, and the University of Nebraska at Kearney

Allison Wilkens, of Gibbon, received a 2,000 NCCEF scholarship in honor of Michael S. Turner. The daughter of Mike and Kim Wilkens of Gibbon, will be a third-year student at NCTA majoring in agribusiness and ag production systems. The Wilkens are members of Aurora Co-op Elevator Company headquartered in Aurora and CHS headquartered in Holdrege.

Blake Frink, of Hastings, was the recipient of a $3,000 scholarship, also in honor of Michael S. Turner. The son of Jason and Shannon, he will be a sophomore at UNL this fall majoring in agricultural economics. The Frinks are members of CPI headquartered in Hastings and the Aurora Co-op Elevator Company headquartered in Aurora.

The NCCEF scholarship program was initiated for the 1993/94 academic year with funding from voluntary contributions from the agricultural cooperatives which are members of the Nebraska Cooperative Council. Since the programs inception, 231 scholarships totaling $313,600 have been awarded.

To be eligible for the scholarships, students must be majoring in agribusiness or agricultural economics at UNL, agribusiness or ag production systems at NCTA, or agribusiness at UNK. Eligibility is restricted to sons/daughters of a parent/legal guardian who has been an active member, director or employee for at least the prior three years of a cooperative which has been a member in good standing of the council for at least five years.

Area students earn degrees from Creighton University

OMAHA  Creighton University hosted its undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 14 at the CHI Health Center in Omaha.

Central Nebraska students among 1,962 students earning degrees include: Alyssa Belitz, of Archer, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, cum laude; Hannah Sefton, of Cedar Rapids, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, cum laude; Aleece Fiala, Bachelor of Science, cum laude; and Reghan Kort, Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, both of Grand Island; and Amanda Stramel, of Hastings; Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Kearney students receiving degrees were: Aaron Arkle, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration; Tyler Atchison, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration; Sarah Sommers, Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude; Anna Trettel, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, summa cum laude; and Jared Wegner, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, cum laude.

Academic honors

Adrianna Smith of Marquette was named to the University of Sioux Falls Spring 2022 Deans List. Smith is majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Smith was among more than 600 students named to the Spring 2022 Deans List. To qualify, students must earn a term GPA of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale.

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Lauryn C. Bernt of Boelus was named to the Springs 2022 Deans List at Mount Marty University in Yankton, S.D. The Deans List Honoree at Mount Marty University is defined as a full-time undergraduate student completing a full-time load of graded course work with a minimum term grade point average of 3.5.

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Genevieve Czaplewski of Grand Island was named to the University of Wisconsin-Stout Deans List for the spring 2022 semester. Czaplewski is a senior majoring in applied social science. The award is presented to students who have a grade point average of 3.5 or above.

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Claire Vanderbeek of Kearney was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nations oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Vanderbeek was initiated at tne University of Nebraska at Kearney. Vanderbeek is among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership.

Graduates

Three Grand Island received their degrees when the College of St. Mary presented degrees to 124 May 13 and 15 in the colleges new Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse on the Omaha campus. Cynthia Calderon earned a bachelors degree in Rehabilitation Studies Kira Oberschulte received a Bachelor of General Studies degree. Mallory Gotschall also received a bachelors in Rehabilitation Studies and graduated Magna Cum Laude. To earn that honor a student must obtain a quality point average of at least 3.7.

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Iowa State University honored more than 4,700 students who received degrees during spring commencement ceremonies May 12-14. Among the graduates were Central Nebraska students: Brylee Groskreutz of Kearney, Master of Business, Business Administration; Evan Stewart of Grand Island, Doctor of Philosophy, Nuclear Physics; Cody Newlun of Hastings, Doctor of Philosophy, Electrical Engineering; and Bailey Ziegler of St. Paul, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Cum Laude.

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Blake Leiting earned an Associate of Applied Science in Building Construction Technology. Aaron Kelley received an Associate of Applied Science in the General Motors Automotive Service Educational Program.

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Regina Dougla, of Kearney, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Graceland University. Founded in 1895 in Lamoni, Iowa, the college also has a campus in Independence, Mo.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation has announced recipients of the 2022 Statewide Grants Program.

Recipients from 27 communities across the state  including five in central Nebraska  will receive grant funding totaling $25,000.

Area recipients include the Howard County Historical Society, Genoa Historical Museum, Historical Society of Ravenna, Loup County Historical Society a2nd Shelton Historical Society.

We are thrilled to be a trusted partner, helping these local organizations preserve the history of their communities, said Gail DeBuse Potter, NSHSF President. Reading through all the applications and seeing the broad need for these grants just reinforces our determination to grow the program in order to fund more of these efforts.

NSHSF received 88 grant applications requesting $147,000 to fulfill needs such as conservation of collections, public programming, outreach, exhibits, promotion of the facility and services, promotion of tourism and visitation, school programs and resources for the classroom, and management of collections.

The Statewide Grants Program was developed in July 2020, with the guidance of Michael J. Smith, former CEO of Nebraska State Historical Society, now called History Nebraska, to fulfill a funding need for local historical and educational organizations in Nebraska.

Thanks to an initial donation from the D F Dillon Foundation as well as donations from numerous individuals, NSHSF was able to award $25,000 for these second-year grants. The grants from this program help organizations such as museums, historical societies and libraries with core education, preservation, and interpretive programs about community history. The goal for 2023 is to award $50,000.

To donate or to learn more about the NSHSF Statewide Grants Program here at nshsf.org/statewide-grants-program.
In surprise commercial vehicle inspections carried out Wednesday in Hall County, the Nebraska State Patrol discovered 115 violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and state law.

The State Patrols Carrier Enforcement Division conducted the inspections in Grand Island and the surrounding area.

During the special enforcement effort, the Metropolitan Aggressive and Prevention Selective (MAPS) Team conducted 31 vehicle inspections. Troopers presented a CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) sticker to 13 vehicles throughout the day, indicating the vehicle had no critical safety violations.

Troopers placed 13 vehicles out of service, meaning they were not allowed to return to the road. Vehicles are placed out of service for a variety of reasons relating to bad brakes or tires, or other problems that pose immediate safety risks. Two drivers were placed out of service.

The surprise inspections focus on commercial vehicles that might not travel outside the city or pass-through weigh stations as part of their regular routes.

The MAPS Team is funded largely by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Troopers check for compliance with federal safety regulations and enforce laws pertaining to weight, size, registration, dyed fuels and permits associated with commercial vehicles.

The MAPS Team was implemented in 1998 and consists of troopers from the Nebraska State Patrol Carrier Enforcement Division.

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One person was killed when a tree fell on a house in the Country Club Neighborhood on Thursday afternoon and caused the chimney to collapse, according to Lincoln Fire and Rescue.

Rescue crews responded to the 2700 block of Manse Avenue at about 1:10 p.m. on a reported structure collapse. The chimney had fallen through the house after being struck by the tree. The debris landed on a man inside, Lincoln Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Michael Smith said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Smith said family members had been notified, but the man's identity was not released.

The Lincoln Police Department, Lincoln Electric System crews and members of the Nebraska Task Force One urban search and rescue team assisted at the scene.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS
DU QUOIN  A 57-year-old Colp man - Nathan Clark - was arrested by Illinois State Police Thursday and charged with first-degree murder following the death of a 30-year-old Marion man.

Police have not yet released the name of the victim.

According to a press release, ISP's Division of Criminal Investigation (Zone 7) is handling the case at the request of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.

The incident occurred at 6:42 a.m. Thursday, June 30 in the 300 block of South Johnson Street in Colp.

Preliminary information indicates that sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a stabbing at a residence on South Johnson Street.

As deputies arrived on scene, they discovered a 30-year-old man from Marion had been stabbed. The victim was transported to an area hospital and was pronounced dead. Clark remains in custody at the Williamson County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to call ISP DCI Zone 7 at 618-542-2171, Extension 1203.

ISP DCI Zone 7 was assisted by ISP District 13 Troopers, the Williamson County Sheriffs Department and the Williamson County States Attorneys Office.

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Mike and Shanaree Muzinich are good at interpreting the signs.

As radiologists, Mike is the former director of nuclear medicine at an area hospital and Shanaree is a specialist in breast imaging. They have spent years learning how to study, contemplate and make decisions based on what they see.

In their personal lives, the Carbondale couple has spent the last several months studying and contemplating signs, too; signs that have led them to make a decision to act on their faith by leaving their local positions and start anew as Christian missionary physicians in Kenya.

They admit this decision wasnt on their radar just a few years ago. In fact, they were not even Christians as recently as five years ago when a series of personal crises led them to faith and a Carbondale church where Mike said they have been all in.

I felt like every teaching was directed directly at us and we soon got involved in the church and in serving, he said. Then over the last couple of years whenever we would go on vacation, we would just happen to run into missionaries or Christian organizations that needed doctors.

He said those chance encounters planted a seed. The Muzinichs began exploring Christian missionary organizations as they were feeling called to overseas ministry. They looked at medical mission opportunities onboard ships that traveled from nation to nation and they considered in country missionary roles, but with each, there was just one problem: children. The couple has six of them, ranging in age from 7 to 22.

They found that while many missionary organizations were desperate for doctors, few were looking for a pair for a single site and even fewer were looking for married physicians with children. Each time, plans were scrapped.

Still, the family would frequently type Christian Health Service into Google, usually with no new results. Then one day, the top result on the search engine was one they had never seen before: Christian Health Service Corps. The Muzinichs took it as a sign.

We called them and the reason we did was that on their website we kept seeing something you dont see on other mission organizations pages: people with a bunch of kids. I mean, practically every picture was a mom, a dad and a bunch of kids, Shanaree said.

We called them, Mike continued, And they said, Thats what we do. Their focus is full-time health care missionaries with families in places that are in the greatest need.

Shanaree said for her and Mike to best utilize their specialized backgrounds as missionary physicians  specifically as radiologists, things would have to be just right.

With what we do as radiologists, there has to be a certain level of development before we can be of any significant use to an area other than giving vaccines or stitching up wounds, she said, adding a hospital would have to have CT scanners, X-ray machines and more.

Turns out, there was such a place. Leaders with Christian Health Service Corps asked if the Muzinichs had ever considered Kenya.

When the couple asked why, they learned the organization said they had been praying for radiologists for ten years to work at a non-profit missionary hospital in Kinjabe, about 32 miles (but a dangerous 90-minute drive) from the capital city of Nairobi.

They said they had radiologists who had come through for a few weeks, but nobody ever stayed, Shanaree said, adding that the hospital had some imaging equipment  all donated, but no one to read the films. Theyd get sent to a group in Nairobi that might be read within a week and they may or may not be read accurately.

The Muzinichs decided to visit the country and the hospital. During their visit, word quickly spread that radiologists were in the building.

The gentleman escorting us kept getting phone calls asking if they could please bring the radiologist here or there. They had things that they needed us to look at, Mike said.

In fact, Muzinch told the story of looking at a film during their visit of an infant suffering from brain swelling just as physicians were beginning to treat the problem in their usual fashion. Mike ran from the room yelling for the procedure to stop. By reading the scans, he knew the chosen treatment would not benefit the patient. In fact, odds are it would have been fatal.

We ran into a pediatric surgeon during our visit and he said he really wished we would come, Mike recalled. He asked us if we would do biopsies and then told us he recently had to do one and in doing it, he punctured a babys bowel because he did it incorrectly and then had to go to surgery to fix it. They are doing things outside of their specialties because they have to.

During their visit, the couple saw the equipment they potentially could be working with: CT scanners, ultrasound machines and X-Ray equipment. Looking around, Mike asked about a completely empty room near all of the other imaging equipment. Turns out the space was waiting for the hospitals very first mammography machine to arrive, a donation from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Shanaree saw it as a sign.

They (the hospital) knew they were getting it, and they said they had this brand new machine but didnt know what to do with it because they had no one to read it. That was before they learned of my specialty, she said.

The hospital, which began as a small outpatient clinic has grown to a 350-bed hospital treating patients from Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania and other nations. A mix of Kenyan and Christian missionary physicians who perform 8,000 surgical and 150,000 outpatient visits each year  all without radiologists until later this year, when the Muzinichs and four of their children move to Kenya for a long-term volunteer assignment.

From the minute we hit the ground in Kenya, there was just confirmation after confirmation that this is what we are supposed to do, Mike added.

The plan is for the family to begin five to six weeks of missionary training this summer followed by additional instruction specifically for medical workers prior to moving to Kenya in the fall.

We say we will be there for ten years just because that gives a nice cut-off point, but well stay there until God doesnt want us there anymore, Shanaree said. And then we might go to another spot in Africa or somewhere else.

Looking back, the Muzinichs say there have been signs all along.

Even before we became Christians, we always like traveling, we love other cultures, Shanaree explained. But it was always on our own terms. Now its like He is saying, You love other cultures, you love people, so this is what you will do and this is how Im going to use you.

The Muzinichs are moving to Kenya as unpaid missionaries. They welcome financial support. Information about their effort is available online at www.healthservicecorps.org/author/muzinich/ or by texting Muzinich to 71777.

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WILLIAMSON COUNTY  A 17-year-old teen has been charged with murder and aggravated battery with a firearm that resulted in the death of Shawn J. Adams, 57, of rural Marion, late Wednesday night.

According to a report posted posted on a social media site by Williamson County Sheriff Bennie Vick, deputies responded to a call that shots had been fired at approximately 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, June 29 in the 13100 block of Griffith Lane in Marion.

Upon arrival, deputies located a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Lake of Egypt Ambulance also responded to the scene and treated the victim, who was later pronounced dead by the Williamson County coroner.

An autopsy has since been performed at the request of the coroner by forensic pathologist, Dr. Christopher Kiefer. The apparent cause of death was confirmed to be from a gunshot wound. Further autopsy results are pending at this time.

The teen suspect was taken into custody without incident Wednesday. He was transported to the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center, where he is being held pending a court appearance.

The Williamson County Sheriffs Office, along with members of the Williamson County Major Case Squad and the Illinois State Police, are currently investigating the incident.

No further details are being released at this time.

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CHICAGO - At 15, Nidhi Thirthamattur is one of more than 60 co-authors on a study to assess the accuracy of measurements of liverworts, tiny plants the size of an eyelash that are sensitive to climate change.

You dont need a Ph.D. to do scientific research, said Nidhi, a Nequa Valley High School student.

For the Field Museums Microplants Project, biologists, mathematicians, high schoolers, college students and thousands of museumgoers contributed data, according to the papers co-authors.

In the first phase of the project, kids and visitors to the Field Museum tried their hands at community science  contributing to scientific discoveries not as scientists but as regular citizens  by measuring the tiny leaves of certain plants on a touch pad.

Zooming in on microscopic images of liverworts on the screen, participants drew vertical and horizontal lines across the leaves, producing thousands of data points for the studys authors to review and taking the load of data collection off scientists.

Holding up a dried plant from the Field Museums herbarium, Matt von Konrat  head of plant collections at the museum and one of the studys co-authors  pointed at the plants label.

We need people power to help enter this information, von Konrat said. Its a whole other gig that weve got going on with our community science.

The plants name may be unappealing, some scientists say, but cataloging liverworts is important to understanding the effects of climate change.

They respond rapidly to changes in the environment. I often use the expression like a canary in a coal mine, von Konrat said. They can be used as biological or ecological indicators.

Published in Research Ideas and Outcomes, a journal about scientific research, the study found that many of the measurements carried out by museumgoers turned community scientists were surprisingly accurate.

This finding has tremendous implications for scientific discoveries, according to Melanie Pivarski, lead author of the study and associate professor of mathematics at Roosevelt University.

I mean, could you imagine being in school as a kid, and instead of just doing all the odd problems in the book, actually doing something that leads to a scientific discovery? Thats how youre learning science, she said. Thats amazing. You really feel connected to everyone. And thats the kind of power that this has  a lot of potential.

Through its inclusive authorship, the study is meant to inspire engagement with science, technology, mathematics and engineering, von Konrat said.

The second phase of the project expanded participation opportunities even more as it was carried out online so community scientists from anywhere in the world could help identify branching and reproductive structures in liverworts.

We could really scale this up, von Konrat added, hinting at the massive behind-the-scenes repository of dried plants, fossils, bones and more that the Field Museum has for research purposes. We work with close to 40 million objects and specimens, so we can really scale this up.

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You are here: World

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo make press statements in the Kremlin on June 30, 2022. (Kremlin press release)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the supplies of grain and fertilizers amid a global food shortage.

During a joint briefing after their talks in the Kremlin, Putin said that he informed Widodo in detail of the situation in Ukraine.

Speaking about the imbalance in the global food market, Putin attributed the problem to many years of irresponsible macroeconomic policies in some Western countries.

Russia exported more than 43 million tons of grain last year, of which there were 33 million tons of wheat, Putin said, adding that possible good harvests this year will allow Russia to sell more.

Russia is also ready to deliver a sufficient amount of fertilizers and other materials to Indonesia and other friendly countries, he said.

To this end, Putin stressed the "importance of restoring supply chains disrupted by the sanctions (on Russia)."

Widodo, who paid a visit to Kiev before traveling to Moscow, underlined the significance of promoting a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

"I conveyed a message from (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky to President Putin and expressed my readiness to establish communication between the two leaders," he said.

Widodo appreciated that Putin promised the security of food and fertilizer supplies not only from Russia but also from Ukraine.
As a young man, and even well into middle age, I told myself that getting old was not an option.

Im not talking about physical aging, thats inevitable. But, I vowed to stay abreast of current trends and technology. That seemed realistic at the time, but, now, it just seems as if the world is changing more rapidly than ever.

Staying current is more difficult than I ever imagined  even in the seemingly timeless pursuit of birding.

I made what I considered a major concession several years ago when I downloaded the Audubon Birds of North America app onto my phone. Its been an invaluable tool.

I still carry hard copies of field guides in my car, but the phone app has come in handy on a number of occasions. My phone, unlike the bulky field guides, can be carried in my pants pocket. And, since the book is downloaded onto the phone, you dont have to worry about connectivity.

A world of information is at your fingertips, no matter how remote the location  as long as you have battery power.

And, the app has one major advantage over the books  the songs and calls of each species are included on the app. You can actually listen to the bird on the phone and not have to try to match the sound with some inane mnemonic, phonetic approximation of the birds call found in the book.

Frankly, the Audubon app has been a godsend.

Yup, I pictured myself the up-to-date 21st century birder. Certainly some people view that as an oxymoron. What can I say? Haters are gonna hate.

Sure, I had heard of this other app  Merlin ID. But, being a cocky baby boomer, I wasnt even tempted to download it. I didnt need it  so I thought. I didnt want to suffer from information overload.

However, as usually happens when you think youre smarter than you are, there was a moment of comeuppance.

I had a couple of clients on a birding tour recently. It was just after sunrise and we were walking along the edge of a lake when I heard a bird calling. Thats a chipping sparrow, I said confidently. Thats the little red-headed bird we saw sitting in the gravel just a couple minutes ago.

The words were barely out of my mouth when one of my clients spoke up.

Actually, she said. Merlin says its a northern parula.

Admittedly, I have a tin ear. Im pretty good at visual identification, but differentiating between sounds, especially similar sounds, can be a struggle.

That could be, I admitted. They sound quite a bit alike.

Sure enough, just a few seconds later, a parula landed on a branch right in front of me.

Thats all it took. Why not download the app, I thought, its not going to make my phone any heavier.

So, fast forward a couple weeks, and I finally got around to downloading Merlin  which is free by the way. Of course, being a boomer, there was nothing easy about it. I struggled to find the App Store icon on the phone, they cursed several times when asked to provide passwords.

But, within a few minutes  Voila. I touched the microphone button and Merlin correctly identified the American robin singing above my head. And, as a bonus, it picked up the sound of a tufted titmouse singing in the background  something that had been unnoticed until I looked at the app.

So, Ive spent the last four days playing, asking the phone to identify every bird singing in the neighborhood.

Again, that smug feeling of being a part of the 21st century has crept over me, although I understand how laughable that thought really is.

LES WINKELER is the outdoors writer for The Southern Illinoisan. Contact him at les@winkelerswingsandwildlife.com, on Twitter @LesWinkeler.

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A 19-year-old appeared in court on Friday for his arraignment on a charge connected to the shooting death of a 6-year-old.

Seth James Phillips of 31 Karen Place, Farmington, New York, is facing one count of murder.

Phillips was taken into custody in New York about a month ago. He will spend his birthday, July 4, at the Orangeburg County Detention Center.

Phillips is one of four people charged in connection with the shooting death of 6-year-old Winston OConner Hunter.

Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office Inv. LaKesha Gillard told the court on Friday that one of the four suspects allegedly told a family member that hed shot a 6-year-old.

Two other suspects implicated themselves, Gillard said.

Warrants accuse Phillips of being in the car with his three co-defendants when they allegedly opened fire on the McLain Street home where Hunter, his brother and parents were on May 13.

Others who are already in custody on the charges of murder, three counts of attempted murder and four counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime include:

 Jeremiah J. Harley, 17, of County Road 50, Canandaigua, N.Y. Hes charged as an adult.

 Michael Thomas Lloyd, 20, of Pinewood Street, Chillicothe, Illinois.

 Ethan Thorne Anderson, 19, of Greenwood Drive, West Columbia.

Phillips is not facing any charges of attempted murder or possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Harley, Lloyd and Anderson are accused of firing a barrage of bullets into the McClain Street home, according to their warrants.

Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell has said the suspects shot the wrong home. He alleges they went to Woodford to buy or steal marijuana.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, Sheriffs Office Maj. Rene Williams said Friday.

We havent stopped investigating this, he said.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD

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A big freshman class is on its way to South Carolina State University, compelling the university to shift upperclassmen into supplemental housing this fall.

While confirmations are still taking place, the administration reports that nearly 800 new students already have completed the admissions process for the Fall 2022 semester. Thats double the usual number at this stage in the process. As a result, housing will be at a premium, so students are encouraged to pay the housing application fee as soon as possible.

This is a good problem to have, SC State President Alexander Conyers said. At this point, we are expecting the largest freshman class the university has seen in a number of years.

This growth is indicative of the positive momentum building at SC State, where we are doing great things for our students. We are excited that so many students and families want to join the Bulldog experience, Conyers said.

To accommodate the growth, the university will require upperclassmen, many of whom normally are housed in Hugine Suites on the main campus, to reside on the Chestnut Campus next to the university.

We encourage all students to make their housing decisions and apply for space now, Conyers said. We have secured supplemental housing on and around the Chestnut Street corridor, which provides ready access to the main campus.

Along with University Village just across from the Chestnut Street entrance to campus, SC State has leased space in nearby Campus Corner and an adjacent complex  collectively referred to as the Chestnut Campus.

Important details:

 Rooms at the Chestnut Campus will be available to students at the same pricing structure as Hugine Suites. All accommodations will be individual rooms with common suite areas.

 The Chestnut Campus will have exterior surveillance cameras, as well as on-site security personnel.

 Students will be encouraged to take advantage of the pedestrian bridge over Chestnut Street to travel to and from campus.

Conyers praised the campus community  faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of SC State -- for helping families see the value in an SC State education.

Growth doesnt happen by accident, the president said. Everyone involved at SC State has been working diligently to shine a light on our successes, and via the intrepid efforts of our Enrollment Management team, more students will be part of those successes.

This is a special time to be part of the Bulldog family, Conyers said.

For more information about SC State housing, visit the Residence Life page on our website at scsu.edu/residence-life or contact Mrs. Phyllis Wade, housing coordinator, at pgwalker@scsu.edu or 803-533-3675.

SC State continues to accept new students. Visit the Admissions page on our website at scsu.edu/admissions for more information or contact Davion Petty, director of admissions, at dpetty@scsu.edu or 803-536-8067. The deadline for undergraduate students to apply for the Fall 2022 Semester is Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.

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The Medical University of South Carolina is looking at the possibility of formally partnering with the Regional Medical Center.

Officials with the two hospitals met in Orangeburg on Thursday with local lawmakers and Calhoun and Orangeburg county council members. The counties own the hospital.

We are not interested in the Regional Medical Center just surviving, said Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg.

What we want to do is to make sure RMC thrives, she said.

We believe, given the fiscal situation, the change in the health care landscape, we are going to have to figure out a different way of doing business in order for RMC to not only survive but to thrive, Cobb-Hunter said.

Charleston-based MUSC and the Medical University Hospital Authority, a component of MUSC, are seeking to enter into a partnership with RMC that would provide RMC with a number of resources, including clinical, educational and research programs with an aim at improving care and the financial outcomes of the hospital.

The proposed partnership is allowed under a budget proviso passed by the S.C. General Assembly allowing MUSC, within its own budget, to enter into the partnership with RMC to help enhance services.

While the proviso only extends through June 30, 2023, it has the potential of extending for years to come depending on the nature and progress of the relationship between the two institutions, Cobb-Hunter said.

The proposal discussed would keep the RMC board in place for quality oversight, medical staff accreditation and community engagement while financial responsibility for RMC would fall under the MUSC board. All RMC employees would remain.

MUSC officials propose entering into the partnership within the next three months or 90 days.

Thursday's meeting was considered a first step in the partnership, with details to be worked out through the counties governing bodies, RMC trustees and community stakeholders, Cobb-Hunter said.

Cobb-Hunter explained the proviso is needed because lawmakers did not approve funds RMC requested during a presentation to the House Ways and Means health care subcommittee.

Cobb-Hunter said when she heard about RMCs financial challenges, she wanted to make sure the hospital was solvent.

It is not about selling, Cobb-Hunter said. We are not interested in selling the hospital. Leasing is something that may be a part of the conversation, but the important point here is that we have not crossed that bridge here yet.

We never discussed selling it with MUSC and they have never asked to buy it, Cobb-Hunter said.

She said her desire is just to provide RMC with an opportunity to expand services.

MUSC CEO Dr. Patrick Cawley cited the benefits RMC would see through the partnership, including a better market share and pricing for medical supplies and equipment, as well as MUSC's leadership and experience.

Cawley also said another big benefit of a partnership is in the recruitment of nurses and doctors.

MUSC would discuss if RMC employees would become state employees. MUSC officials say in other partnerships with MUSC, all have been agreeable to becoming state employees.

The relationship would mean all of RMCs primary care doctors would have an opportunity to join the MUSC network. Cawley said MUSC is not about coming in and bullying local hospitals, but working with local communities.

It has not been MUSC's mantra to go into a community and stop all the strategic planning that has been done, stop all the good work that has been done. We build on top of that, Cawley said.

Under the proposal, RMC would formally become a regional division of MUSC.

Some at the meeting asked if there would be a name change.

That is putting the cart before the horse," Cawley said.

He noted that MUSC has partnered with other rural hospitals. In each of those MUSC divisions, the naming format is the MUSC name and then the hospital location. For example, there is MUSC Health Florence and MUSC Marion.

Cawley reiterated that all would be up for discussion.

RMC and MUSC have partnered over the years with the aim to improve health services in The T&D Region.

In 2015, the two hospitals entered into a clinical affiliation, though MUSC leadership says the relationship has not blossomed as expected, except with some collaborative efforts in oncology.

Cawley said MUSC is hoping a new formal engagement will help spur faster and more fruitful progress between the two institutions.

Trust takes time to build, especially trust in a health care system, MUSC President Dr. David Cole said.

Negative experiences can outweigh positive experiences, he said. We want to increase the number of great experiences. We do that to build up where the needs are. It will take some years to get where we all want to be."

The concept here is not MUSC lands out of the blue and tells people what is going to happen, he said. That will not happen. We work hard to be respectful and partner with the local community and doctors who are a part of this community.

Sen. Vernon Stephens, D-Bowman, asked how MUSC would deal with the hospital's debt in the partnership.

At the end of the 2021 fiscal year, the hospital had a deficit of between $32 million and $35 million.

Would services be limited because of that debt? Stephens asked.

In general we would just accept that and go forward, Cawley said. That is not anything different than we have done in other places. You cant magically wish that away. We will work together.

Cawley said MUSC has worked with a number of hospitals across the state that have had challenges.

We would plan on more services, he said. I think that is how to get people back. I am not overly worried about the debt. We will get back to that.

Cawley said MUSC would not seek to change any strategic plans of RMC or its outreach plans to rural communities.

RMC Board Chair the Rev. Dr. Caesar Richburg expressed his concern that hospital trustees were not properly kept abreast of any such proposed partnership with MUSC until the time of the meeting.

This sounds like  and I don't want to be abrasive  but it almost sounds like a hostile takeover," he said.

Richburg said there is a need for quality health care, but I think there is a way to do it. If this is something that Orangeburg County Council desires, I think the board needs to know.

We should have been told about it. We should have been told that so that we can know the direction we are heading in and not doing a lot of things we are doing.

There are a lot of facts out there that we don't know, Richburg said. And possibly everything is not being told to us, which is understandable. That really troubles me as an individual.

Richburg said he thinks there should have been further discussion between the RMC Board of Trustees and lawmakers about the proposal beforehand.

We do need quality health care in South Carolina, but more in particularly in our service area, Richburg said. We do need the very best that is offered.

I think it has been disrespectful to the board on how this has been done, Richburg said.

Richburg questioned why MUSC would handle fiduciary responsibilities when the RMC board has been appointed to have that role.

Richburg said the entire board wants what is best for the community.

No, it ain't about Caesar, Richburg said. It is about the very best that can be offered to the citizens of these areas that we serve and that is quality health care.

Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said there has been no desire on the part of council to disrespect the hospital board.

We just felt there are some opportunities to listen and see if there is something that can be good for our citizens, Wright said.

Council felt that because MUSC has state affiliation, it could help RMC.

Nobody said today we would come here today to make a direct decision on what we would do, Wright said.

Nobody is trying to take over, Wright said. This is good information. I think it is worth looking into.

Cobb-Hunter said, Respect is a two-way street, not one way.

She noted RMC has a governmental relations team to pass along legislative information to the board.

If your governmental relations team did not share with you that there was a proviso added to the budget that dealt with RMC and MUSC, then I would strongly suggest that you go back to your governmental relations team and ask them why that information was not shared with the board, Cobb-Hunter said.

If you are feeling like this is a hostile takeover, I certainly will share with you of some examples of what a real hostile takeover looks like, she said. What we are here for is about the business of moving the hospital forward.

Cobb-Hunter said the matter was taken to those elected by the community and the decision makers on the county councils.

In Orangeburg County, we can no longer do business as usual. We can no longer have an entity that is more concerned with protecting turf than it is with providing access to care, Cobb-Hunter said.

I am not going to be Nero fiddling while Rome is burning and I am not going to wait until the hospital has dropped even more services, Cobb-Hunter said.

Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, said most of the feedback he has heard has been positive about the potential partnership.

Takeover has not been a word used, he said.

This is not the time to look backwards, Ott said. This is the time to look forward at the opportunity that we should all be celebrating that we have.

We can continue to have turf battles and we can miss out on an opportunity or all come together as a community with a common goal of making this hospital what it can and has to be for the people we represent, Ott said.

The meeting was held for discussion only. No action was taken. The matter will be further discussed formally by both Orangeburg and Calhoun county councils going forward.

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Dogs and puppies

 Cyndi Lou, a 3-year-old black-and-white female Lab-mix, is no Grinch to be around (case 0361).

 Ollie, a 1-year-old spotted white-and-black male Lab-mix, will only have eyes for you (case 0542).

 Nosey, 2-year-old tan female Shepherd-mix, needs someone to love just as much as she does (case 0001).

 Bandi, a 4-5 year-old white female Lab-mix, needs love she has never been shown (case 0051).

 Petunia, a 2-3 year-old brindle female Boxer-mix, will cuddle with you all day long (case 0137).

 Diesel, a 14-month-old black male Boston Terrier-mix, is that fire you need in life (case 0242).

 Rusty, a 9-month-old black-and-brown male Huskey/Rottweiler-mix, will make you feel brand new (case 0274).

 Rex, a 1-year-old brindle male boxer mix, is more than the average mans best friend (case 0261).

 Timmy, a 1-year-old tan male Mountain Curr-mix, needs someone to show him a loving touch (case 0159).

 Starlight, a 3-year-old gray female Lab/Boxer mix, will give you all of her love (case 0422).

 Sampson, a 2-year-old black male Boston Terrier-mix, is searching for his Delilah (case 0034).

 Smoke, a 11-month-old brindle male Boston Terrier-mix, will light a fire in your heart (case 0023).

 Bruce, a 16-month-old black male Lab, will always be there to save the day (case 0028).

 Sawyer, a 2-year-old white-and-orange male Lab-mix, needs a good country girl in his life (case 0026).

 Rambo, an 18-month-old white-and-black male Lab-mix, will go on any adventure with you (case 0014).

 Benny, a 11-month-old tan-and-white male Pyrenees/Mountain Curr-mix, will replace your favorite teddy bear (case 0050).

 Archer, a 4-year-old tan-and-white male Lab/Pointer-mix, will always point his love in your direction (case 0022).

 Apollo, a 3-month-old tan male Lab-mix, is like music to your ears (case 0036).

 Albert, a 1-year-old tan male Lab/Boxer-mix, will love you more than himself (case 0045).

 Fred, a 5-year-old white-and-tan male Carolina-mix, is patiently waiting for his Wilma (case 0052).

 Reba, a 3-month-old tri-color female Beagle-mix, has the bark of an angel (case 0068).

 Judd, a 3-month-old tri-color male Beagle-mix, needs a new riding partner (case 0069).

 Artemis, a 5-month-old tan-and-black male Lab/Shepherd-mix, cures the blues with his licks (case 0082).

 Gene, a 2-month-old black-and-white male Lab-mix (case 0086),

Cats and kittens

 Penelope, 2-year-old tabby female, will turn your sour in to sweet (case 0331).

 June, an 18-month-old black female Bombay-mix, who makes it feel like summer all year long (case 0178).

 Dotty, a 2-year-old tabby female DSH, will make your heart skip a beat (case 0548).

 Missy, a 7-month-old female tortoise shell, who needs someone classy in her life (case 0229).

 Sunshine, an 18-month-old orange-and-white female tabby DSH, will show brighten your day (case 0185).

 Meow, an 11-month-old female tortoise shell, knows purrs are the way to your heart (case 0260).

 Gomez, a 6-month-old black male DSH, needs a Morticia in his life (case 0031).

 Mingo, a 2-year-old grey tabby male Persian-mix, is the handsome gentleman youve been searching for (case 0029).

 Pumpkin, a 6-week-old orange female DSH, is a year round treat (case 0073).

 Briggs, an 8-week-old black male DSH, will go on any adventure with you (case 0087).

 Nico, an 8-week-old black male DSH, has a way with purrs (case 0090).

 Opal, an 8-week-old black female DSH, shines as bright as a rare gem (case 0089).

 Ezmerelda, an 18-month-old white female Siamese, (case 0098)

The Orangeburg SPCA will be limiting the number of people inside its facility at this time. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays. The SPCA is located at 225 Ruf Road and the phone number is 803-536-3918. Check out available adoptions on the internet at orangeburgspca.petfinder.com, the interactive website at www.OrangeburgSPCA.org and Facebook page at Orangeburg SPCA. Email any questions to adopt@orangeburgspca.org.

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Private banking firm Quilvest will become Fideuram, thus concluding 20 years in Luxembourg's banking sector.

After a nine-month procedure, Fideuram has received the green light from the ECB, CSSF and the Commissariat aux Assurances (CAA) to take over 100% of shares in the private banking company Quilvest.

The bank will continue to monitor the investment of fortunes belonging to both Italian and foreign high net-worth individuals. The Luxembourg branch manages around 8 billion euros' worth of assets.

Fideuram's headquarters are in Milan, while the bank is a branch of the Intesa Sanpaolo group, which employs 6,600 people and manages more than 330 billion in financial funds.
The Supreme Court limited how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but preserved its authority to do so, in a 6-3 ruling Thursday that sided with coal interests.

Travis Deti, executive director of the Wyoming Mining Association, was in West Virginia at a meeting of coal producers when the decision came down.

There were a lot of cheers in the room, he said.

West Virginia sued the Obama EPA more than six years ago over the Clean Power Plan, a 2015 rule that capped allowable carbon emissions from electricity in an effort to reduce the share generated by coal-fired power plants.

The Supreme Court blocked the rule from taking effect. It was later repealed by the Trump administration. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Trump-era replacement in early 2021, technically reinstating the Clean Power Plan.

But the Biden EPA said it would not enforce the rule, and instead come up with its own emissions standards, raising questions about whether the Supreme Court should consider the case at all.

Coal companies and Republican attorneys general from West Virginia, Wyoming and 16 other states, by then challenging both the Clean Power Plan and the lower court ruling, asked the Supreme Court to take up the case anyway. Environmental groups and another two dozen attorneys general objected. Utilities were split.

Wyoming joined the case to protect its coal industry from federal overreach intent only on curtailing coal-fired electric generation, Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative, the electricity wholesaler that operates the Laramie River Station and Dry Fork Station coal plants in Wyoming, also filed a petition urging the Supreme Court to invalidate the Clean Power Plan.

The regulations proposed nearly a decade ago would have fundamentally altered the manner in which electricity is generated in the United States, forcing Basin Electric and other utilities to prematurely retire fossil fuel-based generation, company spokesman Andy Buntrock said in an emailed statement.

The court heard and ultimately opted to rule on the case  in part, the majority opinion said, because the current administration still vigorously defends the legality of such an approach.

Under the Obama and Biden administrations  but not the Trump administration  the EPA interpreted a requirement in the Clean Air Act, that it institute the best system of emission reduction, as affording substantial regulatory discretion over greenhouse gases.

Thursdays opinion, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, determined that Congress had not given the EPA sufficient authority to institute the Clean Power Plan. Instead, in trying to reshape the electric grid without direct authorization, the agency strayed too far from its traditional focus on reducing emissions from individual sources.

A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body, the opinion said.

Wyomings coal, oil and gas trade groups applauded the new constraints on EPA authority. So did the states top elected officials.

Sen. John Barrasso said the ruling rightfully reins in unreasonable and unlawful attempts to shut down American power plants and energy production.

Gordon declared it a clean win for Wyoming.

But Justice Elena Kagan, joined in dissent by the other two liberal justices, argued that the decision was an overreach in its own right.

The Court appoints itselfinstead of Congress or the expert agencythe decision-maker on climate policy, Kagan wrote. I cannot think of many things more frightening.

The majority opinion came as a blow to climate advocates  and a potential setback for an EPA still figuring out its own plan to curb carbon emissions.

Todays decision puts, I think, some big questions into how EPA is going to be able to move forward to address the climate crisis, said Shannon Anderson, staff attorney for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, a Wyoming landowners group.

Many groups that backed the Clean Power Plan in 2015, including the Powder River Basin Resource Council, hoped the Supreme Court would choose to punt the final decision back to the lower court. They also feared much worse: What if the court broke with precedent and decided the Clean Air Act didnt give the EPA authority to regulate carbon emissions at all?

The decision fell somewhere in the middle. While the agency lost some discretionary power over greenhouse gases, that authority was by no means eviscerated.

Regulations going forward are going to be different than regulations weve seen in the past, Anderson said. But its up to the EPA to figure that out.

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Wyomings first federal oil and gas lease sale in a year and a half generated roughly $13 million, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said late Thursday. More than $6 million in revenue will be returned to the state.

The BLM received bids on about two-thirds of the 122 tracts of public land available for leasing across the state. That land encompassed a little over half of the nearly 120,000 acres  almost 200 square miles  offered this week.

Oil and gas companies bid on a smaller share of leasable land than at any other BLM sale held in Wyoming in the last five years but paid significantly more than usual, on average, for the acres that did sell.

Just under half of the bid-on parcels went for the minimum $2 per acre. Bidding on others was much more competitive: 1,480 acres in Converse County sold for $6,018 per acre, the highest of the sale.

Of the 162 potential leases up for grabs this week, only 40 were located outside of Wyoming: 15 in North Dakota, eight in Montana, six in Colorado, five each in Nevada and New Mexico and one in Oklahoma. Utahs sale was canceled after the BLM deferred its single parcel.

Four-fifths of those parcels received bids. Most that did were above the minimum. In North Dakota, per-acre bids on 12 different parcels climbed above $10,000. One parcel of about 16 acres reached $52,001 per acre.

Ryan McConnaughey, director of communications for the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, said the sales were successful, and will inject needed funds into state coffers, in spite of Biden administration policies unfriendly to the oil and gas industry.

Given companies uncertainty about the future of oil and gas leasing on federal lands, however, they may have been less willing to take a risk on something that they didnt have full comfort in, leaving more parcels than usual without bids, McConnaughey said.

Under past presidents, the BLM has held oil and gas lease sales four times per year, though the number, acreage and attractiveness of parcels varied, and the ups and downs in the oil and gas markets influenced what producers would buy and how much they were willing to spend.

Traditional wisdom holds that, with todays extraordinarily high oil and gas prices, producers should be snapping up new leases. But since the early months of the pandemic, when oil and gas prices tanked and many companies went under, those that survived have reacted more slowly to rising prices.

Increased costs associated with supply chain issues and labor shortages remain a deterrent. As does companies distrust of President Biden.

The oil and gas industry maintains that the federal government is required by law to hold lease sales at least four times annually, and the Biden administration five-quarter-long delay  which officials say was necessary to complete court-ordered environmental analyses  was unnecessary and therefore illegal.

McConnaughey said the significant bids on certain parcels, really shows some pent-up demand for some of these leases.

Industry nominated 459 Wyoming parcels for leasing ahead of the canceled March 2021 sale. The BLM deferred 264 in November due to environmental concerns and another seven this week following the public protest period.

After announcing that it would hold an onshore lease sale in the first quarter of 2022, the agency postponed the sale yet again over a court order that temporarily blocked the Biden administration from using its estimate of damage caused by carbon emissions.

And the BLM raised the royalty rate for that upcoming sale  which it ended up holding on the last two days of the second quarter  from the federal minimum of 12.5% to 18.75%, in keeping with rates charged by states and private landowners, an agency press release said.

Oil and gas companies said the royalty hike would hurt business. Some environmental groups said it would help provide a fair return to the public and should have been adopted a long time ago. Others said it was too little, too late.

Two separate lawsuits filed on Wednesday, the first day of Wyomings lease sale, challenged every listed parcel. One also took aim at the other seven sales planned across the West. Both lawsuits cited the BLMs failure to adequately assess the leases impacts on climate change alongside other environmental concerns, adding a new dimension of uncertainty to the sale.

Still, the Wyoming lease sale ended up being the states highest-earning since June 2019, when the BLM sold about 186,000 acres for upwards of $22 million.

According to industry, the sale was lucrative because bidders overcame the many obstacles they faced. But conservation advocates saw the outcome differently.

Dave Jenkins, president of Virginia-based Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, questioned in a statement why the industry didnt take advantage of leasing all that they could have, and instead left so many Western acres without bids.

These sale results clearly undermine the claims that increasing the federal royalty rate would have a chilling effect and that companies would not buy leases at a 18.75 percent rate, Jenkins said.

The Wyoming Outdoor Council took it a step further.

Since the BLM last sold onshore oil and gas leases in late 2020, the industry and its backers have insisted that theyre just desperate to get more leases on the ground.

 ... We really need to keep opening up more and more public lands for leasing, said Alan Rogers, the groups communications director. But then when the lease sale happens, and almost half of that acreage goes unsold, none of that really, you know, meshes for me.

The Outdoor Council praised other BLM decisions, too, including the exclusion of leases with low potential to produce (though industry disputed that designation) or significant value for wildlife.

For as long as were burning oil and gas and drilling for oil and gas, Rogers said, we want to make sure that is done as responsibly as possible.

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Its Fourth of July weekend again. And again, local first responders are reminding Natrona County residents to leave the fireworks to the professionals.

Fireworks are illegal in the county. But Casper Fire Deputy Chief Cameron Siplon said the department still ends up responding to a handful of injuries and fires that start from their use each year.

Instead of trying to light your own, you can see fireworks on the night of the Fourth at the Ford Wyoming Center or out at Alcova Reservoir.

You can always take a trip to other counties around our great state where its legal to shoot them off, a statement from the Natrona County Fire Protection District said Friday.

Police say they will be responding to reports of illegal fireworks during the holiday and issuing citations as appropriate.

Fireworks have a high risk of starting a devastating fire in Casper due to our arid, high plains desert environment, dry fuel, low humidity, windy conditions and increasing summer temperatures, said Casper police spokesperson Rebekah Ladd on Friday. Fireworks also pose a danger to residents.

The weekends forecast shows temperatures climbing into the low 90s, winds around 10 mph and very low chances of rain after Friday night. That means it could be prime fire weather.

Using fireworks illegally is a misdemeanor that can come with a fine of up to $750, or even jail time, Ladd said.

The county is likely to impose restrictions on open burning starting next week, after the holiday weekend. Now, you need a burn permit from the city to openly burn things like grass, brush and leaves. The restrictions wont affect campfires at homes or in campsite fire rings.

Fireworks arent the only risk to public safety over the long weekend.

Siplon said the fire department also regularly has to respond to water rescues for people floating the river without a lifejacket, or going in the lake while intoxicated.

There are loaner lifejackets all along the North Platte, free to use courtesy of the fire department.

The riverflow is up quite a bit right now, Siplon said. As fun as it is to go run down the rapids, just make sure you have the proper safety equipment, and youre not getting in over your head  literally or figuratively.

You should also watch out for sun exposure, Siplon said, and make sure to wear sunscreen. Drink water to stay hydrated, especially if youre also drinking alcohol.

As always, dont drive and drive, or drink and operate a boat.

About 40% of fatal crashes over the Fourth of July weekend are caused by alcohol impairment, a statement from the Wyoming Highway Patrol said Thursday. In 2020, that was 201 people nationwide.

Before you start drinking, make a plan to get home  whether thats a designated driver, a rideshare service or sober ride programs like Natrona County Safe Ride. You can reach Safe Ride 24/7 at (307) 266-7233.

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Wyomings secretary of state is one of three nominees for a district court judge position serving Goshen County.

Secretary Ed Buchanan, circuit court Judge Nathaniel Hibben and Deputy Attorney General Misha Westby were named as finalists for the Eighth District Court position Thursday.

Now, Gov. Mark Gordon has 30 days to make his appointment.

The spot will be open on Aug. 2, when Judge Patrick Korells resignation goes into effect. Korell was named to the post by Gov. Matt Mead in 2015, and announced his departure from the office in May.

Nominees are chosen by a judicial nominating commission, chaired by Chief Justice Kate Fox of the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Hibben now serves in Goshen County as a circuit court judge for the Eighth District, appointed by Gordon in 2019. Before that, he was Torringtons municipal court judge, a public defender and deputy Goshen County attorney. Hibben declined to comment on his nomination Friday.

Westby has been with the AGs office for 12 years, and spent 10 years in private practice. She said Friday that becoming a judge has always been a goal of hers, but that she would be incredibly sad to leave her current post as the deputy overseeing the human services division.

I would just strive to  be impartial and compassionate, she said, and try to make sure that I provided access to justice, having things decided in a timely fashion.

Buchanan announced in May that he would be leaving his post as secretary of state, less than a month after stating he would seek reelection. He was elected to the post in 2018.

Recently, the opportunity presented itself to apply for a judicial position in my hometown of Torrington, Wyoming, Buchanan said in a statement at the time. While I have been so grateful for the time I have spent as the Secretary of State, it would not be appropriate for me to explore a judicial opportunity while also running for this important office.

State lawmakers Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, and Senate President Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, are now running for secretary. Mark Armstrong, a former geologist from Centennial, is also in the race.

In 2015, Buchanan put his name in for the same judgeship and was named as one of three finalists. He also applied and became a finalist for a circuit court opening in 2019, but was not selected either time.

Star-Tribune staff writer Victoria Eavis contributed to this report.

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Believe it or not, its time to vote again.

Early voting for the 2022 midterm elections began Friday across the state.

Since the last time Wyomingites, voted in a major election, however, there is one major change  youll need to bring an ID if youre voting in person. The following forms are acceptable:

WY drivers license or ID Card

Tribal ID card

Valid U.S. passport

U.S. military card

Drivers license or ID card from another state

University of Wyoming Student ID

Wyoming community college student ID

Wyoming Public School Student ID

Valid Medicare Insurance Card

Valid Medicaid Insurance Card

If you do not have one of the listed documents, you may obtain a free Wyoming identification card from the local driver services office. If you are not registered yet you will also need a valid form of ID to register (this is not a new law in Wyoming).

If you choose to vote absentee, you are able to do so from July 1 through Aug. 15 for the primary which will be held in person on Aug. 16. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. for in-person voting.

Half of the state senators, all of the state representatives, the U.S. representative, the county assessor, the county clerks, some city council members and more are up for reelection this cycle.

This election is the first major one since former President Donald Trump and his allies sowed major (unfounded) doubts among supporters that elections, some of which have made their way to Wyoming voters.

Cindy Rissler, the chief deputy Natrona County clerk, said shes heard no concerns recently over the security of elections.

The majority of the people here are very pleased how the county clerks run the elections, she said.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis

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A flash flood emergency is in effect in the Lingle area, after a canal breach west of town.

Residents of Lingle were told to evacuate to higher ground on Friday morning, as water from the levee failure reached further into town. Anyone in town south of the railroad tracks and Lucerne Ditch were at risk, according to a post from the Torrington Police Department.

About six miles of U.S. Highway 26 was also closed Friday, between Lingle and Ft. Laramie, as crews reported about half a mile of highway completely covered by water. Traffic has been diverted to Wyoming Highway 157 for the time being.

According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, that detour will likely be in place until late Saturday morning.

This will allow for not only the water to recede but for our crews to determine if there has been any damage done to the highway, WYDOT District Twos statement said.

The National Weather Service Cheyenne office issued its warning Friday morning, and expect it to last until 4 p.m. A Whalen Dam operator told the office that flow through the breach would begin to recede after 2 p.m.

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Any legal action on the part of Wellspring Health Access against Wyomings abortion trigger ban would likely come when the state moves to certify the law, a spokesperson from the organization said.

The nonprofit organization was set to open an abortion clinic in Casper this summer. It would have been one of only two clinics in Wyoming to offer abortions. But the clinics prospect for offering abortions is up in the air following the passage of an abortion trigger ban in Wyoming earlier this year and the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade on Friday.

Julie Burkhart, founder of Wellspring Health Access, said in a June 24 press conference following the reversal of Roe v. Wade that she is looking into potential legal action over the trigger ban. The clinic team is working with legal counsel to explore that avenue, she said.

Casper attorney Ryan Semerad said that under Wyoming law, plaintiffs in a potential lawsuit contesting the trigger ban would have to show that it is tangibly harming people at the moment. That could be hard to do right now because Wyomings abortion ban hasnt actually taken effect.

He added that there could be ways of showing that people in Wyoming are currently being negatively impacted by the trigger law, even though abortions arent banned. But a lawsuit could be thrown out before its even considered if the harm is too speculative, he said.

Giovannina Anthony, a doctor at the Womens Health Center & Family Care Clinic in Jackson, said she plans to join a lawsuit to contest the states trigger abortion ban.

Its the regulation of womens sexuality by the state, she said of the abortion ban in an interview at the Jackson clinic. Thats the ultimate effect.

Anthony started the clinics medication abortion services 17 years ago when she became a staff member there. Its the only clinic in Wyoming that provides abortions.

Anthony previously said the clinic will continue to give the service as long as its legal, but is unlikely to provide abortions under the trigger laws exemptions. She said at the Jackson clinic on Monday that the ban has a chilling effect on Wyoming physicians, who could risk a felony charge and 14 years in prison under the trigger law if they are determined to have given an illegal abortion.

I dont think we can risk it, she previously told the Star-Tribune.

Legal action could block Wyomings abortion ban from taking effect, at least temporarily, like it has in neighboring Utah.

The Planned Parenthood Association of Utah filed a lawsuit on Saturday against that states trigger ban, which had taken effect late Friday.

On Monday, appointment requests from Utahns seeking abortions surged at the clinic in Jackson. Later that day, a Utah judge granted Planned Parenthoods request for a two-week restraining order to block enforcement of the ban. (Anthony said on Wednesday that people from Utah who had scheduled appointments at the Jackson clinic subsequently cancelled them).

The block on Utahs abortion ban would last for the duration of the lawsuit if Planned Parenthood is granted a preliminary injunction.

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Planned Parenthood of Montana will no longer provide medication abortions for people coming from states where the practice has been banned following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to what looks like an internal email from Planned Parenthood of Montana CEO Martha Fuller.

Roe v. Wade has been overturned. What does that mean for abortion in Wyoming? Wyoming is one of 13 states with a "trigger" bill in place, which is expected to ban nearly all abortions in the state within 35 days.

That could impact Wyomingites if the states trigger ban, which the Legislature passed earlier this year, goes into effect.

A screenshot of the Planned Parenthood email was first tweeted on Thursday by freelance Montana journalist Hunter Pauli.

The risks around cross-state provision of services are currently less than clear, with the potential for both civil and criminal action for providing abortions in states with bans, it reads.

Because of these uncertainties, patients from states with total bans that are currently in effect will not be able to get medication abortions at Montanas Planned Parenthood clinics, Fuller wrote. Medication abortions make up about 75% of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood, the Billings Gazette reported.

Right now, that would include people from South Dakota, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. People from Texas and Ohio who have been pregnant for more than six weeks will also be unable to get medication abortions with Planned Parenthood of Montana, according to the email.

Fuller said in the email that staff who schedule medication abortions have been notified of the change. Going forward, all medication abortion patients will have to provide proof of residency, according to the email.

We do not enter this lightly, and recognize that this change disproportionately impacts Indigenous patients, Fuller wrote.

Patients from states with current abortion bans can still schedule surgical abortions, the email says. Its unclear why the restriction is only around medication abortions. Planned Parenthood of Montana Vice President of External Affairs Laura Terrill did not respond to the Star-Tribune by deadline to clarify.

Providers say Roe decision is 'heartbreaking' The founder of a planned Casper abortion clinic says she is looking into the possibility of a lawsuit over Wyoming's trigger law ban.

Fuller did not respond directly to the Star-Tribune regarding the email. Terrill reached out on Thursday to the Star-Tribune instead and offered to email a statement from Fuller.

The statement from Fuller doesnt directly address the email.

Lets be clear: Planned Parenthood of Montana will continue to serve patients from out of state who are seeking abortion, the statement says.

Its not clear if Fuller is referring to the emails assertion that Planned Parenthood of Montana will still offer surgical abortions to patients from states with current abortion bans. Terrill did not respond to calls from the Star-Tribune to clarify.

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe, we must make decisions around the provision of abortion care in consideration of the rapidly changing landscape for abortion access across the country and amid the cruel intention of anti-abortion politicians to sow chaos and confusion, the statement continues.

Theres only one clinic in Wyoming that provides abortion services  the Womens Health Center & Family Care Clinic in Jackson. It only gives medication abortions.

Given the scarcity of abortion services in the state, some people in Wyoming are actually closer to clinics in Montana or Colorado. So even though abortion has been legal in Wyoming (and, for the time being, still is), Wyomingnites frequently travel to those states to get the service anyway.

Fuller told the Star-Tribune following the leak of the Roe decision in May that Planned Parenthood of Montana clinics were already seeing a large number of patients from northern Wyoming, even without a ban on abortions in the state.

Regional impact of Roe reversal could limit abortion access in neighboring states Wyomingites already travel out of state to get abortions. But if the Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade, that out-of-state access could become more limited.

Last year, she said about 8% of abortion patients in Montanas Planned Parenthood clinics were from Wyoming.

But Colorado has already been flooded with people from Texas who are seeking abortions following that states ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. So even though people from Wyoming can continue to get abortions in Colorado, access will probably be more limited.

Utahs abortion trigger ban took effect late Friday following Roes reversal. Although there is a temporary block on the ban, the availability of abortion services in that state going into the future is uncertain. About 1% of abortion patients in Utahs Planned Parenthood clinics come from Wyoming, according to Planned Parenthood Association of Utah spokesperson Katrina Barker.

Idaho and North Dakota also have trigger bans. Planned Parenthood is contesting Idahos trigger ban, which hasnt yet taken effect, in a lawsuit.

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SHERIDAN  Rep. Liz Cheney was quick to clash with Donald Trump-endorsed candidate Harriet Hageman in the first debate among Republican congressional candidates Thursday, with Cheney taking aim at Hageman for her unwillingness to say whether the result of the 2020 election was legitimate.

The two women were joined by Burns State Senator, Anthony Bouchard, Denton Knapp and Robyn Belinskey, who all took the stage at Sheridan College for the 90-minute debate.

Hageman was also quick to launch her strategy. She emphasized her statewide campaign travels to meet voters and attacked Cheney on a range of issues, including her participation on the Jan. 6 investigative committee.

Additionally, Hageman sought to raise concerns  considered unfounded by many  about the integrity of the 2020 election, without expressly saying it was stolen. She gave credence to the debunked movie, 2000 Mules, saying its something we have great concern about.

Hageman also repeatedly referenced the hundreds of millions of dollars Mark Zuckerberg and his wife donated to two nonprofits that helped thousands of election departments handle the elections during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Many Trump supporters, without evidence, claim that the money was used to help steal the election for Joe Bidens victory. Hageman did not expressly make this claim, but danced around it by referencing Zuckerbergs donation multiple times.

The truth matters, Cheney said multiple times. And the claims that Ms. Hageman is making about the 2020 election are the same claims for which the presidents lead lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was disbarred.

Hageman is a well-known natural resources attorney in Wyoming.

Hageman has not committed to a solid stance on whether or not she believes the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, something that Cheney also called out.

So, Id be interested to know whether or not my opponent, Mrs. Hageman, is willing to say here tonight that the election was not stolen? She knows it wasnt stolen, Cheney said. I think that she cant say that it wasnt stolen because shes completely beholden to Donald Trump. And if she says it wasnt stolen, he will not support her.

After the debate, Hageman declined to talk to press and immediately shuffled out with her team. Her campaign manager did not respond to the Star-Tribunes request for comment.

Hageman also played some offense. She repeatedly called out Cheneys service as vice-chairwoman on the Jan. 6 investigative committee and said that the committees work was being blown out of proportion by the press and Democrats. She added that Wyomingites she speaks to around the state dont care for the committees work and mostly feel as though Cheney is not representing them by serving on the committee.

Cheney was as clear as shes been thus far that she is willing to lose the election over her commitment to her principles.

I will never violate my oath of office and if youre looking for somebody who will [then] you need to vote for somebody else on the stage, because I wont.

When it came to policy issues, like school safety, the infrastructure bill, vaccine mandates and parental involvement in education the candidates agreed for the most part. Both Bouchard and Hageman said they support ending gun-free zones on school property.

Interestingly, no candidate called out Cheneys vote in favor of the biggest gun bill in recent decades, which allows states to take federal money for red-flag laws.

During a speed round, the moderators asked about the coronavirus pandemic, which elicited some passionate responses from the candidates.

[The Chinese Government] knew they had human to human transmission, and they unleashed it on the world. It wasnt just on the United States. They unleashed it on the world. I think there are multiple reasons why they did that, Cheney said. I think part of it is because once they understood that they were faced with that challenge, they understood they needed rest of the world to be facing the challenge as well.

Knapp went further.

Coronavirus happened, he said. I do believe it was made to kill people and it made its way over to the U.S. and did just that.

***

There was one major difference between this debate and past ones: the auditorium was mostly empty.

I made the decision in the beginning of our planning to close the event to the public out of an overabundance of caution, Terry Dugas, WyomingPBSs general manager, said in an email. There are regular reports in the media of political figures and public servants being assaulted.

Dugas nor the college would comment on what the security threat was, and both Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Sheridan Police Department told the Star-Tribune that there was not a specific threat that caused the public to be excluded.

There were no credible threats and just online chatter, said Sheridan Police Captain Tom Ringley, who was present at Sheridan College Thursday.

Hageman supporters gathered outside the debate premises before it kicked off. They were a few yards away from the no trespassing signs and the police barricades.

Many of the demonstrators were there to show their support for Hageman, their opposition to Cheney  according to their signs  and their distaste with the fact that they werent being allowed to attend a Sheridan College event which their tax dollars pay for.

When Hageman pulled in, she hugged almost all of them and thanked them for being there. When Cheney pulled in, she flew by them in a white SUV and they jeered her from the street, but almost missed their chance because her vehicle went by so quickly.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis.

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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.
No Covid-19 deaths were recorded yesterday, while 55 additional positive cases were reported.

The 55 new cases push the overall infections since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 to 167,495.

The countrys Covid-19 death toll remains at 4,013.

Tobago recorded three positive cases with one death on Saturday. The deceased, according to the Division of Health, Wellness and Social Protection, was unvaccinated.
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.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on March 8, 2022. Noodies opened on April 15, 2022.

Noodies! When owner Carolyn OConnor says the word out loud, it sounds like a party, a celebration.

The name belongs to her new pasta restaurant, opening later this month, in the space formerly occupied by Bentleys House of Coffee and Tea. Carolyn is totally re-imagining the place, complete with a mural painted by a friend who happens to experiment with abstract noodle shapes. There isnt a better word for it than fun.

Noodies is a Tucson inheritance. But its lineage, like sister restaurant Ceres, comes from all over. If Ceres is inspired by the pastries and pasta of northern Italy, Noodies draws material from the checkered-tablecloth Italian-American of Syracuse, with some help by way of Hong Kong.

Syracuse is Carolyns hometown. Its where she was pregnant, scrolling Pinterest, when the algorithm realized she needed more brightly-colored images of cha chaan teng  American-style diners in Hong Kong, where you can get condensed-milk French toast and macaroni soup. Those hues inspire the setting of Noodies today, if not the menu.

Though both restaurants share the foundation of Carolyns handmade pasta, Carolyn is clear that each restaurant is its own concept. Ceres always felt like my baby. The first time going into something, everything was really new. Because of that everything feels so precious  Noodies felt almost like having a second child  Noodies is colorful; the food is a little more gluttonous and cheesy. I see it as a wild second child or something.

While you will be able to get your favorite sauces from Ceres at Noodies  the tomato basil, the bolognese, the cacio e pepe  Noodies larger kitchen allows Carolyn to expand the menu. Youll be able to add Italian sausage, meatballs and burrata to your order. Unlike Ceres lunch counter, Noodies will have both indoor and outdoor seating. Their menu will also offer sandwiches Carolyn misses from her hometown, like meatball subs and Italian grinders.

Though Carolyn never thought she would go into the restaurant business  her parents are in academics  her mothers hospitality inspires Carolyns restaurants.

My mom, shes a really good cook, and she loves having a real dinner. She sets the table, puts out napkins, does all this stuff, makes a whole beautiful meal and a pie, tea and coffee, so she creates this whole experience for people, and it makes people feel so loved and appreciated. Its also a legacy in my own family, taking care of people through food, she said.

The also responds to Noodies more apparent legacy: Noodies is taking over the lease of her mother-in-law Jo Schneiders first restaurant, Bentleys, which occupied that space for over two decades. If Carolyns own mother gave her a love for feeding her community, Carolyns mother-in-law inspired her to make service her livelihood.

Going into the restaurant business or being an entrepreneur was so different than what I expected (for my life). The trust (the Schneider family has) put in me, the support, how theyre always there for me, with anything. Its such a testament to their kindness and generosity. I think Jo does that for a lot of people in this community, giving people a chance when maybe other people wouldnt, and let them shine, she said of Jo, who owns downtowns LaCo.

At both Ceres and Noodies, Carolyn aspires to be that support system for her own employees. She hosts weekly tasting sessions for staff, where they all sample the specials, the soft-serve flavors and give feedback. Everyone who works there respects everyone else and works really hard. Its such a good thing for workplace morale. Its very collaborative, so everyone feels really listened to, Carolyn said.

Theres two staff at Ceres who have been there since the day we opened, she said. They now know how to do everything. Theyre more or less managing Ceres for the shifts, every day  I really wouldnt have been able to take on the new project without them.

Workers at Ceres have to be able to do it all: cook pasta and take orders and make espresso  because the space to work is tiny. Though the larger venue at Noodies allows for more specialization, people working in the front versus the back of house, Carolyn aspires for the restaurants to cross-pollinate.

I have everyone try cooking lunch. I love it so much. Its really fast  I think a lot of women, especially, are really intimidated to go into a kitchen and work in a line  I think giving people the chance who wouldnt maybe necessarily think thats a good fit for them, the opportunity to cook in a fast-paced place, and realize: I could be really good at this.

We just started accepting resumes for Noodies. Im not sure what the kitchen will look like, or the front of house. We wrote that all are welcome to apply. I really hope people will.

Noodies

Location: 1726 E. Speedway

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday-Monday.

For more information, check out their Instagram.
South Tucson police took hours to respond to a report from employees at an elementary school reporting a confrontation across the street that possibly involved an armed man as well as threatening text messages involving the school that followed, officials say.

Staff at Mission View Elementary, 2600 S. Eighth Ave., made the first call to police at 7:11 a.m. on June 21, according to information provided by a Tucson Unified School District governing board member. Police records show that a South Tucson Police officer arrived at the school at 10:32 a.m., more than three hours later.

Its very disappointing, said TUSD governing board member Sadie Shaw. Youd think that something as serious as it was would be addressed immediately.

At the time of the incident, Shaw said, there were teachers, students and staff on campus for summer school.

Fortunately, she said, the TUSD school safety team arrived six minutes after the first call. She said they immediately took to locking down the campus. District officers then stationed in front of the school, directly across from where the armed man had been seen.

South Tucson Police Chief Danny Denogean said there was no excuse for the delayed response.

Im not going to make any excuses. We needed to get there in a better time frame, Denogean said. We need to get there in an appropriate amount of time and we didnt get there in an appropriate time. We know that.

He said the delayed response was partly due to not realizing the severity of the situation in the initial call, as well as being short-staffed with only two officers on shift at the time.

Timeline

The first call related to the incident came in about 7:05 a.m. from a man reporting that he had found his stolen box truck across the street from the school and needed police retrieving it. That call was classified as low priority by the department based on its staffing, Denogean said.

A few minutes later, Mission View staff called police to report that a custodian saw an argument at the same property, and that one of the men had pulled a gun on another man.

But the South Tucson Police had already directed the only two officers on shift to handle another call.

Mission View staff then placed a second call to police to report that a parent alerted the school to threatening text messages that their child had received, in which someone said they would shoot the school security if they were to talk to him next door.

Denogean said the first officer arrived on scene of the altercation about 9:05 a.m., two hours after the first call. The second officer, according to police reports, arrived at Mission View Elementary at 10:32 a.m.

He noted there was reason to suspect the threatening text messages were related to the altercation across from campus, but officers were unable to gather evidence to confirm that.

He said that police officers did not find anyone matching the description of the alleged gunman, and were unable to confirm who sent the threatening texts. Officers conducted interviews related to both incidents as part of the investigation, but no charges were presented to anyone involved.

I cant change what happened in the past, but the goal is to provide education for our officers, to re-train people and to make sure that this doesnt happen in the future, Denogean said.

For the districts part, according to information provided by Shaw, school safety officers kept watch on campus for the remainder of that week as a precaution.

We should all be proud of the quick action of TUSDs school safety team who did not hesitate to protect the people inside those buildings, Shaw said in a Facebook post about the incident.

Have any questions or news tips about K-12 education in Southern Arizona? Contact reporter Genesis Lara at glara@tucson.com

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PHOENIX  The care provided by the state at prison is plainly grossly inadequate and state officials are acting with deliberate indifference to the substantial risk of harm to inmates, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

In a 200-page order, Judge Roslyn Silver lays out facts she said that show not only were top prison officials aware of conditions that resulted in serious  and unnecessary  physical injury and death to inmates but that they actively ignored the problems.

Nor is this news to prison or state officials  or Gov. Doug Ducey.

The lawsuit was filed in 2012 on behalf of inmates. The state agreed to a settlement which was signed in 2015, Duceys first year in office, promising to do better. And the state was fined $1.4 million in 2018 for failing to live up to the performance measures to which it had agreed, with Silver imposing another $1.1 million penalty just last year.

But the problems persist, Silver said.

The Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry; David Shinn, its current director; and Larry Gann, director of the agencys Medical Services Contract Monitoring Bureau, are refusing to make the necessary fix, the judge said. And they even have been purposely turning a blind eye to the unconstitutional conditions in the system that is responsible for more than 33,000 inmates, Silver said.

Despite years of knowledge, driven by this litigation and defendants monitoring of private health-care contractors performance, defendants have in fact made no significant attempts to substantively change the health-care system and compel sufficient staffing, Silver wrote.

Thus, defendants are acting with deliberate indifference to plaintiffs serious medical and mental health-care needs, she continued. And the judge said the testimony from both Shinn and Gann during the trial provides compelling evidence of knowledge of the failures but a refusal to take meaningful measures to correct systemic flaws.

The judge even accused Shinn of being more interested in protecting himself than protecting inmates. Silver cited his decision to send a letter about staffing level to Centurion, the company that had the contract to provide health care for prisoners, but then concluding he didnt need to follow up.

The only possible conclusion to draw is that Shinn had little interest in changing the underlying reality, the judge said. Rather, his letter appears to have been nothing more than a half-hearted effort to generate a piece of paper he could cite to avoid contempt.

And thats just part of it.

Shinns testimony also made it clear he has adopted a strategy of pretending the problems he knows about do not exist, the judge said. Shinns actions are not the type of actions a concerned administrator would have taken if he was actually interested in ensuring the undisputed failures were being resolved.

And she said that Shinns claims on the stand that inmate access to care exceeds that available to people in the community is completely detached from reality.

It isnt just the lack of health care that Silver found violated constitutional requirements prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment. She also found that the Department of Corrections was guilty of extreme social isolation of inmates in maximum security, lack of legally required recreation and even insufficient nutrition.

C.J. Karamargin, press aide to the governor, who hired Shinn in 2019, had no response, saying the report was still being studied. The Corrections Department did not return calls on Friday.

But Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, who has advocated for reforming the prison system since being elected in 2018, told Capitol Media Services what he read in the report convinces him that there need to be wholesale changes in the agency, starting at the top with the governor firing Shinn. And he rejected the idea that decision should be left to whoever replaces Ducey who now has just six months left on his term.

He is still governor til the last day until the new governor gets sworn in, Blackman said. And its his responsibility as the chief executive that we have prisons that are going to keep the community safe.

Blackman said the judges conclusion that Shinn was ignoring obvious problems and saying everything is just fine at the agency is not a surprise. He said he saw the same thing when the director was called before lawmakers to answer findings by the state Auditor Generals Office about other problems in the system.

But Blackman said the firings shouldnt stop with Shinn, saying the state needs to clean house of deputy directors and wardens who have been there for years and are running their facilities as if they are independent operations.

So instead of taking their directions from the director ... they are doing their own thing, he said. And thats a problem.

What remains to be seen, however, is what the judge can do to get the state to finally comply, given that the millions of dollars of fines have not worked.

One problem until now was that there was only a settlement agreement, with the prison system monitoring its own performance subject to checks by plaintiffs and the court, said David Fathi, director of the National Prison Project for the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued on behalf of the inmates. Now, Fathi said, there is an actual judgment, one that can be enforced in a variety of ways.

One, he said, is that the judge could simply order the agency to actually hire additional doctors and nurses.

Silver, in her ruling, said the evidence shows that one reason inmates are not getting care is that staffing is significantly below the levels for which the state contracted. And even if it had been at contracted levels  a provision she said the state has failed to enforce  even Centurion has admitted that would be insufficient.

And that, the judge said, is just part of the problem.

The majority of medical staff care do not have necessary training or licensure to provide the type of care that is necessary to provide constitutionally adequate care, she explained. This is a completely ineffective and toxic combination.

Theres an even more radical solution: Place the prison system into receivership. That would take the management away from the government, including hiring necessary staff and implementing policies, and giving it to someone appointed by  and answering directly  to the court. And Fathi said there is legal precedent to force the state to pay for anything that is ordered.

Attorneys for the state did not dispute the multiple examples that Silver cited of inmates who died or were harmed due to lack of medical care. Instead, they argued these were simply isolated occurrences that do not show a pattern or practice of providing deficient health care.

The judge wasnt buying it.

The overwhelming evidence shows these cases indicate the opposite, Silver wrote, pointing out the number of encounters each of these inmates had with the prison medical system, including many different personnel.

It is impossible to conclude their treatment represented isolated occurrences, she said. Rather, these outcomes show that if a prisoner develops as serious health condition while in ADCRR custody, he or she is at substantial risk of grievous harm or death due to medical personnels inability to accurately assess and diagnose such conditions.

Earlier this year, the state awarded a new contract for providing health care to NaphCare, taking it away from Centurion. But Silver, in her extensive ruling, made it clear she thinks the problem is not with who is hired to provide health care but the failure of the state to do what is necessary to comply with the law and provide proper care.

Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com .

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Cheaper land, less regulation and access to major markets has put Tucson on the map for warehouse and distribution facilities.

In the last five years, Tucson has added more than 3 million square feet of industrial space.

And a Dallas company has chosen Tucson to add even more.

LPC Desert West, a division of Lincoln Property Co., plans to develop more than 1 million square feet of industrial space for warehousing and distribution on the southeast corner of Alvernon Way and Los Reales Road.

Called I-10 International, the property will have four buildings of varying sizes with cold storage capability.

This site has tremendous location advantages, being proximate to I-10, I-19 and Tucson International Airport, with direct connection to major ports and cities in the U.S. and Mexico, said Doug Klocke, vice president of Lincoln Property Co. We (will) take full advantage of this location, which includes the ability to distribute product to 46 million people within a 500-mile radius.

The company said the site will be flexible and work for a single large user or multiple smaller users, such as those in the food and beverage industry because of the cold storage capacity.

LPC bought the I-10 International land site from Tucson-based real estate development and investment company Diamond Ventures for $6.5 million.

Construction is scheduled to begin later this year and be completed in 2023.

Geography, cost enticing

The geographical attraction Tucson offers includes access to the interstates, the Union Pacific mainline, an inland port and the airports airfreight capacity.

The city is also known for having a good workforce and land costs of between $3 and $6 per square foot compare nicely to the Phoenix markets rates of $9 to $13 per square foot or $25 to $32 per square foot in Southern California, noted Robert Glaser, an industrial broker with Picor Commercial Real Estate.

While a few years ago, brokers lamented the lack of modern industrial space, today there are several projects popping up.

Its been a long time coming, said Jesse Blum, an industrial specialist with Picor.

He said after the Great Recession, Tucson was late to recover so new construction was not viable.

Then in 2018, Oregon-based Harsch Investment Properties entered the Tucson market and built one of the first speculative industrial buildings in more than a decade.

They acted like a bellwether for Tucson and everyone was watching their first building to see if if would succeed, Blum said. They were early believers in Tucson and shouldered the risk of failure and proved their own theory of Tucson.

The 157,000-square-foot facility at 6850 S. Brosius Ave., near the airport was fully leased before construction was finished.

The company, which goes by Schnitzer Properties LLC, has since built other industrial buildings on spec and recently bought raw land in the 6100 block of South Country Club Road and in the 3100 block on east Elvira Road for more industrial space.

The demand is fueled by the shopping habit of Southern Arizona residents.

When Amazon pioneered that 8-to-12-hour delivery service  you cant do that if things are in a warehouse in a different city, Blum said. Then the pandemic hit and perpetuated an online shopper that wouldnt have done that in the past, i.e. the elderly who, for safety, had to purchase online and the industry was immediately fast-forwarded by 20 years.

The pandemic also put Tucson on the radar when it became a top Googled city for people looking to relocate and work remotely.

Blum said industrial investment equals jobs.

Theres a huge sub-sect of our community that are proudly blue collar and they need jobs, he said. Its dollars into the local economy.

The industry also absorbs land that is not appealing to other development.

Its a nice tax generating sector in areas that are considered to be blighted, Blum said, and that will never be used for housing.

Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  A local government in Kansas has agreed to pay $12.5 million to a man and his mother after he spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, approved the settlement Thursday and said in a statement Friday that it admits no guilt in the wrongful conviction and two life sentences of Lamonte McIntyre in the mid 1990s.

McIntyre was 17 in 1994 when he was arrested in Kansas City for the shooting deaths of 21-year-old Doniel Quinn and 34-year-old Donald Ewing. McIntyre was freed in 2017 after a local prosecutor asked the court to vacate his convictions and drop all charges, calling his case an example of manifest injustice. Prosecutors presented no physical evidence tying McIntyre to the killings and their case largely hinged on testimony that was allegedly coerced.

The following year, McIntyre and his mother sued the unified government and former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski, who they have accused, along with other police, of framing McIntyre for the killings. Their lawsuit sought up to $123 million in damages.

McIntyre and his mother have said Golubski coerced her into sex and then framed her teenage son for the double homicide because she rejected the detectives later sexual advances. They also allege Golubski abused dozens of Black women for years and many officers were aware of his conduct.

Federal authorities are investigating Golubski, and the Kansas City, Kansas, police department revealed last October that it had been responding to subpoenas from the FBI since 2019 involving allegations against Golubski.

Golubski has denied the allegations. His attorney, Morgan Roach of Kansas City, did not immediately return phone messages left Friday at his office and on his cellphone seeking comment.

Thursday's settlement also resolves the lawsuit against Golubski, said attorney Cheryl Pilate, who represents McIntyre and his mother.

Lamonte now hopes to put this painful chapter behind him and move forward with his life, Pilate said in an email. Lamonte remains deeply committed to the cause of justice, particularly in Wyandotte County, and will continue to be a voice for those who have suffered wrongful convictions or other injustices.

In 2020, McIntyre was awarded a certificate of innocence and $1.5 million from Kansas after the state attorney general's office initially fought his compensation claim. McIntyre now lives in Arizona.

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

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PHOENIX  The Biden administration is planning to sue Arizona over a new state law that requires proof of citizenship to vote for president.

Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general of the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, said she has authorized going to court over what she contends is a violation of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. The only thing that would stop that, Clarke said in a letter to Attorney General Mark Brnovich, is if the state is willing to settle the issue, presumably by an agreement not to enforce the law.

Brnovich responded Friday telling Clarke, in essence, he will see her in court.

This is about more than simply protecting the states right to ensure that only citizens vote in elections, he said. There is reason to believe all this is part of some larger scheme by some, including neo-Marxists to allow people not in this country to influence elections, Brnovich said.

The legal issues however, may not be as clear as Brnovich contends, with two conflicting laws.

The first is the 2004 requirement approved by Arizona citizens for proof of citizenship to register to vote. That applies to state voter-registration forms.

Against that is the National Voter Registration Act which allows people to register to vote using a federal form. And that form requires registrants to only avow, under penalty of perjury, that they are citizens.

State officials initially refused to accept federal forms without citizenship proof.

In 2013, however, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that Arizona is free to require citizenship proof on its own forms. But the justices said the state cannot refuse to accept the federal form, though it can restrict those who use those forms and do not also provide proof of citizenship to voting only on federal races, meaning for president and members of Congress.

That ruling went pretty much unchallenged until the 2020 election when Joe Biden outpolled Donald Trump in Arizona by 10,457 votes. That led to claims by those unhappy with the outcome that the results were influenced by the approximately 12,000 people who used that federal form.

There is, however, no proof of that  or even that everyone who used the federal form two years ago was not a citizen but simply chose the simpler registration method.

That resulted in HB 2492, signed March 30 by Gov. Doug Ducey, which says that votes for president will be counted only from people who provide proof of citizenship or the state is otherwise able to verify their citizenship.

Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, who authored the legislation, contends that 2013 ruling applies only to congressional races. And that, he said, means the state is free to impose its citizenship requirements for presidential race.

But Clarke, in her letter to Brnovich, said what's in HB 2492 violates the National Voter Registration Act which requires Arizona to "accept and use'' a completed federal voter registration form to let people vote in all federal elections.

"Such applicants need not provide additional documentation to prove their citizenship,'' she wrote.

Clarke said there are other problems with the legislation, like adding a new requirement to the states own voter registration form for applicants to identify where they were born.

Requirements such as these are not material to establishing a voters eligibility to vote, she wrote. They therefore violate federal law.

Brnovich noted that the Supreme Court, in its 2013 ruling, did say Arizona can ask the Election Assistance Commission, which prepares the federal registration form, to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement. The state did try that, but without success.

So Brnovich said he believes that frees state lawmakers to enact a common-sense election integrity measure. And he said hes prepared to fight it in court.

I believe it will withstand constitutional scrutiny, he said.

There already are three lawsuits pending in federal court challenging the law.

In one, Daniel Arellano representing Mi Familia Vota, is urging the court to reject arguments that HB 2492 is needed to prevent people who are not citizens from voting.

The unsupported fear-mongering is plainly insufficient to justify the proof-of-citizenship restrictions widespread burdens, he wrote.

Brnovich, however, said its legally irrelevant that there is no evidence that people who are not citizens are using the federal form to influence elections in Arizona.

He pointed out that lack of proof of a problem was one of the arguments presented to the Supreme Court last year by groups challenging state laws which make it a felony in most cases for an individual to take someone elses voted early ballot to a polling place. The high court wasnt buying that.

It should go without saying that a state may take action to prevent election fraud without waiting for it to occur and be detected within its own borders, wrote Justice Samuel Alito for the majority. He said the provisions of the Voting Rights Act that the political process remain equally open does not demand that a states political system sustain some level of damage before the legislature can take corrective action.

You dont have to have the proverbial horse leave the barn before you lock the barn, Brnovich said.

The attorney general, who is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, also said he believes there is something political in the move by the Department of Justice trying to quash the citizenship requirement.

He said it is not unreasonable to believe this is part of a larger plan by what he called neo-Marxists to implement as many far-Left ideas as possible, including allowing non-citizens vote and influence the outcome of elections.

Brnovich cited an effort by New York City to let approximately 800,000 people who are permanent legal residents and those with authorization to work in the United States to vote for mayor and city council. That was struck down this past week by a state judge who said it violated the New York Constitution.

Aside from the Mi Familia lawsuit, in a separate case attorney James Barton outlined his own arguments against HB 2492.

No other states in the nation has abridged the fundamental right to vote for eligible voters in such a manner, wrote Barton. He represents Living United for Change in Arizona, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Arizona Students Association, and ADRC Action which is the sponsor of a ballot measure to reverse a host voting restrictions already enacted by the Republican-controlled legislature and signed by Ducey.

And Daniel Adelman, representing the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, said the new law will result in the inaccurate, arbitrary, discriminatory, and ultimately unlawful treatment of naturalized voters throughout Arizona.

Adelman said that they may be erroneous flagged as not here legally based on old and inaccurate data, subjected to unwarranted extra scrutiny, unlawfully removed from the rolls, and even prosecuted.

All three cases  along with whatever the Department of Justice filed  are likely to be consolidated to be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton. No date has been set for a hearing.

Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com .

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As security technology continues to become more advanced, it is no longer considered usual to believe that the oddly shaped or placed objects around an Airbnb could be cover for hidden cameras.

Although its rare that a hidden camera is discovered in an Airbnb by a guest, its not entirely impossible, according to the widely-used accommodations rental company.

Recently, a Twitter user accused an Airbnb of spying on guests with the use of hidden cameras placed throughout a property. A spokesperson for the company told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Airbnb prohibits hosts from using cameras.

Our policies strictly prohibit hidden cameras and we take forceful action in the exceptionally rare circumstances where this has been reported, including assisting law enforcement to help them hold criminals accountable, an Airbnb spokesperson said.

Heres what to do if you suspect your Airbnb could be housing a hidden camera:
FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Fallout is mounting for the food delivery service Daily Harvest, which has voluntarily recalled a frozen food product suspected of sickening hundreds of customers in at least 26 states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating. And an Oklahoma woman has sued the company, blaming one of its products for an array of serious health problems, including gastrointestinal illness and liver and gallbladder dysfunction, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The company said it had received nearly 500 reports of people getting sick after eating Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. Daily Harvest initiated a voluntary recall of the product on June 23.

The FDA said consumers, retailers and others should not eat, sell or serve the product.

So far 133 adverse illness events can possibly be attributed to the crumbles, including 42 hospitalizations, according to the FDA.

The product, touted on social media by high-profile influencers, was shipped nationwide. Illnesses have been reported in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington state and Wisconsin.

The most recent reported illness was June 21, according to the FDA.

Candice Smith, of Raleigh, N.C., told CNN Business she thought she was having a heart attack after eating the product.

"It was the worst night of my life," she said. Though she had no preexisting health conditions, Smith said she spent four days in the hospital undergoing tests on her enlarged liver and elevated liver enzymes.

Her gallbladder had to be removed, Smith told CNN.

Carol Ready, the Oklahoma woman who has sued Daily Harvest, told the Los Angeles Times she wound up in the emergency room twice after eating the crumbles. She, too, had elevated liver enzymes and her gallbladder was removed.

The FDA is investigating in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It said the company sent about 28,000 units of the product to U.S. consumers between April 28 and June 17. A small number of consumers received samples.

Daily Harvest touts its products as "vegan-friendly" and distributes them through online sales, direct delivery, its Chicago retail store and a pop-up store in Los Angeles.

The company contacted consumers for whom it had contact information and issued a credit, according to the FDA. Those who may still have the product in their freezers should throw it out.

All lot codes of the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles are affected. The product is packaged in a 12-ounce white pouch with the words "Daily Harvest" at the top, a large "CRUMBLES" immediately below the top and the words "French Lentil + Leek" in bold.

The FDA said anyone who experiences yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, itching with no rash, gastrointestinal illness, nausea, fatigue, body aches, severe abdominal pain and/or fever after consuming this product should contact their health care provider.

Providers should report these illnesses to their local health department, the FDA said.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asks consumers to report adverse reactions to the manufacturer.

SOURCES: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, June 30, 2022; Los Angeles Times; CNN

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
36 Degrees North, Tulsas largest hub for entrepreneurs, has generated a combined economic impact of $572.5 million over the last five years, the organization said Thursday.

Contained in its 2021 Economic Impact Report, the figures equate to a direct economic impact of $159 for every dollar invested.

For the year, 36 Degrees North served 387 member companies that created or retained 2,181 jobs and generated sales of $111.3 million. Additionally, companies at 36 Degrees North secured more than $25 million in external funding, with the majority (84%) coming from venture capital investment.

I cant speak highly enough of 36 Degrees North and the ecosystem of entrepreneurs it has created in Tulsa, Nathan Pickard, founder of 9b and co-founder of Thirdline, said in a statement. Weve been members since 2018 and joined the Incubator program last year, which has given us the support we need as we build web software for municipalities. There is so much guidance available from staff members, funders and other founders who are at different points of their journey. It is an amazing community where everyone is rooting for each other.

36 Degrees North last year expanded to a third location, transforming the previously vacant fifth floor of City Hall into a 50,000-square-foot, state-certified incubation space for tech-enabled companies. It serves high-growth, tech-enabled startups with access to in-house programming, venture capital partners, one-on-one mentorship, and tax benefits upon completion of the program.

In 2021, 36 Degrees North partnered with organizations like Greenwood Cultural Center, the UMA Center and Build in Tulsa to offer programs supporting members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) community. 36 Degrees North joined forces with the UMA Center and Tulsa Technology Center to launch and graduate the inaugural cohort of the Hispanic Entrepreneurs Academy, a 10-week business boot camp entirely in Spanish.

This type of wrap-around support is essential for entrepreneurs and business owners from all backgrounds, Devon Laney, CEO of 36 Degrees North, said in a statement.

Partnering with these incredible community organizations allows us to bring business resources and scholarship opportunities to bright and innovative entrepreneurs across our city.

36 Degrees North is supported by a coalition of public and private partners. The organizations Summit Partners include the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, the Tulsa Regional Chamber, TulsaTech, FW Murphy Family Foundation and the OSU Riata Center for Entrepreneurship.

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PRYOR  Plans by electric vehicle start-up Canoo to build a production plant at Mid-America Industrial Park may be delayed by unfavorable economic conditions, the head of the park said Thursday.

Canoo said a year ago that it intended to provide at least 1,500 jobs by building a factory with 3-million-plus square feet of space at MAIP. Company CEO Tony Aquila said earlier this year that a plant capable of producing 300,000 vehicles annually could be operational in Pryor by 2024.

It is in delay mode, but thats for a number of reasons, MAIP Chief Administrative Officer David Stewart said Thursday before a regular meeting of the Oklahoma Ordnance Works Authority, which operates the industrial park.

The whole EV market has taken a significant hit. The stock market is challenged at best, he continued.

Supply-chain issues are big, as they are with all companies, but especially with a start-up that has a new product. Canoos goal is to have this 100% made in the U.S., so that is also delaying the project.

Finally, construction costs are through the roof. So the right financial decision is to wait until these supply-chain issues and construction costs go down and the construction labor market builds.

Stewart said hes had light conversations about these issues with Canoo.

Theres nothing that tells me that Canoo is not going to survive all this, he said Thursday.

But last month, Canoo reported first-quarter losses of $125.4 million, casting substantial doubt on its ability to move forward as a company in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Aquila has said the state of Oklahoma has committed about $300 million in nondiluted financial incentives to support the proposed Oklahoma facility, for which some ground has been cleared for construction.

Canoo set up its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, where it wants to build an advanced manufacturing facility that could be operational late this year or early in 2023.

If you give the construction and supply-chain issues six to nine months, I would say thats reasonable in my estimation, Stewart said. If your goal is to be 100%-American and you cant get American parts, thats kind of hard to fill that goal. Its understandable. It makes sense in my mind from a business point of view that there will be a delay in production.

My understanding is that the cars are still being built, and Bentonville is still underway. So we are the tail end of the process for building the car in mass production. Because of our position in that cycle, its understandable that we would feel the effect of all of those issues compounded.

Stewart said Thursday that he also believes MAIP remains in contention for Project Ocean, widely reported to be an at least $3 billion electric battery plant for which Panasonic is seeking new operations in either Kansas or Oklahoma.

It is unclear when Panasonic will make a decision.

We are not assuming they are not coming, Stewart said. We are going to go full force and do what we do to show Ocean that this is a great place to be.

Court challenges were filed this week protesting the legal sufficiency of a referendum petition that asked that a $300 million tax increment financing district go to a vote of the people. Approved by Mayes County commissioners in April, the 12-year TIF would encompass 588 acres inside MAIP to back initiatives such as Project Ocean.

The challenges could be heard in mid-July, though a court date hasnt been set, an assistant district attorney said. If the petition survives the challenges, it could be placed on the November ballot.

The fact that we have a couple of thousand people that want to take this to a vote does not mean that the public does not want it, and it doesnt mean its not what the communities want, Stewart said. Its democracy at its finest. They are following the process.

But we are not letting this slow us down in our effort to follow the path that weve been following. And that is getting the communities ready, getting the workforce ready and getting the land ready.

In addition to the proposed Mayes County incentive, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill this spring to provide the firm with up to $698 million in rebates based on capital investment and job creation.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  A storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America was expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific, forecasters said Thursday.

The fast-moving disturbance known merely as Potential Tropical Cyclone Two has been drenching parts of the Caribbean region since Monday without ever meeting the criteria for a named tropical

It was moving away from the northernmost part of Colombia late Thursday and heading over open waters north of Panama on a path toward the coastal area around the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border.

The storm was centered about 410 miles (665 kilometers) east of Bluefields on Nicaragua's Atlantic coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was moving west at 20 mph (31 kph) and was projected to hit the Nicaragua-Costa Rica area as a tropical storm late Friday or early Saturday.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph)  right at the edge of tropical storm force, through with ragged wind circulation, apparently due to its rapid advance westward. The Hurricane Center said that pace should be slowing.

A hurricane watch was in effect from the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border to Laguna de Perlas in Nicaragua.

The storm was expected to drop 3 to 5 inches (75 to 125 millimeters) of rain on parts of northern Colombia, then 4 to 8 inches (125 to 250 millimeters) on Nicaragua and Costa Rica, posing the threat of flash flooding.

Venezuela and several Caribbean islands closed schools as the storm approached over recent days.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A therapy that uses a virus to kill tumor cells can be safely given to children with a rare, incurable form of brain cancer, an early study has found.

The study -- published June 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine -- involved just 12 children with the disease, called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

But experts said it demonstrates the feasibility of directly delivering the viral therapy to the cancer, which forms in the brain stem.

Whether the approach can ultimately extend children's lives, however, remains to be seen.

DIPG is rare, affecting between 200 and 400 U.S. children each year. There is no cure, in large part because of the nature of the cancer: It arises in a part of the brain stem called the pons, which controls bodily functions as critical as breathing and heart rate. Complicating matters, the tumors are thread-like and interweave with normal brain tissue -- making it impossible to surgically remove the cancer.

So right now, radiation is the primary therapy for DIPG.

"In the majority of patients, but not all, the cancer will initially respond to radiation," said Dr. Susan Chi, deputy director of pediatric neuro-oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital.

Unfortunately, she explained, that only buys time, as the cancer almost invariably progresses again. Many children diagnosed with DIPG die within a year, and few -- less than 10% -- survive for two years, studies show.

"This is probably the worst tumor diagnosis we give to families," said Chi, who was not involved in the new study.

For the trial, researchers in Spain, the Netherlands and United States turned to oncolytic virus therapy, an approach that has been under study for certain cancers, including other brain tumors. The premise is based on the fact that some viruses can infect and kill tumor cells.

Virus therapy involves viruses that have been modified in the lab to infect and reproduce efficiently inside cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. One such therapy -- a genetically modified herpesvirus -- is approved in the U.S. for treating melanoma.

Here, the researchers used a modified cold virus, called DNX-2401, which has been shown to kill DIPG cells in lab animals. Using a specially designed cannula (a thin tube), the researchers slowly infused the viral therapy into the tumors of 12 children and teens newly diagnosed with DIPG. The patients then received standard radiation.

The main goal was to assess the safety of the procedure, according to the researchers, who were led by Dr. Jaime Gallego Perez-Larraya of the Health Research Institute of Navarra in Spain.

And overall, the most common side effects were headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Two children did develop significant limb weakness (temporary in one case), which is one of the concerns with "going into the pons," Chi said.

Unfortunately, most of the children eventually succumbed to their disease, but the median survival -- at almost 18 months -- was higher than typically seen in DIPG. Median means half lived longer, half for a shorter time.

Chi cautioned, however, that "it's too soon to draw conclusions."

Some children with DIPG do live that long, she noted, and it's not clear that the viral therapy itself -- as opposed to the radiation therapy -- extended some kids' lives.

On the other hand, Chi pointed out, two children were still alive past the 30-month mark. That included one child who was progression-free after 38 months.

Dr. Evanthia Galanis, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who studies oncolytic virus therapy, called the early findings "encouraging."

"The approach was well-tolerated, and the virus went where it was supposed to," said Galanis, who wrote an editorial published with the study.

Like Chi, she said the survival findings should be interpreted with caution, since the trial was primarily designed to assess safety.

According to Galanis, researchers initially believed oncolytic viruses might work by directly killing tumor cells -- replicating within them until the cells burst. But over the years, studies have shown that the process may also trigger an immune response to the cancer.

"I think it's part direct kill, and part immunotherapy," Galanis said.

Normally, she explained, the immune response to DIPG, and other types of gliomas, is suppressed -- by both the cancer and standard treatments for it. When tumor cells are infected with oncolytic viruses, though, they send out signals that can draw an immune response.

Both doctors pointed to some key questions for the future: Can virus therapy can be combined with other types of treatments to improve DIPG survival? And are certain patients more likely than others to benefit from any one oncolytic virus?

Of the two children in this trial with the longest survival times, one had a tumor with a gene mutation that has been linked to relatively better survival, the researchers pointed out.

Chi said the virus therapy was "obviously not a home run" in this early trial. But, she added, that is the general way of progress in cancer research -- incremental steps forward.

More information

The DIPG/DMG Resource Network has more on DIPG.

SOURCES: Susan Chi, MD, deputy director, pediatric neuro-oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Boston; Evanthia Galanis, MD, professor, oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.; New England Journal of Medicine, June 30, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
PHOENIX (AP)  FBI agents looking into events surrounding former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss have subpoenaed Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, who orchestrated a discredited review of the election.

A second Republican senator who has aggressively promoted the lie that Trump lost because of fraud, Kelly Townsend, also received a subpoena last week, Senate spokeswoman Kin Quintero confirmed.

The FBI actions are part of a flurry of recent activity by the Department of Justice as it seeks information from people involved in efforts to discredit the 2020 election results. It is separate from the congressional inquiry into the Capitol insurrection.

Fann said on Friday that virtually all her email and text message communications are already public. That's because of records requests and lawsuits by news media groups and American Oversight, a watchdog group that has sought records related to the Senate's audit of election results in the state's most populous county.

Im pretty sure every single thing that theyre requesting is stuff thats already out there, Fann said in a Friday interview. I told him, 'You know what, I have been FOIA-ed almost every week for 18 months. And so I dont think theres anything left there that everybody hasnt seen yet.

FOIA is an acronym for freedom of information request.

Fann said an FBI agent called her last week seeking to interview her about her contacts with more than a dozen people, but she told him he would need to put the request in writing.

The subpoena was served on June 22 and accepted by a Senate lawyer, Fann said. That was the day after Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers testified before the congressional committee investigating the attack on the Capitol about Trump's efforts to get him to replace Arizona electors committed to Joe Biden.

Fann declined to identify the people listed on the subpoena or provide other details, saying the subpoena instructed her not to discuss its contents.

The same day Fann was served, federal agents searched the home of a former top Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, who was known for championing Trump's false claims of election fraud. Party leaders in Nevada and Georgia, states that went for President Joe Biden and where Trump allies created slates of alternate electors intended to subvert the vote, also got subpoenas. And Republicans in two other states  Michigan and Pennsylvania  disclosed they had been interviewed by the FBI.

Arizona Republicans also submitted a slate of fake electors, and the Jan. 6 committee has sought information from state Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward and state Rep. Mark Finchem, who is seeking the GOP nomination for Secretary of State, Arizona's top election official.

Fann said she will cooperate fully and believes the Justice Department is trying to get information from anyone at all connected to Trump's effort, no matter how innocuous. She has consistently said the Senate's audit was not part of any effort to overturn the election, just a way to determine if questions about the election raised by Republicans were justified.

So anybody and everybody," she said. "And the mere fact that Im the Senate President and our Senate caucus ordered the audit to answer our constituents' questions, therefore, Im part of the mix at this point because I dared to ask for an audit to see if our laws were being followed or not.

Fann hired inexperienced consultants to run what she characterized as a forensic audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, which includes the Phoenix area. The review was led by Trump supporters who promoted his false narrative about election fraud and produced a report that supported President Joe Biden's victory in the county but raised discredited allegations of wrongdoing.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Officials with Tulsa Public Schools say theyre cooperating with local law enforcement after finding nearly $20,000 in contract management irregularities within a department.

Based on what was found during the review process, Superintendent Deborah Gist said Thursday the irregularities were tied to one vendor contract on the operations side of the Talent Management Department. The contract in question was paid for with funds from a single philanthropic donor and did not involve any public money.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Gist declined to name any of the parties involved but did say the contracts body of work has been stopped and that no students were involved. Additionally, one employee is no longer with the district due to the matter.

The irregularities allegedly happened more than two years ago but were brought to the administrations attention only within the last month.

After internal discussions among district officials and a review by an outside attorney, Gist said, the findings were turned over to the Tulsa County District Attorneys Office on Monday.

However, a spokeswoman for the District Attorneys Office said the office had not received a police report on the matter as of the close of business Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon, school board President Stacey Woolley said she had not received any requests for specific action from other board members in light of the allegations.

Although school districts are subject to an annual third-party audit, both District 4 representative ELena Ashley and District 6 representative Jerry Griffin have previously called for a forensic audit of TPS finances. Individual school board members do not have the statutory authority to make such a request.

This board will continue to focus on achieving the best outcomes for our students while making sure that were holding Dr. Gist accountable for taking the appropriate action, Woolley said. Its easy to get bogged down in other things, but our job is to hold her responsible while also keeping our eyes on the ball.

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After months of pushback from a small but persistent group of Tulsans, the city is removing four 5G wireless communications poles from the Walnut Creek neighborhood, it said Wednesday.

Moving forward, the city will do everything it can to have the small cell units installed on light poles instead, it said in a prepared statement.

After extensive discussions between city officials, small cell companies, neighborhood leaders, and certain members of the Tulsa City Council, we were able to produce a remedy in the Walnut Creek neighborhood area that involved the removal of four small cell poles while allowing for the co-location of those small cells on new poles in existing street light pole locations in the area, the statement says.

Shelli Landon, who led the effort to get the 5G poles removed, joined Walnut Creek residents Wednesday for a press conference celebrating the news. Walnut Creek is in the 85th Place and Harvard Avenue area.

Our main thing today was to thank the city officials, (Councilor) Jeannie (Cue), the mayor, the people down there at stormwater, the utilities, whoever finally made the decision to finally listen to all of us corporately, the whole team working together, Landon said. Thank you.

Cue said she was grateful to Mayor G.T. Bynum and Streets and Stormwater Director Terry Ball for their efforts to address residents concerns.

It just takes a team, Cue said. We can get things done working together.

But Landon stressed that the citys action, while appreciated, is not enough.

We also got together to tell them that now that we have 5G out of here, we dont want a switcheroo if theyre just going to put it up on light poles that already exist, because the 5G signals are dangerous, Landon said.

Landon, who has said shes a cancer survivor, is concerned about the potential health risks the 5G cells could present and their potential to decrease property values.

Cue shares Landons concerns about the potential effect on property values, and she said shes frustrated that residents have not received prior notice from telecommunications companies before the poles are installed.

Landon said she wants to see fiber optic technology used, instead.

Fiber optics has no ill effects from the radiation factors, and it doesnt disturb the property value, and it is a faster delivery technology for the internet, she said. So we are asking everybody to download this form from petition5g.org; fill it out; notarize it if you can.

According to the American Cancer Society, there is no strong evidence that radio frequency waves from cellphone towers cause cancer.

However, this does not mean that the RF waves from cell phone towers have been proven to be absolutely safe, the organizations website states. Most expert organizations agree that more research is needed to help clarify this, especially for any possible long-term effects.

The city of Tulsa has limited authority over where telecommunications companies install 5G towers, but it does issue permits before the devices are installed.

As of February, the city had permitted 350 small cell device locations, with another 25 pending. At that time, AT&T, Verizon, Mobilitie and U.S. Cellular had applied for permits to install poles.

The city has no plans to remove any other existing 5G poles. City officials say the plan moving forward is to co-locate 5G cells where street lights already exist.

City Councilor Phil Lakin visited the site of a 5G tower in his district on Wednesday and said he was troubled by the size of the poles and where they have been installed.

I know this new technology has advantages and that there are federal and state statutes largely regulating 5G service, but I have to say that very few people in Tulsa would want this pole standing in their front yard, he said. Its the size of a telephone pole and sits almost 8 feet from the curb.

Im going to continue to push the city and state to find ways to prevent new utilities like this from being added in neighborhoods above ground.

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A Tulsa County special judge and assistant district attorney remain in the running for a district judge position after edging out a private attorney in their Tuesday primary.

Out of about 75,500 total votes cast for the 12th judicial office of Oklahomas District 14, Special Judge Tanya Wilson received 33,449 or 44.3%, and Assistant District Attorney Kevin Gray received 30,018 or 39.7%. Todd Tucker, of the Welsh & McGough law firm, received about 12,070 or 16%.

Wilson and Gray will advance to the November general election in the nonpartisan race.

District 14, which serves Tulsa and Pawnee counties, has 14 judicial offices; two are being contested.

Wilson and Gray are competing for Office 13, which was vacated in March after Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed former District Judge William Musseman to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

District Judge Martha Rupp Carter will vacate Office 12 upon her retirement, and Special Judge David Guten and private attorney Kyle Alderson are campaigning for the seat.

Both Wilson and Gray said they were enthused by their numbers and pleased to advance to the general election, which Gray said was always the goal in the race of three.

Anytime you have 30,000-plus of your citizens choose you, Gray said, thats a high honor.

Although the candidates have many similarities  both lifelong Tulsans are graduates of Booker T. Washington High School and the University of Tulsa  each drew on different strengths they would bring to the table.

Gray currently heads the homicide team of the Tulsa County District Attorneys Office and said in his 11 years serving as an assistant district attorney, he has gone to trial 94 times in almost every type of criminal case, including 56 times in homicides, which is more than any prosecutor in the state in the last decade.

His experience sets him apart as a candidate, he said, for the office hes running for will be a trial position, and hes spent a good deal of time absorbing and applying pertinent case law to issues that arise at trial.

Although he loves his current position, Gray said hes keen on taking on a new challenge, and he believes his skills will transfer well to the judicial bench.

The role of a prosecutor is to advocate for the state of Oklahoma and to secure justice for both victims and their families and the defendants as well, he said. I think (the latter is) also the role of a judge  not to win, but to get it right, to be just and to be fair.

Its a reputation Gray believes hes developed through personal practice and treating people with dignity and respect.

Gray also spoke of his love of public service and of Tulsa, encouraging voters to invest in their research to select the best candidate for a role of such incredible power and extraordinary public trust thats often forgotten in the background of residents otherwise busy lives.

A special judge for two years, Wilson also has an 11-year background at the DAs office but says her current position and time spent as a defense attorney in private practice affords her well-rounded experience  the ability to see a case from both sides and manage a docket.

Selected by the district judges, special judges handle misdemeanor trials, small claims, protective orders, etc., while district judges take on challenges such as felony cases and major civil trials.

Wilson currently presides over preliminary hearings, which could be described as mini-trials where she hears from both sides, makes rulings on case law and determines whether a case against a defendant is solid enough to continue on to trial before a district judge.

Before assuming the position in 2020, Wilson was the head of the juvenile division of the District Attorneys Office, and she said she still has a passion for helping deprived and neglected children.

She believes the role of district judge would give her a greater platform from which to serve her community.

I am currently a judge so I know part of the responsibilities, Wilson said. And people have already been able to see me, as a judge, handle cases; (to see) my temperament and ability to be fair and impartial.

The general election will be Nov. 8.

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With a new but not unexpected uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations, Saint Francis Health System officials spoke Thursday about variants, vaccines for children and vulnerability.

Because society has basically returned back to what looks and feels much more like what was normal pre-COVID, that just puts us all at risk for transmission, CEO Cliff Robertson said, given that these new variants occur and prior immunity ... may not be as effective.

Infections and active cases of COVID-19 have been increasing steadily in Oklahoma since late May, with hospitalizations due to COVID-19 also creeping upward. State health officials on Thursday reported 29 COVID-19 pediatric cases requiring hospital care.

Children 4 and younger represent 4.7% of new COVID hospitalizations (17) in the past 90 days, according to the most recent weekly epidemiological report from the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Active cases around the state, almost 12,000 now across Oklahoma, are up 250% since school let out for the summer. The three-day average for hospitalizations is up to 206 in Oklahoma, 59 in Tulsa.

The issue around why were now seeing an uptick ... around the country we have begun to travel more, we are not isolating, socially distancing like we used to, Robertson said Thursday.

Most new hospitalizations and fatal cases of COVID-19 are in patients 65 and older, which Robertson said was a positive sign compared with previous surges with hospitalized patients skewing younger.

Saint Francis Director of Pharmacy Services David Donald spoke about newly approved vaccines for patients younger than 5.

Federal regulators earlier in June approved, and CDC officials recommended, Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old.

Children younger than 5 may experience pain and redness at the injection site, fever, headaches, chills and muscle pain. These reactions mean the childrens immune systems are working to protect them, health officials say.

Some children and teens experience no side effects, but serious side effects, although rare, are possible. Parents should contact their primary care provider if they have any specific concerns about side effects from a vaccination.

Vaccines may not prevent infection, Donald said, but they have been proven effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization and deaths from COVID-19. About 15,000 Oklahomans have died from the novel coronavirus, according to federal data.

CDC data suggests hospitalization rates related to the omicron variant is five times higher for patients 4 and younger, he said.

Donald said an FDA subcommittee is now evaluating whether omicron or another subvariant should be incorporated into fall booster vaccines.

If you still dont pick the perfect variant, almost always you get protection from severe disease with any COVID vaccine, he said, and thats what were seeing with omicron right now.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  A long-time member of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission says he is going to sue the s- out of Gov. Kevin Stitt after the governor ordered the Purple Heart recipient, along with a retired general, dismissed from the commission.

Its unclear whether Larry Van Schuyver, 66, can make much of a case against the governor, but Thursdays dismissals have him and other veterans  including several in the Legislature  steamed.

Van Schuyver and Paul Costilow, 76, were chairman and vice chairman of the commission, which oversees the states veterans programs and hires and fires the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs executive director. The two had supported Executive Director Joel Kintsels unsuccessful challenge of Stitt in this weeks Republican gubernatorial primary.

The commission reportedly upset Stitt earlier this year when it refused to get rid of Kintsel after it became known that he intended to run for governor.

Both Mr. Costilow and Mr. Van Schuyver were appointed by Governor Stitt and served at the pleasure of the governor. We wish them the best in their next endeavor, Stitt spokeswoman Kate Vesper said in response to an inquiry about the dismissal.

I need something from the governor that says they were fired because they werent doing their job, said state Sen. J.J. Dossett, D-Owasso, co-chairman of the Legislative Veterans Caucus. I dont think (such a reason) exists.

Several members of the Veterans Caucus, including Dossett, said retribution for Kintsels entering the governors race seems the only reason for dismissing the two commission members.

I believe it is abuse of power, Kintsel said. And it is nothing more than political retaliation. As Oklahomans, we are better than this. This does not reflect Oklahoma values to do something like this.

Stitt has changed out five of the nine commissioners, Kintsel said.

The purpose of that is to terminate my employment, so it is coming, said Kintsel, who has held the post for nearly three years and has been with the agency about four years.

Van Schuyver called Stitt a narcissist and a bully. He said he believes that Stitts actions are ethics and civil rights violations.

We are going to sue the s- out of him, Van Schuyver said.

Costilow thinks he was dismissed because he is good friends with Kintsel.

And that is his right to terminate me, he said.

Van Schuyver said he had received about 50 phone calls Friday morning about the issue, including those from lawmakers who were upset about it.

Is it about working with veterans, or is it political? asked state Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, a combat veteran. To many, it looks political. It looks petty.

West said Van Schuyver and Costilow were doing a good job and should have been allowed to complete their current three-year terms.

Others in the 22-member Veterans Caucus summarized the situation similarly, though not all wanted to be quoted.

They were supportive outwardly of Joel running for governor, said Dossett. I get whats going on, but I dont like it.

The lawmakers said they are concerned that the commission will lose the cohesiveness and focus that has helped Oklahoma achieve a reputation for being one of and perhaps the best state in the country for veterans assistance.

They say the administration has not always worked closely with the Veterans Caucus on veterans issues and that there has been some tension over Stitts new secretary of veterans affairs, John Nash, in part because of a disagreement over whether Nash has presented the documents necessary to prove he was honorably discharged from the military.

Dossett said he voted against Nashs confirmation because he did not believe the paperwork presented is complete.

I want to believe him, said Dossett. He seems like a good guy.

Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, said Nash provided all of the necessary paperwork required for confirmation. She is vice chairwoman of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.

The nine members of the Veterans Commission serve without pay and are appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate. The commission is structured so that the various veterans organizations are represented at all times.

Kintsel was asked about what will be next in his career.

I have several options that are not ready for prime time, Kintsel said. I will land on my feet. I will continue serving the people of Oklahoma in some way.

Featured: October 2021 video of VA hospital groundbreaking in Tulsa

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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
OKLAHOMA CITY  Gov. Kevin Stitts appointee who has led Oklahomas school land office for two years tendered his resignation Thursday amid allegations of self-dealing and misappropriation of taxpayer funds.

At the start of Thursdays meeting of the Commissioners of the Land Office, Secretary Elliot Chambers announced that he had tendered his resignation to Stitt effective Aug. 3.

Neither he nor Stitt, who thanked Chambers for his service to the agency, addressed the controversy.

The governor declined to take questions after the meeting.

A day earlier, it was revealed that both Stitt and State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who both serve as land office commissioners, had requested new official responses to the allegations against Chambers.

Hofmeister said a second whistleblower has come forward. In light of that, she had issued requests for a law enforcement investigation and a call for Chambers resignation from the low-profile state agency that oversees $2.7 billion in real estate and other investments to support public education.

Also, State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrds office said Wednesday that it had just received a formal request from the governor for a financial and operational audit of the Commissioners of the Land Office.

In early June, a Tulsa World investigation revealed that an internal auditor at CLO had been fired less than a week after looking into conflict-of-interest concerns raised by another top employee about their boss, Chambers.

Primary concerns reported internally at CLO in early December concerned a company called Victorum Capital, which was being paid by the CLO as a consultant on investments. Later in December, Victorums role at CLO was expanded to also manage those direct investments with state funds.

The CLOs now former internal auditor reported being told that CLO Secretary Chambers had a personal investment relationship with Victorum that had never been disclosed to the five commissioners of the Land Office.

The CLO board is chaired by Stitt; Hofmeister, Byrd, Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and Agriculture Secretary Blayne Arthur are also members.

Arthur was absent from Thursdays meeting.

On the agenda were annual contract renewals for investment managers, including Victorum, which prompted an in-depth conversation.

Pinnell made a motion to approve the dozen or so contracts, with the renewal for Victorum being only temporary for 60 days so that CLO could issue a request for proposals to replace the company with a different investment manager.

Hofmeister said she could not support even a temporary renewal for Victorum. She asked pointed questions about why staff members had canceled previously scheduled board meetings in May and on June 10, forcing the board to decide such an important matter on the final day of the fiscal year.

Its a predicament, she said. Here we are in the last hour.

Byrd asked whether the current investment management contracts include contingencies that would keep them valid if the board did not vote to renew them before Day 1 of a new fiscal year.

General counsel Bennett Abbott said he did not know the answer.

Stitt asked if not renewing Victorums contract would simply liquidate the investments it was managing and return them automatically to the states portfolio.

Byrd commented: I have concerns there could be adverse effects.

Ultimately the vote on Pinnells motion carried, 3-1, with Hofmeister casting the lone no vote.

Hofmeister, who won the Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday, is challenging Stitt in his reelection bid. The governor won his Republican primary on Tuesday, and the pair will appear on the November general election ballot.

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Andrea Eger Staff Writer I'm a projects reporter, examining key education topics and other local issues. Since joining the Tulsa World in 1999, I have been a three-time winner of Oklahomas top award for investigative reporting by an individual. Phone: 918-581-8470 Follow Andrea Eger 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
Those watching the Jan. 6 hearings have seen a methodical retelling of what happened when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on the day Congress was certifying the election of his successor, Joe Biden.

Most of us know the basic details of Jan. 6, 2021. Trump held a rally at the Ellipse near the White House; rally attendees marched to the Capitol, swamped Capitol police and broke into the building while the certification process was underway.

Five people died, and many more were injured. Members of Congress were evacuated, as was then-Vice President Mike Pence. Parts of the building were ransacked, vandalized and defaced. So far, hundreds of people have been charged and some jailed for what happened.

The allegations against them are clear. Plenty of evidence from security footage, social media and other sources has landed rioters in court. But the biggest questions have been who directed the attack, and how much Trump and his inner circle were involved.

Previous testimony hinted at that. Tuesdays testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson was far less vague. Her words painted a direct picture in which Trump, his chief of staff and several associates were willing participants in an effort to overturn his election defeat by force.

Hutchinson is like many of the witnesses who have come before the House select committee investigating the riot. While the panel has been criticized by conservatives for having too few Republicans, the vast majority of witnesses who have testified before it are from the GOP ranks.

In Hutchinsons case, shes done work for Trump allies like U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz before landing a gig as an aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Shes no closet liberal, and working for Trump takes her out of the never Trumper ranks that the former president derides.

Right up until the riot, Hutchinson was a true believer. But what she saw and heard changed that.

In the days before Jan. 6, she was told by her boss, Meadows, that things might get real, real bad that day. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said it was going to be a great day and were going to the Capitol. Meadows admission to Hutchinson and Giulianis anticipation of Jan. 6 indicated that the White House had prior knowledge of what would transpire.

On the day of the riot, Secret Service and police radio traffic indicated that many of the rally attendees were armed, some with firearms. Armed Trump supporters who werent carrying guns were wearing helmets and body armor while carrying blunt weapons, bladed weapons, pepper spray and flag poles fashioned into spears.

The White House was told this. When armed supporters were prevented from getting too close to the stage where Trump was going to speak, the president became angry, saying they were not here to hurt me and that I dont f-g care that they have weapons, Hutchinson said.

These revelations showed an expectation of armed supporters bent on using force to stop the elections certification.

The fact that Trump wanted to go with them to the Capitol and deliver a speech there showed he expected some sort of payoff from the attack. What he planned to say is unknown. But he was persuaded to go back to the White House, mostly by aides who warned him that marching to the Capitol with the rioters could have serious criminal consequences.

On that note, there has been pushback to some of Hutchinsons testimony about what happened inside the presidents vehicle immediately following the rally.

Hutchinson related a story shed been told about how Trump tried to wrest control of the vehicle when he was told by the Secret Service that they wouldnt take him to the Capitol; media reports state that former White House deputy chief of staff for operations Tony Ornato and the driver, Bobby Engel, are willing to testify under oath to dispute that.

This detail, while compelling, is not the heart of Tuesdays testimony. Even if Trump had sat down in the back of his ride and quietly gone back to the White House, the revelations about the run-up to the riots would still stand.

What happened during the attack is disturbing. Hutchinson testified that Meadows said Trump didnt think theyre doing anything wrong when told of the protesters violence at the Capitol. When the calls to hang Pence were relayed to the West Wing, Meadows told aides that Trump thinks Mike deserves it, Hutchinson testified.

All that because Pence refused to go outside the law on Trumps behalf. It took hours for aides to convince a reluctant Trump to ask rioters to disperse.

Revelations from Hutchinsons testimony, combined with Trump associate Roger Stones ties to the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers  two groups that seemingly led the Capitol attack  depict something far darker than an emotional rally that got out of hand.

Instead, you see something much closer to what many have been saying all along: that the Capitol riot was a top-down plot to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next, all on the pretext of a myth that the 2020 election was fraudulently swayed to kick Trump out of office.

Any claims of misinterpreted figurative speech are evaporating, as is plausible deniability. Whether Trump or anyone in his inner circle face consequences for that is unknown. But it will be interesting to see if future hearings bolster the explosive claims made in Tuesdays testimony.

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When I was a kid in school, I rarely asked questions. I was afraid everyone would think the question was silly, because they got it and I didnt.

It turns out, I wasnt alone. Lots of kids are afraid.

You can repeat There are no stupid questions until you are blue in the face, but many students still wont trust themselves or the reaction of others enough to participate.

Its a cliche worth repeating: Each child is unique, with their own qualities and, yes, learning habits and abilities.

It would be great if each student could be taught in their preferred style. But they cannot. Often, teachers have classes with 15, 25 or 30 different learning styles.

To ask a teacher to tailor instruction to each kid would be absurd.

So if Oklahoma wont fund a smaller student-teacher ratio, should teachers simply expect kids to buck up and conform their learning styles to the norm? Most parents would say no (or perhaps yes until their child has problems in school, then no).

All parents want their kids to be that student who understands the lecture immediately, who knows how to learn and who feels comfortable asking questions if they dont understand.

But most of them are not, and when they fall behind, the parents (especially those without the time or strength to motivate or help their child) will expect the teacher, the school and the district to remediate.

Indeed, when critics say public schools are failing, they point to their failure to reach the kids who are not engaged, not those who catch on quickly.

So if teachers cannot tailor their approach to each child or allow them to fail, how do schools succeed?

Simply put, we expect teachers to motivate students to participate, learn and thrive. My best teachers made me feel welcome to ask questions to draw out my understanding. It worked for me, someone with divorce in the family but otherwise with caring parents who motivated me to work hard.

Imagine a kid with an abusive or apathetic parent at home, no exposure to an environment of active learning, with depression or anxiety, a lack of confidence in themselves or other things that block them from actively learning?

So it strikes me as hypocritical when politicians and activists (many of whom criticize public schools day in and day out) spend campaign dollars, time and energy attacking schools and teachers for deploying the very tools needed to spark student participation.

When schools  like many high-quality businesses  emphasize inclusion and diversity and emotional learning, they arent deploying some sort of kumbaya for civil rights; they are doing what it takes for Oklahomas families to win.

Everyone  parents, school board members, city and state government  wants to see each child succeed. Kids who succeed will invent things, create businesses and jobs, form a stronger military and culture and make their parents proud.

To educate our children and propel them to success, our schools should challenge those who already succeed in school, assist struggling students and encourage the unengaged. That requires strong teachers, smaller classes and a strategy to engage the unengaged kids by identifying what blocks and motivates them and welcoming their participation.

You dont have to be an ally or a bleeding-heart liberal to see that Oklahoma has a strong interest in drawing out all the best that our students can offer.

Teachers can and should welcome kids with different backgrounds and identities, without being maliciously accused of indoctrinating the class in those identities.

Training teachers and administrators how to reach your individual child with the limited resources that Oklahoma provides is the least our government can do to propel children to success.

Featured video:

Adam Kupetsky is a former member of the Tulsa World Community Advisory Board and public school advocate.

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Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have proposed the construction of a US$6 billion international transshipment port in outlying Can Gio District.

The proposal was made by chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Phan Van Mai in his document sent to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Thursday.

The investment into the port was originally suggested by MSC Group  the world's largest shipping group, Vietnam Maritime Corporation, and Saigon Port.

The project is expected to have about 7.2 kilometers of wharves and cost approximately $6 billion.

The port will be able to receive the world's largest container ship, which can carry 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers, while its capacity will be around 10-15 million TEUs.

The implementation of the project will be divided into seven phases, with the developers hoping that the first phase will be initiated in 2024 and put into operation in 2027.

The final phase is expected to be put to use in 2040.

The existing Can Gio wharf is located at the mouth of Cai Mep River, a location with favorable natural conditions in terms of channel depth on an international maritime route, according to the Ho Chi Minh City administration.

The wharf can accommodate container ships measuring up to 250,000DWT (24,000 TEUs).

This area has the perfect conditions to form an international transshipment container port, creating a competitive advantage for Vietnam against other countries in the region and a breakthrough in the marine economic development of Ho Chi Minh City and the whole country.

The municipal Peoples Committee requested the prime minister to charge the Ministry of Transport with assisting the metropolis in assessing the advantages, opportunities, and ability to meet the requirements needed for the construction of the port.

The administration also suggested that the premier make necessary adjustments to the long-term plan so that the project can start within the 2021-30 period.

The volume of goods through Ho Chi Minh Citys seaports is anticipated to increase five percent during the 2021-25 period, the administration added.

The early implementation of container port projects is necessary to meet the current and future import-export needs of Ho Chi Minh City and the southern key economic region in general.

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After suffering severe burns across his face as a child, Ngo Quy Hai, a 27-year-old from Vietnams Central Highlands, has managed to shed the physical and emotional burden of his injury and become the successful owner of Sunhouse Coffee  a well-known pastry shop in Plei Kan Town, Ngoc Hoi District, Kon Tum Province.

Hai burned his face when he was just a few months old after falling out of a walker and landing face first on a boiling pot of porridge.

His parents rushed him to Childrens Hospital No. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City where he received medical treatment for almost two years.

While doctors at the hospital were able to save Hais life, his injuries left him so scary that other children refused to play with him.

Hais parents pulled him out of school as a first grader to keep him from being bullied by other children and the result was that Hai became a recluse, worried that strangers would tease him for his injuries.

Hai eventually made friends with Hoang Xuyen, a neighborhood boy who was born deaf and mute, and the two were able to bond over their disabilities.

When they turned 10, Hai and Xuyen found themselves captivated by the cakes on display at a bakery in Kon Tum City, the capital of the namesake province.

We were so excited by the cakes because we had only ever really stayed at home our whole lives, Hai said.

All we could do was to stop and stare because the cakes were so expensive.

We spent the next two months saving up our money so that we could revisit the shop and buy a cake.

When we finally had enough money to buy one, we tried to go to the shop but the parking attendant wouldnt let me in because of my face.

When the parking attendant finally let us in, a staffer at the shop kicked us out.

All we could do was cry and go home.

I felt depressed but also promised myself that I would one day open a pastry shop so I could serve disabled customers like myself.

14 surgeries

Hais life changed in 2016 when an acquaintance introduced him to Interplast-Germany, a German charity that was working with Hue Central Hospital in central Vietnam to provide free plastic surgery for patients with facial deformities, cleft lips, and cleft palates.

Ngo Quy Hai after surgery in Germany

Because Hais case was so severe, Interplast-Germany decided to bring him to DiaKonie Krankenhaus Hospital in Germany where they treated his facial scarring for six months, free of charge.

Had he been asked to foot the bill, the cost of his treatment would have totaled 300,000 euro (US$317,800).

My family was happy because my younger brother was able to receive medical treatment, but we were all anxious as we couldnt join him," Hais brother, Ngo Quy Hung, said.

We had already sold all our land to pay for his past medical costs.

We worried about him being alone overseas, but we were lucky because there was a kind Vietnamese woman living in Germany who helped to take care of him.

Hai still remembers the day he had his first surgery in Germany.

It was snowy and bitterly cold outside, he recounted.

After the first surgery, I was put into a coma for 21 days," Hai said.

My entire face, except for my eyes, nose, and mouth was bandaged. I started to imagine my post-surgery face and the day I would no longer suffer from discrimination.

Then came a wave of homesickness. I missed my parents. I spent the following days living in hope that my face would return to its normal state.

After 14 surgeries and six months of treatment, my face was still full of scars but no longer attached to my chest.

"I was able to move much more easily.

Hai finished treatment in Germany at the end of 2016 and returned home confident that it was time to begin his dream of opening a bakery shop.

Learning to read at the age of 23

Upon his return to Vietnam, Hai found it difficult to gain admission to vocational schools, primarily because he had never learned to read.

He eventually got connected with the KOTO humanitarian vocational training center in Hanoi, where he studied until 2:00 or 3:00 am each night to catch up on the schooling he had missed.

Nguyen Thi Huong, a classmate of Hai at KOTO, said, It took quite a while for Hai to open up to the rest of the class.

"As we talked to him more, we found out just how hilarious he is."

After graduation, both Hai and Huong moved to Ho Chi Minh City to look for jobs.

Ngo Quy Hai once ran his bakery alone when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak in Vietnam. Photo: Van Huong / Tuoi Tre

Hai was first offered a job at a restaurant in District 7.

He then moved to a European restaurant and, over the next two years, worked hard to build up his confidence in the job.

Still, he eventually became exhausted from the hustle and bustle of city life and chose to return home.

I loved the peaceful atmosphere in my hometown so I decided to come back to Kon Tum in April last year so that I could be closer to my family and hopefully fulfill my dream of opening a bakery, Hai said.

With his savings and his familys support, Hai opened a small shop selling cakes and drinks on Hung Vuong Street.

His small business, however, met trouble when COVID-19 gradually pulled customers away from his shop.

I hope my life story encourages disabled people like me to look on the bright side and love their lives, Hai said.

Desire to pay it forward Hai shared that he wants to learn how to make more types of cakes and drinks so that he can attract more customers. He plans to offer assistance to other disabled people once his work becomes more stable. Hai and his friends have also formed a charity group named Sunhouse that provides support to orphaned and disadvantaged children in Kon Tum.

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The UK and the European Commission (EC) have agreed to sign a proposal to Vietnamese government for setting up a partnership for energy transition between the group of seven developed economies (G7) and Vietnam, British Cabinet Office Minister Alok Sharma has stated.

The UK minister released the information at his meeting in London on Thursday with visiting Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, who arrived on Tuesday for a three-day visit at the invitations of Speaker of the UK House of Lords John McFall and Speaker of the House of Commons of the UK Lindsay Hoyle, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Minister Sharma told Hue that Britain PM Boris Johnson and EC President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to sign a letter to Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh proposing the establishment of a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) between G7 and the Southeast Asian country.

Sharma, who is also the President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in Glasgow last year, expressed his impression at Vietnams determination in the transition to green and renewable energy.

He hoped the Vietnamese government would make political commitments in relation to this issue on the thresholds of the COP27.

The official also showed interest in bilateral cooperation in finance, regulation reform, and experience sharing in power transition as well as measures to promote the partnership in the future.

NA Chairman Hue welcomed G7s selection of Vietnam as one of the three prioritized countries to receive support to promote their energy transition processes to realize their commitments at COP26.

With the support of the international community, Vietnam is determined to implement the commitments, including the ambitious one to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050, Hue affirmed.

Vietnam will continue acting quickly, vigorously, and comprehensively, especially in the field of energy transition and infrastructure development in response to climate change, to fulfill its commitments, the NA leader pledged.

The commitments Vietnam made at COP26 are strong political ones showing the nations determination to respond to climate change, reduce emissions, and shift to a green and circular economy, as its contributions to the common efforts to maintain and protect the global climate, said the top Vietnamese legislator.

In order to ensure the implementation of these commitments, the Vietnamese legislature enhances its role in law-building and in budget supervision and allocation by institutionalizing such commitments, strengthening investment in research and development activities, using clean technologies, and speeding up green growth solutions, Hue told his host.

Like other developing countries, Vietnam is likely to face challenges on the way to realize its commitments, so support from international partners, including the UK, is very significant in the process, Hue said.

He asked the UK to continue to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate change response by assisting the Southeast Asian country in personnel training and providing it with financial and technical help to build a road map for the transition to green and renewable energy.

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The Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) handed over to U.S. agencies two sets of remains believed to belong to American soldiers who died during the war in Vietnam that ended in 1975.

The handover was conducted at a ceremony held at Da Nang International Airport on Thursday, during which the remains were received by representatives of the U.S. MIA (missing-in-action) Office in Hanoi and the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The remains were found during the 146th and 147th joint searches by the two countries held from February to June this year, the VNOSMP said.

After examining the remains, Vietnamese and American forensic specialists concluded that they might be associated with U.S. servicemen who were reported as missing in action in Vietnam in wartime, so a decision was made to transport them to Hawaii for further verification.

This was the 158th handover of remains since 1973, two years before the end of the war in Vietnam.

The search for the remains of missing U.S. soldiers from the war has been an ongoing humanitarian activity jointly conducted by the Vietnamese and U.S. governments since 1988.

The issue of MIA and prisoners of war (POW) was a major aspect of the process taken by the two countries to normalize diplomatic relations in 1995, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

POW/MIA-related activities have contributed to alleviating the grief and loss of American families whose loved ones went missing or died in Vietnam.

These activities also demonstrate the Vietnamese peoples spirit of love for peace and reconciliation in leaving the past behind to strengthen the friendship between the two peoples and contribute to the aforementioned normalization of diplomatic ties.

The remains of more than 1,000 Americans have been repatriated to the U.S. from Vietnam since 1973, according to statistics released by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), under the U.S. Department of Defense, in January last year.

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Two Vietnamese artists, famous in Vietnam, were arrested in Spain last weekend due to an accusation of having raped a 17-year-old British girl, according to reports by British and Spanish newspapers.

The two, an actor and a musician aged 37 and 42, appeared in court on Tuesday, according the Majorca Daily Bulletin, a local newspaper of the holiday island of Majorca, where the sex attack was said to have taken place.

They were released on bail, but their passports were withdrawn.

The British girl gave a statement to the court, verifying what she had reported to police officers.

Accordingly, the two men were staying at a hotel in Sant Elm.

The girl and her family were at a different hotel.

They met at a restaurant on Friday night last week.

They struck up a conversation and drank together.

Some time later, the three went to the beach, where they began to get intimate.

They then went to the hotel room of one of the men, which was where the alleged rape took place.

The girl explained to officers that the two men, after forcing her to have sex, made her to take a shower to eliminate evidence.

The girl then told her aunt what had happened.

A patrol went to their hotel and she was examined later at Son Espases Hospital.

The girl and her family left Majorca later on Tuesday.

Respected island newspaper Ultima Hora of Majorca reported the alleged rapists are an actor and a musician with a long professional career in Vietnam.

Neither of the two men arrested has yet been named, according to British news site Daily Mail.

They have also been banned from leaving Spain.

Spanish reports said the two artists declined to answer questions when they appeared before the investigating judge shortly after their arrests.

It is unclear weather the 37-year-old actor and the 42-year-old musician held over the alleged sex attack had been on holiday in Majorca or had traveled to the island for business reasons.

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A disaster rescue officer managed to handle a serious flooding situation to take more than 100 students stranded at an isolated school to safety in the northern Vietnamese province of Tuyen Quang on Wednesday.

A heavy rain submerged 38 houses and a large area of crops in water and swept nine buffaloes away in Tuyen Quangs Lam Binh District in the small hours of that day, according to the committee for natural disaster prevention and search and rescue of Lam Binh District.

The premises of Lam Binh Ethnic Minority Boarding Middle School and Lam Binh High School, which are located in a low area near a stream, were most affected and deep under water.

The flooding situation confined more than 100 students to the schools dormitory and caused a panic among them.

Upon receiving a report on the incident at the Lam Binh School, Quan Ngoc Hoang, a private of the firefighting and disaster rescue division under the Tuyen Quang Department of Public Security, immediately hit the road to reach the school though it was 3:00 am during his day off.

Private Quan Ngoc Hoang after rescuing more than 100 students stranded at the flooded Lam Binh Ethnic Minority Boarding Middle School and Lam Binh High School in Lam Binh District, Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam, June 29, 2022. Photo: Truong Thanh / Tuoi Tre

Hoang had to swim through the fast-flowing water multiple times to access the location to carry out rescue work.

With experience and professional skills, Hoang first reassured the students before guiding and bringing all of them to safe places.

The private then went on to assist in moving the schools properties to dry places and cleaning work.

The committee for natural disaster prevention and search and rescue of Lam Binh District said that tasks to overcome the consequences of the heavy rain on Wednesday continued on Thursday.

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On 60 Minutes this Sunday, military presence in the region, plus a Billy Joel profile.

Too Close to Home

At its closest point the distance between Australia and the Solomon Islands is just under two thousand kilometres. Being so near is why Canberra is so worried about the deals the small Pacific nation is signing with China. It means the once inconceivable idea of a Chinese military base being built right on our doorstep has become a very real possibility. And now theres another potential threat that must be considered. Beijing is also cosying up to Papua New Guinea, a country of immense strategic significance. As Tom Steinfort reports, at its closest point PNG is less than five kilometres from us.

Reporter: Tom Steinfort

Producers: Garry McNab, Sheree Gibson

Feelin Alright

As brash and bold as most New Yorkers are, few can pull off the swagger quite like Billy Joel. Even fewer can match him for talent. It might be difficult to believe, but the Piano Man has been belting out hits and performing sold-out concerts for five decades now. That makes him an undisputed rock n roll legend. However, as Liz Hayes discovers, these days theres something different about Billy. No one needs to worry  hes still in the mood for a melody, and hes definitely still got us feelin alright. But Billy Joel has also had a rather remarkable transformation.

Reporter: Liz Hayes

Producers: Madeleine Apps, Renee Hudson

8:50pm Sunday on Nine.
10 has confirmed the final episode of Neighbours will screen on 10 -as well as 10 Peach- and on a new date: Thursday July 28.

This brings the finale forward from the original date Monday August 1st.

It isnt clear if this means Australia will see the final scenes ahead of the UK.

Below is the video which screened to cast and media earlier this week, which brought some to tears

After 37 years, 8903 episodes, countless marriages, deaths, births and disasters, its time to say goodbye to Neighbours.

The history making final episode of Australias longest running drama, will be simulcast on 10 and 10 Peach on Thursday, July 28 at 7:30pm, in a gripping and emotional 90-minute finale.

Favourites from the past return to Ramsay St to celebrate with our Erinsborough locals. In a massive homecoming there will be something for everyone spanning all generations of viewers from the opening scene in 1985.

Dont miss an unmissable final week of Neighbours, which starts Monday, July 25.

Heres a look down memory lane, at some of our favourite Neighbours moments that made television history.

Monday, July 25 at 6:30pm on 10 Peach (90-minute episode)

Tuesday, July 26 at 6:30pm on 10 Peach (90-minute episode)

Wednesday, July 27 at 6:30pm on 10 Peach (90-minute episode)

Thursday, July 28 at 7:30pm on 10 and 10 Peach (90-minute finale)
China urges U.S. to stop suppression of Chinese firms

Xinhua) 08:22, July 01, 2022

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States should immediately correct its mistakes and stop sanctioning and suppressing Chinese enterprises, China's commerce ministry said Thursday.

Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, made the comments in response to recent U.S. moves to impose sanctions on relevant Chinese companies on excuses related to Russia, Iran, and military links at a press briefing.

In the name of "upholding international order," such actions are, in essence, practices of unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying, and are typically economic coercion, Shu said.

Such actions severely undermined international economic order and trade rules and threatened the stability of global industrial and supply chains. They also damaged the vital interests of enterprises globally, including Chinese and U.S. enterprises, Shu said. Shu noted that China firmly opposes them.

Shu said China would take necessary measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

"We hope that the United States could meet China halfway and do more things conducive to the stability of global industrial and supply chains and economic recovery," Shu said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen "grossly" misled Denmark when she announced that the country's entire mink population should be culled, a parliamentary commission has found.

In addition, the committee has concluded that the Danish government's actions in 2020 were "highly reprehensible".

Frederiksen had said that the country needed to kill around 15 million animals to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 variants.

But an investigation has found that she had no legal basis to issue the culling order, even though she may not have been aware of the legalities.

The committee's findings have opened the possibility for disciplinary cases to be brought against Frederiksen and several senior officials.

In 2020, Danish health authorities had warned that mutations of the coronavirus in mink could compromise the future efficacy of vaccines.

The government then abruptly approved an order to cull the country's entire population, devastating the largest fur industry in the European Union.

It was later revealed that the law only allowed Denmark to slaughter animals in an infected farm or region.

Millions of mink carcasses -- which had been rushed to two landfill sites -- were then dug up and incinerated due to pollution risks.

The scandal led to the resignation of Denmark's agriculture minister and raised questions over the government's handling of the pandemic.

The controversy was also heightened after it emerged that Frederiksen's text messages during the culling decision had been automatically deleted for apparent security reasons.

The Danish PM was summoned by the parliamentary committee to testify in December ahead of the final report, published on Thursday.

Story continues

Frederiksen has acknowledged her "mistakes" but has maintained that she was unaware that there was no law that allowed her to impose her decision.

She has also reiterated that decision to cull the mink was "taken on the basis of a very serious risk assessment".

The parliamentary committee has said that it had no duty to say whether Danish government ministers had acted intentionally or recklessly.

The country's parliament will now decide on any further disciplinary action, including possible impeachment -- a rare occurrence in Denmark.
2022 World Car Awards at the New York International Auto Show, in New York City

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co and its two affiliates plan to jointly set up a company in the United States to explore businesses, Hyundai Motor said on Thursday.

In May, Hyundai Motor Group said it plans to invest more than $10 billion in the United States by 2025 to strengthen collaboration with U.S. firms in advanced technology.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
President Biden said Thursday that the Supreme Court's decision ending a constitutional right to abortion is destabilizing and that he supports changing Senate rules to codify nationwide abortion protections. He maintained the ruling does not affect U.S. standing on the world stage as he took credit for modernizing the NATO alliance to adapt to new threats from Russia and China.

Biden was speaking to reporters at the conclusion of a five-day foreign trip to huddle with North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies in Madrid and the leaders of the Group of 7 advanced democratic economies in the Bavarian Alps, which came as the nation was still grappling with the fallout from Friday's Supreme Court decision.

America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been, Biden said. But one thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy.

He added: I could understand why the American people are frustrated because of what the Supreme Court did."

Biden said he would support changing the Senate filibuster rules, which require 60 votes to pass most legislation, to allow a bill extending nationwide abortion protections to pass by simple majority, but he said it would likely require voters to send additional Democratic senators to Washington to get done.

The three-day NATO summit included the Biden administration announcing plans to permanently bolster the U.S. military presence in Europe, an agreement among Turkey, Finland and Sweden to pave the way for the Nordic nations to join NATO, and the alliance updating its strategic concept reflect that Chinas coercive policies are a challenge to the Western blocs interests.

I think we can all agree that this has been a historic NATO summit, Biden said.

He noted the last time NATO updated what is essentially its mission statement was 12 years ago, when Russia was characterized as a partner, and the document didnt even mention China.

Story continues

The world has changed, changed a great deal since then, Biden said. This summit was about strengthening our alliances, meeting the challenges of our world as it is today and the threats were going to face in the future, Biden said.

Biden also highlighted announcements at the G-7 meeting, including more economic and military assistance to Ukraine as it aims to beat back Russia's four-month invasion, and announcements on tougher sanctions meant to punish Moscow.

"We are going stick with Ukraine and all of the alliance is going to stick with Ukraine as long as it takes," Biden said. I dont know what it how its going to end, but it will not end with a Russian defeat of Ukraine in Ukraine."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The World Health Organization called on Friday for "urgent" action to prevent the spread of monkeypox in Europe, noting that cases had tripled in the region over the past two weeks.

"Today, I am intensifying my call for governments and civil society to scale up efforts... to prevent monkeypox from establishing itself across a growing geographical area," WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge said.

"Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn a corner in the race to reverse the ongoing spread of this disease."

Since early May, a surge in monkeypox cases has been detected outside West and Central African countries where the viral disease is endemic.

Ninety percent of all laboratory-confirmed cases registered worldwide -- or 4,500 infections -- are in Europe, Kluge said.

Thirty-one countries and areas have now reported infections.

Kluge said Europe remains at the centre of the expanding outbreak and the risk remains high.

The WHO does not think the outbreak currently constitutes a public health emergency of international concern but will review its position shortly, he said.

Most monkeypox infections so far have been observed in men who have sex with men, of young age and chiefly in urban areas, according to the WHO.

It is investigating cases of possible sexual transmission but maintains the disease is primarily spread through close contact.

Monkeypox is related to smallpox, which killed millions around the world every year before it was eradicated in 1980, but has far less severe symptoms.

The disease starts with a fever and quickly develops into a rash, with the formation of scabs. It is usually mild and typically clears up spontaneously after two to three weeks.

Britain has the highest number of reported cases to date -- 1,076 according to the UK authorities -- ahead of Germany (838), Spain (736), Portugal (365) and France (350), according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

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London's chief public health doctor Kevin Fenton on Thursday urged anyone with symptoms not to take part in the Pride march in the British capital at the weekend.

On Friday, the Danish laboratory Bavarian Nordic, the only laboratory manufacturing a licensed vaccine against monkeypox, announced a new shipment of 2.5 million doses to the United States.

US health authorities said Tuesday they were immediately releasing 56,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine -- five times the number distributed so far -- to areas of high transmission as part of a major escalation of the country's immunisation strategy.

The European Medicines Agency announced on Tuesday that it had begun reviewing a smallpox vaccine to extend its use against monkeypox.

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LAKELAND, Fla., July 01, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Publix announced its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 9 cents per share on its common stock.

The dividend will be payable Aug. 1, 2022, either through direct deposit or mailed as a check to stockholders of record as of the close of business July 15, 2022.

To elect direct deposit of dividends, visit corporate.publix.com/stock and click Publix Stockholder Online at the bottom of the page. After registering for a confidential online account, log in and select Dividends > Payment Preferences to elect direct deposit.

Direct deposit elections also can be made by completing the online Direct Deposit Authorization for Publix Stock Dividends form at corporate.publix.com/stock > Stockholder Resources > Forms. Print and sign the form as indicated, and then send it with a voided check to Publix stockholder services.

Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 230,000 associates, currently operates 1,296 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. For 25 consecutive years, the company has been recognized by Fortune as a great place to work. In addition, Publixs dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the companys newsroom at corporate.publix.com/newsroom.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005326/en/

Contacts

Maria Brous

(863) 680-5339
Welcome to Day 1 coverage of Event #65 $3,000 Freezeout No Limit Hold'em which will be taking place in the black section of the Paris Ballroom.

For players who have had a difficult summer so far this event could be a vital bankroll boost on the heels of the Main Event. Players start with 40,000 chips, but this is a freezeout, so there will be no second chances.

Defending champion Harvey Mathews is expected to be amongst the field today, but there is no confirmation if he will be dressed as a 1980's WWF Superstar.

Mathews outlasted 720 players and defeated Gabriel Andrade heads-up to win $371,914, the biggest recorded cash of his career and the coveted WSOP Gold Bracelet.

Cards will be in the air at 3 p.m. local time with 15 40-minute levels with a 15-minute break after every three levels. Late registration is available until the end of level nine which will be around 10.55 p.m. local time.

Make sure to stick with PokerNews for all of the latest action.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech near the headquarters of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service in Moscow

By Kevin Liffey

LONDON (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday said political pressure from the West was accelerating Belarus's integration with neighbouring Russia, which has been proceeding on and off for more than two decades.

"Unprecedented political and social pressure from the so-called collective West is pushing us to speed up the unification process: together to minimise the damage from the illegal sanctions, to make it simpler to master the output of required products, to develop new competencies, to expand cooperation with friendly countries," Putin told a bilateral forum.

The two Slavic neighbours signed a Union Treaty in 1997 that was intended to restore some of the close ties broken by the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But the enthusiasm of Belarus's autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, for closer political integration has waxed and waned, as has Belarus's economic dependence on its far bigger and wealthier cousin.

Lukashenko became more beholden to Moscow in late 2020, when Putin provided political and financial backing as he crushed a wave of anti-government protests triggered by a presidential election that the opposition said had been rigged.

In February, Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use Belarus as a launchpad for some of the Russian armoured columns that invaded Belarus's southern neighbour, Ukraine.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu last week said the two countries must take urgent joint measures to improve their defence capabilities and troops' combat-readiness.

Under the Union Treaty, each state remains sovereign, but grants the other's citizens residency and citizenship rights.

While the union has promoted economic integration, and provides for mutual defence in case of attack, efforts to establish a common currency failed almost two decades ago.

(Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
BEN TRE  A celebration for Vietnamese poet Nguyen inh Chieus 200th birthday has been held in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre.

Taking place at the Special National Monument of Nguyen inh Chieus Tomb and Memorial Site in An uc Commune, Ba Tri District, on Thursday night, the celebration was held in conjunction with UNESCO.

At the UNESCOs 41st General Assembly in Paris last November, 193 members approved a resolution to celebrate the Vietnamese poets birthday this year.

Opening the celebration, Chairman of the Ben Tre Province's People's Committee Tran Ngoc Tam reviewed the life and career of Nguyen inh Chieu.

His patriotic spirit, his determination to overcome difficulties and hardships inspired the revolutionary uprising ong Khoi in 1960, which played an important role in national liberation, he said.

Speaking at the celebration, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that Ben Tre Province has a close attachment with Nguyen inh Chieu.

Over the years, the provincial Party Committee and the people of Ben Tre have carried out many meaningful works to preserve and promote the cultural heritage left by Chieu.

In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great national poet and cultural icon Nguyen inh Chieu, we would like to express our pride, honouring his significant contributions to Vietnamese culture as well as to humanity, President Phuc said.

The President said the province should pay attention to applying modern information technology to research, teach and promote the works by Nguyen inh Chieu and digitalise his writings.

Also, on Thursday, UNESCO Chief Representative in Viet Nam Christian Manhart handed over a UNESCO Resolution honouring Nguyen inh Chieu, who is on the 2022-23 list of cultural figures and events of international significance.

According to Manhart, Chieus philosophies of peace, human love, and tolerance are in line with the philosophy and goals of UNESCO.

He was also an enthusiastic teacher who devoted his life to spreading knowledge to others. This is also one of UNESCOs missions  education, said Manhart.

The UNESCO Representative in Viet Nam said the poet was an inspiration not only for Vietnamese people but also for all mankind because he gained success despite being blind.

He symbolises hope for the disadvantaged, he added.

So far, UNESCO has commemorated the birth anniversaries of five Vietnamese historical figures: President Ho Chi Minh, educator Chu Van An, and poets Nguyen Du, Nguyen Trai and Nguyen inh Chieu.

Art performance portrays his life

Nguyen inh Chieus 200th birthday was celebrated with a special art performance depicting his life and career.

Directed by Le Quy Duong, the performance ao Sang Mai Giua oi (Morality Shines The Life) featured a repertoire presenting both the southern cultural identity and contemporary creativity.

Within this 45-minute performance, I want to portrait the poet as a great cultural icon representing mankind, but at the same time, someone who is straightforward and ordinary, close to his people and country, a devoted teacher, a whole-hearted doctor, and a lifelong patriot who aspired for independence, freedom and peace, Duong said.

The performance also presented a collection of ao dai (a traditional Vietnamese dress) by designer Yen Nhi.

The designer said that she got inspiration from the illustrations of the famous 19-century epic poem Luc Van Tien (The Tale of Luc Van Tien) by Chieu and published by the French School of Asian Studies.

On June 29, an international workshop was held in Ben Tre to discuss the life and career of Chieu. Cultural researchers from France, the US, Japan, India, China, and Russia participated.

Nguyen inh Chieu (1822-1888) was born in Binh Duong District, Gia inh Province (now District 1, HCM City). He was a great poet, enthusiastic teacher and a doctor in the South of Viet Nam in the second half of the 19th century, known for his nationalist and anti-colonial writings against the French.

He is best known for his prominent epic Luc Van Tien, written in nom (the old script) in the 1850s, which been translated into many different languages, including French, English and Japanese.  VNS
LONDON  Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong inh Hue had a meeting with UK Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab on June 30 as part of his official visit to the UK.

Raab said Hues visit was of significance as it contributes to promoting the UK-Viet Nam strategic partnership, especially legislative ties between the two countries.

He spoke highly of Viet Nams increasing role and position in the region and the world at large, stressing that the UK wants to boost cooperation with Viet Nam in various spheres, especially economy, trade, investment, national defence, security, education, justice and climate change response.

For his part, Hue affirmed the importance Viet Nam attaches to the bilateral relationship and emphasised that the Viet Nam-UK strategic partnership is developing strongly in various fields and at different levels.

The two sides shared the view that the relationship is now at an all-time high, though there still remains huge room for the two countries to advance it, especially at the time when Viet Nam and the UK have become strategic partners, signed a free trade agreement, and established many effective cooperation mechanisms, both bilateral and multilateral.

The political and diplomatic ties are also thriving in all channels, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, they said while agreeing to maintain the existing cooperation mechanisms.

For economic, trade and investment links, the pair said the results have yet to match the potential and expectations of both sides and held that the two countries should better optimise incentives of the bilateral trade deal to boost the economic ties after COVID-19, and cope with challenges regarding supply chains, and energy and food security.

Hue suggested the two sides create conditions for British firms to expand investment in Viet Nam, especially in green finance, pharmacy, health care, digital technology, education, start-up, innovation, infrastructure building, and clean energy.

The NA Chairman also called on the British government to further support the Vietnamese community in the host country.

Raab thanked Viet Nam for its support to the UK to become a dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and asked for Viet Nams support to soon join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Lauding the UKs role in the successful organisation of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) last year, Hue called on developed countries and international organisations to help Viet Nam with green finance, technology, renewable energy development and personnel training to achieve the commitments at the conference.

He also called for British investments in association with climate change response in Viet Nam.

The Vietnamese NA backs the government and will work to enhance its role and integrate the commitments into local laws to soon fulfil the set targets, the leader noted.

Applauding the signing of a letter of intent on a new memorandum of understanding on cooperation in legal and judicial issues, by the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice and its British counterpart, Hue said such collaboration creates a legal framework for partnerships in other areas.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern, and emphasised the significance of law observance, saying all countries must follow basic principles of international law and the UN Charter.

Sea-related issues should be addressed on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), they said.

Hue asked Raab to convey Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs invitation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to visit Viet Nam.

Also on June 30, the NA Chairman met with Home Secretary Priti Patel who lauded efforts by Vietnamese and British agencies in the signing of a memorandum of understanding on money-laundering prevention and control.

Hue spoke highly of the UKs support to many countries, including Viet Nam, in the fight against money laundering and terrorism.

Patel expressed her belief that Hues visit will promote not only the bilateral legislative ties but also cooperation in economy, trade and finance, including in the fight against financial and money laundering crimes, and illegal migrants.

They said Viet Nam and the UK should cooperate in handling common challenges like traditional security challenges and transnational crimes.

The UK side pledged to continue its assistance to Viet Nam in technology and training.

On this occasion, Hue witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of understanding on money-laundering prevention and control between Governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam Nguyen Thi Hong and Home Secretary Patel.  VNS
LONDON  The Vietnamese National Assembly supports the development of the Viet Nam-UK strategic partnership, which was established in 2010, said Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong inh Hue at the Viet Nam-UK Education Collaboration Forum held at Imperial College London on Thursday.

Addressing the forum, Hue said education was a leading national policy in Viet Nam, identified as one of the three breakthroughs in its socio-economic development strategy. Viet Nam spends 20 per cent of its national budget on education and training.

He said Viet Nam was determined to carry out international integration and promote foreign investment in education.

Viet Nam has attracted more than 500 foreign-funded educational projects worth US$4 billion in total. Despite challenges and difficulties, much room remains for investment in Viet Nams education sector, he said.

He said he hoped bilateral educational cooperation would get stronger and recommended the two sides step up exchanges of students and lecturers and collaboration of their universities.

He said the British Government continue to support English teaching and learning in Viet Nam, share related resources, and increase scholarships for Vietnamese students.

The NA Chairman said that Viet Nam would create all possible conditions for prestigious British schools to open branches in Viet Nam soon.

He asked the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to work closely with the UKs education body and universities association and the Vietnamese Embassy further to foster educational ties.

Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Commons Steve Smith said education was among the UKs top priorities in cooperation with Viet Nam. 12,000 Vietnamese students study in the UK, and there are 40 UK-funded education projects in Viet Nam.

He said the UK would Viet Nams efforts to strengthen English language training, develop the quality of English-language teachers, assess English proficiency, and digitise for more inclusive education.

Smith said the UK wanted to assist Viet Nams development of key industries such as science, technology and innovation.

In 2020, in a signed joint statement, the UK pledged to support the education reform strategy of the Vietnamese Government.

In April this year, the sides signed a memorandum of understanding for educational cooperation between the two countries focused on vocational training.  VNS
Waco police have charged a second suspect with murder in the April 3 shooting death of a Houston man at a party near Baylor University.

Waco detectives served Jaytron Damon Scott, 20, with a murder warrant while Scott was in a Harris County jail on unrelated charges, according to a police press release Thursday.

Scott will be sent to McLennan County to face the murder charge, the press release says. Earlier this month, Waco police also served a murder warrant against Calvin Nichols Jr. in the same incident. Nichols also was in a Harris County jail at the time his warrant was served.

Scott and Nichols were charged in the shooting death of Joseph Craig Thomas Jr., 24, in the 2300 block of South Second St. Shortly after the incident, police announced Thomas had arrived at a party he was not invited to and threatened people with a gun before he was fatally shot. The shooter was not there when officers arrived, and police have not announced further details of how they believe the incident unfolded.
McLennan Community Colleges accreditor has put the school on warning for a year because it found too many full-time MCC faculty were teaching more than a typical course load, and found shortcomings in its employee evaluation processes.

The warning issued by a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges accreditation committee does not affect the schools current accreditation status, the validity of its degrees and certifications, or its funding.

MCC is required to submit a monitoring report by April 1 detailing compliance with the committees findings, and if the report satisfies the committee, the community college would have its accreditation continued for the next 10 years.

MCC President Johnette McKown, who has served on the commissions accreditation teams and governing board in the past, said the warning is disappointing, but the school already has clarified its policy on teaching overloads. Staff evaluations, required for employment contracts, also will revert to an earlier form to ensure full completion.

Were not concerned that theres anything here we will not be able to meet by next spring, McKown said.

She said the accreditation committee had discussed its findings with MCC administrators in November, and some changes were in place by the 2022 spring term, but evaluators chose to stick with a warning status, which would require a years evaluation for compliance.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, an organization that evaluates and accredits its 779 member colleges and universities in 11 Southern states and Latin America, announced its actions at its June 16 meeting. MCC was one of three schools receiving a warning, with Point University in West Point, Georgia, and Saint Augustines University in Raleigh, North Carolina, the other two.

The accreditation team that examined MCC last year was concerned by staff evaluation forms it viewed as incomplete and by the number of overloads, referring to full-time faculty teaching more than the typical workload of 15 credit hours per semester. McKown said the school also had not yet filled several vacant full-time positions at the time of the accreditation committees evaluation.

McKown said the school usually tried to accommodate full-time faculty interested in teaching extra hours as a way to supplement their income. With COVID-19 still affecting student enrollment and attendance, overloads also provided administrators a measure of flexibility in staffing classes, but at the lower pay rate paid an adjunct instructor.

MCCs teaching load policy still allows full-time faculty to teach extra classes, but now details different levels of administrative approval needed to expand an instructors workload.

Because two of the committees findings fell within core accreditation requirements concerning a schools faculty, the accreditation committee was required to address those shortcomings with a warning status, McKown said. A warning is less serious than probation or sanction, and the accreditation board did not call for the creation of a special committee to oversee compliance.

In a follow-up letter to McKown received on Thursday, commission President Belle Wheelan acknowledged the school had evaluated its administrative and academic officers last year and made changes in its faculty teaching load policies that reduced overload credits from from 653 credit hours in spring 2021 to 345 in spring 2022. Still, the accreditors wanted to see proof of the effect of those changes over a longer period of time, noting there is a continued reliance on overloads and open positions that remain unfilled.

MCC board Chair K. Paul Holt said the board was apprised of the accreditation teams findings last fall, but he considered some of the findings tedious, as no shortcomings were found in the quality of student education or school management.

However, thats the standard and must be followed, Holt said. The good news is that its already been addressed and is in place to be reviewed when they come back. Our college has a much higher percentage of full-time teachers teaching classes than most (community) colleges and we dont suffer from that. Our students benefit from that.

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On Monday we will celebrate the Fourth of July, a uniquely American experience. When our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, John Adams envisioned celebrations in every city with parades, fireworks and political speeches from one end of this continent to the other. More than two centuries later, Adams dream is a reality. On Monday skyrockets and exploding bombs will illuminate the night skies over cities, parks and lakes. Bands will march in the streets followed by decorated floats and mounted horses. Politicians will address crowds from platforms decorated with red, white and blue bunting.

Because of the ongoing drought, fireworks sales are banned in McLennan County this holiday, however.

The Declaration of Independence adopted on the Fourth of July in 1776 provides the focus for our American ideals: 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. When the Declaration was signed, our nation was far from the ideals it embraced. Slavery was widespread. Most states limited voting rights to white men who owned land. Two and a half centuries later, we have made progress, but the struggle continues to implement the ideals of equality.

Robert Kaplans An Empire Wilderness sought a reexamination of America in 1998. Visiting a Mexican church in Tucson, Arizona, Kaplan wrote, The church conjured up tradition, sensuality, nostalgia. If only this church were more relevant to the social forces roiling the southern half of Tucson. In The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, Joel Kotkin painted an optimistic future for America based largely on our unique faith. He wrote, a spiritual tradition that extends beyond regular church attendance  persists as a vital force.

We strive toward equality because that is the way God made us. We are each made in His image and endowed, every person, with infinite worth. We best achieve equality when we seek to defend and achieve the rights of others. We are taught, through faith, to love our neighbor as ourselves, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, that we are greatest when we are servant to others, and that service to God is measured by our actions toward the least of these.

The pursuit of happiness can degenerate into the self-absorbed and destructive pursuit of pleasure. Without faith in Christ we are prone to become captive to addictions and sins that easily beset us. Jesus said, Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin  if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed. (John 8:34-36) For every individual and nation, real freedom comes when God sets us free from greed, corruption, lust and addiction. Real freedom is won when we seek the welfare and opportunity for others, especially for those who are not like us.

Bill Tinsley reflects on current events and life experience from a faith perspective. Go to www.tinsleycenter.com to download his FREE devotional book on Mark. Email bill@tinsleycenter.com.
WATERLOO  Waterloo is one step closer to establishing a citywide broadband service.

Magellan Advisors of Denver, Colo., presented a broadband assessment to the City Council last week. The report said the design of a fiber backbone and fiber to the premises, or FTTP, will be completely finished by August.

The broadband study began in January 2020 but was delayed due to COVID-19.

The fiber backbone project will connect 100 miles of fiber optic cables to over 100 sites throughout the city, such as facilities, community centers, fire stations, City Hall and parks. That half of the project is expected to cost $29.28 million.

The FTTP project will connect broadband to Waterloo homes. Magellans Chief Operating Officer Courtney Violette said all 390 miles of streets in the city will be covered. This more extensive project is expected to cost $86.38 million.

Waterloo received $31.24 million from the federal American Rescue Plan that can be used for broadband purposes.

Michelle Weidner, the citys chief financial officer, said officials are still working on a funding plan for the project. A portion of those federal dollars would be used.

Violette noted the funds could support broadband development in areas of the city where access, affordability and reliability are concerns. Other potential funding could come from federal grants and general obligation bonds.

The study came after the Waterloo Industrial Development Association and others encouraged the city to consider starting a municipal utility, similar to Waverly or Cedar Falls, to provide internet to homes and businesses due to concerns about Mediacom and CenturyLink.

Magellan conducted a survey for Waterloo residents to ask about their current experience with broadband. Just over 2,700 people responded. Forty percent of respondents said their main issue with their current provider is that its too expensive. The study found the median download speed for residents is 75.26 megabits per second. The average bill for an expected speed of 100 Mbps is $88.74.

The report also outlined prioritized areas. These areas were determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments low to moderate income areas, average costs, and download and upload speeds. On a map of Waterloo, the consultants designated the highest priority networks as downtown Waterloo and neighborhoods near UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital and Gates Park  mostly the northeast side of Waterloo.

The report also outlined what neighborhoods would receive broadband first. The neighborhoods determined highest priority from the first map would also be the first to receive broadband, as well as the neighborhoods near Maple Lanes.

The buildout concept was determined in phases. Phase one is where the company could connect the most homes for the least amount of money. Almost 11,000 homes would be connected in the first phase at a cost of $14.71 million, whereas phase three would connect almost 8,900 homes for $16.6 million.

Fiber infrastructure designed by Magellan to monitor and detect emergencies in Waterloos storm water and sewer drains was completed in the spring of 2021.

Along with design work, procurement of construction services and materials is expected to be complete in August. Agreements for services are expected to be finalized by January.

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WATERLOO  On top of the musical acts and other festivities, Iowa Irish Fest will offer a series of races and rallies that people can sign up to participate in during the three-day event.

The first event is the High Nelly Bike Ride, which starts at 9 a.m. Aug. 6. The ride begins near the corner of Fourth and Sycamore streets.Cost to enter the ride is $25 for adults, $20 for children ages 4 to 17, and $15 for children and adults who do not want a T-shirt. T-shirts are guaranteed if ordered by July 14.

Riders can pick up their packet for the event from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 5 or 8 a.m. Aug. 6 at the corner of Park Avenue and Mulberry Street. The ride will take place no matter the weather and no refunds will be given if canceled. Riders can register at iowairishfest.com/activity/high-nelly-bike-rally.

At 10 a.m. Aug. 6, runners can sign up for a one-mile run, which loops around downtown Waterloo, called the ShamRock N Run Loop. Theres also an option for runners to complete a .05K run, which is a one-block course that must be finished with a beverage of choice in hand. The race can be added on to the one-mile run. Runners have one hour to complete the race. The cost to enter is $35.

Runners can register online at iowairishfest.com/activity/shamrock-n-run-5k and click on the ShamRock N Fun Run button. Packet pickup and registration will be 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 5, during Iowa Irish Fest, or 8 to 10 a.m. before the race Aug. 6. A T-shirt, race bib, goodie bag, free beer, snacks and water are included in registration.

Coming back this year is the Celtic Cruise Motorcycle Rally. The ride starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 7. Riders will begin at Silver Eagle Harley-Davidson/Yamaha at 4022 Sergeant Road. The cost to enter is $30 per rider or person and each registration comes with an Irish Fest pass, T-shirt and a drink token for those 21 and older.

Riders can sign up for the ride anytime at Silver Eagle Harley Davidson/Yamaha in the clothing department or on the morning of the ride.

Entrance to Iowa Irish Fest is not included with the High Nelly Bike Ride or ShamRock N Run Loop registrations, but tickets can be purchased at a discount.

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ACKLEY  A walk through Eileen Kruses home will tell you a lot about the woman. Her life is documented on the walls, her memories fill the shelves, her heart is reflected in the photos displayed throughout.

But they dont tell the whole story.

An intricately woven rug hangs in the living room, a testament to Kruses world travels. But it doesnt detail the missionary work Kruse completed on many of those trips.

A photo of a bright-eyed German Shepard makes no mention of the fact that Kruse led the fundraising efforts to provide the Ackley Police Department with its (now retired) K-9 officer, Lexer.

And a planner with notes scribbled here and there reflects how, at 92 years old, Kruse is still finding ways to serve others.

Kruse was born in Wichita, Kan. Her father, a minister, moved his family to Hubbard, Ia., when Kruse was a toddler.

We had missionaries speak at the church, Kruse said. They would come to the house, and I would hear about how they lived and where they lived.

I would play nurse when I was little and I had two sisters who became nurses. I suppose I soaked it up that way, she said.

Kruse went to nursing school in Marshalltown and graduated with her degree as a registered nurse.

The hospital in Eldora called and offered me a job, but I didnt know how to drive, Kruse said, laughing.

She took a quick course in driving in a nearby farm field and accepted the position.

This would be the start to a decades-long  and trailblazing  career in the healthcare field.

Kruse married and raised two children in Ackley.

I worked as a private duty nurse when the children were little, Kruse said. Her husband, Ernie, managed the grain elevator.

When describing her stint as a school nurse, Kruse tends to downplay her contribution.

I had my own little office, Kruse said. I would call the parents if kids were sick, Id check on kids who were absent, Id give medication. I would do whatever the teachers needed me to do. I really enjoyed the kids.

Kruses daughter, Ellen Vanderloo, who nominated her mom for Eight Over 80 honors, put it a little differently:

Using her training as a nurse and a keen interest in public health, in 1960 she created the first school nurse position in the Ackley-Geneva Schools. For the next 10 years she established health records for every student in the district, organized immunizations for polio, gave countless demonstrations on health and wellness and promoted regular dental checkups. She identified community resources to assist families that had children with special health needs. She was a sounding board for both students and staff who needed support with both physical and mental health issues.

During this time, Kruse also volunteered as a camp nurse at church and for the Girl Scouts. Additionally, she started a candy stripers program, recruiting high school students and training them to help at the local nursing home.

We had uniforms and everything, Kruse said. Half the students in the program went on to become nurses or work in the health field.

Kruse then went to work for the Hardin County Homemaker Health-Aide program as a nurse supervisor. She made regular visits to elderly and disabled people to make sure their health care needs were being met.

When her children were older, Kruse began going on mission trips.

With the Partners of the Americas organization, she traveled to places like the Yucatan Peninsula, Honduras and Haiti.

For 16 years we went once or twice a year, Kruse said. We worked with doctors and dentists. We would get churches and schools and other places to donate. We got two portable dental units so we could do actual dental work, instead of just pulling teeth.

We set up a medical center. Wed bring as much medicine as we could. Wed buy and beg for it here. I could tell you a lot of stories about how we got the medicine, she said, laughing. I helped recruit doctors, dentists and nurses to make the trips.

Before one trip we got word that a fisherman needed a new wheelchair, she said. Well the Rotarians were able to find a nice used one, but we didnt know how we were going to get it down there without paying a lot of money. So we talked an elderly gentleman into pretending he needed it, and we were able to get it on the plane at no cost.

I met some very interesting people and experienced different foods and different cultures. They were very poor, but happy to share with us. We would tell ourselves, if they can eat it, we can eat it. They were very grateful to have us there.

In fact, Vanderloo was able to see firsthand the impact her mom made.

I will never forget going with her on one of these medical missions in Yucatan. We had a small convoy of medical personnel that pulled into a very remote jungle village. There, a Catholic priest had strung up a loud speaker in the trees and as we approached, he boomed through the speaker, We love you, Eileen.

Even after retirement, Kruse continued to serve, creating the parish nurse program at St. Johns United Church of Christ in Ackley.

She provided blood pressure checks after church services, visited parishioners who were home sick and helped arrange services for the elderly or disabled, Vanderloo said. She also provided bereavement support in times of loss. While she no longer is the parish nurse, she continues to regularly visit shut-ins after Sunday services to take them a bulletin and check in on them.

Even now, Kruse finds ways to help others.

She is a longtime board member and supporter of the Faith in Action Friendship Club in Iowa Falls, which provides a social and educational center for adults with mental illness and developmental disabilities.

It is a place for them to go, Kruse said. Or they will go bowling or to a restaurant. They learn a lot and just love it. Its something new for them.

Vanderloo sums up her mother very simply.

Mr. Rogers always instructed children to look for the people who are helpers. For over 60 years, my mother has been a helper, she said.

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Shifting abortion laws cause confusion for patients, clinics

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The evolving legal landscape around abortion access is causing confusion for providers and patients across the country after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In Florida, a new law banning abortions after 15 weeks went into effect Friday, after a judge said he would sign an order next week temporarily blocking it. Patients in Kentucky who were forced to cancel appointments with abortion providers this week are now scrambling to reschedule after a court there blocked the states restrictions. Elsewhere, clinics are reporting an influx of new patients from out of state, overwhelming providers and leading heath centers to tailor procedures to the legality of abortion in a persons home state.

Russian missiles kill at least 21 in Ukraine's Odesa region

POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP)  Ukrainian authorities say Russian missile attacks on residential buildings in a coastal town near the port city of Odesa have killed at least 21 people, including an 11-year-old boy, his mother and a soccer coach. Video of the pre-dawn attack Friday showed the charred remains of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka. The Ukrainian presidents office said three X-22 missiles fired by Russian bombers struck an apartment building and a campsite. The assault came after Russian forces withdrew from a nearby Black Sea island on Thursday. Despite the withdrawal, Ukraine's military reported Friday that Russian warplanes bombed Snake Island.

Post-Roe, states struggle with conflicting abortion bans

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Decades of anti-abortion laws have been created in some states, and many of them conflict with each other. Idaho has nearly three dozen anti-abortion laws dating back to 1973, and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's office says he i giving them all a close look to see which might be enforceable now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. But it's not an easy question  in Arizona, leaders in the Republican Party disagree over whether an abortion law from 1901 should be enforced over a 2022 version. Grant Loebs is the president of the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association. He says decision on whether to charge someone under an older abortion law will probably come down to individual prosecutors at first.

Kerry: Despite setbacks at home, US to make climate goals

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says setbacks for President Joe Bidens climate efforts at home have slowed the pace of some of the commitments from other countries to cut climate-wrecking fossil fuel pollution in diplomacy abroad. But Kerry insisted in an interview with The Associated Press that the U.S. can still achieve its own ambitious climate goals in time. Kerry spoke a day after a major Supreme Court ruling limited the Environmental Protection Agencys ability to regulate climate pollution from power plants.

NY overhauls handgun rules in effort to preserve some limits

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New Yorks legislature has approved a sweeping overhaul of the states handgun licensing rules, seeking to preserve some limits after the Supreme Court said people have a right to carry a handgun for personal protection. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the measure into law after it passed both chambers by wide margins. The law is almost sure to draw more legal challenges from gun-rights advocates who said the state is still putting too many restrictions on who can get a gun and where they can carry it. Backers said the new law will strike the right balance between complying with the Supreme Courts ruling and trying to ensure that weapons stay out of the hands of criminals.

Same-sex couples updating legal status after abortion ruling

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  The Supreme Court's decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion is causing anxiety for people in same-sex marriages, particularly those with children. The decision last week overturning Roe v. Wade didn't directly affect the 2015 ruling that paved the way for gay marriage. But lawyers say now they're getting questions from same-sex couples worried about the legal status of their marriages and keeping their children. Alabama lawyer Sydney Duncan has received dozens of emails and calls in just a few days. Justice Clarence Thomas has called on colleagues to reconsider cases that allowed same-sex marriage, gay sex and contraception.

Biden to award Medal of Freedom to Biles, McCain, Giffords

WASHINGTON (AP)  The White House says President Joe Biden will present the nation's highest civilian honor to 17 people, including gymnast Simone Biles, actor Denzel Washington and the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, with whom Biden served in the Senate. Biden will also recognize Sandra Lindsay, the New York nurse who rolled up her sleeve on live television in December 2020 to receive the first COVID-19 vaccination that was administered in the U.S. Other recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom are gun safety advocate Gabrielle Giffords, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and U.S. women's national soccer team player Megan Rapinoe.

Monkeypox cases triple in Europe, WHO says, Africa concerned

LONDON (AP)  The World Health Organizations Europe chief has warned that monkeypox cases across the region have tripled in the last two weeks and called on countries to take stronger measures to ensure the previously rare disease does not become entrenched on the continent. In a statement on Friday, Dr. Hans Kluge said increased efforts were needed despite the U.N. health agencys decision not to declare the escalating outbreak a global health emergency last week. To date, more than 5,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 51 countries worldwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kluge said the number of infections in Europe represents about 90% of the global total.

Amazon bars off-duty warehouse workers from its buildings

Amazon is barring off-duty warehouse workers from the companys facilities. Under the policy, employees are barred from accessing buildings or other working areas on their scheduled days off, and before or after their shifts. Amazon says the policy does not prohibit off-duty employees from engaging co-workers in non-working areas outside companys buildings. It also says the policy will not be enforced discriminatorily against employees seeking to unionize. But organizers say the new rule will hinder union drives. Amazon had previously barred employee access to non-working areas beyond 15 minutes before or after their shifts. It rescinded that policy when it entered a settlement with federal labor officials in December.

Day 2 of free agency: LaVine, Nurkic decide to stay put

Zach LaVine is staying in Chicago. Same goes for Jusuf Nurkic in Portland. Day 2 of NBA free agency brought another max deal  this time, going to LaVine, who secured the richest contract in Bulls history when he agreed to a $215 million, five-year contract. Nurkic got by far the biggest payday of his career, agreeing to a four-year, $70 million contract with Portland. The center just completed his eighth NBA season, the last six of those coming with the Trail Blazers, for whom he averaged 15 points and 11.1 rebounds this past season.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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SAN ANTONIO (AP)  The tractor-trailer at the center of a human-smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead had passed through an inland U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint with migrants inside the sweltering rig earlier in its journey, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The truck went through the checkpoint on Interstate 35 located 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of the border city of Laredo, Texas.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said there were 73 people in the truck when it was discovered Monday in San Antonio, including the 53 who died. It was unclear if agents stopped the driver for questioning at the inland checkpoint or if the truck went through unimpeded.

The disclosure brings new attention to an old policy question of whether the roughly 110 inland highway checkpoints along the Mexican and Canadian borders are sufficiently effective at spotting people in cars and trucks who enter the United States illegally. They are generally located up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the border.

Texas state police also announced they would operate their own inland checkpoints for tractor-trailers on the orders of Gov. Greg Abbott, who considers the Biden administration's efforts insufficient. It was unclear how many trucks they would be stopping.

Also Thursday, Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, the alleged driver of the tractor-trailer, made his initial appearance in San Antonio federal court. During a hearing that lasted about five minutes, Zamorano, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, said very little, giving yes and no answers to questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney about his rights and the charges against him.

The judge appointed a federal public defender for Zamorano as well as a second attorney since the smuggling charge he faces carries a possible death sentence. She scheduled a hearing next week to determine if he is eligible for bail.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that Border Patrol agents may stop vehicles at inland checkpoints for brief questioning without a warrant, even if there is no reason to believe that they are carrying people in the country illegally. Still, the practice has galvanized immigration advocates and civil libertarians who consider checkpoints ripe for racial profiling and abuse of authority. Some motorists post videos to social media accusing agents of heavy-handed, inappropriate questioning.

The Laredo-area checkpoint is on one of the busiest highways along the border, particularly for trucks, raising the possibility of choking commerce and creating havoc if every motorist is stopped and questioned.

Border Patrol officials call the checkpoints an imperfect but effective second line of defense after the border, acknowledging that agents must balance law enforcement interests with disrupting legitimate commerce and travel.

Volume and configuration vary widely among checkpoints, but agents generally have five to seven seconds to decide whether to question a driver, said Roy Villareal, former chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson, Arizona, sector.

Ultimately, it's very difficult to ascertain with crime in general. It's hard to say whether you're 100% effective, 50%, 10%."

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who drives through the checkpoint almost weekly, said investigators believe the migrants boarded the truck in or around Laredo, though that is unconfirmed. That would be consistent with smuggling patterns: migrants cross the border on foot and hide in a house or in shrubbery on U.S. soil before getting picked up and taken to the nearest major city.

Even if the truck were empty, it would raise questions about the checkpoints. Migrants often perish trying to circumvent them, getting dropped off before reaching them with plans to get picked up on the other side. In Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, migrants walk through sweltering ranches to avoid a checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of the border.

The Government Accountability Office reported this month that agents at inland checkpoints detained about 35,700 people believed to be in the U.S. illegally from the 2016 to 2020 fiscal years, only about 2% of all Border Patrol arrests. Agents seized drugs nearly 18,000 times during that period with more than nine of 10 arrests involving U.S. citizens.

They have been a trap for U.S. citizens carrying even small bags of marijuana. About 40% of pot seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from fiscal years 2013 to 2016 were an ounce (28 grams) or less from U.S. citizens, according to an earlier GAO report.

Abbott did not provide details on the extent of Texas' new inland inspections announced Thursday. Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said troopers would take a more aggressive stance. Asked if that meant stopping every truck, Olivarez said he did not know and that it would partly depend on staffing.

Its going to be inspecting more than what we usually inspect, Olivarez said.

In April, Abbott gridlocked Texas border for a week after issuing orders that troopers inspect every tractor-trailer entering from Mexico as part of his ongoing fight with the Biden administration over immigration policy. Those inspections, which were mechanical and safety inspections, did not turn up any migrants or drugs.

Spagat reported from San Diego. Paul Weber contributed from Austin, Texas.

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

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Briefing on the results of analysing documents related to the military-biological activity of the USA in Ukraine

Analysis of the documents related to the military-biological activity of the USA in Ukraine

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation carries out its scheduled analytical work on the military-biological activity of the USA and its allies in various regions of the world, including Ukraine.

We have previously spoken about the experiments held by the employees of a laboratory in Merefa on the patients of a psychiatric clinic in Kharkov since 2019 to 2021. It has been noted that one of the organisers of this illegal activity was a US citizen Linda Oporto Al-Haroun.

The documents received during the special military operation have revealed that this kind of investigations has been carried out in Ukraine at least since 2011 and Al-Haroun repeatedly visited the branch of the Merefa laboratory built with funds of the Pentagon in Sorokovka, Kharkov region.

Despite the fact that this installation is provided with underground storage facilities and powerful ventilation systems, it is officially considered a company that produces food additives. At the same time, the site of the company bears clear signs of fictitiousness, while the equipment of the branch has been transported to the western regions of Ukraine under control of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).

It confirms our concerns about the numerous violations of the international humanitarian law in Ukraine that are also defined by the Nuremberg Code and the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association. They include: the voluntary consent of an individual to participate in an experiment; informing about the investigation to be carried out; prevention of excessive physical and mental suffering during an experiment, as well as tortures, inhumane or degrading treatment.

According to the available information, highly active neuropeptides were tested on socially vulnerable citizens of Ukraine that caused irreversible damage to the central nervous system. This is a clear violation of the international treaties related to human rights.

We have already mentioned the role of the Scientific-Technological Centre of Ukraine (STCU) in the military-biological programme of the USA in Ukraine.

I would like to focus on the P-268 project. The National University named after Taras Shevchenko in Kiev and the Colorado State University were involved in its implementation.

Note STCU Executive Director Andrew Hoods appeal to the U.S. Department of State to organise researches within the project. He states that more than 30% of the participants are former scientists experienced in developing weapons of mass destruction.

The objective of the project is to study viruses capable of infecting Aedes mosquitoes. According to the terms of reference, the viral preparation was produced by the institute in Kiev and delivered to the USA for aerobiological studies.

The interest of the American clients in mosquitoes of this species that are vectors of transmissible infections such as dengue fever, Zika and yellow fever is not accidental.

During the last major outbreak of yellow fever in Africa (in 2013), there were 170 thousand cases of the severe form of this disease, including 60 thousand that resulted in death.

Everyone remembers the smallpox virus contamination of blankets for Native Americans, the deliberate infection with the syphilis pathogen by Guatemalan citizens is less discussed while this fact has been admitted by the U.S. President Barack Obama. The use of pesticides during the Vietnam War is even less remembered, but the history of deliberate outbreaks in Cuba in the 1970s and 1980s is completely suppressed. At the same time, the use of Aedes mosquitoes as biological weapons, exactly the same ones operated by the U.S. military department, is recorded in the class action suit of Cuban citizens against the U.S. government and was submitted to the member States of the Biological Weapons Convention.

The class action notes that the 1981 dengue epidemic in Cuba that contaminated 345 thousand people and resulted in the death of 158 persons was the result of the spread of the second dengue virus serotype that had not previously been recorded in the Caribbean and had clear signs of a deliberate nature. Thus, the time of the attack (late January) was chosen in consideration of biological features of the life cycle of mosquito vectors and was optimal for the subsequent development of the epidemic process. In addition, the only place on the island where no cases have been reported was the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo due to pre-vaccination of soldiers against the dengue virus type 2.

An artificial outbreak of another viral disease, African swine fever (ASF), occurred in Cuba in 1971. During the epizootic, 500 thousand animals were eliminated and the country suffered a significant economic damage. Although no cases of ASF have been previously reported in the American continent nor in the Western Hemisphere in general, it was Cuba where the disease has appeared.

Former FBI official William Turner introduced some clarity to this issue by telling the Newsday that the CIA delivered a container of ASF agent from Fort Gulick in Panama and transferred it off the coast of Cuba to a fishing vessel. He precisely indicated the farm where this pathogen was introduced.

Since 1980 to 1982, the Cuban leadership reported numerous unusual outbreaks of viral infections of economically important crops (sugar cane and tobacco) that appeared in different regions of the country and were not related to each other.

Yet these facts are only part of the U.S. military-biological dossier, while their investigation is ignored by the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

Despite the assurances of the United States that the biological research in Ukraine is carried out exclusively in the field of civilian healthcare, there are documents that confirm the direct cooperation between the military departments of these countries.

I would like to draw attention to the Notice of Inclusion of Laboratories of the Central Sanitary and Epidemiological Department of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine in the Biological Threat Reduction Program. It notes that the program enables cooperation between the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and the U.S. Department of Defence, as well as creates legal principles for its further expansion.

Since 2015 that was the beginning of large-scale financing of Ukrainian projects by the Pentagon, numerous cases of infectious diseases have been recorded among servicemen and residents of the Lugansk and Donetsk peoples republics.

According to the report of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR), in 2016, the tularaemia morbidity increased 9.5 times in comparison with 2007. There have been also noted distinctive features in the structure of morbidity, including an increase in the number of servicemen among the contaminated people.

Here is a list of tularemia cases in the DPR.

For security reasons, we do not reveal their personal data, this information has been sent to the Investigative Committee of Russia.

I remind that NATO guidance documents (Guidelines for the Assessment of Radiation, Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Casualties) consider tularaemia as one of the prioritised biological agents. This is the agent that was used in the military exercises of the alliance at the training grounds in Sweden, with official confirmation in 2012.

I would also like to note that there have been several dozen outbreaks of hepatitis A since 2017 until now in 12 regions of Ukraine where biological facilities controlled by the Pentagon are located and have been in operation. More than 10 thousand people have resulted contaminated, and in most cases the cause of the disease has not been not identified.

Analysis of documents on the activities of the Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in Ukraine implies that one of the prioritised tasks of DTRA is to train field epidemiologists. Within this training course, the U.S. side has actively been introducing its own standards for diagnosing infectious diseases that do not correspond to current public healthcare problems.

I remind that in 2015, the World Health Organisation declared Ukraine a country with a high risk of polio outbreak and the fight against this particularly dangerous disease is an obvious priority.

In this context, the attention is to be drawn to the response of the Project Manager at DTRA office in Ukraine Brendt Siegel to the regional representative of the World Health Organisation. It states that the biological threat reduction program implemented in Ukraine does not suppose studies of such diseases as poliomyelitis. The arisen question is: what diseases relevant to Ukraine are mentioned?

After the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the United States developed and implemented a plan to evacuate the Ukrainian citizens who were involved in the biomonitoring system in order to prevent a leak of sensitive information. This raises additional questions about the operation of the abovementioned system and its real purposes.

We have already noted that Hunter Biden was instrumental in creating the financial opportunity to work with pathogens in Ukraine by securing funds for Black & Veach and Metabiotics companies.

The published correspondence of Biden with the administration of the Rosemont Seneca Investment Fund shows the use of administrative resources and blatant lobbying of Metabiotas interests in U.S. government.

Managing Director John Delosch asks Biden: Is there anyone we can call in Washington to get an idea of how seriously Metabiotics is being considered by various government agencies?

This kind of wording raises the question of the personal financial interest of Biden and other co-founders of Rosemont Seneca in the implementation of the Pentagons military-biological programme in Ukraine, as well as the presence of a corrupt component.

The apparent lack of investment appeal of projects aimed to reconstruct Ukrainian biolaboratories raises doubts about the transparency of ongoing financial activities.

In addition, funding from non-State sources such as the Biden Foundation, allows the Pentagon not to report to the Senate Budget Committee on the objectives and results of bioweapons research in Ukraine, hiding them from the public thereby.

The analysed documents of the investment agencies subordinated to Biden do not contain any information about payments to beneficiaries and distribution of dividends. It indicates the concealment of profits with high probability and is a sign of illegal payment schemes and tax evasion that is a serious violation of the U.S. law.

In addition, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that on June 9, the Pentagon website published an official statement about U.S. biological activities in the post-Soviet countries. The U.S. administration admits the funding of 46 Ukrainian biolaboratories and the relations between the U.S. Department of Defence and the Scientific-Technological Centre of Ukraine (STCU).

At the same time, it reflects the peculiarities of the implementation of the Nunn-Lugar joint threat reduction programme in the post-Soviet countries, one of the purposes of which was the involvement of thousands of former Soviet scientists specialised in biological weapons allegedly to exclude the possibility of their cooperation with terrorist groups.

This kind of attempt of the U.S. administration to whitewash its tarnished reputation turned out to be a prosecutors dream: the document cites facts of the Pentagons military-biological activities in Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union, as well as indicates the accomplices of the American military department: the State Department and the U.S. Department of Energy.

However, the clarifications provided by the USA do not answer the questions we have posed:

Why was the work commissioned by the Pentagon, while its subject matter did not correspond to the current problems of public healthcare in Ukraine?

What was the purpose of the participation of U.S. military officials in biological research in Ukraine, while the work was carried out under conditions of secrecy with restricted access of Ukrainian professionals to information and facilities?

Why were strains of pathogenic microorganisms, potential agents of biological weapons, and biomaterials of Ukrainian citizens exported from the country without clearly declared purposes?

Why do the U.S. and Ukraine obscure the military-biological cooperation in international reports under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), while the U.S. has been blocking the development of its verification mechanism since 2001?

Why are U.S. officials, including Under Secretary of State V.Nuland, so concerned about the possibility of the activities held by the U.S. Defence Department in Ukraine and the materials in the biolaboratories taken over by Russian specialists?

Thus, the situation presented in the Pentagon statement is just a screen under the guise of which the United States carries out its activities in circumvention of international agreements and continues to build up its military-biological capabilities. At the same time, Ukraine is assigned for playing the role of a testing ground, collecting biological materials and studying the specifics of the spread of infectious diseases.

Tags: Special Military Operation

Print version available here

From Official Russian GOV Website

WtR
 The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue successful offensive near Lisichansk. Over the past three days, Russian units have taken under control the Lisichansk oil refinery, the Matrosskaya coal mine, the Gelatine plant and the settlement of Topolevka. The allied forces have reached Lisichansk.

 Ukrainian army is suffering big losses in this area. Only in Verkhnekamenka, over the past 24 hours, the enemy has lost more than 120 persons dead, as well as 70 in Verkhnekamenskoye.

 The failures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) at the combat area provoke an increase of the number of cases of desertion and evading to be involved in operations. There is an unorganised withdrawal of certain AFU units from Lisichansk.

 The command conceals the facts of understaffing of units in every way possible. One of the battalions of 17th Tank Brigade that operates near Novaya Poltavka (Donetsk Peoples Republic) is left with less than 20% of personnel from the authorised strength.

 At the same time, the Kiev regime has found the culprits for military failures of the AFU at another pocket in Donbass. The second unit of the State Investigative Bureau of Ukraine in Kramatorsk has initiated criminal proceedings against the commanders and 171 servicemen of 42nd Battalion from 57th Mechanised Infantry Brigade that had been defending in Gorskoye.

 These servicemen were detained and taken to the temporary detention facility in Kramatorsk.

 Russian Federation Armed Forces continue launching attacks at military facilities located in Ukraine.

 High-precision attacks launched by Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed 2 command posts, 5 munitions depots near Ivano-Daryevka, Seversk (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Belogorovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Nikolayev, Lepetikha (Nikolayev region), as well as AFU manpower and military equipment in 26 areas.

 Within the counter-battery warfare, high-precision attacks launched by Russian Aerospace Forces have neutralised 2 MRLS plattoons and 2 artillery plattoons near Lesovka, Selidovo and Netaylovo that had been shelling the settlements of the Donetsk Peoples Republic.

 Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery have neutralised: 32 AFU command posts, 1 radar designed for detecting air targets near Katranka (Odessa region), 3 munitions depots near Spornoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), as well as manpower and military equipment in 297 areas.

 Russian air defence means have shot down 2 Su-25 airplanes of Ukrainian Air Force near Barvenkov and Kurulka (Kharkov region).

In addition, 11 Ukrainian UAVs have been shot down near Petrovenki, Berestovoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Brazhkovka, Velikiye Khutora, Staroverovka, Vesyoloye, Bayrak, Getmanovka, Ivanchukovka, Petemoga (Kharkov region), Peremozhnaya (Zaporozhye region).

 8 MRLS projectiles have been intercepted near Nikolskoye (Kharkov region), Stakhanov (Lugansk Peoples Republic) and Pervomaysk (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

 In total, 226 airplanes and 134 helicopters, 1,411 unmanned aerial vehicles, 353 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,873 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 699 combat vehicles equipped with multiple rocket-launching systems, 3,067 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 3,948 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

#MoD #Russia #Ukraine

@mod_russia_enjoy

WtR
Paco Rabanne names Elle Fanning as brand ambassador By



Jennifer Braun Published

Jul 1, 2022

introduced on Thursday Elle Fanning as brand ambassador for its new feminine fragrance, dubbed ' '.





Paco Rabanne names Elle Fanning as brand ambassador. - Paco Rabanne



The American film and television star was selected to help bring the new fragrance to life. In particular, the fragrance is of 90% natural origin and includes airy jasmine, succulent mango and addictive incense, available in a bottle that replicates the brand's iconic chainmail dress.



"Multifaceted and multitalented, Elle Fanning couldn't be a better choice as the face of Fame", said Paco Rabanne vice president, Jerome Leloup. "She embodies the very essence of Paco Rabanne's ultramodern femininity, and we are very happy to have her as the ambassador for our new fragrance.

Fanning, 21, has starred in films such as Nicolas Winding Refn's The Neon Demon (2016), Sofia 's The Beguiled (2017), and Minghella's Teen Spirit (2018). Most recently, she has starred in the Hulu drama miniseries The Girl from Plainville and in the Golden Globe-nominated series The Great.



She also became the youngest Cannes Festival juror in history and is well-known as an icon for today's fashion-forward, young women. Fanning joins a glamorous line of Paco Rabanne muses including , , Brigitte Bardot, and Hardy.



"I am thrilled to be an ambassador of a brand as iconic as Paco Rabanne. I was completely taken by the concept, and felt like it was a perfect fit and really reflects my personality. Being part of this new chapter was an immediate yes, added Fanning.



The Fame Eau de Parfum is available as of Friday, at pacorabanne.com, and at all the brand's points of sale come September 2022.
Lawyers for the man accused of murdering Naomi Irion have filed a motion to dismiss the case.

The defense team for Troy Driver says his first-degree murder charge should be dismissed due to a lack of jurisdiction  stating the alleged crime happened in Churchill County, not Lyon County.

The motion will be heard at the pre-trial hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday, July 5th.

You can read the motion below -

The man accused of kidnapping and killing a woman from Fernley made a quick appearance on Zoom for a status hearing on his case.

The defense asked the pre-trial hearing for Troy Driver to be delayed as they seek more evidence.

The judge agreed to the request and has moved the pre-trial hearing to July 5, 2022.

Troy Driver, accused of killing Naomi Irion, was formally charged with murder and is being held without bail at the Lyon County Jail.

Driver, his defense attorney along with most of the Irion family will be appearing via Zoom.

His arraignment happened Friday, April 8th at a hearing at the Canal Township Justice Court in Fernley. Driver appeared via zoom from Yerington.

The Lyon County District Attorneys Office says Troy Driver fatally shot Naomi Irion before burying her body in the desert, according to an amended criminal complaint.

Lyon County District Attorney Stephen Rye filed the amended criminal complaint Tuesday adding first-degree murder and other crimes to the kidnapping charge already facing 41-year-old Troy Driver.

Driver is accused of kidnapping Irion from the Fernley Walmart parking lot on March 12, and killing her on or before March 25 - the same day Driver was arrested for kidnapping.

Four days later, authorities say investigators acted on a tip and found her body in a grave near the Churchill County line.

Hes now accused of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping, robbery, burglary of a motor vehicle and destroying evidence, according to the new complaint Rye filed Tuesday in Canal Township Justice Court in Fernley.

Drivers public defender, Mario Walther, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The complaint said Driver shot Irion in Churchill County northeast of Fernley, where he took her for the purpose of committing sexual assault and/or purpose of killing her.

The document also alleged that Driver destroyed her cell phone and left pieces in Lyon, Churchill, Pershing, Humboldt and Eureka counties.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office says Driver shot Irion in the head and chest.

The local community has been rallying around this family since this all started - there are a couple of events this weekend.

Kim Lovett, a Fernley resident says, "For this to happen is a scary thing, that even in our quiet little sleepy town that we have predators out there that would do something like this."

A devastated community that carried hopes of finding Naomi for weeks, and went on countless searches with her family. They said this outcome wasn't one anyone wanted. Some of the resident we spoke with extended their condolences to Naomi's family, and want them to know they are supported. Tisha Leija, another Fernley resident visibly upset told us, "I can't even imagine... the first thing I thought of was poor mom...poor mom...very sad. "

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The man accused of kidnapping Naomi Irion will stay in Lyon County Jail on $750,000 bondable bail.

41-year-old Troy E. Driver was arrested and booked into the jail last Friday. He's officially now charged with first degree kidnapping, a felony.

"Should the defendant post bail, he will not be released from custody until a GPS monitoring device is installed," Judge Lori Matheus, Canal Township Justice Court said.

The judge set Driver's preliminary hearing for April 12 for 1:30pm.

Irion's family attended the court hearing.

"It does look like they're going to be posting bail, from what I understand, so he's the only one who can help us bring Naomi home," Casey Valley, Irion's brother said. "He's the only one that we know about."

If he does get released from jail, Driver will be ordered to stay out of Fernley. He also must not contact Irion's family.

Driver has a criminal history. According to old articles in the Ukiah Daily Journal, he pleaded guilty to accessory to murder after the fact for his role in a 1997 homicide in Willits, California. He was 17 years old at the time of the murder. The article says Driver stuffed the body of an alleged drug dealer, Paul Steven Rodriguez in a trunk and then left it in a wooded area. The article says he pleaded guilty to three charges of robbery and one of burglary. A judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison but the article said he could have been released after serving 12.

"It is upsetting to me that there is people out here in the general public that have these capabilities with this kind of past and people should be more aware of that," Naomi's brother, Casey Valley, said. "We talk about sex offenders all the time but where is the list with this guy?"

Deputies also announced Friday, March 25th that Driver's Chevy truck was impounded and is being processed for possible evidence.

This photo below, shows the truck being taken into evidence. David Ausano took the picture from his porch in Fallon, the night of March 25, 2022.

A second public search was organized for Saturday, March 26th, 2022 by Naomi's brother, Casey Valley.

In a Facebook post, he asked community members to gather at Love's Travel Stop on Commerce Center Drive in Fernley, Saturday at 10am. Valley says, "this will be the first of a few areas of a concentrated search." He also requested no pets or children.

During the search on March 26th, more than 110 people showed up to help find Naomi. Diana Irion says she's been getting massages from all over the country from people who want to help her family.

Casey Valley tells us, "Today's search covered more ground, if not just as much, as last weekends search."

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On Thursday, March 24th, Lyon County Deputies said they identified a potential witness vehicle and occupant(s) that appears in the Walmart parking lot minutes before Naomi was abducted. They say they've contacted the occupant of the car.

The 4-door sedan enters the east Walmart parking lot at approximately 5:15 a.m. and then drives around the median on the east side before parking at the the southeast corner of the Walmart building.

Police were able to locate the vehicle with help from the public.

Irion was last seen March 12th at the parking lot at the Fernley Walmart. Her car was found a few days later and is undergoing processing for possible evidence.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office held a press conference on Tuesday, along with Irion's family where again they asked for the public's help in finding her, adding they are getting "hundreds" of tips everyday.

They also mentioned that her car, which was found a few days after her disappearance, is still undergoing processing for any related evidence.

Her family also made another plea for help, with her mother saying, "please save my daughter. Bring her home." Because Irion's possible kidnapping happened near I-80, her mother also said that her daughter could be anywhere in the U.S. by now.

Irion's sister and brother also spoke, mentioning that tips to law enforcement can stay anonymous, if need be. He also said that another search will happen this Saturday.

During the weekend, the Lyon County Sheriff's Office released new surveillance video from the Walmart parking lot where Naomi was reportedly last seen.

The footage shows the suspect standing in front of the Walmart entrance, pacing the east side of the building, before walking toward the front of cars with their headlights on.

Authorities say this footage was recorded minutes before Naomi was abducted.

If you were in the east Walmart parking lot between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. on March 12th, 2022 and have not been contacted by law enforcement, reach out to the Lyon County Sheriffs Office, Major Crimes Bureau.

The Lyon County Sheriffs Office can be reached at 775-463-6620, Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900 or by email at detective@lyon-county.org.

Authorities said a cell phone ping led officers to the Wadsworth area last week.

She was last seen wearing a blue Panasonic company shirt, gray cardigan sweater, gray pants, brown boots and was carrying a black purse. She had an iPhone, Airpods and a fidget spinner.

She is 511 tall, weighs about 230 pounds and has green eyes. Her hair is currently dyed black and she has a septum piercing and smiley face tattoo on her right ankle.

On Thursday, March 17th, Lyon County deputies announced that they were working with the Pyramid Lake Police Department and the FBI near Highway 427 in Wadsworth searching for evidence related to the disappearance of Naomi Irion.

They asked the public to stay away from the area as not to damage any evidence.

Her family made a public plea on Thursday for her safe return.

Authorities also thanked the Fernley community for their help. Her family members said that they are in contact with police about the case's progression.

On Friday, supporters gathered at the Round Table Pizza in Fernley to make signs to post around town in hopes of someone recognizing Irion's photo and calling police with information.

The newest released photos show Irion on the morning she was last seen and also include a person of interest.

The investigation now indicates that the suspect may be driving a dark 2020 or newer Chevrolet, 2500, High Country 4-Door Pickup Truck.

Authorities say the forensic evidence collected by investigators show that her disappearance is 'suspicious' in nature and that the driver of the truck "has a direct connection to her disappearance and her current whereabouts."

Previous video surveillance showed that person walking from a nearby 'homeless camp' looking in cars.

The unknown person then gets into the driver's seat of Irion's Mercury Sable and then leaves with her in the passenger seat.

During the course of the investigation, evidence was discovered leading investigators to believe Naomis disappearance was suspicious in nature.

Her 1992 blue Sable has a Nevada license plate of 595T37 was located in a industrial park in Fernley and has since been searched and forensically analyzed.

The first vehicle photo with the plate is Naomi's actual vehicle. The second vehicle photo is a stock photo and not her actual car.

If you have any information, contact Lyon County Sheriff's Office with case number 22ly01068 at 775-463-6620, or call or text your anonymous tip to Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.
The Supreme Court decision Thursday to limit how the Environmental Protection Agency may regulate carbon dioxide emissions could make an already grave situation worse for those most affected by air pollution and climate change, community residents and advocates fear
Ukrainian authorities say Russian missile attacks on residential buildings in a coastal town near the port city of Odesa have killed at least 21 people, including an 11-year-old boy, his mother and a soccer coach
British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government is dealing with another boozy scandal after the deputy chief whip resigned and then was suspended by the Conservative Party after a drunken incident in which he reportedly groped two men at an event
FILE - Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers addresses a joint session of the Legislature in the Assembly chambers at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., on Feb. 15, 2022. Wisconsin's conservative-controlled Supreme Court handed Republicans their newest weapon to weaken any Democratic governors in the battleground state, ruling, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, that political appointees don't have to leave their posts until the Senate confirms their successor.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 of the infections were reported from people who are Florida residents or who traveled to Florida the month before they became ill. The significance of this connection to Florida is still under investigation, the CDC said. The other states involved in the outbreak are Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Sick people ranged in age from under 1 to 92, with a median age of 72. Illnesses started to be reported between Jan. 24 and June 12. Public health officials are continuing to interview infected people about the foods they ate the month before they got sick. So far, a common food source has not been identified. It takes up to four weeks for health officials to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

Meanwhile, some Vidalia onions distributed to several states by A&M Farms and marketed under the Little Bear brand were recalled on June 30 over concerns that they may have been contaminated with listeria. However, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have not linked the recalled onions to the outbreak investigation, and no illnesses have been tied to consuming the recalled onions. The Little Bear brand of Vidalia onions subject to the recall were sold at some Wegmans stores in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as at some Publix stores in Florida and Georgia.


Lorena Transaction Update

Brisbane, July 1, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Further to the Company's previous release of 20 June 2022, Tombola Gold Ltd ( ASX:TBA ) wishes to advise that the timeframe for the Due Diligence associated with the transaction has been extended by mutual agreement from 30 June to 7 July 2022.The various parties to the proposed transaction continue to work towards formal legal documentation of the transaction, and the Company will continue to update the market as matters progress.The proposed acquisition will remain subject to approval by Tombola shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting to be convened in the next weeks.About LorenaThe Lorena Mine and Processing Facility is located 13km from Cloncurry on the Flinders Highway, and was commissioned in 2017 by a Joint Venture which included Malachite Resources and Chinova Resources. Operations continued at Lorena until late 2021, after which it was placed in care & maintenance pending a desire by the owners to sell the operation.Primarily a Gold CIL Processing facility with the capacity to treat copper bearing ore, over the coming months Tombola intends to recommission the plant, expand tailings capacity, and transport ore from the Golden Mile operation to Lorena along with continuing to vat leach treat the balance of minable ore at Mt Freda.Tombola is working with several third party consultants and advisors who are assisting the Company with its plans to recommission and expand the facility with a relatively low capital expenditure before commencing treatment of Mt Freda and Golden Mile ore.About Tombola Gold Ltd

Tombola Gold Ltd (ASX:TBA) is a company assembled by experienced, exceedingly well-qualified and all very well rounded team members that have previously floated exploration companies which achieved major resource discoveries and success. Between the Tombola team members, Tombola as a company have well over 100 years of accumulated experience in the mining, exploration and resource sector. Tombola principal objective is to acquire assets to explore for and develop a large IOGC or porphyry deposit funded by low-risk gold production resources. To that end, Tombola has a license covering 970 sq km prospective for gold/copper in the Mount Bryan-Red Banks-World's End area near Burra in South Australia; with strategic agreements with Queensland Mining Corporation.


STL Agrees Three-Year Storage and Handling Agreement

Sydney, July 1, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Sugar Terminals Limited ( NSX:SUG ) announces that it has signed a new 3-year agreement with five of its customers with effect from 1 July 2022. The terms of this new storage and handling agreement will apply to all STL customers who utilise STL's services from 1 July 2022.STL CEO David Quinn advised that following lengthy but constructive negotiations with all customers, STL issued a final version of the new 3-year storage and handling agreement to all customers on 23 June 2022, for execution purposes."The negotiations relating to the new agreement, which commenced in late 2021, have sought to balance the legitimate commercial objectives of all parties" he said. "When compared to the 2018 agreement, STL has agreed to a number of the changes which provide a more favourable outcome for customers whilst still meeting the requirements of STL and its shareholders".Mr Quinn said "STL is aware that the new agreement needed to ensure a fair and reasonable outcome that balances the diverse interests of all customers, shareholders and other stakeholders, and importantly, is in the best long-term interests of the entire sugar industry."At this point in time, Tully Sugar, MSF Marketing, Queensland Commodity Services, Bundaberg Sugar and Wilmar Sugar have signed the new storage and handling agreement.As at 30 June 2022, STL's remaining customer, Queensland Sugar Limited, has not yet signed the new agreement. However, STL remains committed to reaching agreement with QSL as it will be in the best interests of both parties and the broader sugar industry to have long term contractual certainty.Mr Quinn noted "With the 2022 crushing season well underway, STL will continue to provide services to all its customers from 1 July 2022.""STL's approach will be to apply the terms of the new agreement to all customers who utilise the bulk sugar terminals from 1 July 2022, even if they have not signed the new agreement. This approach has been consistently communicated to customers throughout the negotiation process" he said.About Sugar Terminals Limited

Sugar Terminals Limited (NSX:SUG) (STL) owns and operates six bulk commodity terminals in Queensland and plays a vital role in Australia's sugar market, handling over 90% of the raw sugar produced in Australia each year. STL's terminals provide 2.5 million tonnes of storage capacity and handle more than 4.6 million tonnes of commodities each year. In addition to around 4 million tonnes of bulk sugar, STL also handles more than half a million tonnes of other commodities annually, including molasses, wood pellets, gypsum and silica sands. STL has over $350 million in assets in strategic port locations across Queensland. We have in place 100 year leases with the port authorities at each of our six terminals. These leases include rolling options to extend for a further 100 year period.


Shareholders Letter Horizon Share Purchase Plan

Perth, July 1, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to be making a prospectus offer of Share Purchase Plan (SPP) shares and options to eligible shareholders (SPP Offer) as well as an offer of placement options to placement subscribers (Placement Options Offer).The SPP follows Horizon's institutional placement announced on 24 June 2022 which raised $4,000,000 before costs by issuing placement shares at 9 cents per share. The free attaching options are to be issued by the Placement Options Offer under the prospectus to the placees on the basis of 1 attaching option for every 1 share subscribed for. The options have an exercise price of 11 cents and an expiry date of 30 June 2025.The SPP shares and options will be issued on the same terms as the placement securities. The SPP shares are offered at 9 cents per share and the free attaching options on the basis of 1 attaching option for every 1 share subscribed for. The options, as with the placement options, have an exercise price of 11 cents and an expiry date of 30 June 2025. Horizon is seeking to raise up to $2,000,000 by the SPP Offer. The SPP securities are being offered by the prospectus.Eligible shareholders may apply for SPP shares ranging from a minimum value of $2,000 up to a maximum value of $30,000. The SPP Offer opens on 1 July 2022 and closes on 15 July 2022.About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

District court judges acted properly when they ordered the release of a burglary suspect while awaiting trial, the New Mexico Supreme Court found in an opinion issued Thursday.

The states highest court issued the opinion in the case of a 20-year-old man at the center of a yearslong legal battle over pretrial detention.

Jesse Mascareno-Haidle faces multiple counts of residential burglary, unlawful taking of a vehicle and other crimes.

He has remained in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center since October 2021. No trials have been scheduled in those cases.

The 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office twice tried to detain Mascareno-Haidle in February 2021 after his arrest for two residential burglaries.

But two district court judges rejected both attempts to detain him. District Attorney Raul Torrezs office appealed those rulings.

The Supreme Court on Thursday found that prosecutors failed to make any argument to the district court judge that no release conditions could be imposed that would reasonably protect the safety of any other person or the community, Justice Michael E. Vigil wrote in the unanimous opinion.

Reaction came swiftly Thursday from those on both sides of the issue.

Todays ruling only confirms what has already been clear to the public for some time  New Mexicos broken revolving-door system must be addressed by the Legislature, said Lauren Rodriguez, spokeswoman for the District Attorneys Office.

While we respect the Courts interpretation of the current law, we do not believe that New Mexico voters intended for defendants like Mascareno-Haidle to be released when they approved bail reform in 2016, Rodriguez said.

Mascareno-Haidles attorney, Noah Gelb, cheered the ruling.

The opinion makes clear that when the state seeks to strip away someones liberty before trial and conviction, it must actually produce some evidence, Gelb said. An unsupported allegation isnt enough.

A constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016 reforming the states bail-bond system allowed prosecutors to seek to detain someone charged with a felony if they prove both that the person is dangerous and that no conditions of release can protect the public.

Mascareno-Haidle initially was charged with a pair of home burglaries in October and November 2020. But prosecutors argued that he had confessed to participating in more than 26 other late-night burglaries when people were asleep in their homes.

After his release, Mascareno-Haidle again was arrested in October 2021 after students at Rio Grande High School told an officer that someone was breaking into cars in the parking lot.

He is charged with burglary of a vehicle, resisting or evading an officer and attempting to commit a felony in that case.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Rabbi Amy Weiss knows that, when it comes to children and poverty, theres a huge gap to fill.

Its the main reason Weiss started the nonprofit Undies for Everyone (UFE), which exclusively addresses underwear security by providing underwear to more than 150,000 underserved children across the country.

The nonprofit, which is based in Texas, made Albuquerque one of its 17 cities across the country where it has a hand in making the impact.

Weiss works with the Children, Youth and Families Department  Childrens Wellness Center, as well as Albuquerque Public Schools McKinney-Vento Homeless program.

Weve been serving Albuquerque since 2021, Weiss said. Theres a huge need everywhere. The poverty level is ridiculous and, when we were looking for new cities to work with, we thought Albuquerque would be a good place to help out. Were giving (to) 8,440 kids and they each get seven pairs of underwear. Thats a total of 59,080.

Weiss was honored recently as a CNN Hero for the work shes been doing for 10 years with the nonprofit.

Since its launch in 2012, UFE has provided over 2 million pairs of underwear to students living in poverty or crisis across 17 cities in the U.S.

I started Undies for Everyone after realizing how many children in my community did not have access to new underwear, its as simple as that, Weiss said. Ten years later, through the vision of my incredible board and leadership team, Undies for Everyone now serves communities throughout the country, helping kids stay in school and reach their potential.

Weiss said underwear is a rarely provided supply for students experiencing crisis or living in poverty  its one of the most requested, but least often purchased.

With the help of partners, volunteers and donors, UFE helps alleviate the burden of underwear insecurity for children by providing a weeks worth of undies.

It remains the nations only nonprofit to exclusively provide new underwear to students around the country.

UFE has 47 partners across the U.S. distributing underwear to kids in crisis, including Boys and Girls Clubs, school district homeless departments, Child Protective Services and pediatric mobile clinics. The organization is distributing 1.1 million pairs of undies this year  impacting more than 157,000 children.

When you step back and take a look at it all, the need has always been there, she says. This is one way that were able to help. As we expand, we see more and more children that are in need. Being in Albuquerque, weve helped make an impact and theres so much further to go.

The Journal continues The Good News File, a series of uplifting stories in partnership with KOAT-TV and KKOB Radio. The Journal will publish a Good News feature the first Friday of the month, KOAT-TV will present its feature each second Friday and KKOB each third Friday.
POKROVSK, Ukraine  A Russian airstrike on residential areas killed at least 21 people early Friday near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, authorities reported, a day after the withdrawal of Moscows forces from an island in the Black Sea had seemed to ease the threat to the city.

Video of the attack before daybreak showed the charred ruins of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Odesa. The Ukrainian presidents office said warplanes fired three missiles that struck an apartment building and a campsite.

Ukrainian authorities interpreted the attack as payback for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Snake Island a day earlier, though Moscow portrayed their departure as a goodwill gesture to help unblock exports of grain.

Russian forces took control of the island in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraines biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

The occupiers cannot win on the battlefield, so they resort to vile killing of civilians, said Ivan Bakanov, head of Ukraines security service, the SBU. After the enemy was dislodged from Snake Island, he decided to respond with the cynical shelling of civilian targets.

Ukraines military reported late Friday on social media that two Russian Su-30 warplanes bombed Snake Island with phosphorus bombs. Black-and-white aerial video showed two blasts hitting the island. The warplanes reportedly struck from the east, from Belbek, on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. The Russian military did not immediately comment.

Large numbers of civilians were killed in Russian bombardments earlier in the war, including at a hospital, a theater used as a shelter, and a train station. Until this week, mass casualties involving residents appeared to become less frequent as Moscow concentrated on capturing eastern Ukraines Donbas region.

Russian missiles struck the Kyiv region last weekend after weeks of relative calm around the capital and an airstrike Monday on a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk killed at least 19 people.

A U.S. defense official said Friday in Washington that Russian forces appeared to use an anti-ship missile in the mall attack, a type of weapon that the official said is not accurate against land targets. Russias defense ministry spokesman claimed earlier this week that warplanes fired precision-guided missiles at a depot that contained Western weapons and ammunition, which detonated and set the mall on fire. Ukrainian authorities said that in addition to the direct hit on the mall, a factory was struck, but denied it housed weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy noted that as in Mondays shopping mall attack in Kremenchuk, Russian forces on Friday appeared to use anti-ship missiles to hit Serhiivka.

These missiles, Kh-22, were designed to destroy aircraft carriers and other large warships, and the Russian army used them against an ordinary nine-story building with ordinary civilian people, he said at a news conference Friday.

Twenty-one people  including an 11-year-old boy, his mother and the 42-year-old coach of a childrens soccer team  were killed and 38 others, including six children and a pregnant woman, were hospitalized, Ukrainian officials reported. Most of the victims were in the apartment building.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow is not targeting residential areas.

Oleh Zhdanov, an independent Ukrainian military analyst, said the Russian pullback from Snake Island bears colossal psychological significance for Ukraine.

Snake Island is key for controlling the Black Sea and could help cover the Russian attack if the Kremlin opted for an amphibious landing operation in Odesa or elsewhere in the region, he said. Now those plans are pushed back.

Ukraines military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee the island in two small speedboats. The exact number of troops withdrawn was not disclosed.

Early in the war, the island became a symbol of Ukrainian defiance. When a Russian warship demanded that its defenders surrender, they supposedly replied: Go (expletive) yourself.

Zelenskyy said that although the pullout did not guarantee the Black Sea regions safety, it would significantly limit Russian activities there.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces kept up their push to encircle the city of Lysychansk, the last stronghold of resistance in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the Donbas.

The shelling of the city is very intensive, Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said. The occupiers are destroying one house after another with heavy artillery and other weapons. Residents of Lysychansk are hiding in basements almost round the clock.

Haidai said the Russians were fighting for control of an oil refinery on the citys edge. But Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian and separatist forces had taken control of the refinery as well as a mine and a gelatin factory.

Ukraines presidential office said Russian strikes in the past 24 hours also killed civilians in eastern Ukraine  four in the northeastern Kharkiv region and another four in Donetsk province.

More help for Ukraines fight was announced:

The Pentagon said it will supply the country with $820 million in new military aid, including surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radar to respond to Russias heavy reliance on long-range strikes. All told, the U.S. has provided more than $8.8 billion in weapons and training to Ukraine.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announced 1 billion euros ($1.04 billion) in aid to Ukraine.

In other developments, a pro-Moscow separatist news agency in eastern Ukraine reported that two more Britons it identified as mercenaries fighting for Ukraine are facing the same charges on which three other foreigners were recently sentenced to death. The news agency identified the pair as Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill, without providing further details. Britains SkyNews said they had been captured in eastern Ukraine several weeks ago.

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Follow APs coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
The July Fourth holiday weekend is off to a booming start with airport crowds crushing the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic.

Travelers across the United States experienced hundreds of canceled flights and a few thousand delays on Friday, much as they did earlier this week.

Patricia Carreno arrived with friends at Los Angeles International Airport only to learn that their Alaska Airlines flight to Mazatlan, Mexico, had been canceled.

Were probably going to drive down to Mexico  to Tijuana, the border  and just fly from there, she said.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.4 million travelers at airport checkpoints on Thursday, 17% more than on the same Friday before July Fourth in 2019. U.S. air travel is likely to set a pandemic-era record at least once over the weekend.

Traffic on the highway could be heavy too.

AAA predicts that nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. AAA says car travel will set a record even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.

Leisure travel has bounced back this year, and that means particularly big crowds over three-day holiday weekends.

With many flights sold out over the July Fourth weekend, airlines will struggle to find seats for passengers like Carreno whose flights are canceled. Airlines told customers to check their flights status before going to the airport.

If youre already at the airport when your flight is canceled, its time to flex your multitasking skills, said Sebastian Modak, editor-at-large of travel guide publisher Lonely Planet.

Modak advised heading straight to the airlines help desk, checking its app on your phone, and calling the airlines customer-service line  an international number might be answered sooner than a U.S. one for airlines that have both. He said driving or taking the bus or train will be a better option for shorter trips.

Theres no getting around the fact that this is going to be a summer of travel delays, cancelations, and frustrations, he said.

By early evening Friday on the East Coast, airlines had canceled about 500 U.S. flights and another 5,100 were delayed, according to FlightAware. Scattered thunderstorms in the New York City area made it likely the numbers would climb. From June 22 through Wednesday at least 600 flights were canceled, and between 4,000 and 7,000 were delayed per day, the tracking service said.

Airline executives blame the recent surge of canceled flights on the Federal Aviation Administration, which runs the nations air traffic control system, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg disputes that claim.

Passengers are caught in the middle.

Mari Ismail, who flew to Atlanta on Friday, said it took a long time to check in and get through security before her flight from Baltimore.

I got to my gate right as they started boarding, so it was a very lengthy process, she said.

Jordane Jeffrey said she booked a return trip from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for Monday, the holiday.

Im hoping there are no delays because I work that night, she said.

Airlines sometimes overbook flights with the expectation that some passengers wont show up. When there are more passengers than seats, airlines will offer cash or travel vouchers to people willing to take the next flight.

Earlier this week, a columnist for Inc. magazine wrote that Delta flight attendants offered $10,000 cash to people who would leave a plane waiting to take off from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Delta spokesman Anthony Black would neither confirm nor deny the journalists account, but he noted that the airline raised the compensation agents can offer in such cases to $9,950 in 2017. That move followed a public-relations nightmare at United Airlines, when airport officers bloodied and dragged a 69-year-old doctor off a sold-out plane  a case that resulted in a lawsuit, confidential settlement, and jokes on late-night TV about United customer service.

Even with vacationers crowding into airports and on planes, the total number of people flying has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels because of a decline in business and international travel. TSA screened 11% fewer people in June than it did in the same month of 2019.

Thursday marked only the 11th time since the pandemic started that TSA checked more people than it did on the same day in 2019, and just the second time since February.

Airlines could almost surely be carrying more passengers if they had enough staffing. Many U.S. airlines have trimmed their summer schedules after bad weather, air-traffic delays and a lack of enough employees caused widespread cancellations over the Memorial Day weekend.

Airlines paid thousands of workers to quit during the early days of the pandemic, when air travel plummeted and airline revenue dried up. They have been hiring recently, but it takes time to train pilots, who are in particularly short supply.

Now airlines competing for key employees are offering double-digit raises to pilots, who find themselves with leverage in negotiations over new contracts.

___

Associated Press video journalists Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles and Sharon Johnson in Atlanta contributed to this report.
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council is looking to expand its reach and help the community through its newly launched initiative, through a newly launched initiative to bolster and fund smaller nonprofits in Albuquerque.

Named after Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to run for president of the United States, the Chisholm Table brings together five volunteer-led organizations to provide structure and funding to those groups, NMBLC Chisholm Table coordinator Sean Cardinalli said.

Its about having a collective impact organizing strategy and better communicating with other like minded groups and helping build a communications network infrastructure, he said.

To do this, the New Mexico Black Leadership Council recently dispersed five microgrants of $20,000 each to:

 The New Mexico Black Lawyers Association, which focuses on providing continuing legal education for members and protecting civil rights among others.

 Beyond the Chair, a collection of hairdressers and barber shops.

 BLESS Fund, a group that gives microgrants to local Black-owned businesses.

 The University of New Mexico chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., a multicultural fraternity.

 The UNM African American Student Services, which provides support to students attending UNM.

Cardinalli said the goal of the program is to help groups that often have limited funding get some extra support in order for the organizations to work towards their missions and do what they set out to accomplish.

For some groups, Cardinalli said the extra money can help with recruitment or retention issues, while for others it could go towards marketing and public relations.

Whatever these groups need were trying to better and more efficiently help them do that and in turn, weve benefited because were not so siloed, he said.

The Chisholm Table is just one of the initiatives the NMBLC is undertaking, and it falls under the councils broader UpLift program which was launched as a way to help New Mexicans tackle pandemic-related challenges like rental assistance, vaccine information and internet access, Cardinalli said.

Organizations participating in the Chisholm Table have a few stipulations, Cardinalli said, like assisting with a survey on COVID competence in the New Mexican Black community.

He said organizations were chosen as recipients of the grants and offered a spot in the program largely due to preexisting relationships with the NMBLC and whether the council thought the organization could use the extra funding.

Founded by Cathryn McGill, the New Mexico Black Leadership Coalition is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Black community in Albuquerque and New Mexico.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham urged President Joe Biden on Friday to take federal action to protect women in states that have banned abortion in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned nearly 50 years of legal precedent.

During a remote summit hosted by the White House, Lujan Grisham said New Mexico would be a brick wall against attempts to restrict abortion access in other states.

But, with New Mexico already experiencing an influx of patients from Texas and other states seeking abortion services, she said the federal government should ramp up its efforts to assist in a state with limited health care facilities and a chronic nursing shortage.

Theres a number of things we could use your assistance and your leadership (on), Lujan Grisham said Friday.

Specifically, the governor said clinics run by the federal Indian Health Service could play a role in providing reproductive health care services, a suggestion that Biden said he would consider.

However, Biden also said there are currently not enough votes in the U.S. Senate to get a bill codifying abortion in federal law to his desk for approval.

Lujan Grisham was one of several Democratic governors  others included North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul  who were invited to discuss with Biden the steps they have taken after the U.S. Supreme Court last week struck down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

Earlier this week, Lujan Grisham signed an executive order aimed at protecting abortion providers and patients by, among other things, asserting that the state will not comply with abortion-related arrest warrants and extradition requests from other states.

She and Democratic legislative leaders in New Mexico have also said other steps could be taken, including enshrining abortion rights in state law, or perhaps the state Constitution, though doing so would require approval of statewide voters.

However, New Mexico Republicans accused the governor of political theater in signing the executive order and said she should have instead called a legislative special session to craft new laws.

Lujan Grisham is just beating the drum again in a rallying cry, state GOP 1st Congressional District vice chairwoman Leticia Munoz said in a statement. The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling doesnt affect New Mexico and our state continues to be the late-term abortion capital of the country  up to and including the day of birth.

Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham, who is seeking reelection this year to a second term, also warned Friday that other legal precedents  including same-sex marriage  could be undone by the Supreme Court.

What we do today in the space for protecting reproductive rights absolutely should move in the direction to prepare to protect everyones additional privacy rights, including making sure we dont roll backwards on same-sex marriage and other related issues, Lujan Grisham said.

The New Mexico Supreme Court in 2013 legalized same-sex marriage, saying the right is protected under the state Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court then followed suit by legalizing same-sex marriage nationally in 2015.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Otero County commissioners on Friday rejected a plea by one of their colleagues, Couy Griffin, for taxpayer-funded legal representation as he fights a lawsuit seeking his removal from office.

Griffin  who was convicted of the misdemeanor offense of entering restricted grounds at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021  faces a legal complaint alleging he should be barred from holding public office for participating in the insurrection.

Griffin, in turn, maintains he was simply engaged in peaceful protest and was wrongly convicted.

His defense sparked laughter from members of the audience Friday as he made the case for county legal representation and said it was time to take a stand against tyrannical Marxists who want to take away freedom.

Look this is hard enough without you all laughing, Griffin said at one point in the meeting.

The other two members of the commission voted against authorizing county representation. Griffin didnt vote.

Otero County Attorney Roy Nichols said the commission was prohibited by law from providing Griffins legal defense in the case, partly because of evidence that Griffin visited Washington, D.C., in his personal capacity, not as part of his duties as a county commissioner.

Its pretty black and white here, Couy, it really is, Commissioner Vickie Marquardt said. I know youre in a bind.

A founder of the group Cowboys for Trump, Griffin has withstood a recall attempt and been embroiled repeatedly in controversy.

He has shared false claims about election fraud, voted against certifying the 2022 primary election results in Otero County and faced criticism for remarks that the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat and that some Black athletes should go back to Africa.

Griffin wasnt accused of entering the Capitol building itself during the Jan. 6 riot, when a mob attacked the Capitol and disrupted the certification of Joe Bidens victory.

But U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden convicted Griffin of entering a restricted area. He noted, according to the Associated Press, that Griffin had crossed over three walls, needing help from others or a ladder to get over them.

Griffin was acquitted of engaging in disorderly conduct, which he said proves I was not part of an insurrection.

The complaint seeking his removal from office is pending in state court. It was filed by three residents of Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties.

Griffin is not seeking reelection this year, and his term is set to expire Dec. 31.
NEW ORLEANS  President Joe Bidens administration on Friday proposed up to 10 oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the Alaska coast over the next five years  going against the Democrats climate promises but scaling back a Trump-era plan that called for dozens of offshore drilling opportunities including in undeveloped areas.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said fewer than 11 lease sales  or even no lease sales at all  could occur, with a final decision not due for months. New drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts would be blocked, after being considered under Trump.

President Biden and I have made clear our commitment to transition to a clean energy economy. Today, we put forward an opportunity for the American people to  provide input on the future of offshore oil and gas leasing, said Haaland, whose agency oversees drilling on federal lands and waters.

The proposal brought immediate backlash from both environmentalists  who accused Biden of betraying the climate cause  and oil industry officials and allies, who said it would do little to help counter high energy prices. Gasoline prices averaged $4.84 a gallon on Friday, a strain on commuters and a political albatross for Bidens fellow Democrats going into the midterm elections. That has left the White House scrambling for solutions, including Bidens call last week for suspension of the 18.4 cents a gallon federal gas tax.

The Interior Department had suspended lease sales in late January because of climate concerns but was forced to resume them by a U.S. district judge in Louisiana.

The Biden administration cited conflicting court rulings about that decision when it canceled the last scheduled lease sales in the Gulf and Alaska during the previous offshore leasing cycle. That prior five-year cycle, a program adopted under former President Barack Obama, expired on Thursday.

There will be a months-long gap before a new plan can be put in place. The oil industry and its allies say the delay could cause problems in planning new drilling and potentially lead to decreased oil production.

Theres unlikely to be an offshore lease sale until well into next year, said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, the industrys top lobbying group.

And, he said, administration officials went out of their way to say there might not be any lease sales at all.

Its very important for the administration to send a signal to the global oil markets that the United States is serious about increasing supply  for the long term, he said, repeating a longtime claim by industry officials and Republicans that ties uncertainty over oil supply to high prices.

Biden in recent weeks has criticized oil producers and refiners for maximizing profits and making more money than God, rather than increasing production in response to higher prices as the economy recovers from the pandemic and feels the effects of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The leasing announcement was a bitter disappointment to environmentalists and some Democrats who rallied around then-candidate Biden when he promised to end new drilling in federal lands and waters.

The proposal comes a day after the administration held its first onshore lease sales, drawing $22 million in an auction that gives energy companies drilling rights on about 110 square miles (285 square kilometers) in seven western states. The sales came despite the administrations own findings that burning oil and gas from the parcels could cause billions of dollars in potential future climate damages.

Our public lands and waters are already responsible for nearly a quarter of the countrys carbon pollution each year. Adding any new lease sales to that equation while the climate crisis is unfolding all around us is nonsensical, said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona.

Cynthia Sartou, executive director of the environmental nonprofit Healthy Gulf, called the lease-sale plan a huge loss for Gulf residents, American energy policy and the global climate.

Moderate Democrat Joe Manchin, who chairs the Senate energy committee, welcomed the proposal as a chance to get our leasing program back on track.

While Americans everywhere are suffering from record high gas prices and disruptions in the global oil market caused by (Russian leader Vladimir) Putins senseless war in Ukraine, the Department of the Interior hasnt held any successful offshore lease sales since November 2020, the West Virginia lawmaker said.

Under the Trump administration, Interior officials had proposed 47 sales, including 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, 19 in Alaska and nine off the Atlantic coast that were later withdrawn. Trump lost the 2020 election before the proposal was finalized.

The current format of holding Gulf-wide sales was put in place under Obama because of dwindling interest in offshore leases. Prior to that there had been decades of regional sales.

Fridays announcement opens a 90-day public comment period, then a final plan must be submitted 60 days before it goes into effect.

The government held an offshore lease auction in the Gulf of Mexico in November that brought $192 million in bids. A court canceled that sale before the leases were issued.

Haaland has said previously that the industry is set with the amount of drilling permits stockpiled and at its disposal. She testified during a House hearing in April that the industry has about 9,000 permits that have been approved but are not being used.

Oil production has increased as the economy recovers from the coronavirus slowdown, but its still below pre-pandemic levels. Energy companies have been reluctant to ramp up production further, citing a shortage of workers and restraints from investors wary that todays high prices wont last.

Major oil companies reported surging profits in the first quarter and sent tens of billions of dollars in dividends to shareholders.

Athan Manuel of the Sierra Club said delaying offshore sales until next year is an important step toward protecting communities and climate, and we urge the administration to finalize a plan that commits to no new offshore drilling leases, period.

__

Brown reported from Billings, Mont. Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this story.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Several northern New Mexico communities in the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak burn scar experienced flash floods Friday afternoon.

Heavy rain and runoff prompted San Miguel and Mora counties to recommend evacuations of Canoncito, Manuelitas, Sapello, Rociada, Lower Rociada and Las Dispensas.

The warning advised residents in the flood zone to seek higher ground away from floodwaters and possible debris flows.

The National Weather Service office in Albuquerque reported widespread flooding, water and debris flow along N.M. 105 west of the 94 junction south of Mora.

N.M. 65 closed near El Porvenir on Friday afternoon, and N.M. 105 and 276 closed near Lower Rociada.

Drainages are well out of their banks, the NWS reported, and at least one barn flooded.

Creeks in Manuelitas and Canoncito have flooded roads.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a Twitter post that New Mexico State Police and Transportation Department officials are assisting residents in the flood area.

The state has flood evacuation shelters in Taos, Las Vegas and Santa Fe.
Tourists visit a stall at the annual Medieval Market in Turku, Finland, June 30, 2022. The annual Medieval Market, one of the largest historical events in Finland, kicked off on Thursday. Visitors enjoy a robust medieval atmosphere with stall owners and actors dressed in medieval style costumes at the market. (Xinhua/Chen Jing)

Tourists visit a stall at the annual Medieval Market in Turku, Finland, June 30, 2022. The annual Medieval Market, one of the largest historical events in Finland, kicked off on Thursday. Visitors enjoy a robust medieval atmosphere with stall owners and actors dressed in medieval style costumes at the market. (Xinhua/Chen Jing)

Actors dressed in medieval style costumes perform scenes of life in medieval Turku at the annual Medieval Market in Turku, Finland, June 30, 2022. The annual Medieval Market, one of the largest historical events in Finland, kicked off on Thursday. Visitors enjoy a robust medieval atmosphere with stall owners and actors dressed in medieval style costumes at the market. (Xinhua/Chen Jing)

Musicians dressed in medieval costumes perform at the annual Medieval Market in Turku, Finland, June 30, 2022. The annual Medieval Market, one of the largest historical events in Finland, kicked off on Thursday. Visitors enjoy a robust medieval atmosphere with stall owners and actors dressed in medieval style costumes at the market. (Xinhua/Chen Jing)

Stall owners dressed in medieval style costumes are seen at the annual Medieval Market in Turku, Finland, June 30, 2022. The annual Medieval Market, one of the largest historical events in Finland, kicked off on Thursday. Visitors enjoy a robust medieval atmosphere with stall owners and actors dressed in medieval style costumes at the market. (Xinhua/Chen Jing)

A tourist visits a stall at the annual Medieval Market in Turku, Finland, June 30, 2022. The annual Medieval Market, one of the largest historical events in Finland, kicked off on Thursday. Visitors enjoy a robust medieval atmosphere with stall owners and actors dressed in medieval style costumes at the market. (Xinhua/Chen Jing)

Tourists taste drinks at the annual Medieval Market in Turku, Finland, June 30, 2022. The annual Medieval Market, one of the largest historical events in Finland, kicked off on Thursday. Visitors enjoy a robust medieval atmosphere with stall owners and actors dressed in medieval style costumes at the market. (Xinhua/Chen Jing)
On the occasion of Doctors day, Evergreen Club - the online community for elderly above the age of 50 announces its partnership with Reliance Hospital - Navi Mumbai. The aim of this partnership is to educate the members of Evergreen Club on health-related issues that are prevalent amongst older adults, and help them to take better care of themselves.

The senior care platform plans on organizing four sessions every month, exclusively for its members in collaboration with Reliance Hospitals. The members will be given an opportunity to interact with senior medical experts and certified doctors, and clarify doubts concerning their health. Evergreen Club has successfully organized 12 sessions with Reliance Hospitals so far, and has got great response from its members for the same. Through this partnership, Reliance Hospitals will get access to the elderly from across the country, to understand the health issues faced by them.

Speaking on the partnership with Reliance Hospitals, Tapan Mishra, Founder, Evergreen Club said, This partnership will help our club members immensely. The frequent sessions by doctors and medical experts will motivate our members to stay healthy and fit. It makes me happy to see our members learn and grow everyday through our platform, and these are our small efforts to bring about a positive change in the lifestyle of the elderly.

We are very pleased to be associated with Evergreen Club as a healthcare partner. We would like to congratulate them for their wonderful contribution towards the senior citizens community. Reliance would be happy to serve in its capacity as a healthcare organization to Evergreen Club, said Dr. Bipin Chevale - CEO and Head of Reliance Hospital, Navi Mumbai.
This Doctor's Day, Manipal Hospitals, through its latest campaign, highlights the real reasons behind doctors doing what they do best  care for us, even though they are judged for their decisions. The campaign is based on a recent survey which highlighted that more than 90% of Indians dont trust the healthcare system. The film showcases what a doctor has to go through, to help the patients, while fighting the doubts of the patients and their family members around the treatment.

This campaign, which has been conceptualised and executed by the creative agency, Social Panga, is an extension of last years campaign  Happy Doctors Day, REALLY?; which highlighted violence faced by Indian doctors and questioned the sentiments of the public. This year, the slight change in the narrative highlights the patients trust issues, changing the perspective to  Happy Doctors Day. REALLY!; no more questioning, rather acknowledging the sentiments of the larger masses.

Mr. Karthik Rajagopal, Chief Operating Officer, Manipal Health Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., says, "Nowadays, people shower us with their frustration more than praise and gratitude if we extend their time in the hospital by a few hours or give them a long list of tests and medicines. They associate it all with having to shell out extra money instead of considering that it is advised out of care and concern. It is time a doctor's profession was shown due trust for what it is known to do best  save lives. The Social Panga team has done a wonderful job in making it easier for us to send this message across via the Doctors Day film."

Gaurav Arora, Co-Founder of Social Panga, sheds light on the campaign saying, "For Manipal Hospitals, we believe that deep-rooted insights work best to bring out the most powerful campaign while ensuring it is relatable for the audience. While doctors are respected for what they do, we expect this campaign to serve as a wake-up call for those who do not give the profession the trust it deserves.

The campaign will run across all platforms  print, online, and TV
OLX Autos, Indias leading player in the pre-owned automobile segment, along with Bollywood director Rohit Shetty and Actor Sharman Joshi have released their third ad film titled Ghoomti Hui Car under the Shetty ke Car-Naame campaign.

The third ad film in the series of 4 films, focuses around the value proposition of OLX Autos, offering the best-price for pre-owned cars and conveys the delightful experience consumers can expect when selling their cars to OLX Autos. The campaign films are a humorous take on the common tropes found across Rohit Shettys movies, where cars are often shown performing a wide array of stunts and often forming the centerpiece of the movies.

The new ad film titled - Ghoomti Hui Car plays on the trope of Rohit Shetty using cars that spin around or drift for an extended period of time often to mark the entry of an superstar actor in key scenes across his movies as demonstrated by Ajay Devgns entry in Singham. Rohit proposes the sale of the stunt car to Sharman Joshi, who portrays the role of an OLX Autos employee, who then delights him by offering the best price for the same.

The campaign conceptualized by Lowe Lintas Delhi once again resonates and showcases OLX Autos commitment to offering the Best Price on any car that a consumer may be keen to sell.

With a low per capita car ownership rate in India, pre-owned cars outpace new cars in terms of cars sold and are often the first set of wheels for many consumers. The supply for pre-owned cars stems from existing car owners. However, given the largely fragmented nature of the pre-owned car market consumers often face difficulties in realizing the right price while selling their cars. The campaign seeks to highlight key offerings by OLX Autos, which aim at removing this information and access asymmetry with transparent evaluation process with no hidden charges, free inspection, seamless RC transfer and more.
Sony India in collaboration with renowned Indian cinematographer Ayananka Bose and Utopia Pictures released The Bottle 360 Project: a breath-taking cinematic depiction with a social and philosophical message: what goes out comes around. The film has leveraged the S-Cinetone video looks possible with the Sony Cinema Line Cameras. It aims to raise awareness around the need to conserve and safeguard the environment.

Mukesh Srivastava, Head of Digital Imaging Business at Sony India said, "We wanted people to express their passion for cinematography while also sending a powerful message about the need to care and conserve." He added saying, "The Bottle 360 Project is beautifully captured with the help of Sony Cinema Line Cameras including the FX9, FX6, and FX3 designed with cinematographers in mind. With S-Cinetone video look, we are giving cinematographers an additional way to bring their creativity to light."

In the short film, the social and philosophical message is delivered through the lens of a plastic bottle, the journey of which is portrayed in a breath-taking way. The Bottle 360 Project video takes us through the travels across various terrains, days and nights, before bringing to the place where it all started. The impactful video shot by ace cinematographer Ayananka Bose leverages all the cinema line cameras, the FX9 for its shallow depth of field, FX6 for being the lightest wizard and FX3 for run and gun style of shooting.

Ayananka Bose said, "For me, the variable inbuilt ND filter wheel provided the ultimate gratification after earlier struggling to change filters in a rush. Not to mention, the colour science of these cameras is so excellent that I always feel as though I am viewing the finished image and I do not desire any digital manipulation, which has practically become standard in most contemporary visual arts work." He further added saying, "I tried my best to complement these lenses with two of the finest cameras, the FX6 & FX9 from the FX series.

For the project, Bose used Sony FX9 equipped with a 6K Full Frame Sensor that supports 15+ stops of dynamic range and a Dual Base ISO. He also used FX6 and FX3 cameras in the series and two hero zoom lenses, the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM and FE 70-200MM F2.8 GM OSS.
Sudhir Chaudhary, who has quit as Editor-in-Chief and CEO of Zee News, WION, Zee Business, Zee 24 Taas and host of the prime-time show Daily News & Analysis (DNA), on Zee News, is planning to start his own venture, sources have confirmed to Adgully. Sources further said that Chaudhary plans to utilise his huge fan following for setting up his own enterprise.

As reported earlier by Adgully, Chaudhary was not seen on the DNA show since the beginning of this week. In his stead, Zee Hindustan anchor Rohit Ranjan hosts the show. According to information obtained from sources, this is not happening at random, but rather as part of a comprehensive strategy. 'DNA' is a popular Zee News programme. According to the numbers, this show accounts for a considerable portion of the channels TRP. The hurdles are no less daunting for Zee News, which has fallen out of the top-5 in the TRP competition for the previous ten weeks.

Since the 1990s, Chaudhary has worked in the television news profession. He was a member of the first generation of television journalists, working in live television reporting and then in 24-hour news television. After the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, Chaudhary has been part of the crew that covered the Vajpayee-Musharraf Indo-Pak summit in Islamabad.

He quit Zee News in 2003. He was involved in the development of Sahara Samay, the Sahara Group's Hindi-language news channel. He also worked briefly for India TV. He returned to Zee News in 2012, anchoring the news show Daily News & Analysis (DNA).

Earlier also, he had offered to quit Zee Media on several occasions.
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A major part of China's west-to-east power transmission program kicked off operation Friday, a further boost to the coordinated development among different regions.

With its transmission line stretching about 2,080 km, the Baihetan-Jiangsu 800-kilovolt ultra-high-voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission project transmits clean hydropower from the southwestern province of Sichuan to east China's economic powerhouse Jiangsu Province.

It is the world's first UHV direct current power transmission project using a new approach that combines the conventional direct current and flexible direct current technologies, according to the State Grid Corporation of China.

Starting construction in December 2020, the mega project spans five provincial regions, with many parts built into the mountains.

"We have worked against high altitude, low temperatures and complex landscapes to meet the schedule," said Zhang Mingdi, a project manager participating in the construction of the project's Sichuan section.

China's west-to-east power transmission program seeks to balance the country's electricity supply and demand in different regions. It transmits the electricity surplus in western regions rich in power-generating resources to eastern regions which need much electricity to power economic activities.

Sichuan is home to the project's powerhouse Baihetan, the world's second-largest hydropower station. The Baihetan-Jiangsu project is expected to accelerate the transformation of Sichuan's natural resources into economic benefits, bringing investment totaling about 100 billion yuan (about 14.92 billion U.S. dollars) in electricity and other sectors.

The electricity market's volume of Jiangsu, the power transmission's major receiver, is expected to top 10 million kW during the 2021-2025 period.

The project has a power transmission capacity of 8 million kW, generally meeting the demand of Jiangsu's power demand, said Wu Wei, vice director of the construction department of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd.

Some 14 million tonnes of coal could be saved thanks to the project, which can deliver more than 30 billion kWh of clean electricity annually, helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 25 million tonnes every year. 
Well, I guess the Communists know that the old people living in America today are not going to make the revolution. They are not the people who count. They count on the young people, and those who control the youth are the people who control the future of this country.

Former Communist Bella V. Dodd, before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1953 1/

In 2010, President Obama nationalized student tuition loans by making the government the sole provider of government-backed college tuition loans. By doing so, Obama effectively eliminated banks as the conduit of choice for government-backed tuition-loan financing. Similarly, when Obama pushed for the government to be the Obamacare to be the single-payer of a nationalized health care system, the obvious consequence would be to eliminate employer-sponsored and insurance company-provided health insurance from the market.

On March 30, 2010, Obama signed the Health Care and Education Act charging the U.S. Department of Education to make 100 percent of all government-funded college loans, effective on July 1 of that year. In 2010, student loan debt totaled $760 billion. In 2022, the total outstanding student loan debt will more than double to a record $1.7 trillion. In 2017, a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York concluded that more federal aid to students enables colleges to raise tuition more. Raising U.S. higher education tuition costs to a level middle-class families cannot afford is not a problem as long as the government makes the taxpayer pay the price.

Meanwhile, colleges and universities have utilized the increased tuition revenue to flourish into todays bastion of critical-theory-driven neo-Marxist political correctness. In 2018, Mitchell Langbert, an associate professor at Brooklyn College, published a study concluding that the political affiliations of faculty members at 51 of the 66 liberal-arts colleges ranked by U.S. News in 2017 were decidedly left-leaning. Langbert found that Democrats dominate most faculties, with none of the 51 colleges having on the faculty more Republicans than Democrats, and over a third having no Republican faculty.

As one-time communist Bella Dodd made clear in her 1953 HUAC testimony, revolution starts by indoctrinating the youth. Obama appears to have understood the operative principle here: namely, what the government funds, the government controls. The Supreme Court memorialized this principle in Rust v. Sullivan, 500 U.S. 173 (1991). In Rust v. Sullivan, an abortion case, the Supreme Court held organizations receiving federal grants under the Public Health Service Act could not refuse to support abortion as a method of family planning, despite First Amendment free-speech protections. But the corollary to the precept that What the Government Funds, the Government Controls is this: Absent the Trillions of Taxpayer Dollars the Government Wants to Spend, Student Tuition Loan Programs Wither and Die.

In a 2016 paper entitled Student Loans as a Pressure on U.S. Education, Elizabeth Popp Berman and Abby Stivers, University at Albany, SUNY, made the point succinctly. A large majority of U.S. student loans are made or guaranteed by the federal government, and without federal backing, the student loan system would collapse, they wrote. As all Marxist-trained radicals understand, keeping the youth indoctrination system of the U.S. higher education system in the hands of a federal bureaucracy is essential. The system functioning as a form of ideological reprogramming is critical to the Gramsci-style Maoist cultural revolutions goal of destroying the fundamental values inherent in American exceptionalism.

Image: Student loan protest by Sarah Mirk. CC BY 2.0.

Since the student protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s, college students have been able to get degrees in Hispanic Studies, Womens Studies, and African American studies. The developing theme was that the United States is a racist, imperialist state that has colonized minorities by denying them equal rights.

Today, the Neo-Marxist critical theory classes that dominate higher education have indoctrinated a generation of students into a hate-America agenda. In 2017, the governing board of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) adopted the following theme for their annual conference: Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization. Talking points prepared for the ACPAs meeting included: Racism and colonization are real, present, enduring, intersectional, and systematic forms of oppression, and Advocacy and social justice require us to work to dismantle racism and colonialization in higher education.

The intolerance of radical leftist students subjects their conservative counterparts to constant allegations that their offensive speech is an unacceptable micro-aggression. Why? Perhaps the conservative student committed the unforgivable sin of using the wrong pronoun in referring to a persons gender identity. Data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2021 found exceptionally high unemployment rates among recent college graduates. With some one-third of recent college graduates underemployed, working in jobs that did not require a college degree, we might consider that a social justice college degree is inadequate preparation for lucrative employment in an advanced post-industrial society.

Despite Obamas dramatic increase in student tuition loans, radical socialist Democrats like Rep. Bernie Sanders (Independent, VT), when he campaigned for president in 2020, argued for eliminating existing student debt to provide a free college education for everyone. I believe that education is the future for this country, and that is why I believe that we must make public colleges and universities tuition-free and eliminate student debt, and we do that by placing a tax on Wall Street, Sanders said in the first round of the Democratic Debate in Miami, Florida, on June 27, 2019. While President Biden has not endorsed free college for everyone, he has considered forgiving $10,000 of student debt to mobilize the Democratic Party voter base in the upcoming 2022 mid-term elections. How did we come as a nation to this point in American history?

In 1965, Herbert Marcuse, the champion of the radical student protests in the 1960s and 70s, wrote an essay entitled Repressive Tolerance. That essay was seminal to the intolerance of todays critical theory neo-Marxists dominating higher education campuses in America today. In Repressive Tolerance, Marcuse concluded that the realization of the objective of tolerance would call for intolerance toward prevailing policies, attitudes, opinions, and the extension of tolerance to policies, attitudes, and opinions that are suppressed. 2/

Marcuse argued for a different standard, one of liberating tolerance. Marcuses new standard required censoring policies, attitudes, opinions, etc., that supported what Marcuse saw as the dominant repressive and alienating nature of advanced industrial societies such as the United States. By this twisted logic, the neo-Marxist accusation of white privilege became violently intolerant. After Marcuse, all subjects taught at the university level, including mathematics and the hard sciences, have been politicized as racist.

In medical triage, the first principle is to stop the bleeding. So, too, ending the government-funding of student tuition loans will begin the process of killing off the student loan program. Without this funding, higher education institutions will not as quickly indoctrinate future generations of American youth into critical theory neo-Marxist ideology. If we do not cut off the budget now, American exceptionalism will undoubtedly fade among future generations, perhaps beyond recovery.

____________________________

1/ Testimony of Bella V. Dodd, June 17, 1953, Investigation of Communist Activities in the Columbus, Ohio, Area, Hearings Before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, Eighty-Third Congress, First Session, June 17 and 18, 1953 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1953), p. 1769.

2/ Herbert Marcuse, Repressive Tolerance, in Robert Paul Wolff, Barrington Moore, Jr., and Herbert Marcuse, A Critique of Pure Tolerance (Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 1965), pp. 81-117, at p. 81.

Since 2004, Jerome R. Corsi has published 25 books on economics, history, and politics, including two #1 New York Times bestsellers. In 1972, he received his Ph.D. from the Department of Government at Harvard University. He currently resides in New Jersey with his family. His next book, entitled The Truth About Energy, Global Warming, and Climate Change: Exposing Climate Lies in an Age of Disinformation, will be published on June 28, 2022.
With the SCOTUS decision last week to reverse Roe v. Wade, a decades-old lie unraveled  abortion is not a Constitutional right, but rather (at the moment), an issue to be decided upon at the state level. In the wake of this, the militant lowbrows began to eat their own, particularly Joe Biden. The Twitterverse erupted in an emotional and vulgar fury, with supporters of abortion demanding that Biden do something to secure nationwide access to ending the lives of those not yet born.

Now, according to The Louisville Courier-Journal, Biden and Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell purportedly struck a deal to nominate a prominent anti-abortion lawyer to a lifetime appointment as a federal judge. Kentucky Democrat John Yarmuth confirmed the future nomination of Chad Meredith, detailing the agreement was part of a broader cooperative effort to shuffle through Bidens other appointments without interference. Meredith has quite an impressive resume as a dedicated defender of the unborn and their mothers, so naturally an unexpected selection for a pro-murder Democrat like Biden.

Meredith is a member of the Federalist Society, which set its foundation upon, the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that is is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, now what it should be. Of course, the idea that America and its political structures would adhere to its supreme governing document is abhorrent to many of the Democrats, including Kentucky candidate for U.S. Senate, who said:

The President is making a deal with the devil and once again, the people of Kentucky are crushed in the process.



At a time when we are fighting to protect human rights, this is a complete slap in the face.



This is some bullshit. https://t.co/A4LV6PxSeK  Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) June 29, 2022

Bidens timing to strike a deal with McConnell couldnt have been better  or worse, depending on whether or not you support baby-killing  the Left is self-destructing, and spectating at the Colosseum is a sport in itself. Editor-in-Chief for Jezebel, Laura Bassett, described the move as a massive betrayal to the people he claims hes fighting for, while the official account for the Womens March tweeted, We elected you to PROTECT abortion access, not nominate anti-abortion judges as our rights are stripped away! This same group also promised to support primary challenges against Democrats complicit in the right-wing takeover of the nations judiciary.

Democrats are finally getting a little taste of what it feels like to be a conservative under Republican leadership, experiencing betrayal for the first time, and like the emotional terrorists they are, theyre losing their minds.
President of the New Zealand China Friendship Society Dave Bromwich is pictured in Havelock North, New Zealand, June 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Lei)

WELLINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President of the New Zealand China Friendship Society (NZCFS) Dave Bromwich has spoken highly of the achievements of the Communist Party of China (CPC), using the word "service" to describe the relationship between the CPC and the Chinese people.

"The government is the people. The people are the government. It is a mutual relationship. If using one word to describe my feeling about the CPC and the government of China, I very quickly came up with one word and I haven't been able to replace it, and the word is service. Why service? Because China has developed so fast and taken all of its population with it," Bromwich told Xinhua in a recent interview.

According to Bromwich, the main reasons for the Chinese people's great support for the government and the CPC are the success they have achieved in advancing the livelihood of the people and a sense of pride the people feel towards their country's achievements.

He said the key human rights issues are enough food to eat, adequate housing and the right to education. "For those three key areas, China has done an amazing job."

Recalling his first trip to China 31 years ago, Bromwich said "I remember the first trip I did from Shanghai to Guangzhou was 33 hours. Its just so fast now and has made the lives of the people so much more comfortable. It's a very rapid development."

As this year witnesses the 50th anniversary of New Zealand-China diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the NZCFS, Bromwich highlighted three key points in fostering bilateral relations in the future: education of younger generation, sustainable business relations and illustration of a Chinese perspective rather than a Western interpretation of China from the media.

"It is the media in the West who is really responsible for a lot of the misinformation and the distrust of China as a nation. That's the point I think where the difficulties lie," he said.

Bromwich has spent nearly 10 years in China since 1996. Most of his experiences were related to cooperatives and rural community development projects in remote areas in Southwest and Western China. He was elected as president of the NZCFS in 2013.

"My experience in China has given me a great understanding of where China is today, where she has come from and how she has developed," Bromwich said.

"At the same time, the most rewarding part of my work is through tours to introduce China to the outside world, to know the real communities, from the village people who we've worked with, to provincial level partners, a real introduction, a real China," he said. 
In response to the SCOTUS reversal of Roe v. Wade, hordes of hysterical feminists took to the streets, and Twitter, to fulfill their commitment to rage. Naturally, the empoweredand independent women attempting to strong-arm national capitulation to their murderous agenda requested backup  neurotically demanding mens help. Meghan Markle, a self-described feminist, even said:

Men need to be more vocal in this moment and beyond because these are decisions that affect relationships, families, and communities at large. They may target women, but the consequences impact all of us. My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. Hes a feminist too [emphasis added].

Markles words detail a regrettable, yet somewhat comical reality  modern men who ascribe to politically liberal philosophies are completely emasculated caitiffs, and it appears to be mostly self-inflicted. As it turns out, all it took to elicit sexual responsibilty within the beta male enclave was the protection of their hypothetical progeny.

In the heart of the midwest, Kansas City urologist Dr. Christian Hettinger said, Since Friday, were up 900% in people looking to get a vasectomy. One man, Lyon Lenk, chose to relay his motivations to a local news outlet, revealing he and his fiancee just want the basics, to have. a choice in how our lives look like.

Liberal men have a propensity to self-neuter  willingly absconding from the role as protector and husband to score an easy lay, forfeiting fatherhood through abortion in favor of cowardice, and now, simping for angry, unstable women by relinquishing their virility. William Murphy, an Atlanta pastor, even took the spinelessness a step further, defying the biblical commands set forth by the God he alleges to serve, stating:

"All the guys, let's all set appointments to get vasectomies. Or better yet, they not shutting the vasectomy clinics down. I don't hear nobody saying nothing. I didn't see one protester outside of a vasectomy clinic. I didn't see one."



William Murphy, The dReam Center Church pic.twitter.com/FPqC9Z9Q0d  Woke Preacher Clips (@WokePreacherTV) June 30, 2022

Murphy continued, saying, This is an open door. First reproductive rights, then voting rights, then civil rights, then human rights. This is just the beginning of a demonic agenda, and the church has to get in the gap.

Apparently, requesting adults engaged in sexual relationships take necessary actions to prevent creating an innocent life just to conveniently and brutally destroy it, is too much too ask.

Insight into the modern progressive American male mind illustrates a tragic truth  politically liberal ideology lends itself well to pathetic and impotent men.
Last week, audio released by Project Veritas documented a South Carolina Democrat conniving to secure local elections via duplicitous means. Among other things, Krystle Matthews said, "We need some secret sleepers. Like you need, we need them to run as [sic] the other side, even though they for [sic] our side. We need people to run as Republicans in these local elections."

The recording shocked many of the listeners  but it shouldn't have. The Republican Party remains hopelessly infiltrated, and the Establishment is keen to keep the status quo. Perhaps nowhere is this fact more evident than in Arizona  after all, the state has produced caitiff politicians like John McCain, Jeff Flake, and Mark Brnovich. One particular group of Arizonans is so fed up with the obvious breach within the party by Marxian activists that it developed quite an ingenious countermeasure: "RINO-tagging."

Organized as the Patriot Party of Arizona, and under the leadership of Chairman Pro Tem Steve Daniels, teams of conservatives installed "RINO" tags, placing them directly next to the campaign signs of certified betrayers.

Was sent a few more images from Southern Arizona last night.



While we are an Arizona only party, and don't deal with federal races, I don't mind seeing a sign next to Numbchucks Brno...he's done nothing for Election Integrity. #RINOtagged pic.twitter.com/XY7NmjKJ6i  realSteveDaniels - PASS HB2289 NOW (@StevenTylerAZ) June 30, 2022

So what actions earn a Republican a "RINO" tag? In a statement from Daniels:

The Patriot Party of Arizona was established to restore and maintain Constitutional conservative leadership in Arizona, and due to an obvious disinterest by the AZGOP to address the most glaring issues within the Republican Party in Arizona, the Patriot Party of Arizona has stepped up to do their job for them. It would seem the AZGOP, via Kelli Ward, is more concerned with soliciting donations from hardworking Arizonans, all the while going behind their backs to ensure that nothing substantial will change. The AZGOP, and Kelli Ward, have effectively been absent these last two years, as it relates to pushing the Arizona Legislature to pass meaningful election integrity legislation. Whereas, the Patriot Party of Arizona took the initiative to draft HB2289 (One Day, One Vote), the most comprehensive election integrity legislation in the United States. The Republican-controlled legislature, under the control of Swamp operatives  Speaker Bowers and President Fann  actively worked to kill the legislation. Had Kelli Ward used her bully pulpit, I'm confident the legislation would have had a positive outcome  but instead, she worked against us.

Daniels is referring to a rigorous election integrity bill, H.B. 2289  known as the "One Day, One Vote" bill  and one which prominent Arizona Republicans killed. Due to public pressure from active conservatives, it passed out of its committee, where it was held by Senate president Karen Fann, who refused to allow the bill to be voted on, alleging that there weren't enough votes in the Republican-held Senate to pass it. However, conservative activists requested a vote anyway, in order to identify those who would not support securing elections, and Fann held it still, before sine die occurred last week, ending the legislative session and effectively killing the bill.

Many of the measures found within H.B. 2289 were initially promoted under H.B. 2596  and in an archaic move, Republican speaker of the House Rusty Bowers assigned the bill to all twelve of the House committees, ensuring its defeat.

Arizonans appear to be sick and tired of the erosion of conservative values and the apparent unwillingness of Republican leadership to return to a constitutional mindset of a bottom-up governing system. It's time to fight back, and RINO-tagging seems like a great place to start.
The Biden "desperate for a win" administration is cheering that it got one from the Supreme Court. This is the story:

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Biden administration can repeal the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy, reversing a lower court ruling. Under that policy, migrants seeking entry into the U.S. had to stay in Mexico as they awaited hearings. The Trump administration put the policy in place so that migrants would not be released into the U.S. The Biden administration had tried to repeal the policy but was previously blocked by a lower court.

My old World History teacher must be saying today that this is a pyrrhic victory for the Biden administration. I remember that class about Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who suffered heavy losses in defeating the Romans back when.

The opinion will create a tsunami of problems.

First, the criminal elements moving people will view this decision as a green light. In other words, more will come because Mexico has nothing to worry about now that they won't be remaining there.

Second, it will put more pressure on Border Patrol agents already overwhelmed with people on the other side.

The Biden administration will not say that this decision is illegitimate but will privately wish it had not happened. It would have been a lot easier for "Remain in Mexico" to remain in place and explain to the immigration activists that Justice Clarence Thomas and his gang did it again.

The border mess is now more than 100% on the Biden administration. They will have to deal with it and they can't.

PS: Check out my videos and posts.

Image: Carlo Raso.
Possibly the dumbest reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency came from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, although Justice Kagan, who has at least 50 I.Q. points on AOC, gave her some competition.

Just because her side didn't get its way, she wants to destroy the Supreme Court, and possibly the entire Judicial Branch.

Catastrophic. A filibuster carveout is not enough. We need to reform or do away with the whole thing, for the sake of the planet. https://t.co/if8PIbfs42  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2022

"Reform" in this context means packing the Court by expanding its membership with new appointees who are radical leftists. That would be reversed by the next Republican president and Senate combination, which would, in turn, lead to an endless cycle of court expansion until its membership started to rival that of Congress. The Court would be destroyed  which would amount to "doing away" with it, only without the necessary constitutional amendment necessary to formally abolish the Court.

For a bit of nostalgia (hat tip: Mike Nadler), consider the reactions to the bien pensants when President Trump criticized court rulings.

CNN:

Federal judge assails Trump's attacks on judiciary: He's feeding a 'destructive narrative' A federal judge on Wednesday assailed President Donald Trump for his repeated attacks on various legal decisions and judges, stating the President's bombastic criticism is feeding into a "destructive narrative." US District Court Judge Paul Friedman said Trump's personal attacks on judges are helping "undermine faith in the rule of law itself." "This obviously is a trend we're seeing throughout public life, but, I would suggest, the stakes in attacking the judiciary have graver implications," Friedman said in remarks as part of a lecture series at a federal courthouse in Washington. "And regrettably, the current President of the United States is feeding right into this destructive narrative."

From the American Bar Association's journal:

Trump's attacks on courts undermine judicial independence President Trump's attacks upon judges and judicial decisions undermines the legitimacy of the courts. This diminishes the purpose of having not only a system of checks and balances, but of having a neutral court that can operate independently. Derogatory tweets and criticisms from the executive branch must not be allowed to intimidate the judiciary. For centuries, Americans have relied on fair courts to prevent government overreach and to maintain the constitutional rights of its citizens, regardless of the political motivations of the other two government branches. Allowing the federal courts to serve as an impartial and independent body free of executive interference is crucial to preserving the ideals of the United States of America. The head of state's disrespect and contempt for one of the bedrock principles of democracy demonstrates why an independent judicial branch is essential. The executive branch cannot usurp the judicial branch, and the executive branch should not attempt to abrogate this core constitutional structure. Our system of checks and balances has proved to be the bedrock of our democracy. The Constitution safeguards judicial independence; however, separation of powers ensures that each branch must accord the others a certain level of deference. As the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Nixon, no person, not even the president of the United States, is above the law.

Photo credit: Joe Ravi, CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
The advanced state of ad hominem political attacks in the United States has spread to the Supreme Courts own justices  at least from the outnumbered liberals there. The three dissenters from last Fridays abortion case did more than offer their legal reasons for differing with the majority. They directly attacked the honesty and integrity of their fellow justices on the other side of the issue.

Perhaps they consciously decided to follow the noxious lead of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DNY), who threatened two of the justices on March 2nd this now-famous comment:

I want to tell you, Gorsuch; I want to tell you, Kavanaugh: You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit if you go forward with these awful decisions.

Schumer yelled that threat into a bullhorn on the steps of the Court itself.

The country has grown accustomed to this kind of bullying and hyperbolic rhetoric from Schumer. But even more disturbing, at least to me, are the multiple personal attacks from Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan in their dissent in the abortion case. I don't think anything like what they wrote has ever appeared before in a Supreme Court decision.

Below are four such attacks from the dissent that I copied, along with citations to where they appear [emphasis added by me]:

1. Dissent, p.5 [full .pdf at p.152]: So one of two things must be true. Either the majority does not really believe in its own reasoning. Or if it does, all rights that have no history stretching back to the mid-19th century are insecure. Either the mass of the majoritys opinion is hypocrisy, or additional constitutional rights are under threat. It is one or the other. 2. Dissent, p.6 [full .pdf at p.153}: The Court reverses course today for one reason and one reason only: because the composition of this Court has changed. Stare decisis, this Court has often said, contributes to the actual and perceived integrity of the judicial process by ensuring that decisions are founded in the law rather than in the proclivities of individuals. Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U. S. 808, 827 (1991); Vasquez v. Hillery, 474 U. S. 254, 265 (1986). Today, the proclivities of individuals rule. The Court departs from its obligation to faithfully and impartially apply the law. We dissent. 3. Dissent, p.11 [full .pdf at p.158]: We make one initial point about this analysis in light of the majoritys insistence that Roe and Casey, and we in defending them, are dismissive of a States interest in protecting prenatal life. Ante, at 38. Nothing could get those decisions more wrong. 4. Dissent, p.14 [full .pdf at p.161]: As an initial matter, note a mistake in the just preceding sentence. We referred there to the people who ratified the Fourteenth Amendment: What rights did those people have in their heads at the time? But, of course, people did not ratify the Fourteenth Amendment. Men did. So it is perhaps not so surprising that the ratifiers were not perfectly attuned to the importance of reproductive rights for womens liberty, or for their capacity to participate as equal members of our Nation. Indeed, the ratifiersboth in 1868 and when the original Constitution was approved in 1788did not understand women as full members of the community embraced by the phrase We the People.

Sounds much more like the many crazies on TV news or at the New York Times than Justices on the Supreme Court. In terms of the Times , I refer, of course, to the lead editorial on June 25th, which included these words:

The presence of these individuals on the court is the culmination of a decades-long effort by anti-abortion and other right-wing forces to remake the court into a regressive bulwark.

and

By the majoritys reasoning, the right to terminate a pregnancy is not deeply rooted in the history and tradition of the United States  a country whose Constitution was written by a small band of wealthy white men, many of whom owned slaves and most, if not all, of whom considered women to be second-class citizens without any say in politics.

Surprisingly, I didn't find any personal attacks directed at Justice Thomas in the dissent. Its hard to know why. One possibility is that Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan decided that Thomas was "hands-off" in terms of personal invective because Thomas is Black, opening them to the charge of racism.

Now is the time to stop this vitriol before its too late, before it impacts the way the Justices conduct business. Its long past time to stop it in the Senate and the House and at the White House. It should never have shown up in any Supreme Court opinion. Lets hope we dont see it again.

Photo credit: Joe Ravi CC BY-SA 3.0 license
Google has been updating its apps and services to comply with the Material You design philosophy, and some other companies are following suit. The thing is that third-party companies have been changing their mobile apps. Well, according to Android Police, Bundled Notes might be the first third company to apply Material You to its desktop site.

In the early days after Google unveiled Material You, the company went on a mad dash changing its first-party apps to comply with the Material You aesthetic. Now, all of its apps are pretty much changed, and the company is working on its desktop sites. It recently changed the Gmail website.

Bundled Notes is the first third-party service to add Material You to its website

If you dont know what Bundled Notes is, then you might want to if youre an avid note-taker. This is an all-in-one note-taking service that lets you jot down notes, and make to-do lists. You can sync your notes between the Android app and the website for an integrated experience.

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You can organize your notes into notebook called Bundles that you can customize to your liking. Its a great service to try out if you want to keep your notes and thoughts in order. The majority of the features are free, and if you want to sync you notes across more types of devices, you can get a pro membership.

Now, the web version of the service is getting a new update that will give it a Material You flair. The developer posted a tweet describing the new update and how to apply the theme. When youre in the web app, you need only go to the theme option and click the Click To Pick colour button.

From that screen, youll get a standard color picker UI. From there, youll be pick the color by using the slider, the RGB numbers, or the Hex code. From there, that color will be present throughout the app which will add a nice touch.

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This is as far as the Material You can go, as youd expect. It wont be able to choose colors from your wallpaper, but its still a step forward.
Google Assistant may soon start reminding you to turn off or reschedule your daily alarm if the next day is a holiday. The company had announced this feature as part of the March Feature Drop earlier this year. At that time, Google hadnt revealed how it will work. It appears its digital assistant will be behind the scenes.

Ahead of Canada Day today, Reddit user u/als26 received a notification from Google Assistant reminding them to turn off their alarm (via 9to5Google). Tomorrow is Canada Day, the notification is titled. Tap to change your 9:30 alarm, the follow-up text reads. The Redditor says 9:30 am is their usual alarm time for work.

Tapping the notification takes you to the Alarm page. From here, Google Assistant will leave you alone. You will have to manually turn off the alarm or reschedule it. As the Redditor notes, it would have been better if you could temporarily disable the alarm for a day. But any assistive reminder to disable the alarm is welcome, rather than you missing it out and an unexpected alarm ruining your morning.

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This Google Assistant alarm reminder may roll out to all Android devices

Interestingly, Googles original announcement suggested this feature would be part of Pixels At a Glance widget. The reminder would show up alongside existing Clock app integrations for Bedtime and Timer & stopwatch. The homescreen widget never got a settings toggle for it and, by the looks of it, the feature will be independent of it. Perhaps it will be available to all Android devices through Google Assistant and will not be limited to the Pixel lineup.

Google could do even better if it integrated this Assistant feature into the Clock app. That may pave way for smarter reminders, including the possibility of temporarily disabling the alarm for a day or rescheduling it. Maybe the company has plans for it, we shall see. For the time being, look forward to receiving one such reminder from Google Assistant if youve set your alarm to repeat every day.

Meanwhile, in related news, Google Assistant is losing the ability to set location-based reminders. Once this change rolls out to your device, you will no longer be able to specify a location for your reminder. This comes as a surprise, but Google knows what its doing. The company advises you to set routines for locations instead. You can still create reminders for a specific time through Google Assistant, though.
Russian, Indonesian presidents discuss Ukraine, food supplies

Xinhua) 08:56, July 01, 2022

MOSCOW, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the supplies of grain and fertilizers amid a global food shortage.

During a joint briefing after their talks in the Kremlin, Putin said that he informed Widodo in detail of the situation in Ukraine.

Speaking about the imbalance in the global food market, Putin attributed the problem to many years of irresponsible macroeconomic policies in some Western countries.

Russia exported more than 43 million tons of grain last year, of which there were 33 million tons of wheat, Putin said, adding that possible good harvests this year will allow Russia to sell more.

Russia is also ready to deliver a sufficient amount of fertilizers and other materials to Indonesia and other friendly countries, he said.

To this end, Putin stressed the "importance of restoring supply chains disrupted by the sanctions (on Russia)."

Widodo, who paid a visit to Kiev before traveling to Moscow, underlined the significance of promoting a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

"I conveyed a message from (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky to President Putin and expressed my readiness to establish communication between the two leaders," he said.

Widodo appreciated that Putin promised the security of food and fertilizer supplies not only from Russia but also from Ukraine.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Police stand guard as demonstrators protest against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in the square of Tirso de Molina in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

"NATO has always been used by the United States as a tool to perpetuate its hegemony," said Professor Gilbert Achcar. "The United States is trying to push Europe to take part in its own policies, including in East Asia."

MADRID, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The 2022 Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) wrapped up here on Thursday amid mounting criticisms of the military alliance's increasingly aggressive and destabilizing security policies unveiled at the meeting.

Twenty-two NATO members on Thursday agreed to launch the NATO Innovation Fund, a multi-sovereign venture capital fund that will invest 1 billion euros (1.05 billion U.S. dollars) in startups and other venture capital funds developing emerging technologies for both civilian and military use.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the fund's signing ceremony that it would help transform NATO's security environment and strengthen its innovation ecosystem.

The fund's launch is the latest in a long list of provocative security policies adopted at the two-day NATO meeting.

Participants of the 2022 Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pose for a group photo in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2022. (Photo by Juan Carlos Rojas/Xinhua)

NATO leaders on Wednesday agreed to strengthen the alliance's forward defenses, enhance the bloc's battlegroups on its eastern flank and increase the number of high readiness forces to over 300,000.

On the same day, they approved the military bloc's new strategic concept, which calls Russia the "most significant and direct threat" to NATO's security and unjustly accuses China of posing "systemic challenges."

NATO also invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance on Wednesday.

In an explicit move to meddle in the regional affairs of the Asia-Pacific, NATO invited the leaders of Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand to attend its summit for the first time.

The four Asia-Pacific countries held a four-way meeting on the sidelines of the NATO Summit to discuss strengthening ties with the alliance.

The United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea also held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines to discuss issues related to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

While Stoltenberg insisted that the NATO meeting was focused on "transforming and strengthening" the alliance for the security of its members, analysts and officials from non-NATO countries have said that NATO is inciting bloc confrontation with an outdated Cold War mentality.

A man takes part in a protest against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Madrid, Spain, June 26, 2022. (Photo by Juan Carlos Rojas/Xinhua)

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday condemned NATO's new strategic concept, saying the document distorts facts, smears China's foreign policy, makes irresponsible remarks on China's normal military development and national defense policy, encourages confrontation and conflicts, and is full of Cold War mentality and ideological bias.

Zhao added that NATO claims to be a regional and defensive organization, but in fact, it has been transgressing regions and fields, constantly waging wars and killing civilians, and now NATO has extended its reach to the Asia-Pacific region in an attempt to export the Cold War mentality.

Gilbert Achcar, a professor of development studies and international relations with the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, told Xinhua on Thursday that NATO's new strategic concept shows the alliance is "going far beyond the area of NATO into the Asia-Pacific."

"NATO has always been used by the United States as a tool to perpetuate its hegemony," Achcar added. "The United States is trying to push Europe to take part in its own policies, including in East Asia."

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Madrid, the United States and many other European countries this week to protest against the alliance and call for peace.

Police stand guard as demonstrators protest against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in the square of Tirso de Molina in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2022.(Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)
(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 1 - Premier Mario Draghi and his predecessor, 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Giuseppe Conte, are starting de-escalation talks on Friday amid massive tension within the ruling alliance that has led to talk of a possible crisis of government.

Draghi was set to speak to Conte on the telephone on Friday ahead of a face-to-face meeting on Monday, sources said.

A massive row broke out this week when Conte complained that he had heard that Draghi allegedly asked M5S founder and stand-up comic Beppe Grillo to oust the former premier from the movement.

Draghi denied this, saying he would clear the matter up with his predecessor as premier.

Draghi said Thursday that Conte had "confirmed" the M5S will not be exiting the government for an external support.

"I'm optimistic, the government is not at risk and it will not go on without the M5S," said Draghi, ruling out a reshuffle and saying that the success of the government's action was also due to the "generosity" of the broad national-unity majority backing it.

"I never made the statements attributed to me about the M5S", he said.

Friction within the ruling coalition was already high after Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio recently quit the M5S to form his own group after a big row with Conte over military aid for Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

Di Maio said Conte's calls for the government to stop sending weapons to Kyiv risking putting Italy out of synch with respect to its EU and NATO allies. (ANSA).


North Macedonia: progress with new French proposal, PM Von der Leyen, 'close to an agreement with Bulgaria'

(ANSAmed) - SKOPJE, 01 LUG - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Friday that she had a good phone call with Macedonian President Dimitar Kovachevski. She described as "good news" that North Macedonia and Bulgaria, with France's support, are "close to an agreement that takes into account interests and concerns", she said. The European Commission is ready to activate the screening process for North Macedonia and Albania, the next step on their European path, also tweeted von der Leyen.



Macedonian Premier Dimitar Kovacevski for his part cited progress made with the new French proposal, aimed at overcoming differences with Bulgaria and promoting the start of EU negotiations with Skopje. Speaking to journalists at the end of a meeting with government coalition partners, during which the French document was discussed, Kovacevski said "the position in which we find ourselves today is extremely favorable for us. Our strategy has proven fruitful. We received a proposal that incorporates our observations", he said, without providing clarifications on the French position. (ANSAmed)

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Hungary: Orban, we will enhance the army New "border hunter" units announced

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 1 - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Kossuth Radio that everyone supports the attacked country, Ukraine, but this is not Hungary's war, and Budapest must stay out of it, the governmental portal About Hungary reported today. The war zone could be much closer to Hungary than anyone believes, which is why Hungary must speed up its military development by two to three times, according to the prime minister. He also mentioned the formation of new "border hunter" units to combat rising migration pressure. (ANSA).





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Slovenia: first bilateral visit in Germany for Fajon Among topics conflict in Ukraine, enlargement to the Balkans

(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JUL 1 - Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon is scheduled to arrive in Berlin on Friday for her first bilateral visit abroad, the Slovenian news agency STA reported today. Fajon will meet with her German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, to discuss, among other things, the conflict in Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and bilateral cooperation.



Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob will also travel to Germany in the coming weeks for his first bilateral visit abroad.



In a recent interview, Fajon told the STA that Germany was chosen as her and Golob's first destination because Slovenian foreign policy has shifted "toward core countries of Europe" and to strengthen cooperation with "the axis Berlin-Paris-Rome,," Fajon and Baerbock will discuss the consequences of the Ukrainian war, particulary rising energy and food prices.



The foreign ministers will also discuss the situation in the Western Balkans, just a week after Slovenia proposed immediate candidate country status for Bosnia and Herzegovina. (ANSA).





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Bulgaria: cabinet crisis,Vassilev nominated to be the new PM Petkov withdraws his candidacy. Toward a new coalition

(ANSA) - SOFIA, JUL 1 - In Bulgaria, resigning premier Kiril Petkov has withdrawn his candidacy for a possible second term in the current Sofia parliament.



His party 'Let's Continue Change' (PP) is the most prominent political force in parliament, and his coalition government did not pass a no-confidence vote on June 22.



"I proposed the PP to appoint as the next premier of Bulgaria Assen Vassilev, a person I trust unconditionally," Petkov said in a video statement. Vassilev, the outgoing deputy premier, and the finance minister will likely receive the mandate this afternoon from President Rumen Radev. (ANSA).





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MOSCOW, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the supplies of grain and fertilizers amid a global food shortage.

During a joint briefing after their talks in the Kremlin, Putin said that he informed Widodo in detail of the situation in Ukraine.

Speaking about the imbalance in the global food market, Putin attributed the problem to many years of irresponsible macroeconomic policies in some Western countries.

Russia exported more than 43 million tons of grain last year, of which there were 33 million tons of wheat, Putin said, adding that possible good harvests this year will allow Russia to sell more.

Russia is also ready to deliver a sufficient amount of fertilizers and other materials to Indonesia and other friendly countries, he said.

To this end, Putin stressed the "importance of restoring supply chains disrupted by the sanctions (on Russia)."

Widodo, who paid a visit to Kiev before traveling to Moscow, underlined the significance of promoting a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

"I conveyed a message from (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky to President Putin and expressed my readiness to establish communication between the two leaders," he said.

Widodo appreciated that Putin promised the security of food and fertilizer supplies not only from Russia but also from Ukraine. 
ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted by Anadolu news agency as saying Friday that "we don't intend to declare war against Greece". However, he added "Greece doesn't keep its promises", speaking with journalists after Friday prayers at a mosque in Istanbul, accusing Athens of violating Turkish airspace 147 times.



Erdogan recently attacked Greece harshly, accusing it of violating international treaties by arming Greek Aegean islands near the Turkish coast. During a NATO summit in Madrid, Erdogan reportedly refused meetings with Greek representatives: "I don't have time to lose", Erdogan was reported as saying by Anadolu news agency, rejecting the offer because "Greece continues to arm the islands of the Aegean".
TUNIS - Tunisia's new Constitution is going in the direction of a presidential system, giving widespread powers to the head of State and marking a radical change from the parliamentary system currently in place. Just published in the official gazette, the new Charter, which includes a preamble and 142 articles divided into 10 chapters, will be voted in a referendum scheduled on July 25, exactly one year after the approval of exceptional measures by President Kais Saied.



The text confirms the structure of the presidential system, providing for the "president of the Republic to exercise the executive power, assisted by a government led by a head of the cabinet" appointed by the head of State. This government will not be presented to Parliament for a vote of confidence. The president, according to the text, will moreover enjoy widespread powers: supreme commander of the armed forces, the head of State also defines the general policies of the State and ratifies laws. The president can also present legislative texts to Parliament, "which must examine them 'as a priority'".



The text, along with significantly reducing the role and power of Parliament, also provides for the creation of a second chamber, "the national, regional and territorial council", introducing the concept of direct representativeness, which is dear to Saied. Members of Parliament also can't change parliamentary groups. Art. 1 which refers to Islam as the "State religion" disappears but art. 5 states that "Tunisia is part of the Islamic Umma-nation and the State alone must work to reach the objectives of Islam to preserve life, honor, money, religion and freedom". The president of the Republic moreover will have to be a Muslim, can't have dual citizenship and cannot be voted more than twice. The new text guarantees "individual and public rights and freedoms" and states that men and women are "equal in rights and duties", also sanctioning that "peaceful gatherings and demonstrations are guaranteed". The right to strike of magistrates disappears, and judicial power is described as a "function". The Constitutional Court is created, formed by nine high magistrates. The new Constitution will replace the charter dating back to 2014 that had set up a hybrid system, even if it was a source of conflict between the executive and legislative powers.



The opposition and human rights organizations accuse Saied of promoting a text that has been tailor-made for him. "This constitutional reform aims to codify authoritarianism that has already existed for a year", said Said Benarbia, director of the program of the International Commission of Jurists ICJ for North Africa and the Middle East. For Benarbia, the text sets up a "presidential system without checks and balances with an all-powerful president, a powerless parliament and an inoffensive judiciary".



The referendum moreover does not provide at the moment for a quorum and does not contemplate the possibility that a majority of voters could vote no to the proposed reform. Art. 139 in fact states that the "Constitution will come into effect after the final results are announced by the electoral commission".



According to Benarbia, those who drafted it "don't even take into account the possibility that the draft could be rejected by the Tunisian people".
Extradition lists not discussed with Turkey, Finland Only memorandum of agreement with Turkey, FM

(ANSAmed) - ROME, 01 LUG - Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has said that an accord with Ankara on Turkish support for the country's NATO bid only concerns details included in a memorandum of agreement and does not list people for extradition, Finalnd's newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported on Friday, quoting statements made by the foreign minister during a press conference with Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau.



Haavisto said he spoke with the Turkish foreign minister and that the two countries agreed on all points recorded in the agreement.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday asked Sweden and Finland to hand over "terrorists" claimed by the country and made a series of other requests in exchange for Ankara's support for the countries' bid to join the Alliance.



According to Erdogan, Turkey will block the ratification, or approval, of Finland's adhesion to NATO by Parliament if its requests are not be satisfied. According to Haavisto, neither people nor lists of extradition were discussed in Madrid. "And there is nothing similar in the document", noted Haavisto.



(ANSAmed).




TUNIS - Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) has declared "force majeure" in the oilfields of Sidra, Ras Lanuf and El-Feel due to closures that caused a loss of three billion dollars (16 billion Libyan dinars). "We are forced to declare the force majeure on the terminals of Asidra and Ras Lanuf, as well as the field of Al-Feel, with the continuation of the force majeure on the terminals of Brega and Zueitina", wrote in a statement the president of NOC, Mustafa Sanalla, adding that "our patience is over after we repeatedly tried to avoid declaring the force majeure, but fulfilling our obligations has become impossible".



NOC has declared that it is not able to power the "electrical plants of Zuetina, North Benghazi and Sarir with their natural gas needs, due to the connection between crude oil production and gas of the fields of companies Waha and Mellitah, which led to a lack of natural gas provision to the coastal gas pipeline".



According to NOC, the Libyan oil production has "diminished and diminished drastically", because daily exports went from 365 to 409,000 barrels a day, with a diminution of 865,000 barrels a day compared to normal production rates under normal circumstances, as well as a loss of 90 million cubic feet of gas a day of the Fareg camp. Sanalla attributed these results to the forced closure of production, to political controversies between rival sides of the country and to the "refusal of the Central Bank and the finance ministry to monetize US funding in dollars". NOC's president also directly criticized Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun, who serves in the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, accusing him of "tricking the public opinion" and "manipulating facts".
The United Nations has estimated that over 300,000 civilians have been killed over a decade in Syria - "the highest estimate yet of conflict-related deaths" in a civil war that started in 2011, CNN reported on Friday.



According to an extensive report released by the UN Human Rights Council, the figure represents 83 civilian deaths, including nine women and 18 children, every day for a decade to 2021.



"The conflict-related casualty figures in the report are not simply a set of abstract numbers but represent individual human beings", Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, was quoted as saying by CNN. "The impact of the killing of each of these 306,887 civilians would have a profound, reverberating impact on the family and community to which they belonged".



Bachelet stated that the death of 306,887 civilians represents a "staggering 1.5% of the total population" and the figure sparks serious concerns as to "the failure of the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law norms on the protection of civilians". "This analysis will also give a clearer sense of the severity and the scale of the conflict", said Bachelet. "Let me be clear, these are the people killed as a direct result of war operations. This does not include the many, many more civilians who died due to the loss of access to healthcare, to food, to clean water and other essential human rights, which remain to be assessed".



The report cites 143,350 civilian deaths that were individually documented by multiple sources with detailed information including the victim's full names, dates and location of death. It did not include people killed in the war whose families did not alert the authorities, nor the deaths of soldiers and fighters, but their numbers are believed to be in the tens and thousands.
Ankara-Athens tension: Erdogan 'rejected' NATO summit talks 'Greece arms islands, I have no time to losei, Turkish leader

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, 01 LUG - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he refused an offer made by other NATO leaders who wanted to organize a meeting with Greek officials during a summit in Madrid. "I don't have time to lose", Erdogan was reported as saying by Anadolu news agency, rejecting the offer because "Greece continues to arm the islands of the Aegean".



(ANSAmed).




Greece warned on 'violent deportations' of migrants by EU Recent increase in incidents in the Aegean reignites debate

(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, 01 LUG - Greece was on Thursday warned by the European Union's top migration official to stop "violent" deportations of migrants from the country, or risk of losing funds.



Following a recent rapid rise in incidents in the Aegean Sea with the Greek Coast Guard having to reduce hundreds of asylum seekers attempting to enter the country on boats from the Turkish coast, the Greek government have come under the spotlight again with accusations of so-called pushbacks involving migrants coming to the fore.



Over the course of three days last weekend alone, the Greek Coast Guard said they were called to intercept 24 incidents, most of them off the coast of Lesbos.



Those incidents involved over 1,000 migrants in total who had boarded inflatable boats on Turkish shores and tried to get into Greek territorial waters in the direction of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Rhodes.



Greece continues to be one of the main destination points for refugees and migrants since the migration crisis erupted in 2015. Athens has hardened its policy in the past three years since the centre-right party New Democracy came to power by increasing security measures, such as land and sea patrols, extending border fences, and building new closed and controlled camps on the Aegean islands.



The Greek government have often been locked in a war or words with Turkey, repeatedly denying accusations of carrying out pushbacks of asylum-seekers, insisting that they intercepts boats at sea to protect their own and the European Union's borders.



"Today I met with Ministers of Greek Government to discuss external border management, migration and fundamental rights; protecting EU external border from illegal entry is an obligation. Violent and illegal deportations of migrants must stop now," said Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson after emerging from her discussions.



Although Johansson did not give any specific details about the new system, and Greek officials have yet to comment, she clearly stated that "Funding is linked to EU fundamental rights being correctly applied".



Greece's Minister for Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, said last month that the government will not allow the illegal entry of migrants by land or by sea, after an increase in attempted entries through its Aegean islands and the land border with Turkey.



In an address to EU lawmakers earlier this week on Monday, Mitarakis said the EU needed to do more to ensure boats were not crossing over from Turkey.



"Greece would expect an even more active role of EU institutions, in calling Turkey to abide by its commitments under the 2016 Joint Statement and fully implement its provisions, namely preventing departures, stopping push-forwards, and accepting returns of those not eligible for protection," said Mitarakis.



He also referred to recent Turkish political provocations, saying: "We are facing several provocations by Turkey against our sovereign rights, not least inflammatory, revisionist and legally unfounded statements concerning the status of the Aegean islands" But "despite these difficulties, over the past three years, in cooperation with the [European] Commission, we have worked towards substantially improving the situation on the ground.'' Around 47,000 people arrived by sea to Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Malta so far this year, according to the latest figures released by the UN refugee agency UNHCR. The Mediterranean countries expect over 150,000 arrivals this year as food shortages caused by the Ukraine conflict threaten increased arrivals from Africa and the Middle East.



Mitarakis reiterated that Greece sees its role as one of a frontline protector of the EU's borders, but also was at pains to point out that all of its actions related to migrants are down within the boundaries of the law. (ANSAmed).




GENEVA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A senior United Nations (UN) official on Friday provided an update on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, saying that Lebanon's crisis is affecting everyone, everywhere across the country.

Najat Rochdi, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, told a press briefing here that the socio-economic meltdown in Lebanon has been further exacerbated by the impact of the Ukrainian crisis, which is mainly reflected in the drastic increases in bread prices and threatening food security.

"Our recent assessment shows that 2.2 million people require urgent support to secure access to food and other basic needs until the end of the year, an increase of 46 percent compared to last year," she said.

She said that almost one-third of Lebanon's labor force is unemployed, with the unemployment rate tremendously increasing from 11.4 percent in 2018-2019 to 29.6 percent in 2022.

The UN official said that the minimum monthly wage in the country has currently become less than 25 U.S. dollars, resulting in a significant decline in income and purchasing power.

She cited the latest UN figures as saying that 51 percent of small-scale enterprises in Lebanon have temporarily stopped operations with 84 percent of their workers being laid-off and 94 percent of those retained seeing their wages largely reduced.

As for the health sector, Rochdi told reports that in Lebanon, 1.95 million people are requesting humanitarian health services, an increase of 43 percent from August 2021.

"All the more, hospitals suffer from an acute shortage in medical supplies and power shortages, at a time when over 40 percent of Lebanon's doctors and 30 percent of nurses have left Lebanon since the beginning of the economic meltdown, according to WHO," she noted.

According to the UN official, another concerning crisis is people's access to safe water. Almost 4 million people are at immediate risk of being denied access to safe water in Lebanon, with alternative water supplies expected to be unaffordable to the most vulnerable households due to the soaring cost of fuel and the inefficiency of water establishments. 
Northern Ireland-born actor Jamie Dornan has described feeling emotional at the ending of Derry Girls, as well as his frustration at shambles at Stormont.

He admitted sending the soppiest text message to its writer Lisa McGee after watching the final episode of the hit series  which captures the sense of hope in 1998 at the signing of the Belfast Agreement following decades of violence.

Appearing at an Our Time In Space event at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast to talk about integrated education, Dornan also hit out at the current impasse at Stormont.

He described local politics as a shambles, and politicians as archaic in the way they talk in the same sentences theyve been talking about for 50 years  a situation exasperated by Brexit.

They are not the conversations we should be having. Its ultimately really damaging, he told the PA news agency.

Obviously Brexit has called into question so many uncomfortable truths for people here, questions about the very case of how you identify has been upended by Brexit and suddenly all these people who, all they care about is feeling British, feel like they are undermined by not feeling British enough. Its a mess, thats not changing.

Mr Dornan described his experience attending Methodist College, a school which is mixed in terms of pupils backgrounds  although not in the officially integrated sector, as having shaped him.

He said the scenes in Derry Girls where the girls take part in cross community programmes reminded him of his school days going on a trip to the Share Centre in Co Fermanagh.

I massively identified with Derry Girls, I get emotional talking about the finale, he said.

I know Lisa well, thats about the soppiest text I have ever sent to anybody when I finished the finale, trying to tackle the nuanced complications of being from this part of the world at that time with such integrity and such humour is almost impossible, I dont know how she managed to do it, its incredible and so poignant.

He said those of his and McGees generation are now making the decision about where to send their children to school.

Were in a post-conflict society and your decision making on where to send your kids to school has altered, he said.

Methody shaped me it was then slightly more Protestant than now, but also had a big international community. The mixing of all those different elements is a helpful thing, to have a broader understanding of what its all about.

Division never felt real, it was never near the surface. It wasnt a thing, I feel like as time goes on, the influence of the church is weakening.

While most Protestant pupils attend controlled schools in Northern Ireland and most Catholic children attend maintained schools, both sectors insist they are not exclusive to single faiths and have increasingly diverse intakes.

When #JamieDornan was asked why he spoke up about integrated education at the film premier of #Belfast I dont see anything positive about dividing kids based on what their parents are. And making it matter from 4 years old is just wrong#OurPlaceInSpace pic.twitter.com/EMvwOraZ2T  Our Place in Space (@ourplaceearth) July 1, 2022

Currently around 7% of schoolchildren in Northern Ireland attend a school officially designated as integrated.

Just under 70 of the regions 1,091 schools are integrated.

Mr Dornan described the figures as too low.

I have a strong understanding of why there would be certain factions of society who would be opposed to that faction being bigger, but I dont think taking kids at four years old and dividing them, and deepening the idea of division and tribalism is the right way to go, he said.

However he conceded some schools outside the sector, such as Methody, are more mixed than some realise.

When people find out I went to Methody, they instantly think, youre just some posh prod, I guess officially I kind of am, but I was also brought up non-religious, and I have never felt more Protestant than Catholic, he said.

The event comes on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the first integrated school in Northern Ireland, Lagan College on the outskirts of south Belfast.

Dornan took part in an in conversation event with artist Oliver Jeffers, Baroness May Blood and Hugh Odling-Smee about the future of the sector.

Mr Jeffers and Mr Odling-Smee, who both attended integrated schools, spoke about their experiences.

Mr Jeffers described an influence on his work as an artist, describing a theme of duality, and being able to talk to different people in different ways.

Mr Odling-Smee said during his time at Lagan College in the 1980s, there had been a Catholic chaplain, who he said took risks to be there.

Its a difficult issue, the place of religion, and where it sits in the school, he said.

Baroness Blood, a long-term campaigner for integrated education, stressed the importance of the mix of backgrounds in terms of income as well as religious/cultural background.

She described the Catholic and Presbyterian churches as the biggest barrier to the expansion of integrated education.

But she said it is the future, adding she felt the churches are seeing more of their parishioners going to integrated schools.

She also revealed the current demand for integrated schools, saying 1,500 children were turned away last year.

Our Place in Space is running a programme of free events at venues across Belfast from June 27  July 3, which has included an appearance by Chelsea Clinton.
Julian Assange has lodged an appeal against a decision to extradite him to the United States, as supporters staged protests ahead of his 51st birthday.

His wife Stella was among people who gathered outside the Home Office in central London on Friday to step up calls for the WikiLeaks founder to be released from prison.

He will spend his birthday in Belmarsh Prison in London on Saturday while a lengthy legal battle continues over whether he can be extradited.

Julian Assange in 2020. His supporters staged a protest in London ahead of his 51st birthday (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition to the US last month, but an appeal application was submitted to the High Court on Friday.

Mr Assange is wanted by American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011 related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

He has been in prison since he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019, where he had been living since 2012.
A declaration that occupational exposure as a firefighter has been classified as carcinogenic has been described as hugely significant by the firefighters trade union.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the decision by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a World Health Organisation body, was a vital step forward to getting firefighters the recognition and protection that they need to do their jobs safely.

The FBU said the move comes against a background of studies around the world proving that there are links between firefighting and cancer, including in the UK where University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) research found that surveyed firefighters were four times more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer than the general population.

Equipment in a fire engine (Rui Vieira/PA)

Riccardo la Torre, FBU national officer, said: Firefighters have known for some time now that their occupational exposure to toxic contaminants has links to cancer and this development is a hugely significant and vital step forward to getting firefighters the recognition and protection that they need to do their jobs safely.

This classification should be a huge wake-up call for both the government and fire and rescue services.

Government now need to urgently acknowledge that cancer is an occupational hazard within firefighting.

They also need to be pushing ahead with urgent improvements to protect firefighters from fire contaminants by utilising the unions ground-breaking training.

We also recognise that this news will be worrying for firefighters and want to reassure all of our members that the union will fight to protect your safety at work.

No one should get ill from going to work, and firefighters deserve to go home at the end of their shift as safely and healthily as they begun it.

Its now time to sit up, listen and act to protect firefighters from this life-threatening occupational hazard.
The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is returning for its 11th year and is opening for submissions from artists and fans.

Organisers say the recovery from the pandemic makes the awards more crucial than ever.

This years awards ceremony will take place at the Albert Halls in Stirling on October 20.

The winner receives 20,000 while runners-up receive 1,000.

Last year, Mogwais As The Love Continues picked up the SAY Award.

Speaking about the win, band member Stuart Braithwaite said: Winning the SAY Award last year was a huge honour for Mogwai.

To be recognised by a panel of peers in this way meant the world to us as a band, particularly given the quality of the other musicians on both the longlist and shortlist.

Scotland continues to produce a plethora of great musicians making outstanding work year on year so for us to win this award is humbling in the extreme.

 It's almost time to begin the search for the next Scottish Album of the Year.  Eligible Album submissions for the #SAYaward 2022 open this Friday, 1 July   Get ready to submit your favourite Scottish album released between 01/06/21  31/05/22.https://t.co/2SjBfAjNxn pic.twitter.com/lsRcKGPBMg  The SAY Award (@SAYaward) June 29, 2022

Robert Kilpatrick, creative director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), said: As we now move into a post-Covid landscape, the SAY Awards role in celebrating Scottish music and the cultural contribution of albums proves more crucial than ever.

Artists and music industry professionals are working hard to recover from the significant impacts of the pandemic, and whilst many challenges are thankfully now behind us, the cultural landscape remains in many ways fractured.

Creative and business risks are having to be taken, and with many turbulent external factors still at play, resilience, innovation and a sheer determination to highlight the power and value of music is proving fundamental to Scotlands cultural recovery.
A jihadist accused of being part of the so-called Islamic State terror cell known as The Beatles could reportedly return to the UK within days.

Aine Davis was jailed in Turkey in 2017 for terrorism offences and is now due for release, according to media reports.

His deportation has been scheduled for July 9, The Middle East Eye said.

The 38-year-old, from London, could be arrested and face criminal investigation when he returns as well as being monitored by counter-terrorism officers and potentially the security services.

But if he is not held in custody, restrictions on his movement and contacts could be imposed under terrorism laws and he may be tracked with an electronic tag.

The career criminal of Gambian heritage left the UK in 2013 to fight in Syria but was arrested in Turkey in 2015 and jailed for seven-and-a-half years in 2017 after being convicted of being a member of a terrorist organisation.

In 2014 his wife, Amal El-Wahabi, became the first person convicted of funding terrorism in Syria when she was jailed at the Old Bailey following a trial.

The pair met at a London mosque and became increasingly interested in Islam.

The court heard El-Wahabi tricked an old school friend into agreeing to take 20,000 euros (around 15,000 at the time) in cash to Turkey for her husband, who was from Hammersmith in west London.

Davis is said to have denied he was part of the Beatles cell  so nicknamed because of their English accents  which tortured and beheaded western hostages in Syria.

Cell ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, widely known as Jihadi John, was killed in a drone strike in 2015.

Londoner Alexanda Kotey was jailed in the US in April for his part in the torture and murder of American hostages.

His co-defendant, El Shafee Elsheikh, will be sentenced in August for his role in the plot.

Earlier this week the daughter of British aid worker David Haines, who was murdered by the cell, learned of her fathers final plea to his captors before being killed.

Bethany Haines said Mr Haines had apparently asked Emwazi to make it quick when he was led away to be murdered in 2014.

His remains have never been discovered.

She said her fathers final wish was recalled to her during a two-hour face-to-face meeting with Kotey in Virginia.

He may yet be brought back to the UK to be charged with the deaths of other hostages, including Mr Haines.
Price-strapped homebuyers sidelined by bidding wars, surging mortgage rates, and mounting inflation are facing yet another housing hurdle: sky-high rent.

According to real estate brokerage Redfin, the median monthly rent in the U.S. surpassed $2,000 for the first time in May, rising 15.2% from a year earlier to a record high of $2,002.

Although renting has become more expensive, for many it's the only option as rising mortgage rates have reduced the buying power of entry-home shoppers and slashed confidence levels.

A lot of the people that are not able to purchase have now found themselves bidding for rental homes, Peter Beckford, a premier realtor for RE/MAX based in Atlanta, told Yahoo Live (video above). Weve gotten quite an influx of applicants and its getting pretty hectic.

It's not surprising that some homebuyers have decided to put off their plans for purchase and turn to renting. As home prices register double-digit growth, rising rates have pushed the monthly mortgage payment up 64% more than last year, according to Realtor.com. That alone has added over $800 to the cost of financing a home.

Those most affected by the surge in rates and costs of living are young adults, who comprise the majority of the first-time homebuyer pool. Working class Americans also face significant hurdles, according to Beckford.

The average blue-collar everyday worker is the one who is experiencing this situation the toughest, he said. As they are being priced out of the purchase market, they have a need for housing  good housing  whether it be closer to schools or job transfers.

Tenants face stiff competition

Potential renters are no longer facing plunging rental prices that became more normal during the pandemic, particularly in real estate hot spots like New York.

With affordable properties in short supply, the influx of applicants has caused landlords to raise their prices.

Ive had rentals myself up to $3,500 per month that have seen 50 to 75 applicants within the first 12 hours, said Beckford.

A sign indicating the availability of a home to rent stands outside a building in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The sheer number of applicants has not only driven prices up, it's also raised the standard for tenants hoping to get their foot in the door.

The large applicant pool and the overqualification of that pool has led owners and landlords to be a lot more selective, Beckford said. Those who may be marginally qualified for a certain rental at a certain price point or area may be pushed out in favor of someone more qualified than them.

As a result of the highly competitive environment, some hopeful renters in major metro areas like Atlanta, where the median asking rent price has increased 18.3% year-over-year to $2,143, have had no other choice than to check in to extended-stay hotels.

The bidding wars over affordable rental units is also being exacerbated by out-of-state applicants as remote workers swap big coastal cities for the popular sunshine states.

According to TransUnion, out-of-state applications for rental properties across the U.S. increased 42% from 2020 to 2021. During that period, Texas welcomed more than 310,000 new residents  registering one of the largest population increases for a state.

An increase in Texas rental prices soon followed. Redfin data showed the median asking rent in Austin, Texas, in May surged by 48% year over year, the largest increase on record since the brokerage began tracking rental data in 2019.

Homebuyer confidence falters

Competition in the rental market will likely remain high for the foreseeable future as the sharp increase in borrowing costs weighs on homebuyer sentiment.

According to Fannie Maes Home Purchase Sentiment Index, consumer confidence remained low for the month of May, drawing closer to its 10-year and pandemic low of 63 points from April 2020.

And approximately 79% of respondents said in May that its a bad time to buy a home, up from 76% the month prior. Another 70% of those surveyed expected mortgage rates to continue to increase over the next year, further chipping away at affordability levels.

However, there is a silver lining. As rates have surged in the housing market, some homeowners have reduced their listing prices to attract price-sensitive buyers, according to Beckford. In the short term, that could lead to less competition among renters.

As the market continues to hopefully balance, folks are making decisions between whether or not they want to continue their pursuits of purchasing versus tapping out of that market and going into the rental market, Beckford said.

Still, renting is a feat easier said than done.

Instead of having to bid against 20+ people, they may be bidding against five or less folks now, Beckford said. I do see some softening of the [rental] market. It brings some level of optimism for those who are in the market.

Gabriella is a personal finance reporter at Yahoo Money. Follow her on Twitter @__gabriellacruz.

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Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill has laid a wreath in Belfast in memory of those who died at the Battle of the Somme.

While Sinn Fein lord mayors in the capital have laid a laurel wreath on the anniversary of the First World War battle in previous years, this is the first time a member of the partys leadership has taken part.

Ms ONeill joined the current Belfast Lord Mayor Tina Black to lay wreaths in a low-key ceremony on Friday morning, ahead of the official commemorative event marking the first day of the battle.

The Sinn Fein Stormont leader, who will be entitled to be nominated as First Minister when the Assembly is revived as leader of the largest party in the Assembly, said she is demonstrating her commitment to work for everyone.

Last July, the then deputy First Minister joined then first minister Paul Givan of the DUP at the Irish National War Memorial at Islandbridge in Dublin to remember those who fell at the Somme.

That was then the first time the Sinn Fein politician had attended a Royal British Legion wreath-laying ceremony.

A poppy field (Danny Lawson/PA)

Ahead of the wreath-laying, Ms ONeill told the PA news agency she was taking part to pay respects to all those, Irish and British, from our island who were killed at the Battle of the Somme 106 years ago.

She added: I believe its important that as first minister designate, that I demonstrate my commitment to work for everyone and work to strengthen cooperation and friendship between those of us in political and public life and the people we represent, from all traditions.

If we are to heal all the wounds of the past and build a better future, we must acknowledge the loss of those killed in war and conflict as experienced, honoured and commemorated by those they left behind.

Ms ONeill added: We must also seek to identify with the grief, the hurt and the suffering as something we all share; an approach based on common humanity.

This is part of our shared history.

I believe however that all political leaders must stretch themselves to seek common ground and thats what I am committed to doing every single day.

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War.

It saw the 36th Ulster Division and the 16th Irish Division, representing the two main traditions from Northern Ireland, distinguish themselves, but at a great cost.
Buried in the new California state budget bill passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week is a provision to close a prison in Susanville by circumventing state environmental reviews.

The legislation sets a June 2023 closure date for California Correctional Center, which as of March held about 1,600 inmates and employed nearly 1,000 people.

The legislative maneuver appears aimed at extracting Newsoms administration from a lawsuit the City of Susanville filed last year. The suit claimed the prison closure violated the California Environmental Quality Act and California Penal Code.

The closure, first announced by Newsoms administration in April 2021, was paused in August after a Lassen County Superior Court judge granted an injunction.

Assembly Bill 200, which designates state public safety spending, exempts the Susanville prison and any state prison or juvenile facility from review under the state environmental law, often referred to as CEQA. It specifies that California Correctional Center shall cease operations by June 30 of next year.

Corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said Thursday that the courts injunction remains in place for now.

The departments closure activities for CCC continue to be on hold at this time due to ongoing litigation, Waters said in an emailed statement. We will notify our staff, incarcerated population and stakeholders of any updates or changes.

The corrections department did initiate the environmental review process under CEQA with a notice early this year that it was preparing an environmental impact report. The filing said the closure would likely reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and other resources.

Newsoms budget blueprint from earlier this year suggested the state could soon close three more prisons, but didnt identify them.

He first announced his intent to close a state prison in November 2019. When the coronavirus pandemic arrived in March 2020, the system accelerated some prisoner releases, reducing the total population from about 120,000 to the most recent figure of about 97,000.

Citing the population reductions, Newsom announced plans to close the first two prisons: California Correctional Center and Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, which the administration successfully shuttered in September. After the closure, California operates 34 prisons.

Californias corrections budget is more than $18 billion for the fiscal year that begins Friday. The corrections department is expected to spend about $104,000 per prisoner for the year, according to budget documents.

The Legislative Analysts Office has recommended closing a total of five state prisons by 2025, and that doing so would save the state $1.5 billion per year.

Prison employees in Susanville who are represented by SEIU Local 1000 have protested the closure, criticizing the state corrections department for using an opaque process to select which of facilities to close. Many prison employees make $90,000 or more in the remote area near the Nevada border.

Susanville has another prison, High Desert State Prison, which would accommodate some employees. Others would likely be offered positions at other institutions around the state, the corrections department has said.
After nearly three decades, California officials have identified a man they say killed a 10-year-old girl who was taken from a swap meet in 1994.

Detectives were able to use DNA technology and genealogy techniques to identify Ramiro Villegas as the man who took Angelica Ramirez from a Visalia swap meet and later raped and killed her, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said at a news conference Thursday, June 30.

Villegas died in Mexico in 2014, Boudreaux said.

If theres any solace, we know that he is dead. And I think that he has a special place in a certain place. But we do know that Angelica is in heaven, Boudreaux said.

The family, though, feels justice was cut short, according to Boudreaux.

At least now we have a face to the killer. We dont have to worry about this person being out there, doing this to someone else, Angelicas sister said at the news conference.

Angelica went missing on March 3, 1994, Boudreaux said. She was watching her three younger siblings at her parents swap meet booth when she left to use the restroom. She never returned.

Shortly after, Angelica was reported missing and a search ensued, according to Boudreaux.

I remember that day, because I also was assigned to the search, and I remember that desperate feeling we had in trying to locate this young girl, Boudreaux said.

Two days later, a farm labor worker found Angelicas body in a canal, Boudreaux said.

Since that day, the Tulare County Sheriffs Office has had detectives assigned to this case, dedicated to finding justice for Angelica and her family, Boudreaux said.

Over the past three decades, investigators have spent thousands of investigative hours, followed up on thousands of leads, interviewed more than 200 suspects and conducted nearly 1,000 interviews, according to Boudreaux.

This case has gripped each of us, Boudreaux said.

Police had collected DNA from the scene and submitted it more than 100 times to databases with no hit, Boudreaux said.

After partnering with the FBI forensic genealogy unit and contracting with a private lab that conducted a genetic profile of the suspect in February, police had a breakthrough, according to Sgt. Joshua Lowry.

The DNA profile was uploaded to two public online databases that individuals use to trace family lineages, Lowry said. In March, investigators got a match.

From that genetic match, we knew we were close within two generations of where the suspect would fall in that family tree, Lowry said.

It led investigators to a family in Southern California with five male siblings.

I knew that the suspect was going to be one of those five siblings, Lowry said.

DNA samples were collected from four of the five siblings, which were not a match, leaving only Villegas.

Villegas had a long criminal history and had been in and out of the criminal justice system since 1991, when he was arrested and charged with fighting in public, according to Boudreaux.

He later was deported to Mexico. He suffered from a long-term lung disease and died of complications from Valley fever in 2014.

Solving her [Angelicas] murder took longer than anyone ever wanted and, quite frankly, expected, Boudreaux said. But detectives were determined not to let her memory fade and bring Angelica Ramirez justice, no matter how long it took.

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A pregnancy resource clinic in Yuba City was vandalized this week, with three rocks used to break a large window overnight between June 27 and 28.

Employees at the clinic, A Womans Friend, reported the incident to Yuba City police around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to Yuba City police department spokeswoman Lt. Michelle Brazil.

Its sad, said A Womans Friend executive director Kristen Bird. We love our community, were involved in our community and we want to continue to serve our community with our services.

The incident comes less than a week after the Supreme Courts historic overturn of Roe vs. Wade, which reversed nearly half a century of constitutional protection for abortion and put a national spotlight on the availability of emergency pregnancy services.

A Womans Friend does not offer abortion services or referrals, according to its website, instead describing itself as a life-affirming organization that aims to share the truth about life, choices and consequences. The clinic primarily provides pregnancy tests, counseling and what Bird described as abortion education.

In 2015, A Womans Friend sued then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris, asking for an injunction to block a law that would require the clinic to inform patients that abortion services are available elsewhere.

The vandalisms proximity to the Roe vs. Wade overturn, Bird said, did not feel random.

It felt targeted, Bird said, But I cant say if it was one thing over another.

Last Saturday, affiliates of the reproductive rights group Janes Revenge smashed windows and spray painted walls at Tree of Life Pregnancy Support Center in Paso Robles, an organization which offers similar services to A Womans Friend.

No other nearby establishments in Yuba City have experienced recent vandalism and Brazil said the motive in this case remained unclear.
JERUSALEM, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Yair Lapid, a journalist and TV star turned politician, became Israel's leader on Friday, beginning his term as caretaker prime minister after the parliament or Knesset dissolved itself on Thursday.

Lapid will serve as Israel's interim prime minister until a new government is formed following the elections scheduled on Nov. 1. During this period, he will work with Naftali Bennett, who stepped down from the post of prime minister on Thursday, to run the politically divisive country.

While political analysts in Israel expected that Lapid will not have the chance to make real policy changes during his term, they agreed that the position of prime minister will give him more strength to face the challenge of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, in the upcoming elections.

NO MAJOR POLICY CHANGES

Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, has a liberal vision but he will not be able to implement much of it during his months as caretaker prime minister, Israeli analysts said.

He is the first prime minister since 2009 who supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, a series of legislations and court rules put limits on the power of an interim government in Israel, preventing it from promoting major legislations or signing new international agreements.

Lapid is not expected either to change his predecessor's policy on Iran, which Israel considers its arch-foe.

"The job here is really to run the country without making major policy changes," Emmanuel Navon, international relations lecturer at Tel Aviv University, told Xinhua.

Lapid and Bennet formed a historic alliance of eight ideologically diverse parties, including dovish liberals, secular hawks, religious pro-settlers, and an Arab party, and successfully ousted Netanyahu.

The coalition ruled for a year before it lost its majority in the parliament following political infight and a series of defections.

Given the fact that the Lapid-Bennett coalition has disintegrated and the various restrictions Lapid faces as a caretaker prime minister, political observers predict that Lapid will face mounting difficulties in the next months.

HEAD-TO-HEAD CAMPAIGN BATTLE

The upcoming election marks the first time in 13 years that Israelis would cast their ballots when someone other than Netanyahu is the prime minister, Yonatan Freeman, international relations and media scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told Xinhua.

Lapid enters his campaign as caretaker prime minister, an advantage that would enable him to position himself as the main alternative to Netanyahu in the center-left bloc.

"When it comes to polling, it's always good to have the title of 'prime minister' when you run in an election," Freeman said. "This title helps in terms of projecting influence, ability and responsibility, and provides Lapid with favors in terms of public opinion."

In addition, Lapid would likely get a boost when he hosts U.S. President Joe Biden in Jerusalem in mid-July. Biden's pre-scheduled trip to the Middle East covers Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Israel hopes the White House will help to warm up ties with Saudi Arabia and even form a security alliance against possible Iranian attacks.

Biden congratulated Lapid on his appointment and thanked outgoing prime minister Bennett. "I look forward to seeing you both in July to celebrate the unbreakable U.S.-Israel partnership," Biden wrote on Twitter on Friday.

An opinion poll issued on Wednesday on Channel 12 TV news indicated that Netanyahu's Likud party would win 34 seats, emerging as the party with the highest number of seats, and Lapid's Yesh Atid would win 20 seats, becoming the second-largest party. However, Netanyahu's bloc includes 58 seats, short of the majority needed to form a ruling coalition.

No single party in Israel has ever won the needed majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat parliament to form a government. So all politicians who aspire to become the prime minister need to find enough allies.

Possible merging of some parties, forming of new alliances, and even one minor party falling short of the number of votes needed to pass the threshold for entering the Knesset could shift the political map and change the balance between the two blocs.

"It's very hard to place any bets on what's going to happen, given these are very close elections," Guy Ben-Porat from the Department of Politics and Government at the Ben Gurion University in Beersheba, told Xinhua. 
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Jeep carrying a group of migrants crashed into a trailer after evading a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) checkpoint in the town of Encinal, Texas, on Thursday, leaving four dead and three hospitalized, authorities said.

The crash occurred just days after the deadliest human smuggling incident on record in the United States left 53 migrants dead in an abandoned trailer truck on the edge of San Antonio.

Two Mexican men, one Guatemalan and another unidentified person died in Thursday's crash, the Mexican consulate in the Texan border city of Laredo said in a statement.

The driver, a U.S. citizen, was hospitalized along with two people thought to be from Guatemala, according to information from the consulate, Mexico's Interior Ministry and the National Institute of Migration (INM).

Police at the scene of the crash. (CBS News)

The truck had left from Laredo and was headed to San Antonio, the ministry and INM said in a joint statement.

The Texas Department of Public Safety was investigating the incident, a spokesman for the agency said.

On Monday, dozens of migrants died after being trapped in a sweltering tractor-trailer found abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio. Authorities believe the trailer had also passed CBP surveillance cameras in Encinal undetected.

Four people have been arrested over Monday's tragedy, including the suspected driver, who a lawmaker said was under the influence of methamphetamine when found by police.
Gov. Gavin Newsom bought $100,000 worth of television commercials in Florida this week  apparently just for fun, right?

Probably not. Thats expensive fun, even for a guy who has no really significant opposition for reelection. In fact, thanks to last years failed recall attempt, Newsom has already been reelected once, in the middle of his first term. Thanks, Larry Elder et al.

Besides trolling somewhat likely GOP presidential candidate and sentient Nordstrom mannequin Ron De Santis, Floridas governor, why is Newsom doing this?

Opinion

Though some of you may pass caramel macchiato through your nose as you read this, I think Newsom could very much be a leading contender to win the next Democratic presidential nomination. Heres why.

2024 is right around the corner, and despite President Joe Bidens increasingly vehement protestations about running for reelection, muffled murmurs are turning into open speculation about the Democratic presidential field.

In Democratic presidential politics, a completely new face tends to work. JFK (age 43 upon his inauguration), Carter (52), Clinton (46), and Obama (47) were all very much youthful newcomers to the national scene, and Democratic voters often respond to those sorts of candidacies. (Biden, a reassuringly experienced figure at a time when we didnt feel reassured about much, was an obvious exception.)

Newsom is not a new face in California, but he is for the rest of the country. Hollywood-handsome and a young-looking 54, hes definitely a potential phenom in a field that thus far lacks flair.

Vice President Kamala Harris dropped out of the presidential race four years ago right before her home states primary on Super Tuesday; the then-California senator was polling around 8% here at the time. She didnt catch fire in 2020, in other words, and she isnt catching fire now. Sorry, its a fact.

The political problems she had then are the ones she has now: Shes not particularly good on her feet, and her staffing is Cuisinart-level chaotic.

That leaves ... who? Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 40, is still green even for Democrats. Sen. Bernie Sanders, at 80, is even older than Biden. Throw in Sen. Elizabeth Warren and, yes, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both in their seventies. And then theres a whole cast of other candidates who just didnt catch on in 2020.

Newsom must be looking at the field and, as a presidential candidate, must be thinking, I can do this if they can. Hes like Bill Clinton in 1991, surveying a bunch of potential competitors who dont have his juice. President Paul Tsongas anyone?

How does Newsom proceed? Well, California could be portrayed as Americas bright, tech-savvy, economically formidable future or a barely contained dumpster fire of homelessness and crime. But Newsom  who is, shall we say, loquacious  could run the table at any debate, even if it includes 17 other candidates.

Voters are going to look at the stage and see someone who looks and sounds like a president. And as with another California governor, Ronald Reagan, that kind of perception has turned a series of hopefuls into the guy with the launch codes on Inauguration Day.

But what about Newsoms propensity for jargony bloviation? OK, what about Clintons? Jargon, take me away!

Thanks partly to his dyslexia, Newsom has a superpower: thinking on his feet and letting it rip, without notes, ad infinitum.

Anyone who has met Newsom knows that the phrase star quality is an understatement. He comes off like an affable guest host of The Tonight Show. Does Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar have that? Only if you count her ability to wax rhapsodically about ice fishing.

What does the 2024 primary map look like? While it remains in flux, Iowa is still likely to go early, but Nevada is, too. The latter is practically a California media market. Id think that Newsom would do well in glitzy Nevada.

In Iowa, he could rightly point out that California is the countrys largest agricultural state, while Iowa ranks second. Give Newsom 48 minutes to talk about it at a Des Moines Register-sponsored debate, and youll walk away with the equivalent of an agronomy degree from UC Davis.

New Hampshire? Bring on the coffee shops and living rooms of the flinty but potentially starstruck. Hes a master of back-slapping.

On to South Carolina, where a Democratic candidate has to connect with older Black voters. Newsom can easily make the argument that California is ahead of most of the country in pursuing racial equity. And maybe, if Sen. Dianne Feinstein steps down, he can appoint a Black woman to the Senate, as he has publicly stated he would do.

We then turn to Super Tuesday, when, lo and behold, California is scheduled to be at the top of the pile in delegates awarded. Newsom could emerge with hundreds of delegates and be in the lead.

President Gavin Newsom? Hes proved hes passionate, resilient and articulate to a fault. If those arent presidential-level skills, I dont know what are. And as Newsom might put it, intentionality is determinative in an iterative sense.
Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday signed into law the states roughly $48 billion budget for the upcoming year but vetoed more than $640 million in spending requested by the legislature.

Parson rejected 32 items added by state lawmakers in May as the state was flush with cash largely due to federal pandemic aid. Among the cuts were a Republican-led $500 million plan to send $500 checks to Missouri income taxpayers, an $83 million Missouri State Highway Patrol law enforcement academy and a $10 million plan to use lottery proceeds to pay for a grant program for charter school maintenance.

While House Republicans touted the tax credit plan  which would have matched the amount of income tax money a person owned the state in 2021  as a way to provide tax relief to workers, Parson said it likely would have violated the state constitution because the legislature did not properly authorize the release of funds.

The governor also vetoed $2 million in federal money that would have helped pay for the construction of an industrial park in Johnson County.

Parsons signature and vetoes on the state budget bookend a chaotic legislative session that was marred in infighting and filibusters among Republicans. It will go into effect on Friday. In a statement after signing the budget, Parson touted the spending plan as conservative and balanced but threw in a jab at legislators in the Missouri General Assembly.

This past session was often obstructed by petty infighting and personal political interests, but common sense prevailed, he said. We applaud members of the General Assembly for capitalizing on this opportunity and prioritizing the continued success of our state.

Even with $640 million in cuts, Parson signed the majority of the budget approved by the Missouri General Assembly. It is infused with boosts to public universities, starting teacher pay, school transportation and Medicaid expansion.

We want to thank all of the legislators who helped pass this historic budget that cements our states strong financial position and provides tremendous opportunities for Missourians, both today and tomorrow, Parson said.

Under the new spending plan, the states minimum salary for starting teachers will rise to $38,000 from its current $25,000  among the lowest in the country.

It also sends $3.6 billion to fully fund the states K-12 foundation formula, which is used to calculate how to pay for public schools. The state is also paying its full $328.4 million share of public school district busing costs for the first time in decades under the plan.

Among the other large projects are $955 million to improve the states Medicaid program, $104.7 million to help pay for a new law enforcement crime lab in Jefferson City and $30.5 million to implement the 988 suicide prevention hotline.

But missing from the record-setting budget is $500,000 requested by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt to pay for five more attorneys for the Office of Solicitor General, which defends the state in lawsuits over constitutional issues. Parson on Thursday agreed to slash the money from the states spending plan.

The Missouri General Assembly proposed the cut in May in response to Schmitts decision to sue dozens of school districts over COVID-19 mask mandates.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Friday that western alliances in the wake of Moscows invasion of Ukraine are "pushing" Russia and Belarus to unite.

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has thus far been able to keep Minsks direct involvement out of the war in Ukraine, but comments by Putin posted to the Kremlins website suggest this may not be the case for long.

"The unprecedented political and sanctions pressure from the so-called collective West is pushing us to speed up the unification processes," the Kremlin chief said according to Russian media outlet RIA. "After all, together it is easier to minimize the damage from illegal sanctions, it is easier to master the production of demanded products, develop new competencies and expand cooperation with friendly countries."

UKRAINE ACCUSES RUSSIA OF BRINGING BELARUS INTO WAR AFTER MISSILE LAUNCHES FROM NORTHERN NEIGHBOR

Putin did not go into detail on what an extended alliance with Belarus would look like, but Ukrainian officials have been sounding the alarm that Russia is looking to bring Belarus into the war as the conflict drags on.

The Russian presidents comments come just days after NATO  a security alliance Putin has listed as his chief threat  announced it was not only expanding its membership by adding Sweden and Finland but was increasing its military presence throughout Europe.

Lukashenko has faced condemnation at home and abroad for his unwavering allegiance to Putin, and in the lead up to the war, allowed Russia to station thousands of its troops along its shared border with Ukraine.

Belarusian forces have not yet been active in the war in Ukraine, but missiles fired at Kyiv by Russian forces from within Belarus borders last week have many concerned that Minsk could become more directly involved.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkyy warned Minsk against entering the war and promised there would be repercussion for acting as even a passive participant.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Belarus' counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 11. Photo by MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images



NATO INVITES SWEDEN, FINLAND BECOME MEMBERS IN WAKE OF RUSSIA'S UKRAINE WAR

"Firstly, all pilots, dispatchers, mechanics, and other people who ensure the launch of missiles at Ukraine must understand: We will find you all," Zelenskyy said during a Sunday night address.

"Each of you will be responsible for these strikes," he added. "And if someone thinks that he will evade responsibility by saying that such was the order, you are mistaken."

Putin announced over the weekend that Moscow will send Minsk nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles and upgrade the countrys Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets to enable them to carry nuclear weapons.

"We are very concerned about training flights by the U.S. and NATO airplanes, which practice carrying nuclear warheads and nuclear weapons," Lukashenko said while meeting with his Russian counterpart, reported Defense News. "Therefore, I ask you to consider an equivalent response to these actions, without overdoing it."

Ukrainian officials have also warned that Russia could carry out a false flag operation in Belarus and blame it on Kyiv in an attempt to instigate Minsk and drag it into the deadly conflict.
Tom Roach knows travel well. After all, the retired Pasco-born immigration lawyer has been to 71 countries and counting.

So after Russia began a full-force invasion in Ukraine earlier this year, Roach knew he couldnt stand idly by.

On a sudden whim, he flew out to the neighboring Balkan countries, where Ukrainian families continue to arrive in droves, to try and help with the war relief effort.

Im retired, I thought I could help out. That was my motivation, said Roach, 72, who now lives in Seattle. I tried to get something lined up before I left to come over here, and that was virtually impossible. So I just came over.

He said he thought hed be able to quickly find volunteer work  peeling potatoes or serve some meals, he said.

Tom Roach

Everybodys kind of flying by the seat of their pants, so it took me a while to land and I finally did find some things that were helpful, he said.

After three weeks volunteering in Romania and Moldova, Roach fund-raised a school program for displaced Ukrainian children and he hopes to highlight two organizations he feels are doing exceptional work with refugees.

Summer learning

In less than 24 hours, Roach fund-raised $4,250 for two teachers to teach 51 Ukrainian students displaced in the small Moldovan town of Hincesti, where 4,000 permanent residents have welcomed 130 refugees.

Roach communicated the need through an email list of 257 family members and friends, mostly from the Tri-Cities. He named his dispatches Notes from Moldova.

The program will be organized by the Salvation Army.

It was incredible the super generous response I received from those of you I asked back-channel to help, Roach wrote in a June 26 dispatch.

Roach said this is important because there are more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees displaced in Moldova  and tallies now total more than 8.4 million, or one-fifth of the nations total population, have left their home country for neighboring European nations. The need for relief and food is high.

He also helped prepare produce and bags of food for distribution at food warehouses.

I spent most of the week at the Moldovans for Peace warehouse. As it turned out, I was the only foreigner there the days I was there, except the Ukrainian refugees that were also volunteering, Roach said in a recent dispatch. They said over the four months they have been open they have had volunteers from Sweden, Germany, Israel & a few other places, but I was the only American they had seen.

Moldovans for Peace is a nonprofit organization that was founded just shortly after the start of the invasion.

Their lives have been destroyed, Roach said of the Ukrainians hes met. The needs are catastrophic.

They want to help

Most of the Ukrainians that Roach has been volunteering for come from the Odessa province in Southwest Ukraine. The area has been under intermittent shelling, he told the Tri-City Herald, though not quite as hard as other economic and political centers, such as Kyiv.

People in the Tri-Cities, they want to help, he said, pointing to the school fundraiser they cobbled together.

For those who want to donate to Ukrainian war relief, Roach said hes narrowed his list of philanthropic causes down to just a couple: Friends of Moldova and Caritas, the Catholic Churchs humanitarian assistance agency.
A general view shows the Sakhalin-2 project's liquefaction gas plant in Prigorodnoye.

TOKYO/LONDON (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has raised the stakes in an economic war with the West by signing a decree to seize full control of the Sakhalin-2 gas and oil project in Russia's far east, a move that could force out Shell and Japanese investors.

The decree, signed on Thursday, creates a new firm to take over all rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co, in which Shell and two Japanese trading companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi hold just under 50%.

The five-page decree, which follows Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, indicates the Kremlin will now decide whether the foreign partners can stay.

State-run Gazprom already has a 50% plus one share stake in Sakhalin-2, which accounts for about 4% of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The move may unsettle an already tight LNG market and raises the risks facing Western companies that are still in Russia.

"Russias decree effectively expropriates foreign stakes in the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, marking a further escalation in on-going tensions," said Lucy Cullen, a principal analyst from consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Many Western firms have already packed up, while others have said they would quit, but Putin's move adds complications to an already complex process for those looking for the exit. Moscow has been preparing a law, expected to pass soon, to allow the state to seize assets of Western firms which decide to go.

An employee of Sakhalin Energy stands at the Sakhalin-2 project's liquefaction gas plant in Prigorodnoye.

Shell, which has already written off the value of all its Russian assets, made clear months ago it intended to quit Sakhalin-2 and has been in talks with potential buyers. Sources have previously said the company believed there was a risk Russia would nationalise foreign-held assets.

The energy giant said on Friday it was assessing the implications of the Russian decree.

Sakhalin-2, in which Shell has a 27.5% minus one share stake, is one of the world's largest LNG projects with output of 12 million tonnes. It supplies mainly Japan, South Korea, China, India and other Asian countries.

Japan's Mitsui has a 12.5% stake in Sakhalin-2 and Mitsubishi holds 10%.

Japan, which depends heavily on imported energy, previously said it would not give up its interests in the project.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that Russia's decision would not immediately stop LNG imports from the development, while Japan's Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said the government did not consider the decree a requisition.

"The decree does not mean that Japan's LNG imports will become immediately impossible, but it is necessary to take all possible measures in preparation for unforeseen circumstances," Hagiuda told reporters.

Japan has 2-3 weeks of LNG stocks held by utilities and city gas suppliers and Hagiuda has asked his U.S. and Australian energy counterparts for alternative supplies, he said.

Japan imports around 6 million tonnes per year or 10% of its LNG each year from Russia, mostly under long-term contract from Sakhalin-2.

According to the decree, Gazprom keeps its stake but other shareholders must ask the Russian government for a stake in the new firm within one month. The government will then decide whether to allow them to keep a shareholding.

A general view of the liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy at Prigorodnoye on the Pacific island of Sakhalin

Gazprom, Sakhalin Energy and the Russian energy ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

A Mitsubishi spokesperson said the company was discussing with partners in Sakhalin and Japan's government about how to respond to the decree. Mitsui did not comment immediately.

Shares in Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp slid more than 5% on Friday, a much steeper fall than the broader market. Shell's shares in London were broadly unchanged.

Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden told reporters on Wednesday the company was "making good progress" in its plan to exit from the Sakhalin Energy joint venture.

"I can tell you when I got an update last week, I was really pleased with where we are," he said, without giving details.

Sources had told Reuters in May that Shell was in talks with an Indian consortium to sell its stake.

Russian LNG production from projects such as Sakhalin-2 was likely to suffer over time as foreign expertise and parts became unavailable, said Saul Kavonic, head of Integrated Energy and Resources Research at Credit Suisse.

"This will tighten the LNG market materially this decade," he said, adding that any increase in Russian state involvement LNG projects would make some buyers more wary of buying cargoes.
This image provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Texas death row inmate Ramiro Gonzales, who is set to be put to death in less than two week. Gonzales has asked that his execution be temporarily delayed so he can donate a kidney. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas inmate who is set to be put to death in less than two weeks asked that his execution be delayed so he can donate a kidney.

Ramiro Gonzales is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on July 13 for fatally shooting 18-year-old Bridget Townsend, a southwest Texas woman whose remains were found nearly two years after she vanished in 2001.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Gonzales lawyers, Thea Posel and Raoul Schonemann, asked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to grant a 30-day reprieve so the inmate can be considered a living donor to someone who is in urgent need of a kidney transplant.

His attorneys have made a separate request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for a 180-day reprieve related to the kidney donation.

In their request to Abbott, Gonzales attorneys included a letter from Cantor Michael Zoosman, an ordained Jewish clergyman from Maryland who has been corresponding with Gonzales.

There has been no doubt in my mind that Ramiros desire to be an altruistic kidney donor is not motivated by a last-minute attempt to stop or delay his execution. I will go to my grave believing in my heart that this is something that Ramiro wants to do to help make his soul right with his God, Zoosman wrote.

Gonzales attorneys say hes been determined to be an excellent candidate for donation after being evaluated by the transplant team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The evaluation found Gonzales has a rare blood type, meaning his donation could benefit someone who might have difficulty finding a match.

Virtually all that remains is the surgery to remove Ramiros kidney. UTMB has confirmed that the procedure could be completed within a month, Posel and Schonemann wrote to Abbott.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice policies allow inmates to make organ and tissue donations. Agency spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said Gonzales was deemed ineligible after making a request to be a donor earlier this year. She did not give a reason, but Gonzales' lawyers said in their letter that the agency objected because of the pending execution date.

Abbotts office did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is set to vote July 11 on Gonzales request to that agency.

Gonzales attorneys have made a separate request asking the board to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty.

They also asked that his execution not proceed if his spiritual adviser isnt allowed to both hold his hand and place another hand on his heart during his execution. A two-day federal trial on this request was set to begin Tuesday in Houston.

Gonzales request to delay his execution for an organ donation is rare among death row inmates in the U.S., Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said Friday.

In 1995, condemned murderer Steven Shelton in Delaware donated a kidney to his mother.

In 2013, Ronald Phillips execution in Ohio was delayed so his request to donate a kidney to his mother could be reviewed. Phillips request was later denied and he was executed in 2017.

Skeptics will think this is simply an attempt to delay the execution. But if that were the case, I think youd be seeing many requests, said Dunham, whose group takes no position on capital punishment but has criticized the way states carry out executions. The history of executions in the United States shows that people dont make offers of organ donations for the purpose of delaying an execution that will still take place.

In a report, the United Network for Organ Sharing, a nonprofit that serves as the nations transplant system under contract with the federal government, listed various ethical concerns about organ donations from condemned prisoners. They include whether such donations could be tied to prisoners receiving preferential treatment or that such organs could be morally compromised because of their ties to the death penalty.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
Hong Kong's new Chief Executive John Lee, left, walks with China's President Xi Jinping after Xi's speech. (Selim Chtayti / Associated Press)

Chinas leader Xi Jinping marked the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return with a speech Friday that emphasized Beijings control over the former British colony under its vision of one country, two systems  countering criticism that the political and civic freedoms promised for the next quarter-century have been largely erased under Chinese rule.

Xi praised the city for overcoming violent social unrest  a reference to massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 that were followed by a Beijing-driven crackdown that has snuffed out dissent and shut down independent media, aligning Hong Kong more closely with stricter controls under China's ruling Communist Party.

The shift shocked many in the city of 7.4 million people that Britain returned to China in 1997 after running it as a colony for more than a century. As part of the agreement, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to have its own government and legal system for 50 years.

In the ensuing years, Hong Kong activists pushed back against Chinese efforts to curtail freedoms and even made demands for fully democratic elections, drawing hundreds of thousands of people for marches in the streets.

Under Xi, that pushback has been silenced. For years, the anniversary of the July 1 handover was marked by an official ceremony in the morning and a protest march in the afternoon. Now protesters have been cowed into silence in what the Communist Party hails as restoring stability to the city.

Xi said that Beijing has comprehensive jurisdiction over Hong Kong and that Hong Kong should respect Chinese leadership, as Beijing allows regions like Hong Kong and neighboring Macao to maintain their capitalist system and a degree of autonomy.

After the return to the motherland, Hong Kong has overcome all kinds of challenges and moved forwards steadily, Xi said. Regardless of whether it was the international financial crisis, the coronavirus pandemic or violent social unrest, nothing has stopped Hong Kongs progress.

His speech represented the culmination of what China scholar Jeff Wasserstrom has described as a push and pull between two competing visions of one country, two systems."

Many in Hong Kong fought for a more robust understanding of the two systems, to have an idea that theres a very different lifestyle there," said Wasserstrom, a professor at UC Irvine and author of Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink.

That view, at least for now, has lost out to the narrower one of the Communist Party, which is mainly interested in maintaining the economic advantages of Hong Kong's capitalist system, he said.

Hong Kong resident Grace Chan saw little reason to celebrate on Friday. Its been very difficult for Hong Kong people in recent years, she said. "I just wanted to relax today and not to surround myself in a negative atmosphere for too long.

Since the 2019 protests, authorities have used a sweeping national security law to arrest scores of activists, media figures and democracy supporters. They introduced a more patriotic curriculum in schools and revamped election laws to keep opposition politicians who are deemed not patriotic enough out of the citys legislature.

In its view, Chinas Communist Party has restored stability to a city that was wracked with demonstrations seen as a direct challenge to its rule. For Western democracies, Xi has undermined the freedoms and way of life that had distinguished the city from mainland China and made it into a global finance and trade hub.

U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement that Chinas policies toward Hong Kong, including the national security law, have shaken the institutions, rules, and systems that had been the basis of international confidence in Hong Kong.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: We have seen a steady erosion of political and civil rights since the imposition of the National Security Law on June 30, 2020. Authorities have stifled opposition, criminalized dissent and driven out anyone who can speak truth to power.

Xi warned that there would be no tolerance for foreign interference or traitors meddling in Hong Kongs affairs. He said that safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is of the highest priority.

Nobody in any country or region in the world will allow foreign countries or even traitorous forces and figures to seize power, he said, adding that only by having patriots governing Hong Kong can it ensure long-term stability.

He said that that one country, two systems is still a good system that "must be maintained for a long time.

In the remote village of Tai O, where homes are built on stilts, fisherman Ng Koon-yau is fine with Beijing being in charge.

Hong Kong is part of China, and Ive never thought of moving anywhere else, said Ng, who came from Chinas neighboring Guangdong province in the 1950s. I hope that China will make Hong Kong a better place, where everyone can prosper."

Xi also stressed the importance of caring for the youth of Hong Kong. Many of the protesters in pro-democracy movements in 2014 and 2019 were students, many disillusioned not only by the loss of promised political freedoms but also an increasingly competitive job market and rising housing costs.

It is necessary to help the majority of young people solve the difficulties they face in their studies, employment, and in entrepreneurship and property ownership, he said. There must be more opportunities created for them to grow and become talents.

Xi's trip to Hong Kong was his first outside of mainland China since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in January 2020. He had last visited Hong Kong in 2017 for the 20th anniversary of the handover.

Thousands of guests were required to take daily coronavirus tests and check into quarantine hotels ahead of their attendance at events with Xi.

Xi officiated at the swearing-in of Hong Kong's new leader, John Lee, a former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on dissent.

The next five years will be a crucial time for Hong Kong to advance from governance to prosperity," Lee said.

He has previously indicated plans to follow through on a long unfulfilled requirement for the city to enact its own laws to protect the Chinese government against acts that threaten national security. An earlier initiative was abandoned after large protests in 2003.

Amnesty International warned that Lee's plans for laws governing state secrets and cybersecurity will likely mirror similar laws in China.

The extremely broad definition of such laws facilitates arbitrary enforcement, a fact that creates yet more uncertainty and fear for people in Hong Kong, the group's Asia-Pacific regional director Erwin van der Borght said.

At a morning flag-raising ceremony  attended by Lee and his predecessor, Carrie Lam, but not Xi  police officers carrying the Chinese and Hong Kong flags marched into Golden Bauhinia Square with a Chinese goose-stepping style, replacing a British-style march. Guests stood at attention as the Chinese national anthem was played.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Former Conservative prime minister Theresa May has urged Boris Johnson to ban transgender conversion therapy as a part of proposed legislation.

In late March, the Prime Minister dropped plans to ban any conversion therapy, but U-turned within hours following a backlash.

The Government later outlined legislation  the Conversion Therapy Bill  in the Queens Speech which would ban conversion therapy intended to change someones sexual orientation in certain scenarios.

But it said that, due to the complexity of issues and need for further careful thought, the legislation would not ban transgender conversion therapy.

Writing in the i for the 50th anniversary of the UKs first Pride, Mrs May said: Few people, reading of accounts from trans people, would disagree that they still face indignities and prejudice, when they deserve understanding and respect.

We need to strive for greater understanding on both sides of the debate. Just because an issue is controversial, that doesnt mean we can avoid addressing it.

To that end, the Government must keep to its commitment to consider the issue of transgender conversion therapy.

If it is not to be in the upcoming Bill, then the matter must not be allowed to slide.

Mrs May said she regretted her past opposition to LGBT equality, having voted against reducing the age of consent for homosexual acts in 1998 and against the repeal of section 28 in 2002.

She said that, 50 years after campaigners were subject to abuse and ridicule, we can take pride in how much, and how profoundly, attitudes have changed.

I include myself in that  looking back now, there are issues I would have voted on differently, were I to vote on them today, she added.

The Prime Minister also wrote for the paper to commemorate the anniversary, and said it gave him the greatest pride to lead a country where you can love whomever you choose to love.

Jamie Greene MSP for West Scotland hit out at comments made by Boris Johnson towards trans women (Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA)

Mrs Mays statement comes after a Scottish Conservative MSP criticised the Government for excluding transgender people from the proposed ban, branding the move as indefensible.

Speaking at a PinkNews reception at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Wednesday evening, Jamie Greene MSP for West Scotland hit out at comments made by Boris Johnson towards trans women.

Mr Greene said: Im not a member of the UK Government first of all  I want to make that clear  and its not my job to defend the indefensible.

He said the Conservatives had made a very explicit commitment to include trans people in the ban, adding: We made a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community that we would ban conversion therapy. We should fulfil that promise and the Scottish Government should do exactly the same.

We should do it here, we should do it in Westminster, we should do it in Wales, we should do it in Northern Ireland.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is in London for talks with Boris Johnson, with trade and the war in Ukraine dominating the agenda.

Mr Johnson greeted Ms Ardern with a handshake outside the door of Number 10, welcoming the New Zealand leader on her first UK trip since the pandemic began.

Inside, with the Union and New Zealand flags in the background, Mr Johnson said it was a great, great pleasure to welcome Ms Ardern to Downing Street.

While he said it was her first visit since the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Johnson also pointed out that it was her first trip since the two countries signed a fresh free trade deal in February.

Very good to see you, he told Ms Ardern, as he praised the very strong line that you take on Ukraine.

Fresh from the Nato summit in Madrid, which she attended alongside Mr Johnson, Ms Ardern told the Prime Minister: Thank you so much for the opportunity to meet you.

Her visit to the UK and Europe, she said, was an incredibly important milestone for us in New Zealand.

New Zealand only recently reopened its borders to international visitors, after two years of a strict border policy amid the global pandemic.

Ms Ardern said it signified we are open for business, for trade, for tourism.

The New Zealand prime minister said the pair would be discussing the recently signed trade deal and progress on ratification.

She said the deal was good for both the UK and New Zealand.

Boris Johnson with Jacinda Ardern (John Sibley/PA)

Ms Ardern also said they would discuss the situation in Ukraine.

She told the Prime Minister it was a good opportunity to discuss the way the two countries have together responded to the war, noting the UK leadership on the conflict.

We have also provided our military aid via our partnership with you, she told Mr Johnson.
by Martina Fuchs and Guo Shuang

GENEVA/LONDON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International called for a coordinated global action plan to avoid a triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

"We're facing a triple crisis. The three crises are all connected because the planet is one single, interconnected ecosystem. Any pressure on any earth system will reflect on the rest," Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, told Xinhua via video from the ongoing UN Ocean Conference.

The conference, co-hosted by the governments of Kenya and Portugal and currently taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from June 27 to July 1, seeks to mobilize global actions for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources, and propel science-based innovative solutions.

According to the conference, the ocean is "not just 'the lungs of the planet' but also its largest carbon sink, a vital buffer against the impacts of climate change."

The ocean, covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, is the planet's largest biosphere, and is home to up to 80 percent of all life in the world. It generates 50 percent of the oxygen we need, absorbs 25 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions, and captures 90 percent of the additional heat generated from those emissions.

Earlier this month, World Trade Organization members at the 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva reached an agreement to curb harmful fisheries subsidies that lead to overfishing, a deal Lambertini hailed as a "historic achievement."

"This is a very significant first step, to stop providing subsidies to illegal and unreported and unregulated fishing, to stop subsidies for overfished stocks, and also subsidies for areas of the ocean that are right now unregulated," said the chief of the Switzerland-based independent conservation organization with a global network active in nearly 100 countries and regions.

"We have lost so much nature over the last few decades. We're continuing to lose nature today. We need to halt, we need to reverse, and we need to be nature positive by 2030 ... By protecting nature, we effectively protect ourselves and our future," Lambertini said.

"It's in everybody's interest, developed economies, developing economies, to actually come together under a common plan that deals with climate change and nature loss. Hopefully government leaders will understand that the only way to tackle these issues is to really agree together to a common plan," he said. 
More opportunities will be available for younger people to travel between the UK and New Zealand to live and work.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Kiwi counterpart Jacinda Ardern signed an agreement to extend the Youth Mobility and Working Holiday schemes.

The maximum age limit for applicants will be raised from 30 to 35, and the maximum length of time people can stay in the host country will be increased from various durations to three years.

Jacinda Ardern visited London for talks with Boris Johnson (John Sibley/PA)

The reciprocal visa schemes are aimed at giving people a better understanding of each country.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: Travelling, living and working overseas can be a wonderfully enriching experience.

The UK loves to welcome Kiwis on their travels here, while thousands of Brits have made the similarly life-changing journey to the Southern Hemisphere.

Todays improvements to our visa schemes will give even more young Brits and New Zealanders the opportunity to develop their skills, make life-long connections and contribute to their host country.

Ms Ardern, who is in London for talks with Mr Johnson, said: Kiwis have long advocated for improvements to working holiday visas. We are so pleased to have reached this agreement today.

I was one of many Kiwis to enjoy living and working in the UK, and we look forward to offering Brits the same wonderful experience in New Zealand.

More information on the enhancement to the schemes will be announced next year.
YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. German Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze considers German investments in Armenia as possible if a number of legal prerequisites are met, many of which the government of Armenia is committed to today. Germany intends and will be happy to assist in creating these prerequisites, Schulze said in a joint press conference with Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan, answering the question of ARMENPRESS about what investment opportunities she sees in Armenia for German businessman and if Armenia has a favorable environment for German investments.

The German Minister considered the presence of high-quality specialists to be a very important prerequisite. "Secondly, the legal prerequisites to which the Armenian government is committed to today, the fight against corruption, reforms of the justice system, stable democracy, are the guarantees under which German investments are possible. The German side intends and will be happy to support the Armenian government to create these prerequisites," said Schulze.

The German official is in Armenia on a two-day visit. As part of the visit, on July 1, she had a meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan.
The EU has started to deliver more than 90 off-road trucks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the European Peace Facility. The trucks will support the medical, engineering and logistic units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The logistical equipment is part of a broader Assistance Measure worth EUR 31 million adopted on 2 December to support Ukraine.

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The EU has started to deliver more than 90 off-road trucks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the European Peace Facility. (Picture source: Facebook page of    / General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)

The Assistance Measure will enhance the overall resilience of Ukraine and help strengthen the capacities of its Armed Forces. It includes the delivery of medical equipment (including field hospital), engineering equipment (including demining tools), items for logistics units (including trucks and other assets) and equipment to enhance cyber defence capabilities. The implementation of the Assistance Measure started earlier this year with the provision of assistance to Ukrainian medical and engineering units.



At lest some of the Renault Trucks supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fitted with a winch (Picture source: Facebook page of    / General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)

The European Peace Facility

The European Peace Facility (EPF) was created in March 2021 to expand the EUs ability to provide security for its citizens and its partners. It enables the EU to provide all types of equipment and infrastructure to the armed forces of EU partners, in compliance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law

The EPF is an off-budget instrument aimed at enhancing the Union's ability to prevent conflicts, build peace and strengthen international security, by enabling the financing of operational actions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in the areas of military and defence.

The EPF replaces and enlarges the Athena Mechanism and the African Peace Facility. It has a financial ceiling of 5 billion (2018 prices) for 2021-2027. Contributions from Member States are determined based on a gross national income (GNI) distribution key.

European Peace Facility (EPF) - Key facts

The European Peace Facility (EPF) is an off-budget funding mechanism for EU actions with military and defence implications under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It has a total budget of 5.69 billion in current prices (5 billion in 2018 prices) for the period 2021-2027, with annual ceilings from 420 million in 2021 to 1.132 billion in 2027.

The EPF consists of two pillars  one for military operations and one for assistance measures.

The support under the EPF is provided by an administrator for operations and by an administrator for assistance measures. The Head of Service, the FPI Director is the administrator for assistance measures, while the administrator for operations is within the Council General Secretariat.

The administrators are responsible for the financial implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military operations and of assistance measures. They do this under the EPF by providing financial, technical or material support with military or defence implications to third countries, regional or international organisations.

The strategic orientation and political steer for operations and assistance measures to be funded under the EPF is provided by the Political and Security Committee (PSC) on the basis of the strategic priorities set by the European Council and the Council.

The EPF is managed under the authority and direction of a Facility Committee responsible for adopting the EPF annual and amending budgets. The EPF Committee is composed of a representative of each EU Member State. It operates within the structures of the Council and is chaired by a representative of the rotating presidency of the Council. A College of Auditors is in charge of the external audit of revenue and expenditure as well as of the annual accounts of operations and assistance measures. The Auditors are appointed by the EPF Committee based on candidates proposed by the EU Member States. The European Peace Facility (EPF) was established by Council Decision (CFSP) 2021/509 of 22 March 2021 on the basis of Articles 30(1) and 41(2) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU).

The EPF finances CFSP actions with military and defence implications that will enhance the Union's ability to prevent conflicts, build peace, and strengthen international security. It covers an increased range of EU military missions and operations and it allows the EU to support partners on a global level, either bilaterally or through international or regional organisations. The Facility replaces the Athena mechanism.

The EPF has a total financial ceiling of 5.69 billion for the period 2021-2027. As the EPF is an off-budget instrument, EU Member States pay their contributions directly every year, based on the estimated annual budget for the EPF.

Through the EPF, the EU has the possibility to provide military equipment to increase its partners security and defence capacity. In addition to the training provided to partners, the EPF also allows the EU to provide equipment, subject to strict safeguards and control mechanisms. Respect of human rights and compliance with international humanitarian law are crucial and will be ensured at each step.

Upon a proposal by the High Representative or a Member State, the Council of the European Union decides what kind of assistance and equipment can be supplied according to the needs of EU partners. It will assess the level of guarantees and safeguards for adequate use, respect of human rights and international humanitarian law as well as other criteria such as ownership, avoidance of diversion, traceability of equipment, local absorption capacity, and sustainability of the EU investment.

The European Peace Facility is on the frontline in supporting the capabilities and resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, and protect the civilian population against the ongoing Russian military aggression. With resources amounting to 2 billion, the EPF will cover the costs of military equipment, including items designed to deliver lethal force for defensive purposes.

The European Commission acts as administrator for assistance measures through its Service for Foreign Policy Instruments. The Commission also acts as accounting officer and internal auditor for assistance measures through the Directorate-General for Budget and the Internal Audit Service respectively. The administrator is in charge of the financial implementation of assistance measures.
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese spokesperson on Friday voiced firm opposition to false remarks on Taiwan made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"Taiwan is part of China, and Taiwan compatriots are our brothers and sisters," said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

"We have taken actions in accordance with the law to punish separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence' and counter external forces' interference, which is a just move to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," she said.

She made the statement when asked to comment on Stoltenberg's erroneous remarks that "China is threatening Taiwan."

Those who spread such false remarks are intended to use the Taiwan question to interfere in China's internal affairs, the spokesperson said.

Zhu urged relevant organizations and individuals to redress mistakes, firmly uphold the one-China principle and the basic norm of international relations, and stop sending wrong signals to forces seeking "Taiwan independence." 
BJP sources said that while Nadda announced Fadnavis would serve as deputy CM, the decision was actually taken by Amit Shah

Mumbai: The BJPs move to make the Shiv Sena rebel leader, Eknath Shinde, as the new chief minister of Maharashtra has taken political circles aback in the state. The move is seen as a ploy to weaken the Shiv Sena, which was already reeling under mass desertions. Further, the BJP high command asking former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to work as a deputy CM under Mr Shindes leadership is seen as clipping the high-flying leaders wings.

BJP sources said that while party president J.P. Nadda announced Mr Fadnavis would serve as deputy CM, the decision was actually taken by Union home minister Amit Shah.

By making Mr Shinde CM, the BJP has tried to kill many birds with one stone. Political experts said the saffron party sent out a clear message that it was willing to sacrifice the top post for the sake of Hindutva. In addition to this, it has also given a befitting reply to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who had challenged the BJP to offer the CMs post to a Shiv Sainik. With Mr Shinde becoming CM, it has managed to take the wind out of the sails of the Senas attack, a political observer said. The move also punctured the Shiv Senas claim that Mr Thackeray wanted Mr Shinde as the CM, but he lost the opportunity because the BJP refused to share the CMs post with the Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena has claimed that Mr Thackeray accepted the CMs post only because NCP chief Sharad Pawar insisted that it was necessary for the MVA governments stability.

The BJP is hoping that its bold move will further erode Mr Thackerays hold on his party. With more than two-thirds of party MLAs on his side, Mr Shinde has already made it clear that his faction would stake its claim to the partys name and symbol. Also, with Mr Shinde at the helm, more from the partys rank and file will be tempted to join his side.

While Mr Shindes elevation to the chief ministers post was dramatic, even more dramatic was the BJP central leadership asking Mr Fadnavis to become deputy chief minister. In a couple of hours after announcing that he would not be a part of the Shinde-led ministry, Mr Fadnavis had to eat his own words and join the ministry as the deputy CM.

The BJP central leadership executed Operation Lotus successfully in Maharashtra by stoking the rebellion in the Shiv Sena. But Mr Fadnavis was kept in the dark about the operation till the last moment.

Sources said the BJP central leadership didnt want to make Mr Fadnavis more powerful in Maharashtra. The graph of Fadnavis success is rising not only in Maharashtra but also at the national level since he successfully executed his organisational responsibilities in the Assembly elections in Goa (2022) and Bihar (2020). Someone at the top didnt want to let Fadnavis control Maharashtra politics single-handedly, the sources said.

The sources added that the details of Operation Lotus were planned by Mr Shah and Mr Shinde, and others were not kepy in the loop. Only Eknath Shindes son Shrikant Shinde knew that his father would be made CM and Fadnavis deputy CM if Operation Lotus was successful, the sources claimed.
Fadnaviss appointment as a deputy CM also came as a surprise, as he himself had earlier claimed that he will not be a part of the cabinet

Newly elected Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde(L) and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari(C) during their oath-taking ceremony, at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Thursday, June 30, 2022. (PTI)

Mumbai: In an unexpected move that is being seen as a political masterstroke, the BJP announced rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde as the new chief minister of Maharashtra.

In a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan on Thursday evening, Mr Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oaths as chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively.

Mr Fadnaviss appointment as a deputy CM also came as a surprise, as he himself had earlier claimed that he will not be a part of the cabinet but will offer support from outside. But, later, BJP national president J.P. Nadda informed that Mr Fadnavis will serve as the deputy CM in the Shinde-led ministry.

The new government was formed in Maharashtra after Uddhav Thackeray quit as Maharashtra chief minister on Wednesday, shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that he must prove his majority in the floor test. He will be the fourth Shiv Sena CM after Manohar Joshi, Narayan Rane and Mr Thackeray and the first CM from Mumbai's neighbouring Thane city.

Mr Fadnavis and Mr Shinde met governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in the afternoon at Raj Bhavan to stake a claim for government formation in Maharashtra. After this, Mr Fadnavis surprised everyone by naming Mr Shinde as the next CM. The announcement came as a jolt as he was expected to return as the chief minister with the support of the Shinde faction.

Mr Fadnavis also said the Shiv Sena, by joining hands with the Congress and the NCP in 2019 to overthrow the BJP, had insulted the public mandate. He further claimed rampant corruption during the rule of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government while quoting two NCP leaders accused of corruption.

Mr Shinde thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Nadda and Fadnavis for making him CM. "Despite having the support of 120 MLAs, Fadnavis showed a big heart and gave the CM post to me. If he had wished he could have kept the CM post with himself," he added.

Mr Fadnavis said that he accepts the party's orders as a loyal activist. "For me, the directives of the party, which have given me the highest post, are above everything else," he tweeted.

Mr Modi congratulated Mr Shinde and Mr Fadnavis on being sworn in as the CM and deputy CM.

Meanwhile, the rebel MLAs, who stayed put in Goa, celebrated Mr Shindes anointment as the CM by dancing and singing. In the Kopri-Panchpakhadi constituency in Thane city, which Mr Shinde represents, people burst fire crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate the occasion.

Mr Shinde arrived in Mumbai from Goa in the morning. He was provided with a Z-category security cover by the Centre. He claimed that he had the support of 50 MLAs, including 39 MLAs.

The Shinde family originally belonged to the Satara district and moved to Thane in the 70s. In his early days, Mr Shinde started with odd jobs. He worked at a beer brewery and a fishing company. Later, he also worked as an autorickshaw driver. Mr Shinde joined the Shiv Sena in the 80s.
by Alessandra De Poli

Mohammad Zubair is co-founder of AltNews, a fact-checking website created in 2017. Multiple criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes back to the pogrom of 2002. Twitter is struggling with Indias requests to block tweets and accounts.

Delhi (AsiaNews)  Independent journalism are not doing well in Asia. After the Philippine authorities ordered the closure of the Rappler news website, founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, and some international news agencies were banned from the ceremony marking Hong Kongs handover to China, a journalist was arrested in India for allegedly inciting sectarian hate.

Mohammed Zubair is the co-founder of the AltNews, a fact-checking website, which has in recent years debunked propaganda by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu ultranationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In Delhi police arrested Zubair over a 2018 tweet, reportedly informed by an anonymous account that no longer exists. For his part, Zubair has been under pressure for years, as has Twitter itself, which this week made a number of accounts inaccessible to Indian users at the request of the government.

In 2018 Zubair tweeted the picture of a hotel that appeared in a 1983 Hindi comedy with a signboard that read Before 2014: Honeymoon Hotel After 2014: Hanuman Hotel. Hanuman, a Hindu god and a divine vanara (monkey) companion of the god Rama, has become a symbol used by right-wing Hindu nationalists on social media.

On 19 June, an anonymous Twitter account, Hanuman Bakhat, tweeted a comment claiming that Zubairs tweet was insulting and tagged it to the Delhi police.

As the Scroll news website reports, Hanuman Bakht was created in October 2021, did not follow anyone, had only three followers and had never tweeted before. After Zubairs arrest on 20 June, the account was deleted.

Zubair was not immediately informed of the complaint filed against him, his lawyers said; instead, he was summoned to a police station to discuss a previous legal case and was arrested on the spot.

According to Delhi police, the journalist was not cooperative when asked to hand over his computer and mobile phone.

Zubairs tweets and AltNews articles had already attracted the attention of BJP loyalists. In recent months, for example, the Twitter account Hakw Eye had unleashed a campaign against Zubair using the ArrestMohammadZubair hashtag.

In recent weeks, Zubairs tweets about Nupur Shurma, the BJP former spokeswoman who was relieved of her duties for making insulting comments about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, created ripple effects internationally.

Faced with requests from the Indian government, Twitter complied and blocked a number of individual tweets.

India claims the right to block online content to defend its sovereignty and national security but according to human rights groups, its definition of defence is so broad that more often than not it leads to outright censorship of government critics.

Lumen, a public database, publishes content removal requests to Twitter from governments; for the period January to June 2021, 11 per cent of requests were submitted by India.

Although Twitter in India is not a big, it has a strong impact on the political narrative and many journalists believe it is the reason for the governments relentlessness against the microblogging and social networking service.

In the first half of 2020 for example, Facebooks compliance rate with Indian requests was 50 per cent while Twitters was only 1 per cent. But Indias control does not stop at online platforms.

In a country where print media are still important, newspapers that tried to publish fact-checking articles and criticism of the government in the past have lost advertising funding from large companies close to Modi.

Zubair started out as a telecoms engineer, not as a journalist, but he was passionate about social media. AltNews only began its fact-checking activity in 2017 after Zubair met with Pratik Sinha, a software engineer who grew up in Gujarat.

Sinha witnessed Modis political evolution from the time he was Gujarats chief minister between 2001 and 2014.

The first disinformation campaigns began after the Gujarat pogroms in 2002 that culminated in a crackdown against the Muslim population and the killing of more than 2,000 people (although official figures acknowledge only half as many).

Sinhas parents had actively exposed government shortcomings, showing how the authorities had turned a blind eye to the violence and human rights violations. By the time their findings were published in 2013 it was already too late: Modi was on the way up, and his closest associate, Amit Shah, who was arrested in 2010, served only three months in prison, and since 2019, has been the Union (federal) Home Affairs minister in Modis cabinet.

It is no coincidence that Zubairs arrest comes about a week after that of journalist and activist Teesta Setalvad who was taken into custody after the Supreme Court upheld the conclusions of a committee that had cleared Prime Minister Narendra Modi of complicity in the 2002 violence.

The counter-terrorism wing of the Gujarat police arrested Setalvad on charges of committing forgery and fabricating evidence. Despite appeals from international human rights agencies, she, like Zubair, is still in jail.

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Today's headlines: Chinese Communist Party members reach record level of 96.7 million; Myanmar military planes encroach on Thai territory; Pakistan ready to block internet after series of power outages; Turkey awaits Taliban response to bid for Kabul airport operations; Russian censors target culture.

QATAR-LEBANON

With an allocation of million, Doha will finance the Lebanese Armed Forces' salaries. The economic crisis in Lebanon, marked mainly by the collapse of the national currency, has caused discontent among soldiers in Beirut, who now earn less than 0 a month on average.

CHINA

Official data today revealed that the Chinese Communist Party reached a record 96.7 million members at the end of 2021. That is a 3.7 percent growth over 2020. New members are young and schooled; less than a third are women; the blue-collar and agricultural workers segment is shrinking.

THAILAND-BURMA

Bangkok Air Force fighter jets were scrambled yesterday after Myanmar military aircraft violated Thai airspace. The incident occurred on the border with Karen State, where Burmese military junta air forces were targeting local ethnic militias supporting opposition to coup generals.

PAKISTAN

Due to the energy crisis, the Pakistani government may cut off internet and mobile phone services. The country is grappling with repeated blackouts after authorities failed to secure imports of necessary quantities of liquid natural gas used in electricity generation.

TURKEY-AFGHANISTAN

The Turkish government said it is awaiting the Taliban's response on its bid to operate the Kabul airport. Istanbul is ready to operate the airport hub with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

RUSSIA

Moscow's "Gogol-Centr," the Taganka Square theater of director Kirill Serebrenikov, has been closed, bidding farewell to a show entitled "I do not participate in the war," based on the poems of Soviet dissident Jurij Levitansky.

KAZAKHSTAN-AZERBAIJAN-TURKEY

Foreign ministers of the three countries met in Baku to find alternative routes for transporting oil to Europe from the Caspian Sea area to the Black Sea. The goal is to circumvent Russia, which has been blocking pipelines lately, forcing the Kazakhs to reduce extraction activities, especially after Putin and Tokaev's rifts.
by Shafique Khokhar

Ejaz Masih, a father of three, found himself in debt and forced to close his business. Thanks to the charity he was able to reopen a shop and supply it with goods. The charity is converting jobless people into business people and borrowers into givers, says the charitys president, Rehan Farooq. Help goes to the marginalised with skills without distinctions of faith, caste or social origin.

Faisalabad (AsiaNews)  Ejaz Masih, a Christian vendor, recently faced serious financial woes.

Out of money and with no job, the father of three from Dawood Nagar, a suburb of Faisalabad (Punjab), knocked on the door of many Pakistani organisations in search of support, in vain.

One day, through word of mouth he heard about the Good Samaritan Resource Center (GSRC), and, after an extensive search online, he was impressed by its many humanitarian activities.

I have no words to thank them enough, he said speaking to AsiaNews. I was jobless and had nothing to feed my children, but praise God, the Good Samaritans helped me to start my own business.

He used to sell fruit and vegetables before he had to stop due to lack of funds. Unemployed, he was desperate and could not pay the children's fees and got into debts in order not to lose his home.

Given his situation, he turned to the charity and rapidly arranged a meeting, during which its president, Rehan Farooq, provided him with the much-needed help to restart his business.

The non-profit association helped him with an interest-free loan to be repaid in small installments over a year; this enabled him to find a shop to rent and supplies (fruit and vegetables) to sell. Now he can better take care of his family.

I was jobless. Now, my business is established and I have lots of sacks to sell, he said. Indeed, business is brisk.

The Good Samaritan Resource Center serves the needy without distinctions of faith, caste or social origin, explains Farooq, a Christian.

"We are converting jobless people into business people and borrowers into givers, he told AsiaNews. Our organisation always stands with marginalised people with skills.

In the past two years, inspired by the principles and values of Christian charity, the GSRC has helped at least 30 families with interest-free loans.

When the money is returned to us, we reinvest it to help other people, Farooq explained, following the teachings of the Good Samaritan of the Gospel.

What is more, We dont serve only Christians, but also Muslims by helping them start small businesses. In all, we find in God the strength to continue our work.
by Mathias Hariyadi

The Indonesian president just concluded a trip to Ukraine and Russia in an attempt to overcome the wheat blockade. Putin denies restricting exports from Ukrainian ports. Indonesia remains available to act as a "bridge" between the two warrying countries.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodos trip to Ukraine and Russia ended today.

Yesterday, the Indonesian leader met with in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while the day before he visited his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Widodo, who this year chairs the G20 forum, said he hoped food and fertiliser supply lines would be restored, after they were disrupted by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

I really appreciate President Putin who said earlier that he will provide security guarantee for food and fertiliser supplies from both Russia and Ukraine. This is good news, Widodo said.

The Indonesian leader also urged G7 leaders to ensure that sanctions against Russia do not affect food and fertiliser supplies.

The war in Ukraine has disrupted global trade, raising wheat prices, as supplies are stuck in Ukraine's ports.

During the joint press conference, Putin denied that Russia is blocking Ukrainian exports.

"The Ukrainian military has mined the approaches to their ports," the Russian leader said, "No one prevents them from clearing those mines and we guarantee the safety of shipping grain out of there."

As chair of the G20 forum, Widodo is seeking to mend fences within the group after some countries threatened to boycott the summit if Russia participated.

Widodo is also trying to leverage his position as a non-aligned country to broker an agreement.

Yesterday he claimed to have conveyed a message from Zelensky to Putin, noting that Indonesia is willing to serve as a "communication bridge" between the two leaders, but did not say what was in the message.
CVT

Offered in four trim levels, named the LX, S, GT-Line, and EX, with the X-Line and Turbo having been phased off for the mid-cycle refresh , it is offered with a decent amount of gear, competitive pricing, and a single engine across the range.Pricing kicks off at $19,790, before the $1,295 destination, and the base grade gets 16-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy windows, 8-inch touchscreen display, reversing camera, smartphone integration, and keyless entry. Drivers are assisted by the automatic emergency braking, lane following assist, lane keeping assist, and driver attention warning, with the blind spot collision warning assist, lane change assist, and rear cross-traffic alert, and avoidance being available as options.Choosing the Soul S, which carries an MSRP of $22,290, will get you dual-zone climate control, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, satellite radio, smart key with push-button start, wireless charging pad, and drivers seat with electric adjustment. The GT-Line can be had from $23,390, with its 18-inch alloys, enhanced exterior looks, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and gearshift knob, and different upholstery. Finally, the 2023 Soul EX will set buyers back at least $24,090. Compared to the lesser model, this one adds heated front seats, new upholstery, and cargo cover.Besides dropping the X-Line and Turbo grades, Kia also chose not to offer the turbocharged engine in the facelifted Soul anymore. As a result, the only power unit available is the 2.0-liter four-cylinder, with 147 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 132 pound-feet (178 Nm) of torque at 4,500 rpm. Everything is transferred to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (), which is the sole choice across the range.
On Tuesday night, June 28, Lola Rose Sheen was involved in a terrifying car crash. According to police, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards youngest daughter drove into an embankment, The Sun reports.She was driving at night with three other passengers in her Volkswagen . Her sedan hit the embankment, but, luckily it did not roll over the cliff.A spokesman for Malibu and Lost Hills Sheriff's Station confirmed to the same outlet that they assisted California Highway Patrol and a search and rescue unit after receiving a call about a car "over the edge" on Stunt Road, near Topanga Lookout in the Santa Monica Mountains in California."Nobody was taken to the hospital but the minor driver complained of a headache after the collision," a rep claimed.At the time of the scary crash, Lola was driving down dark winding roads at nighttime, which have limited visibility and offer views of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. There is no information on whether the car had to be towed after the crash.The 17-year-old old has just celebrated getting her license this year. In January, her famous actress mom took to social media to celebrate the occasion, posting a picture of Lola next to a white Volkswagen. She captioned it: Woohoo! Nothing like celebrating 2022 than my Lola getting her drivers license! Richards added: Im so proud of you & so happy for you Lolee!" Lola hopped in the comment section, thanking her mom for giving me the confidence and added that it was such a special moment. Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards share two daughters, Lola, and Sami , 18. After their relationship ended, Richards also adopted another girl, Eloise. At the moment of publication, neither addressed the accident.
6x6

SUV

Jeeps return to the pickup truck market (the last time it was involved with any hauling shenanigans was back in 1992 when it axed the Comanche) was a natural best-seller and we would not be one bit surprised if Ford ever decided to double up on Ranger duties with a mid-sized Bronco sporting a truck bed. Until then, though, it seems that Jeeps Gladiator is getting mixed up with the wrong kind of CGI people Henry Andrus (formerly going by the name of Andrews), a virtual artist better known as photo.chopshop on social media, has a prolific imagination when it comes to mashups, including scary truck-based ones. And it is not only because any Jeep Gladiatortransformation is inherently menacing but also due to the pixel masters propensity for horror automotive creations . A case in point is the recent Honda Element x Jeep Gladiator 6x6 mix that has all the wrong low-key vibes no one imagined possible.We have seen some appalling CGI mashups from this digital content creator before, but this one is both scary bad and scary stupid at the same time. For starters, the Honda Element compact crossovertransplant over the face of a Jeep Gladiator could be responsible for a few CGI nightmares from now on  and not just because of the nose-swap but also due to the surreal way the quirky Element profile blends in with the tough Gladiator looks.Then, there is also the problem of the hashtags, which seem to imply this off-road-focused lifted Honda Jeep will also get a VTEC engine swap to complete the JDM transformation  if ever real. Luckily, no Jeep Gladiators, not even normal ones  let alone any 6x6 units  were harmed during the making of this toughened-up Honda Element project. And none will, as we are pretty sure this will forever remain merely wishful thinking!
EV

Burning the midnight oil seems to be something familiar for Genesis' R&D department. While other premium brands don't have to scream that they are premium, Genesis does. This Korean brand didn't exist when other premium carmakers were already reckoned on the market. That's why it had to work harder than anyone else. While some might think that it came too late on the market, Genesis' management considered that there is room for it as long as the brand has something special to offer.For starters, the GV60 is based on the same platform as the Hyundai Ioniq5 and 6 or the KIA EV6. But the exterior design doesn't look like a simple badge-engineered product. Instead, this compactcrossover showed a completely different exterior. It boasted a crossover-coupe shape, with a sloped rear end adorned with a big spoiler between the glass and metal areas on the tailgate. Moreover, it has some specific features that are unavailable for GV60's mundane siblings.Hyundai-KIA introduced the face-recognition sensor on the B-pillar and a fingerprint reader on the driver's door handle. Thus, the owner can lock or unlock the vehicle even if they don't have the key in their pocket. Once inside the vehicle, they can start the car by touching the fingerprint sensor on the center console, just like unlocking a phone with a finger.Inside, DeMuro is satisfied by the high level of material quality. Moreover, the door cards are covered in a material that evokes a luxurious feeling for the occupants. Doug noticed an unusual feature: the center console that separated the front seat sported a pass-through area at the bottom. We might imagine that an umbrella could fit there. Something you couldn't find in a fourth-generation Corvette , though.But it was the rear seats that surprised DeMuro. Despite the car's size, the GV60 provided enough room for three passengers. Obviously, the split-folding bench could expand the trunk's size, although they could have been folded only from the salon area, not from the back. Speaking of the trunk, the GV60 offered an ingenious solution. Its floor left a technical compartment where the tire-repair kit was hosted. Moreover, the floor's panel could have been opened on a side, offering access to a side compartment where the owner could store some stuff they didn't want to show. In addition, the carmaker installed a "frunk" that the owner could use for small items.Last but not least, driving the GV60 impressed DeMuro. Not only because it does 0-60 in 3.4 seconds. He considers this something normal for most electric sedans and hatchbacks. But this vehicle is a crossover. And, despite its aerodynamic shape, it is still a tall vehicle with a big frontal area. Also, he noticed that while the GV60 might be fast on a straight line, its higher ground clearance and overall weight don't qualify the Korean crossover as a sport vehicle. After all, other premium carmakers have more than a century of experience on the market. But Genesis is closing the gap. Remember: some people laughed at Lexus too.
SUV

As weird and funny as that may sound, this is exactly what happened a few days ago, when a man appeared in court for driving with no license and marijuana possession over one pound.The Newburyport District Court decided to release the man on his own recognizance, but the only thing he had to agree with was not to drive until getting a license. In other words, he was free to go, as long as he agreed not to get behind the wheel of a car until he recovers his license (the police say his drivers license was suspended, so in theory, the only thing he had to do was to just wait).Obviously, he agreed with the judge, but the minute he left the court, he jumped behind the wheel into a Toyota and drove away. Thats right, after telling the judge he wouldnt drive until properly licensed, the man left the parking lot of the court in the drivers seat of a Toyota. And if you believe this is the fun part, heres what happened next.Trooper and court officer Michael Provost spotted the man, recognized him from the case that literally ended only a few minutes before, and stopped the SUV.After arresting the man for driving without a license, he searched the Toyota and discovered no less than 70 pounds (31.7 kg) of marijuana in his vehicle. In other words, the man who appeared in court for driving without a license and illegal marijuana possession was caught the second time driving without a license and with MJ, literally minutes after being released from court.The 43-year-old Maine resident was sent back to the Newburyport District Court once again on charges of driving without a license and trafficking in marijuana, according to the local police
Chris Brown loves cars, and the faster, the better. He has several powerful rides in his garage, including a Bentley Bentayga , a Lamborghini Aventador SV, a bulletproof Rezani Tank, a Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600, and many other expensive models.But to celebrate the release of his latest album, Breezy, CB arrived at Nightingale Plaza, a luxury nightclub for the Hollywood elite, in his custom Porsche 911 Turbo.Like several other cars in his collection, the Porsche 911 Turbos updates come from auto repair shop RDB LA, which gave it several updates recently . The supercar has also been fitted with a Widebody kit, but that came from a different shop. However, it looks like Chris loves the result and enjoyed it before he arrived at the release party.The 911 Turbo comes with quite a history. The R&B musician has had it for a few years and, in the summer of 2021, he had left the $230k supercar in the hands of a valet at The Nice Guy, a hotspot in West Hollywood, California, and went to a party. But when he returned, he found the Porsche damaged following a multi-car crash. Both the front and the rear ends were damaged, but he managed to drive it home.The good folks at the RDB LA shop fixed it and then gave it a new wrap, this time in silver, and fitted it with powder-coated neon green wheels, which Brown specifically asked for.The supercar previously sported two different colors, because Breezy loves changing his cars every so often. At one point, it was satin black with a white stripe, and after that, it got covered in a satin dark gray with a big, gloss white and yellow stripe running from the front to the rear bumper. You can check its past looks in our gallery.
SUV

With so many bespoke models in her collection that showcase her personality, views, and favorite color palette, Kim Kardashian has many options when she goes out.For Khloe Kardashians 38th birthday dinner in Beverly Hills, California, Kim opted for a black latex outfit and accessorized it with sunglasses (despite the fact that it was at night) and her one-of-one Lamborghini Urus Thefrom the Italian company is the result of her longtime collaboration with Platinum Motorsport, which knows exactly what Kim needs. The auto repair and customizing shop is responsible for many cars in her garage, and the Urus proves how well they understand the billionaire reality star.Her Lambo Urus comes with a widebody kit and some Mansory touches, an upgraded exhaust system, suspension, and tune. It has been fitted with a set of unique dual-block two-piece alloy wheels. The vehicle, initially coming with a Satin Silver paint job has been upgraded to a ghost gray to match the interior of her mansion. Her Mercedes-Maybach S 580 and her Rolls-Royce Ghost received the same treatment . This year, she also added a private jet to her belongings and, among the things she specified when customizing it, was that it should come with the same gray exterior.The interior of the Urus super SUV has a completely reworked custom yellow cabin , which has remained the same despite the new exterior paint job.The vehicle is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter engine, which paired up with an eight-speed automatic transmission, delivers 641 horsepower (650 ps) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque at 2,250-4,500 rpm. And it was the best choice to make an impression in Los Angeles for Khloes birthday dinner.
PHEV

One could buy a cheap (around $15k) Mirage hatchback or G4 sedan, as well as the oldish Outlander Sport andcrossovers from Mitsubishis American showrooms. But if you want the very latest, there are just two other choices: a 2023 Outlander or Eclipse Cross. And that is about all. No Lancer Evolution , no big hulking Pajero off-roader, no nothing. Not even a little Colt, actually. Well, as far as the latter is concerned, a revival is allegedly just around the corner  perhaps even for the 2023/2024 model years. According to the rumor mill, it will not be something to write home about, though. Instead, the ailing Japanese automaker wants to send it off into the world as a rebadged fifth-generation Renault Clio . Boring, right?So, what could anyone do to spice up the Mitsubishi fan bases dreams? Well, if you ask the virtual artist behind Larson Design (aka lars_o_saeltzer on social media), quite a lot. While he pulls at the heartstrings of the few Mitsubishi Colt fans that are still with us, the pixel master explains that back in 1978 another reintroduction of the nameplate became  in his opinion, the best-looking car they ever made.It had the perfect size, (and a) unique look with the strongest character they ever had. (While) all successors and other models never reached that level again, the CGI expert does have a sustainable proposal of how a Colt reinvention should really look like. So, here is the virtual 2023 eColt and as far as we can tell, the digital content creator ditched the OEM Clio-based underpinnings in favor of a cooler rebadge.Thus, he looked at a different Renault thats just as tiny and cute, the upcoming 2025 Renault 5 EV . And he also expedited things a little bit for Mitsubishis Honda e fighting sake. Now, if only this was not just merely wishful thinking
SUV

Theres no single threat more significant to our future than climate change. SCOTUS #WVvEPA ruling makes it even more critical for companies & consumers to take action together  we cant allow this decision to result in a planet less habitable for our kids & future generations.  RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) July 1, 2022

The Supreme Court of the United States curtailed the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Instead of confirming it has the power needed to regulate emissions in a world that needs action against the perils brought by climate change, the EPA cant decide anymore about greenhouse gas emissions coming from power plants.Just to put things better into perspective, only 15 years ago, the SCOTUS decided that EPA is able and must decide on important matters regarding the climate at the federal level.Instead of letting the Agency decide what limits must be respected, now Congress and states must take matters into their own hands. The Supreme Court justices made it clear that regulators cant simply make rules when the law doesnt specify precisely that they are allowed to do so. Chief Justice John Roberts even said that regulators must wait for Congress's approval if they want to impose regulations that will impact American lives.Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe waited for the dust to settle after the ruling in the WV (West Virginia) vs. EPA had been made public. He made a short statement on Twitter. The executive says climate change is a significant threat, and everyone should take it seriously. Scaringe argues that both companies and consumers must unite and take action together.Rivians CEO argues that SCOTUS decision shouldnt result in a planet less habitable for kids and future generations.Congress now must decide if the EPA can keep its regulatory power or not. Rivian makes all-electric vehicles. For now, the American manufacturer has only three units in its portfolio: the R1T pickup truck, the R1S, and the EDV van.
EV

I just got the Tesla shareholder vote form and the board is recommending I vote against transparency on child labor, anti-discrimination, diversity, lobbying, as well as allowing unions ???? pic.twitter.com/OM8jTxAM8x  Marcus Hutchins (@MalwareTechBlog) June 30, 2022

Tyron Aghedo is one of the workers that complained about having to work on tasks that were more physically demanding just because of the color of his skin. According to the plaintiff, the front-end assembly in Fremont is a job that blue-collar workers can rotate out every two hours to avoid work injuries. He and other African American peers had to be at that workstation 12 hours a day.When Aghedo complained about that, his bosses put him on even more demanding tasks. Eventually, he lost a promotion to a non-African American colleague: he believes this has to do with racism Teri Mitchell reinforced that. She lost her job after just one month. Unfortunately, Mitchell said she spent a depressing month there hearing, all kinds of racist slurs. She was also insufficiently trained. Her peers did not speak English, leaving her with no options to ask what to do.Another colleague faced even worse issues. Apart from also enduring really nasty stuff due to being an African American, San Francisco Chronicle reports that Jasmine Wilson also heard sexualized comments from three of her co-workers.Unfortunately for Tesla and its African American employees, this does not seem to be close to an end. Apart from all former and current workers who feel they can win their lawsuits against themaker, Tesla also does not give any signs that it wants to put an end to these conditions.One of its shareholders tweeted that Tesla asked them to vote against transparency on child labor, child labor, anti-discrimination, diversity, lobbying, as well as allowing unions. A quick search shows what Tesla said in the Schedule 14A Information document the company sent to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).In that document, these are respectively the proposals 12, 8, 7, 10, and 11. Teslas board asks shareholders to vote against all of them. They justify that by saying that it would not serve the best interests of Tesla or our stockholders.In proposal seven, those words are followed by an even more shocking remark: Teslas goal is to create an environment where people love to come to work every day. We believe that it is essential to provide all employees, world-wide (sic), with a respectful and safe working environment where all employees can achieve their potential. Yes, you read that right. Prepare for more racism lawsuit news coming from the EV maker.
The bloc condemned the decision and said it will give up other leadership positions in the National Assembly in protest.

Speaking before the vote, Civil Contract lawmakers again said that deputy speaker Ishkhan Saghatelian and the committee chairman, Vahe Hakobian, must be dismissed because of boycotting sessions of the parliament and its standing committees.

Civil Contracts Arusyak Julhakian also accused Saghatelian of provoking clashes and using hate speech during antigovernment rallies launched by the Armenian opposition on May 1.

Saghatelian, Hakobian and the 33 other deputies representing Hayastan and the other parliamentary opposition force, Pativ Unem, began the boycott ahead of the daily rallies aimed toppling Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. They have said that they have no plans yet to return to the parliament.

In a joint statement, Hayastan and Pativ Unem condemned Saghatelians and Hakobians dismissal and portrayed it as another sign of a deepening political crisis in Armenia.

With this behavior the current authorities once again demonstrated that they are concerned solely with posts, engaged in persecutions, devoid of any ability to confront challenges facing the country, lack legitimacy and do not represent Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), said the statement. In these circumstances, their exit is inevitable.

Parliament speaker Alen Simonian said ahead of the vote that the pro-government majority in the National Assembly is open to considering other opposition candidates for the two posts.

We will not nominate any candidates, Saghatelian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service shortly after his ouster. Moreover, our colleagues will likely give up the other administrative posts occupied by the opposition [in the parliament.]

Armen Gevorgian, a Hayastan lawmaker heading the parliament committee on regional and Eurasian integration, was quick to tender his resignation. He said he cannot go against clear rules of political, public and human ethics.

Pativ Unems Hayk Mamijanian similarly resigned as deputy chairman of the parliament committee on foreign relations.

Civil Contract has not yet carried out its threats to strip all opposition lawmakers of their parliament seats for absenteeism. Senior representatives of the ruling party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian say it has not yet made a final decision on that.

Saghatelian again scoffed at those threats. He said the opposition deputies themselves may decide to leave the parliament.

Hayastan and Pativ Unem decided to scale back the protests earlier this month after failing to unseat Pashinian. But they pledged to continue to fight for his removal from power. Their next rally was scheduled for Friday evening.

The two opposition forces accuse Pashinian of planning to make sweeping concessions to Azerbaijan that would place Nagorno-Karabakh under Azerbaijani control and jeopardize the very existence of Armenia.
Gestural notions of locations (in red) in which RISETechnology can enhance performance of Army vehicles and equipment.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
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BERLIN (AP)  Germany and Nigeria on Friday signed an agreement paving the way for the return of hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa more than 120 years ago  an accord that Nigerian officials hope will prompt other countries to follow suit.

Governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects that were looted during colonial times.

A British colonial expedition looted vast quantities of treasures in 1897 from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now southwestern Nigeria, including numerous bas-reliefs and sculptures.

The artifacts ended up spread far and wide. Hundreds were sold to collections such as the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has one of the worlds largest groups of historical objects from the Kingdom of Benin, estimated to include about 530 items, including 440 bronzes. Many of them date from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Two pieces held by the Berlin museum  a commemorative head of a king and a relief slab depicting a king with four attendants  were handed over as German and Nigerian officials signed their joint political declaration at the German foreign ministry in Berlin.

This is just the beginning of more than 1,000 pieces from the Kingdom of Benin that are still in German museums, and they all belong to the people of Nigeria, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. It was wrong to take the bronzes; it was wrong to keep them for 120 years.

The bronzes are some of Africa's greatest treasures, but they are also telling the story of colonial violence, Baerbock said.

The Nigerian government, which in recent years has stepped up its demands for the return of the Benin Bronzes, said the accord would pave way for the return of 1,130 pieces. It described it as the single largest repatriation of artifacts anywhere in the world.

Germany has taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the past, Nigerian Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said. He added that he expects the move to "become a harbinger of more repatriation of cultural property.

Germany last year announced its intention to return the Benin Bronzes that ended up there.

Officials didn't give a timeline for the return of the remaining artifacts on Friday, but Berlin's Ethnological Museum said a agreement on the rest of the bronzes it holds will follow later this year. The authority that oversees the museum says it expects to keep some on long-term loan. Baerbock said she is looking forward to seeing bronzes on holidays in Germany.

Friday's agreement provides for museum cooperation between Germany and Nigeria. Germany is helping Nigeria set up a new museum in Benin City where bronzes will be displayed in the future, Baerbock said.

It is my sincere hope that other European countries ... will follow in your footsteps, Nigeria's state minister for foreign affairs, Zubairu Dada, said of Friday's accord.

The Smithsonian removed 10 Benin Bronze pieces from display at its National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and announced a new ethical return policy this year. Other U.S. museums have also begun discussions about returning such objects, while France declared last year that it would return the so-called Abomey Treasures to Benin as part of a wider effort to make amends for colonial wrongs.

Hundreds of objects from the Kingdom of Benin remain in the British Museum in London, which has resisted calls to return them.

The British Museum remains committed to thorough and open investigation of Benin collection histories, the museum said in an emailed statement Friday. This includes fully acknowledging and understanding the colonial history which forms the key context for the development of the Museums Benin collections.

___

Frank Jordans in Berlin and Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria contributed to this report.
UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said on Friday they are increasingly concerned over worsening food shortages and insecurity in the largest displaced persons camp in northeast Nigeria's Maiduguri city.

The concern focuses on 30,000 of the 50,000 internally displaced people in the Muna camp, who have not received food assistance for weeks, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

There is also concern about protection issues in the camp and the lack of livelihood opportunities, which have forced displaced people to venture to unsafe locations where they are routinely attacked or abducted by non-state armed groups, the office said.

"The worsening situation in Muna camp is occurring against the backdrop of a serious deterioration in food security throughout northeast Nigeria," OCHA said. "Some 4.1 million people are at risk of crisis-level food insecurity this lean season, with some 600,000 people projected to be at emergency levels."

The office said it expects approximately 1.7 million children under the age of five to suffer from acute malnutrition across the northeast this year.

Despite funding shortages, aid workers have reached 1.8 million people in this year's first quarter, OCHA said. The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, which requires 1.1 billion U.S. dollars, is only 23 percent funded.

The government plans to close all camps in Borno state's capital city, including Muna, within several weeks, the office said.

Humanitarians often cite extremist violence, economic problems and climate change as leading to hunger and insecurity in northeast Nigeria. 
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  Two men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in New Hampshire on multiple fraud charges alleging that they falsely applied for $5 million in federal CARES Act loans for companies and misused some of the proceeds, including one man's purchase of a Rolls Royce.

One man was based in Northwood, New Hampshire, and the other initially was in the state and later moved to Irvine, California, according to court documents.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  Two former Tennessee prison officers have been charged with writing false reports after one of them hit an inmate, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Former Tennessee Department of Correction tactical officers Javian Griffin, 36, and Sebron Hollands, 32, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Memphis, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Although experts across the nation have been quick to react to Thursday's U.S Supreme Court ruling regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate certain greenhouse gas emissions, local activists have had mixed reactions.

The 6-3 vote decided the Clean Air Act does not give the Agency broad authority to regulate emissions from power plants that contribute to climate change, the Associated Press reported.

But that decision isn't expected to have any immediate impact, said Environmental Integrity Project's Executive Director Eric Schaeffer

The decision does not prohibit EPA from regulating carbon emissions from coal plants, as some media have reported, said Schaeffer, who also is the former EPA Director of Civil Enforcement.

While the majority on the Supreme Court recognizes EPA's right to establish emission limits imposed on power plants, he thinks the court wants to "slap EPA's wrist" to illustrate the narrow and strict view of what is allowed.

RELATED: Port Arthur refinery averaged double EPA benzene limit last year

It now shifts the jurisdiction to senators and congressional leaders, who likely now will have to give EPA the power previously thought to have already been established by the Clean Air Act, said Environment Texas Clean Energy Associate Lennis Barlow.

"I think, specifically with regards to Texas, one of the important things to contextualize this ruling is that Texas does have some of the most polluting power plants in the country of the top 10 most polluting power plants in the US, three of them are located within Texas," Barlow said. "This is a very impactful lead for the air quality that the people of Texas will have for years going forward unless Congress is able to act."

Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie said he is disappointed and concerned with the ruling because of the precedent it sets.

"For the Supreme Court, the highest court in land, to begin to deregulate agencies that look out for the health and the welfare of the nation, that's problematic to me," Bartie said. "Maybe they have some good reasons as to why they did it besides being ... conservatives and not doing something for someone else's financial gain, and I think that's what some of it is."

RELATED: EPA sides with environmental groups on Valero permit

Port Arthur Community Action Network Founder and CEO John Beard said the ruling presents a serious challenge as to how the country is going to address climate change in an effective manner.

"I am of the opinion that the president still has the power in his pen -- the power of executive order -- to accelerate the pace of this country getting into renewable and getting off fossil fuels," Beard said. "He can still do it. Waiting on Congress to do this is kind of like waiting for snow to melt. We've been waiting for Congress to take action and waiting for this current Congress to take action is not an option."
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SAN MARCOS ATEXQUILAPAN, Mexico (AP)  Clutching rosaries, residents of this mountain village stared at photographs of three of their own atop the altar at the local church, praying that teenagers Jair, Yovani and Misael were not among the 53 migrants who perished inside a stifling trailer in Texas.

The wait for confirmation has been agonizing for families from Mexico to Honduras. Now they hope for what before would have been dreaded -- capture by the Border Patrol, even hospitalization -- anything but the solemn finality that has been trickling out family by family across the region.

Then again, at least they would know.

Not far from the church, outside the Olivares familys neat two-story homes -- each sisters and their parents all in a row -- a black tarp was hung to shade the dozens of people who have come each day to be with the parents of teenage brothers Yovani and Jair Valencia Olivares and the mother and father of their cousin, 16-year-old Misael Olivares Monterde.

Such a covering is customary for wakes, when the family home cannot accommodate all those who come to pay their respects. But in this case it is a vigil where residents of the town of 3,000 come to buoy the familys spirits, praying and swapping stories about the boys.

On Friday, the wait for one family ended in sadness. Word spread quickly through town that Misael was among the dead. More people congregated in front of the Olivares homes, offering hugs and condolences.

Candles still burned on a makeshift altar at the home, where Teofilo Valencia and Yolanda Olivares Ruiz, parents of 19-year-old Jair and 16-year-old Yovani, hoped for a miracle.

A day earlier, Valencia had sat looking at his phone, reading the last messages he received from them.

Dad, now were going to San Antonio, Yovani wrote at 11:16 a.m. Monday. A half-hour later, his brother wrote to their father that they were ready to work hard and pay for everything.

Hours later came the horrific discovery of the semitrailer abandoned beside railroad tracks on the outskirts of that south Texas city.

The cousins had left together June 21. Yolanda Olivares Ruiz, the brothers mother, tucked Yovanis school certificate in his wallet as identification and stuffed three changes of clothes for each in backpacks, along with phone numbers of relatives in the U.S. and Mexico.

Hermelinda Monterde Jimenez spent the night before their departure talking with her son Misael. He told me, 'Mom, wake me up, and for a moment I thought about not doing it so he wouldnt go, she said. But it was his decision and his own dream.

Their parents took out loans, using their homes as collateral to cover the $10,000 smuggling fee for each cousin. They paid a portion up front and were scheduled to pay the rest after the boys arrived safely.

The youths wanted to work, save up money and return to open their own clothing and shoe store. They gave themselves four years.

By last Friday, June 24, they were in Laredo, Texas.

They told their parents that after the weekend they would be taken to their destination in Austin, where a cousin who had made the journey just months earlier awaited. In the past week, 20 some residents have departed the town for the United States.

The family did not hear of the ill-fated trailer until Tuesday. They tried to reach the boys, but the messages and calls didnt go through. They went that same day to government offices, providing whatever information could help in the search.

On Wednesday, Mexicos consul in San Antonio confirmed that residents of the Gulf coast state of Veracruz  in which San Marcos is located  were among the 27 Mexican victims. On Thursday, state lawyers traveled to San Antonio to assist in identifications.

Meanwhile, the Olivares wait and pray.

A week after his 18th birthday, Marcos Antonio Velasco set out from Mexico's capital for the United States, accompanied by his friend Jose Luis Vasquez Guzman, who he had met back in his mothers hometown in the southern state of Oaxaca. This week, authorities confirmed that Vasquez Guzman was one of the survivors from the trailer and was hospitalized in San Antonio.

The fears of Velasco's family grew when an official from Mexicos foreign ministry called Wednesday to say that their sons identification had been found in the trailer. Since then, they have shared information that could help identify their son, but have only been told to wait.

I want to know where he is, if he is alive or dead, said his mother Maria Victoria Velasco.

The wait ended Thursday for the family of Jazmin Nayarith Bueso Nunez in El Progreso, Honduras. Their prayers for her safe return were not answered. She was confirmed as being among the dead in San Antonio.

Bueso Nunez suffered from lupus, an immunological disease, that had cost her a job in an assembly plant and whose treatments were very costly, her family said.

A family friend had offered to help her travel to the United States, where she hoped to find better-paying work to help support the 15-year-old son she left with her parents and to find treatment for her disease.

Before leaving June 3, the 37-year-old told her father she intended to migrate.

Dad, Ive come to say goodbye, Jose Santos Bueso said she told him on their last visit. Im going north.

He tried to talk her out of it, noting the dangers. No, Dad, this is a special trip, she told him. I was there, daughter, I tell her. There are no special trips. The only special trip was to travel by plane with a visa, he told her.

The smuggler is making $15,000. He says hes going to take me without worries, she told him.

She was in Laredo when they last spoke. She told him the smugglers were going to take their phones before going on, so she wouldnt be able to communicate for a time.

On Thursday, a relative in the United States who had been helping the family provide identity documents to authorities told them the sad truth, said her brother Erick Josue Rodriguez.

The economic situation, the social situation that exists in our country is very, very difficult, Rodriguez said. It is the reason that we see day after day, month after month caravans, migrants. Its because people have dreams and dont have opportunities.

Back in San Marcos Atexquilapan, Mexico, sisters Hermelinda and Yolanda walked late Thursday from their homes to the church carrying photographs of their sons. They were flanked by women bearing candles.

Inside, the mothers sat in the first row while the priest asked those gathered to pray.

It is not that they are criminals, he said. They went in search of their daily bread.

The townspeople prayed: We ask you for these boys to have the dream of a better life, give them that consolation, that relief wherever they are, Lord, that answers are given because these families are suffering, they have an anguished heart.

___

Martinez reported from El Progreso, Honduras. Sherman reported from Mexico City. AP writer Fabiola Sanchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
After months of little to no rain, Southeast Texas received a bit of reprieve from the dry weather -- a little too much of a reprieve in places like Port Arthur, which saw some street flooding in the city.

At least 6 inches of rain fell in the city from midnight to noon Friday, according to Jefferson County Drainage District 7.

More than a dozen streets were closed due to flooding.

According to the National Weather Service Lake Charles office, Beaumont and Port Arthur was expected to see some showers and thunderstorms after 4 a.m. Saturday before dissipating.

The chance of precipitation Saturday is 60% with rainfall between 0.5 inches and 0.75 inches possible.

Friday's rainfall -- the single largest rainfall event the region has seen this year so far -- brought the yearly rainfall total to a little over 19 inches.

For several months, the region has been covered by a ridge of high pressure which has caused the drought conditions.

Before the rain began, the region had seen just under 12 inches of rain since the beginning of the year -- compared to last year's nearly 36 inches in the same time period.

Weather service hydrologist Jonathan Brazzell previously told that while rainfall has been below normal, the high pressure ridge was acting a defense mechanism against potential tropical weather systems that could develop into storms or hurricanes.

The ridge weakened through the week, but Brazzell said it was forecast to strengthen again next week.

However, he also noted that at any point, a tropical system could come in and change the forecast for the entire region.

The chance of rain isn't completely gone, though.

A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms will extend through Sunday and Monday afternoon. As of Friday evening, there was no rain forecast Fourth of July night and the city of Beaumont is going ahead with its fireworks show plan.

A light chance of thunderstorms continues into mid-next week.
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

School shootings and other mass murders can be stopped, but it will be up to the American people to do so. The slow police response at Uvalde highlights just how unrealistic is to rely on the police for protection. The sad truth is the police rarely if ever intervene in time to stop a crime in progress. It is also a  ... fundamental principle of American law that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any individual citizen (see Warren vs. District of Columbia, D.C. Court of Appeals, 1981).

Even if our society could ban all guns, mass murderers would still have other extremely lethal tools available. Within the past decade several hundred people were killed and or grievously wounded in vehicle terror attacks in Europe. The most lethal was a terror attack in Nice France in 2016, when a 19-ton cargo truck drove into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day, resulting in the deaths of 86 people, including 14 children.


I love flying. I love Newarks Terminal C! Theres a place where you can get the best sausage pizza. I recommend United. Flying is magic! You sit down in one place and then a couple hours later, you get out and youre somewhere entirely different! Id heard all the warnings, read all the tips: travel light, show up early, download your airlines app in advance, move fast when you need to rebook on the fly. I have PreCheck, Global Entry, no children, a phone charger and a single carry-on that fits under my seat. If anyone could fly fiasco-free during these troubled and troubling times, it was me.

This week, I put all that to the test, with a marathon travel itinerary, from Paris to Toronto to Newark to Fort Lauderdale. Heres how it went. (Not great.)

Flight #1: Paris to Toronto

Id tried to check in to my Air Canada flight before leaving home, but the app was glitching only slightly less than the desktop page, which wouldnt let me upload my vaccination record. I wasnt checking a bag  how bad could it be?

It waspretty, pretty, pretty bad. The check-in line was so long that people kept walking past it, then doubling back to find its terminal point. Because I wasnt checking a bag, Id only (idiotically) arrived (only) two hours before the flight  if I was lucky, I might be able to check in before it closed, 45 minutes before departure, but if the security and immigration lines were anything like this, I wouldnt be spending the Fourth of July in Paris, rather than in my moms backyard, like a good American. I pulled out my phone and started fiddling with online check in, opening and closing the app a dozen times before it let me try to convert my vaccine history (via the Docket app, only available to residents of certain US states) into the Smart Health certificate I needed to satisfy Canadas entry requirement. That this worked at all is a miracle, but I will take a moment to recognize that at one point, I was asked to take a picture of a QR code generated on my phone with my phone, which I solved by screenshotting it, emailing it to myself, and then opening it up on my laptop. This would have been difficult in other situations, such as a swiftly advancing check-in line at an airport, but we werent going anywhere, so tbh it was pretty easy. After standing in line/downloading several apps/creating a number of QR vaccination receipts, I checked in online, hopped out of the line (to the audible consternation of the woman behind me, with whom I had shared several This is intense conversations) and hurried to immigration.

For reasons I still do not understand, staff there herded me, and only me, toward the PARAFE automatic gates, which I thought were exclusively for EU travelers. Im American, I said. I dont think I can use these.

Go on, they said.

I facial-recognized my way through the gates  only to come to an immigration officer who took off at a sprint as soon as I showed up. Wait here, she said.

I could hear yelling on the other side of the gates. She returned, flipped through my passport with tremendous speed, stamped it, and sent me on my way.

Through sheer luck, I was no longer in much danger of missing my flight (and I would soon find out, considerably less than I imagined). Going through security took 30 minutes, enlivened by one man who had to do that thing where you need to beg each person individually in line, explain that youre very late for your flight, and may you please go ahead of them. Everyone let him pass without much argument, except for the woman ahead of me, who realized her flight was departing 20 minutes before his.

Thirty minutes was actually incredibly fast given the crowds, a situation no doubt improved by the security agents who were literally pushing the plastic bins through the screening machines while the passengers were still dropping things  a watch, a passport, a phone into them. Also of interest: a representative for Singapore Airlines, who tried to pluck passengers for their flight to Singapore out of the morass  to the consternation of the agent at the head of the line, who browbeat him for his effort and shooed him away, saying that if they did it, every airline would do it. Once I finally cleared security, I saw another Singapore rep, scooping up their passengers and ushering them to their gate. Moral of the story: Fly Singapore?

I dont even know if what happened next was related to international air travel woes or just weird shit Air Canada is into, but the 450-seat plane was parked approximately five miles from the gate (slight exaggeration), meaning that everyone would have to be bussed to its boarding stairs. (This, I presume, is responsible for the average takeoff delay for this flight of one-hour-plus.) Some passengers reached the buses one way, others went a different way, which required them to take turns passing through a revolving door-like intersection with people coming off another flight  like salmon from two rivers taking turns at a traffic light.

Air Canada staff were not having their best day. I asked one woman for a mask [masks are still required on flights to, from, and within Canada], and she said, If I gave you one, Id have to give everyone one, said Kate, the Torontonian sitting next to me once we were finally on board. There was a woman sitting next to me who overhead us, and she just quietly handed me a spare.

Kates dad had been an Air Canada pilot. I asked her if the days chaos had made her rethink her allegiance to the airline. You know, I really like WestJet, she said.

For reasons only Apple understands, neither of the two movies Id downloaded wanted to play on my laptops display (a situation not improved when I grudgingly spent $10 to access an hours worth of wifi on a failed effort to diagnose and fix the problem), so I pulled out a ball of yarn and a book on beginner-level crochet. Highly recommended!

Flight #2: Toronto to Newark

I have nothing to say about this flight except to express my gratitude that of all the flights leaving for the U.S., mine was the only one not delayed or canceled. Also, Toronto is one of 16 airports worldwide offering US travelers preclearance, meaning that they go through US immigration at the departure airport. This makes arrival a snap  since I didnt have to wait for a bag (and re-check it to its destination in the US) and I have Global Entry, this gave me enough time to wait for a toasted coconut doughnut in the longest and slowest line Ive ever seen at a Tim Hortons. An absolute success, by any standard.

Flight #3: Newark to Fort Lauderdale

My flight to Fort Lauderdale the next morning spontaneously canceled itself, something I only discovered when I went to check in online.

Perhaps you have done this by accident, maam, the United rep said. In any case, you have canceled the flight. At this moment you have only a return ticket from Miami to Newark.

I understand that you believe that that has happened, I said. I cannot stress how much I believe that that has not happened.

Let me see what we can do, she said.

Fifty-four minutes later  during which I drove from my mothers home to the airport, with Uniteds hold music issuing from my phones speaker; at the end of which I was sitting in long-term parking at Newark Airport, waiting for the verdict  my flight was spontaneously un-canceled. I could fly!

I grabbed my bag out of the trunk  the wrong bag, hysterically: the one Id just brought back from France and half-emptied, rather than the one Id packed for Florida, which meant instead of two days worth of dresses and tank tops, I had a single striped sweater and a single pair of gym shorts. Check in was a breeze. The line for PreCheck: non-existent. Why are you late? the TSA officer said, taking a look at my boarding pass. My manager just called and said, Why is Diane late?

I know there are people who bristle at this sort of paternal jocularity from strangers, but I am from New Jersey, it is our native dialect, and I love it. How is it possible that youre still in a good mood? I said.

Why would you want to be in a bad mood? he said. He said it again, so that it became less of a question and more of a philosophical stance: Why would you want to be in a bad mood?

At noon, precisely one minute after our scheduled departure, my plane pulled away from the gate.

A moment of pause. I pulled out my yarn.

Folks, the pilot said. Weve got a flat tire.

We returned to the gate and left the plane, taking all our stuff with us. It would be an hour, maybe two, until the tire was replaced. (Its not like changing a car tire, the gate agent said, presumably hoping to resolve several dozen questions before they were asked out loud.) I went to find something to eat, settling unhappily on a $22 tuna tartare served with crispy potato chips that was definitely one of the worst things I have ever ordered at a restaurant and was actually better once I started mashing the chips and the tuna together, into a sort of hash.

It occurred to me that traveling this week was, indeed, worse than I expected, but largely not in ways that I expected. It was unpredictable. I didnt expect a flat tire, or for my flight to cancel itself, or for Air Canada to make use of the oddest boarding system I have ever seen for a monster plane. I was lucky more often that I was not: that flat tires can be fixed pretty easily, that I got my vaccines in a CVS in a state that uses an app that syncs with another app, developed by another country, and which would allow me to enter that country. Even when it sucks, travel is a miracle. Its better than July 4th, 2020, which I spent on one side of a swimming pool, with my best friends family on the other, the diving board marking the boundary between two immune-compromised households.

Back on the plane, the woman behind me was complaining: At least my car tells me when I have a flat tire.

When we finally landed safely, three hours later, 90 minutes late, she clapped. It was the right thing to do.

For more travel news, tips and inspo, sign up for InsideHook's weekly travel newsletter, The Journey.

The post I Just Flew Three Times in 36 Hours Pre-Fourth of July Weekend, and Let Me Tell You, I Have Notes appeared first on InsideHook.
KABUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Supreme leader of the Taliban-run administration Haibatullah Akhundzada attended Afghanistan's Jirga, or grand assembly of religious scholars and elders, on Friday.

According to local media reports, the Taliban supreme leader would deliver a speech to the participants.

About 3,500 ulema or religious scholars, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, have been invited from across the war-torn country to attend the three-day gathering, which opened on Thursday.

Participants of the Jirga are expected to discuss a series of issues including reopening schools for girls from 7th grade to 12th grade, the type of government, the national flag and the national anthem. 
Eighty-year-old Nobel Prize winner and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus has issued a comprehensive rebuttal of years of criticism from the Bangladesh government, stating, among other points, that he had no involvement in the World Banks cancellation of financing ten years ago for the Padma Bridge.

A government minister on Thursday called Yunus statement devoid of truth and an effort to cover fish with vegetables. Revered worldwide for pioneering microcredit as a method of lifting millions out of poverty, Yunus has been in the crosshairs of the Awami League government ever since he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 and became a household name.

It has alleged that Yunus used his friendship with former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to pressure the World Bank to withdraw funding for the vaunted Padma Bridge, which Bangladesh eventually built with its own money and inaugurated with much fanfare on June 25.

The Nobel laureate, via a statement through the Yunus Center on Wednesday, laughed off the allegation, saying that the Padma Bridge has been his dream as much as it had been of all other Bangladeshis.

The tough world of international decision-making does not depend on the whims of two friends . However important a person Professor Yunus may be, whatever number of influential friends he may have, a three-billion dollar project cannot be stopped just because he allegedly wants it cancelled, the statement says.

In response to the allegations, it has to be said again that Professor Yunus has never made any complaint to the World Bank or any other organization or individual about the Padma Bridge. So the matter is purely imaginary.

Yet, his denial did not faze the government. Hasan Mahmud, the information and broadcasting minister, stuck to his guns, using colorful language to repeat the administrations allegations.

[I]t is clear as broad daylight that Dr. Yunus played the role of the key perpetrator in scrapping the World Banks credit for Padma Bridge as he has a special intimacy with Hilary Clinton. Everyone at home and abroad knows it, Mahmud said at a press conference, referring to the Yunus Centers statement.

How did the cycle of recriminations begin? Many observers say that a series of unconnected events have led to this point.

Two independent stories

Yunus, who won the Nobel in 2006, reportedly first came to the attention of the Awami League when he formed a political party named Nagarik Shokti, or Citizens Power. This took place when an army-backed caretaker government was in power in 2007-2008, at a time of political turmoil due to a state of emergency imposed in the country.

At that time, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and her main rival, former PM Khaleda Zia, had been arrested in various corruption cases. It is said that Yunus and some civil society figures, including some newspaper editors, were trying to remove Hasina and Khaleda from politics. Their alleged attempt has since come to be called the Minus Two Formula.

True or not, Hasina triumphed. She and her Awami league won the national election, returning to power in 2009. All the cases against Hasina were dismissed. She was firmly in power.

Two year later, Bangladeshs central bank removed Yunus from his position as head of Grameen Bank, the microlender he created and that won him the Nobel Peace Prize, over a retirement age- -related issue. A year later, the World Bank canceled a U.S. $1.2 billion loan to build the Padma Bridge, citing corruption concerns.

The Awami League says that Yunus, angry about his dismissal, pressured the World Bank to block funding to the Padma Bridge.

For his part, Yunus says, the two separate issues are being incorrectly conflated. One, he says, has nothing to do with the other.

The global shock created by [the] removal of Professor Yunus from the position of Managing Director of Grameen Bank is an independent story unfolding at the same time when the World Bank was warning to stop Padma Bridge funding because of corruption, the Yunus Center statement said.

Mixing these two independent stories into one story took it to a different path.

Meanwhile, there are Bangladeshis who are not interested in taking sides.

Ali Imam Majumder, a former cabinet secretary who is secretary-general of Transparency International Bangladesh, is one of them.

I just want to say that both the Padma Bridge and Dr. Yunus are a matter of pride for our nation, he told BenarNews.

I have emotions for the Padma Bridge as it was constructed at our own cost. I also have emotions for Dr. Yunus as he was the first Bangladeshi after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman [the founding president of Bangladesh] who represented Bangladesh in global forums on such a huge scale.
Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, June 30, 2022

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodos shuttle diplomacy to Ukraine and Russia this week offered some hope for peace but he needs to follow up with further dialogue to ensure his efforts are not a mere flash in the pan, analysts said.

While his mission to persuade Moscow to declare a ceasefire did not immediately materialize, Jokowi said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised he would secure safe sea passage of grain and fertilizers from the worlds breadbaskets Russia and Ukraine, to avert a global food crisis.

Analyst Aaron Connelly said that we will have to wait and see whether President Putin keeps any of the commitments made to President Jokowi.

Normally such shuttle diplomacy requires persistent follow up to ensure implementation. It is not yet clear to me whether the president or his foreign minister have any plans along those lines, Connelly, a senior fellow at Singapore-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, told BenarNews.

Jokowi, the current chair of the G20 group of major economies, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday, and then travelled to Russia the next day to hold talks with Putin, on a trip that he has described as a peace mission.

Former Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Wahid Supriyadi said that although Russia did not seem too enthusiastic about Jokowis peace initiative, the trip offered a glimmer of hope.

As a start, yesterdays meeting was quite good, considering that we certainly cannot force Putin to immediately stop the war, Wahid said, referring to Russias invasion of Ukraine in February.

That there is an opening of the food blockade  and there is a guarantee from Putin. These are positive signs coming out of Jokowis mission.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, it has blocked all of the latters Black Sea ports and cut off access to almost all of that countrys exports, especially of grain, sparking real fears of a global food crisis.

In its April report, the Global Crisis Response Group, set up by the United Nations secretary general, said Ukraine and Russia provide 30 percent of the worlds wheat and barley, a fifth of its maize and more than half of its sunflower oil. Russia is the worlds largest natural gas exporter and second largest oil exporter.

Jokowi warned last week that a global food crisis caused by the war would send people in developing and poor countries into the abyss of extreme poverty and hunger.

Door has been opened

As for the worlds view of Jokowis diplomatic move, Wahid said it had given Indonesia a positive image.

Jokowi is the first Asian leader to visit the warring countries and this shows that we are not aligned with any camp, he said, adding that Indonesia should follow up by forming a team to facilitate negotiations.

Asked about follow-up steps to ensure Russia sticks with its commitments, Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said, they will be discussed first. He declined to comment further.

Tirta Nugraha Mursitama, an international relations lecturer at Bina Nusantara University in Jakarta, said it was too early to judge the results of Jokowis mission.

Most importantly, efforts have been made. The door has been opened and I am sure that many countries and international institutions will support it, he told BenarNews.

In March, Indonesia voted for a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russias military strike on Ukraine. Despite that vote, Indonesian government leaders have not criticized Russia directly.

The United States has urged Indonesia to disinvite member-state Russia from the G20 summit, scheduled for November in Bali, but Jakarta so far has refused.

In Germany, where Jokowi attended the G7 summit of industrial nations as a guest, he reportedly said that Putin would not attend the G20 summit in person. But the Kremlin said Thursday that Russia has an invitation and will decide later whether Putin attends.

In March, U.S. President Joe Biden said Ukraine should be able to participate in the G20 summit if Russia was not expelled. Indonesia has since invited Zelenskyy to the summit as a guest.

Not everyone was optimistic about Jokowis trip.

Radityo Dharmasaputra, a researcher on Eastern Europe at Airlangga University in Surabaya, said Putin seemed to have taken advantage of Jokowis visit and used it as proof that he was not internationally isolated.

The point is that Putin used Jokowis presence to show that there are still non-Western countries that are friends with Russia, Radityo told BenarNews.

Similarly, Dino Patti Djalal, a former deputy foreign minister, described Jokowis initiative as a good effort, but suggested that Putin was not as enthusiastic as the Indonesian president about peace with Ukraine.

In terms of results, there has been no breakthrough because the only interested person in the meetings was Zelenskyy, Dino told BenarNews.

Dino said that Putins remarks after the meeting dwelled on bilateral and economic relations between Indonesia and Russia.

In fact, as President Jokowi landed in Moscow, Russia continued to bombard Ukraine, he said.

It is terrible.

Dandy Koswaraputra and Alvin Prasetyo in Jakarta contributed to this report.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, cross paths at the Malacanang Palace grounds during the official handover ceremony, June 30, 2022.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. swore in a veteran career diplomat Friday to lead the countrys foreign affairs department, a crucial post in a country allied with the United States and involved in diplomacy with China over the South China Sea, the government announced Friday.

The appointment of Enrique Manalo as Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary virtually completes Marcoss cabinet. With four decades of experience, Manalo served as the Philippines envoy to the United Nations in New York and as an acting foreign secretary in 2017.

Marcos selected Manalo in view of his long and distinguished career in the Philippine Foreign Service and his vast experience in diplomacy, a DFA statement said, adding the president preferred a career diplomat who can effectively advance its interests in the international stage in the face of formidable challenges.

The decision returns a career diplomat to the departments top post. Manalo succeeds Dutertes foreign secretary  Teodoro Locsin Jr.  who worked as a lawyer and a journalist before becoming a politician.

A Philippine analyst said the appointment reflected the new presidents approach to balancing superpowers vying for influence in the region.

A veteran diplomat is more likely to appreciate the need to navigate difficult nuances and choices in geopolitics, Temario Rivera, a retired political professor, told Reuters news agency.

By appointing Manalo, [Marcos] might be sending a signal of trying not to antagonize any of the major powers in the region, especially the U.S. and China.

The new secretary officially took the lead at DFA on Friday, a day after Marcos inauguration. His tasks include recalibrating a decades-old treaty alliance with the United States.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles confirmed the appointment, saying Manalo had asked the president for a few days to wind up affairs in his previous post.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (left) administers the oath of office to incoming Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo in Manila, July 1, 2022. [Department of Foreign Affairs handout]

Manalo is expected to handle South China Sea and other diplomatic negotiations with China, a top donor to the country during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Beijing continues to send its coast guard ships and fishing fleets into waters within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone, including around Scarborough Shoal, 120 nautical miles west of the countrys main island of Luzon. Locsin and his DFA staff filed a series of diplomatic protests over Chinas ships beginning in early 2021.

The Philippines won an international arbitration case in 2016 after China refused to pull its ships anchored around the shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc locally.

The ruling, ignored by China, came shortly after Duterte took power. He set it aside in favor of billions in Chinese economic assistance and investment.

As his six-year term neared its end, Duterte raised the issue with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whom he said warned him of war should Manila insist on following the ruling.

After their final phone call in April, Duterte said Xi led him to believe Beijing would not bend on the issue. For his part, Duterte said he made it clear to the Chinese leader that the Philippines would never give up sovereignty of its territorial waters.

Speaking for the first time about the issue after his election in May, Marcos stressed that he would follow the arbitral ruling.

We will use it to continue to assert our territorial rights, Marcos told reporters in May, just days after winning the elections by a landslide. It is not a claim, it is already our territorial right and that is what the arbitral ruling can do to help us.

U.S. treaties

Updating the Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States is also expected to be on Manalos agenda. Duterte nearly severed the VFA, which analysts have said gives legs to the MDT, and the nations defense establishment has called for recalibrations because of evolving security challenges in the region.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed a willingness to revisit the treaty and the agreement.

Previous Marcos appointments include Vice President Sara Duterte as education secretary; former defense chief and senator Juan Ponce Enrile as chief legal counsel; former university professor Clarita Carlos as national security adviser; broadcaster Erwin Tulfo as social welfare secretary; former Cavite province governor and key political ally Boying Remulla as justice secretary; and Marcos himself as the agriculture secretary.
China donates anti-COVID-19 supplies for refugees in South Sudan

Xinhua) 08:59, July 01, 2022

JUBA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF) on Thursday donated more than 1.3 million personal protective equipment (PPE) items to refugees in South Sudan, in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to support the COVID-19 response.

Juliette Murekeyisoni, the deputy representative of UNHCR in South Sudan, said the donation of personal protective equipment will help curb the spread of coronavirus among refugees living inside and outside camps, together with their hosts.

"This donation will help us to keep the people we serve safe," Murekeyisoni told journalists during the handover ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

She stressed the need for strategic collaboration to boost COVID-19 response among vulnerable groups like refugees and internally displaced persons.

The donated items included 1.1 million pairs of gloves, 70,000 disposable fluid-resistant gowns, 70,000 protective eye goggles, 70,000 N95 respiratory masks and 1,000 pairs of rubber boots.

The UNHCR said the anti-COVID-19 supplies donation from China will help protect more than 900 frontline medical and support staff from secondary infections as they respond to and serve patients affected by the disease in 17 primary healthcare centers and units, two hospitals in South Sudan's Unity, Upper Nile, Western and Central Equatoria States, said the UNHCR.

According to the UNHCR, the facilities which will benefit from anti-COVID-19 supplies provide medical services to 343,000 refugees, 80 percent of whom are women and children besides more than 60,000 members of host communities.

Mu Jianjun, the counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs in the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, said COVID-19 has brought an unprecedented crisis to refugees across the world since 2020 and also posed a severe problem in front of refugee protection.

"In the future, China will continue to uphold the authority of multilateral mechanism with the United Nations at its core and firmly support UNHCR and other multilateral institutions to play their role in addressing challenges of the refugee issue. At the same time, China will uphold the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, actively deepen cooperation with UNHCR, and make continuous contributions to improving global refugee governance. I hereby would like to thank UNHCR for its long-term commitment and strong promotion and the contribution to the protection of refugees in difficult conditions in South Sudan," Mu said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
SYDNEY, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A new study led by the University of Queensland (UQ) has uncovered that humpback whales have the ability to learn complex songs from whales from other regions.

The findings, published in the Scientific Reports journal and released to the public on Friday, showed that New Caledonian humpback whales were singing the exact same songs as whale populations off the coast of eastern Australia.

The New Caledonian humpback whales' migratory pathway passes along Australia's east coast as they head to Antarctic waters to feed during the winter months, the same feeding ground for pods of Australian whales.

The team of researchers observed the songs sung by each group of whales between 2009 and 2015. They found that each year the New Caledonia whales would sing exact songs sung by whales in east Australia.

Lead of the study, Jenny Allen from UQ's school of Veterinary Science, said the findings indicate a rare instance of cultural exchange in the animal kingdom.

"It's rare for this degree of cultural exchange to be documented on such a large scale in a non-human species," she said. "It means humpback whales can learn an entire song pattern from another population very quickly, even if it's complex or difficult."

It is still unknown why whales sing, however leading theories suggest that it is related to mating. Allen told Xinhua this research adds new evidence that whale song may be used in a variety of different contexts as it shows they are "sung a lot more frequently than we initially thought."

"However, because the songs are learned so accurately, it supports the idea that song exchange is occurring further down than the breeding ground areas, likely on shared migration routes in New Zealand or maybe their feeding grounds in Antarctica."

Each year between August and November about 40,000 humpback whales migrate along Australia's east coast migration corridor towards the Antarctic, before returning to the South Pacific between May and August.

Allen added that the team was looking to compare the songs sung by whales off Australia's east coast and those off Australia's west coast. 
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SYDNEY, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A fleet of patrol boats gifted to Australia's Pacific island neighbors have been found to have major design flaws which must be urgently fixed.

According to Australian media reports, Australia has delivered 15 Guardian-class patrol vessels to the Pacific island countries including Papua New Guinea (PNG), Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Palau, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands since 2018, as part of a 2.1-billion-Australian dollar (1.45-billion-U.S. dollar) Pacific Maritime Security Program to give 22 vessels to these countries for a range of purposes including preventing illegal fishing, and search and rescue operations.

The Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported that not all the boats had been affected, but engineering advice was that the faults could ultimately afflict the entire fleet.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Defense Ministry said it has advised the government of an issue involving a potential fault in the exhaust system. Other issues including cracking in the coupling between the engine and the gearbox, and ventilation in the sick bays have emerged over the past 16 months and have remediation plans in place.

Though the problems have emerged since last year, the new Australian government only found out about the problems in the past two weeks, and took aim at the previous government.

Pat Conroy, minister for defense industry and minister for international development and the Pacific, was quoted by the national broadcaster ABC as saying "this is the latest example of (how) the previous Liberal government was all announcement and no follow-through when it came to defence projects."

"Former defence minister Peter Dutton talked a big game on national security but has left yet another mess in defense capability for the new government to clean up."

As it is reported that Pacific island countries may halt the use of the patrol boats after the serious defects were discovered, and delivery of future vessels will be affected by the faults, the Australian government is trying to fix the problems and seek a solution with the regional neighbors.

The Defense Ministry said the shipbuilder Austal and Defence representatives soon will travel to Pacific Island nations to assess all vessels and work with Pacific island countries on temporary rectification measures ahead of a longer-term solution.

Conroy said his department was working closely with regional neighbors on how to deal with the problems.

An Austal spokesperson said it was working with the Defense Ministry to develop both temporary measures to fix the boats and long-term solutions for the issues with the exhaust systems, according to ABC. 
A Massachusetts man has agreed to plead guilty to fraudulently obtaining about $1.2 million in federal loans intended to help businesses struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic
3 new art festivals and exhibitions to check out over the Fourth of July weekend
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In 2015: After more than a half-century of hostility, the United States and Cuba declared they would reopen embassies in each others capitals, marking a historic full restoration of diplomatic relations between the Cold War foes.
The lower Manhattan skyline of New York City is framed in the rigging of a passenger ferry approaching the city.
BANTEAY MEANCHEY, Cambodia, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said here on Friday that he ordered the arrest of a man for posting fake online news about new COVID-19 deaths.

The suspect posted an outdated picture of a person's death and claimed it was a new COVID-19 death, the prime minister said.

Hun Sen said in a speech during the celebration of the National Fish Day that the suspect has been sent to a court for prosecution.

The prime minister warned that those create fake news on COVID-19 to cause social chaos will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the kingdom's law.

The Southeast Asian nation has seen no new deaths from COVID-19 since April 21, according to the health ministry.

The kingdom reported three new COVID-19 cases and zero new deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of cases to 136,282, with 133,206 recoveries and 3,056 deaths, the ministry said. 
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REMUS  Leprino Foods in Remus recently made a $10,000 donation to the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight association to support a trip for Vietnam Veterans through the organization.

The trip, named C.A.R. Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight, took the Veterans to Arlington National Cemetery to participate in a wreath-laying, then to the National Mall to visit the memorials honoring those who served.

Mid-Michigan Honor Flight Vice President Kathy Barnes said the donation made a big difference in the viability of future trips.

Leprino has been a steady supporter of our mission, Barnes said. They've always been faithful, and in giving us a donation for whatever we needed this year, we were able to do an extra flight that we participated in. It paid for rooms down in Kalamazoo so we could house Veterans from all over, and they could stay and go on our Vietnam Veterans flight.

Today, Leprino Foods Company is a global dairy leader. According to its website, the company is the worlds largest mozzarella cheese maker and leading producer of whey protein, lactose and other dairy ingredients.

The staff at the companys Remus location have been longtime supporters of the veteran community.

For many that participate in the honor flights, the trips can be life-changing.

Several men on the Vietnam trip Barnes described as emotional when witnessing them visit their fellow fallen soldiers graves.

We were able to watch these heroes go to the wall and use a piece of paper and charcoal or a pencil to lift the name of their fallen fellow soldiers, Barnes said. To have that realization in their hands. We have no idea what those guys have gone through, and I know of one who said that he didn't think that his soul would ever be healed, and going to Washington and this honors flight has brought him healing he didn't think he would ever see.

One Veteran on the flight had carried survivors guilt after enduring losing a fellow soldier in the war, and according to Barnes, was able to find some closure through the trip.

He shared things with us that you cannot imagine the inhumanity that some of these people were tortured with and what they suffered before they passed away, Barnes said. I'm just a mom of two Veterans who have served overseas and seen some things, and I can't begin to imagine but just to see this man open up after 50 plus years and share this story was incredibly moving.

In an effort to make connections between military families and veterans, Barnes and the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight organization are helping with connecting families of soldiers as a way of creating more community and helping Veterans make connections with the loved ones of their fallen brothers-in-arms.

For Barnes, encouraging Veterans to seek their benefits from the Veterans Association is a big focus of hers.

If there are military veterans out there that have not reached out to the VA, and received what they earned so long ago, as far as the benefits that are due them, Barnes said. I know that the VFW usually can help get people in touch with the VA and get them started with their paperwork if they don't have it. Its never too late for them to reach out and get the benefits.

Barnes said donations like Leprinos makes these experiences possible for Veterans.

The donation from Leprino came at a perfect time and was a real blessing, Barnes said. We can always use more help. Reach out to your local VFW or American Legion and find out where you could volunteer to help them because they have many missions too. Its not just our little corner of the world where the Veterans can use the help. Help is always deeply appreciated everywhere, I'm sure.

The next Honor Flight mission is set for Oct. 4-6, and the trip will fly out Oct. 5.

The Mid-Michigan Honor Flight organization is always accepting and appreciative of donations, and volunteers are also beneficial. For more information on the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight organization and future missions and programs, visit its official website at www.midmichiganhonorflight.org.

For more information on Leprino Foods, visit the companys website at www.leprinofoods.com.
Roxanne Boyes, strategy director and regional sustainability lead for dentsu Africa, at the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Rwanda

Donate $5 million in media resources and pro bono marketing support



Dedicate 10,000 volunteer hours



Reach 500 million people

In partnership with these groups and sectors, dentsu is committed to purposeful progress by creating more change through the power of communications. Highlighting dentsus commitment, Roxanne Boyes , strategy director and regional sustainability lead for dentsu Africa, recently took to the stage at the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Rwanda, alongside global changemakers to deliver the Draw the Line Against Malaria campaign petitioning to world leaders to take action.Boyes commented: As one of the largest communication agencies in the world, we focus on a number of SDGs, with Health/Goal 3 being a key focus for the past five years. We recognise that if we are to achieve any of the highly ambitious SDG goals by 2030, we need to mobilise mass behaviour change on a global level. Within the communications industry, we have chosen not to be spectators as we understand the power and opportunity of our data, insights, media channels and creativity in being a key catalyst towards creating the change needed."It is our responsibility and our privilege to do so and we are determined and committed to this endeavour. So, we stand here today, reaffirming our promise to the global malaria fight (through MNM), by pledging $5m to mobilise the global youth and public with transformational communication tools  through media space, data-based strategy, innovation and creativity  to accelerate reaching our global goals by eradicating malaria in this generation.Malaria is one of humankinds oldest and deadliest diseases, which now claims the life of a child every minute, making it one of our oldest and deadliest enemies. The disease has affected almost every country in the world throughout history. Despite historic progress and with more countries than ever on the cusp of elimination, the current situation is more precarious than ever. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, humanitarian emergencies, and the emergence of widespread drug and parasite resistance means malaria is fighting back, progress is on the verge of reversing, and the pressure is on.Being faced with a global pandemic has shown that investing in malaria, stronger health systems, and new scientific breakthroughs will make the world a safer place for everyone. Now, more than ever, we need to protect our gains and invest in our future.Dentsu is working with Malaria No More UK, on behalf of the global malaria community, to make a difference by using their skills, tools, partnerships, and influence to inspire people to mobilise in the fight to end malaria for good. The overwhelming support of their media owner partners has been instrumental in gaining widespread awareness across Africa to encourage people to take action.Originally formed in 2017, dentsu commits to expanding their ongoing partnership with the global malaria community. During 2020, in anticipation of the first scheduled Kigali Summit on Malaria and NTDs and in support of the Commonwealth Malaria Commitment, dentsu Africa extended their pro bono partnership with the charity Malaria No More  working on behalf of the global malaria community, to 2023. Dentsu recognises, as a global leader in media and digital communications, that we have the power to influence how people think, feel, and act. Dentsu Africa renews their commitment to fight to end malaria, in line with the Commonwealth Commitment and UN SDG goal of ending the epidemic of malaria by 2030.Between 2020 and 2023, dentsu plans to harness the strength and impact of media, strategic communications, creativity, data, and technology to help drive forward the Zero Malaria strategy and ambition, igniting impactful campaigns and drive local transformation to:Malaria No More UK commits to leading the partnership with dentsu on behalf of the global malaria community, through the UN secretariat RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and a global steering group made up of the AU, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Alma and other key partners.As well as co-ordinating the global campaign, Malaria No More UK will be leading Zero Malaria campaign coalitions at national level  first being launched in Kenya, anticipated to be launched in Zambia, Nigeria and Rwanda in the next couple of years.The partnership with dentsu will be supported by the Malaria No More UK team, specifically leading on project management, design support, PR and earned media as well as digital.
Eastgate Shopping Centre in Johannesburg has created a new value-focused hub in a bid to cater to changing shopper needs.

Source: Supplied

Source: Supplied

The formation of this section started in 2021 with the opening of a large 3,000mValue Co in August, introducing a new layer of value-driven retail to the centre. The flagship Value Co store offers shoppers a selection of merchandise from 14 departments, with three of the biggest and most popular being houseware, office & school stationery, and health & beauty.It is important to us that we adapt to the changing needs of our shoppers and provide a retail experience that suits their lifestyles, said Mike Rodel, asset management executive, Liberty2Degrees for Eastgate Shopping Centre.We believe that this section of the centre will soon become a popular area for visitors to the centre, with an excellent mix of value-driven retailers and superb product ranges, he added.The mall's value hub, located near lower level entrance three, will welcome four new tenants at the end of June 2022, to occupy a further 4,631min this area.Following the recent opening of HiFi Corp, the centre will welcome Pep and Pep Home with the relocation of Game Liquor into a portion of the current Game store.Operating more than 2,400 stores in the country, Pep is the single biggest brand retailer in South Africa. In addition to its clothing and footwear offerings, the new Pep store will offer cellular products, airtime and a range of other services such funeral insurance, money transfers and bill payments.The Pep Home will be a stand-alone homeware store providing shoppers with products such as kitchen items, linen, furniture and home accessories.When Game Liquor relocates into the portion of Game Eastgate, the mall says it will be "the biggest of its kind in the country, with an unrivalled selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages".
Regent Business School in partnership with Siemens Healthineers is launching its global Innovative Think Tank (ITT) Certification Programme in South Africa, in a bid to encourage local researchers to drive international healthcare innovation.

Ayanda Swana, South Africa zone country head, Siemens Healthineers

Muliti-disciplinary innovators

Programme, application details

Regent Business School will be the first higher education institution in South Africa to host this programme.Just 40 participants will be selected to develop innovative solutions to some of the most urgent healthcare issues the country is experiencing, and attain a world-recognised certificate on completion of this innovative research programme.The economic survival of healthcare across the globe lies strongly in innovation. This is particularly true for Africa where we have challenges that limit access to quality, cost-effective healthcare, said Ayanda Swana, South Africa zone country head, Siemens Healthineers.The flagship ITT Certification Programme for South Africa has already been run in more than 120 experiential learning programmes globally to develop creative pioneers capable of delivering innovative and customer-centric solutions to the biggest challenges in the healthcare industry.Regents iLeadLABs, with their 4IR technologies, are designing an innovation space specifically for the programme with the aim to preserve and support the prototyping and production of some of the participant innovations, said Yusuf Vawda, iLeadLAB Manager.Immersive learning will take place in hybrid format (virtual and at the iLeadLABs), under the leadership of Professor Sultan Haider, the global head of Siemens Healthineers ITT, who has established and is leading 72 ITT locations at Siemens Healthineers and prestigious institutions.Successful South African applicants will be drawn from healthcare, IT, engineering and business and will work in muliti-disciplinary groups to develop innovative processes and products that will make a valuable impact on healthcare in the country. Programme participants will retain the intellectual property of their innovations, said Dr Nivisha Parag, head of School for Healthcare Management at Regent.When run in other countries, the participants in the ITT programme have managed learn the ITT methodology to identify the challenges and come up with tangible outcomes that also have the potential of productisation.The ITT Certification programme with be run for seven days over two weeks, from 5-13 September and will cover ITT methodology, identifying healthcare challenges and trends and developing solutions.This programme is SAMA CPD accredited for 30 points to registered HPCSA professionals participating in the Innovation Think Tank Certification Programme 2022.For more details or to apply, visit https://regent.ac.za/itt-programs/ Applications close on 5 August 2022.
The US commodities regulator announced on Thursday it had filed civil charges against a South African man and his company for operating a fradulent commodity pool worth over $1.7bn in bitcoin.

Signage is seen outside of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in Washington, DC, US, 30 August 2020. Reuters/Andrew Kelly

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said the fraud scheme, which saw the firm solicit bitcoin online from thousands of people to purportedly operate a commodity pool, was the largest it had ever pursued involving the cryptocurrency. The CFTC filed charges against Mirror Trading International and its CEO, Cornelius Johannes Steynberg.Steynberg had been a fugitive from South African law enforcement but was recently detained in Brazil on an Interpol arrest warrant, the CFTC said. He could not be immediately reached for comment.The CFTC said in its complaint that the company claimed to have proprietary software that would realise significant trading gains for investors who pooled their bitcoin with it, but in reality no such "bot" existed.In reality, only a small portion of the pooled bitcoin was ever invested, at a loss, and the rest was "misappropriated," according to the CFTC. The company ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2021, shortly after which South African authorities launched a fraud investigation.The CFTC said approximately 23,000 Americans invested in the pool.
TASHKENT, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan will host an international conference here this month to discuss the promotion of stability, security and post-conflict reconstruction in neighboring Afghanistan, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Friday.

A set of measures and proposals are to be developed at the event, scheduled for July 25-26 with the participation of delegations from more than 20 countries and international organizations, it said.

Also on the agenda is the integration of the war-torn country into regional cooperation processes, it added. 
The benefits of short-term rentals have been clear for some time. They generate more income than the long-term rental rate and owners can continue to enjoy flexible personal use of the property. However, the meteoric growth of Airbnb in cities across South Africa has sparked a fierce debate on whether short-term rentals should be allowed in housing complexes.

Chregan O'Flynn, director and co-founder of short-term rental management company Propr

Short-term rental challenges

Limit the number of operators: Bringing down the number of professional management companies to two or three vetted agencies can help to address the problems listed above, especially if they have a 24-hour on-call line and offer in-person check-ins.



Bringing down the number of professional management companies to two or three vetted agencies can help to address the problems listed above, especially if they have a 24-hour on-call line and offer in-person check-ins. Consider having an on-site presence: If the number of short-term rental units in the building allows, it may be worth installing a single management company. With there being a number of apartments within a building, these companies can often offer additional benefits such as a staffed front desk, one-night stays which improve occupancy and net revenue for the owners, and better control of pre-agreed procedures.



If the number of short-term rental units in the building allows, it may be worth installing a single management company. With there being a number of apartments within a building, these companies can often offer additional benefits such as a staffed front desk, one-night stays which improve occupancy and net revenue for the owners, and better control of pre-agreed procedures. Install a noise sensor: Whenever a guest breaches a certain decibel level for a sustained period of time, an automated message can be sent to the guest directly or the management company's guest experience and after-hours on-call team, alerting them to get in touch with the guest. These sensors help resolve the frustrations that neighbours can feel and provide objective data that can be used to fine guests for repeated offences.



Whenever a guest breaches a certain decibel level for a sustained period of time, an automated message can be sent to the guest directly or the management company's guest experience and after-hours on-call team, alerting them to get in touch with the guest. These sensors help resolve the frustrations that neighbours can feel and provide objective data that can be used to fine guests for repeated offences. Have clear check-in requirements: Buildings need to formulate clear rules that all management companies must follow prior to each guests check-in and during the stay.

Impact on property values

Chregan O'Flynn, director and co-founder of short-term rental management company Propr, says that faced with the challenges that these rentals can bring, some body corporates have taken the decision to ban them.This can be problematic. Not only can this decision lead to a decline in property values in those estates, but in recent months some of these bans have actually been overturned by the courts. This changing environment has prompted body corporates to look for ways of managing short-term rentals in their buildings which can be a daunting task in the absence of clear solutions.Challenges they are faced with include noise complaints, security issues, and lack of accountability, he explains.What inevitably happens in a scheme with over 30 apartments is that there are multiple short-term rental operators working in the building, each managing the units with varying degrees of effectiveness. When guests dont abide by estate rules or pre-agreed terms and conditions, it is often the neighbours who suffer the consequences as some short-term rental management companies dont have an effective mechanism to hold guests accountable.In severe cases, the net effect of these problems can result in loss of reputation for the building, a drop in property values and the inability of other inhabitants to live in peace and safety.According to OFlynn, however, there are ways to alleviate these challenges.There are solutions in place to unlock the benefits of short-term rentals for operators, hosts and even the estates themselves in maintaining occupancy of the premises and increasing property values.To assist short-term rental hosts as well as to appease security estate trustees and developers, he lists four solutions for them to consider:O'Flynn says that it is worth exploring solutions before knee-jerking into prohibition.While the trustees' concerns of the potential downsides are legitimate, they need to weigh their decision very carefully and be aware that an outright ban can affect the property values of everyone in the complex.He adds that when managed well, short-term rentals can provide owners with greater income, flexible personal use and a wider market into which they can sell their property.Moreover, in the right hands, short-term rentals are also continuously maintained and in a sellable condition, which cannot be said about long-term rentals which often degrade over the course of a multi-year lease.If the above measures and tools are put in place, it will mean that trustees will no longer have to worry about the challenges associated with short-term rentals, resulting in a win-win outcome for all, concludes O'Flynn.
Lloyd Madurai, managing director of Hot 102.7FM and Andre Grobler, divisional service manager at CFAO Motors South Africa  Volkswagen & Audi

Its another key moment in the history of the young station that in just a year has shaken up the South African commercial radio landscape with its catchy combination of the best Old Skool and R&B music, complemented by some of the best DJs in the industry.The partnership sees Hot 102.7FM take delivery of a fleet of five brand-new 2022 model Volkswagen vehicles, ranging from the Polo Hatch to the T-Cross and the Golf8 GTI, ensuring a nice spread of models for Strijdom Park VW and an eye-catching fleet of spanking-new branded cars for the radio station.This is an amazing partnership for Hot 102.7FM and a strategic one, says managing director, Lloyd Madurai, and its down to the fact that the vision of Strijdom Park Volkswagen aligns perfectly with our ethics and values. Further to that, the VW brand resonates deeply with our audience and I cant wait to see these classy Hot 102.7FM billboards winding their way through the Joburg traffic and taking our funky brand to the people of the city!Strijdom Park VW is an established leader in the Volkswagen dealer network and offers a range of motor-related services and products, including new, used and demo vehicle sales, parts, servicing, and VW financial services, along with, obviously, a comprehensive selection of Volkswagen models.We jumped at the opportunity to partner with Hot 102.7FM, as theres a clear fit and synergy between the two brands, says Andre Grobler, divisional service manager at CFAO Motors South Africa  Volkswagen & Audi. Were in the business of selling cars and motor-related products and services, and this partnership gives us direct access to the Hot 102.7FM audience, which is exactly who we want to speak to.So, the race is on! Will you be the first to spot one of just five Hot 102.7FM-branded VWs in and around Joburg?And ... go!
If youre into profiting off of human misery, consider investing in manufacturers of toddler-sized mini-coffins.

Perhaps, for instance, Abbey Caskets Traditional Infant Poplar in Cherry Finish at $499.00 plus tax. Pfizer wont help the parents afford it, but the government will take its cut of the profits.

Death and taxes, etc.



We predicted successfully months ago that the child shots were on their way because the leftist social engineers have a fetish for pulling kids into their biomedical cult.

Whether the agenda item is transing them before they hit puberty or injecting them with experimental gene therapies, getting the children started on these biomedical regimens as early as possible is priority #1. Like all zealots, the social engineers like to get them young when theyre most vulnerable, manageable, and impressionable.

The biomedical needle orgy for 6-month-olds begins. Via Associated Press:

The nations infants, toddlers and preschoolers are finally getting their chance at COVID-19 vaccination as the U.S. rolls out shots for tots this week The CDC advises vaccination even for those who already had COVID-19 For the littlest kids, theres Pfizers three-shot series or Modernas two shots .

Shots for tots  if that focus-grouped sales gimmick doesnt induce a shiver down your spine, consider that you may have lost your soul.

Above: Biomedical cult ritual child sacrifice

Some unfortunate toddler named Fletcher has been held hostage under house arrest for years now, isolated, out of the sun, likely vitamin D-deficient as a result, probably strapped into a Meta headset or whatever. His escape depends on his unhinged mother shooting him up with the Pfizer gene therapy:

Little Fletcher Pack woke up Monday morning and asked: Is today vaccine day? For the 3-year-old the answer was yes Fletchers mother said that once her son is fully vaccinated, he can finally go bowling and visit the nearby childrens museum  Hes never really played with another kid inside before.'

US only country in the world vaxxing babies

The U.S. is now the only country in the world that vaccinated children as young as six months old.

Several European countries, in fact, restrict vaxxing anyone under 30 due to the risks of myocarditis and other side effects.

Bidens handlers would accuse those European states of Disrespecting the Science.

Above: a proud mother Respects the Science, offers child as tribute to biomedical gods

Babies risk of COVID death infinitesimally tiny

As weve explained in depth before, the risk of death from COVID among children is 2 per million (0.0002%). Thats likely an OVER-estimate of the risk, given undocumented instances of childrens exposure.

The vaxxes dont stop infection, babies dont get sick with COVID, so whats the point?

One who assumes benevolent intent on the part of the government and corporate authorities might be forgiven for assuming any of this is about Public Health.

The functions of the COVID-19 mRNA child-stabbing are profit and social control. Pfizer isnt done milking the pandemic for all its worth (which is tens of billions and counting). The government isnt done inventing new permanent emergency powers for itself via the biomedical state.

Above: a biomedical priestess does Science, injects alchemy potion

Corporate media admits vaxxes dont stop new variants, encourages them anyway

The pro-vaxx corporate propaganda doesnt even claim the mRNA shots prevent infection anymore.

Via CNN:

A.4 and BA.5 appear to escape antibody responses among those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted However, Covid-19 vaccination is still expected to provide substantial protection against severe disease.

Notice the careful use of expected  because they have no evidence whatsoever that the vaxxes will provide any substantial protection against emerging variants. All they have to offer are expectations whispered into their ear by their Big Pharma advertisers, which they dutifully reprint.

The cited virologist, Dr. Dan Barouch, predicts mass infections among the vaccinated:

Our data suggest that these new Omicron subvariants will likely be able to lead to surges of infections in populations with high levels of vaccine immunity.

When pressed by Sen. Rand Paul in a Jun 16 Senate hearing, Warlord Fauci didnt present any evidence of efficacy for the COVID shots in children  only assumptions:

Paul (00:09): Are you aware of any studies that show reduction in hospitalization or death for children who take a booster?

[Fauci refuses to directly answer question, repeats talking points citing purported efficacy in the elderly, not children .]



Fauci (2:30): If you look at the data from Israel, the boosts was associated with a clear-cut clinical effect , mostly in elderly people  but also in people in their 40s and 50s 

Paul: But not in childen .

Fauci: Well [trails off into talking points, doesnt refute Pauls assertion.]

Paul: Youre not willing to be honest with the American people.

Indeed not.

Paul goes on to explain that the only proof that the FDA used to recommend (soon to become mandate if they get their way) the shots for babies was short-term antibody generation. No long-term study of potential side effects occurred.

Basic virology establishes that antibody response via blood testing does not equate to clinical efficacy. The FDA itself acknowledges that fact. Warlord Fauci knows that; hes lying on purpose to maximize injection numbers in children, devastating health consequences be damned.

The FDA also didnt factor in prior infection in children whatsoever into their recommendations. They didnt even collect any data on that subject.

The experts at the FDA who approved this calamity need to be prosecuted, convicted, and duly punished for their crimes against humanity in Nuremberg II.

Examples must be made. Catharsis must be had. Lady Justices thirst must be quenched.

Ben Bartee is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff via Armageddon Prose and/or Substack, Patreon, Gab, and Twitter.

Bitcoin public address: 14gU3aHBXkNq8bDqmibfnubV7kSJqfx5LX
Small teams of U.S. Special Operations forces are involved in a low-profile proxy war program on a far greater scale than previously known, according to exclusive documents and interviews with more than a dozen current and former government officials. While The Intercept and other outlets have previously reported on the Pentagons use of the secretive 127e authority in multiple African countries, a new document obtained through the Freedom of Information Act offers the first official confirmation that at least 14 127e programs were also active in the greater Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region as recently as 2020. In total, between 2017 and 2020, U.S. commandos conducted at least 23 separate 127e programs across the world. Separately, Joseph Votel, a retired four-star Army general who headed both Special Operations Command and Central Command, which oversees U.S. military efforts in the Middle East, confirmed the existence of previously unrevealed 127e counterterrorism efforts in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Another former senior defense official, who requested anonymity to discuss a classified program, confirmed that an earlier version of the 127e program had also been in place in Iraq. A 127e program in Tunisia, code-named Obsidian Tower, which has never been acknowledged by the Pentagon or previously identified as a use of the 127e authority, resulted in combat by U.S. forces alongside local surrogates in 2017, according to another set of documents obtained by The Intercept. A third document, a secret memo that was redacted and declassified for release to The Intercept, sheds light on hallmarks of the program, including use of the authority to provide access to areas of the world otherwise inaccessible even to the most elite U.S. troops. The documents and interviews provide the most detailed picture yet of an obscure funding authority that allows American commandos to conduct counterterrorism operations by, with, and through foreign and irregular partner forces around the world. Basic information about these missions  where they are conducted, their frequency and targets, and the foreign forces the U.S. relies on to carry them out  are unknown even to most members of relevant congressional committees and key State Department personnel. If someone were to call a 127-echo program a proxy operation, it would be hard to argue with them. Through 127e, the U.S. arms, trains, and provides intelligence to foreign forces. But unlike traditional foreign assistance programs, which are primarily intended to build local capacity, 127e partners are then dispatched on U.S.-directed missions, targeting U.S. enemies to achieve U.S. aims. The foreign participants in a 127-echo program are filling gaps that we dont have enough Americans to fill, a former senior defense official involved with the program told The Intercept. If someone were to call a 127-echo program a proxy operation, it would be hard to argue with them. Retired generals with intimate knowledge of the 127e program  known in military parlance as 127-echo  say that it is extremely effective in targeting militant groups while reducing risk to U.S. forces. But experts told The Intercept that use of the little-known authority raises grave accountability and oversight concerns and potentially violates the U.S. Constitution. One of the documents obtained by The Intercept puts the cost of 127e operations between 2017 and 2020 at $310 million, a fraction of U.S. military spending over that time period but a significant increase from the $25 million budget allocated to the program when it was first authorized, under a different name, in 2005. While critics contend that, due to a lack of oversight, 127e programs risk involving the United States in human rights abuses and entangling the U.S. in foreign conflicts unbeknownst to Congress and the American people, former commanders say the 127e authority is crucial to combating terrorism. I think this is an invaluable authority, Votel told The Intercept. It provides the ability to pursue U.S. counterterrorism objectives with local forces that can be tailored to the unique circumstances of the specific area of operations. The 127e authority first faced significant scrutiny after four U.S. soldiers were killed by Islamic State militants during a 2017 ambush in Niger and several high-ranking senators claimed to know little about U.S. operations there. Previous reporting, by The Intercept and others, has documented 127e efforts in multiple African countries, including a partnership with a notoriously abusive unit of the Cameroonian military that continued long after its members were connected to mass atrocities. For more than a year, the White House has failed to provide The Intercept with substantive comment about operations by U.S. commandos outside conventional war zones and specifically failed to address the use of 127e programs. Asked for a general comment about the utility of the 127e authority and its role in the administrations counterterrorism strategy, Patrick Evans, a National Security Council spokesperson, replied: These all fall under the Department of Defense. The Pentagon and Special Operations Command refuse to comment on the 127e authority. We do not provide information about 127e programs because they are classified, SOCOM spokesperson Ken McGraw told The Intercept. Critics of 127e warn that in addition to the risk of unanticipated military escalation and the potential costs of engaging in up to a dozen conflicts around the world, some operations may amount to an unlawful use of force. Because most members of Congress  including those directly responsible for overseeing foreign affairs  have no input and little visibility into where and how the programs are run, 127e-related hostilities can lack the congressional authorization required by the U.S. Constitution, argued Katherine Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. Theres reason to suspect the Department of Defense has used 127e partners to engage in combat beyond the scope of any authorization for use of military force or permissible self-defense, Ebright told The Intercept, noting substantial confusion at the Pentagon and in Congress over a stipulation that 127e programs support only authorized ongoing military operations. That kind of unauthorized use of force, even through partners rather than U.S. soldiers themselves, would contravene constitutional principles.

A U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha team soldier, likely on a 127e mission, according to journalist Wes Morgan, is seen along with Nigerien counterparts at a Nigerien Army range on Sept. 11, 2017. Photo: Richard Bumgardner, SOCFWD-NWA Public Affairs Global Proxy War The origins of the 127e program can be traced back to the earliest days of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, as commandos and CIA personnel sought to support the Afghan Northern Alliance in its fight against the Taliban. Army Special Operations Command soon realized that it lacked the authority to provide direct payments to its new proxies and was forced to rely on CIA funding. This prompted a broader push by SOCOM to secure the ability to support foreign forces in so-called missions, a military corollary to the CIAs use of militia surrogates. First known as Section 1208, the authority was also deployed in the early years of the Iraq invasion, according to a former senior defense official. It was ultimately enshrined in U.S. law under U.S.C. Title 10  127e. 127e is one of several virtually unknown authorities granted to the Defense Department by Congress over the last two decades that allow U.S. commandos to conduct operations on the fringes of war and with minimal outside oversight. While 127e focuses on counterterrorism, other authorities allow elite forces  Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets, and Marine Raiders among them  to conduct clandestine intelligence and counterintelligence operations or assist foreign forces in irregular warfare, primarily in the context of so-called great power competition. In April, top Special Operations officials unveiled a new Vision and Strategy framework that appears to endorse continued reliance on the 127e concept by leveraging burden sharing partnerships to achieve objectives within an acceptable level of risk. Gen. Richard D. Clarke, the current Special Operations commander, testified before Congress in 2019 that 127e programs directly resulted in the capture or killing of thousands of terrorists, disrupted terrorist networks and activities, and denied terrorists operating space across a wide range of operating environments, at a fraction of the cost of other programs. Clarkes claims cannot be verified. A SOCOM spokesperson told The Intercept that the command does not have figures on those captured or killed during 127e missions. It is also not known how many foreign forces and civilians have been killed in these operations, but a former defense official confirmed to The Intercept that there have been U.S. casualties, even as U.S. troops are traditionally expected to stay behind last cover and concealment during a foreign partners operations. The documents obtained by The Intercept tout the importance of the authority, particularly in providing U.S. special operators a way into difficult-to-access areas. According to a memo, one 127e program provided the only human physical access to areas, with local partners focused on finding, fixing, and finishing enemy forces. Another 127e program targeting Al Qaeda and its affiliates similarly allowed commandos to project combat power into previously-inaccessible VEO [violent extremist organization] safe havens.

General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Central Command Commander, meets members of the Lebanese Armed Forces during his visit to the Amchit military base August 23, 2016. Photo: U.S. Embassy Beirut Some documents obtained via FOIA are so heavily redacted that it is difficult to identify the countries where the programs took place and the forces with which the U.S. partnered. The Intercept previously identified the BIR, or Rapid Intervention Battalion, as the notorious Cameroonian military unit with which the U.S. ran a 127e program. The Intercept has now identified another previously unknown partnership with the G2 Strike Force, or G2SF, an elite special unit of the Lebanese military with which the U.S. partnered to target ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliates in Lebanon. Votel confirmed that the 127e in Lebanon was code-named Lion Hunter. He also acknowledged previously unknown 127e programs in Syria; Yemen, known as Yukon Hunter; and Egypt, code-named Enigma Hunter, where U.S. Special Operations forces partnered with the Egyptian military to target ISIS militants in the Sinai Peninsula. He said that the chief of the Egyptian military intelligence service provided strong support for Enigma Hunter and that American troops did not accompany their local partners into combat there, as is common in other African countries.

A heavily redacted memorandum on the 127e program obtained via FOIA. Screenshot: The Intercept The U.S. has a long history of assistance to both the Egyptian and Lebanese militaries, but the use of Egyptian and Lebanese forces as proxies for U.S. counterterrorism missions marked a significant development in those relationships, several experts noted. Two experts on Lebanese security noted that the G2SF is an elite, secretive unit mostly tasked with intelligence work and that it was not surprising that it was the unit chosen for the 127e program by U.S. Special Operations, with which it already enjoyed a strong relationship. One noted that unlike other elements of the countrys security forces, the unit was far less politicized. There are legitimate issues with the U.S. partnering with some units of the Egyptian military. The situation is more complex in Egypt, where the military has for decades relied on billions of dollars in U.S. security assistance but resisted U.S. efforts to track how that assistance is used. While Sinai is subject to a near-total media blackout, human rights groups have documented widespread abuses by the Egyptian military there, including arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial killings, and possibly unlawful air and ground attacks against civilians. There are legitimate issues with the U.S. partnering with some units of the Egyptian military, said Seth Binder, director of advocacy at the Project on Middle East Democracy. There has been great documentation, by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, of numerous human rights abuses in the Sinai by the Egyptian military. Are these the same units were partnering with to carry out operations? Thats a real concern. The Egyptian Embassy in the United States did not respond to a request for comment, but in a joint statement last fall, U.S. and Egyptian officials committed to discussing best practices in reducing civilian harm in military operations  a tacit admission that civilian harm remained an issue. Requests for interviews with the embassies of Iraq, Tunisia, and Yemen, as well as Lebanons Ministry of Defense, went unanswered.
Bill Gates, who already owns close to 270,000 acres of land in the U.S., has been granted the legal authority to buy another 2100 acres in North Dakota despite protests by local residents.

Gates, already the largest farmland owner in the country, has secured the go ahead to buy the land for $13.5 million under his Red River Trust company.

Bill Gates' exposed ND land buy has locals livid pic.twitter.com/HTuwqSPRDB  Wittgenstein (@backtolife_2023) June 24, 2022

Gates is circumventing a 1932 anti-corporate farm ownership law by pledging to lease the land back to farmers after the purchase is complete.

The Daily Mail reports:

North Dakotas Agriculture Commissioner, Republican Doug Goehring, previously said that many people feel they are being exploited by the ultra-rich who buy land but do not necessarily share the states values. Ive gotten a big earful on this from clear across the state, its not even from that neighborhood, Goehring told KFYR-TV. Those people are upset, but there are others that are just livid about this.

Bill Gates acquired six parcels of land in Pembina County. Tuesday, the office of the Attorney General sent out a letter asking the Red River Trust to confirm how the company plans to use the land and if it meets any of the exceptions to the North Dakota Corporate Farming Laws. pic.twitter.com/MGGFKV16mm  DOCTOR FROM LONG ISLAND NEW YORK (@Doctorfromliny) June 22, 2022

Gates now owns 268,984 of multi-use land in 19 states:

As we have previously noted, Bill Gates and other billionaires have been buying up huge amounts of farmland while Americans are being told by neo-feudalist Great Reset technocrats that the future is one without private property.

Gates is also intent on pushing 100% synthetic meat products while he buys up record amounts of farmland and monopolizes global food production.

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Jon Schuppe reports:

A teen charged with setting a fire that killed five members of a Senegalese immigrant family in Denver, Colorado, has become the first person to challenge police use of Google search histories to find someone who might have committed a crime, according to his lawyers.

The pushback against this surveillance tool, known as a reverse keyword search, is being closely watched by privacy and abortion rights advocates, who are concerned that it could soon be used to investigate women who search for information about obtaining an abortion in states where the procedure is now illegal.
Pfizer is already swimming in record profits, but that hasnt stopped the drug company from gouging the American taxpayer for every last dollar.

On Wednesday, the Biden Administration signed off on a new vaccine supply deal with Pfizer for $3.2 billion for 105 million COVID injections, but thats only for the first batch of mRNA shots. The contract will generate well over $9 billion for Pfizer, as this latest purchase agreement tops off at 300 million doses. Compared to previous settlements with Pfizer, this public-private no-bid arrangement will come at a much higher cost to the U.S. taxpayer.

The Biden Administration has justified the deal by claiming that it needs to restock supply to prepare for seasonal spikes. The data does not support such a claim. According to the CDC, almost 100 million taxpayer-funded Pfizer shots (and 169 million total shots) have gone unused, resulting in billions of dollars in waste.

According to CDC data there are currently over 168 million unused doses of the vaccines.

- 59M unused Moderna shots

- 98M unused Pfizer shots

- 12M unused Janssen shots



762 million shots distributed and 594 shots administered. That 50,751 unused shots for every 100K US citizens pic.twitter.com/LFdN2RimoH  Justin Hart (@justin_hart) June 30, 2022

The new arrangement allows for the Biden Administration to buy Pfizers authorization-pending COVID injections, which the company claims is reformulated for newer variants.

However, even the new formulation is already outdated. It was designed and trialed for an Omicron subvariant (BA.1) that was popular last Winter, but no longer exists in circulation, potentially rendering it just as useless as the Wuhan strain shot. The deal includes the infant and toddler formulations, which are based on the non-existent Wuhan strain.

None of the shots for this deal will be supplied under an FDA approved label. Instead, they will be distributed under emergency use authorization (EUA). Pfizer has never deployed its FDA-approved vaccine in the United States. The company recently acknowledged that it never intends on producing its original FDA approved vaccines.
As County Attorney David Leavitt loses his race, new reports implicate him in an ongoing federal investigation into human trafficking. What does this mean for the Utah County Sheriffs inquiry into ritualized sexual abuse?

Thirty days after announcing an investigation into ritualized child sexual abuse, the Utah County Sheriffs Office continues to receive tips concerning organized sex rings and allegations of ritualistic rape and murder.

The investigation was originally made public on May 31st with a press release stating the UCSO is working with multiple county and federal agencies investigating reports of ritualistic child sexual abuse 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.

While the UCSO has not publicly named a specific suspect in their investigation, one day after the investigation was announced Utah County Attorney David Leavitt held a press conference declaring that he was not a cannibal or a murderer. Leavitt 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 then-upcoming Utah primary.

While we have since learned the 2012 case against a therapist named David Lee Hamblin is related to the ongoing investigation on some level, we do not know how central the allegations against Hamblin  and the accusations against David Leavitt  are to the current UCSO investigation. We also learned that courtroom records reveal 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.

If the investigation was in any way politically motivated it appears to have been successful with David Leavitt losing his bid for reelection on Tuesday. Leavitt received 16,462 votes for 27% while challenger Jeff Gray received nearly 39,000 or 73% of the votes. Since there is no Democrat challenger, Jeff Gray will become the next Utah County Attorney in January 2023.

Im surprised by the decisiveness of it, Leavitt said after seeing the votes come in on Tuesday. Leavitt also said this shows him that say-anything-you-want-to-win-at-all-costs tactics work in Utah County.

I think the result is absolutely a result of the misinformation campaign against me not only over the last month, but the last six months, Leavitt said. And if the people of Utah County understood what we are trying to accomplish, it would have been a different result.

An Improper Adoption or Human Trafficking?



On the day of the election Utah Fox affiliate FOX 13 reported that Leavitt may be implicated in an adoption scheme turned human-trafficking investigation. The FOX 13 Investigates team released a video of Utah County Attorney David Leavitt discussing how he used his political influence to work around laws regarding adopting Native American children. In the video Leavitt explains how he brokered a deal with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana by telling them he could strike a deal with Ukraine to import their buffalo.

Leavitt details how he struck the deal with the tribe leadership and was eventually able to convince the tribal authorities to allow the adoption. The little girl is now considered to be Leavitts step-foster-great niece.

FOX 13 reports that the video was recorded by a documentarian in 2020 and has since been submitted to Homeland Security Investigations as part of a criminal human trafficking investigation.

FOX 13 Investigates dropped another bombshell involving a Homeland Security Investigation against Leavitt. Noel Engels, a former analyst with Homeland Security Investigations, told FOX 13 Investigates that his team had been investigating sexual allegations against Leavitt for several years. Engels said his team had received the video about Leavvit and added it to the case file investigation on Leavitt on suspicion of human trafficking.

However, five months after receiving the video, Engels and his team were removed from the case. He filed a whistleblower complaint and received a letter from the United States Office of Special Counsel in response. The letter from attorney John U. Young states:

You alleged that HSI improperly terminated an investigation into allegations involving current Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt. We emphasize that, while (Office of Special Counsel) has found a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing based on the information you submitted in support of your allegations, our referral to the Secretary for investigation is not a final determination that the allegations are substantiated. This remains an open matter under investigation until the agencys final report is forwarded to the President and Congress.

The reports by FOX 13 and the acknowledgement that David Leavitt is under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations on suspicion of human trafficking is just the latest in this unusual case.

What is David Leavitts Role?

Whether or not Leavitt is implicated in the broader Utah County Sheriffs Office investigation into ritualized sexual abuse of children remains to be seen. We can confirm the following:

David Leavitt lied about the nature of the 2012 case against David Lee Hamblin. A case which mentions David Leavitt and his wife as part of a ritual sex cult abusing children.

David Leavitt is suspected of improperly adopting a Native American girl.

Homeland Security Investigations has an open and ongoing investigation into David Leavitt.

We can also confirm that whether or not David Leavitt is implicated in the 2021 UCSO investigation into ritual abuse, there is a very real investigation taking place involving the Sheriffs Department, and regional and federal law enforcement. This may or may not include the FBI.

With the Utah primary out of the way, perhaps the truth of the investigation will come to light. The Last American Vagabond will report any updates regarding subpoenas, indictments, or arrests.

For the 5th part of the investigation in this series, we will focus on the elephant in the room: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka the Mormon Church, and accusations of ritual sexual abuse.

Derrick Broze, a staff writer for The Last American Vagabond, is a journalist, author, public speaker, and activist. He is the co-host of Free Thinker Radio on 90.1 Houston, as well as the founder of The Conscious Resistance Network & The Houston Free Thinkers.

https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/category/derrick-broze/

Visit TheLastAmericanVagabond.com. Subscribe to TLAVs independent news broadcast on iTunes. Follow on Facebook and Minds. Support with Bitcoin.
PHNOM PENH, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will attend the seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held on July 4 in Bagan, Myanmar, the Cambodian foreign ministry said in a press statement on Friday.

Under the theme "Solidarity for Peace and Prosperity", the seventh LMC foreign ministers' meeting will be a venue to further broaden cooperation and bonds of friendship among LMC countries, according to the Cambodian foreign ministry statement.

The LMC foreign ministers will evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the Five-Year Plan of Action on the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2018-2022), chart future directions for broadening cooperation, and further strengthen the bonds of friendship and mutual support among the countries, in the spirit of promoting socio-economic development, particularly at a time of unprecedented global threat, it said.

The LMC foreign ministers will also attend the unveiling ceremony of the LMC National Coordination Unit (Myanmar) Building, according to the statement.

The LMC consists of six countries -- China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Lancang River originates on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwestern China. It is called the Mekong River as it flows through the other five countries before emptying into the sea. 
Boris Johnson is sentencing gay refugees to death

1. 7. 2022 / Fabiano Golgo

cas cteni 1 minuta



Adeniyi Raji was among at least 10 refugees on a charter flight to Lagos, Nigeria that took off from Birmingham Airport on Wednesday night. He arrived in Britain in 2017 from that African country to escape death threats that were being sent to him by authorities and on social media. Being gay is illegal in Nigeria and punishable by up to 14 years in jail.





He was subjected to a vicious homophobic attack in Nigeria, his ex-partner was killed and he was told he will be killed if he is returned to Nigeria. He was caught with his male partner in bed and soon dozens of neighbors gathered and started beating them severely. Raji was fired from his job and his name, picture and even his address were splashed across newspapers and websites by the police.





Raji sought refuge in the UK because he had been publicly outed as a gay man  thus as a criminal - and his life was in danger in Nigeria. But Boris Johnsons government has decided to send him back to certain death. Notwithstanding all the evidence that he should be protected, Raji was placed on the deportation flight back to Nigeria.





Rajis case is the latest in a long legacy of the Boris Johnson government failing LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees. Reports have revealed interpreters subjecting vulnerable homosexual refugees to bias and derogatory remarks, immigration officials using an applicants religion or even their own anti-LGBTQ+ relatives to deny they are really homosexual, and relying on stereotypes to decide by looking at the refugees behavior if he or she is a really homosexual.





Meanwhile, an immigration pact to off-shore some asylum seekers to Rwanda amounts to a death sentence for LGBTQ+ people.





Cynically, during this LGBTQAI+ Pride Month, the Home Office and all British government departments have splashed their profiles on social media with the colours of the rainbow that represent the non-heterosexual discriminated community.

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KABUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban-run administration, has emphasized for implementing Sharia or Islamic laws, ensuring justice, investment and safeguarding Afghanistan's freedom.

Speaking at the gathering of religious leaders and elders of his country here on Friday, the leader of the caretaker administration stated that Afghans had expelled the occupying forces from their country to establish Islamic system and now "we have Islamic system and this is the responsibility of religious scholars to implement Islamic laws."

About 3,500 ulema or religious scholars and elders, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, have been invited from across the war-torn country to attend the three-day jirga or grand assembly opened on Thursday.

Hibatullah attended the grand assembly Friday morning, and called upon businessmen to invest in the war-torn country.

In his speech aired by local media, Hibatullah called for ensuring justice in society, saying, "No government could survive in the absence of justice and justice is the tool of a government to last."

The administration's supreme leader also called for co-existence and said, "We have no ill intentions towards anyone, the neighboring countries do not feel any harm from us."

The three-day gathering will conclude on Saturday. 
Cross-border goods are reloaded at a freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway's Vientiane South Station on July 1, 2022. A freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday with the first railway containers heading to Thailand's Laem Chabang port. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

VIENTIANE, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday with the first railway containers heading to Thailand's Laem Chabang port.

This makes the international logistics channel of land-sea intermodal transport more convenient.

The China-Laos Railway adopts international standards while the Thai railway currently uses 1-meter gauge system. Railway freight transport between Laos and Thailand requires reloading operations.

The freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway's Vientiane South Station is expected to work to improve the efficiency of freight transport between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.

The freight transit yard will greatly benefit Laos given its significant role in bolstering the transport of goods, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said during a speech delivered at the opening ceremony held on Friday.

Laos always attaches great importance to and supports the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said the deputy prime minister, adding that the initiative is in line with Laos' strategy to transform the country from being landlocked to a land-linked hub in the region.

"I believed that the railway would create more business opportunities and bring great benefit to Laos. The railway is significantly cutting the time and logistics costs for cargo transportation," said Sonexay. "The railway will result in the growth of many industries like trade and investment."

"From now on, the cross-border freight train operated by the China-Laos Railway can, to the north, reach China's Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Xi'an and other logistics distribution centers, and be connected to the China-Europe Railway Express network, and, to the south, reach port cities such as Laem Chabang of Thailand and Singapore," Yuan Minghao, general manager of the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (LCRC), a joint venture based in Vientiane responsible for operating the Railway's Lao section.

The LCRC is also investor of the transit yard located in Thanaleng Dry Port on the outskirts of the Lao capital Vientiane.

"Gradually, a new international land-sea logistics corridor will take shape, which will further enhance the status and role of the China-Laos Railway, and reduce cross-border logistics costs. It will provide reliable transportation support to Lao and ASEAN people and enterprises," Yuan said.

Chanthone Sitthixay, chairman of Vientiane Logistics Park Co. Ltd., a local company running the Thanaleng Dry Port where the transit yard is located, said the freight transit yard will create more favorable conditions for expanding economic and trade cooperation.

He added it will provide cost-effective services for the shipment of products to regional markets and beyond.

So far by June 30, the China-Laos Railway has carried 3.36 million passengers with the railway's Lao section carrying 0.48 million passengers, 4.69 million tons of freight and 0.77 million tons China-Laos cross-border goods.

The China-Laos Railway is a docking project between the China-proposed BRI and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub. 

Cross-border goods are reloaded at a freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway's Vientiane South Station on July 1, 2022. A freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday with the first railway containers heading to Thailand's Laem Chabang port. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Cross-border goods are reloaded at a freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway's Vientiane South Station on July 1, 2022. A freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday with the first railway containers heading to Thailand's Laem Chabang port. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Cross-border goods are reloaded at a freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway's Vientiane South Station on July 1, 2022. A freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday with the first railway containers heading to Thailand's Laem Chabang port. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Cross-border goods are reloaded at a freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway's Vientiane South Station on July 1, 2022. A freight transit yard of China-Laos Railway was officially put into operation on Friday with the first railway containers heading to Thailand's Laem Chabang port. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
Online gun sales fueled by extreme advertising and social media have been growing, and Credova and other gun-financing companies are part of that broader ecosystem, said Adam Skaggs, chief counsel and policy director for Giffords Law Centre, an advocacy group for the prevention of gun violence that is backed by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a victim of gun violence herself. Buy Now, Pay Later financing can make guns more accessible for people without credit cards, Skaggs said. Maybe some prefer this because they dont have to go to the trouble of getting a credit card. Buying firearms on instalment plans isnt new for the gun industry, just as layaway plans have long existed for all kinds of customers. But as gun sales have moved online, the Buy Now, Pay Later model  which is generally targeted to young shoppers who typically dont have much disposable income or credit cards  has become a way to attract a new generation of customers. Although online sales are a small fraction of the $US15 billion gun market, according to IBISWorld, an market research firm, they have been growing. IBISWorld expects online gun sales to reach $US2.6 billion by 2026, up from $US532 million in 2012.

Credova got into the gun financing business not just because of the layaway culture in gun retail, but because so many guns are being purchased online, said Mike Weisser, a longtime gun seller in Massachusetts who became a consultant to gun control organisations and writes a blog on ways to reduce gun violence. Loading Of course, buying firearms and ammunition online is more complicated than a typical Amazon purchase, since they cannot be shipped to a persons home but must be picked up from a licensed gun retailer after the buyer has passed a standard background check. Credova and other gun financiers are not involved with those background checks; they perform only standard credit checks before extending financing to buyers. Credova says on its website that approval takes seconds for most customers. Retailers like the buy now, pay later option because it draws more customers. Customers like it because its relatively easy to apply, requiring only a simple credit check. The loans are interest-free and can be paid back in three or four monthly instalments. The financing companies make their money by charging retailers a fee for the service. Some companies also charge customers fees and interest if they miss payments. Even though buy now, pay later financing has blossomed in the United States, many of the biggest companies, including Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, PayPal and Zip, explicitly bar gun and ammunition purchases, creating the business opportunity for Credova and other niche firms.

Gearfire Capital, an online financing company, started in January with the motto Gear up, Pay Later. Global Check Services offers online gun financing through its ARC90 program. Sezzle, another company that is about to be acquired by Zip, permits gun purchases, but gun sales are a small part of its business, a Sezzle spokeswoman said. But Credovas website suggests that guns are a big part of its business. Of the roughly 100 retail partners listed on its website, 60 are online gun and hunting supply retailers, according to a New York Times tally conducted on June 22. Gun merchants feature prominently on its site. And it is currently running a sweepstakes in partnership with the US Concealed Carry Association, a gun rights organisation, in which the winner can get $US15,000 toward the purchase of ammunition or guns. Two years ago, Credova was one of six companies that partnered with the lobbying arm of the NRA to raise $US1 million to defend the Second Amendment. In 2019, it sponsored a corporate executives luncheon at the NRAs annual meeting, according to a news release, which also said that Credova is owned by steadfast supporters of gun rights who are determined to provide financing options for firearm and sporting goods consumers. Credova got into the gun financing business not just because of the layaway culture in gun retail, but because so many guns are being purchased online, said Mike Weisser, a longtime gun seller in Massachusetts. Credit:Simon Simard/The New York Times Credovas app, which debuted in August 2020, has been downloaded just 19,000 times, according to Sensor Tower, a mobile app tracking firm. By comparison, the biggest Buy Now, Pay Later firms have had their apps downloaded millions of times.

The availability of easy financing options for weapons raises the possibility of abuse, said Skaggs of the Giffords centre. One potential concern is whether no-interest instalment financing can be used by people looking to quickly resell a gun for a profit without first putting a lot of money down, he said. Not all Credovas customers are happy with the companys business practices, according to court filings and reviews and complaints submitted to the Better Business Bureau. In particular, some customers complained about its one-year instalment plan, under which customers can end up paying much more than the list price for a gun if the borrowed amount is not repaid within a 90-day, interest-free period. Matthew Sheffield of Selma, Alabama, used Credova two years ago to pay for a $US400 box of ammunition he had ordered online. Sheffield said he planned to pay for the purchase within the 90-day no interest period but was unable to do so. As a result, he said, Credova told him he would have to comply with the more costly instalment contract. Sheffield, who works as a welding inspector, said he doesnt plan to use the service again. In an email, Locke said that had Sheffield paid the purchase balance within the 90-day window, he would have not needed to incur any additional charges or fees.
The affidavit also outlines a cosy relationship between founder Tony Castagna, Macquarie and senior Nuix executives including then CFO Stephen Doyle, who is currently the subject of an Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) insider trading investigation. The affidavit alleges a $100 million funding package with industry fund UniSuper was scuppered shortly before being finalised by Castagna in mid-2016. I am going to be charged with tax evasion and money laundering and I do not want to tell UniSuper. I am going to kill the deal instead, Castagna allegedly told Sheehy. Tony, I think you need to resign, Sheehy alleges he told Castagna. The AFP and ATO are two of Nuixs biggest and most prominent customers, and it does not look good. Its not good for the company. All our global regulator customers like the IRS and SEC in the US and the FSA in the UK will hear. It will be really bad for the company. The affidavit reports text messages between then Nuix director and Macquarie representative David Standen, where Sheehy says: He [Castagna] cannot be our chairman when he is charged. I can see the headlines - Panama Papers investigation company chairman charged with tax fraud and money laundering. It has kept me awake much of the night  it will be a milestone around his neck as customers leave and competitors belly laugh. It says within weeks of the UniSuper deal falling apart, Castagna brokered a deal with Macquarie to buy some shares.

Sheehys request for his resignation was ignored, and he alleges he was bullied out of the company. Castagna was charged and in April 2018 a Supreme Court jury found Castagna and his cousin guilty of money laundering and tax evasion. He went to jail. Tony Castagna was sent to jail and acquitted in June 2019. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer On June 5, 2019, the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed his conviction, and he was acquitted. The Crown case was that he had avoided tax by channelling his consultancy fees from Macquarie to Vanuatu via a New Zealand bank account operated by a UK company. Even if it was assumed the Crown case was strong, the appeal court judges said a new trial was not appropriate in part because of Castagnas age, he was then 72, and hed already been in jail for more than a year.

Soon after his acquittal he rejoined the Nuix board. Days before Nuix listed he resigned and unbeknown to investors Nuix entered a consultancy arrangement with Castagna which was terminated in May 2021. Jonathan Rubinsztein CEO of Nuix Credit:Jessica Hromas Nuix elected not to call Castagna as a witness in the recent court proceedings, which meant many of the allegations raised in the affidavit could not be heard in court. The case finished on Thursday with final submissions in August. The judge will then make a finding later in the year. Despite the unrelenting bad headlines you wouldnt know if from serial optimist Nuix CEO Jonathan Rubinszteins letter to staff on Friday. Happy July 1  Today is an exciting day for all of us at Nuix as our new structure officially comes into place, he told staff. This is part of our journey of creating a Nuix thats more customer-focused, with a simpler organisational structure that makes it easier to work with us - for our customers, our stakeholders and you - our people.

Loading Absent was any mention of the court case which, if successful, would have a profound impact on Nuixs finances. Nor did he mention that customers were being smacked with double-digit price hikes, well in excess of inflation, and some products on the new price list are up almost 200 per cent. He also failed to mention the other elephant in the room, Nuixs financial performance for 2022. If the share price performance is any guide, investors are expecting more bad news when it reports its full-year results in August. Since Rubinszteins appointment as CEO was announced in October last year, the share price has gone from $3.05 to close on Friday at 78.
Its worth noting that companies in the UK trial have opted to participate, meaning leaders at the firms support the idea and have sold employees on it. But beyond the trial, companies are increasingly using flexible work arrangements. A recent study in the UK found advertisements for four-day week positions jumped by 90 per cent in June from the previous year.

Anna Yukhtenko, a 30-year-old senior games analyst at Hutch, said shes getting the same amount of work done and the four-day schedule is a big part of why shes sticking around at a time when her skills are in demand and she could switch jobs. Her colleague Chris Hohbein, 39, has a 90-minute commute from Cambridge. The new schedule means more time with his son and he said he feels more refreshed after the three-day weekends.

In general, people work less these days than they did in past decades. But perceptions around hard work and dedication to the job are hard to shake, particularly in the US. For many, being at your desk for long hours is a sign of productivity. And with the US economy in turmoil, some companies may seize on that to take a harder line on bringing employees back to the office. Elon Musk recently said remote work was no longer acceptable and that employees should be in the office at least 40 hours a week.

The push back to the office is bumping up against pressure from employees who want flexible schedules. In Silicon Valley, the ride-sharing app Bolt made the move to a four-day schedule, while crowdfunding platform Kickstarter launched a trial in recent months. In Japan, industrial conglomerate Panasonic introduced an optional four-day schedule this January, while UK consumer goods company Unilever did a year-long trial in New Zealand.

Minneapolis-based Sarah Goff-Dupont, 43, got approval to experiment with a four-day schedule last summer, along with several of her colleagues at Atlassian, a software company. Packing all of her work between Monday and Thursday was initially hard, but eventually paid off, with more time for her two kids, who are now 8 and 11.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for the first volume of season four of Stranger Things.

Fans of the supernatural/murder mysteries/small-town America/Kate Bush, rejoice! Stranger Things is back, with two new episodes capping off the fourth season of the hit Netflix series being released on Friday afternoon.

The fourth season, most of which was released in May, broke Netflixs record for the most-viewed English language show ever. Expect to be dragged into conversations about it at the water cooler on Monday. In the meantime, heres everything you need to know to get up to speed.

Wait, Stranger Things season four isnt over yet?

I am delighted to inform you that the fourth season is not quite over  but its getting there. It was split up into two volumes that were released at separate times. The first seven episodes  sorry, chapters  were released in late May. And the latest release, scheduled to hit Netflix at 5pm AEST on Friday July 1, is called Volume 2 of the series.
Health Ministers gather in Canberra to discuss COVID-19 ramifications

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Health ministers meet to discuss the next wave of COVID-19

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HELSINKI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Energy imports to Finland surged by 93 percent to 4.1 billion euros (4.28 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter on a year-on-year basis, showed preliminary data from Statistics Finland Friday.

Compared to the significant increase in cost, the volume of energy imports only rose 2.8 percent, a result of higher energy prices, Statistics Finland explained.

Among energy products, crude oil was the most imported with a value of 1.7 billion euros.

Most energy products were imported from Russia, whose share was 47 percent, said Statistics Finland. 
In older people, the most severe symptoms from an Omicron infection are often not respiratory, instead it affects physical and cognitive function, causing delirium, for example, leading to an overall decline. They dont recover to what they were once before, and some of those people die, Naganathan said. Victorian geriatrician Associate Professor Michael Murray, who oversees a number of in-reach teams in residential aged care said he was seeing a lot more COVID-related deaths than ICU [admissions] now. In the week ending June 25, just eight people were admitted to NSW ICUs with COVID-19. Melbournes Austin Hospital intensive care director Stephen Warrillow said its ICU ward, once full of people critically ill with coronavirus, was now only treating one or two COVID patients a day. This disparity between deaths and ICU admissions is mostly due to high numbers of deaths in aged care, after the removal of strict lockdown restrictions. Over 2021, just 13 per cent of deaths from COVID-19 in NSW were in aged care, but in 2022 they were about 40 per cent of the states 2900 deaths reported. Most aged care residents  more than four-fifths  die without being transferred to hospital.

Chant said this was because frail older people with underlying health conditions may not be suitable for highly involved intensive care treatment, and will do better managing their infection at the facility with antivirals. Its about patient-centred care, and respecting their wishes, she said. Nationally, there were 1906 deaths from COVID-19 in aged care between January 1 and June 24, compared with 686 during 2020 and 231 in 2021. Uptake of fourth doses in aged care has been slow  only about 65 per cent of eligible residents  although geriatricians are also concerned about first booster uptake and the hundreds of residents who have not received any vaccination.

Paul Sadler, the interim chief executive of the Aged and Community Care Providers Association, said the booster program was in progress and working well overall. While aged care workers must be vaccinated, with the easing of restrictions on facilities allowing visitors, aged care remains vulnerable to virus outbreaks. Its vital the government urgently addresses the aged care workforce shortfall in order to help avoid staff shortages and interruptions in care, he said. About 40 per cent of NSWs reported COVID deaths were in aged care homes. Credit:Fairfax Naganathan dismissed the suggestion aged care residents dying from the virus were likely to have died from another bug within the same timeframe. The data continues to show the mortality of COVID-19 is higher than influenza, he said.

Indeed, across the whole population, measures of excess death have shown above average levels of death this year. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says there were 4732 more deaths than expected in the first two months of 2022. The Actuaries Institute has modelled that over the first quarter of the year, there were 5100 extra deaths (13 per cent above what was expected pre-pandemic), with around 60 per cent of those deaths from COVID-19. Associate Professor David Muscatello, an infectious disease epidemiologist at UNSW who has modelled deaths for NSW Health, said these figures indicated COVID-19 was still directly and indirectly causing more deaths than we would anticipate, a phenomenon also seen during flu seasons. What we are going to see coming up this winter is the impact of both COVID and influenza causing excess mortality, he said. In her practice, Dr Charlotte Hespe, NSW and ACT chair of the Royal Australian College of GPs, is seeing infections in vulnerable people who we protected really well over the last two years.

Now it is creeping in, she said. Warrillow said he was also seeing rising numbers of immunocompromised people, including organ recipients, seriously ill with the virus, despite taking all the right precautions, including having their boosters. Loading Ive certainly personally cared for a number of patients recently, who lead healthy, busy lives and thats the success of their organ transplant, but theyve been terribly unlucky, he said. Many of the dead would have benefited from up-to-date vaccinations. In NSW, all 104 people who died in the week ending June 25 were eligible for a booster shot, but only 69 per cent had received a third dose.

We are seeing under-penetration [of vaccines] in some high-risk communities, Murray said of the Victorian experience, expressing a need to increase uptake among culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Unlike in previous waves of the virus, Australia now has a suite of treatments for COVID-19. While antivirals once had to be administered in hospital, the federal government has purchased 1.3 million doses of two COVID-19 oral antivirals. Paxlovid was listed on the PBS in March, but antivirals need to be taken early to be most effective. Credit:Bloomberg However, uptake of the drugs has been low. Data from the federal Department of Health to June 19 shows about 49,000 people have been prescribed Molnupiravir, sold as Lagevrio, since it was put on the PBS in March, while almost 7000 received scripts for Paxlovid. Weve got the potential to do more, said Chant. There is a bit of confusion in the community as to who is eligible.

While the antivirals are highly recommended for the unvaccinated, this is not a condition for prescription. But there are some limitations. For example, while aged care residents are automatically eligible, contraindications with other medications mean some cannot receive Paxlovid. The drug must also be administered within five days of symptom onset. Chant and Hespe urged patients who were likely to need antivirals to make a plan with a GP, with Hepse noting they were more effective if administered on day one rather than day five. Professor Greg Dore, an infectious diseases physician at St Vincents Hospital, said this time pressure showed the importance of an ongoing testing and isolating regime. But, while the antivirals can save lives, Naganathan said it was important to remember antivirals were given on a treat many to save one basis, and ultimately a severe infection like COVID-19 would always lead to death in some vulnerable people. With monthly coronavirus deaths now hovering at above 1200, Murray said this was greater than the worst Australian flu month.
Western Australia is set to gain tens of millions of dollars in extra GST on top of its special 2018 deal with the federal government and regain the electorate the state lost at the last election.

New population estimates by the federal Treasury show there are 68,000 more residents in the state than had been expected, in what will prove a fiscal and political windfall for WA.

WAs share of the GST is growing. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Victoria and NSW will pay a huge economic and political price for the COVID-19 pandemic, losing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars worth of GST and seats in parliament to other parts of the country.

New population estimates for the nations two most populous states show a shortfall of 101,000 Victorians and 95,000 people across NSW, paving the way for a re-jig of the $79 billion GST pool and a loss of federal representation.
The pair agreed to a new agenda for cooperation based on three pillars: defence and security; resilience and climate action; and education and culture. A detail road map will be created by the end of the year. Repairing the relationship, which hit rock bottom following the announcement of a new alliance between Australia, the United States and Britain last year, has been a priority for Albanese since he was elected just six weeks ago. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already met Macron in Madrid at the NATO summit. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Ahead of the meeting he would not be drawn ahead of the meeting on whether hed offer a formal apology to Macron over a furore sparked by the sudden cancellation of contract to build 12 Attack-class last year. Instead, he declared that everyone should be able to trust me. Albanese said it was time for the relationship between Paris and Canberra to enter a new era after the breakdown, saying he would deal with their impending discussions in a professional and courteous way.

Part of keeping faith is keeping private conversations private, the prime minister said in reference to a leaked private text exchange between Morrison and Macron last year that infuriated the French. Loading Thats the way I deal with domestic politics as well and thats the way I intend to deal with diplomatic politics going forward  our private discussions will stay private. The pair were expected to kick-start discussions on a new road map for the relationship, with the aim of strengthening resilience in the region and contributing to peace and security amid a more assertive China. France holds three territories in the South Pacific  New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia, with the region home to 1.5 million French people, as well as 8000 soldiers stationed in the region.

Albanese said ahead of the meeting his government remained committed to the AUKUS pact and had no intention of reversing the decision. He intimated he would not be apologising to the French for that decision. What I want to do, though, is to make sure that we can move forward  It should be a relationship where we can rely upon each other  in which we can trust each other and mutually benefit, he said. Ive made it very clear what my position is about the way in which Australia engaged at a leadership level with friends. France was outraged that it was only informed of the new alliance hours before the public announcement was made, and later expressed fury at Morrisons decision to leak a private text message from Macron after the contract was axed.

Macron told this masthead: I dont think, I know when asked if he thought Morrison had lied to him in his handling of the issue. Ministers in Macrons party insisted France was betrayed, stabbed in the back and deceived. Morrison said in reply that he had broad shoulders but he would not cop sledging of Australias integrity. Looking ahead to a trade deal Albanese said he would also discuss a free trade deal with Europe during his meeting with Macron.

When asked if French businesses could trust him after the betrayal and deception over the submarine contract under the previous coalition government, Albanese said absolutely. Everyone should be able to trust me, thats the way I deal with people  thats how I got to be prime minister, he said. At a meeting in Portugal on Thursday, Macron singled out Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek in front of a global audience, declaring that Australia was back in action on climate change. Albanese also met with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Youre back, Macron said, addressing Plibersek  a comment that prompted applause from those in the room. Because we need you in the Indo-Pacific strategy, and climate and oceans is part of the strategy for us.
The naming rights to a range of products including feta and grappa could complicate negotiations between Australia and the European Union for a free-trade agreement potentially worth $94 billion, which both sides are hoping to finalise in the coming months.

While some more generic product terms including camembert and brie are OK, according to the EU, the bloc wants names that are more specific to particular European regions  so-called geographic indicators  protected.

Emerald Hill Deli owner Maria Totos questions whether governments are becoming too hung up on product names. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Along with climate targets, these geographic indicators are a key component of trade talks with the EU, which have resumed after stalling last year when Australia axed a deal to buy French submarines.

Negotiations over the name protections, which include feta, grappa, du Puy green lentils and Irish whiskey, have been in the works for years.
For five years, public-housing resident Clare Hanson has fought a losing battle against the Andrews government and its multimillion-dollar plan to redevelop the Ascot Vale housing estate in Melbournes north-west.

Across the road, she can see time running out. Part of the estate, built in 1945, is now demolished and midway through construction.

Clare Hanson in the Ascot Vale housing estate on Friday. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Theyre double brick, she says of the units in the estate she has lived in since 2010. Theyre so well built they would last another 100 years with proper care.

Not-for-profit research group OFFICE agrees. There are plans to demolish and rebuild hundreds of dwellings  including Hansons  across the 15-hectare estate, but the group argues that better results would be achieved by renovating.
The Victorian Liberal Party is providing support to independents in government-held electorates ahead of the state election in the hope of stripping seats from Labor.

Three senior Liberal Party sources told The Age that for 18 months the party has been training prominent locals to run as independents in Labor-held seats like Melton, Werribee, Dandenong and Premier Daniel Andrews south-eastern seat of Mulgrave, which is held by a 12 per cent margin.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy. Credit:Joe Armao

The Age has also confirmed that so-called teal independents who would likely be backed by Simon Holmes a Courts Climate 200 funding vehicle are eyeing both Liberal and Labor state seats following their federal election triumph.

They will target affluent eastern suburbs where they achieved success in the federal election and have begun polling the Bulleen seat of Liberal leader Matthew Guy. In a sign of their confidence, the teals are also considering runs in suburban Labor seats and rural and regional areas, including Nepean, Hastings and Mornington.
Marrickville locals have no sooner lost local-lad-made-good Anthony Albanese to The Lodge in Canberra than another high-profile home owner, Annabel Crabb, has hatched plans to trade up from the neighbourhood.

The author and ABC political commentator has listed the grand Edwardian terrace, which she shares with her lawyer partner Jeremy Storer and their three kids, with a $2.5 million guide to move to a slightly larger family home, albeit still in the inner west.

Annabel Crabbs kitchen featured in half a dozen early episodes of her ABC series Kitchen Cabinet.

Word of the couples upgrade leaked within days of their historic home hitting the market, no doubt thanks to the distinctive images of the Crabb-designed kitchen that featured on half a dozen early episodes of the ABC series Kitchen Cabinet.

Or maybe it was the Well Hello doormat, which is the name of her recently released book based on the Chat 10 Looks 3 podcast Crabb and now former 7.30 host Leigh Sales have hosted for almost a decade.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Its just before 10am when a grey Honda enters the car park of the only abortion clinic in Mississippi. A young woman in a black singlet steps out of the passenger side, her head wrapped in a scarf to obscure her face from the anti-abortion activists standing outside the gates. All around her is a flurry of activity. Volunteer escorts in multicoloured hi-vis vests direct cars filled with patients down the narrow street and into the safety of the womens centre in Jackson, the state capital. Anti-abortion protesters gather outside the Jackson Womens Health Organisation clinic in Mississippi. Credit:AP Evangelicals holding bibles and posters of aborted fetuses approach the vehicles, preaching about Jesus. One man with a portable speaker is standing at the clinics fence, peering through a tiny gap in the black-painted wood, trying to catch a glimpse of patients as they pass. This is the shedding of innocent blood!, he yells into his microphone as the woman from the grey Honda disappears inside, gently guided by a clinic escort. You must understand that!

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In a few days, all of this will be gone when the Jackson Womens Health Organisation - the abortion clinic at the centre of the US Supreme Courts monumental decision to overturn Roe v Wade - is forced to close its doors. The 1973 landmark ruling enshrined a womens choice to have abortion as a constitutional right, but its demise has allowed the states attorney-general, like those of many other states, to initiate trigger laws that will ban terminations in almost every circumstance. Abortion rights demonstrators chant outside the US Supreme Court in Washington DC on June 25. Credit:Bloomberg Known locally as the Pink House because of its bright facade, the clinic and Mississippi will always be a historic case. It was here, four years ago, that the state government moved to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, drawing a challenge from the clinic and resulting in the case that ended up in the US Supreme Court: Dobbs v the Jackson Womens Health Organisation. The new state ban - which only has exceptions when a rape has been reported to police or when the mothers life is at risk - will result in some of the nations most disadvantaged women having to travel thousands of kilometres to find a state where abortion remains legal. Others will simply not have the means, resulting in unsafe procedures or unwanted pregnancies. For now, the clinic is trying to provide services to as many patients as possible before the ban takes effect on July 7.

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Loading It is ironic that the Supreme Court is overruling Roe versus Wade in a case that stems out of Mississippi, which is the poorest state in the Union and has the highest black population percentage among the 50 states, says Rob McDuff, a lawyer from the Mississippi Centre for Reproductive Justice, which has filed a lawsuit to stop to the ban. Its going to be extremely difficult for people here, and elsewhere, to take time off work, or to arrange for childcare, or to pay for a trip to a distant state - simply so they dont have to be forced to bear children against their will. Much of the problem comes down to geography. On a map of the Deep South, Mississippi sits in the middle of other states where abortion is also being outlawed or restricted: Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee. Further west is Texas, which in September became the first US state to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, prompting thousands of Texans to turn to neighbouring states such as Oklahoma for treatment. Then Oklahoma imposed its own Texas-style bill in May, along with a bounty-hunting scheme encouraging members of the public to sue those involved in abortions, resulting in some overflow patients heading to Louisiana and Mississippi.

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Derenda Hancock, the co-founder of the Pink House Defenders, whose volunteers have spent years escorting patients into Mississippis only abortion clinic. Credit:Farrah Tomazin Pro-choice advocates say reproductive rights were being severely curtailed even before Roe v Wade was overturned. We knew it was coming, says Derenda Hancock, the co-ordinator of the Pink House Defenders, the clinic volunteers who have spent years escorting patients through the daily throng of protesters into the abortion centre. Its still a punch in the gut, but it wasnt a surprise at all. The Jackson Womens Health Organisation is set to close down following the Supreme Courts decision. Credit:Farrah Tomazin Now, owner Diane Derzis says she plans to open a new centre in Las Cruces, New Mexico, roughly 1800 kilometres away, with fundraising efforts already in place to help women travel there  though the surge in demand means they will be lucky to get an appointment. The past few days have been emotional and chaotic. Phones at the clinic have been ringing non-stop with terrified women and their partners wanting to know if they can still access the healthcare they need.

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Nurses privately say theyre scared and devastated too, but are trying to keep it together for their patients sake. Outside there is already much talk about the potential for a public health crisis  even among some of the pro-life advocates who have spent years arguing society must do a better job of caring for women, children and families. Their movement now has an obligation to prove that this advocacy isnt just talk. Anti-abortion campaigner Doug Hiser outside the clinic in Jackson, Mississippi. Credit:Farrah Tomazin We need to adopt more children from these women or help them through the pregnancy - otherwise wed be hypocrites, right? says retired engineer Doug Hiser, who is sitting by himself outside the clinic with a sign that reads Pray to End Abortion. This is one of those issues that divides us, but we need to stand with one another and show each other love, he says. Trumps stamp Initially, Republican-led Mississippi asked the Supreme Court to uphold its ban on terminations after 15 weeks by attempting to argue that it was consistent with Roe v Wade.

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Non-bank lender Firstmac has signed a new sponsorship agreement with NRL club the Brisbane Broncos until 2027.

The renewed deal will extend Brisbane-based Firstmacs position as the Broncos premier sponsor to 15 years, making it one of the longest sponsorships in the NRL.

Under the terms of the latest agreement, Firstmac will also sponsor the Broncos womens team in the NRLW and become the Broncos inaugural charity partner.

Firstmac managing director Kim Cannon (pictured above with Broncos captain Adam Reynolds) said the company was pleased to extend and expand its partnership with the Brisbane Broncos, including offering new support for the Broncos' activities in the community.

The past decade has been a tumultuous one with COVID-19 and numerous other challenges, but one thing that has never wavered is our support for the Brisbane Broncos, Cannon said.

We are proud to now take that partnership to the next level by adding charity partner and Broncos NRLW sponsor to our established position as a premier sponsor.

Read more: Government expands first home buyer scheme

Under the new agreement, the Broncos will continue to wear the Firstmac brand on their jersey sleeve.

As part of Firstmacs new role as Broncos charity partner, Firstmac staff will have the option of supporting Broncos community events through the companys paid volunteering program.

Each year, Firstmac Groups Brisbane staff can opt to take one paid volunteer day per year to support a range of local charities.

The range of activities could now include helping the Broncos to sell tickets for their 50/50 charity raffle which supports selected community groups at Broncos home games.

Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy said the Broncos were thrilled to continue a strong partnership with a great Queensland brand.

Read more: How is Perth property performing?

As a Brisbane-based brand, Firstmac is a fantastic Queensland success story and has been a highly-valued member of the Broncos family for more than a decade, Donaghy said.

We are proud to be able to continue our partnership with a local business that has such a great connection with its customers and community  something we also aspire to every day at the Broncos.
The federal government has added 40,000 new places to the Home Guarantee Scheme from 1 July, a move welcomed by banks.

The Home Guarantee Scheme, formerly known as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, was a policy of the previous Coalition government. Run by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), its aim is to shorten the time first home buyers have to save a deposit to buy a home.

The scheme gives first home buyers the opportunity to buy a home with a 5% deposit and avoid paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

The new Labor government announced that from today, 1 July, the Home Guarantee Scheme will be expanded to include:

35,000 places each financial year to support first home buyers to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as 5% (the First Home Guarantee); and

5,000 places each financial year to support single parents with dependents to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as 2% (the Family Home Guarantee).

A range of updated property price caps across Australia will also apply from 1 July, including $900,000 for capital city and regional centres in NSW and $800,000 for capital city and regional centres in Victoria.

Read more: Homeowners capitalise on property equity

NAB executive home ownership Andy Kerr (pictured above left) said because of the scheme, both younger and solo buyers were getting a foot on the property ladder sooner.

People going at it alone shouldnt be disadvantaged and we are seeing the scheme help them buy a property, Kerr said.

With a backdrop of house price growth slowing and in Sydney and Melbourne where it is going backwards, there is some relief in sight for first home buyers. Flexible working is providing first home buyers more choice of locations than ever before, with regional purchases in the scheme up two percent compared to the same time last year.

NAB revealed that its solo buyers purchased 63% of houses in the scheme in the past six months compared to 49% of non-scheme purchases.

It also said that of the 63% of First Home Guarantee solo borrowers, 59% were female and 41% were male. A total of 21% of NAB customers eligible for the First Home Guarantee were under 30, compared to 17% of non-FHG customers.

Kerr said in an uncertain market, it had never been more important to have confidence to buy.

Getting a fast decision from your bank on a loan is absolutely crucial, he said.

Around 50% of our eligible customers can now get a decision within 24 hours and 35% of those are getting unconditional approval within an hour  thats faster than getting your internet set up in the new home.

Read more: How is Perth property performing?

Great Southern Bank has also welcomed the expansion of the Home Guarantee Scheme.

Our purpose as a bank is to help all Australians to own their own home  so naturally we are committed to help more people take that step through the Home Guarantee Scheme, said Great Southern Bank chief customer officer Megan Keleher (pictured above right).

We expect the First Home Guarantee will continue to be very popular. The good news is that the guarantee has 35,000 places available this financial year, more than three times as many places as were available in its first year.

Keleher said Great Southern Bank had already helped more than 3,500 customers to buy their homes through Australian government homebuyer support schemes and it planned to help many more under the new model.

The new Labor government said it was committed to introducing a suite of policies to make it easier for Australians to buy a home and deliver more social and affordable housing.

This includes Help to Buy, a new program to make it cheaper and easier for Australians to own their own home, a $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund, which will build 30,000 social and affordable housing properties in its first five years, establishing a National Housing Supply and Affordability Council and developing a new National Housing and Homelessness Plan.
LOS ANGELES, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A woman was gored by a bull bison in Yellowstone National Park, one of the largest and best-known national parks in the United States, making her the second tourist injured by a bison at the park this week, park officials said Thursday.

The 71-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was gored by the bull bison near Storm Point at Yellowstone Lake on Wednesday, according to a news release on the park's Facebook page.

This is the third reported bison and visitor incident in Yellowstone so far this year. A 34-year-old male from Colorado was gored by the bison near Giant Geyser at Old Faithful on Tuesday. A 25-year-old female from Ohio was gored and tossed over three meters into the air on May 30, sustaining a puncture wound and other injuries.

Park officials stressed once again in the release that wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached.

Yellowstone closed for more than a week earlier this month and partially reopened last week after an unprecedented flooding that caused severe damage to roads and other critical park infrastructure.

Summer is usually the busiest season in Yellowstone. The 8,991-square-km wilderness recreation area, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho, attracted approximately 4.86 million visitors last year. 
NAB has introduced an indigenous version of the NAB star to illustrate recognition of indigenous Australians and commitment to support their financial inclusion and economic aspirations.

The big bank will also pledge support for an indigenous voice to Parliament.

The Walking Together NAB star was designed by indigenous designer, Marcus Lee, inspired by the invitation in the final line of the Uluru Statement of the Heart: We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.

The indigenous NAB star, which equally represent the colours from the Aboriginal flag, the Torres Strait Islander flag, and NABs own brand colours, is one way for the bank to encourage customers, colleagues, shareholders, and community partners to support a constitutional voice to Parliament.

The economic advancement and financial aspirations of First Nations people reflects NABs ambition to serve customers well and help communities prosper, NAB Group CEO Ross McEwan said.

NAB has run a range of activities to actively support the success of indigenous Australians, including a financial inclusion partnership with Good Shepherd and an indigenous customer help line. The bank has a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in place since 2008 and was the first corporate to achieve Elevate RAP status, which the bank has maintained over the past nine years.

NAB is donating $200,000 to the From the Heart campaign, which is leading the call to the Australian people to come together through a referendum to enact the change to the constitution and an education campaign.

Meeting with indigenous leaders in recent months, some who were signatories to the Uluru Statement of the Heart in 2017, made it clear to me that corporate Australia has to listen and play its part in educating Australians on the proposed constitutional reform, McEwan said. It is time to recognise the rightful place of our Indigenous Australians as the First People of Australia, celebrate their culture and empower them to participate in shared decision making by including them in the decisions that impact them through the Voice. We look forward to working with and supporting indigenous Australians, governments, and all communities across Australia to take this important next step towards reconciliation.

The Walking Together NAB star will be displayed at NAB branches and through NAB offices as part of a range of activities during NAIDOC Week.
Food and beverage company India has appointed ad agency Leo Burnett as its creative partner, the company said on Friday.

This came after a multi-agency pitch, which saw Leo Burnett winning the mandate.

Prior to Burnett, had worked with WPP for 30 years in India and globally.

However, WPP had recently picked up the advertising mandate of Coca-Cola in India and across the world, bringing to an end its ties with .
(GM) said on Friday it had called off the sale of a shuttered Indian plant to China's Great Wall Motor after they failed to obtain regulatory approvals, amid a tougher stance by New Delhi towards investments from Beijing.

GM struck a deal in January 2020 to sell the plant to Great Wall, with the Chinese SUV-maker expected to pay up to $300 million as part of a broader plan to invest $1 billion to establish a presence in India's growing car market.

The agreement, which was extended twice, expired on June 30.

"We have been unable to obtain the required approvals within the time frame of the deal," George Svigos, executive director, communications, GM International, told Reuters.

"Our strategy in remains unchanged and we will now explore further options for the sale of the site," he said, adding the company "hopes to achieve a price that reflects the value of the asset".

Great Wall and the Indian government did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

GM's deal with Great Wall was agreed just months before toughened its stance in April 2020 on investment from neighbouring countries including China, making them the first major casualty of the move that has held up billions of dollars of capital inflow in sectors such as automobiles and technology.

This was part of a broader crackdown by on businesses with Chinese links amid worsening diplomatic relations. Separately, New Delhi also banned more than 300 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, over security concerns.

The move draws a line under a more than two-year effort by GM and Great Wall, forcing the U.S. firm to restart its hunt for a buyer while it continues to spend money on maintaining some machinery and tooling in the factory.

Asked if the plant could be used to make electric vehicles, Svigos said it was suitable for a number of industrial uses, including by non-automotive companies, and GM would explore all options.

GM, which stopped selling cars in India at the end of 2017, has already sold its other plant to SAIC Motor Corp, where the Chinese automaker builds cars under its British brand, MG Motor.

This will also send Great Wall back to the drawing board on its plans to enter India, which it considered an important part of its global strategy to break into new markets like Latin America, Thailand and Brazil.

Last year, Great Wall re-allocated to Brazil a portion of its $1-billion investment earmarked for India and reassigned some of its staff after delays in winning government approvals.

(Reporting by Aditi Shah; Editing by Mark Potter)

(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.)
Global Business Process Management (BPM) service provider (Holdings) Limited today announced the of Chennai-based enterprise Vuram for $165 million.

Founded in 2011, Vuram currently has about 900 employees at various locations in India, the US, Mexico, Australia, Canada, and UK.

The provides end-to-end enterprise automation, customised and scalable BPM solutions. It also offers customisable, low-code, plug and play solutions across the front, middle, and back-office functions, and delivers industry-specific solutions for the BFSI (Banking, and Insurance), and verticals.

Keshav Murugesh, Chief Executive Officer, WNS, said Vuram had a proven track record of delivering strong growth, healthy margins, and exceptional customer value.  expects that the of Vuram will accelerate our organisational journey towards digitally-led, human-assisted services and solutions.

Their depth of knowledge in helping large global drive fast, scalable enterprise and business transformation is well-aligned with WNS short-term and long-term strategic plans, Murugesh said.

The transaction was valued at $165 million, including up-front payment and expected earn-outs. has funded the up-front payment for the in cash.

Venkatesh Ramarathinam, founder and CEO of Vuram, said the transaction will help the to accelerate the automation, optimization, and transformation of its clients. We look forward to working with the WNS team to continue to create custom, technology-led solutions, and competitive advantage for our BPM clients, Ramarathinam said.
At a time when the workers of two car manufacturers are negotiating severance package and wage revision, Hyundai Motors India Ltd has announced the inking of wage agreement with its worker's union.

On Thursday, announced the signing of a wage agreement with United Union of Hyundai Employees (UUHE).

The wage agreement will be effective from 1.4.2021 and valid till 31.3.2024 with handsome wage hike.

"Hyundai Motors is a running company. Ours is on the verge of closing," said a worker at Pvt Ltd's plant near here.

"The company management seems to be on a stronger wicket as about 1,400 workers have resumed production out of 2,600 workers. About 130 EcoSport models are rolled out daily in a single shift while service parts production is done on double shifts," the senior worker told IANS preferring anonymity.

According to him, there is not much progress in the talks on the severance package.

However, workers have started reporting to duty after (a) agreeing with the severance package (b) not agreeing with the severance package, he added.

has extended the plant shutdown date till July end. Earlier the company said it would wind up production at its Maraimalainagar plant by June end.

On the other hand, the arbitration proceedings in respect of wage revision for workers of Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd is progressing, said an officer bearer of Renault Nissan India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS)/worker's union told IANS.

He said some interim payments have been made by the company to the workers.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

--IANS

vj/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India must look at multiple technology options, including hybrids, to tackle and not just restrict to electric vehicles, a senior company official of Japanese auto major Toyota said on Friday.

In May, the company announced plans to invest Rs 4,800 crore in Karnataka for local production of powertrain parts and other components of Electric Vehicles (EVs). It is preparing to develop an ecosystem for electrified vehicles in the country as part of its path towards carbon neutrality.

"For India, we should have a diversified way to tackle carbon neutrality, not only BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), not only A or B or C (technology). We have to tackle with A and B and C," Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Managing Director Masakazu Yoshimura told PTI in an interview.

To do so, he said, "We need to have a good rich resource of technology backup ... we need good skilled manpower supported by some investments of course, and the government support."



Yoshimura said all stakeholders must get together to decide what is best suited for India.

Considering the size of the country and its diverse industries, he said "each industry in India must also have their own strategy on how to tackle (carbon emissions)."



"Fortunately, we have now a very good government leading us to that diversified manner to tackle the carbon neutrality," Yoshimura said, adding, although Toyota cannot provide all the technologies that suit the ideas that the government has provided, the company has some technologies that's already available in other parts of the world which can be used here.

When asked about the Indian government's push for EVs as compared to other technologies like hybrids, he said, "If India becomes a complete BEV oriented country, we will introduce our BEVs."



Last December, Corporation had announced plans to launch 30 new BEV models globally by 2030.

"We have BEVs and we can always introduce them (in India)," Yoshimura said.

When asked how soon the company can launch a full EV in India if the need arose, he said, "If it is CBU (Completely Built Unit), we can bring it, maybe, in six months minimum, perhaps, but it will have very less local content."



He further said, "If it is dedicated, uniquely designed for India, it will take two years."



Toyota has been investing significantly to create the ecosystem for EVs and not only just one technology but the entire range of electrified vehicles, whether it's an EV or a strong hybrid. The company's recent announcement of Rs 4,800 crore is towards advanced technologies.

It has also inaugurated one line that will manufacture e-drive, a major component that goes into any electrified technology, whether it's a BEV or a strong hybrid. It is trying to manufacture electrified vehicle powertrain parts in India in order to get to mass electrification.

When asked if Toyota is preparing for a big push towards electrification, Yoshimura said, "We have already prepared Toyota globally and TKM at the Bidadi site in Bangalore ... e-drive production line has already started production and will first start exporting to Japan and we will produce for the locally manufactured vehicles (including the Urban Cruiser Hyryder)."



Stressing on the significance of hybrid vehicles, he said they offer 40-60 per cent better fuel efficiency compared to similar conventional engine vehicles.

"It could immediately reduce the forex usage to buy the crude oil or any oil from Russia. It will save your expenditure as a nation immediately ... ," he added.

TKM on Friday forayed into the highly competitive mid-size SUV segment with the unveiling of its latest hybrid model -- Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which is expected to hit the market in the upcoming festive season.

The Hyryder comes with two powertrains -- Neo Drive and Self-charging Strong Hybrid Electric powertrain and will compete with the likes of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, among others.

The auto major said it has commenced bookings for the model at its dealerships across the country for an amount of Rs 25,000.

(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 district magistrates of 11 revenue districts in the national capital have been asked to carry out 'ground truthing' of desilting of drains carried out by the Department of Flood and Irrigation and other local bodies.

The directions were issued on June 24 during a senior officers' meeting.

Directions were also issued to the to expedite implementation of e-Court project along with faceless transactions in sub-registrar offices.

"All district magistrates personally take ground truthing of desilting of work of drains carried out by the Department of Flood and Irrigation and Local Bodies. The ground truthing work shall be done by the respective district magistrate personally and no delegation in this regard is allowed," the direction read.

It further said the "district magistrate can also push water in the drain in case there is a doubt regarding desilting of drain by the concerned authorities", and that the work should be carried out by next week.

In the meeting, it was also pointed out that 31 parameters under Ease of Doing Business are yet to be implemented by the . "These parameters should be implemented by October 31, 2022," the order said.

As Delhi received its first monsoon showers on Thursday, several areas, including the newly-inaugurated Pragati Maidan tunnel, ITO, Ring Road, the Barapullah corridor, the Delhi-Meerut expressway and Sarai Kale Khan, witnessed waterlogging leading to massive traffic snarls.

The officials concerned were also asked to submit a brief indicating the current status of these parameters and likely completion date of their implementation within one week.

(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.)
Development Authority and WWF India have joined hands for promoting nature-based experiential activities at Delhi's Sanjay Van here, officials said on Friday.

Sanjay Van, spread over nearly 783 acres, is an integral part of the South-Central Ridge and is a notified "Reserved Forest", the DDA said.

Located near Vasant Kunj, a part of ancient Aravalli Range with historic ruins of 12th century, the dense forest with a rich diversity of flora and fauna is home to a number of birds, reptiles, butterflies, odonates and mammals etc.

Its rich natural heritage is due to its distinct landscape with geomorphological features like rocky outcrops and water bodies, thus making it a haven for nature enthusiasts amidst the metropolis.

"The DDA has signed an MoU with World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF India) for nature-based learning and experiential activities at Sanjay Van, New Delhi," the DDA said in a statement.

The MoU aims to establish activities "based on 'learning with nature' and facilitate experiential activities like tree tagging, nature walks, flora & fauna observation, children's educational activities etc. along with educative signages, flora and fauna atlas and publications, and citizen science initiatives".

WWF India, with its commitment towards addressing conservation issues for securing ecological biodiversity and spreading educational awareness about nature, will act as the "knowledge & activity partner" and also undertake educational research and conservation of flora and fauna, it said.

These activities at Sanjay Van will build a sense of appreciation for the city's natural heritage among the citizen of Delhi, especially children, to inculcate an understanding and bond with nature at an early and impressionable age, officials said.

DDA, besides regular maintenance and upkeep of the large green, has taken several initiatives like enhancement of the forest character through plantation, restoration and conservation of heritage structures with ASI, cleaning of the water bodies with DJB etc, it said in the statement, adding that the pact with WWF India is another important initiative in this direction.

(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 toll due to a massive at a railway construction site in Manipur's Noney district rose to 10 on Friday as two more bodies were recovered from the debris, officials said.

The incident took place at Tupul yard railway construction camp on Wednesday night.

Search operations by the Indian Army, Assam Rifles, Territorial Army, Disaster Response Force and SDRF are underway as around 55 people are still missing, they said.

Eight bodies were retrieved till Thursday, including those of seven Territorial Army personnel from the incident site.

Two more bodies of Territorial Army personnel were recovered during the early morning search. Rescue operations continue, amid poor weather conditions with the additional support of NRDF, Assam Rifles, district police, Indian Red Cross Society, local volunteers and others, an official said.

Thirteen Territorial Army personnel and five civilians have been rescued so far, he said.

Eastern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen RP Kalita met the injured Territorial Army personnel who were initially admitted to Liemakong Military Hospital on Thursday.

They are now being provided medical aid at the Assam Rifles Hospital at Mantripukhri, another official said.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for those injured.

Governor La Ganesan condoled the deaths and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

The massive debris has blocked the Ijei River, creating a reservoir that may inundate low-lying areas.

"Due to the unfortunate where casualties are being reported and dozens buried alive, the flow of the Ijei River has also been obstructed by the debris, creating a dam-like storage condition, which if breached will wreak havoc to the low-lying areas of Noney district headquarters... an advisory issued by the deputy commissioner said on Thursday.

"... As the condition is still developing and the future is unknown, the general public is hereby advised to take their own precautions, and especially ensure children do not come out near the river. Whoever can evacuate are also advised to evacuate, it added.

It also advised travellers to avoid Highway-37 due to multiple road blockages.

(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 on Friday warned companies against indulging in unfair trade practices, including misleading advertisements, and said it will be forced to bring stringent guidelines if there is no self regulation by the industry players.

The increase in fake review in the space and ways to curb it were also dicussed during a meeting by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh with self-regulatory body India Consortium (IEC) and other industry players in the national capital.

IEC runs under the aegis of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

The meeting was attended by representatives of IAMAI, along with IEC member companies, including upGrad, BYJU'S, Unacademy, Vedantu, Great Learning, WhiteHat Jr. and Sunstone.

"If self-regulation does not curb the unfair trade practices, then stringent guidelines would require to be formulated for ensuring transparency," Singh said at the meeting.

Issues pertaining to unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements related to the Indian edtech sector figured prominently during the meeting, according to an official statement.

The secretary discussed ways to better manage consumer interests across the edtech ecosystem.

Singh pointed out that it has been reported that certain advertisements and practices do not seem to conform to prevalent guidelines and existing regulations.

Therefore, it is imperative to work together to maintain robust checkpoints that align with the consumers' interests, he said.

A recent report by Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said that education category was the largest violator of advertising code in 2021-22.

Singh also advised IEC to continue with their positive efforts to serve the ecosystem and form a joint working group with relevant stakeholders to create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

IEC comprises Indian startups and represents 95 per cent of the Indian learner community.

As part of the agenda, the industry members discussed the need to further enhance the Indian edtech ecosystem to better safeguard consumer interests, through seamless, transparent, and feasible offerings for consumers.

The industry members also briefed the secretary about the progress of the IEC and the direction of ongoing efforts to improve awareness and welfare of learners, the statement said.

In recent months, the government has been cracking down on cab aggregators, restaurant owners and food delivery platforms for unfair business practices.

(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.)
Monsoon arrived in on Thursday, eight days after the normal onset date.

During the last 24 hours, heavy rain was recorded at isolated places in Bhatarpur, Dausa, Alwar, Baran and Jaipur districts of east . The highest was recorded in Lawan of Dausa at 100 mm.

Director of Jaipur Meteorological Centre, Radheshyam Sharma said usually monsoon enters from Kota and Udaipur divisions of south eastern parts, but this time it has entered from Alwar, Kota and Bharatpur in eastern Rajasthan and not from south Rajasthan.

Conditions are favourable for further advancement of monsoon into some more parts of the state in the next 24 to 48 hours, he said.

According to the meteorological department, during the last 24 hours, 85 mm was recorded in Shahpura in Jaipur, 85 mm in Bansur of Alwar, 73 mm in Malkheda, 69mm in Shahbad, 61 mm in Dausa, 60 mm in Sawai Madhopur.

ranging from 58 mm to 30 mm was recorded in many parts.

Sharma said till 5.30 pm on Thursday, 53.4 mm of rain was recorded in Alwar, 26.2 mm in Kota, 9.1 mm in Pilani.

In the capital city of Jaipur, heavy rain was recorded in the evening, which continued for about half-an-hour, leading to waterlogging at many places.

According to the department, till 8.30 pm, 16 mm of rain was recorded in Jaipur, 4 mm in Churu and 28 mm in Kota.

Sharma added that most places in east Rajasthan are likely to receive rain and and lightening for the next three days. There is a possibility of heavy rain at some places and 'very heavy' rain at one or two places in the districts of Bharatpur, Kota, Jaipur, Ajmer and Udaipur divisions, he said.

He said there is a possibility of rain with thunder lightening at some places in the districts of Bikaner and Jodhpur division of western Rajasthan.

(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 visit Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh on Monday during which he will launch the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju.

He will also inaugurate Digital India Week 2022 in Gandhinagar on Monday, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

At around 11 AM on July 4, the prime minister will launch the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in Bhimavaram, the PMO said.

Thereafter, at around 4:30 PM, he will inaugurate the Digital India Week 2022 in Gandhinagar, it said.

As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the government is committed to giving due recognition to the contribution of freedom fighters and making people across the country aware of them, the statement said.

As part of that endeavour, Prime Minister Modi will launch the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of the legendary freedom fighter, Alluri Sitarama Raju, and also unveil a 30-feet tall bronze statue of Raju.

Born on July 4, 1897, Raju is remembered for his fight against the British, in order to safeguard interests of the tribal communities in the Eastern Ghats region.

He had led the Rampa rebellion, which was launched in 1922. He is referred to as Manyam Veerudu (Hero of the Jungles) by the local people.

The government has planned a series of initiatives as part of the year-long celebration.

To mark 100 years of Rampa Rebellion the attack on Chintapalli Police Station that marked its beginning, the birthplace of Raju at Pandrangi in Vizianagaram district and the police station will be restored, the statement said.

The government has also approved the construction of Alluri Dhyana Mandir at Mogallu with a statue of Raju in Dhyana Mudra, depicting the life story of the freedom fighter through mural paintings and AI-enabled interactive system.

In Gandhinagar, the prime minister will inaugurate the Digital India Week 2022, whose theme is 'Catalyzing New India's Techade'.

During the programme, Modi will launch multiple digital initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility of technology, streamlining service delivery to ensure ease of living and giving a boost to startups.

Prime Minister Modi will also launch 'Digital India Bhashini' which will enable easy access to the internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and help the creation of content in Indian languages.

The key intervention in building AI based language technology solutions for Indian languages will be the creation of multilingual datasets, the statement said.

Digital India Bhashini will enable massive citizen engagement to build these datasets through a crowdsourcing initiative called BhashaDaan, it said.

The prime minister will launch 'Digital India GENESIS' (Gen-next Support for Innovative Startups) - a National Deep-tech Startup Platform, to discover, support, grow and make successful startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India.

A total outlay of Rs 750 Crore has been envisaged for the scheme, the statement said.

Modi will also launch 'Indiastack.global' a global repository of key projects implemented under India Stack like Aadhaar, UPI, Digilocker, CowiN Vaccination Platform, Government e MarketPlace (GeM), DIKSHA Platform and Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission.

This offering of India to the Global Public Digital Goods repository will help position India as the leader of building Digital Transformation projects at population scale, and prove to be of immense help to other countries which are looking for such technology solutions, the statement said.

The prime minister will dedicate to the citizens 'MyScheme' a service discovery platform facilitating access to Government Schemes.

It aims to offer a one-stop search and discovery portal where users can find schemes that they are eligible for.

He will also dedicate to the citizens 'Meri Pehchaan' National Single Sign On for One Citizen Login.

National Single Sign-On (NSSO) is a user authentication service in which a single set of credentials provides access to multiple online applications or services.

The prime minister will also announce the first cohort of 30 Institutions to be supported under the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme.

The C2S Programme aims to train specialized manpower in the area of design of semiconductor chips at Bachelors, Masters and Research level, and act as a catalyst for growth of Start-ups involved in semiconductor design in the country, the statement said.

It offers mentoring at organisational level and makes available State-of-the-art facilities for design to the institutions. This is part of the India Semiconductor Mission to build a strong design ecosystem in semiconductors, it said.

Digital India Week 2022 will have physical events from July 4 to July 6 in Gandhinagar and it will celebrate the anniversary of Digital India while demonstrating how public digital platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, Cowin, Digilocker etc., have enabled ease of living for citizens.

It will showcase India's technological prowess to the global audience, explore collaboration and business opportunities with a wide range of stakeholders, and present the Techade of opportunities for NextGen, the statement said.

It will witness participation of startups and leaders from government, industry and academia.

A Digital Mela is also being organised with over 200 stalls that will showcase digital solutions enabling ease of living and also the solutions that have been developed by Indian Unicorns and Startups, the statement said.

Digital India Week will also have India Stack Knowledge Exchange in virtual mode from July 7 to 9.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday told the that the house demolished in following the June 10 violence had the nameplate of main accused Javed Mohammad on its gate.

In its counter-affidavit against the petition filed by the wife and daughter of Javed Mohammad challenging the demolition of their house, the state government raised preliminary objection to maintainability of the writ petition.

The petitioners have not challenged the May 25 order for the anti-encroachment action and it has not been brought on record.

Therefore, the writ petition deserves to be dismissed, the state government said.

Justice Anjani Kumar Mishra and Justice Syed Waiz Mian gave a week's time to the petitioners Javed Mohammad's wife Parveen Fatima and daughter Summaiya Fatima -- to file rejoinder and fixed July 7 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

The counter-affidavit stated that the gate of the house which was demolished had a plaque bearing the name of Javed Mohammad and the office of the Welfare Party of India was being run from there, even though the property was in a residential area. This shows that Javed was in possession of the house.

According to the petition filed by the accused's wife and daugher, The house did not belong to Javed Mohammad, but was owned by Fatima, who had received it as a gift from her parents before marriage.

The petitioners alleged that the Development Authority's notice, with the house number listed, was not addressed to Fatima but to her husband Javed Mohammad, the activist and businessman who was arrested on June 10 on charges of instigating violent protests against derogatory remarks targeting Prophet Mohammad.

(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.)
Soon after was sworn in as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader as the Deputy Chief Minister, the state government directed the Advocate General that the metro car shed be built in Mumbai's itself, said sources.

The side of the Maharashtra government regarding the metro car shed issue in Aarey forest should be presented before the Court, sources said.

In September 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister had said that the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important".

Mumbai Corporation announced its plan to cut down over 2,700 trees from the in order to build a car shed for the Metro. The colony, spread over 13,000 hectares, is home to over 27 Adivasi villages and inhabits various animal species.

The Bombay High Court in September 2019, verbally directed the Mumbai Corporation Limited (MMRCL) and the state government not to cut any trees in the Aarey forest area for the construction of a metro car shed, to which they agreed.

Later in October 2019, the Bombay High Court had dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in of Mumbai to make way for a Metro car shed.

However, the Maharashtra government had stayed the order for the Aarey metro car shed project following massive public agitation in the city.

In 2020, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the state government had withdrawn cases registered against people who were protesting against the proposed metro car shed in Aarey. He had said the proposed car shed has been shifted from Aarey to Kanjur Marg.

Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening.

He was administered the oath by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader took an oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

Fadnavis, who was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that will be the new CM. Fadnavis also announced at the press conference that he will not be part of the government.

Later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that Fadnavis has decided to be part of the new government in Maharashtra in the interest of the people of the state after a word from BJP chief JP Nadda and congratulated him for his decision.

He said in a tweet that Fadnavis has shown a "big heart" and the decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra.

"On the word of BJP chief JP Nadda, Devendra Fadnavis, showing a big heart, has decided to be part of the government in the interest of Maharashtra and the people of the state. This decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra. I congratulate him from the bottom of my heart," Amit Shah said.

Earlier on Thursday, Shinde and Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to stake a claim to form the government in the state.

"After the swearing-in ceremony today, we will have a cabinet expansion and Shiv Sena and BJP leaders will take the oath. I will stay out of the government," Fadnavis said.

"In 2019, BJP and Shiv Sena had an alliance and we got the required numbers in Assembly elections. We hoped to form the government but Shiv Sena chose to get into an alliance with those against whom Balasaheb protested throughout his life. Shiv Sena insulted the mandate of the people."

"Shiv Sena MLAs were demanding that the alliance with Congress and NCP should be ended but Uddhav Thackeray ignored these MLAs and gave priority to MVA alliance partners, that's why these MLAs intensified their voices," he added.

Uddhav Thackeray's resignation as Chief Minister on Wednesday came days after Shinde led a rebellion with at least 39 Shiv Sena MLAs.

Shinde, who was also present at the press conference with Fadnavis, said the decision taken is committed to Bal Thackeray's Hindutva and for development work in the constituencies of the 50 MLAs supporting him.

"A total of 50 MLAs are with us, including 40 MLAs from Shiv Sena...We have fought this battle so far with their help...I will not let even a scratch mar the trust that these 50 people have placed in me - let alone break that trust," Shinde said.

"The decision that we have taken is committed to Balasaheb's Hindutva and for the development work in the constituencies of our MLAs. We have 50 MLAs with us," he added.

The Shiv Sena leader further said that though BJP has 120 MLAs, Fadnavis did not take up the post of Chief Minister.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
leader Sanjay Raut will appear before the (ED) office today after the investigating agency declined his request to provide some extra time for his appearance in connection with a case.

The ED had sent him a second summons to appear before July 1, after he failed to appear in his first summon on Monday due to the then political crisis in Maharashtra.

Notably, Raut is being probed in connection with the re-development of Mumbai's Patra Chawl. His lawyer had sought 13-14 days time to present the documents in front of the probe agency, however, the request was declined by the Agency.

"I will be going to the (ED) office tomorrow," said the leader on Thusday while speaking to the media here.

Referring to Uddhav Thackeray's resignation from the post of the Chief Minister on Wednesday evening, he said that will work and come to power "on our own once again".

"Shiv Sena is not born for power, power is born for Shiv Sena. This has always been Balasaheb Thackeray's mantra. We will work & come to power on our own once again," he said.

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening.

He was administered the oath by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis took an oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

After taking the oath, Shinde and Fadnavis held the first cabinet meeting of the new government in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

Fadnavis, who was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that Eknath Shinde will be the new CM. Fadnavis also announced at the press conference that he will not be part of the government.

Later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that Fadnavis has decided to be part of the new government in Maharashtra in the interest of the people of the state after a word from BJP chief JP Nadda and congratulated him for his decision.

He said in a tweet that Fadnavis has shown a "big heart" and the decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra.

"On the word of BJP chief JP Nadda, Devendra Fadnavis, showing a big heart, has decided to be part of the government in the interest of Maharashtra and the people of the state. This decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra. I congratulate him from the bottom of my heart," Amit Shah said.

Earlier on Thursday, Shinde and Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to stake a claim to form the government in the state.

"After the swearing-in ceremony today, we will have a cabinet expansion and Shiv Sena and BJP leaders will take the oath. I will stay out of the government," Fadnavis said.

"In 2019, BJP and Shiv Sena had an alliance and we got the required numbers in Assembly elections. We hoped to form the government but Shiv Sena chose to get into an alliance with those against whom Balasaheb protested throughout his life. Shiv Sena insulted the mandate of the people."

"Shiv Sena MLAs were demanding that the alliance with Congress and NCP should be ended but Uddhav Thackeray ignored these MLAs and gave priority to MVA alliance partners, that's why these MLAs intensified their voices," he added.

Uddhav Thackeray's resignation as Chief Minister on Wednesday came days after Shinde led a rebellion with at least 39 Shiv Sena MLAs.

Shinde, who was also present at the press conference with Fadnavis, said the decision taken is committed to Bal Thackeray's Hindutva and for development work in the constituencies of the 50 MLAs supporting him.

"A total of 50 MLAs are with us, including 40 MLAs from Shiv Sena...We have fought this battle so far with their help...I will not let even a scratch mar the trust that these 50 people have placed in me - let alone break that trust," Shinde said.

"The decision that we have taken is committed to Balasaheb's Hindutva and for the development work in the constituencies of our MLAs. We have 50 MLAs with us," he added.The Shiv Sena leader further said that though BJP has 120 MLAs, Fadnavis did not take up the post of Chief Minister.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister chaired a meeting with the officials concerned on Thursday to take stock of the waterlogging situation after the first monsoon rains hit the national capital.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, "On Thursday, the first day of the onset of monsoon in Delhi, the entire city received heavy rains for hours but due to the alertness of the officials of PWD, MCD, Irrigation and Food Control Department, Revenue Department, the people of Delhi did not face the monsoon mayhem."

The Deputy Chief Minister said, "Out of 7 key spots which have emerged as severe water logging areas till last year, 6 places did not face any problem this year. These 6 locations are opposite ITO-WHO Building, Minto Bridge, Zakhira Underpass, Jahangirpuri Metro Station Road, Karala Kanjhawala Road, and Loni Roundabout. All these 6 places used to have severe waterlogging for many years but due to the steps taken in the last one year and with the officials from the PWD and other agencies keeping a close watch in the last 4-5 months, the problem of water logging was solved.''

"However due to a power outage and other problems on the first two days of the rainy season, there was a problem in the running of the pump at Pul Prahladpur and there was waterlogging due to which the traffic had to be stopped. But after two hours, the water was removed as the pump was running again. I have instructed the PWD officials to triple the number of pumps here within two days.'' He added.

As part of measures to prevent water logging in the national capital during the monsoon season, Deputy Chief Minister today also released the Flood Control Order 2022.

On the occasion, Sisodia stressed the need for all nodal agencies to work together to avoid flood-like problems in the Khadar area, due to waterlogging and the rise in the water level of the Yamuna river during monsoon in Delhi. He said, ''The joint efforts of all the agencies had ensured that the Government could deal with the problem of water logging effectively last year as well. This time too, the revenue department and other departments concerned should be prepared to deal with situations like floods during monsoon.''

The Deputy Chief Minister also directed the officers to visit different areas of Delhi, identify waterlogged areas, take immediate action on them and submit a report for the same.

(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.)
Tension gripped as an unidentified person allegedly hurled an explosive substance at the state headquarters of the ruling Thursday night.

Police said the explosive substance was hurled at the AKG Centre, situated in the heart of the capital city, by a motorbike-borne man at around 11.30 pm.

leaders who reached the spot alleged that it was a "bomb attack". Some party leaders, who were staying at the AKG Centre, said they heard a powerful blast outside the building.

Police were alerted immediately and a team of top officials inspected the spot and CCTV cameras were scrutinised. A bomb squad also inspected the spot.

CCTV visuals released by the through the official media group of the AKG Centre showed a man reaching the spot on a motorbike and hurling the "bomb" at the building and fleeing the spot. The explosive allegedly hit the stone wall of the AKG Centre.

Senior CPI(M) leader and LDF convener E P Jayarajan, who stays in the neighbourhood, alleged that the Congress was behind the provocative action and appealed to the CPI(M) workers to remain calm.

The opposition Congress, however, rejected the allegations.

Meanwhile, many ministers, including Finance Minister K N Balagopal, Education Minister V Sivankutty, rushed to the spot.

Several workers of the CPI(M) took out a protest march in the city. The workers also protested in Pathanamthitta and other places in the state.

As tense situation prevailed, the police tightened security around offices of the Congress in the state.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan called for a peaceful protest.

Accusing the Congress-led UDF of deliberately creating provocation, Balakrishnan urged the party workers not to fall in their trap.

An investigation has been launched to identify the culprits behind the attack, police said.

The incident comes ahead of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's visit to his constituency Wayanad on Friday.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi on Thursday reported a decline in its daily Covid tally with 865 fresh cases with a positivity rate of 4.45 per cent in the past 24 hours, according to data shared by the health department here. No death due to the viral infection was reported on Thursday, the data showed. The city on Wednesday had logged 1,109 cases with a positivity rate of 5.87 per cent and one fatality. The fresh cases were detected out of 19,435 tests conducted the previous day, according to the health department data. With the fresh infections, Delhi's case tally climbed to 1,934,874, while the death toll stood at 26,261.

An unstable world could get even more dangerous if NATO does not remain strong and united, the head of the alliance said Thursday at the end of a summit where Western leaders labelled Russia a direct threat to the security of their nations. During their three-day meeting in Madrid, NATO members confronted a geopolitical landscape marked by big-power competition and myriad threats, from cyberattacks to climate change. The leaders cast their sights around the world - drawing a rebuke after accusing China of posing serious challenges to global stability. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated the summit.

The BJP-led NDA's presidential nominee is likely to start her campaign on Friday from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, sources said on Thursday. Murmu is expected to reach Chandigarh on Thursday morning and thereafter she will go to Himachal Pradesh and interact with MLAs and MPs from the state. On her return, she will interact with elected representatives from Haryana. Both states are ruled by BJP and Murmu, a tribal leader from Odisha, is expected to get the support of the majority elected representatives from these states.
Chinese envoy urges U.S. to respond positively to reasonable demands of Iran

Xinhua) 09:09, July 01, 2022

UNITED NATIONS, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday urged the United States, as the party responsible for the Iranian nuclear crisis, to respond positively to the reasonable demands of Iran.

"The United States should face up to its responsibility, correct its mistake once and for all, make a political decision as soon as possible, and take concrete measures to respond positively to the reasonable demands of Iran," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said while addressing a Security Council briefing on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Iran and the United States held indirect talks on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Qatari capital of Doha to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which started to fall apart after Washington's pullout from the deal in May 2018.

"The previous U.S. administration, in disregard of objections from the international community, unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, and launched a maximum pressure campaign against Iran. We must admit that is the root cause of the current Iranian nuclear crisis," Zhang said.

He noted that the United States, while repeatedly stating its readiness to seek a return to compliance, is nevertheless escalating sanctions against Iran and third parties even during the process of resumed talks.

"Doing so is obviously detrimental to any positive progress in the talks. The United States should live up to its words and lift all relevant unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction measures against Iran, so that Iran can fully partake of the economic dividends of the JCPOA," he said.

Zhang stressed that to keep the resumed Iranian nuclear talks on the right track with a view to an early and positive outcome, double standards should be abandoned.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. All parties must strictly abide by the NPT, he said.

However, Zhang pointed out, the cooperation between the United States, the UK and Australia on nuclear submarines is the first time since the NPT was concluded that a nuclear weapon state has openly transferred nuclear weapon materials to a non-nuclear weapon state.

"Regardless of how the three countries may choose to name their nuclear submarine cooperation, the very essence of their nuclear proliferation behavior cannot be concealed, its negative impact on the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue cannot be undone, the risk it poses to regional peace and stability is a reality that cannot be changed," he said.

He emphasized that the practice of applying double standards to the detriment of the objectives and purposes of the NPT must be rectified in order to maintain the authority and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.

There is no better alternative to the JCPOA agreement, as dialogue and consultation is the only right way forward in the resolution of the Iranian nuclear crisis, Zhang noted.

He said that China welcomes and supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis, welcomes the relaunch of indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Doha, and appreciates the recent good offices by the EU.

He expressed hope that the EU, as the coordinator, will continue to play its unique role and work harder to encourage greater flexibility from the parties.

The envoy also called for eliminating interference in the negotiation process.

"As we approach the final hurdle, it is all the more important for all parties to firm up confidence, reject any and all interference, and preserve the hard-won results of the negotiations achieved to date," he said.

In this context, all parties should be guided by reason, exercise restraint, and refrain from taking unconstructive steps that would cause a spiraling of tensions, he said.

China objects politicizing the mandate of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as reflected in the Iran-related resolution recently forced through by some countries and adopted by the agency's Board of Governors, and supports settling outstanding issues through dialogue and cooperation between the IAEA and Iran, Zhang said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
The two men, who beheaded a tailor in Udaipur, were brought to Ajmer's high-security Jail on Thursday night.

The beheading of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in by two men for allegedly posting content in support of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma, had sparked public outrage across the country.

The assailants identified themselves in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. In the video, Riyaz was seen attacking 47-year-old Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other, Ghouse, recorded the crime on his mobile phone.

The victim reportedly had recently shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma-- former BJP leader who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad.Riyaz and Ghouse were arrested from Bhim in the Rajsamand district.

Kanhaiya Lal was cremated on Wednesday in in the presence of a large number of people who raised slogans demanding capital punishment for the accused. His last rites were performed amidst heavy police security.

Police on Wednesday said that the main accused involved in the killing of the tailor in were in touch with Pakistan-based organisation Dawat-e-Islami and one of them also went to Karachi in Pakistan in 2014 to meet the organisation.

Director General of Police (DGP) ML Lather said that besides the main accused police have also taken three other people into our custody, with whom they were in contact.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday took over the investigation of the brutal murder of a tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur who was hacked to death inside his shop by two men in broad daylight.

The incident took place in Udaipur's Maldas area. Soon after committing the crime, the two accused posted a video on social media boasting about the "beheading" and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life as well, police said. The two accused were arrested within hours of the incident.

NIA on Thursday said it suspects the role of a "terror gang and not a terror outfit".The anti-terror agency, however, made it clear that there is a role of a bigger gang behind the brutal killing and that it was not just an act done by only two persons, who were arrested by state police after the incident.

The agency also mentioned that the accused Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad will be presented in a special NIA court in Jaipur on Friday.As per the agency, the accused, both residents of Udaipur, will be questioned at NIA's Jaipur office and not be brought to Delhi.

NIA's six to 10-member team under the supervision of an Inspector General and a Deputy Inspector General rank officer is probing the matter, and a series of raids will be conducted as per inputs, said the officer.The anti-terror agency has filed a First Information Report (FIR) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as well as various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The move comes soon after the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday directed the NIA to take over the investigation of the case that shocked people across the country.

Making the announcement through its official Twitter handle, Home Ministry Office (HMO) had said "MHA has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation of the brutal murder of Shri Kanhaiya Lal Teli committed at Udaipur, yesterday".

In the tweet, the HMO has also mentioned that "the involvement of any organization and international links will be thoroughly investigated".

Following the murder, local markets in the area were shut as the traders demanded justice for the victim.

Internet services were suspended in Udaipur and a curfew has been imposed.A statewide alert had also been issued to all SPs and IGs to increase the mobility of forces and to maintain officers on the ground.

(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 on Friday came down heavily on suspended leader for her controversial comments against the Prophet, saying her "loose tongue" has "set the entire country on fire" and asked her to immediately apologise to the nation for her remarks. The said, "When you lodge a complaint against someone, that person is arrested but nobody dares to touch you that shows your clout". Hearing the plea of Nupur Sharma, the said that she has "threatened the security of the nation and must apologise". had moved SC seeking a transfer of all the FIRs registered against her, across several states over her controversial remark, to Delhi for investigation. Sharma said she is constantly facing life threats. has FIRs in several states against her for her alleged remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

Supreme Court slammed Nupur Sharma and said she should apologise to the whole country. The SC said that she and her loose tongue has set the entire country on fire. The apex court further said her outburst is responsible for the unfortunate incident at Udaipur, where a tailor was murdered.

ALSO READ: Kolkata police summon ex-BJP leader Nupur Sharma for comments on Prophet "What is the business of the TV channel and Nupur Sharma to discuss the matter which is sub-judice, except to promote an agenda?", the SC said.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Nupur Sharma, told the Supreme Court that Nupur Sharma had apologised for the remarks and withdrew the comments.

Responding to this, the Supreme Court said that she should have gone to the TV and apologized to the nation.

beheading incident

Earlier, the two men who beheaded a tailor in Udaipur, were brought to Ajmer's high-security Jail on Thursday night. The beheading of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in by two men for allegedly posting content in support of Nupur Sharma, had sparked public outrage across the country.

ALSO READ: Two accused in Udaipur killing shifted to Ajmer high-security jail The assailants identified themselves in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. In the video, Riyaz was seen attacking 47-year-old Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other, Ghouse, recorded the crime on his mobile phone.

The victim reportedly had recently shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma-- former leader who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad. Riyaz and Ghouse were arrested from Bhim in the Rajsamand district.
The ban on single-use plastic came into effect on Friday even as industry associations urged the government not to impose a blanket ban but implement it in a phased manner. The Union environment ministry said that the state governments, in a bid to implement the ban on single-use plastic smoothly, will initiate an enforcement campaign and close down units engaging in the production, distribution, stocking, and sale of such items.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the Management Amendment Rules, 2021, in August last year.

The rules mandate a ban from July 1 on manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic items -- an industry that is worth Rs 10,000 crore. The law would cover rigid plastic items such as plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, wrapping or packaging films, PVC banners less than 100 micron, straws, and stirrers.

The single-use plastic manufacturing industry employs nearly 200,000 people directly and around 450,000 indirectly, the ministry said.

Union environment minister Bhupinder Yadav, deferring the ban on Wednesday, said, "We are expecting cooperation from the FMCG industry. The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are currently manufacturing single-use plastics, would be urged to shift to making alternatives. We would run awareness programmes. The government is committed to the initiative and will not take a step back."

Several FMCG firms and restaurants rushed to meet the single-use as the companies and eateries said they were scrambling to replace plastic spoons, straws, and containers, citing the high cost of alternatives. Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have said the ban on single-use plastic will ultimately increase the cost of final products.

What products are banned from July 1, Friday?

Several products that use single-use plastic are banned from Friday. These include cutlery items such as plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, trays, etc. Other products that come under the ban are earbuds, balloon sticks, cigarette packs, sweet boxes, candy and ice cream sticks, invitation cards, polystyrene used for decoration, and PVC banners measuring under 100 microns.
P Chidambaram

The former finance minister had in 2006 proposed April 2010 as the deadline for implementing . He also released a white paper on state-level value-added tax

Vijay Kelkar

Former finance secretary Kelkar is widely credited with being the architect of . In 2009, a task force he headed had suggested a comprehensive, nationwide to deal with the complex indirect tax structure. The task force, constituted by the 13th Finance Commission, had recommended that all goods and services should be taxed at a single rate of 12%, split as 5% for central GST and 7% for state GST

Asim Dasgupta

The former West Bengal finance minister was the first chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers. He shaped many of the early discussions on GST

Pranab Mukherjee | Photo: PTI

Pranab Mukherjee

As finance minister, he saw the original deadline being missed and set a new deadline of April 2011.

As President, he signed GST into law

Arun Jaitley

Starting with the first meeting in September 2016, Jaitley is credited with bringing competing interests and divergent views of states and political parties together to make GST a reality. To some, he seemed to have compromised too much as what was originally envisaged as a three-slab structure still has five slabs

Hasmukh Adhia

The former finance secretary led the bureaucratic efforts during the early years of GST. During his tenure, many important initiatives were taken like the National Anti-Profiteering Authority, a series of rate rationalisations, e-way bills, and streamlining of filing returns

Arvind Subramanian

The former chief economic advisor led a panel that recommended a three-rate structure, with a revenue neutral rate of 15%, and a standard rate of 17% or 18%

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman | Photo: Bloomberg

Nirmala Sitharaman

The Union Finance Minister has led the during some of the toughest times for the economy after the Covid-19 outbreak. She has also had to deal with some setbacks in the GSTs federal structure, primarily on the issue of compensation cess

Sushil Modi

The former Bihar finance minister was closely linked with GST even before it came into being. He led a number of Group of Ministers panels. In 2020, he broke ranks and was the first BJP finance minister to state that the Centre was morally bound to pay states for GST revenue shortfall
Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the ambitious programme of the Union government to democratise the fast-growing e-commerce sector, will start opening up its platform for public use by August, said senior officials.

ONDC has started its pilot in six cities and is seeing good transactions. As we get more sellers on the platform, we will start opening it up for the public as well. At present, we have 150 entities. Of these, seven have gone live, 10 more will go live in a few months and 70 entities will get integrated on to the network by the end of this year, said T Koshy, chief executive officer of ONDC.

Seven companies  one buyer side app, five seller side apps, and one logistics service provider app  have built their own ONDC compatible apps. To begin with, Koshy said, ONDC was focusing on two sectors  grocery and food.

To bring more offerings to the network, ONDC joined hands with Nabard and launched a first-of-its-kind hackathon for the agriculture segment. The sector would include farmers, artisans, farm producers, etc. The innovation challenge awards are up to Rs 30 lakh.

The hackathon received 700 applications, of which 400 have been selected. For the next three days, they will work on solutions that will bring ease of accessibility for farmers.

Some of the solutions that the hackathon is looking at is developing a prototype that allows contextualised search for farm input, creating a prototype for fast digitisation of catalogs, and lifecycle management of digital catalog, among others.

The idea is to create awareness so that opportunities can be created for everyone within the network. This hackathon is focused on giving solutions to nine real-life problems. With Nabard, the idea is to reach out to farmers. The objective of the government is double the farmer income. A very important aspect in that value chain is to provide better prices to their produce, he said.

When asked about the impact of the changes to the GST Councils announcement to waive mandatory registration for small businesses, Koshy said it would benefit the smaller players and would aid ONDC.

Earlier if you were a seller and doing business online irrespective of your size, you had to have a GST registration. That has been removed and, instead, a threshold has been announced, Koshy said.

ONDC has been created to break the monopoly of some platforms Amazon, Flipkart, etc  in the e-commerce segment.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, while addressing the launch of the hackathon, said: As a country, we need to have a market that is open to all sellers and buyers. India is a market of more than a billion, the existing system gives access to the only privileged buyers and sellers. We have implemented this ONDC protocol that will help any buyer and any seller to talk and transact. We are expecting that there will be many entities like the telcos (Airtel and Vodafone) and banks like SBI who have digital consumers. But now, these consumers will be open to any seller. And this is a humongous opportunity for the seller community.

ONDC, which is a Section 8 company, also received its first tranche of fundraise from institutions that are backing it. ONDC is backed by 20 institutions and each of them has put in Rs 10 crore each. We have received Rs 155 crore and the rest will be issued to us in some time, said Koshy.

The institutions backing ONDC include five top public sector banks, BSE, NSE, NSDL, NPCI, Nabard, Sebi, and others.
New project investments by private and government entities in the April-June quarter exceeded last years first quarter numbers.

The total value of new projects stood at Rs 3.57 trillion for the three months ended June 2022 (Q1 FY23), the data from project tracker Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy showed. The Q1 numbers are 21.4 per cent higher compared to the same period last year. There were new projects worth Rs 2.94 trillion in the June 2021 quarter.

Meanwhile, the March 2022 quarter figure came in at Rs 5.9 trillion. The value of new projects can vary at different times of the year. Last year had seen the worst impact during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which spanned the April-June period. New projects have been inching closer to normalcy, though a definitive trend is yet to emerge.

Around Rs 87,000 crore worth of projects were completed in June 2022. The completion rate is 22.5 per cent higher than last year. The value of stalled projects fell 39.4 per cent to around Rs 20,000 crore. Such investments are known as capital expenditure. It covers the building of roads and other infrastructure, as well as setting up of factories or new production capacities.

Higher investments can help boost economic growth. Companies typically make new investments when existing capacity is not able to keep up with demand.

Capacity utilisation had dropped to less than 50 per cent during the worst period of the pandemic, amid government curbs. Capacity utilisation has been picking up, according to the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBIs) quarterly Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey.

The survey of 800 manufacturing firms showed that they were operating at over 70 per cent of their capacity. This is significantly higher than the pandemic low of 47.3 per cent for the first quarter of the financial year 2020-21 amid the Covid-induced lockdowns. The current levels show an increasing trend from the immediately preceding quarter as well.

The capacity utilisation for the manufacturing sector at the aggregate level picked up further to 72.4 per cent in Q3 of 2021-22. It was 68.3 per cent in the previous quarter and reflected improved manufacturing activities, said the survey, which was released with a lag. The latest is for the three months ending December 2021. This may have risen further, according to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, who mentioned it as part of a statement on June 8.

Going by the early results of our surveys, capacity utilisation in the manufacturing sector increased further to 74.5 per cent in Q4 of 2021-22 from 72.4 per cent in Q3 in 2021-22. Capacity utilisation is also likely to increase further in 2022-23, he said.

Company balance sheets are in a better position for investment in new projects, S N Subrahmanyan, chief executive officer and managing director of Larsen and Toubro (L&T) said while discussing the companys results with analysts and investors during an earnings call on May 12.

Some of the balance sheets, which were very bad, also got acquired by better balance sheets. As the economy grows, I expect private capital to start getting invested. The companies, which are leveraged, have come down on the leverage and are now thinking of possibilities of investments, he added.
Holdings PLC plans to relaunch its India private banking business within a year, its India CEO told Reuters on Thursday, after the Asia-focused lender has identified the country as a key strategic market for growth.

exited the Indian private banking business in 2015 as part of a group strategy. The lucrative but very competitive Indian market has few foreign players in a segment catering to high-net-worth individuals.

The London-headquartered bank is preparing to relaunch the business in India at a time when its increasing its focus on Asia, which is the biggest region in terms of its profit generation with Greater China and India among its main markets.

"We can see the amount of wealth creation in India and the growth in the number of millionaires ... so an in-principle decision has been made to re-introduce private banking in India," Hitendra Dave, CEO, India said.

"We are running through the process of internal approvals and it may take anywhere from six to 12 months and will include a full suite of private banking products," he said in an interview.

Currently, HSBC focuses on catering to wealthy Indians from its global hubs in Singapore, London and the Middle East.

Nuno Matos, HSBC global CEO of wealth and personal banking, which includes the private banking business, told Reuters in November last year that the bank was exploring whether to re-enter onshore private banking in India.

HSBC earned just over half of its revenue and about two-thirds of reported pretax profit in 2021 from Asia. It has increased its focus on Asia by moving global executives and ploughing billions of dollars into the lucrative wealth management business.

The bank also aims to as much as quadruple its customer base in India in different business segments over the next three to five years, Dave said, taking advantage of some foreign rivals shrinking their business and growing wealth in the country.

HSBC India's profit before tax rose 9% to $1.11 billion in 2021 from $1.02 billion in 2020 led by a 42% growth in income from its commercial banking business, which includes medium and small enterprises.

"Over the years the group has invested $4.5 billion into the country. In the last few years we have managed to grow without needing extra capital and that may continue in the foreseeable future also," said Dave.

The lender last year agreed to buy the mutual fund arm of India's L&T Holdings for $425 million, and also plans to increase its stake in the insurance joint venture.

"HSBC has identified India as one of its top strategic market and we have a huge potential for organic growth but we may also look at inorganic growth if an opportunity arises," said the India CEO.

(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.)
will start a de-radicalisation campaign for Islamists in jail as years of security clampdown has waned the strength of the militant outfits in the country since the 2016 terrorist attack on a posh Dhaka restaurant in which 20 people, including an Indian and 16 other foreigners, were killed, officials said here on Friday.

"The initiative is aimed to prevent the jailed militants' return to the path of militancy, said a spokesman of police's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit as revisits the horror of the July 1, 2016 night at the Holey Artisan cafe.

CTTC unit chief Mohammad Asaduzzaman said they received the home ministry's approval to the deradicalisation campaign to appoint psychologists, clerics and counterterrorism experts to counsel the militants who were in jail or on bail.

Under the project, the CTTC will rehabilitate 20 militants in next one year, providing them financial support so they could earn their living and get themselves reintegrated into society after they complete their prison terms, he said, adding, We will also monitor their activities.

According to home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, 7,000 suspected militants were arrested under the anti-terrorism campaign since 2016.

Five militants, armed with guns and machetes, stormed the Holey Artisan cafe on July 1, 2016 evening and took diners hostage and carried out the massacre overnight, killing nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American, an Indian woman and five Bangladeshis, including two police officials.

Army commandos launched a counter assault, killing all the attackers on the spot in the early hours of July 2 and rescued the survivors after 12 hours of mayhem during which one restaurant worker was accidentally killed.

An Islamic State or IS-inclined outfit called Neo Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (Neo JMB) had carried out the massacre. While the IS immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, Bangladesh repeatedly declined the presence of any foreign terrorist group in the country, attributing the incident to homegrown terrorists.

Three years later, a Bangladesh court in 2019 handed death sentences to seven Neo-JMB operatives who were found to have financed the attack, supplied weapons, or assisted in other forms those who directly carried out the massacre.

Their case, however, is pending at the high court for a mandatory death reference hearing. Bangladesh's attorney general's office has said efforts were underway to quicken the process.

The attack forced Bangladesh to launch immediately a massive and protracted nationwide anti- crackdown engaging its military, specialised police units including elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which also draws personnel from army, navy and air force.

A series of crackdowns killed dozens of militants including women, some with their minor children who could not be saved during the armed encounters at the Islamists hideouts.

The CTTC and other security agencies said the Neo-JMB and other such outlawed militant groups currently lost their operational strengths while some groups were trying to remain active on online platforms.

Former CTTC chief and police's incumbent additional inspector general Monirul Islam had recently underlined that like many countries, Bangladesh also witnessed a rise in radicalisation and counterterrorism is a complex and lengthy task that requires the involvement of the whole of society.

The frequent reports of discovery of militant hideouts and recovery of their materials indicate they became weak, but not inactive, said security analyst retired major general ANM Muniruzzaman, who runs the private Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS).

Coinciding with the sixth anniversary of the Holey Artisan attack, the anti-terrorism unit (ATU) on Friday released a nationwide study report on militancy, which noted that half of the jailed militants were from low-income families.

The ATU report said 83 per cent of the militants hailed from northwestern Bangladesh, still considered a backward region as the study analysed the data of the past two decades which indicated JMB to be the strongest outfit in terms of manpower.

As per the study, 58.3 per cent jailed militants belonged to JMB, 10.27 to Neo-JMB, 7.72 to Ansarulla Bangla Team (ABT), 7.39 to Hizbut Tahrir, an outfit which comprised members hailing from rich and educated families, Bengali newspaper Samakal reported.

The rest 16.32 per cent militants belonged to other outlawed groups like Harkatul Jihad Bangladesh (HuJi-B), it said.

The ATU said they carried out the study among 1,217 jailed militants selected on random sampling basis. Most of them were aged between 31 and 40 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.)
Former Prime Minister can face treason charges for abrogating the of said Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday, reported Geo News.

During a news conference, Aurangzeb said that according to the Supreme Court's verdict, had violated the when he was facing a no-trust motion as the then deputy speaker had ruled out the vote of no-confidence against him unconstitutionally.

She was speaking in reference to PTI leader and former deputy speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri's ruling when he had rejected the no-trust motion against then prime minister Imran Khan, however, SC termed it unconstitutional and restored the NA, reported Geo News.

Aurangzeb went on to say that has been asking the neutrals continuously to intervene, "This is the case of Article 6 for violating the .

After failing at his attempts to block the no-confidence motion upon realization of falling short of the majority, Khan declared the launch of a "freedom struggle" in the National Assembly within hours of being voted out of power on April 10.

Further, the Supreme Court had to repeatedly intervene in the process of the no-trust motion, by taking note of the rejection of the motion in the National Assembly and summoning all parties for a four-day hearing.

The relevant provisions of the constitution based on which Khan can face treason charges include Article 5(1) under which "loyalty to the state and obedience to the constitution and law" is an inviolable obligation of every citizen.

Another article included in the petitions -- Article 6 -- states that any person who abrogates or attempts to abrogate the constitution by use of force shall be guilty of high treason, adding that an act of treason cannot be validated by any court including the Supreme Court.

Thus, a trial against Khan may implicate all those who participated in blocking the parliamentary vote, a legitimate exercise under the Constitution.

These cohorts include President Arif Alvi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar, Deputy Speaker Qasim Shah Suri and two former ministers -- Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Fawad Chaudhary.

Moreover, dismissing serious concern from the government's legal wing, Khan sent the Foreign Office diplomatic letter to Chief Justice of Umar Ata Bandial, claiming that a foreign country sent a threatening message through Pakistan's envoy.

Lambasting PTI's narrative of a foreign conspiracy, Aurangzeb said that if Imran Khan had received the cypher on March 8, why didn't he initiate an inquiry by setting up a commission, reported Geo News.

"Imran Khan should have formed a commission if he already knew about the conspiracy, but he did not hold (an) inquiry because it was a blatant lie," she 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.)
Co. has ended its attempt to sell a mothballed plant in India for about $300 million to Chinas Co. after failing to get government approval to close the deal.

GM had twice extended the terms of the deal to close the sale as the two sides waited for a green light from the Indian government. When the June 30 deadline came and went, the Detroit automaker called off the sale and will instead explore other options, a spokesman said.

The collapse of the deal is the latest snag in GMs exit from India. The automaker is also stuck in legal challenges from the labor union that represents more than 1,000 former workers at the factory, which claims the layoffs were illegal.

The Indian government has been scrutinizing business ties with as relations between the two nations become increasingly strained. The economic rivals in the region have also squabbled over territory on Indias northern border, where troops on both sides clashed in 2020.

For GM, the sale of the plant would mark the end of its presence in India. The company canceled a planned $1 billion investment in the market in 2017 and stopped selling Chevrolet vehicles there as part of a broader retrenchment of the automakers global businesses. GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra also pulled the company out of Russia, Australia, Southeast Asia and South Africa.

Global automakers face a particular struggle to gain traction in India. Consumers favor cheap, compact cars such as those made by Hyundai Motor India Ltd. and Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., and the two control around 60% of the market. Toyota Motor Corp. has ruled out any expansion there, and motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Inc. pulled out in 2020. Ford Motor Co. is also winding down its Indian operations.
An informal (EU) summit will be held in the Czech capital Prague on October 6-7, European Council President Charles Michel and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after their meeting in Prague.

Michel, who visited Prague on Thursday on the eve of the start of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council, said the Czech presidency comes at a "turning point" for .

"Never has our Union faced such great challenges," he said in a statement, naming the conflict in Ukraine, security and defence, energy, and the resilience of EU economies.

"I confirm that on October 6 and 7, you will host the 27 European leaders for the informal meeting of the European Council," he added.

According to the Fiala, the economic situation of the citizens of the EU member states and the availability of energy will also be a great challenge, Xinhua news agency reported.

"These are all things that we cannot even deal with in isolation, like individual European states. We must find a common European solution," he said in a separate statement.

The Czech Republic is to take over the rotating EU Council presidency for the next half a year starting from July 1. It has listed refugee crisis and aid to Ukraine, energy security, defense reinforcement and resilience of the European economy, among others, as its presidency's main priorities.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
said Thursday it is ready for new indirect talks with the to overcome the last hurdles to revive its tattered 2015 nuclear deal with major powers amid a growing crisis over the country's atomic programme.

Iran's UN Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi told the UN Security Council that the Iranian negotiating team is ready to engage constructively again to conclude and reach agreement.

The ball is in US' court, and if the U.S. acts realistically and shows its serious intention to implement its obligations, the agreement is not out of reach, he added.

Ravanchi's remarks came a day after indirect negotiations between and the U.S. ended in Qatar after failing to make significant progress. Yet Ravanchi described the Qatar talks as serious and positive.

He said will contact the European Union coordinators for the next stage of talks.

During intensive consultations with EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Tehran last week Iran once again emphasized its willingness to provide creative solutions to the remaining issues in the hope of ending the deadlock, Ravanchi said.

He spoke at a Security Council meeting on the U.N. resolution that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal and its five permanent members the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France and Germany. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled America out of the agreement, known as the JCPOA, raising tensions across the wider Middle East and sparking a series of attacks and incidents.

President Joe Biden's administration has been working to renew the agreement, which placed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief, which Iran insists it has never received.

The State Department said after this week's talks in Doha that Iran raised issues wholly unrelated to the JCPOA and apparently is not ready to make a fundamental decision on whether it wants to revive the deal or bury it.

Before Ravanchi spoke, U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills told the council that the remains committed to a mutual return to full implementation" of the JCPOA.

Mills said the U.S. has been prepared for months to conclude a deal based on understandings negotiated in Vienna in March, but we can only conclude a deal, and implement it, if Iran drops its additional demands that are outside the scope of the JCPOA.

The Vienna talks have been on pause since March. And since the deal's collapse, Iran has been running advanced centrifuges and rapidly growing stockpiles of enriched uranium to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels.

However, Tehran continues to suffer under intense economic sanctions while the West hopes to again curtail its nuclear programme.

(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.)
Israel's outgoing premier Naftali Bennett on Friday thanked his "dear friend" Prime Minister for commending him for being "a true friend to India".

Israel's Parliament voted Thursday to dissolve itself and send the country to the polls in November for the fifth time in less than four years. Yair Lapid, Israel's foreign minister and architect of the outgoing coalition government, took over the prime ministership from Bennett to became the country's caretaker prime minister just after midnight on Friday.

"Thank you His Excellency @naftalibennett for being a true friend of India. I cherish our fruitful interactions and wish you success in your new role," Modi said in a tweet.

In response, Bennett tweeted, "Thank you my dear friend. To a long and strong friendship."



According to The Times of newspaper, Bennett announced Wednesday night that he will not be running in the upcoming elections and will be stepping back from political life.

Modi also congratulated Lapid for assuming the premiership of and said he looks forward to furthering the bilateral strategic partnership as the two countries celebrate 30 years of full diplomatic relations.

"Warm wishes and heartiest congratulations to His Excellency @yairlapid for assuming the premiership of . I look forward to continue furthering our strategic partnership as we celebrate 30 years of full diplomatic relations," he tweeted.

(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.)
Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in to formally become an associate justice of the US Supreme Court, making her the nation's first African-American woman to serve in that role.

Chief Justice John Roberts administered the constitutional oath for Jackson on Thursday afternoon while Associate Justice Stephen Breyer administered the judicial oath, in a ceremony before a small gathering of her family at the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill.

Jackson, in a statement, said that she will administer justice "without fear or favour".

The ceremony was streamed live on the homepage of the Supreme Court's website. A formal investiture ceremony will take place at a later date, according to the court, Xinhua news agency reported.

It came a day after Breyer, who had served in the Supreme Court since 1994, announced he would step down from the Supreme Court bench on Thursday. The 83-year-old liberal announced his retirement from the court early this year.

US President Joe Biden announced in late February the nomination of Jackson, 51, to succeed Breyer. It was one of the veteran Democrat's major promises to fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy with an African American woman.

The US Senate confirmed Jackson in a 53-47 vote in April, with three Republicans joining 50 Democrats and independents in supporting Biden's nomination of her for the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is the final appellate court of the US judicial system, with the power to review and overturn lower court decisions, and is also generally the final interpreter of federal law, including the country's constitution.

Since the Supreme Court was established in the US in 1789, 116 justices have been confirmed to the bench. Of them, 108 are white men and only six are women, including Jackson. The justices have life tenure and can serve until they die, resign, retire, or are impeached and removed from office.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 2022 Summit ended in Madrid amid mounting criticism of the military alliance's increasingly aggressive and destabilising security policies unveiled at the meeting.

Twenty-two members on Thursday agreed to launch the Innovation Fund, a multi-sovereign venture capital fund that will invest 1 billion euros ($1.05 billion) in startups and other venture capital funds developing emerging technologies for both civilian and military use.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the fund's signing ceremony that it would help transform NATO's security environment and strengthen its innovation ecosystem, Xinhua news agency reported.

The fund's launch is the latest in a long list of provocative security policies adopted at the two-day NATO meeting.

NATO leaders on Wednesday agreed to strengthen the alliance's forward defenses, enhance the bloc's battlegroups on its eastern flank and increase the number of high readiness forces to more than 300,000.

On Thursday, they approved the military bloc's new strategic concept, which calls Russia the "most significant and direct threat" to NATO's security and unjustly accuses China of posing "systemic challenges".

NATO also invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance on Wednesday.

In an explicit move to meddle in the regional affairs of the Asia-Pacific, NATO invited the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to attend its summit for the first time.

The four Asia-Pacific countries held a four-way meeting on the sidelines of the NATO Summit to discuss strengthening ties with the alliance.

The US, Japan and South Korea also held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines to discuss issues related to North Korea.

While Stoltenberg insisted that the NATO meeting was focused on "transforming and strengthening" the alliance for the security of its members, analysts and officials from non-NATO countries have said that NATO is inciting bloc confrontation with an outdated Cold War mentality.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday condemned NATO's new strategic concept, saying the document distorts facts, smears China's foreign policy, makes irresponsible remarks on China's normal military development and national defense policy, encourages confrontation and conflicts, and is full of Cold War mentality and ideological bias.

Zhao added that NATO claims to be a regional and defensive organisation, but in fact, it has been transgressing regions and fields, constantly waging wars and killing civilians, and now NATO has extended its reach to the Asia-Pacific region in an attempt to export the Cold War mentality.

Gilbert Achcar, a professor of development studies and relations with the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, told Xinhua on Thursday that NATO's new strategic concept shows the alliance is "going far beyond the area of NATO into the Asia-Pacific".

"NATO has always been used by the US as a tool to perpetuate its hegemony," Achcar added.

"The US is trying to push Europe to take part in its own policies, including in East Asia."

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Madrid, the US and many other European countries this week to protest against the alliance and call for peace.

--IANS

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Pakistan on Friday confirmed that it has 682 detained in its jails, as Islamabad and New Delhi exchanged a list of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody, a routine practice between the two neighbours under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access.

These lists are exchanged twice a year -- on January 1 and July 1 respectively.

Pakistan shared with the Indian High Commission here a list of 682 detained in the country, including 49 civilians and 633 fishermen, the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

Similarly, the Indian side has also shared a list of 461 Pakistani prisoners in India, including 345 civilians and 116 fishermen with the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

These steps were taken under clause (i) of the Consular Access Agreement between Pakistan and India, signed on 21 May 2008, mandating both countries to exchange lists of prisoners in each other's custody on 01 January and 01 July every year, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

India on Friday called on Pakistan to release and repatriate 536 Indian fishermen and three civilian prisoners who have completed their jail terms and whose nationality has been confirmed.

In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to 105 fishermen and 20 civilian prisoners who have been in Pakistan's custody and are believed to be Indians, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

"The government has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats, from Pakistan's custody," the MEA said in a statement in New Delhi.

"In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 536 Indian fishermen and three Indian civilian prisoners to India who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan," it said.

The MEA said India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country.

India has also urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 57 Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation by Pakistan.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian President signed a decree to transfer rights to the Sakhalin 2 oil and gas project to a new Russian company, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.

Stakeholders have one month to say whether theyll take stakes in the new company, the report said. Japans Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. are partial owners of Sakhalin Energy Investment, with a 12.5 per cent stake and a 10 per cent stake in the operator, respectively.

The decree cited threats to Russias national interests and economic security, according to a statement dated June 30, issued by the Kremlin and signed by Putin.

Energy giant Shell Plc holds a 27.5 per cent stake in Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., the operator of the facility. Shell previously said that it would exit the investment after Russia invaded Ukraine, and CEO Ben van Beurden said earlier this week that theyre making progress selling their stake in the project.

Japanese trading houses Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co. own a combined 22.5 per cent of the Sakhalin project, and a majority of the gas produced there supplies Japan. While Japan has initially been quick to impose a range of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in March the country wont withdraw from the Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas export project.

Missiles hit apartments, resort

Russia flattened part of an apartment building while residents slept on Friday in missile attacks near Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa that authorities say killed at least 21 people, hours after Russian troops abandoned a nearby outpost at Snake Island.

Neighbours in the resort village of Serhiivka helped workers comb through the rubble of the nine-storey apartment block, a section of which had been completely destroyed at 1:00 a.m.

Walls and windows of a neighbouring, 14-storey apartment block had also been damaged by the blast wave. Nearby holiday camps were also hit.

Ukraine grain exports plunge 43%

Ukraines grain exports plunged 43 per cent year-on-year to 1.41 million tonnes in June, the agriculture ministry said on Friday, highlighting the damage being inflicted on a key sector of the economy by Russias invasion.

Still, grain exports for the 2021-22 season ending June 30 rose 8.5 per cent to 48.5 million tonnes, driven by strong shipments prior to the invasion, the data showed.

Ukraines grain exports have slumped since the start of the war as its Black Sea ports  the key route for shipments  have been largely closed off, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East The ministry data showed wheat exports rose to 18.7 million tonnes in the 2021/22 season from 16.6 million a year earlier.

Additional support from EU

The European Union will propose 1 billion ($1.04 billion) in short-term financial relief for Ukraine to shore up the war-ravaged nations urgent cash needs, as Germany continues to hold up talks on a larger package, according to people familiar with the matter.

EU officials prepared the back-up option on Thursday after the European Commission, the blocs executive arm, failed to secure Berlins blessing for a package that would entail  8.8 billion in loans.

In addition to qualms over the structure of the financing, Germany is calling for grants rather than loans, the people said.

The emergency funding needs to be approved by all member states before it can be disbursed.
supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada attended the ongoing Loya Jirga or grand assembly of Afghan religious scholars and elders in Kabul on Friday.

According to local media reports, the supreme leader would deliver a speech to the participants, reports Xinhua news agency.

About 3,500 ulema or religious scholars, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, have been invited from across the war-torn country to attend the three-day gathering, which opened on Thursday.

According to the Taliban-led administration, the Jirga allows people of and even representatives of Iran and Pakistan-based Afghan refugees to attend the grand assembly.

Some 70 personalities representing Afghan refugees in Pakistan and about 30 from refugees living in Iran are in attendance.

Participants of the jirga are expected to discuss a series of issues, including reopening schools for girls from classes 7-12, the type of government, national flag and national anthem.

--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.)
British Prime Minister will host Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in London on Friday for talks on security and boosting bilateral ties.

The meeting comes after both leaders attended the NATO summit in Madrid this week.

Johnson's office said he and Ardern will discuss security challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region and the situation in Ukraine.

They are also expected to discuss tackling online disinformation and deepening bilateral trade ties as well as agree on new measures to boost the two countries' ties in scientific research.

"The partnership between the U.K. and makes both of our countries safer and more prosperous," Johnson said in a statement. "We are working side by side to address new and evolving threats that threaten to undermine stability and sovereignty in Europe and the Indo-Pacific."



The UK and signed a free trade agreement in February following a similar deal with Australia in late 2021.

Johnson said the agreement slashes red tape, cuts tariffs on exports and creates opportunities for British businesses to travel and trade. But British farmers have said eliminating tariffs for agricultural products would expose sectors like beef, lamb and dairy to unfair competition.

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An Indian-origin entrepreneur with ambitious goals of developing virtual-world technologies has been arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in an alleged $45 million investment scheme that targeted more than 10,000 people.

US Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite announced on Wednesday the filing of charges in a federal court in Nebraska against Neil Chandran, who owned several companies under the banner of ViRSE.

The Justice Department said that Chandran was arrested in Los Angeles.

The Department added that Chandran, 50, falsely promised investors an extremely high rate of returns by claiming that a consortium of wealthy persons, including two billionaires, was about to acquire one or more of his companies.

But there were no such buyers or billionaires and a substantial part of the funds collected from the investors "were misappropriated for other business ventures and the personal benefit of Chandran and others," the Department said.

He is charged with three counts of wire fraud, which usually involve transmitting or receiving funds in electronic transactions, and two counts of "engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property".

According to court papers, Chandran gave "false and misleading information" to a person, who was not identified, and who in turn passed it on to another.

That person, who was also not named, "marketed the investment opportunity to thousands of current and prospective investors through email updates and conference calls," the court papers said.

Some of the investors paid for their investments using cryptocurrency,

The companies that operated under the banner of ViRSE included Free Vi Lab, Studio Vi Inc., ViDelivery Inc., ViMarket Inc. and Skalex USA Inc.

The companies "developed virtual-world technologies, including their own cryptocurrency, for use in the companies' own metaverse," the Justice Department added.

A website with the name ViRSE had an invitation to "get a jumpstart on becoming a ViRSE Millionaire with our exclusive and limited edition ViRSEWare -- Android Devices preloaded with the beta ViRSE App Suite, and a generous bundles of ViRSE Tokens".

It said that ViRSE was "the virtual universe of people, places and content accessible from any internet-enabled device on this planet".

The Justice Department said that 39 Tesla vehicles as well as about 100 different assets, including real estate and other luxury vehicles, belonging to him could be forfeited depending on the verdict in the case and that many of them are being seized by authorities.

This appears to be at least his second run-in with the law.

In 2018 he was found guilty of by a New York State court, according to an archived press release of the office of the state's Attorney General.

But, according to the release, he was not given a prison sentence on the condition that he pays $761,000 in restitution to the victims in addition to paying another $2 million in a civil suit.

His company involved in that suit was called Sungame and the involved the sale of 3D tablets with the promise of rebating the price of $1,000, giving an education grant and providing profits from the resale of the tablets, according to the release.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

--IANS

arul/khz/

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Yair Lapid officially became the 14th Prime Minister of at the stroke of midnight between Thursday and Friday.

Lapid's term could be the short one as he take over the caretaker government ahead of Israel's election which was scheduled to take place on November 1, The Times of reported.

"We'll do the best we can for a Jewish, democratic state, good and strong and thriving, because that is the job, and it's bigger than all of us," Lapid said at a handover ceremony with the outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday afternoon.

On his first day in office, Lapid's first agenda is to hold the meeting with Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security agency, at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Shortly after this, the new Prime minister is scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss "the captives and MIAs", a reference to the two Israeli men and the remains of two Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers being held by Hamas in the Strip.

This topic again became the headline this week after Hamas disseminated a video showing Israeli captive Hisham al-Sayed hooked up to an oxygen mask, the first image of him since he crossed into in 2015, reported The Times of .

Hamas is believed to also be holding Avera Mengistu, as well as the remains of soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. Talks to secure their release have stalled repeatedly over the years.

US President Joe Biden congratulated Lapid for becoming the new Prime Minister. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Congratulations to @YairLapid, Israel's new Prime Minister, and thank you to Alternate Prime Minister @NaftaliBennett for your friendship over the past year. "

"I look forward to seeing you both in July to celebrate the unbreakable U.S.-Israel partnership," Biden added.

Lapid is also scheduled to make a brief trip on July 5 to Paris, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to The Times of Israel.

On Sunday, Lapid is expected to convene the first weekly cabinet meeting of his premiership. Bennett is set to remain in the government as an alternate prime minister. He will also continue to hold responsibility for the country's Iran policy.

Bannett announced on Wednesday that he has no plans to participate in the next parliamentary elections."Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has informed members of the right-wing faction of his intention not to run in the next election. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will remain as an alternate prime minister," Sputnik quoted his office as saying.

This announcement comes as the Israeli Knesset is set to vote on a proposal to hold an early election. The Yamina party leader served as the prime minister for a year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Auto stocks: Auto stocks will be in focus as auto companies will start announcing monthly sales numbers for June starting from 1 July 2022.

Bharti Airtel: Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed investment of Rs. 52,243.80 million (USD 700 million) by Google International LLC in the Company, vide issuance of upto 71,176,839 equity shares of face value of Rs. 5/- each by the Company at a price of Rs. 734/- per equity share.

Lupin: Global pharma major Lupin announced that it has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), Paliperidone Extended-Release Tablets 1.5 mg, 3 mg, 6 mg, and 9 mg, to market a generic equivalent of Invega Extended-Release Tablets, 1.5 mg, 3 mg, 6 mg, and 9 mg, of Janssen Research and Development, LLC.

UPL: UPL has acquired 100% holding of Nature Bliss Agro Private Limited (NBAL) and accordingly NBAL becomes wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. NBAL proposes to carry out the business of manufacture and sale of crop protection and allied products. The same has synergy with the existing business activities of UPL.

REC: REC announced that its board has recommended bonus shares issue in the ratio of 1:3 and has fixed record date of 18 August 2022 for ascertaining entitlement eligibility of shareholders for bonus shares.

Blue Star: CARE Ratings reviewed the credit ratings assigned to the company's long term, short term credit facilities and Non-Convertible Debentures. Credit rating has been reaffirmed at AA+, the rating outlook has been revised from 'Negative' to 'Stable'. The rating for Commercial Papers and Short-term Bank Facilities (Non-fund based) have been reaffirmed as CARE A1+ (A One Plus).

Globus Spirits, Tilaknagar Industries: Globus Spirits has entered into an arrangement for strategic, technical, manufacturing and marketing tie-up with the aim to offer an integrated service to operate the plant at the envisaged rated capacity of 140 KLPD distillery asset owned by Tilaknagar Industries located at Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra (Distillery Asset).

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Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



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The state-run coal major's total offtake stood at 59 million tonnes (MT) in June 2022, registering a growth of 15.4% as compared with 51.2 MT recorded in the same month previous year.

The company's coal output surged 29% to 51.6 MT in June 2022 from 40 MT in June 2021.

Coal India (CIL) said it is continuing to accelerate its production pace during the ongoing fiscal year, CIL ended April-June quarter FY23 with a historic high of 29% output growth, compared to same period last year.

CIL produced 159.8 MT of coal as of Q1 end, which is 35.8 MT more than the 124 MT output of April-June'22. All the coal companies of CIL have registered growth, the company stated.

"The likeness of such whopping growth was never witnessed in any Q1 since CIL's inception. Our first quarter production surge of nearly 36 MTs surpassed the entire annual increase of 26.4 MTs of FY'22," said a senior official of the company.

In its bid to achieve the fiscal's 700 MT output target CIL began FY23 with an asking rate of 12.4%. The steep production gain of Q1 helped the company bring down the asking growth rate to 8.3%. Increased production enables better stock build up.

CIL is a coal mining company engaged in the production and sale of coal. As of 31 March 2022, the Government of India held 66.13% stake while Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India held 11% stake in the company.

On a consolidated basis, the PSU coal major's net profit jumped 45.9% to Rs 6,692.94 crore on 22.6% increase in net sales to Rs 30,046.25 crore in Q4 FY22 over Q4 FY21.

Shares of CIL were down 1.43% at Rs 182.85 on the BSE.

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Eicher Motors' unlisted subsidiary, VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) sold 6,307 units of commercial vehicles (CV) in June 2022, registering a rise of 158.7% year on year from 2,438 units sold in June 2021.

On a sequential basis, the company's CV sales increased 11.89% from 5,637 units sold in May 2022.

During June 2022, the total domestic sales of Eicher trucks & buses soared 217.3% to 5,584 units while total exports declined 1.50% to 601 units over June 2021. Sales of total Volvo trucks & buses, stood at 122 units in June 2022, recording a growth of 79.4% over 68 units sold in June 2021.

Eicher Motors is the listed parent of Royal Enfield, the global leader in middleweight motorcycles. In addition to motorcycles, Eicher has a joint venture with Sweden's AB Volvo - Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles which operates in India's commercial vehicle space.

The company reported 16% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 610.14 crore on a 8.6% increase in total revenue from operations to Rs 3,193.32 crore in Q4 FY22 over Q4 FY21.

Shares of Eicher Motors fell 1.25% to currently trade at Rs 2,758.95 on the BSE.

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For joint commercialization of earthquake warning system

Engineers India (EIL), New Delhi & CSIR-CSIO, Chandigarh, signed an agreement for joint commercialization of Earthquake Warning System.

The company is engaged by CSIR-CSIO as the technology commercialization partner for next five years on 30 June 2022.

Under this agreement, CSIR-CSIO and EIL will jointly commercialize the technology of Earthquake Warning System (Technology "EqWS" developed by CSIR-CSIO is in operation for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation since August 2015). This agreement will not only help save lives in future but also help both the organizations to increase the scope of application areas e.g. critical infrastructures/installations where this technology can be put to use.

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Hindustan Copper said that its board has approved a proposal to raise funds via qualified institutional placement of equity shares and issue of non-convertible debentures.

The board has approved the issuance of up to 9,69,76,680 equity shares of face value of Rs 5 each of the company in one or more tranches.

It has also accorded its approval to the issue of secured or unsecured non-convertible debentures or bonds on private placement basis up to Rs 500 crore.

The company will seek shareholders' approval for the same at the ensuing AGM.

Hindustan Copper is engaged in the exploration, exploitation, and mining of copper and copper ore, including beneficiation of minerals, smelting, and refining. As of 31 March 2022, the Government of India holds 66.14% in the company.

The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 88.99 crore in the quarter ended March 2022 as against net loss of Rs 36.81 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2021. Sales during the quarter rose 4.45% YoY to Rs 545.46 crore.

The scrip rose 0.46% to currently trade at Rs 87.55 on the BSE.

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REC gained 1.09% to Rs 125.10 after the company announced that its board has recommended 1:3 bonus issue of shares.

As per the regulatory filing, the company's board recommended issuing one bonus equity share of Rs 10 each fully paid-up for every three existing equity shares of Rs 10 each fully paid up, to the eligible shareholders.

The board has fixed 18 August 2022 as a record date for ascertaining entitlement of eligibility of shareholders for bonus shares.

Further, the board has also fixed 13 July 2022 as the record date for determining the eligibility of members for final dividend 2021-22 of Rs 4.80 per share, subject to approval of shareholders at the ensuing AGM.

REC, a Navratna company under the Ministry of Power, provides financial assistance to the power sector in all segments. It funds its business with market borrowings of various maturities, including bonds and term loans apart from foreign borrowings.

The company recorded 10.8% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,301.33 crore on a 4.7% increase in total income to Rs 9,653.27 crore in Q4 FY22 over Q4 FY21.

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Utilties stocks were trading in red, with the S&P BSE Utilities index falling 26.47 points or 0.78% at 3369.49 at 13:47 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Utilities index, Rattanindia Power Ltd (down 3.82%), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (down 2.88%),GAIL (India) Ltd (down 2.66%),Va Tech Wabag Ltd (down 2.17%),JSW Energy Ltd (down 2.15%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were NTPC Ltd (down 2.06%), NLC India Ltd (down 2.04%), Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd (down 1.24%), PTC India Ltd (down 0.72%), and BF Utilities Ltd (down 0.7%).

On the other hand, Tata Power Company Ltd (up 1.38%), Torrent Power Ltd (up 0.64%), and Adani Green Energy Ltd (up 0.59%) moved up.

At 13:47 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 306.02 or 0.58% at 52712.92.

The Nifty 50 index was down 90 points or 0.57% at 15690.25.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 52.52 points or 0.21% at 24733.9.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 3.32 points or 0.04% at 7682.21.

On BSE,1495 shares were trading in green, 1682 were trading in red and 148 were unchanged.

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When P Chidambaram was finance minister, among the things that used to provoke the famously thin-skinned politician were newspaper headlines that said Rupee falls to a new low. Or to a record low. While he saw a falling currency as a reflection on his performance, he had a point about the headlines: If a generally weak currency like the rupee is falling, every fall (even if by a few paise) could be to a record low. Both the headlines and the ministers response betrayed a mental bias against a weak currency. Indeed, the currencys fall gets more attention than its rise.

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



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The government will soon come out with an online form seeking suggestions from shopkeepers of the five markets here that will be redeveloped, officials said on Friday.

Earlier this month, the government had announced that it will redevelop the Kamla Nagar, Khari Baoli, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Kirti Nagar markets to make them "world class".

The move was in accordance with the announcement in the Aam Aadmi Party government's Rozgar Budget 2022-23 which aims to create more job avenues with an investment of Rs 100 crore in the re-development project.

On Thursday, a meeting of project's expert committee and business leaders of five markets was held at Civil Lines here.

Brijesh Goyal, a member of the committee and chairman of the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), said the development works in the market were discussed during the meeting.

"There is a lot of curiosity among the traders of the five markets as to when the work will start in the markets," he said.

The traders said there should be a main entry gate in the market on which the history of the market should be written.

"Just as it happens on historical monuments like Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Taj Mahal, with this people will know about the history of the market, since when is it famous, for which business and how many shops are there in it," Goyal said.

During the meeting, traders of Kamla Nagar, Lajpat Nagar and Khari Baoli said shooting of films has also been done in their market areas and suggested that spots where shoots have happened can be made 'selfie point'.

They also decided that a form be distributed to all the shopkeepers in the markets, in which their suggestions should be collected.

Discussions were also held on strengthening the presence of these markets on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

"With this, people of the country and the world will be able to connect with the market," Goyal said.

Goyal said there will also be a competition among agencies to design the markets. The one who has the best design will be shortlisted, he said.

Along with this, a form will be uploaded so that the shopkeepers of the five markets can send their suggestions directly to the government, he said.

This will also benefit the government as it will get detailed information about each market, he added.

Manoj Mathur, Prabhjot Singh and Shilpi Sharma from School of Planning and Architect (SPA) were also present in the meeting.

(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.)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister would not be attending the BJP's national executive meeting in Hyderabad, a party source said here. He was also conspicuously absent from a celebration held at the state BJP headquarters here on Friday. The program at the party office in south Mumbai was meant to celebrate its return to power in Maharashtra after two-and-half years following the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. Fadnavis, who had on Thursday announced that he would not be part of the new Eknath Shinde-led government but later took oath as deputy chief minister, did not attend the celebration. A close aide of the former chief minister said he was busy holding meetings at his residence ahead of the two-day special session of the Maharashtra legislature from July 3. Asked if Fadnavis would attend the national executive of the party that will start in Hyderabad from Saturday, a BJP functionary said, "He has spoken with our national leaders and informed them about the situation here. He would not attend the Hyderabad meeting as dates overlap with the legislature session." He would be addressing a meeting of BJP legislators at a hotel here on Friday evening, sources said. It was widely expected that Fadnavis, considered to be instrumental in engineering a split in the which led to the collapse of the Sena-NCP-Congress government, would again become chief minister. But on Thursday evening, he announced in a press conference after meeting the governor that Shinde, the rebel Sena leader, would be the next CM, while he himself would not be part of the government.

The BJP, notably, is the single largest party in the Assembly. Even as the state reeled under the stunning news, BJP president J P Nadda informed that Fadnavis had been asked to accept the post of deputy CM. Shinde was a minister when Fadnavis headed the BJP-Sena government in the state from 2014 to 2019.

(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.)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister was conspicuously absent during a celebration held at the state headquarters here on Friday.

The program at the party office in south Mumbai was meant to celebrate its return to power in Maharashtra after two-and-half years following the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. Fadnavis, who had on Thursday announced that he would not be part of the new Eknath Shinde-led government but later took oath as deputy chief minister, did not attend the celebration.

A close aide of the former chief minister said he was busy holding meetings at his residence ahead of the two-day special session of the Maharashtra legislature from July 3. Asked if Fadnavis would attend the national executive of the party that began in Hyderabad from Friday, a functionary said, "He has spoken with our national leaders and informed them about the situation here. He would not attend the Hyderabad meeting as dates overlap with the legislature session." Fadnavis would address a meeting of legislators at a hotel here on Friday evening, sources said. It was widely expected that Fadnavis, considered to be instrumental in engineering a split in the Shiv Sena which led to the collapse of the Sena-NCP-Congress government, would again become chief minister. But on Friday evening, he announced in a press conference after meeting the governor that Shinde, the rebel Sena leader, would be the next CM, while he himself would not be part of the government. The BJP is the single largest party in the Assembly. Even as the state reeled under the stunning news, BJP president J P Nadda said that Fadnavis had been asked to accept the post of deputy CM.

Speaking to reporters in Pune late in the evening, NCP chief Sharad Pawar took a jibe at Fadnavis, saying he did not seem too happy taking the junior post but was probably following orders from above. Notably, Shinde was a minister when Fadnavis headed the BJP-Sena government in the state from 2014 to 2019.

(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.)
Asserting that there can be no chief minister in by keeping the party aside, its president on Friday said had Union Home Minister kept his word of rotating the top post in the state in 2019, the would have been steering the government now.

Addressing his first press conference at Bhavan, the party headquarters at Dadar in central Mumbai, after stepping down as chief minister on June 29, Thackeray also made a fervent appeal to the new government led by Sena rebel Ekanth Shinde not to go ahead with the Metro-3 car shed project at Aarey Colony, a green belt in suburban Goregaon. In their first cabinet meeting held on Thursday, chief minister Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis of the directed the state administration to submit a proposal to build the Metro-3 car shed in Aarey Colony instead of Kanjurmarg.

The Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had shifted the proposed car shed site to Kanjurmarg from Aarey Colony on ground of environment protection, but the issue got embroiled in a legal dispute.

The way this (Shinde) government was formed and those (the BJP) who formed the governmentthey have said that a so-called Shiv Sainik has been made the chief minister.

"Those who did not keep the word two-and-a-half-years back and by back-stabbing (the Sena) again attempts are made to create confusion among the Shiv Sainiks by calling it (Shinde) a CM, then this is not a Sena CM. There can be no Sena CM by keeping the Sena aside," Thackeray asserted. In a surprise move, Shinde on Thursday took oath as the chief minister and Fadnavis as his deputy. Around 40 Sena MLAs led by Shinde rebelled against the party leadership last week which eventually led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led government.

Had everything taken place as decided between me and Amit Shah, the change of power would have been graceful and dignified. And I would not have become the chief minister or the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would not have been formed," Thackeray said. Had Shah kept his word (on rotation of CM's post for 2.5 years each between the Shiv Sena and the BJP), it would have been a great government, the former CM said.

Thackeray sought to know what the has gained when it does not have its own chief minister for the rest of the term. In 2019, the Shiv Sena and the BJP fought the Assembly polls together, but parted ways due to differences over sharing the chief minister's post. The Sena claims it was decided that all posts, including that of the chief minister, would be shared between the two saffron parties.

The BJP, however, rejected the claim which led the Shiv Sena to walk out of the saffron alliance and join hands with its ideological and political rivals Congress and the NCP to form the MVA government. The Sena president described the rebellion in his party that cost him his government as a "mockery of democracy and waste of people's votes". Commenting on the recent political upheaval in the state, triggered by a revolt in the Shiv Sena, Thackeray stressed on the Right to Recall procedure for public representatives. On the Aarey Metro car depot issue, Thackeray asked the BJP not to betray Mumbai like it "betrayed" him in . Thackeray said he was saddened by the new government's plan to relocate the Metro car shed to Aarey Colony, which enjoys the state of a reserved forest, from Kanjurmarg in suburabn Mumbai.

"I request with folded hands. Don't vent out your anger against me in Mumbai. Don't stab Mumbai in its heart. I am very upset that Aarey's decision has been overturned. This is not personal property," Thackeray said.

After coming to power in 2019, Thackeray had decided not to go ahead with the construction of the Metro-3 car shed in Aarey Colony - a forest land tract adjoining the Sanjay Gandhi National Park - a decision taken by the erstwhile Fadnavis-led BJP government.

"I had stayed the decision. I gave an option of Kanjurmarg (as an alternate site). I am with the environment and environmentalists. One should avoid any act if there is confusion. Do not play with the environment of Mumbai, the former CM pleaded. Thackeray said his apprehension is that once Aarey Colony witnesses large-scale movement of people because of the car shed, it will hurt the wildlife around.

(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 Maharashtra Congress on Friday claimed that the special session of the state Assembly has been rescheduled from July 2 to July 3 because it coincides with the BJP's national executive meeting.

Earlier in the day, the state legislature secretariat issued a communique stating that a special two-day session of the state Legislative Assembly will commence from July 3.

During the cabinet meeting held on Thursday chaired for the first time by Eknath Shinde, soon after he took over as the new chief minister of the state, it was decided that the special session of the Assembly will be held on July 2 and 3. However, the dates have been rescheduled. A trust vote is also likely to be held during the session.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress' state unit spokesman Sachin Sawant claimed that the state Assembly session was postponed because it coincides with the BJP's national executive meeting in Hyderabad.

''It's a sign that the has started considering itself omnipotent more powerful than the Constitution," Sawant charged.

Shinde, who has the support of 39 MLAs of the breakaway Shiv Sena group, 10 legislators of smaller parties and independents and 106 MLAs of the is expected to move the motion of confidence on the floor of the House during the two-day session.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
leader on Friday said not only his colleagues in the Assembly but also is happy that "Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sainik" has become the chief minister.

Backed by the BJP, Shinde on Thursday took oath as the chief minister of with the support of a breakaway faction of MLAs and Independents.

After taking the oath in Mumbai, Shinde returned to Goa at midnight to meet his colleagues who had supported him in rebelling against Uddhav Thackeray.

Interacting with reporters at the Goa Airport, he said could see this day because of his 50 MLAs.

"My colleagues and entire Maharashtra is happy that Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sainik has become the chief minister of the state," Shinde commented.

The chief minister said his government will do the works that are expected from them by the people of Maharashtra.

Shinde said his government will work to deliver justice to every section of society. "We will also take ahead the vision of Balasaheb Thackeray."



Asked about cabinet expansion, Shinde said the future strategy would be discussed in the meeting with his colleagues.

Shinde, along with supporting MLAs, had arrived in Goa on Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, he left for Mumbai.

In a series of political developments that unfolded in Mumbai, Shinde was sworn in as chief minister of Maharashtra while BJP leader Devendra Fadanavis took oath as his deputy.

His swearing-in was celebrated by the MLAs who continued to remain at the resort at Dona Paula in Goa.

After landing at Dabolim Airport, Shinde went to the resort, 30 km away from the airport, where the MLAs were waiting to welcome him.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The (ED) on Friday got six days remand of two persons allegedly associated with Delhi Minister in a money laundering case, sources said.

The special Judge Geetanjali Goel on Friday sent Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain to ED remand till July 6.

They were arrested following questioning with them. The move came almost a month after the ED arrested . The Delhi Minister was arrested on May 30.

Ankush Jain, and Vaibhav Jain are among those assisting the Delhi Minister in the . Besides them, Naveen Jain and Siddharth Jain (Directors of Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), G S Matharoo (Chairman of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust which runs Prudence Group of Schools), Yogesh Kumar Jain (Director in Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd), father-in-law of Ankush Jain and Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust are also on ED radar for assisting Satyendar Jain, the ED has informed.

In the case, the ED on June 6 had seized 2.85 crore of cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Satyendra Jain's aides during its day-long raid conducted at various places across Delhi and the National Capital Region. The agency had also seized various incriminating documents and digital records during these raids.

The ED then said that the total movable assets were seized from an "unexplained source" and were "found to be secreted" in the raided premises.

The assets were seized during a search operation carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at the premises of Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and his accomplices and other persons who had either directly or indirectly assisted him or participated in the processes of money laundering.

ED investigation in the case has revealed that one accomplice member of Lala Sher Singh Jivan Vigyan Trust had provided accommodation entries for the transfer of land from a company beneficially owned by to family members of accomplices in order to alienate the property and to frustrate the process of confiscation.

The ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of the First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 24, 2017, under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The CBI filed a chargesheet on December 3, 2018, against Satyendar Kumar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

The charge sheet mentions that Satyendar Jain while holding the office as a Minister in the Government of Delhi, during the period February 14, 2015, to May 31, 2017, had acquired assets which are disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI has accused Satyendar Kumar Jain and others of commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Jain was arrested after the ED in April this year attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore owned by companies named Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the disproportionate asset and registered Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and others.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed his displeasure over the way a section of MLAs from his group danced in Goa following the announcement of his name for the top post.

On Thursday, the rebel MLAs broke into a dance in the lobby of a luxury hotel in Goa, where they are currently staying, when they heard that Shinde was going to be the next chief minister of Maharashtra.

A video showing the rebel MLAs dancing to the tune of Marathi songs went viral. However, several netizens slammed them for the way they danced, terming the act as indecent.

While Shinde took oath as the chief minister, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as his deputy. After the swearing-in ceremony held in Mumbai, Shinde returned to the hotel at Dona Paula near here in the wee hours of Friday.

On his return, Shinde expressed his displeasure over their dance and objected to it.

Talking to reporters, rebel Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar, who is the spokesperson of the Shinde camp, said, "With a large heart, we admit that it was a mistake to dance that way. It does not look good for the MLAs, who have been elected by the people and who are aiming to work for the betterment of Maharashtra."



During his address to the MLAs at the hotel, Shinde took a strong objection to their dance and asked them to ensure that such things do not happen in future, he added.

Kesarkar said, "Such mistakes do happen in the moments of happiness, but ideally they should not happen."



He said the rebel MLAs have joined hands with the BJP for betterment of Maharashtra.

(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 spoke with Russian President on Friday during which he reiterated India's long-standing position on the Ukraine situation, favouring dialogue and diplomacy.

During their telephonic conversation, the two leaders reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during President Putin's visit to India in December 2021, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

In particular, they exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products could be encouraged further, it said.

The two leaders also discussed global issues, including the state of the energy and food markets.

"In the context of the ongoing situation in Ukraine, Prime Minister reiterated India's long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy," the PMO said.

The leaders agreed to maintain regular consultations on global and bilateral issues, it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
president on Friday questioned the BJP's decision to install a "so-called Shiv Sainik" as chief minister when it did not keep its 2019 promise of rotating the top post.

Addressing a press conference at Bhavan, the party headquarters at Dadar in central Mumbai, Thackeray also made a fervent appeal to the Ekanth Shinde-led government not to go ahead with the Metro-3 car shed project at Aarey Colony.

In their first cabinet meeting held on Thursday, Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the state administration to submit a proposal to build the Metro-3 car shed in Aarey Colony instead of Kanjurmarg. The Thackeray-led government had shifted the proposed car shed site to Kanjurmarg from Aarey Colony, but it got embroiled in a legal dispute.

Thackeray asked the BJP why it first denied that there was no agreement on rotational chief minister two-and-a-half years ago. Had the BJP agreed, the change of power would have happened in a graceful and dignified manner, he said.

He also asked what BJP gained when it doesn't have its own chief minister even for the rest of the term.

"The way this (Shinde) government was formed and those (the BJP) who formed the governmentthey have said that a 'so called Shiv Sainik' has been made the chief minister. Had everything taken place as decided between me and Amit Shah, the change of power would have been graceful and I would not have become the chief minister or the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would not have been formed," Thackeray said.

Asserting that Eknath Shinde is "not a chief minister", Thackeray said there can be no Shiv Sena by keeping the party aide.

Springing a surprise, Fadnavis on Thursday evening announced that Shinde would be the new chief minister of the state.

A group of nearly 39 MLAs rebelled against Thackeray last week, demanding that the Sena should quit the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The rebellion led to the collapse of the Thackeray government.

"Those who did not keep the word two-and-a-half-years back and by back-stabbing (the Sena) again attempts are made to create confusion among the Shiv Sainiks by calling it (Shinde) a Shiv Sena CM, then this is not a Sena CM. There can be no Sena CM by keeping the Sena aside," Thackeray said.

On Aarey Metro carshed, Thackeray asked the BJP not to betray Mumbai like it "betrayed" him.

Thackeray said he was saddened by the new government's plan to relocate the metro car shed to Aarey Colony from Kanjurmarg in Mumbai.

"I am very upset. If you are angry at me, then vent it out, but don't stab Mumbai in its heart. I am very upset that Aarey's decision has been overturned. This is not personal property," Thackeray said.

After coming to power in 2019, Thackeray had decided not to go ahead with the construction of the Metro-3 car shed in Aarey Colony - a forest land tract adjoining the Sanjay Gandhi Park - a decision taken by the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"I had stayed the decision. I have given an option of Kanjurmarg. I am with environment and the environmentalists. One should avoid any act if there is confusion.

"Let the Metro car shed project be at Kanjurmarg and not in Aarey. I am with the environmentalists and we had declared Aarey as a reserved forest. Wildlife exists in that forest," he said.

Thackeray said his apprehension is that once Aarey witnesses public movement, it will hurt the wildlife around.

He described the rebellion in his party as a mockery of democracy and waste of people's vote.

Commenting on the recent political developments that saw the fall of his government, Thackeray stressed on the Right to Recall for public representatives.

(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.)
Gene Levoff, a top corporate secretary and director of corporate law at Apple, has admitted engaging in an scheme that spanned five years.

California-based Levoff pleaded guilty by videoconference before US District Judge William J. Martini to six counts of an indictment charging him with securities fraud, said Vikas Khanna, an attorney for the US.

Levoff was initially charged by a complaint in February 2019, according to the US Department of Justice.

"Levoff betrayed the trust of one of the world's largest tech companies for his own financial gain," Khanna said in a statement late on Thursday.

Levoff's sentencing is scheduled for November 10.

"Despite being responsible for enforcing Apple's own ban on insider trading, Levoff used his position of trust to commit in order to line his own pockets," he added.

From February 2011 to April 2016, Levoff misappropriated material, nonpublic information about Apple's financial results and then executed trades involving the company's stock.

When Apple posted strong revenue and net profit for a given financial quarter, he purchased large quantities of stock, which he later sold for a profit once the market reacted to the news.

When there were lower-than-anticipated revenue and net profit, Levoff sold large quantities of Apple stock, avoiding significant losses.

This scheme to defraud Apple and its shareholders allowed Levoff to realise profits of approximately $227,000 on certain trades and to avoid losses of approximately $377,000 on others.

"This defendant exploited his position within a company strictly for financial gain that he would not have otherwise realized," said Terence Reilly, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge in Newark.

The securities fraud counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

--IANS

na/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The stakes are high. Several ageing tycoons across India have either passed on the baton to the next generation, or are in the process of doing so. But it raises one question. And it has been asked time and again. Do children of industry tycoons have the same business acumen and leadership quality? Can they steer the companies as efficiently? And isnt it against the unsaid norm on separation of companys ownership and management. Let us explore

This week, Asias richest man, Mukesh Ambani, set in motion his succession plan. After going through a bitter succession battle with his younger brother over a decade ago -- which was decided in the corridors of the countrys apex court -- Mukesh obviously didnt want to take any chance.

On Tuesday, Mukesh Ambani stepped down from the board, paving way for his eldest son, 30-year-old to become the chairman of Infocomm -- the countrys top wireless carrier. Akashs twin sister Isha has already been at the helm of the groups consumer-facing unit, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. for the last several years. While the third son, Anant Ambani, is focussing on Reliances new energy business. Shares of Reliance Industries soared by 2.5% soon after the succession announcement on Tuesday -- a kind of green signal from the markets.

Similarly, last month, Jamshyd Godrej, the chairman of Godrej Groups flagship company, Godrej & Boyce, appointed his niece Nyrika Holkar as his successor. Holkar, who is the daughter of Jamshyds sister Smita and Vijay Crishna, is an Executive Director who has been managing strategy, M&A, brand and legal affairs at the company.

In 2017, Jamshyds cousin Adi Godrejs son Pirojsha took over as Chairman of Godrej Properties replacing his father while his younger daughter Nisaba was appointed the chairperson of Godrej Consumer Products.

In February this year, Kolkata-based FMCG company Emamis founder RS Agarwal and RS Goenka stepped down from their executive positions. Agarwals son Harsha was named Vice Chairman cum Managing Director while Goenkas son Mohan was designated Vice Chairman cum Whole Time Director.

Meanwhile, in the IT sector, two companies where leadership succession took a family-first approach are Wipro and HCL Technologies. Azim Premjis son Rishad was appointed as Executive Chairman of Wipro in 2019. Azim Premji continues on the board as a Non-Executive Director and Founder Chairman.

The first woman chairperson to lead a listed Indian IT company, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, took over the reins of HCL Technologies, from her father Shiv Nadar in 2020.

Down south, Venu Srinivasans son Sudarshan Venu was elevated as the MD of TVS Motor Company in May while Srinivasans daughter Lakshmi Venu was made MD of another TVS group company, Sundaram-Clayton.

While in all the above cases, the next generation leaders went through a systematic grooming process, one can also notice that family membership takes precedence when it comes to selecting a management successor. But is it always the best way forward for family owned businesses?

An experiment by Daburs Burman family more than two decades ago paid off handsomely. Dabur India professionalised the company in 1998 when its promoter family decided to hand over executive positions to outside professionals. Today, the family has just four representatives on the companys 15-member board, in non-executive roles.

According to Kavil Ramachandran, a professor at the Indian School of Business, historically, both the chairman and managing director or CEO positions have been reserved for members of the business families.

Meanwhile, Sebis efforts to split the two roles for governance reasons have met with strong resistance. Even if the successors from these families are capable, are they the absolute best candidate for realising shareholder value?
Vladimir Putin BBC

Russian president says Moscow views Scandinavian nations' accession to NATO differently, unlike Ukraine, since it has no territorial disputes

MOSCOW (AA)  Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow views Finland and Sweden membership to NATO differently from Ukraine's because it has no territorial disputes with the Scandinavian countries.

However, if Helsinki and Stockholm allow the deployment of contingents and weaponry of the military alliance in their respective countries, the situation will deteriorate, forcing Moscow to take appropriate countermeasures, the Russian president warned during a news conference in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat on Wednesday.

"We do not have such problems with Sweden and Finland, which, unfortunately, we have with Ukraine. We have no territorial issues no disputes we have nothing that could bother us from the point of view of Finland's or Sweden's membership in NATO.

"Only they should plainly and clearly realize that there were no threats before, now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in a mirror manner and create the same threats to the territories from which threats are created to us," he stressed.

In response to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's statement that Russia now has "more NATO" on its border, Putin stated that Finland and Sweden's membership is significantly different from Ukraine's.

"These are completely different things. They understand this perfectly, and they just throw this thesis into public opinion to show that Russia did not achieve the desired outcomes," he said.

Unlike Finland and Sweden, Ukraine was becoming "anti-Russian," with those "who feel themselves a part of the Russian world" being persecuted, he added.

Putin brushed aside Stoltenberg's assertion that NATO has been preparing for conflict with Russia since 2014, by saying it is not news.

Russia clearly anticipated that NATO, under the guidance of the US, was looking for an enemy to unite allies. Iran does not fit for this (enemy) role and Russia does, he added.

"We gave them such a chance -- to unite all the allies on a new historical turn. There is nothing new for us. This once again confirms what we have been talking about all along, namely, that the NATO bloc is a vestige of a past era -- the era of the Cold War.

"We have been told all the time that NATO has changed, that it is now a political union, but everyone was looking for a reason and an opportunity to give it a new impetus as a military organization," he noted.

Putin said the ultimate goals of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine remain the liberation of Donbas, the protection of its people, and the development of conditions that would guarantee Russia's security.

"The work goes on calmly, (and) rhythmically. As you can see, the troops are moving and reaching the set tasks. Everything is going according to the plan," he asserted.

The Russian president stated that he sees no need to artificially adjust the operation to some parameters because doing so would necessitate intensifying military efforts, which would result in heavier human losses.

"And first of all, we have to think about how to save the lives of people," he stressed.

When asked about the allegations of a strike on a shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, Putin said the Russian army does not target civilians, has clear coordinates of military targets, and employs high-precision weapons to avoid collateral damage.

About the statement of the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, who had said, "war can only be won on the battlefield," Putin said his words confirm that Ukraine is the West's tool for achieving its own interests.

"By the hands of the Ukrainian people, NATO members and the leading NATO countries simply want to assert themselves further, to assert their role in the world, to confirm not leadership, but their hegemonies in the literal sense of the word, their imperial ambitions.

"And the fact that they have always talked about their exclusivity, talked and introduced into the consciousness of the world community the thesis and slogan that who is not with us is against us is all a manifestation of the same policy. There is nothing new for us here," the president noted.

When asked about the G7 leaders' remarks about him, Putin stated that the current period is not the best in terms of relations with them.

Responding to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who said if Putin were a woman, he would not have started the war, Putin said Britain had waged a war against Argentina not so long ago and that the decision to start the conflict was made by a woman -- British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

"Therefore, I think that from the current Prime Minister of Great Britain, this is not a very correct reference to what is happening today," he said.

Elena Teslova/AA
(En francais)

BAMAKO, MALI  The Carter Center, which serves as the Independent Observer of Malis 2015 peace agreement, today released a report describing the current, unprecedented impasse in the implementation process. The report stresses that since October 2021, dialogue between the signatories of the agreement  the government, the Coordination of Azawad Movements, and the Platform  has grown increasingly difficult and there has been little progress in implementing the agreement.

The blockage in the implementation process coincides with a surge in military activism and other challenges in Mali, such as tensions between the transitional government and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including sanctions imposed by ECOWAS; the withdrawal of support to stabilization by some of Malis traditional international partners; and a major rise in conflict and the number of civilian victims in central and northern Mali.

While numerous factors contributed to the current situation, the Independent Observers report focuses on the controversy over revising the agreement (relecture in French) as a significant factor in producing the impasse. The concept of revision increased uncertainty about the peace process and impeded a sustained relaunch of implementation. It has also fed skepticism among many Malians about the agreement, which has been long growing along with the lack of concrete results from the implementation process.

Despite these developments, the report notes that the Malian parties continue reiterating their commitment to the agreement. The report mainly highlights that the debates and tensions around the idea of a revision of the agreement are, in many senses, unnecessary and unconstructive. In reality, over seven years of implementation, the parties have regularly and consensually adapted provisions of the agreement to their needs and changing circumstances. To move forward, the signatories need to refocus on strengthening their dialogue and taking pragmatic steps while, at the same time, reengaging with the Malian public to restore hope in the peace process and building nationwide buy-in to the agreement.

From September 2021 to June 2022, the Independent Observer took several steps to encourage dialogue between the parties and progress on implementation. The seminar organized by the Independent Observer in February 2022 was a significant attempt to aid progress in implementation, based on discussions of the Independent Observers reports and recommendations. The parties representatives and other stakeholders formulated consensual proposals to relaunch the implementation process. Few, however, have to date been taken up by the parties, although both they and international mediation have lauded the seminar as a positive step. In addition, in May 2022, Jason Carter, chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Carter Center and the grandson of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, led a delegation that visited Mali. The delegation met with President of the Transition Assimi Goita as well as other stakeholders in the implementation process and reaffirmed the Carter Centers continuing support to peace and reconciliation in Mali.

Read the full report 

Background: The Carter Center was designated as the Independent Observer in late 2017. According to Article 63 of the 2015 agreement, the Independent Observer's job is to impartially identify blockages in the implementation process and recommend steps for enhancing implementation. The United Nations Security Council recognized the Centers role as the Independent Observer in Resolutions 2391 (December 2017), 2423 (June 2018), 2480 (June 2019), 2541(June 2020), and 2584 (June 2021), and it assumed its role in January 2018. This report, intended for the Malian parties, the international community, and the public, is the 10th from the Independent Observer.

Translations

L'Observateur independant pour la mise en uvre de lAccord au Mali : La mise en uvre dans une situation de blocage sans precedent nourrie par les debats sur la  relecture  de l'Accord

Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

In Bamako, Deo Mbuto, deo.mbuto@cartercenter.org, +223.72.35.57.43.

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Consumer rights advocates are demanding Air Canada provide compensation to many of the hundreds of thousands of passengers whose summer flights it cancelled  but whether the airline plans to concede remains up in the air.

Canada's largest carrier said Wednesday night it will cut more than 15 per cent of its departures in July and August as the country's flight network sags under an overwhelming travel resurgence.

The move will see more than 9,500 flights, or 154 per day on average, dropped from the airline's schedule  already operating at just 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. The flights link mainly to the airline's Toronto and Montreal hubs, and run along domestic or Canada-U.S. routes. No international flights other than those to the United States were among the cull.

"This Canada Day weekend will be difficult," CEO Michael Rousseau told employees in a memo dated Thursday and obtained by The Canadian Press.

"I wish I could promise you that the measures we are taking will mean an easy summer ahead. While they will certainly provide some relief, it will take time and effort and we likely won't see the full benefit until the latter part of July."

Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer with Quebec-based advocacy group Option consommateurs, says many customers are "absolutely" owed compensation under Canada's passenger rights charter.

The Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which took force in 2019, require compensation  distinct from refunds  of between $400 and $1,000 for a cancellation or significant delay that is "within the carriers control," should the traveller opt to reject the rebooking, and in some cases when they accept it.

"I believe it is the decision of Air Canada to cancel the flights," De Bellefeuille said. "Therefore people should have a right of compensation."

While Rousseau apologized for cancellations and "customer service shortfalls," the CEO also said in an email to travellers the schedule reduction stemmed from strains on the "global aviation system"  which falls outside Air Canada's control  calling them "unprecedented and unforeseen."

Gabor Lukacs, president of the Air Passenger Rights advocacy group, said airlines have "oversold their capacity" in a bid to compensate for two years of battered bottom lines.

"Even if there were physical seats available on the aircraft, there wasn't a pilot, there wasn't a flight attendant, there weren't gate agents," he said, adding that a dearth of federal security and customs officers posed further challenges.

"These are cancellations that are within the carrier's control ... Airlines may claim otherwise, but those claims hold no water."

Air Canada said in an email that customers are notified of cancellations automatically, "and this process is underway."

"Some we are able to rebook immediately while for others we will continue to search for alternatives and will advise them if options become available," said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

Customers can request a refund at any time, he said.

Air Canada did not answer questions around whether the schedule slim-down was within its control, stating that it "will meet its obligations under APPR."

The sudden rollback stands in contrast to the approach of WestJet Airlines Ltd., whose chief executive told The Canadian Press it gradually scaled back its summer schedule through the spring to land at 32 per cent fewer trips in and out of Toronto's Pearson airport in July than in 2019.

Air Canada's stock fell six per cent or $1.03 to close at $16.04 on Thursday, deepening a decline from more than $21 per share at the start of the month.

Jacques Roy, a professor of transport management at HEC Montreal business school, said the Montreal-based company's revenues will take a hit, even if consolidating passengers on fewer flights boosts efficiency.

This is definitely not good news for Air Canada. It's their peak season  that's the most lucrative quarter of the year, and for the past three years it's been negative, he said.

At least 400,000 passengers will likely be affected, he added.

Cathy Gray booked a family trip to Scotland months ago, and has already seen her flight rescheduled once.

"We have booked and paid for a car rental and accommodation and are dreading what we anticipate will happen with our August-September flights schedules and the domino effect on our plans," she said.

"All of this could have been avoided had the airlines not been so greedy. It's a disgrace."

The volume of passenger angst was evident on Air Canada's website, which was flooded with travellers' checking their summer flight status.

"We are currently experiencing technical issues that may prevent you from retrieving your booking online," stated an alert at the top of the airline's homepage posted Wednesday night.

Under federal regulations, passengers are owed alternate travel arrangements or a refund  traveller's choice  if they were informed more than two weeks in advance that their flight was cancelled or delayed by three hours or more for reasons within the carrier's control.

If the trip was cancelled within 14 days or less, passengers are owed $1,000 for a cancellation or delay of nine hours or more, and between $400 and $700 for delays of three to nine hours.

No matter how long the notice, a passenger who opts to reject a rebooking should receive $400 in compensation, on top of a refund.

The airline must aim to rebook passengers on a flight on its network that takes off within nine hours of the original departure time. If it can't, it must offer to book them on another airline network "as soon as feasible," free of charge, according to the passenger rights charter.
Holcim puts Morocco at the head of its smart plant roll-out

01 July 2022

This week Holcim Maroc inaugurated its 1.6Mta Agadir-Souss cement plant in Morocco and with its AI technology and wind-powered energy supply from 2023, it is expected to set new standards for modern smart cement plants.

The Agadir-Souss plant is at the forefront of smart plant development. It is located in Taroudant, 45km southwest of Agadir and represents an investment of MAD3bn (US$334.6m). Equipped with Holcims Plant of Tomorrow (PoT) technology, the facility includes robotic lab automation, predictive maintenance and Industry 4.0 technology. Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions won the EPC contract in 2018 to engineer, build and equip the plant. As the project was being implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has understandably seen a two-year delay before being inaugurated.



The main components include a 1000tph primary crusher, a longitudinal additives storage facility, a circular stockpile with a storage capacity of 12,000t, a QUADROPOL QMR roller mill with an output of 290tph and a blending silo of 4600t. The kiln system consists of a five-stage, single-string polysius preheater tower, a two-pier rotary kiln and a POLYTRACK clinker cooler. The line is completed by a ball mill and a 65,000t clinker silo. The plant will use alternative fuels to reduce energy costs and CO 2 emissions, and will have digital-twin capability for optimisation. The performance and collaboration (PACT) digital tool enables decision-making from data-centric driven information and experiences leading to machine learning applications.



The decision was made to set up the factory in Taroudant in order to support the development of the Souss-Massa region and the southern provinces which are experiencing great socio-economic growth. This factory comes to support the development of these regions. While the assembly was completely ensured by Moroccan skills who honoured their commitments, said Abderrazak Gharib, director of the project.

Holcim has not skimped on its economic, social and governance (ESG) responsibilities for the project, having built local facilities for clean drinking water, with three water towers for neighbouring villages as well as a pumping system driven by solar power. A new 8km road has been built to bypass the town of Tidsi and a second 3km road provides new access to Tidsi from the new plant. Four schools have also been equipped and rehabilitated in the area for 700 children.

Moroccan cement market

Holcims investment reinforces its position in the domestic sector while demonstrating confidence in the countrys future development. Demand remains solid, having bounced back by from a sharp 10 per cent contraction in 2020, expanding by 14.6 per cent last year. In 2022, the market has seen a deceleration of 3.1 per cent over the first five months of the year, due to the high base effect, but is expected to see positive overall growth by the year end.

The north African market has become a stronghold for Holcim with just over 15Mta of grey cement production in Morocco. It operates a total of four grinding plants and seven integrated cement plants in the country, including one white cement line. By introducing the PoT technology in Africa at an early stage Holcim is confirming that Africa will not be behind the curve in having smart cement production. Africa is among the leading locations as greenfield plants are still being constructed in the region on a regular annual basis.

Summary

The PoT concept combines the power of digital and process innovations to lower CO 2 emissions while optimising energy efficiency and embedding plants within the circular economy with provision for water and other natural resources. The programme is predicted to bring 15-20 per cent operational efficiency gains to the Holcim group at it attempts to deliver the concept to its global cement plant network in just four years, following initial trials at the Siggenthal cement plant in Switzerland.

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MSG Group signs Berbera plant deal with Bedeschi

01 July 2022

MSG Group of Companies through its Dubai based subsidiary company, Horn Holding Group Ltd (HHG), has signed an agreement with Bedeschi SPA for the construction of phase 1 of an integrated cement plant in Berbera, Somaliland. The plant will take about 18 months to construct with installed cement capacity of 700,000tpa. The entire plant project will take three years to complete with a production capacity of 3300tpd of cement and 3000tpd of clinker.

The Phase 1 of the project is expected to translate to employment opportunities for the local community in both the construction phase as well as once the factory comes to life. An estimate of 300 Somalilanders are expected to benefit directly from this project by way of employment and another 200+ citizens to benefit indirectly.

Its proximity to the Berbera port is considered key to the export of the cement which will, in the long run, lower shipping costs to Berbera since the freight companies would have a range of cement products to ship outbound.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mohamed Said Guedi, MSG Group chairman, expressed high confidence that the project would be a success and will be one whose economic benefits will not only flow back to MSG but as well to the government of Somaliland and its citizens.

"Building a cement plant is therefore a strategic operation which will be of benefit to the country " stresses HHG Director, Ahmed Said. " In addition, the agreement may pave way for further forms of collaboration and brings an Italian company that is a leader in its own sector to a new, unprecedented, complex and at the same time concrete untapped market, added Ricciardi, partner at Bergs & More.

We are very proud of this project; it will be a state-of-the-art installation particularly from the environmental impact and power consumption point of view. Our R&D Department is constantly working to improve the efficiency and sustainability of our solutions as main focus of our development strategy. commented Bedeschi President, Rino Bedeschi.

The groundbreaking has been earmarked for July 2022 at the proposed project site in Berbera Somaliland.

Published under
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Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said he was unhappy with the Supreme Courts ruling in Biden v. Texas, which he said will allow President Bidens Administration "to end the successful Remain in Mexico border security policy."

He said, I am incredibly disappointed that the Supreme Court today ruled against the states on the frontlines of our nations ongoing border crisis and will allow the Biden Administration to terminate the Remain in Mexico policy. This policy was one of the last and most effective tools Border Patrol and law enforcement had to secure our border.

I fear that once this tool is gone, the crisis we are witnessing daily at the border will only worsen. The American People want our border re-secured, and todays ruling underscores the need for Congress to take action to counter this Administrations open border policies.

He gave these "Statistics on President Bidens Border Crisis"
My family moved to Hamilton County 31 years ago when I took a position at Chattanooga State. Once our kids were grown, my wife, Mary, and I began looking for a place to downsize. We quickly realized that Red Bank was our best choice. Five years ago, we began building our new house on a small lot in Lower Red Bank. It was the best decision weve ever made.



I have never lived anywhere that has this citys sense of community. Red Bank people take pride in their town. Both the folks whose families have been here for generations and the increasing number of new, often younger, residents care deeply about where they live.

I quickly became engaged in our new community. I am especially proud of my contributions to the Save Red Bank Central Park movement. I currently serve on the Red Bank City Event Planning Committee, appointed by the Commission initially to plan the Red Bank Jubilee 2022. In addition, I have joined the Citys Beautification Committee to help improve Dayton Boulevard. Ive picked up litter and removed invasive plants on Stringers Branch, and my wife and I volunteer to monitor the Bluebird Trail at White Oak Park.

I have learned about the history of our city as well. I am currently doing research for a pictorial history of Red Bank. This book project has given me the opportunity to hear from many people in the community who have shared their photographs and the stories that go with them. I am also doing more traditional research with libraries, historical societies, and using online resources. The book project dovetails with my online collection of images which I named 10,000 Photographs of Red Bank.

Over the past couple of years, I have attended most every public meeting held by the city of Red Bank - Commission meetings, work sessions, budget hearings, the strategic planning retreat, and Planning Commission meetings. Ive learned quite a bit about our government, and I like what I have seen. Now I want to do more. At the Red Bank Jubilee in May, I felt such energy and excitement with the crowd, the vendors, and the activities that I made up my mind to run for the Red Bank Commission, District 3.

Red Bank has unlimited potential. I want to help my community become the best small city in the Southeast. The areas where I want to make a difference include:

More parks and better parks

A focus on neighborhoods

Supporting our small businesses and recruiting new ones

Enhancing the delivery of services - and not just services from the City of Red Bank

I will expand on these themes throughout my campaign.

Lawrence Miller
One of Chattanooga's most famous painters is still remembered today as what is left of the hill where he once lived bears his name. James Cameron was disillusioned by the toll the Civil War took on his former homeplace, and he moved to California, where he met a dreadful end.

Cameron was born in 1817 in Greenock, Scotland, and came with his family to Philadelphia

about 1833 when he was 16. It was there he began the study of art and married Emma Alcock.

The couple made a tour of Europe soon after their marriage, and Cameron began specializing in landscapes. They also traveled extensively in the United States and finally settled in Nashville. It was at a time when Chattanoogan James A. Whiteside was a leader in the Legislature.

Col. Whiteside made the acquaintance of Cameron and was so impressed by the artist that

he induced him to come live here about 1850. The brick Whiteside home was on the side of the

hill west of town, and a small house on the grounds was converted for Cameron's studio.

Col. Whiteside helped secure a number of commissions for the painter. In addition, he painted

portraits of Whiteside family members. One of these was painted in 1859 at the Point of

Lookout Mountain, which was then owned by the Whitesides.

Col. Whiteside called on Cameron's artistic knowledge while designing the Lookout Mountain Hotel, which he built at the Summertown section in 1857. When the Whitesides began spending more time in Nashville because of obligations with the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, the Benjamin Chandlers moved into the Whiteside home and the Camerons lodged with them.

Cameron was captivated by the lovely landscape at Chattanooga and decided to build a permanent home on the hillside above the Whitesides. Not long before the outbreak of the war, he constructed a low, rambling one-story house. It was finished in stucco and plaster and was said to have been influenced by homes he had seen in Italy. The house was just above West Sixth Street and faced east, though it had a fine view to the west, also. Cameron's mother joined them at their new Chattanooga residence.

A Cameron brother, William Cameron, had made his way to Texas and fought in the Mexican War. He was a leading official at Brownsville and Cameron County was named for him.

Historian Penelope Johnson Allen described James Cameron as "of a genial, friendly temperament. He was fond of anecdote and sometimes went in for practical jokes. He was devoutly religious and at one time served as superintendent of the Sunday school of the First

Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga. Through his efforts, it is said, the attendance was raised

from a small number to several hundred.''

When the Civil War began, the painter and his wife retreated to Philadelphia, though his mother was still living here when she died during the war. She was laid to rest in the Citizens Cemetery.

When James Cameron returned to the city and saw all the desolation that the war had done to the hill that by then bore his name, he was so disillusioned that he switched from painting to business. But the firm of Cameron, Greer and Co. was not a success. The Camerons on June 1, 1870, sold their 33 acres on Cameron Hill to W.P. Rathburn, Theodore G. Montague and T.R. Stanley of Chattanooga, Isaac Tower of Boston and Dudley Baldwin of Cleveland, Ohio. They then returned to Philadelphia to fall back on the fortune of Mrs. Cameron's family. The Cameron home on Cameron Hill had burned in the spring of 1866.

The former painter decided to become a minister, and he moved to California and had pastorates at San Francisco and Oakland. He was minister of the Second Presbyterian Church of Oakland in early 1882 when his wife mistakenly gave him a dose of carbolic acid. She had thought she was giving him medicine for a bone abscess in the foot. Mrs. Cameron went into a back room where the medicine was kept. The room was somewhat dark, the blinds being drawn, and Mrs. Cameron took a bottle off the mantel, not noticing any other or thinking of any other, and filled out a dose in a wine glass. She brought it to him and he drank about half of it. Then he stopped, saying, "It tastes very strong. Is there anything in it?" Then he swallowed the balance of the dose. Mrs. Barber (with whom the Camerons were living) said, "Could it be anything else?" Then Mrs. Cameron perceived the odor of carbolic acid, and remembered that the bottle of carbolic acid was also on the mantel. Though an emetic was quickly obtained at a nearby drug store, Cameron died

within 15 minutes. He had returned to painting and was working on two oil portraits at the time

of his death.

Mrs. Cameron later made visits to Chattanooga, but she died in Oakland. The couple had no children.

The painting by Cameron of the Whitesides at the Point is probably Chattanooga's most famous painting. It was saved by Harriet Whiteside during the war and remained in the family for many years. It now hangs at the Hunter Museum of Art, which also has a Cameron landscape of Moccasin Bend.




To support the efforts of schools, youth groups and educators across the state who are hosting or participating in an AZ OnTrack Summer Camps, Governor Doug Ducey is providing access to nationally recognized, online STEM and Computer Science career platform Learning Blade and accompanying professional development opportunities for teachers around the state. The initiative includes a partnership with Generation Schools Network . The system is 100 percent free of charge to the camps and will extend to all Arizona school districts throughout the 2022-23 school year.



AZ OnTrack Summer Camps will provide a wide range of learning opportunities for Arizona kids, while giving them more opportunities to have fun with their peers, said Governor Ducey.

Learning Blade will help ensure kids across the state strengthen their STEM and computer science skills, preparing them for the upcoming school year and putting them on the path to success for years to come. My thanks goes to the team at Learning Blade and everyone working to keep Arizona kids on track this summer.The Learning Blade program includes an online platform, aligned to Arizona state academic standards that will educate students in grades fifth through ninth about a wide variety of STEM and CS careers using real-life situations in a mission-based format. Providing students and educators in Arizona with access to high-quality educational resources that introduce careers in IT, Cybersecurity, Advanced Manufacturing, Bioengineering, Energy, Robotics, Entrepreneurship, Agriculture and more to students helps to build the future workforce, stated Sheila Boyington, CEO of Learning Blade. " Learning Blade helps develop student interest in these high-demand careers by increasing awareness of the occupational fields and relating academics to social issues that youth care about."In addition to the 200+ hours of online and offline lessons and activities, Learning Blade has developed a 10-session collection of lessons specifically designed for use in summer camps called STEMmer Camp.

Wendy Loloff Cooper, CEO of GSN commented As Learning Blade has been validated to have an impact on students goals and future aspirations in schools and summer programs across the United States, we believe it aligns with the mission of Generation Schools Network to support all students in being college/career ready. We are excited to partner with Learning Blade in support of this effort in Arizona.



Schools, educational organizations, and summer camps serving these age groups can sign up for this at no charge at www.LearningBlade.com/AZ . Each week from June 1 to Aug. 1, Learning Blade will be awarding a $100 gift certificate to support an ice cream party for campers to five AZonTrack camps that utilize the free Learning Blade Resources. Gift certificates will be limited to one per camp per summer.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, July 1 through 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5 to provide maximum roadway capacity for holiday travelers.

DISTRICT 27

CUMBERLAND COUNTY I-40 resurfacing from MM 333.5 to the Roane County line (MM 340.4) including SR-299 interchanges: Nightly lane closures will occur on I-40 in both directions from MM 333.5 to MM 340.4. (7 PM to 6 AM each night) from Sunday night through Friday morning with the exception of July 1st, 3rd, and 4th.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Crossville/CNV315]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY I-40 resurfacing from near Plateau Road (MM 311) to near the Obed River (MM 318): Nightly lane closures on I-40 from MM 311 to MM 317 in both directions (7 PM to 6 AM). Resurfacing has begun on I-40 East in the left lane. Daily shoulder closures on I-40 in both directions from MM 311 to MM 317 (6 AM to 5 PM). Work on the shoulders consists of fabricating end walls and pouring concrete. Motorists should use caution when vehicles are entering and exiting the work zone.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Crossville/CNW084]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-28 (US-127) bridge construction and paving from north of I-40 (LM 17.8) to near Potato Farm Road (LM 22.7): Construction signs and erosion control measures have been installed. The contractor continues grading activities which include embankment fill, storm drain installation, and placement of graded solid rock. Temporary lane closures and/or periodic traffic stoppages will be necessary for construction activities. Utility relocations for gas, water, sewer, and electric are in progress. Motorists should use caution while traveling through the work zone and be aware of reduced speed zones.

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Crossville/CNV009]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-298 (GENESIS RD.) Utility Work northbound from LM 2.44 to LM 9: Shoulder and single lane closures from Crabtree Road to Wild Azalea Trail. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present from 06/20/22 through 07/29/22 (9:00 am  2:00 pm). [2021-876]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-282 resurfacing from Dunbar Road (LM 0.0) to SR-101 (LM 3.7): Construction crews will be on site this week. Crews will close one lane while work is being performed. Flaggers will direct traffic through the work zone. Motorists should use caution when driving through the work zone.

[Tinsley Asphalt, LLC /Crossville/CNW013]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-419 resurfacing from SR-28 (US-127) (LM 0.0) to SR-101 (LM 4.0): Construction crews will be on site this week. Crews will close one lane while work is being performed. Flaggers will direct traffic through the work zone. Motorists should use caution when driving through the work zone.

[Tinsley Asphalt, LLC /Crossville/CNW013]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-462 from SR-28 (US-127N / LM 3.1) to SR-298 (Genesis Road / LM 4.6) in Crossville: Interstate Drive has been re-opened from Stout Drive to Genesis Road. The temporary traffic signals at the intersection of Woodlawn Road and Genesis Road are still active. Construction activities are in progress that will require temporary lane closures and/or traffic stoppages on Interstate Drive and Genesis Road as well as short term closures of City streets. The right lane on Genesis Road (South) is closed from Interstate Drive to north of Woodlawn Road. Crews will be working along Genesis Road.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Crossville/CNV010]

CUMBERLAND AND FENTRESS COUNTY SR-28 (US-127) widening from near N. Lowe Rd (LM 29.2) to north of SR-62 (LM 1.9): The contractor will be on site continuing clearing work along new alignment of SR-28. Motorists are encouraged to use caution and obey posted speed limit signs through the construction zone. The contractor will have equipment and personnel adjacent to the roadway during this work.

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Moore/CNV300]

DEKALB AND WARREN COUNTY SR-56 construction of bridges and paving from south of Warren-Dekalb County line (LM 24.5) to East Bryant St. (LM 2.9): There has been a traffic shift between LM 24.4 in Warren County and LM 1.0 in Dekalb County. There is a detour in place for Sink Creek Road. Motorists should follow posted signs in the area. The contractor will continue installing concrete box culverts and drainage structures. Grade work, bridge work, and paving operations on the new roadway alignment are ongoing. The contractor is utilizing flagging operations throughout the project in multiple areas for grading operations. Traffic has been shifted onto the detour between SR-288 and Old Blue Springs Road for the contractor to complete grade work in the area. There are several traffic shifts within the Smithville City Limits from South College Street to the end of project to allow contractor to complete work. Motorists should use caution through the area while flaggers are present to direct traffic. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 mph through the construction zone.

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Harris/CNT011]

OVERTON COUNTY SR-85 (HILHAM HWY.) Utility Work in both directions from LM 4.52 to LM 3.2: Mobile lane closures along SR-85 between Old Standing Stone Road and Jerry Bilbrey Lane. Motorists should use caution and be aware of personnel and equipment when traveling through the work zone. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 02/17/22 through 07/30/22 from 9 AM and 2 PM. [2021-457]

OVERTON COUNTY SR-111 safety improvements from west of SR-294 (LM 17.4) to east of Dove Lane (LM 17.9): The contractor is scheduled to be on site to install construction signs. Safety improvements are scheduled to begin on 07/05/22. During this work, intermittent lane closures will be implemented. Motorists are encouraged to use caution when traveling through the work zone.

[Mack Construction, LLC/Moore/CNV306]

OVERTON AND PUTNAM COUNTY SR-84 resurfacing from the Putnam County line (LM 0) to SR-85 (LM 14.8), including bridge expansion joint repair, and the resurfacing on SR-84 from near Poplar Street (LM 9.8) to the Overton County line (LM 13.4): The contractor has completed resurfacing operations and will be on site intermittently to finish work on pavement markings. During this work, intermittent lane closures may be necessary. Motorists are encouraged to use caution and be prepared to stop as they approach the work zone.

[Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc./Moore/CNW033]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-136 construction from north of the SR-111 interchange to south of the I-40 interchange: The contractor continues grading activities throughout the project. Temporary lane closures and/or periodic traffic stoppages will be necessary for construction activities including the installation of barrier rail. Utility relocations are in progress. Motorists should use caution while traveling through the work zone and be aware of construction personnel.

[Rogers Group, Inc./James/CNV284]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-135 (BURGESS FALLS RD.) Utility Work both directions from LM 3.25 to LM 5.57: Shoulder and single lane closures from Cane Creek Road to the intersection of Cookeville Boatdock Road and Burgess Falls Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present from 02/17/22 through 07/30/22 (9:00 am  2:00 pm). [2021-771]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-136 (S. JEFFERSON AVE.) Utility Work southbound from LM 2.385 to LM 2.415: Shoulder and single lane closures from Interstate Drive and S. Walnut Avenue. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present on 06/29/22 with rain date of 06/30/22 from 9:00 am  2:00 pm. [2022-361]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-164 (S. Chestnut St) at LM 0.3 and SR-84 (S. Holly St) at LM 9.7 railroad crossing improvements: The contractor will be on site installing signal poles and mast arms on newly installed signal foundations. Intermittent lane closures are possible during this work. Motorists are encouraged to use caution through the work zone and watch for construction equipment and personnel adjacent to the roadway.

[Stansell Electric Company, Inc./Moore/CNV072]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-24 (US-70N) construction at the intersection of SR-56 (LM 11.6) in Baxter: The contractor will be on site continuing Phase 1 of construction. During this work, the turn lane from SR-56 North onto SR-24 (US-70 North) will be closed. Motorists will be allowed to make the right turn from the four-way intersection. The turning lane from SR-56 to 1st Avenue will also be closed; motorists will be allowed to make the right turn from SR 56 South. The right turn lane on SR-56 South will also be closed; motorists will be allowed to turn right on SR-24 (US-70 North) from the four-way intersection. Motorists are encouraged to use caution through the work zone and to watch for construction equipment and personnel adjacent to the roadway.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Moore/CNV098]

DISTRICT 28

BLEDSOE COUNTY SR-28 (US-HWY. 127) Utility Work southbound from LM 0.01 to LM 9.3: Mobile lane closures along SR-28 between the intersection of US-127 and Kelly lane and the intersection of US-127 and Old Union Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, from 06/16/22 through 09/15/22 (9:00 am  2:30 pm). [2022-270]

CANNON AND WARREN COUNTY SR-1 (US-70S) bridge repair and paving from east of Lincoln Lane (LM 11) in Cannon County to Robinson Road (LM 9.4) in Warren County: The contractor will be utilizing daily lane closures to complete resurfacing work. Flaggers will be stationed throughout and on side roads to direct traffic. Lane closures and flagging operations will resume 07/05/22. Motorists should use caution through the work zone and watch for workers.

[American Pavements, Inc./Harris/CNV075]

COFFEE COUNTY SR-127 bridge construction over Bradley Creek (LM 4.7): Construction work on this project continues. SR-127 at MM 4.66 will be closed until 09/30/2022 to support bridge construction work over Bradley Creek. A detour route will be provided via Prairie Plains Road and Miller Crossroads Road during construction work, signs and message boards are in place direction motorists through the detour. Motorists should be alert to the new traffic pattern and are encouraged to use caution and be alert to construction personnel and equipment

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Hussein/CNV303]

COFFEE COUNTY SR-2 (US-41) repair of bridge over Blue Spring Creek (LM 21.0): Construction work on this project continues. The roadway will be reduced to one lane and controlled by a temporary traffic signal. One lane will be open to traffic with the restriction of all wide loads; the maximum lane width is 12. Motorists should be alert to a new traffic pattern and are encouraged to use caution and be alert to construction personnel and equipment.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Hussein/CNV145]

FRANKLIN COUNTY SR-15 (US-41) intersection improvement at University Avenue (LM 27.9): Project activities continue daily. The roadway will be reduced from 4-lanes to 2-lanes. Motorists should proceed with caution through the area and be aware of signage, personnel, and equipment.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Hussein/CNV062]

GRUNDY COUNTY SR-2 (US-41) miscellaneous safety improvements at the intersection of SR-50 (LM 1.4): Lane shifts to occur at the intersection of SR-2 and SR-50. Motorists should proceed with caution through the area and be aware of signage, personnel, and equipment.

[Superior Traffic Control, LLC/Inc./Hussein/CNW082]

GRUNDY COUNTY SR-56 slide repair between LM 26.3 and LM 26.6: Both lanes are now open to traffic through the project. The contractor may utilize flagging to complete remaining work. Motorists should use caution in the area and watch for flaggers.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Harris/CNU355]

MARION COUNTY I-24 (US-64) rockfall mitigation westbound between MM 136.2 and MM 140.3: The contractor will be working on I-24 West from MM 141  140, MM 139.0  137.0, and MM 136.0  135.0. Travel lanes at all locations have been shifted and are open to traffic. Please use caution when traveling through the work zones.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Voiles/CNV912]

MARION COUNTY I-24 resurfacing from west of Martin Springs Road Exit (MM 141) to east of Big Fiery Gizzard Creek (MM 146): The contractor will continue resurfacing operations on I-24 from MM 140.8 (West of the Martin Springs Rd exit) to MM 146.0 (East of Fiery Gizzard Creek) Sunday through Friday from 7 PM - 6 AM each night. Work will take place on I-24 East  lanes and will be closed one at a time. The Tennessee Highway Patrol and a truck mounted attenuator w/ message board will be on site each night.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Voiles/CNV314]

MARION COUNTY SR-27 between LM 26.9 and LM 27.9 slide repair and bridge and retaining wall construction: The contractor will be working on SR-27 (Suck Creek Road) at LM 26.9 and LM 27.9 to construct a new bridge and repair a slide. Both work zones (at LM 26.9 and LM 27.9) have been reduced to one lane controlled by temporary traffic signals. Please use caution when traveling through these work zones.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Voiles/CNV307]

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY SR-28 (US-127) Utility Work southbound from LM 9.31 to LM 11.16: Mobile lane closures along SR-28 between the intersection of US-127 and Kelly lane and the intersection of US-127 and Old Union Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present from 06/16/22 through 09/15/22 (9:00 am  2:30 pm). [2022-270]

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY SR-8 (HWY. 8) Utility Work both directions from LM 23.32 to LM 24.15: Mobile lane closures along SR-8 between Dennis Road and McCarver Loop Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 04/07/22 through 07/06/22 from 9:00 am  2:30 pm. [2022-172]

DISTRICT 29

BRADLEY COUNTY I-75 resurfacing from north of SR-311 (US-74 / MM 21) to north of SR-60 (MM 25.5): During this reporting period, the contractor will have daytime shoulder closures Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM to install work zone signs and message boards. Single left lane closures will also be possible starting 07/05/2022 at 7 PM nightly for sign installation. The speed limit in the work zone will be reduced to 60 mph when workers are present.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNW045]

BRADLEY COUNTY SR-60 widening from the 4-lane north of I-75 (LM 17.2) to SR-306 (LM19.9): During this reporting period, the contractor will be performing earthmoving operations and removal of structures. Crews will also be working on foundations for a new bridge over Candies Creek. Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone, watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control and for trucks entering/leaving the highway. Speed limit through work zone will be reduced from 45 MPH to 35 MPH.

[Summers-Taylor, Inc./Wagner/CNV130]

BRADLEY COUNTY SR-2 (US-11) resurfacing from Old Highway 11(LM 18.2) to near the Hiwassee River (LM 20.9): During this reporting period, the contractor will have brief intermittent lane closures on SR-2 (US-11) to install construction signs. Shoulders and sidewalks will also be closed through Charleston for curb ramp upgrades. Motorists are asked to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNW158]

BRADLEY COUNTY SR-312 (HARRISON PK.) TDOT Maintenance both directions from LM 3.1 to LM 3.2: During this reporting period, TDOT maintenance forces may have temporary lane closures on SR-312 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM to continue repair work on a storm drainpipe. Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[TDOT/Maint - Benton/MAINT]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-24 interchange improvement at SR-2 (US-11, US-41, US-72, Broad Street) and SR-58 (Market Street): Williams Street is closed to all traffic at the I-24 underpass to support the installation of new storm drainage structures for the new frontage road. Traffic will still be able to access the ramps to I-24 and US-27, but no through traffic will be allowed on Williams Street between West 21st Street and West 25th Street. Traffic will detour around the closure via West 21st Street and Broad Street. Signs will be posted. The contractor will be working on new bridge construction, storm drainage structures, and utility relocation. Chestnut Street is closed at the I-24 underpass and will remain closed until the construction of bridge #2 is complete. Detour routes are posted. The US-27 NB On-Ramp at William St. has been closed and it will be closed until the new alignment for this ramp is completed. There will be marked detour signs to use the Broad St. US-27 on-ramp. Starting on Wednesday July 6th, the contractor will have one lane closed in both directions on Market St. from 9:00 AM  4:00 PM.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Curtis/CNU011]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-75 concrete repair from MM 6.6 to MM 12.8: During this reporting period, there will be lane closures on I-75 South from 9:00 PM  6:00 AM from MM 12.6 to MM 6.6.

[Summers-Taylor, Inc./Curtis/CNW046]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-2 (LEE HWY.) TDOT Maintenance northbound from LM 21 to LM 21.15: During this reporting period, TDOT maintenance forces will close the left lane of SR-2 (Lee Highway) North at the intersection with Ooltewah-Georgetown Rd to complete grading work for a new extension of the left turn lane. The left turn lane onto Northbound Ooltewah-Georgetown Rd will also be closed. These closures will take place nightly from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM Monday through Friday.

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-321 (OOLTEWAH-RINGGOLD RD.) Utility Work both directions at LM 1.96: Shoulder and single lane closures at the roundabout of Ooltewah Ringgold Road and Standifer Gap Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 05/26/22 through 06/30/22 from 10:00 am  2:00 pm. [2021-782]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-8 (RINGGOLD RD.) Utility Work westbound from LM 1.65 to LM 1.25: Shoulder and single lane closures from the intersection of Ringgold Road and I-75 to Prater Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 06/09/22 through 07/19/22 from 9:00 am  2:00 pm. [2022-121]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-8 (TAFT HWY.) Utility Work both directions from LM 22.01 to LM 22.2: Shoulder and single lane closures between Fairmount Road and Dowler Lane. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 02/15/22 through 07/12/22 from 9:00 am  2:00 pm. [2021-636]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-29 (US-27) slide repair between LM 29 and LM 30: The travel lanes on US-27/SR-29 in Hamilton County between LM 29 and LM 30 will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the duration of the slide repair. Loads over 14 wide will have to find an alternate route. RESTRICTIONS: Loads over 14 wide should seek an alternate route.

[GeoStabilization International, LLC /Maint - Chattanooga/MAINT]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-317 (Apison Pike) improvement project from SR-321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Road) to east of Layton Lane: Lane closures and flagging operations will be required on SR-317, Apison Pike, to install power poles and transfer lines. The flagging operations will be performed on 06/30/22, 07/01/22, 07/05/22, and 07/06/22 from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Closures will last about 2 hours per location. The contractor will have intermittent flagging operations during daytime non-peak hours for utility work, delivery of materials and equipment. A portion of Tucker Road has been closed from Spalding Drive to 5400 Tucker Road to allow for grading and utility operations. Flagging will be required on Spalding Drive for Bridge 1 operations.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNT336]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-319 (Amnicola Highway) bridge repair over SR-153: The contractor will be performing bridge repair operations on the Amnicola (SR-319) bridge over SR-153. During this project, SR-319 will have lane closures in place. During repair operations, at least one lane of traffic will remain open in both directions. Bridge repair over SR-153 will be performed between 6:00 am & 6:00 pm. Motorists are advised to use caution in this vicinity and remain aware of construction activities.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNV053]

HAMILTON COUNTY The construction of an S.I.A. to VW: The contractor will be performing operations at the intersection connecting the S.I.A. route, Ferdinand Piech Way, & Volkswagen Dr. The new 4-way signalized intersection has begun operation & traffic has been shifted to the new alignment. Ferdinand Piech Way will still be closed to through traffic. The intersection at Volkswagen Drive and Ferdinand Piech Way will be closed beginning 07/05/22 at 6:00 am through 07/08/22 at 6:00 pm. The traveling public should also be alert to the entrance and exit of construction vehicles & staff around the jobsite and connecting roadways. Flaggers may be onsite directing traffic.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU221]

MCMINN COUNTY SR-163 resurfacing from near SR-2 (US-11 / LM 2.5) to west of County Road 750 (LM 8.9): During this reporting period, the contractor will have brief, intermittent lane closures on SR-163 to install construction signs. Beginning 07/06/2022, daily lane closures will be in place as the contractor begins resurfacing work. Motorists are asked to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNW112]

MCMINN COUNTY SR-307 resurfacing from north of Tellico Avenue (LM 1.95) to the Monroe County line (LM 8.45): Starting this reporting period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures on SR307 during the day. There will be flaggers and possible pilot cars directing traffic as the contractor works.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Curtis/CNW126]

MEIGS COUNTY SR-304 repair of bridge over Big Sewee Creek (LM 4.8): Contractor will be performing bridge repair operations on the SR-304 bridge over Big Sewee Creek. During this project, SR-304 will have lane closures with 10ft width restrictions. A detour will be in place redirecting SR-304 truck traffic onto Watts Bar Hwy & SR-58. During repair operations, only one lane of traffic shall remain open for local traffic. A temporary traffic signal shall be in place to direct traffic thru the construction zone. RESTRICTIONS: No loads wider than 10 feet.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNV305]

MEIGS COUNTY SR-58 resurfacing from east of the Hiwassee River (LM 5.8) to east of Roberts Road (LM 15.3): During this report period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures while performing resurfacing operations. Flaggers will be on-site to assist traffic flow. The traveling public should be aware of construction vehicles entering and exiting the work-zone.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNW130]

POLK COUNTY SR-40 (US-64) bridge over the Ocoee River: During this reporting period, the contractor will be working on guardrail installation and removal of the old bridge over the Ocoee River. Intermittent lane closures are possible for moving equipment across US64 (SR40). Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[Charles Blalock and Sons, Inc./Wagner/DB1802]

REGION WIDE

REGION 2 preventative and unscheduled maintenance of Chattanooga SmartWay Intelligent Transportation System: The contractor may have short term shoulder and/or lane closures to perform preventative or unscheduled maintenance to the local SmartWay Intelligent Transportation System. At least one travel lane will always remain open to traffic. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed.

[NABCO Electric Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNT354]

REGION 2 TDOT Maintenance drainage work: There will be possible short-term lane and shoulder closures at various locations in Region 2 in order to clean rock and debris from ditches on an as-needed basis. One lane will be maintained at all times.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 TDOT Maintenance pothole repair and pavement patching: There will be possible short-term emergency lane closures at various locations in Region 2 in order to repair potholes and patch pavement on an as-needed basis. Depending on location and severity these repairs may be done during the day or at night. In addition to performing the work, regional Operations crews will also provide traffic control.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 TDOT mowing operations: There will be possible short-term lane closures at various locations on interstates and state routes in Region 2 in order to perform mowing activities on an as-needed basis. In addition to performing the work, regional Operations crews will also provide traffic control.

[TDOT/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 The random on-call signing on various Interstate and State Routes: During the daytime the contractor will be setting up shoulder closures at various locations in Hamilton County on I-75, SR-153, and SR-111 to install footers or install new signs. A truck mounted attenuator will be on site during these closures.

[Superior Traffic Control, LLC/Inc./Voiles/CNV194]

REGION 2 The on-call guardrail repair and new guardrail installation on various Interstate and State Routes: Starting 07/05/22, the contractor may have short term shoulder and/or lane closures in order to perform guardrail repair. These closures will take place on the interstate nightly Tuesday through Thursday from 7:00 PM to 6:00AM and daily Tuesday through Friday on state routes. At least one travel lane will remain open to traffic at all times on the interstate, and flaggers will be present on state routes during any work that is performed

[Cumberland Guardrail, Inc./Harris/CNW127]

REGION 2 The random on-call pavement marking on various interstate and state routes: The contractor will be performing mobile operations to retrace pavement markings on various routes throughout Meigs, McMinn, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, Coffee, and Polk Counties. Motorists should expect temporary traffic stoppages and be alert of construction personnel when traveling through the work zone.

[Reynolds Sealing and Striping, Inc./James/CNV036]

REGION 2 The sweeping and drain cleaning on various Interstate and State Routes: There will be an area wide sweeping operation on selected regional state routes and interstates. This activity will be supported by a mobile lane closure. Hours of activity are Sunday through Thursday night between 8 PM and 6 AM during this reporting period.

[Blevins Enterprises, Inc./Curtis/CNV302]

RESTRICTIONS

HAMILTON COUNTY - MAINT: Loads over 14 wide will have to find an alternate route.
Detour signage will be posted. All major stakeholders residing within the Enterprise South Industrial Park have been notified of this closure.

Take Exit 7B (Bonny Oaks Drive), merge onto Bonny Oaks Drive, travel approximately one mile to the South entrance of Enterprise South Industrial Park, turn right onto Volkswagen Drive

Take Exit 7 (Bonny Oaks Drive), turn right onto Bonny Oaks Drive, travel approximately one mile to the South entrance of Enterprise South Industrial Park, turn right onto Volkswagen Drive

As part of the construction of a state industrial access road (Ferdinand Piech Way) serving the Volkswagen Group of America supplier park in Chattanooga, Tennessee Department of Transportation contracts crews will close a portion of Volkswagen Drive from Exit 9 on I-75 to the intersection of Ferdinand Piech Way and Still Hollow Loop beginning at 6:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, to no later than 9 p.m. on Friday, July 8. Work will consist of grading, paving, and construction of new traffic alignments.

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I can't find any logical reasons that the new Lookout stadium is being placed where it is other than to think it's a combination of favoritism and eliminating an eyesore. All statistics point to an illogical decision coupled with questionable tax breaks/support.





Lookouts average attendance in 2018 (all that I could quickly find) was 3,206 per game and ranked 74th among all minor league teams. Birmingham Barons had the highest Southern League average attendance of 5,751 and ranked 31st.





Then when one looks at Hamilton County zip code populations, the decision, in my opinion, gets even stinkier to support placing the stadium on the south side. It's probably the farthest location from any above average zip code populations. The only plus that I can determine is that there is a proposed new I-24 exit.





I'm not going to mess with the I-24 traffic from where I live in East Brainerd to drive to this proposed location. Nothing about this passes my smell test!

Ron Peterson

* * *

Hummmmm?

Ron Peterson's smeller must be clogged up.





As an East Brainerd property owner, I have determined the proposed new site of a Lookouts stadium is really closer to East Brainerd than the current downtown location.

If it's the Ridge Cut traffic that bothers you my guess is that ain't gonna change anytime soon.





For 20 years we've had Commissioner after Councilperson after Mayors and Mayors-elect discuss everything from housing to water parks to manufacturing prospects for the biggest eyesore in Chattanooga. Lots of critics. No answers. Let's repeat: lots of critics, no answers. Twenty years.





My smell test is that Mayors Coppinger and Kelly are doing what we ask them to do: Lead. Advance ideas. Create progress. Make us better.





Thanks, gentlemen. I'm sure there are some thorns, but I'm smelling roses so far on the proposed Southside development.





Keep leaning in.





Garry Mac
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long and Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Matt Perry announce the newest graduating class of 22 new Tennessee State Troopers. Governor Bill Lee served as the keynote speaker during the graduation ceremony, and Commissioner Jeff Long swore in the new troopers as they delivered their oaths of office. Trooper Cadet Class 722 completed 10 weeks of specialized training to build upon their training and experience received as prior law enforcement officers.



Class 722 is composed of all prior certified law enforcement officers.

This included nine cadets with prior military service, five cadets with associates degrees and two cadets with bachelors degrees. After graduation, the new troopers will continue field training in their perspective duty assignments with troopers who are classified as field training officers.This lateral class has a combined 233 years of prior law enforcement experience which will provide an immediate and positive impact on the safety and security of our citizens and visitors, said Col. Perry. The THP is dedicated to hiring and retaining the best-trained troopers.Law enforcement is a calling, and I commend the newest trooper class for their commitment to serve Tennesseans, said Governor Lee. The Tennessee Highway Patrol plays a critical role in protecting communities across the state, and I remain dedicated to supporting them with strong investments in high-quality training, recruitment and proven crime prevention to keep Tennessee safe.I am proud to welcome the newest additions to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, said Comm. Long. After months of hard work and dedication, you have earned the title of State Trooper. You will now be authors of the Tennessee Highway Patrols 92-year-old rich history. I commend each of you for your commitment to public service and willingness to make Tennessee a safe place to live, work and travel through. Congratulations on joining one of the most well-respected law enforcement agencies in the United States.Since being named Colonel, I have passed along this message to each graduating class, said Col. Perry. We are in the business of providing a service. As you leave here today, and every day as you don your uniform, remember that service is at the heart and soul of a Tennessee State Trooper. Perform your duty with honor and treat this badge and uniform with respect. As prior members of the law enforcement community, you know that joining any law enforcement agency makes you a part of something far bigger than yourself. As of today, you represent the Tennessee Highway Patrol while in and out of uniform. You are held to a higher standard  not only by the public, but also by your peers and by your leaders. You no longer serve only yourself; you serve the citizens of the state of Tennessee and those that travel through our state. You have joined the best of the best, you are a Tennessee State Trooper.Trooper William Lee was named the top cadet of THP cadet class 722 and was presented with the Trooper Calvin Jenks Memorial Award for Excellence for achieving the overall highest average. The award was named in honor of the late Trooper Calvin Jenks, who was killed in the line of duty in January 2007.

The ceremony took place at the Hermitage Hills Baptist Church in Nashville.
Tennessee American Water and the Tennessee Aquarium hosted around 50 students for a day of activities to teach students about the importance of clean water from its natural source to the tap. Elementary and middle school aged children in the Reach One, Teach One Summer Enrichment Program made turtle maracas, viewed Australias Great Wild North 3D Film at the Aquariums IMAX Theater, visited the Aquarium and played in the plazas water features for a fun-filled day.We had a great time providing a unique day for the Reach One, Teach One summer camp participants, said Tennessee American Water External Affairs Manager Daphne Kirksey.We hope to inspire more and more of the younger generation to learn about the key role each of us play in clean water supplies.We were excited to host these campers and provide an opportunity to learn more about the importance of water quality, both here at home and in other parts of the world, said Keith Sanford, the Aquariums president and CEO. Seeing Australias Great Wild North 3D gave the kids an opportunity to compare wetlands that are home to crocodiles with the Aquariums Delta Country exhibit and the wetland habitats of American Alligators. It was an exciting learning experience for them.The goal of the year-round Reach One, Teach One program is to provide underserved youth with role models and structured activities where they can have fun in a safe space, officials said.During our summer camp program, we have Fun Fridays where we take the students on different field trips in the community, said Founder and Executive Director of Reach One, Teach One Reginald Yearby. We appreciate Tennessee American Water and the Tennessee Aquarium coming together to give our kids a new way to think of and appreciate the precious resource of water.
Ezra Miller remains in the news for all the wrong reasons. The actor who plays the Flash in the DC Extended Universe has several unsavory allegations against them (Miller identifies as non-binary and uses plural pronouns). Social media already proclaimed Miller over, and a new accusation of erratic behavior means Warner Bros. has a difficult decision to make about The Flash movie.

Ezra Miller | Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

German woman says Ezra Miller harassed her and refused to leave her apartment during 2022 encounter

A German womans relationship with Miller took a turn in February 2022.

The womans friendship with Miller, which included exchanging text messages and consensual sex in 2020, led her to invite the actor to her Berlin apartment in 2022, reports Variety. When she said Miller couldnt smoke inside, she alleges they became angry.

That just set them off, the woman told Variety. I asked them to leave about 20 times, maybe more. They started insulting me. Im a transphobic piece of s. Im a Nazi. It became so, so stressful for me. They were going around my house, looking at everything, touching everything, spreading tobacco leaves on the floor. It felt disgusting and very intrusive.

The woman called police and convinced Miller to leave, but she told Variety she felt the actors behavior could have led to them attacking her.

Unfortunately for Miller, this is not the first time they have been accused of acting erratically.

RELATED: The Flash Actor Ezra Miller Accused of Stealing Music by Two Musicians and Posting it Without Permission

Millers behavior in recent years includes choking a woman, throwing a chair, and accusations of grooming

Revelations about Miller harassing a German woman early in 2022 add to a list of their questionable behavior.

A 2020 video appeared to show Miller choking a woman in an Iceland bar. Further investigation into that incident did not result in charges.

Miller was arrested twice in Hawaii in 2022. The first time involved disorderly conduct and harassment at a karaoke bar on March 28. The second arrest happened on April 2, when Miller threw a chair, hitting a woman and cutting open her forehead at a private gathering. Police charged them with second-degree assault.

Accusations that they groomed Tokata Iron Eyes while she was a minor led to speculation Warner Bros. might recast Millers role in the upcoming The Flash movie.

Soon after the grooming accusations came to light, a family accused them of harassing their 12-year-old child while brandishing a gun.

Millers behavior has some fans calling for them to be removed from the DCEU, and they have ideas on how to do it, but its unlikely to happen.

Will Miller be replaced in The Flash movie?

Miller has played Barry Adams/The Flash in several DCEU films, including Justice League and Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The Flash is the first movie featuring them as the lead. The list of arrests and allegations that keep coming out against Miller have tainted the actor, if not the movie. It doesnt seem like Warner Bros. can get away with releasing the film without addressing Millers presence in some way. So, the question becomes, what does the studio do?

Some fans want Grant Gustin to replace Miller. Gustin plays Barry Allen/The Flash on TV, but that doesnt eliminate Warner Bros.s fundamental problem.

The movie is finished and on track to hit theaters in June 2023. Actors facing real-world legal problems have been replaced (Christopher Plummer replacing Kevin Spacey in All the Money in the World, for instance), but not leading actors. As the star, Miller appears in nearly every scene of the movie. Removing them would mean costly reshoots (basically the entire movie) and a massive delay in releasing it. Sending The Flash to streaming without a theatrical release seems unlikely since Warners needs to recoup some of the money it poured into the project.

At this point, Warner Bros. will probably have to stick with the June 23, 2023, release while addressing Millers behavior head-on.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel.

RELATED: Ezra Millers Net Worth in 2022 and Estimates on How Much They Made as The Flash
What if someone turned your life into a movie without asking you first? Thats exactly what happened to Toby Dorr, the real-life subject of the new movie Jailbreak Lovers. It premieres July 2 on Lifetime.

Dorr gained notoriety when she broke an inmate named John Maynard out of prison in a dog crate in 2006. She spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about the upcoming movie, her just-released memoir, and what she hopes people take away from her story.

Toby Dorr felt surprised and a bit betrayed when she heard about Jailbreak Lovers

Toby Dorr | Courtesy of Toby Dorr

For Dorr, the news that someone was making a movie about what she called her worst mistake came as a shock.

I had no idea about the Lifetime movie until about two months ago, she explained. She first learned of it when the network made an announcement about its 2022 slate of ripped from the headlines movies.

It was like, Thats my story, she said of her initial reaction to the news. I was surprised. At first, I maybe felt a little bit betrayed because somebody had taken my story and made a movie out of it and I didnt have any input.

Its easy to see why Dorrs doomed love affair with Maynard (and their daring prison break) appealed to Lifetime. The story of a mild-mannered Kansas woman  played by Good Witch star Catherine Bell in the film  who fell in love with an inmate at a maximum-security prison and then orchestrated his escape was big news when it happened, especially given that Dorr seemed like the least likely person to get caught up in such a situation.

Dorr was head over heels in love with John Maynard

Take notes fellas, John GETS it. Watch #JailbreakLovers this SATURDAY at 8/7c. pic.twitter.com/lZ9qe5JmM8  Lifetime (@lifetimetv) June 30, 2022

RELATED: Dirty Little Secret Star Lizzie Boys Watched Hoarders to Prepare for Her New Lifetime Movie

Back in 2006, Dorr (then known as Toby Young) was a 48-year-old married mother of two. Her relationship with her husband was unhappy, but shed found an outlet by volunteering with a dog training program at Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas. Thats where she met Maynard. He was serving a life sentence for his role in a carjacking that ended in a mans murder.

After another inmate threatened her, Maynard stepped up to act as her bodyguard. A friendship developed, which turned into something more.

I truly was in love with John, just head over heels in love with him, she said.

Eventually, Dorr smuggled Maynard out of prison in a dog crate. The two went on the run before they were eventually apprehended in Tennessee two weeks later, after a dramatic police chase. Maynard ended up back behind bars. Dorr served 27 months in prison for her role in his escape.

So, what drove Dorr to blow up her life for a man serving time for murder? For one, Maynard saw her in a way that others in her life did not. His attention was almost like pouring water on a dying plant.

I just felt invisible, totally invisible to the world, she recalled, adding I was always doing what was asked of me  I was always making sure everything got done behind the scenes, but nobody ever noticed me. And then one day John Maynard noticed me. That really was all it took [was] for somebody finally to notice me and realize that I was doing something of value in the world and to comment on it.

She wants to help other women escape their prisons

It was like a dog with a bone#JailbreakLovers premieres TOMORROW at 8/7c. pic.twitter.com/Bj2Ikmkihg  Lifetime (@lifetimetv) July 1, 2022

Dorr remarried after her release. She and her new husband have visited Maynard in prison, and she describes him as a friend. Her memoir, Living With Conviction, was released in late June, with publication pushed up by several months thanks to the release of Jailbreak Lovers. In it, she opens up about the lessons she learned behind bars. My book is really about encouraging women to escape their prisons, she said.

While incarcerated, Dorr had the gift of time to really stop and think about her life, she added.

I was free, finally, for the first time in my life, to spend every minute of my day looking inward and looking at my life, she said. As a result, she was able to [figure] out what parts of it needed to be healed and what parts of it I needed to do work in and what parts of it I could celebrate and rejoice as being good.

Dorr admits shes a bit nervous about the prospect of watching Jailbreak Lovers. Its like, Oh, gosh, are they going to portray me as some idiot? she said. But she has faith that the movie will handle her story with care.

Her hope is that the film might help other woman who are facing crossroads in their own lives where theyre feeling desperate and contemplating making a decision thats not the best decision for them.

Im kind of excited to see how many people the Lifetime movie can reach, because thats really whats most important to me, is sharing my story with the world, she said.

None of us are our worst mistake, Dorr added. We all have so much more to offer the world than just the one thing that made headlines in a negative way.

Jailbreak Lovers airs Saturday, July 2 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. Dorr will host a Facebook event during the broadcast. Shell share her thoughts on the movie and answer questions from viewers.

RELATED: How Flowers in the Attic: The Origin Will Handle Taboo V.C. Andrews Subject Matter
Former Chinese, Swiss astronauts interact online with students

Xinhua) 09:09, July 01, 2022

LUCERNE, Switzerland, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Former Chinese astronaut Jing Haipeng and his Swiss counterpart Claude Nicollier held an online exchange with university students from the two countries on Thursday, as part of a Sino-Swiss space science meeting aiming to boost cooperation.

Jing Haipeng, head of China's Astronaut Corps, was the first Chinese astronaut to have flown on three missions in crewed spacecrafts Shenzhou 7, Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 11, while Claude Nicollier was the first Swiss astronaut to have flown on four space shuttle missions, including two servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope.

The two shared their rich experience in space flight and talked about their understanding and feelings of space exploration, unveiling the mystery of space flight and cosmic exploration for the participants.

They also shared their impressive missions and space experiments while interacting with Chinese and Swiss university students online, inspiring and motivating young students to take passion in science, pursue their dreams and explore the unknown.

The interaction was part of the Sino-Swiss Space Science and Technology Cooperation Online Meeting, which was co-sponsored by China Science and Technology Exchange Center and the Swiss Museum of Transport, and gathered more than 100 participants from universities, research institutions, exchange promotion agencies and university students from both countries.

The two sides also signed a memorandum to set up a stable exchange and cooperation mechanism, build a platform for the exchange of scientific research institutions and personnel, and encourage more entities of scientific research and innovation to participate in Sino-Swiss cooperation.

"I think that Chinese space industry has big good programs and can bring the whole world into the next level. I think we're still missing some pieces and bits and good collaboration with the Chinese," said Martin Butikofer, director of the Swiss Museum of Transport.

"I'm really pleased and impressed about Chinese engineering and way of thinking ... we are just human beings on the same blue planet and we have to learn from each other and make progress in this direction (of exchange of cooperation)," he added.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Sensing with levitated nanoparticles has so far been limited by the precision of position measurements. Now, researchers at the University of Innsbruck led by Tracy Northup, have demonstrated a new method for optical interferometry in which light scattered by a particle is reflected by a mirror. This opens up new possibilities for using levitated particles as sensors, in particular, in quantum regimes.

Levitated nanoparticles are promising tools for sensing ultra-weak forces of biological, chemical or mechanical origin and even for testing the foundations of quantum physics. However, such applications require precise position measurement. Researchers at the Department of Experimental Physics of the University of Innsbruck, Austria, have now demonstrated a new technique that boosts the efficiency with which the position of a sub-micron levitated object is detected. Typically, we measure a nanoparticles position with a technique called optical interferometry, in which part of the light emitted by a nanoparticle is compared with the light from a reference laser, says Lorenzo Dania, a PhD student in Tracy Northups research group. A laser beam, however, has a much different shape than the light pattern emitted by a nanoparticle, known as dipole radiation. That shape difference currently limits the measurement precision.

Self-interference method

The new technique demonstrated by Tracy Northup, a professor at the University of Innsbruck, and her team resolves this limitation by replacing the laser beam with the light of the particle reflected by a mirror. The technique builds on a method to track barium ions that has been developed in recent years by Rainer Blatt, also of the University of Innsbruck, and his team. Last year, researchers from the two teams proposed to extend this method to nanoparticles. Now, using a nanoparticle levitated in an electromagnetic trap, the researchers showed that this method outperformed other state-of-the-art detection techniques. The result opens up new possibilities for using levitated particles as sensors  for example, to measure tiny forces  and for bringing the particles motion into realms described by quantum mechanics.
On the day I am drafting this essay, I have dinner plans with my friend, a Canadian physician. No doubt our conversation tonight will quickly turn to the recent United States Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health. No doubt we will each vigorously defend our opposing opinions about abortion.

My friend, who claims no religious faith, strongly defends a womans right to choose abortion. She will talk to meas she has throughout the 11 years Ive lived in Canadaabout married women who confirm unwanted pregnancies in the ER.

Sometimes, my friend tells me, these patients worry about the economic hardship another child will impose upon the family. Sometimes, having already endured one difficult, even life-threatening pregnancy, they cant conceive of risking a second (or third or fourth). Sometimes these mothers are already caring for aging parents or a child with special needs and simply cant imagine assuming responsibility for one more life.

Many of these women dont want to have abortions, but they cant conceive of the alternative, she will tell me, pleading for me to understand their predicaments. I will listen sympathetically to the stories my friend tells and acknowledge the real fears of her patients.

Whatever a womans ethical views on abortion, she may end her pregnancy because she cannot script a story in which both she and the baby flourish. As Lifeway Research reports, nearly 16 percent of all abortions are sought by evangelical Christians, many of whom might see it as a necessary evil and feel like they have no choice.

Whatever the legal status of abortion, our continuous battle is to conceive of a world where abortion isnt the only option. We cant simply change laws; we must rehabilitate the national imagination. But that requires sacrifice of all of us.

Perhaps tonight I will tell a story of my own, the story of my friend who immigrated to Canada years ago in the dead of winter while pregnant with twins. At the time, she had every reason to consider abortion as a life-saving measure for her family. She and her toddler were sent away by a husband and father who promised to follow behindand never did.

Beginning from the cold night this woman and her son left the Edmonton airportwithout money, winter coats, proper paperwork, a cellphone, or a place to staytheir hardships were many. But she was a woman of Christian faith and a woman who sought out communities of Christian faith.

And God provided.

There was the church in Edmonton that housed the family of two, then collected funds to pay for their airfare to Toronto where she would fight her immigration case. There was the Christian refugee resettlement agency that provided her temporary housing when she arrived in the city, then connected her to Safe Families Canada, a Christian alternative to government foster care.

A safe family provided a home for her young son in the weeks that followed the premature birth of her twins, then assembled a village of willing hands to meet the practical needs of this young mother and her three young children for years to come.

It was through Safe Families Canada that I became involved in this young womans life several years ago. I saw her familys needs posted to the Safe Families network, including simple requests for diapers and meals.

To my immense shame, my initial thought upon receiving these requests was: I want no part of this complicated story. I feared that bringing diapers and dinner would involve me in ways beyond my capacity. And soon, it did. The point isnt to rehearse my own reluctant efforts. The point is to say: For as theoretically committed as I have been to pro-life principles, I have still resisted giving time to families in crisis.

Time is the modern widows mite, the currency that is incredibly hard to sacrifice. In truth, I could have given money far more easily. But not time. Not interruption. Not long-haul life-on-life investment. Not birthday cakes and weekly groceries. Not monthly trips to the immigration office. Not the time that presence requires.

Im struck, of course, by the temporal arguments for abortion. Some find it cruel to ask a woman to consider carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term, to sacrifice nine months of her life for the sake of a baby she might abort in an afternoon visit to a clinic. This is likely my friends opinion: that I have no right to impose such an obligation on an unwilling mother.

But as a pro-life Christian, I will tell her that I am compelled beyond arguments of efficiency. I want for a world in which we do hard things, even forsake freedoms, for the sake of our most vulnerable neighbors.

And yet I suppose that if we should ask women to give nine months of their lives to bear a child into the world (and the many years to come, should she keep the baby), we must be ready to give that much and more to ensure that childs well-being. I suppose we will have to confront our own sworn commitments to individualism, this world in which we are never bothered by anothers need.

My friends twins recently celebrated their birthday. I showed up with balloons, and soon they were punching them, yelling at the top of their lungs. My friend looked exhausted, and it didnt help that her doctors had recently diagnosed her with an iron deficiency. They want to do infusions. What do you think of that? I told her its a good idea, a safe treatment. And she was reassured.

Ive grown used to these weekend conversations around my friends small kitchen table, and for as often as I visit, I wish Id conquered the resistance to showing up. I havent.

But one thing has changed: I have evidence to bolster the imagination for another possible world. A world where the work of many hands makes lighter the efforts of lovefor a mother, for her children, and for this noisy gift called life.

Jen Pollock Michel is a writer, podcast host, and speaker based in Toronto. Shes the author of four books and is working on a fifth: In Good Time: 8 Habits for Reimagining Productivity, Resisting Hurry, and Practicing Peace (Baker Books, 2022).
What is the most appropriate way for a Christian to relate to his or her country?

Few questions have caused more heartburn among American evangelicals in recent years, and different voices beckon us to the extremes. On one side, some urge us to reject any forms of patriotism, lest we be accused of adopting some form of Christian nationalism. Others urge us to embrace the notion of God and country with few, if any, reservations.

Are these the only options for faithful Christians? Richard J. Mouw doesnt think so. In his new book, How to Be a Patriotic Christian: Love of Country as Love of Neighbor, Mouw wrestles with the responsibilities and challenges that come with living as believers in particular nations.

Christians first and patriots second

Mouw begins by setting expectations. His goal is not to create a how-to guide, but to establish a safe place for focusing on basic Christian thoughts  about what it means to be citizens in the nation where the Lord has placed us. He then defines what he means by patriotic Christian. Ones Christianity always takes precedence over ones patriotism; we are Christians first and patriots second. And for Mouw, patriotism is less about being a political cheerleader and more about belonging to a community of citizens. Patriotic Christians, then, are members of an eternal kingdom who care for and invest in their earthly homes.

In chapter 2, Mouw looks at what binds us together as a national community. Americas patriotic songs reflect consistent themes: proud memories of our nations past, devotion to certain ideals, and even an affection for the beauty of the land. Such ideals unify Americans. In addition, what binds us together isnt necessarily the state (the set of rules and governing structures) but the nation (the community of people).

Yet the human bonds that constitute our nation are fragile, as Mouw indicates in chapter 3. A decline in civility reflects a broader social decline. The maintenance of a healthy social bond takes moral and spiritual work, Mouw writes. And it seems obvious to many who monitor closely the patterns of our collective interactions that we Americans have not been doing the necessary work. Reweaving the social fabric will take a commitment to love and dialogue with those who are different than us.

Mouw pivots to the Scriptures in chapters 4 and 5. First, he explores key texts such as Mark 12:17, Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, and Jeremiah 29, highlighting their implications for our relationship to nation and state. Next, he observes Scriptures teachings on the states responsibilities to its citizens. As Mouw observes, Psalm 72 highlights similar themes as the preamble to the Constitution, which speaks of establish[ing] Justice and promot[ing] the general Welfare, among other aims. In light of this overlap, he argues that the Bible allows for more government activity than merely protecting individual rights and punishing bad behavior.

In chapter 6, Mouw urges us to become better arguers. He makes the case for a pluralistic society, since God desires our obedience to be freely offered, not coerced. And in such an environment, we need to have better conversations. Borrowing from G. K. Chesterton, Mouw observes that we live in an era of much public quarreling but very little arguing. We need less shouting and more hard conversations.

What about the relationship between church and state? Mouw touches on this question in chapters 7 and 8. First, he tackles patriotism in the church. Should churches display the American flag or sing patriotic songs in worship gatherings? Mouw argues that such patriotic demonstrations are not necessarily wrong if pastors use them as prompts to teach about a Christians relationship to his or her nation. Second, he speaks to religion in public life. While many get queasy at notions of civil religion, public displays of Christian religion can be beneficial to the degree that they point us to transcendent moral standards and correct patterns of injustice. I certainly wish for more to be said in those contexts than the guidelines regulating the public use of religious concepts will allow, says Mouw, but I do not want less.

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In the concluding chapter, Mouw acknowledges that questions of patriotism and national identity stir up such strife because they are deeply meaningful. Our hopes and fears are wrapped up in our national identity. We are to love America not because she is perfect, but because she is our home. As a result, we weep when we do not live up to American ideals. We push for change. And we pursue a patriotism, not of pomp and glory, but of compassion.

A surprising balance

How to Be a Patriotic Christian is brief, easy to read, and marked by Mouws trademark humility and civility. Unlike many books about faith and government, Mouw is not primarily concerned with political positions, parties, or candidates. His goal is to help us wrestle with the big-picture questions of how Christians relate to our nation.

In a world of polarization, hot takes, and anger, Mouw offers a balanced perspective on potentially combustible topics. Yes, God has blessed our nation, but America is not a chosen nation like Israel. Yes, we can love our nation, but we should not whitewash its past. Yes, we need to pursue just laws, but we also need to win peoples hearts and minds. Yes, we can appreciate a pluralistic public square, but all creation is under Gods rule. Yes, we can display flags and sing patriotic songs in worship spaces, but we should be wary of our tendency to idolize these national symbols.

In each of these topics, polarized voices push us to one extreme or another. But Mouw strikes a surprising balance, and in so doing he helps us think more clearly about our relationship to our country.

Most intriguing was Mouws perspective on civil religionthat is, public expressions of Christianity in the public square. Some Christians (like myself) tend to be wary of the excesses and abuses of civil religion, and rightfully so. Mouw does not ignore such failures. He observes that some Americans use religious language to paint an inaccurate picture of our countrys history. Others use it to baptize the status quo. Expressions of civil religion are often incomplete, offering paper-thin theological reflections.

But Mouw also carefully observes the benefits of civil religion. References to God or biblical concepts in inauguration speeches or national events point Americans to a divine authority outside of us. Appeals to Scripture can catalyze Americans to correct injustices, as witnessed during the Civil Rights Movement. At a minimum, Mouw argues, expressions of civil religion are reminders of transcendence, serving the purpose of keeping us aware that there is more to our civic engagement than the ebb and flow of popular opinion and practical political strategizing.

Sometimes expressions of civil religion are harmful, but not always. Civil religion at its best also points us to future possibilities correcting the mistakes of our past and present, Mouw writes. In any event, civil religion is a fact of life. The question is whether we will take advantage of it.

A welcome invitation

Given its brevity, How to Be a Patriotic Christian is not an extensive tome on faith and politics. I, for one, longed for more engagement with the Bible itself. Exegesis is an important part of the book, but it does not drive the books core argument.

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The book also may not be universally applicable. Though he employs illustrations from other countries, Mouw clearly writes as an American to fellow Americans. I wonder how persuasive or beneficial believers from other contexts might find the book.

But for those of us in the American church, How to Be a Patriotic Christian is a needed contribution to the discussion at this juncture. American evangelicalism has fractured and splintered over questions on faith, politics, and our national identity. Angry rhetoric has dominated the conversation, and we no longer have a consensus on what it means to be a patriotic Christianor if its even wise to try to be one.

In times such as these, Mouws book is a welcome invitation to rethink these questions. No matter what side of the political spectrum you occupy, How to Be a Patriot Christian will cause you to reconsider your perspective.

Nathaniel D. Williams is pastor of Cedar Rock First Baptist Church in Castalia, North Carolina. He serves as editor and content manager for the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Religious groups in Canada are asking the minister of National Defence to reject an advisory panels recommendation for redefining military chaplaincy.

The panel, made up of four veterans, said the military should stop hiring chaplains who believe that polytheists should be converted to Christianity or who think church leadership should be restricted to men.

The Defence Team  cannot justify hiring representatives of organizations who marginalize certain people or categorically refuse them a position of leadership, the report said. These faiths dogmas and practices conflict with the commitment of the Defence Team to value equality and inclusivity at every level of the workplace.

Cardus, a Christian think tank, wrote a letter to the National Defence minister Anita Anand calling these recommendations extremely troubling and explicitly prejudiced.

It is not the governments business to tell its soldiers what to believe or not to believe, Brian Dijkema, vice president of external affairs at Cardus, said to CT. Thats just wrong.

According to Dijkema, the report demonstrates a very ignorant understanding of what religions actually do when they talk about their faith and attempts to push out anyone who believes that their faith is true and that others should be persuaded of it, he said.

The advisory panel was not asked to look specifically at the chaplaincy when it was formed in December 2020. It was tasked with identifying the policies, practices, and procedures that enable systemic racism and discrimination. The authors noted, though, how many LGBT people, indigenous people, and women could speak of traumatic religious experiences. And they argued that some religious groups just arent compatible with the Canadian militarys commitment to diversity.

The panel also recommended hiring more chaplains from non-Abrahamic faiths and a reevaluation of some educational requirements. The Canadian military has had a multifaith chaplaincy since 2003. While chaplains are affiliated with specific religions or denominations, they serve the spiritual needs of all military members, regardless of their religion. The military does not track the religious affiliation of its members.

Steve Jones, the national president of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists and the director of the denominations chaplains, said he was blindsided by the reports recommendations. The Fellowship has had military chaplains for decadesits chaplaincy directory lists nine currentlyand has a good relationship with the military, he said.

The Baptist chaplains are committed to working with people with diverse beliefs and religious traditions. So it was very disappointing, Jones said, to read the reports assumption that monotheistic faiths are faith groups that are somehow not for inclusion or accommodating or loving, that theyre somehow intolerant and go out of their way to discriminate.

As its written, the report implies that most of the current chaplains are in conflict with the militarys commitment to equality and inclusivity.

The majority of serving chaplains are from faith groups the report deems unacceptable, said the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada in a statement objecting to the recommendations. Many who serve in the Canadian Armed Forces, like citizens in the general population, are adherents of traditions that would fall within the ambit of this report. The Canadian Armed Forces reflects the diversity of Canadians. Should all who belong to these faith traditions also be excluded from serving in the military in any capacity?

But its not only Christians who have concerns. Marvin Rotrand, national director of the League of Human Rights at Bnai Brith Canada, the countrys oldest independent Jewish organization, said the report is pushing a form of intolerance and bigotry.

Its not up to the authors of this report to tell the Jewish community what it should believe and how it should believe that, he said to CT. We dont need their approval.

Rotrand echoed calls for the National Defence minister to clearly, publicly denounce the reports recommendations.

In a statement to CT, the ministers spokesperson said the Defence Team is not planning to limit the religious denominations that can serve as chaplains.

Chaplains from a wide range of faiths have served the members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and will continue to do so in the years to come, spokesperson Daniel Minden said in a statement. Minister Anand believes that the chaplaincy should represent Canadas diversity, uphold the values and principles of the military, and provide CAF members with access to spiritual or religious guidance if they seek it, regardless of their faith.

At the same time, the spokesperson emphasized the ministers appreciation for the advisory panels hard work in producing this final report.

The department has wanted to increase diversity for a while. A report based on a survey of select military chaplains and military members conducted in January and February 2021 by the Department of National Defence found that chaplaincy is highly valued by most, although a minority believe the chaplaincy is no longer needed and should be replaced by secular mental health experts or social workers.

This reportwhich was not included in the advisory committees reportnoted the need for more diversity among chaplains. But the survey also found that the large majority of CAF members did not feel their ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation affected the level of support they received from the chaplaincy, including most women, visible minorities, and Indigenous people. Half of the LGBT military members who responded to the survey said they received adequate support and care from the chaplaincy services they received. Twenty percent of LGBT members said they felt their sexual orientation impacted the quality of care they received.

Chaplains already go through an extensive vetting process, in part to ensure that they are prepared to work with a wide range of people from a wide range of religious beliefs. Candidates have to get an endorsement, for example, from their own religious organization, then the Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy, then the Canadian Armed Forces recruiting center. The candidacy process takes between months and years.

As a matter of fact, chaplains help promote inclusion in the military, said Gerald VanSmeerdyk, who served as a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces from 2008 to 2021 and was stationed throughout Canada and deployed to Afghanistan.

Theyre an asset, he said. Not a liability.

VanSmeerdyk, who now chaplains at a long-term care facility in British Columbia, joined the military chaplaincy after 14 years pastoring churches with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Once, when he was deployed to Suffield, Alberta, a training base for both Canadian and British forces, he advocated for the creation of a multifaith chapel when he saw the religious needs of Muslim British soldiers werent being met.

We minister to our own, we facilitate the worship of others, and we care for all, VanSmeerdyk said. I believe that the advisory report would have been worded differently if there had been an extensive investigation into the process of hiring suitable candidates for the chaplaincy.

Working as a chaplain in a public setting like the military is different than pastoring a church, where the assumption is that everyone belongs to the same faith.

Chaplains dont overtly try to convert someone to any religion, explained VanSmeerdyk. Their goal is to care for peoples needs, whether religious needs or otherwise.

Because chaplains earn soldiers respect by living and training with them, it can be a natural environment to have conversations about faith. VanSmeerdyk said the soldiers he ministered to knew that he was going through the same things they were. One year, he was home with his family for only 23 days.

Gerry Potter, president of the Military Christian Fellowship Canada and a retired colonel who served in the military for 35 years, said he hopes churches see this report as a call to better support military members and their families. The secularization of Canada is making chaplaincy harder, he said, and many Protestants in the military struggle to talk about their faith.

I think that there is an increased or increasing need for the Churchcapital Cto gain a better understanding of this segment of Canadian society, Potter said.
As pro-life groups nationally celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and as pro-lifers in red states debated how far to go with abortion restrictions, pro-lifers in blue states are watching setbacks they think will take years to undo.

Pro-life lobbyists in states such as California and New York are dealing with a deluge of legislation expanding abortion accessreducing licensing requirements for abortion providers, adding public funding for abortions, shielding abortion clinics from liability for out-of-state patients, and creating state commissions to investigate crisis pregnancy centers.

Blue states are also considering constitutional amendments on abortion rights, which pro-lifers worry would hurt their cause for decades. At this moment, no US state has named abortion protections in its state constitution. The states debating such amendments already have abortion codified in their laws, but adding it to the constitution would keep abortion protected even if political power in the state changed and the legislature reversed its abortion laws.

In New York and California and other states, its like working under Newtons third law of motion, said evangelical Jason McGuire, who leads New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. McGuire has worked for 16 years in the state legislature on stemming abortion laws, often the lone lobbyist on the issue alongside the New York Catholic Conference. Every time something good happens at the national level, we know theres going to be some pushback at the state level.

The legislature in Vermont, where abortion is legal up until birth for any reason, passed a constitutional amendment earlier this year stating that an individuals right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine ones own life course. That amendment now goes to voters in November.

Mary Beerworth has worked with Vermont Right to Life since the mid-1980s and became the executive director in 1996. She jokes that she has been working on pro-life issues in Vermont for I think 112 years. She said when legislators would see her and her one coworker approaching about the constitutional amendment on abortion, They put in their earplugs.

In all her years working on the issue, she has never seen pro-life legislation pass. The state had legal abortion through court order a year before Roe, and in the decades since then, abortion rights were never endangered.

After Dobbs, Beerworths organization was happy for the decision but didnt stop to celebrate. She and her colleague watched the other side hold rallies. The ruling has done a tremendous amount of damage, Beerworth said, in how it affected Vermont.

The Supreme Court decision gave Vermonters impetus to vote for the constitutional amendment, which she sees as vague enough about reproductive autonomy to create all sorts of problems beyond abortion (for example, she notes that the amendment does not specify adults and could include minors).

But Beerworth talked herself into peppiness again, saying that with the general election battle over the abortion amendment, her group can educate more voters to know that Vermont legalizes abortion in all circumstances: Theyve given us an opportunity here.

In California, Molly Sheahan, the California Catholic Conferences lobbyist on abortion issues, also felt the strange juxtaposition when the Dobbs decision came down at 7 a.m. her time on June 24. She felt gratitude to Godafter 49 years of work from the pro-life sidebut then said to herself, All right, whats next? She knew she had business in the legislature to attend to.

The Monday after the Dobbs decision, California passed a constitutional amendment establishing an individuals fundamental right to choose to have an abortion that will also go to voters for approval in November. The Catholic conference said the language was so vague that it would legalize abortion up until birth.

The California Family Council, a Christian organization led by evangelical Jonathan Keller, has joined the campaign to oppose the amendment, also focusing on the fact that the language would allow abortion until birth. Keller was feeling optimistic about the issue being by itself on a ballot, without a candidate attached to it: That might allow it to cut through normal partisan, socioeconomic, and denominational divides on abortion. Pro-life groups need to run a good education campaign, he said.

This basically makes it impossible to regulate or protect women and children in any capacity, he said. In California, functionally, abortion is legal essentially for almost any reason whatsoever. But  this would make this explicit. Its bad when the killing is done through loopholes, its worse when its affirmatively declared within the constitution itself.

The constitutional amendment had so many sponsors when it was introduced that Sheahan knew the legislature already had the votes for it to pass. She turned her lobbying attention to what she said was a record number of abortion bills in a California legislative session: 19.

Thirteen of the bills came from the California Future of Abortion Council, a coalition of pro-choice groups, and included measures like funding to expand the workforce providing abortions and setting up additional abortion funds and grants. The Catholic bishops of California stated that by providing extensive funding for abortion services without any corresponding equitable funding for pregnant women and mothers, the state exercises a destructive, coercive power in favor of ending innocent lives. Sheahan was testifying against the bills the same week Dobbs came down.

Earlier in June, New York passed a large package of abortion legislation, including the authorization of a state commission to investigate the negative impact of crisis pregnancy centers. New York Citys Department of Health describes crisis pregnancy centers as fake clinics  that try to stop people from getting abortions. The centers have been subjects of firebombing and vandalism since Dobbs.

Pregnancy centers, pro-life and usually Christian affiliated, serve women in need at no cost. They provide counseling (including post-abortive counseling), donations, housing support, and often a range of health services like STD testing and ultrasounds. In New York, they are required to post signage about whether they have licensed medical staff.

One week after Dobbs, the New York legislature called a special session . One topic on the table was a constitutional amendment that included abortion rights. Unlike California and other states considering abortion amendments, New York faced significant opposition to the amendment from Christian groups and an Orthodox Jewish group, Agudath Israel. The religious groups argued the amendmenta general equality amendment that lists protections for choosing abortion alongside other protected classesdid not list religion as a protected class alongside the other rights.

The final version of the amendment included religion as a protected class alongside pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy, a grab bag of words to try to cover abortion, contraception, and beyond. Catholics and evangelicals continued to oppose the amendment.

New York legalized abortion before Roe v. Wade, and in recent years it has made state abortion laws more expansive, removing certain licensing requirements for those performing abortions and making abortions legal up until birth for the life or health of the mother.

McGuire worked for years with his Catholic counterpart to combat those expansions, codified in the Reproductive Health Act. A coalition of Republican and Democratic legislators (including one key Jewish senator) blocked the act until it finally passed in 2019 when Democrats took a bigger majority.

Pro-life activists in blue states take the victories they can find.

People will think its just a constant uphill battle; its challenging and defeatist, said Californias Sheahan, who grew up in Sacramento. She doesnt feel that way. Its my home, its worth fighting for. Theres always hope.

Even Californias abortion amendment she saw as an opportunity to provide legislative testimony and talk to voters ahead of the November ballot.

Youre finding different ways of winning, she said.

Building a social safety net is one way of winning in a blue state. Sheahan has been working on other measures in the legislature on increasing hotel vouchers for homeless pregnant mothers, upping visiting hours for incarcerated moms with their kids, and expanding paid family leave for low-wage workers.

Legislators take her seriously on safety net legislation because they also know that the church is a large provider of social services on its own. The California Catholic conference put together a website in response to the expected reversal of Roe with resources for Catholics looking to help mothers, donate items to youth in foster programs, and support pregnancy centers or the churchs rental assistance programs.

The New York Catholic Conferences Kristen Curran, who has been lobbying against abortion measures in the legislature, said red states could learn from blue states on building a safety net for families.

Make it safer and more doable to bring children into this world and raise them, Curran said.

The evangelical McGuire supports measures like tax credits for families and other measures to keep families intact. He noted that New York Governor Kathy Hochul put millions into funding out-of-state abortions but not helping mothers in this state who are choosing life.

We see it as a long game, said Curran. Even though we know its a loser on the legislative stuff, we still come out and issue statements, I go on the news. We want to serve as a source of reminder to people what is at stake here.

Even as New York debated an abortion amendment, advocates for an abortion amendment in Michigan announced they had enough signatures to put the amendment on the ballot for voters in November.

Vermont Right to Lifes Beerworth tries to stay focused on what she can do. In the 1980s, Vermont had about 3,500 abortions a year. Now, its about 1,200.

I keep my energy up because really the goal is dropping the number of abortions. And thats what weve been doing all these years, she said. If the law says abortion is legal and there are zero of them, we win.
Thriving churches are very good at doing five critical thingsand theyre the same things commonly neglected by plateauing or declining churches. Learn the 5 hallmarks of a healthy church by downloading the Church Engagement Workbook today.

What are the hallmarks of a healthy church congregation? How can they be measuredand if theyre found lacking, how can they be cultivated?

Church innovation leader Matt Engel says the health of a church depends on its ability to do five things well: attract, get, keep, grow, and multiply people. Every activity or program within a church should serve one of those goals. By understanding what the goal is, a church can then measure the effectiveness of each ministry.

In the church, Engel explains, we often assume that an activity equals an outcome. We may say, Weve done this backpack drive, therefore we must be doing good. But if the backpack drive was meant to keep attendees returning to your church and all it did was attract people to a one-time event, was it successful?

Churches are great at measuring activities while assuming outcomes, warns Engel. But it doesnt have to be that way.



Instead, Engel advocates for a know-and-match mentality where church leaders see ministry gaps and strategically choose how to fill them. Thinking in terms of the five goals isnt just strategicits an effective pastoral framework that supports relational disciple-making.

1. Attract to Show You Care.

Before people will serve in your church, they first must be welcomed into it. According to Engel, the key to attract is offering value without a call to action. Simply put: make people aware that your church exists and that its leaders care about the well-being of people, regardless of what they receive in return.

These efforts do not need to be large-scale, expensive, or resource-consuming. Engel recommends a bite-sized statement on social media or a few-minute video with tips on how to love your spouse or have fun with your kids. Its all about adding value to your community so that people in your proximity know theres a church that cares nearby.

2. Get to Make New Connections.

The goal of get is to move people from awareness of your church into connection with your church. This may look like them attending an event, program, or church service, whatever ends in a new, personal connection.

Having a clear vision and goal for each event or program is essential. Take a marriage night, Engel says. One pastor may see this as an outreach designed with the goal of getting and creating those personal connections, while another sees it as a service to keeping existing congregants engaged. Both goals are good, but knowing which goal takes priority, and therefore how to measure its effectiveness, is key. One church found that by framing their marriage event this way, focussing on get rather than keep, they created as many new connections in one night as they typically would in 11 Sunday services.The goal was supported by the outcomes.

3. Keep to Build Steady Community.

Keep refers to not just welcoming new people to your church but helping them become involved as active participants in the life of the church. Every Sundays goal should be to keep, says Engel.

Keep isnt limited to Sunday planning though. Launching a text campaign after a sermon series that features related resources can help engage your people since youre inviting them into ongoing connection. Church leaders can also use data from these campaigns to flag patterns of disengagement, which can be the precursor to long-time attendees leaving the church.

4. Grow to Go Deeper with Congregants.

Rather than tracking congregational attendance numbers, Engel argues that grow should refer to individual progress, which may be reflected in the five dimensions of human flourishing: spiritual growth and development, financial well-being, mental and emotional well-being, vocational or career well-being, and relational well-being.

Knowing that 150 people participated in your churchs small group program may sound good, but does that convey anything meaningful about each individuals relationship with Scripture, other participants, or the church as a whole? Not necessarily.

Engel advocates for a model of intentionand assessmentthat provides pastors with more information and more options. One church held a date night that was grow-oriented. During this event, the couples took a pre- and post-assessment. After the two-hour event, couples who had the most to losethose who had, before the event, circled 1 on a scale of 1-5 measuring marital satisfactioncircled 4 on the post-assessment. The success of this event was measurable and therefore repeatable. By aligning goals with staggered assessments, pastors can track meaningful growth through their various events, ministries, and outreaches.

5. Multiply to Make Disciples.

Multiply is the piece of the framework that invites congregants to flip from a consumer to a contributor. When church leaders encourage their congregants to join them in the work of multiplication, they are equipping them to partner with the church in meeting the needs of others rather than merely seeing the church as a place to have their personal needs met.

Long-term congregants may need support in cultivating intentional multiplication. Simple resources and calls to action, like providing congregants with encouraging videos to share on social media, can motivate and empower congregants to learn more about their church and community.

Empowered to be Effective

The point of all of this, Engel argues, is singular and scriptural: it should help churches make disciples. Thats why this system prioritizes inviting people to participate in the mission of the gospel rather than treating them as consumers.

This five-goal framework can help facilitate purposeful action in your church. Designed to encourage greater involvement, stronger relationships, and higher levels of participation, the Church Engagement Workbook provides everything you need to begin matching your programs and events to the needs of your congregation and community.
Biden seeks 'exception' to the filibuster rule to codify Roe into federal law

President Joe Biden is calling on the U.S. Senate to "make an exception to" the filibuster rule to ensure the passage of a bill codifying the right to abortion into federal law.

Biden discussed abortion at a press conference in Madrid, Spain, following the 2022 NATO Summit on Thursday.

"I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade into law, and the way to do that is to make sure that Congress votes to do that," Biden said.

He urged the U.S. Senate to make "an exception to the filibuster for this action to deal with the Supreme Court decision."

The comment comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that the Constitution does not contain a right to abortion. The ruling gives each state the ability to set laws regulating the procedure and reverses the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Biden sees the court's decision as troubling for the "right to privacy, not just abortion rights."

"I really think that its a serious, serious problem that the Court has thrust upon the United States not just in terms of the right to choose, but in terms of the right to who you can marry, the right  a whole range of issues relating to  to privacy," Biden said.

"I have written, way back, a number of law review articles about the Ninth Amendment and the  and the Fourteenth Amendment and why that privacy is considered as part of a constitutional guarantee. And the  theyve just wiped it all out."

BREAKING: Joe Biden calls for eliminating the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade



pic.twitter.com/PVih8qG2jJ  Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 30, 2022

The filibuster rule requires most legislation in the U.S. Senate to receive 60 votes before the debate is ended on a bill. Making an "exception to" the filibuster would allow legislation to become law with a simple majority. Any changes to Senate procedure would require the support of a majority of senators.

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed the Women's Health Protection Act in September, but the bill has failed to become law because of opposition from the evenly divided Senate.

The most recent vote on the Women's Health Protection Act in the Senate failed to receive the support of a majority of senators even though Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote gave them a majority in the upper chamber. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., joined all Republicans in voting against the measure.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life grassroots organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, criticized the president's call to make an exception to the filibuster.

"Joe Biden has caved to the abortion lobby, calling for an end to the filibuster so that Democrats can pass an extreme bill forcing abortion on demand up until birth on all 50 states, even painful late-term abortions," Dannenfelser said in a statement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested that another vote will take place on the Women's Health Protection Act following the Dobbs decision.

In a letter to her Democratic colleagues published Monday, Pelosi announced, "Our Caucus has been exploring avenues to protect the health and freedom of American women."

In response to the Dobbs ruling, Pelosi had previously vowed to "keep fighting ferociously to enshrine Roe v. Wade into law."

Pelosi maintains that "the rights of women and all Americans" are on the ballot for the 2022 midterm elections as a continued Democratic majority in the House and an expanded Democratic majority in the Senate are needed to pass the Women's Health Protection Act.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls asking Americans whether they would vote for a Republican candidate or Democratic candidate in the midterms shows Americans prefer Republicans by 2.2 percentage points.

Dannenfelser decried Pelosi's effort to pass the Women's Health Protection Act as an effort to "roll back the people's victory and impose abortion on demand until the moment of birth nationwide." She argues that the Democratic late-term abortion stance is "deeply unpopular and a liability in this pivotal election year."

Following the Dobbs decision, several states have banned abortion, including Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Additionally, South Carolina's heartbeat bill prohibiting abortions after six weeks of gestation has gone into effect. Additional abortion bans went into effect in Kentucky, Louisiana and Utah, but lower court judges have placed them on hold.

While a total of 21 states already have or are expected to ban or severely restrict abortion, 16 states will continue to allow abortions throughout most or all of pregnancy as they have codified the right to abortion into state law. An additional 10 states will likely continue enforcing existing abortion laws unless and until their state legislatures pass new ones and the remaining three states could let voters determine abortion policy at the ballot box.
Chris Pratt clarifies affiliation with Hillsong Church, says he's really not a religious person

Actor Chris Pratt has set the record straight about his relationship with Hillsong Church and distinguishes that his faith in God has less to do with man-made religion than his personal walk with the Lord.

The "Jurassic World Dominion" star recently spoke with Men's Health for its July/August cover story. Even though many know him for being a Christian, he maintained that he is "not a religious person" and believes religion has been "oppressive."

He clarified his affiliation with Hillsong Church as he has faced criticism for being associated with the Australia-based global megachurch that has been marred by various scandals in recent years.

"I never went to Hillsong. I've never actually been to Hillsong. I don't know anyone from that church," the 43-year-old actor shared.

In 2019, actress Ellen Page criticized Pratt for attending Hillsong Church in Los Angeles. Page, a biologically female trans-identified Hollywood star, now goes by the name Elliot.

Page labeled Pratt "infamously anti-LGBTQ" for attending the church.

At the time, Pratt clarified that he goes "to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone." The church he attended then and still does is Zoe Church, led by Pastor Chad Veach.

Pratt told Men's Health that he doesn't attend Zoe Church exclusively and said his daughter was baptized in a Santa Monica Catholic church where his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, worshipped as a child.

When the Hillsong rumor first began, Pratt chose not to respond to the claims of his Hillsong involvement because he said he did not want to "throw a church under the bus."

"If it's like the Westboro Baptist Church, that's different," he said.

The sometimes vulgar "Guardians of the Galaxy" actor labeled religion as "oppressive as f*** for a long time" and found it amazing that he became the "face of religion" in the mainstream media.

"I didn't know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I'm not a religious person," Pratt explained. "I think there's a distinction between being religious  adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God  and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred."

The father of three said his relationship with God is more personal.

"Whatever it is. The evil that's in the heart of every single man has glommed on to the back of religion and come along for the ride," he added.

In discussing the negative backlash he has received online, he said people pegged him as the "worst Chris in Hollywood."

"You don't ever wanna get caught complaining or anything, [because] I have so many blessings. I consider everything a blessing truly in my life. [But] why are they coming after me?"

The actor has often shared his faith publicly.

In 2018, he accepted the Generation Award at the MTV Movie and TV Awards and used the platform to share nine points of biblically-infused advice.

After Pratt's divorce from Faris, he revealed that his pastor's books helped him keep his faith strong.

"I read books by my Pastor, Chad Veach in Zoe Church LA," he said in a home video in 2017. "I find his book Faith Forward Future to be very helpful!"

TMZ first reported that Pratt attended Veach's church after his very public split with his wife of eight years.

The actor has also been seen taking his son, Jack, to the church at the Del Rey Theater in Los Angeles several times.
Finnish MP Paivi Rasanen decries 'heavy hatred for Christian values' in Western society

Finnish lawmaker Paivi Rasanen, prosecuted for voicing her traditional Christian beliefs about marriage and sexuality, believes that a "heavy hatred for Christian values" in Western society will cause many Christians to censor themselves for social acceptance.

The former interior minister who has served in Finnish Parliament for nearly three decades was one of several global political figures to speak at the annual International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., this week.

The event aims to increase "the public awareness and political strength for the international religious freedom movement. The summit is led by former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, who led similar events at the State Department headquarters during the Trump administration.

In March, Rasanen was cleared of hate speech charges for repeatedly asserting her belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman. But her legal battle continues as the prosecution has appealed the ruling to a higher court.

She spoke with The Christian Post ahead of her participation in a panel discussion at the summit focused on religious freedom in the Western Hemisphere Thursday.

As she faced a possibility of up to six years imprisonment, the 62-year-old politician attributed her prosecution to Finland becoming a "post-Christian world" where "Christian values are, in fact, a minority."

"The change has been so fast that it is difficult to understand what is happening," She said.

As the wife of a Lutheran pastor and former chair of Finnish Christian Democrats, Rasanen believes Christian values are "targeted" in criminal court as part of the "breaking of the virtue and the challenging of Christian values" that is now "very visible in our societies."

In Rasanen's case, she faced hate speech charges over a book she wrote 18 years ago titled Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity and a 2019 tweet taking issue with the Finnish Lutheran Church's promotion of LGBT "pride month." She faced a third charge for comments she made on a radio show about homosexuality.

Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland was charged with hate speech for publishing Rasanen's book.

Rasanen insists that she has no ill will toward homosexuals and suggested that those accusing her of practicing hate speech are the ones dabbling in hatred.

"We all are sinners and we need Jesus. But now, I think there is a heavy hatred against Christian values in our society," Rasanen said. "If you speak about gender issues  that there are two genders or that marriage belongs to one woman and one man  it arouses hatred against you in our society."

Rasanen told CP that she "never thought" she would face prosecution for expressing support for "classical Christian doctrines about marriage and sexuality" as she openly discussed her "Christian values" and beliefs about "marriage and sanctity of human life" throughout her time in Parliament.

"Nothing has changed in my faith and in my conviction, but suddenly I was like a criminal because of this hate," she said.

"The world has changed," she concluded. "I think that my conviction has not changed but the world has changed very [quickly] in Finland and I think that also in other Western countries, post-Christian countries."

Describing the cultural shift as "very alarming," Rasanen believes Christians must "wake up to see what is going on" because her experience proves that "it is more and more difficult" for Christians to express their faith publicly.

"I'm afraid that this leads to some kind of self-censorship. If you are labeled a conservative Christian, it would hinder your career or your social acceptance," she stated. "So, these kinds of problems are very topical in Finnish society."

Although she "hoped that the prosecutor would have been satisfied with the acquittal," she sees her case moving to a higher court as an opportunity "to get a precedent and to get a more heavy guideline for possible further similar cases in Finland and also in Europe."

She praised her acquittal of hate crime charges by a Helsinki District Court as "a victory for me." Still, She said a "possible victory from Appeal Court and especially from Supreme Court" is an "even bigger victory for freedom of speech ... and freedom of religion" because it would create "legal guidance for other cases."

"I think that this is all in God's hands, and I believe in His guidance that there is some meaning that this process continues," she added.

Rasanen said the ordeal and her platform with the Finnish media provided an opportunity to "hold up the biblical values in public and also testify about Jesus" and give people "the answer to the problem of sin that Jesus has died for all people and that this is the way to salvation."

Although Finland has a Constitution that "guarantees the freedom of speech and freedom of religion," Rasanen is concerned that "the influence of LGBT ideology is very strong in Finnish society and some kind of woke culture is creating cancel culture in our society and it is narrowing those freedoms."

Rasanen lamented, "we have now some kind of totalitarian, ideological totalitarianism." She cited efforts to convince social media companies to censor "hate speech" in the Finnish Parliament and the European Union as examples of this ideology's emergence.

Rasanen hopes that her remarks at the IRF Summit will "encourage people to use their rights and speak openly,"

"At first, when the trial in January started, [the] prosecutor said that this will not be about [the] Bible," Rasanen recalled. "She started to ask questions about [the] Bible, about theological issues, she even cited some verses from the Old Testament, and she wanted to show that there is a lot of hate speech in [the] Bible."

Rasanen maintained that the prosecutor classified the Christian doctrine of "love the sinner, hate the sin" as "insulting and defaming" because "according to her, you cannot make a distinction between the person's identity and his actions, so if you condemn the act, you also condemn the human being and regard him inferior."

She pushed back on this analysis, classifying the idea of "loving the sinner" and "hating the sin" as "the core of Christianity and the message of the Bible."

"If this is denied, if this kind of speech and teaching is denied, then also the core of Christianity is dead," she contended.
How a clean water program is furthering the Gospel in remote regions of Asia, Africa

A global Bible translation organization is giving new meaning to "washing with water through the word."

The Orlando-based Wycliffe Associates, best known for its partner mother-tongue Bible translators and its partnership with local churches worldwide in the advancement of Bible translation, is helping Christians in Asia and Africa build bridges for sharing Scripture in Asia and Africa by providing clean water systems in remote communities.

Through its Operation Clean Water initiative, Wycliffe Associates supplies tools and training for local Christians to dig water wells and build clean water systems for their villages.

To date, the program has built nearly 40 water systems in two countries in Asia, Guinea, Togo, Niger and South Sudan in Africa, according to Bart Maley, Wycliffe Associates community development program manager.

Maley told CP the work in Asia  where 14 water systems were built or are being built in countries where the work is so sensitive they cannot be publicly identified  involves training local pastors and staff to build water catchment systems.

Those systems capture water from a spring in the mountains and gravity feeds to a tank and distribution system in the village.

Members of the Wycliffe language community build the systems themselves and are then encouraged to guide neighboring language communities to build their own water system, Maley said.

"We have referred to this as 'clean water outreach' because it allows new and existing believers the chance to reach out and meet a felt need, which in turn allows them to share God's love even in places that are hostile to the Gospel," he added.

In Africa, where seven water systems have been built or are in the process of being built, communities pay part of the cost of the water system construction due to the technical and equipment requirements of water well drilling, according to Maley.



All of the water wells  or boreholes as they're known in Africa  have hand pumps and have been constructed in areas where a Wycliffe Bible translation team is working.

Founded in 1967, Wycliffe Associates supports native speakers under the authority of the local church to translate Scripture into their heart language using resources and tools provided through Bible translation workshops.

Maley said part of the ministry's strategy is to have leaders of the translation team read the most recently translated Scripture at the well site as community members come to collect water.

"Most often, this is the first time they have heard the Bible read in their language and often the first time they have heard the message of God's love," he said. "Many of the testimonies have included people of different faiths having an encounter with Jesus as a result of the message they have heard or the relationship that was built through coming to collect clean water."

It's a scene that is reminiscent of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in the Gospel of John.

"The story of the woman at the well is the [epitome] of showing how Christ met and had relationships with the people He gave his life for," said Maley. "Clean water is opening the door for these kind of relationships around the globe and it will only have a higher impact as the quest for clean water grows."

Approximately one in three people globally do not have access to safe drinking water, and roughly 3 billion people lack basic handwashing facilities, according to the World Health Organization.

Anyone wishing to partner with language communities that are sharing the love of God for the first time can do so by signing up to pray for Operation Clean Water.
Ohio Supreme Court lets Ohio's 6-week abortion ban go into effect

The Ohio Supreme Court has refused a request from Planned Parenthood and abortion providers to block the state's law banning abortions after about six weeks of gestation, which went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade last Friday.

The abortion organizations sought an emergency order to prevent the state from enforcing a law passed by Republicans in 2019 now that the nation's high court ruled the Constitution doesn't confer a right to an abortion. Following the ruling, a federal judge dissolved the injunction against the Ohio law.

The petitioners argue the legislation "has now decimated abortion access in Ohio" because the law effectively bans abortions "before many women even know they are pregnant."

"This is an incredibly horrible situation and we are deeply disturbed by the Ohio Supreme Court's decision to allow the draconian six-week ban to remain in effect as it considers the merits of our case," the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the abortion providers, said in a tweet.

Aaron Baer, the president of the Ohio-based Center for Christian Virtue, praised the Ohio Supreme Court's decision.

"Their lawsuit reflected the delusional and dangerous world they live in. But thankfully, our State Supreme Court is operating in reality and has rejected Planned Parenthood's frivolous lawsuit," Baer said. "CCV is grateful for Attorney General Dave Yost and Solicitor General Ben Flowers' quick and incredible response to the abortion industry's desperate attempt to create a right to abortion out of thin air in the state Constitution."

The ACLU and Center for Reproductive Rights have taken action in attempts to block abortion bans in 11 states  Arizona, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 20 states have "trigger laws" on the books which can go into effect and ban abortion in the absence of Roe. Missouri was the first one to ban abortion following the court's decision in the Dobbs ruling.

Across the country, corporations and entities have announced that their health plans will cover the cost of travel for their employees in states that restrict abortion to travel out of state to seek an abortion.

In Ohio, Cincinnati's City Council approved Mayor Aftab Pureval's plans for the city to cover the abortion travel costs for government employees.

Cincinnati's City Council voted to approve Pureval's legislation that repeals a 2001 city ordinance barring the city from covering elective abortions in its health plan.

"Our Supreme Court, Congress and state legislature have failed us," Pureval said Monday when announcing the policy, according to WLWT. "Local officials must do whatever we can to protect the women of our communities."

"It is not my job to make it easier for the state legislature and governor to drag women back to the 50's and strip their rights, it's my job to make that harder," he continued. "And with today's announcements, we are fighting back."

The policy compensates workers seeking abortions or other procedures they cannot obtain within a 150-mile radius and is not covered by the city's health plan.

"The city's travel reimbursement policy will not only cover travel for abortion-related services," the mayor said. "This is about making sure our city employees have access to any eligible medical care that isn't available here, regardless of future statewide laws."

Pureval also called for reports to be provided on opportunities to decriminalize abortion and for law enforcement to direct resources toward protecting women and "medical care providers."

Dozens of major corporations like Nike, Apple, Amazon and Disney have stated their intentions to reimburse employees who need to travel for an abortion if they live in states that have restricted access, according to a list compiled by Reuters.
Patricia Heaton hires armed security for crisis pregnancy center, slams Elizabeth Warren

Hollywood actress and staunch pro-life advocate Patricia Heaton took to social media with choice words for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren after her crisis pregnancy center had to hire armed security amid a rise in attacks targeting similar facilities across the country.

"Our medical pregnancy clinic serves client families for five years, providing superior services for anyone who asks. We raised $250K for a mobile medical clinic for underserved areas, treating everyone," Heaton informed her Twitter followers on Wednesday in response to a tweet from Warren.

Following the Supreme Court's overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling making abortion a national right last Friday, Sen. Warren took to social media Monday to criticize crisis pregnancy centers.

Crisis pregnancy centers provide support for women seeking to give birth instead of abortion, many of which employ trained medical professionals and offer medical services.

The Democrat from Massachusetts claims that these centers "mislead and deceive patients seeking abortion care." Warren stressed the need to "crack down" on these centers and praised her bill that "would stop these harmful practices."

"With Roe gone, it's more important than ever to crack down on so-called 'crisis pregnancy centers' that mislead and deceive patients seeking abortion care," Warren tweeted. "My bill with @SenatorMenendez would stop these harmful practices."

Heaton addressed Warren's claims, suggesting such rhetoric has made pregnancy centers like hers less safe. In recent months as it appeared the Supreme Court was primed to overturn Roe, several pro-life pregnancy centers nationwide have been victimized by vandalism and firebombings. Those attacks have continued after last week's ruling.

"Because of people like @SenWarren we now have to hire armed security," the "Everybody Loves Raymond" actress tweeted.

Our medical pregnancy clinic serves client families for five years, providing superior services for anyone who asks. We raised 0K for a mobile medical clinic for underserved areas, treating everyone. Because of people like @SenWarren we now have to hire armed security. https://t.co/1cKPoeEU1I  Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) June 29, 2022

Warren's June 27 Tweet linked to a Time article claiming that crisis pregnancy centers are using data against women as "weapons."

Many vandals targeting pro-life pregnancy centers have spraypainted graffiti reading "If abortion ain't safe you ain't safe" and "Fake Clinic." The group "Jane's Revenge" has claimed responsibility for many of the acts and declared "open season" on pro-lifers.

An early Saturday morning fire at a north-central Colorado Christian pregnancy center is being investigated as arson, according to Longmont Police. The building sustained heavy damage and also had the aforementioned threat spraypainted on the outside walls.

Abortion extremists have been encouraged to use a map of pro-life pregnancy centers compiled by two University of Georgia professors in 2018 to find the nearest facility in their area.

Heaton's post drew criticism from some on Twitter who told the actress that she should get off her "high horse and face reality."

"If you don't provide abortion care to women who need it, you're not providing health care," someone named Susie told Heaton.

Heaton replied and called out Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider.

"Hello Susie  PP provides no pre or postnatal care for women  do you demand the same of them? Should they provide free ultrasounds, diapers, medical care for pregnant women who want to keep their babies?" she asked.

The actress told another detractor: "No one has ever died from visiting a pregnancy clinic."

Heaton has not held back her pro-life stance in public.

In a past interview with The Blaze, the devout Catholic explained her stance.

"I find it impossible to subscribe to a philosophy that believes that the destruction of human life is a legitimate solution to a problem that is mostly social, economic and psychological," she declared.

"In reality, most women' choose' abortion because they believe they have no other choice," Heaton added. "Women who experience unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy."
Pentecost Sunday massacre that killed dozens at Nigerian church remains a mystery

ABUJA, Nigeria  Nearly a month after an attack on a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria, the number killed and the identity of the assailants remain unclear, though the church held a funeral service for over 40 victims.

The June 5 bomb and gun attack at the end of Mass at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, in normally quiet Ondo state, shocked the city as it did the country. A visiting speaker from western Nigerias Oyo state, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, said at a June 17 funeral service in Owo that over 40 of our departed people were killed, while ABC News cited an unnamed source as saying there were 82 bodies from the attack taken to a local morgue.

A lawmaker representing Owo Constituency I, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, who visited the site shortly after the attack, reportedly said at least 70 people were killed and injured, while the state government said 40 were killed and 87 wounded.

A priest at the church, the Rev. Andrew Abayomi, told Morning Star News that as worship service was coming to an end, the terrorists threw explosive devices on the church building and shot at worshippers. A spokesman for the Nigeria Police Forces command in Ondo state said that some of the gunmen were disguised as members of the congregation and opened fire inside the church building, while terrorists outside fired at worshippers as they fled.

Police reportedly recovered three undetonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from the scene along with fragments of detonated IEDs and pellets of spent AK-47 ammunition, according to the spokesman.

While Interior officials in Nigeria reportedly said the attack showed marks of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), local people suspected weaponized Fulani herdsmen.

Bishop Badejo said at the funeral service that few of the tragic killings that have overtaken Nigeria in recent years could compare with the brutality and gruesomeness of the event on that Pentecost Sunday.

No doubt we all gather today in deep sorrow and mourning for this funeral Mass of over 40 of our departed people who were brutally murdered, mindlessly massacred, Badejo said. As our deceased brothers and sisters lay here, there are almost 75 others who sustained different degrees of injuries in the same incident.

The dead ranged in age from 85-year-old, Bridget Ozulumba to children like 2-year-old Chukwuemeka Emmanuel Njoku and Mathilda Ogungbade, 3, he said.

None of the dead or injured did anything wrong except that they came to worship God at the foot of the cross and altar on that day, Badejo said. There, sudden death was inflicted upon them and deep sorrow upon their dear ones left behind.

He appealed to those present to refuse to be crushed but have hope because of their faith in Christ.

Today, difficult though it is, let us choose more to give thanks to God that He gave our departed brethren the life, the faith and the privilege of belonging to Him and of returning to Him, even in this incomprehensible manner, he said. I would still understand it if someone here would say to me, Preacher man, come on, you dont feel the anger I feel, you dont know the pain I feel Yet we still find consolation.

Badejo cited King David agonizing in tears in the Psalms even as he maintained hope, and Martha in the Gospel of John maintaining hope in the resurrection.

So, my dear people, the summit and summary of all our sentiments today is our surrender to Jesus Christ on Whom we keep our gaze as the Author and finisher of our faith. We see Him at the Stations of the Cross. We see him in His persecution, suffering and murder.

To surrender to Christ is not to succumb to evil, he said.

On this kind of occasion it is opportune to ask: How many more must die before the senseless killings in Nigeria stop? In these coffins a part of Nigeria lies dead too, he said. Our Christian faith, strong as it is, is thoroughly tested when we remember that the massacre in Owo is not an isolated case in our country, and that we see little on the ground to indicate that it might be the last.

He cited a report from SB Morgen Intelligence, a Nigeria-based research firm, stating that nearly 900 Nigerians were killed in violent attacks in the first quarter of this year alone.

Even as I speak, many priests and citizens of Nigeria are in the hands of kidnappers, Badejo said. How many more must die? Jesus Christ came and died so that we might live.  So we are not walking corpses merely waiting to be killed, nor are we suicide cases. So we are compelled to ask Nigeria, our leaders: Are you still our leaders? Are we at war? How many more must die?

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.

Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.

In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.

This article was originally published by Morning Star News.
"Come now ye rich weep and howl": understanding James in proper context

It's pretty routine in discussions about economics from Christian critics of the market system to fling James 1:1 at defenders of capitalism:

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you."

I wish they would keep reading the whole book, and I wish they would put it in proper historical context. If they did, they would see that this warning about judgment is aimed at a specific group of people. In short, I wish they would read Pastor Jeff Meyers new commentary on James, Wisdom for Dissidents (The Epistle of James Through New Eyes: Wisdom for Dissidents  Athanasius Press).

Meyers puts James in the context of both the Gospels beforehand and the Book of Acts at the same time, showing that rather than being a 'to whom it may concern' letter, it has a specific context. Jesus had warned that persecution would come soon after his time on earth, and that it would involve expropriation of property. He also warned that Jerusalem would fall and the temple along with it. Jesus had very specific criticisms of the Temple's economic model (as demonstrated by his confrontation with the moneychangers) and with members of the ruling class, such as the rich young ruler who were extracting wealth using political power to commit fraud.

Shortly into the book of Acts we see persecution breaking out, and this causes Christians to be dispersed away from Jerusalem. The book of James is specifically addressed to this group, the "diaspora," those dispersed by the ruling class persecutors. As the early church is dispersed, it also grows and prospers and the temple elite, unsatisfied with driving Jesus followers out of Jerusalem, create an industry devoted to bounty hunting of Christians. In fact, Paul himself was part of that industry.

Christians were tempted to make some kind of accommodation to this system, entering into "friendship with the world" by either sucking up to wealthy members of the ruling class (by offering them prime seats in the synagogue) or joining the zealot camp and embracing violent insurrection as a tactic of resistance.

The sections of James which rail against "you rich" fit that context perfectly: the rich who are being addressed are the rich who are committing the oppression. James says that explicitly "do not rich men oppress you and drag you before the judgment seats?" Who was oppressing the early church and dragging them before tribunals? In the context of those dispersed from Jerusalem, it is the temple political elite. They drag Stephen into a trial. They execute him.

James warns them that "It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!" The word for "treasure" is the verb form of the word that Jesus used to confront the rich young ruler to lay up treasure in heaven; it literally refers not to treasure, but to the treasure room where wealth was stored, and specifically is used for the treasure rooms in temples, including the temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was also the major bank of Jerusalem. Jesus warned that the temple would be destroyed, and James warns the ruling class of Jerusalem, whose money was deposited in those treasure rooms that they had laid up for 'last days', i.e. the last days of their way of life, the temple, and the Jerusalem economic model. Not the last days of the whole world.

James says that these rich have not paid the wage due to the harvesters but rather the wages "you kept back by fraud." The word in Greek is the same one that Jesus used with the rich young ruler when he added "Do not defraud" to the commandments He listed to them.

What's under attack here is not wealth in general, it is a certain economic model, one decried by Jesus to the rich young ruler and to the moneychangers, centered in the political/religious ruling class. This ruling class used coercive political power through corrupt courts to oppress the followers of Jesus. That system then reached a higher level of evil when it created an industry devoted to hunting down the Christians it had previously dispersed. This is the historical context of the parable of the traveling merchant in James 5.

James has a lot to say to us today, but only after we put him in the full context of his own time. The "theocratically rich" (Meyers' phrase) Jerusalem elite were using their political power to enrich themselves and to oppress the Church. To leap from this condemnation and try to weaponize the passage against, for example, an honest merchant who has accumulated wealth through non-coerced business with clients over a lifetime of thrift, is to ignore both the details of the text and the details of the context.

For my recent conversation with Meyers about his book, listen to my podcast here.
Matt Chandler says overturning of Roe gives Church opportunity to step into darkness, decay

Matt Chandler, the pastor of Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, weighed in on the overturning of Roe v. Wade in his sermon Sunday, stressing that it's the responsibility of the Church to support women in crisis instead of "throwing diapers" at the issue.

In a June 27 sermon, the 48-year-old pastor declared that for more than a decade, his church has taken a pro-life stance.

Since the recent overturning of the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade, Chandler said the church's stance has been "refined" regarding the belief "that both the Bible, as well as science, proves that life begins at conception."

"I celebrated on Friday the decision of the Supreme Court to reverse the ruling," he said. "I did so with a great deal of sobriety. My emotions have been sneaking up on me today."

Chandler reflected on how "broken and hopeless the world is to some people."

"This is a brutally difficult world to be in. And there's a kind of hopelessness that will rot a soul out," he said. "There was a young woman that drink bleach to try to kill the baby [inside her]. How hopeless do you have to be to do that? How alone? How? Nowhere to go. That's what we're talking about here."

Chandler said it is "good and right to celebrate" the court's ruling giving power back to the states to determine abortion laws. Still, he said that the Church has been given the opportunity to "step up into a space where darkness can be pushed back and decay can be addressed."

"Whether you like the decision or not, I don't care ... I think it was a good, right decision," he said.

"I want to celebrate, but I want to celebrate with sobriety and with a call to action. So before you wave those pom-poms, you better understand what's at stake and the moment that we're in. This had better not be about legislation. This better be bigger than that for us as the Church."

Chandler urged listeners to move their "whole self" into the Kingdom of God in light of the ruling. He cited Matthew 5, where Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn. For they will be comforted."

"Blessed are you when you feel heartsick over your own sin, over the sin of the world.  Blessed are you  when you mourn, when you recognize your own brokenness and you look up and you see the brokenness of the day that you're in.  You're going to be comforted [and] God is going to meet you in that mourning, as you see the brokenness around you and in yourself," Chandler said.

When pro-life Christians hold conversations with those who support abortion, Chandler said they must exercise compassion, speak in truth and not succumb to the pro-choice stance.

"This means that in all our conversations, if we vilify the other, we will hate the very people that Jesus would have us minister to in His Kingdom," he said. "This is why, for all the political ideologies and even this subject with all the hate and rage around it, if you give into the compulsion to vilify the other, you will harden your heart to the ways Jesus wants to use you to stop the decay, and to push back the darkness."

The problem isn't fixed by "throwing diapers at it," Chandler said, adding that the solution isn't "easy or fast."

"What does it look like? Because as this was given back to the states, it was also given back to the Church. We are far more powerful than we think we are," he asserted. "But I do think there needs to be a purging about where your loyalties actually lie."

"We will not feed the hungry or care for the most marginalized tweeting or posturing," he emphasized. "We'll have to hurt, and we'll have to be willing to."

Chandler reminded those who have had an abortion that God is merciful and graceful to forgive them.

"You have not out-sinned the grace of God.  Maybe for the first time ever, you need to finally do business with those places inside of you that are broken. Maybe you had an abortion or you've funded one or you pushed somebody to and it's just [clawed] away at you.  Maybe nobody knows.  You don't have to carry that," Chandler said.

The Village Church has several ministries that help those personally impacted by abortion, from post-abortion support groups to pregnancy support groups.

"We've got all sorts of opportunities [for you] to heal. That would be my encouragement.  You don't need to run off and sign up to volunteer yet. We need to get that soul healthy. We need to get some hooks out of you and some truth into you.  I want to encourage you that you will not be disparaged or hated here for your backstory," Chandler said.
PCUSA committee passes resolution declaring Israel's treatment of Palestinians 'apartheid'

A Presbyterian Church (USA) committee has passed a resolution declaring Israel an apartheid state at its General Assembly Tuesday.

The motion was one of several related to the Middle East policy taken up by the assembly's International Engagement Committee during the mainline Protestant denomination's annual gathering in Louisville, Kentucky.

Amendment INT-02, titled "On Recognition That Israel's Laws, Policies, and Practices Constitute Apartheid Against the Palestinian People," passed on a 28-3 committee vote Tuesday afternoon.

The committee's recommendation to the General Assembly  which was discussed extensively at the annual meeting  was ultimately approved with an amended version recognizing that the "government of" Israel's laws, policies and practices regarding the Palestinian people "fulfill the international legal definition of apartheid."

"This overture is pursued with the hope it will lead to a peaceful reconciliation for the people of Israel and Palestine similar to that which occurred in South Africa when apartheid was internationally acknowledged," the resolution states.

The document compares Israel's policies in the West Bank to the apartheid in South Africa when there "was serious injustice, widespread suffering, and major human rights abuses ... because of apartheid laws, practices, and policies that established a preferential legal status and material privileges to one group of people based on their identity while discriminating against another group based on their inferior status."

"It is hoped that the Israeli government policies toward the Palestinian people will undergo a similar transformation if Israeli apartheid is internationally acknowledged," the resolution reads.

"Each year the ordeals and injustices suffered by the Palestinian people in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel continue. Land is expropriated, homes are demolished, and freedom of movement is restricted. The combination of Israeli settlement colonies on Palestinian land, the bypass roads connecting these settlements, and the Separation Wall creates a network of barriers that confine Palestinians to live in separate reserves and ghettos. The rights to work, education, freedom from arbitrary arrest, peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression granted under international law are restricted or denied."

Much of the debate in the committee centered on condemning the Israeli government's policies without condemning the Israeli people.

One attendee introduced a substitute motion that recommended new language to contextualize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "from the lens or perspective of the United States' own history with racism and inequity."

"In consultation with several of my colleagues, we thought it might be helpful [to add] an introductory paragraph saying we understand what racism looks like and what apartheid looks like because of our own experience in the United States, and also saying that gives us a perspective to know what it looks like and we do see it here," said Nicole Wilkinson, from Southern New Jersey Presbytery, who made the recommendation.

That recommendation received resistance and was voted down.

The motion was one of four about Israel and Palestine, including a "statement of concern for the peace of Jerusalem" and a "Call for Ending the Siege of Gaza and Collective Punishment of Innocent Palestinian and Israeli Citizens."

All four motions passed.

Presbyterians for Middle East Peace said in a statement that the committee's recommendation to the General Assembly should be rejected, claiming it "made a mockery of the PCUSA's historic commitment to hearing all sides and doing deep research on issues prior to taking controversial decisions."

"Members of the committee voiced concerns about wanting to hear both sides," the statement reads. "In fact, only one side was heard: voices of historic anti-Israel activists. In their opening remarks, the overture advocates stated that there was large percentage of Jews both in Israel and America who believe that Israel is an apartheid state, but there was no evidence given to support such a claim."

"Our fear going into this GA was that there would not be a real conversation about the issue of apartheid, and our fears were realized," the statement continued. "There was no U.S. Jewish or Israeli voice asked to speak to the committee. There were no representatives of the thousands of organizations that have not deemed Israel to be an apartheid state. In fact, the committee did not hear any Palestinians asking the PC(USA) to make such a statement. Rather, the committee chose to hear from three white men that this is what the Palestinians were asking us to do."

A small but vocal group of protesters with the Philos Action league, a Christian organization that stands in solidarity with the Jewish community, waited outside the committee proceedings to lobby voting members to oppose the resolution. The group claims the resolution mirrors the language of recent Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry reports.

Luke Moon, deputy director of The Philos Project, called the vote "Jew hatred."

"Sadly, the International Committee of Presbyterian Church USA passed the motion to label Israel an apartheid state. They ignored our plea to reject antisemitism and sunk further in their Jew hatred. Lord, in your wrath, remember mercy," Moon wrote on Twitter.

The group also described the resolution as "the latest in a string of similar anti-Israel positions adopted by Presbyterian Church USA since 2004."

As the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, PCUSA has over 8,000 congregations, 1 million members and 18,000 clergy members.

Earlier this year, the head of the PC(USA) released a statement in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, declaring the "continued occupation in Palestine/Israel is 21st-century slavery and should be abolished immediately."

In the January statement, PC(USA) Stated Clerk Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II called on the Jewish community in the United States to "influence the call to join the U.S. government in ending the immoral enslavement."

In 2014, the PC(USA) General Assembly voted 310-303 to divest from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions due to their reported business ties to Israel. The move was criticized by organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Union for Reform Judaism.

The disputed territories are those in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza Strip captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967. Israel has controlled those territories for over five decades but the international community has long debated sovereignty over those territories. Many, including the United Nations, have opposed Israel's plans to annex the West Bank, claiming it would seriously harm a two-state solution.
'Superspreader' film shares Sean Feucht's quest to bring revival to America during COVID-19 lockdowns

Worship artist Sean Feucht, who became well-known for leading outdoor revivals nationwide, is gearing up for the release of a new documentary following his controversial crusade across America during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Titled "Superspreader," the film follows the former Bethel Church worship leader as he led thousands in worship and details the cost of his boldness. The documentary is scheduled to hit theaters this summer.

"The pandemic revealed the chains of depression, fear and control that were seizing our nation," Feucht said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

Feucht's "Let Us Worship" movement was birthed during the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns in response to state and local governments nationwide restricting in-person worship through policies aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.

After coming in third place in his bid for U.S. Congress in 2020 as a Republican in California's 3rd Congressional District, Feucht became the center of several large health mandate-defying Christian revival gatherings in major U.S. cities.

"Superspreader" will chronicle the before, after and behind the scenes of those gatherings.

"I'm thrilled for audiences to gather together in movie theaters to witness God's hand in the #LetUsWorship movement. It's my prayer that this film shows an even greater number of people what can happen when we march into battle and call on the God of hope," the statement continued.

Feucht told CP that the documentary is "a story about the power of the Gospel and the American spirit."

"The freedom to worship was under assault by the big and powerful. It spawned a movement of thousands to fight for our God-given religious liberty," he said.

"In the face of intense pressure from politicians, the mainstream media, and Antifa to stand down, we stood up to bring a message of hope and revival to America. And it's not over yet."

Director Josh Franer said the film explores "the cost of courage."

"My hope as a filmmaker is to inspire greater conversation versus further division through the exploration of Sean's bold stand against what he perceived to be tyranny," he said.

Feucht believes Americans' rights and religious liberties were stripped away in the name of public health during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Since churches were restricted from holding large worship services in buildings, he held worship in the public squares where he also shared the Gospel.

Feucht told CP that his quest for revival in these times has been challenging personally.

"It is more controversial than I ever imagined," he stated. "Jesus was right when he warned the disciples, 'You will be hated by everyone because of me. But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved,' (Matthew 10:22).'"

Feucht said he and his family have "endured the most intense resistance, hate, harassment and even death threats to our home and family that we've ever experienced."

"But yet the glory has been incredible, and the testimony of breakthrough has sustained us," Feucht added.

The minister has been accused of being too political with his Gospel approach, but he believes ministry, politics and everything overlap.

"The Church needs to wake up!" he maintained. "Christ calls us to be salt and light. He wants us to [put] His Love and truth to every facet of our life, not just our families and church, but schools, work, and politics too!"

"Superspreader" is scheduled for an Aug. 19 theatrical debut and will follow the launch of Feucht's book,BOLD: Moving Forward in Faith Not Fear on July 26.
Evil on the rise: Requests for exorcism reportedly booming as culture dabbles in occult

Exorcism typically gets a lot of attention in pop culture, mainly due to its vivid depictions in movies, but the expulsion of evil from a person's life doesn't always look like what's observed on the big screen.

Mike Signorelli, the senior pastor of V1 Church in New York City, recently appeared on"The Playing With Fire Podcast," where he explored exorcism and his views on biblical evil.

READ ALSO: Shut Up, Devil: Are Too Many Churches Ignoring Evil? Meet the Bible Teacher on a Mission to Reignite the Conversation

What is 'deliverance?'

The preacher explained "deliverance," a term with which people might have less familiarity than the word "exorcism," though many use the words interchangeably.

"Deliverance is simply when Jesus expels an unclean spirit from you," Signorelli said, noting examples in scripture of Jesus healing individuals possessed by demons. "It literally is the ministry of Jesus, and so when you see it happen today, you are seeing the ministry of Jesus extended through the lives of his followers."

Listen to Signorelli discuss exorcism, deliverance and his ministry:

Evil on the increase

While some might express skepticism over possession in the modern era, faith leaders and individuals who deal with the issue in practice report stunning increases in those seeking healing and help.

Signorelli noted the well-publicized fact the Catholic Church is inundated with requests for exorcism. The problem is so sweeping that he said Catholic leaders are "reporting a system failure within Catholicism right now," as they simply can't keep up with the demand.

Signorelli, who disagrees with Catholic exorcism and discourages people from seeking it, said the increased need is notable; it's something he's seen in his own deliverance ministry, as culture increasingly dabbles in the occult.

"New Age practices are becoming a normal phenomenon," he said. "Even secular companies are provoking people to step into the spiritual realm or to believe in the supernatural in a way that, it's like we're moving past atheism," he said.

Signorelli pointed to the mainstreaming of burning sage to drive out evil and the obsessive reading of Horoscopes, among other actions  things he believes are spiritually dangerous and can breed evil.

Do Christians need deliverance?

Signorelli also addressed critics who might dismiss the need for Christians to seek deliverance, with some believing Christians are protected from evil and not in need of such spiritual healings.

But Signorelli said it's important to differentiate between true believers  and those who attend church and haven't allowed the Gospel to permeate their hearts and minds.

"Not everybody who claims to be a Christian is a Christian; there are people  and I meet them by the hundreds because I travel all around the world preaching and declaring the Gospel  who have never heard the Gospel," he said. "They've received Christianity, but they've never received Christ."

Signorelli said it's possible for these individuals to have confessed but to never have repented and to, in turn, struggle with the demonic realm.

Inside a deliverance

As for what a deliverance (or exorcism) looks like, the only tangible example most have is what can be observed in films and movies.

Signorelli shared what deliverance looks like in his ministry, explaining how he starts by ensuring the Holy Spirit is permeating his life.

"I host the Holy Spirit, not just inside of me, but in the atmospheres of my life," he said. "I believe that one of the greatest obligations I have, not as a pastor, but as a believer, is to host the Holy Spirit  I want to start with that."

He said this simply involves leading a Christian life by forgiving others and living out the fruit of the spirit. Signorelli believes his focus on emphasizing Christian virtues in his own life helps fuel his ministry.

"I think one of the reasons why I see as [many] deliverances as I do is not because the emphasis is on the devil but because the emphasis is on hosting the Holy Spirit," he said. "It's like when you open up the door to your room, and you have the light on in the hallway ... the room is immediately overcome by the light in the hallway, and so ... I'm constantly opening up the door to the Holy Spirit."

It is this presence of the Holy Spirit that Signorelli believes "agitates" evil and brings it out of hiding.

The problem Signorelli sees with some of today's pastors

He believes too many preachers focus on their sermons and not on compellingly living biblical truth.

"So many ministers have gotten so good at preaching sermons, but they've spent more time honing the craft of preaching than they have hosting the Holy Spirit," he said.

Beyond that, Signorelli said repentance is critical, pointing to the Old Testament examples of David and Saul. While both sinned and made errors, only Saul was "vexed by demons."

READ ALSO: Transferred From the Kingdom of Darkness Into Light: Real-Life Teen Witch Who Should Be Dead Went From Casting Spells to Worshipping Jesus

"We know that David sinned, and we know that Saul had sinned," Signorelli said. "David was quick to repent. ... We have the recorded prayers of David closing those doors. I would argue that Saul was unrepentant. He left that door wide open for long durations of time."

The pastor said he believes a refusal to close doors to sin in Christians' lives today can prove similarly problematic and lead to a need for deliverance.

"Maybe you have a repeated sin in your life that becomes the equivalency of leaving that door open, and now you've moved out of the David category," he said.

Signorelli said one might discover he or she is struggling with the "flesh" and needs more discipline rather than deliverance. However, some issues can be demonic strongholds or a mixture of the two.

He said he's seen his ministry explode recently and shared some of the deliverance stories he has witnessed. In one case, a woman felt hopeless after having ringing in her ear for years.

"After she received deliverance, the ringing completely stopped," he said. "She was weeping. I have it on video. She was just weeping, couldn't hardly believe [it]."

Signorelli shared other similar stories as well. Listen to the full episode formore.

This story originally appeared on Faithwire.com.
Christian Taliban: Rep. Adam Kinzinger slams Lauren Boeberts call for Church to direct government

Christian Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois accused his colleague and sister in the faith Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., of advocating for "the Christian Taliban" after she suggested to members of a Colorado church Sunday that the First Amendment's Establishment Clause is "junk" and the Church should be directing the government.

During her speech at Cornerstone Christian Center in Basalt on Sunday, Boebert declared that she is "tired of this separation of Church and state junk."

"The Church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the Church. That is not how our Founding Fathers intended it," the born-again, first-term congresswoman said.

Boebert argued that the principle of separation of Church and state is not in the Constitution and was only in a letter that "means nothing like they say it does." Boebert was likely referencing an 1802 letter from President Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Church Association in Connecticut stating that the First Amendment has "a wall of separation between Church and State."

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution "prohibits the government from making any law respecting an establishment of religion" and "government actions that unduly favor one religion over another." It also prohibits the government from "unduly preferring religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion."

Boebert's comments have since triggered multiple news headlines. Kinzinger, a staunch critic of former President Donald Trump who is also a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, criticized Boebert's comments.

"There is no difference between this and the Taliban," he tweeted, referring to the Islamic terrorist organization that has taken control of Afghanistan.

"We must opposed the Christian Taliban. I say this as a Christian."

Kinzinger suggested in subsequent tweets that since extremism in other religions like Islam is discouraged in America, the same standards should apply to Christianity.

"It's interesting. When the Taliban rose, we kept saying the 'moderate Muslims' need to speak out (I'm sure you did too) I believe normal Christians need to call out Christian nationalism and the Christian Taliban," he said. "I can't find anywhere Jesus said that the Govt matters to him."

As opponents often use the term "Christian Taliban" to demean conservative Christian policy stances, conservative radio host Larry O'Connor reminded Kinzinger that he, too, was once branded as "Christian Taliban" before he was elected to Congress in 2010.

"All of us at Breitbart helped you win in 2010 when the protesters in the streets were calling YOU Christian Taliban and Nazi. Remember all the posters of you and Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin with swastikas?" O'Connor noted. "You've become the very people we fought against to help you get elected."

Kinzinger insisted that times have changed.

"You are incorrect Larry. Yes I was called a Nazi, and thank you for confirming that I wasn't. But in 2010 nobody could imagine the church would be abused to promote a man with traits we should abhor," he tweeted. "So it's VERY different now."

Kinzinger, who serves on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, announced last year that he will not seek reelection. He was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
Nancy Pelosi reportedly received communion at Vatican despite abortion advocacy

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., whose Roman Catholic archbishop barred her from receiving communion due to her public advocacy for abortion, reportedly received communion at the Vatican on Wednesday after meeting with Pope Francis.

As The New York Times reported Wednesday, an attendee claims Pelosi met privately with Pope Francis and received communion from a priest during a papal Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican did not offer confirmation of the meeting, but it did release photos of Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi, greeting Pope Francis at the basilica.

The Vatican did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

Last month, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone sent a letter to Pelosi, informing her that she had been warned to either "repudiate your advocacy for abortion 'rights'" or "refrain from referring to your Catholic faith in public and receiving Holy Communion."

The archbishop quoted the Roman Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law, stating, "Those obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion."

Pelosi has endorsed policies that advance abortion access, which conflicts with the Catholic Church's teachings on the issue. The church has "affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion" since the first century.

Pope Francis said during Mass on Wednesday that church leaders must "continue to care for human life." He also told newly consecrated archbishops on the same day to be inclusive and not "remain pinned to some of our fruitless debates."

"So many times we become a church with open doors, but only to send people away, to condemn them," he said.

The pontiff issued a new apostolic letter about church liturgy, stating that celebrating mass belongs to "the totality of the faithful united in Christ."

"The liturgy does not say 'I' but 'we,'" he wrote, "and any limitation on the breadth of this 'we' is always demonic."

Last September, Pope Francis said that he has "never refused the Eucharist to anyone" but stressed he has never knowingly encountered a politician during communion who supports abortion.

The comments came amid debates among bishops in the United States about whether President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians that advocate for legalized abortion should be denied communion.

While he did not take a direct stance on whether politicians who advocate for policies that violate church doctrine should be denied communion, he advised bishops to be "pastors, and not go condemning."

According to Politico's Playbook, Pelosi reportedly took communion last month at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown. Two days after receiving communion at the Washington, D.C., Catholic church, Pelosi questioned her hometown archbishop's decision to forbid her from taking communion on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

She wondered why the archbishop had taken such a strong stance against her position on abortion but did not prevent other politicians who support other policies that violate church teachings, such as the death penalty, from receiving communion.

"I wonder about the death penalty, which I am opposed to," Pelosi said. "So is the church, but they take no action against people who may not share their view."

Last October, Cordileone released a statement calling on "all Catholics and others of goodwill" to fast and pray for Pelosi so that she would change her "heart" on abortion. The archbishop pointed to the House Speaker's five children, whom she reportedly "speaks fondly" of, claiming that Pelosi has a "maternal heart."

The call for prayer came after the House of Representatives passed the Women's Health Protection Act, which Pelosi supported. The bill would have codified the right to abortion into federal law but failed to garner enough votes in the Senate.

Cordileone called the WHPA "nothing short of child sacrifice" in a September 2021 statement. In May 2021 pastoral letter to Catholics who support abortion, the archbishop recommended that they not receive communion.

"Your Catholic ideals inspire you in your work to help those who experience discrimination, violence, and injustice, and you deserve the gratitude of your fellow Catholics and our nation for this service. But we cannot empower the weak by crushing the weakest," he wrote.

"If you find that you are unwilling or unable to abandon your advocacy for abortion, you should not come forward to receive Holy Communion. To publicly affirm the Catholic faith while at the same time publicly rejecting one of its most fundamental teachings is simply dishonest."
Anglican school chaplain fired for not caving to LGBT indoctrination warns of soft totalitarianism

WASHINGTON  An Anglican chaplain who was fired and reported to an anti-terrorism program for preaching Christian doctrine on sexual ethics during a chapel service is warning about the totalitarian ideologies actively at work in the West.

At a breakout session at the International Religious Freedom Summit, a panel on polite persecution  a phrase coined by Pope Francis  assembled by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, described how secular abortion and gender activists are gutting cherished freedoms in countries that have historically championed religious liberty. Often, religious persecution is state-sanctioned.

This so-called polite kind of hostility is often experienced by practitioners of faiths that adhere to more traditional views about human life, marriage, and the material reality of biological sex.

In his remarks, the Rev. Bernard Randall recounted how just over three years ago, he, as an ordained chaplain, was reported to authorities and investigated as part of a government anti-terrorism probe for espousing Christian sexual ethics during a chapel service in a Church of England school.

The school had invited LGBT activist Elly Barnes, founder of Educate & Celebrate, an LGBT education charity, to a staff training session to introduce a new curriculum under the guise of anti-bullying education, he said, noting that no one objects to protecting students from bullying. Yet, he soon found out that there were aspects of this training that were not about bullying but the indoctrination of LGBT ideology. It went so far that at one point the trainers had the staff chanting about the need to smash heteronormativity.

Thats something well beyond not bullying people, Randall said.

The LGBT group further taught staff that there are nine characteristics that are protected under British law, among them gender and gender identity. But that is not true, Randall stressed, noting that the trans movement has coerced the public into believing such claims.

Since the aim of the Educate & Celebrate curriculum material is to embed gender, gender identity and sexual orientation into the fabric of your organization, students asked Randall to address the issue at a chapel service.

After doing so, he was summarily dismissed from school for gross misconduct and reported to the counter-terrorism program after he told students, aged 11 to 17, that they were not compelled to accept an ideology they disagree with. He also told the students that they could make up their own minds about gender identity and sexuality.

Randall added that students could either choose to adopt the thinking of LGBT activists or adhere to Christian sexual ethics  that marriage is only between a man and woman and that sex is confined to that context. Most importantly, he advised students to show respect for those who disagree.

I was summoned into what I can only describe as an interrogation by the senior leadership," he said. "I was suspended. And I was fired for gross misconduct for doing my job as per the job description."

Randall was also reported to Child Protective Services and a British government anti-terrorism program as a potential violent extremist.

Id like to think that Im a reasonably moderate sort of chap, he said, reiterating how he left the question of believing the claims of LGBT activists open-ended in his chapel remarks.

But his firing and being reported to the government anti-terrorism task force was a revealing moment showing how far the school's administration had gone to the other extreme.

He is now suing the school for religious discrimination but noted how astonishing it is that he has to take legal action against a Church of England institution, for proclaiming Christian beliefs in a sermon during a chapel service. The Christian Legal Centre has since been representing him.

Speaking of the relevance of the international religious freedom summit, the Anglican chaplain stressed that freedom of religion includes freedom from religion. The Marxist progressive ideology at work functions much like a religion and people should be free from that if they wish to be.

If Western countries cannot protect their own religious groups from discrimination there is absolutely no reason that the other countries at which we might point the finger who are violating religious freedom, and they can say to the West and say, Youre not taking it seriously, so why should we? he said.



When asked by The Christian Post why gender ideologues won't even allow a disagreement, Randall pointed to its philosophical roots.

It seems to me that if you look at the Marxist-type origins of this sort of thing, whats going on is that they are objecting to what they regard as religion  the opiate of the masses  this sort of false consciousness, and they just have to educate us into true consciousness, he said.

But anybody who says Oh no, Im quite happy with my religious ideas, Im quite happy with this consciousness Ive got already is a real threat to the whole set of concepts. They are a threat to the idea that what everybody believes is false and the Marxists will take us to this new wonderful, enlightened utopia.



And they cannot tolerate that kind of threat. Its a very totalitarian system," he added.

What Randall experienced three years ago in England is what he and others have called soft totalitarianism, whereas what people endure in China is hard totalitarianism.

But the difference between them is not as much as we might like to think, he stressed.
Chaos, rage, firebombs: Is more violence against pregnancy centers on the way?

Before the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision came down on June 24, numerous attacks had already unfolded against pro-life pregnancy centers and churches.

With chaos and consternation abounding, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade could spark increased chaos.

What has unfolded thus far  and what's to come? Christian Post reporter Ryan Foley joins "The Inside Story" to break it all down. Listen to the episode (and subscribe to the podcast):

The Inside Story takes you behind the headlines of the biggest faith, culture, and political headlines of the week. In 15 minutes or less, Christian Post staff writers and editors will help you navigate and understand what's driving each story, the issues at play  and why it all matters.

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Abortion and Methodist split

Some think United Methodisms split is over LGBTQIA+. But official United Methodisms angry reaction to the Supreme Courts overturning Roe v. Wade evinces it is much, much more.

The United Methodist Council of Bishops, United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, the United Methodist womens group, and General Commission on Women in Society, and General Board of Global Ministries all denounced the court ruling, which discerned there is no constitutional right to abortion.

Their statements ignored that the 2016 General Conference revoked United Methodisms official support for Roe v. Wade dating to 1976 and that United Methodism has been moving in a more pro-life direction since first backing abortion rights in 1970. They also ignored that the courts decision did not address the ethics of abortion but only found that the Constitution, which does not mention abortion, doesnt prevent states from restricting abortion.

Far more importantly, these United Methodist statements were theologically and ethically vacuous, ignoring 2,000 years of rich ecumenical Christian teaching about the sacredness of all human life. They spoke instead in contemporary secular political language of equal access, autonomy, and therapeutic contextualization. The value and purpose of human life from a Christian understanding was unaddressed. Christianity, which is always biased in favor of the defenseless and the voiceless, for 2,000 years has cherished the unborn and argued for their protection. The divine Savior of the world entered into his earthly existence as a human embryo and then a fetus. John the Baptist, in the womb of Marys cousin Elizabeth, leapt for joy when the Virgin announced she had conceived. The unborn are important actors in Gods view of human affairs.

Christianity has never, when faithful to its teachings, esteemed persons, born or unborn, based on their worldly standing, their intelligence, their capacity to care for themselves, or their ability to speak. Instead, all persons are assumed to image God and receive His love. We respect all persons, no matter their state of development, because they are of God. United Methodist statements did not acknowledge any of this received wisdom of love and care from the Church universal.

Here is the chief difference between the contending factions in United Methodism. Postmodernists who govern U.S. United Methodism are tacitly divorcing from the church universal. They believe that the 95% of the contemporary global Church, with 99% of the historic Church, that affirms traditional teachings about marriage, human life and Gods gift of male and female, among other treasures of the Churchs received teaching dating to Christ, and foreshadowed by the Hebrew patriarchs and prophets, is simply wrong. Not just wrong, but oppressive and retrograde. Western progressive Protestantism, in sync with Western secularism, is uniquely the vanguard of truth, not just in application of the faith but on core doctrine and ethical teaching.

This postmodern view of the church does not conceive a timeless and boundaryless Body of Christ but rather a discordant collection of willful and self-actualized individuals, each of whom decides what is best. Its not a very appealing vision. But this different version of the Church is what is splitting United Methodism, not sexuality per se.

Its unfortunate that United Methodisms split is precipitated by LGBTQIA+ instead of the wider underlying gulf in defining the Church and its cosmic identity. Some traditionalists declare the split is about scriptural authority. Postmodernist Methodists insist they heed the Scriptures but through a contemporary, liberationist lens. This interpretation stresses justice and empowerment. Rightly or wrongly, this interpretation separates Western progressive Protestants from the rest of Christianity. Post-split, progressive United Methodism, like other U.S.-based declining liberal Mainline Protestant denominations, will reject the church universals historic and global ecumenical consensus on the sacredness of all human life and Gods core purposes for the human person. Traditional Methodists will join global Protestants, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, and other Christians, today and in past centuries, who heed the life-affirming traditions of our common faith.

Traditional Methodism affirms that unborn persons merit protection and love, along with all vulnerable image bearers of God. And traditional Methodism will need to craft a new Wesleyan social witness that affirms ecumenical Christian ethics and abundant life with dignity for all people. Most importantly, traditional Methodism will see itself as part of the church universal, which is the Bride of Christ and, by His grace, and in His eyes, without blemish.

Official United Methodisms unserious reaction to the overthrow of Roe v. Wade will help Methodists find clarity for the days of choosing ahead.

Originally published at Juicy Ecumenism.
Nigeria: Terrorists kill 2 Catholic priests

Unidentified terrorists have killed two Catholic priests in the Nigerian states of Kaduna and Edo, according to statements by their respective archdioceses which come a month after two other priests were slain in two other districts in the West African country.

The victims have been identified as Fr. Vitus Borogo, a priest serving in the Archdiocese of Kaduna, and Fr. Christopher Odia from the Diocese of Auchi.

Borogo was killed in a raid on a farm along Kaduna-Kachia Road Saturday, and Odia was kidnapped from his rectory at St. Michael Catholic Church in Edo States Ikabigbo area and then killed by his captors Sunday evening, Catholic News Agency reported, citing a statement by the chancellor of the Kaduna archdiocese.

Borogo, 50, was a chaplain at Kaduna State Polytechnic, and 42-year-old Odia was the administrator of St. Michaels and principal of St. Philip Catholic Secondary School in Jattu area.

Catholic News Agency also noted that more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country worldwide  at least 4,650 in 2021, and nearly 900 in the first three months of 2022 alone.

In May, unidentified gunmen stormed a Catholic parish in northern Nigeria and abducted two priests, identified as Fr. Stephen Ojapa and Fr. Oliver Okpara from the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, and two unidentified boys from St. Patrick Catholic Church in Gidan Maikambo area of Katsina states Kafur Local Government Area, Vatican News reported at the time.

In a separate incident the same month, radical Islamic militants affiliated with either the Islamic Fulani herdsmen or the Islamic State West Africa Province killed at least eight Christians, including children younger than 5, and wounded several others in an attack in Borno state.

Also last month, the Islamic State terror group released a video showing the execution of about 20 Christian civilians in Borno State in revenge for the killing of their leader in Syria by the United States special forces in February.

The video, released by an IS-linked news outlet, showed a masked militant executing a Christian civilian while saying it was revenge for the killing of their leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, an Iraqi Islamic terrorist and the second caliph of the Islamic State.

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, earlier reported that at least 4,650 Christians were killed between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021. That is an increase from 3,530 the previous year. Additionally, more than 2,500 Christians were kidnapped, up from 990 a year earlier.
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

(Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co. announced Splash Mountain attractions will complete their makeover in late 2024, transforming the ride into Tianas Bayou Adventure.

Splash Mountain was previously themed around The Song of the Southa controversial 1946 film that centered around happy-go lucky Uncle Remus living in a post-Civil War plantation. In the new iteration, the ride will be based on The Princess and the Frog, a 2009 animated film that featured Disneys first Black princess as she struggles to open a restaurant in Louisiana. The company made the announcement at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans.
Welcome to the Summer of Sweat. Every week until it hits 70, we'll tell you where to find refreshing eats and drinks to cool off in every Houston neighborhood.

In previous weeks, we've told you about icy refreshments in Montrose, the Heights, downtown Houston, Third Ward and Asiatown. This week, we're heading to the East End for mangonadas, icy frappes and concha ice cream sandwiches.

Yelp/Kim N.

Brass Tacks

Quench your thirst with coffee or cocktails at this EaDo haven boasting the best of both restaurant and coffee bar worlds. Get a nitro cold brew, or something more decadent like the mocha frappe, and snack on tacos or a banh mi. Prefer your espresso with a shot of booze? Brass Tacks has martinis, mules and margaritas too.

Find it: 612 Live Oak St, Houston, TX 77003; (713) 352-7626

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-midnight

Courtesy: Magnolia's Ice Cream & More

Magnolia's Ice Cream & More

The "& more" in Magnolia's Ice Cream & More carries plenty of weight, with the shop touting fruit sherbets, snow cones, sorbets and frozen chamoy drinks, along with house-made ice cream. Keep things simple with a mangonada or Oreo cookie sundae, or try something over-the-top like the watermelon sour, a sweet and tangy dessert made with watermelon and lemon-lime sherbet, fresh fruit and spicy chamoy candy slices.

Find it: 6421 Brady St, Houston, TX 77011; (713) 926-7472

Hours: Daily, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Popston

The gourmet popsicle shop with a cult following opened a brick-and-mortar store in The Plant in 2nd Ward. The icy treats on a stick come in flavors like key lime, strawberries and cream, and chamoy with tajin, and they are vegan and gluten-free.

Find it: 3401 Harrisburg Blvd Suite B, Houston, TX 77003

Yelp/Juan T.

Truck Yard

With live music, a working ferris wheel and rotating food trucks, this sprawling, multi-level patio bar is a fun place to hang in the East End, but it can get hot, so cooling down with one of the frozens is a must. The frose packs a double punch of booze with frozen rose wine and berry vodka, while the salted watermelon margarita is a tart, fruity take on the classic frozen bev'.

Find it: 2118 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77003; (713) 855-9666

Hours: Sunday, noon-midnight; Monday-Wednesday, 4 p.m.-midnight; Thursday, noon-midnight; Friday-Saturday, noon-2 a.m.

Yelp/Tam N.

Tout Suite

This all-day cafe slings all of the usual coffee shop drinks, but on an exceptionally hot day, the iced red eyemade with cold brew and espressocaffeinates and refreshes. Have it as is, or amp it up with tapioca balls. If you lounge around long enough to make happy hour, take advantage of discounted cocktails like the fresh strawberry bellini and Champagne mojito.

Find it: 2001 Commerce St, Houston, TX 77002; (713) 227-8688

Hours: Sunday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.

Courtesy: Treats of Mexico

Treats of Mexico

As the name hints, you'll find delectable Mexican treats to cool down with at this East End shop. The mangonada is decadent with sweet and spicy flavors, while ice cream sandwiches, made with house-made ice cream and built on artisan conchas, put a fun spin on the classic dessert.

Find it: 724 Telephone Rd, Houston, TX 77023; (713) 737-5958

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m.; Sunday, noon-6 p.m.

Jamaal Ellis, Freelance / For the Houston Chronicle

Voodoo Queen Daiquiri Dive

In lieu of beer or a cocktail, wind down with one of Voodoo Queen's hand-blended daiquiris. Beach vacation-themed beverages come in imaginative varieties like the Lay-Z Islander with coconut, rumchata and Bacardi 151, and the Banana Hammock, combining two ripe bananas with rum. Proceed with cautiondaiquiris like the Caribbean Xanax, coined "the suicide soda of daiquiris," are tasty but potent.

Find it: 322 Milby St, Houston, TX 77003

Hours: Sunday, noon-2 a.m.; Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m.; Saturday, noon-2 a.m.
There's no shortage of Houston-area restaurant openings to get amped about this summer, however Sugar Land and The Woodlands stand out as two suburbs hosting particularly noteworthy new concepts.

Last month, Woodlands residents and anyone eager to drive there were wowed by Amrina, the ritzy Indian restaurant that opened in Waterway Square to much fanfare. It's helmed by chef Jaspratap "Jassi" Bindra, who the Hindustan Times dubbed one of the "World's Best Indian Chefs."

The restaurant's cuisine is refined and creative, with menu items such as ostrich seekh kebabs, jackfruit biryani and caviar served with naan blinis. The offerings can at times be theatrical, like a sculpted cardamom chocolate dessert with gold "lips" made of molten jaggery caramel and spiced strawberry, but also play with low-brow classics, via tandoori mac and cheese.

Rick Frank

Those sad to have said goodbye to the Woodlands Berryhill Baja Grill outpost in 2020 may find comfort that something cool is opening in the former space. The second Houston-area location of Bosscat Kitchen & Libations is expected in the fall, bringing its 300-plus whiskey selections and comfort food to the northern suburb. Bosscat started in California with two restaurants, and opened an offshoot on the border of River Oaks and the Galleria in 2017.

Julie Soefer

Woodlands folk will have to wait until early next year for the second Phat Eatery, but it will be worth the wait. Chef Alex Au-Yeung put Malaysian food on the map in Houston with his acclaimed Katy restaurant, which serves dishes from the country and others in the region, like roti canai, Hainanese chicken, beef rendang, ikan bakar golden pomfret and more. The Woodlands spot in Grogan Mills Village will seat twice as many guests as the Katy Asian Town one.

Kimberly Park

Traveling much farther south and west, Sugar Land's food scene is also heating upcuriously, in a very localized way. If you live here or want to take an out-of-the-beltway trip, you must know that Sugar Land Town Square is where it's at. The walkable hub has attracted many interesting concepts in recent months, including the opening earlier this year of Morelia Gourmet Paletas, a Florida-based iced pop joint that is welcome this sweaty summer, and Mahesh's Kitchen, which enhanced the Houston area's already rich Indian food scene with its arrival last fall.

Michael Anthony

Williams Smokehouse BBQ and Blues will come to Sugar Land Town Square in September, allying live blues music with smoked meats and Creole dishes. Also coming to the center in September is the new iteration of B.B. Italia, which used to hold court in Memorial but closed in 2021. The Italian-American restaurant is a Berg Hospitality concept, a group with a star portfolio including The Annie Cafe & Bar, Turner's and B&B Butchers & Restaurant. The new B.B. Italia will occupy a large space with a patio to boot.

Watch out for new detailsand opening datesabout these restaurants in upcoming months. The Woodlands and Sugar Land's food scenes are well on their way to compete with suburban powerhouse Katy.
Passengers aboard a recent Delta Air Lines flight departing Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan were treated to a tempting offer: $10,000 for getting off the plane.

Inc. magazine's Jason Aten wrote a personal account of the event, which he claims took place aboard a connecting flight he and his family had boarded for Minneapolis. According to Aten, the carrier announced the flight had been oversold and that eight volunteers stood to receive $10,000 each in cash or electronic payment should they be willing to give up their seats on the plane.

"If you have Apple Pay, you'll even have the money right now," a flight attendant said, according to Aten.

"We did not take it for reasons I'm not going to get into because my wife is still not pleased about it," he wrote.

Todd McCrumb, another passenger aboard the plane, has since corroborated Aten's story regarding the outsized offer. McCrumb told Fortune's Christine Mui that the carrier had initially offered $5,000 to passengers before bumping the figure to $7,500 and eventually $10,000 when volunteers failed to materialize.

"Unfortunately, my wife has some health issues and cannot travel alone," McCrumb told Mui. "She would not bump [because] she was anxious to be home, for health issues and some other concerns. I couldnt abandon her for any amount of [money]."

A Delta spokesperson refused to confirm or deny the $10,000 cash offer, according to Mui.

"The ability to provide compensation empowers our employees to take care of our customers and get our aircraft out on time," the representative stated.

While remarkable, the high figure offered to Aten and others falls within the parameters of possible compensation the airline has approved for passengers giving up their seats. In 2017, CNBC's Everett Rosenfeld published a leaked internal Delta bulletin in which the carrier announced it would increase its payment cap for voluntary denied boardings from $1,350 to $9,950. The document stated that higher-figure offers would come with certain rules and requirements, including an authorization from flight staff superiors.

The leaked memo encouraged attendants to "start at a lower compensation and increase, if necessary."

After canceling hundreds of flights over the previous week, Delta Air Lines on Sunday announced a temporary fare change waiver ahead of Fourth of July weekend. The carrier is allowing passengers with airfare booked during the busy travel window to change their reservations for free in anticipation of "potentially challenging" operational obstacles over the holiday weekend.

"Delta people are working around the clock to rebuild Delta's operation while making it as resilient as possible to minimize the effects of disruptions," the carrier wrote in a statement. "Even so, some operational challenges are expected this holiday weekend."
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Ketanji Brown Jackson's history-making confirmation as the nation's first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court inspired an outpouring of letters from schoolchildren throughout the country, colorful artwork and even a crocheted doll of the new justice, complete with tiny glasses, a string of pearls and black robe.

"More than anything, your position has brought me joy. I screamed down our school halls with joy!" wrote a high school teacher from Los Angeles.

"I think it's cool you followed your dreams and did what you wanted without other people telling you what to do," wrote a third-grader in a letter decorated with a rainbow-colored courthouse. "I bet it feels good to be the first."

Jackson allowed The Washington Post a glimpse of some of the mail and other tokens of appreciation that have arrived at her judicial chambers at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit since she was confirmed to the Supreme Court by the Senate in April.

Hundreds of letters, enough to fill a mail bin, and other mementos are being sorted and organized to be stored in the justice's personal archive at the Supreme Court.

"You are the start of justice!" wrote a third-grade student in a letter illustrated with the scales of justice favoring women over men.

Jackson, a federal judge in D.C. for the past decade and a former federal public defender, is the eighth justice in the court's 233-year history who is not a White man. She officially became a justice on Thursday afternoon in a small ceremony at the court, surrounded by her family and new colleagues - and by the retiring justice she replaces, Stephen Breyer.

The daughter of a school principal and an attorney, Jackson grew up in Florida, where she was a high school debate champion before attending Harvard. Her ascension to the Supreme Court does not significantly alter its 6-to-3 conservative bent because Jackson is replacing a liberal justice for whom she once was a law clerk.

But when Jackson takes the bench in the fall, the court will for the first time have four women.

The fan mail sent to her chambers reflected excitement over the milestone.

"You have set a standard for other women of color to follow!" wrote one high school student. Added another: "About time!"
Midland is home to dozens of public art pieces, including sculptures and plaques. While some installations provide colorful landmarks, others require passersby to stop and observe a little more closely.

Here are a few public art installations that can be found in the northern sector of the city, spanning south toward downtown.

Midlands medallions

First impressions are important, so a group of Midlanders used public art to help visitors understand what Midland represents as they enter the city.

Motorists driving on Eastman Avenue by the mall area might spot two pairs of bronze medallions on the US-10 bridge, each depicting aspects of Midlands rich history.

In the early 2000s, former Midland City Manager Jon Lynch approached the Entryway Initative Taskforce with a request to put a medal on the bridge as a welcoming sign to Midland. As it happened, when the bridge was constructed, four indentations were included for such signs. The taskforce reached out to local artist Jim Ardis for ideas. Ardis eagerly presented the group with 32 possible designs for consideration.

Ever since I moved to Midland, I noticed the use of copper. After living here for a while, I realized it was the Dow family that caused that, especially Alden Dow. I thought we should have something to commemorate him, Ardis said in a January 2022 article.

The medallions were installed in March 2004. The Midland Area Community Foundation, along with other local organizations, funded the project.

Two designs were chosen, one for the south side of the bridge, the other for the north side. The south-facing design depicts three light towers that Alden B. Dow designed and are used in landscaping. The border has an inscription of City of Midland, 1887  the year the city was incorporated  and includes Michigans state tree, the eastern white pine.

The north-facing medallions pay tribute to Herbert H. Dow, showing a conical flask with the chemical compound of polystyrene in the middle; polystyrene is used in making Styrofoam, invented by Dow Chemical. Junia Doan, member of the Entryway Initiative Taskforce, choose to include Midlands nickname as the City of Modern Explorers for these medallions.

Its a very positive attitude to be an explorer, Doan stated. I think thats a gift that Midland can share now in that phrase upon arrival.

Wheeler Street sculptures

Motorists and pedestrians who come to the intersection of Washington and Wheeler roads will spot a bright orange abstract sculpture on the corner, titled Illusions. In the early 1990s, the late Midland entrepreneur John Rapanos commissioned the late Bruce Davis to create a sculpture to grace the property of Rapanos Investments.

John and his wife, Judy, appreciated art. Judy explained that John had met Davis in his travels and was impressed with his work. Very little is known about the meaning behind the sculpture or why John commissioned it.

Ive always felt that artists work should be shared with the public, Judy said. Whether its outdoor sculptures, in museums or private homes, I feel that it should be shown. Artists provide a real value to our communities. Art makes a person whole.

Davis, a native of Wisconsin, learned to weld after he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1957. He went on to work at Brown Machine in Beaverton and eventually moved to Sanford. In addition to Illusions, he also created sculptures that are located on Northwood Universitys campus and Michigan Technological University.

The second piece on Rapanos Investments property, closer to the building, is a reminder of a past summer sculpture series. Al Chmelar created the piece, titled Unity as part of the 2006 series, Alden B. Dow Block Party. The piece was one of 16 pieces of art which were auctioned off in September after the projects conclusion.

Literary treasures

Grace A. Dow benefited the Midland community in several ways during her lifetime, including helping plan Midlands current library that is named in her honor. Her good works are perpetuated by the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, which gave the library to the city. Unfortunately, Grace died two years before the library was completed in 1955.

The Monday Club, a literary group which Grace was a part of, commissioned a plaque to honor the philanthropist. Italian artist Giulio Tamassy designed and constructed the bronze plaque, titled Treasures of the Blossoms. The plaque was dedicated and installed at the library in November 1973. The artwork, located at the far end of the pavilion by the librarys entrance, depicts a tree covered in flowers.

Among those who spoke at the plaque dedication ceremony was Mrs. Robert R. Wolf, immediate past president and chairman of the dedication committee.

This memorial, we believe, is the first honoring Mrs. Dow with the sole purpose of saying, Thank you, Mrs. Dow, for your warm friendship and for all the benefits and opportunities you have given to us and the community of Midland, with no other function attached to the memorial, Wolf said.

In 1991, the library received another gift of public art. Handa Japan gave a garden to the library in celebration of a decade being Midlands sister city. The garden included three lanterns, which the Handas mayor, Hiroshi Takeuchi formally dedicated that September. The lanterns are made from stone harvested near Handa.

The Kasuga lantern is the largest of the three. This type of lantern was used to light fronts and pathways to temples from the fifth century. The Yukimi lantern was designed to depict snow on a wooden bamboo hat. The design of the third lantern, the Oribe, dates to the 17th century and is comprised of a shaft swelling into a sphere with a lotus bud on its roof.

This is the best way to present Japanese culture and spirit to the American people, said Handa Mayor Hiroshi Takeuchi in a Sept. 6, 1991 Daily News article. This is a kind of spiritual thing. Just looking at it will give silence, implying silence in your heart.

Dahlia Hills everblooming flowers

While the flowers on Dahlia Hill will bloom and wilt with the seasons, there are four sculptures that stand sentinel on the hill throughout the year.

Charles Breed, artist and founder of Dahlia Hill, started designing four Seasons of Life sculptures in the late 1990s, according to Peggy Kernstock, executive director of Dahlia Hill. The sculptures are based on cross sections of dahlias with human characteristics, each representing a specific period of life. Spring represents a person from birth to age 20, in the bud stage of life as they learn about the world around them. Summer represents ages 20-40 as a person blooms and builds their family. Autumn depicts someone going to seed when they reach ages 40-60 and give back to the community. Winter depicts a persons wilting stage from ages 60-80 as they learn to let go.

The different parts relate to the equinoxes and solstices are meant to be floral designs, inspired by flower buds and petals, Kernstock said.

Breed created original models, which were cast in aluminum in Saginaw and installed in 2008. The casting was done in 2- by 4-foot pieces that had to be melded together. While most of Breeds artwork  some of which is on display at Dahlia Hill  is made from plastics, the aluminum sculptures are among the very few that are outside and best accessible to passersby.

Having these available for people to see is a good way to bring people in and make them familiar with his designs, Kernstock said.
AUSTIN  The Travis County district attorneys office will not proceed with a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for refusing to release his communications around the time of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Despite determining that the attorney general likely violated the states open records law, the district attorneys office said it would not sue because journalists who had requested Paxtons records declined to testify in court in order to protect their sources.

The district attorneys office launched its investigation of Paxtons office after editors at Texas largest newspapers filed a complaint earlier this year alleging that the attorney general was breaking the states open records law.

In a hand-delivered letter to Paxton on Jan. 14, Jackie Wood, the district attorneys director of public integrity and complex crimes, stated her office concurred with the allegations in the editors complaint and gave Paxton four days to cure the violations or face a lawsuit.

We were encouraged that the district attorney agreed that Paxtons office violated the law, said Maria Reeve, executive editor of the Houston Chronicle. We hoped that those facts would be sufficient for a lawsuit to proceed  and that our reporters would not need to testify.

Paxtons general counsel, Austin Kinghorn, said the allegations were meritless.

Wood later asked the journalists if theyd be willing to testify in court about the roadblocks they encountered trying to obtain records from the attorney generals office. The newspapers declined to do so over concerns that reporters could be forced to testify about their unnamed sources or newsgathering methods. If they refused to answer, theyd risk being found in contempt of court.

Therefore, it is the decision of this office not to proceed to seek declaratory and injunctive relief in order to bring Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Office of the Attorney General into compliance with the public information requirements of the Texas Government Code, Public Integrity Unit Team Leader Rob Drummond wrote in a July 1 letter to Reeve.

Anyone can file a complaint with a local prosecutor if they believe a public agency is withholding information in violation of the Texas Public Information Act. In early January, editors from the Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News sent the Travis County DA a letter raising three concerns about Paxton.

First, the editors wrote that Paxton was improperly withholding his communications around the time of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by claiming every message he sent or received fell under attorney-client privilege. They also said the attorney generals office had no policy for handling work-related records kept on personal devices or accounts, and raised concerns that Paxton was turning over other peoples communications in response to requests for his own texts.

In her letter to Paxton following the complaint, Wood said withholding all the communications during the week of Jan. 6 violated the law.

She noted the media had made a similar request for communications sent or received by First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster during the same time frame, and the attorney generals office released nearly 500 pages of communications  including some emails that included Paxton as a recipient.

Paxton, a Republican, faces multiple legal challenges as he runs for re-election this year. In addition to active state securities fraud indictments, Paxton was also reportedly under FBI investigation for allegedly using his office to help a campaign donor.

john.tedesco@chron.com
AmyKerk/Getty Images

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has kicked off a $58.1 million capital investment addressing years of deferred maintenance on the historic Illinois state fairgrounds. From road projects and new roofs to structural repairs on prominent buildings, these construction projects are designed to ensure Illinois families will continue to "Grow With Us" for generations to come.



For too long, our fairgrounds didnt reflect the magic of the Illinois State Fair  so my administration is turning that ship around, Governor J.B. Pritzker said in a statement. The $58 million in infrastructure improvements were bringing to the Springfield fairgrounds  as well as new funding for Du Quoin  is an investment in the Illinois families that make this celebration what it is. Im proud to improve the fairgrounds for generations to come.

Construction is underway to restore and renovate the Multi-Purpose Arena. The $8.6 million projects will repair sidewalks, walls, steps, and expansion joints, while also repairing electrical systems, readjusting the tension structure, installing a new canopy, and rebuilding the retaining walls around the facility.



For the past three years, this administration has been committed and continues to be committed, to improving the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said in a statement. Starting with the crown jewel, the Coliseum, and expanding across the grounds, the work that is being done today will ensure our fairgrounds will be here for many years to come.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama officials said Thursday that they will move forward with plans to build two supersize prisons despite a bond sale falling more than $200 million short amid a volatile market and pressure from activists.

The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority hoped to sell $725 million in bonds for the construction project, but was only able to sell $509 million. The bond issue is a key funding piece for the $1.2 billion construction price tag.

State Finance Director Bill Poole told reporters that the state had hoped to "sell a little bit more" but officials were pleased with the result. He said the outcome would not impact the construction and the state still anticipated opening the prisons in 2026. He said the state will look at options for the remainder of the money, including seeking additional funding from the Alabama Legislature or conducting another bond issue when conditions are more favorable.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called the bond sale a significant and positive step forward in our prison construction process.

Our job certainly is not done, however, and we will continue to take steps in the coming months and years to ultimately improve Alabamas criminal justice system, she said.

While state officials blamed the result on a volatile market, a group of activists and impact investors had urged buyers to stay away from the the bond offering.

They didn't just fall short. They fell well, well, well short, said Eric Glass, an adviser to Justice Capital, an investment fund that joined the call for a boycott. He said the state did face a volatile market but there is also a recognition among investors that prison construction "is not a good thing to be investing in.

I think it fell short because this has been a year-plus campaign around, uplifting and centering the idea that building prisons, whether private or public, shows a lack of creativity," he added. It shows inhumanity and cruelty, and we need to start thinking broadly and holistically around the things that that lead to incarceration and improve those.

Alabama officials are pursuing construction of new prisons to replace aging facilities, calling that a partial solution to the states longstanding troubles in corrections. The U.S. Department of Justice has an ongoing lawsuit against the state over prison conditions and has cautioned that new buildings will not solve the problems. Critics of the construction plan argue that the state is ignoring the bigger issues  prison staffing levels and leadership  to focus on buildings.

The two prisons would be located in Elmore and Escambia counties and would house up to 4,000 inmates each. The facilities would replace older prisons that would close.

Dana Sweeney, a statewide organizer for Alabama Appleseed, said he was surprised to hear the state isn't changing plans despite being $200 million short of the amount needed. There are a lot of things that $200 million can be spent on, and I would be very, very interested to hear how lawmakers would react to being asked for hundreds of millions of dollars more, he said.

The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority intends to finalize the bond sale on July 12.

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Alabama over a prison system it says is riddled with prisoner-on-prisoner and guard-on-prisoner violence. The Justice Department noted in an earlier report that dilapidated facilities were a contributing factor to the unconstitutional conditions but wrote new facilities alone will not resolve the matter because of problems in culture, management deficiencies, corruption, violence and other problems.

State officials maintain modern facilities will be safer for staff and inmates and help the prison system provide better health and vocational education services. Poole said those services are very difficult to deliver in dangerous old facilities.

We need to have safer facilities for the benefit of both the incarcerated population and for staff. It is very difficult to recruit staff to work in dangerous conditions, Poole said.
"Armadillo" is more familiar to Midwesterners as the punchline to jokes about creatures that roam the expanses of Texas.

No more.

The animals are working their way north and, while not as common as squirrels or raccoons in west-central Illinois, it no longer is a surprise when one is sighted.

Face it. Morgan County and its environs are part of armadillo country.

There was a report filed June 4 about an armadillo being hit by a vehicle near Kampsville Water Treatment plant in Calhoun County. Last year, an armadillo was found behind a car dealership in Springfield. Jacksonville Police Chief Adam Mefford recalled Morgan County handled a call a couple of years ago involving a dead armadillo on the 8-mile stretch of road between Alexander and Franklin.

One person not surprised by armadillo sightings is Dr. Agustin Jimenez, director of zoology graduate studies in the School of Biological Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Jimenez said the creatures are making steady progress north.

"They are along Interstate 72. We think they will establish along there and establish breeding colonies," Jimenez said. "We don't think they will establish much farther north because the areas they occupy are mostly determined by temperature."

Stan McTaggart, wildlife diversity program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said his agency is monitoring the expansion of armadillos into central and northern Illinois.

"We are looking mostly north of Interstate 72 because we know they are south of there," McTaggart said. "They are prevalent in southern Illinois."

Calhoun and Jersey counties have healthy populations and there are a few reports north and south of Jacksonville, he said. The only counties surrounding Jacksonville without an armadillo sighting, so far, are Brown, Cass and Schuyler.

The armadillo advance provides proof that winters are getting warmer and the climate is not so harsh as to kill them.

"Winter has warmed across Illinois at a rate faster than other seasons," said Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist. "The average temperature is going up, but winter is accounting for most of it as it is warming two to four times faster than summer. When we go into climatological winter, which is December through February, we are not seeing an equal shift, but a change in the distribution of temperatures."

Ford said to think about each day's temperature. The range in climatological winter is from minus 38 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. People expect the temperature to change to the right  meaning higher high temperatures. What we are seeing, he said, is the shape of the distribution line is changing, with the coldest temperatures warming faster than the warmest temperatures.

That means fewer extremely cold nights and days. It is that moderation of temperatures that allows armadillos, ticks, kudzu and other invasive species to move into Illinois.

"Illinois broke its minimum low temperature in 2019 in Mount Carroll at (minus) 38," Ford said. "It can still get very cold, but it's not as frequent. A week of subzero temperatures may harm some armadillos, but the effect of an occasional subzero night is something they may be able to adapt to."

As spring becomes wetter and winters become milder, the soil stays warmer throughout the year, which allows insects to live longer. All of this creates ideal conditions for armadillos, which do not hibernate, and preserves their food source.

"We have not discovered the limits of the temperatures that are too much for them to take," Jimenez said.

The nine-banded armadillo has the widest distribution of any armadillo species and is the one common to Illinois. An adult armadillo is the size of a large cat, though the body shape resembles an opossum. Armadillos have a carapace of bony plates covered with leathery skin.

Jimenez is convinced armadillos, which are good swimmers and can hold their breath for long periods, have been following riverbanks and creeks north out of Texas. He said the first documented sighting of an armadillo in Illinois came in 1992 when a carcass was found near Metropolis, which sits along the Ohio River.

"Some people said they saw them earlier, which is highly likely, but that was the first physical evidence of armadillos in Illinois," Jimenez said.

If a person runs into an armadillo, odds are it's dead, Jimenez said. That was confirmed by Joyce E. Hofmann of the Illinois Natural History Survey, who wrote "Records of Nine-Banded Armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus, in Illinois."

"From 1992 through March 2008, at least 166 armadillos were documented or reported from 42 Illinois counties," Huffman wrote. "Some live animals were observed, but most reports were of apparent roadkill. Eighty-eight percent of armadillo locations that could be mapped were south of a line through central Calhoun and southern Greene counties."

From 1849 to 1930, armadillos were confined to parts of Texas, Louisiana and Florida, Jimenez said. In the 1930s, they moved into Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas. Since the 1970s, the distribution has accelerated into Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. There are signs they are moving east into Virginia and West Virginia.

The reason armadillos are moving essentially is self-preservation.

In their new spaces, armadillos are exposed to few parasites, Jimenez said, noting there are more parasites in Texas than Illinois.

"Animals on the northern edge of the infections move north because they are escaping parasites. They are trying to stay healthy, and they keep moving to territories not previously available," Jimenez said. "They love the landscape between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers."

The main hazard posed by armadillos is destruction.

"People dont like seeing them dig up yards," Jimenez said. "They shoot them in Texas but, if you do, it releases parasites and causes possible harm. But these parasites are not present here."

If you see an armadillo  dead or alive  Jimenez recommends not touching the animal.

"People are concerned about them digging in yards. It is the way they act," Jimenez said. "They will stay until they have run out of insects to eat. They will deplete the area and then move on. If they are seen in sheds or porches, they will be there a few days and move on. Instead of doing anything, you should call animal control and seek advice."

If you see them as roadkill, call animal control. The risk for leprosy is very low, but it's real, Jimenez said.

"We have not detected leprosy in Illinois, but this situation is expected to change. We dont want people to find out about leprosy because they contracted it by touching an armadillo," he said. "Leprosy is hard to pass on. But its not impossible."

In Illinois, a person is more likely to see an armadillo dead on Interstate 57 south of Carbondale, Jimenez said.

"In Carbondale, the (SIU) campus has two bodies of water surrounded by forest," he said. "Armadillos are relatively active here, especially in the early part of the fall semester. Its more likely to see them alive there."

Where forests and water exist together, there is a greater chance for armadillos to lurk and for the area to support a breeding population.

"We really dont know how widespread the armadillo is yet," Jimenez said, "but we suspect, from anecdotal reports, there are far more of them than what we know."
With popular state parks like Squantz Pond expected to be busy this Fourth of July weekend, officials are reminding residents to arrive to their destinations early and develop a back-up plan in case their park of choice is full.

Across the state, parks will close when they reach capacity and new visitors will be turned away, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection warned on Friday. Some smaller parks reach capacity as early as 9 a.m. Visitors who park illegally outside of a park could be ticketed or have their car towed, DEEP said.

State and municipal leaders highlighted Squantz Pond State Park in New Fairfield, which often must close early to new visitors, especially on Fourth of July weekend, because its 250-car parking lot fills up quickly. In years past, this has led to safety and other concerns due to illegal parking on side streets and long back-ups on narrow Route 39, as visitors try to walk into the park.

Parking is not permitted on nearby streets, nor should visitors unload near Squantz, according to DEEP. Visitors should follow posted traffic signage.

New Fairfield welcomes all visitors to Squantz Pond State Park, New Fairfield First Selectman Patricia Del Monaco said in a statement. We want everyone to have an enjoyable and safe experience while visiting New Fairfield, and ask that everyone observe posted No Parking signs once the Park has reached capacity.

With 110 state parks, DEEP encouraged community members to visit a less frequented park, such as Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, Silver Sands State Park in Milford and Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, where crowds are less likely.

We know that Squantz Pond is an attractive day trip for many people inside and outside of Connecticut, Colonel Stavros Mellekas, commanding officer of the Connecticut State Police, said in a statement. We encourage people to enjoy all state parks safely and consider other destinations within our state. We continue to work in collaboration with CT DEEP, the town of New Fairfield and other locations to develop strategies that allow everyone to visit and safely enjoy our natural resources.

DEEP plans to post park closures on the CT State Parks Twitter account @CTStateParks, as well as the Whats Open Outdoors page of the DEEP website.

We want visitors to the State Parks and Boat Launches this holiday weekend and throughout the summer to have a safe and enjoyable time in the outdoors, DEEP Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Mason Trumble said in a statement. Planning ahead, arriving early, and having a back-up plan contribute to a fun, relaxing time outside, which is our hope for everyone who visits a state park. We encourage visitors to be safe and to exercise good judgment in whatever outdoor activities you engage in this and every weekend, and also remind visitors to carry out what you carry in with you, and ensure that any trash created during your visit is properly disposed of or carried out with you. The parks belong to all of us, and we all have a hand in keeping our parks beautiful for the next person to enjoy.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California will not consider amending its constitution to eliminate indentured servitude as a possible punishment for crime after Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration predicted that it could cost the state billions of dollars to pay minimum wage to prison inmates.

Democratic Sen. Sydney Kamlager said Thursday that she ran out of time and supporters after the measure barring involuntary work without pay last week fell seven votes short of the two-thirds margin it needed in the Senate.

She elected not to bring it back for another try after she said it still lacked support before lawmakers adjourned Thursday for a monthlong summer recess.

One of the challenges weve had is people are conflating policy with a moral argument about taking out words that are historical, that are loaded, that are remnants of a slave past and that were implemented in ways that made people less human, Kamlager said in an interview.

The policy questions could have been hashed out later, she argued.

The financial impact feared by Newsom's Department of Finance hasn't been an issue in three states  Colorado, Nebraska and Utah  that previously made similar changes, said Kamlager and Jamilia Land, who is both a spokeswoman for the California Abolition Act Coalition and a coordinator for Abolish Slavery National Network.

And voters in Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont will consider similar ballot measures in November.

It is the height of hypocrisy for California to be stepping onto the national stage as a haven of progressiveness right now, when its leaders continue to enshrine slave labor practices in the state," the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, a reform group that supported the amendment, said in a statement.

Fiscal analysts in Colorado predicted the measure passed there in 2018 would have a minimal effect on its budget. The amendment there included language intended to allow legitimate opportunities to work for people convicted of a crime, while barring compulsory labor.

Kamlager on Monday added similar language to her proposal in an unsuccessful attempt to attract more support. Currently, California inmates can face discipline for refusing to work, which can include reduced privileges like limits on visits, telephone calls and time out of their cells.

But Colorado inmates who were punished for refusing to work sued after the amendment passed.

State lawyers said in asking to have the lawsuit dismissed that Colorado voters did not intend to ban prison work programs. They argued that requiring inmates to work is part of their rehabilitation, but does not amount to forced labor and so does not violate the amendment.

As in California, Colorado inmates who refuse to work can lose privileges like being able to watch television or get snacks or have their sentence reduced. But the state's attorneys argued that their basic needs like food and shelter are still met and their sentences are not lengthened.

Corrections officials in the three states did not respond to questions about how their states were affected when the laws were changed.

California finance officials said that depending on court interpretations, the amendment might require paying minimum wage to more than 65,000 inmates who now make sometimes only a few dollars a day to fight wildfires, make license plates and cook, clean and do the laundry for fellow prisoners.

Two law professors also said the potential impact of the California proposal remained unclear, likely until legal challenges were resolved.

The state would need to pay enough to prisoners that it would not be considered involuntary servitude, University of California, Berkeley law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky said. "But whether that would require the minimum wage would be an issue to be litigated unless the amendment was clear on this.

Kathleen Kim, associate dean of equity and inclusion at Loyola Law School, supported the proposed amendment and said inmates likely could seek back pay or compensation for emotional harm or forced labor if the measure was enacted.

What I foresee is a suspension of forced labor practices in prisons, Kim said. But that likely wouldn't bring a flood of lawsuits, she said, because she predicted administrators would have to conform their regulations to the constitutional change.

Even programs that are deemed voluntary could still be seen as forced labor, Kim said, because inmates might feel they were not free to quit. She noted that lawsuits against private prison operators have been resolved in favor of immigrant detainees who were forced to work and not fairly paid.

An earlier version of the California proposal cleared the 80-member Assembly in March on a bipartisan 59-0 vote, though 17 members withheld their votes.

Californias first-in-the-nation task force on reparations for Black people supported the constitutional amendment in a report that recommended a fair market rate for prison labor, repeal of a law requiring faithful labor from inmates, and allowing inmates to decide which programs and jobs they will do.

A separate Senate-approved bill awaiting Assembly consideration would require state corrections officials to adopt a five-year plan to boost compensation to the level where inmates could afford to buy care packages, educational materials and maintain family connections.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Melley in Los Angeles and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.
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BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Thousands of people in several Spanish cities protested Friday over the deaths of at least 23 migrants last week at the frontier between the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Africa and Morocco, amid growing calls for an independent, cross-border investigation.

The demonstrations were being held under the moniker Las Vidas Negras Importan in Spanish or Black Lives Matter in English.

The deaths occurred June 24 during repeated attempts by sub-Saharan migrants and asylum seekers to scale the border fence separating the territories. Moroccan authorities said the migrants died as a result of a stampede but protesters are blaming officialsand Europe's migration policies.

In Madrid, demonstrators filled Callao square and held signs that read Borders Kill and No human being is illegal. In Barcelona, participants marched as they chanted against racism and colonialism.

In order to protect their borders they killed a lot of Black people, said Victoria Munoz, a protester of African descent.

In Rabat, the capital of Morocco, some 40 people held placards splashed with red paint, emulating blood to demand justice for the dead migrants.

The least we can do is voice our outrage and demand that the Moroccan state stop acting as Europes border police, because through this nefarious activity it is accountable for what occurred last Friday, said Al-Tayeb Madmadh, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and one of the protest organizers.

Videos and photos that emerged in the days following the deaths sparked outrage and condemnation by several human rights groups and officials, including the United Nations secretary-general.

In one video shared by the Moroccan Human Rights Association dozens of young African men, some of them motionless and bleeding, are seen strewn on the ground as Moroccan security forces stand over them. One uniformed man is seen poking a body with his baton.

In another video a group of migrants is seen climbing a fence, some hurling rocks at Moroccan anti-riot police trying to stop them. At one point, the fence collapses, sending them to the ground from a height of several meters.

I am shocked by the violence on the Nador-Melilla border, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres tweeted this week. The use of excessive force is unacceptable, and the human rights and dignity of people on the move must be prioritized by countries.

Spain's state prosecutors announced the launch of a probe to clarify what happened given the significance and seriousness of the events at the Melilla border.

Moroccos Human Rights Association contested the official death toll, reporting instead that 27 migrants had died, while the Spanish NGO Walking Borders is reporting 37 fatalities.

Authorities in Morocco and Spain also reported that 140 security officers on the Moroccan side and 60 National Police and Civil Guard officers on the Spanish side, were injured.

In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended the way Moroccan and Spanish police handled the incident, calling the attempt an attack on Spains borders.

Meanwhile, the dead have yet to be identified.

Omar Naji of Moroccos Human Rights Association in Nador said they have been contacted by the families of young men from Sudan believed to be among the victims but have not been allowed to see the bodies or the dozens of injured migrants being treated at a local hospital.

Violence and political turmoil in Sudan have pushed thousands of Sudanese to seek asylum in Europe, including in Spain. On top of this a third of Sudan's population currently face a hunger crisis.

We demand a thorough investigation to clarify who is responsible (for the deaths) as well as the necessary autopsies to identify the causes of their deaths, he said.

___

Tarik El-Barakah in Rabat, Morocco and Hernan Munoz in Barcelona, Spain contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration


Fourth of July weekend is here!

After July 4, the summer season just speeds up. Those beautiful sunny summer days just seem to breeze by.

Its time to make the most of every single sun-dretched second of summer.

Its time to treat yourself. My favorite way to do that is with a delicious beverage. So let's get started.

I wanted to pick a beer for you that meets this moment. I immediately thought of Brewery Vivant, owned and operated by former Midlander Jason Spaulding and his wife, Kris. Brewery Vivant is one of the gems of Michigan beer culture. According to their website, a lot of the inspiration their brews comes from the southern part of Belgium, called Wallonia. Traveling the countryside, visiting small farmhouse breweries and collecting ideas, their brought all that knowledge back to Grand Rapids and set up shop in a former funeral home.

How can you not love that story? Take a road trip this summer and check them out for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Perusing the aisles of Cork N Ale on Waldo Road, I was impressed by the wide array of Michigan beers and some great imports.

I grabbed that beer I was looking for and headed home.

I settled on Brewery Vivants Verdun  a Biere de Garde ("beer for keeping"), which is a French beer style brewed to be malt forward. The beer is named after the city of Verdun, France. Its delicious. Its a little more boozy at 7% ABV. Its a medium bodied-brew with a forward malt taste with tones of spice, green apple and pear. Its just a little dry on the back end.

Its a GREAT beer. A perfect summer beer.

Farm Hand Brewer: Brewery Vivant

Style: Farmhouse Ale, made in the tradition of Wallonian saison ales

ABV: 5.5%

Appearance: Bright, clear and yellow.

Aroma: Light, and a little funky. There is a pleasant sour note. Like wet hay, but in a good way?

Mouthfeel: Thin and bubbly. Very drinkable.

Taste: Bright, tart. There are tones of honey, banana. This is the kind of beer I sometimes refer to as "Adult Pop." It's not particularly challenging, but it is delicious.

Price: $12.99 for a six pack

Summary: The brewery describes it as "slight in body, mildly sweet, and has a slight cloudiness from the simple un-malted grains similar to the period." That's pretty much spot on. It is a thirst-quencher. This is a beer you can spend all afternoon (or evening) with and not regret it the next morning. It isn't the most exciting beer you will ever have - it's not supposed to be - but it is satisfying, consistent and won't disappoint.

Pairs With: This beer can be friends with lots of food options. For starters, think about a cheese plate with an aged cheddar, gouda, munster or havarti and some meat and crackers. Next, try crispy grilled chicken or any kind of fish or seafood. Shrimp skewers on the grill would make a good partner. Since it's the July 4 weekend, put on your favorite classic rock playlist which should contain at least half of the Van Halen's debut record. See More Collapse

So, why was I wishing I had something else in my glass?

After a great session with Verdun, I was craving my favorite Brewery Vivant brew  a go-to at any time of the year. A yummy, crushable, reliable standby that is as perfect as a summer day. I went to the fridge and grabbed a Farm Hand," the gorgeous, bright farmhouse ale that Brewery Vivant calls its flagship beer.

Its easy to see why.

I dont know if this is a perfect beer but has to be close. When I talk about preferring Beer Flavored Beer, this is what Im talking about. Its a perfect specimen  it's simple, even classic, but produced with incredible craft. That goes for all of Brewery Vivant's offerings. Its light, buttery flavors include tones of banana and clove with a bit or citrus.

Even when I've had one of the Spaulding's beers that didn't quite hit the spot  rare that it is  I always admire the skill with which it was made.

As if there aren't already enough reasons to love this company, the Spaulding's brewery is the first Silver LEED-certified commercial microbrewery worldwide. Brewery Vivant might be one of the most environmentally friendly, sustainable breweries in the world. Serving up great beer, and food, all while taking care of the Earth.

Talk about an American  and Michigan  success story!

And a perfect story to leave you with on a July 4 weekend.

Happy Independence Day, explorers.

Have fun, be good and drink up!

Skoll!

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, make sure you are ready to roll with us Aug. 20 at the Great Lakes Beer Festival at Dow Diamond. More than 60 breweries will be showing of their best brews. Get your tickets at www.greatlakesbeerfestival.com


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  An emergency stay of Ohio's newly imposed state ban on abortions at the first detectable fetal heartbeat was rejected Friday by the state Supreme Court.

At issue was a request by Ohio abortion providers for the interim delay while the court reviews the question of whether the ban should be overturned. The providers argue the law violates the Ohio Constitutions broad protections of individual liberty.
SEATTLE (AP)  Federal prosecutors say they will recommend no more than 27 months in prison for a Washington state woman who defrauded friends and acquaintances of more than $600,000 by falsely telling them she needed money for tuition, multiple sclerosis treatment and other causes.

Sabrina Taylor pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Friday to one count of wire fraud. The 40-year-old admitted that beginning in 2013 she lied about her health, employment status and education to get money from her victims, including some she met on online using shared interests such as Japanese anime, comic books or video games.
Jon and Marilyn Horton are celebrating their 50th anniversary. Jon married the former Marilyn Meeks on July 1, 1972 at First United Methodist Church in Midland.

The Hortons have three children, Ben Horton of Bakersfield, California; Seth Horton of Caledonia, Michigan; and Luke Horton of St. Joseph, Michigan. They also have six grandchildren.
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As rumors flew in the spring of 2018 that Donald Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen was preparing to flip on his former boss and offer potentially damaging testimony to federal prosecutors, Cohen received an email.

"You are 'loved,' " read the email, which indicated it was relaying comments from former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and was quoted in special counsel Robert Mueller's 2019 report. "Sleep well tonight . . . you have friends in high places."

It was one of a number of times messages of cajoling support or bullying encouragement were delivered to potentially important Mueller witnesses.

And it was strikingly similar to the communications Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said on Tuesday had been received by witnesses who have testified for the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Evidence across multiple state, federal and congressional investigations points to a similar pattern: Trump and his close allies privately shower potential witnesses with flattery and attention, extending vague assurances that staying loyal to Trump would be better than crossing him.

Meanwhile, Trump publicly blasts - in bluntly personal terms- those who offer testimony against him, delivering a clear example to others of the consequences of stepping out of line.

"Donald Trump never changes his playbook," Cohen said in an interview. "He behaves like a mob boss, and these messages are fashioned in that style. Giving an order without giving the order. No fingerprints attached."

A Trump spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

At Tuesday's hearing, Cheney recounted that committee members have asked all witnesses connected to Trump's administration or campaign whether they have been contacted by former colleagues or others who have "attempted to influence or impact their testimony."

She described two responses that she said raised "significant concern."

One witness, Cheney said, told the committee about receiving phone calls indicating that Trump reads transcripts and "to keep that in mind" during interviews with the committee.

"What they said to me is, as long as I continue to be a team player, they know I'm on the right team. I'm doing the right thing. I'm protecting who I need to protect. You know, I'll continue to stay in good graces in Trump World," Cheney, the committee's vice chair, said the witness testified.

Cheney described a call received by a second witness. "A person let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you know he's thinking about you. He knows you're loyal and you're going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition," she said, quoting the witness.

Cheney did not identify the witnesses who had been contacted. But a person familiar with the committee's work said one of them was Cassidy Hutchinson, the 25-year-old former aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows. Her explosive testimony Tuesday that Trump knew rioters were armed when he urged them to march on the Capitol has become a signature moment in the committee's investigation.

Cheney also did not explain who sent the messages, making it difficult to assess whether they were people especially close to Trump or fringe players unlikely to be acting on his orders. She also did not indicate whether the committee has access to text messages or emails that might provide written corroboration.

But she said that she thought "most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns" and that the committee would be carefully considering how to respond.

The messages received by House committee witnesses would be illegal if they were designed to influence their testimony, said Timothy Belevetz, a former federal prosecutor and a defense attorney at Ice Miller who said federal laws cover attempts to tamper with congressional testimony. It is illegal to threaten a witness if they do not testify in a certain way - but also to promise to reward them if they do so.

"You have to draw conclusions with respect to their intent - are they making these statements with the intent to influence the witness?" he said. Regardless, he said, "it's exceedingly troublesome."

It was allegations of interference with congressional testimony that got former Trump adviser Roger Stone charged with witness tampering in 2019. Prosecutors said Stone repeatedly urged radio host Randy Credico not to testify to Congress or to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in the Russia investigation. At one point, they alleged that Stone threatened Credico's dog. Stone was convicted of the charge as well as of lying to Congress but was pardoned by Trump on Dec. 23, 2020 - not long before the Capitol riot.

According to Mueller, Cohen refused for a time to stray from Trump's orbit in part because he thought his legal fees were being covered by the Trump Organization.

Likewise, until about a month before she testified, Hutchinson was represented by Stefan Passantino, a longtime Trump White House lawyer, and was not expected to pay for his services, people familiar with the matter said.

Records show that Passantino has received payments from Trump-related groups, including Trump's political action committee, since he left office. Matt Schlapp, a Trump ally, has also helped orchestrate a defense fund for Trump advisers called the First Amendment Fund.

Hutchinson cut ties to Passantino after he suggested that she not testify publicly following the conclusion of 20 hours of closed depositions, a person who spoke to her said. The person, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Passantino represents multiple witnesses, including others who are cooperating with the committee. He declined to comment.

Hutchinson is now represented by Jody Hunt, a former official at the Justice Department under Trump.

Hunt did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Trump has also kept former aides tightly in his orbit through promises of employment and contributions to their political causes. Though he has been loath to spend money from his PAC, sometimes resisting aides' suggestions for even small outlays, last year his Save America PAC sent $1 million to the Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit group where Meadows is a senior partner.

The donation came about one month after the House committee was formed. While Trump advisers insisted there was no quid pro quo involved with the donation, Trump has been inclined to keep Meadows in the fold, even when he is annoyed with him at times, people familiar with the matter said.

Other figures who were in key roles in the White House on Jan. 6 have been employed by Trump's PAC, including Molly Michael, his scheduler and top assistant; Stephen Miller, his speechwriter and adviser; and Dan Scavino, his social media aide.

He has hosted Peter Navarro at Mar-a-Lago and has stayed in touch with Stephen Bannon. Navarro and Bannon have both refused to testify and have been charged with contempt of Congress.

"When you speak out against Trump, a whole army of MAGA comes after you," said Alyssa Farah, a former White House official and friend of Hutchinson who resigned after the November 2020 election and has been critical of Trump since. "They try to indict your character, professionalism - nothing is off the limits."

Farah said that Hutchinson "knew going into her testimony the unfair smears she would face, that have kept many people much older than her from testifying. But she still came forward for her country."

Farah, according to a person familiar with the matter, suggested alternative lawyers to Hutchinson before she switched attorneys and aggressively encouraged her to publicly appear.

But perhaps Trump's most effective tool in keeping potential witnesses loyal is the power of his own megaphone. Over and over again, Trump has lavished praise on aides who have refused to speak out against him - while repeatedly leveling deeply personal insults at those who have agreed.

As Hutchinson testified Tuesday, Trump issued increasingly frantic attacks against her on the social media platform Truth Social. He stepped up the barrage during a scathing interview with Newsmax that aired Thursday in which he called her "totally discredited," a "whackjob" and a "social climber" with "serious mental problems."

"Is there something wrong with her?" he asked. "The woman is living in fantasy land."

In the same interview, Trump praised his former deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato and Secret Service agent Bobby Engel. They reportedly are willing to testify that Trump did not grab for the steering wheel of his SUV or lunge for Engel after being told after he delivered a speech on the Ellipse on Jan. 6 that he could not be safely taken to the Capitol and would instead be returned to the White House. Hutchinson testified that Ornato had told her at the White House that day about an altercation in the vehicle.

"These are great people, and I think they were very embarrassed by it because it makes them sound terrible," Trump said. "It was very nice that they came to my defense."

Cohen said Trump's rhetoric - the then-president called him a "rat" and a "very weak person" - carries extraordinary weight with his supporters. Once Trump pounces, they follow suit.

"There is no way to adequately describe in words the feeling that overcomes your entire being when the president of the United States places you in his crosshairs," Cohen said.

Committee members had so much fear for Hutchinson's safety that the hearing room was swept for bombs before she testified Tuesday, a staffer said, and she had a security detail.

In Cohen's case, his rupture with Trump came only after months of entreaties from his former boss and his allies.

After Cohen's home and office were raided by the FBI in April 2018, he told investigators he got a call from one Trump ally who related that he was with "the boss" at Mar-a-Lago and that Trump "loves you." He said another person associated with Trump's company told him "the boss loves you" and a third, a friend of the president, said that "everyone knows the boss has your back."

When former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn was considering pleading guilty and cooperating with Mueller the previous year, his lawyer received a voice mail from a Trump attorney asking that he "remember what we've always said about the president and his feelings toward Flynn and that still remains."

Ultimately, Cohen pleaded guilty to a series of crimes, including a campaign finance violation for paying $130,000 in hush money to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, a payment he said he made at Trump's direction.

He cooperated with prosecutors, testified publicly before Congress (predicting in 2019 that if Trump lost reelection, there would "never be a peaceful transition of power") and spent just over a year in prison. Flynn initially agreed to plead guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts with the Russian ambassador - but then sought to withdraw his plea and adopted Trump's line that the investigation had been unfair.

Before leaving office, Trump issued a pardon to Flynn. He offered no pardon to Cohen.

---

The Washington Post's Devlin Barrett contributed to this report.
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP)  A Florida judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit in which the parents of Gabby Petito claim that Brian Laundrie told his parents he had killed her before he returned home alone from their western trip.

The decision Thursday by Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll means the lawsuit can proceed against Christopher and Robert Laundrie. Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, contend the Laundries intentionally inflicted emotional distress in the case.

Petitos disappearance on the couple's trip in a converted van and the subsequent discovery of her slain body Sept. 19 in a Wyoming national park became a national obsession, with attention later shifting to a search for Laundrie in a Florida nature preserve.

The FBI concluded that Laundrie strangled Petito, 22  with whom he had previous domestic quarrels and violence  and that Laundrie fatally shot himself in the Carlton Reserve swamp after returning home alone Sept. 1.

The lawsuit claims the Laundries concealed that their son had confessed to the murder from investigators and Petitos parents while the search for Gabby Petito was ongoing.

Carroll ruled that a statement released by the Laundries' attorney on Sept. 14 expressing hope that Petito would be found may have been designed to create a false hope when they knew she was already dead.

The Laundries deny the lawsuit's claims. The lawsuit seeks at least $30,000 in damages.

Petito had been in regular contact with her parents and posted frequently on social media about their travels. The couple had a regular following before the murder mystery took hold.

The FBI says Laundrie sent text messages from Petitos cellphone to her parents and others in an effort to pretend she was still alive. He was also charged with illegally using one of her credit cards before his remains were discovered in the Florida nature preserve.

.
The Justice Department has subpoenaed two Republican Arizona state senators for information tied to possible correspondence with President Donald Trump's attorneys as attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election were underway.

Arizona Senate President Karen Fann and Sen. Kelly Townsend received subpoenas last week, according to Kim Quintero, a spokeswoman for Senate Republicans in Arizona. The subpoenas came as the Justice Department deepened its investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to include key Republican players in battleground states. Fann and Townsend are the first state legislators known to have received subpoenas as part of that push.

The Yellow Sheet Report, a political tip sheet, first reported the news. The legislators received the subpoenas while at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. Federal agents tried to deliver Townsend's at her home, she said; she invited them to the statehouse, where she was working.

The subpoenas came the same week Arizona's House speaker, Republican Russell "Rusty" Bowers, testified before the U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Bowers testified about efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the former president's loss in Arizona.

Bowers told The Washington Post on Friday that he has not been subpoenaed and that he is not aware of any members of the Arizona House who have been subpoenaed.

Fann and Townsend are complying with the request, Quintero said, and staff members have already identified tens of thousands of records from constituents and others that could fit what is being broadly requested. The subpoenas are identical and request emails and text messages, Quintero said.

"They're requesting text messages and emails from a list of people, which I can't disclose who those people are, because they told us not to speak with the media about this," she said.

Before Townsend took office in the state Senate in 2021, she served in the Arizona House and chaired the elections committee.

She was among the Republican legislators who pressed state legislative leaders to help appoint a slate of alternate electors from Arizona more favorable to Trump, despite his narrow loss. Townsend also attended a Nov. 30, 2020, event in downtown Phoenix with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and other Trump allies where they falsely claimed widespread fraud had tainted the election.

"As chair of the elections committee, we were trying to hold a committee and do investigations," Townsend said in an interview Friday with The Post. "Because it was in question, we wanted to have an alternate slate in case fraud was discovered and found."

She said an initial review of records in response to the subpoena pulled 50,000 documents, almost all from constituents. Townsend said state Senate staffers have asked the Justice Department to narrow its request.

Fann was among the state legislators who attended a Dec. 1, 2020, meeting with Giuliani, attorney Jenna Ellis and others who sought a formal legislative hearing to take up the accusations of fraud.

The hearing never took place, but Fann, on behalf of the state Senate, launched a months-long review of 2.1 million ballots cast by voters in Arizona's Maricopa County. The review was widely criticized as falling below election audit standards. In the end it found no evidence of widespread fraud but cited flaws in the election process.

The review concluded Democrat Joe Biden won by a slightly larger margin than the official election results.

The two senators are the latest Republican figures in Arizona whose activities around the 2020 election are under scrutiny by federal law enforcement.

Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward and her husband, Michael, who served as alternate electors, received grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department earlier this month. So did two GOP activists who served as alternate electors, Nancy Cottle and Loraine Pellegrino, people familiar with the matter said.
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  A Maryland law taking effect Friday will enable nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants who receive special training to perform abortions, as some states seek to expand access to the procedure after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Medical professionals other than physicians with the training can begin providing abortions Friday, though it's unclear how many will immediately be eligible. Delaware, Connecticut and Washington also enacted laws this year allowing non-physician clinicians to perform abortions.

Dr. Kyle Bukowski, the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of Maryland, is training non-physician clinicians to perform safe abortions in Maryland. Bukowski, who also has done such training in California, believes providing abortion access is one of the most significant jobs he has done as a doctor.

It feels so important, said the board-certified OB/GYN, who also delivers babies. That is the difference between them finishing school or not; leaving an abusive relationship or not; being able to take care of their kids or not, keep their job or not, and to be able to fully give back somebody their autonomy is probably the most important work that you can do as a doctor or as a medical provider.

The high court's ruling last week touched off a flurry of action in courthouses as conservative-leaning states seek to ban or restrict the procedure. But other states have sought to expand access, and advocates say that more providers are needed in areas that may see an influx of patients crossing state lines.

When you talk about 26 states losing access, 36 million women losing access, its going to spread out, and so it is all hands on deck, said Karen Nelson, president of Planned Parenthood of Maryland.

Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, signed legislation Wednesday to allow physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners and nurse midwifes to perform abortions before viability. The measure includes various legal protections for abortion providers and patients, including out-of-state residents receiving abortions in Delaware.

Fourteen states  California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington  now allow non-physicians to provide abortions, said Elizabeth Nash, state policy analyst for the Guttmacher Institute in New York, a think tank that supports abortion rights.

This is a long time coming where states are recognizing that one, for so long the number of abortion providers has been decreasing, and that we need to better ensure access to care, especially as we see states banning abortion," Nash said.

Supporters of Maryland's law say the state could see an influx of patients because of its proximity to Southern states expected to restrict abortion access.

I think we are in a very unique place," Nelson said. "Some people say we are the southern-most accessible state, and some people are calling us the northern-most Southern state, and the I-95 corridor creates sort of a pipeline here.

Earlier this year, as Maryland lawmakers were considering the legislation, abortion providers were already seeing some patients from Texas who were seeking alternatives because of the ban there, Nelson said.

The Maryland law was passed partly in anticipation that the Supreme Court would strike down Roe and to increase access in rural parts of the state that don't have providers.

We passed the bill this year in Maryland after no legislation advancing abortion rights for 30 years, because unfortunately we expected this day to come," said Del. Ariana Kelly, a Democrat who sponsored the measure.

To enact the law, Democrats who control the Maryland General Assembly overrode a veto by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

Hogan, in his veto letter to lawmakers, wrote that the measure risks lowering the high standard of reproductive health care services received by women in Maryland.

Unlike nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, physician assistants, and licensed certified midwives, physicians are uniquely qualified to perform these procedures and resolve any medical complications should they arise," Hogan wrote.

The Maryland law also mandates that $3.5 million in state funding be allocated annually starting in fiscal year 2024 for the training. Hogan declined to release money set aside by lawmakers to provide that much for training in the fiscal year starting Friday.

Bukowski disagrees that the new law risks lowering reproductive health care services.

As long as they're trained to do it, they can do so safely, Bukowski said.

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Associated Press writer Randall Chase contributed to this report from Dover, Delaware.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York lawmakers took the first step Friday toward amending the state constitution to enshrine abortion rights following the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Both houses of the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved a resolution to begin the process of passing the amendment, which would expand the state constitutions Equal Protection Amendment by banning discrimination based on pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

This is a massive step forward for our state while others move backwards, and an important stance against the Supreme Courts attacks on our rights, Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, said in a statement.

The proposed amendment, which would also preserve gender expression rights, passed in the Senate on Friday by a 49-14 vote. The Assembly approved it 98-43. Under the state's amendment process, lawmakers would have to pass it again during next year's session to send it to voters in a statewide referendum.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said the measure would protect reproductive health in New York for generations to come and assuage the fears of residents concerned about what might happen next on abortion at the federal level.

Theyre scared, and theyre looking to us for leadership, the Democratic governor said at a press conference.

State law currently allows abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy, but abortion rights supporters say they want a guarantee that a future legislature wont be able to pass more abortion restrictions.

New York is taking a different approach from California, where voters will decide whether to amend their constitution to add the fundamental right to choose to bear a child or to choose and to obtain an abortion.

But Katharine Bodde, New York Civil Liberties Union assistant policy director, has said New York's approach will hold up better in court and prohibit more kinds of discrimination against pregnant people.

And New York will also add ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to the state's Equal Protection Amendment. Right now, the state constitution currently prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed or religion.

Backers say the intent would also be to create legal grounds for barring the government from trampling on transgender rights, among other things.

Efforts to add constitutional protections against sex discrimination have failed for years in New York and elsewhere amid opposition from conservatives.

Hochul, a Democrat running for her first full term as governor in November, has vowed in campaign ads to protect the right to abortion in the state constitution.

New York's amendment would protect affirmative action programs, and also make clear that its protections do not interfere with, limit or deny other people's civil rights.

The leaders of an anti-abortion Catholic group have been urging lawmakers to oppose the amendment, partly over concerns that health care workers who, for religions reasons, dont want to provide abortions or gender transition care.

Health care workers with religious concerns are already somewhat protected under federal and state law, but Catholic Conference Executive Director Dennis Poust said those protections arent enough.

Kristen Curran, director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference, said the state should focus on helping women and families rather than promoting abortion.

Unfortunately, this bill solidifies the message that New York has been sending women for some time now: Abortion is positive, empowering, and the key to success, Curran said in a statement. This couldnt be further from the truth.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Ohio's unofficial death penalty moratorium will continue past Gov. Mike DeWine's first term, based on a pair of reprieves for the first two executions of 2023 that were announced Friday.

The news follows DeWine's decision a week ago to postpone the remaining execution scheduled for this year, pushing the October date for Quisi Bryan, convicted of killing a Cleveland police officer, to early in 2026.
LITTLETON, N.H. (AP)  Graffiti that was spray-painted on an anti-abortion pregnancy center in New Hampshire is being investigated as a potential hate crime, police in Littleton said.

Someone spray-painted the words fund abortion abort God" on the side of the Pathways Pregnancy Care Center on Tuesday, police said. The act happened days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and turned access to abortion back to the states.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip systematically torture critics in detention, a practice that could amount to crimes against humanity, an international rights group said Friday.

Human Rights Watch called in its report for donor countries to cut off funding to Palestinian security forces that commit such crimes and urged the International Criminal Court to investigate.

The report alleged that Palestinian security forces use solitary confinement and beatings, including whipping their feet, and force detainees into painful stress positions for prolonged periods, including hoisting their arms behind their backs with cables or rope, to punish and intimidate critics and opponents and elicit confessions.

HRW's report comes a year after the death of Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority, whose family says he died after security forces stormed his residence in the middle of the night and beat him with metal batons. His death sparked weeks of protests against the PA, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian security forces violently dispersed some of those protests..

Amnesty International said last week that the Palestinian Authority has failed to hold its security forces accountable for the death. Palestinian authorities arrested 14 officers last summer and are trying them in a military court, but have taken no action against top commanders.

More than a year after beating to death Nizar Banat, the Palestinian Authority continues to arrest and torture critics and opponents, said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch.

Systematic abuse by the PA and Hamas forms a critical part of the repression of the Palestinian people."

The group listed Palestinians who it said had been arbitrarily arrested in the aftermath of Banat's death.

HRW said security forces are not held to account for the alleged torture and that given their systematic nature over many years, the practice could amount to crimes against humanity.

Palestine is part of the Convention Against Torture, which requires members to work to prevent torture.

The report also describes Israeli mistreatment and torture of Palestinian detainees in the West Bank, saying that no indictments have been issued against Israeli security forces despite hundreds of complaints made over the last 20 years.
The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply cut back the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to reduce the carbon output of existing power plants, a blow to the Biden administration's plans for combating climate change.

The ruling infuriated President Biden and environmentalists, who said it raised formidable obstacles to the United States meeting its climate aims, including the president's goal of running the U.S. power grid on clean energy by 2035. "Another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards," Biden said.

But the Republican-led states that challenged the broad authority the EPA claimed said it was a dutiful examination of the Clean Air Act and a proper acknowledgment that Congress had not given such vast powers to the agency.

The vote was 6 to 3, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the court's majority. And it reinforced an emerging view from its conservatives that too much power is vested in executive branch agencies that act without clear authority from Congress.

"Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible 'solution to the crisis of the day,'" Roberts wrote, referring to a court precedent. "But it is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme."

In similar fashion, the court has reined in the Centers for Disease Control for enacting an eviction moratorium during the pandemic, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from far-reaching vaccine-or-test requirements. Roberts was joined in the EPA decision by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Gorsuch wrote separately to elaborate: "When Congress seems slow to solve problems, it may be only natural that those in the Executive Branch might seek to take matters into their own hands. But the Constitution does not authorize agencies to use pen-and-phone regulations as substitutes for laws passed by the people's representatives."

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for herself and fellow liberal justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor, countered that the majority had empowered the wrong people to pass judgment on an existential dilemma.

"The Court appoints itself - instead of Congress or the expert agency - the decisionmaker on climate policy," Kagan wrote. "I cannot think of many things more frightening."

Kagan began her dissent with familiar warnings about the calamity ahead. With higher seas, fiercer wildfires and other consequences of climate change apparent, the world is already in unprecedented territory.

Global average temperatures have increased more than 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the preindustrial era, largely because of pollution from burning fossil fuels.

If warming exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), scientists warn, sea levels could surge, ecosystems collapse, and millions of additional people would be at risk from heat, hunger, disaster and disease.

Biden hoped to lead by example to convince other countries to cut emissions and help the world keep warming under the 1.5 degrees threshold. Now such diplomacy has become more difficult for Biden, especially as countries scramble for new sources of oil and gas after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The president said he will "continue using lawful executive authority, including the EPA's legally-upheld authorities," work with cities and states to pass laws, and "keep pushing for additional Congressional action, so that Americans can fully seize the economic opportunities, cost-saving benefits, and security of a clean energy future."

The decision rested on what is called the "major questions" doctrine, which says Congress must "speak clearly" when authorizing agency action on significant issues.

In his ruling, Roberts chastised the EPA for finding "newfound power in the vague language" of the Clean Air Act, arguing a law written a half century ago never allowed the EPA to force electric utilities to switch from coal to solar, wind and other renewable forms of generation.

"It is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme," Roberts wrote. "A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body."

In her dissent, Kagan said it made sense for Congress in the Clean Air Act to leave to government experts the best way to solve problems that might have been unforeseeable when the law was written.

"The enacting Congress told EPA to pick the 'best system of emission reduction' (taking into account various factors)," Kagan wrote. "In selecting those words, Congress understood - it had to - that the 'best system' would change over time. Congress wanted and instructed EPA to keep up. To ensure the statute's continued effectiveness, the 'best system' should evolve as circumstances evolved - in a way Congress knew it couldn't then know."

She pointed out that the Biden administration has not issued its own regulations.

"That new rule will be subject anyway to immediate, pre-enforcement judicial review," Kagan wrote. "But this Court could not wait - even to see what the new rule says - to constrain EPA's efforts to address climate change."

Environmentalists and those who challenged EPA's authority divided over what comes next.

Richard Lazarus, a Harvard environmental law professor, said that the Supreme Court was insisting on a clear statement from what it knows is an "effectively dysfunctional" body.

"The Court threatens to upend the national government's ability to safeguard the public health and welfare at the very moment when the United States, and all nations, are facing our greatest environmental challenge of all: climate change," Lazarus wrote in an email.

Others noted the decision still allows for the EPA to regulate power plants' greenhouse gas emission. It just cannot mandate utilities shift to renewables after Thursday's ruling.

"There is something of a silver lining here," said Jody Freeman, also a Harvard Law School professor. "It leaves a pathway for EPA to still set meaningful standards."

EPA officials, too, say they have other tools to reduce power plants' pollution. "While I am deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision, we are committed to using the full scope of EPA's authorities," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.

Others predicted Thursday's ruling may invite future court challenges to other federal regulations.

"The consequences potentially reach far beyond EPA and the Clean Air Act," said Lisa Heinzerling, an environmental law professor at Georgetown University. "This is a big statement on how it intends to act moving forward."

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, R, who led the lawsuit against the EPA, suggested he may bring more cases based on the "major questions" doctrine. "It could be a very positive tool in the ongoing fight against federal overreach," he told reporters Thursday.

The ruling comes as Biden struggles to pass a major climate bill through an evenly split Senate, compounding Democrats' efforts to address rising temperatures.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., accused the court of "pushing the country back to a time when robber barons and corporate elites have complete power and average citizens have no say."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praised the ruling.

"The Court has undone illegal regulations issued by the EPA without any clear congressional authorization and confirmed that only the people's representatives in Congress - not unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats - may write our nation's laws," McConnell said in a statement.

The United States is the world's second-biggest annual emitter of greenhouse gases, and is responsible for a greater portion of historical emissions than any other nation.

West Virginia v. EPA is the latest battle pitting the coal industry and Republican-led states against a Democratic administration that proposes sweeping changes to the way the nation's power sector produces electricity.

The Supreme Court in 2016 stopped the Obama administration's plan to drastically reduce power plants' carbon output. The plan never went into effect, but its emission-reduction goals were met ahead of schedule because of economic conditions that made coal-fired plants more expensive.

A more lenient plan was promulgated by the Trump administration, which said its reading of the law limited the EPA's actions to regulating emissions at a specific site instead of across the system, a restriction that has come to be known as "inside the fence."

But on the last day of the Trump administration, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said that was an intentional "misreading" of the law.

"The EPA has ample discretion in carrying out its mandate," the decision concluded. "But it may not shirk its responsibility by imagining new limitations that the plain language of the statute does not clearly require."

As a result, the Trump rules were struck, the Obama rules were not reinstated, and the Biden administration has yet to formulate its plan.

For that reason, the administration and environmentalists were stunned when the Supreme Court took the case. The Biden administration advised it to simply vacate the D.C. appeals court decision and wait to make a more intensive review of the EPA's powers after new regulations were proposed.

The case deeply divided the business community. Mining companies and other firms in the coal sector urged the court to rein in the EPA, arguing coal is necessary for keeping electricity prices low and the grid reliable. Apple, Tesla and other major tech and retail firms investing in renewable energy, meanwhile, told the court that "stable, nationwide rules" are needed to avert climate disaster.

The consolidated cases are known as West Virginia v. EPA.

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Sarah Kaplan and Tyler Pager contributed to this report.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkeys media watchdog has banned access to the Turkish services of U.S. public service broadcaster Voice of America and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, prompting complaints of censorship.

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television enforced a February warning to the two companies which air Turkish-language television content online to apply for a broadcast license or be blocked. An Ankara court ruled to restrict access to their websites late Thursday.

Neither website was available in Turkey on Friday. Deutsche Welle is German taxpayer-funded and Voice of America is funded by the U.S. government through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

In a statement, Deutsche Welle said it did not comply with the licensing requirement because it would have allowed the Turkish government to censor editorial content.

Director general Peter Limbourg said this was explained in detail to the Turkish radio and TV board, abbreviated as RTUK.

For example, media licensed in Turkey are required to delete online content that RTUK interprets as inappropriate. This is simply unacceptable for an independent broadcaster. DW will take legal action against the blocking that has now taken place, Limbourg said.

The German government said it took note of the reports with regret.

Our concern about the state of freedom of opinion and the press in Turkey continues, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said, adding that Germany is in a regular, critical exchange with Turkey on the issue.

Asked whether the German government can intervene in this case, Hebestreit noted that Deutsche Welle has said it plans to take legal action and we have to wait for that.

RTUK dismissed any criticism in a statement on its website Friday, saying that no one needs to have uncertainties on the freedom of expression or press, worry unnecessarily or incriminate our Supreme Board that is doing its duties based on legal grounds.

The RTUK statement added that had the media organizations acted in line with regulations, there wouldnt have been access bans. It also promised to request from the court that the restrictions be revoked if the websites launch companies in Turkey and get licensed.

But Ilhan Tasci, a RTUK member from Turkey's main opposition Republican Peoples Party, said he opposed the move to block the two foreign broadcasters. Here is press freedom and advanced democracy, he tweeted sarcastically.

The RTUK board is dominated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ruling party and its nationalist allies, and regularly fines critical broadcasters.

Thursday's move is based on an August 2019 regulation that says the RTUK would give 72-hour advance notice to unlicensed online media regarding when they had to apply and pay three months of licensing fees. Failure to do so could result in legal action against a media organization's executives and access restrictions.

In February, RTUK said it identified three websites without broadcast licenses, which also included the Turkish services of Euronews. But Euronews said it argued that it did not broadcast live in Turkish or air visual bulletins and was therefore exempt from the licensing requirements.

The Journalists' Union of Turkey called the decision censorship. Give up on trying to ban everything you dont like, this society wants freedom, it tweeted.

Voice of America noted in February that while licensing for TV and radio broadcasts is a norm because broadcast airwaves are finite resources, the internet does not have limited bandwidth. The only possible purpose of a licensing requirement for internet distribution is enabling censorship," VOA said in a statement then.

State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted when the licensing regulation emerged in February that the U.S. was concerned with RTUKs decision to expand government control over free press outlets.

In response, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic noted that the U.S. required Turkeys state English-language broadcaster, TRT World, to register as a foreign agent under a law intended for lobbyists and public relations firms working for foreign governments. TRT said it was newsgathering and reporting like any other international media but had to register as a foreign agent in 2020.

TRT abides by relevant regulations for its activities in the U.S. Is that censorship? We expect the same from @VoATurkish and others, Bilgic tweeted.

Turkey was rated Not Free for 2021 on the Freedom of the Net index by Freedom House. Hundreds of thousands of domains and web addresses have been blocked.

Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey at 149 out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, saying all possible means are used to undermine critics, including stripping journalists of press cards, online censorship, lawsuits and arrests.

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Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Legislation requiring North Carolinas sheriffs to assist federal agents who are seeking a jail inmate whom they believe is in the country unlawfully neared final General Assembly approval Thursday with House backing.

The Senate bill is a response by Republicans unhappy with Democratic sheriffs in several urban counties who have stopped working closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold defendants. The Senate, which voted for the measure in March 2021, now must accept a small change made by the House before sending the measure to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Friday is likely the last day of the General Assembly's primary work session this year.
If any criminal referrals come out of the Jan. 6 committee's investigation, witness tampering could be a big one. At the end of Tuesday's hearing, the committee shared messages it said two of their witnesses received urging them not to testify before the panel.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the No. 2 on the committee, said that after being asked whether "any former colleagues" had contacted them before their testimony, one witness described receiving phone calls:

"What they said to me is as long as I continue to be a team player, they know that I'm on the team, I'm doing the right thing, I'm protecting who I need to protect, you know, I'll continue to stay in the good graces in Trump world. . . . And they have reminded me a couple of times that Trump does read transcripts and just keep that in mind as I proceed through my depositions and interviews with the committee."

She also quoted a witness describing a call they received:

"[A person] let me know you have your deposition tomorrow. He wants me to let you know that he's thinking about you. He knows you're loyal, and you're going to do the right thing when you go in for your deposition."

"I think most Americans know that attempting to influence witnesses, to testify untruthfully, presents very serious concerns," Cheney said.

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But what is witness tampering, exactly?

It requires three things be present, said white-collar criminal lawyer Jack Sharman, who served as a special counsel to Congress during its investigation of President Bill Clinton.

1. That there is a proceeding going on, such as a grand jury (or, in this case, a congressional hearing).

2. That there is an intent to influence witness testimony in that proceeding.

3. That the intent is wrongful, meaning the person wanted to prevent the truth getting out to avoid being accused of wrongdoing. (The statue says: "whoever knowingly uses intimidation, threatens, or corruptly persuades another person.") "I tell people that lawyers attempt to obstruct Congress all the time," Sharman said. "The question is whether it's wrongfully or corruptly."

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How often is a crime like this prosecuted?

Not very often. Sharman said that the majority of witness tampering cases happen in the context of a judicial proceeding, such as a grand jury. It's rare to have these cases revolve around someone seeking to prevent testimony to Congress. (In 2019, Trump ally Roger Stone was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering. He was going to go to jail before President Donald Trump granted him clemency.)

That doesn't mean these kinds of prosecutions can't happen; it just means the Jan. 6 committee could be fighting an uphill battle if it refers such a case to the Justice Department.

The Jan. 6 committee has referred four people to the Justice Department for prosecution - all for contempt-of-Congress charges, for refusing to comply with a subpoena to testify. The Justice Department has prosecuted two: former Trump political adviser Stephen Bannon, who faces a trial this month, and former White House adviser Peter Navarro.

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What's Trump's potential liability?

It's unclear. The committee shared only two messages that it said witnesses received from Trump allies. We don't know the identity of the witnesses who received these messages or who sent them - and, crucially, whether the senders were acting at Trump's behest. Cheney said the committee would reveal more in later hearings.

But the seeds are there for a witness tampering charge, either against the president or the people who made the calls, said Jeffrey Jacobovitz, a prominent white-collar criminal lawyer. "To me it's clear tampering if an upcoming witness is told the president reads the transcripts," he said. "The person who called engaged in tampering. If Trump encouraged or asked someone to make the call, he would be criminally liable, as well."

One of the messages the committee shared said that "Trump does read transcripts" - meaning, the former president will be following your testimony very closely. Jacobovitz said that alone could tie Trump directly to these allegations.

And Trump has a long history of pressuring witnesses who could testify about him or his business practices in one of his many legal disputes, as The Washington Post detailed this week.

With regard to the Jan. 6 committee, The Post and other media outlets reported that former top White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson was one of the people whom Trump allies allegedly tried to influence with calls before her testimony.

That is significant. Her testimony has been crucial to the Jan. 6 committee investigation. She testified four times in recorded interviews and for more than two hours live on Tuesday, painting a picture of a president who wanted to stay in power at all costs, even at the risk of political violence. If there was an attempt to influence Hutchinson's testimony, that could raise the stakes for the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute.

The committee has also hinted at the possibility that Trump engaged in witness tampering with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., noting how McCarthy's statements since the attack have changed over time to become more Trump-friendly. Committee chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., wrote a letter to McCarthy asking, "At that meeting [on Jan. 28], or at any other time, did President Trump or his representatives discuss or suggest what you should say publicly, during the impeachment trial (if called as a witness), or in any later investigation about your conversations with him on January 6th?"

McCarthy said such conversations "never happened" but acknowledged that if they did, they would probably be illegal.
LONDON (AP)  The World Health Organization's Europe chief warned Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the last two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the previously rare disease does not become entrenched on the continent.

And African health authorities said they are treating the expanding monkeypox outbreak as an emergency, calling on rich countries to share limited supplies of vaccines to avoid equity problems seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHO Europe chief Dr. Hans Kluge said in a statement that increased efforts were needed despite the U.N. health agency's decision last week that the escalating outbreak did not yet warrant being declared a global health emergency.

Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn a corner in the race to reverse the ongoing spread of this disease, Kluge said.

To date, more than 5,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 51 countries worldwide that don't normally report the disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kluge said the number of infections in Europe represents about 90% of the global total, with 31 countries in the WHO's European region having identified cases.

Kluge said data reported to the WHO show that 99% of cases have been in men  the majority in men that have sex with men. But he said there were now small numbers of cases among household contacts, including children. Most people reported symptoms including a rash, fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting and chills.

Scientists warn anyone who is in close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of infection. Vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women are thought more likely to suffer severe disease.

About 10% of patients were hospitalized for treatment or to be isolated, and one person was admitted to an intensive care unit. No deaths have been reported.

Kluge said the problem of stigmatization in some countries might make some people wary of seeking health care and said the WHO was working with partners including organizers of gay pride events.

In the U.K., which has the biggest monkeypox outbreak beyond Africa, officials have noted the disease is spreading in defined sexual networks of gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men. British health authorities said there were no signs suggesting sustained transmission beyond those populations.

A leading WHO adviser said in May that the spike in cases in Europe was likely tied to sexual activity by men at two rave parties in Spain and Belgium.

Ahead of gay pride events in the U.K. this weekend, London's top public health doctor asked people with symptoms of monkeypox, like swollen glands or blisters, to stay home.

Nevertheless in Africa the WHO says that according to detailed data from Ghana monkeypox cases were almost evenly split between men and women, and no spread has been detected among men who have sex with men.

WHO Europe director Kluge also said the procurement of vaccines must apply the principles of equity.

The main vaccine being used against monkeypox was originally developed for smallpox and the European Medicines Agency said this week it was beginning to evaluate whether it should be authorized for monkeypox. The WHO has said supplies of the vaccine, made by Bavarian Nordic, are extremely limited.

Countries including the U.K. and Germany have already begun vaccinating people at high risk of monkeypox; the U.K. recently widened its immunization program to mostly gay and bisexual men who have multiple sexual partners and are thought to be most vulnerable.

Until May, monkeypox had never been known to cause large outbreaks beyond parts of central and west Africa, where it's been sickening people for decades, is endemic in several countries and mostly causes limited outbreaks when it jumps to people from infected wild animals.

To date, there have been about 1,800 suspected monkeypox cases in Africa, including more than 70 deaths, but only 109 have been lab-confirmed. The lack of laboratory diagnosis and weak surveillance means many cases are going undetected.

This particular outbreak for us means an emergency, said Ahmed Ogwell, the acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control.

The WHO says monkeypox has spread to African countries where it hasnt previously been seen, including South Africa, Ghana and Morocco. But more than 90% of the continents infections are in Congo and Nigeria, according to WHO Africa director, Dr. Moeti Matshidiso.

Vaccines have never been used to stop monkeypox outbreaks in Africa; officials have relied mostly on contact tracing and isolation.

The WHO noted that similar to the scramble last year for COVID-19 vaccines, countries with supplies of vaccines for monkeypox are not yet sharing them with Africa.

We do not have any donations that have been offered to (poorer) countries, said Fiona Braka, who heads the WHO emergency response team in Africa. We know that those countries that have some stocks, they are mainly reserving them for their own populations.

Matshidiso said the WHO was in talks with manufacturers and countries with stockpiles to see if they might be shared.

We would like to see the global spotlight on monkeypox act as a catalyst to beat this disease once and for all in Africa, she said Thursday.

___

Mutsaka reported from Harare, Zimbabwe.
Texas public schools will be required to secure exterior doors, train staff on safety procedures and review threat response plans before the next school year begins under new school safety requirements issued by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) following the deadliest school shooting in state history.

The TEA released the new safety guidance Thursday, which requires school districts to conduct weekly exterior door sweeps, complete a summer safety audit and review emergency operations and active threat plans by Sept. 1. All campus staff, including substitutes, must also be trained on campus safety procedures.

Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the agency to require weekly campus door inspections in response to the Robb Elementary School shooting. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed after a gunman entered the school through an unlocked exterior door. Last week, the TEA also announced plans to check whether hundreds of thousands of external school building doors lock properly before the the start of the next school year.

Among considerations included in the TEA's latest audit are how schools could provide first responders with quick access to keys as well as observing opportunities to "foster positive relationships" between school community members and campus law enforcement. Law enforcement in Uvalde has faced ongoing criticism for its response to the shooting, including allegedly waiting to breach the classroom where the massacre occurred for keys that may not have even been needed.

The TEA, Texas School Safety Center, and other state agencies are also working to expand "technical assistance for emergency operations plan development, conducting threat assessment protocols, expanding availability of school-based law enforcement, improving the efficacy of drills and incident preparedness exercises, and supporting [local educational agency] efforts in implementing multi-tiered system of supports," according to Thursday's announcement.

"We understand that the safety of students and staff is always the top priority of Texas public school systems," TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and Texas School Safety Center Director Kathy Martinez-Prather wrote in a joint letter Thursday. "While the requirements described herein may be new to a few, we know that most schools in Texas are already implementing these actions and more to keep our students and staff safe."

The TEA will be collecting data from the audit to evaluate changes that need to be made to facilities, which will be sent to state lawmakers in order to construct funding requests. There are more than 1,200 school districts in Texas and more than 3,000 campuses.

This week, Abbott and other state leaders announced the transfer of $105.5 million to support statewide school safety and mental health initiatives, which will help fund items like bulletproof shields, silent panic alert technology, safety audits and mental health services.
Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Parents and loved ones of the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School pressed Uvalde City Council members Thursday for details on the official investigation into the tragedy  but their requests for more information were, once again, denied.

Their pleas come as police and Uvalde government officials have routinely denied access to details of the shooting requested by media, elected officials and family members of the 19 children and two teachers killed May 24 inside the small school about 100 miles west of San Antonio. At Thursday's scheduled council meeting in Uvalde, Mayor Don McLaughlin said the Texas Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County District Attorney's Office said releasing such information would jeopardize the investigation.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been ratified by 65 governments, known in diplomatic circles as States Parties. The treatys first Meeting of States Parties concluded June 23, after painstakingly working out  in the words of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons  a blueprint for the end of nuclear weapons.

The new treaty is an extraordinary, crowning achievement.

The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany  all three of whom use U.S. nuclear weapons on their air force bases  participated as Observer States. The three have not ratified the treaty, having acquiesced with a string of U.S. administrations  Obamas, Trumps, and Bidens  that conspired at every opportunity to derail, prevent, delay, weaken, and boycott the new ban  in spite of broad public support for nuclear disarmament. Trump demanded that States Parties withdraw their ratifications. None did. Bidens White House reportedly urged Japan not to attend the session and they stayed away.

German and Dutch representatives took their turn and spoke to the meeting on June 22, but both NATO members used exactly the same words to note their governments explicit disapproval of the treaty, and to voice their supposed support for the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Both representatives said their governments will not accede to the nuclear ban treaty because the [treaty] is inconsistent with NATO doctrine.

The hypocrisy in German and Dutch opposition is that their sharing of U.S. nuclear weapons, while consistent with NATO doctrine is totally inconsistent with their hallowed Non-Proliferation Treaty. In fact, their 50-year-long dismissal of the treaty's binding obligation to begin negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament at an early date is also completely inconsistent with their feigned support.

As German Representative Rudiger Bohn said, NATO doctrine includes the doleful edict, As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear Alliance. This embrace of genocidal atomic violence is not an Article of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty or NATO Charter. It was manufactured entirely by its nuclear-armed members, and there is no legal obligation for NATO to remain a nuclear-armed terrorist organization.

NATO doctrine is fluid, strictly advisory, and accepted voluntarily by its members.

In comparison, the Non-Proliferation Treaty is binding international law and includes explicit, unambiguous prohibitions and clear, binding obligations. NATOs ongoing planning, preparations and ever-present threat to launch nuclear attacks (known as deterrence), is simply a ritualized practice that can be ended at any time.

What might have been a week-long celebration of progress in seeking a world free of nuclear threats was dimmed by Russias ongoing war on Ukraine. A declaration castigates nuclear weapons and echoes Daniel Ellsbergs 1959 essay The Threat and Practice of Blackmail, noting that the bomb is used to coerce, intimidate, plague, curse, and terrify. This highlights, now more than ever, the fallacy of nuclear deterrence doctrines, which are based and rely on the threat of the actual use of nuclear weapons and, hence, the risks of the destruction of countless lives, of societies, of nations, and of inflicting global catastrophic consequences.

The parties agreed to push ahead with resolve to eventually see the nuclear weapons states sign on, saying In the face of the catastrophic risks posed by nuclear weapons and in the interest of the very survival of humanity, we cannot do otherwise.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court said Thursday the Biden administration can scrap a Trump-era immigration policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration courts, a victory for a White House that still must address the growing number of people seeking refuge at America's southern border.

The ruling will have little immediate impact because the policy has been seldom applied under President Joe Biden, who reinstated it under a court order in December. It was his predecessor, Donald Trump, who launched the Remain in Mexico policy and fully embraced it.

Two conservative justices joined their three liberal colleagues in siding with the White House.

Under Trump, the program enrolled about 70,000 people after it was launched in 2019. Biden suspended the policy, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols on his first day in office in January 2021. But lower courts ordered it reinstated in response to a lawsuit from Republican-led Texas and Missouri.

Dynamics at the border have changed considerably since Remain in Mexico was a centerpiece of Trump's border policies.

Another Trump-era policy that remains in effect and was not a part of Thursday's ruling allows the government to quickly expel migrants without a chance to ask for asylum, casting aside U.S. law and an international treaty on grounds of containing the spread of COVID-19. There have been more than 2 million expulsions since the pandemic-era rule, known as Title 42 authority, was introduced in March 2020.

In May, a federal judge in Louisiana prevented the Biden administration from halting Title 42, in a case that may ultimately reach the Supreme Court.

The court's decision Thursday was released on the same day that the justices dealt the administration a blow in an important environmental case about the nation's main anti-air pollution law. That ruling could complicate the administration's plans to combat climate change.

The heart of the legal fight in the immigration case was about whether U.S. immigration authorities, with far less detention capacity than needed, had to send people to Mexico or whether those authorities had the discretion under federal law to release asylum-seekers into the United States while they awaited their hearings.

After Bidens suspension of the program, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ended it in June 2021. In October, the department produced additional justifications for the policys demise, but that was to no avail in the courts.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that an appeals court erred in holding that the federal Immigration and Nationality Act required the Government to continue implementing MPP. Joining the majority opinion was fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump-appointee, as well as liberal justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Kavanaugh also wrote separately and noted that in general, when there is insufficient detention capacity, both releasing asylum-seekers into the United States and sending them back to Mexico are legally permissible options under the immigration statutes.

The Department of Homeland Security said it welcomed the ruling and that it will continue our efforts to terminate the program as soon as legally permissible. It added in a statement that it continues to enforce Title 42 and our immigration laws at the border and administer consequences for those who enter unlawfully.

Cornell University law professor Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration expert, said the Biden administration does not need to take any further action to end the policy, but that Texas and Missouri can pursue a challenge over whether the administration followed appropriate procedure in ending the program.

In a dissent for himself and fellow conservatives Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the practice of releasing untold numbers of aliens into the United States violates the clear terms of the law, but the court looks the other way. Justice Amy Coney Barrett said she agreed with the majority's analysis of the merits of the case but would have sent the case back to a lower court for reconsideration.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that the decision was unfortunate. He argued it would make the border crisis worse. But its not the end. Ill keep pressing forward and focus on securing the border and keeping our communities safe in the dozen other immigration suits Im litigating in court. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the decision would only embolden the Biden Administrations open border policies."

Since December, the administration has registered only 7,259 migrants in "Remain in Mexico." U.S. authorities stopped migrants 1.2 million times on the Mexico border from December through May, illustrating the policy's limited impact under Biden.

About 6 of every 10 people in the program are Nicaraguans. The administration has said it would apply the policy to nationalities that are less likely to be subject to the broader Title 42 policy. Strained diplomatic relations with Nicaragua makes it extremely difficult for the U.S. to expel people back to their homeland under Title 42.

Immigrant advocates acknowledged that a relatively small number of asylum seekers arriving on the southwest border are affected by the MPP program with which the court ruling dealt. Still, advocates and Democrats were among those cheering the decision as were those waiting in Mexico.

Oscar Rene Cruz, a taxi driver from Nicaragua who is in a Salvation Army Shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, said after the ruling: We are all very happy, waiting to see what is going to happen now with us, we know the program has finished but we havent been told what they are going to do with us."

Cruz added: I wish this will be over soon. Nobody wants to stay here in Mexico.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, said in a statement that those fleeing violence and persecution to seek asylum as they are entitled to by law should not be forced to remain in places that have been deemed dangerous and unsafe while they wait for their day in court.

Jacob Lichtenbaum, staff attorney for the immigrant rights group CASA in Maryland, called the ruling a "major victory for safety, compassion, and the rule of law."

But Rep. John Katko of New York, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the program was a critical tool to help manage arrivals on the southwest border and the current administration lacks a plan to address the issue.

The case is Biden v. Texas, 21-954.

___

Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, Jorge Lebrija in Tijuana, Mexico, and Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report.
WFO LAKE CHARLES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, July 1, 2022

_____

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

Southeastern Orange County in southeastern Texas...

* Until 1100 AM CDT.

* At 837 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are

possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already occurring.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban

areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as

other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Orange, Bridge City, West Orange, Orangefield and Pinehurst.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

_____

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
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were among the seven states in the country categorised as Top Achievers in implementation of Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2020, according to a report released by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday. (file/Twitter)

Hyderabad: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were among the seven states in the country categorised as Top Achievers in implementation of Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2020, according to a report released by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday.

The Centre this year classified states into four categories: Top Achievers, Achievers, Aspirers, and Emerging Business Ecosystems, in contrast to previous years when States/UTs were ranked according to their Ease of Doing Business (EoDB).

In the Top Achievers category, Gujarat was one of the other six states, including Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. Six States including Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh figured in the Achievers category.

The "Aspirers" category includes Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, and West Bengal, while the "Emerging Business Ecosystems" category includes Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, and Tripura.

The Centre maintained that the objective of assessing the States/UTs was not to create a hierarchy among States/UTs but rather to develop a framework that allows States/UTs to share their leanings, which would then encourage the adoption of best practices across the country. The broader aim was to boost investor confidence, foster business friendly climate and augment Ease of Doing Business across the country by introducing an element of healthy competition through a system of assessing states based on their performance in the implementation of Business Reforms Action Plan.

The BRAP 2020 included 301 reform points covering 15 business regulatory areas such as Access to Information, Single Window System, Labour, Environment, Land Administration & Transfer of Land and Property, Utility Permits and others. Around 118 new reforms were included to further augment the reform process. Sectoral reforms with 72 action points spread across nine sectors namely Trade License, Healthcare, Legal Metrology, Cinema Halls, Hospitality, Fire NOC, Telecom, Movie Shooting and Tourism were introduced for the first time to expand the scope of the reform agenda.

Nirmala Sitharaman claimed that after 1991, the fundamental nature of reforms had changed. "The reforms now in place are responsive ones. In contrast to the 1991 reforms, which were forced upon us, there is no compulsion now. An element of nudge has been brought into every layer of the government. Nudging cannot be done by the government alone and the industry has a big role to play, she said

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the assessment has evolved from evidence-based to 100% feedback in multilingual format. He said that the purpose of the BRAP exercise was to infuse a culture of learning from each others best practices and improve upon the business climate in each State/UT with a unified objective for India to emerge as the most favoured investment destination.
Heritage Minutes are short films that aim to educate about Canadas history and achievements

A look at Canada Day through Heritage Minutes Heritage Minutes are short films that aim to educate about Canadas history and achievements

A look at Canada Day through Heritage Minutes Heritage Minutes are short films that aim to educate about Canadas history and achievements

A look at Canada Day through Heritage Minutes Heritage Minutes are short films that aim to educate about Canadas history and achievements Edana Robitaille Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canada Day celebrations are back this year after being curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a day to celebrate the nations shared history and achievements. People can expect big events, fireworks and get-togethers with family and friends.



Historica Canada, a national charitable organization that works to educate people about Canadian history, has been producing and broadcasting one-minute-long dramatizations of important moments in Canadian history for over 30 years.

These dramatizations are known as Heritage Minutes. Their goal is to help viewers understand the origins of Canadas entrenched values, and why we celebrate them. They are well-known by Canadians and a common cultural reference.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Heritage Minutes span the spectrum of Canadian contributions to science, womens rights, pop culture and sports. There are also several that highlight how immigrants and refugees have shaped our country and made it what it is today.

Without immigration, Canada could not maintain its labour force and the economy would falter. Some Heritage Minutes attempt to capture the significant impacts of immigration in Canadas history.

Immigrants helped settle the prairies

Up until the late 19th century, the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba were sparsely populated. At that time, a wave of immigrants from Ukraine arrived in these provinces and established farms and settlements. Much like the current influx of Ukrainians, they were escaping Russian rule.

Heritage Minutes: Soddie Prairie settlers in the 1890s build their first home from the same sod that they break to grow their crops.For more information about soddies, visit: http://

Canadas history as a haven for refugees

The Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024 highlights a goal of welcoming over 60,000 refugees each year into 2024. Canada is frequently the end destination for those fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries and Canada works to ensure that refugees and their families can establish themselves and live peacefully. For example, Canada was one of the few countries that would accept refugees at the end Vietnam war.

Heritage Minutes: Boat People Refugees A family escapes persecution in Vietnam, traveling by boat to a Malaysian refugee camp before finding a new home in Montreal (1980).For more information abou

Canadas treatment of Indigenous people

Canada may have a reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants but not all Canadian history is positive. Canada Day began to take on a somber note in 2021 as the bodies of thousands of Indigenous children who died in residential schools began to be discovered around the country. With that in mind, there is growing backlash against celebrating Canada Day at all.

Heritage Minutes: Chanie Wenjack The story of Chanie Charlie Wenjack, whose death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools. The 8

A Canadian classic

This Heritage Minute is not directly related to immigration but according to Historica Canada, it is the most popular and considered a quotable classic. It is one of the older Heritage Minutes and baby boomers, generation X and millennials frequently saw it on television before streaming services were the norm. For inexplicable reasons, it has become a cultural reference and is synonymous with being confused and overwhelmed.

It features Dr Wilder Penfield, a brain surgeon who immigrated to Montreal from the United States. He spent his career helping people with seizure disorders.

Heritage Minutes: Wilder Penfield A Montreal neurosurgeon makes ground-breaking advances in the treatment of seizure disorders (1934).For more information about Wilder Penfield, visit: http:/

Things to think about

Canada Day exists to celebrate Canadas achievements, history, global contributions, and high standard of living. It is a day to relax, enjoy the summer and take pride in how Canada has progressed as a nation. It is also an opportunity to reflect on how much work still needs to be done to ensure that all Canadians and newcomers are treated equally.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Why was the American Revolution, of all great revolutions, the only successful one, resulting in two centuries and more of unexampled freedom and prosperity? The French Revolution, by contrast, illuminated by Americas example and Enlightenment thought, began in blissful optimism but collapsed into a blood-soaked tyranny much worse than the monarchy it deposed. It spawned a military dictatorship that convulsed Europe and roiled half the globe for over a decade with wars of grandiose imperial aggression that slew at least 3 million. And the result of 25 years of turmoil? The Bourbon monarchy, minus the Enlightenment of its earlier incarnation, settled comfortably back down on its throne.

The Russian Revolution switched one despotism for another; and a century later, after the millions of deaths from its purges, slave camps, and intentionally inflicted famines, Russia remains a despotism, without rights or justice. We all get only one life: imagine someone born under the billowing flags of the new Soviet Union in 1917, who had to live that whole single life without the freedom so much as to speak the truth of the squalid, oppressive reality he saw in front of his own eyes. One single lifeand what you can make of the one you have depends so much on what others have done to mold the time and place in which you live.

The Founders knew that truth so well that they announced their nationhood by significantly changing John Lockes catalog of natural rights. The shift began in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, where George Mason emended Lockes right to Lives, Liberties and Estates to Life and Liberty, with the Means of acquiring and possessing Property, and pursueing and obtaining Happiness and Safety. Two months later, Thomas Jefferson penned the final pithy formulation of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness in the Declaration of Independence. The pursuit of happiness! Who but the Americans made a revolution to vindicate the paramount right of each individual to try to make the most of his life by his own effort as he sees fit?

A key reason the revolution succeeded was its strictly limited scope. The Founders sought only liberty, not equality or fraternity. They aimed to make a political revolution, not a social or an economic one. Their Lockean social-contract political philosophy taught them that the preservation of individual liberty was the goal of politics. Its basis was the surrender of a portion of mans original, natural freedom to a government that would protect the large remainder of it better than any individual could do on his ownthe freedom to make your own fate and think your own thoughts without fear of bodily harm, unjust imprisonment, or robbery. The Founders study of history taught them that the British constitution under which they had livedoriginally and essentially free, as Boston preacher Jonathan Mayhew described itwas the ideal embodiment of such a contract. It was the most perfect combination of human powers in society, John Adams wrote in 1766, for the preservation of liberty and the production of happinessuntil George III began to violate it. So Americans didnt take up arms to create a new world order according to some abstract theory. They sought only to restore the political liberty they had actually experienced for 150 years, and they constructed their new government to preserve it.

The Protestantism of the Founding Fathers also helped the Revolution succeed. Their Protestant worldview placed an intense value on the individualhis conscience, the state of his soul, his understanding of Scripture, his personal relation to God, his salvation. It was an easy step for them to assume that, as each man was endowed by his Creator with an immortal soul immediately related to God, so he was similarly endowed with rights that are not the Donation of Law, as Constitution signer William Livingston put it, but prior to all political Institution and resulting from the Nature of Man. It was easy for them to assume, therefore, that the individual, not the state, took center stage in the human drama. They saw the state as merely instrumental to the fate of the individual.

But their Protestantism also gave them a history that helps explain why the colonists didnt need or want a social revolution. The many non-Anglican dissenters among them had already had such a revolution: they had been forced to uproot themselves from their relatives and friends, from the fair cities, villages, and delightful fields of Britain, fleeing religious persecution into the arms of savages and barbarians in pursuit of liberty of conscience, as Mayhew put it in 1763. The Plymouth Pilgrims, who wrote a literal social compact in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, were only the first wave of a tide of such immigrants fleeing persecution: English and Scottish Presbyterians, Baptists, and Quakers; German pietists; French Huguenots; and others followed. In the eighteenth century, their offspringJohn Jay, for example, who descended from New Yorks huge contingent of Huguenot refugees from Catholic oppression, and Livingston, whose Presbyterian great-grandfather had fled Scotland for Holland after the Stuart restorationhad as lively a sense of lucky escape from the Old Countrys murderous religious tyranny as American Jews whose forebears had escaped Russian pogroms and the Nazi Holocaust had in the twentieth century. They had as acute a sense of having had to start their lives over again in a land that afforded them almost providential religious and political freedom, safety, and opportunity.

It was that historical understanding that made Founders like Livingston and James Madison begin their journey to revolution with an assertion of freedom of conscience, which led to freedom to examine and judge for yourself, to think your own thoughts and speak and write themand all the rest, since liberty is seamless. An equal TOLERATION of Conscience, Livingston wrote, is justly deemd the Basis of public Liberty in this Country. To Madison, for whom America offer[ed] an Asylum to the persecuted and oppressed of every Nation and Religion, an established, official, obligatory religion, with dogmas you must profess, though it is seemingly distant from the Inquisition, . . . differs from it only in degree. The one is the first step, the other the last in the career of intolerance. Even George Washington, who never knew that his great-great-grandfather, an Anglican cleric, suffered religious persecution at the hands of Cromwells Puritans, often liked to speak of America, with an endearing mix of Old and New Testament echoes, as a Land of promise, with milk & honey, which offered a refuge to the poor, the needy & the oppressed of the Earth; and anyone therefore who is heavy laden. He wasnt alone among the colonists in thinking of the settlement of America in terms of the Israelites providential deliverance from Egyptian tyranny to the Promised Land.

Others had made their own personal social and economic revolutions by uprooting themselves from home and coming to America for economic opportunity. From laborers signing on as indentured servants, up to younger sons of gentlefolk with no inheritance in prospect, immigrants came to make their own fortunes as best they could. If they believed that their rights came from nature, not from government, they believed the same thing of their property, as people had believed from biblical and classical times and as Locke had reemphasized in the modern era. In explaining the origin of property rights, Locke had remarked of the State of Nature that in the beginning all the World was America, where people create property by working the wild Common of Nature. Their labor made the land and its produce their own, since labour makes the far greatest part of the value of things, we enjoy in this Worldin fact, he calculated, of the Products of the Earth, useful to the Life of Man 9/10 are the effects of labour.

The colonists, because they and their ancestors had created wealth out of a wilderness, took for granted, with Locke, their right to their own property. And though they believed in the inborn equality of natural rights, they assumed, with Madison, that in a society where every man has the right to pursue his happiness and forge his fate, the unequal distribution of talents will naturally and unobjectionably produce inequality of wealth. So economic equality was no part of their revolutionary goal. Quite the reverse: an equal division of property, Madison pronounced in Federalist 10, would be an improper and wicked project.

Colonists without personal experience of Old World oppression, or oft-heard family memories of it, knew from history and Scripturefrom tales of Pharaoh and Herod, of Caesar, Nero, and Caligula, of Bloody Mary and the Stuartsthat even though government exists to preserve liberty, it too often has been freedoms destroyer. They knew from Magna Carta and from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 that Englishmen had had to resist such tyranny at swordpoint and to reassert their own rights as well as the strict limits that the original social contract had placed on royal power. They knew what it had cost to assure, as Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder put it, that [t]he poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail, its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter, the rain may enterbut the King of England cannot enter; all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement. Or as the Jacobean chief justice Sir Edward Coke, whose Institutes of the Laws of England every colonial lawyer had read, phrased it more succinctly 150 years earlier: A mans house is his castle.

So when, after 150 years of letting Americans run their own affairs, the British government began to meddle malignly with their liberty once 22-year-old George III became king in 1760, following the death of his grandfather, George II, the colonists unsurprisingly responded to the interference with outrage. After decreeing new colonial customs duties and stricter enforcement in 1764, London imposed its first direct levy on the colonies in 1765 in the Stamp Act, taxing every colonial newspaper, journal, legal document, almanac, playing card, and other paper product, in flagrant contravention of the standing Maxim of English Liberty, as Livingston had quoted it more than a decade earlier,  that no Man shall be taxed, but with his own Consent.  As Washington wrote to a friend, I think the Parliament of Great Britain hath no more Right to put their hands into my Pocket, without my consent, than I have to put my hands into yours, for money. Property doesnt belong to the government, and the social contract gives government no right to tell you what to do with your own.

The American Revolution, then, was doubly limited in its aims: limited to making only a political change without altering social or economic arrangements, and determined to set strict limits to its new government, fearful that any governmental power beyond the barest minimum necessary to protect liberty too easily could become a threat to liberty itself. So apprehensive were the Founders on this score that the governmental structure they erected after the Declaration of Independence proved too weak to perform its essential function of protecting their lives, liberties, and properties adequately, prolonging the Revolutionary War and increasing the hardships of the men who fought it. With great misgivings, the Founders had to create a new constitution to give government the necessary powers, but their most urgent concern was to make those powers limited and enumerated, hedged around with every check and balance they could think of to prevent tyrannical abuse.

With similar prudence and modesty, when they wrote the new constitution, the Founders nursed no grandiose illusions that they were going to change human nature by altering the structure of government. Except for Thomas Jefferson, they didnt believe in human perfectibility, as did some of the French philosophes whose worldview Jefferson had absorbed in his years in Paris as well as from his voluminous reading. The Founders certainly didnt aspire to create something like the New Soviet Man. They had a very clear-eyed assessment of human nature. After all, their social-contract theory rested on a psychology that acknowledged what Patrick Henry called, conventionally enough, the depravity of human nature, with its lusts, aggression, and greed no less inborn than its rights. They tried to create a republic that would flourish with human nature as it is, with all its cross-grained passions and interests. They never forgot, as Alexander Hamilton cautioned, that men are ambitious, vindictive, and rapacious.

Still, they werent cynics. Despite human natures failings, they believed men capable of virtue, as history, literature, observation, and introspection taught them. Not all men, and not all the time; but if there is not sufficient virtue among men for self-government, Madison observed in Federalist 55, only the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying and devouring each other. The question that vexed many throughout the Founding pertained to what conditions virtue needed to thrive. What kind of culture and education would nourish it? Could it survive in a large republic? Would commerce and investment stifle it, especially since they breed luxury, which the Voice of History teaches, wrote Livingston, is a Kind of political Cancer, which corrodes and demolishes the best regulated Constitution? Just look at Rome; eer-while the Nurse of Heroes, and the Terror of the World; but now the obscene Haunt of sequestered Bigots, and effeminate Slaves, he wrote in 1753. For the next three decades, Americans worried that liberty couldnt survive a culture of riches, with its musicians, pimps, panders, and catamites, as one signer of the Declaration of Independence fretted. In such a money-corrupted culture, some Founders worried, legislators and offices would be for sale.

The best answer to that fear was the example of the Founders themselvesmen of luminous public spirit, who had no hesitation in appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions in the Declaration of Independence. And that is the last, and largest, reason that the American Revolution succeeded, where others failed. Its leaders were men of extraordinary character, merit, intelligence, wisdom, and, in the case of Washington, the Foundings presiding genius, of heroic private virtue, too. They had the unshakable courage to pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor to assure the Revolutions success. Already social leaders, professional successes, or both, they had no psychological need to exalt themselves, and certainly not by abasing or terrorizing others, as such revolutionary psychopaths as Robespierre or Lenin did. They never dreamed of placing themselves above the laws that they had made as the peoples representatives, and they wholeheartedly agreed with Madison that if the spirit that nourishes freedom should ever be so far debased as to tolerate a law not obligatory on the legislature as well as on the people, the people will be prepared to tolerate any thing but liberty. And when they had played their parts and done their duty, they were contentindeed, eagerto go home.

That so many great men came together at that time and place to do such great deeds is one of historys most thought-provoking miracles.

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The Mango Express that carries tones of fruits to north India this season every year failed to take off this time. (PTI file photo)

Visakhapatnam: The Mango Express that carries tones of fruits to north India this season every year failed to take off this time. Traders say they fetch good price in the local markets and hence this is not a problem to them.

Railway sources said the urgency for coal movement led to cancellation of the mango express train services to New Delhi from Vizianagaram district this year. Mango orchards are spread over 25,000 hectares. It was more, some 35,000 hectares, in the undivided Vizianagaram -- the third-largest spread after Chittoor and Krishna districts.

This year, the fruit was harvested only from 18,000 hectares. The yield was just three tonnes per hectare, which was five tonnes last year, said deputy director of horticulture in Vizianagaram, Reddy Srinivasa Rao.

The deputy director told DC that since the rail facility for mangoes was not available, the fruits were sent in trucks to various destinations in the north, east and south. Nearly half of the harvested fruits were sent outside the state and the remaining was sold in the markets of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and parts of Tamil Naidu, he said.

Traders could fetch only Rs 50,000 to Rs 80,000 per tonne from the north Indian markets, against a rate of Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh in the previous years, said president of the mango growers association, Lagudu Demudu, who grows varieties of mango in over 500 hectares every year in Vizianagaram district.

He told DC on Friday that, this year, the farmers could send only seven wagon loads of mangoes to New Delhi. Each wagon was loaded with 15,000 boxes (each box containing 15kg of fruits).

The Kisan or Mango Express train carried 10, 179 tonnes of mango to New Delhi in 2019, 7,000 tonnes in 2020 and 4,330 tonnes in 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Man Ki Baat programme on May 30 last year praised the Waltair division for launching the Mango Express, saying it helped marginal farmers.

However, traders could fetch an impressive price in the local markets, particularly in Visakhapatnam where a crate of Rasalu (15kg) was sold for Rs 2,000. Last year, the crate was sold for less than Rs 700.
Advertised: 01 Jul 2022 GTB Daylight Time

Deadline: 15 Jul 2022 GTB Daylight Time

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a chance.

The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Moldova consists of 24 agencies, funds and programmes addressing a wide range of national development challenges. In order to focus the development work on areas of United Nations comparative advantage, the UNCT and its partners have developed a United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for 2018-2022.

Established in august 2021, UN Adolescents and Youth Advisory Panel (UN AYAP) consists of 12 young people representatives of adolescents and youth networks and organizations in Moldova, including organizations that represent rights and interests of ethnolinguistic minority youth, youth from underrepresented groups and those in vulnerable situations.

The UN AYAP serves as a mechanism for United Nations in Moldova to foster dialogue with young people, empower them and youth organizations to speak-up and support the UNCT deliver on the Adolescent and Youth wellbeing and development agenda identified as one of the six areas of collaborative advantages specified in the Common Chapter1 of the 2018-2022.

UN AYAP through implementation of its action plan contributes to the robust implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Moldova having the potential to deepen the collaboration of the UNCT and deliver more transformative results for youth.

How can you make a difference?

The main purpose of the assignment is to ensure well-functioning of the UN Adolescents and Youth Advisory Panel in the Republic of Moldova under the joint supervision and support of the UNFPA and UNICEF who are the co-chairs of UN Adolescent and Youth Thematic Group and the RCO.

Consultant will assist UN AYAP in implementation of their mandate and ensure the systematic and meaningful engagement of AYAP in UN Moldova programmes as follows:

1. Support the UN AYAP to develop and implement annual action plan in coordination with UN agencies;

2. Monitor and assess the results of the UNYAP activities, feeding back information to UN and the UN AYAP members to continuously improve the operational and functional effectiveness of the UN AYAP;

3. Ensure that UN AYAP is meaningfully engaged in UN planning and reporting with the scope to ensure that adolescents and youth dimensions are properly addressed by UN;

4. Collaboratively with UN AYAP collect, analyse and share information on key adolescents and youth issues, including making comprehensive proposals on how to jointly address such issues;

5. Ensure social cohesion dimensions are dully reflected as cross-cutting theme in all adolescent and youth wellbeing and development related JWP actions and results;

6. Support and promote the achievement of the Agenda 2030 in Moldova and act as Youth Ambassadors of the Sustainable Development Goals;

7. Build the capacity of young people to acquire new skills (leadership, advocacy, communication, etc.) and improve their understanding of their communities and country;

8. Support UN AYAP in advancing advocacy efforts to boost adolescents and youth agenda at national and local levels, build dialog with key stakeholders and UN partners but also CSOs and young people.

Please read the details in the TOR published at https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/552606/national-consultant-to-ensure-effective-functioning-of-the-un-adolescents-and-youth-advisory-panel-in-moldova

Kindly note that applications without technical and financial proposals will not be considered.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

Academic Qualifications:



 Masters Degree or equivalent of five years University Degree in education, youth development, public health, public management, population studies, law, and/or other related social science field.



Years of Experience:

At least 3 (three) years of progressive working experience in the design, management and implementation of programmes related to youth development and mobilization, networking, youth rights and policies, sustainable development;

 Prior experience in development assistance or related work for a donor organization, governmental institutions and/or NGOs, is a very strong advantage;

 Extensive experience in managing a multidisciplinary team;

 Strong interpersonal and organizational skills;

 Experience of work with development partners, successful experience in working with UN agencies is an asset.

Languages:

 Fluency in English and Romanian is required.

 Knowledge of Russian or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language would be an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered staff members under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEFs policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (if applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Camelots legal claim against the Gambling Commission could lose good causes millions of pounds in damage costs, the regulator's chief executive Andrew Rhodes has confirmed.

At a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee hearing yesterday, Labour MP Kevin Brennan asked if there was any truth to press reports suggesting that good causes could lose up to 600m due to Camelots legal proceedings, to which Rhodes replied it was almost impossible to calculate an accurate figure at this point.

It will be up to the culture secretary Nadine Dorries to decide where any damages are paid from, Rhodes clarified, but it is possible damage costs could be taken from funding for good causes.

Camelot, which ran the National Lottery for 28 years, began legal proceedings against the Gambling Commission in April after the fourth licence to run the lottery was awarded to a different organisation.

The chair of the DCMS committee, Julian Knight, said that Camelot has some brass neck as a court case theyre indulging in could basically rob the futures of young people across this country by taking such huge sums from good causes.

Earlier this year, Allwyn was awarded the fourth licence for the National Lottery for the first time. Nigel Railton, chief executive of Camelot, said it was taking legal action because he felt the Gambling Commission had got this decision badly wrong.

New licence should encourage raising funds for good causes

Rhodes told MPs that there is nothing the Gambling Commission can do to prevent someone from seeking legal action against it and that if legal action is successful, it can incur a series of costs in damages.

The chief executive said that the Gambling Commission has made changes to the licence regarding how the operator makes money from it.

The previous licence was constructed in a way so 95% of profits from the National Lottery went to good causes and 5% went to the operator.

Rhodes said the fourth licence has been changed so that the surplus generated after costs is shared between the operator and funding good causes.

He said this means the operator is not incentivised on sales, theyre incentivised on the best returns for good causes.

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On Tuesday, Louie the Muppet took advantage of the Food and Drug Administrations recent decision to authorize covid vaccines for children under the age of five by taking his son Elmowho is three and a half years old, today and every day since the early 1980sto get a shot. I had a lot of questions about Elmo getting the covid vaccine: Was it safe? Was it the right decision? Louie confided to the Sesame Street camera, as Elmo ran off to search for Baby David, his doll. I talked to our pediatrician so that I could make the right choice. Many viewers seemed to appreciate Louies example, but one, in particular, did not: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who accused Elmo of aggressively advocating that young children get the vaccine despite having cited ZERO scientific evidence of its benefits.

Unbelievablyand, yet, unsurprisinglythis was the second time Cruz had taken issue with a Muppet getting vaccinated. As with the first occasionwhen Cruz accused Big Bird of spreading government propaganda, prompting Saturday Night Live to stage a fictionalized meeting between the two on a channel called Newsmax KidsCruzs reaction was mined for content, including by a bevy of major news outlets. Much of this was appropriately tongue-in-cheek. Yet it also spoke, collectively, to a serious problem that journalists have had to grapple with throughout the pandemic, and the story of vaccines for very young kids has been a particularly sensitive recent example. Like Louie, many parents have legitimate questions. But expertsand, by extension, the presshavent always had easy answers in a climate of constantly evolving science. And actors like Cruz have been all too willing to step in and politicize the resulting uncertainty.

ICYMI: Tech platforms, data, and the aftermath of Roe v. Wade

Many journalists, of course, have young kids themselves. Betsy Morais, CJRs managing editor, became pregnant during the pandemic and gave birth late last year. She knew that she wanted to get her baby vaccinated against covid as soon as possible, but often found the news coverage to be lacking. For a special holiday-weekend edition of this newsletter, I spoke to Betsy about her experience navigating the reporting and getting her baby vaccinated. You can read our conversation below. (A quick programming note from me: well be off Monday for July 4. See you all on Tuesday.)



JA: You became pregnant during the pandemic. When was the first time you remember thinking about the possibility of getting your baby vaccinated against covid?

BM: I was first focused on my own vaccination. Pregnant people were offered covid shots earlier than the general population, but my timing didnt quite work out. I had bad morning sickness; my doctor advised that I wait until my second trimester. At the time, there was a lot of confusion (the World Health Organization hemmed and hawed) and misinformation (vaccines causing infertility being a particularly egregious example). I knew I wanted to be vaccinatedfor myself and for the health of the baby. I read about early studies showing that, by getting vaccinated, I could pass on immunity in utero and through breastmilk. I figured the baby would eventually get vaccinated against covidbabies get all sorts of vaccinations in the United States, as a matter of course. But I was taking one step at a time.

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How did you set about doing the research into your options and making a decision? And what did that feel like?

For months, Id read covid coverage in the New York Times obsessively. I read the Washington Post, CNN, and whatever else had new information. My friend Helen Ouyang, an emergency room doctor and wonderful writer, published a devastating piece back in April 2020 that rattled in my brain. My friend Jim Hamblin was writing wise and helpful pieces for The Atlantic, including about the urgency of vaccinating children; he is also a doctor, and my husband and I had a few long conversations with him. Like everyone, I became an Ed Yong fangirl. And when I was pregnant, I embarked on a nine-month research project, of a kindaware all the while that actual knowledge of having and raising a baby is ultimately impossible until youre there. I found myself leading a strange double existence of deepened understanding and profound ignorance.

Information about vaccines for the youngest children arose amid everything else. It always appeared foggy. Last September, a couple months before my due date, the CEO of Pfizer said that vaccine data for kids aged two to four would come before the end of the year; the expectation was that shots could be available in early 2022. That timeline got pushed back. In January, Anthony Fauci said he hoped the FDA would approve vaccines for kids under five within the next month. That didnt happen. In March, ProPublica published a piece asking Whats Holding Up the covid Vaccines for Children Under 5? Two experts said they expected authorization by April or, in a worst-case scenario, May. That prediction was wrong. In April, David Leonhardt wrote for the Times on the wait and uncertainty: Sometimes, the confusion has been intentional: Officials havent trusted Americans with the truth. Other times, the confusion has been an accidental byproduct of a messy public-health bureaucracy where no one person has responsibility for delivering clear messages to the public.

I tend to place great trust in doctors, in the same way that I defer to anyone with expertise. The most disorienting moments for me may have been ones in which Ive spoken with doctors and theyve replied, kindly and honestly, We dont know. But of course, that happens all the time in medicineand that doesnt diminish the value of science, it underscores it. I have tried to be patient and accept that I wont know things. Which, to answer your question, means that my research has felt slow and spotty.

Were there any other ways in which media coverage played into your research?

I depend on journalism to help me make decisions. The Times covid tracker has been an essential resource. But I never needed a newspaper article to tell me that I should vaccinate my baby against covid. That was a conclusion I reached just from living through the past two years.

I find it validating when journalists demand answers to questions. But in terms of research that I could put into action, there wasnt all that much to read until data appeared. And even then, I had to maintain some skepticism, because numbers can be misleadingthey can convey a false sense of certainty. The most helpful article I found, when trying to make a choice between Pfizer or Moderna, was a piece by Helen Branswell and Matthew Herper, for Stat.

Did you have any frustrations with the coverage?

Ive been frustrated by the lack of clarity in news coverage. I see articles with headlines like: Vaccines for Young Children Are Coming, but Many Parents Have Tough Questions. The frame of that piece was hesitancy among parents to vaccinate their very young children; it reflected doubt and fear. What I wanted was simple, straightforward guidance.

Looking at the data, presented in slightly different ways in slightly different articles, made my head spin. NBC reported, Pfizers vaccine reduced the risk of symptomatic infection by 80% in children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years. CNBC reported, Preliminary data does give the protection edge to Pfizer: Roughly 75% effectiveness at preventing illness from omicron for children aged 6 months to 2 years and for children ages 2 to 4, Pfizers vaccines were around 82% effective against omicron. Often, numbers are presented in limited context, and of course news articles are not medical-journal papers. But how meaningful is any given data point absent the size of the test group, or the duration of the test? Is this information helping nonscientists make informed decisions? (Maybe I am just tired, because my seven-month-old is going through a sleep regression.)

As Ive written many times, the pandemic has been weird for the press in the sense that weve all had to navigate scientific uncertainty together in a very public and immediate way. You can turn to an expert for their input but they might not have the answers, and/or might totally disagree with another experts read of things, reasonably or not. It seems like were still navigating that same uncertainty more than two years in, doesnt it?

My family has been fortunate in that we can easily reach out to experts we trust for guidanceespecially last week, when we happened to have a doctors appointment to check my babys weight. The day we came in, the pediatricians office was ready to provide doses of the Pfizer vaccine to children under five. My husband and I asked lots of questions of the nurse and the doctor. (Do you have a preference between the two vaccines? What might be the most important factors to consider given that our baby is so young?) Ultimately, we decided to pass on Pfizer and go the next day to a city-run vaccination site offering Moderna, which promised greater protection faster; given our daycare plans, that was a priority for us.

A key function of the press is to serve as a mediator, to ask questions on behalf of the general population and disseminate answers. That can be very hard to do in circumstances where there is ambiguitywhich is to say, nearly all circumstances. So yeah, journalism is hard workand weird, as you say. Still, I do think it is possible to convey informationand even uncertaintywith clarity. Clarity is just so important. And I think in the rush to publish, it is too often overlooked. Im speaking of factual clarity as well as moral clarity. (Which relates not only to vaccines, but everythingincluding what happens when, say, a police officer has killed a Black person.) There are good reasons to be skeptical of official decrees, and good reasons to defer to expert accounts; knowing how to parse all of that is a good journalists work. It will never end.

You finally took your baby for her vaccination last week, and it was the same day that the Supreme Court handed down its Roe decision. The covid and abortion stories are rarely explicitly linked, I feel like, but theyre actually super connected

Very much so, because were talking about healthcare. Were talking about making choices in the interest of someones well-being. Were talking about bodies. It can feel overwhelming to process all of the news. Its also quite simplewe all want to feel safe, and want our children to feel safe. The more we can be clear about how best to achieve that, I think, the better our journalism will be.

ICYMI: Cassidy Hutchinson, the January 6 committee, and the artand artificeof the hype

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP)  The parents of a teenager wounded during a mass shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan are suing the shop that sold the handgun used to kill four students and injure six other people.

The complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Detroit on behalf of Matthew and Mary Mueller accuses Acme Shooting Goods LLC of negligently or unlawfully supplying the gun through a straw sale.

Authorities have said James Crumbley bought the 9 mm semiautomatic handgun used in the Nov. 30 shooting as an early Christmas gift for his son, Ethan, who was 15 at the time.

The lawsuit says Ethan accompanied his father to Acme Shooting Goods several days before the shooting and engaged in behavior or made one or more statements while in the store which further indicated that the Acme gun was intended for Ethan.

Acme Shooting Goods was obligated to train, supervise and monitor employees to identify and prevent so-called straw purchases, according to the lawsuit.

A straw purchase is when a person buys a gun to sell or give to someone prohibited from having one.

An employee at the gun shop in Oxford declined to comment on the lawsuit Wednesday.

The Muellers son suffered gunshot wounds to a hand and his face. He was one of six students and one teacher wounded in the shooting at the school, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Detroit.

Ethan Crumbley, now 16, has been charged as an adult with murder and terrorism and faces trial in January. James Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer, are accused of providing their son with access to the gun and are awaiting trial for involuntary manslaughter.

Gun dealers, when they enter the business of selling guns, assume a duty to comply with all standards of reasonable care and all relevant state and/or federal firearms laws in order to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, juveniles and dangerous parties likely to misuse firearms, the Muellers lawsuit says.

A gun shop in Connecticut was named in a lawsuit against gunmaker Remington following the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 26 people, mostly children. Nancy Lanza bought the assault-style rifle used by her son, Adam Lanza, in the shooting.

The shop later was dropped from the lawsuit when a judge dismissed the complaint against Remington in 2016. The judge cited a federal law that shields gun-makers from liability in most cases. The Connecticut Supreme Court later reinstated the lawsuit against Remington on the issue of whether it should be held liable for how it marketed the Bushmaster rifle. In February, Remington and the Sandy Hook families agreed to a $73 million settlement of the case.

Remington, one of the nations oldest gun makers founded in 1816, filed for bankruptcy for a second time in 2020 and its assets were later sold off to several companies. The manufacturer was weighed down by lawsuits and retail sales restrictions following the school shooting.

The Muellers lawsuit does not include a dollar amount for damages. It also names the Oxford Community School District, its former superintendent and other officials.

Other multimillion-dollar lawsuits filed after the shooting have said the violence was preventable.

The morning of the shooting, school officials met with Ethan Crumbley and his parents at the school after a teacher found a drawing of a gun, a bullet and a person who appeared to have been shot, along with messages stating, My life is useless and The world is dead.

The Crumbleys declined to take their son home and Ethan was allowed to remain in school. The gun was in his backpack, which was not searched.

We are bringing this suit so that the failures both in the sale of this gun and at our school which allowed this to happen can never happen again, Matthew and Mary Mueller said in a statement. No family or community needs to experience this pain and no child should have to live with it for the rest of their life.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  A pair of lawsuits that for years has plagued Virginias largest school system with allegations that it ignored students accusations of sex assaults are back in front of federal judges.

One of the lawsuits includes allegations of horrific abuse suffered by a student at a Fairfax County middle school and was the basis for a 2014 federal investigation.

The lawsuits attracted low-level attention when they were filed before the pandemic and became caught up in appeals. Now, both cases are moving forward again at a time when schools responses to alleged sex assaults are receiving more intense scrutiny, as evidenced by the national attention in neighboring Loudoun County.

The middle schooler filed an amended complaint earlier this month after the school boards efforts to block her suit were rejected. Her ordeal began in October 2011, according to the lawsuit, when she was a seventh grader at Rachel Carson Middle School in Reston. A classmate started telling others that hed engaged in sexual activity with the girl, identified only by her initials in the lawsuit.

As rumors spread, she started to face harassment and name-calling at her locker in hallways. Then, she alleges, a boy at the school began routinely sexually assaulting her  sometimes with others joining the assault  and threatening her to remain silent.

The assaults occurred over a period of months, according to the lawsuit. The girl was evaluated by a nurse who confirmed scarring consistent with anal rape, but a school resource officer dismissed the activity as consensual.

School officials continued to downplay and minimize the alleged assaults as consensual, even though the girl was 12 and was pleading with administrators and counselors for protection while the supposedly consensual relationship was ongoing.

She also alleges that on school grounds, a group of boys forced her into a closet and sexually assaulted her.

Eventually, in 2012, the girls mother filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights. After a two-year investigation, the school system entered a voluntary resolution agreement in which it admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to improve its tracking and responses to allegations of sexual assaults.

The lawsuit was filed in 2019. It has been hung up until now because the school system objected to her filing under a pseudonym. The school system appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, which unanimously ruled in the girls favor.

In a statement, Fairfax County Public Schools says it cooperated fully with the investigation and noted that police and prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges. The school system also said the girls allegations in the lawsuit are more severe than what she first reported to school officials  she acknowledges in the lawsuit that she initially described her mistreatment as bullying as opposed to sexual assault or harassment.

We continue to believe the senior staff acted appropriately and lawfully in addressing this familys concerns 11 years ago, the school system said in the statement.

The other lawsuit involves a girl at Oakton High School who said she was sexually assaulted by a boy on a bus during a school band trip. That case went to trial in 2019. A jury found in the school systems favor, ruling that the girl had been assaulted but did not give the school system proper notice of what had happened to her.

On appeal, though, the 4th Circuit ruled 9-6 in favor of the girl and sent the case back to Alexandria for a new trial.

The appellate ruling has turned a case that seemingly hinged at trial on a he-said-she-said question of whether the girl was assaulted into a case that could significantly alter the scope of Title IX, the 50-year old law that bars discrimination based on sex in education.

The dissenting justices said school systems shouldnt be held liable for a sexual assault unless they had some reason to know beforehand that the perpetrator posed a risk.

Judges who ruled in favor of the Oakton student said the school system should not be entitled to one free rape before it can be held liable for its policies and procedures.

Alexandra Brodsky, a lawyer with Public Justice, which is representing the Oakton student, said shes especially concerned that a purportedly progressive school board in Fairfax County authorized pursuit of a legal strategy that, while it could help it win its case against the Oakton student, could set a dangerous precedent that weakens students protections from abuse.

Fairfax County is asking the Supreme Court to gut Title IX protections for sexual assault survivors, Brodsky said.

Brodsky said there is now greater public awareness of schools failure to support students who report sexual assaults and sexual harassment, particularly in Fairfax County, the nations 10th largest school system.

Students at high schools across the county staged walkouts protesting administrative inaction to student claims. Two school principals have been charged criminally with failing to report alleged sex crimes to police, as required by law.

Much of that scrutiny has been driven by conservative political activists. In Loudoun County, the school system faced intense backlash over its handling of alleged sex assaults, which became a national rallying point on conservative news outlets in part because the perpetrator in two of those cases was a boy wearing a skirt.

Brodsky said that while transphobia drove some of the attention to the issue in Loudoun, I dont think that means that there isnt good faith, bipartisan concern about these issues.  Protecting students from sexual abuse should be a nonpartisan issue.

About the photo: The Fairfax County Public Schools building stands in Merrifield, Va., on March 4, 2019. A pair of lawsuits that for years have plagued Virginias largest school system with allegations that it ignored students accusations of sex assaults are back in front of federal judges in June 2022. One of the lawsuits includes allegations of horrific abuse suffered by a student at a Fairfax County middle school and was the basis for a 2014 federal investigation. (AP Photo/Matthew Barakat, File)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday revived a whistleblower lawsuit against Walmart Stores that alleges the retailer violated California labor laws by failing to pay employees for the time they spent waiting at security checkpoints after clocking out.

The appellate panel reversed a US District Court decision that found the plaintiffs claims were unmanageable, eliminating a procedural argument, along with others, that Walmart had hoped would restrict employees ability to bring Californias Private Attorneys Generals Act claims against it. The law allows employees to step in the shoes of the state labor commissioner to pursue civil penalties against employers.

The panel said the trial court erred by insisting the plaintiffs comply with federal Rules of Civil Procedure that address class-action lawsuits. Lawsuits brought under the Private Attorneys General Act are not class actions, the opinion says.

PAGA empowers aggrieved employees to enforce California labor laws, thereby preventing a recurrence of the systemic under-enforcement of many worker protections that occurred before the passage of the statute, the opinion says, quoting a California appellate court ruling.

The claims made against Walmart by lead plaintiffs Chelsea Hamilton and Alyssa Hernandez relate to the companys policies at its online fulfillment center in Chino, California, a Los Angeles suburb.

In 2019, the plaintiffs won a $6,001,599 award for 452,491 meal break violations in a class-action lawsuit because Walmarts security procedures discouraged employees from leaving the premises during their 30-minute meal breaks. The jury found in favor of Walmart on claims that the companys elective alternative work-week schedule violated labor laws.

Before the jury convened, District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. dismissed the plaintiffs claims that Walmart illegally forced employees, after they had clocked out, to wait in line at security checkpoints that were set up to prevent thefts.

Birotte found that the plaintiffs could not comply with Rule 23, which requires claims made in class-action lawsuits to be manageable. Birotte said the pleadings also did not comply with Rule 26, which requires plaintiffs to succinctly detail how damages should be calculated.

The 9th Circuit panel said lawsuits filed under the state PAGA law are not class actions, so Rule 23 does not apply. Also, PAGA lawsuits seek civil penalties, not damages, so Rule 26 doesnt apply.

Imposing a manageability requirement in PAGA cases would also contradict the purposes of PAGA by undermining the key features of a PAGA action, rendering it an improper exercise of a courts inherent powers, the court said.

The appellate court reversed the decision to dismiss the security-checkpoint claims and remanded the case to the District Court.

Los Angeles attorney Kenneth H. Yoon, who argued the case on appeal, said the decision clarifies points of laws that have interfered with PAGA lawsuits in the past. He said if he persuades the trial court that Walmart violated labor laws by forcing workers to wait at the security checkpoints, he intends to argue that the $6 million jury verdict serve as a guidepost when determining the amount of penalties.

The PAGA statute allows penalties of $100 for each employee for each pay period that the violations occur, but also gives judges wide latitude, Yoon said.

When Walmart measures things to the minute or second, which they do, and when you have a facility of 1,000 people making, lets say $12 an hour, and you multiple that $12 by a thousand, hundreds of times a year, its real money, Yoon said.
Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb had lunch at the house of Allamkonda Ushanna, who hosted him along with other leaders at his house at Maharajula Colony in the Jainad mandal headquarters on Friday. (DC Image)

ADILABAD: The BJP has launched a Dalit outreach programme to move to close to the Dalits to strengthen its voter base in the state ahead of the Telangana Assembly Elections in 2023. The programme  called Dalithathidhyam (Dalit hospitality)  involves top BJP leaders visiting houses of the Dalits as guests and having food.

Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb had lunch at the house of Allamkonda Ushanna, who hosted him along with other leaders at his house at Maharajula Colony in the Jainad mandal headquarters on Friday.

Deb offered special prayers at the ancient Surya Narayana temple and addressed a meeting held with the leaders of SC, ST and OBC and Kisan Morcha in Adilabad town.

He accused Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao of destroying Bangaru Telangana by spending huge money on unproductive things. He called upon the party cadre and leaders to be ready to face the elections that may come anytime in the state.

The BJPs Dalit outreach programme is part of the partys 'Jan Sampark Abhiyan. Recently, BJP national general secretary and RSS senior leader B.L. Santosh had asked party leaders and cadre to keep B.R Ambedkars photo in their houses.

Tripura's former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb having lunch along with other BJP leaders as part of the Dalita Athidhyam in Allamkonda Ushanna's house in Jainad mandal headquarters in Adilabad district on Friday.
South Africa: Winter rainfall boosts dam levels

While the overall outlook of the national water levels improved slightly week-on-week, the Department of Water and Sanitation reiterated its call to water users to exercise maximum caution when utilising water.

The department attributed this improvement to parts of the Western Cape that experience rainfall in winter and the unexpected wet weather in other parts of the country recently.

The weekly status of dam levels issued by the department shows that the volume of water has marginally moved up from 93.1% last week to 93.3% this week, which is a significant difference from last years 83.3%.

The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) and Umgeni are the only Water Supply Systems that have experienced downward movements, with the IVRS dropping slightly from 101.0% to 100.7% and Umgeni from 100.5% to 100.3%.

Water supply systems that have experienced some sort of improvements include Algoa Water Supply System, which escalated from 12.0% to 13.4%; Amathole moved up from 75.2% to 76.3% and Bloemfontein somewhat improved from 99.6% to 99.8%.

Cape Town increased from 70.8% to 72.5%; Crocodile West rose from 99.2% to 99.6%; Klipplaat improved from 100.2% to 100.3%; Luvuvhu gained from 100.9% to 101.1%, and Orange improved from 98.8% to 99.2%.

The following Water Supply Systems remain unchanged week on week: Polokwane 101.7%; UMhlathuze 100.2%; Crocodile East 100.3%, and Butterworth at 100.0%.

Six provinces have recorded upward movements in water levels, including the Free State from 100.7% to 100.8%, and Gauteng from 100.2% to 100.8%.

Limpopo expanded, albeit marginally, from 88.3% to 88.4%. Mpumalanga witnessed a tiny improvement from 95.1% to 95.2%. North West increased from 81.0% to 81.2%, and the most notable increment was in the Western Cape, moving up from 56.8% to 59.1%.

The provinces that have experienced downward movements in latest levels include the Eastern Cape from 70.3% to 70.2%, KwaZulu-Natal from 90.8% to 90.6% and Northern Cape decreased from 108.85 to 108.2%

Theewaterskloof Dam improved from 72.3% last week to 73.9%. Berg River increased from 81.5% to 82.2%. Kammanassie, which is alarmingly low, is now at 4.4% from last weeks 3.8%.

In Mpumalanga, both Jericho and Nooitgedacht Dams, which are part of the IVRS supplied by Mpama and Komati Rivers, have improved from 99.4% and 100.4% to 100.2% and 100.9% respectively. Kwena Dam, which is part of Crocodile East Water Supply System, is unmoved at 100.3%.

North Wests Hartbeespoort Dam, in the Crocodile West Water Supply System, increased from 98.0% to 99.4% and Bospoort somewhat gained from 102.2% to 102.4%.

Roodeplaat Dam, which is the component of Crocodile West supplied by Pienaars River, has moved down from 101.0% to 100.5%, and Vaalkop Dam declined from 92.9% to 91.9%.

The Vaal Dam, which is part of the IVRS, has decreased from 105.9% to 105.1%. Gariep Dam, which is part of the Orange River Water Supply System, has recorded a marginal increase from 98.6% to 99.4%. Vanderkloof Dam declined from 99.1% to 98.8% and Karee Dam, in the Northern Cape, sits at 28.1% from last weeks 17.9%.

KwaZulu-Natals Albert Falls Dam, which is an integral part of the Umgeni Water Supply System that supplies water to eThekwini Metro and surrounding areas, declined from 99.8% to 99.5%.

The Midmar Dam is also part of Umgeni WSS and has decreased moderately from 100.0% last week to 99.6% this week.Woodstock, which is on the Tugela River and is part of the IVRS, is steady and unchanged at 101.2%.

Groendal Dam, which is part of Algoa Water Supply System in the Eastern Cape, is critically low at 21.5%, moving slightly up from last weeks 21.3%.

The Kouga Dam is supplied by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan and is currently experiencing water supply challenges at 14.1%, while Nahoon Dam, which forms part of Amathole Water Supply System, has decreased from 96.8% to 96.2% this week.

De Hoop Dam, which is the biggest dam in Limpopo, remains unchanged at 100.3%. Flag Boshielo Dam, which is part of Polokwane Water Supply System, is also unmoved at 102.2%. Nandoni Dam, in the far north of Limpopo, recorded a minor increase from 101.2% to 101.4% and Middel-Letaba is almost empty at 2.1% of capacity.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China makes ecological protection more efficient with digital technology

09:10, July 01, 2022 By Gu Yekai ( People's Daily

The prospering digital economy is gradually becoming a solid foundation supporting economic and social development, as internet, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and other new technologies are seeping into industries.

Yangtze finless porpoises are seen swimming near the Gezhouba Dam in Yichang, central Chinas Hubei province, May 10, 2022. (Peoples Daily Online/Liu Shusong)

For ecological protection, the digital economy not only leads to higher efficiency, but also brings protection and monitoring data collected by nature reserves over the years to effective utilization, which prove the huge potential of digital technology in this specific area.

Inspur, a leading cloud computing and big data services provider from China, has developed a monitoring and warning system for Asian elephants in cooperation with the forestry and grassland administrations of Yunnan province and the provinces Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, as well as the Management and Protection Bureau of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, which tracks in real time the conditions, numbers, and locations of elephant herds.

Front-end sensing devices under the system capture images and use AI technology to identify animal species. The system then generates warnings through edge computing, which will be sent to villagers and surrounding people via smart radio, telephone applications, and other media forms for precaution.

So far, the identification rate for Asian elephants has been improved to over 99 percent. Even only a tail of an elephant was captured in the night, we can track the trace of the herds, said Sun Yonghao, vice general manager of Inspurs natural resources business division.

It is the first solution to combine AI recognition technology with wildlife monitoring and warning. Since being launched in 2020, it has sent over 9,000 messages of warning, playing a crucial role in relieving human-elephant conflicts and promoting biodiversity.

Inspurs system is not the only application of digital technology application in the ecological protection sector.

At the Tian-e-zhou Baiji National Reserve in Shishou, central China's Hubei province, water temperature, pressure and dissolved oxygen rate, as well as the intake, excrement forms, and skin smoothness of Yangtze finless porpoises are recorded and presented on a big screen. The data are constantly updated.

An adult crested ibis and two young birds rest on a tree near the Juhe River, Yaozhou district, Tongchuan, northwest Chinas Shaanxi province, May 6, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Shi Tonggang)

At the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, which spans an area of over 1.4 million hectares in the northeastern provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang, an integrated monitoring system that employs infrared cameras, a remote sensing satellite and patrolling drones has captured over 20,000 images of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards.

Digital technology not only helps precisely identify and timely track emerging ecological issues, but also promotes coordinated development of the digital economy and green economy.

In southwest Chinas Guizhou province, a digital platform is monitoring in real time the restoration progress of the ecological environment of all mines across the province. In Hangzhou, east Chinas Zhejiang province, specially-designed drones that are able to sample water and analyze 18 kinds of gases have effectively improved the citys capability of environment monitoring.

Turning manual disposal to smart monitoring and passive response to active forewarning, the digital technology is fully demonstrating its competence in ecological and environmental protection.

Photo taken on March 28 shows a control room of a waste incineration power plant in Qiaodong district, Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei province. (People's Daily Online/Cen Yi)

According to the 14th Five-year (2021-2025) Plan, China will drive the reform of production mode, lifestyles and governance model with digital transformation. A series of documents released by the central government of China also request the country to build a smart and efficient information system for ecological management and promote digital transformation in the sector of ecological and environmental protection, so as to improve environmental capacity, suitability of spatial development and rationality of resource utilization.

China is fully tapping into the potential of digital technology in its innovative practice of ecological protection and green development. China will make its development greener and more prosperous as it pursues high-level ecological protection and modernization of ecological governance.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
HYDERABAD: The stage is set for the biggest political party event of its kind in Telangana with the BJP geared up for its two-day national executive meeting, beginning on Saturday.

Around 340 delegates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, several other members of the Union Cabinet, BJP chief ministers and deputy chief ministers, both current and former, along with a slew of other top party leaders will be attending the meeting that will lay down the pathway for the BJP for the next few years to come.

It will not just be a meeting that will focus on national affairs, but also one that is expected to make a very strong statement with respect to its intentions about coming to power in Telangana state.

This all-important meeting for the BJP comes even as the party has made it abundantly clear that it was going to go for the TRS jugular in the weeks and months to come, and the BJPs national executive is expected to pass resolutions that will be Telangana-specific.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be attending every session of the national executive, will address the meeting and provide a direction to the party for making his vision for the country a reality, Tarun Chugh, the state BJP in-charge and party national secretary, told reporters on Saturday at HICC, the venue for the meeting.

A preparatory meeting of the partys general secretaries was held on Friday evening, and on Saturday morning, a meeting of all the national office bearers will be held, Chugh said.

The actual national executive meeting will start after Modis arrival at the venue, and the sessions will continue on July 3, he said.

The event will conclude at 4 pm, on Sunday following which Modi will address a public meeting at the Parade Grounds.
Hyderabad: TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao on Friday wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him and BJP leaders to learn from novel welfare schemes and development programmes being implemented by the Telangana government and try to implement them in the rest of the country.

Welcoming the Prime Minister and other BJP leaders to Telangana, Rama Rao took a dig at the BJP leadership and stated that there was no element of surprise in the BJP deciding to hold its national executive meeting here in Hyderabad which is a fast-progressing city.

The backwardness of the so-called "double engine states" has made the BJP opt for a progressive place like Hyderabad for their meetings, Rama Rao added.

The BJP will not get a better place than Telangana to reinvent themselves and give a fresh start to their politics which works for development, he said.

Think of building a Vasudaika Kutumbam-like society with religious harmony and take steps towards a new beginning, said the state minister. He also stated that Telangana, a state prospering in irrigation, infrastructure, innovation and inclusiveness is giving an opportunity to the BJP to realign its political thoughts.

Im also reminding you that most of the policies and schemes introduced by the Union government have been copied from Telangana, he said.

"Telangana has over 450 welfare schemes being implemented here. Please study them and try to implement them in the BJP-governed states," he said.

Rama Rao said the Prime Minister should study the Telangana model of development, its policies, and schemes that could be implemented in the BJP-ruled states which are being troubled by double engines.

The minister ended his message by saying, Accept the hospitality of Hyderabad and dont forget to eat Hyderabadi Dum Biryani. Come up with some fresh political thoughts and also a new beginning by having Irani chai here in our city Hyderabad."
Five Colorado cities, including Denver, filed a lawsuit against the state Thursday over a new law that exempts building materials used for public schools from sales taxes, arguing it would decrease their revenue base by millions of dollars.

Denver, Boulder, Commerce City, Pueblo and Westminster sued in Denver District Court, challenging House Bill 1024, which Gov. Jared Polis signed into law in April. The bill, set to take effect on Aug. 10, extends an existing sales tax exemption for building materials used in public works projects to also apply to public school construction projects within home rule municipalities.

Home rule municipalities are self-governing localities with the power to make their own laws and avoid state interference in local issues. The lawsuit claims the bill violates the state constitution by imposing state control over the taxing authority of home rule municipalities.

The authority to levy sales and use taxes to raise revenue is the heart of home rule municipalities and a critical function of municipal operations, said Denver City Attorney Kristin Bronson. HB22-1024 unlawfully intrudes on the Colorado Constitution, and the residents of home rule municipalities have the full right of self-governance in local and municipal matters.

There are 104 home rule municipalities in Colorado, 69 of which self-collect sales and use taxes, including Denver, Boulder, Commerce City, Pueblo and Westminster, according to the lawsuit. Those municipalities do not exempt school building materials from sales taxes.

The lawsuit alleges that the tax exemption would hurt home rule municipalities on a local level, such as by decreasing Denvers sales tax revenue by $2 million to $4 million annually. On average, Pueblo would lose $3 million to $4 million annually; Boulder would lose $450,000; Commerce City, $600,000; and Westminster, $100,000.

Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, who sponsored the bill, said lawmakers anticipated this kind of legal challenge would arise but took action to address the issue in the bill.

Lawmakers added an amendment to the bill, stating that the current tax exemption disparities between home rule municipalities and other municipalities harm the states ability to provide public schooling. The amendment said that, by refusing to provide the tax exemption, home rule municipalities increase the cost of providing public education and incentivize schools to go to cheaper municipalities, rather than municipalities where they are needed the most.

We believe there is a clear statewide interest to help boost education construction, especially since we face a $17 billion backlog across Colorado, Hansen said.

Bill sponsor Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, said the Colorado Supreme Court has previously ruled that home rule authority is not absolute, particularly when a state law and local ordinance conflict.

Cities that levy this tax are not only costing taxpayers in their jurisdictions more to build schools, but they are also impeding the state's constitutional responsibility to provide a uniform system of public education, Bird said. Schools are valuable assets and necessary resources in all of our communities. ... Its not fair for students and it is certainly not fair to taxpayers.

The lawsuit claims that the taxation independence of home rule municipalities extends to activities argued to be a matter of statewide concern.

The bill easily passed the Colorado legislature with bipartisan support, receiving a 49-12 vote in the House and a 20-12 vote in the Senate.

The lawsuit requests that the Denver District Court block the implementation of the bill.
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The number of active Covid cases in the country crossed one lakh on Thursday after a gap of 122 days; the number of new cases went up by 18,819 on the same day, another milestone, as it was after four months that a similar leap in the number of new cases was reported.

It is not just in India that the pandemic reports higher numbers. The case is same in more than 100 countries as it stands today. Four nations have reported more than one lakh new infections on Thursday  Brazil (1.51 lakhs), France (1.33 lakhs), the United States (1.24 lakhs) and Germany (1.13 lakhs). Among them, France is gearing up for the third wave which experts say will peak in July-end. The government has asked people to start wearing face masks again, especially in crowded areas such as public transport. The World Health Organisation has consistently been saying that the pandemic has not gone anywhere and that emergence of new variants with more virility could happen any time.

The Union government has already alerted the state governments on the need to monitor the hospitalisation of Covid patients as well as those infected with other influenza-like illnesses or severe acute respiratory infections. Equally important is the whole genome sequencing of the virus as most variants of the SARS CoV-2 virus such as BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.12.1 which have caused the global surge in cases have been identified in India also. This also brings to focus the need for a renewed thrust on testing, one of the key elements in the five-pronged strategy to check the advance of the pandemic. Several states have practically stopped displaying the alacrity in tracing and testing people who could be potential carriers. The Union government may closely monitor the number of daily tests lest it could give a gap for the virus to rush in.

India has done reasonably well in vaccinating its people: the total number of vaccine doses administered is about 200 crores. Given that more than 100 crore people are eligible for vaccination, the coverage looks decent but the fact that it is almost one-and-a-half years that we have started the programme. There is still no adequate literature to decide for sure how long the vaccine would offer protection, which underscores the need to promote administration of booster doses. Reports say several states have not even covered five per cent of the population with it. This means the government needs to redouble the efforts on this count.

Mathematical projections talk of a fourth wave in India, too. While we have been able to put in medical systems based on the experience on handling exigencies, the area that still remains unattended to is that of education. The students who have returned to schools and universities after two years have not just got their lives on the campus back on track. Reports have said a large share of the students had little access to broadband internet and equipment during the lockdown years, virtually keeping them off their education. The government must seriously contemplate the ways to ensure that this is not repeated should a fourth wave visit us.
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Mukesh Ambani's son Akash appointed Reliance Jio chairman

Signs point to Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani pushing ahead with a plan for succession for Reliance Industries.

Akash (left) has also been appointed as the Non-executive Director of Reliance Jio. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@teamnegotium

Reliance Jio announced that its board has approved the appointment of Akash Ambani as Chairman of the board after Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani resigned as the Director of the company on June 27.

In other reports, Ambani's daughter Isha Ambani is set to be named chairman of the Reliance conglomerate's retail unit.

Mukesh Ambani will continue to be the Chairman of Jio Platforms Ltd, the flagship company that owns all Jio digital services brands including Reliance Jio Infocomm.

Akash has also been appointed as the Non-executive Director of Reliance Jio.

Further, the board at its meeting also approved the appointment of Pankaj Mohan Pawar as Managing Director of the Reliance Jio for a period of five years commencing from June 27, 2022.

Isha is currently director of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd and the announcement of her elevation is expected soon, according to sources. Photo courtesy: Twitter

Jio, in a statement, also stated that its board has approved Raminder Singh Gujral and KV Chowdary, as Additional Directors of the firm. They have been designated as Independent Directors for a period of five)years commencing from June 27, 2022.

Isha is currently director of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd and the announcement of her elevation is expected soon, according to sources.

Her elevation, on the heels of brother Akash Ambani's transition to Jio chairman, kickstarts a leadership transition in India's richest family.

Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio are subsidiaries of the family's oil-to-telecom conglomerate, of which the USD 217 billion Reliance Industries Ltd. is the flagship firm. Mukesh Ambani is chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.

Read more India News, Business News and Breaking News here
Cooperstreetcenter.org scored 41 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 10 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

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

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE Home - cooperstreetcenter.org DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS



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

Domain and Server

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

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

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

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

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The type of Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
Mmmworld.com scored 42 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 9 Feb 2015, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

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

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE MY M& M'S Custom Printed M&M's DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS mms, order, blends, team blends, about, business, valentin



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

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Microsoft-IIS/7.5 OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 R2

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

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

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

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The January 6 committee has scheduled the former senate security chief Michael Stenger failed to give his prepared testimony after an announcement of a surprise hearing. His former testimony reflected the opinion that the events were instigated by 'professional agitators' during the Capitol Hill incident.

This predominantly Democrat government insists that it's the work of pro-Trump protestors who sought to stop the electoral college.

Trump Supporters' Provoked Riot

Stenger, the former Senate Sergeant at Arms tasked with security of the capitol on January 6, 2021, had died before his second testimony, reported RT.

The democrat committee was supposed to hear the continuation of his testimony that it was not the fault of Trump protesters but other malign players, which goes against the democrat narrative.

Late Monday night when Stenger's death was verified by Fox News's Chad Pergram and Politico's Katherine Tully-McManus.

Regarding the circumstances of his death, the family had not given more details to the press, but questions about how he died have remained unanswered. Tully-McManus reported the passing last Monday morning, cited Fox Metro News.

Then-President Donald Trump gave on the day when his supporter was present to question the truthfulness of how valid the victory of Joe Biden which was pockmarked by too many questions.

At one point, the Capitol police had allowed the protestors into the US Capitol building, some alleged to force their entry inside. This will be part of the January 6 committee concerns about the testimony of the former senate security chief.

Read Also: Donald Trump Children: What You Need to Know About the 5 Trump Kids

Sources remarked that three protestors died from natural causes and Capitol Police officers shot one. Another police officer was said to pass away from natural causes, and two police officers committed suicide, with one killing himself four days after the right, noted CBS News.

Three participants in the riot passed away from natural causes, but one got shot dead.

Interestingly, before Stenger's death was announced, the Democrat committee looked into the alleged riot on Tuesday. There is recently obtained evidence and more testimonies to be heard.

Stenger's Cause of Death Remains Unclear

The former Senate Sergeant at Arms resigned after the US capitol riot. He was chosen as the lynchpin by the Department of Homeland Security, including the ex-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving. They are blamed for the failure to ask for National Guard assistance.

Republican party members and conservative critics have suggested that democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi hindered summoning the National Guard when listening to Stenger, Sund, and Irving's discrepancies in how they told their testimonies.

The Senate heard the opinion of Stenger about the capitol riot, which went against the allegation that it was the protestor's fault.

One point raised is that the professional agitator was part of the crowd who started the violent action. He never got a chance to speak to the Democrat committee scheduled on Tuesday.

Who those provocateurs were was not highlighted by the Senate security officer, but some FBI instigators alluded to part of the mob violence.

The January 6 committee never got to hear the former senate security chief Stenger's testimony on Tuesday, but the agitator line may not have suited the narrative getting pushed.

Related Article: January 6 Committee Driven by Political Motives To Prevent Donald Trump From a 2024 White House Bid

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In California, it's tacos. In Maine, it's lobster rolls. And in Connecticut, "The One Thing You Have To Eat In Every State" is white clam pizza, according to Food & Wine.

The recent list of America's best regional foods answers the question, "If you had time to eat one thing in every state, what would it be?"

"As a magazine, over the decades of celebrating the very best of food and drink, we've come to greatly appreciate each state's unique contributions to American food culture  that's how this list came to be," Food & Wine editors wrote.

The writeup on Connecticut acknowledges New Haven's status as "one of America's most important pizza cities, a designation it takes very seriously" and nods to the history of Wooster Street institutions Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally's Apizza.

"Chances are, however, you're in the market for a more modern New Haven classic  the white clam pie, a tomato-less pizza topped with freshly-shucked littleneck clams," editors noted. "While Pepe's has achieved the most fame, the one at Zuppardi's Apizza in West Haven has been a sleeper hit for years  not terribly famous outside of the region, but absolutely one of New Haven's most essential pizzas."

Lisa Nichols

Hearst readers recently chose Zuppardi's as one of Connecticut's most underrated pizzerias  though many would consider it one of the heavyweights of the New Haven apizza scene. The West Haven landmark also opened a new slice shop and takeout location in Ansonia earlier this year.

The lobster roll reigned supreme in Maine (where Food & Wine acknowledges its version is "just cooked and chilled lobster tossed with a bit of mayonnaise, scooped onto a toasted and buttered split-top roll," as opposed to Connecticut's preference of hot butter). In Massachusetts, ice cream is the must-have treat, and in New Hampshire, the winning food was pancakes and maple syrup.

New York's most iconic food, according to the magazine, is pastrami, and in New Jersey, it's pizza. Rhode Island is home to the "stuffie," or stuffed clam, and Vermont is celebrated for its cheese. "No place else in the country besides the West Coast has this same concentration of highly decorated artisanal makers," editors wrote.
Facing China's near-peer might as a powerful threat for the US and its allies in Indo-Pacific has raised the tension in this part of the world.

Unveiling the Fujian Hull 003 with an EMALS that might be working makes it credible to the US and allied nations in the region. The PLAN has surged with its third carrier and has caught up in technology and numbers, worrying the American military.

Threat to US Dominance

Chinese supercarrier Fujian has catapult launching technology using magnetism that exceeds the Shandong and Liaoning, are simple ski jumps, reported the EurAsian Times.

Its electromagnetic catapult-assisted launch technology is equal to the USS Gerald Ford, which has problems with its EMALS, and the Chinese had no assistance in building its homegrown carrier.

Shandong and Liaoning are less capable than the US Nimitz class supercarrier with steam catapult; now, the PLA can carry more fuel, weapons, and ammunition. Safety with aircraft arrest systems and 80,000 tons displacement compared to hulls 001 and 002.

But it's not the only signal to Beijing's adversaries that it means business. More ships operated by the PLAN are sailing and are very lethal compared to the older US ships with a need to upgrade in a peer-level fight, as cited by CNN.

The US Navy has fewer, older ships with fewer missiles and outdated designs compared to the modernized Chinese Navy with a near-peer might have given the US and its allies too many worries.

Read Also: Xi Jinping Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is China's President

Lethal Destroyers and Submarines ready to rumble in the Indo-Pacific The Arleigh-Burke class was the top dog, but China introduced the Type O55 Destroyer that is planned in numbers, other navies in the Indo-Pacific were not confident due to its threat.

China's most modern destroyers were introduced in 2017 and had enough tonnage to be called a cruiser by NATO. For its size, with 112 vertical launch tubes (VLS) with a missile and ship killer, land-attack missiles as its armament, it has the most missile tubes for its class, noted Naval Technology.

A displacement of 13,000 tons is called a stealth-guided missile destroyer that is not matched by any ship in service.

Incorporated is a sophisticated design with stealth shapes, radars, and more missiles to throw at its targets. None of the US, Japanese, or South Korean destroyers can match it; for size and power.

The Lhasa has joined drills in the Sea of Japan, highlighting its ready-for missions as one of five sister ships. It is not far from sailing into the Taiwan strait to heighten tensions as the allies are getting provocative, mentioned Global Times.

Recently a video showed the Type 055 capable of loading and launching the hypersonic YJ-21 ship killer called a carrier buster.

New Subs Ready for Conflict in the Pacific Region

The plan has built China's Type 39A/B submarines have been built, all 17 of them. Featuring air-independent propulsion (AIP) that allows longer submersion compared to diesel sub.

According to experts, when on batterie, an AIP sub is very stealthy; the only noise is from mechanical parts, and water flows over the hull.

One plus is it has wake-homing torpedoes that track steering and ship propellers that use sound waves to know where its target is.

Seems China's near-peer might and as a powerful threat has the US and its Allies reeling and trying to appear unperturbed. China has stuck to its gun and will not back down or accept US hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.

Related Article: China's Nuclear-Capable Flat Top Type 004 Aircraft Carrier To Operate F-31 Gyrfalcon Stealth Fighters Onboard

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It might be hard, these days, to imagine a world without falafel.

The tiny fried (sometimes baked) balls of mashed chickpeas or fava beans, mixed with spices and herbs like garlic, parsley and coriander are now as ubiquitous as their origins are mysterious.

You could ask 10 different people where falafel comes from and youd get 10 different stories. But all along the Levant and through the Middle East, various countries and cultures claim the dish as its own.

Nobody knows where falafel comes from. Everywhere you go in the Middle East they have falafel. In Jerusalem, the old city, you see like 20 stores selling all falafel, Dino Sakakini, owner of Laylas Falafel said. Very small and they all sell the same thing. But everybodys tastes different. And they each have their own customers. Each has their own unique thing. Every restaurant has their own niche.

Sakakini is Palestinian from Jerusalem. Palestine and Israel are among the countries that have laid claim to falafel. Syria and Lebanon have as well. But most agree that falafel began to take shape around the port city of Alexandria in Egypt.

But even its Egyptian origins are contested  right down to the name.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, falafel can trace etymological routes to pilpal, an Aramaic word meaning to be round. Aramaic is an ancient Arabic language spoken during the time Jesus Christ is believed to have lived. Some say Coptic Christians in Egypt ate falafel as a meat substitute during lent, getting its name from the Coptic pha la phel meaning of many beans.

History Today adds a theory that British merchants passing through Egypt wanted cooks to mimic fried vegetable dishes they found in India. Egyptian falafel was originally made with fava beans. But as the dish traveled through the Mediterranean and Middle East, the chickpea became the legume of choice. Its not uncommon now to find falafel made with chickpea, fava beans or a combination of both. The Egyptian all-fava falafel also goes by the name taamiya, which means a bite of food in Egypt.

But most agree that the falafel as it has come to be most known, a pita stuffed with the flavorful fritters and topped with salad, pickled veggies and tahini, was first popularized by the Yemeni Jews around the 1950s, making it a relatively recent addition to the culinary menagerie.

One of the first to popularize the dish in the U.S. was Mamoun Chater. He opened Mamouns Falafel in New Yorks Greenwich Village in 1971. The tiny store front, opened late, soon became a popular hangout for artists, comedians and musicians who frequented the neighboring clubs.

In 2013, Chater family friend James Mitchell told the Morning Call within a few years, musicians traveling from New Haven to perform in the city would take requests from friends to bring back falafel from Mamouns.

"All these musicians were vegetarians," Mitchell said, "including Michael Bolotin, today known as Michael Bolton. Before Mamoun's opened in New Haven, folks would say, 'Hey, I'm going to Mamoun's in New York,' and people would hand them long lists of what to bring back. These people, all vegetarians, would be ordering like 50 falafels at a time."

By 1977, Mamouns opened in New Haven. Its still there. So is Sesame Seed in Danbury, which the New York Times in 1979 wrote about, describing the menus two specifically Egyptian specialties, baba ghanoush, listed as ghanouj on the menu, and falafel, one of the national dishes of Egypt, a mixture of fava beans, chick peas and spices, usually deep fried as patties or rissoles.

Mamouns and Sesame Seed put Connecticut on the forefront of the nations falafel frenzy. Zach Latif of Tangiers Market in Hartford credits that popularity to falafels many uses.

Its very versatile, Latif said. You can throw it on top of a salad, you can throw it in a pita you can use it for dipping in sauces. It has the appearance of a meatball and sort of the consistency of meat. You can really do anything with these ground up chickpeas and I think you can see that.

The migration is still seen today. Shahs Halal started out as a food cart in Queens in 2005. Now there are about 30 Shahs locations including three in Connecticut, all opened in the last 18 months.

Our goal is to introduce halal food to the mainstream American market, Khalid Mashriq, owner of Shahs said. Its (New York) a saturated market. The next logical move would be New Jersey and Connecticut.

From staples like Mamouns and Sesame Seed to next-gen fryers like Shahs and Tangiers, heres where to get some of the best falafel in Connecticut.

Mamouns Falafel New Haven View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mamoun's Falafel (@mamounsfalafel) Mamouns is the OG. Founder Mamoun Chater perfected his familys Syrian falafel recipe, packing theirs with plenty parsley to give it a signature green color. More than 50 years later, that recipe remains unchanged. We follow the old traditions. We havent changed a thing, Ismael Chater, Mamouns grandson and the New Haven locations manager, said. Whatever our grandfather left, thats what we use. Mamouns serves up its falafel, along with staples like lamb and chicken shawarma, 365 days a year. Mamoun's Falafel is located at 85 Howe St, New Haven. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-12 a.m.

Layla's Falafel Multiple locations Laylas started as Dino Sakakinis side hustle. He was working at a chain sandwich shop in Bridgeport when he started offering off-menu falafel. Soon, that became more popular than the sandwiches and the family was enlisted to open the first Laylas in Fairfield in 2000. My father taught me one thing in life, what you pay is what you get, Sakakini said. Our falafel isnt cheap. Why? because we import our spices. We use fresh oil. Change it every day. Laylas now serves its chickpea-based falafel in Westport, Fairfield and Stamford. Check out laylasfalafel.com for hours and info.

Shahs Halal Multiple locations Falafel at Shah's Halal. Shah's Halal One of the newcomers to Connecticuts falafel scene, Shahs started offering falafel, chicken and lamb. Shahs opened in Norwalk about 14 months ago. A Stamford location followed seven months ago with another in Orange opening four months ago. Owner Khalid Masriq said he had customers demanding they expand out of New York, with many requests coming from the Connecticut cities Shahs now occupies. While Shahs uses the more common chickpea, he said their green chili chutney, a green sauce with a cilantro base, sets Shahs apart from the crowd. Head to shahshalalfood.com for hours and info.

Tangiers Market Hartford The insanely tasty Tangiers International falafel sandwich. Mike Urban Tangiers has been in the Latif family since the mid-90s. First serving falafel in West Hartford, then moving into Hartford almost a decade ago. It was always something we ate, Zach Latif said. My mom made it and shes perfected her recipe, so to speak, over the years. We use only fresh ingredients and spices. We make our falafel every day and we only fry in olive oil. While Tangiers prides itself on tradition, including its fresh tahini, Latif said Tangiers is getting ready to unveil some fusion-falafel options, blending cultural traditions with some American cuisine. Tangiers Market is located at 550 Farmington Ave A, Hartford. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Tabouli and More (formerly Hannas) Brookfield Falafel at Tabouli and More. Michel Kassouf For 21 years, Michel Kassouf perfected falafel at Hannas in Danbury. For the last three years, hes ran the restaurant. Now hes launching a new brand, Tabouli and More, in Brookfield, but hes bringing the same recipes. We make Lebanese falafel, Kassouf said. We use fava beans, chickpeas, coriander and garlic. Fava gives a different flavor and is traditional Lebanese. Kassouf is one of the few locations where you can try the fava/chickpea combination. And as the new name suggests, Kassouf is also known for his tabouli, a salad of parsley, mint, onion and spices. Tabouli and More is located at 270 Federal Road, Brookfield. Monday, 830 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Kibberia Danbury View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kibberia (@kibberia) Kibberia in Danbury is another popular restaurant offering Lebanese dishes in a casual setting. While they also serve shawarma and Lebanese staples like Fattoush salad and kibbe, a beef wheat shell stuffed with meat and onions, customers rave about falafel. Theyve even changed some hearts. Kibberia has a four-star rating out of 177 reviews on Yelp. Kibberia is located at 93 Mill Plain Road, Danbury. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sesame Seed Danbury Sesame Seed in Danbury. Lidia Ryan/Hearst Connecticut Media Sesame Seed has been serving falafel in Connecticut for more than 40 years, making it one of the longest-lasting Middle Eastern restaurants in the country. Sesame Seed still serves its falafel, also made with chickpea and fava beans, for lunch. Sesame Seed has a four-star rating on Yelp out of 213 reviews. Sesame Seed is located at 68 W. Wooster St., Danbury. Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-8p.m.
If you're looking for a good scoop of ice cream, you won't have to travel far in the Nutmeg State. Across Connecticut, there are dozens of stands and creameries that are serving up the delicious summer treat all season long.

Or, if you feel like taking a drive this long weekend, head to a spot outside your normal stomping grounds. We previously listed 11 ice cream places worth an afternoon drive in the state, but any of the ones on this list would fit the bill as well.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  A U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding state authority to prosecute some crimes on Native American land is fracturing decades of law built around the hard-fought principle that tribes have the right to govern themselves on their own territory, legal experts say.

The Wednesday ruling is a marked departure from federal Indian law and veers from the push to increase tribes' ability to prosecute all crimes on reservations  regardless of who is involved. It also cast tribes as part of states, rather than the sovereign nations they are, infuriating many across Indian Country.

The majority (opinion) is not firmly rooted in the law that I have dedicated my life to studying and the history as I know it to be true," said Elizabeth Hidalgo Reese, an assistant law professor at Stanford University who is enrolled at Nambe Pueblo in New Mexico. And thats just really concerning,

Federal authorities largely maintained exclusive jurisdiction to investigate serious, violent crime on reservations across much of the U.S. when the suspect or victim is Native American. The 5-4 decision from the high court in a case out of Oklahoma means states will share in that authority when the suspect is not Native American and the victim is.

Criminal justice on tribal lands already is a tangled web, and the ruling likely will present new thorny questions about jurisdiction, possible triple jeopardy and how to tackle complicated crimes in remote areas where resources are stretched thin. States had power to prosecute crimes involving only non-Natives on reservations before this week's ruling.

It will have an impact in Indian Country, so only the future will tell us if its good or not, said Robert Miller, a law professor at Arizona State University and citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe. Is it better to have more criminal prosecutions, more governments enforcing crimes or less?

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a scathing dissent joined by the courts three liberal members, saying one can only hope the political branches and future courts will do their duty to honor this Nations promises even as we have failed today to do on our own.

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. of the Cherokee Nation said the court failed in its duty to honor this nations promises, defied Congresss statutes and accepted the lawless disregard of the Cherokees sovereignty."

It's unclear how the decision ultimately will play out for tribes, but there is precedent. Congress established a law in 1953 that's known as PL-280, partly to relieve the federal government of funding public safety on some reservations. The law resulted in state authority over crime in several states, including Alaska and California where about three-fifths of the 574 federally recognized tribes are based.

As in the decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, tribes did not consent. Neither Congress then nor the Supreme Court now funded the expansion of state authority on tribal land.

That's far from the first time, said Lauren van Schilfgaarde, a member of Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico who directs the Tribal Legal Development Clinic at the UCLA. Federal Indian law is just littered with cases in which tribes were denied the opportunity to speak on their own behalf.

Federal authorities have long been criticized for declining to prosecute cases in Indian Country  roughly a third, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Authorities in PL-280 states also have been criticized for a lack of response to crime in Indian Country, where law enforcement officers often must travel long distances to investigate reported crimes.

Tribes asserted that the federal government  with which they have a political relationship  is the appropriate sovereign entity to handle criminal matters. Congress maintains control over Native American and Alaska Native affairs, which are overseen by the Department of Interior.

States have no such obligation to tribes.

Kevin Washburn, dean of the University of Iowa's law school, said it will be interesting to see how the priority question shakes out.

That is, will feds take primacy or will state prosecutors take primacy in cases?" asked Washburn, who is Chickasaw and a former assistant Interior secretary for Indian Affairs. "And how do they decide who will be first or who will move at all?

While the Supreme Court ruling is an expansion of power for states, it doesnt come with a similar increase for tribes. A 1978 ruling stripped tribes of any criminal jurisdiction over non-Natives on their reservations. The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013 restored some of that authority in limited domestic violence cases and further expanded it earlier this year.

Less than 1% of federally recognized tribes in the U.S. have implemented that authority. It raises the possibility of tribes, the state and the feds prosecuting a suspect for the same offense. Another U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued last month said tribal members prosecuted in certain tribal courts also can be prosecuted based on the same incident in federal court.

Most tribes can sentence convicted offenders to only a year in jail, regardless of the crime. A 2010 federal law increased tribes' sentencing authority to three years for a single crime. Few tribes have met the federal requirements to use that authority, including having public defenders and law-trained judges.

Oklahoma has its own unique history on tribal affairs, including a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as McGirt v. Oklahoma that said a large chunk of the eastern part of the state remains a Native American reservation. That ruling, written by Gorsuch, left the state unable to prosecute Native Americans accused of crimes on tribal lands that include most of Tulsa, the states second-largest city with a population of about 413,000.

The Supreme Court refused to reconsider McGirt. Oklahoma filed a flurry of petitions related to the case, leading to the most recent decision on state power over crime on reservations that extends broadly across the U.S. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, said the state's interest lies in protecting all victims of crime.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, a Republican, applauded the ruling and pledged to work with the state and the tribal nations who are our partners in building a safe city.

___

Whitehurst reported from Salt Lake City. Fonseca covers Indigenous affairs on the AP's Race and Ethnicity team. Follow Whitehurst on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lwhitehurst and Fonseca at https://twitter.com/FonsecaAP
NEW LONDON  Police have identified the man whose partially decomposed body was found in a cemetery in May.

John Sean Lazenby was found May 5 in a remote, wooded area of Cedar Grove Cemetery, police said.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  A new poll finds a growing percentage of Americans calling out abortion or womens rights as priorities for the government in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially among Democrats and those who support abortion access.

With midterm elections looming, President Joe Biden and Democrats will seek to capitalize on that shift.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in remarks immediately after the decision that reproductive freedom is on the ballot in November. But with pervasive pessimism and a myriad of crises facing the nation, its not clear whether the ruling will break through to motivate those voters  or just disappoint them.

It does feel like a major setback, said 26-year-old Lauren Nelson of San Diego, who has been worrying about the environment her young niece will grow up in. She doesnt think the midterms will change the course that states are on. You cant help but feel kind of helpless, as though theres not much that can be done.

Twenty-two percent of U.S. adults name abortion or womens rights in an open-ended question as one of up to five problems they want the government to work on, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Thats more than doubled since December, when an AP-NORC poll found a notable uptick in mentions of abortion from years before, likely in anticipation of the Dobbs ruling on abortion.

The new poll, which included interviews conducted before and after the Supreme Courts ruling, finds prioritization of the issues grew sharply following the decision.

The Dobbs ruling kicks decision-making on abortion back to states, and in the last week, Republican governors and legislatures have moved to introduce or advance legislation that bans or curtails abortions.

Polling conducted before the decision showed it was unpopular with a majority of Americans, who wanted to see the court leave Roe as is. A majority of Americans support abortion access in general, though many say there should be restrictions. About a third say abortion should be legal in all cases, roughly another third legal in most cases, about a quarter illegal in most cases. About 1 in 10 say it should be illegal in all cases.

Mentions of abortion specifically are not limited to Americans who support abortion rights; instead, the poll shows abortion is named as a priority by roughly a quarter of adults with hardline opinions on both sides of the issue  those who think abortion should be legal in all cases and those who think abortion should be illegal in all cases.

Earnestine Smith, a 68-year-old resident of Waukegan, Illinois, said the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe represents progress. The issue is one of her highest priorities right now.

We want abortion abolished and done away with, she said. We got to stand up and say no.

Still, its significant that those with the most liberal views on abortion and those with the most conservative views are about equally likely to prioritize the issue; historically, research has shown opponents of abortion have been more likely to consider the issue important to them than those supporting abortion access.

And the new poll finds mentions of womens rights are almost exclusively by those who think abortion should be legal.

According to the poll, the percentage of women prioritizing abortion or women's rights was already higher in interviews conducted before the ruling than six months ago, 21% vs. 9% in December; it swelled to 37% in the days after. Mentions grew sharply among men, too, but the growth was concentrated in the wake of the ruling, from 6% in interviews conducted before to 21% after.

Lyle Gist said he wouldnt have thought of abortion as a top priority a few years ago. The court decision to overturn Roe, though unsurprising, makes it a major issue.

I think the ramifications of this are substantial, said 36-year-old Gist of Los Angeles. Gist thinks that there will be ripple effects, including a mass exodus of people moving out of states with abortion bans.

In a small town in Louisiana in 1968, when abortion was illegal, Anne Jones carried a pregnancy to term and gave her daughter up for adoption. Jones, now 74 in Plano, Texas, worries about what the Republican Party might go after next -- like birth control -- and thinks its hypocritical that lawmakers like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott want to hold the woman accountable for the child that she may not be able to afford to keep even as they limit health and social services for women and children.

Politics in Texas has taken a wrong turn, she said. She wants to see abortion access made national law but remains skeptical that Biden and Democrats can do so.

The poll shows these issues have been increasingly important to Democrats, growing from just 3% in 2020 to 13% in 2021 and now 33%. In interviews before the ruling, 18% of Democrats mentioned abortion or womens rights; that was 42% after.

Among Republicans, 11% identify abortion or women's rights as a priority in the new poll, a modest increase from 5% who said that in December.

Steven Lefemine, who protests outside the Planned Parenthood in Columbia, South Carolina, called Roes reversal a major benchmark but said lawmakers needed to do much more, including pursuing a constitutional amendment to protect unborn children.

Id like to see legislation that lives up to Gods word, he said.

Biden and Democrats have vowed to fight for abortion access, but theyve struggled with how to act given crippling opposition from Republicans in a sharply divided Senate. Biden said to reporters on Thursday that he would support an exception to the filibuster rule to codify Roe into law.

Roderick Hinton, who voted for Biden, wants to see the president move on court reform, saying the courts decisions are not matching todays time. He was angry after the court overturned Roe -- that the older generation is putting the screws to younger Americans, including his two daughters.

Biden commissioned a review of the Supreme Court after promising to do so on the campaign trail, a response to rhetoric within the Democratic Party about expanding the court following former President Donald Trumps three conservative appointments. The report released last year exercised caution about proposals to expand the court or set term limits.

Their lifetime position is really crazy, Hinton said. As neutral as the courts were, its now becoming political. Their personal beliefs are being put in place.

___

Associated Press/Report for America reporter Claire Savage in Chicago and AP writer Matt Sedensky in New York contributed to this report.

___

The poll of 1,053 adults was conducted June 23-27 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
ANSONIA  Residents wishing to make their voices heard on a controversial site plan proposal for Olson Drive will have to wait another two weeks.

The city announced postponed a public hearing on the proposal Tuesday, just hours before its scheduled start time. The meeting will instead be held on July 12 at the Ansonia Armory at 6 p.m.

Corporate Counsel John Marini said the rescheduled meeting would allow for more participation.

Were moving to a larger venue to the Ansonia Armory. And given the litigation and that we havent got a hearing on yet, were trying to essentially accommodate the public as much as we can, increase transparency as much as we can, Marini said.

The reason for the move, Marini said, was that Fire Marshal Darrick Lundeen advised the city Monday to move the meeting to the armory or the high school, citing overcrowding concerns.

But Ansonia Democratic Town Committee chair John Feddern said the rescheduled meeting will actually make it harder for residents to participate citing various safety and accessibility concerns.

Having it at the armory is totally antithetical to being transparent. It will suppress turnout. The armory has no ventilation or air conditioning, Feddern said.

The armory also lacks Wi-Fi, Feddern said, meaning it will not be possible to live stream the event.

Marini confirmed the city will not live stream the event and did not have air conditioning but said people have used the armory without issue and it also doubles as a cooling center. Moving it to a later date means more people have a chance to voice their opinions, he said.

Feddern also stated in an email that the meeting as originally scheduled was improperly noticed and would have been illegal. Any municipal public hearing regarding the sale of city-owned property needs to be publicized at least 10 days before the event. The city publicized the meeting on June 21, seven days before the planned June 28 date.

The city has been sued regarding the development of the property over allegations Ansonia did not follow its city charter and didnt solicit public input or an open bidding process before it entered negotiations with Primrose Companies. City officials including Marini defended the process, saying the city needed a detailed proposal before the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would release the deed restriction on the property.

HUD spokesperson Christine Baumann, said that was not the case.

We did not require detailed site plans of the future use, Baumann said last month. HUD only required that the Housing Authority obtain fair market value and use those proceeds for an affordable housing purpose. They could have sold it to someone else for another purpose.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Authorities evacuated a portion of the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis on Thursday after responding to reports of a fire and possible explosion.

No injuries were immediately reported.

The Minneapolis Fire Department tweeted about 3:30 p.m. that firefighters were responding to a fire in the basement of a building on campus. As they were extinguishing that fire, they received reports of a sewer explosion that blew manhole covers out.

Authorities were monitoring buildings for natural gas leaks and have evacuated a portion of the campus. The fire department tweeted that the incident was likely a flammable gas spill rather than natural gas in the sewer.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the fire began in the basement of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. Fire Chief Bryan Tyner told the newspaper that early indications suggest gasoline in sewer system caught fire and blew out the manholes. He said the department and CenterPoint Energy were working to confirm that.

We dont want (gasoline) to get in the sewer system, Tyner said. We dont even know how it got there.

A voicemail message left with the fire department wasnt immediately returned.
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BRIDGEPORT - Juliemar Ortiz told a judge Friday that she wants to represent her city community in a transformative and historic way.

But the Bridgeport political newcomer was blocked in her path to get on the ballot for state Senate for the 23rd District when the citys Democratic Registrar of Voters rejected more than 300 signatures on Ortizs petitions for a primary against incumbent state Sen. Dennis Bradley and the Democratic Party-endorsed candidate, the Rev. Herron Gaston.

Ortiz, a former political reporter for the New Haven Register who later worked as a press secretary for Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and more recently for Vineyard Wind energy company, is now suing in Superior Court to get on the primary ballot.

In order to get a spot on the ballot Ortiz would have had to collect 1,585 signatures from Democrats registered to vote in the 23rd District which includes the citys East Side and a small portion of adjoining Stratford. Her campaign states that it turned in 1,905 petition signatures but Bridgeport Registrar of Voters Patricia Howard rejected 351 of those signatures, leaving them 31 signatures short.

Her lawsuit claims Howard improperly rejected dozens of signatures, disenfranchising those voters qualified to elect a candidate of their choice.

Deputy City Attorney John Bohannon Jr. did not file his usual motion to dismiss the lawsuit as he has done in previous election-challenge cases but said he will wait to hear the plaintiffs case.

Because of the time restrictions before the scheduling of the primary and printing of ballots, Judge Thomas Welch is expected to issue a decision within the next two weeks.

Jacob Pudlin, a New Britain campaign consultant hired by the Ortiz campaign, was the first witness called by Ortizs lawyer, William Bloss.

After Ortiz did not receive the party endorsement to run as the senate candidate, Pudlin said they began the process to petition to get on a primary ballot against Gaston and Bradley.

He said they recruited a number of volunteers to collect signatures on the petitions. Many of the volunteers were from out of town, but Pudlin said they could collect signatures as long as they were certified Democratic voters in Connecticut.

After turning in the petitions with a total of 1,905 signatures, he said they received notice from the Office of the Secretary of the State that the Bridgeport registrar had rejected a number of the signatures on the petitions and they were short of the number needed to get on the ballot. Pudlin said he had gotten no notice of a problem from the registrar.

Following an email exchange with Howard, Pudlin said he received copies of their petitions back with notations next to the signatures that appeared to have been rejected. He said 35 signatures had apparently been rejected for no known reason.

Also, a petition circulated by Josue Saint-Fleur had been rejected because the registrar stated Saint-Fleur was an unaffiliated voter and not a Democrat, Pudlin testified. However, he said Saint-Fleur had submitted a form to the registrars office changing his affiliation to the Democratic Party prior to the petitions being handed in.

Ortiz then briefly testified about bringing the lawsuit.

Testimony is to continue Tuesday morning.
AUBURN, Maine (AP)  A man wanted for the killings of two people in Maine was arrested Friday in Rockville, Maryland, officials said.

David Barnett, 34, of Bristol, Connecticut, will be held at the Montgomery County Jail in Maryland pending extradition, Maine State Police said.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  A Georgia man stabbed four family members and himself during a domestic-related incident at his home in Savannah, police said Friday.

Roger Hendrix, 31, was taken into custody and faces numerous charges, including four counts of aggravated assault, authorities said in a news release.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the notorious nationalist battalion was decimated close to Kharkov. About a hundred nationalists, also called the Kraken group that has attacked civilians in the DPR and LPR, were eliminated.

Overwhelming Ukrainian Forces

The Russian army used precision artillery attacks on military targets in East Ukraine; an attack on the Kraken base, according to Russian defense officials on Wednesday, reported RT.

It was confirmed that more than one hundred fighters in Kharkov got killed due to attacks with heavy artillery, also, 10 of their armored transport were demolished.

More information from the defense ministry revealed precise missile strikes, which destroyed command centers that included a foreign mercenary training center, ammo dumps, and repair bases affecting the Ukrainian war effort, cited the Press United.

The ministry reported that after experiencing substantial losses, the Kraken unit's leaders ordered their military units to abandon their positions and pull back to Kharkov.

Defense Ministry remarked the Kraken unit is a nationalist fighting force and an offshoot of the infamous Azov regiment that recently suffered a devastating loss in Mariupol.

This Ukrainian unit is a special reconnaissance and sabotage unit controlled by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry that is autonomous from the Armed forces of Ukraine.

Kraken Nationalist Unit

The exact number of fighters who make up the notorious nationalist battalion is unknown, said the Russian Defense Ministry, but some sources estimate that there are about 1,800 of them.

Read also: Donald Trump Net Worth 2022: Did Trump Get Richer Since Leaving the US Presidency?

The majority of the soldiers in the unit are Azov veterans and volunteers, many of whom have ultranationalist and far-right ties.

Russian officials allege the battalion of war crimes blamed on Russia from day one of the special operations. Their soldiers did not respect the rights of Russian POWS via violence and torture that Zelensky and his officials deny.

The leader of the Kraken unit is Konstantin Nemichev, an ex-AZOV commander who lost an election for Kharkov mayor a year ago. He has a bounty on the most wanted list because he threatened the lives of eight Russian soldiers in the Region, noted Mass News.

Mikhail Mizintsev, Russia's National Defense Control Center, accused these Kraken members of harassing residents in the Kharkov region. They even threatened or tortured people who were pro-Russia without rebuke from Zelensky.

Members of this militant group are mostly radicals, killers taken from jails, and raiders against anyone siding with Russia.

They would form death squads and enter houses of locals who the SBU brands as sympathizers; they would kill and torture these civilians in black sites as the Kiev regime endorses their barbarity.

Kraken members would place mines in a Kharkiv children's hospital with people in it; they wanted to blow up these places when Russians came in.

Mizintsev also stated that journalists from international news organizations, such as CNN, had already arrived in several cities throughout Ukraine to document terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure that would later be attributed to Russian forces.

On February 24, Russia dispatched troops into Ukraine, blaming Kyiv for failing to carry out the Minsk agreements, which were meant to grant the Donetsk and Lugansk regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

Russian Defense Ministry officials verify that the notorious Nationalist Battalion with a hundred or more members was taken out by Russian weaponry in Kharkov.

Related Article: Ukrainian Officer Captured by Russians Claims US-Made Javelin Missiles Ineffective, Useless in the Battle in Mariupol

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(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Kevin Johnson, University of California, Davis

(THE CONVERSATION) In the very last decision of its latest term, the Supreme Court released a major ruling that not only clears a barrier to ending a signature policy of the Trump administration but also signals that the future of immigration policy is in the hands of the electorate.

In Biden v. Texas, the Supreme Court rejected an effort to prevent the current presidents rollback of a Trump-era policy that requires asylum seekers arriving at the U.S. southern land border to be returned to Mexico while their claims were being processed.

The 5-4 decision means that the case will be returned to the lower courts. But it also makes clear that whoever is control of the White House has the power to change directions in immigration policy  even drastic reversals of policy. It follows that presidents can do the same in other substantive legal areas as well, such as civil rights and environmental protection.

The rights (and wrongs) of remain

The issue in Biden v. Texas was whether the Biden administration could dismantle a Trump administration policy formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols but widely referred to as the Remain in Mexico policy.

As part of an array of immigration enforcement measures, the Trump administration announced the policy in late 2018 in response to numbers of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border.

But the Migrant Protection Protocols came under scrutiny amid concerns over the safety and conditions to which asylum seekers were subjected in camps under the supervision of Mexican authorities. Human Rights Watch found the policy sent asylum seekers to face risks of kidnapping, extortion, rape, and other abuses in Mexico while also violating their right to seek asylum in the United States.

Yet an attempt by the Biden administration to eliminate the protocols was barred by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The circuit judges found that the Biden administration had violated immigration law requiring the detention of asylum seekers.

The Supreme Court rejected this ruling. In a majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts  joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Brett Kavanaugh  the court held that the Biden administrations decision to terminate the Migrant Protection Protocols did not violate federal immigration law. The state of Texas had argued that ending the Remain in Mexico policy violated a provision that every asylum seeker entering the country be returned or detained.

In his dissent, Justice Samuel Alito argued that the statute requires mandatory detention of migrants at the border. Justice Amy Coney Barretts dissent expressed the view that the Supreme Court lacked the jurisdiction and that the case should be remanded back to the lower courts.

Avoid the arbitrary, cease the capricious

The Supreme Courts decision means the case will be sent back to the lower court to decide, but with the removal of a major legal obstacle preventing Biden from ending the Remain in Mexico policy. The Supreme Court held that the immigration law does not require mandatory detention of all asylum seekers while their claims are being decided.

But moreover, the court made clear that the president has the discretion to change direction in immigration policy and continue, or end, policies of the previous president.

That might seem self-evident. But it comes after another 5-4 decision penned by Chief Justice Roberts  2020s Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, which held that a president could not act irrationally in changing immigration policy.

In that decision, the Supreme Court found that the Trump administration had acted in an arbitrary and capricious fashion in rescinding the Obama administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals  or DACA  policy. That policy provided limited legal status and work authorization to undocumented migrants who came to the country as children, so-called Dreamers.

In the courts view, the Trump administration had not adequately considered the interests of the migrant children in deciding to rescind the policy and had given inconsistent reasons about the basis for the rescission.

That ruling provided fuel for states to challenge the Biden administration when it attempted to roll back some Trump-era policies. For example, Arizona, along with other states, challenged Bidens attempt to abandon a proposed rule change by the previous administration that would tighten the requirements on low- and moderate-income noncitizens seeking to come to the U.S. Although the Supreme Court initially accepted review of the case, it ultimately dismissed the appeal and declined to decide the merits.

In the end, the Supreme Courts decision in Biden v. Texas stands for the simple proposition that presidential elections matter when it comes to government policy. As long as an incumbent administration follows the rules  including rational deliberation of the policy choices in front of it  it can, the Supreme Court has said, change immigration policy.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/supreme-courts-remain-in-mexico-ruling-puts-immigration-policy-in-the-hands-of-voters-as-long-as-elected-presidents-follow-the-rules-186016.
United States President Joe Biden called on the Senate to end filibuster rules so that abortion rights can be passed into law, remarks that follow the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The Democrat's remarks on Thursday marked his support of suspending the Senate filibuster to codify the constitutional right to an abortion. Biden's comments represent critical support for suspending a key procedural hurdle that has so far prevented Senatorial Democrats from passing legislation that would make the decision federal law.

Codifying Roe v. Wade

Currently, Senate rules require the majority party to muster 60 votes to overcome the minority's attempt to block the advance of a bill, a procedural action known as a filibuster. While in Spain, Biden told reporters that he believes they should codify Roe v. Wade into law and noted that the way to do that was to make sure that Congress votes in support of it.

However, with the Senate being evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, the GOP has so far been able to use the filibuster rule to stop the slim Democratic majority from approving abortion bills. Biden noted that there needed to be an exception to the filibuster, as per CNBC.

The president's statements come a week after the country's highest court overturned the nearly 50 years of legal precedent. They also mark the first time that the U.S. president has publicly supported changing the filibuster rules to pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade into law.

Read Also: Roe v. Wade Overturn: Bengals Star Joe Burrow Sends Powerful Message About Abortion

The Supreme Court's controversial ruling last week now grants states the authority to pass their own abortion laws without worrying about running afoul of the Roe opinion. Some areas already had trigger laws in place in such a scenario that would automatically be enforced.

According to CNN, on the other hand, key moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have expressed their opposition to the idea of changing filibuster rules. And though Manchin was open to codifying Roe v. Wade legislatively, the two senators oppose gutting the filibuster, their offices said on Thursday.

Ending Filibuster Rules

Sinema's office said that the senator argued that the filibuster had been used to protect abortion rights and block things like 20-week abortion bans. Without the support of Manchin and Sinema, Democrats would need to sweep in the November midterm elections if they want a chance to approve abortion rights legislation in the future.

The second-highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, said that in a 50-50 Senate, "the notion of changing the rules is really at the mercy of one of two senators who can make that decision for us."

Biden made his remarks while at a press conference at the NATO summit in Madrid and came after he initially supported keeping the Senate filibuster when he first entered office. The statements came after he was asked what executive action he could take to secure abortion access nationally. The president called on Congress to codify Roe shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling, an effort that ultimately failed, Fox News reported.



Related Article: Hillary Clinton Reacts to "Terrible" Roe v. Wade Overturn Decision: "Women Are Going to Die"

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Howard Stern has chosen his running companion. Stern revealed on his SiriusXM show 'The Howard Stern Show that he had already picked his running mate just days after revealing his presidential ambitions.

Bradley Cooper is the man he wants to be his right-hand man if he runs for president. According to the radio broadcaster, Bradley Cooper would garner more female votes than you could think. Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Stern said that he would have to run for president.

Howard Stern Plans To Run for President in 2024 Election

"I'm going to probably have to run for president now," the SiriusXM host remarked on 'The Howard Stern Show on Monday. Stern has previously thrown his hat into the political ring. He ran for governor of New York in 1994, according to Fox News.

During Wednesday's broadcast, he stated that Cooper, 47, came out to him and congratulated him on his future Presidential run when Stern asked if he'd be his running mate, to which Cooper reportedly agreed right away. When his veteran co-host Robin Quivers questioned whether he had given it "much consideration," he said, "I gave as much deliberation as I did tossing my hat in the ring: absolutely none," which made Quivers giggle.

Stern claimed that he was shocked that Cooper wanted in, with Quivers questioning if this guy should live with them, but Stern stated he didn't want to be disturbed because he was filming a movie.

Quivers also mentioned that when former Hollywood actor-turned-California governor Ronald Reagan ran for President, 'they were like, "That's the guy who acted with a chimp," and now we're going to have a guy who's played a raccoon,' referring to Cooper's role as Rocket Raccoon in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films.

Cooper, according to Stern, "didn't even hesitate" to say yes, adding, "He's a wonderful patriot and a fantastic raccoon. That is our campaign theme," as per Daily Mail.

Read Also: [Report] Ghislaine Maxwell Urges To Transfer in UK Jail as Jeffrey Epstein's Victim Condemns Her Court Apology

Is Howard Stern Serious With His Presidential Bid?

Stern previously ran for governor of New York in 1994 on the Libertarian Party's ticket, thus this would not be his first journey into politics. He finally withdrew from the campaign after declining to reveal his financial situation. It's also important to remember that Stern renewed his contract with Sirius XM for a further five years in December 2020, which runs until the end of 2025.

The US Supreme Court dramatically repealed Roe v Wade this week, removing the basic right to abortion. Following the reversal, a wave of celebrities denounced the ruling and attacked the Supreme Court judges on numerous media. A few days ago, popular DJ Howard Stern uniquely responded to the reversal, stating that he will run for president in 2024 to "make the country fair again."

A few days following his odd desire, he received backing from his friend Bradley Cooper, who will be his running companion. During the broadcast, he also revealed that the Oscar-winning actor will be his running mate for Vice President. It is uncertain whether Stern intends to run for president in 2024, WIO News reported.

Stern has not made clear how seriously he takes a potential presidential bid. But Stern's longtime friend and colleague George Takei spoke with PEOPLE about the possibility of Stern running for president. If Stern were to run for president, Takei, 85, said, "I think he has presidential characteristics; I would vote for him because, depending on who else is running, he does [has] knowledge, boldness, and charisma."

"He played a huge part in our being recognized as a couple, mutually reliant, and able to do what we do because of our relationship," Takei added. "And Howard is a longtime friend for me." Stern has long supported Takei and Brad's marriage.

Related Article: Hillary Clinton Reacts to "Terrible" Roe v. Wade Overturn Decision: "Women Are Going to Die"

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A woman who volunteered in an American abortion clinic has told how she was called a witch and cheerleader for Satan by pro-life campaigners, who made her feel like an 'outcast' in her community before she left for Britain five years ago.

Annie Smith, 23, helped at the centre with her mother near Memphis, Tennessee, around six years ago despite all her school friends having strong anti-abortion views.

Pro-lifers would often come to the clinic and ridicule Annie - who now lives in the UK, but fears for her siblings living in America - outside of her workplace.

The 1973 Roe v Wade ruling was overturned after a five to four Supreme Court decision on Friday. This will make abortion illegal or severely restricted in almost half of US states.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Annie said: Working there was not something I advertised because I knew so many people around me were anti-abortion. I felt isolated among people at my high school and my friends.

Annie Smith, 23, (left) has been called a 'witch' and 'cheerleader for Satan' by pro-life campaigners whilst volunteering at an abortion clinic in Memphis, Tennessee, with her mother Rebecca Smith (right)

But I do remember there was one day where all these people came chanting youre going to hell.

Parents and kids that were about seven-years-old saying I was a cheerleader of Satan and I was a witch. It was awful to see, she said.

Since Annie moved to London, she has felt more comfortable talking about her pro-choice beliefs and shares them on social media.

But she is still worried for her siblings that continue to live in the US after the law that made abortion legal nationwide was reversed on Friday.

The current limit for abortion in Tennessee is between 24-26 weeks but there will be a near-total ban in the next 30 days.

Annie (pictured) revealed how pro-life campaigners would come to the clinic she volunteered at and ridicule her

Annie said: I have three siblings  a brother, 19, and two sisters of 21 and 16 - and I do worry for them.

'Im grateful my siblings would be able to travel to get an abortion if they needed it, but even if you can travel its a distressing situation. Maybe a 10-hour car drive just to go there.

But I told them to delete their period tracking app or get some abortion pills just in case something happens - worst comes to worst.

'I used to say they will never track us but at this point I say, never say never, nothing is off the table.

Although Annie feels heartbroken by the decision, she continues to share her support for women in the US on Twitter.

Annie left the US for Britain five years ago after feeling like an outcast in her community for her pro-choice views

Although Annie feels heartbroken by the decision, she continues to share her support for women in the US on Twitter

Its very solemn for women. They may need to take a minute and sit with their feelings before they can get back up and do something,' she said.

There are many prolific Americans like Michelle Obama and Amy Schumer speaking out against the court's decision.

These two strong women are leading furious public criticism of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade - with the former First Lady slamming the move as 'horrifying' while warning that it will have 'devastating consequences' for women across the US.

Dozens of celebrities have spoken out to share their horror over the landmark decision, including Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Busy Philipps, Bette Midler, Hailey Bieber, and Sophie Turner - with many of them choosing to share Obama's statement as well as their own thoughts on the issue.

58-year-old Obama was one of the first high-profile people to react to the decision, taking to Instagram to post a lengthy statement slamming the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the minutes after it was announced, describing herself as 'heartbroken' while blasting the Supreme Court for ridding women of their 'fundamental right to make informed decisions about their own bodies'.

'I am heartbroken that we may now be destined to learn the painful lessons of a time before Roe was made law of the land - a time when women risked losing their lives getting illegal abortions,' she wrote.

Michelle Obama and Amy Schumer led the furious public criticism of SCOTUS' decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday

Obama branded the decision 'horrifying' and warned that it will have 'devastating consequences for women across the US'

'A time when the government denied women control over their reproductive functions, forced them to move forward with pregnancies they didn't want, and then abandoned them once their babies were born.

'That is what our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived through, and now we are here again.'

Obama was one of dozens of high-profile figures to speak out against the decision on Friday - with Schumer, 41, accusing the Supreme Court of determining women's rights by following the 'intentions of a bunch of slave-owning rapists who've been dead for hundreds of years'.

She then appeared to take aim at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who in 2018 and 2019 was accused of sexual assault by several women, writing on her Instagram Stories: 'And women's bodily autonomy should not be determined by men who've been accused of sexual assault.'

Both Obama and Schumer then urged pro-choice supporters to take action by fighting back against the decision, with former President Barack Obama's wife urging her followers to 'channel their frustration and anger into action' by supporting organizations like Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women.

'This moment is difficult, but our story does not end here,' the mother-of-two said. 'It may not feel like we are able to do much right now, but we can. And we must.

'If you're like me and you want to get started right now, I encourage you to channel your frustration and anger into action by getting involved. Organizations like Planned Parenthood and The United State of Women, among many others, have resources you can look to if you want to help others or if you need help yourself.

'Our hearts may be broken today, but tomorrow, we've got to get up and find the courage to keep working towards creating the more just America we all deserve. We have so much left to push for, to rally for, to speak for - and I know we can do this together.'

There are 18 states that have near-total bans on their books, while four more have time-limit bands and four others are likely to pass new bans if Roe is overturned

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 re-enacted after Friday's ruling.

Thirteen states prepared trigger laws which would automatically outlaw terminations in the event of a ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, which was widely-anticipated.

They are: Arkansas; Idaho; Kentucky; Louisiana; Mississippi; Missouri; North Dakota; Oklahoma; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah and Wyoming.

Abortion bans in those states will now become law within 30 days.

Five other states have also now banned terminations, after historic laws superseded by the 1973 Roe ruling automatically came back into place.

Among those five are two Democrat-governed states - Michigan and Wisconsin.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers have both sought to overturn those bans in the court.

But they remain in place for now, and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced Friday afternoon that it was suspending terminations while awaiting clarification on the law.

Other states with newly-re-enacted historic bans are Alabama, Arizona and West Virginia.

Eight other states are also set to enact new anti-abortion laws. Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina all attempted to ban abortion after the six week mark.

Those laws were branded unconstitutional, but will likely be revisited now Roe has ended. And Florida, Indiana, Montana as well as Nebraska are all working on plans to ban or restrict terminations.
A Mary Poppins fan has tied the knot in a colourful wedding inspired by the Disney musical.

Scientist Emilie Knight, 43, of Norwich, wed ambulance care assistant Kerrie Smith, 51, in a ceremony complete with costumes, carousel horses and a singalong.

Emilie dressed up as Mary, played in the film by Dame Julie Andrews, while Kerrie played the role of Dick Van Dyke's Bert.

As they walked into the registry office, Jolly Holiday was playing. Their guests then serenaded them with Let's Go Fly A Kite while waving paper kites, and the couple departed to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

The fun affair saw scientist Emilie Knight, 43, of Norwich, tie the knot with ambulance care assistant Kerrie Smith, 51, both dressed up in the Mary Poppins-themed costumes

Even the cake was Mary Poppins themed, with miniature penguins on top - a nod to the classic scene in the film where the penguins dance alongside Dick Van Dyke

The couple cite the film as their favourite and already had the fancy-dress outfits

A spoonful of fancy dress: Emilie Knight, 43, dressed as the fictional nanny while 51-year-old Kerrie Smith dressed up as Bert

The cake was adorned with miniature penguins, as seen in the 1964 hit movie staring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke

Starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins was released on August 27, 1964, to critical acclaim and went on to receive 13 Academy Awards nominations, winning 5 including Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee

Emilie said: 'I have always been a huge fan of Mary Poppins ever since I was little and when I became an adult we loved fancy dress anyway.

'We weren't going to have a big celebration at the registry office initially, we were going to have just us two and two witnesses - they call it an early bird ceremony.

'But they couldn't fit us in in June for that because there's such a backlog of ceremonies because of the last couple of years.

'So then they said: 'You can still get married that week in June but you'd have to have a bigger thing in the castle with up to 50 guests.

'So we thought, well if we go for that then we might as well make something of it, and Kerrie suggested I could wear my Mary Poppins dress.

'I thought well, it is a white dress, and any excuse to dress up would be lovely.'

Chim Chim Cher-ee: The couple had only a few guests, but made their wedding extra special with their outfits

Guests serenaded the loved-up couple with Let's Go Fly A Kite, one of the hit songs from the movie

Emilie Knight, 43, dressed as fictional nanny Mary Poppins, played by Julie Andrews

Kerrie Smith, 51, dressed up as Bert the chimney sweep, played by Dick Van Dyke in the film

The couple had a carousel horse prop, taken from a famous scene in the hit Walt Disney classic

Passers-by clapped and cheered when they caught a glimpse of the happy couple on their big day

Among their props was an inflatable carousel horse, and the cake was adorned with two little penguins with umbrellas.

They had planned a simple ceremony with two witnesses but opted for a larger celebration when they realised it meant they could secure an earlier date.

Emilie said there were 'a lot of smiles, even in the street' and they were applauded as they walked to a restaurant afterwards.

She added that the registrar said, after seeing them in fancy dress: 'The song choices completely make sense now.'

Kerrie said: 'We wanted it to be fun, we wanted everyone to have a giggle with us. It was just an altogether brilliant day. Just perfect really.'

The Spixworth couple are planning to go on their honeymoon next year to the Maldives.
A New York state trooper was hailed a hero after he rescued a missing Golden Retriever from a drain.

Lilah, a 13-year-old dog, had been missing for several days after getting lost on a walk in the town of Conklin, near Albany, when her owner Rudy Fuehrer heard a bark coming from a drain, local paper The Times-Union reported.

State trooper Jimmy Rasaphone crawled 4.5 metres-deep into the drain in order to drag Lilah to safety, with the help of his partner, Ana Reynas.

The New York State Police reported the story on their Facebook account, where it was liked more than 6,500 times.

Golden Retriever Lilah was rescued by New York State trooper Jimmy Rasaphone on Sunday after her owner Rudy Fuehrer, left, reported he had found her stuck in the drain in the town of Conklin, near Albany

The troopers were called to the scene and immediately decided to crawl into the drain to rescue the pet

They shared a picture of the trooper, Lilah and her owner following the rescue.

Speaking after being reunited with his dog, Rudy shared the moment her realised Lilah was stuck in the pipe:

'She yipped. I said, "oh my God, thats Lilah".'

The dog owner tried to lure Lilah out of the drain with snacks, including cheese and peanut butter, but was not successful, and called 911 for help.

After assessing the situation, trooper Rasaphone decided to dive into the drain to rescue the dog.

'He had no qualms,' Fuehrer said. 'He went right in... That floored me. That was astounding.'

Fuehrer said he was 'dumbfounded' by the 'compassion' people showed for his dog.

He also told the Associated Press that he made sure to keep his dog on a leash the next they stepped out to go on a walk following the incident.

People praised Trooper Rasaphone for going above and beyond his duty to drag Lilah out of the drain

The story has touched the hearts of dog lovers.

'That is wonderful! Thank you Trooper Rasaphone! - definitely going above and beyond your call of duty. Poor puppy dog - hope he is happily home safe and sound,' one Facebook user wrote on the post.

'Wow, great job, Trooper Rasaphone! Thank you for going the extra mile to save this poor dog,' another wrote.

'Someone who go cares that much about an animals, is a hero in my books,' one said.

'Bless your heart !! The look of relief on both their faces says it all. Thank you for going above and beyond for this fur baby and her dad,' another wrote.

'You are amazing officer Jimmy Rasaphone for help the dog out thats amazing how you did that blessings,' one commented.
The owner of the World's Ugliest Dog has said he is 'one of the most beautiful creatures' while others have fawned over the 'adorable' pooch.

Janeda Banelly, who owns 17-year-old pooch Mr Happy Face, appeared on This Morning today to talk about the title.

The proud owner of the Chinese Crested pooch, from the US, adopted him from a shelter in Arizona after he was rescued from a hoarder's home.

But despite being crowned champion in the World's Ugliest Dog competition hosted in Petaluma, California, Janeda doesn't think her pup is 'ugly'.

Speaking to Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary via Zoom, she said: I describe him as the most glorious creature ever created.

'I don't feel comfortable saying world's ugliest dog - he is one of the most beautiful creatures. It is more of a celebration of their uniqueness and the beauty they bring to the world.

'If we can all be a little kinder to each other we can see how beautiful this world can be.'

Janeda Benally, from the US, appeared on This Morning with her dog Mr Happy Face to talk about how he has been crowned World's Ugliest Dog

Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary were taken by Mr Happy Face with Alison describing him as 'gorgeous'

Twitter users agreed with Janeda, calling Mr Happy Face 'adorable'.

Katharine Merry wrote that he was 'cute' and 'unique' while another Twitter user called Stephanie said she would adopt all dogs like Mr Happy Face.

However, one Twitter user disagreed and compared the pooch to one of The Gremlins.

The pooch certainly won over Alison, who described him as 'gorgeous'.

Janeda added that when she adopted Mr Happy Face, she didn't think he would live for very long because he had several health issues.

She said: 'I adopted Mr Happy Face with the understanding he was probably going to be a hospice situation.

Mr Happy Face, 17, was adopted by Janeda from a shelter in Arizona after he had been rescued from a hoarder's house

'I was very lucky if we might have six weeks- so far it's been 10 months.'

'His health conditions are so much better. It has taken a lot of love and time. As well as being creative.'

Feeding the pooch a treat on camera, she said he is 'doing great'.

Amid the excitement of Mr Happy Face being crowned champion, many are wondering if he will compete to retain his title next year.

Twitter users were divided on My Happy Face's appearance with some comparing him to one of the Gremlins while others said he was 'adorable' - and some even said they would adopt the pooch themselves

But according to Janeda, the pooch is retiring from the pageant circuit.

She said: 'Every dog deserves their moment to be celebrated.

'The happiness and joy they bring to the world and their humans. Every day is a blessing.'

The contest, which was held last weekend after a two-year break due to the pandemic, encourages adoption rather than buying from breeders.

Fluffy pup Wild Thing (pictured with owner Ann Lewis) was a worthy runner up in this year's contest

Scotch Haley's pooch Monkey scooped third place in this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest

Alison Hammond said: 'It encourages people to adopt these kind of animals who wouldn't be adopted normally.'

The World's Ugliest Dog competition invites people from all over the world to celebrate their unusual-looking pups.

This year's winner, Mr Happy Face, was closely followed by worthy runners-up Wild Thing, owned by Ann Lewis, and Monkey, owned by Scotch Haley.
An adorable dog has become a social media star thanks to posts of his daring adventures with his owners.

Three-year-old Winston joins owner Payton Tomicic, 24, for excursions across Utah, from paddle boarding and swimming to scaling canyons.

Payton said: 'Winston has always had a talent at matching my energy and he loves to run free.

An adorable dog takes his walks to the extreme as he tackles canyons and goes paddle boarding with his adventurous owners

Payton Tomicic, 24, from Utah, has a passion for exploration and the outdoors with three-year-old Winston

Payton admitted bringing Winston along does add a new element of challenge to they enjoy finding the easiest way to the top

She said having to lift the dog, who is 75 pounds, up chalk stones is probably the most 'difficult yet fun part'

Water dog! The pooch is not your average dog as he has even been trained in paddle boarding

The pup wears a padded floatation device lifejacket whenever he goes into the water or paddle boarding

'He has always loved hiking and we took him down to the canyons where my family and I prefer adventuring.

'He instantly loved it, running down the slot canyons and just being free.

'Bringing Winston along does add a new element of challenge, but going through canyons isn't about finding the easiest way possible or you would just hike on top.

'Having to lift his 75 pounds self, up chalk stones is probably the most difficult yet fun part, it adds so much more fun and laughter.'

Clever! Winston has been trained in canyoneering which includes navigating canyons and rappelling

He is more than prepared to tackle the Bluejohn Canyon, a canyon system in eastern Wayne County, Utah

Winston joins Payton, who is a special education teacher, and her family on all kinds of adventures and he loves every moment of it

Payton has been documenting their adventures and sharing them online, showing off not only Winston's fantastic hiking abilities

Winston now has more than 18,000 Instagram followers who love staying up-to-date with his antics.

'He knows when he sees the backpacks and ropes that we are going on an adventure, and he waits by the door to get in the car,' Payton continued.

'We just want to show people the life and experiences they can give their dog to give them a fulfilling life.

'We also do our research and make sure we have all the supplies needed to be as safe as possible.

'I couldn't even imagine going and seeing the world and leaving my dog at home; seeing the happiness on his face is worth it. Get out and show your dog the world.'

Payton revealed that Winston loves running down the slot canyons and 'just being free' while on the hikes

Payton said that Winston has always loved hiking and they took him down to the canyons where she likes to explore
Improved ecology prospers aquaculture in China's Fujian

09:15, July 01, 2022 By Shi Yu ( People's Daily

Improved ecology is bringing better aquatic products and livelihood to Xiapu, a coastal county in Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian province.

Photo taken on June 15, 2022 shows a country road winding along the coastline in Xiapu county, Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian province. (People's Daily Online/Zheng Peiluan)

"The kelp production improved 30 percent in the recent two years and our income has increased a lot from years ago," said Chen Wenchai, who runs an agricultural cooperative in the county.

Chen Zongshun, deputy head of Xiapu's ocean and fishery bureau, attributed the good harvest to the improved water quality.

Boasting a sea area of 28,900 square kilometers, the largest among all coastal counties in Fujian, Xiapu enjoys rich marine resources. It has 420,000 mu (28,000 hectares) of seawater aquaculture area and 260,000 people in the county, or half of its population, are engaged in the fishery sector.

However, the sprawl of offshore aquaculture once seriously threatened local marine ecology, as a large amount of drifting garbage was generated out of aquaculture facilities such as the wooden and plastic foam net cages.

In July 2018, Xiapu started a comprehensive campaign to make its offshore aquaculture eco-friendly. To enhance the scientific management of the aquaculture industry, the county has also launched grid management in 2019, sending designated personnel to communities to help farmers tackle their problems concerning sea area management, production, weather forecasting and emergency disposal.

In September 2019, Chen Wenchai replaced his more than 200 wooden net cages with plastic ones. "The water has become clean after the campaign started. There are also designated personnel helping us. We are confident about the production," Chen said.

Photo taken on March 12, 2022 shows an edible seaweed production base in Changchun township, Xiapu county, southeast China's Fujian province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Zongde)

Last year, the total production of Xiapu's aquaculture stood at 479,000 tonnes, and the output value increased 3.2 percent from a year ago to 12.76 billion yuan ($1.91 billion).

The campaign has also lifted the sea view of Xiapu county. Since 2018, the county has vigorously developed tourism and promoted bed-and-breakfast lodges (B&B) clusters in coastal scenic areas.

Meihua village of the county's Yacheng township has gained popularity because of its beautiful scenery and well-built tourism facilities, with several B&B lodges relying on the mountains near the sea.

"We have a lot of tourists these days. In the past, no one ever wanted to visit here," said Peng Zugui, a cook at a B&B guesthouse in the village. According to him, the village once suffered from infertile soil and poor transportation, which made villagers wanted to move out to the township.

The previous "hollow village" has become attractive due to recent moves including road building, facility improvement, B&B development, and scenic spot construction.

Thanks to the improved ecology, the B&B business is getting prosperous in the village and has largely improved the income of villagers. "I can earn at least 8,000 yuan (nearly $1,200) a month working in the B&B guesthouse," Peng told People's Daily.

He noticed that fruit and tea have been planted in the nearby wasteland in the past two years, and fellow villagers want to seek new business opportunities out of the improved environment and flourishing tourism.

Egrets fly at the seaside in Xiapu county, Ningde city, southeast China's Fujian province, Nov. 7, 2021. (People's Daily Online/ Zheng Peiluan)

At present, Xiapu is home to more than 400 B&B guesthouses which directly drives the employment of nearly 20,000 people.

"We'll keep developing offshore aquaculture and tourism to make the marine economy a forceful driver for high-quality economic development and common prosperity in Xiapu county," said county secretary Guo Wensheng.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Beijing on Thursday criticized NATO over a "completely futile" warning after the Western alliance cited China as a "top threat" to global security, arguing that the leaders of the alliance were conducting "ideological prejudices."

NATO's strategic concept, which was published at a summit in Madrid, Spain, said that Beijing's stated ambitions and coercive policies challenged its interests, security, and values. Furthermore, the Western alliance said that China's closer ties to Russia went against its interests, a comment that also drew ire from Beijing.

China as a "Top Threat" to Global Security

During a regular briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that NATO's so-called new strategic concept document "disregard facts, confuse black and white, and smears China's foreign policy." He added that Beijing "firmly opposes" the idea and the claims.

Zhao said that Beijing was warning NATO that "hyping up the so-called China threat is completely futile." The situation comes as the United States has pushed for the alliance to pay greater attention to China, despite reluctance from some allies to switch away from its focus on Europe, as per Channel News Asia.

Beijing has continued to refuse to condemn its ally Russia over the latter's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The two countries have also drawn closer in the political, trade, and military spheres as part of a "no limits" relationship.

Read Also: China Blames US for Russia's Ongoing Invasion of Ukraine; NATO Allies Brand Moscow as "Biggest Threat" to Global Security

Chinese President Xi Jinping this month assured his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of China's support for Russian "sovereignty and security." Furthermore, Beijing has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Russia by criticizing Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

According to Fox News, Zhao also accused NATO of promoting "confrontation and conflict," adding that "it is filled with the Cold War mentality." The situation comes as this week, NATO agreed to update its strategic concept, which serves as the alliance's guiding principle and was last updated in 2010.

NATO's Strategic Concept

In a statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg pointed to China and Russia's growing relationship despite Moscow's "illegal" invasion of Ukraine as a major sticking point for the alliance. He said that the alliance did not regard China as an adversary but said they were disappointed by its failure to condemn Russia.

The alliance, which will soon include 32 members after the applications of Finland and Sweden are concluded, said that Russia "is the most significant and direct threat to Allies' security." However, they still noted that China's burgeoning relationship with Moscow remained a top concern.

The strategic concept wrote, "The deepening strategic partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut the rules-based international order run counter to our values and interests."

China's mission to the EU also said in a statement on Thursday that Beijing was furious about NATO's decision. "Who's challenging global security and undermining world peace? Are there any wars or conflicts over the years where NATO is not involved?" it said.

Since the beginning of Russia's war on Ukraine, China has continuously pointed its finger at the United States and NATO on multiple occasions. In response, the Western alliance has been openly talking about China for some time, The Guardian reported.





Related Article: China Warns NATO Expansion May Stir Conflict During Summit with Asian Rivals

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A man has gone viral on TikTok after sharing photos of his body modifications designed to make him look like a human skull.

Sandro Dahlke, from Brandenburg, Germany, is better known online by his nickname 'Mr Skullface' after having spent the equivalent of 8,000 on extreme body modifications.

He has shared his journey on TikTok under @mr.skullface666 and says people have accused him a Satanist because of his extreme appearance.

Sandro Dahlke, from Brandenburg, Germany, is better known online by his nickname 'Mr Skullface' after having spent 8,000 on extreme body modifications

Sandro, who has died his eyes and had horns implanted in his forehead, says the modifications are just for him as he prefers his look this way

The German has also modified his hands with a silicon spider on his left hand and a silicone horse on his right

Sandro has shared his journey on TikTok under @mr.skullface666 and says people have accused him a Satanist because of his extreme appearance

The 41-year-old has six ball implants in his head, visible in the photo above

The 41-year-old has undergone countless body modifications, including removing his ears, branding himself with a pentagram and getting six balls implanted in his head

The 41-year-old has undergone countless body modifications, including removing his ears, branding himself with a pentagram and getting six balls implanted in his head.

He also has 13 piercings, having got his first at age 17, a split tongue, four transdermal forehead implants, a silicon spider on his left hand and a silicone horse on his right, microchip implants and 40 tattoos.

To achieve his skull-like look, he has also had the skin around his eyes tattooed.

With the quotes translated from German, Sandro told NeedToKnow.online, 'Many think it was because I belong to the new modern satanism and that it was a type of worship, but this is not the case.

'My mods are just for me because I prefer them. Removing the earpiece [his ears] was the craziest thing.

'The procedure itself was [done] under anaesthetic. [...] since the seam was under tension, I had to be very watchful of my movements to not endanger them.

'Only after four months was it healed so far that it looked good.'

Sandro shows off the horns he has had implanted in his head and the startling head tattoos

Sandro has 13 piercings, a split tongue, four transdermal forehead implants, a silicon spider on his left hand and a silicone horse on his right, microchip implants and 40 tattoos

Sandro is used to people staring at him in public and commenting about his look online.

He said: 'In the public area, they [my modifications] are mostly looked [at like that's awesome]. Negatives are less [forthcoming], maybe because many are scared I could get mad or something.'

Sandro revealed he has received backlash from some religious groups over his modifications, particularly as he has altered his skin.

The body modification lover has recently taken to TikTok (@mr.skullface666), sharing his journey with his 6,662 followers.

In one clip, that's had over 6,000 views, Sandro shows off his forehead implants to stunned viewers, though many also commented on his jet-black eyes.

Many German TikTok users have commented on his jet black eyes and his split tongue

The creative 41-year-old says people should be allowed to look however they want to so long as they are not hurting anyone

'As long as you don't hurt or bother anyone, everyone is free to express themselves. As long as it's within the law,' commented one user.

'To each his own and I most,' added someone else. [sic]

'The eyes are really awesome. Looks mega,' wrote another user.

'I find you great as you are,' commented someone else.

Sandro added: 'I myself wish that people [had] more tolerance and go to people if they have questions and don't put everything and everyone in a drawer just because they don't know it.'
The outfits worn by the Queen for her appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony over the Platinum Jubilee weekend will go on display for the first time.

The two outfits, consisting of a coat and matching hat, will go on display from Sunday at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, as part of an exhibition celebrating the Platinum Jubilee.

It coincides with the Queen and senior royals including Prince Charles' visit to Scotland for Holyrood Week.

The outfits worn by the Queen for her appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony over the Platinum Jubilee weekend will go on display for the first time. For her first Platinum Jubilee appearance at Trooping the Colour, the Queen wore a pale blue dress with a matching coat and hat for the event, featuring a delicate beaded and diamante trim

The Queen's outfit for the last day of celebrations was designed by Stewart Parvin and the hat by milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan

The Platinum Jubilee ensembles will be displayed alongside outfits worn by Her Majesty to celebrate the Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees, as well as a selection of gifts which were given to her at official engagements in Scotland throughout her 70-year reign.

For her first Platinum Jubilee appearance at Trooping the Colour, the Queen wore a pale blue dress with a matching coat and hat for the event, featuring a delicate beaded and diamante trim.

It had also been worn by her Majesty for the official Platinum Jubilee photograph which was taken by Ranald Mackechnie the week before.

The second ensemble she wore for the Platinum Jubilee was a green wool-crepe dress and coat designed by Stewart Parvin, paired with a wool-crepe hat by milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan.

She sported the outfit when she made her appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on 5 June, which marked the end of four days of celebrations across the UK and Commonwealth.

The exhibition will also feature the Queen's Diamond Jubilee outfit which she wore to the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral and a lunch at Guildhall, on 5 June 2012

Another outfit on display is Her Majesty's outfit for the Golden Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving in 2002- a blue silk-crepe coat and dress by royal couturier, Sir Hardy Amies, who began designing clothing for The Queen in 1955 and was renowned for his elegant tailoring

The Queen chose another outfit by Sir Hardy Amies for the Silver Jubilee in 1977, wearing a dress, coat and stole in pink silk-crepe and chiffon

Workers are seen adjusting the outfits which are on display at Holyroodhouse until the end of September

The exhibition will also feature the Queen's Diamond Jubilee outfit which she wore to the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral and a lunch at Guildhall, on 5 June 2012.

Her ensemble for the Diamond Jubilee was created by Angela Kelly and is a pale turquoise dress and coat which is embroidered with scattered silver flowers and a coordinating hat embellished with chiffon and diamante.

Another outfit on display is Her Majesty's outfit for the Golden Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving in 2002- a blue silk-crepe coat and dress by royal couturier, Sir Hardy Amies, who began designing clothing for The Queen in 1955 and was renowned for his elegant tailoring.

Her look was finished with a hat created by miliner Frederick Fox. She chose another outfit by Sir Hardy Amies for the Silver Jubilee in 1977, wearing a dress, coat and stole in pink silk-crepe and chiffon.

There are also a group of works relating to the Queen's first official visit to Edinburgh, 20 days after her Coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953.

There are also gifts on display that the Queen has received from her many royal engagements in Scotland over the years

Additionally, the keys from this week's ceremony of the keys in Edinburgh are on display at the exhibition

There is a silver, wood and granite model of the Queensferry Crossing presented to the Queen by the Scottish Government in 2017

There is also a silver bowl engraved with a traditional blessing, presented by the Caledonian Club on the Golden Jubilee in 2002

Live performances will bring the Palace to life, with records spun by a gramophone DJ, a live jazz band and jive demonstrations.

Fifties fashions are encouraged and vintage hairstyling experts will be on hand to help complete any outfit.

Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy the Palace in the summer evening light and explore its historic State Apartments, as well as enjoying short curator talks about the Platinum Jubilee special display.
Tributes have poured in for Dame Deborah James this week, who passed away from bowel cancer at the age of 40.

Deborah, who was awarded a Damehood by Prince William in May, became known as Bowelbabe after setting up a fund to raise money for research into the disease.

It has now topped 7 million. But it was her podcast  You, Me And The Big C  which she presented with fellow cancer sufferers Rachael Bland and Lauren Mahon, that propelled her into the spotlight.

When co-presenter Rachael died in 2018, her husband, Steve, took her place, talking about the effects of caring for and losing a loved one from cancer. Here, Steve Bland pens a heartfelt letter to Deborahs husband, Seb.

I have cried many tears for Deb  and the lovely family she left behind  over the past few days.

I know all too well the heartbreak you are enduring right now. As a husband whose beloved wife also died far too young, I wish I could impart some wisdom that would lift you through the agony.

I stumbled my way through the early months and Im not sure theres any other way to do it, when every day begins with the sickening realisation that the woman you thought you would spend your life with has gone and ends with you going to bed alone, having run another obstacle course of painful memories and emotions.

But amid all the gut-wrenching sadness  and you have to have lived through it to truly understand it  there is bound also to be relief that Debs suffering is, at last, over.

Whatever you need, I want you to know that I am here for you and your lovely children, just as I promised Deb I would be.

For Deb, always fantastically practical, was there for me after my wife, Rachael, died aged 40  the same age Deb was when she died.

You and I have exchanged text messages often  mostly me checking how you are because I remember vividly everyone asking after Rachael and rarely how I was. But who could possibly understand the toll that nursing a loved one through a terminal illness takes if theyve never experienced the trauma of it?

Recently, though, Ive sent messages telling you what an amazing job youre doing.

Youve been by Debs side throughout, making her last few weeks as memorable as possible, with outings to Ascot and the Chelsea Flower Show. And, as magical as it looked in the photographs, I know what it must have taken out of you and the family.

Some people may have looked at the pictures and thought: Oh, shes a bit thin but shes doing OK but I know, from experience, that her body will have been so weak by then that she would have been sleeping round the clock and could do little for herself.

As a sporty vegetarian in her 30s, Deb was far from a typical bowel cancer patient and she was determined to prevent others turning a blind eye to symptoms. She was so incredibly savvy in her execution of this

Those were snapshots in what were otherwise the most challenging of days.

I remember lying in bed next to Rachael towards the end, terrified she was about to take her last breath. She opened her eyes once and said: Stop waiting for me to die, and we laughed as I explained that I didnt know how to be, or what to expect  hoping it would happen while we slept, so that I didnt have to witness it.

When the time did come, however, I was glad I was awake to hold her hand.

I know that you were with Deb at the end, too, and like me, you had been on constant high alert for a long time before that, which is both physically and mentally exhausting.

Deb always said she was inspired by Rachael to die well  having done everything she wanted to do, said everything she wanted to say, without regrets, and surrounded by the people she loved  and Im told that she did exactly that.

The next couple of weeks will be a whirlwind as you deal with everything and organise the funeral.

Ive had lots of WhatsApp messages from Deb in recent weeks  granted, not as many as she used to send, when Id sometimes wake to a hundred of them, sent overnight to our podcast group  asking how we had organised Rachaels funeral.

Ill never forget Deb turning up at the church looking incredibly glamorous  didnt she always?  in a floppy black hat and sunglasses, then, sadly, having to be taken home early because she felt unwell due to the treatment she was receiving at the time.

Ever the forward planner, she wanted to know how Id dealt with being in the public eye around the funeral and I told her that lots of TV crews had asked to attend but wed insisted on it being a private affair.

After the funeral, when life goes back to normal for other people, when they stop calling in and dropping things off, and youre left with this great big hole in your life that you cant imagine ever being able to fill, it will be incredibly hard. And I want you to know that Ill be at the end of a phone if you need me.

As a parent, even on the darkest days, when all you want to do is pull the duvet over your head, you have no choice but to get up and carry on, for the sake of your children. And those reasons for living  in your case Hugo, 14, and Eloise, 12, and in mine, Freddie, who was only three when his mother died  are a great blessing.

I recommend having a project, too. During the months I couldnt face work, I focused my energies on finishing writing the book, For Freddie, that Rachael had not had the time to complete. You will have the magnificent Bowelbabe Fund.

You know better than most that Deb felt she and Bowelbabe, the moniker she created for herself, were two very different people.

She told me that Bowelbabe was much cooler than her, like a caricature, and under that guise she felt she could do anything.

The real Deb, meanwhile, was an ordinary woman with cancer, who was afraid, who didnt want to die, but was also determined to live every last minute to the fullest.

Your wife was a superstar, literally one in a million, and I feel unbelievably lucky to have been able to call her my friend  a friendship that only developed after Rachael died and I took her place on the podcast, You, Me And The Big C, alongside Deb and Lauren, providing the spouse and widowers perspective.

I have cried many tears for Deb  and the lovely family she left behind  over the past few days. I know all too well the heartbreak you are enduring right now. As a husband whose beloved wife also died far too young, I wish I could impart some wisdom that would lift you through the agony

My first contact with Deb was a text message three days before Rachael died, which simply said: What can I do?

Something we agreed she could do, and which she threw herself into with gusto, was awareness-raising media interviews, which I didnt feel strong enough to cope with at the time.

While Deb relished being in the public eye, it might not be somewhere you feel particularly comfortable, so I suspect youre feeling a little overwhelmed that the focus of attention has shifted from your wife to you.

The day after Rachael died, I remember seeing my face, alongside hers, on the front pages of newspapers and, although Id worked in the media for years, as a journalist and then a BBC producer, finding myself in the spotlight took some adjusting to.

However, I suspect, once you have the strength, you will want to do what you can to continue Debs legacy through the Bowelbabe Fund, just as I agreed, after having battened down the hatches to grieve with my family for a few months, to take Rachaels place on the podcast.

It was then, in early 2019, that I really got to know Deb. She, Lauren and I would go for lunch and drinks after recording and we would talk, laugh and even sometimes cry  Lauren and I are the more tactile, emotional ones while Deb was never one for outpourings and would bristle when we hugged her, something we would tease her about.

As a sporty vegetarian in her 30s, Deb was far from a typical bowel cancer patient and she was determined to prevent others turning a blind eye to symptoms. She was so incredibly savvy in her execution of this.

She liked looking at her Instagram analytics, what worked and what didnt, and I remember her telling me a couple of years ago: When I dance around in my underwear I get loads of followers and loads of engagement, so I think I might just carry on doing that.

Some onlookers might have said: You are just a massive show-off. And, obviously, she was a bit of a show-off sometimes, but only ever because she wanted to build an audience so she could spread the word far and wide. Her courage in speaking out over the past five years must have saved countless lives.

It was her podcast  You, Me And The Big C  which she presented with fellow cancer sufferers Rachael Bland and Lauren Mahon, that propelled her into the spotlight

However, when people asked what her greatest legacy would be, Deb would always say: My children.

I recall her once telling me that she didnt feel shed been a very good mother before her cancer diagnosis in 2016, which she said had turned her into a much better mum.

I understand she had previously been very career-oriented, devoting much of her time to her work as a deputy headteacher, and, cliched though it sounds, when youre told you dont have long left to live, it really concentrates the mind on whats most precious in your life.

She spent far more time with the children these past five-and-a-half years, making memories, putting them first, which she told me she didnt always do before.

As devastating as her death must be for Hugo and Eloise, they have certainly had the best version of their incredible mum since her diagnosis.

And Eloise is so like her mother, she will always be a wonderful reminder to you all.

The first time I met your daughter was after doing an interview at the Television Centre in London a couple of years ago.

She and Deb came to meet me afterwards and I was walking beside Eloise while her mum was a few paces behind, looking at her phone. Eloise turned to her and said: Deborah, will you come on!

It really made me chortle and I said: Shes your mini-me! which made Deb snort in recognition.

Im not speaking out of turn when I say that you and Deb had your challenges before she got her diagnosis, as it is well-documented, and I mention it now because she was very proud of the way youve stepped up, particularly over the past couple of years, as her condition became graver.

Deb said it was a huge weight off her mind that youre such a great dad because she knew that meant your children would be well taken care of after she was gone.

How surreal it feels to write that now. For despite the doctors warnings in May that Deb didnt have long left, her indomitable strength and resilience convinced us all that she was actually indestructible.

The other day I came across the proposal for the podcast, You, Me And The Big C, that Rachael sent to BBC Radio 5 Live five years ago.

I smiled to myself noticing that, at the time, Deborah had just a couple of thousand Instagram followers  small fry compared to the million she has since notched up  but Rachael, always brilliant at spotting talent, was in no doubt that she would make the perfect co-presenter.

Likewise, lovely Lauren, who is struggling to come to terms with Deborahs death. To be the only survivor from the original three podcasters, and to have lost another dear friend to this dreadful disease, is a difficult thing to bear. But, as Deb often said, there can be life after cancer.

As you know, Ive been fortunate enough to find love again  I feel incredibly blessed to have hit the jackpot twice  with a wonderful woman, a beautiful advanced nurse practitioner called Amy, who I will marry this summer.

The last time I saw Deb, in June last year, I introduced her to Amy, who had travelled to London with me to celebrate my 41st birthday.

Far from it being awkward for Amy to meet one of Rachaels close friends, Deb was her warm, wonderful self and could not have been more welcoming.

I know that she hoped you and the children would find real happiness again, after she was gone  Rachael wanted the same for me and Freddie  and she took great comfort in seeing Amy and me together, especially knowing how devoted she is to Freddie.

I understand that you will have felt anything but fortunate over the past few weeks  there can be few greater pains than watching the woman you love suffer.

But how lucky are we to have had incredible wives, who each took the dreadful hand that life dealt them and, instead of wallowing in self-pity, became a force for so much good.

The one thing that has brought me real solace this week is imagining Deb and Rachael reunited, no longer suffering and raising a toast to the incredible things they achieved in their too short time on earth.

I hope this thought brings you some comfort too.
Mutley is about ten inches long with a flat face, glossy black eyes and extraordinarily soft fur  and is currently snuffling and shivering with excitement to be out and about in the warm summer air.

He is a five-year-old pug-chihuahua cross who smells of biscuits and washing powder, and he has been living here at the RSCPA Leybourne Animal Centre in Kent for about six weeks now. For sadly his previous owners realised that  however much they adored him  as the cost of living crunch tightens, they couldnt keep him any longer.

Benjamin the lion-headed rabbit  timidly nibbling a pile of fresh herbs in his run  is in the same boat. He was abandoned in a cardboard box a few weeks ago. And so  along with dozens of other bunnies  was Cottontail. Shes a fantastically friendly white rabbit who will lick your hand in gratitude if you scratch her between the ears.

Theres also Doja, a beautiful tortoiseshell cat with comedically big eyes, who is barely five months old and was clearly well fed  and very well loved  until, of course, it was that her owners gave her up.

Mutley is about ten inches long with a flat face, glossy black eyes and extraordinarily soft fur  and is currently snuffling and shivering with excitement to be outside

And we mustnt forget Penelope; a big soft golden labrador, she has been here since late March when she was dumped at the centres front door. In fact, there is pen upon pen of dogs  greyhounds, cockapoos, bulldogs, spaniels, terriers, huskies. But also, dozens of cats, two cockerels called Paul and Barry (aka the Chuckle Brothers), ferrets, a slew of unwanted guinea pigs and even a small pack of exquisite dappled American miniature horses that barely come up to my thigh.

Every enclosure is occupied. Every lovingly laundered bed is full. When I arrive, the staff are in the middle of a crisis meeting to see how they can reorganise things to squeeze in a few more unwanteds.

Weve never been busier, says centre manager Darren Parrish, who has worked for the RSPCA for over 20 years. We had a huge surge in new pet ownership over lockdown but now the cost-of-living crisis is really starting to bite with new owners struggling for income. This could be like nothing weve ever seen before  the perfect storm.

Sadly, the problem is not confined to Kent. All around the country, record numbers of pets are being abandoned every week  rabbits and guinea pigs discarded in shoe boxes, dogs left tied up and cats simply shut out to fend for themselves.

Benjamin the lion-headed rabbit  timidly nibbling a pile of fresh herbs in his run  was also abandoned

Last week a litter of 11 new-born pups, umbilical cords still attached, was found in a bin bag in a wood near Huddersfield. Despite the best efforts of shelter staff, four have since died.

Even exotics  iguanas and snakes  are being dropped off in tanks and cages outside rescues, as owners decide they can no longer heat their vivariums 24 hours a day or source specialist food.

Earlier this week, the RSPCA revealed that between January and April it had taken in nearly 20 per cent more cats compared with last year and 79 per cent more unwanted rabbits. Four out of five pet owners asked said they were worried that the financial squeeze was going to affect their pets.

With so many new pet owners, we were always very worried about what was going to happen at the end of the pandemic, but even we didnt expect it to be this bad, says Dr Sam Gaines, Head of Companion Animals at the RSPCA.

Were facing an urgent threat to pet welfare.

The trouble is, much as we love them, pets cost a lot  insurance premiums, neutering, worming, vets bills, good-quality food, bedding, walking, training.

Having a cat is a 20 to 25 year commitment. A dog, up to about 15 years, depending on breed. Even a rabbit should live for ten years.

Whereas owners were previously more than happy to make the financial commitment in exchange for many years of joy, the cost of living crisis has forced a brutal re-evaluation of priorities.

And if owners arent dumping their animals, theyre finding other ways to cut corners.

Some are dodging neutering costs, simply hoping for the best. While others ditch monthly insurance premiums and live in fear of spiralling vets bills.

Buster, a five-year-old French bulldog, was taken in by the RSPCAs Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home when his uninsured owners could not afford expensive surgery to widen his narrow nostrils and remove excess tissue that obstructs his airways. Pregnant cats arrive all the time, too.

We ask them, why didnt you get them neutered and they say, we havent had the time with Covid, says Chris Hermiston, kennel and cattery team leader at the Worcester Animal Shelter. But its been two years! Mostly its down to money.

Last week a litter of 11 new-born pups, umbilical cords still attached, was found in a bin bag in a wood near Huddersfield

Other hard-pressed owners put their pets on lower quality foods, or just limit the amount they feed them  with terrible consequences.

Poor nutrition, particularly for young animals, can cause developmental issues and digestive problems, says Darren Parrish. Hunger can also lead to behavioural problems such as aggression and anxiety.

Despite current pressures, the root of the problem clearly lies in the pandemic.

Over one-and-a-half million extra dogs were acquired during the first 18 months, causing a spike in the average cost of a pup from 876 to 2,237 by March 2021, though some went for utterly ludicrous sums. I heard of someone paying 10,000 for an English bulldog, says Darren.

But despite their best intentions, many of these new-found owners had zero experience of pet ownership. In January 2021 it was revealed more than a third of new pandemic dog owners hadnt taken their pet to the park.

Right now, though, rabbits seems to be the ones really suffering. Weve got rabbits coming out of our ears! says Darren. Rabbits everywhere.

And the reason for the bunny surge is two-fold. First, thanks to social media and celebrity owners, rabbits  particularly indoor rabbits  became very fashionable over lockdown. But second, what many failed to realise is that rabbits are far, far more demanding  and expensive  than most people appreciate.

They have complex emotional and nutritional needs. They need another rabbit for company, a lot of space and good-quality food because if they become overweight, they cant clean themselves properly and suffer horrendous wounds and infections, says Darren.

Much of which was conveniently ignored by the hundreds of thousands of new owners, desperate for cute Covid companionship.

And its the same story across the board. According to a study by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, a fifth of new puppy owners had not stopped to consider how theyd care for their pet once they returned to the office.

Their dogs were also poorly socialised for two years and now struggle to interact with other animals. When their owners went back to the office, many pups suffered terrible anxiety.

Some would bark all day. Cats would urinate on soft furnishings. And as the financial crisis looms ever larger, many people have had to stay away longer, working extra shifts  or even pack up and downsize. Suddenly there may be no outside space and most landlords wont take pets.

Even a small pack of exquisite dappled American miniature horses that barely come up to my thigh were in the enclosure

Add all this together and its easy to see how you find yourself with a huge knock-on abandoned animal crisis. Of course, organisations like the RSPCA are doing their best. They tell me they will never turn an animal away.

But Woodgreen shelter in London  run by Linda Cantle and her team  are trying a different tactic, doing everything they can to keep animals in their homes. This might involve providing food in the short term, covering vet bills and offering training support. Were helping over 600 pets a month, she says.

After all, being forced to give up a beloved pet can have a catastrophic effect on mental health. The breakdown of a relationship with a pet can be very damaging and guilt-ridden, says Linda. [Owners] can feel theyre failing an important member of their family.

That said, some people clearly should never have been allowed to have a pet in the first place.

Haze, a two-year-old American bulldog cross has been in the RSPCA Leybourne shelter for about a month. Still acclimatising after spending much of his life cooped-up in a single darkened room, he cant stop rolling in the grass, soft tummy skywards and marvelling at the sky above him.

Restricted for so long, Haze either self-mutilated or somehow damaged his tail so badly it nearly had to be amputated. He still cant cope with the racket of the dog pens, and so spends most of his time lying in state in Darrens office.

Doja, a beautiful tortoiseshell cat with comedically big eyes, who is barely five months old, was clearly well fed  and very well loved  until, of course, it was that her owners gave her up

Everyone is exhausted, says Chris Hermiston of Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter. They say that animal care has one of the highest suicide rates. It can be a very emotional and difficult job.

It seems there are no winners in this crisis. Not the owners, nor the rescue centres.

And certainly not the poor, bewildered animals shunted about like discarded toys.

As I have one last cuddle with Mutley the pug-chihuahua cross, and give Cottontail the rabbit a last scratch between the ears, Darren  up to his eyes in abandoned animals  has one final heartfelt plea, for me, for you, for anyone thinking of getting a pet.

Please, please dont shop but come to a rescue shelter  any rescue shelter, there are plenty of us  and adopt! Because remember, every time an animal is adopted, we can help another.

n Help rehome a pet at rspca.org.uk/findapet
TROPICAL PINEAPPLE AND PASSION FRUIT TART

Serves 8

125ml (4fl oz) concentrated pineapple juice

50g (1oz) caster sugar

4 passion fruits, halved

3 limes, halved

150g (5oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced

2 platinum grade gelatine leaves

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

12 coconut macaroons

Chopped mango, kiwi fruit and watermelon, and pomegranate seeds, to decorate

Place the pineapple juice and sugar in a bowl. Press the juice of the passion fruits and limes through a sieve into the bowl.

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the butter and stir until melted.

COOK'S TIP You can use any fruit to decorate this tart. The leftover egg whites can be used for meringue or an egg white omelette. Advertisement

Place the gelatine in a bowl with 4tbsp cold water and leave to soften for 5 minutes.

Beat the eggs and egg yolks together, then whisk into the juice and butter mixture, stirring gently for about 10 minutes over a low heat until the mixture thickens enough to thinly coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the mixture to get too hot or the eggs may curdle.

Squeeze the water from the gelatine and stir into the juice mixture until dissolved. Remove the bowl from the heat. Allow to cool until slightly thickened, but not set.

Place the macaroons in a food processor and blitz into crumbs. Press firmly into the base and sides of a 35 x 20cm rectangular loose-bottomed flan tin (or a 20cm round tin).

Spread the fruit curd evenly over the top and leave to set for 1-2 hours. Decorate with fruit.

Matthew Juke's wine pairing: Fab with Fruit

NV Waitrose Blueprint Moscatel de Valencia Spain (6.49, Waitrose)

To accompany a recipe with so many overtly exotic fruit notes, you need a wine thats happy to let the food take centre stage. For this reason Ive selected a bargain-priced, grapey moscatel with silky-smooth fruit and lashings of juiciness. It may not be complex but it understands that the recipe is the star!

HERITAGE TOMATO AND BASIL PESTO TART

Serves 6

320g pack ready-rolled puff pastry

500g (1lb 2oz) heritage tomatoes in different colours

Salt and black pepper

2tbsp basil pesto sauce

25g (1oz) Parmesan, grated

1 ball of mozzarella cheese, drained

A handful of fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Remove the pastry from the fridge and set aside for 10 minutes before unrolling, then place on a baking tray, using the paper it is rolled in to line the tin.

Score a line about 3cm inside all the sides to make a border. Prick the inside of the pastry case all over with a fork then bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, thickly slice the tomatoes and lay them on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and leave to drain.

When the pastry is cooked, remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4.

Push the pastry down in the centre to flatten slightly, then spread thinly with the pesto. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Crumble over half the mozzarella then arrange the sliced tomatoes in rows over the top.

Add the remaining mozzarella and bake for a further 5-8 minutes until the mozzarella has just melted. Serve topped with fresh basil leaves.

Matthew Juke's wine pairing: Perfect with pesto

2021 Planeta, LAmistanza, Fiano/ Grecanico Sicily, Italy (10, Tesco)

While there have been a few off-beat pairings this week, this is a no-nonsense combo. An epic Sicilian white with a tomato tart  nothing compares to this time-honoured pairing, and you ought to have a second bottle to hand because the first will disappear in the blink of an eye.

CHOCOLATE AND MINT NO-BAKE TAR

Serves 10-12

500ml (18fl oz) double cream

30g (1oz) mint, chopped

75g (2oz) unsalted butter

300g (10oz) chocolate digestives, crushed

2 platinum grade gelatine leaves

200g (7oz) white chocolate, finely chopped

2 medium eggs, separated

A few drops of green food colouring (optional)

150g (5oz) mint-flavoured dark chocolate, broken into pieces

1tbsp golden syrup

92g pack of mint Aero Bubbles, chopped (optional)

Place 150ml of the cream and the mint leaves in a pan. Bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Melt the butter in a separate pan. Add the digestives and stir until the chocolate has melted. Press firmly into the base and sides of a 20cm loose-bottomed flan tin. Chill for 15-20 minutes.

COOK'S TIP Weve decorated the tart with Aero Bubbles, but you could use fresh mint, mint chocolate thins or just leave it plain. Advertisement

Place the gelatine in a bowl with 2tbsp water and leave to soften for 5 minutes. Pour the infused cream through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the mint to extract the flavour.

Discard the mint and return the cream to the pan. Heat gently. Squeeze the water from the gelatine, add to the cream and stir until dissolved.

Melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add the cream mixture and egg yolks. Stir gently to combine (dont over mix or it will thicken).

In a separate bowl, whip 150ml cream to soft peaks. In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.

Fold the egg whites and whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture until smooth, adding a few drops of green colouring, if using. Pour onto the biscuit base and leave to set for 30 minutes.

Place the remaining 200ml cream in a pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat.

Add the dark chocolate and syrup, stirring until smooth. Leave to cool for 20 minutes, then pour over the top of the tart.

Chill until fully set (about 1 hour). Just before serving, decorate with chocolates, if using.

Matthew Juke's wine pairing: Magical with mint

2020 Fonte del Re, Lacrima di Morro dAlba Marche, Italy (15, Tesco)

Lacrima is a rare grape with a rosewater perfume and a velvety palate, and it is unlike any flavour you will have tasted. It adores both dark chocolate notes and minty tones, so this is a wild pairing designed to alter your flavour horizons.

SMOKED HADDOCK & SPINACH CHEESY TART

Serves 6

For the cheese pastry

250g (9oz) plain flour

125g (4oz) butter, diced

A pinch of salt

40g (1oz) Cheddar, finely grated

A pinch of smoked paprika

For the filling

125g (4oz) spinach

200g (7oz) smoked haddock, skinned and cut into chunks

1 small leek, thinly sliced

300ml (10fl oz) creme fraiche

2 eggs

Zest of 1 lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

Blitz the flour, butter and salt in a processor to make fine crumbs (or rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips). Stir in the cheese and paprika.

Tip into a bowl, add 3-4tbsp water and bring together into a ball. Pat into a flat disc, wrap in clingfilm then chill for 30 minutes.

COOK'S TIP For extra flavour, try adding a few sprigs of chopped thyme to the pastry and use any hard cheese such as Pecorino. Advertisement

Roll out the pastry large enough to line a deep 20cm fluted tart tin. Trim the pastry edges and chill for a further 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice.

Bake for 15 minutes or until pale golden. Remove the paper and beans or rice and return to the oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and reduce the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

Place the spinach in a colander over the sink. Pour over a kettle full of boiling water. Press down to remove as much water as possible.

Pat dry with kitchen paper. Add the haddock to the pastry case in an even layer, then scatter over the spinach and the leek.

Mix the creme fraiche with the eggs and lemon zest. Season with pepper and pour over the fish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until just set and cooked through. Serve warm or cold.

Matthew Juke's wine pairing: Heroic with haddock

2020 Paul Jaboulet Aine, Viognier France (10, reduced to 8 until 19 July, Sainsburys)

With a peachy perfume and a long, dramatic finish, this is the best-value viognier on the planet, and its a dream pairing for this haddock and spinach tart.
A Melbourne restaurant owner who barely managed to keep her business alive during Covid has hit out at a 'shameless' food blogger for requesting $100 worth of free meals in return for social media exposure.

Katie Marron sadly closed the doors of Miss Katie's Crab Shack on July 29 after nine years, an establishment which gave its thousands of customers dishes like chowder, gumbo - a rich seafood stew - and $1 oysters.

She told her loyal fans that the business would be shuttering on June 14 with a heartbreaking message on Instagram, but that didn't stop a food blogger who goes by @thebrownkhaleesi - who has since deleted her account - from asking to review the venue before it closed.

'Hello :) Do you collaborate with food bloggers to come review your venue before you shut down?' The blogger, who had 10,000 followers, asked Ms Marron.

Katie Marron (pictured) sadly closed the doors of Miss Katie's Crab Shack on July 29 after nine years, an establishment which gave its thousands of customers dishes like chowder, gumbo - a rich seafood stew - and $1 oysters

In private messages posted to social media by Australian restaurant critic John Lethlean, the restaurant owner asked her what she meant by collaborating (pictured)

In private messages posted to social media by Australian restaurant critic John Lethlean, the restaurant owner asked her what she meant by collaborating, to which the blogger explained: 'I work with local restaurants and come try some of their popular dishes and create video reels and TikTok content in exchange for a voucher or meals to try.

Ms Marron was seemingly unimpressed by the response.

'Ok, given the shack will be closing on July 29, could you please explain how this would be beneficial to me and my struggling business that is weeks away from closure due to financial pressure,' she wrote back.

The blogger replied: 'No worries, I would be able to ask my followers and promote the restaurant and many people would come. But understand if $100 is a lot [to ask].'

'After the absolutely crippling couple of years, the hospitality industry has been dragged through, what I would really like to see is people like yourself having a greater understanding for what it takes to put that plate of food on a customer's table,' Ms Marron said.

Melbourne endured the world's longest lockdowns during the Covid pandemic, with no less than six lockdowns totalling 262 days since March 2020.

The blogger replied: 'No worries, I would be able to ask my followers and promote the restaurant and many people would come. But understand if $100 is a lot [to ask]

The food blogger in question has since deleted her account after receiving backlash

'Clearly you're keen on checking out my restaurant and you're a fan of hospitality venues so I'd invite you to come and support my business in its final days and pay for a meal in full,' she continued.

'Sadly your posts, lovely as they may be, simply won't pay my bills. Please let me know if you'd like me to book you a table, I'd be more than happy to oblige.'

Plenty of Mr Lethlean's followers were quick to call out the behaviour, with one saying: 'Wtf will a review do when it's shut down? I hate these people.'

Ms Marron's post about her restaurant closing down was received with great sadness in the broader community.

Ms Marron's post about her restaurant closing down was received with great sadness in the broader community

'No one could have predicted the rocky road ahead,' she said in June.

'Due to the impacts of Covid and rising costs, I have struggled to keep the Shack alive. The landscape of the hospitality industry has shifted and it's time to re-examine things.

'I have held on to the Shack for as long as I can as I love her so much, she has served me well.

'But it's time for new beginnings. I must embrace change and move in a new direction. It's time to call it a day.

'It is with mixed feelings I will be saying farewell to my beloved Crab Shack.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ms Marron for further comment.

Ms Marron will be back in the form of a new bar called Suzi Cheeks, opening in August.
A food scientist has revealed that cooking rice like pasta yields 'perfect' and 'fluffy' rice every single time.

Jennifer Pallian, from Vancouver, is known for sharing niche cooking tips and original recipes backed by food science on her Instagram account.

'This rice hack will change your life,' she said. 'It is how my mother-in-law in India makes rice.'

'Instead of precisely measuring your rice and water and hoping for the best, simply fill a large pot with water as you would for pasta.'

Scroll down for video.

A food scientist revealed cooking rice like pasta yields perfectly fluffy rice every single time

She added the rice and cooked at a low boil until soft, and then she strained the excess water out with a colander.

'You'll get fluffy, separate grains - or in other words, perfect rice, every time!' she said.

And similar to the traditional method of boiling pasta, Jennifer adds approximately 2 tsp of salt per 4 cups of water.

The food scientist also revealed that the technique was not just limited to rice, and that it worked just as well for most grains including quinoa, barley, amaranth, and millet.

She also suggested that because of the unconventional method, cooks might have to check on the rice five minutes sooner than the package instructs.

'It takes me about fifteen minutes to cook white basmati, but as a rule I would check on the grains earlier than usual,' she said.

Jennifer Pallian said that instead of precisely measuring her rice and water and hoping for the best, she simply fills a large pot with water as she would for pasta and adds the rice in

The food scientist also revealed that the technique was not just limited to rice, and that it worked just as well for most grains including quinoa, barley, amaranth, and millet

Jennifer's post received hundreds of comments with many sharing their own tips and tricks for cooking rice.

'Basmati rice in particular benefits from soaking and washing,' said one woman.

She added, 'Soaking improves the aromatic flavour because it wont need to be boiled for as long. It also helps the rice become more digestible.'

'I have found that a tiny pat of butter or dollop of ghee is fantastic, too!'

'Sometimes I sprinkle vegetable stock in instead of salt for the extra flavour kick.'

'I always strain my rice after cooking in extra water - it removes excess starch and always results in an extremely fluffy end result,' added a fourth.
Aussies have mocked America for seemingly only just discovering that electric kettles exist, and save a lot of time boiling water rather than using the stove.

It's long been a bizarre quirk of the United States that millions refused to move with the times on the topic of electric kettles, while the UK has been enjoying the tea-creating device for more than a century.

The New York Times recently published an article with the headline - 'A swift and easy way to heat water without using a stove' - sharing a list of products it recommended purchasing to make the most of the new 'trend'.

'Consider the electric kettle. Many models will even let you set a precise temperature - key for getting the best flavour out of your coffee or tea,' the article continued.

It's long been a bizarre quirk of the United States' that it refused to move with the times on the topic of electric kettles, while the UK has been enjoying the tea-creating device for more than a century

Australian journalist Benjamin Law shared a screenshot of the title on Instagram with many Americans forced to defend their 'new discovery'.

'Kettles are a new thing there? I knew they were living in the 1940s but I didn't know it was that bad ' wrote one person.

'They might even start drinking decent coffee one day,' added another.

'My grandparents used to destroy an electric kettle each visit to Australia, by putting it on the stove,' explained another.

One person savagely declared: 'All pointless, Americans are incapable of making decent tea or coffee anyway'.

'Kettles are a new thing there? I knew they were living in the 1940s but I didn't know it was that bad ' wrote one person (stock image)

'Look, we finally got chips on our debit and credit cards. Go easy on us here,' one said.

But some did leap to defend the American way, with one person writing: 'The voltage doesn't support using an electric kettle with the efficiency we enjoy in Australia. Everyone in my (American) family uses a stovetop kettle.'

The New York Times has changed the title of its article to 'the best electric kettle' after sighting the debate online.

Adam Foskey, who moved from the southern US state of Georgia to Melbourne, spoke on the topic in February, baffled that Americans tend to make tea by boiling water on the stove rather than using a kettle.

In a video posted to his popular TikTok page, Adam makes tea as he would in America - by filling a pot with water and bringing it to a boil on the stove - then again as he would in Australia - by simply flicking on the kettle.

American expat, Adam Foskey, has caused a stir online after pointing out one major difference between US and Australian kitchens

America vs Australia: In a video to TikTok the Georgian man who now lives in Melbourne, showed that Americans make tea by boiling a pot of water on the stove while Australians simply flick on the kettle

Hundreds of Aussie viewers in the comments were shocked to discover that Americans don't use the ubiquitous kitchen gadget at the time.

Poll How do you boil water for your tea? Kettle Stove How do you boil water for your tea? Kettle 1588 votes

Stove 64 votes Now share your opinion





'What! America doesn't have kettles!? Did they forget? Or.. what??' one wrote.

'I remember struggling to make a tea in the USA using the coffee maker, called downstairs for a kettle I got silence,' said another.

'Note to self: Pack the kettle for Disneyland trip,' a third joked.

Some pointed out that many Americans skip the stove altogether and use the microwave while others tried to explain why kettles were so uncommon.

'I read a whole thread by Americans this morning about boiling water on the stove vs in the microwave...' one person said.

'It's that the power outlets are low voltage in US so kettles don't really work or would be super slow to heat,' another user explained.
The Russian onslaught on the eastern city of Lysychansk has resumed, and Russian soldiers have taken over the refinery, according to Vitaliy Kiselev, the assistant minister of interior of the Russian-backed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), on Russian-backed media source Zvezda.

Meanwhile, according to a Thursday evening report from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia is currently conducting assault operations in the vicinity of the Lysychansk oil refinery and has "had partial success, and occupies the northwestern and southeastern sections of the plant.

Situation in Lysychansk "Extremely Dangerous"

Serhiy Hayday, commander of the Luhansk area military administration, warned on Thursday night that Lysychansk is an extremely tough situation. It was reasonably peaceful for the first several weeks after the Russians took Snake Island in the Black Sea on the first day of their incursion into Ukraine on February 24. On May 2, the Ukrainians began using Bayraktar TB2 drones to attack Russian soldiers and equipment on and around the island.

Since then, the Ukrainians have performed drone strikes on the island virtually every week. The strikes were massively successful, destroying military vehicles, structures, ships, and even a helicopter.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed Russian forces evacuated the island on Thursday following what they called a successful operation. Meanwhile, Russian army spokesman Igor Konashenkov stated during a press conference that the army's personnel departed the island as a gesture of goodwill, CNN reported.

Russian military abandoned Snake Island, a crucial Black Sea stronghold, on Thursday, in a triumph for Ukraine that might reduce Russia's stranglehold over Ukrainian ports.

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Ukraine Drives Out Russian Troops

After an artillery and missile attack overnight, Ukraine claimed to have forced Russian soldiers out. In contrast, a Ukrainian officer in the highly fought-over eastern region of Luhansk recounted Thursday's challenges for Ukrainian forces in the city of Lysychansk.

Russian artillery blasted from multiple directions while the Russian army was advancing from several sides, regional governor Serhiy Gaidai stated on Ukrainian television.

According to an official from the pro-Russian separatist government in the Luhansk region, the Lysychansk oil refinery is now totally controlled by Russian and pro-Russian forces, as are all highways leading to Lysychansk. According to Ukraine, the major route out is generally unusable due to fighting, although the city is not completely cut off.

In his nightly video speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed both Snake Island and the Donbas area, which includes the border regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The liberation of Snake Island was crucial for the situation in the Black Sea, but "it does not yet guarantee security; it does not yet guarantee that the enemy will not return," he stated. The Russians "have just brought in all their reserves to strike us" in Luhansk and Donetsk, Zelenskiy claimed. Russian forces have been attempting to encircle Lysychansk since last week when they took Sievierodonetsk on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets River after weeks of combat.

Russia has concentrated its firepower in the Donbas area, taking cities and villages. Despite ceding ground and suffering crushing casualties in recent weeks in the Donbas, Ukraine aims to inflict enough damage to tire Russia's advancing army. Ukrainian soldiers have launched a counter-offensive in the region's south, according Reuters.

According to a spokesman for Russian-backed fighters, the Ukrainian forces' attempt to defend Lysychansk and Severodonetsk was pointless and futile. Russia may be hoping that realpolitik will kick in, with Ukraine being pressured to accept the territorial loss in the name of peace and global stability. Ukraine would very probably reject this, resulting in a frozen situation, as per BBC.

Related Article: China Blames US for Russia's Ongoing Invasion of Ukraine; NATO Allies Brand Moscow as "Biggest Threat" to Global Security

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The UK is entering its fifth Covid wave, and while the effect on hospitals and loss of life has been reduced with every surge of the virus, many experts still expect the latest rise to cause disruption to the economy.

But there is a little-known sliver of British territory that has yet to endure a single case of the virus, never mind a full-blown wave.

While the rest of the world is still reeling from the effects of lockdowns and mask-mandates, the past two years have been almost business as usual for the 250 residents on Tristan da Cunha  a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean.

Located 6,140miles away, the British overseas territory is only accessible via a week-long boat ride from Cape Town in South Africa by infrequently passing fishing and research vessels.

Not a single Covid case has reached its shores due to the length of the trip, and boats were turned around if anyone on-board was suspected of even carrying the virus.

The island was able to get vaccines shipped in by the British Government, though these had to be more traditional Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs as the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna had to be kept in ultracold temperatures and would not have survived the trip.

Located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Tristan da Cunha is the most isolated inhabited island on Earth a factor that has worked to its advantage during the Covid pandemic. The island is pictured here as an albatrosses soars by

Tristan da Cunha is a British overseas territory located 6,140miles from London

Islanders went out on a boat to pick up Covid vaccines that were shipped specially to the island

The vaccines being lowered down from the HMS Forth. The jabs had to be of the Oxford/AstraZeneca make as these were the only ones that could survive the trip

How Britain's Overseas Territories have fared in the Covid pandemic? Note: Some British Overseas territories are military bases where Covid data has not been made publicly available Anguilla (Caribbean) Total Covid cases: 3,456 Deaths: 9 Bermuda (North Atlantic) Total Covid cases: 15,957 Deaths: 138 British Antarctic Territory (Antarctica) Total Covid cases: 0 Deaths: 0 British Virgin Islands (Caribbean) Total Covid cases: 6,941 Deaths: 63 British Indian Ocean Territory (Indian Ocean) Total Covid cases: 0 Deaths: 0 Cayman Islands (Caribbean) Total Covid cases: 27,171 Deaths: 28 Falkland Islands (South Atlantic Ocean) Total Covid cases: 1,807 Deaths: 0 Gibraltar (Europe) Total Covid cases: 19,306 Deaths: 104 Montserrat (Caribbean) Total Covid cases: 1,016 Deaths: 8 Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands (Pacific Ocean) Total Covid cases: 0 Deaths: 0 Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (South Atlantic Ocean) Total Covid cases: 4 Deaths: 0 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (South Atlantic Ocean) Total Covid cases: 0 Deaths: 0 Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Cyprus) Total Covid cases: 0 Deaths: 0 Turks and Caicos Islands (North Atlantic Ocean) Total Covid cases: 6,211 Deaths: 36 Advertisement

Stephen Townsend, one of the two joint administrators of Tristan da Cunha, told MailOnline about the islanders' experience of the pandemic.

'As a result of all our precautions, which have kept the island Covid-free, we were able to celebrate Christmas and New Year more or less as normal,' he said.

Mr Townsend said with limited health facilities and an ageing population, they had a great deal to fear from Covid.

'We only have a small medical centre on the island. We do not have an ICU or any ventilators,' he said.

'The population here is relatively elderly, with a number of underlying health complaints. So we have to be very careful.'

Only five families  consisting of 218 individuals  are considered to be resident to the island, with an additional 30 people living there as expatriate workers and their families, including doctors, nurses and teachers.

The main settlement of the island is Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, which was resettled in 1963 following an island-wide evacuation two years prior because of a volcanic eruption.

To this day, the island does not allow visitors and any returning islanders or workers must be fully vaccinated to be allowed entry into Tristan da Cunha.

They are also required to isolate in an approved Cape Town hotel for 10 days before taking a PCR test prior to departure.

The week-long voyage to the island has also worked in the islanders' favour because potentially Covid-infected passengers would, theoretically, develop symptoms during the trip and could then be denied entry or quarantined on the island while being tested.

Tristan da Cunha has only had one major Covid scare, in July 2021, when passengers on a supply ship to the island on the fishing vessel MFV Edinburgh began feeling unwell.

They were tested for Covid and 'several' came back positive.

Mr Townsend said the islanders decided to allow passengers who tested negative onto the island but, as a precaution, they imposed the island's sole lockdown.

'The community decided that they should go into lockdown for 10 days,' he said.

'The offices, shop and school were shut and people stayed in their houses except for one hour a day to feed their livestock and exercise their dogs.

'Essential supplies were delivered from the shop to their houses.'

After 10 days all passengers who had come ashore were re-tested and were negative for the virus, with life in the settlement returning to life as normal.

In March 2020, Tristan da Cunha  where half the population are over the age of 50  adopted a strict isolation policy, only allowing returning residents and key staff to disembark onto the island.

Mr Townsend said the lockdown had been an important learning experience for the island on how it could potentially handle such an event in the future.

He also said that while there had been some breaches, lockdown rules were largely followed.

However, while the island's isolation helped protect from the virus that has ravaged the world, its remoteness worked against it in terms of vaccination.

A Tristan da Cunha resident receiving an Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine in April last year.

Members of the Tristan da Cunha's elderly population lining up to get their Covid vaccines

MRNA Covid jabs, like those made by Pfizer and Moderna, needed to be kept in -80 to -60C temperatures to remain viable.

Keeping jabs at this low of a temperature for the entire voyage to Tristan da Cunha was impossible.

Fortunately, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which used a more traditional vaccine technology, only needed to kept at 8C, so this was the jab used on the island.

But, Mr Townsend said the logistical challenge of getting the Oxford/AstraZeneca was still immense.

The jabs had to be flown out to the Falkland Islands and then shipped by a Royal Navy vessel HMS Forth in specially designed fridges to Tristan da Cunha, arriving in April 2021.

Mr Townsend added: 'We are very grateful to UK Health Security Agency, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Ministry of Defence and everyone involved for their help in getting the vaccines to the island.'

'You can imagine what a morale boost it was.'

He also said vaccine uptake among islanders was high, with 95 per cent of adults having two Covid jabs, with the remainder not doing so for medical reasons.

At the time the vaccines were delivered, transport minister Wendy Morton said the UK was committed to providing Covid jabs to its overseas territories.

'The transport of vaccines to the ends of the earth shows our clear commitment to the people who live and work in the UKs Overseas Territories,' she said.

'This has been an enormous logistical effort, of which the UK can be proud.'

Mr Townsend said Tristan da Cunha is still waiting for a round of Covid boosters to help ensure the island's population has the best protection from the Omicron strain and its subvariants.

Tristan da Cunha is famed for its wildlife, such as this rockhopper penguin

Covid infections have nearly doubled in a fortnight in England, rising to about 1.4million in the latest week

He said another major challenge of the pandemic had been the supply of food, which usually arrived by ship.

'There was a five-month period when the island had no imports of fresh fruit and vegetables,' he said.

However, he said the islanders had risen to the challenge and launched a hydroponics greenhouse last year to shore up their food supplies in the future.

This resilience is a defining feature of the inhabitants of the most isolated settlement on Earth, Mr Townsend added.

'Tristanians are resilient. The main disruption has been in the number of Tristanians travelling to South Africa  it is now only for people needing medical treatment that they cannot get on the island,' he said.

He also said the island's population was closely monitoring the Covid situation in the UK and wished mainland Britons all the best.

Covid infections have nearly doubled in a fortnight in England and more than 1,000 patients now being admitted with the virus each day.

The UK Government has said it will monitor the situation 'very quickly' but insists it does not plan to reintroduce restrictions.

Ministers and their advisers have taken confidence from the fact only a fraction of Covid patients are primarily admitted because they are unwell due to the virus.

Separate figures show just 20 Britons are dying from the virus each day now.
Letting GPs work from home could help solve the staffing crisis in general practice, it has been suggested.

Providing more flexible working would give family doctors a better work-life balance, a medical conference in London was told. One example given was that GPs could do the school run then nip home and 'do some online consultations'.

Dr Murray Ellender, a GP working in East London, expects local GP surgeries to close in the coming years because doctors and patients 'need them less'.

He has called for general practice to embrace the transition to digital and do more consults over the phone or on video.

The comments came at the Royal College of GPs annual meeting in London, during a discussion on virtual appointments.

Family doctors have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels of in-person appointments, after shifting most consultations to phone and video during the Covid crisis. Critics say remote consultations raise the risk of doctors missing potential signs of serious illnesses.

MailOnline revealed today that just a quarter of GP appointments in England are now face-to-face and with a qualified doctor.

Dr Murray Ellender, a GP in east London, said a wider move to virtual appointments would allow family doctors to work flexibly

Dr Peter Saul (left), a GP in North Wales, told a medical conference that relying too much on digital would lead to general practice turning to a glorified call centre. But Dr Ellender (right) said there may be fewer bricks and mortar surgeries left in 10 years because doctors will 'need them less'

Salford had the lowest proportion of patients seen in-person with less than half (46 per cent) of appointments made face-to-face. It was followed by Bury (51 per cent), Somerset (53 per cent) and Frimley (53 per cent). Some 79 per cent of appointments in Kirklees were done in person

Official figures show just 63 per cent of GP consultations were carried out in-person in England in April. At the current rate, it would take until September 2023 to reach the more than 80 per cent of appointments being made in person seen before the pandemic

The NHS is short of more than 1,000 GPs with one in six posts estimated to be unfilled.

Dr Ellender said providing working from home options was a 'great opportunity' to retain people in the profession.

He said it would open opportunities that were not available 'when we were limiting everyone to a physical building'.

Scotland wants to pinch English GPs! Scotland will attempt to lure GPs across the border from England, it was revealed today. Family doctors will be incentivised to swap their surgery for one north of the border as part of a massive recruitment drive. Scotland wants to boost its family doctor numbers by 15 per cent over the next five years by hiring from 'other areas of the UK and elsewhere'. It will do so through an advertising blitz that will focus on 'the unique attractions of working as a GP in Scotland' including 'job satisfaction and lifestyle'. Scotland's health secretary Humza Yousaf said any boost to the nation's GP numbers will create a 'sustainable service for the future'. Dr Chris Williams, joint chair of RCGP Scotland, said Scotland is a 'truly unique place to work as a GP' with 'something for everyone'. But England is grappling a GP crisis of its own. The Government is destined to fail on its manifesto pledge to hire 6,000 more GPs by 2024 and health chiefs have warned half of the current workforce could quit over the next five years. It comes after Nicola Sturgeon announced a second Scottish referendum on independence will go ahead next October  with or without Westminster's blessing. Advertisement

Dr Ellender said it would allow GPs to 'do the school run, go home and do some online consultations'.

He predicted there are likely to be fewer brick and mortar surgeries left in 10 years because advancements in technology mean more can work from home.

But some GPs have warned against leaning too heavily on virtual working, questioning whether local practices faced the same fate as high street banks, which have dwindled in recent years following the rise of online banking.

It comes as Health Secretary Sajid Javid this week unveiled a 2billion 'digital revolution' in the health service, which will see Britons use the NHS app to have video consultations with their GP.

But critics told MailOnline the move 'excludes millions' of elderly Britons and demanded 'tough legislation' to ensure in-person services are not silently axed.

Dr Ellender, who created GP app eConsult, which lets patients report symptoms and receive advice, also called for artificial intelligence (AI) to be used more in general practice.

For example, a patient seeking treatment for hay fever could be directed to a pharmacy straight away without coming in to see a family doctor, he said.

And those with red flag cancer symptoms  such as having a lump, a cough that has lasted more than three weeks or unexpected bleeding  could be referred to a specialist straight away without going through a GP.

But Dr Peter Saul, a GP in North Wales, said he was concerned digitalisation could see GP services could go the same way as the baking system  which has seen 5,000 branches disappear from UK high streets in the last decade.

He said that 'once upon a time' in-store bank managers would decide whether people got loans.

But now there are 'call centres where lower qualified staff operate decision algorithms making decisions on your financial arrangements.

He added: 'Would this happen to GPs in 10 years? Lower qualified staff, operating AI systems? And if that happens what are GPs going to do and are we still going to be there?'

But Dr Ellender pushed back on the comparison, stating that GPs 'need to physically examine [patients] in a way that banking can get away without'.

He said: 'Patients still and for a long time will relate to a physical building and I think that is fine and that we should let that carry on.

England's GP postcode lottery laid bare: Official data shows some areas have half as many doctors per patient as others. Nuffield Trust analysis shows there are 39.5 GPs caring for every 100,000 people in Portsmouth. People in Thurrock have 40.3 family doctors for every 100,000 people in the area and in Hull there are 41.9 per 100,000

Sajid Javid today faced backlash over his plans to do more virtual consultations on the NHS app

'What we can't pretend though is that the 6,000 GPs we've been promised are ever going to come.'

A key pledge in the Conservative 2019 general election manifesto set out that it would hire 6,000 GPs by 2024. However, the Health Secretary admitted at the end of last year that the Government is behind on the target.

'So there is a significant workforce crisis and we do need to think differently about how we work.'

He said in a decades time surgeries will likely work within geographical networks and prioritise 'which patients need to come into a physical setting'.

'It might be that you have less of those physical settings because you need them less,' Dr Ellender said.

But he argued that it offers a 'great opportunity' to retain people in the profession as the role becomes more rewarding as GPs could oversee bigger teams of health professional rather than just those within their practice.

And it can also open up more avenues for family doctors to work more flexibly.

He said: 'People may be able to do the school run, go home and do some online consultations. And that's fine.

'We're allowing them to carry on delivering care in way that we couldn't when we were limiting everyone to a physical building.

'So things will definitely change but I personally don't think we will ever lose touch with that physical geographical really important part.'
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Just a quarter of GP appointments in England are face-to-face and with an actual doctor, MailOnline can reveal.

Critics have warned general practice is heading down a 'slippery slope' where nurses and other staff are picking up the burden amid crippling staffing shortages.

An NHS source told MailOnline that of the 27.5million GP appointments carried out across England in May, just 27 per cent were both in-person and with a qualified doctor.

That figure is not routinely published but publicly-available data shows 64 per cent of total GP appointments were face-to-face and roughly half were with a real GP. The rest were a mixture of virtual or telephone consultations and appointments led by practice nurses, physiotherapists and even acupuncturists.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has demanded GPs do more in-person consultations after the share done physically plummeted during the pandemic. Campaigners argue remote consultations increase the risk of doctors missing signs of serious illnesses.

Despite the Government's push to go back to normal, the country's top family doctor yesterday said the current level of face-to-face appointments was 'probably about right'. Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, told a conference in London that going back to pre-pandemic levels of more than 80 per cent 'just doesn't make sense for patients'.

NHS England data shows 64 per cent of total GP appointments were face-to-face in May. The figure is the second-highest since the height of the first Covid wave forced the majority of appointments to be held virtually. But it is still well below pre-pandemic levels, when eight in 10 appointments took place in-person.

Seeing the same GP is good for your health... but only HALF of patients are able to do so: Country's top doctor says lack of continuity of care poses 'existential threat' Only half of NHS patients regularly get to see the same GP  even though it's better for their health, it emerged today. Queen Mary University of London experts looked at appointments given to 1million adults registered at 126 GP practices in east London. Just 52 per cent frequently saw the same family doctor, results showed. Dr Sally Hull, the study's author, said: 'Continuity of care leads to better outcomes, particularly for elderly patients and those with complex needs. 'It should be measured routinely as a marker of practice quality.' It comes as the UK's top GP today warned dropping levels of continuity of care pose an 'existential threat' to patient safety. Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, told a GP conference in London that trusted relationships between family doctors and patients are the most 'powerful intervention' for delivering better care. Advertisement

The latest monthly GP appointment data, published by NHS Digital, shows 27.5million appointments took place last month.

This included nearly 1.2million that were listed as 'did not attend'.

Half of appointments  13.8million  were with GPs and 12.8million (46.6 per cent) were with nurses or other members of staff, which could include acupuncturists, chiropodists or even counsellors in some cases.

The type of healthcare staff was not logged for 878,374 appointments.

Practice nurses have many of the same powers as GPs as they can examine and diagnose patients, as well as provide treatment, prescriptions and referrals.

Meanwhile, 17.6million of the total consultations took place face-to-face (64.1 per cent).

The figure is the second highest since the pandemic took off in spring 2020.

But it is still well below pre-pandemic levels, when eight in 10 appointments took place in-person.

A third of appointments in May were phone calls, while 0.5 per cent took place via video or online.

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, a campaign group for elderly people, told MailOnline the figure highlighted the double-whammy hurting patients.

While the lack of face-to-face appointments has dominated headlines, he said the lack of appointments with qualified GPs was also a big problem.

Mr Reed warned GPs are now the last point of contact rather than the first and warned the NHS is heading down a 'slippery slope'.

The trend 'seems to be due to the shortage of GPs' and has become 'necessary in so many practices' to manage demand, Mr Reed said.

He added that the Government has 'gone completely quiet' on the issue because they know that the number of GPs are the 'root of the problem'.

But Professor Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, told MailOnline: 'GPs continue to make more consultations every month than they did pre-pandemic.'

Patients should be able to access GP care 'in a variety of ways depending on their health needs and preferences', with many preferring in-person appointments but also finding remote consultations 'convenient and effective', he said. 'We know that good, safe and appropriate care can be delivered remotely,' Professor Marshall added.

He said general practice 'is a team service' and GPs are not always the most appropriate staff member to meet a patient's needs.

'Working in multi-disciplinary teams also frees up GPs' time to see those patients who need our medical expertise, such as those with multiple and complex health conditions,' Professor Marshall added.

Ministers had promised to hire 6,000 new GPs by 2024 but have since admitted they will likely fail, breaking a key manifesto pledge.

Surveys suggest that one in six GP roles are vacant and as many as half of family doctors plan to quit in the next five years.

Professor Marshall yesterday told the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) annual conference in London that just two-thirds of appointments being in-person would probably be the new normal.

The RCGP chair said: 'The argument about face to face against remote have been really frustrating, it has to be said. What we've seen in a transition.

'Pre-pandemic, around about 80 per cent of consultations were conducted face-to-face. At the height of the first wave that dropped down to 10 per cent and now it's back to pretty much stable at 64 per cent.

'A higher proportion of face-to-face consultations are carried out by members of the primary care team other than doctors, nurses obviously doing examinations, procedures, whatever.

End of the family GP? A quarter of doctor and nurse posts could be vacant by 2030, report warns More than a quarter of doctor and nurse posts in GP practices could be vacant within ten years, a damning report is warning today. The NHS in England is facing a 'crippling shortage' that poses a risk to patient care, the Health Foundation think-tank says. It adds ministers must take urgent and significant action to boost recruitment and prevent experienced clinicians leaving. Patients are struggling to secure appointments amid a shortage of 4,200 full-time equivalent GPs and 1,700 general practice nurses. But the think-tank's projections show these figures are set to get 'substantially worse' over the coming decade. It estimates GP shortages could climb to 10,700 full-time equivalents by 2030/31 on current trends, relative to the number needed to meet the rising need for care. However, if a growing number of GPs quit due to burnout, the projected shortfall could increase even further to 20,400, leaving around half of posts vacant in 2030/31. Worryingly, even in an optimistic scenario there could still be a shortfall of GPs and general practice nurses in the decade ahead, the report concludes. Advertisement

'But generally it feels to me if you look across the country, 64 per cent is probably about right.

'We've learnt from the pandemic that we can do more in general practice for the convenience of patients remotely than we ever thought was possible.

'So the idea that we should go back to 80 per cent of consultations face to face just doesn't make sense for patients.'

Professor Marshall said GPs have got better at making decisions about when in-person appointments are necessary and when they are not over the last two-and-a-half years and patients have 'got used to it'.

'So we've just been through a learning exercise and it feels to me like we're stable now,' he added.

It comes after the NHS's eco chief this month said that fewer face-to-face medical appointments are a good thing because they cut down traffic pollution.

Record waits in A&E have been partly blamed on desperate patients turning up at casualty units because they can't get an appointment with their family doctor.

It comes after the Health Foundation warned the GP crisis is going to get 'substantially worse' over the next 10 years, with thousands expected to quit or scale back their hours.

The think tank estimated family doctor shortages could climb to 10,700 full-time equivalents by 2031, based on current trends, in relation to the number needed to meet the rising care need.

A separate survey earlier this year revealed that patient satisfaction with their GP surgery has plummeted to its lowest ever level, fuelled by the appointments crisis.

A quarter of consultations are taking five minutes or less in some parts of the country.

Doctors say squeezing in so many appointments raises the risk of missing diseases and prescribing the wrong drugs.

In order to make it easier for millions of patients to be seen, GPs have been told to start offering weekday evening and weekend consultations from October.

But family doctors, who pocket an average of 100,000 per year, have threatened industrial action over the NHS contract because they feel overwhelmed and fear the move will spread them even thinner.

Overall, there are now nearly 1,700 fewer full-time equivalent GPs than in 2015.

Many are retiring in their 50s, moving abroad or leaving to work in the private sector because of soaring demand and paperwork.

The row over current levels of face-to-face appointments, in particular, has also been named as one factor for GPs quitting.
Boris Johnson has refused to definitively rule out more Covid restrictions  as virus cases and hospital admissions continue to rise.

The Prime Minister said there were no plans to reintroduce curbs 'at the moment' as he appeared to leave the door open to future measures.

He was given the opportunity to rule out ever imposing restrictions again in an interview with LBC this morning at a NATO summit in Madrid.

'I think that we see no reason for that at the moment and the most important thing is vaccination,' he said.

But Mr Johnson suggested that a sharp spike in hospitalisations could be the trigger point for new curbs. He added: 'We're not seeing the types of pressures on the medical services that would lead us to anything like that.'

Daily Covid hospital admissions have almost trebled over the last month to roughly 1,200  though only a fraction of patients are primarily ill with the disease.

Cases have also risen sharply over the past month, with statisticians estimating one in 30 people were carrying the virus in England last week.

Mr Johnson previously refused to rule out a future lockdown in April, saying it would be 'irresponsible' to discard something 'that could save lives' if a deadlier variant emerges.

Boris Johnson did not definitively ruled out future Covid restrictions when given the chance on LBC

Covid infections have shot up in England to just over 1.8million according to the latest Office of National Statistics data

Daily Covid hospital admissions have almost trebled in the last month to around 1,200  though only a fraction of patients are primarily ill with the disease

Covid case numbers have became less important now that vaccines and natural immunity have severed the link between infection and severe illness.

Ministers are now looking to NHS virus figures to gauge the severity of the outbreak, which have been rising for over a month.

Experts fear an early wave of flu could combine this year with monkeypox and Covid increases Britain should brace for an early flu outbreak that will coincide with increasing Covid and monkeypox cases, a top expert has warned. Health officials have said they are expecting an 'early influenza wave' in the UK because there has not been a 'proper' flu season since the start of the Covid pandemic. Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said she is watching Australia - currently in its winter season - 'very carefully' after a strain of influenza 'started early and spread fast across all age groups'. She said the country is 'having its worst flu season in five years', which could replicate in the UK as early as September. Meanwhile, Dr Hopkins added that we will see at least one more Covid wave later this year partnered with an 'ongoing transmission of monkeypox'. There are also mounting fears that the NHS will be struck down at the same time by Covid, with colder weather and darker evenings leading to increased social contact indoors  where viruses find it easier to spread. Flu is a seasonal menace on the NHS, with outbreaks more likely between September and March because colder weather forces more people indoors where the virus  like Covid  finds it easier to spread. But influenza virtually disappeared last winter amid lockdowns aiming to control the spread of Covid. Advertisement

There are between 1,200 and 1,400 daily admissions for Covid currently, compared to around 450 at the end of May.

But the admission figures alone do not tell the full story as analysis suggests only a third (37.7 per cent) are primarily ill with Covid.

The rest are known as 'incidental' cases, those who went to hospital for a different reason but happened to test positive.

Incidentals have become increasingly common because the highly infectious but milder Omicron subvariants are so prevalent in the wider community.

Covid deaths  another key metric  have plateaued at around 20 per day in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS breaks down deaths that were primarily caused by the virus, as opposed to it being a secondary factor.

However, fatalities are the biggest lagging indicator, and it can take weeks for them to rise on the back of an uptick in infections.

During his interview on LBC, Mr Johnson insisted that getting vaccinated against Covid was the most important way to avoid future restrictions.

Fourth doses  or a second booster  have been dished out to four in five people over the age of 75 and those who are immunosuppressed.

Latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests 1.83million people in England were infected during the week to June 24.

That is up by a third on the previous week.

The outbreak has been fuelled by the spread of BA.4 and BA.5, which are thought to be more infectious but just as mild as the original Omicron strain.

A separate ONS Covid fatality report showed the virus was directly responsible for just 161 deaths in England and Wales in the most recent week, or 23 per day, on average.

Sir Jonathan Van-Tam last week dismissed hysteria that a recent uptick in Covid cases marks a new wave of the pandemic, saying Britain has to learn to live the virus.

He suggested that a sharp spike in hospitalisations could be the trigger point for new restrictions

Referring to hospital admission and death data, the country's former deputy chief medical officer claimed there is 'nothing alarmist in these figures'.

Sir Jonathan revealed even he had abandoned wearing his face mask.

The spread of the new variants is thought to have been accelerated during large gatherings for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and half-term holidays.

Some have also pointed to Britons mistaking Covid symptoms for hay fever.

The UKHSA estimated that BA.4 and BA.5 account for approximately 22 per cent and 39 per cent of cases, respectively.

Latest analysis suggests BA.5 is growing 35 per cent faster than the formerly dominant Omicron BA.2, while BA.4 is growing approximately 19 per cent faster.

This suggests that BA.5 is likely to become the dominant variant in the UK.
A schoolgirl was found to have cancerous tumours 'crushing her heart and windpipe' after a GP initially dismissed her symptoms as a viral infection.

Imogen Selvester, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, was rushed to hospital on June 6 after her mother noticed she had turned 'yellow'. Chest X-rays revealed she had a cluster of tumours.

It followed months of NHS waits and missed opportunities to catch the 12-year-old's cancer early.

Back in February, Imogen went to the GP complaining of itchy skin, night sweats and fatigue. Her mother, Natalie Bloxham, also noticed unusual lumps on her neck.

Their doctor thought Imogen had a viral infection and told them to come back three weeks later if her symptoms hadn't improved.

But Imogen caught Covid in that time, and doctors then thought her symptoms may have worsened by the pandemic-causing virus.

When the lumps in her neck still failed to clear, Imogen was told she needed further tests at hospital but the family were told this could take three months.

Ms Bloxham eventually rushed her daughter to hospital in early June after noticing she had developed jaundice  a sign of her cancer.

Medics initially thought a lump on Imogen Selvester neck was a viral infection. Imogen here pictured on her 12th birthday

But months later after being rushed to hospital with jaundice it was eventually revealed Imogen had a rare form of cancer called Hodgkin lymphoma

Scans revealed tumours (highlighted in pink) cased by the cancer were effectively crushing her heart and windpipe and had also spread to other parts of her lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout the body

Scans revealed a cluster of tumours around the youngster's heart and windpipe that were restricting blood and oxygen being pumped around her body.

Further tests showed Imogen had stage three cancer Hodgkin lymphoma.

The cancer develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands throughout the body that normally helps fight off infections.

It is considered a rare cancer, with only 2,100 cases in the UK diagnosed each year. Three-quarters of patients survive 10 or more years.

Since her diagnosis, Imogen has been undergoing chemotherapy to try and reduce the size of the tumours.

Speaking about the ordeal, Ms Bloxham, 34, said her GP initially thought the lumps on her daughter's neck were a viral infection.

'I took her to the GP as soon as I noticed [lumps in neck] and they advised it could be viral and to wait three weeks,' she said.

Imogen with her step-dad Martin Turford and her mother Natalie Bloxham. Imogen's cancer diagnosis was further delayed after she caught Covid

While waiting for further tests to be done at hospital, which the family were told could take up to three months, they took Imogen to Greece in an attempt to lift her spirits

Following her cancer diagnosis Imogen has been undergoing chemotherapy in an attempt to shrink the tumours

The family have been told Imogen's condition likely means she will lose her hair and may have problems having children in the future

A family friend has set up a fundraiser for Imogen to help buy her a wig and support the family financially during this time

Ms Bloxham, who worked as a carer prior to her daughter's cancer diagnosis, said Covid delayed the diagnosis.

'I waited three weeks and in that time Imogen caught Covid,' she said.

'When the GP called back they advised me Covid could irritate them and to wait even further. Then they referred her for a hospital appointment.'

This, the mother-of-one said, was when the family were told it could be three months before Imogen was given a scan.

What is Hodgkin lymphoma? Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout the body. The lymphatic system is part of your immune system. Clear fluid called lymph flows through the lymphatic vessels and contains infection-fighting white blood cells, known as lymphocytes. In Hodgkin lymphoma, B-lymphocytes (a particular type of lymphocyte) start to multiply in an abnormal way and begin to collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes (glands). The most common symptom of Hodgkin lymphoma is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin. These lumps can also be a sign of an infection but they usually go back to normal over a short time whereas with Hodgkin lymphoma they continue to grow. It is most commonly treated through chemotherapy. Advertisement

'The GP said they sent it through as urgent but when I spoke to the hospital they changed it to routine and would take three months for an appointment,' she said.

At this point the family, totally unaware it could be cancer, opted to go on holiday to Greece to lift Imogen's spirits.

'I wanted Imogen to have a good time as she hadn't been herself for a while,' she added.

Just two weeks after coming back to the UK, Ms Bloxham said she noticed her daughter's condition had worsened.

'Imogen turned yellow, had a temperature of 40 and had funny-coloured urine,' she said.

'I called the doctors first thing on 6 June who saw her straight away.'

The GP said Imogen had jaundice and advised the family rush her to hospital.

Upon arriving, Imgoen's mother said medics initially blamed her jaundice on Covid before scans revealed the tumours that were crushing her heart and windpipe.

'They tried to blame Imogen having Covid for her symptoms of jaundice until they did a chest X-ray.

'This is where they found a cluster of tumours around her heart that were crushing her windpipe.'

Ms Bloxham added: 'Imogen had five days of intense chemo as well as steroids to help shrink the tumours.

'We have been told Imogen is at high risk of infections and she has started to lose her hair.'

Doctors have also told the family that Imogen might struggle to have children of her own in the future due to the chemotherapy.

But, Ms Bloxham said her family were 'holding on' to the fact that Hodgkin lymphoma is considered easily treatable, with a 90 per cent success rate.

The disease can develop at any age, but it mostly found in people between 20 and 40 years of age, and those over 75.

About 300 people die from the cancer each year, though 75 per cent of those diagnosed go on to survive for over a decade.

In the US, there are about 8,500 new cases of Hodgkin lymphoma per year and some 950 deaths.

A friend of the family, Samantha Dawson, has set up a crowdfunding page to help as Ms Bloxham has been forced to quit her to help their daughter.

Funds raised will be used to help the family financially as well as to buy Imogen a wig as she loses her hair to chemotherapy. People can donate to fundraiser here.
Pig heart transplants could soon be offered more widely to patients in the US as health chiefs consider green-lighting clinical trials of the controversial operations.

America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is understood to be drawing up plans to make it easier for researchers to study a larger number of patients.

So far there have only a handful of one-off xenotransplantations, which are seen as a potential fix for the shortage of human donors.

There was excitement earlier this year when a 57-year-old ex-convict from Maryland became the first person in the world to successfully live with a pig heart in January.

David Bennett, who was terminally ill, died two months later but his death is thought to be due to the pig heart being infected rather than the operation being a failure.

The fact his body didn't immediately reject the organ was seen as a breakthrough, and it's bolstered hopes it can be done safely on a larger scale.

Clinical trials allow for the study of larger numbers of patients, robust data collection and strict safety monitoring.

Approval in the US could come as early as next year, sources told The Wall Street Journal. British experts previously predicted pig hearts could be used on the NHS within the next decade.

Ex-convict David Bennett (pictured watching the Super Bowel post-surgery), 57, of Hagerstown, Maryland, died on March 8  two months after he was given a pig's heart in the world's first animal-to-human organ transplant

A pig heart was gathered for a terminal heart disease patient who was ineligible for a human heart transplant. Scientists inserted six human genes into the genome of the donor pig  modifications designed to make the organ more tolerable to the human immune system. They inactivated four genes, including sugar in its cells that is responsible for that hyper-fast organ rejection and a growth gene to prevent the pig's heart, which weighs around 267g compared to the average human heart which weighs 303g, from continuing to expand. Surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center performed a nine-hour surgery to remove the patient's heart and insert the altered pig heart

Surgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have already approached the FDA about a potential trial.

Transplant surgeon Dr Robert Montgomery, from New York University, also confirmed his lab is seeking to trial operations in the next year.

Man given pig's heart 'may have died because organ was infected' An ex-convict given a pig's heart in a world-first transplant may have died because the organ was infected with a virus, experts claim. David Bennett, 57, from Maryland in the US, died on March 8  two months after receiving the heart from the genetically-modified animal. Doctors at Maryland Medical Centre, where the surgery was performed, said there was 'no obvious cause identified at the time of his death'. But the lead surgeon behind the op Dr Bartley Griffith has now hinted that the heart may have been infected with porcine cytomegalovirus. Dr Griffith told a webinar on April 20 that his team were 'beginning to learn why he [Mr Bennett] passed on,' according to the MIT Technology Review magazine. The surgeon is said to have added the virus 'maybe was the actor, or could be the actor, that set this whole thing off'. Questions are now being levelled at Revivicor, the biotech firm that raised and engineered the pigs. Revivicor, declined to comment to MIT Technology Review and has not made a public statement about the claims. Advertisement

And the team at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, who operated on Mr Bennett, are also in talks to put together a trial.

Scientists have been toying with animal-to-human organ donation for centuries, dating back to the 1800s when wounds were treated with skin grafts from frogs.

Using pig heart valves is already common now, but the transplantation of an entire organ has proved too dangerous until recently.

If scientists can crack whole animal organ transplant, it could save thousands of lives every year.

In the US, 20 people die each day waiting for an organ donor, on average, while in the UK around one Brit dies per day.

But the problem has become a worldwide phenomenon, as the global population gets older and there is more demand and fewer dead donors.

Speaking at an FDA advisory committee on Wednesday, Dr Montgomery said: 'We are on the path to clinical trials.'

Clinical trials offer a safer way for researchers to test new medicines than emergency procedures because they require scientists to meet rigorous checks beforehand.

They have three phases, which minimises the risk when it finally comes to scaling up efforts.

Trials also have to be approved by an FDA ethics board before they go underway.

The pig used in Mr Bennett's transplant had been genetically modified to knock out several genes that would have led to the organ being rejected by his body.

This involved removing a certain sugar in the cells that is known to cause rapid rejection.

Rejection is caused by the immune system identifying the transplant as a foreign object, triggering a response that will ultimately destroy the transplanted organ or tissue.

Roughly 50 per cent of all transplanted human organs are rejected within 10 to 12 years, for comparison.

Doctors at the Maryland Medical Centre are investigating if porcine cytomegalovirus was behind Mr Bennett's death. The infection was confirmed in a paper published the New England Journal of Medicine.

The heart was found to be harbouring the virus 20 days after the surgery, they said, despite the pigs that reared it supposed to checked for infection pre-transplant.

Dr Griffith, the lead surgeon in the operation, told a webinar on April 20 the virus 'maybe was the actor, or could be the actor, that set this whole thing off'.

The FDA allowed the previous Maryland experiment under 'compassionate use' rules for emergency situations.

Mr Bennett was ineligible for a human heart or pump because had terminal heart failure.

He also did not follow his doctors' orders, missed appointments and stopped taking drugs he was prescribed.

Doctors at Maryland Medical Centre, where the surgery was performed, did not give an exact cause of death at the time

Years before the operation, Mr Bennett was sentenced to 10 years in prison for stabbing Edward Shumaker, then 22, seven times in the back while playing pool in 1988.

The victim was left paralysed from the waste down and died in 2007. Mr Bennett is thought to have served just half of his jail term.

Dr Allan Kirk, a transplant surgeon at Duke University School of Medicine, told the FDA committee existing technology could screen hearts for pig viruses.

He said this would be easier to do under clinical trial setting, ensuring patients do not meet the same fate as Mr Bennett.

Maryland researchers have since been asked by the FDA to start trials of pig transplants on baboons before moving on to human trials.

Professor Muhammad Mohiuddin, one of the surgeons who operated on Mr Bennett, said the team are going forward with the animal trials currently.

They are also asking the FDA what steps will be necessary before starting clinical trials on humans.

In 2020, Germany researchers found pig hearts transplanted into baboons only lasted a few weeks if the heart was infected with the same virus found in Mr Bennett.

By comparison, organs that were virus-free survived more than six months.

Those researchers found 'astonishingly high' levels of virus in the organ when they performed an autopsy of the monkeys.

Some theorise that the virus goes haywire because it is in a foreign immune system that does not recognise or fight it off.

The virus found in Mr Bennett's donor heart is not believed capable of infecting human cells.

However, the pathogen is capable of harming the pig's heart, which may have damaged the organ and contributed to his death.
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Covid cases have jumped by a third in Britain over the past week, with as many as one in 20 people now infected in parts of the country worst hit by the resurgence.

Office of National Statistics (ONS) analysts estimate nearly 2.3million people in the UK had the virus on June 24  up from roughly 1.7million in the previous week.

Hospital admissions have also trebled in the last month, piling pressure on an already overwhelmed NHS. Though only a fraction of patients are primarily ill with the disease.

Left-leaning experts have already demanded a return of mask-wearing and urged Britons to meet outside because of the uptick, driven by Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5. Some NHS hospitals have already brought back their own rules on coverings.

But Boris Johnson today insisted there were no plans to reintroduce curbs 'at the moment'. The Prime Minister did, however, leave the door open to future measures by refusing to definitively rule out the return of lockdowns.

Infectious disease specialists  including members of the Government's notorious SAGE panel  have confidence the upcoming wave will be no worse than other peaks.

The major ONS survey, now considered the best barometre of the outbreak, revealed roughly one in 30 people in England were infected last week. Prevalence rates were similar in Wales and Northern Ireland but soared to one in 18 north of the border.

BA.4 and BA.5 are thought to be even more infectious than their ancestral versions, which were to blame for cases reaching pandemic highs in April. However, they are just as mild.

Celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, half-term holidays and warm weather are also thought to be fuelling the latest surge. Some have also pointed to Britons mistaking Covid symptoms for hay fever.

Covid infections have shot up in England to just over 1.8million according to the latest Office of National Statistics data

The ONS figures show one in 30 people in England about 3.35 per cent had Covid last week, with a similar percentage of Wales (3.49 per cent) also estimated to have the virus

Infections were highest in Scotland with one in 18 people (288,200) estimated to have the virus followed by Northern Ireland where one in 25 (71,000) were carrying the virus

Experts fear an early wave of flu could combine this year with monkeypox and Covid increases Britain should brace for an early flu outbreak that will coincide with increasing Covid and monkeypox cases, a top expert has warned. Health officials have said they are expecting an 'early influenza wave' in the UK because there has not been a 'proper' flu season since the start of the Covid pandemic. Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said she is watching Australia - currently in its winter season - 'very carefully' after a strain of influenza 'started early and spread fast across all age groups'. She said the country is 'having its worst flu season in five years', which could replicate in the UK as early as September. Meanwhile, Dr Hopkins added that we will see at least one more Covid wave later this year partnered with an 'ongoing transmission of monkeypox'. There are also mounting fears that the NHS will be struck down at the same time by Covid, with colder weather and darker evenings leading to increased social contact indoors  where viruses find it easier to spread. Flu is a seasonal menace on the NHS, with outbreaks more likely between September and March because colder weather forces more people indoors where the virus  like Covid  finds it easier to spread. But influenza virtually disappeared last winter amid lockdowns aiming to control the spread of Covid. Advertisement

As well as estimating that 1.8million were infected in England and 290,000 in Scotland, the ONS data also estimated that 106,000 people had the virus in Wales last week.

Northern Ireland recorded 71,000 infections, roughly one in 25 people.

The weekly ONS report is based on swabs taken from a sample of thousands of Britons every week. Ministers have watched its results closely throughout the pandemic.

The data also suggests that Covid cases are on the rise across all of England's regions.

Infections were highest in London, where 3.7 per cent of the population were estimated to have the virus.

This was followed by the East of England, the North West, and the North East (3.6 per cent).

At the other end of the scale was the East Midlands (2.8 per cent).

Meanwhile, the number of people testing positive shot up across all age groups.

People aged 50 to 69 were the most likely to be infected (4.2 per cent), followed by 25-to-34-year-olds (4 per cent), and 16 to 24-year-olds (3.6 per cent).

Infections were slightly lower in those aged 35 to 49 (3.5 per cent) and in the over-70s (3.1 per cent), 11 to 15-year-olds (2.3 per cent) and lowest in two to 10-year-olds (1.3 per cent).

Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the ONS Infection Survey said: 'Across the UK weve seen a continued increase of over half a million infections, likely caused by the growth of BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

'This rise is seen across all ages, countries and regions of England.'

'We will continue to monitor the data closely to see if this growth continues in the coming weeks.'

Responding to the data, Saffron Cordery interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said the health service were keeping a close eye on Covid situation.

'We know that when the rate of community infections goes up, so do hospital admissions,' she said.

'That is why trust leaders remain vigilant as we see another increase in Covid infections and more patients in hospitals on ventilators.'

Ms Cordery while even though the current Covid situation was still far better than during the height of the pandemic, NHS services could still be hit if cases continue to surge

'Nobody wants to see another big wave which, if NHS staff have to look after a surge of patients with Covid again, could put the brakes on important work being done to cut waiting lists and get us back to pre-pandemic levels of activity,' she said.

The ONS figures show Covid across all of England's regions. Infections were highest in London at 3.7 per cent, followed by by the East of England, the North West, and the North East which recorded 3.6 per cent. This was followed by the South West with 3.5 per cent. The West Midlands (3.2 per cent) the South East (3.1 per cent) and Yorkshire The Humber (3 per cent) all had Covid rates below the national average for England. The East Midlands recorded the lowest Covid infection rate in England of 2.8 per cent

In England Covid infections were most likely in people aged 50 to 69 (4.2 per cent), followed by 25-to-34-year-olds (4 per cent), and 16 to 24-year-olds (3.6 per cent). Infections were slightly lower in those aged 35 to 49 (3.5 per cent) and in the over-70s (3.1 per cent), 11 to 15-year-olds (2.3 per cent) and lowest in two to 10-year-olds (1.3 per cent).

Dr Stephen Griffin, an expert in medicine from the University of Leeds, said the rise in cases was unsurprising.

'This large increase in infections was sadly predictable given the past weeks showing the growth advantage of BA4/5 over BA2 and the R value remaining above one across the country,' he said.

He added while Covid vaccination rates meant the chance of people getting severely ill from the virus was low, it wasn't zero, and people will still become ill as cases rise.

Figures on the latest surge came as Mr Johnson refused to definitively rule out more Covid restrictions, saying the there were no plans for curbs 'at the moment' as he appeared to leave the door open to future measures.

He was given the opportunity to rule out ever imposing restrictions again in an interview with LBC this morning at a NATO summit in Madrid.

'I think that we see no reason for that at the moment and the most important thing is vaccination,' he said.

But Mr Johnson suggested that a sharp spike in hospitalisations could be the trigger point for new restrictions.

He added: 'We're not seeing the types of pressures on the medical services that would lead us to anything like that.'

Daily Covid hospital admissions have almost trebled in the last month to around 1,200  though only a fraction of patients are primarily ill with the disease.

Mr Johnson refused to rule out a future lockdown in April, saying it would be 'irresponsible to discard something that could save lives if a deadlier variant emerges.

Covid case numbers have became less important now that vaccines and natural immunity have severed the link between infection and severe illness.

Ministers are now looking to NHS virus figures to gauge the severity of the outbreak, which have been rising for over a month.

There are between 1,200 and 1,400 daily admissions for Covid currently, compared to around 450 at the end of May.

But the admission figures alone do not tell the full story as analysis suggests only a third (37.7 per cent) are primarily ill with Covid.

The rest are known as 'incidental' cases, those who went to hospital for a different reason but happened to test positive.

Incidentals have become increasingly common because the highly infectious but milder Omicron subvariants are so prevalent in the wider community.

Covid deaths  another key metric  have plateaued at around 20 per day in England and Wales, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS breaks down deaths that were primarily caused by the virus, as opposed to it being a secondary factor.

However, fatalities are the biggest lagging indicator, and it can take weeks for them to rise on the back of an uptick in infections.

During his interview on LBC, Mr Johnson insisted that getting vaccinated against Covid was the most important way to avoid future restrictions.

Fourth doses  or a second booster  have been dished out to four in five people over the age of 75 and those who are immunosuppressed.

Latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests 1.36million people in England were infected during the week to June 18.

That is 70 per cent more than the 797,000 who were estimated to have had the virus at the very start of June.

The outbreak has been fuelled by the spread of BA.4 and BA.5, which are thought to be more infectious but just as mild as the original Omicron strain.

New estimates from the ONS will be published this afternoon.

A separate ONS Covid fatality report showed the virus was directly responsible for just 161 deaths in England and Wales in the most recent week, or 23 per day, on average.

Sir Jonathan Van-Tam last week dismissed hysteria that a recent uptick in Covid cases marks a new wave of the pandemic, saying Britain has to learn to live the virus.

Boris Johnson did not definitively ruled out future Covid restrictions when given the chance on LBC

Daily Covid hospital admissions have almost trebled in the last month to around 1,200  though only a fraction of patients are primarily ill with the disease

He suggested that a sharp spike in hospitalisations could be the trigger point for new restrictions

Referring to hospital admission and death data, the country's former deputy chief medical officer claimed there is 'nothing alarmist in these figures'.

Sir Jonathan revealed even he had abandoned wearing his face mask.

The spread of the new variants is thought to have been accelerated during large gatherings for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and half-term holidays.

Some have also pointed to Britons mistaking Covid symptoms for hay fever.

The UKHSA estimated that BA.4 and BA.5 account for approximately 22 per cent and 39 per cent of cases, respectively.

Latest analysis suggests BA.5 is growing 35 per cent faster than the formerly dominant Omicron BA.2, while BA.4 is growing approximately 19 per cent faster.

This suggests that BA.5 is likely to become the dominant variant in the UK.

Are your sniffles caused by hay fever, a cold or Covid? As all three illnesses can be easily mistaken for each other, here's the ultimate guide to help you tell them apart

If you've suffered a bout of the sniffles over the past fortnight, you could be forgiven for assuming it was just a cold.

Or you could easily have pointed the finger at hay fever if you're particularly prone, given Britain has repeatedly been battered by a pollen bomb.

But, as the pandemic has worn on, Covid itself has become much milder.

And with the virus once again sweeping the country, it means the symptoms that leave you stuck to the sofa with a box of tissues may have actually been triggered by Covid.

So, given all three illnesses can blight people in a similar fashion, here is the ultimate a guide to tell what's really behind your runny nose, cough or aches and pains.

Graph shows: Common (green tick), occasional (orange circle) and never (red cross) symptoms of the common cold, hay fever and Covid

Covid symptoms Common Fever

Cough

Loss of taste or smell Sometimes Headache

Runny or blocked nose

Sneezing

Fatigue

Sore throat

Aches or pain

Shortness of breath

Diarrhea

Nausea and vomiting

Loss of appetite Never Itchy, red or watery eyes Advertisement

Covid

At the start of the pandemic, people were told to watch out for three warning signs of Covid: a loss of taste or smell, a continuous cough and a fever.

But as new variants evolved and vaccines and repeated waves blunted the virus's threat, the official symptom list continued to grow.

The NHS now recognises 12 symptoms associated with Covid.

According to the ZOE symptom-tracking study, the most commonly reported signs of the virus are now a runny nose (66 per cent), sore throat (65 per cent), headache (64 per cent), persistent cough (63 per cent) and fatigue (62 per cent).

But because of the range of symptoms and high prevalence of the virus, Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King's College London who leads the study, encourages people to get a test anyway.

The virus is currently in its fifth wave in Britain, driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-strains of Omicron, which are thought to be more infectious but just as mild as their ancestor.

Covid's most unique feature is the loss of smell or taste completely, known as anosmia, which is rarely reported in colds and hay fever.

Harvard University researchers published a study in Science Advances in July 2020 showing the virus invades blood vessel cells and stem cells in the nose that provide energy to the nerves that transmit a sense of smell to the brain.

However, Omicron is less likely to cause the loss of taste or smell because the variant multiplies deeper in the lungs rather than in the nose, experts believe.

Of the newer symptoms listed for Covid, only diarrhoea and nausea or vomiting are unique to the virus and not also caused by either hay fever or colds. It suggests if you have these as well as a cough, it may well be Covid.

NHS guidance instructs people to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have symptoms of Covid  and to take a PCR test. People are no longer legally obliged to test if they are symptomatic, nor do they have to isolate if they are positive.

Hay fever symptoms Common Runny or blocked nose

Sneezing

Itchy, red or watery eyes Sometimes Cough

Loss of taste or smell

Headache

Fatigue

Shortness of breath Never Fever

Sore throat

Aches or pain

Diarrhea

Nausea and vomiting

Loss of appetite Advertisement

Hay fever

Sky-high pollen levels over the last couple of weeks have left millions suffering from hay fever.

Experts suspect staying indoors more than usual during the last two years of the pandemic has left many unexposed to pollen, making their reactions to it this year stronger.

Unlike colds and Covid, hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen  rather than an illness caused by an infection.

This means symptoms are caused by the body's immune system overreacting to a foreign body it perceives to be a threat  in this case pollen.

Having a runny or blocked nose, sneezing and suffering with itchy, red or watery eyes are the most common signs of the allergy.

But watery eyes is, in theory, the only unique feature that isn't also at least an occasional feature of Covid or colds.

The body naturally attempts to wash pollen out the body, causing the tear ducts to start producing fluids to help relieve the presence of the plant-produced powder.

The eyes also become sore as the body causes inflammation, known as allergic conjunctivitis  when a thin, clear membrane cover the whites of the eyes and the insides of the eyelids.

Histamine produced during the reaction also irritates the nerve endings, causing itchiness, while the blood vessels dilate and swell to fight off the irritant, resulting in redness.

Unlike the other two illnesses, hay fever doesn't cause higher temperatures, Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots, said, so it is safe to rule out the allergy if that is your symptoms.

Mr Donovan said: 'Hay fever doesnt cause a high temperature and most people do not feel unwell.

'Symptoms include sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy red watery eyes or an itchy throat.'

He said to use barrier balms, such as petroleum jelly, around the nostrils to trap pollen and wear wraparound sunglasses to keep pollen out the eyes to keep symptoms in check.

Antihistamine tablets and nasal sprays can also be used to help fight off symptoms.

Cold symptoms Common Cough

Sore throat

Runny or blocked nose

Sneezing Sometimes Aches or pain

Fever

Loss of taste or smell

Headache

Fatigue

Loss of appetite Never Diarrhea

Nausea and vomiting

Shortness of breath

Itchy, red or watery eyes Advertisement

Common cold

The common cold, while less common in summer, can affect people all year round, and is especially prevalent during festival seasons when people come back from live events having mixed with thousands of people.

Two years of lockdowns have lowered people's immunity to colds, while the hundreds of thousands that went to Glastonbury last week will have inevitably been exposed to viruses in the packed conditions.

Coughs, sore throats, runny or blocked noses and sneezing are the most common symptoms caused by the hundreds of viruses that cause common colds.

Aches and pains, fever, headaches, fatigues and a loss of appetite can also be tell-tale signs, while losing taste or smell is also an occasional symptom.

The absence of swollen puffy eyes could be a sign you are actually experiencing a cold rather than the seasonal allergy.

Meanwhile, having diarrhoea, nausea or shortness of breath on top of the prior symptoms could indicate it is actually Covid rather than a simple cold you are experiencing.

Symptoms are caused when any one of 200 viruses different viruses cause inflammation of the membranes that line the nose and throat.

They are not actually caused by cold weather, but the body is more susceptible to infection when the immune system is weaker  which can be caused by a drop in temperature.

Mr Donovan said: 'Colds can still occur during warmer months, and usually involve sneezing and coughing, along with a sore throat, headache and sometimes a loss of taste and smell.

'You could consider taking pain killers to help ease aches or relieve a blocked nose with a decongestant nasal spray or decongestant tablets.'
New York City will roll out another 6,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine 'soon,' health officials say as America orders millions more jabs and the national tally surges to 396.

The nation's hotspot was blasted last week after offering barely a thousand doses just days before the Pride weekend, with supply being so small that walk-ins were suspended just 90 minutes after the clinic opened.

But now Gov Kathy Hochul has announced thousands more doses are earmarked for the city, which will be offered to the most at risk gay and bisexual men who are close contacts of cases or have multiple sexual partners in a fortnight.

New York City has recorded 78 cases of the tropical virus, the most out of any city in the United States and 20 percent of the national tally.

It came as the U.S. today ordered another 2.5 million doses of the Jynneous jab against the tropical disease, bringing its total to 4.4 million.

The extra doses are expected to start arriving from October this year, and will then be made available to states to broaden inoculation efforts.

Another 45 infections were confirmed across America yesterday with the tropical disease now spotted in as many as 28 states. Michigan is the latest to report monkeypox in a patient who is now isolating at home.

No deaths from the rash-causing virus have been reported in America, but one fatality has been registered in Nigeria amid the global outbreak topping 5,000 cases.

The above map shows monkeypox cases detected in America since the outbreak began. The table breaks this down by numbers, and also shows the number added in the last 24 hours

More than a hundred men lined up outside the Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic in Manhattan last Friday to get a dose of the monkeypox vaccine. The clinic only admitted people who had got appointments, and turned away all others

Last week New York City opened a vaccination clinic for monkeypox without warning and made 1,000 doses available.

But it had to stop offering doses by walk-in within 90 minutes and over appointment within hours after all slots were filled.

People waiting at the clinic for the shot blasted the barely a thousand doses available as 'ridiculous' in a city of nearly eight million. Others accused officials of giving 'contradictory' information on how to get jabbed.

First American to go public with monkeypox infection is a gay actor in Los Angeles The first American monkeypox patient to go public with his battle against the tropical virus has slammed health officials for a 'lackluster' job of testing for the virus, which has left many cases undiagnosed. Matt Ford, a self-employed actor who splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City, has spoken out to warn people that the disease 'sucks' and they should take it 'seriously.' He blasted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their poor testing efforts, saying it took officials three days to diagnose his illness by which point he 'already knew' what they would say. Revealing his diagnosis to Buzzfeed, Ford said he caught the virus after having 'skin-to-skin contact' with another patient. The actor and writer, who describes himself as a 'proud openly gay man,' revealed he initially noticed spots in and around his 'underwear zone,' which indicated to him he had caught the virus. Over the next few days they spread across the rest of his body, including his face, arms, hands and abdomen. In total, he has counted 25 spots and said after appearing they began to 'fill with puss' and became itchy. Several  especially in the 'sensitive area'  became so painful they left him unable to sleep at night without taking painkillers. Advertisement

Chis LeBron, a Democrat candidate for the New York State Assembly, also weighed in criticizing the roll out as a last minute move ahead of the Pride weekend.

New York City has got hold of the doses through the White House which has made another 56,000 doses of the Jynneous vaccine available to states across America.

It was not clear when the city would start offering people appointments for the jab again.

It was also not clear how many doses have been secured by other states.

This two-dose jab is about 85 percent effective against infections, and sparks protection within minutes of receiving the first dose.

America will make another 240,000 doses of the vaccine available in the coming weeks, with a further 750,000 set to come on stream by the end of this year.

The U.S. today announced a further order of 2.5million Jynneous doses.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said: 'This order of additional Jynneous vaccine will help us push out more vaccine quickly, knowing that we have more doses on the way in the coming months  and is only possible because of our longstanding investment in smallpox and monkeypox preparedness.'

There are also plans to offer around the million or so doses of the ACAM2000 jab, although this is not preferred because of its more severe side-effects.

Both vaccines were designed to tackle smallpox, but health chiefs say they should work as well against monkeypox because the two viruses are closely related.

New York City and Washington D.C. are the first two areas to begin rolling out the monkeypox vaccine to gay or bisexual men who have multiple sexual partners.

Revealing plans to roll out more monkeypox vaccines in New York City plus 2,000 in the wider state, Hochul said: 'In New York State, we have seen a disproportionate number of cases, especially for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, which is why my team and I will continue to work around the clock to secure as many vaccines as possible for our residents.'

It comes after it was revealed that America's first monkeypox patient to come forward was a gay actor in Los Angeles who caught the infection after 'skin-to-skin' contact with another patient.

Matt Ford, who lives between New York City and Los Angeles, spoke out to warn people that the disease 'sucks' and they should 'take it seriously'.

He blasted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their poor testing efforts, saying it took officials three days to diagnose his illness by which point he 'already knew' what they would say.

Matt Ford, from Los Angeles, is the first patient to come forward to talk about his monkeypox diagnosis. He is pictured above with three spots due to the virus on his face

Ford showed spots on his stomach (left) and arm (right). There were about 25 in total, he said, that had erupted all over his body

Revealing his diagnosis, Ford said he initially noticed spots appearing in his 'underwear zone' which then spread across the rest of his body including face, arms, hands and abdomen.

The patient, who describes himself as a 'proud openly gay man' said he counted 25 spots on his body to date.

After appearing he said they began to 'fill with puss' and became itchy. Several in the 'sensitive area' became so painful that they left him unable to sleep without painkillers.

Ford also suffered flu-like symptoms in the early stages ranging from a fever, chills, night sweats and a cough.

He is now isolating at home with the symptoms having largely subsided, but will remain there until all the spots have scabbed over and the scabs have fallen off.

The CDC was performing about 60 tests for monkeypox a day last week, leaving it unable to stay on top of the virus.

But it has now sent more swabbing kits to private laboratories as it aims to ramp up testing to tens of thousands a day.
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More than one-in-ten Covid tests in New York City are coming back positive for the first time in nearly six months - as officials fear new strains of the virus taking hold in America will result in another summer surge.

The Big Apple's Covid-19-test positivity rate reached 10.3 percent, according to most recently available data from NYC Health. It's the first time the mark has eclipsed 10 percent since January, when the city was ravaged by the Omicron variant.

While raw figures remain low - the 3,400 cases per day the city is averaging is dwarfed by the tens of thousands reached during the original Omicron surge - some fear case figures are no longer reliable because of the prevalence of at-home testing and asymptomatic cases.

The reason for the jump in case-positivity is believed to be the BA.5 Omicron sub-lineage, which some are describing as the worst version of the variant yet.

Daily case figures are beginning to creep upward across the U.S., with daily case figures jumping 12 percent over the past week to 112,781 per day. Deaths have remained steady at 376 per day, though.

The most recently available data from New York City health officials is from June 27. Over the course of 11 days, the city's Covid positivity rate rocketed from 7.5 percent on June 16 to 10.3 percent on the 27th.

Rocketing case positivity also correlates with the rise of two mutant virus strains that are starting to become dominant.

The BA.5 variant now makes up 36.6 percent of sequenced cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only trailing BA 2.12.1 (42 percent of sequenced cases) as the nation's most prevalent strain. BA.4, which shares many of the same traits as BA.5, makes up 15.7 percent of cases.

Every single sequenced cases in the U.S. is a form of the Omicron variant as the highly infectious strain that emerged in late 2021 has snuffed out other versions of the virus.

The once-dominant BA.2 'stealth' variant now makes up less than six percent of Covid cases in the U.S. The original BA.1 Omicron strain is no longer being detected.

The strains, which now make up more than half of the nation's Covid cases, have alarmed health officials after early data from South Africa showed that natural immunity a person has from a previous infection is not as effective against them as it is other strains.

While their rise has not yet impacted national case figures, some experts are warning that more localized outbreaks are on the way.

The BA.5 (dark green) and BA.4 (light green) now combine to make up more than half of active Covid cases in the U.S.

Unlike previous strains of the virus, that have mainly moved east-to-west in the U.S., BA.4 and BA.5 are more prevalent along the west coast than the east coast

In New York City, Dr. Jay Varma, former public health advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio, warns that BA.5 could the reason case figures in the nation's largest city are no longer declining.

'The decline of reported [COVID-19] cases in NYC has stopped. Reported cases are at a high plateau, which means actual transmission is very high when you account for the >20x under-counting. This is likely the beginning of a BA.5 wave,' he said in a tweet.

According to CDC data, BA.5 makes up nearly one-in-three cases in the New York and New Jersey region. BA.4 makes up nearly 12 percent of cases while BA 2.12.1 remains dominant.

Unlike usual Covid strains, which take root along the East Coast before spreading west over time, these two strains have taken root on the other side of the country first.

BA.5 makes up 36 percent of sequenced cases along the west coast and 38 percent in the Pacific Northwest. It is most prevalent in in the Dust Bowl, where it makes up 41 percent of sequenced cases and the southwest, where it is at 40 percent.

Luckily for New York City, though, hospitalizations and deaths caused by the virus haven't jumped alongside case positivity. The city is still averaging nine deaths from the virus every day - lingering in the single digits and low-teens for three months now.

Hospitalizations also dropped below the 100-mark at the start of June and haven't returned. The city is currently recording 81 Covid-related hospitalizations every day.

The city has also launched its first dedicated 'Test to Treat' center, where New Yorkers who test positive for the virus can instantly receive a course of the antiviral pill, Paxlovid, to treat themselves.

New strains that break the general rules of the pandemic - once a person is infected they can't catch the virus again for some time - change the calculus of the virus response.

Fearing the new strains, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to roll out newly formulated Covid-19 vaccines specifically targeting the Omicron variant.

By a 19-2 vote, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) approved plans to roll out newly formulated vaccines this fall - citing the vaccine resistant traits of the Omicron variant.

All currently available versions of the Covid-19 vaccines are formulated to the original Wuhan strain that emerged two years ago.

While they're still effective at preventing severe infection or death in a majority of cases, the Omicron variant has mutated in a way to avoid front-end protection from infection.

This change allows for both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to begin distribution of newly formulated shots that should be able to prevent infection from the Omicron variant - along with previous versions of the virus.

The FDA is expected to follow the lead of its advisors and issue emergency use authorization to the new jabs at some point this week.

After the FDA, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will also likely authorize the shots.

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the FDA's top regulatory body for vaccines, said Tuesday morning he hoped to make the new shots available as early as October.
Around one million U.S. Marines and family of service members were poisoned by contaminated water while stationed at the Camp LeJeune military base - and now they are seeking justice.

Water at the Marine Corps camp in Jacksonville, North Carolina, was found to have been contaminated with benzene, trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene among others in the 1980s.

In the time since, residents of the base have experienced severe negative side-effects, like cancer, renal toxicity, Parkinson's. myeloma and more.

Legally, service members are not allowed to sue the U.S. Military - but a bill currently making its way through congress may open the door to allow them to receive compensation.

Around one million former veterans and their family members have suffered severe negative health defects after being exposed to contaminated water while they were stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina (file photo)

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2021, filed last year by Rep Matt Cartwright, a Pennsylvania Democrat, that would allow residents of the base during the three decade time period to sue the government for damages.

The bill has many supporters, including John Berry, a former soldier in the U.S. Army and now head of Berry Law, a firm that represents veterans in cases against the Department of Veterans Affairs.

He told DailyMail.com that the problem was known in the 1970s, and that the military failed to act to protect servicemen.

'Back in the 70s people knew there was a problem,' he explained.

'Marines and their families were not aware that they were in danger, and especially the Marines that were deploying overseas with the expectation that the government was taking care of their families.'

'Instead, just the opposite was happening. Their families were being exposed to harmful chemicals due to water contamination, and they had no idea.'

John Berry (pictured), head of Berry Law, is representing veterans and their families who were stationed at Camp Lejeune while the base had contaminated water

Many would later develop disastrous health defects and find out they were a result of government negligence.

But getting compensation has been near impossible. While injury suffered in active duty would be covered by disability benefits, earning compensation from a case like this would require a negligence lawsuit.

That is not possible, though. A 1950 Supreme Court case, Feres v United States set a precedent that military members were not allowed to file a suit against the government.

While the federal government is unlikely to wholesale give up their immunity to lawsuits, HR 2192, The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, may give these specific victims some reprieve.

As momentum around this bill forms, Berry says that the mission to protect veterans and their loved ones goes far beyond just one camp in North Carolina.

'There are other other times [this has happened], there are other hotspots that we've heard about that may or may not be addressed,' he said.

'There are other military bases, where there were similar chemicals, improperly disposed of, that may have contaminated the water.

'I think this [bill] is going to raise awareness and hopefully prevent this from ever happening again.'

As a veteran himself, he says that making sure the government takes care of those that has served is a priority of his.

'The expectation is that when you're done [serving], the government's gonna take care of you,' he added.

'If you were injured in the line of service, or kind of disease in the line of service, the government will take care of you. That's the bargain. That's the deal. And we have to hold our government accountable.'
Tony Ornato, the Secret Service official who disputed that then-President Donald Trump physically lunged at an agent or attempted to grasp the steering wheel of the presidential limousine during a January 6 encounter, is being questioned by two former Trump White House officials.

Ornato, who is now the assistant director of the Secret Service's Office of Training, rose to political prominence this week after a former aide to ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows testified to a Senate committee on Jan. 6 that she had been told about the confrontation by the agent on the day of the attack on Congress.

Secret Service Official Recounts Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Incident

It appears to have erupted in an SUV carrying Trump after the president became outraged by his agents' reluctance to accompany him to the US Capitol, where hundreds of his followers would shortly riot and attack the building.

Cassidy Hutchinson testified before the committee on Tuesday that Ornato recounted the event to her shortly after it occurred. Mr. Trump allegedly sought to grasp the steering wheel of the vehicle and lunged at agent Robert Engel after becoming enraged.

Hutchinson told the committee that Ornato had suggested with a motion that Trump had gone for the agent's neck when relaying the story. However, in the hours following her testimony, a US Secret Service spokeswoman told news outlets that the driver of the car and Engel were prepared to testify to the committee that the president had never physically rushed at them or attempted to take the wheel, Independent reported.

Some have speculated that the goal was to drive Pence away from the Capitol to prevent him from performing his job in certifying the 2020 Electoral College votes, although this notion has yet to be verified.

In 2019, then-President Trump fired the Secret Service head, Randolph "Tex" Alles, in what one unidentified source described as a "near-systematic purge" of the service. Trump subsequently chose James Murray as his replacement, and Murray is still in the position.

Read Also: Naftali Bennett Announces Retirement From Politics, Paving Way for Netanyahu's Return to Power

Secret Service Agent Who Fought Trump Was Promoted

Following President Joe Biden's election victory in 2020, it was widely believed that the Secret Service would be changed, and agents who had protected Biden during the Obama administration would be reinstated. Some of the president's friends were allegedly concerned about Secret Service officers' devotion to Trump, Newsweek via MSN.

For the first time, the decorated Secret Service member who reportedly fought Donald Trump in the rear of the Beast during the January 6 melee has been photographed. Throughout Trump's presidency, Special Agent in Charge Robert 'Bobby' Engel was the chief agent on his detail, dedicating his life to protecting and evacuating the president "at whatever cost."

Now, though, the federal law enforcement agency has taken on a much gentler role as the chief of the agency's field office in Tampa, Florida. Former White House assistant Cassidy Hutchinson said before the House Select Committee on Tuesday that Trump yearned for the presidential limo's steering wheel after Engel declined to take him to the US Capitol to join his fans.

Her shocking testimony has set the stage for senators to summon Engel and question him about whether he was compelled to stop the president, who allegedly retaliated by grasping Engel about the neck, as per Daily Mail.

Related Article: North Korea Lost Millions of Dollars After Stolen Cryptocurrency Wiped Out, Putting Pressure on Pyongyang's Escalating Nuclear Program

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'Does my boot look big in this?' is a fair question to ask of the new all-electric Citroen e-C4 X.

The French marque has given a distinctive derriere to its 4.6m-long, four-door fastback alternative to mid-sized models.

With a 510-litre boot and roomy interior, the 100kW powertrain offers a range of up to 224 miles, fitting in between the existing C4 hatch and flagship C5 X.

Good question: The French marque has given a distinctive derriere to its 4.6m-long, four-door fastback alternative to mid-sized models

Its being sold in the UK and many European markets only as a pure electric car.

Expect prices from 33,000, with first deliveries by spring 2023.

Citroen says its 'capacious' 510-litre boot volume, roomy interior, and 'outstanding rear knee room' makes it the ideal for everyday use in cities by families, and by professional drivers or chauffeur businesses.

With a 510-litre boot and roomy interior, the 100kW powertrain offers a range of up to 224 miles, fitting in between the existing C4 hatch and flagship C5 X

Its being sold in the UK and many European markets only as a pure electric car

Expect prices from 33,000, with first deliveries by spring 2023

Citroen says its 'capacious' 510-litre boot volume, roomy interior, and 'outstanding rear knee room' makes it the ideal for everyday use

Citroen CEO Vincent Cobee said: 'Many customers have told us they want an affordable, responsible and elegant alternative to the mass of hatchback and SUV offerings in the volume compact car segment, and this is our best interpretation of that need.'

Hyundais newly revealed all-electric Tesla-rivalling Ioniq 6

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Citroen should be greatly pleased by Korean car giant Hyundais newly revealed all-electric Tesla-rivalling Ioniq 6.

Flattery: , Citroen should be greatly pleased by Korean car giant Hyundais newly revealed all-electric Tesla-rivalling Ioniq 6

Its the stylistic spitting image of the French marques classic curvaceously sweeping C6 saloon sold from 2006 to 2012.

And theres just a hint of Mercedes-Benz in the rear tail. Expect prices from around 40,000 when order books open later this year ahead of deliveries in 2023.

Honoured to be shortlisted

I am honoured to have been shortlisted in five categories for the UKs motoring Oscars  the Newspress Automotive Awards.

These are for: news, consumer, feature writer, electric vehicle writer and motoring editor of the year.

The winners will be announced on Thursday July 21 at an awards event at Bicester Heritage. Good luck to all fellow finalists.
For some, investing is a source of fascination. Others are motivated by the need to provide for the future, but even they can get caught up in the excitement of a new share issue.

An IPO (initial public offering) or flotation seems to offer the chance of a stake in a success story that's possibly destined for even greater things.

There are thrills and spills along the way. In 2021 a record 1,095 companies went public worldwide. Bens Creek, a UK company that mines coal for steel making, made its stock market debut at 10p. Its shares now stand at 42p.

Shares in Nightcap, the night club business, also floated at 10p. They have risen to 15.75p.

By contrast, shares in Cellular Goods, the cannabis skincare product company backed by David Beckham (pictured top) have slumped by 78pc since their February 2021 market debut.

And food delivery service Deliveroo (which I hold) has also been a disaster. But at least I was able to apply for shares in that IPO, which is rarely the case for ordinary individuals, who are still often shut out in favour of institutions.

The stockbroker Peel Hunt is now offering a service allowing easier access to IPOs for clients of AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor. It says that private investors were able to take part in just 21 of the 182 flotations in the UK since October 2020.

It may be true, as Warren Buffett preaches, that 'an IPO involves an informed seller thinking it's a pretty good time to sell,' but we should still be permitted to make an assessment of a company's prospects. Those who invested in the IPO of the online retail player The Hut Group (THG) in September 2020 will be dismayed by its subsequent descent from 500p to 83p. But they were not denied the opportunity to participate.

As Richard Wilson, chief executive of Interactive Investor, argues, the strategy of exclusion will not build a 'nation of investors'.

Wilson wants the Treasury to introduce 'prescriptive rules, enshrined in legislation' to end the marginalisation.

He says: 'IPOs can be risky, and the research is mixed  but it does suggest that the best time to be involved in a typical one tends to be before it begins trading on the stock market.'

Oxford Nanopore, the gene sequencing company, highlights this. Its shares, offered to institutions only in September 2021 at 425p, bounced by 28 per cent at the start of trading. The sense of injustice over this and other examples of exclusion has not gone away, although economic gloom means there has been a dearth of IPOs in London this year.

Gymshark, the athleisure company and Burger King's UK arm were among those poised to list.

The cost of living squeeze has been a reason to delay for companies that depend on free-spending consumers.

Another factor is the dire performance of Spacs (special purpose acquisition companies), the shells used by some businesses to go public on Wall Street.

The CNBC SPAC Post Deal Index made up of these erstwhile stars has dropped by close to 50 per cent this year. It is said that companies and their advisers may be waiting to see the reception accorded to Haleon this month.

This 50billion company, whose brands include Panadol and Sensodyne, is being spun off by GlaxoSmithKline. Existing investors will receive one GSK share and one new Haleon share.

If the Haleon shares surge, this could be a sign that the markets' mood is more sanguine.

During this hiatus, you may be pondering the purchase of shares in some of the businesses that floated in 2021 at possibly inflated prices. But some fund managers are yet to be persuaded that bargains are appearing.

Alexandra Jackson of the Rathbone UK Opportunities fund has been looking at Oxford Nanopore, whose shares have suffered a reverse, tumbling to 304p: 'But we are not buying for the moment if only because there could be another stock market decline.'

Should the Treasury ensure that you get the chance to apply, when IPOs resume, do bear in mind the Buffett dictum.

David Coombs of Rathbones comments: 'Remember that private equity owners may have laden up a business with debt, or that the founders may be ready to quit. Don't be too comfortable just because the company is a household name  Aston Martin shares have halved since its IPO.'

Although private investors may be treated as second class citizens in most IPOs, one industry does welcome your cash.

Healthcare, property and renewable energy infrastructure investment trusts have raised about 4billion this year in share placings.

Through this route, I have put money into trusts like Gore Street Energy Storage using Primary Bid, the app that helps ordinary people invest in IPOs and placings. But this democratisation has a great deal further to go.
Property prices increased at the lowest monthly rate since 2019 in May, according to Zoopla, as the economic outlook and base rate rises began to 'drag on sentiment and activity'.

Prices rose 0.1 per cent during the month, the smallest monthly increase since December 2019, according to the property portal's house price index.

In the year to May, home values increased 8.4 per cent, compared to 9.2 per cent in the year to April.

Year-on-year growth: Zoopla said house prices increased 8.4% in the 12 months to May

On a quarterly basis prices increased by 1.4 per cent, the slowest since March 2021. The typical home is now sold for 251,550.

Zoopla predicted that, while levels of property price growth would reduce for the rest of the year, house prices would not go down.

It estimated that prices would grow 3 per cent in the year to December 2022.

'We expect price growth to start to fall back, reflecting the fact that buyer demand is starting to normalise from record peaks, although it is crucial to highlight that demand levels are still more than 30 per cent higher than the five-year average,' it said.

'The economic outlook, and multiple base rate rises, will act as a drag on sentiment and activity as we move through the rest of the year.'

While Zoopla said demand for properties was still high compared to the five-year average, it said it was beginning to recede to 'more normal levels'.

It reported that the average time to sell a home, from listing to sale agreed, was rising having gone 20 days in March to 22 days in May.

Demand dip: While buyer appetite remains higher than the five-year average, it is declining

The easing off of demand, Zoopla said, was due in part to increasing mortgage rates following the successive rises in the Bank of England's base rate.

Buyers are now facing average rates of 3.37 per cent for a five-year fixed-rate loan, according to Moneyfacts, compared to 2.64 per cent in December 2021.

This, Zoopla said, would increase the annual cost of a loan for an average priced home (250,000) with a 25 per cent deposit and 25-year term by 870.

Grainne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla, said: 'Buyer demand is still strong in the housing market, but signals are emerging that the impetus may be easing, so those who want to make a move should investigate their options sooner rather than later.

'In addition, mortgage rates are likely to continue to climb, so locking into a rate shortly could save hundreds over the longer-term.'

Table topper: Wales saw the biggest growth in house prices at 11.4%, Zoopla said

Wales leads price growth while London lags

Wales had the most marked price growth, according to Zoopla, with prices up 11.4 per cent on the year, while London saw the least growth at 3.9 per cent. This was similar to the Nationwide report yesterday.

Of the UK's largest cities, Nottingham had the highest price growth in the year to May at 10.4 per cent, taking the average home value to 190,300.

This was followed by Bournemouth at 10.2 per cent. The Dorset town toppled Hastings as the southern coastal area with the most rapid rate of house price growth.

The fastest-moving market was the South West, Zoopla said, with the average length of time taken between listing a home and agreeing a sale sitting at less than three weeks (19 days).

Nick Leeming, chairman of estate agent chain Jackson-Stops, said: 'It's unsurprising to see the South West market going against the cooling tide.

'Our Exeter office saw a near 40 per cent uplift in buyer enquiries in May, heavily outpacing the level of instructions there. This allowed some sellers to be more bullish in their requests  pushing up competitive bids and testing the agility of buyers for a quick move.'

But Zoopla also said buyer demand for houses in the South West had seen the sharpest decline over the last month, falling by 14 per cent  though it remains 37 per cent above the five-year average.

Homes in London are staying on the market longest, with an average of 35 days between listing and a sale being agreed.

Zoopla has predicted that house prices will, on average, grow by 3% in the year to December

Leeming added: 'I think we'll look back and note the first quarter of 2022 as the absolute pinnacle of post-pandemic related enthusiasm, with an incredible amount of pent-up momentum.

'But the trampling on shoulders amongst buyers that we've seen is unlikely to sustain. It's now apparent that April will be looked back on as an inflection point of the market.

'We are already seeing many over-ambitious sellers coming back down to the realms of reality.

'The summer market will likely be characteristic of a steadier future. What we are seeing is more supply coming to the market in most regions, partly in the belief that house prices are peaking, but also to lock in the best mortgage rates as the era of ultra-cheap money comes to an end.'
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Britain's killer mothers are among the most reviled of criminals. Cold, calculating and cruel, their heinous crimes betray everything it means to be the maternal parent.

And Angharad Williamson, 31, is no exception. She was yesterday sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum 28 years behind bars, for murdering Logan Mwangi, five, before conspiring to dump his body - with the help of her lover John Cole, 40, and an unnamed 14-year-old - in a nearby river in Bridgend, South Wales, on July 31 last year.

She is among of a handful of warped mothers whose crimes have broken hearts across the country over the past year, all with their own twisted tales of abuse, neglect and ultimately, death.

Their unspeakable acts sparked outrage among the British public, made worse by the crocodile tears they employed in front of the authorities in a desperate bid to get away with murder.

In December last year, Emma Tustin, 32, was convicted of killing her stepson Arthur Labinjo-Hughes by repeatedly slamming his head on a hard surface after she and 29-year-old Thomas Hughes - the boy's father - inflicted a campaign of cruelty on the youngster, including starving him and poisoning him with salt.

In both cases, the women were caught on police body cameras as they tried to cover up their murderous deeds, but to the trained expert eye, their body language provided clues of their guilt.

Consultant Forensic Psychologist Dr Keri Nixon and body language expert Dr Cliff Lansley told the MailOnline how they employed different tactics in failed attempts to cover their tracks.

Williamson attempted an Oscar-worthy display of hysterics after calling police to her home to report her son missing last summer, before being told he had been found unconscious.

Police bodycam footage shows her screaming at her lover Cole: 'Why am I not allowed to see my own biological son?'

Angharad Williamson, 31, hysterically wailed (pictured right) while pretending to be unaware of what happened to five-year-old Logan Mwangi (pictured left) in Bridgend, Wales, last July

Karen Matthews led from Dewsbury police station before a court appearance over her daughter Shannon's (pictured right) 'kidnap'. While by no means a killer, Matthews shot to infamy when she faked Shannon's disappearance, earning her the title of 'Britain's Most Hated Mum'

Emma Tustin (pictured right), 32, admitted segregating Arthur Labinjo-Hughes (pictured left) for up to 14 hours a day for seven days a week in a hallway in their home near Solihull, West Midlands

While in her kitchen, she yells: 'He is unconscious, why is he unconscious?' Gesturing towards police officers before falling to the ground, she continues: 'All I'm getting is answers like this.

'Why is no one telling me what's going on? He's my baby, what's going on?'

She is later seen stood on her doorstep, saying: 'If he is unconscious he needs me. He needs warm clothes. He needs mum. I feel so useless. This is all my fault.'

Body language expert Dr Cliff Lansley told MailOnline how her behaviour suggests she was 'performing' rather than 'reacting'.

He revealed: 'Williamson is wailing during the video clip from the doorstep, yet her facial muscles show no reliable signs of sadness.

'When we are feeling sadness our inner brows raise and the lip corners turn downwards - we see none of that here.

'We do, however, see her lip corners stretch back horizontally towards her ears a couple of times.

'The muscles that create this movement, the risorius muscles, are activated when we are fearful.

'This could be associated with her being told that Logan has been found unconscious, when she thought (or knew) that he was dead when her partner dumped his body in the early hours that morning.

'During this performance on the doorstep we also hear a steady voice with sobs on the out-breath. This isn't characteristic of genuine sadness where the voice tone is often broken and we usually hear the sobs on the in-breath.

'Such a performance is seen on perpetrators who are faking sadness to deflect suspicion away from themselves. There are some linguistic anomalies too.

'''Why am I not allowed to see my own biological son?'' This is a strange phrase, adding the word ''biological'' instead of just saying ''my son''. This suggests she is trying to convince the Police that she has a closer relationship with her son, Logan, than she actually has.

'We also hear her say, ''this is all my fault''. This appears to be the truth, known as a ''Freudian slip''. It could be a leaked confession.'

In the Tustin case, police body-worn footage showed the killer stepmother telling PC Louise Williams that Arthur 'f***ing hates me' while paramedics treated the boy.

On the morning of July 31 last year the once 'smiling, cheerful little boy' Logan Mwangi (pictured), was found by police just 250 metres from his home submerged in the River Ogmore

Williamson was jailed alongside John Cole (both above), 40, at Cardiff Crown Court today alongside a teenage boy, who cannot be named because of his age

Explaining his injuries, Tustin said: 'Arthur was told to sit on the thinking step. He's threw himself on the floor and banged himself on the radiator.

'He's kicked me in the process of trying to get him back on the thinking step.

'He's then gone on all fours on the floor and I've told him to get up. I've shut the door, all I heard was a crack.

'He was headbutting, on all fours, the floorboards. At that point he was fine.'

Tustin added: 'I put my arms underneath him to pick him up and he dropped and he banged his head three times on the floor. As I picked him up he hit me as I tried to get him up.'

Tustin, speaking at a rapid pace, told the officer that Arthur had been 'lashing out' and 'we've had s*** off him for six months'.

She said: 'Like I said, the last six months he's battered both my kids, he's smashed the house to pieces. He's battered his dad, he hit me.

'Yesterday, we went to my friend's house. He pushed me down five stairs, saying 'you're not my real mum, I'm going to kill you'. I'm going to get my mum to kill you.'

She then added: 'Done my best for that kid, he f***ing hates me. I couldn't get him off the floor.'

When spoken to by the same West Midlands Police officer, the boy's father Hughes told how he had returned from the supermarket to find his son unresponsive. He claimed Arthur had been on 'hunger strike'.

She said: 'We've experienced a few problems with behaviour. He's been lashing out and spitting his food out. He's gone on on hunger strike.

'He's turned around and said he wants to drink water all the time. We've said unless you eat you're not going to get a full drink.

'Then he's been hitting people, it's been going on for six months. We thought it was a stage.'

Karen Matthews became Britain's 'most hated mum' for lying to the police and public about her 'missing' daughter Shannon - and she 'got a kick' from the charade, says expert While by no means a killer, Karen Matthews shot to infamy when she faked her daughter Shannon's disappearance, earning her the title of 'Britain's Most Hated Mum'. She too, lied through her teeth, leading cops on a wild goose chase in what became the biggest missing persons search West Yorkshire police had ever launched. All the while, she knew full well that her daughter, nine, was hidden in the base of a divan bed at a house occupied by her ex-lover Michael Donovan in Batley Carr. Matthews and Donovan had hoped to claim a 50,000 reward for 'finding' Shannon. Police looked for the girl for a staggering 24 weeks, costing the authorities almost 3.2million, while egomaniac Karen appeared on TV and newspaper front pages begging for her to be returned home. But her motives for lying were different to those of killers Emma Tustin and Angharad Williamson - who respectively murdered their own stepson and son. Comparing Williamson and Matthews, body language expert Dr Cliff Lansley told MailOnline: 'The only similarity between them is the fake sadness that Karen Matthews showed when she made an appeal outside her home.' He added: 'But they are in a completely different context. 'Ms Matthews behaved the way she did for personal gain, she was exhibiting 'duping delight'. 'She was getting a kick from the charade.' Matthews was spotted in February this year sporting jet black hair and a spray tan as she boarded a bus in a southern England town. The mother-of-seven had drastically changed her appearance since leaving prison in 2012. Her new image coincided with a string of boyfriends. One so-called 'sugar daddy' reportedly showered her with gifts before they split, she also had a six-week fling with a convicted paedophile and is said to have told friends she wants to have another child since finding God two years ago. Advertisement

Dr Keri Nixon, a Consultant Forensic Psychologist, said both Williamson and Tustin committed 'despicable' acts against the children under their care, but she views their behaviour very differently.

She told MailOnline: 'In Arthur's case, his stepmother appears to be the protagonist and in control, she is the one leading the action.

'In the bodycam footage, she does not flinch as she gives a completely false account of what happened to Arthur.

'She is so, so cold. He is lying dead and she is able to calmly lie to police. Meanwhile his father appears a more weaker figure in the background with his head down.

'It's clear that she had planned this, she knew what she was going to say. There is no sign of remorse, and to blame Arthur saying he was hitting his own head against the floor is just so horrific. She even offers to show the police where Arthur was banging his head without a shred of emotion.

'But she was very calculated and was really selling her story. She hoped to get away with it.'

Dr Keri said Logan's case was more shocking because Williamson was his actual mother.

She added: 'She was supposed to love him but she completely failed to protect him.

'But what is different in this case is that Williamson does not appear to be the one pulling the strings.

'It's clear that her partner John was the main abuser and was the one in control. But she still let it happen and was an enabler, and there is no excuse for what she did.

'She was in a relationship with a man who had a violent past, had been violent to a child and was racist and seemed to hate Logan for his similar appearance to his Kenyan father.

'Thus, she failed in her role to safeguard her child and placed him at risk, also engaging in the abuse herself.

'Research into similar cases has identified a pattern; in a lot of these cases, there is a violent man behind the scenes who starts and controls the abuse.

'While she is culpable and she was there for the abuse, and there is no excuse for her, in cases like these I often wonder if her son would have died if the male partner had not come onto the scene. However, it was her role to protect her son and she utterly failed in that role.'

Dr Keri said Williamson takes a much different approach to Arthur's stepmum Tustin when she is interacting with police in body cam footage.

She explains: 'Williamson is playing the role of a hysterical mother, because that is what she thinks police would expect her to behave like.

'Listening to the initial 999 police call it is disturbing how she is able to lie stating her son has 'disappeared' when she knows what they have done to his lifeless body.

'She continues to ask questions and demands they tell her what has happened, as if continually stating she doesn't know what has happened to him, when the exact opposite is true.

'Like Tustin, she is saying things that she knows are completely wrong and it's chilling to hear her say that Logan needs his warm clothes, when she knew he was laying dead in the river. She was trying to appear like a caring mother.

'I think the footage shows a tiny flicker of real emotion, almost a shock of realisation of what she's done.

'However, she acts in a very dramatic way and moves away from the officers still demanding to know what has happened.

'She also uses phrases like "he's my biological son", "he's my baby" as if she is almost trying to convince those around her and herself that she couldn't do harm to him.

'It is also interesting that there is no change from the 999 call to the body cam footage from the attending officers; she continued to say the same things and act in the same manner.

'You can see that she does not want to look directly at the police officers, the opposite of the cool and calculating Tustin.

'There could be a tiny flicker of regret, but how much of that is for herself and how much is shame for what she's done we cannot know.'

While by no means a killer, Karen Matthews shot to infamy when she faked her daughter Shannon's disappearance, earning her the title of 'Britain's Most Hated Mum'.

She too, lied through her teeth, leading cops on a wild goose chase in what became the biggest missing persons search West Yorkshire police had ever launched.

All the while, she knew full well that her daughter, nine, was hidden in the base of a divan bed at a house occupied by Michael Donovan in Batley Carr.

Police looked for the girl for a staggering 24 weeks, costing the authorities almost 3.2million, while egomaniac Matthews appeared on TV and newspaper front pages begging for her to be returned home.

But her motives for lying were different to those of killers Emma Tustin and Angharad Williamson - who respectively murdered their own stepson and son.

Comparing Williamson and Matthews, body language expert Dr Cliff Lansley told MailOnline: 'The only similarity between them is the fake sadness that Karen Matthews showed when she made an appeal outside her home.'

He added: 'But they are in a completely different context.

'Ms Matthews behaved the way she did for personal gain, she was exhibiting 'duping delight'. She was getting a kick from the charade.'
Ghislaine Maxwell is facing fresh legal trouble over a personal injury lawsuit filed by an art dealer who tripped on the sidewalk outside her $15million New York City townhouse in 2015.

Sheldon Barr claims that Maxwell - who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Tuesday - 'recklessly' failed to maintain the concrete and caused him to fall to the ground and hit his head.

Barr claims he had to undergo knee surgery and that his 'life changed' because of the injuries which mean he can no longer walk up and down stairs.

The lawsuit claims that the Venetian art dealer, 84, has been left 'disabled' and seeks unspecified damages.

While Barr's case was dismissed last year, his lawyers have now requested the decision be vacated and the matter is still ongoing.

DailyMail.com has learned that Maxwell was forced to sit for a deposition in the case in 2019 - before Epstein was arrested and Maxwell went into hiding - where she gave evasive answers about her pedophile boss, her husband Scott Borgerson and her business.

Barr's complaint named 116 East 65th St LLC, the company which owned Maxwell's house, and the City of New York as defendants.

Maxwell sold the property in 2016 after marrying Borgerson - Barr's accident happened the year before.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been hit with a personal injury lawsuit filed by an art dealer who tripped on the sidewalk outside her $15million New York townhouse. This comes as Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday for sex trafficking underage girl to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein

Sheldon Barr, pictured left with husband Tom Gardner, claims that Maxwell 'recklessly' failed to maintain the concrete and caused him to fall to the ground and hit his head

Barr is seeking unspecified damages for the 'severe and permanent injuries he sustained - which he claims 'changed' his life - outside of the New York townhouse (pictured)

The complaint, also filed on behalf of Barr's husband Thomas Gardner, states: 'The accident and resulting injuries occurred solely as the result of the carelessness, recklessness and negligence of the defendants in failing to keep and maintain in a safe, proper and passable condition (the sidewalk).

'They allowed the area where the plaintiff was caused to fall to become and remain in an uneven, broken, defective and dangerous conditions and in failing to repair and maintain the sidewalk, in failing to properly warn pedestrians of the uneven and dangerous conditions that existed.'

The lawsuit claimed that the sidewalk was a 'trap' and that Barr suffered 'severe and permanent injuries' which resulted in 'extreme pain, suffering and mental anguish and distress.'

The complaint states: 'Plaintiff became disabled and incurred damages that are permanent in nature.'

In an affidavit, Barr said that on September 9, 2015 he was walking outside Maxwell's home when he tripped, hit his head and 'saw stars.'

The sidewalk where he tripped was raised an inch off the ground, Barr said.

Barr described that the pain he felt in his right knee, which also hit the ground, was 10 out of 10 and that he was bleeding.

Barr told his husband: 'I think you better call 911. I can't get up. I think I have been seriously hurt'.

Barr had an MRI done which showed that his right kneecap was broken in half.

His right leg was put in an immobilizer and he waited two weeks for an operation but it caused the pain to get 'much, much worse'.

Barr said the pain was 'intense' and he had a 'huge incision' on his leg.

He said: 'My knee was leaking blood. It was a total nightmare'.

In a complaint filed on behalf of his husband, Tom Gardner alleged the accident occurred as a result of 'recklessness and negligence of the defendants in failing to keep and maintain' the sidewalk 'in a safe, proper and passable condition'

In an affidavit, Barr said that on September 9, 2015 he was walking outside Maxwell's home when he tripped on the sidewalk - which he claims was raised an inch off the ground - and hit his head

Maxwell sold the property a year after the alleged accident took place in 2016 after marrying now ex-husband Scott Borgerson

Barr was put on the powerful painkiller OxyContin until an X-ray showed the bone hadn't fused and that one of the pins that had to be put in had to be removed because it had bent.

After the pin was taken our Barr went through months of physical therapy but he still cannot walk up and down stairs, he said.

Barr said that he takes two Advil a day because the pain is 'constant'.

In their response Maxwell's lawyers denied any culpability and said that any injuries sustained by Barr were 'caused by culpable conduct and / or want of care' on the part of Barr.

The City of New York also denied responsibility and said that Barr 'should have known the risks' of walking along a public sidewalk.

During the lawsuit Barr's lawyers filed an article to the docket about Maxwell's ties to Epstein with the title: 'Where is Ghislaine Maxwell? Has she done a runner?'

The article talked about Maxwell's links to Epstein and how she was part of a 'massive underage sex pyramid scheme'.

Maxwell was forced to hand over tax returns from TerraMar, her nonprofit devoted to saving the world's oceans which was bankrolled by Epstein.

The lawsuit delved into whether or not Maxwell was running a business out of the townhouse, a crucial factor in determining her liability.

Barr's lawyers referred to Maxwell's indictment for sex trafficking, quoting from a prosecution statement which said that she 'repeatedly lied when questioned about her conduct' to try and show she was an unreliable witness in the personal injury lawsuit too.

Sheldon Barr (right) claims he had to undergo knee surgery and that his 'life changed' because of the injuries which mean he cannot walk up and down stairs

Barr's complaint named 116 East 65th St LLC, the company which owned Maxwell's house, and the City of New York as defendants

Maxwell's deposition was requested by Barr's lawyer Larry Fallek and the questioning focused on Ellmax, the consulting business that Maxwell ran between 2010 and 2013.

It took place in April 2019, four months before Epstein was arrested and Maxwell went into hiding.

Maxwell, whose contacts book included Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, said: 'It was a vehicle for me to be able to advise companies on boards of directors and to help with companies for conferences and speakers for their conference.

Epstein was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he hanged himself in his cell in August 2019. His accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of procuring underage girls in a federal trial last year

Asked to elaborate, Maxwell said it was 'mostly technology businesses'.

She said: 'Because I know a lot of people in technology. It could be anything as a board of directors are needed in any type of company. And people of good character and outstanding ability in business are always needed. And I, fortunately, have a lot of friends and people in that area and I will be able to place people in those types of companies'

Maxwell claimed that most of the companies she worked for were in Los Angeles and said she went there and London 'multiple times'.

But despite her bragging Maxwell claimed that she wound up Ellmax in 2013 because 'it wasn't going to succeed and it was just useless, and I just stopped it'.

Maxwell was asked by Barr's lawyer what she did before Ellmax.

She claimed: 'I was unemployed. I believe around 2000 - 2009 or (2008)'

Maxwell's criminality for which she will be sentenced ranged from 1994 to 2004, though prosecutors argue she continued to associate with Epstein after that.

In their sentencing memo they pointed out that Maxwell had a desk at Epstein's Palm Beach mansion when police raided it in 2005.

Prosecutors say Maxwell went into hiding after Epstein's suicide, moving into a gated New Hampshire home she bought for $1million with her husband Scott Borgerson and wrapping her cellphone in foil to ward off hacking

Borgerson bought this $2.4million home in Manchester-by-the-Sea in June 2016. After Maxwell moved in, they were unable to find peace in their community

As of 2007, Epstein transferred $7.7million to the Maxwell's personal bank account.

The memo states that Maxwell 'remained a close associate of Jeffrey

Epstein and continued to profit from their criminal relationship, long past 2004'.

Maxwell was asked how she got to know Darren Indyke, the lawyer who founded the LLC which owned her townhouse.

She said that he 'worked for a friend of mine', adding that it was a 'gentleman called Mr. Epstein'.

Fallek asked: 'Is that Jeffrey Epstein?'

Maxwell said: 'Yes'.

In another evasive moment Maxwell was asked about her marital status. She responded that she wasn't married 'at the time of this' incident on September 15 2016.

But at the time of the deposition she was married to her estranged husband, Scott Borgerson, a former tech executive.

The two have now split and Borgerson reportedly dumped her by phone while she was in prison awaiting trial.

Bizarrely, Michael Douglas' ex-wife Diandra Douglas was mentioned by Maxwell who claimed that she lived next door to the property.

Maxwell said that the tree outside her property belonged to Diandra Douglas and that as a result she never maintained it.

Barr's case was dismissed in April last year but his lawyers have requested to vacate that decision and the matter is still ongoing.

Barr and his lawyer Larry Fallek declined to comment.

Maxwell's lawyer Matthew Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment.
A British woman has revealed how she's making the most of life down under while working as a fly-in-fly-out worker in Australia's mines.

Megan Meeke, 27, a former Virgin Atlantic flight attendant, makes $2,400 a week after tax from her FIFO work in Western Australia's Pilbara mining region, which she sees always gets stunning sunsets.

Her roster, known as a 'swing', involves her doing 14 days straight before she gets a day off.

Then at least once a month, she hops on a plane to explore another part of Australia or party in glamorous resort locations such as the Maldives, Dubai and Thailand.

Megan Meeke, 27, a former Virgin flight attendant, makes $2,400 a week after tax from her FIFO work in Western Australia's Pilbara mining region

Her roster, known as a 'swing', involves her doing 14 days straight before she gets a day off

Then at least once a month she hops on a plane to explore another part of Australia or party in glamorous resort locations such as the Maldives, Dubai and Thailand (Ms Meeke is pictured above in Dubai)

The former Virgin air hostess came to Australia in 2019 and tried several jobs to support her travels before settling on fly-in-fly-out mining work

Ms Meeke earns every moment of her idyllic holidays, though, by working 12 to 14-hour days in Australia's mines before collapsing in her tiny on-site room.

'It is definitely a tiring job but also an amazing lifestyle if you are someone that wants to travel the world and earn amazing money,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'FIFO is something I really do recommend, especially if your young and want to travel, you earn amazing money and the lifestyle is great!

'You work hard for two weeks, then you have your week off to go off to another country or explore more of Australia, then go back to work, work hard earn big money and then travel again.'

Since arriving in Australia, she has travelled to Bali, Croatia, Mexico, America and Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Dubai and Singapore.

The best thing about FIFO work, she said, is the money.

Ms Meeke earns every moment of her idyllic holidays though, by working 12 to 14 hour days in Australia's mines before collapsing in her tiny on-site room (Pictured, Ms Meeke on holiday in the Maldives)

She earns $2,400 a week after tax - but for an exhausting 77-hour week.

She said the mines help with 'fatigue management' and offer plenty of benefits besides good pay.

'When you are up on site for those two weeks, everything is paid for - accommodation (called 'dongas'), all your food, drinks, snacks - everything.'

'They also have games nights, bingo, gyms, pools, everything you could need to be honest! And it's all free. Not that I've been to the gym yet I'm always too tired from the day.'

Unskilled but well-paid: entry-level mining jobs Truck drivers and 'nippers: $90,000 to $120,000 (0-12 months experience) Service crew: around $150,000 (6-12 months experience) Diamond driller: $150,000 to $190,000 Boggers and charge-up: $160,000 to $200,000 (2-5 years) Jumbo operators: $200,000 to $250,000 Supervisors and foremen: Up to $300,000 Source: Underground Training Advertisement

Ms Meeke also said she gets to check out the stunning sunsets although she's working.

'Usually, I'm in the Pilbara area, which is so cool the sunsets are 10/10 every evening.'

Aside from the long hours, the most challenging thing for Ms Meeke is being away for so long and missing family and friends back in the UK.

'Sometimes it can be really hard missing my partner, Dylan.

'He is also doing FIFO too. But we're not always working together.'

She said they met in Jamaica on holiday in 2019 and have since travelled the world together.

The enterprising Ms Meekes is also adding another string to her bow as a travel blogger, with her own self-published 'So You Wanna Travel' blog and e-books.

'I was in hotel isolation for 12 days and started thinking of ways I can help others to travel and get the confidence to pack their bags and see the world,' she said.

'That's when I came up with the idea of "So You Wanna Travel" which I love doing I also have a private Facebook group for anyone who buys a e-book so we all can help each other with advice when travelling.'

Ms Meeke is pictured on a well-earned holiday in Sri Lanka

The downsides of working as a FIFO worker Physically demanding work on every single shift

Intense time pressure, with expensive consequences for being slow and mistakes, including getting fired

Exhausting 12 hour shifts - including a lot of nights

Rosters are usually 14 days on then 7 days off - for at least six months

You'll spend far less time with loved ones/family than in most jobs

You need to pass regular drug and alcohol tests Advertisement

One of the toughest things about FIFO work is being away from family and friends for so long, including sometimes her partner Dylan (Pictured, Megan Meeke and Dylan Murray)

She started her Australian adventure in 2019 working in a backpackers on Queensland's Gold Coast, before working in 'a very popular busy bar' at Surfers Paradise then doing three months of farm work.

But in 2022 FIFO work became her focus - which she intends to continue for now.
Homeowners who install energy-efficient features including solar panels, insulation and water tanks can add up to $125,000 to their house's value, experts say.

Units can fetch $72,750 more when they boast the same sustainable add-ons, up to a 12.7 per cent difference, as buyers increasingly look for homes which won't cost a lot to heat or cool with energy prices on the rise.

The home's orientation, something only those building a property have much control over, also goes a long way to adding to its value, the Domain Sustainability in Property report said.

Those face north are attracting higher bids as it costs less to heat and cool as opposed to those facing south.

Experts forecast that buyers on the hunt for a sustainable home will likely increase over time as energy bills soar (pictured, a Sydney property auction)

Insulation, home orientation and water tanks (pictured) can add top value to homes

Domain chief of research and economics Nicola Powell told the Sydney Morning Herald: 'Sustainable homes come at a price premium, but there are many benefits.'

'You can sell for a price premium, sell quicker, get more [buyer demand] and save money in the long run on the running costs of a home.'

Good orientation can reducing heating and cooling needs, with some living areas in homes best suited to facing the path of the sun to the north.

Houses with sustainable assets such as solar panels get almost nine per cent more views online and sold slightly faster than other properties, with units at similar results.

Ms Powell said sustainable homes with higher premiums are more likely to sit at the modern-end of the housing spectrum, making them out of the ballpark for low-income earners and first-home buyers.

She called for government support to fill that gap to ensure 'energy-efficient additions to a home are accessible to all price budgets'.

Ms Powell forecasted that buyers on the hunt for a sustainable home will likely increase over time as energy costs soar.

Energy-efficient words included north-facing, ventilation, sunroof conservation and grassed are also being searched for more online.

Sustainable features like solar panels (pictured) can add $125,000 to a house's value according to the Domain report
New Zealand's government has declared the Proud Boys and The Base are terrorist organizations.

The two groups join 18 others including the Islamic State group that have been given an official terrorist designation, making it illegal in New Zealand to fund, recruit or participate in the groups, and obligating authorities to take action against them.

The U.S. groups are not known to be active in New Zealand, although the South Pacific nation has become more attuned to threats from the far right after a white supremacist shot and killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in 2019.

The New Zealand massacre inspired other white supremacists around the world, including a white gunman who killed 10 black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May.

In the U.S., the State Department only lists foreign groups as terrorist entities.

Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, has declared the Proud Boys (led by Enrique Tarrio, right) a terrorist organization

Tarrio is seen (left) at a march in Washington DC in December 2020

Proud Boys rally in support of Donald Trump in December 2020 in Washington DC

WHO ARE THE PROUD BOYS? Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes started the all-male Proud Boys in 2016. McInnes and the Proud Boys have described the group as a politically incorrect men's club for 'Western chauvinists' and deny affiliations with far-right extremist groups that overtly espouse racist and anti-Semitic views. The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center designated the Proud Boys as a hate group, saying that its members often spread 'outright bigotry' and 'anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric' over the internet, and have posted social media pictures of themselves with prominent Holocaust deniers, white nationalists and 'known neo-Nazis.' The then-national leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, marched in the infamous Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in 2017. Proud Boys have been involved in a series of high-profile violent clashes at political events. In New York City in October 2018, police arrested several Proud Boys members who brawled with anti-fascist protesters following a speech by McInnes at a Manhattan Republican club. Proud Boys members also have frequently clashed with counterprotesters at rallies in California and Oregon. Most recently, the group took part in the siege on the Capitol on January 6, where some members were seen breaking into the building. In February, they were designated a terrorist group by Canada, and in June New Zealand followed suit, Advertisement

But the Proud Boys were last year named a terrorist group in Canada, while The Base has previously been declared a terrorist group in Britain, Canada and Australia.

In a 29-page explanation of the Proud Boys designation published on Thursday, New Zealand authorities said the group's involvement in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 amounted to an act of terrorism.

The statement said that while several militia groups were involved, it was the Proud Boys who incited crowds, coordinated attacks on law enforcement officers and led other rioters to where they could break into the building.

The statement said there are unlinked but ideologically affiliated chapters of the Proud Boys operating in Canada and Australia.

New Zealand authorities argued that before the Capitol attack, the Proud Boys had a history of using street rallies and social media to intimidate opponents and recruit young men through demonstrations of violence.

It said the group had put up various smoke screens to hide its extremism.

Earlier this month, the former leader of the Proud Boys, Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, and four others linked to the group were charged in the U.S. with seditious conspiracy for what federal prosecutors say was a coordinated attack on the Capitol.

The indictment alleges that the Proud Boys conspired to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power.

The five are scheduled to stand trial in August in Washington, D.C.'s federal court.

Asked by media on Thursday in New Zealand if the Proud Boys weren't better known for protest actions rather than extreme violence, New Zealand Police Minister Chris Hipkins said: 'Well, violent protests attempting to overthrow the government, clearly there is evidence of that.'

In making its case against The Base, New Zealand authorities said a key goal of the group was to 'train a cadre of extremists capable of accelerationist violence.'

The statement said founder Rinaldo Nazzaro 'has repetitively counseled members online about violence, the acquisition of weapons, and actions to accelerate the collapse of the U.S. government and survive the consequent period of chaos and violence.'
The devastated daughter of a British aid worker brutally by Islamic State militants dubbed 'the Beatles' has learned of her father's final chilling plea to his captors before being put to death by Jihadi John.

Bethany Haines said her father David asked the ringleader of the terror cell Mohammed Emwazi to 'make it quick' when he was led away to be killed in 2014.

Details of his final moments were recalled to her in a two-hour US meeting with UK-born terrorist Alexanda Kotey in Virginia.

Kotey, 37, was jailed for life in April for his part in the torture and murder of western hostages.

An emotional Miss Haines, 24, told ITV News: 'He [Kotey] told me that Jihadi John had been away to execute my father and my father knew what was coming, closed his eyes, and said, "Can you make it quick?" I can picture him saying that, in his orange jumpsuit, with his eyes closed. I can picture him saying, "Please make it quick".'

She also said Kotey revealed that her father's death was delayed to give his killers time to film from different angles for their gruesome propaganda video, which sent shockwaves around the world.

Former RAF worker Mr Haines, from Perth, was captured by militants in Syria in March 2013 while delivering aid to the war-torn country. His remains have never been discovered.

Bethany Haines said her father's final wish was recalled to her during a two-hour face-to-face meeting with Londoner Alexanda Kotey in Virginia, US, where he was jailed in April for his part in the torture and murder of western hostages

Bethany Haines, the daughter of David Haines, who was murdered by Islamic State militants

Bethany Haines with father David Haines

Brother of murdered aid worker David Haines who stared down ISIS Beatle as he was jailed for life in the US says sentencing has brought him 'total closure' The brother of murdered aid worker David Haines has said that seeing a member of the ISIS Beatles who killed his sibling jailed for life brought him a sense of closure. Mike Haines, 55, joined the families of other victims in court in Alexandria, Virginia, last week as Londoner Alexanda Kotey was sentenced for his role in the terror cell's murder of four hostages. Appearing on ITVs Good Morning Britain in May, Mr Haines told hosts Kate Garraway and Richard Madeley how he 'expected to feel hate and anger'. He said: 'I expected to feel anger, I expected to feel hate. When I faced him it was grim satisfaction that he was in a court of law with his rights held up to the highest degree. It was a sense of closure.' Mr Haines also revealed how the trauma of his brothers execution effectively killed his parents. 'My mum slowly gave up on life and she slowly faded away until her death,' he said. 'My dad...in the 48 hours after I told my parents that David had gone, his dementia got so much worse...again he slowly faded.' Advertisement

Miss Haines said Kotey told her he had followed her father for a couple of days before abducting him, and apologised for his role in the murder. She said: 'I asked for an apology.

'I pressed on with it and eventually he did say, "I am sorry for" - he just used my words for it - "abducting and hurting your dad". Did he mean it? No.'

Kotey may yet be brought back to the UK to be charged with the deaths of other hostages, including Mr Haines.

Kotey's co-defendant, El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will be sentenced in August for his role in the plot.

The pair were captured in 2018 as Syrian forces regained territory from IS. Both were stripped of their UK citizenship before their extradition to the US.

Jihadi John was killed in a 2015 drone strike. The three, along with a fourth man Aine Davis, were known to their Western captives as the 'Beatles' because of their British accents.

In April, Miss Haines confronted Kotey in the dock after he was sentenced to life. She walked up to him in court and pointed her finger as she said: 'Why don't you go rot in hell.'

Kotey admitted eight charges of kidnap, torture and executing hostages.

In passing sentence, trial Judge TS Ellis described his behaviour as 'egregious, violent and inhuman'.

It follows reports that one Islamic State's so-called 'Beatles' terrorists could be back on British streets within days after being freed from a Turkish jail.

Aine Davis, 38, from London, faces being arrested by counter-terror police when he lands in this country, the Daily Mail understands - but there are also fears he could then go free.

He was part of a terror cell dubbed 'the Beatles' thanks to their British accents by Westerners they held hostage. US authorities say they tortured and beheaded 27 hostages, including British aid workers Mr Haines and Alan Henning in 2014.

Davis, known as 'Jihadi Paul', is due to be deported by authorities in Istanbul on July 9 after serving a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for terrorism offences.

It remains unclear whether UK prosecutors will be able to bring charges against Davis here - raising the prospect of him being able to walk the streets under a 'terrorism prevention and investigation measure', which would let the authorities restrict his movements, limit who he can associate with and track him using an electronic tag.

Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of counter-terrorism think-tank the Henry Jackson Society, said the case highlighted the need for changes to anti-terror laws.

Mike Haines with his brother David (left) in the late 1990s. David was captured by militants in Syria in March 2013 while delivering aid to the war-torn country

'A dangerous jihadist is heading back to the UK after a career of extreme violence and we can do nothing about it except spend vast sums to monitor him,' he said.

'We need urgent reform of legislation to ensure national security threats like this are dealt with far from these shores.'

Davis is likely to face intensive questioning by detectives about his activities and associates when he arrives here.

Mr Henning's brother, Reg, said last night that Britain should deny him entry. 'He's British when it suits him,' said Mr Henning, of Bury, Greater Manchester. 'He left to join Islamic State, but is thinking 'I'll go back to Britain because they're nice and soft'.'

Davis was convicted of being an IS member in 2017, two years after being arrested in Istanbul. Prosecutors accused him of being a 'high-ranking operative' of IS. But he denied being in the group, claiming he had been in Syria for aid work.

At the time he was the subject of an Interpol red notice from British police after his wife, Amal el-Wahabi, was jailed here for 28 months for trying to send him 20,000 euros. His link to that case means he could be prosecuted for preparing acts of terrorism abroad, which can lead to life in jail.

The leader of the Islamic State Beatles, Mohammed Emwazi, or 'Jihadi John', was killed by a US drone in Raqqa in 2015. The others, Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, are in a US jail after being caught by Kurdish forces.
The flashy lifestyle of one of Sydney's most prolific and manipulative conmen has been revealed as the fraudster is thrown behind bars.

For six months, Sunny Sunny lived his fantasy life driving a luxury Range Rover, spending thousands on 'pornstar experiences' and convincing people to part with gold bars worth $10,000.

But his flashy lifestyle all came undone after he failed to cough up $60 for a personal massage gun he found on Facebook marketplace and the seller contacted police.

The 32-year-old - described as the most prolific and talented conman' in western Sydney - used a variety of tactics to defraud innocent people for over two years.

The student on Tuesday faced court for his crimes and was hit with 15 charges, including falsifying documents and stealing a car, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Detectives believe his fraud dates back to September 2020, when Sunny began flashing dodgy cheques to satisfy his expensive taste.

For years Sunny Sunny (pictured) lived his fantasy life driving a luxury Range Rover, spending thousands on 'pornstar experiences' and purchasing gold bars worth $10,000 with fake cheques

The India-born fraudster signed the cheques under a plethora of aliases that were paid with chequebooks linked to two of his bankrupt or closed-down businesses.

Other times, Sunny would transfer the money and then reverse it with his victims unable to reach him after numbers were cancelled and addresses changed.

He was even able to con car dealers out of a luxury Range Rover Evoque.

Court documents state a scammer using a fake name had changed a decimal point to a comma on a forged cheque for $46,888.

That meant he paid just $46.88 for the vehicle.

Pickles Auction House realised the check was fake and reported the car as stolen - but not before it had been towed by Sunny's friend to Warwick Farms.

He hitched a ride to the lockup, and when officers left, Sunny simply unlocked the roller door and drove off.

When officers discovered the vehicle one month later outside a brothel, they had been entirely unaware Sunny was still inside - asleep or in hiding.

The fraudster then claimed he had been kidnapped in the Range Rover following a disagreement with a sex worker.

Police inspected the vehicle and handed it back to him - unaware Sunny had altered the unique VIN serial number to conceal his tracks.

According to court documents, Sunny defrauded one sex worker for $1900 worth of pleasure

Australia's own 'Catch Me If You Can' fraudster glamorous lifestyle came to a crashing halt after he failed to cough up $60 for a personal massage gun he found on Facebook marketplace and he was reported to police. Pictured is a scene from the film 'Catch Me if You Can

After his grand escape from the lock-up, the fraudster turned his attention to the purchase of gold bars worth $10,000.

He found a purveyor on the Central Coast and deposited cheques into an ATM.

It wasn't until Sunny had driven home armed with his new treasure that the seller realised the cheques were worthless and contacted the police.

In court documents, the 32-year-old's affinity for 'pornstar experiences' was revealed - in one instance, hiring two sex workers at once.

Brothels and escort services Sunny frequented soon began to smell a rat, with one employee never being paid $1,900 he splashed on her services.

When he returned to that Enmore location six months later, he was recognised, and police were called - who later allowed him to leave.

Police have alleged Sunny defrauded escorts of an estimated $10,000, often disguising himself with a fake name and using falsified cheques.

In December of 2020, the 32-year-old was arrested twice by police who were drawing closer to solving the mystery of the dodgy cheques.

'(Sunny) is a prolific fraudster and exceptionally talented conman,' Detective Senior Constable Lance Colyer warned the courts in one fact sheet.

'He has an extensive history of altering documents  He has been able to recruit third parties to assist him in further offending, conceal his crimes and escape prosecution.'

On each occasion, Sunny was allowed to leave, with officers unaware of how close they had come to stopping Australia's own 'Catch Me If You Can' conman.

Sunny even able to con auctioneers out of a luxury car, paying just $46.88 for a black Range Rover which was quickly reported as stolen (stock image)

A warrant for his arrest was issued after the 32-year-old stopped fulfilling his obligations after he was bailed in April 2021.

But in In July 2021, Sunny's glamorous lifestyle came to a crashing halt after he failed to cough up $60 for a personal massage gun he found on Facebook marketplace.

He sent the seller proof of a bank transfer and went to collect the gadget from their home, with the wary seller snapping a photo as he drove away in his Mercedes.

But the money never came through, and police were called.

Police officers later located the vehicle at a service station in Merrylands, and inside found a chequebook for one of Sunny's bankrupt businesses.

The chequebook was used to fund half of his frauds with a hand-writing expert helping detectives scour other falsified documents, court documents show

Magistrate Greg Grogan described him as a 'shyster' who 'has just ripped people off' during sentencing on Tuesday.

Sunny was sentenced to almost two years behind bars and will be eligible for parole in January, 2023.

He was told his Australian visa would be cancelled with Mr Grogan warning he would most likely be deported to India on his release from prison.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended Hong Kong's 25th anniversary of the 1997 handover from Britain to Chinese rule, claiming that the city was slowly moving "from chaos to governance."

In an address on Friday, the Chinese leader laid out a future for Hong Kong, embedded firmly within the goals of the central government on the mainland. At the swearing-in ceremony of Hong Kong's new Chief Executive John Lee, Xi said that the city was not at a new stage and will soon move from governance to greater prosperity.

Hong Kong's 25th Handover Anniversary

Xi added that the next five years will be a crucial time for Hong Kong to break new ground and launch a new takeoff. The Chinese president oversaw the inauguration of Lee, who is a Beijing loyalist who was the only candidate for the position in an election held in May.

Lee's term will run for five years and his inauguration coincided with the 25th handover anniversary. Xi also listed "four hopes" for the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong. These are better governance, stronger development, improved lives for ordinary people, and overall harmony. He noted that the region's leaders should love both the "country and Hong Kong," as per CNBC.

Xi's trip to Hong Kong marked the first time that the Chinese president traveled outside mainland China since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. He concluded his ceremonial remarks on Friday by emphasizing how Hong Kong would "share together with fellow compatriots of the motherland the glory of greater rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

Read Also: China Blames US for Russia's Ongoing Invasion of Ukraine; NATO Allies Brand Moscow as "Biggest Threat" to Global Security

The president specifically mentioned China's second cemetery goal, which is to "build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious" by 2049. The date was specifically chosen because it represents the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

According to CNN, Xi's remarks come amid many observers pointing to a substantial erosion of democratic rights in Hong Kong in recent years. There were no opposition lawmakers that remained in the city's legislature. Nearly all of the city's leading pro-democracy figures, including activists and politicians, have either been forced into exile or imprisoned.

Victory Over the Opposition

Pro-democracy media outlets have also been targeted, many of them being shuttered and civil society groups disbanded following the implementation of a national security law. President Xi also claimed that Hong Kong continues to maintain a "high level of autonomy" as promised under the "one country, two systems" framework, which was designed to grant that degree of autonomy for five decades post-handover.

In his statement, the Chinese president said that the system has won the full support of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, the unanimous support of Hong Kong and Macao residents, and the universal endorsement of the international community.

John P. Burns, an emeritus professor of politics at the University of Hong Kong, said that the trip to the city was very important for Xi. He noted that while it was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the handover, it was also his declaration of victory over the pan-democratic opposition and their supporters, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: China Warns NATO Expansion May Stir Conflict During Summit with Asian Rivals

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A woman choked by Flash actor Ezra Miller outside a bar in Iceland has spoken for the first time about the incident, as another woman, based in Berlin, told how she called the police after the troubled star refused to leave her home and grew increasingly menacing.

Miller's increasingly bizarre behavior is causing sleepless nights among executives at Warner Bros, ahead of the release next year of their $200 million blockbuster, The Flash in which they stars as the eponymous superhero.

The 29-year-old was twice arrested in Hawaii for aggressive behavior, and has been accused by a Native American family in South Dakota of brainwashing and abducting their 18-year-old daughter.

Another family, in Massachusetts, took out a restraining order against them, and a Hawaii father raised concerns for his children who are currently living with Miller, along with their mother, at the actor's Vermont farm, with guns and drugs lying around.

Social media is also currently awash with rumors that Miller and Elvis actor Austin Butler got into a fight in a bar in Tokyo, but TMZ said there was no truth to the story.

The Iceland-based woman, who declined to give her name, told Variety that she met Miller while they were based in Reykjavik, during the pandemic.

In April 2020 Miller, who uses the pronouns they/them, met the woman at the Prikio Kaffihus pub in Reykjavik.

Miller, in red, is seen in the April 2020 video appearing to choke a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland. She told Variety that they had been chatting before, and they lost their temper

The 29-year-old Miller, who identifies as queer and uses they/them pronouns, is seen in an April 29 mugshot taken in Hawaii, where they were arrested twice

She asked about their feet, visible in flip flops, which had noticeable wounds. Miller told her they were from a fight.

As she was walking away, the woman told Variety she turned and joked: 'But just so you know, I could take you in a fight.'

Miller replied: 'You really want to fight?' and the woman jokingly told them to meet her in the smoking area in two minutes.

She said her remarks were made in jest, but a friend of hers poured fuel on the fire by saying to Miller that they were evidently scared of fighting.

'My friend didn't have to say that,' the woman said. 'It was just a joke, obviously  but Miller took that literally and got super mad and came running outside.

'I think it's just fun and games  but then it wasn't.'

One of the woman's friends began recording, and the footage went viral.

In the video, Miller grabs the woman by the throat and attempts to throw her to the ground.

'Woah, bro. Bro,' the person filming says.

The woman told Variety: 'All of a sudden, [they're] on top of me, choking me, still screaming in my face if I want to fight.

'My friend who's filming sees [they're] obviously not joking and it's actually serious, so he stops filming, and pushes [them] off me as [they're] still trying to fight me.

'Two guy friends of mine are actually holding [Miller] back as [they're] screaming, 'This is what you wanted! This is what you wanted!'

The woman said Miller spat in her friend's face 'multiple times'.

Miller played The Flash in the DC Cinematic Universe. The $200 million film The Flash is scheduled for release in June 2023

A bartender, Carlos Reynir, said he saw the situation 'going way out of hand.'

Reynir then rushed to drag Miller off the woman.

Reynir separated them, held Miller back and pushed the group into his pub.

'[Miller] grabs me by the throat as I'm trying to usher them out the [back] door and tells me they're not leaving,' Reynir said.

'They proceeded to spit in my face several times, so with the final push I closed and locked the door,' he added.

He then ran to the front door and locked that too - leaving Miller to hammer on the door, demanding to be let back in.

The woman reported the incident to the police, but declined to press charges.

Reynir said that Miller, who he had got to know as Miller propped up his bar, started weeks earlier as a charming individual.

'I thought they were great to begin with,' he said.

'We talked about all kinds of spiritual things and went deep into philosophy.

'They had this wonderful mask on as this total sweetheart with a completely open mind, who's ready to help and talk to anyone. But as soon as someone does something they don't agree with or doesn't like, it's their fault, not [Ezra's].'

Reynir said Miller was certainly eccentric.

'If they weren't lighting incense or candles, or even bringing in their own Bluetooth speaker and playing it super loud to overpower our music, there was always something,' he said.

'We'd approach them and say, 'Hey, do you mind? There are other people here.' I

't was a bit of a chuckle. And then they would go, 'Yeah, sure,' and they'd stop, only to continue it a little bit later.'

Before the April attack on the woman, Miller had previously got into a fight with another patron, which escalated to Miller holding the man in a chokehold.

Reynir broke up the fight and said Miller later apologized, while the other man shrugged it off as a joke.

'We just brushed it off as two friends getting drunk and getting in a fight,' Reynir said. 'It's Iceland. That happens twice a weekend.'

Reynir said the incident soured Iceland's opinion of the actor.

'I do believe the incident at the bar was what ruined Miller's reputation thoroughly in Iceland,' Reynir said. 'They stopped coming to other bars shortly after.'

Another woman, Nadia, told Variety how she too had called the police after an incident with Miller - this time in Berlin.

Miller is seen in January 2020 attending a Grammy after-party in Hollywood

The pair had met in Los Angeles, and had consensual sex and remained in touch.

In February 2022, she invited Miller to visit her in Berlin if the actor was in the city for the annual film festival.

'I received a message, like, 'Hey, I've arrived in Berlin, but I might have to go tomorrow,' she said.

Miller did not have a hotel, so she invited them to her apartment.

'When they arrived, they were super nice, super polite, asking me if they could come in,' she said.

'When I said my house is shoes off, they had no problem taking their shoes off.'

After Nadia gave Miller tea and vegetable soup, Miller began to roll a cigarette.

'I was like, 'Yeah, you need to smoke this outside or on the balcony. There's no smoking in my house,' she said.

Miller refused, and kept rolling the cigarette.

'And this I'm quoting word for word,' she said. 'They started with 'I'm a maker of planets. Tobacco is sacred.'

She said that Miller launched a 'tirade', that they could do 'whatever they want whenever they want, basically.'

Nadia stood and said a guest should respect a host's rules.

'They looked at me with this really mean, stern face, and told me, 'Sit down,' like they were ordering a dog.'

Nadia said their tone was insulting, and they replied: 'Yes, I'm talking to you like a dog.'

She told Variety: 'I said, 'OK, if you talk to me like this, it's time for you to go.'

Miller then accused Nadia of being 'transphobic' and a 'Nazi.'

'I asked them if they remember I told them I'm a descendant of Holocaust survivors, so why would they say that to me?' she said. 'They answered, screaming at me, 'Yes, but how many people of my family died?' Because many people in their family died.

'I was like, Oh, OK, this is a game of who's got the most trauma.'

She said she told them: 'Leave my house. Go away. Go away. Leave. Can you leave now?'

Nadia called the police.

Miller entered Nadia's bedroom, and when she told them to leave, 'they started to shout that they were a rape survivor and I was triggering them.

'They started to say I had assaulted them. I had beat them up. I had hurt them.'

Miller finally left, when Nadia said she was surprised they hadn't arrived yet.

Half an hour later, Miller was hammering on the door of her apartment building, screaming that she had stolen their passport and money.

She found that they had left their passport, and so threw it over the balcony to them.

'I did not feel safe,' Nadia said.

Miller's representative has not responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Earlier this month it emerged that Miller is living with a Hawaii-based mother of three and her young children at their Vermont farmhouse, surrounded by guns and large quantities of marijuana.

Miller's farm in Stamford, Vermont (pictured) is now home to the Hawaii mother and her three children, aged one to five

Miller, whose meteoric career is now hanging in the balance, is accused by the children's father of putting them in danger.

'I got a bad feeling in my stomach,' the father told Rolling Stone.

He said the 25-year-old mother left their island home with Miller in April, and took the children without his consent.

The father told the magazine that he was concerned for the wellbeing of the youngsters, aged between one and five.

'I do want to go get my kids, they mean the f****** world to me,' he said.

Two other sources told Rolling Stone they were concerned for the children, and said the property was awash with guns and marijuana plants. One claimed that the infant was seen playing with a bullet, and placing it in its mouth.

Video from April, obtained by Rolling Stone, reportedly showed at least eight assault weapons, rifles, and handguns lying around the living room.

The magazine said some of the firearms were lying next to a pile of stuffed animals.

The actor is known for their appreciation of weapons.

In 2018, Miller offered to show a reporter from The Hollywood Reporter the crossbow from the film We Need to Talk About Kevin, in which the teen actor portrayed a high school killer.

'You wanna see the real bow and arrow from Kevin, man? 'Cause I got it right back there. I really do,' they told the journalist.

'People usually don't want to see it when I ask them. They usually say, 'No, I prefer to not see that bow and arrow.' And I say, 'OK. It's up to you.''

Miller also defended gun rights.

'People need to protect themselves,' the actor said, noting they didn't have any problem with people owning semi-automatic weapons.

The New Jersey-born actor attends the London premier of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, in November 2018

The mother, however, insisted that she left Hawaii with Miller to escape an abusive relationship, and said she and the children were thriving in rural Vermont.

She said the New Jersey-born 29-year-old assisted her in fleeing a 'violent and abusive ex.'

She said they had 'helped me finally have a safe environment for my three very young children.'

'Ezra's home ranch has been a healing haven for us,' she told Rolling Stone.

'They may have firearms for self-defense purposes and they are stored in a part of the house that the children never go in.

'My kids are able to relax more into their healing because of the safety and nurturing Ezra has been providing for them.'

The controversy is just the latest to ensnare the actor, whose roles in Fantastic Beasts, We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Perks of Being a Wallflower have made them a pop culture icon.

Earlier this month a restraining order was taken out by a Massachusetts mother, who told a court the actor rubbed up against her non-binary 12-year-old child and, arriving at their home in a bulletproof vest, threatened her with a gun, after accusing her of cultural appropriation.

Miller offered to buy horses for the child, so the youngster could visit the Vermont farm - an offer which troubled the child's relatives.

Miller is also accused of abducting and seducing an 18-year-old activist from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose anguished parents have filed legal papers seeking a protection order for their daughter against Miller.

The parents claim in a lawsuit lawsuit that the actor plied their underage daughter, Tokata Iron Eyes, with drugs including LSD.

Tokata is a well-known activist, pictured here with Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in September 2019

Actress Shailene Woodley, Tokata and actor Mark Ruffalo are pictured together attending Stand With Standing Rock Benefit in New York City in December 2016

Tokata is pictured standing next to Leonardo DiCaprio during the People's Climate March in 2017

Tokata's mother Sara tweeted about the alleged abuse her daughter is facing at the hands of Ezra Miller

They alleged that Miller disrupted her Massachusetts private schooling to such an extent that she dropped out from Bard College at Simon's Rock in December.

When they flew to Miller's home in Stamford, Vermont, in January to retrieve Tokata, they allegedly found bruises on her body and she no longer had a driver license, car keys or a bank card.

And when the teenager was returned to her parents' home, she fled again to New York to reunite with Miller and they have since allegedly been traveling together to Vermont, Hawaii and Los Angeles.

While in Hawaii, Miller was arrested after attacking a group of people in a karaoke bar.

A married couple took out a restraining order against them, after Miller burst into their bedroom and threatened to kill them, then left stealing her passport and his wallet.

Miller's behavior sparked a crisis meeting with Warner Bros executives, who decided to postpone the release of The Flash until 2023.

In April Miller met the mother of the children, in the town of Hilo, on Big Island.

Since the spring, she has been living with Miller, while they and their friend Whitney Suters work on their 'Rebel Alliance Cannabis' company, Rolling Stone reported.

Suters posted multiple photos on social media, showing marijuana cultivation far in excess of the two mature plants or four immature plants that private citizens can legally own in Vermont.

Suters reportedly said there were at least 28 different strains growing for a fall 2021 harvest.

The father told the magazine that, concerned about the guns and drug use, he asked Vermont child services to intervene.

They visited the property on May 16, and in a text to the father - seen by Rolling Stone - said the children 'looked good'.

The social worker said they had 'more work to do,' but it was unclear whether there were follow up visits, the father said.
More than quarter of Americans - 28 per cent - said that it might 'soon be necessary to take up arms' against the US government, according to a new poll released Thursday.

Of those who felt that way, 37 per cent currently own guns, the poll found.

The poll also showed that a majority of Americans - liberal and conservative both - felt that their government was 'corrupt and rigged against everyday people like me.'

The survey, which polled a pool of 1,000 US voters, was conducted by the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics in May.

The poll revealed deep divides between Americans of differing viewpoints, with nearly identical percentages of Republicans and Democrats (73 and 74 per cent) saying that the other side 'are generally bullies who want to impose their political beliefs on those who disagree.'

The poll comes as the US House Select Committee's investigation into President Trump's role in the violent January 6 insurrection against the Capitol is being publicly broadcast across the nation.

The survey found that overall, 49 per cent of Americans agreed that they 'more and more feel like a stranger in my own country.'

The breakdown in the political leanings of those who felt that sentiment was characteristic of the rest of the survey - 69 per cent of voters who identified as 'very conservative' expressed it, while only 38 per cent of self-identified 'strong democrats' did.

Voters' distrust of elections - which spurned the January 6 riots - also followed similar lines. Though 56 per cent of Americans felt they 'generally trust elections to be conducted fairly and counted accurately,' party divisions among those who felt that were stark.

Eighty per cent of Democrats expressed trust in elections, while only 51 per cent of independents and 33 per cent of Republicans polled said they did.

More than quarter of Americans - 28 per cent - said that it might 'soon be necessary to take up arms' against the US government, according to a new poll released Thursday

Armed protestors demonstrating outside the Virginia State House in Richmond on January 18, 2022

One third of Republicans polled held the belief that armed resistance to the government may soon be necessary, while 35 percent of independent voters felt that way, and 20 percent of Democrats.

Nearly half of all people polled said they avoid talking politics with people 'because I don't know where they stand,' and a quarter said they had lost friends, and avoided friends and relatives over politics.

'While we've documented for years the partisan polarization in the country, these poll results are perhaps the starkest evidence of the deep divisions in partisan attitudes rippling through the country,' pollster Neil Newhouse, who is a Republican, said. He conducted the poll with pollster Joel Benenson, a Democrat.
Lisa Wilkinson has returned to the television for the first time since her infamous Logies speech delayed the trial of the man who is fighting a charge he raped Brittany Higgins.

The former breakfast show anchor, 62, blew a kiss to viewers as she appeared on the Today Show on Friday morning in a pre-recorded moment, paying tribute for the program's 40th birthday.

'A big piece of my heart with always stay right there with the Today show family and all the years we spent together at breakfast,' she said.

Wilkinson's comments were the first time she has been seen in public since June 19, when she made reference to alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins in a speech at the Logies.

Wilkinson had just won the award for Outstanding News Coverage, for her one-on-one interview with the former ministerial staffer in 2021.

The acceptance speech forced ACT Supreme Court Justice Lucy McCallum to delay the rape trial just days out from it's scheduled start date of June 27 to avoid prejudicing the jury.

TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson (left) is pictured with former political staffer Brittany Higgins (right)

During her comments on Friday, Wilkinson took the opportunity to have a playful dig at former co-host Karl Stefanovic's own Logies mishap.

In 2009, Stefanovic came to work the morning after the Logies still drunk, slurring his words and giggling at Wilkinson.

He later apologised for his controversial appearance, and admitted he was not 'at my best' after a night of partying at the Logies.

'That fateful morning... the whole of Australia knew Karl had to be drunk if he was going to keep insisting live on air that I was beautiful,' Wilkinson said.

'I don't miss the early hours or the sleep deprivation, but I do miss the people.

'I thought to myself if I can last six months in this chair, I'll be doing well. So to have shared that desk every morning for closing on 11 years is an honour I still pinch myself about.'

The former breakfast show anchor, 62, blew kisses at the screen as she praised the show in a pre-recorded interview which aired on Friday morning

On Friday, Wilkinson took the opportunity to have a playful dig at former co-host Karl Stefanovic's own Logies mishap. In 2009, Stefanovic came to work the morning after the Logies still drunk, slurring his words and giggling at Wilkinson

Wilkinson was dropped from the show in 2017 - not long after she learned Stefanovic was making more money than her and asked for a pay rise.

During her final day on air, Wilkinson said she was 'quietly fuming' because 'almost every interview was done by Stefanovic alone'.

'I don't know what compelled me but as I sat in the doctor's waiting room, I sent an email to [her manager] Nick Fordham and [her husband] Pete FitzSimons,' she wrote in her autobiography.

The email read: 'Guys, I'm going to take a note of how the allocation of hosting roles go down between Karl and me in the coming weeks.'

'Never know when I may need it as a record This morning I didn't have a single solo interview, and even the ones Karl and I would normally do together had been given to Karl alone. All I had was the 'girls chat' segment at 8.40. What is this the 1960s?'

Hours later, while shopping at her local Woolworths, she received a phone call from her manager Nick, who had finished a meeting with Nine's CEO Hugh Marks.

He told her that she was 'permanently off' the Today show, and would never return.

Lisa Wilkinson (pictured during her Logies speech) mentioned an impending court case on TV

'While this news of my dismissal was still probably hours from going public, the humiliation I felt at that moment was overwhelming,' Wilkinson said.

After her exit, Marks publicly revealed that Wilkinson had asked for $2.3million, which would've pushed her well above Stefanovic's salary of $2million. She disputes that sum.

Despite the messy exit from the program, Wilkinson said on Friday she looks back to her time on the show with fondness and has 'many happy memories' from that period of her life.

'I left with so many cherished memories. From being called sugar tits by Sacha Baron Cohen's general Aladeen to the constant breaking news of yet another Australian prime minister... I think we burned through six in my time.'

She ended her pre-recorded birthday message by blowing a kiss to the camera.

Wilkinson's decision to feature in the 40th birthday episode could be a sign that she is ready to return to air after her Logies gaffe.

The Channel 10 star has taken an extended break from her on-air duties, missing a highly anticipated interview with Thor star Chris Hemsworth.

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

The program made no mention of the awards night at all in the days to follow.

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'.

Ten blamed media reporting for '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.

'We are closely monitoring all coverage of this issue and Lisa and Network 10 reserve their rights in respect of any future defamation claims.'

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.

The ACT Supreme Court has set a new date of October 4 for the trial.

Wilkinson said on Friday she looks back to her time on the show with fondness and has 'many happy memories' from that period of her life

Chief Justice Lucy McCallum decided 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'.

She noted public interest in the case needed to die down before Lehrmann would have access to a fair jury.

Higgins's Crown prosecutor Shane Drumgold agreed with Justice McCallum's decision, noting the 102-day delay was more generous than that given in similar cases.

Mr Drumgold warned Network 10, Wilkinson and the owners of Sydney radio station WSFM that they should no longer commentate on the trial.

The written agreement would also see the three parties agree that any future comments could be in contempt of court.

Mr Drumgold said if the undertaking were not made by Network 10, Wilkinson and WSFM then he would seek an injunction to stop future public comment.
Confronting footage shows a 19-year-old Aussie tourist skylarking on top of a skinny white fence before he plunged six storeys to his death.

Joshua James Connell was on holidays in Phuket, Thailand, when he leaped up onto a pool wall on the boundary of Paripas Patong Resort's leisure area this week.

CCTV footage shows Mr Connell jumping onto the pool barrier at 5.43pm and walking along the edge for just over a minute.

Australian tourist Joshua James Connell, 19, was walking on a narrow pool wall and fence (above) before falling 15m to his death in Phuket, Thailand, on Thursday

CCTV footage shows Mr Connell climbing on to the resort's pool wall (above), which separated tourists from the drop, at 5.43pm

He then made a fatal decision to jump onto a narrow white fence.

Mr Connell (above) was visiting Patong, a district in Phuket, from Canberra when he fell to his death on Thursday

Mr Connell threw his arms in the air like a tightrope walker while trying to balance - but tragically fell after about 15 seconds.

Local media said he plummeted 15metres and landed on the tin roof of a cafe, where locals discovered him.

Mr Connell was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead shortly afterwards due to the severe injuries he suffered in the fall.

Resident Ning Tanyaporn said he heard Mr Connell hit the roof.

'I had just opened my shop and I heard a loud thunder sound. I thought a car had crashed or there was an explosion in their kitchen,' he said.

'People gathered around the restaurant and saw the foreign man on the roof. He was unconscious so someone called an ambulance. Everyone was shocked that he fell down and died.'

Mr Connell landed on a cafe's tin roof after falling 15m from the resort's pool area and was taken to hospital by emergency services at about 5.50pm (pictured, Mr Connell being lowered from the cafe roof)

Separate footage shows Mr Connell being lowered from the cafe roof in a stretcher.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Kokiat Boonplod said emergency services arrived at the scene at about 5.50pm after receiving calls about a foreign man who fell from the hotel.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Kokiat, who is leading the investigation, said: 'The roof of the restaurant hut was shattered and several tiles were on the floor. The deceased's legs were twisted and he had wounds on his head.'

Police have reviewed CCTV footage of Mr Connell's fall and do not believe anyone else was involved in his death.

Locals in the area said they were shocked by the 'thunder sound' as Mr Connell landed on the cafe (above) below the hotel

Officers have spoken to hotel staff about Mr Connell's behaviour the day of his fall and why he was on the ledge.

Mr Connell's body is undergoing an autopsy at Patong Hospital.

Patong is the most vibrant district of Phuket and home to the province's bustling 24-hour adult nightlife.

Last month on May 17, Australian Billy James Simmons, 22, also fell to his death from a hotel on the same island.
A 27-year-old woman is fighting for her life after being hit by a car while pushing a pram across a main road with two kids.

She was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and remains in a critical condition after the horror collision in the city's west on Thursday.

The two children, aged four and one, were brought to the Royal Children's Hospital with minor injuries and were in stable conditions after the car crash.

The woman remained in a critical condition on Friday after the horror smash (pictured)

The car's driver stopped at the scene on the corner of Ballarat Road and Duke Street in Braybrook in Melbourne's west and was assisting police.

The motorist was released pending further enquires, as police investigations are ongoing.

Ballarat Road was shut to traffic in both directions after the collision.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam footage or any other information that could assist police with their enquiries is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The driver stopped at the scene (pictured) and has since been released by police after assisting them earlier
Queensland parents may soon have the option of not declaring a gender for their babies on their birth certificates, according to a radical new proposal.

The details of the proposal were discussed with two women's groups earlier this month, where they were told the terms 'mother' and 'father' could also be optional.

People would also be allowed to change their gender every 12 months, and they could choose any descriptor for their gender on the document excluding numbers, symbols, offensive language or if it was obscene or 'contrary to the public interest'.

Queensland parents may soon have the option of not declaring a gender for their babies on their birth certificates, according to a radical new proposal

Terms like 'mother' and 'father' could be optional according to the proposal. Pictured is a mock up of an Australian birth certificate

Anyone over the age of 16 would be able to self-identify as another gender as long as they had a supporting statement from someone who's known them for at least 12 months, women at the meeting told the Courier Mail.

Children aged between 12 and 16 could identify as another gender if they had the support from one or both parents while under 12s would at least need the support from both.

A Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General spokesman said the changes being considered were to 'improve recognition for trans and gender diverse people'. Pictured is Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Evidence from child health practitioners and legal support may also be needed.

NSW and Queensland both require people to undergo surgery in order to change their gender on their birth certificate, but this could change in the Sunshine State.

International Women's Day Brisbane Meanjin representative Kelly Carr said she struggled to wrap her head around the proposed changes.

'As a mother, when I heard that using mother on the birth certificate was optional, I nearly fell off my chair,' she said.

People would also be allowed to change their gender every 12 months under the proposal. Pictured is the rainbow flag, the symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer pride

A Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General spokesman said the changes being considered were to 'improve recognition for trans and gender diverse people'.

The spokesperson also confirmed the terms 'mother' and 'father' wouldn't be removed from birth certificates but said other options would be made available.

'Consideration is being given to additional options to allow same sex couples to register as mother/mother or father/father, if they choose to,' they said.

'If this change was adopted, it would align Queensland with other jurisdictions.'
Ultra politically correct social media users have leapt to the defence of a passenger for putting her feet up on the headrest in front of her on a flight from Melbourne to Adelaide.

A passenger was aboard an Emirates flight when he spotted the relaxed woman, posting her picture to Twitter with the caption: 'The person next to me on my flight'.

The picture shows the woman, in a pair of heavy brown boots, resting her feet on the headrest of the seat in front of her - just inches away from another passenger's head.

While some agreed the woman's actions were beyond rude, many excused her actions saying it was likely for 'health reasons' that she had her feet up in the air - even claiming she could have a 'medical condition' that was driving her behaviour.

A traveller posted a picture to Twitter of a passenger on his flight with her feet up on the headrest in front of her

One Twitter user pointed out she likely suffers from a medical condition that requires her legs to be up when flying

Conditions such as deep vein thrombosis and blood clots can rely on elevating legs for treatment.

Other users also decided to turn on the man who posted the picture to Twitter.

'Is she really harming anyone?' one user wrote.

'If she's not touching the guy in front I don't see the problem,' said another.

Some Twitter users said they didn't see what the problem was with the woman's actions

Some were still against the woman's actions labelling them 'nasty' and 'appalling'.

'Worrying lack of consideration for others', one user wrote.

'Omg that is so nasty,' wrote another.

Many were also shocked the man in front didn't complain, to which the passenger replied that he remained asleep the entire flight.

Others however, hit out at the woman's actions labelling them 'nasty' and said she was inconsiderate

Last month disturbing vision emerged of the moment a person pushed their bare foot into the personal space of another passenger on an interstate flight.

In the Instagram video, the barefoot passenger could be seen sticking their foot through the gap between the side of the plane and the seats in front of them during a different flight from Melbourne to Adelaide in May.

The video was met with a variety of comments about the rude gesture by the passenger.

Disturbing vision showed the moment a foot (pictured) is placed into the personal space of another passenger

The video has been met with a variety of comments about the rude gesture by the passenger (pictured)

Australia comedian Merrick Watts joked the move was 'a hate crime.'

Another said, 'oh hell no.'

'Your worst nightmare,' a third added.
Humble pie appears be on the menu for Anthony Albanese as he pledges to smooth over a cancelled submarine project that left the French seething despite Australia paying millions in compensation.

The Australian Prime Minister is set to dine with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and would not rule out saying sorry over the Morrison government's of dumping of a $90 billion submarine contract.

In the following furore Mr Macron accused then prime minister Scott Morrison of lying, which has led Mr Albanese to plead that he will sort out 'trust' issues.

In refusing to rule out offering an apology during their lunch at the Elysee Palace Mr Albanese said bridges still needed to built.

'I look forward to having a constructive relationship with President Macron,' he said.

Anthony Albanese who says he is on a repair mission to restore 'trust' with the French speaks at the OECD Headquarters at Chataeu de la Muette in Paris

The Morrison government's cancellation of $90 billion deal to buy submarines from French shipbuilder Naval Group caused an abiding rift between Australia and France

'I've made it very clear what my position is about the way in which Australia engaged at a leadership level with friends.

'What I want to do though is to make sure that we can move forward ... It should be a relationship where we can rely upon each other ... in which we can trust each other and mutually benefit.'

When asked if French businesses could trust him after the 'betrayal' and 'deception' over the submarine contract under the previous coalition government, Mr Albanese said 'absolutely'.

French President Emmanuel Macron (left) even accused then Australian prime minister Scott Morrison of lying in the fallout of the cancelled submarine contract

'Everyone should be able to trust me, that's the way I deal with people ... that's how I got to be prime minister,' he said.

The Australian government will pay French shipbuilder Naval Group $835 million in compensation, after last year's decision to tear up a $90-billion contract to build 12 submarines.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie tried to distance the previous government from the compensation amount.

'There were private conversations with Defence, but this is a settlement which Mr Albanese has come to,' Mr Hastie said.

'We were aiming for a significantly lower figure.'

Mr Albanese was all smiles as he met with a former political foe Mathias Cormann, who quit as the Morrison government's finance minister to successfully campaign to become OECD Secretary-General

The Morrison government decided to scrapped the deal in favour of nuclear-powered submarines, which became available under the AUKUS partnership with the UK and US.

In his first phone call with his new Australian Labor counterpart after the May federal election, Mr Macron reminded Mr Albanese of what Paris described as a 'severe breach of trust'.

Mr Albanese said it was time for the relationship between Paris and Canberra to 'enter a new dawn' after a 'breakdown'.

The prime minister said he would also discuss a free trade deal with Europe during his meeting with Mr Macron and that the leaders would have 'more to say' afterwards.

'President Macron wants to have a good relationship with Australia, and Australia wants to have a good relationship with him,' Mr Albanese said.

Mr Albanese's time in Paris got off to wet start when he and his partner Jodie Haydon landed at Charles de Gaulle airport

The fractured relations between the two nations are one of two reasons negotiations for the trade deal have stalled, the other being a lack of climate change action by Australia.

Mr Albanese on Thursday met with former coalition finance minister and current OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, with the pair warmly shaking hands in front of flags representing its member nations.

He then addressed the OECD council and was asked questions by members, including the US, about Australia's action on climate change, Lithuania, Australia's aid to Ukraine, Japan and international law in the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Albanese also met with France's peak business body and its largest employer federation, Mouvement des Entreprises de France, to discuss investment opportunities in Australia.

Meanwhile, Mr Albanese is awaiting security advice on whether he can safely visit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, after an invitation by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Police forces in England and Wales have been told to improve how they investigate domestic abuse allegations against officers after a review found 'systemic deficiencies'.

The Centre for Women's Justice (CWJ) charity brought a 'super-complaint' - where organisations raise issues about harmful patterns or trends in policing - to three police watchdogs, the College of Policing, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), and the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The joint review - which spanned two years - examined case studies brought forward by the CWJ alongside 56 domestic abuse cases where police officers and staff were suspects.

They looked at 149 domestic abuse allegations from 2018 across 15 police forces, with only nine per cent (14 allegations) resulting in a criminal charge.

Some forces were identified as 'not doing enough' to take account of the 'specific needs' of domestic abuse victims when the suspect works for the police.

It was also found that several authorities were not 'consistently going the extra mile to show that they understand the importance of protecting and demonstrating the integrity of the police response'.

Others did not recognise the 'unique barriers' to reporting if the victim also works for the police.

The damning indictment comes after Met Commissioner Cressida Dick was forced to quit in February following a torrid year of scandals which saw the murder of Sarah Everard by one of her officers, the force being branded 'institutionally corrupt' by an independent inquiry and two officers jailed for photographing bodies of murder victims.

Police forces in England and Wales have been told to improve how they investigate domestic abuse allegations against officers after a review found 'systemic deficiencies' (stock image)

Shockingly, the investigation found that misconduct investigations are 'not always being carried out when they should be, or conducted appropriately'.

Allegations of domestic abuse offences against police officers and staff should be reviewed and usually investigated by force professional standards departments.

The review did not find evidence that these investigations were conducted differently to other domestic abuse investigations - with the charge rate found to be similar.

Although this is in the context of a police response to domestic abuse, which still needs to improve across the board.

But, it was found that safeguards to ensure and demonstrate the impartiality of investigations and decisions when the suspect worked for the police were 'not consistently applied'.

The investigation identified several recommendations and actions to better protect and support victims and to improve the quality of investigations, including:

Chief constables should audit all live allegations of domestic abuse against officers and staff and investigations closed within the last year.

Police forces should have plans in place to ensure cases of police perpetrated domestic abuse are investigated by someone with no prior connection to any of those involved in the allegations, including consideration of transferring cases to another force where necessary

Police and Crime Commissioners, the Ministry of Justice and chief constables should ensure that their provision of domestic abuse support services and guidance can meet the specific needs of victims of police perpetrated domestic abuse

National guidance to be clearer on the unique risks and challenges of domestic abuse allegations against staff.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) announced that 'systemic concerns' about the force's performance raised by a new inspection had been so grave that the force needed to be put under special measure. Pictured: Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick

The IOPC will now carry out a targeted programme of oversight work into the force handling of these cases. It will make this a main focus of its wider work on violence against women and girls.

Dave Tucker, Head of Crime and Criminal Justice at the College of Policing, said: 'This is the most thorough review ever undertaken of how police respond to domestic abuse cases involving their own staff and during our investigation we heard harrowing stories from victims about the abuse they had experienced, and the further harm caused to them by a poor response from policing.

'Our recommendations will significantly improve the police response to these allegations, so that victims of domestic abuse know they will be properly protected, receive a high standard of care and a good investigation  regardless of who the suspect is. I am encouraged to see many forces already taking steps to address the issues we found.

'During the investigation we also found examples of dedicated and committed police officers working incredibly hard to get victims justice. To support them as best as possible the College of Policing will review and improve our guidance and training, so it considers the additional risks when a suspect is part of the police workforce.'

Sarah Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens

In June 2020 sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were stabbed to death and officers Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Jamie Lewis, 33, took photos at the scene in Wembley

Kathie Cashell, IOPC Director for Strategy and Impact, said: 'We hope that victims of domestic abuse will feel reassured that, as a result of this super-complaint investigation, a spotlight has been shone on the police response to police perpetrated domestic abuse, which will now be subject to greater scrutiny.

'The IOPC will be carrying out a programme of work to ensure police forces understand their obligations to handle these matters in line with police complaints legislation, and that, when appropriate, police officers and staff are held to account through the disciplinary system.

'We are clear in our report that we found examples of good practice, and our findings will not necessarily be reflective of police forces' handling of every allegation. However, we urge all forces to use the findings and recommendations in this report to do more to ensure they can demonstrate these serious allegations are being handled robustly, and without fear or favour.'

Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said: 'Domestic abuse is a terrible crime and it's natural that when such abuse is perpetrated by police officers and staff, the public want to know that cases are being investigated thoroughly.

'While many forces are already taking steps to do this and most police officers act with the utmost integrity, we found that not all forces are treating these cases with the gravity they deserve, and that is not good enough.

Priti Patel has ordered Sadiq Khan to take 'immediate action' to sort out the failing Met

'This is an issue that has been overlooked nationally in the past. I hope our recommendations today will encourage forces to recognise the risk to integrity and public trust that these cases can cause, and act now to ensure they are providing the right support to victims.'

The review comes after Priti Patel has ordered Sadiq Khan to take 'immediate action' to sort out the failing Met as it was placed into special measures after a devastating inspection revealed a catalogue of new scandals - including 69,000 crimes going unrecorded every year.

Scotland Yard was blasted 'barely adequate standard of crime recording accuracy, with 69,000 crimes going unrecovered every year and almost no crimes recorded when victims report antisocial behaviour against them'.

The Met has previously been blasted for its soft response to Extinction Rebellion protests, with footage of officers dancing with activists drawing ire from frustrated Londoners.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: 'Unlike many others, the Mayor has long been clear that wide-ranging reforms are urgently needed for the Met to regain the trust and confidence of Londoners, which is so vital to policing by consent.

'The Mayor has managed the Met through the devastating impacts of government austerity which saw officer numbers falling below 30,000 in London and took 1bn out of the budget. In spite of this, the Mayor has led the way with a plan to confront cultural and performance issues that are deeply rooted in the Met and achieved significant falls in violent crime across London by being tough on crime and the causes of crime.

'Sadiq has consistently held the Met to account and called for action to deal with the cultural and systemic issues within London's police force. He's been clear with Londoners about the scale of the change required, but has faced opposition from the Government at every step, including when he lost confidence in the previous Met Commissioner.

'Ministers should now focus on working with the Mayor and HMIC to improve policing and play their part in appointing a reforming Commissioner so that we can deliver the police reforms and step change in policing performance and culture that Londoners deserve.'

In a leaked letter to Acting Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Stephen House, Her Majesty's Inspector Matt Parr warned the succession of scandals and 'systemic concerns' about the force's performance is 'likely to have a chilling effect on public trust and confidence in the Met'.
A mother jumped into a fast-flowing river to save her son's favourite toy rabbit after the wind blew it out of his hands.

Lou Austin was carrying her two-year-old son, Tommy, over a bridge when a sudden gust tossed Bun Buns the rabbit into the water below.

As the toy was swept downstream Lou, 27, handed Tommy to his father, gave her engagement ring to a stranger and left her mobile phone on the side before 'cannon-balling' into the 5ft deep water.

She waded 200ft up to her neck to reach Bun Buns and at one point began to sink into the thick sludge on the river bed.

Her fiance Richard Harvey had to reach down from the 4ft high bridge and pull her out.

Lou, from Bridport, Dorset, said she had 'no choice' but to save the toy bunny because her son cannot sleep without it.

Supermum: Lou Austin was carrying her son, Tommy, over a bridge when a sudden gust tossed Bun Buns the rabbit into the water below prompting her to burst into action and jump in after it

Mother Lou cannonballed into the river to rescue Tommy's cuddly toy Bun Bun (pictured)

Speaking after the ordeal near on the River Brit at West Bay, Lou said: 'We had gone for a family meal and were walking back when the wind blew the bunny into the river.

'I said to my partner, 'I've got to get him', and he said, 'you can't go in there, it's disgusting!'

'My little boy has never slept without that bunny. He has had it since birth. I have tried to find him a replacement but he just doesn't take to anything else.

'I just thought "I need a good night's sleep tonight". I had no choice but to go in and get it.

'I could see it bobbing up and down on the water. I gave my engagement ring to a stranger and got a hair bobble from another woman to tie up my hair and I cannon-balled off the 6ft high wall.

'The current was strong so I was trying to tread water. It felt like there were a load of eels at my feet and I was covered in sludge.

Two-year-old Tommy has had the bunny since birth and can't sleep without it, Lou has said

Pictured: Lou Austin rescued the stuffed toy from this river in West Bay, Dorset (above)

'The rabbit had gone about 60 metres down stream.

'Once I had it, I swam back to the bridge. When I was there my partner had to pull me out because I was starting to sink into the sludge.

'Luckily my car was only about a minute walk away.'

Cameron Love, who witnessed the incident, said: 'I happened to look in the river to see a cuddly toy in there and thought "that's a shame".

'I then noticed someone trying to help somebody out of the water and realised it was the woman's partner.'

West Bay is used to seeing scenes of drama as it provided the setting for the ITV crime series Broadchurch.
Harmony Montgomery's mother claims that her previous boyfriend, who had custody of the kid, knows exactly where their missing daughter is.

Crystal Sorey, Harmony's mother, exchanged text messages with the Boston Globe on Tuesday after learning that her ex, Adam Montgomery, had been charged with second-degree assault and firearms charges. Montgomery has pled not guilty to the accusations and is being held without bail.

Harmony Montgomery's Dad Might Know Something

Sorey told the paper that she had asked Montgomery several times where their daughter, who had not been seen in January 2019, was. She also requested permission to talk with Montgomery, who she believes will tell her where Harmony is simply to spite her.

In January, Adam Montgomery was charged with assault in connection with an incident in 2019 in which he reportedly hit Harmony. The gun accusations had nothing to do with Harmony's disappearance. Harmony was formally reported missing by Manchester police in December 2021, even though she had not been seen in years.

According to court records unsealed earlier this year, authorities got a call from Sorey on November 18, 2021, that her kid was gone. Sorey informed cops that Adam had physical custody of the girl and that she couldn't reach him.

Sorey went on to say that she lost custody of Harmony in 2018 due to drug problems. According to Sorey, Adam Montgomery barred her calls and social media and refused to let her talk to Harmony after Easter 2019, Crime Online reported.

On Tuesday, Adam Montgomery was indicted in New Hampshire court on seven gun offenses, including weapons theft and being a felon in possession of a handgun. His attorneys claim there have been discussions about a plea agreement to address some of Montgomery's allegations, but no formal negotiations have taken place.

Following Montgomery's court appearance on Tuesday, Sorey stated that she hopes Montgomery would divulge information on Harmony's whereabouts to lessen any jail term. The concerned mother further stated that she believes he may leak case details only to spite her.

Sorey previously told authorities that she last saw Harmony on a video chat around Easter 2019 while living in an apartment with Montgomery, and that the small child appeared "frightened."

Montgomery told detectives that he last saw Harmony around Thanksgiving of this year when he delivered her to Sorey. Prosecutors contend that this assertion is untrue. He hasn't been prosecuted for the disappearance of the child, but other charges against the convicted felon are stacking up.

Montgomery was indicted on two charges of felon in possession of a firearm, theft by unauthorized taking, one count of receiving stolen goods, and two counts of armed career criminal at a hearing on Tuesday.

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Adam Montgomery Indicted With New Charges

The additional allegations, for which he has not yet been arraigned, say that in September or October 2019, he stole a shotgun and rifle from someone named only CF. Montgomery was in breach of the law by possessing the pistol due to his past criminal convictions in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Montgomery may face three different trials for the accusations against him. Prosecutors had asked the judge to separate his weapons charges, assault allegations for allegedly giving Harmony a black eye, and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

While investigators continue to investigate what happened to Harmony, the state will pursue the gun-related allegations as the first case. Montgomery's trial on gun charges is set for November, with the final pre-trial hearing on October 27.

Montgomery has been imprisoned since January on a second-degree assault allegation involving his daughter, including neglecting to have her in his control and endangering her welfare. He was charged with taking a weapon and a shotgun before Harmony's abduction in April.

Kayla, his estranged wife, was charged with welfare fraud after she applied for food assistance in the child's name after she was last seen alive. Harmony, who was blind in one eye, was in the care of her father at the time of her abduction after her mother, Crystal Sorey, lost custody due to drug misuse concerns in July 2018.

"We have been warned by officials that this is unlikely to result in a favorable end or the outcome we had hoped for, for Jamison and Harmony to be reunited together," said Johnathon Miller, Harmony's adoptive father, according to Fox News.

Investigators found earlier this year that Harmony had been homeless and lived out of a car with her family in the days leading up to her abduction, after being evicted from the Union Street apartment on November 27 - a date that coincides with the girl's disappearance, as per Daily Mail.

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An inspirational blind newsreader has been celebrated for making history during the ABC's 90th birthday celebrations on Thursday night.

The national broadcaster, marked its 90th birthday this year, with a special live event broadcast on Thursday.

As part of the broadcast, they celebrated Nas Campanella, who was the ABC's first blind cadet journalist to be hired at the network and the first to use speech software to present the news.

Campanella has worked as a newsreader on Triple J radio for over seven years and has been at the ABC for over a decade after landing her first gig in 2011.

Many of her loyal listeners are still shocked to discover the silky-toned presenter is blind after she lost he eyesight at just six months old.

Nas Campanella (pictured) was the ABC's first blind cadet journalist to be hired at the network as well as the first to use speech software to present the news

When she was a baby, blood vessels burst in the back of her eyes, causing them to detach from the retina, meaning she can only see some shadows and light.

To add to her difficulties, it was later discovered she has Charcot Marie Tooth disorder - a delayed sensitivity in the hands and feet due to the nerve endings.

It meant the keen learner had a hard time reading braille and struggled in school - until she started using computer software that turned words into sounds.

The reporter hears four streams of audio through her headphones while presenting the news and uses a laptop with speech software which reads out whatever she types and anything her mouse scans over.

The four streams include a voice telling her what to say during the bulletin, her voice throughout the microphone reading the news, the grabs that have been packaged before going to air, and a clock telling her when to start and finish.

Campanella previously told Daily Mail Australia it had taken her four years to get the technology down pat and that it still wasn't perfect.

Campanella has worked as a newsreader on Triple J radio for over seven years and has been at the ABC for over a decade after landing her first gig in 2011

The journalist hears four streams of audio through her headphones while presenting the news and uses a laptop with speech software which reads out whatever she types and anything her mouse scans over (pictured, Campanella at work)

'I've got to be careful not to lag too far behind,' she said in 2015.

'It's got to be a split second after I hear it that I say it - so it's not a perfect system but it works quite well for the most part.'

Campanella has become a fierce advocate for Australians living with disabilities and has spoken candidly about how she can be treated differently than others.

She spoke to presenter Fran Kelly on the ABC's RN Breakfast program in 2020 about a specific experience with a curious stranger that had stuck with her.

The journalist had been waiting for a train when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

'I am no stranger to having people - complete strangers - ask me about my vision, quite personal questions,' she said.

'In this particular instance the person ended up telling me that if he was me, he'd kill himself. It made me feel really sad and really shaken.

'Me and many other people across the disability community have worked so hard to change negative perceptions of the way people see us and value our lives.'

Campanella has become a fierce advocate for Australians living with disabilities and has spoken candidly about how she can be treated differently than others

The talented journalist earlier this year welcomed her first son Lachie - who she shares with her partner Tom Oriti - also a presenter at the ABC (pictured, the family-of-three)

Campanella went on to explain that it hadn't affected how she perceived her own life as she had a loving partner, great friends and a 'fantastic' job.

She said the stranger's comment had made her realise how other people perceived the lives of Australians living with disabilities.

The presenter said not a week goes by that a stranger didn't ask her personal questions about her eyes, and that she has sometimes been made to feel bad when she declined to giving them that personal information.

She told Broadsheet 'there were tears' when she landed her first gig at the ABC who she said were 'willing to take a chance when no one else was'.

The talented journalist earlier this year welcomed her first son Lachie - who she shares with her partner Tom Oriti - also a presenter at the ABC.

The new mother recently told her Instagram followers that 'story time' with her baby was done in a similar way to how she used to read the news.

Campanella said 'there were tears' when she landed her first gig at the ABC who she said were 'willing to take a chance when no one else was'

The new mother recently told her Instagram followers that 'story time' with her baby was done in a similar way to how she used to read the news

'Some friends have been kind enough to record stories for me, including telling me when to turn the page,' she wrote.

'I have the audio on my phone and repeat what I hear to Lachie.'

The keen jet-setter previously told Daily Mail Australia that her dream job would be to work as a travel writer after trips to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

'Using vision as a form of travel is narrow way of looking at things,' she said.

'You can describe the food you ate, the kindness of the people, the smells around you and the feeling of the sand on your feet.'
Planned Parenthood in Montana will no longer provide medication abortions to residents of states where abortions have been banned - and will now require proof of residency from anybody seeking that treatment.

Planned Parenthood Montana president Martha Fuller made the announcement in an email to staff on Thursday morning.

Surgical abortions will still be available to people from any state, she noted.

The ban on medication abortions applies to residents who reside in states where total bans are in place, which include South Dakota, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Trigger bans in North Dakota and Wyoming are expected take place within weeks.

Fuller did not clarify why access to medication abortion, which involves patients taking two separate pills, was being restricted while surgical abortion policy is unchanged.

But it may be possible that Montana Planned Parenthood is trying to avoid potential lawsuits that could arise if a patient takes their pills to induce an abortion in a state where abortion is illegal.

Surgical abortions requirements are likely unchanged as the procedure must be done in person in a clinic.

Planned Parenthood in Montana will no longer provide medication abortion to residents of states where abortions have been banned, and will require proof of residency from anybody seeking that treatment

'As you know, the abortion access landscape is rapidly changing across our region,' Fuller wrote in her email to Montana staff.

'The risks around cross-state provision of services are currently less than clear, with the potential for both civil and criminal action for providing abortions in states with bans.'

Though abortions remain legal in Montana, all four states surrounding it have already outlawed or begun the process of outlawing abortion through trigger bans - laws that have been in place which render abortion illegal in the event of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as occurred on June 24.

'Let's be clear: Planned Parenthood of Montana will continue to serve patients from out of state who are seeking abortion,' Fuller told The Daily Beast in a statement.

Planned Parenthood Montana president Martha Fuller (above) made the announcement in an email to staff on Thursday morning

Women demonstrate against the overturning of Roe v. Wade during a protest in Washington D.C. Thursday

The move from Planned Parenthood Montana is likely to be just the beginning of a chaotic period as states feel out ways to provide abortions for people, or prevent women from receiving them.

Already, states like Texas and Oklahoma have begun enacting laws aimed at preventing its citizens from receiving abortions out of state.

Fuller's announcement is indicative of the defensive position abortion clinics and advocates in majority-Republican regions of the country face.

'We will end up in a country where we have this patchwork of states where access to abortion is available and states where it's not, and you know, already I can see the chaos that is beginning to happen,' Fuller said in a statement last Friday after the overturning of Roe v. Wade was announced.

President Joe Biden gave a brief press conference on the last day of the NATO summit in Madrid on Thursday

Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema remain steadfast in their defense of the filibuster, their offices said, despite public pressure from all the way up to President Biden

The news from Montana comes as President Biden vowed to fight for abortion laws, while saying that the US Supreme court was 'destabilizing' America with its 'outrageous' ruling.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, he condemned the ruling and its impact.

'America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been,' he said.

'But one thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy.'

And he said he would support a carve-out so that Democrats in Congress could pass laws to protect abortion rights, even without 60 votes in the Senate.

'The first and foremost thing we should do, is make it clear how outrageous this decision was and how much it impacts - not just on a woman's right to choose, which is a critical, critical piece - but on privacy generally,' Biden said.

'And so I'm going to be talking to the governors as to what actions they think I should be taking as well.'

In Florida and Kentucky abortions may temporarily resume after judges barred the states from enforcing bans on Thursday.

Kentucky is one of the thirteen states that implemented a trigger ban after Roe was overturned on June 24.

Kentucky Judge Mitch Perry granted a temporary restraining order on Thursday to halt the state from enforcing a ban triggered by the Supreme Court's 6-3 vote - the state passed the trigger law in 2019.

'We're glad the court recognized the devastation happening in Kentucky and decided to block the commonwealth's cruel abortion bans,' Planned Parenthood said in a statement.

Kentucky Judge Mitch Perry issued an order to prevent the state from enforcing a trigger law they passed in 2019

Protests continued into the weekend with some becoming violent. In Los Angeles, two police officers were injured leading to multiple arrests after demonstrators began throwing objects

Thousands of demonstrators headed into the streets of major cities following the ruling to overturn of Roe v. Wade - the 1973 right to abortion

The ban was lifted since being implemented on Friday following the Supreme Court Ruling. The state intended to limit abortions to be allowed only if needed to prevent death or injury to the mother.

The ruling was met with contention by Republican State Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who claimed Perry had no right under the Kentucky constitution to allow abortion services to resume.

'We cannot let the same mistake that happened in Roe v. Wade, nearly 50 years ago, to be made again in Kentucky,' Cameron said. 'We will be seeking relief from this order.'

Florida Judge John Cooper temporarily halted the block on abortions after 15-weeks following a petition from abortion advocate groups. The ban was signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in April and was set to take effect on Friday - following the overturn of Roe.

Advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood and state abortion clinics, filed a lawsuit claiming the Florida's constitution protects the right to abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

'I do find the state has failed to provide convincing and credible evidence that this law, HB 5, exhibits a compelling state interest to be protected,' Cooper said while agreeing with the advocacy groups.

The temporary halt on abortions after the 15-week limit is set to take effect after the judge submits a written order - which he said would not occur on Thursday.
Hundreds of farmers are planning to quit milk production in the next two years because they are being driven out of business by the rising cost of food production.

A survey by the National Farmers Union said 7 per cent of dairy farmers will quit by 2024  which in national terms would mean 840 producers.

Over the next two years, dairy farmers were most concerned about prices of feed (93 per cent), fuel (91 per cent), energy (89 per cent) and fertiliser (88 per cent).

In addition, a third of arable farmers plan to swap from growing wheat for bread to growing it for animal feed as it needs less fertiliser  the price of which has shot up in recent months.

Hundreds of farmers are planning to quit milk production in the next two years because they are being driven out of business by the rising cost of food production

The findings, based on a survey of 610 dairy farmers and 525 arable farmers, highlight how the crisis caused by rising costs is affecting Britains ability to produce food and feed itself.

The NFU is calling on the Government to introduce a statutory duty for ministers to assess the impact of new policy on domestic food production.

NFU president Minette Batters said costs were rising rapidly on farms across the country.

Its already having an impact on the food we are producing... as well as leading to a crisis of confidence among farmers, she said.

With fertiliser prices doubling, feed and fuel prices rising, and the variable role of the weather, the decisions farmers are making now will feel more like a gamble than ever before.
The ban on fracking could be lifted within days if a scientific review finds the risk of earth tremors can be minimised.

The British Geological Survey is due to report to ministers on whether new techniques could limit the potential effects of fracking for natural gas.

The ban was imposed in 2019 over concerns about earth tremors and the impact on the Government's net zero emissions target.

A Government source said safety concerns remained paramount, but added: 'The war in Ukraine has shifted the dial on this.

The ban on fracking was imposed in 2019 over concerns about earth tremors and the impact on the Government's net zero emissions target. The industry looked set to be wound up in the UK earlier this year, with fracking firm Cuadrilla ordered to fill in its last two remaining wells in Lancashire. Pictured: The Cuadrilla fracking site in Blackpool

'Russia's actions have made security of supply a bigger issue. And... gas produced here will have a lower carbon footprint than gas we are importing.'

Britain has vast reserves of shale gas underground. Some experts say 10 per cent of the resources would make the UK self-sufficient in energy for 50 years.

The new report has been completed but is now being peer-reviewed in the United States, where fracking is a major industry, before being handed to ministers.

More than 30 Tory MPs signed a letter this year calling on the Government to lift the 'un-Conservative' ban on fracking.

Tory MP Lee Anderson (pictured) said ministers could reduce opposition by offering steep discounts on people's energy bills would see 'opposition melt away'

Tory MP Lee Anderson said ministers could reduce opposition by offering steep discounts on people's bills.

Mr Anderson, a former coal miner, said: 'I'm very pro-fracking - we should be making the most of our natural resources if it can be done safely.

'If the United States hadn't gone for fracking a few years ago then the whole world would be in trouble now. We could be enjoying the same low prices as them.

'Of course it has to be safe but we also have to be offering massive financial incentives to local communities - I think if you did that you would see a lot of opposition melt away.'

Fracking is widely exploited in the US where it has helped revolutionise the oil and gas industry. Critics argue that the UK's denser population, coupled with different geology, make it impractical.

They appeared to have won the argument in 2019 when the government imposed a moratorium on further exploration.

The former fracking tsar Natascha Engel quit her post that year, saying 'ridiculous' government rules amounted to a 'de facto ban' on an industry that was on the cusp of an 'energy revolution the like of which we have not seen since the discovery of North Sea oil and gas'.

The industry looked set to be wound up in the UK earlier this year, with fracking firm Cuadrilla ordered to fill in its last two remaining wells in Lancashire.

But the firm was given a last minute reprieve in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The moratorium followed an earth tremor at Cuadrilla's site near Blackpool in August 2019, which measured 2.9 on the Richter Scale - far above the 0.5 limit set by ministers.
Ghislaine Maxwell will have to pass regular lie detector tests once she has served her 20-year prison sentence and will be banned from going near children for five years.

The conditions were signed off by Judge Alison Nathan who sentenced Maxwell for recruiting and trafficking under-age girls for the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The New York judge added the special condition after criticising Maxwell for her dishonesty and her pattern of deflecting blame.

The former socialite, 60, will also have to submit to searches of her home, car and electronic devices.

She will also have to register as a sex offender, attend sex offender treatment clinics and will be forbidden from loitering within 100 feet of places regularly frequented by children under the age of 18, such as schoolyards, playgrounds, and arcades.

Ghislaine Maxwell will have to pass regular lie detector tests once she has served her 20-year prison sentence and will be banned from going near children for five years

Maxwells lawyers say she will appeal against her conviction. Her family hopes she can serve her time in a British prison.

The rules state: You shall abide by all rules, requirements, and conditions of the sex offender treatment programme, including submission to polygraph testing.

According to the US courts service, polygraph examinations are done every six months or so and take around two hours.

They are designed to detect deception from the persons demeanour during the interviews and are designed to ensure they comply with their conditions of release.

The questioning is designed to elicit admissions or confessions of undesired activity and breaches of parole.

Among the other conditions imposed on Maxwell will be that she is not to have contact with anyone under 18 for five years without permission from the authorities.

She cannot contact any of her victims and cannot even look at a website or online profile of somebody under 18.

During an emotional sentencing, Maxwells victims lined up to describe the horrific impact of the abuse she helped facilitate and, in some cases, took part in.

Maxwell addressed the court and told the victims she wanted to acknowledge their pain but did not apologise or express remorse.
All adverts for universities should include data on how many graduates get a decent job  to help students spot 'Mickey Mouse' courses, the Department for Education has urged.

It also wants vice chancellors to include the proportion of those finishing courses.

The information should be displayed on course homepages, TV, radio and all social media adverts as well as being conveyed by any paid online 'influencers'.

The guidance is not mandatory, and there are no plans to make it so. However, it is hoped students  who face tuition fees of 9,250 a year  will be able to pinpoint courses with good outcomes.

All adverts for universities should include data on how many graduates get a decent job. It is hoped students  who face tuition fees of 9,250 a year  will be able to pinpoint courses with good outcomes

It is understood the DfE will consider further options if universities are slow to take up the plan, which was first broadly outlined by universities minister Michelle Donelan in February.

The guidance comes in response to concerns that students are being duped into undertaking low-quality courses by flashy marketing materials.

Many promise glamourous or fulfilling careers, but do not provide any data to back this up.

In many cases, the drop-out rate can be high, and employment outcomes are poor.

Universities have been accused of having a vested interest in running these 'Mickey Mouse' courses because they are cheap to lay on and students still pay 9,250 a year in tuition fees.
Priti Patel has signed a major deal to speed up deportations of foreign criminals to Nigeria.

The Home Secretarys agreement will see offenders receive new travel documents within five working days. It came as 13 Nigerians were removed on a Home Office flight yesterday.

They included eight foreign criminals and five immigration offenders, such as those who had overstayed UK visas.

Eight Ghanaians were also removed  three criminals and five immigration offenders. The deported criminals had been handed combined prison sentences of more than 64 years, a Home Office spokesman said.

The flight faced legal challenges by Left-wing groups and protesters at Derwentside immigration centre in County Durham on Wednesday. It is understood a grandmother was among those pulled off the flight.

Priti Patel has signed a major deal to speed up deportations of foreign criminals to Nigeria

Campaigners claimed those due to be on board had claims against removal which included religious persecution, modern slavery, the right to family life, and persecution on the basis of sexual orientation.

One Nigerian asylum seeker due to be aboard the flight - who came to Britain in 2017 - claimed he faced prosecution in his home country for being gay.

Adeniyi Raji, 48, told the Guardian he was divorced by his wife after she caught him in bed with his lover, lost his job and had received death threats on social media.

In Nigeria, homosexual acts are punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment.

An immigration tribunal refused his asylum claim - but he has lodged an appeal, it was reported.

It is not known whether Mr Raji was aboard the flight.

Miss Patel said of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) secured with Nigeria: It is an important development that the UK and Nigeria have signed an agreement to co-operate on migration issues, to tackle illegal migration and the significant threat it poses to both nations.

The deal will mean that operational teams in both countries will share their expertise to take the fight to criminal people smugglers who are responsible for a wider range of criminality and put profit before people while undermining the security of our two countries.

This landmark agreement will increase the deportation of dangerous foreign criminals to make our streets and country safer.

She was due to meet Nigerias High Commissioner to the UK, Sarafa Tunji Isola, yesterday THU to discuss growing collaboration, the Home Office spokesman said.

The Home Office has secured similar deals with other nations including Serbia, Albania and India.
Britain should brace for an early flu outbreak that will coincide with increasing Covid and monkeypox cases, a top expert has warned.

Health officials have said they are expecting an 'early influenza wave' in the UK because there has not been a 'proper' flu season since the start of the Covid pandemic.

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said she is watching Australia - currently in its winter season - 'very carefully' after a strain of influenza 'started early and spread fast across all age groups'.

She said the country is 'having its worst flu season in five years', which could replicate in the UK as early as September.

Meanwhile, Dr Hopkins added that we will see at least one more Covid wave later this year partnered with an 'ongoing transmission of monkeypox'.

There are also mounting fears that the NHS will be struck down at the same time by Covid, with colder weather and darker evenings leading to increased social contact indoors  where viruses find it easier to spread.

Flu is a seasonal menace on the NHS, with outbreaks more likely between September and March because colder weather forces more people indoors where the virus  like Covid  finds it easier to spread.

But influenza virtually disappeared last winter amid lockdowns aiming to control the spread of Covid.

Britain should brace for an early flu outbreak that will coincide with increasing Covid and monkeypox cases, a top expert has warned (file image)

Health officials have said they are expecting an 'early influenza wave' in the UK because there has not been a 'proper' flu season since the start of the Covid pandemic

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said we will see at least one more Covid wave later this year partnered with an 'ongoing transmission of monkeypox'

Experts are now concerned over the lack of population immunity following the pandemic and the prospect of a bad winter, which could cripple the NHS, reports The Telegraph.

Speaking on Thursday in a webinar hosted by the Royal Society of Medicine, Dr Hopkins said: 'We are planning for an influenza wave. I don't know if people re following Australia, but we are watching very, very carefully.

'It started earlier and it rose very, very fast in all age groups so we are expecting that we will see an early influenza wave.

'While we normally don't see influenza really kick off until the end of November to December, that might happen as early as late September-October  that's what we're planning for.'

Meanwhile, Dr Hopkins added that we will see at least one more Covid wave later this year partnered with an 'ongoing transmission of monkeypox'.

She added: 'We will see at least one Covid wave in the autumn-winter, once we have got through the current wave. And, for the next six months at least, we will have ongoing community transmission of monkeypox.'

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests 1.3million people in England were infected during the week to June 18, up by a fifth compared to the previous estimate. Yet the week-on-week rise is half of the 40 per cent spike logged in last week's projection.

Cases are also on the rise in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Experts previously told MailOnline the figures suggest the current wave 'may be slowing' already and 'may not go that high after all'. They admitted, however, that the peak is still to come.

Dr Hopkins said: 'For the next six months at least, we will have ongoing community transmission of monkeypox'

The Omicron sub-strains BA.4 and BA.5 are now the dominant strains in the UK, the UK Health Security Agency today confirmed for the first time. They are thought to be even more infectious than their ancestral versions, which were to blame for cases reaching pandemic highs in December and April, but just as mild.

Meanwhile, Monkeypox cases in the UK have risen above 1,000 as the rare disease continues to spread, officials confirmed today.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses said there had been 1,076 infections as of Sunday, almost double the number a fortnight ago.

Authorities said they expect cases to continue to rise further in the coming days and are advising anyone going to large events or having sex with new partners to 'be alert' for symptoms.

Dr Hopkins revealed there are now 20 to 40 new cases every day and said: 'This year will be even more challenging than normal.'
When the 40p tax band was introduced in 1988, it was intended to affect only the top 5 per cent of earners.

But after years of threshold freezes, it has morphed from a tax on the well-off into a blunt fiscal instrument for the Treasury to thump middle-income households.

In that first year, the 40p rate was levied on just 1.35million people.

Rishi Sunak claims to be a low-tax Chancellor. Yet he is stealthily picking the pockets of bedrock Tory voters

By the end of 2022, a staggering 6.1million will be paying it. By 2024, it will be seven million  NHS staff, teachers, police officers and tradesmen among them.

And this is under a Tory government!

Rishi Sunak claims to be a low-tax Chancellor. Yet he is stealthily picking the pockets of bedrock Tory voters  while simultaneously hitting them with a stinging national insurance rise.

In this cost of living crunch, struggling families cant get by on his promises of jam tomorrow. They need concerted action to ease their burden now.

That means cutting taxes, raising thresholds, and allowing people to keep more of their own money.

Forthcoming corporation tax hikes should also be shelved, to give business a chance to recover from its Covid travails.

This Government is at a crossroads. If it reverts to basic Tory principles, it can still overcome its difficulties and go on to win the next election.

If it just keeps muddling along and hoping the economy will heal itself, a long period of opposition beckons.

The bank of wokery

Is it the role of high-street banks to become combatants in the culture wars? The Halifax certainly seems to think so.

As part of a half-baked inclusivity initiative, it is providing badges for staff showing their preferred pronouns  such as he/him, she/her or they/them.

The stated aim is to avoid accidental misgendering. And if clients dont like it, a spokesman says, they are welcome to take their business elsewhere.

The bank claims its trying to open the conversation around gender identity. In fact, it only wants to converse if you agree with its values. If not, you can shove off.

Hardly a great example of inclusivity  or indeed customer service.

Its actually the kind of passive-aggressive bullying that has become synonymous with extreme identity politics. We expect it from trans activists. But from a bank?

Who wants to have a conversation about gender fluidity when all theyre trying to do is pay in a cheque or arrange a mortgage?

And what about staff who dont want their personal pronoun to be a matter of public debate? Will they feel comfortable refusing a badge? Will they be required to go through inclusivity training?

One thing is certain, if the Halifax keeps patronising its customers in this insulting way, it wont need to encourage them to go elsewhere. Theyll be leaving voluntarily  in their droves.

A pernicious drug

A study by respected think-tank Civitas suggests that an extra six million people would smoke cannabis if it were legalised.

It also says 500,000 children are already users, and far from backing decriminalisation, six in ten parents want tougher police action against the drug  with seven in ten supporting stop-and-search tactics.

Meanwhile, a separate London university report shows the risk of teenagers becoming addicted to the drug is three times greater than for adults.

The weight of this and other evidence is simply overwhelming. Cannabis is a highly dangerous drug that ruins young lives.

And for all the absurd posturing of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and his fellow advocates for a law change, legalisation would make a bad situation infinitely worse.
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At least 21 people including two children have been killed and dozens more wounded in the latest Russian missile strike on a civilian building in Ukraine.

Kyiv says a AS-4 anti-ship missile - the same kind used against a shopping mall in Kremenchuk earlier this week - hit a nine-storey apartment block in Odesa overnight, all-but destroying the building.

Thirty one people were hurt in the strike, local officials said, including a pregnant woman and four infants. Video shows rescuers searching the rubble for survivors, and a distressed woman calling for help as a child cries in the background.

It is just the latest Russian airstrike to hit a civilian target in Ukraine, after the Kremenchuk shopping centre was struck on Monday - killing at least 20 - and an apartment block in Mykolaiv was hit Wednesday - killing at least eight.

Ukraine says Russia is deliberately targeting civilians as part of a 'terror' campaign to distract from its failing invasion, a charge Putin denies.

At least 21 civilians have been killed, including two children, and 31 wounded after a Russian anti-ship missile struck a civilian apartment building in the city of Odesa overnight

Ukraine said the missile badly damaged an apartment building and two nearby recreational buildings (one pictured)

Part of the destroyed apartment building in Odesa, in southern Ukraine, after it was hit by a Russian missile overnight

A car is partially buried under rubble against the back-drop of a destroyed apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Odesa after Russia's latest airstrike on civilians

A tractor fitted with heavy-lifting equipment takes part in rescue work after a Russia missile hit an apartment block in Odesa

A pregnant woman and four children are among those wounded after Russia hit an apartment block in Odesa, just the latest in a series of strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine

A destroyed building is seen after the Russian missile attack where 21 people died in Odesa, southern Ukraine

Ukraine accuses Russia of deliberately targeting civilians (apartment block in Odesa, pictured) as part of a campaign of 'terror' to distract from its military failings

A destroyed car is seen after the Russian missile attack where 21 people died in Odesa, southern Ukraine

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside an Odesa apartment block that was struck by a Russian missile overnight, leaving more than a dozen people dead

Firefighters search through the rubble of an Odesa apartment block, looking for victims and survivors of Russia's latest airstrike on a civilian target

Ukrainian firefighters search the rubble of a civilian apartment block after it was blown up by a Russian missile, just the latest in a series of strikes against the innocent

Russia's strike on civilians in Ukraine Ukraine accuses Russia of deliberately targeting civilians in a campaign of 'terror' to distract from its military failings. Here are the latest strikes... Jun 27: Kremenchuk mall hit by anti-ship missile, leaving at least 20 dead and 21 missing, presumed dead Jun 28: Mykolaiv apartment block hit, leaving at least eight civilians dead Jul 1: Odesa apartment block hit, leaving at least 21 including two children dead Advertisement

The Odesa attack - thought to have been carried out by a Russian Tu-22 bomber - came just hours after Putin's forces withdrew from Snake Island, around 90 miles out to sea from the key port city.

Russian forces were forced to withdraw from the 100-acre spit of land after sustaining heavy fire from Ukrainian artillery and anti-ship missile batteries.

Moscow attempted to play off the withdrawal as a 'goodwill gesture', the same phrasing it used when forced to retreat from Kyiv and Chernihiv earlier in the war.

Snake Island has little practical value but is of strategic importance, helping the occupier control waters off Odesa - which remains a key target of Russia's invasion.

Russia had repeatedly tried to position anti-aircraft and anti-missile batteries on the island, but saw them repeatedly destroyed.

Ukraine had also successfully targeted helicopters and boats trying to reinforce and resupply units stationed on the island.

Losing the territory makes the possibility of an amphibious assault on Odesa - feared since the early days of the war - increasingly remote.

It is also hugely embarrassing for Putin's already-shamed Black Sea fleet which has seen a number of its ships - including the flagship Moskva - sunk by a country which has no functioning navy.

The decision to abandon Snake Island 'changes the situation in the Black Sea considerably,' Zelensky said in his daily address Thursday.

'It does not yet guarantee security. It does not yet guarantee that the enemy will not return. But it already considerably limits the actions of the occupiers.'

On Wednesday, another Russian missile hit a five-storey apartment block in the city of Mykolaiv, which is located around 70 miles down the coast from Odesa.

On Friday, Ukraine announced that the death toll from that attack had risen to eight after the body of a man was found in a collapsed stairwell.

And earlier in the week, a Russian missile hit the Amstor shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk - central Ukraine - killing at least 20.

Another 21 people are missing, presumed dead, after the missile hit around 4pm local time on Monday.

Russia claims it carried out two strikes on military targets in the city - a weapons store in a nearby factory and a train station being used to transport arms - and the dis-used mall accidentally burned down after fire spread.

But Ukraine has released a number of CCTV clips that challenge those claims, including footage which shows an anti-ship missile slamming directly into the mall.

Firefighters rescue a badly wounded man from an apartment block in Mykolaiv, after a Russian missile destroyed the upper floors in a strike on Wednesday

Rescue crews carry out the body of a civilian found dead inside a Mykolaiv apartment block after a Russian missile strike, as the death toll from the attack rose to eight

A man retrieves photos of his family from the destroyed apartment block in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, after a Russian missile strike destroyed the upper floors

The smouldering remains of a Ukrainian apartment block are seen in the city of Mykolaiv after the building was hit by Russia in what Kyiv says is a campaign of terror against civilians

The remains of a Mykolaiv apartment block are seen in a photo taken by rescue workers who are still searching the building for survivors and victims after the Wednesday strike

More video released yesterday shows people shopping and working inside the mall at the time it was struck.

And a third selection of tapes shows a second missile striking the northern end of a factory, raining debris down on civilians in a nearby park.

President Putin has denied his army are deliberately targeting civilians, which would be a war crime.

'Our army does not attack any civilian infrastructure site. We have every capability of knowing what is situated where,' Putin told a news conference in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat.

'Nobody among us shoots just like that, randomly. It is normally done based on intelligence data on targets' and with 'high-precision weapons'.

'I am convinced that this time, everything was done in this exact manner,' Putin said.

The Russian autocrat was there for the VI Caspian Summit of leaders from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to discuss 'topical issues of cooperation in the Caspian Sea'.

As many as 1,000 people were feared to have been inside when it was hit.

It comes after Russian troops hastily abandoned Snake Island yesterday in a fresh blow to Putin's invasion just days after Ukraine's armed forces launched a crippling rocket attack on the outpost.

Snake Island became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the first days of the war, when the rocky outcrop's defenders told a Russian warship that called on them to surrender to 'go f*ck yourself,' an incident that spurred a defiant meme.

It was also a strategic target, sitting aside shipping lanes near Ukraine's port of Odessa. Russia had attempted to install missile and air defence batteries while under fire from drones.

Now, however, Ukraine has begun to receive longer range missiles and military gear from its Western backers, and the Russian position on Snake Island seems to have become untenable, officials said.

The Russian defence ministry statement described the retreat as 'a gesture of goodwill' meant to demonstrate that Moscow will not interfere with UN efforts to organise protected grain exports from Ukraine but Kyiv claimed it as a win.

'I thank the defenders of Odessa region who took maximum measures to liberate a strategically important part of our territory,' Valeriy Zaluzhny, the Ukraine military's commander-in-chief, said on Telegram.

This is the moment a Russian missile hit a shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on Monday afternoon - leaving at least 20 dead and another 21 missing, presumed dead

Ukraine says the footage shows a Russian AS-4 anti-ship missile slamming into the mall, disproving Moscow's claims that the building was not directly targeted

Onlookers gather as the shopping centre is engulfed by flames shortly after it was struck by two Russian guided missiles on Monday, while an estimated 1,000 people were inside
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has added "cryptoqueen" Ruja Ignatova to its 10 most wanted list over an alleged $4 billion OneCoin fraud, becoming only the 11th woman to join the list in its 72-year-long history.

The suspect joins the list that is littered with sought-after individuals that range from serial killers to accused drug cartel leaders. Ignatova, whose nickname is cryptoqueen, has been on the run since 2017.

Massive Cryptocurrency Fraud

Ignatova's nickname comes from the fact that she and her partner founded OneCoin, a Bulgarian-based company that marketed purported cryptocurrency that authorities said was a scam. The FBI noted that millions of investors worldwide were tricked into giving the cryptoqueen money since she started the company in 2014.

Federal authorities are now offering up to a $100,000 reward for any information that could lead to her arrest. They argued that Ignatova should be considered dangerous because there is a possibility that she is traveling with armed guards.

Special Agent Ronald Shimko, who is probing the case out of the FBI's New York field office, said that there were so many victims all over the world who were financially crushed by Ignatova's actions and deceit, as per the New York Post.

Authorities believe that Ignatova might have been tipped off that she was under federal and international probe shortly before she was first charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in October 2017. The cryptoqueen traveled from Bulgaria to Athens, Greece on Oct. 25, 2017, and has not been seen since.

Read Also: Google to Start Accepting Cryptocurrency for advertisements by August

The suspect is known to speak several languages, including Bulgarian, English, and German, and is thought to be using a fake passport. Ignatova has brown eyes and dark hair, though investigators warn that she could have changed her appearance to avoid detection.

According to Fox Business, FBI officials claim that Ignatova made numerous false statements and representations about her company to lure investors in, who were then encouraged to sell additional packages through a multi-level marketing strategy.

The "Cryptoqueen"

Authority said that the suspect used many of the buzzwords associated with the cryptocurrency community to generate excitement about OneCoin despite it not being traditionally mined like bitcoin or other big-name cryptocurrencies. The value of OneCoin was also determined by the company itself instead of the marketplace.

Shimko claims that Ignatova specifically targeted investors who did not fully understand how cryptocurrencies work and that she defrauded billions from her victims. On Feb. 6, 2018, a superseding indictment was issued, charging Ignatova with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud.

The FBI's assistant director in charge of the New York office, Mike Driscoll, said that he was confident that the agency would find the suspect eventually and make her pay for her crimes. Additionally, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, called Ignatova "an international fugitive who allegedly masterminded a worldwide fraud, CNBC reported.



Related Article: Cryptocurrency; The Famous Currency

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Bill Gates has secured legal approval for the controversial purchase of thousands of acres of prime North Dakota farmland, after the deal drew fury from the state's residents.

The state's Republican Attorney General Drew Wrigley had inquired into the land sale, and on Wednesday issued a letter saying the transaction complied with an archaic anti-corporate farming law.

The Depression-era law prohibits corporations or limited liability companies from owning farmland or ranchland, but allows individual trusts to own the land if it is leased to farmers, which Gates intends to do.

Gates is the largest private owner of farmland in America after quietly amassing some 270,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last year's edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nation's largest landowners.

Bill Gates has secured legal approval for the controversial purchase of thousands of acres of prime North Dakota farmland from the state's Republican AG Drew Wrigley (right)

Gates' firm, Red River Trust, purchased $13.5 million worth of land in two counties from wealthy northeastern North Dakota potato growers Campbell Farms

However, the billionaire's holdings make up only about one percent of the nearly 900 million total farm acres in the U.S.

The purchase of the land in North Dakota had raised legal questions as well as concerns that ultrarich landowners do not share the state's values.

Gates' firm, Red River Trust, purchased $13.5 million worth of land in two counties from wealthy northeastern North Dakota potato growers Campbell Farms.

About 2100 acres of land were sold in the deal, AgWeek reported.

In a curious move, the Campbell family in February filed a partnership name certificate with the North Dakota secretary of state naming their farming operation the Red River Trust - the same name as Gates' firm.

But an attorney for Gates' firm wrote to the attorney generals office that the Campbells registered the name without his knowledge.

The Campbells did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Red River Trust reportedly acquired six parcels of land in Grafton, ND, near the borders of Minnesota and Canada last November. The land is apparently part of Campbell Farms (above)

North Dakota's Agriculture Commissioner, Republican Doug Goehring, previously said that many people feel they are being exploited by the ultra-rich who buy land but do not necessarily share the state's values.

'I've gotten a big earful on this from clear across the state, it's not even from that neighborhood,' Goehring told KFYR-TV. 'Those people are upset, but there are others that are just livid about this.'

Corporations are exempted from the ownership ban if the land is necessary 'for residential or commercial development; the siting of buildings, plants, facilities, industrial parks, or similar business or industrial purposes of the corporation or limited liability company; or for uses supportive of or ancillary to adjacent non agricultural land for the benefit of both land parcels,' the law reads.

It's not the first test for a statute that was passed in 1932.

A federal judge in 2018 ruled the law constitutional after a conservative farm group argued that it limits business options for producers and interferes with interstate commerce by barring out-of-state corporations from being involved in North Dakota's farm industry.

North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum, a former Microsoft executive whose campaign received $100,000 from Microsoft co-founder Gates when Burgum first won in 2016, declined to comment on the farmland sale.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley issued a letter to the trust Tuesday asking officials to confirm plans for use of the land and whether the company meets any of the exceptions to the state's laws

The tech billionaire had previously bought up 242,000 acres of farmland in 18 states - and 268,984 of multi-use land in 19 states in total, making him the biggest agricultural landowner in the US, though far short of the biggest overall landowner in the country

The Republican governor stayed down the middle when asked his opinion of the anti-corporate farming law, which he and the Legislature expanded in 2019 to allow second cousins in the mix of ownership.

'The governor strongly supports family farms and is open to discussions about cutting red tape that puts North Dakota farmers at a disadvantage compared with neighboring states and ensuring that our ranchers and farmers can succeed and grow their operations, helping rural communities to thrive,' Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki said.

Gates already has an impressive land portfolio. 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.

But even then, Gates didn't rank in the Top 100 of private landowners overall in the U.S. - when considering owners of land of all types, not just agricultural.

The title for largest landholdings overall goes to U.S. businessman John Malone, chairman of Liberty Media, who owns 2.2 million acres.

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 country. It is unclear if he ended up purchasing the land.
A Commonwealth Bank customer is furious after a bank refused to let him withdraw $15k from his own account without telling them what he was using it for

Richard Dargham wanted to take out the money from his account when he visited a branch at Carnes Hill Marketplace, south-west Sydney, on Thursday.

He uploaded a video to TikTok claiming bank tellers asked how he intended to spend his money.

'This is bull****, this is absolutely ridiculous,' he says in the video. 'I'm the account holder. You can clearly see that. If I want to pay someone, you can't stop me.

A Commonwealth Bank customer claims they were stopped from withdrawing $15,000 because he refused to reveal how he would spend his money

'You don't need to know the exact details of what the hell I'm using my money for. I could be using it for a strip club, I could be using it to buy drugs. It's none of your freaking business.'

Mr Dargham said the bank had flagged his account as possibly being hacked by scammers because of the size of the withdrawal request.

He said he handed them several documents of identification to prove he was the holder of the account.

'Keep in mind I gave them a Medicare card, I gave them a drivers licence, I have them a Medibank private card,' Mr Dargham says.

'I gave them all sorts of ID, like more ID than I need to get into a government building and become prime minister of this country.

'Yet, they still wanted to know in exact detail what I wanted to do with my money,' he said.

'Their explanation was that they were trying to stop me from being scammed.'

Mr Dargham said he caused a 'massive scene' at the bank because he didn't want to tell staff how he intended to spend his money.

'There is a very strong possibility that if you don't tell them, they won't give you your money, he explained.

'I said to them, I have got to give money to someone, and I said I've got to pay an invoice.

'They said: 'Do you have an invoice?' and then I lost my mind.

'I don't know what the hell this world's come too - it's getting to the point where it's getting ridiculous.

'They want to know in exact details what you're doing with your money now. Giving them a one sentence answer does not work anymore,' Mr Dargham explained.

However, in a second video, Mr Dargham claimed he was able to withdraw the money in the end 'once I made a scene'.

'I did receive my $15,000 once I made a scene, I literally told them that if I don't get my money, I will not leave the bank,' he said.

Mr Dargham, who runs premier construction company Yes I Can, said he was under a lot of work stress and became upset when bank tellers asked him how he would use the money.

'I'm a guy who has been dealing with a lot of stuff in the building industry in the last nine months,' he said.

'The very little money I have left from the downturn of the economy, I chose to stay true to my customers, I chose to lose money to keep my customers happy.

'Although everything is slow I did pay off all my contractors, I did pay up and finish all my customer's jobs at a loss.

'That's why I felt a little bit upset when I was asked in detail the questions about what I was going to use my money for.'

'I just want to clarify, I ended up getting the money that I went in there to get. The tellers at Carnes Hill Commonwealth Bank, fantastic,' he said.

'If it wasn't for them, if they were rude, the situation would've been a lot worse'.

Mr Dargham also responded to comments on social media that he should have lied to the bank tellers when he was asked about the nature of the withdrawal.

'The point I was trying to make is, if I lie to you, that obviously defeats the purpose of this stupid rule, that's supposed to protect me and my money,' he said.

'That's the problem I have with this situation. I don't see the need to be able to lie to them.'

Last year, one Commonwealth Bank teller said it's standard practice for the bank to ask customers a reason for withdrawing large sums of cash.

He uploaded a video to TikTok claiming his request was denied because he would not explain to bank tellers how he intended to spend his money (stock image)

'It's a duty of care to try protect you from fraud or scammers,' they wrote on the OzBargain forum.

'For example, an old man gets a phone call from Amazon saying they've accidentally transferred him $20,000.

'They instruct him to head down the bank and withdraw the funds to deposit into another account.

'The day dreaming teller doesn't ask the man a reason for withdrawing the funds and hands him the money.

'Old man is now crying over the phone because he's given away $20,000 to some scammers. Had the teller asked, which situation would you prefer?'

Meanwhile, banks are also required by federal law to report cash transactions of $10,000 or more to financial regulator Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre.

Under the law, customers intending to make withdrawals above the threshold are required to provide identification.

'You don't need to know the exact details of what the hell I'm using my money for. I could be using it for a strip club, I could be using it to buy drugs. It's none of your freaking business', Mr Dargham said

Banks have been enforcing the threshold since 2011, with the legislation in place to reduce the risk of the Australian banking system being misused to support money laundering or terrorism financing activities.

'You will be required to provide information for all transactions which involve a cash amount of $10,000 or more,' a factsheet on the legislation states.

A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that precautionary measures were enforced to protect customer's bank accounts from possible scammers.

'We are always very concerned when we are made of aware of frauds and scams affecting customers and the wider community,' the spokesperson said.

'Despite the commitment and best efforts of regulators, law enforcement agencies and the banking industry, such frauds and scams sadly still occur.

'We review frauds and scams on a case-by-case basis however it is widely recognised that scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated which has prompted increased investment across the sector in resources, systems, data and intelligence to combat scams and alert the Australian public to the risks the community faces.

'Customers need to remain vigilant, protect their banking details and be smart about who they send money to.'
Australians can no longer claim $750 if they cannot work because they catch Covid-19.

The pandemic leave disaster payment was introduced in August 2020 to provide workers with an income so they would stop going to work while sick and spreading the disease to their colleagues.

Last year the Morrison government decided to scrap the scheme at the start of the new financial year today and the new Labor government has stuck with that timeframe.

Australians can no longer claim $750 if they cannot work because they catch Covid-19

Aussies without sick leave who cannot do their jobs because they have to isolate for seven days will now have to go without pay.

All states and territories still have seven-day isolation rules still in place, sparking fears that many casual workers will simply not get tested and go to work while ill to avoid losing income.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the Federal government cannot afford to keep making the payments which have cost taxpayers $1.9billion so far.

'We're going to have to start to moving towards more normal programs that support the Australian community and people have been on notice about that for some time,' he told ABC Radio on Friday.

Asked if people without sick leave would go to work with Covid if they didn't have access to the government support measure, Mr Butler said he 'hoped not'.

'We can't continue forever to fund from the budget the gaps in the labour market that exist,' he said.

Australian Council of Trade Unions boss Sally McManus blasted the government and said the payments should continue.

She said it would cost the Budget more if sick people went to work and spread Covid.

Aussies without sick leave who cannot do their jobs because they have to isolate for seven days will now have to go without pay

'If they don't have any money, and they've got no choice to pay their bills or to stay at home, people, lots of people, will go to work, because they've got no choice,' Ms McManus said.

'When everyone in a workplace gets Covid it takes that workplace out. We know what effect that has on the whole economy.

'For public health reasons, as well as for all workers, we need to make sure we're supporting everyone.

'We've already been through this. We know exactly what happens if you don't support people to stay at home.'

Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said scrapping the payments was 'responsible' with the nation's debt approaching $1trillion.

Meanwhile, Mr Butler warned that health officials are expecting a third wave of Omicron cases and reinfections due to a new more transmissible sub-variant.

Australians must get their boosters as soon as possible to protect themselves, he said.

'Even if you caught Covid in that big summer wave, where millions of Australians caught (it), if you've only had two doses... you are potentially susceptible to infection over coming months,' he said.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the federal government cannot afford to keep making the payments which have cost taxpayers $1.9billion so far

Mr Butler will meet with state and territory health ministers on Friday, where managing the coronavirus will be high on the agenda.

Ministers will talk about ways for more vulnerable people with Covid to get access to antiviral drugs.

Mr Butler said it was important to expand the use of the antivirals to help manage the pandemic.

'We're getting feedback from pharmacists, GPs and patients alike (and) I don't think that there's a great level of awareness about these treatments out in the community,' he said.

'You have to have a plan for when you get notified of a positive Covid test so that you can contact your GP quickly (and) get a script for these antivirals.'

With AAP
Buckingham Palace courtiers, bemused by reports that Boris is keen on a state visit by Volodymyr Zelensky, believe Ukraine's president would not want to leave his war-torn country.

They float the alternative possibility of a royal visit to Kyiv.

When Zelensky and his wife Olena visited London in 2020, he met William and Kate at Buckingham Palace.

William in Kyiv would thus be fitting. He and Kate were the first royals to lend public support to Ukraine after the Russian invasion, prompting Zelensky to tweet: 'Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens. Good will triumph.'

Currently in Scotland, Prince Charles is described in the Court Circular as the Duke of Rothesay. Why not also as the Duke of Edinburgh, the title he inherited on the death of his father? Camilla is now Duchess of Edinburgh and since Philip's death the Queen is technically the Dowager Duchess of Edinburgh. On taking the throne Charles's claim to the title will lapse, and at the request of Philip he pledged to create a new Dukedom of Edinburgh for his brother Edward.

Starring as a crime-solving literature professor in new Dublin-based TV series Harry Wild, Jane Seymour, pictured below, foolishly attempts an Irish brogue. 'Jane attempting an Irish accent is a jolt of existential horror we could all do without,' writes one Hibernian reviewer. Jane's scalp joins those of other foreign stars such as Tom Cruise, Christopher Walken and Robert Mitchum who were comically incapable of telling their erse from their elbow.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle's eyebrows surely ascend ceilingwards at Labour MP Chris Bryant receiving the Civility in Politics Award. At PMQs 18 months ago, Bryant alias 'Captain Underpants' told the Speaker to 'f*** off'. After Bryant promptly left the chamber, a shocked Hoyle announced: 'I suggest the whip goes and has a word with him, we're not having that disgraceful behaviour.'

Dominic Raab's mischievous Commons wink reprised Anne Robinson's signature gesture, which began on BBC's Points Of View. She took it to Watchdog but was told by the BBC's managing director at the time not to do it. In defiance, she's done it ever since, and even jokingly told Channel 4 bosses when negotiating her Countdown gig, 'I get paid 100 per wink'  and that it should be in her contract.

Apropos of late Dad's Army vicar Frank Williams, an active Church of England member, his participation in various diocesan elections prompted the then Bishop of London, Graham Leonard, to offer to ordain him without condition. 'The Church of England's most trusted clerics are you and Derek Nimmo,' lamented Leonard. 'Oh no, my lord,' replied Williams. 'I fear nowadays you will need to ordain a blonde with big knockers to get the newspapers interested.'
An alleged paedophile has been filmed waddling down the street after being arrested by sex crime detectives, before struggling to fit inside their police van.

The Central Coast man is accused of sending her explicit messages to who he thought was a 14-year-old girl online.

It's alleged the 50-year-old also arranged to meet her for sex.

Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad began engaging online with the man from Sydneys north-west last month.

After being arrested on the streets of Tuggerah on Thursday, police raised his home and seized computer storage devices.

The 50-year-old Central Coast man is accused of trying to have sex with a 14-year-old girl

Video of his arrest shows the man being dragged away by the arm during his arrest, but he struggles to keep up with the officer and is forced to waddle down the street.

He then climbs into the back of the police van, with difficulty.

Police will allege in court the man was under the impression he was speaking with a 14-year-old girl and willingly engaged in sexually explicit conversations about what he wished to do to the child

The man was taken to Wyong Police Station and was charged with using a carriage service to procure a child under 16 years for sexual activity.

He was refused bail to appear at Wyong Local Court on Friday.
Justice Clarence Thomas has repeated the long-debunked claim that Covid vaccines are made from the cells of 'aborted children' during his dissenting opinion.

It came during a decision by the Supreme Court to not take up a legal challenge by New York health care workers who had been opposed to the state's vaccine mandate on the basis of religious grounds.

Thomas, cited the argument put forward by the plaintiffs writing that the health care workers 'object' to the state's vaccine mandate 'on religious grounds to all available COVID19 vaccines because they were developed using cell lines derived from aborted children.'

It is not true the Covid vaccines were made using fetal cell lines and they do not contain any aborted cells.

Clarence Thomas suggested Covid vaccines are developed using cells of 'aborted children'

Vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna had used fetal cell lining early during Covid vaccine development to test the efficacy of their formulas.

The fetal tissue that was used in such processes was from elective abortions that occurred decades ago.

The cells used have since replicated many times over and none of the original tissue was used in the making of such modern day vaccines.

Lawyers for New York State noted how such lab-grown stem cells, which had originally been derived from the cells of a fetus almost 50 years ago, had also been used in the testing of the rubella vaccine.

The vaccines contain genetic material that instructs cells to make proteins, known as messenger RNA which trains the immune system to fight off the coronavirus.

Cells obtained from elective abortions decades ago were used in testing during the Covid vaccine development process, a common practice in vaccine testing

They vaccines also contain fats known as lipids that help RNA cross cell membranes, together with salt, sugar and substances used to help stabilize the ingredients.

But Justice Thomas together with Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, cited the debunked claim.

New York's requirement for government employees to be vaccinated came into force in August with the aim of curbing the spread of the latest Covid variant.

It allowed for exceptions on medical reasons or religious objections, although that was later removed.

New York's Governor Kathy Hochul, who is a Roman Catholic said that she was not aware of any 'sanctioned religious objection from any organized religion' noting that religious leaders including the pope were urging people to get vaccinated.

Sixteen health care workers sued saying they had religious objections because fetal cell lines had been involved in the testing, development or production of the vaccines.

New York State lawyers said the mandate was similar to previous rules that required health care workers be vaccinated against measles and rubella.

'The presence of a single, limited medical exemption to a vaccine requirement does not require the State to provide a blanket religious exemption from vaccination,' the lawyers said in written submissions.
An aspiring MMA fighter has claimed he is the rightful winner of an F45 fitness competition that offered a free holiday to Fiji - because it changed his life.

Sydney father Ben Meakin completely transformed his lifestyle during the competition, waking at dawn to go for a run and completing four training sessions every day for a month.

However, he's now been left wondering if the challenge was judged solely on weight loss alone, rather than the change to his overall health, after a contestant who shed more kilos than him took out the title.

Mr Meakin started every day with a smoothie comprising of protein powder, beetroot and coconut water and spent hours meal-prepping.

Ben Meakin (pictured) has challenged the gym to reveal whether the challenge was based on solely on weight loss or overall health after completely transforming his lifestyle

He said from day one he had been determined to win the fitness challenge and insisted he isn't a sore loser and simply wanted a fair go.

'As of day one I was already food prepped for the week,' he told A Current Affair.

'I told everyone I was going to win the challenge and from day one I set out to win it and I spent every waking hour food prepping, training, going to bed at 8.30 at night, getting up at 3.30 in the morning.

'By the end I was eating, sleeping, breathing the competition.'

The man who won the holiday to Fiji lost 15 kilograms - six more than Mr Meakin - who still lost nearly nine kilograms during the challenge (pictured, Mr Meakin's before and after shots)

F45 offered the winner of the month-long fitness challenge a trip to Fiji (pictured)

The aspiring MMA fighter paid F45 $60 a week for four weeks as well as an additional $140 for body scans used to determine the competition's winner.

The man who won the holiday to Fiji lost 15kg - six more than Mr Meakin - who still lost nearly 9kg during the challenge.

Mr Meakin said his dedication to the challenge meant he had missed out on spending time with his young son, which had been one of his major motivators.

He said being a primary school teacher and paying bills and a mortgage meant it was hard to take his family overseas.

Mr Meakin (right) said his dedication to the challenge meant he had missed out on spending time with his young son, who had been one of his major motivators

'I took time out of my little boy's life, my partner's life  I paid my money to be in that competition and I wanted a fair shot,' he said.

Mr Meakin has since moved to a gym that claims it judges participants only using body scans - which use formulas to measure the amount of bone, muscle and fat.

In a statement, F45 said its challenge is a 'community-focused health transformation program designed to create life-changing results'.

Each franchisee is responsible for conducting and delivering the program and outlining the terms, conditions and criteria for the challenge.

Parent company F45 Training Incorporated has been made aware of Mr Meakin's issue and is reviewing the situation.
Tanya Plibersek has enjoyed a friendly meeting with Emmanuel Macron who declared Australia is 'back' after his public spat with Scott Morrison.

The environment minister met the French President in Lisbon, Portugal where she attended a speech he gave on the sidelines of the UN Oceans Conference on Thursday.

French-Australia relations have been frosty since Mr Morrison dumped a $90billion submarine contract with a French company last year and then leaked private texts from the President in a bid to prove he was expecting it.

Mr Macron said he was lied to and recalled his Australian ambassador to express his fury.

The new Labor government is now trying to repair relations and Thursday's meeting appeared to show Mr Macron is ready to do that.

Tanya Plibersek has enjoyed a friendly meeting with Emmanuel Macron. She shared this selfie of the pair on Twitter afterwards

At one point in his speech, Mr Macron directly addressed Ms Plibersek and said 'you're back', reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

'We need you in the Indo-Pacific strategy and climate and oceans is part of the strategy for us,' he added.

After the event he reportedly went up to her and clasped her hand in his.

A beaming Ms Plibersek posted a selfie with the president on Twitter and said protecting the environment was a priority for the new government in contrast to the Coalition.

'The environment is back under the new Australian Government,' she wrote.

'An honour to attend a special event at the Lisbon Oceanarium with the President of France @EmmanuelMacron as his guest. Merci beaucoup!'

Ms Plibersek also caught up with United States special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will have a one-on-one lunch with Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday as he attempts to revitalise France-Australia relations.

In a press conference on Thursday night he refused to say whether he would apologise to Mr Macron over the submarine fiasco.

'I look forward to having a constructive relationship with President Macron,' he said.

'I've made it very clear what my position is about the way in which Australia engaged at a leadership level with friends.

'What I want to do though is to make sure that we can move forward... It should be a relationship where we can rely upon each other... in which we can trust each other and mutually benefit.'

When asked if French businesses could trust him after the 'betrayal' and 'deception' over the submarine contract under the previous coalition government, Mr Albanese said 'absolutely'.

'Everyone should be able to trust me, that's the way I deal with people... that's how I got to be prime minister,' he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon are seen on arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on Thursday evening

The Morrison government decided to scrap the contract with Naval Group last year in favour of nuclear-powered submarines, under the AUKUS partnership with the UK and US.

Mr Macron later told Australian journalists 'I don't think, I know' when asked if he thought Mr Morrison had lied to him in his handling of the issue.

Mr Albanese on Thursday met with former coalition finance minister and current OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, with the pair warmly shaking hands in front of flags representing its member nations.

He then addressed the OECD council and was asked questions by members, including the US, about Australia's action on climate change, Lithuania, Australia's aid to Ukraine, Japan and international law in the Indo-Pacific.
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Busy Philipps was one of 181 people arrested during an abortion rights protest outside the US Supreme Court.

The Cougar Town star was seen wearing a shirt reading 'I will aid and abet abortion,' while being led away by a pair of police officers on Thursday, in a video posted by Vice News.

Philipps, 43, was arrested for blocking traffic outside the court building alongside number of Planned Parenthood leaders.

She told reporters that she was protesting ''For equality'. As she was cuffed and led away, members of the crowd could be heard cheering her on and saying 'Thank you for your service.'

Busy Philipps, 43, was arrested for blocking traffic outside the court building alongside number of Planned Parenthood leaders

'I can think of no better way to use my privilege and voice than to amplify the message that bodily autonomy IS a human right,' she wrote on Instagram after her arrest

Busy Phillipps, 43, (second from left), while being arrested for blocking traffic during a protest outside the US Supreme Court on Thursday

When asked by a reporter why she came out to be arrested, Philipps responded 'For equality'

.@BusyPhilipps was arrested at a protest in front of the Supreme Court today, and tells VICE News that she's getting arrested for "equality." pic.twitter.com/MOm6ZyY6Cl  VICE News (@VICENews) June 30, 2022

Philipps wrote about the protest in a lengthy Instagram post in which she shared photos and videos of her arrest.

'I can think of no better way to use my privilege and voice than to amplify the message that bodily autonomy IS a human right,' she wrote, 'as it is ACTUALLY the exact same thing as the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'

Philipps described the protest as 'an action of peaceful civil disobedience,' saying the intention was 'to let lawmakers but more importantly, the people who will be most impacted by this outrageous decision, know that we will not back down, we will not give in and we will not stop fighting until there is equality for all Americans.'

In addition to Planned Parenthood leadership, Philipps was joined by members from a number of groups, including Catholic's for Choice, the Working Family's Party, The National Council of Jewish Women, and the Center For Popular Democracy Action, according to her post.

Philipps was seen wearing a shirt reading 'I will aid and abet abortion,' while being led away by a pair of police officers in a video posted by Vice News

Members of the crowd watching her being carried away could be heard cheering her on and saying 'Thank you for your service'

'This momentum will only build due to the 38 million women who'll be affected by this when they see that abortion has been banned in their state,' Chu said ahead of her arrest

Philipps has been open about her own experience receiving an abortion at the age of 15.

'I had an abortion when I was 15 years old and I'm telling you this because I'm genuinely really scared for women and girls all over the country,' she said in 2019 episode of her talk show, Busy Tonight.

Speaking on her Instagram story on Thursday, Philipps said: 'I'm doing this for you guys. I'm doing this for my kids, I'm doing this for my mom, I'm doing this for my grandma.'

Philipps was also arrested alongside Orange is the New Black star Alysia Reiner, according to People Magazine, and Rep. Judy Chu.

Chu, a California Democrat, authored the Women's Health Protection Act, the House-passed bill that would have codified abortion rights. Members of the Senate, even Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, said the bill was too far-reaching.

'This momentum will only build due to the 38 million women who'll be affected by this when they see that abortion has been banned in their state,' Chu said ahead of her arrest

Philipp's arrest comes as President Biden vowed to fight for abortion laws, while saying that the US Supreme court was 'destabilizing' America with its 'outrageous' ruling.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, he condemned the ruling and its impact.

'America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been,' he said.

'But one thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy.'

And he said he would support a carve-out so that Democrats in Congress could pass laws to protect abortion rights, even without 60 votes in the Senate.

'The first and foremost thing we should do, is make it clear how outrageous this decision was and how much it impacts - not just on a woman's right to choose, which is a critical, critical piece - but on privacy generally,' Biden said.

'And so I'm going to be talking to the governors as to what actions they think I should be taking as well.'

Orange is the New Black star Alysia Reiner was also arrested during the protests in Washington, according to PEOPLE magazine

Philipps has previously been open about her own experience receiving an abortion at the age of 15

President Joe Biden gave a brief press conference on the last day of the NATO summit in Madrid on Thursday

Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema remain steadfast in their defense of the filibuster, their offices said, despite public pressure from all the way up to President Biden

He added that the 'most important thing' was his belief that the protections granted in Roe v. Wade should be codified into law.

'The way to do that is to make sure that Congress votes to do that,' the president said.

'And if the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights, it should be we provide an exception for this.'

But some Democratic senators, including Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, remain steadfast in their defense of the filibuster, their offices said, despite the pressure from Biden and the public.

Manchin's office told DailyMail.com that the West Virginia Democrat's position had not changed in light of the president's new comments, and Sinema's office referred DailyMail.com to a statement the Arizona Democrat made after the leaked Supreme Court decision: 'Protections in the Senate safeguarding against the erosion of women's access to health care have been used half-a-dozen times in the past ten years, and are more important now than ever.'
Climate change activists with a group calling itself Tyre Extinguishers are celebrating their first 'action' in New York City - deflating the tires of 40 SUVs on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The movement, which originated in the United Kingdom, seeks to dissuade people from owning SUVs in urban areas, and switch instead to more environmentally-friendly vehicles.

The SUVs they vandalized had leaflets let on the windshield, which stated: 'Attention: Your gas guzzler kills'.

On Twitter, they boasted about their actions.

'BIG NEWS: TYRE EXTINGUISHERS STRIKE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEW YORK CITY!' they tweeted on Tuesday.

The group Tyre Extinguishers posted a photo on social media of one of their followers deflating the tires of an SUV

The group's followers print out and leave these leaflets on the windscreen

They said: '40 SUVs disarmed in the Upper East Side, the first of many.

'We have an American English leaflet ('tire' rather than 'tyre') on our website so USA folks, you can join in!'

Police are investigating, but no arrests have been made. They were tipped off by a 49-year-old man who reported being the victim of the extinguishers.

One victim emailed them with the subject: 'Damn you, Red Coats!'

The SUV-owner said that 'far more environmentally unfriendly' pickup trucks would now be called out, to repair the damaged vehicles, and pointed out most of those attacked would be covered by insurance.

The loosely-organized movement encourages anyone to participate, at will. They encourage acting under the cover of darkness, working in pairs, and practicing on bicycle tires first.

Activists are told to avoid cars used for people with disabilities, traders' cars, minibuses and normal-sized cars - but electric SUVs are considered fair game.

'NYC is just the latest place and we expect other cities in the USA to follow,' they said.

A spokesman for the group told Fox News Digital they intended to carry out more actions.

'We are rapidly expanding across the United States and are in touch with people in major cities across the USA,' a spokesperson said.

'We expect this to expand massively.'

In a statement, the group said they 'want to see bans on SUVs in urban areas, pollution levies to tax SUVs out of existence, and massive investment in free, comprehensive public transport.'

They added: 'But until politicians make this a reality, Tyre Extinguishers action will continue.'

Critics on social media said the action was misguided.

'People need to remember that their actions, even if they feel they are morally correct decisions, still have consequences,' said one.

Many others thought the group advocated slashing and destroying the tires, and creating more waste.

'As much as I dislike the use of cars over public transit/biking as you guys; destroying private property/causing more pollution by damaging tires and creating more waste is actually very counterproductive,' said one.

'Instead, try making transit and biking more appealing than driving.'

Another said: 'So to fight global warming etc you deflated the tires on 40 vehicles. And now 40 tow trucks will be heading out to reinflate/replace these tires. I'm not a carbon footprint genius but seems you increased it exponentially based on the size and fuel consumption of the tow trucks.'

One person joked: 'May I suggest you target Cadillac Escalades in and around Harlem? That should be fun. Bring a camera.'

Another threatened: 'Would it be legal to shoot these people in some areas if they are vandalizing your property? I'm just asking as a curiosity?'
The coronavirus was originally believed to have broken out in towns close to the nations' border after individuals there touched "alien stuff," according to North Korea's suggestion, it had come into the country on foreign objects from South Korea.

The outbreak was not specifically attributed to the South by North Korea. However, the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters of that state issued a warning to its citizens, advising them to "vigilantly deal with alien things" transported across the border by "balloons, the wind, or other weather phenomena."

North Korea: COVID-19 Surge Caused by "Alien Things" From South

Activists in South Korea, largely North Korean defectors, have been sending balloons across the border for years, filled with leaflets criticizing Kim Jong-un as well as money, tiny Bibles, and USB drives holding information from the outside world. North Korea, which strictly regulates information access, has reacted angrily to these ads and even attempted to fire down balloons.

The launches were forbidden by South Korea's previous administration last year on the grounds that they irritated the North. After consulting with specialists in disease prevention, South Korea stated on Friday that it was impossible for the balloon releases to have introduced COVID-19 into the North. Activists who crossed the tightly guarded border, also known as the Demilitarized Zone, using balloons, accused the North of trying to transfer responsibility for the outbreak to the South and scare its people into avoiding the leaflets.

On May 12, after stating for two years that there had been no instances of Covid, North Korea proclaimed a "maximum emergency," alleging that an outbreak had started in late April and isolating all of its towns and counties. It has so far documented 4.7 million instances of patients experiencing symptoms similar to Covid, such as a high temperature. On June 15, North Korea said that 73 individuals had perished from the illness; however, it has not since supplied any further information.

According to The New York Times, North's data is deemed unreliable by outside experts, in part because the nation lacks sufficient testing kits and facilities to precisely follow a significant outbreak. In recent weeks, it has been said that it has the virus under control; on Friday, it reported that the number of suspected new infections each day had fallen to 4,570 from a peak of 390,000 in mid-May.

Read Also: Russia "Cannot, Must Not Win" Against Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron Says Following Strike on Crowded Mall

China Tests Air From North Korea

Kim Jong Un, the leader of the North, issued an emergency declaration and imposed a three-week lockdown on Kaesong town, which is close to the border with South Korea, in July 2020 after a man who had defected to the South in 2017 returned to the city with signs of COVID-19.

The North claims that the COVID-19 wave is showing signs of abating, although analysts believe the numbers published by media outlets under official control may be underreported.

On Friday, 4,570 additional people in North Korea reported having feverish symptoms, bringing the total number of fever sufferers since late April to 4.74 million. Due to an apparent shortage of testing kits, Pyongyang has started publicizing the number of fever patients each day without designating them as COVID-19 patients, NDTV reported.

Meanwhile, China is looking for COVID-19 traces in North Korean air and advising border residents to close their windows on days with a southerly wind.

Workers from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention install air monitoring equipment adjacent to the Yalu River, which divides the two nations, in Dandong, a city on the eastern border.

Per The Daily Telegraph via MSN, the machines are said to be looking for droplets of COVID-19, which has just seen its largest outbreak, that are flying in the air from the North. Residents who lived close to the river, which in some places is less than one kilometer wide, were told in a government warning earlier in June to keep their windows closed and avoid wandering by the river. Additionally, they were requested to submit to more regular testing.

Authorities have clamped down on river smuggling as well, offering monetary rewards for information leading to individuals responsible. In the 2.19 million-person metropolis, inexplicable chains of transmission appear to be what led to the relocation. Dandong, which has historically been a center for trade with North Korea, has undergone one of China's "zero-Covid" strategy's most strenuous lockdowns.

Related Article: North Korea Lost Millions of Dollars After Stolen Cryptocurrency Wiped Out, Putting Pressure on Pyongyang's Escalating Nuclear Program

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Distraught loved ones of the young mother who was gunned down in cold blood on New York's Upper East Side have mourned her loss at a vigil, where the victim's mother accused authorities of ignoring her repeated complaints of domestic violence.

The vigil was held on Thursday night, at the playground near where 20-year-old Azsia Johnson was shot in the head at point-blank range a day earlier while pushing her three-month old son in a stroller.

Johnson's mother Lisa Desort, who has said she believes an abusive ex-boyfriend is the killer, was visibly emotional as she said that her daughter's death could have been prevented.

'We called every day to the domestic violence [unit]. You know what they told me, it's not harassment if he makes a threat,' the weeping mother said. 'Now, my daughter is dead. She's dead! A 20-year-old female with a credit score of 800.'

Police have yet to announce any suspects or arrests, but are probing domestic violence as a potential motive and are seeking the ex-boyfriend as a person of interest in the case.

At the vigil, Desort was seen in quiet conversation with Mayor Eric Adams, who later stood beside her and offered condolences in brief remarks to the crowd.

The vigil concluded with a balloon release, as those gathered were heard sobbing as they said, 'we love you, Azsia.'

Azsia Johnson's mother Lisa Desort (left), who has said she believes an abusive ex-boyfriend is the killer, was visibly emotional at a vigil on Thursday as she said that her daughter's death could have been prevented

Mayor Eric Adams speaks to Lisa Desort, mother of Azsia Johnson, 20, who was murdered yesterday as she strolled her infant child on the Upper East Side

The victims mother Lisa Desort is consoled at a vigil where the community gathered a day after the murder

A candlelight vigil for Azsia Johnson, 20, who was murdered as she strolled her infant child on the upper east side

Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the press during a candlelight vigil for Azsia Johnson, 20, who was murdered yesterday

Azsia Johnson, 20, was fatally shot in the head while pushing her baby in a stroller on the Upper East Side on Wednesday

Earlier, Desort alleged her daughter was assaulted by her 22-year-old ex-boyfriend about six months ago despite being six months pregnant with his child.

She accused the man, who has not been named, of 'stalking' and 'harassing' her girl after the incident and said they had pleaded with cops to intervene.

But Desort claimed he was never arrested and slammed officers for 'failing to protect her' daughter, who was shot in the back of the head in the Upper East Side last night.

Johnson was the victim of the horrific attack that saw a hooded man in black clothing blast her in the back of the head from point-blank range at 8.23pm on Wednesday.

She had reportedly texted her family to tell them she was planning to meet her ex-boyfriend before she was murdered on the sidewalk. Her baby was unharmed.

Desort told The New York Post through tears on Thursday afternoon: 'We called the precinct numerous times to tell the [domestic violence] unit that he was stalking and harrassing her.

'Even [though] they knew what apartment he lived in, they failed to apprehend and arrest him,' the mom continued. The city failed to protect my daughter.'

She added to Fox News: 'All that anyone needs to know in this city is we called numerous times for her protection. No one protected my daughter, and now she's dead.'

NYPD have identified a person of interest and is probing a domestic violence link in the fatal shooting, according to City Council member Julie Menin, who represents the area.

Lisa Desort, (center) mother of murder victim Azsia Johnson, arrives at the candlelight vigil on Thursday

Lisa Desort speaks with Mayor Adams at an emotional vigil mourning her daughter, who was murdered on Wednesday

'We called every day to the domestic violence [unit]. You know what they told me, it's not harassment if he makes a threat,' the weeping mother said. 'Now, my daughter is dead. She's dead!'

Johnson's mother Lisa Desort, who has said she believes an abusive ex-boyfriend is the killer, was visibly emotional as she said that her daughter's death could have been prevented

The vigil concluded with a balloon release, as those gathered were heard sobbing as they said, 'we love you, Azsia'

The baby's father has not been named a suspect in the women's killing but police are trying to locate him for questioning, sources told New York Daily News.

A hooded shooter approached Johnson and 'fired a single shot into her head from a very close range,' NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters at a press conference held Wednesday night.

The victim was rushed to the hospital where she died. The baby was unharmed. Desort told PIX11 that her daughter had taken her baby daughter to the park when the shooting happened.

She had been using a tracking app to keep tabs on Johnson and became concerned when it showed she was in the hospital. Desort said she tried to call, but there was no answer.

Police then showed up at her door with the heartbreaking news. 'I fell to the ground,' she said.

Sources told the New York Daily News the young mother had texted relatives saying she was planning to meet up with her child's father the night she was killed, so they could talk things out.

She had reportedly been assaulted by him while pregnant and wasn't sure if she wanted him in her life. 'It appears she was targeted, not a stray bullet,' a police source said of the shooting.

'Close contact wound to the head. She had powder burns on her head, to show you how close he was.' It's not clear if recent alleged assaults were reported to the police, but the victim's mother claims they called for help 'numerous' times.

'He threatened me with death, my daughter with death, and my other daughter with death,' Desort said. 'We called the precinct numerous times.' Desort said her daughter had everything going for her.

'She had been working since she was 16, and she took care of people. She was the best mother,' she said through tears. 'My daughter did not deserve this.'

Ebony Baulin speaks about Azsia Johnson, calling her a 'good person' and said their children played with each other

Julio Cruz, 62, father of two, found his SUV riddled with bullets on the UES a day after the fatal shooting of a young mother

The Manhattan neighborhood is the most affluent in New York, with average house prices at an eye-watering $1.5million and private school fees exceeding $58,000 per year

A GoFundMe was created by Johnson's cousin Sharon Bell, who explains that the family is in shock over the 20-year-old's tragic death, adding that she is a mother to a 3-year-old and 3-month-old

Neighbor and friend Ebony Baulin told DailyMail.com: 'That's my neighbor's daughter. She was a good person. She was happy. She had a boyfriend.

'She was just a good girl. Whenever there was a confrontation [between me and her mother], she would be the one to say, 'don't fight.'

'She took care of her kids. She was quiet. She went to work and took care of her kids. I've seen [the ex-boyfriend] a couple of times.'

Lauren Brandel, 42, a mother who has lived on the Upper East Side for over 20 years, became emotional when she told DailyMail.com that she takes walks with her young daughter every evening in the neighborhood in the area where Johnson was shot and killed.

'We come here on a daily basis, literally, every single day with her, this is our walk,' she said. We play at that playground.'

But she said she can't change her daily routine or avoid the area of a place she's lived in for two decades.

'It can happen anywhere,' she said.

Brandel added that she's always felt safer with a stroller, but now feels differently.

'If this was random, it's a game changer,' she said about Johnson's killing.

The Manhattan neighborhood where Johnson was killed is among the most affluent in New York, with average house prices at an eye-watering $1.5million and private school fees exceeding $58,000 per year.

Horrified children at the nearby playground witnessed the horrific shooting, and one girl described hearing a loud 'boom' that she quickly realized was a gunshot.

Mayor Eric Adams blamed the shooting on the 'over-proliferation of guns' and said that criminals have 'no fear in using these guns on innocent New Yorkers.'

The shooting comes four days after President Joe Biden signed into law a legislation that marks some of the biggest changes to federal gun law in decades.

The execution-style killing occurred across the street from the Samuel Seabury Playground (above), which was filled with children who witnessed the horrific shooting

A person of interest has been identified and the NYPD is probing a domestic violence link in the execution-style shooting of Johnson, who was pushing her three-month-old baby in stroller in Upper East Side

'Lives will be saved,' Biden said during the signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

'From Columbine to Sandy Hook to Charleston, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo, Uvalde, and for the shootings that happen every day in the streets that are mass shootings, we don't even hear about the number of people killed every day in the streets. Their message to us was to just something,' the president said.

'Today we did,' he noted.

The new law comes in the wake of a spat of mass shootings including one at a grocery store in Buffalo where 10 black people were killed and one at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 17 children and two teachers died.

Biden conceded the legislation doesn't have everything he wanted but 'it does include actions I've long called for that are going to save lives.'

The president praised the bipartisan work on the issue.

'It's time when this seems impossible get anything done in Washington. We are doing something consequential,' he said.

The day of the shooting, New York City and state officials announced lawsuits against 10 sellers of gun parts that the officials said can be assembled into untraceable ghost guns and sold without background checks.

State Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the weapons sold by online ghost gun retailers have been found at a growing share of New York's crime scenes.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell (center) and NYC Mayor Eric Adams (right) brief the press on a shooting after a woman walking her baby was shot dead on the Upper East Side

'These are dangerous weapons,' Adams, a former police officer, said at a Manhattan news conference with James and other officials. 'We should not think these are just kits used for hobbyists. They are being used by murderers. All of them are illegal.'

The shooter was described as a male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants. Police offered no further description of the killer.

The woman was rushed to nearby Metropolitan Hospital, where she died within an hour. The baby was also taken to the hospital for evaluation but was unharmed.

New York City's 19th police precinct, where the shooting occurred, is generally among the safest in the city. Last year, the precinct recorded just two murders, and until Wednesday had not seen a murder so far in 2022.

The precinct is one of the most densely populated residential areas in Manhattan, and includes the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion.

It also encompasses a stretch of Madison Avenue with some of the city's most upscale shopping options.

However, NYPD data shows that crime is on the rise in the 19th Precinct, as it is across the city.

So far this year, major crimes are up 44 percent in the precinct from the same period one year ago, with robbery up 60 percent and felony assault increasing by 23 percent.

The precinct has recorded 1,162 major crimes so far in 2022, compared to 805 incidents in the same period last year.

Citywide, major crimes in New York are up 38 percent this year compared to last year, with robbery up 39 percent, burglary rising 34 percent, and felony assault jumping 19 percent.

However, murders are down 13 percent from last year, and shooting victims have dropped 9 percent, gains that Adams and police officials attribute to a push to get illegal guns off the streets.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact NYPD detectives at 1-800-577-TIPS.
The Pentagon has admitted that its latest test of a hypersonic weapon failed after an 'anomaly' occurred during the first test of the full system.

The test was being conducted at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii and was supposed to launch a Common Hypersonic Glide Body atop a two-stage missile booster.

The booster was supposed to launch the system accelerating it to hypersonic speeds in excess of Mach 5.

Then glide body would then detach and use speed to reach its target.

A hypersonic missile launches from Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii, in March 2020

The missiles, which are launched from a bomber jet and accelerated by a booster before detaching, are able to be guided to a precise target. Above, a rendering of a missile

The test was being conducted at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, pictured

Known as an All Up Round test, it was the first time the full system had been used.

The Defense Department say an 'anomaly' prevented the entire test from being completed insisting it was not a total failure.

No specific details on the 'anomaly' were given, nor at what stage of the fault occurred, reports Bloomberg.

'While the Department was unable to collect data on the entirety of the planned flight profile, the information gathered from this event will provide vital insights,' Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cdr. Tim Gorman said in a statement.

'Delivering hypersonic weapons remains a top priority and the Department remains confident that it is on track to field offensive and defensive hypersonic capabilities on target dates beginning in the early 2020s,' Gorman said.

The hypersonic missiles in development are made to be dropped from a B52-H, pictured above

The failure is another setback for the US as the military race to develop and field hypersonic weapons, while programs in China and Russia appear to be forging ahead.

Even North Korea appears to be moving forward with developing systems designed to evade being intercepted by flying at more than five times the speed of sound.

In May, a previous test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, a joint venture between the Navy and Army, also ended prematurely when the booster rocket failed.

There was also a a booster failure in its first flight test in October, which prevented the missile from leaving the launch pad.

Without the booster rocket, the Pentagon could not proceed with a test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body.

China's testing of a 25,000mph hypersonic nuclear-capable missile has indicated that Beijing's missile programme is more advanced than previously thought, amid an intensifying race for the next generation of long-rang weapons that are harder to detect and intercept

Pictured: A video screen grab showing a test of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, dubbed 'an ideal weapon' by Vladimir Putin (file photo)

In March, the United States military tested a hypersonic missile but decided to keep it quiet for two weeks in order to avoid ramping up tensions further with Russia. Above, Master Sgt. John Malloy and Staff Sgt. Jacob Puente secure a hypersonic missile to the wing of a bomber jet

Last year, China successfully tested a hypersonic weapon that orbited the planet before hitting its target, while Russian has become the first nation to use hypersonic weapons in war launching Iskander and Kinzhal missiles in the Ukraine conflict.

In January, North Korea also conducted two separate launches of hypersonic missile systems that traveled several hundred kilometers.

Other tests have been conducted this year with the Air Force successfully firing its Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW).

That program had also been beset by setbacks and delays during development.

In March, the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC), was successfully tested by the Pentagon.

The test was kept quiet for several weeks in an attempt to avoid escalating tensions further with Russia just as President Biden was heading to Europe.

Manufacturers helped create the design for the fictional Darkstar hypersonic jet (pictured in Top Gun: Maverick) which looks to be based off of renderings of the SR-72 hypersonic jet

Hypersonic weapons and planes have come to the fore recently particularly with the release of the new Top Gun movie whose jet was developed by legendary US aircraft manufacturers and may depict a top secret stealth jet.

Lockheed Martin Corporation CEO James Taiclet confirmed that Skunk Works, the company's secretive development arm, worked with the producers of the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick movie starring Tom Cruise, TheDrive.com reported.

The manufacturers helped create the design for the fictional Darkstar hypersonic jet which looks to be based off of renderings of the highly anticipated SR-72 hypersonic jet.

In a LinkedIn post, Taiclet said members of the Skunk Works team 'partnered with Top Gun's producers to bring cutting-edge, future forward technology to the big screen' and referenced 'critical work in hypersonic flight'

And in an April tweet, Lockheed Martin executive John Neilson posted that the Darkstar jet could provide a 'sneaky peak at what might be the Lockheed Martin SR-72.'

The SR-72 is currently being developed by Lockheed Martin in California, and according to the company's website they say the plane could be operational as early as 2030.

It is the successor of the SR-71 which broke speed records when it flew from New York to London in less than two hours in 1976.

The SR-72 is currently being developed by Lockheed Martin in California, and according to the company's website the jet could be operational by 2030 (rendering pictured)

Envisioned as an unmanned aircraft, the SR-72 (rendering pictured) would fly at speeds up to Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound, Lockheed Martin has said previously.

Skunk Works is known for its stealthy work; it created the first US spy plane, as well as the the fast Blackbird and, later on, the stealth jet.

Lockheed Martin's Hypersonics program manager Brad Leland wrote that the plane is designed to 'strike at nearly any location across a continent in less than an hour.'

'Speed is the next aviation advancement to counter emerging threats in the next several decades. The technology would be a game-changer in theater, similar to how stealth is changing the battlespace today,' Leland said.

The jet is expected to be around the same size as an F-22 and powered by a full-scale, combined cycle engine.

Envisioned as an unmanned aircraft, the SR-72 would fly at speeds up to Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound, Lockheed Martin has said previously.

At this speed, the aircraft would be so fast, an adversary would have no time to react or hide.

Hypersonic jets, flying at up to Mach 5, or 3,800 mph, could allow passengers to dramatically cut journey times.

For example, a commercial flight from New York to Shanghai currently takes about 15 hours - but at hypersonic speeds, could take two.
The glamorous wife of a notorious pro-Putin activist and troublemaker Simeon Boikov held back tears after she learned 'the Aussie Cossack' will spend the next half year behind bars.

A visibly emotional Ekaterina Olshannikova revealed she may not see her Russophile husband outside prison for at least six months after he was convicted of breaching two court orders by a Sydney magistrate on Thursday.

Burwood Local Court found that Boikov, who has a cult following of Russian supporters and conspiracy theorists, had contravened a non-publication and suppression orders.

He will serve ten months imprisonment at Long Bay Correctional Complex, with a six month non-parole period, for naming an alleged paedophile at a 'freedom' protest.

Ms Olshannikova, who also goes by the married name of Katia Boikova, filmed herself choking up outside the courthouse.

Revealing she was 'shocked and devastated', Ms Olshannikova seemed disheartened by the jailing of her husband - though police have taken out an apprehended violence order against her husband, on her behalf.

Simeon Boikov's wife made an emotional video in which she thanked supporters for sending money and postcards to herself and Boikov

Boikov has been sentenced to ten months' imprisonment after he named a suppressed person at a protest in direct breach of court orders

'He is not allowed any visitors because of his status,' she claimed, before adding, 'he has been declared a national security risk.'

For unexplained reasons, Ms Olshannikova is certain she'll have to go the full non-parole period without seeing her husband, though she said Boikov is looking to fight his convictions.

'He has instructed his barrister to file an appeal to the District Court, thank you very much for all your donations, thank you very much for all your support,' she said, as she paced outside the station.

The pair have had a turbulent relationship since marrying in a traditional Russian-style wedding in 2021 (Pictured: Boikov and Ekaterina Olshannikova)

Ms Olshannikova (pictured) paced outside Burwood local court while she updated supporters of 'Aussie Cossack' on his sentence

Ms Olshannikova also thanked supporters of her husband for sending him cards, saying Boikov is 'very strong'.

Ms Olshannikova previously urged supporters of her husband to donate money to the two of them, providing a fundraising link, a bitcoin address and a payID to send money through.

A funding page posted by Ms Olshannikova called 'Aussie Cossack Legal Fees' has raised $17,282 so far.

Commenters on the page thanked Ms Olshannikova for 'standing by (her) man'.

'Aussie Cossack' live streamed himself being arrested in May, he was then denied bail before a magistrate

Ms Olshannikova also made bold claims Boikov is not allowed to see other inmates and is doing time next to a member of the Hamzy crime gang.

Boikov was arrested in his home in May, which he live streamed. He was then denied bail before a magistrate.

Boikov was aware of the court-orders before he offended at the rally in May, asking the crowd behind him whether he should name the person under suppression.

Burwood police station was inundated with phone calls from Boikov's fans 'checking on his welfare' when he was arrested, acting upon his request.

In March, Daily Mail Australia revealed an interim AVO had been taken out on behalf of Ms Olshannikova, banning Boikov from assaulting, threatening, stalking, harassing or intimidating his wife.

An additional condition of the AVO was that Boikov not harm 'an animal that belongs to or is in the possession' of Ms Olshannikova.

Boikov will face a hearing in January to challenge the order, but is subject to AVO conditions until then.

Boikov has made a name for himself advocating for Russia in its war against Ukraine. He regularly films and live streams encounters he has with politicians, police and members of the public.

He also runs a podcast and publishes a monthly Russian-language newspaper.

Boikov claims to be a part of a Cossack cultural tradition of people from both Ukraine and Russia who support Russia's last emperor, Tsar Nicholas II, whose reign included the 1905 Bloody Sunday massacre of workers.
Australians are the heaviest users of meth in the world compared to those living in 24 other countries.

Australia has recorded the highest consumption of the illicit drug per capita on a list of other Asian, European and Oceania nations, according to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's latest report.

The drug was most popular in Perth for capital city use, while those in regional NSW were using the drug more than any other rural area.

The results were sampled from 13million Australians and compared from December, 2021 to February this year before being analysed by the national wastewater drug monitoring program.

Australians are the heaviest users of meth in the world compared to those living in 24 other countries

Residents living in capital cities are now using meth, cocaine, MDMA and heroin more than those in regional areas.

Alcohol, fentanyl and nicotine were more prevalent in rural towns.

For cocaine, Australia's use ranked 15th out of 26, while Aussies are the fifth biggest users of MDMA out of 27, and sixth heaviest takers of cannabis out of 16 countries.

Other countries involved in the report included New Zealand, the UK, France and South Korea, while the USA and South Africa were not involved.

Belgium had the highest cocaine usage while the Netherlands used the most MDMA.

The drug was most popular in Perth for capital city use, while those in regional NSW were using the drug more than any other rural area

CEO of the ACIC, Michael Phelan, said crime networks had increased their drug supply since Covid restrictions eased, but the study showed levels have not yet returned to how they were pre-pandemic.

'Much of the harm that Australians suffer at the hands of organised crime is due to illicit drugs,' Mr Phelan said.

'Serious and organised crime groups profit from the importation, manufacture, trafficking and sale of drugs that cause harm to the community.'
Another person was gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, bringing the count to three people in four weeks to have been injured by the park's wild buffalo in the past month.

The victim, a 71-year-old woman from West Chester, Pennsylvania, was attacked when she accidentally approached the animal while she and her daughter returned to their car.

The woman suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to the National Park Service, and was transported to a hospital in Cody, Wyoming.

Another person was gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, bringing the count to three people in four weeks to have been injured by the park's wild buffalo in the past month

The woman suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to the National Park Service, and was transported to a hospital in Cody, Wyoming

'The woman and her daughter inadvertently approached the bison as they were returning to their vehicle at the trailhead, causing the bull bison to charge,' the National Park Service said in a news release.

The incident occurred near Storm Point, on the Yellowstone Lake in the Wyoming portion of the park.

Mike Poland, geophysicist at the US Geological Survey, told DailyMail.com his take on the recent bison attacks at the park: 'The answer is pretty simple, and has been emphasized by Yellowstone National Park repeatedly -- people getting too close to bison.

'Yellowstone National Park requires people to stay at least 25 yards (23 meters) away from most wildlife, and about 4x that distance from wolves and bears. But people violate this rule frequently -- as the recent videos have shown. Every year there are people gored by bison in Yellowstone.

'This year is no different. It has nothing to do with the floods of a few weeks ago, and mating season is in the Fall.'

The incident comes just days after a 34-year-old man, as seen above, was also gored while walking on a path near a bison

The incident comes just days after a 34-year-old man was also gored while walking on a path near a bison.

Dramatic footage from that incident showed the man pulling a young boy out of the path of the charging buffalo and being rundown instead. The man suffered injuries to his arm.

'The male was walking with his family on a boardwalk when a bull bison charged the group,' the Park said in a statement.

'Family members did not leave the area, and the bull bison continued to charge and gored the male.'

And in May, a bison gored and killed a 25-year-old woman in Yellowstone National Park after she approached the animal despite explicit warning signs in the area instructing visitors to stay at least 25-yards away from dangerous wildlife.

The bison was walking near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin, just north of Old Faithful, when the out-of-state visitor approached it.

She got within 10-feet before the animal impaled her with its horn and tossed her 10 feet into the air.

The woman later died according to the park officials. The woman from Grove City, Ohio, sustained a puncture wound and other injuries.

Tourists were just recently allowed to return to Yellowstone, after the park was ravaged by record breaking flooding that permanently diverted rivers, washed out roads and bridges, and left nearby towns submerged in torrents of flowing water.

Park officials initially expected the park to remain closed for months as they dealt with the damage, but then decided to open the park within two weeks of the floodwaters receding.

During the flooding and in the days after, park officials warned people to remain extra vigilant for wild animals that may have been displaced by the waters.
Jodie Haydon has deleted her LinkedIn profile after Daily Mail Australia revealed she posted about changing the date of Australia Day and supporting striking teachers.

The 43-year-old had declared she wanted to avoid making political commentary as the Prime Minister's partner - but used her LinkedIn account to freely air her progressive views.

In the past year she called for the date of Australia Day to be changed, with a post saying: 'Sovereignty has never been ceded. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.'

She has also argued for pay rises for teachers, supported asylum seekers and described outspoken feminist Grace Tame as inspiring among her posts.

After Daily Mail Australia published an article about Ms Haydon's political opinions, her LinkedIn profile appears to have been deactivated, with the website saying on Friday: 'This page doesn't exist'.

Jodie Haydon (pictured boarding a plane to depart Spain on Thursday) has deleted her LinkedIn profile after Daily Mail Australia revealed she posted about changing the date of Australia Day and supporting striking teachers

Ms Haydon's Linked In profile brought up the message 'this page doesn't exist'

Ms Haydon argued in this LinkedIn post for the date of Australia Day to be changed. Mr Albanese does not support this view

The Prime Minister's office declined to comment on her LinkedIn activity, with sources stressing that she and the PM should not be expected to share the same views.

Former finance worker Ms Haydon has been thrust into the limelight since meeting Mr Albanese when he was Opposition Leader at a Labor rally in 2020.

This week she rubbed shoulders with global leaders and European royalty as she accompanied him on a taxpayer-funded trip to NATO meetings in Spain.

The daughter of school teachers - who was born in Bankstown, western Sydney - was pictured smiling alongside Spain's Queen Letizia in the Romanesque city of Sergovia, just north of Madrid, on Wednesday.

She later posed for snaps with other leaders' partners including US First Lady Jill Biden, who has been joined on the trip by granddaughters Maisy and Finnegan.

Pictured: Anthony Albanese's partner Jodie Haydon (right) meets Queen Letizia of Spain (left)

Jodie Haydon waves to the cameras she prepares to jet off across the world with her partner, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Although she has never sought political office, Ms Haydon has been a Labor member 'on and off' and now works as a women's officer for the NSW Public Service Association.

In one LinkedIn post last year, she shared a cartoon of an Aboriginal rights protester with the caption: 'Sovereignty has never been ceded. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. #ulurustatementfromtheheart #treaty #changethedate'.

Many Indigenous campaigners want Australia Day to be moved from January 26, the the British First Fleet claimed the land after arriving at Sydney Cove in 1788, because colonisation dispossessed Aboriginal people of their lands.

Ms Haydon's view on the matter contrasts with the Prime Minister's who, during the election campaign, insisted the date should not be moved.

'One of the things we need to do is seek ways to unite Australia, rather than engage in culture wars. It's really counterproductive,' he said.

In Australia the prime minister's partner does not have an official role like the US first lady, but it's normal for them to attend important overseas or interstate trips.

PM Anthony Albanese and Ms Haydon meet His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia on Tuesday night

Jodie Haydon joined her partner at the NATO gala dinner in Madrid on Tuesday night

Ms Haydon used to be an ordinary finance worker (left in 2015 and right in 2009) but was thrust into the limelight when she started dating the 59-year-old Prime Minister in 2020

Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon disembark after arriving at Torrejon Airbase in Madrid on Monday

Ms Haydon, who used to work for superannuation funds, supported NSW teachers when they went on strike in December over pay and workload

And last month when the Fair Work Commission made a provisional decision to hand employees 10 days paid domestic violence leave, Ms Haydon celebrated the move

Ms Haydon, who used to work for superannuation funds, also supported teachers when they went on strike in NSW in December over pay and workload.

'I stand in solidarity with our hard working public educators in NSW. Will you,' she wrote.

And last month when the Fair Work Commission made a provisional decision to hand employees 10 days paid domestic violence leave, Ms Haydon celebrated the move.

She said: 'This is why I'm proud to work for the union movement that has tirelessly advocated for better working conditions. This will make an enormous difference to those suffering at the hands of a violent partner.'

Ms Haydon has repeatedly posted about gender equality and women's safety and also been vocal about welcoming refugees into Australia.

Last week she shared a heart-warming post by NSW Police about a Vietnamese refugee who became a detective in Sydney, writing: 'This is a story that demonstrates the success of refugees coming to Australia and contributing to society in such a positive way.'

Ms Haydon and Mr Albanese are only the second unmarried pair to be handed the keys to the Prime Minister's residences after Julia Gillard and her now former partner Tim Mathieson, a hairdresser.

Mr Albanese, center, celebrates with his son Nathan, right, and his partner Jodie after winning the election on May 21

Ms Haydon has used her social media profile to support a voice to parliament for Aboriginal Australians
At least two Kentucky deputies and a K9 have been killed, and five more police officers shot and wounded, in a standoff with a domestic violence suspect who barricaded himself inside his home with his wife and daughter as hostages.

An eighth injured victim was an emergency management official.

Lance Storz, 49, opened fire on deputies in Allen, Kentucky, off US 23, when they tried serving a court-issued warrant on a domestic violence incident on Thursday around 5 p.m., police said.

Storz immediately went on a shooting spree, holing up inside his Floyd County house with a rifle and shooting at the officers, according to local news station WMDJ FM.

Storz, appeared before a judge via video on Friday morning. He has been charged with two counts of murder of a police officer, attempted murder and a first-degree assault on a service animal. A judge has set his bond at $10 million, WKYT reported.

Storz has pleaded not guilty on all charges.

Lance Storz, 49, opened fire on deputies who were serving a court-issued warrant on Thursday at around 5 p.m. on an issue related to domestic violence in Allen, police said

Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt said the male suspect opened fire on deputies who were serving a court-issued warrant on Thursday evening related to a domestic violence situation

The incident quickly became an active shooter-and-hostage situation as Storz barricaded himself inside the house on Railroad Street in Old Allen with his wife and daughter while shooting at the officers.

"They encountered pure hell when they arrived, they had no chance," Floyd County Sheriff Joe Hunt said, adding that the deputies had called for backup; a SWAT team and officers from the Prestonsburg Police Department responded.

A police officer is seen taking cover behind a patrol car after shots were fired from the house

Storz immediately began shooting the officers with his rifle from inside the house in Floyd County

The shoot-out lasted five hours and ended with deputies arresting Storz around 10 p.m. The shooter's wife and child were safely removed from the house.

"This guy had a plan, and he pretty much executed that plan almost to precision," Hunt said.

Floyd County Attorney Keith Bartley told WSAZ.com that one officer is being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after he had hide under a car to avoid being shot.

The injured police officers were taken to local hospitals in Prestonsburg, Lexington and Huntington.

Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement: 'Tonight I ask the Commonwealth to join Britainy (his wife) and I in holding Floyd County in prayer, especially the family and loved ones of those who have responded to a barricade situation involving a shooting.'


A prisoner who was raped by fellow inmates and called names such as a 'putrid abomination' after transitioning to a woman while behind bars has lost an attempt to reduce her sentence.

Shannon Packard, using a pseudonym to protect her identity, was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for incest and possessing child pornography in March 2016.

She identified as a man when she entered the prison system, but said she had experienced gender dysphoria since she was a child.

She now identities as female after undergoing a gender transition in 2018 and beginning hormone treatment the following year.

Packard applied to the Victorian Court of Appeal to have her sentence reduced because she said prison had become more onerous since her transition.

She said she had been raped, sexually and physically assaulted, harassed and bullied by fellow inmates since she started living as a woman.

The prisoner went to the Victorian Court of Appeals (pictured) in a bid to have her sentence lessened following severe abuse in prison

This included being called names such as a 'putrid abomination', 'fa***t' and being given a concussion, black eye and cracked tooth after being punched in the face by another prisoner.

She alleged a male prison officer had placed his hands over her breasts during a pat down search and said prisoners would stalk her or repeatedly make unwelcome advances towards her.

'More generally, the applicant's evidence is that, since she started to live as a woman, she has been the subject of daily transphobic and homophobic comments and harassment from other prisoners,' Justices Kristen Walker and Emilios Kyrou said in a joint judgment on Thursday.

The judges in the Victorian Court of Appeals (pictured) refused the inmate permission to appeal the length of her sentence based on her original offence involving her 12-year-old stepdaughter

'As a result, the applicant says that she stays in her cell as much as possible.'

She also said she was harassed after giving prison authorities information to prosecute the assaults.

Packard, who has been housed in male prisons since 2014, rejected a Corrections Victoria offer to relocate her to a women's prison.

Prosecutors said it was a 'regrettable reality' that assaults occurred in jail and claimed some of the assaults were not connected to her gender identity.

But it was accepted trans and gender diverse prisoners were at heightened risk of sexual or physical assault in prison and particularly vulnerable to harm and abuse.

Justices Walker, Kyrou and Phillip Priest refused Packard permission to appeal the length of her sentence.

The judges said the offending that led to her sentence was very serious, as it involved Packard's 12-year-old stepdaughter.

'It was inherently violent. It involved a gross breach of trust of the complainant, who adored the applicant, and of her mother,' they said.

The judges said the 10-year, four-month and 28-day sentence was appropriate and proportionate to her offending.

Packard will become eligible for parole in January 2023.
A prominent Indigenous elder has been 're-traumatised' and has accused an Australian government committee of racism after he was asked to prove his ancestry.

Uncle Jack Charles said he was shocked after a 'distressing' phone call from a Stolen Generations Advisory Committee (SGAC) staff member demanded proof of his First Nations heritage to receive a second reparation payment of $80,000.

The award-wining Aboriginal actor, activist and musician received the first $20,000 instalment under the Stolen Generations Reparation scheme without having to prove his heritage.

Uncle Jack Charles (pictured with Karla Grant, host of SBS's national Indigenous current affairs program Living Black) has accused a government committee of racism after he was asked to prove his 'Aboriginality' to receive a reparation payment

In an interview on Melbourne's ABC Radio Drive program on Friday, Mr Charles said the committee worker told him proof of 'Aboriginality' was needed after a number of people were falsely claiming to be Indigenous.

'The point of fact here is it's me they're talking to,' Mr Charles told host Mary Gearin.

'I'm a well-known Aboriginal ... I'm a man of many nations - it's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am Aboriginal.

'It strikes me that they can't differentiate between people taking advantage of the system and the likes of myself.'

The Wiradjuri, Boon Warrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Woiwurrung and Yorta Yorta man has traced his heritage back to his 'five times great-grandfather' Mannalargenna.

The First Nations activist was the first elder to speak at Victoria's Yoorrook Justice Commission and the first Indigenous recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award from Victoria's Green Room Awards.

He also received an Australian Council of the Arts Red Ochre Award for most-outstanding Indigenous artist in 2019 and was honoured as the Victorian Senior of the Year in 2015.

The award-winning Indigenous activist, actor and musician spoke to the Stolen Generations Advisory Committee staff member regarding the $80,000 second instalment under the reparation scheme (Pictured, Uncle Jack Charles on ABC's weekly art show Art Works)

Mr Charles said he has sat on a panel to chose the state's NAIDOC award winners and is even featured in the national NAIDOC award promotions alongside Archie Roach and other prominent Indigenous figures.

'It's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am Aboriginal,' Mr Charles said.

The Victorian Government opened the reparations package on March 31 to help address the trauma and suffering caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, community, culture, identity and language.

The Stolen Generations Reparations Package website does not make any mention of having to prove Indigenous heritage to receive compensation.

Applicants do not have to provide proof of their removal and search of government records can be done on their behalf if permission is given.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety said onus is placed on the government rather than applicants.

'We fully understand that the process of seeking reparations and redress may be confronting and re-traumatising for members of the Stolen Generation,' said a spokesman for the Department of Justice and Community Safety

'That's why we worked closely with Community to design Victorias program to be culturally sensitive and for the onus to be placed on government rather than applicants to do the work in ascertaining if someone is a member of the Stolen Generation.

'The Victorian Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme has to ascertain that any applicant is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person under the program guidelines.'

Australians were outraged at the committee for demanding Mr Charles prove his ancestry, which could have been avoided by a simple internet search.

Proud Nira illim bulluk man of the Taungurung Nation Marcus Stewart said he was appalled by the demand and tweeted: 'I have no words for how truly horrific this is.'

Another user commented: 'Bemuses me that people don't know who Uncle Jack is - let alone if you work at SGAC.

'Demonstrates just how many people are not curious or engaged with the world around them. Also just very poor administrative decision making to not undergo some basic internet research.'

Uncle Jack Charles was baffled that individuals would pretend to be Indigenous as being Aboriginal was 'too difficult'

The 78-year-old previously had his heritage questioned in 2012 when the Australia Council, the federal government's arts funding body, demanded he prove his eligibility for a grant to write a book.

Mr Charles said he was baffled by the latest experience and said he did not understand why anyone would pretend to be one Australia's first people.

'I think it's particularly and particularly racist against the First Nations people,' he said.

'Why would any white person want to be an Aboriginal? It's too difficult to be an Aboriginal.

'Have a look at what I'm struggling through right now - hitting 79 in September and I am still being bedevilled with this and perplexed.

'I have been re-traumatised with this very questioning of who I am.'
A father has admitted to killing his teenage daughter with a shotgun in a suspected honour killing but claimed it was an accident and he only meant 'to scare her'.

Mohammad Kazem Lashkari, 43, reportedly flew into a rage when he saw his daughter Ariana Lashkari, 15, in a park in Iran with a man.

After he was arrested Mohammad claimed he only wanted to scare his daughter with the shotgun when it accidentally fired, killing her in Nurabad, southern Iran, on June 27.

He told police: 'After an argument, Ariana went to my mother's house and I could not control my anger.

'I went there with my shotgun to scare her. I really did not mean to kill my daughter. I fired involuntarily.'

Ariana Lashkari, 15, (pictured) was killed with a shotgun by her father in Nurabad, southern Iran, on June 27

Her father Mohammad Kazem Lashkari, 43, (left) saw her in the park with a man and reportedly struggled to accept his daughter's want to 'choose her own lifestyle'

Yet one of Ariana's relatives said her father had killed her after struggling to accept his daughter's belief that she didn't want a life of oppression.

'Ariana was a girl that didn't enjoy being oppressed by her father,' he told human rights activist Masih Alinejad.

'She wanted to choose her own lifestyle and have a free mind. Accepting her views was hard for her father.'

He added: 'Ariana was a quiet girl who went to school every day full of hopes. This girl was very kind and caring.

'All of her friends and classmates adored her. I'm still in shock. It's unbelievable that Ariana is gone.

'The regime is trying hard for this tragedy not to get published in the media.

'I hope this innocent girl's blood is not going to be trampled on like many other girls who have been murdered in this way.'

One of her relatives said: 'I'm still in shock. It's unbelievable that Ariana is gone.' He added: 'Ariana was a quiet girl who went to school every day full of hopes'

Ariana lived with her sister and father in Nurabad, southern Iran. In Iran 15 to 18 per cent of murders are so-called honour killings. Up to 62 per cent of murders of women are committed by a family member

In Iran the punishment for murder is usually death. However, the murder of a child or grandchild by their father or paternal grandfather is an exception and carries a maximum sentence of ten years.

In Iran 15 to 18 per cent of murders are so-called honour killings. Up to 62 per cent of murders of women are committed by a family member.

A neighbour told local media Mohammad used to be a drug addict and had divorced his wife. He lived with Ariana and her sister, who he also reportedly threatened to kill.

The neighbour said they suspected he was acting under the influence of drugs again.

An investigation into the the teenager's death is ongoing.
Just weeks after losing her well-publicized defamation trial against her ex-husband Johnny Depp, Amber Heard now finds herself in the midst of yet another prospective legal dispute, this time in Australia.

The 36-year-old actress is the focus of a "ongoing" perjury investigation in connection with court proceedings that resulted from her infamous trip to Queensland with Johnny Depp in 2015. During that trip, she violated Australia's stringent quarantine and biosecurity laws by failing to declare the former couple's Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, when she boarded a plane into the nation.

Amber Heard Still Being Investigated For Perjury

Heard was charged in July 2015 with two charges of importing the animals unlawfully; however, the case was dismissed in April 2016 when she admitted to falsifying travel paperwork in a Gold Coast court.

But in October 2021, DailyMail.com broke the exclusive story that Australian authorities were looking into Heard for perjury on allegations that she misled to them about the circumstances surrounding the importation of her dogs. This gave the actress's dog-smuggling scandal fresh life.

She apologized for her conduct in a video apology that Amber Heard and Johnny Depp also released. The video was widely criticized on social media, with some fans believing the pair appeared to have been abducted and kept for ransom.

Amber Heard's account of what happened remained uncontested until July 2020, when Johnny Depp's former estate manager testified in writing to London's High Court that he frequently warned the actress about Australia's stringent animal entry laws.

He continued by alleging that when the smuggling problem broke out, Heard made him provide the Australian court a "false statement" claiming she was unaware of the requirements.

According to Queensland's penal code, the former offense can result in a seven-year sentence while perjury has a maximum jail term of 14 years. Although it is doubtful that Australia would seek Heard's extradition, she may still be detained if she sought to re-enter the nation.

The department's inquiry into possible perjury is related to information provided by a former Depp employee during his 2020 UK libel trial against The Sun tabloid. When he testified in court in London that Heard had urged him to lie under oath after she brought the dogs into Queensland on a private flight without disclosing them, Depp's former estate manager Kevin Murphy raised eyebrows in Australia.

Read Also: Michael Jackson's Ex-Wife Lisa Marie Presley Reveals the King of Pop's Heartbreaking Last Words

Johnny Depp-Amber Heard's Case

Pistol and Boo ought to have been reported to customs and subjected to a 10-day quarantine, but their entry remained unnoticed for a number of weeks until a grooming parlor uploaded pictures of the adorable pair to Facebook. Depp and Heard have 72 hours to return the pups to their owners or risk having them confiscated and put down.

After her attorney, Jeremy Kirk, argued that the paperwork for the dogs had "slipped through the gaps" and that there had been "no intent to deceive," Heard ultimately pled guilty to the less serious charge of forging an immigration document and paid a fine of $7,650.

Kirk claimed that when Heard checked the incorrect box on her arrival card, she believed that her ex-employees husband's had finished the paperwork and was tired and sleep deprived.

After Barnaby Joyce, Australia's then-agriculture minister, threatened to have the dogs put down unless they "buggered off back to the United States," Amber Heard and Johnny Depp had their dogs brought back to the US on a private plane, as per METRO. Heard "made a horrible, awful mistake," according to an attorney.

Meanwhile, if Amber Heard doesn't pay her ex-husband Johnny Depp, she can wind up losing her property, according to reports. After losing the defamation trial, Heard is now responsible for over $8 million in damages.

Per The News, after the 'Aquaman' star filed for bankruptcy, Heard sold her belongings to pay Depp's compensation. According to legal expert Jeremiah Denton, if the actor is unable to pay Depp the damages, the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor may seize her California home. Meanwhile, Heard may be compelled to utilize a costly present from her ex, Elon Musk, a Tesla Model X, to reimburse Depp.

Related Article: Neighbor Confirms Photos of Amber Heard Kissing Cara Delevingne as Cheating Rumor During Marriage with Johnny Depp Swirls

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Four migrants died on Thursday and three other people were critically injured in a highway crash in Texas in what authorities described as another fatal human smuggling attempt during a tragic week near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The crash happened in Encinal, a small town where a tractor-trailer carrying migrants passed through Monday before ending up in San Antonio, where authorities found more than 50 people dead or dying inside.

On Thursday, a Jeep carrying seven people was being pursued by Border Patrol agents when it crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on the interstate, said Lt. Chris Olivarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The driver was hospitalized in critical condition along with two others who were also injured, Olivarez said. He said it was the second deadly smuggling attempt in 24 hours in South Texas after two migrants died in a car that was being pursued by authorities near the border city of La Joya.

On Thursday, a Jeep carrying seven people was being pursued by Border Patrol agents when it crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on the interstate, said Lt. Chris Olivarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety

The crash happened in Encinal, a small town where a tractor-trailer (pictured) carrying migrants passed through Monday before ending up in San Antonio, where authorities found more than 50 people dead or dying inside

The crashes underscore how covert and risky attempts to bring migrants through Texas continue even after the nation's deadliest smuggling episode.

Authorities said 53 people died in San Antonio in the back of a tractor-trailer with no air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat - now known as the 'deadliest human trafficking' episode in US history

Federal prosecutors have arrested four people, including the suspected driver, who was scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday.

The truck had been packed with more than 60 people. The dead included 27 people from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador, according to Francisco Garduno, chief of Mexico's National Immigration Institute.

Lailee Muniz places adds a drawing she made to a make-shift memorial at the site where dozens of migrants died in an abandoned tractor-trailer on Thursday in San Antonio

The driver of the truck, Homero Zamorano, Jr., 45, appeared in federal court on Thursday.

Zamorano was arrested on Wednesday on criminal charges for his alleged involvement in a botched smuggling ring that resulted in dozens of deaths, according to the Department of Justice and the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.

Zamorano cowardly hid in the brush after attempting to evade San Antonio police officers by posing as a survivor, a Mexican immigrant official said.

Federal prosecutors said two of the suspects, including Zamorano, who was the driver, face charges carrying potential life sentences or the death penalty, if convicted.

San Antonio Police officers were led to Zamorano's hide-out and detained him. Surveillance footage provided by Laredo Sector border patrol agents showed the tractor-trailer crossing through an immigration checkpoint.

Homero Zamorano, Jr., 45, was arrested Wednesday on criminal charges for his alleged involvement in a botched smuggling ring that resulted in dozens of deaths, according to the Department of Justice and the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas

The video confirmed the black-colored shirt with stripe detail and hat was the clothing Zamorano, the driver, had been wearing.

The tractor-trailer carrying the migrants cleared an inland Border Patrol checkpoint, and ended up in San Antonio before the gruesome discovery was made of dozens of bodies stacked on top of one another, the Associated Press reported.

Temperatures in San Antonio soared to 103 degrees on Monday. Inside the tractor-trailer there had been no signs of a working air-conditioner.

First responders said many of the victims suffered from heatstroke and dehydration, a report said.

Surveillance cameras captured Zamorano, 45, driving the rig across the border hours before he allegedly abandoned it on a road on the outskirts of San Antonio

Police say Zamorano was 'very high on meth' at the time of his arrest and had attempted to disguise himself as a victim of the tragedy to 'avoid being detained'

Christian Martinez, 28, who was also charged in the criminal complaint, was arrested in Palestine, Texas on Monday. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, according to the DOJ.

On Wednesday, Martinez made an initial appearance in Tyler, Texas.

The investigation revealed that both Zamorano and Martinez communicated before the botched human-smuggling incident took place.

It's unclear if agents stopped the driver for questioning at the inland checkpoint or if the truck went through unimpeded. Those inside the tractor-trailer were suspected of entering the country illegally, the DOJ reported.

The incident left 53 migrants, including five children, dead. Officials have identified 34 victims

Residents of San Antonio cry as they attend a Tuesday night vigil for the victims found in an abandoned truck

Members of the community take part in a vigil for the dozens of people have been found dead Monday in a semi-trailer in San Antonio

There are roughly 110 inland highway checkpoints along the Mexican and Canadian borders. Monday's catastrophe raises the question if checkpoints are able to adequately spot people in cars and trucks who enter the US illegally, Associated Press reported.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who drives through the checkpoint almost weekly, said investigators believe migrants boarded the truck in or around Laredo, though that is unconfirmed, the news outlet reported.

Zamarano's Facebook shows him with various different selfies and a few photos with his dog, and his love for Mexico and the Houston Astros.

According to his bio, he is single, hails from Mission, Texas, enjoys smoking marijuana, and has a high school education.

His estranged wife told The New York Post that 'he was a good man' and was 'shocked by his involvement.'

Margie Tamara Paz Grajera, of Honduras, (pictured left) was among the deceased on Wednesday. She had been studying at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. She was dating Alejandro Miguel Andino Caballero (pictured below right). Adela Betulia Ramirez Quezada of Honduras was also among the deceased

The Honduran government on Wednesday named brothers Fernando Jose Redondo Caballero (left) and Alejandro Miguel Andino Caballero (right) among the deceased
The boss of a gift company taking part in the four-day working week trial says staff will have to go back to working five days a week to meet demand.

Louise Verity, CEO of Bookishly, an independent business that sells literary gifts, has revealed that despite the trial 'going smoothly so far', her business will return to five-day working weeks over Christmas.

She said the decision had been made so she could be sure they would meet increased demand over the festive period, which is when her company makes the bulk of its profit.

The gift company's founder has also admitted that staff can only take Wednesday as their extra day off because otherwise they would fall behind dealing with orders.

That's despite her firm's participation in an ongoing pilot scheme, where workers are supposed to complete all the work they would normally do in a five-day week, in four days.

The trial is being coordinated by campaign group 4 Day Week Global, think tank Autonomy and academics at Oxford, Cambridge and Boston College in the US.

Northampton-based firm Bookishly is taking part in a trial scheme where staff work do 100 per cent of their work in four days a week with no reduction in pay. Pictured are commuters heading into work in London

More than 3,000 workers are taking part in the scheme, which has seen employers such as the Royal Society of Biology, hipster London brewery Pressure Drop, Southampton computer game developer Yo Telecom, a Manchester medical devices firm, and a fish and chip shop in Norfolk take part.

Staff will be given 100 per cent pay for 80 per cent of their time  but they have made a commitment to produce 100 per cent of their usual output.

However some critics say the concept would be impossible in customer facing jobs, or 24/7 operations including where overtime payments would present an extra cost to employers or the taxpayer.

Speaking to Felicity Hannah on Radio 4's Today show this morning, Ms Verity said while it was 'so far so good' for the trial at her firm, staff would be needed back in the office five days a week later this year.

Ms Verity, who started the business in 2013 and now employs 10 people, said staff currently have Wednesday's off.

She said: 'We've gone with Wednesday and I really like it. I think my team do too.

'It was important to us that we didn't add to the catch up - after the weekend is quite significant for us, because we are processing orders that have come in over days that we weren't in, so adding another day to that would make that Monday or Tuesday very difficult.

Louise Verity, CEO of Bookishly, said the pilot was 'going smoothly' but admitted staff will be back working five days a week to meet demand over Christmas

'So we've spread it out a bit more by picking Wednesday and we're all off on the same day so that nobody has to cover anyone else's role, rather than staggering the days off.'

Ms Verity said the Northampton-based firm has had complaints from customers or suppliers about not being able to contact them on the day the business shuts, as 'it's all about communication and making sure people understand what to expect'.

Despite the smooth-sailing so far, she did admit staff would be going back to the office five days a week in November and December to meet demand over Christmas.

'We talked about this as a team and it is a really key time for us, the peak is huge at Christmas and basically all of our profit happens in December,' she said.

'We want to be a four-day week company and if we could do the five days in just six weeks of the year, we still felt that was an amazing improvement to our work-life balance.

'For three weeks of November, three weeks of December we'll be working on Wednesday's too and we'll be focused solely on Christmas prep - everything that we do for preparing for Christmas will happen on those Wednesdays in November.

'Then by December hopefully we'll be so busy that we'll need those Wednesdays for production over and above the normal days which will mean that we won't need any Christmas temps and it will focus our Christmas prep on those days.

'Normally we would be doing a couple of hours here or there preparing, and by focusing everything on those Wednesdays I think it's really going to help us. Everybody was on board with that.'

She added that there would be no increase in pay for working the extra day, despite the scheme promoting people being paid 100 per cent of their wages for working four days a week, not five.

Where did the five-day week come from? Prior to the Great Depression, the first example of a five-day week was seen in 1908. A mill in New England, US, allowed a two-day weekend so that Jewish workers could observe the Sabbath on Saturdays. Sunday was already a work-free day due to its holy status in Christianity. In 1926, carmaker Henry Ford gave his staff both days off, and created a 40-hour week for employees. By 1932, the US had officially adopted the five-day week, to tackle unemployment created by the Great Depression. The UK followed suit in 1933, when John Boot, from Boots corporation, closed factories on Saturdays and Sundays, and made it the company's official policy the next year. Advertisement

Ms Verity said: 'At this point, they've agreed that we're going to step back up at that point. And it really is only six weeks.

'One of the key things about our Christmases is that we don't work more hours. Some people I know, in small businesses like mine, work into the night everyday things are so crazy. We really do finish at 5.30pm, we're done, we're out the door.

'And this is what we're going to try out - if people aren't into it, if it doesn't work, if it doesn't fit into people's lives by the time they've been living the four-day working week for a while, then we're going to rethink it. We're open to talking about these things.'

The team of researchers involved in the pilot will study each company and assess the impact on staff, including stress and burnout, job and life satisfaction, health, sleep, energy use, travel.

They will also look gender equality, with the four-day week thought to benefit women, who make up a higher proportion of part-time and flexible-hours staff.

However, the scheme has been slammed by some business owners who claim it sends the wrong message to workers.

Charlie Mullins, the founder of Pimlico Plumbers, branded the pilot 'ridiculous' and said if people can cram five days worth of work into four days, they 'weren't really doing five days work before'.

Speaking to MailOnline last month, he said: 'Now they'll be doing three days worth of work.

'People just want to get paid for doing nothing. Long term, this isn't going to work and we're going to suffer badly.'

Mr Mullins said that more workers want to 'do less', and that a four-day week is 'inviting people to do nothing'.

'The economy is in a bad way, we've got a war on, strikes on, and people want to do less work and be paid for five days.

'It's an impossibility  five into four doesn't go.'

The businessman was also concerned that condensing work could lead to overworking, and accidents in some industries.

He added: 'Anyone that runs a business will have to more staff.'

Critics of the four-day week have suggested that loosing a day and condensing work into 80 per cent of the time could impact human interactions at work, and lead to colleagues being emailed when they are out of office.

Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, called the pilot 'ridiculous' and said that it is sending the wrong message to workers. Pictured is Mr Mullins outside the Royal Court of Justice in London in 2016

Brendan Burchell, a sociology professor at University of Cambridge, said that many people in the office are happiest when they have interactions with their colleagues.

'It's really important for them to have those coffees or water-cooler conversations with their colleagues,' the professor, who has been studying the 4 Day Week Global trials, told Wired.

There are also concerns that burnout could be an issue if staff have to cram 100 per cent of their work into 80 per cent of their time.

Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'A four-day working week is an interesting proposition and shows again how firms are looking to be innovative and offer more flexible opportunities for their staff.

'Increasing productivity and helping people better balance their work-life commitments makes good business sense. But the potential trade-offs needed to make the 4-day week successful may not suit everyone in the workplace. Ultimately, every employer must decide what works best for the business and its employees.

'In most cases, adopting flexible working practices is a good way to support employees. From job sharing to hybrid working - it can have a big impact on morale, attendance and productivity as well as boosting staff recruitment and retention.'

A trial of the four-day working week in France found workers were putting in the same amount of hours even with a day fewer and companies were having to pay them for their extra time.
A defendant clasped his head in his hands and began to cry silently as he was found guilty of drugging, sexually assaulting and raping a married man who had been on a night out with colleagues.

A jury at Oxford Crown Court took 13 hours and 39 minutes to find Luiz Da Silva Neto, 35, guilty of the assault in December 2021.

They found Da Silva Neto guilty of administering a substance with intent at a property in Oxfordshire, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and rape.

Da Silva Neto, of Wandsworth, south London, has denied drugging two men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, potentially with GHB or GBL and sexually assaulting them in November and December 2021.

Prosecutor Matthew Walsh earlier described the drug as an 'aphrodisiac' which has 'euphoric and hallucinogenic effects'.

The jury are still considering verdicts on charges relating to the other alleged victim.

Luiz Da Silva Neto, 35, of Wandsworth, south London, denied drugging two men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, potentially with GHB or GBL and sexually assaulting them in November and December 2021. He has been found guilty of raping the victim in the latter assault, with the jury yet to rule on the former.

One alleged victim had been enjoying a night out with work colleagues that ended at west London nightclub Raffles (pictured)

The married man who was on a night out with work colleagues in central London hotspot Raffles before he was assaulted at a property in Oxfordshire, the court heard.

He told the trial he has vague memories of events that night.

They included feeling 'strange' when he spoke to the doorman at the club, having a cup with a 'dark brown liquid' being held to his lips at some point and waking naked in a strange room.

Da Silva Neto said he was 'high' and looking for drugs that night but claimed the married man did not seem intoxicated when they met and he denied spiking the man's drink, the court heard.

The jury found Da Silva Neto not guilty of charges of kidnap and committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence in relation to the married man.

The jury had previously also found Da Silva Neto not guilty on one count of administering a substance with intent with regard to the married man.

They are still considering their verdicts with regard to his first alleged victim who was said to have been assaulted at a house in Middle Barton, Oxfordshire in November 2021.

Da Silva Neto previously told Oxford Crown Court (pictured) that he had been 'high' when meeting one of the men

Da Silva Neto denies charges of administering a substance with intent and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent in relation to this first alleged victim.

The jury has been told that this man and Da Silva Neto had shots of Jagermeister before the alleged victim began to feel tired and went to sleep fully clothed before waking up naked.

Da Silva Neto told the court 'he was consenting' and 'awake' when the pair had intimate contact.

The jury will continue its deliberations on Friday at 10am.
President Trump warned Sweden he would launch a trade war on the nation if it failed to release US rapper A$AP Rocky, the country's justice minister has revealed.

A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, was arrested in Stockholm three years ago after he and two bodyguards were filmed beating up a fan outside a burger joint.

Footage showed three men hitting and kicking Mustafa Jafari before jabbing him with a broken bottle.

Mayers' legal team claimed Jafari had harassed and racially abused the rapper.

Trump, pictured during a TV interview yesterday, allegedly threatened 'trade restrictions'

The 33-year-old Grammy nominee's arrest and detainment in a Stockholm prison cell for over a month triggered a rare diplomatic fracas between Sweden and the US.

Rapper Rocky (pictured in Los Angeles last month) had his cause taken up by Kanye West, Melania Trump, and the White House

President Trump tweeted his support for Rocky after being made aware of the case by wife Melania and supportive rapper Kanye West.

Trump wrote: 'Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Lovfen for being unable to act. Sweden has let our African American Community down in the United States.

'I watched the tapes of ASAP Rocky, and he was being followed and harassed by troublemakers.

'Treat Americans fairly. #FreeRocky'.

Swedish justice minister Morgan Johansson said yesterday that Trump threatened 'trade restrictions' if Sweden did not swiftly release Mayers.

Trump also claimed to have contacted the European Commission for support, Johannsson said.

The official, who also serves as interior minister and deputy PM, told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter: 'This story demonstrates how important it really is to stand up for our legal principles and not to take our democracy for granted.

Johansson (pictured at a press conference) is justice minister, interior minister and deputy PM

'If you can try and do something like this against Sweden, what will you then try and do to slightly weaker countries that don't have the European Union behind them?'

Johansson added that Trump was represented by White House lawyer Pat Cipollone.

Cipollone was informed that Sweden's politicians had no sway at all over judicial proceedings under the country's constitution.

Johansson, pictured attending an awards ceremony in Stockholm two weeks ago, revealed the discussions in a new interview

He unsuccessfully sought to wrangle Rocky's release on national security grounds.

Mayers was ultimately convicted of assault and handed a suspended sentence.

The performer is allowed to return to Sweden - but reportedly vowed not to do so.

He was arrested in April on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a shooting in Hollywood last November.

He is currently out on bail and touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Mayers is dating Rihanna, who gave birth to their first child in mid-May.

Rocky was set to open the California band's gig at Old Trafford last week, but showed up so late that he played afterwards instead.

The rapper and the Chili Peppers will play a pair of sold-out gigs in Germany later this month.
Surprise inspections could soon be the norm for second home owners under plans being considered by the government to regulate holiday lets - after scores of locals blasted a surge in short-term rentals for bringing 'drunken behaviour', 'shouting' and 'the smell of cannabis.'

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DMCS) has launched a 'call for evidence', admitting that a surge in properties available on the likes of Airbnb and Booking.com has created 'areas of concern.'

Other than the anti-social behaviour of some tourists, there are are also the effects on the local housing supply, with many landlords opting for more lucrative holiday lets which provide higher returns but reduce the number of long-term rental properties available to locals.

The number of homes listed on short-term letting websites in England have surged by 40 per cent between 2018 and last year, latest figures show.

Among the most affected are seaside towns such as Scarborough, where there are 3,000 such lets alone, but also Cornwall, Devon and Whitby, and picturesque areas in near the countryside like Cumbria and York.

Some hotspots have already hit back, with residents in Whitby, the fishing port on the Yorkshire coast, turning out in their droves last month in a landslide 93 per cent vote to stop builds being sold to rich Londoners amid mounting fears that families are being priced out of the housing market.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DMCS) has launched a 'call for evidence', admitting that a surge in properties available on the likes of Airbnb and Booking.com has created 'areas of concern.' (Pictured: Cornwall)

The number of homes listed on short-term letting websites in England have surged by 40 per cent between 2018 and last year, latest figures show.

Other than the anti-social behaviour of some tourists, there are are also the effects on the local housing supply, with many landlords opting for more lucrative holiday lets which provide higher returns but reduce the number of long-term rental properties available to locals

Along with the coastal town of Whitby which may have sparked a 'quiet revolution' among disgruntled residents, Whitstable, in Kent, Salcombe, in Devon, St Ives, in Cornwall, and Tideswell, in the Peak District in Cumbria, are all likely to follow suit.

The DMCS says: 'Landlords are argued to be prioritising short-term letting instead of long-term tenancy agreements, reducing the supply of rental accommodation in a given location.

'There are also related concerns about numbers of second homes, ownership of which could be incentivised by utilising them for short-term letting.'

It adds that residents have complained about 'drunken behaviour, fighting and shouting' as well as 'partying, unlicensed music events, loud pets, arrival and departure at unsociable hours' and 'odour from cannabis'.

Perhaps in an olive branch to fed-up locals, Airbnb revealed this week that a ban on parties brought in during the pandemic would be made permanent.

But the rules on renting out second homes could get much tougher if the most stringent of proposals are adopted.

Ministers are looking at six potential responses to the issues raised, ranging from 'doing nothing' to creating a 'licensing scheme with physical checks', reports the Times.

The most hardline approach would force second-home owners to join a register if they wanted to rent it out, while spot checks would test for compliance with health and safety ruled while deterring anti-social behaviour by guests.

Councils could also be given extra powers to stop second homes being rented out for more than 90 days, a rule already in place in London.

Some hotspots have already hit back, with residents in Whitby (pictured), the fishing port on the Yorkshire coast, turning out in their droves last month in a landslide 93 per cent vote to stop builds being sold to rich Londoners amid mounting fears that families are being priced out of the housing market.

Nigel Huddleston, the minister for tourism, said: 'The rise of digital platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com have led to significant growth in the range and volume of guest accommodation on the market, particularly short-term and holiday lets.

'These platforms have brought many benefits, including new routes to market for many forms of accommodation business, expanded consumer choice and access to new income streams for homeowners.

'We recognise, however, that some have raised concerns about compliance with existing regulations and the impact on local communities.'

He added: 'We go into this call for evidence with an open mind. Your views will ensure we develop proportionate proposals, addressing the challenges whilst preserving the benefits.'

It comes after it was revealed last week that second home owners could be barred from renting them out on hotel websites such as Airbnb.

Levelling-up Secretary Michael Gove is devising the plans, which would give powers to regional mayors to curb the numbers of people renting out holiday homes.

The proposal also contributes toward the government's devolution programme granting more powers to local authorities, The Times reports.

The amendment to the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill would force anyone planning to rent out their home short-term to seek planning permission under change of use.

Bob Seely, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, said: 'We have got to find a way of protecting communities and we are in the market for sensible ideas that can help.

'Places like Devon, Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Lake District have lived too long with the problem of hollowed-out communities devoid of life apart from a few months of the year.

'What we need is creative ideas to solve some of these problems.'

Levelling-up Secretary Michael Gove is devising the plans, which would give powers to regional mayors to curb the numbers of people renting out holiday homes

The amendment to the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill would force anyone planning to rent out their home short-term to seek planning permission under change of use (Pictured: Salcombe in Devon)

This ban will be great news for locals in the tourist hotspots, who have been rising up against wealthy 'outsiders' who snatch up properties to convert into holiday lets.

Residents in Whitby turned out in their droves in June in a landslide 93 per cent vote to stop builds being sold to rich Londoners amid mounting fears that families are being priced out of the housing market.

Campaigners celebrated Gove's decision as the problem of 'bonkers' prices has been forcing teachers, doctors and other key workers out of town while leaving it as a 'theme park' for wealthy second homeowners.

Whitby is one of five key tourist towns in the UK which is gearing up to ban second homeowners taking advantage of the natural beauty of the area.

Along with the coastal town of Whitby which may have sparked a 'quiet revolution' among disgruntled residents, Whitstable, in Kent, Salcombe, in Devon, St Ives, in Cornwall, and Tideswell, in the Peak District in Cumbria, are all likely to follow suit.

After their referendum on June 14, Whitby councillor Philip Trumper today claimed that her town's example could 'inspire others to do the same'.

Britain's 'staycation spots' including St Ives, Salcombe, Whitstable and Tideswell are beginning to rise up against wealthy 'outsiders' who have been snatching up properties to convert into holiday lets and seaside boltholes. It comes after Whitby locals turned out in their droves to vote to impose limits on second home owners

A map showing the most sought-after second home towns for British city dwellers, according to RightMove, with Salcombe, Falmouth, St Ives, Brixham and Newquay all within the top six. Whitby sits at number nine in the list

He said: 'There are lots of seaside resorts in the UK that are in a similar position. While a vote shows the strength of public opinion, it is not legally binding, so these areas will all have to change their local plans'.

Speaking to MailOnline, Falmouth town councillor Jayne Kirkham said that the people of Cornwall, Devon, Cumbria, the Peak District and Wales will all have been watching the result of the Whitby referendum with 'great interest', and if successful, there could be more public votes.

St Ives in northern Cornwall voted for a second home ban six years ago, but the jury is still out on whether it has helped because house prices have remained high. The new house ban has also seen new developments pop up outside restricted areas of the town.

Cllr Kirkham said that Cornwall has enough holiday lets and second homes than to house all 22,000 people on the area's waiting list - and the Government must devolve more powers to the county so they can clamp down on the issue.

Locals in tourism hotspots such as the Lake District complain they are priced out of buying homes due to holiday lets (Pictured: Buttermere in the Lake District

Locals in Mevagissey voted by 90% to block second homes owners buying property in the village, where the average house price is 300,000

In January, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation allowing local authorities to set up a fee-paying registration scheme for owners to rent out properties on sites such as AirBnb. The same councils can also designate planning rules in areas, requiring change of use.

Last September, Cornwall Council revealed that almost 62% of a total 170million business support claimed by second home-owners during the pandemic went to landlords living outside the county

Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew George demanded the sums should be paid back by those using their Cornish homes as an 'investment or leisure toy'.

Deputy leader of the council, David Harris, agreed - calling the benefit 'just wrong and unfair'.

The same meeting heard 13,255 second homes were recorded on Cornwall Council's council tax database with 11,081 holiday lets registered for business rates and 8,953 getting business rates relief.

Bob Seely, Tory MP for the Isle of Wight, said: 'Places like Devon, Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Lake District have lived too long with the problem of hollowed-out communities devoid of life apart from a few months of the year'

Wealthy out-of-towners are drawn to Cornwall's stunning scenery, leaving many locals feeling priced out

Data from Cornwall Council shows where the county's 13,500 second homes were distributed in 2018

Statistics reveal that although Cornwall has just one percent of England's population, it has 17 per cent of the country's second homes.

Conservative MPs are warning that issue of second homes is now so prescient among their voters living in seaside and rural retreats, it could decide the party's performance at the next general election.

While concerns over holiday homes driving up house prices have been widely reported for years, experts say a boom in online bookings for UK getaways after the pandemic has exacerbated the issue.

People have been 'hosts' on Airbnb in the UK since 2009.

The number of active listings on Airbnb tripled between April 2016 and May 2019, from 76,000 to over 225,000 and as of January 2020, there has been another increase of 14 per cent, reaching 257,000 listings.

A spokesperson for Airbnb previously told MailOnline: 'There is a big difference between buy-to-let speculators and Hosts who occasionally share their homes on Airbnb to afford the rising cost of living.

'The majority of Hosts share one listing for just two nights a month, and around a third say the additional income helps them afford the rising cost of living and make ends meet.

'Airbnb supports regulation and has already put forward proposals for a Host register, which the government is consulting on.'

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We're taking action to combat the adverse impact that second homes can have on local communities  particularly in tourist areas such as Cornwall  by closing tax loopholes, introducing higher rates of stamp duty and empowering councils to apply a tax premium of up to 100% on second homes.

'The South West is also receiving 1 billion through the Affordable Homes Programme and since 2010, we have delivered 63,500 affordable homes in the region.'
A Mexican mayor married an alligator that was wearing a wedding dress and sealed their nuptials with a kiss.

San Pedro Huamelula Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa married the alligator as part of an age-old indigenous ritual to bring abundance to the village in southwestern Mexico.

The seven-year-old reptile, referred to as Little Princess, is believed to be a deity representing Mother Earth and her marriage to the local leader symbolises the joining of humans with the divine.

In a colourful ceremony, traditional music rang out and revelers danced while imploring the indigenous leader to kiss his new bride.

Trumpets blared and drums provided a festive beat as the mayor carried the alligator bride in his arms through the streets as men fanned it with their hats.

San Pedro Huamelula Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa (centre, holding his bride) married the alligator as part of an age-old indigenous ritual to bring abundance to the village in southwestern Mexico

The alligator's jaws had been tied shut to prevent any unwanted biting during the ritual

Elia Edith Aguilar, known as the godmother who organised the wedding, said she spent a lot of time fretting over what the bride would wear

Elia Edith Aguilar, known as the godmother who organised the wedding, said: 'It gives me so much happiness and makes me proud of my roots.

'It's a very beautiful tradition.'

She added it was a privilege to be entrusted with carrying out the ceremony and said she spent a lot of time fretting over what the bride would wear.

Victor Hugo Sosa is the mayor of San Pedro Huamelula, a village in Mexico

In a colorful ceremony, traditional music rang out and revelers danced while imploring the indigenous leader to kiss his new bride

Trumpets blared and drums provided a festive beat as the mayor carried the alligator bride in his arms through the streets as men fanned it with their hats

The small alligator's snout was tied shut to avoid unwanted biting as the mayor kissed it multiple times throughout the ceremony.

The ritual marriage likely dates back centuries to pre-Hispanic times among Oaxaca state's Chontal and Huave indigenous communities,

It is similar to a prayer pleading for nature's bounty in the village.

Mayor Sosa said: 'We ask nature for enough rain, for enough food, that we have fish in the river.'

San Pedro Huamelula is a small fishing village on Oaxaca's Pacific coast in Mexico

The ritual marriage likely dates back centuries to pre-Hispanic times among Oaxaca state's Chontal and Huave indigenous communities

It is similar to a prayer pleading for nature's bounty and abundance in the village

Mayor Sosa said: 'We ask nature for enough rain, for enough food, that we have fish in the river'

The alligator was carried through the streets and followed by a procession of people

Oaxaca, located in Mexico's poor south, is arguably the country's richest in indigenous culture and home to many groups that have stubbornly maintained their languages and traditions.

San Pedro Huamelula is a small fishing village on Oaxaca's Pacific coast.

The age-old ritual in San Pedro Huamelula, now mixed with Catholic spirituality, involves dressing the alligator or caiman in a white wedding dress plus other colorful garments.
A senior citizen from New York was airlifted to hospital after being severely mauled by a grizzly bear while backpacking close to Yellowstone National Park.

The unidentified 68-year-old from Buffalo was blindsided by the beast and left unable to use the bear spray he was carrying.

Luckily, he was able to trigger his personal locator beacon, mobilizing rescuers to the remote Wyoming wilderness where he was left stranded.

Sheriffs and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department have not revealed the man's identity or his current medical condition.

A mother grizzly and her bear cubs are pictured wandering through the wilderness in Alaska

Francs Peak, southeast of Yellowstone National Park, is a 13,000-foot (4,000-meter) summit

He is currently being treated at a hospital in Billings, Montana after being flown out of the Francs Peak area by a US Air Force Rescue Coordination team.

The area around 13,000-foot (4,000-meter) summit Francs Peak in the Washakie Wilderness is a known grizzly habitat.

Grizzly bears tend not to threaten humans often - but when they do attack, encounters are rarely easy to survive

The Yellowstone region spanning portions of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho is home to more than 700 grizzly bears.

Grizzlies in that area have killed at least eight people since 2010.

Among them was backcountry guide Charles 'Carl' Mock, who was fatally mauled by a 400-pound male grizzly while fishing alone at a favorite spot on Montanas Madison River.

And in March, father-of-four Craig Clouatre, 40, was killed in a bear attack in the Six Mile Creek area of Paradise Valley, in southwest Montana.

Clouatre left behind wife, Jamie, and their four children.

A US Air Force mountain rescue helicopter airlifted the 68-year-old to a Montana hospital

The region around Yellowstone National Park (pictured) is home to more than 700 grizzlies

A crowdfunder for his family raised over $55,000 within a few days.

Grizzlies are protected under federal law outside Alaska.

Dense forests at higher elevations are a common home for bears, though dangerous encounters with people are relatively rare.

Attacks have reportedly increased in recent decades as the grizzly population grows and more people move into rural areas near bear habitats.

Elected officials in the Yellowstone region are pushing to lift protections and allow grizzly hunting.

Officials near Yellowstone (pictured) have pushed to allow grizzly hunting as populations swell

The news also followed reports that a 71-year-old woman from West Chester, Pennsylvania, was attacked when she accidentally approached a bison as she and her daughter returned to their car in Yellowstone.

The woman suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to the National Park Service, and was transported to a hospital in Cody, Wyoming.

Tourists were just recently allowed to return to Yellowstone after the park was ravaged by record breaking flooding that permanently diverted rivers, washed out roads and bridges, and left nearby towns submerged in torrents of flowing water.

Park officials initially expected the park to remain closed for months as they dealt with the damage, but then decided to open the park within two weeks of the floodwaters receding.

During the flooding and in the days after, park officials warned people to remain extra vigilant for wild animals that may have been displaced by the waters.
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Dramatic images have emerged of the moment three gang members suspected of killing police officers were dragged into the street and paraded in front of the country's press.

Authorities say the trio were part of the feared Barrio 18 Surenos (18-Sur), one of three main gangs operating in the small Central American country which has one of the world's highest murder rates.

The alleged gang members were hauled onto a dirt road in the 'La Realidad' neighbourhood of Santa Ana by a huge unit of armed police officers who stormed a nearby building and arrested them.

They were then forced to kneel with their hands in cuffs as law enforcement posed for photos with the media.

Two of the individuals, a young woman and seemingly teenage boy, looked on uncomfortably and lowered their heads in an attempt to conceal their faces from the camera flashes.

But one man, sporting a bare torso and what looked to be a large wound or scar across his cheek, stared unflinchingly at the media with a menacing scowl etched across his tattoo-covered face.

The arrests come just days after Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele pledged earlier this week to 'intensify' his government's already tough efforts to combat rampant gang violence after three police officers were gunned down on Tuesday.

Alleged members of the Barrio 18 Surenos gang look on while presented by security authorities to the press in the 'La Realidad' neighborhood

The Salvadoran government captured three supposed 18-Sur gang members after the killing of three police officers on June 28

The alleged gang members were hauled onto a dirt road in the 'La Realidad' neighbourhood of Santa Ana by a huge unit of armed police officers who stormed a nearby building and arrested them

Armed police officers involved in the capture of three alleged 18-Sur gang members in the 'La Realidad' neighbourhood look on as the detainees are shoved in front of the media's cameras

One of the detainees had a tattoo of the number 18, symbolic of the 18-Sur gang, emblazoned across his chest

Two of the alleged gang members look dejected as they are hauled on front of the media, while the tattooed individual looks menacingly at the cameras

An alleged gang member is presented to the press after being accused by authorities of participating in the murder of three police officers, in Santa Ana, El Salvador, on June 30, 2022

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele pledged earlier this week to 'intensify' his government's already tough efforts to combat rampant gang violence after three police officers were gunned down on Tuesday

The president's announcement on Tuesday raises the stakes even higher after the government declared a state of emergency in March, when 62 people were killed in one day as a result of gang violence.

'What is coming to (gang members) is much greater, and they are going to pay dearly for having taken the lives of these three heroes,' Bukele told a rare news conference.

He said the officers who were killed earlier this week had been 'ambushed' by members of the 18-Sur gang and gunned down in cold blood.

Bukele did not specify how he would intensify what he calls a 'war on gangs' beyond a larger police presence across the Central American country, but official data suggests more than 43,000 people have already been arrested in connection with gang activity in the three months since the state of emergency began.

The president's supporters say this is evidence that the government and law enforcement is committed to reducing gang crime and cracking down on violence in the streets, while critics argue the heightened police activity and restriction of freedoms under the state of emergency simply denies detainees a fair legal process.

Under the state of exception, which the government voted to extend on Tuesday, the time people can be held without seeing a judge was increased to 15 days from 72 hours.

They also do not have to be informed of why they are being arrested or given the right to speak with a lawyer, and authorities can tap phones without a judge's order.

Quotas imposed by police superiors have led to mass detentions and the arrest of innocent people according to activists, while groups including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Cristosal have also questioned the president's ruthless campaign.

Police officers carry the coffin of fellow officer Carlos Velasquez, who was killed with two other fellow officers by alleged gang members during a patrol on Tuesday

Relatives of police officer Marta Lisseth Alas, who was killed with two other fellow officers by alleged gang members during a patrol, stand by her coffin during her funeral, in Tacuba, El Salvador, June 30, 2022

Relatives of the slain police officers console one another during funeral services yesterday

A combative Bukele shrugged off the criticism in Tuesday's press conference.

'Let them complain all they want.

'We are going to defend our people and we are going to ensure that the lives of these agents were not lost in vain,' he said, before adding construction had begun on a huge new prison to house criminals arrested in connection with gang activity.

On Tuesday, Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro said that authorities were winning the war against the gangs, but there was more work to do.

'The mission that Salvadorans are giving us is clear, eradicate these terrorists from Salvadoran territory,' he said.

Bukele's approval ratings have remained high and the measures have been popular among a population tired of living in constant fear of the gangs.

Far from a localized criminal organization, Barrio-18 is a transnational conglomerate of gang factions which operates throughout North, Central and South America.

Barrio-18 had an estimated 50,000 members across 20 US states in 2017, but has since expanded to become a terrifying force throughout North and Central America.

Police frisk a man during an operation to find those responsible for the murder of three police officers, in Santa Ana, El Salvador, on June 30, 2022

Soldiers carry out an operation to find those responsible for the murder of three police officers, in Santa Ana, El Salvador

Barrio-18 had an estimated 50,000 members across 20 US states in 2017, but has since expanded to become a terrifying force throughout North and Central America

Barrio-18 members are expected to get inked with tattoos denoting a range of messages. Well-known gang tattoos include: 18, XVIII, XV3, BEST (for 'Barrio Eighteenth Street') and 8P - a mark of killing a police officer

Barrio-18 cliques have been linked to the international drug trade, prostitution, extortion and various other criminal activities, and the gang is closely allied with the Mexican Mafia

The gang was formed in downtown Los Angeles in the 1960s, but rapidly gained ground as gang members looked to recruit teenagers and vulnerable people south of the border.

As the gang's ranks grew, it became the target of FBI and police crackdowns which saw many of its veteran members sent to prison.

But time behind bars merely gave Barrio-18's shot-callers a fertile new recruiting ground, and it quickly swelled its ranks in federal prisons.

Stepped up deportations also had an unintended effect, spreading the gang's reach to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras as hardened members were shipped back to their native countries.

Barrio-18 cliques have been linked to the international drugs trade, prostitution, extortion and various other criminal activities, and the gang is closely allied with the Mexican Mafia.

Their blue and black colors even pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia: blue for the allied gang, and black for Barrio-18's original color.

Barrio-18 members are expected to get inked with tattoos denoting a range of messages.

Well-known gang tattoos include: 18, XVIII, XV3, BEST (for 'Barrio Eighteenth Street') and 8P - a mark of killing a police officer.
Jacinda Ardern has begged UK tourists to visit New Zealand as it prepares to fully reopen its borders after more than two years of isolation due to her 'Zero Covid' policy.

The New Zealand Prime Minister did her best to sell her country as a winter sun holiday destination during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine this morning.

Speaking on the show, Ms Ardern said people from the UK can already visit the country despite it being locked away from the rest of the world since March 2020.

The Pacific island nation had gone into one of the world's strictest lockdowns at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, restricting almost all travel in and out of the country, even trapping some of her own citizens outside.

Strict lockdowns were also imposed in the country in an effort to snuff out the virus as the New Zealand Labour Party politician implemented a 'Zero Covid' goal.

Despite fierce criticism from some in the country over the restrictions, Ms Ardern has repeatedly defended the rules, saying they saved lives.

Ms Ardern, who is currently in the UK for talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, found time to appear on ITV's Lorraine this morning where she urged UK tourists to visit the country after it loosened rules so international travellers arriving after May 1 could do so without without quarantining.

Jacinda Ardern appeared on ITV's Lorraine this morning to pitch New Zealand as a winter holiday destination for British tourists. Here she is pictured on the show today

There have been strict restrictions on who can enter New Zealand for more than two years. Pictured are mask-wearing travellers arriving at Auckland Airport

The New Zealand Prime Minister appeared on Lorraine ahead of a meeting with Boris Johnson today. Here she is pictured speaking with Mr Johnson in Downing Street this morning

Before then people from the UK could only enter the country under certain conditions, such as to see terminally ill loved ones, or on a student or critical worker visa.

She said: 'We're actually already open, anyone in the UK you can travel now. I'll put a plug in, your winter is our summer so make those plans.

Speaking to her Scottish host, she said: 'Having being to Scotland though I can say summer is a little more summery in New Zealand, as much as I love places like Scotland.

'I would like to think I can be objective, it [New Zealand] is just the most beautiful place.

'What I love as well is you can get that combination of being in cities but then being in close proximity to nature, beaches, amazing walks, nature tourism and now food and wine - it's hard to have a bad meal.'

How New Zealand's Covid crisis (orange) compares to the UK's (blue): TOP: Daily cases per every million people living in each country, BOTTOM: Daily deaths adjusted to the same population size. The Pacific island nation had gone into one of the world's strictest lockdowns at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, restricting almost all travel in and out of the country, even trapping some of her own citizens outside. Strict lockdowns were also imposed in the country in an effort to snuff out the virus as the New Zealand Labour Party politician implemented a 'Zero Covid' goal

The country is set to loosen almost all restrictions on entry at the end of the month. Pictured is a passenger wearing a face mask arriving in New Zealand

How can I enter New Zealand from the UK? British nationals wanting to visit New Zealand do not require a visa. The UK has an agreement with the country so Britons can spend six months in the country without a visa. However, there are currently several additional requirements. You will also need to get a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before arriving as well as a conservation and tourism levy, costing a total of around 24. New Zealand also demands proof visitors have been vaccinated. Only people with valid reasons not for having the vaccine, such as medical reasons or being a refugee, are exempt. You will also have to take two rapid antigen tests (RATs) at least one and six days after you arrive and declare your results. Advertisement

Ms Ardern also defender her tough Covid rules, saying they helped save lives in her country.

'We're open and I think for everyone, there was no response to the pandemic that was without cost,' she said.

'It was either an awful and horrific cost to human life, or as we predominantly felt the cost of it being hard for people to move around.

'You could come and go but we quarantined and because of quarantine it was limited space.

'It was hard for everyone, but we came through it with much fewer hospitalisations and loss of life than most.'

When asked if she would have done anything different in hindsight, she said: 'Of course. If you look back on something and you can't think of something that you would have changed you're probably not looking hard enough.

'So absolutely. But the overall strategy, no, because I know it saved lives, I know it did.'

According to the World Health Organisation New Zealand has seen 1.3 million cases of Covid since the beginning of the pandemic, resulting in 1,466 deaths.

Most of these have come since February this year after an outbreak of the Omicron variant in the country.

She made the remarks ahead of a visit to Downing Street for the first time since the pandemic.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he praised her for the 'very strong line that you take on Ukraine', while she said her visit to Europe was an 'incredibly important milestone' for New Zealand.

Ms Ardern said it signified 'we are open for business, for trade, for tourism'.

The New Zealand prime minister said the pair would be discussing the recently signed trade deal and progress on ratification.

She said the deal was good for both the UK and New Zealand.

Ms Ardern also said they would discuss the situation in Ukraine, hot on the heels of a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain.

Ms Ardern met with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on her visit to the capital today. Here she is pictured shaking hands with him outside Downing Street this morning

The pair discussed a recently-signed free trade agreement between the UK and New Zealand, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine. Here the pair are pictured talking inside Downing Street

Covid curbs introduced by New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern March 16, 2020: Mandatory self-isolation for all new arrivals, including New Zealanders into the country. March 19: All non-residents or citizens are banned from entering the country under an international border ban. March 25: Nationwide lockdown enforced, with only essential services allowed to open. At this stage, NZ has recorded 102 cases and 0 deaths. June 8, 2020: Ardern announces no new community transmissions within the past fortnight and says NZ has eliminated transmission of Covid. August-September 2020: Auckland's 1.7million residents endure two months of lockdown measures after 4 new cases are initially recorded. February-March 2021: Auckland re-enters lockdown as three new Covid cases are recorded in the community. August 17: All of New Zealand re-enters Level 4 lockdown measures for two weeks as one new community case is recorded. October: Traffic light system is created, barring unvaccinated residents from entering businesses, gyms and barbers in 'red' or 'amber' alert areas. December: The Government delays the planned reopening of its border in February due to the spreading Omicron variant. December 21: Length of stay for people in Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) facilities increased to 10 days. January 2022: Public backlash as major events and sporting fixtures are capped at a maximum of 100 people under Covid Red Alert measures. January 18: Government postpones managed isolation and quarantine lottery due to increase in Covid cases. January: Ardern announced she had cancelled her own wedding after nine new Omicron cases were recorded. February: Government announces plan to open up country with New Zealanders and eligible travellers from Australia allowed to skip quarantine as long as they self-isolate for 10 days. March 2: Vaccinated travellers entering the country no longer have to self-isolate on arrival. May 2: UK travellers and those from other visa waiver countries allowed to enter country without self-isolating. August 2022: New Zealand government to loosen restrictions to allow all travellers to enter the country provided they are vaccinated and take two rapid antigen tests after arrival. Advertisement

She told the Prime Minister it was a good 'opportunity' to discuss the way the two countries have together responded to the war, noting the UK leadership on the conflict.

'We have also provided our military aid via our partnership with you,' she told Mr Johnson.

Back at home Ms Ardern faced a slew of criticism from campaigners and members of the public after imposing strict Covid curbs since the start of the pandemic.

International borders were promptly closed on March 19, with a nationwide lockdown enforced on March 25 after 102 cases, and no deaths, were recorded in the country.

On June 8, the PM announced there had been no new community transmissions within the past fortnight and says she is 'confident New Zealand has eliminated community transmission of Covid'.

But within two months, Auckland was placed under strict lockdown measures after just four new cases were recorded in the city area.

A draconian 'Zero Covid' goal was then implemented across the country, with New Zealand aiming to completely eradicate the virus from its shores.

But this policy was met with ridicule as the Delta variant ripped through the world in the summer of 2021, prompting a return to multiple weeks of lockdown for Auckland's 1.7 million residents.

Critics slammed the return of draconian curbs on everyday life, pointing to the fact other countries have started to reopen despite reporting thousands of new cases.

MailOnline columnist Dan Wootton hit out at the 'terror and paranoia' that has enveloped New Zealand since implementing its drastic zero-Covid policy while the rest of the world learns to live alongside the virus.

His deeply personal column prompted support from a host of British and New Zealand readers, including former All Black star Zinzan Brooke, who tweeted: 'Completely agree with Dan here'.

The restrictions even kept some of her own citizens locked out of the country, including a pregnant New Zealand journalist who was stranded in Afghanistan.

Charlotte Bellis spent months attempting to return home after learning she was pregnant in September 2021.

She submitted 59 documents to New Zealand officials in Afghanistan in an attempt to secure an emergency return home, but her bid was turned down and led her to turn to the Taliban, one of the world's most oppressive regimes, for sympathy.

Speaking to 1News about her situation in January, Ms Bellis asked: 'To the NZ Government, I ask what do you want me to do? I have done nothing wrong I got pregnant and I am a New Zealander.

'At what point did we get so bogged down in these rules we've come up with that we can't see that she's a Kiwi in need of help and she needs to come home?'

Writing in the New Zealand Herald in January, Ms Bellis said it was 'brutally ironic' that while she had once questioned the Taliban about their treatment of women, she was now asking the same questions of her own government.

'When the Taliban offers you - a pregnant, unmarried woman - safe haven, you know your situation is messed up,' she wrote.

Pregnant New Zealand journalist Charlotte Bellis (pictured) was stranded in Afghanistan and turned to the Taliban for help as she was unable to return to her homeland because of Jacinda Ardern's draconian Covid curbs

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern faced a slew of criticism from campaigners and members of the public after imposing strict Covid curbs since the start of the pandemic

Ms Bellis said pregnancy can be a death sentence in Afghanistan because of the poor state of maternity care and lack of surgical capabilities.

She added that after talking to lawyers, politicians and public relations people in New Zealand, her case seems to be moving forward, although she has yet to be approved passage home.

Ms Bellis was eventually given permission to return home at the beginning of March, before giving birth to her daughter on May 26 in Christchurch.
A glamorous yoga instructor was brutally murdered in a luxury hotel room, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, just hours before she was set to go on a dream trip to the US.

Zhou Huixian, also known by her nickname Aqua Chow, 23, was scheduled to fly to the US on June 30 to take a dream three-month yoga training course but failed to board the plane.

Police found the yoga instructor's body covered in blood in a bathtub at Hong Kong's Ritz Carlton hotel with more than 30 stab wounds from a 27-cm knife.

The walls of the hotel room were also covered in blood, which police believe came from the struggle.

Forensics officers said she died of two 8cm-deep stab wounds to the left side of her chest and throat and that she was killed within the last 24 hours.

Her ex-boyfriend Lao Nan, 28, was arrested on suspicion of murder after he handed himself in at the Wong Tai Sin Police Station on June 30.

CCTV footage emerged of her leaving home with a man on June 29 but she never returned for her flight.

Zhou Huixian, also known by her nickname Aqua Chow, 23, (pictured) was brutally murdered in a luxury hotel room

She was scheduled to fly to the US on June 30 to take a dream three-month yoga training course but failed to board the plane

Cameras showed Aqua had left her home with a man at 4.42pm on June 29, after which she was not seen again

Her ex-boyfriend Lao Nan, 28, (pictured) was arrested on suspicion of murder after he handed himself in at the Wong Tai Sin Police Station on June 30

Aqua, who has more than 53,000 followers on Instagram, was 'excited' about the yoga training course, her father said.

He added: 'My daughter had been really looking for the trip so I knew when she didn't go that there must be a big problem.

'I tried until the evening but I couldn't contact my daughter by Whatsapp or by calling her. I went to her apartment only to find out that my daughter's luggage was left intact in the house.

'Later, I checked with the airline and there was no record of her boarding, so I was worried.'

Cameras showed Aqua had left her home with a man at 4.42pm on June 29, after which she was not seen again.

One of Aqua's friends said the fitness model had asked for their help to pack her bags when her former lover showed up at the door.

Pictured: Police investigate the murder of glamorous yoga instructor Zhou Huixian

The fitness model and yoga instructor has more than 53,000 followers on Instagram

When her father was unable to contact on June 30 he became worried and reported her missing to the police.

He visited her apartment at Seaside Sonata, in the Sham Shui Po neighbourhood of Kowloon in Hong Kong and saw Aqua had left her luggage in the room.

Meanwhile, the airline for her flight to the US said she never boarded the plane.

Officers found Aqua's body in a blood-covered hotel room at the Ritz Carlton in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Kowloon

Her body was covered in blood in a bathtub at Hong Kong's Ritz Carlton hotel with more than 30 stab wounds from a 27-cm knife

Aqua's former lover Lao Nan is said to have refused to talk but gave police the hotel key card.

Officers found Aqua's body in a blood-covered hotel room at the Ritz Carlton in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Kowloon.

A spokesman for Yau Tsim District Police said: 'Barriers were immediately set up around the crime scene to block the area. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder.

'The suspect was taken on July 1 at 4am to search his home and the victim's home to collect evidence. He was also taken to a car in the parking.

Forensics officers said she died of two 8cm-deep stab wounds to the left side of her chest and throat and that she was killed within the last 24 hours

Her father said: 'My daughter had been really looking for the trip so I knew when she didn't go that there must be a big problem'

'Officers found a 27-cm long knife in the bathtub, which was suspected to be related to the case. Detectives believe the suspect bought the knife himself.

'Detectives seized a batch of evidence, including sharp knives, blood-stained towels and rucksacks. They were returned to the department for investigation.'

An initial investigation found that Lao had booked the hotel room on June 28 and had stayed there for two days.

He was also allegedly reported to the police by Aqua several months ago for threatening her.

Further investigations are underway.
The US Department of Defense reported that a hypersonic missile system flight test in Hawaii suffered a failure, causing a new letdown to a weapons development program that has been struggling in recent months, as rival nations advance military technology.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Navy Lieutenant Commander Tim Gorman explained that the failure was caused by "an anomaly that occurred following ignition of the test asset" as per a report from Bloomberg.

The official added: "Program officials have initiated a review to determine the cause to inform future tests. While the Department was unable to collect data on the entirety of the planned flight profile, the information gathered from this event will provide vital insights."

Despite the failure, the defense department stated in an email: "the Department remains confident that it is on track to field offensive and defensive hypersonic capabilities on target dates beginning in the early 2020s." However, it did not disclose further information on the test conducted on Wednesday.

What Caused The Failure?

The trial was the second failed test flight of the Conventional Prompt Strike prototype weapon. The missile failed to leave the launch pad during its first flight test in October due to a booster malfunction. The Virginia-class submarines and Zumwalt destroyers were intended to equip with such weapons.

The Army is developing a land-based version of the weapon with its two leading contractors Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp, according to a report published by South China Morning Post.

The Pentagon is under pressure to utilize US hypersonic weapon because rivals Russia, China, and North Korea are moving forward with the technology. These technologies can escape detection by traveling at speeds more than five times the speed of sound while gliding on a path that can be easily maneuvered to deliver nuclear warheads.

Read Also: China's New Aircraft Carrier Poses Potent Threat to the US, Allies in a Power Struggle for the Indo-Pacific

China is investing heavily in hypersonic weapons, putting one in orbit in July of last year that flew 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) in more than 100 minutes of flight, according to the top US nuclear commander. In January, North Korea conducted two separate launches of hypersonic missile systems that traveled several hundred kilometers.

Russia debuted a hypersonic air-to-ground missile in its attack on Ukraine. Adversaries do not have to meet the rigorous standards of the US defense acquisition system or face public scrutiny over delays and failure.

Defense Secretary Austin Says US Must Be Cautious in Developing Hypersonic Weapons

When Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin testified before the House armed services committee in April, lawmakers lambasted the slow pace of the hypersonic programs. Republican Representative Mike Turner of Ohio remarked that the US is already "behind" its "adversaries" in such military technology.

Austin acknowledged Turner's comments that but he stressed that they should be "careful" because "hypersonic is a capability" but "it's not the only capability." The defense chief also mentioned that he had "engaged industry" to ensure the advancement of US hypersonic weapon.

In May, the Air Force successfully tested the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, the Air Force's Program Executive Officer for weapons called it a "major accomplishment."

Before its most recent accomplishment, the ARRW program had already had some setbacks and delays throughout its development, including three flight test failures, per CNN report.

In March, Pentagon successfully tested the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC). Though, it was kept under the radar for two weeks to prevent tensions with Russia from rising just before President Joe Biden's trip to Europe.

Related Article: North Korea Lost Millions of Dollars After Stolen Cryptocurrency Wiped Out, Putting Pressure on Pyongyang's Escalating Nuclear Program

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A 'gesture of goodwill': That was how the Kremlin tried to play off its retreat from Ukraine's Snake Island on Thursday, after commanders gave up hope of holding the strategic spit of land under withering artillery fire.

It is the same phrase that Putin's lackeys used to try and cover up their ignominious retreat from Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy back in early April, as the first phase of their war in Ukraine spectacularly failed.

But those are far from the only battlefield blunders to have left Russia's red army red-faced: From an early defeat trying to take Hostomel airfield to failed river crossings in the Donbas and the sinking of flagship Moskva, there have been plenty of embarrassing moments for Putin and his commanders.

Here, MailOnline takes a look back at all the defeats that have shamed what was once considered to be the world's second-best military...

Russian forces yesterday fled Snake Island - marking just the latest in a series of humiliating battlefield defeats for Putin's army, once considered the world's second-most powerful

Hostomel Airport attack: Feb 24-25

In the early hours of February 24, as Putin launched his long-feared war on Ukraine, more than 20 helicopters carrying Russian special forces and paratroopers landed at Hostomel airport - one of the main airstrips near Kyiv.

Their mission was to take the airfield so that thousands of Russian troops waiting in reserve could be landed there and assault Kyiv itself, with the aim of capturing or killing the government and bringing a swift end to the war.

Russia figured the airport - home to the world's largest airplane, Antonov An-225 Mriya - would be lightly defended, after the FSB said Ukrainian soldiers would lay down their arms rather than fight 'brother' Russians.

Russian paratroopers were filmed at Hostomel airbase on the first day of the invasion before being wiped out by Ukrainian forces in their doomed bid to take the site

That calculation proved wildly inaccurate. Russian troops instead encountered fierce resistance, with several helicopters shot down on the way to the airfield.

Soldiers who managed to land were met on the ground by tanks, armoured vehicles, and hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and national guard troops.

What followed was an intense two-day battle during which control of the airfield shifted several times with Russia sending in a second wave of helicopters - Moscow claims up to 200 - before Ukraine defeated the attackers and scattered their remaining troops into the countryside.

Exact casualties are still not clear, but hundreds of troops likely took part in the fight and images of the airport afterwards suggest the battle was fierce. Among burned-out wreckage found there afterwards was the remains of the Antonov plane.

Sinking of the Saratov: Mar 24

While the early weeks of Russia's war in the north quickly became a failure, in the south they met with moderate success. A month into the invasion, they had captured the regional capital of Kherson, surrounded Mariupol, and were in the process of opening up a land bridge between Crimea and occupied Donbas.

But the mood changed on March 24 with the sinking of the Saratov, a huge 370ft Russian tank transporter that had been docked in the captured southern port city of Berdyansk.

Three days earlier, the Zvezda TV channel - which is linked to the Ministry of Defence - had filmed the Orsk at anchor in Berdyansk unloading armoured vehicles which the presenter said would assist in the battle to take Mariupol, around 40 miles to the east.

Flames and smoke are seen rising from a Russian Alligator-class landing ship docked at the port of Berdyansk, southern Ukraine, after Kyiv's navy claimed to have destroyed a vessel called Orsk - which later turned out to be the Saratov

The broadcast sparked suggestions that Ukraine could use the footage to hit the vessel, and on March 24 a nearby missile battery did just that.

Around 7.45am, a Tochka-U ballistic missile slammed into the deck of the Saratov as it sat in port alongside two smaller vessels: The Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk.

A large fire broke out on board the Saratov with several explosions then heard below deck as ammunition detonated. Footage captured from the shore showed Saratov consumed by smoke as the Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk, having also sustained damage.

Saratov sunk shortly afterwards, satellite images confirmed, blocking the port and making it un-usable. Russia has not commented on the attack, and has not given information on casualties.

Retreat from Kyiv/Chernihiv: Apr 1-8

Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, had come under immediate attack on February 24 as the war got underway and remained Russia's main target for weeks.

Bombarded day and night by missiles, infiltrated by special forces teams intent on killing Zelensky, and caught in a pincer movement by Russian troops from both sides - the city's prospects, for a time at least, looked grim.

But by late March, things were looking up. A 40-mile Russian 'death convoy' snaking north out of the capital had largely stalled, and was being picked off by Ukrainian air and ground attacks.

Russian troops were abandoning their posts - retreating or surrendering without much of a fight, as Ukrainian tractors towed away tanks, armoured vehicles and anti-air systems by the dozens.

Vladyslava Liubarets, a Bucha resident, walks with her family past destroyed Russian military machinery on a road leading into the Ukrainian capital where Russian forces where beaten back

A map of the frontlines in Ukraine as they stood on April 7 shows Russia's retreat from Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy in the north

Attempts to storm the city from both west and east had been turned back, and Ukraine had even begun to conduct counter-attacks against Russian forces.

On March 25, Russian generals addressed state media to say they were 'refocusing' their efforts on taking Donbas - hundreds of miles to the east - having 'completed' their objectives around Kyiv and nearby Chernihiv.

Around April 1, the wholesale withdrawal of Russian forces from around the capital got underway as Ukraine recaptured surrounding villages and towns behind their retreating backs.

By April 8, British intelligence said the withdrawal had completed and there were no Russian troops left in the northern parts of Ukraine.

What the Russians left behind was evidence of massacres and campaigns of terror in occupied towns such as Bucha and Irpin, but never-the-less the retreat marked and still marks Russia's single-largest defeat of the war so far and an end to the first phase of its campaign.

Sinking of the Moskva: Apr 14

It was the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, named after the Russian capital, and seen as integral to a much-feared amphibious assault on Ukraine's main port city of Odesa.

But, by the end of the day on April 14, missile cruiser Moskva was lying at the bottom of the Black Sea - its hull perforated by two holes blown in its side by Ukrainian Neptune missiles.

The sinking of the Moskva may not have changed the course of the war in the same way the retreat from Kyiv did, but it is perhaps the single-biggest symbolic victory of the conflict so-far - and a huge embarrassment for Putin.

The Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, was hit and sunk by Ukraine in a missile attack on April 14 (pictured from a rescue vessel before it went down)

For a leader who likens himself to Peter the Great to lose the pride of his Black Sea Fleet, a force created by Peter's daughter Catherine, to an enemy without a functioning navy was nothing less than a humiliation.

It was made all the more delicious for Ukraine because the Moskva was the very warship told to 'go f*** yourself' by heroic soldiers on Snake Island in the early days of the war.

In a clear sign of the depth of Russia's shame, Moscow will not - likely will never - acknowledge that Ukraine sunk the ship, instead choosing to blame an unexplained detonation of ammunition on board.

The Kremlin has also sought to massively downplay casualties, saying just one sailor died and 27 were hurt before the remaining 396 crew were rescued. Ukraine says up to 250 men perished, which would be largely consistent with warships that explode before going down.

Retreat from Kharkiv: May 1-16

Though Russian forces retreated from most of northern Ukraine in early April, Putin's men kept up their pressure on the country's second-largest city for weeks afterwards - with analysts saying Russian generals likely wanted to capture it to act as a supply hub for forces in Donbas.

But, in early May, Ukraine began conducting counter-attacks to the east and north of the city. Over the next two weeks these gathered momentum until May 16, when Ukrainian troops filmed themselves at the Russian border.

The Institute for the Study of War, a respected American think-tank, said Ukraine 'appears to have won the battle for Kharkiv' due to Ukraine's counter-offensives.

Ukrainian troops are pictured placing a border marker on the frontier with Russia on May 16, having pushed the Russian forces back from the city of Kharkiv

Its prediction may have proved slightly premature, with fighting still continuing to the north of the city. Russia has re-taken some territory, and there are nightly black-outs to deter bomber raids.

However, the bombardment is not as intense as in the early days of the war when Russian artillery units were parked nearby, and there is little to no prospect of Putin's men being able to seize it.

Most missile strikes on the city now come from within Russia itself - the border being just 20 miles away - with Ukraine largely unable to strike back since it is prohibited from using western weapons to attack Russia.

Bilohorivka river crossing: May 8-12

Bilohorivka sits to the rear of Lysychansk - the last Ukrainian stronghold in the province of Luhansk, which the Russians need to capture to take control of the Donbas and 'win' the war.

In order to get to it from the east, you have to cross the Donets River - a long waterway that divides the Donbas and also separated Lysychansk from its sister-city of Severodonetsk.

Faced with a long, hard fight to take Severodonetsk from the east, the Russians attempted to bypass it with a surprise crossing at Bilohorivka that would have allowed them to approach Lysychansk from the rear and surround the Ukrainian units there.

Over the course of five days in early May, the Russians attempted to make several crossings of the river using pontoon bridges that were discovered and shelled by Ukraine.

Russia attempted to bridge the Donets River to the west of the city of Lysychansk on May 8, apparently hoping to surround Ukrainian defenders dug in there - but were found out and massacred

Ukrainian forces are trying to hold the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychans'k from Russian troops, which have almost managed to surround them. The river crossing attempt was designed to complete the encirclement, but was foiled

The most-disastrous attempt came on May 8 itself, when Ukrainian scouts and drones picked up the sound of Russian tugboats positioning the bridge, calling in air and artillery strikes.

During the barrage, Russia is thought to have lost an entire battalion: Up to 1,000 men, dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles, two pontoon bridges and at least one tugboat.

What followed over the next several days were multiple smaller crossings - though to be to rescue men and equipment stranded on the opposite bank - that were also detected and shelled.

In the end, Russia is thought to have abandoned the idea of saving the equipment with men swimming to the safety of the eastern bank instead of attempting to cross.

After the sneak-attack failed, Russian troops were forced to assault Severodonetsk head-on instead. The city has now been captured, but only after seven weeks of intense fighting that is thought to have cost them dearly.

Retreat from Snake Island: Jun 30

Ziiminy Island - 'snake' in English - is a tiny 100-acre spit of land located around 90 miles off the coast of Odesa, in the northern waters of the Black Sea.

Barren, rocky, and rimmed by cliffs, it has almost no practical value beyond a small military base that is the island's sole structure, from which the occupiers can project power and territorial claims into the surrounding waters.

Russia captured the rock on the first day of the war, with the since-sunk Moskva ordering the island's defenders to surrender and receiving the now-iconic response: 'Russian warship, go f*** yourself.'

Putin's men then attempted to use the island as a missile base, stationing Pantsir anti-air systems there along with radar - probably to provide air cover in the event of an amphibious assault on Odesa.

Head of Zelensky's office Andriy Yermak this morning shared a photo of smoke rising from the island following yet another attack last night

Come the end of the war, had Russia controlled the island it could have used it to disrupt valuable shipping lanes out of Odesa, or as a bargaining chip in peace talks.

In the event, despite several attempts to reinforce and resupply bases on the island, the Russians were yesterday forced to abandon it under the weight of a withering Ukrainian artillery barrage.

Moscow attempted to play it off as a 'goodwill gesture' to Ukraine, but after the amount of blood and sweat expended trying to hold the rock, there can be little doubt their withdrawal was forced.

Failing to secure the island is yet another humiliation for Putin's Black Sea fleet, though its value in terms of the overall war is questionable.

If Ukraine were able to place anti-air and anti-ship missiles on the rock, it could significantly disrupt Russia's ability to attack cities such as Odesa - driving warships and bombers away from the coast.

But Kyiv's men would likely have a harder time occupying the island than Russia did - with little to no navy to support them - and so the rock is likely to remain a no-man's-land for the time being.

Dead generals

Under normal circumstances, it is rare to lose a general in combat. In Ukraine, Putin has lost 11 of them - at least by Kyiv's counting.

Explanations vary. One theory holds that Russia's combat performance was so poor, it forced generals to the frontlines to try and fix problems, putting them at risk from Ukrainian fire.

Others argue that Russia's poor equipment - leading the military to rely on unsecure civilian mobile networks and walkie talkies to swap messages - allowed Ukraine's military intelligence to find and target senior commanders.

RUSSIA'S FALLEN GENERALS General Magomed Tushaev: Chechen special forces leader who had led 'anti-gay purges' killed in an ambush near Hostomel on February 26; Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky: Deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District killed during a special operation by a sniper on March 4; General Magomed Tushaev (right) was blown up in the early stages of the war by Ukraine after they joined the Russian invasion Major General Vitaly Gerasimov (left) was first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army, taking part in operations in Syria and Crimea. He was killed in fighting around Kharkiv on March 8 Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev, commander of Russia's 49th combined army. He was killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson on March 25 Major General Vitaly Gerasimov: First deputy commander of Russia's 41st army who took part in operations in Syria and Crimea, killed in fighting around Kharkiv on March 8; Major General Andrei Kolesnikov: Commander of the 29th Combined Army Army killed on March 11; Major General Oleg Mityaev, died fighting near the city of Mariupol on 16 March; Lt Gen Andrey Mordvichev, killed in the Kherson region on March 19 ; Lt Gen Yakov Rezantsev, commander of Russia's 49th combined army, was killed in a strike near the southern city of Kherson on March 25; Major General Vladimir Frolov was deputy commander of the 8th Guards Army in east Ukraine; Major General Anton Simonov, 55, was seen as the Russian military's leading electronic warfare specialist. He died during an attack on a Russian army command past in northern Ukraine in early May; Major General Kanamat Botashev, was enjoying retirement when Russian tanks rolled across the border on February 24 and had not flown since 2012. His Su-25 fighter jet was hit by a Stinger missile on May 22 in the Donbas skies, and he was unable to eject; Major-General Roman Kutuzov was the chief of staff of the 29th Combined Arms Army. His death was confirmed on June 5, and is believed to have been slain in an ambush carried out by Ukrainian forces. The grave of Major General Vladimir Frolov in Serafimovskoe Cemetery, St Petersburg (left). Major General Andrey Simonov (right, picture date unknown) was an electronic warfare commander Russia confirmed the death of Major-General Roman Kutuzov (pictured) this month Advertisement

Such is the scale of the problem that even Valery Gerasimov - chief of the Russian general staff - was reportedly injured in an airstrike during a visit to Ukraine, and has not been seen in public since.

Whatever the case, the losses have done little to improve Russia's already-poor battlefield tactics with Putin himself - a former intelligence officer rather than a military man - said to be giving orders down to regiment level.

Couple with purges of top staff due to failed offensives, the Russian leader is said to be 'scraping the barrel' when it comes to the commanding talent he can field.

This week, it was claimed he had sent 20-stone, 67-year-old General Pavel - a former special forces operative and veteran of the failed Afghan war - to the frontlines to take charge of troops in Donbas.

Heavy casualties

Russia amassed a huge army before invading Ukraine: 200,000 troops, thousands of tanks and armoured vehicles, and hundreds of jets, bombers and helicopters. By some estimates, a full three quarters of its conventional forces.

Its losses since then have been on a similarly colossal scale. By Kyiv's count, more than 35,000 men have died fighting - more than died fighting in Afghanistan and Chechnya combined - while more than 1,500 tanks have been taken out, along with thousands more armoured vehicles, and hundreds of aircraft.

Casualties have been particularly heavy among the officer corps, with more than 800 killed from colonel rank downwards according to online tracker site 'Killed in Ukraine'.

Dozens of mangled Russian armoured vehicles are seen along a highway running through Bucha, a city to the west of Kyiv, where Putin's men were stopped from assaulting the capital

A Ukrainian serviceman stands near a destroyed Russian tank in the northeastern city of Trostyanets

That has likely had a devastating impact on morale, cohesion in battle, and the overall success of Russia's invasion, according to experts and observers.

Meanwhile deaths among the rank and file have forced Putin to draw deep on reserves to find more men for the fight, including poorly equipped conscripts from Ukraine's east, militants from Syria, Chechen special forces and Wagner mercenaries.

In early April, Russian equipment losses in Ukraine were estimated at more than $10billion and will only have increased since - which Moscow will struggle to easily replace due to sanctions.

British intelligence believes the country will take years to fully reconstitute its forces after the fighting stops, and may soon struggle to supply its current forces on the frontlines.
Leigh Sales revealed the one question she is always asked by viewers as the ABC paid tribute to her 12 years as host of the iconic daily current affairs series, 7.30.

Thursday was Sales' final day on the show after she announced her shock departure earlier this year, and on Friday, ABC ran a farewell special to look back at her career.

In it, she revealed the one question she is always asked by viewers, looked back at some of her best interviews and also spoke about her desperate attempts to hold the rich and powerful to account.

'So many people, so many stories, it's impossible to remember them,' she said. 'But with everything we do, there's one question viewers asked me more than anything else. 'Why don't they answer the question?"'

The show ran a segment showing the many times she crossed horns with politicians and other interviewees as she battled to get clear responses.

Viewers also saw a recap of her interview with Shane Warne and Blanche d'Alpuget, the widow of the former prime minister Bob Hawke.

Viewers also saw a recap of her interview with Shane Warne and Blanche d'Alpuget, the widow of the former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Leigh Sales reveals the one question she's always asked by viewers

'Shane Warne was one of my all time favourites. Absolutely loved him so much charisma, just fun from the second he walked in,' she said.

'I was so sad when he died and it was kind of rattling to remember that we had talked about it in that interview. He'd been for some counselling with a psychologist and had to think about his own death.

'He just struck me as so unapologetically who he was - he never pretended to be someone he wasn't.'

A clip showing her interview with Ms d'Alpuget showed how both women were moved to tears as they spoke about Mr Hawke.

Sales said she wasn't sure what will come next after her departure as she signed off.

She has said she will take six months off to spend time with her two young sons.

'I could not have imagined all those years ago when I started all the ways the world would change and the way my own life would,' she said.

'I've met some of the most amazing people, the people I work with every day reporters, producers, people you've never heard of who work behind the scenes.

'They contribute so much to what you see on air and they are what I'll miss the most about 7.30.

'As to what comes next, who knows? That's the beauty of news.'

On Friday, ABC ran a Farewell to Leigh Sales special at 7.30 to look back at her career

The show then ran a segment showing the many times she crossed horns with politicians and other interviewees

Her final show coincided with ABC's 90th birthday celebrations on Thursday night.

She was seen celebrating with friends, family and colleagues at ABC's Sydney headquarters before the show and stepped outside briefly to greet and embrace her sons.

It was business as usual for a composed Sales at the start of Thursday's night's show as she got straight into introducing the first segment about 1994 fatal bombing of the National Crime Authority's Adelaide headquarters.

There was no mention of her departure until the three few minutes of the program when she struggled to maintain her composure and choked back tears.

Leigh Sales was all smiles for the cameras before her last episode of 7:30 on Thursday night

'Tonight is my final episode of 7.30 as anchor,' Sales began.

'Tomorrow night there is a special edition of 7.30 looking back over the many, many years.

'I've loved every minute. It's been an absolute privilege.'

'Thanks for your company, goodnight.'

Her voice crackled with emotion and she could be seen wiping away tears as the final credits rolled.

Sales opted to not wear Member of the Order of Australia badge on her lapel, which she has worn for big interviews and occasions, including her bombshell resignation and final interview with former prime minister Scott Morrison before the recent election.

Some viewers were left disappointed with Sales' low-key sign-off from the show.

'Very poor send-off for Leigh Sales on 7'30. Not even flowers,' one woman tweeted.

Leigh Sales choked back tears as she signed off on the program she has hosted since 2011

Leigh Sales quit the job to spend more time with her sons, who were there for her farewell

A make-up free Leigh Sales documented her day, which began with a donut and coffee

Leigh Sales later spent several hours in the chair getting her hair and make-up done

Leigh Sales sported a bright orange dress for her last day as 7.30 host

Sales worked as NSW state political reporter, national security correspondent, Washington correspondent and host of Lateline since joining the ABC in 1995.

She was announced as 7:30 host in December 2010 and has interviewed hundreds of high profile names from Australian prime ministers and state leaders to Hilary Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sir Paul Mc Cartney to the Dalai Lama.

Presenting 7:30, formerly The 7:30 Report, is considered one of the most demanding and high-profile roles in Australian television.

The long-time host shocked viewers earlier this year with the bombshell news that she was quitting the role, saying her decision came down to her 'two beautiful little boys' wanting to see more of their mum.

The ABC screened a special show dedicated to Leigh Sales (pictured) on Friday night

Leigh Sales' sons James and Daniel were at ABC studios for their mum's final 7.30 episode

Leigh Sales opted to not wear Member of the Order of Australia badge, which she wore when she announced her bombshell resignation on-air in February (pictured)

Now aged eight and 11, sons James and Daniel have always known their mum to work four nights a week.

'I was appointed to the job on December 3, 2010. This is my 12th year in the seat. That was five Prime Ministers ago. It was so long ago that Donald Trump was just a guy with a bad orange hair-do hosting The Apprentice,' Sales told viewers at the time.

'There's nothing wrong other than I just feel a strong sense of it being time to pass the baton to the next runner in the race and to take a break. At the end of an election cycle feels like a good time to move on to something new at the ABC.

'When I first started I didn't have children. And now I have two boys aged 10 and eight. And they've only ever known their mum at work four nights a week.

'They want me home with them before 8.30pm and I don't think that's too much for two little boys to ask and they're two beautiful little boys.'

Sarah Ferguson was recently appointed the new 7.30 host and will host her first episode next Monday.
A Wetherspoons employee accused a deaf woman of being 'drunk' because she 'spoke too loudly' while ordering a drink after her mother-in-law's funeral, her husband has claimed.

Sally Arathoon, 47, and her husband Scott, 49, visited the Wheatsheaf pub in Ellesmere Port with other family members after they had laid his mother to rest on Wednesday.

But when Sally went to the bar to order her second alcoholic drink and a coffee for Scott she was 'refused' service by a member of staff who told her, 'you're drunk, you're slurring', according to Scott.

'She had gone to the bar and she looked at me and looked mortified and her hands were shaking,' the father of three said.

'When I went over there was another girl there who said ''you're drunk, you're slurring''. My wife said ''I can't hear you, I am deaf''.'

What is Meniere's disease? Meniere's disease is an ear condition that can cause sudden attacks of vertigo (a spinning sensation). During an attack of Meniere's disease you may feel like you or everything around you is spinning, lose your balance and feel sick. SYMPTOMS: During an attack of Meniere's disease, you may: feel dizziness with a spinning sensation feel unsteady on your feet feel sick or vomit hear ringing, roaring or buzzing inside the ear have a sudden drop in hearing These symptoms, which typically happen all at once, can last minutes or hours, but most commonly last 2 to 3 hours. The condition usually starts in 1 ear, but can spread to both ears over time. SOURCE: NHS.UK Advertisement

Scott claimed the staff member also told the couple she saw Sally 'arguing with someone'. He denied any argument had taken place.

Sally suffers from Meniere's disease, a rare disorder with symptoms including vertigo, tinnitus, pressure felt deep inside the ear and hearing loss.

She has now lost 55% of her hearing and has issues with her balance.

During one point of the interaction, Scott said his wife took out her hearing aids to show the staff member she was deaf and tried to explain how Meniere's disease impacts her.

However despite this, Scott alleges the staff member said she thought she was 'drunk' and Sally 'sounded drunk', so would not serve her.

He claims other staff said Sally was fine and 'looked quite shocked' by the interaction.

Sally has been unwell for around three years and was diagnosed with the rare condition which has caused her significant hearing loss in December last year.

Due to this, Scott said the couple have rarely been out and now this incident has 'knocked her confidence'.

'The damage and humiliation has already been done, having to remove hearing aids to show her she was deaf in front of other people has left my wife embarrassed, humiliated and upset and not wanting to leave the house again today,' he said.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: 'We are investigating the incident and cannot comment further at this stage.

'We will be happy to speak with the people concerned once we have fully investigated the incident.'
An alleged killer accused of beating aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena to death as she walked home from a night out was today remanded in custody after appearing at the Old Bailey.

Jordan McSweeney allegedly dragged the 35-year-old law graduate into a driveway on the early hours of Sunday morning and repeatedly stamped on her after trying to rape her, the court heard.

Police have said they believe Ms Aleena was the victim of an 'opportunistic stranger attack'.

McSweeney, from Dagenham, east London, is also accused of robbing the law graduate of her mobile phone, keys and handbag, and attempted penetration without consent, the court heard.

He has been charged with murder, robbery and attempted rape.

McSweeney, from Dagenham, east London, (seen today in a court sketch) is also accused of robbing the law graduate of her mobile phone, keys and handbag, and attempted penetration without consent

Police have said they believe Ms Aleena was the victim of an 'opportunistic stranger attack'

Emergency services were called at 2.45am on June 26 after Ms Aleena was found bleeding and struggling to breathe with serious head injuries in a driveway in Cranbrook Road, Ilford, the court was told.

She was dragged onto the driveway - just 10 minutes from her home - before being kicked and stamped on, prosecutors allege.

During a hearing today, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC said: 'The defendant has been charged in connection with the violent death of Zara Aleena who was attacked in the early hours of Sunday, June 26.

'Emergency services were called after her body was discovered in a driveway in Cranbrook Road. She was bleeding, struggling to breathe having clearly sustained serious head injuries and she was also partially naked.'

A post-mortem examination revealed that she had suffered 'multiple serious injuries'.

The court heard that Ms Aleena had been 'dragged onto the driveway before being forced to the ground', and then 'kicked and stamped on repeatedly' during the course of the vicious attack.

Mr Glasgow said that she had 'no chance of survival' after she was 'followed' and attacked. By the time paramedics arrived at the scene, she was 'already fatally wounded', the court was told.

Appearing at the Old Bailey via CVP link from HMP Thameside wearing a green jumper, McSweeney only spoke to confirm his name and date of birth.

Before the hearing was due to start, a prison officer informed the court that McSweeney was becoming 'quite agitated' in the holding cell.

Throughout the short hearing, he fiddled with the microphone before placing his head in his hands on the table.

Miss Aleena was dragged onto the driveway - just 10 minutes from her home - before being kicked and stamped on, prosecutors allege

In an emotional tribute, her family described her as 'the rock of our family' and called for an end to violence against women.

In their statement, they said: 'Zara was brought up by the whole of our family. She was our love in human form. At the age of five she said she was going to be a lawyer.

'Shrieking with joy when she spotted the birds as a child - she would giggle and make us laugh. She was always the bigger person in any situation. She was authentic and refused to try and impress anyone but she impressed us.

'She was the rock of our family. Zara was stoic and held it all together and never complained. She glued our community together.'

Ms Aleena had recently begun working as an administrative assistant at the Royal Courts of Justice after extensive studying, and was hoping to becoming a lawyer.

Judge Mark Lucraft QC remanded McSweeney into custody and a plea hearing date has been set for September 30 at the Old Bailey.
Masks could become mandatory across Australia again as a looming Covid and flu crisis threatens to bring the nation to a standstill.

Nearly 250,000 Aussies have tested positive for Covid in the past week, with states including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, recording more than 8,000 cases in the past 24 hours.

Over the past week, NSW recorded the most infections with 61,000, while more than 50,000 people tested positive for the virus in Victoria.

And those figures are expected to get worse in the coming weeks as the winter chill grips the nation and new, highly infectious Omicron strain BA.5 becomes dominant.

Australia is also now facing a double whammy with rising cases of the flu making this winter the worst influenza outbreak in years, causing chaos in the workforce.

Now Queensland is tipped to be the first to bring back mask mandates in a bid to stem the tidal wave of infection.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard revealed there had been ongoing talks with his interstate colleagues about mask mandates returning.

'I can say that nationally, there is increasing pressure,' he told 4BC's Peter Fegan.

'There is a school of thought that we should be mandating masks again.'

Nearly 250,000 Australians have tested positive for Covid in the past week, with states including NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, recording more than 8,000 cases in the past 24 hours (pictured, members of the public walking in Brisbane wearing masks)

Hundreds of thousands of workers are likely to be forced to stay home during the next month, adding to the crippling staff shortages smashing many businesses nationwide.

Influenza case data from the Health Department showed that the weekly figures have already gone past the five-year average and hit more than 147,000 this season.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had celebrated the lifting of almost all mask rules earlier this year with an awkward slow-motion video on social media showing her ripping off her mask.

But it now looks like the celebrations may have been premature and short-lived - and may affect other states too.

Queensland is considering bring back the hated masks mandates in a major U-turn in a bid to stem the worst effects of Covid (pictured, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk removing her mask)

Smiles are back from March 4  pic.twitter.com/7ddQc5YVcz  Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) February 22, 2022

The mask mandate was lifted for airports last month, but passengers are still required to wear them when on the plane.

Across the Sunshine State, masks are still required in healthcare settings, aged care, disability accommodation, prisons, detention centres, on public transport and in rideshares or taxis.

Queensland recorded a 12 per cent rise in Covid-19 deaths over the past month, with 199 fatalities in June compared to 177 in May.

Dr Gerrard said the current strains of the virus have been evading both vaccine and natural immunity, but stressed vaccination was still the best protection, with fourth boosters vital for those over 65.

Those under 65 should have their three doses of a Covid vaccine, he added.

'We are seeing the establishment of a new wave of covid, these BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants that are causing a significant wave at the moment,' Dr Gerrard said.

'Infection with this virus will be very common, you will know a lot of people infected with this strain of the virus in the coming weeks.

There are currently about 600 people hospitalised with Covid across Queensland

'The majority of people that are being admitted to hospital in Queensland are people over the age of 65 who are not up to date with their vaccinations.

'That has actually shocked me, that most (of those) people are not up to date with their vaccinations.'

Hospitalisations are set to spike significantly, he warned, with numbers expected to soar from the current 600 people being treated in the state's hospitals.

He added: 'The vaccines do protect us, particularly if you're up to date with boosters; they protect us against severe disease, that's the most critical thing.'

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard revealed there had been ongoing talks with his interstate colleagues about mask mandates returning

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said the current spate of Covid and flu-related absences, combined with existing national staff shortages, is ultimately causing a massive blow to productivity.

'Some businesses that are already in a fragile position due to labour shortages will have no choice but to close their doors temporarily when illness hits,' Mr McKellar said.

'Staff shortages haven't been more acute in living memory.

'Small businesses suffered the shock of enforced shutdowns during the height of the pandemic...Now, they are the most vulnerable to staff absences if illness enters the workplace.'

Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin warned that widespread complacency with see the compulsory return of masks.

'I'd like to think they won't be required, but if they are then it might be something that comes back more broadly and then is reduced as we get a hold of things again,' he said.

'But again, I hope that's not something that has to happen.'
A 93-year-old man has shot and critically injured a would-be burglar after a gang tried to break into his home in California.

Retired plumber Joe Howard Teague repeatedly warned the attempted robbers that he had a shotgun, but they continued to approach and throw things at him.

Teague told reporters outside his Moreno Valley home yesterday: 'I approached them to put them under citizen's arrest.

'They wouldn't adhere to that and then one of them came at me with a fishing pole.

'I kept telling them, I have a shotgun with three shells in it, but I actually only had one. And they kept throwing stuff at me,' Teague said.

'It was just like somebody comes to a gunfight with a pocketknife, you know', ABC reported.

One kicked his door in and entered his home, prompting Teague to call 911 around 12.30pm. He tried to hold them at gunpoint while waiting for police to arrive.

A relative noted that Teague not only has tools from his life as a plumber, he's also a musician as a hobbyist and owns several musical instruments.

When Riverside County cops showed up, attempted burglar Joseph Ortega, 33, was shot.

Senior Joe Teague, 93, said: 'It was just like somebody comes to a gunfight with a pocketknife'

The Los Angeles area homeowner fended off the gang of would-be burglars using a shotgun

By the time cops showed up at Teague's home (pictured) Wednesday, one burglar was killed

Officers from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department spoke to Teague for a long time before letting him go

The car the alleged burglar used to get to Teague's home

Teague was taken in by police and questioned before being let go.

Because of the suspect's critical condition, the Central Homicide Unit took the case.

Sheriff's department officials said the shooting appeared to be justified, but added that the investigation is ongoing.

'Investigators have established that several individuals, including Ortega, were inside Teague's property when a shooting occurred,' police said in a statement. 'Teague was unharmed during the incident. He was questioned at the Moreno Valley Station and later returned home.'

No other arrests have been announced, with the rest of the gang getting away.

As of Friday morning, Ortega was still listed as hospitalized and in critical condition, according to the sheriff's office.

Because of the suspect's critical condition, the Central Homicide Unit took the case

Police said they will continue to investigate the potential homicide in Moreno Valley, California

But in-law Oscar Malma said: 'I don't think there would be any reason for him to be arrested'

Teague's in-law Oscar Malma said Teague is often targeted by burglars - and the police response is less than rapid

Malma, who is married to Teague's granddaughter, said the 93-year-old man was recently widowed

Teague's in-law Oscar Malma said Teague is often targeted by burglars - and the police response is less than rapid.

He told KABC Los Angeles: 'He took the law into his own hands.

'He was tired because every time he calls the police, the police were taking forever to come and assist him.

Malma, who is married to Teague's granddaughter, said the 93-year-old man was recently widowed.

'And now this happened in the middle of the night.

'He was defending his property. That happened inside of his home. So, I don't think there would be any reason for him to be arrested.'

'I don't blame Joe. He's been working all his life, he's 93. He's been working on his life and whatever little things he has, he needs to protect them,' Malma said.
Boris Johnson is risking the break-up of the United Kingdom with his push to override the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, according to Ireland's deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar.

The Tanaiste hit out at the Prime Minister for not being 'even-handed' in his approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol - as he accused Mr Johnson of siding with Unionists in the dispute.

Mr Varadkar, who is set to take over as Irish PM - or Taoiseach - later this year, claimed Westminster was making a 'strategic mistake' by attempting to create new laws to unilaterally change the Protocol.

He warned that 'more people will turn away from the Union' if the UK ploughs ahead with its planned legislation.

Mr Varadkar also lashed out at Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis over their recent statements and claimed that Irish-Anglo relations had never been 'as bad' as they currently are.

The deepening war-of-words between Dublin and the EU on one side, and London on the other, comes after MPs this week allowed Mr Johnson's plan - which aims to unpick key parts of the Protocol - to clear its first hurdle in the House of Commons.

Although MPs approved a second reading of the Government's Bill, many senior Tories warned they could oppose it at a later stage amid claims it is a breach of international law.

The proposed legislation includes the creation of a check-free 'green channel' for goods from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland.

It would also ensure that VAT changes from Westminster apply to Northern Ireland, permit state subsidies, and give UK ministers wide-ranging powers to cancel more of the Brexit divorce terms later if required.

But the EU has renewed legal action against the UK for threatening unilateral reform of the Protocol, while Brussels has also raised the prospect of a bitter trade war should Mr Johnson see through his plan.

Irish deputy PM Leo Varadkar claimed Irish-Anglo relations had never been 'as bad' as they currently are

Boris Johnson is aiming to unpick key parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has led to an angry backlash from EU capitals

The UK's proposed legislation includes the creation of a check-free 'green channel' for goods from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland

Mr Varadkar, in an interview with BBC Northern Ireland's The View programme, added to the ongoing outrage from EU capital's about the UK's actions.

He insisted the 27-member bloc would 'not be threatened' by the PM's approach to the Protocol row.

'It's a government that has not been even-handed,' he said of Mr Johnson's administration.

'In the past, commitments were given by UK governments that it would be even-handed in its approach to Northern Ireland, and I don't think that's the case when it comes to this government.

'Their siding with one of the three blocs, if you like, of opinion that now exist in Northern Ireland.

'I think that's a strategic mistake for people who want to preserve the Union, because if you continue to impose things on Northern Ireland that a clear majority of people in Northern Ireland don't want, more people will turn away from the Union.

'It's a peculiar policy coming from a government that purports to want to defend the Union.'

Mr Varadkar added that, in his political lifetime, he had 'never seen relations as bad' with UK ministers.

He claimed that Ms Truss and Mr Lewis were trying to 'say a square is a circle' with their recent comments about the Protocol.

He also urged the UK Government to 'de-escalate' the crisis over the Protocol, which Mr Johnson initially agreed with the EU in October 2019.

'What the British government is doing now is very undemocratic and very disrespectful to people in Northern Ireland because its taking that power away from the Assembly, and saying that British ministers can override sections of the Protocol,' Mr Varadkar said.

'Thats what I find shocking and hard to accept. The British government wants to impose solutions on Northern Ireland that most people in Northern Ireland dont want. Weve had this happen twice now.

'If you make a treaty and youre an honourable country or an honourable government, you have to honour it, and you have to abide by international law. The approach they are taking is wrong.

'It is not normal for a democratic government in a respected country to sign a treaty and then try to pass domestic legislation to override it.'
A university student who was found dead after a month-long search by police had run away from his parents in a prank that turned tragic, an inquest heard.

Film student Charley Gadd, 20, was found in the River Irwell in Salford, Manchester, on January 10 this year.

He had been on a night out with parents Jolyon and Kimberley Gadd at The Warehouse Project in Manchester city centre on December 11 last year but later 'ran off' from them.

His father, Jolyon, said he had already run away from them once that night as a joke.

He said: 'I went chasing after him, running a couple of blocks. He fell over and I picked him up.

'He found it really funny that I was so unfit and we walked off arm in arm. Then we went to get something for him to eat, but he ran off again.'

Mr Gadd was last seen by his family near the Spar Store on St Mary's Gate, Manchester, at around 1.10am on December 11.

A university student who was found dead after a month-long search by police had run away from his parents in a prank that turned tragic, an inquest heard. Film student Charley Gadd, 20, was found in the River Irwell in Salford, Manchester, on January 10 this year

They spent hours desperately trying to find him before reporting him missing to police.

CCTV footage showed him outside Manchester's Royal Exchange theatre, heading towards St Anne Street, just before 1.15am.

He was then seen in a small car park to the rear of apartment block Alberton House which overlooks the River Irwell.

Mr Gadd was seen walking across the car park, which had a steep drop into the River Irwell. He was not seen leaving.

Giving evidence at Stockport Coroners Court, Police Coroners Officer David Wood, of Greater Manchester Police, said: 'It would have been impossible to know that under the car park was water.'

He had been on a night out with parents Jolyon and Kimberley Gadd at The Warehouse Project in Manchester city centre on December 11 last year but later 'ran off' from them. Above: CCTV footage of Mr Gadd

Police carried out a 'serious investigation' with a huge search effort across the city centre after he was reported missing. They then discovered his body.

PCO Wood was present on January 10 when Mr Gadd was identified by another officer using an ID and bank card found in his wallet.

The court heard how Consultant Pathologist Dr Andrew Yates carried out a post mortem examination and said he could see signs consistent with Mr Gadd being immersed in water for a long time.

A toxicologist report showed he had some alcohol present in his body.

Senior Coroner Alison Mutch said to his parents: 'There was nothing you could do to change what happened, it is one of those tragic accidents that sometimes life brings.'

She said from what she knew of Mr Gadd that he seemed to be 'delightful' and told them: 'He clearly burnt very brightly in the time he was part of your family and he will always be part of your family.'

Police carried out a 'serious investigation' with a huge search effort across the city centre after he was reported missing. They then discovered his body.

Summarising the tragedy, she said: 'This is such a very, very sad situation, particularly for Charley's family who have lost a beloved son and a beloved brother. It's clear that Charley was a very intelligent young man, with a very bright future in front of him.

'He was very close with his parents who had a very loving relationship, they had music in common and had been to various music venues together including Wembley, Brighton and then Manchester in December.

'It's clear that on the night in question Charley was messing around and ran off and sadly became completely disorientated in a city that he was unfamiliar with. I can only imagine the anguish his parents felt that night looking for Charley and wondering what on earth to do.'

Mr Gadd, of Sudbury, Suffolk, was a student at the University of Essex.

Ms Mutch went on to say that the evidence sadly showed Mr Gadd had gone into the River Irwell and once he was in the water it had been impossible to get out.

She said: 'At that time of year it would have been very challenging to get out. I am satisfied it was a complete accident that happened due to a series of bad luck.

'The car park was dark and he would have been able to see the bright lights on the other side but would have had no idea there was a river between him and the bright lights.'

Ms Mutch gave her sincere condolences to his parents and to the rest of his family, including his brothers.

She said although he had consumed alcohol it was not at a toxic or fatal level.

'I record Charley died as a consequence of drowning and record his death as an accidental death,' she added.

His father added: 'He packed a huge amount into a tragically short life. I was hugely proud of him. I could not have been prouder.'
Tourists were warned they will receive 25 fines if caught breaking the rules

Barcelona introduced a smoking ban on every beach in the city from today

Pre-pandemic more than 18 million Brits a year heading to the country each year

Brits heading for holiday in Barcelona could be fined for smoking on the beach

Brits heading for a summer holiday in Barcelona will be fined if they smoke on the beach.

The UK is one of the leading sources of tourism for Spain, with more than 18 million Brits a year heading to the country before the pandemic.

Barcelona has introduced a smoking ban on every beach in the city from today with tourists warned of 25 fines if they break the rules.

The city said: 'This ban is based on environmental protection and the right of citizens to enjoy a clean public space, free of smoke and cigarette butts.'

Brits heading for a summer holiday in Barcelona could be fined for smoking on the beach. Pictured: People cool off in the water during warm weather on a beach in Barcelona, on June 19

A pilot scheme last year led to a huge reduction in rubbish left on beaches, including cigarette butts.

Cigarette butts are one of the most harmful pollutants, containing a non-biodegradable plastic polymer that releases toxic compounds.

Analysis done by the European Environment Agency in 2018 found cigarette butts and the filters inside them to be among the most commonly found items on Europe's beaches.

The harm done by cigarette butts has been widely reported, with scientists warning that nicotine, metals and benzene contained within them may seep out.

Spain is set to ban smoking on all of its beaches months after a petition was signed by more than 283,000 people and delivered to the government. Pictured: A sign saying that smoking is prohibited on July 11, 2020 in Sanxenxo, Galicia, Spain (File photo)

Pictured: A beach in Barcelona with a ban on throwing cigarettes onto the sand

This can contaminate soil and aquatic habitats, with filters also being a serious risk to marine life, as they can be swallowed by animals.

Other regions in Europe have also moved to ban smoking on beaches, including some areas of southern France and Sardinia.

Although Barcelona is one of the only cities to enforce a blanket ban on smoking on the beach, it could be a policy rolled out across the whole country.

A law passed last year that allowed councils to fine offenders up to 1,700.

There are already some places in Spain that ban smoking on beaches.

Majorca's Santa Ponsa, La Romana (Paguera) and Carregador (Palmanova) all have bans with 1,700 fines in place.
A foul-mouthed Florida judge is facing suspension without pay after telling a defendant: 'I asked you a f**king question, a**hole.'

Judge Wayne Culver of Seminole County could be out of work for 60 days following two instances where he was rude to defendants.

The motion to suspend the judge came months after the February 10, 2022, incident, where Culver angrily threatened defendant Kevin Newton, 50, with contempt of court for disrupting a proceeding.

Newton can be seen in the video entering the court late and proceeded to look in both directions for a seat and muttering: 'Everything is taken,' despite the various open spaces in the pews.

Newton's sister Sabrina told Fox 35 Orlando that there was 'blue tape on the benches, so we didnt know where to sit because of COVID.'

However, the father-of-two lashed out: 'Sir, I'm doing something. Can you shut up and sit down?'

Newton replied: 'Absolutely. I'm just trying to find a seat.'

Culver sat stiffly in his judge's robes with his hands crossed over one another on the desk and angrily retorted: 'That's not shutting up.'

Video footage showed Newton making his way through the pews and choosing a spot off-camera, keeping quiet.

Culver, who has only been on the county's bench since January 2021, was unhappy with the defendant's lack of response and threatened to charge him with contempt of court and to 'go to jail,' to which Newton remained silent.

'I asked you a f**king question, a**hole,' Culver, who was an assistant public defender for 11 years prior, snapped. Newton politely replied that he didn't want to go to jail and the judge replied: 'Then shut up.'

Judge Wayne Culver could be out of work for 60 days following two instances where he was rude to defendants, including one where he said: 'I asked you a f**king question, a**hole'

The proceeding continued on without any other interruptions in the short 50-second clip.

When Newton's case was ready to be presented to Culver, he admonished the defendant and told him to 'show up on time at the next court date,' documents filed by the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission read.

Newton reportedly told the judge that he was 'sorry' and 'did not want to interrupt your courtroom.'

The judge, who graduated from Boston's Suffolk University School of Law in 2000, then reportedly apologized to the alleged criminal and told him: 'That's the first time I've lost my temper with somebody,' according to the judicial documents.

In a meeting with the Judicial Qualifications Commissions, Culver admitted his actions were 'undignified and discourteous.'

'He regrets that his conduct reflects negatively on the judiciary and the judicial system,' the documents read.

The motion to suspend the judge came months after the February 10, 2022, incident, where Culver angrily threatened defendant Kevin Newton, 50, (pictured in light-colored button-down) with contempt of court for disrupting a proceeding.

Newton was looking for a seat and told his sister: 'Everything is taken,' as parts of the pews had blue tape on them for social distancing. Culver snapped at him and threatened to charge him with contempt of court

Newton's sister Sabrina, who was with him at court that day, told Fox 35 Orlando that her brother choose not to speak out of fear or retaliation.

'This judge let his personal feelings take over, she told Fox 35 Orlando. 'I was scared to react in any kind of way because I didnt want to go to jail!'

Culver was also under investigation for a January 25, 2022, incident, where he jailed another male defendant for more than 500 days for contempt of court.

He was presiding over a 'final injunction' in a dating violence case when the shackled respondent, who was representing himself, interrupted the female petitioner.

The respondent reportedly told the judge: 'That's not correct, sir.'

Culver was having none of it and told the respondent that every time he interrupts the petitioner or the court again, he will tack on a contempt of court charge, which equals 179 days in jail, and add on an additional six-month sentence.

Snippy Florida judge is a one-time criminal who stole his friend's car at 18 as a prank but had a spotless record on the bench until his courtroom outburst Judge Wayne Culver appears to have a spotless social media presence, with nothing but dotting photos of his two young children and his loving wife and posts supporting his friend's endeavors. However, before Culver was deciding criminals' fates as a Seminole County judge, he got his own taste of jail at the ripe age of 18 - but only for a night. The former public defender told the Orlando Sentinel in 2018 that he was arrested in 1987 for stealing his friend's car as a prank. Culver hopped into the driver's seat of his friend's car and took off, driving around until he accidentally rolled into a pit of sand near a construction site, he told the Orlando Sentinel in 2018. He was arrested for reckless driving and vehicle theft and spent the night in jail. 'I was kind of playing a prank on my friend, but the prank was on me,' he told the newspaper. 'I spent a night in this jail and I never came back [to jail],' he said. 'You can make up for it. Do bad things, you make up for it.' The Jacksonville native hasn't been arrested since. He went on to own a private law firm for almost four years before spending 11 years as a public defender. He has been a judge in Seminole County since January 2021. Advertisement

He also told the respondent that what he was saying would be 'the most important words you'll ever hear as long as you live as a[n] organism on this planet,' the documents read.

'Every time you interrupt her, or any time you interrupt me - and you're not even letting me finish my sentence - every time you do it, I'm going to hold you in contempt and I'm gonna give you 179 days in jail. And every time you do it, I'm gonna add a consecutive six-month sentence - you keep on interrupting us, you're going to have to have the jail renamed after you,' Culver snapped.

When it was time for the alleged abuser to make his statement to the court, Culver reportedly told him he had 'reached the end of my patience' and didn't 'believe anything that you're telling me.'

Culver then cut the hearing short and issued a ruling that would prevent the man from making any further statements or presenting evidence, the documents said.

He later filed that the alleged abuser was in 'direct criminal contempt' and sentenced him to 537 days in jail for contempt. He also failed to file the 'required written judgment of guilty with specific factual findings' required by law and failed to tell the defendant he could appeal the decision within 30 days.

However, moments after issuing the 500-day sentence, he reportedly realized - while still on the bench - that it was 'legally improper' and changed the consecutive ruling to concurrent, reducing the sentence to 179 days.

Culver vacated the sentence and dropped the contempt orders on May 12, according to court documents.

Attorney Mark OMara, who knew Culver before he was on the bench, said he 'personally' liked the man and thought he was a 'good judge' having a 'bad day.'

'The problem with judges, like lawyers, you have to be good even on a bad day,' he told Fox 35 Orlando.

The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission issued a recommendation for Culver to complete an 'anger management course, sensitivity training, and professionalism training' during his unpaid suspension.

The final decision is pending and will be made by the Florida Supreme Court.
NASA gave hints of what the first operational images from the James Webb Space Telescope would be.

According to NASA administrator Bill Nelson, the $10-billion deep space observatory will first bring back "the deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken."

NASA and its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, will unveil the first batch of full-color images beamed by the Webb telescope in a much-anticipated event on July 12. The deep space observatory is the largest and most powerful space telescope, and scientists indicated it could revolutionize our knowledge of the cosmos.

Read Also: James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Phenomenal Image of Stars

Webb to Show Earliest Objects Ever Seen

Nelson added that the image will present the earliest objects ever seen, though not mentioning what these early-universe objects Webb will train its gigantic lenses on, nor how old these objects are. He only said the image will be " farther than humanity has ever looked before, and we're only beginning to understand what Webb can and will do," he stressed in a Space.com report.

This image is expected to supersede a series of deep image fields from the Hubble Space Telescope that would show galaxies in our universe that formed close to a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, which happened about 13.7 billion years ago.

Nelson gave his remarks at a media event at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which oversees operations of the Webb Space Telescope. The NASA official discussed Webb's forthcoming operational image release set or July 12 along with the range of the earliest science probes the observatory will make, including objects from the solar system, exoplanets, the early universe and a host of other targets.

Webb to Reveal Expolanet Spectrum

Other images expected on July 12 will be a first spectrum of an exoplanet, notes Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's science mission directorate during the same event. This spectra, which gauges the amount of light emitted at certain wavelengths, typically offer hints of a planet's chemistry, which provide facts about its formation history.

It is worth noting that Webb is optimized to observe large gas giant planets and will likely not be able to get too much data from rocky, terrain-full worlds that might host life as we know it, as indicated from past NASA advisories. These images could offer new insights into the atmospheres and chemical makeup of other exoplanets in the cosmos.

How to View Webb Images During their Release

The U.S. space agency's first science-quality images from the deep space observatory will be released July 12 at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) and will be webcast live on NASA's website and social media channels.

Webb is completing checks on its four scientific instruments for operation its launching into space on Dec. 25, 2021.

The Webb telescope continues to send back data ahead of the July 12 event. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said she was impressed with what she has seen so far, NBC News reported.

Related Article: James Webb Space Telescope to Help Study Sub-Neptunes - What are They?
Meghan Markle is suffering serious delusions if she truly believes that she will ever become President of the United States of America.

There, I said it.

Now can we please stop entertaining this abject stupidity?

The first inklings of this ridiculous idea surfaced in 2020 when 'a close friend of the royal' told Vanity Fair that 'The Duchess' refused to give up her American citizenship, because she had designs on the White House.

Last year, she fueled the fantasy again with reports that she was networking with senior Democrats.

After the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, she arrived out of the blue for a tasteless photo-op at a memorial for the victims.

And this week she set the rumor mill spinning again when she sat down with feminist icon Gloria Steinem for an interview with Vogue Magazine -- arguably the least influential political magazine in the country -- to talk about the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe V. Wade.

Meghan recounted Prince Harry's 'guttural' reaction to ruling, because 'my husband is a feminist.'

She went on to say that she and Gloria will be 'taking a trip to DC together soon.'

Yes -- I'm sure you will.

I didn't always feel this way about Meghan.

I, like millions of other Americans, first heard her name when she got engaged to Prince Harry.

Meghan Markle is suffering serious delusions if she truly believes that she will ever become President of the United States of America

You want to be president and make it to the Emerald City? You got to make your way through Oz first and there's nothing glamorous about that. (Left) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump eating a pork chop on a stick while campaigning at the Iowa State Fair on August 15, 2015 (Right) Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at the Iowa State Fair on August 10, 2019

Everything about their relationship seemed hopeful and positive. Their union appeared to symbolize progress and modernity.

Meghan is older than Harry, divorced and biracial. She appeared to be independent and vocal about the world in a way that we had not seen among other modern royals.

It was exciting for Americans to finally share in the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding. (Unless you count Jay-Z and Beyonce.)

But four years later, my opinion of both has shifted.

I didn't understand their need to air all the royal dirty laundry to Oprah like a confessional in an episode of The Kardashians.

But I still felt inclined to publicly support Meghan because the allegations of racism in the Royal Family were so disturbing.

Then Prince Harry started trashing his new adoptive country, as Meghan cheered him on.

He called the First Amendment 'bonkers' and it went on from there with increasingly woke and judgmental rhetoric about conservative values and anything that wasn't straight out of the Obama ideological playbook.

In fact, Harry and Meghan don't really do much of anything anymore except sign podcasts deals that fail to produce podcasts and bitch about everything that is wrong with America.

Which brings us back to Meghan's alleged presidential ambitions.

First, it is a privilege to run for President of the United States and these are desperate times in our country.

Markle (left) set the rumor mill spinning again when she sat down with feminist icon Gloria Steinem (right) for an interview with Vogue Magazine

After the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, she arrived out of the blue for a tasteless photo-op at a memorial for the victims

We need more than an ex-C list actress-turned-royal with no civic or political experience to speak of.

Marrying a prince doesn't make you a leader. It makes you a celebrity and I thought Democrats were sick and tired of celebrity presidents.

To be president you have to put yourself in the shoes of good and decent American voters. The same people that they seem to constantly disparage.

Meghan and Harry epitomize the out of touch, hypocritical liberal who lectures us about environmentalism while flying around on gas-guzzling private jets.

Second  and most obviously  she doesnt have what it takes.

You want to be president and make it to the Emerald City? You got to make your way through Oz first and there's nothing glamorous about that.

You will be spending all your time on the move -- on buses or commercial planes.

Forget about your private jet or even first-class. That'll be seen for what it is - elitist.

You'll be stopping at road-side cafes, VFW halls and the homes of ordinary citizens, who are nice enough to support your campaign.

You'll talk to voters at firehouses, local town meetings, pancake breakfasts, and literally everything in between.

You will be eating whatever is available, which more often than not are donuts and fast-food breakfasts.

That's right -- no keto, organic or artisanal anything.

You will go to the Iowa State Fair and eat deep-fried Oreos (though on second thought -- that may make this entire delusion ordeal worth it).

Most of your day will be spent with a small team of advisors. But the most talented ones will have already hitched their wagons to a candidate with better prospects.

You will have to stand in front of packed rooms and convince voters why you are the best choice and answer difficult questions.

Questions that I am certain you have never thought about like: How do you feel about ethanol in Iowa? How will you help veterans suffering from the devastating effects of exposure to burn pits? What are you going to do about the humanitarian crisis at the southern border?

And maybe most difficult of all for you: Why should Americans want a British Royal as our first First Gentleman?

People will tell you how much they hate you to your face and that they have no reason to trust you.

You will go to the Iowa State Fair (above) and eat deep-fried Oreos (though on second thought -- that may make this entire delusion ordeal worth it)

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Cory Booker eats a deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the Iowa State Fair on August 10, 2019

You will get sweaty, your makeup won't stay in place, you won't be able to wear $6,000 designer outfits.

You will go to places like Sioux Falls, Sioux City, Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, Greenville, South Carolina and tiny towns in the south.

You will go to sad regions of Nevada that have been savaged by the broken promises of past politicians. Places filled with people weighed down by years of shattered dreams.

You will have to check your ego at the door because none of this is about you. This is about making our country a better place.

Oh, and your children, of whom you are so protective, will be in the spotlight.

The American public will expect you to bring them on the campaign trail and on stage at your rallies. America elects a president and a first family.

Now, does this sound like something that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will subject themselves to?

Of course not.

Meghan, trust me, you don't want to run for president. And I can assure you, the American public doesn't have any interest in voting for you anyway.

I suggest you stick to giving softball interviews and showing up to cocktail parties.

That's what you're good at  you are royalty, remember.
A gang of alleged Afghan people smugglers including a woman suspected of multiple counts of manslaughter was today being held in connection with the deaths of 27 UK-bound migrants in the English Channel.

Prosecutors in France confirmed on Friday that the 10 suspects were being linked with the horrific crime that unfolded last November.

There were only two survivors after an inflatable dinghy collapsed as it tried to reach the coast of England.

Investigators believe that the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had taken 2500 each from all on board for their illegal passage to the UK.

She has now been charged with multiple counts of 'manslaughter, involuntary wounding, putting lives in danger, and assisting foreigners in staying in France illegally as part of a criminal gang,' said an investigating source.

Nine others who were involved in the network  including some Pakistanis originally from Afghanistan and two French nationals  also face a range of charges in relation to people smuggling.

'All were part of an Afghan network which was set up after the Taliban regained power in their country last August,' said the source.

'They were responding to a huge illegal market in Afghans who wanted to get out of Afghanistan when the war ended, and the Americans left.'

A picture of the flimsy and dangerous dinghy that sank off Calais in November 2021, killing 27 people including seven women - one of whom was pregnant - and three children. 15 people have now been arrested in relation to this incident

Many of the migrants who were on the inflatable dinghy last November were young men from Afghanistan (pictured)

Almost 13,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year

Four Afghans perished on the boat in the Channel, along with 16 Iraqi Kurds, three Ethiopians, one Somali, one Egyptian and one Vietnamese migrant.

All were victims of a scandal that has seen hundreds of small boats crossing, and apparently leaving both the French and British governments powerless to stop it.

Police arrested 15 people  two women and 13 men  in connection with the Afghan network during coordinated raid across France on Monday morning.

Five have since been released without charge, while the rest remain in secure police stations in the Paris areas.

American forces left Afghanistan in August 2021, following a two decades of conflict against the Taliban and associated terrorist groups.

Withdrawal led to a vast exodus of Afghans, including many with close links to the British Army.

Many have relatives already in the UK, and speak English, meaning they want to settle in Britain after claiming asylum.

This prompts many of them to try and get across the Channel after paying people smugglers who prey on the migrant camps that have sprung up along the northern coast of France.

French police made 15 arrests over Sunday and Monday, but five people were released without charge (pictured French officers patrolling a beach near Calais)

A French sea rescue boat was seen carrying the bodies of migrants recovered off the coast of Calais after the tragedy which saw at least 27 migrants, including five women and a girl, drown as they tried to cross the Channel

Almost 2,800 migrants have been intercepted crossing the Channel this month - more than the entire figure for 2020

Boris Johnson (left) told Emmanuel Macron (right) that British boots are needed on the ground in France to stop evil slave gangs 'getting away with murder' after at the 27 migrants drowned in the deadliest-ever Channel crossing

Migrants were seen crossing the channel the very next day after 27 people drowned the day before

Only two people survived the disaster in November, which sparked tension between the British and French governments.

President Emmanuel Macron vowed France would not allow the Channel to become a 'cemetery'.

France urged Britain to help more with cracking down on people-smuggling gangs, with Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin saying: 'We need intelligence. Responses to requests from the French police are not always given.'

The rebuke followed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's proposal to send back all migrants and asylum seekers who land in England to France, a move rejected by Paris.

Following Britain's departure from the European Union, it does not have a returns treaty with France or the wider EU.

The spat added to a litany of post-Brexit rows between the two sides, which also include a dispute on fishing rights in the Channel which at times threatened to spill over into a full-blown trade war.

Despite a more conciliatory tone since, and promises of more cooperation, the number of migrants seeking to cross the Channel from France to England surged in the first half of this year, according to the French interior ministry.
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Australia's so-called 'First Lady' Jodie Haydon has launched a beaming charm offensive to win over French President Emmanuel Macron as she and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received a warm welcome in Paris on Friday.

Ms Haydon stood out from the blue-clad crowd in her vibrant hot pink dress as she exchanged laughs and smiles with President Macron and his wife Brigitte, in stark contrast to the frosty reception he gave former prime minister Scott Morrison.

At one stage, the French President kissed Ms Haydon's hand, who also laughed and joked with his wife as they stood on the steps of the Elysee Palace.

The meeting was a diplomatic coup to repair the fractured relationship after Mr Morrison's surprise decision to dump Australia's $90 billion submarine contract with France last year.

The move prompted President Macron to accuse Mr Morrison of lying to him over the deal, and led to an embarrassing leak of private text messages which threatened to spark an international incident.

But the change in Australian government has won over the French, with President Macron declaring Mr Albanese was 'not responsible' for the submarine debacle.

Jodie Haydon and French First Lady Brigitte Macron share a light moment as they pose for a picture outside the Elysee Palace

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's partner Jodie Haydon seemed to be on a mission to charm their French counterparts, holding hands with President Emmanuel Macron at one point

Mr Macron also dismissed speculation about demands for Australia to apologise for the scrapped deal, insisting the relationship was now moving forward.

'He's not responsible for what happened,' President Macron said.

'We speak of the future, not the past.'

Mr Albanese declared 'a new start for our countries' relationship' and said he was proud to stand alongside Mr Macron 'to commit to deepening our collaboration in defence and security, resilience and climate, and education and culture'.

'Australia's relationship with France matters. Trust, respect and honesty matters. That is how I will approach our relations,' he added.

Emmanuel Macron declared Anthony Albanese 'is not responsible' for the submarine debacle. When asked if Australia should apologise for the scrapped deal, Mr Macron said the relationship was moving forward

Relations between Emmanuel Macron and Anthony Albanese were clearly warm with the leaders sharing backslaps, handshakes and smiles as they greeted each other outside the official residence of the French president

Anthony Albanese is greeted by Emmanuel Macron along with their partners Jodie Haydon and Brigitte Macron at Elysee Palace

The PM had earlier not ruled out making a humbling formal apology to Mr Macron over the submarine furore, declaring 'everyone should be able to trust me'.

During a press conference on Thursday, Mr Albanese didn't directly answer a question when asked if he would say sorry to France over the cancelled contract.

'I look forward to having a constructive relationship with President Macron,' he said.

'I've made it very clear what my position is about the way in which Australia engaged at a leadership level with friends.

'What I want to do though is to make sure that we can move forward ... It should be a relationship where we can rely upon each other ... in which we can trust each other and mutually benefit.'

When asked if French businesses could trust him after the 'betrayal' and 'deception' over the submarine contract under the previous coalition government, Mr Albanese said 'absolutely'.

The Morrison government decided to scrap the contract for 12 French submarines last year in favour of nuclear-powered submarines, as part of the AUKUS partnership with the UK and US.

Mr Macron later told Australian journalists 'I don't think, I know' when asked if he thought Mr Morrison had lied to him in his handling of the issue.

Relations between Emmanuel Macron and Anthony Albanese, as well as their partners, appeared to be very warm during the meeting

Jodie Haydon laughs as she shares a joke with the group

Earlier Anthony Albanese didn't rule out formally apologising to Emmanuel Macron over the submarine furore, declaring 'everyone should be able to trust me'

In his first phone call with his new Australian counterpart after the May election, Mr Macron reminded Mr Albanese of what Paris described as a 'severe breach of trust'.

The Australian government will pay French shipbuilder Naval Group $835 million as part of a final $3.4billion compensation package over the decision to tear up the subs contract.

The Prime Minister said he would also discuss a free trade deal with Europe during his meeting with Mr Macron, and that the two leaders would have 'more to say' afterwards.

The Morrison government's cancellation of $90 billion deal to buy 12 submarines from French shipbuilder Naval Group caused an abiding rift between Australia and France

Emmanuel Macron (left) even accused former prime minister Scott Morrison of lying in the fallout of the cancelled submarine contract

Anthony Albanese's time in Paris got off to wet start when he and Jodie Haydon landed at Charles de Gaulle airport

'President Macron wants to have a good relationship with Australia, and Australia wants to have a good relationship with him,' Mr Albanese said.

The fractured relations between the nations are one of two reasons negotiations for the trade deal have stalled, the other being a lack of climate change action by Australia.

Mr Albanese also met with France's peak business body, Mouvement des Entreprises de France, to discuss investment opportunities in Australia.

Meanwhile, Mr Albanese is awaiting security advice on whether he can safely visit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, after an invitation by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
A New York City man wanted for the brutal triple murder of his girlfriend, her son and their family friend has now been arrested in Maine, a week after the corpses were found decomposing in a Queens home.

Travis Blake, 29, was arrested in Bar Harbor, Maine, yesterday, 500 miles from the Queens home of his girlfriend Karlene Barnett.

Barnett, 55, was found dead in the basement of the house on June 24 after a relative called 911.

Police entered her home in Queens to find her stabbed multiple times.

Travis Blake, 29, was arrested in Bar Harbor, Maine, yesterday, 500 miles from the Queens home of his girlfriend Karlene Barnett. He is seen entering the home on June 21, three days before the bodies were found

Her 36-year-old son Dervon Brightly was lying near her dead from an unspecified head injury.

Their family friend, 22-year-old Vashawna Malcolm, was found lying face down on a bed in the home.

It's unclear how she died but police say there were visible signs of trauma to her body.

Karlene Barnett, the man's girlfriend, was found stabbed to death in the basement of her home. Her 36-year-old son Dervon Brightly, right, was found nearby. He died from a head wound

Their family friend, 22-year-old Vashawna Malcolm, was found lying face down on a bed in the home

Blake fled the home and traveled to Maine. He was seen leaving the home on surveillance camera footage.

He was taken into custody in Maine yesterday and is now being transported back to New York to face charges.

A court date has not been scheduled. His motive remains unclear.

The New York Daily News reports that he is a member of the military, but no active or past service record for him has yet emerged.

An NYPD spokesman told DailyMail.com that he was in the process of being transported back to New York from Maine.

He will then be formally charged.

Blake was arrested in Bar Harbor, Maine, on June 30, a week after the bodies were found in New York. It's unclear how he made his way there
Two Indian women have been arrested at an airport for attempting to smuggle more than 100 live animals including armadillos, porcupines and snakes.

The creatures were discovered when Nithya Raja, 38, and Zakia Sulthana, 24, passed through X-ray machines at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport in Thailand on Sunday night as they were bound to Chennai in India.

Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, with animals often bound for Vietnam or China where they are used in traditional medicines.

Officers discovered 50 chameleons, 35 turtles, 20 snakes, two armadillos and two white porcupines stuffed into a pair of bags belonging to the women.

Two Indian women have been arrested at an airport for attempting to smuggle more than 100 live animals including armadillos, porcupines and snake

The creatures were discovered when Nithya Raja, 38, and Zakia Sulthana, 24, passed through X-ray machines at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport in Thailand on Sunday night as they were bound to Chennai in India

Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, with animals often bound for Vietnam or China where they are used in traditional medicines

Officers discovered 50 chameleons, 35 turtles, 20 snakes, two armadillos and two white porcupines stuffed into a pair of bags belonging to the women

Two dead iguanas were also found and all of the reptiles were suffering from dehydration.

The creatures are being treated and will be moved to an animal centre or breeding facility, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said.

Sathon Konggoen, chief of the airport's wildlife inspection office, said: 'This kind of case has happened many times because the animals have expensive price tags in India.

The creatures are being treated for dehydration and will be moved to an animal centre or breeding facility, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said

The animals are believed to have been bred in Thailand and would be worth around 200,000 baht ($5,600)

Thai wildlife officials removed at least six boxes of live animals from the women's suitcases

Sathon Konggoen, chief of the airport's wildlife inspection office, said: 'This kind of case has happened many times because the animals have expensive price tags in India'

He added: 'Animal trafficking is usually detected at the Thai-Myanmar borders and domestic airports to a certain extent.' Pictured: One box included a white porcupine

'Animal trafficking is usually detected at the Thai-Myanmar borders and domestic airports to a certain extent.'

He estimated that the animals, believed to have been bred in Thailand, would be worth around 200,000 baht ($5,600).

The two women have been charged with violations of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, the Animal Epidemics Act and the Customs Act.

They are being detained at a police station at the airport.
A woman has died and a young boy is fighting for his life after a horror crash with a logging truck on an outback road in Australia.

Emergency services were called to Wye, south of Mount Gambier in South Australia, on Friday at 12:30pm after a truck and a car collided.

The driver, a 38-year-old woman from Western Australia, died at the scene.

Emergency services were called to the intersection at Donovans and Glenelg River roads in Wye, south of Mount Gambier in South Australia, where a car and logging truck had collided (pictured)

The driver, a 38-year-old woman from Western Australia died at the scene while an eight-year-old boy in the back of the car suffered serious injures (pictured, emergency services at the scene of the accident)

An eight-year-old boy who was sitting in the rear of the car suffered serious injuries and was airlifted more than 450km to the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide.

A 36-year-old man who was a front seat passenger suffered minor injures and was taken to the local hospital along with a six-year-old boy and a five-year-old-girl who were sitting in the back of the car.

Police said the truck driver, 58, was uninjured in the smash and was assisting investigators with their inquiries.

Major crash investigators arrived at the scene of the fatal crash at 6pm.

The intersection at Donovans and Glenelg River roads remains closed in all directions as investigators examine the crash site.

Police have urged motorists to avoid the area.

Emergency services were also called to a second crash site at Owens Road, Hamley Bridge at 4:45pm on Friday after a car drove off the road and rolled.
The first lawsuits have been filed only days after an Amtrak train collision and derailment in rural Missouri that left four people dead and injured up to 150 others.

Amtrak and BNSF Railway Company filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the concrete contracting company that owns the dump truck hit Monday by the passenger train, the Kansas City Star reported.

That lawsuit blames MS Contracting, of Brookfield, Missouri, for the crash, saying the train was 'clearly visible' and that truck driver was careless in crossing the tracks.

Phone calls to MS Contracting rang unanswered Friday morning.

The crossing where the collision occurred has no lights, signals or gates to warn of an approaching train.

Four people died and 150 people were hospitalized with injuries. Two of the victims were sisters traveling with their mom

The collision occurred at the uncontrolled Porch Prairie Avenue gravel road crossing, which has no electronic warning devices or gates, officials said

Before the crash, area residents had expressed concerns about the safety of the crossing, described by locals and a federal transportation safety official as very steep.

Chariton County leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years, presiding county commissioner Evan Emmerich said this week.

The truck driver, Billy Barton II, 54, of Brookfield, died in the collision, along with three passengers on the train. His widow, Erin Barton, also sued Thursday, filing a wrongful-death lawsuit in state court against Chariton County and a BNSF official that cited the crossing as unsafe.

The lawsuit alleges the crossing had impaired 'sight triangles' and an 'excessively small crossing angle where the road and the tracks intersect.'

One person in the dump truck, presumed to be the driver, was killed in the collision. The truck's chassis is seen above

A broken truck axle was photographed close to the track in the aftermath. It's still unclear why the truck was in the crossing

The Amtrak train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it collided with a dump truck at a public crossing in Mendon, Missouri and derailed

It also says the cross had other impairments, including 'sloped approaches' and vegetation that blocked the view of oncoming trains.

'These conditions at the crossing created an ultra-hazardous crossing,' the lawsuit alleges. 'These conditions had existed for years before June 27, 2022.'

Chariton County Attorney Brandon Shelton did not immediately return a phone message left Friday morning by The Associated Press seeking comment on the lawsuit.

A Missouri farmer said he thinks the crash could have been prevented if they'd install signal lights at the crossing.

According the MODOT's 2022 State Freight and Pail plan, released on February, the Porche Prairie Road intersection in Mendon was set to get installation lights and gates, as well as roadway improvements, but it had yet to be done

Mike Spencer, 64, said he had long been advocating for safety upgraded at crossings in Mendon, Missouri, where the intersection at Porche Prairie Avenue had been slated for improvements for four months before the train's collision with the dump truck.

'They knew it was unsafe,' Spencer told the Kansas City Star. 'That was pretty much a no-brainer... I predicted this was going to happen. I was certain this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.'

'They knew it was unsafe,' Spencer said. 'That was pretty much a no-brainer... I predicted this was going to happen. I was certain this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time.'

Two train passengers - Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas, died at the scene.

Two sisters among the victims in the deadly Missouri Amtrak wreck were on a trip together with their mother and one of their daughters' for a first vacation away in many years. Rachelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56 (pictured center), were both from Desoto, Kansas and became one of the four dead in the awful crash that's injured another 150 people, including Rachelle and Kim's mother and Kim's daughter (pictured far left and far right)

Nearly 300 people were on board the train, including crew members. Photos of the crash show passengers helping others climb out of the train windows

A third passenger, 82-year-old Binh Phan, of Kansas City, Missouri, died Tuesday at a hospital. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said up to 150 people also were injured.

The Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit the truck near Mendon. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed.

Amtrak officials said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that the train was going about 87 mph, under the 90 mph speed limit, when the collision happened.
The first same-sex couples tied the knot in Switzerland on Friday following a referendum that changed the landscape for gay rights in the country.

Among the first to get married were Aline, 46, and Laure, 45, who have been together for 21 years and converted their civil union into marriage at the plush Palais Eynard in Geneva.

Beneath a sparkling chandelier in a mirrored salon, and with a dozen or so close friends and family in attendance, the couple exchanged touching words recalling their years together and love for each other.

Switzerland is one of the last remaining western European nations to adopt same-sex marriages. Pictured: Laure (left) and Aline kiss each other after their wedding ceremony in Geneva

Luca Morreale (left) and Stefano Perfetti kiss after converting their registered partnership into marriage, at the registry office in Zurich on Friday, July 1, 2022

Laura Suarez (left) and Annett Babinsky celebrated their marriage on July 1 after the new law came into effect

Xavier (left) and Daniel cut the cake after their wedding ceremony in Geneva after the Marriage For All Swiss law entered into force today

Holding hands throughout the ceremony, they signed the official documents, followed by their witnesses.

'I am now very pleased to announce that you are officially married,' said the Mayor of Geneva, Marie Barbey-Chappuis, who conducted the first ceremony in person.

The room burst into applause as the couple exchanged a kiss.

The Swiss government's plans to introduce 'marriage for all' were challenged by opponents, who successfully triggered a referendum on the issue that was held last September.

However, 64.1 per cent of voters backed the introduction of same-sex marriage, paving the way for the ceremonies today.

After the first marriage today Barbey-Chappuis said: 'It was very moving. It's a big moment and sends a very strong message to society - being free to love and be loved.

'The symbolism was particularly strong and the emotion too.

'It was high time that marriage became perfectly equal in Switzerland.

'It marks a moment in the history of Switzerland and of the institution of marriage.'

Switzerland is the 17th country in Europe to adopt same-sex marriages. The Netherlands was the first to make the change in 2001.

Yet across the world same-sex marriage remains unrecognised or illegal in 84 per cent of countries.

Across the world same-sex marriage remains unrecognised or illegal in 84 per cent of countries

Laure and Aline exchange vows in Geneva during their wedding ceremony in front of Mayor of Geneva Marie Barbey-Chappuis

Switzerland decriminalised homosexuality in 1942. Before Friday, same-sex couples could only register a civil partnership

In a country-wide referendum 64.1 per cent of voters backed the introduction of same-sex marriage

Switzerland decriminalised homosexuality in 1942. Before Friday, same-sex couples could only register a civil partnership.

Yet that status does not provide the same rights as marriage, including for obtaining citizenship and the joint adoption of children.

Same-sex couples can now marry in civil ceremonies and enjoy the same rights as other married couples.

Same-sex foreign spouses are also now eligible to apply for citizenship through a simplified procedure and same-sex couples are now permitted to adopt jointly.
LGBT+ rights activist and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has said the main Pride event in London has become 'too corporate and commercial' and has lost its focus on human rights.

Mr Tatchell, 70, made the remarks ahead of the parade tomorrow, July 2, and 50 years after he participated in the first ever pride event in the UK.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on the capital on Saturday for the Pride parade which organisers say will feature more than 30,000 participants from all sections of the community.

The parade will pay homage to the groundbreaking 1972 march which 2,000 people attended, passing significant sites from the UK's first LGBT+ movement.

Peter Tatchell, 70, took part in the first ever UK pride event in London in 1972, but now says the annual festival has lost its roots in human rights

In 2019 the London Pride march marked the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the gay rights movement, which rapidly expanded to advocate for all members of the LGBT+ community

Peter Tatchell said the modern Pride parades look 'like a huge PR, marketing and branding exercise by big companies' and the parade must focus on campaigning for human rights across the world instead

On Friday, Mr Tatchell was one of around 20 veterans of the 1972 march, aged between 70 and their late 80s, who gathered in London to retrace the exact route of 50 years ago.

Campaigner Mr Tatchell was one of about 30 Gay Liberation Front (GLF) activists who organised the first UK Pride and he has marched in every Pride London parade since.

Born in Australia in 1952, he has been campaigning for human rights, democracy, LGBT+ freedom and global justice since 1967.

Among his many involvements, he was a leading activist in the Gay Liberation Front 1971-74 and in the queer human rights group OutRage! 1990-2011.

He moved to London in 1971 and was then arrested in 1973 in East Berlin after staging the first gay rights protest in a communist country.

Peter Tatchell (centre) has long campaigned for a return to the protest-rooted celebration of LGBT+ Pride of the past, using the hashtag ReclaimPride. This ReclaimPride march in July 2021 saw thousands of participants

Members of the LGBT+ community who work in the NHS have often marched as one, displaying the NHS logo against the background of the pride flag

Peter Tatchell (centre) speaks during a protest outside Downing Street in London in April in a protest against transgender people not being included in plans to ban conversion therapy

Members and supporters of the LGBT community take part in the 2019 Pride parade in London, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, an uprising sparked by a police raid on a gay club, the Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village

He has founded the Peter Tatchell Foundation to fight for human rights around the globe, especially the rights of the LGBT+ community.

In 1983 he stood for the Labour Party in the Bermondsey by-election, facing severe homophobia and threats of violence.

Speaking about Friday's march, he said: 'This march marks the historic 50th anniversary of the UK's first ever Pride parade.

'Myself and other veterans of 1972 are here to say that we were there and we are still fighting for LGBT+ liberation in the UK and worldwide.

LGBT+ rights in the UK: A brief history 1967 - UK law changed to allow two men to be in a relationship without it being illegal. 1969 - The Stonewall riots were sparked in the US in protest against police raids on the New York LGBT+ community, and the fight for rights was born. 1970 - The Gay Liberation Front was founded, one of the first official LGBT+ groups in the UK. 1972 - The UK's first ever pride event in London on July 2. Around 2,000 people participated. 1988 - Section 28, a law which prevented school staff 'promoting' gay relationships in school, effectively preventing them from being mentioned at all. 2000 - The law changed to allow gay, bisexual and transgender people to remain in the armed forces. 2002 - Unmarried and gay couples were allowed to adopt children for the first time. 2003 - Section 28 was withdrawn. 2004 - Civil partnerships were introduced for same-sex couples. 2008 - It became illegal to encourage homophobia. 2013 - Same-sex marriage was introduced in the UK. 2022 - The UK government is in the process of banning conversion therapy for sexual identity. But gender identity is excluded from the ban, meaning transgender people have no lawful protection against conversion therapy. A Stonewall protester is surrounded by police officers in Greenwich Village, New York in 1969 Advertisement

'It's amazing to think that what began as one Pride parade in London in 1972, attended by only 700 people, has exploded this year into over 190 Pride events across the UK with a combined attendance of a million people.

'In the last five decades our movement has overturned all Britain's anti-LGBT+ laws, some of which dated back centuries.'

Speaking about the main event, Mr Tatchell said: 'A lot of us are very concerned that the main official Pride event has become too corporate and commercial.

'It often looks like a huge PR, marketing and branding exercise by big companies.

'The human rights dimension has been lost. The original Pride was both a celebration and a protest.

'That's the way it should be this year as well.

'We need to remember that there are still issues to fight for, particularly globally where 69 countries continue to criminalise same sex relations - 12 Muslim majority countries still have the death penalty.'

He added: 'The big corporations are the only ones that can afford big expensive floats, so they dominate the parade and overshadow the LGBT+ community groups.'

Mr Tatchell said his view of Pride is widely held, adding that there have been discussions with Pride organisers about doing it differently.

'But it hasn't changed so far,' he said.

'LGBT+ human rights has not been front and centre of Pride for many, many years.

'It's turned into a huge street party and little more.'

Mr Tatchell and the veterans of 1972 will lead the Pride parade on Saturday.

Asked if he has considered boycotting the main parade, Mr Tatchell said: 'We feel it's better that we're there to raise LGBT+ human rights issues rather than stay away.'

Mr Tatchell said there has been huge progress in the last 50 years but that there is still more progress to be won.

'The Government promised to ban conversion therapy four years ago.

'We are still waiting. It's now said that it will eventually ban this abhorrent practice, but it will not include protection for trans people.

'A conversion therapy ban that excludes our trans siblings is not a ban at all,' he said.

Pride in London said it has almost 600 groups marching in this year's parade, and that the vast majority of them are grassroot organisations, non-profits and LGBT+ community groups.

Organisers said they look forward to welcoming the GLF at the front of the parade this year, to pay homage to the first protest in 1972 and to the veterans who paved the way for others.

All proceeds raised from commercial partnerships are reinvested into the LGBT+ community, such as through the Unity Fund, organisers said.

The Unity Fund aims to build stronger communities by providing one-off grants to grassroots organisations, which address the needs of the UK's LGBT+ community.
Two Metropolitan Police officers have been sacked after posting offensive messages in a group chat, including a racist joke about the Duchess of Sussex, a hearing has heard.

Pc Sukhdev Jeer and Pc Paul Hefford, who worked in a unit at Bethnal Green police station in east London, posted inappropriate, highly offensive and discriminatory content on WhatsApp in 2018.

Their actions, labelled 'abhorrent and discriminatory', amounted to gross misconduct, the tribunal decided on Friday, resulting in them being dismissed from the force.

They also failed to challenge and/or report the members of the group after receiving the offensive messages.

The hearing at the Empress State Building, in west London, heard the posts, including one comparing Meghan Markle to a 'golliwog' toy, were 'discriminatory and serious in nature'.

Pc Paul Hefford (left) and Pc Sukhdev Jeer (right) have been sacked by the Met Police after posting offensive messages in a group chat

Messages from former officer Richard Hammond, who was also in the group, were regarded as misconduct by the tribunal panel.

Delivering the panel's decision Chair Maurice Cohen said their actions were 'significant and extremely serious.'

Mr Cohen said the 'outcomes are not designed to punish, but must be proportionate.

'They were mocking and discriminatory to many sections of society the Metropolitan Police force was meant to be policing.

'Bethnal Green is an extremely diverse area.

'Discrimination of a person of any protected characteristic is never justified,' he said.

'The only appropriate outcome in this case is dismissal without notice.'

Mr Cohen said the posts took place 'over an extended period of time' and that the officers 'should have been aware' of their 'unacceptable nature'.

He added: '[They] should have been aware these posts were overtly racist, ableist and sexist.'

Pc Jeer, described as the 'most active contributing member', posted a series of 'highly discriminatory and offensive' pictures and messages.

The defence barrister representing Pc Sukhdev Jeer (pictured) argued the officer should not be dismissed over a 'handful of inappropriate jokes'

It was heard that in one message, Pc Jeer shared an image of a 'golliwog' toy that was captioned: 'A sneak preview at Meghan's wedding dress.'

Another was of a young boy in a hoodie which was captioned 'monkey in the jungle'.

A further post said: 'Everyone is so politically correct these days. You can't even say, 'Black paint,' you have to say, 'Tyrone can you please paint that wall?'.

Pc Jeer had previously told the hearing he was 'not in a good place' and had used the language to cope with the 'issues' he had been experiencing.

Mr Cohen said: 'In respect of culpability, Pc Jeer's content lacked thought and consideration.'

Barrister Ben Summers argued Pc Jeer should not be dismissed over a 'handful of inappropriate jokes' which caused 'limited harm'.

He described Pc Jeer as a 'long-serving' member of the force who should be allowed 'an opportunity for learning', through a warning.

The tribunal heard that Pc Hefford posted a message of two black men lying next to two white women.

It was captioned: 'Girls' trip to Jamaica. One came back pregnant, the other came back with syphilis. (Just kidding, they're both still missing.)'

Michael Shaw, representing Pc Hefford, said the officer found his posts 'embarrassing and difficult' and has learned a 'sad lesson'.

He added: 'Simply sacking him won't restore public confidence in the Met.'

Mr Cohen, deciding their actions amounted to gross misconduct, said: 'These standards fell seriously short of those expected of a Metropolitan Police officer.'

Former officer Hammond also sent a 'discriminatory message' about the London borough of Tower Hamlets, it was said.

'In explaining the message, former PC Hammond in effect said that people from the Bangladeshi community seem to accept election fraud as part of their democratic processes,' Mr Misra said.

One of the memes shared in the sacked officers' WhatsApp group compared the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle (above) with a golliwog doll

One meme said: 'We asked a hundred normal people, 'What do you associate with Islam?' 1. Terrorism 2. Paedophilia 3. Hate Preaching 4. Unwelcome invaders 5. Excessive breeders 6. Goat/Camel f***ers.'

One of the WhatsApp messages showed a nun on the left and a woman wearing a Muslim headscarf on the right. The image is captioned: 'Why is the first one not judged but the second one offends?' One comment read: 'Nuns don't randomly explode.'

Vishal Misra, representing the Met, said: 'The panel has found the postings were abhorrent and discriminatory in nature and the damage it has done to public confidence is substantial and far-reaching.'

He went on: 'They have shown little by the way of remorse and contrition, minimising and deflecting what had been said to excuse behaviour rather than explain.'

Mr Misra also said 'trust once lost is not easily regained' adding dismissal is needed to maintain public confidence in the force.

It comes as the Met, the UK's largest police force, was placed under special measures this week after a series of failures.
Spread of monkeypox in Africa shows "worrying sign": WHO regional director

Xinhua) 09:26, July 01, 2022

BRAZZAVILLE, June 30 (Xinhua) -- With three African countries with no previous history of human monkeypox transmission reporting cases, the geographic spread of the virus on the African continent is a "worrying sign", warned Thursday Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) regional Director for Africa.

A WORRYING SIGN

As of Tuesday, Africa has reported 1,821 cases in 13 countries of which 109 are laboratory-confirmed in nine countries, said Moeti at an online press briefing held on Thursday.

Outside the countries in Africa with a history of human transmission, monkeypox has also been reported in three countries that have not previously had any human cases, namely Ghana, Morocco, and South Africa. As of Tuesday, South Africa has reported two confirmed cases with no travel history, which, according to the WHO regional office for Africa, suggests "a high possibility of local transmission".

"The geographic spread of monkeypox to parts of Africa where cases have never been detected before is a worrying sign," said Moeti. "It is critical that we support national efforts to boost surveillance and laboratory diagnosis, which are the cornerstones of disease control."

According to the WHO, the number of confirmed cases in Africa accounts for 2 percent of the more than 4,500 confirmed cases globally. However, there are many suspected cases in the region, 81 percent of which are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), underlining the need for increased diagnostic capacity.

Over the past month, five more African countries have received donations of reagents from partners, bringing to 12 the number of countries in the region with enhanced monkeypox diagnostic capacity. Another group of countries in West Africa will receive reagents after participating in a training.

"What happened in the early days of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout when Africa watched on the sidelines as other countries snapped up limited supplies must not be allowed to recur. There are some signs that this is already happening," said Moeti. "The current global spotlight on monkeypox should be a catalyst to beat this disease once and for all in Africa. For this, we know vaccines are a critical tool."

NOT A GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY

Multiple clusters of the monkeypox virus have been reported within the past weeks in several European countries and North America, regions where the virus is not normally found.

On June 25, the WHO 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 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, an increase in the number of cases in vulnerable groups, and increased morbidity, mortality and rates of hospitalization.

Ghebreyesus 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.

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.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Meteor showers are a pretty spectacle in the night sky, but at least one of them holds a significant meaning to one of East Asia's (and those from East Asia) most celebrated festivals: the Tanabata Festival in Japan and its Chinese counterpart, the Qixi Festival, per The Culture Trip.

This year, the event is preceded by the coming of the Perseid meteor shower, which is often a signal that Tanabata will soon begin or already happening.

However, what is Tanabata, and how can we watch the Perseid Meteor Shower this year?

Tanabata Festival - Meaning And Origins

The Tanabata Festival in Japan is one of the most anticipated celebrations in the country. The festival has its roots in the annual Chinese event, the Qixi Festival, which is celebrated on the seventh day in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, per Japan Guide.

However, with the use of the Gregorian Calendar, which is based on the Earth's revolution around the sun, some areas in Japan celebrate it on July 7. However, those who prefer to hold the festival on the traditional lunar calendar date celebrate Tanabata on August 7.

The story of the festival comes from the tale of Orihime and Hikoboshi, or the Chinese lovers Zhinu and Niulang, whose story is similar to the Greek couple Perseus, the slayer of Medusa, and the princess Andromeda.

According to folklore, Tanabata is the celebration of the day when the two star-crossed lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, can reunite, per MCAS Iwakuni.

Read More: NASA's Artemis 1 Moon Mission Launch Date Might Be Set in August

The two lovers were separated because they were neglecting their duties due to their love for each other distracting them. As punishment, Orihime's father forced them to live separately, much to Orihime's grief. However, Orihime's father took pity on her and allowed the two to meet each other at the shores of the Heavenly River, which was used to separate them, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year.

When science is put into the mix, Orihime and Hikoboshi are the stars Vega and Altair, which are part of the Summer Triangle along with Deneb.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly River in the folklore is represented by the backdrop of the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky, which connects the two stars, allowing the lovers to see each other again.

Perseid Meteor Shower - How To Best See And Capture Them

The Perseid meteor shower happens during mid-July or mid-August, just in time for Tanabata Festival's traditional date. It is active between July 17 and August 24, with the number of meteors increasing every night until it reaches its peak in mid-August, per the Royal Museums Greenwich website, with its peak falling on the night of August 12 and before dawn on August 13.

The Royal Museums Greenwich also added that as many 150-200 meteors would fall during the Perseid Meteor Shower per hour.

Unfortunately, Space.com mentioned in its article that the meteor shower won't be as beautiful as last year's due to the full moon illuminating the sky, which makes the meteor shower harder to see than usual.

To watch the Perseid meteor shower, find a dark but safe place to camp or go to during nighttime and look for the Perseus Constellation, per a separate Space.com article.

To find the Perseus Constellation, look for the Cassiopeia constellation in the night sky, which is just above it.

Once you found it, wait patiently for the celestial show to begin.

If you want to take pictures of the meteor shower using your phone's camera, bring a mobile phone tripod and a power bank to keep your phone charged and steady.

Next, download an app that gives you the ability to tweak the camera's parameters, like ISO and sooting time, per iMedia. However, most phones now let users set the parameters in their native camera apps.

If you already have such a feature, set your ISO to 3200, the shooting time to eight seconds, set the focus to "Manual" and adjust it to infinity.

These settings will allow you to take pictures of the meteors as they shoot across the night sky, leaving a trail in the pictures you take.

Related Article: Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Guide 2022: Where to Watch, Peak Times, How to Take a Photo, and More?
A convicted killer facing execution has confessed to three more murders, taking his total number of victims to four.

William Lewis Reece, 62, was sentenced to death last June for the 1997 kidnap, rape and murder of newlywed Tiffany Johnston, 19, at an Oklahoma City carwash.

Yesterday the death row inmate also confessed to the killings of Laura Kate Smither, 12, Jessica Lee Cain, 17, and Kelli Ann Cox, 20.

Reece was handed an additional life sentence for each of the murders.

Reece (pictured in court two days ago) confessed to the murders as he tries to swerve death

Though he is on death row, Reece has cooperated with authorities in a bid for leniency

He led authorities to the bodies of Cain and Cox in 2016, but had not pled guilty to murdering them.

Youngest victim Smither's remains were found within two weeks of her disappearance while going for a run in April 1997.

Reece insisted her death had been an accident.

He claimed to have accidentally hit the girl with his truck while driving in the rain.

Reece allegedly told a Texas Ranger that he panicked and turned her neck until it popped. Reece allegedly told a local police officer that he then dumped her body in the pond.

Laura Smither, 12, vanished in 1997 after going for a run. Her body was found 17 days later

Student Kelli Ann Cox was taken from an Oklahoma City carwash and never seen again

Reece led police to the body of 17-year-old Cox in 2016, nearly 20 years after he disappearance

Ms Johnston was kidnapped from a carwash in July 1997, sexually assaulted in a horse trailer, and dumped nearby.

Reece was convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping.

College student Cox disappeared in July 1997 after forgetting her keys. She went to call her boyfriend, but was never seen again.

Cain was last seen leaving a dinner with friends in August 1997.

During his recent trial for Johnston's slaying, it emerged that Reece confessed after the Texas Ranger told him he would be treated like a 'rock star' when the bodies were found.

Reece was sentenced to death last June for the murder of newlywed Tiffany Johnston, 19

Sandra Saupagh (right) was kidnapped by Reece in 1997, but got out alive. He was sentenced to 60 years in jail for the crime

As part of his plea deal, Reece wanted a guarantee that he would not be given the death penalty in Oklahoma.

Johnston and the three other females Reece is suspected of killing were all murdered within a five-month period in 1997.

At the time, Reece had only just been released from an Oklahoma prison for prior kidnapping and rape convictions.

Reece was arrested in 1997 for the aggravated kidnap of Sandra Sapaugh.

He was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 60 years behind bars. Reece is accused by two more women of kidnap and rape.

In 2015, DNA evidence tied him to Johnston's killing.

While still in prison, he agreed to help find the bodies of Cain and Cox in return for leniency.

Reece is currently being held at Friendswood City Jail, Texas.
Russia must ensure that two British soldiers sentenced to death in Ukraine are not executed, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled.

Aiden Aslin and Sean Pinner, two Britons who were fighting in Ukraine's ranks before being captured in Mariupol in April, are now facing execution by firing squad after being sentenced as 'foreign mercenaries' by a court in occupied Donbas.

Judges sitting in Strasbourg issued an edict to Moscow on Thursday, saying Putin must 'ensure that the death penalty [is] not carried out' and work to make sure the men are being kept in humane conditions and given medical care.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said Russia no longer complies with the court's rulings and the pair's fate will be decided by Ukraine rebel groups.

British war prisoners Aiden Aslin (left) and Shaun Pinner (centre) were sentenced to death penalty by Donetsk court on June 9

Mr Aslin (left) and Mr Pinner (right) were both living in Ukraine before the invasion and the UK Government has insisted that, as legitimate members of the Ukrainian armed forces, they should be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention

Russia announced its intention to withdraw from the Council of Europe - a diplomatic body linked to the court - back in March, and was subsequently expelled.

But the court can still issue rulings against Russia because there is a 'grace period' in the council treaty, meaning the court retains jurisdiction until September 16.

Last week, Russian MPs voted on two largely symbolic pieces of legislation that means any court decisions are not binding within Russia.

The new ruling is intended to pile political pressure on Russia to protect the two men, but there is little the court can do if the Kremlin chooses to ignore it.

It comes after UK junior foreign minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon told Putin to release the two men and return them home 'without delay'.

The pair's 'so-called trial' had 'no legitimacy', Lord Ahmad of told the House of Lords, where he was pressed over the plight of the two men.

Aiden Aslin, 28, originally from Newark, Nottinghamshire, and Shaun Pinner, 48, from Bedfordshire, moved to Ukraine in 2018 after marrying native women and signed up to serve in the marines.

Aslin, a former care worker who fought against ISIS in Syria, and Pinner, a British Army veteran, were serving on the frontline in Donbas when Putin ordered his troops to invade on February 24.

They surrendered two months later in the city of Mariupol after their units ran out of ammunition and were surrounded.

As they were fighting in the regular Ukrainian army, both men are considered prisoners of war under international law - meaning they are exempt from prosecution for violence perpetrated in combat.

However, leaders of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic - a sham state backed by Russia in Ukraine's east - argue they are foreign mercenaries and has prosecuted them as war criminals.

The European Court of Human Rights has now ruled that Russia has a responsibility to ensure that the two Britons (left and right) are not executed

Shaun Pinner, pictured with wife Larysa, now faces execution by firing squad after surrendering to Russian forces in Ukraine

A former care worker, Mr Aslin (pictured left) moved to Ukraine after falling for his now-wife Diane (pictured right), who is originally from the city of Mykolaiv - found about 260 miles west of Mariupol, along the coast. She is reported to have moved to the UK to be with his family

Aiden Aslin Born: 1994, Newark-on-Trent Worked as: Care worker. Combat experience: Travelled to Syria in 2015 to fight for the Kurds in a western-backed alliance against ISIS. He made headlines on his return to the UK in 2016 when he was arrested, charged with terrorism offences, and then kept on bail until all charges were dropped following protests. Aslin then returned to Syria in 2017 to help in the fight to re-take the city of Raqqa, which had been the de-facto capital of ISIS's terror-state. Journey to Ukraine: After being arrested in the UK a second time trying to return from Syria via Greece, Aslin moved to Ukraine after falling for a woman from the city of Mykolaiv. Having heard about Ukraine's fight against Russia in Donbas from Ukrainian volunteers in Syria, he was persuaded to join the military and in 2018 signed up as a marine. Aslin completed three tours of the frontline and was dug into trenches in the Donbas in late February when Putin's troops stormed across the border in a second invasion. He ended up falling back to the nearby city of Mariupol where he fought for weeks under siege, before being captured in April after his unit ran out of ammunition. Advertisement

Shaun Pinner Born: 1974, Bedfordshire Worked as: A British Army veteran, having served for years in the Royal Anglian regiment. Combat experience: Fought 'many' tours including in northern Ireland, according to his family, who said he also served with United Nations missions in Bosnia. Journey to Ukraine: Pinner moved to Ukraine in 2018 which he made his 'adopted home' and decided to put his military training to use fighting Russian-backed rebels in the country's eastern Donbas. He became engaged to a Ukrainian woman and worked his way into the marines, where he had been serving for the last two years. Pinner's three-year contract with the marines was due to end at the end of this year, his family said, when he wanted to become a humanitarian worker in the country. Pinner was helping to defend the frontlines in Donbas when Putin's invasion began on February 24. His unit of marines ended up hooking up with the Azov Battalion - members of the national guard with links to neo-Nazis - who were defending the city of Mariupol from the Russians. He was captured in Mariupol in April and paraded on state TV. Advertisement

Denis Pushilin, leader of the so-called republic, controls the fate of the two men for the time being - and has already dismissed the idea of pardoning them.

However, Russia is believed to be preparing a number of sham referendums for occupied regions of Ukraine to bring them under direct control of Moscow which could leave their fate resting in the hands of the Kremlin.

There is also little doubt that Pushilin is at the beck and call of Putin, and the Russia leader may want the two men kept alive given their potential value in any post-war negotiations - particularly over sanctions.

Aslin, from Nottinghamshire, and Pinner, from Bedfordshire, were on 9 June convicted to death alongside Moroccan Sadun Brahim, 21, after all three surrendered alongside Ukrainian forces to pro-Putin fighters in Mariupol.

Another British detainee Andrew Hill, 35, a father of four from Plymouth, has also been warned to expect the death penalty when his verdict is handed down.

British foreign secretary Liz Truss called the sentences 'a sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy', but the Government has thus far refused to intervene directly to prevent the sentence.

Truss has argued that a British governmental intervention could be seen to legitimise pro-Russian claims that Aslin and Pinner are 'mercenaries', despite them being paid members of the Ukrainian army with Ukrainian wives.

Aslin's grandmother Pamela Hall said he was 'extremely upset' when he called his mother after being handed the death penalty.

'There are no words... it's got to be everyone's worst nightmare to have your family threatened in this way,' she said at the time.

'I have to believe what Aiden has said to us, that if the DPR don't get some response then they will execute him. Obviously, I hope that isn't true.'
Five Britons killed when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian separatists over Ukraine were unlawfully killed, a coroner ruled today.

An inquest held at Leicester's City Hall began with individual tributes to Liam Sweeney, 28, Richard Mayne, 20, Glenn Thomas, 49, John Alder, 63, and 20-year-old Ben Pocock.

A total of 298 people died when MH17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 while en route from Amsterdam to Malaysia.

Leicester Coroner Professor Catherine Mason was told four individuals linked to a Donetsk-based Russian separatist group have refused to attend a trial pending in The Hague, at which they are accused of responsibility for the attack.

Giving evidence to the coroner today, Detective Chief Superintendent Dominic Murphy, the head of operations for counter-terrorism policing unit SO15, described how a Dutch Safety Board Inquiry found a Buk missile system had downed MH17.

John Alder, 63, was one of those who tragically lost their lives aboard MH17

20-year-old Ben Pocock, a former Wellsway School pupil who was studying at Loughborough University, was on board Flight MH17

A total of 298 people died when MH17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 while en route from Amsterdam to Malaysia

A total of 10 of those on board were British, including the five subject to an inquest after their bodies were repatriated.

Mr Murphy told the hearing, which was held without a jury: 'MH17 departed Amsterdam and had been flying for around three hours when it lost contact with air traffic control.'

Summarising the Dutch Safety Board's inquiry, the senior officer added: 'At that time a missile launching system was fired from a field in Ukraine.

'It actually detonated on the upper left side, in front of the cockpit of the aircraft.

'Fragments (of the missile) penetrated the left side of the cockpit... a pressure wave caused the fuselage to break up and caused the crash.

'That missile system appears to have been smuggled over the border into Ukraine from the Russian Federation on the 16th and 17th of July overnight.'

The inquest was told the four defendants being tried in their absence were linked to a pro-Russian armed group.

Liam Sweeney was killed along with fellow Newcastle United supporter John Alder

MH17 was flying at around 33,000ft and was in a space which had not been subject to restrictions by any government agency.

Mr Sweeney, from Newcastle upon Tyne, and Mr Alder, from Gateshead, were travelling to watch Newcastle United play in New Zealand.

The pair and Mr Mayne, from Leicester, Mr Thomas, from Blackpool, and Mr Pocock, from Bristol, all died from multiple injuries.

Recording verdicts of unlawful killing on all five men, Prof Mason said there had been no problems with the aircraft, which was flying in permitted air space.

She told family members who attended the inquest: 'What we do know is that a Buk missile system was brought into eastern Ukraine and that a surface-to-air missile was fired.

Glenn Thomas, a WHO's spokesperson, who died when heading to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne

Richard Mayne was a student at Leeds University when he boarded the downed flight

'I am satisfied that MH17 was shot down by a Buk missile fired by pro-Russian separatists.

'Taking all of the evidence into account, an appropriate conclusion in relation to the deaths of Liam Sweeney, Richard Mayne, Glenn Thomas, John Alder and Ben Pocock is that they were unlawfully killed.

'I am truly sorry that we meet today as a result of such a tragic and shocking incident. I am very sorry for your loss.'
The nearly $500 million, 417ft yacht will be the biggest sailing yacht in the world when it is completed this year in the Netherlands

Plans to dismantle a historic Dutch bridge to allow Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' new super yacht to pass from a shipyard to the ocean have been halted following public outcry from locals.

Oceanco, the company in Alblasserdam, Netherlands, building Bezos' behemoth, said in a statement that it would temporarily stop the logistical plans to dismantle the iconic Koningshavenbrug bridge in Rotterdam, Netherlands - known as De Hef - to allow Bezos' nearly $500 million vessel, Y721, to get out to sea, Trouw News said, according to NL Times.

Oceanco received reports of furious locals - resulting in the decision.

One of the builders on Bezos' yacht shared that a fear of vandalism lingered as some residents were angry over the potentially dismantling the bridge that was built over the Nieuwe Maas river in 1927, and renovated in 2017.

De Hef was first built over the Nieuwe Maas river in 1927 and has been a massive feature throughout Rotterdam's history

The Amazon CEO, 58, is pictured with his girlfriend of three-years, 52, Lauren Sanchez

Bezos' superyacht was originally sought to be moved out to sea by dismantling the bridge, according to reports in February 2022.

News broke out in February about the potential plans for the bridge resulting in more than 3,900 people being 'interested' in a Facebook event calling for Rotterdam residents to throw rotten eggs at Bezos' new yacht.

The event was organized by Pablo Strormann and reads: 'Take a box of (rotten) eggs with you and let's throw them en masse at Jeff's superyacht when it sails through De Hef in Rotterdam.

'Rotterdam was built from the rubble by the people of Rotterdam, and we don't just take that apart for the phallus symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire. Not without a fight!'

It's unclear if the event followed through and how many people attended.

The vessel is being built at the Oceanco ship yard in Alblasserdam. It's unclear how the 417ft yacht will reach the sea once it's completed this year

Reports that the city had already agreed to take apart the historic bridge sparked anger in the city, with one Facebook group calling for people to pelt the yacht with rotten eggs

The 417ft (127 metre) sailing yacht features three massive masts and three decks.

The ship currently being built at the Oceanco's shipyard in Alblasserdam in the west of the Netherlands.

'Oceanco yachts tell the distinctive stories of their owners, who come to us with visions that go beyond the yachts that already exist. Sometimes, even beyond our notions of what a superyacht can be,' reads the company's website.

Generally, new ships are able to pass through the iconic bridge with a clearance of 130 ft before their masts are assembled. However, Bezos' yacht is higher than the bridge and builders advise it's not wise to sail out when the vessel is partially built.

'Our clients come to us because they dont want yet another iteration from a blueprint, they want a yacht that is theirs and theirs alone,' Oceanco boasts.

'We embrace collaboration, partnership and openness while checking our ego at the door.'
A woman who called a BBC journalist a 'traitor' during an anti-lockdown protest in Whitehall has told a court she was 'sad' and 'disappointed' he did not want to talk to her.

Djazia Chaib-Eddour, 44, is accused of being part of a crowd which intimidated Newsnight's political editor Nick Watt during the politically charged June 2021 incident.

She told London's Westminster Magistrates Court that she did not mean to intimidate him and she 'assumed' they were having a discussion.

Chaib-Eddour, Christopher Aitken, 62, Martin Hockridge, 58, Alexander Peat, 34, and Gary Purnell, 45, all deny using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to use harassment, alarm or distress.

A woman who called a BBC journalist a 'traitor' during an anti-lockdown protest in Whitehall has told a court she was 'sad' and 'disappointed' he did not want to talk to her. Djazia Chaib-Eddour, 44, is accused of being part of a crowd which intimidated Newsnight's political editor Nick Watt (pictured being chased) during the politically charged June 2021 incident

She told the court: 'It was a protest. You chant.

'Everybody goes into the same chant. It does not make me feel bad or sad.

'The word (traitor) is used in parliament a lot.'

Prosecutor Alex Matthews suggested 'you shouted at him because you wanted him to feel upset'.

Chaib-Eddour responded: 'I did not want him to feel upset. It was a protest. Have you ever seen a silent protest?'

The prosecution say Chaib-Eddour dogged Mr Watt's steps and persisted with her behaviour even when it was clear he was not comfortable with the situation.

A 'frenzied incident was whipped up in joint fervour' and the five defendants 'engaged in mob rule,' the prosecution has said.

Chaib-Eddour told the court 'I carried on speaking to him' and that he did not tell her to stop.

She added: 'Can I just say, I wagged my finger at him and is that going to be a crime?

'I just walked alongside.

The prosecution say Chaib-Eddour dogged Mr Watt's steps and persisted with her behaviour even when it was clear he was not comfortable with the situation.

'I did call him traitor. I did not intend it to cause him any harm or distress. When he left all I could feel was sad. I did not feel anger.'

Footage played in court showed protesters shouting in the face of Mr Watt.

He has told the hearing that he had left his office in the parliamentary estate to observe what had initially been a 'reasonably good natured' protest but the 'atmosphere deteriorated', prompting him to don his BBC lanyard to identify himself as press to police and demonstrators.

He first walked away from the crowd, but then took off running back through those behind him, eventually making his way behind the gates of Downing Street.

In the video, someone can be heard shouting 'traitor', while another person asked 'how can you sleep at night?'

The court heard the experience had left Mr Watt 'very shaken' and the footage had upset his family.

Mr Watt, who said it was 'like an express train' when he fled, earlier told the hearing: 'I had become their prey, their quarry. It was like hunting a vulnerable animal.'

Chaib-Eddour said she spotted Mr Watt's BBC lanyard and thought it would be a good chance to talk to him about reporting 'honest journalism'.

Mr Watt, who said it was 'like an express train' when he fled, earlier told the hearing: 'I had become their prey, their quarry. It was like hunting a vulnerable animal'

Before then Chaib-Eddour, who was carrying what she described was a rainbow-coloured 'protest umbrella' which had 'defund the BBC' stickers on it, said she had 'absolutely' no idea who he was. She does not watch the programme.

Chaib-Eddour said she had been 'happy' to see him as she claimed there had been no BBC reporters at previous demonstrations.

She added: 'I was excited with him. I wanted to have a conversation. '

Chaib-Eddour described herself as a 'naturally loud' person and said her interaction with Mr Watt lasted about 30 seconds to a minute as she was walking fast alongside him.

Alexander Peat (left) and Martin Hockridge, 58, also deny using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to use harassment, alarm or distress

Newsnight political editor Nicholas Watt ran behind a line of police near Downing Street, as large-scale protests against the Government's extension to lockdown rules turned ugly

A group surrounding the journalist shouted abuse at the Whitehall protest. The court heard the word 'traitor' was shouted at Mr Watt as he ran past and was in front of Chaib-Eddour (not pictured)

Amid the crowd noise, Mr Watt had put his head down and she 'assumed' he was listening to her but then he spun around and she turned around to get her umbrella out of the way.

Chaib-Eddour said Mr Watt did not ask for help or appear to be under distress, adding: 'It is actually really sad. Most people engage with me. I am a friendly person.'

The court heard the word 'traitor' was shouted at Mr Watt as he ran past and was in front of Chaib-Eddour.

Aitken, of Lambeth, Hockridge, of Harpenden, Herts, Chaib-Eddour, of Islington, Peat, of Wandsworth, and Purnell, of Shepherd's Bush, sat quietly in the dock as District Judge Louisa Cieciora reserved her decision to a date which has yet to be fixed.

The defendants were all unconditionally bailed and told they must return to court for the next hearing.
A hero gallery worker has silenced ranting eco-zealots after they glued themselves to a painting hung in Manchester Art Gallery today, making them the third set of eco activists to target a gallery this week.

After dousing a hand each with glue, the two men from the campaign group Just Stop Oil wearing orange t-shirts with the words 'Just Stop Oil' written in black on their fronts both placed a hand on either side of the frame surrounding Thomson's Aeolian Harp, a piece from 1809 by the English Romantic painter JMW Turner.

It is the third gallery to be targeted by Just Stop Oil in three days, after a Van Gogh piece in London and a Horatio McCulloch painting fell victim to protesters earlier this week.

Spray painted on the floor underneath the JMW Turner painting in Manchester today read the words, 'no new oil'.

A hero gallery worker has silenced ranting eco-zealots after they glued themselves to a painting hung in Manchester Art Gallery today

After dousing a hand each with glue, the two men from the campaign group Just Stop Oil wearing orange t-shirts with the words 'Just Stop Oil' written in black on their fronts both placed a hand on either side of the frame surrounding Thomson's Aeolian Harp, a piece from 1809 by the English Romantic painter JMW Turner

In a video recording of the protest uploaded to Twitter, a female member of staff can be heard instructing colleagues over a walkie-talkie to call 999.

One of the men can be heard in the video lecturing the gallery's visitors about climate forecasts published in scientific journals.

A female member of staff at Manchester Art Gallery cuts the protester short, however, saying: 'I'm not interested. No. No. No. You've defaced our property...I don't want to hear a word of what you've got to say.

'So please, give us some respect by just keeping quiet...Let this be a silent protest.'

Greater Manchester Police told MailOnline that two men had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in connection with the incident, which lasted between 60 to 90 minutes, according to a Just Stop Oil spokesperson.

Just Stop Oil, which has previously carried out protests at oil terminals and the UK Government offices in Edinburgh, said it is calling for art institutions to join the group in 'civil resistance' against climate change.

A female member of staff at Manchester Art Gallery cuts the protester short, however, saying: 'I'm not interested. No. No. No. You've defaced our property...I don't want to hear a word of what you've got to say

It is the third gallery to be targeted by Just Stop Oil in three days, after a Van Gogh piece in London and a Horatio McCulloch painting fell victim to protesters earlier this week

On Wednesday, two women from Just Stop Oil glued themselves to the frame of a 19th-century - Horatio McCulloch's My Heart Is In The Highlands - at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and spray-painted their logo on the walls and floor.

Yesterday, another two protesters donning the orange Just Stop Oil t-shirts glued themselves to the frame of Vincent Van Gogh's Peach Trees In Blossom at the Courtauld Gallery in London

A spokeswoman from Just Stop Oil today refused to say what type of adhesive had been used to glue the protesters to the masterpiece when asked by MailOnline, asking rhetorically: 'Who honestly cares what glue they used?

'Charges of hypocrisy are irrelevant here. Stoking division by attacking people that are sounding the alarm will not stop the fire from engulfing us all.

Spray painted on the floor underneath the JMW Turner painting in Manchester today read the words, 'no new oil'

In a video recording of the protest uploaded to Twitter, a female member of staff can be heard instructing colleagues over a walkie-talkie to call 999

She continued: 'How about asking the UK government why it has decided to encourage drilling for more oil and gas when they know that it is destroying the future for these young people?

'Given the future of humanity is at stake, how about asking why more people are not engaging in civil resistance?

'How much longer are you going to ask these questions? Until the crops fail in the UK? We have 2-3 years to change direction before we are most likely committed to losing everything in the years and decades to come.'
A police sergeant has been handed a retraining order banning him from the home he once shared with his fellow-officer wife.

Robert Ferguson, an officer with Suffolk Constabulary, claimed that he continued to visit the matrimonial home in Cattsfield, Stutton, Ipswich because he still paid part of the mortgage and felt he was entitled to enter the property, despite splitting from his partner.

The 51-year-old was arrested and charged with harassing Emma Ferguson, causing her upset, anxiety and distress on November 15 and December 12 last year by entering the home on a number of occasions.

Robert Ferguson, an officer with Suffolk Constabulary, claimed that he continued to visit the matrimonial home in Cattsfield, Stutton, Ipswich because he still paid part of the mortgage

The father-of-three was due to stand trial at City of London Magistrates' Court today (Friday 1 July) but the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence.

Deputy District Judge Alex Stein handed him a two-year restraining order.

As per the order, Ferguson is prohibited from contacting Emma, expect via solicitors or their three children, from going within 100 metres of the home and from entering the curtilage of the property.

Prosecutor Micaila Williams told the court: 'The defendant and complainant were a couple for twenty years until October, 2019 and are both serving police officers.

'They have separated and Emma remains in the family home with their three children, two of whom are adults and a thirteen year-old son.

'Mr Ferguson continues to contribute to the mortgage and although their divorce was initially civil it became acrimonious. Mr Ferguson would attend to pick-up or drop-off his son and use his key to let himself in or enter through an unlocked door.

'She says she does not want him coming in, but Mr Ferguson said he was entitled because he is still paying part of the mortgage.'

The father-of-three was due to stand trial at City of London Magistrates' Court today (Friday 1 July) but the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence

Representatives of Suffolk's Professional Standards Department were in court and Adam Budworth, defending, highlighted that 'the restraining order is going to have a long and lasting impact on his employment.'

Asking for a shorter, six month period, he added: 'Mr Ferguson will effectively lose his employment while subject to the order.

'Since his arrest in December, last year there has been no suggestion of wrongdoing and Mr Ferguson just comes to a lay-by outside the house to pick-up his son and drop him off.'

The judge told Ferguson: 'You have been acquitted and you walk away an innocent man, but it is necessary and proportionate to issue the restraining order on acquittal.'
Sir Keir Starmer is being forced to rule out ever doing a deal with the SNP after Boris Johnson revived Tory warnings of a 'coalition of chaos' governing the UK.

The Labour leader is set to pledge he would rather go into minority government after the next general election than strike an agreement with Nicola Sturgeon's party.

Expectations that Sir Keir will soon come forward with a guarantee not to join forces with Scottish nationalists - as a means of entering Number 10 - is a sign he has been left rattled by the ramping up of Conservative attacks.

New analysis published today has shown how, based on current opinion polling, Labour are on course to be the largest party after the next general election.

But Sir Keir is set to be short of an overall majority in the House of Commons.

This means he would have to either have to try and form a minority government, or rely on the support of other parties.

Conservatives have frequently warned that the price of a Labour-SNP deal would be a second Scottish independence referendum.

Ahead of the 2015 general election, former prime minister David Cameron notably warned of the 'chaos' of a Labour administration being 'held to ransom by the SNP'.

This was repeated by the Conservative Party to varying degrees at subsequent general elections in 2017 and 2019.

Mr Johnson has now revived the Tory attack line by outlining the 'pretty stark' choice for voters between a Conservative government or 'Labour propped up by the SNP'.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock, who is viewed to be eyeing a return to the Cabinet, also recently warned the 'only viable alternative to a Conservative government is a coalition between Sir Keir and Nicola Sturgeons separatist SNP'.

The Tory warnings about the potential outcome of the next general election have been given greater weight by Ms Sturgeon this week setting 19th October next year as the date for a second Scottish independence referendum.

This is despite Mr Johnson having shown no sign that he will grant her Scottish Government the legal power to hold another vote on ripping up the United Kingdom.

Sir Keir Starmer is set to pledge he would rather go into minority government after the next general election than strike an agreement with Nicola Sturgeon's party

The SNP leader this week set 19th October next year as the date for a second Scottish independence referendum - despite the PM not having granted her the legal power for a vote

Boris Johnson has revived the Tory warning of a 'coalition of chaos' if the next general election results in a hung Parliament

According to the Guardian, in the wake of renewed Tory attacks, Sir Keir will make it explicit that a Labour government under him would not grant an independence referendum and would go into a minority government rather than enter talks with the SNP.

This would effectively dare the SNP to vote down a Queen's Speech brought by a Labour minority administration, toppling a Labour prime minister and possibly enabling a new Tory government.

Labour's shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray told the newspaper: 'If the SNP want to vote with the Tories to bring down a future Labour government, as they did in 1979 to usher in 18 years of Thatcher, then that would be their choice.

'The Tories want to run these fake scaremongering campaigns, as they did in 2015, 2017 and 2019 because they have a dead duck leader and nothing to offer the people of this country.'

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is due to make a major speech in Westminster on Monday, in which he is expected to offer a hard line on possible cooperation with the SNP.

Mr Johnson revived the Tory attack line of a 'coalition of chaos' in a recent interview with the Financial Times.

He outlined the 'pretty stark' choice facing voters ahead of the next general election, telling the newspaper: 'Do you want a sensible "One Nation" Conservative Party? This is a One Nation government that has done some fantastic things already and well do a lot more.

'Or do you want Labour propped up by the SNP? Were going back to that choice.'

In an article for the Daily Mail this week, Mr Hancock reinforced the Tory warnings of a 'grubby coalition deal that sells the Union down the river'

He wrote: 'Almost the only viable alternative to a Conservative government is a coalition between Sir Keir and Nicola Sturgeons separatist SNP.

'Her prize for cosying up with Labour will, of course, be another independence referendum for Scotland.'

New analysis from Electoral Calculus predicted that Labour would win 310 seats in the Commons at the next general election - 16 short of a majority

Mr Cameron's warning to voters of 'chaos with Ed Miliband' - posted on Twitter - ahead of the 2015 general election is still regularly shared by social media users.

Many have used the tweet to point out how the 2015 vote was followed by Mr Cameron's EU referendum, the subsequent Brexit carnage at Westminster and, now, Tory MPs plotting against Mr Johnson following the Partygate scandal.

New analysis from Electoral Calculus published today predicted that Labour would win 310 seats in the Commons at the next general election - 16 short of a majority.

The Tories were predicted to be the next largest party with 247 seats, the SNP third-largest with 51 seats, and the Liberal Democrats the fourth party at Westminster with 17 seats.

Their prediction was based on opinion polls from 10th June to 30th June, sampling 11,728 people.

At the 2019 general election, Mr Johnson's Tories won won 365 seats compared to Labour's 203, with the SNP winning 48 and the Lib Dems 11.
A jealous boyfriend stabbed and killed a man he accused of sleeping with his girlfriend, after asking the victim, 'Think you can f*** Bobbie?' [his partner]

Drug dealer and father-of-three Oliver Muldowney, 35, is now facing a life behind bars after being convicted of the murder of Tim Hipperson, 39.

Muldowney asked Mr Hipperson 'Think you can f*** Bobbie?', referencing rumours the victim slept with his partner, Bobbie Tomkins, before attacking him in an alleyway in a drug deal gone wrong in Richmond, London

He stabbed Mr Hipperson with a large serrated knife which caused a deep wound across his chest.

Mr Hipperson staggered from the scene near Kings Road but died in hospital three days later.

Tim Hipperson, 39, pictured, was stabbed across the chest by Oliver Muldowney, 35, on May 17 last year after he was accused of sleeping with drug dealer Muldowney's partner. Mr Hipperson then staggered from the scene in Kings Road, Richmond but died in hospital three days later

Muldowney then escaped to the home of a drug dealing associate and fled via taxi to Brentford.

The victim and his friend Chris Rosser had called Muldowney on May 17 last year to buy cannabis and smoke it together.

The two friends were walking along Peldon Passage where they met 36-year-old Jonathan Nash, a drug runner for Muldowney.

Money and drugs were exchanged and Nash left.

'However, within just a few minutes, Nash came back, but this time he was with his boss Oliver Muldowney,' prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the court earlier.

'By this time Tim Hipperson and Chris Rosser were sitting down and had already started to smoke the drugs which they had purchased.

'Tim Hipperson was sitting with his back to Muldowney, as Muldowney was approaching but he was told by Chris Rosser who was looking the other way that Muldowney was behind him.

'So Tim stood up and said, "All right, Ollie?"

'Muldowney's response to that was to say to Tim Hipperson, "Think you can f*** Bobbie?", a reference to Muldowney's long-term girlfriend whose name is Bobbie.

In court last week, Muldowney denied intending to kill or cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Hipperson because he believed he slept Bobbie.

'As Chris Rosser looked on, Muldowney made three or four punching motions towards Tim Hipperson's upper chest,' Mr Emlyn added.

'It was only when Muldowney moved away that Chris Rosser realised that they were not punches because Muldowney was holding a large knife, with a serrated blade, and had used that knife to stab Tim Hipperson, causing a large and deep stab wound to his chest, entering in the left armpit.'

Mr Hipperson collapsed and was airlifted from Kings Road in Richmond (pictured) on May 17 last year after the attack. He died three days later in hospital from his injuries

After the stabbing, Muldowney allegedly fled with Nash to the home of his partner Natalie Stevens, 38, who helped him escape by booking him a taxi to Brentford.

That evening, Mr Rosser was told Muldowney wanted to speak with him and he was instructed to go to Stevens' flat.

When Mr Rosser arrived, Nash handed him a phone with Muldowney on the other end of the line, it is said.

'In that telephone conversation, Muldowney told Mr Rosser to leave the area, he said leave the area for about a month and he offered him drugs and money in order to persuade him to do just that,' Mr Emlyn Jones said.

Mr Rosser accepted the drugs but went to the police and became the key witness in the trial.

Muldowney denied the charges but was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice by a unanimous jury.

Nash and Stevens denied and were cleared of perverting the course of justice.

But the jury found Nash guilty of two counts of supplying class A drugs.

In December last year, Muldowney was in custody for the stabbing, and in contact with 19-year-old Bonnie Eastwood - daughter of his partner Bobbie Tomkins.

He allegedly got her to speak to prosecution witness Elaine Doyle to try and persuade her from giving evidence and said there was 60,000 price on her head.

In a voice note sent from the 19-year-old to Muldowney on December 23 she said: 'Eileen why the f*** are you grassing on Ollie? I told her some f***ing home truths.'

However, the jury cleared both Muldowney and Eastwood of witness intimidation.

Oliver Muldowney, 35, denied murdering Tim Hipperson at the Old Bailey in London (pictured) but was convicted of his murder and supplying class A drugs. However he was cleared of perverting the course of justice

Muldowney, of no fixed address, denied but was convicted of murder and perverting the course of justice and admitted two counts of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs of class A.

He further denied and was cleared of witness intimidation.

Nash, of Hounslow Road, Hounslow, west London, denied and was acquitted of perverting the course of justice but was convicted of two counts of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs of class A.

Stevens, of Sheen Road, Richmond, denied and was cleared of perverting the course of justice.

Eastwood, of Morland Close, Hampton, denied and was cleared of witness intimidation.

A sentencing date has yet to be fixed.
A man who died from one of the worst salmonella infections a medic had ever seen after eating four duck eggs wasnt taken to hospital early enough after paramedic wanted to prevent sickness outbreak, a report has found.

Niptoon Tavakoli, 65, made three 999 calls in around 85 minutes complaining of sickness and diarrhoea in June 2019.

During two of the calls he told call handlers 'I need help very quick' and 'I'm in trouble,' an ambulance service investigation said.

But when an ambulance crew arrived at his house in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, a paramedic believed he had gastroenteritis.

The medic decided not to take him to hospital to prevent a sickness outbreak, the report found.

Mr Tavakoli had fallen ill after eating duck eggs he bought at a village show days earlier.

A report has found that Niptoon Tavakoli, 65, wasnt taken to hospital early enough after paramedic wanted to prevent sickness outbreak. Pictured with his wife Cheryl

He was displaying 'amber' signs of sepsis which sees the body attack itself in response to an infection.

It was only when his wife Cheryl dialled 999 three days later that Mr Tavakoli was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with salmonella.

His condition continued to deteriorate and he died in hospital two months later from multiple organ failure.

Following his death, lawyers acting on behalf of Mrs Tavakoli, 63, investigated her husband's illness and the care he received from Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS).

The trust admitted liability for Mr Tavakoli's death and a serious incident report found 'it would have been appropriate' to take him to hospital when the crew first visited him.

An inquest jury held this week concluded Mr Tavakoli died of natural causes.

The inquest heard that Mr Tavakoli bought six duck eggs in Messingham, Lincolnshire, and fried the first two without incident, but he fell ill after a second meal.

An intensive care specialist told Doncaster Coroners Court Mr Tavakoli was only the second person he'd come across with this degree of salmonella.

Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Tavakoli said: 'It's almost impossible to find the words to describe the impact Niptoon's death has had on our family.

'He was such a caring and fun person who loved spending time with his family and friends but also antique hunting and collecting coins.

'The last three years and trying to come to terms with what happened has taken a toll on all of us.

Niptoon Tavakoli, 65, made three 999 calls in around 85 minutes complaining of sickness and diarrhoea in June 2019

'Trying to grieve has been made all the harder because of having so many unanswered concerns.'

Mr Tavakoli made three 999 calls between 1.50pm and 3.15pm on June 7, 2019  five days after eating the eggs  complaining of sickness and diarrhoea.

During the second he had a 'massive headache' and told the call handler 'I need help very quick', the report said.

During the third call he reported he had food poisoning, a high temperature, and chest pains adding 'I'm in trouble', the Ambulance Service report added.

Mr Tavakoli's case was upgraded to a category two call meaning paramedics should arrive within 40 minutes.

A note advising it was a possible sepsis incident was added for the ambulance crew to review.

A crew arrived just after 4pm and found Mr Tavakoli in bed. He told them 'that he felt his organs were shutting down', the report said.

But following tests, the crew left around 30 minutes later.

Mrs Tavakoli called 999 on 10 June, 2019, after her husband complained he was aching and had no strength. He also had a mottled rash on his legs and arms.

The same crew who visited Mr Tavakoli three days earlier arrived and took him to hospital.

Mr Tavakoli was admitted to critical care but died on 12 August.

The Ambulance Service report also found Mr Tavakoli was taken to hospital by ambulance on June 10 under normal road conditions.

However, given his condition and how he was by then showing red flag symptoms of sepsis, it would have been appropriate to have blue lighted him as an emergency, while pre-alerting the hospital.

An investigation by Public Health England found the source of Mr Tavakoli's salmonella was from the duck eggs he bought.

It found another person in the West Midlands had also fallen ill with the same strain of salmonella but had recovered.

Doncaster Coroner's Court was told Mr Tavakoli arrived at hospital at 10pm but did not receive antibiotics until 11.30am the following day.

Sepsis guidelines stated he should have commenced antibiotics within an hour of arrival.

However, the court heard the delay would not have made a difference to the outcome.

But when an ambulance crew arrived at his house in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, a paramedic believed he had gastroenteritis. The medic decided not to take him to hospital to prevent a sickness outbreak, the report found

Mrs Tavakoli is now calling for lessons to be learned following the death of her husband, who was also a stepfather to Andrew and Paul.

And she hopes to raise greater awareness of the dangers of sepsis and salmonella as Mr Tavakoli  who had worked in the catering industry  knew the importance of food hygiene.

She said: 'We feel we need to speak out to raise awareness of the dangers of not only salmonella but sepsis.

'People have probably heard of sepsis but I'm not sure everyone is fully aware of how dangerous it is.

'Niptoon had worked in the catering business for years so knew the importance of good hygiene, safety standards and knew how to cook duck eggs.

'That he contracted salmonella even with his knowledge shows that other could fall ill after eating them.

'We just want to try and make people aware as we wouldn't want another family to go through what we have.'

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it had arranged training for staff and had updated its policies and sepsis screening tools based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and UK Sepsis Trust advice.

Catherine Slattery, expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: 'The effects of gastric illnesses such as salmonella should never be downplayed.

'In Niptoon's case it led to him developing sepsis which is an incredibly dangerous illness; however, the condition can be beaten if diagnosed and treated quickly.

'While it's too late for Niptoon and his family, we welcome that the Ambulance Service has taken measures to improve sepsis awareness among its staff.

'However, it's vital that lessons continue to be learned to improve patient safety for others.'

Signs of sepsis include slurred speech, confusion, extreme shivering and muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness and mottled or discoloured skin.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service said that their thoughts remain with the family of Niptoon Tavakoli following his death in 2019.

'The Trust contributed to the Coroners inquest and fully accepts the findings of the jury at Doncaster Coroners Court,' they said.

'From the outset, we have acknowledged that the clinical care provided to Mr Tavakoli in June 2019 fell below the high standards we pride ourselves on.

'We are deeply sorry for this and extend our sincere condolences to Mrs Tavakoli and her family.'
SpaceX Starlink's internet satellite finally gets Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorization to be used on vehicles while they are in motion. The FCC authorization potentially allows the Elon Musk-owned firm to offer its services to more customers.

SpaceX Starlink Internet Satellite

It is worth noting that Starlink launched its services to owners of recreational vehicles (RVs) last May. It officially allowed its customers to stuff an internet satellite dish on top of their trailer.

But the odd part is that Starlink for RV users could not use the low latency internet service while their vehicle is in motion.

SpaceX said its internet service would be inactive when the RV starts rolling its wheels to prevent users from using it while in motion.

That said, the Starlink for RV still limits the internet services of Starlink to fixed locations. Although it allows the terminal to be used in a more portable manner, it still fails to be mobile.

Starlink Internet Satellite Gets FCC Authorization

But this time, everything is about to change as the FCC has formally granted the Musk-led space firm to provide satellite internet services even while vehicles are in motion.

So, it turns out that SpaceX was just waiting for an FCC approval.

The approval from the FCC means to say that the Commission is finally allowing Starlink internet satellites to be used on various vehicles, such as cars and trucks, as per a news story by The Verge.

However, the authorization is not limited to land transportation. It also approves Starlink internet on boats and airplanes while moving.

The Verge reports that SpaceX filed its Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM) request to the FCC last March 2021, which seeks to allow Starlink internet terminals to provide services even as vehicles are in motion.

Read Also: SpaceX Postpones ISS Cargo Mission Again-When is the New Launch Date?

FCC Starlink Authorization

And after more than a year since the firm filed it, the FCC has finally granted the request of SpaceX to give Starlink internet services more mobility.

According to a recent report by CNBC, the International Bureau Chief of the FCC, Tom Sullivan, said that the authorization suits the demands of internet users these days.

"Authorizing a new class of [customer] terminals for SpaceX's satellite system will expand the range of broadband capabilities to meet the growing user demands that now require connectivity while on the move," he syas.

On top of that, Sullivan further notes that it allows Starlink to provide its services on domestic or international flights, ships, and even on a moving RV.

Meanwhile, as exciting as this may sound, SpaceX has yet to respond to the recent FCC authorization.

Related Article: SpaceX Starlink for RV Launches - What's The Price To Get It ASAP?
An elite state school nicknamed the 'socialist Eton' has been issued a termination warning notice after its Ofsted rating was cut from 'outstanding' to 'inadequate' last month.

The Department for Education said that Holland Park School, in West London, won't close imminently and the way forward is via a trust if improvements are made.

The Regional Schools Commissioner's Office received an Ofsted notification on June 7 confirming the school was deemed 'inadequate and has serious weakness', a warning notice sent to members and trustees of the school said.

In a Termination Warning Notice to the Members and Trustees of Holland Park School on June 10, Dame Kate Dethridge, wrote: 'I need to be satisfied that the trust has capacity to deliver rapid and sustainable improvement at the academy.

'If I am not satisfied that this can be achieved, I will consider whether to terminate the funding agreement in order to transfer the academy to an alternative academy trust.'

Dame Kate, Regional Schools Commissioner for North-West London and South-Central Region, continued: 'In making the decision on whether to terminate the funding agreement I will consider any written representations you wish to make in response to this Termination Warning Notice [by Friday, July 1].'

Holland Park School - an elite state school nicknamed the 'socialist Eton' - has been issued a termination warning notice after its Ofsted rating was cut from 'outstanding' to 'inadequate' last month

A Department for Education spokesperson told MailOnline tonight: 'Holland Park Academy's recent Ofsted inspection underlines the need to address the issues at the school and make sure similar failings do not recur.

'Today, United Learning has been identified as the preferred trust for HPS to join, as a strong trust with a proven track record of school improvement.

'The wellbeing and education of the school's pupils will continue to be the first priority and parents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to express their views.'

In its Ofsted report, inspectors said 'serious incidents of poor behaviour' at the school had increased, and some 'spilled out into the local area'. They also said that leadership was 'poor and unfit for purpose'.

Last month, the school closed its doors to all pupils except those taking A-levels and GCSEs because teachers walked out in protest against plans for it to join an academy chain.

Students had previously held a 'riot' against the proposals, leaving one teacher in tears.

The school got its nickname because it was popular with rich Left-wingers, and former pupils include The Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and the actress Anjelica Huston.

Last year, teachers reported Colin Hall, a disciplinarian who retired as head teacher in February, to the authorities, accusing him of abusive management.

In May, inspectors found the school to have a 'culture of fear and favouritism' in an investigation by its governors.

The Regional Schools Commissioner's Office received an Ofsted notification on June 7 confirming Holland Park School, in West London, was deemed 'inadequate and has serious weakness', a warning notice sent to members and trustees of the school said

The investigation found there was discrimination in the school against protected characteristics, including overt sexism, Islamophobia, and racism.

It said that 'very little support' was provided to students following traumatic events such as the Grenfell tragedy, and that 'public humiliation' or shouting was used as a behaviour policy.

The school announced last year that Mr Hall would retire early, while a new chair of governors was appointed.

The Ofsted report in June found that 'turbulence' in the school's leadership had 'destabilised' the school community, with many aspects of school life, including pupils' behaviour, having 'declined substantially' since its previous inspection seven years' ago.

The report said that pupils and staff had welcomed the 'governors' intervention to stop previous behaviour management strategies that they deemed unacceptable' but that the behaviour policies had not been updated, leaving a 'vacuum' with staff and students 'confused' over how to deal with unacceptable behaviour, some of which was spilling into the local area after school.

Leaders entering pupils for exams early left them with a 'curtailed' education in some subjects, Ofsted said, and it found that leadership was 'poor and unfit for purpose', with many of the leadership team 'overstretched'.
Eurostar will run more direct trains between London and the Netherlands as demand for the trains grow, it has said.

A fourth daily weekday service will operate in both directions between London St Pancras International and Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam from September 5.

The extra service from London will depart at 6.16am, with journey times of around three hours and 15 minutes for Rotterdam and just under four hours for Amsterdam.

Many airline passengers flying to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport have suffered disruption in recent months, with thousands of flights cancelled due to staff shortages.

Els Buzzi, head of the Amsterdam route at Eurostar, said: 'The ever-growing demand for high-speed trains between the Netherlands and the UK shows that both business and leisure travellers appreciate the convenience and comfort of travelling by Eurostar.

A fourth daily weekday service will operate in both directions between London St Pancras International and Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam from September 5

The extra service from London will depart at 6.16am, with journey times of around three hours and 15 minutes for Rotterdam and just under four hours for Amsterdam (pictured)

'The fourth service will give our customers even more choice and flexibility when planning their journey, safe in the knowledge that Eurostar is the greener way to go from city centre to city centre.'

In May last year, Eurostar secured a 250 million rescue package from shareholders - including French state rail company SNCF - and banks.

That was six months after the company warned it was 'fighting for its survival against a 95% drop in demand' due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It operated just two return services a day for several months before starting to ramp up its operations in May 2021.

It now runs up to 39 daily services, mostly between London and Paris.

The boost for travellers comes as Heathrow and Gatwick continue to be plunge into chaos for summer holidaymakers.

Bosses axed flights at the last minute yesterday morning and passengers are spending hours on runways before being confronted with even bigger delays trying to get their bags.

People travelling through the country's two busiest airports have voiced their frustration after they were beset with delays when attempting to go on their holidays in the latest round of disruption this summer.

It comes after a rare 'schedule intervention' at Heathrow, in which the west London airport told its 20 biggest carriers that they needed to move 30 flights from the morning peak on Wednesday night.

It was a move that meant at least 5,000 travellers woke up on Thursday morning to find their flights affected or even cancelled, with the airport saying it would not be able to cope with the high number of passengers in its terminals.

The boost for travellers comes as Heathrow and Gatwick continue to be plunge into chaos for summer holidaymakers

Meanwhile, passengers at Gatwick were left frustrated by the 'out of control' line for security, and some arrivals left waiting 'nearly two hours' for baggage.

People at both airports took to social media to vent at what they saw as poor service at the London travel hubs.

'Total chaos at Heathrow this morning,' one tweeted, 'BA flights cancelled and zero customer service!'

Another branded Terminal 5 a 'disgraceful shambles', adding: 'Left home at 3.30am, checked flight and cancelled on arrival.'

Widespread travel chaos caused by companies adjusting to the end of the pandemic and a return to higher levels of demand for services have persisted this summer across Britain.
A TikTok influencer was arrested after she exposed her breasts to two young boys at a swimming pool and streamed it live.

Kylie Strickland, 30, of LaGrange, Georgia, was arrested by the Troup County Sheriff's Office on Thursday on warrants issued by the Pike County Sheriff's Office after receiving 'numerous complaints.'

Strickland, who has since made all her social media accounts private, reportedly exposed her breasts in a 'provocative manner' to two young boys at a Pike County residence, where she was swimming, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The 30-year-old was allegedly wearing a skimpy pink bikini in the TikTok with her hair tied up in a top knot, when she grabbed the underside of her bikini top and flashed the boys.

She was arrested and charged with electronic pornography and child exploitation, which is a felony in the state.

Kylie Strickland, 30, of LaGrange, Georgia, was arrested by the Troup County Sheriff's Office on Thursday and was charged with electronic pornography and child exploitation, which is a felony in the state

She allegedly flashed two young boys at a pool party and livestreamed the whole thing

The influencer has been taken into custody, where she will remain until her bond hearing, according to Pike County Sheriff's Office.

A TikTok Live posted after the alleged incident, which has since been reposted on the app, reportedly shows Strickland explaining the situation, where she said: 'Those little boys have seen more boobs than I've probably seen in my entire life.'

She also claimed the boys were 'taking shots of tequila' before she arrived to the pool party in Pike County.

In the second Live video, she pushed off blame by saying: 'It's not my responsibly to parent someone else's child. Those kids go to mud rides.'

The two young boys can be seen looking at the camera right before she allegedly whipped her top off

Another video circulating social media - which was screenshot from yet another livestream the influencer reportedly did - showed alleged text messages between Strickland and one of the parents.

The parent allegedly messaged Strickland: 'What's up? [redacted] just called me and [redacted] they was [to] make sure we wasn't made about you showing them [sic] boys your tits. I told them heck no, I ain't. I'm proud proud of them, so you cool with me.'

Strickland allegedly replied back: 'I figured you didn't care, but just wanted to make sure. Probably shouldn't have done it. [Redacted] so that's my fault, but I just wanted to make sure y'all wasn't upset about it.'

The father allegedly replied: 'Nah, you good, someone done got mad [sic] they had to pay to see them and the boys didn't'

DailyMail.com has contacted the Pike County Sheriff's Office for comment.

The TikTok star allegedly hopped on a livestream to defend herself sometime after the event and said: 'Those little boys have seen more boobs than I've probably seen in my entire life.' She also claimed the boys had been doing tequila shots before she arrived

Strickland made headlines last year for being a survivor of domestic violence.

She accused her boyfriend Cody Weems of attacking her on April 11, 2021. She claimed he had broken into her Georgia home through the bathroom window and began slapping her, the LaGrange Daily News reported at the time.

After noticing another man in the house, Weems allegedly became enraged and attacked him, but the other man was able to escape. Weems then reportedly turned his anger back toward Strickland, dragging her out of the house by her hair and throat and telling her she was 'going to die tonight.'

When she told him she was pregnant, he allegedly stomped on her stomach repeatedly, according to the LaGrange Daily News.

Weems was charged with aggravated assault and battery, aggravated sexual battery, kidnapping, burglary, and battery of an unborn child.
One Florida urologist known as the 'Vasectomy King' says men are rushing to get the procedure in light of the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Since the overturn of the 1973 case that guaranteed a right to abortion on June 24, Dr. Doug Stein has received 12 to 18 requests for vasectomies per day, in comparison to a previous four or five requests, he told The Washington Post.

'It was very noticeable Friday, and then the number that came in over the weekend was huge and the number that is still coming in far exceeds what we have experienced in the past,' Stein said.

He added, 'many of the guys are saying that they have been thinking about a vasectomy for a while, and the Roe v. Wade decision was just that final factor that tipped them over the edge and made them submit the online registration.'

As men come flooding in for the procedure, Stein has found himself booked through the end of August. To accommodate the demand, he has opened more appointments.

Stein's colleague, Dr. John Curington, echoed that the overturn of Roe v. Wade has resulted in men, specifically under the age of 30, requesting the procedure more than before.

'I'd say at least 60 to 70 percent are mentioning the Supreme Court decision,' Curington told The Washington Post.

The urologist said the overturn of Roe v. Wade has resulted in more men under the age of 30 requesting the procedure

Men have been willingly lining up to get the procedure in light of the overturn of the 1973 landmark, especially those living in states that outlawed abortions following the Supreme Court ruling

The 6-3 ruling allowed for all 50 states to determine their own abortion laws - with some choosing the ban the procedure.

Florida was one state that planned on halting abortions after the 15-week limit. The state abortion limit was temporarily barred by a judge on June 30, but could still come into effect.

Thomas Figueroa, 27, knew that he never wanted children, when he finally decided to see Stein following the Supreme Court ruling.

Figueroa, a Florida resident, scheduled his appointment for a vasectomy on Monday after pondering the possibility for a few years.

'It is something I put on the back-burner of my mind until very recently, when the Supreme Court decision happened,' Figueroa told The Washington Post. 'That was basically the triggering factor right there. It pushed my mind to say: "Okay, I really do not want children. I'm going to get this vasectomy now."'

Eric Nisi, 29, also thought about the option of a vasectomy for years before the Supreme Court decision prompted him to finally pull the trigger on Tuesday, he told The Washington Post.

Nisi rushed to do the procedure after worrying birth control might become limited or restricted in Florida for his girlfriend Amanda Omelian, 33, who is currently on two types of birth control.

Urologists have also reported an increase in vasectomies in states without any abortion restrictions or limits

Urologists across the country also witnessed an increase in vasectomies after the Dobbs opinion leaked in early May, which was first reported by Politico.

While abortion remains legal in California, Los Angeles Urologist Philip Werthman reported a '300 to 400 percent' increase in consultations for the procedure, he told The Post.

New York is also not implementing any restrictions in light of the Roe decision, but urologist Marc Goldstein says he is seeing more appointments for vasectomies compared to previous inquiries for vasectomy reversals.

'Now it's the other way around,' he told The Washington Post. 'So it's been a dramatic shift.'

Goldstein said that other major world events have also caused an uptick in the procedure. He witnessed an increase in vasectomies after the 2008 Great Recession - when more people were facing financial distress.

The COVID-19 pandemic also caused an increase in the procedure as more men worked remotely.

Thirteen states were set to enforce abortion bans and restrictions if Roe. v. Wade was ever overturned. Other states, imposed new restrictions or bans that would go into effect shortly after the June 24 ruling

Following the Roe ruling, abortion was automatically outlawed in 18 US states as a result of 'trigger laws' and historic bans that were reenacted after the June 24 ruling.

Thirteen states prepared these trigger laws in the event that Roe was ever overturned.

These state include, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

Five other states banned abortions after historic laws were reenacted, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arizona, and West Virginia.

Other states, including Florida, Indiana, Montana, and Nebraska have either enforced plans or are working on plans to ban or restrict the procedure.

Abortion rights advocates haven't allowed for states halting abortions to get off easy, as many rushed to their state courthouses to fight the bans.

On Thursday, Kentucky and Florida were two of the latest states to be granted temporary restraining orders on their planned abortion bans and restrictions.

Abortions will proceed in those states until final rulings are made.

Abortion clinics in Ohio, Idaho, West Virginia, and Mississippi are also seeking to halt the state implemented bans.
President Joe Biden met virtually Friday with eight Democratic governors who talked about what they were doing in their states to protect abortion care - who, in turn, encouraged the president to take federal action.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York and 'the other enlightened states' are in the position of providing healthcare for women across the nation after the Supreme Court one week ago struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision - pushing the legality of abortion to the states.

Hochul pushed Biden on the idea of providing abortion care on federal lands - 'veterans hospitals, military bases and other places where the federal government controls the jurisdictions that are hostile to women's rights.'

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham suggested using her state's Native American lands to provide abortion care, something Biden said Friday he was open to.

'One of the things that I'm finding is that we are looking, beginning the process, or are in the process of looking at all the alternatives, including the sovereign nation question,' Biden said.

But the president also admitted his hands were tied in many ways - as not every Democratic senator would sign onto a plan to skirt the filibuster to codify federal abortion rights.

President Joe Biden met virtually Friday with eight Democratic governors who talked about what they were doing in their states to protect abortion care - who, in turn, encouraged the president to take action

'We don't have the votes in the Senate to change the filibuster,' Biden relented.

All 50 Democratic senators would have to sign-on to a filibuster change and moderate Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have already signaled they were against it.

At the top of the meeting, Biden reiterated that he do what he could as president to ensure women wouldn't be punished for traveling from red states to blue states to get an abortion - but he feared they would still get targeted.

'I think people are going to be shocked when the first state, the first state that tries to arrest a woman for crossing a state line to get health services,' the president said.

'And I don't think people believe that's going to happen,' he continued. 'But it's going to happen and it's going to telegraph to the whole country that this is a gigantic deal that does beyond - it effects all your basic rights.'

Biden said he had talked to Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier in the day.

'We're going to do everything within the power of the federal government to make sure that any attempt to obstruct anything from travel to access to medicine does not occur,' Biden said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (top left) said New York and 'the other enlightened states' are in the position of providing healthcare for women across the nation after the Supreme Court one week ago struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision

Beyond Hochul and Lujan Grisham, governors who participated included North Carolina's Roy Cooper, Connecticut's Ned Lamont, Colorado's Jared Polis, Illinois' J. B. Pritzker, Washington's Jay Inslee, Oregon's Kate Brown and Rhode Island's Daniel McKee.

As a southern governor, Cooper said North Carolina is already seeing an influx of patients coming from surrounding states with tighter restrictions.

'This Democratic governor is going to hold the line,' Cooper told Biden.

Cooper said that in North Carolina enough Democratic legislators needed to be elected to 'sustain my vetoes,' as both houses are controlled by Republicans.

'Right now governors really are the last line of defense and they're also the first change of progress,' Cooper said. 'Especially with this Supreme Court on such a destructive path.'
Renee Zellweger is all smiles as she hangs with friends while boyfriend Ant Anstead is away in his native England.

DailyMail.com spotted Renee on Thursday in Laguna Beach, California, wearing a thin blue jacket, black ankle length leggings, sneakers and an orange Texas Longhorn cap.

She walked alongside a male friend who wore workout attire and a female friend who donned a white sundress and brown boots.

Renee, 53, and Ant, 43, have been inseparable since they began dating after meeting last summer on the set of his Discovery+ show 'Celebrity IOU: Joyride.'

Ant is currently embroiled in a messy custody battle with ex-wife Christina Hall, the mother of their two-year-old son Hudson. The toddler has forged a close bond with Ant's Oscar winner girlfriend.

Ant and Christina's dispute was due to be reviewed again in court this week.

DailyMail.com spotted Renee on Thursday in Laguna Beach, California

Renee, 53, and Ant, 43, have been inseparable since they began dating after meeting last summer on the set of his Discovery+ show 'Celebrity IOU: Joyride'

Renee was all smiles as she hung out with friends while boyfriend Ant Anstead is away in his native England

She walked alongside a male friend who wore workout attire and a female friend who was in a white sundress and brown boots

She wore a thin blue jacket, black ankle length leggings, sneakers and an orange Texas Longhorn cap

The trio were spotted walking on the sidewalk in Laguna Beach

Renee and Ant spend most of their down time at his property in Laguna Beach and the Bridget Jones alum has also been getting to know his three kids.

They appear to be head over heels in love and aren't afraid to show it.

Just a few months ago, Ant posted a video to Instagram where two photos rapidly alternated and show him kissing Renee.

The first photo showed the pair leaning in with their faces nearly touching while the second showed the Hollywood 'it' couple locking lips.

He captioned the photo, 'This lady [red heart emoji]x Ren.'

A source previously revealed, 'Ant and Renee are going strong.'

'Their relationship is progressing naturally. They've just been happy together and look forward to growing as a couple.'

The source added, '[They] can't wait to see what the new year has in store for the both of them.'

DailyMail.com spotted Renee and Ant on a stroll in Orange County, California in March

Ant posted a video to his Instagram where two photos rapidly alternated and appeared to make him kiss his better half

Ant is currently embroiled in a messy custody battle with ex-wife Christina Hall, the mother of their two-year-old son Hudson. The toddler has forged a close bond with Ant's Oscar winner girlfriend

The couple are inseparable and have spotted being affectionate on several occasions. A source previously revealed, 'Ant and Renee are going strong.' 'Their relationship is progressing naturally. They've just been happy together and look forward to growing as a couple'

Ant recently filed for full custody of son Hudson and blasted Christina, 38, as an unfit mother in court documents, which were ultimately denied.

In the documents, Ant also claimed Christina had been negligent when it came to both his and their son Hudson's medical safety.

However, Ant was denied his bid for full custody presently but still had the chance to make a case for temporary custody during a hearing that was set for this week.

The legal documents state that Christina also needs a chance at arguing her side of the case before any legal rulings can be made.

Christina defended herself in a statement where she called herself a 'good mother' and blasted her ex for taking their custody issues to the court rather than having it 'handled privately.'

'What Ant is doing deeply saddens me,' Hall said in a statement.

She seemed to imply that the exes had had discussions about custody and claimed that Anstead had ignored her hopes of resolving the matter behind closed doors.

'If this was really about Hudson, as he says, this should have been handled privately with a private judge or mediation, as myself and my attorney have suggested,' she continued.

'I have had my share of ups and downs but I am a good mom and I love my children with all my heart and I will always protect them,' she concluded.

Ant was previously married to Christina Haack (now Hall) from 2018 to 2021

Renee married Kenny Chesney in 2005 though they annulled the marriage just four months later

Ant was previously married to Louise Anstead from 2005 to 2017 and then to Christina from 2018 to 2021.

He has three children: two with Louise named Amelie and Archie and Hudson with Christina.

Renee has also had a few high-profile relationships in the past.

She was engaged to comedian Jim Carrey from 1999 to 2000, and she married Kenny Chesney in 2005 though they annulled the marriage just four months later.

More recently, the Bridget Jones's Diary star was in a relationship with musician Doyle Bramhall II from 2012 until 2019.

But her career hasn't slowed on bit.

Her series The Thing About Pam, centered around the murder of Betsy Faria, is currently being released on Peacock. She plays the title role in the series.
Julian Assange has filed an appeal to his extradition to the US on espionage charges.

The appeal comes as the WikiLeaks founder currently awaits extradition while imprisoned in max-security Belmarsh Prison ahead of his 51st birthday on Saturday.

A British court ruled in April that Assange could be sent to face trial in the U.S., sending the case to the U.K. government for a decision.

Home Secretary Priti Patel signed an order on June 17 authorizing Assange's extradition, but an appeal application was submitted to the High Court on Friday.

Mr Assange is wanted by American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011 related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The WikiLeaks founder currently awaits extradition while imprisoned in max-security Belmarsh Prison ahead of his 51st birthday on Saturday

His wife Stella, who he married while imprisoned, joined people who gathered outside the Home Office in central London on Friday to step up calls for the WikiLeaks founder to be released from prison.

He has been in prison since he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019, where he had been living since 2012.

Julian Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse.

American prosecutors say the Australian citizen helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His wife Stella, who he married while imprisoned, joined people who gathered outside the Home Office in central London on Friday to step up calls for the WikiLeaks founder to be released from prison

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan

Assange has been in prison since he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019, where he had been living since 2012

Stella Moris departs HMP Belmarsh prison after her wedding to Assange in March

The Australian government has been under mounting pressure to intervene, but last month Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected calls for him to publicly demand that Washington drop its prosecution of Assange.

Assange's supporters and lawyers maintain he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech. They argue that the case is politically motivated, that he would face inhumane treatment and be unable to get a fair trial in the U.S.

Assange remains in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has been since he was arrested in 2019 for skipping bail during a separate legal battle.

Before that, he spent seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault which he denied.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but British judges have kept Assange in prison pending the outcome of the extradition case.
Brazen eco-zealots Tyre Extinguishers are celebrating their expansion into America, after slashing the tires of 40 SUVs in New York City Thursday night and bragging that they'll 'never be caught.'

The movement, which originated in the United Kingdom, seeks to dissuade people from owning SUVs in urban areas, and switch instead to more environmentally-friendly vehicles.

Tyre extinguishers took credit for deflating the tires of 40 SUVs on Manhattan's Upper East Side Thursday.

'BIG NEWS: TYRE EXTINGUISHERS STRIKE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEW YORK CITY!' they tweeted on Tuesday.

The SUVs they vandalized had leaflets let on the windshield, which stated: 'Attention: Your gas guzzler kills'.

When reached by DailyMail.com via e-mail, an anonymous representative for the group said: 'We will be striking in major cities all across America as autonomous groups are formed to take action.'

The group Tyre Extinguishers posted a photo on social media of one of their followers deflating the tires of an SUV

The group's followers print out and leave these leaflets on the windscreen

They made it clear that they aren't going anywhere and they don't believe there's anything anyone can do about it.

'That's the beauty of this movement - it is leaderless. Nobody gives orders or controls it. All it takes is one person to print our leaflet and buy some lentils. How do we plan on executing it? It's very simple and anyone can do it. Which is why we will never be caught.'

The group makes a guide to their method of activism readily available on their website titled: 'How to deflate an SUV tyre.'

When asked who they were, the representative responded: 'We are a group of people from all over the world, from all walks of life, with one aim: To make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4x4 in the worlds urban areas. We are defending ourselves against climate change, air pollution and unsafe drivers.'

They also provide versions of their leaflets available in over a half dozen languages.

'We have an American English leaflet ('tire' rather than 'tyre') on our website so USA folks, you can join in!'

Police are investigating Thursday's incidents, but no arrests have been made. They were tipped off by a 49-year-old man who reported being the victim of the extinguishers.

One victim emailed them with the subject: 'Damn you, Red Coats!'

The SUV-owner said that 'far more environmentally unfriendly' pickup trucks would now be called out, to repair the damaged vehicles, and pointed out most of those attacked would be covered by insurance.

The loosely-organized movement encourages anyone to participate, at will. They encourage acting under the cover of darkness, working in pairs, and practicing on bicycle tires first.

Activists are told to avoid cars used for people with disabilities, traders' cars, minibuses and normal-sized cars - but electric SUVs are considered fair game.

In a statement, the group said they 'want to see bans on SUVs in urban areas, pollution levies to tax SUVs out of existence, and massive investment in free, comprehensive public transport.'

They added: 'But until politicians make this a reality, Tyre Extinguishers action will continue.'

Critics on social media said the action was misguided.

'People need to remember that their actions, even if they feel they are morally correct decisions, still have consequences,' said one.

Many others thought the group advocated slashing and destroying the tires, and creating more waste.

'As much as I dislike the use of cars over public transit/biking as you guys; destroying private property/causing more pollution by damaging tires and creating more waste is actually very counterproductive,' said one.

'Instead, try making transit and biking more appealing than driving.'

Another said: 'So to fight global warming etc you deflated the tires on 40 vehicles. And now 40 tow trucks will be heading out to reinflate/replace these tires. I'm not a carbon footprint genius but seems you increased it exponentially based on the size and fuel consumption of the tow trucks.'

One person joked: 'May I suggest you target Cadillac Escalades in and around Harlem? That should be fun. Bring a camera.'

Another threatened: 'Would it be legal to shoot these people in some areas if they are vandalizing your property? I'm just asking as a curiosity?'

The organization first made news in April when they bragged it had deflated the wheels of nearly 2,000 cars in just a month despite public fury.

SUVs emit 25 per cent more carbon dioxide on average than a medium-sized car. Globally, the number of SUVs has increased from less than 50 million in 2010 to around 320 million last year  equivalent to the total car fleet of Europe.

Because of their size, on average, SUVs consume around a quarter more energy than medium-sized cars.

A 2019 study by the International Energy Agency found that they rank among the top contributors to energy-related carbon dioxide emissions growth over the past decade  cancelling out the reductions from people switching to electric cars. Because of their size, they are also said to be more dangerous when involved in an accident.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign tore into the White House for 'lying' about the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill after press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre climed that the law was 'discrination, plain and simple.

'The White House continues to lie about Florida's work to protect children as young as five years old from sexualized lesson plans,' DeSantis campaign spokesperson Lindsey Curnutte said.

'Governor DeSantis's pro-parent education agenda stands in stark contrast to the policies coming out of Washington as Joe Biden tries to steal lunch money from our kids to push woke gender ideology.'

The bill went into effect Friday and Jean-Pierre urged students to file discrimination complaints if they feel they are the target of such behavior.

'Any student or parent who believes they are experiencing discrimination is encouraged to file a complaint with the Department's Office for Civil Rights. Our Administration will continue to fight for dignity and opportunity for every student and familyin Florida and around the country,' Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

While Florida Republicans have insisted the law only prevents teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in grades Kindergarten-3, Jean-Pierre claimed that the law's effects had already stretched far beyond that.

'Already, there have been reports that 'Safe Space' stickers are being taken down from classrooms. Teachers are being instructed not to wear rainbow clothing. LGBTQI+ teachers are being told to take down family photos of their husbands and wivescherished family photos like the ones on my own desk,' said the press secretary, who is lesbian.

Florida's so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill went into effect Friday and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre urged students to filed discrimination complaints if they feel they are the target of such behavior

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been at the forefront of the culture wars with his state's controversial 'Parental Rights in Education' law - which opponents call the 'Don't Say Gay' law

A demonstrator holding a sign takes part in a protest as Disney's employees demonstrate against Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill in March, sparking a war with Disney

What is the Parental Rights in Education law? HB 1557 was introduced by two Republican members of the Florida Legislature - Representative Joe Harding and Senator Dennis Baxley. They say the bill's aim is to 'empower parents' in their children's education, and make teachers recognize the distinction between 'instruction' and 'discussion.' 'What we're prohibiting is instructing them in a specific direction,' Baxley said about how teachers lead students in a classroom. 'Students can talk about whatever they want to bring up, but sometimes the right answer is, ''You really ought to talk to your parents about that.''' It states that 'classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur.' Part of it applies to kids in kindergarten through third grade, while a vague portion bans all discussion of 'sexual orientation or gender identity' in a 'manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.' It also requires districts to 'adopt procedures for notifying a student's parent if there is a change in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being,' something LGBTQ advocates argue could lead to students being outed to their parents without the student's knowledge or consent. The state House approved the bill in February. It was passed in the state Senate on March 8 in a 22-17 vote. DeSantis signed it into law on March 28 and it will come into effect on July 1. Advertisement

'This is not an issue of 'parents' rights.' This is discrimination, plain and simple,' she added.

Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said the law simply protected children from 'sexualized lesson plans.'

The law was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in March, sparking a war with Walt Disney Co., which openly opposed the law. DeSantis then removed Disney's privileged tax status, move which actually could cost residents in the local area more in taxes.

Earlier this month Biden condemned what he called 'ultra-MAGA laws' that discriminate against gay and transgender people as he announced executive orders aimed at boosting support for LGBTQ people

'I don't have to tell you about the ultra-MAGA agenda, attacking families and our freedoms,' he said at an event marking Pride Month at the White House.

As 'woke indoctrination' in classrooms has become a frontline issue for conservatives, a number of states have made moves to push back against transgender students participating in girls sports, and some states have taken it further.

Officially Florida's law is known as the Parental Rights in Education law - but opponents deride it as the 'Can't Say Gay' law and warn that it means vulnerable children cannot get the support they need.

And in Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey signed a law preventing physicians from performing 'irreversible gender reassignment surgery' on minors.

Biden's executive order will direct agencies to push back.

It instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to protect families from attacks on access to healthcare by releasing policies on expanding services.

And it directs the Department of Education to device a sample school policy to promote inclusion for LGBTQI+ students.

Conversion therapy is also singled out for attention.

'President Biden is also encouraging the Federal Trade Commission to consider whether the practice constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice, and whether to issue consumer warnings or notices,' said the White House in a factsheet.
Her classic good looks still turn heads at the age of 66, as she weaves her way between the hefty sightseeing vessels chugging up and down the River Thames.

All the tour guides love to point her out, says her proud skipper, Paul Hastings. Shes part of history.

She certainly is  and has been ever since her finest hour, in January 1965, when she carried the greatest statesman in British history on his final journey.

More than 350 million people around the world watched the Havengore sail up the Thames with the coffin of Sir Winston Churchill, draped in the Union flag, lying in state on her deck.

It was Havengores task to carry Sir Winston from his funeral at St Pauls Cathedral to Waterloo Station, from where a special train would take him to the family burial plot in Oxfordshire.

In the immortal words of the BBCs Richard Dimbleby: And so Havengore sails into history  not even the Golden Hind has borne so great a man.

More than 350 million people around the world watched the Havengore sail up the Thames with the coffin of Sir Winston Churchill, draped in the Union flag, lying in state on her deck

Equally unforgettable was the profoundly moving sight of dozens of cranes along the riverbank lowering their jibs in tribute, as she sailed by with the great mans family and the bearer party from the Grenadier Guards also on board.

This 85ft former Port of London Authority hydrographic survey vessel, made from English oak and finest teak, has gone on to play her part in many great state occasions since then, too. She was at the Queens side during that blustery river pageant to mark the 2012 Diamond Jubilee.

She has been a stalwart of the national Armistice Day commemorations each November, when she sails to Westminster to lay wreaths in the Thames.

And on the 50th anniversary of the great mans funeral, in 2015, the Churchill family came aboard to retrace the funeral route followed by a mid-river wreath-laying.

I was lucky enough to be one of the passengers that day and was astonished by the size of the crowds greeting us from the bridges and the riverbanks on a freezing midweek morning. The relatives were bowled over by it all. Some were in tears.

But might the Havengore now be about to sail into history once and for all? For her owner has  very reluctantly  decided that the time has come to find a new custodian. He is the first to admit this has been a labour of (expensive) love.

It was Havengores task to carry Sir Winston from his funeral at St Pauls Cathedral to Waterloo Station, from where a special train would take him to the family burial plot in Oxfordshire

Ive devoted 15 years to her and I have loved it, says Chris Ryland. But I am getting on, Im 74 and I cant expect my family to keep on pouring money into this so Id like to find someone else to take her on.

The former entrepreneur forged a lifelong attachment to all things Churchillian when, as a boy, he took a day off school and hitchhiked from his Gloucestershire home to Westminster Hall where the wartime leader was lying in state.

Young Ryland thought nothing of spending hours queuing in the freezing cold to pay his respects and, back at home, was glued to the funeral on his mothers little black and white television.

And 40 years later, he had just sold his stake in his successful IT services business when a friend alerted him to a story which might be of interest.

Having spent her twilight years doing trips around Chatham dockyards in Kent, the Havengore had been put up for auction at Sothebys by a private owner. She had failed to reach the 1 million reserve price but a would-be buyer was prepared to match the highest bid  780,000  and take her overseas to become just another pleasure craft cruising in the Mediterranean.

So Mr Ryland stepped in and offered the same amount with one important proviso: he would bring the Havengore back home to London and keep her active in public life.

Equally unforgettable was the profoundly moving sight of dozens of cranes along the riverbank lowering their jibs in tribute. Pictured: Robert Hardman in the wheelhouse of the MV Havengore

It was the only place for her, he tells me. A suitably prestigious berth was found at St Katharine Docks, next to the Tower of London.

However, in the finest traditions of old boats, she needed rather more care and attention than he had bargained for. A three-stage refurbishment programme, over several years, has cost him a few million pounds, he says. That is on top of the 100,000 basic annual running costs, which he subsidises through occasional charter trips.

However, now that she is back in top condition, he feels that the time is right to bow out for a reasonable price. Im never going to recoup what I have spent but that was never the point, he says.

A yacht broker has suggested a value of 2 million on the open market, although Mr Ryland would prefer to find a like-minded buyer who shares his belief that the Havengore belongs at the heart of our national life.

So I have come down to the Thames to remind myself what we might be losing if she ends up leaving London, or worse still, the UK.

I meet her at Tower Pier where she is unloading a corporate party that has hired her for a days clay pigeon shooting out in the Thames Estuary. It is day trips like these which help defray the maintenance bill. Everyone stepping off has a broad smile on their face.

This 85ft former Port of London Authority hydrographic survey vessel, made from English oak and finest teak, has gone on to play her part in many great state occasions since then, too

Even after a day on the water, she is immaculate. The main saloon, which can accommodate up to 40 people, leads out on to the spacious rear deck where a brass plaque, presented by the International Churchill Society (UK), commemorates her role on January 30, 1965.

Down below, there is a handsome owners cabin with double bed and en suite bathroom. Next door, a study with two leather armchairs and a desk is decorated with Churchillian souvenirs, prints, magazines and newspapers.

I would sometimes use that as my London office, says Mr Ryland, adding that he would occasionally stay on board overnight  just because he could.

Towards the bow, the wheelhouse is largely unchanged, save for the screens which are part of the modern navigation system on any vessel of this size. For Havengore is registered as a commercial vessel and must be sailed by a professional skipper. Mr Ryland may be the owner but he cant drive his own boat.

Elsewhere are the crew quarters and, of course, the engine room. She still runs on the original twin 157 horsepower Gardner engines which were installed when she was built by Tough Brothers of Teddington in 1956. Even when these required a major overhaul, Mr Ryland insisted on using parts from a heritage steam locomotive to keep things authentic.

She was originally commissioned by the Port of London Authority to survey the 95-mile tidal stretch of the Thames from Teddington to the North Sea. Her job was to produce precise measurements for the benefit of the ships which still made London one of the busiest ports in the world and she was named after a boggy island on the Essex coast.

And on the 50th anniversary of the great mans funeral, in 2015, the Churchill family came aboard to retrace the funeral route followed by a mid-river wreath-laying

The rear deck was specifically designed to be long and wide in order to accommodate a large range of surveying equipment. It was precisely this feature which earned the Havengore her place in history, not that her crew knew it at the time.

They were a little surprised, as were Tough Brothers, when she was sent back to the boatyard in 1963 in order to be re-equipped with detachable railings and new deck fittings.

It had already been decided by the powers that be that Churchill would have a state funeral whenever the dark day came and, whats more, it would include a maritime element to reflect his many links with the Admiralty.

She returned to surveying duties after the funeral and continued working for longer than any other Port of London Authority vessel.

Finally, in 1995, she was withdrawn from service and put up for sale. A New Zealand businessman, Owen Palmer, bought her, moved her to Kent and devoted many years to keeping her afloat. Ill- health eventually forced him to sell and that was when Mr Ryland came into the Havengore story.

He is very proud of the part she has played in so many great occasions, such as the Diamond Jubilee river pageant when he welcomed nine members of the Royal Family and then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, on board for the voyage along the Thames.

But might the Havengore now be about to sail into history once and for all? For her owner has  very reluctantly  decided that the time has come to find a new custodian. He is the first to admit this has been a labour of (expensive) love

He is particularly honoured to have received a full seven-volume edition of Churchills The Second World War, signed by the Churchill family as a thank-you for his efforts over the years (he has also been a major supporter and trustee of Gloucestershires regimental museum).

Mr Ryland has chartered Havengore to celebrities, businesses, fellow Churchill devotees and even a Sikh funeral party who wanted to scatter the ashes of a loved one over the river.

Any future owner will need to bear in mind that, with a shallow draft, she is very much designed for rivers, not oceans.

She handles beautifully but she is not a sea boat, says her skipper. As a result, her entire maritime life has been spent in southern England.

Her furthest voyages have been to Cowes Week, on the Isle of Wight, in one direction, and the repair yard in Ipswich, where she goes for her annual service.

This may turn out to be a blessing. For however much some millionaire may like the idea of cruising the French Riviera in one of historys most famous launches, Havengore was built to serve the Thames and those who dwell on it.

Long may that last.
GM's Hummer EV production is reportedly at a sluggish pace these days, even as roughly 80,000 customers anticipate getting their hands on the all-electric truck while on the waitlist.

As such, these folks on the long waitlist of the all-new GMC Hummer electric vehicle (EV) might have to be more patient before it arrives at their doorstep.

GM's Hummer EV Production at a Slow Pace?

According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, the production of the all-new Hummer EV lags when compared to other automakers entering the electric market, such as Rivian and Ford.

The news outlet notes that it comes despite the newly renovated factory of General Motors (GM) in Detroit, which houses around 700 employees to work on the all-new Hummer.

The unnamed sources of The Wall Street Journal claim that the production of Hummer is at a very slow pace, averaging a dozen EVs a day.

It is worth noting that GM has been producing the all-electric Hummer for approximately six months.

The American automaker kicked off the production of the massive pickup EV last December 2021. In its first month, GM sold a single unit of the all-electric Hummer.

Hummer EV

A spokesperson of GM, Chad Lyson, said that the all-electric Hummer has an overwhelming waitlist of around 77,400, as per a news story by The Verge.

But with the current production output of the Hummer EV, they might have to wait for a little longer.

However, the GM spokesperson declined to confirm the veracity of these production numbers.

Interestingly, The Verge did the math for the potential customers of the Hummer EV. And they might have to wait for nearly two decades before they start getting their hands on an electric pickup truck.

If its production continues at this sluggish pace, the tech news outlet says it could take 17 years before it finishes its waitlist of 77,500 folks.

Read Also: GMC Hummer EV Increases Price by More Than $6,000 - Does it Affect Existing Pre Orders?

GM to 'Drastically Increase' Hummer EV Production

That said, the GM spokesperson said that the giant automaker is actually looking to "drastically increase" the production output of the Hummer.

But it might take a few more months before it ramps up. Lyson says the goal is in late 2022.

The Wall Street Journal reports that potential production ramp-up is all thanks to its new battery factory of GM in Ohio. It should provide the giant battery cells of the Hummer EV, and we might see more of the gigantic electric truck hitting the roads.

Related Article: GMC's Upcoming Extract Mode Software Update Will Give Hummer EVs an Additional Six Inches in Ride Height
BY JESSICA GREEN FOR MAILONLINE

After six years of marriage, Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall are to divorce, leaving the Texan model single again at 65.

Hall has never been short of admirers since she burst onto the fashion scene after being discovered sunbathing in the south of France in the 1970s, however her love life has been anything but plain sailing.

She tied the knot with the Rolling Stones frontman, who she met in 1976, on a beach in Bali in 1990, however, their supposed marriage was deemed void by the UK high court following their split.

It was another humiliation for Hall, after putting up with the rocker's notorious philandering for years, admitting she 'forgave, and forgave, and forgave' to an 'unhealthy' extent.

Her union with Mick wasn't her first star-studded relationship, with the Texas native dating singer Bryan Ferry before her relationship with Jagger and appeared on the cover of his 1975 album Siren.

The couple became engaged, but she was wooed away from Ferry by Jagger.

Friends of the 91-year-old media tycoon Murdoch and 65-year-old model, who wed in March 2016, were left 'surprised' by their sudden split, The New York Times said.

The union was the fourth marriage for Murdoch, who is worth an estimated $17 billion, while it was technically Hall's first marriage after her 22-year relationship  and four children  with Sir Mick Jagger.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look back at Hall's varied loved life.

Bryan Ferry and Jerry Hall posed together in the Amstel Hotel in 1976 in Amsterdam

BRYAN FERRY: 1975 - 1977

Hall is best known for her relationship with Jagger - however, she had a star-studded relationship history long before meeting him.

She moved to Paris as a model in the 70s and in 1975, in the guise of a mermaid, Hall appeared on the cover of her boyfriend Bryan Ferry's latest record album, Roxy Music's Siren.

Despite the age difference - Hall was 19 and Ferry was 30 - they started dating.

Five months later, the lead singer proposed to Hall and their professional and personal relationship continued, with her appearing in the video for Ferry's 1976 solo hit, Let's Stick Together.

By now, Hall was one of the most photographed models of her era, truly one of the first to gain the status of 'supermodel' and from the front covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan magazines to the social pages of every publication, a woman instantly synonymous with glamour.

The girl from Texas was also earning a daily fee of $1000. The gossip columns would say that Hall met Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger at a dinner party in Manhattan and left Bryan Ferry for him.

But as Hall later revealed in her 2010 autobiography, Tall Tales, Jagger pursued her while she was still a teenager and engaged to Ferry, eventually seducing her in 1977.

Together, Jagger and Hall partied at the notable nightclubs of the day, Studio 54 and 21 Club in New York. Ferry would later write the song Kiss and Tell about Hall's infidelity.

MICK JAGGER: 1977 - 1999

Hall was previously in a long-term relationship with Rolling Stones rocker Mick Jagger, with whom she shares four children - Elizabeth, 38, James, 36, Georgia May, 30, and Gabriel, 24.

However the two parents, who met in 1976, never officially tied the knot during their 22-year relationship together.

While Hall's marriage to Murdoch marked her first official walk down the aisle - she and Jagger did have an unofficial marriage ceremony in Bali in 1990, however that was deemed void by the UK high court following their split.

They went through a legal battle over whether or not their 1990 Bali wedding service had been official after she filed for divorce in 1999. Her split from Jagger left her with an estimated settlement of up to $22 million.

The former supermodel, who was born in Texas, said she had thought that the marriage was 'valid' and that - as a result - the pair would need to go through official divorce proceedings.

However, a high court judge in the UK declared that the ceremony was not valid under British or Indonesian law and he therefore declared the marriage null and void.

Hall tied the knot with the Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger (pictured left together in 1992) on a beach in Bali in 1990, however that was deemed void by the UK high court following their split. Hall is pictured right in traditional costume on the day of the ceremony

In 2005, Hall opened up about her feelings over Jagger's alleged womanizing during their relationship.

She told the Evening Standard that she 'forgave, and forgave, and forgave and forgave to the point where it wasn't very healthy at all', adding: 'Sure, he wasn't a great husband, and I could gripe and grouse, but I think that's old hat.'

She also confessed at the time that she 'still loved' Jagger, but that their relationship had been so 'unhealthy', it had left her 'so depressed' and 'unhappy'.

'I still love him. But it made me so unhappy. I was unable to do anything because I felt so depressed,' she said. 'If you're in an unhealthy relationship, it's bad for your self-esteem. You have so many ups and downs that you can't be consistent...'

In 2008, Hall insisted she would never want her daughters to date a man like Jagger in an interview with Psychologies magazine.

She said: 'No, never. But I don't think they would. They have far more confidence than I did, and they have great boundaries. It took me longer to learn those.'

Hall shares four children - Elizabeth, 38, James, 36, Georgia May, 30, and Gabriel, 24 - with Jagger (pictured together in the '80s)

Hall conceded she had put up with the star's behavior for too long.

She said: 'I always thought he would change, and that was my big mistake. People don't change, unless they really want to, and you can't make them.

'I probably stayed with him for longer than I should have done. All I can say is that I really loved him, and he really loved me, in spite of all the other women.'

At the time of Hall and Murdoch's wedding in 2016, sources reported that Jagger was 'seething' over the union, with one friend saying that the rocker 'had a real problem' with the idea of the Australian media tycoon becoming a part of his family.

'This means that Rupert Murdoch is going to become a part of his extended family, and Mick has a real problem with that,' the insider claimed.

Hall reportedly ended things with Jagger after he had a child with Brazilian model Luciana Gimenez, but the former couple remain close friends.

Sangster was married to Susan Sangster (pictured) at the time. In 2015, Hall revealed to Radio Times that she embarked on an affair of her own with wealthy horse breeder Robert Sangster in order to give Jagger a taste of his own medicine in 1982

ROBERT SANGSTER: 1982

In 2015, Hall revealed to Radio Times that she embarked on an affair of her own with wealthy horse breeder Robert Sangster in order to give Jagger a taste of his own medicine in 1982.

Although her retaliation initially worked, in the end she was forced to realize Jagger would never change.

Commenting on his philandering and the incessant lies he told her, Jerry was asked if she ever sought revenge at which point she re-opened the story of her dalliance.

'I did [want revenge]. At one point I went off and had an affair with somebody else. Robert Sangster. So lovely. Horse breeder. Then Mick would beg me back.'

She admitted the fling, which she claimed only lasted a couple of weeks, made her feel good; empowered, and was the only one during her 22-year relationship with the rockstar.

'The only big time. I thought Mick would eventually change, but he didn't,' she said.

Hall's 1982 affair with Sangster, who passed away aged 67 from cancer in 2004, was well-publicized and one she is reported to have described as a 'disaster'.

However her interview with the Radio Times was believed to be the first time she admitted she was motivated by a desire to seek revenge.

She added: 'He [Jagger] never annoyed me. Not little things. I mean his actions with other women were pretty bad but that was the only thing that annoyed me. Not little things.

'I mean his actions with other women were pretty bad but that was the only thing that annoyed me. He didn't annoy me day-to-day.

'He denied everything [the affairs] to the last. Well, I think most men do. He eventually had a baby with somebody else.'

Her relationship with Sangster started when she found out Jagger was cheating on her with Italian model Carla Bruni.

She had intercepted a fax from Miss Bruni to Jagger which read 'Let's spend the night together' and was naturally furious.

She went off travelling with Sangster, who was married to Susan Sangster at the time, in an apparent attempt to make her man jealous.

Her plan worked. Within a year Jagger and Jerry, soon pregnant with their first child, Elizabeth, were back together.

Jerry dated Paramount film producer George Waud for two years after her split from Mick Jagger

GEORGE WAUD: 2000 - 2001

He was 11 years her junior and four inches shorter, but Hall, then 44, wasn't shy about gushing over her romance with film producer George Waud, who she dated for nearly two years after splitting from Mick.

'He is way, way, way too young for me, but there it is,' she said at the time. 'Go with the flow. He's gorgeous, he's smart, he's single. And he thinks he isn't good-looking which makes him all the more attractive.'

She met Waud in August 1999, just after she had received a 10million parting settlement from Jagger.

He's the son of millionaire Guy Pierre D'Abzac Waud, a former member of the council of the Distressed Gentle-folk's Association and a consultant to the American School in Cobham, Surrey.

Waud, who read Fine Arts at Oxford, was a film producer with Paramount when he and Hall started dating, and used to go out with Cecilia Peck, daughter of the Hollywood star, Gregory.

The couple split in the summer of 2001.

A few months after her split from Waud, Hall moved on with another toyboy - albeit a less diminutive one. Then 45, she met London banker Tim Attias, 35, through the Kabbalah, an offshoot of Judaism to which she is devoted

TIM ATTIAS: 2001 - 2002

A few months after her split from Waud, Hall moved on with another toyboy - albeit a less diminutive one.

Then 45, she met London banker Tim Attias, 35, through the Kabbalah, an offshoot of Judaism to which she is devoted.

The confirmed bachelor had a formidable reputation as a ladies' man and friends said it was not uncommon for him to have up to five women on the go at once.

A keen polo player, he ran a team from Lord Cowdray's estate in West Sussex, costing him up to 500,000 a year - which was not a problem with bonuses from his job with investment bankers ABN Amro said to be in the region of 2million.

During their 'intense fling' he whisked Hall off to Mustique and invited her to parties at his 1.5million Notting Hill home in West London.

Friends said he was besotted, with one adding: 'It is all Tim can talk about.'

However, it was reportedly Hall who ended things, saying she wasn't ready to commit to a serious relationship again.

Hall met Warwick Hemsley in Perth, Australia, in September 2010 while starring in The Graduate, in which she played seductress Mrs Robinson

WARWICK HEMSLEY: 2010 - 2012

Hall met Warwick Hemsley in Perth, Australia, in September 2010 while starring in The Graduate, in which she played seductress Mrs Robinson.

The property tycoon, thought to be worth 30million at the time, followed her back to London when the 21-performance run of The Graduate ended.

He crossed to the other side of the world and even moved in with her in October 2010, just weeks after they met and fell for each other.

Ive never seen her so relaxed, a member of the West London ladies-who-lunch set, of which Hall was a fixture, previously told The Daily Mail.

Her relationship with Warwick has played a huge part in how contented she is these days. Shes finally ready to settle into middle age.

Those close to her at the time suggested Hall was seriously considering marriage.

The same friend said: When one of her friends made a remark about how they could see her marrying again, Jerry would always laugh it off, but recently shes stopped being so coy.

In fact, shes been saying quite openly that she likes the idea. Its quite a surprise  I never thought she would find anyone who could live up to Mick, in her mind.

Hall was romantically linked to New Zealand-born Armand Leroi, then 49, from January 2014 until a year later

ARMAND LEROI: 2014 - 2015

Hall was romantically linked to New Zealand-born Armand Leroi, then 49, from January 2014 until a year later.

The diplomats son came with impressive credentials - best known for the Channel 4 documentary series Human Mutants, he is Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology at Imperial College London.

Friends said at the time he was the perfect companion for Jerry. He is good looking, well-read and sophisticated, a chum told The Daily Mail.

The son of Dutch diplomats, Armand comes from a family that is both jet-setting and intellectual. His twin sister Marie-France is an eminent lawyer in Canada, while another sister, Iracema, is a leading authority on Alzheimers disease.

Armand took his BSc degree at Dalhousie in Halifax, Canada, in 1989, then a PhD at the University of California.

He moved to Britain in 1996 to be a lecturer at Imperial College London, where in 2001 he was appointed Reader in Evolutionary Developmental Biology.

His emergence as a media star began with the publication of his book Mutants: On The Form, Varieties And Errors Of The Human Body, in 2004. It was widely lauded, won an award and was turned into a documentary series on Channel 4, which he wrote and presented.

Another Channel 4 series  What Makes Us Human  followed in 2006, then in 2009 came a BBC4 documentary called What Darwin Didnt Know. He presented Aristotles Lagoon for BBC4 in 2010 and followed up with a book of the same title in 2014. All were greeted with acclaim and his profile rose.

RUPERT MURDOCH: 2015 - 2022

Murdoch and Hall tied the knot in London in March 2016 in a very low-key ceremony at Spencer House, which overlooks Green Park, after a whirlwind five-month romance.

At the time, the media tycoon expressed his joy over the union, tweeting shortly after the ceremony concluded that he would be taking a break from social media in order to enjoy newlywed life.

Murdoch and Hall (pictured in 2019) began quietly dating in 2015, with The Mail on Sunday revealing in October of that year that they had begun their romance after being introduced in Australia by one of Murdoch's sisters and his niece

'No more tweets for ten days or ever!' he wrote. 'Feel like the luckiest AND happiest man in world.'

One day after their official ceremony, the couple - whose unlikely romance made headlines the world over - hosted a more lavish affair, which was attended by all ten of their children.

Hall's two daughters and Murdoch's two youngest daughters acted as bridesmaids, while the media mogul's son Lachlan was understood to have presided over the pair's first ceremony.

Following the wedding celebrations, Hall shared a photo of the then-newlyweds posing with all of their kids, writing alongside it: 'My beautiful family!'

Murdoch and Hall began quietly dating in 2015, with The Mail on Sunday revealing in October of that year that they had begun their romance after being introduced in Australia by one of Murdoch's sisters and his niece.

The couple made their relationship public on October 31 when they were seen for the first time together at the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham in London.

They then attended the Golden Globes in Los Angeles in January 2016 - days before Murdoch announced that the pair were engaged.

Murdoch popped the question with a 10-carat marquise diamond engagement ring that was said to be worth up to $3.5 million.

In December 2021, just seven months before the news of their impending divorce was reported, Hall and Murdoch purchased a $200 million cattle ranch - called Beaverhead - in Montana, which was previously owned by oil baron Fred Koch and his children.

The purchase of the 340,000-acre ranch, which is located close to Yellowstone National Park, was the priciest ranch sale in Montana history.

At the time, Murdoch told the Wall Street Journal of his new home: 'This is a profound responsibility.

'We feel privileged to assume ownership of this beautiful land and look forward to continually enhancing both the commercial cattle business and the conservation assets across the ranch.'

A spokesperson added to the publication that Hall and Murdoch were planning to spend time together on the ranch, having spent a year looking for the perfect place to snap up in the area.

In addition to the newly-purchased ranch, Murdoch also owns a $28.8 million estate and winery in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, a ranch in California, a four-story penthouse in New York City that is believed to be worth around $72 million, and a 25,000-acre sheep and cattle farm, called Cavan Station, in his native Australia.

Forbes also reported last year that Murdoch had at one point owned two properties in the UK: an 11-bedroom mansion in Oxfordshire, and an apartment in London.
Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indiana OBGYN, received a call from a doctor in Ohio about a 10-year-old child abuse victim in need of an abortion

A 10-year-old child abuse victim was forced to seek an abortion in Indiana after her home state of Ohio barred abortion following the Supreme Court decision to overturn of Roe v. Wade.

A child abuse doctor in Ohio sought the help of Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist, on Monday to help the girl get an abortion after the state banned the procedure after six weeks - hours after the 6-3 Supreme Court vote, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The child was six weeks and three days pregnant - therefore, ineligible by just three days to receive the procedure in her home state.

Abortion advocates in the state attempted to halt Ohio's six-week abortion ban, but the effort was denied by a judge on Friday.

As of Friday, Indiana's only abortion restriction is a law requiring clinics to ask women if their abortion is coerced - which is illegal, Fox 59 reported.

The law went into effect on July 1 and more restrictions might pass in the state following The Indiana General Assembly hearing on July 25.

'It's hard to imagine that in just a few short weeks we will have no ability to provide that care,' Bernard told The Columbus Dispatch.

Until then, abortion providers in Indiana say they have noticed the impact of the overturn of Roe, claiming they have seen an increase of patients coming from out of state to receive the procedure, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

The Women's Med, an Indiana abortion clinic that also has a center in Ohio, has received patients in need of an operation from their Ohio clinic.

Dr. Katie McHugh, an OBGYN in Indiana, has witnessed 'an insane amount of requests' from women in Ohio and Kentucky seeking an abortion.

McHugh said she receives between five to eight patients per day that come from out of state with some clinics assisting about 20 women per day.

Thirteen states passed trigger laws to restrict or ban abortion in the event Roe v. Wade was overturned

All around the country, protesters filled the streets in opposition to the Supreme Court. Some protesters demonstrated outside the state capitals where abortions was banned effective immediately

In Kentucky, abortion centers were forced to close down after the Roe ruling when the state's 'trigger law' went into effect.

The overturn of Roe v. Wade allowed for states to decide on whether to implement restrictions or bans on the procedure.

Kentucky was one of twelve states - along with Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming - to pass trigger laws that would outlaw abortion in the instance Roe was overturned.

However, a Kentucky judge on Thursday granted a temporary restraining order on Thursday to prohibit the state from enforcing the ban on abortion.

Other state including Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Georgia, Iowa, and South Carolina, and Florida are also attempting to impose new bans and restrictions.

Following the overturn of the 1973 right to abortion, advocates scattered to state courts to stop restrictions on abortions that are planned to take effect in 22 states.

Abortion clinics in Ohio, Idaho, West Virginia and Mississippi are also seeking temporary halts to state implemented bans.
First Lady Jill Biden thanked Sesame Street's Elmo for getting the COVID-19 vaccine Friday, before visiting youngsters in Virginia getting their jabs.

'Our friend Elmo and his dad, Louie, talked to their pediatrician and learned that getting the vaccine is the best way to keep Elmo and the whole Sesame Street neighborhood safe and healthy!' the first lady tweeted. 'So, reach out to your pediatrician to get the answers you need.'

Her compliment comes as Sen. Ted Cruz continued to complain about Sesame Street using Elmo to encourage child vaccinations.

'Corporate media having fun pretending Im in a fight with the red furry muppet Elmo,' he tweeted Friday. 'Nope. My disagreement is with the woke people with their hands up his a** using a puppet to spread dishonest government propaganda to toddlers.'

First Lady Jill Biden comforts 22-month-old Rosalee Spangler at a vaccination clinic Friday in Richmond, Virginia

Earlier Friday, the first lady cheered on Elmo from Sesame Street for revealing he had received his COVID-19 vaccine. Elmo is supposed to be 3 years-old

Sen. Ted Cruz complained about Elmo pushing vaccines on Tuesday and did so again Friday writing: My disagreement is with the woke people with their hands up his a** using a puppet to spread dishonest government propaganda to toddlers'

First Lady Jill Biden bends down to sing Happy Birthday to Henry Crowder, 3, of Richmond at a vaccination clinic on Friday

'The relief is finally here  a vaccine for our youngest children,' Dr. Jill Biden told parents of children under five at a vaccination clinic in Richmond, Virginia Friday

First Lady Jill Biden (right) greets Matthew Morgan and his almost 11-month-old Avery (left), as they wait for Avery to receive his first COVID-19 vaccination

Biden traveled to Richmond, Virginia to a Henrico County vaccination clinic where babies and toddlers were getting COVID-19 vaccines, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention greenlit the shots for the youngest category of Americans last month.

'The relief is finally here  a vaccine for our youngest children,' she said.

'Parents, this is your choice and we want you to have all the information you need to make that choice,' the first lady added, referring them to the CDC's website.

Biden was photographed consoling at least one crying little girl.

'I promise it doesn't hurt and I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to shots,' the first lady told one family.

When Biden received her series of shots she did so without cameras present, because of her fear of needles.

Still, she has traveled around to vaccination clinics around the country urging Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

She cheered on Elmo because he's part of the youngest demo.

The muppet, who has been on Sesame Street for decades, is only supposed to be 3 years old.

On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz shared the same Elmo tweet as Dr. Biden - complaining that the children's television show was 'aggresively advocated' vaccinated children five and under - claiming there's 'zero scientific evidence' that they need to be vaccinated.

Cruz referred people to his website and a letter he and other Republican lawmakers had written in early June questioning Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf and members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on the need for COVID vaccines for those under five to be approved under an Emergency Use Authorization.

Sen. Ted Cruz's war on Sesame Street resumed Tuesday after the Texas Republican saw that the fictional muppet Elmo had been vaccinated against COVID-19

In November, the Texas Republican also took issue with Sesame Street promoting COVID-19 vaccines. 'Government propaganda ... for your 5 year old!' he wrote after Big Bird volunteered he'd been vaccinated

Among the questions the GOP lawmakers wanted answerd was 'how will the FDA evaluate potential tradeoffs of serious vaccine injuries versus serious COVID outcomes?'

Cruz's Tuesday tweet comes after he said in November that Sesame Street was spreading 'Government propagandafor your 5 year old!'

The offense then was a tweet sent out by Big Bird, who revealed he had been vaccinated.

'I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy,' Big Bird said, adding that he had been told that he had been receiving vaccines against illnesses 'since I was a little bird.'

'I had no idea!' Big Bird volunteered.
There was no champagne flowing, so Chris Pincher had to make do with a large flute of chilled prosecco when he arrived at the Carlton Club in London at around eight o'clock on Wednesday evening. The event, a 30th anniversary reception for the Conservative Friends of Cyprus, felt a touch pale, male, and stale.

But in return for listening to a speech by Tory MP Theresa Villiers, guests were promised as many free refills of red and white wine as they could stomach. All of which placed Pincher, a famously thirsty 52-year-old bachelor, in his natural element.

The (now former) Tory whip is not only a keen boozer but also a noted clubman, who recently used his drinks column in the Critic magazine to sing the praises of the 'long and luscious' wine list at his Pall Mall gentleman's club, The Travellers.

At the Carlton, a Tory establishment on St James's Street, near the Ritz, the 100-odd guests at Wednesday's bash were shoe-horned into the grand Churchill Room on the ground floor, where they chatted beneath a vast portrait of Sir Winston wearing white tie and puffing away on a large cigar.

Be-suited waiters glided across the deep-pile green carpet bearing trays of canapes: smoked duck with oriental vegetable and hoisin sauce, a goats cheese mousse with beetroot and almond crust, pulled pork on sourdough, mini fish cakes and heirloom tomato tarts. Stewards were on hand to top up empty glasses and ensure that tipsy punters didn't splash anything on the venue's custard yellow walls. Like other MPs who'd turned out, Pincher was asked to say a few words.

There was no champagne flowing, so Chris Pincher had to make do with a large flute of chilled prosecco when he arrived at the Carlton Club in London at around eight o'clock on Wednesday evening

Then, around 9pm (when the reception wrapped up) he adjourned to the club's downstairs bar, where a crowd of MPs, peers, lobbyists, club officials and assorted hangers-on were settling into deep leather armchairs.

As with many incidents that unfold after alcohol has been taken, the finer details of what happened next remain unclear. But we do know that at some point a couple of hours later, the visibly inebriated Pincher was accused of groping two men. 'Quite a few people had decided to stay on for a drink, and at around half past ten I saw him, soporific from alcohol, staggering around the bar,' a senior Tory parliamentarian who was present tells me.

'He was lurching towards men and drunkenly propositioning them. He was up to all sorts, and so drunk that it looked like he was about to fall down and break something, or someone. It was embarrassing to watch, actually, and completely out of order.'

Another witness told reporters yesterday that the middle-aged former IT consultant was 'clearly trying to seduce several young men,' while a fellow MP said he'd been asked to leave the club by several people and was so drunk that 'he could barely stand up'.

His alleged victims are believed to be parliamentary staffers. One of them immediately reported what had happened to the Tory whip Sarah Dines, who was also in the Carlton Club.

The event, a 30th anniversary reception for the Conservative Friends of Cyprus, felt a touch pale, male, and stale Pictured: London's Carlton Club

A source says he approached her looking visibly flustered, saying: 'you have got to do something about this guy!' It seems that Pincher was then escorted from the Club. 'Two backbench MPs had to hold him up to stop him collapsing,' says the senior parliamentarian.

'He was frogmarched to the door and poured into a black cab. The guy was so drunk that he could barely speak and was unable to tell the driver where he lived. We had to look it up for him. That was how bad it was.'

The following morning, Dines is believed to have reported Pincher to the party's chief whip, Chris Heaton-Harris, who in turn conducted an investigation. By Thursday evening, the MP for Tamworth had fallen on his sword, admitting in his letter he was resigning as a whip: 'Last night I drank far too much. I've embarrassed myself and other people.'

By tea-time yesterday, with further details of the allegations emerging, the Conservative Party decided finally to suspend him pending the outcome of an investigation.

Whether that will be the end of the matter is, for the time being, anyone's guess. The likelihood is that his future will now hinge on whether any of the young men who have allegedly been on the receiving end of Pincher's advances decide to bring complaints to the police.

What no-one can deny, however, is that few in Westminster are surprised by the recent turn of events. For this latest sleaze crisis to envelop Boris Johnson's Tory Party was a scandal foretold.

But in return for listening to a speech by Tory MP Theresa Villiers, guests were promised as many free refills of red and white wine as they could stomach

Pincher, who was elected MP for Tamworth in 2010, has reportedly been the subject of ugly rumours before.

In November that year, he was forced to resign from the Whips' Office for the first time after the Mail on Sunday carried a shocking article by Alex Story, a former Olympic rower turned Conservative activist.

Story claimed to have been 26 when Pincher  who was in a group of Tory staffers drinking in a Westminster pub  allegedly persuaded him to adjourn to a restaurant for dinner. But after they got in a cab, he claims he was instead taken to Pincher's home and poured a large whisky, which made him feel 'woozy'. Pincher became 'unusually tactile', Story claimed. 'He then started untucking the back of my shirt, massaging my neck and whispered: 'You'll go far in the Conservative Party.' Story added: 'He rushed into another room saying: 'Let me just slip into something more comfortable,' and returned in a bathrobe like a pound-shop Harvey Weinstein with his chest and belly sticking out It was like a sordid Carry On movie scene.'

In an apparent effort to kill the story, Pincher hired Dominic Crossley, a libel lawyer at Payne Hicks Beach who had achieved fame helping the late Formula One founder Max Mosley sue the News of the World for publishing images of him at a masochistic sex party. Pincher insisted that 'I do not recognise either the events or the interpretation placed on them' and continues to deny Story's claims.

Within two months, an internal party inquiry concluded that 'there has not been a breach of the code of conduct' and Pincher was allowed to return to the Whips' Office.

At the Carlton, a Tory establishment on St James's Street, near the Ritz, the 100-odd guests at Wednesday's bash were shoe-horned into the grand Churchill Room on the ground floor

Pincher denies unwanted sexual advance on young activist last year and telling him he 'would go far' A fresh claim has emerged about the conduct of Chris Pincher, as Boris Johnson bowed to pressure to suspend his former deputy chief whip today. The Times was contacted by a young Conservative activist who described receiving an unwanted sexual advance from Pincher last year. The activist said Pincher put his hand on his knee and told him he would 'go far in the party' at an event held during the Conservative Party conference in October. 'It is shocking he was anywhere near the whips' office,' he said. Pincher firmly denies the allegations, his lawyers said. Advertisement

In a separate incident, he was accused of 'touching up' the former Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop, who told him to 'f*** off,' and he soon earned the nickname 'a*** pincher' because of the allegations that he propositioned young men in the bars and on the terraces of Parliament.

'He gets hammered and does all sorts,' is how one Tory peer puts it. 'Anyone else would have been kicked out years ago. We got rid of that chap from Tiverton who watched porn, which is far less serious. But because Boris thinks he's loyal he's been hopelessly indulged, which is why this has now happened.'

Says a backbench MP: 'What we've got here is someone who... becomes inebriated instead of just finding a boyfriend like the rest of us would have done. He's been told not to get p****d and behave like that before.'

So bad was his reputation that the website Politico has claimed Pincher was at one point given a 'minder' to 'ensure he leaves events without getting too drunk and getting into trouble'.

Meanwhile in February, when Boris Johnson attempted to promote him to Chief Whip during a reshuffle in return for his support when backbenchers were demanding a leadership challenge, Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay attempted to intervene.

'Officials were made to interview him at length about various allegations,' says one source who explains that Barclay knew of Pincher's history. 'It led to the reshuffle being delayed for several hours, which sparked all sorts of conspiracy theories. In fact it was to work out whether he ought to get the job of chief whip. Obviously he didn't in the end, but Boris wasn't prepared to let him go and that's why we're now in this mess.'

Given the number of ignored warning signs, Pincher's inevitable demise has sparked renewed complaints about the PM's leadership.

One critic, a disgruntled Tory MP, told reporters yesterday: 'This means people are asking about Boris's judgment of character again. He [Pincher] got the job because he was co-ordinator of Operation Big Dog [designed to bolster Boris's position as leader]. That's it.'

An un-named minister meanwhile was quoted saying: 'This feeds straight into the leadership questions. What does it say about Boris's judgment? He had no shortage of people telling him [not to appoint Pincher] but he gave him the job because Pincher helped save his leadership. The other problem is that the pressure for a by-election in Pincher's seat will start in the next ten minutes. We'll lose.'

In Downing Street, heads appear to remain firmly stuck in the sand. The Prime Minister's spokesman Guto Harri reportedly told staff at yesterday's Downing Street morning meeting that Pincher now needed to be protected on the grounds that he was emotionally vulnerable and had lost his career, meaning critics should be asked to 'think about how he feels'.

As they prepare for yet another grisly weekend fending off an entirely avoidable scandal, staff in No 10 may feel Mr Pincher has done quite enough feeling for one week.

'Groping' Tory was too drunk to speak

By Jason Groves and Claire Ellicott

Downing Street was last night braced for fresh allegations about the behaviour of Boris Johnson's former deputy chief whip.

In a dramatic change of heart, the Prime Minister yesterday suspended the whip from Chris Pincher as new details emerged of his drunken night of shame at London's Carlton Club on Wednesday.

An eyewitness said Mr Pincher, 52, was seen 'staggering around the bar... lurching towards young men and propositioning them'.

Mr Pincher was 'frog-marched' out of the club by two Tory MPs and put in a taxi.

One observer said: 'The guy was so drunk, he could barely speak and was unable to tell the driver where he lived. We had to look it up for him. That was how bad it was. It was embarrassing to watch and completely out of order.'

Mr Pincher quit the Government on Thursday over allegations he groped two men at the club. At the time, Tory sources said Mr Johnson did not believe further action was needed as Mr Pincher had 'done the decent thing'.

Downing Street was last night braced for fresh allegations about the behaviour of Boris Johnson's former deputy chief whip

But a Downing Street source said the PM had been left shocked yesterday following a conversation with an MP who had been with one of Mr Pincher's alleged victims. 'The account given was sufficiently disturbing to make the PM feel more troubled by all this,' the source said.

No 10 is braced for more allegations to surface against Mr Pincher, who has been the subject of lurid rumours at Westminster for months.

One senior Tory parliamentarian said: 'This has been brewing for a long time, but it's very unfortunate. His nickname, of course, was 'pinch your bum Pincher'.'

Another said: 'He's been doing this for years. He gets hammered and does all sorts. Anyone else would have been kicked out years ago.' The allegations came as:

Mr Pincher faced a Commons sleaze probe following a formal complaint to the Parliamentary watchdog set up in the wake of the Pestminster scandal;

Two former Cabinet ministers warned the PM he faced 'serious reputational damage' unless he adopted a 'zero tolerance' approach to claims of sexual misconduct;

Mr Johnson signalled a shake-up of the male-dominated whips office by appointing former housing minister Kelly Tolhurst to replace Mr Pincher;

Whitehall sources confirmed Mr Pincher is in line for a 7,920 payoff from the taxpayer;

Reports claimed that Mr Pincher's behaviour had caused so much alarm that he was appointed an informal 'minder' on nights out;

Tory high command was preparing for a possible by-election in Mr Pincher's Tamworth constituency where he holds a majority of almost 20,000.

The Prime Minister spent hours resisting mounting pressure to act decisively against Mr Pincher yesterday.

In a dramatic change of heart, the Prime Minister yesterday suspended the whip from Chris Pincher as new details emerged of his drunken night of shame at London's Carlton Club on Wednesday

No 10 had initially suggested the PM considered the matter closed, with a Tory source telling the Daily Mail on Thursday that he believed there was 'no need for an investigation and no need to suspend the whip' because Mr Pincher had 'done the decent thing' by resigning.

But the stance provoked fury among Tory MPs who warned it sent a message that sexual assault would be tolerated.

In a joint letter to the PM, former Cabinet ministers Caroline Nokes and Karen Bradley called for a 'zero tolerance' approach to allegations of sexual misconduct. 'The party and, by extension, the Government are at risk of serious reputational damage by the current approach,' they wrote.

At 5pm, No 10 finally bowed to the pressure and announced that the whip would be suspended while Parliament's independent complaints and grievance service investigates a claim against him.

An eyewitness said Mr Pincher, 52, was seen 'staggering around the bar... lurching towards young men and propositioning them'

Tories fear a third poll The Conservatives will be nervously contemplating the prospect of another bruising by-election after Chris Pincher had the whip suspended last night. Just two weeks after losing two seats to Labour and the Liberal Democrats, the party will be despairing at the thought of a third contest. The Tories have a 19,600 majority over Labour in Mr Pincher's seat of Tamworth, but less of a swing would be needed for it to change hands than the Lib Dems achieved in Tiverton and Honiton. To trigger a by-election, Mr Pincher would not only have to lose the whip but also stand down as an MP  or be pushed out under the recall procedure. But if further allegations emerge, things could move quickly. Advertisement

One Cabinet minister said the episode raised fresh questions about the judgment of those advising Mr Johnson.

'It feels like the only place in the country that couldn't see this as the inevitable conclusion was Downing Street,' the minister said.

The Tory whips office was also facing questions last night after a friend of one of Mr Pincher's alleged victims said the man was initially asked whether he was gay and warned that a complaint might not be 'straightforward' if he was. A Tory source denied the claim.

No 10 earlier stretched credulity by claiming Mr Johnson had not been aware of allegations about Mr Pincher's conduct when he was brought back to the whips office in the Government reshuffle in February.

In 2017, Mr Pincher resigned from the whips office after The Mail on Sunday revealed he was accused of making an unwanted sexual pass towards former Olympic rower and Conservative activist Alex Story.

In a separate alleged incident, Mr Pincher was accused of 'touching up' former Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop, who told him to 'f*** off'.

Mr Pincher made no public comment yesterday, but in his resignation letter to the PM on Wednesday night, he said: 'Last night I drank far too much.

'I've embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned.

'I think the right thing to do in the circumstances is for me to resign as deputy chief whip. I owe it to you and the people I've caused upset to, to do this.'
Police dogs are being given stab vests to protect them whilst working.

It comes after Derbyshire police saw one of its dog squad, Axle, get stabbed three times where he was 'almost killed' while working in Riddings.

The German shepherd also known as PD Axle urgently needed two life-saving surgeries in 2018 before he could return to duty for a year.

The doggy stab vests will protect them from knives and other potentially dangerous weapons such as barbed wire.

Police have said the protective gear is lightweight, has cooling technology and is comfortable for the dogs to wear during stressful missions.

PC Blaine Molloy said: 'It's not a nice decision to make, to send a dog after somebody, there is the potential that they are going to get injured or worse.

'However, that is our role on dog section, to protect everybody else.

The canine stab vests will protect them from knives and other potentially dangerous weapons such as barbed wire

'But we still need to protect our dogs as well so it does make you feel a lot better to know they have this protection now.'

The working dog made a full recovery but retired from working for the police service in November 2019.

His retirement came as a shock as Axle had spent six years working with Derbyshire Constabulary and caught countless criminals including a murderer on the run.

The PDSA also awarded him a commendation for devotion to duty and bravery after he jumped into some water after the suspect where he was knifed three times.

Axle is currently being supported by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, who cover healthcare costs for retired police dogs.

Matthew Stretch admitted to injuring the police dog, as well as many other offences and was jailed for six years and seven months at Derby Crown Court.

For his retirement Axle has gone to live with police community support officer, Karen Pykett, in the countryside.

He needed two surgeries and one which cost 1000 after he had retired

Axle won a commendation for devotion to duty and bravery after the incident from the PDSA

Ms Pykett said: 'He's only ever known the working life and it's been a huge change for him but he's settling in well and he's learned to trust us. We feel so lucky to have him, he's our baby and we spoil him rotten!'

Shortly after she adopted him, Axle needed an operation, costing 1,000. his owner said: 'We paid for it ourselves, we expected to. We knew taking on a big, retired dog wouldn't be cheap. But when I heard that the Thin Blue Paw Foundation had launched we signed up straight away. It's fantastic that it's there if needed.

Axle now lives out his days with police community support officer Karen Pykett

The German shepherd was bred and trained in Germany so only responds to German commands

'Thankfully we've not had to ask for anything yet, but that day may come and it gives us peace of mind. You know when you take these dogs on that there may well be problems because of their breed and the lives they've led; we knew we'd have to cover costs. But to have the charity there if something serious crops up is a huge comfort.

'Everyone I speak to is surprised that Axle has no ongoing support. It's unacceptable. Police officers get pensions; surely there could be something in place for the dogs too? They deserve to be looked after when they've given so much of their lives to us; working 12-hour shifts, six days or nights a week; it's a hard life.

'He has a much easier life now! The only downside to taking on an older dog is that you don't get as long with them as you'd like. But we feel incredibly lucky to now call this hero our pet, and we're enjoying every minute we have with him.'
We were sitting face to face around a small table in Buckingham Palace  three of us from BBC Newsnight, plus Prince Andrew, his private secretary and Princess Beatrice, who was writing in a notebook.

At stake was the interview every broadcaster across the world would have given their right arm to do just then. Would Andrew agree to go on TV to talk about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein?

What followed was an intense two hours of questioning from the prince and his daughter  and with every minute, it became ever clearer that this wasn't won yet.

As a Newsnight producer, I'd been pursuing this interview for months and was desperate to land it.

So as we talked, I decided to give it to Prince Andrew very bluntly.

'Sir. I have lived in this country for over 40 years and, until now, I only knew two things about you. It's that you're known as 'Air Miles Andy' and 'Randy Andy'  and I can absolutely tell you that the latter really doesn't help you in your current predicament.'

Had I blown our chances of landing the interview of a lifetime? My colleagues  presenter Emily Maitlis and Newsnight deputy editor Stewart Maclean  looked genuinely shocked.

There was a long pause. Then Andrew laughed. The room collectively exhaled.

Prince Andrew sat down with Newsnight on November 14, 2019 for an interview that he thought would clear his name of his association with convicted paedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who had died in jail four months earlier

The BBC's Emily Maitlis was tasked with interviewing the Queen's second son, who was thought to be her favourite

It had all started innocuously  an email from a PR to me in November 2018, suggesting a chat about Pitch@Palace, Prince Andrew's initiative to support entrepreneurs around the world. Would Newsnight like to interview him about it?

The simple answer was 'no'. We never agree to puff pieces and never allow interviewees to give conditions. So I politely declined.

'Do come back to me if the position changes!' I signed off.

It seemed so unlikely that I didn't even tell my boss.

I assumed I'd never hear from the PR again. But six months later, I did: Prince Andrew was now open to a broader chat  would I be interested in learning more? Absolutely.

The PR said she needed to talk to Andrew's private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, and she'd be back in touch. It was the first time I'd heard Amanda's name and I immediately Googled her.

She sounded suitably impressive  a woman who'd worked for the prince for seven years, but who'd previously been a banker in the City. The picture that emerged, after talking to a couple of friends, was of someone formidable: clever, thorough and fiercely loyal to Prince Andrew.

Shortly afterwards, I was invited to meet Amanda at Buckingham Palace.

I'm not going to lie  I was excited to go. But at this stage I wasn't hopeful about landing an interview.

As far as I knew, no member of the Royal Family had ever even been on Newsnight. We had no connections in the Palace. It was rare to even do a 'royal' story. Why on earth would Prince Andrew want to talk to us?

All I could see was a load of armed police at an open gate and couldn't quite believe anyone just walked into Buckingham Palace that way, but that's exactly what happened. They looked me up on a list, took my ID and rang through to someone who sanctioned my entry.

The sea of police and guns parted, and I began the long walk to the palace door. The hundreds of tourists stacked up against the gates stared as I traipsed across the cobbles, somewhat impeded by a perilously high pair of knee-high, gold-heeled Kurt Geiger boots.

As the interview began, what followed was one astonishing answer after another, according to Sam McAlister. 'Each time it couldn't get any worse, it did'

'The answers showed how totally removed the prince was from the reality of an average life'

I was directed to a modest waiting room that featured a teeny marble mantelpiece with a large gilt mirror and a loudly ticking wooden clock. On a little table sat a framed picture of Her Majesty, in a yellow jacket and hat.

Feeling daring, I picked up the black frame. It wasn't heavy; it looked like a cheap wooden frame from Ikea.

As I sat there I could hear staff chattering about some royal visit to Sainsbury's, and watched as a soldier came in, removed his huge bearskin cap, and talked for a moment about the day. Then two PRs arrived, and we were taken upstairs in old-fashioned lifts, past huge busts of former kings and queens, and through swathes of empty corridors. Amanda's office was a small room, peppered with pictures of Prince Andrew and his family.

Andrew's private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, a woman who'd worked for the prince for seven years, but who'd previously been a banker in the City

She was exactly as I expected  impeccable manners, thorough and direct, not a hair out of place. We talked for two hours, and agreed that the interview would encompass everything from Brexit to the future of the monarchy as well as any other relevant issues that arose.

Then Amanda said there was just one red line: we couldn't talk about the issue of Andrew's friendship with Epstein. My heart sank.

Back then, Jeffrey Epstein wasn't a name that rang bells for a lot of people. Even so, I knew we had to decline the interview.

This was in May 2019. Eight weeks later, Epstein was arrested. Twelve weeks later, he was dead. The full scale of his criminal behaviour was coming into sharp focus, and Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and other victims, had started to speak.

Twenty weeks on, I managed to persuade Amanda that Prince Andrew's position  of silence in the face of global scrutiny  was untenable.

Twelve long days later came the email we had hoped for. It arrived from Amanda, early on a Saturday morning, November 9: could presenter Emily Maitlis, our deputy editor Stewart and I come to the palace in two days? Prince Andrew wanted to meet us.

Monday, November 11, 2019

'Morning!' Prince Andrew's voice was upbeat as he came into Amanda's room. He was smiling. He seemed friendly. 'I hope you don't mind, but I brought someone with me!' We exchanged glances. Who could it be? A lawyer? Maybe someone from the Queen's staff?

Jeffrey Epstein on March 28, 2017. Prince Andrew's BBC interview centred around his relationship with convicted paedophile and sex trafficker Epstein

And then, from behind him, came Princess Beatrice. To be frank, the only thing worse than speaking to a prospective interviewee about allegations of sexual impropriety and sex with a 17-year-old girl is having to do so in front of his daughter.

Princess Beatrice was polite and engaged, but, unlike her father, she was evidently anxious about the meeting and clearly there to protect his interests.

I'd heard she was close to the Queen. The Prince's eldest daughter was now, I felt, the person who could make the difference between us getting the interview or not.

We all sat down, crammed into that tiny room a few feet from one another. What was most surprising was that there was never any attempt to find out what we'd ask or to place conditions on the questions.

For his part, the prince revealed for the first time that he supposedly had an 'alibi'. He told us about Pizza Express. A children's party. He mentioned his sweating, or lack thereof. He talked about how recently he'd seen Ghislaine Maxwell [Epstein's procurer of under-age girls]. He admitted he'd made errors of judgment. It was jaw-dropping stuff.

Princess Beatrice, who was present during the interview, was polite and engaged, but, unlike her father, she was evidently anxious about the meeting and clearly there to protect his interests

And then he said something I'll never forget.

As we concluded, he turned to Princess Beatrice and said they had a lot to discuss and should go, straight after, upstairs, to talk about it, over a cup of tea, with Mum.

For a split second, I almost scoffed; what on earth did a grown man need to talk to his mum for? And then it hit me. 'Mum' was the Queen.

Less than 24 hours later, he agreed to the interview.

I felt I wouldn't really believe it until those cameras started rolling. But I wouldn't have to wait long. This was on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. And in just two days we would all find ourselves back inside Buckingham Palace, face to face with Prince Andrew again, conducting what turned out to be an interview more shocking than any of us could ever have predicted.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Fifteen feet: that's how far away I am from the back of Andrew's chair. I can see the soles of his shoes (hardly scuffed), the back of his head (new haircut), the hem of his trousers (a perfectly judged length) and the nervous tapping of his left foot. The chair seems a little small for his body.

My own chair is up against the wall of an opulent room larger than most London flats. I'm sitting next to a very friendly woman who, seeing how nervous I am, kindly offers me a martini.

Gin, with a twist. Her Majesty is also a fan. It's one of those exchanges that you can hardly believe is happening, chatting idly with someone in Buckingham Palace about your monarch's penchant for a cocktail.

This charming woman is the prince's equerry. She's certain this interview will clear his name  that it's all been a terrible misunderstanding. That, after this, things will go back to normal.

Emily Maitlis is nervous, busying herself with her notes, the result of two days of relentless practice and brainstorms with a small team.

I feel panic rise within me. We're about to interview a member of the Royal Family about his connections with a sex-trafficker. We're about to ask him, on camera, whether he had sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whether he knew about Epstein's terrible acts, and whether he was complicit.

The infamous photograph of Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of a then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, with Ghislaine Maxwell smiling in the background

Apart from the equerry, Amanda is here with her deputy. That's it. No lawyers, no other royal staff. I'd expected a swarm of people to oversee it all.

A tall white man comes into the room to say hello. He's introduced as Donal McCabe, 'Communications Secretary to the Queen'. His visit is quite significant; it means that the Queen likely knows about the interview.

After speaking to a couple of people, he leaves. Afterwards, this seems a missed opportunity  if he'd stayed, he'd have known the contents of the interview first-hand. Perhaps he would have realised how terribly this would play out for Andrew, for the palace, for the monarchy.

Perhaps they would have had more time to prepare a response. Damage limitation of some kind. As it was, the first time McCabe would have seen the interview was more than 48 hours later, alongside the entire nation.

As I wait for the cameras and lighting to be set up, the equerry tells me that the same room will be used after the interview for Palace 'cinema night'. When we leave, members of the Royal Household will congregate to watch a film, maybe eat popcorn.

Prince Andrew suddenly appears, and makes his way over to talk to me. He's friendly and chatty. We discuss 'cinema night' and he opens the doors at the end of the room to reveal the projector. Turns out this evening they're showing a Renee Zellweger film  Judy  have I seen it?

We chat a little about Judy Garland, the weather, floods in Green Park, and then he moves on to the crew, making suggestions about microphones and other technicalities.

Twenty minutes later, we're ready to go. Amanda settles herself near Andrew, sitting on the floor, notebook in her hand. Emily nods. The cameras are rolling. We're off.

The first question Emily asks  why he's decided to talk now  is the one I get asked the most today. Why take the enormous risk?

It's easy to look back now and say that the decision was reckless. But few people imagine their own answers doing them harm.

Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured walking behind Andrew at the wedding of Aurelia Cecil and Rupert Stephenson was charged with eight counts relating to grooming under-age girls for Epstein and was recently sentenced to 20 years in jail

You also have to remember the life Andrew has lived. The second son, always said to be the Queen's favourite. Granted extraordinary access and opportunity. Fawned over.

The average CEO would never have taken this risk. They'd have calculated 100 reasons not to take the chance. But Andrew and his people must have thought this hour of his life would change the public perception of him for the better.

We don't know for sure, but we assume he's spent the past couple of days in constant rehearsals. Like us, his team must have theorised the questions, decided precisely how to deal with the more serious allegations, considered body language and tone. Deliberated exactly if, or how, he might apologise. His answer to Emily's question? He simply reminds us that his people have been talking to Newsnight for six months and 'actually it's a very good opportunity'.

After that, Emily gave a masterclass in calm, methodical, analytical interviewing. The interview is now used across the world, by PR and communications professionals and by people in crisis management, as a shining example of what answers not to give when you're dealing with controversy. I'd assumed Andrew would distance himself from Epstein. Condemn him outright and diminish their shared history. Instead, it sounded like they were close friends, and, worse, that the prince even admired him.

What followed was one astonishing answer after another. Each time I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. The answers showed how totally removed the prince was from the reality of an average life.

Had he been on Epstein's private plane? Yes. Had he stayed on his private island? Yes. Had he stayed at his home in Palm Beach? Yes. Had he visited Ghislaine Maxwell's London home? Yes. Was Epstein at Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle? Yes.

Had the prince been on Epstein's private plane? Yes. Had he stayed on his private island? Yes. Had he stayed at his home in Palm Beach? Yes. Had he visited Ghislaine Maxwell's London home? Yes. Was Epstein at Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle? Yes.

In 2008, Epstein was jailed for soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Andrew said they'd had no contact during that time. But Emily had the killer blow: 'Within months [of his release], you went to stay with him at his New York mansion. Why? Why were you staying with a convicted sex offender?'

Andrew replied: 'I went there with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together . . . I felt that doing it over the telephone was the chicken's way of doing it.'

I was incredulous. Was he saying it was the right thing to do to spend four days at the home of a convicted sex offender? That it was somehow honourable?

Emily persisted. 'Do you regret the whole friendship with Epstein?'

Andrew should have bitten her hand off for the chance to say, quite simply, yes. Instead, he said: 'Now, still not, and the reason being is that the people I met and the opportunities I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful.'

I remember having to look down just so I could roll my eyes.

He had no recollection of meeting Virginia Roberts Guiffre. Or of having his hand around her waist in the infamous photograph allegedly taken on the night she claimed he had sex with her. As a royal, he said, he wouldn't have been physically close to someone like that.

Out came his now notorious alibis  that he was at Pizza Express in Woking that day, that Virginia's recollection of him sweating on the dance floor at Tramp nightclub couldn't be true because he'd lost the ability to sweat.

As a former criminal barrister, I knew the answers were a future defence lawyer's nightmare. I realised, for the first time, that Andrew couldn't have taken legal advice before speaking to us.

It just got worse and worse.

He couldn't have had sex with Virginia, he said, because sex, for a man, is a 'sort of positive action' which is very difficult to forget. Was this a royal euphemism for penetration?

Emily gave him another chance: 'I wonder if you have any sense now of guilt, regret or shame about any of your behaviour and your friendship with Epstein?'

She handed it to him on a plate. Surely he'd clarify that it had all been a terrible mistake?

I looked up from the floor, watched him gather himself for one of the final answers.

'As far as Mr Epstein is concerned, it was the wrong decision to go and see him in 2010. As far as my association with him was concerned, it had some seriously beneficial outcomes in areas that have nothing to do with what . . . we're talking about today.' Extraordinary that he couldn't see how terrible that sounded. Emily asked her final question.

'Is there anything you feel has been left unsaid that you would like to say now?'

A message of regret for the terrible acts his 'friend' had committed, perhaps? Andrew's chance ebbed away.

'No, I don't think so. I think you've probably dragged out most of what is required . . .'

That was it. An interview more shocking than any of us could ever have predicted.

I couldn't look at anyone. I could barely believe his people hadn't stopped the interview. I would have, despite the consequences.

'How did you think it went?' I asked the equerry.

She beamed. 'Wasn't he wonderful!' she said.

I'd expected Amanda Thirsk to be distraught, the prince to look shaken or concerned, but she was smiling and he seemed ebullient.

And then it hit me: he actually thought it had gone well.

He was in such a good mood that he offered us all a tour of the palace. I couldn't go. I wouldn't have been able to speak to him in good faith. Of course, Emily couldn't decline. I don't know how she kept her composure.

After the interview was broadcast, everyone agreed it had been an unmitigated disaster for Prince Andrew. The newspapers also lambasted Amanda Thirsk, ridiculing her for 'letting' him do the interview.

I found this profoundly disturbing. What she had done was believe in her boss  his own answers had landed him in hot water.

I also felt strangely protective towards her. We were both doing our jobs to the best of our abilities. And now her professional life lay in tatters.

On November 20, Prince Andrew announced he was stepping back from public duties for the foreseeable future. Belatedly, he also expressed sympathy for Epstein's victims.

Amanda Thirsk stepped back from her role and then eventually left.

I messaged her. Offered to meet if she was so inclined.

Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell was charged with eight counts relating to grooming under-age girls for Epstein. Calls for Andrew to 'co-operate' with the FBI grew louder.

And then, just before the 25th anniversary of Martin Bashir's Panorama interview with Princess Diana, Earl Spencer went public with allegations against him and the BBC.

The interview, he said, had been procured by Martin Bashir after he told a litany of lies to Diana and showed her forged bank statements. She'd never have agreed to do it otherwise.

The more I learned about the allegations, the more appalled I was.

A graphic designer who'd blown the whistle on the bank statements had lost his job. It seemed clear there'd been some kind of cover-up.

All I could feel was betrayal and anger. For that, among other reasons, I decided I wanted to leave the BBC.

Before I left, I finally got to see Amanda Thirsk. She was nothing but gracious and wished me the best. We are still in touch from time to time.

Extracted from Scoops: Behind The Scenes Of The BBC's Most Shocking Interviews by Sam McAlister, to be published by Oneworld on July 14 at 16.99.  2022 Sam McAlister. To order a copy for 15.29, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Offer valid until July 16, 2022. UK delivery is free on orders over 20.
They came for Emmett Till in the dead of night, shining a torch in the terrified 14-year-olds face as they dragged him out of bed at gunpoint in the cramped two-room cabin where he was staying with his great uncle and seven other relatives.

Ignoring his familys desperate pleas that he was from the North and hadnt known any better, his captors drove him off to be lynched  the fate reserved for the black people who dared violate the brutal social codes of segregation-era Mississippi, Americas most racist state.

Emmetts offence that summer of 1955, say witnesses, had simply been to whistle at a white woman, although shed later claim hed made unwanted advances and ugly remarks.

The next time his family saw Emmett, he had been tortured, shot in the head and dumped naked in a river with a weight tied around his neck with barbed wire  his face so mutilated and crushed they couldnt recognise him.

Emmetts gruesome murder shocked the world  although not, to its shame, the Deep South  and did much to ignite the civil rights movement.

Horror turned to stunned disbelief when his two killers were not only acquitted of the crime by an all-white male jury but then, earning a packet for their story, admitted theyd done it.

Despite witness claims that at least one other person was with them, they made out that they acted alone.

After their acquittal in the Emmett Till trial, defendant Roy Bryant (right), smokes a cigar as his wife Carolyn Bryant Donham (centre right) - who is the only one still alive - happily embraces him and his half brother, J.W. Milam and his wife show jubilation.

Emmett Louis Till, 14, with his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, at home in Chicago. Emmett was killed by Roy Bryant and his half brother J.W. Milam with Carolyn Bryant Donham thought to have been present

Mamie weeps as she leaves the church en route to the cemetery where her son, Emmett, will be buried

Investigators sifting through records in the basement of a Mississippi courthouse have unearthed an unserved warrant for the arrest of a third suspect  Carolyn Bryant Donham  for her involvement in his kidnapping. Born in 1938, today she is 88 years old

No one has ever been convicted of killing Emmett and, until a few days ago, that tragic injustice looked set to remain the case for ever.

Now, however, investigators sifting through records in the basement of a Mississippi courthouse have unearthed an unserved warrant for the arrest of a third suspect  the woman who had accused Emmett of harassing her  for her involvement in his kidnapping.

That woman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, is still alive and Emmetts relatives, who were involved in discovering the document, have demanded that the case be reopened and Ms Donham arrested. Justice has to be served, said Deborah Watts, Emmetts cousin.

Now in her 80s and reportedly living in North Carolina, Ms Donham has yet to comment  a silence shes largely maintained for decades.

She has been evading justice for over 66 years now, said Keith Beauchamp, a filmmaker who helped to find the document. The only reason why Carolyn Bryant was never given that warrant was because of the protection of white womanhood.

A police note on the back of the warrant says she wasnt arrested because she was not in the county at the time. However, following the killing, a local sheriff told reporters he didnt want to bother the woman since she had two little boys to care for.

John W. Milam, 35, left, his half-brother Roy Bryant, 24 , centre, and Carolyn Bryant Donham, right, who were acquitted of brutally murdering Emmett Till and then cashing in on their crime by writing a book about it, unable to be prosecuted twice under America's double jeopardy law

The Till case  which Bob Dylan referenced in his 1962 song The Death Of Emmett Till  continues to resonate deeply in a U.S. rocked by the Black Lives Matter movement. Whoopi Goldberg will star in a forthcoming feature film, Till, about Emmetts redoubtable mother, Mamie. And his story is believed to have partly inspired Harper Lees acclaimed novel To Kill A Mockingbird, in which a lawyer defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in segregated Alabama.

The child of sharecroppers, Mamie had grown up in the cotton-rich Mississippi Delta before moving to Chicago. She was uneasy when her uncle, Mose Wright, invited the boy to come and stay with him outside the tiny Delta town of Money in August 1955.

Emmett was a self-assured, prank-loving boy who liked to be the centre of attention, and knew only Chicago, where black people had far more freedom than in Mississippi. Although he had only just turned 14, he was well built and looked far older than his years. His mother feared all these factors could get him into trouble in the Deep South.

The racial segregation there was particularly strict when it came to sex. The culture put white women on a pedestal and black men knew the risks of any sort of physical contact with them. (Of the 500 black people lynched in the state over the 75 years before Emmetts death, most were men accused of associating with white women.)

Deborah Watts (center), cousin of Emmett Till, was among the group that found the warrant for Donham

Deborah Watts, of Minneapolis, speaks on August 27, 2015, in Jackson, Mississippi, about the slaying of her cousin, Emmett Till. Till's family remains vocal about seeking justice

If you see a white woman coming down the street, you get off the sidewalk and drop your head, dont even look at her, Mrs Till recalled telling Emmett before he left. He accused her of exaggerating, which she admitted she was  but not by much.

Southern whites were particularly fired up that summer. The Ku Klux Klan remained a power in the land, two men had recently been killed in Mississippi for registering black voters, and whites were furious over legislation to desegregate schools.

Money  the settlement outside which Emmetts relatives lived  had a single street, at one end of which was a grocery store, Bryants, which sold supplies to plantation workers and sweets to their children.

It was owned by ex-soldier Roy Bryant, 24, and his Irish-American wife Carolyn, 21, whod dropped out of high school and won two beauty contests  and was the daughter of a plantation manager.

The couple had little money and lived with their two young boys in cramped rooms behind the store.

Bryants half-brother, John JW Milam, occasionally helped them run the shop. Milam, who rented out cotton-picking machines to plantation owners, was a hulking heavy drinker with a reputation for aggressively putting black people in their place.

On a steamy Wednesday afternoon, Emmett and his cousins drove into Money to visit the grocery store. Bryant was away, leaving his wife to run it alone.

Emmett had reportedly boasted of his success in chatting up white girls in Chicago and one of his cousins said, as a challenge, there was a pretty one inside the shop.

What happened after he entered the store has always been contested. Witnesses said he paid by passing money into Ms Donhams hand, breaking a Mississippian custom that dictated black people should leave cash on the counter.

Till's mother famously chose to have an open-casket funeral for her 14-year-old so mourners in Chicago could see what had happened

She would testify that, during the minute or so in which they were alone, he grabbed her hand and said: How about a date, baby? and, as she pulled away, put his hands on her waist and told her: You neednt be afraid of me, baby. I been with white girls before.

Historians say she didnt mention this physical and verbal interaction before the trial, prompting accusations that she invented it to help her husband.

Several of Emmetts cousins, however, heard him give a wolf-whistle as they both left the store  with her heading for a gun her brother-in-law kept in his car.

His worried cousins drove him off quickly, terrified of repercussions. Four days later, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Emmetts great-uncle Mose Wright was woken up by Bryant and JW banging on his door. They were armed and demanded he take them to the n***** who did the talking.

Threatening to kill Mr Wright if he caused any trouble, they frog-marched Emmett out to their truck where, Mr Wright recalled, they asked someone sitting in the back seat if this was the boy. The voice that answered in the affirmative sounded lighter than a mans, he said. Could it have been Ms Donham? Many have speculated that it was.

Emmetts family alerted the local sheriff and started looking for him  concentrating on river banks and under bridges because, reasoned Mr Wright bleakly, black folks always looked there when something like this happened. The next day, Bryant and JW were arrested for kidnap. Three days after Emmett had disappeared, his body was found. A boy out fishing in the muddy back-waters of the Tallahatchie River found the bloated and battered corpse caught on a gnarled root.

It had been weighed down with a 75lb fan from a cotton gin. The boy, whose skull had been crushed, had been so badly beaten that his great uncle could only identify him by a ring he was wearing.

Donham alongside her husband, Roy Bryant, during his murder trial in Mississippi in 1955

Carolyn Bryant Donham (second from right) photographed alongside her husband Roy Bryant during his murder trial on September 23, 1955. On the left are J.W. Milam and his wife. Brant and Milam would confess to killing Till in a magazine interview after being exonerated

His mother received the news in Chicago. My eyes were so full of tears I couldnt see, she said.

She overruled an undertaker whod promised Mississippi officials to keep the coffin nailed shut and rejected offers to touch up Emmetts grotesque features for the funeral, saying: Let the people see what Ive seen. Everybody needed to know what had happened to Emmett Till. At a church on Chicagos South Side, his broken body was put on show before the funeral and 50,000 people came to see the glass-covered casket.

Mrs Till allowed a black lifestyle magazine to publish funeral photos of her son to ensure his ravaged face reached an even wider audience. Her bold response would ensure her sons death became a formative moment in the civil rights struggle and the USs tragic race history.

His murder stunned a white America that had consoled itself that such horrors had long been consigned to history. Under attack, white Mississippians closed ranks behind Bryant and Milam, who admitted taking Emmett  possibly with the assistance of two of Milams black workers  but claimed theyd released him outside their store. Their murder trial was held in the nearest big town of Sumner, which had the deeply ironic motto: A good place to raise a boy.

Mamie Bradley, recounts her 14-year-old son's death in Washington D.C. in October, 1955. My eyes were so full of tears I couldnt see, she said upon learning of his murder

The jury of white men in the stiflingly hot and rigorously segregated courtroom was asked to consider evidence collected by local sheriff Clarence Strider, who made his own views depressingly clear when he complained about black people coming down from the North indoctrinated by civil rights activists.

The defence case rested on the bizarre assertion that the body pulled out of the river was not Till who, they claimed, was hiding out in Detroit as part of a plot cooked up with civil rights campaigners.

Only one black witness dared to testify, saying that he had seen the two accused and another white man with Emmett on the day he died, and later heard sounds of a savage beating from a shed owned by Milam.

The trial was over in five days with the defence lawyer telling jurors their ancestors would turn in their graves if they returned a guilty verdict.

When they acquitted both men after deliberating for an hour, guns were fired around Sumner in celebration and the Bryants exchanged a passionate kiss for TV cameras.

Four months later, and protected from further prosecution by Americas double jeopardy rule, Bryant and Milam sold their story to a U.S. magazine, Look, for $4,000 (the equivalent of around 36,000 today).

They claimed they only planned to just whip him . . . and scare some sense into him, taking it in turns to smash him over the head with a .45 automatic pistol in Milams tool shed.

However, when the battered Emmett dared to mock them, calling them bastards and insisting that not only had he had white women but his grandmother was also white, they said they couldnt contain their fury and decided to make an example of him.

I just decided it was time a few people got put on notice, said Milam. He said he delivered the fatal shot to the boys head. The town that had supported them during the trial ostracised the pair after the article was published.

Mamie Till went to Washington to press President Eisenhower and FBI chief J Edgar Hoover to re-open the case, but they ruled out a federal investigation.

Contributions to civil rights groups soared, however, and Mrs Till, who became an activist herself, later described her son as the sacrificial lamb of the movement.

Emmett Till, left, and his cousin Wheeler Parker, back right, are pictured on their bicycles. The picture, which also captures family friend Joe B. Williams, was taken around 1949 to 1950

Four months after Emmetts death, African-American Rosa Parks set off a firestorm when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in Alabama. She later explained: I thought of Emmett Till and I couldnt go back.

Milam died in 1981 and Roy Bryant in 1994, while Mamie Till passed away in 2003.

Campaigners have urged supporters to contact the Mississippi district attorney and demand Ms Donham be charged, but legal experts predict theyll need more than a 67-year-old warrant.

Recent history doesnt offer much hope. In 2004, the U.S. Justice Department reopened the case, saying new information suggested that at least a dozen people, including Ms Donham, were involved in the killing, and at least five were still alive, only to close it three years later without bringing any charges.

The case was reopened again after a historian claimed in a 2017 book that Carolyn Donham had told him that some of her trial testimony was false, such as claiming that Emmett had grabbed her and made suggestive remarks.

Donham countered that she stood by her court evidence.

The investigation was closed last December, with prosecutors saying they didnt have enough evidence that shed lied.

Justice for one of the most heart-rending victims of the Deep Souths violent past may remain disgracefully out of reach.
The parents of a 10-year-old girl who was killed in a house fire have been arrested on the Appalachian Trial after being on the run for the last three months.

William Linn McCue, 47, and Carina Wisniewski McCue, 38, from Loganville, Georgia, were found in Georgia by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office fugitive unit.

The couple have been charged with first-and second-degree cruelty to children and false imprisonment after their 10-year-old daughter, Zoe, died in a fire at their home in April.

When the flames were finally out, authorities found the youngster's remains in a makeshift bed inside a bathtub that served as her windowless bedroom.

A deadly house fire on Easter Sunday claimed the life of 10-year-old Zoe McCue

William Linn McCue, 47, and Carina Wisniewski McCue, 38, from Loganville, Georgia have been caught on the Appalachian Trail

The couple have both been charged with both first- and second-degree child cruelty

The couple then vanished leading investigators to launch a manhunt for the pair who were finally taken into custody on Wednesday.

Investigators managed to track the couple down to Cleveland, Georgia before being spotted at a motel in Lawrenceville.

The couple were then later found on the Appalachian Trail near the alpine town of Helen.

The pair had disappeared following the Easter Sunday fire at their home.

Zoe's 15-year-old brother was found by authorities at a church in Rockdale County and confessed to starting the blaze deliberately. He was arrested on various charges including murder.

The house suffered extensive damage throughout its front half and the attic

Zoe McCue (pictured) was found dead inside her Georgia home in a bed in the bath tub. Authorities arrested her 15-year-old brother in connection with the fire, which they believe was set intentionally

Now that the boy's parent's have been found, it is not clear if charges against the boy still stand.

His three other siblings were taken into protective custody and are being looked after by state foster carers.

When investigators began looking into the the circumstances of the house fire, they found the parents were 'recluses' who never let anyone info their filthy, squalid home with living conditions deemed to be 'unsanitary and dangerous'.

Toilets in the home did not work. Neither did the septic tank, showers, taps or bathtubs.

Police said that some of the children did not even know how to use toilet paper and had not been to school in years.

Further investigation showed the family home had been kept in appalling and squalid conditions

William McCue, the girl's father was at work when the fire broke out. He later went on the run with his wife with the pair only being caught on Wednesday

'There was evidence that the children were to not leave the home for years. There was evidence that the children were not given adequate food,' a social worker told a judge in court.

Timothy Wisniewski, Carina Wisniewski McCue's father, said that he was never invited inside the home when he visited the family.

'They had five kids, obviously, and when I would go down to the Loganville area, I would be visiting old friends and stuff and I'd stay at their houses,' Wisniewski told The Daily Beast.

'I'd visit with my daughter, but I was never invited into the house. The last time I was inside their house, prior to the firebecause I went there after the firewas 2014 or 2015.

William and Carina McCue were said to be reclusive. The pair have been caught having gone on the lam since April. Both are being held without bond on child cruelty chahres

'They were reclusive. There's no doubt about that', however he stressed that he did not see any signs of trouble.

'Whenever I saw the kids and took them for ice cream and whatnot, they were always well-presented, clean. Sometimes I didn't see them for two years, but they were never unkempt and they were sociable in the way they acted with people I had no reason to suspect they were being neglected at all. Otherwise, I would have said something [to authorities].'

Wisniewski said he was 'really surprised' when he heard that his daughter was on the run with her husband, whom he says he never much liked describing him as 'quick to upset' and having an 'everybody's-out-to-get-me-type attitude.'

The couple had filed twice for divorce in both 2010 and 2019 before reconciling.

Either way, Wisniewski says that he had no idea the two were going to become fugitives

'I always thought Carina was a good person,' said Wisniewski speaking of his daughter.

'She would always tell me how good she was doing. They were driving a Chevy Tahoe, fairly new, nice-looking vehicles, so I never thought they were having problems. And when I found out they didn't have working plumbing, that just baffled the hell out of me because they could've always asked me for help. And she knew that.'
At least three NYPD officers were pictured posing as Amazon and FedEx delivery drivers at a subway station on Wednesday while hunting for perverts.

According to the Instagram user who posted the original photos, the officers were trying to catch people jumping over turnstiles to avoid paying for their train ride.

The NYPD later confirmed they were plain-clothes cops, and said they were also on the lookout for perverts who prowl trains and grope unsuspecting passengers.

Another social media user identified the station as the Myrtle-Broadway station in Brooklyn.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, an NYPD spokesperson seemed to confirm the authenticity of the pictures saying: 'Transit Officers conduct plainclothes patrols due to the unique environment and challenges presented in the New York City Transit system.'

The three undercover NYPD officers at the Myrtle-Broadway station in Brooklyn, New York, on June 29

The Instagram user who posted the photo said that the cops were trying to catch fare evaders

To counter rising crime on New York's subways, Mayor Eric Adams announced in January that 1,000 officers would be deployed in the system

The spokesperson said that the undercover officers concentrate on catching 'pick pockets' and 'sexual offenders.'

The statement concluded: 'The NYPD continues to conduct enhanced patrol deployments in the subway system and remains highly focused on the relatively small number of people responsible for much of New York Citys crime and disorder.'

New York City Mayor Eric Adams pledged to crackdown on crime in the Big Apple, mentioning subway fare beating specifically.

Mayor Adams has also reinstated the controversial Neighborhood Safety Teams, small teams of plain clothes officers. The unit was disbanded in 2020 in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality.

In January, Adams announced that 1,000 more officers would be deployed in what is the nation's largest subway system.

The City & State New York published data showing that the majority of the group's arrests were for crimes such as fake IDs and stolen credit cards rather than gun possession arrests.

Following the well publicized arrest of 'Dancing is Happiness' musician John Ajilo on June 22 at the 34th street station at the foot of the Empire State Building, Mayor Adams was quoted as saying: 'Listen, you've got to follow the rules. That is how are system got in the way that it is now, because no one was following the rules.'

Crime is on the rise in New York City across the board. Mayor Adams pledged to crackdown on crime in the Big Apple, mentioning subway fare beating specifically

Mayor Adams has also reinstated the controversial Neighborhood Safety Teams, small teams of plain clothes officers

Rape and robberies are up over 50% compared against the same time this year, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority's statistics

DailyMail.com has reached out to both FedEx and Amazon for comment on the photos.

Violent crime has become endemic on New York City's transport system in 2022.

Rape and robberies are up over 50% compared against the same time this year, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority's statistics. Meanwhile, felony assaults are up over 15% and grand larceny is up over 97%.

NYPD Transit Chief Jason Wilcox told the MTA board this past Monday that the increase in larcenies were mainly on overnight trains. Wilcox said that there have been many cases where riders fall asleep on the train and wake up with items missing, reports the New York Post.

Wilcox added: 'We are focusing on this type of crime. Our detectives are investigating these crimes. But we also ask riders to be more vigilant in this area when they travel the trains late at night.'

In total, compared to this time last year, transit crime citations are up 40%.

According to statistics from the MTA, there were four assaults and 82 cases of harassment New York City's transport employees in June alone.

In 2022, there have been 35 assaults on subway trains and at stations on city employees.

While crime is up, subway ridership is also up nearly 35% on this time last year.

In June, it was announced that the NYPD was installing 100 hidden cameras on subway cars across the city.

The cameras are not monitored and do not transmit in real time but will be used as a back-up to help investigators establish evidence.

The selected trains are those where 53% of subway crimes occurred.

Crime and the crumbling infrastructure of the subway system was the subject of a June 2022 documentary, 'End of the Line.'
Banks will be ordered to reimburse all victims of online fraud under laws to be brought forward this month.

In a major victory for the Daily Mail's Stop the Scammers campaign, financial regulators will be given powers to require banks to compensate people ripped off by online fraudsters.

The move is designed to end the lottery which means around half of all fraud victims are refused help by their bank.

Treasury minister John Glen praised the Mail's campaign and said the Government was determined to tackle the growing menace. 'The current situation where customers can't be absolutely sure they will be reimbursed for fraud is not acceptable,' he said.

'The banks have done some work but there has been an inconsistency. We want to make this mandatory so that people can be 100 per cent sure that action will be taken.'

'The current situation where customers can't be absolutely sure they will be reimbursed for fraud is not acceptable,' said Treasury Minister John Glen (pictured far right)

Whitehall sources said the new measures would be included in the Financial Services and Markets Bill later this month.

The law will place a duty on the Payment System Regulator to tackle the issue, and give the watchdog powers to order the banks to comply. Under the current voluntary scheme some banks require customers to show they have taken steps to protect themselves before they will compensate, while others refuse most claims.

Mr Glen said that customers faced 'very, very sophisticated frauds'. He cited one case in his own Salisbury constituency where a scammer posing as a utility company correctly told the victim that roadworks had been carried out in their street that week before demanding payment.

The regulator will finalise the new compensation scheme later this year, but Mr Glen said the 'default' should be that customers are reimbursed in full.

The legislation is targeted at the growth in 'authorised push payment' fraud, under which a payment is sent under false pretences. It will take about a year before the new mandatory system takes effect.

Banks say that a record 1.3billion was lost to scammers last year, including almost 200,000 authorised push payment frauds.

Mr Glen said ministers were also acting on another of the Mail campaign's demands by requiring banks to extend the 'confirmation of payee' scheme which verifies account details before funds are sent.

He said that by the end of next year this would cover over 99 per cent of payments.

Financial regulators will be given powers to require banks to compensate people ripped off by online fraudsters. The move is designed to end the lottery which means around half of all fraud victims are refused help by their bank

This newspaper is also calling for the appointment of a dedicated minister for fraud, and demanding that police make tackling fraud a priority and boost the number of specialist investigators.

Yesterday a former HM Inspector of Constabulary warned that the police were 'nowhere near addressing online fraud and crime'.

Zoe Billingham told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'There has been an exponential increase in online fraud and crime. Have the cops got the skills to be able to tackle and address that? At the moment, they're absolutely nowhere near.' Sources last night told the Mail that Priti Patel has demanded a new fraud strategy by the early autumn to ensure the crime is made a higher priority.

The failing Action Fraud system will be replaced by one spearheaded by the National Crime Agency. It will look at whether reports of fraud are assigned correctly, with major changes understood to be on the cards.
OpenSea confirms their system's data breach through a third-party vendor, Customer.io.

Customer.io is the email vendor that the NFT platform works with in order to deliver their newsletter and email services.

OpenSea sent out a public notice to alert its users regarding an employee on Customer.io that misused their employee access to download and share the email addresses that OpenSea provided with an unauthorized third party.

OpenSea Data Breach

OpenSea's Head of Security, Cory Hardman, stated that the recent breach affects any account holder and emails that are subscribed to the platform's newsletter.

The NFT company warns that if users have shared their email with OpenSea in the past, they should assume that they are impacted by this breach.

Although it is reported by Engadget that compromised passwords and other personal information were not breached as of the moment.

The company stated in their blog post that they have reported the incident and are currently working in cooperation with law enforcement agencies on their ongoing investigation.

OpenSea encourages its customers to be vigilant with their email practices and be on the lookout for any suspicious email that claims to be from the platform.

The organization warned OpenSea customers who they felt were implicated to be on the alert for phishing emails and other types of scams by sending them emails to their accounts.

No information on the third party who obtained access to the compromised email accounts has been disclosed as of yet.

As reported by Engadget, a representative of Customer.io stated that the person who was responsible for the data leak had "role-specific" access to the OpenSea data that was misused.

Although the company does not believe that the data of any additional customers has been stolen or compromised, an investigation is still ongoing.

The employee in question has had all of their privileges stripped away, and they have been placed on administrative leave until the outcome of their investigation.

OpenSea NFT Phishing

Last February, OpenSea users were threatened by a massive phishing attack.

At first, it was thought that the attack was associated with a smart contract to which users of OpenSea had been transitioning their NFTs over the course of the preceding few months.

On the contrary, OpenSea provided evidence suggesting that the attack was most likely an attempt at phishing.

The malicious threat actors behind the attack were able to compromise $1.7 million worth of ETH.

The actors were also able to get themselves 250 high-valued NFT collections, such as Doodles, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and Azuki.

Read Also: OpenSea NFT Scam: Company Admits to Fake NFTs in Marketplace; NFT Insurance Becomes a Thing

OpenSea Recommends

OpenSea recommends a few steps for users to take in order not to fall victim to these types of cyberattacks.

First, the company urged its users to be wary of email addresses trying to impersonate OpenSea. They clarified that they will only be sending emails through their official domain, "opensea.io."

Secondly, they also instructed users not to download anything from the email, assuring that the real OpenSea email would not include any attachments or any requests to download anything.

Third, the company strongly informs users to not sign any wallet transactions via email. This might be a scam or a phishing attempt. Signing a wallet transaction that is triggered directly from an email should NEVER be done.

Fourth, the company also warns its customers to never share their login details, especially their passwords or secret wallet phrases.

Lastly, the company reminds its consumers to examine the URL of each and every page that is linked in an OpenSea email. Only URLs starting with 'email.opensea.io' will have hyperlinks included by us. Make sure that the domain name "opensea.io" is spelled correctly.

Related Article: OpenSea Investigates Exploit Rumors as Traders Report NFT Hacking
Like many parents, the lockdowns of the last two years afforded Clare Page an unexpected insight into her daughter's school lessons.

Her then 13-year-old  who we will call Isla  attended Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, a 1,400-pupil state secondary school in South London. And with teaching taking place online, some of the material she saw unfolding on her daughter's laptop at home was little short of horrifying.

Isla's 'lessons'  46-year-old designer Clare uses the term loosely  included a lecture on white privilege; playing a rap song with the lyrics 'our Prime Minister is a real racist'; and an art lesson where pupils were encouraged to produce their own Black Lives Matter poster after being shown an image of black and white people stabbing each other.

Sex education meanwhile  delivered under the new 'relationship and sex education' policy that has become a compulsory part of the curriculum since 2020  was no less disturbing. It turned out to be provided by the dubiously named 'School for Sexuality Education', an external organisation with links to a commercial website that promotes pornography and sex toys.

At its workshops, pupils were informed they lived in a 'heteronormative' (straight) world, that this was a bad thing, and they should be 'sex positive' instead.

Appalled at what she saw as little short of highly politicised dogma disguised as 'learning', Clare asked the school if she could see the material used in some lessons.

Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, a 1,400-pupil state secondary school in South London runs lessons which includ a lecture on white privilege; playing a rap song with the lyrics 'our Prime Minister is a real racist'

At its workshops, pupils were informed they lived in a 'heteronormative' (straight) world, that this was a bad thing, and they should be 'sex positive' instead

Appalled at what she saw as little short of highly politicised dogma disguised as 'learning', Clare asked the school if she could see the material used in some lessons

Sex education  delivered under the new 'relationship and sex education' policy that has become a compulsory part of the curriculum since 2020  was no less disturbing. The School of Sexuality provided content for the RSE lessons

Anti-slavery protesters rolling the statue of 17th century slave trader Colston towards the river Avon after knocking it off its plinth in Bristol

An art lesson encouraged pupils to produce their own Black Lives Matter poster after being shown an image of black and white people stabbing each other

She was told she couldn't, and her repeated  and ultimately futile  attempts to do so have now led her to make a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office, an independent authority set up, among other things, to promote openness and transparency in public bodies.

She believes that, if asked by a parent, schools should be legally obliged to provide information about the 'lesson plans' they use. At present, it is a matter of dispute as to whether they have any obligation to provide the information.

Clare is not alone in her concern: in recent years, a number of campaigning groups have sprung up to tackle what they see as the overt politicisation of children, while a slew of stories has also highlighted the way in which gender and racial politics have crept into the provision of education.

In the last week alone, a fee-paying Christian school in Oxfordshire has become engulfed in a row following a diversity-driven makeover in which the library was garlanded with rainbow LGBT flags, while Michelle Donelan, the Minister for Higher Education, has written to universities warning them that signing up to equality and diversity schemes could hamper free speech.

On Thursday, Conservative MP Miriam Cates spoke of her concern that recent guidelines are opening doors to 'age inappropriate' and 'extreme' content being taught in schools.

Michelle Donelan, the Minister for Higher Education, has written to universities warning them that signing up to equality and diversity schemes could hamper free speech

Clare, however, is one of the few parents prepared to talk openly about the problem, although understandably she has asked for anonymity for her family.

'I believe passionately in what I am fighting for, but as a parent I also want to protect my daughters,' she says. 'A lot of people are terrified of discussing this territory, but someone has to question what is going on.'

'Otherwise, it means that there is no transparency for parents regarding the messages being handed to our young people.' Clare and her husband are unlikely lightning rods: impeccably liberal, since marrying in 2001 they have lived in the London borough of Lewisham, a neighbourhood they chose for its diversity.

While privately educated herself, Clare was happy for both her daughters  Isla, now 15 and 12-year-old Natasha  to be schooled in the state system.

Both attended the local primary where, in 2018, Clare had an early insight into the gender politics at play when Natasha, then nine, announced she'd been told to refer to historical figures as 'they' rather than he or she because those who had come before us were unable to choose their preferred pronouns and that there were 'many more than two genders'.

'That was when the warning bell rang,' says Clare. 'I complained to the school and was staggered by the pushback from governors and the head teacher.

'It was basically a case of 'there is no way you can touch this'.'

Conservative MP Miriam Cates spoke of her concern that recent guidelines are opening doors to 'age inappropriate' and 'extreme' content being taught in schools

Clare's concerns mounted when she learned that representatives from an organisation called 'Pop'n'Olly'  a self-styled 'LGBT+ equality educational resource' created by author and illustrator Olly Pike  were visiting the school during anti-bullying week.

'No one is against the idea of an anti-bullying week  but suddenly this message is being conflated with other more complex material,' she explains.

'The first thing I knew about it was when I arrived home to find my daughter watching an Olly Pike cartoon about a girl who has an overnight sex change which solves her bullying problem.

'Even if you take away the issue of whether you should be discussing trans-sexualism to children in primary school, this is highly misleading.'

When Clare complained, she was told that Olly Pike was recommended by the LGBTQ+ lobby group Stonewall which, in turn, was backed by the Department for Education.

Around the same time, Isla had started secondary school at Haberdashers' Hatcham College in Lewisham  one of a guild of schools founded by a legacy from 17th century benefactor Robert Aske. His name was removed from the school last year because of his purported links to slavery and, at Hatcham, his oil portrait has been removed and his statue repurposed.

A state comprehensive, Hatcham's intake is 83 per cent black and ethnic minority and 17 per cent white, but Clare says that children from all backgrounds largely got on well.

'It's an inner-city school so there are fights and there have been knife fears,' she says. 'But, overall, it is a successful, cohesive community and Isla has got very good friends.'

Nonetheless, Clare said she had become concerned about what she saw as overt politicising by teachers, not to mention the peddling of misleading and in some cases downright inaccurate information in lessons.

'Pop'n'Olly'  a self-styled 'LGBT+ equality educational resource' created by author and illustrator Olly Pike

What Does LGBT+ Mean is a book which discusses trans-sexualism by Olly Pike, who was recommended by the LGBTQ+ lobby group Stonewall which, in turn, was backed by the Department for Education

'The first thing that made me prick up my ears was when Isla told me her English teacher had come in on his last day at the school wearing a Jeremy Corbyn T-shirt and telling them all they had to vote Labour,' she recalls.

Not long afterwards she learned that one of her daughter's peers  a 'youth coordinator' for the climate change activists Extinction Rebellion  was leafleting classmates, encouraging them to join the movement and try to get arrested. 'The teachers were overtly congratulating her,' she says.

Clare raised her concerns with the school but says she was ignored, despite repeated attempts to secure a meeting.

Then came the first national lockdown of March 2020. With lessons taking place online, it gave Clare and her husband a chance to see what Isla was being taught. What they saw alarmed them, particularly in the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of U.S. police officers in May 2020.

'One English teacher gave a lesson implying that America was a fascist police state and introduced the kids to a U.S. activist called Tamika Mallory,' says Clare. 'Some of her speeches are pretty incendiary, saying things like: 'I don't care if you burn down buildings.''

She was further alarmed to learn that in another lesson, a teacher had played a song by a rap artist called Dave which features the lyric 'our Prime Minister is a real racist', while Isla and her school friends  then just 13  had also been shown a painting in an art class of white and black people stabbing each other to inspire them to make their own Black Lives Matters posters.

'It's deeply unwise to use a picture of people stabbing each other in a place where there is genuine worry that people might carry a knife,' says Clare.

'Some of the resultant images produced by the children and praised by the teacher included a police station on fire and a girl being shot in the head.'

Clare complained once more, and this time received a phone call from a Deputy Head who said they were under huge pressure from staff to respond to Black Lives Matter in the curriculum.

'I said I wasn't against that, but they had to be cautious as the organisation at its core is not just an equality movement but a political movement. The conversation was reasonable enough,' Clare recalls.

But what followed was a series of four assemblies that talked about white privilege and systemic racism. 'There was a slide that said: 'Is your curriculum too white?' Clare recalls. 'Children were also told that the point of the BLM phrase is that black lives were being treated as expendable by the police and the government that employs them.

Clare complained once more, and this time received a phone call from a Deputy Head who said they were under huge pressure from staff to respond to Black Lives Matter in the curriculum

'This is against a backdrop of citizens burning things in America and in a London borough that had rioting in 2012. I felt it was completely irresponsible.'

Again Clare and her husband complained until eventually, by autumn 2020, her grievance was heard before three school governors who upheld her complaint about the art class imagery and rap song, but insisted none of it was politically motivated.

'It meant our overall complaint about indoctrination was not upheld,' says Clare. 'One governor, an ex-High Court judge, concluded that my 'ideals and background' were misleading me.'

By this stage Clare and her husband had already made the decision to send their youngest daughter to a private school. But with Isla settled, they were reluctant for her to move schools in the run-up to her GCSEs.

For a while, things were calm but then last autumn, Clare was alarmed to learn of the nature of the school's RSE provision.

Previously told the lessons would focus on 'inclusive consent', in reality, there was also lengthy discussion about 'heteronormativity' and the need to be 'sex positive'.

On paper, the latter is defined by the need to have a healthy, shame-free attitude to all aspects of sexual conduct  but in reality, says Clare, is often a Trojan Horse via which to convey more troublesome ideologies.

Emboldened, Clare asked once more to see the lesson plans, and was once more denied access. 'At first, they wouldn't really tell me what the problem was, but then said the School of Sexuality  which, remember, provided content for the RSE lessons  had told them I couldn't see them because of their commercial interests. That seemed extraordinary to me,' she reflects.

Clare then took matters into her own hands and called the School for Sexuality directly.

Again Clare and her husband complained until eventually, by autumn 2020, her grievance was heard before three school governors who upheld her complaint about the art class imagery and rap song, but insisted none of it was politically motivated

'I had a pleasant enough ten-minute conversation with the woman who answered the phone who seemed to agree that I could have access,' she says.

'In the wake of that, I learned the Chief Executive had contacted the school and accused me of harassment. She said on no account must the school show me the lesson plan as I was likely anti-LGBTQ+ and organisers 'would not be safe' if I was given the lesson plan.'

At the same time, Clare's own research led her to discover that Nadia Dean, the organisation's 'workshop facilitator', runs a side business promoting sex toys and pornography.

'There was a link to that website on the organisation's own website. Another lady on the website links to her blog where she sings a song with her ukulele which features the words 'Let's all masturbate'.'

After initially being told that the links would be removed, Clare was informed the school would no longer be using the provider.

'I was clear they needed to do more than that  that they should notify the DfE that organisations, many of them funded by taxpayers' money and rubberstamped by government, are peddling deeply troubling ideas under the banner of promoting social justice.'

A spokesperson for the school said: 'At Hatcham College we want children to critically engage with a wide range of opinions and views that challenge received wisdom.

'PSHE lessons provide children with the space to explore difficult topics of historical and societal importance, and the vast majority of our parents are supportive of our approach.

'All our teaching and resources adhere to the Secretary of State's statutory guidance and best practice, in which they acknowledge areas of 'understandable and legitimate areas of contention' due to its depth and breadth.

Clare's daughter, Isla, has always agreed that what she is encountering doesn't 'feel right'

'We are grateful to Ms Page for raising her concerns, and although her views are unrepresentative of our school communities, we recognise their legitimacy and the part they play in opening an interesting and wider debate about PSHE curricula and access.'

Nonetheless it is clear many parents remain discomfited, while Paul Conrathe, Senior Consultant Solicitor at education specialist Sinclairslaw, says schools that hide behind commercial confidentiality are 'skating on thin ice'.

'The critical question is whether it is in the public interest not to disclose those materials,' he says. 'How can it be in the public interest to withhold curriculum materials that deal with controversial and sensitive matters on sexuality, sex, gender and race from parents?'

For Clare, a principle is at stake. 'It has been difficult,' Clare admits. 'I've had to ask myself all the way through whether this is the right thing to do, whether I am burdening Isla too much with this.

'There's been a lot of talking, but ultimately, she has always agreed that what she is encountering doesn't feel right.

'We are agreed that parents have a right to know what is being taught to their children.'
A 22-year-old man believed to be the father of a three-month-old baby has been arrested by police in New York and charged with the murder of the child's mother - who died after she was shot point-blank in the head while pushing their daughter in a stroller on the Upper East Side.

Azsia Johnson, a 20-year-old mother of two, was shot in the head at 8:30pm on Wednesday.

Isaac Argro, 22, has been arrested and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, NYPD's commissioner, Keechant Sewell, announced on Friday evening.

Argro was apprehended late Friday afternoon in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn.

He is said to be refusing to answer investigators' questions, and has reportedly demanded that he be allowed to speak with a lawyer.

On Thursday night, at a vigil, Johnson's mother said she had repeatedly called the police to report domestic violence, and her daughter moved into a shelter for abused women in East Harlem, near where she was killed. She pointed the finger immediately at Argro.

Isaac Argro, 22, is seen leaving the 19th Precinct, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on Friday night

Argro's ex-girlfriend Azsia Johnson, a 20-year-old mother of two, was shot in the head at 8:30pm on Wednesday. He is charged with her murder

Argro has been charged with murder and possession of an unlawful weapon

Azsia Johnson, 20, was fatally shot in the head while pushing her baby in a stroller on the Upper East Side on Wednesday. Isaac Argro, 22, has been charged with her murder

Isaac Argro, 22, has been charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Azsia Johnson, who was shot in the head at point blank range on Wednesday night

Johnson's three-year-old child, whose father is another man, was not with her at the time.

Investigators recovered surveillance camera video and other footage from in and around the crime scene - but NYPD officials told CBS News that the cameras facing the spot 'were not immediately accessible'.

The sources told CBS they had already recovered video showing the gunman pacing in front of a residence right before the shooting.

A single shot was fired at her head before the gunman ran off, eastbound along East 95th Street.

One shell casing was recovered at the scene.

New York City's 19th police precinct, where the shooting occurred, is generally among the safest in the city.

Last year, the precinct recorded just two murders, and until Wednesday had not seen a murder in 2022.

A GoFundMe was created by Johnson's cousin Sharon Bell, who explains that the family is in shock over the 20-year-old's death, adding that she is a mother to a 3-year-old and 3-month-old

The Manhattan neighborhood is the most affluent in New York, with average house prices at an eye-watering $1.5million and private school fees exceeding $58,000 per year

The precinct is one of the most densely populated residential areas in Manhattan, and includes the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion.

It also encompasses a stretch of Madison Avenue with some of the city's most upscale shopping options.

However, NYPD data shows that crime is on the rise in the 19th Precinct, as it is across the city.

The arrest of the child's father came hours after distraught family and friends of Johnson mourned her loss at a vigil held on Thursday night, where Johnson's mother accused authorities of ignoring her repeated complaints of domestic violence.

The vigil was held at the playground near where Johnson was shot in the head. A GoFundMe for the family has raised $8,000 as of Friday night.

Johnson's mother Lisa Desort, who has said she believes her daughter's abusive ex-boyfriend is the killer, was visibly emotional as she said that her death could have been prevented.

'We called every day to the domestic violence [unit]. You know what they told me, it's not harassment if he makes a threat,' the weeping mother said.

'Now, my daughter is dead. She's dead! A 20-year-old female with a credit score of 800.'

Desort told CBS that her message to the baby's father was: 'I treated you like a son. I welcomed you into my home. I spoke to you and calmed you down when you were upset. I fed you.

'Your baby girl does not, and no longer, will have a father or mother.'

At the vigil, Desort was seen in quiet conversation with Mayor Eric Adams, who later stood beside her and offered condolences in brief remarks to the crowd.

Johnson was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn - the same tough neighborhood where Adams was born - and lived in Jamaica, Queens.

The vigil concluded with a balloon release, as those gathered were heard sobbing as they said, 'we love you, Azsia.'

Azsia Johnson's mother Lisa Desort (left), who has said she believes an abusive ex-boyfriend is the killer, was visibly emotional at a vigil on Thursday as she said that her daughter's death could have been prevented

Mayor Eric Adams speaks to Lisa Desort, mother of Azsia Johnson, 20, who was murdered on Wednesday as she walked with her infant child on the Upper East Side

The victims mother Lisa Desort is consoled at a vigil where the community gathered a day after the murder

A candlelight vigil for Azsia Johnson, 20, was held on Thursday night

Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the press during the candlelight vigil

Earlier, Desort alleged her daughter was assaulted by her 22-year-old ex-boyfriend about six months ago, despite being six months pregnant with his child.

She accused the man of 'stalking' and 'harassing' her girl after the incident and said they had pleaded with cops to intervene.

But Desort claimed he was never arrested and slammed officers for 'failing to protect her' daughter.

Johnson was the victim of the horrific attack that saw a hooded man in black clothing shoot her in the back of the head from point-blank range at 8.23pm on Wednesday.

She had reportedly texted her family to tell them she was planning to meet her ex-boyfriend before she was murdered on the sidewalk. The little girl was unharmed.

Desort told The New York Post through tears on Thursday afternoon: 'We called the precinct numerous times to tell the [domestic violence] unit that he was stalking and harassing her.

'Even [though] they knew what apartment he lived in, they failed to apprehend and arrest him,' the mom continued.

'The city failed to protect my daughter.'

She added to Fox News: 'All that anyone needs to know in this city is we called numerous times for her protection. No one protected my daughter, and now she's dead.'

Lisa Desort, (center) mother of murder victim Azsia Johnson, arrives at the candlelight vigil on Thursday

Lisa Desort speaks with Mayor Adams at an emotional vigil mourning her daughter, who was murdered on Wednesday

'We called every day to the domestic violence [unit]. You know what they told me, it's not harassment if he makes a threat,' the weeping mother said. 'Now, my daughter is dead. She's dead!'

Johnson's mother Lisa Desort, who has said she believes an abusive ex-boyfriend is the killer, was visibly emotional as she said that her daughter's death could have been prevented

The vigil concluded with a balloon release, as those gathered were heard sobbing as they said, 'we love you, Azsia'

Desort told PIX11 that her daughter had taken her baby daughter to the park when the shooting happened.

She had been using a tracking app to keep tabs on Johnson and became concerned when it showed she was in the hospital.

Desort said she tried to call, but there was no answer.

Police then showed up at her door with the news.

'I fell to the ground,' she said.

Sources told the New York Daily News the young mother had texted relatives saying she was planning to meet up with her child's father the night she was killed, so they could talk things out.

She had reportedly been assaulted by him while pregnant and wasn't sure if she wanted him in her life.

'It appears she was targeted, not a stray bullet,' a police source said of the shooting.

'Close contact wound to the head. She had powder burns on her head, to show you how close he was.'

It's not clear if recent alleged assaults were reported to the police, but the victim's mother claims they called for help 'numerous' times.

'He threatened me with death, my daughter with death, and my other daughter with death,' Desort said.

'We called the precinct numerous times.'

Desort said her daughter had everything going for her.

'She had been working since she was 16, and she took care of people. She was the best mother,' she said through tears. 'My daughter did not deserve this.'

Ebony Baulin speaks about Azsia Johnson, calling her a 'good person' and said their children played with each other

Julio Cruz, 62, father of two, found his SUV riddled with bullets on the UES a day after the fatal shooting of a young mother

Neighbor and friend Ebony Baulin told DailyMail.com: 'That's my neighbor's daughter. She was a good person. She was happy. She had a boyfriend.

'She was just a good girl. Whenever there was a confrontation [between me and her mother], she would be the one to say, 'don't fight.'

'She took care of her kids. She was quiet. She went to work and took care of her kids. I've seen [the ex-boyfriend] a couple of times.'

Lauren Brandel, 42, a mother who has lived on the Upper East Side for over 20 years, became emotional when she told DailyMail.com that she takes walks with her young daughter every evening in the neighborhood, in the area where Johnson was shot and killed.

'We come here on a daily basis, literally, every single day with her, this is our walk,' she said.

'We play at that playground.'

But she said she can't change her daily routine or avoid the area of a place she's lived in for two decades.

'It can happen anywhere,' she said.

The Manhattan neighborhood where Johnson was killed is among the most affluent in New York, with average house prices at $1.5million and private school fees exceeding $58,000 per year.

Horrified children at the nearby playground witnessed the shooting, and one girl described hearing a loud 'boom' that she quickly realized was a gunshot.

Mayor Eric Adams blamed the shooting on the 'over-proliferation of guns' and said that criminals have 'no fear in using these guns on innocent New Yorkers.'

The shooting comes four days after President Joe Biden signed into law a legislation that marks some of the biggest changes to federal gun law in decades.

The execution-style killing occurred across the street from the Samuel Seabury Playground (above), which was filled with children who witnessed the horrific shooting

A person of interest has been identified and the NYPD is probing a domestic violence link in the execution-style shooting of Johnson, who was pushing her three-month-old baby in stroller in Upper East Side

'Lives will be saved,' Biden said during the signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

'From Columbine to Sandy Hook to Charleston, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo, Uvalde, and for the shootings that happen every day in the streets that are mass shootings, we don't even hear about the number of people killed every day in the streets. Their message to us was to just something,' the president said.

'Today we did,' he noted.

The new law comes in the wake of a spat of mass shootings including one at a grocery store in Buffalo where 10 black people were killed and one at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 17 children and two teachers died.

Biden conceded the legislation doesn't have everything he wanted but 'it does include actions I've long called for that are going to save lives.'

The president praised the bipartisan work on the issue.

'It's time when this seems impossible get anything done in Washington. We are doing something consequential,' he said.

The day of the shooting, New York City and state officials announced lawsuits against 10 sellers of gun parts that the officials said can be assembled into untraceable ghost guns and sold without background checks.

State Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the weapons sold by online ghost gun retailers have been found at a growing share of New York's crime scenes.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell (center) and NYC Mayor Eric Adams (right) brief the press on the shooting

'These are dangerous weapons,' Adams, a former police officer, said at a Manhattan news conference with James and other officials.

'We should not think these are just kits used for hobbyists. They are being used by murderers. All of them are illegal.'

So far this year, major crimes are up 44 percent in the precinct from the same period one year ago, with robbery up 60 percent and felony assault increasing by 23 percent.

The precinct has recorded 1,162 major crimes so far in 2022, compared to 805 incidents in the same period last year.

Citywide, major crimes in New York are up 38 percent this year compared to last year, with robbery up 39 percent, burglary rising 34 percent, and felony assault jumping 19 percent.

However, murders are down 13 percent from last year, and shooting victims have dropped 9 percent, gains that Adams and police officials attribute to a push to get illegal guns off the streets.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact NYPD detectives at 1-800-577-TIPS.
RoboCop may be getting a 21st Century reboot, as an algorithm has been found to predict future crime a week in advance with 90 per cent accuracy.

The artificial intelligence (AI) tool forecasts crime by learning patterns in time and geographic locations of violent and property offences.

Data scientists at the University of Chicago trained the computer model using public data from eight major US cities.

However it has proven controversial, as the model does not account for systemic biases in police enforcement and its complex relationship with crime and society.

Similar systems have been shown to perpetuate racist bias in policing in the past, which could potentially be replicated by this model.

But the researchers claim their model could also be used to expose the bias, and should only be used to inform current policing strategies.

For example, it found that socioeconomically disadvantaged areas may receive disproportionately less policing attention than wealthier neighbourhoods.

A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by scientists in Chicago, USA forecasts crime by learning patterns in time and geographic locations on violent and property crimes

Violent crimes (left) and property crimes (right) recorded in Chicago within the two-week period between 1 and 15 April 2017. These incidents were used to train the computer model

Accuracy of the models predictions of violent (left) and property crimes (right) in Chicago. The prediction is made one week in advance, and the event is registered as a successful prediction if a crime is recorded within  one day of the predicted date

HOW DOES THE AI WORK? The model was trained using historical data of criminal incidents in Chicago from 2014 to the end of 2016. It then predicted crime levels for the weeks that followed the training period. The incidents it was trained with fell into either violent crimes or property crimes. It takes into account the time and spatial coordinates of individual crimes, and detects patterns in them to predict future events. It divides the city into spatial tiles roughly 1,000 feet across and predicts crime within these areas Advertisement

The computer model was trained using historical data of criminal incidents from the City of Chicago from 2014 to the end of 2016.

It then predicted crime levels for the weeks that followed this training period.

The incidents it was trained with fell into two broad categories of events that are less prone to enforcement bias.

These were violent crimes, like homicides, assaults and batteries, and property crimes, that include burglaries, thefts, and motor vehicle thefts.

These incidents were also more likely to be reported to police in urban areas where there is historical distrust and lack of cooperation with law enforcement.

The model also takes into account the time and spatial coordinates of individual crimes, and detects patterns in them to predict future events.

It divides the city into spatial tiles roughly 1,000 feet across and predicts crime within these areas.

This is opposed to viewing areas as crime 'hotspots' which spread to surrounding areas, as previous studies have done.

The hotspots often rely on traditional neighbourhood or political boundaries, which are also subject to bias.

Co-author Dr James Evans said: 'Spatial models ignore the natural topology of the city.

'Transportation networks respect streets, walkways, train and bus lines, and communication networks respect areas of similar socio-economic background.

'Our model enables discovery of these connections.

'We demonstrate the importance of discovering city-specific patterns for the prediction of reported crime, which generates a fresh view on neighbourhoods in the city, allows us to ask novel questions, and lets us evaluate police action in new ways.'

According to results published yesterday in Nature Human Behaviour, the model performed just as well in data from seven other US cities as it did Chicago.

These were Atlanta, Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Francisco.

Graphic showing the modelling approach of the AI tool. A city is broken into small spatial tiles approximately 1.5 times the size of an average city block and the model computes patterns in the sequential event streams recorded at distinct tiles

The model also found that when crimes took place in a wealthier area they attracted more police resources and resulted in more arrests than those in disadvantaged neighbourhoods

The researchers then used the model to study police response to incidents in areas with difference socioeconomic backgrounds.

They found that when crimes took place in wealthier areas they attracted more police resources and resulted in more arrests than those in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

This suggests bias in police response and enforcement.

Senior author, Dr Ishanu Chattopadhyay, said: 'What we're seeing is that when you stress the system, it requires more resources to arrest more people in response to crime in a wealthy area and draws police resources away from lower socioeconomic status areas.'

The utilisation of computer models in law enforcement has proven controversial, as there are concerns it may further instil existing police biases.

Back in 2016, Chicago Police Department trialled an algorithm that created a list of people deemed most at risk of being involved in a shooting, either as a victim or as a perpetrator.

Initially, details of the results were kept secret, but eventually it came out that 56 per cent of black men in Chicago aged between 20 to 29 featured on the list.

Lawrence Sherman at the Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing, told New Scientist that he is concerned the new model looks at data susceptible to bias.

He said: 'It could be reflecting intentional discrimination by police in certain areas.'

Accuracy of the model's predictions of property and violent crimes across major US cities. a: Atlanta, b: Philadelphia, c: San Francisco, d: Detroit, e: Los Angeles, f: Austin. All of these cities show comparably high predictive performance

However this tool is not intended to direct police officers into areas where it predicts crime could take place, but used to inform current policing strategies and policies, according to its developers.

The data and algorithm used in the study has been released publicly so that other researchers can investigate the results.

Dr Chattopadhyay said: 'We created a digital twin of urban environments. If you feed it data from happened in the past, it will tell you what's going to happen in future.

'It's not magical, there are limitations, but we validated it and it works really well.

'Now you can use this as a simulation tool to see what happens if crime goes up in one area of the city, or there is increased enforcement in another area.

'If you apply all these different variables, you can see how the systems evolves in response.'
Huge numbers of octopus have been seen along Cornwall's coastline this month, in what experts are describing as a 'bumper year' for the species.

Divers and snorkellers have reported an increase in sightings of Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris), particularly around Cornwall's Lizard peninsula.

One Mevagissey fisherman reported catching 150 octopuses in a single day, compared to his usual catch of one or two a year.

Despite its name, this large species of octopus is rarely seen in UK waters and has been recorded in Cornwall just twice a year on average.

Conservationists now believe this 'plague' could be evidence of an octopus population boom  an event last recorded along England's south coast more than 70 years ago.

Despite its name, 'Common Octopus', this large species of octopus is rarely seen in UK waters and has been recorded in Cornwall just twice a year on average.

Octopuses and humans share 'jumping genes' New research reveals that the human and octopus brain both share the same 'jumping genes.' Over 45% of the human genome is composed of sequences called transposons, which are these 'jumping genes' that can 'move' from one point in a genome to another by shuffling or duplicating. The research by Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn of Naples shows that the same jumping genes are active both in the human brain and in the brain of two species, Octopus vulgaris, the common octopus, and Octopus bimaculoides, the Californian octopus. Advertisement

'I got really excited when I started receiving messages from our Seasearch divers  not only because sightings of these striking animals are few and far between but because they'd seen several of them on one dive,' said Matt Slater, marine conservation officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

'They are such amazing, alien creatures  one of the most intelligent animals in our oceans  and to witness a population explosion in our local waters would be incredible.'

The Common Octopus is known for its large eyes, soft bag-like body and tentacles which can span up to one metre (over 3 feet).

It is a highly intelligent, active predator, and even has a secret weapon  special glands produce a venom that it uses to incapacitate its prey, which is usually crabs.

They are masters of camouflage and will change colour and texture depending on their mood or the situation.

Like other cephalopods, their populations fluctuate dramatically, and scientists are attempting to learn more about their behaviour and abundance.

Massive population booms of octopus are uncommon but not unheard of.

The Marine Biological Association has reported on several major octopus 'plagues' along the south coast of England from Lands End to Sussex; first in 1899 and most recently in the summer of 1948.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust explained that female octopus lay a huge number of eggs  between 100,000 and 500,000.

Once hatched, they drift off with ocean currents and have to fend for themselves.

The Common Octopus is known for its large eyes, soft bag-like body and tentacles which can span up to one metre (over 3 feet).

Like other cephalopods, their populations fluctuate dramatically, and scientists are attempting to learn more about their behaviour and abundance.

Divers and snorkellers have reported an increase in sightings of Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris), particularly around Cornwall's Lizard peninsula

Many perish but, if conditions are good, many can survive, and this may explain this year's big increase in population.

'We hope this is a sign that octopus populations are healthy in our Cornish waters,' said Slater.

'But sadly not all of our marine life is thriving,' he added.

'By taking action for wildlife and recording your marine sightings with us we can build up a picture over time and confirm if occurrences like this are a one off or if octopus populations are steadily on the rise.'
Worms and shrimps were among the first animals to recover after the 'Great Dying' mass extinction event that almost obliterated life on Earth 252 million years ago, a new study suggests.

Researchers said that deposit feeders  creatures that feed off organic matter settled at the bottom of the ocean  were the first to bounce back in terms of population numbers and biodiversity.

The end-Permian mass extinction wiped out 90 per cent of species on Earth, and it took millions of years for biodiversity to return to pre-extinction levels.

But by examining trails and burrows on the South China sea bed, the international team of researchers were able to piece together sea life's revival by pinpointing what animal activity was happening when.

Shrimps and worms were among the first animals to recover after the 'Great Dying' mass extinction event that almost obliterated life on Earth 252 million years ago, a study suggests. This graphic shows how the oceans may have looked before (A) and after (B-F) the extinction

TIMELINE OF WHEN THE ANIMALS BEGAN TO RECOVER AFTER THE 'GREAT DYING' Deposit feeders, including shrimps and worms, were the first to recover after the 'Great Dying'. They did so about 251 million years ago. Next was the recovery of suspension feeders, which snack on organic matter suspended in water. Corals then started to come back even later still. About 3 million years after the recovery of deposit feeders - some 248 million years ago - soft-bodied sediment dwellers also got back to pre-extinction levels. Advertisement

Professor Michael Benton, from the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences, said: 'The end-Permian mass extinction and the recovery of life in the Early Triassic are very well documented throughout South China.

'We were able to look at trace fossils from 26 sections through the entire series of events, representing seven million crucial years of time, and showing details at 400 sampling points, we finally reconstructed the recovery stages of all animals including benthos, nekton, as well as these soft-bodied burrowing animals in the ocean.'

The recovery of suspension feeders, which snack on organic matter suspended in water, followed much later than deposit feeders, according to the research.

Even later still, corals started to come back, while it took around 3 million years for soft-bodied sediment dwellers to get back to pre-extinction levels.

The study looked at a huge number of ichnofossils, or trace fossils  which are not actual animal remains, but remains of animal activity.

Dr Xueqian Feng, from the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, said: 'Trace fossils such as trails and burrows document mostly soft-bodied animals in the sea.

'Most of these soft-bodied animals had no or poor skeletons.

'There are some amazing localities in South China where we find huge numbers of beautifully preserved trace fossils, and the details can show infaunal ecosystem engineering behaviours, as well as their feedback effects on biodiversity of skeletonised animals.'

Researchers said that deposit feeders like shrimps (pictured)  creatures that feed off organic matter settled at the bottom of the ocean  were the first to bounce back in terms of population numbers and biodiversity

Professor Zhong-Qiang Chen, who led the study, said: 'The trace fossils show us when and where soft-bodied, burrowing animals flourished in this Early Triassic greenhouse world.

'For example, elevated temperatures and extended anoxia coincided with low values of behavioural and ecologic diversities across the Permian-Triassic boundary, and it took about 3 million years for ecological recovery of soft-bodied animals to match the pre-extinction levels.'

Alison Cribb, a collaborator in the study from the University of Southern California, added: 'The first animals to recover were deposit feeders such as worms and shrimps.

'The recovery of suspension feeders such as brachiopods, bryozoans and many bivalves took much longer.

'Maybe the deposit feeders were making such a mess of the seafloor that the water was polluted with mud, the churned mud meant suspension feeders could not properly settle on the seafloor, or the muddy water produced by those deposit feeders just clogged the filtering structures of suspension feeders and prohibited them from feeding efficiently.'

Climate change, global warming, a drop in oxygen and increased ocean acidification are thought to be the primary drivers behind the 'Great Dying' mass extinction.

The study has been published in the journal Science Advances.
Catfish are generally brown with dark spots, but a 15-year-old boy fishing in Tennessee had a catch of a lifetime when he hooked one that is all-white.

Edwards Tarumianz reeled in a giant fish on the morning of June 28, but he and the rest of the crew were more impressed by the catfish's stunning hue rather than its monstrous size, as first reported on by Field and Stream.

The blue catfish was completely white with bright pink and purples coloring around its fins and face, which could be a result of either albinism or leucism.

Albinism is a condition where pigment is absent in the skin and hair and is found among a number of animals, including humans.

Leucism, which is also a genetic condition, reduces pigmentation, leaving the animal pale or with patches of reduced coloring.

Scroll down for video

Edwards Tarumianz reeled in a giant fish on the morning of June 28, but he and the rest of the crew were more impressed by the catfish's stunning hue rather than its monstrous size

Captain Richard Simms, who was the guide of the charter that day, posted images of Tarumianz and his catch on Facebook, along with a statement: 'You may catfish for the rest of your life and never catch, or even see, another fish like that.

'I've been catfishing seriously for 30 yearsguiding for 17 of thoseand that's the first albino to ever come in my boat.'

However, biologists from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) told Field and Stream that they are unable to determine which genetic condition Tarumianz's fish has.

Pure albino animals will have pink eyes, nails, skin and scales.

The blue catfish was completely white with bright pink and purples coloring around its fins and face, which could be a result of either albinism or leucism

The pink coloration comes from blood vessels showing through the skin.

Animals with leucism may have mostly typical but lighter coloration patterns.

'Regardless, we all agree that it is a great and rare catch,' a TWRA spokesperson told Field and Stream.

Although such sightings are rare in the animal kingdom, people are still able to come across them.

In 2020, volunteers checking sea turtle nests on a South Carolina beach came upon a rare sight: a white sea turtle hatchling crawling across the sand.

The town of Kiawah Island posted on its Facebook page that the Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol found a lone white baby sea turtle that made its way to a public accessible beach.

Although such sightings are rare in the animal kingdom, people are still able to come across them. In 2020, volunteers checking sea turtle nests on a South Carolina beach came upon a rare sight: a white sea turtle hatchling crawling across the sand

An albino jaguar cub was rescued in Colombia last December, which is the first of its kind to be found in the country. Officials spotted the female cub in the Aburra Valley metropolitan area and transferred it to a nearby conservation park for medical treatment

Albinism: A genetic disorder where pigment is absent Albinism is a condition where pigment is absent in the skin and hair and is found among a number of animals, including humans. Overall, an estimated 1 in 20,000 people worldwide are born with oculocutaneous albinism. Humans and animals with albinism are said to be clearly recognized by their red or pink eyes, but that's not actually a defining feature of the condition. It can be found in birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and even fish. Advertisement

Leucism: A genetic disorder that reduces pigment Leucism reduces pigmentation, leaving the animal pale or with patches of reduced coloring. Leucism is also rare in animals, though it's more common than albinism. It can be found in birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and even fish. Pigment is reduced, leaving the animal white with patches of other colors. Leucism does not turn eyes red like albinism does Advertisement

Photos show a tiny turtle that is a creamy white color rather than the more typical gray or green of a sea turtle - or reddish brown in the case that this is a loggerhead turtle.

Officials say the hatchling may have been born with a genetic condition called leucism, which causes a reduction in pigment.

And the turtles has a similar coloration to the catfish caught by Tarumianz.

Although it may appear similar to albinism, leucism does not leave creatures with red or pink eyes.

An albino jaguar cub was rescued in Colombia last December, which is the first of its kind to be found in the country.

Officials spotted the female cub in the Aburra Valley metropolitan area and transferred it to a nearby conservation park for medical treatment.

The cub is completely white with red eyes, which is due to its inability to produce the pigment that colors its skin eyes and hair. Typically the animals are either red-brown or gray.

The tiny cub is now living at the park because its white fur limits its ability to survive in the wild - the lack of melanin makes it difficult for these animals to conceal themselves.
Apple will face a full trial in the UK over allegations it breached competition law by overcharging people for apps on its App Store.

London's Competition Appeal Tribunal has this week refused Apple's attempt to limit a consumer claim led by Dr Rachael Kent, a lecturer in digital economy.

Dr Kent's claim alleges that Apple breached the law by excluding competition and charging an unlawful level of commission on digital purchases in the App Store.

It argues that forcing app developers to use Apple's payment system for in-app purchases and taking up to 30 per cent commission on those transactions is unfair and has bumped up prices for consumers.

If the trial rules against Apple, 19.6 million consumers who purchased paid apps in the App Store since October 2015 would be entitled to a share of 1.5 billion in compensation.

The full trial will take place in London, likely in 2023 at the earliest.

In a significant development for millions who use Apples UK App Store, the Competition Appeal Tribunal has refused Apples attempt to limit the consumer claim led by Dr Rachael Kent, which alleges abuses of competition law that result in systematic overcharging for apps and in-app purchases by Apple (file photo)

Who is eligible for compensation? Any UK iPhone or iPad user who purchased paid apps, paid subscriptions or made other in-app purchases within the UK storefront of the App Store at any point since October 1, 2015 is eligible. The claim applies to most popular apps on iPhones and iPads, including Fortnite, YouTube, Tinder and many others, that require payment at point of download, subscription payments, or allow for in-app purchases. It does not apply to apps providing 'physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app'. These include Deliveroo and Uber, which are not required to use Apples payments system or pay Apple the disputed 30 per cent commission. The purchases must have been made on iPhone or iPad devices. All such purchasers are automatically included within the claimant class. Device users can check their eligibility for compensation by logging into their App Store account and checking 'Purchase History' Individuals or businesses who are included in the class and would like to be excluded can do so before September 9, 2022. More information: www.appstoreclaims.co.uk/Apple/Faq Advertisement

The legal claim applies to the most popular apps on iPhones and iPads, including Fortnite, YouTube, Tinder and others, which require payment at point of download, subscription payments or allow for in-app purchases.

The case is also 'opt-out', meaning people eligible for a refund will be automatically included in the claim, unless they choose to opt-out of the proceedings.

'This is excellent news for App Store users in the UK,' said Dr Kent, who lectures at Kings College London and is being represented by law firm Hausfeld & Co.

'I applaud the Competition Appeal Tribunal for this clear and well-thought-out decision.

'A claim of this magnitude is always going to be heavily defended. The anti-competitive practices that we are alleging against Apple go to the heart of Apples business strategy, and with its almost unlimited resources, it will always make this a challenging fight.

'We look forward now to progressing the case on behalf of consumers and businesses.

'We believe we have a convincing and well-founded argument that Apples practices are detrimental to those in the class, and the evidence will support it.'

Dr Kent's legal claim, which was filed last year, accuses Apple of deliberately shutting out the competition in the App Store and forcing people to use its own payment processing system, generating 'excessive' profits for itself in the process.

Typically, 30 per cent of the amount app users spend in the App Store goes straight to Apple.

Apple has allegedly forced app purchases to be routed through its own App Store Payment Processing System, where this high commission charge is imposed.

Apple has consequently blocked developers' ability to enable users to pay for many app services through an alternate payment system.

The collective action has been brought by Dr Rachael Kent, an expert in digital economy and a lecturer at King's College, London

This in turn forces app developers to raise the price of their apps to cover the 30 per cent fee, ultimately meaning App Store users pay more than they otherwise would.

Who is involved in the legal claim - and what does it apply to? The legal claim applies to the most popular apps on iPhones and iPads, such as Fortnite, YouTube and Tinder, which require payment at point of download, subscription payments, or allow for in-app purchases. It does not apply to apps providing 'physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app'. These include Deliveroo and Uber, which are not required to use Apple's payments system or pay Apple the disputed 30 per cent commission. Affected app purchasers, on whose behalf the class action is brought, will not pay costs or fees to participate in the action, funded by Vannin Capital. The action has been brought by Dr Rachael Kent, an expert in digital economy and a lecturer at King's College, London who specialises in consumer welfare issues relating to smart mobile technology. At King's College, her research focuses on how consumers use apps and digital platforms, and the impact apps have on choice, spending and other aspects of consumers' everyday lives. Dr Kent is represented by Hausfeld & Co LLP, and Mark Hoskins QC, Jennifer MacLeod and Aaron Khan of Brick Court and Ronit Kreisberger QC of Monckton Chambers. Dr Kent has also been advised on the claim by a consultative group with expertise and experience in group claims management, digital markets and consumer rights matters. This group consists of Dame Elizabeth Gloster, formerly a judge in the Court of Appeal; James Walker, an adviser to the Scottish government on consumer protection and founder of Resolver, which helps customers resolve complaints with companies; and Kevin Jenkins, former CEO of Visa UK. Advertisement

At a court hearing in May 2022, Apple attempted to argue that the aspect of Dr Kents claim which alleges that Apples 30 per cent commission is unfair and excessive should not be allowed to proceed, on the basis that Dr Kent had applied the wrong legal test and her claim was therefore defective.

But in its judgement handed down this week, the Tribunal dismissed all of Apples arguments, and in doing so, rejected Apples attempt to limit Dr Kents claim.

Tribunal chairman Ben Tidswell held that Dr Kent had applied the correct legal test and therefore her claim against Apple could proceed to a full trial.

'We do not accept Apples argument that the pleadings disclose a legal error or defective approach, either in relation to the correct legal test for the abuse or for the consideration of economic value in that exercise,' Tidswell said.

An Apple spokesperson told MailOnline today that it would not be commenting on the judgement of the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Last year, when Dr Kent's class action was initiated, the tech giant said: 'We believe this lawsuit is meritless and welcome the opportunity to discuss with the court our unwavering commitment to consumers and the many benefits the App Store has delivered to the UKs innovation economy.

'The commission charged by the App Store are very much in the mainstream of those charged by all other digital marketplaces.

'In fact, 84 per cent of apps on the App Store are free and developers pay Apple nothing.

'And for the vast majority of developers who do pay Apple a commission because they are selling a digital good or service, they are eligible for a commission rate of 15 per cent.'

Increasing scrutiny has been placed on Apple's controversial App Store policies in recent months.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission are separately investigating allegations of anti-competitive behaviour in Apple's App Store.

The tech giant is also facing regulatory action in the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea and India.

Last year, Apple went against video games developer Epic Games, known for the popular game Fortnite, in court over its App Store.

Tech giant Apple is alleged to have deliberately shut out competition and forced people to use its own payments system for in-app purchases

Epic said Apple had transformed App Store into an illegal monopoly that squeezes mobile apps for a significant slice of their earnings, which Apple denied.

Epic also took issue over Apple taking a commission of up to 30 per cent on purchases made within apps, including everything from digital items in games to subscriptions.

In September, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided in favour of Apple on nine of 10 counts, but found against Apple on its 'anti-steering policies' under California law.

Rogers prohibited Apple from stopping developers from informing users of other payment systems within apps.

Apple started building its dominant App Store 13 years ago as part of a strategy masterminded by co-founder Steve Jobs.
A battle of the fittest between a hungry leopard and innocent baby monkey in the heart of Madhya Pradesh's jungle in India has been captured on film.

The exciting show took place at the Panna Tiger Reservation, which saw the leopard hunting the baby by jumping through the tree tops.

The spotted animal readies itself to jump while standing on branches, pounces over into another tree and tumbles to the ground.

At first glance it looks like the leopard came up empty handed, but a closer look reveals the lifeless body of the monkey in its mouth.

The video, which has been shared on Twitter, is going viral with many users commenting about the heart stopping footage.

The spotted animal readies itself to jump while standing on branches, pounces over into another tree and tumbles to the ground

'Brute force of nature,' wrote a user while another said, 'A rare sight indeed.'

One person commented: 'If you're chased by a leopard then don't bother climbing a tree to save yourself.'

The Panna Reserve is home to numerous animals, including Indian wolves, pangolins, tigers, sloth bears, gharials and Indian foxes, along with several types of birds like the crested honey buzzard, and bar-headed geese.

Panna National Park was created in 1981. It was declared a Project Tiger Reserve by Government of India in 1994.

At first glance it looks like the leopard came up empty handed, but a closer look reveals the lifeless body of the monkey in its mouth

The national park consists of areas from the former Gangau Wildlife Sanctuary created in 1975, which is comprised of territorial forests of the present North and South Panna Forest Division to which a portion of the adjoining Chhatarpur forest division was added later.

Leopards are known to feast on monkeys and can devour a few in one sitting.

The mammals area also skilled tree climbers, as they typically take their kills and stash them in the trees to keep away other predators.

Monkeys typically stay far away from leopards, as not to end up as a meal, but in 2018, a group monkeys saved a leopard from drowning.

Monkeys typically stay far away from leopards, as not to end up as a meal, but in 2018, a group monkeys saved a leopard from drowning. Footage of the event shows incessantly chattering and jumping on the edge of a well behind a temple in Sikar, Rajasthan

Footage of the event shows incessantly chattering and jumping on the edge of a well behind a temple in Sikar, Rajasthan, in a bid to alert nearby humans that a leopard had fallen in  the well is 25 feet deep.

Temple visitors were drawn to the well by the monkeys' unusual behavior, and found the leopard swimming at the bottom.

After several attempts the leopard was able to grip the ladder, and use it to climb out of the well.

Ranger Devendra Singh Rathore said: 'We were informed about the incident at around 6am on the morning of 11 June. We immediately sent a team of rescue officials at the spot.

'The rescue operation lasted for nearly an hour.

'It is possible the leopard had fallen into the well at night while following prey. We were able to rescue the wild cat using a ladder.

'As soon as it came out of the well it ran towards the jungle. It didn't attack any villager or domestic animal in the village.'
Elon Musk is taking his longest break from Twitter in almost five years as he deals with a range of problems at his companies, including legal woes, financial obstacles and employee strife, along with 'personal issues.'

The billionaire, who is in the process of acquiring Twitter for $44 billion and tweets frequently about everything from politics and business to fertility and cheese, last posted the evening of June 21 in response to a tweet about SpaceX and its dealings with the FCC.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is also facing the fallout from his daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson - who was recently granted permission to change her name from Xavier Alexander Musk - saying she no longer wants to be related to her biological father 'in any way.'

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Prolific tweeter Elon Musk has taken a long break from Twitter. Pictured above is his last tweet from June 21

Wilson, 18, adopted her mother Justine's maiden name as part of her transitioning process.

Musk, who has fathered a total of eight children, has not commented publicly on the matter.

This week, 15 Black former or current Tesla employees filed a lawsuit in California state court against the carmaker that alleges they were subjected to racial abuse and harassment at its factories.

The workers claim they were subjected to a wide range of racist commends and behavior by colleagues and managers, including the use of terms such as the n-word, 'slavery,' and 'plantation,' according to Reuters.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is also facing the fallout from his daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson (circled) - who was recently granted permission to change her name from Xavier Alexander Musk - saying she no longer wants to be related to her biological father 'in any way'

Musk is facing financial headwinds at Tesla due to supple chain chaos caused by Covid. Pictured above is Musk at an April event in Washington, DC

All of this comes as Musk has said that supply chain chaos means his gigafactories are 'giant money furnaces.'

'The past two years have been an absolute nightmare of supply chain interruptions, one thing after another, and we're not out of it yet,' Musk said.

Earlier this week, Tesla shut down its entire San Mateo office and laid off 200 workers - not long after Musk sent a note to employees saying that cuts would be needed due to the poor state of the economy.

Analysts also expect Tesla to deliver fewer vehicles for the second quarter when it announces those numbers - about 250,000 instead of previous estimates of 295,078 - Reuters reports.

Musk recently said that his Tesla gigafactories (pictured is one in Austin, Texas) are 'giant money furnaces' because they aren't producing nearly enough electric vehicles

Last month, SpaceX fired several employees who were reportedly involved in organizing a letter that denounced Musk's behavior and was signed by hundreds of workers at the aerospace firm.

Cowen analyst Jeffrey Osborne told the wire service that 'investors are growing fatigued with Elon's rants' on the Twitter acquisition and politics, among other topics.

Musk's usage of Twitter, which often includes official announcements and replies to a wide range of users, is atypical among those with more than 100 million followers.

According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of his tweets, this is Musk's longest stretch of silence on the platform since October 2017.
A large number of Antarctic fish have been found with grotesque skin tumors due to an outbreak never before seen in the polar region.

Researchers with the University of Ohio (UO) believe the parasitic illness is spreading as a result of climate change altering the environment.

The tumors are 'pale, pink, raised, rough, and appeared at various places on the trunk and head, in some cases covering more than a third of the body surface,' according to the study published by researchers at the University of Ohio.

Thomas Desvignes, chief scientist during the research expedition in 2018 and lead author on the study, said in a statement: 'When life conditions become challenging, animals become more prone to disease.

The changing conditions include rising air temperatures and melting glaciers.

'Waters of the Southern Ocean have been environmentally stable and chronically cold, hovering near the freezing point for the past 1520 million years,' the team shared in the study published in the journal iScience.

'The climate in Antarctica, however, is rapidly changing with rising air temperatures and melting glaciers contributing to warmer and fresher bottom waters.'

The study continues to explain that 'strong abiotic stressors are already affecting the highly endemic and specialized Antarctic fauna, causing a cascade of responses from molecular to community levels.'

A large number of Antarctic fish have been found with grotesque skin tumors due to an outbreak never before seen in the polar region. Pictured are fish collected from Andcord Bay

Desvignes, along with UO biologist John Postlethwait, visited a small fjord on the West Antarctic Peninsula to study a unique group of fish, called notothenioids.

The team was intrigued by this fish because it flocked to the Antarctic Ocean from the Atlantic and evolved to withstand the frigid waters.

This includes developing a specialized protein that prevents their blood from freezing.

The fjord is typically filled with eyes at the time of year the team visited, but due to rising temperatures, they were able to venture right in and begin fishing.

Researchers with the University of Ohio (UO) believe the parasitic illness is spreading as a result of climate change altering the environment. This fish was collected from Dallmann Bay

The tumors are 'pale, pink, raised, rough, and appeared at various places on the trunk and head, in some cases covering more than a third of the body surface'

The scientists studied specimens in Andcord Bay and Dallmann Bay.

'As soon as we got the first trawl back on deck, we realized that one species was really abundant, and a lot of them had big tumors,' Desvignes said.

'When we saw that, we immediately realized we had to do something.'

The team was intrigued by this fish because it flocked to the Antarctic Ocean from the Atlantic and evolved to withstand the frigid waters

The team collected several infected fish and brought them back to a lab for a further analysis.

Here they determined he parasites causing the tumors belonged to a different genus than other parasites implicated in previous X-cell disease cases.

'It can be difficult to pin a disease outbreak on a specific cause. But Antarctic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and are seeing especially rapid changes,' according to the researchers.

'As ice melts, for example, the nearby water becomes less salty. And the bottom water where these notothenioids live is becoming warmer and fresher especially fast.'

Desvignes suggests the fish may be feeling pressure as waters are warming and ecosystems are shifting.

'Climate change could also affect the parasite's life cycle, perhaps making it more effective at spreading and infecting,' he said.

Other non-climate-related explanations could account for the outbreak, too, but the team said there needs more data to before they can narrow down a hard conclusion.

'Maybe the parasite has a long life cycle and only manifests into a disease outbreak every so often, and we might have been there by chance when that was happening,' Desvignes said.

'Due to COVID-19 and the challenging logistics of visiting Antarctica, they haven't been able to return to the area since then.

'We're preparing project proposals to go there again and study this specific outbreak, how it evolved since 2018, and explore adjacent areas to try to see whether we can detect the pathogen elsewhere and in other species,' Desvignes said.
Macmillan seems to be under a ransomware attack.

Macmillan is a world-renowned publishing house that operates in multiple countries around the world.

Macmillan, a publishing company, has reported that it has been the victim of something it refers to as a digital security incident, and experts believe that it may be ransomware.

A few editors of the company went to Twitter to inform their agents and writers about the security incident that the company is dealing with.

Macmillan Publishers Security Incident

Although the company has not yet commented on the nature of the attack, many industry professionals believe that ransomware was the root cause of the outage that lasted for multiple days.

The publishing giant Macmillan was forced to shut down their network and their offices. The employees are unable to access their emails or files while the incident is ongoing.

It was reported that the attack took place over the weekend, June 25, and the company responded by turning off all of their systems in an effort to stop the attack from spreading.

The publisher stated that some of the company's files had become encrypted and that it had taken all of its systems offline to prevent any further breaches.

According to PublisherWeekly, Macmillan Publishers US has confirmed once more that the company will be closing all of its virtual and physical offices on June 28.

This announcement was made due to a security incident that involves the encryption of certain files on the company's network.

Macmillan Editors on Twitter

As reported by BleepingComputer, surprisingly, the editors at Macmillan have displayed an exceptional degree of transparency regarding the security breach.

The employees of the company have taken to social media to confirm that the incident has been extremely disruptive for the company's operations in the U.S., which has resulted in the closure of the company's head office in New York.

They have informed Macmillan's representatives and customers that they are not being ignored, but that they have lost access to their systems, emails, and files.

Both Macmillan Editors Sarah Cantin and Grace Kendall went to Twitter to reach a broader audience to announce the recent halt in their workflow.

Kendall, published a tweet on June 28 with a screenshot of her inbox which is shown to be from the publishing company stating they will be closed out of abundance for caution.

The email also reads that the company is doing investigation to secure the threat and is currently working with third party services to return to a secure working environment.

Cantin stated, "FYI for anyone trying to reach us at Macmillan, we are still closed today (Tuesday) and are unable to access email, files, systems, etc. If you're a colleague or one of my authors and urgently need me, please be in touch via DM!"

FYI for anyone trying to reach us at Macmillan, we are still closed today (Tuesday) and are unable to access email, files, systems, etc. If youre a colleague or one of my authors and urgently need me, please be in touch via DM! https://t.co/HoFRpLNIEm  Sarah Cantin (@sarahgcantin) June 28, 2022

Read Also: New Malware Called YTStealer is Targeting YouTube Creators and Their Channels

Macmillan's Halted Operation

The email sent out by the corporate office of Macmillan did not provide details on the impact of the shutdown.

All that was mentioned was that customers, employees, and other third-party partners may notice that certain systems are unavailable while the company works to restore its network.

However, in an email sent to Macmillan's customers, the company's field sales team explained that the company is currently unable to place, process, receive, or ship orders, despite the fact that the publisher is making progress in returning its systems.

Related Article: Has Walmart Fallen Victim to a Yanluowang Ransomware Attack?
Giant snails that can grow up to eight inches long, the size of a rat, have forced an entire Florida town into quarantine.

The invasive shelled gastropods, which are native to Africa, are carrying the parasite lungworm that leads to meningitis in humans.

This quarantine will last for two years, but unlike the coronavirus lockdowns, residents are just prohibited from moving plants, soil, yard waste, debris, compost and building materials outside the zone.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) confirmed the creature had settled in the city of Port Richey, just north of Tampa, on June 23 and the area was quarantined the next day.

The snail is also damaging to the environment, feasting on more than 500 different plants, and has a taste for concrete, which is detrimental to infrastructure.

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Giant snails that can grow up to eight inches long, the size of a rat, have forced an entire Florida town into quarantine

The quarantine zone starts at the northwest corner of US Highway 19 and Ridge Road. Proceed east on Ridge Road, south on Little Road, west on Trouble Creek Road, north on US Highway 19.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, land snails were first spotted in southern Florida in the 1960s and it took nearly 10 years and $1 million to rid the area of them.

These snails reproduce quickly, making about 1,200 eggs in a year.

'Each snail contains both female and male reproductive organs,' the United States Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

The quarantine zone starts at the northwest corner of US Highway 19 and Ridge Road. Proceed east on Ridge Road, south on Little Road, west on Trouble Creek Road, north on US Highway 19

'After a single mating, each snail can produce 100 to 500 eggs.

'These snails can reproduce several more times without mating again. They can generate clutches of eggs every two to three months.'

The snails are also hard to eradicate because they do not have any natural predators. Each snail can live up to nine years and grow to be eight inches in length, roughly the size of an adult's hand from tip of the finger to the crease under the palm.

Treatment to eradicate this pest began on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, which is using a pesticide called metaldehyde that's known for controlling snails and slugs.

This quarantine will last for two years, but unlike the coronavirus lockdowns, residents are just prohibited from moving plants, soil, yard waste, debris, compost and building materials outside the zone

However, it is approved to be safe for vegetable and ornamental crops in the field or greenhouse, on fruit trees, small-fruit plants, in avocado and citrus orchards, berry plants, banana plants and residential areas.

'Available products can be applied as granules, sprays, dusts or bait pellets. Applications are typically made to the ground around the plants or crops to be protected,' according to the FDACS.

'Property owners inside the treatment area will be notified in person or by posted notice at least 24 hours in advance of the planned pesticide treatment.'
Former Arsenal star Jack Wilshere has claimed Richarlison would not have made it into Mikel Arteta's starting XI if he joined the Gunners this summer.

Richarlison has completed a 60million move to rivals Tottenham - becoming Antonio Conte's fourth signing of the summer so far.

Arsenal were among the teams interested in Richarlison - as well as Chelsea - but Wilshere says he is not disappointed to miss out on the star.

Jack Wilshere (R) says Richarlison would not have made it into Arsenal's starting XI if he joined

The striker, 25, has completed his 60million move from Everton to Antonio Conte's side

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Wilshere said: 'I think he [Richarlison] improves the squad, definitely he gives them something different. I wouldn't say I'm gutted.

'He's 25, so not young. There comes a point where you're going to have to turn that potential into something but to be fair if any one can do it, it's Antonio Conte.

'I wouldn't say I'm devastated as an Arsenal fan but he could be one to watch, he could be really good.'

Wilshere - who played 197 times for Arsenal between 2008 and 2018 in an injury hit spell - was then pressed on whether he would have the Brazilian international at Arsenal if he was the manager.

Tottenham had to fend off competition from their Premier League rivals Arsenal to secure his signature, but Wilshere (above) says he is not disappointed about missing out on the star

'Yeah but I don't think he gets in the XI,' he added.

'He'd definitely challenge for it and be a good part of the squad but I don't think he gets in the XI.'

Richarlison was identified as a one of Tottenham's primary targets for the summer and his deal has been wrapped up after he underwent a medical in Brazil.

Conte has been bolstering his squad ahead of their Champions League campaign and believes Richarlison will be a vital addition.

Richarlison has made 152 appearances for Everton since joining from Watford in 2018

The Italian manager views the Brazilian as versatile and hopes he will flourish on the flanks for Tottenham next season.

He also thinks the 25-year-old has the ability to fill in down the middle for England star Harry Kane.

Richarlison has made 152 appearances for Everton since joining from Watford in 2018 for 40m, scoring 53 goals.

The forward was instrumental in helping the Toffees avoid the drop last season, as he found the back of the net 11 times and added a further five assists in 33 outings last season.
They are not even fighting each other UFC 276 but that hasn't stopped Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland from launching an extraordinary attack on each other at a media event promoting this weekend's fight card.

Strickland will face Alex Pereira in the middleweight division on Sunday, Australian time while Adesanya will defend his middleweight title against Jared Cannonier.

Neither seemed particularly fussed with talking about their respective opponents on Friday, though, with Strickland launching an extraordinary spray against Adesanya at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Strickland has previously ridiculed Adesanya for his love of Japanese anime cartoons and did so again during the press conference.

'No one who beats off to cartoons is going to beat me,' he said.

Adesanya goes by the monicker 'The Last Stylebender' which is a reference to the popular animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Needless to say, he was not impressed.

'If you win this fight, when we fight, I am going to knock you out and do a TikTok dance over your grave,' he said.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is the animated show where Adesanya got his nickname 'The Last Stylebender' from and he is on the record as being a fan of Japanese anime

Strickland has also accused Adesanya of using performance-enhancing drugs in the past, but walked back those claims at the press event.

'Maybe the steroids arent true but jerking off to cartoons is true,' he said.



Meanwhile, Aussie champion Alexander Volkanovski has quickly learned he is hostile territory with his US opponent Max Holloway encouraging the crowd to howl, jeer and boo him during the panel.

While Volanovski has enjoyed two wins against his opponent, the last bout was on Fight Island during the Covid-19 pandemic and no spectators were allowed.

He was acutely aware of their presence this time around, with Holloway egging them on and saying 'let him have it'.

It was a unique experience for the Australian UFC star who is not usually involved in promotional stunts or aggressive marketing campaigns to sell his fights.

'The boos, everything, the energy in here, I love it. I feed off it. Bring it on,' Volkanovski said.

Volkanovski chuckled at the hostile reception he received in Las Vegas ahead of his trilogy title fight against US fighter Max Holloway

Holloway isn't known for being brash like Strickland and Adesanya, but he signalled his intent to fire shots at Volkanovski from the moment he walked into the room this time around.

'This guy [is] talking about a three-peat... this guy dont even got three highlights in the UFC,' he said.

It led a somewhat shocked Volkanovski to say: 'Max came to play.'
In the past 25 years lion numbers have decreased by 43 per cent throughout Africa.

Here Professor Hans Bauer from Oxford University, who has been studying Africa's lions throughout this time, argues in The Conversation why trophy hunting is failing to boost the numbers.

Over the past 25 years, I have spent a lot of time counting lions as part of my job. Only last month, I spent three hours with two males  possibly brothers  right next to my car in Maze National Park, Ethiopia. Lions come in the night, very quietly. Despite weighing well over 20 stone (around 150kg), you do not hear their footsteps. What you hear is their breathing, the turbo of the killing machine.

In the past 25 years lion numbers have decreased by 43 per cent throughout Africa

Had I turned on a light immediately, they would have run away. These lions are skittish, even if they face no threat from trophy hunters in Africa's national parks. So we spend half an hour in the pitch dark before I finally switch on a small red light to count the eye reflections. Another pause, then a bigger red light enables us to see their sex and age.

We get lucky: with the big spotlight they move to a discrete distance, but we still get to watch them for an hour before retiring to our tents a few hundred metres away. The lions have long lost interest in us but the ranger makes a campfire which smoulders all night, just to be safe. This park has no outposts, no visitors and no emergency services, so we need to stay out of trouble.

Maybe you have counted lions in a zoo or wildlife park: 'I see three  no wait, there's a tip of another tail and a flickering ear, so four, or five?' People on safari in popular destinations where lions are habituated to cars may have had the same experience. In the wilderness, however, lions are hard to spot  across much of their range you don't see them very often at all, especially during the day.

In Africa there are now roughly 25,000 lions in 60 separate population groups, half of which consist of less than 100 lions

I have spent countless nights sitting on top of my vehicle, playing buffalo or warthog cries with a megaphone, trying to catch a glimpse of lions attracted by these sounds. I have walked for days to find footprints or put up automated camera traps. For every day of fieldwork there is a day of grant writing before and a day of reporting afterwards  but yes, it is a wonderful job.

I once found lions in a part of Ethiopia where they had not been documented and added a blob on the distribution map. Unfortunately, over the past 25 years, it has been much more common to reduce or delete entries from our African Lion Database.

My research shows that during this time, lion numbers have decreased by 43 per cent throughout Africa, and that their range has declined by more than 90 per cent. There are now roughly 25,000 lions in 60 separate population groups, half of which consist of less than 100 lions. Their existence is particularly threatened across West, Central and East Africa.

I first went to Cameroon in 1992 to do my masters project in Waza National Park, and have worked in various parts of Africa ever since (I currently live in Mali). My main research focus with WildCRU  Europe's first university-based conservation research unit  is the mitigation of human-lion conflicts. I study the difficult balance between people's livelihoods and the conservation of biodiversity, working close-up at village level but also at national and international perspectives.

The true cost of saving African lions, and their prey and habitats, is estimated to be around US$1billion (825million) per year

This led to me being asked to give evidence to the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Banning Trophy Hunting, which on June 29, 2022, presented its report on the impacts of trophy hunting to the environment secretary, George Eustice. This follows the UK government's announcement in December 2021 that it would ban the importing of body parts of 7,000 species, including lions, rhinos, elephants and polar bears. On average, roughly ten lion 'trophies' are imported into the UK each year, among many other threatened species.

There are many ways to look at this issue, and the debate usually ends up in a deadlock between utilitarians and moralists. I won't hide my sympathy for the latter  I work with organisations such as the Born Free Foundation. But after a week in the field living on pasta and tinned tomato sauce, I will eat bushmeat in a village with no alternatives if it has been harvested legally and sustainably.

The future of trophy hunting in Africa was not on the table during the APPG's discussions about a UK import ban  and if it was, it would be for African scientists to advise their governments of the pros and cons. In my view, however, the evidence is clear that trophy hunting has not delivered for wildlife in most parts of Africa, and that local communities benefit next to nothing from its continued practice.

How trophy hunting works

Trophy hunting is a big industry that claims to be good for both wildlife and local people

Trophy hunting is a controversial topic in conservation circles. In some cases, the fact that lions are doing better in parts of southern Africa has  wrongly, in my view  been attributed to it. But in itself, trophy hunting is not the lions' biggest threat either; my research shows that more are killed when they attack livestock, or perish when their habitat and prey is diminished by agricultural encroachment or poaching.

A client might pay a local entrepreneur or hunting guide anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 for a 'bag' that includes a lion  and the super-rich may pay (or donate) even more. It's a lot of money for a holiday, and trophy hunting mostly attracts rich, white, middle-aged men from western countries Professor Hans Bauer

In Africa, trophy hunting's popularity grew during colonial times when all sorts of slain animals were sent back to Europe. Nowadays, antelopes are this industry's most hunted animals  but the most prestigious targets remain the 'big five': lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo.

A client might pay a local entrepreneur or hunting guide anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 for a 'bag' that includes a lion  and the super-rich may pay (or donate) even more. It's a lot of money for a holiday, and trophy hunting mostly attracts rich, white, middle-aged men from western countries.

Hunting guides are businessmen (almost all are male). They generally lease government land that has been designated for conservation through 'sustainable use'. Known as trophy hunting 'blocks', these areas vary widely (anywhere between 500 square km and 5,000 square km) and each has annual quotas for the amounts of different species that may be shot by trophy hunters.

In theory, this restricts the killings to a level the population can sustain. Hunting guides then manage their blocks to maintain these wildlife numbers, including organising anti-poaching patrols. The guides employ staff, pay the land lease, trophy fees and a bunch of other costs  including to a taxidermist and export company to deliver the skin and skull to their client after the kill. It is a big industry that claims to be good for both wildlife and local people, but these guides are not charity workers; they maximise their benefits and minimise their costs.

Trophy hunting also does not focus (as is sometimes suggested) on killing off the older, weaker animals in any block. Wildlife populations grow fastest when their densities are low, so that food and aggression are not limiting factors. In order to minimise any such competition  and to offer the biggest trophies  trophy hunts will target healthy animals, not just the old and infirm.

Lions and livestock

An argument used by trophy hunters, says Professor Bauer, is that they are protecting extra land with extra lions  but it's not that simple

The methodology used for setting trophy hunting quotas varies from country to country. Cameroon, for example, has traditionally had very high quotas for lions, but these were not based on scientific rigour. In 2015 we published our first survey results based on observations done by three teams tracking lions over a vast range.

Each team drove for thousands of kilometres across Cameroon, very slowly, always with two trackers stationed on the bonnet of each 4x4 looking for footprints. We got stuck, camped, waited for trophy hunters to depart before being allowed into a particular area, struggled to get diesel, tolerated the heat and the tsetse flies  it was all part of our daily routine following the lions.

Ultimately, we counted 250 lions, 316 leopards and 1,376 spotted hyenas. Cameroon does not offer a trophy hunting quota for leopards, and hyenas are not popular with hunters  but as a result of our count, the country's annual lion quota was reduced from 30 to ten. Today this quota is still applied throughout northern Cameroon's Benoue ecosystem, which has 32 trophy hunting blocks in between its three national parks.

Throughout most of Africa, lion numbers are declining. While trophy hunting is far from the only reason for this, the evidence clearly shows it has failed in its promise to provide a significant boost to wildlife conservation Professor Hans Bauer

Of these 32 blocks, however, more than ten no longer have any resident lions. And when the blocks lose their lions, this also threatens those living in the national parks  as there is a big difference between having 250 lions spread across 30,000 square kilometres of contiguous habitat, or three isolated populations of 50 in parks of 3,000 square kilometres each.

When I visited Cameroon again in 2021, I observed cattle everywhere  which is not a good combination with lions. Many of these herds had come from neighbouring countries  pastoralists running from the threat of terrorists in Mali and Niger. As a result, the pressure on these areas, and those who manage them, is intense. It is hard enough to integrate local communities in conservation work, much harder with nomadic people.

Whenever livestock grazes in an area with lions, you inevitably get some depredation. Lions will kill some livestock and, in retaliation, people will kill some lions. This is perhaps the biggest challenge in lion conservation, and all the programmes I know are working to mitigate it. There are tools available to reduce the damage, from flashlights and watchdogs to mobile enclosures and more. But this only works if you know the people living there and can collaborate towards a common goal  not if you have different people passing through every time.

In fact, the pastoralists I have met are usually quite tolerant  they like lions. A herder in Cameroon once told me: 'If a lion attacks one cow this year, I will know that God has not forgotten me.' Another in Ethiopia said: 'We do not think lions take our livestock to hurt us. As a result, we do not refer to it as an "attack" or "killing"  they are taking what they need.'

Nonetheless, some people  pastoralists and others  inevitably pay a high price for co-existing with lions, and they would prefer them in someone else's backyard.

I have collared lions in several countries. I know the thrill of a hunt, but a dart gun does not kill  and the information you get from a lion's collar is amazing. In Waza National Park, I followed lions this way and some behaved very well  but the worst offender killed a hundred-thousand dollars' worth of cattle in our time there. The park's warden asked me: 'How long do you think the local people will pay this price for lion conservation?'

Almost all lion trophy hunting zones in Africa are part of larger ecosystems that include national parks, and in most cases the hunt quotas are based on the entire population of lions, including those living in the parks. An argument used by trophy hunters is that they are protecting extra land with extra lions  but it's not that simple.

While trophy hunting blocks do add lions and extra habitat, they can still become a drain on the overall population when lions move out of the parks into emptied territories within the blocks. These so-called 'source-sink dynamics' became a global news story in July 2015 because of Cecil, the black-maned lion that my WildCRU colleagues were satellite-tracking when he was killed by an American trophy hunter.

Cecil the lion (above) was shot by Walter Palmer, a dentist from the Minneapolis area, who lured him out of a protected area

Cecil had been lured from Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and was shot by Walter Palmer, a dentist from the Minneapolis area. It was actually quite a routine occurrence, but the death of Cecil the Lion created a worldwide media storm  feeding into the UK's proposal for a ban on trophy hunt imports.

The model starts to unravel

Throughout most of Africa, lion numbers are declining. While trophy hunting is far from the only reason for this, the evidence clearly shows it has failed in its promise to provide a significant boost to wildlife conservation. I once thought it might offer benefits too, but studying its impacts and costs has taught me otherwise.

Trophy hunting is allowed in countries throughout East, Central and West Africa including Burkina Faso, Benin, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Sudan and the Congo  and in all these countries, lion declines have been particularly steep. The Central African Republic is the most extreme example: almost half the country was designated as hunting blocks, yet wildlife there has all but disappeared. In 2012, the late researcher and conservationist Philippe Bouche published Game Over!  the title said it all.

In Zambia and Tanzania 40 per cent and 72 per cent respectively of trophy hunting areas have been abandoned. Management costs are rising and private operators do not find it profitable any more Professor Hans Bauer

Trophy hunting has proved increasingly vulnerable to, on one hand, rising management costs due to the increased threats of agricultural encroachment and poaching (of both lions and their prey), and on the other, reduced income from smaller wildlife populations.

Two rules of thumb are widely used: a sustainable annual 'harvest' is one lion per 2,000 square kilometres, and the annual management of a trophy hunt block costs around US$1,000 per square kilometres. Together, they suggest it costs around two million dollars (1.65million) to 'produce a lion'. These numbers vary hugely between areas and, of course, trophy hunters shoot other species at the same time, but exceptional conditions are needed for the hunt companies to break even. At the same time, local communities living with wildlife are, understandably, demanding their fair share. The model starts to unravel and fall apart.

In Zambia and Tanzania, for example, 40 per cent and 72 per cent respectively of trophy hunting areas have been abandoned. Management costs are rising and private operators do not find it profitable any more, except in a handful of the best areas. This is not due to any outright ban but rather, the inability to balance costs and benefits.

Across Africa, in the vast majority of cases, trophy hunting has not delivered more lions  whether because of financial imbalances, increased terrorism, land mismanagement or increased livestock mobility (or a combination of these factors). This failure to deliver undermines the already contested justification for the continued killing of lions by trophy hunters. And as the decline continues, many communities stand to lose a wildlife heritage that could, under a different approach to conservation, provide them with employment and stability.

Success stories?

Trophy hunting has been presented as a success factor in Namibia (above), but Professor Bauer asks: 'Is this due to the effects of trophy hunting, or to very low human population densities, diversified tourism industries and well-resourced wildlife institutions?'

Namibia and Botswana in southern Africa are often cited as models for conservation, which implies their experiences could be replicated elsewhere. Trophy hunting has been presented as a success factor in these countries. But in reality, how instructive are the experiences of two large countries with a combined population of fewer than five million people for the other billion-plus Africans living in more densely populated areas?

I'm not denying that some countries have been successful in their conservation efforts, and that trophy hunting has, in isolated cases, been part of that success. But the 'if it pays, it stays' approach which seems to underpin many arguments in favour of trophy hunting has much more often led to the loss of natural ecosystems Professor Hans Bauer

Certainly, these two countries have a lot of wildlife  but is this due to the effects of trophy hunting, or to very low human population densities, diversified tourism industries and well-resourced wildlife institutions? In Botswana, trophy hunting was banned from 2014 to 2020, but despite abundant polemicising from both pro- and anti-hunting advocacy groups, I'm not aware of any evidence of a significant impact on its national lion and elephant numbers. In short, Botswana's conservation efforts will succeed with or without trophy hunting.

While southern Africa has, in general, been quite successful in keeping its wildlife species stable, this is also not always through natural processes. There has been a lot of habitat engineering and captive breeding, so that many of the animals you find in confined nature reserves are, in fact, bred and auctioned.

In South Africa, for example, around 8,000 lions live in captivity for the benefit of a small number of rich owners, having been bred like livestock. This model does nothing to improve habitat or biodiversity levels, nor does it support rural socio-economic development. The country's overall trophy hunting quota is around five wild lions and 500 captive lions each year, and while the US banned trophy imports from South Africa in 2016, most imported lion trophies into the UK have been killed there.

Another issue for Africa as a whole is that biologists have flocked to southern Africa's conservation hotspots such as the Okavango Delta in Botswana and Kruger National Park in South Africa, which possess good infrastructure and lots of wildlife. As a result, there is an over-representation of people who have worked there among Africa's community of conservation science, advocacy and practice. Many may never have worked outside southern Africa, and may not be aware of what is happening in the rest of the continent.

I'm not denying that some countries have been successful in their conservation efforts, and that trophy hunting has, in isolated cases, been part of that success. But the 'if it pays, it stays' approach which seems to underpin many arguments in favour of trophy hunting has much more often led to the loss of natural ecosystems. This decay affects the vast majority of lion ranges, and an even greater majority of African citizens.

The banning of trophy hunt imports in the UK and elsewhere can, I believe, help to reduce or even reverse this decline. The UK ban is supported by a large majority of British voters. France, the Netherlands and Australia have already banned lion trophy imports, and the EU and US have restricted their imports. Since most clients want their trophy, that means significantly fewer potential clients overall, indirectly affecting Africa's policy options.

The way forward

Throughout the continent, most policymakers stick to the prevailing narrative that trophy hunting supports conservation, says Professor Bauer

Throughout the continent, most policymakers stick to the prevailing narrative that trophy hunting supports conservation. In this way, a small white elite continues to have exclusive access to conservation areas that are off-limits for the average citizen to visit, or for public agencies to invest in. Trophy hunting is getting in the way of much-needed innovation and investment.

I agree with trophy hunters that the land they use is important habitat for lions and their prey. No one wants these areas to spiral down. However, the current situation feels like that famous frog in boiling water story  countries in Africa are afraid to jump out until they no longer can.

The largest and most important conservation area in West Africa is the 25,000-square-kilometre W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) region, on the boundary between Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. With around 400 lions, it is the only three-digit lion population in West Africa, and it also possesses the largest West African populations of elephant and buffalo.

Half of WAP's land is managed for trophy hunting. Yet over 20 years, these blocks have contributed less than 1 per cent of the region's total conservation budget. Much of the area is now increasingly threatened by terrorist incursions and large parts have been abandoned, including the hunting blocks.

In Benin, however, the situation is changing. Lion trophy hunting has been ditched and a trust fund established that promises to fund the country's conservation activities in perpetuity. While mainly funded by Benin and German government agencies, the fund has an independent international structure and several other donors have contributed. The park's management, now delegated to a non-profit organisation, is striving to improve local livelihoods by generating employment and offering support for community initiatives that do not harm the local wildlife.

Of course, we should not expect wildlife to fix poverty and instability where 50 years of development work have been unsuccessful. But I visit Benin every year and where I used to find a dozen friendly but unorganised staff, I now see hundreds of local people trained, employed and proud. In the past, some children might have gone to school reluctant to learn things they would not need as subsistence farmers. After visiting the park, however, I see signs that they want to learn skills and compete for career options their parents did not have.

Another glimpse of a better future can be seen in Akagera National Park, Rwanda, which was completely depleted in the 1980s and 1990s. Rwanda is the only country in Africa with a population density higher than India's. It is a country facing a huge number of challenges, yet Akagera is a conservation success story. Following an initial investment in the area's recovery, it is now breaking even through ecotourism with primarily Rwandan visitors. While this cannot be expected to work everywhere, it has worked in this most unlikely of places.

The true cost of saving African lions, and their prey and habitats, is estimated to be around US$1billion (825million) per year. With such funding, Africa could quadruple its lion numbers up to 100,000 without creating any new protected areas. At the moment, lions exist at only about a quarter of their ranges' full capacities. Funding and community engagement are both critical to increasing this figure.

Akagera National Park, Rwanda, is a conservation success story, says Professor Bauer. It is now breaking even through ecotourism with primarily Rwandan visitors, he reveals

Ultimately, international solidarity is a much more substantial, and sustainable, source of funding than trophy hunting. Our approach to the extinction crisis should be similar to the one for climate: biodiversity justice as well as climate justice. The 2021 COP26 climate summit in Glasgow discussed the proposed annual fund of US$100 billion (82.5billion) to help less wealthy nations adapt to climate change and mitigate further rises in temperature. A similar fund for supporting global biodiversity will be proposed at the COP15 summit in Montreal in December 2023. A billion dollars for Africa's lions and other wildlife may sound unrealistic, but in the arena of international policy, it should not really be a problem.

The trophy hunting debate is divisive, draining energy from conservationists in Africa and around the world who agree on most other issues Professor Hans Bauer

African nations are sovereign, and hold the key to the future of the lion. Some may be keen to retain trophy hunting  but they know that demand is shrinking as UK politicians are the latest to respond to the concerns of their constituents.

Above all, the trophy hunting debate is divisive, draining energy from conservationists in Africa and around the world who agree on most other issues. Now is surely the time to focus our efforts on far better alternatives for the conservation of lions and other endangered species.

Remember those two lions in Maze National Park? They are part of a small population which has the park as its core area, but which roam the entire landscape in that part of southern Ethiopia. Sometimes a few lions make it across to the next park for some welcome genetic exchange. Maze's head warden has lots of rangers to assist in monitoring them, but only one motorbike. There is no hotel for hours around, no fuel station, no media. He does not need trophy hunters, he needs a car.
You've got your bucket list, now it's time for the shopping list.

These are the essential items for a sensational summer holiday, from a children's robe that doubles as a beach towel to a carry-on case that expands and compresses to hold more clothing.

SUSTAINABLE SWIMWEAR

Get shopping for the essential items for a sensational summer holiday, such as a swimsuit from Aylas sustainable swimwear collection (pictured)

All of the swimwear at London brand Ayla is cheery, colourful and made from 100 per cent recycled materials, including old fishing nets and other ocean-polluting plastics.

The brands Jardinia collection features smocked frill tops in clashing purple and green (90, aylaswim.com) and a flattering scoop-back swimsuit in pastel Poppie print (125).

CLEVER CASE

Briggs & Rileys Baseline suitcase, pictured, expands to increase capacity at the press of a button

Often find yourself having to sit on your suitcase to squeeze all the holiday shopping in? Briggs & Rileys Baseline suitcase (from 479, briggs-riley.co.uk) may be the one for you.

With the simple press of a button, the carry-on case expands to increase capacity and can easily be compressed down to its original size.

The suitcase, which comes in three colours, features shock-absorbing wheels for 360-degree manoeuvrability and can be personalised with initials.

LUXURY ACCESS

If you travel frequently  or perhaps just like to treat yourself to airport lounge access each time you go abroad  it may be worth looking into Priority Pass (from 69 per year, prioritypass.com).

The membership scheme is the worlds largest airport lounge programme and provides access to more than 1,300 lounges across the world, even when flying economy class.

LOOK CHIC ON THE BEACH

A new collection has been launched by loungewear brand Chelsea Peers called Shorelines, which promises to take travellers from beach to bed.

The range  which can be worn either by the pool, on the beach or as pyjamas  features versatile pieces for summer holidays, including a beige towelling button-up short and shirt set (21, chelseapeersnyc.com) and a mens textured beach shirt (38).

HANDY CORD HOLDER

Do you battle with tangled phone and computer cords when travelling? Aways tech case (45, awaytravel.com) makes sure this is a thing of the past.

Laptop chargers and international plugs can be stored in the bottom mesh zip compartment of the case, while the top elastic loops organise and store earbuds, phone charger blocks and other cords.

EYE-CATCHING EYE MASK

Above is a coral embroidered eye mask from Elizabeth Scarlett's Elephant Conservation Collection

The eye masks at Elizabeth Scarlett (25, elizabethscarlett.com) are stuffed with sweet lavender to help you drift off while on the move.

Its Elephant Conservation Collection mask is particularly charming and features an elephant motif delicately embroidered on to luxurious coral velvet.

The mask comes with a matching cotton drawstring carry bag and some of the proceeds go towards an elephant and rhino charity in Kenya.

PRETTY POUCH

Stows stylish see-view Italian leather pouch (pictured) is handy for storing forms, boarding passes and vaccination certificates

Speak into Pocketalk Plus (pictured) in any of 82 languages and it translates out loud into whichever language you require

We used to have to remember one thing while travelling: our passports. But times have changed and, although most Covid restrictions have been dropped, many of us still have to carry around lots of paperwork.

Thankfully, Stows stylish see-view Italian leather pouch (140, stowlondon.co.uk) is able to turn all of this into a fashion statement.

The pouch, which comes in four colourways (the berry red and soft sand is my favourite), features a transparent side so that you can store and view all of your forms, boarding passes and vaccination certificates.

LANGUAGE CONVERTER

Speak into Pocketalk Plus (259, uk.pocketalk.com) in any of 82 languages and it translates out loud into whichever language you require.

The two-way machine has a built-in camera to capture and translate text on menus or signs and can calculate currency exchanges.

The gadget needs internet access but comes with a built-in global SIM card providing two years of free data service when the internet is not available.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL ROBES

Reversible robes by Heidi Rose are perfect when packing for little ones with limited space.

Made from organic muslin cotton, the childrens robe can be used as a cover-up and towel on the beach or by the pool  or for snuggling up on chilly evenings (55, heidi-rose.com).
Nitram (15, 112 mins)

Rating:

Verdict: Hugely powerful

The Princess (12, 109 mins)

Rating:

Verdict: Diana's story, astutely told

The Australian director Justin Kurzel is a classy operator behind the camera, and his wife Essie Davis is generally terrific in front of it. The thunderously powerful and thought-provoking Nitram sees both at the absolute top of their game.

But it was Caleb Landry Jones who deservedly took the laurels at last years Cannes Film Festival, winning the Best Actor prize for his stunning performance in what is, once youve worked out how, the title role.

Nitram tells the story of Martin Bryant, who is serving 35 life sentences concurrently: one for every person he shot dead on a murderous rampage in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in April 1996.

The more observant of you will have noticed that Nitram spells Martin backwards. I saw the film with my wife, who quietly pointed this out to me about 20 minutes in. Being slower on the uptake, I hadnt made the connection myself; though she did later admit that she processed it only because at primary school in Yorkshire some 50 years ago, she and her classmates derived so much pleasure from inverting the name of their friend Martin Parkinson.

Nitram tells the story of Martin Bryant, who is serving 35 life sentences concurrently: one for every person he shot dead on a murderous rampage in Port Arthur, Tasmania, in April 1996

In this case, Nitram has a double relevance. It becomes clear that during his own schooldays it was used against Bryant as a taunt, presumably because he was perceived as backwards.

More significantly, he is never otherwise referred to by name; not by his parents (Judy Davis and Anthony LaPaglia, also both on top form), nor even in the films closing captions, which detail his heinous killing spree and the immediate gun-control legislation passed by the Australian government.

Evidently, the excellent screenplay by Shaun Grant  who worked with Kurzel on Snowtown (2011) and True History Of The Kelly Gang (2019)  respects the reluctance in Tasmania, where his crimes cast the longest of shadows, to humanise Bryant by mentioning his name.

But of course the film does humanise him and has duly been massively controversial down there. One man who survived his rampage has declared that 35 people didnt die just to offer Americans a salutary tale about gun control. Its easy to understand his anger. Dramatising the Dunblane massacre would have the same effect here.

All that said, this seems to me a compellingly timely film, which would be less important if it were less brilliantly done. But it really is superbly acted, written and directed, offering a chilling look at how his family and society at large failed to acknowledge the danger posed by a disturbed, unpredictable young man (aged 28 at the time of the killings) who had a lifelong fascination with fireworks and, alarmingly, was able to stroll out of a gun store with enough weapons to sustain a medium-sized militia.

Whatever the ethics of telling Bryants story on screen, the film plainly sends a message to all those Americans who cherish their right to bear as many arms as they want

Whatever the ethics of telling Bryants story on screen, the film plainly sends a message to all those Americans who cherish their right to bear as many arms as they want, ripping apart the skewed logic of their tired mantra: Guns dont kill people, people kill people.

As for how this killer could afford his deadly arsenal, Nitram chronicles the bizarre friendship he struck up with a wealthy eccentric, Helen (Essie Davis, truly sensational). She died in a road accident but left him more than enough money to carry out his slaughter (which incidentally goes unseen . . . indeed, the film is all the more potent for Kurzels restraint).

So, much as I can see why it has been inflammatory, Im very glad to have seen Nitram. Not least because, Im ashamed to confess, the horrifying events in Port Arthur that day, still one of the worst-ever lone-gunman atrocities, had hardly stayed in my consciousness.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of events in that Paris underpass, Ed Perkinss clever documentary The Princess uses only contemporary archive footage to tell Dianas story

I dont think Im the only one, either. Yet consider how the whole world was electrified by another tragedy the following year, one with a much lower death toll, and how the fascination endures.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of events in that Paris underpass, Ed Perkinss clever documentary The Princess uses only contemporary archive footage to tell Dianas story, from the famous Shy Di footage of her walking along the street to her car, politely declining to confirm whether she and Prince Charles were to marry, to her funeral.

CLASSIC FILM IN THE CINEMA THE RAILWAY CHILDREN (1970) On Sunday, for one day only, theres a nationwide re-release of this timeless delight, ahead of the sequel, The Railway Children Return, coming out later this month. If youve only ever seen it on the small screen, treat yourself. Advertisement

Most of the clips will be familiar  such as the joint BBC/ ITN interview by Angela Rippon and Andrew Gardner in which Diana said she was looking forward to being a good wife, and those shots of her sitting alone outside the Taj Mahal  yet they have been expertly (if at times a little mischievously) curated.

Its very like Diana to call a Press conference to announce that she wants to be left alone, opines one commentator, sardonically. In fact, Perkins doesnt flaunt either a pro-Diana or pro-Charles agenda, but those in one camp or the other will doubtless feel that he does  a sure sign of a balanced film infinitely more worthwhile than last years addled drama, Spencer.

However well we think we know the story, and however avidly we lapped up those Netflix episodes of The Crown, it will help us not just to remember the craziness, but perhaps also to make sense of it.

Nitram and The Princess are both in select cinemas.

Also Showing

You have to be on your mettle to keep up with the Despicable Me franchise. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (U, 87 mins, ) is the sequel to the 2015 prequel, Minions, which might be all it takes to put you off.

But actually its a barrel-load of fun, and not to be outdone by the first film (which boasted Sandra Bullock and Michael Keaton in the supporting voice cast), this one gives us the great Alan Arkin and the even greater Dame Julie Andrews!

Minions: The Rise Of Gru a barrel-load of fun, and not to be outdone by the first film with impressive voice work from Alan Arkin and Dame Julie Andrews

Gru (Steve Carell) is an 11-year-old schoolboy intent on becoming a super-villain (Dame Julie has a small speaking part as his mother). He auditions for a gang called the Vicious Six, whose front is a music store called Criminal Records. But in the end Gru, aided by his devoted Minion army, joins forces with the gangs ousted leader Wild Knuckles (Arkin). The narrative hops around a bit, but its wildly colourful, genuinely funny in parts, and like all the best childrens animations there is also plenty to entertain adults, such as a gloriously retro soundtrack which includes the music of Diana Ross, Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters, Nancy Sinatra and Mott the Hoople.

Eric Ravilious: Drawn To War (PG, 87 mins, ) is a very different kettle of fish, or perhaps plate of scones. Margy Kinmonths affectionate and enlightening documentary tells the life story of a watercolourist whose subjects encapsulated England and Englishness.

He deserves to be much better known for his pre-war work alone, but he also became an acclaimed war artist and died in a 1942 plane crash at the height of his powers, aged just 39.

Alan Bennett and the artist Grayson Perry are among those paying tribute in a film that draws heavily on Raviliouss letters and diaries, and those of his wife and fellow artist Tirzah Garwood. I find it hard to say what it is to be English, but Ravilious is part of it, says Bennett, which is praise indeed, since for some of us, Bennett is part of it, too.
Lala Kent's Hollywood producer ex Randall Emmett has been accused of offering women roles in films in exchange for sex, amid other claims of sexual misconduct, in an expansive new report published Thursday.

In a piece from the Los Angeles Times, the 51-year-old producer is implicated of sexual misconduct in addition to unethical business practices marked by debt and expanded litigation.

Lawyer Gloria Allred said in an October 5, 2021 letter the Times acquired that she's representing a woman who said that when she was 23, Emmett made clear 'that to receive acting work from [him], she would have to perform sexual favors.'

The latest: Producer Randall Emmett, 51, has been accused of offering women roles in films in exchange for sex, amid other claims of sexual misconduct, in an expansive new report published Thursday. He was snapped in 2019 in LA

The woman, who did not reveal her name out of fear of repercussions, said that she once asked Emmett in a text message if she had received a role she tried out for, and he wrote back, 'Yes. one day of work and u need to f*** me hun.'

In the letter Allred released, the woman said that she appeared in a pair of films Emmett had produced, and had massaged him, performed oral sex on him and let him engage in digital penetration on her, also posing naked in his office while he masturbated.

The woman said that she did so because she had been 'seeking to further her career' and was fearful of upsetting 'an important producer in the industry.'

Emmett, via spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister, acknowledged he got the letter from Allred and 'staunchly denies the allegations dating back to 2012.'

Under fire: LaLa Kent's ex has also been accused of unethical business practices marked by debt and expanded litigation (Pic; Oct 2021)

Film producer: Emmett worked with both Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly on the movie Midnight in the Switchgrass

Emmett had come to a $200,000 settlement with the woman on January 2, the paper reported, adding that the amount was to be paid over a two-year period.

A separate woman from Las Vegas who is 30 years old said that Emmett began sending her 'unsolicited' Instagram DMs earlier this year, in court documents linked to his custody case with ex-fiancee Lala Kent, 31, according to the paper. The woman said that that Emmett, whom she never met, had sexually propositioned her and asked her to use illegal narcotics with him.

The woman told the court that she was 'shocked, concerned and afraid' because Emmett was 'a stranger to' her, and remained persistent 'despite my never responding to a single message.'

Hofmeister, who has past represented disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, said that Emmett has maintained sobriety for nearly and year and has drug tests proving so.

'This allegation conveniently arose in his custody proceeding with Lala, who could provide no forensic proof that these texts were not spoofed using one of many apps,' Hofmeister told Page Six, adding Emmett 'provided the Times with unimpeachable proof that he had tested negative for drugs during this period and continues to be drug-free.'

The ex: Emmett was seen with former fiance Lala Kent, 31, at the Paris premiere of his film The Irishman in October of 2019

A third woman told the Times under condition of anonymity that she was leaving a bar in 2014 when Emmett told her, 'Im not a creep, I promise. Im a movie producer, you can Google me  please Google me.'

Emmett denied to the paper allegations he would have the women agree to nondisclosure agreements to keep their relations under wraps, and had emailed his attorney to wire the women cash to remain silent about their interactions.

Emmett was accused in the LA Times article of offering $20,000 to a model in Florida to not speak about about their sexual relationship. Hofmeister told Page Six that 'as the Times acknowledged, there is zero proof that Randall paid her any money to sign an NDA' and 'in fact, she said just the opposite.'

Kent told the paper that Emmett tried to offer her $14,000 when they began dating during a timeframe he was wed to actress Ambyr Childers. Hofmeister said the allegations were linked to their relationship being showcased on the Bravo series Vanderpump Rules, which she appeared on.

'After four years of resistance,' Hofmeister told Page Six, Emmett 'finally agreed to appear because the producers had threatened to cut Lalas contract if he did not.'

In happier times: Randall and LaLa welcomed their child Ocean Kent Emmett last year

In the Times article, Emmett was also accused of leaving a 'lingering emotional toll' on former employees amid a hostile work environment he presided over. Hofmeister said in response that Emmett 'knows he can be demanding and expect the absolute best from his assistants, and regrets if he hurt any of their feelings.'

Emmett, via Hofmeister, denied all of the accusations in the article. Hofmeister told Page Six that the sexual misconduct allegation 'stems from one allegation dating back from 2012 that Randall denies.'

Hofmeister told Page Six that Emmett attributes the 'false' allegations toward a 'smear campaign orchestrated by' Kent 'to sway their custody dispute,' adding that Kent 'has lied and manipulated others in her desperate attempt to win full custody of her daughter, keep her name in the press and remain relevant in reality television.'

A source told Page Six that Kent 'was a small part of this whole story' from the Times, which published the article quoting 'many, many sources over many, many months of reporting.'

The source said that 'the article is really focused on Randalls shady business practices for the last 10 years-plus' supported by court documents, business records and interviews with dozens of people corroborating the claims.
Kanye West has been sued for alleged copyright infringement over use of a sample on a track from his Donda 2 album.

Ye, 45, was accused in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York federal court of using a sample from the 1986 Marshall Jefferson house track Move Your Body, aka The House Music Anthem, without prior permission or paying compensation in his song Flowers, according to an article on Thursday by Billboard.

The sample is 'repeated at least 22 times throughout' the song, according to a complaint filed by Jefferson's publisher Ultra International Music Publishing in US District Court in New York.

Copyright lawsuit: Kanye West, shown in May in New York City, has been sued for alleged copyright infringement over use of a sample on a track from his Donda 2 album

Jefferson, 62, wrote and performed Move Your Body that peaked at number 34 on Billboard's Dance Singles Sales chart in August 1986.

Move Your Body first became popular in Jefferson's hometown of Chicago before it was released by Trax Records in July 1986.

'I've been sampled thousands of times. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Getting done by another artist, a BLACK artist, a fellow Chicagoan without acknowledgment is disappointing,' Jefferson said in a statement to Billboard.

The lawsuit filed by attorneys Christine Lepera and Bradley J. Mullins of the firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp also named English entrepreneur Alex Klein, 31, as a defendant along with his company Kano Computing Limited.

House anthem: Ye, shown in July 2021 in Atlanta, was accused in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York federal court of using a sample from the 1986 Marshall Jefferson house track Move Your Body, aka The House Music Anthem, without prior permission or paying compensation, according to an article on Thursday by Billboard

House father: Jefferson, shown in July 2012 in Ibiza, Spain, wrote and performed Move Your Body that peaked at number 34 on Billboard's Dance Singles Sales chart in August 1986

Klein is a co-founder of Kano Computing and co-created the Stem Player that Ye self-released Donda 2 with in February.

The Stem Player allows users 'to isolate so-called 'stems' and then 'customize' songs by altering how those stems are used' with the Move Your Body sample among the 'stems' available to isolate with the device, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also cited Ye's alleged 'hypocrisy' for claiming 'to be an outspoken advocate for artists' rights.'

Lawsuit co-defendant: The lawsuit filed by attorneys Christine Lepera and Bradley J. Mullins of the firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp also named English entrepreneur Alex Klein, shown in May 2015 in New York City, as a defendant along with his company Kano Computing Limited

'West advocates for artists' rights with one hand, yet has no shame in taking away rights from another artist with the other,' the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit claimed that Ye and his representatives during discussions with reps for Jefferson and UIMP acknowledged that Move Your Body was sampled in Flowers without either prior authorization or compensation.

UIMP was seeking a 'preliminary and permanent injunction enjoining and restraining Defendants' from using Move Your Body, as well as damages and attorneys' fees.

Ye claimed in February to have sold 11,000 Stem plays for $200 each with 24 hours of the release of Donda 2.

The rapper met Klein in a chance encounter at the CES technology show in Las Vegas in January 2019 and invested in the company while also becoming a collaborator.
Joey King slipped into a black embellished catsuit and discussed her 'amazing' career trajectory with Marie Claire Mexico and the cover spread was photographed by Sarah Krick.

The 22-year-old Emmy nominee - who boasts 37.3M social media followers - gushed on Thursday: 'Thank you so much, Marie Claire Mexico. I had so much fun being your cover girl!'

Joey famously got her big break in 2006 playing Emily in two episodes of the Sprouse Twins' Disney Channel sitcom, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Cover girl! Joey King slipped into a black embellished catsuit and discussed her 'amazing' career trajectory with Marie Claire Mexico and the spread was photographed by Sarah Krick

The 22-year-old Emmy nominee - who boasts 37.3M social media followers - gushed on Thursday: 'Thank you so much, Marie Claire Mexico. I had so much fun being your cover girl!'

'The way my career has grown is really amazing,' said the LA native in the interview translated from Spanish to English.

'When I was a kid in this industry, my biggest dream was to be in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and that's a perfect dream for a girl. I feel lucky to still see my work with as much enthusiasm as when I was four years old.

'So whether it's a show on the Disney Channel or two big action movies premiering in the same year, that giddy feeling has never gone away.'

Joey executive produced and played the titular role in Le-Van Kiet's action drama The Princess, which premieres this Friday on Hulu.

'The way my career has grown is really amazing': Joey got her big break in 2006 playing Emily in two episodes of the Sprouse Twins' Disney Channel sitcom, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

The LA native (pictured Monday) said: 'When I was a kid in this industry, my biggest dream was to be in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and that's a perfect dream for a girl'

Joey continued: 'I feel lucky to still see my work with as much enthusiasm as when I was four years old. So whether it's a show on the Disney Channel or two big action movies premiering in the same year, that giddy feeling has never gone away'

King will also play whitewashed teen assassin The Prince in David Leitch's Japan-set thriller Bullet Train - hitting US/UK theaters August 5 - which is an adaptation of Kotaro Isaka's 2021 novel.

The ensemble action flick also stars Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz, Masi Oka, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Karen Fukuhara.

The In Between producer-star admitted she's 'not always a confident person' but what makes her feel powerful 'is knowing that I really believe in myself and I think I'm smart.'

Joey also chatted about her fiance Steven Piet, who popped the question on February 2 at Joshua Tree National Park after three years of dating.

'You're probably wondering how I got here': King executive produced and played the titular role in Le-Van Kiet's action drama The Princess, which premieres this Friday on Hulu

'Not as innocent as she seems': The In Between producer-star will also play whitewashed teen assassin The Prince in David Leitch's Japan-set thriller Bullet Train, which hits US/UK theaters August 5

'What makes me really happy are the moments that seem mundane but are full of life, like doing everyday chores with my fiance,' King said.

'Those are the things I think about when one of us is away from the other and I miss him. Things that are really simple but have a lot of meaning and perspective, that's the best. And as for hobbies, I love to cook and eat in general. Finding good restaurants wherever I am is my hobby.'

The SAG Award nominee originally met the 31-year-old News & Documentary Emmy-nominated DP on the set of Hulu's The Act sometime between October 2018-February 2019.

'What makes me really happy are the moments that seem mundane but are full of life': Joey also chatted about her fiance Steven Piet (pictured May 19)

King added: 'I like doing everyday chores with my fiance. Those are the things I think about when one of us is away from the other and I miss him. Things that are really simple but have a lot of meaning and perspective, that's the best. And as for hobbies, I love to cook and eat in general. Finding good restaurants wherever I am is my hobby' (pictured May 19)
Brian Austin Green and his girlfriend Sharna Burgess have welcomed their first child together.

The couple took to their respective Instagrams on Thursday to announce that their baby son had arrived on Tuesday, June 28.

'Zane Walker Green born 6/28 at 12:12,' captioned Green, with Burgess adding that her 'heart is now forever outside of my body.'

He's arrived! Brian Austin Green and his girlfriend Sharna Burgess have welcomed their first child together. The couple took to their respective Instagrams on Thursday to reveal that they welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday, June 28

Included with the couple's birth announcement was a black-and-white image of baby Zane rapping his hand around his father's finger.

He appeared to be resting in a cozy crib atop a striped blanket.

Burgess, 37, was scheduled to give birth on Monday, July 4, but Zane's early arrival will allow them to celebrate Fourth Of July weekend as a family.

She held her baby shower just weeks ago, which she documented on her Instagram.

Though this is the Dancing With The Stars pro's first child, Green is all too familiar with fatherhood.

Baby Zane: 'Zane Walker Green born 6/28 at 12:12,' captioned Green, with Burgess adding that her 'heart is now forever outside of my body'

He already shares three children, Noah, nine, Bodhi, eight, and Journey, five, with ex-wife Megan Fox, as well as a son, Kassius, 20, with his former Beverley Hill, 90210 co-star Vanessa Marcil.

Green and Burgess romance kicked off in October 2020, just five months after his split from Megan in May 2020. The Transformers star has since moved on with her fiance Machine Gun Kelly.

A year into their relationship, Burgess and Green partnered up to compete during the 30th season of ABC's Dancing With The Stars.

Despite being eliminated just three weeks into the competition, Green called it a 'great experience' for the couple.

Going strong: Green and Burgess romance kicked off in October 2020 after being introduced by a mutual friend; the couple pictured in 2021

Memorable: The following year, the couple partnered up to compete during the 30th season of ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Despite being eliminated just three weeks into the competition, Burgess and Green called it a 'great experience'

After less than two years of dating, the couple announced in February 2022 that Burgess was pregnant with their first child.

The pair celebrated the news by enjoying a 'babymoon' together in Hawaii, where Burgess would unveil her baby bump for the first time.

She later revealed that they were expecting a son, who was set to be due sometime on or around July 4, on her Instagram page.

'And suddenly my world would never be the same. Forever greater, forever expanded and deeper. Forever abundant and unconditional Baby Boy July 4th (ish) 2022,' she wrote.

Expecting: After less than two years of dating, the couple announced in February 2022 that Burgess was pregnant with their first child

Tagging Green, Burgess gushed: ' I love our family, I love that it's growing and I love you. How did we get so lucky.'

The post included a black-and-white snap of Burgess and Green each placing a hand on her baby bump, along with three little hands that appeared to belong to the sons Green shares with ex Megan.

Us Weekly reported at the time that Megan was 'surprised to hear' that her former spouse was expecting another child as the idea that the happy couple would have been trying for a baby had not 'even crossed her mind.'

Fatherhood: Though this is the Dancing With The Stars pro's first child, Green is all too familiar with fatherhood. He already shares three children, Noah, nine, Bodhi, eight, and Journey, five, with ex-wife Megan Fox, as well as a son, Kassius, 20, with his former Beverley Hill, 90210 co-star Vanessa Marcil

Surprised: Us Weekly reported at the time that Megan was 'surprised to hear' that her former spouse was expecting another child as the idea that the happy couple would have been trying for a baby had not 'even crossed her mind'; Megan and Brian pictured in 2019

Burgess recently spoke about the state of her relationship with Green's ex-wife during an appearance on Nick Viall's podcast The Viall Files.

She revealed that she actually contacted Megan five months into their relationship in order to clear the air.

'I'd love to reach out and say, "Hey, I'm around your kids all the time, if you ever want to know anything about me or if you ever want to get coffee, let me know. If there is any way I can support you in being part of this situation, let me know,"' Burgess recalled.

It seems as if the text exchange went well as Sharna explained that Megan, 36, 'really appreciated' the gesture and even thanked her for reaching out.

Clearing the air: Burgess recently spoke about the state of her relationship with Green's ex-wife during an appearance on Nick Viall's podcast The Viall Files. She revealed that she actually contacted Megan five months into their relationship in order to clear the air

Earlier this month, Burgess gushed over her boyfriend Green's 'unconditional love' as she reflected on her tumultuous last five years in a post honoring her 37th birthday.

The blonde also revealed life 'keeps getting better' and she is grateful for 'the good, bad and ugly' experiences that led her to where she is today.

'Thirty-seven. And it keeps getting better,' she began.

'I reflected on my last five years today. From an emotional rock bottom, to beginning my journey of seeing and knowing myself, of loving myself and knowing what I want and need,' she added.

'To today having everything I've ever dreamed and more.'

Grateful: Earlier this month, Burgess gushed over her boyfriend Green's 'unconditional love' as she reflected on her tumultuous last five years in a post honoring her 37th birthday. The blonde also revealed life 'keeps getting better' and she is grateful for 'the good, bad and ugly' experiences that led her to where she is today

She went on to explain she is 'trusting the divine timing of life' and now sees 'every heartache as a blessing'.

'Life, this life I'm living, who it's with and the life growing inside me was always there waiting for me, waiting for me to be ready for it,' she said.

'Trust the divine timing of life. Everything happens as it is meant to. Every choice, every fall and every triumph.

'Every heartache and every blessing. I wouldn't change a single thing about my 37 years on this planet.

'The good bad and ugly all lead me right here, To true wholehearted joy and unconditional love.

'I have everything I need, and yet I know there is so much more to come.'
The Walkman is one of the most generation-defining pieces of technology that became a must-have when traveling back in the 80s till the early 2000s when the iPod came out and essentially dethroned it for good.

However, the Walkman has evolved and is here to stay for the long run, with the device taking a more modern appearance and functionality - a drastic change from the CD-reading days of yore.

But did you know that Sony, the company responsible for the Walkman's creation, released the first walkman on this day 43 years ago?

Sony Walkman - A Brief History

That's right. The Walkman came out in 1979. Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka wanted to "listen to music in stereo on an airplane while traveling abroad," per Sony's official website. This thought eventually led the company to develop and manufacture the first Walkman, the TPS-L2, which used cassette tapes to play audio.

It was also compact and lightweight, making it the ideal traveling companion for any kind of travel.

However, Sony mentioned that it wasn't confident that the first-generation Walkman personal stereos would sell as it did not have the ability to record.

The Verge mentioned that the TPS-L2 had a disappointing first month, but it nevertheless became a huge success; so much so that its introduction into the consumer market proposed new lifestyles that eventually became popular worldwide.

Sony then improved on the first Walkman with the introduction of the WM-2.

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If you thought the TPS-L2 couldn't be lighter than it already was, you'd be wrong - Sony managed to make the WM-2 lighter than the TPS-L2, and it now has an anti-rolling mechanism that reduces the speed changes that occurs when the Walkman is moved or carried, per Walkman Central.

In time, with various technological advancements paving the way for better features, the Walkman discarded its cassette tape player for a CD player. However, the product Sony came up with was a far cry from what most people alive would recognize as the quintessential Walkman design.

The first disc-operated Walkman came in 1992, when the Walkman of the time, the MZ-1, used mini-discs to stay portable. Sony mentioned that it was resistant to vibrations when carried; the vibrations caused the MZ-1 to skip tracks occassionally, which became a problem over time.

It wasn't until 1999 that the Walkman we know came into being, with the gadget foregoing the mini-sics in favor of the big ones. It also featured "G-protection" anti-skip technology that prevented audio from skipping.

The Walkman's Legacy

Despite the Walkman's success, the introduction of the iPod and other mp3 players effectively made it obsolete., per Mercury News. Unlike the Walkman, an iPod doesn't skip like it does, and it is much more portable - Walkmen couldn't be attached to the arm while jogging while an iPod can.

Despite being dethroned, the Walkman essentially was the pioneer that eventually inspired the iPod and iPhone's creation, and even if it is no longer around in the form we know, it is still living on through another form.

Sony is still manufacturing the Walkman, but instead of cassette tapes and CDs, it is now used as a digital media player for streaming audio and video, as evidenced by the company's A100 Walkman.

Related Article: Sony Walkman Puts a High price on Retro  $3,200 To Be Exact
After a difficult few years, troubled billionaire James Packer recently said he was the 'happiest' he's been in years after losing weight and coming off antidepressants.

And the 54-year-old businessman certainly appeared to be in good spirits while having fun with friends at his $50million estate in Cabo, Mexico, on Wednesday.

One of the guests at the party was a bikini-clad blonde, who could be seen relaxing by the pool and scrolling through her iPhone.

Australian billionaire James Packer (pictured) appeared to be in good spirits at a gathering with friends at his $50million estate in Cabo, Mexico, on Wednesday

The young woman sat alone by the water and concealed her face behind a pair of sunglasses as she kicked back on a pool chair.

Some of Packer's friends brought their children with them, making it a fun afternoon for all.

At one stage, he joined several guests for lunch outdoors on a large circular oak table.

Packer, 54, (right) was all smiles as he was surrounded by friends at the lavish estate

The casino and publishing mogul kept things casual in a navy T-shirt, dark sunglasses and shorts.

His girlfriend Kylie Lim wasn't spotted with the group. The pair haven't been pictured together in about a year.

Packer's luxury property in Cabo is located on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

He first bought the land in 2018, with construction taking about three years.

One of the guests at the party was a bikini-clad blonde who could be seen relaxing by the pool and scrolling through her iPhone

The young woman sat alone by the water and concealed her face behind a pair of sunglasses as she kicked back on a pool chair

The property takes up one of largest beachfront blocks in Cabo San Lucas.

He reportedly paid $10million for the site, which boasts direct beach access and uninterrupted views of the Sea of Cortez.

Packer recently said he was the 'happiest' he's been in years, after shedding 25kg in 75 days and ditching the seven mood-altering drugs he was taking to help with his mental health.

The former executive chair of Crown Resorts will return to Sydney next March with his ex-wife Erica and their three children, Indigo, 13, Jackson, 12, and Emmanuelle, nine.

Some of Packer's friends brought their children with them, making it a fun afternoon for all

At one stage, he joined several guests for lunch outdoors on a large circular oak table

'I'm roughly 130kg now and want to be back to 100kg by the end of 2022. I want to swim with my kids at Bondi when we're all in Sydney together next year and be 100kg,' he told The Weekend Australian from his home in Mexico.

The businessman said he'd quit the antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs he was prescribed in March, and was now looking to 'rehabilitate' his reputation in Australia.

'I am very much looking forward to seeing Crown Sydney it hasn't been appropriate for me to be in Australia for the last few years,' he said.

Packer's luxury property is located on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula

Packer sold Crown to private investment company Blackstone for $8.9billion in a deal that was finalised in June, pocketing $3.3billion in the process.

The sale marked the end of a major chapter in his life which at times was mired by controversy amid inquiries into the company and allegations of money laundering.

Despite the investigations, the billionaire credited his casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney for changing the cities 'for the better'.

The father of three said he was now excited to begin his 'third act' and plans to ease back into public life in Australia.
Rugby league WAG Tahlia Giumelli is a woman on a mission.

The lingerie model, 29, has committed to trekking 150km across NSW to raise money for The Mark Hughes Foundation, the brain cancer charity founded by ex-NRL player Mark Hughes, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2013.

The charity is close to Tahlia's heart as she lost her aunt Jenny to brain cancer in 2014.

Rugby league WAG Tahlia Giumelli (foreground) has committed to trekking 150km across NSW to raise money for The Mark Hughes Foundation

Her journey is part of The Big Three Trek, in which a group of 50 people travel 150km from Sydney's NRL Headquarters to Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium.

The journey aims to raise funds and awareness for The Mark Hughes Foundation.

Tahlia, the wife of South Sydney Rabbitohs prop Tom Burgess, is documenting her progress on Instagram.

She has already completed two thirds of her journey, having walked 100km with 50km to go.

Tahlia opened up about her own health battles in January, shortly after marrying Tom Burgess

A selfie posted on Thursday showed her walking down a country road in sunglasses and a cap, with members of her group trailing behind her.

She said: 'Walking with the other trekkers and getting to know their whys or whos makes every step more meaningful.'

Tahlia encouraged her followers to 'donate at the link' in her Instagram bio.

She revealed she'd been diagnosed with both attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Crohn's disease (pictured in hospital)

Tahlia opened up about her own health battles in January, shortly after marrying Tom.

She revealed she'd been diagnosed with both attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Crohn's disease.

Tahlia said her struggle with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disorder, was 'silent but painful'.
The Undeclared War (Channel Four)

Rating:

Call Centre Chaos: Britain On Hold (Channel Five)

Rating:

Dont tell me you havent wished for it. If youre over 40, there must be days when youd queue up to vote for the internet to be switched off. Permanently.

What bliss  no more influencers. No trolls, no Elon Musk, no Twitter wars over pronouns, no celebrity selfies, no spam, no scams by crooks inviting you to launder their millions, no photos of your neighbours breakfast, no algorithms, no begging emails from crowdfunder charities, no late-night WhatsApps from people you havent seen in years, no moronic memes, no Zoom, no guilt trips from strangers who want to make themselves feel better by dumping all their bad news on you.

Whoever has brought down the internet on The Undeclared War (C4), whether its Russian saboteurs or terrorist hackers, Im on their side.

GCHQ doesnt feel the same way, of course. The Prime Minister warns that its costing the economy tens of billions a day. A small price to pay, Id say.

Whoever has brought down the internet on The Undeclared War (C4), whether its Russian saboteurs or terrorist hackers, Im on their side

This is a Channel 4 drama written and directed by Peter Kosminsky, whose previous work includes the execrable Isis thriller The State, so naturally the PM isnt Boris Johnson. Its 2024, and Boris has been ousted in a particularly bloody palace coup by Andrew Makinde (Adrian Lester).

Apart from Makindes dire pronouncements, we saw nothing of the global chaos as the world went offline. Instead of trying to paint cities on fire and planes falling out of the sky, The Undeclared War was mostly confined to the open-plan offices of Britains electronic listening base at the Doughnut in Cheltenham.

SHEER DISBELIEF OF THE NIGHT Sheer disbelief of the night: Actor Ralf Little spent much of Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1) gasping No! You are joking! His biggest surprise came when he learned his grandad was almost killed in WWII by a Japanese kamikaze pilot. You cant blame him for looking shocked. Advertisement

Hannah Khalique-Brown plays Saara, a socially inept student on work experience at GCHQ whose brilliant eye spots a boobytrap hidden deep within the virus.

Making computer code look exciting on TV has always been difficult. But Kosminsky finds an alluring way. He treats Saaras debugging exploits as dream sequences. Shes in a fairground, searching for a portal that leads her into a school gym, where theres a door in the ceiling, and so on.

In a red telephone box, hunting through shelves of phone directories, she spots the number she needs  and instantly shes out of the dream and back at her desk in front of a computer. Its a clever conceit, though one that would probably become a visual cliche if adopted by other dramas.

What really holds our attention is Saaras home life. Her father is depressed, her mother furious that she refuses to stay meekly at home at her familys beck and call.

Its this personal tension that makes the internet attack matter. Otherwise, Id just say good luck to the anarchist hackers.

One more frustration of online culture is the chatbot, those automated assistants on websites, intended to replace human beings and helplines.

Alexis Conran showed us, in Call Centre Chaos: Britain On Hold (C5), how to override the chatbots and get a real person to come to your aid.

His method doesnt sound foolproof. Alexis recommends typing in the message, I am thinking of cancelling my subscription and then answering gibberish to every subsequent question till help arrives.

He chatted to people who claimed to have suffered gruelling customer service ordeals, such as a woman who spent an hour and ten minutes on hold.

He couldnt have looked very hard for victims, because I suspect most of us can beat that record. An hour and ten minutes is nearly an instant response for my car insurers.
Zoe Foster Blake is celebrating her 40th birthday in Capri with her former magazine editor pals including Justine Cullen and Bronwyn McCahon.

And on Friday, Justine took to Instagram to share the wild antics that took place on the island in Italy's Bay of Naples, that included singing and dancing, losing two phones and vomiting off the side of a boat.

Zoe, a former beauty editor-turned-skincare entrepreneur brought along husband Hamish Blake on the trip, with the comedian acting as the group's photographer.

Inside Zoe Foster Blake's WILD girls' trip in Capri, Italy with her former magazine editor pals including Bronwyn McCahon (centre) and Justine Cullen (right). Zoe is pictured on the left

'24 hours in Capri (aka the one with the group vomiting off the side of a boat, two lost phones, much singing and dancing),' Justine wrote online.

The group certainly let their hair down as they were seen posing for fun snaps on a boat before getting seasick, exploring the sights and partying the night away at a Disco-themed bash.

Zoe looked sensational in a blue and white sequinned mini dress as she danced with her pals and was even serenaded at an outdoor restaurant.

In photos shared to Justine's Instagram on Friday, the group certainly let their hair down as they were seen posing for fun snaps on a boat before getting seasick

After exploring the sights, the group partied the night away at a Disco-themed bash

'24 hours in Capri (aka the one with the group vomiting off the side of a boat, two lost phones, much singing and dancing),' Justine wrote online

Earlier on in the day, Zoe explored the sights and looked the picture of happiness despite having dropped her phone into the sea.

Sharing a slew of picture-perfect snaps to Instagram on Friday, she wrote online: 'Took none of these glorious Capri photos because I dropped my phone into the sea while on the boat. 0/10 recommend.'

Just hours earlier, Zoe revealed how her holiday turned into a nightmare when she lost her phone and her friends became violently ill.

Birthday girl Zoe was serenaded at an outdoor restaurant and looked stunning in a blue and white sequinned mini dress

Earlier on in the day, Zoe explored the sights and looked the picture of happiness despite having dropped her phone into the sea

Sharing a slew of picture-perfect snaps to Instagram on Friday, she wrote online: 'Took none of these glorious Capri photos because I dropped my phone into the sea while on the boat. 0/10 recommend'

In one Instagram post, Zoe shared a photo of herself relaxing on the yacht and wrote: 'Things were absolutely perfect'.

She then posted a video of the ocean and continued: 'Then right after this, I dropped my phone in the sea'.

'And two of my angels vomited from seasickness,' she captioned another image of her friends lying on the island.

Just hours earlier, Zoe revealed how her holiday turned into a nightmare when she lost her phone and her friends became violently ill

Hamish also revealed on Wednesday that the real reason he was invited on his wife's birthday trip was to be a cameraman.

The comedian, 40, shared a snap of his beauty guru wife Zoe and a group of their friends standing in front of a stunning Italian backdrop.

In the selfie, Hamish clutched two phones and a camera, while the group of women posed in the background.

In one Instagram post, Zoe shared a photo of herself relaxing on the yacht. She then posted a video of the ocean and continued: 'Then right after this, I dropped my phone in the sea'

'And two of my angels vomited from seasickness,' she captioned another image of her friends lying on the island

'I'm lucky enough to be on my wife's belated 40th Girls Trip to Italy and don't worry,' he wrote.

'I know exactly where I stand (off camera, 3 metres away with the sun behind me, taking at least 5 options per photo, per phone),' he added.

Hamish shares two children with Zoe, son Sonny, eight, and daughter Rudy, four.
Age-defying Laura Csortan showed off her gorgeous body in a skimpy bikini on Thursday while sunbathing on her balcony.

The model and former TV presenter turned 45 this year, and her latest Instagram snaps prove she just gets better with age.

She showed off her ripped abs as she stripped down to a tiny two-piece for some at-home relaxation.

Age-defying Laura Csortan (pictured) showed off her gorgeous body in a skimpy bikini on Thursday while sunbathing on her balcony

The 1997 Miss Australia snapped a mirror selfie in her kitchen, striking a pose while she covered the bottom half of her face with her phone.

Laura uploaded the photo to Instagram Stories alongside another racy image of herself as she lounged on her balcony with her feet up.

It comes after she showed off another skimpy bikini at the beach back in February.

Laura uploaded the photo to Instagram alongside this racy image of herself as she lounged on her balcony with her feet up

The beauty pageant queen posed in front of the ocean, drawing attention to her lean figure in a stylish two-piece and wide-brimmed fedora hat.

She made headlines in 2017 when she quickly snapped back into shape after giving birth to her daughter Layla Rose in November 2016.

Despite her impressive weight loss, Laura downplayed the achievement at the time.

Back in February, the beauty pageant queen posed in front of the ocean, drawing attention to her lean figure in a stylish two-piece and wide-brimmed fedora hat

The former Wheel of Fortune host told Daily Mail Australia: 'It's taken me almost two years to start getting back somewhat of a routine.

'And even still, I don't have much of one to be honest since I'm really busy!

'I mean I literally have a two-year-old stuck to my hip 24/7, so I just do not stop.'
Lola Sheen, the younger daughter of Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, is recovering after she was involved in an auto accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday, in which she drove a Volkswagen into an embankment.

Sheen, 17, had three passengers in her vehicle at the time of the accident, a Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriffs Station spokesperson told The Sun.

The spokesperson said the police and the California Highway Patrol worked together after receiving reports about a vehicle in the Santa Monica Mountains seen 'over the edge' on Stunt Road in the area close to Topanga Lookout after dark.

The latest: Lola Sheen, the younger daughter of Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, 17, is recovering after she was involved in an auto accident in Los Angeles Tuesday, in which she drove a Volkswagen into an embankment

A CHP spokesperson said that the vehicle struck an embankment but didn't roll over a cliff, adding that 'nobody was taken to the hospital but the minor driver complained of a headache after the collision.'

It was not immediately clear if the vehicle needed to be towed in the wake of the accident.

The area features panoramic views of the mountain area and the Pacific Ocean overlooking Malibu. Lola's Instagram, which has more than 10.3K followers, features a series of images taken in nature including the mountain and beach areas.

Richards, 51, on New Year's Day took to Instagram with a shot of Lola posing in front of a car with paperwork in hand.

Family: Lola Sheen, Charlie Sheen, Sami Sheen and Denise Richards were seen in a group shot last year

On the move: Lola was seen in an Instagram post late last year

'Woohoo!!!' she captioned the shot. 'Nothing like celebrating 2022 than my lola getting her drivers license!!!! Im so proud of you & so happy for you Lolee!!!'

Richards earlier this month posted a happy birthday message to Lola as she turned 17 on June 1.

She wrote, 'Happy birthday beautiful Lola!!!! How are you 17 already?!? Im so proud of you. Youre so sweet & compassionate & would give the shirt off your back for anyone. Your smile & laugh are infectious & your love for life.

'Especially the most simple things in life. You are light. You walk into any room and always light up the room. I love you so much.'

Richards on New Year's Day took to Instagram with a shot of Lola posing in front of a car with paperwork in hand

Lola and sister Sami, 18, are Richards' children from her marriage to Charlie Sheen, 56, that spanned from 2002 until 2006. Richards is also mother to adopted daughter Eloise, 11.

Richards earlier this month made headlines as she created an OnlyFans after her daughter Sami did the same.

Richards told Page Six of the account: 'Sami is 18, and this decision wasnt based on whose house she lives in. All I can do as a parent is guide her and trust her judgment, but she makes her own choices.'

Charlie Sheen told the outlet of Sami's account: 'She is 18 years old now and living with her mother. This did not occur under my roof. I do not condone this, but since Im unable to prevent it, I urged her to keep it classy, creative and not sacrifice her integrity.'
Busy mother-of-two Ash Pollard enjoyed a well-deserved pampering session on Thursday.

Makeup free, the former My Kitchen Rules star looked in good spirits after giving birth on Christmas Day to her daughter Claudette.

Ash, 36, dressed casually as she visited a Melbourne nail salon, wearing a baggy white T-shirt, cropped jeans and a sweater around her shoulders.

Busy mother-of-two Ash Pollard enjoyed a well-deserved pampering session on Thursday in Prahran, Melbourne

She bundled her trademark curly blonde tresses up into a no-fuss ponytail and wore not a scrap of makeup on her face.

The reality star-turned radio host shielded her eyes with designer sunglasses and accesorised with an Apple watch.

Back in February, Ash rushed her newborn to hospital after she became sick with gastro issues.

Later, she posted an update about the young bub's condition, her extensive stay in emergency and the state of the children's hospital.

The former Dancing With the Stars contestant posted a photo of herself next to a pram in the hospital and wrote: 'We have been in the emergency for 12hrs so far.

'She's intubated (which is a horrific process to witness) and receiving fluids over the course of the night.

Ash, 36, dressed casually as she visited a nail salon, wearing a baggy white T-shirt, cropped jeans and a sweater around her shoulder

She bundled her trademark curly blonde tresses up into a no-fuss bun and wore not a scrap of makeup on her face

'Hoping for a positive outcome. Send vibes guys!! The children's hospital is frantic. Has been all day.'

She then expressed her sympathies to 'parents who spend most of their days in and out of hospitals with sick kids'.

Ash concluded the update by thanking the medical staff at the children's hospital, writing: 'I'm certainly grateful for the nursing staff, Drs and hospital employees that work these gruelling and emotional shifts'.

Ash's baby girl, who was born on Christmas Day last year, suffered a health scare in February this year. The reality star rushed her to holiday after the tiny bub caught gastro

Ash later shared another post to her Instagram Stories saying her and her daughter were home from the hospital after Claudette responded well to treatment.

'Top of the morning to you, we are home. Claudette responded very well to the fluids she was given last night/this morning. She has had a little bit of milk, hasn't vomited it up, which is so fabulous.'

Ash shares another daughter, Clementine, one, with partner Pete Ferne.
She just opened her first Henne boutique in Melbourne's trendy Prahran district.

And Nadia Bartel was her own best advertisement on Thursday as she visited her clothing label's flagship store dressed in head-to-toe Henne.

The former WAG-turned-fashion designer, 37, looked stylish in a beige outfit worth more than $700 as she snapped selfies inside the shop.

Nadia Bartel was her own best advertisement on Thursday as she visited her clothing label's flagship store in Melbourne dressed in head-to-toe Henne

The former WAG-turned-fashion designer, 37, looked stylish in a beige outfit worth more than $700 as she snapped selfies inside the shop

She teamed a $400 trench coat with a $150 top and $230 high-waisted trousers.

The ex-wife of Geelong great Jimmy Bartel wore her long brunette hair loosely, and completed her look with heeled boots.

Her makeup comprised foundation and bronzer.

She teamed a $400 trench coat with a $150 top and $230 high-waisted trousers

Nadia couldn't resist taking photos inside Henne's newly opened boutique in Prahran

Nadia wore her long brunette hair loosely, and completed her look with heeled boots

Her makeup comprised foundation and bronzer

Henne, the minimalist clothing brand Nadia founded with her sister in 2019, used to be online-only but has now established a presence on the high street.

'Pinch me moment! Our first boutique is finally here. It opens this week and seriously feels like a dream,' she told her 546,000 followers last month.

'Big thank you to [interior designers] Brahman Perera for his vision. I can't wait for you to all come in and experience Henne in person.'

Henne, the minimalist clothing brand Nadia founded with her sister in 2019, used to be online-only but has now established a presence on the high street

'Pinch me moment! Our first boutique is finally here. It opens this week and seriously feels like a dream,' she told her 546,000 followers last month

The store boasts spacious changing rooms and large mirrors, as well as a seating area and a blue staircase that leads to another level.

Nadia's brand has gone from strength to strength since its launch two years ago.

Last October, she showcased Henne's new trans-seasonal collection, which she described as a 'return to light'.

Nadia's brand has gone from strength to strength since its launch two years ago. Last October, she showcased Henne's trans-seasonal collection, which she described as a 'return to light'

The capsule collection launched with 16 designs, which are available in sizes XS to XL

Nadia's venture has put her in competition with fellow footy WAG Rebecca Judd, who co-owns the activewear label Jaggad

Henne, the Swedish word for 'her', has been a runaway success for Nadia

The capsule collection launched with 16 designs, which are available in sizes XS to XL.

Nadia's venture has put her in competition with fellow footy WAG Rebecca Judd, who co-owns the activewear label Jaggad.

Henne, the Swedish word for 'her', has been a runaway success for Nadia.

The website lists its values as a commitment to women's voices, circularity, mindful consumption, good working conditions and a positive environmental impact.

'By ensuring each garment is designed to last, we are reducing our impact on the planet for future generations,' it states.
Brian Austin Green looked every bit the proud dad as he attended the premiere of his latest film Last The Night on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

It came just hours after he confirmed that his girlfriend Sharna Burgess had given birth to the couple's first child, son Zane Walker Green, on Tuesday, June 28.

While on the red carpet, the Hollywood hunk couldn't help but whip out his cellphone to share snaps of the newborn with the film's cast and crew.

Proud dad: Brian Austin Green looked every bit the proud dad as he attended the premiere of his latest film Last The Night on Thursday night in Los Angeles. It came just hours after he confirmed that his girlfriend Sharna Burgess had given birth to the couple's first child, son Zane Walker Green, on Tuesday, June 28

Showing off: While on the red carpet, the Hollywood hunk couldn't help but whip out his cellphone to share snaps of the newborn with the film's cast and crew

Being that his little boy was born just two days ago, Green appeared to be wearing a wristband he would have received at the hospital during delivery.

After passing around his cellphone, the 48-year-old heartthrob struck some poses on the red carpet in a black polo top.

His brunette coif was brushed back and his facial hair was neatly groomed.

Check him out! Green was captured smiling down at his cellphone as he showed pals several pics of his and Sharna's new addition

Too cute: His costar Makena beamed at the sweet sight

Whirlwind: Being that his little boy was born just two days ago, Green appeared to be wearing a wristband he would have received at the hospital during delivery

Green mingled with the indie flick's director Nick Leisure, who rocked a brown suit and white dress shirt for the occasion.

Last The Night had its world premiere last weekend during opening night of the 27th annual Sacramento International Film Festival (SFF).

It will be available to view on cable providers like Comcast and Directv, as well as digital platforms like iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.

Hunk: After passing around his cellphone, the 48-year-old heartthrob struck some poses on the red carpet in a black polo top. His brunette coif was brushed back and his facial hair was neatly groomed

Director: Green mingled with the indie flick's director Nick Leisure, who rocked a brown suit and white dress shirt for the occasion

Having a blast: The two pals shared an embrace while bursting out in laughter

Back in black: Eve Mauro rocked a snake-print skirt with a charcoal T-shirt, while Makena Taylor stunned in a black dress with a plunging neckline and a cutout over her midriff

Before celebrating his film's world-wide release, Green surprised fans by announcing on Instagram that he and his girlfriend Sharna Burgess' baby son had been botn.

'Zane Walker Green born 6/28 at 12:12,' captioned Green, with his partner adding that her 'heart is now forever outside of my body.'

Included with the couple's birth announcement was a black-and-white image of baby Zane rapping his hand around his father's finger.

He's arrived! The couple took to their respective Instagrams on Thursday to reveal that they welcomed a son this week

He appeared to be resting in a cozy crib atop a striped blanket.

Burgess, 37, was scheduled to give birth on Monday, July 4, but Zane's early arrival will allow them to celebrate Fourth Of July weekend as a family.

She held her baby shower just weeks ago, which she documented on her Instagram.

Though this is the Dancing With The Stars pro's first child, Green is all too familiar with fatherhood.

Baby Zane: 'Zane Walker Green born 6/28 at 12:12,' captioned Green, with Burgess adding that her 'heart is now forever outside of my body'

He already shares three children, Noah, nine, Bodhi, eight, and Journey, five, with ex-wife Megan Fox, as well as a son, Kassius, 20, with his former Beverley Hill, 90210 co-star Vanessa Marcil.

Green and Burgess romance kicked off in October 2020, just five months after his split from Megan in May 2020. The Transformers star has since moved on with her fiance Machine Gun Kelly.

A year into their relationship, Burgess and Green partnered up to compete during the 30th season of ABC's Dancing With The Stars.

Despite being eliminated just three weeks into the competition, Green called it a 'great experience' for the couple.

Going strong: Green and Burgess romance kicked off in October 2020 after being introduced by a mutual friend; the couple pictured in 2021

Memorable: The following year, the couple partnered up to compete during the 30th season of ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Despite being eliminated just three weeks into the competition, Burgess and Green called it a 'great experience'

After less than two years of dating, the couple announced in February 2022 that Burgess was pregnant with their first child.

The pair celebrated the news by enjoying a 'babymoon' together in Hawaii, where Burgess would unveil her baby bump for the first time.

She later revealed that they were expecting a son, who was set to be due sometime on or around July 4, on her Instagram page.

'And suddenly my world would never be the same. Forever greater, forever expanded and deeper. Forever abundant and unconditional Baby Boy July 4th (ish) 2022,' she wrote.

Expecting: After less than two years of dating, the couple announced in February 2022 that Burgess was pregnant with their first child

Tagging Green, Burgess gushed: ' I love our family, I love that it's growing and I love you. How did we get so lucky.'

The post included a black-and-white snap of Burgess and Green each placing a hand on her baby bump, along with three little hands that appeared to belong to the sons Green shares with ex Megan.

Us Weekly reported at the time that Megan was 'surprised to hear' that her former spouse was expecting another child as the idea that the happy couple would have been trying for a baby had not 'even crossed her mind.'

Fatherhood: Though this is the Dancing With The Stars pro's first child, Green is all too familiar with fatherhood. He already shares three children, Noah, nine, Bodhi, eight, and Journey, five, with ex-wife Megan Fox, as well as a son, Kassius, 20, with his former Beverley Hill, 90210 co-star Vanessa Marcil

Surprised: Us Weekly reported at the time that Megan was 'surprised to hear' that her former spouse was expecting another child as the idea that the happy couple would have been trying for a baby had not 'even crossed her mind'; Megan and Brian pictured in 2019

Burgess recently spoke about the state of her relationship with Green's ex-wife during an appearance on Nick Viall's podcast The Viall Files.

She revealed that she actually contacted Megan five months into their relationship in order to clear the air.

'I'd love to reach out and say, "Hey, I'm around your kids all the time, if you ever want to know anything about me or if you ever want to get coffee, let me know. If there is any way I can support you in being part of this situation, let me know,"' Burgess recalled.

It seems as if the text exchange went well as Sharna explained that Megan, 36, 'really appreciated' the gesture and even thanked her for reaching out.

Clearing the air: Burgess recently spoke about the state of her relationship with Green's ex-wife during an appearance on Nick Viall's podcast The Viall Files. She revealed that she actually contacted Megan five months into their relationship in order to clear the air

Earlier this month, Burgess gushed over her boyfriend Green's 'unconditional love' as she reflected on her tumultuous last five years in a post honoring her 37th birthday.

The blonde also revealed life 'keeps getting better' and she is grateful for 'the good, bad and ugly' experiences that led her to where she is today.

'Thirty-seven. And it keeps getting better,' she began.

'I reflected on my last five years today. From an emotional rock bottom, to beginning my journey of seeing and knowing myself, of loving myself and knowing what I want and need,' she added.

'To today having everything I've ever dreamed and more.'

Grateful: Earlier this month, Burgess gushed over her boyfriend Green's 'unconditional love' as she reflected on her tumultuous last five years in a post honoring her 37th birthday. The blonde also revealed life 'keeps getting better' and she is grateful for 'the good, bad and ugly' experiences that led her to where she is today

She went on to explain she is 'trusting the divine timing of life' and now sees 'every heartache as a blessing'.

'Life, this life I'm living, who it's with and the life growing inside me was always there waiting for me, waiting for me to be ready for it,' she said.

'Trust the divine timing of life. Everything happens as it is meant to. Every choice, every fall and every triumph.

'Every heartache and every blessing. I wouldn't change a single thing about my 37 years on this planet.

'The good bad and ugly all lead me right here, To true wholehearted joy and unconditional love.

'I have everything I need, and yet I know there is so much more to come.'
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Dorinda Medley has sold her longtime apartment on New York's Upper East Side for almost $2.5 million.

Insiders told TMZ Thursday that The Real Housewives of New York City alum, 57, toward the end of May for a total of $2,498,000 million.

Medley, who has been seen on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, initially acquired the Manhattan property for $1.2 million, the outlet reported.

The latest: Real Housewives star Dorinda Medley, 57, has sold her longtime apartment on New York's Upper East Side for almost $2.5 million. She was snapped in NYC earlier this month

Insiders told the site that the socialite - who will stay at her home in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts over the summer season - is renovating another home she has purchased in New York City.

The listing to the apartment Medley sold was from Douglas Elliman's Gladys Laurie Cooper and Michael Cooper.

Medley earlier this year revealed she was looking to sell the property after becoming an 'empty nester' after her daughter Hannah, 28, moved out.

She told DailyMail.com in February: 'After 21 years in my beautiful two bedroom apartment, I am officially an empty nester and I've decided to put it on the market.

New chapter! Medley has sold her longtime apartment on New York's Upper East Side for almost $2.5 million

'Having spent the pandemic renovating it, it is now ready for a new family to enjoy.'

Medley at the time said she was 'on the hunt ... to find a new home somewhere on the Upper East Side.

'With Hannah all grown up, I'm looking to purchase an apartment that better suits my needs,' she said. 'I'll continue to split my time between New York City and Blue Stone Manor.'

The Bravo star, 57, is ready for a fresh start and looking to offload the property after more than two decades now that her daughter Hannah, 28, has moved out

Photos of the stunning property showcased a sleek and sophisticated unit boasting prime views of the Big Apple.

The many stylish touches include plenty of marble tiling, taupe hardwood floors, and large windows.

The bedrooms contain jaw-dropping views of the skyline, tons of natural sunshine and plenty of space.

The bathrooms wowed with walls of marble, metallic faucets, and pristine white sinks.

Stunning: Photos of the apartment showcase its sleek and sophisticated design

Chic: One of the bathrooms was bathed in marble and boasted metallic faucets in the shower and sink

Zzz: One of the bedrooms contains a stunning view of the Big Apple

But now Dorinda will be splitting her time between the Big Apple and Blue Stone Manor, the Massachusetts estate that has been the frequent setting for drama-filled Housewives getaways. The lavish home was a gift to her from her late husband Richard Medley.

Dorinda even listed the stunning property for $100 a night on Airbnb last year when she was on tour promoting her memoir, Make It Nice.

The home features 'restored century-old detailing, exquisitely adorned spaces for entertaining, and a bold use of pattern and color reflective of the hostess' signature style,' Airbnb said in a press release.

On the move: Medley spent years at the Park Avenue Court residence

Second home: Medley will be splitting her time between the Big Apple and Blue Stone Manor, pictured, the Massachusetts estate that has been the frequent setting for drama-filled Housewives getaways

'Blue Stone Manor has become this urban legend, that's sort of like the Disneyland of Housewives,' Dorinda told People. 'People know me for hosting, and I've made it so available on Instagram and on the show, so I think they're going to be very excited to see that it's real and functioning.'

Medley penned her memoir Make It Nice while quarantining at Blue Stone Manor, a feat she previous told DailyMail.com she wouldn't have been able to accomplish without being in lockdown and not filming RHONY.

'I really used sit down every day [and write] like a job,' she said last year. 'What a positive to come out of a negative time. I wouldn't have been able to do it without quarantine or with filming [the Housewives].'

Dorinda was fired from The Real Housewives Of New York after six seasons in 2020.

The star has been married twice, most recently to financier Dr. Richard Medley whom she wed in 2005. Their marriage lasted until 2011 when Dr. Medley sadly passed away at the age of 60.
Google chose to settle the class action lawsuit filed by developers against its Play Store.

The lawsuit is about the company's policies in the Play Store that violate federal antitrust laws.

The lawsuit alleged that Google had policies in place that effectively forced developers to use its Google Play billing system, which for a significant amount of time had a default charge of 30% on all transactions.

As a gesture of goodwill toward smaller developers and in response to the complaints, Google reduced this fee to 15% beginning in July 2021 for the first million dollars earned through any app.

A group of Android app developers who were represented by the plaintiffs' rights law firm Hagens Berman were successful in obtaining a $90 million settlement on their behalf.

According to The Verge, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, 48,000 small app developers in the U.S. will have the opportunity to submit a claim for the fund.

Some claimants could receive as much as $200,000, while the smallest would be $250.

Google's Antitrust Lawsuit

Google was in question for violating antitrust laws and also anti-competitive policies governing its Google Play Store.

According to the lawyers of Hagens Berman, Google violated federal antitrust laws by excluding competing app stores and thereby forcing Android software developers in the U.S. to pay the technology giant exorbitant fees.

Since the firm and its co-counsel, Sperling & Slater, filed the lawsuit against Google on August 17, 2020, it has been pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Hagens Berman is the law firm that was the first to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of developers. They also represented the developers with the 2021 win they similarly had with Apple.

According to Steve Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman, "Following our win against Apple for similar conduct, we think this pair of settlements sends a strong message to Big Tech: the law is watching, and even the most powerful companies in the world are accountable when they stifle competition."

Read Also: Has Walmart Fallen Victim to a Yanluowang Ransomware Attack?

Google's Proposed Settlement

Google also announced this settlement on their network. As announced by Google, this settlement will allow both parties to move forward and will prevent years of uncertain and distracting litigation.

As part of the agreement, the technology company will establish a fund with a total of $ 90 million to provide financial assistance to software developers in the U.S. whose annual revenue from Google Play was two million dollars or less in each of the years 2016-2021.

If they so desire, the vast majority of U.S. developers who have monetized their work through Google Play will be eligible to receive financial assistance from the fund described here.

In the event that the settlement is approved by the court, those developers who meet the criteria will be notified and given the opportunity to receive a distribution from the fund.

Google also stated that its efforts, including the fund, are an expansion of a number of the ways in which we already support developers.

One of these ways is by providing developers with tools that assist them in creating applications, reducing their expenses, and expanding their businesses.

Lastly, Google also announced that they are now going to publish an annual transparency report in line with the demand of other developers wanting to see how the Google Play Store operates.

Google stated, "The reports will share information about the Google Play Store, including statistics such as apps removed from Google Play, account terminations, and other data regarding how users interact with Google Play."

Related Article: New Google Chrome Extension Helps Hide Location Data That May Leak Even When You're Using a VPN
Natalie Roser was her own best advertisement as she posed on a bed wearing a lingerie set from her own Rose & Bare intimates range this week.

The bikini model and influencer showed off her incredible abs and long leans legs in a strappy black set and matching calf-length socks.

She flashed the camera a cheeky grin, hiding her underwear with her leg in both photos.

Natalie Roser was her own best advertisement as she posed on a bed wearing a lingerie set from her own Rose & Bare intimates range this week

The 32-year-old posted the pictures to her lingerie company's Instagram and wrote: 'Cozy winter mornings in our Little Lift and G.'

On Monday, Natalie also flashed plenty of flesh when she dolled up for the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder.

Despite the chilly temperature, she opted for a skimpy crop top and matching black skirt that highlighted her flat stomach.

On Monday, Natalie also flashed plenty of flesh when she dolled up for the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder

The Guess model looked as glamorous as ever as she posed on the red carpet in her slinky ensemble, drawing attention to her flawless figure.

The Thor premiere saw actor Chris Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi lead the red-carpet arrivals, followed by a host of local celebs.

Natalie only recently returned to Australia after a work trip to Palm Springs in California, with her friend Laura Dundovic.

The two women shared a series of bikini-clad photos of themselves soaking up the sun in the luxurious surrounds.

Natalie only recently returned to Australia after a work trip to Palm Springs in California, with her friend Laura Dundovic

It comes after Natalie's husband, Aussie actor Harley Bonner, paid tribute to wife on her 32nd birthday in May.

'Happy birthday to my darling wife,' wrote the former Home and Away star.

'This beautiful womans patience, love and support knows no bounds!! I am eternally grateful. Youve made this life a blessed one'.
One of the biggest burning questions in Hollywood is who will be the next James Bond, since Daniel Craig is hanging it up as 007, though author Leona Flowers has a suggestion: her grandson, Miles Teller.

Flowers, who wrote the 2020 book Pages from Grandma's Notebooks: Selected Essays and Poems, took to Twitter on Wednesday to pitch her grandson as the new 007.

The tweet received over 5,000 likes as the writer interacted with a number of fans... including those who thought an American isn't right to play the famous British spy character.

Grandson: One of the biggest burning questions in Hollywood is who will be the next James Bond, since Daniel Craig is hanging it up as 007, though author Leona Flowers has a suggestion: her grandson, Miles Teller

'Theyre looking for an actor to replace Daniel Craig for future 007 movies,' Flowers began.

'I think my grandson, Miles Teller, has proven that he has everything theyre looking for- talent, looks, strength, worldwide appeal & oh, so cool,' she added.

'He can be that guy!! Wouldnt he be great?' she concluded, before responded to several tweets.

Replace: 'Theyre looking for an actor to replace Daniel Craig for future 007 movies,' Flowers began

She also quote-retweeted a number of fans who responded to her tweet, including one who said, 'If he was from Great Britain I would agree.'

'He could make you think he was,' Leona said, when another fan said that 'Bond is BRITISH,' which she had another response for.

'And lots of Europeans have played Americans. He studied acting which includes accents. Hed be great,' Flowers insisted.

Britain: She also quote-retweeted a number of fans who responded to her tweet, including one who said, 'If he was from Great Britain I would agree'

Studied: 'And lots of Europeans have played Americans. He studied acting which includes accents. Hed be great,' Flowers insisted

That same fan instead suggested that he should team up again with his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise in his Mission: Impossible franchise instead.

'Well, Mr. Wayne, Tom has been a very good friend to Miles. I met him and he highly praised my grandson to me. He has been happy for having chosen Miles to be in his movie. Hes a good guy,' Flowers said.

Another fan mentioned that Teller is of Scottish descent, adding, 'which is kinda the same thing,' as Flowers responded, 'Miles is very proud of his genetic connection to the British Isles.'

Mission: That same fan instead suggested that he should team up again with his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise in his Mission: Impossible franchise instead

Proud: Another fan mentioned that Teller is of Scottish descent, adding, 'which is kinda the same thing,' as Flowers responded, 'Miles is very proud of his genetic connection to the British Isles'

Yet another fan asked how his British accent is, but Flowers responded, 'Hes an actor, my dear. He can do it.'

There is no indication when Eon Productions plans on announcing their new James Bond, or who may be in serious contention.

Teller has had quite the big year already, starring in Top Gun: Maverick, the Paramount Plus streaming service show The Offer and Netflix's Spiderhead.

He can do it: Yet another fan asked how his British accent is, but Flowers responded, 'Hes an actor, my dear. He can do it'
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika 'Jayne' Girardi appeared downcast while toting a black $1,750 Prada 'Re-Nylon' mini-backpack in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Pretty Mess Hair founder - turning 51 on July 10 - sported neon-green leggings with a black pulp fiction-inspired sweatshirt emblazoned with phrases like 'captive wild woman' and 'voodoo woman.'

It was Erika's first sighting since Judge Barry Russell ordered her to surrender $750K diamond hoop earrings bought by her estranged second husband Thomas Girardi in 2007 with embezzled funds.

Out and about: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika 'Jayne' Girardi appeared downcast while toting a black $1,750 Prada 'Re-Nylon' mini-backpack in LA on Thursday

Law360 reported Tuesday that Russell didn't believe Jayne 'was aware the earrings were stolen' from a client trust account for the $2M settlement meant for the families of the victims of the fatal 2018 Lion Air plane crash.

Nevertheless, the Atlanta-born socialite must hand them over to Estate trustees, who also sued her for the return of $25M allegedly used to pay her expenses for 12 years.

The 83-year-old disbarred lawyer's bankrupt firm Girardi & Keese owes $101M and he currently lives at an assisted-living facility under the conservatorship of his younger brother Robert.

Turning 51 on July 10! The Pretty Mess Hair founder sported neon-green leggings with a black pulp fiction-inspired sweatshirt emblazoned with phrases like 'captive wild woman' and 'voodoo woman'

Legal loss: It was Erika's first sighting since Judge Barry Russell ordered her to surrender $750K diamond hoop earrings bought by her estranged second husband Thomas Girardi in 2007 with embezzled funds (pictured in 2019)

Law360 reported Tuesday that Russell didn't believe Jayne 'was aware the earrings were stolen' from a client trust account for the $2M settlement meant for the families of the victims of the fatal 2018 Lion Air plane crash (pictured in 2019)

Nevertheless! The Atlanta-born socialite must hand them over to Estate trustees, who also sued her for the return of $25M allegedly used to pay her expenses for 12 years (pictured in 2021)

Bad romance: The 83-year-old disbarred lawyer's (L) bankrupt firm Girardi & Keese owes $101M and he currently lives at an assisted-living facility under the conservatorship of his younger brother Robert

It's over: Erika filed to end her 21-year marriage to Tom in 2020, and he is said to be suffering from both dementia and Alzheimer's

Erika filed to end her 21-year marriage to Tom in 2020, and he is said to be suffering from both dementia and Alzheimer's.

Jayne (born Chahoy) is mother to 28-year-old LAPD officer Thomas Zizzo Jr. from her five-year marriage to DJ Thomas Zizzo, which ended in 1996.

Catch more of the former gay club siren - who joined the franchise in season six - in the 12th season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which airs Wednesdays on Bravo.
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Chrishell Stause and Kendra Wilkinson let their inner 'Sparkling Diamond' shine for opening night of Moulin Rouge! The Musical at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood on Thursday.

The Selling Sunset star, 40, dazzled in a see-through crystal dress while the Playboy alum, 37, modeled a red floor-length gown with sequins.

Chrishell and Kendra were joined on the pre-show red carpet by the likes of The Nanny's Fran Drescher and the North American touring cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Sparkling: Chrishell Stause and Kendra Wilkinson let their inner 'Sparkling Diamond' shine for opening night of Moulin Rouge! The Musical at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood on Thursday. The Selling Sunset star, 40, dazzled in a see-through crystal dress while the Playboy alum, 37, modeled a red floor-length gown with sequins

Chrishell's dress clung to her gym-honed figure and had jeweled fringe that fell from the hem to just above her knees.

She slipped her feet into some silver braided sandals to complete the show-stopping ensemble.

The real estate agent's honey toned tresses cascaded down her back and chest in loose curls.

She rocked an impeccably made-up face, complete with a smokey eyeshadow look and plenty of nude toned lip gloss.

Glam: The real estate agent's honey toned tresses cascaded down her back and chest in loose curls

Kendra put on a busty display in her maroon-toned number, which had long sheer sleeves and a sexy sheer skirt.

Dramatic ruffling across the tummy and down one leg gave Kendra's look a theatrical allure.

The Girls Next Door alum wore her golden blonde hair parted to one side and styled in a chic bun.

Busty: Kendra put on a busty display in her maroon-toned number, which had long sheer sleeves and a sheer skirt

Theatrics: Dramatic ruffling across the tummy and down one leg gave Kendra's look a theatrical allure

As for makeup, Kendra dusted her lids with a shimmery bronze eyeshadow and painted her pout a mauve shade.

Fran Drescher rolled up to the musical's opening night in a pair of black sequin trousers with a slight flare.

The Nanny star thew on a black three-quarter sleeve sweater and a gold chain pendant necklace to complete her show-stopping look.

Razzle dazzle: Fran Drescher rolled up to the musical's opening night in a pair of black sequin trousers with a slight flare. The Nanny star thew on a black three-quarter sleeve sweater and a gold chain pendant necklace to complete her show-stopping look

Elegance: Monet Mazur oozed elegance in a white accordion dress with a plunging neckline. The Torque star, 46, gave her ensemble a funky flair with leopard print heels and a matching clutch

Her signature raven strands were worn in a half up hand down style.

Monet Mazur oozed elegance in a white accordion dress with a plunging neckline.

The Torque star, 46, gave her ensemble a funky flair with leopard print heels and a matching clutch.

Conor Ryan and Courtney Reed, who play star-crossed lovers Christian and Satine, posed for snaps with Moulin Rouge! The Musical's cast and crew ahead of their first performance at the Pantages.

Conor looked handsome in a mustard toned turtleneck top and tapered trousers, while Courtney - who famously originated the role of Jasmine in the Broadway adaptation of Disney's Aladdin - looked sensational in a red velvet dress.

Icons: Conor Ryan and Courtney Reed, who play star-crossed lovers Christian and Satine, posed for snaps with Moulin Rouge! The Musical's cast and crew ahead of their first performance at the Pantages

Leads: Conor looked handsome in a mustard toned turtleneck top and tapered trousers, while Courtney - who famously originated the role of Jasmine in the Broadway adaptation of Disney's Aladdin - looked sensational in a red velvet dress

The dynamic duo were joined by performers Gabe Martinez (Santiago) , Libby Lloyd (Nini), David Harris (The Duke), AndrZ Ward (Toulouse), Austin Durant (Harold Zidler), the show's producers Carmen Pavlovic and Bill Damaschke and director Alex Timbers.

The 10-time Tony Award winning stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's revolutionary film became an instant hit after making its Broadway debut in late 2019.

Shortly after wowing audiences with heartthrob Aaron Tveit and Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo in the leading roles, Moulin Rouge! The Musical fell victim to the Broadway shutdown brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Nini: Libby Lloyd plays the role of 'Nini,' who is one of Moulin Rouge ringleader Harold Zidler's infamous 'Diamond Dogs'

Santiago: She posed for a picture with performer Gabe Martinez, who plays the flamboyant romantic Santiago

The Duke: Since every story needs a villain, David Harris steps into the role of 'The Duke'

Toulouse: AndrZ Ward wows on stage as Christian's closest confidant and devout believer in the 'Bohemian revolution,' Toulouse

Over a year later, the production re-premiered at the historic Al Hirschfeld Theatre in September 2021.

With iterations of Moulin Rouge! The Musical performing in London's West End and in Luhrmann's native Australia, the official national North American tour kicked off earlier this year.

And after making stops in Chicago, Minnesota and Denver, the touring cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical will be hunkering down at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles for the summer months.
Sutton Stracke took a break from clashing with Diana Jenkins on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to host a Pride celebration on Thursday, the last day of Pride Month.

The 50-year-old party host posed with her son James, actress Joely Fisher and more at the celebration, held at her fashion boutique Sutton in West Hollywood.

They were joined by others such as actor Felix Solis, Terry Hu, Amelia McCarthy, Nancy Davis and Jai Rodriguez.

Sutton: Sutton Stracke, 50, took a break from clashing with Diana Jenkins on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to host a Pride celebration on Thursday, the last day of Pride Month.

Sutton stepped out with a pink off-shoulder lacy mini-dress that fell to her mid-thighs for the event.

She also rocked a flowery barrette with her blonde locks falling just below her shoulders for the event.

She completed her look with a matching hot pink clutch and light tan platform heels for her event.

Sutton's look: Sutton stepped out with a pink off-shoulder lacy mini-dress that fell to her mid-thighs for the event

Her son arrived in a navy blue Izod Lacoste polo shirt and orange sunglasses for the outing.

He completed his look with dark blue jeans and blue-grey suede shoes for his mother's event.

Stracke shares three children with Christian Stracke, who she was married to from 2000 to 2016 before their split.

Mother and son: Her son arrived in a navy blue Izod Lacoste polo shirt and orange sunglasses for the outing

Event: He completed his look with dark blue jeans and blue-grey suede shoes for his mother's event

Stracke also posed with actress Joely Fisher, who was all smiles in a knee-length floral print mini-dress.

The actress rocked a number of gold necklaces while carrying a multi-colored handbag for her night out.

She completed her look with a pair of yellow open-toed pumps for the event.

Stratton and Joely: Stracke also posed with actress Joely Fisher, who was all smiles in a knee-length floral print mini-dress

Sutton joined Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a 'friend' to the Housewives in Season 10.

She was elevated to a main cast member in Season 11 and the current Season 12, which debuted in May.

The reality star was once named one of the top party hosts in America.

Friend: Sutton joined Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a 'friend' to the Housewives in Season 10

Elevated: She was elevated to a main cast member in Season 11 and the current Season 12, which debuted in May

Felix: Felix Solis of Ozark fame attended Sutton Stracke's event
Fans have speculated Reece Hawkins and London Goheen have split after not liking one another photos for four weeks.

The couple haven't been pictured together on social media since they travelled to Mexico with their son Stone in March.

And now eagle-eyed fans have noticed they London has posed without her engagement ring in a string of photos posted to Instagram.

Eagle-eyed fans have noticed they London Goheen (pictured) has posed without her engagement ring in a string of photos posted to Instagram

The rumours were also discussed on the latest episode of Outspoken the Podcast.

The Australian influencer podcast noted that London had posted four photos ring free, none of them had been liked by Reece.

London also hasn't like any of Reece's recent photos. Reece, who also shares two children with Tammy Hembrow, is currently in Italy, while London is in the US.

London also appears to not be wearing her engagement ring in her recent Instagram selfie at the gym

London also hasn't like any of Reece Hawkins' recent photos. Reece (left), who also shares two children with Tammy Hembrow, is currently in Italy, while London is in the US.

Fans have speculated Reece and London have split after not liking one another photos for four weeks

Reece also visited his children in Australia in May, without London. However, the couple are still following one another.

The Taeuber sisters, who run the popular podcast, also speculated that London is 'trying to include her hands in every photo' to 'try and drop subliminal messages'.

The most recent image Reece shared of himself with his wife London was posted on March 13.

The couple haven't been pictured together on social media since they travelled to Mexico with their son Stone in March

Reece also visited his children in Australia in May, without London. However, the couple are still following one another

Reece Hawkins and London Goheen have been contacted for comment.

The couple are proud parents to son Stone, who they welcomed in March 2021.

Reece is also father to two children with his ex-fiance Tammy Hembrow - son Wolf and daughter Saskia.

The couple announced they engagement in September 2020, just weeks before announcing their baby news

Three months after their split in 2018, Reece debuted his new romance with London.

The couple announced they engagement in September 2020, just weeks before announcing their baby news.

In December 2020, it was revealed London and Reece had secretly married after he referred to her as his 'wife' on social media.

Meanwhile, Tammy recently welcomed her third child with her fiance Matt Poole.
While anticipation for Cardi B's second studio album continues to grow, the New York city rapper released her first solo single in over a year.

The pulsating and provocative Hot S***  featuring Kanye West and Lil Durk  officially dropped just after midnight on Friday.

This is the Cardi's first new song since Up debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 2021. It would eventually hit the number one spot on the chart after her riveting performance at the 63rd Grammy Awards five weeks later.

New release: Cardi B released Hot S***, her first new single of 2022, and first since Up dropped in early 2021

In full-on Cardi tradition, the hip hop superstar hit hard on the lyrical front, to match the driving force of the song.

Lead by a constant bass drum, the Bodak Yellow star jumped right in for verse one with hard-hitting raps.

'Nah, this that Hot S*** - Jimmy Snuka off the top rope - Superfly s*** (Fly) - Might get in the tub - with all my ice on some Pac s*** (Hot) - Either way you slice it bottom Line, I'm the top b****,' she began.

Continuing on with her self congratulatory tone, she added: 'New Chanel, I rock It - twist and it ain't even out yet - All this jewelry at the grocery Store - I'm obnoxious.'

FILTERED: Grammy winner Cardi shared a celebrity retouching secret earlier on Thursday by posting a corset-clad poolside snap, which showed her tattooed thighs both with a filter and without a filter

NON-FILTERED: In the non-filtered version of the photo, the Bronx-born 29-year-old's left thigh showed tiny ripples of cellulite that most average women have, and the filtered version smoothed her thigh out

She also highlighted her accumulating wealth by spitting out lines like, 'Bought a home and closing on another - I know I'm blessed - Everybody wanna be gang - Ain't no spots left - Bad b**ch contest - Thre wouldn't be a contest.'

The song also marks the second time Ye has collaborated with Lil Durk on a song. The Chicago natives previously worked together on the song Jonah that made it on to West's studio album, Dona (2020).

Leading up to the release, Cardi (born Belcalis Almanzar) had been in promo mode, teasing a 15 second snippet fro. the track while sipping champagne on a New York City rooftop dressed only in a Disco Daddy Studio bathrobe and towel.

And 15 seconds was all the Bronx, New York native needed to start creating TikTok dance/lip-sync videos as she remarked: 'It's starting already!

Cardi  who boasts 230.8M social media followers  tweeted on Thursday: 'Filter on the thighs. No filter on thighs. Hot s*** tonight. I will go live tonight at 11:30[EST] on IG'

Sneak peak! On Wednesday, Cardi (born Belcalis Almanzar) teased a 15-second snippet from the trap track while sipping champagne on her New York City balcony clad only in a Disco Daddy Studio bathrobe and towel

'It's starting already!' And 15 seconds is all the half-Dominican, half-Trinidadian star's fans needed to start creating TikTok dance/lip-sync videos

The Grammy Winner also shared a celebrity retouching secret by posting a corset-clad poolside snap, which showed her tattooed thighs both with a filter and without a filter.

In the non-filtered version of the photo, the Bronx-born 29-year-old's left thigh showed tiny ripples of cellulite that most average women have, and the filtered version smoothed her thigh out.

'Filter on the thighs. No filter on thighs,' Cardi  who boasts 230.8M social media followers  tweeted on Thursday.

'I can tell they [are] going to give me hell': On Thursday, Cardi also Instastoried a snap of her three-year-old daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus and nine-month-old son Wave Set Cephus with Grammy nominee Offset

Also on Thursday, Cardi also took to her Instagram Stories and shared a photo of her three-year-old daughter Kulture and nine-month-old son Wave that she shares with her husband Offset.

'I can tell they [are] going to give me hell,' she wrote across the bottom of the image that was taken in her living room.

This week Cardi made some of her personal business public when she announced that she wants a tummy tuck.

'This stomach, it's giving tummy tuck. Like, it's not bad, but I just don't like this extra little skin,' she admitted on her Instagram Stories.

'I am a little heavier than usual, but I don't like it, I want to get rid of it. Like, I think [my son] Wavey, like, did me wrong.'

Speaking of photoshopped thighs! The No Love rapper declared on Wednesday that she wants a tummy tuck

Cardi admitted via Instastory: 'This stomach, it's giving tummy tuck. Like, it's not bad, but I just don't like this extra little skin'

She continued: 'I am a little heavier than usual, but I don't like it, I want to get rid of it. Like, I think [my son] Wavey, like, did me wrong. 'I cannot wait to put out this song and do more things so I can get the f*** out and do my f***ing surgery. I'm over it'

Self-discipline: Ironically, the former stripper - who underwent her first boob job at age 18 and her first butt enhancement at age 20 - was sipping on a large coffee drink topped with whipped cream as she complained about her waist line

'I cannot wait to put out this song and do more things so I can get the f*** out and do my f***ing surgery. I'm over it. Me and surgery goes together bad. Real bad. We go together real bad, b****.' she explained.

Ironically, the former stripper  who underwent her first breast augmentation at age 18 and her first rear end enhancement at age 20  was sipping on a large coffee drink topped with whipped cream as she complained about her waist line.

Next up on the performance front: Cardi is set to hot the stage this Sunday at Pennsylvania's Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem.

The Bet It hitmaker will then fly across the pond to England to headline Gopuff Delivers Wireless 2022 festivals happening July 8 at London's Finsbury Park and July 9 at Birmingham's The Nec.
They jetted out to St. Tropez to kickstart a lavish honeymoon earlier this week.

And Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz have certainly been living the high life in the French Riviera, as they headed out for a lavish lunch at beachside hotspot Club 55.

The couple, 23 and 27, enjoyed some a la carte cuisine on day two of their getaway, while Brooklyn sipped on a bottle of Chateau Margaux 2006 - which retails for over 4000.

Honeymoon: Brooklyn Beckham, 23, and Nicola Peltz, 27, continued their St. Tropez honeymoon on Thursday as they headed out hand-in-hand for a romantic lunch

Stepping out for lunch at the hotspot, heiress Nicola looked ever the beach beauty in a hot pink floral maxi dress with a plunging split neckline.

She layered the piece over a red bikini, adding a pair of platformed cork wedges to the ensemble.

Her blonde locks were left down in a tousled style, as she shielded her eyes with a pair of oversized sunglasses.

Beauty: Stepping out for lunch, heiress Nicola looked ever the beach beauty in a hot pink floral maxi dress with a plunging split neckline

With a white handbag hung over her shoulder, Nicola walked hand in hand with her husband Brooklyn, who nailed a summery look.

The budding chef donned a pair of white trousers with a linen short sleeved shirt, paired with white sandals.

Showing off his impressive collection of tattoos, Brooklyn accesorised with a gold chain and metal sunglasses.

Beachy: While budding chef Brooklyn donned a pair of white trousers with a linen short sleeved shirt, paired with white sandals

And the pair found time to fit in some shopping before lunch, as Nicola clutched a bag from boutique Isabelle Francoise.

Sharing updates to Instagram, Brooklyn snapped a range of seafood courses made by chef Jules Baronchelli - alongside his pricey bottle of wine.

Appearing in his element, the son of Victoria and David Beckham peered down at the bottle he held in one hand, with a glass in the other.

Just one day before, the pair had a sweet start to their honeymoon as their wedding song - Can't Help Falling In Love With You - played in a restaurant.

Brooklyn and Nicola married in a lavish 3million ceremony at her family's 103million estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in April.

Pricey: Brookyln shared a snap of his bottle of Chateau Margaux 2006 - which retails for over 4000

And still in the newlywed bubble, Nicola previously revealed to Tatler: 'I had the best day, I just kept thinking, "I'm marrying my best friend" and that's all that matters.'

Last week Nicola gave more insight into her marriage in a candid interview with Tatler Magazine, revealing that her new husband is 'in heaven' working as a chef

Brooklyn previously tried his hand at being a model and a professional photographer, however he recently revealed that he has now turned his hand to cooking - releasing his very own Messenger miniseries called Cookin' With Brooklyn in December.

Wine lover: Appearing in his element, the son of Victoria and David Beckham peered down at the bottle he held in one hand, with a glass in the other

Chateau Margaux 2006 Chateau Margaux retails for around 4400

Dubbed as one of the most famous names in the world of wine, Chateau Margaux's has been recognised as a top-tier wine since the 18th century

The blend is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc

It's domain was originally owned by Owned by Edward III of England

The Margaux is recommended to be enjoyed after aging fifteen to thirty five years in the cellar Pricey: Chateau Margaux retails for around 4400 Advertisement

Nicola stated in the brand new interview that Brooklyn has finally found the perfect career path, despite him previously receiving a lot of criticism for landing a cooking show without actually having any professional culinary training.

'Ever since the pandemic, all he's wanted to talk about is being in the kitchen, so I just started filming him one day, I said, "This is what you love,"' she explained.

Brooklyn has tested out a number of different interests as a career, including working as a photographer and model before he turned to cookery.

Speaking about his diverse career choices, Nicola revealed that her husband felt 'a lot of pressure to please people with his career, and he didn't love it.'

She also admitted that Brooklyn has been getting plenty of career advice from her billionaire investment titan father Nelson Peltz.

She added: 'I watch him call my dad and say, "What do you think about this?" I love watching him learn from my dad.'

Brooklyn began modeling in 2014, but in 2016, at age 16, he decided he wanted to pursue photography instead.

He photographed a campaign for Burberry BRIT, but his participation in the campaign was met with severe criticism by several prominent photographers.

In 2017, he announced that was going to attend the Parsons School of Design at the New School in New York, but left the university one year later because he said he 'missed' his family in the UK. He published his own book about photography, called What I see, that same year.

He began an internship with Rankin in 2019, after the legendary snapper became impressed with a photo he had taken of Sir David Attenborough in Africa.

But he was said to have left his colleagues stunned over his 'lack of basic skills' during his internship with Rankin.

Yum! He also snapped a range of seafood courses made by chef Jules Baronchelli
Sophie Kasaei has been rushed to hospital.

The Geordie Shore star, 32, took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday night where she revealed she was in A&E with a mystery illness. Her representatives confirmed to MailOnline that Sophie was suffering with endometriosis.

Sophie updated her followers, telling them she was 'so unwell' and revealing that she'd been taken for tests.

Oh no! Sophie Kasaei, 32, has been rushed to hospital with a mystery illness

Sophie uploaded two photos from inside the hospital. The first showed her in a waiting room.

She wrote alongside: 'Hopefully find out why I've been so unwell. Body has not been happy lately with me.'

A second snap revealed the reality star had been sent to the accident and emergency unit for tests, writing alongside: 'Now I've ended up here ffs.'

When approached by MailOnline, Sophie Kasaei's representatives revealed: 'Sophie has endometriosis, and suffers the effects of the condition on an ongoing basis.

'On this occasion she experienced severe cramping and was feeling very unwell so went to A&E to get checked out. She is feeling much better now.'

Worrying: The Geordie Shore star took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday night where she revealed she was in A&E

Time for testing: Sophie updated her followers, telling them she was 'so unwell' and revealing that she'd been taken for tests

What is endometriosis? How the disorder results in pelvic pain and internal scarring Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus  the endometrium  grows outside the uterus. It most commonly affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue lining the pelvis. The primary symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain, although many women also experience cramping during their menstrual cycle. Symptoms also include painful periods, pain with intercourse, pain with bowel movements or urination, inflammation, excessive bleeding, and infertility. Often misdiagnosed, many women only discover they have the condition during infertility treatment. Approximately half of women diagnosed with endometriosis have difficulty getting pregnant. While studies about the link between endometriosis and miscarriages are still ongoing, newer research suggests that the condition can leave sufferers at greater risk of having a miscarriage. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

Sophie's hospital dash comes a few months after it was reported that she'd hit it off with Katie Price's ex-fiance Kris Boyson.

The Geordie Shore star and the fitness professional were hosting the Social Ikon Launch Party in London back in March, when they got cosy, according to The Sun.

An insider told the publication: 'Kris was in his absolute element being surrounded by so many beautiful women at the Social Ikon launch event and was flirting up a storm all night.

'He was hosting the evening with Sophie and they clearly had great chemistry.

What's wrong: Sophie hasn't confirmed exactly what her ailments have been or her diagnosis

'But he didnt just have eyes for her and was really working the room, chatting to a different woman every five minutes.

'He was clearly loving the attention and who could blame him.'

MailOnline have contacted reps for Kris and Sophie for comment. They said: 'Kris 100 per cent wasn't flirting with Sophie.

'They were hosting an event together, theyre friends and have no attraction towards each other romantically.'
Emily Atack took to Instagram on Thursday to share snaps as she returned to work following Celebrity Juice's axe after 14 years.

The actress, 32, donned a cleavage enhancing period costume and Marie Antionette style wig as she filmed scenes for the third series of her ITV series - The Emily Atack Show.

The comedy, which broadcast its first set of episodes in November 2020, combines stand-up routines with sketches and impressions.

Lady: Emily Atack, 32, donned a cleavage enhancing period costume to film scenes for the third series of her sketch show ... as she returned to work following Celebrity Juice axe on Thursday

Emily, who featured as a Celebrity Juice team captain, looked ravishing in the strapless powder blue frock which featured puff sleeves and vintage lace detailing.

The blush pink wig combined sausage curls with rose and baby breath embellishment.

Opting for a dewy make-up look with a swipe of mascara, Emily completed the period costume with a pearl and ribbon choker.

Gorgeous: Emily, who featured as a Celebrity Juice team captain, looked ravishing in the strapless powder blue frock which featured puff sleeves and vintage lace detailing

Perfection: Opting for a dewy make-up look with a swipe of mascara, Emily completed the period costume with a pearl and ribbon choker

Shooting in a grand home, the actress playfully curtsied for the camera as she showed off the dress in more detail.

She captioned the snaps: 'First look The Emily Atack Show, Series 3'.

Taking to her Instagram Stories the blonde beauty revealed another character as she appeared to be filming scenes at a funeral.

Ready for my close-up: Emily sat in the make-up chair as crew worked tirelessly on her look

Back to work: She captioned the snaps: 'First look The Emily Atack Show, Series 3'

Donning a figure hugging black dress and hat the star gazed cheekily at the camera as she was surrounded by other mourners.

Emily also shared a clip of a red parrot as it sat on its trainer's arm before being featured in a sketch.

Each episode of the series focuses on a different topic relevant to young women in society today, including body image and growing up.

All black: Taking to her Instagram Stories the blonde beauty showed off another character as she appeared to be filming scenes at a funeral

Pretty boy: The star also shared a clip of a red parrot that sat on it's trainer's arm before being featured in a sketch

It comes after Leigh Francis - who fronts Celebrity Juice as his outrageous character Keith Lemon - confirmed the show would end earlier this week.

Tweeting: 'After 14 years, 26 series, 300 eps @CelebJuice is concluding later this year with two farewell specials.

'Thank you so so much to everyone who watched, to the team captains, guests, crew and itv2. 'It was the longest most fun party! I had a wonderful time. Big love x (sic)'

End of an era: Leigh Francis - who fronts Celebrity Juice as his outrageous character Keith Lemon - confirmed the show would end earlier this week (L-R) Laura Whitmore, Leigh, Emily

Emily Instagrammed her own tribute, writing: 'Celebrity juice is ending after 14 years. I cannot even begin to thank everybody at @itv for allowing me to sit in that legendary seat as team captain for 3 wonderful series.'

Taking over the likes of two icons @hollywilloughby and @fearnecottonwas one of the hugest and most humbling moments of my career.'

'It was quite literally the dream job for me. Ill treasure every single memory with my two amazing friends @keithlemon and @thewhitmore, and all the incredible guests who took part.'

'Thank you for the laughs and the naughtiness. Best show on tele. Love you all'.

Fun: Although the show originally focused on the week's tabloid news stories, it would evolve as the celebrity guests were put through more over the top games and challenges

In 2020, Holly decided to step down after 12 years, while the current captains are The Inbetweeners' star Emily and Love Island host Laura Whitmore.

Last March Maya Jama joined as a regular panellist alongside team captains Emily and Laura. Other famous names have stepped in as team captains over the years including Gino D'Acampo and Kelly Brook.

Although the show originally focused on the week's tabloid news stories, it would evolve as the celebrity guests were put through more over the top games and challenges.
The Honorable Diana Frances Spencer, the Princess of Wales, was born on July 1, 1961. When her father obtained his earldom in 1975, she was given the style Lady Diana Spencer, according to The Royal Family.

The life of Princess Diana continues to intrigue most people even today, more than 20 years after her passing on Aug. 31, 1997, in a car accident in Paris.

Below are the Netflix shows you can watch right now if you're interested in learning more about the enigmatic life of Princess Diana.

'The Crown' (2016)

"The Crown," a lavish and expertly performed drama about Queen Elizabeth II's early reign, moves at a leisurely and oftentimes sluggish pace. The Guardian noted that the first season is rumored to cost about 100 million to make.

Variety mentioned that the marriage between a young, sheltered royal and the nation she symbolically governs is shown in "The Crown." At the same time that it binds her even more closely to the ill-defined and difficult duties that are placed upon her at the tender age of 25, that relationship eventually serves to distance the young queen from those around her. Claire Foy portrays every aspect of that process with clarity and extraordinary control.

But many people will find "The Crown" to be almost impossible to resist. Some confrontations and realizations are written with keen perception. The intended audience for this show is fans of exquisitely produced costume dramas yearning for something to appreciate.

Watch "The Crown" on Netflix

Read More: 7 Best Bingeworthy Medical Shows You Can Watch on Netflix This 2022

'The Royal House of Windso'r (2017)

The intriguing history of the House of Windsor, Britain's royal family, is told by award-winning historian Andrew Roberts.

A blog of Roberts mentioned that he recounted the four monarchs' histories through two devastating world wars, the Abdication Crisis, three coronations, and Princess Diana's terrible death, all the way up to Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton's nuptials, for which he is NBC's royal commentator.

Watch "The Royal House of Windsor" on Netflix

'Diana: The Musical' (2021)

The Broadway show "Diana: The Musical," which was filmed at the Longacre Theatre on West 48th Street last summer without any spectators while the show itself was put on hold due to the COVID outbreak, has finally been made available on Netflix.

The Guardian mentioned that it is a goofy dramatization of Princess Diana's life, complete with footmen and flunkies who, after donning a different costume, transform into phalanxes of snarling tabloid hacks, as Princess Diana somberly sings of her loneliness and tenacity in the spotlight below.

The La Jolla Playhouse's Christopher Ashley is the director, and Joe DiPietro and Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan are responsible for the book, music, and lyrics. Jeanna de Waal, a musical theater performer of British descent, plays Princess Diana. Erin Davies plays Camilla Parker Bowles, Roe Hartrampf plays the pretentious Charles, and Broadway veteran Judy Kaye plays Princess Diana's step-grandmother Barbara Cartland, a chiffon-clad romantic novelist.

Watch "Diana: The Musical" on Netflix

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She's one of the world's most famous supermodels with a busy schedule well into her 50s.

But Elle Macpherson showed she's just like any other mum as she helped her son refurnish his dorm room at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Friday.

The Australian born mother-of-two, 58, appeared to treat her son Cy Busson - himself a budding model - picking up a 55 inch Ultra HD LGTV as well as a desk and Marshall speaker for his college dorm room.

Elle Macpherson showed she's just like any other mum as she helped her son refurnish his dorm room on Frida. Pictured with her son Cy Busson

Elle shares Cy, 19, with her French financier ex-boyfriend Arpad Busson, 59. In September, she moved him into his dorm.

She also has Arpad 'Flynn' Alexander Busson, 24, with her ex. Flynn graduated from Boston University last year after studying finance and real estate.

While Flynn is clearly following after his father, Cy appears to be following in his famous mother's footsteps.

The Australian born mother-of-two, 58, appeared to treat her son Cy Busson - himself a budding model - picking up a 55 inch Ultra HD LGTV as well as a desk and Marshall speaker

Elle shares Cy, 19, with her French financier ex-boyfriend Arpad Busson, 59. In September, she moved him into his dorm Babson College in Massachusetts. On Friday the pair picked up a desk

He has already appeared in several magazine shoots and is represented by talent agency Next Models Miami.

In addition to his modelling career, he is a student at Babson College, which is known for its focus on entrepreneurship.

Cy mostly kept out of the spotlight until turning 18 last year, but since reaching that milestone has featured in a handful of publications.

While Flynn is clearly following after his father, Cy appears to be following in his famous mother's footsteps

He appeared on the cover of Australian Vogue and French Elle alongside his mother and older brother.

He also fronted the Russian edition of Glamour Man.

Elle wished her son a happy 18th birthday in February last year.

It appears Aurelius Cy Busson, who goes by his trendy middle name, is ready to step out of the shadow of his famous parents, model Elle and French financier Arpad Busson

The model posted a gallery of never-before-seen snaps of her youngest child on Instagram, including one picture of herself breastfeeding a newborn Cy.

'Aurelius sped into the world in just four hours, bringing indescribable joy and unconditional love, making our family complete. Eighteen years today,' she wrote in the caption.

She continued: 'We love you to the moon and back and round Australia a gazillion times. Thank you for choosing us.'

Elle known as 'The Body', has previously said that when she became a mother, she decided to put her sons first over her career.

'I was 35 when I had my first [Flynn] and 41 when I had Cy and so I came to children a little later in life, but I made sure they were going to be the priority,' she said.

'I used to travel a lot and I'd go through that thing that [working] mothers go through.

Fatherhood: Elle shares her boys with her billionaire ex-partner Arpad Busson (pictured)

'I would always tell them, 'Mum loves what she does and I hope in life you find something you love to do so that work doesn't feel like work and you go off and do your thing and while I'm off doing my thing.

'How cool for you guys to have that time without your helicopter, control-freak mother around.''

She also said she was 'moved' to learn one of her sons had said in an interview that she made them feel they were her 'priority'.
Taron Egerton has revealed the late Ray Liotta was 'in ailing health' and 'a frail way' while they filmed their upcoming Apple TV+ series Black Bird in Spring 2021.

The actor, 32, branded 'hero' Ray 'one of the greats' and gushed about how he 'loved' working with the Goodfellas star during Thursday's Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Ray suddenly died in his sleep at a Dominican Republic hotel in May 2022 at the age of 67 where he had been filming a new movie, Dangerous Waters.

Oh no! Taron Egerton has revealed the late Ray Liotta was 'in ailing health' and 'a frail way' while they filmed their upcoming Apple TV+ series Black Bird in Spring 2021

Speaking to guest host Chelsea Handler, the Golden Globe winner said: 'He was something of a hero to me and, when I read this script, it's got a very touching and really dysfunctional relationship at the heart of it.

'It's the relationship between my character and his father and it was so excited when Ray agreed to do it.

'He read the script and agreed to it in under 24 hours, he was so excited about it and I didn't know what to expect because his performances are characterised by menace, he's an intimidating figure in every movie.'

Taron went on to detail how the New Jersey-native walked towards him 'in a sort of frail way', and embraced him which was 'kind of weird'.

Tragic: The actor, 32, branded 'hero' Ray 'one of the greats' and gushed about how he 'loved' working with the Goodfellas star during Thursday's Jimmy Kimmel Live

He said: 'I did an Instagram post about this but it's a story I do like telling, I stepped on set and he was kind of in his own world. He wasn't really engaged in his environment.

'Sometimes actors can be... we're a weird bunch, we do weird stuff so I thought I'd leave him to it, give him his space and across the room he sort of caught my eye and just stood up, walked towards me in a sort of frail way.

'He's in ailing health in the show and he just embraced me and we stayed that way for a little while. It was kind of weird but really nice as well.

'I said, "I'm really glad we're doing this," and he said, "Me too." And he didn't say anything to me for that first day other than what we said to each other in character.

Dapper: Taron cut a suave figure in a blue suit as he arrived at the Jimmy Kimmel Live studios

Trendy: He layered the blazer above a white shirt and accessorised with black sunglasses

'We had a few weeks of filming together and it was a really amazing experience for me, it just brought this presence, this reality in contrast with the kind of toughness of him.

'He brought this incredible tenderness and love and I'm really proud of the relationship we built.

'We had the premiere last night, his daughter and fiancee were there to honour him and we really have lost one of the greats and he's amazing in the show. I loved loved working with him.'

Candid: The Golden Globe winner said: ' He was something of a hero to me and, when I read this script, it's got a very touching and really dysfunctional relationship at the heart of it'

Reminiscing: Taron went on to detail how the New Jersey-native walked towards him 'in a sort of frail way', and embraced him which was 'kind of weird'

Talented: Speaking to guest host Chelsea Handler, he said: 'He read the script and agreed to it in under 24 hours, he was so excited about it'

Just over a month after his surprising passing, Ray's daughter Karsen Liotta attended the LA premiere of Black Bird on Wednesday, with Jacy Nittolo, who was engaged to Liotta when he passed.

The show, inspired by true events, sees Ray playing a police officer whose imprisoned son (Egerton) is tasked with drawing a confession from a suspected serial killer (Paul Walter Hauser).

Liotta was in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic in late May, filming the movie Dangerous Waters, when he unexpectedly passed away in his sleep.

Sources claimed there was no foul play or nothing else suspicious about the beloved actor's passing.

After his passing, Karsen shared a number of throwback snaps of the father and daughter throughout the years, along with a heartfelt message.

United: Just over a month after his passing, Ray's daughter Karsen Liotta (left) attended the LA premiere of Black Bird on Wednesday, with Jacy Nittolo (right), who was engaged to Liotta

'Those who knew him, loved him. You are the best Dad anyone could ask for. I love you. Thank you for everything,' she said.

Nitollo, who had been engaged to Liotta since December 2020, also opened up about her time with the actor.

'My life these past couple of years have been nothing but truly magical. Ray and I share a deep love that I will cherish in my heart forever,' Nitollo began.

'We laughed daily and we were inseparable. The chemistry was wild in the best way,' she continued.

'He was everything in the world to me and we couldn't get enough of each other. The kind of real love that one dreams of,' she added.

Ray's sudden death shocked fans as he was embarking on a huge resurgence in his career recent years.

As well as Black Bird he also featured in The Many Saints of Newark, Marriage Story and No Sudden Move in more recent years as his acting took off again.

But he was best known for his incredible performance in Martin Scorsese's 1990 gangster classic Goodfellas, where he played Henry Hill while De Niro, 78, took on the role of Jimmy Conway.
Kevin Spacey was seen taking in the sights of Brac on Thursday after touching down in Croatia to film a docu-drama.

The disgraced actor, 62, was joined by a small team as they walked around the city before heading on a boat trip.

Spacey, who was wearing a pale blue T-shirt and relaxed shorts, has continued to work amid his ongoing legal battles.

Stepping out: Kevin Spacey was seen taking in the sights of Brac on Thursday after touching down in Croatia to film a docu-drama

Spacey, who has 'strenuously denied' the allegations against him, has claimed he will 'establish his innocence' over claims he sexually assaulted three men over an eight-year period during visits to Britain.

During the court appearance which took place on June 16, Spacey was granted unconditional bail which means he is free to fly to other countries.

The American star, who starred in Netflix series House of Cards and films American Beauty and The Usual Suspects, is accused of a string of sex attacks on three men in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013 while he was artistic director of the Old Vic theatre.

On the move: The disgraced actor, 62, was joined by a small team as they walked around the city before heading on a boat trip

Channel 4 announced earlier this week that the broadcaster was working on a Kevin Spacey documentary surrounding the allegations against him.

Patrick Gibbs QC, defending, told the court Spacey 'strenuously denies' the allegations and had returned 'voluntarily' to the UK to 'establish his innocence'.

The court heard Spacey went through four days of interviewing in New York and promised that if he was charged he would come to Britain to answer them.

On the go: Kevin and his team were seen on a boat exploring the city

Still working: Spacey, who was wearing a pale blue T-shirt and relaxed shorts, has continued to work amid his ongoing legal battles

Denial: Spacey, who has 'strenuously denied' the allegations against him, has claimed he will 'establish his innocence' over claims he sexually assaulted three men over an eight-year period

Spacey made no comment outside the courthouse as he was rushed past a queue of other court attendees and through the entrance before passing security.

Prosecutor Natalie Dawson did not give any further details of the allegations beyond the charges, which were read out by the court's legal advisor.

Mr Gibbs continued: 'Having seen the full Crown's case, pages and pages of statements and exhibits delivered to him...he has chosen, not on bail, to come to this court today and my submission is that you can have every confidence, and the judge at Southwark can have every confidence, that he will continue to attend.

'He needs to answer these charges if he is to proceed with his life.'

Allegations: The American star is accused of a string of sex attacks on three men in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013

Accusations: The American star, who starred in Netflix series House of Cards and films American Beauty and The Usual Suspects, is accused of a string of sex attacks on three men

Deputy Chief Magistrate Ikram granted Spacey unconditional bail ahead of his plea and trial preparation hearing at Southwark Crown Court on July 14.

He said: 'I am going to send your case to the crown court sitting at Southwark. I am going to grant you unconditional bail. Every defendant has a right to unconditional bail unless the court is of the view that there is a real risk.

'You have cooperated, I am told, and this has not been at all challenged by the Crown, with the authorities both in New York and you voluntarily attended these proceedings here today.

New show: Channel 4 announced earlier this week that the broadcaster was working on a Kevin Spacey documentary surrounding the allegations against him

Denial: Spacey 'strenuously denies' the allegations and had returned 'voluntarily' to the UK to 'establish his innocence'

Case: The court heard Spacey went through four days of interviewing in New York and promised that if he was charged he would come to Britain to answer them

'Indeed I withdrew the warrant which was issued for your arrest because it was not necessary. I am not persuaded that there is a real risk, bearing in mind all that I have heard about you, that you would fail to surrender.'

Actor Kevin Spacey's sex assault charges Spacey faces four counts of sexual assault and one of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The allegations relate to three men, now in their 30s and 40s, in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013, including while Spacey was artistic director of The Old Vic theatre in the capital. The charges include: Two counts of sexual assault on a man, who is now in his 40s, in March 2005 in London;

Sexual assault on a man, who is now in his 30s, and causing him to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, in August 2008 in London; and

Sexual assault on a man, who is now in his 30s, in April 2013 in Gloucestershire. Advertisement

Spacey nodded and walked slowly out of the dock when he was told that he was free to leave.

The actor had been interviewed under caution by Scotland Yard in 2019 after the force launched an investigation into the claims two years earlier.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised charges against him last month, but American Spacey could only be formally charged after travelling to the UK.

British prosecutors had suggested they would try and extradite the actor from the US, he appeared in court voluntarily.

In a statement released to Good Morning America after the Crown Prosecution Service announcement last month, Spacey said he was 'confident' he will prove his innocence.

The statement added: 'I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service's statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise.

'While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.'

The Crown Prosecution Service said last month that one man, now in his 40s, claims he was sexually assaulted by Spacey twice in March 2005.

A second man, now in his 30s, claims that in August 2008 he was sexually assaulted and then forced to engage in a sex act against his will. All these alleged incidents took place in London.

The third complainant, now in his 30s, alleges he was sexually assaulted in April 2013 in Gloucestershire.
Channel 5 has announce the air date for the Neighbours finale.

Fans in the UK can watch the iconic Australian soap come to a close at 9pm on Friday 29th July with a double episode special.

The antepenultimate episode will still air in the usual TX slots at 1:45pm and 6pm on Friday 29th July, followed by the history-making finale which will air later the same evening.

Confirmed: Channel 5 has announce the air date for the Neighbours finale. Fans in the UK can watch the iconic soap come to a close at 9pm on Friday 29th July with a double episode special

In what is set to be a gripping and emotional finale, fan favourites from the past will be returning to Ramsay Street to celebrate with Erinsborough locals.

The send-off promises to have something for everyone, spanning all generations and decades from the opening scene in 1985, to the final episode in 2022.

Channel 5 teased that further announcements will be made in the coming weeks about additional surprises to send off the iconic soap in style.

The Australian soap was axed in March this year following the loss of its main UK broadcast partner, Channel 5.

The send-off promises to have something for everyone, spanning all generations and decades from the opening scene in 1985, to the final episode in 2022. (Pictured: Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan on the show in 1988)

News of the finale air date comes after it was reported that the stars of Neighbours will reportedly embark on a 'farewell tour' of the UK after the finale episode.

Key cast members will visit eight cities across England, Scotland and Wales - London, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff - in March 2023, according to Digital Spy.

The soap had previously planned an 'in conversation series' in 2020, coinciding with its 35th anniversary, but had to cancel due to Covid.

These plans have now apparently been rebooted as a 'farewell tour' but the 'key stars' taking part in the rumoured tour have not been revealed.

It comes after executive producer Jason Herbison hinted Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan may have a bigger role in the finale than previously reported.

Tour: The stars of Neighbours will reportedly embark on a 'farewell tour' of the UK after the finale episode airs in August

Mr Herbison told The Herald Sun that a recent storyline 'leak' did not fully explain how the '80s golden couple will return to Ramsay Street.'What I've read is not what happens which is great. It hasn't come out yet,' he said.

Mr Herbison kept tight-lipped about the details of their appearance, but he did say the cameo was 'emotional' for the actors.

'Seeing Kylie back as Charlene was quite a moment. Very special and I think for them too it was a real full circle for them,' he said.

Kylie and Jason's wedding on the series 34 years ago was watched by 22 million people across Australia and the UK.

Neighbours: The Finale will air Friday 29th July at 9pm on Channel 5
Shelley Craft has revealed that the teams on this year's season of The Block: Tree Change do manage to meet all their deadlines.

But the 45-year-old presenter admits that it takes a lot of help to get there, after reports that there were calls for more tradespeople to work on set.

'It does take a team to build a house like this' she told TV Tonight.

Shelley Craft (pictured) has revealed that the teams on this year's season of The Block: Tree Change do manage to meet all their deadlines

'We don't joke that the contestants do all the work themselves. I know not in the early days of The Block, the contestants did do a lot of the work.

'But now it really does take a village, in each and every house to get the work done in the timeframes that the contestants have got'.

She added that she's had the 'best time' this season because there's 'always something exciting happening on set'.

The 45-year-old presenter admits that it takes a lot of help to get there, after reports that there were calls for more tradespeople to work on set. 'It does take a team to build a house like this' she told TV Tonight

'I think I'm the only one that every time I turn up on The Block has a great day,' she joked.

It comes after Channel Nine denied claims conditions on the set of The Block's 2022 season are 'brutal'.

According to The Daily Telegraph's Confidential , the contestants have complained to friends and family about minimal food, freezing temperatures and no access to takeaway.

It comes after Channel Nine denied claims conditions on the set of The Block's 2022 season are 'brutal'

An insider told the publication that 'everyone is exhausted and stressed' and unable to 'access Uber Eats' with the set located in rural Victoria.

'Some days a muesli bar and apple is as good as it gets,' an insider reportedly told Confidential. 'Being in such a remote area, they don't have access to Uber Eats.'

Another insider claimed the contestants were being tightly controlled.

However, it is widely known contestants have their own cars during filming for the show and can go and purchase food and drinks and any they wish.

A Nine spokesperson strongly denied the claims, telling Daily Mail Australia on Saturday: 'Everyone knows The Block is tough, but these claims are just false.' Pictured: Host Scott Cam

A Nine spokesperson strongly denied the claims, telling Daily Mail Australia on Saturday: 'Everyone knows The Block is tough, but these claims are just false.'

This year's show will centre around a 'treechange', and is being filmed in Gisborne in the Macedon Ranges, about an hour from Melbourne.

While he normally oversees the projects, host Scott Cam will also renovate one of the properties himself.
She's certainly never been shy when it comes to showing off her supermodel looks, and Friday morning was no exception for Emily Ratajkowski.

The American actress gave her 29.4million followers a very rude awakening as she posed completely naked while laying across a rug alongside her dog Columbo.

There appeared to be no rhyme or reason for the photo, which the 31-year-old simply captioned: 'baby boy bumbi.'

The cheeky snap showcased her bare bottom as she mirrored the same pose as her pooch, who had his paws up while spread out across the floor.

Friends fur-ever: Emily Ratajkowski bares her bottom in NAKED snap with her dog Columbo as they both share they same pose laid out on a rug

A pair of white trainers with socks in them could be seen in the corner of the photo, presumably where Emily had just stripped off.

The Corrections, a novel by Jonathan Franzen, could also be seen next to the model, which is a sprawling tale about the diaspora of the modern American family.

Her husband, film producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, was not pictured - though it is quite possible that he was responsible for taking the racy snap.

The pair - who were married in 2018 - keep a relatively low profile as a couple, rarely posting about one another on social media.

Thank goodness! Later in the day, Emily was spotted out in NYC, and it appeared as though she was finally reunited with her clothes

Clothes back on: Emily was seen out after her naked snap wearing a gorgeous butterfly print pink dress on Friday

However, they are often spotted together around New York City where they reside, accompanied by their fur baby Columbo.

They welcomed their actual child, Sylvester Apollo Bear, last year in March.

Last month, the dark-haired beauty celebrated her 31st birthday.

Emily has been making plenty of travel plans lately, after she spent some time enjoying the stunning beaches of Tulum, Mexico, earlier in June.

Cuddles: Emily is seen in a throwback snap with her pooch as a puppy

Family: Emily and her husband, film producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, reside in NYC with their dog Columbo and son Sylvester Apollo

Her vacation south of the border came shortly after she traveled to France for the Cannes Film Festival, where she looked glamorous on the red carpet for David Cronenberg's comeback film Crimes Of The Future.

However, her film producer husband was not in attendance.

He's best known for producing several films directed by the brothers Benny and Josh Safdie, including Heaven Knows What, the Robert Pattinsonstarring crime film Good Time and Adam Sandler's critically acclaimed thriller Uncut Gems.
Henry Cavill was pictured for the first time filming scenes for the third season of Netflix fantasy drama The Witcher on Wednesday in the hills of South Wales.

The actor, 39, got back into character as Geralt Of Rivia in a black tunic and matching trousers, while donning matching boots and a silver medallion.

During intense fighting scenes he stabbed another character with a broken sword before walking off as the prosthetic-clad actor fell to an apparent death.

In-action: Henry Cavill was pictured for the first time filming scenes for the third season of Netflix fantasy drama The Witcher on Wednesday in the hills of South Wales

He was joined by Freya Allan who plays Ciri and Anya Chalotra who plays Yennefer. Between takes, the leading ladies braved the pouring rain.

The Superman star wore Geralt's signature platinum blonde wig and shot a series of serious expressions as he put his award-winning acting skills to use.

A large production crew were on-hand to capture every moment, with a crash mat placed on the ground to ensure cast weren't injured if they fell in the fight scene.

Wow! During intense fighting scenes he stabbed another character with a broken sword

Talented: The actor, 39, got back into character as Geralt Of Rivia in a black tunic and matching trousers, while donning matching boots and a silver medallion

Stern: Henry appeared to be in deep thought as he played with his sword on-set

Intense: He then walked off as the prosthetic-clad actor fell to an apparent death

Last year, Henry made his highly-anticipated return as monster hunter Geralt of Rivia in the suspenseful new trailer for the second season of The Witcher.

Based on a series of bestselling books, previously adapted as a trilogy of video games, Netflixs answer to Game of Thrones drew critical acclaim and a season two was quickly confirmed.

The actor was seen battling magical beasts alongside Freya's exiled princess Ciri in the two-and-a-half minute video that Netflix released in October.

Busy: The Superman star wore Geralt's signature platinum blonde wig and shot a series of serious expressions as he put his award-winning acting skills to use.

Safety first: A crash mat had been placed on the ground to ensure cast weren't injured if they fell in the fight scene

Scary: Henry was joined by an actor who was left unrecognisable by his heavy prosthetics

Spectacular: A large production crew were on-hand to capture every moment

After a long delay due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the fantasy series' eight-episode sophomore season premiered on December 17.

The synopsis for The Witcher season two reads: 'Convinced Yennefer's life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen.

'While the Continent's kings, elves, humans and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.'

Good thinking! Crew members held up white tarpaulin to ensure the scene remained dry

Leading ladies: He was joined by Freya Allan who plays Ciri and Anya Chalotra who plays Yennefer

Miserable: Between takes, the leading ladies braved the pouring rain

Sore: The cast member with heavy prosthetics sported a red complexion and his long brown tresses featured a bald patch on the left side

Henry recently shared a rare image alongside his longtime girlfriend Natalie Viscuso on Sunday.

He posed alongside his 33-year-old love while out on a nature walk. The Man of Steel star wore a white shirt and a bit of stubble growing on his face.

Viscuso wore a matching white t-shirt and her light brown hair fell in cascading waves toward her back. She wore a pair of pink framed sunglasses and smiled a coy half smile.

He captioned the post, 'Our Durrell Challenge is officially complete! We decided to walk it today, mostly because I've had the nine shades of hell beaten out of me through two weeks of fight scenes, and ma body wasn't ready for a 13km run!

Spellbinding: There appeared to be a dramatic showdown taking place

Staying dry: The actors kept out of the rain with the white taurpaulin

Spooky: It certainly looked misty on the South Wales set

Blockbuster: Last year, Henry made his highly-anticipated return as monster hunter Geralt of Rivia in the suspenseful new trailer for the second season of The Witcher

Thrilling: It is based on a series of bestselling books and previously adapted as a trilogy of video games

Cult show: Netflixs answer to Game of Thrones drew critical acclaim and a season two was quickly confirmed

'I also suspect that Natalie may have broken her foot a little while ago, so I'm utilizing her injury as a convenient excuse for me! I hope you've all enjoyed your Durrell Challenge experiences so far!'

The Durrell challenge is a 13 kilometer race, approximately eight miles, that took place locally in Jersey, England, and also virtually all over the world.

The pair announced they were dating via Instagram back in May 2021.

He posted a photo of the pair playing chess against one another, gazing deeply into each other's eyes.

Exciting: The actor was seen battling magical beasts alongside Freya's exiled princess Ciri in the two-and-a-half minute video that Netflix released in October

Strolling: Freya and Anna were joined by two chaperones as they made their way through the marshes

Action: Glimpses of the scene certainly looked spectacular

He captioned the snap, 'This is me looking quietly confident shortly before my beautiful and brilliant love Natalie, destroys me at chess.'

While he had the day off to spend with his lovely lady, he's clearly kept busy recently, indicating in his recent post that he had filmed quite a few fight scenes in recent days.

He recently finished filming Enola Holmes 2 and the film Argylle which are both in post-production.

Cavill is also rumored to be starring in the upcoming Highlander film, the story of 'an immortal Scottish swordsman faces off with other immortal warriors in order to obtain a coveted ability,' according to the film's IMDb page.

Show-stopping: Fire on the set made for tense viewing
She has become well known for showcasing her impeccable figure in various promotional campaigns.

And on Thursday, Olivia Culpo gave her 5.2 million Instagram followers a prime look at her flawless physique in a sizzling snap that was shared to her Story.

The 30-year-old fashion industry personality left little to the imagination of her fans while she posed for the picture, and she added a text graphic to describe her outfit as 'crazy.'

Hot stuff! Olivia Culpo gave her 5.2 million Instagram followers a prime look at her flawless physique in a sizzling snap that was shared to her Story on Thursday

Culpo rocked a light purple sheer dress that showed off her toned tummy and sculpted arms while posing for the shot.

The influencer's outfit also showcased her chiseled thighs, which shot out from underneath a light skirt.

The former Miss Universe added a bit of shine to her look with a single necklace.

Her typically free-flowing brunette locks were pulled back and contrasted perfectly with the light color of her clothing.

Va va voom: Culpo previously showed off her beautifully tanned complexion in a sizzling duo of snaps that were shared to her Instagram account earlier this week

Culpo previously showed off her beautifully tanned complexion in a sizzling duo of snaps that were shared to her Instagram account earlier this week.

In the first of her photos, the fashion industry personality displayed her impeccable form while holding a bottle of what she described as 'pure dark self tan foaming water.'

The influencer rocked a stark white strapless bikini top and a matching bottom as she posed for the shots.

She also included a before-and-after comparison to show off the effects of her tanning product.

Showing off: She also included a before-and-after comparison to show off the effects of her tanning product

Culpo partnered with self-tanning company Bondi Sands last year, and she has since been featured in numerous promotional photos for the brand.

The model previously sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter and told the media outlet about why she chose to collaborate with the company.

During the sit-down, she stated: 'I've always been a huge fan of self-tanners, so that is another huge selling point for me.'

The fashion industry figure also spoke about how she had to figure out her own preferences with regard to her usage of cosmetics.

Working hard: Culpo partnered with self-tanning company Bondi Sands last year, and she has since been featured in numerous promotional photos for the brand

'I learned a lot of things about my own unique taste in beauty. I think everybody has a different formula that works for them,' she said.

Culpo went on to note that working in the fashion world had caused her to face numerous difficulties over the years.

'It's been hard when you grow up in this industry  you kind of morph into this industry, you feel like you have to do everything and nothing ever really feels like enough,' she said.
Melissa Suffield celebrated 'belly overhangs' as she posed in black lingerie in a body positive Instagram post on Friday.

The actress, 29, rocked her curves in a lacy black bra and matching underwear from Curvy Kate in a post which she deemed to be for 'people of all shapes and sizes'.

She styled her blonde tresses tied up in a loose bun as she spoke about body positivity and confidence in a candid caption.

'It's beautiful': Melissa Suffield celebrated 'belly overhangs' in a series of lingerie-clad Instagram snaps on Friday

The fresh-faced star, who had a baby boy in 2020, stressed the importance of seeing the beauty in loose skin, and understanding it may develop for a variety of reasons.

She wrote: 'A reminder that belly overhang affects LOADS of us, pregnancy related or not.

'It affects people of all shapes and sizes, sometimes it's fat, sometimes it's skin, sometimes it's as a result of a scar, sometimes it's temporary, ALWAYS it's beautiful.'

Melissa, who formerly played Lucy Beale on EastEnders, added that 'belly overhang' doesn't 'have to be something you're ashamed of'.

'It affects people of all shapes and sizes': The actress, 29, rocked her curves in a lacy black bra and matching underwear from Curvy Kate in a post for 'people of all shapes and sizes'

Candid: Melissa, who formerly played Lucy Beale on EastEnders, added that 'belly overhang' doesn't 'have to be something you're ashamed of'

She continued: 'It doesn't necessarily mean you're unhealthy, and you're most certainly not alone...Hands up who's got a lil belly overhang?'

Melissa often posts underwear-clad positivity videos to social media, describing herself as an advocate of body neutrality.

In April, she laughed off her trolls in a lingerie Instagram video, insisting she 'doesn't care' what people think of her.

The actress hit back at messages of hate she has been receiving about her posts through the video.

History: Melissa had previously played Lucy Beale in the BBC soap EastEnders (pictured in 2010)

Making a statement: In April, Melissa stripped down to her underwear for an Instagram post on Friday as she hit back at her trolls

The clip showed her transition from being in a black cami top and trousers, before covering the camera and reappearing in a leopard print lingerie set.

In the footage, she shared direct messages that people have previously sent her, including 'put it away' and 'your body is disgusting'.

But the actress showed she wasn't fazed as she laughed throughout the video, writing: 'I don't care what you think of me, and that gives me power,' before waving goodbye to the camera.

Inspiring: The actress posted the body positive video to tell her fans that she 'doesn't care' about the messages of hate they send

Laughing it off: She seemed to be unfazed by the trolls, as she laughed throughout the video

Powerful: She insisted that she had 'power' due to not caring about the messages

In the lengthy caption, she explained that she 'constantly' gets messages like these, telling trolls to 'scuttle off back to the vitriolic comment section'.

She wrote: 'You aren't always going to be everyone's cup of tea. People will do things differently than you, and that's ok. We're all entitled to an opinion- but don't mistake that for openly airing them without consequence.

'It's great that we all have a platform now, but scuttle off back to the vitriolic comment section you came from if you feel the need to say your piece.'

Statement: She made her opinion clear through the bold video

Transition: The video showed her in a black ensemble to begin with, before transitioning to the lingerie look

Turning the caption to a positive, she offered some words of wisdom to fans as she assured them that they have 'the power'.

'Whatever you do, don't let ANYONE make you feel small. You have all the power, don't let anyone else have any of it for even a second. You're a bad b***h. Keep shining ,' she concluded.

The bold post comes after she recently shared a message about her bloating due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), insisting it doesn't stop you looking beautiful.

Posing in a number of outfits, she wrote: 'I made sure to film this on a VERY bloated day for me (these roll around occasionally due to PCOS if I've not been eating well).

Keep shining: In the lengthy caption, she explained that she 'constantly' gets messages like these, telling trolls to 'scuttle off back to the vitriolic comment section'

Looking good: Melissa once again flaunted her curves in a red lingerie set as she recently shared an empowering video on Instagram

'But I really wanted to show you that A) bloating is N O R M A L and B) you can still look fierce with a bloat!'

Melissa went on: 'It's tough having a tummy that bloats easily - you start and end the day completely different sizes! So I've rounded up some dresses from New Look that are comfy from morning until night, no matter how the day goes.

'I didn't want everything to be a swing dress, so I've been sure to choose a range of styles, including the dreaded bodycon.'

Confident: The former EastEnders actress showed herself trying on a number of stunning dresses, while sharing a long message about her bloating due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), insisting it doesn't stop you looking beautiful

Since becoming a mum, Melissa has been sharing a number of heartfelt posts about her experiences, as well as adjusting to her changed physique.

Last year, she took to Instagram to share a candid snap of her post-pregnancy belly in a bid to promote body positivity among her followers.

The actress proudly posed with her hands on her rear, revealing her naked body and her rose tattoo.

Melissa gave birth to her first child River just over a year ago, her first with her director husband Robert Brendan.
Brittany Cartwright gleefully announced on her Insta Stories this Thursday that she has lost a whopping 39lbs.

The Vanderpump Rules star gave birth to her son Cruz by her husband Jax Taylor in April 2021 and then teamed up with Jenny Craig this January.

And this week Brittany, 33, posted a mirror selfie in which she modeled a tight dress that showed off her stunning weight loss.

Making it happen: Brittany Cartwright gleefully announced on her Insta Stories this Thursday that she has lost a whopping 39lbs

'I'm down 39lbs!! Woo hoo,' wrote Brittany, who shot to fame alongside Jax during their time on Vanderpump Rules.

She took the show to her main Instagram page, where she posted a behind-the-scenes video montage from her latest Jenny Craig shoot.

Brittany treated her more than million and a half followers to a few glimpses of the various outfits she modeled for the shoot, which took place at home.

She stood for the shutterbugs out in the backyard, showcasing looks ranging from a busty lace floor-length gown to a sleek cocktail dress.

Then and now: Brittany is pictured in September 2021, before embarking on her Jenny Craig journey and now during her latest shoot for the weight-loss brand (right)

Baby mine: The Vanderpump Rules star gave birth to her son Cruz by her husband Jax Taylor in April 2021 and then teamed up with Jenny Craig this January

Her new photo-shoot also allowed her to go California casual in a tank top and Daisy Dukes as she posed by her kitchen island with some Jenny Craig foods.

'Im feeling great!' she gushed in the caption of the post, where her husband Jax Taylor leapt into the comments and wrote: 'Hot wife alert!!!'

Jax and Brittany began dating in 2015 and the ups and downs of their relationship unfolded in front of reality TV cameras on Vanderpump Rules.

Svelte: She took the show to her main Instagram page, where she posted a behind-the-scenes video montage from her latest Jenny Craig shoot

Keeping it at home: Brittany treated her more than million and a half followers to a few glimpses of the various outfits she modeled for the shoot, which took place at home

Cheer: Her new photo-shoot also allowed her to go California casual in a tank top and Daisy Dukes as she posed by her kitchen island with some Jenny Craig foods

Although they broke up at one point because of his infidelity with their co-star Faith Stowers, they eventually patched up their relationship and married in 2019.

They welcomed their bouncing baby boy Cruz in April 2021, and Brittany proudly posts frequent pictures of him to her Instagram.

Brittany, who grew up on a farm in Kentucky, teamed up with Jenny Craig in January and embarked on their Max Up weight loss program.

Looking back: Brittany, who grew up on a farm in Kentucky, teamed up with Jenny Craig in January and embarked on their Max Up weight loss program

When she first signed onto Max Up, an official press release announced that she intended to take off at least 30lbs, a goal she has now exceeded.

She eventually announced that that after she adopted the Jenny Craig program, she lost a whopping 22lbs in just 11 weeks.

Celebs ranging from singing stars Mariah Carey and Jennifer Hudson to sitcom stars Valerie Bertinelli and Jason Alexander have endorsed the brand in the past.
Jeong Da-hye's "A Time of Sincerity," a horsehair-woven vessel, has been named the winner of this year's Loewe Foundation Craft Prize. She became the first Korean artist ever to win the prize, awarded by the Spanish luxury fashion house to recognize working artists' contributions to modern craftsmanship. Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol





By Park Han-sol







A hand-woven vessel sways back and forth in even the gentlest breeze wafting through the room, glimmering in the light at each wiggle.







"A Time of Sincerity," a malleable yet surprisingly solid craft work borne from the hands of Korean artist Jeong Da-hye, has revived the centuries-old technique of making hats with horsehair.







The skill has been considered almost lost since the end of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, when it was used to weave noblemen's hats called "gat." Now, only a handful of artisans, mostly based on Jeju Island, continue the legacy stretching back over 500 years.







Her delicate vessel, where fine strands of horsehair are interwoven into geometric patterns inspired by the mid-Joseon era's "sabanggwan" hat, has become the first-ever Korean piece to be awarded the prestigious Loewe Foundation Craft Prize this year.







Launched in 2016 at the initiative of Jonathan Anderson, the creative director of Spanish luxury fashion house Loewe, the annual prize aims to recognize working artists' contributions to bringing "excellence, artistic merit and newness in modern craftsmanship," according to the foundation.







The fifth edition of the craft prize received more than 3,100 submissions around the world, which were whittled down to 30 finalists from 15 countries working in a range of mediums, from ceramics, textiles and leather, to wood, paper, glass and metal.







This year's shortlist included a total of seven Korean artists, the largest number ever.







Artist Jeong Da-hye stands next to her horsehair-woven vessel, "A Time of Sincerity." Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation

"Horsehair weaving is one of the most ingenious and unique craft techniques of Korea," the 33-year-old Jeong said during the awards ceremony held on Thursday evening at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA).







"I don't think of my work as a solitary one. Rather, I consider myself to be working alongside the longstanding tradition of fiber crafts. (With this prize,) I am exhilarated to see the centuries-old Korean technique getting due recognition for its superiority and long history."







The jury of 13 highlighted the artist's dedication to bringing back the tradition with a contemporary touch, adding that there is a delicate perfection and surprising lightness beneath the work's simple guise. The vote for Jeong was almost unanimous, they noted.







Jeong was awarded 50,000 euros ($52,200) and a bowl-shaped trophy designed by acclaimed British silversmith Alex Brogden.







Two other finalists earned honorable mentions at the ceremony: South African ceramic artist, Andile Dyalvane, for his glazed stoneware "Cornish Wall" and Germany-based artist, Julia Obermaier, for her jewelry work, "Verborgen" that combines rock crystal with pigmented resin.







An exhibition showcasing the works of all 30 finalists of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2022 is held at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in central Seoul. Courtesy of the Loewe Foundation





All 30 shortlisted works are currently on display in the exhibition, "Loewe Foundation Craft Prize," at the SeMoCA in central Seoul. The prize's previous editions hosted shows at representative institutions dedicated to crafts and designs in Madrid, London, Tokyo and Paris.







Among them, Cote d'Ivoire-based creator Peter McCarthy created "Etoffe de Gloire / Royal Kita With Red Stripes," a textile piece made from the donation of hundreds of multihued zippers stitched together as an ode to Kita cloth of West Africa.







The London-based collective, Blast Studio, presents an otherworldly element of nature as a commentary on human-induced environmental destruction. It transformed heaps of discarded single-use paper coffee cups into an artificial "Blue Tree" that can once again function within an ecosystem.







Marianne Huotari's "Ananasakaama," left, and Blast Studio's "Blue Tree" / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol





Also on view is Jung So-yun's "Someone is Praying for You," an ethereal, semi-translucent monofilament structure that is reminiscent of the serene mountainous scenery featured in traditional Korean ink-and-wash landscape paintings.







"The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize aims to celebrate tradition, material, technique, as well as innovative spirit embodied within the artists' works  During the screening process, we would see many Korean creators with some of the most brilliant and innovative ideas," Cho Hye-young, the appointed commissioner and one of the members of the expert panel for this year's prize, said during Thursday's press preview at the museum.







"A number of Korean artists propose a new  sometimes daring  approach and a way of interpretation in terms of the materials being used," she noted, adding that crafts can rise to be the face of Korean art.







"Loewe Foundation Craft Prize" will run throughout the month of July at the SeMoCA.






Eva Longoria showed off her chic sense of style as she arrived at the 26th United States-Spain Forum held in Bilbao, Spain, on Friday.

The actress, 47, wore a cream cropped jacket with a geometric shoulder line over a white top.

She teamed her chic ensemble with a pair of tangerine flared trousers and a matching orange belt with a gold buckle adorned with birds.

Star quality: Eva Longoria, 47, showed off her chic sense of style as she arrived at the 26th United States-Spain Forum held in Bilbao, Spain on Friday

The belt featured a gold statement circular buckle with two birds on either side.

She held a pair of dark sunglasses in her hand and wore some dazzling silver earrings and a glistening gold watch.

The star wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features and smiled as she posed on arrival.

In style: The actress wore a cream cropped jacket with a geometric shoulder line over a white top

Eva has several film projects currently in the works, most recently appearing in the comedy Unplugging opposite Matt Walsh and Lea Thompson.

She is next slated to appear in All-Star Weekend alongside Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Piven which was originally slated for release in 2018 before facing delays.

The star also has a role in upcoming coming-of-age film Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

Fashion focus: She wore a pair of tangerine flared trousers which reached right down to the ground with a matching belt

However, she enjoyed some downtime last month when she reunited with her pal Victoria Beckham.

The Spice-Girl-turned-designer, 48, shared a fun snap with the former Desperate Housewives star as they wore cosy pyjamas, and alluded to Eva's role in the US series with a cheeky caption.

She wrote: 'Just two desperate housewives having a catch up!  I love you @evalongoria.'
Jamie Dornan has admitted he felt 'very emotional' after watching the poignant finale of Northern Ireland-based drama Derry Girls.

The Northern Ireland native, 40, said he sent a 'soppy text' to the Channel 4 creator Lisa McGee after watching the final episode.

The episode captures the sense of hope in 1998 at the signing of the Good Friday Agreement following decades of violence in the country.

Poignant: Jamie Dornan has admitted he felt 'very emotional' after watching the poignant finale of Northern Ireland-based drama Derry Girls

Speaking at the Our Time In Space event at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, he said the girls taking part in cross community programmes reminded him of his school days going on a trip to the Share Centre in Co Fermanagh.

He explained: 'I massively identified with Derry Girls, I get emotional talking about the finale. I know Lisa well, that's about the soppiest text I have ever sent to anybody when I finished the finale...

'Trying to tackle the nuanced complications of being from this part of the world at that time with such integrity and such humour is almost impossible, I don't know how she managed to do it, it's incredible and so poignant.'

Jamie said that those in his generation are currently making the decision of where to send their own children to school, admitting that they are in a 'post-conflict society and your decision making on where to send your kids has altered.'

Finale: The Northern Ireland native, 40, said he sent a 'soppy text' to the Channel 4 creator Lisa McGee after watching the final episode (pictured the cast of Derry Girls)

Set in 1998, in the week of the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement, which set out a peace accord for the troubled factions in Northern Ireland, the episode explored the real-life tensions of the time while offering light relief as Erin and Orla attempted to throw a joint 18th birthday party.

In classic Derry Girls' style, things didn't quite go to plan when their mothers forgot to book out the community hall so they have to share it with a group of young girls celebrating their first communion.

Things continue to spiral as the friends' nemesis Jenny Joyce hosts her birthday on the same day, stealing all their guests in the process with the promise of champagne, a magician and Riverdance.

Moment in history: The episode captures the sense of hope in 1998 at the signing of the Good Friday Agreement following decades of violence in the country

Nostalgic: Speaking at the Our Time In Space event at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, he said the girls taking part in cross community programmes reminded him of his school days going on a trip to the Share Centre in Co Fermanagh

The group also faces tension as Erin and Michelle have an argument about the peace agreement as Erin feels it is not right that paramilitary prisoners could be released as part of the conditions while Michelle reminds her that her brother is in jail for such a crime.

Clare, who has moved away following her father's death, later comes to save the day by sabotaging the electrics at Jenny's party so they all have to relocate to Erin and Orla's party.

As the episode draws to a close, Erin reflects on the importance of growing up and moving on.

He explained: 'I massively identified with Derry Girls, I get emotional talking about the finale. I know Lisa well, that's about the soppiest text I have ever sent to anybody when I finished the finale...'

The message becomes particularly poignant for the end of the comedy series and the historical moment as she speaks over video footage of The Troubles and discussions had by key political characters including former prime minister Tony Blair, former Northern Ireland first minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley and former deputy first minister and Sinn Fein politician Martin McGuinness.

During his appearance at the event, Jamie also hit out at the current impasse at Stormont, describing the local politics as a 'shambles'.

He said: 'They are not the conversations we should be having. Its ultimately really damaging.'

'Obviously Brexit has called into question so many uncomfortable truths for people here, questions about the very case of how you identify has been upended by Brexit and suddenly all these people who, all they care about is feeling British, feel like they are undermined by not feeling British enough. Its a mess, thats not changing.'
Andy Cohen has learned about the joys of traveling with kids.

The Andy Cohen Diaries star, 54, shared a hilarious video of him driving while his two little ones, Benjamin, three, and Lucy, nine weeks were screaming their heads off in the back seat Friday.

The harried father was wearing a tie dye shirt and can be seen reaching his wits' end while the nanny can be heard giving some instructions on her phone about baby formula.

Make it stop: Andy Cohen, 54, shared a hilarious video of every parent's nightmare, as he drove the car with two screaming kids in the back. He titled the video 'Summer should be fun'

'Summer should be fun,' the Real Housewives executive producer wrote alongside the video that many parents will relate to.

Real Housewives of Miami star Marysol Patton wrote, 'Good times,' followed by a winking emoji. Maria Lawton of Maria's Portuguese Table chimed in with, 'Oh  I remember those days!!!' and Padma Lakshmi offered a comforting 'Im sorry, its all worth it!!'

The Bravo TV host has been very open about his path to parenthood, choosing to become a single dad with the help of a surrogate at the age of 51, when his son was born.

Wailing: The Bravo star grimaced as he drove while Benjamin, three and Lucy nine weeks, wailed at the top of their lungs on the family outing Friday

He chose surrogacy again to welcome his daughter earlier this year.

The Premise star won a small legal battle earlier this week when a judge in Atlanta granted a 45-day extension for negotiations in the discrimination lawsuit filed by Nene Leakes, 54, who has accused former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak-Biermann of making racist remarks about while Kim was on the show from 2008-2018.

The suit also claimed that Andy, Bravo and NBCUniversal fostered 'a corporate and workplace culture in which racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated  if not, encouraged.'

Quiet time: Earlier this week, the proud papa shared a photo of him and Lucy wearing matching shirts

Single parent: The reality show creator decided to tackle single fatherhood, and welcomed Benjamin via surrogate three years ago. Lucy was born via surrogate earlier this year

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip executive producer and his team argued that NeNe's contract required any ongoing disputes to be arbitrated in New York.

The New Normal star responded she didn't agree with their argument, but would continue 'the process of negotiating this issue in an attempt to avoid the time and expense of a motion to compel arbitration.'

Their next court date is August 19.
She has been spotted in a string of bubblegum pink costumes while filming the Barbie movie.

But Margot Robbie was modeling a surprisingly normal and sedate ensemble when she was seen shooting a scene in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 31-year-old movie star wore a simple outfit of a tan blazer over a white tank top tucked into a pair of casual blue jeans.

Barbie, is that you?: Margot Robbie was modeling a surprisingly normal and sedate ensemble when she was seen shooting a scene in Los Angeles on Friday

She accentuated the look with a simple pair of powder pink leather sandals and a matching handbag, sweeping her blonde locks into an updo.

Although her wardrobe had undergone a massive transformation, Margot was still displaying the quintessential cheerful Barbie personality.

She had a massive smile on her face as she bounded out of a gleaming blue car accompanied by her co-star America Ferrera.

America, who became a star on Ugly Betty and in the Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants movies, is acting in the film in a currently undisclosed role.

Then and now: She has been spotted in a string of garish costumes while filming the Barbie movie (left this Monday), a far cry from Friday's look (right)

Friday fun: The 31-year-old movie star wore a simple outfit of a tan blazer over a white tank top tucked into a pair of casual blue jeans

The look: She accentuated the look with a simple pair of powder pink leather sandals and a matching handbag, sweeping her blonde locks into an updo

Hard at work: Actress turned director Greta Gerwig is at the helm of this new feature, which she wrote with her husband, the acclaimed indie filmmaker Noah Baumbach

The Our Family Wedding actress cut a fashionably casual figure in a striped half-sleeved v-neck sweater and a loose-fitted pair of jeans.

Meanwhile Ryan Gosling, who is playing Ken, was spotted out that day filming in a cowboy ensemble he has been glimpsed in multiple times before.

The outfit is dripping with white fringe and embroidery and features a hot pink bandanna, perfectly evoking the candy-floss toy world of Barbie.

Actress turned director Greta Gerwig is at the helm of this new feature, which she wrote with her husband, the acclaimed indie filmmaker Noah Baumbach.

By the way: At an earlier stage of the movie's development, Barbie was meant to be played by Amy Schumer, who was also to write the screenplay with her sister Kim Caramele

At an earlier stage of the movie's development, Barbie was meant to be played by Amy Schumer, who was also to write the screenplay with her sister Kim Caramele.

The idea was for Amy's character to be ejected from Barbieland for her imperfections - but that project was ultimately not to be.

She withdrew from the movie in 2017 shortly after coming aboard and stated at the time that 'scheduling conflicts' were to blame.

There she is: America, who became a star on Ugly Betty and in the Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants movies, is acting in the film in a currently undisclosed role

Ensemble: The Our Family Wedding actress cut a fashionably casual figure in a striped half-sleeved v-neck sweater and a loose-fitted pair of jeans

However this March she spilled to the Hollywood Reporter that the real reason for her departure was creative differences with the studio.

'They definitely didnt want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it,' Amy explained.

One difference she let slip was that she wanted Barbie to be an inventor and the studio's idea for her invention was a Jell-O high heel.

The current version of Barbie, which counts Margot as one of its producers, is slated to get a summer release next year on July 21, 2023.

Meanwhile: Ryan Gosling, who is playing Ken, was spotted out that day filming in a cowboy ensemble he has been glimpsed in multiple times before
Hayley Atwell is reportedly dating actor and music producer Ned Wolfgang Kelly following her reported split from Tom Cruise last month.

The London-based artist's Instagram bio reads that he 'doesn't eat animals' and that he has been 'alcohol & drug free for over a decade'.

According to The Sun, Hayley, 40, and Ned have enjoyed loved up dates to Disneyland in California.

Budding romance: Hayley Atwell (pictured in May) is said to be dating actor and music producer Ned Wolfgang Kelly following her reported split from Tom Cruise last month

Speaking to the outlet, an insider claimed: 'Hayley's happiness is written on her face right now.

'They get on like a house on fire and make a very handsome couple.'

Ned's website says he has produced commercial music for big brands such as Bud Light, Headspace and Samsung.

He has also scored films, worked on the design side of projects, and penned articles.

Split: It comes following reports that Tom split from Hayley for the second time last month; Pictured on set in Italy, November 2020

MailOnline has reached out to Ned Wolfgang Kelly and Hayley Atwell's representatives for comment.

It comes as Tom attended Adele's concert for American Express present BST Hyde Park in London on Friday with a mystery woman.

It is not clear what the pair's dynamic is, as she and the Top Gun actor walked next to each other to enjoy the performance.

Tom flaunted his muscular physique in a form fitting black button-up, topped with a chic suede jacket and his gig company donned a stylish baby pink cardigan and some denim flares.

It's over: Tom reportedly split from Hayley for the second time last month; Pictured July 2021 in London

Friends: A source told The Sun: 'Unfortunately it hasnt worked out for them. They have now decided they are better as friends'; Pictured May 2021 in London

MailOnline has reached out to Tom's representatives for comment.

It comes following reports that Tom split from Hayley for the second time last month.

The Top Gun: Maverick legend and his Mission: Impossible 7 co-star have parted ways after recently reconciling following their first split in September of 2021, according to The Sun.

A source told the publication: 'Unfortunately it hasnt worked out for them. They have now decided they are better as friends.'

Genuine: The source also insisted that the couple's romance was 'genuine', stating 'In spite of some rumours to the contrary, it was never just for the cameras' (pictured on set in 2020)

The insider also revealed that the fanfare around the couple after going public was too much to handle.

'They get on really well, and have fantastic chemistry, which is why they decided to quietly give the relationship another try earlier this year.

'What was working behind closed doors didnt work out so well when it was made public, and the fanfare around them as a couple exploded again,' the source stated.

The source also insisted that the couple's romance was 'genuine', stating 'In spite of some rumours to the contrary, it was never just for the cameras.'

Hayley recently supported Tom at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere in London, on May 19, where she stunned in a black crop top and matching velvet skirt with a high slit.

A source told The Sun at the time: 'She's purely there to support him. It's a big step for them.'

The pair began dating in 2020 after meeting on set of Mission: Impossible 7, and were first reported to be an item in December.

Tom, who plays Ethan Hunt in the famous franchise, and Hayley, who portrays a character mononymously known as Grace, spent much of the last year shooting the movie across the UK, as well as in Rome, Venice, and Norway.

Though the two had never expressly confirmed their romance, they were said to have become 'fairly inseparable' after they 'hit it off from day one' on the film.

However, by September, the relationship was said to have 'run its course' for the pair.

An insider told The Sun about the breakup: 'It has been a very intense period of filming together. They really got on well  but as the latest film winds down they've decided to go back to being friends.'

Co-stars: The pair began dating in 2020 after meeting on set of Mission: Impossible 7, and were first reported to be an item in December; Pictured on set in Rome, October 2020

'Their filming schedules are very full-on, and Tom has a number of other commitments coming up and is always shooting around by private helicopter and jet so it just ran its course.

'But they're still happy to work together. It's a shame, but just one of those things. They still get on well.'

Tom hasn't had a high-profile romance since his divorce from ex-wife Katie Holmes, 43, in 2012, while Hayley was said to have split from her English doctor ex at some point in 2020.

The Hollywood icon shares daughter Suri, 16, with Katie.
Vanderpump Rules alum Brittany Cartwright revealed she still feels 'guilty' for not attending Stassi Schroeder's lavish Italian wedding to agent Beau Clark on May 12.

During Friday's episode of Scheana Shay's podcast, Scheananigans with Scheana Shay, the reality star, 33, opened up about how some texts sent by her husband Jax Taylor to the couple contributed to the falling-out with her longtime pal, 34.

Tension between her and Schroeder rose when Taylor, 42, expressed 'his doubts' about whether he and Cartwright would be able to attend the ceremony.

Regrets: Vanderpump Rules alum Brittany Cartwright revealed she still feels 'guilty' for not attending Stassi Schroeder's lavish Italian wedding to agent Beau Clark on May 12; seen in 2020

'I don't actually know what all of the text messages were. I, personally, never sent any text messages,' Cartwright explained to Scheana. 'I will make that very clear, because I would never do that to them. I was planning on going 1000, 100 percent.'

She continued: 'Jax started getting in his head, getting worked up about flying with the baby... You know how Jax is, he'll just text and rage text...'

'He didn't really think he wanted to go anymore. He was telling [Stassi and Beau's] best friend Rob or something and [he] ended up showing them the message,' the mom-of-one continued.

Her side: During Friday's episode of Scheana Shay's podcast, Scheananigans with Scheana Shay, the reality star, 33, opened up about how her husband Jax Taylor contributed to her falling-out with her longtime pal, 34

The ex Bravo star pointed out her spouse 'shouldn't have done it' and his behavior was 'very' upsetting.

Earlier this month, Cartwright confirmed she and Schroeder are feuding after they were no-shows at Stassi's big Italian wedding.

'I apologized like, 'I'm so sorry we're still planning on coming,'' Taylor's wife recalled. '[Stassi and Beau] got really mad at both of us and didn't really talk to us for a couple of weeks ... We didn't hardly hear from them, and I kept saying, 'I'm so sorry that he did that.''

Overall, Cartwright called the drama 'nerve wracking' and said she 'was breaking out in hives' from the stress.

Not defending her man's actions: The ex Bravo star pointed out her spouse 'shouldn't have' sent her pal 'rage' texts and his behavior was 'very' upsetting; seen in 2019

'I felt so bad, and I still feel bad,' Cartwright noted. 'I'm just trying to give her time. Maybe in like a couple [of] months, I don't know, maybe we'll be able one day and talk it over.'

At this point, Scheana suggested that Schroeder 'should have more compassion for the situation' and that Cartwright attended her first wedding to Clark in September 2020.

'Let's point out the fact that you were at her wedding, her real wedding, her first wedding,' Scheana, 37, reminded listeners. 'You were there. You helped plan. This is a second wedding celebration out of country. You have a child. Your mom just lost a dear friend. You didn't have a passport [for Cruz] and you were still trying to get there up until the last day.'

On the outs: Earlier this month, Cartwright confirmed she and Schroeder are feuding after they were no-shows at Stassi's big Italian wedding (pictured in 2019)

Cartwright says she has 'reached out since the wedding' but hasn't 'gotten any response just yet.'

'll try again in a couple weeks or something. I don't know. I just like to make things right,' she concluded.

On June 14, Cartwright revealed she had done 'everything in her power' to attend the wedding and said she hopes that they can 'figure this out' while appearing on the Betches Moms podcast.

Recently, Stassi revealed on her own podcast that Jax and Brittany were in the doghouse because they said they were attending the wedding but told friends the exact opposite. Cartwright, however, explained that things were not so black and white.

Not pleased: Recently, Stassi revealed on her own podcast that Jax and Brittany were in the doghouse because they said they were attending the wedding but told friends the exact opposite

'There's some rifts going on right now,' Brittany said. 'With me and Stassi, there's some things going on, which I hate. I love her to pieces and I wish we could figure this out.'

Brittany insisted that she and Jax 'wanted to be there' and had never pretended they were going, which Stassi accused them of doing.

'I would never in a million years do something like that on purpose,' Cartwright said. 'We had actual reasons why we couldn't go that were not talked about.'

She went on the explain that the passport they had ordered for their one-year-old son had not arrived in time for the trip and she had a death in the family, which required her mom to travel back to Kentucky.

'There's some rifts going on right now,' Brittany said. 'With me and Stassi, there's some things going on, which I hate. I love her to pieces and I wish we could figure this out.' (pictured in February)

'But I know, like, having to wait to the last minute and not being able to be there for someone who I really do think of as one of my best friends, like, I feel terrible about and I'm truly sorry,' she said remorsefully. 'And I hope that one day, we'll be able to talk about this and figure it all out. Because I do want our kids to grow up together.'

Brittany, who formerly co-starred on Vanderpump Rules with Schroeder, said she had a lot of love for Stassi and Beau.

'She looked amazing at her wedding. I mean, they looked absolutely incredible,' she mused. 'And I know it would have been so fun to be there.'

'At the end of the day, I just hope that they know, like, I did not wait to the last minute because I knew I was going to not be there for weeks. That was not the case,' she explained that she still tried to get there 'up until the very last minute.'

'I just felt terrible about it altogether because that's just not my personality, I would never try to put my friend in that situation,' Brittany said.

Stassi and Brittany haven't had a chance to hash things out in private but Schroeder did open up about her former co-stars no-showing at her nuptials on her The Good, the Bad and the Baby podcast.

The NYT best-selling author said during a recent episode that Jax and Brittany had RSVP'd yes to her wedding but her husband saw screenshots where Jax claimed the couple was never going to show.

'We need to address this with them because I'm not playing this game,' Stassi recalled saying a few weeks before the wedding. 'I ordered all the stuff we needed to have in terms of seat assignments and the place cards. So I need to know if I need to quickly ask to get things rearranged.'

'At the end of the day, I just hope that they know, like, I did not wait to the last minute because I knew I was going to not be there for weeks. That was not the case,' Brittany explained, adding that despite knowing for sometime she wouldn't attend, she still tried to get there 'up until the very last minute.' (Jax and Brittany pictured in 2021)

'Good friends don't do that,' she added. 'They don't talk s**t about your wedding behind your back or pretend that they're coming and give a list of reasons why they're not coming to other people. Friends don't do that to each other.'

Last month, Stassi said 'I do' for the second time at her dream wedding to husband Beau Clark in Italy.

The wedding guest list was slashed after she got fired from Vanderpump Rules - though Brittany and Jax had made the cut.

Schroeder's wedding went from 200 guests to just 35 because things were 'too expensive', she said during a recent appearance on the Dear Media podcast, The Skinny Confidential.

'Good friends don't do that,' Stassi recently said of the no-show. 'They don't talk s**t about your wedding behind your back or pretend that they're coming and give a list of reasons why they're not coming to other people. Friends don't do that to each other.'

'It was supposed to be on Vanderpump Rules,' Stassi said, explaining that her wedding special would have served as a 'bridge' episode for a now defunct spin-off show.

Stassi actually took a producer from the show with her and Beau to Rome back in 2019 to scout locations for the hotel, rehearsal dinner space and wedding venue so they could secure the rights to film there.

The Off With My Head author revealed that the venues refused to let her cancel. At the same time, after her firing over a racism scandal, all of Stassi's revenue streams - the show, her podcast and endorsements - all dried up

'Bravo didn't pay for this s**t,' she said, 'like we paid for the s**t and the venues didn't let us get out of it. Do we want to just eat this money and let it go? Or, like, do we want to, re-imagine what this wedding will look like and like still do it?'

Finally: Last month, Stassi said 'I do' for the second time at her dream wedding in Italy, but the wedding guest list was slashed after she got fired from Vanderpump Rules - though Brittany and Jax had made the cut

Tom Sandoval and Scheana Shay were persona non grata at the swanky event. Scheana was one of the 70% that actually had her invite rescinded by the bride, while Sandoval was never invited.

Katie Maloney, who is Stassi's baby's godmother, made the cut for the wedding - as did her soon-to-be ex Tom Schwartz.

Kristen Doute - who was fired from the Bravo show alongside Stassi after falsely accusing black castmate Faith Sowers of theft to the police - was also absent from the wedding but had been invited.

Stassi and Beau started their romance towards the end of 2017 and they became engaged in July 2019.

The two first officially wed in 2020 in a back yard with few in attendance due to COVID. They had to wait until 2022 to have a big, splashy wedding of their dreams with their friends in Italy.
Akhundzada has not been filmed or photographed in public since the Taliban returned to power in August

The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada called Friday for the world to stop telling them how to run Afghanistan, insisting sharia law was the only model for a successful Islamic state.

Akhundzada, who has not been filmed or photographed in public since the Taliban returned to power in August, was addressing a major gathering of religious scholars in the Afghan capital called to rubber-stamp the hardline Islamist group's rule.

More than 3,000 clerics have gathered in Kabul since Thursday for the three-day men-only meeting, and Akhundzada's appearance had been rumoured for days -- although media are barred from covering the event.

"Why is the world interfering in our affairs?" he asked in an hour-long speech broadcast by state radio.

"They say 'why don't you do this, why don't you do that?' Why does the world interfere in our work?"

Akhundzada rarely leaves Kandahar, the Taliban's birthplace and spiritual heartland, and apart from one undated photograph and several audio recordings of speeches, has almost no digital footprint.

But analysts say the former sharia court judge has an iron grip on the movement and he bears the title "Commander of the Faithful".

His arrival at the meeting hall was greeted with cheers and chants, including "Long live the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", the Taliban's name for the country.

Akhundzada's appearance comes a week after a powerful earthquake struck the east of the country, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

No women are attending the clerics' meeting, but a Taliban source told AFP this week that thorny issues such as girls' education -- which has divided opinion in the movement -- would be discussed.

- No mention of girls' schooling -

Akhundzada did not mention the subject in his speech, which was confined largely to telling the faithful to strictly observe Islamic principles in life and governance.

Since the Taliban's return, secondary school girls have been barred from education and women dismissed from government jobs, forbidden from travelling alone, and ordered to dress in clothing that covers everything but their faces.

The Taliban have also outlawed playing non-religious music, banned the portrayal of human figures in advertising, ordered TV channels to stop showing movies and soap operas featuring uncovered women, and told men they should dress in traditional garb and grow their beards.

In Geneva on Friday, the United Nations human rights chief urged the Taliban to look to other Muslim countries for inspiration on improving the rights of women in a religious context.

Addressing an urgent council debate on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, Michelle Bachelet said they were "experiencing the most significant and rapid roll-back in enjoyment of their rights across the board in decades".

"I strongly encourage the de facto authorities to engage with predominantly Muslim countries with experience in promoting women and girls' rights, as guaranteed in international law, in that religious context," she said.

Akhundzada said the Taliban had won victory for Afghanistan, but it was up to the "ulema" -- the religious scholars -- to advise the new rulers on how to properly implement sharia law.

"The sharia system comes under two parts -- scholars and rulers," he said.

"If scholars do not advise authorities to do good, or the rulers close the doors against the scholars, then we will not have an Islamic system."

Believed to be in his 70s, Akhundzada spoke in strong measured tones, occasionally coughing or clearing his throat.

He warned that non-Muslim nations would always be opposed to a pure Islamic state, so the faithful had to endure hardships to get what they wanted.

"You have to compete, you have to endure hardships... the present world will not easily accept you implementing the Islamic system," he said.

Women's rights activists have slammed their lack of participation.

"Women should be part of the decisions about their fate," Razia Barakzai told AFP Thursday.

"Life has been taken away from Afghan women."




Korea's exports rose 5.4 percent on-year in June on solid demand for chips and petroleum products, but the country extended its trade deficit for the third consecutive month due to high global energy prices, data showed Friday.







During the first six months of this year, the country saw exports reach an all-time half-year high, but high-flying energy prices sent the trade deficit to the highest figure for any first-half period, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.







Last month, outbound shipments stood at $57.73 billion, up from $54.78 billion a year earlier.







It is the highest tally for any June since the ministry began compiling related data in 1956. The previous record was set a year earlier.







June marked the 20th consecutive month that the country's exports have logged an on-year expansion. But the growth slowed down to end 15 straight months of double-digit growth.







The slowdown came as the country had fewer working days in June due to holidays for the June 1 local elections and Memorial Day on June 6. This year's number of 22 days is fewer than the 24 days for the same month last year.







Exports were also affected by domestic logistics disruptions over a truckers' strike in early June, according to officials.







Imports jumped 19.4 percent on-year to $60.2 billion in June on soaring global energy prices, leading the country to post a trade deficit of $2.47 billion, the data showed. The country has posted a trade deficit since April.







Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, rose to $113.27 per barrel in June on average from $71.6 a year earlier.







Korea depends on imports for most of its energy needs, and the country's energy imports spiked around 63.7 percent on-year to $13.73 billion in June, according to the ministry.







During the first six months of this year, South Korea saw exports grow 15.6 percent to an all-time half-year high of $350.3 billion.







Imports advanced 26.2 percent on-year to $360.6 billion due mainly to high global energy costs and the surge in raw materials prices.







The country, accordingly, logged a trade deficit of $10.3 billion in the January-June period, which was the highest figure for any first-half period, the data showed. (Yonhap)


Free Event

Join us for the 9th Annual Thunderfest Cruise-In in downtown Middletown on July 30, 2022 from 11am-4 p.m. This event is a free for all.....as in, it is free, for both participants and spectators! Calling all classic cars, hot rods, street rods, rat roads, pulling tractors, motorcycles, Jeeps and MORE! Hourly cackle fest - ear plugs recommended!

Come spend the day exploring unique cars, boutiques and eateries in historic Downtown Middletown!
People pay their respects to slain Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal, who was allegedly killed by two Muslim men for supporting a former spokeswoman of the railing Bharatiya Janta Party for her remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, in Udaipur on June 30, 2022. (AFP)

Udaipur: Two men were arrested for conspiring the murder of a tailor here and produced in a local court on Friday.

Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was murdered on Tuesday by two cleaver-wielding men, who posted a grisly video of the crime online.

The court of the chief judicial magistrate, Udaipur, granted one-day transit remand of the duo. They will now be produced in an NIA court in Jaipur on Saturday by the ATS, an advocate said.

At the same time, the Udaipur district court gave direction to the Rajasthan Police to hand over the case diary to NIA. The case will be investigated by the NIA after formalities of the case transfer are completed.

Public Prosecutor Kapil Todawat said the ATS produced Mohsin and Asif, who were arrested on Thursday night, in the CJM court, which granted transit remand for producing them in a designated NIA court in Jaipur because the trial of the case will now run there.

"Since the formalities of handing over the case are underway, the ATS will produce both accused arrested last night before the designated NIA court on Saturday," he said.

Additional Director General (SOG and ATS) Ashok Rathore said the two men were arrested on Thursday night for criminal conspiracy and conducting a recce of the tailor's shop.

"The two are co-conspirators in the murder of Kanhaiya Lal and are being interrogated," an official had said in the morning.

Rathore said main accused Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad have been shifted to a high-security prison in Ajmer. They hacked to death Kanhaiya Lal in his shop in Udaipur's Mal Das street on Tuesday over a controversial post and fled on a motorcycle.

They also shot a video of the crime and made another video confessing that they have "beheaded" the tailor for insulting Islam. They were caught in Bhim town of Rajsamand district hours after the incident.

Meanwhile, a statement of the ATS and SOG reiterated that both the main accused had links with Pakistan-based sources. "It was informed in a press conference on June 29 by the DGP that these accused have connections with the organisation, Dawat-e-Islami," the statement said.

Officials said the motorcycle used for escape by them had "2611" as its registration number, a possible reference to the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

Serial terror attacks in Mumbai took place on November 26 and referred to as 26/11 in general.

Akhtari had paid Rs 1,000 to obtain the number of his choice for the motorcycle which he had bought in March 2013, officials said.

Meanwhile, members of the Jain community demanded more security for a resident of an Udaipur locality mentioned in the video clip posted by the alleged killers of Kanhaiya Lal.

They met the district collector and handed over a memorandum pressing for enhanced security for tyre trader Nitin Jain and his family, who live in Sector 11.

Riaz Akhtari had mentioned in a video that some people living in Sector 11 should also be beheaded.

The Udaipur police has already deputed two policemen outside the house of Nitin Jain and members of the community have demanded more security to ensure that another incident like Kanhaiya Lal murder does not happen.

On the other hand, the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra was held in Udaipur on Friday amid heavy security arrangements. Special permission was granted by the district administration to take out the procession as a curfew was clamped in seven police station areas on Tuesday night following Kanhaiya Lal's murder.

Thousands of people attended the procession, which began from Jagdish Chowk and expected to end late at night.

Around 3,000 policemen have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order.

"We hope that the yatra goes well. Senior officials have been deployed on key points. Volunteers of the organisers are also working in close coordination of the police," ADG Dinesh MN, who is camping in Udaipur, said.

Slogans like 'Jai Shree Ram' were raised during the yatra.

At the same time, markets in Churu and Barmer districts were kept closed in protest against Kanhaiya Lal's murder. Traders of Kota and Bharatpur have called for a bandh on Saturday.
Hyderabad: TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will pitch for unity among all non-BJP parties in the country in the Presidential election to give a tough fight to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The TRS has supported Joint Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha for the Presidential elections. Sinha will arrive in Hyderabad on Saturday to seek the support of non-BJP parties in the Presidential election and the TRS has organised a meeting in his support at Jala Vihar on Saturday.

During the meeting, sources in the TRS said that the Chief Minister is expected to make an appeal to all non-BJP parties to utilise the Presidential election scheduled for July 18 to showcase their unity in checking the 'divisive and communal politics" of the BJP.

The Chief Minister's appeal to non-BJP parties would come in the wake of several regional parties such as the YSR Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha among others either not declaring their support for Sinha or have decided to support the NDA, sources added.

The TRS has erected hoardings along all major roads and junctions in city with pictures of KCR and Yashwant Sinha which flash "Let's Change the Change" and "We support Yashwant Sinha Ji as a candidate for President of India."

The Chief Minister will accord a grand welcome to Sinha at the Begumpet airport along with his Cabinet ministers. Later, they will take part in the bike rally organised by the TRS which will pass through the Chief Minister's camp office in Begumpet, Raj Bhavan Road, Necklace Road to Jala Vihar.

Chandrashekar Rao may also disclose his future plans for national politics during the meeting. Rao has been maintaining silence on national politics after his return from Bengaluru on May 27. Earlier, Rao toured various states and met leaders of non-BJP parties to discuss the need to come up with an 'alternative political agenda' for the country.
China slams NATO for strategic concept referring to China: FM spokesperson

Xinhua) 09:27, July 01, 2022

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday expressed serious concern and firm opposition to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s newly published strategic concept document, saying it is full of Cold War mentality and ideological bias and sticks to the wrong positioning of a systemic challenge to China.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked to comment on the document. He told the press that the document distorts facts, smears China's foreign policy, makes irresponsible remarks on China's normal military development and national defense policy, encourages confrontation and conflicts, and is full of Cold War mentality and ideological bias.

"China is gravely concerned and firmly opposed to this," said Zhao.

China is always a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a guardian of international order, Zhao said, adding that China has never invaded any country, never waged a proxy war, nor joined or formed any military bloc.

"We are committed to the path of peaceful development, promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. We have proposed and implemented the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and provided a large number of public goods for the international community to address major issues including peace and development," said the spokesperson.

"People all over the world are aware of the great opportunities brought by China's peaceful development. This is definitely not the systemic challenges described by NATO," Zhao said, adding that NATO itself, in contrast, is the systemic challenge to world peace and stability.

He said NATO claims to be a regional and defensive organization, but in fact, it has been transgressing regions and fields, constantly waging wars and killing civilians, and now NATO has extended its reach to the Asia-Pacific region in an attempt to export the Cold War mentality.

"The Asia-Pacific region is a pacesetter of peace and stability and a promising land for cooperation and development. Any act that harms peace and stability and undermines unity and cooperation in the region will be jointly opposed by the Chinese people and the people of Asia-Pacific countries, and is doomed to fail," said Zhao.

Zhao stressed that hyping up the so-called "China threat" is completely futile. NATO should immediately stop making groundless accusations and provocation against China, abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset, quit the wrong obsession with force and seeking "absolute security," and stop dangerous acts that disrupt Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

"What they should do is to make tangible contributions to the security and stability of Europe and the world at large," Zhao added.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A sign depicting a scene of medical products transportation is displayed at the empty street, amid growing fears over the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo, May 23. Reuters-Yonhap



North Korean health authorities have concluded its COVID-19 outbreak originated in an area near the inter-Korean border as local residents came into contact with "alien" stuff there, state media reported Friday, a move seen as aimed at ascribing the virus crisis to South Korea and using it for political purposes.



The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited a probe into the transmission route of the omicron variant outbreak, which Pyongyang made public on May 12.



"The investigation results showed that several persons coming from the area of Ipho-ri in Kumgang County in Kangwon Province to the capital city in mid-April were in fever," it said in an English-language article. "A sharp increase of fever cases was witnessed among their contacts and that a group of fevered persons emerged in the area of Ipho-ri for the first time."



The KCNA added that an 18-year-old soldier and a 5-year-old kindergartener had contact with "alien things" in the area in early April and that they had tested positive for the virus after showing symptoms.



The North's Ipho-ri area borders South Korea's eastern counties of Inje and Yanggu in Gangwon Province.



It added that the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters issued an instruction stressing the need to "vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders."



The instruction also called for strengthening the reporting system of the "alien things" and measures to strictly remove them, according to the KCNA.



Although the North did not specify what the "alien things" were, it alluded to balloons often flown by North Korean defector groups in South Korea, carrying such materials as anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets, portable radios and U.S. paper money, over the heavily fortified border.



The leaflets have been a source of tension between the two Koreas, with the Kim Jong-un regime angrily responding to the issue.



It has strongly demanded the South's government take tougher measures to stop such a leaflet-sending campaign, even warning of a military response from border regions.



By linking the virus crisis with South Korea, albeit indirectly, the North appears to be seeking to stimulate public antipathy toward Seoul or leaflet-spreading activists as well as trying to discourage its people from picking up those materials, observers said.



Meanwhile, the North's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 5,000 for the second consecutive day, according to state media.



More than 4,570 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the KCNA said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.



It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported.



The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.74 million as of 6 p.m. Thursday, of which more than 4.73 million have recovered and at least 8,130 are being treated, it added.



The North's daily new fever count has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15. (Yonhap)


Robert Clive

Frequented a Calcutta dive;

He said if His Majesty should call

Say Im conquering Bengal.

George Nathaniel Curzon

Went on a Himalayan excursion

He said if anyone should call

Tell them Im dividing Bengal

Mujib ur Rehman

Got fed up of being East Pakistan

He said if anyone should call

Tell them were reverting to Bengal

From Key Holo: A Peep into Bengali History;

tr. from the Bengali of Bonking Chandra Chatterley, by Bachchoo

Some years ago, I was in New Delhi with Vidia and Nadira Naipaul, when Vidia asked if I could be with them that evening. I said I planned to go to Mumbai and he asked me if I could postpone my trip as he wanted me to accompany them that evening to address the BJPs cultural wing.

Thats an oxymoron, I take it, I said.

Now, now, now Farrukh, he said -- or some such!

I went. It was quite an occasion. The media with cameras and crews were gathered in a horde outside the BJP headquarters as they were denied entry. We were greeted by BJP stalwarts and ushered into the hall. I sat in the audience as Vidia had asked me to do, saying he wanted an articulate witness to the proceedings, as people would almost certainly misconstrue his attendance and performance there.

Vidia told the audience he was not going to make a speech but he wanted to use the occasion to ask them questions. The encounter proceeded and the audience seemed eager to get his approval for their policies, ideology and actions. Vidia remained subtly evasive, endorsing nothing.

Then someone asked him what he thought of the Babri Masjid episode. He thought for a moment.

All Id say is it was built as an act of hubris by Babar.

I dont know if the questioner understood the operative word. I am sure in that august and learned assembly very many did -- just as they must have known that the ancient University of Takshashila was not located in Bihar.

Its a useful word and I recall the above incident, gentle reader, because BoJo, the UKs PM, made a statement which can only be described by it. He said he expected to be the UKs Prime Minister in 2034 -- predicting, for himself and perhaps his Uncle Toms Cabinet, several terms. And this when his first term looks dangerously like coming to a premature end.

Let me count the ways:

This very week Nicola Sturgeon, the virtual Prime Minister of Scotland, announced that her Scottish Nationalist Party would appeal to the British Supreme Court to respect the democratic result of the referendum she is planning to hold next year to determine whether Scotland should secede from the United Kingdom. Her party is for the independence of Scotland and, if she succeeds, it will mean that poor BoJo will go down in history as the PM under whose jurisdiction and yes, through his fervent advocacy of Brexit, the United Kingdom fragmented.

Then there is the other troublesome kingdom within the unity -- Northern Ireland, whose regional government, the Stormont parliament, has been virtually suspended because the Opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuses to participate until the Westminster government does away with the clauses of the Brexit agreement which BoJo signed with the European Union requiring customs checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from mainland Britain.

BoJo now says that hes going to placate the DUP by unilaterally changing the international treaty he himself signed. His predecessor as PM, Theresa May, has said in Parliament this week that this would not work and, whats more, it would be illegal under international law. Does BoJo care?

Enter BoJos nominated attorney general, one Suella Braverman (or should she now be called Supinella Cowradlyperson -- for reasons you will understand?). She is of the very dodgy and internationally disputed opinion that this treaty with the EU can be unilaterally altered by her and BoJo.

And then there is the disputed decision by BoJos home secretary Pritti Clueless to deport asylum seekers who arrive in Britain to Rwanda. The European Court of Human Rights, to which the UK is a signatory, had stopped the deportation of the first asylum seeker who Clueless was attempted to send off. Supinella now says she can get Britain out of this European Court of Human Rights altogether and get the deportations to Rwanda moving.

The irony, gentle readers, is devastating and one would cry if one didnt laugh. Here are two members of Uncle Toms Cabinet, themselves descendants of, or immigrants to, Britain, ganging up to defy international law -- leave aside common human compassion -- to keep a few thousand asylum seekers, fleeing terror and death in our God-forsaken world, out of the UK where they live as massively privileged immigrants?

The iron of irony has turned to steel. Ahura Mazda, forgive us -- for I, like Clueless and Supinella, not married into money or the British class system, am an immigrant too!

Where did BoJo make his hubristic statement? Rwanda! At a conference of the Commonwealth leaders. Forgive me, but I had naively thought that the Commonwealth was a conglomerate of countries that had once been part of the British Empire. Was Rwanda???

(Puzzled of Pune!)

Or is BoJo and his chamchis, Clueless and Supinella, trying to establish Rwanda as an international hub of respect to which I may be deported soon for saying so?
Pakistan's Foreign Office on Wednesday rejected reported insinuation in India to link the accused in the brutal killing of a tailor in Udaipur to a Karachi-based Islamist organisation.

Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, allegedly hacked Kanhaiya Lal to death with a cleaver at his shop in Udaipur on Tuesday and posted videos online saying they are avenging an insult to Islam.

One of the two prime accused has links with the Karachi-based Ismalist organisation Dawat-e-Islami and had visited Karachi in 2014, Director General of Police (DGP) of Rajasthan M L Lather told reporters on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Foreign Office here said that it has seen reports in a segment of the Indian media referring to investigations into the murder case in Udaipur, seeking to link the accused individuals to an organisation in Pakistan.

"We categorically reject any such insinuations," the FO said, adding that it was an attempt by New Delhi at maligning the country including by externalising their internal issues through pointing fingers towards Pakistan.

The FO also said that such "malicious attempts" would not succeed in misleading the people, either in India or elsewhere in the world.
As Xi Jinping, Chinas leader, visits Hong Kong to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover from Britain, he arrives in a city vastly transformed from three years ago, when millions took to the streets in the biggest challenge to Beijings rule in decades.

Xis ruling Communist Party quashed that challenge by tightening its grip. Authorities arrested thousands of protesters and activists, imposed a national security law that silenced dissent and rewrote electoral rules to shut out critics of Beijing.

This is a significant trip for him, said John Burns, an emeritus professor of politics at the University of Hong Kong. Of course, this is about celebrating the 25th anniversary and all of that, but he is also declaring victory over the pan-democratic opposition and their supporters.

Also Read | Hong Kong deploys massive security as Xi set to swear in new leader

On Friday, Xi will install a hand-picked former security official as the citys next leader. He had earlier met with lawmakers selected after Beijings electoral overhaul ensured that only patriots could take office in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong and Chinese officials attended a brief ceremony Friday morning where a police honor guard raised the flags of China and Hong Kong to mark the anniversary. A strong wind blew, and the skies were overcast and threatening rain. A government helicopter with a large Chinese flag, followed by another with a smaller Hong Kong flag, flew down Victoria Harbor as the ceremony was held at 8 a.m., followed by a fire department boat spraying water from its hoses.

But the pomp and ceremony was a stark contrast to the relative quiet on the streets under a pronounced security presence. Groups of police patrolled neighborhoods near the venue of the ceremony, and rows of police vans lined the entrances to several subway stations. To many residents of Hong Kong, the handover anniversary and Xis visit held little significance besides a day off.

Also Read | Hong Kong has 'risen from the ashes', Xi Jinping says on rare visit

The central government doesnt have to do much for Hong Kong. Just let Hong Kong fix things by itself. Its a free economy, right? It wasnt under much governance before, said Joeson Kwak, a 33-year-old interior design contractor who was in the district of Wanchai getting breakfast. I dont feel anything special today. Im happy I dont have to go to work today.

Xis visit is as much a message intended to reinforce Beijings rule over Hong Kong to the citys 7.5 million residents as it is a message of defiance to the Western governments that had denounced his crackdown. The United States, Britain and other nations have accused China of breaking its promises to allow Hong Kong to preserve its protections for individual rights for 50 years under an arrangement known as one country, two systems.

Subduing Hong Kong also has personal significance for Xi. It will help burnish his standing among the Communist Party elite at a key moment as he pursues a third five-year term in office, which he is widely expected to secure later this year.

We can expect at the party congress in October he will highlight the success of one country, two systems, said Sonny Lo, a Hong Kong political commentator.

To local activists, July 1 has been an anniversary of pivotal demonstrations. But a combination of pandemic restrictions and the political crackdown has largely eliminated such gatherings. One leftist group, the League of Social Democrats, had continued to mark significant dates with small demonstrations of just four people, which is technically allowed under social distancing rules.

But after visits from national security police, the group announced this week that it would not hold a protest Friday. Members of the group have been under constant surveillance and their organization was threatened with closure if they tried to demonstrate, said Avery Ng, the groups secretary-general.

It is just like China, he said.
The Dawat-e-Islami, one of Pakistan's largest Sunni-Barelvi Muslim organisations, which has been in the news after the brutal killing of a tailor in India, on Friday rejected links to "any acts of terrorism," saying it is purely an educational, missionary and charity institution which preaches peace.

The organisation, with its headquarters in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi, has been under the spotlight after it emerged that one of the two men who carried out a deadly attack in Udaipur, Rajasthan, was inspired by the Dawat-e-Islami and had visited Karachi in 2014.

Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, allegedly hacked tailor Kanhaiya Lal to death with a cleaver at his shop in Udaipur on Tuesday and posted videos online saying they are avenging an insult to Islam.

Distancing the Dawat-e-Islami from the gruesome murder in Udaipur, Maulana Mahmood Qadri, a senior figure in the organisation's headquarters (Faizan-e-Madina) in Karachi's Gulshan-e-Iqbal area rejected his organisation's links to any act of terrorism.

"Dawat-e-Islami has nothing to do with any act of terrorism. We are purely an educational, missionary and charity institution and globally preach peace in our lives," Mahmood told PTI in an interview.

He said that thousands of students from all over the world visit the organisation's headquarters for Islamic studies that does not preach or promote extremism or radicalism.

"We are also apolitical," he said.

One can easily spot the followers of Dawat-e-Islami in Karachi as they wear green turbans and go about their work.

Dawat-e-Islami has branches across the world, Mahmood said, adding that the organisation operates a television channel  Madni channel - and has a proper website with all details of the group.

"Since the Dawat-e-Islami was founded in 1981, there has not been a single incident where any of our students, followers or teachers has been named or been involved in any violent activities, he said.

Mahmood expressed surprise at the Indian media reports insisting that their teachings would never inspire a student to take someones life.

Unlike other religious organisations in Pakistan, the Dawat-e-Islami has never been associated with any violence or violent act, he said.

Mahmood said that one must always respect each other as human beings and also respect each others religions.

"Look any Muslim no matter which sect he belongs to would never tolerate any insulting blasphemous comments about the Prophet Mohammad. What happened was bad and it caused hurt, pain to every Muslim where-ever he lives, he said, referring to the remarks by a now-expelled BJP leader.

Mahmood said one just had to listen to the preachings of their leader, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri, to understand the philosophy behind the movement which is to reform oneself and the world through character building and charitable work.

"He only talks about purifying and reforming society from what we view as moral decay."

Every week he holds a gathering and it is live on our channel and he talks only about peace, Mahmood said, citing it as a reason for increasing numbers of the followers of his organisation all over the world.

"Even if I am assassinated, my followers need not take law into their hands and seek registration of an FIR (against the assailants). I don't want a Fitna (mischief) among Muslims. I want peace being alive and I want the same after death," Dawat-e-Islami chief Ilyas Attar Qadri says in a video message.

Qadri openly condemns killing(s) to avenge insults to Prophet Mohammad. "We spread the message of peace. Those who insult the Prophet should be handed over to police for legal action," he says.

Talking to PTI, the Dawat-e-Islami leaders refused to own those involved in killings in the name of religion.

"Ours is an organisation that is totally non-violent one. Name any of our religious gatherings here and abroad (and) you find one message from our leaders and that is peace," Ali Ahmad Malik Attari, a Lahore leader of Dawat-e-Islami, told PTI.

He says many confuse our organisation with that of the Sunni Tehreek or Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) which is unfortunate.

"Listen to any of our leadership's video on YouTube or in our Madni Channel, it is found spreading Sunnah (life style) of the Prophet and message of peace and forgiving each other," Attari said as he challenged to produce a single clip of its leaders that is promoting violence.

Currently there are some 4,000 seminaries called Madrassat-ul Madina the group is running across Pakistan. It has 700 higher education institutions called Jamiaat-e-Madina.

Another Dawat-e-Islami leader from Rawalpindi Arsalan Qadri, who is associated with its higher education institution, says none of its students is involved in any violent activity. "We have zero tolerance against religious extremism. Any one found involved in promoting violence is shown the door," he said.

When asked about the visit of one of the accused in Udaipur killing to Dawat-e-Islami headquarters in Karachi in 2014, Qadri said: "Many link Mumtaz Qadri, assassin of Punjab province governor Salman Taseer, with Dawat-e-Islami but that doesn't establish that we promote violence."

He said that usually Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) raises a slogan of "sending a blasphemer to hell".

"So both (Ghouse Mohammad and Mumtaz Qadri) can be inspired by the ideology of TLP but not Dawat-e-Islami," he said and cited the statement of the All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board in which it strongly condemned the killing of the tailor.

"Killing one person amounts to killing the whole of humanity," he said, citing a verse from the Quran.

The TLP is an Islamist political party in Pakistan and it was founded by radical cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi in August 2015.

The Dawat-e-Islami website lists that it has more than 500,000 male and female volunteers, over 32,000 employees and their European headquarters is Faizan-e-Madina in Bradford from where they run three seminaries.

They also run affiliated seminaries and institutions in other parts of Europe and in Chicago, Texas and California in the USA.

"We have affiliations with leading religious institutions in India also but they are all renowned for producing Islamic scholars and their publications. We are producing thousands of Huffaz, Qaris, Imams, preachers, teachers, scholars and Muftis from our seminaries for men and women and none of them is preaching about extremism," Mahmood said.

The root of the Dawat-e-Islami can be traced to Islamic scholars, Allama Arshadul Qadri and Shah Ahmed Noorani who headed the once powerful political religious Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP).

Ilyas Attar Qadri, who founded Dawat-e-Islami in 1981, has reduced his public appearance. He prefers addressing his followers through its own TV channel "Madni TV."

Unlike TLP or Sunni Tehreek which have followers of Sunni and Barelvi sects, Dawat-e-Islami is not on the radar of the law enforcement agencies
Singapore-based IGSS Ventures will build a semiconductor hi-tech park which includes a fab unit in Tamil Nadu at an investment of Rs 25,600 crore, in a shot in the arm for the state government that is wooing major players in the sunrise sector to set up their shops.

While the semiconductor fab unit will generate employment for 1,500 persons, the ecosystem that supports the Outsourcing and Testing Semiconductors (OSATS) facility to come up at the park will provide jobs for about 25,000 people.

Highly-placed sources told DH that the hi-tech park will come up near Chennai, the state capital, in an area of 300 acres. Guidance Tamil Nadu and IGSS Ventures are working together to identify the location, a top source said.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IGSS Ventures and Guidance Tamil Nadu for setting up the massive unit was signed on Friday at the Secretariat in the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin.

The development comes a week after the Tamil Nadu government held talks with the top management of Foxconn, which manufactures high-end Apple iPhones at its facility in Sriperumbudur, on the latters plans to invest in semiconductor and electric vehicle segments.

Besides Foxconn, the Tamil Nadu government has invited Samsung and home-grown Tata Electronics (OSAT) to invest in the state. Tata is in talks with several states, including Tamil Nadu, which is believed to have proposed Coimbatore as the location for the companys first fab unit.

An official statement from the government said IGSS Ventures will launch its semiconductor fab under the name Project Suria as it has applied for the Centres Rs 76,000-crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for semiconductor manufacturing in India.

The company plans to invest Rs 25,600 crore in the next five years providing jobs to 1,500 persons. Since the park will have a facility of Outsourcing and Testing Semiconductor (OSATS) among others, the ecosystem that supports these facilities will provide jobs to an additional 25,000 people, the statement said.

Tamil Nadu believes it is well-poised to attract major investments in the sector as it houses some of the major automobile companies in the country and accounts for 20 per cent of national production in electronics and hardware.

B Murali Manohar Rao, Vice President (Strategy), Sankhya Technologies, told DH that Tamil Nadu can assume the leadership role in the sector due to a slew of factors like the states pro-industry policies, easy availability of land, the ecosystem that gets created automatically when the new industry comes up, and the automobile industry.

The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of electronics which led to a shortage of computer chips and semiconductors. There is tremendous scope in the electronics space. The skilled workforce and large talent pool that Tamil Nadu offers are irresistible for any company. Even the attrition rate is very low in the state, he said.

Rao also suggested that several facilities of the automobile industry can also be repurposed and used for assembling semiconductor fabs.

IGSS Ventures is a Singapore-based technology firm that enables the development and commercialisation of disruptive hybrid semiconductor technologies that go beyond Moores Law, according to its website.

Tamil Nadu believes it is well-poised to attract major investments in the sector as it houses some of the major automobile companies in the country and accounts for 20 per cent of national production in electronics and hardware.

Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu had told DH in an interview in January that the state has touched base with several companies to produce chips in the state. Since Foxconn is a major electronics manufacturer, we have formally invited them to invest in the semiconductor sector. The company has been doing business here for over a decade and they know the state well, Thenarasu had said.

Tamil Nadu, which released an exclusive policy for electronics and hardware manufacturing in 2020, aims to contribute 25 percent of Indias total electronic exports to the world and increase the industry's output to $100 billion by 2025.
In a motion brought forward by SDLP councillor Lilian Seenoi-Barr at last night's council meeting, Council recognised the importance of the Protocol and condemned the UK Government's current legislation.

Councillor Seenoi-Barr called on the Council to condemn the UK governments attempt to break international law with their new legislation on the Protocol.

The motion also highlighted the economic benefits of the Protocol and called on the government to engage with the EU to seek solutions around the issue.

The motion was passed with 25 councillors for, 5 councillors against and 1 councillor abstaining.

Councillor Seenoi-Barr said the Protocol is very important for the people of Derry and Strabane: Given the importance of the Protocol in supporting our local economy, protecting jobs and providing opportunities for growth in years to come I am glad that a majority of councillors in Derry and Strabane have followed our MPs and MLAs in showing their support for the Protocol.

The UK governments attempt to destroy the Protocol cannot be allowed to proceed against the wishes of people here, the impact would be catastrophic.

"Businesses have been clear that they want to retain the benefits of the Protocol and senior politicians have warned about the damage this legislation will cause and its time Boris Johnson and his government wake up and listen.

We have always acknowledged that a number of issues remain around the Protocol, but the solutions to that will not be found by flagrantly breaching international law.

"We need to see the UK government get back around the negotiating table with the EU in a constructive manner and solve these issues so that we can continue to enjoy the benefits the Protocol brings and move forward as a society.
Derry and Strabane Council backed a motion at last night's Council meeting that outlined their opposition to flawed legacy legislation from the UK Government.

Council will outline its opposition to the legacy plan in a letter to MPs.

Sinn Fein Councillor, Paul Fleming, has welcomed support for a motion criticising flawed UK government legacy legislation.

Councillor Fleming said: Councillors tonight backed a motion criticising the British governments flawed legacy legislation which is a slap in the face to victims and families.

Derry & Strabane Council will write to MPs voicing this city and districts opposition to the legacy bill and demonstrating support for victims and families.

The Council will also tell the PSNI Chief Constable of its dismay at attempts by the Police Federation to block truth and justice on RUC collusion in this area.

Our Council joins the long list of victims and families, political parties, the Human Rights Commission and other bodies who have already spoken out about this legislation.

This blatant attempt by the Tories to place its state forces above the law and cover up their role in the conflict only deepens the hurt felt by many families in Derry whose loved ones were killed by the British state forces.

Its time that Boris Johnson and his Tory government listened to the voices of victims and families, scrap this flawed legislation and implement the legacy mechanisms agreed in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement. That is the best way to ensure victims and families receive truth and justice.
A boating novice due back home in Northern Ireland after 80 days at sea said he will be so proud to sail into his native city having faced 20-feet waves and a lightning strike during his epic voyage.

Gerard Doherty will have travelled some 16,000 nautical miles when he arrives in Derry city later this month as part of the Clipper Race.

At 68 years old, he said he is the eldest of the 18 crew onboard the Ha Long Bay clipper boat, and has relished the challenge of taking to the seas with a group of strangers who quickly became like family.

The retired businessman, who owned Derry-based Manor Mouldings, said being on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht was a totally new experience.

He told the PA news agency: I had no experience of sailing whatsoever, the smallest boat (I was on) in the last 30 years was the Belfast to Liverpool ferry.

Thats as much boating as I had done.

His journey has included one 37-day non-stop sail, from which he emerged unshaven and looking like Santa Claus.

Asked why he had decided to embark on such a feat, he said: To celebrate my life and move me out of my comfort zone and challenge me.

I would have had maybe a romantic view of the thing, I didnt really see the hard, hard work that it was.

He did around 24 days of training before setting off in early 2020 from the Philippines, but had just five days racing before pandemic restrictions kicked in and the race was postponed.

After returning to the water this year, the difficulties he has faced included a lightning strike and huge waves.

He said: We were sailing through a very heavy downpour between Panama and Seattle and saw lightning in the distance. Next, the lightning flashed just before our eyes.

I was on deck and got a small static electric shock.

No-one was hurt, but the boat lost most of the electrical and navigation systems for a time.

Their 37-day sail for Seattle  which he said was the longest sail ever by a clipper, saw 10, 15, 20-foot waves.

He said: It was a hard, hard leg  cold, wet, just everything got wet.

While some people were afflicted by seasickness, Mr Doherty escaped unscathed.

I was ok, my wife says Ive the constitution of a horse, he laughed.

The real positives (of the experience) are the people. You take 18 strangers, put them together and their common aim is to get across an ocean.

He said he has seen how people bond together, support each other, look after each other, as the crew of experienced sailors and novices worked alongside one another.

Envisioning his sail up the Foyle in a few weeks, Mr Doherty said: Derry will be an amazing experience and I will be so, so proud. The Derry people are famous for their welcome and their hospitality and Clipper will receive that.

His two daughters and his wife are expected to be among those out to welcome him home when the crew arrive in the city.

Dale Smyth, deputy race director, said: On sailing into Derry-Londonderry, the crew will have crossed one of the worlds largest oceans, the North Atlantic, and so the heroes welcome they receive each time the race comes to the city is well-earned.

There are a number of crew hailing from Ireland and Northern Ireland on this race, so the stopover will be a great homecoming for those crew members.

In the city, members of the public will get the chance to step onboard a racing yacht to hear stories from the crew and see what it is like to live on the boat.

Organisers of the Foyle Maritime Festival, from July 20, expect tens of thousands of people to descend on Derry for celebrations and to welcome the arrival of Clipper crews.

After the five-day extravaganza, which will see the riverfront transformed into a bustling international marina with maritime markets, the Clipper fleet will set off for the last leg of their journey towards the finish line in London.

Mr Doherty, whose team began their latest leg from New York this week, said he is in it to enjoy it but winning would be a real bonus.

He added: Theres nothing like winning to increase your enjoyment. At the moment were second which is a phenomenal achievement.

For more information on the Foyle Maritime Festival visit www.foylemaritime.com.
Sinn Feins vice president has said that laying a wreath to mark the Battle of the Somme sends out a strong message that she wants to be a leader for all in Northern Ireland.

While Sinn Fein lord mayors in Belfast have laid laurel wreaths on the anniversary of the First World War battle in previous years, Friday was the first occasion a member of the partys leadership has taken part.

Ms ONeill joined current Sinn Fein Lord Mayor Tina Black to lay a wreath on Friday morning, two hours ahead of the official commemorative event marking the first day of the battle in 1916.

The anniversary is steeped with historical significance for the unionist community in Northern Ireland.

The two republican politicians stood in silence in front of the Cenotaph at City Hall after laying the wreath for those who died.

Northern Ireland Office minister Conor Burns welcomed Ms ONeills participation.

However, DUP MP Gavin Robinson suggested there should be no need for segregated commemoration in Northern Ireland, questioning why Ms ONeill had not gone to the main event.

Mr Burns and Mr Robinson both attended the official commemoration later on Friday morning, as did Fine Gael TD Fergus ODowd and Belfast deputy lord mayor and Alliance councillor Michelle Kelly.

The main event saw representatives of the UK armed forces lay poppy wreaths while soldiers and a military band also played prominent roles.

Sinn Fein has previously cited such British military trappings in explaining why it continues to stay away from such commemorative events in Northern Ireland.

Ms ONeill, who will be entitled to be nominated as first minister when and if powersharing is resurrected, said her actions on Friday proved her commitment to work for everyone in society.

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War.

It saw the 36th Ulster Division and the 16th Irish Division, representing the two main traditions from the north of Ireland, distinguish themselves, but at a great cost.

The battle has assumed major symbolic significance for unionists in Northern Ireland.

I said throughout the election campaign that I wanted to be a first minister for all and I hope that todays attendance and the laying of a wreath is actually a demonstration of someone who wants to work for all in our community, Ms ONeill told reporters on Friday.

I think as political leaders, we have a responsibility to reach beyond our comfort zones and actually reach out the hand of friendship, and to try to do whatever we can in terms of leadership in terms of healing the wounds of the past.

So, Im very pleased to be here this morning to have laid a wreath in terms of all those lives lost.

Last July, the then deputy first minister joined then first minister Paul Givan of the DUP at the Irish National War Memorial at Islandbridge in Dublin to remember those who fell at the Somme.

That was then the first time the Sinn Fein politician had attended a Royal British Legion wreath-laying ceremony.

Ms ONeill declined to be drawn on Friday when asked why she was prepared to attend an official event in Dublin but not in Belfast.

I dont think we should get distracted from the fact that this is quite significant, the fact that I have laid a wreath this morning, along with our mayor Tina Black, she said.

Im doing so to be respectful, Im doing so to actually try to reach out the hand of friendship, to actually show political leadership. And I think that will not be lost in the wider public.

She added: I hope that sends out a strong message that I do genuinely want to lead for everybody in this society.

Ms ONeill also was not drawn on whether Sinn Fein would consider attending official Somme commemorations in Belfast in the future.

Asked whether she felt her gestures were being reciprocated by political unionism, she said: What Im doing today is not about reciprocation, its actually about demonstrating respect and my leadership, and what Im determined to do, regardless of what others decide to do.

Later asked about Ms ONeills attendance, DUP East Belfast MP Mr Robinson said the time for segregated commemoration had passed.

I think its good that she did attend today, he said.

I think we should recognise that Sinn Fein breached that barrier 20 years ago, with (former Belfast mayor) Alex Maskey first attending the Cenotaph here and recognising the sacrifice at the Somme.

I think it would be nice to get to the point where we could share in this commemoration today  that individuals, political leaders didnt need to segregate themselves from the commemoration that took place.

He said the sacrifice of those who died at the Somme was shared between communities, and so the commemoration should be shared too.

He said: I dont want to be churlish about it. I think it is good that she was here today. But I think the time has passed that we need to segregate ourselves in commemoration.

NIO minister Mr Burns said he warmly and profoundly welcomed Ms ONeills attendance.

The First World War was an event, an experience, a number of years in which people from across this island from both traditions died in fighting for freedom, he said.

Its right, I think, that we remember that. I understand from my late grandmother that she had cousins who were from Dublin who died fighting for the British in the First World War.

So, this is a shared remembrance, a shared sense of loss and a shared history on this island. I welcome that profoundly.
The ongoing absence of a Stormont executive is totally unacceptable given the latest rises in energy prices in Northern Ireland, Michelle ONeill has said.

The Sinn Fein vice president was commenting as the most recent wave of price hikes announced by several local energy providers came into effect on Friday.

Powersharing at Stormont is on ice after the DUP refused to re-establish a devolved executive following Mays Assembly election in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has created economic barriers on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Ms ONeill restated her appeal to the DUP to get around the table and start to support people.

The DUPs Gavin Robinson hit back at the criticism, saying his party is doing what it can to help people.

Speaking to reporters in Belfast, Ms ONeill said: People are struggling, theyre struggling to heat their homes, its going to get even more difficult into the winter months, theyre struggling in terms of being able to afford to put food on their table for their children.

Thats totally unacceptable that we do not have an executive in order to be able to help people to actually put money into their pockets. We have money to spend, we want to give it to the public but the DUP, unfortunately, are blocking the formation of an executive.

But I encourage them again today on the back of these latest hikes to actually join the rest of us and actually get around the table and start to support people.

Ms ONeill said the UK Government has not been doing enough to support people through the cost-of-living crisis, as she called on the Tories to tax the big companies.

She said: There are things that are within the gift of the British government that we do not have the powers to do and they should be taxing the big companies, they should be making sure that theres a windfall tax that actually allows us to put that money directly to the public to help them through the cost-of-living crisis.

What the British government have done to date is not good enough. It does not cut the mustard, it does not support people enough.

So, what we need to see is an executive formed and the British government need to tax the big companies and put the money into peoples pockets.

Mr Robinson criticised Sinn Feins continued abstentionist stance when it comes to the UK Parliament.

The East Belfast MP told reporters: I think people can see through the blame that shes laying at our door.

That doesnt give any comfort to folks that are receiving an increase again today, or, depending on who their provider is, a significant increase between 20 and up to 46%. It is big.

Three weeks ago, I stood outside Westminster with one of her colleagues, a Sinn Fein member of parliament who refuses to take his seat. That day, we supported a Labour motion that was providing a windfall tax from energy companies so that money was coming off energy bills.

We were in, we were voting on those issues and that motion was ultimately successful, but Sinn Fein stayed outside the room.

Mr Robinson said the Northern Ireland Protocol is standing in the way of the region benefitting from any hugely significant VAT cut on energy bills and fuel costs.

He said: The secondary issue that we have been highlighting for weeks, and that Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is writing to the chancellor today upon, is the steps that they intend to take around VAT.

Because the reduction of VAT on energy bills and on fuel costs will be hugely significant, much more significant than the three or four or five pennies taken off a litre of petrol, for example.

As it stands under the Northern Ireland Protocol, those moves cannot apply to Northern Ireland. We want to see not only significant action from the Government on energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis, but it needs to be applicable right across this United Kingdom.

I dont think we can stand for a situation where such seismic decisions could be taken, but dont apply to consumers and hard-pressed families here in Northern Ireland.
In this Oct. 10, 2014, file photo, activists promoting human rights for North Korea release balloons carrying leaflets condemning the North's regime in Paju, a South Korean city near the border with the North. North Korea on Friday blamed "alien things coming by wind" from South Korea for its outbreak of COVID-19. AP-Yonhap



Pyongyang always finds something to blame for faults, expert says



By Jung Min-ho



North Korea has blamed balloons from South Korea for its COVID-19 outbreak, claiming that two people in the border area started showing symptoms after coming into contact with "alien things coming by wind" from the South.



Citing health authorities, the Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang's official mouthpiece, reported Friday that a soldier, 18, and a child, 5, at Ipho-ri in Kumgang County were its first official COVID-19 patients. The broadcaster did not specify what they touched but, in a warning, it added that people living in border areas should be cautious of balloons and "the things attached to the balloons."



The warning is in line with North Korea's previous claims that its people should be careful of the virus carried by anti-regime leaflets, "other climate phenomena and balloons" from the South, pointing its finger at South Korea's human rights activists who often send such materials across the border.



In the days that followed, the broadcaster said, a sharp increase in fever cases was reported in the area before the disease spread to the rest of the country.



A former doctor from North Korea said he had anticipated such a reaction from Pyongyang since the very beginning of the outbreak.



"North Korean leaders always look for something to blame for their faults," Choi Jung-hoon, a former infectious disease doctor from North Korea, told The Korea Times. "It turned out to be the balloons this time."



He believes that the Omicron variant first got into North Korea from China, as Pyongyang was preparing a massive military parade scheduled for April 25.



"For an event of such a scale, North Korea needs lots of things and it usually gets them from China. The variant probably entered the North, as many crossed that border to transport the equipment and products they needed," Choi said. "But North Korea cannot blame China, its most important ally. So it probably wrote scenarios to create a different story."



In South Korea, many activist groups promoting human rights for North Korea are led by defectors from the North. Most recently, Fighters for a Free North Korea, a human rights group, said it sent 20 big balloons carrying painkillers, vitamin pills and masks on June 28 across the western inter-Korean border.



Citing the assessment of health authorities in the South and other countries, the Ministry of Unification dismissed the North's COVID-19 source claims as nonsensical.



"We believe there is no possibility of COVID-19 transmissions to North Korea from leaflets sent from the South," Cha Duck-chul, a deputy spokesman for the ministry, said during a press briefing.



Meanwhile, the North's daily number of suspected new COVID-19 cases remained below 5,000 for the second consecutive day. More than 4,570 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, according to the broadcaster.



So far, the total number of suspected COVID cases has reached 4.74 million, with more than 4.73 million recovered and at least 8,130 in treatment, it added.



After the daily fever count started showing a downward trend following peaking at over 392,920 on May 15, the Ministry of Unification said last month that the North could announce the end of the COVID-19 pandemic there soon.



But given that no country  not even China  makes such a claim, Park said he believes that North Korea will maintain for a while that "the virus is under control" without declaring that the outbreak is officially over.


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WASHINGTON (AP)  Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates eased back this week after shooting up nearly three-quarters of a point in recent weeks.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate fell to 5.70% this week from 5.81% last week. One year ago, however, the average 30-year rate was 2.98%.





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SEATTLE  Yerbana is hosting Yoga In The Park, Seattle's largest free weekly yoga gathering. Every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. this summer at Gasworks Park, instructors from studios around Seattle will guide attendees through a unique class.

Sign up is not required to participate. Limited mats are available for rent, provided by Bala Yoga.





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SEATTLE  A mixed-use complex at 3501-3515 N.E. 45th St. recently sold for a little over $10.6 million, according to King County records. The seller was a local family that had owned the land for decades, and developed the two buildings.

The buyer was Caspian Holdings LLC, which is associated with Lake Forest Park investor Mansour Samadpour, the chief executive of the international food-safety and testing firm IEH Laboratories.





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Govt bans single use plastic items

Government of India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, all across the country from 1 July 2022.

This is in line with the notification on Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, issued by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change on 12 August 2021 and the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to phase out single use plastic items by 2022.

The list of banned items include - ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (Thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.

The Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, also prohibit manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having thickness less than 75 microns with effect from 30 September 2021, and having thickness less than 120 microns with effect from 31 December 2022.

The ministry of environment, forest and climate change has also notified the Guidelines on Extended Producers Responsibility on plastic packaging as Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022 on 16 February 2022.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is the responsibility of a producer for the environmentally sound management of the product until the end of its life. The Guidelines will provide framework to strengthen circular economy of plastic packaging waste, promote development of new alternatives to plastic packaging and provide next steps for moving towards sustainable plastic packaging by businesses.

Capacity building workshops are being organized for MSME units to provide them technical assistance for manufacturing of alternatives to banned single use plastic items with the involvement of CPCB/SPCBs/PCCs along with the ministry of small, micro and medium enterprises and the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering (CIPET) and their state centres. Provisions have also been made to support such enterprises in transitioning away from banned single use plastics.

Government of India has also taken steps to promote innovation and provide an ecosystem for accelerated penetration and availability of alternatives all across the country.

For effective enforcement of ban on identified SUP items from 1 July 2022, national and state level control rooms will be set up and special enforcement teams will be formed for checking illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned single use plastic items. States and union territories have been asked to set up border check points to stop inter-state movement of any banned single use plastic items.

CPCB Grievance Redressal App has been launched to empower citizens to help curb plastic menace. For wider public outreach, PRAKRITI - mascot was also launched on 5 April.

The government has been taking measures for awareness generation towards elimination of single use plastics. The awareness campaign has brought together entrepreneurs and startups, industry, central, state and local governments, regulatory bodies, experts, citizens organisations, R& D and academic institutions.

Carrying forward the spirit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava, a defining step to curb pollution caused by littered and unmanaged plastic waste is being taken by the country, the official release stated.

The adverse impacts of littered single use plastic items on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including in marine environment are globally recognised. Addressing pollution due to single use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries, the release pointed out.

In the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly held in 2019, India had piloted a resolution on addressing the pollution caused by single-use plastic products, in view of the urgent need for the global community to focus on this very important issue. The adoption of this resolution at UNEA 4 was a significant step. In the recently concluded 5th session of United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022, India engaged constructively with all member states to develop consensus on the resolution for driving global action on plastic pollution.

The success of the ban will only be possible through effective engagement and concerted actions by all stakeholders and enthusiastic public participation, the ministry pointed out.
Pallonji Mistry, chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, dies at 93

Pallonji Mistry, the India-born billionaire and Irish citizen whose engineering and construction empire is said to have built nearly half of Mumbai besides luxury hotels, stadiums, palaces and factories across Asia, passed away last night at his residence in Mumbai. He was 93.

Mistry died peacefully at 0100 hrs in the intervening night between Monday and Tuesday as he was asleep at the family residence in South Mumbai, according to news agency PTI.

He is survived by his wife Patsy,daughters Laila Rustom Jehangir, Aloo Noel Tata, sons Shapoor Mistry and Cyrus Mistry, who briefly succeeded Ratan Tata as chairman of the Tata Group before being ousted by the board in 2016, and their respective families.

The largest individual shareholder in the Tata Group with an 18.4 per cent holding in the conglomerate, Mistry, along with his family, ran the Mumbai-based Shapoorji Pallonji Group.

The group, established in 1865, works across segments such as engineering and construction, infrastructure, real estate, water, energy and financial services, according to its website. Its prestigious projects include the Reserve Bank of India and the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai and the blue-and-gold Al Alam palace of the Sultan of Oman.

Mistry, who is married to Dublin-born Patsy Perin Dubash, surrendered his Indian nationality and became an Irish citizen in 2003.

Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry was born on 1 June 1929 and did his schooling and college education in Bombay, as it was then called.

He joined his family business, Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Ltd, in 1947 at the relatively young age of 18, under the watchful eyes of his father, Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry. He learned the ropes of the business very quickly, witnessed many ups and downs as the business evolved. He took over the reins of the company in 1975, when his father passed away.

While his father who focused largely on construction and had grown the business manifold over the several decades he was in charge, Pallonji was quick to spot new opportunities that Indias growing economy presented.

Towards the end of the 1960s, Pallonji ventured abroad with construction projects in the Middle East.

Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) established itself as the first Indian construction company to have completed a project abroad after winning a tender to build the Palace of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said in Muscat. The palace was opened for visitors in 1975.

The project provided a launch pad for SP to consolidate its presence in the Middle East and foray successfully into Africa, where it has executed several landmark projects such as the Presidential Office of Ghana, the National Assembly of Gambia, and the Ebene IT Park in Mauritius.

Under Pallonjis chairmanship, the company grew substantially in the later decades of the last century. He also acquired strategic stakes in other companies and brought them within the fold of the SP Group, companies such as Sterling & Wilson, United Motors, Forbes Gokak and Afcons Infrastructure.

Over the years, he served on the boards of several companies and organisations, namely Union Bank of India, W H Brady Group of Companies, The Associated Cement Companies Ltd. of which he was also chairman for several years, and Tata Sons Ltd.

His vast business experience of over 60 years was spread over diverse streams of businesses, from construction to real estate to industry to infrastructure to trading to power generation to information technology and other sectors.

In early 2012, Pallonji stepped down as chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd, the operating and holding company of the SP Group, and handed over the chairmanship to his elder son Shapoor Mistry.

In recognition of Pallonjis enormous contributions to Indian industry and nation building over six decades, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 2016.

A deeply religious and family man, Pallonji along with his wife Patsy funded and set up a home for senior citizens of The B D Petit Parsee General Hospital, Mumbai in 2006.
President Yoon Suk-yeol smiles during a press conference on the presidential jet heading back to Seoul, Friday, after wrapping up his five-day trip to attend the 2022 North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit in Madrid, Spain. Yonhap



History and other issues should be addressed together to mend ties with Tokyo, president says



By Nam Hyun-woo



AIR FORCE ONE  President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed that his trip to the 2022 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Madrid, Spain, should not be interpreted as a move to contain a certain country, referring to China's repeated claim that Seoul is joining NATO's plan to strengthen its foothold in the Indo-Pacific region.



During a press conference aboard the presidential jet heading back to Seoul, Friday (Korea Standard Time), Yoon singled out his three best moments during his first overseas trip, saying the trilateral summit between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, which took place on the sidelines of the NATO Summit on Wednesday, was one of them.



"Regarding the trilateral meeting or the NATO Summit, it is not about excluding a certain country," Yoon said. "Whenever we are dealing with domestic issues or international agendas, we should pursue a common value and protect rules that everyone should follow."



During the NATO summit, participating leaders voiced their support of a rules-based international order and coalition among countries pursuing common values.



Since South Korea is a partner country of NATO, and not a member, Yoon did not join member nations in strongly condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine or the adoption of a new strategic concept singling out "systemic challenges" posed by China. However, China has been expressing its concerns over Yoon's participation in the summit, with its foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian saying Beijing will not ignore attempts to undermine China's interests.



"South Korea's diplomacy has been focusing on how to deal with a certain country," Yoon said. "But as I said in my NATO speech, it is important for South Korea to pursue common values and rules, and unite with others when those values and rules are violated. There is no need to mention a certain country."





President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference on the presidential jet heading to Seoul, Friday, after finishing his five-day trip to attend the 2022 North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit in Madrid, Spain. Yonhap



Referring to his brief encounters with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the summit, he stressed that the two countries' past and current issues should be addressed at the same time in order to improve soured relations between Seoul and Tokyo.



"As I said earlier, matters related to the two countries' history, present and future, should be addressed on the same table," Yoon said. "We should avoid the idea that the two countries' pending or future agenda should not be discussed if there is no progress in history issues. If the two countries can cooperate for the future, the intertwined history issues between the two countries can also be addressed."



Yoon and Kishida crossed paths five times on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, although the two leaders did not hold an official bilateral talks. During those encounters, Yoon told Kishida that Seoul is willing to begin work to mend bilateral ties after Tokyo's election this month, and later told reporters that he is "convinced" that Kishida is a partner who can work together to resolve conflicts between the two countries.





President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee hold hands as they disembark from the presidential jet at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap
Louth County Council has announced that following a competitive tender process, the contract for a New Shared Meeting Space at Peters Hill, Drogheda has been awarded to Glas Civil Engineering Ltd, Co Tipperary.

This project is supported by the European Unions PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.

Peters Hill occupies an elevated site overlooking the town of Drogheda and across to the tower at Millmount on the River Boyne.

The Council says that the square will be a space where people can relax, sit down and enjoy a chat.

It will feature high quality paving and seating, a bespoke sculptural art work and soft planting and street tree planting.

This new shared meeting space at Peters Hill, is envisaged as a pedestrian space that will be formed using high quality and durable materials, with vehicular access to St Peters Church retained.

Seating, signage and information etc will be located within the space to safeguard the setting and views of protected structures.

Removal of existing car parking and redesign of the space will allow an open area and vista for the protected structures that front onto Peters Hill meeting space with reallocation of existing Blue Badge or wheelchair accessible parking to an adjoining street.
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is appealing to eligible people to get a second Covid booster vaccine.

The chair of the Farm Family and Social Affairs at the IFA, Alice Doyle, made the call today (Thursday June 30), stating she was "taken aback" to hear only 46% of eligible people have availed of the vaccine.

She said, "I would like to re-iterate the advice that those over 65, and those with underlying conditions over the age of 12, should arrange to get their 2nd booster.

According to an ESRI survey from July 2020 (Differences in Risk of Severe Outcomes from Covid-19 across Occupations in Ireland), agricultural workers such as farmers were highlighted as high risk for chronic illness due to the average age of people in the occupation.

However, exposure to the virus may have been lowered due to the nature of farming work and the closure of gathering places such as marts.

The latest data (April 2022) from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows over 95% of Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) have a Covid-19 booster vaccination rate of 60% or more.

Male employees across all sectors aged 18-24 years have the lowest Covid-19 booster vaccine uptake rate at 45%, while those in the Accommodation and Food Service sector had the lowest uptake rate at 56%.

Over 13,000 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the week leading up to June 28, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), with a 14-day rate of 495.4 per 100,000 people.

Ms Doyle continued: "The clear advice from the HSE is that the vaccine offers the best protection, particularly for people who have underlying conditions. I would ask people to make an appointment as soon as possible."

She confirmed the IFA will extend the appeal through their network to spread the message to as many people as possible.




The National Human Rights Commission on Friday installed its first new vice minister-level officer in charge of human rights issues in the military.







Park Chan-woon, who is a member of the state human rights watchdog, has been named by the president as the first officer to look into possible rights violations, such as violence and sexual abuse cases, in the military.







"My first mission is to prevent rights violations and sexual violence cases that do not occur in the military anymore," Park said during an inauguration ceremony.







The officer has the right to probe and visit military bases implicated in human rights violation cases without notice, and attend investigations of military death and sexual violence cases, the commission said.







The officer, however, does not have the authority to arrest or detain a suspect. Instead, a fine of 10 million won ($770) or less can be imposed when he or she refuses investigation.







Critics say the officer's power is limited, considering the defense minister can request the officer stop the visit during the investigation.







Calls for the position came after a series of abuses cases, including the high-profile death of Army private first class surnamed Yoon in 2013.







Last year, the National Assembly passed a revision to the National Human Rights Commission Act to establish the position. (Yonhap)


EBRD to provide 167.6 million loan for 10 km of motorway from Skopje to Blace Interchange

EU to supplement the investment with 29.6 million through the Western Balkans Investment Framework

New road to boost trade and connectivity in the region

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) are financing a new motorway section in North Macedonia, from the capital Skopje to Blace Interchange, close to the border with Kosovo. The new road will provide faster and easier connections for trade and citizens.

A 167.6 million loan from the EBRD to construct the motorway will be complemented by an EU grant of 20.8 million, as well as 8.8 million in funding for technical cooperation to prepare, implement and supervise the works. The latter are being provided through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

The strategic road section will improve links in the region and on to the European Union. It is part of a transport artery from Skopje to Kosovos capital, Pristina, which has seen increased traffic volumes in recent years, and a larger European road network connecting Sweden to Greece through the Western Balkans.

The new dual two-lane motorway will run parallel to the existing A4 national road, a single carriageway constructed more than 50 years ago. This will lead to significant traffic and road safety improvements. It is also expected to have a positive impact on employment through enhanced connectivity and economic integration within the region.

The Bank will mobilise technical cooperation funding to support the Ministry of Transport and Communications in developing a national e-mobility strategy and action plan fully dedicated to promoting the rollout of an electric vehicle fleet and infrastructure in the country. The project will also demonstrate an innovative construction contract structure, which will incorporate climate resilience measures.

Susan Goeransson, EBRD Director, Infrastructure Europe, said: This project is one example of the Banks work to improve both the transport and municipal infrastructure in North Macedonia. It will have a tangible impact on peoples everyday lives, as well as trade activities across the region and with the EU. We are happy to take the next step in this journey to support the Public Enterprise for State Roads by financing this vital road section together with our key partner, the European Union.

Ambassador David Geer, Head of the EU Delegation to North Macedonia, said: Through the WBIF and with the support of EBRD, we are putting the Connectivity agenda on track. A globally connected Europe is beneficial for the economy, but also for the economies and for the growth of the accession countries. Supporting the transport connectivity in the region is a major opportunity for further advancement of trade relations and for stronger regional economic development.

The EBRD is a major institutional investor in North Macedonia. To date, it has invested nearly 2.3 billion in 161 projects in the country. Supporting transport sector infrastructure development is a priority for the Bank, as it addresses one of the countrys most pressing challenges.
25 million EBRD loan to construct two large-scale solar power plants

Redevelopment of coal mine sites to help decarbonise power sector in North Macedonia

Country aims to generate 38 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2030

Decarbonisation plans in North Macedonia are taking a big leap forward. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending 25 million to ESM, the state-owned electricity company, to build a 30 MW photovoltaic (PV) project consisting of 10 MW on a portion of the exhausted coal mine of thermal power plant Oslomej, and 20 MW adjacent to the thermal power plant Bitola. The European Union (EU) is also supporting this development with a 5 million grant funded through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

Andi Aranitasi, EBRD Head of North Macedonia, said: This is a very important project for the countrys energy transition. It is a continuation of our previous work in backing the ambitious decarbonisation plans of North Macedonia by organising solar PV tenders and constructing the first-ever utility scale solar PV plant in the country. The project will help to address the need for energy security and sustainability in a competitive and affordable manner, through investments that will create high-quality jobs and new business ecosystems, while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The new solar plants are an extension of the first 10 MW PV plant constructed on the exhausted coal mines in Oslomej and are evidence of ESMs and the countrys decarbonisation pathway. Once operational, the new facilities will produce nearly 48 GWh of electricity a year  enough to power 10,000 homes and replace 44,000 tonnes of CO 2 per year. The project will also support ESMs efforts to rehabilitate the mine sites that used to supply the thermal power plants with coal.

Ambassador David Geer, Head of the EU Delegation to North Macedonia said: We are seeing concrete actions in materialising the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and in turning the Economic and Investment Plan into reality. The WBIF investment grant and the EBRD Loan, supporting the transformation of Oslomej and Bitola power plants from coal based to solar energy, represent a clear indication that the country is taking the right steps - moving to green energy, while implementing a socially just transition process. This investment was long overdue, and comes at the right time for North Macedonia, ensuring clean and secure energy supplies.

The country, whose capital Skopje was recently named one of Europes most polluted cities, aims to source 38 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Especially during the current energy crises, this operation will be one of the first projects to simultaneously address key just transition elements by moving towards clean energy use and energy security, while also introducing retraining and reskilling programmes to safeguard livelihoods, support regional development and create new economic opportunities.

ESM, a public electricity generation utility owned by the government of North Macedonia, provides 90 per cent of the countrys domestic electricity production  about 3,600 GWh from two thermal power plants and 1,250 GWh from eight hydropower plants. ESM also operates two combined heat and power facilities and the first wind farm in the country, producing about 100 GWh annually.

Furthermore, in favour of decarbonisation and meeting the countrys renewable energy target, in 2020 the EBRD provided technical assistance to support the regulatory and legal aspects of introducing renewable energy auctions in three renewable energy tenders for 162 MW combined solar PV capacity. These are the first tenders in the Western Balkan region to be developed with exposure to wholesale power prices, one on public and one on private land, while the third is a public-private partnership tender for 100 MW solar PV capacity on ESMs former coal mine in Oslomej.

The EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (SSF) provided 75,000 for environmental and social due diligence, and 74,000 for the development of basic design and technical specifications for the plants. The EBRD will support ESM with a nationally accredited market-relevant curricula programme to define redeploying and retraining opportunities for a significant share of the affected local workforce, with an approximate budget of 200,000 to be funded from an international donor and SSF under the Gender and Economic Inclusion TC Framework.

To date, the EBRD has invested 2.3 billion in 161 projects in the economy of North Macedonia.




An estimated 1,000 people evacuated from a 20-story building in central Seoul on Friday after tremors continued for about five minutes, fire authorities and officials said.







No deaths or injuries were reported, they said.







A report was first made around 10:25 a.m. that occupants on the 9th to 12th floors of Le Meilleur Jongno Town in Seoul's Jongno Ward felt the tremors, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate the building for around four hours, fire authorities said.







Officials said the tremors occurred after a cooling tower, also known as an air conditioner chiller, located on the rooftop collapsed as one of four wings of the equipment broke off due to deterioration.







The building reopened after a safety inspection.







The 15-year-old building houses 528 studio apartments and a shopping arcade of 354 shops. (Yonhap)


EBRD extends Guarantee for Growth to Raiffeisen Bank in Albania by 65 million

Unfunded guarantee will underpin new funding to small firms across Albania

Ten per cent of the guaranteed funds to be designated to green financing

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Raiffeisen Bank in Albania are teaming up once again to boost the availability of funding for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Albania.

The EBRD is providing Raiffeisen Bank in Albania with an unfunded guarantee of 65 million in local currency linked to the banks domestic sovereign bonds portfolio. The additional risk-taking capacity freed up by the guarantee will allow Raiffeisen Bank to commit fresh funds to Albanias MSMEs, increasing its support for the real economy. Ten per cent of the newly available funds will be designated to green financing, in line with the EBRDs Green Economy Transition (GET) approach.

The additional guarantee is being offered under the EBRDs innovative Guarantee for Growth facility, which it pioneered in late 2020 with Raiffeisen Bank in Albania to the tune of 100 million local currency equivalent. The extension builds on the success of the initiative to date.

Ekaterina Solovova, EBRD Head of Albania, said: Access to finance for SMEs through cooperation with local banks is one of the EBRDs priorities in Albania. We are pleased to partner once again with Raiffeisen Bank in Albania to support smaller firms, including in their green energy efforts.

Christian Canacaris, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank in Albania, said: After the success of the first Guarantee for Growth initiative with the EBRD, which increased the lending potential of the market, we are pleased to sign up for an additional guarantee of 65 million. The guarantee will boost green financing and impact the sustainable development of the country. We appreciate our excellent long-term cooperation with the EBRD and are confident that it will continue in future.

The project is aligned with the EBRDs dedicated technical cooperation programme with the Bank of Albania, the countrys central bank, which is focused on achieving equivalence of the local prudential framework with that of banks in the European Union. The programme is supported by the Luxembourg  Official Development Assistance (ODA) Technical Co-operation Fund and builds on work under the Vienna Initiative, where the EBRD is active in safeguarding the financial stability of emerging Europe by promoting the regulatory alignment of banks with international best practice.

Raiffeisen Bank is the second-largest bank in Albania in terms of loan portfolio, with a 16.6 per cent market share, providing general banking services countrywide. It is wholly owned by Austrian banking group Raiffeisen Bank International AG.

To date, the EBRD has committed more than 1.8 billion to projects in Albania.
EBRD guarantees 6.3 million of 10.5 million of lending to support food security in Ukraine

Unfunded risk-sharing agreement for agribusiness company Astarta is with Raiffeisen Bank

Support is part of 1 billion EBRD activity in Ukraine this year, with donors and partners

The EBRD is boosting food security in wartime Ukraine by backing more than half the risk of a revolving working capital loan for UAH 330 million (10.5 million equivalent) to Astarta Group, one of the countrys major agricultural and food processing businesses, through an agreement with Raiffeisen Bank (RB). The share of the risk the EBRD takes on comes to 6.3 million.

The EBRDs risk-sharing instruments enhance local financiers capacity to provide access to finance for Ukrainian private companies operating in critical agri-related industries, whether farming or food processing, transport and imports. Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February, came just ahead of the spring sowing season in this major agricultural economy, which supplies farming produce around the world.

This loan will help Astarta secure sufficient financing for successful crop farming season in times of war in Ukraine. The project is part of the EBRDs Food Security Ukraine package, within the Resilience and Livelihoods Framework adopted by the Bank to support the countrys economy after Russia invaded on 24 February.

With donors and partners, the EBRD has pledged to invest 1 billion this year in supporting the Ukrainian economy.

The war on Ukraine raises the spectre of worsening food security globally, because Ukraine is a significant food exporter. Ukraine exports account for about 10 per cent of the globally traded wheat and corn and 37 per cent of sunflower oil [according to UN FAO figures.]

The EBRD was swift to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February and pledged to stand by Ukraine. In early April, the EBRDs Board of Governors voted to suspend open-endedly the access of Russia and Belarus to EBRD finance and expertise, and the Bank has closed its offices in Russia and Belarus.

In addition to a resilience package for Ukraine and neighbouring countries affected by the war, the EBRD has pledged to help finance Ukraines reconstruction once conditions permit.

 
Podcast: Unravelling the problem of organic cotton fraud

WAKEFIELD  In our latest Ecotextile Talks podcast, our cotton expert Simon Ferrigno tells host Phil Berman why hed like to see a parliamentary-style inquiry into widespread fraud in the organic cotton sector.

Ferrigno also talks about his recent investigation into organic cotton fraud which was published as a special eight-page feature in the April/May 2022 edition of Ecotextile News magazine and later posted online HERE.

And he reveals how, since he wrote his report, even more whistle-blowers have come forward  many of them unwilling to be quoted for fear of losing their jobs  to shed more light on what Ferrigno says is a long-running problem.

This has been a running sore, he says. Its a problem weve known about in the sector since the late 2000s, about 2008. But we've started to have more whistle-blowers come forward saying this is a serious problem, the numbers dont match, the big players know the numbers dont match but they make far too much money to do anything about it.

Many of these whistle-blowers work for organic certification bodies who claim the data they are being given is not accurate and feel like theyre being made the scapegoats as confidence in data from India  where most organic cotton is grown  continues to fall.

Ferrigno suggests the problem is that there is little incentive to report the right numbers because they would fall dramatically and that means the profits in the sector would fall dramatically.

Another issue, he says, is the lack of a regulatory body for the organic cotton sector; the nearest being the Indian export agency APEDA (Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Agency) and the International Organic Accreditation Service  a private body which checks that certification bodies are doing what theyre supposed to do.

Ferrigno tells Berman that his key message would be for the organic sector to build a direct relationship with the authentic organic cotton farmers who he says are the main victims of fraud within the current system.

My post-article thought is that we almost need a parliamentary inquiry type approach. That is a couple of legal minds and a sector specialist to put every single big player in the industry in front of them; all the people whove worked in this for years and ask them, how do things work? What's wrong with it? And what do we do?

You almost need to completely tear up what people have been doing for the last 40 years and start afresh, because the system no longer works. People will always try to defraud the system or seek an easy solution, so you do need to prepare for those future battles. What we cant do is keep doing the same thing and hoping that its going to turn out different the next time.

If you are a whistle-blower and have anything new to add to the conversation, please feel free to email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Complete confidentiality is guaranteed.

Subscribe to our podcasts and radio shows by following us on Apple, Google, Spotify and Amazon Music, to automatically get alerts when we launch a new Ecotextile Talks Behind the News podcast.
A unique partnership has produced the first-ever high-resolution satellite map of the worlds shallow coral reefs.

The Allen Coral Atlas announced its completion Wednesday as a tool that policy makers, conservationists and the general public can use to understand and preserve the worlds reefs at a time when they are under increasing threat from the climate crisis and coastal development.

Were trying to create a kind of moral mirror that we hold up to humanity, Andrew Zolli, vice president of sustainability and global impact at Planet, the company that provides the satellite images for the project, said in a press conference.

A Digital Public Good

The atlas is the product of three years of work, more than 450 research teams and nearly two million satellite images. It was named for the late Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen, who was an early instigator of the project.

However, the atlas was a team effort. The high-resolution satellite imagery is provided and regularly updated by Planet. Arizona State University then cleans the images and the University of Queensland uses machine learning and regional data to generate different map layers. The National Geographic Society trains conservationists in how to best use the map, while Allens company Vulcan funded the website that makes it accessible.

One of the things that the Atlas represents is a kind of digital public good, Zolli said.

An Allen Coral Atlas partner looks at a map during development of the Atlas. Allen Coral Atlas

It is also a major milestone. Previously, only 25 percent of the worlds reefs had been mapped using high-resolution images, and there was no consistent mapping process linking the different regions.

Its quite an undertaking that hadnt been achieved at this resolution and with this kind of detail, director of Arizona State Universitys Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science Greg Asner said during the press conference.

The only limit on the project is depth. Current satellite technology, Asner said, can only punch through the seawater to about 15 meters (approximately 49 feet). Which is why the atlas offers data products that extend from either zero to ten meters (approximately 33 feet) or zero to 15 meters.

Dr. Alexandra Ordonez Alvarez from University of Queensland collects georeferenced data in Far Northern Great Barrier Reef on Ashmore Bank. Chris Roelfsema

Conservation Tool

The map also comes at a pivotal moment for the worlds coral reefs and the ecosystems and human communities that depend on them.

Coral reefs are sort of at the nexus of the climate and biodiversity crisis, managing director for government and community relations at Vulcan Chuck Cooper said at the press conference.

The atlas, therefore, is designed with special tools that can help governments and scientists respond to these crises. National Geographic Society program manager Brianna Bambic said the predominant use so far was in the planning of marine protected areas.

The atlas provides a layer called a benthic map, which helps planners see where different types of habitat are located on the reef, such as coral or seagrass. It also provides a layer that allows planners to see which areas are already protected.

We now have the highly detailed coral reef maps needed to create new spatial plans and marine protected areas. These map layers would have taken us five years to create and only if we had the budget or resources to do so, which we do not, Wen Wen, a marine spatial planner in Indonesia, said in a press release. The Allen Coral Atlas is playing a large role in prioritizing 30 million hectares of a new Marine Protected Area zoning plan and providing alternative locations for a coastal economic development project that is environmentally sustainable. This tool is a blessing to our country.

This type of use is expected to become even more important as countries are set to convene at a summit of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China next year. One goal that is expected to come out of that conference is the aim of protecting 30 percent of land and water by 2030.

The coral atlas is going to be a really valuable tool for them to do that, Cooper said.

Indeed, countries like Mozambique and Fiji that have already committed to the goal are in the process of using the atlas to choose what part of their coastline to protect.

Reef Restoration

In addition to helping determine what parts of reefs to preserve, the atlas can also be used to determine where to restore coral reefs.

This is something that the nonprofit Coral Vida is doing in the Bahamas, Asner said, by using a layer called the geomorphic map. While the benthic map is more biological, the geomorphic map shows the physical or geological contours of the reef and can be used to determine the best location to plant new corals raised in nurseries.

In addition, the Allen Coral Atlas also includes a bleaching monitoring system updated every couple of weeks to tell users when a reef or part of a reef may be suffering a bleaching event. This is what happens when warm water forces coral to expel the algae that gives them nutrients and color, and is an increasing danger as the oceans heat up. The monitoring system enables conservationists to see what parts of a reef might be susceptible to bleaching so as not to attempt to plant new corals there.

Asner said he originally developed the bleaching tool in the Hawaiian islands, where it had another use. His team worked with the government to determine six things concerned citizens could do to reduce stress on the reef once bleaching was detected, such as limiting their fishing on the reef.

Limiting extra stress, Asner said, can spell the difference between surviving and not surviving among corals, during bleaching events.

That was successful, we believe, he said, and we believe that that sort of approach can be implemented by governments or anybody using our bleaching tool.

Child Efforts

Now that the team behind the Allen Coral Atlas has developed the technology and partnerships that made it possible, they do not plan to rest on their laurels.

One goal, Asner said, is to integrate coastal data into the atlas.

Climate change is one of the big problems that reefs are facing, but coastal development and coastal impacts are just as important, he said, and so youll see us expanding into that realm over the next couple of years.

On a larger scale, Zolli said that developing the atlas showed the team the kind of collaboration that is needed to solve other major challenges. There are now child efforts of the atlas to create similar digital public goods for forests or greenhouse gas emissions.

This approach is as important as the outcomes that it generated, he said.
For EcoWatchers, April usually means one thing: Earth Day. But how do you celebrate the environment while staying home to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus?

Luckily, the Earth Day Network has you covered. The organization announced in March that it would celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with its first ever Digital Earth Day April 22.

At Earth Day Network, the health and safety of volunteers and participants in Earth Day events is our top concern. Amid the recent outbreak, we encourage people to rise up but to do so safely and responsibly  in many cases, that means using our voices to drive action online rather than in person, Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers said.

Here are three things you can do from the safety of your home to celebrate the Earth.

1. Join EARTHRISE

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!



To amid the COVID-19 outbreak, we are switching to a digital #EarthDay.



Check out #EarthRise and find more info to connect and help our earth! https://t.co/8JY6wwuvXj  EARTHDAY.ORG (@EarthDay) March 30, 2020

On Earth Day itself, the Earth Day Network is organizing 24 hours of global digital mobilization called EARTHRISE after the famous picture of our planet from space that inspired millions to agitate for the first Earth Day in 1970.

The coronavirus pandemic does not shut us down, the organizers wrote. Instead, it reminds us of whats at stake in our fight for the planet. If we dont demand change, our current state will become the new normal  a world where pandemics and extreme weather events span the globe, leaving already marginalized and vulnerable communities even more at risk.

You can participate using the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE.

The Earth Day Network is asking participants to speak up for the planet, vote for leaders who promote environmental policies or contact their representatives and educate others about the importance of taking care of the Earth. It is also organizing 24 actions that you can take from your home, one for each hour of the day.

2. Take the Earth Day Daily Challenge

Its April 1st, but this is no joke  were issuing a daily micro challenge for you to take, every day, wherever you are, to help fight our climate crisis while you might be staying home to #bendthecurve.



Are you ready for 22 days of the #EarthDay #Challenge? pic.twitter.com/LCJDdTUeiu  EARTHDAY.ORG (@EarthDay) April 1, 2020

You dont have to wait for April 22 to start making a difference. The Earth Day Network is also organizing 22 daily challenges you can take to fight the climate crisis from lockdown.

The challenge began April 1 with a plastic audit. Simply look for ways you can reduce your plastic usage and share your techniques.

Yesterdays challenge was to compost creatively if you cant use all the food you brought home in your latest grocery store haul.

You can follow @earthdaynetworks social media channels for each days challenge.

3. Be a Citizen Scientist

Are you excited to be a part of our #EarthChallenge2020 Research Community?



Together we'll record over 1 billion data points accessible for research on environmental topics! Our #MobileApp will be released this April! https://t.co/pJsYF7GIy4 pic.twitter.com/FWS9zLAxJh  EARTHDAY.ORG (@EarthDay) April 1, 2020

You dont need a fancy laboratory or a white coat to be a scientist. All you need is a mobile device.

As of April 1, the Earth Challenge 2020 mobile app has been made available at the Android or Apple app stores. You can download it now and begin collecting data on plastic pollution and air quality.

That data will be part of Earth Challenge 2020, a joint initiative from the Earth Day Network, the U.S Department of States Eco-Capitals Forum and The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to create what they say will be the worlds most accessible and transparent citizen science database portal ever created.

The database will include more than one billion data points combining existing citizen scientist projects with the information submitted via the app. The priorities for the challenge were globally crowdsourced in 2017 in a call for the most important questions in human and environmental health.

The call turned up six focus areas:

Plastics

Air Quality

Insects

Climate

Food Security

Water Quality

The challenge will begin with plastics and air quality data, and move on to all six areas over the course of 2020.

Citizen science is a fitting way to celebrate Earth Day because the original Earth Day was all about mobilizing around science, one of its key organizers Denis Hayes pointed out.

When 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day, they believed the warnings of scientists, as did the U.S. Congress, Hayes said. In a decade of bipartisan support for science, Congress passed a set of forward-thinking laws that protected human health, species and the planet.

Now, governments and people have a chance to follow that example in response both to the climate crisis and COVID-19.

Our current pandemic demonstrates that governments must embrace science early. As we see now, many governments were slow to respond or even indifferent about the science of the coronavirus pandemic, Rogers said. But the last few weeks have also demonstrated that our society, even at the international level, is capable of mass shifts across all sectors to meet a crisis head-on. We must apply the same scale and urgency of our response to climate change.
Several black bears appearing friendly to the public have been reported across the Sierra Nevada region recently, concerning biologists that a mysterious disease is causing the bears to no longer fear humans and potentially suffer an early death, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) wrote in a statement.

Over the past 12 months, veterinarians have captured several bears for similar behaviors, and all of them had encephalitis, inflammation in their brains, The Sacramento Bee reported. Scientists also discovered five new viruses in some of the bears with symptoms, but have yet to determine if they are linked to the swelling. Normally, black bears are timid around humans, showing no interest in interacting. But in February, the CDFW received calls regarding a small black bear in Pollock Pines, El Dorado County that had appeared at a utility worksite. The bear showed little concern over attempts to be shooed away and at one point jumped in the back of a car trunk, the CDFW reported. When a wildlife biologist began to investigate in the region, they found one small bear to be dog-like in its behavior, seeming not quite right, walking oddly, dull and not responsive like a normal bear should be.

At the agencys Wildlife Investigations Laboratory, biologists found that the Pollock Pines bear weighed only 21 pounds, nearly 60 pounds under that of a healthy bear of the same age, NBC News reported. After a week of testing, it was euthanized, making it the third bear to show up in the laboratory in just 12 months and suffer from encephalitis. So far, bears with similar symptoms have been found on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe and recently in Humboldt County in northern California. And while scientists say the bears conditions are from encephalitis, which can come from viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites, they have yet to pinpoint the root cause for the brain swelling, NBC News reported. Any time a wild animal comes into our care, the best-possible outcome is a release back to the wild, explained CDFW wildlife veterinarian Brandon Munk, in a statement. Thats just not possible for these neurologically impaired bears. At this point, we dont know what causes the encephalitis so we dont know what, if any, health risks these bears might pose to other animals.

Between 30,000 and 40,000 black bears still remain and so far the mysterious disease hasnt caused a significant decline in black bear populations, AP News reported. But in the Tahoe region, where a high density of black bears live, some biologists worry if the reports in the region are simply due to the fact that higher populations of people may come across the sickly bears. What wildlife managers think about a lot is, when youre in an area where animals are very charismatic, as well as having a high human population thats invested in that population, the symptoms are more likely to be seen, Jamie Sherman, a veterinarian at UC Davis One Health Institute who has studied bear diseases, told The Sacramento Bee. Symptomatic bears in less populated regions, however, may be going unnoticed, biologists warn. While scientists say viruses found in the bears can not threaten human health, increasing interaction between humans and bears with neurological abnormalities could lead to more contact. The CDFW, for example, pointed to a 2019 viral video where a black bear approached a snowboarder without fear, sniffing his leg curiously.
The official number of moose in Yellowstone National Park is 200. Unofficially, rangers told me that it could be as few as 80 animals. In other parts of the country, Minnesota has seen a dramatic decline in their moose population of 70 percent from 2006 to 2013, while in New Hampshire, 3,800 animals remain of the 7,500 present in the late 1990s.

One of only 80 moose in Yellowstone, struggling through winter. Photo credit: Dan Zukowski

Theres no question about the cause. Warmer winters have increased ticks in the North Woods, which can weaken moose. Some animals are carrying as many as 120,000 ticks. They are so highly infected that they become anemic from blood loss as the ticks engorge themselves on their hosts.

Other moose rub so vigorously against the forest trees to remove ticks that they lose much of their characteristic dark brown coat. Theyre known as ghost moose for the pale skin thats revealed. That makes them more visible to predators and less able to cope with the cold winters in their environs.

Moose calf mortality is high, too. In New Hampshire, 75 percent of moose calves died from ticks over the winter of 2015-2016, while Maines mortality rate was 60 percent.

Parasites, including brainworms (Parelaphostrogylus tenuis), are also taking a toll. Liver flukes (Fascioloides magna) and tapeworms have also been found in necropsies of moose in Minnesota. The tapeworms, which are carried by wolves, can fatally clog the lungs of a moose.

Moose are under a firing line of things that are affecting their population, said Dr. Seth Moore, director of biology and environment for the Greater Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. And I think ultimately that all these different things that are affecting the moose population are driven by climate change.

Speaking on a CBC documentary produced in 2015, Moore predicted that Minnesota moose could be gone in 50 years.

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) also links the plight of moose to climate change.

Heat affects moose directly, as summer heat stress leads to dropping weights, a fall in pregnancy rates, and increased vulnerability to disease, the NWF explains. When it gets too warm, moose typically seek shelter rather than foraging for nutritious foods needed to keep them healthy.

Referencing New Englands now-shorter winters, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department wistfully says, The best ways to reduce the impacts of winter ticks would be to add back the three weeks of winter.

Moose populations are now a managed resource in most states. According to the NWF, 56,000 people hunt in New Hampshire and 630,000 enjoy wildlife watching. There is often a conflict between those who want to hunt moose and those who simply want to watch them. As a result of the decline in moose in Minnesota, hunting was suspended indefinitely in the state beginning in 2013.

Current range of moose in North America. Credit: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Overhunting decimated populations in the lower 48 states by the late 1800s, but conservation efforts enabled them to recover. Moose are listed as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. They cite a 2011 population of about 1 million in North America. However, other sources differ. There are no standardized national or international monitoring programs. Populations in any one area can change dynamically due to local conditions such as forest fires, unusually warm or cold winters, introduction of predators or new infestations.

In Maine, where I live, theres a healthy population of 60-70,000 moosethe largest in the lower 48 states. The state will issue 2,160 hunting permits this year, for a one-week season in late October.

The Penobscot Nation, who hosted me on their tribal lands last week, have a traditional story about a giant monster moose in a large lake. The Creator, Glooksap, slays the moose and eats it. He turns his kettle over and leaves it by the lake, where it turns into stone and is now the place known as Mount Kineo, in Moosehead Lake. The story points Penobscot hunters to a place were moose are abundanteven todayenabling them to feed their families. It was with this knowledge that I partook of the warm moose stew they fed me on a raw September evening along the Penobscot River. For the Penobscot, nothing is taken from the land without thanking Mother Earth.

Moose is an Algonquin term for eater of twigs. An adult moose can consume 40 to 60 pounds of leaves, twigs and buds each day. In summer, they frequent ponds and lakes to feed on sodium-rich aquatic plants. Winter can be harsh, particularly where deep snow makes movement difficult. Average lifespan in the wild is 10 to 12 years. Black bears, along with mountain lions and wolves, where present, are predators, and coyotes may take some young calves.

Forest fires can benefit moose in certain circumstances. By creating open burned areas, more edge habitat is available for foraging. Moose may return to burned areas several months after a fire, leading to population density increases of five or six fold. Populations in a post-burn area will peak 10 to 30 years following the fire.

However, large fires may be followed by changes in the vegetation that replants the affected areas.

Some burns produce a grassland stage; others come back in pure spruce; many produce aspen with little birch or willow which are the most palatable and productive browse plants, says a 2010 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Where can I see a moose? is an oft-asked question by tourists to Alaska, Yellowstone, Northern New England and other areas where they can be found. Encountering one of these large, long-legged mammals in the wild is an event not soon forgotten. Future encounters may be fewer due to the risks created by climate change.




Indonesian agriculture ministry proposes US$308 million for fighting FMD outbreaks





Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry has proposed a budget of Rp4.6 trillion (US$308 million), sourced from the National Economic Recovery funding, for handling foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in livestock.

Secretary General of the Agriculture Ministry Kasdi Subagyono detailed the budget allocation, with funds set for vaccine procurement and its supporting facilities, vaccine operational needs, livestock data collection, livestock replacement and handling and preventing the spread of FMD.

Subagyono delivered the statement during a recent meeting with Commission IV of the House of Representatives at the Parliament Building.

"Procurement of vaccines and their supporting facilities is (worth) Rp2.6 trillion (US$174.2 million), total of two vaccines plus one booster vaccine (for each livestock). The total number of doses is 43.6 million, which we will administer in order to vaccinate the livestock," Subagyono added.

This figure included as many as 3.3 million vitamins and medicines, 312kg of disinfectant, vaccination and medicine support logistics, cold chain, vaccine and drug distribution, pre-vaccination rapid testing, vaccine production equipment and machines, and taking and testing FMD.

- antaranews.com




Mitsubishi and Maruha Nichiro to establish joint venture in salmon production in Japan

Mitsubishi Corporation and Maruha Nichiro Corporation have announced an agreement to establish a new joint venture company, ATLAND Corporation (ATLAND), that will specialise in the land-based production of salmon in Japan

ATLAND will be established in Nyuzen town of Toyama prefecture, Japan, in around October 2022.

The investment ratio of ATLAND will be 51% from Mitsubishi and 49% from Maruha Nichiro. Following the establishment of the company, a land-based aquaculture facility with a capacity of 2,500 tonnes (live weight equivalent) will be constructed in Nyuzen town, with the aim of starting operations in 2025 and completing its first delivery in 2027.

Mitsubishi and Maruha Nichiro have been discussing the joint promotion of the project since March 2021. The project is expected to help develop a sustainable and stable land-based production system.

Both companies are dedicated to leveraging their strengths and businesses to simultaneously generate economic, environmental and societal value, Mitsubishi said. The new facility will use recirculating aquaculture systems and take advantage of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things to optimise salmon farming operations.

Additionally, the facility uses ground water originating from the Kurobe River and deep seawater from the Toyama bay.

- Mitsubishi Corporation
Indonesia cattle FMD outbreak nearly stops northern Australia's live export trade



The foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Indonesia has nearly stopped the live export trade from northern Australia and completely disrupted the country's food supply system, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

According to the Australian Department of Agriculture, FMD has spread to more than 200,000 cases across 19 provinces despite Indonesia's national vaccination programme.

Dick Slaney is employed by Greenfields, Indonesia's largest dairy company, which milks about 8,000 cows in Java.

He claimed that local markets were in "chaos" due to FMD.

Slaney said between 30 and 50 percent less milk is being produced overall in the Java region.

Small farmers are selling a lot of cattle on the market, either because their animals are ill or because they are scared of the disease and want to get rid of them before FMD spreads.

Slaney said cattle prices had halved in the last two months in some domestic markets.

As general manager of the Argyle Cattle Company and Yougawalla Pastoral Company, Haydn Sale is responsible for managing eight cattle stations throughout the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Sale said that shipments of live cattle had effectively ceased during the months that are typically the busiest for the trade because importers were hesitant to purchase pricey Australian cattle in such unsteady economic conditions.

He said contracts have been cancelled, and they haven't made any deliveries to that market in probably close to four weeks.

Live cattle exports have decreased over the past few weeks, according to data from the Darwin Port and the Broome Port.

In June, about 17,000 head of cattle were exported from Darwin, a decrease from nearly 30,000 in June 2021.

Just 11,500 head were exported from Broome in June, compared to 25,000 during the same month last year.

Meat and Livestock Australia's (MLA) new Live Export Price Indicator is no longer being updated, which is another indication that business is slowing down.

The MLA said in a statement that the Live Export Price Indicator will now report on an ad-hoc basis until Indonesian feeder cattle volumes recover to levels that enable the calculation of reliable price summaries due to subdued trade activity and significantly reduced throughput.

The MLA said Australia's live cattle exports will fall by 33% this year, from 772,000 to 500,000 head.

Slaney said the decrease in Australian cattle exports will take time to affect Indonesia.

He hoped that the rollout of the vaccine would be successful and will stabilise the situation there.

- The Australia Broadcasting Cooperation
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon being sworn in during his online mayoral inauguration at the city's government office on Friday. The inauguration of the city's 39th mayor was also streamed live via YouTube. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government



Mayors, governors nationwide start new terms on Friday



By Ko Dong-hwan



Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon rolled out his agenda for the capital city for the next four years under his leadership as he started his fourth term on Friday. His inauguration speech was filled with pledges to support the city's vulnerable groups with welfare policies and to also stabilize the city's real estate market among other bold plans.



His inauguration ceremony was held online to give him more time to check local areas that had been hit by heavy monsoon rains. Oh said embracing vulnerable groups is essential for resolving the city's polarized communities and raising the city's competitiveness against other local governments in the country. The city's policies will put urgent emphasis on serving and benefiting the disadvantaged groups, the mayor said.



"Accompanying with the vulnerable group isn't just my political slogan," Oh, of the ruling conservative People Power Party (PPP), said as he embarked on the city's 39th mayoral office. "It is the very reason I exist as the Seoul mayor and what I will devote the rest of my life to. I assure you I will get it done in the next four years."



The city government's welfare policies will spend money on low-income earners and enforce a stricter screening process on high-income groups, he said. The city will bring down social barriers so as to create an equal educational environment for all with the new Seoul Learn campaign, enhancing public housing for low-income groups and providing more substantial medical services to vulnerable groups.



The city will calculate and release an official index on how well the city's policies will have helped vulnerable groups. The index will reflect and help shape the city's policies and the planning of its budgets, he said. The city's residents with children will be happy under his new childcare policies that will take the burden off childrearing parents, while more rigorous land re-development businesses will replace old apartment buildings with new ones, which will stabilize the city's real estate market, he promised.



"I will make a new ladder for those who bought their first houses in public housing units to more easily move to a newly-built apartment unit sold in lots," said Oh, after visiting Seoul National Cemetery to pay his respects to the country's fallen patriots earlier in the day. "Those who couldn't get their new apartment unit in lots will also be covered by the city's other options so that they can live in their new homes while being able to keep saving their money."





Kim Dong-yeon, governor or Gyeonggi Province, left, checks a screen showing a local area flooded by a recent heavy downpour at the provincial government's headquarters in Suwon, Friday. Joint Press Corps.




ForFarmers and 2Agriculture join forces in UK



ForFarmers United Kingdom (ForFarmers UK) and 2Agriculture have come to an agreement to merge their businesses into a joint venture to serve a wider customer base.

The joint venture will have a balanced feed portfolio across species, with an expected combined sales volume of more than three million tonnes of compound feed per year. At the same time, the joint venture makes for a robust business, with improved expertise and presence across species, to successfully meet the changing demands from the entire value chain.

The mutual agreement to enter into a joint venture meets the strategic objectives of both partners.

ForFarmers UK strengthens its position in its home country in the poultry sector and, at the same time, creates possibilities to make the organisation more efficient. 2Agriculture benefits from shared investment opportunities across a larger volume, an increased geographic spread of manufacturing sites and exposure to other species markets.

The deal will be subject to approval from the UK competition authority.

2Agriculture is a UK company that supplies approximately 1.2 million tonnes of feed annually to poultry farmers mostly into the integrated market, but also to independent customers. The company employs 250 employees and operates five mills located in Scotland, East Anglia and North Wales and has an extrusion plant in Cambridgeshire.

The joint venture will bring together 2Agriculture's expertise in the promising poultry feed sector with ForFarmers' capabilities in research and development as well as in formulation, particularly in ruminant and pig feeds.

Additionally, the combined broad geographic coverage will provide synergy opportunities, particularly in production and logistics. Similarly, the joint venture will generate further benefits for its customers by being able to combine the sourcing of raw materials.

Furthermore, the joint venture will invest in expansion of the supply chain, enabling improved transparency around sustainability and the origin and quality of food.

Steven Read, managing director of ForFarmers UK and nominated managing director of the intended joint venture, said: "We are excited to announce the merger with 2Agriculture, which will bring benefits to customers and supply chains in all sectors. Together, we can meet the changing requirements from customers and society through our strength in innovation and feed concepts.

"At the same time, we have the opportunity to create further value for our customers across all species by constantly driving improvements and optimising our service in the most efficient manner. We look forward to working with the colleagues at 2Agriculture to make this happen."

Kevin Sketcher, managing sirector of 2Agriculture and nominated board member of the intended joint venture, said: "We look forward to joining forces with ForFarmers, a company that is also very focused on delivering quality feed and good advice to customers to enable them to realise sustainable and enhanced returns on farm. We see the anticipated joint venture as a good strategic step forward for both parties. We will be able to give our combined customer base across all species value for money by providing them with sustainable high quality feed. Moreover, we will be well positioned to support the agricultural sector offering food security to UK consumers. "

The total feed market in the United Kingdom is estimated at approximately 17.5 million tonnes. Expectations per species vary, with the expectations for the poultry sector at present being the most positive.

The majority of poultry feed produced in the UK is manufactured in-house by poultry processors for integrated use in their supply chains. The UK is not fully self-sufficient with respect to production of fresh chicken (95%) nor of pig meat (60%).

Although the pig market is expected to grow in the mid to longer term, the short-term outlook is that the market will remain stable due to the destabilised European pig market as a result of various outbreaks of African swine fever. The dairy market is self-sufficient and the ruminant sector in general is expected to grow minimally.

The merger agreement is a non-cash transaction. The share split will be 50.1% for ForFarmers UK and 49.9% for 2Agriculture. This is based on the current enterprise value of both joint venture partners and takes into account the respective expectations for 2022 and beyond.

The share split also reflects the fact that 2Agriculture is fully focused on the promising poultry sector and has existing supply arrangements in the integrated market.

ForFarmers will consolidate 2Agriculture fully into its financial results.

- ForFarmers




The Philippines to relax import bans to contain soaring poultry prices



The Philippines' Department of Agriculture said it will relax import bans, permit imports of vaccines, and look into new livestock feed types to contain soaring poultry prices in the country, including eggs, BusinessWorld reported.

William Dar, the Philippines' Agriculture Secretary, said the department is discussing with other nations to source alternative feeds to lower the poultry's sector's input costs.

Special import permits for vaccines developed to fight poultry diseases like inclusion body hepatitis have been issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Also planned is a relaxation of the poultry import restriction on Belgian goods.

To strengthen the breeding stocks, the Department of Agriculture will allow the imports of poultry from non-infected regions of Spain, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

Reildrin G. Morales, director of BAI, said in a report to Dar that local and federal governments must make sure that agricultural products are transported smoothly from farming regions to markets.

Morales said producers are slowing down production to reduce losses and are facing more competition as hog farmers have switched to producing poultry and eggs after African Swine Fever reduced the size of their herds.

The high cost of inputs, particularly feed ingredients, has increased pressure on poultry producers, and Morales said that their entry created surplus production.

He said due to avian influenza outbreaks, restrictions on the movement of live birds, poultry products, and by-products, these have led to imbalances in the supply chain from region to region.

- BusinessWorld
President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, speaks with ruling People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, after he returned home from the NATO summit in Spain, July 1. Yonhap



Ruling People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok appeared at an airport to greet President Yoon Suk-yeol returning from a trip to Spain, spurring speculation he may try to seek help from the president in connection with sexual bribery allegations against him.



Lee's visit to Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, to welcome Yoon came about a week before the PPP's ethics committee meets to determine whether and how to discipline Lee over allegations that he received sexual services as a bribe about 10 years ago and attempted to cover it up.



Any punishment stronger than a warning could imperil Lee's political career a year after he took over the chairmanship and would push the PPP to elect a new leader.



Lee has claimed his innocence.



Earlier this week, Lee did not join other PPP leaders in sending Yoon off to Madrid for a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The contrast could suggest Lee's situation has since become more desperate.



On Thursday, Lee's chief of staff, Rep. Park Sung-min, also resigned. Since Park has been considered a "bridge" between Yoon and Lee, his resignation sparked speculation that Yoon could be turning his back on Lee over the sexual bribery case.



The resignation was also seen as having driven Lee into a corner amid a power struggle over the party leadership between Lee and a pro-Yoon faction of lawmakers in the PPP.



Observers said Lee's airport reception can be interpreted as his gesture to patch up relations and seek Yoon's support over his efforts to control the party and overcome the sexual bribery allegations.



Yoon earlier declined to comment on the PPP's situation involving Lee, saying party issues are something that cannot be mentioned by the president. (Yonhap)


If youre a Comcast Xfinity TV customer looking to move all of our TV watching into a single platform, then grab your finest off-brand champagne. The company has announced that the Xfinity Stream app is now available on Apple TV, both in its vanilla and 4K flavors. And users wont just be able to watch live and on-demand programming, theyll also be able to access material theyve stored on their DVR, so long as theyre within the home.

This is also the first opportunity to see the freshly-redesigned Xfinity Stream app, with what Comcast is calling a new, more intuitive user interface. Youll also get improved personalization recommendations and editorial picks to help you find your next great show. Which will go nicely enough with the remainder of the off-brand champagne youll be toasting with, surely.
In 1982, when the BBCs prime-time technology show  Tomorrows World  did a segment on a new musical format called the Compact Disc the presenter skeptically asked "Whether there's a market for this, remains to be seen". We all know what happened next, but even in the early 80s the benefits of CDs should have been clear: high quality, non-degrading sound in a compact format. Oh, and you could even skip, shuffle and repeat tracks, which, in a pre-digital world, truly felt like the future

The Compact Disc turns 40 this year, and there are already signals the format is primed for a mini revival. For the first time in 17 years, CD sales actually went up - and by almost 50 percent, according to the RIAAs sales database.

Its still a long way from the formats peak. In 2021, 46.6 million CDs were shipped in the US  compared to nearly a billion back in 2000. For context, that 46.6 million barely accounts for four percent of last years total music revenue. Vinyl albums, by contrast, sold fewer overall units (39.7M) but are more of a money spinner for artists (seven percent of total revenues).

Some reports claim that the uptick in CD sales is mostly due to mega-artists like Adele and BTS releasing new albums (the formers 30 accounted for two percent of total CD sales alone). But there are other potential  and more practical  contributing factors, too, including the pandemic.

CD sales are growing again now that retail stores are reopening and artists are back on tour. And while CDs havent yet seen the same type of revival as vinyl, the CD format remains a steady revenue stream for independent artists. Rob Bach, COO of CD Baby told Engadget. They should know, as one of their services is the production and distribution of CDs for indie bands.

Kevin Breuner, SVP of Artist Engagement and Education for the company, thinks theres an increasing appetite for CDs as memorabilia, rather than just as a way of playing music. Part of it is that streaming hasnt replaced anything at the merch table  the appeal of a physical item like a CD is that its a piece of memorabilia in a live setting, something you can have signed by artists. Similarly, for artists, theres nothing that can replace when a fan goes back to the merch table to buy a CD or a t-shirt; its always been that way.

Theres also the fact that what once seemed restrictive to younger listeners  having to own a song if you wanted to hear it  now presents a different way of enjoying music. A good album isnt merely a collection of songs, but a structured experience to be enjoyed from start to finish. You can, of course, do this with streaming, but a CD requires getting up to change, Spotify is usually just a click away.

The CD format is experiencing a nice comeback, I'm sure they'll sound pretty sweet played via the new @MarantzOfficial CD 60 player #audiophile #avtweeps https://t.co/qnSDtm3RfZ  Arlen Schweiger (@ArlenSchweiger) May 23, 2022

CDs launched in Japan in October 1982. The format and hardware to play it on didnt land in the US and Europe until the following year. Adoption was relatively swift and just two years later the first million-selling CD album - Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits  would cement the shiny disc's popularity. By the early 90s, assisted by increasingly smaller, affordable and even portable players, the CD was the de facto way to listen to music. And for good reason.

In this new digital world, the CD format was consistent in a way that analog never could be. What became known as the Red Book standard  two-channel 16-bit PCM at 44.1kHz  would be the prevailing specification from there on out. When someone used to say its CD quality one might assume thats what they were referring to.

This standard is considered the minimum requirement to be called lossless by today's streaming services. Of course, how or what you record at 16-bit/44.1 is really what matters, but thats a whole other story.

Jamal Saidi / reuters

More important than any of this, for the labels and artists at least, is that the arrival of the CD meant they could re-sell us our entire music collection in the new wonder format. The 90s were a good time to be in the music industry, at least until Sean and Shawn came along.

There were other benefits to this new digital medium, too. And not just the aforementioned ability to skip/program/shuffle tracks. With CDs, you could hide bonus tracks in new ways that would otherwise be visible on a vinyl record or instantly found by anyone that left a cassette tape running.

Even more exciting? Once PCs started being a more common feature in homes, artists and labels realized you could bundle in entirely different bonus media like videos and karaoke versions  as found on some versions of Americana by The Offspring, for example.

Before we show you some ways you can enjoy/rediscover the joys of compact discs, bear in mind the experience was far from flawless.

Despite being more durable than vinyl, it definitely is possible to scratch a CD. When a record has a scratch, its almost charming. With CDs, its more like walking slowly through hell as they dig up the streets. If your disc was damaged, it also might work in some players yet, frustratingly, not in others. Many an hour has been wasted cleaning and reseating a CD in the hope it would take.

Are CDs the aesthetic now?  https://t.co/9Ir6OFMjG5  Mother of the House of Shaming (@mmkayrulz) May 26, 2022

Of course, many CD players took only one disc, so youd frequently be swapping them out. If you knew someone who had every CD in the right jewel case, that was often a tell that this person doesnt listen to their music enthusiastically or often enough (Its possible they were just slightly organized, but wheres the fun in that). This which disc is in which case problem became even worse when someone decided CD singles  one song you wanted and some less good songs on one disc  were a good idea.

Not to mention the fragility of the cases they came in. Jewel case hinges would crack just by looking at them, while center hubs (the part that held the disc in place) would crumble no matter how well you handled things. Most often while moving house or the aforementioned enthusiastic listening with friends.

Unlike other formats, the CD is unique in that it played a part in its own demise. With the advent of CD burners, you could easily copy your friends album collection, print out album artwork and even print circular stickers with the CD art on them, too. This was how music was stolen for the short period when CD burners and blank discs were affordable and online piracy hadnt taken hold. The CD was then effectively relegated to the role of external storage medium before quietly regressing into obscurity. Until now, of course.

With those small challenges in mind, if youre ready and willing to give the humble Compact Disc another, uhm, spin, here are some recommendations, new and old, cheap and not-so, to dive into the world of the CD.
The US government has no higher award with which to honor a civilian's achievements than the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Handed out at the discretion of the Commander in Chief, the MoF celebrates "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." President Biden announced the first slate of MoF recipients of his administration on Friday, a list that includes former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs.

President Biden's nominees for this award class number 17. They include luminaries like Olympic-winning gymnast Simone Biles, retired Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Gold Star Father Khizr Khan, former US Senator John McCain (posthumous), former president of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka (posthumous), and the most clearly worthy recipient of the group, Denzel Washington.

The MoF has only been awarded 647 times since it was established by President Kennedy in 1963, and of those, just 26 people have been awarded it "with distinction." The awards will be presented at the White House on July 7, 2022.
Tesla is facing another lawsuit by a group of former and current workers at its Fremont factory who allege that it knew about but failed to stop racist slurs, harassment and more, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The employees were "subjected to offensive racist comments and offensive racist behavior and discipline by colleagues, leads, supervisors, managers, and/or human resources personnel on a daily basis," the complaint states.

One plaintiff named in the suit, Jasmine Wilson, worked as a quality inspector from August 2021 to March 2022. She alleges that she was the victim of racial epithets and sexual harassment from supervisors. In addition, they assumed she was a production associate because she was African-American, and berated her for not doing that job and wearing the wrong uniform, according to the suit. When she informed human resources, it was skeptical of her claims and never launched a promised investigation.

Other employees also alleged racial slurs and graffiti on Tesla restroom walls, and said they were retaliated against after complaining. Some said they were given more strenuous positions than non-minority workers and passed over for promotions.

Late last year, Tesla was sued by six women who accused it of "rampant" sexual harassment at the Fremont factory with catcalling, inappropriate touching, sexual comments and more. In December, a jury awarded former elevator operator Owen Diaz $137 million over racial abuse. The award was later reduced to $15 million, but that was rejected by Diaz and a federal judge ordered a new damages trial. Tesla has yet to comment on the latest lawsuit and eliminated its press relations department in 2020.
Lee Jun-seok, in the background, second from right, chairman of the ruling People Power Party, is seen behind President Yoon Suk-yeol at Seoul Airport, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province on Friday. Yonhap









By Kang Hyun-kyung







Around this time last year, Lee Jun-seok, who was then the newly elected leader of the People Power Party (PPP), had been at the peak of his career since he had entered politics in 2011. What he did and said made the nation's news headlines. The media frenzy about him is owed partly to the unprecedented record he set in Korean politics: Lee, who was then 36, is the first Korean politician who became a leader of a major party in his thirties. He took the PPP's leadership competition by storm, defeating several veteran politicians, such as Na Kyung-won and Joo Ho-young, with a comfortable margin. At the time, he was lauded as an icon of a new-era politician.







One year later, Lee, now 37, still the chairman of the ruling PPP, is in a situation very different from the one he faced a year ago. He is the odd man out. He's still a newsmaker, but not in a positive sense. He is embroiled in a sex scandal and currently at the center of the public's attention because of his doomed fate as a politician. Some even say that his days in politics are numbered.







Members of the ruling PPP's ethics committee are scheduled to meet on July 7 to deliberate on the allegations Lee is facing: he is accused of having received sexual services as a bribe, twice, in return for a favor from a now jailed businessman, Kim Sung-jin, the founder and president of startup I-KAIST. Lee is also accused of having used his influence to destroy the evidence. If these allegations are determined to be true, Lee's political career will be cut short. His image as a young, innovative leader will be tarnished as well.







Lee publicly denied the allegations several times, both on social media and in media interviews.







The police are investigating the allegations about Lee, and the investigators quizzed the jailed accuser, Kim, on Friday at the Seoul detention center. The police noted that Kim is a witness, not a suspect.







After the questioning, Kim's lawyer, Kim So-yeon, told reporters that her client confirmed the allegations about Lee, saying that they are all true. "My client said he arranged sexual services for Lee twice, both in 2013, and had also wined and dined him at other entertaining events 18 times in total until 2016," the lawyer said.







In return for Kim wining and dining Lee, the lawyer said that Lee promised that he would contact two people  one a lawmaker and the other a businessman  who were close to then-President Park Geun-hye, to arrange a meeting for Kim with the president. The names of the two people have not been made public.







Lee denied Kim's claims. In a social media post, he said that what Kim had said was inaccurate. "I told him that I had no opportunity to meet or communicate with President Park since 2012," he wrote. "I'd like to know who the lawmaker and the businessman he was talking about are, though."







The police investigation and its findings hold the key to the fate of Lee's political career.







Recent developments seem not to be positive for Lee. In June, there was a media report about Lee's botched request to have dinner with President Yoon Suk-yeol. According to the report, Lee was said to have asked President Yoon to find time for a dinner with him to discuss certain issues. Yoon rejected the request.







Lee Jun-seok. center, the chairman of the ruling People Power Party, looks at Yeong-il-man Bay (not seen in this photo) in the southeastern coastal city of Pohang, during a visit to North Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. Lee Cheol-woo, left, the governor of North Gyeongsang Province, and Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the PPP joined Lee. Yonhap





Lee revealed his unpleasant feelings about the news report, saying that there seems to be a group of people who intentionally leak information to discredit him.







There are signs of possible discord between President Yoon and the ruling party leader as the president is reportedly feeling pressure from Lee and trying to distance himself to avoid any fallout. The recent resignation of Lee's chief of staff, who had played a bridge role between the president and Lee, is described as another negative sign for Lee.







On Thursday, Rep. Park Seong-min of the PPP sent a short text message to National Assembly correspondents. He wrote he would step down as Lee's chief of staff for unspecified personal reasons.







His resignation sparked speculations that Lee's fate might be doomed. Rep. Park began working as the chief of staff for Lee since March at the request of then-President-elect Yoon. Since then, Park had served as a mediator between Yoon and Lee as there are a lot of issues the two leaders had to consult each other on as the head of state and the ruling party leader, respectively. As the man who is known to be close to President Yoon has resigned, some politicians speculated that Park's resignation might indicate that Yoon has no intentions of helping Lee.







The alleged sex scandal facing Lee is not the only problem he is facing inside the ruling party. Under his leadership, the PPP won first the March 9 presidential election and then the June 1 local elections. But few credited Lee's leadership as a critical factor behind the PPP's winning streak in the elections. In fact, some say the opposite is true.







After Yoon won the presidential election with a razor-thin margin of 0.7 percent over his rival, Lee Jae-myung, of the Democratic Party of Korea, some lawmakers were simmering with resentment. They claimed that Yoon could have won the election comfortably, if it had not been for Lee. The ruling party chairman was described by his opponents as an obstacle for Yoon in the presidential election, as opposed to a facilitator of his win, partly because of his questionable stance on the unified candidacy between Yoon and Ahn Cheol-soo. Ahn quit the race to support Yoon at the last minute. Lee had been critical of Ahn all throughout the presidential election and had even said that the PPP didn't need a unified candidate, as Yoon was bound to win the election.







Political commentators agree that Yoon's last-minute negotiations with Ahn successfully securing the unified candidacy and preventing a split vote were a decisive factor behind Yoon's victory, especially in such a close race.






While Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein have been jailed and questioned by police for their unlawful activities, Prince Andrew appears to be living his finest royal life inside the walls of a castle.

A former royal cop has called Prince Andrew a "horrible little guy" because of his status and connections, and has asked him to come clean about his relationship to Maxwell and Epstein.

Paul Page worked for the British royal family at Buckingham Palace for six years, but now he's taking aim at Prince Andrew after Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in jail for sex trafficking.

Maxwell was the Duke of York's "old acquaintance," and she is accused of trafficking Virginia Robertswhen she was just 17 years old.

Lawyers have already urged for Prince Andrew to be the next target of a probe into Epstein's former sex ring.

But today, Page isn't holding back, saying that Queen Elizabeth II's purported favorite son must answer questions regarding Epstein and Maxwell, but he also expects the royal to never cooperate with police in both the UK and the US.

"Andrew has something to conceal, and he has questions to answer," he told The Sun, "but I don't think he'll ever be in a situation where he has to answer them because of who he is."

Page stated why Prince Andrew is enjoying his life and not facing jail time, calling the prince "self-absorbed, rude, and contemptuous to those below him."

"Ghislaine doesn't have the 'HRH' designation in front of her name; where is she? Jail. What happened to him? I'm at home. It's as simple as that."

READ ALSO: Prince Harry vs. Prince Andrew: Who's The Royal Causing More Trouble in the Family?

Page had also cautioned that failing to compel the Duke of York to assist creates a dangerous precedent for the wealthy and powerful, who may be linked to Jeffrey Epstein and Jeffrey Maxwell.

The former pair was a staple in high society, spending years attending expensive events all across the world.

They were able to rub shoulders with royalty, though, thanks to Prince Andrew, and Epstein and Maxwell were even seen relaxing at Queen Elizabeth II's log lodge in Balmoral Castle.

Page also stated that Prince Andrew is a "toxic asset" who "should never be permitted back into public life."

Page, on the other hand, already knows the conclusion.

"The only way he can redeem himself is to speak the truth, which will not happen."

READ MORE: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Oprah Interview Round 2 Happening? Sussexes Spotted Doing THIS
Children of the 80s have something to rejoice about as one of the more obscure, single movie cult properties is returning to Disney+.

That film in question is Willow, the George Lucas written and produced fantasy property by director Ron Howard which tells the story of Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), an aspiring diminutive wizard who proves his mettle by protecting a prophesied baby from the evil machinations of a witch hellbent on taking over the land. Accompanied by Madmatigan, the Han Solo-Esque, handsome rogue played by Val Kilmer. Together they go on a hero's quest to save their lands from the evil Queen Babmorda, who is hellbent on sacrificing the baby for her own personal gain.

Writer of the series, Joe Kasdan, son of producer Lawrence Kasdan, whose dad had a long legacy with George Lucas properties such as Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Arc, talked about how the new show is trying to keep the tone of the original while adding a new generation of characters to the Disney+ series.

"It's a whole new thing. From the moment I got involved in Star Wars with George, with Kathy, with my dad, I saw an opportunity here with Willow to bring this story back. I knew that Warwick was eager to do it, to play it again, and then when Ron came and worked on Solo with us, he was just as eager, too, and we let the momentum of that allow us to continue this story that the three of us really loved -- that I loved as a fan and they loved as a working experience. I just thought, 'How do I do this, and how do I give it the same fidelity that we tried to give to Solo?' There are deep cuts in the Willow show, and references to the tabletop game and references to the novelization. We went deep, and hopefully the true fan will appreciate it."

Much like Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters Afterlife, Willow the series finds the son taking over the mantle of creativity their parents left behind. It will be interesting to see what this more modern generation will do with the legacy.

Willow will be on Disney beginning on November 30.
Almost half of the 40 countries worldwide that did not vote in favor of the resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the United Nations General Assembly were from Africa. It is heartening that some 28 out of the 54 African countries that voted condemned the invasion. But, at 51%, this is hardly a strong majority. Much of the commentary in the Global South, including in Africa, on Ukraine rests on moral equivalences such as NATO expanded or Russia was lied to or the West invaded Iraq. While these arguments might sometimes have validity in explaining President Vladimir Putins actions, thats completely different from excusing them. But Russia has done very well in exploiting this seam between the worlds representing more than 70% of the worlds wealth which supported Ukraine in the UN and the 60% of the worlds population which did not.

Ndileka Mandela, for instance, the granddaughter of the late, great South African president recently wrote of the necessity of moral leadership as a unifying force in ending apartheid. That much we agree with. But South Africas remarkable transition from war to peace also involved the application of sustained pressure from the outside world, strategic-minded leadership that possessed timing and courage, and for the conflicting parties to see that there was more to be gained from settling than continuing the struggle. Moral authority alone was thus far from enough to deliver South Africas democratic transition in 1994. As was the case in South Africa, there are no grounds for ethical ambiguity or equivalence between Russia and Ukraine.

Mandela writes that President Volodymyr Zelenskys moral authority is in danger of being undermined on account of the treatment of African students at the border with neighboring countries in the early days of the war when there was a rush to leave the country and that these actions have, somehow, endangered peace. It is in the process forgotten that there were over 9,000 African university students studying in Ukraine before the war, an illustration of solidarity, not racism. This attempt to trivialize the war by exaggerating the hardships experienced by students  who were, by the way, part of a large wave of refugees of all races and many nationalities struggling to get out of Ukraine  should not obscure the fundamental issue, which is that Russia broke international law. There is no case for the moral ambiguity that she attempts to introduce into the debate.

Just as apartheid ended because it was morally and ethically unacceptable to most South Africans, black and white, the war in Ukraine is a struggle between what is good and bad, right and wrong. It is a result of Russias invasion and attempts to capture and occupy Ukraine for its own political and economic purposes. There is consent among democratic nations that Russia instigated, organized and conducted the invasion on spurious grounds. The Mandela surname should not confer moral authority on an article any more than Putins claim of empire confers moral authority on his act of violent colonialism. It is unfortunate, however, that many politicians try to avoid taking a clear stance on the invasion of Ukraine. There is no conceivable way of squaring the rhetoric of democracy with support for Moscows actions. And in an African context, support for Russia or Ukraine equates to a choice between elites and the general population.

According to regular polling, around two-thirds of Africans prefer democracy to any other form of government. This stance by African leaders, who support Russias invasion, puts them at odds with their populace. There are several reasons for this. For one, Putins form of authoritarianism is appealing to some African incumbents, representing a formula for making money with little chance of being upended at the polls. There are also lucrative contracts to offer. For instance, the presidency of Jacob Zuma in South Africa was characterized by state capture, with Russia at the center of several of such deals, notably around the procurement of nuclear power stations. The Russian company, Rosatom, announced that it had sealed a strategic partnership with South Africa in 2014 when Zuma visited the Kremlin. The plan was to build eight nuclear reactors in South Africa with a combined output of 9.6 gigawatts by 2030. Also, according to documents released to the public, the largest funder to the ruling African National Congress is currently a Russian mining oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg, who reputedly enjoys close ties to Putin.

Such opacity characterizes Russian dealings in other African countries, not least the Central African Republic and Mali, where the Wagner private security group has gained a foothold, and in Eritrea where the government is dependent on Russian materiel. Asmaras government, which has given Eritrea the reputation of Africas North Korea, has proven a routine destabilizing force in the Horn of Africa, a thorn in the side of those who seek a path of peace and prosperity. Russias invasion of Ukraine raises many problems for Africa. If Russia gets away with this invasion, free from condemnation and able to hang onto the territory it has seized, what does this mean for democracy in Africa, the principle of sovereignty, the sanctity of borders, and human rights and basic freedoms? Does this mean that, in the future, might is right in changing boundaries and political regimes? And there are the increasing real costs for Africans given the increase in food, fertilizer and fuel prices that have resulted from the closure of Ukrainian ports.

Given Africas colonial history, claims of territory on ethnic and linguistic grounds could result in an endless continent-wide conflagration. There is also the issue of empire: Africans should be wary of the signals they are sending out to those elsewhere on the acceptance of intra-European colonialism. This war continues because Putin wants it to. This is not in the interests of African people. Peace and the protection of democracy is.

Why Africa Must Protect Democracy  Starting in Ukraine  Opinion by Bobi Wine and Greg Mills  The Brenthurst Foundation.

The Opinion can be downloaded here
Western public has moral duty to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said, stressing that rising energy and food prices shouldnt stop the Western public from supporting Ukraine. There is a moral and political obligation to Ukraine, Stoltenberg told press in Madrid on Tuesday (28 June), as NATO leaders met in Spain for talks on a historic expansion in reaction to Russias war. During the NATO Summit taking place this week (27-29 June), Turkey has finally agreed to let Finland and Sweden join the alliance after a deal on Kurdish separatists and arms exports.

The foreign ministers of the three countries signed the joint memorandum on NATO accession, in which Finland and Sweden pledge not to provide support to YPG/PYD [a Kurdish group] and the organization described as FETO [an overseas-based Muslim group] in Turkiye. They will also step up activity in the fight against Kurdish group PKK, which the EU has designated a terrorist entity. And they will confirm that now there are no national arms embargoes in place on weapons exports to Turkey, even though it might use them in ongoing fighting inside Syria. Sweden confirmed it had altered its laws to criminalize more types of pro-Kurdish activism. Both Nordic states even agreed to address Turkiyes pending deportation and extradition requests of Kurdish leaders, while noting this had to be done in line with European due process.

Announcing this breakthrough, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that Tomorrow [Wednesday] allied leaders will make a decision to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO, to become NATO members. And following this summit, Finland and Sweden will become invitees. Stoltenberg also added that if you just look at the map, you understand that it will change the whole security situation in the Baltic region. With Finland and Sweden . close to the Baltic, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia  it will really strengthen our presence in that part of the world. Russia had threatened dire consequences if NATO took in any more members prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin subsequently toned down its rhetoric on Nordic enlargement, but Stoltenberg still pointed out the irony of the developments. Well, this is a Finnish and Swedish decision, he said, underlining the fact that Russian president Vladimir Putin had no veto on neighboring countries paths. He wanted less NATO. Now president Putin is getting more Nato on his borders. So what he gets is the opposite of what he actually demanded, Stoltenberg said.

As Sweden and Finland were officially invited to join the 30-country bloc, NATO leaders have also called Russia the most significant and direct threat to the alliances peace and security. In a joint declaration, they endorsed a new strategic framework and launch the largest revamp of its defense and deterrence capabilities since the end of the Cold War, strengthening its forces on its eastern flank and massively ramping up the number of troops it has at high readiness. The declaration also addressed the growing military and economic reach of China. We meet in the midst of the most serious security crisis we have faced since the second world war, Stoltenberg said. Meanwhile, the U.S. has announced it is looking into increasing its military presence in Europe as part of ramping up defense in light of Russias invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. will enhance our force posture in Europe, and respond to the changed security environment, U.S. President Joe Biden said, adding that it plans to defend every inch of allied territory.
Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, making history as the first Black woman on the nation's top judicial body while joining it at a time when its conservative majority has been flexing its muscles in major rulings.
A few months after Russian troops retreated from Yahidne in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, the village has gradually returned to life. People are repairing their homes and a strong wind occasionally picks up the bitter smell of ashes.
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) CEO and Managing Director, Sanjiv Mehta, will be appointed the President Commissioner (Non-Executive Chairman) of Unilever Indonesia.

The move is subject to approval from shareholders at the Unilever Indonesias next Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 28 July 2022.

Mehta will join the companys Board of Commissioners and chair the same in a non-executive capacity. He will continue to be Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and President, Unilever South Asia. He is also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
A delivery driver opens a container on the back of his scooter before leaving to deliver food in Seoul, Feb. 4, 2021. Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun



The number of food delivery workers has been declining since the government eased social distancing rules for the COVID-19 pandemic in early May, as fewer people get their food delivered, according to industry officials Thursday. Those who have left the food delivery industry are finding new jobs as taxi drivers and in other professions because they cannot make ends meet by only delivering food.



Against this backdrop, food delivery firms have been scrambling to retain delivery drivers by guaranteeing them a stable income through new payment systems.



Coupang Eats has recently offered to pay its part-time drivers on a daily and weekly basis in Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa districts in Seoul. They will be paid 170,000 won ($130.88) per day regardless of how much food they deliver, except on rainy days when the payment increases to 190,000 won.



Delivery workers are also granted a one-hour break but they have to work nine hours from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. They can choose to work five or six days per week.



Coupang Eats is also adopting a salary system for the delivery drivers it employs directly. Drivers are contracted for a maximum three months and receive a fixed income of between 24 million won and 27 million won per year.



"We had so many people wanting to work as delivery drivers during COVID-19. However, as fewer people order food online and drivers' incomes decrease, a number of delivery workers have quit. We are working to balance out the supply and demand of drivers by reviewing various countermeasures," a food delivery firm official said.



Woowa Brothers, operator of the country's largest food delivery service Baedal Minjok, will hire regular delivery workers. However, the new drivers have to undergo six months of training. Their annual salary is fixed at 31.2 million won and they can earn up to 45.6 million won including bonuses.



"After the pandemic restrictions ended, the market changed rapidly and many of our delivery drivers wanted permanent positions. We will make further adjustments to our salary system as we test it. However, we have no plans for the time being to adopt a weekly pay system," a Woowa Brothers said.



Delivery drivers are still not fully satisfied with Coupang Eats and Woowa Brothers' new recruitment systems, as they still constitute a reduction in pay.



Also, some of the new systems do not support compensation for gas prices or insurance.



"With the new monthly pay system, I will make 30 percent less than what I made during the pandemic. Here, oil prices went up recently and it is too much for delivery drivers to handle when they also have to cover insurance fees on their own," a food delivery driver surnamed Kang said.


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Millions of Texans are expected to hit the road during the long Fourth of July weekend, although record-high fuel prices may lead them to cut back on other travel expenses, experts say.

Texans are ready for a break, said Kent Livesay, vice president and general manager of AAA Texas.

Leaders at Buc-ees, the gas station chain headquartered in Lake Jackson, share that sense.

This summer has been a busy summer for road trips, said Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ees.

Average gasoline prices soared to record levels this spring, hitting more than $4 a gallon in San Antonio for the first time in history, but have softened in recent weeks. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in San Antonio was $4.46 on Thursday, down 2.5 percent from a week ago, according to AAA Texas. Still, prices are up 6 percent in San Antonio from a month ago and are 64 percent higher than this time last year.

Gasing up Thursday afternoon, Brian Buchanan said pricey gasoline isnt changing his July 4th plans. His daughter Zoe still made the six-hour drove down from Durant, Okla., to spend the weekend with her dad in San Antonio as usual it just cost more.

Each time she comes down, I used to give $100 for gas to and from, Buchanan said as he filled his own tank at a station on Austin Highway. Now, I give her $200 for her trip.

On ExpressNews.com: Another record high in San Antonio as gas prices march toward $5 per gallon

In May, gas-price tracking website GasBuddy released its annual summer travel survey. Seventy percent of respondents said high gas prices have affected their travel plans this summer. Last year, just 24 percent said the same. But 58 percent were nonetheless planning road trips as the summer began, and a third said they were planning to travel during the Fourth of July weekend specifically.

The high prices dont seem to be holding many Americans back from hitting the road with the economy fully reopened, said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddys head of petroleum analysis.

AAA Texas predicted 3.5 million Texans will go on trips this weekend, which it defines as traveling at least 50 miles from home. Thats up 3 percent from last years Independence Day weekend and within 1 percent of the same period in 2019.

Most of those travelers  about 3.1 million  are expected to drive, which would be a record for the state. Meanwhile, AAA expects fewer Texans to travel by air this weekend compared with the same time in 2019.

This isnt surprising, says Joshua Zuber, senior public affairs specialist for AAA Texas, given the nations pent-up demand to travel and the airline industrys woes such as soaring airfares and thousands of canceled flights amid a pilot shortage.

When we see higher gas prices, typically that doesnt deter people from traveling, Zuber added. Rather, if theyre concerned about the higher gas prices, folks tend to modify their trips  meaning theyll choose less expensive accommodations, focus on staying with family and friends, or modify their activities.

To provide some relief to drivers, the Biden Administration has asked both Congress and the states to pass measures that would suspend taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel for the duration of the three-month summer travel season from July through September.

An Express-News analysis found such a move would save drivers an average of $24.50 per month, but would cost the state government as much as $682 million in lost tax revenue. The federal tax revenue loss would approach $10 billion.

S.A. VOTES Voter Guide: What to know for the Texas runoff election A breakdown of key state and local races and candidates in the May 24 primary runoff.

On ExpressNews.com: Here's how much San Antonio drivers would likely save with a summer gas tax holiday

Some San Antonians, though, are tweaking their plans. One, who declined to give his name as he dispensed gas off of Loop 410, said he may travel over the weekend but hell avoid eating at restaurants. High prices for things such as gasoline to food have been squeezing his fixed income, he said.

It sucks. Im retired, he said. I get X amount of dollars  now I need X plus Y.

Tom Faust, a spokesman for Margaritaville Lake Resort in Conroe, said he considers the Fourth of July the Super Bowl of the leisure season and expects this year will be no different.

We still do have rooms available for the weekend, but we anticipate by Saturday that we will be full, Faust said, adding that 75 to 85 percent of the resorts leisure travelers are from the Houston area.

Before taking off for the weekend, AAA urges drivers to check their vehicles battery, engine and tires. The auto club expects to respond to 21,000 roadside assistance calls in Texas over the weekend.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net

erica.grieder@chron.com
Hays County this week banned swimming at Jacobs Well Natural Area for the foreseeable future because of high bacteria counts in the water.

The water in the popular Hill Country swimming destination has threats of high bacteria levels, other pollutants and poor visibility conditions, making it unsafe for swimming, officials said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The Jacob's Well Natural Area, about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio in Wimberley, has the second-largest fully submerged cave in Texas. The water temperature stays at a consistent 68 degrees year-round.

Dig deeper: Tipping point: Waters under fire in Texas Hill Country as development, population boom

The swim season began May 1 and requires reservations.

Jacobs Well is surrounded by a little over 81 acres of parkland and is home to many wildlife species, including roadrunners and Guadalupe bass.

But the Hill County is growing at breakneck speed and development is threatening area waterway supply and water quality, the Express-News reported in April.

More people are putting wastewater  which helps habitat-wrecking algae thrive into treasured sanctuaries and endangered species.

The water for Jacobs Well comes from the Trinity Aquifer, which makes its way from an extensive underground cave system. The well is at the headwaters of Cypress Creek, which flows through Blue Hole Regional Park and feeds into the Blanco River.

David Baker/Wimberley Chamber of Commerce

Concerns about possible loss of flow from Jacobs Well and increases in bacteria in Cypress Creek have troubled stakeholders for over a decade, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Related: High feces levels in the Comal River have New Braunfels officials concerned

High bacteria counts in recent years have also led to the closure of Hamilton Pool, a popular swimming destination in Travis County.

Its unclear when swimming will be allowed to resume at Jacobs Well. However, Hays County officials will monitor conditions on a daily basis and will issue updates as necessary.

The Jacobs Well Natural Area remains open for hiking and other activities. Its free to park and enter the park.

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
A month after the Robb Elementary shooting, the Comal County Sheriffs Office is seeking recruits to bolster the ranks of law enforcement on school campuses.

Since the Uvalde massacre, in which 19 schoolchildren and two teachers were killed May 24, Sheriff Mark Reynolds said his office has been getting calls from retired officers asking what they can do to help.

The Sheriffs Office placed uniformed deputies at the entrances of Comal ISD campuses after the shooting, adding to the normal presence of dedicated school officers, Reynolds said.

We wanted the kids to feel safe, Reynolds said. We got what I believe was a tremendous response from many of the parents who dropped their children off.

On ExpressNews.com: Boerne ISD adding law enforcement officers to all 12 schools

Those deputies will return when school starts in the fall.

But in order to put additional officers on campuses, a Reserve Deputy School Resource Officer Program will recruit eligible candidates who have law enforcement experience or served in the military. Reynolds said he hopes to have most of the recruits on school campuses by January.

Through an agreement between Comal County and Comal ISD, the Sheriffs Office already has 16 school-dedicated officers covering the 32 campuses within the 589-square-mile district, which has a student population of over 27,000 from pre-K to 12th grade, Reynolds said. The school district covers most of the funding for the officers, picking up approximately 78 percent of their pay, while the county contributes the remaining 22 percent.

The reserve recruits will be paid at the same rate as the current officers, $40 per hour, which will be covered through existing funding.

Reynolds said he hasnt set a specific goal for how many officers to bring on, but I will recruit all I can.

To join, you must have a valid, current Texas peace officer license from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. You also must pass written and physical tests and a background check.

Qualified candidates can contact Lt. Mark Long at the Sheriffs Office at 830-620-3400 ext. 2007.

ddekunder@express-news.net
Five teenagers were taken into custody after an attempted retail theft at La Cantera led to an hourslong police search for the suspects.

The four boys and one girl face charges including organized retail theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and evading arrest, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

One boy is facing an additional charge of aggravated assault against a peace officer after police say he threatened to shoot and pointed a gun at an off-duty officer.

You might also like: Fourth suspect arrested in deadly tractor-trailer case

Authorities did not release the names of the suspects because they are underage. Because the final police report isn't completed, law enforcement officials also declined to release the suspects' ages.

The incident began about noon, shortly before the University of Texas at San Antonio sent an alert to students and faculty, urging them to avoid the area as police conducted a search for a suspect who was possibly armed near the area of La Cantera Woodline, which is north of campus. A follow-up alert sent at 1:34 p.m. said two suspects were apprehended and there was no threat to campus.

Police initially were dispatched to 15900 La Cantera Parkway, responding to a reported disturbance.

During the disturbance, one juvenile male made a threat to shoot  and subsequently displayed a weapon  at an off-duty law enforcement officer who was working security at the location, police spokeswoman Jennifer Saucedo Rodriguez said.

The suspects then fled the area on foot and were apprehended. The five teens were taken to the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center.

During the search, people near the outdoor mall and Fiesta Texas described seeing a police helicopter and a large police presence in the area, according to social media posts.

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
A dolphin that had previously exhibited aggressive behavior toward humans off North Padre Island near Corpus Christi was rescued Thursday because it needed medical attention, officials said.

In a news release, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the female dolphin needed to be rescued because the organization feared she would die. The dolphin's health had been declining after sustaining injuries and it was rescued as a last resort, NOAA said.

NOAA rescued the dolphin with the help of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the Texas State Aquarium and SeaWorld San Antonio.

On ExpressNews.com: Avoid the dangerous dolphin lurking at North Padre Island

The dolphin had injuries to her eye and body, Heidi Whitehead, executive director of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network wrote, in an email. The dolphin also exhibited weight loss, which required medical attention after recent observations by marine mammal biologists, she said.

"We've been monitoring her closely for a while, asking the public to leave her alone and not seek her out to interact with her," Whitehead wrote. "Unfortunately, that advice was not followed by everyone."

Because of an abundance of human interaction, the dolphin shows no wariness toward vessels, making her vulnerable to injuries from propellers and jet skis, Whitehead said. Officials believe that is how the dolphin was injured.

On ExpressNews.com: SeaWorld reports rise in attendance and revenue, but says international visits and staffing are still lagging

For more than a year, authorities have discouraged people from feeding, swimming or interacting with the dolphin. The dolphin became so used to humans that she began to seek out people and boats for human interaction.

At one point, the dolphin began showing signs of aggressive behavior, "separating children from their parents in the water, and isolating swimming pets from their owners," NOAA said.

shepard.price@express-news.net | @shepardgprice
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Hundreds of singing voices echoed in downtowns San Fernando Cathedral on Thursday evening as the community prayed for the more than 60 migrants who were involved in a human-smuggling tragedy this week.

Some attendees held back tears as loved ones comforted them with hugs, while others tightly clasped their hands together and squeezed their eyes shut as they prayed. Leaders from various faiths and officials from consulates were alongside San Antonians at the memorial mass.

Archbishop of San Antonio Gustavo Garcia-Siller presided, delivering an impassioned homily  in Spanish, then in English  that called for immigration reform and action from those in the church and beyond.

We all have a role to play, he said, adding that everyone should search for opportunities for development.

On ExpressNews.com: What we know about victims, survivors of human-smuggling tragedy that left 53 dead in San Antonio

He said that people of faith and others should create political incentives for our elected representatives to fulfill their duty to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

This tragedy must prevent others, Garcia-Siller said to the congregation. May the Lord open our hearts so these misfortunes never happen again.

Federal authorities say the tractor-trailer that was found on San Antonios Southwest Side was holding 64 immigrants. Forty-eight of them died on the scene, and another five at area hospitals. As of Wednesday, the death toll was 53.

Included among the identified dead were 22 Mexican nationals, seven people from Guatemala, two from Honduras and 17 others from unknown origin. Some of those who died may have come from El Salvador, consulate officials have said.

The trailer was found in the area that District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia represents. Garcia was one of several candle bearers at the Mass. She said she believes in the power of prayer and hopes that Thursdays Mass brings healing to those affected.

Unfortunately, a lot of times it takes a mass tragedy to move the needle or to act or to come together, which I think we need to do as a country, really, she said. We need to work together and find solutions together.

On ExpressNews.com: I have too many bodies here: Details from the scene of deadly human-smuggling incident in San Antonio

Garcia said another Mass is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Vincent de Paul.

Ruben Minutti Zanatta, consul general of Mexico in San Antonio, attended Thursdays Mass.

We are here to join our community no matter what religion you belong to, Zanatta said. I see most religions represented, most sectors of society. We are here to ask for relief for our community, our victims and the families, of course, that have the hardest part from now on, and, of course, our patients in the hospital.

On ExpressNews.com: Smugglers exploited shift change at border checkpoint to evade detection

Nancy Marrufo, a distant relative of one of the migrants who died, was one of the last to leave the Mass on Thursday. The 34-year-old said that her family is devastated following Mondays discovery, but Thursday night brought some comfort.

It was nice, Marrufo said. It felt like peace.

On ExpressNews.com: Fourth suspect arrested in deadly tractor-trailer case

Sister Martha Ann Kirk, a leader in the Interfaith San Antonio Alliance who was a candle bearer at the Mass, said she completely agreed with the archbishops points regarding immigration reform.

The University of Incarnate Word professor emerita said that we cant do everything, but we can do something. We can use our voices; we can speak up; we can influence our elected officials.

All of us in the world are immigrants, she said. People are on the move throughout the history of civilization. Our country is a country of immigrants. Are we blind that we are not recognizing that these people are part of our family?

megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
Pablo Martinez Monsivais, STF / Associated Press

Two people were killed and their children injured after a train collided with a vehicle at a railroad crossing in Atascosa County.

The collision occurred as the train was heading south at 7:15 a.m. Friday at the Strawberry City Road crossing, adjacent to U.S. 281 north of Pleasanton, according to Union Pacific.
Along the U.S. Mexican border in the southern counties of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, migration and public policy long have intertwined with desert, rock and brush to create a death zone.

Its where desperate human beings risk their lives and everything they have to travel north to the United States, usually to places where friends and relatives await them.

If theyre strong enough and lucky enough to survive the elements, their traffickers and the many others along the way who exploit them, they get to their destinations.

Others die en route. This week, 53 died a horrific death. The trailer they traveled in was found San Antonios Southwest Side near Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

They might have died of heat stroke, but the cause of death was also a deadly mix of poverty, danger, desperation and ineffective, inhumane policy. The lack of comprehensive immigration reform is partly to blame.

It has been the status quo from one administration to another, one Congress to the next. There is no urgency to address the issue because some people and politicians see migrants as less than human and as criminals.

It amounts to a refusal to understand the worlds most common, unchanging condition.

Human migration.

Its as old as human existence and apt to grow rather than slow as climate change creates more refugees.

On Monday, 64 people were discovered inside an abandoned rig by a nearby worker who heard cries for help. Inside it was like an oven.

That was at about 5:50 p.m. The doors to the rig were open. Most were already dead.

Temperatures reached about 100 degrees Monday. It was sunny with 44 percent humidity.

Those inside the truck had no air conditioning and no water.

The trailer got past a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint 26 miles northeast of Laredo. Some of those inside it were from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

In darkness and unimaginable heat, they traveled on Interstate 35 South to San Antonio, a distance of about 155 miles. Their journey reportedly started between 2 and 3 p.m., which means they were found almost four hours later.

Those who argue U.S. borders are open should really stop. Its so inaccurate. This is an example of what migrants are willing to do to cross the border and flee corrupt governments, dangerous drug cartels and criminal gangs.

What happened Monday was the deadliest known migrant-smuggling catastrophe in U.S. history.

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said the survivors had heat stroke, heat exhaustion and were hot to the touch.

Dr. Ralph Riviello, chair of the department of emergency medicine at UT Health San Antonio and chair of emergency medicine for University Hospital, spoke to me Friday about what happens to the human body when exposed to high temperatures like those the migrants experienced.

At first, they compensate for the heat by sweating, he said.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldve had fluids, reached air conditioning and limited their exposure.

When they lost the ability to sweat, their internal temperatures continued to rise. They were extremely dehydrated.

Riviello says this is when the body tries to compensate by moving blood flow to critical areas, such as the heart and brain. They likely passed out, could have gone into a coma and had seizures.

Heat exhaustion was followed by heat stroke, which is worse.

Theyre experiencing a lot of things, Riviello said, including a rapid heart rate, breathing problems, dizziness and muscle cramps. Toxins build up in the brain. Nerve cells are damaged.

Theyre the same symptoms experienced by children and animals when left inside vehicles during the summer.

Its a horrific way to die.

Studies show temperatures inside vehicles can get as high as 150 degrees, an unheard-of temperature, Riviello said.

One Stanford University study published by the journal Pediatrics found temperatures inside parked cars can rise by an average of 40 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour. Eighty percent of the increase happens within the first half-hour.

A report by Outside magazine said theres only about eight degrees difference between normal body temperature, 98.6, and the limit the body can endure, which can be 105 to 107 degrees.

The effects are more devastating for older people and those with existing medical conditions. Recovery can be difficult.

Some survivors have liver and kidney damage and need dialysis. They experience brain injuries, lose the ability to absorb nutrients, or have damaged gastrointestinal tracks.

Their conditions may be irreversible. Psychological trauma can be lifelong.

Some people in the back of that trailer could have died quickly, probably within an hour. Some may die while receiving therapy.

Doctors say the key to heat-related illness is prevention. Its the prescription thats needed.

But in the borderlands between Mexico and the United States, where migration and public policy equals a deadly corridor, that approach has been elusive.

eayala@express-news.net
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Donald Trump didnt fulfill many of his campaign promises during his single term as president of the United States.

Trump promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and replace it with something more to his liking.

He failed.

Trump promised to get Mexico to pay for a coast-to-coast wall along this countrys southern border.

On ExpressNews.com: Garcia: Human-smuggling tragedy cant be blamed on open borders

As president, however, he quickly scrapped the idea of Mexico paying for the wall and decided to bill U.S. taxpayers for it. In the end, only 80 miles of fencing was built where it didnt already exist.

Trump promised to revamp this countrys trade arrangement with China.

Despite his imposition of tariffs that put a hurt on U.S. businesses, he failed to make much headway with Chinese leaders.

Trump promised that during his administration, the U.S. economy would achieve annual growth of more than 4 percent.

He never got close.

Trump also promised to balance the federal budget.

He not only failed to do so, but thanks to the 2017 tax cut he signed into law  his one major legislative accomplishment  the federal deficit ballooned from $665 billion in 2017 to $984 billion in 2019.

Nonetheless, Trump will go down in history as one of our consequential presidents.

This would be true even if he hadnt broken all historical precedent by refusing to accept his 2020 election defeat and attempting to overturn the election results.

Trumps legacy achievement is the fact that he got to pick three justices to the Supreme Court during his four years in office. Thats three more SCOTUS appointments than Jimmy Carter got during an equivalent period of time.

For Trump, those court appointments were always secondary to his dream of a border wall and his determination to unspool the health care law enacted by his predecessor/enemy, Barack Obama.

On ExpressNews.com: Ayala: White House aide follows courageous women before her, risking their future to speak the truth

The Supreme Court was simply his vehicle to bolster his standing with the Republican Partys old-school, originalist base, parts of which exhibited queasiness at the thought of a bombastic reality-show host taking the reins of their party.

To solidify his standing at the end of the 2016 primary races, Trump released a shortlist of potential Supreme Court selections, a group of candidates provided to him by the ultra-conservative Federalist Society.

Trump got his first pick, Neil Gorsuch, because Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell had blocked Obama for nearly a year from filling that court vacancy.

He got his final pick, Amy Coney Barrett, when progressive Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away six weeks before Trump would get voted out of office and McConnell implemented a warp-speed confirmation process.

What could have been a 5-3 liberal majority, with Chief Justice John Roberts as the swing vote, is now a 5-3 conservative majority. It could alter the shape of the Supreme Court for a generation or more.

Over the past week, the Supreme Court has struck down a 49-year-old ruling that made abortion legal across the country, limited the Environmental Protection Agencys authority to regulate emissions from power plants, thrown out a century-old New York gun-control measure and enabled public-school officials to lead students in prayer.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court also took a case that has the potential to give state legislatures complete authority  without regard to state courts or state constitutions  over election rules. Given how close our election system came to buckling in the face of Trumps 2020 coup attempt, this case is fraught with danger.

Of course, the most explosive decision so far from this Supreme Court came with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 SCOTUS decision that made abortion legal across the country.

Its an unpopular decision (supported by only 40 percent of respondents in a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll) and will create extreme hardship for women in the states that implement abortion bans.

Its also doubtful that the decision will produce the results its advocates want.

At the time that the Roe decision was issued, nearly 50 years ago, there were an estimated 700,000 legal abortions performed annually in the U.S. (not to mention all the dangerous, back-alley abortions in states where abortion was illegal).

In 2019, with Roe in place, there were 629,898 abortions in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This Supreme Courts majority, however, seems oblivious to such considerations. And for all of their rhetoric about strictly interpreting the Constitution, this Supreme Courts conservative justices seem perfectly willing to apply the Constitution in selective ways that serve their ideological purposes.

Its a court thats more partisan, more brazen and more combative than any weve seen in recent times. Its a perfect legacy for Trump.

ggarcia@express-news.net | twitter.com/gilgamesh470
The U.S. Supreme Court was blatantly inconsistent in its recent opinions on guns, abortion and state support for religious education in schools. In addition, the court violated its own long-standing standards on judicial restraint.

In the abortion case  Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization  the court returned the issue of the control or prohibition of legal abortion to the states and made it nearly impossible to challenge whatever a state sets as its policy.

In the guns case  New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen  the court struck down New Yorks statute prohibiting the carrying of guns outside the home without a license based on a personal specific need. The ruling made it much more difficult for states to defend gun regulations.

Then, in the religious school funding case  Carson v. Makin  the court struck down a Maine rule that the state would fund private schools but not schools that taught religion. The Carson decision will make it much more difficult for states to avoid entangling the state in religion.

RELATED: Supreme Courts abortion decision condemned, celebrated in San Antonio

The court deferred to state control when the states want to do what the court apparently wants. The court gave no deference to the states when the states want to do something the court seemingly does not want.

The court specifically denied that its abortion opinion would affect court precedents regarding contraception, same-sex intimacy or same-sex marriage. But the legal theory rejected by the court in the abortion case is the same as the basis for those other cases involving privacy and liberty.

As with abortion, states are sure to pass statutes that would clearly violate contraceptive standards and same-sex intimacy and marriage just to test the limits of the courts new interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. In effect, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that he would uphold state challenges to these other privacy issues and invited states to challenge them. Regardless of the protestations of the courts majority, these additional privacy and liberty issues are clearly in the sights of this very activist court.

The court applied the rational basis test to any future challenges to abortion rules. In this test, a challenger to a state abortion ban or any other abortion regulation will prevail only if the challenger can show the state had no legitimate rational basis for its rule. This is the standard already applied to state decisions to locate parks or decide which family members can get food stamps. Giving any state an easy road map to support any policy, the court specifically upheld the Mississippi law as having a rational basis.

Contrast the very pro-state-control standard in the abortion case with the very anti-state-control standard in the gun control case. In the gun case, the state  not the plaintiff  must show both that its policy is expressly allowed by the language of the Second Amendment and the regulation is consistent with the nations historical tradition of firearm regulation.

This tradition is defined as the regulations in effect in 1791, when the Second Amendment was written, or 1868, when the 14th Amendment  which is used to apply the right to bear arms to the states  was passed.

MORE LIKE THIS: Garcia: Trumps legacy achievement is a brazenly partisan Supreme Court

Realizing that so many guns of today were not contemplated in 1791 or 1868, the states may analogize their policies with those in the early years. But the courts lengthy description of that history shows that few state or local regulations today will be upheld. The opinions do preserve the ability of states to control guns in schools or hospitals, regulations governing gun access by felons or persons with mental illness, and possession of certain especially dangerous weapons.

The court also greatly limited state control of how to spend school funding if a person challenges that on the grounds of the First Amendments right of free exercise of religion. In this case, the court is inviting challenges to any state statute that allows state funding to be used in private schools unless the state extends that aid to schools that are not only funded by religious groups but also are instructing students in religious dogma and limiting admission based on religion, disability or gender identity.

Each of these cases will have profound effects on the development of the law and state policies. One may agree or disagree with each decision, but they clearly reflect the personal and political leanings of the justices  not an objective analysis of the law.

Al Kauffman is a professor of law at St. Marys University School of Law. He teaches constitutional law, voting law and civil procedure. The views presented are solely his and do not represent the views of St. Marys University.
Hyundai Motor Group's headquarters in Seoul. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group





By Kim Hyun-bin







Hyundai Motor Group established a new investment unit in the U.S. as part of the investment pledge made by Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun during U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Korea in May.







According to the announcement of the Financial Supervisory Service, Hyundai Motor Group established the affiliate, "HMG Global Limited Liability Company (LLC)," in Delaware, United States, Friday. The three affiliates participating in the investment are Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Hyundai Mobis.







Hyundai Motor will inject 739.2 billion won ($569.4 million), Kia 456.4 billion won and Hyundai Mobis 298.7 billion won. Among them, the total amount of cash investment by the three companies is 747.6 billion won. The remaining 746.7 billion won was made through the stake in Boston Dynamics held by Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Mobis.







Following the stock acquisition, the ownership stake is 49.5 percent for Hyundai Motor, 30.5 percent for Kia and 20 percent for Hyundai Mobis.







This investment corporation will be in charge of investment into and management of future new business areas in the U.S. After consultations and approvals with related agencies, the investment will be carried out in August. The name or representative of the issuing company will be confirmed at the time of the investment.







"The establishment of an investment corporation is part of the U.S. investment plan announced during President Biden's visit to Korea," a Hyundai Motor Group official said.







Chairman Chung met with President Biden, who was visiting Korea on June 22 and promised to make an additional investment of $5 billion.







The plan is to invest $5 billion by 2025 to strengthen cooperation with U.S. companies in various technology fields, including robotics, urban air mobility (UAM), autonomous driving and artificial intelligence (AI).


The same things are said after every school shooting: Calls for gun control, pledges of never again, and dissipating urgency and fervor in demanding action. Until the next horrific incident.

That next horrific incident occurred over one month ago, when an individual unworthy of being named claimed the lives of 19 Robb Elementary School students and two teachers.

As we sort truth from the misinformation released in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, we see an undeniably disorganized law enforcement response, as well as gaping holes in campus security. For both, there is absolutely no excuse.

As we learned from recent testimony and reports, different jurisdictions converged on Robb Elementary with no one clearly in command. Theres no room for confusion during a critical incident. Competent leadership counts. Someone has to be in charge. Timely communication counts. Without leadership or communication in a critical, fast-moving situation, you have paralysis. Confusion. We see what happened in Uvalde.

While I can confidently assure parents the San Antonio Police Departments response would be swift, decisive and effective should a similar event transpire here, I have less confidence in the inconsistent security measures adopted campus to campus.

What changes would have an immediate effect to better protect children and teachers? The answers to these questions are not difficult, but they cost money.

In my decades of law enforcement experience, I have yet to come across a report in which a school shooter used a battering ram or covertly entered the building through the roof. In so many instances, the gunman simply walked in. The incident in Uvalde, unfortunately, was no exception.

Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw revealed in testimony that the doors through which the gunman entered the school and classrooms could only be locked from the outside. Many older campuses are outfitted with similar locks. However, school security shouldnt start at the classroom door or at the front desk of an administrative office.

Bob Owen, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

In numerous school visits during my 17 years in San Antonio, I can recall only one instance in which I was met with a locked door. If you can reach an administrative office to sign in as a visitor without any barrier to entry, then you have no campus security. It starts at the perimeter.

Since the Robb Elementary School shooting, I, along with City Manager Erik Walsh and Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez, have met with the superintendents and police chiefs of school districts in Region 20. While the biggest focus was on what the department can control  ensuring a coordinated response in the case of an active shooter event  part of it focused on what I have no control over: campus security.

I shared my thoughts on physical security measures that could be implemented almost immediately.

At least one official verbalized what Im sure was on the mind of many: Any meaningful improvements to security would cost money that districts dont have. Left unsaid was the money that would need to go toward upkeep and the convenience that would have to be sacrificed to implement security measures with relentless consistency.

In my mind, however, no cost is too great and no security measure is too inconvenient to protect our children.

What significant and lasting changes have been made to school security and funding in the wake of all the innocent souls killed and injured in school shootings through the years? None that I can think of.

A Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University audit of the 2017-20 school years illustrated as much. Following the deadly 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School, lawmakers mandated schools have a plan to respond to an active shooter, but out of 1,022 districts, only 200 districts had a viable active shooter policy, the audit found.

A more unconscionable statistic? The amount of funding dedicated to campus safety for the 2020-21 school year is less than $10 per student, according to the Texas Tribune, which based its calculations on average daily attendance.

Yes, less than $10 per child.

I urge the public to not lose sight of what can be done in the immediate. It will be costly and it will be inconvenient, but when it comes to securing our schools, those should be the last factors considered.

William McManus is chief of the San Antonio Police Department.
Fairfield, MT (59436)

Today

Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 48F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Six men have received Criminal Behaviour Orders after pleading guilty to attending and participating in a hare coursing event in Bedford.

The upsetting scenes generated public outcry on social media as dead hares were paraded through the town centre.

The incident took place on 10 November, when over a hundred men attended an illegal hare coursing event between Great Barford, Ravensden and Blunham which had been organised as part of a funeral procession.

The offenders then proceeded to Norse Road, Bedford, where police were called to multiple reports of dangerous driving, as well as hunted hares being dangled from vehicle windows in the town centre.

The disturbing scenes were captured by onlookers and circulated on social media, attracting hundreds of comments.

Using footage captured on body worn cameras as well as evidence submitted by members of the public, PC Stuart Grant, leading the investigation dubbed Operation Lightning, worked with the National Wildlife Crime Unit and Rural Crime teams throughout the UK to identify potential suspects from across 11 police force areas across the country.

On 16 June, six men pleaded guilty at Luton Magistrates Court to offences under the Hunting Act.

All six were slapped with hefty court costs totalling more than 2,100 and issued with Criminal Behaviour Orders with restrictions that cover seven counties including Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent.

This order will remain in place for three years and the restrictions are designed to limit their ability to poach.

PC Grant, from the force's Wildlife and Rural Crime team, said: We are truly thrilled with the result in this case. Though Hare Coursing was made illegal in 2004, we sadly continue to see some people partaking in this illegal and barbaric sport.

These men have not only chosen to break the law, but also paraded trophies of their crimes through the town causing huge distress to those present and the wider community via social media.

We hope this case will show the community that while we were unable to enforce this event at the time of the incident, the gravity of it was not lost.

"It was imperative that these offenders were brought to justice, and we are glad to have done just that.

National police hare coursing lead, Chief Inspector Phil Vickers added: The Operation Lightning investigation demonstrates the commitment of Bedfordshire Police to tackling hare coursing, wildlife and rural crime  all of which have a significant impact on rural communities.

"Bedfordshire Police is one of 32 forces working together as part of Operation Galileo to tackle the criminals who cause harm through hare coursing, many of whom are involved in other criminality too.

The impact of these incidents was felt across the country by rural communities who recognised the brazen disregard for wildlife or property, and who have supported greater police action in this area.

This result sends a clear message to the criminals involved in hare coursing  police will put more resources into preventing your barbaric behaviour, into preventing the intimidation and damage, and into putting you before courts to impose penalties that reflect the harm you cause.

New legislation has been passed which comes into force in August, giving courts powers to impose penalties which better reflect the impact of hare coursing as well as the financial elements for offenders from the illegal gambling associated with it.

A further five men will have a hearing later this year.
Spiralling costs are forcing farmers to make significant changes to their food production plans, with some facing the prospect of going out of business, the NFU has warned.

A new survey by the union shows that third of arable farmers have made changes to their cropping plans in the last four months, which 90% of growers attribute to rocketing fertiliser costs.

The survey also indicates that farmers are beginning to switch from growing milling wheat for bread to feed wheat for animals, because it has a lower fertiliser requirement.

And a survey of dairy farmers shows that 7% of producers believe they are likely to stop producing milk by 2024, which nationally could mean 840 producers leaving the industry.

Over the next two years, dairy farmers were most concerned about prices of feed (93%), fuel (91%), energy (89%) and fertiliser (88%).

The NFU warned that rising costs are denting farmers confidence to invest, and with the importance of food production recognised in the recent Food Strategy, it is now asking government to put these words into action.

The union said a statutory duty must be introduced for ministers to assess the impact any new policy or regulation will have on domestic food production.

NFU President Minette Batters warned: Costs are rising rapidly on farms across the country and across all sectors.

"Its already having an impact on the food that we are producing as a nation as well as leading to a crisis of confidence among Britains farmers. These survey results clearly set out what we have to lose if nothing is done.

Its incredibly positive that the government now recognises in its Food Strategy how important British food production is for the nation and its resilience.

"We now need to see this embedded across government business, with a new statutory duty for Ministers to consider how any new policy will impact on food production."

She added: Farmers are up for the challenge and playing their part in the solution but investment and commitment from government is crucial along this journey, particularly when they are battling costs like never before."

Farming has always been a volatile business but with fertiliser prices doubling, feed and fuel prices rising, and the variable role of the weather, the decisions farmers are making now will feel more like a gamble than ever before.

"We now need government to put words into action and ensure the nation can continue to enjoy high-quality British food.

610 dairy farmers responded to the survey on dairy intentions and 525 arable farmers responded to the survey on arable intentions.
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Commentary: Japan's sinister collusion with NATO

Xinhua) 09:40, July 01, 2022

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- This year's NATO summit is different from the previous versions as several non-NATO leaders were invited, and one of them is Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

It is well known that NATO summits do not involve Japan. Yet Kishida accepted the invitation and went. Being the first Japanese prime minister to do so, he has apparently ignored the feelings of neighboring countries, and betrayed Japan's post-war pacifism.

Kishida's presence at the meeting can be taken as an epitome of Japan's collusion with the United States and NATO. For long, Japan has been acting as a pawn for Washington to boost its supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tokyo has been actively cooperating with the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, taking an active part in the U.S.-led Quad mechanism, and dancing to the U.S. tune on China.

In fact, it was not new for Japan to seek to establish contact with NATO. In the early 2000s, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited NATO's Brussels headquarters. Now, Japan has more frequent interactions with NATO, such as staging joint military training, and has been trying to match NATO standards in military spending.

Japan is an Asia-pacific country that is still haunted by militarism, while the U.S.-led NATO is the world's largest military organization. Their collusion will only create confrontation and division in Asia Pacific.

As is known to all, Washington regards China as its biggest competitor and hardly hides its intention to contain China and seek everlasting hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region.

As Washington's tool to pursue global predominance, NATO has stretched its tentacles to Asia Pacific with a focus on China. In recent years, NATO members continuously sent jets and warships for military exercises in China's surrounding waters, which heightened tensions in the region.

Back in Japan, some politicians attempt to rebuild the country as an "Asian military and political power" by leveraging the strength of the United States and NATO.

Thus Japan rushes to cooperate with NATO to stir up troubles in the Asia Pacific. In fact, Kishida was not content with just showing up at the summit, he took the initiative there to call on NATO to shift its attention to the Asia-Pacific region and put forward proposals to fundamentally strengthen Japan's defense capabilities, among other things, according to Japanese media reports.

However, Japan, by acting as the "vanguard" of NATO out of its own ambition, will seriously threaten regional security and stability. And it will eventually pay the price.

"Most of the ASEAN countries and islands of the Pacific are concerned about NATO's strategic push and are resisting the pressure to take sides as NATO/U.S. want," Anuradha Chenoy, an adjunct professor at India's Jindal Global University, said in an article published in May on the website of The Citizen.

"Their overall view is that NATO's hyper activity in the region ... will lead to tensions and 'not benefit anyone' in the region," the expert added.

In history, many Asian countries experienced colonial rule or oppression and slavery by major powers. People in this region cherish the hard-won environment for peaceful development, crave better lives, and firmly oppose words or deeds that might invite military blocs or provoke confrontation. What Japan and the United States are doing clearly run counter to the trend of the times.

Japan is playing with fire by "inviting the wolf into the house." The country should draw lessons from history, especially in the military and security fields, and contribute to regional peace and stability, not sabotaging them.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Lee Chang-yang, minister of trade, industry and energy, second from left, and Anna Moskwa, minister of climate and environment of Poland, second from right, hold a meeting at the climate ministry in Poland, June 30 (local time). Yonhap



By Lee Kyung-min



Korea is gearing up to strengthen its partnership with Poland in the areas of nuclear energy, defense and advanced IT technologies. The move is part of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's drive to find new overseas markets for Korean products, according to the trade and industry ministry, Friday.



Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang met with his Polish counterpart and high-ranking political leaders, June 30 (local time), during his first official overseas trip accompanied by representatives of a dozen state-run and leading private energy firms.



The high-level meeting is the latest effort by the top energy policymaker to facilitate the sale of Korea's nuclear power plants, which includes operation and maintenance services. Lee visited the Czech Republic earlier to seek Korea's participation in nuclear energy and other power generation projects.



The energy ministry said Lee met for about an hour with Anna Moskwa, minister of climate and environment of Poland, and Ryszard Terlecki, deputy speaker of Poland's lower house, to discuss ways to advance bilateral cooperation in the nuclear, hydrogen, e-mobility, batteries and IT sectors.



The energy and legislative authorities of the two countries reaffirmed their joint commitment to the efficient use of nuclear power generation to fortify energy security and enhance carbon neutrality goals.



Lee said the construction of nuclear power plants is a highly advanced process that should be followed by six decades of operation and maintenance.



"Korea is confident of undertaking such long-term projects, as proven by decades of experience and a track record of safety, budget planning and compliance. Our competence is reassured by ongoing cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to build nuclear power plants in Barakah," he said.



Poland announced a plan in February of last year to build six nuclear power plants by 2043, after deciding on the specifics of the model of the plants this year. Construction will begin as early as 2026.



Lee and Moskwa agreed to meeting regularly to strengthen energy cooperation, including nuclear power, hydrogen and e-mobility as well as the upgrading of social overhead capital (SOC) projects.



The local state-run firms that accompanied the minister at the meeting included the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) and KEPCO's subsidiaries, including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP). Private sector participants included Doosan Enerbility and Daewoo Engineering and Construction (E&C).


James Kim, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), right, speaks to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, during a special meeting at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of AMCHAM



By Park Jae-hyuk



The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) has won support from the Yoon Suk-yeol administration for its major goal of making Korea the regional headquarters of Asia for multinational companies.



During a special meeting hosted by AMCHAM, Friday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said that the government is open to resolving problems facing foreign businesspeople who seek to manage their Asian operations here in Korea.



He noted that Korea should now become a global hub and not just the hub of Northeast Asia, a goal he had pursued when he served as the prime minister during the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2007.



"We'll look at what actually hinders the realization of the vision," he said. "You are free to contact us."



Han promised that the government will improve Korea's foreign investment environment by abolishing all kinds of regulations contradictory to international standards. He also introduced the government's efforts to educate talented students in Korea to increase the number of experts in semiconductors and high-tech industries.



He especially cited the phrase, "fellow global citizens," which was mentioned multiple times in the president's inaugural speech as proof of the administration's cosmopolitan attitude, saying that Yoon's predecessors had only mentioned "Korean diaspora" or "North Korean residents."



"We will achieve an unprecedented level of freedom and market economy in Korea," Han said.





James Kim, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), front row sixth from left, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, front row fifth from left, pose with participants in a special meeting at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of AMCHAM
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Even though the dating rumours of Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani have been floating for over a year now, the two actors have decided to remain tight-lipped for the longest time. In a recent interview, Kiara Advani opened up about when she will address the rumours about her personal life.



Speaking to a leading publication, Kiara Advani was asked to shed light upon dating rumours followed by an alleged breakup with Sidharth Malhotra.

Commenting to the same she said, I dont want to say anything about this. Even when I am not saying anything, people are writing. So when I do say something, I do not know what all people will write. Whenever I feel I will definitely speak on this issue. Right now I am very happy in both my personal and professional life.

The actress also added that the rumours about her personal life have an impact on her. She said, I am not completely immune to it, especially when it [rumour] is about your personal life. On the professional front, thankfully, I have never had an experience where something has been said that has affected me or my family, but on the personal front, when they add two and two, that's when I am like, where is this coming from?

On the work front, Kiara Advani has been having a successful run with her two movies of the year, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Jug Jugg Jeeyo being a massive success.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 30, 2022 / Highmark Interactive Inc. (TSXV:HMRK) a global leader in digital health technologies (the "Company") announces that its Board of Directors is granting stock options to its incoming Chief Financial Officer, Inder Saini. As previously announced in the press release date June 23. 2022, Mr. Saini will be joining the Company on July 1, 2022 (the "Grant Date").

As part of Mr. Saini's compensation, he will receive 1,000,000 options on the Grant Date at an exercise price of $0.13 and expiring on June 30, 2029. These options will vest in quarterly instalments, with one quarter vesting on the Grant Date and the remaining three quarters vesting in equal instalments on the first, second and third anniversary of the Grant Date.

Mr. Saini brings with him excellent public market experience from his previous role as the original CFO for Neighborly Pharmacy (TSX:NBLY) from 2016 until 2018.

About Highmark Interactive

Highmark Interactive was created to change the paradigm of testing and management for brain and mental health. Highmark's approach is focused on providing real-time data to health providers to support proactive, preventative interventions and targeted care planning to improve health outcomes.

In addition to a growing network of virtual, in-person and hybrid clinics. Highmark interactive offers the world's first gamified, FDA cleared patient-led assessments as well as digital clinician-led assessments of neurofunction and balance. Together, the technology is used in more than 350 health organizations globally.

By unlocking insights, Highmark's platform enables precision medicine and creates a more contemporary model for delivering better outcomes in medical, mental health and rehabilitation services.

"Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." Learn more: https://www.highmark.tech/

For further information:

Highmark Interactive Inc. Sanjeev Sharma, President & CEO sanjeev@highmark.tech or 1-855-969-5079

Investor Relations ir@highmark.tech

SOURCE: Highmark Interactive Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/707226/Highmark-Interactive-Inc-Grant-of-Stock-Options
LONDON, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SCC Power Plc (" SCC Power ") announced today that its Argentine subsidiary SPI Energy S.A. (" SPI Energy ") has successfully obtained financing to fund the expansion and conversion to combined cycle of the San Pedro power plant.

On June 27, 2022, SPI Energy issued, through a public offering in the Argentine market, two series of U.S. Dollar-Linked senior secured notes for an aggregate principal amount of US$135,000,000 comprising its 4.00% Class 1 Senior Secured Notes due 2026, for an aggregate principal amount of US$33,499,900, and 6.75% Class 2 Senior Secured Notes due 2032, for an aggregate principal amount of US$101,500,100 (the " Notes "). The Notes are secured with first priority liens on SPI Energy's rights under the project, including the combined cycle PPA with CAMMESA, and the project's EPC contract and equipment.

The expansion and conversion to combined cycle of the San Pedro plant consists on the installation of a 55 MW steam turbine, three heat recovery steam generators, an aero-condenser and various other auxiliary components which will increase aggregate plant capacity to 209 MW and enhance energy efficiency by 25%, placing San Pedro amongst the most efficient thermal generators in the Argentine power matrix. The combined cycle is expected to become fully operational by February 2024.

The issuance of the Notes is a milestone in SCC Power's history, evidencing investors' support following the recent acquisition of Stoneway Capital Corporation's assets by SCC Power.

About SPI Energy

SPI Energy owns and operates the San Pedro simple-cycle thermal power generation plant, located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a total installed capacity of 154MW. The plant is equipped with highly reliable and proven Siemens technology. The company's capacity is fully contracted under long term take-or-pay PPA contracts denominated in U.S. Dollars.

For more information, please contact:

Hernan Cerutti

ir@scc-power.com

www.scc-power.com
All matters approved by shareholders

Two new directors elected to the board

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 30, 2022) - Cerrado Gold Inc. (TSXV: CERT) (OTCQX: CRDOF) ("Cerrado" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that at the Company's 2022 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders ("Meeting"), all matters presented to shareholders were approved including the election of two new members to the board of directors. The Meeting was held on June 30, 2022, in Toronto, Ontario. Details of the voting results are set out below.

Mark Brennan, CEO & Co Chairman, commented, "We are pleased to welcome Bob Sellars and Chris Jones to the Cerrado Board. Their collective corporate and capital market knowledge and experience are a strong addition to the Cerrado team and we look forward to their support as we continue to grow the Company. We would also like to thank Mr. Jon Gilligan and Ms. Petra Decher for their significant contributions to the Company and wish them well in their ongoing and future endeavors. We also thank Mr. Oscar Neto who has stepped down from the board but will continue to serve as advisor."

Robert (Bob) M. Sellars has 40 years experience in capital markets and financial services and has significant experience on investment industry committees within the IIROC. Mr. Sellars holds the position of Chief Financial Officer at Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. Previously, Mr. Sellars served as Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President for Dundee Corp. Mr. Sellars is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and received an MBA from the University of Windsor.

Christopher Jones is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA), Licensed Public Accountant (LPA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Business Valuator (CBV). As the youngest Partner at Williams & Partners; Chartered Accountants, Mr. Jones advises on complex taxation strategies, growth strategies, cash flow management, financing strategies, wealth management, and succession planning. Mr. Jones advises several private equity firms on acquisition targets and appropriate due diligence requirements highlighting key risk areas and maximizing target potential while serving as an advisor to high-net worth clients and families.

Meeting Voting Results

A total of 36,950,323 common shares were voted at the Meeting, representing 48.16% of the votes attached to all outstanding common shares of the Company. All matters presented for shareholder approval at the Meeting were duly authorized and approved as follows.

Election of Directors

The shareholders elected each of the eight nominees listed in the Company's Management Proxy Circular. Details of the voting results are as follows:

Name Votes in Favour % Votes Withheld % Mark Brennan 29,635,893 85.510% 5,022,069 14.490% Robert Campbell 34,656,759 99.997% 1,203 0.003% Christopher Jones 34,656,759 99.997% 1,203 0.003% Kurt Menchen 34,656,759 99.997% 1,203 0.003% Elmer Prata Salomao 34,656,759 99.997% 1,203 0.003% Jad Salomao 34,656,759 99.997% 1,203 0.003% Robert Sellars 34,656,759 99.997% 1,203 0.003% Stephen Shefsky 34,656,759 99.997% 1,203 0.003%

Appointment of Auditor

KPMG LLP was appointed auditor of the Company and the directors of the Company were authorized to fix the auditor's remuneration. Details of the voting results are as follows:



Total Votes % of Votes Cast Votes in Favour 36,949,120 99.997% Votes Withheld 1,203 0.003% Total Votes Cast 36,950,323 100%

For further information please contact

Mark Brennan

CEO and Co Chairman

Tel: +1-647-796-0023

mbrennan@cerradogold.com



Nicholas Campbell, CFA

Director, Corporate Development

Tel.: +1-905-630-0148

ncampbell@cerradogold.com

About Cerrado Gold

Cerrado Gold is a public gold producer and exploration company with gold production derived from its 100% owned Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It also owns 100% of the assets of Minera Mariana in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. The company is also undertaking exploration and development at its 100% owned Monte Do Carmo project located in Tocantins, Brazil. For more information about Cerrado Gold please visit our website at: www.cerradogold.com.

Disclaimer

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129704
BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Siemens AG (SIEGY.PK, SMAWF) said it expects to book non-cash impairment of about 2.8 billion euros on its investment in Siemens Energy AG. Siemens said that, with Siemens Energy AG's Xetra closing share price of 13.99 euros on June 30, 2022, the market value of Siemens' 35% investment in Siemens Energy is significantly below the book value. It leads to an impairment of the Siemens Energy investment, resulting in a total non-cash impact on net income of about 2.8 billion euros in the third quarter of financial year 2022. Siemens said it will elaborate on their consequences on the outlook for the current financial year and publish its third-quarter results on August 11. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
R.E.D Marketing Firm (+1-346-777-2147) has expanded its marketing services for clients in Houston, Texas. The agency provides customized visibility and branding campaigns designed to increase leads and sales for clients.

Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - July 1, 2022) - As part of R.E.D Marketing Firm's expansion, companies seeking new ways to engage their audience can now use mobile apps and digital billboard advertising. The strategies combine to form a multi-faceted approach to brand growth.

R.E.D Marketing Firm



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/129592_e094ab1c14c86b5f_001full.jpg

For more information, please visit: https://redmarketingfirm.com/visibilityandbranding

The online marketing specialist made its name with fully branded store design and seamless merchandising. Now, its clients can combine the premium print-on-demand product sales solution with custom content campaigns.

With content marketing, companies of any size can expand their reach and connect to new customers with targeted outreach. With the latest update, the team creates professional blogs, audio ads, videos, and more with a goal to reach more prospects across social channels.

The central goal of each campaign is to help clients to rank more effectively on Google. This gives them more credibility and authority in their space, whether they operate in the health and fitness industry or run an e-store.

In addition to this, R.E.D Marketing Firm recently launched app development. The team will develop a business app compatible with Android and iOS devices. By implementing app-based marketing strategies, companies can improve customer engagement and brand visibility.

Additional details are provided at: https://redmarketingfirm.com/app-creation

R.E.D Marketing Firm is committed to helping local businesses to stand out from the competition with innovative strategy design and implementation. The agency also provides out-of-home advertising solutions across the US and Canada. Building brand awareness and authority, the team will create and produce digital billboards which can be placed across an extensive coverage area. The company provides customized solutions based on the client's niche, company size, and target audience.

With the latest update, R.E.D. strives to ensure that businesses can scale faster and connect to their audience with the most effective approaches.

A spokesperson for the agency says of their services: "Our team consists of writers, developers, and advertising professionals that have helped hundreds of businesses get more clients, patients, and customers in a variety of industries."

Those wishing to find out more can visit: https://redmarketingfirm.com/digital-billboard

Contact Info:

Name: Chimdi Blaise

Email: info@redmarketingfirm.com

Organization: R.E.D Marketing Firm

Address: 1760 Barker Cypress Road, Houston, Texas 77084, United States

Website: http://www.redmarketingfirm.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129592
Participants of the 2022 Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pose for a group photo in Madrid, Spain, June 29. Xinhua-Yonhap



An unstable world could get even more dangerous if NATO does not remain strong and united, the head of the alliance said Thursday at the end of a summit where Western leaders labeled Russia ''a direct threat'' to the security of their nations.



During their three-day meeting in Madrid, NATO members confronted a geopolitical landscape marked by big-power competition and myriad threats, from cyberattacks to climate change. The leaders cast their sights around the world drawing a rebuke after accusing China of posing ''serious challenges '' to global stability. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated the summit.



''We live in a more dangerous world and we live in a more unpredictable world, and we live in a world where we have a hot war going on in Europe,'' NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. ''At the same time, we also know that this can get worse.''



That is why the Western military alliance has a ''core responsibility'' to keep the war in Ukraine from spilling into other countries while making clear to Moscow that it would ''protect every inch of NATO territory,'' Stoltenberg said.



That territory is set to grow. At the summit, NATO leaders formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, after striking an agreement to end opposition from Turkey. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he could still block the Nordic countries' membership, if the Nordic pair do not keep their promises.



If the accession is approved by all 30 member nations, it will give NATO a new 800-mile (1,300 kilometer) border with Russia.



Russian President Vladimir Putin warned he would respond in kind if Sweden or Finland agreed to host NATO troops and military infrastructure. He said Russia would have to ''create the same threats for the territory from which threats against us are created.''



Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Putin's threats were ''nothing new.''



''Of course, we have to expect some kind of surprises from Putin, but I doubt that he is attacking Sweden or Finland directly,'' Kallas said.



NATO leaders turned their gaze south for a final summit session Thursday focused on Africa's Sahel region and the Middle East, where political instability  aggravated by climate change and food insecurity sparked by the war in Ukraine  is driving large numbers of migrants toward Europe.





General view of the meeting of the North Atlantic Council Session at the NATO summit at the IFEMA arena in Madrid, Spain, June 30. Reuters-Yonhap
In his new capacity, Sulaiman Al Ali will lead both YahClick, Yahsat's data solutions arm, and Thuraya, its mobility business

will lead both YahClick, Yahsat's data solutions arm, and Thuraya, its mobility business Al Ali's expanded portfolio reflects Yahsat's commitment to maximizing its combined strength, driving synergies across the company and creating additional value for its customers and partners

ABU DHABI, UAE, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC ("Yahsat") listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange ("ADX") under (SYMBOL: YAHSAT) (ISIN: AEA007501017), the UAE's flagship satellite solutions provider, today announced the appointment of Sulaiman Al Ali as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Yahsat and will be effective as of July 1, 2022.

Sulaiman Al Ali will assume the role following the departure of Farhad Khan who served as CCO of Yahsat for the past six years. Khan has been a key proponent of the expansion of the Group's YahClick business in existing and new markets.

Al Ali has been with the Yahsat Group since 2014, initially serving as a Director within the Yahsat Government Solutions area, prior to assuming the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Thuraya in 2019 and subsequently its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2021. As CEO of Thuraya, Al Ali has been instrumental in driving operational excellence and delivering new and innovative solutions to customers in a post-pandemic environment, as well as establishing a platform for strong future growth.

Al Ali's appointment aligns with Yahsat's commitment to maximizing the combined strength of its wide bench of technologies, services and capabilities to deliver greater value and innovation to its customers across the globe.

Commenting on the announcement, Ali Al Hashemi, Group CEO of Yahsat said: "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Sulaiman Al Ali as Chief Commercial Officer of Yahsat. Sulaiman's new position and expanded portfolio is reflective of his outstanding contributions across the Group and will enable us to expand and advance our customer solutions by effectively leveraging the distinct and complementary qualities offered by our fixed and mobility business and technology platforms. On behalf of myself and the leadership team, I take this opportunity to thank Farhad for his unstinting service and delivery to Yahsat and YahClick and wish him every success as he embarks upon his future endeavours."

Sulaiman Al Ali, CCO of Yahsat, added: "I am deeply honoured to have been appointed as the Chief Commercial Officer for Yahsat. I am committed to combining the collective strengths of our business to amplify the value we can deliver to our customers and partners. Yahsat is ideally placed to address the complex issues facing our customers by offering them a highly-equipped one-stop shop where they are able to fulfil their various satellite communications needs. We look forward to harnessing the innovative spirit that runs across Yahsat's commercial business to provide an unparalleled level of service to our customers."

About Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (Yahsat) is a public company listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and a subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, offering multi-mission satellite services in more than 150 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Asia and Australasia.





Yahsat's fleet of 5 satellites reaches more than 80% of the world's population, enabling critical communications including broadband, broadcasting, backhauling and mobility solutions. Based out of Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Yahsat provides C, Ku, Ka and L-band satellite communications solutions for land, maritime and aero platforms to consumers, governments and enterprises. Its businesses consist of Yahsat Government Solutions, Thuraya, YahClick (powered by Hughes) and YahLink. Yahsat also participates in Hughes do Brasil, an equity partnership with Hughes, and Yahlive, an equity partnership with SES. In 2020, Yahsat commenced construction of Thuraya 4-NGS, the next generation telecommunications system for Thuraya, which is scheduled to commence commercial operations in 2024.

For more information, visit: www.yahsat.com; Follow us on Twitter: @YahsatOfficial

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851527/Yahsat_Chief_Commercial_Officer.jpg

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Lonza Group AG / Key word(s): Expansion

Lonza to Establish Large-Scale, Commercial Drug Product Fill & Finish Facility in Stein (CH)



01-Jul-2022 / 07:01 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Lonza to build a new large-scale, commercial drug product fill and finish facility to support customers across the entire product life cycle

Lonza will invest approximately CHF 500 million in the facility, fulfilling its strategic commitment to establish a commercial fill and finish offering that completes its full value chain

Basel, Switzerland, 1 July 2022 - Lonza, a global development and manufacturing partner to the pharma, biotech and nutrition industries, today announced plans to construct a large-scale commercial drug product fill and finish facility in Stein (CH).

The investment will enable the company to provide customers with a complete and integrated end-to-end solution that includes commercial drug product manufacturing for large-scale market supply. The new facility will be delivered through an investment of approximately CHF 500 million and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Pierre-Alain Ruffieux, CEO, Lonza, commented: "This strategic investment completes our offering in drug product and strengthens our position as a leading CDMO with an unparalleled breadth of offerings across scales and technologies. Combined with our strong drug substance manufacturing footprint, the new facility will enable us to provide customers with an integrated end-to-end offering across their entire product life cycle."

Jean-Christophe Hyvert, President, Biologics and Cell & Gene, Lonza, added: "As Lonza continues to build its end-to-end offering into drug product manufacturing, we bring customers integrated offers that will increase speed to market, flexibility and simplicity, in line with our strategy. Building on our experience and expertise in addressing drug product development, formulation and manufacturing challenges, this new facility will enable us to capture additional market share and fulfill sustained customer demand for commercial drug product manufacturing."

Since establishing drug product development and manufacturing services in 2016, Lonza has expanded its clinical drug product offering in Basel, Stein and Visp (CH), and Guangzhou (CN). This significant new investment in commercial drug product manufacturing completes Lonza's strategic commitment to offer an integrated end-to-end service.

The new flexible facility will be constructed in Stein (CH) on the same campus as Lonza's current clinical drug product facility, allowing the company to leverage the existing infrastructure, capabilities and talent.

The facility will embrace the latest developments in sustainable construction, taking a modern approach to carbon reduction and responsible energy use, including the installation of a photovoltaic roof.

About Lonza

Lonza is a preferred global partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutrition markets. We work to enable a healthier world by supporting our customers to deliver new and innovative medicines that help treat a wide range of diseases. We achieve this by combining technological insight with world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise and process excellence. Our unparalleled breadth of offerings enables our customers to commercialize their discoveries and innovations in the healthcare industry.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, today, Lonza operates across five continents. With approximately 16,000 employees (full-time equivalent), we comprise high-performing teams and individual talent who make a meaningful difference to our own business, as well as to the communities in which we operate. The company generated sales of CHF 5.4 billion with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.7 billion in Full-Year 2021. Find out more at www.lonza.com

Follow @Lonza on LinkedIn

Follow @LonzaGroup on Twitter

Lonza Contact Details

Victoria Morgan

Head of External Communications

Lonza Group Ltd

Tel +41 61 316 2283

victoria.morgan@lonza.com

Dr. Martina Ribar Hestericova

Associate Director, Science Communications

Lonza Group Ltd

Tel +41 61 316 8982

martina.ribarhestericova@lonza.com

Dirk Oehlers

Investor Relations

Lonza Group Ltd

Tel +41 61 316 8540

dirk.oehlers@lonza.com

Additional Information and Disclaimer

Lonza Group Ltd has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX-ST"). Lonza Group Ltd is not subject to the SGX-ST's continuing listing requirements but remains subject to Rules 217 and 751 of the SGX-ST Listing Manual.

Certain matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and estimates of Lonza Group Ltd, although Lonza Group Ltd can give no assurance that these expectations and estimates will be achieved. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty and are qualified in their entirety. The actual results may differ materially in the future from the forward-looking statements included in this news release due to various factors. Furthermore, except as otherwise required by law, Lonza Group Ltd disclaims any intention or obligation to update the statements contained in this news release.

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OSLO, Norway (1 July) - TGS ASA ("TGS"), a global provider of energy data and intelligence, announced today that it has acquired Prediktor AS ("Prediktor"), a leading provider of asset management and real-time data management solutions to renewable and energy asset owners.



Established in 1995, the company has carried out thousands of installations on mission-critical industrial and energy assets on all seven continents, enabling data-driven automated operations solutions and optimization of asset portfolios.

Prediktor's software and systems are being utilized on a large variety of assets, including:

Benban (Egypt), the world's largest PV solar plant, built in 2019;

Dogger Bank (UK), the world's largest offshore wind farm, currently under construction;

Johan Sverdrup oil field (Norway) delivery in 2019, one of the world's largest offshore oil & gas assets developed in recent times;

Based in Fredrikstad, Norway, with 40 employees, Prediktor counts some of the world's leading renewable energy producers among its clients. The company currently supports 7 GW of renewable energy assets (mainly PV solar), with a solid pipeline of further installations. The asset management solutions help clients manage operational risks and optimize asset performance by monitoring projects, forecasting energy production, recommending actions and automating decision-making.

Prediktor also provides data management applications that organize Industrial Internet of Things sensor data (IIoT), helping clients capture, validate, store and contextualize real-time data. Globally leading energy and industrial companies are among Prediktor's data management customers.



Kristian Johansen, CEO at TGS, commented: "I am very pleased to announce the acquisition of Prediktor. The company has an impressive track record of providing cutting-edge data-driven solutions and superior customer service to energy companies worldwide - a cultural fit with TGS. In February 2021, we introduced our New Energy Solutions initiative, which provides data and insights for industries actively contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, we have launched several organically-developed data-driven solutions for offshore wind, geothermal energy and carbon storage, as well as acquired offshore wind market intelligence provider 4C Offshore, Ltd. Prediktor will become another important building block for realizing our vision of creating an energy industry gateway providing integrated solutions for data and actionable insights to facilitate decision making, project development and asset performance management across energy project life cycles and markets."



Espen Krogh, CEO of Prediktor adds: "Prediktor has through the past 27 years attracted unique talent in the field of industrial digitalization, crafting unique and innovative products and services for our clients. The last couple of years we have expanded our focus on the Energy Transition, driven by the high customer demand for our deep industrial experience and field proven products in this rapidly growing segment.

We are currently in a unique phase of industrial energy asset building of wind and solar assets at a vast global scale. Prediktor's biggest challenge is the ability to scale fast enough in all our business processes to deliver to our clients' ambitious pipeline. In TGS, we see the vision, resources, agile-get-the-job-done culture and infrastructure to meet this challenge: TGS is the perfect new home for Prediktor."

About TGS

TGS provides scientific data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. In addition to a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, TGS offers specialized services such as advanced processing and analytics alongside cloud-based data applications and solutions.

About Prediktor

Prediktor is a leading provider of asset management and real-time data management solutions to renewable- and energy asset owners. The Company uses decades of experience with industrial digitalization to enable its clients with data-driven operations and optimization of their asset portfolios. Prediktor automates asset management of portfolios using expertise in advanced prediction models and delivers future-proof solutions and no vendor lock-in with adherence to digital standards.

Forward Looking Statement

All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include TGS' reliance on a cyclical industry and principal customers, TGS' ability to continue to expand markets for licensing of data, and TGS' ability to acquire and process data product at costs commensurate with profitability, as well as volatile market conditions, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe drop in oil prices. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason.

For more information, visit TGS.com or contact:
BLACKROCK LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (the "Company")

LEI: UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151

Voting Rights and Capital (Article 15 Transparency Directive, DTR 5.6)

In conformity with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule 5.6.1R, the Company would like to notify the market of the following:

As at 30 June 2022, BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc's capital consists of 29,448,641 Ordinary Shares of 10 cents each, carrying one vote each, excluding 2,181,662 ordinary shares held in treasury.

As at 30 June 2022, the total number of voting rights for Ordinary shareholders in BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc is 29,448,641.

Shareholders should use 29,448,641 as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company.

All enquiries:

Sarah Beynsberger

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, Company Secretary

Tel: 0207 743 2639

1 July 2022
NOTIFICATION OF TOTAL VOTING RIGHTS AND CAPITAL IN THE COMPANY

WOKINGHAM, UK / ACCESSWIRE / July 1, 2022 / Ferguson PLC (The "Company") In accordance with DTR 5.6.1, the Company hereby notifies the following:

The Company's issued share capital as at June 30, 2022 consisted of 232,171,182 ordinary shares of 10 pence each ("Ordinary Shares"), of which 20,245,183 Ordinary Shares were held in treasury as at the date of this disclosure. The voting rights of treasury shares are automatically suspended.

Therefore, the total voting rights in the Company is 211,925,999. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which to determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and the Company's Articles of Association.

Enquiries:

Graham Middlemiss, Group Company Secretary

(0118 927 3800)

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Ferguson PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/707304/Ferguson-PLC-Announces-Total-Voting-Rights
The planned transactions are as follows:

The subsidiarisation by ONCODESIGN of its Biotech/AI activities through a partial transfer of assets to the ONCODESIGN Precision Medicine (OPM) subsidiary, and the listing of this subsidiary through an exceptional distribution in kind to ONCODESIGN's shareholders concomitant with the admission of all OPM's shares to listing on Euronext Growth

The creation of two distinct listed entities, with different corporate purposes which are ambitious, motivating for employees and value-creating for shareholders: The Service activity, dedicated to Drug Discovery CRO activities within ONCODESIGN Service; The Biotech activity, integrating Artificial Intelligence, within OPM. The company will seek to refinance itself on the market to meet the increasing costs of clinical development.

The acquisition by Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies IV SLP, advised by Elyan Partners, of 52.17% of the share capital and 51.43% of the voting rights (excluding double voting rights) of ONCODESIGN from its main shareholders subject to completion of the transactions described above, followed by a mandatory simplified public tender offer for the remaining shares and, a mandatory squeeze-out by the end of the offer period if the conditions are met: Price per share of 14.41, subject to an audit on pro forma financial statements (excluding Biotech/AI activities) at 31 May 2022 on the basis of which the price was set and to an audit of the flows between the Service and Biotech activities between May 31, 2022 and the effective separation of the two activities; The share price values 100% of ONCODESIGN's capital (excluding Biotech/AI activities) at approximately 100 million on a fully diluted basis.

These transactions planned will be subject to a preliminary information and consultation process with bodies representing ONCODESIGN employees.



Regulatory News:

ONCODESIGN (FR0011766229 ALONC), a biopharmaceuticals group specialising in precision medicine, today announced that, as part of the planned separation of its two business areas, "Service" and "Biotech" (the "Separation"), the Board of Directors has approved the subsidiarisation of its Biotech business.

At its meeting of 29 June 2022, the Board of Directors authorised the signature of the draft agreement for the partial transfer of assets under the legal regime for spin-offs, with ONCODESIGN Precision Medicine ("OPM", a 100% owned subsidiary of ONCODESIGN), under which ONCODESIGN will transfer to OPM all assets and liabilities relating to its Biotech Business Unit (BU; development of new molecules dedicated to precision medicine and new targets identifiable thanks to Artificial Intelligence) valued at 3.4 million euros by Cabinet Arthaud Associes. The purpose of OPM will remain the discovery of effective new treatments for cancers and other diseases where no effective therapies currently exist. To this end, OPM will draw on the Nanocyclix and Oncosniper technologies as well as on an innovative technological approach linked to systemic radiotherapy.

The draft agreement was signed on 30 June 2022.

This subsidiarisation forms part of the process of separation of business activities within ONCODESIGN that began more than two years ago with the creation of the 3 BUs (Service, Biotech and AI), with the goal of isolating the Biotech/AI BU from the Service BU with a view to:

Increasing the visibility of the new therapeutic and diagnostic product discovery activities under the ONCODESIGN Precision Medicine (OPM) brand, and differentiating them from the activities of ONCODESIGN Service (ODS);

Accelerating the development of innovative therapeutic molecules produced by the proprietary Nanocyclix technology and Molecular RadioTherapy (MRT), based on the discovery of new therapeutic targets;

Separating the two business areas for reasons of management and optimisation of monitoring and development of the transferred business area;

Enabling, eventually, the acquisition of the Service business by Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies IV SLP, advised by Elyan Partners, to include a reinvestment by Philippe Genne and the management team.

Philippe Genne, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of ONCODESIGN, commented: "The transaction we have announced meets all investor expectations for greater transparency between the two businesses and a better valuation of each entity and of the whole. Each business area will be able to unleash its growth potential, based on many years of investment in precision medicine, and seize the growth opportunities specific to its business. Past efforts have resulted in the establishment for Biotech of a portfolio of proprietary or partnership projects based on the proprietary medical chemistry platform Nanocyclix, with an RIPK2 programme now entering the clinical phase, an LRRK2 programme in Parkinson's Disease in partnership with Laboratoires SERVIER, and very high-potential emerging MRT programmes together with an AI platform for identifying new therapeutic targets and optimization of the efficiency of the drug discovery process. As far as the Service activity is concerned, its post-Covid resilience has demonstrated its strength, despite the ending of subsidies from GSK. Therefore, now is the time to separate the two businesses, giving each of them their independence whilst creating maximum value for shareholders. A separation will provide new, robust and lasting momentum for each entity, both of which will be national leaders in their field. Lastly, this separation will accelerate growth in the portfolios of products and services in Drug Discovery and will therefore offer all employees in each entity a new personal adventure towards an even better future."

The logic behind the Separation

Each entity is a leader in its market (ONCODESIGN in Drug Discovery services, OPM in precision medicine) and has established the critical mass and international reputation that will now allow it to act independently in these fast-changing markets.

The Drug Discovery services branch, with its 600 clients in 33 countries and 210 employees around the world, is a national leader, with a unique base in France.

After several years of pre-clinical development, the first two drug candidates from OPM are due to go into the clinical phase this year.

It is now clear that:

The Biotech and Service businesses draw on specific expertise and skills and operate in different environments;

With adequate funds of their own, they will be better equipped to face up to growing international competition;

Given that their operational, commercial, and legal structures are already separate, the two entities will be able to develop independently.

The Separation will be beneficial to both entities, as it will allow:

The continuation of two business projects under dedicated management teams, thus strengthening the sense of belonging and cohesion of the employee teams;

The creation of two "pure players", listed separately, with, over time, investors specific to each business, and;

The creation for both entities of new opportunities for partnerships, strategic alliances, and financial transactions to fund their future growth.

Mr Philippe Genne, via the holding company PCG, will remain as a significant shareholder in both companies. He will be a member of the Supervisory Board of the acquisition holding company and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OPM, thus ensuring strategic continuity for this business.

The details of the Separation

The partial asset transfer to OPM under the legal regime for spin-offs will be a simplified procedure as allowed for under Articles L.236-22, paragraphs 2 and 3 and R.236-5-2 of the French Commercial Code. As a result, there will be no requirement for the transaction to be approved by an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the companies involved in the transaction. This transfer will not be subject to review by the demerger's auditor or the transfer auditor and will not give rise to a report from the Board of Directors. A valuation of the perimeter contributed to OPM has been carried out and the conclusions of a report from an independent valuer appointed for this purpose, which report is available on the Company's website at www.ONCODESIGN.com, under the heading "regulated information", shows a valuation of the Biotech and AI activities of 3.4 million euros.

It is expected that the partial transfer of assets under the legal regime for spin-offs will happen no later than 30 September 2022, and will have effect, for accounting and tax purposes, retroactively from 1 January 2022.

The draft transfer agreement has been placed in the public domain and can be consulted on the Company's website at www.ONCODESIGN.com, under the heading "regulated information". It will also be lodged with the clerk of the Dijon Tribunal de Commerce.

Notification will also be made available to the public on the ONCODESIGN corporate website containing the details set out in Articles L 236-6, al 2 et R 236-2, al2 et S. of the French Commercial Code.

ONCODESIGN will retain the Drug Discovery (Service) activities, whilst the new OPM company will receive the Biotech and AI activities. Shares newly issued in consideration of the partial asset transfer will then be distributed to ONCODESIGN shareholders on the basis of one OPM share for each ONCODESIGN share held.

This Separation would entail a transfer of debt from ONCODESIGN to OPM for an amount of 4,138,308.08 as well as cash and cash equivalents valued at 4,920,309.76 for a pro-forma balance sheet total of 8,371,133.64 as at 31/12/2021.

The activities contributed in the context of the Separation have also been valued by an independent expert appointed by ONCODESIGN's Board of Directors, Cabinet Arthaud Associes represented by Olivier Arthaud, at 3.4 million.

Shares in ONCODESIGN (retained Service business) and in the new OPM biotech company will be listed on Euronext Growth.

The information document, submitted to Euronext for review, setting out the details of the listing of OPM and providing all necessary information for shareholders in the newly listed company, is expected to be distributed in September 2022, with a view to the first listing of the new biotech company in early October 2022.

Acquisition by Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies IV SLP, advised by Elyan Partners, of the Service activities through the acquisition of a majority stake in ONCODESIGN triggering a simplified public tender offer for all ONCODESIGN shares

Elyan Partners, has opened exclusive negotiations with a view to acquiring from the main shareholders in ONCODESIGN, subject to the final completion of the Separation and the absence of any events that could have a lasting effect on the continuity of operations at ONCODESIGN, a controlling stake currently representing 52.17% of ONCODESIGN's capital (the "Controlling Stake"), it being stipulated that it is intended that PCG (Mr. Philippe Genne's holding company) and some ComEx members will reinvest in the acquisition structure.

Subject to the acquisition of the Controlling Stake and in the absence of any events that could have a lasting effect on the continuity of operations at ONCODESIGN, by Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies IV SLP will then make a mandatory public tender offer (OPAS) subject to the compliance of the AMF and relating to the remaining shares issued by ONCODESIGN at the same price as used for the acquisition of the Control Block, i.e. 14.41 euros per share, subject to an audit of the pro forma financial statements for ONCODESIGN at 31 May 2022 (being the financial statements for ONCODESIGN excluding the Biotech/AI BU) and an audit of the flows between the Service and Biotech activities between May 31, 2022 and the completion of the sale of the Control Block. The firm BM&A would be appointed, subject to the AMF's right to object, as an independent expert in charge of drawing up a report on the fairness of the financial terms of the public offer in accordance with article 261-1 of the AMF's general regulations.

Final signature of agreements relating to Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies IV SLPs' acquisition of the Controlling Stake cannot take place until after completion of the consultation with staff representative bodies at ONCODESIGN.

If the conditions are met at the closing of the tender offer, the offeror will implement a squeeze-out procedure for the ONCODESIGN shares not tendered to the offer.

ONCODESIGN's Board of Directors welcomed the proposed transaction, without prejudice to the considered opinion of the Board of Directors on the tender offer (OPAS), which will be issued following receipt of the independent valuer's report on the equitable nature of the tender and possible subsequent squeeze-out, as well as the opinion of staff representative instances.

Jean-Francois Felix, Vincent Manes and Maxence de Vienne, Partners in Elyan, commented: "We are delighted to be joining forces with Philippe Genne, Fabrice Viviani and the whole ONCODESIGN Service team to make ODS a European leader in Drug Discovery services. Drawing on the strength of its unique scientific expertise, its international presence and its innovative commercial approach, ODS has considerable development potential in supporting its clients biotech and pharmaceuticals groups in the growth of their research projects. We are keen to contribute to this creation of value through a collaborative approach to development, and most notably through the completion of targeted acquisitions."

The two future corporate projects

ODS: a strategy to accelerate growth

ODS has the ambition of becoming the European leader in Drug Discovery services by 2025, building on five major strategic pillars:

A portfolio of innovative technologies adapted to biotech and pharma clients around the world;

- Operational excellence, based above all on a strong team recognised for its expertise and a full and innovative service offering;

- A business model based on the acceleration of the Drug Discovery strategy, with a target of acquiring several entities in Europe and developing international clients by 2025;

- A plan for active acquisition of specialised service companies;

- A company that puts its people at the heart of its strategy, to strengthen links with its clients and partners and remain the most attractive company in the sector for its employees.

OPM: a strategy of accelerated clinical development in innovative therapies

On the strength of its diversified portfolio of molecules and therapeutic targets, OPM is positioned as the discoverer of molecules that are effective against resistant and advanced cancers and other pathologies which currently lack a therapeutic solution. An innovative platform for the selection of new therapeutic targets has been developed on the basis of patient data and through a novel approach using Artificial Intelligence.

Two drug candidates produced by the Nanocyclix technology are due to move into the clinical phase in 2022, one in partnership with Servier to treat Parkinson's Disease, the other with OPM in the treatment of chronic immuno-inflammatory diseases.

These two corporate projects have the ambition to offer each employee a motivating environment and to create value for shareholders.

ONCODESIGN has been supported in these transactions to separate its two business areas of Biotech and Service and in the acquisition followed by a public tender offer for the Service activity by Lamy Lexel as legal counsel, by Bryan, Garnier Co as M&A advisor and "listing sponsor" and by the team at 8Advisory in Lyon for financial and accounting matters.

About Elyan Partners

Elyan Partners SAS ("Elyan"), a partner of Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity, is a financial investment advisor. Elyan is the exclusive advisor to the ERES fund and advisor to the Privilege fund from Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. Edmond de Rothschild Equity Strategies IV SLP ("ERES IV") invests in mid-sized companies in Europe and North America, in four main areas: the biotech ecosystem, on-line commerce, financial services, and new consumers.

Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity is the trade name of the private equity entities of Edmond de Rothschild Group and has more than CHF3.4 billion in assets under management. With an entrepreneurial approach to finance and backed by strong convictions, Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity creates and develops differentiated investment strategies that provide a lasting response to environmental and social challenges. Created in 1953, the Group had nearly CHF178 billion in assets under management on 31 December 2021, 2,500 employees and 29 offices around the world.

About ERES IV

ERES IV is a professional fund managed by Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity (France), licensed by the Autorite des Marches Financiers ("AMF"), advised by Elyan Partners. ERES IV is a fund registered under French law with the AMF, is being marketed and is reserved for professional investors within the meaning of the MiFID Directive. ERES IV may not be authorized for marketing in the reader's country of residence. Any investment in Private Equity entails specific risks, including the risk of loss of capital, discretionary management discretionary management, and liquidity risk. It is the responsibility of each investor to analyze his or her risk by reading the fund's regulatory documents, which are available free of charge on request from the management company.

The mention of certain investments does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell the securities or shares of the companies presented.

About ONCODESIGN: www.ONCODESIGN.com

ONCODESIGN is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in precision medicine, founded in 1995 by its current CEO and majority shareholder. It has been listed on the Euronext Growth Market since April 2014. Its mission is to discover effective therapies to fight cancer and other diseases without a therapeutic solution. With its unique experience, enriched thanks to over 1,000 customers including the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and based on a one-of-a-kind technological platform combining artificial intelligence, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, regulatory bioanalysis and cutting-edge medical imaging, ONCODESIGN is able to select new therapeutic targets, then design and develop potential preclinical candidates up to the clinical phase stage. ONCODESIGN has configured its organization to offer innovative services to its customers and licenses for its proprietary molecules. Applied to kinase inhibitors molecules that represent a market estimated to be worth more than $65 billion by 2027 and nearly 25% of R&D investments in the pharmaceutical industry ONCODESIGN's technology has already made it possible to target several molecules of interest with a high therapeutic potential, both in and outside of oncology, and has signed partnerships with international pharmaceutical groups. Based in Dijon, France, at the heart of the University Hospital complex and part of the Paris-Saclay complex, ONCODESIGN has 230 employees across three Business Units (BU): Service, Biotech, Artificial Intelligence, and has subsidiaries in Canada and in the United States.

Forward-looking statements

This document contains forward-looking statements and estimates regarding the financial position, results of operations, strategy, projects and future performance of the Company and the market in which it operates. Some of these statements, forecasts and estimates may be recognized by the use of words such as, without limitation, "believe", "anticipate", "predict", "expect", "project", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "may", "want", "continue" and similar expressions. These include all questions that are not historical facts. Such statements, forecasts and estimates are based on various assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that were considered reasonable when made but may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict and may depend on factors beyond the control of the Company. Accordingly, the Company's actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements, or industry results, may differ materially from future results, performance or achievements as expressed or implied by such statements, forecasts and estimates. In light of these uncertainties, no representation is made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. In addition, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates are only valid as of the date of publication of this document. The Company disclaims any obligation to update such forward-looking statements, forecasts or estimates to reflect any change in the Company's expectations relating thereto, or any change in the events, conditions or circumstances on which such statements, forecasts or estimates are based, except as required by French law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220630005951/en/

Contacts:

ONCODESIGN

Philippe Genne

Chairman and CEO

Tel.: +33 (0)380 788 260

investisseurs@oncodesign.com

NewCap

Investor Relations

Mathilde Bohin

Tel.: +33 (0)144 719 495

oncodesign@newcap.eu

NewCap

Media Relations Arthur Rouille

Tel.: +33 (0)144 710 015

oncodesign@newcap.eu
EDELIFE Phase II trial explores potential of pioneering prenatal treatment for XLHED

GENEVA and Castres, France, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The EspeRare Foundation and the Pierre Fabre group announced today that the first patient in the EDELIFE clinical trial has received the three rounds of injection as planned. The pivotal trial is the first-of-its-kind, as the treatment is given to the XLHED (X-linked Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia)-affected baby while inside his mother's womb. The trial intends to confirm the efficacy and safety of ER004 given as a pre-natal treatment to XLHED-affected boys.

XLHED is a very rare and debilitating congenital disease which affects approximately 4/100,000 live male births every year. This genetic disorder is a dermatologic-related condition which leads to abnormal development of the skin, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, hair, oral cavity and respiratory mucosal glands resulting in serious clinical manifestations such as hyperthermia, craniofacial anomalies and recurrent respiratory infections.

The EDELIFE clinical trial is a confirmatory study that will investigate the efficacy and safety of intra-amniotic ER004 administrations as a prenatal treatment for male foetuses who have been confirmed to have XLHED. ER004 is a pioneering in-utero therapy designed to replace the function of endogenous Ectodysplasin A1 (EDA1), a protein key to the normal development of ectodermal structures in the foetus. If successful, ER004 has the potential to become the first approved 'single-course treatment', administered during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

"It is an exciting time for the Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia community and for prenatal medical research. For the first time, we can hope to correct major symptoms of XLHED for those who are diagnosed before birth," said Caroline Kant, the Co-founder and CEO of the EspeRare Foundation. "We need the support of the XLHED community to ensure that those who may benefit from this unique treatment are aware of the EDELIFE trial."

A target number of 15 to 20 baby boys with XLHED will be treated within the EDELIFE trial across 8 centres in Europe and the USA. Clinical centres for the study are now open in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and will be open shortly in the USA. A dedicated web site (www.EDELIFEclinicaltrial.com) is available for interested families who want to learn more about the clinical trial and the conditions for enrolment. Beyond the initial English version, it will progressively be developed in German, French, Italian and Spanish.

"We are committed to supporting pregnant women with a confirmed diagnosis of XLHED in their treatment journey for their unborn baby boys," said Dr Deborah Szafir, Executive Vice President, Head of Medical and Patient Consumer Division at Pierre Fabre. "15 to 20 patients in the clinical trial may seem like a very small number, but given how rare the condition is, it is essential we facilitate the process of enrolment into the study as much as possible. This includes facilitating the pregnant women's travel to a nearby country if there is no investigational site open in their own country. We feel very proud at Pierre Fabre to support those with rare dermatologic diseases as we have already successfully done in infantile hemangiomas".

In the main study phase of the EDELIFE clinical trial, efficacy and safety of approximately 15 treated children will be assessed up to 6 months of age and safety of the mothers will be assessed up to 1 month after delivery. In the long-term follow-up phase, efficacy and safety of the treated children will be assessed up to 5 years of age. The main phase of the clinical study is expected to last until 2025.

The ER004 in XLHED program has received a wide range of regulatory support, including Breakthrough Therapy Designation in 2020 by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Its clinical development also benefits from the European Medical Agency's (EMA) PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) program.

Details also available on www.clinicaltrials.gov. Study NCT04980638

About XLHED

XLHED is a severe genetic disorder that affects the structure of the ectoderm, the most exterior part of the three primary germ layers formed during early embryonic life, from which the skin and its appendages are derived. XLHED is caused by mutations in EDA, a gene that encodes an important developmental signalling protein, EDA1. The absence of functional EDA1 in the ectoderm results in abnormal development of the skin, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, hair, oral cavity, and respiratory mucosal glands.

About ER004

ER004 is a pioneering in-utero therapy designed to replace the function of endogenous Ectodysplasin A1 (EDA1), a protein key to the normal development of ectodermal structures in the foetus. ER004 is a recombinant, soluble, and humanized form of EDA1 that is given as a single course treatment and delivered through intra-amniotic injections during the late stage of pregnancy. This approach has already demonstrated a promising potential in humans where it restored sweat gland function in three patients treated in this fashion by Prof. Holm Schneider at the University Hospital Erlangen in Germany. First results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine1 and in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology2 as well as featured in Nature Medicine's Research Highlights3.

About the EspeRare foundation

EspeRare is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in 2013 that is committed to improve the lives of children with life-threatening rare diseases. EspeRare addresses the unmet medical needs of these children by uncovering the potential of existing treatments. EspeRare's innovative model combines pharmaceutical know-how with philanthropic, public and private investments to develop and bring to life these discontinued therapies. With its unique patient-centred approach to drug development, EspeRare engages the patient community at each step of the process, with the intent of giving children and their families fair access to these therapies and a new hope for the future.

For more information, please visit www.esperare.org

About Pierre Fabre

Pierre Fabre is the 2nd largest dermo-cosmetics laboratory in the world, the 2nd largest private French pharmaceutical group and the market leader in France for products sold over the counter in pharmacies. Its portfolio includes several medical franchises and international brands including Pierre Fabre Oncology, Pierre Fabre Dermatology, Eau Thermale Avene, Klorane, Ducray, Rene Furterer, A-Derma, Naturactive, Pierre Fabre Oral Care.

In 2021, Pierre Fabre generated 2.5 billion in revenues, 66% of which came from international sales.

Established in the South-West of France since its creation, the Group manufacturs over 95% of its products in France and employs some 9,500 people worldwide. Its products are distributed in about 115 countries.?

Pierre Fabre is 86%-owned by the Pierre Fabre Foundation, a government-recognised public-interest foundation, and secondarily by its own employees through an international employee stock ownership plan.

Further information about Pierre Fabre can be found at www.pierre-fabre.com, @PierreFabre.

References

Prenatal Correction of X-Linked Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia. Schneider H, Faschingbauer F, Schuepbach-Mallepell S, Korber I, Wohlfart S, Dick A, Wahlbuhl M, Kowalczyk-Quintas C, Vigolo M, Kirby N, Tannert C, Rompel O, Rascher W, Beckmann MW, Schneider P. N Engl J Med 2018; 378: 1604-1610 Safety and immunogenicity of Fc-EDA, a recombinant ectodysplasin A1 replacement protein, in human subjects. Korber I, Klein OD, Morhart P, Faschingbauer F, Grange DK, Clarke A, Bodemer C, Maitz S, Huttner K, Kirby N, Durand C, Schneider H. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2020;86(10):2063-2069 In utero correction of a genetic disorder. Stower H. Nature Medicine 2018; 24: 702

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851585/edelife.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1688212/Pierre_Fabre_and_EspeRare_Logo.jpg

CONTACTS :

EspeRare Foundation

foundation@esperare.org

Pierre Fabre

anne.kerveillant@pierre-fabre.com
LONDON, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK public have spoken and Holiston Media is very pleased to announce the winners in its inaugural Online Money Awards, in conjunction with The Armchair Trader.

With a raft of business nominations from across the sector, it was up to the UK's private investors to cast their votes to decide who came out on top in these brand-new awards, which champion service, innovation, low-cost access to the markets, ease of investing and educational programs in the online money sector.

"There was a high calibre of entrants for these awards and we received over 7,000 votes from private investors who choose the winners across the 19 categories," explains Mike Boydell, director of Holiston Media. "These new awards give businesses the opportunity to benchmark their success against their peers, impress potential new clients, whilst boosting existing client comfort and loyalty."

The winners are:

Best Advisory Service - St. James's Place

Best CFD Provider - CMC Markets

Best Customer Service - IG

Best ETF Provider - WisdomTree

Best Execution-Only Broker - AJ Bell Youinvest

Best Forex Provider - FxPro

Best Forex Trading Platform - XM

Best Fund Group - abrdn

Best Investment Trust Group - Liontrust

Best SIPP Provider - Vanguard Asset Management

Best Spread Betting Provider - IG

Best Stockbroker - Halifax Share Dealing Limited

Best Stocks and Shares ISA Provider - Barclays Smart Investor

Best Trading Platform - City Index

Best Trading Tools - INFINOX

Best Wealth Investment Platform - interactive investor

Main Market Company of the Year - AstraZeneca PLC

AIM Market Company of the Year - Next Fifteen Communications Group PLC

Growth Business of the Year - Seplat Energy PLC

The Online Money Awards are organised in conjunction with The Armchair Trader, a highly experienced team of writers. The Armchair Trader now attracts more than 50,000 unique visitors per month. Comments founder, Michael Morton, "The Online Money Awards align with our values perfectly. As a news service we always endeavour to promote the best companies available to active investors and traders. Having a creditable recognition system such as The Online Money Awards to help us do this gives us a vehicle to put The Armchair Trader brand to. Congratulations to all of this year's winners."
NORTH CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the intended availability of around 17 million bottles equivalent of general infant formula to be imported from New Zealand and Ireland. Under the FDA's enforcement discretion to source more infant formula to the U.S., French food company Danone SA will send 555,000 cans Aptamil Gold Plus from New Zealand. This is equivalent to about 1.1 million pounds or about 16.5 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles. The infant formula is likely to be available starting August across several retail channels in the U.S. Further, Abbott Nutrition will import 18,677 cans of Similac Advance 2'-FL Stage 1 from Ireland. This is equivalent to about 35,000 pounds or about 535,000 full-size, 8-ounce bottles. The product will be available in mid- July. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is evaluating options for getting the product to the U.S. as quickly as possible. Danone earlier had agreed to send about 750,000 cans of Aptamil First Infant Milk Stage 1 in July from Ireland. This would be equivalent to about 1.3 million pounds or nearly 19 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles. Earlier this week, the FDA announced the availability of around 696,000 cans or about 21 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles of general formula milk from Australian organic infant formula and baby food producer, Bellamy's Organic. Earlier, UK-based Global Kosher also agreed to send more than 4.8 million cans of general infant formula, which are equal to more than 128 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles. In its latest update, the FDA noted that its increased flexibilities have resulted in total estimated quantity of 18.3 million cans, or about 400 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles of infant formula products from various countries. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Janus Henderson Group plc (NYSE/ASX: JHG) will announce its second quarter 2022 results on Thursday 28 July 2022 at 4am EDT, 9am BST, 6pm AEST. A conference call and webcast to discuss the results will be held at 8am EDT, 1pm BST, 10pm AEST.

Those wishing to participate in the conference call should call the applicable number below and reference the Janus Henderson Results Briefing (Conference ID: 823583):

From: United Kingdom 0808 189 6484 (toll free) United States 844 200 6205 (toll free) Australia 02 7908 3093 (this is not toll free) All other countries +1 929 526 1599 (this is not toll free)

To eliminate wait times, conference call participants may pre-register at https://ige.netroadshow.com/registration/q4inc/11138/janus-henderson-second-quarter-2022-results-briefing/. After registering, a confirmation with access details will be sent via email.

Access to the live webcast and accompanying slides will be available via the investor relations section of Janus Henderson's website (ir.janushenderson.com); a webcast replay will be available following the call.

About Janus Henderson

Janus Henderson Group is a leading global active asset manager dedicated to helping investors achieve long-term financial goals through a broad range of investment solutions, including equities, fixed income, multi-asset and alternative asset class strategies.

At 31 March 2022, Janus Henderson had approximately US$361 billion in assets under management, more than 2,000 employees, and offices in 23 cities worldwide. Headquartered in London, the company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005007/en/

Contacts:

Investor enquiries:

Jim Kurtz

Co-Head Investor Relations (US)

+1 (303) 336 4529

jim.kurtz@janushenderson.com



Melanie Horton

Co-Head Investor Relations (Non-US)

+44 (0) 20 7818 2905

melanie.horton@janushenderson.com

Press enquiries:

Stephen Sobey

Head of Media Relations

+44 (0) 20 7818 2523

stephen.sobey@janushenderson.com
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Russian Security Council meeting via a video linkup from the Moscow Kremlin. Tass-Yonhap



Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed full control over a major oil and natural gas project partly owned by Shell and two Japanese companies to a newly created Russian firm, a bold move amid spiraling tensions with the West over Moscow's military action in Ukraine.



Putin's decree late Thursday orders the creation of a new company that would take over ownership of Sakhalin Energy Investment, which is nearly 50 percent controlled by British energy giant Shell and Japan-based Mitsui and Mitsubishi.



Putin's order named ''threats to Russia's national interests and its economic security'' as the reason for the move at Sakhalin-2, one of the world's largest export-oriented oil and natural gas projects.



The presidential order gives the foreign firms a month to decide if they want to retain the same shares in the new company.



Russian state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom had a controlling stake in Sakhalin-2, the country's first offshore gas project that accounts for about 4 percent of the world's market for liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Japan, South Korea and China are the main customers for the project's oil and LNG exports.



Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that there is no reason to expect a shutdown of supplies following Putin's order.



Shell held a 27.5 percent stake in the project. After the start of the Russian military action in Ukraine, Shell announced its decision to pull out of all of its Russian investments, a move that it said has cost at least $5 billion. The company also holds 50 percent stakes in two other joint ventures with Gazprom to develop oil fields.



Shell said Friday that it's studying Putin's order, which has thrown its investment in the joint venture into doubt.



''As a shareholder, Shell has always acted in the best interests of Sakhalin-2 and in accordance with all applicable legal requirements,'' the company said in a statement. ''We are aware of the decree and are assessing its implications.''



Seiji Kihara, deputy chief secretary of the Japanese cabinet, said the government was aware of Putin's decree and was reviewing its impact. Japan-based Mitsui owns 12.5 percent of the project, and Mitsubishi holds 10 percent.



Kihara emphasized that the project should not be undermined because it ''is pertinent to Japan's energy security,'' adding that ''anything that harms our resource rights is unacceptable.''



''We are scrutinizing Russia's intentions and the background behind this,'' he told reporters Friday at a twice-daily news briefing. ''We are looking into the details, and for future steps, I don't have any prediction for you at this point.''



Asked during a conference call with reporters if Putin's move with Sakhalin-2 could herald a similar action against other joint ventures involving foreign shareholders, Peskov said, ''There can't be any general rule here.'' He added that ''each case will be considered separately.''



Sakhalin-2 includes three offshore platforms, an onshore processing facility, 300 kilometers of offshore pipelines, 1,600 kilometers of onshore pipelines, an oil export terminal and an LNG plant. (AP)


KREFELD, Germany and ZURICH, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiss Battery Technology pioneer Battrion AG together with its partner Jagenberg Converting Solution GmbH have demonstrated the Aligned Graphite Technology at industrial speeds. This important milestone validates Battrion's technology for mass scale production.

In March of this year, Swiss battery technology provider Battrion AG and Jagenberg Group with its sub-entity Jagenberg Converting Solutions GmbH communicated their partnership to bring the Aligned Graphite Technology to mass market. Today, the two companies have announced that they have successfully demonstrated the Aligned Graphite Technology on a large-scale coating line with speeds up to 100m/min. This achievement marks an important milestone in Jagenberg's and Battrion's collaboration, as it validates the feasibility of the technology for mass scale anode production.

Achieving this breakthrough comes at a crucial time. With raw material prices surging, cell manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce costs, all while expanding their production capacity and further improving battery performance. With the Aligned Graphite Technology cell manufacturers are now given a new powerful lever to address these issues, resulting in more flexibility in the cost vs. performance tradeoff. Negative electrodes can be made thicker without adversely impacting charging rate or can be charged faster at the same energy-density, safety, and lifetime.

Jagenberg is proud to announce that its coating line product portfolio is now fully compatible for use with Battrion's technology. The Aligned Graphite technology can be used by either implementing a new pilot or full production line (GWh-scale), or by retrofitting existing battery manufacturing lines.

About Battrion AG:

Battrion is an ETH Zurich spin-off founded in 2015. Battrion operates a research lab and production facility in Dubendorf, Switzerland, where it develops its Aligned Graphite technology, a fabrication technology for lithium-ion batteries that improve the microstructure of negative electrodes. The technology significantly increases the charge- and discharge performance of lithium-ion batteries and is particularly suited for EV and high-power applications. The technology is compatible with mixed silicon/graphite materials. Battrion offers its Aligned Graphite technology on a license basis. More information can be found at: http://www.battrion.com

About Jagenberg AG:

Jagenberg AG, part of the Kleinewefers Group and headquartered in Krefeld, Germany, is a strategic management holding company that currently employs around 1,300 people in its 23 operating affiliates in the Industrial Solutions sector in Europe, Asia, and the USA. The Jagenberg Group is focused on the Industrial Solutions division, whose core business areas relate to machines and systems, automation and control technology, and digital solutions for processing web-shaped materials such as films or paper.

www.jagenberg.com

About Jagenberg Converting Solutions GmbH:

Within the Jagenberg Group, Jagenberg Converting Solutions GmbH offers turnkey solutions from a single source as a reliable, competent, and innovative partner. The company bundles the competencies and many years of experience of more than 500 employees from companies in the Jagenberg Group and supplements these with solutions from strategic partners depending on the requirements. The focus of business activities is on the supply of services required for the finishing of sophisticated web-shaped materials for battery and decorative applications.

www.jagenberg-converting.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534278/Battrion_Logo.jpg

Press contact Battrion AG:

Dr. Max Kory

Phone +41 (0) 44 585 1420

media@battrion.com
LONDON, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Laurent Ogier, Chief Executive of luxury ski wear brand Maison Ogier, has been named "Most Innovative CEO in the Winter Sportswear Industry" in the 2022 Business Worldwide Magazine CEO Awards.

The Awards are a celebration of the most outstanding leaders in the business world, across a wide range of sectors. Instead of focusing on companies as a whole, like many similar awards programmes, here the spotlight is on the CEOs, COOs and Directors that lead them. The aim is to give exceptional people the recognition they deserve, whilst inspiring others to achieve similar successes.

Established in 1948 and with boutiques in some of the world's most glamorous ski resorts, the Zurich based company has long been renowned for quality outdoor apparel and outstanding service. In 2014 Laurent Ogier took the helm at his family's company and has led it from small family business to what is today a leading luxury brand. At just 30 years old Laurent is at the top of his game. He studied Hospitality and Entrepreneurship Finance at the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland before working in finance in luxury hotels around the world. This experience, combined with his family history, gave him a unique insight into how to drive the name forward for a new generation.

Ogier is still very much a family concern, with the traditions and values of his grandfather and father still instilled in the company's ethos. Customer care is still the number one priority, with all customers receiving a warm welcome and five-star service in every store. Laurent took on his new role with a very different idea for the company - to create a private label and offer even better quality and performance, along with high fashion on and off the slopes. It was a challenging journey and he made mistakes along the way, but Laurent's determination and vision paid off. Today the brand is a must-have for skiers who demand high end outdoor apparel that's functional, practical and desirable.

Speaking to Business Worldwide Magazine, Laurent explained what made Ogier's rebrand such a success: "Our biggest strength is our family spirit, and our business is built on a culture of trust. I strongly believe in sustainable growth through people and the power of collective intelligence. The wellbeing of our people has always been - and will remain - Ogier's first priority. Our job, as executives, are to let people thrives under our management. Secondly, our designs are innovative and off the beaten path, combining comfort with head turning glamour and fashion-forward style."

Maison Ogier is opening new stores in Vail in USA, Crans-Montana and Zurich in Switzerland, as well as Kitzbuhel, Dallas, Las Vegas and Munich in the upcoming future.

To find out more, visit https://ogier-og.com/

An article on the company can be found on the Business Worldwide Magazine website: https://bwmonline.com/2022/05/26/ogier-from-small-family-business-to-global-luxury-brand/

Further information about the Business Worldwide CEO Awards can be found at https://www.bwmonline.com/awards

About Business Worldwide Magazine

Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enable an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few.

Contact

David Jones

Awards Department

E: david@bwmonline.com
On July 1, 2022, Rohde & Schwarz opened a new office in Ra'anana, central Israel. This important step strengthens the commitment of the high-tech company to the Israeli market

RA'ANANA, Israel and MUNICH, Germany, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rohde & Schwarz develops, produces and sells innovative information and communications technology products for professional users. The privately-owned company has an extensive sales and service network in over 70 countries.

For the last 20 years, a local distribution partner successfully represented Rohde & Schwarz in Israel. The establishment of an Israeli subsidiary is now the next logical step for the company. Frank Oehler, Managing Director of Rohde & Schwarz Israel Ltd., explains: "Working directly with our local customers is becoming ever more important to better meet their requirements. Having our own local presence will help us establish closer ties between these customers and our R&D departments to develop future-proof solutions."

The subsidiary has 15 employees to deliver the company's state-of-the-art test and measurement (T&M) solutions to industrial, research, wireless communications and automotive customers. Plans for the future are in place to access further market segments. Rohde & Schwarz is also opening its own T&M service lab with the latest test equipment and certified service personnel. "We want to make sure that our customers not only receive the best products but also benefit from our fast, accurate and advanced local repair and calibration services," Frank Oehler adds.

Israel is a dynamic, high-tech market with established companies and a lively start-up scene. Andreas Pauly, Executive Vice President Test and Measurement Division thinks Rohde & Schwarz can make a valuable contribution: "At Rohde & Schwarz, we have a tradition of innovation. It is part of our DNA. Our developments are ground breaking and even help define technological standards. We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration."

Along with the company's established business fields, Rohde & Schwarz has made substantial investments in future technologies such as 6G, quantum technologies, the industrial internet of things (IIoT), artificial intelligence and cloud technologies. The company's extensive product portfolio is an important contribution to a safer and connected world.

Press contacts:

Headquarters: Katrin Wehle

Phone: +49 89 4129 11378

Email: press@rohde-schwarz.co

www.rohde-schwarz.com
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
An exploration of the human foot produced by T Brand Studio, the three-part documentary shines a light on the importance of foot health and reveals why healthy shoes look exactly the way they do

LINZ AM RHEIN, Germany and LONDON, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "Ugly for a Reason" - with this provocative message, BIRKENSTOCK draws attention to its first global brand campaign - a three-part video documentary that shines a light on the human foot, raising the awareness of consumers all around the world on the importance of foot health and the role footwear plays to maintain it. The purpose-driven campaign is in the tradition of the lectures in which master shoemaker Konrad Birkenstock educated his peers in Germany and parts of Europe in the 1920s about diseases of the foot related to wrong footwear and the means to alleviate them - a tradition that was later to be continued by his son Carl Birkenstock and his grandson Karl.

Produced by T Brand, the content studio of New York Times Advertising, the paid content campaign will be published on nytimes.com, BIRKENSTOCK.com and all other online channels of the global lifestyle brand and inventor of the footbed. The first episode of the campaign will premiere on July 1, 2022. The campaign will be supported by a media activation initiative over the entire four-month campaign period, making the foot visible in every corner of The New York Times through a launch takeover in print and online displaying the higher purpose BIRKENSTOCK has been serving for almost two and a half centuries: foot health.

Oliver Reichert, CEO of the BIRKENSTOCK Group: "Foot health is at the heart of everything we do at BIRKENSTOCK. This campaign has been developed to inform consumers about the marvels of the foot. The evolution of mankind is deeply grounded on the development of our feet. Without an upright walk the human species would not have survived. It is all the more surprising how little research has been done on the human foot. With our campaign, we want to stage the human foot - and address the role of proper footwear for our health. Most people are born with healthy feet and develop painful foot issues because the shoes we're wearing are often too small, too narrow or have heels that are too high. We want to draw attention to this and enable consumers to make better-informed decisions - no matter which footwear brand they ultimately choose."

HOW FEET MADE US HUMAN: WHAT ROLE DOES THE FOOT PLAY IN EVOLUTION?

The series' opening chapter delves into what role the feet play in evolution. Another important aspect is the importance of foot health. The first episode shows different activities in which feet are used, using shots of runners and dancers, highlighting how our feet are our only inherent mode of transport. Medical diagrams and spectacular animations of feet cast an educational light over the video. The documentary includes insightful interview sequences from conversations with the two distinguished scientists Carol Ward, Curator's Professor of Paleontology at the University of Missouri, and Benno M. Nigg, Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Calgary.

EPISODE 2 WILL BE LAUNCHED ON AUGUST 11, EPISODE 3 ON SEPTEMBER 21

Episode two ("Finding Our Feet") looks at how to fix the future of foot health, through the lens of BIRKENSTOCK's heritage in orthopedics. It will be published on August 11, 2022. Episode three ("Stepping into the Details") investigates why functional design, quality and responsibility are important for foot health. The last episode of the serial will be launched on September 21, 2022.

LINKS

https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/birkenstock/how-feet-made-us-human.html

https://www.birkenstock.com/us/ugly-for-a-reason

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1852126/Coverwrap_Front.jpg

Logo - - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1852131/Birkenstock_Logo.jpg
1 July 2022

ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

("Ananda" or the "Company")

TOTAL VOTING RIGHTS

In accordance with the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules, Ananda announces that the Company has 820,554,572 ordinary shares of 0.2p each in issue ("Ordinary Shares"), each share carrying the right to one vote.

This figure of 820,554,572 Ordinary Shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

-Ends-

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

Chief Executive Officer

Melissa Sturgess



Investor Relations

Jeremy Sturgess-Smith +44 (0) 7463 686 497

ir@anandadevelopments.com PETERHOUSE CAPITAL LIMITED

Corporate Finance

Mark Anwyl



Corporate Broking

Lucy Williams

Duncan Vasey +44 (0)20 7469 0930

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

About Ananda Developments

Ananda is an AQSE-listed medical cannabis company creating UK-based operations to grow and provide carbon zero, consistent, medical cannabis for the UK and international markets.

The UK medical cannabis market is predicted to be worth 450m by 2025 and the European market is predicted to be worth USD4.2bn by 2027.

For more information, please visit: https://anandadevelopments.com/
TALLINN, Estonia, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The native AQS token of the AQUARIS, the first ever project that combines advanced blockchain technology and real production, will be available for purchase on the Zelwin Finance launchpad. This was stated by the founder and CEO of the company Andrei Paluhhin. Applications for the purchase of the coin will start on July 2. To take part in IDO, follow the link.

"Our project is a bridge that connects the traditional profitable aquatic business to the blockchain world and technologies. We are developing in accordance with the roadmap and plan to launch AQS on other platforms soon. The AQS token is one of the few cryptocurrencies that is backed by real profitable business," Andrei Paluhhin explained.

The AQS token ensures the smooth operation of the AQUARIS platform for making transactions for the seafood and water industries. The AQUARIS native token functions as a discount token - business partners earn perpetual discounts on products and services by holding the token, while private users have the opportunity to join the Aquaris Staking Pool.

"In addition, discounts are increased with the network's growth and adoption. AQS enables holders to use the discount, where users don't need to pay fees so the supply of the token tightens," says Andrei Paluhhin.

At the moment, the IDO of the AQS token will start on July 2. Stable Staking Program based on real profitable business up to 25% (up to 30% combined with a unique Aquaris NFT) will be soon available.

AQUARIS is the first ever project that combines advanced blockchain technology and real production. It is a bridge that connects the traditional profitable aquatic business to the blockchain world and technologies. The company conducts all transaction stages of manufacturing companies using blockchain technology. Now all processes, which took at least a week, can be done in just 15 minutes. AQS token brings together all the products of the AQUARIS ecosystem and enables the first ever staking based on a real product.

All the detailed information can be found in Aquaris Telegram channel. To take part in IDO, follow the link.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1852157/Aquaris_x_Zelwin.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1765958/AQUARIS_Logo.jpg
CHICAGO, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Progressing Cavity Pump Market by Pumping Capacity (Upto 500 GPM, 501-1000 GPM, Above 1000 GPM), Power Rating (Upto 50 hp, 51-150 hp, Above 150 hp), End User (Oil & Gas, Water & Wastewater, Others), Product Type, Stage Type and Region - Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Progressing Cavity Pump Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period, from an estimated USD 2.2 billion in 2022 to USD 2.8 billion in 2027. Growing developments in investments in water & wastewater treatment, oil & gas, chemicals & petrochemicals, mining is fueling the growth for progressing cavity pumps. The new technology trends in conveying high viscosity fluids and semi-solids is creating numerous opportunities for progressing cavity pump manufacturers.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=142949269

The water & wastewater treatment segment, by end-user industry, is expected to be the largest Progressing Cavity Pump Market during the forecast period

The water & wastewater segment has the largest share of the global Progressing Cavity Pump Market owing to rise in the demand in developing countries with increase in the sanitation services for achieving sustainability development goals. As these pumps work efficiently when comes to highly viscous fluids and semi-solids which is fueling the growth for progressive cavity pumps. Moreover, factors such as population growth, industrial development are increasing the demand for usage of progressive cavity pumps in wastewater treatment.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Progressing Cavity Pump Market"

136 - Tables

52 - Figures

228 - Pages

View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/progressing-cavity-pump-market-142949269.html

51-150 hp segment is expected to be the second largest market, by power rating, during the forecast period

51-150 hp progressing cavity pumps offer various advantages such as less floor space and high performance allow them to be utilized in large number of end-user industries. Also, recent developments in the design of 51-150 hp progressing cavity pumps is increasing their demand. These are more suitable in water & wastewater treatment, food & beverages, oil & gas industries.

Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the global Progressing Cavity Pump Market during the forecast period

In this report, the Progressing Cavity Pump Market has been analyzed for 5 regions, namely Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, South America. Asia Pacific is expected to lead the market during the forecast period.

Asia Pacific region has undergone rapid developments and growth from the major economies such as China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. The region has witnessed developments in various sectors such as oil & gas, food & beverages, mining, chemical & petrochemicals in the recent years. For instance, in China, there are natural gas explorations and import activities. China new mining policies involving foreign investments in the mining industry has supported to raise the demand for progressing cavity pumps this trend has been observed in different across countries in the region which fueled the growth for Progressing Cavity Pump Market.

Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=142949269

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the Progressing Cavity Pump Market. These include including NOV (US), NETZSCH (Germany), Seepex (Germany), PCM (France), CIRCOR International (US), and Schlumberger (US). The leading players are trying to establish themselves in the markets of developed countries and are adopting various strategies such as investments, expansions, product launches, sales contracts, agreements, mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, partnerships, and joint ventures to increase their respective market shares.

Browse Adjacent Markets: Energy and Power Market Research Reports & Consulting

Browse Related Reports:

Diaphragm Pumps Market by Mechanism (Air Operated and Electrically Operated), Operation (Single Acting and Double Acting), Discharge Pressure (Up to 80 Bar, 81 to 200 Bar & above 200 Bar), End User and Region - Global Trends & Forecast to 2027

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/diaphragm-pumps-market-158812592.html

Submersible Pumps Market by Type (Electric, Hydraulic, Air-Driven), Application (Open Pit, Borewell), Operation (Single-stage, Multi-stage), Power Rating (<1, 1-5, 5-15, >15 HP), Sector (Industrial, Agricultural, Domestic), Region - Global Forecasts to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/submersible-pump-market-188587920.html

Oil & Gas Pumps Market by Type (Submersible, Non-submersible) Pump Type (Centrifugal, Positive Displacement (Screw, Reciprocating, Rotary and Gear, Progressive Cavity), Cryogenic), Application (Upstream, Midstream, Downstream), Region - Global Forecast to 2025 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/oil-gas-pump-market-72491540.html

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. ("Newron") (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system (CNS), today announced that it is extending its Senior Management team through the appointment of Filippo Moriggia to the newly created position of Vice President of Operations, effective today. Filippo joined Newron in November 2016 as IT Director and became Director of Operations in January 2022.

Furthermore, as part of a renewed commitment to Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) within its corporate strategy, Newron is undertaking a comprehensive assessment of key ESG topics that are material to the company and its stakeholders. Based on the findings of this assessment, Newron will subsequently develop relevant and measurable targets for its ESG activities and track progress to achieving these targets over time.

To ensure appropriate oversight of this bolstered ESG commitment, Newron's Board of Directors has established an ESG Committee as per today. On an operational level, ESG implementation and reporting will be spearheaded by Filippo Moriggia.

Stefan Weber, Newron's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We warmly welcome Filippo to the Senior Management team, and we are proud to have established for the first time an ESG committee on Board level, which underlines our renewed commitment to ESG. We look forward to conducting a thorough, company-wide assessment with our stakeholders to develop and define our ESG goals. Following which we will aim to publish our ESG strategy and targets by the end of 2022 and begin our annual ESG reporting in March 2023 with our next Annual Report".

About Newron

Newron (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. The Company is headquartered in Bresso near Milan, Italy. Xadago/safinamide has received marketing authorization for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in the European Union, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, Latin America, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and South Korea, and is commercialized by Newron's Partner Zambon. Supernus Pharmaceuticals holds the commercialization rights in the USA. Meiji Seika has the rights to develop and commercialize the compound in Japan and other key Asian territories. Newron is also developing evenamide as the potential first add-on therapy for the treatment of patients with symptoms of schizophrenia. For more information, please visit: www.newron.com

Important Notices

This document contains forward-looking statements, including (without limitation) about (1) Newron' s ability to develop and expand its business, successfully complete development of its current product candidates, the timing of commencement of various clinical trials and receipt of data and current and future collaborations for the development and commercialization of its product candidates, (2) the market for drugs to treat CNS diseases and pain conditions, (3) Newron's financial resources, and (4) assumptions underlying any such statements. In some cases, these statements and assumptions can be identified by the fact that they use words such as "will", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "project", "intend", "plan", "believe", "target", and other words and terms of similar meaning. All statements, other than historical facts, contained herein regarding Newron's strategy, goals, plans, future financial position, projected revenues and costs and prospects are forward-looking statements. By their very nature, such statements and assumptions involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that predictions, forecasts, projections, and other outcomes described, assumed or implied therein will not be achieved. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set out in, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements due to a number of important factors. These factors include (without limitation) (1) uncertainties in the discovery, development or marketing of products, including without limitation difficulties in enrolling clinical trials, negative results of clinical trials or research projects or unexpected side effects, (2) delay or inability in obtaining regulatory approvals or bringing products to market, (3) future market acceptance of products, (4) loss of or inability to obtain adequate protection for intellectual property rights, (5) inability to raise additional funds, (6) success of existing and entry into future collaborations and licensing agreements, (7) litigation, (8) loss of key executive or other employees, (9) adverse publicity and news coverage, and (10) competition, regulatory, legislative and judicial developments or changes in market and/or overall economic conditions. Newron may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements and assumptions underlying any such statements may prove wrong. Investors should therefore not place undue reliance on them. There can be no assurance that actual results of Newron's research programs, development activities, commercialization plans, collaborations and operations will not differ materially from the expectations set out in such forward-looking statements or underlying assumptions. Newron does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements except as may be required by applicable regulations of the SIX Swiss Exchange where the shares of Newron are listed. This document does not contain or constitute an offer or invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities of Newron and no part of it shall form the basis of or be relied upon in connection with any contract or commitment whatsoever.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005099/en/

Contacts:

Newron

Stefan Weber CEO

+39 02 6103 46 26, pr@newron.com

UK/Europe

Simon Conway Ciara Martin, FTI Consulting

+44 20 3727 1000, SCnewron@fticonsulting.com

Switzerland

Valentin Handschin, IRF

+41 43 244 81 54, handschin@irf-reputation.ch

Germany/Europe

Anne Hennecke, Caroline Bergmann, MC Services

+49 211 52925222, anne.hennecke@mc-services.eu

USA

Paul Sagan, LaVoieHealthScience

+1 617 374 8800, Ext. 112, psagan@lavoiehealthscience.com
NEW YORK, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest market research report published by P&S Intelligence, the project portfolio management market generated revenue of $4,634.4 million in 2021, which is on the path to hitting $8,161.8 million by 2030, at a 6.5% compound annual growth rate between 2021 and 2030. This is because of the need for obtaining a 360o view into resource management and project operations, growing complexity of enterprise projects, and advancing demand for monitoring and collaboration tools.

Every aspect of a prominent business has been highly influenced by the digital revolution. One of the biggest changes has perhaps been the blurring of the borders between IT services and areas that were once seen as more crucial to a firm, such as operations and strategies. Corporate leaders have been pushed by this shift to go above their comfort zones and improve their employees' skills and understanding.

Get the sample pages of this report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/project-portfolio-management-ppm-market/report-sample

Key Findings of Project Portfolio Management Market Report

The BFSI category accounts for the largest share in the project portfolio management market, of roughly 28%. The growing complexity of banking operations is one of the main drivers boosting the market in this sector.





The demand for PPM solutions will grow at a CAGR of 7.3% in the healthcare sector in the coming years. This can be attributed to the digitalization of healthcare processes and the rise in the demand for the efficient handling of medical history and other patient data.





Similarly, the cloud category is projected to progress at a CAGR of over 6.7% in the coming years. This can be ascribed to the wide practical usage of business applications, including real-time data analytics, automated scheduling, and monitoring and remote access, integrating cloud PPM systems.





The APAC project portfolio management market is predicted to advance at a 6.9% CAGR during the forecast years. This will be because of the growing foreign investments, which encourage the development of economies, thus driving the evolution of SMEs.





Due to the surging demand for resource management capabilities, China is the world's top exporter of electronics, which fuels the need for PPM solutions. Due to the solutions' business analysis and data monitoring capabilities, the extensive telecom industry in China is also projected to boost the demand for them.

The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy is a major project portfolio management market trend among companies all over the world. It assists in streamlining processes, which reduces business expenses, operational costs, and task delays. A PPM solution has several advantages when combined with BYOD, including enhanced process agility, higher worker productivity, and real-time monitoring.

Browse detailed report on Project Portfolio Management Market Size, Trends, Emerging Opportunities, And Top Key Players By 2030

To keep ahead of the competition, key players have recently engaged in a variety of market initiatives, including acquisitions, client wins, and product launches and improvements. Some of these players are Micro Focus International plc, Upland Software Inc., ServiceNow, Hexagon AB, Workfront Inc., Microsoft Corporation, SAP SE, Broadcom Inc., Planview Inc., and Oracle Corporation.

Project Portfolio Management Market Report Coverage

By Component

Solutions

Services

By Organization Size

Large enterprises

Small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs)

By Deployment Mode

Cloud

On Premises

By Industry Vertical

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Government & Defense

IT & Telecom

BFSI

Retail

Regional Outlook

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Spain



Italy

Asia-Pacific

China



India



Japan



South Korea



Australia

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico

Middle East and Africa

and Saudi Arabia



South Africa

Browse More Reports Published by P&S

Enterprise Asset Management Market Analysis, New Trends, Emerging Opportunities, And Top Key Players By 2030

Identity and Access Management Market Analysis, New Trends, Emerging Opportunities, And Top Key Players By 2030

About P&S Intelligence

P&S Intelligence provides market research and consulting services to a vast array of industries across the world. As an enterprising research and consulting company, P&S believes in providing thorough insights on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness. P&S keeps the interest of its clients at heart, which is why the insights we provide are both honest and accurate. Our long list of satisfied clients includes entry-level firms as well as multi-million-dollar businesses and government agencies.

Contact:

Prajneesh Kumar

P&S Intelligence

Phone: +1-347-960-6455

Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.com

Web: https://www.psmarketresearch.com

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, is seen with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, at the latter's inauguration ceremony held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Friday. AP-Yonhap





By Kim Bo-eun







HONG KONG  Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the "one country, two systems" principle on his two-day visit to Hong Kong, marking the 25th anniversary of the handover of the city by the U.K. to China. The remarks come as Beijing increases its influence over the city, with the passage of the national security law in 2020.







It was the Chinese leader's first trip out of the mainland since the outbreak of the pandemic, and also since the passage of the controversial security law. Xi last visited the former British colony in 2017, for the 20th anniversary of the handover.







In a speech upon his arrival on Thursday, and in a keynote address the following day, Xi praised the framework proposed by former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping underscoring that Hong Kong and Macau are parts of China, despite being special administrative regions. China's president said the system has helped Hong Kong "rise from the ashes," after taking on a number of challenges since his last visit.







Streets along the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai, center left, are blocked on Friday morning, before the inauguration ceremony of Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Korea Times photo by Kim Bo-eun





Under the handover agreement in 1997, Hong Kong had been granted a "high degree of autonomy" for the next 50 years.







But various freedoms that the city had previously had have been limited, such as the freedom of the press. Several international and local news outlets were barred from covering Xi's address on Friday for unspecified reasons. The Hong Kong Journalists Association said authorities cited security reasons.







Another aspect of the mainland's increasing influence on the city is its relentless COVID restrictions that are in line with China's zero-COVID policy, at a time when the rest of the world has opened up. The mandatory hotel quarantine that Hong Kong requires upon arrival has frustrated the foreign business community, which has led to an outflow of the foreign workforce. Questions have been raised about whether Hong Kong would be able to maintain its status as an international financial hub.







In interviews with media published before his inauguration, Chief Executive John Lee stressed it is Hong Kong's utmost priority to first open its border with China, before opening to the rest of the world by easing quarantine measures.







Signs celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover by the U.K. to China are seen on buildings in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Friday. Korea Times photo by Kim Bo-eun





Xi on Friday presided over the inauguration ceremony of Lee, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai, attended by around 1,300 guests including political and economic dignitaries, who had completed a mandatory quarantine. Lee is a former police officer and politician, who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2020 for involvement in the passage of the national security law as secretary for security at the time, along with former Chief Executive Carrie Lam.







On Thursday, Xi met with Hong Kong officials and praised Lam for her efforts to maintain stability in the city and counter the spread of COVID. Later in the day he attended a banquet hosted by Lam at her official residence.







Following Lee's inauguration ceremony, Xi visited the People's Liberation Army barracks in Central before heading back to the mainland around Friday noon via a high-speed train. He was in Hong Kong for a two-day visit, although he spent Thursday night in the bordering city of Shenzhen.


CANCUN, Mexico, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei hosted the Latin America ICT Congress (LATAM ICT Congress) with the support of GSMA Intelligence and ITU. The event gathered network operators, industry organizations, and equipment vendors from across the region to discuss "The Road of 5G: Lighting Up Digital LATAM" and exchange ideas on how 5G can develop rapidly and provide value for customers across Latin America.

Cullen Xu, Vice President of Huawei Wireless Network 5G Product Line, spoke at the event, noting that cross-generation experience will serve as the foundation for 5G business success, and that high-bandwidth Massive MIMO is the key for operators to build high-quality 5G networks.

We are now in the third year of 5G commercial rollout. Globally, more than 200 operators have deployed 5G commercial networks, bringing 5G services to over 700 million users. Multi-antenna and high-bandwidth technologies have driven a 5 to 10 times improvement in cross-generation experience, and this setup has become the standard configuration that most operators depend on when building high-quality 5G networks. In leading 5G markets, operators have made 5G coverage seamless throughout urban and suburban areas within a remarkably short period of time. Users have been able to enjoy a cross-generation experience, and operators have been able to upgrade their services and achieve flourishing business.

In China, operators have deployed high-bandwidth TDD with Massive MIMO on a large scale to improve performance tenfold, encouraging 4G users and traffic to move to 5G networks. More than 30% of mobile data traffic is now on 5G networks, contributing to 30% data of usage (DOU) growth and 10% increase in average Revenue Per User (ARPU). In the Middle East, operators have been focusing on 5G FWA since the unveiling of 5G development, in order to provide a fiber-like experience. There are currently 15 5G FWA networks in operation, and FWA users are expected to exceed 1.2 million by 2022. Compared with eMBB, FWA increases ARPU by two to three times per line and DOU by five to ten times. As a result, 5G FWA has helped operators boost their revenue at the initial stage of 5G development.

As Latin American countries continue to license 5G spectrum, 5G will soon experience high-speed growth in the continent. Xu mentioned that the global 5G terminal ecosystem has matured, with more than 1300 types of terminals available, and the prices dropping as low as USD150. The number of 5G users in Latin America will increase rapidly, driven by the global 5G industry chain, and is projected to exceed 30% of total users by 2025.

Standout 5G performance has facilitated rapid development in the HD video, short video, and AR/VR sectors. In Latin America, video services have gone mainstream, with short video apps like TikTok and Kwai garnering widespread popularity in major markets such as Mexico and Brazil. As of November 2021, there were more than 112 million monthly active TikTok users in those two countries alone. It's become clear that the continued deployment of 5G networks will further boost user traffic and provide value for operators.

Since the inter-site distances tend to be large in Latin American, Huawei has developed MetaAAU to help such operators improve coverage while saving energy. Innovative hardware and software contribute to 30% improvement in uplink and downlink coverage and 30% reduction in energy consumption. Antenna installation space is often limited for 5G networks in Latin America, and thus Huawei has launched a full lineup of 64T BladeAAU Pro products. Due to the presence of passive and active antennas within one box, a single device is able to support all sub-6 GHz bands, which helps operators simplify 5G deployment while meeting the needs of the next 5 to 10 years.

"5G will flourish in Latin America and create value beyond our wildest expectations. In a word, investing in 5G is investing in the future," Xu concluded.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851343/1.jpg
BEIJING, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "Young people in Hong Kong can't be confined to Hong Kong. We'd better have a whole picture of our motherland," said Tsang Yi, a young entrepreneur from Hong Kong.

Yi, who founded a hackerspace company in southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, told CGTN that he hopes to inspire more Hong Kong youths to purse their career in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), saying "this is the best time for young people from Hong Kong to integrate into national development and to realize their value in life."

With the local job market under great pressure amid the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more Hong Kong youngsters have turned to cities in the GBA to realize their dreams.

Under the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme introduced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government last year, nearly 1,100 graduates in Hong Kong have been hired by over 400 enterprises in the GBA.

Over the years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly demonstrated his concern for the well-being of the over seven million Hong Kong residents, with the growth of Hong Kong youths pulling at his heartstrings.

"When the young people thrive, Hong Kong thrives. When the young people grow, Hong Kong grows. When there is a future for the young people, there is a future for Hong Kong," Xi noted at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Calling for creating more opportunities for young people in Hong Kong to grow and shine, Xi said efforts should be made to help them overcome difficulties, gain a keen appreciation of the underlying trend in both the country and the world, and heighten their sense of national pride.

Embracing opportunities in the GBA

The latest survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups shows that 64 percent of respondents are willing to join Greater Bay Area-based work experience programs or internships.

The most attractive factors to these youths are career prospects, market size, social networking and training opportunities, the percentage of which stood at 84.1 percent, 84 percent, 70.7 percent and 70.4 percent respectively.

Promoting the development of the GBA has been an important part of Xi's vision for the HKSAR, which is hailed as the best entry point for Hong Kong to integrate itself into the country's overall development.

The GBA is comprised of the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and nine cities in neighboring Guangdong Province. The total area is around 56,000 square kilometers, and covers around 6 percent of the Chinese population.

"The Greater Bay Area spans three customs territories in one country that operate under two different social systems with three different currencies. This is unprecedented in the world," the Chinese president has said.

Gross domestic product (GDP) of the GBA hit 12.6 trillion yuan ($1.97 trillion) last year, 2.4 trillion yuan more than in 2017. With less than 1 percent of the country's land mass, the GBA created 12 percent of the national GDP.

Consolidating HK's unique status

China released its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) last year, the blueprint and action agenda for the social and economic development of the country in the next five years and Hong Kong's economic and social development are also highlighted in the plan.

The 14th Five-Year Plan continues to support Hong Kong's attempts to enhance its status as an international financial, transportation and trade center; strengthen its status as a global offshore Renminbi business hub, an international asset management center and a risk management center.

Xi on Friday reiterated the Central Government's full support for Hong Kong in maintaining its unique status on a long-term basis and called on the new HKSAR government to live up to people's expectations and give top priority to meeting the aspirations of the whole community.

"Hong Kong's fundamental interests are consistent with the fundamental interests of the country, and the heart of the Central Government and the heart of our Hong Kong compatriots always beat together," he added.

Since it returned to China in 1997, Hong Kong, under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle with a high degree of autonomy, has further consolidated its status as a leading international financial and global trading center. It has been consistently rated by global institutions as one of the freest and the most competitive economies with a world-class business environment.

Wrapping up his speech on Friday, Xi expressed the conviction that with the strong support of the motherland and the solid implementation of "One Country, Two Systems," Hong Kong will achieve even greater accomplishments.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-07-01/Hong-Kong-youths-embrace-brighter-future-with-national-development-1bjfAEDSJkQ/index.html
WNS (Holdings) Limited (WNS) (NYSE: WNS), a leading provider of global Business Process Management (BPM) services, today announced it has acquired Vuram, a global leader in enterprise automation services. Vuram helps companies accelerate digital transformation by aligning, automating, and optimizing processes using a combination of low-code software applications and intelligent automation platforms. By integrating these technologies into core business operations, Vuram is able to drive end-to-end enterprise automation and the creation of custom, scalable BPM solutions. These solutions include the ability to extract, collect, and categorize data using OCR and AI-based document processing, develop rule-based processing engines and ML-based augmentation, and leverage advanced analytics to improve decision-making. Vuram has also created customizable, low-code, "plug and play" solutions across front, middle, and back-office functions, including industry-specific solutions for the Banking/Financial Services, Insurance, and Healthcare verticals.

"WNS expects that the acquisition of Vuram will accelerate our organizational journey towards digitally-led, human-assisted services and solutions. Their depth of knowledge in helping large global companies drive fast, scalable enterprise automation and business transformation is well-aligned with WNS' short-term and long-term strategic plans," said Keshav Murugesh, WNS' Chief Executive Officer. "We believe that Vuram is an excellent fit for WNS with respect to capability, approach, and culture, and brings a proven track record of delivering strong growth, healthy margins, and exceptional customer value. We are pleased to welcome the Vuram team to WNS."

"Vuram is excited to join forces with WNS, an established leader in Business Process Management," said Venkatesh Ramarathinam, Vuram's Founder and CEO. "By combining the unique capabilities of our two companies, we will enable clients to accelerate the automation, optimization, and transformation of their business models. We look forward to working with the WNS team to continue to create custom, technology-led solutions, and competitive advantage for our BPM clients."

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chennai, India, Vuram currently has approximately 900 people with digital skillsets in India, the United States, Mexico, Australia, Canada, and the UK. Vuram was ranked among India's best companies to work for in 2022 (#52), and one of the top 25 best workplaces in IT and IT-BPM (2021) by Great Place to Work Institute. The company has also been recognized by industry analysts including Gartner (Change Communications), ISG (Digital Consulting, Digital CX, Data Engineering), and HfS (Integrated Intelligent Automation Services). Recently, Vuram was named to the Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing US private companies.

Consideration for the transaction is $165.0 million including up-front payment and expected earn-outs, and excludes adjustments for cash, debt, and working capital. WNS has funded the up-front payment for the acquisition with cash on hand. Based on Vuram's revenue generated in fiscal 2022, the acquisition is expected to add approximately 2% to WNS' net revenue* in fiscal 2023, and to be accretive to fiscal 2023 adjusted earnings**.

About WNS

WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE: WNS) is a leading Business Process Management (BPM) company. WNS combines deep industry knowledge with technology, analytics, and process expertise to co-create innovative, digitally led transformational solutions with over 400 clients across various industries. WNS delivers an entire spectrum of BPM solutions including industry-specific offerings, customer experience services, finance and accounting, human resources, procurement, and research and analytics to re-imagine the digital future of businesses. As of March 31, 2022, WNS had 52,081 professionals across 54 delivery centers worldwide including facilities in China, Costa Rica, India, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For more information, visit www.wns.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions about our Company, Vuram, and our industry. Generally, these forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "will," "seek," "should" and similar expressions. These statements include, among other things, expressed or implied forward-looking statements relating to our expectations regarding the benefits from our acquisition of Vuram, including Vuram's expected impact on our results of operations. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to Vuram's expected volume of business and results of operations, our ability to successfully integrate Vuram's business operations into ours, our ability to successfully leverage Vuram's capabilities to grow our revenue, expand our service offerings and market share, our ability achieve accretive benefits from our acquisition of Vuram, worldwide economic and business conditions, our dependence on a limited number of clients in a limited number of industries; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our and our clients' business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows; currency fluctuations; political or economic instability in the jurisdictions where we have operations; regulatory, legislative and judicial developments; increasing competition in the BPM industry; technological innovation; our liability arising from cybersecurity attacks, fraud or unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential client and customer data; telecommunications or technology disruptions; our ability to attract and retain clients; negative public reaction in the US or the UK to offshore outsourcing; our ability to collect our receivables from, or bill our unbilled services to our clients; our ability to expand our business or effectively manage growth; our ability to hire and retain enough sufficiently trained employees to support our operations; the effects of our different pricing strategies or those of our competitors; our ability to successfully consummate, integrate and achieve accretive benefits from our strategic acquisitions, and to successfully grow our revenue and expand our service offerings and market share; and future regulatory actions and conditions in our operating areas, and our ability to manage the impact of climate change on our business. These and other factors are more fully discussed in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F and subsequent reports on Form 6-K filed with or furnished to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which are available at www.sec.gov. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

References to "$" and "USD" refer to the United States dollars, the legal currency of the United States; references to "GBP" refer to the British pound, the legal currency of Britain; and references to "INR" refer to Indian Rupees, the legal currency of India. References to GAAP refers to International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IFRS).

*Net revenue refers to WNS' revenue less repair payments, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. For financial statement reporting purposes, WNS has two reportable segments: WNS Global BPM and WNS Auto Claims BPM. Revenue less repair payments is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as (a) revenue less (b) in the auto claims business, payments to repair centers for "fault" repair cases where WNS acts as the principal in its dealings with the third party repair centers and its clients. WNS believes that revenue less repair payments for "fault" repairs reflects more accurately the value addition of the business process management services that it directly provides to its clients. For more details, please see the discussion in "Part I Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects Overview" in our annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on May 17, 2022.

**Adjusted earnings refers to adjusted net income (ANI), which is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated as profit excluding goodwill amortization, share-based expense, and amortization of intangible assets and including the tax effect thereon.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220630005950/en/

Contacts:

Investors:

David Mackey

EVP Finance Head of Investor Relations

WNS (Holdings) Limited

+1 (646) 908-2615

david.mackey@wns.com

Media:

Archana Raghuram

Global Head Marketing Communications and Corporate Business Development

WNS (Holdings) Limited

+91 (22) 4095 2397

archana.raghuram@wns.com; pr@wns.com
A journey into space that demonstrates the smartwatch's military-grade toughness and optimized positioning system.

CUPERTINO, Calif., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazfit, a leading global smart wearables brand of Zepp Health (NYSE: ZEPP), recently sent its rugged outdoor GPS smartwatch, the Amazfit T-Rex 2, into space on a quest to prove its strength in extreme environments. The Amazfit T-Rex 2's space ride shows the brand leading by example with the spirit of "Up Your Game", while also fulfilling this watch's promise to inspire users to "Evolve Your Instinct". Amazfit believes that through the power of science and technology, there are infinite possibilities in life to be explored.

As the perfect companion for exciting outdoor adventures, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 has passed 15 military-grade tests including resistance to high and low pressure, extreme 70? heat and -40? cold, plus intense vibrations and shock - which were put to the ultimate test during the smartwatch's launch to space and return to land.

Beginning in the city of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 was sent into space on a lightweight spacecraft equipped with fully functional tracking and control systems, as well as an on-board camera to capture the most exciting highlights during the two and a half hour round-trip.

The smartwatch reached a peak altitude of about 113,000 feet (34.5 kilometers) and reached a top speed of over 180 miles per hour during the descent. Along with enduring intense air pressure of less than 0.2 percent of what we experience at sea level, the smartwatch also resisted freezing temperatures as cold as -64C.

During this incredible trip, the Amazfit T-Rex 2's dual-band positioning and support for five satellite systems were both enabled to track its journey, while the Sent Into Space operating team on the ground each sported their own Amazfit T-Rex 2 to display their real-time movement directly on their watch, as they tracked the spacecraft during its return to Earth.

Once they retrieved the returned Amazfit T-Rex 2 from the landed craft, the Sent Into Space team reviewed the complete route the smartwatch had taken during its challenging mission to space, and acknowledged that the Amazfit T-Rex 2 had proved itself to be a true rugged outdoor GPS smartwatch.

Commenting on the space ride, one of the spacecraft technicians said, "There's a lot of smartwatches on the market but there's very few I'd be confident to take on one of our launches in Death Valley, or in the glaciers in Iceland, or on an aquatic recovery trip in the Pacific. I mean, this is a smartwatch that can go to space and come back working fine without a scratch."

To watch the launch video, please visit https://youtu.be/uIxLgie54EQ and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to stay tuned for the behind-the-scenes story.

About Amazfit

Amazfit, a leading global smart wearables brand focused on health and fitness, is part of Zepp Health (NYSE: ZEPP), a health technology company. Offering a wide selection of smartwatches and bands, Amazfit's brand essence is "Up Your Game", encouraging users to live their passions and express their active spirits freely. Amazfit is powered by Zepp Health's proprietary health management platform that delivers cloud-based 24/7 actionable insights and guidance to help users attain their wellness goals. With outstanding craftsmanship, Amazfit smartwatches have won many design awards, including the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award.

Launched in 2015, Amazfit is today embraced by millions of users. Its products are available in more than 90 countries across the Americas, and EMEA and APAC regions. For more information about Amazfit, please visit https://www.amazfit.com/.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851268/Amazfit_T_Rex_2_In_Space.jpg


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Federal Communications Commission or FCC has granted SpaceX Services, Inc. authorization to use its Starlink satellite internet system on vehicles in motion.



SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, is allowed to operate consumer and enterprise Ku-band Earth Stations in Motion or ESIM using frequencies allocated to the fixed satellite service. The approval would help the company to expand its services to various consumers.



The agency also granted satellite company Kepler Communications Inc.'s application for blanket authorization of Ku-Band earth stations on maritime vessels such as boats, cargo ships, or cruise ships.



SpaceX's sister company, Space Exploration Holdings, LLC, is authorized to launch and operate a constellation of more than 4,400 Non-Geostationary Orbit or NGSO satellites using Ku- and Ka-band spectrum to deliver high-speed internet around the globe.



SpaceX began launching satellites in May 2019, and now has more than 2,500 satellites on orbit as of June 1, 2022. SpaceX was granted a license for operation of fixed end-user customer earth stations to communicate with SpaceX' NGSO constellation in 2020. Until now, antenna, or user terminal to access internet coverage needed to remain in a fixed location. The company reportedly has 400,000 residential users.



In March last year, SpaceX requested regulatory approval from the FCC to allow ESIM Starlink terminals to be used in moving vehicles.



The company signed deals with commercial air carriers, such as Hawaiian Airlines and private jet service provider JSX, for providing Starlink internet service on their aircraft.



In its authorization, the FCC said, 'We agree with SpaceX and Kepler that the public interest would benefit by granting with conditions their applications. Authorizing a new class of terminals for SpaceX's satellite system will expand the range of broadband capabilities to meet the growing user demands that now require connectivity while on the move, whether driving an RV across the country, moving a freighter from Europe to a U.S. port, or while on a domestic or international flight.'



The agency added that authorization of the Kepler ESVs service will provide much-needed connectivity to vessels in territorial waters of Hawaii and Alaska and remote areas throughout the world, including the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions.







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Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI), a global fashion luxury group, today announced that it will host an Investor Day on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 in New York City. The event will feature presentations and a question and answer session with Capri's executive management team including John Idol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Tom Edwards, Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer, as well as executives from Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005087/en/

Versace (Photo: Business Wire)

The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. ET and is expected to conclude by 1:00 p.m. ET. Due to limited capacity, in-person attendance is by invitation only and advance registration is required. A live video broadcast of the event can be accessed on the Company's Investor Relations website, www.capriholdings.com. A replay will be available shortly after the conclusion of the live event.

About Capri Holdings Limited

Capri Holdings Limited is a global fashion luxury group, consisting of iconic brands that are industry leaders in design, style and craftsmanship. Its brands cover the full spectrum of fashion luxury categories including women's and men's accessories, footwear and ready-to-wear as well as wearable technology, watches, jewelry, eyewear and a full line of fragrance products. The Company's goal is to continue to extend the global reach of its brands while ensuring that they maintain their independence and exclusive DNA. Capri Holdings Limited is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CPRI.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005087/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Jennifer Davis

(201) 514-8234

Jennifer.Davis@CapriHoldings.com

Media:

Press@CapriHoldings.com
TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund - Notice of Annual General Meeting

TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited

(a closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernseywith registration number 57985)

(The "Company")

LEI Number: 549300P9Q5O2B3RDNF78

1 JULY 2022

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at the offices of Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited Trafalgar Court, Les Banques, St Peter Port, Guernsey on Friday 22 July 2022 at 10.30am.

The Notice of AGM has been posted to shareholders.

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.3, the Notice of Annual General Meeting, proxy form and accounts have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

Enquiries:

Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited

The Company Secretary

Trafalgar Court

Les Banques

St Peter Port

Guernsey

GY1 3QL



Tel: 01481 745001

END


Deputy Chair of the Energy, Sustainability and Climate Task Force Agung Wicaksono speaks at the B20 Side Event: Energy, Sustainability & Climate Task Force, held virtually on Tuesday, June 21 (ANTARA/HO-PT Pertamina)

JAKARTA, July 1, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - The B20 Energy, Sustainability, and Climate (ESC) Task Force has drafted recommendations and policy actions on global energy transition during the 5th call meeting that was held virtually on June 21, 2022.According to the Task Force's deputy chair, Agung Wicaksono, the recommendations and policies have been intensively discussed by the members for the last five months, and the drafts mark the end of the journey of the planning process."It is truly an honor and privilege for me to convene the last Task Force Call Meeting today, and especially for all members who have been present to share their thoughts and bright ideas and dedicate themselves to the goal solutions of co-financing the global energy sustainability and climate change issues," Wicaksono said in a statement released Wednesday.On the same day during a side event held in Rome, Italy, Wicaksono also said that the Task Force had worked closely in advancing global cooperation, which is an important element in drafting policy recommendations."I believe our Task Force is one of the most anticipated and enthusiastic in this B20 event because up to this date, we have received more than hundreds comments and inputs from all of us. It is not an easy task to incorporate all valuable perspectives and ideas into the policy drafts," he added.The fifth draft is the result of a meticulous decision to accommodate, integrate, and simplify ideas so that they can be attainable."Furthermore, after the last meeting, we have also included the KPIs and SDGs monitoring, as well as the final policy drafts. However, we would like to inform you that this fifth draft cannot be altered substantially," Wicaksono said.Meanwhile, the Policy Manager of the B20 ESC Task Force Indonesia, Oki Muraza, announced the last three policy recommendations, the first is to increase the global cooperation in accelerating the sustainable energy transition by reducing the intensity of carbon energy use through various channels."The main highlights in this recommendation are promoting energy efficiency, creating coal-fired power plants in gradual stages, reducing emissions from sectors that are difficult to reduce, facilitating financing to developing countries, and innovating climate technology," Muraza said.The second recommendation is to increase global cooperation to ensure a just, orderly, and affordable transition to sustainable energy use in all developed and developing countries."(Through) running an orderly transition in primary energy sources, involving the participation of MSMEs in the energy transition, preparing for the transition of the workforce, and implementing sustainable mining practices," he said.Lastly, the third recommendation is to increase global cooperation to extend the access to consumers and their ability to utilize clean modern energy."We must develop integrated energy solutions so that the access to clean energy can be reached to the level of household and MSME, as well as carrying out a broad energy transition," Muraza said.The all three policy recommendations mentioned will be brought further to the B20-G20 Dialogue in July, and later be included the policy formulation at the G20 Indonesia Presidency 2022.Contact: Fajriyah Usman, VP Corporate Communications, PT Pertamina (Persero)M: +62 858 8330 8686, Email: fajriyah.usman@pertamina.com, URL: https://www.pertamina.comWritten by: Yashinta Difa Pramudyani, Editor: Fardah Assegaf (c) ANTARA 2022Source: PT PertaminaCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Landmark legal action aims to compensate UK iPhone and iPad users for years of alleged overcharging in the Apple App Store

Lawsuit was filed on behalf of almost 20 million consumers and businesses last year but this week's court ruling confirms that it may proceed in full on a collective basis and dismisses Apple's attempt to limit the claim paving the way for a full trial before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal in London

Specialist competition court endorses the claim's approach, calling it a "paradigm case" to utilise the UK's collective actions regime

Claim seeks estimated damages of up to 1.5 billion on behalf of UK users of the App Store

Alleges Apple's 30% commission charged on purchases in the App Store is in breach of European and British competition laws and that Apple is abusing its dominant position at users' expense

In a significant development for millions who use Apple's UK App Store, the Competition Appeal Tribunal has refused Apple's attempt to limit the consumer claim led by Dr Rachael Kent, which alleges abuses of competition law that result in systematic overcharging for apps and in-app purchases by Apple.

Dr Kent's legal claim will now proceed in full to trial, putting added pressure on Apple amid mounting efforts around the world to hold it to account for alleged anticompetitive practices. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission are separately investigating Apple's conduct in the App Store. The company is also facing regulatory action in the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, India and elsewhere.

The UK lawsuit has been brought in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, a specialist court. It alleges that 19.6 million iPhone and iPad users in the UK may have been overcharged as a result of breaches by Apple of British and European competition laws. Dr Kent an expert in the digital economy and lecturer at King's College London seeks compensation on a collective basis on behalf of affected consumers and businesses.

For more details about the claim, and to check if you or your business are potentially included in the class, visit: https://www.appstoreclaims.co.uk/Apple.

Dr Kent's claim, and this week's ruling

The legal action focuses on Apple's well-known App Store, where it is alleged that users have been overcharged for buying apps and making in-app purchases on a range of digital services provided by popular apps including Fortnite, YouTube, Tinder and many others.

Typically, 30% of the amount app users spend in the App Store goes straight to Apple. This is because Apple has allegedly abused its dominant position by forcing app purchases to be routed through its own App Store Payment Processing System, where this high commission charge is imposed. Apple has consequently blocked developers' ability to enable users to pay for many app services through an alternate payment system. This in turn forces app developers to hike-up the price of their apps to cover the 30% fee, ultimately leading to app store users paying more than they would have done, absent Apple's conduct.

Dr Kent argues this practice is unlawful, and that Apple would be unable to charge customers such an excessive mark-up if its devices were open to competitors.

At a court hearing in May 2022, Apple attempted to argue that the aspect of Dr Kent's claim which alleges that Apple's 30% commission is unfair and excessive should not be allowed to proceed, on the basis that Dr Kent had applied the wrong legal test and her claim was therefore defective. But in a judgment handed down this week, the Tribunal dismissed all of Apple's arguments, and in doing so, rejected Apple's attempt to limit Dr Kent's claim.

Chairman Ben Tidswell held that Dr Kent had applied the correct legal test and therefore her unfair and excessive pricing claim against Apple could proceed to a full trial: "[w]e do not accept Apple's argument that the pleadings disclose a legal error or defective approach, either in relation to the correct legal test for the abuse or for the consideration of economic value in that exercise. Both elements are clearly recorded and accepted by [Dr Kent]"

The Tribunal also made the collective proceedings order, confirming its decision in May to certify Dr Kent's claim, which sets out the full scope of the class of claimants she represents.

The Chairman said the claim is a "paradigm case" for the UK's collective actions regime. "There are a large number of claimants in the class, each of whom will have a relatively small claim, which would be obviously uneconomic to litigate on an individual basis," he added. The Chairman confirmed the claims are suitable for an aggregate award of damages.

Rachael Kent, the class representative in the action, said:

"This is excellent news for App Store users in the UK. I applaud the Competition Appeal Tribunal for this clear and well-thought-out decision, which demonstrates that the major reforms of the UK's class action procedures since 2015 are working and that consumers and businesses can now be empowered to uphold their collective rights against abuses of competition law.

"A claim of this magnitude is always going to be heavily defended. The anti-competitive practices that we are alleging against Apple go to the heart of Apple's business strategy, and with its almost unlimited resources, it will always make this a challenging fight. It has required a huge amount of preparation and research to get this far, as well as the assistance of experienced legal experts and economists. It is immensely gratifying to see the Tribunal confirm that the claim should proceed.

"We look forward now to progressing the case on behalf of consumers and businesses. We believe, we have a convincing and well-founded argument that Apple's practices are detrimental to those in the class, and the evidence will support it."

Class members: Who is eligible

Any UK user of an iPhone or iPad who purchased paid apps, paid subscriptions or made other in-app purchases within the UK storefront of the App Store at any point since October 1, 2015 is potentially entitled to compensation from Apple for its anti-competitive practices, according to the claim. The purchases must have been made on iPhone and/or iPad devices.

All such purchasers are automatically included within the claimant class. Device users can check their eligibility for compensation by logging into their App Store account and checking their "Purchase History".

Individuals or businesses who are included in the class and would like to be excluded can do so before 9 September 2022. Individuals or businesses who meet the criteria of the class but were not residing or domiciled in the UK on 5 May 2022 may join the claim before 9 September 2022. For information on how to join or drop out of the claim visit: https://www.appstoreclaims.co.uk/Apple/Faq.

Further information for claimants

The legal claim applies to most popular apps on iPhones and iPads, including Fortnite, YouTube, Tinder and many others, that require payment at point of download, subscription payments, or allow for in-app purchases. It does not apply to apps providing "physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app". These include Deliveroo and Uber, which are not required to use Apple's payments system or pay Apple the disputed 30% commission.

Affected app purchasers, on whose behalf the class action is brought, will not pay costs or fees to participate in this legal action, which is being funded by Vannin Capital, a global litigation funder. The action is insured, which means that class members have no financial risk in relation to the claim.

Dr Kent is represented by Lesley Hannah, Luke Streatfeild, Sofie Edwards, Kio Gwilliam, Anna Stellardi and Antonio Delussu at law firm Hausfeld Co. LLP, with barristers Ronit Kreisberger QC and Michael Armitage from Monckton Chambers, Mark Hoskins QC, Jennifer MacLeod and Matthew Kennedy from Brick Court Chambers, and George McDonald from 4 New Square. Dr Kent has also instructed expert economist Derek Holt from AlixPartners UK LLP.

Dr Kent is also advised on the claim by a consultative group with expertise and experience in group claims management, digital markets and consumer rights matters. This group consists of Dame Elizabeth Gloster, formerly a judge in the Court of Appeal; James Walker, an adviser to the Scottish government on consumer protection and founder of Resolver, which helps customers resolve complaints with companies; and Kevin Jenkins, former CEO of Visa UK and a veteran of the payments industry.

Notes for Editors

About Hausfeld Co. LLP

Hausfeld is a leading international law firm specialising in competition law, with significant expertise in all aspects of collective redress and group claims.

ENDS

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005259/en/

Contacts:

Media enquiries:

Conal Walsh Amy Murphy Andreas Grueter, Palatine Communications

AppleClaim@palatine-media.com


SOFIA (dpa-AFX) - The Federal Bureau Of Investigation (FBI) has added Bulgarian woman Ruja Ignatova, who looted billions through a Ponzi scheme known as OneCoin, to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.



The 42-year-old fugitive, who is also known as the 'missing Cryptoqueen,' is being sought for her alleged leadership of the massive fraud scheme that affected millions of investors worldwide.



The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to her arrest.



In 2014, Ignatova and her partner founded OneCoin, a Bulgarian-based company that was marketed as a new virtual currency that they claimed would be the 'Bitcoin killer.' Ignatova allegedly made false statements and representations about OneCoin to draw people to invest in OneCoin packages.



According to investigators, Ignatova and her partner also promoted OneCoin through a multi-level marketing strategy that urged OneCoin investors to sell additional packages to friends and family.



Ignatova capitalized on the excitement surrounding cryptocurrencies to attarct new investors. While the company is said to have used many of the terms associated with virtual currencies, investigators believe that OneCoins were not mined in the way traditional to cryptocurrencies. In addition, the value of OneCoin was determined by the company rather than market demand.



'OneCoin claimed to have a private blockchain,' said Special Agent Ronald Shimko, who is investigating the case out of the FBI's New York Field Office. 'This is in contrast to other virtual currencies, which have a decentralized and public blockchain. In this case, investors were just asked to trust OneCoin,' he added.



Throughout the scheme, OneCoin is believed to have defrauded victims all over the world out of billions. Shimko said Ignatova targeted individuals who may not have fully understood the ins and outs of cryptocurrencies but were moved by Ignatova's impressive resume and the marketing strategies used by OneCoin.



On October 12, 2017, Ignatova was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and a federal warrant was issued for her arrest. Investigators believe Ignatova may have been tipped off that she was under investigation by U.S. and international authorities. She traveled from Bulgarian capital Sofia to Greek capital Athens on October 25, 2017, and has been absconding since then.



On February 6, 2018, a superseding indictment was issued charging Ignatova with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud.



Shimko hopes that the publicity of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list will bring more awareness to the case. 'There are so many victims all over the world who were financially devastated by this. We want to bring her to justice,' Shimko said.



Ignatova is only the 11th woman to have been placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in its 72-year history. The young beauty has brown eyes and dark brown to black hair. Investigators, however, believe she could have altered her physical appearance.



As per the data provided by FBI, Ignatova speaks English, German, and Bulgarian. And she may be traveling on a fraudulent passport and has known connections to Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates. Shimko noted that before she disappeared, Ignatova lived a lavish lifestyle.



Those who have the whereabouts of Ruja Ignatova have been advised to contact their local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Tips can be reported anonymously and can also be reported online at tips.fbi.gov, says a press release issued by the US investigative agency.







Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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SEOUL (dpa-AFX) - Hyundai Motor America, an arm of Hyundai Motor Company Ltd. (HYMLF.OB) reported decline in its total sales for the first half, second quarter, and for the month of June. For the six-month period, the automaker sold 343,867 vehicles, compared with 407,135 units reported last year. In the second quarter, the South Korean firm delivered 184,191 units, less than 240,005, year-over-year basis. For the month of June, Hyundai sold 63,091 units, a decline of 13 percent, compared with 72,465 units of June, 2021. However, market analysts' had estimated a 15.8 percent decline in June sales. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DGAP-News: Mirovia AB / Key word(s): Acquisition

Mirovia Group acquires F Consulting i Sverige AB, specialists in building the digital workplaces of the future



01.07.2022 / 16:00

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Mirovia Group acquires F Consulting i Sverige AB, specialists in building the digital workplaces of the future

July 1st 2022

Mirovia Nordic AB (publ) acquires F Consulting i Sverige AB and expands its portfolio to also include specialists in the digital workplaces of the future. During the financial year 2021, F Consulting reported net sales of 28 SEKm and EBITDA of 7,5 SEKm.

F Consulting was founded in 2008 and has 15 employees. They build digital workplaces for large global companies with employees all over the world, and operate independently of platforms. Their customers have several thousand employees with high demands on automation and regulatory compliance, often operating in banking and finance, energy and nuclear power, retail and public operations.

"During the pandemic, the digital workplace has exploded. We have many large requests to build the next generation of modern digital workplaces. Becoming a part of Mirovia Group, with sister companies that have surrounding services, means that we can grow our business both monetarily and strategically in the future.", says Fredrik Zetterstrom, CEO at F Consulting i Sverige AB.

F Consulting are experts in combining high security requirements with a fantastic user experience that not only increases productivity but also makes their customers a more attractive employer. F Consulting helps its customers with all parts of the digital workplace, from feasibility studies, analysis and strategy work, implementation projects to the management and further development of their digital workplaces.

"We are happy and proud that F Consulting has chosen to become part of the Mirovia Group. The employees at F Consulting are characterized both by high competence and by a genuine and personal touch in their customer contact, and therefore they will fit perfectly with us at Mirovia", says Sebastian Karlsson, CEO of Mirovia Group.





About F Consulting:

F Consulting are specialists in building digital workplaces for global companies with thousands of employees. F Consulting acts independently of platforms and can thus act both advisory and implementing. F Consulting helps its clients with everything from feasibility studies, analysis and strategy work, implementation projects to the management and further development of their digital workplaces.

About Mirovia:

Mirovia is a group that invests in entrepreneurial companies offering software solutions and niche IT services. Mirovia was founded in 2020 with the goal of being an active owner and business partner to small and medium-sized companies that have continued control their own operations.

For more information, please contact:

Sebastian Karlsson, CEO, and co-founder, at sebastian@mirovia.io

Andreas Ekblom, Deputy CEO, at andreas@mirovia.io

www.mirovia.io

This information constitutes inside information that Mirovia Nordic AB (publ) is required to publish in accordance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU 596/2014). The information was submitted, through the care of the above contact person, for publication at the time specified by the Company's news distributor Cision at the time of publication of this press release. The above responsible persons can also be contacted for further information.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

01.07.2022 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Next week, the U.S. Government will import Nestle infant formula from Australia to address the nationwide shortage of infant formula caused by Abbott Nutrition recall. A flight, facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Operation Fly Formula, will land in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 4, carrying more than 56,000 pounds of Nestle NAN SensiPro formula, the equivalent of approximately 849,000 8-ounce bottles. The product will be available through Gerber.com. Nestle will export both standard and specialty infant formulas including Nestle NAN SupremePro 1, Nestle NAN SupremePro 2, Nestle NAN EXPERTpro SensiPro Premium Instant Starter Formula, Nestle Health Science Alfamino/Alfamino, Jr., Gerber Good Start Gentle and Gerber Good Start Extensive HA. Over time, Nestle plans to bring approximately 42 million 8-ounce bottle equivalent of baby formula into the U.S. market. Biden launched Operation Fly Formula in May to speed up the import of infant formula and stock enough product in stores as soon as possible. Under Operation Fly Formula, ten shipments have so far landed in the U.S. By July 3, Operation Fly Formula flights will have imported more than 37.2 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents of infant formula, the White House said. In addition, the Biden Administration has taken a number of other important actions to ensure there is enough safe infant formula for families, including invoking the Defense Production Act, entering into a consent agreement between the FDA and Abbott Nutrition to reopen the company's Sturgis facility, and issuing FDA guidance so that major formula manufacturers can safely import formula that is not currently being produced for the U.S. market. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
JA Solar has revealed plans to build a 10 GW cell factory in Jiangsu province, while Shuangliang Eco-Energy has agreed to buy 222,5000 metric tons (MT) of polysilicon from Tongwei.Shuangliang Eco-Energy has agreed to buy 222,5000 MT of polysilicon from solar manufacturer Tongwei through 2026. The companies did not reveal the financial terms of the supply agreement. JA Solar has signed an agreement with the government of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, to build a new 10 GW solar cell factory. The company said it wants to invest CNY 2.62 billion ($390.5 million) in the new facility. Irico New Energy ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The Valuence Group (TOKYO:9270) company, Valuence International UK Limited (London; Yusuke Sorimachi, representative), announced that in conjunction with the July 4 to July 8 grand opening of Nanboya Mayfair, Nanboya will be holding a special purchasing event attended by top value designers from Japan.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005345/en/

Valuence International UK Limited announced that in conjunction with the July 4 to July 8 grand opening of Nanboya Mayfair, Nanboya will be holding a special purchasing event attended by top value designers from Japan. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Special Purchasing Event in London; Experience Japanese-Style Omotenashi (Hospitality)

Valuence International UK Limited was established in September 2020, beginning purchasing business operations in April 2021 at the Nanboya Mayfair location.

The business's luxury brand goods purchasing service places the highest importance on omotenashi, or Japanese-style hospitality. Every luxury brand watch, bag, or piece of jewelry brought in by customers is appraised carefully by knowledgeable value designers (appraisers), who listen attentively to customers and their memories attached to their important, but no longer needed, possession.

Special Purchasing Event Overview

In conjunction with the in-office purchase event attended by two Japanese top value designers in the U.K., customers will be treated to Japanese tea and Japanese sweets at the office during the event. A special campaign will also be held during the event, offering a 10% increase in the offered purchase price. Any customers with unused luxury brand goods should take the opportunity to have their item appraised, whether they intend to sell or not.

Campaign Period: July 4, 2022 July 8, 2022

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW: https://www.uk.nanboya.global

Top Value Designers Attending the Event

ARIAKE OHTA

Mr. Ohta joined the company in January 2019, has been a Value Designer for 3.5 years. He is a past winner of the Valuence Group internal Value Designer Contest.

HIRONORI TAKEDA

Mr. Takeda joined the company in 2014. After working as a buying office representative (value designer), he was promoted to sales section manager. Since 2021, he has been engaged in overall management of office operations, office opening plans, and other responsibilities as deputy general manager of the Purchasing Business Division in Japan.

Nanboya Mayfair Office Overview

Business hours: 10:00 to 18:00 (local time)

Address: 4th floor, Maddox House, 1 Maddox Street, London, W1S 2PZ

Eligible items: Watches, bags, jewelry, accessories, precious metals

Language support: English, Japanese

HP: https://www.uk.nanboya.global

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nanboya.UnitedKingdom(@Nanboya.UnitedKingdom)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nanboya.uk/ (@Nanboya.uk)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005345/en/

Contacts:

Aiko Kishi, Brand Communications Office, Valuence Holdings Inc.

media@valuence.inc
France's Q Energy has developed a new way to combine solar generation and the cultivation of hops, which can grow up to 8 meters in height. The agrivoltaic system consists of two mounting units with 52 bifacial PV modules.From pv magazine France French tech company Q Energy France has switched on an agrivoltaic installation for hop growth on 1 hectare of land in the town of Lucon, France. Breweries use hops in beer production. The climbing plants can grow up to 8 meters in height. The agrivoltaic system consists of two mounting systems hosting 52 bifacial solar modules. The system has been operational ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

For immediate release

1 July 2022

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 125,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 775.55p per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 9 February 2022.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 4,768,772; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 220,222,531.

The figure of 220,222,531 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
NEW YORK, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Empowering young people from diverse backgrounds across the globe is central to addressing global challenges like climate change. AFS Intercultural Programs, a global non-profit educational exchange organization, is proud to launch a new scholarship program, funded by bp, dedicated to ensuring that young people have equal access to STEM, sustainability and global competence education.

AFS Global STEM Innovators is a full-scholarship program for young people, ages 14 to 16, that teaches them about critical global competencies like critical thinking, intercultural awareness, and teamwork, needed to understand and be prepared to help the world transition to a more sustainable future. The program includes a virtual curriculum and culminates in a two-day in-person workshop, focused on sustainable development and local impact. The program equips diverse young people.

This program is a unique opportunity for young scholars to develop a greater understanding of the role of global competence in advancing towards a more sustainable future, while exploring real-world case studies of sustainability in local communities. The program is also designed to empower underrepresented populations, especially young women, with pathways to STEM and sustainability education, leadership and social impact.

Applications are open through July 17 for students from Egypt, and the Egypt program will run from August 15 through September 24, culminating with an in-person workshop in Cairo. AFS will also run the Innovators program for youth in Australia and Indonesia, commencing in September and October, respectively.

Equipping young people with tools to build a sustainable future

Through interactive, intercultural experiences and collaborative team projects supported by mentors, participants in the AFS Global STEM Innovators program will learn more about the skills necessary to thrive at global companies and organisations. Scholarship winners will explore global competence and social impact through STEM lenses, innovations, and careers, including opportunities to meet STEM industry leaders and learn how different organisations rely on STEM skills in critical roles.

After program completion, scholars earn the AFS Global Competence Certificate, and are invited to join an alumni community which offers diverse mentoring opportunities, networking, and other development opportunities.

AFS brings decades of expertise in impact-driven educational exchange and the power of a global network. "We know that young people are eager to innovate and bring a positive change to their communities and the world. That's why AFS is proud to partner with bp to offer scholarships for programs that empower young people with critical global skills and knowledge, like cross-cultural communication, empathy, and conflict resolution. Educating more young people to become global citizens is crucial if we want to create a more sustainable future," says Daniel Obst, President and CEO of AFS Intercultural Programs.

bp supports initiatives such as this to help build the STEM talent that the world needs to create sustainable solutions and improve the diversity of talent in STEM.

To learn more about the program, and apply, please visit https://afs.org/global-stem/innovators/ .

About AFS

AFS Intercultural Programs is a global not-for-profit Network that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. Through international exchange programs, education initiatives, volunteerism and advocacy, AFS empowers people from all backgrounds with essential global skills-and the passion for making a difference. www.afs.org.

About bp

bp's purpose is to reimagine energy for people and our planet. It has set out an ambition ?to be a ?net zero company by 2050, or sooner and help the world get to net zero, and a ?strategy for ?delivering on that ambition. For more information visit www.bp.com .

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851674/AFS_Intercultural_Programs.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1809272/AFS_Logo.jpg
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Hungary's trade balance swung to a deficit in April, as imports rose more than exports, data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office showed on Friday. The trade balance logged a deficit of EUR 523 million in April versus a surplus of EUR 338 million in the same month last year. In the initial estimate, the trade deficit was EUR 475 million. In March, the trade deficit was EUR 708 million. On a yearly basis, exports increased 12.6 percent in April, following an 8.8 percent rise in March. According to the initial estimate, exports rose 12.1 percent. Imports rose 22.0 percent annually in April versus 21.1 percent increase in the initial estimate. In March, imports grew 24.7 percent. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DGAP-News: Polyus Finance Plc / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Polyus Finance Plc: Extension of Consent Solicitation



01.07.2022 / 18:59

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





1 July 2022

Polyus Finance Plc announces extension of the Consent Solicitation for its outstanding U.S.$800,000,000 5.250% Guaranteed Notes due 2023, U.S.$500,000,000 4.70% Guaranteed Notes due 2024 and U.S.$700,000,000 3.25% Guaranteed Notes due 2028

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO, OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN, ANY JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR THE MEMORANDUM.

On 24 June 2022, Polyus Finance Plc (the "Issuer") announced a consent solicitation (the "Consent Solicitation") in relation to the outstanding U.S.$800,000,000 5.250% Guaranteed Notes due 2023, U.S.$500,000,000 4.70% Guaranteed Notes due 2024 and U.S.$700,000,000 3.25% Guaranteed Notes due 2028 issued by the Issuer (the "Notes") on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Memorandum dated 24 June 2022 (the "Memorandum"). Capitalised terms used in this announcement but not defined herein have the meanings given to them in the Memorandum.

The Issuer hereby notifies the Noteholders that it has decided to change the Record Date from 1 July 2022 to 13 July 2022 (the "New Record Date") and extend the Consent Deadline from 4 July 2022 (12:00 p.m. (London time)) to 14 July 2022 (5:00 p.m. (London time)) (subject to the right of the Issuer to extend, reopen, amend and/or terminate the Consent Solicitation, subject to applicable law and the provisions of the Trust Deed) (the "New Consent Deadline").

Amendments to the Consent Solicitation are limited to the New Record Date and the New Consent Deadline, as outlined above. All other terms of the Consent Solicitation will remain the same.

Noteholders who have already delivered Consent Instructions in the Consent Solicitation will not be deemed to have consented to the Proposals and will need to deliver new Consent Instructions in the Consent Solicitation providing proof of holding as of the New Record Date by no later than the New Consent Deadline.

Questions and requests for assistance in connection with the Consent Solicitation and in connection with delivery of Consent Instruction may be directed to the Information and Tabulation Agent.

Information and Tabulation Agent:

i2 Capital Markets Ltd

Kemp House, 160 City Road

London, ECV 2NX, United Kingdom

Email: info@i2capmark.com

Phone: +44 203 633 1212

Consent Solicitation Website:

https://i2capmark.com/event-details/59/Holder/polyus-finance-plc

Questions and requests for assistance in connection with the Consent Solicitation may also be directed to the Investor Relations Department of PJSC Polyus.

PJSC Polyus

Investor Relations

3 bldg 1, Krasina St., Moscow, 123056, Russia

Email: ir@polyus.com

Phone: +7 495 641 33 77







DISCLAIMER

This announcement must be read in conjunction with the Memorandum. This announcement and the Memorandum contain important information which should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Consent Solicitation. If any Noteholder is in any doubt as to the action it should take or is unsure of the impact of its participation in the Consent Solicitation, it is recommended to seek its own financial advice, including in respect of any tax consequences, immediately from its stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or other independent financial or legal adviser. Any individual or company whose Notes are held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee must contact such entity if it wishes to participate in the Consent Solicitation.

None of the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee, the Information and Tabulation Agent or any director, officer, employee, agent or affiliate of any such person, is acting for any Noteholder, or will be responsible to any Noteholder for providing any protections which would be afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Consent Solicitation, and accordingly none of the Issuer, the Guarantors, the Trustee, the Information and Tabulation Agent or their respective directors, officers, employees, affiliates, advisers or agents makes any recommendation as to whether Noteholders should provide Consent, or refrain from taking any action in the Consent Solicitation with respect to their Notes, and none of them has authorised any person to make such recommendation. The Information and Tabulation Agent is agent of the Issuer and owe no duty to any Noteholder.

The Consents are only being solicited pursuant to the Memorandum and only in such jurisdictions as is permitted under applicable law.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

01.07.2022 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


Restructure to Divest of an Estimated $5M in Liabilities and Annual Operating Expenses and to Reposition DGTL Holdings Inc. for Scalable Revenue Growth, Cashflow Positivity and Accretive M&A

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 1, 2022) - The DGTL Holdings Inc. (TSXV: DGTL) ("DGTL" or the "Company") board of directors reports that the Company has initiated a strategic restructuring of its wholly owned subsidiaries, Hashoff LLC ("Hashoff"") and Engagement Labs Inc. ("Engagement Labs"). The goal of restructuring its subsidiaries is to apply objective third-party financial analysis to current business operations to assess long term viability and to optimize organizational structures. The result of this initiative is an estimated divestiture of $5,000,402[i] in liabilities and operating expenses and a repositioning of the Company for scalable revenue growth, near-term cashflow positivity, and long-term shareholder equity.

On June 1, 2022, Hashoff LLC retained the services of Lindenwood Associates, a New York based strategic development and restructuring firm ("Lindenwood") to assess legal and financial viability as well as Klestadt Winters Jureller Southard & Stevens, LLP ("KWJSS") to provide legal services to Hashoff LLC in connection therewith. The Hashoff LLC restructuring team has completed a thorough and objective viability assessment. After presenting their report, and reviewing the facts, the board voted unanimously to accept the recommendations of Lindenwood to commence a formal orderly wind down and subsequent dissolution of Hashoff LLC in accordance with Section 18-801 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act.

The result of the Hashoff LLC wind down is the divestiture of an estimated $1,939,053 in accounts payable and accrued expenses and $572,849 in contingent liabilities from the DGTL Holdings Inc. consolidated balance sheet.[ii] As the initial step towards this financial restructuring project, both of DGTL's wholly owned subsidiaries have been approved for PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan forgiveness. PPP loan forgiveness applications were processed by the SBA (Small Business Association) a US federal administration agency that administers small business relief loans (as authorized by s.1106 of the federal CARES Act). Hashoff LLC had $177,000 in PPP loans forgiven and Engagement Labs had $420,000 in loans forgiven totalling $597,000 in interest bearing loans removed from the DGTL Holdings balance sheet.

In addition, by identifying and implementing numerous cost savings and efficiency measures, the new DGTL executive team has produced a 50% reduction in annual operating expenses for Engagement Labs Inc. The financial restructure of Engagement Labs provides a viable entity which will now serve as DGTL's flagship social media subsidiary, with multiple operating business lines. In doing so, Engagement Labs Inc. will expand product and service offerings to include strategy, execution, measurement and distribution solutions to serve DGTL's Fortune 100 clients as a full-service social media PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service).

Therefore, within the first 120 days under the leadership of the new DGTL executive team, the Company has proactively divested over $3,234,743 in current and non-current liabilities and an additional $1,891,500 in annual operating expenses[iii] totalling an estimated first year reduction of $5,000,402 in long term debt and on-going operating expenses. When accounting for the longer-term impact of the significant reduction in annual operating expenses, a continuance of the previous cost structure would continue to increase this total estimate with every future year of on-going operations. Financial improvements will begin to be reflected within the Q1 2023 financial statements (October 30, 2022), and subsequent filings, thereafter.

In summary, the new DGTL executive team is dedicated to restoring fiscal responsibility, accountability and sound corporate governance in order to maximize long term value of shareholder equity. Reducing liabilities and post-restructure operating expenses by an estimated $5,000,402 is a major material improvement to the consolidated financial position of the Company. Moving forward, DGTL is now positioned for scalable revenue growth and accretive M&A with a stronger corporate structure and a viable financial position.

In closing, DGTL will be hosting a video webinar on Wednesday July 6th, 2022, which will include a CEO update on the Company and its current operations and future business interests. The participant details for this meeting are listed below. Availability is limited. Register in advance to secure participation.

DGTL CEO Update

July 6th, 2022, 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting via the link below.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpdO2tpjkrE9SXqxzeWGtson8BaIOSH3LK

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For more information, please contact:

DGTL Holdings Inc.

John David A. Belfontaine

Chief Executive Officer, Chairman

Email: IR@dgtlinc.com

Phone: +1 (877) 879-3485

------

DGTL Holdings Inc.

DGTL Holdings Inc. acquires and accelerates transformative digital media, marketing and advertising software and services companies. DGTL (i.e. Digital Growth Technologies and Licensing) specializes in accelerating fully commercialized enterprise level SaaS (software-as-a service) and PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) companies entering a rapid growth stage within the sectors of social media, gaming, streaming, OTT and others. In doing so, DGTL is seeking to build full-service operating business lines in each sector complete with content, analytics and distribution solutions. DGTL is seeking new accretive M&A opportunities via a blend of unique capitalization structures. DGTL Holdings Inc. is traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange as "DGTL", the OTCQB exchange as "DGTHF", and the FSE as "A2QB0L". DGTL Holdings Inc. has 44,549,265 common shares issued and outstanding, as of the date of this release. For more information visit: www.dgtlinc.com.

Engagement Labs

As a wholly owned subsidiary of DGTL Holdings Inc., Engagement Labs is an industry-leading data and analytics firm that provides social intelligence for Fortune 500 brands and companies. Engagement Labs' TotalSocial platform focuses on the entire social ecosystem by combining powerful online (social media) and offline (word of mouth) data with predictive analytics. Engagement Labs has a proprietary ten-year database of unique brand, industry and competitive intelligence, matched with its cutting-edge predictive analytics that use machine learning and artificial intelligence to reveal the social metrics that increase marketing ROI and top line revenue for its diverse group of enterprise level clients. Engagement Labs Inc. will expand product and service offerings to include strategy, execution, measurement and distribution solutions to serve DGTL's Fortune 100 clients as a full-service social media PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service).

To learn more visit www.engagementlabs.com.

Lindenwood Associates LLC

Lindenwood Associates is an experienced strategic development and restructuring firm. Lindenwood is led by corporate turnaround and restructuring specialists with progressive expertise leading and managing distressed companies, delivering results in crisis situations, divestitures, and a wide range of corporate development initiatives. Lindenwood leads companies through complex challenges spanning a diverse range of industries to achieve improved strength, value, and growth.

For more information visit https://www.lindenwoodassociates.com.

KWJS&S, LLP

Klestadt Winters Jureller Southard & Stevens (KWJS&S), LLP is a boutique commercial law firm dedicated to providing superior legal services. The firm specializes in the primary areas of practice Corporate Reorganization and Restructuring, Commercial Litigation, Transactions & Finance.

For more information, please visit https://klestadt.com.

This news release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking statements as they relate to DGTL and its subsidiaries. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but represent management's current expectation of future events, and can be identified by words such as "believe", "expects", "will", "intends", "plans", "projects", "anticipates", "estimates", "continues" and similar expressions. Although management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are accurate, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be correct. By their nature, forward-looking statements include assumptions, and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results, conditions, actions or events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. If and when forward-looking statements are set out in this new release, DGTL will also set out the material risk factors or assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by applicable securities laws, DGTL assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. The future outcomes that relate to forward-looking statements may be influenced by many factors, including but not limited to the impact of all intangible and variable economic and legal risks that at this time are immeasurable and impossible to define.

[i] All currencies in Canadian dollars and foreign exchange rates applied as of the date of this release.

[ii] Hashoff LLC Current and non-current liabilities based on the Q3 2022 financials filed April 29, 2022, now available at SEDAR.com

[iii] Due to the reduction in senior executive, employment and consulting wages from the board downsizing of management personnel

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129799
VistaPath, a Cambridge, Mass.-based provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-based, data-driven pathology processing platforms, secured $4 million in seed funding.

The round was led by Moxxie Ventures with participation from NextGen Venture Partners and First Star Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts.

Led by Timothy Spong, CEO, VistaPath provides Sentinel, a pathology processing platform designed to deliver a range of solutions for critical lab processes. The companys first application, released in 2021, is a tissue grossing platform that automates the process of receiving, assessing, and processing tissue samples.

Additional applications are slated to be released later this year.

FinSMEs

30/06/2022
Kantar, a London, UK-based marketing data and analytics company, and SilverTree Equity, the software and technology focused private equity firm, are to acquire StepUp RGM, a Leuven, Belgium-based global Revenue Growth Management (RGM) software and big data solutions vendor.

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The proposed transaction is subject to completion of the relevant legal and regulatory processes, and employee representatives consultations where necessary.

StepUp enables full RGM roadmap development and implementation for consumer goods (CPG) brands, using AI-driven data-sourcing, -enriching & -modelling within its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform.

StepUp RGM will join Kantar XTEL, Kantars trade optimisation business, to create a comprehensive end-to-end Revenue Management Software platform for the CPG market.

The new, combined offer will support global CPG brands in managing and optimising their commercial levers and trade spend (the second largest P&L cost), to deliver revenue and margin growth. Over 100 CPG companies use the combined business mission-critical software, with customers including Beiersdorf, Danone, Heineken, Mars, Mondelez, and Perfetti van Melle.

Following completion, the combined business will operate independently within the Kantar Group with SilverTree Equity as a key operating partner and shareholder. The entire StepUp RGM team will join Kantar XTEL, and the StepUp offering will become the lead RGM product solution from Kantar XTEL. Cedric Guyot will lead the combined business as CEO.

A further announcement will be made upon completion of the transaction.

-end-

Founded in 2010 and employing over 65 people, StepUp RGM is a recognized industry leader in revenue management, advanced analytics, modelling and consulting with its commercial portfolio ranging from promo effectiveness, trade profitability and profit pool to portfolio performance and price pack architecture solutions. The firm has a presence in Europe, USA and APAC.

FinSMEs

01/07/2022
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On June 8, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Tajik Minister of Transport Azim Ibrohim after attending the third "China+Central Asia" (C+C5) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nur-Sultan.

Wang Yi said, the China-Tajikistan comprehensive strategic partnership has always maintained a sound and stable momentum of development under the promotion of President Xi Jinping and President Emomali Rahmon. The two countries have taken the lead in building a development community and a security community, and jointly implemented a large number of major cooperation projects that have yielded good results and improved people's well-being. The two sides have always trusted and supported each other in international and regional affairs, constantly injecting new connotations into bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Tajikistan to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and follow through on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, so as to push bilateral cooperation in various fields to new heights and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Wang Yi said, the bilateral trade volume grew by more than 100 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, showing strong resilience. China is ready to constantly explore new areas of cooperation with Tajikistan and help Tajikistan achieve the goals of its four major development strategies of energy, transportation, food and industrialization. China supports and encourages Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Tajikistan and better synergize production capacity. China hopes Tajikistan will improve its business environment.

Ibrohim said, China is a great and friendly close neighbor of Tajikistan. The two heads of state have established high-level mutual trust, and the Tajikistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership has been advancing steadily. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, bilateral cooperation has developed rapidly, and China has become Tajikistan's most important trade and investment partner. Tajikistan is sincerely grateful for China's assistance in the country's efforts to implement major livelihood projects, upgrade infrastructure and fight the pandemic. Tajikistan is ready to actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation, and deepen all-round cooperation with China. Tajikistan will facilitate investments by Chinese enterprises in the country.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the launch of Luban Workshop in Tajikistan, the first of its kind in Central Asia. The two sides will strive for early completion of the workshop, so as to deliver early benefits and boost the training of professionals in Tajikistan. Both sides agreed to speed up the establishment of a traditional medicine center in Tajikistan and continue to strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation.

The two sides will work to scale up trade, and create new cooperation highlights in areas such as new energy, green technology, transportation and communications.

The two sides will continue to leverage the strengths of the joint pandemic prevention and control mechanism at border areas, upgrade and renovate border ports, improve customs clearance efficiency, and ensure the safe and smooth passage of freights.

The two sides spoke highly of building a China-Tajikistan community of shared security and destiny, and expressed readiness to deepen cooperation on security, law enforcement, and counterterrorism, so as to jointly safeguard the peace and stability of the two countries and the region at large. Ibrohim said, Tajikistan will always be a staunch comrade-in-arms of China, and will work with China to resolutely fight the three forces of terrorism, separatism, and extremism. Wang Yi said, China will continue to firmly support Tajikistan in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, security and stability, and China is also Tajikistan's most reliable strategic partner.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Afghan issue.
On June 7, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov during the third China+Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers' meeting in Nur-Sultan.

Wang Yi said, under the leadership of the two heads of state, the strategic partnership between China and Turkmenistan has shown refreshing changes, achieved new breakthroughs and made new achievements. Since the successful presidential elections in Turkmenistan, bilateral relations have achieved a smooth transition and stood at a new starting point with broad prospects for development. The two sides should seize the opportunity, build on the good momentum, fully implement the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state, and promote more tangible results of China-Turkmenistan cooperation in various fields.

Wang Yi said that energy cooperation is an important part of China-Turkmenistan strategic cooperation. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China's initial intention to expand energy cooperation between the two sides remains the same, and its position to regard Turkmenistan as an important strategic energy partner is unwavering. China is willing to expand cooperation with Turkmenistan in the whole industry chain, expand the cooperation scale and create a new vista for comprehensive advancement.

Meredov said that Turkmenistan and China are close strategic partners and the frequent high-level contact between the two sides fully reflects the high-level bilateral relations. In February this year, the two heads of state met successfully and reached important consensuses, which laid a solid political foundation and injected strong impetus into bilateral cooperation. Cooperation between the two countries is future-oriented and is not subject to interference by external political factors. Turkmenistan is ready to work with China to jointly implement the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state, deepen practical cooperation in various fields and open up a better future for bilateral relations.

The two sides reached an agreement on key cooperation directions for the next step, and are willing to accelerate the synergy and cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative and the "Revival of the ancient Silk Road" strategy to build an efficient platform for connectivity. The two sides will promote the long-lasting and stable development of energy cooperation, deepen cooperation in non-resource fields, and help Turkmenistan achieve sustainable and diversified development. Both sides will promote the establishment of traditional medicine centers and Luban Workshops in Turkmenistan and cultural centers in each other's country.

The two sides spoke highly of the fruitful communication and coordination between the two countries in multilateral affairs and will continue to support each other at the United Nations and other institutions. Meredov said that Turkmenistan actively supports the Global Development Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping and is willing to discuss concrete participation measures with China to form international synergy.

The two sides will further strengthen cooperation on cybersecurity, biosecurity and others to improve global governance.

The two sides agreed to hold the third China+Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers' meeting and strengthen the mechanism of China+Central Asia (C+C5) to inject strong momentum into bilateral cooperation.

The two sides exchanged views on the current international and regional situation and decided to strengthen solidarity and coordination to maintain regional peace and stability. Meredov said that Turkmenistan will adhere to the policy of permanent neutrality and advocate political settlement of disputes through peaceful and diplomatic means.
On June 7, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev on the sidelines of the third "China+Central Asia" (C+C5) foreign ministers' meeting in Nur-Sultan.

Wang Yi said that China and Kyrgyzstan are friendly neighbors and will remain each other's neighbor. The two countries are linked by mountains and rivers geographically, share common security concerns and have complementary economic advantages. China supports Kyrgyzstan in maintaining political stability, social harmony and sustainable economic development, and has always been the most reliable and long-lasting strategic partner of Kyrgyzstan. China is willing to take the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state as the guidance and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to push forward the continuous development of bilateral relations.

Kulubaev said that the two sides have always treated each other with sincerity, and the maintenance of mutual benefit and friendship between Kyrgyzstan and China is the priority of Kyrgyzstan's foreign policy. Kyrgyzstan firmly pursues the one-China principle, opposes "Taiwan independence", and firmly supports China's legitimate position on issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The two sides are willing to work together to implement the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state and strengthen practical cooperation in various fields such as infrastructure, port throughput, local exchanges, health, pandemic response and others.

The two sides agreed to establish a mechanism of local communication and contact, study the issue of establishing additional ports, and ensure the continuous smooth flow of goods through the existing ports; advance the preparation for the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, and complete the project feasibility study as soon as possible; establish cultural centers in each other's country; facilitate the exchange of personnel.

The two sides believe that China is the largest neighbor and trading partner of Central Asian countries and both sides have extensive common interests. The two sides will build and develop the C+C5 cooperation mechanism on the basis of consolidating bilateral mutual trust.

The two sides believe that countries in the region should work together to meet the challenges posed by the complex changes in international and regional situations, manage their own affairs properly, strengthen solidarity and coordination among neighboring countries and resist attempts to disrupt the region.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Afghan issue and others.
On June 10, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with President of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid.

Wang Yi said, this session of the UN General Assembly has overcome various interference and achieved fruitful results, injecting new impetus into global governance advancement, building a new platform for the international community to form synergy, and making new contributions to the cause of world peace and development. China appreciates Mr. President's role in this regard and will, as always, support the work of the UN General Assembly. The UN General Assembly should uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, act on true multilateralism, and play a greater role in and make more contributions to climate change, global COVID-19 response, sustainable development and other areas bearing on the future and destiny of the international community.

Wang Yi said, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Maldives. China will continue to carry out anti-pandemic cooperation with the Maldives, jointly boost post-pandemic recovery, and inject new connotations into and add new momentum to the China-Maldives future-oriented comprehensive friendly partnership of cooperation.

Shahid appreciated China's constructive efforts and important contributions to the work of the UN General Assembly, thanked China for its support to the UN General Assembly President in performing his duties, and said that he would continue to strengthen cooperation with China to meet global challenges together, jointly act on multilateralism, safeguard the authority of the UN, boost the global post-pandemic recovery and promote sustainable development. The Maldives and China enjoy sound relations, and the Maldives is ready to deepen cooperation with China to achieve greater development of Maldives-China relations.
On June 28, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Carlos Faria at the latter's request.

Wang Yi said that today coincides with the 48th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Venezuela, and our phone conversation is just at the right time. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Venezuela relations have remained rock-solid regardless of changes in the international landscape. The leaders of the two countries have established solid mutual trust and friendship, providing important political guarantee and strategic guidance for the development of the China-Venezuela comprehensive strategic partnership. China is ready to continue to deepen political mutual trust, pass on the traditional friendship and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with Venezuela.

Wang Yi said that the Chinese side thanks Venezuela for standing firmly with China and speaking out for justice on Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and human rights issues. China will, as always, firmly oppose external forces' interference in Venezuela's internal affairs under any pretext, firmly support Venezuela in safeguarding national sovereignty and social stability, and support the Venezuelan people in choosing a development path suited to their national conditions. The Chinese side will continue to provide assistance within its capacity to the Venezuelan side in fighting the pandemic.

Wang Yi pointed out that China and Venezuela should continue to strengthen solidarity and coordination in multilateral affairs, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the two countries, practice true multilateralism, and safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law. China appreciates Venezuela's active support for President Xi Jinping's Global Development Initiative (GDI) and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Venezuela to jointly forge a global development partnership and well implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The trend toward a multi-polar world, economic globalization and greater democracy in international relations is irresistible. China is ready to work with Venezuela to stand on the right side of history, uphold international fairness and justice, safeguard the common interests of developing countries and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Faria said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, the Venezuela-China comprehensive strategic partnership has made great progress and is full of vitality. He thanked China for providing strong support to Venezuela in its fight against the pandemic. Venezuela firmly supports the one-China principle and the principle of "one country, two systems", firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and stands ready to work with China to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in innovative ways. China is playing an increasingly important role in the international arena. The Venezuelan side speaks highly of President Xi Jinping's GDI and other initiatives and is ready to deepen communication and coordination with China within the frameworks of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative and the Group of Friends in the Defense of the Charter of the United Nations to jointly uphold multilateralism. In particular, Faria extended warm congratulations on the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in advance, hailing the CPC as a great political party that holds high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and has always been committed to serving the Chinese people.
On June 30, 2022, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on his inauguration as President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Xi Jinping pointed out that not long ago, I had a phone conversation with you during which we reached important consensus on China and the Philippines' adherence to good neighborly friendship and joint development. I am willing to work with President Marcos to grasp the general development direction of bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, add a new chapter to the China-Philippines friendship and cooperation in the new era, and benefit the two countries and two peoples.
On June 30, 2022 local time, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping and Vice President Wang Qishan attended the inauguration ceremony of new Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and met with him.

Wang Qishan passed on President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to Marcos and conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and best wishes to President Marcos. Wang Qishan said, the traditional friendship between China and the Philippines has lasted for over a thousand years. Mr. President and your family, having a deep relationship with China, have made great contributions to promoting the China-Philippines friendship. China always prioritizes the Philippines in its neighborhood diplomacy, and looks forward to working with the new Philippine government to carry forward friendship, enhance mutual trust and continue cooperation, so as to usher in a new "golden age" of China-Philippines relations.

Wang Qishan put forward a four-point proposal on developing bilateral relations in the next stage. First, stay committed to the course of China-Philippines ties steered by the heads of state. Second, stay committed to synergizing development strategies, and further foster new growth drivers of pragmatic cooperation between China and the Philippines in the new era. Third, stay committed to properly handling disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the South China Sea. Fourth, stay committed to upholding international justice, and jointly promote peace and development in Asia, fairness and justice in the world, and the well-being of all mankind.

Marcos asked Wang Qishan to convey his heartfelt thanks and sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, and warmly welcomed Vice President Wang Qishan's attendance at the inauguration ceremony in the Philippines. Marcos happily recalled his 1974 visit to China when accompanying his mother, saying that Philippines-China relations date back to ancient times and the two peoples are close to each other. China is the strongest partner of the Philippines, and good neighborliness and friendship are in the fundamental interests of the two peoples. The new Philippine government attaches great importance to the relations with China, and stands ready to engage in Belt and Road cooperation to a greater extent, join hands with China to meet regional challenges, and elevate bilateral relations to new heights.
This week, we talk about Canadian Health deeming titanium dioxide as safe for consumption. We also analyze the latest regarding the Ukraine war and this weeks G7 meeting. Meanwhile, Ben & Jerry ice cream will be sold again in Israel despite Ben & Jerry itself opposing its parent company, Unilevers, move. On other topics, we also enter the forests of deforestation, where new analysis shows that companies might not be on track with their pledges.
Since playing a central role in the military operation that ended the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, has steadily cultivated an image as a visionary leader ruling a

The unmasking of Paul Kagame must wake the world up to the DRC

Since playing a central role in the military operation that ended the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, has steadily cultivated an image as a visionary leader ruling a stable, thriving island in an ocean of chaos.

The recent Commonwealth Summit, hosted in the capital city of Kigali, was meant to be Kagames moment of glory, where he could proudly display  and take credit for  the admittedly impressive economic growth and stability Rwanda has built out of the ashes of genocide.

Underneath this veneer, however, is a much darker story, which to Kagames dismay is increasingly visible. The outcry over Rwandas highly-controversial deal to accept asylum seekers deported by the UK government, recently halted after a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights, has shone intense scrutiny on Kagames history of human rights abuses, from his domestic repression to his fuelling of armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Suppressing dissent to bring order in Rwanda

Kagame has consistently proven that he is willing to go to extraordinary and brutal lengths to maintain his regimes absolute control and authority. Not satisfied with ruthlessly suppressing dissent and opposition within Rwanda, he has for years orchestrated an international reign of terror on exiled dissidents, including former generals, government officials and civilians.One of the most infamous recent examples is his rendition of Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who saved hundreds of Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide and whose heroism inspired the film Hotel Rwanda. For daring to openly criticise Kagames despotism, Rusesabagina has paid a terrible pricein August 2020, Rusesabagina was kidnapped and brought to Rwanda on the Presidents orders, and now faces a 25-year sentence.While Kagames iron fist approach may have brought post-genocide stability to Rwanda, he has undermined peace in its much larger neighbour, the DRC, whose great potential has been thwarted by a devasting armed conflict that has killed millions over more than 25 years.The DRCs potential for a better future

The DRC has undeniable potential despite the longstanding conflict. Growth rebounded to 5.7% in 2021 after a dip during the first year of pandemic  driven primarily by its mining sectorand the World Bank projects a favourable medium-term outlook. This expected economic progress will receive a major boost from the 2024 opening of the Kamoa Kakula mine, which aims to become the second largest copper mine in the world.Another cause for hope is the Congolese governments dedication to delivering on President Felix Tshisekedis ambitious development programme. The government has increased social and infrastructure spending, and is aiming to diversify the mining-centred economy by boosting agricultural exports.With its size, natural resources and responsible government, the DRC has significant potential if the security situation were more stable, something which would reassure foreign investors and spur them to inject the capital needed to deliver the major infrastructure projects vital to its long-term development.As President Tshisekedi himself acknowledged, there can be no development without securityand at the moment, Kagames regime stands accused of blocking the DRCs path towards peace and stability.

Rwandas destabilisation of the DRCSince coming to power, Kagame has allegedly backed insurrections of armed Tutsi rebel groups in the volatile eastern part of the country, supposedly to create a buffer between Rwanda and ethnic Hutu militias active in the border regions, his purported fear being that these groups might eventually invade Rwanda to continue the genocide.

But considering the effectiveness of the Rwandan army and its international support, Kagames security justification no longer rings true. A more cynical reading of Kagames actions suggests that his real interest may lie in the DRCs lucrative mines.

Rwanda has long been accused of using Tutsi armed groups to loot the DRCs wealth of minerals in its eastern provinces, such as copper, cobalt and coltan  a key component in smartphone batteriesallowing him to enrich his regime at Congos expense. Instead of driving economic prosperity and improved quality of life for the Congolese people, the DRCs coveted minerals all too often end up in the hands of rebel groups that smuggle them to Rwanda, where export revenues are used to fuel continued fighting in the East.

Paul Kagames two faces

After years of cooling tensions between Rwanda and the DRC, armed conflict has returned with a vengeance in recent weeks, driven by a resurgent M23  a Tutsi rebel group fighting DRC armed forces.

Kagame has adamantly denied supporting this insurrection; the Congolese government remains unconvinced, and for good reason. The Rwandan presidents support of M23s 2012 rebellion in the DRC is well-established, as is the fact that some of the rebels defeated by the Congolese army fled to Rwanda.

It is time to put an end to [] this form of complicity between the M23 and the government of Rwanda, DRC government spokesman Patrick Muyaya recently underlined, because we want to look at Rwanda as a partner country.

Rwanda has occasionally cast itself as the DRCs partner, as well. Kagames support of the DRCs accession to the East African Community (EAC) at the end of March, where he advocated the political and economic benefits of regional integration, contrasts sharply with his alleged backing of M23s resurgence just two months later, something Muyaya characterised as hypocrisy.

The latest eruption of armed conflict impedes EAC plans for investment in improved road and power infrastructure in the DRCs strategic eastern provinces to boost regional prosperity, suggesting that Kagame does not have the regions best interests at heart. Kagame may fear that a growing DRC led by a president rising in international diplomatic prestige would challenge Rwanda as the great economic and political success story of the region. As his loss of face in the lead up to the Commonwealth Summit illustrates, however, Kagame will continue being responsible for his own loss of stature as long as he persists in violating human rights at home and abroad.
China donates 2 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines to ASEAN for Myanmar

Xinhua) 09:47, July 01, 2022

YANGON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China donated 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for Myanmar on Thursday.

Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai said it was in support of ASEAN's humanitarian assistance to Myanmar.

At his residence in Yangon, the Chinese ambassador handed over the donation certificate to Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, the ASEAN chair's special envoy on Myanmar, and ASEAN's deputy secretary-general Ekkaphab Phanthavong.

Sokhonn, who is also a deputy prime minister of Cambodia, was on his working visit to Myanmar.

The donation fully reflected China's high regard for the centrality and the role of ASEAN, as well as China's firm position to support ASEAN's humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, the Chinese ambassador said.

"Both China and ASEAN are friends of Myanmar, and Myanmar is an indispensable and important member of the ASEAN family," he added.

The Chinese ambassador said China has provided more than 600 million doses of vaccines to ASEAN countries.

China will provide much-needed help to Myanmar through various channels and work with ASEAN and other friendly partners to play a constructive role in restarting the democratic transition process in Myanmar, he added.

Sokhonn expressed his appreciation to China for the donation, saying China's assistance has fulfilled its commitment to ASEAN's centrality.

ASEAN's humanitarian assistance to Myanmar will be inclusive and "leave no one behind," he added.

To date, China provided 51 million doses of COVID-19 doses of vaccines to Myanmar.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
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.
BEVERLY, Mass., June 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings, Inc., (OTCQB: LXXGF; TSX-V: LXG) (LexaGene or the Company) announces, further to its news release on June 28, 2022, the Company has been granted a management cease trade order (MCTO) under National Policy 12-203  Management Cease Trade Orders (NP 12-203) imposed against certain insiders of the Company, precluding them from trading securities of the Company. The MCTO will be in effect until the Companys annual financial statements for the year ended February 28, 2022, its related managements discussion and analysis and CEO and CFO certifications (collectively, the Annual Canadian Financial Filings) are filed on or before August 29, 2022.



The Company is working on the audit and related procedures required to complete the Annual Canadian Financial Filings, and expects to be able to file the Annual Canadian Financial Filings within the next five to six weeks. The Company will provide updates as further information relating to the Annual Canadian Financial Filings becomes available.

The Company confirms that it will satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the above-noted filing requirements.

The Company confirms that there is no other material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

Other than as disclosed herein, the Company is up to date in its filing obligations.

To learn more about LexaGene and the MiQLab System or subscribe to company updates, visit www.lexagene.com, or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

For inquiries: 800.215.1824 | ir@lexagene.com or info@lexagene.com

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Dr. Jack Regan

Chief Executive Officer & Chairman

Investors:

ir@lexagene.com

800.215.1824

About LexaGene Holdings Inc.

LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that develops molecular diagnostic systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing, and biodefense. End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press go. The MiQLab system delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection and can return results in approximately two hours. The unique open access feature is designed for custom testing so that end-users can load their own real-time PCR assays onto the instrument to target any genetic target of interest.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the success of technology development efforts, the cost to procure critical parts, performance of the instrument, market acceptance of the technology, regulatory acceptance, and licensing issues -- that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations as disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
COLLINGWOOD, Ontario, June 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Limestone Boat Company (the Company) (TSXV: BOAT | OTCQB: LMSBF)  owner and builder of Aquasport Boats, Limestone Boats and Boca Bay Boats  announced today that its board of directors has approved the grant of an aggregate of 4,745,000 stock options (each, an "Option") to certain directors, officers, employees of the Company in accordance with the Company's omnibus equity incentive plan. Each Option will be exercisable into one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") at a price of $0.12 per Share for a period of five years from the date of the grant. This Option grant makes up part of the compensation and retention incentives anticipated by the Company's omnibus equity incentive plan.



For the first time since acquiring Ebbtide Holdings LLC in May of 2021, the Company expects to grant Options to members of the leadership team, as well as to floor supervisors, managers, and direct labour in the Companys Tennessee manufacturing operations. Options are also expected to be granted to members of the Board of Directors in lieu of cash compensation in calendar year 2021. No such Options will be granted to the Chief Executive Officer or Chair of the Company.

About The Limestone Boat Company Limited

The Limestone Boat Company  owner and builder of Aquasport Boats, Limestone Boats and Boca Bay Boats - is publicly traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol BOAT and on the U.S.-based OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol LMSBF. They are headquartered in Collingwood, Ontario with a 145,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in White Bluff, Tennessee. The company is backed by a large, skilled labor force and dealer partners throughout the United States and the Canadian Great Lakes Region.

For more information, contact:

Bill Mitoulas | Investor Relations

800-720-2395

bill@limestoneboats.com

www.limestoneboatcompany.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- K92 Mining Inc. (K92 or the Company) (TSX: KNT; OTCQX: KNTNF) is pleased to announce the voting results of its 2022 annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders that was held today as a virtual event. All of the resolutions proposed at the meeting were duly passed.

A total of 148,725,971 common shares, representing 65.57% of the Companys issued and outstanding common shares as at the record date were voted. All of the Companys nine director nominees were elected and detailed results of the vote for directors are shown below:

Name of Nominee

Votes For Votes Withheld Number % Number % R. Stuart (Tookie) Angus 134,516,515 97.48 3,484,415 2.52 Mark Eaton 99,506,016 72.11 38,494,914 27.89 Anne E. Giardini 134,193,532 97.24 3,807,398 2.76 Saurabh Handa 134,252,680 97.28 3,748,250 2.72 Cyndi Laval 136,215,300 98.71 1,785,630 1.29 Nan Lee 137,918,918 99.94 82,012 0.06 John D. Lewins 132,329,902 95.89 5,671,028 4.11 John (Ian) Stalker 117,902,586 85.44 20,098,344 14.56 Graham Wheelock 135,779,314 98.39 2,221,616 1.61





Matter

Votes For Votes Against Number % Number % Number of Directors 137,846,060 99.89 154,870 0.11 Appoint Auditors 148,122,408 99.59 603,563 0.41

Shareholders also voted in favour of the following matters:

Setting the number of directors at nine (9); and

Re-appointing PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year and authorizing the directors to fix the auditors remuneration.

Further details on the above matters are set forth in the Company's meeting materials, including the Management Information Circular dated May 20, 2022, which are accessible on K92s website at www.k92mining.com and under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Final voting results on all matters voted on at the AGM are also be contained in the Report on Voting Results filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR.

About K92

K92 Mining Inc. is engaged in the production of gold, copper and silver at the Kainantu Gold Mine in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea, as well as exploration and development of mineral deposits in the immediate vicinity of the mine. The Company declared commercial production from Kainantu in February 2018 and is in a strong financial position.

The Company commenced an expansion of the mine based on an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment on the property which was published in January 2019 and updated in July 2020. K92 is operated by a team of mining professionals with extensive international mine-building and operational experience.

On Behalf of the Company,

John D. Lewins, Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information, please contact David Medilek, P.Eng., CFA at +1-604-687-7130.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements that address future plans, activities, events, or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur are forward-looking information, including statements regarding the realization of the preliminary economic analysis for the Kainantu Project, expectations of future cash flows, the planned plant expansion, production results, cost of sales, sales of production, potential expansion of resources and the generation of further drilling results which may or may not occur. Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the market price of the Companys securities, metal prices, exchange rates, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations in PNG, mitigation of the Covid-19 pandemic, continuation of the lifted state of emergency, and regulations and other matters. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Beijing, China, June 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xinghuo Blockchain Infrastructure and Facility (Xinghuo BIF) and Zetrix have jointly announced the introduction of Blockchain-based Identifiers (BID) / Verifiable Credentials (VC) and Blockchain-based E-signing services to international markets, a major milestone in enabling cross-border business with China on the blockchain.

Xinghuo BIF is a China initiated international blockchain infrastructure supported by all levels of the Chinese Government while MY E.G. Services Bhd (MYEG), via its Zetrix blockchain, runs the International Supernode of Xinghuo BIF to connect entities outside China to the Xinghuo BIF. Xinghuo BIF presently resolves 94mil identifiers daily, placing it as the most actively used platform and validates this use case in real world applications.

The BID, an official DID method listed in the DID Specification Registry of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is a new approach to realize decentralized identity based on Xinghuo BIF. The initial phase of the BID rollout will include the introduction of Chinese-related credentials, agreements and the corresponding legal frameworks that would serve as the foundation for the establishment of such agreements. Zetrix will connect Chinese parties signing on the domestic Xinghuo BIF network with their international counterparts signing on the Zetrix network.

The BID service is an extension of the existing Xinghuo BID and Xinghuo Blockchain-based E-Signing services that was officially deployed in February 2022. On 12th October 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding between China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) and Malaysia-based MYEG, which established the Zetrix chain, announced the strategic cooperation framework between Xinghuo BIF and Zetrix as the international infrastructure to connect Chinas Xinghuo network to international markets.

BID and Verifiable Credential form a critical foundation for the digitalisation of trade and services. Beyond the process and trade efficiencies that we envision, this will also counteract the threats of counterfeiting, said Dr. Jin Jian, president of Institute of Industrial Internet and Internet of Things Institute (IIIIoT), CAICT

BIDs and VCs are critical building blocks of more interconnected Web 3. They are the foundational tools that decentralised apps can call upon to deliver a myriad of new services that would unleash the full potential of blockchain platforms. No other blockchain platform currently provide these services at a scale that matches Xinghuo  Zetrix and we are excited to be the global industry leaders in this real world usecase, said TS Wong, Group Managing Director of MYEG.

Zetrix has engaged credential issuers and certification authorities to ensure the information registered are true to fact, and continues to engage with more stakeholders in strengthening the integrity of this vital facility. Further information is available at zetrix.com.

The missing layer of the Internet

Blockchain Identity has often been referred to as the missing layer of the Internet, though typically this has resulted in there being multiple identifiers for every user, which often times are temporary or not tied to the real-world identity of users.

Now, through the Xinghuo-Zetrix collaboration, this fundamental layer and its design would give direct control and ownership to its users, a key differentiating factor that will enable a new wave of Web 3 digital processes and transactions.

Zetrix DID solution, which conforms to the Xinghuo Blockchain-based Identifier (BID), will power an on-chain signing service to enable users to transact with certainty and verified identities.

The resultant Zetrix Blockchain-based E-signing Service provides:

Support for multiple signing templates and user-defined transactions, Verification of an individuals or products documents/credentials, and Inquiry of documents or credentials

Organisations can use this service by keying in information and signing using their BID to issue certificates/credentials on the Zetrix blockchain. Users in China and elsewhere with access can search relevant information quickly through the BID identifier resolution service and vice versa.

The Zetrix Blockchain-based E-signing Service carries out signing management throughout the life cycle, maintains operations records and the extraction ability to meet the demand for inquiry and examination. Most importantly, these documents are legally binding if applicable to China laws.

This will in turn improve the efficiency of transactions and agreements across borders for various kinds of use cases. By supporting single-party and multi-party transactions, the service will be able to meet the demands of clients in many contexts including B2B and B2G.

Verifiable Credentials

The Xinghuo-Zetrix blockchain certificate service demonstrates that users can inquire the authenticity of any certificate or credentials. It ranges from Government issued credentials like official residency, to provenance of goods, to the adherence of international standards by enterprises.

Users can authenticate certificates online, instead of relying on traditional ways of issuing paper documents for proof. These credentials can then be independently verified using the issuers public BID. In addition, digital credentials may incorporate smart features, i.e. programming logic.

The combination of the BIDs and Verifiable Credential services will enable a host of varied use cases, from simple issuance of certificates to smart product authenticity documents with ownership history and programmable government issued credentials.

As an ongoing concern, Zetrix will design more templates of signing occasions, extension environments, and API integration, providing safe and efficient identification services for all industries.





About Zetrix

Zetrix is a layer-1 public blockchain that facilitates smart contracts and delivers privacy, security, and scalability. The cryptographic infrastructure in Zetrix can be introduced in multiple industries to connect governments, businesses, and their people to a global blockchain-based economy.

The cross-border and cross-chain integrations with Xinghuo BIF enables Zetrix to serve as a blockchain gateway that facilitates trade and commerce globally by deploying critical building blocks for Web3 services.

About Xinghuo BIF

With the special support of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Xinghuo BIF is one of the largest blockchain infrastructure in China supported by all levels of the Chinese government led by China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). As the foundation of digital economy, Xinghuo BIF is equipped with the interoperability of providing public identifier services across different industries and regions based on permissioned public blockchain and decentralized identifiers, enabling industrial digitalization and data valuation.

Contact:

Faye Gao

15101176189

https://bitfactory.cn/english/
English French

Voltalia (Euronext Paris, ISIN code: FR0011995588), an international player in renewable energies, launches the construction of the Karavasta site, a 140-megawatt photovoltaic plant

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Karavasta Solar site in Albania will take place this morning in the presence of the Prime Minister, Mr. Edi Rama, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Mrs. Belinda Balluku, and the French Ambassador to Tirana, Mrs. Elisabeth Barsacq.

Voltalia has won a 30-year concession for the Karavasta photovoltaic power plant in 2020. The 140-megawatt project was awarded to Voltalia by decision of the Albanian Council of Ministers on January 21, 2020, following the competitive bidding process launched by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - EBRD. According to the terms of the tender, Karavasta will sell 50% of the electricity through a 15-year sales contract to the Albanian public operator, while the remaining production will be sold through long-term contracts to private operators. The plant is expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2023.

The plant will cover the annual electricity consumption of 220,000 inhabitants, twice the consumption of Albanian cities such as Vlora or Kamza. It will avoid the emission of more than 96,500 tons of CO 2 per year, the equivalent of 9.5% of the emissions from the industrial sector in Albania.

"We are particularly proud to support the Albanian energy transition. By its size, the Karavasta project is a major element of this policy aimed at increasing the country's energy independence through an economically competitive and environmentally efficient energy. I would like to thank all our teams in Albania and Europe who are supporting this project," said Sebastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia.

Voltalia in Albania

Voltalia has been present in Albania since 2018 through turnkey construction contracts for third-party customers for three photovoltaic power plants (7.5 megawatts) located 10 kilometers from the future Karavasta plant.

In May 2021, Voltalia won a second solar project, called Spitalla, with a capacity of 100 megawatts in Albania, in the Durres region on the Adriatic coast. Voltalia, as for Karavasta, will be the developer, builder and operator of the project.

For Spitalla, the public operator will receive 70% of the electricity over a period of 15 years. The rest of the energy will be sold under long-term contracts at a market price. Commissioning is scheduled for 2024.

Albania, which has growing energy needs and an already fully renewable energy mix, continues to diversify its renewable energies, focusing on solar and wind power. These projects are further illustrations of the competitiveness of renewable energy in the region.

Next on the agenda: Q2 2022 revenues on July 20, 2022 (after market closing)

About Voltalia (www.voltalia.com) Voltalia is an international player in the renewable energy sector. The Group produces and sells electricity generated from wind, solar, hydraulic, biomass and storage facilities that it owns and operates. Voltalia has generating capacity in operation and under construction of more than 2 GW and a portfolio of projects under development representing total capacity of 11.1 GW.



Voltalia is also a service provider and supports its investor clients in renewable energy projects during all phases, from design to operation and maintenance.



As a pioneer in the corporate market, Voltalia provides a global offer to private companies, ranging from the supply of green electricity and energy efficiency services to the local production of their own electricity.



The Group has more than 1,300 employees and is present in 20 countries on 3 continents and is able to act worldwide on behalf of its clients.



Voltalia is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris, compartment B (FR0011995588  VLTSA) and is part of the Enternext Tech 40 and CAC Mid & Small indices. The Group is also included in the Gaia-Index, an index for socially responsible midcaps. Loan Duong, Head of Communications & Investor relations

Email: invest@voltalia.com

T. +33 (0)1 81 70 37 00 Actifin

Press Contact: Jennifer Jullia

jjullia@actifin.fr . T. +33 (0)1 56 88 11 11

Attachment
PRESS RELEASE

Emergex Vaccines signs Heads of Terms for a Collaboration with Molecular Biology Institute of Parana (IBMP) in Brazil

Abingdon, Oxon, UK, 1 July 2022  Emergex Vaccines Holding Limited (Emergex, or the Company), a clinical-stage biotechnology company addressing major global infectious diseases through the development of fully synthetic CD8+ T cell Adaptive Vaccines, today announced that it has signed heads of terms for a collaboration with the Molecular Biology Institute of Parana (IBMP) in Brazil.

IBMP is a commercial organisation with close links to Fiocruz, the most important national institution for research and production of biopharmaceuticals and vaccines linked to the Ministry of Health in Brazil. It has a strong commercial track record in the healthcare space with expertise in the development, manufacturing, regulatory approval and commercialisation of medical diagnostics and medicines in Brazil.

The agreement, once fully executed, will involve a shared clinical development phase as well as allowing IBMP exclusive rights for the commercialisation of the vaccine candidates in Brazil. In addition, clinical stage manufacturing of the vaccines will be conducted by Emergex with a transition to commercial scale manufacturing being conducted in the region by IBMP. A Joint Steering Committee with representatives from both Emergex and IBMP will oversee the collaboration and commercialisation of the vaccines in Brazil.

The agreement initially focuses on Emergexs Dengue vaccine candidate and also includes the shared development and commercialisation of COVID-19 and Chikungunya vaccine candidates. Emergexs Dengue and COVID-19 vaccine candidates are currently in Phase I clinical trials in Switzerland with top line results for Dengue expected imminently and top line results for COVID-19 expected later this year.

The collaboration also involves Emergex and IBMP conducting pre-clinical testing and clinical development of Chikungunya vaccine candidate. The Chikungunya vaccine candidate is being developed with support from a UK Aid grant, (Official Development Assistance). This was awarded to Emergex following a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition, funded by the Department of Health and Social Cares (DHSC) UK Vaccine Network (UKVN), delivered through Innovate UK, to develop vaccines for diseases with epidemic potential in low- and middle-income countries. Further development of the Chikungunya vaccine candidate in Brazil would be jointly conducted by Emergex and IBMP with costs shared equally between both parties and with IBMP having the option for exclusive commercial rights for the Chikungunya vaccine in Brazil.

Emergexs previous collaboration with a related Brazilian institution resulted in an excellent working relationship and the generation of valuable pre-clinical data for Emergexs CD8+ T cell adaptive COVID-19 vaccine, currently in completion for a Phase I clinical trial in Switzerland. This previous collaboration was also an important building block, in building trust and strengthening our relationships in Brazil, and was pivotal in us achieving this agreement with the IBMP.

Robin Cohen, Chief Commercial Officer at Emergex, commented: This is an important step as we look ahead and plan for the development of our lead vaccine candidates. Dengue is a serious endemic disease in Brazil and we are delighted to be bringing forward our vaccine technology that has the potential to better protect the health for millions of people in the region. Partnering with IBMP makes strategic sense for Emergex as it has the local contacts and expertise to successfully develop and commercialize our vaccines in Brazil. We look forward to completing the formal agreement in due course.

- Ends 

For further information, please contact: Emergex Consilium Strategic Communications (Emergex PR) Storme Moore-Thornicroft, Executive Director

Phone: +44 (0) 1235 527589

Email: smt@emergexvaccines.com







Robin Cohen, Chief Commercial Officer

Phone: +44 (0) 1235 527589

Email: rc@emergexvaccines.com







Brian Pfister, Vice President, Emergex USA

Phone: +1 847-421-0253

Email: bp@emergexvaccines.com Chris Gardner / Ashley Tapp / Andrew Stern

Phone: +44 (0)20 3709 5700

Email: Emergex@consilium-comms.com





About Emergex

Emergex, a clinical-stage, privately-held biotechnology company headquartered in Abingdon, UK, with an operating subsidiary in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, USA, is pioneering the development of 100% synthetic T cell Adaptive Vaccines that harness the bodys natural T cell immune response to destroy pathogen-infected cells in order to provide protection against some of the worlds most pressing health threats: [i] viral infectious diseases, amongst which are Dengue, Coronaviruses, and pandemic Influenza, as well as [ii] serious intracellular bacterial infectious diseases.

Emergex has a growing proprietary pipeline of innovative CD8+ T cell Adaptive Vaccine and booster vaccine candidates that have the potential to deliver rapid, broad (mutation-agnostic) and long-lasting immunity to reduce serious illness associated with infectious disease. Emergex has a number of Phase I clinical trials underway, of which the most advanced programmes in development are [i] Dengue (which may also be disease-modifying for other members of the Flaviviridae virus family, such as Zika and Yellow Fever) and [ii] Coronaviruses. Other programmes in development include vaccine candidates for universal (pandemic) Influenza, Chikungunya, and a booster vaccine for Yellow Fever.

Emergexs T cell Adaptive Vaccines candidates combine two proprietary technologies, [i] an empirically determined library of pathogen-derived protein fragments expressed on the surface of pathogen-infected cells (forming the MHC Class I expression ligandome library), and [ii] a passivated gold nanoparticle carrier system designed to deliver the synthetic peptides to the skin-resident immune system (in combination with nociception) via microneedles in order to elicit a robust, adaptive CD8+ T cell response. With potential stability at ambient temperatures, the vaccine candidates are intended to reduce the burden and the logistics of vaccine administration.

Find out more online at www.emergexvaccines.com.

Visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter account for live updates.

About IBMP

With a broad and modern manufacturing plant, the Molecular Biology Institute of Parana (IBMP) works in applied research, technological development, innovation and industrial production of inputs and diagnosis kits for health. The institution integrates and contributes to the development of the Economic and Industrial Complex of Health (Complexo Economico e Industrial da Saude  CEIS) and comprehends the development of Science and Technology as the best access to health products, services, and fundamental for the economic dynamism in the country. Its activities are intended to supply the health network with safe and quality products.

Find out more online at https://www.ibmp.org.br/en-us/.
Wilmington, Delaware, United States, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transparency Market Research Inc - The market demand for wheat starch in Europe has proliferated from the wide range of applications they have been used for in food processing, notably as a thickening and binding agent, texture provider, and flavor carrier. The use of both native and modified wheat starch in food and feed applications will determine the future of wheat starch market in Europe. The Europe wheat starch market is projected to surpass worth of US$ 3.7 Bn by 2030.



Recent trends in the wheat starch market suggest that emphasis toward clean labelling of ingredients has expanded the avenue for food & beverage companies. Feed producers have gained from the vast nutritional and physiologically functional properties of wheat starch, thus boosting the Europe wheat starch market. Producers of starch derivatives are geared toward offering value added products to meet the customers needs in Europe, which has helped them boost their profit margins.

The use of wheat starch for improving the texture and taste of processes food is fueling the product sales. Key vendors in wheat starch market are leaning on offering clean label starches for food & beverages formulators. Adoption of cutting-edge treatment techniques for high-quality plant ingredients has helped catalyze revenue growth of the Europe wheat starch market. Furthermore, strides made in food additives industry is massively influencing the value of the wheat starch market.

Get PDF Brochure for More Insights: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=81990

Key Findings of Europe Wheat Starch Market Study

Demand for Multiple Applications Generate Sizable Profitable Opportunities : Extensive use of wheat starch in animal feed and baked goods has propelled enormous profits in the wheat starch market. Companies have also gained revenues from diversifying their production to meet an array of applications in pharmaceutical and paper industries. Moreover, substantial use of native wheat starch in animal feed applications is expected to boost Europe wheat starch market size. In 2020, native starch accounted for the leading market share.





Extensive use of wheat starch in animal feed and baked goods has propelled enormous profits in the wheat starch market. Companies have also gained revenues from diversifying their production to meet an array of applications in pharmaceutical and paper industries. Moreover, substantial use of native wheat starch in animal feed applications is expected to boost Europe wheat starch market size. In 2020, native starch accounted for the leading market share. Clean Label Starches Gathering Popularity in F&B Industry to Expand Avenues: Clean label cereal starch has unlocked an incredible avenue for firms in the Europe wheat starch market. Increase in launch of food products with clean labelling in European nations has bolstered the prospects. Massive proclivity of businesses in the food & feed industries toward adopting clean label ingredients has generated sizable lucrative opportunities, found the authors of the study on the Europe wheat starch market. A number of companies worldwide are expanding the product portfolio of native, natural, and clean-label products to meet clean label guides in Europe.



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Europe Wheat Starch Market: Key Drivers

Strides made in bakery production to meet the rise in consumption of bakery goods in Europe. This has underpinned the expansion of avenue in the Europe wheat starch market.

Shift toward clean labelling ingredients has stoked the popularity of wheat starches. Improvements in physical and enzymatic modification methods have expanded the horizon for companies in the regional market over the years.



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Europe Wheat Starch Market: Lucrative Countries

Germany has accounted for sizable revenues for the Europe wheat starch market. Massive use of products in multiple food & feed applications has bolstered the revenue potential. The U.K. is another lucrative country market. The growth has been propelled by the increasing preference toward clean-label plant-based ingredients.

Europe Wheat Starch Market: Key Players

Some of the key players in the Europe market are Lantmannen Reppe AB, Skrobarny Pelhrimov, Inc., Amylon, Sedamyl, Aminola B.V., Tereos Starch & Sweeteners, Roquette Freres S. A, Royal Ingredients Group, AGRANA Beteiligungs AG, Cargill Incorporated, and Sacchetto S.p.A.

Make an Enquiry Before Buying: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=EB&rep_id=81990

Europe Wheat Starch Market Segmentation

Type

Native

Modified

Clean Label



End Use

Food Processing Industry

Textile & Paper

Cosmetics

Animal Feed

Others



Country

Germany

U.K.

France

Italy

Spain

BENELUX

Nordic

Russia

Poland

Rest of Europe

Browse More Food & Beverages Market Research Reports by TMR:



Vegan Chocolate Market - Vegan Chocolate Market is likely to register a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period and is anticipated to reach a vegan chocolate market share of US$ 1444.7 Mn by 2032

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Single Cell Protein Market - Single Cell Protein Market is likely to register a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period and is anticipated to reach a single cell protein market share of US$ 24.5 Mn by 2030

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Fondant Market - Fondant Market is likely to register a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period and is anticipated to reach a fondant market share of US$ 774 Mn by 2030

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About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. The firm scrutinizes factors shaping the dynamics of demand in various markets. The insights and perspectives on the markets evaluate opportunities in various segments. The opportunities in the segments based on source, application, demographics, sales channel, and end-use are analysed, which will determine growth in the markets over the next decade.

Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision-makers, made possible by experienced teams of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants. The proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques we use always reflect the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in all of its business reports.

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Transparency Market Research Inc.

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English Lithuanian

Retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group amounted to EUR 26.7 million in June 2022 and has increased by 8.4% comparing to June 2021. In June 2022, the retail turnover of Apranga Group in Lithuania increased by 6.8% year-to-year, in Latvia increased by 6.0% and in Estonia increased by 18.7%.



The retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group totalled EUR 75.1 million in 2nd quarter 2022 and was 34.8% higher than in 2021. In 2nd quarter 2022, the retail turnover of the Group in Lithuania increased by 23.0%, in Latvia increased by 67.5% and in Estonia increased by 45.6% year-to-year.

Due to epidemic coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, from 16 December 2020, all the Groups stores in Lithuania were temporarily closed. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and sales area not exceeding 300 square meters were open from 15 February 2021. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and a sales area exceeding 300 square meters were open from 15 March 2021. All Groups stores have been reopened in Lithuania from 19 April 2021, however, stores operating in shopping malls were not allowed to work on weekends, unless they had separate entrance from outside. Eventually, all Groups stores had been open in Lithuania as of 29 May 2021. In Latvia, stores were temporarily closed from 19 December 2020. Groups stores that operate in shopping malls and have separate entrance from outside had been reopened in Latvia as of 22 May 2021. Eventually, all Groups stores had been open in Latvia as of 3 June 2021. In Estonia, all Groups stores were temporarily closed from 11 March 2021 until 3 May 2021. These temporary closures had a significant impact on the Group's generated turnover in January-June 2021.

In January through June 2022, the retail turnover of Apranga Group (including VAT) totalled EUR 127.7 million and was by 57.2% higher than in 2021 and by 17.5% higher than in 2019.

In January-June 2022, the retail turnover of Apranga Group in Lithuania was EUR 78.1 million and increased by 47.7% year-on-year.

In January-June 2022, the retail turnover of Apranga Group in Latvia amounted to EUR 30.6 million and increased by 110.7% year-on-year.

In January-June 2022, the retail turnover of Apranga Group in Estonia was EUR 19.0 million and increased by 37.2% year-on-year.

In 6 months of 2022, Apranga Group opened 2 new stores, enlarged and renovated 2 stores, while 4 stores were closed.

Currently Apranga Group operates the chain of 167 stores (100 in Lithuania, 44 in Latvia and 23 in Estonia) covering the gross area of 90.5 thousand sq. m., or by 2.2% less than a year ago.

Rimantas Perveneckas

Apranga Group General Manager

+370 5 2390801
Hampton, Va., July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ret. U.S. Army Gen. Darrell K. Williams takes office as Hampton University today, 39 years after graduating from the historically Black university with a bachelors degree.

Williams, a three-star general, business leader and educator with nonprofit development experience, said his focus will be creating an unparalleled higher education experience for students that includes excellent academics, support for strong physical, emotional, and mental health, and access to cutting-edge technology, research opportunities and innovative studies.

With the continuing support of its exceptional faculty, staff, and alumni, Williams sees a bold, bright future for Hampton University.

I love Hampton and the opportunities provided to me here. The universitys values and standard of excellence will not change, Williams said. As the new president, my priority will be providing our students with a robust experience that is second to none and prepares them for life after graduation.

Board of Trustees Chairman Wesley Coleman said the board is excited about Hamptons future under Williams leadership. Williams was selected to lead Hampton by the board of trustees on March 30.

The university community is energized President Williams has arrived, Coleman said. We have a great leader who has the full backing of the board, and we are looking forward to working with him.

President Williams and first lady Myra Richardson Williams met while attending Hampton, married in 1987 and are the first president and first lady to both hold Hampton degrees.

While a student, the president was Mister Freshman 1979, a three-year Reserve Officer Training (ROTC) scholarship cadet, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and senior class president. Myra Williams was a four-year member of the Hampton concert choir and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Williams comes to Hampton from Fortune 250 technology company Leidos, where he served as the global organizations United Kingdom vice president and managing director of the U.K. Ministry of Defence Logistics Commodities and Services Transformation (LCST) programme, providing global logistical support to U.K. military forces.

Williams retired from the U.S. Army in 2020 after 37 years of service. His last leadership position was as the first Black and 19th director of the Department of Defenses Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). He oversaw a global workforce of over 26,000 civilian and military professionals.

From 2015 to 2017, Williams led the Army Combined Arms Support Command and the Fort Lee, Virginia, military installation. There, he was responsible for Army Logistics University and the Professional Military Education and the training of thousands of Army logistics junior officer, warrant officer and non-commissioned officer students. Additionally, he led the installations strategic engagement with the Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights communities, and he assured the welfare and safety of the over 25,000 students, staff and faculty, families, and support organizations.

Early in his career he served as a leadership and logistics instructor at Fort Lee and was named as an Army instructor of the year, one of his many awards.

Williams, a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, holds three graduate school degrees: a masters in business administration from Pennsylvania State University; a masters in military art and science from the Army Combined and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and a masters in national security strategy (distinguished graduate) from the National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.

Media contact: Matthew White, Director of University Relations - 757-727-5253; matthew.white@hamptonu.edu

About Hampton University

Hampton University is a comprehensive institution of higher education. For more than 150 years, it has been dedicated to the promotion of learning, building of character and preparation of promising students for positions of leadership and service. Its emphasizes a scientific and professional curriculum with a strong liberal arts undergirding. In carrying out its mission, the University requires that everything that it does be of the highest quality. A historically black institution, Hampton University is committed to multiculturalism. The University serves students from diverse national, cultural and economic backgrounds. Research and public service are integral parts of Hampton's mission. In order to enhance scholarship and discovery, the faculty is engaged in writing, research, and grantsmanship. In achieving its mission, Hampton University offers exemplary programs and opportunities which enable students, faculty and staff to grow, develop and contribute to our society in a productive and useful manner. Visit www.hamptonu.edu

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Dublin, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Eye Tracking Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global eye tracking market reached a value of US$ 725.8 Million in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 2,939.4 Million by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 26.25% during 2021-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Eye tracking refers to the process of monitoring and observing eye behavior such as pupil dilation and movement. It accurately and objectively quantifies visual attention to study human behavior by measuring the length of the user's gaze and determining at what and where an individual is looking. Eye trackers use invisible near-infrared light and high-definition cameras to project light onto the eyes. They record a wide range of activities that include blinking, looking, ignoring and other noticeable reaction of the pupil to stimuli. As a result, they find application in psychological research, packaging designs, and intelligent security systems.



The global eye tracking market is primarily driven by the growing applications of eye trackers in various industries. In the retail sector, eye trackers are used for gaining insights into consumer behavior by ascertaining how much time a consumer spends browsing a product. It can also be integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR).

Eye trackers are also employed by prison management systems and defense organizations to deploy biometric iris scanners for identifying individuals and tighten their security arrangements. Besides this, the vision tracker technology can be mounted directly on a tablet or desktop, which is further integrated within a wheelchair to allow users to control the wheelchair using vision movements. Furthermore, extensive investments in smart and wearable technology are providing a positive impact on the market growth.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Ergoneers GmbH, Eyegaze Inc., EyeTech Digital Systems Inc., EyeTracking Inc., Gazepoint Research Inc., iMotions A/S, Mirametrix Inc., Seeing Machines, Smart Eye AB, SR Research Ltd. and Tobii AB.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global eye tracking market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global eye tracking market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the component?

What is the breakup of the market based on the location?

What is the breakup of the market based on the application?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global eye tracking market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology

3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Eye Tracking Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Type

6.1 Eye Attached Tracking

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Optical Tracking

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Electrooculography

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Component

7.1 Hardware

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Software

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Location

8.1 Remote

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Mobile

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Application

9.1 Healthcare

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Retail

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Research

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Automotive

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast

9.5 Consumer Electronics

9.5.1 Market Trends

9.5.2 Market Forecast

9.6 Others

9.6.1 Market Trends

9.6.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Region

11 SWOT Analysis

12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis



14 Price Analysis



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

15.3.1 Ergoneers GmbH

15.3.1.1 Company Overview

15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.2 Eyegaze Inc.

15.3.2.1 Company Overview

15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.3 EyeTech Digital Systems Inc.

15.3.3.1 Company Overview

15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.4 EyeTracking Inc.

15.3.4.1 Company Overview

15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.5 Gazepoint Research Inc.

15.3.5.1 Company Overview

15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.6 iMotions A/S

15.3.6.1 Company Overview

15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.7 Mirametrix Inc.

15.3.7.1 Company Overview

15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.8 Seeing Machines

15.3.8.1 Company Overview

15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.8.3 Financials

15.3.9 Smart Eye AB

15.3.9.1 Company Overview

15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.9.3 Financials

15.3.10 SR Research Ltd.

15.3.10.1 Company Overview

15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.11 Tobii AB

15.3.11.1 Company Overview

15.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.11.3 Financials

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ixnr5j

Attachment
Dublin, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Respiratory Protective Equipment Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global respiratory protective equipment market reached a value of US$ 7.7 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 10 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.45% during 2021-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



The respiratory protective equipment (RPE) refers to a kind of personal protective equipment (PPE) that safeguards the wearer from inhaling hazardous substances, dust particles and gases in the air. Consisting of various filtering devices, masks and breathing apparatuses, RPE covers the nose, mouth or the entire face to filter out the contaminants. It also includes half/full mask respirators, helmets, hoods, visors, escape/airline respirators and supplied air respirator. These equipment are commonly used in chemicals, textiles and paper processing mills, along with metalworking plants and construction sites. They also find extensive applications across various industries, including oil and gas, petrochemical, healthcare, construction, chemical and mining.



Rapid industrialization across the globe is one of the key factors driving the growth of the market. Furthermore, increasing awareness regarding the importance of workplace safety is also providing a boost to the market growth. RPE can protect the industrial workers from inhaling harmful chemicals, gases and radiological and nuclear material. This can aid in preventing the instances of occupational asthma, pneumoconiosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and mesothelioma.

The growing demand for technologically advanced multi-functional RPE is acting as another growth-inducing factor. For instance, manufacturers have introduced respirators that are equipped with auto-darkening filters (ADF) and sensors to minimize eye damage and provide protection from fumes. Other factors, including extensive research and development (R&D) activities to manufacture product variants with innovative in-facepiece gas detection technology, along with the implementation of stringent government policies promoting occupational safety and health standards, are projected to drive the market further.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being 3M Company, Alpha Pro Tech Limited, E.D. Bullard Company, Inc., Delta Plus Group, Honeywell International Inc., ILC Dover, LP, Intech Safety Pvt. Ltd., MSA Safety Incorporated, RSG Safety BV and Uvex Arbeitsschutz GmbH, etc.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global respiratory protective equipment market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global respiratory protective equipment market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the product type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the filter type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end-use industry?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the market?

What is the structure of the global respiratory protective equipment market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the market?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Respiratory Protective Equipment Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Product Type

6.1 Air Purifier Respirator

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Major Types

6.1.2.1 Unpowered Respirators

6.1.2.2 Powered Respirators

6.1.2.3 Escape Respirators

6.1.3 Market Forecast

6.2 Supplied Air Respirator

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Major Types

6.2.2.1 Self-contained Breathing Apparatus

6.2.2.2 Airline Respirators

6.2.2.3 Loose Fitting Hoods

6.2.3 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Filter Type

7.1 Particle Filter

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Gas/Vapour Filter

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Combined Filter

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by End-Use Industry

8.1 Healthcare

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Oil and Gas

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Chemical

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Construction

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Law Enforcement

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Forecast

8.6 Others

8.6.1 Market Trends

8.6.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Price Indicators



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 3M Company

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.2 Alpha Pro Tech Limited

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2.3 Financials

14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.3 E.D. Bullard Company, Inc.

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4 Delta Plus Group

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5 Honeywell International Inc.

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5.3 Financials

14.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.6 ILC Dover, LP

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.7 Intech Safety Pvt. Ltd.

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8 MSA Safety Incorporated

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9 RSG Safety BV

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9.3 Financials

14.3.10 Uvex Arbeitsschutz GmbH

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/oquvfu

Attachment
Dublin, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Radar System Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global radar system market reached a value of US$ 32.3 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 42.1 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.52% during 2021-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) system refers to an electromagnetic system that detects the location and distance of objects through radio waves. It determines the spread, angle and speed of the object that is under its range or radius. Continuous wave and pulse-based radars are the two major types of radar systems.

They consist of a transmitter to produce electromagnetic signals, which gets reflected and received through an antenna. These systems are used for various industrial applications, such as speed monitoring, object recognition, tracking, area and distance monitoring, collision avoidance, weather monitoring, air traffic control and speed enforcement.



Radar System Market Trends:

Significant growth in the aviation, space and defense industries represents one of the key factors creating a positive outlook for the market. Furthermore, the widespread utilization of radar systems for continuous weather monitoring systems is also driving the market growth. Advanced weather monitoring systems use radars to gauge atmospheric conditions to improve aviation safety and provide agricultural alerts and flood warnings.

In line with this, with the growing territorial conflicts and cross-border disputes, radar systems are deployed in ocean and space surveillance, remote sensing and missile guidance equipment.

Additionally, various technological advancements, such as the development of cost-effective and miniaturized radars used in unmanned vehicles, are acting as other growth-inducing factors. They can operate in narrow spaces and are equipped with digital signal processing capabilities to extract information from high noise inputs. Other factors, including the utilization of radar in automobiles for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), along with extensive research and development (R&D) activities, are anticipated to drive the market further.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being BAE Systems Plc, Dassault Aviation, General Dynamics Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., L3harris Technologies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon Company, Rockwell Collins Inc., SAAB AB and Thales Group.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global radar system market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What is the impact of COVID-19 on global radar system market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the component?

What is the breakup of the market based on the range?

What is the breakup of the market based on the application?

What is the breakup of the market based on the frequency band?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the market?

What is the structure of the global radar system market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the market?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Radar System Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Type

6.1 Pulse Radar

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Continuous Wave (CW) Radar

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Component

7.1 Antenna

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Transmitter

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Receiver

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Others

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Range

8.1 Short Range Radars

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Medium Range Radars

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Long Range Radars

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Application

9.1 Air Traffic Control

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Remote Sensing

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Ground Traffic Control

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Space Navigation and Control

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast

9.5 Others

9.5.1 Market Trends

9.5.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Frequency Band

10.1 X Band

10.1.1 Market Trends

10.1.2 Market Forecast

10.2 S Band

10.2.1 Market Trends

10.2.2 Market Forecast

10.3 C Band

10.3.1 Market Trends

10.3.2 Market Forecast

10.4 Others

10.4.1 Market Trends

10.4.2 Market Forecast



11 Market Breakup by Region



12 SWOT Analysis

13 Value Chain Analysis



14 Porters Five Forces Analysis



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

15.3.1 BAE Systems Plc

15.3.1.1 Company Overview

15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.1.3 Financials

15.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.2 Dassault Aviation

15.3.2.1 Company Overview

15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.2.3 Financials

15.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.3 General Dynamics Corporation

15.3.3.1 Company Overview

15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.3.3 Financials

15.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.4 Honeywell International Inc.

15.3.4.1 Company Overview

15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.4.3 Financials

15.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.5 L3harris Technologies, Inc.

15.3.5.1 Company Overview

15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.5.3 Financials

15.3.6 Lockheed Martin Corporation

15.3.6.1 Company Overview

15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.6.3 Financials

15.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.7 Northrop Grumman Corporation

15.3.7.1 Company Overview

15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.7.3 Financials

15.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.8 Raytheon Company

15.3.8.1 Company Overview

15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.8.3 SWOT Analysis

15.3.9 Rockwell Collins Inc.

15.3.9.1 Company Overview

15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.10 SAAB AB

15.3.10.1 Company Overview

15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.10.3 Financials

15.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.11 Thales Group

15.3.11.1 Company Overview

15.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.11.3 Financials

15.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rq4run

Attachment
BEVERLY, Mass., July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings, Inc., (OTCQB: LXXGF; TSX-V: LXG) (LexaGene or the Company), a molecular diagnostics company that has commercialized the MiQLab System for automated, multiplexing PCR-based syndromic testing in veterinary clinics, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a purchase agreement with a veterinary hospital in Wisconsin.

Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGenes CEO and Founder stated, We are pleased to announce this sale to a veterinary hospital in Wisconsin. Once we complete our scheduled installations, we will have MiQLab Systems operating in 10 states across the US. Since the start of this year, our install base has increased 240% and we expect an even steeper increase in the latter part of this year.

To learn more about LexaGene and the MiQLab System or subscribe to company updates, visit www.lexagene.com, or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Dr. Jack Regan

Chief Executive Officer & Chairman

To learn more about LexaGene and the MiQLab System or subscribe to company updates, visit www.lexagene.com, or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

For inquiries: 800.215.1824 | ir@lexagene.com or info@lexagene.com

About LexaGene Holdings Inc.

LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that develops molecular diagnostic systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing and biodefense. End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press go. The MiQLab system delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection and can return results in approximately two hours. The unique open-access feature is designed for custom testing so that end-users can load their own real-time PCR assays onto the instrument to target any genetic target of interest.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the success of technology development efforts, the cost to procure critical parts, performance of the instrument, market acceptance of the technology, regulatory acceptance, and licensing issues -- that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations as disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
French English

Press Relations:

Victoire Grux

Tel. : +33 6 04 52 16 55

Email: victoire.grux@capgemini.com

Investor relations:

Vincent Biraud

Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 87

Email: vincent.biraud@capgemini.com

Capgemini statement

Paris, July 1, 2022  In view of certain rumors currently being circulated, Capgemini reasserts its publicly stated position regarding Atos, that also applies to any potential spin-off entities and to its various businesses:

the Group has no intention of acquiring or being involved in these assets;

the Group has no discussion with Atos, neither with any third party or the French government on those lines.

Capgemini management believes that those assets are not aligned with the Group strategy and development plan and this position is unanimously supported by the Board of directors.

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2021 global revenues of 18 billion.

Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

Attachment
U.S. Virgin Islands, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- University of the Vigin Islands

UVI News Release

DATE: July 1, 2022

For immediate release

UVI Unveils Medical Simulation Center Designed to Improve VI Healthcare Education

& Attract Medical Education Tourism

The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art medical simulation center realizing a major objective in its goal to improve medical education and healthcare in the Territory. At the ribbon cutting ceremony on June 29, at the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix, UVI President David Hall urged supporters to keep breathing life into the vision of enhanced healthcare in the VI.

The Medical School and this Simulation Center were not envisioned just so that we could unveil a first class and impressive facility, said Dr. Hall. The vision is focused on improving the quality of healthcare for the Virgin Islands and stimulating and diversifying the economy of the Virgin Islands. The existence of this facility will ensure that our local medical practitioners and medical students will receive the most up-to-date training available so that they can serve the people of this territory.

Simulation is a tool for training and education that allows students to go through clinical experiences safely without putting patients at risk. The modern, 21,920-square-foot Medical Simulation Center features trauma and hybrid operating rooms with 18 surgical skill lab areas. Using virtual reality, life-like mannequins and other technology, students can learn to treat patients for a variety of issues. Simulation labs, trauma moulage and patient exam rooms are also on site. The facility has an auditorium with an atrium, office, and dining hall with catering kitchen.

We know that medical simulation as an educational methodology has proven benefits, including increased patient safety, better patient outcomes, improved resource and reliability management, said Medical Simulation Center Executive Director Charlene Navarro. Local healthcare professionals will benefit from valuable training and resources that have only been available off-island until now, she said. The UVI Medical Simulation Center will also support STEM programs for our youth with exposure to education in healthcare, medicine, science, technology, engineering and robotics.

Dr. Yasuharu Okuda, executive director of the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) at the University of South Florida, presented Dr. Hall with a CAMLS coin to commemorate this milestone. CAMLS has been a partner of the Universitys Medical School program since its inception. I am honored to be a part of your journey and your dream, said Dr. Okuda. We are here as part of a family. We are here to stay.

Dr. Okuda said simulation education is a really powerful tool that now exists in the US Virgin Islands. Simulation is not about the technology. Its really a tool for training and education. It allows our students, our current and future work force, to go through clinical experiences in a safe way, to not put patients at risk and improve patient care, he said.

On Wednesday, UVI Board of Trustees Vice Chair Oran Roebuck spoke of the Universitys journey and acknowledged the persons and agencies who contributed to its success. Thank you to the governor and the legislature for giving us the seed money to start this project, said Vice Chair Roebuck. Thank you for the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the exceptional grant award.

The EDA invested $35 million to support efforts to diversify and strengthen the resiliency of the economy by helping to grow the medical sector, primarily by investing in the medical school project which includes resources to establish a medical school classroom building, biomedical research lab and the medical simulation center. UVI is moving forward, and we will keep it moving forward, said Roebuck.

The U.S. EDA makes investments to support locally driven economic development strategies designed to help economically distressed communities to create jobs, promote innovation, accelerate long term sustainable economic growth, resilience and diversification, said U.S. EDA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer Dennis Alvord, who described the role of the EDA at the opening ceremony. The investment in the Medical Simulation Center compliments and supports the territorys investments in other industries, he said. The center will attract global healthcare organizations and high-tech bio medical firms to the territory as a place to provide training and conduct research. With these beautiful islands set as a destination location for providing innovative quality training, it is anticipated that conference attendees, corporate executives and others will travel to the territory and boost the economy, he said.

We want to attract physicians from around the world that want to be trained in one of the most sophisticated facilities in one of the most beautiful places in the world and help stimulate the economy even more. Dr. Hall said of the future of the center. We believe that this center, because of the technology and sophisticated mannequin, will turn on the imagination and innovation light in the minds of middle school and high school students that they can start pursuing careers that they did not even know existed, he said.

For more information, contact pr@uvi.edu.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)

The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.

UVI Medical Simulation Center (https://www.uvi.edu/msc/)

The University first began the project in 2014, with the proposal of adding a School of Medicine to the Universitys five schools and colleges and 70-degree programs. Since the inception of the program, the University partnered with the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) at the University of South Florida. The University of the Virgin Islands Medical Simulation Center is offering a Fundamental Critical Care Support Trainer (FCCS) course on July 26-27, on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. Participants will learn to teach the technical skills needed to provide critical care and support during the first 24 hours after injury. Teach other healthcare professionals in a state-of-the-art high fidelity interactive learning environment. Register today at www.uvi.edu/msc/ For more information email medicalsimulationcenter@uvi.edu.

About UVI (www.uvi.edu )

The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) is a student-centered and culturally diverse institution devoted to excellence, innovation, research and making a difference in the U.S. Virgin Islands and globally. Located in the heart of the Caribbean, UVI is a public, coeducational, liberal arts school and HBCU (Historically Black College and University), with campuses on the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and an extension campus on St. Martin. UVI offers over 70 academically rigorous and globally relevant degree programs across its five colleges and schools and is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. UVI alumni are leaders in their communities and excel in their fields all around the world. For more information, visit www.uvi.edu, become a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UVI.edu) and follow UVI on Instagram (www.instagram.com/uvi_edu).

###
New York,NY, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Primordia DAO, a NEAR Foundation-funded, WEB 3-powered impact organization, launched its campaign to inspire and help structure 100 DAOS, or Decentralized Autonomous Organizations to create significant global social impact, on June 23rd at the High Bar in New York City's historic Times Square District.

Primordia DAO Launch Party Video Recap

https://youtu.be/iOOMNnyNTY8

The event marked the official launch of Primordia DAO's 2022 mission, to launch one hundred DAOs leveraging the NEAR Protocol, a San Francisco-based, carbon neutral, layer 1 blockchain, to create social justice and higher quality of life in communities across the globe.

Thirty mission-driven DAOs from around the world have already launched leveraging Near Protocol to achieve their collective mission of social justice and social impact by dispersing food to unhoused populations, securing equitable land ownership, onboarding excluded communities into Web3, finding solutions to climate change etc.

Primordia DAO was launched by San Francisco based, The Kin DAO. The Kin DAO was founded after helping over 55,000 people ( IRL) access critical services and resources during the Covid Pandemic.

DAOs are about more than hype. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (or DAOs) empower communities online and throughout the world. While media headlines typically focus on NFTs, blockchain technology offers organizational tools that allow individuals with a shared vision to collectively vote (governance), transact transparently and function as asset management. This is the next wave in global social justice as an organizing movement, said Adrian Bello, co-founder of Primarodia DAO.

The following DOAs were highlighted at the launch event, they hail from around the globe including the United States, Mexico, Scandinavia and beyond:

Primordia DAO Launch: Petgas DAO (Fossil Fuel Sustainability - Mexico), Xibalbanft DAO (Cenote Conservation Project  Mexcio), Sacred Waters DAO (Water Conservation Project  Mexico), Lowkey Giant DAO (NFT/Crypto Creativity & Culture - USA),Neo Soul DAO (Music, Culture & Commerce - USA), Seven Vision DAO (Sovereign media production studio with life-affirming values for transformative times  USA), EFAM DAO (Direct food & medicine to displaced people  USA), Verse Gallery (Scandinavias first physical NFT gallery // bridging the knowledge gap around NFTs & blockchain  Norway)

Were village building in the metaverse and beyond, states Asya Abdrahman, co-host and co-founder of the Primordia DAO. Our focus is human-centric. We are here to support what the Blockchain has to offer all people with a smartphone, that is open access on NEAR Protocols ethical blockchain for people that have typically been marginalized, overlooked or excluded.

About Primorida DAO

Building in biomimicry, Primordia represents the next stage of mycelium development for The Kin DAO. Primordia DAO is a year-long project DAO to be experienced as a conceptual art exhibition of village building URL (Online) and in IRL (In Real Life). Primordia's objective is to provide education to historically excluded communities to bridge the digital divide by leveraging collaborative art-based solutions. Primordia DAO prioritizes onboarding projects focused on bettering the social, psychological, economic and ecological state of our world and will operate as a DAO of DAO's giving opportunity to newly onboard communities to participate in the governance of the Primordia project.

About NEAR

NEAR Protocol is a simple, secure and scalable decentralized application (dApp) platform that focuses on developer and user-friendliness. Its native NEAR tokens are used to pay for transaction fees and storage on the NEAR crypto platform. The Kin DAO has chosen to operate on NEAR Protocol because of their user-friendly interface, affordable and inclusive operational costs, carbon-neutral technology and ethical, creative and community-oriented culture.

Social Platforms and Relevant Web Links

www.thekindao.com

https://mobile.twitter.com/thekindao

https://www.instagram.com/thekindao

https://www.instagram.com/xibalbanft

https://www.regentulum.com

https://www.instagram.com/essential.fam

https://www.instagram.com/sevenvisionstudio

https://www.instagram.com/versegallery.nft

Attachments
Gray, Louisiana, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Humane, the countrys first national humane organization has returned to Terrebonne Parish to host a wellness clinic with Zoetis, the worlds leading animal health company, and Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter. Last year, American Humanes rescue team deployed to the region to help animals left stranded in the wake of Hurricane Idas destructive path.

It is critical that our pets are vaccinated and receiving wellness checks, just as we do, and we are honored to once again provide the community of Terrebonne Parish with these lifesaving services, said Dr. Robin Ganzert, CEO and president of American Humane. We thank Zoetis for joining us in our efforts to offer the highest level of care for Americas animals and are hopeful we can do even more clinics like this one across the country.

Veterinary healthcare teams administered essential vaccines, microchips, flea and tick treatments and provided overall wellness checks to pets in need. During their appointment, pet parents also received a low-cost spay or neuter voucher, learned the importance of routine veterinary care and were informed about local veterinary resources available to them.

When pets are healthy, their people are healthier and happier, and the human-animal bond is strengthened on both sides of the leash, said Dr. Mike McFarland, chief medical officer at Zoetis. Thats why were committed to expanding access to veterinary care as part of our support in communities around the world.

In conjunction with Junes Pet Preparedness Month, clinic attendees also learned how to create a pet preparedness kit which is a vital resource to have on hand as hurricane season approaches. Pet parents also received supplies of medicines including Simparica flea and tick treatment, courtesy of Zoetis.





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About American Humane

American Humane is the countrys first national humane organization and the worlds largest certifier of animal welfare, overseeing the humane treatment of more than one billion animals across the globe each year. Founded in 1877, American Humane has been First to Serve the cause of animals and for 145 years has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in the humane movement. For more information or to support our lifesaving work, please visit www.AmericanHumane.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our channel on YouTube for the latest breaking news and features about the animals with whom we share our Earth.

About Zoetis

As the worlds leading animal health company, Zoetis is driven by a singular purpose: to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. After 70 years innovating ways to predict, prevent, detect, and treat animal illness, Zoetis continues to stand by those raising and caring for animals worldwide, from livestock farmers to veterinarians and pet owners. The companys leading portfolio and pipeline of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and technologies make a difference in over 100 countries. A Fortune 500 company, Zoetis generated revenue of $7.8 billion in 2021 with approximately 12,100 employees. For more, visit www.zoetis.com

Attachments
Atlanta, GA, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To kick off the July 4th holiday weekend, Camp Southern Ground, founded by GRAMMY Award-winning artist Zac Brown, is launching a 74 Hour Challenge to raise funding for their veteran and military camp sessions.

For those who've served to protect our nation's freedom, their battle doesn't end when they return home. As challenging as military life can be, for many veterans and their families, the transition to life after service and the accompanying loss of purpose many veterans feel can often be an even bigger challenge. On top of that reality, the isolation and loneliness of the past two years has only increased the risk of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide.

Its our privilege to serve our nations veterans and their families with the training required to live great and fulfilling lives at home, says Mike Dobbs, Camp Southern Ground President and CEO. Each of our Warrior programs start with a high-touch week at Camp, and we remain connected with our veterans in the months that follow as they continue their journey from struggle to strength.

Camp Southern Ground supports veteran mental health and wellbeing with two programs. Warrior Week and Warrior PATHH, served at no cost to participants, help provide post-9/11 veterans the tools, training, and community they need to thrive in life after service. Both programs start with a week-long immersive experience at Camp Southern Ground.

Camp Southern Ground also supports military families with Summer Camp scholarships and Veteran Family Camp. A military familys unique and challenging situation may include multiple deployments, suicide, traumatic injuries, and mental health issues, causing even the most loving families to struggle. Military camper scholarships and Veteran Family Camps provide additional experiences to ensure the whole family has the tools for success at home.

Supported by generous partners, Tanger Outlets and Operation Hat Trick, this 74 Hour Challenge aims to honor our nation, our freedom, and those who fought to protect it. In addition to donating, Camp Southern Ground invites you to post your Fourth of July gatherings, run, rucks and reunions on social media with hashtag #ToastandPostForFreedom. With your support, Camp Southern Ground will be able to give more veterans the tools, training, and community they need to make tomorrow better.

Visit campsouthernground.org/74hours to donate today and help the men and women who served our nation and their families. In addition to supporting a great cause, every supporter who donates will be entered to win a Zac Brown signed guitar.

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About Camp Southern Ground:

In 2011, with the belief his musical talent was given for the purpose of putting more good into the world, Zac Brown purchased 400 acres of pastoral land in Fayetteville, Georgia, about 30 miles south of Atlanta, and built Camp Southern Ground, a world-class facility dedicated to serving youth and veterans.

For the majority of the year, Camp Southern Ground is dedicated to supporting veterans. Warrior Week, their signature workforce and wellness transition program, helps veterans find their new mission in life after military service. Warrior PATHH (Progressive Alternative Training for Helping Heroes), is the nation's first non-clinical program aimed to cultivate and facilitate post traumatic growth among combat veterans struggling with PTSD, depression, anxiety and/or combat stress.

Over the summer, Camp Southern Ground is an inclusive, residential camp serving kids from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, races and religions. Typically developing children and children of military servicemembers come together with children with autism spectrum disorder, learning and attention issues and social or emotional challenges to participate in programs that challenge, educate, and inspire.

Attachments
New York, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Defense Robotics Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05442633/?utm_source=GNW

-Online interactive peer-to-peer collaborative bespoke updates

-Access to our digital archives and MarketGlass Research Platform

-Complimentary updates for one year



Global Defense Robotics Market to Reach $22.4 Billion by 2026



Defense robotics, or military robotics, refers to the unmanned systems designed to execute military functions without the need for physical presence of personnel during military operations. While the interest towards defense robotics remained strong among governments of leading countries since early 20th century, wider rollout of such systems materialized only during the past two decades. Thanks to full-fledged efforts from the governments of the US, Israel, the UK, France and Russia, defense robotics have achieved significant progression from experimental, remote-operated surveillance machines to autonomous technologies capable of executing combat operations. A primary factor steering momentum in the defense robotics domain is the reduced need for human involvement during military operations and subsequently reduced casualties in combat operations. Being mechanical systems powered by digital technologies, defense robotics can penetrate into enemy territories in stealth mode and independently execute given task, thus potentially minimizing casualties that usually occur in conventional manned missions. Further, these advanced systems come with unique attributes such as fatigueless functioning, high precision, support for any type of terrain, continued functioning despite damaging bomb/weapon attacks, and ability to fit into spaces not possible with mechanical systems or humans, which fully recommend their deployment in military applications. Robotics, when inducted into defense forces, seamlessly improve operational performance, efficiency and efficacy of troops in ground, aerial and maritime operations.



Defense robotics are utilized in various forms including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). UAVs, the pilot-less aircraft, constitute the most widely used form of defense robotics. The US has been a pioneer in development of military UAVs, and currently holds a large fleet of UAVs supplementing its military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq & Syria, and other parts of the world. Similarly, UMVs are mostly made available in the form of USVs (or Unmanned Surface Vessels) and UUVs (or Unmanned Underwater Vehicles) and extend superior capabilities to naval forces in maritime operations. On the other hand, UGVs are ground robots designed with wheels or tracks mainly to supplement the on-foot troops in harsh conditions. Whichever robot deployed the purpose remains the same, i.e., supplementing or replacing the personnel in reconnaissance, combat, logistics and other military tasks, while bestowing the warfighter with greater capabilities in battlefield operations.



Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Defense Robotics estimated at US$13.2 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$22.4 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.5% over the analysis period. Human Operated , one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 9.3% CAGR to reach US$15.1 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Autonomous segment is readjusted to a revised 9.9% CAGR for the next 7-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 38.6% share of the global Defense Robotics market.



World market for defense robotics, despite its visible exposure to ongoing COVID-19 crisis, exhibited a moderate level of resilience, as governments continued to maintain or increase their defense and homeland security budgets. Militaries hold a pivotal role in protecting national interests and stay firm for their operations irrespective of consequences. The role of militaries goes beyond safeguarding borders and thwarting invasion attempts to other emergency scenarios like floods, natural disasters and terrorist activity. The COVID-19 health emergency highlighted the significant of militaries and enabled them to assume a central role in the fight against the COVID-19 virus that has left scores of people infected globally. However, the pandemic has also thrown serious challenges for the defense & military sector by disrupting routine operations. Defense robotics markets continued to display relative stability in 2020. Robots have gained importance amid the pandemic for current and future combat, and military actions. In countries such as Russia, while the pandemic led to imposition of certain limitations on the concepts of operations (CONOPS), and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), it had a moderated impact on armed forces training and fighting. The military is moving towards advanced unmanned weapons development.



The U.S. Market is Estimated at $5.3 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $4.5 Billion by 2026



The Defense Robotics market in the U.S. is estimated at US$5.3 Billion in the year 2021. The country currently accounts for a 38.69% share in the global market. China, the world second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of US$4.5 Billion in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 12.1% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 7.2% and 7.8% respectively over the analysis period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 7.5% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach US$5.1 Billion by the close of the analysis period.



In the coming years, demand for defense robotics will continue to expand at a faster pace with a number of factors contributing to increased adoption of these advanced technologies by militaries around the world. Rising emphasis on robotic solutions in command, control, communications and computers (C4); intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR); and battlefield combat operations are consistently fuelling momentum in the defense robotics space. At the same time, growing concerns over rising human casualties in military operations and sustained focus on reducing warfield deaths through advanced strategies are creating strong business case for military robotics. Defense robotics market is sensing large-scale opportunities through ongoing expansion in global defense spending and drive towards military modernization programs among governments, worldwide. On the other hand, progressive improvements in underlying technologies and functional scope of robotic systems are paving way for wider proliferation of defense robotics.



Increasing number of nations are making investments on robotic solutions on the back of growing terrorist and border encroachment activities. About 90 countries have already deployed defense robots in military operations in one form or the other. Future success of defense robotics market would be directed by progressive advancements in sensing technology, computer programming, communication capabilities, and material science, which would help defense robotics to refine their functionality, performance, efficiency and effectiveness to attract wider audience. Advancements in key parameters such as integration, interoperability, commonality and affordability, and full-scale warfield readiness would also play important role in global adoption of defense robotics. With such robots projected to be the ultimate weapons in the future battleground, military bodies around the world are making heavy investments in research and development of weapon systems that are increasingly automated. However, automated weapons require human intervention in the form of inputs at certain points to avoid targets within areas of restricted fire as per the laws of the Geneva Conventions. This limitation prevents automated weapons from being fully autonomous.



By Type, Airborne Segment to Reach $15.2 Billion by 2026



Global market for Airborne (Type) segment is estimated at US$8.9 Billion in 2020, and is projected to reach US$15.2 Billion by 2026 reflecting a compounded annual growth rate of 9.6% over the analysis period. The United States constitutes the largest regional market for Airborne segment, accounting for 40.2% of the global sales in 2020. China is poised to register the fastest compounded annual growth rate of 12.3% over the analysis period, to reach US$3.3 Billion by the end of the analysis period.

Select Competitors (Total 110 Featured) -

AeroVironment, Inc.

BAE Systems plc

Boeing Company

Boston Dynamics

Elbit Systems Ltd.

General Atomics

General Dynamics Corporation

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Oceaneering International, Inc.

QinetiQ Group plc

Saab AB

Textron Inc.

Thales Group







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05442633/?utm_source=GNW



I. METHODOLOGY



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW

Influencer Market Insights

World Market Trajectories

Impact of Covid-19 and a Looming Global Recession

2020: A Year of Disruption & Transformation

As the Race between the Virus & Vaccines Intensifies, Where is

the World Economy Headed in 2021?

World Economic Growth Projections (Real GDP, Annual % Change)

for 2020 through 2022

Defense Robotics Exhibits Moderate Level of Resilience

COVID-19-Led Profound Changes in Relation with Technology

Pivots Incorporation of Unmanned Military Systems

Defense Spending Levels Influence Market Growth

Global Defense Spending in 2020

Defense Spending Trends Set Demand Dynamics for Defense

Robotics: Military Expenditure Worldwide in US$ Billion for

the Years 2010 through 2020

Leading Countries Ranked by Defense Budgets in US$ Billion for

2020

Leading Countries Ranked by Defense Budgets in US$ Billion for

2020

Armed Forces Stay on Course to Hone Military Robots for Combats

despite COVID-19

Defense Robotics - Global Key Competitors Percentage Market

Share in 2022 (E)

Competitive Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial for

Players Worldwide in 2022 (E)

Robots: An Introductory Prelude

Global Robots Market by End-Use Sector (in %): 2020

Defense Robotics: The Unmanned Systems for Military Applications

Classification of Defense Robots

Major Applications

Developing Regions: Hot Spots for Future Growth

Market Outlook

Myriad Benefits Offered Enhance Market Prospects

Regional Overview

The US: Key Revenue Contributor

New Robotic Equipment Developments for the US Military

US Funding Requests for UAV Programs for Financial Year 2022

The U.S. Navy Emphasizes Distributed Fleet Architecture

DoD Funding in FY2021 Defense Budget for Unmanned Systems

Europe

UK

Germany

Russia: Increasing Focus on AI-Equipped Military Robots

Developing Regions: Hot Spots for Future Growth

China: A High Potential Market for Defense Robotics

New R&D Projects to Drive Future Growth

List of Military UACVs & UAVs in China

India

India to Procure US-made Predator Drones

Competitive Scenario

Recent Market Activity



2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Ever-Hostile Geopolitical Scenario & Relentless Quest for

Military Supremacy to Sustain Spending on Military UAVs

Military Expenditure as a % of GDP in Select Countries: 2020

Rapidly Evolving Role of UAVs in Border Security Programs Bodes

Well

Increase in Global Terrorism & the Ensuing Growing Security

Concerns to Drive UAV Deployments

Number of Terrorist Attacks Worldwide for the Period 2011-2019

Continued Threat of Terrorism Drives the Focus on Surveillance

as Counterterrorism Response: Global Number of Fatalities Due

to Terrorist Attacks: 2012-2019

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Drive Momentum in Defense

Robotics Market

Global Aerial Drone Market by Application (2020): Percentage

Breakdown of Dollar Spending for Civilian and Defense Sector

MALE & HALE UAVs Suffice Military Needs in Long-Range Tactical

Missions

Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV): Strong Potential Ahead

US Army Prepares to Conduct Soldier Assessment of RCV

Prototypes in 2022

Autonomous, Smart Military Robots Set to Operate along Real

Warfighters

Killer Robots: The Risks

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) Enable Seamless Efficiency in

Ground Operations

Robotic Arms Enhance the Functionality of UGVs

New Line of Ground Robots to Widen Market Prospects of UGVs

Unmanned Marine Vehicles (UMVs) Gain Critical Interest in

Maritime Operations

USVs Seek Bigger Role in Maritime Operations

New Capabilities for Diverse Missions Drive USV Adoption

UUVs Make Steady Progress

Global ROVs Market by Application (2021): Percentage Breakdown

of Dollar Spending for Military, Oil & Gas and Other Offshore

Applications, and Research

Solar Powered UAV Elicit Increasing Interest Worldwide

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Steps In to Add Next Generation

Capabilities

AIs Growing Prominence in Military Applications Boosts

Opportunities: Global AI in Military Market (In US$ Billion)

for the Years 2019, 2021, 2023, 202 5 & 2027

ML and AI Facilitate Autonomy of Unmanned Vehicles

Use of Robots for Reconnaissance Operations Gains Momentum as

Age of Connected Battlefield & Network Centric Warfare

Strategies Make C4ISR the Backbone of Modern Military

Operations

Rise in Integration of Weapons Systems into Robots

AI Application in Weapon Systems Raises Ethical Questions

AUV Drive Growth in UUV Segment

Global AUVs Market by Application (2021): Percentage Breakdown

of Dollar Spending for Commercial, Military and Research

Drone Swarm Technology Gains Pace

Recent Developments in Defense Robotics Research

US Army Pushes for Stronger Divisions, Smaller Brigades, and

More Robots



4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

Table 1: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan,

China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 2: World Historic Review for Defense Robotics by

Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and

% CAGR



Table 3: World 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of

World Markets for Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 4: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Human

Operated by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,

Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2020 through

2027 and % CAGR



Table 5: World Historic Review for Human Operated by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and

Rest of World Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in

US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 6: World 11-Year Perspective for Human Operated by

Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of

World for Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 7: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Autonomous by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,

Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2020 through

2027 and % CAGR



Table 8: World Historic Review for Autonomous by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and

Rest of World Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in

US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 9: World 11-Year Perspective for Autonomous by Geographic

Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,

Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World for Years

2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 10: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Airborne by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,

Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2020 through

2027 and % CAGR



Table 11: World Historic Review for Airborne by Geographic

Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and

Rest of World Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in

US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 12: World 11-Year Perspective for Airborne by Geographic

Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,

Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World for Years

2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 13: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Marine by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China,

Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2020 through

2027 and % CAGR



Table 14: World Historic Review for Marine by Geographic Region -

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of

World Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 15: World 11-Year Perspective for Marine by Geographic

Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,

Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World for Years

2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 16: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Land

by Geographic Region - USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe,

Asia-Pacific and Rest of World Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2020 through 2027 and

% CAGR



Table 17: World Historic Review for Land by Geographic Region -

USA, Canada, Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of

World Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 18: World 11-Year Perspective for Land by Geographic

Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for USA, Canada,

Japan, China, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World for Years

2016, 2021 & 2027



III. MARKET ANALYSIS



UNITED STATES

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in the United States for 2022 (E)

Table 19: USA Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 20: USA Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode Of

Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 21: USA 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by Mode

Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Human

Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 22: USA Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 23: USA Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 24: USA 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by Type -

Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine and

Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



CANADA

Table 25: Canada Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 26: Canada Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode

Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 27: Canada 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 28: Canada Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 29: Canada Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 30: Canada 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine

and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



JAPAN

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in Japan for 2022 (E)

Table 31: Japan Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 32: Japan Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode Of

Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 33: Japan 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 34: Japan Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 35: Japan Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 36: Japan 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine

and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



CHINA

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in China for 2022 (E)

Table 37: China Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 38: China Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode Of

Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 39: China 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 40: China Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 41: China Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 42: China 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine

and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



EUROPE

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in Europe for 2022 (E)

Table 43: Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy,

UK and Rest of Europe Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual

Sales in US$ Million for Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 44: Europe Historic Review for Defense Robotics by

Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK and Rest of

Europe Markets - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 45: Europe 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

France, Germany, Italy, UK and Rest of Europe Markets for Years

2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 46: Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 47: Europe Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode

Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 48: Europe 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 49: Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 50: Europe Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 51: Europe 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine

and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



FRANCE

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in France for 2022 (E)

Table 52: France Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 53: France Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode

Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 54: France 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 55: France Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 56: France Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 57: France 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine

and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



GERMANY

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in Germany for 2022 (E)

Table 58: Germany Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 59: Germany Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode

Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 60: Germany 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 61: Germany Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 62: Germany Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 63: Germany 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine

and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



ITALY

Table 64: Italy Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 65: Italy Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode Of

Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 66: Italy 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 67: Italy Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for

Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 68: Italy Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 69: Italy 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by

Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine

and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



UNITED KINGDOM

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in the United Kingdom for 2022 (E)

Table 70: UK Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Defense

Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 71: UK Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Mode Of

Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 72: UK 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by Mode

Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Human

Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 73: UK Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for Defense

Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the Years 2020

through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 74: UK Historic Review for Defense Robotics by Type -

Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis of

Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and %

CAGR



Table 75: UK 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics by Type -

Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne, Marine and

Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



REST OF EUROPE

Table 76: Rest of Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 77: Rest of Europe Historic Review for Defense Robotics

by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 78: Rest of Europe 11-Year Perspective for Defense

Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value

Sales for Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016,

2021 & 2027



Table 79: Rest of Europe Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 80: Rest of Europe Historic Review for Defense Robotics

by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent

Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through

2019 and % CAGR



Table 81: Rest of Europe 11-Year Perspective for Defense

Robotics by Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Airborne, Marine and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



ASIA-PACIFIC

Defense Robotics Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial -

Key Competitors in Asia-Pacific for 2022 (E)

Table 82: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 83: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 84: Asia-Pacific 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics

by Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



Table 85: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 86: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Defense Robotics by

Type - Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and

% CAGR



Table 87: Asia-Pacific 11-Year Perspective for Defense Robotics

by Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for Airborne,

Marine and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



REST OF WORLD

Table 88: Rest of World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Defense Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and

Autonomous - Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$

Million for the Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 89: Rest of World Historic Review for Defense Robotics by

Mode Of Operation - Human Operated and Autonomous Markets -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years

2016 through 2019 and % CAGR



Table 90: Rest of World 11-Year Perspective for Defense

Robotics by Mode Of Operation - Percentage Breakdown of Value

Sales for Human Operated and Autonomous for the Years 2016,

2021 & 2027



Table 91: Rest of World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for Defense Robotics by Type - Airborne, Marine and Land -

Independent Analysis of Annual Sales in US$ Million for the

Years 2020 through 2027 and % CAGR



Table 92: Rest of World Historic Review for Defense Robotics by

Type - Airborne, Marine and Land Markets - Independent Analysis

of Annual Sales in US$ Million for Years 2016 through 2019 and

% CAGR



Table 93: Rest of World 11-Year Perspective for Defense

Robotics by Type - Percentage Breakdown of Value Sales for

Airborne, Marine and Land for the Years 2016, 2021 & 2027



IV. COMPETITION

Total Companies Profiled: 110

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05442633/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
Las Vegas, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CoinAgenda ( www.coinagenda.com ), the premier global conference series connecting blockchain and cryptocurrency investors with startups since 2014, and BitAngels, the leading network of bitcoin and blockchain investors, today announced the ninth annual CoinAgenda Global conference will be held at Circa Resort in Las Vegas on October 21-23 and the sixth annual CoinAgenda Caribbean will be hosted December 5-7 during Puerto Rico Blockchain Week in one of the cryptocurrency hubs of the world, Puerto Rico. CoinAgenda Caribbean will be hosted at the Fairmont hotel with special locations for parties and dinners. Tickets are available on the event page . Tickets provide a VIP experience for all attendee, with access to sessions, networking, and exclusive parties. CoinAgenda will accept crypto payments, in addition to offering discounted tickets for locals.



Confirmed Speakers for CoinAgenda Global include:

Bobby Lee , Founder & CEO of Ballet

, Founder & CEO of Ballet Vinny Lingham , Partner at Multicoin; Co-founder & CEO of Civic; Founder of Waitroom

, Partner at Multicoin; Co-founder & CEO of Civic; Founder of Waitroom Trevor Koverko , Co-founder & CEO of Polymath; Founder of Matador

, Co-founder & CEO of Polymath; Founder of Matador Miko Matsumura , General Partner at Gumi Crypto Capital

, General Partner at Gumi Crypto Capital Dennis Jarvis, CEO of Bitcoin.com





Confirmed Speakers for CoinAgenda Caribbean include:

Jarred Kenna , Founder & CEO, 20Mission

, Founder & CEO, 20Mission Reeve Collins , Co-founder & CEO, BLOCKv

, Co-founder & CEO, BLOCKv Anthony Di Iorio, Founder and CEO, Decentral; Co-founder, Ethereum





The three day event will include extensive thought-leadership panels such as: A Decentralized Future, Web3 Gaming, Web3 Paradigms in Hollywood, Drivers of Change in Asset Management, The Future of Trading Digital Assets, Navigating Regulation for Blockchain Implementation and Development, Countering Risk in a Bear Market, Metaverses as New Jurisdictions, Investing in Web 3.0 and DAOs and Leveraging communities to find Alpha.

Even in a bear market, 2022 has been crucial in the mainstreaming of digital asset adoption and investing, said Michael Terpin, CoinAgenda organizer. A great way to learn more about investment trends and opportunities in this increasingly complex, yet lucrative, sector is to participate in one of the CoinAgenda blockchain investor events.

The conference will also feature a startup contest (in collaboration with BitAngels ) where a mix of angel and VC investments (as well as tokens trading on exchanges) will pitch in a Demo Day environment to an audience of VCs, crypto funds, family offices, media and other strategic partners. Upon completion of the presentations and by judges votes, one winner will be announced and will walk away with a marketing package (valued up to $10,000).

As the premier blockchain investor conference, CoinAgenda will conclude each day with a networking event allowing speakers, sponsors and attendees to mingle at high-end venues. More speakers will be announced, be sure to get your early bird ticket before July 31 to save on tickets.

To purchase tickets for CoinAgenda Global, visit: https://bit.ly/38C653f



To purchase tickets for CoinAgenda Caribbean, visit: https://bit.ly/3QSOiWB

For more information regarding CoinAgenda, visit www.coinagenda.com or email contact@layer1events.com .

ABOUT COINAGENDA

CoinAgenda (www.coinagenda.com) has been the leading global conference series since 2014, connecting professional investors, traders, family offices and digital currency funds with top entrepreneurs in the blockchain, cryptocurrency and Web3 sectors. CoinAgenda is an experience that allows all attendees to meet, mingle and get to know the leading thought leaders, entrepreneurs and investors in the sector, including memorable parties at unique locations. Its the most exclusive investor conference series in the blockchain world.

Connect with CoinAgenda:

Instagram Twitter Facebook Telegram LinkedIn



ABOUT LAYER1 EVENTS

Layer1 Events (www.layer1events.com) is a multifaceted approach to blockchain events and marketing. Through various event series offerings, Layer1 Events provide individuals and projects options to meet their goals including Brand Awareness, Funding, Community Building, Lead-Gen, and Education. Layer1 Events include CoinAgenda, BitAngels, Satoshi Salon, NFT Carnival, and Blockchain 2023.

To learn more about Layer1 Events, visit www.layer1events.com .

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MEDIA CONTACT:

contact (at) layer1events.com
































Companies Mentioned in the Report: Cemex, Ready Mix USA, Norwalk Concrete Industries, Livingstons Concrete Service, R. W. Sidley, Petersen Mfg. Co., Leesburg Concrete Co., JE Tomes & Associates, Beckman Brothers, Revels Block & Brick Co., The Don Chapin Co., D.S. Brown Co., Colas, Martin Marietta, MDU Resources Group, CRH (Oldcastle), Vulcan Materials, Buzzi Unicem, Votorantim Cimentos, HeidelbergCement (Lehigh Hanson), Argos USA



NEW YORK, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IndexBox has just published a new report: 'U.S.  Ready-Mixed Concrete - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights'. Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

U.S. Ready-Mixed Concrete Market Statistics

Imports 75.6 Million USD Exports 67.7 Million USD Top Foreign Suppliers Canada, Mexico, Germany Top Export Destination Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic

The U.S. market for ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortars was estimated at $30.6B in 2021. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs and intermediaries' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). Overall, the total consumption indicated a perceptible increase from 2011 to 2021: its value increased at an average annual rate of +1.6%. REQUEST FREE DATA

U.S. Ready-Mixed Concrete Exports

In 2021, overseas shipments of ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortars were finally on the rise to reach 152K tonnes after two years of decline. In general, total exports indicated moderate growth from 2011 to 2021: its volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.8%. REQUEST FREE DATA

In value terms, exports skyrocketed to $68M in 2021. Overall, total exports indicated a buoyant increase: its value increased at an average annual rate of +3.8% over the last decade. REQUEST FREE DATA

Exports by Country

Canada (63K tonnes), Mexico (36K tonnes) and Bahamas (4.8K tonnes) were the main destinations of exports of ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortars from the United States, with a combined 68% share of total volume. These countries were followed by Australia, the Dominican Republic, Spain, Cayman Islands, Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands and Curacao, which together accounted for a further 16%.

In value terms, Canada ($38M) remains the key foreign market for ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortar exports from the United States, comprising 56% of total supplies. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Mexico ($7.4M), with an 11% share of total exports. It was followed by the Dominican Republic, with a 4.2% share.

From 2011 to 2021, the average annual growth rate of value to Canada stood at +4.9%. Exports to the other major destinations recorded the following average annual rates of exports growth: Mexico (+6.7% per year) and the Dominican Republic (+14.9% per year).

Export Prices by Country

The average export price for ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortars stood at $446 per tonne in 2021, with an increase of 4.8% against the previous year. There were significant differences in the average prices for the major export markets. In 2021, the country with the highest price was Aruba ($640 per tonne), while the average price for exports to Spain ($52 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. From 2011 to 2021, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was recorded for supplies to Aruba (+8.2%), while the prices for the other major destinations experienced more modest paces of growth.

U.S. Ready-Mixed Concrete Imports

In 2021, purchases abroad of ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortars was finally on the rise to reach 145K tonnes after two years of decline. Overall, imports posted perceptible growth over the past decade.

In value terms, imports soared to $76M in 2021. In general, total imports indicated strong growth from 2011 to 2021: its value increased at an average annual rate of +4.0%.

Imports by Country

In 2021, Canada (113K tonnes) constituted the largest supplier of ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortar to the United States, with a 78% share of total imports. Moreover, purchases from Canada exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest supplier, Mexico (24K tonnes), fivefold.

In value terms, Canada ($63M) constituted the largest supplier of ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortar to the United States, comprising 83% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Mexico ($5.9M), with a 7.8% share of total supplies.

From 2011 to 2021, the average annual rate of growth in terms of value from Canada and Mexico totaled +9.0% and +4.7% per year respectively.

Import Prices by Country

The average import price for ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortars stood at $521 per tonne in 2021, increasing by 7.4% against the previous year. There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major supplying countries. In 2021, the country with the highest price was Germany ($612 per tonne), while the price for Mexico ($247 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. From 2011 to 2021, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Mexico (+6.3%), while the prices for the other major suppliers experienced mixed trend patterns.

About IndexBox

IndexBox is a market research firm developing an AI-driven market intelligence platform that helps business analysts find actionable insights and make data-driven decisions. The platform provides data on consumption, production, trade, and prices for more than 10K+ different products across 200 countries.

For more information, please visit

Website https://www.indexbox.io

Twitter https://twitter.com/indexbox

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/IndexBox

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/indexbox-marketing/

Product Coverage

Ready-mixed concrete and factory-made mortars.

Related Links

Ready-Mixed Concrete Market

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Concrete Pump Market

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Natural Sand Market
HOUSTON, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dukes Venezuela Food, the neighborhood favorite Venezuelan restaurant in Katy, Texas, is proud to announce the launch of its new website www.dukes-tx.com. The website has been re-designed and restructured with the user in mind. It is mobile-friendly and has a clean, colorful, and easy-to-use interface. LV Branding, a reputable Branding and Marketing Agency in Houston, Texas, oversaw the Communication Strategy and User Experience Design for Duke's Venezuelans and American Food's new website.

"We've listened to our client and designed this site to be more useful and easier to navigate. The website has been designed to make it easier for customers to place orders and contribute their reviews of the food and services. This is especially important for Dukes Venezuelan Food since the restaurant features a menu filled with authentic family recipes that are prepared fresh," said Luis Velasquez, Communications Strategist, Branding Specialist, and CEO at LV Branding.

The new website offers the same menu items and deliciousness inside the restaurant while offering delivery and online ordering. In addition to the recent changes, Dukes Venezuelan Food also offers catering services to bring their food to events.

"Delicious and authentic Venezuelan food and friendly service is what we are known for. So, we wanted our customers to enjoy a great experience when they come to our site as well," said Fabian and Fabiola Duque, "The Fabis," Founders at Dukes Venezuelan Food.

They also said, "As a family-owned and -operated restaurant, we take pride in offering delicious, authentic, and heartwarming Venezuelan food. Now, placing an order for pick-up or having Dukes deliver to you is easier than ever."

The owners - natives from Venezuela - worked hard to create a menu that would be a hit with the whole family. Their authentic and traditional recipes were made using their family's tried and true cooking methods. Dukes Venezuelan Food's dishes are prepared with fresh ingredients to ensure quality and taste. Dukes Venezuelan Food is a restaurant that wants to share their culture's food with everyone who walks through its doors.

Dukes Venezuelan Food's new slogan - "A Royal Experience in Each Bite"- is about to change how Venezuelans and non-Venezuelans see Venezuelan food. The restaurant's mission is to provide the highest quality of Venezuelan food dishes with care and passion for ensuring that all customers enjoy each bite as if they were in Venezuela.

The site offers many features, such as a simple and easy-to-use interface, full menu, online account management, robust search capabilities, and plenty of ways to contact the restaurant.

Dukes Venezuelan Food also uses social media to connect with customers and has an active presence on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Yelp.

If you want to know more about their menu and location, please visit www.dukes-tx.com, and follow them on social media @Dukes.tx on Instagram and Facebook.

Phone: +1 (832) 328.8482

Email: press@lvbranding.net

Related Images











Image 1: Dukes' New Website









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
Linthicum, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NFM Lending is pleased to honor Sergeant First Class Joe Dulmage, USA, as the NFM Salute for July 2022.

Dulmage grew up around Veteranshis grandfather, uncle, and great uncle all served in the military. Hearing the stories of their service and heroism planted the seed that led him to join the U.S. Army in 1999.

Dulmage initially joined the military, intending to work in communications. However, in 2001, he applied to become a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, the elite Green Berets. For him, the Green Berets offered a more challenging, competitive, team-driven, and liberating environment than what was standard in the Army. Dulmage was accepted into the program and underwent rigorous training over a 2-year period. Because Special Forces operate with unconventional warfare, it was essential for Dulmage and his team to prepare for any situation at any time.

"The selection process was roughly a month, and it's really physical," he described. "They do different tasks that you have to navigate through, but essentially after that month-long period, you get selected to join. The training program for me in the pipeline was right around 2 years, and that includes collective group training, so you're learning your basic tactics. Once you pass that, you go into the individualized trainings." Dulmage completed medical training for his role as a combat medic.

In his career, Dulmage has deployed multiple times to South America and the Middle East. He has participated in a range of special operations missions worldwide. He was awarded the Purple Heart after sustaining shrapnel injuries from a mortar attack on his camp while in the Middle East.

With 23 years of service under his belt, Dulmage is preparing to retire soon. He already has career plans for his post-military life, including becoming a certified physician assistant and self-defense teacher. The leadership abilities he gained while in the Special Forces will undoubtedly benefit him as he transitions into civilian life. "I learned a lot about creating a culture for a team," Dulmage reflected. "So just kind of being on the same operating picture, trying to get all the guys to buy into the same essential goals that we all have. Teams have their own personalities, and it's important to maintain that culture and build it."

Dulmage lives in Pinehurst, NC, with his wife, Karen, and their children.

The NFM Salute is an initiative in which one military member or Veteran is honored as the "Salute of the Month." Salutes are chosen from nominations on the NFM Salute website, www.nfmsalute.com. The "Salute of the Month" is featured on the website with a biography and information about their service. NFM Lending will donate to a nonprofit in the Salute's name. NFM Lending is proud to present $1,250 to Sandhills Habitat for Humanity and the Rick Herrema Foundation in honor of Dulmage. NFM looks forward to the opportunity to continue to honor military service members and Veterans through the NFM Salute initiative.

About NFM Lending

NFM Lending is a mortgage lending company currently licensed in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998. NFM Lending and its family of companies includes Main Street Home Loans, BluPrint Home Loans, Freedmont Mortgage Group, Elevate Home Loans, and Element Home Loans. They attribute their success in the mortgage industry to their steadfast commitment to customers and the community. For more information about NFM Lending, visit www.nfmlending.com, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Instagram.

Media Contact az@kisspr.com
: bunana11 (bunana), : AsiaNews

 : guowengui

: BBS  (Fri Jul 1 00:58:13 2022, )



After so many years, Guo Wengui, who has done all the bad things, has been

under siege and suppression in various ways, his paintings have been

uncovered, his underwear has been stripped, fewer and fewer people have been

deceived, and more and more creditors. Guo Wengui, who was under great

pressure, was unable to sustain his skills, so he had no choice but to make

a fuss about bragging about hot topics, dressing himself up as a living

Bodhisattva and savior who was compassionate and compassionate, boasting all

over the world that he saved this and that. Benggui thought that others

couldn't remember the bulls he bragged about and the fakes he made, but

unfortunately today is different from the past. As an Internet celebrity and

weirdo in the liar world, Guo Wengui probably neglected that the Internet

has memories. What I said yesterday, the cows that blow it will be recorded

clearly and plainly. Guo Wengui rented a plane with millions of dollars to

save people in Afghanistan, and supporting Hong Kong with hundreds of

millions to save people is a complete bullshit and a lie. Now going to

Ukraine to rescue has proved to be a complete farce. He really responded, "I

would rather believe that there are ghosts in the world than Guo Wengui's

rude mouth." Guo Wengui's bragging and rhetoric, the fundamental purpose is

to wrap himself up and attract the cerebral palsy little ant to continue to

give himself blood transfusion to delay his already decaying body ,

delusional doomsday to come later. However, those who should come must come

back, and all kinds of fakes of the plague turtle can only be in vain and

wasted effort. And now it has attracted the condemnation of other volunteers

, and the good days of the deceptive tortoise are coming to an end.

--

 :WWW  mitbbs.com [FROM: 43.]


LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. (CSE: TAAT) (OTCQX: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP) (the Company or TAAT) is pleased to provide a detailed overview of its financial outlook, strategic priorities, and organizational alignment for the remainder of calendar 2022 as well as the calendar year of 2023, in addition to formal guidance with respect to its forecasted revenue and sales. The Company recently built upon the 2,700-store U.S. footprint of its flagship product TAAT through the acquisition of an Ohio-based tobacco and convenience distributor with access to over 5,000 Ohio retailers in addition to three owned storefronts. Furthermore, with a robust sales pipeline curated over 60 years of operation, the distributors cash flow is expected to fortify the Companys overall revenues long-term. The Company also continues to realize numerous benefits from the Version III (V3) formulation of the Beyond Tobacco formulation of TAAT, including greater satisfaction of adult smokers as well as manufacturing-related efficiencies with respect to cost and production velocity.



Highlights of TAAT Forecasts for 2022 and 2023

The Company is now positioned to generate substantial revenue growth attributable to its acquisition of HLND Holdings, Inc. (HLND); parent entity of ADCO Distributors, Inc. (ADCO), as announced in a press release dated May 20, 2022 ;

; The Company anticipates approximately CAD $88,000,000 in sales between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023;

Repeat orders (reorders) of TAAT, which comprised over 54% of the Companys gross revenue in its Fiscal Q2 2022 (as detailed in its June 29, 2022 press release), are expected to continue at a steady pace as the Company attentively services its existing accounts while diligently capturing new market share;

press release), are expected to continue at a steady pace as the Company attentively services its existing accounts while diligently capturing new market share; To exploit its recently acquired distribution capabilities, the Company plans to expand the scope of its offerings beyond TAAT Original, Smooth, and Menthol, with the objective of also becoming a global player in non-traditional smokable and non-smokable products; and

Working towards a goal of shifting its model from being product-centric to brand-centric, the Company expects to benefit considerably from its enhanced management capabilities between ADCO executive team members as well as the addition of 20-year global tobacco industry veteran Michael Saxon as CEO of TAAT (announced in a press release dated June 20, 2022 ).



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d10c6f58-9562-48de-9ed7-be935450c62f

Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access SEDAR or the Investor Relations section of the Companys website for a version of this press release containing all published media.

TAAT Strategic Plan Action Items for 2022 and 2023

The Company will continue to commercialize TAAT as a category-creating brand for nicotine-free and tobacco-free options suiting the preferences of adult smokers, capitalizing on its early-mover advantage in the emerging area of alternatives to traditional tobacco products;

TAAT plans to broaden its domestic distribution in the United States through its newly acquired distribution arm in addition to leveraging its placements in convenience stores and gas stations in major national and global chains to introduce TAAT into additional brand-name consumer outlets;

To introduce TAAT into new international markets, the Company is continuing to identify prospective expansion opportunities based on attractive market dynamics and receptive regulatory environments; and

Gross product margin is to be maximized with continued emphasis on enhanced technologies, more expansive and efficient distribution networks, as well as the advanced V3 Beyond Tobacco formulation which is of significantly higher quality and more cost-effective to manufacture.

TAAT Formal Guidance for Revenue and Sales

Anticipated revenues for the Companys fiscal year ending October 31, 2022 are CAD $92,000,000;

Projected loss on operations for the Companys fiscal year ending October 31, 2022 excluding non-cash items is CAD $1,900,000; and

The Company anticipates continued quarterly losses through the remainder of calendar 2022 as it invests heavily in brand-building, distribution, and further development of its nationwide sales network.



TAAT Founder Joe Deighan commented, In the approximately 18 months since TAAT was first launched in the United States, we have established a solid foundation through strong execution of our priorities as well as continued attention to research and development. The advanced formulation of Beyond Tobacco known as V3 has proven exceptionally popular among adult smokers, and we have proactively taken steps to replace inventory of TAAT made with previous iterations, thus ensuring that V3 is as widely available as possible. Our acquisition of ADCO provides us more than just distribution bandwidth, which is to say that we can obtain priceless feedback and various types of insights (whether qualitative or quantitative) to continuously evaluate the performance of a given product on the market, and shape our business decisions accordingly to drive sell-through and long-term brand equity. Perhaps most exciting, we are branching out into segments that complement our core offerings, such as TAAT heat-not-burn as well as a zero-hemp formulation of Beyond Tobacco that can enable us to commercialize TAAT more broadly at a global level. We anticipate great outcomes in the rest of 2022 and throughout 2023, and are keen to continue with actively commercializing TAAT as a better alternative to legacy tobacco products.

To provide further detail with respect to the matters described in this press release, on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 at 4:15 pm Eastern time (1:15 pm Pacific time) the Company will be hosting a public teleconference with Chief Executive Officer Michael Saxon and Chief Financial Officer Joel Dumaresq. Questions must be submitted in advance and can be sent by email to investor@taatglobal.com . Please be advised that questions regarding certain proprietary, competitive, or confidential information in addition to any forward-looking insights or speculation will not be addressed by Mr. Saxon or Mr. Dumaresq during this session. To register as an attendee of the Companys July 6, 2022 teleconference, please click or tap on the following link: https://services.choruscall.ca/links/taatglobalalternatives202207.html

Potential attendees of the Company's teleconference may access the event online through the Chorus Call platform using the link above. For parties who cannot attend through this channel, telephone access is available as an accommodation upon request. Please contact TAAT Investor Relations for more information.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC.

Joe Deighan

Joe Deighan, COO and Director

For further information, please contact:

TAAT Investor Relations

1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872)

investor@taatglobal.com

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE, NOR HAS OR DOES THE CSES REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER.

About TAAT Global Alternatives Inc.

TAAT develops, manufactures, and distributes alternative products in categories to include tobacco, hemp, kratom, and other emerging segments of the CPG industry. Its flagship product is a nicotine-free, tobacco-free cigarette with a patent-pending base material formulation, sold in over 2,700 U.S. stores. With over CAD $80 million in overall net revenue in 2021, TAATs facilities include a manufacturing plant in Nevada, as well as a distribution centre and multiple convenience stores in Ohio.

For more information, please visit http://taatglobal.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the anticipated performance of TAAT in the tobacco industry, in addition to the following: Achievement of certain financial results predicted in the press release, continued performance of TAAT as a product as well as ADCO as a distributor under the Companys ownership and administration, potential outcomes from initiatives and plans discussed in the press release. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco markets; (iii) changes to the regulatory landscape applicable to the Company's business; and (iv) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees.

Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms
NEW YORK, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc. (NYSE: RA) (the Fund) today announced that its Board of Directors (the Board) declared the Funds monthly distributions for July, August and September 2022.



Distribution Declaration

Month Record Date Ex Date Payable Date Amount per Share July 2022 July 13, 2022 July 12, 2022 July 26, 2022 $0.1990 August 2022 August 10, 2022 August 9, 2022 August 25, 2022 $0.1990 September 2022 September 14, 2022 September 13, 2022 September 27, 2022 $0.1990

Shares purchased on or after the ex-distribution date will not receive the distribution discussed above. Please contact your financial advisor with any questions. Distributions may include net investment income, capital gains and/or return of capital (ROC). Any portion of the Funds distributions that is a return of capital does not necessarily reflect the Funds investment performance and should not be confused with yield or income. The tax status of distributions will be determined at the end of the taxable year.*

Brookfield Public Securities Group LLC (PSG) is an SEC-registered investment adviser that represents the Public Securities platform of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., providing global listed real assets strategies including real estate equities, infrastructure equities, energy infrastructure equities, multi-strategy real asset solutions and real asset debt. With approximately $20 billion of assets under management as of May 31, 2022, PSG manages separate accounts, registered funds and opportunistic strategies for financial institutions, public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds and individual investors. PSG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $725 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2022. For more information, go to https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/.

Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc. is managed by PSG. The Fund uses its website as a channel of distribution of material information about the Fund. Financial and other material information regarding the Fund is routinely posted on and accessible at https://publicsecurities.brookfield.com/.

COMPANY CONTACT

Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc.

Brookfield Place

250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10281-1023

(855) 777-8001

publicsecurities.enquiries@brookfield.com

Investing involves risk; principal loss is possible. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

* Distributions include all distribution payments regardless of source and may include net income, capital gains, and/or return of capital (ROC). ROC should not be confused with yield or income. The Fund's Section 19a-1 Notice, if applicable, contains additional distribution composition information and may be obtained by visiting publicsecurities.brookfield.com. Final determination of a distribution's tax character will be made on Form 1099 DIV and sent to shareholders. On a tax basis, as of May 31, 2022, the most recent available figures, the estimated components of the cumulative distributions for the fiscal year to date would include an estimated return of capital of $0.6705 (67.39%) per share for the Fund. This amount is an estimate and the actual amount and sources for tax reporting purposes may change upon final determination of tax characteristics and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. A return of capital is not taxable and results in a reduction in the tax basis of a shareholders investment. The final determination regarding the nature of the distributions will be made after the end of the Funds fiscal year when the Fund can determine its earnings and profits. The final tax status of the distributions may differ substantially and will be made available to shareholders after the close of each calendar year. The proportion of distributions that are treated as taxable distributions may also vary and or increase in future years. The Fund invests in master limited partnerships (MLPs), which are generally treated as partnerships for federal income tax purposes. Distributions from MLPs are estimated as income and return of capital based on information reported by the MLPs and managements estimates of such amounts based on historical information. These estimates are adjusted when the actual source of distributions is disclosed by the MLPs and the actual amounts may differ from the estimated amounts. In setting the Funds distribution policy, PSG and the Funds Board consider a number of factors, including both expected income and distributions received by the Fund and our expectations regarding potential capital appreciation. From time to time the Fund may be over- or under- distributed when taking into account actual income, distributions and net unrealized gains or losses since actual capital appreciation is variable over time. However, our goal is to have a distribution rate that is stable over the long term.

Quasar Distributors, LLC provides filing administration for Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc.
: pear1234 (1234), : Military

 : 

: BBS  (Fri Jul 1 01:19:58 2022, )



cnbc, 



Plasma donation [centers] are advertising $900 for your first month giving

plasma, Analidis Ochoa, a doctoral candidate studying social work and

sociology at the University of Michigan, told CNBC. Then it goes down.

Usually people can make $30 to $50 each time they go.



In most countries, blood donation for compensation is banned, but not in the

United States. So, the U.S. supplies 70% of the worlds plasma, according

to the Niskanen Center.



What myself and colleagues have worked on is mapping out the location of

plasma centers and seeing if theres a correlation between the address of

the center and the poverty level of the area. And what we have found is that

they are, in fact, overrepresented in high-poverty areas, Ochoa said.



She said that plasma donation for compensation is becoming an economic

coping mechanism.



The fact that I got rewarded for donating has kept me donating, because I

couldnt make it otherwise. I couldnt buy gas. I couldnt pay my car

insurance, Teresa Clark, a plasma donor, told CNBC. I can make $650 to $

700 a month ... and that helps a lot when youre on a fixed income.



Watch the video above to learn more about how the weird economy of blood

works, why the U.S. is such a major player and what makes plasma so valuable

.

--

 :WWW  mitbbs.com [FROM: 76.]


Ford has executed a definitive binding full-form offtake agreement with Australia-based Liontown Resources for the supply of up to 150,000 dry metric tonnes (DMT) per annum of spodumene concentratea source of lithium essential in key EV battery chemistries. The spodumene concentrate will come from Liontowns flagship 100%-owned Kathleen Valley Lithium Project in Western Australia for five years.

Ford continues working to source more deeply into the battery supply chain to meet our goals of delivering more than 2 million EVs annually for our customers by 2026. This is one of several agreements were working on to help us secure raw materials to support our plan to deliver EVs for customers around the world and meet our environmental, social and governance commitments. Fords vice president of EV Industrialization, Lisa Drake

The agreement represents Liontowns third and final foundational offtake required to underpin the development of Kathleen Valley marking the culmination of the disciplined execution of its offtake strategy.

Together with the previously announced binding full-form offtake agreements with Tesla (6 June 2022) and LG Energy Solution (2 May 2022), Liontowns total offtake commitments now stand at up to 450,000 DMT per annum of spodumene concentrate, representing approximately 90% of Kathleen Valleys start-up SC6.0 production capacity of ~500 ktpa.





The remaining production from Kathleen Valley is intended to be retained for spot volume sales and/or discrete offtake agreements.

Supply to Ford is expected to commence in 2024, with volumes of 75,000 DMT of spodumene concentrate in year one of operations, increasing to 125,000 DMT in year two and 150,000 DMT for years three to five of the initial five-year term.

Under a separate funding facility, a Ford subsidiary will provide a A$300 million debt facility to Liontown, with the proceeds to be used towards partially funding the development costs of Kathleen Valley. The funding facility, together with the A$463 million raised by Liontown in December 2021, means that Liontown has now secured commitments for the required funds to support the full development of the project through to first production.

The finalization of debt funding, along with completion of foundational offtake arrangements, paves the way for a Final Investment Decision for the project.





Kathleen Valley is a new, globally significant, lithium development project located 680km north-east of Perth in Western Australias premier mining district. Underpinned by a world-class lithium deposit with a Mineral Resource Estimate of 156Mt at 1.4% Li 2 O and 130ppm Ta 2 O 5 , Kathleen Valley is forecast initially to produce ~500 ktpa of SC6.0 spodumene concentrate expanding to ~700 ktpa. The Project also has an integrated and value-adding ESG focus with greater than 60% renewable power supply planned at start-up and a strong working relationship with the Traditional Owners of the land (the Tjiwarl).

Mining will predominately be underground, allowing direct access to higher grade mineralization while minimizing waste and the environmental footprint of the project, Liontown says.

Mined ore will be processed through a Whole of Ore Flotation circuit which will provide an estimated recovery rate of 78% across the mine life and an estimated site recovery for tantalum concentrate of 42%.
The serial production of the BMW i3 has ended, some eight and a half years after it was launched. The BMW i3 (combined power consumption: 16.3 - 15.3 kWh/100 km according to WLTP, 13.1 - 14.0 kWh/100 km according to NEDC) started out as a somewhat exotic specimen on the nascent market for electric vehicles, developed into a classic with unmistakable charisma already in the course of its production period and goes down in the companys history as a pioneer of sustainable mobility.

For the BMW Group Plant Leipzig, the farewell to the BMW i3 is linked to the start of a new chapter in electric mobility. In a seamless transition, further e-drive components will be manufactured there with immediate effect in addition to producing high-voltage battery modules, which is already being done since May 2021.

Next year, the next generation of the MINI Countryman will be manufactured at the same locationwith a fully electric drive, among other things. In this way, the electric mobility expertise of the workforce, which has been built up over the past years, will be used and advanced further. At the same time, the BMW Group Plant Leipzig becomes the first location in the companys global production network where BMW and MINI models are manufactured together.





Just a few days ago, the 250,000 unit of the compact e-vehicle was produced in Leipzig. This makes the BMW i3 the worlds most successful electric vehicle in the premium compact segment. The BMW i3 has been sold in more than 74 countries around the world. In many markets, it achieved a significantly higher market share in the electric vehicle segment than the BMW brand in the area of conventionally powered cars. It also succeeded in inspiring additional target groups in the premium mobility offers from BMW. In the early years, more than 80% of all BMW i3 buyers were new customers for the BMW Group.

The BMW i3s independent vehicle architecture consists of a drive module as an aluminum chassis, which carries the e-drive, the suspension and the high-voltage battery as well as a passenger cell made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) called the life module. This design, developed from the outset for pure e-mobility, made possible a particularly generous amount of space in the interior and a cockpit and center console design.

With its model-specific technology developments, the BMW i3 has also become an innovation driver for the BMW and MINI brands in numerous other areas. The 135 kW/184 hp electric motor of the BMW i3s (power consumption combined: 16.6 - 16.3 kWh/100 km according to WLTP, 14.6 - 14.0 kWh/100 km according to NEDC,) has been delivering urban driving fun and locally emission-free go-kart feeling in MINI style since 2020.

The purely electric MINI Cooper SE (power consumption combined: 17.6 - 15.2 kWh/100 km according to WLTP, 16.9 - 14.9 kWh/100 km according to NEDC) has since become the most popular model variant of the British brand.

Originally developed for the BMW i3, the fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology is now being produced. It is used in numerous purely electric and plug-in hybrid models from BMW and MINI.

In addition to the all-electric drive, the BMW i3s eco-balance also stems from the choice of materials, which is fully geared towards sustainability and resource-conserving production. It was the first BMW Group model to receive an ISO certificate issued by independent auditors at the time of its market launch, confirming its optimized environmental performance throughout its entire life cycle.

Partly recycled raw materials are used for its outer skin made of thermoplastics. The plastic used in the interior is made of 25% recycled material. The textiles used for the seat surfaces are made entirely from recycled fibers. The door panels of the BMW i3 are made of kenaf fibers. Eucalyptus wood from certified cultivation in Europe serves as the raw material for parts of the instrument panel.

The holistic concept for sustainability also includes the extensive use of renewable energy in the production of the BMW i3. Four wind turbines on the site of the BMW Group plant in Leipzig supply the electricity needed for its production. At an early stage, these made the Saxon location a pioneer for CO 2 -neutral vehicle production, which has been standard in all BMW Group plants around the world since last year.

The BMW i3s high-voltage battery has undergone continuous development since its market launch, doubling its storage capacity while retaining the same installation space. With a cell capacity of 120 ampere hours (Ah) and a gross energy content of 42.2 kilowatt hours (kWh), it now enables ranges of up to 307 kilometers (191 miles) according to WLTP.

The high-voltage batteries developed and produced by the BMW Group are used in other areas as well. Examples of this are the Streetscooter vans used by the German postal service and the city buses of the Turkish manufacturer Karsan, as well as motorboats with electric drives of the Torqeedo brand, for which they also serve as a source of energy.

In addition, BMW i high-voltage batteries are used as stationary energy storage systems for electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind or solar power. The BMW Group plant in Leipzig also has such an energy storage farm. It consists of 700 interconnected BMW i3 high-voltage batteries in which the electricity generated by the four wind turbines on the plant site can be stored.
China, ASEAN form indivisible security community: spokesperson

Xinhua) 09:49, July 01, 2022

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China and ASEAN are an indivisible security community, a Chinese defense spokesperson said Thursday.

Tan Kefei, the spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks when commenting on the 13th China-ASEAN Defense Ministers' Informal Meeting held via video link on June 22.

The ASEAN appreciated China's respect for its key role in regional cooperation, and was willing to further strengthen defense and security cooperation with China to jointly maintain regional peace, stability and sustainable development, Tan said.

Noting the progress and achievements on China-ASEAN friendly cooperation over the past 30 years, Tan said the Chinese military is ready to work with ASEAN to further deepen strategic mutual trust, shoulder common responsibility for safeguarding regional security, and work together to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
THE late national hero and Lands and Agriculture minister Perrance Shiris daughter, Rufaro Stephanie is seeking to bar former Attorney-General Sobusa Gula-Ndebele from administering her fathers estate, accusing him of illegally imposing himself as the executor.

Rufaro wants the State to reopen the estate, following irregularities in the execution process, which include the appointment of Gula-Ndebele as the executor.

Gula-Ndebeles administration of the estate has divided the late national heros children, with some being accused of working in cahoots with him to fraudulently benefit from the estate when they were not his biological children.

The divisions have prompted the family to call for a roundtable meeting with parties involved to discuss Shiris estate.

In response to calls for a roundtable meeting, through her lawyers Tapera Muzana and Partners, Rufaro wrote a letter dated May 20, 2022 demanding to know the agenda of the meeting before she agrees to attend.

We refer to the above matter and your letter dated May 5, 2022, which was served upon our law firm on May 9, 2022. We forwarded your letter to our client and she advised us to respond as follows: She is kindly asking you to take the issue that we have mutual interest, thus will enable us to prepare all the necessary paperwork before the round table meeting.

Some of Shiris family members doubt the authenticity of the documents that were being used by the Master of the High Court, Eldard Mutasa, to handle Shiris empire.

They claim some documents had forged government letterheads. The matter was reported to the police last year under ER5/2021 for investigation.

Contacted for comment, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he was yet to check the progress on the matter.

I need to check on that, Nyathi said.

Right now, I am in Victoria Fall attending an event.

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) last year also opened another investigation under case reference number HCR 116-09-21 into the alleged illegal sale of the late Shiris assets by his daughters Cynthia and Tatenda, reportedly in connivance with Tawanda Zulu and Stephan Tanaka Musvamhiri, who are listed as children to the late national hero in the overall estate distribution.

Zacc spokesperson John Makamure yesterday confirmed that the investigations were still on.

We confirm that the commission is investigating allegations of sale of assets belonging to the late minister. Investigations are in progress, Makamure said.

Rufaro is challenging the inclusion of Zulu and Musvamhiri on the estate, claiming that their paternity was in dispute.

Rufaro says Gula-Ndebele was his fathers lawyer at the time of his death, raising questions why he was then appointed executor dative and testamentary; that is, an executor who is appointed by the relevant court in cases where a deceased individual did not leave a valid will and, therefore, died intestate.

Its interesting to note that he insists and claims he was my fathers lawyer when everything else suggests he was not and I know he wasnt, Rufaro told NewsDay.

In 20-2014, my late father took Brian Tarisai Kambasha and Hemingworth Cartwright (Pvt) Ltd to court, file record of the case being HH 36-17 CA 270/15, in which my father was represented by the National Prosecuting Authority (State) or had State attorneys representing him. A question to ask (is) where was Mr Sobusa Gula-Ndebele? Certainly, the case was not a State issue, but rather personal, she said.

The case was to do with a contract that was signed for a solar plant installation at Hopedale Farm in Bindura, that was to start off with a 100kVA installation that would later on see the same company installing a 600kVA plant on completion of the project. The second question is: When the contract was signed, where was he and why did my father opt to do the paperwork without a lawyer when he had a lawyer?

She also accused Tatenda and Cynthia of allegedly conniving with Gula-Ndebele to fraudulently administer the late Shiris estate.

Gula-Ndebele, Rufaro said, was reportedly making efforts to frustrate the reopening of the estate, including intimidating her lawyers.

The Master of the High Court should explain how Mr Gula-Ndebele became executor, Rufaro averred.

The two Shiri ladies, Tatenda and Cynthia, are now working in cahoots with Mr Gula-Ndebele. Why would they invite Gula-Ndebele, who was fired from the Attorney-Generals Office under unclear circumstances? Why would they confirm him as executor when they had everything to lose if they entrust their fathers estate to an individual like (that)?

Repeated efforts to get a comment from Gula-Ndebele were in vain because he was not answering calls.

Contacted for comment, Zulu curtly said he was not aware of the row over the estate.

I am not aware of anything, Zulu said and hung up his phone.

Cynthia also said she had no comment on the matter.

Its my first time to hear about this, Cynthia said. I have nothing to say.

But Tanaka insisted that she was Shiris biological daughter and she trusted Gula-Ndebele as the legally appointed executor.

Actually, I am wondering why it has taken so long for this estate to be administered and close the case, Tanaka said.

I am the youngest child of the late minister and his every other child came to the Shiri family the same way I did. I am ready to redo the DNA test to prove that I am his child. However, it is not fair for another child to doubt my paternity when I have not questioned theirs.

We are all equal as his children. I even think that every other child of our father should do DNA tests so that the truth comes out. The matter has been going on for long and there is need for it to be closed. Personally, I am ready to leave the Shiri family if I am not his daughter, but I am very confident of my paternity.

Mutasa allegedly considered Shiris 1995 will in listing the beneficiaries of his estate, where he bequeathed 50% of his bank savings, insurance policies to his now late son Titus and the other half of savings to his children Tatenda and Cynthia Shiri, and all his other children who were yet to be born.

A death notice filed at the Masters Offices indicated that three more children: Zulu, Rufaro and Tanaka were also listed as beneficiaries of Shiris estate.

Rufaro, however, claimed that the late minister had disregarded the will after registering a family trust with her as executor.

She argued that Zulu and Tanaka, whom she alleged only showed up after her fathers death, should not be included in the administration of the estate until the paternity disputes have been resolved.

Both Tanaka and Tawanda are accomplices, Rufaro said. They have no scientific proof to prove their relationship with the late Perrance Shiri and I believe they have been planted in the estate as agents to loot for probably Tatenda and Cynthias benefit in the distribution exercise, so all of them should be arrested. The leadership of this country has made it clear that no one is above the law and there is no room for corruption. Newsday
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CHICAGO (AP)  R. Kelly could be in his 80s before the singer is free again, based on a 30-year prison term imposed this week by a New York federal judge for parlaying his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were children.

And if the 55-year-old loses at three related trials in coming months, he could be staring at decades more behind bars. That prospect, said one of his lawyers not involved in the New York trial, could lead Kelly to pursue a plea deal.

Here's a look at the potential impact of Kellys lengthy prison term in New York on those other cases:

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE CASES?

A federal trial in Chicago is slated to begin next, on Aug. 15. Chicago is Kellys hometown and where many of his accusers live, so interest is expected to be especially intense. Kelly faces charges that he and two co-defendants fixed his state child pornography trial in 2008, when he was acquitted.

The two other cases are state cases: a multiple count sex-abuse case in Cook County, Illinois, where Chicago is located, and a solicitation case in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Both have been on back burners while the federal cases play out. No trial dates are set for either.

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES KELLY PURSUES A PLEA DEAL?

The chances are greater after the sentence handed down in New York, said Steve Greenberg, a longtime Kelly lawyer who represents Kelly in the Cook County case.

I suspect there have been discussions between Kellys federal trial-team lawyers and prosecutors, Greenberg said.

A message seeking comment from Kellys lead attorney in his federal cases, Jennifer Bonjean, was not immediately returned. She said earlier that Kelly would appeal his New York convictions.

Kelly must weigh the likelihood of winning the Chicago federal case against agreeing to a deal that includes more prison time, Greenberg said.

But Greenberg believes the cases against Kelly in Cook County and in Minnesota are far weaker and that Kelly could secure acquittals in those state courts.

WOULD ANOTHER SENTENCE BE ADDED TO THE NEW YORK SENTENCE?

If Kelly is convicted in U.S. District Court in Chicago, his judge could order that Kelly serve that sentence after his New York sentence is complete, said Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago with no tie to Kellys cases.

Turner said he expected prosecutors would ask for such a consecutive sentence but that a judge would most likely impose a concurrent sentence  meaning they would be served simultaneously.

WOULD PROSECUTORS BE OPEN TO A PLEA DEAL?

They could be, if Kelly agrees to take responsibility for the crimes charged.

Kellys attorneys likely would not agree to anything that involves the possibility of extending the 30-year sentence and would only sign a deal that foresees sentences lower than 30 years. They would also want assurances prosecutors wont press for consecutive sentences.

Turner said the advantage to Kelly of a deal ending the prospect of more trials is that his attorneys would be able to turn their full attention to the New York appeal.

Greenberg said there was reason to think Kelly could prevail with that appeal. Turner said it was a long shot. But if that sentence is thrown out, Turner said Kelly would be looking at completing what his lawyers would hope are lower sentences in the other districts.

COULD PROSECUTORS DECIDE TO SIMPLY DROP THE OTHERS CASES?

Chances of that seem slim.

Turner said the typical mindset in U.S. attorneys offices is to remain persistent and aggressive. That attitude has been particularly pronounced when it comes to Kelly.

They want this guy badly, Turner said.

U.S. attorneys offices also effectively have unlimited resources, so the costs and time needed for a trial wont dissuade them, he added.

Turner thought it was more likely that the state cases could be dropped, especially if Kelly is convicted in federal court in Chicago and receives additional prison time.

Their resources are much more limited. They would be spending money they dont have, he said. They have murders and serious crimes to prosecute. They may ask, Why spend (money and time) on Kelly when he is already facing decades behind bars.

WHAT ELSE COULD DRIVE DECISIONS TO PUSH AHEAD WITH OTHER TRIALS?

The possibility that the New York convictions could be overturned is one factor. Kelly could go free immediately if state prosecutors and federal prosecutors in Chicago chose to drop their cases and the New York convictions were overturned.

Prosecutors in the different districts may all see winning convictions and sentences as insurance that Kelly would stay behind bars  even if an appeals court ends up tossing some convictions.

IS THERE ANY REASON FOR KELLY TO PLEAD GUILTY WITH NO DEAL?

Pleading guilty to the remaining charges would mean no more trials. It would lower Kelly's legal bills, which at times he has struggled to pay.

But Kelly would have no assurance that prosecutors wouldnt seek the toughest possible sentences.

Still, he could hold out hope that, by pleading guilty and accepting responsibility, judges would be more inclined to hand him sentences on the lower end of the guidelines.
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP)  The main union for Atlantic City casino workers reached agreements on new contracts with four casinos on Thursday, providing for what one its president called the best contract we've ever had and labor peace that will avoid a strike on Fourth of July weekend, one of the casinos busiest of the year.

Local 54 of the Unite Here union reached tentative agreements with the Borgata, which is owned by MGM Resorts International, and three Caesars Entertainment casinos: Caesars, Harrahs and the Tropicana.

A Sunday strike deadline remains against the Hard Rock casino, but the new pacts appear to greatly increase the likelihood of a deal getting done with Hard Rock as well.

This is the best contract we've ever had, union president Bob McDevitt told The Associated Press shortly after a deal was reached around 11 p.m. We got everything we wanted and everything we needed. The workers delivered a contract that they can be proud of for years to come.

Workers, too, were elated at the deal.

Im super excited, said Ronnette Lark, a housekeeper at Harrahs. I've been here 24 years and weve never gotten a raise like this. We got big raises.

The union did not reveal the terms of the settlement, saying they need to be presented to the full union membership and ratified before taking effect. But it said it had been seeking significant raises to help employees keep pace with rising costs.

Representatives of the four casinos did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the agreements.

The settlements come at a crucial time for Atlantic City and its casino industry, which is striving to recover from losses caused by the pandemic and exacerbated by inflation and a labor shortage.

Yet those same factors were the driving force behind the union seeking a much larger raise than it had in past years; the exact amount has not been made public. In past contracts, the union concentrated on preserving health care and pension benefits, but this time sought what it termed significant raises for workers to help them keep pace with spiraling prices for gasoline, food, rent and other living expenses.

The deals avoided what would have been the citys first casino strike since 2016, when the union rejected demands by billionaire Carl Icahn that the Trump Taj Mahal casino operate without health care and pension benefits that were terminated by a bankruptcy court.

The union went on strike on July 1, and the casino shut down on Oct. 10. It was sold months later to Hard Rock International, which gutted it and reopened it as the new Hard Rock Atlantic City in June 2018.

The finances underlying the current dispute are complex.

Including internet gambling and sports betting revenue, the casinos and their online partners have won $1.8 billion over the first five months of this year. Thats up more than 49% from the same period in 2019, before the coronavirus hit.

But the casinos claim those figures are misleading because third-party partners keep about 70% of internet and sports betting revenue, leaving little for the brick-and-mortar casinos.

They say a more accurate metric is money won from in-person gamblers. By that measure, the casinos have won only 5% more than they did from in-person gamblers over the first five months of 2019. Only three casinos  Borgata, Hard Rock and Ocean  have won more from in-person gamblers in that time frame.

___

Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
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HONG KONG (AP)  Chinas leader Xi Jinping marked the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return with a speech Friday that emphasized Beijings control over the former British colony under its vision of one country, two systems  countering criticism that the political and civic freedoms promised for the next quarter-century have been largely erased under Chinese rule.

Xi praised the city for overcoming violent social unrest  a reference to massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 that were followed by a Beijing-driven crackdown that has snuffed out dissent and shut down independent media, aligning Hong Kong more closely with stricter controls under China's ruling Communist Party.

The shift shocked many in the city of 7.4 million people that Britain returned to China in 1997, after running it as a colony for more than a century. As part of the agreement, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to have its own government and legal system for 50 years.

In the ensuing years, Hong Kong activists pushed back against Chinese efforts to curtail freedoms and even made demands for fully democratic elections, drawing out hundreds of thousands of people for marches in the streets.

Under Xi, that pushback has been silenced. For years, the anniversary of the July 1 handover was marked by an official ceremony in the morning and a protest march in the afternoon. Now, protesters have been cowed into silence in what the Communist Party hails as restoring stability to the city.

Xi said that Beijing has comprehensive jurisdiction over Hong Kong, and that Hong Kong should respect Chinese leadership, even as Beijing allows regions like Hong Kong and neighboring Macao to maintain their capitalist system and a degree of autonomy.

After the return to the motherland, Hong Kong has overcome all kinds of challenges and moved forwards steadily, Xi said. Regardless of whether it was the international financial crisis, the coronavirus pandemic or violent social unrest, nothing has stopped Hong Kongs progress.

His speech represented the culmination of what China scholar Jeff Wasserstrom has described as a push and pull between two competing visions of one country, two systems."

Many in Hong Kong fought for a more robust understanding of the two systems, to have an idea that theres a very different lifestyle there," said Wasserstrom, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink.

That view, at least for now, has lost out to the narrower one of the Communist Party, which is mainly interested in maintaining the economic advantages of Hong Kong's capitalist system, he said.

Hong Kong resident Grace Chan saw little reason to celebrate on Friday. Its been very difficult for Hong Kong people in recent years, she said. "I just wanted to relax today and not to surround myself in a negative atmosphere for too long.

Since the 2019 protests, authorities have used a sweeping national security law to arrest scores of activists, media figures and democracy supporters. They introduced a more patriotic curriculum in schools and revamped election laws to keep opposition politicians who are deemed not patriotic enough out of the citys legislature.

In its view, Chinas Communist Party has restored stability to a city that was wracked with demonstrations seen as a direct challenge to its rule. For Western democracies, Xi has undermined the freedoms and way of life that had distinguished the city from mainland China and made it into a global finance and trade hub.

U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement that Chinas policies toward Hong Kong, including the national security law, have shaken the institutions, rules, and systems that had been the basis of international confidence in Hong Kong.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: We have seen a steady erosion of political and civil rights since the imposition of the National Security Law on June 30, 2020. Authorities have stifled opposition, criminalized dissent and driven out anyone who can speak truth to power.

Xi warned that there would be no tolerance for foreign interference or traitors meddling in Hong Kongs affairs. He said that safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is of the highest priority.

Nobody in any country or region in the world will allow foreign countries or even traitorous forces and figures to seize power, he said, adding that only by having patriots governing Hong Kong can it ensure long-term stability.

He said that that one country, two systems was still a good system that "must be maintained for a long time.

In the remote village of Tai O, where homes are built on stilts, fisherman Ng Koon-yau is fine with Beijing being in charge.

Hong Kong is part of China, and Ive never thought of moving anywhere else, said Ng, who came from Chinas neighboring Guangdong province in the 1950s. I hope that China will make Hong Kong a better place, where everyone can prosper."

Xi also stressed the importance of caring for the youth of Hong Kong. Many of the protesters in pro-democracy movements in 2014 and 2019 were students, many disillusioned by not only the loss of promised political freedoms but also an increasingly competitive job market and rising housing costs.

It is necessary to help the majority of young people solve the difficulties they face in their studies, employment, and in entrepreneurship and property ownership, he said. There must be more opportunities created for them to grow and become talents.

Xi's trip to Hong Kong was his first outside of mainland China since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in January 2020. He had last visited Hong Kong in 2017 for the 20th anniversary of the handover.

Thousands of guests were required to take daily coronavirus tests and check into quarantine hotels ahead of their attendance at events with Xi.

Xi officiated at the swearing-in of Hong Kong's new leader John Lee, a former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on dissent.

The next five years will be a crucial time for Hong Kong to advance from governance to prosperity," Lee said.

He has previously indicated plans to follow through on a long unfulfilled requirement for the city to enact its own laws to protect the Chinese government against acts that threaten national security. An earlier initiative was abandoned after large protests in 2003.

Amnesty International warned that Lee's plans for laws governing state secrets and cybersecurity will likely mirror similar laws in China.

The extremely broad definition of such laws facilitates arbitrary enforcement, a fact that creates yet more uncertainty and fear for people in Hong Kong, the group's Asia-Pacific regional director Erwin van der Borght said.

At a morning flag-raising ceremony  attended by Lee and his predecessor Carrie Lam but not Xi  police officers carrying the Chinese and Hong Kong flags marched into Golden Bauhinia Square with a Chinese goose-stepping style, replacing a British-style march. Guests stood at attention as the Chinese national anthem was played.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and news assistant Karmen Li in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  The state of Montana's largest department is getting new leadership, Gov. Greg Gianforte said Thursday.

Adam Meier is leaving as director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services on Aug. 12 due to an ongoing family health issue, the governor's office said in a statement. He will be succeeded by Charlie Brereton, the health department's chief of staff and Gianforte's health care policy advisory.

Meier assumed leadership in February 2021 over the agency that includes child and family services, developmental services, Medicare and Medicaid coverage, public health and safety and senior and long-term care.

His agency was responsible for implementing legislation that prohibited discrimination based on vaccination status as some employers sought to mandate COVID-19 vaccines. He helped improve availability of addiction treatment and helped reorganize the agency to better serve Montanans, Gianforte said.

The agency  which has a $3 billion annual budget and 3,000 employees  has faced criticism.

During Meier's tenure, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services investigated the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs several times after finding the psychiatric facility put patients in jeopardy, contributing to the deaths of at least four patients.

Another patient had died in August 2021 after staff ignored her complaints that she couldnt catch her breath. CMS found hospital officials did not properly investigate her death.

The hospital was being allowed to correct deficiencies until a patient was physically assaulted in March, causing serious injuries. CMS then stopped reimbursements for the state hospital.

The state hospital's administrator was transferred out of his position in May, when the hospital was at least $7 million over budget because it had to hire traveling nurses at higher cost to meet staffing needs.

The state recently contracted for an outside review of health department agencies, starting with the state hospital.

Despite navigating many challenges, I am proud of what weve accomplished during the first 18 months of the Gianforte administration. DPHHS is well positioned to continue addressing issues that have long plagued the health and human services ecosystem here in Montana," Meier said in a statement.
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PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP)  A Navy investigation released Thursday revealed that shoddy management and human error caused fuel to leak into Pearl Harbor's tap water last year, poisoning thousands of people and forcing military families to evacuate their homes for hotels.

The investigation is the first detailed account of how jet fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a massive World War II-era military-run tank farm in the hills above Pearl Harbor, leaked into a well that supplied water to housing and offices in and around the sprawling base. Some 6,000 people suffered nausea, headaches, rashes and other symptoms.

After months of resistance, the military in April agreed to an order from the state of Hawaii to drain the tanks and close the Red Hill facility. A separate report the Defense Department provided to the state Department of Health on Thursday said December 2024 was the earliest it could defuel the tanks safely.

The investigation report listed a cascading series of mistakes from May 6, 2021, when operator error caused a pipe to rupture and 21,000 gallons (80,000 liters) of fuel to spill when fuel was being transferred between tanks. Most of this fuel spilled into a fire suppression line and sat there for six months, causing the line to sag. A cart rammed into this sagging line on Nov. 20, releasing 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of fuel.

The area where the cart hit the line isn't supposed to have fuel, and so the officials who responded to the spill didn't have the right equipment to capture the liquid.

The team incorrectly assumes that all of the fuel has been sopped up," Adm. Sam Paparo, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, told reporters at a news conference. About 5,000 gallons (19,000 liters) wasn't recovered.

"Meanwhile, over the course of eight days, that fuel enters into this French drain that is under the concrete and seeps slowly and quietly into the Red Hill well. And that fuel into the Red Hill well is then pumped into the Navy system, Paparo said.

Red Hill officials thought that only 1,618 gallons (6,125 liters) had leaked in the May spill and that they recovered all but 38 gallons (144 liters). They noticed that one of the tanks was short 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) but believed it had flowed through the pipes and didn't realize it had flown into the fire suppression line. They didn't report the discrepancy to senior leadership.

After the November spill when people started getting sick, the military moved about 4,000 mostly military families into hotels for months while they waited for their water to be safe again.

The spill contaminated the Navy's water system. Fuel didn't get into the Honolulu municipal water supply. But concerns the oil might migrate through the aquifer and get into the city's wells prompted the Honolulu Board of Water Supply in December to shut down a key well serving some 400,000 people. The agency has been asking residents to conserve water because of this and unusually dry weather.

The report said officials defaulted to assuming the best about what was happening when the spills occurred, instead of assuming the worst, and this contributed to their overlooking the severity of situation.

Paparo said the Navy was trying to move away from that. He called it an ongoing process to get real with ourselves and being honest about our deficiencies.

He recommended that the Navy review operations at 48 defense fuel storage facilities worldwide.

We cannot assume Red Hill represents an outlier, and similar problems may exist at other locations, Paparo wrote in the report.

The vice chief of naval operations has assigned the head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, a four-star admiral, to determine disciplinary measures for those in uniform. Recommendations regarding civilian employees will be sent to their supervisors, Paparo said.

The report said the investigation revealed that poor training and supervision, ineffective leadership and an absence of ownership regarding operational safety also contributed to the incident.

The lack of critical thinking, intellectual rigor, and self-assessment by key leaders at decisive moments exemplified a culture of complacency and demonstrated a lack of professionalism that is demanded by the high consequence nature of fuel operations, the report said.

In particular, the investigation highlighted a February 2021 decision by the commanding officer of Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor to remove uniformed military oversight from day-to-day operations at Red Hill. The report said this significantly increased the risks of fuel handling operations.

It also noted key leaders at the scene of the November 2021 spill failed to exercise a sense of urgency, critical thinking, forceful backup and timely and effective communication demanded by the seriousness of the situation.

U.S. Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele said the Navy repeatedly said Red Hill was a vital part of U.S. national defense yet it was left for decades without proper oversight. He said this shows a lack of leadership, investment and gross negligence.

The Navys report states that the fuel leaks at Red Hill on May and November 2021 were preventable. This is shocking and deeply concerning," Kahele, a Democrat from Hawaii, said in a statement.

David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice, which has been filing legal challenges against the facility, said the Navy has failed to learn from its mistakes.

Rather than act swiftly to remove the more than 100 million gallons of toxic fuel that remain perched over Oahus sole source aquifer, the Navy proposes to take another two and a half years  until the end of 2024  to defuel the Red Hill tanks, he said. "That is completely unacceptable.
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BOISE, Idaho (AP)  In Arizona, Republicans are fighting among themselves over whether a 121-year-old anti-abortion law from the pre-statehood Wild West days, when Arizona was still a frontier mining territory, should be enforced over a 2022 version.

In Idaho, meanwhile, it is not clear whether a pair of laws from the early 1970s making it a felony to knowingly aid in an abortion or to publish information about how to induce one will be enforced alongside the states newer, near-total ban.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has advocates, prosecutors and residents of red states facing a legal morass created by decades of often conflicting anti-abortion legislation.

Politicians and state government attorneys are trying to sort out which laws and which provisions are in force. And abortion rights advocates who are going to court to protect the right to terminate a pregnancy are finding themselves doing battle on multiple fronts.

Lawyers in Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasdens office are going through all the states abortion statutes with a fine-tooth comb, said Wasden spokesman Scott Graf.

Following last weeks decision, part of our subsequent work is to now review Idahos existing abortion-related laws and examine them through a post-Roe legal lens, Graf said. That work has commenced and will continue in the weeks ahead.

On the abortion rights side, Hillary Schneller, senior staff attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Louisiana lawmakers had passed three trigger bans designed to go into effect in the event Roe was overturned.

When the Supreme Court decision came down, "state officials issued conflicting statements about those bans, Schneller said. We challenged all of them on vagueness grounds to try to get some clarity about what the status of the law is in Louisiana.

Jennifer Sandman, a senior attorney for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the confusing and very rapidly shifting landscape both legally and operationally is putting more stress on abortion providers.

I think multiple health care providers across the country are figuring out how to navigate that moment, Sandman said.

In West Virginia, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit challenging an abortion ban that was put on the books in 1882. The organization says the law conflicts with newer ones and so should be void.

In Wisconsin, Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a 173-year-old abortion ban, arguing that modern generations never consented to it. The 1849 law prohibits abortion in every instance except to save the pregnant persons life  conflicting with Wisconsin laws from the mid-1980s that ban the procedure after a fetus reaches the point that it could survive outside the womb with medical intervention.

Arizona GOP officials disagree over which abortion laws are enforceable. Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Wednesday that a pre-statehood law banning all abortions is now enforceable, but Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has said a law he signed in March takes precedence over the 1901 ban.

When the Idaho Legislature passed a trigger law in 2020 that would automatically prohibit nearly all abortions 30 days after the fall of Roe, lawmakers took some steps to avoid conflicts by making it clear that the law would supersede other bans. Lawmakers put similar language in another ban passed earlier this year, saying the 2020 law would take precedence.

But they may have overlooked a few clauses in the decades-old statutes.

The 2020 trigger law says specifically that the person seeking the abortion can't be charged with a crime, instead focusing prosecution efforts on the abortion provider. That would seem to override a 1973 law that makes it a felony for a person to undergo an abortion, but it's not clear if another portion of the older law making it a felony to knowingly aid in an abortion could still be enforceable.

It's hard to see how much of it survives, because of all the conflicts, Twin Falls County prosecutor Grant Loebs said of the nearly three dozen anti-abortion laws on the books in Idaho.

It will be up to individual county prosecutors, at first, to decide how to proceed, said Loebs, who is also president of the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association. From there, judges will figure it out.

Ultimately, he expects Idaho legislators will have a lot of fine-tuning to do in the years ahead.

I think every state doing this is going to have the same problems, Loebs said.

Planned Parenthood is suing over both of Idaho's newer laws. It has asked the Idaho Supreme Court to hear arguments in both cases on the same day in early August in hopes of getting a ruling before the trigger law takes effect.

Jared Keenan, Legal Director at American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, said there has been hectic activity in the post-Roe v. Wade world.

Thats the nature of civil rights litigation, Keenan said. "I think that the difference here is that it has thrown a lot of organizations and a lot of attorneys into this sort of manic scramble all at the same time, which is not so common.

___

Rush reported from Portland, Oregon.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  The Nevada Board of Regents will no longer require staff at the state's public universities and colleges be vaccinated for COVID-19.

A majority of the regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education voted Thursday to rescind an employee vaccine mandate.
SEVEN cashiers at the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) Flamingo tollgate in Gweru have been fired while eight have resigned over a million-dollar theft scandal.

Acting Zinara chief executive officer Mr Gilfern Moyo confirmed the development in Gweru yesterday.

Mr Moyo was addressing a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc)  Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) roundtable dialogue and training workshop for Zinara integrity committee members.

To enhance transparency Zinara with technical assistance from Zacc has set up an integrity committee to strengthen its systems in the fight against corruption.

Mr Moyo said Zinara is weeding out corrupt employees following a scandal at Flamingo tollgate where several employees were caught stealing.

At Flamingo toll gate in Gweru, we were faced with a theft scandal involving millions of dollars. Seven cashiers were dismissed after they were found guilty of the counts they were facing. Eight of them resigned before the internal process commenced while two were acquitted at the end of the internal process, he said.

Mr Moyo said it was unfortunate that because of corruption, even the extended families of the employees source of income had been disrupted.

He commended Zacc for having alerted the road administration of the theft that was taking place at the tollgate.

Zinara instituted thorough investigations after receiving a tip-off from Zacc last year that some employees stationed at the Flamingo tollgate in Gweru were abusing the Zinara prepaid cards. That is the partnership we are looking for and that is why we have the integrity committee in place. We dont condone corruption, said Mr Moyo.

He said Zinaras sole business now is collecting and disbursing funds. Mr Moyo said road authorities who include urban and rural councils, District Development Fund (DDF) and the department of roads were now handling contracts.

These submit their annual work plans and we fund their plans. We collect and disburse funds and our source of funding is toll fees from tollgates, abnormal load fees that are administered by the Vehicle Inspection Department, among others, he said.

Mr Moyo said Zinara was in the process of computerising its operations so that they remove human interface which is prone to abuse.

We are beefing up the ICT department, we have installed CCTV at tollgates but at times we are shocked to find some disconnected at tollgates. Reason given is that when there is a power outage, they fail to get them running. Statistics have shown that where CCTV is not functioning or where there is manual tolling system, revenue inflows plummet drastically and that is why we need to computerise operations, he said.

Mr Moyo said Zinara has set up a full-fledged risk and loss control department to work closely with law enforcement agencies in tracking all reported cases of corruption within the organisation. Chronicle
The human figure is the star in the new exhibit at Lees-Reyes Gallery, opening this afternoon. This time, community members are invited to take in 80 pieces of local art exploring the beauty of the human body and to attend a series of workshops offered throughout the month.

Dawn Lees Reyes has been managing the gallery space since January and has offered new group shows each month, reaping praise from art lovers on Guam for another space to enjoy contemporary art.

The current show features a wide variety of mediums, including paintings, wire sculpture, fiber art, thread art and more. No matter the material, the work is what Reyes terms figurative.

Throughout art history, its been one of those things that has allowed people to reach out and connect with other people and express ideas that are harder to express when youre dealing with inanimate objects.

But with a human figure, its so easy to express so many different emotions and so many different things that are socially important for the times and so I think that thats why figurative work has endured over the centuries, Reyes said.

Stylistic approaches

According to Reyes, there are also a wide variety of stylistic approaches in this group show, noting that abstract forms of women are hung alongside the expressive realist work of Jerrold Castro and the dreamlike portraits of Tara Sood.

I have one artist who has presented a wire sculpture, because it has to do with, as she calls it, Roe-versal.  Its a little wire hanger with a woman in the middle of it, a womans face. And then I have other artists, male artists, that show the womens figures as if they came out of smut magazines.

Whether I like them or not, or would have them in my house or not, I do my best not to censor anybody because everybody has their own approach to how they do their artwork and what they find beautiful, Reyes said.

With such a large selection of art in the show, Reyes feels confident visitors will find plenty to connect with. She has observed visitors being drawn to figurative works more than abstraction, as the human form gives them something to relate to and identify with.

Challenge

However, not all figurative works will connect with every visitor, and Reyes looks forward to the moments of challenge.

I think its going to be an interesting thing to watch when people are presented with nudes.  Nudity and stuff on Guam is just not something that is accepted.

As opposed to Europe, for example. When I was in Europe, I would go to museums and people would be dragging their kids along with them  and they would be confronted with nudity. And the parents were just like, Yeah, thats art, and its beautiful. And you need to learn to appreciate it, Reyes said.

Workshops

For those looking to not only appreciate art but to make it themselves, Lees-Reyes Gallery is offering several workshops throughout July, beginning with a face off facilitated by Castro and Sood today at 3 p.m.

Community members are invited to watch works of art be created in real time and to stay to meet the artists afterward.

Therell be live models there and (the artists will) be either doing portraiture or figurative work and I have invited all of the artists that are participating in this exhibit to take advantage of this time to come in work with these two. And then they have the opportunity to present all of the work that theyve done for auction if they want, Reyes said.

There are two other sets of workshops being offered by Sood and Castro. The first is called Come Paint With Us and is a free workshop for artists to take advantage of live models and to learn from the painters around them without formal instruction.

The second set, Figure/Portrait Workshops has registration fees and will feature Sood and Castro leading the workshops directly.

Connections

As the doors are set to open on yet another group show celebrating local talent, Reyes looks forward to continuing to connect with the arts community on Guam and offering some food for thought to her guests.

I hope they go away with an appreciation of all of the talent thats here on island and the different ways of seeing things. And maybe some inspiration, maybe some deeper understanding. The human body is a beautiful thing and theres no reason to be repelled by it, so thats what Im hoping for, Reyes said.
Joe Sanchez, Guam Department of Education deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction, offers a lesson of social interaction to school administrators and their staff members gathered during Day Three of the agencys School Safety Conference conducted at the Tiyan High School in Barrigada on June 30, 2022.


OPPOSITION political parties yesterday accused the ruling Zanu PF party of persecuting the late Vice-President and former PF Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo after independence despite his selfless sacrifice to liberate the country.

The opposition parties, including the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Zapu and civic groups, made the remarks in statements to commemorate the life of Nkomo who died on July 1, 1999.

The current Umdala Wethu programmes aired on ZBC are meant to garner political mileage for hypocrites who persecuted Father Zimbabwe when he was alive, CCC Bulawayo spokesperson Swithern Chirowodza said.

Zapu spokesperson Mso Ndlovu said on July 1, 1999, the nation lost one of its finest sons.

This confirms the view that his presence in government provided the stability and protection of national resources from scavengers who after his demise started pillaging the resources like they were possessed by spirits. Nkomo was an epitome of selflessness. His leadership was a product of national consensus and his tenure was characterised by nation-building even when faced with resistance or cowardly alternatives, Ndlovu said.

He assembled and led a well-oiled guerrilla army which earned respect from friends and foes alike. After independence, he facilitated empowerment schemes for his now-demobilised soldiers. He also set up numerous sustainable businesses designed to help communities and the nation at large.

He said Nkomo was instrumental in facilitating the empowerment of Zapu members through education scholarships.

One of his footprints is arguably the most successful business entity ever set by a black Zimbabwean, Econet Wireless. He saw beyond the ordinary, when ordinary leaders around him lambasted him, Ndlovu said.

Nkomos enduring legacy was his disdain for conflict among the people of Zimbabwe. This did not stop the blood thirsty cannibalistic group of 1963 from feasting on the blood of innocent people during a genocide, now known as Gukurahundi.

While Zapu was the primary target of this crime against humanity and joins families who lost their loved ones, we stand firmly behind the leadership of our party because we fully understand the political and military dynamics at the time.

Ndlovu said Zapu leaders chose to sacrifice the party in order to save tens of thousands of people from perishing during Gukurahundi massacres, which resulted in Nkomo signing the Unity Accord with Zanu PF in 1987.

He suggested that Nkomos remains should be exhumed as the National Heroes Acre, had been desecrated.

Ibhetshu LikaZulu co-ordinator Mbuso Fuzwayo said: Many people lost their lives, multitudes were maimed and misplaced. Nkomo survived a number of attempts on his life, and most of his investments were forcibly taken away by government without compensation.

We still treasure his selflessness of giving in to joining Zanu PF to save the lives of the people of Matabeleland and Midlands provinces, who were being massacred for their ethnicity. We still fight for truth telling, justice and reconciliation so that the true unity that Nkomo stood for can be achieved in our lifetime.

Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said: The entire party leadership pays homage to Nkomo, who left a legacy to continue to inspire the second republic to always cherish peaceful coexistence, tolerance, shun tribalism and build the nation on a pillar of love, unity, oneness and empathy for all the people notwithstanding their freed, colour, religion or ethnic background. Newsday
News Release

July 1, 2022



Contact information

Health officials cite need for awareness, prompt care as more monkeypox cases identified in state

The Minnesota Department of Health today identified additional cases of monkeypox virus in Minnesota residents, for a total of six cases.

All of the cases are identified in adults who live in the Twin Cities area. All people with cases thus far have had a history of travel (including domestic travel) or direct contact with someone who traveled recently, but health officials expect that cases due to community spread could be identified soon, as other areas outside of Minnesota have noted spread within their communities. None of the Minnesotans with cases are currently hospitalized and all are receiving medical care and recovering.

While Minnesotas case numbers are currently low, state health officials believe not all patients with monkeypox have sought testing or assessment by a health care provider and they are concerned that the number of infections could grow rapidly unless people who are at risk for monkeypox take steps to protect themselves, recognize when they may be infected, and seek medical care promptly if they are.

Its clear that monkeypox has come to Minnesota, State Epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield said. While our current cases are associated with travel outside Minnesota, we expect we will soon see cases among people that have no travel history or contact with someone who did, indicating that spread within social networks in Minnesota is occurring. We also think that many people with cases nationally are not seeking medical attention and that the number of people experiencing monkeypox is higher than the reported cases. We want to make sure that at-risk Minnesotans and their health care providers are informed about monkeypox  how it spreads, what the symptoms are and how to prevent its spread.

The virus is spread by close contact, typically skin-to-skin contact with rash, scabs or body fluids or contact with materials that have been contaminated with rash, scabs or body fluids, such as clothing or bedding, or prolonged face-to-face contact. Monkeypox is less infectious than other diseases like COVID-19, measles, chickenpox and influenza; however, it can be easily spread by contact with the skin lesions.

People with monkeypox are sick for about two to four weeks and can spread the virus until their rash is completely healed, meaning until the scabs fall off and new skin appears.

Monkeypox usually starts with symptoms like fever, headache, sore throat, swollen glands and fatigue, followed by a rash, but not everyone with monkeypox has these symptoms. Some will have only a rash. In some people, sores will start on the tongue or in the mouth.

The rash can look like pimples or blisters and may spread to multiple parts of the body or stay in one area (see CDC Monkeypox Signs and Symptoms). Monkeypox rash may look like many other rashes, including syphilis or herpes, particularly when present in the genital area. While monkeypox is not transmitted sexually, some patients have had infections with syphilis or herpes and monkeypox at the same time. Talk to a health care provider if you have a new rash or other concerning symptoms, especially if you have been in contact with someone who has had a rash.

Monkeypox can sometimes be mistaken for sexually transmitted diseases, like syphilis or herpes, so its important that health care providers consider multiple infections and try to learn as much as possible from their patients about their potential contacts within the last 14 days with someone who may have had monkeypox, Lynfield said. Being able to identify cases and their contacts early is important for providing appropriate treatment for the person and prevention for high-risk contacts, including post-exposure vaccination. This can greatly help to reduce the spread of the virus.

Anyone can get monkeypox if they have close, sustained contact with someone who is infected with monkeypox. This can include skin-to-skin contact and during sexual activity. In the current global outbreak, we are seeing a high proportion, although not all cases, that are occurring among people who identify as gay and bisexual men. Its important for people who are at higher risk to be aware of the potential for exposure and to take steps to reduce their risk of infection, Lynfield reiterated.

Most people with monkeypox get better on their own, and the illness usually lasts from two to four weeks. However, sometimes monkeypox can cause severe illness, including pneumonia or sepsis and, depending on where it is located, there may be complications, such as blindness if lesions are in the eye. If in the rectal area, there can be severe pain and some people can have scars from the skin sores.

For those who do have severe illness or are at risk for severe illness (for example, people with weakened immune systems), or people who certain skin conditions or other complications, antiviral medications that were developed for smallpox may be used for treatment under a special protocol through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More information about the virus and how to limit infection risk can be found on the MDH Monkeypox website and CDC Monkeypox website.

-MDH-

Doug Schultz

MDH Communications

651-201-4993

doug.schultz@state.mn.us
County joins beaver management assistance program

Henderson County has entered into a cooperative agreement with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist landowners who experience damage from nuisance beavers.

The USDAs Wildlife Services Program works directly with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to implement the Beaver Management Assistance Program throughout North Carolina. This program provides beaver damage management services to landholders at significantly reduced cost and prevents millions of dollars in land resource damages each year. More information about the program can be found at www.ncwildlife.org/BMAP .



The BMAP is primarily implemented by USDA Wildlife Services through cooperative service agreements with the Wildlife Resources Commission, the N.C. Department of Transportation and participating counties. Landholders in participating counties gain access to assistance at a reduced cost-share rate or may receive free training on beaver management techniques if they are willing to perform the work themselves.



BMAP is funded in large part by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, but each county must opt in to the program on an annual basis for its residents to receive beaver management services at reduced rates. For more information contact Henderson County representative Aaron Jones at 828-558-7217 or michael.jones6@usda.gov.
A SCHOOL in Sonning Common has been taken out of special measures following an inspection by the education watchdog.

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge School, a secondary academy, was rated good in all areas by Ofsted.

It comes five years after the Reades Lane school, formerly known as Chiltern Edge, was rated inadequate and threatened with closure.

The inspection, which took place over two days in May, was the first since the school became part of the Maiden Erlegh Academy Trust.

In their report, the inspectors praised all aspects of the school, saying that the students worked hard to match their teachers high expectations and were happy and enjoyed school.

They said: Pupils feel very safe at this school. They are tolerant and accepting of others. Pupils say that any instances of unkindness or bullying are always followed up.

Relationships are strong and supportive. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well. This is because teachers know them well.

The curriculum was described as ambitious and challenging and the quality of teaching and the personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural education were singled out as noteworthy.

But the report also said: In an exceedingly small number of subjects, the schools curriculum is not yet implemented securely and consistently. This means that the impact of the curriculum in these subjects is not as assured as it is in other subjects.

Leaders should continue to share the best practice that already exists so that curriculum implementation is securely and consistently embedded across the school.

The inspectors praised the extensive range of extracurricular activities.

A parent was quoted as saying that the staff were incredible.

Andy Hartley, who has been headteacher since January 2020, said: I am so proud of our students, staff and wider community.

This report recognises that our aim is to give the very best education to all our students whatever their backgrounds.

What pleases me most about this report is that it recognises how happy our students are, how well supported they are in making progress and enjoying school through our systems, curriculum, teaching and focus on the individual.

To have achieved so much progress within the pandemic despite the disruptions we have faced says so much about the tenacity and determination of our staff to make a difference to the lives of our learning community.

I would like to thank the Maiden Erlegh Trust for the invaluable support they give the school, allowing us to focus purely on the wellbeing and education of our young people.

Nick Jones, chairman of trustees, said: This is an excellent result for the trust which recognises the tremendous success of our hard-working staff and students of Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge and I pay tribute to their dedication and ambition in these challenging times.

To deliver such an impressive and sustainable transformation in a relatively short time is remarkable.

Thank you to Andy Hartley and his brilliant team, thank you to our students for their diligence and determination to grasp the opportunities now there for them all and thank you to the many trust colleagues who have played such an important role in achieving this deserved outcome.

Mary Davies, chief executive of the trust, said: This outcome is thoroughly deserved and testament to the determination, resilience and hard work of staff and students alike.

We always knew the schools potential and it should not be underestimated how impressive it is to climb two Ofsted grades in four years with a significant proportion of that time impacted by the pandemic.

Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge is an excellent school, an ambitious school and a kind and inclusive school. Well done, everyone.

Chiltern Edge School was placed in special measures in 2017 when Ofsted found that it had deteriorated since its previous full inspection in 2012 when it was judged to be good.

Inspectors found it was inadequate in three out of four categories  effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for pupils.

As a result, Oxfordshire County Council, the education authority, carried out a consultation process on possible closure of the school.

This prompted the launch of the Save Our Edge campaign by former pupils Gemma Levy and Charlie Holloway. The campaigners held demonstrations and a petition against the closure was signed by more than 3,300 people.

Moira Green, a former head of music at Langtree School in Woodcote, was appointed interim and then permanent headteacher of the school and oversaw improvements both before and after the trust took over.

She resigned in September 2019 and was replaced by interim head Richard Hawthorne until Mr Hartley took over.
Located in a landmarked historic building, the upscale hotel offers unparalleled luxury in the city's financial district.

Just in time for summer travel, The LaSalle Hotel has opened its doors in the heart of Chicago's financial district. Developed by an affiliate of The Prime Group, Inc, the opulent hotel offers both business and leisure travelers true luxury and uncommon experiences. Sophisticated, tailored, engaging and dedicated are just a few words to describe The LaSalle Hotel. Sitting 21 stories above street level, the hotel will be the preeminent destination within Chicago's Financial District and will meet and exceed every traveler's expectations.

The LaSalle Hotel is operated by Aimbridge Hospitality and is the newest addition to Marriott's Autograph Collection. The hotel is a modern club-like escape that sits on the top five floors of a historically iconic landmark from famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. Its central location in the city's financial district makes it the perfect destination for the sophisticated business traveler, while its plush, spacious guest rooms and luxurious amenities make it an ideal retreat for the leisure traveler looking to be in the middle of all Chicago has to offer.

The Design / Accommodations

Designed by DiLeonardo International and Chipman Design Architecture, the hotel's design evokes the building's Art Deco roots while exuding the style and sophistication of the surrounding area's prestige and modern lifestyle. High end finishes, rich wood tones, and classic stone elements were combined to create an elevated yet casual setting.

The hotel includes a signature restaurant and lounge; 232 luxury suites and oversized guestrooms, featuring elegant furnishings, millwork, cabinetry, and large marble-clad bathrooms; a library retreat and a beautiful solarium adjacent to the hotel lobby; a state-of-the-art fitness center; and over 7,500 sq. feet of ballroom and meeting space. Amenities of note include Beautyrest Black by Simmons beds, Lavazza espresso machines, mini-refrigerators, and 65-inch UHD TVs.

The hotel's 1,684-square-foot Presidential Suite brims with style and sophistication. An elevated stay for the elite, the suite includes an expansive king-size master bedroom with an oversized master bath featuring dual vanities, a separate water closet and shower, plus a porcelain soaking tub imported from Germany. The Presidential Suite also features a separate living room, dining room, private study, powder room, designer kitchen, butler pantry, and ability to connect to an additional king deluxe room.

Weddings and Events

The LaSalle Hotel prides itself on its high level of quality and personalized service found within its regal venues. Brimming with elegance and refinement, the hotel's ballroom is designed for extravagant, intimate weddings and receptions. The space can accommodate up to 110 guests for dinner and features a gorgeous pre-function space and striking grand staircase. The venue features dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows with 15-foot ceilings punctuated with gold draping and black marble walls creating a grand wedding backdrop.

Including the ballroom, the hotel boasts eight well-appointed meeting spaces, including a variety of meeting rooms with natural light, an executive boardroom, a solarium, private dining room, and library. Each venue is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and features opulent stone and marble finishes.

The Restaurant

Named for its location on the 21st floor within The LaSalle Hotel, Grill on 21 is a modern interpretation of the classic American grill created for the sophisticated diner of the 21st century. The restaurant's conscious approach to service provides an exciting meal that's fit for a time-efficient business lunch or a leisurely and luxurious dinner for visitors.

Grill on 21 deftly pays homage to traditional techniques and classic dishes while also taking into account contemporary tastes and lifestyle trends. Innovative dishes like Hearth-Roasted Carrot Wellington appeal to plant-based diners, while steak tasting menus allow guests to indulge in high-quality, locally sourced meats in thoughtful portions.

Wellness

The LaSalle Hotel is proud to partner with LUXXE | Honor to support hotel guests in mindfulness and elevated wellness through meditation, yoga, and curated holistic health experiences. Carefully curated classes as well as in-room guided wellness videos are complimentary for guests throughout their stay.

Guests at The LaSalle Hotel also enjoy priority access to the Spa at JW Chicago, conveniently located just floors below. The full-service spa offers a variety of personalized, one-of-a-kind experiences that pamper each guest, including the hotel's specially curated treatment: The LaSalle Experience.

Hotel website
IHG Hotels & Resorts and Siam Sindhorn Co., Limited today crowned Sindhorn Midtown Hotel Bangkok as the first Vignette Collection hotel to open in Asia. Vignette Collection is IHG's newest Luxury & Lifestyle collection brand, delivering stays that are authentic, experiential and considerate. Located in the bustling city of Bangkok, the hotel's location at Langsuan offers convenient access to prime districts such as Sukhumvit, Silom, Siam and Chidlom.

Vignette Collection hotels are unique in their own right; each has their own distinct outlook and story to tell. Yet, the hotels are connected by a shared vision that travel can benefit local people and places. Daily complimentary rituals at each property create a sense of anticipation and connection and meet a growing demand for more thoughtful travel experiences.

Sindhorn Midtown offers a one-of-a-kind stay, creating a sanctuary in the heart of Bangkok by infusing elements of the city into the guest experience. A complimentary Lao Khao shot is served with a mixed selection of pickled fruits between 5pm and 6pm daily at The Black Cat, bringing guests closer to the soul of Bangkok and setting them up for an evening of exploration. Younger guests can dial the Emergency Popsicle Line located on the hotel's second floor to receive a complimentary iced treat, delivered promptly by a dedicated Popsicle Butler.

Designed by award-winning strategic design firm, Eight Inc., contemporary design, laidback elegance and the striking local art come together at Sindhorn Midtown. Punctuating the minimalist lobby space, an incredible textile masterpiece by Thai artist, Kachama Perez, epitomizes the hotel's commitment to supporting Thai craftsmanship. Kachama acquired her advanced dying and weaving skills during time spent in the mountains of Northern Thailand with the Karen tribe. Shiny strands of recycled aluminum are woven between the indigo threads, depicting the negative human impacts on marine life and encouraging dialogue on ocean conservation.

Vignette Collection hotels prioritise creating and cherishing a sense of place. With this in mind, local design studio, P49 Deesign utilised the story of the Bangkok Tram to enhance the design of the hotel's lobby area. From the 1920's until 1968, the Silom line would pass Ratchadamri Road - just moments from Sindhorn Midtown - before terminating at Pratunam intersection. Dark metal symbolised tram tracks that previously ran by the hotel, and is applied to the front desk at the hotel lobby by P49 Deesign.

Each of its 393 rooms feature large format bathroom amenities from Karl Lagerfeld and modern comforts such as Fritz Hansen's iconic DropTM chairs. The Fitness Centre offers panoramic city views, as does the Horizon Pool, which is located on the 18th floor. Works by Fine Art Photographer, Visarute Angkatavanich, whose image of a Siamese fighting fish was launched on the iPhone 6s in 2015, can be found on every floor.

The hotel recently introduced three new eclectic dining offerings; The Black Cat is an atmospheric Thai Liquor bar, with live band playing on selected evenings. Inspired by the golden age of Thailand, Bangkok'78 presents the city's greatest culinary hits in a retro-inspired concept, whilst Sip & Co. is a chic addition to Langsuan's flourishing cafe culture.

Recognising the importance of ensuring quality education to the leaders of tomorrow, Sindhorn Midtown is proud to partner with the Kuvanant Foundation, which aims to provide educational opportunities for local students and those living with disabilities in rural areas of Thailand. Upon checking in, guests are encouraged to donate USD$1 to the foundation. The hotel will be providing internship opportunities for the foundation's students to earn first-hand work experience and offers career opportunities as well as insights into the hospitality industry.

With over 6,000 hotels now opened around the globe, IHG Hotels & Resorts had recently unveiled the 6,000 Club, an exclusive collection of stunning new hotels across 17 diverse brands, including Sindhorn Midtown. These hotels will surprise select guests in the coming months with 6,000 IHG One Rewards points, as well as other perks and experiences.

Hotel website
Ben Schumacher is the Vice President of Operations, South East Asia Pacific Rim, for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company and leading provider of management services with 9,000 hotels globally. Sitting on the Asia Pacific Senior Leadership team, he oversees a portfolio of over 150 properties including both Managed and Franchised Hotels, and is the key relationship manager between owners, developers, general managers, and hotel teams alike. He also manages a team of Operations Directors and Managers that supports the hotel's operating portfolio and a pipeline of anticipated openings representing over 25,000 rooms. Mr. Schumacher joined Wyndham in 2016 as Franchise Services Manager, rising through the ranks to ultimately serve as Vice President of Operations in 2020. Under his leadership, he has spearheaded over 30 new openings across key markets including Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji; launched new brands such as Dolce and La Quinta; and entered new markets such as Cambodia. Mr. Schumacher brings over 18 years of industry experience including senior management roles at Hilton Worldwide across Australia and New Zealand. He holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Hospitality and Tourism from New Zealand's Pacific International Hotel Management School.
The Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) celebrated its 50th Anniversary with great success this week, hosting just over 6,100 attendees at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida USA. Produced by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), HITEC was held June 27-30. The five-decade event showcases the industry's latest technology innovations from 300+ exhibitors and provided a top-notch education program with over 50 education sessions. Spectrum Enterprise, an exhibitor and esteemed supporter of HITEC, served as the exclusive sponsor of the HITEC 50th Anniversary, joining HFTP to help make this year stand out as the special event this anniversary merited.

HITEC is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and its enduring presence in the hospitality technology community is confirmation that knowledge-sharing events like this are essential, said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE, FIH. Throughout these four days of HITEC you could feel a positive buzz throughout the event space and exhibit hall, everyone thrilled to see each other and gather for ideas and solutions.

Highlights of the event were four distinguished Headliner sessions. On the first day was the Opening Headliner presentation by Simon T. Bailey with his session: "Leading with Spark Create a Culture Where Everyone Matters. And closing the event on Thursday was the Industry CIO Panel moderated by John Burns, president of Hospitality Technology Consulting. He led panelists Michael Schubach, CIO of Millennium Technology Group; Scott Strickland, CIO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.; Floor Bleeker, CTO of ACCOR; Mike Rawson, CIO of citizenM. The Tuesday Headliner featured a presentation by Cheryl Cran author of Super.Crucial.Human.

Another highlight of the week was the Wednesday Headliner Entrepreneur 20X, exclusively sponsored by PROVision Partners. The start-up pitch competition featured eight start-ups pitching hospitality technology solutions to a panel of six judges. The winners were announced the following day at the Closing Headliner session. The Judges Choice Award, selected by the judges panel, went to ROBOSIZE.ME and The Peoples Choice Award, which was the popular vote, went to Beachy.

In addition, a full program of concurrent education sessions were presented covering trending topics including metaverse, cybersecurity, technology budgeting, managing remote employment, data security and more. Another educational opportunity available on the exhibit hall floor, included the popular, non-sales oriented Exhibitor Tutorials.

The exhibit hall featured hundreds of companies displaying their wide-ranging, technology solutions for the hospitality industry. Exhibitors were enthusiastic about this years outcome.

When we began to plan the roll-out of Bella, our new AI-powered voice assistant, we considered several ways to introduce her to the hospitality industry, said exhibitor John Smallwood, president of Travel Outlook Premium Hotel Call Center. We settled on a targeted roll-out at HITEC, and it was the best decision we could have made. We have enjoyed meeting many new potential clients, and we have appreciated working with the professional and friendly HFTP staff.

"Our first year at HITEC was fruitful and we're already excited to be back for 2023, said Tina Shuli Gaut, business transformation consultant and Gregory Petrossian, director of sales, at SkyPoint Cloud. HITEC was a fantastic conference where we were able to showcase our services and product and meet directly with hospitality operators and thought leaders on the showroom floor. We appreciated the opportunity to connect with decision makers to get feedback about our data analytics solutions and build meaningful relationships."

Two hospitality technology industry leaders were recognized with an induction to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame: Jeff Bzdawka, CEO at Knowland and Jeff Edwards, senior vice president of Property, Owner and Enterprise Products and Platforms at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). (View the presentation.) In addition, the HFTP CHTP of the Year recipient Jason W.M. Kelly, CHAE, CHTP, who is currently studying for his Doctorate in Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic Universitys School of Hotel and Tourism Management was recognized.

HFTP is already getting ready for next year's HITEC Toronto scheduled for June 26-29, 2022 in Toronto, Ont. Canada. For more information about HFTP's events, visit hwww.hftp.org or contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected].

View photos from HITEC Orlando.

About HFTP

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), established in 1952, is a hospitality nonprofit association headquartered in Austin, Texas USA with offices in United Kingdom, Netherlands and Dubai. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with an international network of members and stakeholders. HFTP uniquely understands the industry's pressing issues and assists its stakeholders in finding solutions to their challenges more efficiently than any organization. HFTP offers expert networks, educational resources, career development programs, research, leadership opportunities and conferences and events. HFTP Is the publisher of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). For more information about HFTP, visit www.hftp.org. For the latest news, visit the HFTP News page at news.hftp.org and the HFTP Connect blog at blog.hftp.org.

Eliza Selig

Staff VP, Marketing and Communications

+1 512 220 4026

HFTP
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Over nearly four decades in the banking industry, Lauren Sparks saw few women move into C-level suites or the corporate board room. When banks merged, a common occurrence in recent history, women executives were often among the first to get pinks slips as staffs consolidated.

One day in 2018, as she expressed her frustration with the state of women in banking, her husband suggested she do something about it. Over the next two days she barely spoke to her him as she processed the thoughts racing through her mind: I cant do that. How would I do that? Who am I to do that? I dont come from a family that does that. I dont have those resources.

But after about two days I figured out that there was probably a way to do it, Sparks said.

Sparks way was Agility Bank, the first new minority depository national bank to be chartered by the Comptroller of the Currency in more than 15 years. Agility said it is also the first federally chartered minority-owned bank founded and led primarily led by women.

The bank opened in the Heights neighborhood in May with more than $40 million in deposits from 300 shareholders after more than a year of fundraising that included a frigid week in February 2021 when electricity was scarce and cellphone batteries were running down. One group gathered dozens of women who pooled their money to come up with the $50,000 minimum investment.

The word isnt vindication, butwe did it, said Sparks, now Agility Banks CEO.

A group of women, and a few bottles of wine

Sparks began her career in banking while attending Rice University in the 1980s, working part-time as a teller at Charter Bank. She went on to work at that bank for almost nine years before striking out as a consultant to banks, and in 2010 founded her own company, Third Party Resources, which specializes in risk management and regulatory compliance.

Over the years, she came to see that perspective mattersor really, different perspectives.

I dont think people mean to push other people out, Sparks said. They just dont understand. They dont have the perspective of what somebody else knows, thinks, feels, needs. They just dont get it.

As a junior lender, for example, many of her clients were women, referred by her male colleagues. Sparks found that women applying for loans often had challenges getting approved, as a result of decisions made by men.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Camdens first woman COO seeks advances in diversity as well as technology

Youd pull their credit report, she said, and find all these things haunting them from their marriages, when they werent even the primary breadwinner, .

Lets remember, women were effectively precluded from full participation in banking services by state and federal laws, as well as cultural mores, until shockingly recently. Until the 1970s, married women needed to permission from their husbands to get a loan or credit card. It wasnt until 1996 that women (and men) working inside the home gained the right to save for retirement through an IRA, with the passage of the Homemaker IRA act, authored by then-Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas  a banker by profession.

Despite the difficulties facing women, Sparks remained committed to community banks, which are typically locally owned and operated and, as the name suggests, focused on local families and businesses.

If theres anything I learned in all these years, its that if we dont have community banks, we have a problem, she said. Because thats where people go when the big banks wont talk to you.

As Sparks formulated her ideas for a new community bank, she determined that it should focus its services on women, minority communities and small- to medium- businesses. She ran through the checklist of what needed to be done. She knew how to manage and run a small business. She knew the regulatory hoops of starting a new bank and how to get through them. She came up with the name, Agility, with the help of a group of women and few bottles of wine.

Agility Bank filed a new bank charter application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in March 2020, and received conditional approval in October of that year. Which left one big challenge: money.

To gain final approval, the bank needed $30 million in deposits. Sparks put together a list of 200 potential investors and prepared to hit the phones.

The fundraising campaign began in February 2021the very week that a brutal winter storm knocked out heat and power for millions of Texans. Fingers were numb. Phones were dying, as batteries ran down. No one was in the mood to talk about investment opportunities.

Sparks and her small team kept dialing.

We needed $30 million minimum to start a bank, Sparks said, and it wasnt coming from me.

One of Sparks calls was to Edna Meyer-Nelson, president and CEO of The Richland Cos., a commercial real estate agency, and now a member of Agilitys board of directors.

Meyer-Nelson began her own career in banking after graduating from the University of Houston in the late 1970s. She was, for a time, one of just four women working as loan officers in the entire city. And in the early 1990s, she was approached by several Houston businesswomen who had built their own companies, and wanted to start a women-led bank.

In Meyer-Nelsons assessment, the time wasnt right. For one thing, the states banking sector was in flux. More than 400 Texas commercial banks failed in the 1980s, largely as a result of that decades oil bust. Hundreds of the states savings banks also went under during a nationwide savings and loan crisis centered on Texas.

Beyond that, Meyer-Nelson said, she wasnt convinced the market was ready for a bank led by women. But things had changed by the time she heard from Sparks.

Women have put themselves in a position where they dont just depend on their husbands, Meyer-Nelson said. Theyve got their own money. Theyve got their own say-so. I think that the timing was right.

At the tableits head, in fact

In March 2022, Agility Bank crossed the $30 million threshold. The team was mostly in place by that point, Sparks said, and had moved into offices in the Heights. In April, federal regulators gave the bank approval to open.

Over the next month, the bank tested its operations and technology. Sparks and her team had come up with the name Agility to convey the message that the bank would l be adaptable and forward-looking, with intuitive, accessible computer applications as core to services.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston's two largest community banks are merging to create institution with $11B in assets

Clients looking for a loan, for example, should be able to apply for one in a matter of minutes, using smartphones. Small business owners who need to pick up documents after hours will be able to do so using a QR code to open lockers in the banks vestibule, where an ATM is also located.

We know that theres a danger in technology making a distance to a relationship, Sparks said. Its the art of using the technology to get closer to the client, not push them away.

The bank opened on May 23, amid hoopla and ceremony. Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu traveled to Houston from Washington to present Sparks with the national charter.

There really is an entire network and community of people  other bankers, data providers, people in the community  that have all been playing a role in helping to stand this up, said Hsu. Thats whats special about community banking.

Several days later, Sparks was back at work, reflecting on what she and her team had accomplished, what lay ahead, and the role the bank could play. Theres a pent-up desire for women to really be at the table, Sparks said.

And they will get a place at the table, at Agility Bankat its head, in fact.

erica.grieder@chron.com
Health insurance companies and self-insured employers that directly pay for their workers medical care will have to post data on what they pay hospitals, doctors, and other providers starting Friday. Its part of the latest effort from the federal government to create more health care price transparency.

A similar requirement went into effect for hospitals about 18 months ago, but participation has been spotty at best. About 14 percent of hospitals were in compliance, according to a survey of 1,000 hospitals from Patient Rights Advocate, a nonpartisan organization focused on healthcare price transparency.

Insurance industry analysts expect higher compliance among health plans and employers after hospitals received a slew of bad press for noncompliance. The Texas Legislature also passed a law that said hospitals had to be compliant with the law to receive certain federal COVID funds.

The three largest insurers in Texas -- Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare and Humana all said their prices will be posted Friday.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston's largest hospitals aren't posting price lists for medical services, could face federal fines

Across the industry most insurers seem poised to post their prices on time, said Alicia Phillips Pierce, a spokesperson for the Texas Association of Health Plans, a trade association representing health insurers.

Our plans seem to indicate they're ready to go, Pierce said. Its a lot of data, so as the rollout happens they might have to make some changes, but if there are issues they will work to resolve them quickly.

Another reason experts anticipate more compliance is fines are heftier for health plans. Health insurance companies and self-insured employers face fines up to $100 per day, per covered person, if they dont publish the data, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

A company with thousands of employees or an insurer with thousands of members could easily rack up a $1 million fine in a day. On the other hand, hospitals fines are capped at up to $5,500 a day.

So far, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has only fined two hospitals for noncompliance.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Startup aims to make it easier to compare prices for medical procedures

Congress created the price transparency laws with the goal of making the marketplace more competitive and preventing both hospitals and insurers from charging exorbitant rates. But it will still take some time for the benefits of the law to reach the patients or even employers purchasing health plans, said Chris Skisak, executive director of the Houston Business Coalition on Health.

Although it's publicly available, the data provided by hospitals, and now insurers, is too complex for a layperson to understand and will require thorough analyses from policy experts.

It will take folks, policymakers and researchers a long time to take this data and put that into context, Skisak said. But it's a step in the right direction.

Ava Jiang contributed to this report.

becca.carballo@chron.com
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The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership has selected Brian D. Freedman, southwest region senior manager of state and local government operations for The Boeing Co., as its incoming president.

Freedman will begin working alongside retiring President Bob Mitchell in August prior to taking over as president Jan. 1, 2023.

I am honored to serve as the next president of BAHEP and am thrilled to work with the world-class team of economic development professionals to serve our membership and community, Freedman said. Our board of directors has laid out an incredible strategic plan that capitalizes on the growing opportunities in the region, and I look forward to supporting this vision.

Prior to Boeing, Freedman served as the lead for legislative affairs at Johnson Space Center and as BAHEPs aerospace coordinator and contract administrator.

Learn more at www.bayareahouston.com.

Where do you think best? UHCL student shares top study spots

It may be summertime, but some students still have homework, midterms and papers due.

A University of Houston-Clear Lake biology and premed major recently revealed three quiet spaces in which to get those assignments completed.

I dont study in my room at Hunter Hall, said Danna Almazan, president of the Hawks Spirit and Tradition Council. Its too tempting to take a nap!

The Neumann Librarys second-floor study rooms have open space, so students can see friends and study with others, Almazan said. There are coffee machines in there so you dont have to go all the way down to the Patio Cafe. You can bring your food, take out the books you need and theres lots of help in the library.

The study areas in front of the Bayou Buildings elevators are another option, Almazan said. There are chargers that you can move aroundyou dont have to move your seat. The couches are comfortable, and its open late at night. They are close to vending machines for snacks.

Almazan said she also likes the STEM Buildings second floor, which gives her plenty of space to work out math problems.

The study area up there has couches and bars with barstool-style chairs, and good seating areas, she said. Also, the walls are white boards, so you can write on them. Its very quiet up there, so its good for studying on your own or for group study.

District wins fiscal transparency award

Clear Creek Independent School District has earned the Association of School Business Officials Internationals Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting.

A districts participation in the program can facilitate bond rating.

For information, visit www.asbointl.org.

Friendswood students receive degrees from Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology presented degrees to more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students this spring, including three Friendswood natives.

Shakkhar Biswas and Adam Hackbarth each received a masters degree in computer science. Rachel Epperson earned a bachelors degree with honors in biomedical engineering.

For information, visit www.gatech.edu.

UA names academic high achievers

Three Friendswood natives were named to The University of Alabamas honor roll for the spring 2022 semester.

With an academic record of 4.0, or all As, Leah Block and Joscelin OConnor were named to the presidents list. Avery Evans, who earned a GPA of 3.5 or above, received deans list recognition.

Learn more at news.ua.edu.

Area student honored at James Madison University

Friendswood resident and dance major Caitlyn Williams has been named to the spring 2022 deans list at James Madison University.

To qualify for the list, students must carry at least 12 graded credit hours and earn a GPA of between 3.5 and 3.899.

Learn more about the school in Harrisonburg, Virginia, at www.jmu.edu.

Friendswood resident named to Shenandoah honor roll

Isabella Morrison, of Friendswood, is one of 438 students recognized on the spring 2022 presidents list at Shenandoah University.

To qualify, students enrolled in baccalaureate degree programs must complete at least 12 semester hours and earn a semester GPA of 3.90 or higher.

For information about the university in Winchester, Virginia, visit www.su.edu.

Area student graduates from William James

Chelsea Rene Hughes, of Deer Park, has earned a bachelors degree in psychology and human services as a member of William James Colleges class of 2022.

Learn more about the school in Newton, Massachusetts, at www.williamjames.edu.

Foundation wraps up 25th year with scholarships, new leaders

San Jacinto College Foundations recent silver anniversary celebration, the Step Brightly Into the Future gala, raised $440,000 for the Promise @ San Jac program.

Promise scholarships cover tuition and books for in-district high school graduates.

Additionally, new board officers began their terms July 1: Chair Connie Valerius, Chair-elect Rick Guerrero, Secretary Katey Crackel, Treasurer Jaime Ortegon and Immediate Past Chair Steve Cowart. Teri Zamora and Kelly Cleaver joined the executive committee as vice presidents of student success. John Moon Jr. will serve as trustee member.

The foundations newest board members are Robert Davee, Miguel Hernandez, Mason Peres, Brenda Thompson and Grady West.

Learn more at www.sanjac.edu/foundation.
When Houston resident Lauren Price read the leaked draft of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, she emailed her period-tracking apps customer support team to ask how they were protecting her personal health information.

The Montrose resident, 37, is an activist and data specialist for a local school district, so she worried that law enforcement or others might seek out data while investigating whether someone had an illegal abortion. The prospect is of particular concern in Texas, where a state law allows private citizens to collect a $10,000 bounty in lawsuits against anyone who aids or abets the procedure.

When Price never heard back from that company  Kindara  she decided to stop using the app.

READ MORE: Texans are using a European company to obtain abortion pills after Roe v. Wade ruling

I would love to be wrong, but I dont trust enough people to do the right thing and not leave my data out there for anybody to find, she said.

Delete your period tracker has become a common refrain on social media in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case establishing a constitutional right to an abortion. Fifteen states, including Texas, have already taken steps to ban or severely restrict abortions, with several others expected to do the same. Some are concerned that in those states, data from period-tracking apps could be used as proof of a missed period.

Legal and data privacy experts said that while period-tracking apps are attracting the most attention, there are other aspects of someones digital footprint that are more likely to be at risk. Location data, text messages and internet history could also be sought as part an investigation into a prohibited abortion. But they hope the focus on period tracking apps will spur people to think more critically about the information theyre sharing online and the steps theyre taking to protect their data.

I think this moment is a wake-up call for users who are realizing just how much of their sensitive information is captured through their daily online activities, said Alexandra Givens, the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit focused on digital privacy.

Companies and apps often disclose their privacy protections in hard-to-find and difficult-to-read policies or terms of service, said Cooper Quintin, a senior staff technologist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The average user may not know their personal information is being shared with advertisers or data brokers, which collect it and sell it for profit.

It may seem like information shared with period-tracking apps should be protected, but tech companies are not subject to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). That only applies to health care providers, insurance companies and their business associates.

MORE HEALTH NEWS: Texas Children's has administered 6K COVID shots for kids under 5, but rollout remains slow

Some period-tracking apps are now trying to appeal to users by advertising how theyre taking additional steps to protect user data. Flo, for example, has announced it will be rolling out an anonymous mode where users can remove their name, email address and other identifiers from their profile. But some users feel its too little, too late.

Houston resident Abbie Martinez, 24, began using a tracking app in high school because she had irregular periods. She was using Apples Health app when the Supreme Court ruling was released, and ultimately decided to switch to a paper calendar to track her cycle.

For Martinez, the issue is personal. Several years ago, her period tracking app alerted her that shed missed her period, and she discovered she was pregnant. She was still considering her options  including the possibility of having an abortion  when she had a miscarriage.

Martinez is thankful her period tracker helped her realize she was pregnant so she could consider her options. Shes upset others may not be able to do the same if theyre too scared to use an app.

This is personal to me. I dont see how my menstruation cycle  if Im late two days, or if Im early two days  is anyone elses business but my own, she said.

Could data be at risk?

Data from period-tracking apps could theoretically be used to reverse-engineer when someone might have been pregnant, said Jennifer Laurin, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law. In a state like Texas, its a fair guess it could be sought as part of an investigation into a prohibited abortion, she said.

Just from an evidentiary standpoint, I can see how the information would be valuable, she said.

Other types of data could be more valuable, though. Text messages, emails and internet search histories have all been used in criminal cases against women who were accused of self-inducing an abortion, according to a 2020 study by civil right lawyer Cynthia Conti-Cook.

Givens is particularly concerned by what might play out in Texas, due to the state law that allows private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who aids or abets a prohibited abortion.

I am very worried about what that does to incentivize a culture of bounty hunters who can profit at $10,000 a case from seeking out information about women who they suspect might have had an abortion, she said.

Givens said her organization is imploring tech companies to take every step possible to protect user data. Companies should demand a warrant for the information instead of freely providing it to any prosecutor who requests it by email. Private citizens cannot obtain a warrant to force a company to hand over information.

KEEP READING: A constitutional law professor explains the opinions overturning Roe v. Wade. Read her notes

Experts have found that in the past, most criminal cases related to prohibited or self-induced abortions have started with information provided by a health care professional. That would suggest that data from period-tracking apps will not be the someones biggest source of vulnerability, said Leah Fowler, a professor and research director at the University of Houstons Health Law and Policy Institute.

At the same time, its difficult to gauge what will happen as more abortion laws take effect. Knowing the date of someones last missed period could be of interest to law enforcement, or bounty hunters in Texas, she said.

I think we are entering into a period of time where what has happened in the past may not always be the greatest indication of what is going to happen in the future, she said.

Protecting your data

Many app users may think their data can simply be deleted by removing the app from their phone, but thats not the case. If the data is stored on a company server, the companys privacy policy or terms of service might spell out how long it will be maintained. The data could also be shared with third parties or obtained through a subpoena, Quintin said.

When a company or app asks you to provide your personal information, you should ask yourself if they truly need it, Quintin said.

It is absolutely true that your data is only as safe as the company chooses to make it, Quintin said. In a lot of cases, companies are driven more by a profit motive than a motive to keep their customers data safe.

There are steps you can take to keep your personal information and communications safe, experts said. Turn off location sharing on all your apps and use an encrypted messaging service such as Signal for any sensitive communications. You should also use a virtual private network (VPN), which is designed to enhance security by giving you a different IP address to shield your location.

While Fowler is concerned by what might play out in a state like Texas, she does not believe users need to start deleting their period trackers en masse.

I think everything has to be a cost-benefit analysis because at the end of the day, it's not a workable solution to say that more than 50 percent of the population should have to opt out of the digital economy and live off the grid, Fowler said. That's not a real policy answer.

Price, the activist and data specialist, decided to switch to a different period tracking app rather than stop using them altogether. She researched various options and decided to switch to Euki, which stores data locally on the users phone and does not use third-party tracking. She also takes other precautions to protect her personal information; she uses a password-managing app, a VPN and encrypted messaging.

Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, Price said shes heard a lot of panic from friends who use period-tracking apps. Shes disgusted by the possibility that someone's personal health information could be obtained by law enforcement, or even private citizens.

Unless Im married to you or youre my doctor, when I get my period is none of your damn business, Price said.
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A sleepless night for a Summer Creek High School assistant principal has turned an ordinary academic class into a district-wide project that is quickly gaining state and national attention for Humble ISD.

At the invitation to their year-end banquet, retired three-star Lt. General Rick Lynch praised the students at Summer Creek, Kingwood Park, and Kingwood high schools for their successes in building tiny homes for veterans through the districts Big Heroes, Tiny Homes program.

You are the future of our nation, and youre setting the table well, Lynch said. Youre touching lives and making a difference.

The general gave the students some orders in his speech telling them, The impact educators had on my life was profound, Lynch said. If youre not telling your teachers thank you, fix that tomorrow.

Next, Lynch said students should dedicate themselves to being servant leaders.

Always focus on doing good, as opposed to doing well, Lynch said.

Lynch ended his speech by thanking the volunteers and financial supporters of the program.

Youre the big heroes, all the students, the educators, the nonprofits and corporate sponsors, Lynch said. Im humbled to be in your presence.

The tiny house is 390 square feet and contains a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and a small living space.

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Karys Abshire, a senior at Summer Creek and president of the architecture committee, said she was amazed at the community reaction to the program.

The tiny home program isnt just for the student architects and builders, Abshire said. Its a program thats impacting every one of our students, their friends and families, and each veteran that lives in the homes.

The idea for the program came from Allen Segura, assistant principal at Summer Creek High School.

He approached me one morning at school and said, Hey, I didnt sleep very well last night so, I got on Facebook. I saw where in Kansas City, there are veterans that are building tiny homes for homeless veterans. I wonder, is that something you think students could do? he asked James Gaylord, CTE instructor at Summer Creek High School.

Gaylord teaches a principles of architecture class at the high school level, which up until that point, was just an academic course in the classroom. His background was in construction.

I said, Sure. There are some logistical things we have to get around but the students are capable of it, he told Segura.

Their next phone call was to Missi Taylor, architecture teacher at Kingwood Park, who agreed immediately.

Segura became the executive director of the program and both Gaylord and Taylor brainstormed together on how to incorporate the construction in their classes.

From the very beginning, he kind of laid it out with two core values: serve homeless veterans and keep students at the forefront of everything we do. Missi Taylor at Kingwood Park has now finished four houses. We have finished three on our campus, Gaylord said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Following the Uvalde tragedy, Humble ISD continues to review, harden schools for security

Now Shellie Dick, construction technology and agriculture teacher at Kingwood High School, is leading his students in building their first house. They have now delivered five of the houses and have two more ready to go as soon as the infrastructure is complete. Their goal is for each high school to design and build one tiny house per campus per year.

Putting the program together wasnt an easy process, in fact, there werent just a few questions, but Gaylord said thousands of questions.

Weve kind of got this figured out and we need to fine tune or perfect it, he said.

Now he has big dreams.

I can do a tiny house a year for the next 10 years and we will have built 10 houses, impacted a lot of students and veterans but ultimately we wont have really impacted homelessness in a big way, he said.

His solution?

If we challenge every high school in America to join us, yes, 40,000 high schools across this country, to build one tiny house a year, we could end homelessness altogether, not just veteran homelessness, he said boldly.

Now the vision is to challenge other schools.

It really is easier than you might think. You dont need specialized space, specialized tools, he said. The tools you need to build a house fit in the back of a pickup truck.

Gaylord said they use approximately four parking spaces on their campus to build the house on.

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The house is a happy byproduct. Its an amazing thing to see to walk through the homes that our kiddos have built. But the house is the byproduct, the real product, is the students and the opportunities that they have. The real-world application, all the things that we spend so much time teaching, but never really have the hands-on relevance is the most authentic, relevant project-based learning in all of education right now, he said.

Building a future

Gaylord explained the way the project works on his campus.

This August when we come back to campus, we will start building our fourth house. We already have the design force selected. On my campus, all my students are in my classes brainstorm with their own individual tiny house floor plan before we start building, he described it.

Thats already a curriculum requirement, however, now students have an opportunity to do more with the plan itself.

I have a committee of students in my architecture classes, a volunteer group. Once everybody has done their own individual design, we kind of boil it down to the best ones. The students go through a rubric in the selection process and evaluate each one and they make the ultimate decision on which design is selected, he said.

The plans are then refined. He credits his architecture committee with finding flaws in the plans, even while hes working with the build team. Much like in a real-world situation, they do construction management assuring there are no design flaws and everything is square and level according to the dimensions.

We built one wall three times on this last house, because we just didnt quite get it right. It was an interesting dynamic because the construction team built it the way they thought they needed it, but the architecture team said, No. The windows arent going right. It was a great life lesson, he laughed.

He assured his design and construction teams that they are going to make mistakes even in the professional world.

What you do about it a lot of times determines whether you get to come back the next day, he warned students.

Beyond the pencil, sometimes students must figure out how they will reach the peak of the roof when they have nothing to help them.

Its nice to have a living, breathing project right outside my classroom door because 90 percent of what Im describing to them in regular classroom work, we can see, feel it, touch it, he said.

The students literally do everything from foundation work, the framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical wiring, breakers, they do it all. Many of the teens have never put their hands on some of the equipment.

First things first and the blessings

Gaylord and his colleagues had to first receive the blessing from the superintendent and ultimately the school board where they received a hearty thumbs up. That was the good news. Fast forward a year later at an open house for their first built home and Gaylord was congratulated on the accomplishment but was also told the bad news: there would be no funding for the project the next year.

I was told if we could find the funding, we had their blessing to continue, he said.

They worked harder than ever to solicit private funds and raise money through fundraisers. Then a miracle came.

Missi Taylor pulled a genie out of her hat and an anonymous donor in Kingwood wrote a check for $20,000, seed money for each of the two campuses at the time, he said.

Students continued to raise funds selling T-shirts and gummy bears to raise the remainder of the money.

You have to sell a ton of those things to buy a house, he laughed.

Despite the added pressure of funding the project, the three teachersGaylord at Summer Creek, Taylor at Kingwood Park, and Shellie Dick at Kingwoodall found help in more than a miraculous way.

At our first event awarding the home, there were some guys in the group that we werent aware of and later discovered they were with Operation Finally Home, Gaylord said.

The organization builds homes for veterans who have suffered through some form of disability in their service to the country, and they build them a home specially equipped for them.

They told Gaylord their values aligned with theirs and they offered help for materials with their next few houses. They worked out an arrangement with Lowes through their foundation and funded the next 15 homes to be built by the students.

That was a godsend, Gaylord said gratefully. That made it so much easier for us to not have to worry about the next bundle of two by fours.

One of the big questions for the students and Gaylord after finishing that first house was who do they give it to? And where will they put the house?

We just kept building and figured the answers would come in time, he said.

At that first event, the project received some broadcast coverage and Barbara Lange, the CEO at Langetree Retreat and ECO Center reached out to them from Liberty County. With her facility, she has been helping the VA and the VFW for 25 years.

She told us she had 100 acres and wanted to make something work, Gaylord said.

Now, the students design them, build them, then donate them to Lange who houses the veterans, but more good news came along.

Lee Kirgan of Operation Finally Home found out about the 100 acres and OFH has now stepped in and is designing a community with the tiny homes installing the infrastructure for them to support the veterans. With a master plan, they want to build a community center with an enormous kitchen to feed all the veterans on the property at once. The plan also includes an additional six pods of five homes each with underground power, septic, and water.

This four- or five-year plan has been amazing to watch. Its exciting to see others catch the same vision, Gaylord said.

Most of his questions have now been answered.

To donate to Big Heroes Tiny Homes, contact Gaylord at james.gaylord@humbleisd.net or Missi Taylor at Melissa.Taylor@humbleisd.net or Shellie Dick at Shellie.Dick@humbleisd.net.

dtaylor@hcnonline.com
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Students in medical programs at Alvin Community College soon will learn how to use lifesaving equipment thanks to a $2,000 grant from ACC Foundation.

Neurodiagnostic instructor Robyn Ketchum used the funds to purchase two incubators, which provide thermoregulation for neonatal patients. Classroom experience with the technology benefits students before they encounter it in a clinical setting, Ketchum said.

Instead of challenging them in a clinical rotation where theyre dealing with a real-life baby, they will have already had this practice in our lab. Ketchum said. Its going to help out substantially.

The funds were among nearly $18,000 awarded for the 2022-2023 academic year as part of the foundations Innovative Initiative Grant program. Visit www.alvincollege.edu/neurodiagnostic-technology to learn more.

Leadership program accepting applications

Pearland Chamber of Commerce is looking for men and women who wish to become more engaged in community affairs.

The Leadership Pearland program teaches participants about the citys governmental, educational, economic and cultural organizations and encourages future leaders to explore options for personal involvement and relationship building, according to the website pearlandchamber.org/leadership-pearland.

Applications are due Aug. 12, and tuition is $1,200.

Iowa Colony community expands lineup

Meridiana has added Toll Brothers to its list of new home builders.

The builder recently started construction on several move-in ready homes in a gated section of 50-foot homesites, and a furnished showcase model will open soon in the model park at 5311 Dream Court.

Learn more at www.MeridianaTexas.com.

Pearland native receives Georgia Tech degree

Ranmuni De Silva, of Pearland, has earned a masters degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

De Silva was among more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students to be presented degrees during commencement exercises this spring.

For information, visit www.gatech.edu.

Area student graduates from Washburn University

Ifeoma Ude-Okoro, of Rosharon, received a post-graduate psychiatric-mental health nursing certificate from Washburn University this spring.

Learn more about the school in Topeka, Kansas, at www.washburn.edu.

UA names academic high achievers

Three Pearland natives were named to The University of Alabamas spring 2022 honor roll.

With an academic record of 4.0, or all As, Alison Klein was named to the presidents list. Sarah Salvador and Joseph Gajevsky, who earned GPAs of 3.5 or above, received deans list recognition.

Learn more at news.ua.edu.

Students academic efforts recognized

April L. Conant, of Pearland, was named to the spring 2022 deans list at the University of Central Arkansas.

To qualify for the list, students must earn a 3.5 GPA with a minimum course load of 12 credit hours.

Learn more at www.uca.edu.

Pearland student earns university honor

Marie Martinsen, of Pearland, was named to the spring 2022 presidents list at the College of Charleston.

Martinsen is majoring in historic preservation and community planning.

To qualify for the list, students must earn a GPA of 3.8 and complete 14 semester hours.

Learn more about the university in South Carolina at www.cofc.edu.

Rosharon natives academic achievement lauded

Jeffrey Ozor, of Rosharon, has been named to the spring 2022 deans list at Berea College in Kentucky.

To qualify, a student must achieve a GPA of 3.4 while passing at least 4 total credits.

Learn more at www.berea.edu.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to maintain the U.N. peacekeeping mission in turmoil-wracked Mali, while condemning the West African nation's military rulers for using mercenaries that commit human rights and humanitarian violations.

The council also expressed grave concern at the deteriorating political and security situation in the West African nation.

Russia and China abstained on the French-drafted resolution that extends the mandate of the mission until June 30, 2023, with its current ceiling of 13,289 military personnel and 1,920 international police.

Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow the president. The power vacuum that resulted ultimately led to an Islamic insurgency and a French-led war that ousted the jihadists from power in 2013.

But insurgents remain active and extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali since 2015, stoking animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the region.

Malis current ruling junta, which seized power in August 2020, has grown closer to Russia as Moscow has looked to build alliances and gain sway in Africa.

The junta has hired mercenaries from Russias Wagner Group, which has been accused by the European Union and human rights groups of violating human rights and international humanitarian law. The Kremlin denies any connection to the company, but Western analysts call it a tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After Wednesdays vote, Frances U.N. ambassador, Nicolas De Riviere, said violations of human rights and humanitarian law by terrorist groups as well as Malian armed forces accompanied by members of the Wagner Group must stop.

Warning that insecurity in Mali is rising, he said the U.N. mission must be given access to areas where alleged violations are committed to fulfill its mandate and publish quarterly human rights reports as the resolution demands. He said that those responsible for violations must be brought to justice.

Amid tensions with Malis military rulers, France announced in February that its military forces would be out of the country by this summer. But France proposed continuing to provide aerial support to the U.N. peacekeepers, who need the capabilities of attack helicopters. Mali strongly objected to a continued French air presence, however, and the French offer was dropped from the resolution.

U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills said one reason the United States supported the resolution was because it strongly condemns the alarming increase in violations and abuses against civilians and again calls for all parties to cease committing or abetting any violation or abuse. He said that this includes terrorist armed groups, the Malian armed forces, and the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group.

The resolution authorizes the U.N. mission to assist Malian authorities in promoting and protecting human rights. The force also is to monitor, document, conduct fact-finding missions, help investigate and report publicly" to the Security Council on humanitarian and rights violations, including sexual violence and human trafficking, and to contribute to efforts to prevent such violations and abuses.

It also authorizes U.N. peacekeepers to carry out other priority tasks, including supporting implementation of a June 2015 peace agreement and the current political transition, supporting the restoration of state authority to central Mali and stabilizing the region, protecting civilians and creating safe environments for delivery of humanitarian aid.

Explaining Russias abstention, the countrys deputy U.N. ambassador, Anna Evstigneeva, pointed to the resolutions intrusive wording  on human rights, saying it will not help ensure that Mali can exercise its right to protect its own citizens.

We are concerned that this might be used by those who want to tarnish the work of the transition government and are not pleased with its independent foreign policy approach, she said. We to a degree have become used to the fact that our Western colleagues time and again try and push `fakes into the council about the apparently disruptive work of Russia in Mali when Moscow is helping the country combat terrorism.

Last Friday, Malis junta leader signed a new law paving the way for elections and a return to constitutional rule in 2024. The law would allow Col. Assimi Goita, who is president of the transitional government and other military members, to be candidates, according to a copy of the legislation seen by The Associated Press.

The resolution on Mali also gives Security Council backing to continued support for the regional counterterrorism force known as the G5 Sahel, which Malis military rulers announced they were pulling out of in May. The G5 Sahel force, which also includes soldiers from the neighboring West African states of Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad, was created in 2014 and actually deployed troops in 2017.

The council said it will continue providing medical evacuations and access to life support consumables and use of engineering plant equipment. It asked Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to enhance exchange of information between the peacekeepuing force in Mali and the G5 Sahel states through provision of relevant intelligence.
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Last month was the hottest June on record for Houston  and, unfortunately, the rest of this summer could also be a swelter.

The average temperature in June, based on daily highs and lows at Bush Intercontinental Airport, was 86.7 degrees. That surpassed the previous record set in June 2011 of 86.2 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Lance Wood.

We are expecting July and August to be above normal, said Wood, who is based in the National Weather Services Houston/Galveston office. It may not end up as above normal as June was, but I do think a warmer-than-normal summer is what were looking at.

The heat has been coupled with dry conditions affecting farmers and ranchers  and, in turn, possibly consumers  across the state. The .13 inches of precipitation made it the third driest June on record, Wood said.

NEW NORMAL: Climate change to bring more triple-digit heat, extreme rain to Houston, report says

Multiple factors are contributing to this heat forecast, including ones that could cause a busier-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season.

A main factor is that temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are about 5 degrees warmer than normal, said Scott Collis, an atmospheric scientist at Chicagos Argonne National Laboratory.

The Gulf of Mexico is hot right now, he said. Not only is it hot  its really hot along the Gulf Coast shores.

Warm water is fuel for hurricanes, and it can cause warmer air to be blown onshore.

Another contributing factor could be La Nina, where cooler-than-normal temperatures across the Pacific Ocean affect weather patterns all around the world, Wood said.

For hurricane season, La Nina enables more storms to develop because it produces less vertical wind shear. Wind shear can tear apart hurricanes as they are trying to develop and intensify.

For summer temperatures, La Nina tends to create a high-pressure system in the middle and upper atmosphere above Texas. This dry air sucks moisture from potential rain clouds. And as the air sinks to the lower atmosphere, it becomes compressed  and thus warmer  because the air density increases, Wood said.

But this summer hasnt been as dry as 2011, the worst one-year drought on record for Texas. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist and regents professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, said this summer started with more moisture in the ground than 2011.

And when theres more moisture in the ground, temperatures remain cooler as the suns energy goes into evaporating that water rather than heating up the ground.

Summer rainfall is almost impossible to predict very far in advance, so theres no telling how much relief we might get this year, Nielsen-Gammon said. Right now, statewide conditions are generally not as dry as they were in 2011. But theyre drier than they have been since.

The unofficial average rainfall for January to June Texas was 8.56 inches, according to Nielsen-Gammon. The number for the same period in 2011 was 6.0 inches.

SUMMER FORECAST: Summer officially arrives this week with 'dangerous' heat in Houston

And this dryness is affecting farmers and ranchers across the state.

Justin Benavidez, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, is expecting lower yields for summer crops including cotton, sorghum and corn. Red winter wheat, which is largely harvested in July, will also be affected.

Losing crop yield  and having to pay more to irrigate crops that do mature  will make for an especially tough year when considering commodity prices were already volatile due to Russias invasion of Ukraine and other global factors.

Cattle ranchers are in a similarly challenging position. The drought means theres less grass for the cattle to graze on, so ranchers must supplement their feed with hay or grain.

This can be expensive, so Benavidez said many ranchers are culling their herds and sending cattle to slaughter. This could have long-term ramifications in the coming years when ranchers will have fewer cattle to sell, which could cause a drop in beef supply and raise consumer prices.

Rain would be great, and Im not going to complain when it comes, Benavidez said. But there are production challenges set into motion that will be born out whether it rains or not.

The dry conditions have also plagued Collis, with the Argonne National Laboratory, as hes been traveling to Houston for a yearlong storm study.

The study is known as TRACER, which stands for TRacking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment. Universities are partnering with organizations that include the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and NASA to examine if soot, dust, smoke and other tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere can cause stronger, rainier thunderstorms.

The study kicked into high gear last month as June is typically Houstons wettest month. Hobby Airport normally sees 5.32 inches of rain between June 1 and June 28. This year, Collis said it saw .22 inches.

POOLS CLOSED: Lifeguard shortage keeping city of Houston pools shuttered amid dangerous heat

But Collis said there is a chance that Houstons weather could be reset by a recent disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico and by the North American Monsoon that forms over northwestern Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico.

Disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the gulf could churn up the water, bringing cooler water to the surface.

Meanwhile, the monsoons winds from the west could bring more moisture into the upper parts of the atmosphere that are being dried out by La Nina.

Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get, Collis said. The climate system has all these components, all these wheels working together.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/a_leinfelder
In 2019, Carlos and his toddler, Oscar, were on the run.

After repeatedly being stalked and threatened because of their familys political beliefs, they suddenly had to leave their home country in South America. They flew to Mexico and made their way to the Texas-Mexico border, looking to seek asylum in the United States.

The father and son crossed the border near Reynosa and were detained in the Rio Grande Valley by U.S. border officials for six days  and sent back to Mexico.

AFTERMATH: Remain in Mexico ruling could slow Texas, other states from thwarting immigration policy

They put me on a bus and Im seeing where were going, and then after around two hours they release us in Matamoros, said Carlos, in Spanish. (The U.S. State Department advises against travel to that area due to crime and kidnapping.)

Border officials returned Carlos and Oscar to Mexico under the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" program, that forced asylum seekers to wait out their cases in Mexico  a policy criticized for returning migrants into a situation that would further their desperation and make them vulnerable to organized crime.

Carloss story was part of legal evidence brought to the Supreme Court, ahead of Thursdays decision to allow the Biden administration to end the program, which argued that Remain in Mexico actually contributed to migrants being trafficked. The Houston Chronicle is withholding certain personal details of the familys case and is referring to them through pseudonyms, because of their ongoing immigration case.

SUPREME COURT: Biden can end Trump-era 'Remain in Mexico' border policy

After being released in Matamoros, terrified and toddler in hand, Carlos turned to the only person he knew in Mexico for help  the smuggler who had helped him cross the border.

Trapped by the cartel

But Carlos, a mechanic who had had a good-paying job in his home country, soon realized he made a mistake. The smuggler brought him to a hotel that was controlled by gang members. There he had to pay hundreds of dollars for shelter and for his and his sons protection. Then, when Carlos ran out of money, the cartel put him to work to pay his way.

Carlos said they took him to a warehouse run by Mexicos Gulf Cartel. There he worked from 8 a.m. to midnight  with his toddler  and fixed up tricked-out cars while cartel members snorted cocaine. They didnt pay him anything. When Carlos brought it up, they told him to stay safe, he needed to keep working.

I thought oh my God what have I gotten myself into? Carlos said. He worked for several weeks, quietly taking photos and making note of the cartels operations.

After more than a month working, Carlos was able to convince the cartel to let him attend his immigration court hearing.

He said at court he showed U.S. authorities photos of the cartel operation, explained details of the drug smuggling routes and pleaded that he and his son were in grave danger if they stayed in Mexico; he was being forced to work for a powerful criminal organization. Despite his photos and testimony, border officials said the only way they would believe his story is if he arrived with a gunshot wound to the stomach, Carlos said.

Requests for comment from CBP were not answered by early Thursday evening.

EXPLAINER: Here's how human smuggling works along the U.S.-Mexico border

When U.S. border officials released him back into Mexico, Carlos had a stroke of luck. He met an attorney near the border where nonprofits were working with some of the people returned to Mexico. She took his case because of the evidence he had collected. He had a better chance than most of winning his case.

He had a final asylum hearing scheduled for March 2020 in the early days of the pandemic, when the Trump administration closed the border and implemented another major barrier for asylum seekers: Title 42.

The policy allowed the government to forgo the asylum process altogether using the argument that they were protecting public health. The new policy made matters much worse for Carlos and thousands of other migrants.

A year-plus in hell

Carlos and his son spent more than a year in Mexico  much of it in hiding, for fear of cartel members finding him. He called the border there hell and he even moved to another city in interior Mexico to try and stay safe.

The situation in Mexico is precarious, you have no idea, not being from there everybody wants to take money from you, everyone wants to kidnap you, he said. And then having a kid with you, you cant imagine.

BORDER ANALYSIS: How Biden limited use of 'Remain in Mexico' border policy before Supreme Court ruling

Then, when President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he suspended "Remain in Mexico." In February, border officials granted Carlos and Oscar parole so he could wait for his case before an immigration judge in safety, inside the United States. In Thursdays decision, the Supreme Court also affirmed that the executive branch has the authority to use parole, as it has historically.

The states of Texas and Missouri sued Biden, leading to a federal judge temporarily stopping the program from fully winding down, which is how the case ended up in the Supreme Court. Now, under the Supreme Court ruling, the Biden administration has the authority to fully rescind the program.

The 'Remain in Mexico' program, there are very few things that have been as damaging for my clients than that, said Sabrina Talukder, director of the Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Policy Initiative at Loyola Marymount University, who has also represented trafficking survivors. Essentially, they've created thousands of people that are just sitting ducks, desperate and so easy to exploit, she said.

Talukder worked with Carlos to include his story in the amicus brief that was filed with the Supreme Court.

Title 42 still in place

Of course, Thursdays border decision is not a return to a pre-Trump border. The Title 42 policy that grants border officials the authority to expel migrants and bypass asylum protocols is still in place due to a legally similar GOP-led lawsuit. Talukder believes that the Remain in Mexico decision bodes well for the current legal battle over Title 42.

At the heart of it is the same two legal questions, Talukder said.

While that legal saga continues, Carlos and his son are now living in the U.S. while their asylum case is pending. Carlos said hes working now and paying taxes.

He believes there should be more legal channels for immigration, so people can be screened and allowed into the U.S. And if they prove to be a law-abiding, productive person, he believes they should be able to stay.

Give us the opportunity to work, Carlos said.

elizabeth.trovall@chron.com
Uganda, China bolster ties in 60-year journey

Xinhua) 10:01, July 01, 2022

KAMPALA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China and Uganda this year mark the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, a journey which started back in October 1962 when Uganda gained independence from British colonial rule.

Nine days after Uganda gained her independence on October 9, 1962, China established diplomatic ties with the East African country.

Zhang Lizhong, Chinese ambassador to Uganda, said at a recent press conference that over the past 60 years, the two countries have been journeying a path towards development and revitalization amid complex global challenges.

To commemorate the anniversary, both China and Uganda have scheduled a series of events. An anniversary celebration logo competition was successfully held earlier this year in Uganda. The state-owned newspaper New Vision, together with the Chinese embassy, have launched the fifth My China Story Essay Competition, which opens up a platform for Ugandan public and diasporas in China to share their encounters visiting, living, studying and working in China, or experiences working or trading with Chinese companies or nationals in or outside Uganda.

China and Uganda are preparing for a direct flight between the two countries. This will be another highlight for the 60th anniversary commemoration, according to Zhang.

Since the two countries elevated their relations to the level of Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership in June 2019, they have witnessed pragmatic cooperation being deepened, according to Zhang.

The trade volume between the two countries in 2021 amounted to 1.07 billion U.S. dollars, registering a 28.5 percent increase, against the shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Chinese embassy.

By the end of 2020, the stock of China's direct investment in Uganda reached 710 million U.S. dollars, according to the embassy. Chinese investment is mainly concentrated in manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and logistics, among others.

Zhang said Chinese investors have set up several industrial parks in the country in efforts to create employment for the youths. He cited the China-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park which has created more than 2,000 jobs for the local communities. Overtime, the job opportunities created by the park will increase to over 15,000 jobs.

Zhang said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in the country are progressing smoothly. China is financing the expansion of Uganda's Entebbe International Airport, the country's major gateway to the world. A Chinese financed Kampala Entebbe Expressway, linking the capital Kampala to the airport, is already in use.

China also financed the construction of the 600 Megawatt Karuma Hydro Power Plant and the 183 Megawatt Isimba Hydro Power Plant. Economists argue that the power plants are critical in addressing the country's power demand to fast track development.

Zhang said the funding gap for key energy and transport infrastructure projects in Uganda and Africa is still big. He argued that while the BRI has provided support, more effort is needed from the international community.

Ambassador Zhang emphasized that Africa is not a place for rivalry, but place for cooperation for all countries. China welcomes other countries to cooperate with Africa, since that is what Africa needs. There have been fruitful results of BRI that have helped a lot in the development of Africa.

Over the years, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Uganda have been growing. According to the embassy, by the end of 2021, China had provided scores of degree scholarships and over 5,000 short-term training opportunities covering fields like agriculture, medical care, public administration, computer science and infrastructure.

Zhang said China under a tripartite agreement with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Uganda, will soon unveil the third phase of an agricultural projected aimed at boosting production in the country.

The project, according to FAO will improve the lives and livelihoods of farmers and those who depend on them. The project will benefit 9,600 farmers, 30 percent of whom are women. It will also provide training for 200 technical officers in Uganda and China, according to FAO.

Zhang said as a result of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in November last year in Senegal, China is expanding support from traditional financing to livelihood projects that will have a direct impact on the populations.

He said China is in talks with government on how the best livelihood programs can be supported.

"We are going to put more resources in livelihood projects that will bring more benefits to local communities. We are working with government to have a pool of projects," Zhang said.

One of the proposals to Uganda is the development of the bamboo industry in the East African country. Zhang said China has the expertise and technology in developing the bamboo industry while Uganda has got the labor and the land.

Zhang also had in-depth exchanges with reporters on key international issues such as China's proposed Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

Zhang argued that as the world faces unprecedented challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, Cold War mentality, power politics and emerging traditional and non-traditional security threats, there is need for a global platform on which these issues can be addressed.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Harris County officials canceled an election commission meeting for the second time this week, again citing a lack of quorum because only two members were able to attend in person. The rescheduled meeting now is set for Tuesday.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, one of five members of the commission, announced Sunday evening that she had tested positive for COVID-19.
Harris County misdemeanor court Judge Darrell Jordan on Thursday was suspended from his bench by the state's commission on judicial conduct.

The suspension came just days after Jordan was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of official oppression and then arrested.

In a three-paragraph letter addressed to Jordan, the commission said that Jordan would be suspended without pay from his office as Harris County Criminal Court at Law Judge No. 16. The suspension will remain in place until Jordan is either acquitted or the charges are dismissed, according to the letter.

The letter was signed at 4 p.m. Thursday by David Schenk, the chairman of the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Jordan's attorney, Marc Carter, on Thursday evening confirmed the suspension.

Jordan is accused wrongfully holding Wayne Dolcefino, a private media consultant and former TV journalist, in contempt or subjecting him to summary punishment and jail without a hearing. The charges are related to a June 2020 incident when Dolcefino entered Jordan's court and spoke with Jordan, who was holding hearings over a Zoom conference.

The two exchanged words, and Jordan eventually ordered Dolcefino to sit down and stop talking, according to a video of the encounter posted by Dolcefino on his company's Facebook page. When Dolcefino kept talking, Jordan ordered him arrested for contempt.

JORDAN VS DOLCEFINO: Who are the two men in the conflict over judicial power?

The indictment calls the contempt charge illegal.

Jordan, through his attorney, has claimed innocence and said that judges have the power to hold people in contempt in order to maintain decorum and control court proceedings.

Carter said the judicial commission was compelled to act because of the indictment. State law require judges to be suspended if their indicted on official misconduct charges, he said. The commission itself had received a complaint about Jordan's contempt charges against Dolcefino and dismissed them, Carter said.

The case against Jordan was filed with Harris County DAs Office, who recused themselves and asked Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton to investigate the allegation.
The Harris County Attorneys office on Thursday said it is looking into allegations a grass-roots group knocked on doors in Sunnyside and attempted to get residents to sign affidavits verifying the identities of registered voters living at their addresses.

The county attorneys probe is based on a complaint from at least one Sunnyside resident who said two men came to her home and asked questions they said were to confirm the identities of registered voters who live at that address. The men gave her an official-looking affidavit form and asked her to sign it attesting to the residents at the address under penalty of perjury.

We are investigating this issue and exploring legal options to protect residents and prevent this from happening again, the County Attorneys office said in a statement, adding it is working closely with the Harris County Elections Administrators office to fully understand what happened.

Harris County Elections Administrator's office

In a Wednesday evening news release, the elections office warned residents against scammers it said pretended to be from the county elections and voter registration offices and attempted to collect sensitive personal information from voters.

The County Attorneys office, however, said it had no information that anyone had attempted to misrepresent themselves as public employees, which would be illegal.

The two men, according to doorbell camera video footage recorded by a Sunnyside resident, wore badges identifying themselves as members of Texas Election Network, a conservative grass-roots organization formed in 2021.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County GOP promoted gala with activists who aided Trump effort to thwart 2020 election results

Paperwork filed with the Texas Secretary of State's office shows Texas Election Network was created in July 2021 by Melissa Conway, who currently serves as the Republican National Committee's Texas state director for election integrity. She has been an inactive, unpaid member of Texas Election Network since starting her role at the RNC, according to an RNC spokesperson.

Harris County Republican Party spokesperson Genevieve Carter said Texas Election Network is not affiliated with the local party, but confirmed Alan Vera  chair of the county GOP's ballot security committee  is a Texas Election Network board member.

The people canvassing residents are grass-roots volunteers for the nonprofit organization called Texas Election Network and they are wearing badges that clearly state the name of the organization with the nonprofit registration number on the back," Vera said in a statement. "These volunteers are not employees of any political party. The nonprofits mission is to empower citizens to ensure and protect fair and transparent elections."

Sunnyside is a south Houston predominantly minority lower-income neighborhood in which 75 percent of residents are Black and another 20 percent are Hispanic, according to 2019 data from the city.

On HoustonChronicle.com: With November approaching, Harris County has yet to pick a new election administrator

In video footage recorded Sunday and reviewed by the Houston Chronicle Thursday, a man carrying the clipboard explains to the resident: "What they told us to do is get a yes or no to confirm whether everybody is here. If not, we'll take the ones off that are not, and then they update their records."

The Texas Election Network website  which has minimal information about the organization and does not disclose its leadership  lists five objectives, including clean voter rolls and fraud-free absentee ballots.

In its release, the county elections office said it does request the information being asked on the form used by men and added that voters are not required to sign them.

In the event that the Harris County Elections Office ever needs to contact you directly, our staff will have county ID badges to prove their identity, and/or paperwork with the logo or official seal of the office included, the release states.

James Slattery, senior staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said for the average voter, the organization's name, badge and paperwork could convey a sense of an official visit by the government without explicitly doing so.

"I'm sure they'll say they're just a bland nonprofit, but to a voter who does not have a law degree, who does not have a background in law enforcement, you are a lot more likely to believe that this is some kind of quasi-official visit," Slattery said.

"This is one of the precise situations I have been most worried about this election  people in shadowy volunteer groups who suggest in one way or another that they are acting under official authority questioning the eligibility of voters directly by knocking on their doors," Slattery said.

Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said in a statement he was not surprised to hear about the organization asking Sunnyside residents to verify voter information, or the organizations ties to a Republican National Committee employee.

I urge voters to be vigilant. Voters in Sunnyside, and throughout the region, have rights, Ellis said. Voters need to know they are under no obligation to engage this group, provide information, or sign any document.

jen.rice@chron.com
The city has approved a $2.6 billion infrastructure spending plan for the fiscal year that begins Friday, devoting funds to street repairs, storm drainage and facility upgrades with an emphasis on what officials are calling "Harvey recovery projects."

City Council unanimously approved the infrastructure outlay Wednesday as part of its five-year capital improvement plan, updated annually to establish a schedule for maintaining and upgrading city facilities. The wide-ranging projects are funded with public improvement bonds and revenue from drainage fees, water bills, airline fees and other sources.

The capital improvements will total $10.3 billion over five years, a roughly 20 percent increase from last years approved spending plan. Of that, a combined $4.2 billion is going toward water and wastewater projects, with another nearly $900 million for storm drainage improvements.

CITY FINANCES: Houston adopts $5.7 budget

The $2.6 billion for the fiscal year that begins Friday marks a 10 percent decrease from last years spending plan, which included construction costs from an ongoing terminal redevelopment project at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

While Mayor Sylvester Turner was absent Wednesday from the vote, his administration said it sought to put an emphasis on Harvey recovery projects in this years approved spending plan. Many post-Harvey projects were delayed in previous years as federal reimbursement funds trickled in.

Citywide, about $40.7 million will be used to cover repairs to public facilities damaged during Hurricane Harvey, with the largest chunk going toward fire station renovations and park repairs.

HURRICANE WATCH: Houston looks to retrofit five city parks for storm drainage during heavy rains

Nearly five years after Harvey swamped Houston, killing hundreds and laying waste to thousands of homes, councilmembers struggled with the abundance of infrastructure upgrades left unfunded.

District A Council Member Amy Peck has been a vocal critic of the way the city allocates storm drainage funding across the city, arguing that it unfairly disadvantages flood-prone districts. Peck on Wednesday proposed, and later withdrew, an amendment that would have created a task force to recommend a better allocation method.

Peck, whose District A encompasses such northwest neighborhoods as Spring Branch, Westbranch and Carverdale. said she hoped the city would in future make sure there are significant drainage projects every fiscal year in every council district. She added Thursday that the citys current system is not getting my district any closer to fixing the big flooding issues.

AFTER HARVEY: A closer look at Houston's biblical floods

For the past four years, the city has had to delay many new stormwater and infrastructure projects while it focused funds on rebuilding Harvey-damaged facilities and replacing flooded public safety vehicles, among other costs stemming from the destructive storm.

At-Large councilmembers Sallie Alcorn and David Robinson decried spending just $3 million on sidewalk repairs, noting the sum is insufficient for a city with some 4,000 miles of sidewalks.

Something needs to be done, Robinson said, other than wait with expectation that private ownership is going to take care of our horrible, almost embarrassing, situation in some neighborhoods that lack sidewalks or have sidewalks that are falling apart.

nora.mishanec@chron.com
More migrants died in 2021 in the Americas than any other recorded year, according to new analysis published by the United Nations Missing Migrants Project.

The project began to gather migrant death data in 2014.

In 2021, 1,238 migrants died or disappeared in the Americas, according to the report, which acknowledges that the figures should be considered an undercount due to data collection challenges.

SAN ANTONIO MIGRANT DEATHS: Smugglers exploited shift change at border checkpoint to evade detection

More than half of those deaths occurred at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The number of deaths on the United States-Mexico border last year is significantly higher than in any year prior, even before COVID-19, said Edwin Viales, who authored the missing migrants report for the International Organization for Migration.

Of the migrants whose nationalities were identified, Mexicans, Guatemalans and Venezuelans made up the largest shares of the 2021 deaths.

The report also noted that in 2021 at least 51 people died crossing the Darien Gap, a dangerous forest and smuggling corridor in Northern Colombia and Southern Panama, which is the only way to reach North America by land from South America. Because of the areas unique geography, its difficult to recover human remains and track deaths officially.

Many Haitians who made that trek have described horrific scenes there, in some cases stepping over corpses along the route.

HAITIAN ODYSSEY: Inside a 10,000 mile journey from Haiti to Texas

Many migrants also died while traveling by sea - the report cites 67 deaths and disappearances occuring on routes from the Caribbean to the United States and 65 deaths from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico.

The deaths of 53 Mexican and Central American migrants who were found in an overheated tractor-trailer in San Antonio has brought new light to the risks associated with migration.

The deaths from that incident have added to the 2022 migrant death count, making the current total 493.

Our data shows the growing crisis of deaths during migration in the region, and the need to strengthen the forensic capacity of the authorities to identify deaths on these routes. We cannot forget that every single number is a human being with a family who may never know what happened to them, said Viales.

These types of tragedies are not isolated to the Americas, but are part of a global trend. This week, another 20 migrants were found dead in the Libyan desert, likely from dehydration.

elizabeth.trovall@chron.com
Texas students in grades 3 through 8 bounced back from drops in both math and reading attributed to the pandemic, results released Friday morning from the state of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness or STAAR test results showed.

The greatest gains were in reading, and there remains ground to be made up in math: In 2019, half of the students tested at grade level or above, while this year 40 percent met that threshold. In 2020, the state cancelled STAAR testing because of the pandemic, and results from 2021 revealed just 35 percent of kids at their grade level.

But in reading, students eclipsed their pre-pandemic results. In 2019, 47 percent of students tested at-or-above grade level; this year, 52 percent did. In 2021, the number had dipped to 43 percent.

The recovery is not just focused on one group of students, said Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath in a presentation to reporters about the results, saying gains could be seen among students below, at or above grade level, as well as for special education students, those who are economically disadvantaged or for those whom English is a second language.

EDUCATION: Texas conservatives flex muscle to help anti-woke charter school, a sign of things to come

Its normal for children to make up reading learning loss more quickly than math, Morath said, and its consistent with what has happened during other periods when day-to-day education was disrupted, such as Hurricane Katrina. Thats because students learn the tools to read early on in their lives, and their skills improve consistently so long as their vocabularies increase, which happens even when they are not able to attend class every day.

But in math, students have more trouble making it up when they miss out on building-block concepts  such as how to work with fractions and decimals. Those gaps leave them less able to understand future, more complex concepts, Morath said.

Morath also said that this years results showed an increased ability to accelerate students who fell behind to catch up to grade level.

Really its improvement across the board. This is what you want to see, you want to see all kids getting better, and this is what we have seen, he said. It is clear that those state policy efforts are paying real dividends.

One of the programs created in the Legislatures omnibus 2019 education law created reading academies that required K-3 teachers to attend dozens of hours of extra, unpaid training for reading instruction. Teachers have until next year to complete the extra trainings, and some were frustrated that it added to their workload.

Morath said that other states, such as Tennessee, with policies to strengthen reading education saw greater bounce-backs as well.

It would appear at least from our initial analysis that Texas improvement is notable around the country and more significant than most, Morath said.

Bob Popinksi, policy director for the education nonprofit Raise Your Hand Texas, said he expected that next year could see even greater gains in reading results once all teachers have completed the reading academies.

Morath suggested that more state investment in math instruction would also likely bear real fruit for us. He said its likely the Legislature will consider such a policy next year.

In addition to the reading academies, last year Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a measure requiring 30 hours of targeted tutoring for students who test beneath their grade level in the STAAR test.

The policy also drew some criticism, as its an unfunded mandate that added responsibilities for teachers while the state grapples with a tight labor market for the profession. TEA encouraged districts to use federal stimulus funds to cover costs.

I think its a lot of things at once. Its also kids being back in the classroom with the reading specialist on hand and the interventions that are taking place, Popinski said. Its many different things and I think its different for every different school district to be honest.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
Many years ago a reader, Wallace Hooper, wrote to the Chronicle publisher with this request: To celebrate this and every July Fourth, print the entire text of the Declaration of Independence. As we have often before, we continue this tradition.

The document below stands out among all the worlds literature as a pristine example of the capacity of words to move people and nations. Written principally by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, it was edited by four others on the drafting committee  known as the Committee of Five  named by the Continental Congress, including Ben Franklin and John Adams. Jefferson composed his draft on the desk in his Philadelphia boarding house, and later came to see it as an expression of the American mind aimed at telling the world just why the Colonists had decided to take up arms against Britain.

An appeal to the tribunal of the world was deemed proper for our justification, Jefferson recalled in an 1825 letter. This was the object of the Declaration of Independence, not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject; terms so plain and firm, as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we [felt] compelled to take. .. It was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion. All its authority rests then on the harmonizing sentiments of the day, whether expressed in conversations, in letters, printed essays or in the elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney Etc.

***

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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. - That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present king of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock trial from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighbouring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the united States of America, in general congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. - And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.
Any woman who is sitting back, thinking that the fall of Roe v. Wade wont affect her, needs to think again.

Earlier this month, I turned 50, not exactly the prime child-bearing age of someone youd think would be fretting over the Supreme Courts ruling. But anyone reading between the lines  or in the case of Justice Clarence Thomas, the actual, literal lines of his concurring opinion  knows that theres no guarantee this court will stop with abortion.

For weeks, theres been talk that our right to contraception was vulnerable, in part because it hinges on the same privacy right the Supreme Court had recognized in Roe but has now disavowed. When I saw a proposed Louisiana law as initially written would have equated intrauterine devices, known as IUDs, to homicide, I got concerned. Now that Thomas has flat out said in his opinion that the court should reconsider rulings that sanctioned access to birth control, among other rights, Im afraid for my own health.

The reason has nothing to do with fear of getting pregnant. Contraceptives are used to treat many more health issues than people realize. For me, the IUD was a life-saver. And I guess you could say a dream-saver as well.

Two years ago, I didnt even know they were still used. An IUD is a small T-shaped device that fits inside the uterus. Married for 30 years with two adult children, why would I have any reason to have one? Then, I was in the shower one day when I fainted in the tub, passing a lot of blood as I did so.

I later learned that many women experience very heavy bleeding at some point in their lives  some estimates put it at one in four women.

Thankfully, I was able to call for my husband right before I lost consciousness. What made the situation all the more dramatic is the fact that Id just received a preliminary job offer from an airline, one of the first steps in securing my second act in life after years of working as a manicurist in my hometown. I wanted to become a flight attendant and travel the world.

The offer was contingent on, among other things, my ability to pass a test at a physical therapy clinic. The test was scheduled for later that day. I had to be able to lift a certain amount of weight and, needless to say, I wasnt feeling particularly strong. I thought about rescheduling but I realized that would be on my own dime.

So, I went to the exam and somehow, I passed. Then it was time for me to attend rigorous flight attendant training and testing, which would take place out of state, over the course of a month, during which time I would be allowed only two days off. My health issue continued. I never fainted again but the passing of blood wouldnt stop. It would happen randomly and at the worst times. And I doubted whether I should continue to pursue my second act at a time when my health seemed uncertain.

I had some wonderful male doctors, but a diagnosis seemed to elude them and some questioned my take on the symptoms, with one telling me he thought it was just my period. I am pretty familiar with my period by now. Like, we go way back  to middle school, actually, so I could recognize this was not that.

Then I saw a female doctor who suggested an IUD that releases a hormone. Everything I knew about them I had learned from a high school parenting class. IUDs keep the sperm and egg from coming together, but they can also work by preventing the fertilized egg from taking root in the uterus. I remember my teacher cautioning us that IUDs werent so much birth control as they were abortive. I guess she was ahead of her time.

I liked the idea of the IUD because, of the options suggested to me, it was the least invasive and had no downtime. It wouldnt require me taking any time off from my new job.

I am happy to say the results after the procedure were life-changing. No more bleeding at random moments. No more fatigue. No more fearing Id have another fainting episode. I finally felt the confidence and freedom to embrace my new career, my new life.

Now imagine a man having to work with a health issue like mine and imagine there being a noninvasive cure that would quickly address it. Do you think there would be any hesitation over whether it should be allowed? Once again, only a woman knows what it is like to be a woman. If we dont advocate for ourselves, who will?

Can we expect lawmakers, most of whom have no idea what we go through, to advocate for women's health if we, as women, are unable to stand together and support each other? Lawmakers are continuing to play politics with abortion as they always have. If we sit idly by, believing this only impacts other women, we are failing to see this for what it is.

It isnt a matter of politics; it is a matter of womens health, which is far more complex than any culture war or legislative bill give it credit for.

I am so glad I live in a time when I can have a second act and have a new adventure in my life. How disheartening it is that with all we have achieved we are still being sold the same bag of goods from lawmakers, urging us to turn against our fellow women, to judge them for a choice, to assume certain things about their character. To demonize them because theyre on the other side. The other side meaning anyone having an opinion not strictly in line with our own.

Yes, there are people on extreme ends of this issue. But thats not where most women are. Were somewhere in between, somewhere in reality, where its clear that any sweeping Supreme Court ruling stripping one right may affect other rights, and any law targeting one womans control over her health care may have unintended consequences that hurt many, many more women  not just those of us living now, but our daughters and granddaughters as well.

Lorie Ruiz is a flight attendant who calls Texas home.
Do you remember the last time you went camping? The feel of grit, the smell of campfire smoke and the aches in your hips and back from sleeping on a thin pad probably got old after the second day. Maybe you didnt have the right gear and felt like you were going to freeze the first night.

Now imagine you cant leave the campgrounds. Imagine youre there because youve fled from tangible danger. Maybe it was a militant group gaining new territory. Imagine making the hardest decision of your life: to leave nearly all of your worldly possessions, your neighbors and life as you knew it behind for the uncertainty of crossing a border to come to this campground indefinitely. You are a refugee. You are displaced.

I recently returned to Houston from Uganda where I met with people who had to make that decision. These refugees now lead organizations working in the Bidi Bidi and Nakivale refugee settlements. I talked to Noella Kabala, who was a lawyer before fleeing her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo and who now employs other refugees in a sewing enterprise. Over time, she and other refugee entrepreneurs have changed the way I think about helping refugees.

I co-founded Every Shelter out of work that started for me as a graduate student at Rice University in 2012. We started with the simple goal of providing better housing solutions for refugees. It has taken me years to throw out many of the assumptions I had about what I could do to help. You may also have some preconceived notions about your life ahead as a refugee. Let me take a moment to dispel a few myths you may unknowingly hold because the sooner we enable refugees themselves to participate in solutions in camps the better.

Myth 1: Duration

Many of us think that being a refugee is a temporary condition. The reality is that people in protracted refugee situations are forcibly displaced for an average of over two decades. My now 4-year-old daughter could finish high school, a college degree and even a doctorate by the time the average person who is displaced today will return home or be resettled.

Myth 2: Resettlement

When we think about refugees, we think about resettlement, the legal mechanism to grant lawful admission to refugees from another country. The reality is that less than one percent of refugees will ever be resettled and 9 in ten of those will live in developing countries with struggling economies. Most will cross a border and remain in their neighboring country for over two decades.

Myth 3: Size

In the past year, Americans have been keenly aware of two events that caused massive forcible displacement  the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For the first time since the Syrian conflict began more than a decade ago, it seems, refugees are on many of our minds. The reality is today, there are over 100 million forcibly displaced people, many forced to flee from conflicts and crises that never break into our news cycle. The World Bank predicts this number will increase by at least 143 million by 2050.

More than a design problem

Of course, theres only so far imagining yourself as a refugee can take you. I was an architecture graduate student when these myths burst for me, and that was only the first step. I became aware that the vast majority of these refugees who found themselves in camps and settlements in barren fields around the world received only a few things to make a home for themselves; some form of structure (bamboo in Bangladesh, eucalyptus poles in Uganda, thin welded steel in the Middle East) with a lousy tarp stretched over it, and a dirt floor.

Naively, my collaborators and I believed this was a design problem.

Families needed a floor. So we set about to solve one obvious problem  families living in the dirt for decades. We followed the typical innovation pathway: we learned, we listened, we made prototype after prototype. We also secured some funding from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (now Arnold Ventures) to begin running small batches of floor panels, and finally, we caught the attention of the IKEA Foundation which invited us to Sweden to test our floor with a new shelter they were designing. We ultimately landed a grant from the United States Agency for International Development. We worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon for three years to test our floors with 34 families along the border with Syria in the Hezbollah-controlled Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.

Though we thought this was the pinnacle of our endeavor to do right by these families, this is where the real learning started.

Refugees dont live in inadequate shelters because of product design failures. They do so because of systems design failures. Every system is perfectly designed for the outcomes it produces. Refugees live in shoddy tents for years because of a broken and outdated refugee resettlement system.

Host countries typically ban refugees from building permanent shelters. Even after we received government approval for our flooring solution, some recipients homes were demolished.

A Cold War relic

The current system brings short-term solutions to decades-long problems. When the UNHCR formed in 1950, it was an extension of the Wests post-World War II, Cold War strategy. Originally granted a three-year mandate with little funds, it was chiefly a resettlement agency happily resettling discontent defectors from Soviet-sympathizing countries to other countries in Europe and to the United States. Over the decades, the context changed dramatically, but the system aiding refugees didnt keep pace. As it stands, it is ill-equipped to deal with refugees living in camps for decades.

Take the humble tarpaulin. This ubiquitous tarp, an innovation of the early 1970s, is made in Pakistan, India or China. It is then shipped around the world to distribution centers and regional warehouses, where it will ultimately be trucked through developing countries struggling for employment opportunities. The tarp you may buy at a big-box home improvement store is nearly identical to the tarps millions of refugees will receive to use as roofs and walls. Within 3-6 months, that tarp will begin to shred to pieces.

Uganda, where my organizations operational base is, has hosted refugees since the 1940s. It is currently third in the world in the number of refugees it hosts  1.5 million. Despite nearly eight decades of hosting refugees, no one has invested in producing tarps here. No one has seen the golden opportunity of solving two problems at once; the need for high-quality goods for shelters and the need for meaningful local employment.

Until now, that is.

For refugees by refugees

In my nearly ten years of working with refugees in and out of camps, I have learned the most from observing how refugees have solved their own shelter problems. From creating compression washers out of used agricultural hoses to inventing cooking fuels from organic industrial bi-products, refugees are creative, innovative , and fully capable of leading their own recovery if given the opportunity.

In Uganda, we work with refugees to train them to produce shelter roof tarps that will last for 5-10 years. They are made from repurposed billboard vinyl  old advertising nearly as commonly found in East Africa as it is here. To date, weve repurposed over 130 tons of the stuff. Instead of importing bad tarps from abroad, refugees, for the first time, can provide a living for themselves, making shelter goods for other refugees. Refugees are building local businesses serving the needs of their fellow refugees. This is just the start.

Weve discovered that instead of trying to work through the existing system, its best to go directly to refugees themselves to make a new system. Engaging the bureaucracy of the current aid world or navigating product approvals via host country governments is a chore that takes years, money, influence and power. But making co-creative relationships with refugees can be accomplished over a beer or a meal. In my most recent trip to Uganda, I met an entrepreneur making stoves and pairing that product with a briquettes-subscription business, so stove buyers could have a source of reliable fuel. It was brilliant. Innovation is literally everywhere. We dont need to get approval from an office in Geneva, or continue importing foreign-made tarps. We need to empower refugee entrepreneurs to make products and services with and for other refugees right where they are.

We envision an entire ecosystem of goods and services for refugees by refugees. The current system has a part to play and we still work with partners to distribute our flooring solution when the funding is available. I saw the before and after impact the floors have had, but the machines that make it cost millions of dollars. There has to be a better way. Its time we stop thinking about refugees as merely victims and instead as whole people ready to rebuild their lives.

Harnessing refugees optimism

Global conflicts continue to escalate and arent ending. Its easy to lose hope and be overwhelmed by the immensity of the challenge. But what if such grand a challenge actually calls for simple, local, human solutions? What if rather than outsourcing decisions to high-level global bodies which pass document revisions around for years and years, seeking committee approval after approval, we actually gave refugees what they need to serve themselves and each other? What if instead of waiting for a new policy, we gave a refugee sewist a tool bank? Or gave a refugee carpenter a studio?

Noella Kabala, the attorney-turned-entrepreneur I met from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now leading the successful sewing operation told us:

Refugees are strong. They are resilient. When refugees flee from their country, they dont leave their brain there. They come with their brain full of potential and talents.

Our aspiration isnt to end the refugee crisis. We are starting our first shelter depot, where refugees can buy subsidized products that can solve the problems they are experiencing. And those refugee-led training organizations I met with this month  were partnering with them to give business and finance training to refugees certified in our Bashe Bora (Better Tarp) program.

We want to build a new refugee aid system. One that dignifies displaced people and aids them in their resiliency for however long they remain far from home, until every single one can create home, no matter where, no matter for how long.

Scott Austin Key is the CEO of Every Shelter, which creates jobs for refugees who create sustainable shelter products for refugees.
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Former TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino has called for the resignation of Harris County misdemeanor Judge Darrell Jordan, alleging a personal vendetta led the jurist to wrongly hold him in contempt of court in 2020.

Dolcefinos demand came after Jordan was arrested Monday and charged with official oppression related to the confrontation. Jordan is accused of using his office to unlawfully arrest and detain the private media consultant, who had arrived at the judges court to request public records on one of Jordan's political allies.

This guy has no business on the bench, Dolcefino said. He doesnt have the temperament.

CONTROVERSY BREAKDOWN: Who are Judge Darrell Jordan and Wayne Dolcefino?

Jordans attorney, Marc Carter, denied that the holding in contempt had anything to do with Dolcefino's investigative efforts. Dolcefino set a confrontational tone in his prior dealings with the judge, and he sought him out in court with a disruptive result, Carter said.

This prosecution  will have an absurd result and a chilling affect on a judges ability to maintain order in their courts, he said. Its absurd to think anyone can walk into a court, disrupt the proceedings and the judge of the court ends up being prosecuted. Thats not a reasonable persons idea of justice. The DA should exercise discretion and dismiss this case.

The charge stems from a June 30, 2020 incident, when Jordan alleged that Dolcefino interrupted proceedings in Harris County Court at Law No. 16 despite repeated warnings to stop.

Dolcefino was found guilty and sentenced to three days in Harris County Jail, six months of probation and a $500 fine. The case was eventually overturned on appeal, and Mondays indictment accuses Jordan of wrongfully holding Dolcefino in contempt or subjecting him to summary punishment and jail without a hearing.

The former reporter had worn a hidden camera, which he credits with straightening out the case.

Video from the incident shows Dolcefino in a mostly empty courtroom, first chatting with court administrators and receiving a hello from the judge. Then he attempted to ask for the status of public corruption complaints he made about multiple Houston and Harris County officials  including Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, a friend of Jordans.

In the video, Jordan told Dolcefino that he couldnt ask questions, told him to sit down and warned him to stop interrupting proceedings. Dolcefino later shared photos of his arresting restraints.

The case against Jordan was filed with Harris County DAs Office, which recused itself and asked Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton to investigate the allegation.

BACKGROUND: Judge who referred to himself as king of court admonished for lashing out against prosecutors

Fort Bend District Attorney spokesperson Wesley Wittig said he couldnt discuss the facts of the case, or what distinguished oppression from Jordans right to hold someone in direct contempt of the court.

"That would require a real detailed explanation in this case, and thats the exact thing we cant talk about," he said.

Jordan contends that Dolcefino was disrupting his court proceedings on Zoom, but the media personality and an appeals court disagreed. The hidden video also made it seem questionable that Jordan had a hearing underway at all  a legal necessity for a contempt finding, said Amanda Peters, professor at South Texas College of Law Houston. Carter disputed that, adding contempt can occur as long as court is in session.

Dolcefino added that his years in journalism taught him proper courtroom etiquette.

I would have never interrupted a hearing, he said. I may be wild and crazy, but Ive never done that.

Wrongful contempt cases do occur, but they usually don't result in legal action against judges, Peters said. A grand jury might have found probable cause in Jordans case, however, if they learned of any personal conflict between the judge and former reporter, she said.

These kind of charges for a judge in Harris County are incredibly rare, she said.

Court records indicate that the grand jury declined to hand down felony charges related to tampering with records and retaliation. The legal charge of retaliation does not equate to what the public might think and usually refers to witness intimidation, Peters said.

Although Jordan was charged with a misdemeanor, the misdemeanor judge will be tried in a felony state district court to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

More from Samantha Ketterer: DAs office accused misdemeanor judge of displaying retaliatory behavior

The Harris County DA's recusal from the case also points to similar efforts to avoid impropriety, possibly because of repeated clashes with the judge.

Jordan in May was admonished by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for several interactions with prosecutors. The commission found that Jordan threatened to charge at least one assistant district attorney with contempt of court for failing to show him the proper respect and in October 2018 summoned several prosecutors to his chambers to lecture them about the perceived disrespect he was feeling.

During that meeting, Jordan referred to himself as the king of his court and the states attorneys as hang-em-high prosecutors, according to the commission.

Official oppression is a Class A misdemeanor. It carries a possible punishment of one year in county jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
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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.
BCC graduated a dozen students from its practical nursing program on Thursday.

Berkshire Community College Pinning Ceremony



Class President Sarah Dellaghelfa addresses her classmates at Thursday's graduation. See more photos here. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Berkshire Community College on Thursday graduated a dozen future nurses in a pinning ceremony held in the college's Connector space.

Dean of Nursing Lori Moon commended the graduates of the 10-month course for entering the health-care industry especially after the pandemic and a national nursing shortage. She left them with some final advice -- to remember why they started this journey, to continue to ask questions and to have empathy.

"I hope you guys will enter your new role with fresh energy and positivity. I hope that your attitude will be one that comforts patients and assures them that they will be taken care of," Moon.

"It's a privilege to care for the people in our community. And I hope you all feel that way."

She also urged the graduates to focus not only caring for their patients but also themselves.

Class representative Walter Randall thanked his professors for being there and preparing them for their future career as he led the room in a moment of silence to look back on all the class had accomplished and overcame.

President Ellen Kennedy said the faculty worked hard to shape this class to be prepared for entering this demanding profession where they will represent both the school and the community.

"On behalf of the college and the community, and with our grateful thanks for what you have committed to yourselves to doing, and to I know the wonderful ambassadors you'll be for this program and this college and the commonwealth of Massachusetts in so many ways, congratulations and please go forward and make us all proud," Kennedy said.

Class President Samantha Dellaghelfa addressed her class in a humorous and inspiring speech as she reminisced on stressful times in the program during which they build strong friendships that she hoped will last a lifetime.

"I think we may be one of the smallest classes to ever graduate from the LPN program, but we didn't lack in personality. We may have even made some of the professors second guess their career choices," she said, filling the room with laughter.

Dellaghelfa spoke on her experience before committing to what she said had been a demanding course that will lead to a demanding career.

Her mother, a nurse, had been her role model and Dellaghelfa had taken some courses toward becoming a registered nurse. A nursing instructor encouraged her to enroll in the practical nursing program as a bridge toward an RN degree.

But she questioned if she could do this with her already busy schedule as a single mom of three teenagers and caregiver for her grandfather. After much thinking, she enrolled and met like-minded individuals that shared in her drive to be a nurse turning strangers into lifelong friends.

"I want to touch on how amazing each and every one of my classmates are. We all decided to become nurses after one of the most horrifying pandemics to hit our country. Some people may have thought we were crazy," Dellaghelfa said.

"But we were amazing, strong, resilient, courageous, and powerful. We all started this program in September, and came from different backgrounds and stages in our lives. We all shared one thing in common: the desire to become a nurse."

Now the class has one last test between them and their future career.

Guest speaker Berkshire Health Systems education specialist Kara Kolodziej spoke on her experience working during the pandemic and described the trauma that will stay with her forever. The only thing that kept her returning to work was helping others.

"But one thing that kept me showing up was that if nurses didn't take care of these individuals who would? This was at the time when not many departments were going into COVID rooms, which has since changed," Kolodziej said.

"But if I didn't hold their hand, they would die alone and afraid. And we've come a long way from that. But the principle is still the same. Nurses can, you all can, enjoy the ride that is nursing, and you'll never know where it will take you."

The graduates are: Ariana Baribeault, Chastity Gigliotti, Walter Randall, Jana Cushman, Samantha Dellaghelfa, Ashley Ring, Colleen Campbell, Shaina Petell, Maria Toledo, Elorm Kevin, Clarinda Gillyard, Sashaya Lewis

Awards:
Speech Therapy Now Available at SVMC's Northshire and Deerfield Valley Campuses

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Speech therapy patients in areas near Manchester and Wilmington, Vermont, can now schedule appointments closer to home.

Speech-language pathologist Kate O'Neill, MS, CCC-SLP, will be traveling from SVMC Outpatient Rehabilitation in Bennington to the primary care offices in Manchester and Wilmington. All three practices are part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) in Bennington.

Appointments in Manchester and Wilmington are open to all SVMC speech and language patients, regardless of where they receive primary care.

O'Neill works with adults and geriatric patients who have impairments in communication, speech, language, swallowing, voice, and cognition. She treats patients with voice disorders, hearing loss, head and neck cancer, and neurological conditions, including stroke, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), traumatic brain injury, Bell's palsy, and dementia. She conducts videofluoroscopic swallowing studies with the radiologists to evaluate swallowing in real time on an x-ray.

O'Neill earned bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of Vermont in 2012. She went on to receive her master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, in 2014. She holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has clinical licenses in Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts. She is a certified Vital Stim provider, a form of neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy, and is trained in Myofascial Release. She began working for Southwestern Vermont Health Care in 2016 at The Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, The Centers for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

For information about becoming a speech-language patient at SVMC Northshire Campus or SVMC Deerfield Valley Campus, call 802-447-5140 to schedule.
The legislation process to pass the Cambodian Law on Access to Information has been continually delayed since the initial plan was introduced in 2021. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), in calling on the Cambodian government to accelerate the finalisation of the draft and deliver it to the National Assembly for approval.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pledged that the new information law would be passed in 2021, with a draft finalised in August 2021. However, this draft has not yet been sent to parliament.

The Access to Information Law will allow the public to view government records and documents, allowing citizens to make informed decisions and journalists to gain legitimate access to government records for their reporting.

Civil society groups in the country sent a letter to the Prime Minister, calling for the legislative process to be expedited. The groups also urged the government to listen to their suggestions to revise eight articles, including one to protect whistleblowers.

In 2021, the government and a working group edited the draft legislation, with some revisions made, particularly to the chapter on punishment provisions. The changes have also been made to adjust the bill to the socio-cultural context of Cambodia.

CamboJA said: Access to Information law is a strong demand to support the democratic society and to gear up the roles of professional journalists, especially during the pandemic and the digital pollution by disinformation and misinformation.

The IFJ said: Access to government records is essential for journalists to gather information and play their role as a watchdog of the government. The IFJ urges Cambodias government to expedite the legislation of the Access to Information Law.
How does your marketing agency make its money? In our digital age, it seems that more and more agencies are focusing on specialized niches to address specific pain points, rather than trying to serve as a one-stop-shop for their client's marketing needs.

There's nothing wrong with focusing on the tasks you do best. After all, graphic design and lead generation both fall under the marketing umbrella, but they require very different skill sets. Unfortunately, this can create situations where an agency becomes overly reliant on a single source of income.

Why revenue diversification is essential for agencies.

While you might be able to stand out in your niche and find initial success, new competitors or changing market conditions could quickly sink an agency with only one main revenue stream.

As Facebook's disappointing recent quarter and resulting crash in stock value reveal, even the most "established" marketing channels can be vulnerable. While Facebook seems unlikely to disappear anytime soon, consider the platforms that haven't been so lucky.

Vine and Google Plus are just two social media platforms that once boasted millions of users, but are now extinct. MySpace technically still exists but as a shell of its former self. If you had a marketing agency that exclusively focused on any of these platforms, their decline and collapse would also mean the death of your agency.

Of course, diversifying isn't just about mitigating your financial risk. Adding new products or services to your agency's offerings will ultimately make your business more profitable by giving clients a new way to engage with you. When executed well, these new revenue streams will also help you build additional brand authority -- they will likely generate new leads.

All of this combines to make your agency far more sustainable and better equipped to weather the ever-changing nature of the marketing industry.

Diversify agency revenue with strategic partnerships.

Fortunately, there are many potential ways a marketing agency can diversify its revenue. This became especially apparent during a recent meeting with Itzik Levy, founder and CEO of vcita, a small business management platform. His company recently partnered with FCR Media out of Belgium to help them release Sitee, a co-branded version of the vcita platform designed to enable FCR to broaden its marketing services.

By partnering with a software company, the agency was able to diversify its revenue stream by offering a self-service track for its customers, subsequently widening its target market by serving new audiences who may have been otherwise priced out of working with FCR. This partnership also better positioned the agency to upsell its services on a more tightly targeted basis, thanks to better visibility into their clients' needs.

Marketing agencies should always be on the lookout for mutually beneficial partnerships that can increase their operational efficiency. By collaborating with software providers and others that can enable new avenues for reaching their target market, agencies can become far more profitable.

Diversify revenue with new offerings.

In addition to expanding your reach to serve new audiences, marketing agencies should look to expand the types of services and products they offer. For example, an agency with an active blog could actually incorporate affiliate links into posts on topics listing preferred software tools or bloggers to follow.

Many agencies also expand their content marketing efforts and build industry authority by providing paid educational content to their audience. Webinars, eBooks, guides and other similar content can serve as a powerful lead magnet that grows your client base. After establishing a reputation for producing quality content, you could shift to a paid model that turns these materials into a source of passive income.

Of course, marketing agencies shouldn't be afraid to expand to new areas that are related to their core competencies. If your agency focuses on social media marketing, expanding to add online reputation management could prove highly appealing to many clients. Since social media is often used for reputation management, this would be an area where you could have greater confidence in your ability to deliver quality results.
Ryan Williams announced late last week he will step down as CEO of Cadre, the New York City-based real estate investment platform he founded in 2014. He'll become executive chairman, chairman of the board, and co-chair of the company's investment committee. His replacement is Jared Kaplan, who most recently served as CEO of OppFi, a fintech platform that provides credit and lending products to banks.

Williams, 34, who appeared on Inc.'s 30 Under 30 list in 2017, says he'll remain deeply connected to the company--he plans to work on expanding partnership opportunities like the ones recently inked with his alma mater, Harvard University, and BlackRock, for instance. He also plans to launch a foundation that he hopes will accelerate diversity in Cadre's investor and partner base. The latter initiative sprang from Williams's effort to cope with, and spur change, after the murder of George Floyd. Still, the decision to cede the CEO role, optically at least, is a big one--and few founders relinquish the title lightly.

"Look, I'm a hundred percent all in and focused," says Williams, who seven months ago became a father for the first time. "Cadre is a huge part of my legacy, and I'll be coming in every single day, when I'm not traveling, to meet with partners, and executing, hopefully better than ever before, to fulfill the promise to the business. That's what it's about."

Williams is the latest in a string of entrepreneurs to give up the CEO title in recent weeks. Emily Weiss, 37, and Ryan Petersen, 41, both stepped down as CEOs of their respective beauty and logistics companies, Glossier and Flexport.

Petersen, on June 8, tweeted his reasoning behind hiring Dave Clark, formerly Amazon's worldwide consumer chief, as the San Francisco-based company's new CEO: "I'm now to the point where the only fear I have left for Flexport is that we're not living up to our potential." In a blog post on May 24, Glossier's Weiss, who was preparing to go on maternity leave at the time of the announcement, said she plans to shift back into creative and brand strategy, which she sees as her strengths. She'll cede the top job in the New York City-based company to Kyle Leahy, Glossier's former COO. "With this CEO evolution, I'll be able to focus more of my time as I did in the earlier days," Weiss wrote.

Yes, these founders lassoed top-tier executives to help their companies scale, and they're all becoming executive chairs of their respective companies. But they're also doing so after two years of running companies during what can only be described as a universally dreadful pandemic that's still spewing consequences across industries and locations. And it may be taking a toll. In the latest Small Business Index from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 50 percent of small-business owners say they are working more hours now than they were a year ago. Just 30 percent of business owners reported as much the last time this question was asked in 2017.

Jeff Carr, a clinical professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at New York University's Stern School of Business, suggests the stress of the pandemic has exacerbated issues that may have been present in the past but hadn't surfaced before now. "I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if over the past two years an awful lot of CEOs have realized they don't have the skill sets necessary for keeping [their companies] growing, which is also why they're working 50 percent more," Carr says, and adds: "When things are going good, it doesn't matter. When I don't have all these big PR crises and supply-chain issues, you can always get around it; you're growing, you're building."

Williams says his decision to relinquish the day-to-day reins comes down to divide and conquer. "I can't do everything myself. I have learned no person can scale [an organization] based off self-determination alone," he says. His successor Kaplan is a proven CEO who has inhabited various leadership roles including as co-founder of small-business insurance provider Insureon, which was acquired in May.

"I believe there are different archetypes of CEOs. There's the big-picture, visionary builder archetype, and then there's the more in-the-weeds tactical operations, scale archetype," Williams says, noting that Kaplan is a unicorn in the sense that he fills both roles. "I'm thrilled and excited that we'll have the operator and partner that we deserve."

One key focus area for Kaplan is Cadre's plan to allow retail investors to tap into its network of commercial buildings and multi-tenant homes. The effort, which a source familiar with the company's plans says could kick off as early as 2023, will expand Cadre's addressable market from 15 million or so to a hundred-plus million. Currently, only accredited investors and institutions may invest in properties on the platform.

But that's just part of the pie, says Williams. "We have an opportunity to transform hundreds of millions of people's lives," he says, nodding to Cadre's mission of improving access to an entire asset class--real estate investment properties--that most people typically can't touch. "I didn't grow up owning real estate; I always rented. And I didn't really understand the difference between renting and owning until I got to Harvard, which was a huge change and inflection point for me ... I saw that there were so many people who had built wealth through ownership of real estate." Which consequently made him wonder: "Why isn't real estate a part of people's 401(k)s?" It should be, along with other alternative assets, he adds.
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Here are the top 10 stocks for today which have major news in them and the potential to move to markets:

The Phoenix Mills:

GIC Real Estate further invests Rs400 crore in The Phoenix Mills Ltd. subsidiaries (PML). An additional share subscription agreement has been signed by GIC's Reco Zinnia Pvt Ltd (RZPL) and each of PML's subsidiaries (Offbeat Developers or ODPL, Graceworks Realty and Leisure or GRLPL, and Vamona Developers or VDPL). With this, RZPL has finished its second round of private placement investments totalling Rs400 crore in ODPL, VDPL, and GRLPL. As a result, PML and RZPL each own an interest in the PML subsidiaries equal to 67.10% and 32.90%.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd:

Sanjiv Mehta, the president commissioner of HUL, will lead Unilever Indonesia. Sanjiv Mehta, the CEO and managing director of HUL was announced as the president commissioner (non-executive chairman) of PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk (Unilever Indonesia), a publicly-traded company and affiliate of Unilever group, in HUL's BSE filing. He will continue to serve as president of Unilever South Asia as well as CEO and managing director of HUL.

Globus Spirits:

Globus Spirits Ltd will offer a range of services to Tilaknagar Industries' distillery assets. For Tilaknagar Industries' distillery assets, GSL will offer a range of services, including engineering, operations, maintenance, and marketing. In Maharashtra's Ahmednagar, it will run a facility. As a portion of the core profit produced by the assets of the distillery, the company will get service fees.

UPL:

Nature Bliss Agro Ltd., a crop protection company, is purchased by UPL (NBAL). The business has bought a 100% stake in NBAL, which plans to manufacture and sell crop protection products and related goods that complement UPL's current commercial operations.

Lupin:

Paliperidone tablets used to treat schizophrenia have been approved by the US FDA for Lupin. Paliperidone extended-release tablets from the pharmaceutical company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) have been approved by the US FDA. The medication is a generic version of Janssen Research & Development, LLC's Invega extended-release tablets. The item will be produced at Lupin's Goa factory. According to IQVIA MAT data from March 2022, the drug's US yearly sales were anticipated to be $152 million. The medication is used to treat the mental illness schizophrenia.

Blue Star:

Blue Star's credit facilities and NCDs now have a stable outlook from CARE. The outlook was changed from "Negative" to "Stable" based on the healthy recovery and demand for air-conditioning and refrigeration products following the ebbing of the second wave of the pandemic and the ensuing improvement in operating and financial performance for FY22. CARE has reaffirmed its long- and short-term ratings on credit facilities and non-convertible debentures at AA+.

Bharti Airtel:

The telecom provider stated that it has chosen to postpone by up to four years the payment of AGR obligations up to FY 201819 that are not listed in the Supreme Court's judgment. It would not exercise the option to convert the accruing interest dues into equity and has kept the right to prepay installment amounts.

Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp & Auto stocks:

The automakers will disclose how many vehiclestwo-wheelers as well as four-wheelerswere sold in June 2022. On the first day of every new month, auto businesses are required to release the monthly sales figures for the preceding month.

Hindustan Copper:

The state-owned metal company said that its board has recommended asking shareholders for permission to issue debentures for up to Rs 500 crore. The board has also suggested requesting the shareholders' consent at the upcoming annual general meeting in order to raise money through the issuance of equity shares through QIP.

Kalyan Jewellers:

The jeweller announced the launch of three new stores, two in Maharashtra and one in Delhi, as a part of the business's aim to refocus on entering tier II and III markets while continuing to increase its footprint in major cities.
A pilgrim from Rajasthan who was returning from Kedarnath was killed and three others were injured on Thursday after boulders fell on them from the hill due to heavy rains.

The incident happened in Sonprayag of Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district.

The deceased has been identified as Jayanti Lal, a native of Banswara district in Rajasthan.

BCCL

Three other devotees from, Gujarat, Haryana and Nepal, were injured in the incident.

Rocks fall on vehicle carrying devotees

The mishap came a day after a woman from Maharashtra was killed and five others sustained injuries when the vehicle in which they were travelling was hit by a landslide on Kedarnath road on Wednesday.

The incident occurred near Sonprayag on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund National Highway around 3 pm.

There were 11 people in the vehicle at the time of the accident and they were returning from Kedarnath.

BCCL

The vehicle was engaged in Sonprayag-Gaurikund shuttle service and was hit by huge boulders and debris that suddenly came down from a hillock near Munkatiya.

Badrinath and Kedarnath Yatra disrupted by rains

Heavy rains have been reported across Uttarakhand since Wednesday leading to landslides and road blockades in many parts.

On Thursday, a massive landslide near Sirobagad in Pauri had resulted in traffic blockage disrupting the Badrinath and Kedarnath Yatra.

The PWD department deployed JCB machines to clear the debris from the Sirobagad road but found it difficult to open the road which remained closed for traffic the whole day.

While pilgrims have been shifted to safer places, there is no information on when they will be allowed to resume their journey.

BCCL

As the southwest monsoon continues to advance across India, Uttarakhand received its first spell on Thursday.

The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rains in Nainital, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Pithoragarh.

Landslides in Uttarakhand

Many parts of Uttarakhand are prone to landslides, especially during this time of the year.

Over the past few years, such incidents have become more frequent and devastating.

An increase in human activities, including mining, deforestation and construction of buildings and roads even in ecologically fragile areas have been blamed for such disasters becoming more frequent.

For more on news, sports and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
While the Indian Army's Srikona Division of 39 Assam Riffles' ten-day war-footing rescue operations in the flood-devastated Silchar city is now over, the arduous task of reaching the interior districts of the Cachar district is still on.



According to a PTI report, a total of 97,993 people have been evacuated over the past weeks from the flood-affected areas of the Brahmaputra and Barak river basins.

AFP

The rescue efforts are being carried out by the personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the army, and paramilitary forces, with support from police officers, and fire brigade officials, and trained volunteers.



Twitter

Amid their many successful efforts and countless instances of bravery, one incident is being hailed as extraordinary.

#WATCH | A six-day-old infant with mother successfully evacuated from an inundated area by a team of Assam Rifles in flood-affected Silchar, Cachar district on June 26.#AssamFloods



(Video Source: Assam Rifles) pic.twitter.com/CLW8QF1fdk  ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2022

The Assam Rifles rescue team was passing through the area on June 26 when they were alerted by the cries of a six-day-old newborn baby from a stranded house in the submerged alley of the flooded south Assam city.

The Engineer Spear Corps and Captian Kunal's squad raced to the house to rescue the trapped mother and her six-day-old child.

North East Live TV

The infant was born on June 20, exactly three kilometers outside of the town, when water from the Barak River gushed through an embankment that had collapsed at Bethukandi. However, the baby and his mother reunited with the rest of the family on 26th June.



A News18 report quoted the mother as saying,

North East Live TV

"Kunal Sir and the Assam Riffles are god-sent angels for us. They helped us a lot. It was the sixth day after my baby was born in the floods. We could not come out as we were stranded. Sir and his team saved us and helped us to come out and reach the safe place. I pray to Allah that my son grows up to become an Army man. May Allah bless all. "



One of the team members even made the baby wear his cap. He said,

North East Live TV

"We have already put the cap on his head."



Nearly 86 lakh people in the states 32 districts have been affected by heavy rain and subsequent floods this year, bringing life to a screeching halt in many parts. More than 150 people have died so far.

(For more trending stories, click here.)
In addition to the convenience it provides when it comes to navigation, Google Maps is also a source of bizarre, never-seen-before stuff. Every now and then, people come across something peculiar that generates debate.

Now, a strange object off the coast of Greece has been spotted on Google Maps and no one has a clue about what it is.

Screengrab/YouTube

Google Maps user spots huge unidentified object

The large circular blob, complete with smaller circles towards the centre of the shape, can clearly be seen underneath the Aegean Sea, not too far from the Greek city of Thessaloniki.



The structure was shared on YouTube by user 'The Hidden Underbelly 2.0' who claimed, by his measurements, that the object is around 220 feet long.



He said: "This USO was spotted in The Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece and here are the Coordinates 4027'4.62" 2251'39.78" so you guys can check it out for yourself.'





"I did also take some measurements using the ruler on google earth and this object is of 220 feet long," he added.

For the uninitiated, USO stands for Unidentified Submerged Object.

Mysterious object - crater or UFO?

Many viewers are conflicted about what they thought the object could be.

"That's one unusual alien spacecraft. I've never seen anything like it! Is this Salarian or Asari?" one user said.

"WW2 echo, 5 ton bomb crater, which England used against Germany and Italy, to destroy warships and shore infrastructure," another user commented.

Screengrab/YouTube

I think it looks like an old light house - former foundations etc.. - on the coast as well sooooo," a third user added.



"Underwater cave or sinkhole. The dark spot in the middle is the opening and the lighter colored area around it is sand because all of the darker colored vegetation or rock in the area slid down into the cave opening," another commented.

That is weird. All around topography looks rough, deep. Nothing in the area looks remotely like that object," another baffled user said.



For the latest from trending, click here.
In Diha, a village of Karchanna in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, the body of a 14-year-old girl who died four days ago was kept safe by her family members in the hope of resurrecting her through witchcraft.



Representational image

The incident came to attention after villagers reported a foul odor from farmer Abhayraj Yadav's home.



When the cops broke into the house, they found the minor's body and her four siblings on the floor. While the siblings were treated at SRN Hospital in Prayagraj, the young girl's body was sent for a postmortem. According to reports, the girl died as a result of an illness.

Representational Image/iStock

As per the HT report, Saurabh Dixit, SP-trans Yamuna, was quoted as saying,



Representational Image

"Questioning of the family members revealed that they were performing a special puja (ritual) to please Bamba Devi (a local deity) for reviving the dead girl. They were not consuming food for the past four days and were surviving only on river water."



Dixit said, "No involvement of any sorcerer has been found in the incident yet. The family members tried reviving the dead girl by pleasing the deity. "

He stated that very little food and grains were found in the house, but the police could locate burnt articles.

Unsplash

"Abhayrajs family had severed ties with other villagers and relatives some time back. One of his four married daughters used to live with them. The family used to throw bricks and chase away their relatives and even their other three daughters whenever they came to visit them," said Umashankar, a family relative.



Neighbors confirmed that the family frequently discussed seeing spirits and witches in their fields and engaging in black magic. However, no FIR has been filed.

For the latest trending, click here.


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THURMONT, Md. (AP) Crews battled a fire at an overnight summer camp in western Maryland on Wednesday morning, but no injuries were reported, officials said.

Firefighters were initially dispatched around 7:30 a.m. for a report of a fire in a building at Camp Airy for Boys in Thurmont, Frederick County Division of Fire & Rescue Services spokesperson Sarah Campbell said.

When units arrived on scene, they found smoke showing through the roof and a second alarm was initiated, Campbell said. About 100 firefighters from Maryland and Pennsylvania were on the scene working to extinguish the blaze, she said.

In a Facebook post, the camp said the fire happened in the dining hall.

The building was empty when the fire broke out and no injuries have been reported, Campbell said. Residents and campers were not in the area of the fire, she said.

In the Facebook post, the camp said it was too early to know the extent of the damage, but everyone is safe and accounted for. The dining hall is a hub of activity, so they are relocating many activities, the camp said.

The Jewish overnight camp for boys and nearby Camp Louise for girls in Cascade were founded in the 1920s, according to their website.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Maryland
New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles!

Coughlin, Inc., a Vermont-based company that owns 10 McDonalds franchise restaurants in Vermont and New Hampshire, will pay $1,600,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the state of Vermont, and the estate of a former employee.

According to the EEOCs lawsuit, employees at the Randolph, Vermont McDonalds location were subjected to a hostile working environment by a male night shift manager, who touched them inappropriately, hit and groped their genitals, breasts and buttocks, and subjected them to sexually explicit derogatory comments and threats of physical harm.

The employer also retaliated against at least one employee by revoking her disability-related reasonable accommodation and forcing her to quit after she complained, the EEOC charged.

EEOC said this alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it unlawful to discriminate against employees because of their sex or to retaliate against employees for engaging in protected activity, including complaining about workplace sexual harassment.

The EEOC filed suit in March, 2021, in U.S. District Court in Vermont after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement. The estate of former employee Jennie Lumbra and the state of Vermont filed suit shortly after the EEOC.

The five-year consent decree provides a total of $1,475,000 in lost wages and compensatory damages to be distributed to employees of the restaurant who were subject to sex harassment and retaliation, as well as $275,000 to the estate of Lumbra, the employee who filed the original charge of discrimination with the EEOC.

Additionally, Coughlin will pay $125,000 to the state of Vermont in civil penalties.

The decree also includes an injunction prohibiting future discrimination; anti-discrimination and harassment training for the companys managers and human resources personnel; and revisions to company equal employment opportunity policies.

Coughlin also agreed to prohibit the manager who participated in the harassment from entering its premises.

Coughlin and the plaintiffs agreed to the decree without the court having entered findings of fact or conclusions of law.

Topics Lawsuits
State-controlled Russian National Reinsurance Co. (RNRC) is covering nearly all reinsurance of domestic business, its president said on Friday, as foreign insurance firms withdrew their coverage following Western sanctions.

I can say that of today, nearly all Russian insurance market is reinsured at RNRC, Natalia Karpova told a meeting held by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. (Reuters issued a statement with this article: This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine.)

Sources told Reuters last month that RNRC, controlled by the central bank, is now the main reinsurer of Russian ships, including Sovcomflots fleet, after Western insurance firms withdrew cover for Russian shipowners.

Igor Yurgens, head of the All-Russia Union of Insurers, told the same meeting on Friday that insurance companies from India and China are also staying away from Russia amid fears they will fall under secondary sanctions.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Related:

Topics Russia Reinsurance
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Verisk and Munich Re.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Verisk Promotes Rayner to President of Specialty Business Solutions

Verisk, the global data analytics provider, announced that Tim Rayner has been named president of the companys Specialty Business Solutions group (formerly known as Sequel), effective immediately.

An insurance industry veteran of more than 20 years, Rayner most recently served as chief experience officer for Verisk Specialty Business Solutions. He played an active role in the acquisition and integration of the Whitespace and Ignite businesses. He joined Verisk in February 2018, after holding several leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Miller Insurance Services.

Rayner has a strong technology background, with over 15 years experience as a software developer, before moving to Miller where he headed IT, change and then group operations.

Looking forward, Rayner will play an instrumental part in Specialty Business Solutions global expansion, and brings a wealth of experience particularly in the coverholder space, having been the architect of Londons first real-time bordereau data exchange in 2007.

Those of us who work closely with Tim have been impressed by his customer focus, leadership acumen and his vision for the future of insurance. Verisk Specialty Business Solutions occupies a coveted position in the marketplace, and Tim is the right leader to accelerate the business momentum, said Mark Anquillare, president and COO, Verisk.

***

Munich Re Names 2 Senior Appointments in Singapore and SE Asia

Munich Re has appointed Tobias Frenz as chief executive officer of its Singapore Branch with effect from July 1, 2022.

Frenz succeeds James Park, who is leaving to pursue a new opportunity outside of Munich Re Group. Frenz takes on the role of CEO Singapore in addition to his existing responsibility as head of Digital Solutions, Life & Health, Asia Pacific & Middle East. In this expanded capacity, he will continue to be based in Singapore, reporting to Daniel Cossette, chief executive, Life & Health, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

Frenz has been with Munich Re for 20 years, having worked in Germany, the UAE, Malaysia and Singapore in various client management and senior leadership roles, including heading its Retakaful business. As head of Digital Solutions, he oversees the development the groups life and health digital solutions, spanning AI and predictive analytics through to augmented automated underwriting and claims solutions. He holds a masters degree in mathematics and economics from the University of Dortmund, a Certificate in Islamic Finance from CIMA and is a fellow of the Actuarial Society of Germany.

Tobias brings more than 20 years of leadership experience and deep reinsurance expertise to this role, along with a strong understanding of the transforming insurance industry in Asia Pacific. As CEO Singapore, he will be responsible for overseeing Munich Res long-term growth ambition in this important market, as well as our commitment to being a great employer that is dedicated to developing our diverse talent here. We would like to thank James Park for successfully leading the branch over the past three years, said Cossette.

Surbhi Goel, managing director and head, Property & Casualty, will take on responsibility for Munich Res Property & Casualty business in Singapore & Southeast Asia, reporting to Roland Eckl, chief executive  Japan, India, Korea, Singapore and Southeast Asia, with effect from July 1, 2022.

Goel joined Munich Re in Singapore in April this year from the groups joint venture in India, HDFC ERGO, where she held a senior role responsible for reinsurance, property and casualty underwriting. She has 20 years of experience in reinsurance, business development, structuring and procurement, broking relationship management and underwriting of property/casualty lines of business.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts honours degree in Economics from Delhi University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Insurance and Risk Management from Birla Institute of Management Technology.

Surbhis ability to form a deep understanding of client needs because of her extensive experience in primary insurance  both today and in the future  is a great asset to our leadership team in Southeast Asia. She will focus on positioning Munich Re as a partner to our clients for traditional risk transfer as well as co-creating bespoke solutions to new and emerging risks, said Eckl.

Topics Excess Surplus Leadership
An Amtrak passenger train was going about 87 mph (140 kph) when it collided with a dump truck at a rural Missouri railway crossing, killing four people, an official with the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.

The speed limit is 90 mph (145 kph) at the crossing where the collision occurred Monday in western Missouri, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said. The Southwest Chief was traveling about 89 mph (143 kph) when it began blowing its horn about a quarter mile (400 meters) from the collision site, she said.

The early investigation found no concerns with the trains brakes or other mechanical issues, Homendy said.

The crossing, which had no lights or other signals to warn about an approaching train, is very steep and Homendy acknowledged area residents had expressed concerns about it before the crash.

The truck driver, 54-year-old Billy Barton II, of Brookfield, Missouri, died in the collision, the Chariton County coroner said.

Two train passengers _ Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas, died at the scene. A third passenger, 82-year-old Binh Phan, of Kansas City, Missouri, died Tuesday at a hospital.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said up to 150 people also were injured.

The Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit the rear right side of the truck near Mendon. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. Amtrak officials said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
An Ohio aluminum vehicle parts manufacturer cited for safety and health violations after a worker in Ravenna suffered fatal injuries in March 2021, continues to put workers at risk.

The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration found General Aluminum Mfg. Co.s facility in Conneaut exposing workers to similar machine hazards when the agency served warrants on Jan. 3, 2022, and opened an inspection under its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

Inspectors found tilt mold devices, sand core machines, and indexing tables at the plant lacked adequate machine guarding and workers performed service and maintenance tasks on industrial machinery without using energy control procedures  commonly known as lockout/tagout  exposing workers to amputation and caught-in hazards. OSHA cited the company for the same violations at the Ravenna facility.

OSHA cited General Aluminum Mfg. Co. for two repeat, four serious and two other than serious violations, and assessed $315,952 in proposed penalties following the Conneaut inspection.

General Aluminums continued failure to protect its workers is unacceptable, and its refusal to follow industry safety standards and the companys policies and procedures to prevent injuries or fatalities is incomprehensible, said OSHA Regional Administrator William Donovan in Chicago. While the company pledges to improve its safety procedures and training, federal safety inspectors continue to find a lack of accountability by this employer.

In September 2021, OSHA cited the company for 38 violations with $1,671,738 in proposed penalties after an investigation into the March fatality. The company has contested those citations.

OSHA will continue to take necessary steps to hold General Aluminum accountable for failing to comply with safety and health requirements until the company takes action and demonstrates it is serious about preventing debilitating injuries and saving lives, Donovan added.

In addition to the absence of guarding on the mold machinery, OSHA identified problems with machine guarding and a lack of protective procedures throughout the Conneaut facility. Inspectors also found General Aluminum provided workers with insufficient personal protective equipment, including face shields and aprons, and exposed workers to electrical hazards.

Company management signed formal settlement agreements to resolve OSHA citations for machine guarding and lockout/tagout violations found during inspections conducted between 2015 and 2017 and hired a third-party consultant to conduct comprehensive machine guarding and lockout/tagout audits between 2017 and 2019. The audits identified specific machine guarding and lockout/tagout program deficiencies and provided recommendations the company failed to fully implement.

Founded in 1943, General Aluminum Mfg. Co. produces engineered automotive castings. The company employs about 1,200 workers nationwide and 180 employees at the Conneaut location. Owned by Park Ohio Holdings Corp. in Cleveland, the company also has locations in Ravenna and Wapakoneta, and in Freemont and Huntington, Indiana.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Topics Auto Ohio Manufacturing
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The new head of the governments road safety agency says it will intensify efforts to understand the risks posed by automated vehicle technology, so it can decide what regulations may be necessary to protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

In an interview Wednesday, Steven Cliff, who was confirmed last month as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the agency is assessing crash data recently reported by automakers and tech companies.

Any new regulations NHTSA may impose would fill what critics say is an urgent need to address the growing use of driver assisted systems on U.S. roads. The systems have been linked to crashes involving deaths and serious injuries, though they also have enormous potential to prevent crashes. There are no federal regulations that directly cover either self-driving vehicles or those with partially automated driver-assist systems such as Teslas Autopilot.

Before developing any new federal standards, Cliff said, NHTSA wants to to better understand how driver-assist and autonomous technology should perform.

Cliff spoke Wednesday to The Associated Press in his first on-the-record interview since being confirmed by the Senate.

He said that when he first joined the agency in February 2021, he was surprised to discover that NHTSA had no data on automated vehicle crashes. As a result, Cliff said, he challenged the agency to require such reporting. Last month, NHTSA released data from July 2021 to May, concluding that automated vehicles were involved in nearly 400 crashes.

Cliff cautioned that while he believes federal standards are needed to regulate driver assisted technology, he wants to avoid rushing to embrace new rules that might potentially end up compromising safety.

Any time we put a regulation on the books, we have to define not only what standard that technology needs to be held to, but we need to have an objective way to measure the performance of the system to ensure that it actually complies with the regulation, he said from his office at the U.S. Department of Transportations headquarters in Washington.

The agency, Cliff said, is also working on performance standards for automatic emergency braking, which it plans to require on all new passenger vehicles and heavy trucks. The braking systems, which can detect and stop for pedestrians, other vehicles and obstacles, show great potential to help stem rising traffic deaths in the U.S., he said.

NHTSA, he said, will set metrics for how the braking systems detect objects to ensure that the systems respond appropriately.

Thats part of any of the standards that we put in place, he said.

Cliff declined to discuss any details of regulations that might be forthcoming.

Its important for us to take the data that comes from those incidents, better understand it in an engineering context, he said. I think its important to move quickly, but not so fast that were getting it wrong.

Of the nearly 400 crashes that were reported by manufacturers, Tesla had more than all other automakers combined. But Cliff noted that Tesla has driver assisted technology operating on nearly all of its roughly 830,000 vehicles on U.S. roads, which makes neat comparisons to other automakers difficult. The company also provides nearly instantaneous wireless reporting of crashes, so it receives data faster than other automakers.

Since Cliffs arrival, the agency has stepped up enforcement efforts aimed at Tesla, including a push for a dozen recalls since the start of 2021. The agency is investigating why Teslas working on Autopilot seem to crash into emergency vehicles parked along freeways. And it has received more than 750 consumer complaints involving Teslas breaking unexpectedly for no apparent reason.

At the same time, Cliff added, Tesla as been cooperative with NHTSA since his arrival at the agency.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Auto Tech Personal Auto
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a former state trooper to sue Texas over his claim that he was forced out of his job when he returned from Army service in Iraq.

The justices ruled for Army veteran Le Roy Torres under a federal law that was enacted in 1994 in the wake of the Persian Gulf war to strengthen job protections for returning service members.

By a 5-4 vote, the high court rejected Texas claim that it is shielded from such lawsuits. Text, history, and precedent show that the States, in coming together to form a Union, agreed to sacrifice their sovereign immunity for the good of the common defense, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court.

Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by three other conservative justices, dissented, arguing that when the States ratified the Constitution, they did not implicitly consent to private damages actions filed in their own courts_whether authorized by Congress war powers or any other Article I power. Article I refers to the part of the Constitution that spells out Congress power.

Torres says he suffered lung damage from exposure to open burn pits on his base in Iraq. He spent a year in Iraq and was discharged as a captain after nearly 19 years in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Separately, Congress is nearing final passage of a sweeping expansion of health care and disability benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were exposed to the open pits that were set ablaze with jet fuel to dispose of tires, batteries, medical waste and other materials.

The state and Torres dispute what happened when he returned to Texas, unable to resume his job as a state trooper because of the damage to his lungs. He eventually resigned and later filed his lawsuit. A state appellate court dismissed it, and the justices stepped in.

Congress first allowed returning service members to sue states to keep their jobs in 1974, recognizing discrimination because of opposition to the Vietnam War.

In March, the court allowed the Navy to take account of sailors vaccination status in deciding on deployments, narrowing a lower court order. Three justices, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Thomas, dissented from the high courts order.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined her colleagues in Wednesdays dissent.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Texas Talent
The second-biggest U.S. liquefied natural gas export facility hit by fire earlier this month will not be allowed to repair or restart operations until it addresses risks to public safety, a pipeline regulator said on Thursday.

The June 8 blast and fire knocked out Freeport LNGs 15 million tonnes per year (mtpa) Quintana plant, exacerbating global LNG shortages amid reduced gas flows from Russia, while weighing heavily on domestic U.S. natural gas prices.

Continued operation of Freeports LNG export facility without corrective measures may pose an integrity risk to public safety, property or the environment, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said in its preliminary report.

A problem with a safety valve led an 18-inch (46-cm) pipe with inner and outer stainless steel layers to overpressurize and burst, releasing LNG and methane that caused the blast, PHMSA said in its report.

It laid out a series of steps for investigating what caused a 300-foot (91-m) section of pipe to burst and release about 120,000 cubic feet of LNG.

The root cause analysis likely will delay a partial restart of the plant for 90 to 120 days, and could delay a full restart, analysts said.

Closely-held Freeport said it will continue working with PHMSA and other regulatory bodies to obtain necessary approvals to restart operations. It estimated resumption of partial liquefaction operations to be in early October and a return to full production by year-end.

U.S. natural gas futures NGc2 tumbled 15% on Thursday due to the report and on a continued inventory build, contributing to a 33% price drop in June, the biggest monthly drop since 2018.

LENGTHY PROCESS

The actual process (of reviews, repairs and approvals) will take longer than three months, and potentially take six to 12 months, said Alex Munton, director of global gas and LNG at consultants Rapidan Energy Group.

But based on PHMSAs past history, once it understands the cause of the blast and is confident in a repair plan, it likely will let a portion of the facility resume processing sooner, he said.

Freeport LNG has said the likely cause of the blast was an over-pressurized pipeline and that the equipment to chill natural gas into a liquid for export was not damaged. Read full story

The regulator ordered the company to submit within 60 days a plan for an outside investigator to provide a report on the extent of the damage to the facility. It did not say how long it would take to approve a plan. Freeport must also hire a third-party to review the state of its LNG storage tanks.

Only after the reviews are completed can the company submit a plan to repair the damage, it said, further complicating Freeport LNGs aim for a partial restart in September and full operation by year-end.

(Reporting by Gary McWilliams Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Topics Texas
New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles!

Florida property insurers have another cost increase to manage after the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund was approved for a premium increase.

The funds governing body, the State Board of Administration, this month gave final approval to the formula used to determine the increase, which includes a 5.6% hike in average rates. But average payments to the Cat Fund will also jump by 6.3% to cover the projected increase in exposure and the higher cost of property repair and replacement, fund officials said.

Overall, the average change in premium for participating insurers for 2022-2023 will be 12.26%, reads a memo from Cat Fund Chief Operating Officer Gina Wilson. That will increase revenue to the fund, from $1.219 billion to $1.37 billion.

The higher rates were expected. The Cat Funds advisory committee in March recommended the changes. But there was some speculation that the board would back off the rate hike in light of the steep rise in the cost of reinsurance from the private market this year and after some insurers criticized the methodology used to calculate expected weather losses to insurers.

But the board, made up of Floridas governor, the states chief financial officer and the attorney general, moved ahead with it at its June 22 meeting  with no discussion.

Some Florida insurers may choose to pass the higher costs on to policyholders. Others may decide to absorb the cost, said Emilie Oglesby, external affairs manager for the State Board of Administration.

Premiums paid by insurers to the Cat Fund represent about 7% or $209 of the average residential homeowners premium of approximately $2,886, Wilsons memo explains. Therefore, the increase in FHCF rates by 5.64% could potentially translate to an average increase of 0.0564% or $11.79 for personal residential homeowners premiums.

The methodology behind the rate calculations has come under fire from some insurance executives, who said that too much emphasis had been placed on one hurricane-loss model that predicts larger storm losses than other models.

The FHCF could have chosen to ignore that model, or could have averaged the results of all seven approved models, said Melissa Burt DeVriese, president of Ormond Beach-based Security First Insurance said in April. Since that wasnt done, the reinsurance costs paid to the FHCF by Floridas consumers increased by $150 million.

The increase in costs to insurers and continuation of other charges shows that the fund is putting themselves ahead of consumers, said Paul Handerhan, president of the Federal Association for Insurance Reform.

Topics Carriers Florida
Cain Velasquez, the former UFC heavyweight champion accused of trying to kill the man he claims molested his 4-year-old son, is suing the man and his family who own a day care where the alleged molestation occurred.

Velasquez was arrested in San Jose, California, last February after he shot at a pickup truck carrying the man through busy streets in three Silicon Valley cities, ramming the vehicle with his own truck during a high-speed chase, prosecutors said.

A judge in March denied bail to Velasquez, who faces attempted murder and multiple gun assault charges. His attorney, Mark Geragos, has said he plans on vindicating Velasquez in court.

Velasquez claims in a civil lawsuit that Harry Goularte sexually molested Velasquezs son while the boy was attending a day care run at a home by Goulartes mother, Patricia Goularte, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

The Times said the lawsuit was filed on behalf of a minor. Harry Goularte was living at the home and working for the day care during the time of the alleged molestation, according to the court filing.

Stephen Defilippis, an attorney for Goularte, didnt immediately respond Wednesday to a call seeking comment on the lawsuit.

The child care business and its owners fostered and maintained an environment where the children could be molested, sexually abused and harassed, Velasquez said in the court filing. The lawsuit accuses Goularte and his family of negligence and sexual battery.

Goularte, 43, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a minor by the Santa Clara County district attorneys office. He has pleaded not guilty and trial is scheduled for September.

Velasquez, 39, is due back in court in August, the Times said.

Velasquez transitioned to pro-wrestling after retiring from his MMA career in 2019. A former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, he earned title belts in 2010 and 2012.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits California
Its welcome that Mick Clifford speaks out on the case of Julian Assange and extradition to the US  freedom of the press in grave danger (Irish Examiner, June 26).

However, its odd that in lamenting the silence on the issue in Ireland and internationally that he chose to throw some unnecessary political jibes at those who have been most vocal on the Assange case while also somewhat disingenuously questioning their motivation.

Cliffords critique of those vocal supporters of Assange is in stark contrast to how little he had to say on those who have remained silent. Clifford makes no critique of the virtual silence of the Irish branch of the National Union of Journalists on the matter, nor did he highlight the dearth of coverage in the Irish print and broadcast media, nor the lack of commentary by Irish journalists who regularly champion press freedom.

Lastly, if Clifford believes that freedom of the press in grave danger as world turns back on Julian Assange it is truly bizarre that he did not refer to the code of omerta within the Irish government, particularly considering the governments presidency of the UN Security Council which offered them an opportunity to take a stand on this important matter or justice, truth, and democracy.

Michael Murphy

Dromahair

Co Leitrim

Nobody will remember WWIII

It is time people of Europe and the USA woke up to the seriousness of where very weak and confused politicians are leading them.

Horrendous as it may seem, whole populations are being led like lambs to slaughter in a mad war frenzy not dissimilar to that which gripped Europe prior to the 1914-1918 conflagration.

Answering a massive propaganda drive, which at the time was infantile compared to what exists today, young men queued in their tens of thousands to enlist in what turned out to be a war more gruesome and appalling than anyone could ever envisage. Reassuring expectations that the fighting would be over by Christmas proved horrendously inaccurate.

One enormous difference between the First World War and that which the West (NATO, the EU, Britain, and the US) appear determined to rain down against Russia will be its duration. Rather than a matter of being over by Christmas, the Third World War is likely to be over in days; if not hours or minutes.

And rather than millions losing their lives, it is likely that billions, if not the whole human race, could be killed.

The West appears to be under an illusion that Russia, faced with absolute destruction, will not resort to nuclear weapons. Russias difficulties in Ukraine indicate how inadequately prepared it is for conventional ground, sea, and air conflict on a scale necessary to match the forces ranged against it.

Russia has, however, perfected an enormous arsenal of nuclear weapons capable of destroying all its adversaries and most likely all life on this wonderful planet. Such destruction would include itself, but if utter defeat is the only goal the West will settle for, Russia will retaliate to bring its enemies to oblivion with it.

Western media appears entirely subservient to western warmongers as debate on the possibilities and repercussions of the Ukrainian war going nuclear is never entertained. This should be forefront in all discussions on the situation as the future of the human race depends on a nuclear war not happening.

The West appears to forget how terrible war is and how with modern technology no one is safe anywhere. The politicians need to wise up and devise some peace formula before it is too late.

Otherwise, there will be no one to remember how terrible World War 3 was.

Padraic Neary

Tubbercurry

Co Sligo

Nuclear the way to energy security

It is worrying to read about the very real extra threats to our energy situation as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine; rationing could well be the result. Ireland is particularly at risk because of our almost total dependence on imported natural gas from Britain; in turn, Britain is increasingly dependent on Norwegian gas.

Our importation of gas from Britain seems to be an insecure deal, and untested in an emergency. There is no cast-iron security of supply. For instance, if the EU ordered Norwegian gas to be sent to EU markets if/when Russian gas was turned off, leading to shortfalls in the UK, this might override obligations to Ireland.

While the Government says they are not particularly concerned about this, others are less confident. The Government has convened an Energy Security Emergency Group which looked at three scenarios during an emergency where 2050% loss in availability of oil products were modelled.

All the more reason for a calm removal of the legal barriers to consideration of nuclear where various small modular reactors could well fill incipient gaps with the only reliable low-carbon energy alternative. If we did this now, maybe we could be energy independent by the early 2030s.

Anne Baily

Carrick-On-Suir

Co Tipperary

Human rights abuse in Sahara

Last Saturday, at least 37 African migrants died while attempting to cross a six-metre-high fence from Morocco into the Spanish enclave Melilla. Moroccan and Spanish security personnel were accused of brutality and using unjustified force by Amnesty International and other human rights observers.

The Melilla enclave is just one of the many flashpoints on the borders between the European Union and Africa that have their roots in colonial abuses by former European powers.

This recent tragedy results partly from a Spanish-Moroccan agreement in which the Spanish government has recognised Moroccan annexation over the sovereignty of Western Sahara in exchange for buying a guarantee from Morocco to prevent asylum seekers from entering Spanish and EU-controlled territory.

In 1976, the UN reaffirmed the right to self-determination of the Sahrawi people, but Morocco continues to occupy most of Western Sahara and its illegal occupation or annexation is now supported by several EU states and the United States.

US military forces recently participated in major multi-state military exercises in southern Morocco and Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. The UN has had a peace mission in Western Sahara called Minurso for over 30 years to which Ireland has been contributing a small number of unarmed observers.

Irelands contribution to Minurso ended in July last year, arguably at a time when genuine neutral observers were most needed by the people of Western Sahara who have been experiencing serious human rights abuses.

Edward Horgan

Castletroy

Limerick

Poignant tribute to Dennis Cahill

Martin Hayess Letter to Dennis carried on social media is a poignant, reflective, and compelling tribute to his late friend, Dennis Cahill.

Cahill was born in Chicago in 1954 and became one of the most respected and innovative guitar players in the world of traditional Irish music.

Nobody before you had ever played those chords and rhythms with Irish music, in the way you did. You matched the beauty of these traditional Irish melodies with your own equally beautiful sequences of chords and hypnotic rhythms, Hayes said of his musical partner of over 30 years.

I saw them both in concert many times and can vouch for the hypnotic rhythms.

Cahill who found Irish music in the pubs and clubs of his native city, was, outwardly, a very understated exponent of the guitar but his contribution to Irish traditional music has uniquely embellished its heritage for the generations to come. Rest in peace Dennis.

Michael Gannon

St Thomas Sq,

Kilkenny
The European Court of Human Rights has said that a complaint against 33 countries filed by six young Portuguese climate activists will be examined by the tribunals top panel of judges, a move reflecting the cases legal significance.

The activists, three of whom are minors, turned to the court almost two years ago in an effort to hold European governments accountable for their allegedly inadequate efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The countries named in the complaint include the 27 member nations of the European Union plus the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

The Strasbourg-based court said the case, which had already received priority status, would be bumped up to the 17-member Grand Chamber.

Now we hope that these judges will hear our case as soon as possible and that they will make the European governments take the urgent measures necessary to protect us

The court noted that the panel examines cases that present a serious question affecting the interpretation of the European Convention of Human Rights, or additional protocols, or where the resolution of a question before the Chamber might have a result inconsistent with a judgment previously delivered by the court.

One of the plaintiffs, 17-year-old Sofia Oliveira, said the decision to have the case heard by the Grand Chamber was encouraging.

Now we hope that these judges will hear our case as soon as possible and that they will make the European governments take the urgent measures necessary to protect us, she said.

The activists are supported by the Global Legal Action Network, an international non-profit organisation that challenges human rights violations.

Its director, Gearoid O Cuinn, noted that of the 22 cases pending before the Grand Chamber, three are now related to climate change.

The fact that the court has referred this case, along with two other climate cases, to the Grand Chamber is an extremely significant development which shows how serious a human rights issue it considers climate change to be, Mr O Cuinn said.

By the end of the year, Im hopeful we will see all of Europes major emitters on trial for failing to act properly on the climate crisis in what will be a hearing of unprecedented scale and consequence.
Hong Kongs incoming and outgoing leaders have attended a flag-raising ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the return to Chinese rule for the city pulled in recent years under much tighter Communist Party control.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is making his first trip off the mainland in two-and-a-half years, was not present at the ceremony, although he will attend an inauguration ceremony for the new government later on Friday.

On his arrival on Thursday, Mr Xi told well-wishers that Hong Kong has overcome many challenges over the years and had been reborn from the ashes with vigorous vitality, in an apparent allusion to the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which were followed by a sweeping crackdown on dissent that has transformed the economic hub once known for its political and civic freedoms.

The several hundred attendees at the flag-raising ceremony included city leader Carrie Lam, former leaders Leung Chun-ying and Donald Tsang, and incoming leader John Lee, who becomes the citys new chief executive later on Friday.

Soldiers march in the ceremony (Magnum Chan, Pool/AP)

The flag-raising ceremony was held amid strong winds, and police officers carrying the Chinese and Hong Kong flags marched into the Golden Bauhinia Square for the ceremony with the Chinese goose-stepping style, replacing a British-style march. Guests stood at attention as the Chinese national anthem was played.

Mr Xi last visited Hong Kong in 2017 for the July 1 celebrations, during which he warned that there would be no tolerance for any activities seen as threatening Chinas sovereignty and stability.

The months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 were seen by Chinas ruling Communist Party as just such a threat, and Mr Xi in remarks on Thursday evening praised Ms Lam for ending chaos that had gripped the city and for ensuring that only patriots would rule Hong Kong.

Since the protests, Beijing and Hong Kong authorities drafted a national security law that was then used to arrest scores of activists, media figures and democracy supporters; introduced a more patriotic curriculum in schools; and revamped election laws to keep opposition politicians out of the citys Legislature.

The changes have all but eliminated dissenting voices in the city and have driven many to leave.
Burma Myanmar Regime Sorry for Junta Jet Intrusion into Thai Airspace

Thai residents of a village near the border with Myanmar assemble before taking shelter in a bunker following the Myanmar militarys incursion into Thai airspace on Thursday.

Myanmar air force chief General Htun Aung has apologised to his Thai counterpart after a Myanmar military fighter jet intruded into Thai airspace on Thursday, just a day after coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met a Thai army general to discuss stability and anti-terrorism in areas along the Myanmar-Thailand frontier.

On Thursday afternoon a Myanmar air force MIG-29 intruded around four to five kilometers into Thai air space, flying over parts of Phop Phra District in Tak Province while launching airstrikes against anti-regime resistance forces based near the Myanmar-Thai border.

The Royal Thai Air Force responded by scrambling two F-16 fighter jets to patrol over the border district. The intrusion of the Myanmar jet and the sound of the explosions from the airstrikes caused panic in two Thai villages near the border, prompting residents to take shelter in bunkers, while schools evacuated their students.

A source said Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke with Royal Thai Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Napadej Dhupatemiya about the intrusion into Thai air space and asked him to lodge a protest via Thailands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai air force attache at the Thai embassy in Yangon, the Bangkok Post reported.

ACM Napadej later phoned General Htun Aung about the Myanmar air force incursion. The general apologised and said there would be no recurrence of the incident, said the source.

On Wednesday, Min Aung Hlaing had rolled out the red carpet for a Royal Thai Army general to discuss stability and anti-terrorism in border areas among other issues.

Junta-controlled newspapers said Min Aung Hliang received a Thai military delegation headed by Lieutenant General Apichet Suesat of the Royal Thai Army in the Myanmar capital Naypyitaw. The delegation was in the country to attend the 34th meeting of the Thailand-Myanmar Regional Border Committee hosted by Myanmar. The meeting was held in the Shan State capital Taunggyi, but the Thai delegation was invited to meet Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw.

Lt-Gen Apichet Suesat is the commander of the Third Army Region (TAR) that comprises border areas in northern Thailand neighboring Myanmar.

The TAR is one of the most active commands dealing with the fallout from the conflict in frontier areas inside Myanmar following last years coup, as well as dealing with illegal migrants from Myanmar who slip across the border into Thailand in search of work.

Thailand shares an over 2,400 kilometers-long frontier with Myanmar. Cross-border trade contributes significantly to the economies of both countries.

Min Aung Hlaings meeting with the Thai delegation comes as the military regime is facing daily attacks from ethnic armed organizations (EAO) and anti-coup resistance forces based along the Myanmar-Thai border. The junta has responded with the increased use of air and artillery strikes.

In 2021, Lt-Gen Apichet told the Bangkok Post that there is an agreement with the Myanmar military where the Thai army will shoot off a flare to alert them when stray shells or bombs land on Thai territory.

But if theres no let-up of stray shells, we will shoot back. The gesture should not be misinterpreted as the army taking the side of minority groups. We are out to protect Thai citizens, said the Lt-Gen.

Since Sunday, there has been fierce fighting in Karen States Myawaddy Township, where ethnic Karen EAOs and resistance groups are trying to seize a strategic junta outpost near the Myanmar-Thai border.

Min Aung Hlaings reception of the Thai delegation can also be seen as his attempt to show the world that Thailand and the junta maintain a cordial relationship, even as other countries in Southeast Asia shun his regime for its brutal crackdowns that have killed over 2,000 civilians since the coup.

Thailand has taken a softer approach to the junta than other countries. While the world condemned the February 2021 coup, Deputy Thai Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said it was their internal affair.

And while the regimes plan to hold an election in 2023 has been denounced internationally, Thailands newly-appointed special envoy to Myanmar, Pornpimol Pauline Kanchanalak, said last month that the world must take the juntas commitment to hold elections at face value and that condemnations, sanctions, ostracization of the regime have reached diminishing returns.

Regime media reported that Min Aung Hiang and Lt-Gen Apichet Suesat discussed and exchanged views on enhancing the friendship and cooperation between their militaries, stability in border areas, increasing co-operation in the rule of law and control of narcotics, and the successful implementation of peace and development and anti-terrorism in border areas.

They discussed also how the Thai military could help facilitate the return of striking civil servants, students and young people who are sheltering in areas along the border to avoid being arrested.

In 1988, after the failed pro-democracy uprising, thousands of Myanmar dissidents flocked to border areas. The then Thai army chief General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh flew to Yangon and met with the then junta, breaking the international isolation imposed on the regime for its killing of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators.

In return, Thai companies received lucrative logging contracts, fishing rights and deals in the hotel business. Chavalit agreed also to repatriate student activists who had fled to Thailand after the massacres, whether they wanted to return or not.
Burma Myanmar Regime's Reinforcements to Strategic Outpost Attacked; Seven Killed

Arms and ammunition seized from the regime's troops on Thursday.

The Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) says it attacked Light Infantry Divisions 44 as it tried to reinforce the Myanmar juntas Ukayit Hta outpost and killed at least seven soldiers and seized weapons in Myawaddy Township, Karen State, on Thursday.

The KNUs armed wings, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and KNDO, and other resistance groups launched their assault on the outpost on June 26.

Facebook videos show dead and detained regime soldiers and seized weapons.

KNDO Captain Al Say Wah said on the video that they attacked and seized the weapons on Thursday morning.

Send more fighters to Brigade 6. Look at the weapons that we seized. We only needed to fight for less than an hour for this, said Capt Al Say Wah.

The KNDO seized rifles, machine guns, heavy weapons, bombs, shells, bullets and drone jammers, according to the video.

Another videos shows around seven soldiers bodies and about six others held captive.

A Karen resistance source said fighting and airstrikes are ongoing at the Ukayit Hta outpost.

Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told a press conference on Friday that the outpost is still in junta-control with the support of airstrikes and artillery.

On Thursday, regime jets entered Thai airspace. A video of a junta jet flying over a residential area of Phop Phra District in Tak Province on the Thai side of the border was widely viewed on Facebook in Thai.

Ukayit Hta is at a key road junction and is strategically important.

Almost 300 civilians from Waw Lay have fled across the Moei River to Thailand, according to a rescue team in the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

Karen resistance forces captured a military camp in Maw Khee in the KNLAs Brigade 6 territory, known as Dooplaya District, on March 22. The KNLA and allied groups seized the juntas Thay Baw Boe camp on May 18.

Earlier this month, the KNDO and its allies seized Waw Lay police station, where junta troops are based. Five regime soldiers were reportedly captured and nine detained resistance fighters were rescued.
Burma Thousands Flee Myanmar Junta Raids in Sagaing Region

Villagers in Yinmabin Township fleeing on Wednesday.

More than 7,000 civilians from around 20 villages in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region, reportedly fled their homes on Thursday amid Myanmars regime raids.

Around 100 junta troops deployed in Min Gan Tite village in southern Yinmabin for two days this week moved to Yar Pyin Su village on Thursday.

Around 3,500 civilians from a cluster of 12 villages called Ta Mar Pin Gwa and another 4,000 from other villages have fled, despite monsoon rains.

A representative of the Chindwin Toe Na Yar Peoples Defence Force told The Irrawaddy that 12 villages are about a mile apart and all residents fled when they heard the soldiers arrive because they know the troops kill civilians.

Some villagers are sick because of the heavy rain. We share our rations with the villagers as they fled with nothing, the resistance fighter said.

The villagers are now hiding in farmland and forests, he added.

The junta troops took money from abandoned houses and then torched three houses in Pha Lan Gan village on Friday. They headed towards Pale Township, according to resistance forces.

They are systematically torching civilian houses, claiming they support the resistance, a Lae Ngauk villager told The Irrawaddy.

Lae Ngauk has suffered three junta arson raids. It used to have over 500 houses but at least 100 houses have now been torched.

Yinmabin is a resistance stronghold which borders Salingyi and Pale townships.

Regime troops raided numerous villages in Yinmabin and Salingyi in June and tens of thousands of civilians fled their homes.

Soldiers killed seven Salingyi civilians within 10 days last month.
Burma UN Rights Expert Slams International Community for failing Myanmar People

Civilians being beaten and arrested by regime forces during a crackdown on anti-coup protesters in Monywa, Sagaing Region in February 2021. / CJ

A United Nations (UN) human rights expert has slammed the international community for its inability to tackle the Myanmar juntas brutal campaign of violence against the people of Myanmar.

Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, made the comments at a UN human rights council meeting on June 29. He told the member states that since his last report to the council three months ago, the military regimes atrocities against civilians had not only continued but escalated, while stressing the shocking violence against children.

Over 2,500 civilians have now been killed by the junta in its lethal campaign against its opponents, while more than 11,000 people have been detained and 1.1 million people are internally displaced in Myanmar, said Mr. Andrews.

The junta has also announced that the executions of political prisoners on death row will go ahead soon.

The military has trained its guns on growing numbers of villagers and other non-combatants.and accelerated a brutal campaign of arson and murder in the northwest, said the UN Special Rapporteur.

He added that regime forces have relentlessly bombed villages with fighter jets and attack helicopters, as well as launching artillery strikes, killing men, women and children.

In my view these repeated attacks on civilians  as well as other grave human rights violations  constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, a top independent human rights council-appointed investigator said, while warning that the international communitys failure to stop those crimes will be a death sentence for untold numbers of people.

Children killed and tortured

At least 382 children have been killed or maimed; more than 1,400 children have been arbitrarily detained142 children have been tortured since the coup, said Mr. Andrews.

These children have been beaten, cut and stabbed; they have been burned with cigarettes; they have had their fingernails and teeth pulled out; they have been forced to hold stress positions; they have been subjected to mock executions; they have been sexually assaulted, he said.

At least 61 children are currently being held hostage by the junta in an attempt to force their adult relatives to give themselves up, he added.

Mr. Andrews warned recently that Myanmar children are at risk of becoming a lost generation unless immediate steps are taken to protect them from the mounting violence perpetrated by the junta.

He shared his recent conversation with a teenage Myanmar girl who told him her greatest hope is to have a good nights sleep, without fear, without hearing the sound of bombs and guns.

The UN exert added that 33,000 children in Myanmar could die of preventable deaths this year alone, as they have missed routine immunizations, while five million children require urgent humanitarian assistance.

The devastating and deteriorating conditions in Myanmar should lead to only one conclusion: the international communitys current approach to the crisis in Myanmar is not working, he said while urging the world to take action.

The people of Myanmar continue to wait for the Security Council to even consider a resolution about Myanmar, he said.

He added that some UN member states have failed to impose sanctions on the junta, even when they have done so in response to other crises, while those who have adopted sanctions have too often failed to strategically coordinate those sanctions.

The Special Rapporteur also stated that many countries have failed to target the juntas largest sources of revenue and their ability to move funds around.

Ko Tayzar San, a prominent anti-regime leader, told The Irrawaddy that the international community has failed to effectively support the Myanmar revolution, despite the fact that it has now been going on for over a year.

Thousands have been killed. Tens of thousands have been imprisoned. And people continue to face daily arson attacks and killings. Yet there is no effective international support to protect them. And no serious action has yet been taken against [the regime], said Ko Tayzar San.

However, the anti-coup activist said that all ethnic brothers and sisters across the country will keep fighting together for their freedom and to build a federal democracy.
Analysis Why China Is Comfortable With Myanmars Military Rulers

Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meet in Naypyitaw in January 2021. / The Irrawaddy

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to Myanmar this weekend for a regional meeting in what will be Beijings highest-profile visit since the military seized power.

Wang will attend a foreign ministers meeting of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism in the UNESCO World Heritage town Bagan in Mandalay Region.

The Chinese foreign ministers visit comes on the heels of the regimes recent transfer of Myanmars detained State Counselor and democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to solitary confinement in a prison from house arrest.

It also comes in the wake of attacks by anti-regime armed resistance groups on Chinese projects in the country for harboring regime soldiers, who have killed civilians and torched villages nearby.

Recently, Chinese-owned Wanbao Mining Company in Sagaing Region was attacked with explosives and its power cables were blown up. The company condemned the attacks but didnt comment on the sheltering of regime troops in its compound.

Some armed resistance groups are now openly challenging Chinese projects in Myanmar and have condemned Chinas support for the regime.

Amid these attacks, there are reports that China wants to negotiate with the regime to send trained security guards to protect Chinese interests and mining projects in central Myanmar.

Hundreds of Chinese nationals have reportedly entered Myanmar through two major checkpoints including Chinshwe-haw in Laukkaing Township, in Shan States Laukkaing District. Several ethnic armed groups based along the China-Myanmar border believe that the Chinese have negotiated with the regime to deploy more security guards at the targeted projects in Myanmar.

The question now is whether Wang will meet coup leader Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing in Myanmar this time. If they meet, will Wang raise the issue of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was transferred from house arrest to prison last week? Or it will their talks focus more on extracting assurances from the regime that it will protect Chinese interests and projects in Myanmar?

After the coup, massive anti-China protests broke out in Myanmar and Chinese factories came under attack.

The attacks on China-linked businesses and Chinas natural gas pipelines prompted Beijing to request an emergency meeting with regime officials, at which the Chinese side urged the junta to tighten security measures.

Wang is no stranger to Min Aung Hlaing or Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and last visited Myanmar in January 2021, just weeks before the coup. On that occasion he met with the countrys civilian President U Win Myint and the State Counselor, as well as military chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Since the coup, with Western governments imposing sanctions in response to the juntas violent crackdown on dissent, the regime has turned increasingly to allies including China and Russia.

In April, current regime Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin was invited to visit China and received a warm welcome from Wang. Beijing said it would help safeguard Myanmars sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity no matter how the situation changes.

Wang told his Myanmar counterpart that Beijing has always placed Myanmar in an important position in its neighborly diplomacy and wants to deepen exchanges and cooperation.

Wangs comments amounted to Beijings most unambiguous statement of support to date for the military regime.

Last year, Yun Sun, an expert on Myanmar-China relations with the Stimson Center, a US think-tank, said, I think the Chinese can see that this military coup is successful and is here to stay.

China is one of the top investors in Myanmar (as well as a major arms supplier) and has strategic infrastructure projects in the country, including energy pipelines that give Beijing a critical link to the Indian Ocean.

For Beijing, ultimately the question boils down to: Who can protect its interests and geopolitical objectives in Myanmar?

China insists it is sticking to its classic non-interference policyone of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence that is core to its foreign policy. In reality, given Chinas enormous overseas interests and global economic power, it will do what is necessary to protect its business interests and counter security threats. Myanmar is no exception.

Therefore, China will need the regimes assurance that it can protect its interests in Myanmar from those hostile ethnic armed groups and newly formed resistance groups that now pose immediate threats to Chinese projects.

In contrast, in June, US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, making a visit to Southeast Asia, said the military is suffering serious losses in its fight against its own people, who have been resisting military rule in the country.

Given the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, Chollet said the regime was finding itself increasingly isolated, not just internationally but at home.

Theyre not winning. Theyre losing territory. Their military is taking serious losses, he told The Irrawaddy in a recent interview.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in the militarys crackdown on dissent since the coup, according to a local monitoring group. Thousands of villages have been burned down and activists and politicians have been locked up in prisons. Several politicians and activists have been taken away and next morning family members have been told to claim the dead bodies.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in February said it had stepped up its emergency response to assist hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in Myanmar as their number crossed the 800,000 marka doubling since last years military coup.

Myanmar citizens are well aware of Chinas self-interest, and therefore Wangs visit to Myanmar will be keenly monitored. Any endorsement of the regime and General Min Aung Hlaing will backfire. The threats to Chinese interests are real. It is about time China engaged with opposition forces in Myanmar.
Teams can detect, prevent, and speed incident response for containers that were modified in production, also known as container drift. Additionally, Sysdig enhanced malware and cryptomining detection with new threat intelligence feeds from Proofpoint Emerging Threats (ET) Intelligence and the Sysdig Threat Research Team. To be successful in the cloud, teams need a single view of risk with no blind spots, which includes having prevention that flags and blocks container drift.

New critical vulnerabilities uncovered, including Log4j and Spring4Shell, are a reminder that threat detection is critical both in the cloud and data centre. This detection needs to provide multiple layers of protection. Sysdig, using the Falco open source project, the de facto standard for cloud-native threat detection, covers all of the common system intrusion attack categories identified in Verizons 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report.

With this announcement, Sysdig adds additional layers of detections. The first uses enhanced malware and cryptomining detection with the Proofpoint threat feeds for known and emerging threats. Drift Control, the second additional technique, enforces the immutability principle, providing a preventative defence layer to cloud-native workloads. Container immutability ensures that container software is not modified during its lifetime, preserving consistency from source to run and preventing actions that could be part of an attack.

Given the dynamic nature of cloud-native environments and legacy practices carrying over to cloud environments, teams often neglect immutability best practices and are blind to drift, especially at scale. To close the dangerous security gaps created by container drift, Sysdig provides Drift Control to automatically flag and deny deviations from the trusted original container.

Key benefits

 Detect and prevent container drift with Drift Control: With Sysdig, teams can prevent common runtime attacks by dynamically blocking executables that were not in the original container. Sysdig helps customers follow security best practices of immutability and ensure containers arent modified after deployment in production.

 Enhance detection with the latest threat intelligence feeds: Sysdig Secure has added threat intelligence feeds from Proofpoint Emerging Threats (ET) Intelligence and the Sysdig Threat Research Team. With these feeds, teams can rely on the most timely and accurate threat information, including malicious IPs and domains, to better protect their environments against threats such as Command & Control (C2), malware, backdoors, crytominers, and anonymization.

 Speed incident response and mitigation with Rapid Response: In addition to the new prevention and detection capabilities powered by Drift Control and threat intelligence feeds, teams can then use Sysdig Secure to dig directly into the compromised or suspicious container with on-demand secured shell access and investigate the blocked executable and detected malicious communications. Teams can minimise exposure by removing the malicious file locally from the command line. Sysdig keeps a detailed audit trail of all mitigation commands and can upload session history to a user-defined external storage.

When there is an attack every 11 seconds, it is important to have multiple layers of defense, Sysdig vice president of research and development Omer Azaria said. Sysdigs new Drift Control capability enforces best practices that can stop an attack before damage is done.

Availability

Sysdig Secure customers have access to Drift Control and new threat feeds now and for new customers, it is included in Sysdig Secure at no additional cost.

About Sysdig

Sysdig is driving the standard for cloud and container security. The company pioneered cloud-native runtime threat detection and response by creating Falco and Sysdig as open source standards and key building blocks of the Sysdig platform. With the platform, teams can find and prioritize software vulnerabilities, detect and respond to threats, and manage cloud configurations, permissions, and compliance. From containers and Kubernetes to cloud services, teams get a single view of risk from source to run, with no blind spots, no guesswork, no black boxes. The largest and most innovative companies around the world rely on Sysdig.
Fintech start-up specialising in buy now pay later services Scalapay has funded a University of Wollongong scholarship and announced its first recipient.

Scalapay has awarded the scholarship to University of Wollongong student Arlo Stewart.

He is set to finish his Bachelors degree in Computer Science (Deans Scholar) within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences.

The Scalapay Next Generation Scholarship offers a $10,000 annual stipend for a student enrolled in a relevant degree within the University of Wollongongs School of Computing and Information Technology, School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, and the School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics.

When I was finishing high school in Darwin, I didnt know what I wanted to do, so I went to Canada to work and travel. Only after coming back, did I have a more crystallised idea of how I wanted to proceed, Stewart says.

One of my good friends from high school moved to Wollongong to study at UOW, and he absolutely loved it. At school, we were both high-achieving, motivated students who loved the outdoors, so I trusted his judgement and applied to UOW. I wasnt disappointed.

The scholarship will help Arlo cover the costs of living far from home while also offering a chance to work for Scalapay.

I need that financial support to see me through the final year of my studies, so I can focus on maintaining my grades to stay in the Deans Scholars course. I will also cherish the opportunity to learn from the best and have Scalapay chief technology officer Johnny Mitrevski as mentor, Stewart says.

Mitrevski says hes very proud to be in a position to proactively support the University and its talent, and he continues to look for ways to further partner with them.

UOW has always done an amazing job at engineering, and the quality of the education is superb. It has a great package: the campus is fantastic, the teachers are great, the courses relevant, and the opportunities that come from it are excellent  especially within the software and computer sciences realm, Mitrevski concludes.
Farmers for Climate Action, a farmer-led organisation focused solely on climate change, says strong climate policy can help deliver Australian farmers a great trade deal with the EU.

According to Farmers for Climate Action CEO Dr Fiona Davis Australias beef, lamb and dairy farmers will directly benefit from such a deal.

EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has now clearly stated climate change targets will be part of any trade deal between Australia and the EU. The EU has much more ambitious climate targets than Australia  55% below 1990 levels by 2030, Dr Davis said.

The EU Trade Commissioner has also made it clear that Australias farmers may face trade sanctions if Australia does not catch up on climate. The EU and other markets have warned of a carbon border tariff on Australia unless we catch up on climate and now this is becoming reality.

Lets not miss the opportunity to seal a great trade deal for our farmers by pushing deep emissions reductions this decade. Strong climate policy creates strong regional economies and tens of thousands of regional jobs.

The farmers who grow our food do not deserve to be punished for the emissions of the energy and transport sectors.

Farmers have been waiting for better access to the huge EU market for years. We want bigger quotas for our beef, lamb and dairy farmers. The EU trade deal represents a huge opportunity for them, and strong climate policy brings huge opportunity to regional Australia, Dr Davis concluded.

Farmers for Climate Action describes itself as a movement of 7000 farmers calling for strong economy-wide climate policies.
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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.
Chinas agri-tech industry abuzz as agricultural drones facilitate domestic proliferation of smart farming

People's Daily Online) 11:00, July 01, 2022

Driven by a huge demand, the adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones in agriculture for the protection of crops has been growing at a rapid pace in China in recent years, which has facilitated smart farming in the country.

Drone pilots fly agricultural drones to perform tasks for cash crops in south China. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

China had only about 4,000 crop protection drones in 2016, according to data from the countrys National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center (NATESC). In 2021, more than 120,000 drones were used to spray pesticides on over 1.07 billion mu (about 71.33 million hectares) of farmland across the country, and there were over 200,000 agricultural drone pilots.

Cheng Guolin, a major grain grower who planted rice on 600 mu of paddy fields in Gannan county, Qiqihar city, northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province, was excited about the spraying efficiency of a drone in 2018 when the machine was used to spray pesticides for him for the first time.

In the past, he hired workers to wade through the fields to spray pesticides. It took seven or eight people to manually spray pesticides on my farmland in two to three days, and over 10 liters of pesticides were used for each mu of land. But a drone could spray 100 mu of land in one hour, with less than 1 liter of pesticides for each mu of land, said Cheng.

The drone sprayed not only quicker but also much more evenly, Cheng added. He bought an agricultural drone in 2019. Chengs agricultural drone has been used for spraying pesticides, sprinkling fertilizers and sowing seeds. He introduced that local crop growers mostly use drones to spray and replace manual work.

Wu Minggang, a Chinese agricultural drone pilot, operates a drone to spray pesticides. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Wu Minggang, one of the first agricultural drone pilots in China, got into the industry in 2015. According to Wu, drones can reduce the risk of human exposure to toxic pesticides. But when he began to promote the application of agricultural drones in Heilongjiang, local farmers doubted their crop-dusting effects. To prove it, he had to visit farmers from door to door at first to show them for free how the drones were used to spray pesticides.

Two years later, agricultural drones were gradually accepted by farming households. The years 2017 and 2018 saw an explosive growth in these kinds of agricultural drones used for spraying fields. Now agricultural drones are no longer something new but a standard option for agricultural service providers and tech-savvy farmers.

In 2015, Heilongjiang had about 300 agricultural drones, which provided services for less than 1 million mu of farmland. Six years later, 17,000 drones in the province provided plant protection services for over 200 million mu of farmland. Besides, drones were used to sow seeds on over 100 million mu of land and sprinkle fertilizers over nearly 50 percent of paddy fields in the province in 2021.

Heilongjiang is just one of the many places in China that have used agricultural drones.

China has become the country with the largest area of farmland served by agricultural drones in the world. Surveys for several consecutive years showed that a drone is 10 percent to 20 percent more efficient than the traditional way of spraying pesticides, and can reduce the use of pesticides by 20 percent to 30 percent while increasing the utilization rate of pesticides by more than 10 percent, said Guo Yongwang, a researcher with the NATESC.

Guo introduced that breakthroughs have been made in the smart flight control system, spraying system, and payload capacity of drones, thanks to advances in science and technology. Drones have played an active role in reducing costs and increasing efficiency in agriculture, emergency rescue and disaster relief, and food security, while advancing agricultural modernization.

A drone flies over a stretch of farmland to spray pesticides. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Leading Chinese drone makers such as XAG and DJI have speeded up the evolution of their technologies. In 2015, XAGs agricultural drone product P20 and DJIs MG-1 could complete operations on 50 mu of farmland within an hour. Last year, the two drone makers launched their new agricultural drone products, the P100 and T40, respectively, which can work on 320 mu of farmland per hour.

In recent years, DJI has added image sensor technologies and obstacle-avoidance radar systems to its drones, enabling them to automatically bypass obstacles. We have also improved the flight control of our drones so that they can be efficiently used for irregular plots, said Fan Wenze, director of DJIs agricultural equipment department.

DJIs rival XAG has also made innovations in recent years. Tong Wei, an executive of XAG, pointed out that the companys latest agricultural drones can realize automatic farmland surveying, targeted spraying and intelligent seeding on various complex terrains.

Meanwhile, XAGs upgraded drones have been crafted with a structure that can fully separate their flying platform from task systems. This means that they can switch flexibly between different functions. Transportation and maintenance of the companys drones are also made much easier to increase operational efficiency. With a more advanced flight control system and operating system, the upgraded drones can remain steady and conduct efficient operations around farms even in those areas with a weaker Internet infrastructure.

Drones make precision agriculture and digital agriculture possible, said Cheng Zhongyi, who is responsible for DJIs agricultural drone training.

Agricultural drones now have wider application scenarios. In addition to sowing seeds and sprinkling fertilizers, agricultural drones are also used to aid artificial pollination and can drop fodder.

By combining modern technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data and cloud computing, drones have been widely used in remote sensing, targeted plant protection, intelligent seeding, and other aspects, boosting the development of Chinas smart agriculture, said Lan Yubin, director of the National Center for International Collaboration Research on Precision Agricultural Aviation Pesticide Spraying Technology.

Globally, China is leading the rapid development of the drone industry, said Wang Zhiguo, chairman of the National Aviation Plant Protection Science Technology Innovation Alliance.

China has led the world in flight control and ultra-low altitude pesticide spraying technologies of drones, Wang noted, adding that Chinese agricultural drones have been sold to over 20 countries and regions, including Europe, North America, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Drones fly over a stretch of farmland as they spray pesticides. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

In April 2019, Chinas Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security and another two departments gave official recognition to 13 new professions, including drone pilots. The popularization of agricultural drones has created new jobs such as drone pilots and drone pilot instructors in rural areas and attracted more and more young people to go back to the countryside.

However, intense competition in the agricultural drone market is making drone pilots service fees plummet. According to Wu Minggang, an agricultural drone pilot could earn 1,000 yuan ($149.2) to 2,000 yuan or even several thousand yuan a day in 2017 and 2018. But this year, drone pilots service fees dropped to 2 yuan to 3 yuan per mu, said Chen Song, a drone pilot from northeast Chinas Liaoning Province.

Since 2016, XAG has trained over 80,000 professional drone pilots. According to Tong, drone pilots need to provide more diverse and higher value-added services for farmers.

Pressing issues still exist, including cut-throat price competition, the variable quality of spraying pesticides, drone pilots lack of plant protection knowledge, and diminishing profitability. To ensure the sustainable development of Chinas agricultural drone industry, all these issues should be promptly addressed.

In addition, to ensure the sound development of the agricultural drone industry, the highest priority is to strengthen supervision and improve regulation.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Chrisley Carpio and Victoria Hinckley, 20 speak to protesters during an abortion rights rally on Saturday, June 25, 2022 in Temple Terrace, Fla. A Florida judge on Thursday, June 30, said he would temporarily block a 15-week abortion ban from taking effect, following a court challenge by reproductive health providers who say the state constitution guarantees a right to the procedure.
FILE - This 2003 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. U.S. health officials are expanding the group of people recommended to get vaccinated against the monkeypox virus. They also say they are providing more monkeypox vaccine, working to expand testing, and taking other steps to try to get ahead of the outbreak.
Pope Francis, greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband, Paul Pelosi before celebrating a Mass on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, witnesses said, despite her position in support of abortion rights.
Johnson City, TN (37604)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 88F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
Johnson City, TN (37604)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
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On the 20th anniversary of the ICC, with the help of the Coalition For the International Criminal Court, we brought together some of the people who have been campaigning for states to ratify from day one. What was the pull factor in the ratification of the Rome Statute? And what has changed over time? Is the goal of a universal court still attainable?

We hear from Brigitte Suhr, human rights and social justice consultant, about her early work with the Coalition For the International Criminal Court in gathering states under the ICC umbrella and why she is proud of their achievements. We also have Melissa Verpile, Director of Democratic Renewal and Human Rights Campaign at Parliamentarians for Global Action, explaining why the Rome Statute is still relevant in the face of all the mass atrocities which still remained unpunished today. Melissa also gives plenty of arguments to use in the debate on why small states should ratify if the big fish (China, Russia, and the US) do not.
"Listening to the stories I felt repugnance at our actions. How is it possible to defend as something valid before humanity the objectifying of persons and turning them into merchandise in order to finance a project that vindicated dignity, when we were actually trampling on it?" started Rodrigo Londono, the last commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), once known as Timochenko, in a grave voice.

"We understand the pain we caused them when we violently ripped them from their families and social circle, to intern them in camps in the jungle, keeping them there subdued by means of force, isolated from the environment in which they led their normal lives", seconded Julian Gallo, also a former leader of that guerrilla group under the nom de guerre Carlos Antonio Lozada. "We came here to own up to the cruelty that this serious crime implied, because it meant making all the families hostages," added Pastor Alape.

The icy silence in which the victims of their most emblematic crime listened to them contrasted with the brightness filtering through the skylights of the auditorium at the Virgilio Barco Library, a brick building built in Bogota by renowned architect Rogelio Salmona and recently nominated by Colombia to become a Unesco World Heritage site. In the same mutism, the seven indictees - all members of the 'Secretariat' of the now defunct guerrilla group - listened to thirty direct and indirect victims of kidnapping.

The seven surviving members of FARC's secretariat owned up to over 21.000 kidnappings, and accepted the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.  JEP

War crimes and crimes against humanity

It was another unprecedented scene in Colombia, soon after military officials acknowledged that they had committed hundreds of extrajudicial executions. Now it was the FARCs top brass who admitted publicly and in front of their victims that they gave the orders to kidnap at least 21,396 persons throughout the country between 1990 and 2015, and that they failed to control their subordinates, who subjected them to all kinds of humiliation.

At the three-day public hearing, also for the first time, they clearly owned up to the degrading treatment inflicted on their victims and to the ordeal their families endured, finally acting on one of their victims most heartfelt demands over the past two years.

Interspersed between the stories of their victims, one by one they acknowledged that, for having drawn up the macabre policy and for the command they chose not to exercise, they were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) set up after the Colombian government's peace agreement with the guerrillas.

Recommended reading Kidnappings in Colombia: the reckoning

"We became poets of pain"

Over three days, victims recited the physical and moral effects of kidnappings to those most responsible for their pain, seated a few metres away. On the first day it was the politicians, soldiers and policemen kidnapped in an attempt to secure a swap for imprisoned guerrillas. On the second day, it was those abducted with aim of collecting ransom. And the last day came those who were kidnapped to maintain social control of the territories where FARC operated.

"We became poets of pain due to the absence of sons, brothers and husbands," Gloria Narvaez, whose brother Juan Carlos was one of the eleven Valle del Cauca state lawmakers kidnapped in 2002 and murdered five years later, told them.

Could you believe that, in order not to lose my sanity in the midst of forced isolation, I lectured the trees in the jungle, asked Oscar Tulio Lizcano, a congressman who spent eight years in captivity and is now finishing a doctoral thesis on forgiveness. Did you know that, after the kidnapping of Captain Elkin Rivas, my family had to close down their shoe business, his sister Edna questioned. Did other politicians promote the idea of our abduction, asked coffee grower and former congressman Orlando Beltran.

Why did you, after years of extortion and the kidnapping of my father, set off a bomb against his house which injured a daughter, asked tradesman Hector Mahecha. Could you fathom that the police had frozen the salary of my father, officer Victor Hugo, when he was captured, asked Anyela Sierra. Or that he lost his job as a school teacher when he was kidnapped and then saw his house confiscated by a bank, inquired Eibar Melendez.

"Its about our tales here"

One by one, FARCs victims told them about the effects of their captivity, from family breakdowns and lonely childhoods to trauma financial bankruptcies. Among them were politicians, police officers, trade unionists, businessmen and housewives from almost every region of the country. Survivors of kidnapping, wives, parents, children and siblings of those who have not returned, defenders and critics of the peace agreement under which they had convened there face to face.

Wearing a chain around his neck, Major Cesar Lasso regretted that his dream of seeing his three children, including one born after his abduction, grow up was thwarted for 13 years. Her family ties broke down and most of their members dont speak to each other now after the kidnapping of her father Juan Antonio, Diva Cristina Diaz calculated. Danilo Conta, an Italian who lost his restaurant, told them he is "surviving, waiting to die".

Gonzalo Botero, a cattle rancher from Magangue, told them he was tormented by how hard-earned, honest money - paid for his ransom - ended up in the coffers of a criminal group. Edward Diaz, whose father Oswaldo is still missing, announced he had initiated a lawsuit in the United States, on account of his dual nationality.

Police officer Olmes Johan Duque, a victim of sexual violence during captivity, told them that he is still under psychiatric treatment because he has nightmares and cries. Colonel Raimundo Malagon - who spent two years tied by the neck and feet to two trees - recognized the cathartic potential of the hearing. "Its about our tales here", he said.

Over three days, some 30 victims -including Olmes Johan Duque and major Cesar Lasso- confronted the former FARC's top brass with their stories of pain and trauma.  JEP

"This damned policy of kidnapping"

After years of publicly justifying kidnapping as a weapon of war, even while negotiating peace, the guerrilla leaders finally accepted the gravity not only of kidnapping, but of the other crimes that accompanied it, such as torture, murder or sexual violence.

"I am guilty, individually, for this damned kidnapping policy, I participated in the conference where it was approved", said current senator Julian Gallo. Rodrigo Londono spoke of their "human insensitivity" and "savagery", Pastor Alape of the "cloak of darkness" and "humiliation" that they imposed on victims. "We surpassed all levels of inhumanity", Jaime Parra summed up.

Several of their positions were a radical departure from their own i nitial interventions within 4 years of judicial process before the JEP. They now accepted that there were episodes of sexual violence during abductions, something theyd been reluctant to do in the past. They admitted that they subjected people to forced labour, adopting the special tribunals accusations against them - although, following a request from the Inspector Generals Office, the special tribunal later legally elevated this crime to the category of slavery. All of them departed from the term they always used - and which victims abhor - 'retention'. One dubbed it a euphemism.

Perhaps most importantly, they finally referred to the moral damage caused by kidnapping. And their admissions validated the findings by the JEP, which - after four years of investigation - established the largest known universe of victims of this crime, registered 3.029 persons as parties to the case, and detailed patterns that were invisible to most Colombians, such as kidnappings aimed at securing territorial control.

This does not mean that all the specific questions posed by victims got satisfactory answers. Many werent because, unlike the hearing on false positives, here were those who gave the orders and not those who carried them out. This is because, as JusticeInfo has told, while the first macro-case against state agents is moving from the bottom up, the first one against the guerrillas started at the top and will then move down towards the regional commanders. It will be them, plus rank-and-file rebels, who will have to answer these questions in a series of hearings in six cities during the second half of this year.

The ten percent who never returned

Although the collective imagination in Colombia about kidnapping has mostly been associated to barbed wire cages in the jungle and prominent abducted politicians, the JEP hearing put its finger on another invisible drama: those who never returned to their families.

"I ask you to put yourselves in my shoes and in the shoes of all of us searching for our relatives. I want you to understand the importance of details, of things that may seem trivial to you, but which for us can be the balm that heals our wounds," implored Daniela Arandia, who was seven years old when her father Gerardo was kidnapped and studied geology to follow in his footsteps. She asked one of the former guerrilla leaders, Milton Toncel, to connect her with anyone who might have known her father in order to, in her words, "continue to create a memory of him, allow me to know him, permit my inner seven-year-old to heal the emptiness of not having a father".

Yoleni Pena resented that they knew that her policeman brother, Luis Fernando, was mentally ill but still decided not to release him. And Augusto Hinojosa, whose brother Ismel and cousin Cesar are still missing, told them his father who died two years ago never smiled again.

There are thousands of families like theirs. At least one in ten of those kidnapped did not return, according to the findings of the JEP: 627 were killed, in cases where their families managed to recover their remains, and 1860 are still missing.

The hearing was mostly conducted in the midst of a profound silence, only ruptured by the emotional reaction of victims and onlookers.  JEP

But a few victims found partial answers that day. Carmen Mirke, whose husband Orlando Toledo was kidnapped while working for a contractor of the state oil company Ecopetrol, after telling them about the difficulties of being both mother and father to three teenagers, complained that FARC members told her that Orlando had escaped, when they knew hed been murdered.

Rodrigo Londono replied that he was certain that a guard had indeed killed him in 2005 after an escape attempt, that he had heard it on their internal radio. At the justices request, he formally stated this so that Carmen can now process his death certificate.

"Youre the only ones holding the truth"

"Give me the opportunity to leave this world knowing where I buried my son. I don't want to know about the moments before his vile murder, but I need you to help us find them," pleaded Vladimiro Bayona, telling them that Alexander and his friend Alberto Gonzalez - both environmental engineering students - were abducted during a hike in 2000.

"Youre the only ones holding the truth," he said, directing his plea to Pablo Catatumbo Torres, who had command in that area of Colombias southwest. "This is often difficult. That military unit had 60 or 70 persons, but almost all of them died during the conflict. I think there are one or two survivors left," the now senator replied. "I will do my best to help you find your son.

At that point, justice Catalina Diaz interrupted him: "I compel you not to use the word 'help', it is an obligation of all former combatants," she said, reminding him that his legal future depended on his commitment to victims like Bayona.

Vladimiro Bayona, whose son Alexander was kidnapped in 2000 and is still missing, hugs his wife after demanding FARC to lead him to his remains so they can both give him a proper burial.  JEP

A seesaw between hubris and contrition

This was not the only moment during the hearing that showed that in restorative scenarios, catharsis and contrition often coexist with arrogance and indolence. While a dozen victims asked to locate the remains of their loved ones, the former guerrilla leaders promised to "do their best", in a language and gestures that suggest a future action rather than a current commitment.

At times the guerrilla leaders argued that they had not been in direct contact with hostages, that communications were difficult, or that - as Rodrigo Granda said - "barbarity was not in our initial calculations". "I never understood the chains, it seemed to me the most degrading thing in the world," said Rodrigo Londono, failing to add whether hed done anything about it as the organisation's chief. "They demand too much of us," Granda said at one point.

"Although it was historic to see the top brass of an armed group sitting for the first time in Colombia before its victims, at times they spoke of the 'noise and smoke of war' as if wanting to show that they couldnt act as commanders and oversee troops treatment of hostages. This omits the fact that all world armies, even in war, military leaders exercise command responsibility, even in the worst turmoil," says Gloria Maria Gallego, a professor at Eafit University who has written two books on kidnappings and who was present at the hearing. She too has experienced four abductions in her family, including one by FARC.

Milton Toncel's change of heart

Perhaps one of the most striking narrative threads was the transformation by Milton Toncel, known in wartime as 'Joaquin Gomez', over the three-day hearing.

"The grey gunpowder cloud didnt allow us to see anything," he said on the first day, before recounting that theyd even built tents for some hostages like former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and that they could sometimes fry meat. "They were free," he even said.

"The reason youre here is not because of the times you treated them well," Julieta Lemaitre, the justice who spearheaded the case, admonished him. Your acknowledgements, she explained, had to incorporate three dimensions: a legal one, fulfilled by stating the exact charges and your willingness to accept them; a factual one, which involved talking about specific abductions and answering victims' questions; and a restorative one, in which you express your understanding of victims suffering, the pain of their families in the absence of their loved ones and the long-term traces of your crimes.

"It was not idyllic," Betancourt, who was not originally slated to speak but asked for a rebuttal, told him. Yes, she explained, Toncel improved her housing conditions once but in the midst of what remained a cruel reality far removed from any norms of war.

Toncel heeded the scolding and gradually showed a more contrite face. "I admit that in all the years of conflict we never stopped to think about the families or the people we kidnapped. Today I look at myself in the foggy mirror of their sadness under the impotence and nostalgia of what is irreparable", he would say at the end of the day, already addressing such degrading practices as charging ransoms for corpses.

The next day, with eloquence and more emotion, he acknowledged aspects of their suffering he had previously ignored. "Kidnapping is such a lethal poison that its effect is moral and it kills, but slowly, both the kidnap victim and his or her family as they live in constant anxiety," he reflected. He promised to work now so that Daniela Arandia can rebuild, in his words, the "affective museum of her father".

He seems to have heard the message sent to him by the 27-year-old geologist. "This is not a step towards staying out of jail. This personal and collective moment that we are living through will allow us all to be free, and I am not only talking about physical bars, but mental ones, which we have felt and carried since the war set upon us", Daniela pleaded him.
The second half of Seo ye Ji's new drama "Eve" is filled with surprising twists and turns as the main characters intertwine. On the other hand, the viewership rating of the tvN series increases. Keep on reading for all the details.

'Eve' Viewership Rating

As obtained by News 1 Korea, Nielsen Korea cited that "Eve" episode 9 viewership rating garnered a nationwide average of 4.1 percent and 5.6 percent in metropolitan areas.

With this, the Wednesday and Tuesday drama achieved the top spot as the most-watched series for its time slot.

Also, "Eve" came in third place as the most buzzworthy drama, while Seo Ye Ji landed first in the most buzzworthy actor ranking as released by Good Data Corporation.

The continued success of the drama series comes after truth and lies are slowly unfolding.

'Eve' Episode 9 Highlights: Kim Sun Bin Witnessed Han So Ra's Power

The latest episode features a confrontation between Lee Ra El, Jang Moon Hee, and Han So Ra.

In the first part of the series, Kim Sun Bin, who is Lee Ra El in real life, surprised the crowd when she came uninvited.

Her surprise appearance made Han So Ra furious. During their intense encounter, Han So Ra slapped Kim Sun Bin twice, expressing her great anger for stealing her man.

Instead of fighting back, Sun Bin gave the woman a suspicious smirk signaling that she is up to something.

Seo Eun Pyung Confesses his Love for Lee Ra El

As "Eve" episode 9 continues, presidential candidate Seo Eun Pyung admits his feelings towards Lee Ra El.

He said that now that he had come to know her, he promised to stand by her, even if everyone abandoned her.

Of course, this made Lee Ra El trust him, especially now that she is seeing the fruits of her labor and ruining the lives of those responsible for her father's death.

Lee Ra El Gets Betrayed by Jang Moon Hee

While her plan seems almost perfect, Lee Ra El was betrayed by the woman who made her start the revenge.

Jang Moon Hee, disguised as her fake mother, betrayed her and sent images of her to Chairman Kang, exposing her true identity.

Luckily, Seo Eun Pyung saw the man who handed out the envelope to the chairman and recognized it as one of LY Group's victims.

He managed to switch the envelope and handed it to Lee Ra El.

To her surprise, she immediately figured out who was behind all these.

"Eve" episode 10 is scheduled to air on June 30 via tvN and iQiyi for subtitles.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Eve' Episode 8: Yoo Sun Furious Over Seo Ye Ji's Unexpected Revelation

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Bae Suzy revealed in her recent interview that she had to wear hundreds of outfits for this Korean drama. Can you guess which drama it is? Read on to know!

Suzy Talks About Her Roles as Yu Mi and Anna in New Coupang Play K-Drama

In a KBS news broadcast that aired on June 30, Bae Suzy, who just made her long-awaited small-screen comeback, sat for an interview and talked about her new K-drama "Anna."

During the talk, the actress expressed her desire to do her role justice. This is why she consulted a psychological expert about the situations of her character in detail.

According to the Dior ambassador, "We shared our concerns about what energy it would be convincing and realistic to act with. Lee Yu Mi is an extremely anxious person, so she can lie diligently. I think I was able to create Yu Mi with the help of a professional."

She went on and commented on the part where she sympathized with Anna or Yu Mi, "I felt genuine emotions when I read the script. The similarity that these two characters have is diligence. The other one lies diligently in her way and tries to live as a person she created."

Suzy mentioned her way of internalizing her character. She said that since Yu Mi is a character who tells endless lies to live as Anna, the female lead started to bring Yu Mi's role into life, the same approach to the opposite role, Anna.

Suzy Pulled Off 150 Costumes for the K-Drama 'Anna'

Meanwhile, apart from her acting method, Suzy shared she had to wear hundreds of outfits for the drama. She shared, "While filming the series I have to pull off as many as 150 costumes in 'Anna.'"

When asked to choose between Yu Mi and Anna, she prefers to be like Anna. In real life, Suzy is living as a different person who always has a passion to work in the acting field.

"Anna" had its world premiere on June 24 on the popular streaming platform Coupang Play. The drama has only eight episodes and yet viewers are excited to watch Suzy again as she made a drama comeback this year.

Apart from "Anna," Bae Suzy might work on a new project as she is courted to lead the upcoming Netflix's series "The Girl Downstairs." "Dr. Romantic" actor Yang Se Jong was also offered to join her in the series.

Following her 2020 K-drama "Start-Up," Suzy took a hiatus from acting. In January 2021, she held a solo concert in commemoration of her 10th debut anniversary.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Yang Se Jong Reportedly To Team Up With Suzy in Netflix's Series 'The Girl Downstairs'

What are your thoughts about Suzy's new drama "Anna"? Tell us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, follow and subscribe to KpopStarz.

KDramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
In the previous episode, Girls' Generation Seohyun senses danger coming to Na In Woo's way. In "Jinxed At First" Episode 6, the show is filled with love and affection as the two characters push through against all odds. Read on to know what went down in the latest episode!

'Jinxed At First' Episode 6: Gong Soo Kwang and Seul Bi Kidnapped

Previously, Seul Bi (Seohyun) senses danger after Gong Soo Kwang (Na In Woo) accidentally touches her.

Because of this, she rushes to the hideout where he was taken. Seon Dong Shik's (Choi Jung Woo) men tie the two while the kidnappers set a bomb inside the hostage location.

Thankfully, Seon Min Joon (Ki Do Hoon) and Chief Wang (Kim Dong Young) are quick to help and rescue the two.

Just before the bomb explodes, Seul Bi uses her energy to freeze time and flees the dangerous scene.

Gong Soo Kwang's Curiosity Grows

Although he cares for Seul Bi, Gong Soo Kwang couldn't help but become curious about her true story and past. Gong Soo Kwang bravely asks Seul Bi about her true identity, and how she could predict the future and stop the time.

However, Seul Bi ignores the question and pleads with Gong Soo Kwang not to kick her out as she wants to stay with him forever.

Romance Brews Between Gong Soo Kwang and Seul Bi

Despite his doubts and inhibitions, Gong Soo Kwang is still protective over Seul Bi. Even if he doesn't know the truth about her, he still cares for her.

When a storm hits Seodong, he rushes over to look after Seul Bi. He then confesses his feelings for the girl, telling how important she is to him. The two warm up the cold night with a soft, sweet kiss full of love.

Seul Bi's World Becomes Smaller

While busy with work, a man inquires about a job offer at Gong Soo Kwang's fish shop. Since he's short of manpower, he immediately hires him.

Little did they know, he was sent By Seon Dong Shik to spy on Seul Bi. He introduces himself as Jung Hyeon Tae (Lee Hoon).

In the past, he was a loyal man to the Seons, and he once eloped with Mi Soo (Yoon Ji Hye). In episode 6, the mystery regarding Seul Bi's father is revealed.

Seul Bi Surprises Gong Soo Kwang

With the various jewelry her mother gave her, Seul Bi earns enough money for her operation: to beautify Gong Soo Kwang's house.

Along with Chief Wang, Seul Bi works hard and repaints the house, revealing its homey atmosphere. She also prepared study shelves for Gong Soo Kwang's university books which he treasures the most.

When Gong Soo Kwang comes home, Seul Bi surprises him with the renovation and promises the former that he'll never be alone anymore.

"Jinxed At First" episode 6 ends as Seul Bi sees a premonition of an incoming danger yet again.

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
The Canadian flag outside Kelowna City Hall, shown here in a file photo, is flying again in time for Canada Day. The city said Thursday a "mechanism" that raises the flag could only be repaired by a Vancouver firm that wasn't available. However, it has transpired the city has managed to fix its own flagpole, temporarily at least.
A high near 30 C and blue skies drew a large crowd to Waterfront Park, the centre of Canada Day activities in Kelowna. It was the first time the celebration had been held owing to the pandemic since 2019.






Lisa Banfield, spouse of Gabriel Wortman, puts on a face mask at Nova Scotia provincial court in Dartmouth, N.S., on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The spouse of the gunman in the Nova Scotia mass shooting will testify mid-July before a public inquiry, but she won't face direct questions from lawyers representing victims' families. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
The state of Wisconsin has revoked the wholesale dealer license for Elkhorn car dealer, Car Rangers LLC, after the dealership was found rolling back odometers and altering titles to reflect lower mileage, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Car Rangers LLC, 735 North Wisconsin Street #122, Elkhorn, reportedly purchased vehicles with high mileage, rolled back the odometers, altered titles to reflect lower mileage, and provided false odometer statements to customers, according to the release.

The car dealer also reportedly sold motor vehicles to retail customers without a retail dealer license. The car dealers license was revoked effective May 11, 2022. While the revocations occurred earlier, under Wisconsin law dealers are afforded 30 days to appeal. This appeal period is now passed.

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Friends and family celebrated with Father Eamon Aylward who recently celebrated his Golden Jubilee of Ordination at a special Mass held in South Kilkenny earlier this month.

Having travelled and practiced his vocation around the world it was only fitting that Fr Aylward would return to his roots and celebrate the momentus occasion in South Kilkenny.

On June 19, 1972, Fr Eamon Aylward celebrated his first Mass in All Saints Church, New Chapel, Ballyhale, Co. Kilkenny. He returned there on June 18 of this year for a Mass of Thanksgiving for his Golden Jubilee of Ordination and celebrated the Parish 9am Mass on June 19.

Fr. Aylward was born in Dublin in 1948. He is the oldest of five children (Noreen, Joan, Marian and Patrick) born to Ned Aylward from Knockmoylan and Maureen Brennan from Ballyhale and is a first cousin of Liam and Bobby Aylward, both of whom served for many years in both local and national politics.

Having attended primary cchool and one year in secondary school at CBS Synge Street, he left Dublin in 1961 to attend a boarding school run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in Clones Co Monaghan.

After secondary school he joined the congregation of the Sacred Hearts and in 1966 made his first Profession in Cootehill, Co Cavan. This was followed by the study of Philosophy in Cootehill and from 1968, the study of Theology in the USA. He was ordained to the priesthood in1972 in Cootehill, Co Cavan and his first assignment was to Damien High School in Los Angeles.

While in LA he attended a Marriage Encounter (ME) weekendexperience designed to offer a process to help good marriages be even better. Eamon became very involved with this Church movement and on his return to parish work in the UK in 1973, he regularly led weekends for ME, Engaged Encounter and Choice weekends for single adults.

In 1976 he was appointed Vocation Director for the Ireland-England Province of the Congregation and moved to live in Ealing West Lond on with regular ferry journeys to Ireland to speak on vocations in Irish secondary schools.

While in London he continued his involvement with the ME movement leading weekends mostly in the South-East area of the UK.

In 1983 he was appointed Provincial Leader of the Ireland-England Province of the Congregation, an appointment he held for nine years.

Following a sabbatical year in 1993, he volunteered for the Sacred Hearts Congregation Mission in Mozambique. Returning to live in Clondalkin, Dublin in 2004. For the next ten years he served as the Executive Secretary of the Irish Missionary Union and Acting Director of World Missions Ireland.

In 2014 he was appointed Co-ordinator of our Provincial and Retirement

House in Northbrook Road, Dublin where he serves to this day.
The Minister for Public Expenditure has said it is possible there will be a modest change in bringing the Budget forward.

Michael McGrath said the Government is examining whether it is possible to bring forward the date of the Budget and a decision will be made by Cabinet next week.

He said it is being worked through and the process of moving the Budget date is very much under way.

The Budget is normally held on the second Tuesday of October, but it is understood it could be brought forward to the end of September.

No decision has been made by Government yet to change that date and the issue is under consideration, but I would say this, there is limited scope to change that because the process of putting together a Budget is a lengthy and complex process, Mr McGrath told RTE Morning Ireland.

We are working through that at the moment and the process is very much under way.

So Government will make a final decision and I anticipate that will happen next week.

We are very conscious of the genuine cost-of-living pressures that people are under and we have said that there will be a need in the autumn for a set of one-off measures to help people in the best way that we can.

So if it is possible to bring it forward by a short period of time, within the limits, then we are examining that issue at the moment, but no decision has been made, and any change would be modest in nature in terms of date.

I dont think it will be fair to speculate on any particular date when no decision has been made.

It is possible that there will be a modest change in terms of bringing it forward. But thats not definite until Government makes a decision and they expect that will happen next week.

Mr McGrath said the measures to be announced as part of the Budget package will be targeted at those most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

He said it will involve one-off measures, adding they will be substantial in scale.

While he refused to give details on some of the proposed budgetary measures, he did not rule out including an electricity grant of 200 euro.

I would like to just set out three broad priorities. One is those who are genuinely the most vulnerable, they will need the most help at this time, Mr McGrath said.

But people who are working, working families will also need help because they too are feeling real pressure at this time.

They will want to see us as a Government move to reduce costs in areas like childcare, transport, health, and to reduce the tax burden that they face as well.

I think the third key priority is public services. The relationship between the state and the citizen works on the basis that all citizens pay some tax to the Government, even if theyre not working, and in return they expect the state to deliver good services, access to housing, access to healthcare, good disability services, home care services.

He said the summer economic statement will be brought to Government on Monday, which will set out the resources available for the Budget.

It comes as Fianna Fail members are to hold a special party meeting on Friday to discuss the Budget and measures to address the cost of living.

It is a very good opportunity for myself and the other Fianna Fail ministers and our Taoiseach to listen to our colleagues across the parliamentary party, the minister added.

This will be a policy-focused discussion with an emphasis on the Budget as you would expect, and I believe that there will be a number of key priorities emerging from that meeting that are very much in line with my own views, the views of the Taoiseach and indeed the Government.
A police chief has said the cold case review into the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork could be really important and worthwhile in identifying her killer.

Gardai have vowed to approach the review with an open and investigative and inquiring mind.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the high level of interest in the French filmmakers killing 26 years ago, including documentaries and podcasts into what happened, may have triggered something in peoples minds.

The 39-year-olds badly beaten body was found outside her holiday home in Schull, West Cork, in December 1996.

Mr Harris said looking again at all aspects of the case could help to identify the killer.

Earlier this week, gardai said that, following a review by the assistant commissioner for organised and serious crime, the Garda Serious Crime Review Team will now conduct a full review of this case.

On Friday, Mr Harris told RTEs Morning Ireland programme: Weve looked at the information and weve felt then looking at the amount of information, some of the complexity of it, that we should be applying then the most up to date, modern investigative techniques, and that includes a forensic review as well.

We do feel that this is a useful process and exercise to undertake. We think that it may prove really important and worthwhile in terms of identifying the perpetrator of this awful crime.

The decades-old murder and subsequent investigation has sparked much interest, and Mr Harris said seeing or hearing programmes around it might have prompted someone to remember something key.

He said: The only thing I would say now is its been the subject of a number of high profile documentaries, and also podcasts and books as well.

So theres a lot of information out there, something may have been triggered in an individuals mind, a piece of information, which if they do know that and feel its useful to us, they should come forward.

He insisted the review will be properly resourced.

Asked about mistakes made in the past in terms of the investigation, Mr Harris said: The review starts from, as I say, day one. We work our way forward. If evidence has been lost, or was irretrievable, then we have to just work our way with that. This is also the object of finding new evidence, finding new leads and working our way through those as well.

He rejected a suggestion it could be a futile exercise, given the passage of time.

The Commissioner said: Its not a futile exercise. If we felt there was to be no hope in this we wouldnt undertake it.

Weve already been through a process to say that this is work worth doing.

And its worth, in effect, applying resources to this to bring in effect, an outcome which identifies a suspected perpetrator and report them to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

This is an investigation and we approach it in that way, we approach it with an open and investigative and inquiring mind.

In October 2020, the High Court in Ireland rejected an attempt by French authorities to extradite Ian Bailey for the murder.

Mr Bailey was facing a third extradition process to France in relation to the filmmakers death.

The court ruled that he would not be surrendered to France after a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued in 2019.

Mr Bailey, with an address at The Prairie in Schull, was convicted of murder in his absence by a court in Paris in May 2019.

The three-judge court imposed a 25-year sentence.

He had no legal representation for the case, did not attend the court and described it at the time as a farce.

He has always denied any involvement in Ms du Plantiers death.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) today published its Annual Report for 2021.

In welcoming the report, Damien English TD, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail said:

Last year the WRC worked through the challenges that the global pandemic continued to present, and I commend everyone involved for ensuring that their services were maintained despite the difficult operational environment.

The WRC delivered a robust workplace relations service and employment rights framework for employers and workers across Ireland for the betterment of the economy.

Minister English highlighted that the WRC recovered 964,281 in unpaid wages for workers over the year and concluded by saying:

I am confident that the WRC will continue to deliver its statutory remit while also pushing to innovate, improve, refine and reshape its services - ultimately delivering fair and compliant workplaces for all.

Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Board of the WRC commented:

The Report indicates the successes of the year which were achieved not only in relation to the many challenges presented during the year, but which were very much in line with the Boards broader strategic goals for the organisation.

Mr. Begg concluded by saying that:

The experience of the last two years and the ability of the staff of the WRC to respond agilely had very much fed into the Boards new Strategy Statement which was devised and submitted to the Minister in 2021.

Mr. Liam Kelly, Director General of the WRC indicated that the trajectory of the pandemic across the year required the WRC to continuously fashion its services to changing circumstances and that he felt that the WRC had been particularly successful in this regard.

In that time he said, despite the challenges posed by Covid, the WRC handled a 6 per cent increase in enquiries, an 8 per cent increase in individual and collective disputes, had scheduled more adjudication hearings than prior to Covid, had inspected 4,500 workplaces and published a Code of Practice on the Right to Disconnect and a Commentary on WRC jurisprudence as well as opening a new office in Cork which is now hosting the vast majority of in-person adjudication and conciliation hearings in the region.

In addition, Mr. Kelly noted that the WRC had successfully adapted its processes and procedures to ensure that they were fully in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered in 2021 which found that the WRC was administering justice in terms of its adjudicative function.

Mr. Kelly concluded by thanking the Minister, the Department and the WRC stakeholders for their support over the period.

Highlights of the 2021 Annual Report include:

WRC Information and Customer Services Unit:

Operating remotely, the WRCs information line dealt with 55,810 calls in 2021: an increase of almost 6% on 2020.

WRC Inspection Division:

In 2021, the Inspectorate of the WRC recovered just under one million Euro in unpaid wages for employees and completed 3,433 inspections over the period. In addition to carrying out its primary function in relation to employment rights, the WRC Inspectorate assisted the Health and Safety Authority in relation to monitoring the Return to Work Safely (RTWS) Protocol.

Adjudication, Mediation and Conciliation Services:

Over the course of 2021, some 12,000 individual complaints were received by the Adjudication Service and the number of hearings held increased by 75% on the previous year  almost all the hearings were held virtually.

Almost 90% of disputes dealt with at the WRC through its Conciliation Service were resolved.

The Report also states that:

A new Southern region office in Cork City opened in 2021.

A new case management system for the Conciliation Service was rolled out in 2021.

The 2021 Annual Report can be accessed on the WRC website here

And at the following link for the Irish version of the Report click here
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Major project of China's west-to-east power transmission program starts operation

Xinhua) 13:36, July 01, 2022

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A major part of China's west-to-east power transmission program kicked off operation Friday, a further boost to the coordinated development among different regions.

With its transmission line stretching about 2,080 km, the Baihetan-Jiangsu 800-kilovolt ultra-high-voltage (UHV) direct current power transmission project transmits clean hydropower from Baihetan, the world's second-largest hydropower station, in the southwestern province of Sichuan to east China's economic powerhouse Jiangsu Province.

It is the world's first UHV direct current power transmission project using a new approach that combines the conventional direct current and flexible direct current technologies, according to the State Grid Corporation of China.

The project has a power transmission capacity of 8 million kW and can deliver more than 30 billion kWh of clean electricity annually, helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 25 million tonnes every year, the company said.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 11 PM CDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Heat index values between 100 and 106 can be expected this afternoon, 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 today 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. &&




The government will expand the number of "one-stop" COVID-19 treatment centers, where people can take a virus test, get in-person medical care services and receive antiviral drugs, to 10,000 from the current 6,206, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday.







"Even if the number of COVID-19 patients increases, we will make sure they can get stable treatment under our general medical system," Han said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul.







Han also called for efficient management of medical resources, including hospital beds, to prepare for a possible virus resurgence in the summer vacation season.







"The number of COVID-19 cases, which showed a downward trend for the past 14 weeks, started to increase this week," Han said. "Under a scenario that infection risks can go up in the summer vacation season, we will swiftly and thoroughly organize our virus response system."







South Korea reported 9,528 new COVID-19 infections Friday, which was up 2,334 from two weeks ago and 2,307 cases from a week ago. (Yonhap)






President Yoon Suk-yeol left Spain on Thursday to head home after attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, and holding a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines on his first overseas trip as president.







The four-day visit to Madrid came weeks after his inauguration on May 10, giving him the chance to hold his first in-person meetings with world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.







Yoon took part in a total of 16 diplomatic events  10 bilateral summits, three multilateral summits, meetings with King Felipe VI of Spain and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and a luncheon meeting with Spanish businesspeople  according to his office.







Yoon used his speech to NATO members and partner nations to stress the importance of North Korea's denuclearization and reaffirm South Korea's commitment to playing a bigger role in international affairs.







Though a bilateral summit between Yoon and Kishida failed to materialize, their multiple encounters and friendly exchanges raised hope for a thaw in bilateral relations that were badly frayed under Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae-in.







Yoon's trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Kishida also signaled the restoration of three-way cooperation against North Korea's nuclear threats and an increasingly assertive China.







Yoon was the first South Korean president to attend a NATO summit, as the country is not a member of the military alliance and was invited as an Asia-Pacific partner nation, along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand.







Concerns persist that South Korea's alignment with NATO's values and policies could hurt its relations with China.







The presidential office has dismissed such speculation.







Yoon also used the trip to expand South Korean business opportunities and seek support for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.







In his bilateral meetings, he promoted South Korean exports in the nuclear energy, advanced technology and defense industries, among others.







Yoon was accompanied by first lady Kim Keon-hee, who took part in a cultural program for the spouses of leaders attending the NATO summit and also made individual trips.







The president and the first lady will return to Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap)






By Lee Kyung-min







Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) CEO Yoon Jong-won met officials of key state-run and private financial firms of Vietnam to bolster cooperation for greater financing and business expansion opportunities for small Korean ventures and startups, the state-run lender said Friday.







During a five-day business trip to the Southeast Asian country, Yoon discussed mid-term financial cooperation projects led jointly by Korean firms and Vietnamese state-run agencies, mostly on ways to establish an ecosystem for small businesses to outline stable profit models. Among the top financial and economic policy officials he met was Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Doan Thai Son.







The IBK plans to open a few more branches in Vietnam, in addition to ones in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. New ones will open in industrial complexes and major commercial districts to better accommodate the financing needs of both local businesses and Korean firms there.







Yoon visited Korean firms operating in Vietnam and had conversations about their difficulties and policy assistances they need from the government.







He signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with VinaCapital, one of the largest investment management firms in Vietnam, to share knowledge to promote venture capital investment and joint business opportunities.







The IBK said it will continue to support local startups and small ventures to gain a stronger presence in Vietnam in the future and create new business opportunities.







"We will help an increasing number of promising local firms seek growth opportunities in Vietnam," an IBK official said.


U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testifies before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on President Biden's proposed 2023 U.S. budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 8. Reuters-Yonhap



U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen will discuss ways to build stronger supply chains to help curb rising prices during her upcoming trip to South Korea, the treasury department said Thursday.



The U.S. secretary will also discuss ways to impose additional costs on Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine, it added.



"During this visit, the Secretary will discuss building stronger and more resilient supply chains to help lower prices for American and global consumers, including by friend-shipping with trusted economic partners like the ROK," the department said in a press release on the outcome of a recently concluded trip to Seoul by Brian Nelson, undersecretary of treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence.



ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.



The department earlier said the secretary will be traveling to South Korea on July 19 and 20 as part of her first trip to Asia, which will also take her to Japan and Indonesia.



The trip will also mark the first of its kind by a U.S. treasury secretary to Seoul since 2016.



"Secretary Yellen will also discuss ways to further impose costs on Russia for its unprovoked invasion and continue her work coordinating the global response to address the war's consequences, including higher energy prices and food insecurity," the department said.



Meanwhile, the department said Nelson's trip to Seoul, which ended Wednesday, focused on countering aggression by North Korea.



"In recent months, Treasury has targeted the DPRK's revenue generating activities, including imposing sanctions on financial facilitators, procurement networks, and a mixer used to launder the proceeds of virtual currency theft," it said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.



Nelson's trip to Seoul followed 18 rounds of North Korean missile tests, in which Pyongyang fired 31 ballistic missiles, the largest number of ballistic missile launched in a single year, according to U.S. officials. (Yonhap)


Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 89F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High around 90F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy in the evening, then thunderstorms developing after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 91F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 74F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The controversial Splash Mountain rides at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will reopen in 2024 with a Princess and the Frog theme that will replace the backstory based on the 1940s Disney film Song of the South criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes.

Tianas Bayou Adventure attractions will replace the Splash Mountain water rides at Disneyland and Floridas Magic Kingdom in late 2024, according to Disney officials.

The new attraction name and opening date were announced by Disney officials on Friday at Preservation Hall in New Orleans during the Essence Festival of Culture.

Walt Disney Imagineering has traveled to Louisiana and New Orleans during research trips for the revamped ride to work with academics, musicians, chefs, local experts and cultural institutions.

In many ways, Tianas Bayou Adventure is a love letter to New Orleans, Charita Carter, Imagineering executive producer of relevancy activations, said in a statement. Like the musical city that inspired this attraction, Tianas second act is about a community working in harmony to achieve something extraordinary. She reminds us of an immutable truth we can all relate to: If you do your best each and every day, good things are sure to come your way. And thats a melody we can all sing along to.

Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Princess Tiana in the movie, let the 2024 opening date slip out in early June during an appearance on Live with Ryan and Kelly.

Ive been involved in the beginning, just talking about how we want it to be, what we want it to do, Rose said on the show. But if I were to tell you anything else, I would be sucked into the ground and youd never see me again.

Disneyland and Disney World have not yet announced closing dates for the classic log flume rides on both coasts.

Further details about the twin makeovers of the Splash Mountain rides are expected to be revealed during an expo in September at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

Disney announced in June 2020 the Splash Mountain log flume rides at Disneyland in Anaheim and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida would be transformed by Walt Disney Imagineering with a new theme based on The Princess and the Frog animated movie.
Boating under the influence (BUI) is just as deadly as drinking and driving.

Over the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend, July 2-4, the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency (Geneva Lake Police) will once again be participating in Operation Dry Water, a national BUI awareness and enforcement campaign focused on reducing the number of alcohol- and drug-related incidents and fatalities, and fostering a stronger, more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water.

The Fourth of July weekend is known for its increased boat traffic, prevalent alcohol usage and subsequent uptick in boating incidents and fatalities.

Operation Dry Water is coordinated by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency (GLLEA) locally.

We will have our two boats out, along with three DNR boats, on a concentrated effort for drunk [watercraft] drivers, said GLLEA Commander Tom Hausner.

Operating a boat with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or higher is against federal law and most state laws, including those in Wisconsin. For those operating a commercial motorboat, this limit is even more restrictive in Wisconsin at .04%.

Alcohol can impair a boaters judgement, balance, vision and reaction time. It can also increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion. Additionally sun, wind, noise and vibration, stressors common to the boating environment, intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.

Impairment can be even more dangerous for boaters than for drivers in a car, since most boaters have less experience and confidence operating a boat than they do driving a car.

Alcohol is also dangerous for passengers. Intoxication can lead to slips, falls overboard and other dangerous incidents.

National scope, local enforcementAgencies from all U.S. states and territories are expected to participate in the 2022 Operation Dry Water campaign.

Launched in 2009 by the NASBLA in partnership with the Coast Guard, Operation Dry Water has been deemed a highly successful campaign, drawing attention to the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

According to 2020 data from the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in recreational boater deaths.

Since the inception of Operation Dry Water, law enforcement officers have removed 5,358 BUI operators from the nations waterways and made contact with more than 2.2 million boaters.

The outreach and awareness portion of Operation Dry Water is in effect year-round. Through the outreach efforts of NASBLA, the U.S. Coast Guard and participating law enforcement agencies nationwide, Operation Dry Water focuses on spreading awareness of the danger of boating under the influence and changing the cultural acceptance of drinking and boating.

In 2021, more than 7,500 officers from 575 local, state and federal agencies participated in Operation Dry Water, including the Geneva Lake Police. Over the three-day, 72-hours heightened awareness and enforcement weekend, law enforcement officers contacted 328,627 boaters, made 638 BUI arrests and issued 42,442 citations and warnings for safety violations.

Hausner noted that last years Operation Dry Water initiative by Geneva Lake Police resulted in four BUI arrests on Geneva Lake.

For more information about Operation Dry Water, including boating safety tips, visit operationdrywater.org.

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A tax incremental district for a cold storage facility is one step closer to being established in the Village of Darien, despite opposition from residents.

Members of the Village of Darien Plan Commission approved, June 29, to establish a tax incremental district for NewCold Darien LLC to help the company pay costs related to constructing a cold storage facility in the village.

The plan commission approved the tax incremental district by a 5-2 vote. The district still has to be approved by the village board and a joint review board, which consists of representatives from local taxing bodies including the Village of Darien, Delavan-Darien School District, Walworth County and Gateway Technical College.

Representatives from NewCold Darien plan to construct a cold storage facility on 137 acres of land located near the southeast corner of County Highway X and County Highway C. The project is expected to cost about $118 million.

NewCold is a Chicago-based company that has cold storage facilities on three continents. The company plans to hire about 40 full-time employees after the storage facility is constructed.

The tax incremental district would offer up to $38 million in tax incentives to NewCold Darien to reimburse the costs of making infrastructural improvements related to the construction of the cold storage facility.

"What this is, is a pay as-you-go incentive and ultimately that takes the burden off of the village to have to issue debt to take on these projects," Brian Roemer, municipal advisor for Ehlers Public Financial Advisors told the plan commission members. "That is not a lump sum payment. This is over time, as well as to pay for off-site infrastructure improvements that are related to the development."

The tax incremental district is set to close in 2039.

Jane Stiles, village president and chairperson of the plan commission, said establishing the tax incremental district and allowing NewCold to construct the storage facility would benefit the village and other local taxing bodies in the future.

"The village needs to create a TID, so we do not have to raise taxes on water and sewer rates to pay for the infrastructure," Stiles said. "If NewCold comes to the village, NewCold will pay taxes every year. That money stays in the TID fund for related project costs until the TID closes. If NewCold comes to the village, they would be another customer paying into the water and sewer fund that will help spread the costs on maintenance and repair to the infrastructure."

Plan commission member Kevin Atkinson, who voted against the district, said he feels the plan commission should consider the residents' concerns more closely before voting on the issue.

"I'm not ready to move forward with this," Atkinson.

Residents express their concerns

The plan commission conducted a public hearing during the meeting to give residents an opportunity to voice their opinions regarding the proposed project and tax incremental district.

Many residents packed the village hall to express their concerns.

Sandy Anderson encouraged the plan commission members to vote "no" on the tax incremental district, because most residents are against the project.

"What happened to the Darien board that cared about their town, their children, their neighbors and what about the agriculture?," Anderson said. "Ninety-nine percent of the people in this room do not want this. We the people of Darien ask you to send NewCold back to Chicago."

Bridget McCarthy said NewCold is a multi-million company and does not need the tax incentives to construct the storage facility. She said the village could use that money to help people and business owners in the community.

"They don't need your money to build," McCarthy said. "If they do, they probably shouldn't be building."

Maryann Zimmerman of the Town of Whitewater, Republican candidate for the Wisconsin 31st District seat, said the storage facility would not only affect the Village of Darien but other communities in Walworth County.

She advised the plan commission members to vote "no" on the issue and allow the residents to decide by a referendum.

"In this economy, I don't think anybody should be giving money to a multi-million company," Zimmerman said. "This isn't something that should be decided by six people. You guys should go to referendum in November."

Village Trustee Elizabeth Baumann thanked the plan commission members and other village officials for taking time to research the issue. She said the cold storage facility would help bring many construction jobs to the community.

"I know there's a lot of pros and cons to look at, and I know you're looking at them all," Baumann said. "I know, in the long run, you know what's good for the Village of Darien."

Exodus after the vote

After the vote was taken, one resident continued to discuss the issue with other audience members, and Village Attorney Brad Lochowicz asked police to escort the person from the building.

The person agreed to leave voluntarily with many other audience members leaving as well.

While leaving, several residents voiced their disapproval regarding the vote including" "Business is over. This is bull crap," "NewCold how do you feel when you steamroll a small town?" and "Judas."

Next steps

Members of the village board are set to vote on the tax incremental district, 7 p.m., July 18 at the Darien Village Hall building, 24 N. Wisconsin St.

"The developer is to pay for the site infrastructure, then be reimbursed through the tax increment being created," Roemer said. "The site infrastructure ultimately will be assets to the village, so it is subject to village approval."

The joint review board is scheduled to vote on the tax incremental district, 1 p.m., July 26.

"The county and the school district and the tech college all get a vote on this, as well, because they are forgoing taxes while this district is open," Roemer said.

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When $156.6 million lands into the local economy that sounds like a big deal.

Because it is.

Year-over-year, thats how many more dollars flowed into the Walworth County and Lake Geneva tourism sector from 2020 levels to 2021 results.

Readers might be thinking, Well, of course its higher because 2020 was a pandemic year.

True.

Heres the pearl inside that shell, though: Tourism revenue rose a solid $10 million from the last non-pandemic year, 2019.

Trends tell the real story, and the latest statewide tourism figures confirm the Lake Geneva regions upward trajectory continues. As one of Wisconsins top visitor destinations the new numbers provide a clear indication that not only has the regions draw rebounded, impressive new growth is occurring.

We expected our business community to come roaring back, Stephanie said. Everyone knew this was an unpredictable, once-in-a-century aberration. All the fundamentals remained in place. Natural beauty. Extraordinary attractions. World-class resorts and amenities. Unique goods and services. The only question was how long it would take to get beyond pandemic restrictions to enable robust growth to resume.

Over the past months this column has kept a focus on some of the smart initiatives within the Lake Geneva regions business community.

Rather than make like a turtle and retreat into a shell of timidity, many local businesses have taken advantage of the slower traffic to invest and improve their properties. As a result the area positioned itself particularly well for growth as people emerged from sheltering and, with caution, sought to get back into the swing of normal life.

New businesses have opened, with more on the way. The large resorts have been investing millions in improvements. Popular amenities like The Riviera Ballroom have been refurbished. Theres a new polish on the community and visitors clearly like it.

One thing every successful community and business operator understands is that resting on past performance is a ticket toward slippage, Stephanie said. Its basic economics to understand you are going forward or you are going backward. Lake Geneva is blessed by nature and location. The rest is up to us, and its been gratifying to watch our business community respond to adversity and position itself for the future, and for Visit Lake Geneva to play our part in that process.

Consider a few other facts represented in the post-pandemic numbers. Figures are compiled by Tourism Economics and Longwood International, working with the Wisconsin departments of Tourism and Revenue:

Total business sales revenue has followed the visitor spending rebound. In 2019 sales amounted to $784.9 million, plunging to $613 million in 2020. For 2021, revenues rose to $790 million, rebounding and surpassing pre-pandemic figures.

Tourism employment is up from 2020 but remains below 2019 levels, from 7,252 jobs in 2019 to 6,846 in 2021 (up from 5,895 in 2020). Keep in mind, though, virtually every storefront has a Help Wanted sign in the window. Obviously, employment figures would jump if employers could fill all those vacant positions. Anyone who wants to work can find a job, and thats a good thing.

This one is particularly interesting. While 2021 tourism employment is slightly lower, employee pay is much higher indicating workers are making (and, no doubt, spending in our community) more money. Labor income in 2019 was $204.1 million; in 2021, its $223.4 million.

Theres ample reason to anticipate the current upward trends will continue. Heres a big one. Resort destinations are seeing a resurgence in corporate and business meeting traffic, which is an enormous economic driver. Likewise, the summer season has arrived and businesses are experiencing strong customer traffic.

International travel is rebounding as restrictions are eased. The United States is the worlds leading destination and the Lake Geneva region is an increasingly popular place to visit for foreign travelers. The numbers  and opportunities  are staggering. Tourism makes up more than 10% of the worlds GDP, and foreign travel brings more than $1.1 trillion annually to America.

It all comes together to create a bigger market for what we have to offer, Stephanie said. Were stronger than we were because our business community could see beyond the challenges and invested accordingly. The latest tourism figures prove that optimism was well placed and the future looks bright.

Good news for everybody. Lets get after it.

Stephanie Klett is the President and CEO of Visit Lake Geneva, and the former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Bill Barth is the former Editor of the Beloit Daily News, and a member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame.
American actor Brian Austin Green and Australian ballroom dancer Sharna Burgess has welcomed their first child. The Dancing With the Stars pro, Burgess, gave birth to a baby boy, naming him Zane Walker Green, reported Page Six. She took to social media and announced the happy news with everyone. "Zane Walker Green 06/28/2022 at 12:12pm fingers in a post announcing the news. My heart is now forever outside of my body," captioned Burgess on Instagram, sharing a picture of her little one. Pretty Little Liars Actress Shay Mitchell Welcomes Second Child With Beau Matte Babel.

The monochrome picture portrays the 'Beverly Hills' actor Greene, gently holding onto the tiny fingers of his newborn as the infant clutches his father as well. Greene and Burgess' newborn Zane, marks the arrival of Burgess' first child and Greene's fifth one, reported Page Six. The Beverly Hills actor shares 9-year-old Noah, 8-year-old Bodhi, and 5-year-old Journey with ex-wife Meghan Fox. Green is also the father of 20-year-old Kassius, whom he shares with ex-girfriend Vanessa Marcil. Chris Pratt And Katherine Schwarzenegger Welcome Second Child, Couple Names Their Daughter Eloise Christina Schwarzenegger Pratt.

Burgess, first displayed her baby bump, revealing that she was pregnant, while vacationing with her beau Greene in Maui Island of Hawaii, reported Page Six. Later, the Australian dancer took to Instagram announcing that her due date was around July 4 in 2022 and that the couple were expecting a baby boy.

Since the revelation, Burgess has been documenting her pregnancy on social media, sharing her cravings like chocolate milk and marshmallows along with her modified exercises, and many more. Further, in an interview with Good Morning America, Burgess showered praises for Green, calling him an 'amazing dad', reported Page Six.

Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess Welcome First Child

View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@sharnaburgess)

"He's such an amazing dad. One of the things I fell in love with him about was watching him be a dad and the way he parents. I thought, 'It would be so incredible to raise a child with him," said Burgess. Green and Burgess first sparked dating rumours in December 2020, when they were photographed kissing during a Hawaiian getaway. A month later, the actor confirmed that he had started seeing Burgess calling her "super sweet and caring, passionate, fun to be around."

(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], July 1 (ANI): With an aim to express his gratitude to doctors on Doctors Day, Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Thursday approved the conversion of 128 temporary posts into permanent ones at various government hospitals in Delhi.

The move came as the most befitting tribute to this profession that has the onerous responsibility of saving lives and shaping a Nation's health and to provide them with the best possible service conditions, work environment and professional security.

Also Read | England Announce Squad for Three T20Is and ODIs Against India

Read @ANI Story |  Latest Tweet by ANI Digital.

"The Lt. Governor yesterday, approved the conversion of 128 temporary posts into permanent ones. This decision will lead to the permanent appointment on 76 posts in Dr B.S. Ambedkar Medical College, 40 posts in Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, 09 posts in Maulana Azad Medical College and 03 posts in Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital," read an official statement.

The posts had been lying vacant for as long as 2011 and 2012 in many instances and were being operated on an adhoc basis.

Also Read | Tamil Nadu Shocker: 15-Year-Old Girl Dies After Taking Abortion Pills to Terminate Her Second Pregnancy in Thiruvannamalai; 2 Arrested.

The posts that have now been made permanent, include those of Assistant Professor - Orthopedics, Senior Residents in Radiology, Surgeons, Dental Surgeons, Junior Resident, Staff Nurse, Clinical Instructor and Radiographers etc. among others.

Saxena highlighted that the move would ensure better services to the people at large.

"On one hand, it would ensure better services to the people at large, it would also result in much-required morale-boosting and encouraging enhancement of in-service conditions of medical professionals who are at the forefront of serving the people in their most trying times," said Saxena.

The LG also instructed officials to process the filling of all vacancies and upgradation, unduly pending for years at the earliest and get his approval. (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, Jul 1 (PTI) The Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed an agreement with the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday to operate and manage airports in Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Muirpur and Shravasti for a period of 30 years, an official statement said.

According to the agreement, the state government will complete the construction, ready the airports for commercial operations, and then hand them over to the AAI for operation and management, the AAI's statement noted.

Also Read | Nupur Sharma Plea: Letter Petition to CJI NV Ramana Seeks Withdrawal of Justice Surya Kant's Comments Against Former BJP Spokesperson.

The Uttar Pradesh government will provide dedicated infrastructure for utilities like water, electricity and drainage connection at the airports, it mentioned.

The AAI will operate and manage the airports and provide all necessary services, the statement read citing the agreement.

Also Read | Udaipur Beheading: 2 More Accused Arrested by Police in Kanhaiya Lal's Murder, Remanded for 14 Days.

"The agreement was signed by N V Subbarayudu, Executive Director (Strategic Initiative Unit) on behalf of AAI and Kumar Harsh, Special Secretary, Civil Aviation Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh on behalf of the state government in presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath" it mentioned.

(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], July 1 (ANI): Former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury on Friday hit out at BJP and said the party should apologise to the country, not Nupur Sharma.

This comes after Supreme Court blamed the suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma and said she is responsible for what is happening in the country and said she should "apologise to the whole country".

Also Read | Uddhav Thackeray Slams Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Says 'Deserter Cannot Be Shiv Sena CM'.

Speaking to ANI, Chowdhury said, "It is wonderful that Supreme Court has taken the Cognizance of Nupur Sharma today. But the entire BJP should apologise to the nation for the kind of divisive policy and politics they do. The party is spreading so much hates around."

The Congress leader said it is the entire party that has set the country on fire, don't make women culprit only.

Also Read | Eknath Shinde, Rebel Maharashtra MLAs Paid Guwahati Hotel Bills Worth Rs 68-70 Lakh Before Leaving: Sources.

"Do not make women to 'Bali ka Bakra'. The BJP should apologize to the country because they have fanned hatred and set the country on fire. The BJP divided the country and spread hate" Chowdhury said.

She further said, "It is so funny that we make so many rules to bring women forward but in the whole history of the BJP, they found one woman to fix and SC also does that."

"What Nupur Sharma did that is wrong but make her the 'Bali ka Bakra' and leave the rest of the BJP. BJP has to be accountable. they are responsible for divisive politics," she added.

Meanwhile, the apex court further blamed the suspended BJP leader and said that she and "her loose tongue" has set the entire country on fire and she is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country and said she should "apologise to the whole country".

The Supreme Court came down heavily on Nupur Sharma stating that her outburst is responsible for an unfortunate incident in Udaipur, where a tailor was murdered.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala slammed Sharma for her statement made during a TV news channel debate and while referring to the Udaipur incident, where two men murdered a tailor, said, "her outburst is responsible for an unfortunate incident."

Rejecting Sharma's request to transfer all the FIRs registered against her in many states for her alleged remarks on Prophet Mohammad, to Delhi for investigation.

Senior advocate Maninder Singh appeared for Sharma and then withdrew the plea.

"The way she has ignited emotions across the country. This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country," the bench said.

The bench also took a grim view of the TV news channel for hosting the discussion on the Gyanvapi case in which Sharma, who was one of the guests, made the controversial remarks.

The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Sharma seeking the transfer of all the FIRs registered against her across the country to Delhi for her remarks on TV news channel debate about Prophet Muhammad which had led to violent protests and riots in many 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)
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The change of government in Maharashtra may fasttrack the bullet train project with railway officials expecting a land acquisition file stuck on the state's chief minister's desk to move now, a petrol pump to be shifted to build a tunnel, and a back-and-forth over payment for a "prime land" settled.

The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 trillion and will have 12 stations in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Also Read | Narendra Modi Government Raises Import Duty on Gold from 10.75% to 15%.

The officials said 432 hectares of land is needed in Maharashtra for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad project, but implementing agency National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has acquired 312 hectares till now, and struggling to get the rest primarily due to the stalling tactics of the state.

For instance, they said, the NHSRCL had to cancel tenders floated in November 2019 for the construction of the underground terminus at the Bandra Kurla Complex as the state government allegedly failed to handover the 4.88-hectare land it had promised at the BKC.

Also Read | Bihar Shocker: Doctor Suffer Burns After Acid Attack in Gopalganj District.

Sources said the state asked for Rs 3,500 crore for the "prime land", and demanded this money be adjusted against the equity contribution of Rs 5000 crore of the state's share of the project.

Sources said the NHSRCL had given 11 extensions after tenders were floated hoping the state will release the land.

"This was non-negotiable as the cost of the project would have significantly increased if we agreed to give the payment," an official said.

"The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which is funding the project is paying for all construction, rolling stock and signalling and not for the day to day expenses of the project," he said.

Also, a BPCL petrol pump on the BKC site has not been moved despite been given an alternative site, the officials said.

Another roadblock is is small parcel of about 3.92 hectare of land in Vikroli needed for the 21-km undersea tunnel between Thane and Virar.

Sources said a tender for constructing the tunnel was also cancelled because of the non-availability of this land.

However, the most significant bottleneck came from former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's office as the file on 95 hectare of forest land to be used for the project remained stuck there, the sources said.

They said the approval did not come through despite the fact that the NHSRCL has already paid the amount mandatory under the compensatory afforestation rules.

With these issues unresolved, the Railways had given up hopes of working on the Maharashtra section anytime soon and was focusing on completing the 48-km stretch between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat by 2026.

"It was virtually becoming impossible to get the land required in Maharashtra. While 100 per cent of private land has been acquired, the other land parcels are key. Without them we cannot complete the project. With this change, things will hopefully get better, an official said.

Things, it seems, have started moving already.

In its very first meeting, the cabinet of new Chief Minister Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, overturned the previous government's decision to stay the construction of the Metro 3 car shed in Aarey and shifting it to the 102-acre Kanjurmarg plot.

This, the officials said, raised hopes for the bullet train project.

The project is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 trillion, with 81 per cent funding coming from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The trains will run on special tracks called the "slab track system", popularly known as HSR technology for construction of tracks, patented by the Japanese.

The trials of the bullet train will be conducted at a speed of 350 kmph, comparable to speed at which airplanes take-off.

So far, the NHSRCL has disbursed Rs 8215.63 crore in Gujarat as compensation for land acquired while in Maharashtra it has paid Rs 2284.78 crore.

(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, Jul 1 (PTI) Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar "devised a well-planned criminal conspiracy" with four of his aides to allegedly hide unaccounted cash worth crores that was seized by the Income-tax department from premises linked to him in 2017, the ED has said in a recent charge sheet filed against him under the anti-money laundering law.

The about 60-pages prosecution complaint was filed by the federal agency before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi on May 24.

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The case dates back to August, 2017 when the I-T department carried out searches at multiple premises in Delhi as part of an alleged tax evasion probe against Shivakumar, his alleged business associate and liquor trader Sachin Narayan (45), another associate Sunil Kumar Sharma (46) who operated a fleet of luxury buses, 49-year-old Karnataka Bhawan (Delhi) employee A Hanumanthaiah and former state government employee and caretaker posted at the Karnataka Bhawan Rajendra N (76).

A total cash of more than Rs 8.59 crore (Rs 8,59,69,100) was seized by the tax department during the searches out of which over Rs 41 lakh has now been adjusted as tax liability of Shivakumar and over Rs 7.58 lakh as that of Sharma after they claimed the money as their agriculture income and business income respectively.

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The I-T department later filed a charge sheet before a Bengaluru court on charges of tax evasion against all the accused and the ED took cognisance of this complaint to file a money laundering case in 2018.

Shivakumar, after the I-T raids, had said in 2017 that his "instrumental role" in ensuring safe stay of Gujarat Congress MLAs in a Karnataka resort during the Rajya Sabha polls in 2017, amid allegations that the BJP was trying to poach them, was the reason for the tax department action.

Describing the role of 60-year-old Shivakumar, a former cabinet minister of Karnataka, the ED said he is the "main accused involved in process/activity related to money laundering who converted his tainted money into untainted money/property etc. and devised a well-planned criminal conspiracy to hide the source of such trained cash with active participation and help of other accused".

Shivakumar, it alleged, was "involved in influencing witnesses directly or indirectly as A Hanumanthaiah and Rajendra N in their statements given during the I-T search proceedings clearly stated that the seized cash belongs to D K Shivakumar".

It said the "fact about ownership" of cash was also confirmed by them in post search proceedings before I-T authorities and it is well corroborated with the material evidences but later on after about seven months they retracted their statements and the retraction was filed by both on the same date without furnishing the substituted and credible material for such retraction."

The ED said the "purpose of retraction is just to create a legal facade during prosecution proceedings before the special court."

The agency linked the four other accused saying they "assisted" and "helped" the Congress leader in "concealing" the proceeds of crime.

It said Shivakumar "influenced his associates to own up his unaccounted cash so that he being a public servant does not come under the scrutiny of law."

Out of the total seized cash, Rs 6,61,26,000 was recovered from the bed room of a flat located in the Safdarjung Enclave area of Delhi and the ED said the room was "controlled" by Shivakumar.

The flat belonged to Sharma's deceased brother and as per the charge sheet, the key of this room was found with Hanumanthaiah during the I-T raids.

The ED said Hanumanthaiah deposed before the agency to state that Shivakumar "used to give him Rs 1-1.5 lakh every year".

A Hanumanthaiah, it said, was "actively involved in handling of proceeds of crime of Shivakumar and was involved in collection, storage and delivery of cash".

Talking about Narayan, the ED charge sheet said he owned up Rs 1.37 crore recovered from his flat but "belonging" to Shivakumar, but could not substantiate the generation of cash with documentary evidence.

Narayan "offered" this amount for taxation by I-T authorities "to protect D K Shivakumar", it alleged.

Making similar charges against Sharma, the ED said he "knowingly assisted D K Shivakumar in concealing the unaccounted cash..." and claimed he was moving illegal cash of Shivakumar so that it can be "utilised in political activities".

Shivakumar, as per the charge sheet, recorded his statement before the ED in 2019 saying an amount of Rs 41,03,600 seized by the tax authorities from the Safdarjung Enclave belonged to him and was accumulated out of his agriculture income.

"When D K Shivakumar was asked about his agricultural activities, he could not even provide basic details on income, expenses, land details," the ED said.

It said during the course of proceedings before the I-T department and the ED, the Congress leader "could not produce any evidence in support of Rs 40 lakh on account of agriculture income and it is established beyond doubt that there is no other source of cash except for unaccounted cash of D K Shivakumar".

It said this cash (of over Rs 41 lakh) was "unaccounted and accumulated at Delhi as a result of hawala activities of the co-accused on the directions of Shivakumar".

(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, Jul 1 (PTI) School students in the national capital will now be assessed for the impact of mindset curricula in their behaviour along with other scholastic subjects, according to new assessment guidelines by the Delhi government.

According to the new assessment guidelines of the Directorate of Education, students of classes 3-8 will be assessed for Happiness and Deshbhakti curricula, while students of Class 9 and Class 11 will be assessed for Deshbhakti and Entrepreneurship Mindset Curricula. However, students of Class 11 will have an additional criterion for assessment, which is their participation in Business Blasters.

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The new parameters will be a supplement to the evaluation norms that already exist and are based on co-curricular and academic activities. The guidelines will, however, not be binding on private schools.

"We have amended the assessment criteria, and going forward, students will also be evaluated on their competencies in addition to their knowledge of key courses. Incorporating assessments of competencies learned through these curricula is being primarily done to emphasise the growth of social, ethical, and emotional capacities in addition to cognitive abilities.

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"These objectives are consistent with the pedagogy and objectives of mindset curriculum as envisioned in the new National Education Policy (NEP)," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

"In order to prepare students for real-world challenges in a world driven by information and technology and to maximise their innate potential, schools must prioritise competency-based learning," said Sisodia, who is also Delhi's Education Minister.

According to the new assessment guidelines, students will not be evaluated on the basis of just curricular knowledge, but rather on their ability to apply their understanding in a variety of real-life situations.

"The new assessment standards will also motivate students to contribute to society's advancement. The mindset curriculum has been in use for some time, it is appropriate to include it in the assessment process at this time. Further, no weightage of marks obtained in the new assessment will be calculated for the promotion of a student to the next higher class," he said.

Elaborating on the procedure of assessment, Sisodia added that question papers will be set in a manner where students will have to answer questions based on application of concepts of these curricula in real-life and unfamiliar situations.

"Along with that, they will also have unique project works based on the curriculum. This new process of assessment will further strengthen the critical thinking and analytical abilities of the students. It will also help them get rid of the need for rote learning methods that create excessive and unnecessary stress on students during examinations," Sisodia said.

According to the assessment guidelines of the Directorate of Education, in the academic session 2022-23, mid-term examination will be conducted in September and October and Common Annual School Examination (CASE) will be held in February and March.

"The question papers of mid-term examination would be set out of the syllabus supposed to be covered up to the mid-term exam. The question papers of annual examinations would be set out from the syllabus as prescribed by CBSE and Directorate of Education, Delhi," the guidelines said.

"Question papers in mid-term, pre-board and annual exams shall be set in a manner to assess the comprehension, competencies and other skills as required. Pattern of questions particularly in secondary and senior secondary classes shall be the same as that of the questions set at the CBSE Board examinations," it added.

A greater number of competency-based questions or questions that assess application of concepts in real-life and unfamiliar situations will be part of the question paper in mid-term, pre-board and annual exams.

"The result of each examination shall be analysed and difficult topics/chapters in different subjects will be identified for arranging the remedial and enrichment programmes. A summary of the analysis of class-wise and subject-wise results shall be prepared and kept on record to serve as an input to academic enrichment and remedial purposes.

"Examinations shall be conducted in such a manner that chances of copying, favouritism, injustice and victimisation shall be reduced to the minimum," the guidelines stated.

(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, Jul 1 (PTI) The Delhi government will organise a nearly fornight-long expo to promote and strengthen the wholesale sector in the capital, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday.

A statement quoting Sisodia said the 'Wholesale Shopping Expo' will be organised to attract businesses from across the country so that they can purchase from the wholesalers in Delhi.

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He said a range of incentives will be offered, including tax refunds and rebates, on sales taking place during the expo to make it lucrative for businesses to purchase from wholesalers here.

The date and timing of the expo is yet to be decided.

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The expo was planned after discussions with stakeholders across major wholesale markets in Delhi, the statement said.

Delhi is the hub of the oldest wholesale markets in the country, namely Nehru Place, Naya Bazar, Gandhi Nagar among others. These markets specialize in categories such as apparels, grains and electronics, it said.

They provide an identity and contributes significantly to the economy of Delhi, providing employment to a large population.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the wholesale markets are a major contributor in Delhi's economy and are a brand in itself.

He said people from all across the world "crave to come here" and shop at these markets.

"To take them within reach of their consumers across the world and boost their businesses, the Kejriwal government will organise 'Delhi Wholesale Shopping Festival' and help them do the marketing and branding of their businesses.

"The Wholesale Shopping Expo will be a 10-14 day event organised to attract businesses from across the country to purchase from the wholesalers in Delhi," the statement quoting Sisodia said.

He also said the expo space will be available at highly concessional rates to all wholesalers who intend to participate.

"With the intention to boost the business of wholesalers and make Delhi the hub of wholesale and business, the expo will be key in reinstating Delhi's position as a trading and business hub and providing employment opportunities in wholesale trade," Sisodia said in the statement.

The statement said all the major wholesale markets will be invited to participate in the expo. Extensive advertising and marketing campaigns will be done across India and the world to attract buyers and promote the business of wholesalers, it said.

"A range of incentives will be offered including tax refunds and rebates on sales taking place during the expo and other financial incentives to make it lucrative for businesses to purchase from wholesalers in Delhi.

"The Delhi government's initiative of promoting wholesale markets will be a key step in fostering economic growth and generating a large number of employment opportunities in the city," the statement 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, Jul 1 (PTI) A 17-year-old drunk youth stabbed an elderly man to death after the latter shouted at him in Shahdara's Vishwas Nagar area, police said on Friday.

The juvenile has been apprehended, they said.

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The police received information on Thursday that an injured man was lying on a street in Vishwas Nagar, officials said.

The police reached the spot and found that an elderly man was lying unconscious and blood was coming out from his abdominal area and nose. He was taken to Hedgewar hospital where he was declared brought dead, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram said.

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The deceased was identified as Horam (73), a resident of Vishwas Nagar in Shahdara. Due to his old age, Horam had not been working for the last 20 years, police said.

The deceased's son Vijay Pal said Horam usually went out for a walk early in the morning. On Thursday, he left home around 4 am, police said.

The police analysed the footage of CCTV cameras and apprehended a 17-year-old boy. The juvenile said he was drunk and stabbed the victim after he shouted at him in the morning for no reason, the DCP said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 1 (ANI): Former MP K Visweshwar Reddy has announced that he will be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana.

"I decided today that I'll join BJP in Telangana. Once Telangana achieved statehood, we all had great aspirations. We can do wonders with funds for one of the richest states. But what happened is exactly the opposite," said Reddy. He quit Congress last year.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party is scheduled to hold a national executive meeting on July 2 and 3 at Hyderabad International Convention Centre, party sources said here on Monday.

Odisha BJP President Samir Mohanty, MOS Tourism Sripad Naik, BJP National spokesperson KK Sharma, Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai, Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel and other big BJP leaders arrived in Hyderabad ahead of BJP's National Executive Meeting.

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PM Narendra Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and other top leaders are yet to arrive in Hyderabad.

Expansion of the party, the 2024 general election, and new party policies are likely to be on the meeting agenda, sources said.

According to a senior BJP leader, the expansion of the party will be the key agenda of the meeting. They will also discuss areas where there is a need to induct more party workers, sources said.

"Other likely agendas are preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the upcoming state election, new party policies among others," party source added.

BJP national president JP Nadda is likely to do a roadshow in Telangana and inaugurate an exhibition during the two-days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive in Hyderabad on July 2 and is likely to address the meeting on both days, sources said.

Assembly elections are due to be held in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year.

Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana will hold state assembly elections in 2023. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Jaipur, Jul 1 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday demanded that the Centre should extend the period of GST compensation by five years from June 2022 to June 2027 in view of the critical financial position due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the lockdown imposed in the state during the pandemic has had a very negative impact on its revenue.

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While implementing GST, it was said that in five years, there will be stability in revenue and state will get a definite growth rate in revenue, Gehlot said.

"But till now, the GST revenue receipts have not stabilised as expected and the economic condition of the states has become critical due to the economic slowdown and the COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a statement.

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The chief minister said no state has been able to face this economic crisis alone.

"Therefore, it is necessary to increase the period of GST compensation to the states by five years, he said.

Gehlot added that Rajasthan's GST compensation of Rs 4,822.63 crore is pending from 2017-18 to May 2022-23. This matter has been raised several times by the state at the level of the GST Council but the amount has not been released yet, he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Gorakhpur (UP), Jul 1 (PTI) The death rate due to encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh has gone down by 95 per cent and soon the disease will be eradicated from the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said here on Friday.

He was addressing an event to launch a special campaign against communicable diseases across the state at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.

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"Every section of the society joined hands against the disease. Now, we need to control the remaining five per cent of the death rate due of the disease and encephalitis will be totally eradicated from the state," the chief minister said.

A door-to-door Dastak campaign will start in the state from July 16-31 to prevent the spread of encephalitis, malaria, dengue, filariasis and chikungunya.

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"Public health is not just treatment. Awareness, inter-departmental coordination and teamwork play a big role in this. It is the result of these things together that today eastern Uttar Pradesh is moving fast towards the eradication of encephalitis," Adityanath said in his address.

"Together, we will bring down the death rate to zero. Affected children should not be taken to quacks, but to specialists in government hospitals," he added.

"Till five years ago, deaths due to encephalitis started occurring with the advent of July. It is the result of teamwork that encephalitis that other communicable diseases have been successfully controlled. The JE death rate has been reduced by 95 per cent. Health, wellness and encephalitis treatment centres will help control the diseases triggered in the rainy season," Adityanath said.

The chief minister said that campaigns like special communicable diseases control and Dastak are very important for complete eradication of JE and AES.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to make India TB-free by 2025. In this regard, arrangements have been made for free treatment of TB patients," 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)
New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The Centre Friday approved a proposal to provide financial relief to the families of 35 deceased journalists, 16 of whom fell to Covid, under the Journalist Welfare Scheme.

The families will be provided with assistance up to Rs 5 lakh, an official statement said.

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Additionally, the Journalist Welfare Scheme Committee, chaired by Information & Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Apurva Chandra, also recommended assistance to two journalists suffering from permanent disability and to five for their medical treatment of major ailments as per the JWS guidelines.

The committee has approved a total assistance of Rs 1.81 crore during the meeting.

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So far, assistance under the scheme has been provided to the families of 123 journalists who have lost their lives due to Covid.

The JWS committee meeting was attended by Jaideep Bhatnagar, Principal Director General, PIB, Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary (I&B) along with the journalist representatives of the Committee, Santosh Thakur, Amit Kumar, Umeshwar Kumar, Sarjana Sharma, Raj Kishore Tiwari and Ganesh Bisht. PTI SKU

(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], July 1 (ANI): India reported 17,070 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

Currently, the active cases stand at 1,07,189, which is 2,634 more than yesterday. India reported 18,819 cases on Thursday.

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Read   Latest Tweet by ANI Digital.

According to the Ministry there have been 14,413 recoveries. The total recoveries are now at 4,28,36,906 and the recovery rate stands at 98.55 per cent.

23 people succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the country's death toll to 5,25,139.

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There was a minor dip in the daily positivity rate on Friday to 3.40 per cent from 4.16 per cent on Thursday. The weekly positivity rate stands at 3.59 per cent.

Under the nationwide vaccination drive, 11,67,503 COVID vaccines were administered in the last 24 hours. A total of 1,97,74,71,041 vaccines have been administered so far.

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them with COVID vaccines free of cost.

In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.

Amid the recent surge reported in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Health Ministry of India on June 9 urged States and Union Territories to not lower their guards and strictly maintain COVID appropriate behaviour.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday wrote a letter to States/UTs and directed them to ramp up RT-PCR testing, surveillance, clinical management, vaccination, COVID-19 protocols and take timely pre-emptive actions. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ramban (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 1 (ANI): The first batch of pilgrims who kickstarted their journey from Jammu on Wednesday morning reached Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday morning where they were formally welcomed at Nashri by the District Commissioner.

The Yatra began on Wednesday from Jammu amid tight security arrangements by the security forces including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Indian Army and the local police.

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Speaking to ANI, Ramban District Commissioner Mussarat Islam said, "As per our reports, almost 6000 devotees will leave Balkan and Pahalgam to reach the holy cave. We've put up langar at a lot of crucial, tactical spots for our tourists' convenience."

Amid the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district has been seen a communal harmony, brotherhood and coexistence.

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The Pahalgam-bound pilgrims had their breakfast at a Langar in Nashri while Baltal-bound pilgrims had their breakfast in Langars at Chanderkot.

At both these places, the locals from all sections of society had helped the religious and philanthropic organizations of Jammu province and various north Indian states to establish the langars.

Meanwhile, the poor vendors and shopkeepers along the Amarnath Yatra route have been selling food, fruits and other things to pilgrims and earning their livelihood.

"I am very excited to see the Yatra which resumed after two years. All fruits were sold within an hour which normally used to take a whole day," said Mohammed Aftab who sells fruits at Nashri.

Another eatery vendor Rahil Ahmed said, "I wish the peace in Kashmir and Yatra should be concluded peacefully and smoothly without any disruption by militants so that more pilgrims come here and I could earn more for my livelihood."

The Amarnath shrine pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva, located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, is held from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had cancelled the annual Amarnath pilgrimage due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in 2020 and 2021 after a discussion with Amarnathji Shrine Board members.

Security has been tightened in Jammu and Kashmir with special emphasis on the use of over 130 sniffer dogs on the vehicle routes heading towards the shrine to ensure safe pilgrimage amid heightened terror threats.

A top government official, requesting anonymity, told ANI that this is the first time when the security forces have been using a maximum number of sniffer dogs to check the use of explosives by terrorists to disrupt the 43-day annual pilgrimage beginning on June 30. (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, Jul 1 (PTI) To reduce the pendency of consumer cases, the Centre has decided to rank the performance of consumer courts in terms of the speed at which they will dispose of cases filed before 2000 in a span of five months till November, a senior Consumer Affairs Ministry official said on Friday.

The performance of state and district commissions, also called consumer courts, will be rated during July-November this year and the result will be published on the occasion of the National Consumer Day commemorated on December 24, the official said.

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At present, there are 629 district commissions and 35 state commissions with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) at the apex.

"The age of pending consumer cases is extremely high. There are 4,029 pending cases filed before the year 2000. A campaign has been launched to reduce the huge pendency of very old cases," the senior official told PTI.

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At the end of the campaign in November, the performance of commissions as well as states will be ranked and for which the process of weightage of marks will be shared soon, the official said.

Pendency of very old cases remains high in states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, the official added.

The performance ranking of commissions in Union territories (barring Delhi) and northeastern states will be made separately, as the number of consumer cases filed in these states is low when compared to other parts of the country.

The plan is to rate in three categories -- aspiring, performer and achiever.

The Consumer Protection Act provides for the disposal of cases within 3-5 months.

Currently, there is about 5.50 lakh pending consumer cases in the country, which includes 4,029 pending cased filed before the year 2000, 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 (Maharashtra) [India], July 1 (ANI): A day after the BJP returned to power in Maharashtra grabbing the deputy chief minister post in the new government, the party's MLAs are likely to meet this evening to discuss the Assembly Speaker's election, according to sources.

The election of the Speaker is scheduled for July 3.

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The meeting would be attended by top leaders of the state unit including new Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"The name of the candidate is likely to be finalised in the meeting," said the sources.

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The special session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be convened on July 3 and 4.

On July 2, the nomination for Speaker's election will be filed and on July 3, Speaker's election will be held. Furthermore, on July 4 Vote of Confidence will be taken.

Notably, the post of Speaker is vacant following Congress MLA Nana Patole's resignation last year.

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening.

He was administered an oath by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis took an oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

Fadnavis, who was Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that Eknath Shinde will be the new CM. Fadnavis also announced at the press conference that he will not be part of the government.

Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet later that Fadnavis has decided to be part of the new government in Maharashtra in the interest of the people of the state after a word from BJP chief JP Nadda and congratulated him for his decision.

He said in a tweet that Fadnavis has shown a "big heart" and the decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra.

"On the word of BJP chief JP Nadda, Devendra Fadnavis, showing a big heart, has decided to be part of the government in the interest of Maharashtra and the people of the state. This decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra. I congratulate him from the bottom of my heart," Amit Shah said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Panaji, Jul 1 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was given a warm welcome by the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and other legislators in the wee hours of Friday when he returned to a luxury hotel near here, where they are staying, after taking oath for the top post.

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Shinde flew to Goa from Mumbai and arrived at the hotel located at Dona Paula near here around 1.30 am.

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The Maharashtra legislators have been camping at the hotel since Wednesday night after their arrival from Guwahati. While Shinde had arrived with them, he went to Mumbai on Thursday and was sworn in as the 20th chief minister of Maharashtra, while BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy chief minister.

When Shinde returned to the hotel after the swearing-in ceremony, the rebel Sena MLAs and independent legislators were seen hugging him and raising slogans in his support. They also raised slogans hailing Sena founder Bal Thackeray and late party leader Anand Dighe.

A few women legislators, who are also part of the faction, welcomed him with traditional rituals.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who was also at the hotel when Shinde arrived, offered a bouquet of flowers to congratulate the latter.

A video of the welcome given by the MLAs also went viral on social media.

Ever since the news of Shinde's appointment as the new Maharashtra chief minister broke, the MLAs were in a jubilant mood. They broke into a dance in the lobby of the hotel on Thursday when they heard that Shinde was going to be the next CM. A video showed rebel MLAs dancing to the tune of Marathi songs.

Shinde's swearing-in ceremony was screened live on a big screen at the hotel on Thursday evening.

Sources said that after his arrival, Shinde held an informal meeting with the MLAs.

(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], July 1 (ANI): A day after forming the new government in Maharashtra, State Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday held a meeting regarding OBC reservation in Mantralaya in Mumbai.

Maharashtra Chief Secretary Manukumar Srivastava, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pravin Darekar and Dr Sanjay Kute were also present in the meeting today.

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In March this year, the Supreme Court declined to accept the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission's recommendation to restore 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the upcoming local body elections.

The then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra decided to explore legal options for restoration of Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation in local bodies' polls.

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The issue was raked up by the BJP in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also held the first cabinet meeting of the new government in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

The Maharashtra Cabinet has also decided to call a special session of the state assembly for two days-- July 2 and July 3. A Speaker will be elected during the session since the post is vacant following Congress MLA Nana Patole's resignation last year.

Shinde, who claims to have the support of 40 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led a revolt against the Uddhav Thackeray-led party leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

A day after the resignation of Thackeray from the chief ministerial post, Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim to form the government in the state which was in the grip of political chaos for more than a week.

Shinde was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Fadnavis took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister yesterday evening.

Fadnavis, who was Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that he will not be part of the government. However, later on, under the direction of the BJP's central leadership, Fadnavis took oath as the Deputy CM.

The Eknath Shinde camp, which had stayed mostly in Guwahati during the revolt, said that Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are Shiv Sena's traditional rivals. They had earlier urged Uddhav Thackeray to stitch a "natural alliance" with the BJP.

Thackeray resigned on Wednesday after the Shinde-led group kept adding to its numbers and the Supreme Court gave a go-ahead for a floor test in the assembly.

BJP and Shiv Sena had fought the 2019 assembly polls together but differences cropped up over the post of Chief Minister.

Shinde, who was also present at the press conference with Fadnavis, said, "A total of 50 MLAs are with us, including 40 MLAs from Shiv Sena...We have fought this battle so far with their help...I will not let even a scratch mar the trust that these 50 people have placed in me - let alone break that trust."

"The decision that we have taken is committed to Balasaheb's Hindutva and for the development work in the constituencies of our MLAs. We have 50 MLAs with us," he added.The Shiv Sena leader further said that though BJP has 120 MLAs, but Fadnavis did not take up the post of Chief Minister.

"BJP has 120 MLAs but despite that Devendra Fadnavis didn't take the post of CM. I express my gratitude to him along with PM Modi, Amit Shah and other BJP leaders that they showed generosity and made Balasaheb's Sainik (party-worker) the CM of the state," he said. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) A man has been booked for allegedly placing a fake robbery call to grab his wife's money in west Delhi's Paschim Vihar area, officials said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as Raman Bhola, a resident of Paschim Vihar, they said, adding that he was under debt.

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On Wednesday, police got information regarding robbery of Rs 2 lakh by two unidentified suspects. Police reached the spot and the caller was contacted who said that he had gone to Balaji Action hospital.

Police reached there and met Bhola who claimed that he had withdrawn Rs 2 lakh from a bank and was going his home. He stopped to fetch his water bottle from his car parked near his house, a senior police officer said.

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One person came there and enquired about an address. Meanwhile, someone hit him from behind due to which he fell on the ground and became unconscious, the officer said, adding that when he got up, his bag containing cash was found missing.

He was continuously changing his statements and alleged that two unidentified bike-borne suspects snatched his bag, police said.

Police scanned the footage of CCTV cameras installed along the entire route thoroughly and found that nothing such took place as was being claimed by the complainant.

He was shown all the CCTV footage, following which he confessed that he had concocted this story. He was booked under section 182 (false information with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) of the Indian Penal Code for making the fake call, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sameer Sharma said.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he worked as a delivery agent for e-commerce websites and used to take huge orders for the delivery of the items, the DCP said.

He incurred huge loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and came under debt. He needed money to pay off his dues. His wife, a private school teacher who also gives home tuitions, had saved Rs 8 lakh to buy a plot. Bhola and his wife often fought over financial issues, police said.

The accused decided to gain her money through illicit means to pay off his debt. He concocted the story and made a fake robbery call to the police.

The money was recovered from his possession which was kept hidden in his car, police said.

Further investigation is underway, they added.

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Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 1 (ANI): A man allegedly hurled a bomb at CPI (M) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram in the wee hours of Friday.

The incident was caught on CCTV where a bike-borne man was seen hurling a bomb at CPI (M) headquarters, AKG Center in the city. The man fled after throwing the bomb.

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CPI (M) workers gathered outside the party headquarters after the incident.

Kerala Police have started an investigation into the matter.

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"We have started the probe. It is at the preliminary stage," G Sparjan Kumar, Police Commissioner told ANI.

Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal condemned the attack and called the incident an organised attempt to disrupt the law and order situation in the state.

"It is an organised attempt to create a stir in Kerala. We hope the police will book the miscreants involved. We request the people of Kerala to peacefully protest against it," Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal told ANI.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member MA Baby appealed to party workers to stay calm.

"We appeal to party workers to remain calm and resort to only peaceful demonstrations. Police will be probing the incident. As and when they get evidence, we hope Police apprehend those behind it," MA Baby told ANI.

"The Assembly session is on. Congress and UDF do not want democratic discussions, they want chaos. We hope Congress leadership would ask the state leadership to refrain from such an undemocratic attitude," he added.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) which is the Opposition in the state.

"With this attack at AKG Center, UDF is trying to provoke. We will take out a peaceful protest against it," said Balakrishnan.

"CPI(M) headquarters, AKG centre was attacked by Congress criminals. They threw a bomb at the office. I condemn this attack and appeal to our cadre to hold a peaceful protest against it," said AA Rahim, State Committee member of CPI (M) Kerala and President of the Democratic Youth Federation of India. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Jul 1: The Indian Army on Friday said the search for 15 Territorial Army soldiers and 29 civilians who went missing following the landslide in Manipur will go on unabated.

The landslide hit the Tupul railway construction site in Manipur's Noney district on Wednesday night.

"Through Wall Radar is being used to detect any human presence inside the mud pile. So far, 13 Territorial Army personnel and five civilians have been safely rescued, while mortal remains of 15 Territorial Army personnel and five civilians have been recovered so far," the Army said in a statement.

Mortal remains of Territorial Army personnel are being despatched to their respective home stations with full military honours, it mentioned.

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"Search for 15 missing Territorial Army personnel and 29 civilians will continue unabated," the statement noted.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh visited the site to encourage the personnel engaged in rescue operations, it added.

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Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], July 1 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday took a dig at Congress saying during their rule in Gujarat people used to fear riots when Rath Yatra procession was taken out.

"During Congress rule, when Rath Yatra was taken out, people used to fear that there'll be riots. During that time, they also tried to take the chariot. But after the people of Gujarat gave powers to BJP, no one has the power to do anything bad," said Amit Shah in Gandhinagar.

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He is scheduled to take part in the Rath Yatra celebrations.

Shah performs 'Mangal Aarti' at Shree Jagannathji Mandir ahead of the 145th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra on Thursday.

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Earlier today, Amit Shah attended the inauguration event of Shree Swaminarayan University's admission block and 750-bed PSM hospital's foundation stone laying ceremony at Saij village in Gandhinagar.

The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is the most prominent Hindu festival in the Puri city of Odisha.

This festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July. This year the festival falls on July 1. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on his birthday, and said he has played a key role in raising the standards of parliamentary proceedings and debates.

Naidu was born on this day in 1949 in Chavatapalem in Andhra Pradesh.

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"Birthday greetings to our respected VP Shri @MVenkaiahNaidu Garu. For decades, he has served the nation in an outstanding manner. He is an inspiration for our citizens," Modi said on Twitter.

His passion towards agriculture, rural development and social welfare is remarkable, Modi said.

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"I have had the opportunity to work closely with M Venkaiah Naidu Garu closely over the last several years. I have always admired his zeal and energy," he said.

"As our VP, he has played a key role in raising the standards of Parliamentary proceedings and debates. Praying for his long life," Modi said.

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New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted people on the occasion of the 'Rath Yatra' of Lord Jagannath, wishing that everyone is blessed with good health and happiness.

"Greetings on the special day of Rath Yatra. We pray to Lord Jagannath for his constant blessings. May we all be blessed with good health and happiness," he tweeted.

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He also shared what he had spoken about the Rath Yatra and the importance of a yatra in our culture during the recent Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast.

The prime minister also greeted everyone, especially the vibrant Kutchi community spread across the world, on the auspicious occasion of Ashadhi Bij.

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"May this coming year bring peace, happiness and good health in everyone's lives," Modi said.

Ratha Yatra is a festival associated with Lord Jagannath and is celebrated on the same day the Kutchi community of Gujarat celebrate their new year.

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New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted Chartered Accountants (CAs) on Chartered Accountants' Day and hailed their role in the economy of the country and hoped that will keep working hard in furthering its growth.

"A Chartered Accountant has an important role in our economy. On CA Day, best wishes to all Chartered Accountants. May they keep working hard in furthering growth and transparency in the economy," PM Modi tweeted.

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July 1 is celebrated as National Chartered Accountant Day in India. The day is observed in order to celebrate the formation of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on July 1, 1949.

The ICAI is the only licensing and regulatory body for the financial audit and accounting profession in the country.

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PM Modi also wished doctors on the occasion of National Doctors' Day.

"Doctors Day greetings to all hardworking doctors who play a key role in saving lives and making our planet healthier," PM Modi tweeted.

National Doctors' Day is celebrated every year on July 1 in the memory of Dr BC Roy, who also served as the chief minister of West Bengal.

Last year addressing an event organized by Indian Medical Association on National Doctors' Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the doctors on behalf of 130 crore Indians for their services during the difficult times of the COVID pandemic. Acknowledging the doctor's contribution, the Prime Minister recalled their heroic efforts during the pandemic and paid homage to those who laid down their lives in the service of humanity. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The government has allowed Serum Institute of India (SII) to supply 32.4 lakh doses of its COVID-19 jab Covovax under the brand name Nuvaxovid to the US, which will be the first vaccine to be exported to the country by any Indian manufacturer, official sources said on Friday.

The shipment is likely to be dispatched on July 3, an official source told PTI.

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In a letter to the government on June 29, Prakash Kumar Singh, director (government and regulatory affairs) at SII had sought permission to export Covovax to the US.

The sources said it will be the first instance of any Indian manufacturer exporting any vaccine -- Covid or non-Covid -- to the US.

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"It is a matter of pride for us and our country that in line with clarion call of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's 'Making in India for the world' and under leadership of our CEO, Dr Adar C Poonawalla, our made-in-India world class Covovax vaccine will be the first life-saving vaccine of our country to be exported to the United States of America," Singh had said in his communication, according to an official source.

On December 28, 2021, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults, and in the 12-17 year age group on March 9.

On June 29, the drug regulator approved it for restricted emergency use in children aged 7 to 11 years.

Covovax is manufactured through technology transfer from Novavax and is approved by the European Medicines Agency for conditional marketing authorisation.

It was granted emergency use listing by the World Health Organization on December 2017, 2020. In August 2020, the US-based vaccine maker Novavax Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in India and low and middle-income countries.

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Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 1 (ANI): Countdown has begun for the "misrule" of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government as Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will not be able to make a comeback in the next assembly elections, BJP general Secretary Tarun Chugh said on Friday.

He said only 522 days are left for the KCR government in Telangana and the BJP has also installed clocks at every BJP office.

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Talking to media persons about the party's national executive which begins tomorrow, he said it will start from 3 pm tomorrow and will continue till July 3 evening.

" At 6.30 pm July 3 pm will arrive at Parade Ground where a massive rally and public speech are organized...These three days will be influencing, wherein people will turn in favor of BJP," he said.

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Chugh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mammoth public meeting on the evening of July 3.

He said that PM Modi's speech would mark "a new beginning, a beginning of change, the beginning of the formation of BJP government in Telangana".

Chugh, who is BJP incharge of Telangana, said BJP activists from every booth in Telangana would attend the public meeting.

A countdown has begun for the misrule of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government. Only 522 days are left for the KCR government in Telangana. We have also installed clocks at every BJP office across the state that it is counting every remaining second of the TRS government," he said.

He said national leaders, CMs, and other leaders are visiting 119 constituencies in the state.

The BJP leader said that the culture of Telangana will be showcased in this party's national executive meeting. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear on July 11 the plea of Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu seeking suspension from Maharashtra Assembly of new Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 15 rebel MLAs against whom disqualification pleas are pending.

A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the plea filed by Prabhu required an urgent hearing.

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"There is no merger. The moment he (Shinde) is sworn in he has violated the 10th schedule. So he is not the party. How are you going to control the House? Whose whip is to be followed? This is not the dance of democracy," the senior counsel said.

The bench said that it was conscious of the issue and not shutting its eyes. It said it would hear the case on July 11, along with Shinde's plea against disqualification notices to rebel MLAs.

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"We are conscious of what's happening. We have not shut our eyes. Let us see what the procedure is and how it is applied," said the bench.

The fresh application was filed by Prabhu seeking the suspension of 16 rebel Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) till the final adjudication of the disqualification proceedings initiated against them by the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly.

It also sought direction to restrain them from entering the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or participating in any proceeding relating to the House till the deputy Speaker's decision.

The plea said that the Tenth Schedule should not be rendered toothless by the ingenious device of sending a pre-planned notice for removal of a Speaker in order to pre-empt and thwart the Tenth Schedule proceedings.

"Pass an interim order suspending the delinquent MLAs, against whom disqualification petitions have been filed by the applicant herein, from the membership of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, till the final adjudication of the Tenth Schedule proceedings initiated against them," the application stated.

It added, "Restrain the delinquent MLAs, against whom disqualification petitions have been filed by the applicant herein, from entering the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or participating in any proceeding relating to the House till the final adjudication of the disqualification proceedings against them."

The plea stated that Eknath Shinde becoming the Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis becoming Deputy CM was a clear reflection that Shinde and the delinquent MLAs had been hand in gloves with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) all along with the aim of bringing down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

As a reward for anti-party activity, the BJP offered the post of Chief Minister to Shinde despite having the largest number in the State Assembly, said the plea.

"The conduct of the delinquents is so egregious and palpable that it does not even require calling for any explanation, but should straightaway lead to termination from the membership of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly of Eknath Shinde along with all the rebel MLAs supporting him," the plea of Prabhu stated.

On June 29, the top court gave a go-ahead to the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly on June 30. Refusing to stay the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's direction to the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority support on the floor of the House on June 30, the bench issued notice on Prabhu's plea against floor test.

On June 27, the top court granted interim relief to Shinde and other rebel MLAs to file their reply on disqualification notices issued to them by Deputy Speaker by July 12, 5.30 pm. Earlier, Deputy Speaker had granted them time to file a reply by June 27, 5.30 pm.

The order of the apex court had come while hearing the petitions filed by the Shinde group challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to 16 rebel MLAs as well as the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader.

The bench had posted all the matter for hearing on July 11. (ANI)

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Shimla, Jul 1 (PTI) NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu on Friday said she wants the uplift of people through infrastructure development at the grassroots level.

Murmu was addressing a function attended by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Union minister Anurag Thakur and state MLAs in Solan's Baddi.

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The election for the president's post will be held on July 18. While the BJP-led ruling NDA at the Centre has fielded Murmu and the opposition parties have made former Union minister Yashwant Sinha as their candidate.

Addressing the function, Murmu said her aim is to ensure the uplift of people by working towards infrastructure development at the grassroots level.

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She also paid tributes to war heroes, including Major Somnath Sharma, the country's first Param Vir Chakra recipient, and said the history and tradition of the state has been glorious.

Himachal is the main area of spirituality and tourism and is known as Dev Bhoomi across the country, she added.

She said the state is showing the way to the country on various parameters of development and urged the countrymen to work unitedly to make India a prosperous nation.

On this occasion, the chief minister said the victory of Murmu in the polls is certain. The selection of Murmu for the post of the president is a reflection of positive and holistic thinking of the BJP, he said.

He said the BJP has always been committed for the unity and welfare of all sections of society.

The CM said Murmu has set an excellent example for all sections of society through her life.

Murmu's efforts in the direction of development of tribal areas, education of girls and balanced development of all sections of society are highly commendable, he said.

Union minister Anurag Thakur expressed his gratitude to the presidential candidate for starting her election campaign from the state.

He said the selection of a woman belonging to a tribal community for the election of the President is a reflection of the BJP's progressive thinking.

Union Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Arjun Singh Meghwal gave details about the value of vote in the presidential elections. He said the value of the vote of an MLA from Himachal Pradesh is 51.

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New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The government has imposed export restrictions on petrol and diesel by directing exporters to supply a specified quantity in the domestic market, a move aimed at ensuring adequate availability within the country.

According to a notification of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), motor gasoline (petrol) exporter is "required to submit a self-declaration to the concerned customs authority at the time of export confirming that 50 per cent of quantity mentioned in the shipping bill has been/will be supplied in the domestic market during the current financial year".

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For gas oil or automotive diesel exporters, the quantity has been fixed at 30 per cent.

However, exports to Bhutan and Nepal are exempted from this condition.

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The limit is also not applicable to 100 per cent Export Oriented Units (EoUs) and units in SEZs (Special Economic Zones). EoUs and SEZs are developed primarily for exports.

The notification said that the exporters will have to file a quarterly return to the ministry of petroleum and natural gas regarding the same.

The decision assumes significance as the government on Friday slapped an export tax on petrol, diesel and jet fuel (ATF) while also joining nations like the UK in imposing a windfall tax on crude oil produced locally.

A Rs 6 per litre tax on export of petrol and ATF and Rs 13 per litre tax on export of diesel is effective from July 1, finance ministry notifications showed.

The export tax has been imposed to deter companies from preferring overseas markets over domestic supplies.

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Kabul [Afghanistan], July 1 (ANI): The supreme leader of the Taliban-run administration in Afghanistan, has emphasized the need to implement Islamic laws to ensure justice and safeguard freedom in the country.

Addressing a gathering of religious leaders and elders of his country on Friday, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada stated that Afghans had expelled the "occupying forces" from their country to establish an Islamic system. "...we have Islamic system and this is the responsibility of religious scholars to implement Islamic laws," he was quoted as saying Xinhua.

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About 3,500 ulema or religious scholars and elders, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, have been invited from across the war-torn country to attend the three-day jirga or grand assembly opened on Thursday.

Hibatullah attended the grand assembly Friday morning and called upon businessmen to invest in the war-torn country.

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In his speech aired by local media, Hibatullah called for ensuring justice in society, saying, "No government could survive in the absence of justice and justice is the tool of a government to last."

The administration's supreme leader also called for co-existence and said, "We have no ill intentions towards anyone, the neighbouring countries do not feel any harm from us."

The three-day gathering will conclude on Saturday. Eleven months after the re-establishment of the Taliban in the country, this is the first nationwide gathering of Islamic clerics in the country, TOLOnews reported.

The media has not been permitted to cover the incident, but according to sources, several topics including the education of girls will be discussed during the assembly.

Earlier, several clerics and civil rights activists said that the gathering of Islamic scholars should be inclusive.

Many politicians and residents had asked the Taliban to invite women as well as representatives from all Afghan ethnic groups for the gathering of Islamic scholars held today.

The participants at a gathering on Tuesday called women's inclusion in the Loya Jirga "important" and said that the gathering will be meaningless if women were not included.

However, on Wednesday, Taliban-appointed deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi announced that the meeting will convene without the participation of women.

On being asked whether women could become a part of the assembly, deputy minister Hanafi responded that male delegates would speak on their behalf.

According to Khaama Press, the senior Taliban official stated that the assembly was called at the Ulema's request and the Taliban organized it so that they could talk over a variety of topics, like Islamic regime, national unity, and the improvement of economic and social affairs.

However, civil societies have strongly condemned the decision and have called the gathering illegitimate in absence of women.

Taliban has suspended the secondary education of girls and enforced a strict form of Hijab.They also provide no opportunities for Afghan women to participate in political and public life, to fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation that is aimed at making women invisible in society. (ANI)

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Berlin, Jul 1 (AP) The rust-coloured tower rising from an industrial site near the banks of Berlin's Spree river looks nothing like the sleek flasks Germans use for coffee, yet its purpose is similar: to provide some warmth throughout the day, especially when it's cold outside.

With a height of 45 metres and holding up to 56 million litres of hot water, utility company Vattenfall says the tower will help heat Berlin homes this winter even if Russian gas supplies dry up.

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"It's a huge thermos that helps us to store the heat when we don't need it," said Tanja Wielgoss, who heads the Sweden-based company's heat unit in Germany. "And then we can release it when we need to use it."

While district heating systems fuelled by coal, gas or waste have been around for more than a century, most aren't designed to store significant amounts of heat. Instead, they burn as much fossil fuel as needed, contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming.

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By contrast, the new facility unveiled Thursday at Vattenfall's Reuter power station will hold water brought to almost boiling temperature using electricity from solar and wind power plants across Germany. During periods when renewable energy exceeds demand the facility effectively acts as a giant battery, though instead of storing electricity it stores heat.

"Sometimes you have an abundance of electricity in the grids that you cannot use anymore, and then you need to turn off the wind turbines," said Wielgoss. "Where we are standing we can take in this electricity."

The 50-million-euro facility will have a thermal capacity of 200 Megawatts  enough to meet much of Berlin's hot water needs during the summer and about 10% of what it requires in the winter. The vast, insulated tank can keep water hot for up to 13 hours, helping bridge short periods when there's little wind or sun.

It will also be able to use other sources of heat  such as that extracted from wastewater, said Wielgoss. While it will be Europe's biggest heat storage facility when it's completed at the end of this year, an even bigger one is already being planned in the Netherlands.

Berlin's top climate official, Bettina Jarasch, said the faster such heat storage systems are built, the better.

"Due to its geographic location the Berlin region is even more dependent on Russian fossil fuels than other parts of Germany," she told The Associated Press. "That's why we're really in a hurry here."

"The war in Ukraine and the energy crisis teach us that we need to be faster, said Jarasch.

"First of all to become climate neutral," she said. And secondly, to become independent (of energy imports)."

Figures released Thursday by Germany's utility industry association BDEW shows efforts to reduce natural gas use are having an effect.

Consumption of gas dropped by 14.3% in the first five months of this year compared to the same period in 2021.

Part of the decline was due to milder weather, but the industry group said even accounting for warmer temperatures there was a measurable drop that it attributed to bumpier economic conditions, appeals from the German government to save energy and individuals' personal efforts.

Wielgoss said she was confident that Vattenfall's customers won't go cold this winter, despite the looming gas squeeze from Russia as Moscow retaliates for Western sanctions by reducing the gas flowing through key pipelines.

"Consumers in Germany are very well protected," she said. "So they for sure will not suffer any shortages. But of course, we plead with everybody to really start saving energy."

"Each kilowatt hour we save is good for the country," she added. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Beijing [China], July 1 (ANI): China on Thursday urged to "avoid politicizing" the issue of the proposed G20 event in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) to be organized by India.

Zhao Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson while responding to a question on the proposed G20 event by India said that instead of focussing on the planned event, major economies should focus on the steady recovery of the world economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also Read | China President Xi Jinping Officiates Swearing-In Ceremony of Hong Kong's New Leader John Lee.

"The G20 is the premier forum for international economic and financial cooperation. We call on all major economies to focus on the steady recovery of the world economy, avoid politicizing relevant cooperation and make a positive contribution to improving global economic governance," said Zhao.

He said that China's position on Kashmir is consistent and clear-cut. It is a legacy issue between India and Pakistan. It should be properly resolved in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and bilateral agreements.

Also Read | Taliban Hikes Coal Prices After Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Approves Imports From Afghanistan.

Comments from China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson come after Pakistan rejected any Indian plans of holding certain G20 events in J-K.

Pakistan is reaching out to its close allies in the group of twenty - China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to boycott the G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir.

India is set to assume the presidency of the G20 in December this year. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as India's Sherpa for the G20 in September 2021.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India will hold the G-20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and convene the first G20 leaders' summit in 2023.

India's representation at G20 summits has been led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014.

Pakistan has already rejected the proposed meeting, official sources told The Express Tribune that Islamabad would reach out to G20 countries on the issue.

Sources said Pakistan would particularly approach countries like China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to convey their concerns.

Islamabad would also speak to the US, the UK and other G20 members in order to counter Indian plans, The Express Tribune reported.

Recently in March, India hosted an investment conference from Gulf countries in J-K. Entrepreneurs and CEOs from different countries including Dubai, UAE, and Holland were present at the summit. Delegates from over 36 countries attended the event.

The Gulf countries' venture into Jammu and Kashmir is a signal to Pakistan which has been harping on the propaganda about Kashmir being a problem that needs to be settled and Muslim countries should support its argument.

Zhao also defended China laying out and implementing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor through the disputed area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said, "What you mentioned are two matters completely different in nature. China has undertaken some projects in Pakistan to help it grow its economy and improve people's livelihood. These projects are in Pakistan-occupied areas of Kashmir. Relevant Chinese companies conduct the relevant projects with the purpose of helping Pakistan to develop its economy and improve people's livelihood."

However, on the question of China attending the summit in Kashmir, Zhao said, "I already outlined China's position. We will look at whether China will attend the meeting."

The G20 countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Jul 1 (PTI) A 50-year-old Indian-origin tech entrepreneur has been arrested in the US for an alleged investment scheme that defrauded more than 10,000 victims of over USD 45 million and netted him several luxury cars and real estate.

Neil Chandran, of Las Vegas in Nevada, was arrested on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the Department of Justice said.

Also Read | China President Xi Jinping Officiates Swearing-In Ceremony of Hong Kong's New Leader John Lee.

According to the indictment, Chandran owned a group of technology companies that he used in a scheme to defraud investors by falsely promising extremely high returns on the premise that one or more of his companies, operated under the banner of ViRSE, was about to be acquired by a consortium of wealthy buyers.

Chandran's companies  which included Free Vi Lab, Studio Vi Inc., ViDelivery Inc, ViMarket Inc, and Skalex USA Inc, among others  developed virtual-world technologies, including their own cryptocurrency, for use in the companies' own metaverse.

Also Read | Vladimir Putin Hits Back at G7 Leaders for Mocking His Athletic Exploits, Says It Would Be 'Disgusting' To See Boris Johnson 'Naked'.

The indictment alleges that Chandran caused other individuals to make various materially false and misleading representations to investors, including that investors in his companies would soon receive extremely high returns when one or more of those companies was purchased by a group of wealthy buyers.

In fact, according to the indictment, there was no such buyer group that was about to purchase the companies for the claimed returns; a substantial portion of the funds was misappropriated for other business ventures and the personal benefit of Chandran and others, including the purchase of luxury cars and real estate; and there were no prominent billionaires involved in purchasing Chandran's companies.

Chandran is charged with three counts of wire fraud and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in the criminally derived property.

If convicted, Chandran faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud counts and up to 10 years in prison for each count of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.

The indictment also alleges that 100 different assets  bank accounts, real estate, and luxury vehicles, including 39 Tesla vehicles  are subject to forfeiture as proceeds of the fraud.

US Marshals and the FBI are seizing most of the assets pending the resolution of the criminal case. PTI

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Rome [Italy], July 1 (ANI/Xinhua): Italy on Thursday updated coronavirus health protocols in the workplace, as the main pandemic indicators in the country continue to rise.

The new rules, developed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies and the Ministry of Health, will require mask use for those with specific health risks, or in cases where workplaces could increase the risk of infection.

Also Read | Vladimir Putin Hits Back at G7 Leaders for Mocking His Athletic Exploits, Says It Would Be 'Disgusting' To See Boris Johnson 'Naked'.

The guidelines also encourage "smart working" -- working from home instead of the office -- as well as staggered entrance and exit times for employees in the workplace, and in common areas such as food dispensaries and changing rooms.

The protocols, which are applicable to private workplaces, also prohibit employees with a body temperature of over 37.5 degrees Celsius from entering a workplace. Any employee presenting flu-like symptoms is required to inform their employer in a "timely" manner.

Also Read | China Retains Zero-COVID Policy While Cutting Travel Quarantine to 7 Days.

The changes come as Italy's main coronavirus indicators have worsened in recent days. According to a report released Thursday by the Gimbe Foundation, a health monitoring entity, the country's weekly COVID-19 infections climbed more than 50 per cent over the seven-day period ending Tuesday, compared to a week earlier.

Based on data from the Health Ministry, the Gimbe Foundation also reported that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 climbed more than 25 per cent over the same period. Meanwhile, the number of people in intensive care units rose by 15 per cent, and the weekly mortality rate rose by 16 per cent.

However, the main indicators still remain far below the peaks reached earlier in the pandemic.On Thursday, Italy reported more than 83,000 new cases, down from more than 94,000 cases a day earlier. (ANI/Xinhua)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Moscow [Russia], July 1 (ANI): Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Friday Moscow is currently in talks with the European Union on the issue of goods transit to its exclave of Kaliningrad through Lithuania, while also working on a package of retaliatory measures to be introduced if the problem is not solved.

"After all, we have a certain dialogue with the European Union. And we have conveyed our concerns [to the bloc]. I believe we have been able to explain to them that the decisions Lithuania has insisted on will result in serious costs not only for Lithuania, but also for the EU. According to public statements made by representatives of the European Commission, this signal has reached the addressee and it has become concerned over the problem," Sputnik was quoted Grushko as saying.

Also Read | Pakistan: Two Shot Dead, 11 Injured as Argument over Power Cut Turns Fatal at Lakki Marwat Mosque.

Despite this fact, Moscow is still working on a package of retaliatory countermeasures, the deputy foreign minister added.

"I think that, to date, resources for a solution have not yet been exhausted, but a ball is on the side of the EU and Lithuania. However, I would like to emphasize once again that we are ready for any scenario," Grushko said.

Also Read | Bill Gates Has a Special Message for Mahesh Babu, Billionaire Follows the South Superstar on Social Media.

Earlier, media reports had said the transit of goods from Russia to its Kaliningrad enclave via Lithuania may resume in a few days thanks to a compromise between Vilnius and the European Union.

EU officials are conducting talks to remove the Kaliningrad region from sanctions. The agreement could be made in early July, Sputnik reported citing a news agency.

Last week, Russia had lodged a strong protest to EU Ambassador in Moscow Markus Ederer in connection with the extension of sanctions to cargo transit to the Kaliningrad region.

The EU diplomat was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry in connection with Lithuania's decision to ban rail cargo transit to the Russian exclave.

"The EU representative was strongly protested in connection with the extension of unilateral anti-Russian restrictions to cargo transit between the Kaliningrad region and the rest of the Russian territory. It was indicated that such actions that violate the relevant legal and political obligations of the European Union and lead to an escalation of tension are inadmissible," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New York [US], July 1 (ANI/Xinhua): The United Nations Security Council on Thursday renewed the sanctions imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Adopting resolution 2641 by a vote of 10 in favour to none against with five abstentions, the council renewed its arms embargo measures, travel ban and asset freezes until July 1, 2023.

Also Read | US Supreme Court Limits President Joe Biden's Power To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

China, Russian, Ghana, Gabon and Kenya voted in abstention.

In an explanation of the vote, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, pointed out that the Security Council's sanctions on the DRC are designed to curb the violent activities of armed groups.

Also Read | China President Xi Jinping Officiates Swearing-In Ceremony of Hong Kong's New Leader John Lee.

"Regretfully, 18 years after its initial implementation, armed groups in the eastern DRC remain rampant, while the DRC government's security capacity has been constrained. The DRC government has repeatedly requested the council to lift the arms embargo on the country," he noted.

Recently, the security situation in the eastern DRC has deteriorated, with many civilian casualties and displacements caused by the resurgence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.

"But the DRC security forces, affected by the arms embargo and other factors, do not have adequate security capacity in the face of the threat posed by armed groups such as M23," Zhang said, citing a briefing to the Security Council Wednesday by Bintou Keita, special representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC, who noted that the M23 is far better equipped and armed than the DRC security forces as well as MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.

"It is a worrisome situation, and this issue needs to be addressed," Zhang said.

During the consultation for the draft resolution, China and African members of the council expressly supported the lifting of the notification requirement applied to the DRC government, he said.

"France, as the penholder, has tried, but we were unable to reach consensus due to the opposition of some members. China finds it regrettable," he said, adding that the resolution will continue to subject the great majority of the weapons and equipment needed by the DRC security forces to the mandatory notification.

"It will artificially complicate the process and affect international partners' security cooperation with the DRC, which constrained the DRC security capacity and the efforts to find a fundamental solution to the situation in the eastern DRC," Zhang said.

Due to the reasons mentioned, the envoy said China had to abstain from the vote.

"We also hope that the DRC government can enhance its management of weapons and ammunition to gain greater confidence from council members to lift the notification requirement in relation to the DRC government," he said. (ANI/Xinhua)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lisbon, Jul 1 (AP) A United Nations conference warned Friday that measures needed to protect the world's oceans are lagging and urged countries to accelerate their implementation.

More than 6,000 senior officials, scientists and activists from more than 120 countries attended a five-day UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

Also Read | Pakistan: Two Shot Dead, 11 Injured as Argument over Power Cut Turns Fatal at Lakki Marwat Mosque.

A declaration published on the final day said delegates were deeply alarmed by the global emergency facing the ocean, whose sustainability is critical for the planet.

The declaration said that action is not advancing at the speed or scale required to meet our goals.

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Greater ambition is required at all levels to address the dire state of the ocean, it concluded.

The oceans are under threat from global warming, pollution, acidification and other problems.

A key step is a new international agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, also known as the Treaty of the High Seas.

That treaty aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework for the high seas, which cover some 70% of the earth's surface and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people.

After 10 years of talks, however, negotiating countries still haven't clinched a deal, frustrating activists. A fifth round of talks is scheduled for August in New York.

Greenpeace said words were not enough.

Laura Meller from the environmental group's Protect the Oceans campaign, said that if declarations could save the oceans they wouldn't be on the brink of collapse.

The crunch will come at next month's talks, when governments aim to finalize the global ocean treaty that, at a minimum, seeks to ensure the protection of 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.

Anything less than that is just not enough, Meller said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended part of the conference.

Guterres blamed the egoism of some countries for the failure to strike a global oceans agreement so far. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tashkent [Uzbekistan], July 1 (ANI): Uzbekistan will host an international conference here this month to discuss the promotion of stability, security and post-conflict reconstruction in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Friday.

A set of measures and proposals are to be developed at the event, scheduled for July 25-26 with the participation of delegations from more than 20 countries and international organizations, Xinhua reported citing the ministry.

Also Read | China President Xi Jinping Defends Crackdown on Dissent in Hong Kong on 25th Anniversary of Handover.

It added that the agenda includes the integration of the war-torn country into regional cooperation processes.

This comes United Nations has appealed for funds in urgent humanitarian response to some 360,000 Afghans impacted by the earthquake.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Snake Island Back in Ukrainian Hands, Russia Departs After Occupying Black Sea for Months.

The UN and the Afghan government have been largely involved in the operations to save civilians. However, the United Nations said it does not have heavy machines and equipment and relies on the Afghan authorities to provide it.

After the Taliban takeover of the country in August, the protracted Afghanistan conflict abruptly gave way to accelerating human rights and humanitarian crisis.

The Taliban immediately rolled back women's rights advances and media freedom--among the foremost achievements of the post-2001 reconstruction effort. Most secondary schools for girls were closed, and women were prohibited from working in most government jobs and many other areas.

The Taliban beat and detained journalists; many media outlets closed or drastically scaled back their reporting, partly because many journalists had fled the country. The new Taliban cabinet included no women and no ministers from outside the Taliban's own ranks.

In many cities, the Taliban searched for, threatened, and sometimes detained or executed former members of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), officials of the former government, or their family members.

As the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, thousands of people tried to flee the country, but chaos and violence at the airport impeded the evacuation of many at-risk Afghans.

The Taliban victory propelled Afghanistan from humanitarian crisis to catastrophe, with millions of Afghans facing severe food insecurity due to lost income, cash shortages, and rising food costs.

In the six months before the takeover, fighting between government forces and the Taliban caused a sharp rise in civilian casualties from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mortars, and airstrikes. The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, known as ISKP) carried out attacks on schools and mosques, many targeting minority Hazara Shia. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
R Madhavan directorial Rocketry: The Nambi Effect released in cinema halls today (July 1). Since then, the film has been trending on Twitter. Starring Madhavan as the lead, the film centers around the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the ISRO, who was accused of espionage and later exonerated. The movie also has a cameo by Shah Rukh Khan. Having said that, the flick has received mixed reviews. However, unfortunately, within few hours of its release in theatres, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect has got leaked online. The film is now available for streaming on torrent sites. There's an HD print available of the show to watch online. Rocketry - The Nambi Effect Movie Review: R Madhavan as Nambi Narayanan Excels Over Maddy the Director; Shah Rukh Khan is Charming in an Effective Cameo (LatestLY Exclusive).

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect full movie in HD has been leaked on several torrent sites like Filmywap, Onlinemoviewatches, 123movies, 123movierulz, Filmyzilla, and other pirated versions of the series in HD (300MB free download in 1080p, 720p, HD online) are available for the audience to watch.

Other keywords online which are searched massively include Rocketry: The Nambi Effect 2022 Full Movie Download, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Tamilrockers, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Tamilrockers HD Download, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Movie Download Pagalworld, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Movie Download Filmyzilla, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Movie Download Openload, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Movie Download Tamilrockers, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Movie Download Movierulz, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Download 720p, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Full Movie Download 480p, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Full Movie Download bolly4u, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Full Movie Download Filmyzilla, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Full Movie Watch Online, and etc is typed to binge-watch the pirated version of the film. Rocketry The Nambi Effect: Review, Cast, Plot, Trailer, Release Date  All You Need To Know About R Madhavans Film.

Watch Rocketry: The Nambi Effect Trailer:

However, this is not the first time, a movie has been leaked online for free watch. As almost every film falls prey to this. In the past, many strict actions are taken against these sites, but even after getting blocked, god knows from where the site bounces back promoting piracy. Well, a lot goes into making a flick and these online leaks of popular films need severe action.

For the unaware, before Rocketry's release at the theatres, it was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022. Stay tuned!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2022 12:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu and his wife Namrata Shirodkar met Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in New York earlier this week. Taking to his Instagram handle, the 46-year-old actor posted a picture with Bill Gates .
An argument over massive power outages among worshippers after the Friday prayers at a mosque escalated into a fatal shooting, killing two people and injuring 11 others in Pakistan's northwestern tribal districts bordering Afghanistan.
In a major reshuffle over the alleged negligence by police in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case , the Rajasthan government has removed the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Inspector General (IG) range of Udaipur.
Doctors don't just have miraculous capabilities BUT some doctors also believe in having a sense of humour. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine. LOL. Whenever a person falls ill, they go to the doctor. Doctors are often given the same status as God. Many people have received a lease of new life from helpful doctors who treat their patients with utmost care. The COVID-19 pandemic period is a perfect example. Everyone recognised the importance of doctors and the world saw how doctors work day and night to save the lives of patients. National Doctor's Day is celebrated every year on July 1 in the honour of doctors. National Doctors Day 2022 Images & HD Wallpapers for Free Download Online: Wish Happy Doctors Day With WhatsApp Stickers, Quotes and GIF Greetings.

What better day than National Doctors' Day 2022 to share hilarious memes and jokes with your doctor friends? Every year in India, Doctor's Day is celebrated on July 1 as the birthday of Dr Bidhan Chandra Rai. Apart from being a great doctor, Bidhan Chandra Rai has also been the second Chief Minister of West Bengal. In the year 1991, the Central Government started celebrating National Doctors Day. As we celebrate this day, it is only fair to bring in some humour in the lives of your favourite doctors by sharing some of the most hilarious memes and jokes. If you are looking for some really amazing ones, we have your back! Check out:

Photo Credits: Twitter

Photo Credits: Twitter

Photo Credits: Twitter

Photo Credits: Twitter

Photo Credits: Twitter

Photo Credits: Twitter

Both the birthday and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Rai are on July 1. Therefore, this day is celebrated in his honour on this great man. Talking about the importance of celebrating National Doctors Day, people are made aware of the importance of doctors on this day. Also, the contribution of doctors to our lives is appreciated.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2022 09:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
#Argentina confirmed its sixth case of #monkeypox in a man who recently travelled to #Mexico, the Ministry of Health reported. pic.twitter.com/TIxCcTnJ6k IANS (@ians_india) July 1, 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.)
#India handed over lists of 309 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 95 fishermen in India's custody. Similarly, #Pakistan shared lists of 49 civilian prisoners and 633 fishermen in its custody, who are Indians or are believed to be Indians. pic.twitter.com/eLT5R1GAzm IANS (@ians_india) July 1, 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.)
South Africa: Odendaalsrus police station closed due to OHS non-compliance

The Department of Employment and Labours Inspection and Enforcement Services has prohibited the use of the South African Police Service station in Odendaalsrus, Free State, due to non-compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The closure of the facility emanates from a reactive inspection (complaint-triggered inspection) conducted by the Occupational Health and Safety inspectors following reports of occupational hazards in the building, the Department of Employment and Labour said on Friday.

It was also discovered that the station was being utilised by officials while still under construction. This includes an incident of an employee sustaining an injury from a ceiling that fell.

The facility was prohibited on 28 June 2022, in terms of Section 30 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This section of the legislation empowers the labour inspector to issue a Prohibition Notice, declaring the building unsafe for use and occupation.

The department continues to have zero tolerance for non-compliance of occupational health and safety regulations by employers. The priority of the inspectorate is to safeguard the health and safety of employees and members of the community that visit the building, Provincial Chief Inspector, Manelisi Luxande, said.

The facility will remain closed until all safety issues have been corrected to the satisfaction of the labour inspector.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Opinion: Coaxed by U.S., NATO's hyping of China as "challenge" costly, irrational

13:50, July 01, 2022 By Qing Ming ( People's Daily Online

NATO's arm reaches Asia (Illustration: Liu Rui/Global Times)

NATO leaders and their Asian guests arrived at this week's NATO Madrid summit preoccupied with worries and woesshared or unique. Wars. Rampant inflation . Relentless energy shortages . Declining approval rates . Gilets jaunes. A truck jammed with suffocated migrants 

But somehow, beset by pressing crises at home and along their borders, the leaders from NATO member states decided to prioritize the delusional challenge they have detected elsewherefar transcending NATO's increasingly swelling geographical rangein China. On Wednesday, NATO, stated that China "challenges our interests, security, and values," following the footstep of the military alliance's de facto leaderthe U.S.

The move represents Washington's latest attempt to hype up the "China threat" and counter the world's second-largest economy on the global stage, in its despicable and desperate bid to contain China's peaceful rise. Also, by coaxing NATO members to take on China, the U.S. has proved yet again that it will spare no efforts to sustain its hegemonyby maligning China , spying on China , blacklisting Chinese companies, and now, by strategizing with its Western allies on the "China challenge" in a pivot back to Asia.

But NATO members, together with their Asian "guests," namely South Korea and Japan, should stay vigilant whenever the U.S. plays the "China card," because by blindly following Washington's lead to cry wolf over the "China threat," they risk getting themselves dragged into Washington's costly and chimerical "arms race" and may end up resolving none of the existing "non-systemic" challenges (to say nothing of the fictional and farcical "China challenge").

In his opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal headlined End of the German Idyll, published on June 27, Walter Russell Mead, an American scholar, elaborated on the many challenges Germany (a NATO member) now faces and the high price it must pay in order to acquire so-called "U.S. security guarantees."

"In recent years, the German economic miracle depended on a combination of industrial prowess, cheap energy from Russia, and access to global markets, particularly in China," he commented, adding, "Today every one of those pillars is under threat."

Mr. Mead was correct to point out that China had long been (and remains) "the ideal customer for German products," but he failed to acknowledge that the only possible threat that Germany's (mutually) beneficial economic ties with China could face would be the Biden administration's hyping up of the "China threat." Mead was also right about the astronomical price tags behind Washington's military umbrella. But the problem is: what is the umbrella for, since the rain forecast itself is faked?

Germany's optional dilemma represents only a fraction of overall China-Europe relations that the US is trying to sour and the anti-Chinese sentiments the US has intent to stoke. In a flurry of meetings, US president Joe Biden rallied the G7 countries to propose 600 billion dollars (another dishonored check?) to counter the "influence" of China's Belt and Road Initiative; meanwhile, US high-level officials have also, on multiple occasions, met with their NATO and Asian counterparts to discuss plans to counter China and in this way further cement Washington's sphere of influence in Asia.

[Related Reading: ' Asian NATO' perilous and unwanted for Asia ]

NATO swallows the consequence of its expansion Illustration: Carlos Latuff

Nevertheless, the U.S. and certain NATO member states may resolve to compromise on their robust ties with China in favor of the so-called "shared values," ne American values, but they ought to ask themselves a question firstaren't those values merely constraints weaponized to coerce and impede every other nation but themselves?

For years, the U.S. and certain NATO member states have portrayed China as the challenger, claiming that China has an appetite for "military expansion," and accusing China of undermining rule-based international norms and world order. But in retrospect, isn't the NATO clique of nations, led by the U.S., standing at the front of the line in its own blame game. NATO countries, after all, "bombed for peace (with China as one of the many victims)," invaded other countries and killed civilians in the name of "democracy," and continually expanded the military alliance's omnipresence in the hopes of achieving coercive aims through encirclement?

NATO's decision to paint China as a "systemic challenge" is at once damaging and irrational. It is based on a false belief that Chinaa nation that has no belligerence in its genes and one that has never initiated a single overseas war, a nation that in just a handful of years has witnessed a trade war, hardening military encirclement, and a worldwide smear campaign staged by the hegemonic U.S.should be slammed as a "systemic challenge." It's no less ironic than seeing the snake stoking fear in the farmer whom it has bitten.

(Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji)
National Doctors' Day is marked every year on 1 July to pay homage to Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, for his important contributions in the health domain. Doctors' Day hence is dedicated to all the physicians who are obligated to work for the better health and welfare of society. Staff may organize a lunch for doctors to present the physicians with tokens of recognition on this occasion. Check out our collection of Happy Doctors' Day 2022 greetings, quotes, SMS and HD images. When Is Doctors Day 2022 in India? Know Date, History, Aim and Significance of the Day That Honours Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.

Happy Doctors Day 2022 Pics

Happy Doctors Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Doctors' Day 2022. "People Pay the Doctor for His Trouble; for His Kindness, They Still Remain in His Debt."  Seneca

Doctors Day WhatsApp Status

National Doctors' Day 2022 (Photo Credits: File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Wishing a Very Happy Doctors Day! Thank You for Your Service to Humanity! I Salute You!

National Doctors Day 2022 Quotes

National Doctors' Day 2022 (Photo Credits: File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Happy Doctors Day to All the Doctors out There Who Work Hard Every Day To Save a Life.

Doctors Day 2022 Messages

Happy Doctors Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Doctors' Day 2022. "Not Every Warrior Have Armour and Sword. Some Have White Coat and Stethoscope." - Aqvina Coldfeather

Doctors Day SMS

Happy Doctors Day (File Image)

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National Doctors Day 2022: Messages, Quotes, Sayings, Wishes & Images To Thank All the Physicians

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Washington, July 1: The US Supreme Court has sided with conservative states and fossil-fuel companies, agreeing that the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not have the authority to impose sweeping measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Thursday's 6-3 ruling represents a major setback to President Joe Biden's climate plans, reports the BBC. The case against the EPA was brought by West Virginia on behalf of 18 other mostly Republican-led states and some of the nation's largest coal companies.

They argued that the agency did not have the authority to limit emissions across whole states. These 19 states were worried their power sectors would be forced to move away from using coal, at a severe economic cost.

The court has not completely prevented the EPA from making these regulations in the future, but said that Congress would have to clearly say it authorises this power. These 19 states made up 44 per cent of the US emissions in 2018, and since 2000 have only achieved a 7 per cent reduction in their emissions on average, the BBC reported.

In response to the "devastating" ruling, the President said: "While this decision risks damaging our nation's ability to keep our air clean and combat climate change, I will not relent in using my lawful authorities to protect public health and tackle the climate crisis."

Also slamming the decision, a UN spokesperson called it "a setback in our fight against climate change", but added that no single nation could derail the global effort. But Attorney General Eric Schmitt for Missouri, one of the 19 states, called it a "big victory... that pushes back on the Biden EPA's job-killing regulations".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2022 11:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Donald Trump's controversial "Remain in Mexico" immigration policy may soon come to an end.The Supreme Court has now given President Joe Biden the green light to end the policy which experts deem as a human rights violation.

The rule forces non-Mexican citizens who try to enter the United States, even those seeking asylum, to go back to Mexico as their immigration proceedings happen. According to Justice For Immigrants, the law may be harmful to those seeking asylum as they are made to wait under dangerous circumstances. Many critics also argue that the policy is concerning from a due process perspective, as those immigrants and asylum seekers forced to wait in Mexico are without access to family, legal, or social support, making it more difficult for them to prove their claims that they need asylum in the U.S.

Supreme Court Voted 5-4 in Favor of Biden

The Supreme Court was the one to decide whether this policy had to stay or not, as the Justices voted 5-4 in favor of Biden's plan to scrap the policy. Two conservative judges voted alongside the three liberal judges for the decision. The two conservatives who voted in favor of Biden's agenda are Chief Justice John Roberts and the Trump-appointed Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

According to CNN, a coalition of red states has been challenging the Biden administration's bid to end the controversial policy, as they stated that Biden broke immigration law. They also argued that the Biden administration also violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires agencies to take procedural steps when implementing policy, which was something the Biden administration did not do when it tried to dismantle the controversial policy.

READ NEXT: San Antonio Semi-Truck Tragedy: Migrant Death Toll Reaches 53, Identifying Victims Difficult

Chief Justice Robert's Opinion Released

With the new Supreme Court decision ruling in favor of Biden's plans, the lower courts must now examine whether Biden's memo trying to end the policy last October, complied with the Administrative Procedure Act.

In his concurring opinion, Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the government's authority to release some migrants is not "unbounded." He also noted that in immigration law, it required that parole be given on a "case-to-case basis." He added that under the APA, the DHS's "exercise of discretion within that statutory framework must be reasonable and reasonably explained."

The Chief Justice also said that the lower courts have erred in blocking Biden's attempt to terminate the controversial program, as he cited that an earlier court ruling has decided that lower courts could not grant class-wide orders which stopped immigration officials from carrying out certain policies.

This opinion suggests that lower courts will not have any authority to block Biden when he decides to terminate the program again. However, CNN reports that it is still not clear whether the administration can fully end the policy.

The policy has been criticized by human rights advocates, immigration rights advocates, and the Democratic party for its inhumane treatment of migrants and asylum seekers, pointing out the squalid conditions and dangerous environments that immigrants are forced to deal with as they wait for their cases to be heard.

The policy restarted last December after the lower courts blocked Biden's attempt to end the policy. Over 5,000 migrants have been returned to Mexico, according to the International Organization for Migration. The returned immigrants hailed from various Latin American countries such as Nicaragua, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela.

READ NEXT: Joe Biden's ICE Nominee, Ed Gonzalez, Withdraws

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

Watch: Supreme Court Allows Biden Administration To Shut Down Trump-era 'Remain in Mexico' Policy - NBC News
Texas murder suspect, Kaitlin Armstrong, was arrested this week in Costa Rica after authorities looked for her for over 40 days due to her connection to the death of multi-sport athlete Anna Moriah Wilson.

Armstrong's arrest was announced by U.S. Marshals on Thursday, claiming that the Texas murder suspect was captured on Wednesday, according to Fox News.

The woman suspected of killing elite pro cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson has been captured in Costa Rica, according to the US Marshals Service.https://t.co/ihOBRIfkml  BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) June 30, 2022

Marshals Office said in a news release that Armstrong was found at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach, located in Provincia de Puntarenas, CNN reported.

"This is an example of combining the resources of local, state, federal and international authorities to apprehend a violent fugitive, bring an end to that run and hopefully a sense of closure to the victim's family," U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau underscored.

A spokesperson from the Migration Directorate, who was not named, noted that Armstrong was transferred to Centro de Apprehension Regional Central on Thursday morning. The said prison is located in Los Lagos.

The Texas murder suspect is expected to be deported to the U.S., where she will face justice. The Migration Directorate spokesperson emphasized that authorities have at least 30 days to accomplish her deportation order.

However, retired former commander of the U.S. Marshal Service's New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, Lenny DePaul, claimed that Armstrong would "probably waive her extradition, and Marshals Service would have 10 days to extradite her to the United States.

READ NEXT: Here's How Kamala Harris Reacted to Texas' Greg Abbott's Comments on Migrant Deaths

Ana Moriah Wilson Death: Texas Murder Suspect Used Passport With Mismatched Identity

Previously, the U.S. Marshals mentioned that Kaitlin Armstrong used a fraudulent passport to board a flight from Newark International Airport to Costa Rica on May 18.

However, Costa Rica's General Migration Directorate confirmed on Thursday that the Texas murder suspect utilized a passport that "did not correspond to her identity." However, the agency pointed out that the documents Armstrong used were not faked.

Authorities claimed that the passport Armstrong used was "issued to someone else" that has a very close physical description of the Texas murder suspect.

Reports claimed that Kaitlin Armstrong shares similar physical characteristics with her sister, Christie Armstrong.

Jason Jansen, a Utah-based private investigator that follows the case, told Fox that there is a chance that the Texas murder suspect was using her sister's identity.

Ana Moriah Wilson's Death

Ana Moriah Wilson, a multi-sport athlete, was caught in a love triangle with Kaitlin Armstrong and professional cyclist Colin Strickland.

Investigators believe that Wilson's death may have been a violent act of romantic jealousy.

Wilson met her demise on May 11 after she told her friend that she would go for an afternoon swim with Strickland, according to an affidavit filed in Travis County District Court. Strickland told investigators that he dropped Wilson at her friend's home, but she did not go inside.

Police then responded to the home at around 10 p.m. and found Wilson with multiple gunshot wounds. The multi-sport athlete was pronounced dead at the scene.

Wilson's family previously said that Ana Moriah was not in any romantic relationship with anyone during the time of her death.

On May 17, the police issued a homicide warrant for Armstrong. The affidavit mentioned details as well as a video showing that a vehicle similar to the car of the Texas murder suspect was near the home where Wilson was staying.

Authorities also issued an arrest warrant against Armstrong for an alleged unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The police also located two handguns in the home Strickland shared with Armstrong. The federal warrant issued against Armstrong this month stated that laboratory test-firing of Armstrong's pistol confirmed that it spent shell casings found at the scene of the murder.

READ NEXT: California City Weighs on Adding Armed Security After Fatal Texas Shooting; Grandmother of Uvalde Shooter Released From Hospital

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Texas woman accused of killing cyclist arrested in Costa Rica - From CBSDFW
Ketanji Brown Jackson has finally made history as the first black woman to be sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice. She is replacing Justice Stephen Breyer, who retired at the end of the tumultuous Supreme Court term, which included the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Chief Justice John Roberts administered Jackson's constitutional oath, while outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer, who Jackson is replacing and previously worked for as a clerk, administered the judicial oath.

Dr. Patrick Jackson, Ketanji Brown Jackson's husband, held two Bibles as she took her oaths. He brought a family bible as well as the Harlan Bible, a King James Bible, which was donated to the Supreme Court in 1906, as reported by ABC News.

READ NEXT: January 6 Hearing: Donald Trump Pressured Justice Department to Call 2020 Election 'Corrupt'

Outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer Hands Over Reigns to His Former Clerk

Chief Justice Roberts welcomed Justice Jackson as part of the Supreme Court. The seven sitting justices attending applauded her. The outgoing Justice Breyer would then approach his former clerk and patted her on the back, and whispered, "Congrats."

In a written statement, Justice Jackson said that she solemnly accepts her responsibilities in "supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States and administering justice without fear or favor" with a full heart. She then added that she is grateful to be a part of the promise of the United States. She also thanked her new colleagues for the warm welcome.

However, she reserved her biggest thanks for her mentor and former boss, Justice Breyer. She describes him as a "personal friend and mentor for the past two decades." She also thanked him for his service to the Nation.

The now-retired Justice Breyer also released his own statement, saying that he is glad for Ketanji, his fellow Justices, and for America. He praised Jackson for her hard work, integrity, and intelligence. He then says that Justice Jackson will "interpret the law wisely and fairly" and added that she will help that law to "work better for the American people, whom it serves."

Justice Jackson Taking Her Oath Historic in More Ways Than One

After her Senate confirmation, the then-Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said that it had taken America 232 years and 115 prior appointments before appointing a black woman as a Supreme Court Justice.

This will also be the first time that four women will be sitting together on the bench of the highest court in the United States. She will be joining fellow liberals Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, as well as Trump-appointed conservative Amy Coney Barrett.

However, according to CNN, Justice Jackson joins the Supreme Court during a time of turmoil, especially as her fellow liberal Justices took a beating with the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Her first day on the job will have her hear a case involving wetlands protected under the Clean Water Act, which could limit the government's jurisdiction over them. Her next few cases are also important ones, including a redistricting case from Alabama and cases which might affect same-sex marriage.

READ NEXT: California Jury Awards $21 Million to Family of Pregnant Teen Killed in 'Botched' Police Operation

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson makes Supreme Court history - CBS Evening News
A Florida judge on Thursday said in a verbal ruling that a temporary statewide injunction would be filed against the sunshine state's abortion law to stop it from taking effect on Friday.

The verbal ruling was made by Second Judicial Circuit Court Judge John Cooper, according to CNN. However, Copper's ruling would not take effect until he signed a written order, which he promised would happen "immediately."

Copper pointed out that the 15-week abortion ban signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis two months ago was "unconstitutional," prompting him to block it from taking effect at midnight.

"I'm not here to litigate abortion," Cooper said, adding that he is only litigating the right to privacy in the Sunshine State.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz also blasted the law signed by DeSantis, claiming that it was a "gross interference in personal medical decisions that should be between patients and their doctors."

Diaz then stressed that politicians have no business in restricting the health freedoms of Florida's citizens.

For the time being, abortion in Florida will remain legal until 24 weeks into pregnancy, making the state one of the most tolerant of the procedure in the south.

READ NEXT: Mexico Journalist Deaths Continue to Rise; 12th Reporter Shot Dead, Daughter Injured

Ron DeSantis on Florida Judge's Decision

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will appeal the decision announced by Judge Cooper on Thursday, according to his chief executive's spokesperson Bryan Griffin.

Griffin underscored that the governor would appeal Cooper's decision up to the Supreme Court. He also highlighted that the law signed by the Florida governor would "withstand all legal challenges."

"The Florida Supreme Court previously misinterpreted Florida's right to privacy as including a right to an abortion, and we reject this interpretation," Griffin noted. He then added that Florida's constitution has never allowed killing an "innocent and unborn" child.

DeSantis Spokeswoman, Christina Pushaw, echoed Griffin's statement, highlighting that they are "very disappointed" with the ruling vested by Cooper on Thursday.

Judge Cooper made his decision in the light of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. This decision ended the federal protection against abortion procedures.

Florida Abortion Law

The controversial Florida Abortion Law, also known as HB 5, was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in April. It was expected to take effect on Friday.

Under HB 5, Florida would prohibit abortion procedures at 15 weeks. Women who become pregnant as a result of rape, incest, or human trafficking, would not be exempted from the law. However, exemptions are accepted if abortion would save a pregnant woman's life, prevent serious injury, or if the fetus has a fetal abnormality.

Violators of the law could face up to five years in prison. Meanwhile, physicians and other medical practitioners who violate the law could lose their licenses and face administrative fines of up to $10,000 for each violation.

READ NEXT: California City Weighs on Adding Armed Security After Fatal Texas Shooting; Grandmother of Uvalde Shooter Released From Hospital

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: DeSantis Promises to 'Continue Legal Battle' After Judge Blocks Florida's 15-Week Abortion Ban - From WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando
Amber Heard is reportedly being investigated in an ongoing perjury case in Australia just weeks after losing in a defamation trial against her former husband, Johnny Depp.

According to the Daily Mail, the actress' legal troubles are far from over as a court in Australia investigates the "Aquaman" star of perjury.

The perjury case involves Heard breaching Australia's quarantine and biosecurity laws by failing to declare her and Depp's two Yorkshire Terriers, Pistol and Boo, when she flew into the country in 2015.

The actress was charged with two counts of illegally importing the animals in July 2015. However, the case was closed in April 2016, when Heard pled guilty to falsifying immigration documents.

Australia's Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment recently confirmed to ET Canada that the case is still "ongoing."

The department told the outlet that it was investigating allegations of perjury by Heard during court proceedings for the 2015 illegal importation of her two dogs into Australia.

Perjury Case in Australia Likely to Haunt Amber Heard After Johnny Depp Defamation Trial

Amber Heard joined her ex-husband Johnny Depp in Australia while he was shooting the "Pirates of the Caribbean" 5 in 2015.

The actress brought their two Yorkshire terriers with her. However, she did not follow the proper procedures in Australia regarding the importation of animals, as the country is strict in protecting its wildlife from any diseases that foreign animals might bring.

Pistol and Boo were placed in 10-day quarantine, but their arrival was not known for several weeks until a grooming salon posted snaps of the cuddly pair on Facebook. Heard and Depp were then forced to send the dogs back home because they would be seized and euthanized if not.

Heard eventually pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of falsifying travel documents and accepted a fine of 10,000 Australian dollars in a Gold Coast court in Queensland after the government charged her with two counts of illegally importing animals.

The revival of the perjury investigation reportedly stemmed from the testimony of Depp's former estate manager Kevin Murphy during the actor's 2020 libel case against The Sun newspaper in the U.K.

Murphy told a London court that the actress had ordered him to lie on oath after she flew the pets in a private jet without declaring them.

Perjury, the crime of lying under oath, whether spoken or in writing, also carries a maximum jail time of 14 years in Australia. But Amber Heard may be facing a jail term of seven years under the penal code of Queensland.

While it is unlikely that Australia would try extraditing the actress, the actress could face arrest if she tried to enter the country again.

READ NEXT: Amber Heard Dating History: Johnny Depp, Elon Musk and Some Latino Men She'sShe's Been With

Amber Heard to Appeal Johnny Depp's Defamation Case Ruling

Australia investigating Amber Heard for perjury because she might have lied to investigators is not the only legal woe she's currently worrying about.

The actress recently announced that she would appeal a Virginia court's decision where she must pay ex-husband Johnny Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.

However, that appeal might cause Heard even more money. Judge Penney Azcarate, who oversaw Depp's defamation case against Heard in Virginia, earlier said that the actress would have to put up an $8.35 million bond with six percent annual interest for any appeal to formally move forward.

Amber Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, has admitted that the actress does not have the money to pay her ex-husband or meet the bond.

READ MORE: Amber Heard Unveils Years of "Therapist Notes" Detailing Alleged Abuse of Ex-husband Johnny Depp

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Why Amber Heard Is Still Being Investigated in Australia - From Entertainment Tonight
A Florida judge has denied the motion of Brian Laundrie's parents to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito's parents.

According to WFLA, 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Hunter Carroll has allowed the intentional infliction of emotional distress lawsuit to move forward because, at this stage, Petito's parents had a valid claim against the elder Laundries.

In their motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, argued that they had fundamental constitutional rights to silence. They added that there are also no facts to support the claims of Petito's parents of "intentional infliction of emotional distress."

But in Thursday's order, Carroll wrote that Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, mostly complained about the Laundries "failing to act," like not telling the family where Petito was or if she was dead, CNN reported.

Carroll noted that he would have ruled for Laundrie's parents if the case was about them remaining silent, and they had done so. However, they were not silent.

The elder Laundries released a statement through their lawyer, Steve Bertolino, on September 14 in response to the public's interest in Petito's disappearance.

A part of Bertolino's statement said: "On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family."

It added: "On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment."

"For purposes of the motion to dismiss," Carroll said the court "must assume the Laundries are responsible for authoring" the statement issued by their lawyer. The camp of Laundrie's parents said their statement was "not outrageous as a matter of law" and was merely a "plain statement."

But the camp of Petito's parents said the statement was "outrageous" since it was designed to create false hope. They noted that the Laundries made the statement knowing Petito was already dead, where her body was located, and her parents were frantically looking for her.

"If this is true, then the Laundries' statement was particularly callous and cruel, and it is sufficiently outrageous to state claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress," Carroll noted.

The camp of Laundrie's also made additional arguments in their motion that denying their appeal to dismiss the case would result in an "avalanche of litigation" for people in similar situations.

But the Florida judge noted that "there will be no avalanche of litigation" based on denying the Laundries' motion to dismiss.

READ NEXT: Brian Laundrie's Notebook Reveals His Motive in Killing Gabby Petito: 'I Ended Her Life, I Thought It Was Merciful'

Camps of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's Families React to the Decision of the Florida Judge

Both camps of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's families have reacted to the decision of the Florida judge. In an emailed statement to CNN, the attorney for Petito's parents, Patrick Reilly, said that Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt were "appreciative of the thorough and well-reasoned decision" of Carroll.

The lawyer added that Petito's parents were looking forward to discovering the information that the Laundries knew about Petito's death and her whereabouts.

The attorney further noted that Petito's parents also wanted to get a copy of any correspondence, emails and texts exchanged when Petito was still missing.

Reilly said Joseph and Nichole were also looking forward to going to trial and were confident that "ultimately the Laundries will be held accountable."

On the other hand, Bertolino said in a statement to WFLA that Christopher and Roberta were disappointed by the decision of the Florida judge to deny their motion. The lawyer added that Brian Laundries' parents will continue to use "all available legal means to preserve their rights."

Gabby Petito Parents' Civil Lawsuit Against Brian Laundrie's Parents

Gabby Petito's parents filed the civil lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents in Florida on March 10. The lawsuit claimed that the elder Laundries knew their son killed Petito and sought to help him flee the country.

It further noted that Christopher and Roberta also knew of the mental suffering and anguish that the Petito family was experiencing but still refused to respond to them.

The Petito family is seeking damages of at least $100,000 for the "pain and mental anguish" they experienced as a result of the "willfulness and maliciousness" of Laundrie's parents. The elder Laundries filed their motion to dismiss the case on March 30.

Last month, Petito's mom also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the curator of Laundrie's estate. The lawsuit seeks wrongful death damages of $30,000 as it claimed that Laundrie intentionally killed Petito.

As a direct result of Laundrie's conduct, the lawsuit noted that Petito's parents "incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort."

The complaint was filed against Barry Spivey, who was identified in the suit as the court-appointed curator of Laundrie's estate. In this lawsuit, Petito's mom also demanded a trial by jury and judgment for compensatory damages.

Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19. A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.

Meanwhile, Laundrie's skeletal remains were discovered at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida on October 20. His autopsy report showed that he died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was suicide.

Last January, the FBI revealed that Laundrie confessed to killing Petito in a message left in his notebook. In its final report on the case, the FBI noted that its investigation has concluded that Brian Laundrie was the only person responsible for Gabby Petito's "tragic death."

READ MORE: Gabby Petito's Parents Want Brian Laundrie's Parents to Testify in Court as Lawsuit Against the Murderer's Parents Moves Forward

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Gabby Petito Case: Lawsuit Claiming Brian Laundrie's Parents Knew of Traveler's Death Headed to Trial - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay
A long promised reform in the running of the Irish Prison Service is finally getting the green light with the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee getting Government approval to place it on a full statutory footing.

The move comes nearly a quarter of a century after the Government decided in 1998 that it should be a stand alone entity like the Garda Siochana.

The Department of Justice says the Minister has been given the goahead to draft legislation to establish the IPS as a fully-fledged State body with defined functions including providing safe and secure custody, upholding human rights, and supporting the well-being and rehabilitation of prisoners with a focus on reducing post-release recidivism.

A statement said the change will include a non-executive Board and other structures that align with best practice in the governance of State bodies. At present the IPS operates reports to the Department which mean's Service's head is not directly accountable for the operation of the service to the Dail.

The Department says the IPS is currently a non-statutory executive agency of the Department of Justice. It has approximately 3,500 staff and an annual budget of 400m and is responsible for the secure custody, care and rehabilitation of offenders in each of Irelands 12 prisons the biggest of which are located in Portlaoise.

Other statutory functions will include managing the prison estate and co-operating with other State actors in the interests of prisoner welfare and an efficient criminal justice system.

The Department said it is also intended to place the role of IPS Director General on a statutory footing with overall responsibility and accountability for managing the prison system. It says oversight and support will be provided by a statutory non-executive board with expertise in penal administration, finance, corporate governance and risk management.

The Director General and the Board will be further supported by an audit committee and other expert committees as required. The Minister will continue to provide policy direction and approve overarching corporate strategy.

Minister McEntee welcomed the Government's decision.

The IPS is a critical component of our justice system and carries a heavy weight of responsibility for the secure custody, care and rehabilitation of offenders. Its staff perform vital duties every hour of every day, often in very challenging circumstances, and I have seen their commitment first hand. Their exemplary management of the Covid pandemic is a recent case in point.

I am very pleased that Government has approved my proposal to prepare legislation establishing the Irish Prison Service as a statutory State body with legal personality, defined functions and dedicated oversight structures. This will ensure that this key agency is best placed to deliver on its challenging mandate into the future and to meet the highest standards of corporate governance compliance and performance.

The Programme for Government commits to a range of penal reform measures that require substantial modernisation of prison services and practices over the coming years. This includes an enhanced focus on rehabilitation and reducing recidivism, assisting prisoners with mental health, addiction and other personal difficulties, and upgrading the prison estate. At the same time, like other State agencies, the IPS must meet a growing and demanding variety of governance and performance obligations.

A full statutory footing for the Prison Service and its Director General, with support from an expert non-executive board, will cement its status as a crucial criminal justice body. It will place the IPS in a stronger position to implement and embed future reform and to ensure it maintains the highest standards in its management of the prison system, she said.

The Department added that the IPS is the second largest agency in the criminal justice system. It was set up after the Government decided in 1998 to establish an initial administrative basis to help prepare the ground for an intended statutory Prisons Authority.

However, the planned legislation was not brought forward at that time and the IPS has remained as a non-statutory but largely autonomous unit of the Department of Justice without its own legal personality or defined functions.

In January 2021 the Minister approved the establishment of a joint Departmental/IPS working group to develop detailed proposals for putting the agency on a statutory basis with a non-executive board. The group reported back to the Minister in December 2021 and the Minister drew on its recommendations in bringing her proposals to Government.
The newest secondary school in Laois is set to be allowed to build extra classrooms to meet demands for places while it awaits the goahead for a new home which is estimated to cost nearly 25 million.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance Sean Fleming said Dunamase College / Colaiste Dhun Masc i in Portlaoise has been given approval to proceed with an extension that will consist of six general class rooms.

Minister Fleming said he looked forward to this project proceeding as soon as possible, as there is a high demand in the Portlaoise area for students enrolling in the college.

Three former school sites are used by the Laois Offaly ETB run school in the heart of the town. Pupils attend classes in the old vocational school, the former CBS and the former Sacred Heart NS in the Tower Hill area.

Minister for Education Norma Foley recently visited the site of the proposed new home for Dunamase College off the Timahoe Road. Minister Fleming outlined the reasons for the new classroom build.

"This measure is necessary even though in due course the school will be moving to a new site in Portlaoise. Obviously that major 1,000 pupil school project will take some time, but it is necessary in the meantime that the facilities in the existing school be extended to facilitate the additional pupils who will be attending there in the meantime.

"I want to acknowledge and thank the work by the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board, The School Board of Management and the Staff in building up the reputation of this new school, which is now very attractive for many new students," he said.

Laois Offaly ETB Chief Executive Joe Cunningham said the additional accommodation will be on the site of the former CBS, Tower Hill. He added that the design for the new building on the Timahoe road is currently being reviewed by the Dept of Education.

The LOETB said in May, when Dympna Kelly was appointed the new principal, that work has commenced on the new 24.5million 1,000 pupil school which will be located on the Timahoe Road.

The College is one of nine Post-Primary Schools under the patronage of LOETB. It is an English-medium, coeducational, multidenominational school which includes an Aonad Lan-Gaeilge, where students can study all subjects through Irish.
Rabat, Morocco (PANA) - The Kingdom of Morocco's approach to the migration issue is based on a cardinal paradigm centred on the human being in the sacredness of his fundamental rights, Moroccan experts on migration issues said here Friday
A representative for Kildare County Council (KCC) said at the latest Clane-Maynooth Municipal District meeting, which was held earlier today, that it would inspect the Sallins roundabout.

Independent councillor Padraig McEvoy asked KCC via a motion to 'examine opportunities to enhance the crossing points for pedestrians in the vicinity of the R403/R407 roundabout on the Sallins Road in Clane.'

Independent Cllr Padraig McEvoy

He said that there was 'an intensification of traffic' in the area, and added that one local resident, who is a mother of a young child, had told him that she was concerned about the current state of traffic there.

In response to his query, KCC engineer Cyril Buggy said that KCC's engineers would look into the matter.

However, he also said to Cllr McEvoy that it was important to note that, in general, roundabouts are harder to cross than a regular road.

Cllr McEvoy also expressed asked KCC in a subsequent motion to 'examine the opportunity for a yellow box on the Main Street of Clane, opposite the L1023.'

This would be done to ease traffic flow, Cllr McEvoy said in his motion.

KCC noted in its response to the motion: "The Municipal District Engineer will assess this request in line with

Department of Transport Traffic Signs Manual and the road marking guidance for the council."
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly is to meet all four TDs from Sligo/Leitrim to discuss the closure of the Cath Lab at Sligo University Hospital.

Announcing the news, Deputy Marian Harkin said that the discussion will also cover plans for the provision of proper services for coronary patients at SUH.

Deputy Harkin noted that the Minister made an important statement when he said that "hospital management have proposals in place for a Cath Lab, be it for diagnostics and or for intervention, theres clinical views required on that".

"This is welcome news but we need to hear the detail. What are these plans, how have they progressed  when can heart patients expect to see a Cath Lab service re-instated?" said Deputy Harkin.

Unfortunately, our experience with HSE reports in this area is not good. Back in 2013 HSE North West drafted a review of the cardiac services in the North West. They recommended that there should be a permanent service put in place in SUH, yet we see there was just a two-day week service instated and now that has been withdrawn.

Deputy Harkin continued, furthermore, we know that the location of a Cath Lab at SUH will have implications for the employment of an additional cardiologist at the hospital. This, in itself, is a really serious issue for cardiac services and in fact it was raised in Dail Eireann by Deputy Eamon Scanlon back in 2018. Four years down the line the Cath Lab service is closed but the issues around the employment of cardiologists remain.

In order to ensure a sustainable Cath Lab service in Sligo, SUH must be fully included in the National Review of Cardiac Services. Minister Donnelly in his response assured me that the entire country is included but, that tells me nothing about whether or not these services will be located at SUH. This review is crucial because it will be the basis for Government policy on cardiac services for the next 5 to 10 years and we need specific guarantees from the Minister that cardiac services will be provided at Sligo University Hospital on a par with other parts of the country and that we will not be left in the current situation that north of a line from Dublin to Galway, there is no Cath Lab service available to cardiac patients," she said.
THERE is a rare opportunity to visit one of the top farms not just in Limerick but in the entire country.

The Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) National Open Day will be held on the Frawley family farm in Ballytigue, Bruree on Thursday, July 7.

Aidan and Sally Ann Frawley and their children Sean, Laura, Conor and Aine are kindly hosting it. Attendees will be able to view the tremendous breeding and efficient performance of the renowned Ballytigue Herd. Key cow families will be represented in the teams of cows for the Inter-Club, Macra and Open Stock Judging.

Results from the IHFA National Herds Competition 2022 sponsored by Greenvale Animal Feeds will be announced as part of the Open Day. 38 herds nominated as the top herds at local club level by the 16 IHFA local clubs were entered.

Renowned Judge and Holstein breeder Hefyn Wilson, from the Treggiby herd in Wales, visited the herds throughout the country in a busy six-day period last month to assess herd quality. There are four separate categories: Pure Friesian herds, Spring calving herds, Herds 80 cows and less, Herds greater than 80 cows.

A Ballytigue celebration sale will be held in association with the open day with choice offerings of young stock from top breeding lines. The sale will be conducted by Taaffe Auctions.

The IHFA Open Day is farm family friendly day out, with trade exhibitors, stock judging, award presentations, young stock sale and much more. All are welcome to attend and entry is free.

A recent launch was well attended with hosts Aidan and Sally Ann Frawley and their children Sean, Laura, Conor and Aine and Aidans parents John and Ann, his siblings and extended family being joined by IHFA officials, including recently elected president  Richard Whelan, chairman - Paul Hannan and representatives from primary event sponsors - Kerry Group.

There were representatives from a cross section of the agricultural business sector, which reflects the high demand for trade exhibition space for this years open day. Local Holstein Friesian Breeders Club members from the local Limerick Clare club, Young Members Association (YMA) and the Irish Pure Friesian Club were in attendance lending strong support.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Ballytigue herd. Having married in 2001 Aidan and Sally Ann Frawley took over the running of what was until then a beef unit. They registered the Ballytigue prefix and assembled a herd consisting of 35 heifers. Milk production commenced in 2002.

The legacy of these heifers who laid the foundation is still very much pronounced in the herd today with the breeding lines continuing to perform generation upon generation. On the occasion of the herds "Emerald" anniversary year the Frawley family has the prestigious honour of hosting the IHFA National Open Day 2022.

Farm Location

The farm is situated less than 2 kms from the N20 Limerick  Cork road along the R518 Bruree to Rathkeale/ Ballingarry/ Newcastle West road (the Bruff line).

Directions

Use the landmark of ORourkes Cross on the N20 Limerick  Cork road as directional waypoint. ORourkes cross is located 9 kms from Charleville on the Limerick side, it is a prominent junction. Take the R518 road signposted for Ballingarry / Rathkeale/ Newcastle West. The entrance to the farm is 2 kms along this road, accessed via a laneway on the left. It will be signposted.
CALLS have been made for more rural bus shelters to be erected in east Limerick in the interest of personal safety for both locals and tourists.

Cllr John Egan told a meeting of the Cappamore-Kilmallock Municipal District that the councils Active Travel programme is touching on every town and village throughout county Limerick.

However, I am disappointed that there is no mention of any bus shelters, he said, referring to the schedule of municipal district works for the coming year.

Cllr Michael Donegan echoed his sentiments, stressing that the district needs to have proper facilities and services in place.

I can certainly see it in Kilmallock, where we have Local Link now. There is an unofficial stop there, but for any tourists that visit us, there are no signs or bus shelter, he said.

He added that a presentation in September would be welcome from the local authority detailing where the rural bus shelters are. I certainly dont see any down in East Limerick, he continued.

Cllr Donegan explained that if someone is to get a bus at the busy O Rourkes Cross or even to or from Kilfinane, Kilmallock or Bruff, there are no bus shelters available.

He stressed the need to link towns and villages throughout the county.

Cllr Brigid Teefy commended the work throughout the municipal district, and the allocation of 1.5m in Active Travel funding which she said, has made such a difference in the life of local people.

There were a few years where we were starved of funding, she stated.

Trevor McKechnie, Senior Executive Engineer with the council said that the NTA are making funding available for bus shelters through the Active Travel Programme.

There are criteria to be met such as a certain frequency through a town or village, but there definitely is funding available, he added.
GARDAI are warning Limerick householders to be vigilant when allowing other people to visit their homes.

The long-standing crime prevention advice has been not to allow anybody into your home unless you know them and now gardai say care should also be taken with visitors.

The advice is being issued following two recent incidents in the city.

"In one incident, a lady in her thirties invited a number of people back to her home at Parnell Street in the city centre. The following morning she realised that her prescribed medication had been stolen," said divisional crime prevention officer Sergeant Ber Leetch.

In a second incident, a man (aged in his forties) invited some friends to his home in Ballinacurra. The following morning his phone and a sum of cash were missing, presumed stolen.

"It is very important that you know exactly who you allow into your home, you may trust your friends but who are the people with them? Protect your personal property at all times," added Sgt Leetch.

Gardai at Roxboro Road are investigating both incidents.
A donation of 10,000 has been presented to St Munchins Community Centre, Kileely by the Limerick City and County Vintners Association.

The 10,000 donation was raised from the proceeds of the 2022 Limerick Vintners Ball which was held at the Limerick Strand Hotel this past May.

It was the first in-person gala ball since the onset of Covid-19.

Earlier this year, St Munchins Community Centre Age-Friendly Education Campus at St Leilas School was transformed into an emergency evacuation centre for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the ongoing war.

The Kileely centre has seen its classrooms repurposed as dormitories, complete with makeshift fold-up beds and Treaty publicans gave generously to the worthy chosen cause.

St Munchins Community Centre manager Linda Ledger thanked the Limerick City Vintners Association for their support, saying, We are so grateful for the generosity of Limerick publicans and attendees of the recent Limerick Vintners Ball. Many people fleeing Ukraine have lost all possessions and family. This kind donation will go towards providing additional beds for those arriving from Ukraine, and will also help to support those adjusting to life here in Ireland.

The community centre, which has played an active role in promoting and developing community involvement in Kileely since 2005, has been offered two modular units to house additional Ukrainian arrivals for a reduced cost of 32,000.

To donate to St Munchins Community Centre Ukraine Appeal see their GoFundme page.
ST CAMILLUS Hospital is decked out in green and white thanks to a Galway man!

John Lyons, of the Hungry Lyons restaurants, paid for flags and bunting to get residents up for the match this Sunday.

To add to the build-up, the Liam MacCarthy Cup paid a visit in recent weeks to the Shelbourne Road facility in the city thanks to Limerick GAAs Siobhan Scanlon.

The residents thoroughly enjoyed the visit of Liam said Pat OByrne, whose father-in-law John Scully, Galbally, is pictured with the flags. And like the rest of us they want it to remain in Limerick for another year.

To keep the momentum up as the county looks forward to the All-Ireland semi-final on Sunday against Galway, Pat approached John Lyons to help decorate the five wards, and he was happy to oblige.

He is a great supporter of local communities, said Pat, who made the approach for all the residents and to thank the unbelievable staff in St Camillus, including activity centre staff Kelley Cummins, Claire Ryan and Lorraine Carroll.

The beauty in this is seeing the enjoyment it brings to others. All the residents are talking about the match on Sunday and about memories they have of going to matches when they were younger. It has given them a massive lift, said Pat.

Kelley Cummins said the activity centre is an active department enhancing the lived experiences of their residents.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the local business community over the last few years which have been particularly challenging, she said.

The buzz is building in St Camillus as throw-in approaches.

Lorraine said: The colour added to the wards on match week will add to the excitement.
Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc is bracing for a leaner second half of the year, as it copes with macroeconomic pressures and data privacy hits to its ads business, according to an internal memo quoted by Reuters on Thursday.

The company must "operate leaner, meaner, better executing teams," Chief Product Officer Chris Cox wrote in the memo, which appeared on the company's internal discussion forum Workplace.

The Meta executive added that the company is in serious times here and the headwinds are fierce," underscoring that its challenges arent likely to vanish anytime soon.

Cox reiterated statements made by Meta CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg during a call with analysts as part of the companys first quarter earnings report, which detailed the negative impact to the companys business caused by a privacy update Apple made to the iPhone last year.

To make up for the effects of last years Apple privacy update, which decreased the companys ability to target ads, Meta will invest in Instagram Reels, its TikTok competitor, as well as shopping and messaging features.

Cox in the memo called for the need to execute flawlessly in an environment of slower growth, where teams should not expect vast influxes of new engineers and budgets.

Meta also plans to invest in features that would make it easier for retailers to show ads to customers on its family of apps, and for employees communicate with businesses through messaging.

Tech companies across the board have scaled back their ambitions in anticipation of a possible U.S. recession, although the slide in stock price at Meta has been more severe than at competitors Apple and Google.

On Thursday, Meta shares were relatively flat in after-hours trading at USD 161.10.

The world's biggest social media company lost about half its market value this year, after Meta reported that daily active users on its flagship Facebook app had experienced a quarterly decline for the first time.

Its austerity drive comes at a tricky time, coinciding with two major strategic pivots: one aimed at re-fashioning its social media products around "discovery" to beat back competition from short-video app TikTok, the other an expensive long-term bet on augmented and virtual reality technology.

Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc has also cut plans to hire engineers by at least 30% this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees on Thursday, as he warned them to brace for a deep economic downturn.

"If I had to bet, I'd say that this might be one of the worst downturns that we've seen in recent history," Zuckerberg told workers in a weekly employee Q&A session, audio of which was heard by Reuters.

Meta has reduced its target for hiring engineers in 2022 to around 6,000-7,000, down from an initial plan to hire about 10,000 new engineers, Zuckerberg said.

Meta confirmed hiring pauses in broad terms last month, but exact figures have not previously been reported.

In addition to reducing hiring, he said, the company was leaving certain positions unfilled in response to attrition and "turning up the heat" on performance management to weed out staffers unable to meet more aggressive goals.
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us

By Ed Yong

Random House. 464 pp. $30

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A confession: I regularly get into arguments with children about animal facts. Often, they're right and I'm wrong - I blame the educational cartoon "Wild Kratts." But I may have wrested back the advantage, thanks to Ed Yong's new book, "An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal The Hidden World Around Us."

The premise of the book is that every species has access to a different slice of reality, and we humans can gain new perspectives by tapping into these alien worldviews. This powerful idea, first proposed by Estonian biologist Jakob von Uexkull in 1909, marinated for the better part of a century before catching on among modern scientists. In the last decade, research on other animals' ways of perceiving and making sense of the world - also known as "umwelt" - has exploded. With "An Immense World," Yong, a science journalist at the Atlantic, pulls together these findings with the promise of giving readers a scientifically based glimpse into what it would be like to be another animal.

"Through patient observation, through the technologies at our disposal, through the scientific method, and, above all else, through our curiosity and imagination, we can try to step into [other animals'] worlds," Yong writes.

Yong proceeds sense by sense, from the familiar (sight, smell, taste), to the exotic (echolocation, electroreception, magnetoreception). He reveals a world thrumming with information to which humans are (perhaps thankfully) insensitive: Bats screaming at earsplitting decibels all night long, katydids playing plant stems like violin strings, flowers blazing with ultraviolet bull's-eyes. Yong explains how these senses work - sometimes down to the biochemical level - and takes us on field trips to meet the scientists behind the findings, all while masterfully weaving these disparate threads into a single narrative rope. But, as I finished chapter after chapter, I couldn't shake the feeling that we kept falling short of our promised destination: understanding what it's like to be another animal.

This may be impossible. Perhaps you are familiar with the essay "What Is It Like To Be A Bat?" written in 1974 by philosopher Thomas Nagel. Nagel argues that even a scientist who learns everything there is to know about echolocation can never really imagine a bat's experience, its umwelt. That's because the bat has a lifetime of batty experiences that shape its worldview, not to mention a brain and a body utterly unlike our own. The best you can hope for, he argues, is to understand what it would be like for you, a human, to be a bat.

To my mind, this isn't a real limitation. Even if you could get a bat to talk, he would probably have difficulty describing his lived, moment-to-moment experiences, just as you'd be baffled if someone asked you to describe your sensory and conscious experiences. (That is, unless you happen to be James Joyce.) This is because your umwelt is the only one you've ever known. To the extent that it's possible, the only way to understand another animal's umwelt is through comparison and imagination - two areas where Yong falls short.

Again and again, Yong tiptoes up to the precipice of another animal's experience but never quite takes that final imaginative leap. For instance, when he meets up with cognitive scientist Alexandra Horowitz and her dog Finn, Yong contemplates Horowitz's insights on her dog's olfactory-focused experience: "Smells linger in a way that light does not, revealing history. The past occupants of Horowitz's room have left no ghostly visual traces, but their chemical imprint is there for Finn to detect."

This is all crucial information, but it doesn't answer the underlying question: What is it like to be a dog? Since we humans are such visual creatures, a visual metaphor might help: Smells linger, so perhaps a dog's "view" of the world is like a long-exposure photograph. Finn "sees" the ghostly, fading image of the dog who was here yesterday. He also has some X-ray vision (smells passing through surfaces), but he is a little nearsighted, because smells don't travel as far as light.

Overall, Yong avoids using metaphors to other senses, but when he does indulge in them (or more often, when he quotes a scientist making that imaginative leap), these are the parts of the book I keep thinking about. On the question of what it's like to echolocate like a bat or a dolphin, Yong posits that it might be like "touching with sound," "It's as if a dolphin is reaching out and squeezing its surroundings with phantasmal hands," he writes.

What Yong never really gets to, however, are animals' inner lives. As part of the umwelt revolution, scientists are exploring the ways other animals knit together sensory information into a coherent experience of the world. This, the squishy and contentious realm of comparative psychology and cognitive ethology, asks such questions as: Do dogs experience jealousy? (Yes!) Do cats understand cause and effect? (Maybe not!) Do dolphins have a sense of self? (Probably).

These findings stretch the imagination and force us to contemplate new ways of experiencing the world. What would it be like to feel no separation between yourself and your environment? How would you experience time if it slowed down or sped up depending on your body temperature? Are cats forever pushing things off shelves because the result never fails to be surprising?

Although "An Immense World" doesn't quite plunge readers into other animals' worlds, it does make a case for how much we humans miss - and misunderstand - when we fail to consider other animals' worldviews. This, in itself, is a major achievement. Or, as Yong writes, "The task will be hard, as Nagel predicted. But there is value and glory in the striving."

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Sadie Dingfelder is a writer based in Washington.
Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswaldo Paya and his Daring Quest for a Free Cuba

By David E. Hoffman

Simon & Schuster. 519 pp. $32.50

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A year ago, Cubans took to the streets in massive protests shouting, "Down with the dictatorship!" Some of the demonstrators and many of the protest's leaders held out their thumb and forefinger in the shape of the letter L.

That L traced back to a man named Oswaldo Paya, a Cuban activist who defied Fidel Castro's despotic regime and ultimately lost his life for the cause. The L was Paya's familiar symbol of the fight for liberation.

In "Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswaldo Paya and his Daring Quest for a Free Cuba," David E. Hoffman delivers a moving, deeply researched and long-overdue biography of the man who launched the Varela Project, a citizen initiative that challenged Fidel Castro's rule by petitioning for democracy.

The initiative was prompted by what Paya called a "crack in the wall" of tyranny. In a pre-Castro constitution, written in 1940, Cubans were granted the right to propose laws by presenting a citizen initiative with at least 10,000 signatures. Under Castro, that constitution was torn up and a new one written. In the process of creating the new constitution, however, some portions "were simply cut and pasted from . . . the 1940 constitution," Hoffman writes, including the citizen initiative. "Perhaps Fidel did not notice it, or perhaps he concluded that no one would ever dare to use it."

Hoffman details the ways in which Paya used the initiative to demand "free speech, a free press, freedom of association, freedom of belief, private enterprise, free elections, and freedom for political prisoners."

The movement presented the petition to the National Assembly in 2002 with 11,020 verified signatures. More than 14,000 signatures were added the following year. Taken by surprise, Castro and his state security apparatus acted quickly. As Hoffman reveals, "Oswaldo and his movement paid a heavy price."

Not only were the signatures not accepted, but 75 activists and independent journalists were arrested and sentenced to as many as 28 years in prison. This round-up became known as the Black Spring of 2003. "The arrests over three days," Hoffman writes, "struck at the heart of Oswaldo's movement." Many of those locked up were active in the Varela Project, in one way or another.

Paya himself was not arrested. Instead, state security "subjected [him] to a different torment: relentless psychological warfare," Hoffman recounts. Warned repeatedly that he would not outlive Castro, Paya told a visiting U.S. diplomat that "people aren't taking seriously enough the threat that they'd liquidate me."

Hoffman skillfully leads us through Paya's narrative, as if "Give Me Liberty" were a historical thriller. The tragedy at the center, of course, is that it's a true story, not only of one man's "journey into the whirlwind of dictatorship" but also of a country and its suffocating struggle for freedom.

As a young man, Paya was forced into a labor camp that was meant to mold and "reeducate" him and other dissidents into "new men," who would defend the revolution. It didn't work. As Hoffman observes, "for Oswaldo Paya, the experience was the opposite. They had not conquered his soul. They had nourished it."

The stronger his soul became, however, the more dangerous were the threats against his life. As far back as 2004, Paya recognized he was a marked man when he told Swedish democracy activist Henrik Ehrenberg: "I see very few chances of getting out alive."

Eight years later he was dead, four years before Castro.

The last chapter, detailing the car crash that killed Paya on July 22, 2012, reads like a nightmare-inducing horror story. We ride along as Paya travels with his protege and family friend, Harold Cepero, to Santiago de Cuba, 545 miles from Havana on the other end of the island. In Santiago de Cuba, Paya hoped to organize and train young activists under a program he called Paths for Change.

In the car with Paya and Cepero were two foreigners, who were working with Paya. At the wheel was a young Spaniard named Angel Carromero, a leader in the Madrid youth wing of the country's ruling People's Party. Also in the car was Jens Aron Modig, a youth organizer of Sweden's Christian Democrats.

Along the way, their rented Hyundai was tailed by what Paya believed were state security men in a red Lada. After a stop for lunch, Paya sang to a Beatles CD they had bought on the trip and warned Carromero to drive carefully to avoid provoking the vehicle shadowing them. As they passed through a construction zone, the Lada suddenly lurched forward and hit the Hyundai from behind. Carromero lost control of the car, which slid off the road and hit a tree. The Hyundai's roof caved in where Paya was sitting. Modig curled into a fetal position, and Carromero passed out, then regained consciousness as he was being pulled out of the car by two "brawny" Cuban men who shut him into a van. Someone then hit him in the head, and he fell unconscious again. Modig woke up in an ambulance.

"Unanswered questions linger," Hoffman writes. "Where did the blue van and ambulance come from? What explains the ambulance and van showing up so quickly in the middle of nowhere? Were they already in position - because someone knew what was about to happen?"

Paya's family would soon be told that Oswaldo was dead. But state officials revealed little about what had happened. At the request of Paya's wife, Ofelia, two friends rushed to the hospital and were told by a police captain that two witnesses reported seeing the crash. Neither witness mentioned anything about a collision, only that the Hyundai went off the road. "They recalled a passing red Lada had halted to help the wounded," Hoffman writes. "Then a blue van arrived and took one of the foreigners away. An ambulance arrived very soon thereafter."

The family was left with grave - and growing - suspicions. The Payas' daughter, Rosa Maria, later told a government forensic officer: "We have reasons to believe this was not an accident."

The government withheld information on the circumstances and cause of Paya's death, including his autopsy. At the funeral home, Ofelia was handed a document that said only that her husband died from an "injury to the nervous system." That was all.

But that would not be all for Paya's legacy. The writer Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo recalled that at Paya's funeral, there arose from the pews spontaneous clapping accompanied by chants of liberty. It was, Lazo said, "a farewell to our hopes for a life in truth. It was a clapping from the soul."

Yet the Cuban soul persists, as was evidenced through last year's fresh burst of protest. As Hoffman observes, "an important legacy of Oswaldo's quest was that gradually, painstakingly, despite all the obstacles and hardships, Cubans began to lose their fear and raise their voice against despotism."

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Vanessa Garcia is a screenwriter, novelist and playwright. Her children's book, "What the Bread Says: Baking with Love, History, and Papan," due out in October, explores baking and family history, particularly her grandfather's escape from three tyrannies, including Castro's Cuba.
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Youd be forgiven for not being inclined to laugh at anything pregnancy-related at the moment. Kudos to Doula for trying, though, as director Cheryl Nichols lighthearted pregnancy comedy arrives at a time when the laughter is the best medicine theory is being stress-tested like never before for women across the country. To call its brand of comedy niche might be an understatement  for one thing, its central plot development hinges on knowing the difference between a midwife and a doula  but the films insights ultimately outnumber its laughs.

That wouldnt appear to be the case early on, as the funniest scene is also the first. Eyes closed during a visualization exercise, Deb (Troian Bellisario) reluctantly informs her midwife Penka (Cheryl Baker) that it isnt working. She cant see a baby, just an orangish blob. Theres just one problem: Penka has died sometime in the last few minutes. This leads not only to a woo-woo funeral with flower crowns that almost seems destined to veer into Midsommar territory, but also to a conundrum: Deb and her boyfriend Silvio (Arron Shiver, who also wrote the script) need a new midwife. What they get instead is Sascha (Will Greenberg), a doula who happens to be Penkas son.

If youve seen literally any movie about a couple welcoming an outsider into their life in such an intimate way, youll probably hear alarm bells the moment Sascha takes residence in the same backyard tent his mother was living in prior to her demise. (She insisted on not staying in the house itself, as does he.) Its impossible for a variable like that not to alter their dynamic, which is already more fraught than it appears. Easygoing Deb wouldnt mind a hospital birth, whereas Silvio is pushing her to do it at home. Its he who decides to hire Sascha and he who regrets it when the doula influences Deb in ways he wasnt anticipating. (You know that whole pasteurized cheese thing? Myth.)

We dont often think of pregnancy movies as a genre, and yet that life hurdle has inspired many a movie. These run the gamut from comedy (Knocked Up, Obvious Child) to horror (Rosemarys Baby, mother!), with some of the most memorable, disturbing entries focusing on abortion access and the lack thereof: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Happening, to name just a few. The last of these, which won the Golden Lion at last years Venice Film Festival, has odd timing in common with Doula. Where Audrey Diwans film arrived in stateside theaters shortly after the draft of last weeks Supreme Court ruling was leaked, Nichols has been released less than a week after the decision itself.

So if youre wondering whether Doula is funny or engaging enough to take your mind off all that, the answer is a firm maybe. The movie is at its best when focusing on Deb, an independent spirit who cant help being surrounded by men who insist they know whats best for her. Bellisario, best known for her breakthrough role on Pretty Little Liars, has wit and charm to spare. Manipulation comes in many forms, and its often most insidious at the hands of those who present themselves as allies and advocates. Doula is well attuned to that sad fact, and a tighter focus on it rather than the more comedic elements (most of which dont land as intended) might have helped shape it into something sharper.

The only man involved in Debs pregnancy who seems trustworthy is her actual doctor (Chris Pine, who also produced; Doula is the first release from his new production company, Barry Linen Motion Pictures). Hes justifiably wary of both Silvio and Sascha. Not for nothing does Pine consistently place high in fans rankings of the Hollywood Chrises (see also: Hemsworth, Evans and Pratt)  its rare for a star of his level to be involved with such a small, intimate project, and theres little doubt that Doula was a labor of love.

Even so, the film rarely being ha-ha funny makes it drag. It seems odd to say that a 105-minute movie is too long, and yet so little of consequence actually happens in that hour and 45 minutes that you cant help wishing some of the fat had been trimmed in the editing room. Doula ultimately comes across less as an actual comedy and more as a slice of life thats lighthearted but also low stakes. Besides thinking Deb would do well to extricate herself from nearly every relationship shes in, it simply doesnt inspire much in the way of strong feelings.

Reviewed online, June 30, 2022. Running time: 105 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 105 MIN.

Production

A Universal Pictures release and presentation of a Barry Linen Motion Pictures production, in association with Vacation Theory. Producers: Chris Pine, Ian Gotler, Erin Fahey, Anabella Casanova, Sage Price. Executive producers: Ian Gotler, Erin Fahey, Anabella Casanova, Sage Price.

Crew

Director: Cheryl Nichols. Screenplay: Arron Shiver. Camera: Drew Bienemann. Editors: F. Rocky Jameson, Nadav Heyman. Music: Stefan Skarbek.

With

Troian Bellisario, Will Greenberg, Arron Shiver, Chris Pine, Amanda Walsh, Ally Maki, Elyse Levesque, Alex McKenna, Robert Baker.

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Pinewood Group, which runs Pinewood and Shepperton Studios  home to recent blockbusters including No Time to Die, Black Widow and Cruella  has posted a 102.9 million ($125 million) turnover for the financial year ending March 31, 2022.

Thats a 6 million increase on the previous year despite the fact that for much of 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic was still having an impact via social distancing, mandatory self-isolation and lockdowns. Despite this, the U.K. has experienced a production boom since shooting started back up in July 2020 following the implementation of COVID-19 protocols.

The 60-page financial report, filed at U.K. companies registrar Companies House earlier this week, states that The Group has operated at full capacity throughout the year, which ran from March 2021-2022.

In terms of profit, those revenues translated into 63.6 million gross profit  up on 3.1 million the previous year  and a net profit of 31.3 million, which is slightly down from 33.7 million the previous year. The report puts this down to the high level of production which resulted in a reduced opportunity for generating resale income and an increased usage of ancillary studio services, which are principally sold at cost.

The Group also paid back 0.5 million towards the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme, which they took part in during the throes of the pandemic and noted that revenue from international agreements declined marginally compared with prior year. This was due, the report states, to the exit of the Groups sales and marketing agreement in October 2020 with Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia (previously known as Pinewood Atlanta Studios).

However the report notes that agreements with studios in Toronto and the Dominican Republic are still generating income.

The directors have instructed that no dividends be paid this financial year.

Pinewood Group provides sound stages and other production accommodation such as offices and wardrobe facilities. It also offers post-production and other studio services as well as international sales, marketing and customer support on behalf of third party studios, according to the report.

In order to keep up with demand, the Group is embarking on ambitious developments at both Pinewood and Shepperton, which are set over a combined 502 acres of land. At Pinewood, which is located between London and Windsor, the Group is constructing another five sound stages, due to come online this summer, which have already been snapped up by Disney in a long-term lease. The group has also applied for planning permission to build a hub that includes production facilities, a skills and training accommodation and a visitor attraction.

Meanwhile at Shepperton, construction has commenced on an expansion that will double the size of the current production hub. The studio has already signed long-term contracts with both Netflix and Amazon to lease the space.

This sees 100% of the Groups production accommodation, existing and currently under construction, being let under long-term index-linked contracts, the report states.

Pinewood Groups report notes that in the last financial year, a whopping 84.1 million of the companys turnover came from just two customers (who are not named), and in the previous year 80 million turnover came from just three customers (also not named).

The issue of long leases being snapped up by larger studios is a thorny one in the U.K., with smaller productions scrabbling to find space to shoot due to the boom in production.

However, from Pinewoods point of view, the long leases are a crucial form of risk management. We face competition from existing studios and new market entrants, both in the U.K. and internationally, the report states under a heading titled Principal Risks and Uncertainties.

With long-term contracts in place for 100% of the existing production accommodation at our U.K. sites, where the rent is payable in advance, the risk of low occupancy levels or downward pressure on our rates is substantially eliminated in the medium-term, the report continues.

Other risks identified in the report include Brexit, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a skilled labor shortage, which the Group acknowledges could be exacerbated by a material increase in the amount of studio space in the south-east [of the U.K.], and personal injury as productions and construction teams use and move around our sites, given the nature of their operations and activities.

In order to mitigate some of these risks, the Group is working with the BFI and U.K. government to help address the skills shortages and also has a disaster recovery plan in place in the event of a major incident such as a fire or explosion.

A major incident, such as a fire or explosion, could put people and/or the site at risk, resulting in a loss of turnover and damage to the Groups operations and reputation, the report acknowledges, adding that the Group employs an in-house health, safety and fire team who carry out regular risk assessments.

In March, a set on Disneys upcoming live-action Snow White set caught fire while in 2006 a fire broke out during a shoot for Bond film Casino Royale. There were no injuries reported in either incident.

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Prime Video is delivering the star power this month with the release of the much-anticipated The Terminal List, starring Chris Pratt. The entire first season of the action series arrived on the streamer today and is already No. 3 in the U.S.

Based on James Carrs best-selling novel of the same name, the revenge thriller follows a Navy SEAL lieutenant James Reece (Pratt) whose most recent mission goes awry: his entire platoon is fatally defeated and he realizes he and his team have been set up. When he returns home, he teams up with Katie Buraneck (Constance Wu), a war correspondent hoping to use the power of the press to hold the right people accountable. Jeanne Tripplehorn and Taylor Kitsch also star.

Pratt, who also serves as one of the shows executive producers, is the perfect casting choice for the patriotic Reece, considering the actors prior military roles. He played a SEAL in Zero Dark Thirty, a former Green Beret in The Tomorrow War, and a Navy veteran in the Jurassic World franchise.

So, how can you stream The Terminal List? All eight episodes of the new series arrived on Amazon Prime Video at 12 a.m. PT on July 1. In order to stream the show, youll have to sign up for an Amazon Prime account. A subscription starts off at $14.99 a month, but new users can sign up for a free one-month trial here.

Once you binge through the series this weekend, you can also shop Carrs five-part James Reece book series, which became a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon since the shows release.

Stream The Terminal List below:

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The CEO of TikTok tried to reassure U.S. lawmakers  who have renewed concerns over its sharing of U.S. user data with employees in China  that the video app company is taking steps to restrict that access to only a narrow slice of data.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew sent a letter dated June 30 to nine GOP senators in response to their inquiry this week demanding answers on TikToks backdoor data access for Beijing, a reference to Chinas communist regime. Fears that TikTok represents a national security threat go back several years. In August 2020, President Trump ordered TikToks Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell majority control of TikTok to American entities under the threat of TikTok being shut down in the U.S.; that was blocked by U.S. federal courts.

In his letter to the Republican senators, Chew wrote, Many of your questions appear to stem from a recent BuzzFeed article, which contains allegations and insinuations that are incorrect and are not supported by facts.

Thats a reference to a June 17 BuzzFeed News report that TikTok employees in China have repeatedly accessed U.S.-based users data. According to Chew, the access TikTok has granted to staffers in China to U.S. user data is part of efforts to shut off that access  with a goal of making substantive progress toward compliance with a final agreement with the U.S. Government that will fully safeguard user data and U.S. national security interests. News of TikToks letter was first reported by the New York Times.

TikTok  which claims to have more than 1 billion monthly users  says employees outside the U.S., including China-based employees, currently are allowed to access TikTok U.S. user data subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our U.S.-based security team.

Going forward, the Chew wrote, certain China-based employees will have access to a narrow, non-sensitive set of TikTok U.S. user data, such as the public videos and comments available to anyone, to ensure global interoperability so our U.S. users, creators, brands and merchants are afforded the same rich and safe TikTok experience as global users. Chew said that access will be very limited and will not include private TikTok U.S. user information, and it will only occur pursuant to protocols being developed with the U.S. Government.

In addition, TikTok continues to maintain that it has never shared data with the Chinese Communist Party, and that the Chinese authorities have not made any such requests. We have not been asked for such data from the CCP. We have not provided U.S. user data to the CCP, nor would we if asked, Chew wrote in the letter.

Chew reiterated TikToks recent claim that 100% of U.S. user traffic is now being routed to Oracles cloud infrastructure and that it eventually plans to delete all American user data from its Singapore data centers. Chews letter also noted that the exec is a Singaporean national who resides in Singapore.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R.-Tenn.), who spearheaded the GOPs information request to TikTok, said in response to Chews letter, TikToks response confirms our fears about the CCPs influence in the company were well founded. The senator added in a statement, The Chinese-run company should have come clean from the start, but it attempted to shroud its work in secrecy. Americans need to know [that] if they are on TikTok, Communist China has their information.

Earlier this week, Brendan Carr, a Republican commissioner of the FCC, ratcheted up political pressure on TikTok in the wake of the BuzzFeed News report. On Twitter, Carr posted a letter to Apple and Google urging the tech giants to remove TikTok from their app stores  calling the app thats popular for sharing viral dance trends and comedy sketches an unacceptable national security risk. The FCC does not have authority to regulate apps.

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The Laredo Center for the Arts will host the exhibit The Border is a Weapon from July 1 to Aug. 20.

The exhibit is curated by local artist and teacher Gil Rocha, who said it focuses on not just tangible borders but those created in the mind and by society.

The Border is a Weapon will be the fourth LC4A Art Acquisition Project of Exhibition series by local and regional artists.

Starting with the free opening reception at 6 p.m., locals can visit the center to see the art pieces by seven artists including Jose Villalobos, Martiza Buatizta, Ruben Luna, Angel Cabrales, Juan De Dio Mora, Barrio Pop and Daniela Cavazos Madrigal. The Friday reception will be followed by an artist talk on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at the center.

According to Rocha, the art on display with have a variety of tones, some more humorous than others, but all with the artists' depictions of the serious issues at the borders, both seen and unseen. As an example, used in both literary and visual arts, the wrong side of the tracks is often a border, not separating two countries but separating the poor and the wealthy, the tainted and anointed, etc.

This exhibition of visual art tries to take control of our own voice to clarify what is professed in the north of the United States about us. Our intention is to show things as they are and dismantle 'The Weapon,' Rocha said. Things are not entirely admirable, but the countrys problems are not ours or those of the immigrants. The problem arises because of the founding of the country developed in injustices. In order to understand each other, let's listen to each other without prejudices.

Rocha said that as immigration is often considered the dominant border issue, further "borders" are erected within the mindset of the community and those hearing the border news from outside the area. He emphasized the artist would bring their pieces to the community showcasing more issues not often discussed or perhaps thought of.

For example, Villalobos has previously exhibited his work at the TAMIU art gallery. It depicted the juxtaposition the distress of feeling of comfort deriving from patriarchal and religious social structures which marginalize gay identity.

Furthermore, Villalobos previously told LMT that his pervious exhibit, J--- Fronterizo, explored and protests machismo and toxic masculinity within the Norteno culture. Villalobos was raised in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, and he tackled those issues his entire childhood life as a closeted gay man.

Rocha said these borders are propped up in the mindset of the men, women and children of the Laredo and Nuevo Laredo community, but are not limited to here. The idea that a bedazzled and extravagant sombrero can be worn by two different men and elicit a completely different response is what the Friday exhibit is meant to showcase.
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Three men have been arrested for their involvement in a north Laredo shooting that left one man injured, according to Laredo police.

Victor Guillermo Villarreal Jr., 24, Mark Anthony Villarreal, 21, and Victor Alejandro Gonzalez, 23, were served with warrants charging them with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and engaging in organized criminal activity.

The shooting was reported June 26 in the 1500 block of White Tail Lane in the Hunters Hill Subdivision in north Laredo. A man had been shot multiple times on his legs and wrist. The suspect vehicles involved in the incident were described as a white passenger vehicle and a red pickup, according to police.

LPD Crimes Against Persons investigators took over the case. Authorities spoke to the complainant at Doctors Hospital. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his left side abdomen, right and left leg, and right wrist.

He stated he was shot because of Mark Anthony Villarreals girlfriend. The complainant added Mark Anthony Villarreal was together with his brother Victor Guillermo Villarreal but did not know which brother shot at him, states the affidavit.

The complainant mentioned that earlier in the morning, the same people had hit him with a black Ford F-150 while he was by the Stripes on 2522 Jacaman Road. An aggravated assault report was filed for that incident.

The complainant was then airlifted from Doctors Hospital to Brooke Army Medical Center for surgery.

During the course of the investigation, police would identify the driver of the white suspect vehicle as Gonzalez. He stated he heard a lot of gunshots and then Victor Guillermo Villarreal entered his vehicle. Victor Guillermo Villarreal told Gonzalez to go to south Laredo, where Victor Guillermo Villarreal left the car by South Ejido Avenue in the Los Presidentes Subdivision.

The investigation also revealed Mark Anthony Villarreal was a passenger in the white vehicle, according to court documents.
Polish Cultural Institute in London

Based in London, the Polish Cultural Institute is a part of Polish diplomatic mission, dedicated to nurturing and promoting cultural ties between the United Kingdom and Poland, both through British exposure to Poland 's cultural achievements, and through exposure of Polish artists and scholars to British trends, institutions, and professional counterparts.

The function of the Polish Cultural Institute is to showcase Polish heritage and contemporary Polish culture for Britain 's multicultural audience, particularly in London as it is truly the leading global cultural capital. Our programme covers the visual arts, film, theatre, music and literature. Watch short videos from our events at Vimeo.

Follow us on Twitter (@PLInst_London) and Facebook (polishinstitutelondon) for up to date news, competitions and exciting insight into Polish culture.

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Courtesy/U.S. Border Patrol

A man has been arrested for the smuggling attempt of 60 migrants in a refrigerated box truck, according to court documents.

Aaron Vasquez was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport migrants.
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The July Fourth holiday weekend is off to a booming start with airport crowds crushing the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic.

Travelers across the United States experienced hundreds of canceled flights and a few thousand delays on Friday, much as they did earlier this week.

Patricia Carreno arrived with friends at Los Angeles International Airport only to learn that their Alaska Airlines flight to Mazatlan, Mexico, had been canceled.

Were probably going to drive down to Mexico  to Tijuana, the border  and just fly from there," she said.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2.4 million travelers at airport checkpoints on Thursday, 17% more than on the same Friday before July Fourth in 2019. U.S. air travel is likely to set a pandemic-era record at least once over the weekend.

Traffic on the highway could be heavy too.

AAA predicts that nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. AAA says car travel will set a record even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.

Leisure travel has bounced back this year, and that means particularly big crowds over three-day holiday weekends.

With many flights sold out over the July Fourth weekend, airlines will struggle to find seats for passengers like Carreno whose flights are canceled. Airlines told customers to check their flights status before going to the airport.

If youre already at the airport when your flight is canceled, its time to flex your multitasking skills, said Sebastian Modak, editor-at-large of travel guide publisher Lonely Planet.

Modak advised heading straight to the airlines help desk, checking its app on your phone, and calling the airlines customer-service line  an international number might be answered sooner than a U.S. one for airlines that have both. He said driving or taking the bus or train will be a better option for shorter trips.

Theres no getting around the fact that this is going to be a summer of travel delays, cancelations, and frustrations, he said.

By early evening Friday on the East Coast, airlines had canceled about 500 U.S. flights and another 5,100 were delayed, according to FlightAware. Scattered thunderstorms in the New York City area made it likely the numbers would climb. From June 22 through Wednesday at least 600 flights were canceled, and between 4,000 and 7,000 were delayed per day, the tracking service said.

Airline executives blame the recent surge of canceled flights on the Federal Aviation Administration, which runs the nations air traffic control system, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg disputes that claim.

Passengers are caught in the middle.

Mari Ismail, who flew to Atlanta on Friday, said it took a long time to check in and get through security before her flight from Baltimore.

I got to my gate right as they started boarding, so it was a very lengthy process, she said.

Jordane Jeffrey said she booked a return trip from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for Monday, the holiday.

Im hoping there are no delays because I work that night, she said.

Airlines sometimes overbook flights with the expectation that some passengers won't show up. When there are more passengers than seats, airlines will offer cash or travel vouchers to people willing to take the next flight.

Earlier this week, a columnist for Inc. magazine wrote that Delta flight attendants offered $10,000 cash to people who would leave a plane waiting to take off from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Delta spokesman Anthony Black would neither confirm nor deny the journalist's account, but he noted that the airline raised the compensation agents can offer in such cases to $9,950 in 2017. That move followed a public-relations nightmare at United Airlines, when airport officers bloodied and dragged a 69-year-old doctor off a sold-out plane  a case that resulted in a lawsuit, confidential settlement, and jokes on late-night TV about United customer service.

Even with vacationers crowding into airports and on planes, the total number of people flying has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels because of a decline in business and international travel. TSA screened 11% fewer people in June than it did in the same month of 2019.

Thursday marked only the 11th time since the pandemic started that TSA checked more people than it did on the same day in 2019, and just the second time since February.

Airlines could almost surely be carrying more passengers if they had enough staffing. Many U.S. airlines have trimmed their summer schedules after bad weather, air-traffic delays and a lack of enough employees caused widespread cancellations over the Memorial Day weekend.

Airlines paid thousands of workers to quit during the early days of the pandemic, when air travel plummeted and airline revenue dried up. They have been hiring recently, but it takes time to train pilots, who are in particularly short supply.

Now airlines competing for key employees are offering double-digit raises to pilots, who find themselves with leverage in negotiations over new contracts.

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Associated Press video journalists Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles and Sharon Johnson in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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NEW ORLEANS (AP)  President Joe Biden's administration on Friday proposed up to 10 oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the Alaska coast over the next five years  going against the Democrat's climate promises but scaling back a Trump-era plan that called for dozens of offshore drilling opportunities including in undeveloped areas.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said fewer than 11 lease sales  or even no lease sales at all  could occur, with a final decision not due for months. New drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts would be blocked, after being considered under Trump.

President Biden and I have made clear our commitment to transition to a clean energy economy. Today, we put forward an opportunity for the American people to ... provide input on the future of offshore oil and gas leasing, said Haaland, whose agency oversees drilling on federal lands and waters.

The proposal brought immediate backlash from both environmentalists  who accused Biden of betraying the climate cause  and oil industry officials and allies, who said it would do little to help counter high energy prices. Gasoline prices averaged $4.84 a gallon on Friday, a strain on commuters and a political albatross for Bidens fellow Democrats going into the midterm elections. That has left the White House scrambling for solutions, including Bidens call last week for suspension of the 18.4 cents a gallon federal gas tax.

The Interior Department had suspended lease sales in late January because of climate concerns but was forced to resume them by a U.S. district judge in Louisiana.

The Biden administration cited conflicting court rulings about that decision when it canceled the last scheduled lease sales in the Gulf and Alaska during the previous offshore leasing cycle. That prior five-year cycle, a program adopted under former President Barack Obama, expired on Thursday.

There will be a months-long gap before a new plan can be put in place. The oil industry and its allies say the delay could cause problems in planning new drilling and potentially lead to decreased oil production.

Theres unlikely to be an offshore lease sale until well into next year, said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, the industrys top lobbying group.

And, he said, administration officials went out of their way to say there might not be any lease sales at all.

Its very important for the administration to send a signal to the global oil markets that the United States is serious about increasing supply ... for the long term, he said, repeating a longtime claim by industry officials and Republicans that ties uncertainty over oil supply to high prices.

Biden in recent weeks has criticized oil producers and refiners for maximizing profits and making more money than God, rather than increasing production in response to higher prices as the economy recovers from the pandemic and feels the effects of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The leasing announcement was a bitter disappointment to environmentalists and some Democrats who rallied around then-candidate Biden when he promised to end new drilling in federal lands and waters.

The proposal comes a day after the administration held its first onshore lease sales, drawing $22 million in an auction that gives energy companies drilling rights on about 110 square miles (285 square kilometers) in seven western states. The sales came despite the administrations own findings that burning oil and gas from the parcels could cause billions of dollars in potential future climate damages.

Our public lands and waters are already responsible for nearly a quarter of the countrys carbon pollution each year. Adding any new lease sales to that equation while the climate crisis is unfolding all around us is nonsensical, said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona.

Cynthia Sartou, executive director of the environmental nonprofit Healthy Gulf, called the lease-sale plan a huge loss for Gulf residents, American energy policy and the global climate.

Moderate Democrat Joe Manchin, who chairs the Senate energy committee, welcomed the proposal as a chance to get our leasing program back on track.

While Americans everywhere are suffering from record high gas prices and disruptions in the global oil market caused by (Russian leader Vladimir) Putins senseless war in Ukraine, the Department of the Interior hasnt held any successful offshore lease sales since November 2020, the West Virginia lawmaker said.

Under the Trump administration, Interior officials had proposed 47 sales, including 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, 19 in Alaska and nine off the Atlantic coast that were later withdrawn. Trump lost the 2020 election before the proposal was finalized.

The current format of holding Gulf-wide sales was put in place under Obama because of dwindling interest in offshore leases. Prior to that there had been decades of regional sales.

Fridays announcement opens a 90-day public comment period, then a final plan must be submitted 60 days before it goes into effect.

The government held an offshore lease auction in the Gulf of Mexico in November that brought $192 million in bids. A court canceled that sale before the leases were issued.

Haaland has said previously that the industry is set with the amount of drilling permits stockpiled and at its disposal. She testified during a House hearing in April that the industry has about 9,000 permits that have been approved but are not being used.

Oil production has increased as the economy recovers from the coronavirus slowdown, but its still below pre-pandemic levels. Energy companies have been reluctant to ramp up production further, citing a shortage of workers and restraints from investors wary that todays high prices wont last.

Major oil companies reported surging profits in the first quarter and sent tens of billions of dollars in dividends to shareholders.

Athan Manuel of the Sierra Club said delaying offshore sales until next year is an important step toward protecting communities and climate, and we urge the administration to finalize a plan that commits to no new offshore drilling leases, period.

__

Brown reported from Billings, Mont. Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this story.
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Friday that he would likely serve only one term if he wins back Brazil's presidency in October's election.

Im not going to be a president of the republic who is thinking about his reelection," he said in an interview with Metropole Radio in the northeastern state of Bahia. Im going to be a president who is going to be thinking about governing this country for four years and leaving it looking great.

Da Silva, who would turn 77 before taking office if elected, said he would have "four years in which I want to dedicate every minute to see if we can do in four years more than I did in eight.

He added later: I dream that when we get to December 31, 2026, when we hand over the mandate to someone else, this country will be thriving, growing.

The leftist leader served two terms from 2003 to 2010, and he leads current President Jair Bolsonaro in all opinion polls heading into the election. Some indicate he might gain a first-round victory, avoiding the need for a runoff between the top two finishers.

Bolsonaro often insists the polls are wrong, significantly understating his true strength.

Da Silva was elected in 2002 and, despite repeatedly speaking against reelection bids, he secured another term four years later. In 2010, he refused to seek a third term despite pressure from many lawmakers who wanted to change Brazil's constitution to give him that opportunity.

While campaigning in 2018, Bolsonaro also hinted he would serve only one term, saying he opposed reelection. Speaking to Fox News in an interview aired Thursday night, the far-right leader said the left will never leave power if da Silva wins in October.

And then this country will follow the footsteps of Venezuela, Argentina, Chile and Colombia, Bolsonaro said, listing South American nations where leftist candidates have won the presidency recently. Brazil could become another wagon in that train.

Da Silva also spoke about the role of the country's military in the elections, which has become an issue since Bolsonaro hinted he might not accept results if he loses. Military leaders close to the president have insisted without offering proof that there are flaws in the nation's electronic voting system.

The leftist presidential hopeful said questioning elections is not a military task. It is the electoral authority that takes care of the electronic voting system. It is our society that oversees it, said da Silva, who has mostly avoided voicing opinions that could displease military leaders during the campaign.

Da Silva compared Bolsonaros statements on Brazil's voting system to also unfounded questioning by then U.S. President Donald Trump after the 2020 elections. He wants to create confusion. He wants to do the same thing Trump did. That is, a lie told a thousand times can look like the truth," da Silva said.
Laredo College is once again making history by welcoming its first female president, who begins her tenure as the colleges top leader this week.

Friday, July 1 will mark the first official day on the job for Dr. Minita Ramirez as Laredo Colleges eighth president. Her extensive background encompasses a range of educational experience at local school districts, educational publishing and more than two decades in higher education, having held various administrative and faculty positions at Texas A&M International University, most recently as the Vice President for Student Success.

Additionally, Ramirez has a strong track record of student-driven programs and initiatives. Her commitment continues to be recruitment, retention and graduation of underserved students and communities along the border.

We are eager to have Dr. Minita Ramirez officially assume her position as the new Laredo College president, Laredo College Board President Lupita Zepeda said. She is a consummate professional and exemplary leader who has dedicated her lifes work to improving and expanding opportunities for students across South Texas and Northern Mexico. Her vision is fully aligned with our core institutional mission, values and goals, which are unequivocally student-centered.

Ramirez is committed to facilitating the seamless student transition from high school to college. She also supports access to college by encouraging student enrollment and on-campus engagement so that all students can successfully participate in learning that enhances their lives, the lives of their families and their communities.

The newly-minted college president holds an Associate of Arts in General Studies from Laredo College, a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from TAMIU, a Master of Science in School Administration from Texas A&M-Kingsville and a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Educational Leadership from Capella University. She earned the Graduate Fellowship with the University of Michigans National Center for Institutional Diversity and graduated from the Governors Executive Development Program at the University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Laredo College is a place where people come not only to pursue their educational aspirations but also to learn how to forge a pathway of their own through meaningful work and valuable skills in high-demand fields and careers, LC said in a statement. As the pioneering institution of higher education in Laredo, we are privileged to welcome a new leader that will continue to uplift and embolden the people in our community through academic and workforce programs that drive our regional economy forward. Join us in welcoming and congratulating Dr. Minita Ramirez as she returns to our Palomino family.
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York lawmakers began a special legislative session Thursday with the intent of limiting the proliferation of firearms in public after the Supreme Court gutted the states century-old handgun licensing law.

The state is overhauling its rules for carrying guns after the court decided that ordinary citizens had a right to arm themselves in public for self-defense, something New York had limited mostly to people working in law enforcement or security.

New rules being rushed through an emergency session of the Legislature would allow many more gun owners to apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon, but would seek to set new restrictions on where firearms can be carried.

Lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochuls staff had hoped to have a vote Thursday, but work drafting the bills was unfinished when the day ended at midnight. Work continued until shortly before 1:30 a.m. Friday, and was set to resume later in the day.

Were continuing to have serious discussions because the implications are hard to overstate. We want to ensure we are doing this in a constitutional way, in a way that comports with the courts opinion, Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn Democrat, said during an afternoon press conference in New Yorks State Capitol. Were just trying to close the loop on some details.

One provision proposed Wednesday by Hochul, a Democrat, would ban people from carrying firearms into places of business unless owners put up signage saying guns are welcome.

New York would be the first state to pass such a rule, according to David Pucino, deputy chief counsel at Giffords Law Center. In states where carrying guns is more common, businesses that want to keep guns out are usually required to post signs indicating weapons arent allowed.

New York would also set new requirements for obtaining a handgun permit, including mandating 15 hours of in-person training at a firing range. The Legislature is also primed to enact new rules around firearm storage in homes and vehicles.

Gun advocate groups are critical of the new proposed restrictions, saying some of them infringe on the rights upheld by the Supreme Court.

Hochul and fellow Democrats also plan on compiling a list of sensitive places where the average person will be banned from carrying firearms, including hospitals, schools and public transportation.

Other provisions require background checks for all purchases of ammunition for guns that require a permit, and bar people with a history of dangerous behavior from getting handgun permits.

Hochul has said the Supreme Court ruling came at a particularly painful time, with New York mourning the deaths of 10 people in a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo. This decision isnt just reckless. Its reprehensible. Its not what New Yorkers want, she said.

___

Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.
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POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP)  A Russian airstrike on residential areas killed at least 21 people early Friday near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, authorities reported, a day after the withdrawal of Moscow's forces from an island in the Black Sea had seemed to ease the threat to the city.

Video of the attack before daybreak showed the charred ruins of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Odesa. The Ukrainian presidents office said warplanes fired three missiles that struck an apartment building and a campsite.

Ukrainian authorities interpreted the attack as payback for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Snake Island a day earlier, though Moscow portrayed their departure as a goodwill gesture to help unblock exports of grain.

Russian forces took control of the island in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraine's biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

The occupiers cannot win on the battlefield, so they resort to vile killing of civilians," said Ivan Bakanov, head of Ukraines security service, the SBU. "After the enemy was dislodged from Snake Island, he decided to respond with the cynical shelling of civilian targets.

Ukraine's military reported late Friday on social media that two Russian Su-30 warplanes bombed Snake Island with phosphorus bombs. Black-and-white aerial video showed two blasts hitting the island. The warplanes reportedly struck from the east, from Belbek, on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. The Russian military did not immediately comment.

Large numbers of civilians were killed in Russian bombardments earlier in the war, including at a hospital, a theater used as a shelter, and a train station. Until this week, mass casualties involving residents appeared to become less frequent as Moscow concentrated on capturing eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

Russian missiles struck the Kyiv region last weekend after weeks of relative calm around the capital and an airstrike Monday on a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk killed at least 19 people.

A U.S. defense official said Friday in Washington that Russian forces appeared to use an anti-ship missile in the mall attack, a type of weapon that the official said is not accurate against land targets. Russia's defense ministry spokesman claimed earlier this week that warplanes fired precision-guided missiles at a depot that contained Western weapons and ammunition, which detonated and set the mall on fire. Ukrainian authorities said that in addition to the direct hit on the mall, a factory was struck, but denied it housed weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy noted that as in Monday's shopping mall attack in Kremenchuk, Russian forces on Friday appeared to use anti-ship missiles to hit Serhiivka.

These missiles, Kh-22, were designed to destroy aircraft carriers and other large warships, and the Russian army used them against an ordinary nine-story building with ordinary civilian people, he said at a news conference Friday.

Twenty-one people  including an 11-year-old boy, his mother and the 42-year-old coach of a children's soccer team  were killed and 38 others, including six children and a pregnant woman, were hospitalized, Ukrainian officials reported. Most of the victims were in the apartment building.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow is not targeting residential areas.

Oleh Zhdanov, an independent Ukrainian military analyst, said the Russian pullback from Snake Island bears colossal psychological significance for Ukraine.

Snake Island is key for controlling the Black Sea and could help cover the Russian attack if the Kremlin opted for an amphibious landing operation in Odesa or elsewhere in the region," he said. "Now those plans are pushed back.

Ukraines military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee the island in two small speedboats. The exact number of troops withdrawn was not disclosed.

Early in the war, the island became a symbol of Ukrainian defiance. When a Russian warship demanded that its defenders surrender, they supposedly replied: Go (expletive) yourself.

Zelenskyy said that although the pullout did not guarantee the Black Sea regions safety, it would significantly limit Russian activities there.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces kept up their push to encircle the city of Lysychansk, the last stronghold of resistance in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the Donbas.

The shelling of the city is very intensive, Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said. "The occupiers are destroying one house after another with heavy artillery and other weapons. Residents of Lysychansk are hiding in basements almost round the clock.

Haidai said the Russians were fighting for control of an oil refinery on the citys edge. But Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian and separatist forces had taken control of the refinery as well as a mine and a gelatin factory.

Ukraines presidential office said Russian strikes in the past 24 hours also killed civilians in eastern Ukraine  four in the northeastern Kharkiv region and another four in Donetsk province.

More help for Ukraine's fight was announced:

The Pentagon said it will supply the country with $820 million in new military aid, including surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radar to respond to Russias heavy reliance on long-range strikes. All told, the U.S. has provided more than $8.8 billion in weapons and training to Ukraine.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announced 1 billion euros ($1.04 billion) in aid to Ukraine.

In other developments, a pro-Moscow separatist news agency in eastern Ukraine reported that two more Britons it identified as mercenaries fighting for Ukraine are facing the same charges on which three other foreigners were recently sentenced to death. The news agency identified the pair as Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill, without providing further details. Britain's SkyNews said they had been captured in eastern Ukraine several weeks ago.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The Texas Supreme Court blocked a lower court order late Friday night that said clinics could continue performing abortions, just days after some doctors had resumed seeing patients after the fall of Roe v. Wade.

It was not immediately clear whether Texas clinics that had resumed seeing patients this week would halt services again. A hearing is scheduled for later this month.

The whiplash of Texas clinics turning away patients, rescheduling them, and now potentially canceling appointments again  all in the span of a week  illustrated the confusion and scrambling taking place across the country since Roe was overturned.

An order by a Houston judge earlier this week had reassured some clinics they could temporarily resume abortions up to six weeks into pregnancy. That was quickly followed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asking the states highest court, which is stocked with nine Republican justices, to temporarily put the order on hold.

These laws are confusing, unnecessary, and cruel, said Marc Hearron, attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, after the order was issued Friday night.

Clinics in Texas had stopped performing abortions in the state of nearly 30 million people after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion. Texas had technically left an abortion ban on the books for the past 50 years while Roe was in place.

A copy of Friday's order was provided by attorneys for Texas clinics. It could not immediately be found on the courts website.

Abortion providers and patients across the country have been struggling to navigate the evolving legal landscape around abortion laws and access.

In Florida, a law banning abortions after 15 weeks went into effect Friday, the day after a judge called it a violation of the state constitution and said he would sign an order temporarily blocking the law next week. The ban could have broader implications in the South, where Florida has wider access to the procedure than its neighbors.

Abortion rights have been lost and regained in the span of a few days in Kentucky. A so-called trigger law imposing a near-total ban on the procedure took effect last Friday, but a judge blocked the law Thursday, meaning the states only two abortion providers can resume seeing patients  for now.

The legal wrangling is almost certain to continue to cause chaos for Americans seeking abortions in the near future, with court rulings able to upend access at a moment's notice and an influx of new patients from out of state overwhelming providers.

Even when women travel outside states with abortion bans in place, they may have fewer options to end their pregnancies as the prospect of prosecution follows them.

Planned Parenthood of Montana this week stopped providing medication abortions to patients who live in states with bans to minimize potential risk for providers, health center staff, and patients in the face of a rapidly changing landscape.

Planned Parenthood North Central States, which offers the procedure in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska, is telling its patients that they must take both pills in the regimen in a state that allows abortions.

The use of abortion pills has been the most common method to end a pregnancy since 2000, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone  the main drug used in medication abortions. Taken with misoprostol, a drug that causes cramping that empties the womb, it constitutes the abortion pill.

Theres a lot of confusion and concern that the providers may be at risk, and they are trying to limit their liability so they can provide care to people who need it," said Dr. Daniel Grossman, who directs the research group Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California San Francisco.

Emily Bisek, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood North Central States, said that in an unknown and murky legal environment, they decided to tell patients they must be in a state where it is legal to complete the medication abortion -- which requires taking two drugs 24 to 48 hours apart. She said most patients from states with bans are expected to opt for surgical abortions.

Access to the pills has become a key battle in abortion rights, with the Biden administration preparing to argue states cant ban a medication that has received FDA approval.

Kim Floren, who operates an abortion fund in South Dakota called Justice Empowerment Network, said the development would further limit women's choices.

The purpose of these laws anyways is to scare people, Floren said of states bans on abortions and telemedicine consultations for medication abortions. The logistics to actually enforcing these is a nightmare, but they rely on the fact that people are going to be scared.

A South Dakota law took effect Friday that threatens a felony punishment for anyone who prescribes medication for an abortion without a license from the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners.

In Alabama, Attorney General Steve Marshalls office said it is reviewing whether people or groups could face prosecution for helping women fund and travel to out-of-state abortion appointments.

Yellowhammer Fund, an Alabama-based group that helps low-income women cover abortion and travel costs, said it is pausing operation for two weeks because of the lack of clarity under state law.

This is a temporary pause, and were going to figure out how we can legally get you money and resources and what that looks like, said Kelsea McLain, Yellowhammers health care access director.

Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, said staff members at its clinics have seen women driving from as far as Texas without stopping or making an appointment. Women who are past 15 weeks are being asked to leave their information and promised a call back when a judge signs the order temporarily blocking the restriction, she said.

Still, there is concern that the order may be only temporary and the law may again go into effect later, creating additional confusion.

Its terrible for patients, she said. We are really nervous about what is going to happen.

___

Groves reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. AP writers Paul Weber contributed from Austin, Texas; Dylan Lovan from Louisville, Kentucky; Adriana Gomez Licon from Miami; and Kim Chandler from Montgomery, Alabama.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles voted Thursday to collect fingerprints from all car dealers in the state, KXANs Matt Grant reported.

Dealers already on the books in Texas will be fingerprinted upon the renewal of their licenses. New dealers will have to pay a $38.25 fee as part of their application to the Texas DMV.

The new rule will be active as of Sept. 1, 2022.

The measure comes following KXANs investigation into widespread paper vehicle license plate fraud. KXAN found that fraudulent dealers can access the Department of Motor Vehicles dealership database.

The result has been a $200 million illicit business in which people in Texas are able to distribute cars with fake information to all 50 states, giving those who commit crimes an easy shield from law enforcement, according to KXANs reporting.

Stacy Gillman, a car dealer in the Houston area and beyond, was the only DMV board member to vote against the fingerprinting measure. Gillman owns 10 dealerships across four Texas cities, KXAN reported.

The fingerprinting rule comes following the resignation of the head of the Texas DMV in February. NBC 5 aired an investigation in November detailing how people have used Texas previously existing paper plates system to commit a variety of crimes using vehicles adorned with fraudulent tags.

People can use falsified tags to evade law enforcement by attaching them to unregistered vehicles and perpetrating crimes using those cars.

"Texas is leading the way in the volume of paper tags that are being fraudulently issued across the country," a Houston Division FBI agent told KXAN in December.
'Be not afraid'

Today, 2 April, marks the 15th anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II, a figure well known not only to Poles but also to the Catholics around the world. Although JPII did not face a pandemic during his lifetime, he was renowned for his fighting spirit and ability to bring hope to people tormented by difficult circumstances.

His adolescence was marked by dark times of the Nazi occupation followed by priesthood years under the communist regime. Added to this, he became an orphan at the age of 21.

Perhaps these experiences helped to coin his famous phrase and life philosophy - 'be not afraid'.



'We must overcome our fear of the future', JPII said. 'But we will not be able to overcome it completely unless we do so together. The answer to that fear is neither coercion nor repression, nor the imposition of one social model on the entire world. The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the twentieth century is the common effort to build the civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice, and liberty.'



For 26 years, JPII was a leader of over 1 billion people, meeting them directly during his 104 trips and visits to 129 countries. Even fifteen years after his death, he remains the leader for many, with his theological and philosophical reflections being an anchor amid the uncertainty of current events.
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North Carolina toddler's death is at least the 9th child hot-car fatality this year
Polish Language & Culture Education Pack

The British Council and Polish Cultural Institute in partnership with Dwie Siostry Publishing and Templar Publishing are pleased to present a Polish Language and Culture Education pack for the primary school teachers.

This education pack is designed to help primary teachers introduce aspects of Polish language and culture to their Pupils aged 711. It contains lesson and assembly plans, factual information and resources to help pupils develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the rich language, geography and culture of Poland.



The materials are designed to be flexible and adaptable for use in a variety of settings. They can be used as starting points for individual lessons and assemblies or form part of larger cross-curricular joint projects. The Pupils can learn how to greet a friend in Polish and find out about many aspects of Polish culture by using our wide range of classroom resources and activities.



A copy of this pack can be downloaded here



or from British Council website



We hope that both Teachers and Pupils enjoy using this pack.

This education pack was produced by the British Council and the Polish Cultural Institute in London, in partnership with Dwie Siostry Publishing and Templar Publishing.



Dwie Siostry Publishing is one of the most highly acclaimed publishers on the Polish book market. Find out more



The Templar Publishing, founded in 1978, has become one of the worlds most respected publishers and packagers of illustrated childrens fiction, novelty and picture books. In 2008 Templar was recognized by the Independent Publishers Guild as UK Childrens Publisher of the Year and Independent Publisher of the Year.



The Polish Language and Culture Pack was written by Alison Willmott. Thanks to Agnieszka Tadaj, Marta Sordyl and their colleagues at Poles Connect for their kind help and assistance in putting the pack together.
One of the most intriguing aspects to this years much talked about Longford agricultural show and country fair is the wide array of trade stands which will be on show.

Experienced craft guru Anne Devlin is the brains behind the promise of no fewer than 30 indoor trade stands as well as a whole host of other home focused attractions.

The Newtownforbes woman is a relative novice in terms of her association with one of Irelands oldest shows having joined its committee ranks in 2019.

That said, Annes expertise in heading up craft fairs is one of the main reasons why such a focus has been on what types and how many trade stands patrons will be treated to come Sunday afternoon.

2019 was the last year we had a show and which was a phenomenal success at the time, she said.

What we did this year was to try and build on that success by incorporating all sorts of activities and trade stands so that we could appeal to a wider community.

We have 30 indoor trade stands and they range from things like jewellery to cushions and soaps to cookery, paintings and flowers so there is a huge variety.

Among them include acclaimed culinary queen Fiona Egan from Cloghan Farm & Cookery School as well as a glut of informative stands from the likes of the RSA and many more.

By her own admission, Anne said preparations were somewhat predicated on pandemic enforced pressures but was something she and her fellow committee members had enjoyed immensely.

Theres been a huge amount of organising, confided Anne.

We probably started around February. We were later starting because of Covid and not knowing if this was going to go ahead or not.



We were, I suppose, later, this year than we would have liked to have been but I mean the interest is phenomenal, its been unprecedented.

That level of fascination has come largely as a consequence of the efforts Anne and those behind this years Longford Show have put in.

For Anne, however, its been a labour of love she wouldnt change for the world.

Satisfaction and a bit of craic, she said, when asked what were the main incentives behind her decision to get involved in one of Longfords most treasured local events.

You have to like what you are doing.I mean I am a crafter myself, I have my own crafts and it is what I am really into.

For me personally I love interacting with people, I like the fun of it and I like the organisation of it. It is hard work, dont get me wrong it is very hard work and time consuming coming up to the last two months of the show.

I mean we would have meetings every week to get everything right because apart from the show and making sure everything is right, you also have to be cognizant of the health and safety aspects as well.

There has been no stone left unturned and all we want now is the weather.
The FBI New York, along with the United States Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York and the IRS Criminal Investigation Newark Field Office, named Ruja Ignatova (a.k.a. Cryptoqueen) to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list for allegedly defrauding investors of billions of dollars. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to her arrest.

A federal grand jury indicted Ignatova, and the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, issued a warrant for her arrest in October 2017. In February 2018, a superseding indictment was issued charging Ignatova with one count each of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Wire Fraud; Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering; Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud; and Securities Fraud.
India has eliminated all lines (queues) by going online, says PM Modi while inaugurating Digital India Week 2022.

Government's Digital India programme has given relief to poor from corruption and it is working for elimination of middlemen in all fields, says PM Modi.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of London-listed company director and manager changes announced on Thursday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Cornerstone FS PLC - London-based payments provider - Non-Executive Chair Elliott Mannis will retire from the board from August 31, and Non-Executive Director Gareth Edwards will step into the role.

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Intercede Group PLC - cybersecurity software firm with offices in Virginia, US and Leicestershire, England - Names Royston Hoggarth as new chair, succeeding Chuck Pol, who leaves the role after four-year tenure with immediate effect. Hoggarth is a non-executive director of Intercede. Pol will remain a non-executive director.

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SDI Group PLC - Cambridge-based medical technology firm - Hires former chief financial officer of FTSE 250-listed Ultra Electronics Holding PLC Ami Sharma as new CFO. Sharma will succeed Jon Abell upon his retirement on August 8. Abell will assist in the handover until the end of September. Sharma's commercial experience spans international manufacturing, aerospace and defence.

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Thor Mining PLC - London-based exploration and development company focused on Australia - Non-Executive Chair Mark Potter to step down with immediate effect "for personal reasons". Alastair Clayton, non-executive director at the company, will take on the role of interim non-executive chair until the appointment of a replacement. Clayton is currently executive director at Artemis Resources.

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Seplat Energy PLC - Lagos-based energy company focused on Nigeria - Appoints Samson Chibogwu Ezugworie as chief operating officer. Ezugworie has 30 years of industry experience, with the most recent 25 years spent at Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria and overseas.

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By Elizabeth Winter; elizabethwinter@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
ReNeuron Group PLC - Bridgend, Wales-based stem cell and exosomes technology company - Negotiates a supplemental terms agreement with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd. Company says the agreement has the potential to generate revenue of up to GBP6 million.

The agreement relates to ReNeuron's stroke disability programme. ReNeuron expects to receive around GBP1 million over the next 24 months for the supply of CTX cell bank vials and services, with a further GBP5 million receivable over the medium to long term for continued provision of these vials.

Current stock price: 27.90 pence, up 0.5% in London on Friday

12-month change: down 74%

By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Shares rose in Itaconix PLC on Friday as the company announced at its annual general meeting a record performance in interim revenue, securing confidence in meeting market expectations for 2022.

Shares in the New Hampshire, US-based speciality polymer developer were 24% at 5.50 pence on Friday in London.

For the first half of 2022, Itaconix said it will achieve a record level in revenue, compared to the USD1.4 million achieved in the first half of 2021.

Due to demand remaining strong, and a rise in new orders from existing and new customers in the cleaning sector, the group is in a strong position to meet market expectations for revenue in 2022.

Itaconix said its production capacity is sufficient to meet customer needs, while its supply chain for raw materials have improved in recent months.

"We are fortunate that the value of our products and the lack of direct competition support us in making judicious price increases as we navigate the cost increases experienced globally," Itaconix stated.

"We remain encouraged that underlying consumer demand for the products which contain our ingredients remains strong. Current and prospective customers are actively seeking solutions from our technology platform to formulate more environmentally sustainable products, without compromising on performance or cost," the company added.

Itaconix said it will provide another trading update in the week starting July 11.

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - More than 50 Ryanair Holdings PLC flights to and from Spain were cancelled on Thursday and several hundred others delayed during a strike by the low-cost airline's cabin staff.

The strike which took place as European schools were breaking up for the summer was the latest stoppage by European airline staff demanding better conditions.

By 8:00 pm, 54 flights had been cancelled and more than 300 delayed, with the airports in Barcelona and Malaga worst-hit, the USO union said.

Although Ryanair had said all scheduled flights would be operating, the airline "had not called in the full crew" at certain airports.

"The crew members that were not called in have joined the strike while those that were, went to the airports.. but there were not enough of them to operate the flights," it said.

The strike by Ryanair cabin crew in Spain, where there are some 1,900 employees, is affecting 10 of the airline bases in the country and is due to run until July 2.

Earlier, the airline said flight disruption through the strike was "minimal" and only affected three percent of its Spanish flights.

The employees, who are demanding better working conditions, began an initial three-day strike on June 24 during which 129 Spanish flights were cancelled, the union said.

Ryanair is the airline that transports the most passengers in the Spanish market, offering more than 650 routes to 27 airports, the company says.

The initial strike in Spain coincided with industrial action by the airline's staff in Portugal, Belgium, Italy and France demanding respect for labour rights and higher wages.

On Friday, staff with rival low-cost airline EasyJet will also be striking for the first of three weekends in July demanding parity in working conditions in line with other European airlines.

source: AFP

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing calls to expel the former Tory deputy chief whip from the party after he dramatically quit following a drunken incident.

Chris Pincher, who was responsible for maintaining discipline among Conservative MPs, said he had "embarrassed myself and other people" after having had "far too much" to drink.

The Sun reported that he stood down after assaulting two fellow guests at the Carlton Club  a Tory Party private members' club in London's Piccadilly  on Wednesday evening.

However the paper said he would continue to sit as a Tory MP as he was considered to have done the right thing by admitting wrongdoing and resigning.

Wales Secretary Simon Hart said he was "very sad" about the situation, but that it was for Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris to decide whether to withdraw the whip from Pincher.

The Cabinet minister told Sky News: "This makes me very sad, it makes me sad for everybody who's been involved in these things. It's clearly something which has gone terribly wrong.

"There is a process, I think it's important that the process is followed."

He added: "I think it is entirely right, that the chief whip and others take a view today about what is the appropriate course of action.

"Of course, if there are those who are victims of this or who wish to raise complaint, they can do so."

Asked whether he believed Pincher should lose the whip, he said he knew "what he would like to see happen" but that the decision was not down to him.

"Let's let today play out, let the chief whip do his duty today, and then I think we might be having a very different conversation as the day goes on."

Asked whether he hoped the issue would get swept under the rug, Hart said: "Absolutely not.

"This is not the first time, I fear it possibly won't be the last. This happens in workplaces from time to time."

Labour said it showed the party was "mired in sleaze and scandal" and questioned how Pincher could still be allowed to take the Conservative whip given what had happened.

In May, the Tory MP for Tiverton and Honiton, Neil Parish, resigned his Commons seat altogether after he admitted watching pornography in the Commons chamber.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "This latest episode shows how far standards in public life have been degraded on Boris Johnson's watch.

"Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer about why Chris Pincher was given this role in the first place and how he can remain a Conservative MP.

"The Conservative Party is so mired in sleaze and scandal that it is totally unable to tackle the challenges facing the British people."

In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Pincher apologised for his behaviour, saying it had been "the honour of my life" to have served in the government.

"Last night I drank far too much. I've embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing I want to do and for that I apologise to you and to those concerned," he said.

"I think the right thing to do in the circumstances is for me to resign as deputy chief whip. I owe it to you and the people I've caused upset to, to do this.

"I want to assure you that you will continue to have my full support from the back benches. It has been the honour of my life to have served in Her Majesty's Government."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the force has not received any reports of assault at the Carlton Club on Wednesday.

His departure in such dramatic circumstances is a further blow for the prime minister who has been beset with allegations of misconduct over lockdown parties in Downing Street.

The Tamworth MP was appointed alongside chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris last February to shore up support for the prime minister amid growing unrest among Tory MPs over the "partygate" disclosures.

It is the second time he has quit the whips office, having resigned as a junior whip in November 2017 following a complaint that he made an unwanted pass at the former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story.

Having referred himself to both the police and the Conservative Party complaints procedure, he was brought back by Theresa May as deputy chief whip in January 2018.

When Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019, he was moved to the Foreign Office as minister for Europe and the Americas before returning to the whips office for a third time.

His departure comes just days after Oliver Dowden quit as party co-chairman in the wake of the Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton by-election losses.

It leaves Johnson, who returned from the Nato summit on Thursday after nine days out of the country, with another headache with two crucial roles to fill.

By Gavin Cordon and Sophie Wingate, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
MECOSTA  During the summer months ticks numbers rise and the risk of contracting diseases from them can do the same.

Each year, about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to CDC by state health departments and the District of Columbia. Recent estimates using other methods suggest that about 476,000 people may get Lyme disease each year in the United States.

As cases continue to show up, taking precautions during tick seasons can make a major difference in protecting yourself from potential exposure and bites.

Dan Wolff is the founder of TickEase, a company producing the only patented CDC-compliant two-sided tweezer created expressly for the removal of embedded ticks from people and pets.

Wolff has extensive experience with ticks and earned the nickname Tick Man Dan because he brings them everywhere he goes. To raise awareness, he wears shoes, shirts, and a watch emblazoned with tick pictures.

He said his main goal is to raise awareness of the dangers of ticks.

I was trying to figure out what I could do for myself to help prevent exposure and what could lead to illness, Wolff said. I just really didn't find much on the topic of tick removal, and I saw a lot of old outdated information and a lot of contradictory information. I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

I'd come down to the idea that simple is better when it comes to removal, he added. "Agitating the tick, putting poison, trying to suffocate it, trying to make it dizzy, using soap, a lit cigarette, a hot match, it's just not necessary. My goal is to help minimize the risk and the exposure to harmful pathogens from ticks for people for pets.

According to Michigan.gov, the most common type of tick in Michigan is the American dog tick, which is active from May-November and can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.

The second most common is the black-legged tick, which can commonly carry Lyme disease and rare diseases like anaplasmosis, babesiosis, deer-tick virus and ehrlichiosis.

Other tick varieties also seen include the lone star tick, the woodchuck tick and the brown dog tick, all of which can carry potentially dangerous viruses.

PERSONAL PROTECTION

Wolff said there are simple steps that can be taken for personal protection.

Wear light-colored clothing because you can detect the tick while it's on you and before it starts biting you, Wolff said. If you were to stay in the middle of a trail, if you tuck your pants in your socks, that just makes it a little bit harder for them to get into the skin area.

Wolffs research revolves largely around deer ticks and the dangers they pose to humans and increasing the number of ticks tested and education being put out.

When it comes to ticks, timely removal of these embedded pests is key as this reduces the transmission of saliva that could carry harmful diseases.

Wolffs advice is to avoid twisting the tick off or jerking the tick as this may cause the ticks mouthparts to remain embedded in the skin.

Using a Q-tip to circle the embedded tick to distract it and get it to detach is another old wives tale.

Ticks can get into the tiniest sort of creases and crevices that you can imagine, Wolff said. I would also recommend treating clothing with permethrin, which has been proven to be really effective against ticks. The trick is permethrin is to be used on apparel, and they come in mist bottles or spray bottles. You would apply that to the outside and the inside and you let it dry completely, then you're going to be protected for in the case of self-applying product, usually around six washes before you'll have to reapply it.

While some studies suggest Lyme transmission can take 24 to 72 hours after attachment, there are many other infections that you can get with varying transfer times. Powassan, a rare severe disease, causes headaches, vomiting, and fever, and may take as little as 15 minutes to contract.

If bitten by a tick, you should use fine-tipped tweezers as recommended by the CDC, steadily grasp the tick, and using the tweezers take hold of the tick as close as possible to the skins surface and pull upward in a steady motion.

Use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean the bite area and tweezers when done. Attached ticks should never be disposed of or destroyed. Keep them in a zip-loc bag for identification and testing. A diseased tick does not necessarily transmit illness.

If you are bitten by a tick in an area where Lyme is prevalent, a physician may suggest and prescribe a precautionary dose of antibiotics to reduce the risk of getting infected.

Wolff said doing a full tick check after being in the woods or on trails is key.

What I do is a full check with no clothes on, Wolff said. They can get anywhere, and looking everywhere is one way you can make sure you havent been bitten. Daily checks are also good if you live near the woods. I've actually had nymphs feed in my belly button.

If bitten by a tick, Wolff suggests submitting it to a lab for analysis to see what you might potentially have been exposed to.

If the tick tests positive, does not mean that you've been exposed and that you're going to get sick," he added. "It's an individual thing, how you react to those pathogens, how your immune system reacts, and how you might react to actual infection. Some people don't even know it, some people are incredibly reactive.

"Being vigilant about taking precautions and doing checks will help you stay safer, especially during the height of tick season.

For more information on ticks in Michigan, see the state website at michigan.gov/emergingdiseases/ticks.

For information on TickEase and its product line, visit www.tickease.com.
Interview: "Service" best describes CPC, says president of New Zealand China Friendship Society

Xinhua) 14:48, July 01, 2022

WELLINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President of the New Zealand China Friendship Society (NZCFS) Dave Bromwich has spoken highly of the achievements of the Communist Party of China (CPC), using the word "service" to describe the relationship between the CPC and the Chinese people.

"The government is the people. The people are the government. It is a mutual relationship. If using one word to describe my feeling about the CPC and the government of China, I very quickly came up with one word and I haven't been able to replace it, and the word is service. Why service? Because China has developed so fast and taken all of its population with it," Bromwich told Xinhua in a recent interview.

According to Bromwich, the main reasons for the Chinese people's great support for the government and the CPC are the success they have achieved in advancing the livelihood of the people and a sense of pride the people feel towards their country's achievements.

He said the key human rights issues are enough food to eat, adequate housing and the right to education. "For those three key areas, China has done an amazing job."

Recalling his first trip to China 31 years ago, Bromwich said "I remember the first trip I did from Shanghai to Guangzhou was 33 hours. Its just so fast now and has made the lives of the people so much more comfortable. It's a very rapid development."

As this year witnesses the 50th anniversary of New Zealand-China diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the NZCFS, Bromwich highlighted three key points in fostering bilateral relations in the future: education of younger generation, sustainable business relations and illustration of a Chinese perspective rather than a Western interpretation of China from the media.

"It is the media in the West who is really responsible for a lot of the misinformation and the distrust of China as a nation. That's the point I think where the difficulties lie," he said.

Bromwich has spent nearly 10 years in China since 1996. Most of his experiences were related to cooperatives and rural community development projects in remote areas in Southwest and Western China. He was elected as president of the NZCFS in 2013.

"My experience in China has given me a great understanding of where China is today, where she has come from and how she has developed," Bromwich said.

"At the same time, the most rewarding part of my work is through tours to introduce China to the outside world, to know the real communities, from the village people who we've worked with, to provincial level partners, a real introduction, a real China," he said.

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Mosquitoes collected in the Bay County area recently tested positive for the Jamestown Canyon Virus. These are the first infected mosquito pools of 2022 in Michigan.

Half of the patients that are diagnosed with Jamestown Canyon are hospitalized, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

Dr. Emily Dinh, a medical entomologist at the MDHHS, said the best way to avoid the virus is to avoid mosquito bites. She recommends repairing window and door screens, using EPA-approved repellent, and wearing long sleeves and pants at dawn and dusk, when mosquitos are especially active.

She also says standing water in objects like pet bowls, troths, birdbaths, or children's toys, can be a breeding spot for mosquitos and should be tossed at least once a week.

Just a little bit of water can support baby mosquitoes, and so when you throw it when you toss and dump out that water, you eliminate the ability for the mosquitoes to reproduce

Initial symptoms can include fever, headache and fatigue, and sometimes respiratory issues like a cough and runny nose. In rare cases, it can cause severe disease in the brain or spinal cord.

Mosquitoes were tested by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau laboratory for their mosquito surveillance expansion, which Dinh said was initiated in 2021. The Bay County program that discovered the Virus is one of four locally funded mosquito control programs in Michigan.

Generally, these counties report fewer human cases of mosquito borne disease compared to counties without a mosquito control program, she said. So I hope that mosquito control can be expanded throughout Michigan to enhance the public's quality of life and health.

Dinh said the program does a tremendous job of reducing the mosquito population and subsequent diseases.

The silver lining in the pandemic was that it really sparked interest in other diseases that are out there and not well characterized in Michigan, she said.

Dinh recommends seeing a healthcare provider if you think you may be infected with the Jamestown Canyon Virus.

For more information about the Jamestown Canyon Virus visit www.cdc.gov/jamestown-canyon






A long litigation process over the taxation of wind farms in Huron County has ended following an agreement announced by DTE Energy June 29.

The agreement, which also includes other wind farms around the state, settled on a new tax table that will be followed that is different from what the county and DTE were originally considering. This agreement also ensures that there will be no more litigation on the taxation of the wind farms land for the next 15 years.

Agreement reached in wind turbine tax dispute

Mary Babcock, District 7 county commissioner, who had been working the last few years on the situation, said she was happy the issue was resolved

(This) was very much positive and DTE was wonderful to work with through this process. she said, adding that the agreement would save the county more than $6 million in taxes. That saves the school district, veterans, roads, and everyone else who receives tax dollars.

The original ruling from the Michigan Tax Tribunal, which ruled in favor of DTE back in Summer 2021, would have had Huron County pay back taxes at 6% interest

State tax tribunal rules DTE owed back taxes

The litigation process took years to resolve, but both the community and DTE are looking forward as Carl Osentoski, a coordinator for the Michigan Renewable Energy Collaborative added in a press release

This is a good step forward in improving relations with local communities and in resolving assessment issues for utility scale wind parks in Michigan, He said. We hope the agreement with DTE will provide a roadmap for other wind park owners to resolve their pending tax appeal cases as well.

Osentoski said the collaborative is still working on appeals with Consumers Energy, Exelon and American Electric Power.

We are hopeful to come to a similar agreement he added.

Huron County was not the only area affected as this agreement included the wind farms in Gratiot, Sanilac and Isabella counties. This will also be applied to wind farms going forward for the next 15 years.
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Four months after fire ravaged through part of the Coleman plastics company Robinson Industries, ground was broken for the construction of a new building.

A March 31 fire destroyed part of the 75-year-old plant, taking multiple fire departments six hours and over a million gallons of water to extinguish. Throughout the weeks that followed, Robinson Industries never shut down as it forged ahead with business as it was planned its next phase.

During the ceremony, attended by about 200 people Thursday afternoon, the Robinson family paid tribute to Fred and Ardis who started the company in 1947. Women family members wore Ardis jewelry for the occasion. Also, employees wore blue shirts with Robinson Strong written on them  a surprise donation from Indiana company Rainmaker.

Robinsons Chief Executive Officer Inez Kaleto thanked the employees.

Chief operating officer Ben Robinson thanked the people for being there and gave credit to his parents for starting the company.

Its times like these you realize what an amazing community we live in, said Robinsons mother, Treva Robinson.

Robinson Purchasing Manager Jason Pahl said people should see a building standing with concrete by the first of the year, but the estimated time is dependent on a challenging supply chain.

Were building back, were going to be better when we come back, said Pahl, who has been with the company for 25 years. Its going to be a roadblock for a little bit.

Meanwhile, the fire destroyed one building on the complex that had several additions. To compensate, Pahl said they are running parts in six different locations.

Other speakers included Beaverton Mayor Ray Nau, Local 5100 President Jason Anderson, Joel Johnson on behalf of Congressman John Moolenaar, State House candidates Shawn Petri and Bill G. Schuette and FED Corporation Design/Builder President Brock Dennings.

We are extremely humbled and honored to be a part of this, Dennings said. Very soon youll see steel coming out of the ground.

Nau said he was amazed by how the community came together to support the company after the fire.

Petri, who said he taught machine and tool for 15 years, said the rebuild is an opportunity for the company to continue and grow.

What could have went away is being rebuilt, he said.
EAST HARTFORD  Police said they are investigating an early-morning shooting Friday.

A man was shot in the lower leg at Church Corners Inn, a Main Street rooming house, hours before dawn Friday, Lt. Michael DeMaine said.

The man, who was not cooperative with investigators, is expected to recover, he said.

DeMaine said he didnt know the mans age or if the shooting happened inside or outside the downtown building.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call police at 860-528-4401.
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MIDDLETOWN  The only verified sighting in Connecticut of an apex predator fish known for its voracious appetite was in a small local neighborhood pond.

Its not clear how at least one Northern snakehead, a freshwater, invasive species with teeth most commonly found in Asia and Africa, made its way into Pameacha Pond, state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Fisheries Biologist Bruce Williams said.

Another one may have been caught shortly afterward, he added. However, he said its possible it was the same fish. There have been no reports since that time, but he said, we are still concerned.

The Connecticut sighting, he added, is not widely known. We hope this was a solitary incident, Williams said, but we cant be 100 percent sure.

The fish are named for their snouts likeness to a snakes head. Its presence came to light after a required DEEP survey of the pond in conjunction with a dam-removal project slated to begin next summer, Williams said.

Dam work will include a draw down of the 19-acre pond and screening of the outflow, Williams explained.

If there are any snakehead left in the lake, it would prevent them from leaving along with the other fish, he said.

There is a concern, however, that snakehead could make their way to the Connecticut River via Sumner Brook, he said.

Up until at least 2013, the agency reported there were no snakehead officially recorded in Connecticut. However, that changed in September 2017, according to Water and Sewer Department Chief Engineer Brian Robillard.

A young man caught one of these carnivores in the pond located off South Main Street in September 2017. His family sent photos to staff, who forwarded them to the fisheries division.

The pictures, partly blurry because the powerful fish whipped its body on the hook trying to free itself, show it both below water and on the line that eventually broke. It managed to escape back into the murky depths, the family told officials.

DEEP confirmed from those photos that it was a snakehead, Robillard said.

Robillard recalls seeing the pictures and being curious about it. After Googling photos online, he found what he was looking for: a mean fish with big teeth.

Snakehead also stir up the silt and sand in water bodies and aquariums.

In neighboring New England states and along the mid-Atlantic coast, snakehead, which can grow beyond 3 feet long, have proliferated in the Potomac River watershed in Maryland and New York.

The Bronx population has been pretty well-documented, Robillard said.

Maryland seems to be the epicenter, the biologist said. There have also been scattered reports in Massachusetts, Williams said.

They are often kept in aquariums, and can thrash about so vigorously and fling itself out of a tank.

The Pameacha dam has to be removed and rebuilt because of the leaking sewer line that travels under it, Williams said. Replacing the structure and long-term maintenance would be costly. It involves having an engineer come to the site to inspect and assess the condition of the dam.

Dams also have to be regularly inspected by the state, depending on their hazard class. My guess is that one would be required to be inspected every seven years, Williams said.

Next summers work will include a draw down of the pond and screening of the outflow, Williams explained.

If there are any snakehead left in the lake, it would prevent them from leaving along with the other fish, he said.

There is a concern, however, they could make their way to the Connecticut River via Sumner Brook, he added.

Snakehead eggs are buoyant and juveniles are very small, Williams said. Were only able to screen the outflow from large fish. If there are reproducing fish in there, my guess is they already left.

We have had no other reports, so were keeping our fingers crossed, he added.

The species, similar to catfish and other lung-breathing marine life, can also survive for a time on land and must come up for air, Williams said.

The meat is also a prized delicacy in Asia, the biologist explained.

Similar situations have occurred in Connecticut with mitten crabs, another invasive species.

[Snakehead are] either brought in alive and not eaten and released as pets,  or, he speculated, possibly brought in to establish a population breed.

Fishin Factory 3 employee Colin Walsh has heard rumors about the cold-water fish in the pond, but hes never seen one.

Bowfin, or dogfish, which populate the Connecticut River are often mistaken for snakehead, said Walsh, who works at the Middletown East Main Street shop.

The latter are more common in the South, including Florida, Walsh added. There have been very, very, very few reports of anything up this way, he said.

Snakehead became notorious by several high-profile introductions and a really bad movie (2004s Snakehead Terror), DEEP said.

Williams office routinely fields calls from people mistaking their bowfin catches for snakehead. Its similar if you dont know a lot about them.

The easiest method to distinguish between the two is to look at the length of the anal fin, according to DEEP. On a bowfin, that fin is short, and well less than half the body length of the fish, it said.

On a snakehead, the anal fin is generally long, half the distinguishing body length or longer.

The United States Geological Survey advises that people not release snakefish or throw them on a bank as it could wriggle back into the water. Remember, this fish is an air breather and can live a long time out of water, it said.

Instead, anglers are urged to kill their catch by freezing it or putting the fish on ice. DEEP asks fishers to photograph the snakehead so the species can be positively identified, and contact the proper state agency.

Anyone who catches a fish they suspect to be snakehead are asked to contact DEEP at 860-424-3474 or deep.inland.fisheries@ct.gov as soon as possible. More about invasive species can be found on the DEEP website.
Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

MIDDLETOWN  Due to the forecast of inclement weather Saturday, the Middletown fireworks festival has been postponed to Sunday, when nice weather is forecast.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. on the City Hall lawn, 245 deKoven Drive, and Harbor Park on Harbor Drive, with fireworks starting at 9:30. Pyrotechnics are set off from a barge in the middle of the Connecticut River.
NAUGATUCK  Board of Education member Aaron McCool has agreed to resign after fellow board members and parents raised concerns last week over social media posts he made in 2014 that he admitted were distasteful and inappropriate, according to his attorney.

Mr. McCools mission has always been to zealously represent his constituency; it is their needs that are his highest priority, his attorney Daniel Esposito said in a statement issued Wednesday. Consistent with that mission, and with his constituency in mind, Mr. McCool has made the difficult decision to resign his position with the Naugatuck Board of Education.

Jeff Litke, chairman of the school board, confirmed the resignation was submitted Thursday afternoon.

We received notification this afternoon that Board Member Aaron McCool has resigned, effective immediately, from the Naugatuck Board of Education, Litke said. We must now come together as a community to continue the work of educating and providing for our students. The Naugatuck Board of Education looks forward to continuing our mission to provide each and every student with a high quality educational experience.

The Board of Education will meet in the coming weeks to discuss the process for filling the vacancy, Litke said.

In a statement issued last week, Litke said McCools posts were not representative of Naugatuck and the values that we stand for.

In a statement issued the next day, McCool said in 2014 he reposted several distasteful and inappropriate pictures involving young women on Tumblr, a social media website.

This was wrong, and I am sorry for my past behavior, he said. However, this does not reflect who I am today.

In his statement, McCool claimed Litke threatened to share the posts with the public if he didnt resign.

Litke asked community leaders to condemn McCools actions and called for his resignation.

I am well aware of the concerns of the parents and community members in the district and share their concerns, he said last week. I urge my fellow community leaders to denounce these posts and call on Mr. McCool to resign and not distract from the important work that we do to educate our students.

Staff writer Ben Lambert contributed to this story.
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LONDON (AP)  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday made her first visit to the U.K. since both countries signed a free trade agreement, meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to boost bilateral ties and discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.

The trip came after both leaders attended the NATO summit in Madrid. They were also due to discuss security challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region.

It was Arderns first visit to the U.K. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. New Zealand had enacted a strict border policy at the outset of the pandemic and only recently reopened its borders to international visitors.

She said at Johnson's No. 10 Downing St. residence that it was an incredibly important milestone for us in New Zealand that she was able to visit Europe, adding that it signified we are open for business, for trade, for tourism.

Ardern also said the meeting was an opportunity to discuss how the U.K. and New Zealand have responded to Russia's war in Ukraine.

We have also provided our military aid via our partnership with you, she told Johnson, who in turn praised her for the very strong line that you take on Ukraine.

Ardern and Johnson signed an agreement Friday making it easier for younger people to travel between the U.K. and New Zealand. The deal extends the Youth Mobility and Working Holiday programs, raising the maximum age limit for applicants from 30 to 35, and the maximum time limit people can stay in the host country will be increased from various durations to three years. The reciprocal visa programs are designed to give people a better understanding of each country.

The two leaders were also expected to discuss tackling online disinformation and deepening bilateral trade ties as well as agree on new measures to boost the two countries' ties in scientific research.

The U.K. and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement in February that is still going through the ratification process in both countries, following a similar deal with Australia in late 2021.

Johnson said the agreement slashes red tape, cuts tariffs on exports and creates opportunities for British businesses to travel and trade. But British farmers have said eliminating tariffs for agricultural products would expose sectors like beef, lamb and dairy to unfair competition.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)  Two people and a dog were helped to shore by bystanders after their small single-engine plane landed in the Quinnipiac River late Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The couple was flying to New Bedford, Massachusetts, when the plane's engine began to sputter. Sean Scanlon, executive director of Tweed New Haven Airport, told reporters the pilot radioed the control tower and was instructed to land at Tweed. However, the pilot felt it wasnt possible and landed in the river instead.
Sixteen immigrant veterans and service members' relatives who were deported have been allowed back into the United States over the last year under a temporary status known as humanitarian parole, the Department of Homeland Security said this week.

Of the 16, four have since completed applications for naturalization and are now U.S. citizens, a DHS spokesperson told Military.com in an email Thursday.

The release of the numbers comes a day after officials from DHS, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon testified to a House Judiciary Committee subpanel about immigrant service members and veterans.

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The officials fielded questions from Democrats, who pressed them to do more to ensure immigrant service members get citizenship and deported veterans are brought back, and from Republicans, who sought to frame the deported veterans as dangerous criminals.

The Biden administration has been reviewing deported veterans' requests for humanitarian parole under a program launched last year called the Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative, or IMMVI, a partnership between DHS and the Department of Veterans Affairs aimed at streamlining resources for noncitizen service members and veterans.

Between the program's launch in July 2021 and June 21, 56 veterans and family members have formally requested humanitarian parole, which allows people otherwise ineligible to enter the United States to temporarily come into the country for emergency humanitarian reasons.

The formal requests for humanitarian parole are a fraction of the 144 informal inquiries IMMVI has received since its launch, IMMVI director Debra Rogers said at Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee immigration subcommittee hearing. She attributed the low number to veterans' lack of access to legal counsel.

In addition to the 16 requests that have been approved, eight have been denied, the DHS spokesperson said. Another 32 requests are pending, with three nearly complete but awaiting travel coordination.

In addition to veterans, humanitarian parole has been granted to three family members of immigrant service members, Rogers told the House committee.

"DHS is doing everything in its power and within its discretion to make fair decisions for all of the veterans," she said. "But I do think, at the end of the day, that parole is a temporary status in the United States. It's not a permanent solution for the challenges that we see with the veterans who have been removed."

On top of the humanitarian parole, DHS has facilitated the return of four people whose lawful permanent residence status was reinstated, the spokesperson said.

Non-citizens who serve in the U.S. military are eligible for expedited citizenship if they serve honorably. But pro-immigration advocates charge that defense and immigration officials put up too many hurdles in the process and do not do enough to inform immigrant service members of their eligibility.

Deportations of immigrant veterans garnered significant attention during the Trump administration, which took a hardline approach to immigration in general.

The Biden administration has sought to roll back some of its predecessor's policies, including issuing a directive earlier this month saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, will consider U.S. military service when deciding whether to deport veterans.

Military service was already supposed to be a mitigating factor when reviewing deportations, but a 2019 Government Accountability Office, or GAO, report found ICE "did not consistently follow its policies involving veterans who were placed in removal proceedings from fiscal years 2013 through 2018."

That time frame saw 92 veterans deported, according to the report.

Pro-immigration groups have accused the Biden administration of continuing some hardline policies, including the American Civil Liberties Union this week alleging the Pentagon continues to slow-walk immigrant service members' citizenship applications despite a 2020 court order nullifying the Trump administration's more difficult application process.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has taken sharp criticism from right-wing lawmakers and pundits who accuse President Joe Biden of stoking a "crisis" at the U.S.-Mexico border, pointing to record numbers of Customs and Border Protection encounters with immigrants at the border and drug seizure numbers.

Most veterans who have been deported were done so after being convicted of a crime, but Rogers argued Wednesday their stories aren't always black and white.

"The circumstances of veterans who have been deported are complicated and often reflect complex societal challenges," she said. "Some are currently suffering from serious medical conditions and are in need of treatment that they cannot access at VA medical facilities in the United States."

VA official Jennifer MacDonald, who was testifying alongside Rogers, similarly said some veterans who request humanitarian parole are doing so to get access to VA health care that is unavailable abroad.

Republicans at the hearing sought to frame the veterans allowed back into the United States as criminals, with Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., saying: "DHS is using parole then to allow individuals to enter the United States to circumvent the law."

Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., also repeatedly pressed Rogers on what crimes those granted humanitarian parole committed and whether any victims of the crimes are notified if veterans are readmitted to the country.

Rogers said she would have to get back to the committee with those answers, but noted not all crimes have clear victims. Many deported veterans' convictions are drug-related, according to the GAO report.

When deciding whether to grant humanitarian parole to veterans, DHS weighs whether there is an "urgent humanitarian consideration or significant public benefit," eligibility for naturalization and other immigration benefits, public safety concerns and criminal histories, Rogers said.

"We're very, very careful," she said, adding veterans have been denied parole over public safety risks, indications of recidivism or national security concerns.

Democratic lawmakers also argued some veterans' past crimes can be attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injuries or other trauma suffered during their military service, and that they do not deserve to be cut off from VA benefits they earned.

"When American citizen veterans are convicted of a crime, their punishments do not include banishment from the country," subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said. "However, even after they have served their sentences, veterans who are not yet citizens are subject to removal. This means that a veteran who risked their life for our country and suffered long-lasting mental health problems as a result could be deported, preventing them from accessing the resources promised to them when they volunteered to serve."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at Rebecca.Kheel@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel

Related: Veteran Status to Be Considered in Deportations Under New ICE Directive
There have been 91 abortions performed in U.S. military hospitals since 2016, at least two-thirds of which were for active-duty service women whose lives were threatened by their pregnancy or who were victims of a crime.

The Pentagon's ability to provide abortions in military treatment facilities or through civilian providers under Tricare, the militarys health program, is sharply curtailed by law and is comparable to the restrictions now being rolled out in at least 11 states following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week that struck down a long-standing constitutional protection on abortion.

Since 1976, under the Hyde Amendment, the Defense Department can only provide abortions if the life of the mother is at risk should she carry her fetus to term or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

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As such, abortions remain rare in military hospitals. From 2016 to 2021, physicians at military facilities performed 35 abortions for Army personnel or dependents, 30 for Navy sailors or dependents, 20 for Air Force personnel or dependent family members, and six for Marines or their dependents, according to a Defense Department report provided to Congress and obtained by Military.com.

The figures do not include procedures covered by Tricare, which must follow the same restrictions. Neither do they cover voluntary abortions sought privately by military personnel who must cover their own costs.

Service members' access to abortion has become a concern since the Supreme Court ruled Friday to overturn the decision in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. The courts new ruling allows states to institute their own abortion laws, and more than a dozen had been poised to act.

The ruling, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, let 13 states immediately ban abortion or curtail it within 30 days -- including states that house more than 240,000 U.S. service members.

Gil Cisneros, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, wrote in a memo Tuesday to Pentagon leadership that the Defense Department is reviewing the ruling, but added that it creates "complicated" issues for U.S. service members who live in states where the procedure is banned.

"The implications of the Supreme Court's decision are complicated and must be evaluated against various state laws together with the views of the Department of Justice," Cisneros wrote.

He added that there would be no interruption in access to abortion services provided to troops under current law nor would policies regarding leave change as a result of the ruling.

The report provided to Congress this year marks a change from previous years, which furnished data on abortion procedures namely for active-duty military personnel only. Under that system, the services reported that 60 service women received abortions in military hospitals, including 25 soldiers, 21 sailors, 14 Air Force personnel and no Marines.

The numbers now include spouses or family members who receive health care through the military at DoD treatment facilities.

The data provided to Congress provides little context on the procedures and does not say where they were performed. Under policies set forth by the services, military health care providers who object to abortion on moral or religious grounds are not required to perform or assist with the procedure.

The data also does not include ectopic pregnancies or procedures conducted as a result of a partial miscarriage and only focuses on terminations that would otherwise result in a live birth.

According to the Defense Health Agency's May 2021 Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, 3,926 service women had a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or abortion in 2020. That report offers no further data on the individual diagnoses, other than they accounted for 9,665 medical appointments or treatments that year.

The diagnoses have risen as more women have joined the U.S. military. In 2016, 3,563 service women experienced a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or abortion, accounting for 8,059 medical visits.

Women now make up nearly 20% of the U.S. armed forces.

The research is scant on the number of service women who have received abortions privately.

A self-reported survey conducted in 2011 found that 7% of active-duty women reported having an unintended pregnancy the previous year, compared with 4.5% in the general U.S. population.

The Defense Health Agency and Defense Department has refused since May to provide Military.com the data on abortions performed at military health facilities or those covered by by the Tricare health program in the past five years.

Shortly after the Supreme Court's decision was announced, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged to review DoD policies and issue guidance if needed to ensure that service members continue to have access to abortions under federal law.

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, Austin said in a statement.

 Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

Related: Nonprofits Are Filling a Void of Fertility Help for Service Members, But Hope Congress Steps Up
The Battle of Gettysburg may have been the turning point of the Civil War, but no one told the Confederates that, especially in the West.

In August 1864, Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price received an order to take the fight to the North, capture St. Louis and make Abraham Lincoln a one-term president.

The resulting offensive was one of the largest mounted cavalry attacks of the war, and it cost the Confederacy dearly. One Union soldier, a 20-year-old private from Iowa, earned the Medal of Honor for compounding the South's failure.

A cutting from the 1897 book, "The Story of American Heroism," depicts a wounded Union Pvt. James Dunlavy taking Confederate Gen. John S. Marmaduke's weapon, apparently just by virtue of proximity.

A lot was going against the Confederates from the get-go. They were terribly outnumbered by St. Louis' defenders. To make matters worse, the cavalrymen were still using long, barrel-loaded muskets that were difficult to reload on the best days and nearly impossible on horseback. They were also low on provisions, with three divisions to arm, clothe and feed.

The Confederates began their advance anyway, dead-set on giving Lincoln the October surprise of capturing Missouri and installing a Confederate government. They encountered mixed success, but overran small Union forces at Fort Davidson, Glasgow and Lexington.

Along the way, foraging expeditions resulted in a 500-wagon supply train, including blue Union uniforms that the Confederates happily wore. Their provisioning issues were over, but their real problems were just beginning. And the ill-gotten supplies would be the catalyst for their defeat.

When the Confederate troops arrived at St. Louis, they found it much better defended than they expected, so they headed west toward Jefferson City.

Although their previous battlefield victories were much-needed wins, they slowed the Confederates down and allowed a pursuing Union force under Gens. Samuel R. Curtis and Alfred Pleasonton to catch up to them near Kansas City. At the Battle of Westport, Price's Confederate cavalry was soundly beaten in an engagement that became known as the "Gettysburg of the West."

After Westport, the southerners were forced to retreat through Kansas. Upon arriving at the river crossing near Mine Creek, Confederate troops found their wagon trains hadn't finished crossing. Outnumbering the Union Army by more than 2-to-1, they set up a battle line.

The Union cavalry charged, and the fighting quickly devolved into fierce hand-to-hand combat. When the southern cavalrymen couldn't reload their rifles, they used them as clubs. Soon, Union troops were in the Confederate rear, but the rebel infantry were wearing Union blue, making it difficult to tell friend from foe.

Pvt. James Dunlavy of the 3rd Iowa Cavalry started shooting into a crowd of rebel soldiers wearing the stolen uniforms. Confederate Gen. John S. Marmaduke, thinking the soldiers were federal troops and Dunlavy was one of his men, approached the young man, who put a gun to his chest and forced his surrender.

Gen. John S. Marmaduke was later elected governor of Missouri, his opponent apparently forgetting to tell voters he was captured by a private.

Within hours, the battle was over -- a lopsided win for the outnumbered Union troops and their superior firepower. The southerners took 10 times the casualties as the attacking Union troops, and Price would later have to destroy the supply wagons at another river crossing to salvage what was left of his army.

The federals chased Price all the way back to Texas; the Confederates never mounted another major offensive in the Mississippi River theater of the war.

Dunlavy received the Medal of Honor for capturing Marmaduke, who spent the rest of the war at a prisoner-of-war camp in Johnson's Island, Ohio.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Yair Lapid for assuming the role of Israel's 14th Prime Minister. Modi also thanked outgoing PM Bennett for his support.

In his Twitter statement, Prime Minister Modi said India was looking forward bolstring it's strategic partnership with Israel. He also noted that India and Israel is celebrating 30 years of diplomatic ties.

Indian Prime Minister also thanked out going Prime Minister Bennett.

India and Israel established full diplomatic relationships on 29 January 1992 which has now developed into a strategic partnership.

Both countries depeened their exchanges in multiples fields including people to people contact. The defence and security partnership provided the base for India- Israel bilateral cooperation. After the Kargil War, India relied more on Israeli technology and arms for border security and counter terrorism. Apart from defence trade, India and Israel partnership have also been increased in Defence technology cooperation.

Warm wishes and heartiest congratulations to His Excellency @yairlapid for assuming the premiership of Israel. I look forward to continue furthering our strategic partnership as we celebrate 30 years of full diplomatic relations.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 1, 2022


The As announced a series of roster moves before tonights game in Seattle. Right-hander Adrian Martinez and infielder Vimael Machin have been promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas, as previously reported. Oakland also reinstated outfielder Skye Bolt from the 60-day injured list, placed Jed Lowrie on the 10-day IL due to a left shoulder sprain, and optioned center fielder Cristian Pache and starter Adam Oller to Triple-A. Bolts activation required a 40-man roster spot, which has been created by designating reliever Adam Kolarek for assignment.

Kolarek has spent the past couple seasons in Oakland. The As acquired him from the Dodgers in February 2021, sending infielder Sheldon Neuse the other way. (Oakland has since reacquired Neuse via waivers). Kolarek has bounced on and off the active roster since that point, making 27 combined appearances. He was tagged for ten runs in nine innings last season, and its been a similar struggle thus far in 2022.

Through 17 2/3 innings, the southpaw has posted a 4.58 ERA. Kolarek has struck out only 11.4% of batters faced on a 4.7% swinging strike rate, and hes walked a personal-high 10.1% of opponents. Kolarek has never missed many bats, but hes seen his average fastball drop from the 91-92 MPH range down to 88.1 MPH this year. The 33-year-old has also allowed eight runs over 12 2/3 frames with Las Vegas during his optional stints.

Those struggles led the As to move on, but Kolarek could still hold some appeal to other clubs. The sidearmer has typically been excellent at handling left-handed opponents. For his career, hes held southpaws to a pitiful .190/.243/.260 line over 277 plate appearances. Right-handers have teed off at a .311/.383/.490 clip, but that kind of situational dominance made him a productive bullpen option in Los Angeles and Tampa Bay earlier in his career. Kolarek also routinely generates ground-balls at a 60% clip or better, and thats been the case even as his velocity and swing-and-miss have taken a step back in Oakland.

While Kolareks time in the organization could be coming to an end, the As are surely hopeful Pache will yet emerge as a member of the long-term core. The 23-year-old was one of four players (arguably the headliner) of the Spring Training return from the Braves for Matt Olson. Hes gone on to start 60 of the teams 72 games in center field, but his first season in green and gold has been a disappointment.

Pache carries just a .159/.203/.224 line across 214 plate appearances. Hes collected only eight extra-base hits while walking at a subpar 5.1% rate and striking out 26.2% of the time. Of the 206 MLB hitters with at least 200 trips to the plate, Pache ranks last with a 24 wRC+ (suggesting hes been 76 percentage points worse than the league average batter). The non-competitive As continued to give him opportunities to get on track offensively, but his woes have spiraled of late. Dating back to the start of June, hes collected only six hits and three walks over 19 games.

Of course, Pache has long been a glove-first player. He drew top prospect attention during his time in the Atlanta system based largely on the strength of his defense, which most evaluators suggested could be among the leagues best. Pache has lived up to that reputation early in his MLB days. He ranks fourth among outfielders in Statcasts Outs Above Average metric this season, checking in seven plays better than par. That kind of ability could make Pache a perennial Gold Glove candidate, but hell need to hit far better than he has this season if hes to earn everyday run in the majors.

The Braves had optioned Pache during both the 2020 and 21 campaigns. Assuming he spends 20+ days in the minors this year, hell exhaust his third and final option year. That means the As will need to keep him on the active roster next season, assuming they dont want to make him available to other teams. Needless to say, organizational higher-ups will hope that this latest reboot against upper minors arms will help him take a step forward at the plate. Pache owns a more serviceable .267/.331/.414 line through 458 Triple-A plate appearances; the As would be thrilled if he could come anywhere close to that kind of production in the majors given his defensive acumen.

How quickly Pache returns to the big leagues will depend in large part on how he hits in Las Vegas. Getting back at some point this season would have important service time repercussions, as hes just shy of reaching a full year of big league service. Pache entered the 2022 campaign with 79 days. Players reach a full service year upon accruing 172 days on an MLB roster or injured list, meaning he needs 93 days this season to surpass the one-year mark. Pache has tallied around 84 days in the majors to this point, so he needs about a week and a half more time in the big leagues in 2022 to keep on track towards a post-2027 free agent trajectory.

While Pache tries to find his footing, the As figure to turn center field over to Bolt. The 28-year-old hasnt played in the big leagues this season due to an oblique strain, but hell get the nod in center tonight. Bolt has only 37 games of MLB experience under his belt, but hes out of options and has to remain on the active roster or be designated for assignment now that hes healthy.
The Red Sox have traded reliever Silvino Bracho to the Braves for cash considerations, according to announcements from both teams. Atlanta has a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no further move was necessary.

Boston had just designated Bracho for assignment this afternoon. He finds another landing spot fairly quickly, and hell presumably get an opportunity to make his season debut at some point shortly. The Red Sox had selected Bracho onto the major league roster on Tuesday, but they designated him for assignment without his appearing in an MLB game. The 29-year-old is seeking his first big league outing since 2020 after spending the past year and a half in Triple-A.

Despite his lack of recent MLB experience, Bracho was an appealing target for the Atlanta front office based on the strength of his minor league performance. Hes worked 31 1/3 innings over 18 outings with the Soxs top affiliate in Worcester, posting a 3.16 ERA. The righty has punched out an excellent 29.3% of opponents while walking only four of the 123 hitters hes faced. Hell add a multi-inning possibility to the middle frames for skipper Brian Snitker.

Bracho owns a 4.82 ERA in 89 2/3 career big league innings. Most of that time was compiled with the 2015-18 Diamondbacks. Hes made just one MLB appearance in the past three years, owing in part to a Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019. Bracho is out of minor league option years, so hell have to stick on the active roster or be designated for assignment again.
The Marlins announced a series of roster moves Friday, selecting the contract of veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton from Triple-A Jacksonville and designating infielder Erik Gonzalez for assignment to clear roster space. Miami also reinstated Joey Wendle from the 10-day injured list and placed slugger Jorge Soler on the 10-day IL with what theyre terming bilateral pelvis inflammation.

Miami just signed Hamilton to a minor league contract a couple weeks ago. He made just one appearance with Jacksonville before being called up, and hes now in position to log his first MLB action of the year. Hamilton adds a speed and defense element to an outfield that has otherwise been lacking a prototypical center fielder. Miami has relied on Jesus Sanchez, whos probably better suited for a corner outfield role, in center field of late.

Sanchez, of course, will remain the primary center fielder even with Hamiltons arrival. The fleet-footed veteran hasnt hit well, putting up only a .213/.269/.299 line since the start of the 2019 campaign. Even with excellent defense and baserunning, that offensive output has been too light to merit regular playing time at the big league level. Hell add an interesting complementary skill set to the bench for skipper Don Mattingly.

Gonzalez has had a pair of separate stints in the majors this season, the first coming as a COVID replacement. The former Pirate has suited up in 16 MLB games with Miami, playing all four infield spots but not offering much at the plate. Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, Gonzalez has had a nice season in Jacksonville. Through 186 plate appearances with the Jumbo Shrimp, hes hit .339/.376/.431 and swiped seven bases.

With Wendle back and Soler landing on the IL, Miami will turn the final bench spot over to an outfielder at the expense of some infield depth. Gonzalez, who is out of minor league option years, had to be designated for assignment to be taken off the active roster. Miami will have a week to trade him or, more likely, run him through waivers. If he passes through the wire unclaimed, hed have the right to elect free agency as a player with over three years of big league service time.
The Phillies announced that outfielder Oscar Mercado has been designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for southpaw Bailey Falter, who has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start todays game. Mercado had only been claimed off waivers from the Guardians a few days prior and struck out in his lone plate appearance with Philadelphia.

At the time of the original waiver claim, it looked as though the 27-year-old Mercado might be in line for a legitimate audition with the Phils, who will be without Bryce Harper for more than a month and who have seen both Mickey Moniak and Odubel Herrera struggle considerably of late. Mercados struggles at the plate in Cleveland over the past three years have been glaring, but hes an above-average outfielder capable of playing all three spots  a skill set the Phillies sorely lack at present.

Were not that far removed from the 2019 season, wherein Mercado finished eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting on the heels of a solid .269/.318/.443 batting line through 115 games in Cleveland. He tallied 15 homers, 25 doubles, three triples and 15 steals to go along with strong defense and, at the time, looked to have cemented himself in the outfield there.

Instead, Mercados bat has curiously eroded. Hes batted just .198/.254/.331 since Opening Day 2020, and it turns out he wont get an opportunity to right the ship with the Phillies after all. Hell now either be traded, placed on outright waivers or released at some point in the next seven days (although the latter option seems rather unlikely). Mercado has not been outrighted previously in his career, so if he does go unclaimed this time around, the Phils would be able to send him outright to Triple-A and retain his rights without dedicating a 40-man roster spot to him.
01.07.2022 LISTEN

Fiifi Coleman, an ace Ghanaian actor and film director, has urged his colleagues in the Ghana film industry to reveals the real figures of what they make in order to attract investors to invest in the industry.

He urges them to stop boasting and bragging about what they make or not.

He said investor would like to see how much money they make from the new movies they have been premiering.

As a result, he charged film directors, including himself, to reveal the amount of money they invest in their films and the what they receive in return so that investors can determine whether it is worthwhile to invest.

We dont have the metrics, we dont have the numbers, we dont have the proof. We are all here, we agree there is an improvement in the industry. There are new movies coming out, but producers are not speaking to numbers.

We need to now start making the numbers known. Because if we are doing well as we are all saying, tell me how much did you make from that movie, how much did you put into that movie? So that if I am coming in I know that in six years, I am getting this or that from the movie, he noted.

Mr. Coleman made these suggestions on Saturday, June 25, 2022, during a discussion on "The Chat" on Citi TV, an Accra-based television station monitored by Modernghana News.

His assertions were directed at the numerous discussions about reviving Ghana's film industry, which has been described as a "dead industry" comparing it to Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry.
Ghanaian gospel musician, Obaapa Christys former husband, Pastor Love Hammond, who is a songwriter and a talent manager, has lamented about being denied access to his children by his ex-wife.

Pastor Love said his last time seeing their last child was in 2010, which is twelve (12) years ago when she was 2 years old, but now 14 years old.

The children are grown now. More or less, Im denied access to the children. I dont want to pursue the issue because in our part of the world if you follow some of these issues to the latter, the outcome would be terrible.

Ive let it slide, and Im okay. Im not the first person to go through such trouble. Im not the only person and wont be the only person who has gone through and will go through. Some of the women in our society, if you are no more with them, thats what theyll do to you, he bemoaned.

Speaking on the phone with the host of the 'Anigye MMere' Show on Accra-based Onua FM, which was monitored by Modernghana News, the man of God stated that he does not wish to pursue the issue because the outcome may be adverse.

As a result, he revealed that he has accepted to let things be as they are now because he believes that the children will come looking for him in the future at God's appointed time.

My last child was two years when she took her to Germany. Now she is 14 years. Ive not seen her since. Ive left everything in the hands of God. I will not fight over them because if I do Ghanaians will support the one with the bad intent.

The children know me inside out. In the future, they will come looking for their father. You know me very well. I wouldnt t have let things like this slide, but Im not like that again. By Gods grace, people around me have helped me change for the better, he concluded.

Obaapa Christy, born Christina Adwoa Twene and her former husband, Pastor Love Hammond, officially divorced a few years ago, even though her husband was the hand behind many of her hit songs.

She married her current husband, Nana Yaw Frankie, about ten (10) years ago.
30.06.2022 LISTEN

The Minority in Parliament is demanding that the contract to relocate the Ameri Power Plant from Aboadzi to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region be brought before the House for approval.

According to them, contracts with international companies must come to Parliament first, but the government is trying to sidestep the law.

Government last year announced the decision to relocate the Ameri Power Plant to the Ashanti Region to help stabilise the national grid.

The project is alleged to cost 35 million dollars. Ranking member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Jinapor says the Minority will continue to resist the deal.

They confirmed that they had entered into an agreement with Mytilineous company for pre-financing. The project will cost about $35 million. And they have even forwarded the contract to the Attorney-General, so they can execute the contract.

More importantly, this company is an international company, and in accordance with Article 181(5) of the constitution, such international agreements must even be brought to Parliament. This nicodemous attempt to sign this contract will not be countenanced, he added.

By Citi Newsroom
Mali's government has adopted a timetable for staging elections, in a move just days ahead of a regional summit to mull the future of sanctions against the junta-dominated country.

Official documents seen by AFP Thursday said presidential elections would be held in February 2024, preceded by a referendum on a revised constitution in March 2023.

Local elections will be held in June 2023 followed by a legislative ballot between October and November the same year, the documents said.

The decision was made at a government meeting on Wednesday night after the draft was given to political parties and civil society groups.

"Our authorities are setting down further signals for a return to constitutional order," government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, who is also minister of territorial administration, said on state TV.

"The government believes that this timetable is realistic."

The timetable is a key issue in the confrontation between Mali and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Colonels disgruntled at the government's failure to roll back a bloody jihadist uprising ousted Mali's elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, in August 2020.

Mali's neighbours in West Africa, a region deeply prone to coups, have clamoured for an early restoration of civilian rule.

On January 9, ECOWAS imposed tough trade and financial sanctions for perceived foot-dragging on meeting this demand.

Its leaders will meet Sunday in Ghana's capital Accra to decide on the future of these measures.

In early June, the junta issued a decree saying that it would rule until March 2024.

The move was announced unilaterally, even as negotiations with the 15-nation bloc were continuing.

An ECOWAS mediator, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, has made a string of trips to Bamako to try to secure a compromise.

His last stay was on June 23 and June 24.
At least six Sudanese demonstrators were killed Thursday as security forces sought to quash mass rallies of protesters demanding an end to military rule, pro-democracy medics said.

In one of the most violent days this year in an ongoing crackdown on the anti-coup movement, AFP correspondents reported security forces firing tear gas and stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters.

"Even if we die, the military will not rule us," protesters chanted, urging the reversal of an October military coup by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that prompted foreign governments to slash aid, deepening a chronic economic crisis.

At least four of the six killed were shot, two in the chest, another in the head, and one in the back, the medics said, raising the overall death toll to 109 from protest-related violence since October.

"Down with Burhan's rule," crowds chanted, with protests and violence flaring in both the capital Khartoum and its suburbs, including the twin city of Omdurman.

Medics also reported "several attempts to storm hospitals in Khartoum," with security forces firing tear gas into one hospital, where some of those injured during the protests had been taken.

Map of Sudan locating the capital Khartoum. By (AFP)

An AFP correspondent said internet and phone lines had been disrupted since the early hours of Thursday, a measure the Sudanese authorities often impose to prevent mass gatherings.

Security was tight in Khartoum despite the recent lifting of a state of emergency imposed after the coup.

Troops and police blocked roads leading to both army headquarters and the presidential palace, witnesses said. Shops around the capital were largely shuttered.

Activists have been calling for "million-strong" rallies.

'Violence needs to end'

Sudan's military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, drove the country's main civilian groups from power in an October 2021 coup, plunging the country into deeper crisis. By Ashraf SHAZLY (AFP/File)

UN special representative Volker Perthes said Thursday that "violence needs to end", while the US embassy in Khartoum urged restraint and "the protection of civilians so that no more lives are lost".

Sudan's foreign ministry has repeatedly criticised the UN envoy's comments, saying they were built on "assumptions" and "contradict his role as facilitator" in troubled talks on ending Sudan's political crisis.

The latest protests come on the anniversary of a previous coup in 1989, that toppled the country's last elected civilian government and ushered in three decades of iron-fisted rule by Islamist-backed General Omar al-Bashir.

They also come on the anniversary of 2019 protests demanding that the generals, who had ousted Bashir in a palace coup earlier that year, cede power to civilians.

Those protests led to the formation of the mixed civilian-military transitional government which was toppled in last year's coup.

Sudanese protesters march towards the parliament building in Omdurman on April 6, 2022, during a rally against military rule. By - (AFP)

Sudan has been roiled by near-weekly protests as the country's economic woes have deepened since Burhan seized power last year.

"June 30 is our way to bring down the coup and block the path of any fake alternatives," said the Forces for Freedom and Change, an alliance of civilian groups whose leaders were ousted in the coup.

Alongside the African Union and east African bloc IGAD, the United Nations has been attempting to broker talks between the generals and civilians, but they have been boycotted by all the main civilian factions.

The UN has warned that the deepening economic and political crisis has pushed one third of the country's population of more than 40 million towards life-threatening food shortages.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International has urged France to amend its law on crimes against humanity committed abroad. This would make it possible for people suspected of war crimes in Ukraine or Syria, for example, to be brought to justice in France. But there are significant judicial hurdles.

France ratified the Rome Statute, the legal foundation of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on 9 June 2000. However, in reality France doesn't want to utilise it, Jean-Claude Samouiller, president of Amnesty International France, told RFI.

To be effective, regulations contained in the Rome Statute need to be embedded in national jurisdictions.

In France, they are, but with limits.

According to a study by the Open Society Justice Initiative, the French Criminal Code of Procedure (CCP) "provides for universal jurisdiction over specified offences emanating from international conventions ratified by France".

But, says the study, the CCP does not "establish an obligation to prosecute these crimes," which runs against "the principle of universal jurisdiction" and "allows for the investigation and prosecution of crimes regardless of where they were committed, and irrespective of the nationality of the victims and perpetrators."

According to Samouiller, when the Rome Statute was "translated" into French legislation in 2010, France created four obstacles that restricted universal jurisdiction and unfettered prosecution of war crimes committed abroad:

the crime must be recognised in the country where it is committed

the perpetrator must have permanent residence in France

relatives of victims cannot be party to the trial

the case must not already be before the International Criminal Court

"These locks are a guarantee of impunity before the French courts for these most serious crimes," said Jeanne Sulzer, a human rights lawyer with Amnesty France.

To date, seven investigations into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine against French nationals have been opened in Paris. But none against Ukrainian citizens.

According to Oksana Pokalchuk, Amnesty's Ukraine director, "France sent police to collect evidence of war crimes to Ukraine. The fact that France could become a land of refuge for war criminals because of excessive legislation limiting the prosecution of perpetrators of international crimes in France, is incomprehensible and astonishing."

Pokalchuk witnessed some of the war violence first-hand.

She lived in Irpin, near Kyiv, one of the sites where Russian soldiers are accused of serious human rights violations.

"In the yard of my house are the graves of my neighbours," she told RFI.

It makes her work as an independent human rights investigator complicated, she says.

"You have to have peace inside. You have to be unbiased. You have to have no personal commitment. That's why I still cannot get back to my house."

According to the UN, some 4,500 civilians have been killed in Ukraine as of 15 June.

War justice

Both Russia and Ukraine have started holding trials of suspected war criminals.

On 23 May, a Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia's invasion.

Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the north-eastern Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on 28 February, four days after the invasion.

And in June, two Britons and a Moroccan who were captured while fighting for Ukraine were sentenced to death by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), one of Russia's proxies in eastern Ukraine.

The court found the three men, UK citizens Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun, guilty of "mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR."

Thousands of victims

But neither court has the legal stature of the international tribunals such as the Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, or the Cambodia or Lebanon courts.

Critics on both sides doubt the independence of the courts, which are under the control of the respective warring parties.

Bringing cases to the ICC is not an option, as neither Russia nor Ukraine ratified the Rome Statute.

So investigators, prosecutors and victims are at loss as to how justice should be done.

In an article for JusticeInfo.net, legal expert and activist Celine Bardet warns that swift justice of war crimes while the conflict is still ongoing may violate elements of the Geneva Conventions, as "clear safeguards so as to judge in complete independence in times of war" are not guaranteed.

According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, her office registers between 200 and 300 cases of war crimes on a daily basis.

"Ukraine is not capable of investigating all these war crimes," adds Pokalchuk, stressing that the ICC, and the different "independent tribunals" for Rwanda, the Former Yugoslavia, Cambodia and others "merely dealt with the top of the chain of command, the generals, the leaders."

One solution could be that courts in various countries get involved.

"We have to think about all the hundreds of thousands of victims in Ukraine," she says, expressing the hope that a change of legislation will open the way for France to throw its judicial weight behind international prosecution of war criminals.

"What we really want is for France not to be a safe haven for the suspected war criminals," says Samouiller, but for France to be able to judge them and, if necessary, throw them in prison."

There is a glimmer of hope.

NGO's like Amnesty International, legislators and victims' groups are putting increasingly heavy pressure on French authorities to amend the laws.

And interest in pushing for universality seems to be growing.

Paris's top court, theTribunal de grande instance runs a Centre for Genocide and Crimes against Humanity which investigated crimes in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and others.

The centre was created in 2013 and helped to convict people found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity in Rwanda, even if they were not directly linked with France.

The trial of Pascal Simbikangwa, on 14 March 2014 was the first of a non-French citizen who was accused of committing crimes outside France.

A court in Paris issued indictments against at least 46 other Rwandans involved in the genocide.

Last May, former Rwandan police chief Laurent Bucyibaruta was put on trial in Paris and may spend the rest of his life behind French bars if found guilty.

These trials, as legal scholar Helen Trouille points out in a study, came about only after long delays, endless haggling and negotiations between parties concerned, while using jurisprudence that was produced during Nazi trials against former Vichy official Maurice Papon and others.

The Rwanda cases seem to have been decided on an individual basis, and do not guarantee universality of French human rights law as applied, for instance, to people suspected of war crimes in Ukraine.

Guillaume Gouffier-Cha, an MP for French President Emmanuel Macron's Ensemble party, submitted a draft law on 7 June abolishing the "four obstacles" that would make French human rights legislation truly universal.

But the final version may still take several months, if not longer, before it will be signed into law.
Majority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu

01.07.2022 LISTEN

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Majority Leader of Ghanas Parliament, Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has assured Arise Ghana Demonstrators that Parliament would do whatever it can to ensure that concerns presented to the legislature are addressed.

Mr. Kyei Mensah-Bonsu made the observation at the forecourt of Parliament on Wednesday, 29th June 2022, when pressure group, Arise Ghana presented a petition to the house.

Arise Ghana commenced a two-day demonstration in the capital to compel the government to address the high cost of living in the country.

Presenting the petition to Parliament, Mr. Bernard Monah, a leading member of Arise Ghana, said the high cost of living in the country was devastating. He implored parliament to exercise its powers to ensure that government does something urgent to ameliorate the high cost of living among the citizenry.

Mr. Monah also entreated parliament to use its power to compel the Akufo-Addo administration to abolish some taxes he described as obnoxious and insensitive.

He presented a litany of concerns, not excluding the controversial E-levy.

We demand an immediate withdrawal of the E-levy." Mr. Monah has indicated.

According to him the e-levy was one of the reasons why the youth across the country are poor.

The leadership of parliament represented by the Majority leader, Mr. Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, and the Minority leader, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, received the petition on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Sumani Alban Bagbin.

Mr. Kyei Mensah-Bonsu assured the pressure group that parliament would work within its powers to address the issues raised.

We have a right to demonstrate nonetheless, let us keep it peaceful so that no one takes advantage to destabilize the country. The stability and viability of the nation should be the overall objective. Mr. Osei Kyei Mensa Bonsu has said.

According to him, parliament consists of representatives of the people, so whatever affects the ordinary Ghanaian concerns parliament; therefore, parliament would study the petition and see how best it can help address the issues raised.

[email protected]

@analimbeychris (Twitter)

By: Analimbey, A. Chris
The activities of rogue website operators and social media scammers whose primary aim is to make money at the expense of the credibility of examinations is one of the major challenges of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Mrs Wendy E.Addy Lamptey, Head of National Office, WAEC, has said.

She said, "even before we begin the conduct of this year's WASSCE, the nefarious activities of these scammers have already started."

The Head of the National Office said the Council was, however, working closely with the Police, National Investigation Bureau (NIB) and other security agencies to address the situation.

Mrs Lamptey was speaking at the WAEC Distinction Awards ceremony for WASSCE for School candidates, 2020 and 2021 held in Accra on Thursday.

This year, the Council recognised the achievements of two cohorts of candidates because it was unable to organise the awards ceremony for WASSCE, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mrs Lamptey appealed to the awardees to be worthy ambassadors in the fight against examination malpractice, adding, "we believe that your peers will heed your call when you join us in our crusade."

"We wish to reiterate that safeguarding the sanctity of our examinations is a collective responsibility, She added.

Mrs Lamptey said the Council's preparation for this year's examinations was on course and hinted of a second webinar series for supervisors and invigilators on their role of upholding the integrity of examinations.

She said sensitisation programmes for candidates were currently ongoing across the country with candidates being taken through the do's and don'ts of examinations.

She reminded candidates that they could pass their examinations without cheating, adding they should also access the Chief Examiners' report on the Council's website to obtain useful information on examinations.

Mrs Lamptey further cautioned candidates to stay away from all websites that purportED to have timetables for upcoming examinations, saying the Council had made available credible examination timetables to all Heads of Schools.

Mr Parteh Bah, Registrar of WAEC, noted that at the international level, Ghana continued to produce award winners each year.

"WAEC monitors the progress of its award winners. We have found over the years that they all maintain top notch performance in their academic pursuits and chosen careers in different parts of the world," Mr Bah said.

WASSCE for School Candidates, 2020 first Prize Winner in Ghana went to Mr Cecil Tetteh Kumah, former student of Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast.

The second prize went to Mr Godfred Aseda Obeng, former Student of Hope College, Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region.

Ms Afua Maukure Ansah, a former student of Achimota School received the third prize.

The WASSCE for school candidates, 2021 first prize winner in Ghana went to Mr Asante Kwame Brako, former student of Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, Legon, and a contestant and winner of the 2021 Accra Regional Maths and Science quiz Competition.

Mr Ohene-Amoani Kwaku, former student of St James Seminary Senior High School, took the second prize.

The third prize went to Korang Ageyi Ransford Nana, a former student of St James Seminary Senior High School.

Other students who excelled in other programmes received various awards.

The awardees were given laptops and cash prizes.

GNA
Angolan authorities should drop criminal defamation and insult investigations into journalists Escrivao Jose, Oscar Constantino, and Fernando Caetano and ensure that investigative journalism is not criminalized, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

The three journalists each told CPJ that they are facing ongoing legal processes over criminal defamation and insult complaints about their work.

The spate of spurious criminal defamation cases against journalists in Angola shows that politicians and powerful figures are allergic to public scrutiny and are taking advantage of colonial-era laws to criminalize journalism, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prosecutors must stop pandering to elites who want to keep citizens in the dark and should refuse to entertain such cases in line with a 2010 resolution by the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights urging African Union members states to abolish criminal defamation and insult laws.

Convictions for criminal defamation carry prison terms of up to 1.5 years and a fine set by a judge; insult convictions carry one year and a fine, according to the penal code and Nelson Custodio, a local lawyer who represents both Caetano and Constantino, and who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. CPJ has recently reported on several other criminal defamation cases against journalists in Angola.

On June 6, investigators with the police criminal investigation service in the capital, Luanda, sent a summons to Jose, editor of the privately owned newspaper Hora H, and on June 13 they questioned him in relation to defamation and insult complaints filed by Bento Bento, the ruling Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) first secretary in the capital, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

Bentos complaints stemmed from a March 29 report by Hora Hs affiliated online video outlet, in which Jose covered corruption allegations involving a land deal by Bento, Jose told CPJ. Authorities released Jose after classifying him as arguido, or a formal suspect in criminal proceedings, a necessary step to possibly being charged with a crime or arrested.

Jose told CPJ that Hora H had sought Bentos comment more than a month before publishing their story.

Instead of any reply to our questions, Bento chose to intimidate journalists by using his political weight to sue us, Jose said, adding that this was the 24th criminal defamation suit he had faced over his work. He said most of those cases were unresolved, and some had closed without a formal prosecution.

CPJ called Bento and contacted him via messaging app for comment but he did not answer.

Separately, on June 20, a judge in the province of Kwanza Sul held a hearing in criminal defamation and insult cases against Constantino, a reporter for the Catholic Church-owned broadcaster Radio Ecclesia, according to news reports and Constantino, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

That case stemmed from complaints filed by Morais Antonio, the former president of the provincial electoral commission, over a 2020 report by the journalist about Antonios resignation amid an alleged sex scandal, according to those sources. Constantino has been classified as arguido in that case since 2021, he told CPJ.

He said his court appearance in the case is scheduled for July 6, when he expects to learn whether he has been convicted. The public prosecutor had asked for the charges against Constantino to be dropped because of a lack of evidence, according to news reports and Custodio.

Antonio told CPJ by phone that he believed Constantino went beyond the facts in his reporting and accused the journalist of failing to publish his reply to the allegations. Constantino told CPJ he stood by the reporting, which he said was based on Antonios resignation letter.

Antonio also filed separate criminal defamation and insult complaints against Caetano, a correspondent for the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America and the news website Club K in Kwanza Sul province, over a December 2017 report by Club K about alleged corruption in the management of the provincial electoral commission, the journalist told CPJ by phone. Caetano said he was notified of his status as arguido in the case in November 2021.

That 2017 report was published under someone elses byline, and featured a photograph that was later reused in an unrelated report written by Caetano in December 2019, Caetano told CPJ. He said he was not the author of the 2017 report and had no say in the photo in the 2019 article, adding, This is a good example of how easily journalists can get sued in Angola for next to no reason.

Antonio told CPJ that Caetano must prove that he was not the author of the 2017 report, as the photograph was the same and Caetano was the only Club K reporter in the province.

If it is not him so who is it? Antonio said, noting that the 2017 article alleged that he had embezzled money.

Caetano had his first court hearing in that case in March, according to Custodio. The case was adjourned and a date for the next hearing had not been set by June 29, Custodio said.

Kwanza Sul public prosecutor Mario Sacuiema told CPJ in a phone interview that he could not comment on Constantino or Caetanos cases, and confirmed that a date for Caetanos next court hearing had not been set.
The study of science and its related courses in the Upper East Region by girls has been nothing to write home about.

It is against this background that AfriKids Ghana, a child rights Non-Governmental Organization, has organized girls science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics quiz (STEM) in Bolgatanga. Lesson learning is one of the critical areas of AfriKids Ghana.

As a transformational organization operating in the five Northern Regions for the past 15 years, the desire of girls in studying STEM and its related disciplines is very low.

The Country Director of Afrikids Ghana, David Pwalua said the intervention therefore seeks to whip up the interest of the girls in the study of science to advance their careers in all spheres of life.

Mr Pwalua indicated that STEM is a major area in the new strategy for AfriKids 2021/2025. "So for the next 5 years AfriKids will be working with schools, closely with Ghana Education Service (GES), with all the STEM coordinators in the Districts and in the Regions to ensure that, girls STEM is happening in most of the schools if not, all."

He stated that they implement STEM laboratories having equipment, and teachers trained to support their girls to develop the interest and operate in 124 JHS in the next 24 months.

Mr Pwalua added that AfriKids has identified six districts across the five regions of the North as part of the new strategy, where the next stage of their intervention will be implemented.

He added that in terms of funding, its quite expensive but it has more to do with commitment. "People should be able to innovate and come out with local technologies that can assist them to carry out the experiment."

The Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Education Kyee-Ebo Estella lauded AfriKids for their intervention and challenged science teachers to guide the girls to come out with more innovations in the field. With the AfriKids quiz, she added that the girls' horizons and interests are stepped up and well positioned to compete favourably with counterparts elsewhere.

The competing Junior High schools (JHS) were St Martins, Builsa North took the first position with 67 points, St Johns Bolga, second with 62.4 points, the third position went to Yikene with 46.4 points while Afoko JHS went home with the fourth position with 37points all within Bolgatanga.
At least nine Sudanese demonstrators were killed Thursday as security forces sought to quash mass rallies of protesters demanding an end to military rule, pro-democracy medics said.

In one of the most violent days this year in an ongoing crackdown on the anti-coup movement, AFP correspondents reported security forces firing tear gas and stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters.

"Even if we die, the military will not rule us," protesters chanted, urging the reversal of an October military coup by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that prompted foreign governments to slash aid, deepening a chronic economic crisis.

At least seven of the nine killed were shot in the chest or the head, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said, raising the overall death toll to 111 from protest-related violence since October.

One of them was a minor, the doctors said, killed by "a bullet in the chest".

"Down with Burhan's rule," crowds chanted, with protests and violence flaring in both the capital Khartoum and its suburbs, including the twin city of Omdurman, on the other side of the Nile river.

Sudanese anti-coup protesters take cover as riot police try to disperse them with a water cannon during a demonstration against military rule in Khartoum on June 30. By - (AFP)

Security forces fired powerful water cannons, as protesters set fire to tyres.

Medics also reported "several attempts to storm hospitals in Khartoum," with security forces firing tear gas into one hospital, where some of those injured during the protests had been taken.

Protests in Khartoum were larger than normal, and beyond the capital, demonstrations also took place in Wad Madani in the south, the western Darfur region, the eastern states of Kassala and Gedaref as well as the city of Port Sudan, witnesses said.

Map of Sudan locating the capital Khartoum. By (AFP)

Internet and phone lines had been disrupted since the early hours of Thursday, a measure the Sudanese authorities often impose to prevent mass gatherings.

By Thursday evening, communications were partially restored.

Security was tight in Khartoum despite the recent lifting of a state of emergency imposed after the coup.

Troops and police blocked roads leading to both army headquarters and the presidential palace, witnesses said. Shops around the capital were largely shuttered.

'Violence needs to end'

Police and protesters clashed on Thursday during one of the largest and most violent demonstrations in recent months. By - (AFP)

Demonstrations continued in Omdurman as night fell with crowds trying to remove security barricades in a bid to cross bridges to reach Khartoum, witnesses said.

Thursday's rallies showed a "change in the balance of power in favour of the mass movement and its goals of seizing complete civil authority and defeating the coup," said the Forces for Freedom and Change, an alliance of civilian groups whose leaders were ousted in the coup.

UN special representative Volker Perthes said Thursday that "violence needs to end", while the US embassy in Khartoum urged restraint and "the protection of civilians so that no more lives are lost".

The latest protests come on the anniversary of a previous coup in 1989, that toppled the country's last elected civilian government and ushered in three decades of iron-fisted rule by Islamist-backed General Omar al-Bashir.

It is also the anniversary of 2019 protests demanding that the generals, who had ousted Bashir in a palace coup earlier that year, cede power to civilians.

Those protests led to the formation of the mixed civilian-military transitional government which was toppled in last year's coup.

Protesters clash with security forces during a demonstration in the Sudanese capital on June 30. By - (AFP)

Sudan has been roiled by near-weekly protests as the country's economic woes have deepened since Burhan seized power last year.

Alongside the African Union and regional bloc IGAD, the United Nations has been attempting to facilitate talks between the generals and civilians, but they have been boycotted by the main civilian factions.

The UN has warned that the deepening economic and political crisis has pushed one-third of the country's population of more than 40 million towards life-threatening food shortages.
France and Australia are mending their differences following what some regard as their deepest diplomatic rift since the two countries established ties. A common history and a mutual enemy has helped the allies overcome a submarine deal gone wrong.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives in Paris Friday where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. A day earlier, Albanese was in Madrid as a guest of NATO.

The military alliance added two members, Finland and Sweden, and concluded its watershed three-day summit with the publication of its 2022 Strategic Concept which, for the first time, singled out China as a priority for the next decade.

The document warns against China's "stated ambitions and coercive policies", which it said challenged NATO's "interests, security and values".

It also worries about Beijing's increased "malicious cyber operations" and deepening strategic partnership with Russia.

After presenting the Strategic Concept, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbours, threatening Taiwan ... monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation.

While clarifying that China was "not our adversary", Stoltenberg said the alliance needed to be "clear-eyed about the serious challenges" the country represented.

Sub-level relations

NATO's sentiments on China are shared by Australia. But Canberra, under former prime minister Scott Morrison, prioritised a closer strategic relationship with NATO members Britain and the US with the creation of AUKUS in September 2021.

This was at the expense of a billion-dollar submarine deal with France, which was dumped, causing a rift between the NATO partners.

Ambassadors were recalled, harsh words exchanged, but in the end it didn't seem to matter that much.

After Albanese won the elections in May, he formed a new government and the air cleared quickly. "We do need to reset, we've already had very constructive discussions," Albanese told ABC television in an interview last week.

Just after the elections, Australia had agreed to pay the French shipbuilder Naval Group, which was duped by the cancellation of the submarine deal, a sum of 555 million in compensation.

"France, of course, is central to power in Europe, but it's also a key power in the Pacific, in our own region as well ... the visit is a very concrete sign of the repair that's been done already," Albanese added.

'Enhanced partnership'

Submarine incident aside, France and Australia have always been on good terms.

Diplomatic ties were established in 1842, the same year the UK, then the dominant superpower of the time, started its "Opium Wars" against the Chinese empire, laying the roots for many of the tensions that exist in the region today.

France and Australia worked together in the two world wars, and were on the same side during the Cold War that followed.

The close bond resulted in 2017 in the Joint statement of "Enhanced strategic partnership between Australia and France", which involved a wide range of joint projects involving defence, economy, infrastructure and energy.

Additional incentive for good ties today is the growing concern about the Indo-Pacific region, where both Australia and France (through its overseas territories New Caledonia and French Polynesia) have strategic and commercial interests.

There they also face a common foe: the People's Republic of China and its growing influence in the region.

During a 2018 visit by Macron, the expanding relationship was summarised in a "vision statement" that made a point of mentioning France's ill-fated involvement in Australia's "Future Submarine Project".

Albanese's visit to see Macron on Friday shows relations are getting back to normal again.

"France does maintain a military presence in the region," Carlyle A Thayer, an emeritus professor with the Australian Defence Force Academy, told RFI.

"The largest maritime boundary that Australia has is with the French possessions in the Pacific.

"And if we turn the clock back and forget all about the cancellation of the submarine deal, the fact that it was given in the first place was the culmination of a convergence with France reasserting its presence," he says.
Ningo Prampram MP, Sam George, remains unconvinced that the electronic transfer levy will amount to anything.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, he said the E-levy was already a failure.

The E-levy is dead. It is in the ICU. It is brain-dead. You can call it a brain-dead policy, he said.

Though the government has not officially indicated how much the levy has accrued after two months, a leading pro-government voice, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, said the government is raking in only 10 percent of estimated revenue.

According to him, the government had been targeting revenue of GH600 million from the 1.5 percent levy on electronic financial transactions.

The governments target for 2022 is 4.5 billion, but IMANI Africa has said about 83% of Ghanaians have reduced their mobile money transactions.

These remarks have been followed by unsubstantiated fears that the government may amend the levy to cover mobile money merchant transactions.

Mr. George said this could be evidence of the governments desperation in the matter.

Apart from the mobile money merchants, don't be surprised to hear them drop the threshold for bank transactions, which is currently at GH20,000, to somewhere in the region of GH5,000, he said.

There are just too many technical issues that are yet to be resolved. The common platform is a sham of a platform.

citinewsroom
The 2020 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. John Dramani Mahama has called for comprehensive debt restructuring to salvage the country from collapse.

Delivering a speech on the theme Ghanas Debt Burden; Reflections and Solutions, the former President bemoaned the excessive borrowing by President Akufo-Addo government.

Reacting to the recent pressure for the government to return to the IMF, John Dramani Mahama said it is ideal but will not solve all the challenges facing the country.

According to him, government must embark on comprehensive debt restructuring to turn things around.

In the last few days, there has been talk from some regime actors about a potential or impending IMF programme. Due to the nature and depth of our economic problems, this government virtually has no other sustainable option. IMF programmes come with fiscal consolidation and insistence on fiscal discipline, which can lead to some recovery and improvements on the macro-economic front.

Government has however so mismanaged our economy and left it in such a terrible state that fiscal consolidation alone will not do the trick. We require comprehensive debt restructuring to obtain the sort of relief that will give us the fiscal space needed to ease our plight, John Dramani Mahama shared on Thursday during the inaugural launch of Think Ghana Progress.

Former President John Dramani Mahama further proposes that in the event the ruling government will be heading to the IMF, it should hold talks to restructure the public debt.

Any IMF programme should be preceded or done together with discussions with our creditors to restructure our debt, the leading member of the NDC said.
01.07.2022 LISTEN

Rev. Mrs. Oduro Charlotte, a marriage counsellor has chastised women who use sex toys for sexual pleasures.

The marriage counsellor was discussing sex toys and their impact on marriage and relationships with Kwaku Manu, a Ghanaian YouTuber and actor, in an interview monitored by Modernghana News.

She sighed, saying that men who allow their female partners to use sex toys as supplement are simply creating room for them to cheat.

She urged the ladies who want to use sex toys because their partners don't satisfy them to communicate with them and find ways to solve their problems rather than copying the unacceptable western culture.

You are teaching her to cheat because you are making her aware that if she can use a toy to cheat, then a human being goes. What we learn will hurt us in future. Why dont you communicate with your lover? What toy can outperform a mans penis? We have allowed western influences to cloud our judgement. This isnt how we are trained. We shouldnt follow trends just because its the 21st century," she noted.

In addition, Mrs. Oduro emphasized that her advice is not intended to condemn but an advice to Christians to stick to their beliefs and refrain from engaging in such behaviour.

"If people are using them in their prime moments, what will be the option when they are weak?

"Please, Im not here to rubbish anyones hustle. But as a Christian and a whole woman, when God created me, he didnt add any toys to me. Ask yourself, If you have to use sex toys when you are fit, what will happen when you are unfit to perform?

"We have promoted certain things and allowed them permanency, which is destroying us. So today, after someone has slept with his wife, they still have to use a sex toy before they climax," she emphasised.
Speaker Bagbin with his Israeli counterpart, Mickey Levy

01.07.2022 LISTEN

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has paid a courtesy call on his Israeli counterpart, Mickey Levy, at the Knesset (Parliament) in Jerusalem, Israel.

The visit by the Speaker was to deepen the legislative ties between the two countries and exchange experiences to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their respective Parliaments.

The meeting was on the sideline of a four-day international cyber security conference the Speaker attended in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv.

Accompanied by the Clerk to Parliament, Cyril Nsiah and the delegation, the Speaker was received by Mr Levy on Wednesday as they held close-door meeting to discuss matters of mutual benefit to both legislative assemblies.

As part of the visit, Mr Bagbin and the delegation were taken through the history of the Israeli Parliament, how it operates, the structure, it's security architecture and the current formation of the 120-member House.

At the end of the close-door meeting, the two Speakers exchanged gifts with Mr Bagbin giving his counterpart the 'Gye Nyame' adinkra symbol which indicates the recognition of the supremacy of God over all beings, as Mr Levy handed to him a symbol of the Knesset.

The courtesy visit comes hours before the Knesset was dissolved following the unanimous approval of a bill to dissolve it to pave way for a fifth election in less than four years.

According to the Speaker, the Ghanaian Parliament considers the Knesset a worthy partner for the advancement of the ideals of democratic governance.

The visit, he said expresses Parliament's continuing interest and commitment to strengthening it's budding relationship with the leadership and Members of the Knesset.

"I am glad that, in pursuit of improving standards and adapting best practices on legislative, procedural, administrative, operational and policy tools applied in the discharge of parliamentary functions, our two Parliaments now have a unique opportunity for collaboration and cooperation at the bilateral level, through the exchange of experiences and benchmarking, which can be agreed to, and expressed, in a memorandum of understanding," Speaker said.

Speaking with the Ghanaian Times after the closed-door meeting, Mr Nsiah said a partnership in the offing between the two parliaments would go a long way to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of both legislative bodies.

"The Knesset is a worthy partner with a number of innovative reforms it has embarked on from which the Ghanaian Parliament would like to study and learn lessons from," he said.

These reforms, Mr Nsiah said would make parliament more transparent, accountable and inclusive in line with goal 16 of the United Nations' sustainable development goals which addresses the need for government institutions to establish and deepen democratic processes to make them accountable to the people.

The reform projects he itemised include the oversight centre, the research and information centre, softwares to operationalise reforms within parliament amongst others to enhance the efficiency of parliamentary officers.

"So there are a number of parliamentary administration reforms that we seek to learn from the Knesset and they can also pick up some ideas from us as we seek to strengthen our ties and build stronger collaborations to build our capacities for effective and efficient service delivery to the Ghanaian people," Mr Nsiah stated.

Preliminary discussions for partnerships which are intended to be outlined in a memorandum of understanding yet to be approved by both parties, the Clerk to Parliament said, have been held.
The Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has financially supported a protester of the Arise Ghana demonstration to settle his medical bills.

Following the violence recorded on day one of the Arise Ghana krom ay3 hy3 demonstration, some 29 protesters were arrested and put behind bars for their involvement in the chaos.

On Thursday, reports suggested that one of the arrested protesters had complained of stomach pains the previous day after he was allegedly denied food and had to be rushed to the hospital.

From information gathered today, IGP George Akuffo Dampare reached out to the hospitalised protester and gave him money not only to foot his medical bills, but some for his personal upkeep.

According to reports, the protester identified as Eric Kwabena Dartey at the time of his discharge had only GHS5 on him.

Fortunately, he received GHS1000 from the IGP and used part to settle his medical bills.

Speaking to Kasapa FM, Eric Kwabena Dartey confirmed receiving the money from Dr. George Akuffo Dampare and expressed his appreciation to the IGP.

I was at the hospital when they said the IGP wanted to talk to me and check up with my condition. After he spoke to me he sent me GHS1000 to foot my bills and also keep some as pocket money.

I have been trying since then to get access to him to thank him but I have not succeeded. Im grateful to him, Eric Kwabena Dartey shared.
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says he is being told by people complaining about the high cost of living in the country.

He stated that his wife frequently complains about how the amount required to meet their domestic needs had to be topped up often due to the high cost of food prices.

The Minister stated on the Accra-based Metro TV's 'Good Evening Ghana' program on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, which was monitored by Mondernghana News, that the situation is due to increases in food, transportation and many basic items in the country.

"I understand what you (hungry Ghanaians) are talking about because the general cost of living has gone up. My wife tells me every time how the same amount of money that a month ago could keep the house can no longer keep the house.

"Because the prices of food transportation and many basic items have gone up and that increase has also led to an increase in general price levels because if general prices have gone up then people also increase the prices and charges for all the things around us," he emphasized.

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah added that the general behaviour of the economy was caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, the Russia-Ukraine war, which disrupted global supply chain.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Ghana has categorically denied the government's claim that it is to blame for the country's economic woes.
01.07.2022 LISTEN

The government of Ghana is in discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek support in the midst of the economic challenges that have brought unbearable hardships to the Ghanaians.

In a press release issued by the Ministry in charge of Information, Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah disclosed that President Akufo-Addo has already informed the IMF of plans to seek help.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has authorized Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to commence formal engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), inviting the Fund to support an economic program put together by the Government of Ghana.

This follows a telephone conversation between the President and the IMF Managing Director, Miss Kristalina Georgieva, conveying Ghana's decision to engage with the Fund, parts of the Ministry of Information press release reads.

It adds, At a meeting on June 30th, 2022, cabinet indicated its support for the decision. The engagement with the IMF will seek to provide balance of payment support as part of a broader effort to quicken Ghana's build back in the face of challenges induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and, recently, the Russia-Ukraine crises.

In the past week, there have been heightened calls for the government to consider enrolling onto an IMF programme in the phase of the continuous economic challenges.

Although the government had in the past stressed that it was using home-grown solutions to tackle the issues, it has now decided to go to the IMF for help.

Below is a copy of the press release issued by the Ministry of Information:
The Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, has called on the army to be vigilant with the increasing attacks in the West Africa sub-region.

Vice Admiral Amoama made the appeal in Sunyani in the Bono Region during the inspection of the construction of accommodation for young soldiers and the commissioning of a completed accommodation complex for the young soldiers at 154 Armoured Regiment.

The Chief of Defence Staff, after arriving in Sunyani held a closed-door meeting with the top command of the army in the Bono Region.

He was in the company of the Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu Banahene, the Chief of the Army Staff, Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Frank when he inspected the projects.

The facility will accommodate over 200 soldiers.

Vice Admiral Amoama, addressing the soldiers, admonished them to be vigilant due to the increasing terror threats in the West Africa sub-region.

Let me urge all personnel of 3 Garrison and by extension the Ghana Armed Forces to remain vigilant and conscious of the security situation in our respective catchment areas. The nature of the contemporary threat that confronts our country requires a concerted and holistic focus by all to ensure that we prevail and surmount this challenge. Let us, therefore, be extra vigilant and observe security in and around our barracks and also at various key vulnerable points at all times.

The Chief of Defence Staff called for collaboration among the security agencies.

We should not forget to collaborate effectively with all security agencies in the pursuit of this objective. Let us be alive to the call by the National Security to say something when they see something.

The Chief of the Army Staff, Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah on his part, said there are various projects ongoing to improve the accommodation challenges of the military in the country.

The construction of this complex was supported by the Army Headquarters and the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff. This will help to accommodate over 220 young soldiers both male and female and this is a great relief to the regiment. Over the past two years of my command, I have initiated and commissioned a number of these quick impact projects in almost all the army units across the Garrisons. This critical intervention has been triggered by the stuck and worrying reality of the inadequate and mostly poor infrastructure situation in almost all the army units. As the Central government takes steps to address the situation, the Military High Command cannot stay aloof.

---citinewsroom
01.07.2022 LISTEN

Joshua Akamba, the National Organizer of the opposition National Democratic (NDC) and a key member of Arise Ghana, organisers of the 'Krom Ay3 shi' demo has denied being arrested by police for carrying a gun.

According to him, the police only advised him to keep his gun in his car.

Speaking on the Accra-based Angle FM/TV's Anopa Bofoo morning show, which was monitored by Modernghana News on Thursday, June 30, 2022, he confirmed that he only followed the advice of the police in his quest to ensure a peaceful and violent free demonstration.

"When you are being approached by the police who are familiar with you and advise you that if you have the gun with you, you should keep it in your vehicle, is that an offence?

"Exactly, the Police urged me to keep the gun in my car having cited a scenario that someone with a weapon unknowingly might commit a crime but because I have a gun openly, I maybe figured which will land me in trouble, he noted.

According to him, he instructed his driver to return the gun to his house.

He said the gun was for his protection.

"And I listened because I wanted a peaceful demonstration, I wasn't there for violence. And then I moved and said if that would be an issue, my driver should take it home because the police had assured us [protestors] of protection," he explained to the host in the local Twi dialect.

On the second day Wednesday, June 29, 2022 of the Arise Ghana demonstration, the police announced in a tweet sighted by this portal that they had spotted a protester Joshua Akamba holding a gun at the Elwak Stadium in Accra.

Demonstrator Spotted with Weapon at El-Wak.

"The Police have spotted a demonstrator, Joshua Akamba with a weapon among the crowd of demonstrators gathered around the El WakStadium, today, 29th June 2022.

He was duly advised by the Police to put the weapon away after his attention was drawn to the illegality associated with such an act. He was also urged to notify other demonstrators to desist from carrying offensive weapons during the demonstration, the police tweeted on Wednesday.
01.07.2022 LISTEN

Deputy Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Isaac Adongo says the decision by the government to engage the IMF for support led by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta smacks of hypocrisy of the highest order.

According to him, the move is meaningless and will not yield the expected result if led by the same people who spoke against going to IMF.

Speaking to Citi News on Friday afternoon, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central alleged that the Finance Minister is currently not in the good books of the IMF, insisting that he will fail to show commitment.

The Programme led by Ken Ofori-Atta will be meaningless, it will be an exercise in futility. They will have no commitment to the very milestones that will be agreed. The IMF, the World Bank, and the multilateral institutions are quite clear about the status of Ken Ofori-Atta in any such arrangement. And so to ask him to even lead the process smacks of some level of hypocrisy and a government that is indecisive, Isaac Adongo indicated.

In his view, the Finance Minister has failed and should have been fired by President Akufo-Addo a year ago together with his deputy, Charles Adu Boahen.

The President should have followed this letter with a removal of Ken Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen in order to give Ghana a chance to negotiate an acceptable Programme that is workable, Bolgatanga Central MP Isaac Adongo argued.

This afternoon, a Ministry of Information press release has confirmed that the government of Ghana is returning to the IMF.

The release signed by Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah notes that President Akufo-Addo has tasked Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to lead the engagements with the fund.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has authorized Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to commence formal engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), inviting the Fund to support an economic program put together by the Government of Ghana.

This follows a telephone conversation between the President and the IMF Managing Director, Miss Kristalina Georgieva, conveying Ghana's decision to engage with the Fund, parts of the Ministry of Information press release reads.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo says the move by the government to return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is in the right direction.

Speaking to Citi News on Friday afternoon, the MP argued that contrary to fears, the poor will be protected when government finally enrols on a programme of the IMF.

According to the Deputy Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, an IMF programme will see to it that the hardships being experienced by the poor will be alleviated.

In difficult times like this the posturing of the IMF is to protect the poor so programmes targeting the poor, I assure you will never be removed by the IMF. At best the IMF will want you to improve its targeting of the poor so that that Programme does not end up supporting rich people instead of the poor.

There is no way an IMF Programme in a time when the people are suffering will be countering programmes that are pro-poor. Pro-poor programmes would be the first priority of an IMF Programme. If there is anything that will bring back an economy that supports the poor it is very important that we support it, Isaac Adongo said.

Sharing his thoughts on the delay by the government to seek help from the IMF earlier, the Bolgatanga Central MP said the ego of government officials held them back.

He anticipates that due to the long delay, Ghana will be faced with a lot of difficulties during talks with the IMF.

Their ego made it difficult for them to take the right decision at the right time and here we have arrived at a point where I can assure you that it is going to be very tough couple of months in the negotiations on this Programme because we basically have arrived at a point where we just dont have the capacity, Isaac Adongo added.
An astute Ghanaian journalist and the Managing Editor of The Fourth Estate, a Ghanaian-based news portal, Manasseh Azure Awuni appears happy Ghana is finally going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He said the IMF will show you (Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government) if the economic fundamentals are weak.

His remarks follow government's decision to return to the IMF announced today by the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

You can do all the propaganda you want, but if the fundamentals of the economy are weak, IMF will expose you, he wrote on Thursday, July 1, 2022.

In 2012, the current Vice President, then running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Wednesday, May 2 said no matter the propaganda, the exchange rate will expose the then Atta Mills-led NDC government if the fundamentals of the economy are weak.

He made this assertion in a lecture at the 5th Ferdinand Ayim Memorial Lectures, on the topic The State of the Economy.

The lesson from history for governments is that you cannot manage the economy with propaganda. In fact, you can engage in all the propaganda you want but if the macroeconomic fundamentals are weak, the exchange rate will expose you, Dr Bawumia stated in 2012.
More than 300 police personnel have been deployed to provide protection for some divisional Chiefs of Yilo and Manya Krobo who are leading a protest against the installation of prepaid meters in the Krobo enclave by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The officers were drawn from the National Headquarters and the Eastern Regional Police Command .

According to the Divisonal Chiefs, their decision to embark on todays demonstration is a result of the governments inability to respond to their petition about the involvement of military personnel deployed to assist the ECG in the ongoing prepaid meter installation.

The Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Anderson Fosu Ackah who briefed the demonstrators after a closed-door meeting with the divisional chiefs, assured them of responsible policing throughout the protest.

We are here as part of the constitutional mandate to ensure that residents are safe. Our men are here with their gears, but it doesnt mean that we are here to intimidate or arrest anybody. We are urging residents that, it will be better and appropriate for them to go home after the demonstration. We hope that it is going to be a very successful demonstration and end it peacefully.

The ECG started the installation of prepaid meters on a pilot basis a few months ago but started the mass exercise on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at Lorlornyo, a suburb of Kpong, with support from the military.

But youth groups in the area are increasingly becoming impatient with the exercise.

The youth groups have said they are ready to go to any length to resist the installation of prepaid meters in their area.

But at todays demonstration, the Piengua Divisional Chief Nene Zogli and Okweanya Chief Nene Olepeme Sakinor Nanor I who have been speaking to Citi News, called for the immediate withdrawal of the military for the sake of peace in the area.

---citinewsroom
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is programmed to present the mid-year budget review to Parliament on July 13.

According to the Majority Leader, it is possible that the Minister will table a request for the approval of supplementary estimates.

The presentation will come as Ghana prepares to head back to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.

Indications are that the governments latest revenue generation strategy, the electronic transfer levy, is woefully failing to meet government targets.

Though the government has not officially indicated how much the levy has accrued after two months, suggestions are that the government is raking in only 10 percent of the estimated revenue.

The government is believed to have been targeting revenue of GH600 million from the 1.5 percent levy on electronic financial transactions.

The government's revenue target for 2022 from the levy is GH4.5 billion.

---Citi Newsroom
Former Deputy Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson has welcomed the decision by the government to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for support.

He said he is glad about the decision but it took government too long.

I am glad that finally, the NPP government has taken the decision to go to the IMF in a way that Ghana can get the programme obviously to implement, that will, in the long term, bring about the economic stability that we want.

I have always said that Ghana first. First a Ghanaian, and second a politician. I want to reiterate the fact that this administration has unfortunately delayed too long, it has taken them too long to take a very simple decision and to work very hard to get the programme, the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency told TV3s Parliamentary correspondent Komla Kluste in an interview on Friday July 1.

President Nana Addo Dabkwa Akufo-Addo has instructed Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to commence formal engagements with the IMF, inviting the Fund to support programmes put together by the Government.

This followed a telephone conversation between the President and the IMF Managing Director, Miss Kristalina Georgieva, conveying Ghana's decision to engage with the Fund.

The Ministry of Information announced this in a statement on Friday July 1.

---3news.com
On 1 July France passed the baton of the EU presidency to the Czech Republic. The rotating presidency involves setting the European Union's agenda for a period of six months, with all 27 EU member states holding that position once every thirteen and a half years.

The last time France headed the EU Presidency was in 2008 and preparations for the 2022 turn at the helm started three years ago under the government of former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who reserved a 140million budget to deal with special occasions related to the presidency.

In the end, France organised some 400 events, crowned by the EU Versailles summit at the beginning of March.

The French presidency of the European Union encountered two major hurdles: the war in Ukraine, and presidential and legislative elections in France itself.

When France took over the rotating presidency of the bloc on 1 January, Russia was already amassing tens of thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine.

In a speech to the European Parliament, Macron stressed that he would try to find a political solution for the conflict in Ukraine, which remains the source of current tension, calling on other EU states for support.

When Russia finally invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the European Union unleashed a series of sanctions on Moscow, with even Hungary  the most pro-Putin EU member state  participating, albeit reluctantly.

Macron tried to walk a fine line between more belligerent NATO allies like the US and the UK, by keeping the door open to dialogue with President Putin, even though lengthy discussions didn't lead to any breakthrough.

France also kept on pushing for a more independent European fighting force, but that idea was largely overshadowed by increased unity within NATO as a direct result of the war in Ukraine, that was on open display during a summit at the end of June.

But Macron's idea of a European army as a complement to NATO was only strengthened as a result of the Russian invasion.

The French president also had to deal with a new leadership in Germany and managed to maintain the Franco-German partnership which lies at the heart of the Union.

For over a decade, European leadership was guided by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but since the politically weaker Olaf Scholz took office in Berlin, EU member states have looked to Paris for direction  and the EU presidency offered a timely platform.

On top of that  since Brexit  France is the only EU country that has nuclear arms and possesses a fighting army that is considerably stronger than any other EU member state.

French elections

However, the French political landscape was not ideal for holding the EU presidency.

In April and June, the country held its five-yearly presidential and legislative elections respectively and Macron comfortably beat his opponent on the extreme right, Marine Le Pen.

While his newly rebranded Renaissance party and the "Ensemble" coalition of centrists remain the largest grouping in the National Assembly, Macron lost his absolute majority.

The political compromises, coalition building and dealing with a hostile and vocal opposition generated by this didn't affect France's presidency, as the six months have passed and the Czech Republic has taken over.

Eurosceptic Czechs?

But the Czech turn at the EU presidency is unlikely to be an easy ride.

According to Pavel Havlicek from the Prague-based Association for International Affairs: "This presidency is not geared for good weather, but for bad times."

The Central European country of 10.5 million people, an EU-member since 2004, has vowed to focus largely on aid to Ukraine and the war's repercussions.

Prague wants to contain the refugee crisis, launch a post-war reconstruction effort, boost the EU's energy security, defence capacities and economic resilience, and bolster its own democratic institutions.

But generally, Czechs tend to be eurosceptic.

A survey conducted by the STEM polling agency showed around 38 percent of them were happy with the EU.

The current centre-right government is less eurosceptic than some of its predecessors, but analysts have questioned its ability to distance itself from EU troublemakers Hungary and Poland.

(With agencies)
Senator Rochas Okorocha

01.07.2022 LISTEN

The corruption of the Senate was in view some hours ago as Nigerians witnessed an unusual form of senatorial conduct during the screening of ministerial nominees.

I dont mean the kind of corruption that regularly sends public officials like legislators and executive officers to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) due to charges of bribery, embezzlement, and misappropriation of public funds.

I'm referring to corruption as procedures that involve the explicit or implicit violation of norms of conduct by supposed entrusted lawmakers who should be impartial in their decision-making work.

Senator Rochas Okorocha (APC: Imo West) during the screening of ministerial nominees was not allowed by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to directly interrogate a ministerial nominee under screening. Ironically, the ministerial nominee, Goodluck Nana Opiah, according to Okorocha, comes from his constituency in Imo State. 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 democracy should become in Nigeria.

It is very important that the current constitutional, presidential, legislative, and senatorial systems in Nigeria were mainly adopted from Americas Constitution. Whereas part of the senate's tradition of unlimited debate has it that no senator can be disallowed to speak and pose questions to nominees.

In a more democratic manner, Okorocha countered and tried to educate the senators present during the screening irrespective of the so-called agreement reached in the chambers closed-door session, pointing out that the minimization of questions and the syndrome of "bow and go" are anti-democratic practices.

Beyond screening these recent nominees, Okorocha believed that as part of a non-schizophrenic or primitive approach to screening ministerial nominees, he wanted to apparently ask questions that reflect not only on his constituency but also on the plethora of problems plaguing the country.

Taking nominees to task becomes more important, especially when the presidency sends nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation in a schizophrenic or confusing manner, meaning with no identified portfolios that the potential ministers are supposed to occupy.

The likes of Okorocha believe that in order for the young democracy to move forward, ministerial nominees should openly go through a rigorous confirmation process.

During a debate on nominees or other vital matters, it is worth knowing that every state and senator has an equal voice in the Senate, and in the case of what happened between Lawan and Okorocha, it is worth knowing that senatorial courtesy allows senators to ask detailed questions about nominees from their home constituencies.

Certainly, there could be concern that a senator might block nominees from their home districts, especially in a troubled society marked with sentimental, ethnic, and religious divides and negative competing elements. However, it is still a senators right to speak to issues other than emotions. Just listen to what he or she is going to say.

No current Nigerian is oblivious to the fact that there is bad blood between Okorocha and the current Imo State governor.

On the basis of parliamentary fairness and with the permission of the Senate president, a senator should ask direct questions of a nominee. In this matter, the Senate President had allowed another Imo state Senator to speak defensively, so why disallow another, such as Okorocha, from making comments even if they were differing questions?

Nigerians should not be allowed to have the perception of autocratic abuse going on in the national assembly or elsewhere.

We are still a democracy, no matter how disturbed. Even when inside the parliamentarian chambers, just like Okorocha's legal position, are full of men and women with unfinished and current fraud cases and misappropriating public funds under a weak criminal justice system, each senator must assume duty to their constituent and nation in terms of service.

It is only in a schizophrenic or troubled democratic environment where systems are mired in confusion that allows for potential ministers who are to drive national policies to be allowed to take office even when they are not faced with hard questions that could determine the quality of people that will take charge of the economy.

As long as the people allow an environment characterized by incomprehensibility, confusion, and erratic or undemocratic behavior, improvement, and progressive performance in every sectoreconomy, education, youth development, energy, and powerand others suffer.

In a society where self-interest trumps public interest, knowing what nominees will bring beyond their past histories before they are confirmed ministers makes the country less disorganized, unreal, and confused, and more safe and sluggishly progressive.

It is a fact that more Africans, including Nigeria, live in entirely or partially authoritarian societies today than at most points in the last few decades. Let's hope in the next presidential administration and national assembly in Nigeria, along with Senator Okorochas thinking, democratic norms and consolidating democratic practices slowly get enshrined in Nigeria. This is my fantasy.

Prof. Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]
Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, has charged the Akufo-Addo government to scrap the E-levy if it has finally agreed to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for support.

Mr. Ablakwa, who is a Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Tongu constituency, added that the government before the implementation of the controversial E-levy gave two options to addressing the economic crisis.

He said government mentioned either it seeks the IMF's support or implement the levy which it did at all cost.

After finally agreeing to seek IMF assistance, the lawmaker is urging the government to do the needful and scrap what he calls an unconstitutional and repugnant E-Levy as soon as possible.

He said this on Thursday, July 1, 2022 in a Twitter post following the announcement by the government to go to the IMF.

You gave Ghanaians two options: E-Levy or IMF. Having opted for the IMF, any honest government will scrap the unconstitutional and repugnant E-Levy immediately, he tweeted.

Find his tweet below;
Health Workers and Mental Health Volunteers in the communities have been urged to be quick in referring people with psychosocial needs and trauma to appropriate facilities to receive the needed care to rehabilitate them.

Mr Hannan Tizaa Legend, Project Officer at BasicNeeds-Ghana, who made the call, said many of the people walking naked on the streets could have been cured if they had been referred to appropriate facilities early when they began to show signs and symptoms of psychosocial needs and trauma hence the call.

He was making a presentation on recognizing trauma and referral procedures at a training workshop in Tamale for health workers and mental health volunteers.

The days training formed part of the Strengthening Access to Timely and Quality Rehabilitation to Survivors of Torture and Organized Violence in Ghana project being implemented by BasicNeeds-Ghana, a mental health and development advocacy organization, in partnership with Mental Health Society of Ghana, and funded by the Danish Institute against Torture (DIGNITY Institute).

The project seeks to improve access to rehabilitation through trauma-informed mental health and psychosocial support for trauma-affected people through organizational capacity development of partners and formal and informal health structures, and by increasing awareness and promote enforcement on laws and policies at the local and national levels.

Participants, who were drawn from the Tamale Metropolis, Sagnarigu Municipality and Zabzugu District in the Northern Region, were taken through what psychological trauma was, what the symptoms were, what to look out for, the referral network, the role of the various referral actors amongst others.

This was to update their knowledge to help make appropriate referrals to promote the rehabilitation of clients or people with psychosocial needs and trauma such as those exposed to trauma either at traditional healing centres where they were seeking treatment or those, who attempted migrating but failed and returned with a lot of psychological trauma.

Mr Hannan emphasised that Timeliness is very important. This is because inaction or any delay will worsen the case of the client. So, timeliness is very important because if we do not respond appropriately, the person cannot be cured. Those, who we see on our streets walking naked; they are walking naked because the response was not timely enough. So, timeliness is very key to rehabilitation.

He reminded various referral actors including Department of Social Welfare, CHRAJ, DOVVSU of their crucial roles in the rehabilitation of clients encouraging them to be proactive to protect and support clients, when cases were referred to them.

He encouraged health workers and mental health volunteers to continue with home visits, collect the data, attend self-help group meetings and share information on happenings within their communities with project partners.

Mr Peter Yaro, Executive Director of BasicNeeds-Ghana said people with mental health were not only those on the streets adding we have a lot more at workplaces and homes reiterating the commitment of the organisation to improve mental health and mental well-being of all.

Ane Viller Hansen, Public Health Advisor, DIGNITY commended health workers and mental health volunteers for the important work they were doing in the communities to help rehabilitate people with psychosocial needs and trauma.

Anne-Mette Karrer, Senior Clinical Advisor, DIGNITY commended Basic-Needs-Ghana for creating close collaboration amongst various stakeholders, who supported mentally ill people, which was important in providing support for mentally ill people in the country.

Miss Lucy Bayuo, a Mental Health Officer at Bagabaga Health Centre in the Sagnarigu Municipality, who was a participant, lauded the training saying it had further deepened her knowledge on care for people with psychosocial needs and trauma.

She said this would go a long way in helping The people we help in the communities.
Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah says calls for the cancellation of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) because the government is engaging IMF are premature.

On Friday, July 1, 2022, the Minister in charge of Information issued a press release announcing that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to engage the IMF for support.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has authorized Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to commence formal engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), inviting the Fund to support an economic program put together by the Government of Ghana.

This follows a telephone conversation between the President and the IMF Managing Director, Miss Kristalina Georgieva, conveying Ghana's decision to engage with the Fund, the Ministrys press release signed by Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said.

Speaking to Asempa FM on the Ekosii sen programme this afternoon, Deputy Minister of Finance John Kumah said the IMF move has become necessary because home-grown policies have let government down.

When your home-grown policies let you down you dont have an alternative but to go for an IMF Programme so that you can restore your economy and have the chance to grow back better, he indicated.

Asked whether the next step will be cancelling the controversial E-Levy, the Deputy Finance Minister answered that it is not yet being considered.

He hinted that it is possible the implementation of the levy will continue to help the government with its revenue mobilisation.

Its too early to take that decision to [withdraw the E-Levy]. Where we are we need a way out. We have only managed to implement the first phase of the E-Levy and we are now going to do the full implementation this month to run it well.

If by the Grace of God the E-Levy improves over time it will help us to get out of an IMF Programme quicker. I dont think withdrawing it now is one of our targets. We just have to see how we can improve it, John Kumah said.
Angola's ailing former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos is in a "critical and delicate" condition after suffering a cardiac arrest last week, his family said on Friday.

In its first statement since news broke a week ago about the hospitalisation of the 79-year-old, the family revealed he suffered a "cardiorespiratory arrest" on June 23.

He was taken to a Barcelona hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.

"His clinical condition is critical and delicate," said the family, adding doctors are "monitoring his health and the neurological complications that resulted from the cardiac arrest".

The family said he has been undergoing additional tests and that it "continues to permanently follow the development" of his health condition.

Dos Santos was the leader of the Portuguese-speaking, oil-rich state of Angola for 38 years, until he stepped down in September 2017.

Dos Santos was one of Africa's longest-serving leaders, using his nation's oil wealth to turn one of his children into a billionaire while leaving his people among the poorest on the planet.

strs-sn/ub/imm
01.07.2022 LISTEN

Former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nabdam District, Boniface Gambila have called on the government to ban the importation of rice, toothpicks, and matches into the country.

He said government must invest in key sectors of the economy including agriculture to make the country sufficient and create jobs for teeming unemployed youth.

He made the call during an exclusive interaction with this reporter.

According to the Amb. Gambila, Is really difficult because the reality is hitching on all of us and all of us are not making effort to be productive because some of us dont have the capacity. So, now it means that government should be able to identify that and provide the capacity so that people will move into doing something.

So, Government should look into certain sectors and expand those sectors for people to be able to find something doing. As for this buy and sell, people like doing buy and sell. Block it. Ban the import of rice from Europe and all those places and let everybody go into the rice business in Ghana.

He noted that government must make a conscious effort to ban the importation of rice and promote the consumption of locally made food products.

"We should learn to eat our own local rice. At the moment, the imported rice is not banned and so, people are pretending that they cant eat the local rice. But if you ban it, in times of war if foreign rice is not coming, wont we eat the local rice?

"So, we are not being hard. We are not being pragmatic to ban certain things. There are certain imports we should ban. Why do we need toothpicks in this country, what for? We have a nim tree. If you eat and your meat gets stuck go and get a nim tree break it and sack it off. Why should we import matches when there was a matches factory, of course, those Nkrumahs factories are now old models and technology has changed but is something that government could get the private sector to take it up. If you ban matches from coming into this country, a private Ghanaian will take it up," he stated.
Member of Parliament (MP) for the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed his excitement about Akufo-Addo government running to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.

Mr. Ablakwa, who has since been monitoring and criticising President Akufo-Addo for his foreign trips, said the IMF among other conditions will ban Akufo-Addo from hiring luxurious jets for foreign travels.

In a tweet on Friday, July 1, 2022, sighted by Modernghana News, the outspoken lawmaker disclosed that government always uses what he described as an insensitive, wasteful, oligarchic 20,000 sum of money on a plane per hour, costing Ghana over GHS34 million in 13 months.

Perhaps the only positive outcome of an IMF bailout is that they wouldnt allow Prez Akufo-Addo to obstinately continue with his insensitive, wasteful, oligarchic 20,000 an hour chartered luxury jet travels which have cost the suffering taxpayer over GHS34million in 13 months, Mr. Ablakwa tweeted.

The government of Ghana is in discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek support in the midst of the economic challenges that have brought unbearable hardships to Ghanaians.

In a press release issued by the Ministry in charge of Information, Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah disclosed that President Akufo-Addo has already informed the IMF of plans to seek help.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has authorized Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to commence formal engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), inviting the Fund to support an economic program put together by the Government of Ghana.

This follows a telephone conversation between the President and the IMF Managing Director, Miss Kristalina Georgieva, conveying Ghana's decision to engage with the Fund, parts of the Ministry of Information press release reads.

It adds, At a meeting on June 30th, 2022, cabinet indicated its support for the decision. The engagement with the IMF will seek to provide balance of payment support as part of a broader effort to quicken Ghana's build back in the face of challenges induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and, recently, the Russia-Ukraine crises.

In the past week, there have been heightened calls for the government to consider enrolling onto an IMF programme in the phase of the continuous economic challenges.

Although the government had in the past stressed that it was using home-grown solutions to tackle the issues, it has now decided to go to the IMF for help.
President of the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies Professor David Millar is asking those with the title Professor to redirect their efforts by way of contributing their knowledge to the development and progress of their local communities.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with this reporter, Prof. Millar said, that was the only way the community people will find the usefulness of Professors in their localities.

Academia in Africa as a whole especially the Professors should redirect their effort by way of professing local innovation in our local communities. Once you start professing that, your people will appreciate the school you have gone to. For now, they dont know you are a professor, they only know you have gone to school and you have come to solve this problem for them, he stated.

Meanwhile, Pro. Millar through his innovation in Ghana has started changing the narrative, especially for the people in the rural communities in the northern part of Ghana by way of using what is mostly described as nuisance grass to produce charcoal and brown paper.

The grass initiative alone is expected to create jobs for the community people and as well reduced bush fires which in the past have affected some innocent farmers after losing their hard earn effort throughout the farming season.

However, another interesting part of the grass innovation by Prof. Millar is that the grass conversion into brown paper will massively address the issue of plastic and environmental pollution in Ghana.
Phemo Kgomotso

01.07.2022 LISTEN

Dried rivers, denuded forests, dead livestock, malnourished children, disempowered populationsthese are just some of the harrowing images the media routinely depict about Africa.

Indeed, land degradation, desertification, and drought are causes for concern. Yet we know that the continents peatlands, grasslands, forests, and rivers represent the promise of restoration.

Peatlands, for example, can store extensive amounts of carbon for centuries if protected. Grasslands, often viewed us unproductive wastelands, are important storehouses for carbon and a livelihood resource for pastoral communities, useful for grazing of wild and domestic species.

Forests are important carbon sinks too. If degraded and lost, they can also become huge greenhouse emitters.

Land degradation is a global issue

Land quality is in decline worldwide. Global assessments show that 40 per cent of global land is degraded, putting half of the worlds population at risk.

Degraded lands and soils lose their ability to support animal and plant life. They cannot provide water, food, or protect against the impacts of droughts, floods, fires, or even diseases like COVID-19.

People are chiefly responsible for this predicament. Humans have converted or transformed 70 per cent of the worlds land from its natural state, to managed lands. Animal grazing represents the single largest land-use category, followed by managed forestland and cropland.

In Europe , 25 per cent, an equivalent of 120,000km2, of peatlands are reported degraded, and 60 to 70 per cent of soils have lost their capacity to function, risking desertification for 25 per cent of southern Europe.

Soil quality in the United States has degenerated so significantly that farmers there spend an estimated half a billion US dollars on synthetic fertilizers every year to maintain world dominance as the largest producers of maize and other crops.

In central Asia , extraction of water for agricultural purposes, has reduced the Aral Sea from the fourth largest lake in the world to a relative puddle, devastating livelihoods and economies in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. A similar future may be facing Lake Chad in West Africa .

Declining forests

Forests across the planet are in decline. Most of those in dire state are in the tropics, such as the Amazon in Brazil and Latin America; in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia; and in Congo in Central Africa.

Wildfires and logging have accelerated tree loss in the boreal and temperate forests of Russia and North America. Co-opted for agriculture, grasslands, which cover 24 per cent of the earths surface, are at serious risk.

Climatologists refer to land degradation occurring in drylands as desertification and point to human activityoverexploiting of soil and water resourcesand climate change as culprits.

Drought often accompanies desertification, affecting more than 55 million people worldwide every year, especially the poor in low-income countries.

Desertification, land degradation, and drought affect sub-Saharan Africa more than any single region on earth. Asia is a close second. These regions, most of them poor rural communities, made up of small-scale farmers, women, youth, indigenous peoples, and other at-risk groups, are under immense pressure to feed themselves.

By supporting Africas initiatives, such as its commitments to reversing land degradation, abating desertification, bending the curve on greenhouse gas emissions, and halting the extinction of wild species, the world also stands to benefit

Reason for hope

Under the Rio Conventions - on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertificationand other voluntary initiatives, the world agreed, through pledges and commitments, to restore one billion hectares of degraded lands and ecosystems.

UN member states have also declared 2021-2030 the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This is trigging a global movement and fuelling momentum for restoration and sustainable land management.

Sub-Saharan African countries are responsible for almost half of global restoration commitments and pledges. Many of them have made commitments under the Land Degradation Neutrality framework and the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative.

African countries are focused on protecting and restoring natural areas and on managing and rehabilitating lands that have been converted largely for agriculture and forestry. Africa also promised to restore the Sahel and Sahara through the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiativea bold objective, given the magnitude of the challenge of greening over 100 million hectares of desert and degraded land.

There are officially 11 African countries participating in GGW. So far Ethiopia and Niger are said to have contributed the most to GGW, largely through tree planting/reforestation, soil and water conservation, and farmer-managed natural regeneration.

Ironically, Africa holds the best solutions for moving the world towards a secure climate-resilient future but faces the toughest challenges. The continent has the youngest population, the largest amount of arable land, and the greatest potential for restoration, and it already hosts a quarter of the global stock of wildlife populations.

Yet, Africa houses the poorest people who are most vulnerable to climate and environmental stress. It also lacks the political muscle to secure enough financing for needed restoration and adaptation measures.

Estimates, for example, show it will take between $36 billion and $43 billion to restore the Sahel, which is far more money than the $16 billion pledged by donors at the 2021 One Planet Summit for the Great Green Wall.

For the world to restore its degraded lands and ecosystems, Africa must succeed. It must start by building livelihoods and defeating poverty.

A recent analysis estimates that fulfilling current global restoration commitments will require $1.6 trillion over 10 years. A 2015 study of 42 African countries showed that net benefits of taking action against soil erosion on 105 million hectares of croplands, between 2016 and 2030, could yield as much as $62.4 billion per year. Globally, researchers estimate potential economic returns as high as $125 trillion to $140 trillion every yearmuch more than it will cost.

In the global battle against climate change and biodiversity loss, Africas success is crucial. By supporting Africas initiatives, such as its commitments to reversing land degradation, abating desertification, bending the curve on greenhouse gas emissions, and halting the extinction of wild species, the world also stands to benefit.

Ms. Kgomotso is a Senior Technical Advisor in Sustainable Land Management and Restoration on the UNDPs Nature, Climate and Energy Team. She is based in Istanbul.

For more information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus

Africa Renewal
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Twifo Atti Morkwa, Mr David T Vondee

01.07.2022 LISTEN

Hon. David Vondee, Member of Parliament (MP) for Twifo Atti-Morkwa, has been acquitted and discharged by an Accra High Court on charges of defrauding by false pretences and money laundering.

The MP, who seems to be surprised by the court's ruling asked his lawyer if he was indeed free.

"Counsel, am I free forever? He asked.

The court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh held that the State could not prove the charges.

The MP on hearing the acquittal shed tears in the dock.

The legislator through his lawyer filed a submission of no case after prosecution had closed its case.

The State had arraigned the MP and charged him for allegedly defrauding a private company of $2.4 million and money laundering between August 2015 and July 2016.

The MP denied the charges and was admitted to bail in the sum of GHC 2 million in May last year.

GNA
The level of food insecurity in Ghana presently stands at 11.7 percent, implying a food insecure population of 3.6million people; officials of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) have disclosed.

Per the 2020 nationwide Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) covering 260 administrative districts, 1.6 million people out of the above-mentioned total food insecure population representing 5.2 percent are severely food insecure whiles 2.0 million representing 6.5 percent are moderately food insecure.

Some 2.8 million people out of the total the 3.6million live in rural areas whereas 0.8million people are located in urban areas.

The 2020 CFSVA gives further details that the rural areas have a higher prevalence of food insecurity than the urban.

About two in 10 (18.2 percent) of Ghanas rural population are food insecure, of which 7.3 percent are severely food insecure and 10.9 percent are moderately food insecure.

About 5.5 percent of Ghanas urban population are food insecure, of which 3.2 percent are severely food insecure and 2.3 percent are moderately food insecure.

Three regions at the moment are on record to have the highest food insecure population. They are the Upper East region having 0.6 million populations, Northern region 0.6 million and 0.5 million in Ashanti region.

Two out of Ghanas 16 Regions- Eastern and Volta have implied food insecurity populations ranging between 200,000 and 300,000. Ten Regions- Upper West, North East, Greater Accra, Bono East, Western North, Bono, Western, Savannah, Central and Ahafo have implied food insecure populations ranging between 100,000 and 200,000.

"Oti is the sole region with a food insecure population of less than 100,000, CFSVA report revealed.

Dr. Peter Takyi Peprah, Head of Survey, GSS disclosed the above in his presentation at the Zonal Dissemination of the 2020 Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis held in Kumasi on Wednesday 29th June 2022.

He brought to light that there is a higher prevalence of food insecurity among male-headed households than female-headed households.

He noted that the pattern is repeated in rural and urban settings.

He said that in rural areas, the prevalence of food insecurity among male-headed households stands at 20.1 percent, compared with 16.0 percent among female-headed households. In urban areas, prevalence among male-headed households stands at 6.5 percent, compared with 4.8 percent among female-headed households.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Anna Mukiibi-Bunnya, WFP Deputy Country Director described the CFSVA research as the first of its kind, saying this CFSVA is a comprehensive comparative analysis at district and regional levels throughout the country, compared to 2012 which was limited to northern Ghana and 2009 which was conducted at the regional level only.

She indicated that the use of the report as a baseline to assess the impact of the Russian-Ukraine war on Ghana's food security is extremely relevant today.

She said in an earlier statement in her address that "growing concerns regarding food availability, accessibility, utilization and stability are well founded as these factors constitute the widely accepted definition of food and nutrition security."

She added, "Against their global backdrop, Ghana along with the rest of the world was on a recovery path from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Ukraine crisis has slowed this recovery and negatively exacerbated economic conditions that may question achieving Zero Hunger by 2030."
The Arise Ghana group has insisted that reports suggesting the Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has footed the bills of a hospitalised protester are misleading.

Eric Kwabena Dartey, one of the protesters who was arrested after the chaos witnessed during day one of the Krom aye hy3 demonstration in an interview reportedly confirmed receiving financial support to settle his bills.

I was at the hospital when they said the IGP wanted to talk to me and check up with my condition. After he spoke to me he sent me GHC1000 to foot my bills and also keep some as pocket money. I have been trying since then to get access to him to thank him but I have not succeeded. Im grateful to him, Eric Kwabena Dartey told Kasapafmonline.com.

Reacting to the news, Arise Ghana has issued a press release indicating that the information is misleading.

The group in a release signed by leading member Mensah Thompson explains the police paid for the cost of treatment of the protester to save face.

It would be recalled that the Police issued a statement that twenty-nine (29) protesters were arrested on the first day of the Kuromu Ay3 she demo.

These arrested protesters were severely starved by the Ghana Police as they were neither provided any meal nor allowed access to their family members to provide meals for them.

It is this starvation of the arrested protesters that led to one of the detainees developing acute complications and was rushed to the hospital for urgent treatment.

In order to cover their maltreatment, the Police quickly released the affected detainee on Police enquiry bail after the treatment and absorbed the cost of the treatment even before Arise Ghana Leaders could get access to the detainee, parts of the Arise Ghana press release reads.

According to Arise Ghana, the impression being created after the police paid for the treatment of the protester is malicious, disingenuous, and calculated to court unwarranted goodwill for the Police.

The group is entreating the general public to treat it with outright disregard.

Below is a copy of the Arise Ghana press release:
We reproduce below a press release issued by Berlin Post-kolonial on the occasion of the signing of a Joint Political Declaration on the restitution of the Benin Bronzes signed by Germany and Nigeria.

Readers will no doubt remember that the question of the restitution of the Benin Bronzes looted by a British Army in 1897 has been in discussion for a very long time and we have explained in mordenghana.com all the controverses surrounding these precious treasures the British stole and sold to European and American museums whilst keeping a huge number in the British Museum. The Germans have kept their promise and returned legal ownership of the artefacts to Nigeria.

Post-Kolonial and other German organizations have played an important role in obliging Germany to examine its colonial history and to restore to the true owners the precious treasures that have been kept away for more than one hundred years.

We hope that other European nations such as the British who started the whole game of looting treasure will follow the German example.

Kwame Opoku.

Press Release. Berlin Post-Kolonial 01.07. 2022

Return of the Benin Bronzes: Germany must surrender property rights to all cultural treasures and body parts of colonised people

On the occasion of the ceremonial signing of the Joint Political Declaration on the Restitution of the Benin Bronzes and the Bilateral Museum Cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal Republic of Nigeria today, 01 July 2022, we call on the Federal Government, the Federal States and the local authorities to work more vigorously on the transfer of ownership of cultural treasures and body parts of colonised people.

Berlin Postkolonial welcomes the restitution of the Benin bronzes as a success of the descendants of colonised people, who were able to overcome the current owners' decades-long resistance to restitution. However, the cultural treasures captured in Benin City represent only the tip of the (colonial) iceberg.

Accordingly, we call for a nationwide regulation that grants the descendants of the colonised the right of ownership to their cultural treasures and ancestors. Research on and exhibition of cultural objects and colonised ancestors should no longer be done without their explicit consent. Repatriations should no longer depend on the consent of the current owners.

Contact: Berlin Postkolonial e.V. | 01799 100 976 | buero(at) berlin-postkolonial.de
PREAMBLE: From 25th to 30th April, 2022, the Association of Catholic Heads of Higher Institutions (ACHHI) held her National Conference in Navrongo. The theme for the Conference was Examination malpractices in Ghana: A challenge to national development. I was at that Conference and that is the trigger for this reflection.

EXAM MALPRACTICE IN GHANA: It is now common knowledge that exam malpractice is rampant in Ghana. In other words, there is hardly anyone in Ghana today who does not know that exam malpractice is the order of the day. Even though this may be a rather sweeping statement, I maintain that it is true. It does no good to pretend that all is well in this regard. An elephant cannot hide in a room. The cancer of exam malpractice in Ghana is wide, deep and extensive, thriving at all levels of education in Ghana from basic schools all the way into our universities. Only a few schools are still standing up against this malaise in our education delivery.

Ask anyone who is connected in any way to education in Ghanaas parent, teacher, student, or just an interested observerand you will hear disturbing stories about what is going on in our schools when it comes to assessing students. Managers of our education and administrators of our exams cannot claim ignoranceor innocence. They are fully privy to what is going on. Sadly, exam malpractice is no longer seen as the offensive conduct we have all always construed it to be. It is now commonplace and common practice; it has gained both notoriety and wide acceptance. It is as if that is what everyone is expected to do to move on in life. Those who refuse to join in this dastardly practice are viewed as strange or foolish or worse. They are seen as threats that need to be eliminated. Upright educational leaders are judged and condemned as unhelpful to students. They are threatened and made to suffer physically, psychologically or otherwise. A school Head (at the ACHHI Conference referred to above) saidjokingly, but not unreasonablythat Government should consider paying school Heads exam malpractice risk allowances. The fact is that educational leaders in Ghana today are exposed to risk and threats if/when they try to stem the tide of exam malpractice.

EXAM MALPRACTICE IS NAKED DISHONESTY IMPARTED IN OUR SCHOOLS: There is no way to describe exam malpractice than that it is dishonesty, purely and simply. The fact that it has gained this level of spread and acceptance does not change its identity. Exam malpractice, in all its forms, is cheating to pass exams.

My contention is that many schools in Ghana no longer fight exam malpractice. They have lost the fight and thrown in the towel. The tide of exam malpractice became too strong and turned into an avalanche that threatened their comfort or very existence and so they had to give way.

I contend, further, thatfar from fighting exam malpracticemany schools now encourage it, for various reasons. These reasons are many, varied, and usually damning. Given time, I may do a sequel to this reflection on some of these reasons. Just a little teaser, though: Schoolsespecially the so-called Grades A and B schoolsare under pressure; parents are under pressure; students are under pressure; managers of education are under pressure; politicians are under pressure. The last two are under pressure especially in regard to the state of the Free SHS. More anon.

Finally, and concluding from the foregoing, I contend that many Ghanaian children learn dishonesty at school, just as they learn English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. It is as if dishonesty has become a new core subject. This is why I gave that curious title to this write-up. Let me illustrate. I am at a school complex in Chamba (Nanumba North Municipality) that includes KG up to SHS. In April, during the end-of-term exams, several primary school pupils were caught in exam malpractice. Some had writing on their thighs while others were hiding pieces of paper with written answers on them. They were then hiding and referencing the writing in their attempt to answer the exam questions. Now, we are very strict about these things at our school complex, so we could not help asking the following questions in relation to this incident: How did these children come by this idea to cheat? Who taught them that dishonesty is the way to success? Who gave them those answers to bring into the exam hall? If some people did, how did they get the questions in the first place? Did the persons involved in all this matter consider that they were doing something wrong? Were these children aware that they were engaged in a wrongful act? If not, were they not being schooled that that is the right way to go about things? Would such children not go through school convinced that dishonesty is actually the smart way to proceed in life? I dare say that this is the kind of orientation that many of our Ghanaian children are currently receiving in our schools. Honesty no longer pays. Dishonesty is the means to success, and the end justifies the means.

SOME CONSEQUENCES AND CONCLUSIONS: The picture I have painted is somewhat bleak.

However, if we attach some measure of accuracy to it, we must begin to accept that we cannot sidestep certain consequences and conclusions. If exam malpractice is so widespread, how did we allow ourselves to get to this point? Since we all looked on while successive generations of school goers continued to slip down the scale of honesty, we all have to accept responsibilityin the varying degrees of culpability and begin to consider how we can redeem the situation. If we dont want the world to laugh at us, we must begin to do something about this problem. It does no good to blame the problem on those who point it out, like I am trying to do here. We are all part of the problem.

In summary form, we can identify some consequences and draw some conclusions from the mess we have created for ourselves. They are many but I will mention those that readily come to mind, in no particular order of importance:

Our academic credentials are fast becoming suspect and would no longer carry weight or command respect, even within the country. (You got 8 A1s, so what; how did you get them?) Our students are losing motivation, impetus and interest in learning. If they can pass without acquiring the required knowledge, why bother to study? Consequently, academia or academic excellence would no longer attract many. Bottom line, we are grooming intellectually lazy students/youth. We are also grooming a work force that would be lazy and unproductive. Our workers will focus on the salary and not the work. The orientation acquired in school will be brought into working life. There would be shortage of principled professionals. For example, our security forces will be populated by persons who can easily be induced to misapply their power for crooked interestsunprofessionally.

Even our hitherto respectable armed forces will have a price.

We are building our country on sand, not on solid foundations of high integrity.

Our fellow countrymen and countrywomen that we call our leaders will negotiate deals with other countries and international enterprises on our behalf. Sadly, we will realize that they do not have the moral strength and integrity to get us fair deals. As a result, we are rich but will remain poor.

Meritocracy will no longer have meaning in our homeland, the way things are going. We will have many square pegs in round holesmuch more than before.

Everyone is being assigned a price. People no longer hesitate to approach anyone with a dishonest deal.

(Its like we are all so steeped in dishonesty that honest dealing is no longer expected from anyone.) 9. Morality is thrown to the dogs. In place of seeking to do the right thing, what we now have is: succeed by any means; get rich quick; take advantage of anyone and everyone if that helps you get what you want. 10. We are getting emboldened and hardened in our crookedness. No lie is too big or too despicable or too farfetched. Even when caught red-handed, we are not ashamed to lie through our teeth. Lying is the order of the dayjust like exam malpractice itself.

No criminal thinking is too outrageous. Planning to kill and actually killing fellow human beings is no longer any big deal. The effort to cover up murder engages peoples sensibilities more than the murder itself. Thou shalt not be caught. Just be ready with clever lies, distortions, corruption of investigating officials, etc. and you are okay.

Family life is being affected: Husbands will cheat on wives and wives will cheat on husbands. In their dealings, there will be dishonesty between Mom and Dad and children will imbibe this dishonesty; they will then get it reinforced in school, then pass it on to their own childrenand the cycle continues.

Our leaders will be misleaders: Our politicians and public servants will be corrupt and dishonest. Our pastors and religious leaders will be devious and deceitful opportunists.

With time, there will be only few honest people left to lead the charge. We stand to lose the battle.

Etc. Add your own

Some may think that linking exam malpractice with all these ills is farfetched. Well, I do not. The harm we are inflicting on ourselves now and on future generations by allowing and promoting exam malpractice is incalculable. We need to ask ourselves some questions: Is this what we want? Is this the kind of society we should be contributing to build? Is this the country we can be proud of?

If you think that society is moving in the wrong direction and you are as unhappy as I am about it, let us team up to fight the teaching and imparting of dishonesty to our youth in Ghanaian schools by pushing to eliminate exam malpractice in our schools.

(Rev. Dr. Camillo Abatanie Bonsuuri is a Catholic and Headmaster of Holy Spirit Senior High School, Chamba.

Tel.: 0547189499

Email: [email protected]
The Nima Police is holding a nursing mother in custody who is said to have delivered about a month ago at the Labour Ward of the Greater Accra Region Hospital, Ridge for stealing mobile phones among others.

According to a statement by the hospital, the patient suspect was apprehended by the hospitals Internal Security after she stole mobile phones, money, ID Cards, wig caps belonging to nurses on duty, and a laptop.

The report said, she was arrested upon intelligence picked up by the security after she visited the ward the next day to pick up the rest of the items she had targeted but unfortunately, she was apprehended.

She was immediately taken to the Nima police station where she confessed and escorted the police to a hideout at Tudu to retrieve the items.

The Greater Accra Regional Hospital in a statement warns persons who may or have planned to steal from the facility to rescind their decisions as any person or persons caught will be dealt with and prosecuted

The hospital commended the security guards and nurse on duty whose vigilance helped in apprehending the thief.

---DGN online
PKU Student Hugo Kong writes song to celebrate 25th anniversary of HK's return

(People's Daily App) 16:16, July 01, 2022

Hugo Kong, a Hong Kong student from the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, wrote the song Bauhinia to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland. Together with another 24 college students from universities at both Beijing and HKSAR, Kong said they hoped to sing out loud the young generations expectation for Hong Kong and the mainland to walk hand in hand towards a brighter tomorrow.

(Video source: Peking University)

(Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun)
The Methodist Church Ghana, under the Gender and Family Life Directorate, commemorated International Widows Day on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Calvary Methodist Church, Adabraka, Accra.

Widows Day was set apart by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2010 to create awareness of the violation of human rights that widows suffer in many countries. The day also highlights the need for more research and statistics into violence, discrimination, and poverty suffered by widows and to develop policies and programmes to address the problem. This years event was on the theme: Sustainable Solutions for Widows Financial Independence.

About One Hundred and Fifty-Six (156) women and some twenty-four (24) men gathered for the celebration at the Calvary Methodist Church, Adabraka. The chairman for the occasion was Mr. Jacob Osei Yeboah  2012 and 2016 Independent Presidential Candidate. He commended the church for organizing the event and urged the church to do more to cater for the plight of the widows.

The General Director for the Social Services General Directorate of The Methodist Church Ghana, Dr. Ken Dadzie Sagoe, delivered a message on behalf of the Presiding Bishop of the church, assuring the gathering of the unflinching support of the church to widows and the marginalized in the society.

There was a panel discussion addressing the issues of widows. The panel included Very Rev. Dr. Christina Dzakpasu (Cape Coast West Circuit), Lawyer Ebenezer A. Kwaitoo (Solicitor and Notary Public), Nana Ama Gyanbeah II (Queen Mother of Pokuase) and Naa Korkor Adjouhli (Queen Mother of Adabraka) - representing traditional rulers. There was also a widow and a fatherless on the panel. They shared the ordeal they had to go through at the demise of their husband and father respectively. The fatherless ended up sharing tears as she recounted the ill-treatment she and her siblings suffered at the hands of her fathers relatives, to the extent that they were ejected from their home.

In the long run, she dropped out of school in order to take care of her younger siblings. Sharing her experience, the widow on the demise of her husband, she said even when his family was fully aware that her husband was battling cancer, she was still blamed for his death.

The Traditional Leaders shared with the gathering why widowhood rites are performed. Among other things they said is that it was basically to ensure that there was proper separation between the living and the dead spouse. However, they were quick to add that some people abuse the practice and that must be checked.

On her part, Very Rev Dr. Christina Dzakpasu urged the church to continue advocating for widows and standing with them in all situations. She further admonished women to be strong in such situations and focus on God for help and not the ordeal they go through. She added that women must add value to themselves and work to support themselves and the family and not totally depend on their husbands.

Lawyer Ebenezer A. Kwaitoo exposed the gathering to the various provisions in Ghanas constitution and encouraged them to seek redress for the abuses meted out to widows and their children. He quoted from the Wills Act, 1997 (Act 360), Intestate Succession Act, 1985 (PNDCL 111), and Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732). He stated that there are enough provisions in our constitution to deal with abuses. He stressed that widows must be educated on their rights and not allow anybody to mistreat them out of ignorance.

The Director of Gender and Family Life Directorate, Very Rev. Comfort Ruth Quartey-Papafio, assured the gathering that the church will continue to equip and advocate for widows and also provide them with employable skills for their financial sustainability. She added that International Widows Day will be commemorated by all Dioceses throughout the Connexion.

Representing the Gender Department of the Ministry for Women, Children and Social Protection was Madam Kate Anku. She commended The Methodist Church Ghana for commemorating International Widows Day. She pledged the support of her Ministry in subsequent events of the church involving women and children.
A Think Tank, Baskin Africa has welcomed news of government decision to seek help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to save the country's ailing economy.

Reacting to the widely announced information, Baskin Africa in a statement said the current economic challenges Ghanaians face were avoidable if the government was disciplined enough to listen to wise counsel from civil society and experts, prudent and ready to cut out wastage and corruption in the system.

"This not withstanding, the option to go for an IMF bailout which will among other things attach conditions that will ensure fiscal discipline, prudence, reliable tax policies, cut down on wastage and corruption, is welcomed although delayed," it noted.

Find the full statement below:

Press Release

For Immediate Release

1/07/2022

BASKIN AFRICA WELCOMES THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANAS DECISION TO SEEK AN IMF BAILOUT.

After an extensive conversation about the current economic challenges Ghana faces vis a vis the alternatives available to avert an ultimate collapse of the economy, the Government of Ghana has finally decided to opt for an IMF bailout. This was communicated by the Minister for Information on 1st July, 2022. The government believes an IMF bailout will ensure microeconomic stability, policy credibility, fiscal discipline, among others.

In our honest view, the current economic challenges we face as a country was avoidable if the government was disciplined enough to listen to wise counsel from civil society and experts, prudent and ready to cut out wastage and corruption in the system. This notwithstanding, the option to go for an IMF bailout which will among other things attach conditions that will ensure fiscal discipline, prudence, reliable tax policies, cut down on wastage and corruption, is welcome although delayed. We, in Baskin Africa have always maintained that the government could put together same conditions the IMF will ultimately proffer for implementation and be modest enough to implement them in order to achieve same results we expect from this IMF bailout.

It is our hope that the Government of Ghana will negotiate well and be able to adhere to the conditions in order to salvage the sinking economy.

Signed

Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese

(Executive Secretary)

0244198031
01.07.2022 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, has indicated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme will help restore Ghana's ailing economy faster.

According to him, the IMF program is only a stop-gap measure and not a permanent solution to Ghana's economic problems.

He averred that this is not the first time Ghana is seeking assistance from the IMF.

This follows a directive by President Akufo-Addo to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on Friday to initiate discussions with the IMF for support.

Mr Nyarko-Osei explained the rationale behind the governments latest decision.

"IMF support is only a stop-gap measure and not a permanent solution to our economic problems or challenges as country or continent. Whilst it's good to seek temporary support from the IMF as a contributing member lets as a country also be prepared and conscious in developing our own local economic policies and measures to end this over 56 years of dependence on the IMF.

"One thing we have to know as people or continent is that our economic problems can never be solved by the IMF. The solution to our economic problems are with us as a country or a continent. What we should know is that if we are not able to deal with this situation collectively as a people then we should not a mistake in thinking that someone else has a magic wand to end these cyclical problems.

"Though I am on break here I thought I should put this issue in perspective for a sober reflection," the lawmaker wrote this on his Facebook page.
Lithium developer AVZ Minerals [ASX:AVZ] has extended its voluntary suspension on Friday as it continues to work through regulatory and ownership issues concerning its Manono Lithium Project.

AVZs suspension has come during a sharp correction in lithium stocks as investors exit more speculative assets.

Prior to the suspension, AVZ shares were trading flat year to date.

Source: Tradingview.com

AVZs extension request

AVZ Minerals has lodged a request to extend its voluntary suspension  a pause which first began when the company announced in early May that there were certain issues regarding mining and exploration rights for its Manono Lithium and Tin Project.

The company said that although it notes encouraging progress with the project discussions so far, its first request to halt trade still stands for now.

But what are these issues the lithium developer is alluding to?

Earlier in May AVZ told the public that it had secured a mining licence for its Manono Lithium Project, its 75% owned joint-venture with Dathcom Mining.

However, since this release, the particulars seemed to have been ongoing, with little information provided by the company.

The company merely reiterated its previous statements made in both May and June:

The Company is not aware of any reason why the voluntary suspension should not be granted, nor of any other information necessary to inform the market about the voluntary suspension.

AVZ is requesting this latest suspension extension to cover the next couple of weeks, until 15 July, unless it releases an announcement regarding an update in the meantime.

Has the ASX lithium sector peaked?

AVZ has been relatively tight-lipped about the proceedings surrounding its mining and exploration rights for the Manono Project.

The market is relatively in the dark still, and the extended voluntary suspension isnt providing any clarity.

Investors will have to wait a while longer for definitive answers.

Now, despite AVZs regulatory issues, how is the wider lithium sector doing?

Has the lithium and the battery tech theme peaked? Unlikely, according to our small-cap expert Callum Newman.

The world where most of us drive EVs is still ahead of us, meaning the world will need plenty of battery materials to get us there.

Callum has recently penned a report on battery material stocks.

He thinks there are ASX stocks flying under the radar who could be the next chosen ones  stocks tipped by Tesla to be their battery materials supply partners.

Callum thinks that one of the three battery stocks in his latest report could be one of the most exciting nickel projects in the world. Im not kidding.

To find out more, read Callums latest battery materials report, Elons Chosen One, here.

Regards,

Kiryll Prakapenka,

For Money Morning
This week marks 15 years since the iPhone first went on sale and ushered in a new era: the age of the smartphone.

Its hard to imagine today how different mobile access was before that evening of June 29, 2007. The internet in your pocket didnt look like, well, the internet. Social media  and the ability for everyone to respond globally to everything  was in its infancy. And while older phones certainly had cameras, the quality  and the potential for instant editing and filtering and sharing that exists today  wasnt there yet.

The modern smartphone has changed photography. To capture a snapshot of that change, we asked more than a dozen Associated Press photographers across the world who use iPhones  some of the most talented journalists in the business  to capture an image on their phone and submit it.

Here is what they came up with. But first: Some words from Enric Marti, the AP deputy director of photography who oversaw the project  and who had his doubts about it at the outset.

ENRIC MARTI, New York:

You might call me a traditionalist. Ive been a photographer for three decades and a photo editor for half that. I like negatives and the details they contain. I like physical things. I like full-on cameras. I liked the thought that went behind taking a 36-exposure roll of film and making tough choices about how to use each frame.

Sometimes I feel photography has almost lost the magic it had before the means to take a photo and share it with the world was in our pocket. Now, you can go for an assignment and easily take 3,000 frames.

And phones  everywhere, every day, millions of images. There is so much photography, and so much fake photography. You can buy a 99-cent app that removes people from photos. That's not photography to me; to me, photography is documenting what's really in the world.

But I'm changing my mind about phone photography  sort of. I've been trying for a while now to see and feel the positive side of this technological evolution, so I am not perceived as a dinosaur. This project has helped me in that regard.

The photographers whose work is shown here are pros. Colleagues. People I admire. People whose images  from our work cameras  I see and edit all the time. But they are also people with phones, and with cameras in their phones, and that vision  the one they use so well in covering the news  comes out in very interesting ways. I asked them to observe things, and they did  each in a unique way.

In the end, I decided to add a photo of my own to this as well. Why not? I take them anyway, every day, on the street. I stopped carrying my real camera a long time ago, but I always have my phone. Which is kind of the point.

You go through life having to change. The world is moving quickly. You have to adapt. What else are you going to do?

YIRMIYAN ARTHUR, Kohima, India:

The phone is a tiny, constant companion that I rely on for moments that take me by surprise. You have to be quick to catch these fleeting moments. They may not return. My phone can sing you the life story of my children in pictures.

Yet a camera gives control that I dont find possible on a phone. A lot of thought goes into building a narrative and expressing the idea embedded in the minds eye  even if, eventually, it is the eye behind the viewfinder. Catching the image of rain on a fast shutter would evoke a different feeling than seeing the image shot on a slow shutter speed. With a phone, I find it much harder to convert these ideas into images.

I use my phone on early morning runs, a time when the moon flirts with daybreak in my mountain town and the sky displays its glory. Even cloudy days arent dull here, and Im thankful that I can capture such moments on my phone.

But this comes with a price. Instead of enjoying my front-row views, Im looking into a screen. I feel increasingly dependent on this external memory keeper. It can feel intrusive. So Im trying to convince myself to keep my phone in my pocket more, and just live the moment.

BRYNN ANDERSON, Atlanta:

Sometimes being a photographer with a larger camera can be intimidating to the person being photographed. Using a phone makes it easier for me to get intimate moments that might not happen. Being able to adjust the exposure to create dark shadows makes the iPhone my main camera in a pinch. If spot news occurs when Im on vacation or out to dinner, I always have a quality camera to capture news.

ODED BALILTY, Tel Aviv, Israel:

Smartphones have come a long way in the last 15 years, but I dont see them as a substitute for professional cameras.

Some great work has been shot on smartphones. But its a lot easier to cut corners and manipulate images on smartphones  something we should all keep in mind in a time of rampant disinformation. Im more likely to trust an image if I know it was taken by a photojournalist using professional gear (nothing to do with the gear but with the photographers responsibility to the truth).

I dont think theres right or wrong. It just depends on which hat we wear on which day. It is a different tool that definitely has changed what we do. But its the photographer, not the device, that determines the quality of a photo.

In a world with so many cameras, there are also more photography consumers. And the good thing is that photography is more popular than ever.

WONG MAYE-E, New York:

The only time I dont have my phone on me is when I am asleep, swimming or reading a book. It has become completely integrated in my life. Once, someone asked me how I separate life and my work (photography); when I thought hard about it, I realized that there was no separation because I photographed life.

I am a sentimental person. I love keeping memories. I photograph occasions in life that I want to remember; at work, I photograph life that happens for people. Sometimes it looks joyous and sometimes there is pain. The camera is just a tool that allows me to make snapshots of these moments. I have always done this with whatever camera that I have on me, and lately, while not at work, it has been my iPhone. I spend too much time staring at the screen, but because its right there in my hands at that moment, I find myself recording life in photos or video obsessively.

I own many cameras. I love all of them. But admittedly having the phone with me all the time, in its small unintrusive form, has allowed me to capture moments that dont make anyones head turn. Right now, my phone album has 13,793 images on it. That is a lot of moments. It is, I guess, my visual diary.

NARIMAN EL-MOFTY, Cairo:

The iPhones camera has become more of a sketch pad and personal space of thoughts, ideas, and inspiration. Its a place I can think of process for an upcoming story and keep this ongoing stream of thoughts visually with no judgement. It has this ease on the street because of its size and familiarity.

I felt like I was cheating when I used it for candid photos, and it never sat well with me. I like to manually control the whole camera to tell a story whilst physically being seen with the tool in my hand. People will then always have the right to react to me negatively or positively, and Im driven by that honesty.

Years ago, I had a heated conversation with an Egyptian policeman. He took my camera and said I was not allowed to take photographs of the streets of Cairo. The body of my SLR is a threat, seen as a weapon. I told him: That is the main reason I love having an SLR in my hand. There is a real interaction with the environment youre photographing, a true reaction to you as a photojournalist on the ground. It is part of the skill set and the beauty of photojournalism. Rather than the idea of stealing a picture with my iPhone. I told the policeman I couldve taken photos of him, and he would have never known. Governments have since caught up. Hence, if you're detained and questioned, the first thing that is taken is the phone.

AARON FAVILA, Manila, Philippines:

The quality of the phone has become truly great in recent years. Now, I seldom bring a real camera during family trips. I have used the phone to shoot breaking news images so I can email them straight to the desk to be used as early photos for a story. I wont replace it for professional work, but I'm confident that if something pops up in front of me, I can dig out the phone in my pocket and shoot pictures with good enough quality.

VADIM GHIRDA, Bucharest, Romania

This is a good example of an image that I couldnt have taken on my camera. Most vendors and, frankly, most people in Romania get nervous if they realize a photojournalist is taking their picture even in the most mundane situations. It often leads to unpleasant interactions.

The smartphone, though, seems to be a magical stress-relief device. Even if people realize that you are a journalist, they no longer, in most situations, see you as a menace. They relate to you. In adverse situations, it can save the day.

DITA ALANGKARA, Jakarta, Indonesia:

Shooting with smartphones opens up more opportunities on the streets of Jakarta. People are so used to see others taking photos with their gadgets that they just ignore me. This gives me a whole new perspective to explore and easily get me to the nooks and crannies of a city of 10 million people  a place where a real camera would feel awkward to operate.

DAR YASIN, New Delhi

The photos now shot on the latest phones feel like digital art more than photographs. What you see with the naked eye is not what you get on your screen. And that for me is very unsettling. For example, the colors are oversaturated and look touched up when I have done nothing but pressed the shutter. The portrait mode produces blur but its not the same effect my regular camera gives me. These pictures definitely dont evoke a similar thrill of a taking a good picture.

Ill admit that there are instances when I love the pictures taken on my iPhone. There is no denying the phone captures those moments very well indeed. But its important to realize: The pro label on a phone doesnt necessarily make every owner a pro photographer.

On the contrary. The photographs on a smartphone are a product of machine learning, with the machine thinking and manipulating for you. It is also true that the iPhone is kind of setting a new standard of what a photograph should look like  and Im not sure thats a good thing.

KHALIL HAMRA, Istanbul, Turkey

I used my iPhone to take this picture, which is what I do when I see a beautiful view and I am not carrying professional cameras. But I mostly use the iPhone camera to capture family memories. In all cases, the use of the phone does not eliminate the need for professional cameras, neither in the beauty of the picture nor in the pleasure of capturing it.

Truth be told, every time I take a nice picture with my phone, I feel that something is missing and could have been better if I took it with my professional camera.

ARIANA CUBILLOS, Caracas, Venezuela

I do love taking pictures of my daughter and my pets with the phone and filters. Also, I take pictures with it when something grabs my attention and my cameras are packed in my bag. It helps me to remember the spot. It is an easy, light and fast tool.

Does the smartphone give you a different perspective? For me, totally. At the moment I take a picture, it feels flat on the screen. It is not the same as taking a picture looking through the viewfinder of a full camera, controlling light exposition and speed at the same time you take the photo.

EMILIO MORENATTI, Barcelona, Spain

For me, the use of the phone camera is just an alternative to my conventional camera, so I only use it on rare occasions and basically to photograph or capture on video family scenes or scenes with friends, with the simple idea of documenting banal moments.

Shooting with a camera is much more serious, and the result differs dramatically from shooting with a phone. Composing and capturing a scene through a viewfinder while pressing a shutter release is part of the essence of photography, and you cant do that with a phone yet. The flat image that a phone gives you cant compete with the photography you get from an SLR camera and a good lens, no matter how much phone photography lovers say otherwise.

NATACHA PISARENKO, Buenos Aires, Argentina

I use an iPhone instead of a camera on diverse occasions.

Sometimes its as a reflex, when I see something I want to keep at that moment during my daily life. Sometimes its just that I dont have a camera at hand, even though Id want to. Sometimes I use the phone camera when I want to send an image immediately by message or WhatsApp  a way to communicate something to someone through an image and no words. Sometimes its just something I want to keep.

The irony: My phone is so full that at the end, I scroll down the pictures erasing everything that does not mean that much to me. That way, I can keep using it as a camera or video recorder  and then erase it again.

RODRIGO ABD, Buenos Aires, Argentina:

The phone allows me to practice street photography, a branch of photography that I like because it allows me to always be attentive to the everyday without a precise news event to cover, and with only the intention of documenting the most banal moments of life. But at the end of the road will be a record of a vital moment in the life of society.

FELIPE DANA, Barcelona, Spain

Being a photojournalist, I try to always carry my professional camera with me in case I come across a nice scene or any breaking news. For a long time I considered the camera on my phone only usable in cases of emergency, when you really have no other option. But ever since the first iPhone appeared 15 years ago, phone cameras have come such a long way that I admit feeling a bit less anxious knowing that I always have a very capable camera in my pocket.

I will still always pick my professional camera when going on any assignment. But nowadays the photos taken with smartphones are becoming harder and harder to distinguish from those captured on pro devices.

J. DAVID AKE, director of photography, New York:

The iPhone makes it really easy, when I spot something I want to share with my family, to just reach into my pocket, grab the phone and make a frame. I still carry a professional high-resolution camera most places, but the ease of the iPhone to snap and share via text message means my family and friends get see what I see at almost the moment I see it.

When you travel a lot and are away more than you like, that instant connection matters.

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For more Associated Press photography (not shot on a smartphone), visit https://apnews.com/hub/photography
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  New Zealand's government has declared that American far-right groups the Proud Boys and The Base are terrorist organizations.

The two groups join 18 others including the Islamic State group that have been given an official terrorist designation, making it illegal in New Zealand to fund, recruit or participate in the groups, and obligating authorities to take action against them.

The U.S. groups are not known to be active in New Zealand, although the South Pacific nation has become more attuned to threats from the far right after a white supremacist shot and killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in 2019.

The New Zealand massacre inspired other white supremacists around the world, including a white gunman who killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May.

In the U.S., the State Department only lists foreign groups as terrorist entities. But the Proud Boys were last year named a terrorist group in Canada, while The Base has previously been declared a terrorist group in Britain, Canada and Australia.

In a 29-page explanation of the Proud Boys designation published Thursday, New Zealand authorities said the group's involvement in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021 amounted to an act of terrorism.

The statement said that while several militia groups were involved, it was the Proud Boys who incited crowds, coordinated attacks on law enforcement officers and led other rioters to where they could break into the building.

The statement said there are unlinked but ideologically affiliated chapters of the Proud Boys operating in Canada and Australia.

New Zealand authorities argued that before the Capitol attack, the Proud Boys had a history of using street rallies and social media to intimidate opponents and recruit young men through demonstrations of violence. It said the group had put up various smoke screens to hide its extremism.

Earlier this month, the former leader of the Proud Boys, Henry Enrique Tarrio, and four others linked to the group were charged in the U.S. with seditious conspiracy for what federal prosecutors say was a coordinated attack on the Capitol.

The indictment alleges that the Proud Boys conspired to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power. The five are scheduled to stand trial in August in Washington, D.C.s federal court.

Asked by media Thursday in New Zealand if the Proud Boys weren't better known for protest actions rather than extreme violence, New Zealand Police Minister Chris Hipkins said: Well, violent protests attempting to overthrow the government, clearly there is evidence of that.

In making its case against The Base, New Zealand authorities said a key goal of the group was to train a cadre of extremists capable of accelerationist violence.

The statement said founder Rinaldo Nazzaro has repetitively counselled members online about violence, the acquisition of weapons, and actions to accelerate the collapse of the U.S. government and survive the consequent period of chaos and violence."
With Deputy Superintendent Kregg Cuellar leaving Midland ISD, Superintendent Angelica Ramsey decided to make a change to the leadership structure at the district service center.

Ramsey told the Reporter-Telegram this week that she made the decision to create a flatter organizational chart, spread some of Cuellars duties to Associate Superintendents Charles Garcia and Luz Martinez and hired Miguel Serrano as the districts School Improvement officer.

In this role, Dr. Serrano will oversee MISD's Achievement Zone, schools of choice, and System of Great Schools work, MISD reported.

Achievement Zone schools are those where students receive higher levels of targeted support to increase student outcomes and close gaps. They include lower-performing schools in terms of campus achievement and campuses where targeted student subgroups receive support.

Serrano comes to Midland from Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he has served as the chief Operations officer this year, and chief Human Resources officer for the past five years, according to the district.

Prior to that, he served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and director of Human Resources during more than 20 years at Socorro ISD in El Paso. As a campus principal at Socorro High School in 2010, Serrano led a team of educators to turn around the school from not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress for years, to being the only 5A exemplary high school in West Texas.

He is passionate about school turnaround work and looks forward to bringing his experience to Midland, MISD reported. Serrano holds a doctorate from UTEP in Teaching, Learning and Culture.

He also has ties to Ramsey. She was an assistant principal at Socorro and a member of Serranos team during the turnaround at that campus.

Ramsey said Serranos work in Midland will really be specific to those schools that need the most help.

MISD made the announcement in June that Cuellar has accepted an executive leadership position in Spring, which is located in the Houston area.
Citing a significant drop statewide in student enrollment in higher education institutions, Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith led off a paneled discussion Thursday at Odessa College sharing how three West Texas education leaders were selected not because their respective institutions reflect the statewide decline, but rather because their institutions are seeing increases in student populations contrary to the statewide trend.

Joining Smith in the discussion included Greg Williams, president of Odessa College; Sandra Woodley, president of the University of Texas Permian Basin; and Scott Muri, superintendent of the Ector County Independent School District.

Setting the stage for the discussion, Smith shared statewide statistics on student higher education enrollment, highlighting how the state has seen just over a 13 percent drop in community college enrollment and a 4 percent drop in main four-year institutions.

However, the performance in West Texas institutions do not reflect this decline.

The news in this region is actually better than the news in Texas in the main, stated Smith, adding and part of the reason we wanted to come here is not because youre emblematic of the decline, but because apparently something is working here that is not working elsewhere.

Woodley described how UTPB experienced about a 5 percent increase in student enrollment during the onset of the pandemic, and while she says last year the school lost around 375 students, this year UTPB officials are seeing an upswing of about 11 percent enrollment. Woodley accredits a 5-year effort to entice people to attend, the new Falcon Free Program, where students with limited family resources can get their tuition paid for, and other outreach programs.

Shifting to Williams, Smith pointed out how community colleges historically represent the majority of the higher education population in the state and opened the floor to Williams to explain how Odessa College is managing to cut against the grain by seeing high student growth.

Williams said when he started at Odessa College, the institution had 4,000 students, and the college has seen record growth each year, including during the pandemic, and broke 8,000 students for the first time this past fall.

Williams explained that in 2011 Odessa College had a defunding scare, and school leaders decided at that time they would never remain in a position to rely entirely on the legislature for funding.

Asked about the college-going culture before the pandemic versus today, Muri said the culture was on the rise which he attributed to the collaboration with the other institution leaders on the panel.

Muri went on to state that ECISD officials determined that at least 70% of their students need to have one of four forms of post-secondary credentials, including a degree, technical licensing or military experience.

Muri added that the key to reaching that 70% goal is creating a culture within the student populations that look toward post-secondary education goals. He explained that in partnering with both local higher education institutions students at the district could become a part of those institutions through-dual credit and enrollment opportunities.

Smith cited a variety of statistics on post-secondary education in Texas among young adults, including how Texas is only second to California in adults ages 24 to 35 that do not have at least an associate degree.

Woodley addressed these statistics focusing on the underperformance in West Texas by citing the need in the growing energy industry for a workforce that requires a higher-level of education and skillsets.

Smith then shifted the conversation back to the Texas Legislature, prefacing his next question to the education leaders by mentioning recent actions by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in making the Senate Higher Education Committee a subcommittee, mentioning Patricks interest in ending faculty tenure, and then asking whether they felt that the legislature understands the importance of higher education and whether the legislature respects it.

Williams responded by saying he doesnt know how the legislature feels but that his job is to make an impression on the legislature while focusing on their students.

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It has not been an easy week for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He took his first foreign trip since the invasion of Ukraine to shore up relations with troublesome Central Asian allies. He watched as NATO declared Moscow its main enemy and invited Russia's neighbors Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. And he was forced to deny that his troops had yet again attacked a civilian target in Ukraine.

Countering a show of Western unity over Ukraine at a series of summits in Europe this week, Putin has sought to cast the moves by the U.S. and its allies as a proof of their hostile designs, and he vowed to press the offensive against Russia's neighbor, now in its fifth month.

Putin long has described NATO's expansion to Russia's borders as the top security threat to his country. When he sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, he cited increasingly close military ties between Kyiv and the West as a key reason behind his action.

Russia's aggression against its neighbor has helped cement Western unity, with allies offering billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Kyiv and slamming Russia with unprecedented sanctions that froze its hard currency reserves, targeted oil and other key experts, and barred its planes from European skies.

The invasion also prompted NATO to deploy more troops and weapons into the territories of its members in Eastern Europe and encouraged Sweden and Finland to abandon their neutrality and seek NATO membership.

At its summit in Madrid on Wednesday, the alliance formally invited the two nations to join and declared Russia the most significant and direct threat to its members peace and security.

Putin, who visited Turkmenistan Wednesday to attend a Caspian Sea summit with three former Soviet nations and Iran, responded by saying that NATO's actions proved its anti-Russian focus while admitting his action helped Western allies cement their ranks.

At the summit in Ashgabat, Putin and other participants didn't mention the war in Ukraine in their public comments. In a communique after the talks, they emphasized their agreement to bar any foreign militaries from the Caspian and underlined a pledge not to offer their territories for aggression against another country on its shores.

During a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the summit, Putin emphasized strategic ties between Moscow and Tehran.

Speaking to reporters in Turkmenistan, Putin charged that the U.S. has long been looking for an external enemy, for a threat that would help rally allies, adding that Iran wasnt good enough for that role, and Russia fit much better.

We have given them a chance to unite all allies, Putin said, noting that the NATO summits decisions offer a fresh proof that the Western group "is a relic of the Cold War intended to serve as an instrument of the U.S. foreign policy to keep its satellites in rein.

Before the war, Russia insisted on binding guarantees precluding NATOs expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations and demanded a rollback of the military alliances deployments in Eastern Europe. The U.S. and its allies firmly rejected the demands, emphasizing that a key alliance principle is that membership is open to any qualifying country and no outsiders have veto power.

At the same time, Washington and NATO offered to discuss arms control, confidence-building measures, greater transparency and risk reduction  issues that Moscow shrugged off as secondary to its main security demands.

Until the invasion, the Kremlin denied having plans to attack but warned the West that NATOs expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations is a red line that must not be crossed.

Putin alleged the West had swindled, blatantly cheated Moscow by offering verbal pledges in the 1990s not to expand NATOs eastward and then enlarged it to incorporate former Soviet bloc countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet republics in the Baltics.

On Thursday, he spoke with his usual rancor about what he described as Western efforts to discourage Ukraine from sitting down for talks with Russia to negotiate an end to hostilities.

The calls to Ukraine to continue fighting and to abandon any further negotiations confirm our belief that the united West and NATO do not care for Ukraine or the interests of the Ukrainian people, and that their goal is to protect their own interests, Putin said. The leading NATO members are using the Ukrainian people to reinforce their positions and their role in the world, reaffirm their hegemony and their imperial ambitions.

Commenting on NATO's invitation to Finland and Sweden, Putin rejected the Western description of the move as a major defeat for Russia.

As for the assumption that we were fighting against NATO expansion to Ukraine but now have Sweden and Finland to deal with, there is no substance behind it at all, because for us Finland and Sweden joining NATO is not at all the same as the potential membership of Ukraine, he said.

Sweden and Finland are free to do what they want, he said, but noted that we will have to respond quid pro quo if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there and create the same threats for the territories where they are created for us.

He said Russia doesn't have territorial disputes with those countries, unlike Ukraine, which has declared an intention to win back Crimea that Russia annexed in 2014 and regain control over the Moscow-backed separatist regions in the east, known as the Donbas..

Ukraine is a totally different matter, Putin said. They were turning Ukraine into an anti-Russia, a bridgehead for trying to destabilize Russia.

He hailed his forces in Ukraine as heroes protecting Russia's security and said that the special military operation will continue until its goals of liberating Donbas, protecting its people and creating conditions that will guarantee the security of Russia itself" are achieved.

Putin also denied that Russian forces targeted a busy shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, saying that his country doesn't hit civilian facilities and alleging the airstrike was directed at a nearby weapons depot, echoing the remarks of his military officials.

But that was disputed by Ukrainian officials and witnesses, who said a Russian missile directly struck the mall, killing at least 18 people, injuring dozens and leaving 20 others missing. Earlier in the war, Russia hit a hospital, theater, residential buildings and a railway station crowded with fleeting civilians.

Putin said the actions in Ukraine are proceeding according to plan and our forces are moving forward and attaining the objectives that have been set for the particular period of the engagement," adding that he wouldn't rush the operation to minimize losses.

U.S. director of national intelligence Avril Haines said Putin apparently has gotten beyond the disappointment by the failure to quickly defeat Ukraine and may now hope that if Russia succeeds in crushing the Ukrainian military in Donbas, that will lead to a slump basically in the Ukrainian resistance and that that may give them greater opportunities.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.

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Follow AP's coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
ALLEN, Ky. (AP)  Three law enforcement officers were killed and five wounded in eastern Kentucky when a man with a rifle opened fire on police attempting to serve a warrant, authorities said.

Police took 49-year-old Lance Storz into custody late Thursday night after an hourslong standoff at a home in Allen, a small town in the hills of Appalachia.

An emergency management official was also injured and a police dog was killed, according to the arrest citation.

The responding officers encountered pure hell when they arrived on the scene, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told reporters Friday afternoon.

They had no chance, he said.

Hunt said four deputies initially responded, then called for backup when they were shot at. The sheriff said Storz surrendered after negotiations that included his family members. Hunt had told local media the deputies were serving a court-issued warrant Thursday evening related to a domestic violence situation.

Hunt said one of his deputies, William Petry, and Prestonsburg Police Capt. Ralph Frasure were killed in the shooting. Frasure worked for 39 years in law enforcement in Floyd County. Another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, died after being hospitalized, the police department said in a social media post Friday night.

Storz was arraigned Friday morning by a judge in Pike County. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder of a police officer and was jailed on a $10 million bond. One of the charges was originally attempted murder of a police officer, but a judge said at the hearing that was upgraded to murder. He is also facing another attempted murder charge and assault on a service animal.

Few details were available Friday. State police had said in a brief statement that they were investigating an officer-involved shooting.

This is a tough morning for our commonwealth, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a social media post Friday morning. Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night. I want to ask all of Kentucky to join me in praying for this community.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron posted on social media that he was heartbroken over news of the officers' deaths.

Our law enforcement exhibited unimaginable heroism and sacrifice last night in the face of evil, he said.
Pretoria, June 30, 2022 (SPS)- The Republic of South Africa called today, for investigation into distressing number of deaths of African migrants attempting to cross the Morocco  Spain border, according to media statement issued by Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

The media statement added that "South Africa expressed deep regret and concern at the death of at least 23 and the injury of several migrants who attempted to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish city of Melilla".

"We align with the statements of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) that calls for an immediate independent, effective and transparent investigation into the matter. It is imperative that UN member states abide by internationally agreed norms and standards to protect human rights, human dignity and the protection of those fleeing war, persecution and discrimination", said the source.

DIRCO concluded in its statement that "Such violent incidents meted out to migrants are increasing globally. We see similar anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa, which at times, aside from challenging the very foundations of our constitutional democracy, could lead to mass violence against migrants irrespective of their status. Cognisant of these national, regional and global trends, DIRCO calls for commitments by all states, to treat migrants and their families with the human rights accorded to them under international law".

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Germany, Nigeria sign accord for return of Benin Bronzes View Photo

BERLIN (AP)  Germany and Nigeria on Friday signed an agreement paving the way for the return of hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa more than 120 years ago  an accord that Nigerian officials hope will prompt other countries to follow suit.

Governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects that were looted during colonial times.

A British colonial expedition looted vast quantities of treasures in 1897 from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now southwestern Nigeria, including numerous bas-reliefs and sculptures.

The artifacts ended up spread far and wide. Hundreds were sold to collections such as the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has one of the worlds largest groups of historical objects from the Kingdom of Benin, estimated to include about 530 items, including 440 bronzes. Many of them date from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Two pieces held by the Berlin museum  a commemorative head of a king and a relief slab depicting a king with four attendants  were handed over as German and Nigerian officials signed their joint political declaration at the German foreign ministry in Berlin.

This is just the beginning of more than 1,000 pieces from the Kingdom of Benin that are still in German museums, and they all belong to the people of Nigeria, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. It was wrong to take the bronzes; it was wrong to keep them for 120 years.

The bronzes are some of Africas greatest treasures, but they are also telling the story of colonial violence, Baerbock said.

The Nigerian government, which in recent years has stepped up its demands for the return of the Benin Bronzes, said the accord would pave way for the return of 1,130 pieces. It described it as the single largest repatriation of artifacts anywhere in the world.

Germany has taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the past, Nigerian Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said. He added that he expects the move to become a harbinger of more repatriation of cultural property.

Germany last year announced its intention to return the Benin Bronzes that ended up there.

Officials didnt give a timeline for the return of the remaining artifacts on Friday, but Berlins Ethnological Museum said a agreement on the rest of the bronzes it holds will follow later this year. The authority that oversees the museum says it expects to keep some on long-term loan. Baerbock said she is looking forward to seeing bronzes on holidays in Germany.

Fridays agreement provides for museum cooperation between Germany and Nigeria. Germany is helping Nigeria set up a new museum in Benin City where bronzes will be displayed in the future, Baerbock said.

It is my sincere hope that other European countries  will follow in your footsteps, Nigerias state minister for foreign affairs, Zubairu Dada, said of Fridays accord.

The Smithsonian removed 10 Benin Bronze pieces from display at its National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and announced a new ethical return policy this year. Other U.S. museums have also begun discussions about returning such objects, while France declared last year that it would return the so-called Abomey Treasures to Benin as part of a wider effort to make amends for colonial wrongs.

Hundreds of objects from the Kingdom of Benin remain in the British Museum in London, which has resisted calls to return them.

The British Museum remains committed to thorough and open investigation of Benin collection histories, the museum said in an emailed statement Friday. This includes fully acknowledging and understanding the colonial history which forms the key context for the development of the Museums Benin collections.

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Frank Jordans in Berlin and Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria contributed to this report.

By GEIR MOULSON

Associated Press
Seeking parole, Pistorius meets with girlfriends father View Photo

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP)  South African former track star Oscar Pistorius has met with the father of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman he shot to death in 2013, as part of his parole process, the Steenkamps family lawyer told The Associated Press on Friday.

Lawyer Tania Koen said in a text message that Pistorius and Barry Steenkamp met face-to-face on June 22 as part of whats known in South Africa as a victim-offender dialogue. It gives victims of crimes or their relatives a chance to meet with the offenders, if they choose to, before the offender can be eligible for parole.

Koen confirmed the meeting but declined to give any more details. She wrote in her message: The dialogue is a private and confidential matter, hence we ask that our clients privacy be respected.

Pistorius, once a double-amputee track star who made history by running at the Olympics, became eligible for parole last year, eight years after killing his girlfriend in his home in the South African capital, Pretoria. Pistorius, who is now 35, was ultimately convicted of murder in 2015 after a long and dramatic trial and numerous appeals. He was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison.

He has served most of his sentence at a prison in Pretoria but was moved to a facility in the southern city of Gqeberha, the Steenkamps home town, ahead of the meeting with Barry Steenkamp.

A parole hearing for Pistorius was scheduled for last year but it was canceled because he hadnt yet met with Steenkamps parents.

In South Africa, those convicted of a serious crime must serve at least half their sentence before they are eligible for parole. Pistorius had already served time in jail after being initially convicted of culpable homicide  a charge similar to manslaughter  before an appeal by prosecutors resulted in that being overturned and him being convicted of murder.

Pistorius must still attend a parole hearing, where department of corrections officials will decide if he should be released early. Pistorius lawyer, Julian Knight, said last year that he had been a model prisoner and met the requirements for parole.

Pistorius was born with a congenital condition that led to both his legs being amputated below the knee when he was a baby. He became a multiple Paralympic sprinting champion running on carbon-fiber blades, and even qualified to compete against the worlds best able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.

But his image as one of the most inspiring figures in sports was shattered when he shot the 29-year-old Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet door in his house in the early hours of Valentines Day 2013. He claimed he mistook her for a dangerous intruder but was convicted of a charge comparable to second-degree murder because he acted so recklessly by firing through the toilet door with his 9mm pistol.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

By GERALD IMRAY

Associated Press
LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in London on Friday for talks on security and boosting bilateral ties.

The meeting comes after both leaders attended the NATO summit in Madrid this week.

Johnsons office said he and Ardern will discuss security challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region and the situation in Ukraine.

They are also expected to discuss tackling online disinformation and deepening bilateral trade ties as well as agree on new measures to boost the two countries ties in scientific research.

The partnership between the U.K. and New Zealand makes both of our countries safer and more prosperous, Johnson said in a statement. We are working side by side to address new and evolving threats that threaten to undermine stability and sovereignty in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

The U.K. and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement in February following a similar deal with Australia in late 2021.

Johnson said the agreement slashes red tape, cuts tariffs on exports and creates opportunities for British businesses to travel and trade. But British farmers have said eliminating tariffs for agricultural products would expose sectors like beef, lamb and dairy to unfair competition.
UK government faces new boozy scandal as deputy whip quits View Photo

LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government is dealing with another boozy scandal after the deputy chief whip resigned from his post and then was suspended by the Conservative Party over a drunken incident in which he reportedly groped two men at an event.

Chris Pincher, whose role was to maintain discipline among Tory members of Parliament, submitted a letter of resignation to Johnson on Thursday.

I drank far too much on Wednesday night, Pincher said in the letter. Ive embarrassed myself and other people, which is the last thing I want to do, and for that I apologize to you and to those concerned.

But he said in his letter that he would remain as a Conservative lawmaker and continue to support Johnson from the back benches of Parliament. That prompted fury from the opposition and even among some Conservative Party lawmakers.

Johnson at first resisted calls to suspend Pincher from the party before bowing to the pressure by Friday evening after a formal complaint was made to an independent investigative body.

A Conservative Party spokeswoman said Johnson had agreed that Pincher should be suspended  meaning he cant sit in Parliament among the Tory benches.

The scandal added to the prime ministers mounting troubles, with Britains main opposition Labour Party criticizing Johnson for not suspending Pincher right away.

Boris Johnson has been dragged kicking and screaming into taking any action at all, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said. He just cant be trusted to do the right thing. This whole scandal is yet more evidence of his appalling judgment.

Johnson survived a no-confidence vote last month triggered by lawmakers from his own party, but emerged weakened since more than 40% of Conservatives voted against him.

Most of the discontent with Johnsons leadership centered around investigations into boozy parties held in government buildings when coronavirus lockdowns prohibited group gatherings. In April, a Conservative lawmaker resigned for watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons.

After returning from this weeks Group of Seven and NATO summits, Johnson was looking to put those embarrassments  and his partys defeat in two special parliamentary elections  behind him.

Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden quit last week after the Tories lost the two seats in the byelections, saying the party cannot carry on with business as usual. But Johnson has remained defiant amid appeals for his own resignation and said he wouldnt call an early election. The next general election must be called by 2024.

British tabloid The Sun reported that Pincher groped two men Wednesday night at a private members club. Londons Metropolitan Police force said it hadnt yet received any reports of assault at the event.

It was the second time that Pincher, 52, quit a government whip job. In November 2017, he resigned as a junior whip after a complaint that he made an unwanted pass at former Olympic rower and Conservative candidate Alex Story.

But Prime Minister Theresa May brought him back into a government position in 2018 by making him deputy chief whip. When Johnson took over in July 2019, Pincher was moved to the Foreign Office as a junior minister before returning to the whips office again.

The Labour Party said that Johnsons government had questions to answer about why Pincher was put into the position in the first place.

This latest episode shows how far standards in public life have been degraded on Boris Johnsons watch, said Rayner, the Labour deputy leader. The Conservative Party is so mired in sleaze and scandal that it is totally unable to tackle the challenges facing the British people.

By FRANK GRIFFITHS

Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP)  A man wanted by police in northern Virginia has died after an officer shot him outside of a shopping mall, authorities said Thursday.

Fairfax County Police said on Twitter on Thursday evening that the unidentified suspect died at the hospital. No police officers were hurt, according to 2nd Lt. James Curry, a police spokesman.

The preliminary investigation shows officers were trying to stop a wanted suspect outside Springfield Town Center when the confrontation occurred.

No further details were immediately available. Video coverage showed a large police presence in the mall parking lot. The mall remained open although shoppers were directed to a specific exit, police said, adding that an investigation into the shooting was underway.

Thursdays shooting comes less than two weeks after a shooting at another Tysons Corner Center, also in Fairfax County. No one was injured by bullets in that shooting, but three people were hurt while fleeing the mall.
High court declines to take up fight over airline crew rest

High court declines to take up fight over airline crew rest View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. Supreme Court declined Thursday to take up a case involving a state law that gives California-based flight crews more generous meal and rest breaks than required by federal rules.

Several Virgin America flight attendants sued to be included under the law, and an appeals court in San Francisco ruled in their favor last year.

Alaska Airlines, which bought Virgin America in 2016, appealed to the Supreme Court, but the justices declined to take up the matter, leaving the lower courts ruling in place.

The California law requires that workers be free from all job duties for 10 minutes every four hours and for a 30-minute meal break every five hours.

Federal regulations limit flight attendants to a 14-hour work day, but they remain on duty during meal breaks. Airlines argue that if the California law stands, they will need to add crew members on some flights, which would lead to higher fares.

Alaska Airlines, which is based in Seattle, said it was disappointed that the high court declined to hear its appeal. Were carefully evaluating how to balance California law with the federal rules that cover airline crew duties, the airline said in a statement.

The trade group Airlines for America opposes the California law and said Thursday that letting it stand will result in a patchwork of costly and conflicting state regulations. It said at least 19 states have laws covering meal and rest breaks.

Lawyers for Alaska Airlines argued this month that the California law would be especially burdensome now, while airlines face labor shortages that are causing them to cancel thousands of flights.

Attorneys for the flight attendants countered that it was laughable to think a law that applies to a limited group of workers would make nationwide labor shortages and flight cancellations any worse.

The flight attendants lawyers said the Federal Aviation Administrations authority to pre-empt state laws only applies to measures affecting airlines prices, routes and services, and that states are otherwise free to regulate working conditions.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany and Nigeria on Friday signed an agreement paving the way for the return of hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa more than 120 years ago  an accord that Nigerian officials hope will prompt other countries to follow suit.

Governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects that were looted during colonial times.

A British colonial expedition looted vast quantities of treasures in 1897 from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now southwestern Nigeria, including numerous bas-reliefs and sculptures.

The artifacts ended up spread far and wide. Hundreds were sold to collections such as the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has one of the worlds largest groups of historical objects from the Kingdom of Benin, estimated to include about 530 items, including 440 bronzes. Many of them date from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Two pieces held by the Berlin museum  a commemorative head of a king and a relief slab depicting a king with four attendants  were handed over as German and Nigerian officials signed their joint political declaration at the German foreign ministry in Berlin.

This is just the beginning of more than 1,000 pieces from the Kingdom of Benin that are still in German museums, and they all belong to the people of Nigeria, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. It was wrong to take the bronzes; it was wrong to keep them for 120 years.

The bronzes are some of Africa's greatest treasures, but they are also telling the story of colonial violence, Baerbock said.

The Nigerian government, which in recent years has stepped up its demands for the return of the Benin Bronzes, said the accord would pave way for the return of 1,130 pieces. It described it as the single largest repatriation of artifacts anywhere in the world.

Germany has taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the past, Nigerian Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said. He added that he expects the move to "become a harbinger of more repatriation of cultural property.

Germany last year announced its intention to return the Benin Bronzes that ended up there.

Officials didn't give a timeline for the return of the remaining artifacts on Friday, but Berlin's Ethnological Museum said a agreement on the rest of the bronzes it holds will follow later this year. The authority that oversees the museum says it expects to keep some on long-term loan. Baerbock said she is looking forward to seeing bronzes on holidays in Germany.

Friday's agreement provides for museum cooperation between Germany and Nigeria. Germany is helping Nigeria set up a new museum in Benin City where bronzes will be displayed in the future, Baerbock said.

It is my sincere hope that other European countries ... will follow in your footsteps, Nigeria's state minister for foreign affairs, Zubairu Dada, said of Friday's accord.

The Smithsonian removed 10 Benin Bronze pieces from display at its National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and announced a new ethical return policy this year. Other U.S. museums have also begun discussions about returning such objects, while France declared last year that it would return the so-called Abomey Treasures to Benin as part of a wider effort to make amends for colonial wrongs.

Hundreds of objects from the Kingdom of Benin remain in the British Museum in London, which has resisted calls to return them.

The British Museum remains committed to thorough and open investigation of Benin collection histories, the museum said in an emailed statement Friday. This includes fully acknowledging and understanding the colonial history which forms the key context for the development of the Museums Benin collections.

___

Frank Jordans in Berlin and Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria contributed to this report.
PARIS (AP)  A European military task force that helped Mali's government fight Islamic extremists has formally withdrawn from the West African country amid tensions with its ruling military junta.

The French military, which spearheaded the Takuba task force, announced Friday that it officially ended its work Thursday. The move was tied to Frances decision earlier this year to withdraw troops from Mali after nine years helping Malian forces fight violent extremists who had threatened to seize power.

The European departure comes after at least 132 people were killed in several villages in central Mali in recent weeks in attacks blamed on jihadi rebels linked to al-Qaida, and after a contractor for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali was killed Thursday.

It also comes as Mali's junta has grown closer to Russia, as Moscow has looked to build alliances and gain sway in Africa.

The European Takuba force was composed of several hundred special forces troops from 10 countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. It aimed at training and protecting Malian combat forces.

Despite the withdrawal, the French military called the force a strategic and tactical success and an example of what Europeans are able to achieve together in complex security environments," saying that lessons learned from Takuba could be used in future joint operations.

In announcing its pullout, France accused Malis authorities of neglecting the fight against Islamic extremists. France is maintaining a military presence in neighboring West African nations facing similar threats.

Insurgents remain active in Mali, and extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali, stoking animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the region.

The recent attacks on villages in central Mali were the deadliest since mutinous soldiers toppled the president in 2020.

Then on Thursday, a Malian contractor for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali was killed by armed militants on a motorcycle in the city of Menaka. The U.N. force MINUSMA said he was in route to see his hospitalized wife when he was killed, denouncing the killing as a cowardly and barbaric act.

The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to maintain the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, while condemning its military rulers for using mercenaries who are accused of committing human rights and humanitarian violations.

The junta has hired mercenaries from Russias Wagner Group, which has been accused by the European Union and human rights groups of violating human rights and international humanitarian law. While the Kremlin denies links to the company, Western analysts call it a tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia and China abstained from the French-drafted U.N. resolution, which extends the mandate of the mission until June 30, 2023, with its current ceiling of 13,289 military personnel and 1,920 international police.

Officials say more than 270 peacekeepers have died in Mali, making it the U.N.s deadliest peacekeeping mission.
June 22

Theft was reported on June 22 at the 300 block of Thomas Blvd. A citizen reported being a victim of fraud.

A 23-year-old man was arrested on June 22 at the 1000 block of W. 18th St. during a traffic stop. The man was found to have an active misdemeanor warrant.

June 23

Criminal mischief was reported on June 23 at the 1500 block of W. 5th St.

A traffic violation was reported on June 23 at the 700 block of Joliet St. A 31-year-old man was arrested and charged with driving with an invalid license with previous conviction/suspension without financial resolution. The driver also received two citations during the stop.

A crash was reported at W. 6th and Denver on June 23. A vehicle failed to yield right-of-way. No injuries were reported.

A 28-year-old woman was arrested on June 23 at the 1800 block of SW 3rd St. during a traffic stop. She was charged with two outstanding warrants for failure to maintain financial responsibility, having an unrestrained child under 5 in the vehicle.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested on June 23 at the 2200 block of W. 24th St. during a traffic stop. The woman was charged with driving with no license, for displaying an expired license and for displaying a fictitious license plate.

A 29-year-old woman was arrested on June 23 when officers responded to a crash at the 700 block of the east frontage road of N. I-27. One of the involved parties was found to have outstanding warrants for failure to maintain financial responsibility, for driving with no license and for operating an unregistered motor vehicle. The individual was also charged with driving with no license and with driving a vehicle with no liability insurance.

An assault was reported at the 2500 block of Sabine St. on June 23. An individual reported being struck by a jack but was not on scene when officers arrived.

Joe Castro Jr., 60, was arrested on June 23 at the 910 block of W. 28th St. Officers were dispatched to the location in reference to someone making threats with a gun. Castro was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a felony.

June 24

A theft was reported at the 410 block of Bryan on June 24.

Forgery was reported on June 24 at the 810 block of W. 8th St. An individual at the location reported receiving two fraudulent checks in the mail from someone theyd been in contact with.

Officers were dispatched to the 1100 block of N. Columbia on June 24 in reference to a stolen bicycle.

A crash resulting in an injury was reported on June 24 at the 3300 block of Olton Road.

Another crash resulting in an injury was reported at the 3700 block of Olton Road on June 24. The injured parties were transported to Covenant Health Plainview by EMS.

An individual called the Plainview PD on June 24 to report fraudulent activity on their bank account.

On June 24, an individual took a Cash App debit card to the PD after finding it on the sidewalk of Broadway Park.

A woman stopped by the Plainview PD on June 24 to report a man threating to expose explicit photos of her on the internet.

A crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported on June 24 at the 1600 block of W. 5th St.

An assault was reported on June 24 at the 900 block of Fir St. Upon arrival at the location, officers observed a man with a bloody cut on his check. The victim told officers the suspect was inside the residence. A 20-year-old man was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury or family violence.

June 25

An assault was reported on June 25 at the 2600 block of Dimmitt Road.

A 39-year-old woman was arrested on June 25 at the 2000 block of W. 13th St. during a traffic stop. During the stop, the driver was arrested for driving with an invalid license with previous suspension without financial responsibility.

June 26

A 59-year-old man was arrested on June 26 at the 2200 block of W. 20th St. The individual was charged with criminal trespass.

A crash resulting in injury was reported at the 1800 block of W. 5th St. on June 26.

A 21-year-old man was arrested on June 26 at the 1500 block of W. 12th St. Officers responded to the location in reference to criminal trespass. The individual was charged with criminal trespass of a habitation/shelter.

Officers were dispatched to the 800 block of N. I-27 in reference to a disturbance. Responding officers located a man and woman having a verbal argument. The man was found to have a protection order against him and was placed under arrest. He was released due to medical conditions.

Police arrested 41-year-old Manuel Juan Torrez on June 26 at the 1300 block of N. I-27. Officers responded in reference to a suspicious person. Torrez was found to have an active felony warrant out of New Mexico.

June 27

A stolen vehicle was located at the 200 block of SE 1st St. on June 27.

A robbery was reported at the 1700 block of W. 5th St. on June 27.

Fraudulent use of credit cards was reported on June 27 at the 810 block of W. 7th St.

Police arrested 59-year-old Margarito Garcia on June 27 at the 300 block of W. 16th St. Garcia was charged with a felony warrant for a parole violation.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested on June 27 at the 2600 block of W. 5th St. for possession of marijuana and for two active warrants  one for speeding and one for violating a promise to appear.

A traffic stop resulted in an arrest of a 36-year-old man at the 1000 block of Houston St. The vehicle had an obscured license plate and the driver was found to have two active warrants. Officers placed the individual in handcuffs then found a glass pipe with a crystal-like substance and burnt residue in plain view in the drivers seat. The vehicle was also found to have a fictitious temporary license plate. The driver was arrested and was given several additional citations for a traffic stop. The individual was charged with driving with no license, with displaying a fictitious license plate, with displaying unclean license plates, with possession/delivery of drug paraphernalia, and with operating a motor vehicle without financial responsibility.

June 28

Gambling was reported on June 28 at the 5200 block of N. I-27.

Officers responded to the 2800 block of Dimmitt Road on June 28 in reference to marijuana.

A 17-year-old man was arrested on June 28 at the 300 block of W. 5th St. during a traffic stop for the vehicle operating without tail lights at night time. During the traffic investigation, it was discovered that the driver was a minor and was intoxicated. The driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Yonkers on June 28 in reference to an assault that had occurred in the pool area. Officers met with the victim who told them the suspect slapped him then went to grab a knife and came back to the pool threatening to stab him. The suspect left the scene before officers arrived.

Theft was reported at the 400 block of W. 5th St. on June 28.

June 29

Criminal mischief was reported on June 29 at the 1100 block of Garland St. Damaged property was reported.

A 27-year-old woman was arrested on June 29 at the 1800 block of N. Columbia St. during a traffic violation. The driver was charged with driving without an invalid license without financial responsibility and with driving with no motor vehicle liability insurance and with display of an expired license plate.

A crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported at Ennis and Olton Road on June 29. A citation was issued to one driver who was following too close to the second. No injuries were reported.

An officer was dispatched to the 1900 block of W. 18th St. on June 29 for criminal mischief. Damaged property was reported.

A crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported at the 2200 block of W. 5th St. on June 29. A citation was issued to the driver for failure to control speed.

Officers conducted a traffic stop at the 200 block of E. 24th St. on June 29. The driver was found to be in possession of marijuana.

June 30

A traffic stop was conducted on June 30 at the 2500 block of W. 5th St. Officers observed the driver showing signs of intoxication. The driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Criminal mischief was reported at the 3000 block of W. 16th St. on June 30. A suspicious male was reported walking around the residence. The man was found to have two active warrants. Upon investigation, the individuals shoes were found in the backyard of a residence along with damage to two window screens. The man was charged with criminal mischief as well as the warrants for public intoxication and for failure to appear/bail jumping.

A burglary was reported at the 600 block of W. 5th St. on June 30.

Identification theft was reported at the 100 block of W. 9th St. on June 30.
Texas native Eugene Lee Yang from The Try Guys is showing support for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke as he's partnered with the politician for a fundraiser event in San Antonio.

Sponsored in part by Howdy Kuya and Bakery Lorraine, the event will take place at Freight Gallery and 1906 Gallery in San Antonio's Southtown Arts District at 5 p.m. on July 11. During the event, Yang will interview O'Rourke about the issues facing working Texans and how O'Rourke plans to confront these challenges if elected governor.

Yang, who's from Pflugerville, and O'Rourke will also give attendees the opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A. It will also bring together Texan actors, comedians, elected officials, and grassroots activists, and feature local art, cuisine, and live music, according to a news release from the Texas Democratic Party.

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Global Citizen

The YouTube star will be filming the event for his upcoming documentary named, This is Texas. The documentary aims to showcase the strength of the Democratic resistance in Texas, the issues facing working Texans, and the need for new political leadership in the state. The documentary will be released on September 7 on The Try Guys YouTube channel, which has more than eight million subscribers.

"I'm producing and hosting a very special documentary about Texas and will be in San Antonio on July 11 to support @betoorourke - a candidate who believes kids are more important than guns, being queer is not abnormal, and BIPOC voters should never face discrimination at the ballot box or anywhere else," Yang wrote in a post on Instagram on June 23.

All of the funds raised at the event will benefit Democrats running up and down the ballot, according to the release. If interested in attending, you can sign up here.

Chris Stokes/MySA

O'Rourke spent the better part of 2021 teasing a run against Gov. Greg Abbott. The former congressman announced he would join the race on November 15, 2021, less than a month from the candidate filing deadline for the March 2022 primary.

While Abbott has served as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015, O'Rourke is running for the position after losing a pair of races. He dropped out of the 2020 presidential race and narrowly lost the U.S. Senate seat to Ted Cruz in 2018.

A May poll showed Abbott still holds a lead over O'Rourke in the Texas governor race. Abbott is up by seven points, holding a 46-39 lead. However, O'Rourke is making waves on social media, even calling on TikTok creators.

Earlier this week, TikTok and conservative Texan TheAngie Mommadukes recently went viral for a video she made showing support for the LGBTQ community and how women should have rights over their own bodies. She also said she isn't going to vote for Abbott but is unsure about voting for O'Rourke because she thought he was "fake."

So, O'Rourke called her and talked to her for 20 minutes about red flag laws, second amendment rights, and reproductive health. TheAngie Mommadukes shared how she and O'Rourke have more in common than she thought. She said O'Rourke now has her vote 100%.

Watch her video below:
With some largescale fireworks displays sitting out this year due to drought conditions, San Antonio's patriotic party crowd may be looking for alternate outdoor celebrations. Outdoor movie opportunities are popping up in and around San Antonio, and some come with themed deals and firework shows.

Keep reading to see learn more about how to catch a flick and fireworks.

Stars and Stripes

If you couldn't tell by the name, the Fourth of July is the New Braunfels drive-in's time to shine. The business is offering bonus features Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but it's unclear if there are special plans for Monday. Options include Minions, The Rise of Gru, Top Gun, Jurassic World, Uncharted, and Lightyear.

The property also has a 50s-inspired cafe for concessions, as well as a kid-friendly patio to hang out at while you wait for the movie to start when the sun goes down. You can watch in the comfort of your car's air conditioning or brave the heat in a lawn chair. Fortunately, this weekend shouldn't be quite as hot as June's record breaking heat wave.

Doc's Drive-In Theater

The Buda drive-in is celebrating America's independence with two nights of flicks and fireworks on Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, the fireworks will start after showings of Little Giants and Forrest Gump. On the Fourth of July, the fireworks will fly before screenings of Independence Day and Little Giants.

Doc's is also offering Friday through Monday deals on margaritas ($4), Lone Star tall boys ($4), and a Lone Star plus two hot dogs combo ($10). Don't miss out on the solid barbecue offerings, and be sure to ask about the underground speakeasy for a more adventurous sip.

Slab Cinema

The San Antonio-based company that offers outdoor movie screenings will have a busy weekend. On Saturday, Slab Cinema will be at Marquee Plaza on the Southside showing Sing 2 and offering a vaccine clinic. There will also be face-painting and a "patriotic-themed performance" by the San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble before the movie. Food trucks and vendors will also be on site.

Somerset City Park

On July Fourth, The City of Somerset, which is about 25 minutes from San Antonio, will host an outdoor movie night at Somerset City Park. The movie of the night will be Encanto (starts at sundown) with fireworks to end the night. The event is free and open to the public.
The Brahma Bull, the most electrifying man in all sport entertainment, and one the biggest movie stars in the world is parking his mobile food truck in San Antonio this weekend.

Although it's not confirmed if former WWE superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be in attendance, his company Teremana Tequila's Mana Mobile truck will be laying the smackdown on thirst and hunger at a few San Antonio locations this Fourth of July Weekend, according to a news release.

Courtesy Teremana's Mana Mobile

The truck will be serving up complimentary French toast sticks, tacos, and The People's Margarita's on Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2. On Friday the truck will be parked from noon to 2 p.m. at Hemisfair Park, located at 434 S Alamo Street. Then on Saturday, July 2, the "Great One's" truck will be parked from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mission Marquee Plaza Farmers Market at 3100 Roosevelt Avenue.

Find it at 7400 Barlite Boulevard. Finally, The Rock's truck will wrap-up it's tour of San Antonio at Woodlawn Park for the Fourth of July celebration to offer free French toast sticks and tacos to park-goers on Monday at 1103 Cincinnati Avenue.

The truck will also stop at Texas Vista Medical Center on Sunday, July 3, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m and be giving out free French toast sticks and tacos. However, that stop will be a private event for hospital staff and is not open to the general public.

Courtesy Teremana's Mana Mobile

The Mana Mobile is traveling throughout the United States to "Bring the Mana" to the people on "The Great American Mana Mobile Road Trip." The truck will travel to different towns, communities, military bases, hospitals and other locations to express thanks to first responders. It also stops at Main Streets throughout America to remind people to support local shops and businesses, according to the release.

Mana Mobile has mixed-drinks that are made from Teremana Tequila and food inspired by The Rock's favorite cheat meals. The brand is inspired by The Rock's famous phrase "Mana. Gratitude. Tequila," according to the news release.

Courtesy Teremana's Mana Mobile
San Antonio Zoo

The San Antonio Zoo is celebrating another successful hatching of the Texas Horned Lizards, which are a threatened species, known as the "horny toad" or horned lizard. The institution announced the hatching news in a press release on Texas Horned Lizard Day, Wednesday, June 29.

The species have now almost disappeared due to habitat destruction, pesticides, and introduced fire ants. But, thanks to the zoo, more are reproducing in Texas. The zoo called the arrival of the 34 hatchlings a "tremendous step forward" for the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project. The Texas horned lizards will be released into the wild in the fall.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A new poll finds a growing percentage of Americans calling out abortion or womens rights as priorities for the government in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially among Democrats and those who support abortion access.

With midterm elections looming, President Joe Biden and Democrats will seek to capitalize on that shift.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in remarks immediately after the decision that reproductive freedom is on the ballot in November. But with pervasive pessimism and a myriad of crises facing the nation, its not clear whether the ruling will break through to motivate those voters  or just disappoint them.

It does feel like a major setback, said 26-year-old Lauren Nelson of San Diego, who has been worrying about the environment her young niece will grow up in. She doesnt think the midterms will change the course that states are on. You cant help but feel kind of helpless, as though theres not much that can be done.

Twenty-two percent of U.S. adults name abortion or womens rights in an open-ended question as one of up to five problems they want the government to work on, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Thats more than doubled since December, when an AP-NORC poll found a notable uptick in mentions of abortion from years before, likely in anticipation of the Dobbs ruling on abortion.

The new poll, which included interviews conducted before and after the Supreme Courts ruling, finds prioritization of the issues grew sharply following the decision.

The Dobbs ruling kicks decision-making on abortion back to states, and in the last week, Republican governors and legislatures have moved to introduce or advance legislation that bans or curtails abortions.

Polling conducted before the decision showed it was unpopular with a majority of Americans, who wanted to see the court leave Roe as is. A majority of Americans support abortion access in general, though many say there should be restrictions. About a third say abortion should be legal in all cases, roughly another third legal in most cases, about a quarter illegal in most cases. About 1 in 10 say it should be illegal in all cases.

Mentions of abortion specifically are not limited to Americans who support abortion rights; instead, the poll shows abortion is named as a priority by roughly a quarter of adults with hardline opinions on both sides of the issue  those who think abortion should be legal in all cases and those who think abortion should be illegal in all cases.

Earnestine Smith, a 68-year-old resident of Waukegan, Illinois, said the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe represents progress. The issue is one of her highest priorities right now.

We want abortion abolished and done away with, she said. We got to stand up and say no.

Still, its significant that those with the most liberal views on abortion and those with the most conservative views are about equally likely to prioritize the issue; historically, research has shown opponents of abortion have been more likely to consider the issue important to them than those supporting abortion access.

And the new poll finds mentions of womens rights are almost exclusively by those who think abortion should be legal.

According to the poll, the percentage of women prioritizing abortion or women's rights was already higher in interviews conducted before the ruling than six months ago, 21% vs. 9% in December; it swelled to 37% in the days after. Mentions grew sharply among men, too, but the growth was concentrated in the wake of the ruling, from 6% in interviews conducted before to 21% after.

Lyle Gist said he wouldnt have thought of abortion as a top priority a few years ago. The court decision to overturn Roe, though unsurprising, makes it a major issue.

I think the ramifications of this are substantial, said 36-year-old Gist of Los Angeles. Gist thinks that there will be ripple effects, including a mass exodus of people moving out of states with abortion bans.

In a small town in Louisiana in 1968, when abortion was illegal, Anne Jones carried a pregnancy to term and gave her daughter up for adoption. Jones, now 74 in Plano, Texas, worries about what the Republican Party might go after next -- like birth control -- and thinks its hypocritical that lawmakers like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott want to hold the woman accountable for the child that she may not be able to afford to keep even as they limit health and social services for women and children.

Politics in Texas has taken a wrong turn, she said. She wants to see abortion access made national law but remains skeptical that Biden and Democrats can do so.

The poll shows these issues have been increasingly important to Democrats, growing from just 3% in 2020 to 13% in 2021 and now 33%. In interviews before the ruling, 18% of Democrats mentioned abortion or womens rights; that was 42% after.

Among Republicans, 11% identify abortion or women's rights as a priority in the new poll, a modest increase from 5% who said that in December.

Steven Lefemine, who protests outside the Planned Parenthood in Columbia, South Carolina, called Roes reversal a major benchmark but said lawmakers needed to do much more, including pursuing a constitutional amendment to protect unborn children.

Id like to see legislation that lives up to Gods word, he said.

Biden and Democrats have vowed to fight for abortion access, but theyve struggled with how to act given crippling opposition from Republicans in a sharply divided Senate. Biden said to reporters on Thursday that he would support an exception to the filibuster rule to codify Roe into law.

Roderick Hinton, who voted for Biden, wants to see the president move on court reform, saying the courts decisions are not matching todays time. He was angry after the court overturned Roe -- that the older generation is putting the screws to younger Americans, including his two daughters.

Biden commissioned a review of the Supreme Court after promising to do so on the campaign trail, a response to rhetoric within the Democratic Party about expanding the court following former President Donald Trumps three conservative appointments. The report released last year exercised caution about proposals to expand the court or set term limits.

Their lifetime position is really crazy, Hinton said. As neutral as the courts were, its now becoming political. Their personal beliefs are being put in place.

___

Associated Press/Report for America reporter Claire Savage in Chicago and AP writer Matt Sedensky in New York contributed to this report.

___

The poll of 1,053 adults was conducted June 23-27 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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SEATTLE (AP)  A cruise ship that struck an iceberg in Alaska has docked in Seattle for repairs.

The Norwegian Sun arrived in Seattle on Thursday. It hit part of an iceberg on Saturday near Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.
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DALLAS (AP)  A man who sold a pistol to a man who used it to hold four hostages inside a Texas synagogue before being fatally shot by the FBI early this year pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal gun crime, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Henry Michael Dwight Williams, 32, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosectors said. Williams sold Malik Faisal Akram the weapon Arkam used when he entered Congregation Beth Israel in the Dallas-area suburb of Colleyville on Jan. 15 and held the synagogues rabbi and three others hostage, according to prosecutors.
HOUSTON (AP)  A Texas inmate who is set to be put to death in less than two weeks asked that his execution be delayed so he can donate a kidney.

Ramiro Gonzales is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on July 13 for fatally shooting 18-year-old Bridget Townsend, a southwest Texas woman whose remains were found nearly two years after she vanished in 2001.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Gonzales lawyers, Thea Posel and Raoul Schonemann, asked Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to grant a 30-day reprieve so the inmate can be considered a living donor to someone who is in urgent need of a kidney transplant.

His attorneys have made a separate request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for a 180-day reprieve related to the kidney donation.

In their request to Abbott, Gonzales attorneys included a letter from Cantor Michael Zoosman, an ordained Jewish clergyman from Maryland who has been corresponding with Gonzales.

There has been no doubt in my mind that Ramiros desire to be an altruistic kidney donor is not motivated by a last-minute attempt to stop or delay his execution. I will go to my grave believing in my heart that this is something that Ramiro wants to do to help make his soul right with his God, Zoosman wrote.

Gonzales attorneys say hes been determined to be an excellent candidate for donation after being evaluated by the transplant team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The evaluation found Gonzales has a rare blood type, meaning his donation could benefit someone who might have difficulty finding a match.

Virtually all that remains is the surgery to remove Ramiros kidney. UTMB has confirmed that the procedure could be completed within a month, Posel and Schonemann wrote to Abbott.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice policies allow inmates to make organ and tissue donations. Agency spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said Gonzales was deemed ineligible after making a request to be a donor earlier this year. She did not give a reason, but Gonzales' lawyers said in their letter that the agency objected because of the pending execution date.

Abbotts office did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is set to vote July 11 on Gonzales request to that agency.

Gonzales attorneys have made a separate request asking the board to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty.

They also asked that his execution not proceed if his spiritual adviser isnt allowed to both hold his hand and place another hand on his heart during his execution. A two-day federal trial on this request was set to begin Tuesday in Houston.

Gonzales request to delay his execution for an organ donation is rare among death row inmates in the U.S., Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said Friday.

In 1995, condemned murderer Steven Shelton in Delaware donated a kidney to his mother.

In 2013, Ronald Phillips execution in Ohio was delayed so his request to donate a kidney to his mother could be reviewed. Phillips request was later denied and he was executed in 2017.

Skeptics will think this is simply an attempt to delay the execution. But if that were the case, I think youd be seeing many requests, said Dunham, whose group takes no position on capital punishment but has criticized the way states carry out executions. The history of executions in the United States shows that people dont make offers of organ donations for the purpose of delaying an execution that will still take place.

In a report, the United Network for Organ Sharing, a nonprofit that serves as the nations transplant system under contract with the federal government, listed various ethical concerns about organ donations from condemned prisoners. They include whether such donations could be tied to prisoners receiving preferential treatment or that such organs could be morally compromised because of their ties to the death penalty.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
Sixteen years ago, Texas lawmakers created a small program with a big goal: persuading women not to have abortions. It was given a few million in federal anti-poverty dollars and saw fewer than a dozen people its first year.

Since then its ballooned. Alternatives to Abortion is poised to cost taxpayers $100 million over the next biennium  a twentyfold budget increase  and served more than 100,000 pregnant women and parents last year.

RELATED: Texas Republicans pushing abortion ban after 6 weeks

But the Legislature has required little information about what the program has accomplished.

It wasnt until 2017 that lawmakers began requiring a public report on what contractors do with the money. The subcontracting process is secret, one lawmaker said. And state health officials dont track how many abortions are prevented by the program. The abortion rate has steadily declined in Texas and the U.S. for decades, making it hard to decipher what, if any, role Alternatives to Abortion has played.

I dont know if this is untouchable by design, said state Rep. Bobby Guerra, D-Mission. If they have good outcomes, I would think that they would be proud of sharing that information.

Critics say Alternatives to Abortion has eluded accountability in the often fiscally conservative Legislature, which this year requested a study on how to make safety net services cheaper and better. At the programs worst, critics allege, it shames women seeking abortions and is a poor and expensive substitute for womens medical care.

But proponents say Alternatives to Abortion meets a different need than heavily regulated medical clinics do  by offering social assistance to those who decide to choose life in difficult circumstances.

The program has overwhelming support in the Republican-led Texas Legislature, where lawmakers have pushed through budget increases and say its proven to be a massive success.

I dont know if you can always peg how many abortions were not done or how many lives were saved through this program, said state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth. Its almost like: How many ships does a lighthouse save? You dont know, right, but the fact that its there you know is helping those ships get safely to where theyre supposed to go.

Averted abortions are deliberately not tracked to save women the burden of returning and sharing their decision, he said.

To proponents, the programs rationale is simple: Women might prefer to continue their pregnancies if their life circumstances were different. And learning there are options can make the difference.

READ ALSO: Texas Senate OKs half a dozen bills restricting abortion access

Modeled after a similar initiative in Pennsylvania, Alternatives to Abortion channels money to a far-flung network of nonprofits  many of them ardently anti-abortion  to pay for counseling, classes and baby items. Its contractors cover topics like prenatal nutrition and newborn care, and also help parents land jobs. It caters to pregnant women and mothers of young children but also to fathers, adoptive parents and those who have lost a child.

The program has seen more and more people each year, and lawmakers have boosted its funding in nearly every budget.

In 2017, they gave it $20 million from an air quality program. In 2021, they sent it another $20 million from a health technology budget.

When other programs lost state money in 2011, Alternatives to Abortion was spared. The state prioritized the availability of Pro-Life alternatives, 80 lawmakers wrote in a 2019 letter.

Of a dozen states The Texas Tribune could identify with comparable programs, Texas has had by far the biggest budget in recent years.

As the program has expanded, Democratic lawmakers and other critics have agitated for details about what it does and how cost-effective it is.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, supports the programs aims but said it was proposed in 2005 without minimum standards, adequate oversight or even a requirement that the information provided to women be medically accurate.

Discrepancies in the data are common because the contractors and subcontractors are not certified or regulated by the state, she said, and the states reports dont offer enough data for lawmakers to meaningfully assess the programs performance.

Biennial state budgets list the cost per patient and number of clinical providers enrolled for publicly funded womens health programs, but not for Alternatives to Abortion. Without appendices, the annual report about the states womens health programs is 65 pages long  longer than all four of the states reports about Alternatives to Abortion combined.

OPINION: Texas valedictorian stood up for women everywhere with impromptu commencement speech

Former state Rep. Sarah Davis, a Houston Republican who supports abortion rights, said she thought the lack of information about the program was very deliberate and that funding the program had felt like a trade-off when she served in the Legislature from 2011 to 2021.

If I wanted to get the money that I wanted for the Healthy Texas Women program, breast and cervical cancer and family planning [programs], she said, then I also had to go along with the Republicans wanting to dump money into Alternatives to Abortion.

Spending on traditional womens health programs that help low-income women get birth control or access cancer screenings is on track to almost triple since the abortion alternatives program began, according to numbers from the Legislative Budget Board. The state spends far more on the health programs, budgeting $352.6 million for the next biennium counting federal and state funds. Womens health advocates say there is still unmet need.

Davis called Alternatives to Abortion predominantly a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Kelli Weldon, a spokesperson for the state health commission, said the current contracts include standards and oversight and require that evidence-based information on topics like pregnancy and fetal development be used.

The programs two largest contractors said the same, adding they dont shame women and do turn over reams of data and monthly information to the health commission. They also comply with detailed rules imposed on state contractors and provided over 116,600 hours of counseling and 110,000 hours of classes last year, said John McNamara, executive director of a contractor called the Texas Pregnancy Care Network.

How is that a waste of taxpayer dollars? he asked.

The Texas Pregnancy Care Network was created to administer the Alternatives to Abortion program and was its sole contractor until 2018. It doesnt provide services itself, instead doling out state money to pregnancy centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies and religiously affiliated organizations like Catholic Charities. Those organizations are reimbursed for nonmedical services they provide.

The Texas Pregnancy Care Network stated in contracting documents that it and the nonprofits it works with must be able to withstand extreme scrutiny from opponents of the program, and McNamara said it vets and monitors each subcontractor for compliance.

But critics have complained they have little insight into what those subcontractors do  and are often stymied when they try to add more oversight and accountability. Some said the effort is so futile its not worth the fight.

During a recent floor debate, Guerra told House lawmakers that the Texas Pregnancy Care Network was not required to evaluate subcontracts with a predetermined rubric like other state contracts, and that the process was secret and only viewable after signing a nondisclosure agreement. He abandoned a proposed reform after guessing he didnt have enough support to pass it, he said.

If [the Texas Department of Transportation] wants to build a road and theyre going to hire contractors, they want all the history of the contractors, they want to know what jobs theyve done, he said. I just want to do the same thing for the mothers and the children.

State Rep. Donna Howard, an Austin Democrat, made a similar bid for information in 2019.

There really isnt anything to look at here to give me any kind of assurance that these dollars are being used in a way thats trying to address the stated purpose of helping women, she said.

Krause, the Republican lawmaker who has fought to give Alternatives to Abortion more money, said the program is treated the same as other social services and should not be compared to the womens health programs because it doesnt offer medical care.

The program has grown to meet demand and is regularly audited, including by the health commissions office of inspector general who found nothing amiss in its financials five years ago, he said.

Though he supports making more information about the program public, transparency measures added by lawmakers in 2019  namely, a more detailed 2020 report  have allayed some concerns and shown the programs contractors are legitimate groups, helping the needs of women and newborns all over the state, he said.

You dont want to just give money to a place that isnt making a difference, right, even if it aligns with your beliefs, Krause said.

Counseling, diapers and vitamins

Alternatives to Abortions subcontractors are spread across the state and there has been a booming waitlist of nonprofits hoping to join, lawmakers have said.

Offerings vary by location but often focus on counseling for pregnant women or basic preparation for motherhood such as parenting classes and an assortment of maternity items.

Demand for its services shot up last year, as parts of the state saw shortages of diapers and other baby needs during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a state report.

Catholic Charities of Dallas, a subcontractor slated to get almost a half-million dollars through the Texas Pregnancy Care Network last year, has food pantries stocked with vegetables and gives out diapers, wipes and other baby items. It teaches weekly parenting classes in English and Spanish, covering topics like water safety, potty training and positive discipline.

READ ALSO: Gov. Abbott signs into law one of nation's strictest abortion measures

Human Coalition, another contractor, is largely a call center and marketing operation that tries to intercept women seeking an abortion who dont typically search for pregnancy support services.

At Human Coalitions few in-person clinics, visitors take pregnancy tests, identify obstacles they perceive to their pregnancy and watch a video about abortions, the nonprofit said in contracting documents. Pregnant women may get prenatal vitamins, referrals to obstetricians or an ultrasound, which helps attract clients and lets those inclined to get an abortion fully understand their pregnancy, the contracting documents said.

At a residential facility that subcontracts with the Texas Pregnancy Care Network, women receive around-the-clock counseling and other services like impromptu four-minute conflict resolution sessions, 20-minute trainings on how to soothe a colicky baby or 90 minutes of professional counseling on goal setting and transitioning to self-sufficiency, according to McNamara, with the Texas Pregnancy Care Network.

These are intense, trauma-based intervention facilities that help homeless women and their families, he said in an email. They help them learn how to break cycles, be successful parents, and ultimately be self-sufficient.

Alternatives to Abortion contractors gave out more than 1 million material goods last year, led 331,000 counseling sessions and taught 314,000 classes  some completable in 15 minutes, according to state statistics and information provided to the Tribune. Numbers for previous years have not been published.

Contractors also refer people to assistance programs they may be eligible for, like Medicaid or food stamps. State data provided to the Tribune show less than a third of those 218,000 referrals last year led to someone actually signing up or being waitlisted for an assistance problem. The health commission said thats an undercount that relies on women circling back to confirm they were enrolled or waitlisted. They dont have the actual number.

The contractors said cumbersome application processes or client motivation and needs could contribute to the low figures.

Tension and competition between contractors has at times revealed claims of unprofessional or misleading tactics.

The Texas Pregnancy Care Network said in contracting documents that Human Coalition deceptively advertised itself as a medical facility that might perform abortions and targeted ads to internet users who searched Google for abortion clinics.

Meanwhile, Human Coalition said its advertisements are effective at reaching women contemplating abortions and that its staff followed up with women more frequently than a typical pregnancy center would. Contracting documents written by a former employee portrayed pregnancy centers as unprofessional  places where volunteers sometimes dont answer the phone or are unprepared to speak with someone having an emotional crisis  in contrast to Human Coalitions own heavily trained employees and regimented protocols.

Agents utilize a dialogue format that has been tested and refined over tens of thousands of calls, the former employee said in contracting documents.

Abortion rights advocates have also raised alarms about pregnancy centers, likening them to fake clinics that lure in women seeking an abortion with the promise of a free ultrasound or general slogans like: Pregnant? Know for Sure.

Affiliates of the pro-abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America have sent people undercover into these crisis pregnancy centers in other states and reported they provide misinformation about the health risks associated with abortion or describe abortion clinics as being dirty and splattered with blood.

Two women who have gone to crisis pregnancy centers in Texas told the Tribune they felt pressured to say they wouldnt have an abortion, with one recalling being told if you have an abortion, youre going to go to hell. Neither center has received money through the Alternatives to Abortion program. Both women said they ultimately got abortions out of state.

Pregnancy centers receive about a third of the funding from the Texas Pregnancy Care Network. They are not regulated by the state health commission.

McNamara disputed the suggestion that the Texas Pregnancy Care Networks providers are inept or undertrained and said they follow up with women frequently  four times, on average  and are extremely effective.

He also said broad accusations about pregnancy centers dont apply to the nonprofits subcontractors. Those groups are prohibited from using tactics or language that shame or coerce a client, do not reference spiritual topics or God unless requested and convey information about abortions using the same document that abortion clinics are required to use, he said.

Chelsey Youman, national legislative advisor for Human Coalition, said the organization deeply values the vital work of pregnancy centers and disavowed how they had been characterized in the contracting documents.

Human Coalition has experienced a change in leadership, and we deeply regret and no longer stand by any demeaning language in the past towards pregnancy centers, she said.

A second spokesperson for Plano-based Human Coalition said its advertisements explicitly say they do not provide abortions and that they are upfront about who we are and what we do.

The results about care for women speak for themselves, exit surveys show: 98% said they felt staff cared about their needs; 95% said staff figured out their needs based on their current situation; 96% said they received information that enabled them to connect with local community resources, the spokesperson said.

Since it joined Alternatives to Abortion in mid-2018, Human Coalition helped with 18 adoptions in Texas and 4,064 life decisions, or instances where someone chooses to carry their child to term after previously seeking an abortion, the spokesperson said.

The Texas Pregnancy Care Network does not ask women to disclose their ultimate decisions to avoid any semblance of pressure, McNamara said.

Reviewing that data

Critics of the program say Alternatives to Abortion funding sucks up money that could be better spent elsewhere.

In written testimony, residents of South Texas said lack of affordable health care in the predominantly Latino region meant women couldnt get biopsies or treatment for cancer and other serious conditions.

A Nurse-Family Partnership program has asked for Alternatives to Abortion funding, saying its mission of pairing low-income mothers with a nurse during pregnancy and for a few years after they give birth fits squarely within the goals of the anti-abortion program.

We are prepared to fill the gap of health care and education services needed by pregnant mothers that the current program does not fully provide, a representative of the nurse program said in written testimony.

Since 2020, the state has required Alternatives to Abortion contractors to successfully sign up at least one-fifth of the people they refer to the Nurse-Family Partnership program. But lack of funding for the nursing program  and the fact that its not in every region of the state  means not all the women sent by Alternatives to Abortion can get in. Some have been placed on waiting lists.

OPINION: Keep your hands off my uterus, Greg Abbott

Contractors must sign up a similar percent of people for Medicaid.

Alternatives to Abortions offerings are more loosely defined than medical services, which are assigned strict numerical codes to denote the procedure or typical time spent. Because its a social service program, there is no minimum time for an Alternatives to Abortion counseling session, for example, and one of the contractors said they tailor counseling sessions or classes based on a womans needs.

Program spreadsheets provided to the Tribune under public information laws suggest there can be considerable variance.

Between September 2019 and August 2020, the Texas Pregnancy Care Network reported more than a dozen women received over 1,000 counseling services and classes in a single month  meaning that on average they each would have taken at least 16 classes and gone to 16 counseling sessions every day. More than 70 received more than 300 counseling sessions and classes in a month, about 10 each day.

McNamara said these numbers could reflect the experiences of women who live in a residential unit where counseling sessions could range from as few as four minutes to as long as 90. It could also possibly show instances where people received counseling that touched on multiple topics like pregnancy and life skills. (Facilities are reimbursed based on the amount of care given, he said.)

Zaffirini, the state senator, said the different lengths of counseling sessions could reflect peoples willingness and desire to engage.

Krause, the representative who supports the program, said each familys needs are different and that it would be wrong and ineffective to try to streamline counseling or similar social services.

Weldon, with the state health commission, said the agency has worked to ensure consistency in data reported across the contractors as the program has grown, including by offering technical assistance and a training session to help with accurate reporting.

The health commission, she said, is reviewing that data.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Anyone who has cruised through Austin over the last year has seen the billboards. No, not the "move to Ohio" billboards that make fun of Austin. The crypto ones. Anyone stuck on I-35  100% of its passengers  passing through the city wouldn't be crazy to think that formerly sleepy Austin was downright obsessed with non-fiat currency.

As a matter of fact, the billboards in Austin have largely skewed toward three categories as of late: Ohio, crypto, and lawyers, specifically ones that rock and ones who will earn you millions if a truck plows into your home. Amid the crypto crash, it appears that the state of Ohio's for-profit economic development corporation and local lawyers have eliminated the competition.

The author of the tweet, an Austin resident named David Logan, tells MySA that his tweet wasn't merely in jest; he has seen multiple crypto billboards removed and replaced in recent weeks. Local personal injury lawyer Adam Loewy of Loewy Law Firm confirms that the crypto market falling has opened up space for lawyers like himself.

"The collapse of crypto has lead to an enormous buying opportunity in the billboard space," he tells MySA. "Ive contracted for 25 boards in the Austin area."

It follows Consensus 2022, the "SXSW of crypto" that descended upon Austin earlier this month. At that event, attended by thousands upon thousands of blockchain, web3, and crypto industry workers and speculators, the mood skewed toward hopefulness even as the market cratered. It's gotten worse since then; just today Reuters reported that the crash wiped out millions stolen by North Korean hackers and sent a large Singapore-based crypto hedge fund into liquidation.

As of last fall, though, the crypto ones seemed to have taken over the highway billboard landscape. "Crypto is real" or "this is an NFT" they read, all in the same white typeface on black backgrounds. In December, Austonia spoke with the person responsible, Sam Feldman, the founder of crypto explainer site marketcap.guide. He rented about 100 billboards around town, all which became available as NFTs that could be purchased at auction.

I would guess that the first ones in this will be the most valuable, Feldman said in December. If this ends up taking over the world, and we have 100,000 billboards, whoever owns that art piece is going to have a pretty cool NFT on their hands.

Feldman did not immediately return a request for comment.

The most recent billboard NFT to be purchased at auction at cryptoisreal.com, Feldman's other site, is from two months ago. Reading "crypto empowers," it resided in the physical realm between August 16 and September 13, 2021 on Braker Lane overlooking MoPac. It went for one solana (SOL), which traded at a high of $103.50 on the day of the transaction. SOL is hovering at around $34 as I write this story.

There's no telling yet what this means for the crypto landscape in Austin. Will Consensus 2023 happen? Will it be reduced to a few dozen mopey guys insisting that crypto is making a comeback any day? For now, the skies surrounding the highways are apparently free of mintable NFTs. It's David Komie's and Adam Loewy's and Thomas J. Henry's world; the blockchain was just living in it.
Photo by Gabriel Romero

A police chief in the Hill Country has requested the Texas Ranger look into a 2021 incident of police officer misconduct. San Marcos Police Chief Stan Stanridge sent an email to the Texas Rangers on Friday, June 24, asking them to look into the unauthorized use of a taser on a San Marcos resident in 2021, according to a Mano Amiga news release.

In January 2021, former San Marco police sergeant Ryan Hartman used a taser on Albian Leyva, who was complying with officers commands during a traffic stop, according to a lawsuit filed by Leyva against Hartman and the City of San Marcos on June 14. During the traffic stop, Hartman said, "I'm going to tase this guy," to the officer on the scene and proceeded to use the taser on Leyva.
Yves here. The existence and extent of the medical debt problem in the US is yet more proof of what a mean-spirited, money-grubbing society this is.

One thing this article fails to mention is external appeal. Nearly all states have it; New Yorks was good even before Obamacare required more states to implement it. I just found out yesterday I have to go fight over a very egregious and large insurance underpayment by Cigna that the Hospital for Special Surgery has been fighting since June 2021. Wish me luck, in that Cignas position is just abusive and I hope it will be bloomin obvious to New York State.

By Yuki Nugochi, NPR News. Originally published at NPR and Kaiser Health News

Lori Mangum was 32 when apple-size tumors sprouted on her head. Now  six years and 10 surgeries later  the skin cancer is gone. But her pain lives on, in the form of medical debt.

Even with insurance, Mangum paid $36,000 out-of-pocket, charges that stemmed from the hospital, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the pharmacy, and follow-up care. And she still has about $7,000 more to pay.

While she was trying to manage her treatment and medical costs, Mangum remembers thinking, I should be able to figure this out. I should be able to do this for myself.

But medical billing and health insurance systems in the U.S. are complex, and many patients have difficulty navigating them.

Its incredibly humbling  and sometimes even to the point of humiliating  to feel like you have no idea what to do, Mangum said.

If youre worried about incurring debt during a health crisis or are struggling to deal with bills you already have, youre not alone. Some 100 million people  including 41% of U.S. adults  have health care debt, according to a recent survey by KFF.

But you can inform and protect yourself. KHN and NPR spoke with patients, consumer advocates, and researchers to glean their hard-won insights on how to avoid or manage medical debt.

It shouldnt be on the patients who are experiencing the medical issues to navigate this complicated system, said Nicolas Cordova, a health care lawyer with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. But consumers who inform themselves have a better chance of avoiding debt traps.

That means knowing the ins and outs of various policies  whether its your insurance coverage, or a hospitals financial assistance program, or a states consumer protection laws. Ask a lot of questions and persist. Dont take no for an answer, said Cordova, because sometimes you might get a yes.

Even people with health insurance can land in debt; indeed, one of the biggest problems, consumer advocates said, is that so many people are underinsured, which means they can get hit with huge out-of-pocket costs from coinsurance and high deductibles.

Here is some practical advice about facing down medical debt, at every stage of care and after.

Before You Get Care

Get familiar with your insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs. Get the best insurance coverage you can afford  even when youre healthy. Make sure you know what the copays, coinsurance, and deductibles will be. Dont hesitate to call the insurer and ask someone to walk you through all the potential out-of-pocket costs. Keep in mind that you cannot make changes to your policy except during certain windows of time, such as open enrollment (typically in the fall or early winter) or after a major life event.

Sign up for public insurance if you qualify. If youre uninsured but need health care, you might qualify for public insurance like Medicaid or Medicare. Ask the provider or hospital if they can help you check your eligibility before you commit to a care plan  and then stay with providers who participate in those programs.

Check whether the specifics of your care are covered. After your doctors map out your treatment plan, check whether all the providers you need to see are in-network and whether any part of the treatment needs to be preauthorized. Ask lots of questions of your insurance provider, doctors office, or hospital, especially for planned procedures, said Joy Dockter, a lawyer at Central California Legal Services, a public interest law firm. Are my authorizations in place? What are my copays going to be? Find all that out beforehand, if you can, she said.

Additionally, said Mark Rukavina, a program director at health equity advocacy group Community Catalyst, if the drug you want isnt covered by your insurance, ask whether the drugmaker has a patient assistance program; many do, though eligibility requirements vary.

Get a cost estimate. If youre uninsured, ask for a cost estimate in advance. Rukavina noted that the federal No Surprises Act, which took effect in January, requires providers to give uninsured patients good faith estimates of what planned care will cost.

Find out whether youre eligible for financial assistance  and come prepared to make your case. Almost every hospital offers some form of financial assistance, or charity care. Each hospital sets its own eligibility requirements but typically will waive or discount bills for patients earning less than two to three times the federal poverty level. (Three times the federal poverty level for a household of four in 2022 would be $83,250.)

People who are employed often still qualify for a discount, if not for free care, said Jared Walker, founder of Dollar For, a nonprofit group that helps patients secure charity care. His group developed a database of hospital charity care policies and has an online tool that allows patients to check their eligibility.

Even if youre not sure whether you qualify, its worth trying. Gather up documents such as pay stubs or income tax returns. Do not expect this to be an easy process. For example, Walker said, health care providers often require documentation to be faxed. One of the most common refrains I heard from experts: Persistence pays, Walker said.

If youve already qualified for government benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, that may streamline applying for a hospitals financial aid.

If youre not a U.S. citizen or legal resident, check whether your state bars the hospital from considering immigration status, as is the case in New Mexico and Maryland.

Check for other forms of financial assistance. Ambulance services, which can lead to huge bills, might offer charity care programs, so ask whether you qualify. Also ask your medical providers if they know of other charitable programs that would cover costs for things like rides to medical appointments.

During Treatment or Soon After

Ask for line items of the costs for every service, prescription, or treatment you receive. Keep an eye on costs as they come up, said Louisville cancer patient Lori Mangum, who is now chief operating officer of Gildas Club Kentuckiana, a cancer support group she relied on. Ask a family member or a support group to help you keep track, she said. And never assume that just because insurance covers one part of your treatment, that goes for everything else.

Scrutinizing your care can help you avoid costs. Mangum said she realized too late that she couldve taken her own Tylenol, instead of paying exorbitant markups on the same medicine at the hospital. She said self-advocacy begins with pressing for answers about how much each service, treatment, and medication will cost  in advance, if possible.

Check whether providers are in-network. Consumer protections in the No Surprises Act should help limit out-of-network charges. That law bans surprise billing for most emergency care, as well as for some routine care with out-of-network providers. It also limits what providers can bill for out-of-network doctors, Rukavina said, and gives patients greater ability to dispute charges.

Make sure all your providers  including an anesthesiologist, for example  are in-network for your insurance. If it wasnt disclosed to you in advance, that charge may be worth appealing.

Rukavina noted that if you are not insured or not using your insurance and asked for an estimate in advance, you can dispute bills that exceed the estimates by $400. For patients seeking more information about the No Surprises Act and what it covers, Rukavina recommended calling the governments No Surprises Help Desk at 1-800-985-3059. For patients with complaints, he recommended filing an online complaintwith the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Check for double billing. Go through each item on your bill. Mangum said that its not infrequent for something to be double-billed. Even if youve already been discharged and gotten behind on payments, it is worth checking to make sure you werent overcharged.

Negotiate with the hospital directly. Consumer advocates said people mistakenly think medical costs are fixed and nonnegotiable. That was the case for John DeAnda, who fainted while working as a cleaner at a New Mexico hospital. Doctors couldnt figure out what was wrong with him after four days of tests, but the hospital billed him for $8,000, which hes still trying to pay off, with interest, nine years later.

I actually didnt realize you could negotiate, said DeAnda. What I wouldve done differently is I wouldve talked to the hospital first, to see if they could work out a deal with me before the bills were sent to collections.

If you know you cannot pay the bill, negotiate with the hospital administration or billing department. Thats almost always possible because hospitals want to avoid the costly administrative burden of sending bills to collections, said Ge Bai, a professor of accounting and health care policy at Johns Hopkins University.

Ask repeatedly about any other forms of financial assistance the hospital might offer. Negotiate the terms of payment to a monthly level that is affordable for you. This also saves the hospital the administrative headaches of unpaid bills, and it might help you avoid having bills sent to collections.

Prioritize paying for food and shelter over medical bills. Financial institutions and lenders treat medical debt differently than unpaid consumer bills. People choose to take a loan to buy a car; they dont choose to get ill or injured. So just because people have medical debt does not mean they are unreliable or less likely to pay their bills in general. The three major credit-rating agencies recently agreed that unpaid medical bills will not affect peoples credit scores for a year. Once a bill is paid, it should come off your credit report immediately. Starting in 2023, unpaid medical debt under $500 should not appear on reports either.

That means you should focus first on paying for life necessities  rent or mortgage, gas to get to work, and food, said Marceline White, executive director of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition.

Do not sign up for credit cards that offer to pay medical bills for you. Experts warn against using credit cards offered by dentists, hospitals, and doctors offices to pay medical charges. Once you take out credit cards, personal loans, or second mortgages, the debt will get lumped in with any other form of consumer debt  the same as if you overspent on clothes or a luxury SUV. Thats one reason medical debt is often underreported; a lot of it masquerades as other forms of debt. Once you convert a medical bill to a credit card or personal loan, its more likely to hurt your credit score and therefore your ability to borrow in the future.

If You Are Already in Debt or in Collections

Try to qualify, even after the fact, for charity care. Hospitals sometimes overlook or fail to screen patients eligible for their financial assistance programs. Nonprofit hospitals are required by law to offer charity care and other community benefits. This is where self-advocacy can make the biggest difference. Sometimes hospitals will retroactively qualify patients and write off their debts. Volunteers at Dollar For will help patients push for that.

Dispute your bill if it is inaccurate. Rukavina said that under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collectors are required to provide a written notice, within five days of contacting a patient, detailing the amount owed, the name of the creditor, and how to dispute the bill. Patients can dispute inaccurate bills if they respond within 30 days. Rukavina said even patients whose bills are in collections can tell bill collectors they wish to apply for financial assistance if they havent already. If the patient qualifies, the collector cannot charge more than what the patient wouldve had to pay.

Contact free legal aid services. Lawyers around the country will represent consumers free of charge to resolve legal cases, including medical debt cases. They often have experience dealing with hospitals and third-party collections companies and might be able to argue your case on your behalf, especially if one or both have violated your states consumer protection laws.

Do not ignore the issue. The impulse is understandable, but it will not help and will likely make the debt even more complicated to address, said Rukavina. As daunting as it might be, try to keep advocating for yourself and your family and get help.
My Nashville Post role has evolved since 2000 when I joined the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister publication in 2008 (when I began doing some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have been managing editor of the Post since late 2011.

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(Natural News) In response to consistent Russian gains in Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced that the United States is significantly expanding its military presence in Europe.

Biden made this announcement during a summit with other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members.

Were stepping up. Were proving that NATO is more needed now than it ever has been, said Biden at the opening of the summit. This announcement comes as other NATO members pledge to increase the number of military units they have on high-readiness sevenfold. (Related: Ret. Army Col. Douglas MacGregor says Russia has already won its war with Ukraine.)

Biden has ordered additional bases, soldiers and military assets to be set up in the United Kingdom, Spain, the Baltics and Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania.

A permanent headquarters for the U.S. Fifth Army Corps will be built in Poland. Romania will receive an additional brigade combat team  a unit made up of around 4,000 soldiers. The U.K. will receive two additional F-35 squadrons.

The number of destroyer warships stationed at a naval base in southern Spain will be increased from four to six. Italy will receive an additional short-range air defense battalion. Germany will receive an additional air defense artillery brigade.

More armored, air defense and special operations units will be deployed in rotation to the three Baltic states  Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

These additional deployments will add to the 100,000 troops and billions of dollars worth of military equipment America already has stationed in Europe.

These forces  the first permanent U.S. forces in NATOs Eastern Flank  will improve our command and control capabilities, interoperability with NATO and management of prepositioned equipment, said the White House.

Russia not intimidated by additional U.S. troop deployments

While the White House has flat out refused to deploy U.S. troops in Ukraine to get involved with Russia directly, the additional soldiers and military hardware have been pledged to immediately defend NATO members if Russia decides to attack.

We mean it when we say an attack against one is an attack against all, said Biden during the NATO summit. Were going to make sure that NATO is ready to meet threats from all directions across every domain Were proving that NATO is more needed now than it ever has been.

This also comes as formerly neutral states Finland and Sweden have finally secured a deal with final holdout Turkey to enter NATO, which Biden said will only make the organization stronger and all its members more secure.

In response to U.S. plans to move thousands more troops to Europe, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the Kremlin will respond with compensatory measures.

I think those who propose such decisions are under the illusion that they will be able to intimidate Russia and somehow restrain it. They wont succeed, said Ryabkov.

Watch this episode of the Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how terminator killer robots are being deployed in Ukraine.

This video can be found in the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

Massive numbers of Ukrainian forces now surrounded by Russian troops in Donbas region as U.S. continues pouring in weapons.

Russia responds to Lithuanias blockade of Kaliningrad with new threats of action, worsening fears of World War III.

NATO pushing for Kaliningrad CATASTROPHE by provoking Russia into global nuclear war.

Biden continues to draw down stocks of U.S. weapons and ammo with ongoing military assistance to Ukraine.

Ukraine is running out of ammunition as Russia continues to overpower its military.

Sources include:

WesternJournal.com

WSJ.com

FoxNews.com

Reuters.com

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(Natural News) Peter Daszak  a controversial U.S-based researcher whose collaborations on coronavirus research with a Chinese laboratory were funded by Anthony Fauci  isolated Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus strains in Russia using funds from the Russian government in a recently published research paper, The National Pulse can reveal.

(Article by Natalie Winters republished from TheNationalPulse.com)

Daszak, 49, appeared to play a critical role in the origins of COVID-19, as his organization, the EcoHealth Alliance, facilitated a longtime joint research effort with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is believed to be the source of the virus. Throughout the pandemic, Daszak also featured prominently in promoting the natural origins theory while simultaneously discrediting supporters of the lab leak theory, most notably in the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 investigator.

His latest study appears to be yet another controversy. Daszak, who is originally British, is listed as the sole U.S. researcher on the paper: Identification and Genetic Characterization of MERS-Related Coronavirus Isolated from Nathusius Pipistrelle Near Zvenigorod (Moscow Region, Russia).

The paper was published on June 10th 2022 and counted an additional 11 Russian researchers from Kremlin-run facilities including the Federal Service on Consumers Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance and Moscow State University.

The study was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the national science funding body of the Russian government, and the state-run Russian Science Foundation.

Researchers conducted analyses of bat viromes, which have been used to identify novel viruses with potential to cause human infection.

We characterized the fecal virome of 26 samples collected from six bat species captured during 2015 in Moscow Region. Of these 13/26 (50%) samples were found to be coronavirus positive, continued researchers.

We sequenced and assembled the complete genome of a novel MERS-related Betacoronavirus from Pipistrellus nathusii, named MOW-BatCoV strain 15-22.

The capture and sampling of bats were carried out by Moscow State University researchers in the summer of 2015.

Appearing to use similar tactics as researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Russian scientists and Daszak focused on the spike protein. The spike protein allows viruses to penetrate host cells and cause infection and is believed to have been manipulated by researchers in Wuhan to become more lethal to humans.

To predict and analyze the interaction of MOW-BatCoV Spike glycoprotein with DPP4 receptors of the different mammalian species, the three-dimensional structures of these proteins were obtained by homologous modeling. The DPP4 proteins of two bats (Myotis brandtii and Pipistrellus kuhlii), the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), domestic cat (Felix catus) and mouse (Mus musculus) were used for analysis, explains the paper.

Analysis of the complete genome of the novel coronavirus discovered in the paper shows that it falls into clade of human/camels MERS viruses together with a few bat viruses.

Read more at: TheNationalPulse.com
(Natural News) Dr. Rima Laibow has revealed that the global elites are out to cull 90 percent of the population to gain power. She shared this revelation to Australian independent journalist Maria Zeee during a June 21 interview.

The natural medicine physician recounted that one of her patients she managed to help told her that the great culling of useless eaters is about to begin. This patient defined useless eaters are the people who are consuming non-renewable resources. Under the great culling, around 90 percent of the worlds population will be exterminated, Laibow continued.

Laibow initially threw off the idea as some sort of a conspiracy theory. But her interest in the great culling was reignited after she received a book in the mail that reminded her of her former patient.

She looked up the terms the patient used and discovered that they had been used by the Nazis in Germany. Laibow also found that the Nazis began their extermination campaign long before the onset of World War II. According to her, the Nazis considered the useless eaters as those who threaten to bring down the health of German people.

The physician told Zeee that in the modern time, the useless eaters were those who would undermine the health of the elites in a modern totalitarian system. She added that when the useless eaters are culled, the remaining 10 percent will become slaves that will be told what to eat, what to think and what to do. (Related: RAW TRUTH: Why 97% of lives really DONT matter at all to the future of humanity.)

Laibow explained that those behind the great culling believe in the importance of cleansing society of people considered to be a contamination. This cleansing came in the forms of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

Huge numbers of people will die because 70 percent of the planet have been jabbed with lethal mixtures, she said. The media tries to convince the majority that people just keel over and die, that athletes just fall. Its not normal, this is vaccine slaughter, Laibow emphasized.

COVID-19 vaccines utilized for the great culling

Interestingly, Laibow recounted the first lesson from her pharmacology professor  that pharmaceutical drugs work by poisoning enzyme systems  during her June 21 interview. Quoting her professor, the natural medicine physician continued: If you like the results, you call it a therapeutic benefit. If you dont, you call it a side effect.

She acknowledged that vast numbers of people have been injected by the COVID-19 vaccines, despite the fact that it failed to stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Laibow cited White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci as an example of an individuals who still contracted COVID-19 despite receiving multiple vaccine doses.

A June 15 statement from the National Institutes of Health confirmed Faucis illness, saying that the infectious disease expert tested positive for COVID-19.

He is fully vaccinated and has been boosted twice, added the statement.

Aside from failing to stem COVID-19 transmission, the vaccines have also destroyed peoples immune system through vaccine-induced AIDS. Long-term side effects of the vaccine include damage to the human DNA.

Laibow ultimately remarked that unless people know whats been injected into them, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines must be stopped.

Visit PopulationControl.news for more about the great culling pushed by the global elites.



Watch the full segment of Dr. Rima Laibow interview with Maria Zeee below.

This video is from Oldyotis Home Page channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

The globalist plan to exterminate humanity begins now: Useless eaters must be eliminated, say globalists.

World Economic Forum believes people are useless eaters, and views their brains and bodies as a product that can be hacked, controlled and discarded.

The Annihilation Agenda: Why globalists are actively working to exterminate 90% of the human race.

These pictures show Americas future if the globalists get their way: This is what pure bloods can expect at the COVID camps.

Robotics revolution to replace most human workers in three generations; labor class to be systematically eliminated.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

ZeeeMedia.com

NIH.gov
(Natural News) Extensive disruptions in the movement of food and a massive global famine were only a theory a decade ago. Now, the unthinkable is slowly unfolding and puts the poorest and most vulnerable at risk.

During a United Nations (UN) food security meeting on June 24, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a global hunger crisis. He also mentioned the real risk of multiple famines being declared in 2022, with even worse famines to be expected in 2023.

We face an unprecedented global hunger crisis. The war in Ukraine has compounded problems that have been brewing for years  climate disruption, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic [and] the deeply unequal recovery, Guterres said in a video message.

He urged ministers to start acting on stabilizing food markets and volatile food prices. (Related: A global food shortage catastrophe is unfolding, warns UN chief.)

David Beasley, director of the UNs World Food Program (WFP), remarked that the Russia-Ukraine war caused devastating repercussions to the ongoing food shortage worldwide. This, he added, could bring about hell on Earth.

Even before the Ukraine crisis, we were facing an unprecedented global food crisis because of COVID and fuel price increases. Then, we thought it couldnt get any worse, but this war has been devastating, he said.

Beasley noted there would be famine, destabilization of nations and mass migration if the crisis were not addressed. According to the WFP head, the best thing we can do [is to] end that war in Russia and Ukraine and get the port open.

Kyiv was responsible for a naval blockade in Ukrainian ports, which was wrongly attributed to Russia.

Ukraine is a significant exporter of grains, accounting for 12 percent of wheat exports and 17 percent of corn exports globally. However, the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022, has crippled the besieged countrys food exports.

In the Horn of Africa, hundreds dropping dead of hunger

The Somali Peninsula, also known as the Horn of Africa, is suffering from a great famine for almost four decades now. The ongoing food shortage may make matters worse in this part of the world.

Four successive seasons of failed rains in East Africa, which had not been seen in four decades, left 386,000 children in Somalia needing life-saving treatment for severe malnutrition. Previously unreported data shared with the Associated Press revealed that at least 448 deaths were reported in malnutrition treatment centers in Somalia.

Owliyo Hassan Salaad, a mother living in the Somalian capital Mogadishu, had watched four of her children die in 2022 alone. Earlier, she carried her frail three-year-old son Ali Osman while walking 55 miles from her village to the capital city in desperation.

Salaad said she left behind another four children with her husband in her village, adding that they were too weak to join the trek to the capital.

But her remaining children are lucky to have stayed behind. Many African children younger than 10 years old, just like Salaads late offspring, have died beyond the notice of authorities. Some died while trekking in search of aid while some died after reaching displacement camps.

Adam Abdelmoula, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, confirmed the grim situation on the ground. He told reporters that definitely thousands have died of malnutrition in the East African country.

Visit Famine.news for more news about the dwindling food supply around the world.

Watch the video below that talks about how to prepare when the biggest hunger crisis hits.

This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com.

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American ambassador to the UN: Global food crisis has reached highest level of alarm because of Russia.

Food crisis looms: Sanctions against Russia threaten global food security.

Global hunger crisis on the horizon as US, Britain, Australia, others deliberately demolish their own food production.

We are on the precipice (of a global food crisis).

Sources include:

SHTFPlan.com

UN.org

BusinessInsider.com

ABCNews.go.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Lab-grown meat  also referred to as cell-cultured, cell-based, cultivated, lab-grown and in vitro meat  is produced by taking biopsied cells from a living animal and using them to grow meat in a laboratory.

(Article by Martha Rosenberg republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

According to the Center for Food Safety (CFS), at least 70 companies are working on cell-cultured meat, but so far Singapore is the only country where the product is sold.

The CFS last week assembled a panel of experts for a webinar to address the many questions surrounding lab-grown meat, especially its safety and how the products will be regulated.

Panelist Michael Hansen, Ph.D., senior staff scientist with Consumer Reports, questioned the safety of lab-grown meat.

Hansen said plant-based meats such as the Impossible Burger use genetic engineering to create soy-like hemoglobin.

But the inputs used in cell-cultured meat lab are actually recombinants  manipulated DNA segments  which is more complicated and disconcerting, Hansen said.

According to Hansen, the piece of flesh biopsied from the animal is an undifferentiated stem cell. The products use bio-engineered proteins in a nutrient solution to induce the cells to differentiate into muscle for meat. This is done in bio-reactor vats similar to those used to make beer.

While scientific papers have covered topics related to cell-cultured meat, Hansen said, none has actually analyzed the nutritional characteristics of the finished product, and academics have not received samples.

This implies problems behind the scenes, Hansen said, adding, I doubt this technology will work.

What is driving consumer interest in cell-cultured meat?

CFS Research and Policy Associate Julia Ranney, who also participated in the panel discussion, noted that Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, Hollywood actors, venture capitalists, impact funds and Big Food companies Cargill, JBS and Archer-Daniels-Midland are investing in cell-cultured meat.

Ranney asked the panel what is driving interest and investment in the product.

The sell is multidimensional, and has clearly attracted interest on Wall Street, panelists said.

The perceived benefits propelling interest in cell-cultured meat include:

Procuring greater protein sources for the growing world population.

Addressing world hunger sustainably.

The need to cut greenhouse gases.

The need to end cruel and unhygienic industrial animal farming.

The need to address antibiotic resistance.

Panelist Tom Neltner, chemicals policy director at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), said he agreed sustainable sources of protein are needed, but cautioned the products will be proprietary and we wont know their effect or what they are.

Neltner said cell-cultured seafood has developed more quickly and may debut in markets sooner.

The concept of proprietary foodstuffs, such as immortal cell lines and owned seeds, led the panelists to address the regulation of cell-cultured meat and the role of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which one panelist called a captured agency.

Neltner said he worried cell-cultured meat could be ushered into the food supply under the FDAs Generally Recognized As Safe program. Under the program, a company simply tells the FDA its product is safe, based on the companys own documentation, and bypasses the public comment process.

Neltner, whose primary focus at the EDF is food additive safety, said he preferred companies be required to submit to the FDA a food additive petition, which includes a right to challenge.

More concerns

Panelists also raised concerns about the effects novel ingredients may have on aspects of the human microbiome.

Hansen pointed out that 10 years ago, we could not culture and study microbiome components. But now we can, and its important that we know these effects.

For example, Hansen said, it is now known that the genome and genes themselves can be affected by epigenetic changes without even touching the DNA.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.

Hansen said biopsied cells of an animal used in cell-cultured meat do not contain the immunity actions from the animals immune system, which could leave bio-reactor vats susceptible to bacteria like salmonella, fungi and worse unless antibiotics are used.

Cell-cultured meat producers claim they may not have to add antibiotics, although even alcohol distillers have to add them to their vats, Hansen said.

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
(Natural News) The leader of Mexico denounced President Joe Biden for his lax border policies. His remarks followed the discovery of more than 50 dead illegal immigrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio.

It happens because there is trafficking of people and a lack of control, in this case [not only] at the Mexico-U.S. border, but also in the U.S. interior, said Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. He added that poverty and desperation prevalent among the Central American migrants  including some from his country  played a role in the unfortunate incident.

Mexican Exterior Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard elaborated on the immigrants abandoned in the trailer in a June 28 tweet. Based on information given by U.S. authorities, the contingent of illegal aliens included 22 Mexicans, seven Guatemalans and two Hondurans. Ebrard added that the nationalities of the other immigrants are yet to be identified.

The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office confirmed that 48 people died at the scene on June 27. Five others who were taken to different hospitals were later pronounced dead. This raised the total deaths to 53, a county spokesperson said on June 29. (Related: 51 Migrants died in sweltering tractor-trailer in San Antonio; TX governor blames Biden.)

Francisco Garduno, the director of the Mexican National Immigration Institute, said the truck had been carrying 67 migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Several others remained in medical facilities while being treated for heat-related illnesses. According to rescuers who first arrived at the scene, the abandoned illegals were hot to the touch and too weak to move on their own.

Officials said 40 of the deceased victims were male and 13 were female. Thirty-seven of the victims had potential identifications as of June 29, they added.

It remained unclear how long the immigrants were kept inside the trailer, which had no air conditioning or water available inside.

Texas Gov. Abbott also points finger at Biden

Lopez Obrador may have found an ally in the person of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who likewise blasted Biden for the deaths of the illegal aliens.

Because of the way that the Biden administration is not enforcing immigration laws, its attracting people and enticing people to make this very dangerous trek and lose their lives, he said during a press conference in the city of Eagle Pass while flanked by armed National Guard members and law enforcement leaders.

The Republican governor added that many of these deaths could be prevented if Biden simply fully funded [U.S]. Border Patrol operations.

Meanwhile, neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment.

The Texas governor had previously made headlines by transporting migrants by bus to Washington, D.C. as a response to the Biden administration ending Title 42 expulsions. The first busload arrived at the federal capital on April 13, while a second busload arrived the next day on April 14.

Theres one thing that is perfectly clear, and that is the Biden administration and a lot of leaders in Congress have no idea about the chaos they have caused by their open border policies, Abbott told reporters in Laredo, Texas.

They refuse to come down and see first hand and talk to the people who are really most adversely affected. If theyre not going to come to the border, Im going to take the border to them and Washington, D.C.

A statement from Abbotts office reiterated Texas resolve in protecting the border: As the federal government continues to turn a blind eye to the border crisis, the state of Texas will remain steadfast in our efforts to fill in the gaps and keep Texans safe. Texas should not have to bear the burden of the Biden administrations failure to secure our border.

Watch InfoWars founder Alex Jones discuss how the mainstream media is attempting to cover up the San Antonio incident.

This video is from the Mindy channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Texas border mayor sounds alarm bells, warns that a tsunami of illegal immigrants heading to U.S. once Title 42 ends.

First busload of ILLEGAL ALIENS from Texas arrives in DC, passengers dropped off near Capitol.

SECOND bus from Texas loaded with ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS arrives in Washington, DC.

Abbott deploys Operation Lone Star at Texas-Mexico border to fight illegal immigration.

Texas SUES Biden administrations DHS over interim rule on asylum seekers.

Sources include:

WND.com

Twitter.com

KSAT.com

Chron.com

Gov.Texas.gov

TheEpochTimes.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) I have warned that Russia has felt as if it were on the defensive. They feel that the West and NATO have aligned against them and infringed on their sovereignty. Pope Francis made similar comments when he said that Russia was perhaps provoked and invaded Ukraine once they felt backed into a corner from which there was no escape.

(Article by Martin Armstrong republished from ArmstrongEconomics.com)

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently stated that he fears NATO and the West are planning to eventually wage war with Russia. The European Union (EU) recently granted candidacy status to Ukraine after denying them entry for years. They know Ukraines debt will be unpayable after the war without Russian reparations which will likely cripple the Russian economy. The war would have ended months ago if Western powers did not intervene and continually provide billions in funding. They are not simply doing a good deed  there is a reason behind their involvement.

Lavrov compared the situation to June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was surprised by the attack, but Germany was not alone. Troops from Romania and Finland helped Germany invade, and later forces from Croatia, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia were brought in to fight all the way to the outer areas of Moscow.

Hitler rallied a significant part, if not most, of the European nations under his banner for a war against the Soviet Union, Lavrov said. [N]ow, the EU together with NATO are forming anothermoderncoalition for a standoff and, ultimately, war with the Russian Federation. Everyone disregards these remarks simply because they cannot fathom comparing a Jewish identifying leader (Zelensky) to Hitler despite the fact that Zelensky has been seen alongside modern-day Nazi coalitions.

History repeats.

Read more at: ArmstrongEconomics.com
(Natural News) Dr. Peter McCullough is staying true to his message that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) can be defeated with early treatment  not vaccines  despite being relentlessly attacked by Big Pharma.

McCullough, an internist, cardiologist, epidemiologist and expert on early interventions against COVID-19, reiterated his stance during an interview with host Alex Newman in Conversations That Matter.

I proposed that COVID-19 illness should be treated in high-risk patients to prevent hospitalization and death, said McCullough, claiming that this is why he has been relentlessly attacked by Big Pharma, who seek to only sell more COVID-19 vaccines.

That proposal, in my view, should be uncontroversial, he added. McCullough noted that Big Pharmas insistence on pouring more resources to the experimental and deadly COVID-19 vaccines instead of properly funding early treatment options is killing a lot of people. (Related: Dr. Peter McCullough: Early treatment key to preventing COVID-19 deaths.)

Several months ago, McCullough noted that more people in the United States have died due to the COVID-19 vaccines than those who have died in all wars the country has been involved in except the Civil War and World War II. Back then, the data suggested that as many as 187,000 Americans have lost their lives after vaccination. This far surpasses the approximately 120,000 Americans who lost their lives during World War I.

The treatment will evolve and change over time. Weve had better and better drugs, better and better tools. [But] the shortcoming is patients not getting treatment who needs them. Patients who get hospitalized because theyve not had access to or gotten high quality, early treatment, said McCullough. Being hospitalized has nothing to do with taking a vaccine. It has to do with whether or not someone was treated before the hospital.

McCulloughs treatment program, known as the McCullough Protocol, involves at-risk individuals taking a mix of medicines like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin with vitamins and supplements like quercetin, zinc sulfate and vitamins C and D3.

Bio-pharmaceutical complex doesnt want to treat COVID-19 patients, only give them vaccines

McCulloughs main antagonist and the one thing preventing his and other early treatment protocols from becoming more widespread is what he calls the bio-pharmaceutical complex.

The bio-pharmaceutical complex is a private and public partnership consisting of  international foundations [like] the Rockefeller and the Gates Foundations  also the Wellcome Trust in England and the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, noted author John Leake in the same interview with Newman.

These organizations have partnered with established Big Pharma companies and startups like Moderna and, through the generous application of funding, have crafted a very elaborate international partnership expressly for pandemic response, explained Leake.

The bio-pharmaceutical complex  has done a splendid job of driving the [pandemic] policy, he continued. Now, the most salient point about the bio-pharmaceutical complex is theyre relentlessly and almost exclusively focused on vaccine development and mass vaccine deployment as the policy response.

Because of this single-mindedness, McCullough and Leake came to the clear conclusion that the bio-pharmaceutical complex is not actually interested in ending the COVID-19 pandemic, but in creating a worldwide monopoly on public health through vaccine development and mass vaccinations.

Theres an incredible amount of money floating around there, too, agreed Newman.

Learn more about Big Pharma greed at BigPharmaNews.com.

Watch this episode of Conversations That Matter with Alex Newman as he interviews Dr. Peter McCullough and John Leake about fighting both the COVID-19 pandemic and Big Pharma.

This video can be found on the channel The New American on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

FDA denies generic drug fluvoxamine emergency use authorization as COVID treatment.

VACCINE GENOCIDE: Dr. Peter McCullough says COVID vaccines have now killed more Americans than World War I.

Breggin, McCullough warn that vaccines are more dangerous than COVID-19  Brighteon.TV.

The Big Logic: Lack of COVID-19 treatment protocol is reckless, says Dr. Peter McCullough.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

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COVID19.OneDayMD.com
(Natural News) Karen Kingston, a former Pfizer employee and current analyst who confirmed that the ingredients in the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are poison, revealed Pfizer-BioNTechs mission statement to strengthen the immune system to attack humans.

Their mission statement is harnessing the immune systems full potential to fight human disease, she read on a slide projected on the screen during her appearance at Matrixxx Grooove with Jeff and Shady on Brighteon.TV. I mean, this is straight out of Agent Smiths mouth. I dont mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but then BioNTech is like were gonna edit peoples immune system so it kills themselves.'

According to Kingston, a study published in the National Library of Medicine indicates that the SARS-COV-2 virus can directly infect and may undergo limited transmission in human populations.

Theyre like we made a virus, if we can get it into your body, we may be able to do some damage, Kingston said.

That is unlikely, however, because its actually a weak virus. Even when it produces the spike protein, it is so weak that it dissolves.

So its unlikely that youll ever be able to infect another person, and its unlikely youre going to die from it. So we need to further adapt it so that it becomes more deadly and more infectious. And we can say that its an epidemic or pandemic, she said.

Kingston further revealed that people are being injected with different versions of the vaccines: Some have weaponized spike protein in it, and some dont.

And just so you know, the original batch was a bio-weapon attack, she said, adding that the multiple doses of the vaccine are part of a giant experiment.

Host Shannon ShadyGrooove Townsend agreed.

And so that would explain why were having such rash differentiations between reactions to the vaccine. I mean, one person is getting this and one person is getting that. Theres not going to be any consistency, no matter what you look at. And then it seems like a plethora of confusion is what theyre trying to levy against us so that we cant wade through this stuff so that we cant understand it, Townsend said.

According to Kingston, Pfizer is dealing cards on poker with the public. The dealer has the say on the rules, change them or revert to the original, even after the cards have been dealt. Like in gambling, recipients of the vaccine will have no choice but to accept what happens to them.

Theyre changing the laws. But allegedly if the laws have applied, the vials of the vaccine with the gray cap and the NDC [National Drug Code] codes that were issued on December 22, 2021, are lethal injections. You may not die immediately, but you will die because they have weaponized synthetically recreated crate venom, cobra venom, HIV glycoprotein 120, and whats called staphylococcal Enterotoxin D, which is a very aggressive gram-positive bacteria, she warned. (Related: Study: mRNA vaccines are more likely to put recipients at risk of serious injury than protect them from COVID-19.)

She further divulged that the vaccine vials with the gray cap were the original ones that were Food and Drug Administration-approved for 16 years and older. The purple cap vials for 12 years old and up were the ones allowed via the emergency use approval (EUA).

Elsewhere in the show, they played a video interview with a soldier saying that EUA may be issued when there is not enough availability of an FDA-approved product to the majority of the populace. The military man added: Legally, when a commodity becomes available to a large number of the population, if it did, then all these other EUA products have to be taken off the market.

Synthetically manufactured coronavirus could be sprayed to transmit COVID

Kingston also disclosed that non-profit scientific research group EcoHealth Alliance pitched to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency back in 2016 that the lipid nanoparticle technology invented by Acuitas Therapeutics could not be injected synthetically recruited virus into bats.

Well have to give them something to eat, something that they put on their skin, or well have to spray them down with something, she said referring to the inventors line of thought during that time.

Acuitas is also owned by Geneva and Pharmaceuticals, which is in a contract with Pfizer for these injections.

Kingston went on and said: There was not one case of the hospital to hospital transmission to a patient in the hospital or a healthcare worker in Wuhan at ground zero. But the patients were put into a ward and then induced into a coma. And then they were put on a ventilator and executed and they were not allowed to see their loved ones.

Find more stories about Big Pharma corruption and deceit at BigPharmaNews.com.

Watch the full June 28 episode of Matrixxx Grooove with Jeff and Shady featuring Karen Kingston below. Catch new episodes of the program Monday to Friday at 12-12:30 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Doug Billings asks: Are mRNA lipid nanoparticle vaccines truly safe?  Brighteon.TV.

Pfizer CEO says yearly COVID vaccines for Americans almost certain.

Pathologist Dr. Clare Craig: Pfizer vaccine clinical trial for kids should be null and void.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

PubMed.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

TheIntercept.com

DocumentCloud.org
(Natural News) New South Wales (NSW), Australia, has seen a nearly 10-fold increase in recent weeks of so-called pandemic babies who are having to be rushed to the hospital for intensive care treatment.

Reports indicate that these little ones are developing a mysterious respiratory illness that requires critical medical intervention. The media is calling the disease respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Every year, some 120,000 young children are said to die from RSV. And in NSW, rates of it exploded from just 355 cases per week just three weeks ago to 3,775 cases per week currently.

The United Kingdom-based news outlet Daily Mail reported that these babies are getting sick and dying because they have no immunity. This points to the childrens parents, and mainly their fully vaccinated mothers, not conferring to them proper immunity.

Recognizing that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines destroy the reproductive process, it only makes sense that those babies who somehow make it through alive will more than likely be defenseless immune-wise, as we are now seeing.

Babies with RSV are also testing positive for covid

Doctors familiar with the disease say that children born with it develop serious illnesses from encountering viruses they havent come across before, such as influenza and covid, which are said to be in the same family as RSV.

Dr. Philip Britton from the Childrens Hospital at Westmead says that an analysis of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions across Australia show that babies with RSV are testing positive for both influenza and covid, all at the same time.

Over the last month or so, we have seen four times the admissions to hospital for flu in children as for covid, he told The Daily Telegraph.

Right now, about five percent of all children presenting with these co-infections are having to be admitted to the ICU. Britton says this is very concerning and out of the ordinary.

About half of the children had no pre-existing health conditions, with the elevated number of admissions putting pressure on the hospital system, the Daily Mail adds.

Some of the pandemic babies are presenting with inflammation of the chest, brain and heart caused by influenza, Covid, and RSV.

RSV, which has technically been around for a while, has not seen a surge like this since, you guessed it: right around the time when Operation Warp Speed was launched.

Among that group who are previously well  Its not just a chest infection, some of these children can be impacted with the flu affecting the heart and the brain, Britton further warned about the severity of the disease as it is now being seen in tiny babies.

Reports indicate that around 20 percent of the babies developing RSV in Australia also develop potentially lethal bronchiolitis. Some 40 percent of these end up having to be admitted to the hospital.

Infectious diseases researcher Dr. John-Sebastian Eden says the triple whammy of RSV, flu and covid is maxing out the emergency department of Sydneys Westmead Childrens Hospital.

There is a widespread three-way outbreak occurring, Eden told the Daily Mail Australia  and keep in mind the fact that Australia is currently in the dead of winter, being in the Southern Hemisphere.

With covid layered up on top, these are three main viruses which will lead to hospitalization, he added.

Some are blaming the sudden spike in infant RSV on Australia opening up its borders, the suggesting being that tourists and residents are bringing it back with them from elsewhere.

The reality, though, is that Australia mass-jabbed its population last year, damaging the immune systems of countless millions of people. And now those people are having babies with damaged immunity, all because of the jabs.

The latest news about Chinese Virus injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine research organization has found that the experimental shots are linked to Type 1 diabetes.

This is according to the Beta Cell Foundation, a grassroots organization created by people with Type 1 diabetes to educate others about diabetes and the experimental and deadly COVID-19 vaccines side effects, especially relating to Type 1 diabetes or the possibility that it could cause this disease.

Since early 2021, Beta Cell has collected data on vaccine adverse events from 528 people with Type 1 diabetes using an online database and analyzing the data. Of these 528 people, 263 were vaccinated using the Pfizer vaccine, 206 with the Moderna vaccine, 39 with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 17 with the AstraZeneca vaccine and one with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. Two other people were vaccinated, but the researchers at Beta Cell were uncertain about what COVID-19 vaccine.

The foundations researchers found that patients with Type 1 diabetes experienced elevated blood glucose levels after they got vaccinated.

After receiving the first dose of either Pfizers or Modernas mRNA vaccine, between 10 to 15 percent of patients reported massive increases in blood glucose levels within 24 to 48 hours following the vaccination. Only two percent  or 10 to 11 of the 528 people analyzed  reported a decrease.

After the second dose of an mRNA vaccine, over 30 percent experienced surges in blood glucose levels and only one percent reported a decrease.

The Beta Cell Foundations investigation is not the only study done proving the connection between COVID-19 vaccines and Type 1 diabetes. Information coming out of China has found that as many as 600 children from 26 provinces and central government-administered municipalities developed Type 1 diabetes after receiving the Chinese-manufactured vaccines.

Parents, who reported the development, testified that their families do not have any history of diabetes for at least three generations.

Diabetics who receive COVID-19 vaccines experience dangerous adverse events

Nearly 80 percent of all the diabetic COVID-19 vaccine recipients whose data was analyzed by Beta Cell reported experiencing at least one adverse event from the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, with the most common being tenderness, swelling and redness at the injection site. (Related: COVID-19 vaccines are MORE harmful to your health than SMOKING CIGARETTES.)

Other side effects reported include chills, fatigue, fever, headaches, muscle aches and nausea. Patients experienced the most adverse events following the second dose of Modernas mRNA vaccine and Johnson & Johnsons viral vector vaccine.

Investigators with the Epoch Times have received additional reports from China of diabetes-related adverse events following vaccination with the Chinese vaccines. Nearly all the 211 cases received by the media outlet have developed Type 1 diabetes. Only four percent of the cases have developed other types of diabetes, like Type 2. All of the recorded cases have no family history of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes that develops in adults. Type 1 diabetes is usually hereditary and can be diagnosed in children or adolescents if their parents, siblings or other generations of their family have Type 1 diabetes.

Seventy-two percent of the cases have been diagnosed with or have developed symptoms resembling diabetes at a median of 66 days after the second dose of the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines.

This and other information coming out of China, combined with the analysis conducted by the Beta Cell Foundation, strongly suggests an association between the onset of type 1 diabetes and the COVID-19 vaccines.

Learn more about how dangerous the COVID-19 vaccines are at VaccineInjuryNews.com.

Watch this clip from NTD Television explaining how the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer and diabetes.

This video is from the Chinese Taking Down Evil CCP channel on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

Latest survey shows the COVID vaccines are a disaster: >750,000 dead in US.

SMOKING GUN: CDC deliberately withheld truth from public about COVID vaccines causing fatal blood clots.

Top 7 SCARIEST COVID-19 post-vaccine adverse events that are becoming more common, even though the vaccine industrial complex and MSM wont cover them at all.

Science truth SHUTOUT: Twitter CENSORS doctor for sharing study showing impact of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine on male fertility.

Researchers link COVID-19 vaccines to HIGHER rates of infection and death across Australia.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

BetaCellFoundation.org

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Another Supreme Court decision has leftists howling as they discover their green dreams for the country may never come true.

According to reports, a majority opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts states that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have the authority to reduce carbon emissions, which leftists says is necessary to stop global warming and climate change.

The landmark ruling effectively curbs the EPAs ability to limit greenhouse gases, a move that sides with coal miners, the fossil fuel industry at large, and various Republican-led states that are not interested in seeing an economic collapse.

Fossil fuels are a necessary part of modern commerce. They also fuel the production of food. Without them, society and a large percentage of the population would disappear.

When the EPA was first established in 1970, authority was never granted to it to restrict what types of fuel people and companies could use. This means that Joe Bidens recent decrees in promotion of the lefts radical climate agenda are null and void, unless Congress decides to pass legislation for them the constitutional way.

The opinion from the courts conservative majority said that a decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body,' reports Zero Hedge.

The justices added they doubted Congress intended to delegate the question of how much coal-based generation there should be over the coming decades, to any administrative agency.'

Justice Kagan and her left-wing cohorts believe that CO2 is a pollutant, allowing it to be regulated by EPA

Justice Elena Kagan and the other two leftist justices issued a dissenting opinion, arguing that the EPA has the authority to regulate stationary sources of substances that are deemed harmful to the public.

The left, in case you did not know, believes that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant that must be eradicated. The truth, of course, is that plants breathe CO2 so that we can breathe their released oxygen. Without CO2, in other words, everything would die.

According to Kagan and her two pals, though, CO2 and other greenhouse gases are harmful, which means the EPA can regulate them as a necessary part of any effective approach for addressing climate change.

This Court has obstructed EPAs effort from the beginning, Kagan further whined. The limits the majority now puts on EPAs authority fly in the face of the statute Congress wrote.

At the heart of the debate is how broadly the EPA should be allowed to interpret certain key portions of the 1970 Clean Air Act, particularly those that involve emissions limitations for power plants.

Under Biden and other leftists, the EPA has tried to regulate emissions far beyond just power plants, including across broad industries and even inside peoples homes and refrigerators.

According to Democratic whip in the Senate Dick Durbin, limiting the EPAs gross overreach of the law represents a dangerous step backwards [that] threatens our air and our planet.

He added that he believes it also sets a troubling precedent both for what it means to protect public health and the authority regulatory agencies have to protect public health.

What Durbin means by this, of course, is that he does not want to see the United States ever again venture down a path towards energy self-sufficiency, which is what the green agenda seeks to prevent.

The ruling by the courts conservative majority is the latest in a string of dramatic decisions that have challenged established legal precedents, including the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade, Zero Hedge reported.

The latest news about the Biden regimes radical climate agenda can be found at Climate.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) President Joe Biden said the U.S. will set up a new permanent military installation in Poland, alongside the deployment of other forces across Europe, in response to threats from Russia.

Im announcing the U.S. will enhance our force posture in Europe and respond to the changed security environment, as well as [strengthen] our collective security, he said during a June 29 briefing of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the Spanish capital Madrid. Were going to continue to adjust our posture based on the threat, in close consultation with our allies.

The White House subsequently remarked that the new deployment of U.S. forces in Europe aims to support NATO and to deter any aggression against our allies.

Were sending an unmistakable message, in my view  and I think yours as well  that NATO is strong [and] united. The steps were taking during this summit are going to further augment our collective strength, Biden remarked.

Were going to make sure that NATO is ready to meet threats from all directions across every domain. Were proving that NATO is more needed now than it ever has been.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Biden that the increase of U.S. troops in Europe demonstrated his decisive leadership. Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda confirmed that for the first time in NATO history, there will be a permanent U.S. military presence in the form of the 5th Corps command. He lauded the announcement as a long-awaited decision that Warsaw has lobbied for.

Aside from the permanent presence in Poland, the U.S. will deploy additional Navy destroyers to be stationed at the Rota Naval Base in Spain; two additional squadrons of advanced F-35 fighter jets will be sent to the United Kingdom; and a short-range air defense battery alongside 65 extra personnel will be deployed in Italy.

Poland earlier turned over its fighter jets to NATO

John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, told reporters during a press call that the announcements were not relayed to Moscow as there was no requirement to do so.

Incidentally, this was not the first time Poland allowed other powers to conduct military action on its soil. In March, Warsaw turned over its entire fleet of MIG-29 fighter jets to NATO and the U.S., permitting the fleets use for air support purposes.

A statement by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country is ready to deploy  immediately and free of charge  all [its] MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base [in Germany] and place them at the disposal of the [U.S.] government. It added that Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes. (Related: Poland surrenders entire fleet of MIG-29 fighter jets to latest escalation of NATO war against Russia.)

The ministrys statement also called on its other NATO allies that have MIG-29 jets to act in the same vein. It also asked Washington to provide used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities.

State Secretary Antony Blinken said: We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decide to supply those planes.

Concurrently, lawmakers called on the Biden administration to facilitate the transfer of warplanes to Ukraine and other Eastern European and NATO member countries. The calls from members of Congress followed an appeal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for materiel.

WWIII.news has more stories about U.S. military deployments in Eastern Europe.

Watch InfoWars founder Alex Jones breaking down the conflict between the U.S.-NATO coalition and Russia.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russia warns that NATOs proxy war in Ukraine poses serious, real threat of NUCLEAR war.

Russias deployment of Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad is major threat to NATO: Heres why.

NATO pushing for Kaliningrad CATASTROPHE by provoking Russia into global nuclear war.

Biden starts posturing, says US will react if Russia moves into NATO territories.

Ally to Vladimir Putin says Poland getting ready to annex a portion of Ukraine.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

AA.com.tr

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) A group of employees revealed plans to sue The Walt Disney Company for discriminating against workers who refused the experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) shots.

Cast Members for Truth and Freedom (CMTF) said in a press conference that the suit, which was filed June 30, represents the plight of all Disney employees across the nation. The suit also represents workers who fight for medical and religious freedom amid the discrimination hurled at those declining the shot out of personal choice.

Disney targeted cast members who declined COVID-19 vaccinations, including plaintiffs who filed exemptions on grounds of religious faith, stating that taking these injections would violate their deeply held convictions, the June 3o complaint stated. (Related: Disney World employee talks about fighting vaccine mandates with Tom Renz  Brighteon.TV.)

The lawsuit accused Disney of imposing harsh, unreasonable and discriminatory protocols that were enforced arbitrarily. Based on the said protocols, the company illogically feared unvaccinated cast members were infected with the disease and posed a perpetual danger of other cast members and guests.

Furthermore, unvaccinated employees were visibly made to wear a bizarre outfit. They were prohibited from eating or drinking around other cast members or guests and were even instructed to take breathers far from other people.

When unvaccinated cast members objected respectfully to the companys unlawful discrimination against them, the company failed to remediate its actions contrary to the law. Instead, Disney suspended and even terminated the employees for speaking up.

Disney announced its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all onsite employees back in July 2021. It gave a 60-day deadline for the cast members to complete their vaccination schedule. Employees working from home were not exempt, as they were required to show proof of vaccination before they can return on site.

The media giant added that all new hires must be fully vaccinated before beginning their employment.

Caturano: Disneys COVID demands do not make sense

Nick Caturano, who leads CMTF, wrote an open letter to Disney pointing out how its demands did not make any sense. The cast member of 18 years pointed out that the media-driven plandemic was headed toward committing crimes against humanity by obliterated freedoms of medical choice, informed consent of conscious and right to provide for oneself and family.

When the vaccines were announced, I was skeptical about taking something that had no long-term data and was amazed at how quickly everyone claimed it was safe and effective. My position  lets wait and see how this plays out  seemed a reasonable position to take. I also respected and understood why many of my neighbors, friends and family members decided to get vaccinated.

We were all hopeful for anything that would work. But unfortunately, its evident that this vaccine and the people in charge of protecting Americans health and freedom have failed miserably, Caturano concluded his letter.

Speaking during a press conference about the June 30 lawsuit in Kissimmee, Florida, the leader of CMTF said: Our lawsuit against these discriminatory practices will bring to light that the happiest place on earth has normalized blatant discrimination, terrorized families, threatened livelihoods, and coerced permanent, medical decisions  injections that cannot be taken off at the end of a work day like a costume or pair of shoes.

Visit HealthFreedom.news for more about the Disney employees fight against medical discrimination.

Watch Nick Caturano discussing his and his colleagues fight against Disneys vaccine mandate on Lawfare with Tom Renz.

This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Vaccinated employees test POSITIVE: Disneys first test cruise delayed because of inconsistent coronavirus tests.

Magic Kingdom of TYRANNY: Disney now ARRESTING its own guests who refuse covid temperature checks.

Disney goes full authoritarian, demands mask obedience even while youre walking and eating.

Sources include:

UncoverDC.com

Reuters.com

GoofyVaccine.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Dr. Jane Ruby said the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are a direct attack on the U.S. military.

During the June 27 episode of her Brighteon.TV program Live with Dr. Jane Ruby, she said that military members are the most vulnerable and under attack, aside from babies and children.

Remember when Comirnaty was approved on Aug. 23, 2021, but Pfizer said it would not be manufactured or available in the United States? Well, they lied to you, Ruby told viewers, referring to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

According to her, some military personnel who declined the COVID clot shots were seeing vials from boxes with Comirnaty labels in U.S. Coast Guard bases. She added that these were actually being shipped directly from Fort Detrick in Maryland  which is not a Pfizer manufacturing plant.

You can imagine their surprise when these vials showed up, Ruby remarked.

The Brighteon.TV host mentioned that both the Department of Defense and companies that make the COVID-19 vaccine have been together from the beginning in conducting a strange operation. She added that the Comirnaty vaccines coming from Fort Detrick are not the exact formulation, which further fueled speculation of a direct attack on the military.

Ruby said Pfizer and its partner BioNTech has three manufacturing plants in the U.S.  located in Michigan, Missouri and Massachusetts  that produce the mRNA vaccine. The two companies also operate two plants in Germany and one in Belgium, she added.

What they were bragging about was that they were [going to] have up to two billion doses of these vaccines in 2021.

A November 2021 report by German state broadcaster DW confirmed this progress, adding that the two billion goal superseded the initial 1.3 billion dose the two companies targeted. The piece also made references to the manufacturing plants run by Pfizer and BioNTech in Western Europe, alongside those in the United States.

Ruby lays out the dangers of Comirnaty

Ruby pointed out that the mRNA COVID-19 injections are not vaccines. She instead dubbed them as new technologies that have not even moved past clinical tests on animals as the test subjects died.

The Brighteon.TV host noted that Pfizer and BioNTech did not conduct any clinical toxicology assessment. The two firms admitted that Comirnaty has not been evaluated for any potential to cause cancer, negatively affect male fertility and damage the human genetic code.

Aside from this, Ruby said Comirnaty not only contains encoded antigens, but also optimized codons  artificially manipulated DNA or RNA sequences.

Optimized is weaponized. You have to engineer it to optimize your codons, your signals. Youre making them more aggressive, youre making them more dangerous. Its an admission of gain-of-function [research], she said.

The optimized codons prompt the body to manufacture the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which leads to antibody-dependent enhancement.

Ruby also mentioned that the mRNA in Comirnaty is coated in a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) form. The LNP, she explained, is dangerous as it enables delivery of the mRNA into every cell in the body. She also noted that when the COVID-19 vaccine elicits an immune response through the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein it has, and this enables the mRNA to be delivered into host cells. (Related: Lipid nanoparticles in covid jabs stick to bodily organs, reveals Pfizer study.)

Follow Vaccines.news for more on COVID vaccines and their dangers.

Watch the June 27 episode of Live with Dr. Jane Ruby below. Live with Dr. Jane Ruby airs every Monday at 7-8 p.m. and every Saturday at 3-4 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

HUGE: Federal judge strikes down DOD claim that Pfizers EUA vaccine and Comirnaty are interchangeable.

Comirnaty, the only covid vaccine conditionally approved by the FDA, is still not available in the USA  every vaccine mandate is illegal.

FDA fraudulently grants full approval to Comirnaty covid vaccine, skipping stage 3 trials and ignoring data on injuries and deaths.

Navy to begin kicking sailors out who refuse COVID vaccine without waivers.

Tom Renz: US military backs Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine to fast track approval  Brighteon.TV.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

DW.com
(Natural News) A transgender extremist named Eli Erlick, founder of Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), called on its followers to participate in what it calls the Supreme Court Assassination Challenge following the highest courts recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In a now-deleted tweet, Erlick, who created a graphic called a Gender Unicorn that explains gender fluidity, essentially called for the murder of the Supreme Court justices who decided that the federal government should not, according to the Constitution, be in the business of killing babies.

For the past 11 years, Erlick and its youth-led organization have been pushing the trans and LGBT agenda on primarily public school districts, including in the states of Wisconsin, New York and Texas. TSER supports sweeping structural change to the country as opposed to equality, the latter of which supposedly reinforces systems of white supremacy, transphobia, and injustice.

Almost immediately after the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision was leaked back in May, the pro-abortion crowd has been targeting pro-life offices and crisis pregnancy centers all across America. They also staged a night of rage event that was supposed to mimic the George Floyd riots of 2020.

Erlick was groomed from an early age to be a trans celebrity

Right after Erlick deleted its Supreme Court Assassination Challenge tweet, it tweeted a new one blasting conservative pundit Ann Coulter for having joked six years ago that someone should rat poison former associate justice John Paul Stevens.

The right only wants to defend the Supreme Court when it leans conservative, Erlick wrote.

In 2017 Erlick was named one of Glamour magazines Women of the Year. Erlick has received quite a bit of mainstream media coverage, in fact, ever since it transitioned into another gender as a teenager.

Thanks to rhetoric like Erlicks, violence everywhere is on the rise over the Supreme Court decision. Protesters in Los Angeles, for instance, blowtorched police officers, injuring four of them. And in Phoenix, rioters attempted to break through the windows into the state capitol building while the Senate was in session.

Several low-class politicians such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (Lesbian-Ill.) have also burst into fits of rage in the public square.

The former stood outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., and began shouting illegitimate! at it while urging her followers and supporters to go into the streets in protest.

Over in Chicago, Lightfoot appeared at an LGBT perversion festival where she classily shouted f*** Clarence Thomas! to loud cheers from mostly women.

Erlick, by the way, is a PhD candidate in political philosophy, social movements, and trans history at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Neither it nor its organization responded to requests for comment from The Washington Free Beacon.

Max Eden, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, however, did talk to the Beacon and he  yes, he, since Eden knows his gender  had this to say about Erlicks graphic:

Critical thinking requires carefully considering the source. The Gender Unicorn graphic makes profound claims about the fundamental metaphysical nature of mankind. The source doesnt particularly appear to be a balanced and disinterested sage, to say the least.

In the comment section at Natural News, someone highlighted the fact that these crazy leftists are becoming crazier and more deranged by the day as all of their Satanic rites and rituals get deconstructed by the courts.

Yes, more state-sponsored terrorism to further divide and conquer and distract, wrote another about how a lot of this seems engineered to divide, conquer, distract, and destroy this once-great nation.

The latest news about the bloodlust rage of pro-abortion extremists can be found at Abortions.news.

Sources for this article include:

FreeBeacon.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Pride month and all the child grooming, transgenderism perversion has been over-ridden and replaced with a historic victory for human rights. Pride month has forever become pro-life month.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, the abortion-advocating, left-wing totalitarians melted down into a shocking display of mass mental illness and moral depravity. These totalitarians can no longer use the federal government to force their sordid vision of mass convenient murder on the population. For decades, the Democrat Party lied about a Constitutional right to conveniently maim, cut up and vacuum children out of the womb. An entire generation bleeds from the trail of horrors left behind from the era of Roe V Wade.

Abortion industry will be relegated to the dark corners of society

The American people are onto the sleazy, organ harvesting operations taking place within Planned Parenthood. More people are becoming aware that babies are strategically killed and picked apart so their cells can be used in the manufacture of vaccines. More people see how abortion has become a corrupt, unaccountable industry, preying on the fears and insecurities of women.

Right now, corporations are showing where their values lie. Some have already announced that they will provide employees with financial assistance for abortions. These same corporations, however, refuse to provide prenatal support, maternity leave and various levels of support for women and their babies to support abundant life.

The abortion industry will continue to conduct business in pockets of the country, but now it will be looked upon as a genocidal aberration, as more states take action to curb its macabre influence and destruction. As this industry is relegated to the dark corners of society, the left-wing totalitarians will scream and hiss, throwing temper tantrums, as the demons are revealed.

Top 10 satanic reactions to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade

One: Fits of rage. One woman recorded herself going into a fit of rage, as some entity seemed to be speaking through her. She has since deleted her video, as streams of people went online to point out her insanity and hysteria.

Two: Confusion and disarray. Liberals took to the streets, screaming about womens rights. These are the same types of people, just two weeks ago, who couldnt define a man or woman. These are people who dont even know what their own gender is or what bathroom they should use. Many are stressed and afraid, but when they are questioned, they cannot even explain why they feel the way they do. Perhaps, its because they are being told how to feel by news programs and social media algorithms that are run by manipulators and Satanists.

Three: Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Despite having weeks to grieve, (due to the illegal early leak of the Supreme Court decision), liberals still burst out in tears when the final gavel fell. The hysterical mob decried that the Supreme Court ruling was illegitimate and they wept together hysterically like all good liberal toadies do.

Four: Forceful and demanding. Professional despot, Maxine Waters, took to the media to shout: To hell with the Supreme Court, we will defy them! The only problem is that it often takes more than a woman to maim her baby and evacuate the limbs from her body. Imagine now, a future of Maxine Waters-inspired liberals marching into their doctors offices demanding that medical professionals break the law and be forced to gut babies from wombs on demand.

Five: Disgusting. One woman got attention by mailing her own period blood to the Supreme Court. Disgusting, to say the least, but the blood of innocents is no longer on the hands of the righteous Justices.

Six: Helplessly deranged. A liberal mob suggested that all unmarried women go on a national sex strike to stand up for what you believe in. Despite being deranged, this might actually be the liberals best birth control idea.

Seven: Lacking empathy, remorse. On CNN, Ann Navarro made her case for abortion up until birth because she has children with special needs like Autism and Downs Syndrome. Navarro argues for abortion if the health of the mother is at risk due to the complications (inconveniences) of having a Down Syndrome child. How sick and evil, yet these are the loopholes that some medical professionals use to permit abortion.

Eight: Destructive and violent. In Arizona, the Left showed they are out for blood, as they destroyed government property and resorted to acts of insurrection in downtown Phoenix.

Nine: Murderous intent. Liberals took to social media to declare their intent to assassinate or forcibly remove Supreme Court Justices, specifically Clarence Thomas. However, the Justices proved they would not be intimidated by the Left, and mob violence is not welcome in the Republic.

Ten: Cruel totalitarians who want to kill Christians. These liberals with murderous intent have no regard for life, and they want to target rural areas and kill Christians. Someone should tell these violent leftists that the Supreme Court also ruled in favor of self defense and the Second Amendment in June, too.

Sources include:

EndofAmericanDream.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

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Digitalization helps to preserve Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang for future generations

People's Daily Online) 17:27, July 01, 2022

 A visitor takes photos during an exhibition featuring Dunhuang relics in Wuhan, capital of central Chinas Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

 File photo shows Li Deren (1st R), Zhu Yixuan (2nd L) and Fan Jinshi (1st L) discussing solutions for the digitalization of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang city, northwest Chinas Gansu Province.

 Photo shows the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang city, northwest Chinas Gansu Province. (Photo/Zhang Xiaoliang)

 File photo shows Huang Xianfeng (R), Zhang Fan (C) and a staff member of the Dunhuang Academy collecting digital information about the Mogao Grottoes.

Thanks to the application of digital technologies, a 1:1 digital replica of the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Dunhuang city, northwest Chinas Gansu Province, has provided a virtual means for people to observe the spectacular cultural heritage at the site even if they never have the chance to actually visit the place in person.

By visiting the website Digital Dunhuang launched by the Dunhuang Academy, visitors from across the world can now be immersed with ultra-high-definition images of the murals found inside the Mogao Grottoes, the worlds largest, best-preserved and richest treasure trove of art that dates back to about 2,000 years ago.

To digitize Dunhuangs many treasures, Chinese scientific researchers worked ceaselessly for more than a decade.

In the 1980s, Li Deren, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a renowned expert in surveying and mapping, along with his wife Zhu Yixuan, a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing at Wuhan University in central Chinas Hubei Province, began to engage in the protection of the cultural relics found inside the Mogao Grottoes, many of which will see gradual fading as time passes by.

In 2005, the couple went to Dunhuang for an investigation trip and met Fan Jinshi, then president of the Dunhuang Academy. After argumentation, they decided to employ modern photogrammetry and remote sensing technologies to achieve the 3D digital reconstruction of the Mogao Grottoes and build a 3D digital model using a computer.

The state key laboratory of Wuhan University and Zhus team then started surveying and mapping the Mogao Grottoes and collecting all the relevant data.

In November 2007, Huang Xianfeng, who obtained a doctorate, also ventured to Dunhuang. Huangs task was to scan the grottoes with laser scanners. But he found that the scanners couldnt satisfy the requirements of the task.

Several months later, Huang went to Dunhuang again with scanners that met his requirements, but then the issue of data processing became a pressing concern.

In June 2008, Huang went to the Mogao Grottoes for a third time, together with Zhang Fan, a doctoral student of Lis. This time, Huang decided to develop a kind of independent modeling software.

Huang and Zhang often collected digital data about the grottoes in the daytime and programmed at night. Three months later, they created a software tool that could handle high-quality texture mapping for complex models of sculptures found inside the Mogao Grottoes.

After these technical obstacles were overcome, Li put forward the idea of collecting more data to integrate the Mogao Grottoes with its surrounding environment in digital models. In addition to data about the Mogao Grottoes, cultural heritage data in Dunhuang had to all be collected and recorded so that we could provide more comprehensive information for the protection of cultural heritage, said Li, who is now in his eighties.

One year later, Huang led a team of nine researchers to Dunhuang. They conducted aerial surveys with airborne laser scanners, as well as applying the use of ground laser scanners, photogrammetry instruments and handheld laser scanners in an attempt to fully survey the Mogao Grottoes, obtaining all kinds of data on the cultural heritage site.

In the past, we didnt know the distance between grottoes as we didnt have 3D data that could help us see the whole picture. Now we can even distinguish the thickness of the walls, which offers supporting data for the preservation of the grottoes, Huang said.

Huang has been to Dunhuang more than 50 times over the past years to work on the protection of the grottoes. We hope to keep the grottoes in a state of continual protection with the use of digital technologies, Huang said.

Thanks to artificial intelligence and augmented reality, cultural relics experts, historians and archaeologists can carry out research by visiting the website for Digital Dunhuang, said Li. He introduced that the iconic figure of the flying Apsara found on the murals of the Mogao Grottoes can also be represented in the metaverse.

In addition to collecting, processing and storing digital information on the Mogao Grottoes and relevant cultural relics, we have also measured deformations to the cliff body of the grottoes and restored the colors of the murals, Li said, adding that protecting the Mogao Grottoes and passing on the culture of Dunhuang can contribute to the preservation and development of world civilization.

We will continue to conduct research in this regard, including applying big data technology to mine data and analyze the painting styles of different eras, which will help confirm the periods when the murals in the grottoes were created, Li said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
(Natural News) Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a statement on June 26 to the U.K. Parliament announcing plans for a new referendum that is asking its citizens whether or not their nation should declare its independence and secede from the United Kingdom.

Sturgeon is now the longest-serving first minister in Scottish history and has led the pro-independence Scottish National Party since 2014. She made the announcement as the Scottish Government published the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill, which will be sent to the nations Supreme Court to seek clarity on whether or not the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate such a referendum.

The court, based in Edinburgh, will then determine whether or not the bill meets the constitutional requirements.

Scotland last voted for its independence in 2014, when the Yes Scotland campaign lost its quest for independence by 55-45 percent. However, things have changed since that referendum due to the U.K. voting to leave the European Union in 2016.

Still, polls conducted this year showed similar results to the 2014 election, despite many Scots angered by Prime Minister Boris Johnsons handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sturgeon is planning to write Johnson for permission to hold a consultative referendum ahead of the planned October 2023 vote, stressing that it is vital the vote was legal and that the issue would be referred to the U.K. Supreme Court.

However, she also said that she would still press on with her plan whether or not the U.K. government grants her request.

Independence is about equipping ourselves to navigate the future, guided by our own values, aspirations and interests, she said, adding that now is the time to debate and decide the future of the country. Now is the time to get Scotland on the right path  the path chosen by those who live here. Now is the time for independence.

British government says matter already settled

Sturgeon is one of many Scots who no longer wishes for Johnson or other U.K. prime ministers to make rules for Scotland, although Johnson and the Conservative Party are strongly against Scottish independence, insisting that the matter was already decided in 2014. (Related: TEXIT begins! State lawmaker files legislation to allow residents to decide if they want to leave the U.S. as Bidens Marxists take over.)

What I am not willing to do, what I will never do, is allow Scottish democracy to be a prisoner of Boris Johnson or any prime minister, Sturgeon said.

This same point was stressed in the SNPs 2022 manifesto, which read: The people of Scotland have the right to decide our own future and the people best able to decide how Scotland is governed are the people who live here.

While Johnson was deeply involved in the G7 Summit taking place in Bavaria and has not yet commented publicly on the new referendum, a spokesman told reporters that now is not the time to be considering such independence.

Our position remains unchanged: Both [the British governments] and the Scottish governments priority should be working together with a relentless focus on the issues that we know matter to people up and down the country, the spokesman said.

The spokesman did promise, however, that the government would closely study the matter and the Supreme Court will consider whether or not to accept the Scottish governments Lord Advocates (top law officer) referral.

Sturgeon also believes that the Scottish Parliament has a clear, democratic mandate to offer Scotland another chance to choose independence, especially given the massive changes to the U.K. since this was last brought to attention.

The U.K. and Scottish Governments should be sitting down together, responsibly agreeing on a process, including a section 30 order, that allows the Scottish people to decide. That would be the democratic way to proceed, Sturgeon said. (Related: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson draws flak over bill allowing recruitment of children to spy on their parents.)

However, Johnsons government has been reluctant to issue such an order, as it would give Scotlands parliament the go-ahead to schedule a referendum. This did not deter Sturgeon, who said that the issue of independence cannot be suppressed. It must be resolved democratically. And that must be through a process that is above reproach and commands confidence.

Watch the video below to know what it means to have an independent Scotland.

This video is from the Geopolitics & Empire channel on Brighteon.com.

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(Natural News) Three medical professionals sued the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for interfering with the prescription of ivermectin against Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, Dr. Robert Apter and Dr. Paul Marik filed a 37-page complaint in the U.S. District Court of Southern Texas on June 2. The FDA and HHS, alongside FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, were named as defendants in the complaint. The three doctors outlined five counts against the defendants.

The first count sought relief for ultra vires acts  actions taken beyond statutory authority  committed by the FDA. The plaintiffs accused the regulator of violating a U.S. Code that prohibits it from interfering with the authority of a health care practitioner to prescribe or administer any legally marketed device to a patient for any condition or disease within a legitimate health care practitioner-patient relationship.

The second count alleged that the FDA violated the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) by arbitrarily and capriciously taking inconsistent positions regarding the effectiveness of ivermectin against COVID-19. These stances purportedly demonized the drug in the court of public opinion.

The third count also outlined another APA violation by not only limiting and essentially barring off-label use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, but also providing de-facto medical advice to patients

The fourth count accused the FDA of violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act through its interference with doctor-patient relationship and its ongoing, childish attacks against ivermectin.

The fifth count sought declaratory judgments and injunctive relief to stop all of the foregoing illegal actions by the two agencies named as defendants.

The government now has a deadline of 60 days  Aug. 4, 2022  after the service of the summons to respond to the complaint.

Two plaintiffs part of FLCCC, which promotes ivermectin

Incidentally, two of the plaintiffs in the June 2 complaint are connected to the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), which advocates for the use of ivermectin as a safe and effective cure for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Bowden  an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor  serves as an advisor to the group, while Marik  a pulmonary and critical care specialist  serves as the groups chairman.

Prior to the June 2 complaint, Bowden had been involved in a lawsuit against Houston Methodist over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. It was the first medical facility that mandated COVID-19 shots for health workers as a condition of continued employment.

The hospital system had earlier dismissed several employees for refusing to comply with the edict, with some suing it for wrongful termination. A Texas federal judge unfortunately dismissed the case, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal.

The ENT doctor first joined the staff of Houston Methodist sometime in late 2020 or early 2021. Her espousal of ivermectin, alongside opposition to vaccine mandates, eventually led to her November 2021 tweet announcing that she will no longer see vaccinated patients.

Going forward, I will not accept any patients who have been vaccinated. I will continue to see established patients [who] have had the vaccine, but all new patients have to be unvaccinated, she tweeted.

A week after posting her tweet, Bowden was suspended by the hospital system on Nov. 12 for spreading dangerous misinformation about the vaccines and the effectiveness of ivermectin. But the suspension was rendered moot as she handed in her resignation letter on that same day. (Related: Houston Methodist Hospital suspends doctor who advocated use of ivermectin to treat COVID patients.)

Visit MedicalTyranny.com for more stories about the persecution of doctors that use ivermectin against COVID-19.

Watch Dr. Mary Talley Bowden below talking about her suspension from Houston Methodist at the Defeat the Mandates rally back in January 2022.

This video is from the Raise your consciousness channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include:

TheCOVIDBlog.com

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(Natural News) Over 715,000 Canadians who downloaded the Department of Environments weather monitoring app had their location tracked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus federal government.

(Article by Jack Bingham republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

According to Blacklocks Reporter, the Department of Environment recently revealed in an Inquiry of Ministry that the departments WeatherCAN application collected the email address, location, and personal information of nearly three-quarters of a million Canadians since the programs launch in 2019.

Justifying the decision to keep tabs on unsuspecting Canadians, the department ensured the public that All personal information created, held or collected via this app by the department is protected under the Privacy Act.

Explaining how the app was able to track citizens, the department informed the House of Commons via an Inquiry of Ministry that The current location function on this app enables the app to provide weather information based on the current Global Positioning System location of your mobile device.

The application was initially marketed to Canadians as a way for citizens to receive hourly weather forecasts, blizzard warnings, tornado alerts, among other data points, during a period of time when climate change has been allegedly bringing more extreme variations in weather.

That is why the Government of Canada has developed an app that will keep Canadians safe, explained the government at the time.

Those who manage the WeatherCAN app explained that even if you choose to disable the current location function, the app will still collect your mobile device model, version of the app in use, and your email address along with any information you choose to provide in the text input field.

By using this app you consent, added WeatherCAN staff.

This is not the first time it has come to light that the Trudeau government has been keeping tabs on Canadians.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, last December the federal government admitted it covertly tracked the cell phones of 33 million Canadians throughout the COVID crisis, using cell tower data to determine population movement patterns.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) claimed at the time that the tracking was done to understand the publics responsiveness during lockdown measures.

Like the Department of Environment, the PHAC assured Canadians that the domestic surveillance program made sure there were controls in place to adequately addresses ethical, privacy, and transparency considerations.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
An unknown monster called the "ugliest" ever seen by a fisherman has been caught in deep seas off the coast of southern Australia. It has a mottled pink-gray appearance, similar to the Upside Down from Stranger Things.

Its eyes protrude from the sides of its skull, and its massive mouth, which occupies most of its face, includes rows of sharp teeth. The bait fish may still be visible within the fish's mouth.

Catching the Creature

Jason Moyce, a professional fisherman who goes by the alias Trapman Bermagui on social media, caught the mysterious monster off the coast of his Bermagui homeland, roughly 240 miles south of Sydney. He posted a photo of the beast on social media, asking for help identifying it because neither he nor the captain of the charter boat knew what it might be.

"It weighed 4kg [8.8lbs] and was captured in water 540m [1770ft] deep," Moyce told Newsweek.

Also Read: Frankenstein Fish Spooks Social Media

What is it?

In the description of his photo, Moyce speculated that it might be a blobfish, and other commentators agreed. Others proposed additional options, such as monkfish or toadfish.

Blobfish live in deep water and distort dramatically when exposed to the much lower pressure conditions of sea level. They are distinguished and infamous for their flabby "nose" falling over their mouth, which is not visible in the photograph, and, more crucially, they lack teeth.

It's "certainly not a blobfish," says James Maclaine, senior fish curator at London's Natural History Museum.

"That looks like a monkfish, commonly known as an anglerfish, from the Lophiidae family," he told Newsweek. "I'd bet money on it because I think I see the lure it uses to catch its prey right between the eyes!"

"To me, [the] specimen looks most like Lophiodes mutilus (the smooth goosefish)."

Anglerfish, which contain 200 different species, may dwell up to a mile below the surface. Their massive heads, big crescent mouths, and razor-sharp teeth mirror the profile of the mystery fish. Smooth goosefish are bottom dwellers that ambush their food by "walking" across the bottom on their leg-like pectoral fins. They are also frequently found off the coast of Australia and have the same pinkish hue as the mystery fish.

Why are Deep-Sea Creatures "Ugly"?

Deep-sea creatures have developed some unusual adaptations to survive in the very cold, pitch dark depths of the seas far below the photic zone, where light may penetrate. They can have glowing fishing lures, massive teeth to catch food, and enormous stomachs. These adaptations may appear strange and unpleasant to us, yet they can be critical to life in the world's ocean depths.

Still a Mystery

While the smooth goosefish is a good candidate, the "ugliest" water creature remains a mystery for the time being.

Related Article: Plenty of Fish in the Sea: "Ugly" Fishes Found to be at Risk More Compared to the "Beautiful" Ones

For the most recent updates from the animal kingdom, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
A fossilized Shuyu fish braincase was found by scientists. The team was able to recreate seven virtual casts of the Shuyu brain despite the specimen skull only being the size of an average fingernail.

They also discovered the first armored galeaspid fossil, which dates to 419 million years ago and is entirely preserved with gill filaments.

The Spiracle

The team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered the spiracle, slits that some species use to breathe. They are located behind the eyes and lead to the mouth.

The spiracle is in charge of ingesting water in sharks and all other rays before it is expelled from the gills.

The hearing canal used to transmit sound to the brain via tiny inner ear bones eventually developed from the spiracle into the ear of contemporary four-legged vertebrates.

This function has persisted throughout human evolution, and the information gained from the two fossils completes the picture showing how the human ear evolved from fish gills.

Three tiny, vibrating bones located in the human middle ear are essential for moving sound vibrations into the inner ear, where they are converted into nerve impulses that allow us to hear.

According to the study's first author, Professor Zhikun Gai of IVPP, these fossils offered the first anatomical and prehistoric proof of a vertebrate spiracle descended from fish gills.

For the study, a total of seven virtual endocasts of the Shuyu braincase were rebuilt.

Read also: Hyperactivity May be Caused by Inner Ear Defects, Researchers Say

The Missing Links

The fingernail-sized skull of Shuyu revealed almost all of its cranial anatomy, including its five distinct brain regions, sensory organs, and cranial nerve and blood vessel passages.

The "missing links" from the gill to the middle ear were hailed as fossils discovered in Changxing, China, in the Zhejiang Province, and Qujing, China, in the Yunnan Province.

Professor Min Zhu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the origins of numerous vital human body parts, including the teeth, jaws, middle ears, and other parts, can be traced back to fish.

The main objective of paleontologists, he continued, is to uncover the crucial gaps in the evolutionary process that led from fish to humans.

Shuyu has been viewed as a crucial missing piece that is just as significant as Archaeopteryx, Newsweek reports.

Professor Per Ahlberg from Uppsala University and an academician of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences who collaborated on the research said that their discovery ties together recent discoveries of the spiracles of the earliest jawed vertebrates, the middle ears of the first tetrapods, the gill pouches of fossil jawless vertebrates, and other parts of the spiracular slit's history to tell this extraordinary evolutionary tale.

The group of scientists are composed of Zhikun Gai, Min Zhu, Per E. Ahlberg, and Philip C. J. Donoghue. Their research was recently published in the website of Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution.

Related article: 3D-Printed Bionic Ear Can Hear Radio Waves


The Atlantic hurricane season is heating up, because of the situation, the National Hurricane Center are tracking three storms over the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Developing System

On Monday, the tropical disturbance causing widespread showers and thunderstorms in the central tropical Atlantic Ocean intensified into Potential Tropical Cyclone 2 and is expected to become Tropical Storm Bonnie.

Potential Tropical Cyclone 2 is now situated around 590 miles east of Trinidad, according to the NHC's forecast for Monday night.

The system is now anticipated to pass close to or over Trinidad and Tobago late tomorrow or early Wednesday. On its current path, it will arrive in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Atlantic Hurricane Season

The Atlantic hurricane season is the time of year from June to November when hurricanes are most likely to form in the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions are the names of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic. Furthermore, some storms have occurred over the years that were not tropical and are classified as subtropical depressions and subtropical storms. While subtropical storms and depressions are not as powerful as tropical cyclones, the consequences can be disastrous.

Also Read: Developing Tropical Disturbance May Bring Some Relief in Some Drought- Stricken Areas

Storm's Trajectory

Because the storm travels swiftly east to west, the strongest winds will be on its right flank. This means that, regardless of how highly structured the circulation gets, mountainous islands north of the storm track will experience the greatest winds and heaviest rain.

Everyone in the southern Caribbean must keep up to date.

A strong high-pressure ridge spanning the Atlantic and the Gulf will restrict the storm to the south. It's unclear whether it'll track just offshore of Venezuela and Colombia or whether the South American mainland would disturb the system as it passes.

By late week, computer forecast models predict that the storm will make landfall in Central America, potentially as a hurricane.

Meanwhile, Tropical Disturbance No. 1 is a persistent but unorganized region of disturbed weather near the northern Gulf coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The system is heading west-southwest at 10 mph into the northwest Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit the shores of south Texas and northeast Mexico in the coming days.

Computer forecast models agree that the wide disturbance will move toward the south Texas coast as a cold front approaches from the north. It does not look to become extremely powerful, but there is a probability that it may organize into at least a tropical depression during the following several days.

This disturbance, along with an oncoming cold front, will cause widespread rain throughout the northern Gulf coast this week.

Making Landfall

This disturbance, along with an oncoming cold front, will cause widespread rain throughout the northern Gulf coast this week.

Tropical Disturbance No. 2 is lurking behind the first Atlantic system. This disorganized system will likely pursue a more northerly path toward the Caribbean. That means it'll hit dry air and strong higher winds.

According to the NHC, it has a 20% probability of developing before hitting the northeastern Caribbean islands in a few days.

Related Article: Exposure to Major Disasters Can Cause Long-Term Mental Health Problems

For more climate and weather updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
According to the research, Denmark's Covid large mink extermination had no legal grounds. The annihilation of 15 million animals and the unjustified suspension of an entire industry cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

Official Investigation

According to an official investigation into Europe's first compulsory agricultural sector closure, which has cost taxpayers billions in compensation to farmers, the Danish government lacked legal grounds. It made "grossly false" comments when it ordered a mass mink extermination two years ago.

Denmark, the world's largest mink producer, said in November 2020 that it would slaughter its entire farmed mink population of 15 million animals because of concerns that a Covid-19 mutation spreading from mink to humans might jeopardize future vaccinations.

The eradication strategy was riddled with complications, such as stories of mink rising from mass graves, pollution dangers from buried corpses, and fears that escaping mink would infect those in the wild, creating a permanent viral reservoir from which new strains may infect people.

The illegality of the Cull

Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, also stated that she was first told of the illegality of the cull after it had begun.

Despite reports of Covid epidemics in farmed mink throughout Europe and North America, Denmark was the only country to order a mass cull and suspend its business.

Denmark's State Serum Institute (SSI) said earlier this year that Cluster 5, the mutant virus that caused the mink extinction, was now declared extinct. In November 2020, the SSI warned that in the "worst-case scenario, Cluster 5 might spark a second pandemic, and Denmark could become the next Wuhan." In addition, vaccinations under development could not be effective."

Martin Merrild, a Danish mink farmer, stated, "They [the Danish government] panicked." It was a great shock since we lost our entire company overnight.

"Because it was close to skinning season, we might have decreased the number and preserved a tiny breeding population for the next year, which could have been vaccinated." "However, they neglected the standard methods for consulting with industry that we have in Denmark," he explained.

Denmark's prohibition on mink farming remains in effect, with a decision on whether to allow mink breeding to resume next year.

Correct Decision

Despite the investigation findings, Britta Riis, CEO of Animal Protection Denmark, believes a ban is a correct decision. She called mink farming "cruelty to animals, a threat to human health, and environmentally damaging." Given that the Danish taxpayer "had already paid billions... to shut down the sector," she believes the general people should "reap the advantages of the ban being permanent."

According to the most recent official statistics, just 15 mink farmers accepted a compensation package that would allow them to continue fur farming if the prohibition was lifted.

The government's compensation for the Danish mink industry is projected to cost between 1.8 billion and 2.2 billion. "I don't believe they realized our industry's importance in Denmark." "They assumed it was a minor niche and had no clue the choice would cost taxpayers billions," Merrild said.

Also Read: European Mink Found Refuge After Being Pushed to the Brink of Extinction

Governmental Decision

According to the commission's assessment, the Danish government's claims during a news conference on 4 November 2020, when it announced the cull, were "grossly deceptive... given the very far-reaching and intense nature of the economic and social ramifications."

According to the findings, "it was evident that there was no legal foundation" for destroying all of Denmark's mink.

The panel also chastised Denmark's national police commander for his part in enforcing the cull order while knowing it had no legal foundation.

Steen Henrik Mller, a senior researcher in Aarhus University's Department of Animal Science, said the government made a choice "when there was a lot of worry about the Covid pandemic, and it wasn't apparent; how the virus was traveling across the mink farms." That was my major concern."

Even If

Even if the restriction is overturned, Mllerbelieves the mink industry will not return to Denmark. "The mink feed industry, the equipment sector, and the breeding stock are all gone." The 15 farmers who accepted the settlement that would allow them to begin farming may do so, but it will be extremely tough."

The International Fur Federation's CEO, Mark Oaten, stated that the investigation's findings raised "serious doubts about the management of the problem in Denmark." "The whole situation has been dreadful for the farmers and their animals," he continued, and "nothing will ever be able to make that right."

Related Article: COVID-19 Antibodies Found in Up to 40% of US' Wild Deer Population

For more health and medicine related news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
High-energy radiation outbursts from the sun's atmosphere can occasionally propel blobs of plasma toward Earth.

A solar flare is an intense burst of electromagnetic radiation produced in the sun's atmosphere - the layers of sparse but hot gas that lie above the sun's visible surface, known as the photosphere.

Energy Release

Most of the energy generated by a normal solar flare is radiated away in the ultraviolet and X-ray regions of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum, with shorter wavelengths and higher energies than visible light.

Solar flares may burn neighboring material in the sun's atmosphere, causing massive blobs of plasma launched at Earth in a phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection.

Because the Earth's atmosphere blocks out most of these wavelengths, scientists rely on satellites and specialized sensors onboard spacecraft to detect high-energy radiation from flares.

The visible light component of a flare, on the other hand, may be seen from Earth with specialist solar-observing telescopes that filter out everything except a small range of wavelengths.

According to the American Astronomical Society, strong flares can be seen on rare occasions as bright, star-like spots of light standing out against the sun's disk when seen safely through a telescope.

"Solar flares are classified based on their brightness in soft X-rays," Stephanie Yardley, a space weather specialist at University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the United Kingdom, told Live Science.

"The weakest flares are A or B-class, while the strongest flares are C, M, or X-class. Each letter represents a factor of 10 increase in energy, and within each class, there is a number scale from 1 to 9."

The biggest event on record was the Carrington Event in 1859, which was named after English astronomer Richard Carrington, who spotted it by chance while observing the sun.

It had an estimated soft X-ray peak of X45.

Also Read: Geomagnetic Storm Watch: Will this Huge Solar Eruption Reach Earth?

Frequency of Flares

The amplitude and frequency of flares and many other features of solar activity vary during an 11-year "solar cycle."

This is the amount of time it takes for an ordered global magnetic field to form among the sun's swirling plasma, strengthen, get tangled, and finally disintegrate.

The development of magnetic field loops, sunspots, and flares is at its peak in the middle of the cycle, known as the solar maximum.

The number of flares is growing dramatically as the current solar maximum, which is predicted to occur around 2024, approaches.

Flare Development

Flares arise where magnetic field loops pass through the solar atmosphere.

These loops, created by the churning of plasma (electrically charged hot gas) inside the sun, push through the surface.

Cooler portions at their entrance and departure points show as black sunspots among the hotter, brighter gas, while the loops convey relatively cool gas along with them, appearing as dark "filaments" when silhouetted against the photosphere or as pinkish prominences around the sun's edge or limb (best seen during a total solar eclipse).

A flare develops when the lower sections of a magnetic loop become squeezed together in the lower corona of the atmosphere.

This causes the magnetic field to "short circuit," rejoining significantly closer to the surface and ripping the material above away.

Because a magnetic loop high above the surface contains significantly more energy than one lower below. These reconnection events have the potential to release massive amounts of surplus energy.

This raises the temperature of the solar atmosphere around the reconnection site to 50 to 68 million degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 20 million degrees Celsius), well beyond the typical 2 million F (1 million C).

Solar "Flare"

The term "flare" is used by astronomers to describe a burst of energy and radiation on the sun, but it is also connected with a range of other events.

For example, material heated by the flare in the solar atmosphere may continue to expand furiously, eventually generating a coronal mass ejection, or CME, a massive cloud of particles blasted out in a precise direction that may take several days to reach Earth's orbit.

The most powerful flares also cause a solar proton storm, which occurs when the shock from an expanding CME accelerates nearby protons (subatomic charged particles), driving them forth at far faster velocities than the CME itself.

In some situations, if the sun's magnetic field is oriented favorably, protons can travel at a significant percentage of the speed of light.

A flare's electromagnetic radiation reaches Earth in slightly over 8 minutes, while proton storms may arrive in as little as 30 minutes.

Related Article: Can We Survive a Catastrophic Solar Storm? What to do When a Solar Flare Hits Earth

For more cosmic news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Severe storms are expected to shatter the several days-long sunny weather and low humidity in the northeastern United States this coming Saturday, July 2, based on the latest US weather forecast.

The severe weather is likely to be associated with torrential rain, hailstorm, and strong winds, placing 50 million Americans in the region at risk.

Severe Storm Forecast

AccuWeather issued the forecast on Thursday, June 30, suggesting that the stormy weather could affect travel during the onset of the Independence Day weekend.

However, its forecast was quick to project that the weather will improve as the days progress.

For the meantime, the Northeast US will need to brace itself for the looming severe weather on Saturday.

The severe storm forecast has not mentioned any potential tornadoes. But, previous severe thunderstorms across the country have produced twisters in some cases, causing widespread destruction and life-threatening risks.

Also Read: NWS Issues Warning for Severe Weather and Flooding from Southern to the Northeastern US

Areas at Risk

The weather forecasting company said that the severe thunderstorms (severe t-storms) will cause the following weather hazards on Saturday afternoon and evening:

Hail

Flooding downpours

Damaging wind gusts from 50 to 60 miles per hour

The forecast indicated that the areas most affected by the looming adverse weather will include the following cities:

Boston, Massachusetts

Providence, Rhode Island

New York City, New York

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Other areas that will be reportedly under lesser risk from the storm include the cities of Hagerstown, Maryland; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Washington, DC.

AccuWeather also highlights that the following areas will be 90% of the time free from experiencing rainfall from Friday to Monday, July 1 to July 4:

Jones Beach, New York

Wildwood, New Jersey

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Ocean City, Maryland

For areas around Virginia Beach, Virginia, the company projected that a thunderstorm is likely to occur from Sunday afternoon, July 3 to Monday.

Additional Weather Forecast

In other parts of the US, the National Weather Service (NWS) stated that a weather disturbance off the Texas coast will cause torrential rain until Friday.

In the Southwest, the NWS updates a monsoonal moisture that continues to hover into the Southwest US and southern Rocky Mountains, increasing flash flooding risk.

The US weather agency expects severe thunderstorms can occur across the Upper Midwest and western Great Lakes on Thursday.

Lastly, fire weather concerns continue in interior Alaska due to dry and warm conditions, the NWS adds.

Collectively known as the "South Central Alaska wildfires," southern Alaska has been gripped by multiple wildfires in recent days.

The record-breaking wildfires in Alaska, which includes the massive 500,000-acre Lime Complex fire, has been fueled by the said conditions as the US summer season is just getting started, according to a previous report by the CNN.

The conditions attributed to the growth and spread of the Alaska wildfires are being caused by a heat wave or a heat dome.

The extreme heat has not only affected the state but also multiple areas in the coterminous US over the past several weeks, leading to hot temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat-related factors also resulted in both human and animal casualties.

Related Article: NWS Weather Forecast: Severe Storm Heads to Northeast, Extreme Heat to Continue Until Next Week
A shark attack occurred in the waters off Sanctuary Beach in Plettenberg Bay along the South African coast.

The grueling incident involved an apparent great white shark that mauled to death a male swimmer.

This is according to the reported testimonies of horrified witnesses in the area.

A footage just right after the incident also circulated on social media.

Members of the National Sea Rescue (NSRI) were dispatched and even deployed two rescue crafts but were too late to save the victim, who was believed to be a South African local.

The adult male's body sustained lethal injuries, as it was believed that the shark consumed a chunk of his body flesh.

Local authorities issued a warning to the public to exercise vigilance and take precaution following the attack, which led to increased security and closure of nearby beaches next to Sanctuary Beach.

The measures were meant to protect beachgoers, as well as surfers and swimmers, from related threats in the future.

The incident may be isolated, but it added to the renewed risk of shark attacks in the coastal areas of South Africa.

This is in spite of the recent reports that sharks disappeared near the Cape Town coast due to the continued presence of a killer whale or orca duo named "Port" and "Starboard" at the Gansbaai coast.

Mauled to Death

The said swimmer is South Africa's 13th fatal shark attack occurred on Wednesday, June 29, according to news.com.au.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon confirmed the local government was forced to close the beaches after the attack.

Lambinon added the fatal wounds led to the death of the man, even though he was taken to the NSRI Plettenberg Bay rescue station.

The victim's death was declared by an NSRI doctor, who was one of the first to respond to the incident along with the South African Police Services.

A footage, originally taken by Gunnar Sigge, shortly after the actual fatal shark attack was uploaded by Twitter user Naledi Mailula below:

A Great White shark was spotted near the Sanctuary Beach in Plettenburg. A hiker captured this video at 14:10. According to the @NSRI, a deadly shark attack had taken place a minute earlier. Video supplied by Gunnar Sigge. @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/GTSfUGwcIV  Naledi (@Naledi_Mailula) June 28, 2022

Also Read: Frequency of Shark Attacks Linked to Moon Phases, Reveals New Study

South Africa Shark Attacks

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZN Sharks Board) stated South Africa has a relatively high rate of shark attacks due to its coastline stretching up to 2,500 kilometers, as well as its warm climate, beach culture, and popular water-related activities.

South Africa shark attack recordings started only during the middle of the 19th century.

However, thorough investigation of the marine animal attack fully manifested following the establishment of the International Shark Attack File (ISAF).

In a global-scale, the number of shark attacks have been increasing, which is mainly caused by the larger number of humans entering waters and contributes to the growing human-wildlife conflict, according to the KZN Sharks Board.

The organization also estimated that a similar trend is occurring in South Africa, which has witnessed 394 unprovoked attacks, including 90 fatal cases, recorded since the 1940s.

In addition, board mentioned that this has been the case during the first half of the 20th century, when most shark attacks were recorded off the coast of the KZN.

In 1974, KZN Sharks Board became the official curator of South Africa's ISAF, which is the most comprehensive database of all recorded shark attacks worldwide.

Related Article: Shark Attack Reported in Lovers Point Beach, California; Shark's Identity Remains Unknown
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 27: A nurse fills a syringe with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine Covid-19 at the National Medical Center vaccination center on February 27, 2021 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea started its first inoculation program against the new coronavirus over one year after its first confirmed case, as health authorities hope to attain herd immunity by November. (Photo : Photo by Song Kyung-Seok-Pool/Getty Images)

Homemade COVID-19 vaccine appears to be more effective than the broadly used AstraZeneca shots, and in fact generated immune response in clinical trials.

The country's first domestically developed vaccine for Covid was approved by health officials on Wednesday for ages 18 and above, ABC News reported.

Running for more than two years, the pandemic sure needs another public health tool to fight against, according to the broadcasting television network.

In clinical trials involving some 4,000 participants in South Korea and five other countries, the SK Bioscience's two-dose SKYCovione vaccine appeared to be more effective than AstraZeneca, and exhibits immunity against infections, the officials at South Korea's Food and Drug Safety Ministry said.

The third phase of trial for the vaccine was conducted in Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand, Ukraine, the Philippines and South Korea.

According to Yahoo! News, the approval of SKYCovione internationally confirmed the abilities of companies to develop Covid-19 vaccines, as per Food and Drug Safety minister Oh Yu-kyoung.

Potential Export Opportunities

Mass immunization campaign in South Korea and other countries have been heavily dependent on Pfizer and Moderna's mRNA shots, which is why administration of the newly developed vaccine plays a big role in the next phase of the pandemic.

Officials said that people who are hesitant to use vaccines developed with newer technologies so far may consider protein vaccines like SKYCovione, which are similar to shots used for years against the common flu and hepatitis B, thus it is expected to boost the country's vaccination efforts.

According to Oh Yu-kyoung, SK Bioscience also seeks approval from the World Health Organization for its shots, which would potentially open export opportunities.

Although most of the virus restrictions were eased in the country after battling an omicron surge earlier this year, some experts say that the country may see another rise in infections despite a high vaccination rate due to waning immunities and possible emergence of new variants.

Nearly 87% of the country's population has been fully vaccinated as of late Thursday, while around 65% have received a third shot.

Also read: Early-Season Heat Wave in Japan Places Significant Strain on Residents and Power Grid Over the Past Week

Another Potential Surge

Although the country's coronavirus infection has receded in the meantime, the country reported 10,463 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, its first daily increase over 10,000 in 20 days, according to Xinhua News, bringing the total tally to 18,349,756.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported that daily caseload was brough up from 9,896 the previous day, and higher than 8,979 tallied a week earlier.

For the past week, the daily average number of confirmed cases was 7,363.

The agency confirmed total death toll to 24,537, with total fatality rate currently standing at 0.13 percent.

In a separate briefing, Health Ministry official Son Youngrae said that it is too early to tell if the country is facing another surge after a month-long downward trend, but it would be wise to think ahead of mitigation efforts to prevent far larger damage.

Related article: CDC Warns Us of the Unusual Symptoms that Come with Monkeypox
The year 2022 budget is already off to a dramatic start with allegations of massive misappropriation to the tune of about US$24,866,637.54 being leveled against the Minister of Finance for his failure to remit to the National Road Fund. According to the audit conducted on the Road Fund by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) for two fiscal years July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020, and released to the National Legislature last week, the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) collected US$53,018,871.54 and deposited some of the money in the Consolidated Fund Account instead of the National Road Fund (NRF) account.

According to the Act, all funds of the NRF shall be held in the Fund Account from which disbursement shall be made solely to finance the approved annual road maintenance expenditure program and directly related costs as hereby required in this Act. The act, among other things, states the primary objective of the Road Fund is to ensure that the countrys road assets are sustained and maintained periodically from funds collected from the taxes  which cannot be diverted for any purpose  except to fix roads. The Consolidated Fund Account is the Government general revenue account that is controlled by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP). Of the US$53,018,871.54 collected, according to the audit report, the MFDP remitted US$28,152,231 to the National Road Fund thereby leaving a difference of US$24,866,637.54 which was not remitted.

Appearing before the Senate's Public Account Committee, Samuel Tweah, the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, said that a handful of legislators whom he had conversations with gave him the go-ahead to divert US$24.8 million intended for the National Road Fund to the payment of civil servants salaries. He also said he was authorized by the international partners to divert the money from the National Road Fund. Minister Tweahs action violates Chapter 2.2 of the Act that created the National Road Fund, whose source of revenue is taxes collected from motorists solely for the construction/maintenance of roads and bridges across the country.

Question: Should a government that claims to have the interest of its citizens at heart so brazenly loot or misappropriate public funds? Does the average person know the intricacies of how the budget is appropriated? These are questions that must command the interest of Liberians as yet another cycle of wasteful spending unfolds. In seeking answers to the above questions, we will begin an analysis of the 2022 budget with an assessment of the Presidencys allocations. It includes the Office of the President, Financial Management, Domestic and Special Services, the National Security Council Secretariat, Presidential Advisory Board, Technical Services, Ministry of State without Portfolio, Public Affairs, Public Affairs, Communication and Technology, Finance, Economic and Legal Affairs and Administration, and Management. Indeed, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commissions, General Auditing Agency, Public Procurement, and Concession Commission, National Disaster Management Agency, Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs) and all executive bodies can be considered part of the Presidency, though under separate budget sub-heads, however for this article, we look at the Presidency  The Executive Mansion, while the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) will be examined in the ensuing weeks. The Executive Mansion is an important budget subhead that overlooks MDAs, some of which are central to Liberias anti-corruption, transparency, and disaster preparedness.

In the 2022 approved budget, the presidency was authorized to spend US$20 million of the national budget as compared to the 10.8 million it got in 2021. $14.5 million of the $ 20 million budget of the presidency is apportioned to personnel costs or staff salaries /goods and services while 5.2 million is for non-financial assets and US$475,000 for a grant. Total allocations across the presidency revealed the following: Office of the President ($5,4 million), Financial Management ($343,000), Domestic and Special Services ($830,500), Technical Services(631,944), Public Affairs, Communication and Technology ($180,000), Finance, Economic and Legal Affairs ($42,000), National Security Council Secretariat ($237,000) and Presidential Advisory Board ($179,000). Similarly, the Administration and Management of the Presidency have US$ 11 million, and the Ministry of State without Portfolio $870,800. As is evident from the above, the highest allocation of $20 million goes to the Ministry of States and Presidential Affairs (The Presidency) alone whose only responsibility is catering to the President and his largely missing-in-action deputy.

Analyzing the presidency budget further, it becomes clear that this government is insincere in its fight against corruption and transparency. How can it justify the allocation of $2.2 million to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), but $20 million to the Presidency and $5 million to the General Auditing Commission (GAC)? It is even more pathetic when one considers that the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) gets a miserable $846,386 in the 2022 fiscal year. The budgetary provisions can be seen in clearer perspective if you consider that the Presidency intends to amongst others, spend its allocations on renovating the Executive Mansion, presidential humanitarian outreach, foreign travels, allowances, scratch cards, residential property rental, and lease, fuel and lubricants, gas for generators, special presidential projects, celebrations, commemorations, and state visit, etc. while the LACC, GAC, and NDMAall agencies which render essential anti-corruption and disaster management services get fractions of its allocation.

A closer look at the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) will illustrate the sorry state of affairs in Liberia. Procurement is the single greatest corruption risk in the public sector. Millions of dollars are lost every year through corrupt contracting and untransparent procurement processes for public contracts, especially related to public infrastructure in Liberia. Beyond a shortage of funds, the PPCC faces the challenges of securing staff with significant experience in the procurement or concession process or matters relating to the administration of procurement or concession contracts. This reality should ordinarily lead to increased funding for the PPCC, but President Weah simply cannot be bothered. In 2022, the PPCC got $952,495 to reduce corruption and improve transparency and accountability in public procurement. While this is an increase over the 2020/2021 special budget allocation of $254,494, it is a classic example of perverse prioritization when you consider that the Presidency is spending $1.8 million on domestic travel-daily subsistence allowances and $1 million on celebrations, commemorations, and state visit, US$700 on special presidential projects while the PPCC, which is the transparency watchdog of the procurement or concession contracts in Liberia is less funded.

As concerned Liberians, we should ask important questions: if the fight against corruption is sincere, why do the Presidency's domestic travel-daily subsistence allowances or commemorations and state visits allocations are higher than PPCC? Why does the Presidency also think that the welfare package ($3.7 million) for a few Executive Mansion employees is more important than the transparency and anti-corruption drive? To use the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) as another example, with Liberias insecurity issues, threats of global warming, sea erosion, flooding, and other unforeseen disasters, why is the agency not getting higher allocation for research and development? Nowhere in its paltry provision line item for the disaster fund? The consequences could be unpreparedness for disasters which would only lead to an increase in the number of internally displaced Liberia as evidenced by the sea erosion in West Point, New Kru Town, etc. This would hamper the operations of NDMA and impact the timeliness of its response to disasters, Sadly, NDMA gets only $846,386 in the budget while the presidency gets US$ 700,000 for Humanitarian Outreach.

Unarguably, almost every item in the approved 2022 Presidency budget redefines the term wasteful. For instance, there is a provision of $400,000 for the Wroto Town Housing Project under the presidency and an additional $700,000 for Special Presidential Projects, but the approved budget cleverly leaves out details of the special presidential Projects. Most ridiculous is spending $231,000 on generator fuel. The Presidency should simply get connected to the national grid and experience the much-touted improvement in the power supply if it believes in its fairy tales.

Misappropriation of public funds should not be treated with such levity if there is going to be a more even distribution of national income and if there is any hope of closing the wide gap between the rich and poor in Liberia. The populace must not fall for the deliberate distraction tactics of this government whenever their failures manifest. Public accountability must be paramount in the minds of those that have the privilege to work in public service or vying for political office as well as the electorates. The $24.8 million diverted from the National Road Fund must be accounted for. We must demand accountability and insist on it. The government  beginning with the Presidency  needs to urgently reduce wasteful spending by trimming unnecessary costs and eliminating wasteful provisions to free up funds for investments in human and physical infrastructure. The Presidency should set standards for probity and sensible spending. Unfortunately, the Presidencys current approved budget shows no indication of any real progress or positive change, only the jamboree mentality that has become a hallmark of Weahs government.
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After over 15 years of post-conflict reconstruction and democratic governance, Liberians appear to agree that the countrys governance isnt working as it ought to. And at the root of it is the high cost of running the government, which they say unless it is drastically reduced, the developmental dreams of the country would remain a mirage. They point out that even though the country has been borrowing to finance its budget for many years now, a larger percentage of the money goes into recurrent expenditure while the developmental needs of the nation are relegated to the background.

One of the most debated issues about governance in Liberia is arguably the amount being spent to run the countrys bicameral legislature. Last year, we were served another national comedy when the national legislature appropriated the 2020/2021 national budget of USD 30,000 for each Senator and Representative in the name of the so-called Legislative Engagement Fund totaling USD 3.6 million. The Senate in a press statement explained the USD 30,000 received by each Senator and Representative is geared towards the support to their initiatives in their various counties. One of the unintended consequences of the legislatures unilateral action brings to the front-burner questions about the size of government, the excessive cost of governance, and the fraud and corruption in Liberia.



Liberias lawmakers have a reputation for rent-seeking behavior. They have been considered among the highest-paid parliamentarians in West Africa. According to the 2022 national Legislature budget, the total sum of US64.3 million was allocated to the national legislature. USD 37.4 million was to salary costs for the House of Representatives, while USD 21.1 million was set aside for the salary cost of the Senate. The legislature also set aside USD 3.6 million for the so-called Legislative Engagement and Public Accessibility. Substantial additional perks of the office come in the form of allowances to cover a range of costs including the purchase of new official vehicles ( USD 4.6 million), operational expenses (USD 18.7 million ), gas for vehicles (USD3.1), legislative committee hearings (729,000), printer, newspaper, foreign travels, allowances, etc. The number of allowances received differs across ranks, with the Speaker (USD 2 million), Deputy Speaker (USD 1.5 million ), and Senate Pro Tempore (USD 2.1 million), receiving substantially more.





In Liberia, the legislative budgets have tended to increase over the years. An important hike occurred in 2009 when the total legislature budget rose from USD 9.4 million in 2007 to USD19 million in 2009. By 2011, this budget stood at USD26 million. By 2013, the legislature budget was at USD39 million and by 2015, the budget was at USD54 million. In 2016 and 2017, the budget was reduced to around USD47 million and reduced again to US44.6 million in 2020. In 2022, another hike occurred to the tune of US$64.3 million, the highest in the history of Liberia.





While our legislators can accrue salaries and allowances during their 6 or 9 years in office, important additional benefits can be gathered through the legislators access to public revenues via the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The legislators' oversight power over Liberias numerous MDAs is commonly used to extract additional revenues from the government. This takes the form of lawmakers cooperating with  or bribing and extorting. Access to government revenue is mainly organized through the legislative committee system. For instance, current Sinoe County Senator, Milton Teahjay confessed to the FrontPageAfrica newspaper how Senate committee chairs bargain with nominees of the Executive Branch to employ persons of their interest to get their votes to be confirmed. The allocation of civil servant job slots to members of the national legislature also supports the practice of prebendalism.





A closer look at the 2022 legislature budget shows that our elected politicians are not serious about tackling food insecurity in Liberia. When comparing the legislature budget of US$64.3 million to what is allocated to the agricultural sector, reveals that the combined total allocation of US7.3 million (0.9% of the total expenditure) includes the Ministry of Agriculture (US$4.6 million), Central Agricultural Research Institute (US1.6 million), Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (US$ 550,107), Cooperative Development Agency (US$432,602) and the Rubber Development Fund Incorporated (US$83,997) is eight and a half (8.5) lesser than the national legislature budget.

Liberians have complained about the agriculture sector budget every year not meeting the benchmark to fight food insecurity in the country. The 2003 African Union (AU) Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security committed African countries to allocate at least 10 percent of national budgetary resources to agriculture and rural development policy to tackle food insecurity in the continent, yet the National Legislature which houses 103 legislators and several aides increased their budget by US$10 million, from 53.9 million to US$64.3 million.

According to the World Food Program (WFP ), agricultural production constitutes the most important livelihood for the average Liberians, involving 67% of the population. The sector contributes 26% of GDP, primarily from exports of rubber, palm oil, cocoa, sugar cane, and coffee, but most of the countrys food supply is met by imports due to low overall productivity and limited road access. The 2021 Global Hunger Index, (GHI) ranked Liberia 110th out of the 116 countries. With a GHI score of 33.3, Liberia's hunger levels are serious and on the brink of becoming alarming. Liberia does not produce enough food for internal consumption. According to the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), the 2020 national rice production in Liberia was estimated at 270 000 tonnes, similar to the five-year average and slightly below the previous year. The 2020 FAO statistics placed Liberia among the highest importer of rice in the world, as well as wheat, and sugar. Rice for human consumption accounts for over 80 percent of imports, whole wheat and maize account for about 13 percent and 6 percent. Sadly, these are all products that can be grown locally if we properly invest in the agricultural sector.



With all the problems of food insecurity in Liberia, how can the Ministry of Agriculture, the government ministry responsible for the governance, management, and promotion of agriculture be allocated USD 4.6 million, but the national legislature budget includes US 4.6 million for new vehicles purchase, US$3.1million for vehicle fuel, $3.6 for the so-called Legislative Engagement and Public Accessibility, etc? This honorarium scale is excessive in a country that is living on loans, a country that is owing pensions, and a country whose educational system, health, agriculture sector, and infrastructures are in shambles. Such funds ought to be meaningfully spent to provide clean water, logistic support for emergency treatment, build classrooms, provide materials, train teachers and pay outstanding workers salaries.



Liberia has never worked, and may never work if we dont rise and confront this system. What do these legislators contribute to earning so much? What are we paying them for? In the same country, millions are starving, millions are impoverished; unemployment is high and poverty continues to increase! How did we end up putting these guys at the helm of national affairs? How did we put those who keep pushing up waste and spending more? Most of these lawmakers are personal failures in their own system, hence the need to amass wealth by all means possible. These pretentious politicians, who always claim to have people-oriented and focused leadership qualities, are in fact, the least endowed with the virtues of transparency, probity, and accountability in the running of government business. The end result of all this debauchery is the emergence of a powerful privileged class that has suddenly supplanted the yearnings and aspirations of teeming Liberians with its bloated appetite for opulent and ostentatious lifestyles.



The wasteful spending as evidenced in the nation's legislature budget disproportionately affects the socially and economically vulnerable and pushes them deeper into poverty and deprivation. Liberia is in dire straits financially now, running a deficit budget year in and year out means that we need to save resources by cutting costs as much as we can. So, having the national legislature gulping money from the national purse is wrong. President Weah had the chance to show that the 2022 budget would not prioritize wasteful spending by the national legislature and the executive over and above urgent national development priorities, and the need to improve Liberians access to necessities such as interrupted electricity supply, quality education, affordable healthcare, clean water, good roads, as well as pay outstanding workers salaries across the country, but failed to do so when he signed the budget into law. The spending of public funds by the national legislature suggests that the leadership does not conceive of the national budget as a blueprint for social and economic policy priorities in Liberia.
Introduction

Risks associated with poor oral hygiene

Tooth plaque and its relationship to atherosclerosis

Hospital susceptible pneumonia and oral hygiene

References

Further reading

The general notion of oral hygiene, as pictured by most of the populace, is that the pivotal oral cavity we must protect encompasses the top of the crown, to the bottom. This is far from the case.

The notion that our teeth may affect the whole of our anatomy is both true, and something that is far overlooked. If one succumbs to a severe enough periodontal disease or other sorts of bacterial infection, a more severe prognosis could develop, tying ones oral health to ones overall health.

Image Credit: 279photo Studio/Shutterstock

The school of dentistry includes periodontics, endodontics, and other forms of oral pathology that specialize in tooth ailments, especially those that fall within the enamel and dentin, as well as its supporting structures. These specialists have led to the expounding of oral health and its connection with heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.

Risks associated with poor oral hygiene

As time progresses, and if bacterial damage or oral hypoxemia occurs to the periodontal ligament, the gum itself, or other supporting structures, it may lead to premature tooth loss. While losing a tooth is harmful enough as is, the resulting cavity could operate as a portal of entry for other pathogens, which may affect the rest of the human body.

Some dentists make grander claims, stating that they can gain a good summation of ones overarching health based solely on their teeth. This may prove as more than just an anecdote, as oral hygiene is becoming increasingly linked to diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

From papers like those produced by Juxiang Peng et al., we are shown firsthand that treating periodontal diseases at earlier stages directly correlates to the later reduction of coronary heart disease. Infectious agents found within the oral cavity reflect a diminishing in observed white blood cell count and a decrease in serum albumin. Many believe that gum disease of this nature only afflicts geriatrics and those of an older generation. This is only because these plaques and chronic infections have been given the necessary time to develop, though the rate of infection or inflammation varies greatly, and could affect any generation.

It is important to emphasize the fact that there are numerous studies that link atherosclerosis, and plaque-related ailments to cancer, rather than there being a direct cause and effect.

Image Credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Tooth plaque and its relationship to atherosclerosis

A well-known example of an ailment that is interrelated with tooth infection is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a form of heart disease that consists of plaques amassing around the arterial lining, required to supply arterialized blood to the heart and muscles. If time progresses, and one does not treat this debris and surrounding tissue damage, plaque buildup could develop chronically and may narrow the blood supply and restrict the amount of oxygenated blood supplied to smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle.

What is interesting is that the plaque that forms around ones heart, is analogous to those that surround the teeth, stemming from the same kind of bacteria, generating the same kind of chemical waste through their cell membrane, afflicting the encompassing environment.

Related: Nutrition and Oral Hygiene

Within the oral cavity and surrounding tissue, this chronic buildup of plaque will begin the process of inflammation, which may later lead to the slow erosion of bone. Once it has reached this stage, and it is symptomatic, the damage may be non-reversible. This plaque may solidify, and it may cause an infection underneath the gums.

Within ones mouth, there are substructures that keep teeth fixed and secure. These are the gums and the bone. Once a tooth infection sets in the bacterium strain in question, whether it is streptococcus, lactobacilli, or others, it can migrate to these adjacent structures.

A common symptom of these infections is brushing one's teeth, followed by subsequent bleeding once someone rinses their mouth. What makes this case more prominent than other common afflictions, is the fact that these infections may not even hurt and are unable to register with ones pain receptors. With this phenotype in mind, scientists like Juxiang Peng et al. have begun studying correlations between tooth loss and mortality. They plan to develop novel ways in treating periodontal disease, which could in turn reduce the severity of atherosclerosis.

Hospital susceptible pneumonia and oral hygiene

By tackling this problem of poor hygiene head on, proof of increased quality of life and longevity are demonstrated. A study by Chastity Warren demonstrates that the state of toothbrushes in hospitals is linked to the spread of pneumonia, a common problem we still face today.

Assays show a decrease in patients with non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia (NV-HAP), and patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), followed by the early treatment of periodontal-related ailments. Within a 202 patient study, a statistically significant reduction of patient deaths associated with NV-HAP decreased from 20 in the baseline group to 4 in the intervention group ((2) = 4.33, df = 1, P = 0.037). Paralleling this negative trend, NV-HAP discharges were found to be 2.84 in the baseline group, 1.41 in the intervention group.

Image Credit: Billion Photos/Shutterstock

References

Meurman JH, Sanz M, Janket SJ. Oral health, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2004 Nov 1;15(6):403-13

Warren C, Medei MK, Wood B, Schutte D. A Nurse-Driven Oral Care Protocol to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia. Am J Nurs. 2019 Feb;119(2):44-51

Aas, J. A., Griffen, A. L., Dardis, S. R., Lee, A. M., Olsen, I., Dewhirst, F. E., Leys, E. J., & Paster, B. J. (2008). Bacteria of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children and young adults. Journal of clinical microbiology, 46(4), 14071417. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01410-07

Peng, J., Song, J., Han, J., Chen, Z., Yin, X., Zhu, J., & Song, J. (2019). The relationship between tooth loss and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular diseases, and coronary heart disease in the general population: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Bioscience reports, 39(1), BSR20181773. https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20181773

Further Reading
In a recent article posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, the University of South Florida, and the Catholic University of America demonstrated that the natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (Mpro) mutations result in nirmatrelvir resistance.

Study: Naturally occurring mutations of SARS-CoV-2 main protease confer drug resistance to nirmatrelvir. Image Credit: Orpheus FX / Shutterstock

Background

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emphasizes the urgency for orally bioavailable antiviral medications. The Mpro of the SARS-CoV-2 is a cysteine protease and a recognized target for antiviral drugs. Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir) and molnupiravir are the only two oral SARS-CoV-2 medications that have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Paxlovid comprises the Mpro inhibitor nirmatrelvir and the metabolic enhancer ritonavir.

The risk of hospitalization or death was 89% lower in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who received Paxlovid less than three days of the commencement of SARS-CoV-2 symptoms than in those who got the placebo. Nevertheless, the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants with Mpro mutations prompted concerns about probable drug resistance.

About the study

The present work sought to discover Mpro drug-resistant SARS-CoV-2 mutants associated with naturally occurring polymorphisms. The researchers examined the SARS-CoV-2 sequences in the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian influenza Data (GISAID) database.

The team examined the drug resistance of three Mpro inhibitors: PF00835231, GC-376, and nirmatrelvir. GC-376 was used for treating feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) infection among cats. Further, Pfizer developed phosphonate PF-00835231 prodrug as an intravenous agent for treating COVID-19 patients in hospitals and was progressed to clinical trial. Finally, nirmatrelvir was the active ingredient in Paxlovid.

The authors concentrated on 12 Mpro active site residues, M49, H41, N142, T135, S144, H164, H163, M165, H172, E166, and Q189, found within 6 A of the nirmatrelvir binding domain, i.e., PDB: 7SI9, to find drug-resistant Mpro mutants. They proposed that mutations across the active site residues directly impact substrate adherence and drug resistance. To test this theory, the researchers evaluated the mutations in these 12 residues utilizing the SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the GISAID.

The thermal shift binding assessment and an enzymatic assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) were used to determine the drug sensitivity. The SARS-CoV-2 Mpro mutant proteins were expressed and examined for nirmatrelvir inhibition and enzymatic activity utilizing X-ray crystal structures.

X-ray crystal structures of Mpro mutants. Each mutant structure is aligned with the corresponding WT structure shown in white (apo, PDB 7JP1; GC-376 complex, 6WTT; nirmatrelvir complex, 7RFW). For the mutant structures, GC-376 and nirmatrelvir are shown in cyan and neon green respectively. WT HBs are shown as black dashes for selected residues at the mutation sites or between the protein and inhibitor. Mutant HBs are shown as red dashes. Mutations are indicated with red text. S1 residue from the N-terminus of the adjacent protomer is labeled in orange. The side chain of L141 is not shown. (A) Apo Mpro S144A (magenta, PDB 8D4L). (B) Apo Mpro S144L (orange, PDB 8DFE). The view for panel B is shifted slightly to show for the movement of the adjacent N-terminus. (C) Apo Mpro H172Y (green, PDB 8D4J). (D) Mpro S144A GC-376 complex (magenta, PDB 8D4M). (E) Mpro S144L GC-376 complex (orange, PDB 8DD9). (F) Mpro H172Y GC-376 complex (green, PDB 8D4K). S1 residue is disordered. (G) Apo Mpro E166Q (blue, PDB 8D4N). (H) Mpro Q192T GC376 complex (mauve, PDB 8DGB). (I) Mpro M165Y Nirmatrelvir complex (brown, PDB 8DCZ).

Results

The authors found 66 common SARS-CoV-2 Mpro mutations positioned at the nirmatrelvir binding site, spanning all high-frequency mutants at the 12 analyzed residues.

According to the kcat/Km value for enzymatic activity and the Ki value for drug resistance, the Mpro mutants were divided into three categories: category 1 contains essential residues for enzymatic activity (H163 and H41); category 2 contains hot spot residues for drug resistance (M165, S144, H172, E166, and Q192); and category 3 comprises residues that can withstand multiple mutations without substantially influencing drug inhibition and the enzymatic activity (M49, T135, N142, Q189, and H164).

Most Mpro mutants exhibited diminished enzymatic activity, i.e., kcat/Km greater than a 10-fold decrease. On the other hand, 11 mutants, including M165T, S144M/F/A/G/Y, H172Q/F, E166Q, and Q192T/S/V, displayed similar enzymatic activity as the SARS-CoV-2 wild-type strain with kcat/Km less than a 10-fold modification and resistance to nirmatrelvir with Ki greater than a 10-fold hike.

Although the enzymatic activity of several single mutants found in this investigation was decreased, it was conceivable that the virus could produce multiple mutations, such as the H172Y/Q189T mutant, assisting in the restoration of replication fitness, maintain or even improve drug resistance.

Besides, the X-ray structures illustrated how Mpro mutations influenced the conformational stability of the active site, lowering ligand binding. X-ray structures of six single mutants with or without nirmatrelvir/GC-376 were established.

The team noted that the mutants take on a productive configuration when a substrate or inhibitor is present, which explains how they can catalyze the reaction. The reduction in the catalytic properties of the mutants and inhibition by nirmatrelvir/GC-376 appears to be caused by two factors: an entropic effect due to the active site's increased conformational instability and an enthalpic impact caused by the direct disruption of ligand-binding contacts.

Conclusions

Overall, in the current research, the authors found 66 drug-resistant Mpro mutants arising from natural SARS-CoV-2 polymorphism from the GISAID database. These mutations may impact the effectiveness of Paxlovid, and continuous Paxlovid prescription might probably elevate the prevalence of these pre-existent drug resistance mutants.

The nirmatrelvir resistance hotspots, Mpro M165, S144, H172, E166, and Q192 mutants, need to be monitored actively across the circulating SARS-CoV-2s. Most likely, mutations at these residues will result in considerable drug resistance while maintaining the enzyme function. Whether these mutations reduce the viral replication capacity and transmission needs further assessment.

Double or triple mutants may arise to counteract the loss of enzymatic function from the single mutant while improving or maintaining drug resistance, as seen by the H172Y/Q189T mutant. As a result, it is vital to track the Mpro mutants with decreased enzymatic activity from the current study.

*Important notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Lori Mangum was 32 when apple-size tumors sprouted on her head. Now  six years and 10 surgeries later  the skin cancer is gone. But her pain lives on, in the form of medical debt.

Even with insurance, Mangum paid $36,000 out-of-pocket, charges that stemmed from the hospital, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the pharmacy, and follow-up care. And she still has about $7,000 more to pay.

While she was trying to manage her treatment and medical costs, Mangum remembers thinking, "I should be able to figure this out. I should be able to do this for myself."

But medical billing and health insurance systems in the U.S. are complex, and many patients have difficulty navigating them.

"Its incredibly humbling  and sometimes even to the point of humiliating  to feel like you have no idea what to do," Mangum said.

If you're worried about incurring debt during a health crisis or are struggling to deal with bills you already have, you're not alone. Some 100 million people  including 41% of U.S. adults  have health care debt, according to a recent survey by KFF.

But you can inform and protect yourself. KHN and NPR spoke with patients, consumer advocates, and researchers to glean their hard-won insights on how to avoid or manage medical debt.

It shouldnt be on the patients who are experiencing the medical issues to navigate this complicated system, said Nicolas Cordova, a health care lawyer with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. But consumers who inform themselves have a better chance of avoiding debt traps.

That means knowing the ins and outs of various policies  whether its your insurance coverage, or a hospitals financial assistance program, or a states consumer protection laws. Ask a lot of questions and persist. Dont take 'no' for an answer," said Cordova, "because sometimes you might get a 'yes.'

Even people with health insurance can land in debt; indeed, one of the biggest problems, consumer advocates said, is that so many people are underinsured, which means they can get hit with huge out-of-pocket costs from coinsurance and high deductibles.

Here is some practical advice about facing down medical debt, at every stage of care and after.

Before you get care

Get familiar with your insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs. Get the best insurance coverage you can afford  even when you're healthy. Make sure you know what the copays, coinsurance, and deductibles will be. Don't hesitate to call the insurer and ask someone to walk you through all the potential out-of-pocket costs. Keep in mind that you cannot make changes to your policy except during certain windows of time, such as open enrollment (typically in the fall or early winter) or after a major life event.

Sign up for public insurance if you qualify. If you're uninsured but need health care, you might qualify for public insurance like Medicaid or Medicare. Ask the provider or hospital if they can help you check your eligibility before you commit to a care plan  and then stay with providers who participate in those programs.

Check whether the specifics of your care are covered. After your doctors map out your treatment plan, check whether all the providers you need to see are in-network and whether any part of the treatment needs to be preauthorized. Ask lots of questions of your insurance provider, doctors office, or hospital, especially for planned procedures, said Joy Dockter, a lawyer at Central California Legal Services, a public interest law firm. 'Are my authorizations in place? What are my copays going to be?' Find all that out beforehand, if you can, she said.

Additionally, said Mark Rukavina, a program director at health equity advocacy group Community Catalyst, if the drug you want isn't covered by your insurance, ask whether the drugmaker has a patient assistance program; many do, though eligibility requirements vary.

Get a cost estimate. If you're uninsured, ask for a cost estimate in advance. Rukavina noted that the federal No Surprises Act, which took effect in January, requires providers to give uninsured patients "good faith" estimates of what planned care will cost.

Find out whether you're eligible for financial assistance  and come prepared to make your case. Almost every hospital offers some form of financial assistance, or charity care. Each hospital sets its own eligibility requirements but typically will waive or discount bills for patients earning less than two to three times the federal poverty level. (Three times the federal poverty level for a household of four in 2022 would be $83,250.)

People who are employed often still qualify for a discount, if not for free care, said Jared Walker, founder of Dollar For, a nonprofit group that helps patients secure charity care. His group developed a database of hospital charity care policies and has an online tool that allows patients to check their eligibility.

Even if youre not sure whether you qualify, it's worth trying. Gather up documents such as pay stubs or income tax returns. Do not expect this to be an easy process. For example, Walker said, health care providers often require documentation to be faxed. "One of the most common refrains I heard from experts: Persistence pays," Walker said.

If youve already qualified for government benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, that may streamline applying for a hospitals financial aid.

If you're not a U.S. citizen or legal resident, check whether your state bars the hospital from considering immigration status, as is the case in New Mexico and Maryland.

Check for other forms of financial assistance. Ambulance services, which can lead to huge bills, might offer charity care programs, so ask whether you qualify. Also ask your medical providers if they know of other charitable programs that would cover costs for things like rides to medical appointments.

During treatment or soon after

Ask for line items of the costs for every service, prescription, or treatment you receive. Keep an eye on costs as they come up, said Louisville cancer patient Lori Mangum, who is now chief operating officer of Gilda's Club Kentuckiana, a cancer support group she relied on. Ask a family member or a support group to help you keep track, she said. And never assume that just because insurance covers one part of your treatment, that goes for everything else.

Scrutinizing your care can help you avoid costs. Mangum said she realized too late that she couldve taken her own Tylenol, instead of paying exorbitant markups on the same medicine at the hospital. She said self-advocacy begins with pressing for answers about how much each service, treatment, and medication will cost  in advance, if possible.

Check whether providers are in-network. Consumer protections in the No Surprises Act should help limit out-of-network charges. That law bans "surprise" billing for most emergency care, as well as for some routine care with out-of-network providers. It also limits what providers can bill for out-of-network doctors, Rukavina said, and gives patients greater ability to dispute charges.

Make sure all your providers  including an anesthesiologist, for example  are in-network for your insurance. If it wasn't disclosed to you in advance, that charge may be worth appealing.

Rukavina noted that if you are not insured or not using your insurance and asked for an estimate in advance, you can dispute bills that exceed the estimates by $400. For patients seeking more information about the No Surprises Act and what it covers, Rukavina recommended calling the government's No Surprises Help Desk at 1-800-985-3059. For patients with complaints, he recommended filing an online complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Check for double billing. Go through each item on your bill. Mangum said that its not infrequent for something to be double-billed. Even if youve already been discharged and gotten behind on payments, it is worth checking to make sure you werent overcharged.

Negotiate with the hospital directly. Consumer advocates said people mistakenly think medical costs are fixed and nonnegotiable. That was the case for John DeAnda, who fainted while working as a cleaner at a New Mexico hospital. Doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him after four days of tests, but the hospital billed him for $8,000, which he's still trying to pay off, with interest, nine years later.

I actually didnt realize you could negotiate, said DeAnda. What I wouldve done differently is I wouldve talked to the hospital first, to see if they could work out a deal with me before the bills were sent to collections.

If you know you cannot pay the bill, negotiate with the hospital administration or billing department. Thats almost always possible because hospitals want to avoid the costly administrative burden of sending bills to collections, said Ge Bai, a professor of accounting and health care policy at Johns Hopkins University.

Ask repeatedly about any other forms of financial assistance the hospital might offer. Negotiate the terms of payment to a monthly level that is affordable for you. This also saves the hospital the administrative headaches of unpaid bills, and it might help you avoid having bills sent to collections.

Prioritize paying for food and shelter over medical bills. Financial institutions and lenders treat medical debt differently than unpaid consumer bills. People choose to take a loan to buy a car; they dont choose to get ill or injured. So just because people have medical debt does not mean they are unreliable or less likely to pay their bills in general. The three major credit-rating agencies recently agreed that unpaid medical bills will not affect people's credit scores for a year. Once a bill is paid, it should come off your credit report immediately. Starting in 2023, unpaid medical debt under $500 should not appear on reports either.

That means you should focus first on paying for life necessities  rent or mortgage, gas to get to work, and food, said Marceline White, executive director of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition.

Do not sign up for credit cards that offer to pay medical bills for you. Experts warn against using credit cards offered by dentists, hospitals, and doctors' offices to pay medical charges. Once you take out credit cards, personal loans, or second mortgages, the debt will get lumped in with any other form of consumer debt  the same as if you overspent on clothes or a luxury SUV. Thats one reason medical debt is often underreported; a lot of it masquerades as other forms of debt. Once you convert a medical bill to a credit card or personal loan, its more likely to hurt your credit score and therefore your ability to borrow in the future.

If you are already in debt or in collections

Try to qualify, even after the fact, for charity care. Hospitals sometimes overlook or fail to screen patients eligible for their financial assistance programs. Nonprofit hospitals are required by law to offer charity care and other community benefits. This is where self-advocacy can make the biggest difference. Sometimes hospitals will retroactively qualify patients and write off their debts. Volunteers at Dollar For will help patients push for that.

Dispute your bill if it is inaccurate. Rukavina said that under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collectors are required to provide a written notice, within five days of contacting a patient, detailing the amount owed, the name of the creditor, and how to dispute the bill. Patients can dispute inaccurate bills if they respond within 30 days. Rukavina said even patients whose bills are in collections can tell bill collectors they wish to apply for financial assistance if they haven't already. If the patient qualifies, the collector cannot charge more than what the patient would've had to pay.

Contact free legal aid services. Lawyers around the country will represent consumers free of charge to resolve legal cases, including medical debt cases. They often have experience dealing with hospitals and third-party collections companies and might be able to argue your case on your behalf, especially if one or both have violated your state's consumer protection laws.

Do not ignore the issue. The impulse is understandable, but it will not help and will likely make the debt even more complicated to address, said Rukavina. As daunting as it might be, try to keep advocating for yourself and your family and get help.

About this project

"Diagnosis: Debt" is a reporting partnership between KHN and NPR exploring the scale, impact, and causes of medical debt in America.

The series draws on the "KFF Health Care Debt Survey," a poll designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF in collaboration with KHN journalists and editors. The survey was conducted Feb. 25 through March 20, 2022, online and via telephone, in English and Spanish, among a nationally representative sample of 2,375 U.S. adults, including 1,292 adults with current health care debt and 382 adults who had health care debt in the past five years. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and 3 percentage points for those with current debt. For results based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.

Additional research was conducted by the Urban Institute, which analyzed credit bureau and other demographic data on poverty, race, and health status to explore where medical debt is concentrated in the U.S. and what factors are associated with high debt levels.

The JPMorgan Chase Institute analyzed records from a sampling of Chase credit card holders to look at how customers' balances may be affected by major medical expenses.

Reporters from KHN and NPR also conducted hundreds of interviews with patients across the country; spoke with physicians, health industry leaders, consumer advocates, debt lawyers, and researchers; and reviewed scores of studies and surveys about medical debt.
As a child growing up in San Jose, California, Marta Segura heard horrific stories from her parents about women fainting on the factory lines and men overheating in the farm fields. They didn't know those jobs exposed them to life-threatening conditions.

Then, it hit home.

"My dad, himself, got really sick one time and almost died," said Segura, 58, the daughter of a bracero and a cannery worker. "That resonated with me as a kid."

Segura, who serves as director of Los Angeles' Climate Emergency Mobilization Office in the Department of Public Works, was given a second title this month: chief heat officer, the city's first. She joins a number of heat officers around the world as cities from Athens, Greece, to Santiago, Chile, begin to coordinate a better response to extreme heat and develop sustainable cooling strategies. Phoenix and Miami are the only other U.S. cities with heat officers.

As Los Angeles continues to experience more frequent heat waves, Segura will work across city departments to help create an early-warning system for heat waves and develop long-term strategies to reduce heat exposure, such as planting trees and updating building codes. Her office will also launch a social media campaign in July in English and Spanish.

Extreme weather can cause cramps, stroke, and heat exhaustion. Extreme heat contributed to the deaths of around 12,000 people in the U.S. each year from 2010 to 2020, according to a study by the University of Washington. Those figures are likely to rise.

Low-income, majority-minority neighborhoods experience significantly more heat than wealthier, whiter neighborhoods, according to researchers from the University of California-San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy. The research shows that surface temperatures in communities with higher rates of poverty can be up to 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer, compared with the richest neighborhoods, during summer.

"Neighborhoods in South Los Angeles send an additional 20 to 30 people to the emergency room on heat days compared to 2 additional people from wealthier neighborhoods," said Dr. David Eisenman, director of the Center for Public Health and Disasters at UCLA. Eisenman will work with Segura to identify climate-vulnerable communities.

Segura, 58, takes her new job as state lawmakers consider expanding heat warnings. Assembly Bill 2076 would establish California's first chief heat officer position and create a statewide extreme-heat and community resilience program. Assembly Bill 2238 would create the nation's first warning system for heat waves, just as existing systems warn of other natural disasters such as wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

KHN reporter Heidi de Marco met with Segura in her City Hall office to discuss her new role and how she plans to tackle the city's climate risk. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Why was this position created?

We've noticed a fivefold increase in extreme heat events and heat waves. There are more heat-related illnesses and more hospitalizations and deaths.

There are two goals. The first is changes to the system  the services and the infrastructure of the city. The other is education and awareness  that people know that extreme heat is more serious so they can take steps to protect themselves.

We're tackling education with an extreme-heat campaign that will launch July 1. In terms of changing the system and services, the city is painting the roofs and roads with white, cool[ing] paint, planting more trees for maximum shade in vulnerable communities.

Q: You will be working to reduce heat-related hospitalizations and deaths, as well as working with different city agencies to implement a heat action plan. How will that work?

Were already discussing updating our building codes for decarbonization and climate adaptation.

The other approach is through public works. For example, installing more shade structures, more kiosks, especially for metro and bus transportation furniture. Theyre also installing more hydration stations.

So when you add that to our public facilities  parks, libraries, youth centers, which are all accessible during the day  you have a lot of opportunities to tell people where to go in the event of a heat storm or heat wave.

Q: How do you plan to address inequality?

It keeps me up at night. Addressing the most vulnerable community isnt out of charity. And it isnt because of moral reasons. Its because if we dont help the most vulnerable communities of Los Angeles, which are over 50% of the population, were not going to get to our climate solutions.

Landlords are less likely to invest in heat pumps or other air conditioning systems because that would only raise the rent and the rent would displace individuals. So we need a policy in the city of L.A. that prevents displacement and helps in some ways to subsidize those low-income housing units or find financing structures that allow landlords to be able to invest and keep our families healthy and safe.

Q: Is there a particular challenge in messaging to immigrant communities?

I think what I learned in my family is we tend to have the radio on as we go about our work. So its going to be important to use radio. Its also going to be important to use text messaging services, like WhatsApp.

We want to make sure to get this information out to employers, so we probably need to come up with culturally relevant communications. Its an evolving campaign.

Q: What kind of budget are you working with?

We will be allocating approximately 30% of our budget to heat-risk prevention work, and although our budget is not large, our impact on other partner departments, such as public works and the emergency management department, is significant.

We cant look at my budget in a silo since the council has directed us to work collaboratively to combine the respective parts of our budgets for heat-risk prevention. However, I can say that my office will be doubling in size, from four to eight [employees], and this will give us the leverage and resources we need to make the kind of impact the city of L.A. seeks to make in the long run.

Q: How do you plan to address the homeless community?

What we actually would like to have are more pop-up units, where we have canopies and hydration.

So thats a conversation Im having with our deputy mayor of homelessness and housing so that we can coordinate together. And thats a good example of something that my office cant do alone because I need their expertise and their allocated resources to ensure that were providing the best available comprehensive resources for the city.

Q: You are the first Latina to hold such a position in the United States. How does that feel?

Its significant because [Latinos] have been suffering disproportionately from climate hazards for a very long time, and we haven't had positions like this in the past. If they see someone from their community, or that looks like they're from their community, that speaks their language, that culturally relates to them, that has had similar experiences, I think it makes a big difference, right?

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
"Hey, Siri, how's the weather today?" Voice recognition technology is increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, from asking trivial questions, playing music, sending text messages to controlling GPS navigation systems. It is a convenient technology with broad applications. However, to get the most of its intended functions, one must stand close to the device and articulate carefully. What if the skin on our bodies could recognize voices without using any devices?

Professor Kilwon Cho and Dr. Siyoung Lee of the Department of Chemical Engineering, together with Professor Wonkyu Moon and Dr. Junsoo Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at POSTECH have developed a microphone that detects sound by applying polymer materials to microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS)

The newly developed microphone demonstrates a wider auditory field than human ears, while it can be easily attachable to the skin with surprisingly small and thin size. This academic achievement was recently presented as the inside back cover paper in Advanced Materials, an international journal on materials.

The conventional MEMS-based microphones used in cellular phones, Bluetooth devices, and others consist of thin, small and sophisticated diaphragm structures. Being made of rigid and brittle silicon, however, it is difficult to bend the diaphragm or microphone as desired and it interferes with the sound detection ability of the device.

The research team overcame this limitation by creating a MEMS-based microphone structure by using polymer materials that are more flexible than silicon and can be designed in any shape. The size of the device is a quarter of a fingernail and its thickness is only a few hundred micrometers (m, 1m=one-millionth meter). The microphone can be attached to large surface areas of the body or even on the finger as if it is real human skin.

According to the study, the auditory sensitivity of the microphone is higher than human ears, while recognizing the surrounding sounds and voice of the user without distortion. Furthermore, it can detect both loud sounds over 85 decibels, a range that causes auditory damage, and low-frequency sounds that humans cannot hear.

The quality of voice detection is comparable to cellular phone or studio microphones. When the acoustic sensor on the skin was connected to a commercial voice assistant program (Google Assistant), the user could search, translate and control devices effortlessly.

The new acoustic sensor has potential applications in wearable voice recognition devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) and human-machine interfaces. The research team plans to create auditory electronic skin by integrating it with skin-attachable pressure and temperature sensors, flexible displays, and others.

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT).
In 2019, when Nobel Laureate, Leymah Gbowee was conferred the national honor to serve as National Orator for Liberia's 172nd Independence Anniversary, she astoundingly thrilled and mesmerized many a revolutionary cum patriotically hungry Liberians who had gone through some of the worst and harshest experiences of bad governance and misrule amid hopelessness and despair.



Leymah Gbowee appealingly cajoled Liberians about the three distinct political colorations amid competing interests in Liberia namely - Position  Opposition and No Position. What was the point? The Nobel laureate had done a forensically holistic postmortem of the new government that had been in office for barely 18 months amid the brouhaha and socioeconomic cluelessness on every front.



Gbowee sought to remind Liberians that although the duly elected had become a bundle of frustration and saddled with euphoric fatigue, the imperative was for all Liberians to recognize that whether they are of the school of thought of a recognized or unrecognized 'Position  official Opposition or simply of No Position'  our country had become beleaguered by a dent of thieves and economic vampires so desperate to indiscriminately loot even the little left of office supplies in their own offices.



Leymah Gbowee then made a clarion call on all patriotic and peace-loving Liberians  to stand towering in the midst of the current adversities  to wear the armor that demands accountability, transparency, and respect for the rule of law in pursuit of the greater good. She thought the opposition needed to do enough in terms of commitment if a change was seen as compelling. She reminded her compatriots that only a united opposition has the audacity to unequivocally speak with one resolute voice with valor unpretending.



Months later, Gbowee's firm urge to a seemingly 'collaborating opposition' bloc seemed to have unceremoniously faded away  thus losing the very essence of why they had come together to target a so-called common political enemy. In spite of the looming opposition fragility, some Liberians have remained hopeful, though. The hope of these Liberians has been enveloped in the trend analysis of a flooded political contest as it were  in which two parties would obviously head for runner-up. Is that good enough? Perhaps not!



The Lofa County special senatorial by-election  many had hoped would become another somewhat 'loose opposition rallying point' in an aggressive attempt to defeat the CDC amid the opposition's particularly massive showing during the 2020 special senatorial elections. Well, well, well! Ironically, the Unity Party (UP), became obscurely a lone wolf panting under its own canopy.



It is sickeningly just incomprehensible how some elements within the opposition sought to turn the Kortimai-Jallah's tightly contested race into some kind of 'laughing gas' of the sort. Whose interest are they advancing? Do they wish the CDC's victory in a crucial election when we are a heartbeat away from the 2023 general and presidential elections? Are these opposition folks contemplating CDC's 2017 redux? Sad indeed! It would make sense to openly join ranks with a failed regime than pretend to be the 'opposition' they sheepishly are perceived to be, folks.



Should we have reasons to believe that as we gradually move towards 2023, we should anticipate a 'free-for-all' political battle? If that's what will make the opposition viable, so be it. So then who is the opposition  the position or perhaps no position if you may?



If the clueless regime must be seen as a common enemy; only a united opposition can undo it in an election. But the trappings of unclear cum worrying signs of the by-election's outcome amid the furor of disjointed opposition's craze is so mind-boggling.
(Newser)  A difficult-to-watch video from inside a police van shows Randy Cox, handcuffed but not wearing a seatbelt in the back of the vehicle, go flying into the front of the holding area headfirst when the van makes an abrupt stop. The incident, which took place in New Haven, Conn., on June 19, left Cox paralyzed from the chest down, breathing on a ventilator, and using a feeding tube, his attorneys say, adding that he may never walk again. Cox, 36, had been arrested on gun charges that night, and police claim he was "uncooperative" while being taken into custody, the Washington Post reports. The back of the van into which he was loaded does not have seatbelts. It came to a sudden stop when another car cut it off, nearly causing a collision.

"We literally witness his neck break" in the video, tweeted attorney Ben Crump. Cox repeatedly yelled for help, and more than three minutes later, the van pulled over so an officer could check on Cox, who told the officer he couldn't move and thought he'd broken his neck. The officer said he'd called an ambulance, then continued on for another five or so minutes to the detention center, where Cox was dragged out of the van and into a holding cell while officers allegedly mocked his posture. Finally, 10 to 15 minutes after his arrival at the detention center, paramedics arrived to transport him to a hospital. The five officers involved in his arrest are on administrative leave, including the van driver, CNN reports. The state police are investigating the incident, which has drawn comparisons to the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in 2015. (Read more Connecticut stories.)
(Newser)  Days after a Subway employee was fatally shot by a customer who complained about too much mayo on his sandwich, another senseless killing: Police say a man was shot dead near Philadelphia Wednesday morning because somebody thought he was driving too slowly. Authorities say 54-year-old King Hau was fatally shot in Springfield Township, around 10 miles west of downtown Philadelphia, by a passenger from a dark-colored SUV that pulled in front of him while he was stopped at a red light, NBC reports. Witnesses said the man fired two shots into King's windscreen.

Witnesses said King was shot in the shoulder and face. His wife, who was in the passenger seat, ran to a nearby home to seek help. A woman who witnessed the shooting got out of her car to provide first aid but King died from his injuries at a local hospital, reports CBS Philadelphia. Springfield Police Chief Joe Daly says there is no sign that King, an immigrant from Vietnam who lives in the township, knew the suspect or had even exchanged words with him, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

"This was a horrendous, unnecessary death of an individual for nothing more than a perceived traffic violation," Daly told reporters. "Mr. King lost his life today for driving his car too slowly during rush-hour traffic." Authorities say the suspect got back in the SUV after shooting King and the female driver sped off. "The entire law enforcement community in Delaware County has made this case a priority," said District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. "We will not stop until we bring this killer to justice." (Read more Philadelphia stories.)
(Newser)  President Biden has promised other nations, as well as his own, that the US would reduce its emission of greenhouse gases by half by the end of the decade. A Supreme Court ruling Thursday may have put that goal out of reach, the New York Times reports. Experts said achieving such change will become mathematically impossible, given the time left and the tools available. "At this point I don't see any way to hit the kind of targets they laid out," said a climate policy expert at the University of California, San Diego.

Biden called the ruling, which says the Environmental Protection Agency has limited authority to regulate power plants' greenhouse gas emissions, a "devastating decision," per Axios. He said he'll take climate action nevertheless. "My administration will continue using lawful executive authority, including the EPAs legally-upheld authorities, to keep our air clean, protect public health, and tackle the climate crisis," Biden said in a statement. The planet is warming faster than projections, per CNN, and heading toward more dangerous extreme weather, which would cause worsening water crises and food insecurity, as well as the spread of disease. The rest of the world can't contain the warmup if the US doesn't hit its goals.

Congress could help, but there's been no sign it will. So far, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has killed provisions in Biden's legislation to replace coal and gas-fired power plants with wind, solar, and nuclear energy. The West Virginia senator personally profits from keeping the power industry the way it is, the Times found. West Virginia was part of the case decided Thursday, and state officials praised the ruling, saying, "This is about maintaining the separation of powers, not climate change." Also on Thursday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell threatened to block an unrelated manufacturing bill if Democrats try to pick up the stalled climate legislation, per the AP. (Read more climate change stories.)
(Newser)  Sonny Barger, the founder of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club who turned his experiences into books and work on TV and films, has died. He was 83 and died at home Wednesday night after developing liver cancer, NBC News reports. A note Barger had written was posted on his Facebook page. "I've lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I've had the privilege to be part of an amazing club," it said. "Although I've had a public persona for decades, I've mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends."

Barger, who founded the Oakland club in 1957, was involved in one of the most notorious incidents in rock music history: the 1969 concert at Altamont Speedway in California. The Rolling Stones hired the gang as security, per Deadline. In the course of their duties, Hells Angels beat concertgoers, knocked out Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane, and stabbed to death Meredith Hunter, an 18-year-old Stones fan who had a pistol. The gang member tried in the case was acquitted after arguing self-defense. The violence was preserved in the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter.

Although he was acquitted of various charges over the years, including murder, Barger was convicted of narcotics and weapons charges and spent a total of 13 years in prison. He became widely known after his inclusion in nonfiction books by Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Wolfe. Barger wrote six books of his own and participated in documentaries about his organization. He also appeared in three episodes of the TV drama Sons of Anarchy. Barger argued the Hells Angels' outlaw reputation. "They say we're organized crime, but if you took every Hells Angel on the face of the Earth and got rid of them you wouldn't drop the crime rate in the world one-tenth of one percent," he said in 2000. "There's more cops committing crimes than Hells Angels." (Read more obituary stories.)
(Newser)  The US Justice Department has launched a sweeping inquiry of the New York Police Department's famed sex crimes investigators following years of complaints about the way they treat crime victims. The civil rights investigation, announced Thursday, will examine whether the NYPD's Special Victims Division engages in a pattern of gender-biased policing, officials said. "Survivors of sexual assault should expect effective, trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations by police departments," said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, the AP reports. New York City's two U.S. attorneys joined her in announcing the inquiry.

The police unit inspired TV's Law & Order: SVU, and the real-life version has tackled such major cases as the prosecution of former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. But the division also has faced a decade of complaints about thin staffing and superficial investigations. In a 2019 lawsuit, a woman alleged detectives shrugged off her report of being raped by someone she'd been involved with, logging it as a "dispute" instead of a sex crime. Another woman said in the suit that her account of being kidnapped and gang-raped was grossly mishandled for months before she was told the case was "too complex" to investigate. After the lawsuit and a leadership shakeup, the NYPD promised change. But victims' advocates say it hasn't happened.

The NYPD said it welcomes the review and is committed to improving its investigations. Breon Peace, the US attorney in Brooklyn, said the NYPD has already taken steps to address concerns, but authorities want to ensure victims are treated fairly in the future. Last October, a woman who identified herself as a rape victim told a City Council hearing that detectives failed to interview witnesses, collect security camera footage from the bar where shed been before the attack, or test for date-rape drugs. She said they closed the case twice without telling her. Damian Williams, the US attorney in Manhattan, said sex crimes victims deserve the same rigorous and unbiased investigations of their cases that the NYPD affords to other categories of crime."

(Read more New York City Police Department stories.)
(Newser)  North Korea suggested Friday its COVID-19 outbreak began in people who had contact with balloons flown from South Koreaa highly questionable claim that appeared to be an attempt to hold its rival responsible amid increasing tensions over its nuclear program, the AP reports. Activists for years have flown balloons across the border to distribute hundreds of thousands of propaganda leaflets critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and North Korea has often expressed fury at the activists and at South Koreas leadership for not stopping them. South Koreas Unification Ministry said there was no chance South Korean balloons might have spread the virus to North Korea.

The state media report said North Koreas epidemic prevention center had found infection clusters in the town of Ipho near its southeastern border with South Korea and that some Ipho residents with feverish symptoms traveled to Pyongyang. The center said an 18-year-old soldier and a 5-year kindergartener had contact with alien things in the town in early April and later tested positive for the omicron variant. In what it called an emergency instruction, the epidemic prevention center ordered officials to to vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons along the inter-Korean border and trace their sources to the last. It also stressed that anyone finding alien things must notify authorities immediately so they could be removed.

The reports did not specify what the alien things were. But laying the blame on things flown across the border likely is a way to ease public complaints about its handling of the pandemic while repeating its objections to the ballooning activities of North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea, observers say. Leafletting campaigns were largely halted after South Korea's previous liberal government passed a law criminalizing them, and there were no public balloon attempts made in early April. In its previous dubious statements on COVID-19, North Korea also claimed the virus could spread through falling snow or migratory birds. Its pandemic-related restrictions even included strict bans on entering seawater.

(Read more North Korea stories.)
Agartala, July 1 (UNI) With the indication of opposition CPI-M and Congress is coming closer against BJP in Tripura ahead of the next assembly election, the ruling party presages voters and reminded the days of 25 years rule of the Left Front in the state, claimed to be worst for democracy and development.

Three days back Congress MLA and senior politician Sudip Roybarman announced that he would call a meeting of all the opposition parties to unite against BJP alleging that a reign of terror, violence and corruption under the rule of the BJP in Tripura has established where people lost their democratic rights even to vote of their choice.

Welcoming the initiative of Congress leader, former Chief Minister and leader of the opposition Manik Sarkar on Thursday said, If he wants to take the initiative and becomes successful in accomplishing the task, we have no objections. Our party is going for understanding in the Parliament, in other places as well. If someone is eager to take up the issue, we shall also rise above the narrow political thinking.
(Newser)  The FBI has added Ruja Ignatova, a Bulgarian woman dubbed the "cryptoqueen," to its Ten Most Wanted listbut she's been missing since 2017 and the agency says she may have changed her appearance. The 42-year-old is accused of running a Ponzi scheme that scammed investors around the world out of more than $4 billion, the BBC reports. The FBI says Ignatova founded OneCoin, a firm that marketed a purported cryptocurrency of the same name. "In order to execute the scheme, Ignatova allegedly made false statements and representations to individuals in order to solicit investments in OneCoin," the FBI says.

"Ignatova capitalized on the excitement surrounding cryptocurrencies to draw in new investors," the FBI says. Buyers were offered commission if they sold the cryptocurrency to friends and familybut unlike other cryptocurrencies, there was never any blockchain behind OneCoin and investigators say "coins were essentially minted out of thin air," with the company, not the market, deciding their value, CNBC reports. In 2016, Ignatova claimed OneCoin would soon eclipse bitcoin. She was indicted by a federal grand jury the following year on charges including wire fraud and securities fraud.

Ignatova was last seen traveling from Bulgaria to Greece soon after the indictment was issued. "She may travel on a German passport to the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece, and/or Eastern Europe," the FBI says. Ignatova, who was known for throwing lavish parties before her scheme was exposed, disappeared with around $500 million. The FBI says she is believed to travel with armed guards and may have used plastic surgery to change her appearance. A reward of $100,000 is being offered for information leading to her arrest. The FBI says she is only the 11th woman ever to appear on its Ten Most Wanted list. (Read more cryptocurrency stories.)
(Newser)  According to authorities, David Proudfoot posed as a worker at Disney World and moved a $10,000 replica of R2-D2 from its place at a Disney resort. According to Proudfoot, he was just trying to do the park a favor. FOX 35 reports the 44-year-old Kissimmee resident was arrested on May 31 after deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Office responded to a call at the Swan Reserve hotel, where Disney security officers say they spotted Proudfoot pushing a cart around the property and became suspicious. Proudfootwho deputies say was wearing a Disney nametag with "David" inscribed on itclaimed he was an employee at another Disney hotel, the Yacht Club Resort.

However, when one of the officers offered to help him with the cart, Proudfoot seemed confused as to where the loading docks were, and so they called the police. When deputies arrived, they say Proudfoot first told them his name was David Rodgers and that he'd been tasked to move items from one Disney location to another. His story started to unravel when a deputy brought him to the Yacht Club Resort to get his belongings and he once more seemed confused and couldn't open his supposed employee locker. That's when the deputy says he noticed Proudfoot had a wallet on his person, which held an ID with his real name. He then admitted to moving the R2-D2 from the Swan hotel's third floor to an "unknown" location, as well as moving a game machine.

Proudfoot told authorities he had no plans to actually take the items off Disney property and that his motives had been good: He had an application pending for a security guard position with the park and so had wanted to "show weaknesses in the security of the resorts," according to an affidavit. But when police carried out a search warrant at his home, they say they found Disney items worth thousands of dollars, including a $700 gold necklace and several bathroom light fixtures, per Law & Crime. ProudfootIDed by WDW News Today as a former school principal once accused of stealing $15,000 from a Baltimore-area school systemis now facing charges of third-degree grand theft and obstruction by false information, among others. He's being held on $8,150 bond at the Orange County Jail. (Read more weird crimes stories.)
(Newser)  A motive may have been established in the shocking murder of a nonprofit CEO at his Virginia home. According to court documents seen by Fox, the man accused of killing Gret Glyer is Glyer's wife's ex-boyfriend and had been seeking to reconnect with her. Court documents state that the suspect, Joshua Daniel Danehower, entered the Fairfax home through an unlocked back door in the early hours of June 24 and fired 10 shots at Glyer as he slept next to wife Heather Glyer, hitting him six times in the head and twice in the neck. Heather Glyer and the couple's two young children were unharmed.

The suspect "had been regularly reaching out to the victims wife, his ex-girlfriend, whom he wanted to reconnect with," a bail detention letter states. Police earlier described Danehower as an acquaintance of the family. Gret and Heather Glyer had been married since 2018 and it's not clear whenor even ifshe dated Danehower. "Gret's killer is suffering from a severe mental illness," a source close to Glyer's family tells Fox 5. "He was deluded into thinking that there was a romantic relationship, when no such relationship ever existed."

Danehower, 33, was arrested Tuesday at Dulles International Airport, where he had been working for FedEx for around a month. The Glyers and Danehowers attended the same Anglican church, where the pastor says, "Our hearts are broken, confused and even angry," per NBC Washington. Danehower is being held without bond. "Given the brutal manner of the alleged murder and the behavior of the defendant towards the victims wife, no pre-trial conditions could ensure the safety of the public," bail hearing documents state. The documents also say Danehower asked if he could order a pizza after the hearing, showing he wasn't "taking the situation seriously in the slightest." (Read more Virginia stories.)
(Newser)  Last week was graduation week for many across Long Island, but several seniors from one school district said their final farewells to K-12 in a most unusual, and unexpected, way. Just minutes after the graduation ceremony at Port Jefferson High School had ended last Friday evening, a call came in to the town's fire department that a blaze had broken out in a neighborhood garage, reports LongIsland.com. As it happens, six of the new graduatesa group of 17- and 18-year-olds IDed by Newsday as Ryan Parmegiani, Kasumi Layne-Stasik, Hunter Volpi, Andrew Patterson, Shane Hartig, and Peter Rizzoare all youth volunteers with the fire department, and so they shed their caps, donned their helmets, and rushed to the scene of the fire.

"We still had our diplomas with us and we stripped off our gowns," Rizzo tells Good Morning America. "I didn't even realize I still had my tie on." The garage fire was a fairly typical one and it was quickly extinguished, with no injuries reported. The fire department's Christian Neubert says most of the kids had joined the youth firefighting program at age 14, and that they're all now "full-fledged" volunteers. "I'm incredibly proud of them," he says, adding of their close-knit community: "You know that saying, 'It takes a village'? This is that place."

The fire department re-ups that sentiment in a statement, noting that it had eight volunteers in total this year that graduated from the high school, and that they'd "each shown tremendous dedication to the Department and community." As for the young fire-busters, they may have missed some of their post-graduation celebrations, but they have no regrets. "I got more pictures of me at the fire than I did at graduation," Parmegiani tells GMA, calling the evening's happenings a "cool story to be able to tell people." (Read more uplifting news stories.)
(Newser)  The man suspected of driving the tractor-trailer where 53 migrants were found dead earlier this week in San Antonio was high on meth when authorities discovered him cowering in the brush near the truck, according to a Texas congressman. Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar tells Reuters he was briefed by US Customs and Border Protection that Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, had methamphetamine in his system, a fact confirmed by a CBP official. Two officials say the same to the Washington Post. Zamorano was reportedly hospitalized after he was found. He and 28-year-old Christian Martinez, another man allegedly involved in the smuggling attempt, could face the death penalty if they're convicted of the human trafficking charges against them.

Prosecutors say that as authorities made their grim discovery Monday in the truck from Mexico, they found additional victims in nearby brush, along with Zamorano, a US citizen. Mexican officials say Zamorano initially tried to pretend he was one of the people who'd been riding in the back of the sweltering truck. A confidential informant for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Texas police who spoke to Martinez after the 18-wheeler was found says Martinez told him that Zamorano hadn't known the air conditioning in the truck had stopped functioning as he was driving, per court records. Cuellar tells Reuters that the tractor-trailer likely had some kind of mechanical issue as it headed toward San Antonio that cut off the AC and ventilation.

Authorities have traced the registration for the tractor-trailer back to 23-year-old Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez, and 48-year-old Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao, Mexican citizens who have an address in San Antonio. Those two men were arrested and charged with being undocumented immigrants in possession of several weapons and at least one rifle. They could see up to 10 years behind bars. Meanwhile, Zamorano's ex tells the New York Post that she's "shocked" about what's happened. "I know he wouldn't do anything if he knew it was gonna harm anybody," an emotional Jennifer Duncan says of her estranged husband, whom she says she split from six months ago. "He is a good man, you know. He goes out of his way to help anybody and everybody." (Read more migrants stories.)
(Newser)  The pick of the cherry crop in a northern Japan town sold for a price that was stunning even by the standards of high-end Japanese fruit auctions. A box of 15 Aomori Heartbeat cherries sold for 600,000 yen, the equivalent of $4,435, or $295 per cherry, reports the Asahi Shimbun, which notes gasps were heard. They were auctioned as part of a sale of Juno Heart cherries, a variety developed by a research center as a high-end gift option. Aomori Heartbeats are the biggest Juno Hearts and measure more than 1.2 inches across.

The eye-wateringly expensive cherries were bought by a Tokyo-area fruit seller who paid 450,000 yen for a box of the same variety last year, the Times of London reports. The company plans to sell them, though it is traditional for fruit bought for "congratulatory prices" at the first auction to be given as gifts, the Times notes. A bunch of Ruby Roman red grapes went for a record $10,000 last year, and in 2019, a pair of Yubari melons from the prized first harvest in Hokkaido sold for $45,000. (Read more Japan stories.)
(Newser)  "Serious and concurring evidence points to her involvement in the murder of Christophe Doire," said a French prosecutor of that man's widow, who was arrested this week and charged with that crime. It's an allegation that comes nearly 30 years after Doire's death. Le Parisian reports the 28-year-old got in an argument with his wife on Dec. 16, 1995, that allegedly involved her dropping a plugged-in hair dryer into his bath. He left and went to his brother's house, where he shared plans to hunt the next day. He left his brother's at 11:30pm and vanished. His car was found first, then hunters found his decapitated body on Christmas Day near the town of Busset in central France. His head was never found, and The Local calls it "one of France's most notorious cold cases."

The Local reports cases were opened against suspects in 2000 and 2002, but both ended up being dropped. The new development came after Doire's body was exhumed in April. Officials didn't specify what evidence was found, though Doire's widow is described as giving "incoherent" statements. Regional prosecutor Eric Neveu says she has denied being involved in Doire's murder, and that "the investigations must continue to identify and arrest other protagonists," as evidence indicates she was "not alone during this process." (Read more cold cases stories.)
(Newser)  The Navy has admitted that a very long list of errors and failures led to a fuel leak that poisoned thousands of people in Hawaii. A long-awaited report released Thursday sets out what the Honolulu Star-Advertiser calls "operational and leadership failures, communication breakdowns and cavalier attitudes toward oversight" that caused Pearl Harbor drinking water to become contaminated last year. Some 4,000 families, most of them military, were moved to hotels for months after the November spill at the massive World War II-era Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in the hills above the Navy base. Around 6,000 people reported symptoms including nausea and rashes.

According to the report, 21,000 gallons of fuel were spilled in May last year due to an operator error during a fuel transfer. It spilled into a fire suppression line, causing it to sag and was released when a cart rammed the line six months later. Officials incorrectly thought it had all been sopped up when 5,000 gallons remained. "Meanwhile, over the course of eight days, that fuel enters into this French drain that is under the concrete and seeps slowly and quietly into the Red Hill well. And that fuel into the Red Hill well is then pumped into the Navy system," Adm. Sam Paparo, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said Thursday, per the AP.

The report blamed bad training and leadership and said the lack of "critical thinking" at key moments "exemplified a culture of complacency" at the facility. Paparo called for a review of operations at 48 other defense fuel storage facilities worldwide. "We cannot assume Red Hill represents an outlier, and similar problems may exist at other locations." The military has agreed to comply with Hawaii's order to close the facility, but it says it can't be fully defueled before the end of 2024. US Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele says the Navy should act sooner to remove "more than 100 million gallons of toxic fuel that remain perched over Oahus sole source aquifer. (Read more Hawaii stories.)
(Newser)  In an homage to Russian literature, if not Russian competence, former US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that President Vladimir Putin is a mess. And so is his invasion of Ukraine, the retired general told a forum in Seoul, the Voice of America reports. "Putin is a creature straight out of Dostoevsky," Mattis said. "He goes to bed at night angry, he goes to bed at night fearful, he goes to bed at night thinking Russia is surrounded by nightmares." Fyodor Dostoevsky's characters included paranoid narcissists, per Salon, who at the same time feared and wanted everyone focusing on them.

Mattis was blunt in assessing the invasion, calling it "tactically incompetent" and "strategically foolish." Putin has gotten rid of everyone around him who might disagree with him, Mattis said, so he's not receiving good strategical advice. "War is enough of a tragedy without adding stupidity on top," he said. Mattis has addressed few issues publicly since resigning as defense secretary in 2018 after a disagreement with then-President Trump. He described that era Friday as "raucous times" and Trump as an "unusual leader" without directly criticizing him.

"Democracies will at times go popularist and will at times break with tradition," Mattis said. "It's the nature of democracies at times to be testing ideas and all." But Americans shouldn't abandon their faith in institutions and each other, he added. Russia, for example, has made the mistake of being caught without allies, per CNN. "Were watching Russia wither before our eyes right now," Mattis said. Another lesson from contemporary Russia, he pointed out, is "don't have incompetent generals in charge of your operations." (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
New Delhi, July1 (UNI) The Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP after the Supreme Court refused to offer relief to former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma and said that the apex court's remarks should make the ruling dispensation hang its head in shame.

The Supreme Court has held a mirror to this government. The remarks by the SC, which resonate with the entire country, should make the party in power hang its head in shame, Congress national spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.

The party general secretary also said, It is no secret that the BJP seeks to profit from inflaming communal passions. Today, the SC has strengthened the resolve in every single one of us who are fighting these destructively divisive ideologies.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Digital Bahrain found a huge fillip yesterday by rolling out Sehati cards, which are poised to change the health landscape of the Kingdom. The move aims at making Sehati the backbone of Bahrains healthcare care, which is free to Bahraini citizens and subsidized for non-Bahrainis and dates back to 1960.

The chip-enabled card, which has the Choose Your Doctor scheme, stores patients medical history, test results, diagnoses and prescription details. This new digital step in healthcare allows Bahrainis to enjoy seamless transfer of their health data between private and public healthcare facilities, opening up a new world of possibilities.

The move also comes soon after the Kingdom announced its intention to join SEHA, the virtual hospital network of Saudi Arabia, which is also one of the largest of its kind in the world. The first batch of cards, part of the National Health Insurance Programme, was distributed to citizens affiliated with the Halat Bu Maher Health Centre in Muharraq yesterday.

The nationwide rollout of the card will be gradual at a later stage. The launch was part of the implementation plan of health insurance and autonomy systems, in line with the National Health Plan 2016-2025 endorsed by the Cabinet. Most importantly, all of these happen in Bahrain by ensuring data privacy.

While guaranteeing users access to all primary healthcare services and swift inter-hospital data transfer, Sehati takes extreme care to ensure privacy. All information on the card comes encrypted and accessible only to physicians.

The card, reports say, will be available at three health centres in the Muharraq Governorate and later in three more centres before starting the nationwide rollout. Health Minister, Dr Jaleela S Jawad Hasan, said the move aims at improving the quality of services, best practices and international standards related to primary health care.

Efforts to develop the health system in the Kingdom so as to be able to deliver the best services to the citizens and residents will continue unabated, in line with the wise directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, stressed Supreme Council of Health President, Lieutenant-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

Board of Trustees Chairman of Primary Healthcare Centres, Dr Mohammed Abdulwahab Mohammed, and several officials were also present.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The European Union yesterday announced accepting the COVID-19 certificates issued by Bahrain as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID-19 certificate. Meaning that Bahrain's COVID-19 certificates will be connected to the EUs system, starting today.

In a press statement, the EU said it will accept Bahrains COVID certificates under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate. Along with Bahrain, the European Union also accepted COVID-19 certificates issued by Ecuador, South Korea, Kosovo and Madagascar as equivalent to theirs.

EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said: With the start of the summer, people start thinking about holiday plans and Im happy to announce that Bahrain, Ecuador, the Republic of Korea, Kosovo and Madagascar are joining our system, which now has 72 connected countries and territories.

The Council of EU Ministers extended the EU Digital COVID Certificate by a year until the 30th of June 2023 this week. A person who has a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate should in principle not be subject to additional restrictions, such as tests or quarantine, regardless of their place of departure in the EU.

Persons without an EU Digital COVID Certificate should be allowed to travel based on a test carried out before or after arrival. In addition, they might be required to undergo quarantine/ self-isolation when they arrive from particularly affected (dark red) areas.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate contains a QR code with a digital signature to protect it against falsification. When the certificate is checked, the QR code is scanned and the signature verified.
Agencies | Warsaw

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain aims to double the number of trees from 1.8 million to nearly 3.6 million by 2035. This came as a top Bahraini official presented Bahrains strategic afforestation plan during the eleventh session of the World Urban Forum (WUF11) in Poland.

The session was under the patronage of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) from June 26 to June 30. Joint Municipal Services Assistant Undersecretary, Shawqiya Humaidan, explained that the strategy aims for the expansion of afforestation projects in various streets and intersections, and municipal and government projects.

Bahrains move follows commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26). Shawqiya Humaidan explained that the afforestation strategy included large evergreen trees for their suitability to the climatic conditions of the Kingdom and their low water consumption.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A man who killed his roommate and attempted to murder six others out of suspicion that they scammed him into accepting a job with unacceptable terms had his jail term cut to seven years on appeal. A Bahraini court had sentenced the man, an African national, to life in prison.

The man committed his crimes soon after landing in Bahrain on a job visa. Reportedly, he reached Bahrain accepting a job offered by one of his friends from his hometown in return for BD1600. The job deal, the man claims, as agreed, was for only three months. He, however, told the court that all that changed upon landing here in Bahrain.

The company, he said, "treated me unfairly" and left me high and dry. "There was no one to receive me at the airport, and I had to wait hours before someone came to pick me up." "The person who came to pick me up also made me pay BD20 to rent a place, contradicting what was agreed earlier." "Besides, I was forced to sign a three-year contract instead of the agreed three months." Adding salt to his wounds, his roommates reportedly mistreated him.

Recalling the incidents, he told the court, "I felt extremely thirsty and asked one of my roommates where I could find some water. "However, he started shouting at me for no reason. "Soon, we ended up fighting, and in a fit of rage, I took a knife and stabbed him several times. "I, then, tried to take my life using the same knife but could not."

Prosecutors told the court that even though the man tried to commit suicide, other roommates prevented and attacked him. During the skirmish, the man also tried to attack other roommates. However, they brought him under control soon, the court file says.
In Japan, gay marriage is not legal. The national government has maintained that only a man and a woman can be wedded, a position backed as recently as last month by a court in Osaka.

Frustrated with the lack of progress, a number of local authorities have since 2015 taken it upon themselves to issue certificates to same-sex partners to recognize their unions.

With these pieces of paper, couples are given access to some rights previously denied to themlike visiting their partners in hospital or enrolling in the same insurance.

While Japans LGBTQ people and rights activists acknowledge that this is a big step forward, they argue its far from equal.

Only nine out of 47 prefectures have implemented this system. And at a judicial and national level, change seems like a distant prospect. On June 20, the district court in the western prefecture of Osaka ruled that same-sex couples werent guaranteed the constitutional right to marry because unions should be between a man and a woman.

Rather than waiting an indefinite time for Japans ruling party to legalize same-sex marriage, local governments have therefore instead found a way to extend some rights to LGBTQ couples by implementing the partnership certificate system. ...continue reading
New Delhi, June 30 (UNI) As part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, India on Thursday supplied the seventh batch of medical assistance, comprising of six tons of essential medicines. This was handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kabul.

In view of the urgent appeals made by the United Nations to assist the Afghan people, India has, so far, supplied 20 tons of medical assistance in seven batches, which includes essential life-saving medicines, anti-TB medicines, 500,000 doses of COVID vaccine, etc.

These medical consignments have been handed over to the World Health Organization(WHO) and Indira Gandhi Children Hospital, Kabul.
Four hundred years since the collapse of modern civilization, the world is dominated by the chaos of swords and sorcery.

The Dark Rebel Army, which plans to resurrect the god of destruction Anthrasax, continues to expand its power in a bid to rule the world, led by the overwhelmingly powerful Four Divine Kings.

The Kingdom of Meta-llicana on the Central Metallion Continent is assaulted by the sorcerer-led Dark Rebel Army.

In order to save the kingdom, Tia Noto Yoko, daughter of the Great Priest, has a decision to make  she must resurrect the ancient great wizard who once plotted to rule the world, and who is sealed within her childhood friend Lucien Renlen.

The only thing that can undo the seal is a virgins maiden kiss.

Facing imminent danger, Yoko puts her lips on Luciens, and in that moment, a dark and powerful energy fills the air.

The strongest, wildest, and most beautiful protagonist, the legendary wizard Dark Schneider, is finally revived!
Beijing, July 1 (UNI) Hong Kong will mark 25 years since the city was handed back by the British to China, BBC reported on Friday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the city in what is his first trip outside mainland China since January 2020 when the Covid pandemic broke out.

His last trip to Hong Kong was in 2017 during its 20th anniversary handover.

The anniversary used to be marked by protests but these have been muted since the introduction in 2020 of a security law that has silenced all kinds of dissent.

Various official events celebrating the handover will be held across the city on Friday, which has been declared a public holiday. The celebrations typically culminate in a firework display over Victoria Harbour.

This comes in the wake of an Omicron outbreak in Hong Kong which fuelled doubts over whether Xi would visit or not for the celebrations.

But he arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday via a high-speed train. He was greeted by outgoing chief executive Carrie Lam who spent her last day in office in Covid quarantine before she met Xi.

UNI ACL
GENEVA (AP)  Lesbian and gay couples in Switzerland rejoiced as they legally tied the knot Friday when the rich Alpine nation formally joined many other western European countries in allowing same-sex marriage, with some saying better late than never.

The first same-sex marriages came about nine months after 64.1% of voters backed the Marriage for All law in a national referendum. It puts same-sex partners on an equal legal footing with heterosexual couples, including allowing them to adopt children together and to sponsor a spouse for citizenship.
SAN ANTONIO (AP)  The tractor-trailer at the center of a human-smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead had passed through an inland U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint with migrants inside the sweltering rig earlier in its journey, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The truck went through the checkpoint on Interstate 35 located 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of the border city of Laredo, Texas.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said there were 73 people in the truck when it was discovered Monday in San Antonio, including the 53 who died. It was unclear if agents stopped the driver for questioning at the inland checkpoint or if the truck went through unimpeded.

The disclosure brings new attention to an old policy question of whether the roughly 110 inland highway checkpoints along the Mexican and Canadian borders are sufficiently effective at spotting people in cars and trucks who enter the United States illegally. They are generally located up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the border.

Texas state police also announced they would operate their own inland checkpoints for tractor-trailers on the orders of Gov. Greg Abbott, who considers the Biden administration's efforts insufficient. It was unclear how many trucks they would be stopping.

Also Thursday, Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, the alleged driver of the tractor-trailer, made his initial appearance in San Antonio federal court. During a hearing that lasted about five minutes, Zamorano, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, said very little, giving yes and no answers to questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney about his rights and the charges against him.

The judge appointed a federal public defender for Zamorano as well as a second attorney since the smuggling charge he faces carries a possible death sentence. She scheduled a hearing next week to determine if he is eligible for bail.

It remained unclear just how long the migrants were in the trailer on the sweltering day and whether having their cell phones confiscated by the smugglers before being placed inside contributed to the extremely high death toll. Emergency calls from trapped migrants have not emerged in this case as they have in earlier incidents.

On Thursday, Jose Santos Bueso of El Progreso, Honduras said his daughter, 37-year-old Jazmin Nayarith Bueso Nunez, told him in their last conversation that she was in Laredo, that the smugglers were going to take their phones and she would not be able to communicate for a time. She last messaged her 15-year-old son around midday Monday, saying they were about to head to San Antonio and she would be out of contact.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that Border Patrol agents may stop vehicles at inland checkpoints for brief questioning without a warrant, even if there is no reason to believe that they are carrying people in the country illegally. Still, the practice has galvanized immigration advocates and civil libertarians who consider checkpoints ripe for racial profiling and abuse of authority. Some motorists post videos to social media accusing agents of heavy-handed, inappropriate questioning.

The Laredo-area checkpoint is on one of the busiest highways along the border, particularly for trucks, raising the possibility of choking commerce and creating havoc if every motorist is stopped and questioned.

Border Patrol officials call the checkpoints an imperfect but effective second line of defense after the border, acknowledging that agents must balance law enforcement interests with disrupting legitimate commerce and travel.

Volume and configuration vary widely among checkpoints, but agents generally have five to seven seconds to decide whether to question a driver, said Roy Villareal, former chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson, Arizona, sector.

Ultimately, it's very difficult to ascertain with crime in general. It's hard to say whether you're 100% effective, 50%, 10%."

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who drives through the checkpoint almost weekly, said investigators believe the migrants boarded the truck in or around Laredo, though that is unconfirmed. That would be consistent with smuggling patterns: migrants cross the border on foot and hide in a house or in shrubbery on U.S. soil before getting picked up and taken to the nearest major city.

Even if the truck were empty, it would raise questions about the checkpoints. Migrants often perish trying to circumvent them, getting dropped off before reaching them with plans to get picked up on the other side. In Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, migrants walk through sweltering ranches to avoid a checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of the border.

The Government Accountability Office reported this month that agents at inland checkpoints detained about 35,700 people believed to be in the U.S. illegally from the 2016 to 2020 fiscal years, only about 2% of all Border Patrol arrests. Agents seized drugs nearly 18,000 times during that period with more than nine of 10 arrests involving U.S. citizens.

They have been a trap for U.S. citizens carrying even small bags of marijuana. About 40% of pot seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from fiscal years 2013 to 2016 were an ounce (28 grams) or less from U.S. citizens, according to an earlier GAO report.

Abbott did not provide details on the extent of Texas' new inland inspections announced Thursday. Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said troopers would take a more aggressive stance. Asked if that meant stopping every truck, Olivarez said he did not know and that it would partly depend on staffing.

Its going to be inspecting more than what we usually inspect, Olivarez said.

In April, Abbott gridlocked Texas border for a week after issuing orders that troopers inspect every tractor-trailer entering from Mexico as part of his ongoing fight with the Biden administration over immigration policy. Those inspections, which were mechanical and safety inspections, did not turn up any migrants or drugs.

___

Spagat reported from San Diego. Paul Weber in Austin, Texas and Delmer Martinez in El Progreso, Honduras contributed to this report.
Today, Joanne Thompson, Member of Parliament for St. John's East, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, welcomed visitors back to the annual Canada Day Sunrise Event at Signal Hill National Historic Site. Now in its 40 th year, this treasured local tradition welcomes visitors to view the first sunrise in the country, the first of many special events taking place in communities across the country on Canada Day.

Participants also commemorated Memorial Day in Newfoundland and Labrador, with special recognition and remembrance of the heroic sacrifice of the Newfoundland Regiment soldiers at the Battle of the Somme, on July 1, 1916, during the First World War. Out of some 800 soldiers from the regiment who went into battle on that fateful day, only 68 were able to answer roll call the next morning.

Parks Canada's national historic sites share the stories of our nation and provide an opportunity for Canadians to connect with, and learn more about, our diverse history. The Government of Canada offers free admission to Parks Canada's places on July 1. In addition, admission to all Parks Canada's places is free for youth 17 and under every day of the year.

To have a memorable Canada Day and summer, visitors are encouraged to plan their trip in advance to make the most of their Parks Canada experience. Visitors are asked to plan ahead by checking the website before they travel, to respect the guidance of public health experts, and to follow all signage and direction from Parks Canada employees. The Parks Canada website provides detailed information on what visitors can expect, how to prepare for a visit, and what services may be available.

Quotes

"I invite all Canadians and visitors from around the world to experience the best that Canada has to offer by visiting our national parks and national historic sites on Canada Day. There is no better way to celebrate than to spend the day connecting with nature and learning about our country's rich and varied history. As the summer season begins, I encourage all Canadians to get out and explore locations such as Signal Hill National Historic Site, as they walk in the footsteps of history and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors. Happy Canada Day!"

Joanne Thompson,

Member of Parliament for St. John's East

Quick Facts

The Canada Day Sunrise Salute event at Signal Hill National Historic Site originally started in the 1980s by the St. John's Jaycees.

Terra Nova National Park and national historic sites in eastern Newfoundland will be welcoming visitors on Canada Day with free entry.

and national historic sites in eastern will be welcoming visitors on Canada Day with free entry. Want the ultimate ticket to nature, history and adventure? The Parks Canada Discovery Pass provides unlimited admission for a full year to over 80 destinations across the country. Visitors can purchase their Parks Canada Discovery Passes online, on-site, and at partner retailer locations across the country.

Related Links

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Contacts: Media Relations: Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [email protected]; Ray Kenny, A/External Relations Manager, Newfoundland East Field Unit, Parks Canada, 709-772-2587, [email protected]
Sanjay Raut, the head of the Shiv Sena, will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office today

Sanjay Raut, the head of the Shiv Sena, will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office today after the investigative agency denied his request for further time to appear in connection with a money laundering case.

After failing to appear in his first summons on Monday owing to the then-political situation in Maharashtra, the ED issued him a second summons to appear before July 1. Notably, Raut is being investigated in relation to the redevelopment of Mumbais Patra Chawl. His counsel requested 13-14 days to deliver the materials to the investigation agency, but the request was denied.

Earlier on Tuesday while talking to media persons, Shiv Sena leader stated, I will be heading to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) headquarters tomorrow.

In response to Uddhav Thackerays resignation as Chief Minister on Wednesday evening, he said that the Shiv Sena will work and return to power on our own once again.

He further added saying, Shiv Sena is not born for power; rather, Shiv Sena is born for power. Balasaheb Thackerays slogan has always been this. We will work and rise to power on our own again.

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde, who led a mutiny against the Shiv Sena that resulted in the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration, took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister on Thursday evening.
Two men who brutally murdered a tailor in Udaipur were taken to Ajmer's high-security jail on Thursday night

The two men who brutally murdered a tailor in Udaipur were taken to Ajmers high-security jail on Thursday night.

The beheading of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur by two men for allegedly tweeting comments in favour of banned BJP politician Nupur Sharma provoked uproar across the country. The attackers were identified in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. In the video, Riyaz is seen hitting Kanhaiya Lal, 47, with a sharp-edged instrument, while Ghouse records the incident on his phone.

According to reports, the victim recently published a social media message in favour of Nupur Sharma, a former BJP politician who made controversial statements against Prophet Mohammad.

Riyaz and Ghouse were apprehended in the Rajsamand district of Bhim.

Kanhaiya Lal was cremated on Wednesday in Udaipur in front of a huge crowd who chanted slogans demanding the accused be executed. His final rituals were carried out amid tight police protection.

According to Rajasthan Police, the primary suspects in the death of the tailor in Udaipur were in contact with the Pakistan-based organisation Dawat-e-Islami, and one of them even travelled to Karachi in Pakistan in 2014 to meet with the organisation.

National Probe Agency (NIA) took over the investigation into the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor in Rajasthans Udaipur, who was slashed to death inside his shop by two men in broad daylight on Wednesday.

The event occurred in Udaipurs Maldas neighbourhood. Police stated that shortly after perpetrating the crime, the two suspects released a video on social media boasting about the beheading and threatening Prime Minister Narendra Modis life. Within hours following the occurrence, the two accused were apprehended.
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The town and Fairfield Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring the annual Sidewalk Sale and Street Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 16, rain or shine in the Fairfield Center.

More than 50 Fairfield businesses are expected to participate, setting up stands and offering a variety of merchandise for sale along the Post Road from the Heritage Square Shopping Center to the Promenade at the Brick Walk in town. Select merchants will offer a preview of sale merchandise beginning July 14.

Admission is free.

The Sherman Green will also feature activities for children and families, including an inflatable bounce house. There will also be live music at multiple venues scattered throughout the downtown area.

Businesses, and vendors that are interested in either participating in, or sponsoring the 2022 event should contact the Fairfield Office of Community and Economic Development, and Fairfield Director of Community and Economic Development Mark Barnhart at mbarnhart@fairfieldct.org, or Fairfield Marketing Coordinator, Community and Economic Development, Mary Alice Limperopulos at mlimperopulos@fairfieldct.org.

Fairfield reminds residents about fireworks

The Fairfield Fire Department reminds residents that fireworks are not only illegal but extremely dangerous. They can cause injuries, fires and deaths.

Sparklers and fountains, which technically are not considered fireworks, may be sold but cant be sold to or used by anyone younger than 16.

If a plan is to use legal fountains or sparklers, do not let children light them or play with them, never point or throw fireworks at anyone, never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs, and always have water nearby to extinguish a small fire. If the fire gets out of control, immediately call 9-1-1.

The Fairfield Police Department will take enhanced measures, including ramped up enforcement of beach parking regulations, to ensure community members are celebrating safely, and that fireworks are not being used at any time by unlicensed individuals.

To report the use of illegal fireworks, call the Fairfield Police Department at 203 254-4800.

Operation Hope seeks tag sale hosts

Operation Hope is seeking hosts in Fairfield and Southport for its annual townwide tag sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 23 rain or shine. Hosts can determine when their tag sale is open during that time.

The cost to participate as a host is $25. Proceeds from the event will help the organization continue to end hunger and homelessness one person at a time. Hosts are under no obligation to donate any portion of their tag sales proceeds to the organization.

Operation Hope will give hosts a toolkit on tag sales and a lawn sign designating the site as an official Operaion Hope Townwide Tag Sale stop. The hosts locations, with no names, will be on a list available at all of the host locations on the day of the tag sale.

The organization takes care of the marketing for each of the tag sales. It also broadcasts the tag sales on the organizations website, via email blasts, press releases and social media.

People, who do not live in Fairfield or Southport, but who have things to sell, can check with a friend or family member, who might be able to host a sale on their behalf.

Visit https://bit.ly/oh-tag-sale-host-2022 to signup by July 9 to host a site.

Email tagsale@operationhopect.org with any questions.

Call 203-292-5588 or visit https://operationhopect.org for more information.

T-Mobile store opening at Fairfield Shopping Center

A T-Mobile store is opening at 837 Post Road in Fairfield, in the Rings End Plaza, according to a recent announcement from commercial real estate firm Angel Commercial LLC.

T-Moble did a long term lease for 3,000 square feet of retail space at the center, which is anchored by the Bobs Stores retail business. It is located at the end cap that was previously occupied by M&T Bank.

One retail store remains for lease in the 72,815-square-foot shopping center.

The Saugatuck Commercial Real Estate agency represented the tenant in the transaction.

Stevenson opens campaign headquarters in Fairfield

Republican candidate Jayme Stevenson for Connecticuts Fourth Congressional District has opened her first campaign headquarters office at 1326 Post Road in Fairfield.

Stevenson won the Fourth Congressional District Republican convention with 90 percent of the support from the districts 17 towns and cities.

She previously served as Dariens first selectman for 10 years.

The location will serve Stevenson, her campaign staff and volunteers. She will also meet with voters and work on strategy.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of LifeBridge Community Services, which is a community based behavioral health, youth development and family resources organization in Bridgeport. Stevenson is also on the board of directors of the Stamford Emergency Medical Services, and an active member of the Stamford-Norwalk States Attorneys Community Engagement Board.

Visit https://jaymestevensonforcongress.com for more information about Stevenson and her campaign.
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea suggested Friday its COVID-19 outbreak began in people who had contact with balloons flown from South Korea  a highly questionable claim that appeared to be an attempt to hold its rival responsible amid increasing tensions over its nuclear program.

Activists for years have flown balloons across the border to distribute hundreds of thousands of propaganda leaflets critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and North Korea has often expressed fury at the activists and at South Koreas leadership for not stopping them.

Global health authorities say the coronavirus is spread by people in close contact who inhale airborne droplets and its more likely to occur in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces than outdoors. South Koreas Unification Ministry said there was no chance South Korean balloons might have spread the virus to North Korea.

Ties between the Koreas remain strained amid a long-running stalemate in U.S.-led diplomacy on persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for economic and political benefits. South Korean and U.S. officials have recently said North Korea is ready for its first nuclear test in five years amid its torrid run of weapons tests this year.

The state media report said North Koreas epidemic prevention center had found infection clusters in the town of Ipho near its southeastern border with South Korea and that some Ipho residents with feverish symptoms traveled to Pyongyang. The center said an 18-year-old soldier and a 5-year kindergartener had contact with alien things in the town in early April and later tested positive for the omicron variant.

In what it called an emergency instruction, the epidemic prevention center ordered officials to to vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons along the inter-Korean border and trace their sources to the last. It also stressed that anyone finding alien things must notify authorities immediately so they could be removed.

The reports did not specify what the alien things were. But laying the blame on things flown across the border likely is a way to ease public complaints about its handling of the pandemic while repeating its objections to the ballooning activities of North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea, observers say.

Leafletting campaigns were largely halted after South Korea's previous liberal government passed a law criminalizing them, and there were no public balloon attempts made in early April.

An activist who is standing trial for past activities flew balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border in late April after halting them for a year. Park Sang-hak floated balloons twice in June, switching the cargo on those attempts to COVID-19 relief items such as masks and painkillers.

Police are still investigating the recent leafleting activities by the activist, Cha Duck Chul, a deputy spokesperson at the Souths Unification Ministry, told reporters Friday.

Cha also said the consensus among South Korean health officials and World Health Organization experts is that infections via contact with the virus on the surface of materials is virtually impossible.

In its previous dubious statements on COVID-19, North Korea also claimed the virus could spread through falling snow or migratory birds. Its pandemic-related restrictions even included strict bans on entering seawater.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at South Koreas Sejong Institute said North Korea wants its people to believe the coronavirus originated from leaflets, U.S. dollars or other materials carried across the border by the balloons.

Cheong said North Korea will likely sternly punish anyone taking such South Korean items covertly. He said North Korea could also try to shoot down incoming South Korean balloons, a move that would prompt South Korea to return fire and would sharply escalate animosities between the countries.

North Korea is infuriated by the leafletting campaign because its designed to undermine Kims authoritarian rule over a population that has little access to outside information. In 2014, North Korea fired at propaganda balloons flying toward its territory and South Korea returned fire, though there were no casualties.

North Korea's latest announcement on the virus contradicts the outside view that it spread after North Korea briefly reopened its northern border with China to freight traffic in January and it surged further following a military parade and other large-scale events in Pyongyang in April. Some outside experts have accused Kim of being largely responsible for the outbreak because he organized those events to boost public loyalty to the ruling Kim family amid economic hardships.

After maintaining a widely disputed claim to be coronavirus-free for more than two years, North Korea on May 12 admitted to the COVID-19 outbreak, saying an unspecified number of people in Pyongyang were diagnosed with the omicron variant.

North Korea has since reported about 4.7 million fever cases out of its 26 million population but only identified a fraction of them as COVID-19. It says 73 people have died, an extremely low fatality rate. Both figures are believed to be manipulated by North Korea to keep its people vigilant against the virus and prevent any political damage to Kim.

___

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW HAVEN  If someone calls claiming to be a New Haven police officer and asks you to pay a fine, its a scam, authorities warned residents on Friday.

The caller tells the residents they missed a court date or jury duty and instruct them to pay a fine.
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ISLAMABAD (AP)  An international watchdog said Friday it will keep Pakistan on a so-called gray list of countries that do not take full measures to combat money laundering and terror financing but raised hopes that its removal would follow an upcoming visit to Islamabad to determine its progress.

The announcement by Marcus Pleyer, the president of the Financial Action Task Force, was a blow to Pakistans newly elected government, which believes that it has mostly complied with the tasks set by the organization.

Expectations had been high in Pakistan that the FATF would announce its removal from the list at Fridays meeting in Berlin.

Instead, Pleyer said an inspection by the FATF in Pakistan would take place before October, and that a formal announcement on the country's removal would follow. He praised Islamabad for implementing the organizations action plans  a clear indication that Pakistan is moving closer to getting off the gray list.

Pakistan is not being removed from the gray list list today. The country will be removed from the list if it successfully passes the onsite visit, he said.

Pakistans continued political commitment to combating both terrorist financing and money laundering has led to significant progress, the FATF said in a statement, adding that Pakistans necessary political commitment remains in place to sustain implementation and improvement in the future.

Pakistans foreign ministry said the FATF reviewed Pakistans progress in countering terror financing during a four-day meeting this week and acknowledged the completion of its action plans. It said a visit to Pakistan was authorized as a final step toward exiting from the gray list.

Pakistans Deputy Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who attended the meeting in Berlin, said she was convinced that the process for Pakistans removal from the list would begin later this year since Islamabad had fully complied with tasks set by the FATF in recent years.

Also Friday, the FATF removed Malta from its gray list but added Gibraltar. Pleyer urged Gibraltar to take steps in the right direction, including focusing on the gatekeepers to the financial system.

The watchdog also expressed concerns over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, offering its deepest sympathies for the people of Ukraine and saying it continues to deplore the huge loss of life and needless destruction caused by the ongoing Russian invasion.

Because of the invasion, the organization said Friday it has decided to severely limit Moscows role and influence within the FATF, which Russia joined in 2003. It was not immediately clear what that step entailed.

The Paris-based group added Pakistan in 2018 to the gray list, which is composed of countries with a high risk of money laundering and terrorism financing but which have formally committed to working with the task force to make changes.

At the time, the south Asian country avoided being put on the organizations black list of countries that do not take adequate measures to halt money laundering and terror financing but also have not committed to working with the FATF. The designation severely restricts a countrys international borrowing capabilities.

Then-Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to power in 2018, had hoped Pakistan would be removed from the list while he was in office and often stressed his administrations effort toward that goal. He was ousted in April, in a no-confidence vote in Parliament that he claimed was a U.S. plot. Both Washington and Khans successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, have denied the allegation.

Hammad Azhar, a leader of Khans Tehreek-e-Insaf claimed in a tweet later Friday that Pakistans removal from the list was now only a formality, and credited Khans government for this.

Pakistans powerful army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, said Friday's development was a great achievement," adding that the military has dedicated a special taskforce to ensure the FATF's tasks are implemented.

Still, being on the Paris-based international watchdogs gray list can scare away investors and creditors, hurting exports, output and consumption. It also can make global banks wary of doing business with a country.

Pakistan, whose economy has steadily declined since 2018, has said that it continues to detain suspects involved in terror financing to comply with tasks set by the watchdog. A Pakistani-based independent think tank, Tabadlab, has estimated that it has cost the countrys economy $38 billion since it was put on the gray list.

The FATF is made up of 37 member countries, including the United States, and two regional groups, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Commission. Currently, only Iran and North Korea are blacklisted.
Xi leaves Hong Kong after attending HKSAR anniversary celebrations

Xinhua) 19:11, July 01, 2022

HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping left Hong Kong by train Friday after attending celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

At the West Kowloon high-speed rail station, people from all walks of life and children, waving flags and flowers and singing songs, bid farewell to the president. Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan waved back to the crowd.

Arriving here Thursday afternoon, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended celebrations, met with representatives of various sectors and inspected Hong Kong.

Xi attended Friday morning a meeting marking the anniversary and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

In his speech at the meeting, Xi extended cordial greetings to all Hong Kong residents and warm congratulations to John Lee, the newly inaugurated sixth-term chief executive of the HKSAR, principal officials of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR, and members of the Executive Council.

Hong Kong's return to the motherland opened a new epoch in the history of Hong Kong, Xi said, noting that the practice of "one country, two systems" has achieved success in Hong Kong recognized by all.

He stressed the need to fully and faithfully implement the "one country, two systems" policy, ensure both overall jurisdiction by the central authorities and a high degree of autonomy in the special administrative region, implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," and maintain Hong Kong's unique status and strengths.

Calling the next five years crucial for Hong Kong to break new ground and launch a new take-off, Xi expressed hopes for efforts in Hong Kong to improve governance, strengthen the momentum of development, address difficulties in people's lives, and uphold harmony and stability.

During his trip here, Xi met with Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying, the fifth-term Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam, and John Lee, respectively.

Xi met with senior figures of the HKSAR's executive, legislative and judicial bodies, local dignitaries, and representatives of the HKSAR disciplined services, and visited central government officials based in Hong Kong and senior executives of Hong Kong branches of mainland enterprises and institutions. He also inspected the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison in the HKSAR.

In a tour of the Hong Kong Science Park, Xi had warm exchanges with researchers and youth representatives of innovation enterprises.

Xi also met with Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, who was here for the celebrations. 

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji)
New Delhi, July 1 (UNI) As the Ukraine conflict continues with no signs of abating, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and reiterated India's long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict. The two leaders also discussed the international food and energy situation.

During the phone call, the two leaders reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during President Putin's visit to India in December 2021 for the annual bilateral summit.

In particular, they exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products could be encouraged further, an official statement said.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)  A person who was being detained in a North Carolina jail has died, authorities said.

The Durham County Sheriffs Office said the unidentified person died after being taken to a local hospital, news outlets reported. The persons identity will be released after the family is notified, the sheriff's office said.
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WEST HAVEN  Officials removed a single-engine plane from the Quinnipiac River near the marina Friday, one day after the plane landed in the water following engine trouble.

New Haven Emergency Operations Director Rick Fontana said the city would remove the plane from the water before details of insurance were worked out because of long-term environmental concerns if the plane were to slip farther into the water.

Rick Swan, assistant director of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protections emergency response unit, said the overall response was a home run, from the pilot who went down gently into the river after experiencing engine trouble to the good Samaritans who ensured the safety of the passengers, to the marina owner who made space for emergency crews to state officials who ensured there was no environmental impact from the crash.

Two people and a dog that had been on the plane were rescued by good Samaritans. No injuries were reported.

New Haven Assistant Fire Chief Justin McCarthy said the passengers, who had freed themselves from the plane and were in went to shallow water, were medically evaluated on land. McCarthy said they were a little shaken up.

Fontana identified the passengers as Kyle Cannon and his wife, Katie. The plane is registered to MTB Flyers in Ohio.

He said crews worked quickly to place air bags below the plane to ensure it would not slip lower into the water.

Although the plane has the capacity for 75 gallons of aviation fluid, Swan said there was an estimated 55 gallons onboard

Several boat owners who were present for the emergency landing Thursday said it was unexpected, but did not cause a massive commotion.

Raylene Barkley said she had her back turned at the time and did not know the plane had landed in the water, instead becoming aware when other people began to shout.

I heard all this chaos around me, she said Friday. I didnt even hear the plane go down.

Kevin, who only gave his first name, said he was flying a kite from on top of his boat when he noticed the plane was flying low.

I saw the plane coming and thought it was way too low down, he said.

Officials said the trip had originated in Wellington, Fla., before stopping in Woodbine, N.J. The two adults and dog were on their way to New Bedford, Mass., when the crash occurred, according to Fontana and Mayor Justin Elicker.

The pilot had radioed the tower at Tweed New Haven Regional Airport saying that he was in distress and the engine was sputtering. Sean Scanlon, executive director of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority, said the pilot made a personal decision to land the plane, fearing he could not make it to Tweed.

It was a very difficult situation for him and I think he made a very good decision, Scanlon said Thursday.

Officials are concerned about the environmental impact, as the single-engine 1988 Beechcraft Bonanza landed on sensitive oyster beds, Elicker said.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
Contributed Photo / East Haven Police Department /

EAST HAVEN  Police are looking for witnesses to a crash that sent a woman to the hospital with life-threatening injuries Thursday morning.

The police department received several calls from drivers at around 9:45 a.m. Thursday reporting a serious crash at the intersection of Saltonstall Parkway and Main Street, according to Capt. Joseph Murgo.
New Delhi, July 1 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Andhra Pradesh's Bhimavaram and Gujarat's Gandhinagar on July 4, it was announced on Friday.

In Bhimavaram, the Prime Minister will launch the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju and unveil his 30-feet tall bronze statue, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

Born on July 4, 1897, Alluri Sitarama Raju is remembered for his fight against the British, in order to safeguard interests of the tribal communities in the Eastern Ghats region.

In Gandhinagar, Modi will inaugurate the Digital India Week 2022, whose theme is Catalyzing New Indias Techade. He will launch multiple digital initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility of technology, streamlining service delivery to ensure ease of living and giving a boost to startups.

The Prime Minister will launch Digital India Bhashini, which will enable easy access to the Internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and help the creation of content in Indian languages.

He will also launch Digital India GENESIS (Gen-next Support for Innovative Startups) -- a National Deep-tech Startup Platform, to discover, support, grow and make successful startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. A total outlay of Rs 750 crore has been envisaged for the scheme.

Modi will dedicate to the citizens MyScheme -- a service discovery platform facilitating access to government schemes besides announcement of the first cohort of 30 institutions to be supported under the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme.

UNI DS MR
Former Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has called on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ...

Former Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has called on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to address the injustice against Governor Nyseom Wike of Rivers State.





Jang expressed disappointment over the process that led to the emergence of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as Atikus running mate.





He lamented that Atiku jettisoned the recommendation of the committee he set up on the selection of his running mate.





In a statement, the PDP chieftain noted that most members of the committee picked Wike as the Partys presidential running mate, but Atiku opted for Okowa.





We all are aware of the fact that the Party, in consultation with the presidential candidate, set up a committee to select a running mate. To turn around and throw away the outcome of the exercise is clear proof that the work of the committee was either not appreciated or was not going to be in consideration ab initio.





The Board of Trustees (BoT) and the NWC are aware of the cracks already rearing their ugly head and must do all within its powers to stop further dissonance arising from the treatment of ranking members of the Party, especially Governor Nyesom Wike. That the Governors of the Party have started distancing themselves from the activities of the Party and other influential members making public statements indicating their displeasure is not a good sign.





That such people are treated the way the Party is currently doing is a pointer to the fact that more is to come. No one who intends to go against the APC, which has failed in its promises but thrives on propaganda will go with a divided camp. This explains the urgency with which the Party ought to retrace its step in the right direction with the hope of salvaging the already bad situation within the shortest time.





Whatever the Party or the presidential candidate had agreed with Governor Nyesom Wike should have been followed as a mark of honesty, sincerity and in the spirit of the unity of the Party. Plunging the Party into unnecessary disagreements months away from the general elections is not in the interest of the Party or its teeming supporters who were looking forward to a formidable front to dislodge the APC and the sufferings it has brought on the people.
Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministries has denied mocking the separation of Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele and her husband, JJC...





Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministries has denied mocking the separation of Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele and her husband, JJC Skillz.





The break up was disclosed yesterday in a statement by JJC Skillz.





Shortly after the news of the separation surfaced online, Apostle Suleman had tweeted about break up.





Apostle Suleman had tweeted: Stop disturbing us with break up stories.





When they bought you shawarma, did you give us?





Sulemans tweet was seen by tweeps as throwing shades at the actress and her estranged husband.





Amid the backlash, the cleric explained that his earlier tweet was not directed at anybody.





He noted that it was a sin to mock people, stressing that his earlier tweet was a mere coincidence.





He tweeted: Someone just called my attention to the break up tweet. It has nothing to do with anyone pls.





I tweet random tweets, parables, jokes and comments. It must have been a coincidence, its a sin to mock people.





Disregard any insinuations, it was a joke and nothing else!
A drama was staged at the Okpoko magistrate court in the Ogbaru Local Government Area, near Onitsha, Anambra State, on Thursday, when proc...

A drama was staged at the Okpoko magistrate court in the Ogbaru Local Government Area, near Onitsha, Anambra State, on Thursday, when proceedings were disrupted as a lawyer, identified as Ogbachalu Goshen, appeared in court dressed in full priest robes, looking like a reverend.

The court proceedings, presided by Her Worship CB Mbaegbu, were on until a matter was called up and Goshen announced his appearance as a defence counsel.

When the Magistrate told him he cannot appear and address the court in that regalia, he objected, citing the recent Supreme Court judgement that gave female students the backing to wear hijab in public schools as a precedent.

As the Magistrate stood her ground that he cannot appear in her court in that mode of dressing, Goshen also insisted that it was his right and that the objection by the Magistrate was an infringement on his fundamental rights as enshrined in Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

As the arguments continued with both the Magistrate and the lawyer refusing to shift ground, the Magistrate rose, thereby forcing the court to dismiss immediately.

Various lawyers and people who came for different matters filed outside as the Magistrate immediately entered her car and drove off.

But in an interview, Goshen justified his actions and said that the incident had already become a constitutional matter since the Supreme Court made such a ruling.

He said the court should also answer what will happen when a female Muslim lawyer enters the court in her hijab.

He said that he is an ordained pastor and should also be allowed to appear that way in court since the Supreme Court has decided.

Asked whether the ruling is in the best interest of the judiciary, he said that for now, it remains a precedent that must be obeyed unless there is a judicial review.
The Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has expressed worry over the declining number of whistleblowers across the country inspite ...

The Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has expressed worry over the declining number of whistleblowers across the country inspite rewards offered to informants.

Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, Chairman of the Commission, made the assertion on Thursday in Awka at a meeting on strengthening the capacity of stakeholders on whistleblowing policy, organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy, (AFRICMIL).

The programme, which was supported by the MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with Anambra Civil Society Network (ACSONET), had the theme Role of Community-Based Organisations in Entrenching Whistleblowing Policy at the Grassroots^.





Bawa, who was represented by Mr Oshodi Johnson, Enugu Zonal Commander, EFCC, said the whistleblowing policy had helped the agency to recover huge stolen public funds across the country.

He, however, lamented that some challenges were undermining the policys effectiveness in the country.

According to him, ignorance of the legal and administrative frameworks of the policy as well as difficulties and bureaucratic processes for claiming the advertised incentives, are some of the challenges.

It is also not impossible that the few false informants or whistleblowers who were prosecuted for wanting to turn a serious programme to memes, unnerved some other would-be informants.

Whatever the challenges are, it is imperative that there is fresh awakening to sustain the flow of critical intelligence to Nigerian law enforcement agencies,  he said.

Bawa said that the Commission was committed to the success of the whistleblowing policy, saying it was a critical peg of Federal Governments anti-corruption framework.

He promised to partner with AFRICMIL and other community-based groups in strengthening their capacities to identify and quickly report suspected cases of corruption in their communities.

Also speaking, Mr Kennedy Ebhotemen, Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Enugu, said that corruption thrived in secrecy.

He urged the public to speak out by reporting any act of corruption or unethical practices to anti-graft agencies.

In his remarks, Mr Chris Azor, Chairman, ACSONET, urged EFCC and ICPC to establish their offices in Anambra state to aid easy access to Whistle-blowers.

Earlier, Dr Chido Onumah, Coordinator, AFRICMIL, said that whistleblowing policy had proved to be the most direct method of exposing corrupt acts.

Onumah, who was represented by Mr Kolawole Ogunbiyi, Programmes Manger, identified early detection and exposure of mismanagement of public fund, bribery, fraud, theft of public funds and other illicit acts as effective strategy in the fight against corruption.

He said: We all are aware that corruption thrives in multiple forms in our communities, but most visibly in the misappropriation of funds and abandonment of projects that could bring development and meaningfully turn around the lives of the people.

We are both morally and legally bound as citizens not to keep silent about any act of corruption or wrongdoing whenever we see one.
A pregnant woman, Basirat Anifowose, 28; mother-in-law, Rasidat Mufutau 60; and a nine-month-old baby, Abdulramon Afolabi were mysteriously ...





A pregnant woman, Basirat Anifowose, 28; mother-in-law, Rasidat Mufutau 60; and a nine-month-old baby, Abdulramon Afolabi were mysteriously found dead in a hospital at Ofatedo, Osogbo, Osun State.





It was learnt that the four persons slept in the same hospital room and three of them did not wake.





The incident happened on Tuesday in Osogbo.





The mother of the 9-month-old baby, Fatima Afolabi, 30, who also slept in the same room with the deceased only woke up on Tuesday.





Anifowose, a six-month-old pregnant woman, was a mother of three.





It was gathered that the mother-in-law was sick and admitted into the hospital owned and operated by a pastor, Olaniyi Taiwo, 42, of a Cherubim and Seraphim church.





The 60-old-woman was diagnosed and was been treated with diabetes and cough last Thursday while her nursing daughter, Fatima and her pregnant daughter-in-law were taken care of in the hospital.





Taiwo who is a founder of Ona Iwa Mimo, Cherubim and Seraphim behind Olofa Grammar School, Ofatedo, Osogbo also operates the hospital in the same compound.





According to Fatima while speaking with newsmen, the pastor gave them a local black soap to bathe on Monday evening.





He gave us a local black soap to bath my son, my mother who is sick, the brothers wife but ordered me not to use the soap.





I slept on a chair, I noticed my son is not breathing when I woke and quickly call the doctor to check him and he confirmed to me that he is dead, that was when we noticed others, my mother and my brothers wife were dead too, Fatima told this medium.





Also, speaking, Olalekan Anifowose, the husband of a deceased pregnant woman said he had paid N65,000 out of N90,000 requested by the doctor for his mothers treatment.





Anifowose said he left his wife to sleep in the hospital with her mother while he was taking care of her children.





Confirming the incident for the Police, SP Yemisi Opalola said the suspects, Taiwo and his wife, Kemi, 28, have been arrested.





She said the suspects have made some confessions which have helped police in making some other arrests too.





Investigation is ongoing, the suspects have made some confession which is aiding police investigation and making another arrest, she said.
A young lady who reportedly become mentally unstable mysteriously, on Friday stripped herself while barking like a dog in Abeokuta, the Ogun...





A young lady who reportedly become mentally unstable mysteriously, on Friday stripped herself while barking like a dog in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.





There were reports that the yet-to-be-identified lady might have been diabolically used for money rituals by suspected internet fraudsters.





The Ogun State police command confirmed the incident, saying the young lady in question was alleged to have been spiritually and diabolically used by a suspected yahoo boy, as a result of which she started barking like a dog.





The Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, informed that the victim, who was taken to police without any clothes on her, became very difficult to control because she was acting violently, hence she was kept in the cell.





Oyeyemi said police had immediately contacted her parents, saying she was taken to the hospital with the help of the police.





He said the alleged Yahoo boy was immediately arrested for interrogation, adding that the case which attracted a large crowd to the station was later transferred to the State CIID on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole.





However, Oyeyemi said the command was surprised and embarrassed to see the video of the victim circulating on social media.





The height of the embarrassment was the fact that the said video was recorded while the victim, who was then naked and uncontrollable, was in a police cell.





In view of this, the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole has ordered a full-scale investigation to unravel the source of the video and how it became a subject of social media discussion.





It is barbaric, uncivilized and despicable circulating such video on social media as such will in no small measure denigrate the human dignity of the victim which might be another source of psychological trauma for her.





The Command has therefore vowed to deal with whoever found to be the source of the video and those behind its circulation on social media in the most decisive manner notwithstanding the status of the person, Oyeyemi said on Friday.
Five American senators have asked Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, to re-designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (C...

Five American senators have asked Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, to re-designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC).

In December 2020, the US listed Nigeria among countries blacklisted for violating religious freedom under the CPC designation.

However, in November 2021, Nigeria was removed from the list.

In a June 29, 2022 letter, the senators questioned why Nigeria was inexplicably removed despite no demonstrable improvement in the countrys religious freedom conditions.

They cited the attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo state and the lynching of Deborah Samuel, a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, as cases of religious persecutions in Nigeria.

The senators who signed the letter are Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio, Mike Braun, James Inhofe and Tom Cotton.

As you are well aware, horrific acts of deadly violence have been committed against Nigerian Christians in recent weeks, including the massacre of churchgoers on Pentecost Sunday and the stoning of a Christian college student. Sadly, such violence has become all too familiar for Christians in Africas most populous country, the letter reads.

Last year, however, you inexplicably removed Nigerias designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) despite no demonstrable improvement in the countrys religious freedom conditions.

On the contrary, the situation in Nigeria has grown worse. We previously urged you to immediately reverse your misguided decision, and we write today to renew our call.

Recent high-profile acts of violence underscore the intense religious persecution that is regularly experienced by Nigerian Christians.

On Pentecost Sunday, gunmen attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in Nigerias Ondo state, reportedly killing at least 50 churchgoers.

Last month, a violent mob brutally stoned to death Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a student at Shehu Shagari College of Education in northwest Nigeria.

According to reports, some Islamist students were enraged by a blasphemous message Deborah had posted in a WhatsApp group, in which she said that Jesus Christ is the greatest. He helped me pass my exams.

Merely expressing ones Christian faith has apparently become tantamount to a death sentence in many parts of Nigeria. Religious violence and intolerance directed toward Nigerian Christians has worsened in recent years.

One report documented more than 4,650 cases of Nigerian Christians who were killed for their faith in 2021. Accordingly, Nigeria earns the dubious honor  for the second consecutive year  of being the deadliest country on earth for Christians.

Make no mistake: continued enforcement of state-sanctioned blasphemy laws enables the type of deadly violence that killed Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu and so many others.

When we previously wrote you, we were met with a response which failed to answer our questions about why the State Department views Nigeria as not having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom or even severe violations of religious freedom.

Given the abysmal state of religious freedom in Nigeria, it is incumbent upon you to reverse last years decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without delay. We look forward to your swift action on this important matter.
Mohamed Salah ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract with Liverpool on Friday that will reportedly run to 2025.





Mohamed Salah ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract with Liverpool on Friday that will reportedly run to 2025.

The Egyptian, who has scored 156 goals in 254 appearances for the Reds, has entered the final year of his previous contract.

Details later
Leeds United and OGC Nice are battling it out to sign Moses Simon on a permanent deal from Nantes. Simon, according to RMC has agreed on per...





Leeds United and OGC Nice are battling it out to sign Moses Simon on a permanent deal from Nantes.





Simon, according to RMC has agreed on personal terms with Nice and has tabled a 10m offer for the Nigerian international.





Nantes are, however, demanding 15m to sell the winger.





Leeds United are willing to match Nantes valuation, but Simon prefers a move to Nice.





The Premier League club are targeting Simon as a potential replacement for Brazil winger, Raphinha, who is expected to join either Chelsea or Barcelona.





The pacy winger scored six goals and recorded eight assists in 30 league appearances for Nantes last season.





Simon has also been linked with a move to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Thursday, appeared before Uxbridge Magistrates Court in London, facing charges und...

The former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Thursday, appeared before Uxbridge Magistrates Court in London, facing charges under Britains Modern Slavery Act.

The case has been adjourned to July 7 at Westminster Magistrate Court to allow the UK Attorney General, Suella Braverman, determine whether the case will be tried in the country or Nigeria.

According to Channels TV, the case was fast-tracked, adding that the embattled politician was in good shape, dressed in a grey tracksuit, and spoke twice during his appearance to confirm his name and date of birth.

The request of his wife, Beatrice, who had asked the court in her defence to allow her appear by his side because she has not seen him since the last Thursdays hearing was not granted.

The prosecutor claims that David Ukpo, who alleged that he was forced to donate his kidney to the Senators ailing daughter, is 15 years.

According to court, David was allegedly picked off the street in Lagos by a criminal gang some months ago with the plan of harvesting his organ.

Ekweremadu was remanded in custody as the court claimed that he is an influential person, a flight risk and the case involves a child and modern slavery.

The news of Ekweremadus arrest broke out last Thursday over an allegation of trying to harvest an organ of a minor to save their daughters life.

A large delegation from the Nigeria High Commission was also present in the public gallery alongside the Senators two adult children.

The Senate steps in

Meanwhile, the Senate, Wednesday, had said it was sending a delegation to visit Ekweremadu and his wife.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan said this after a closed-door session of the lawmakers in Abuja.

He had explained that members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs will be traveling to the UK soon.

There will be a delegation to London to see Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife. A delegation from the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate will leave in the next two days for London for that purpose, Lawan said.

I want to urge all federal government institutions that can do anything to ensure that justice prevails in this case, that they do so.

He also said the Nigerian High Commission has engaged the services of lawyers in the UK to defend Senator Ekweremadu.

I had a personal engagement with our Nigerian High Commissioner to Britain, Alhaji Isola Sarafa, who has done so well to establish contact with our colleague, who has been able to get his team to be in the court at Uxbridge where Ekweremadu was taken to, Lawan added

The high Commission has also been able to provide some consular services that include the engagement of some lawyers who will defend our colleague.

We commend them for giving attention to the issue at stake. Equally, the Nigeria Foreign Affairs Minister has been engaged here, so that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes steps to provide diplomatic support for our colleague.

Because this issue is already in court, we have limited opportunity to discuss beyond what we have done so far.

But I want to ensure the family of our colleague, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and Nigerians, that the Senate will continue to engage with our ministry of foreign affairs as well as our high commission in London.

The High Commission has done so much but we still expect that it will continue to provide any other further consular services.
Washington, July 1 (UNI) In a landmark ruling the US Supreme Court restricted some of the powers of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, BBC reported on Friday.

This ruling represents a major setback to President Joe Biden's climate plans, who termed it a "devastating decision" but said it would not undermine his effort to tackle the climate crisis.

The case against the EPA was brought by West Virginia on behalf of 18 other mostly Republican-led states and some of the nation's largest coal companies, who argued that the agency did not have the authority to limit emissions across entire states, worried their power sectors would be forced to move away from using coal, at a severe economic cost.

In a 6-3 ruling, the court sided with the conservative states and fossil-fuel companies, agreeing that the EPA did not have the authority to impose such sweeping measures.

The court hasn't completely prevented the EPA from making these regulations in the future - but says that Congress would have to clearly say it authorises this power. And Congress has previously rejected the EPA's proposed carbon limiting programmes.

Environmental groups will be deeply concerned by the outcome as historically the 19 states that brought the case have made little progress on reducing their emissions - which is necessary to limit climate change.

The states made up 44 per cent of the US emissions in 2018, and since 2000 have only achieved a 7 per cent reduction in their emissions on average.

UNI ACL
The death toll from Russias overnight strikes in the Odesa region has risen to 20, Ukraines emergency services have said. At least 16 peop...





The death toll from Russias overnight strikes in the Odesa region has risen to 20, Ukraines emergency services have said.





At least 16 people were killed in a residential building, and four more, including one child, were killed in another strike at a recreation centre.





A third strike landed in a field, authorities said. A rescue operation is ongoing and 38 people were injured in the strikes.





Previous updates from Ukrainian authorities suggested two children had been killed.





We dont expect to find anyone alive, but there is a chance, first deputy interior minister Yevhenii Yenin said earlier on Friday, speaking from the scene of the attacks.
Wike in red T-shirt, with Gov. Ikpeazu, left and another associate Governor Nyesom Wike, now holidaying in Turkey has shrugged off reports...

Wike in red T-shirt, with Gov. Ikpeazu, left and another associate

Governor Nyesom Wike, now holidaying in Turkey has shrugged off reports that he met in France with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.

In a post on Thursday night, the controversial governor simply wrote: Relaxing and enjoying a fine evening.

He posted two photographs, one of which showed him with his holidaying pal, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state.

An APC stalwart in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe had claimed a meeting took place, only for him to delete the post, when challenged by netizens to produce a pictorial proof.

There has been no official reaction by both the Tinubu and Wike camps, as the report went viral on Thursday.

The unconfirmed report came as Wike was said to be angry with the PDP leaders for overlooking him to pick Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as Abubakar Atikus running mate.

Wike had contested for the presidential ticket, but lost to Atiku.
Tel Aviv, July 1 (UNI) Yair Lapid has taken over as Israel's interim prime minister, succeeding PM Naftali Bennett after just one year, BBC reported on Friday.

Lapid, head of a centrist party, will lead the country as it heads towards elections on 1 November.

Lapid's ascension follows the collapse last week of the coalition which he formed with Bennett. The upcoming elections will be Israel's fifth in less than four years.

Lapid faces a tough challenge from former PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to make a comeback.

Although the new prime minister has previously said he is committed to a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians, he is unlikely to begin any bold new initiatives as an interim leader.

Naftali Bennett handed over power to Lapid on Thursday in accordance with an existing agreement to rotate the premiership. Bennett will occupy the post of alternate prime minister until the November election, which he has said he will not take part in.

Israel has seen a record-setting cycle of elections since April 2019 as parties time and again failed to secure enough seats to form a governing coalition with a majority. The Lapid-Bennett coalition temporarily broke the stalemate.

The 58-year-old Lapid, is a former TV news anchor, who ousted Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving leader, last June.

The outgoing government was the most diverse in Israel's history, comprising eight parties from across the political spectrum - including those with ideologically opposing views. It also contained an independent Arab party for the first time since the state was established in 1948.

UNI ACL
Firefighters and police comb through the wreckage of Pan Am flight 759 July 9, 1982 in Kenner. All on board were killed.
Growing up in Lafourche Parish, state Rep. Joseph Orgerons family made a living supplying every manner of boat needed by Louisianas offshore oil and gas industry to operate in the Gulf of Mexico.

Boats for crews and supplies, tugboats, liftboats, you name it, they had it. And they made a good living at it. At its peak, Montco Offshore, the business Orgerons father started in 1948, employed 250 mariners and around 30 office staff. And his family goes back further in the industry: His grandfather and great uncle created a similar business before that.

But the energy industry has drastically changed since Orgeron got into the family business. Oil and gas producers have moved to deeper waters and substantially improved the productivity of oil rigs through automation, doubling oil production in the country but shrinking the number of workers needed to produce it.

So during his nearly 16 years at Montco, Orgeron began pivoting, using his workers to take oil platforms and other old infrastructure no longer in use in the Gulf and bring them to scrapyards to be turned into scrap metal.

Still, he knew this was only a temporary solution.

I realized, look, this can only last for so long, Orgeron told Gambit. We gotta find something else to do with these vessels.

Around this time, he started receiving calls from people from companies who were planning offshore wind projects on the East Coast and were interested in using his liftboats.

Very, very early on, before U.S. offshore wind was even a thing, I was kind of getting calls about people interested in my Gulf of Mexico boats up there, Orgeron says.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Orgeron decided to take a chance on the wind industry, and in the last decade, he and his workers have become key players in this growing sector of the U.S., and global, energy market. Teams of his workers have traveled up and down the East Coast to install platforms the wind turbines sit on, the wind towers and the blades themselves. Theyve also worked on wind farm projects in Europe.

Now, energy companies are poised to set up wind farms in Louisiana. With the states oil and gas background, its workforce and equipment in the Gulf of Mexico give it the potential to become an offshore wind energy hub.

And the New Orleans area could be a key player in that picture, with universities and community colleges training a new workforce of engineers and other experts. The New Orleans City Council has already begun taking steps to transition to alternative energy sources like wind.

This all comes at a critical moment in the states  and energy sectors  history. Jobs in the oil industry are expected to continue disappearing, leaving tens of thousands of workers onshore and off without work.

I see Louisiana as the heart of the Green New Deal in every sense, says Megan Milliken Biven, who previously worked for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM), the federal agency that regulates offshore energy.

But environmental experts and business leaders say we need to transition to wind and other forms of renewable energy quickly to reap the most benefits of our existing infrastructure and to save thousands of miles of our coast and much of the southern part of the state, including New Orleans.

The way Bob Marshall, New Orleans environmental journalist and Times-Picayune contributor, puts it, We have the most to lose if the world doesn't win this battle.

Louisiana's most recent state climate plan, released in February 2022, sets a goal of generating 5 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2035, which could power millions of homes. The goal is part of a larger recommendation to reduce greenhouse gases and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Over the last few years, city, state and federal governments have been taking some behind-the-scenes actions to position Louisiana as a potential leader in offshore wind development. But itll take some time to get the industry up and running.

It's a multi-year effort to do all of this legwork before you ever get an environmental document out the door, Biven says. First, you have to be like, OK, is everyone appeased?

In October 2020, Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter to the Department of Interior letting them know Louisiana is interested in leasing federal waters for offshore wind. This created a task force with state and federal representatives to identify potential places for wind farms.

In the coming months, BOEM will propose areas in the Gulf they will let offshore developers lease for wind farms. If everything goes smoothly, companies could be able to bid on leases as soon as early 2023.

Based on the experience of eastern offshore wind farms, Josh Kaplowitz, the vice president of offshore wind at the D.C.-based American Clean Power Association, says companies who get those initial leases will spend around two years developing a construction and operation plan. Then, the federal government will spend around two more years deciding whether to approve it.

Thats when the next phase of work will begin. The initial buildout of offshore infrastructure will take a year or two, Kaplowitz says, and the wind farms could start operation by 2029 or 2030.

Meanwhile, New Orleans city and business leaders like GNO, Inc. are trying to prepare the region for the coming of wind energy and encourage its development.

Last year, the City Council passed legislation requiring Entergy New Orleans to transition to renewable and clean energy and shift away from its heavy reliance on oil and gas. The city is requiring 100% net zero carbon emissions by 2040, which leaders hope will help usher in a workforce for the wind industry.

It's telling Entergy you have to produce renewable energy for this area, Biven says. It can't be something else  It's like, sorry, this is the only thing we purchase.

Andrew Tuozzolo, City Council President Helena Morenos chief of staff, says it signals to local existing companies and potential newcomers that theres a market for wind energy in Louisiana.

New Orleans could be Americas clean power leader, he says. What the [standard] does is create an intrinsic demand for clean power. That policy alone makes the New Orleans region an attractive place to do renewable development.

Louisiana has a lot going for it when it comes to offshore wind energy. A 2020 BOEM report named it as one of the top states with the greatest offshore wind potential based on its wind speeds, shallow waters, existing technology and cost competitiveness.

Besides sheer wind strength, the state already has a working coast, an oil and gas workforce that knows how to build similar types of equipment and existing fabrication plants needed to build that equipment.

An available workforce is crucial because building wind farms is a massive undertaking. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a single offshore wind project in the Gulf of Mexico could potentially provide 4,470 construction jobs and 150 full-time operations jobs.

[Louisiana] has expertise and knowledge and improvising in a new frontier, Biven says. It's been doing it for decades.

A handful of Louisiana companies already played a major role in designing and putting together a five-turbine offshore wind farm in the waters of Rhode Island, one of the U.S.s first offshore farms. The Block Island Wind Farm began fully operating in state waters in 2016, proving Louisianas existing workforce could reasonably pivot to the wind industry.

If you can put together an oil rig, you can definitely build a wind turbine, says state Rep. Jerome Zeringue, a Republican who represents Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.

Orgerons workers were trained to do just that by the Global Wind Organization before they began working on a wind project in Europe.

They basically do training very, very similar to what every Louisianan oil and gas oilfield worker has to take, just a little bit slightly different type of training, he says. But 90% of the coursework, of the certification is stuff that they've done already.

Originally, Orgeron apologized to his workers for making them take the training because he was worried it would be repetitive, but he says they returned thankful for having done it.

They said, 'No need to apologize. The way that this GWO training was done was expert.' They appreciated us buying that training, he says. They promised that, 'Hey, I'm going to keep this up to date and renewed and stuff like this because I want to be ready for this energy transition and be prepared to work.'

Now, Orgeron is already taking that experience and putting it to use in the new wind industry with he and his brothers latest company, 2nd Wind Marine. They started the business in 2019 specifically to design and build custom vessels large enough to install offshore wind turbines, after realizing even the countrys biggest liftboats wouldnt cut it.

Additionally, Louisiana has universities and community and technical colleges with maritime programs focused on offshore oil and gas that could have dedicated offshore wind programs to train the next generation of wind farm engineers.

The University of New Orleans has one of the only naval architecture and marine engineering programs in the country. Its one of only a handful of universities in the country to have its own towing tank, which can test scale models of offshore structures and ships.

But, Biven says, politicians and universities need to take action if they want to seize this opportunity. She says the state could provide training through the Louisiana Workforce Commission and seek federal money from the Department of Energy and Maritime Administration to update existing facilities and sponsor professorships at these universities.

I think we already have a head start, Biven says. It's just a matter of making sure that the adults are in charge, the people who are really dedicated and committed to the people of Louisiana, not just to their pocketbooks.

Though offshore wind is likely to have a huge effect on Louisianas economy  and will help reduce the worlds collective carbon footprint  its nowhere near the most discussed subject in the state legislature.

Orgeron, a first-term Republican who represents parts of Jefferson and Lafourche parishes, and Zeringue, also the former head of the states Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, are some of the few legislators bringing forth legislation to create policies for offshore wind.

Both presented a bill this session to allow offshore wind leasing in state waters, or up to three miles off the shore. The bill extends limits on oil and gas leases to up to 25,000 acres to give more room for large wind turbines. This will also give the state room for pilot projects in state waters while leasing in federal waters gets off the ground. The governor signed the bill, which also gives the state a share of profits generated by wind farms, into law June 21.

Some wind proponents argue the provision giving the state part of wind revenue will create a financial hurdle before the industry gets off the ground, but Zeringue says no wind developers he spoke with had a problem with the bill.

Even though the legislature easily passed offshore wind bills this session, it is still dominated by Republicans who insist on letting the market dictate the energy transition  though their party has given the oil and gas industry billions in tax breaks and exemptions.

I think the government stepping in and forcing the shutting down of certain industries in order to prop up others is a shaky foundation to build a business model on, Orgeron says. So I'd rather see our transition be market-driven and there being a profit benefit for corporations who want to invest and get into offshore renewables in Louisiana.

Orgeron says when his vessels were helping kick off offshore wind on the East Coast, his contracts with the state of Maryland required him to buy groceries, fuel and other supplies within the state of Maryland.

Trust me, being a vendor working on a project, even though I was pro-offshore wind development, it was counterproductive to be forced to have to source from one particular state, he says. Sometimes that state doesn't have the infrastructure to be able to get you the supplies you need.

But Marshall and Biven point out that government policy dictates the market and what types of energy are profitable in the first place.

If you let the market decide, if you tell people they don't have to change, they're not going to change, Marshall says. It takes political support to do the incentives that we still give out to these polluting petrochemical industries.

Biven says a statewide commitment to purchasing a certain amount of renewable energy, like New Orleans has, would show offshore wind companies that investing in Louisiana will be profitable. The state would be far from the first to do this. Thirty states, including Texas, and Washington D.C. have already done so.

Though the offshore wind targets set in the state climate plan are a step toward establishing a market for wind energy, they dont create as much certainty for investors because theyre not legally binding.

We're seeing that the industry is twitchy, that it doesn't want to invest in these resources because the government is taking so long with these processes, Biven says.

Logan Atkinson Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy in New Orleans, agrees the state should follow New Orleans lead and legally commit to buying wind energy.

The companies that have traditionally used their expertise in extracting and selling fossil fuels are saying, We can do this, too. But they need that signal [from politicians], she says. The city has sent the signal this is something we want and need, but we are an island, and it will depend on decision makers in Louisiana and Mississippi to move the action forward, as well for us to be able to access the renewables we need  unless they are right here in Orleans Parish.

Marshall points to other countries, including in Europe and Asia, who are already establishing competitive markets for renewable energy.

If you wait for the market to develop (in Louisiana) ... it'll just happen very slowly and maybe not at all here, he says.

Environmental experts, legislators and industry professionals alike acknowledge the oil and gas industry will still exist for decades even as wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy grow in Louisiana. But to what extent and for how long remains to be seen.

Anyone who is honest about studying climate issues knows that we can't turn overnight  or even 10 or 15 or 20 years immediately to clean energy, Marshall says. We will need oil and gas ... but it will be a declining amount. How fast it declines depends on how serious nations become on reducing emissions.

Biven believes the state should end all existing tax credits for oil and gas, citing their current record production as proof theyre unnecessary. That's a subsidy that's actually disincentivizing wind, she says.

She also says the state should be suing the federal government for allowing the oil and gas industry to leave 18,000 miles of pipelines no longer in use off Louisianas coast because the pipelines could get in the way of wind farm construction as well as coastal restoration. There are also more than a million abandoned oil wells in the state that need to be replugged or monitored.

I see a federal agency and workforce of oil and gas workers that can do that work forever, Biven says.

For Louisiana to become an offshore wind hub will require investments in shipyards and fabrication yards. The state could work with the federal Department of Energy and Department of Commerce to get grants for these updates.

Biven also points to the Avondale shipyard in Jefferson Parish, saying if it were state-owned, the state could use federal dollars to turn it into a center for dredge building and offshore wind.

If we don't prepare our people, [offshore wind companies] are gonna hire someone else. If we don't prepare our facilities, they're gonna use other facilities. If we don't prepare our educational institutions, they'll use other educational institutions, she says. If we want to be a player, then we have to play.

As climate change rapidly accelerates, the clock is ticking to get these projects underway.

Looking at a 2029 to 2030 timeline before the state gets its first wind farms in federal waters, Burke worries policymakers are dragging their feet on reducing carbon emissions and not taking advantage of the states robust wind resources. We're definitely not acting quickly enough, she says.

Complicating matters further is the 2023 governors election. Edwards, who is term-limited, has clearly expressed support for the renewable energy sector, as evidenced by his administration developing the Deep Souths first state climate plan. But whoever replaces him could ignore the goals set for reducing emissions and transitioning to cleaner energy sources.

Whether any kind of initiative or any kind of progress and energy that that whole process built up, whether that'll keep going or not depends on who the next governor is because it's all about policy, Marshall says.

Edwards deputy director of the Office of Coastal Activities Harry Vorhoff points out the governors climate action plan includes input from oil industry leaders and environmental experts alike. But that doesnt necessarily mean itll outlast the governors tenure.

Were trying to build consensus, so the next governor hears from a range of constituents who can say, We need to stay on this path in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, Vorhoff says.

Burke says transitioning to clean energy quickly couldnt be more crucial.

Every year that we dont take this action, the more of our state will be uninhabitable and the more dangerous our future looks, she says. From a climate perspective, we have to move as urgently as possible.

Biven agrees and, in fact, says she sees her hometown as a test case for how the rest of the world will fare with climate change.

If New Orleans falls, we all fall, Biven says. If New Orleans cannot pivot and protect itself, if it cannot pivot [from] reliance on an extractive energy industry that has sunken it into the sea  then we are all doomed.
Marie Fazio writes for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate as a Report For America corps member. Email her at MFazio@theadvocate.com or follow her on Twitter @mariecfazio.

To learn more about Report for America and to support our journalism, please click here.
A woman was killed and three other people were injured in overnight shootings in New Orleans, police said.

The homicide was reported to police at 1:19 a.m. Friday in the 4900 block of Oled Drive (map) in the Village de L'Est area of the city. The 47-year-old woman had been shot, authorities said, and died at the scene.

Her name was not released.

Kimberly Franklin, 24, was arrested in connection with the killing and expected to face a count of second-degree murder, police said. Franklin surrendered herself to authorities after the killing, police said, but they didn't release a possible motive.

Related: See homicide numbers so far this year

Earlier in the evening, three people were injured in shootings in Bywater and Algiers.

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A woman was shot in the 4500 block of North Rampart Street (map) around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where her condition was not immediately available.

A double shooting in Algiers was reported to police around 8 p.m. Two men were shot at the intersection of Behrman Avenue and Lawrence Street (map), police said. They were taken to a hospital, and their conditions were not immediately available.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.
Mexican-Chinese couple Beatriz Ortega, left, and Ivan Liu with their children at their home on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Rosemead, Calif.


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Nothing CEO Carl Pei has confirmed that the Phone (1) will rely on the Snapdragon 778G+, a chipset that Qualcomm has since replaced with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. Electing to defend the decision as 'the most balanced choice', Pei continues to tease the Nothing Phone (1) on social media. Meanwhile, renders of a second colour option have surfaced online, courtesy of the likes of Roland Quandt.

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The launch of the Nothing Phone (1) may still be two weeks away, but information continues to appear online about the upcoming smartphone. Until now, Nothing has teased the Phone (1) in a white finish with a translucent back panel. However, the likes of Roland Quandt have obtained an official image of the Nothing Phone (1) in black, embedded above. Previously noticed in teaser videos, it is unclear whether this second colour option will be available at launch.

Quandt believes as much though, with the leaker reporting that both colour options have already been used in retail listings. Unsurprisingly, the black colour option swaps the white elements of the smartphone's back panel for black, with the various LEDs remaining unchanged. Arguably, these LEDs stand out more against a dark background when switched off than they do on the already confirmed white model. Separately, Carl Pei has confirmed that the Snapdragon 778G+ will power the Nothing Phone (1), suggested last week by a rogue Geekbench listing.
A big opioid settlement and a COVID-19 vaccine slowdown dragged on third-quarter earnings for Walgreens, but the drugstore chain still topped expectations.

Net income slid to $289 million in the quarter that ended May 31, the company said Thursday. That's down from about $1.2 billion the previous year.

Walgreens booked a $683 million charge from a settlement announced last month with the state of Florida to resolve claims tied to dispensing prescription opioids.

Its U.S. pharmacies also slowed compared with last year, when a COVID-19 vaccination push was bringing more people to its stores. Walgreens administered 4.7 million COVID-19 vaccinations in the quarter, compared with more than 17 million last year.

The quarter shows how much Walgreens' performance has relied on demand for vaccines and COVID-19 testing, which brought more customers into the chain's stores and led to other product purchases, GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders said in an email.

"Now that vaccination and testing rates are falling, Walgreens' performance is deteriorating." Saunders wrote.

The company also saw a decline in its AllianceRx Walgreens business, which is a specialty and home delivery pharmacy for patients with rare, chronic and complex conditions.

Walgreens posted adjusted earnings of 96 cents per share in the quarter. Total revenue slipped 4% to $32.6 billion.

Analysts expected, on average, earnings of 84 cents per share on $32.06 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., based in Deerfield, Illinois, has a network of more than 13,000 stores. That includes nearly 9,000 locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands as well as nearly 2,300 Boots locations in the United Kingdom and some in Ireland and Thailand as well.

The company announced on Tuesday that it had decided to keep its Boots business, which it acquired several years ago in a push to gain global clout.

Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer told analysts in January that the company would explore strategic options for that business so it could focus more on U.S. health care.

Brewer said then that Walgreens was creating an entity "that does much more than just dispense pharmaceuticals."

The company announced the creation of a Walgreens Health business segment last fall. It has been adding primary clinics to some of its stores and pushing more into the delivering of care and helping people stay healthy, like rival CVS Health Corp. and major U.S. health insurers.

Selling the Boots business would have given Walgreens more financial flexibility and allowed its leaders to focus on these newer initiatives, Edward Jones analyst John Boylan said in an email.

He added that keeping the Boots business "could modestly complicate the process."

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Nominations of young professionals are being accepted for this year's 20 Under 40 awards program.

The Times of Northwest Indiana and In Business magazine will accept nominations at nwi.com/20under40 through July 27.

This annual awards program was created to identify and honor 20 individuals under the age of 40 who have shown outstanding leadership and have become key players in the growth and development of Northwest Indiana. Nominees should meet at least one of the following criteria:

Demonstrated leadership and/or success in their field of interest or occupation.

Contributed to their field of interest, occupation or community through innovation.

Shown a personal commitment to community service.

Supported educational programs and/or institutions.

Anyone nominating a potential awardee should be prepared to provide the nominee's name, business or employer, telephone number and email address. Nominators are also asked to provide a statement providing the reason the nominee warrants selection.

The online nominating form also asks for the submitters name, email address and phone number.

The 20 Under 40 awardees will be featured in an issue of In Business magazine and will be invited to a reception and dinner in their honor later this year.

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Strack & Van Til is asking customers to "round up" for The Salvation Army over the next few weeks, including during the Fourth of July holiday that's typically one of the busiest grocery shopping periods of the year.

The Highland-based grocery store chain will ask customers through July 10 to round up to the nearest dollar to contribute to The Salvation Army of Lake and Porter Counties. The money will help people who need assistance to feed their families, pay the rent or cover utilities bills.

The fabulous customers of Strack & Van Til raised over $26,000 in just two weeks to support the good work of The Salvation Army during last years Checkout Challenge, said Captain Brian Clark, Lake County Coordinator for The Salvation Army. This year our goal is to raise $30,000  all of the funds staying in your community to help individuals and families experiencing emergency needs."

The Salvation Army uses the money to provide various services, such as emergency food assistance, senior programs, activities for children and youth and help with bills. The Salvation Army's East Chicago Community Center, for instance, provides lunch and food pantry services to the community, serving the homeless and other people in need.

People can chip in at the 22 Strack & Van Til Food Markets in Lake, Porter and Jasper Counties in Northwest Indiana. Cashiers will ask customers at checkout if they want to round up their bill to help out with the cause.

For more information, visit www.SalArmyLakeCounty.org or www.SAPorterCounty.org.

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VALPARAISO  After 12 years on the Valparaiso Community Schools board of trustees, Karl Cender stepped down after his final meeting in June.

Cender was first appointed to the board in July 2010 and was reappointed in 2014 and 2018. He was named board secretary in 2019, board vice president in 2020 and board president in 2021.

During his time on the board, Cender often provided experience in finances, including more than 35 years in providing public sector municipal and financial advisory services.

In addition to serving VCS, Cender is a trustee of Calumet College of St. Joseph and treasurer of New Business Creation Advocates Inc., a center for homeless and displaced men.

When Cender was first appointed to the school board, he said, VCS was not in the most stable financial situation. He recalled long meetings where they had to sort out cuts to personnel and other difficult matters.

It was like coming in with baptism with fire, Cender said.

Later, it became clear that in order to rebuild VCS and get programs they desired, additional funding through referendum was needed. Cender said former superintendent Ric Frattacia had a good vision for the school district where there would be a new commitment to facilities and operations.

The board caught on with excitement to his vision for what both the capital and operating referendum could do for the schools, Cender said.

Cender said he was proud of the fact that both referendums in 2015 won by a significant margin, as schools cannot run without community support.

The facilities referendum led to significant improvements across every school, as well as the opening of a new elementary school.

It is just amazing what we were able to do. Its paying dividends for our kids, Cender said.

In 2022, VCS asked the community to renew its operating referendum to continue supporting teachers and administrators and Cender was thankful the community embraced the schools again.

Cender said he had many memories that he is grateful for throughout his time on the board. He highlighted the hiring of superintendents, including the current superintendent, Jim McCall. He said that he anticipates McCall will be around for a long time and lead to the success of the district.

He also highlighted VCSs strength through the pandemic and even though not everybody agreed, he was glad to see how passionate everybody was about what the board was doing.

While he is not planning to attend board meetings, he said he will keep an eye on whats happening in the future and will keep in touch if anybody needs his help. He said he is not leaving the community.

I have learned a lot over this time, Cender said. Serving on the board can be challenging and not everybody sees things how we do. We tried to make it possible that we could hear out all concerns and make the best decision, we felt, for the schools and our kids.

Cender has been replaced by Jon Costas, the former mayor of Valparaiso, whose term beings in July.

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Todays column is the second in a series on Lily Mae Pagan, a baby girl who lived only 46 days, and how her grieving teenage parents are turning this tragedy into a triumph.

Lily Mae Pagan arrived by ambulance to Peyton Manning Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis, where a specialized medical team greeted the newborn girl.

They were waiting for us, said Lilys paternal grandmother, Stacey Pagan, who rode in the back of the ambulance from a Hobart hospital.

The babys teenage parents, Thomas Pagan and Alexandrya Cox, arrived soon after with Thomas father, Eluides Pagan. Lilys family didnt expect to make the trip to Indianapolis. Just two days earlier, the infant was settling into her new home.

We left our homes for Indy with nothing. No extra clothes or other necessities, nothing at all. We rushed there to be with Lily, Thomas recalled.

We didnt know how serious things were, said Alex, whos been Thomas girlfriend since eighth grade.

Just days after Lily was born on Sept. 18, she began revealing serious health problems. Her concerned parents took her to a local hospital, where doctors determined that specialized care at a childrens hospital was needed.

We are so thankful that the Peyton Manning hospital accepted Lily, Thomas said. Other childrens hospitals were on bypass.

Once Lily was admitted, only two visitors could stay with her due to hospital policy. Thomas and Alex, just 16 at the time, were allowed to make this decision. They chose themselves, not Thomas parents or Alexs grandmother guardian, who also drove down to Indy.

If the kids did not understand any questions or issues, they could call us, Stacey Pagan said.

The kids were very mature throughout the ordeal, Eluides Pagan said.

We practically lived on sausage and biscuits while staying with Lily at the hospital, Thomas joked.

His parents slept in their car in the hospital parking lot on the first night. His mother then stayed in a nearby hotel for the next week, returning to the parking lot every day to be nearby. She was not permitted in the hospital due to pandemic precautions.

Thomas and Alex were not seen as two 16-year-old kids, but as Lilys parents, she said.

After a few days of medical tests and consultations, doctors told the family that a tumor was detected at the base of Lilys brain stem. She was just 9 days old. Four days later, they learned the tumor was inoperable. Her prognosis for survival was minuscule, Thomas said.

Her short life would be terrible because of multiple brain surgeries and the damage done to her body, he explained. One of the doctors said she did not want our last moments with Lily to be before a surgical operation that may not be successful, if she died on the table.

Stacey Pagan said, The doctors told us there was nothing they can do.

Eluides Pagan added, One doctor told us through tears that if this was her child, this would be the decision she would make.

Thomas said, So we decided to go with what the doctors agreed on  hospice care.

Alex began quietly sobbing as Thomas recalled their story.

They originally wanted Lily at a hospice home in South Bend, Stacey Pagan said. We refused.

Lily was taken to Alexs home in Lake Station to spend the rest of her life with her new parents and Alexs grandparents, Amy and Greg Cox. The family connected with Unity Hospice of Northwest Indiana for in-home visits. Thomas also stayed at the home, sleeping on an air mattress.

We had no idea how long she would be with us, Thomas said. We knew we just had to love Lily as much as we could.

Lily came home with oxygen and feeding tubes. Her parents took turns every three hours to start the 90-minute feeding process. Lily was a quiet baby, rarely crying, though she squeaked a lot, earning her the nickname Little Squeaker. Visiting family members filled the house most days to hold Lily or to say goodbye.

For lack of a better term, it became a death watch, Eluides Pagan said.

Everyone had a chance to spend intimate hours with Lily, lavishing her with hugs, kisses, and love.

It was one of the worst, and best, moments of my life, Eluides Pagan said.

Lilys parents administered morphine doses during the last week of her life. And they taught us how to do it if necessary, Stacey Pagan said.

On Nov. 2, 2021, Thomas got a call while attending school, just as he did when he first learned he would be a father. And when he learned his child would be a girl. This call was not as joyful.

Come home now, he was told.

Thomas was pulled out of class to be with Lily for her final hours.

We honestly thought she was going to die that night, but she stayed with us, Thomas said.

The next day, Lilys breathing became more shallow. More hugs. More kisses. More goodbyes. Around noon, the familys pastor, Sam Jeske, of Our Shepard Lutheran Church in Crown Point, led Lilys family in a prayer as the sun peeked through a window.

Moments after saying amen together, Thomas placed his hand on Lilys tiny chest.

Lily took one final deep breath, exhaled, and that was it, Eluides Pagan said.

Lily Mae Pagan died at 12:03 p.m. in the arms of her parents, and surrounded by loved ones. She was 46 days old.

Her obituary states, She truly was a little angel on earth who has now returned to heaven.

My next column in this three-part series will share how Lilys teen parents turned this devastating tragedy into a declaration of triumph. And how you can help Lily's enduring legacy.

We knew we had to make this tragic situation into something positive, Thomas said. And we did.

Contact Jerry at Jerry.Davich@nwi.com or 219-853-2563. Find him on Facebook at @JerDavich.

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HAMMOND  Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. has prevailed in a legal battle with the county commissioners over the sheriff's authority to independently contract for goods and services relating to the county jail.

The ruling by Lake Superior Judge Stephen Scheele specifically clears the way for Martinez to proceed with a disputed agreement for Correctional Health Indiana Inc. (CHI) to continue providing medical care to inmates at the Lake County Jail.

"The board of commissioners and auditor are directed to process and approve and pay or satisfy purchase orders and/or invoices submitted by the sheriff attendant to the second CHI 2022 contract," the judge ruled.

Martinez said in response: "It is evident from reading the order that Judge Scheele had a very good understanding of the factual and legal issues involved in this matter and agreed with our position that the sheriff of Lake County has full legal authority to enter into contracts to provide medical and other care for inmates in the Lake County Jail."

Attorney Andrew Miroff, representing Martinez, argued a month ago that a state law directing the sheriff to "take care" of jail inmates in his custody gives Martinez express authority to do whatever is required to fulfill that duty.

Scheele agreed.

"The Lake County sheriff, and not the Lake County Board of Commissioners, has the authority to enter into contracts to take care of the Lake County Jail and the prisoners there," the judge said.

Miroff also claimed the money needed to pay the CHI contact was authorized last year by both the Lake County Council and the county commissioners in the annual county budget, giving the sheriff the means to reach an appropriate agreement without having to obtain additional approval from the commissioners.

"Somebody must act, and the duty to act is on the sheriff," Miroff said.

Commissioners attorney Mike Limrick countered that if the General Assembly wanted the sheriff to have independent contracting authority it would have used more explicit language than the "take care" clause.

Limrick also pointed out a budget line item is not a requirement for that money to be spent. He said the contracting process is intended to get county taxpayers the best possible goods or services for their money, and allowing a sheriff to sign contracts with no public review or oversight is an open invitation for corruption.

The commissioners filed paperwork Friday seeking to delay implementation of the court's ruling.

They're also expected to seek review of the decision by the Indiana Court of Appeals, or may ask the General Assembly to clarify the statute in its upcoming special session.

"I'm a little bit taken aback by the decision," said Commissioner Mike Repay, D-Hammond. "Now it becomes a point of interest for the other commissioners and sheriffs in the rest of the state."

Records show the commissioners in December declined to approve the sheriff's proposed contract with CHI for 2022 inmate medical services at a cost of $6.1 million, a 5% increase compared to 2021, and 20% more than 2020.

According to court records, Martinez signed the 2022 contract with CHI anyway. But Lake County Auditor John Petalas declined to pay CHI under the sheriffs contract because it wasnt approved by the commissioners.

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Bob Kasarda Porter/LaPorte County Courts and Social Justice Reporter Bob is a 23-year veteran of The Times. He covers county government and courts in Porter County, federal courts, police news and regional issues. He also created the Vegan in the Region blog, is an Indiana University grad and lifelong region resident. Follow Bob Kasarda Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
Miles Teller's grandma has launched campaign for him to be the next James Bond.

The 'Whiplash' star's relative Leona Flowers - who goes by the nickname Mup - is convinced her grandson is the perfect replacement for Daniel Craig who stepped down from the role of 007 after the release of his final film 'No Time To Die' - so she's taken to Twitter to get her message across.

In a post on the social media site, Leona insisted Miles is the right man for the job, writing: "Theyre looking for an actor to replace Daniel Craig for future 007 movies.

"I think my grandson, Miles Teller, has proven that he has everything theyre looking for - talent, looks, strength, worldwide appeal oh, so cool. He can be that guy!! Wouldnt he be great?"

Many of her followers agreed with her, but some pointed out that Bond has historically been played by British actors while Miles is American.

However, Leona is adamant her 35-year-old grandson is great with accents and could easily convince moviegoers he's a Brit.

She added: "He could make you think he was (British) ... And lots of Europeans have played Americans. He studied acting which includes accents. Hed be great."

It comes after James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli insisted they haven't got anyone in mind for the role yet as they are still deciding what to do with 007.

She told Deadline.com: Nobodys in the running. Were working out where to go with him, were talking that through. There isnt a script and we cant come up with one until we decide how were going to approach the next film because, really, its a reinvention of Bond. Were reinventing who he is and that takes time. Id say that filming is at least two years away.
CROWN POINT  A judge sentenced a Chicago man Thursday to 73 years in prison for fatally shooting his friend while they argued during a car ride in 2020, robbing an elderly woman of her vehicle and leading police on a high-speed chase to Chicago.

Larry Boston, 21, was convicted by a Lake Criminal Court jury in May of murder, armed robbery and auto theft. He subsequently admitted to a firearm enhancement.

Judge Salvador Vasquez refused defense attorney John Cantrell's suggestion that Boston should be shown some leniency for admitting during his testimony at trial that he carjacked a woman and led police on a pursuit.

Boston, who had a juvenile adjudication for battery in summer 2019, shot 20-year-old Charles Golden in the face July 8, 2020, and committed a series of other crimes in his effort to get away, the judge said.

Golden's grandmother, Vanessa Gordon, said he was a charismatic, intelligent and respectful man who loved his child with all his heart.

Gordon raised Golden, who often talked about wanting to be a great man, she said.

"I guess I will never, never, never have peace, because I'll never forgive you," she told Boston. "You killed my baby for nothing."

Gordon said Golden called Boston his brother, fed Boston steaks and invited Boston to spend time with his family. They often argued, but Golden never would have hurt Boston, she said.

Golden's mother, Danielle Wicks, said she would not let her heart be hardened by her son's murder.

Golden left behind a young daughter, whom she referred to an an angel.

"Let me keep my head up and still love people," Wicks said, as if she were praying.

Boston declined to make a statement.

Cantrell said Boston was still young  just 19 years old  when the shooting occurred and still maintains he acted in self-defense.

He recommended a minimum sentence of 53 years.

Boston testified at trial he fired his gun when he saw Golden reach for a gun on the center console of a Nissan Altima driven by a third man in the area of 47th Avenue and Adams Street in Gary.

Golden, who was in the front passenger seat, was shot in the forehead. Boston and the driver each jumped from the moving car.

Police found two guns after the shooting: Boston's gun, which he threw from a carjacked vehicle during a police pursuit, and the driver's gun, which was discovered in the driver's underwear when he was patted down by a Gary officer.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Keith Anderson said Boston lied to the jury when he testified he saw a gun on the Nissan's center console. Photos showed the console was mostly covered in blood spatter.

Boston showed no remorse during a presentence investigation, when he told a probation officer he felt bad because the judicial system didn't work in his favor, Anderson said.

The jury also listened to Boston's phone calls in the jail, which showed he began fashioning a self-defense claim after his arrest, Anderson said.

"This family took him in, and he shot his friend. Over what?" he asked.

One of Golden's family members said, "Nothing."

The deputy prosecutor said, "An argument over who got their hair cut first."

Anderson recommended a total sentence of 75 years.

Vasquez said he found Boston to be manipulative, violent and deceitful.

He sentenced Boston to consecutive sentences of 57 years for murder, 11 years for armed robbery and five years for the firearm enhancement. The judge also granted Boston's request to appoint an appellate public defender.

After Vasquez pronounced Boston's sentence, Boston turned and smirked at Golden's family.

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MERRILLVILLE  For Ron McColly, theres no time like now for local development.

Speaking at the groundbreaking Thursday for the 180-acre Liberty Estates project, McColly, the president of McColly Real Estate, cited two reasons for being optimistic.

Liberty Estates has a beautiful future, McColly said, citing its proximity to I-65, U.S. 30 and several medical campuses. The timing is really right.

Among McCollys reasons for optimism is Merrillvilles central location in the U.S., between Canada and Mexico, two major trading partners. This business growth, he said, creates jobs that lead to home buying.

The second reason McColly cited is the growth in people working from home. With Cook County in Illinois among the most populous counties in the country, he said, people may be looking to move to Indiana with its lower taxes while still within distance of Chicagos many attractions.

Were getting a lot of people to work from home. Were seeing people moving from other parts of the country, McColly said. I see a very bright future.

Traci Van Gundy, lead agent for McColly on this project, said progress on Liberty Estates, including town approval and grading of the area, has been in the works for the past year.

While McCollys agents will be selling any of the 1,000 units on the 100-plus lots, Luxor Homes will do the building. Already with projects in Hobart, Crown Point, Valparaiso, and Merrillville, Luxor also developed Heritage North, the subdivision bordering Liberty Estates to the east.

The new subdivision is bordered to west by Whitcomb Street, to the north by U.S. 30, and 84th Place to the south.

Randy Hall, owner of Luxor, pointed to the towns cooperation on this latest project, praising Merrillville officials as open communicators.

Hall explained that Liberty Estates would feature various home styles, including single- and multi-family dwellings, senior residences, patio homes, and duet homes. Future plans, Hall said, call for commercial and office space.

Home prices will start in the low $400,000s, according to Van Gundy.

Headquartered in Merrillville, Luxor provides residential construction, development, and rental services to Northwest Indiana. Hall anticipates the first home in Liberty Estates to be ready next spring.

Town Council President Rick Bella, D-Ward 3, noted, A lot of work has gone into this project.

This project lies within Bellas ward, and the council member said property values would increase as a result of this subdivision.

This is a partnership, Bella added, pointing to cooperation between the town and Luxor.

That work, Bella said, has included safety concerns. A safety study is in progress, Bella said, and the town is taking bids for related engineering work.

Possible solutions to addressing safety, Bella said, including installing a rounded curve or roundabout at 91st Avenue and Whitcomb.

From an economic development perspective, Liberty Estates represents a potential $200 million investment for the town, said Matt Reardon, owner of MCR Partners, which is working with Luxor on this real estate project.

The town has a plan and executed that plan, Reardon said.

Hall added that a percentage of home sales would be donated to several area charities, including some serving the other-abled. These include St. Jude House, Opportunity Enterprises, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana, Center for Possibilities  Cerebral Palsy of Northwest Indiana.

Representatives from each of those agencies spoke prior to the groundbreaking.

Ryan Elinkowski, executive director of St. Jude House, a Crown Point-based shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, thanked project developers for helping nonprofits.

You may not see the impact, Elinkowski said, but its real.

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A former senior lawyer at Apple who enforced its insider-trading policies pleaded guilty on Thursday to perpetrating an insider-trading scheme, which prosecutors said had involved making stock transactions before the company announced it fell short of iPhone sales expectations.

In 2019, the Justice Department charged Gene Levoff, who was senior director of corporate law at Apple until he was fired in late 2018, with using nonpublic information about Apples financial results that helped him avoid losses and collect profits while illegally making trades ahead of the companys earnings reports.

Between 2011 and 2016, Mr. Levoff avoided losses of $377,000 before Apple released bad news regarding its iPhone business and collected profits of more than $220,000 before it released good news, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Newark. The transactions violated quarterly blackout periods, which prohibit trading by individuals with access to material nonpublic information.
A bank regulator in Puerto Rico says it has suspended the operations of a boutique online bank that has been the focus of an international tax-evasion investigation and is owned by Peter Schiff, the outspoken libertarian economist and money manager.

The regulator, the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico, issued the cease-and-desist order on Thursday against Euro Pacific Bank, which is based in San Juan, for having inadequate capital levels and compliance controls. Two years earlier, an international group of tax authorities known as the J5 opened an investigation into activities that allowed the bank to serve as a vehicle for suspected tax evasion and money laundering.

Euro Pacific has a long history of noncompliance, the offices commissioner, Natalia Zequeira Diaz, said in a statement. She added that the bank regulator would not allow or tolerate any financial entity with a license issued by the government of Puerto Rico to operate outside the law or ignore the clear mandates of applicable laws and regulations.
At his home in Washington, D.C., Charlie McBride often bakes his mothers recipe for peach cobbler. As he pours the topping over the fruit, he remembers how his mother, aunts and grandmother sat under a tree in Louisiana, cackling at one anothers stories as they peeled peaches to can for the winter.

Mr. McBride loved this family recipe so much that when his mother, ONeal Bogan Watson, died in 2005, he had it etched on her gravestone in New Ebenezer Cemetery in Castor, La., a town of about 230 people. His mothers instructions were simple: Bake the cobbler at 350 degrees until done.

It really is just a great recipe, said Mr. McBride, 78, a public policy consultant.

In cemeteries from Alaska to Israel, families have memorialized their loved ones with the deceaseds most cherished recipes carved in stone. These dishes  mostly desserts  give relatives a way to remember the sweet times and, they hope, bring some joy to visitors who discover them among the more traditional monuments.
Like a moth to a flame

Although she said she struggled with shyness when she first became famous, along with a fear of being perceived, Ms. Rose, by her account, grew up a confident, popular child in South Philadelphia. She described herself as proudly mixed race. (Her mother is a Black woman from Cape Verde; her father is Irish and Italian.)

In her youth, she was mainly cared for by her mother, Dorothy, while her father, Michael, was in the military. She described their financial situation as very poor and said the family went through some tough periods, including a stint of homelessness. Some of her best memories are of living in neighborhoods with noisy, exciting block parties, where her neighbors would fry up fish and people would D.J. and dance in the street.

I was always the first one dancing. I was a little ham, she said.

As a child, she felt she never truly belonged on the East Coast, and she would often tell her friends that she would be moving to Hollywood one day. By the time she was 18, she had moved instead to New York  specifically, the Bronx. She found work in strip clubs, such as Sues Rendezvous in Mount Vernon. She was discovered there by Margo Wainwright, a music-video commissioner who worked for the record label Def Jam.

When I started to talk to her about what I did and what was possible, I felt like she was open to it, Ms. Wainwright said in a recent interview. Even though people try to go in there and sell them dreams all the time. Ms. Wainwright offered to help jump-start Ms. Roses career as a video vixen  women hired to appear in hip-hop videos. Theres more to it than just being a pretty face, Ms. Wainwright said. She had scouted other women who had crumbled in front of the camera but it was totally the opposite of that with Amber. She really took to it, like a moth to a flame.

Ms. Roses now iconic look  chunky black sunglasses, hair cropped short and immaculately dyed blonde  opened up her much-longed-for pathway to Hollywood. A video director, smitten with her trademark buzz-cut, offered to fly her to L.A. She wound up performing as one of the main girls in a video for the Ludacris song What Them Girls Like in 2008.

After her appearance, Mr. West called and asked her to perform in his video Robocop (which was never released  though a small clip leaked to the internet in 2014). She started dating Mr. West, signed with Ford Models and her profile grew.
A fast-growing fire near South Yuba River State Park in Nevada County, Calif., about 70 miles northeast of Sacramento, has grown to more than 900 acres in two days, prompting evacuation orders for hundreds of residents of nearby communities, the authorities said Thursday.

The blaze, named the Rices fire, is one of more than 50 large wildfires and complexes that have burned across parts of the United States so far this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Those fires have collectively burned more than two million acres in 12 states, the center said.

Wildfires are increasing in size and intensity in the Western United States, and their seasons are growing longer. Recent research has suggested that heat and dryness associated with climate change are factors in the increase in bigger and stronger fires.
In dissent, Justice Kagan wrote that the statute at issue in the case had given the agency ample authority. The Clean Air Act was major legislation, designed to deal with a major public policy issue, she wrote, adding: Congress knows what it doesnt and cant know when it drafts a statute; and Congress therefore gives an expert agency the power to address issues  even significant ones  as and when they arise.

She added that the agency was best suited to take on climate change.

This is not the attorney general regulating medical care, or even the C.D.C. regulating landlord-tenant relations, she wrote. It is E.P.A. (thats the Environmental Protection Agency, in case the majority forgot) acting to address the greatest environmental challenge of our time.

Understand the Supreme Courts E.P.A. Ruling Card 1 of 6 A key decision. The Supreme Court issued a ruling limiting the Environmental Protection Agencys ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, dealing a blow to the Biden administrations efforts to address climate change. Heres what to know: The case. The justices had been called to rule on whether the 1970 Clean Air Act allows the E.P.A. to issue sweeping regulations across the power sector or limits the agency to dictating changes at individual power plants. A suspended rule. At issue in the case is the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era federal regulation adopted under the Clean Air Act that sought to govern emissions from power plants. After its announcement led to a barrage of lawsuits from Republican states and the coal industry, the Supreme Court put the program on hold in 2016 and it never took effect. The stakes. The plaintiffs, which include several Republican attorneys general and coal companies, want to rein in the E.P.A. and other federal agencies that issue regulations that affect the American economy, arguing that it should be up to Congress to set the rules. The ruling. The ruling curtails the E.P.A.s ability to regulate the energy sector, limiting it to measures like emission controls at individual power plants and ruling out more ambitious approaches like a cap-and-trade system without the intervention of Congress. Further implications. The decision could also pave the way for restrictions on federal agencies abilities to regulate health care, workplace safety, telecommunications and the financial sector.











The Supreme Courts conservative majority is generally committed to textualism, a judicial approach that focuses on the words of the law as written rather than its larger purpose or the intentions of its drafters. In a 2015 appearance at Harvard Law School, Justice Kagan said that textualism had triumphed across the ideological spectrum. Were all textualists now, she said then.

But on Thursday, she wrote that it seems I was wrong.

The current court is textualist only when being so suits it, she wrote. When that method would frustrate broader goals, special canons like the major questions doctrine magically appear as get-out-of-text-free cards.

The case had an unusual history.

Last year, on the last full day of Donald J. Trumps presidency, a federal appeals court in Washington struck down his administrations plan to relax restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The Trump administration said the Clean Air Act unambiguously limited the measures the agency could use to those that can be put into operation at a building, structure, facility or installation.

A divided three-judge panel of the court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, ruled that the Trump administrations plan, called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, was based on a fundamental misconstruction of the relevant law, prompted by a tortured series of misreadings.
In 1971, a lawyer who had represented the tobacco industry named Lewis F. Powell Jr.  whom President Richard M. Nixon would soon put on the Supreme Court  wrote a confidential memo for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce titled Attack on American Free Enterprise System. It is seen as an early call to action by corporate America and its ideological allies.

Mr. Powell acknowledged that the needs and complexities of a vast urban society require types of regulation and control that were quite unnecessary in earlier times. But he declared that the United States had moved very far indeed toward some aspects of state socialism and that business and the enterprise system are in deep trouble, and the hour is late.

His memo set out a blueprint to fund a movement to turn public opinion against regulation by equating economic freedom for business with individual freedom. In line with that vision, wealthy elites financed a program to build political influence, including steering funding to organizations that develop and promote conservative policies like the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation.

In 1980, the billionaire David H. Koch ran a quixotic campaign as the Libertarian Partys nominee for vice president on a platform that included abolishing the range of agencies whose regulations protect the environment and ensure that food, drugs and consumer products are safe.

His ticket failed to win many votes. But with his brother Charles G. Koch, he would become a major funder of like-minded conservative causes and candidates and built a campaign funding network that pushed the Republican Party further in a direction it had already started to move with the election in 1980 of President Ronald Reagan.

The Reagan Revolution included appointing officials to run agencies with a tacit mission of suppressing new regulations and scaling back existing ones  like Anne Gorsuch Burford, the mother of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, whom critics accused of trying to gut the E.P.A. when she ran it.
Mr. Trump claimed that Ms. Hutchinsons new lawyer could have prompted her to make false statements. Her story totally changed! he complained on his social media site, Truth Social.

The episode raised questions about whether Mr. Trump and his allies may, implicitly or explicitly, be pressuring witnesses to hold back crucial information that might incriminate or cast a negative light on the former president. Mr. Trump and his advisers have been accused before of trying to influence witnesses in past investigations involving him. The committee is known to ask witnesses frequently during closed-door interviews whether anyone has tried to influence their testimony.

Ms. Hutchinson has told the Jan. 6 committee that she was among the witnesses who have been contacted by people around Mr. Trump suggesting that they would be better off if they remained loyal to the former president. Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the vice chairwoman of the panel, quoted two witnesses making such claims on Tuesday and suggested that the committee was looking into the possibility that the former president or his allies were trying to obstruct its inquiry, saying that, most people know that attempting to influence witnesses to testify untruthfully presents very serious concerns.

Unlike witness tampering, which is a crime, there is nothing illegal about a third party covering legal fees for a witness. Aides to former President Bill Clinton reported being overwhelmed with legal bills because of the various inquiries into his and his familys personal and business affairs, and were dismayed when a legal-defense fund set up by Mr. Clintons allies to help the first family pay its multimillion-dollar legal debts did not help them. Mr. Clinton later pledged to help raise money to cover his former aides legal expenses, but did not make any major effort to do so.
Afghan supreme leader calls for implementing Islamic laws, justice

Xinhua) 20:35, July 01, 2022

KABUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban-run administration, has emphasized for implementing Sharia or Islamic laws, ensuring justice, investment and safeguarding Afghanistan's freedom.

Speaking at the gathering of religious leaders and elders of his country here on Friday, the leader of the caretaker administration stated that Afghans had expelled the occupying forces from their country to establish Islamic system and now "we have Islamic system and this is the responsibility of religious scholars to implement Islamic laws."

About 3,500 ulema or religious scholars and elders, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, have been invited from across the war-torn country to attend the three-day jirga or grand assembly opened on Thursday.

Hibatullah attended the grand assembly Friday morning, and called upon businessmen to invest in the war-torn country.

In his speech aired by local media, Hibatullah called for ensuring justice in society, saying, "No government could survive in the absence of justice and justice is the tool of a government to last."

The administration's supreme leader also called for co-existence and said, "We have no ill intentions towards anyone, the neighboring countries do not feel any harm from us."

The three-day gathering will conclude on Saturday.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji)
But you can still contest these bills or, in many cases, at least reduce what you owe, Allen said. First, ask the medical provider for an itemized bill that includes billing codes describing the care you received. If the provider is hesitant to give it to you, he said, explain that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, requires medical providers to share this information with patients.

Once you have the itemized bill, check whether the billing codes the provider used, which are usually strings of numbers, accurately describe the care you received. (You can learn about the codes by Googling the code numbers along with the phrase medical billing code.) Often, medical providers bill for services they didnt actually provide, or they bill for care that is more complex than what was delivered, Allen said. If thats the case, he said, contest those charges and ask for a corrected bill by contacting the medical provider or the physicians office directly.

You can also compare the amount of money the medical provider charged for each billing code with what insurance companies say is a reasonable amount to charge by looking up the codes on hospital websites or on the website of the nonprofit organization Fair Health Consumer. When I did this, I saw that although my daughters E.R. doctor charged $17,000 for the stitches he had sewed (and another $4,500 for the E.R. visit itself), the average out-of-network cost for these kinds of stitches where she was treated is $2,983. In other words, he charged me more than five times the average out-of-network price. In this type of situation, you can contest the charges as being unfair and even take the provider to small-claims court.

Another smart thing to do is to track down your insurance companys explanation of benefits  the statement that summarizes the medical services billed to the company  because your medical provider should have tried billing your insurance company before billing you. You can call your insurance company to get your statement, or you may be able to access it online on the companys website. If your medical provider didnt bill your insurance company first  meaning theres no explanation of benefits at all  dont pay the bill you received, said Nicole Broadhurst, a patient advocate and the founder of Tennessee Health Advocates. Instead, call and ask the provider to bill your insurance.

Dont give up the fight.

Its unfair, of course, that these burdens are placed on the consumer, especially when so many billing issues reflect mistakes made by medical providers or insurance companies. It does take a certain amount of time, and it can take some hassle, Allen said. And you have to be persistent. But for people who have the time and resources, he added, its important to fight unfair medical bills. In doing so, we not only help ourselves, but we also send a message to the broader health care industry. We all need to stand up and say, Hey, whats been happening is not right, and were not going to let you do this anymore, he said.

Tracking down my companys explanation of benefits helped me understand my daughters ridiculous E.R. bill. When I studied the statement, I saw that the doctor who sewed my daughters stitches had tried billing my insurance but with the wrong billing codes, so my insurance company rejected the claim. The doctor should have resubmitted the claim to my insurance company with the corrected codes, but instead he billed me directly.
The Ping Shek Estate has long been a magnet for Instagrammers eager to take snapshots of the sky framed on all four sides by the apartment complexs soaring residential towers.

Last Friday, hundreds of crimson Chinese flags appeared on the white balconies on two 28-story buildings in the complex. Each Chinese flag was flanked by two Hong Kong flags, depicting the citys emblem: a white bauhinia blossom with a star on each petal.

A pro-Beijing association distributed the flags across several housing projects, according to a state-owned Hong Kong newspaper, Ta Kung Pao. The especially abundant sea of flags at Ping Shek soon became the talk of the town.
HONG KONG  Since the pandemic erupted in 2020, Chinas top leader, Xi Jinping, has been hunkered down in a virus-free bubble within his countrys closed borders. On Thursday, he left the safe confines of the mainland for the first time, arriving in Hong Kong for a tightly scripted visit aimed at reinforcing his authority over the city.

Mr. Xi began a two-day visit by stepping off a high-speed train at the West Kowloon station that connects the city to the mainland. The station was sealed off by large crowd-control barriers and hundreds of police officers. Inside, he and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by schoolchildren and supporters who waved flower bouquets and small Chinese and Hong Kong flags in front of billboards that read, A New Era: Stability, Prosperity, Opportunity. Lion dancers performed as the neatly ordered rows of greeters chanted, Warmly welcome, warmly welcome.

Mr. Xi has not left China in 29 months, a noticeable halt in international travel for the leader that indicates the great concern Beijing has about the risk of exposure to Covid. In preparation for his visit, Hong Kong erected an elaborate, closed-loop bubble to try to keep the virus out.
At least 21 people were killed and dozens were injured when Russian missiles struck a residential tower and a recreational center in a coastal town southwest of the Black Sea port of Odesa early Friday, Ukrainian officials said.

One of the missiles hit a nine-story residential tower in Serhiivka, about 50 miles southwest of Odesa, killing 16 and injuring at least 38, according to Ukraines state emergency service. Another hit a recreational center, where five died and one was injured, emergency officials said on Telegram.

Rescuers completed the search for bodies at the tower, which was home to more than 100 people and which was destroyed on one side, according to the regional military administration. They were still going through the rubble of the recreational center, officials said. The missiles struck around 1 a.m.
When you hear the words, Snaps: Go! you know that Milka Djordjevichs Corps has begun. On Thursday at New York Live Arts, five women descended the stairs through the audience in a single-file line, walking and snapping in time. As they advanced across the stage, a second call  No-head: Go!  sounded from the group. To their unison steps and snaps, they added heads turning from side to side.

For the first half of this 75-minute work, which had its New York premiere on Thursday (after two pandemic postponements), the structure is something like that: Almost no movement or directional shift happens without an introductory command, and everyone sticks together, or tries. As they cycle through steps with names like high kick and pony  all cataloged in an accompanying Drill Glossary pamphlet  the dancers mostly adhere to grid and line formations, though occasionally that line curves through space, unannounced. (In a post-show conversation, Djordjevich described this snaking as a cheat in the system.)

Djordjevich, who lives and works in Los Angeles, set out several years ago to investigate what she calls regimented movement across disciplines. A military corps, a marching band, a cheer squad, a corps de ballet: How different are they, really? While in residence at Florida State University, she and her dancers, as part of their research, studied close-order drill with a local Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps.
TAKE NO NAMES, by Daniel Nieh

Its challenging to write a noir novel set in the modern world. After all, a reliable aspect of classic noir is that the shiny veneer of a placid community is ripped away, revealing teeming rot and societal corruption underneath. (Think of James Ellroys L.A. Confidential or David Lynchs film Blue Velvet.) How, then, do you set a noir in a current global moment when it feels like rot and corruption are festering all too often in plain sight for everyone to see?

Daniel Niehs second novel, Take No Names, tackles this problem elegantly, at least for a while. Its a thriller for the global age, with characters tangled in cross-border conflicts and international intrigues. Our hero, Victor Li  whom we met in 2019s Beijing Payback, to which Take No Names is a sequel  arrives as a bit of a loser, a good man set on a drifters path by the murder of his father and a seismic revelation about his Chinese familys past.

As our story begins, Lis living in Seattle and working for Mark, an ex-military huckster who sells high-tech security systems, only to turn around and rob his customers. Theyre eking out an existence until they stumble on an ingenious scam: burglarizing a storage facility thats run by the federal government, where the purloined possessions of the recently deported are stored. As noir goes, its a sharp conceit. Theyre stealing valuables from someone who doesnt own them but who has stripped them from people who have no hope of ever getting them back. Victor and Mark are simply the remora fish feeding off the shark of the system.
Airlines are pinning the blame on the F.A.A., which they say is experiencing its own staffing shortages and pandemic-related absences.

When we look at our operations this year, versus three years ago, Barry Biffle, the Frontier chief executive, told DealBook, the No. 1 issue that has impacted our operations has been air traffic control.

Airline representatives met with the F.A.A. on Thursday to discuss travel disruptions.

Regardless of who is at fault, passengers are mad. They lodged 3,173 complaints against U.S. airlines in April, according to a recent Transportation Department report, over issues like refunds, delays and baggage. Thats nearly three times as many complaints as were made a year earlier.

Investors are also unhappy as they consider other challenges, like rising fuel prices. Shares of most major U.S. airlines are down about 30 percent this year.
Shell originally had a majority stake but came under fire from the Russian authorities, mostly because of allegations of environmental violations. In 2007, Shell and its Japanese partners yielded to pressure to sell a controlling stake to Gazprom.

Mr. Putin may be trying to avoid what has happened with another project on the island, Sakhalin-1. The facility has been operated by Exxon Mobil, which has a sizable minority stake and, like Shell, has also said it is pulling out of Russia. In recent months, oil exports from the facility have dropped sharply. In June, not a single tanker took crude oil from the facility compared with a prior average of about one ship every three days, said Viktor Katona, an analyst at Kpler, a firm that tracks petroleum shipping.

The presidential order is unlikely to inflict much immediate damage on Shell, Europes largest energy company, which reported a record $9.1 billion profit for the first quarter of this year, because of high oil and gas prices. It could, though, herald other strong-arm tactics against Western oil companies that still have assets in Russia.

After the invasion of Ukraine in February, Shell said it would exit Sakhalin-2 and other ventures in Russia, although it did not set a precise date or indicate what it would do with its stake and other ventures. In May, Shell sold its gasoline stations in Russia to Lukoil, a private Russian company.

If it gave up Sakhalin-2, Shell would also lose its share of the liquefied natural gas exported by the project, which amounted to about 5 percent of the companys global L.N.G. trading last year, according to an estimate by Bernstein, a research firm.
The grand jury subpoenas appear related to earlier S.E.C. subpoenas on Digital World that sought communications concerning potential merger talks with representatives of Trump Media before Digital Worlds initial public offering in September.

The regulatory filing on Friday said the grand jury subpoenas served on Trump Media were seeking a subset of the same or similar documents demanded in subpoenas to Digital World and its directors.

The expanding investigation threatens to delay the completion of the merger, which would provide Mr. Trumps company and its social media platform, Truth Social, with up to $1.3 billion in capital, in addition to a stock market listing.

The S.E.C. investigation has focused on whether there were serious discussions between the leadership of Digital World and Trump Media before the special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, went public in September and, if so, why those talks were not disclosed in regulatory filings. SPACs, which raise money to go public in the hopes of finding a merger candidate, are not supposed to have an acquisition target in mind when they raise money from investors.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration announced its plan for oil and gas drilling off the coasts of the United States, closing off the possibility of new leases in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans but potentially allowing new lease sales in both the Gulf of Mexico and in Cook Inlet in Alaska.

By law, the Department of the Interior is required to issue a plan for new oil and gas leases in federal waters every five years. This new one, which establishes where the government can sell oil and gas leases from 2022 through 2027, comes at a difficult moment for President Biden.

He wants to scale back drilling to fight climate change at the same time gas prices are rising, allowing his Republican critics to blame his climate policies for pain at the pump. In fact, most energy experts say, the jump in oil prices is a result of the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has scrambled world markets. It takes years between the time a drilling lease is issued and when gasoline flows to gas stations.
KC Becker, who was the speaker of the Colorado House from 2019 to 2021, said meetings with unions representing oil and gas workers were a huge part of getting something passed. (Ms. Becker, now a regional administrator for the E.P.A., spoke in her capacity as a former legislator, not on behalf of the agency.) One enticement: the creation of an Office of Just Transition to help fossil fuel workers find new jobs. Lawmakers allocated $15 million to it this year.

Colorados largest electricity providers, Xcel Energy and the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc., were also on board. Both plan to close their last coal plants in the state by 2030.

Between Mr. Poliss election and inauguration, Xcel voluntarily pledged to reduce its carbon emissions 80 percent by 2030. Lawmakers subsequently offered an incentive for other utilities: If they filed a plan that met the same mark, the state air commission would not further regulate their 2030 emissions.

The vast majority of them ended up going beyond what the rules require, said Will Toor, the executive director of the Colorado Energy Office. It created a dynamic where everybody could declare victory.

Colorado still has substantial work to do. RMI found that, while it was on track to meet its 2030 reduction target in the electricity sector, current policies would reduce its total emissions only 33 percent by 2030  short of the 50 percent it has pledged. (That projection does not account for some recent legislation.)

The gap is in sectors like buildings and transportation, where it is harder to reduce emissions because it takes a multitude of individual households making decisions to purchase an electric car or an electric stove or just more efficient appliances, said Stacy Tellinghuisen, the climate policy manager for Western Resource Advocates, a nonprofit that works in Colorado and six other states.
If the number of cases continues to rise unchecked, he warned, monkeypox may become permanently entrenched in several countries, leading to outbreaks for years to come.

The global count has risen to about 5,500 cases, and at least another 5,000 are under investigation. Cases in Europe have tripled in the last two weeks, according to the World Health Organization. The United States has identified 400 monkeypox cases, but the real number is believed to be much higher  and the number of at-risk people orders of magnitude larger than that.

The outbreak has largely been concentrated among men who have sex with men. An estimated six million men who have sex with men live in the United States alone.

The U.S. stockpile holds about 56,000 doses that will be distributed immediately, and federal officials expect to receive another 300,000 doses in the next few weeks.

An additional 1.1 million doses have been manufactured for the United States, but the Food and Drug Administration must inspect them and sign off before they can be released  a process that typically takes three months or longer, according to Mr. Chaplin.

The agency is expediting its review, but a spokeswoman declined to say how long it might take.

In addition, the United States previously had purchased bulk vaccine that could be finished to produce up to 15 million doses, which would require five months, according to Mr. Chaplin.
Someone, Somewhere

Stream it on The Roku Channel.

Cedric Klapischs unconventional meet-cute drama dwells entirely in what happens before rather than after the fateful meeting of two would-be lovers. The film opens with a shot of a man and woman seated next to each other on a train in Paris. We soon realize that these are our protagonists  Remy (Francois Civil), a factory worker, and Melanie (Ana Girardot), a lab researcher  but that theyre strangers to one another. They live in adjacent buildings, frequent the same supermarket and visit the same pharmacy to seek medication for opposing ailments: Remy cant sleep; Melanie sleeps too much.

And yet their lives unfold in parallel, never intersecting. A film about the journeys we must take on our own before we can find fulfillment in others, Someone, Somewhere is a deconstruction of rom-com myths that nevertheless retains faith in fate and magic. As Remy and Melanie go to therapy and slowly rediscover themselves (through dating apps, pets and heated family visits), theres comfort in watching them live out their similar (yet different) predicaments in such proximity, not knowing that every day, they walk past someone whos just as lonely as them. Its a moving reminder of that essential fact of the human condition: Were always alone together.
In the last days of New Yorks 2022 legislative session, lawmakers passed a package of bills aimed at protecting abortion seekers and providers. But after the Supreme Court issued decisions on abortion and concealed weapons, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, ordered the Legislature to return to Albany on Thursday for an extraordinary session.

Following a long night of negotiations, the measure passed the Senate without debate. The Assembly voted to pass it late Friday evening.

Still, no changes will happen right away.

Amending the State Constitution is a yearslong process in New York, requiring passage by two separately elected Legislatures, and then approval by voters in a referendum. By passing it this year, Democratic leaders hope that they can win approval next year and get it to voters in 2024, when a high turnout is expected in a presidential election year.

Though Ms. Hochul has no formal role in approving such an amendment, she has been a vocal champion of the measure and has included the effort in campaign ads.

Proponents had hoped to pass the amendment at the end of the 2022 session, which concluded in early June. But the effort got bogged down after several leading religious groups, including the Catholic Conference and the Jewish Community Relations Council, opposed the measure for a variety reasons.

One key issue was whether the act of enshrining new protected classes into the State Constitution would in any way downgrade existing religious protections.
Attacks are exceedingly rare in the area and many experts say patrols do little more than fuel unwarranted fear of sharks. Scientists say the reason it may seem like more sharks are being spotted is because more people are looking for them.

Hans Walters, a field scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Societys New York Aquarium, said there is no real evidence that local shark populations have increased in recent years. He called the threat that sharks pose to people on New York beaches very overblown.

At a news conference on Friday morning at Nickerson Beach, west of Jones Beach, the Nassau County executive, Bruce Blakeman, was vague on details of the report about the potential attack.

I believe it was on his leg, he told reporters, adding that there was no explanation as to how he got his injuries.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., citing the articles, called for greater controls, ethics training and compliance with the rules, and President Biden recently signed a law bolstering disclosure requirements.

Several ethics experts who examined the dispute in the teachers case said the successive recusal requests showed how lawyers might find it advantageous to seek a judges disqualification if it served a strategic purpose.

In their initial request to Judge Caproni, the plaintiffs lawyers noted she had denied several key motions. The proceedings thus far could lead to a perception of a lack of neutrality, they wrote.

Under the law, judges must step away if they own even one share of stock in a party to a lawsuit, said Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University School of Law. The one-share rule is easy, he said. Its a bright line. It either exists or it doesnt exist, and theres nothing to argue about.

In the teachers case, however, the parties were public officials and the city education department  not a company. Then, Mr. Gillers said, the question is whether the judges financial interest could be substantially affected by a ruling, which is vague.

In any case, the experts said, judges must disqualify themselves in any proceeding in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.
Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the mayor, said in a statement on Friday that the city always intended to periodically re-evaluate the alert system as conditions changed and that Dr. Vasan proactively mentioned the change at the news conference.

What we have seen recently is bouncing between alert levels, which doesnt provide clear or useful information to New Yorkers, Mr. Levy said. All of the Covid-19 indicators continue to be updated on the Health Departments website and we will continue to communicate our recommendations clearly.

Even as virus infections nationally are thought to be undercounted, BA.4 and BA.5 have together become dominant among new U.S. cases, according to new estimates released this week from the C.D.C. BA.4 made up 15.7 percent of new cases, and BA.5 was at 36.6 percent, numbers that experts said are likely to rise in the weeks to come.

Federal regulators recently recommended that coronavirus vaccine manufacturers update their boosters to target BA.4 and BA.5, despite the uncertainty regarding what form of the virus may be circulating later this year.

New York Citys Alert Levels website said on Friday that the city was facing high transmission levels and that residents should continue to wear masks in public indoor settings and around crowds outdoors and test before and after travel or gatherings.

Private companies and schools have relied on the citys alert system to make decisions over requiring masks in offices and classrooms. Without guidance from the city about the growing risk level, organizations will have to monitor the data to make decisions on their own.
He sketches his ideas, warps metal and laser-cuts wood in a studio in Long Island City, Queens.

Thats where he spent the last year or so designing Paragon, a bar, restaurant and dance club that opened in Bed-Stuy in April, and has been drawing crowds with D.J. sets and live performances ever since.

Collaborating with Michael Potvin and Azumi Oe, who designed the lighting, Mr. Riad was responsible for rethinking the space, which has cycled through various incarnations as bars and dance clubs.

Usually when he embarks on a new project, he starts with a sketch, which he uses to create a digital illustration. He puts that into an application that extrudes 3-D renderings from 2-D images. Finally, he transfers the rendering to an application that lets him visualize colors, materials and textures.

John Barclay, who previously co-owned the popular and now-defunct techno spot Bossa Nova Civic Club and now owns Paragon, said that he fell in love with the space many years ago, and when he finally had the chance to reimagine it, he knew he wanted to work with Mr. Riad.
My colleagues Ashley Southall and Troy Closson write that the federal investigation is the latest setback for the Police Department, which is already under consent decrees governing its stop-and-frisk and surveillance practices. And Letitia James, the state attorney general, is seeking to have a monitor appointed to oversee changes in the way the department handles protests because of abuses during the George Floyd social justice demonstrations in 2020.

The Justice Department announced its investigation  the first centered on claims of gender discrimination since Merrick Garland became attorney general last year  10 months after more than a dozen victims signed a letter calling for such an inquiry. Many of them had spoken out about experiences with investigators who lacked the sensitivity and the time to handle their cases properly, even after the #MeToo movement prompted a nationwide reckoning on rape in 2017.

Several months later the Police Department, already facing scrutiny of its handling of sex-crimes allegations against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, resisted the findings of a 2018 report from the citys own Department of Investigation. That report said that the Special Victims Division was understaffed and under-resourced.

The city investigators also found that found that some detectives were dismissive of victims stories and that some acquaintance rape cases were sent to local precincts, which left responsibility for follow-up work after an arrest with precinct-level detectives who are not trained in sex-crimes investigations.
On the federal level, Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, has introduced the No Tax Breaks for Radical Corporate Activism Act, which is less extreme than the Texas House threat but would prohibit employers from deducting expenses related to their employees travel costs to obtain abortions. (It would also prohibit the deduction of expenses related to travel costs for employees childrens gender transition expenses, a much less frequent issue.)

Im not convinced by the accusations of radical corporate activism. In my experience, most corporate chief executives are more eager to please their shareholders than to advance their own ideologies, which tend to be fairly bland anyway. The chief executives could  and do  argue that its in the best interest of shareholders to have a happy, healthy work force, and that providing access to abortions for women who need them will help achieve that objective.

In any case, Lyft, in a statement issued after the Supreme Courts abortion decision, reiterated that Lyfts U.S. medical benefits plan includes coverage for elective abortion and reimbursement for travel costs if an employee must travel more than 100 miles for an in-network provider. The Times has reported that Disney, Macys, H&M, Nordstrom, Nike, Dicks Sporting Goods, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Snap have recently stated that they would assist employees who have to travel long distances for abortions. Other companies, including Starbucks and Yelp, had previously committed to doing so. Salesforce and Google said they would relocate employees who wanted to leave states where abortion is banned.

But those companies appear to be in the minority, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management that was conducted just before the Supreme Court ruling. Only 5 percent of the 1,003 human resources professionals surveyed said their companies already covered travel expenses for employees to access abortion and reproductive services that are not accessible in their state of residence. (Those reimbursed expenses do not include spending from health savings accounts, which are under the employees control.) Another 6 percent said their companies were thinking of offering such coverage.
On climate, as recently as several years ago, advocates had hopes of seeing a much different case reach the court and radically reshape the climate priorities of the country. In Juliana v. United States, often called Kids v. Climate, a group of underage litigants hoped to establish a younger generations fundamental right to a future undisturbed by the climate impacts imposed by earlier generations. Given the makeup of the court even then, this was probably always a somewhat optimistic hope (at the moment, Juliana is stalled in District Court). But instead, West Virginia v. E.P.A. is the climate case  and decision  the country got. The mood is grim, and were only as screwed as we were yesterday is not much of a comfort or a rallying cry.

Internationally, the climate reputation of the United States is already somewhat tattered. The United States is the worlds largest producer of oil, its second largest producer of gas and its third largest consumer of coal, and also its largest historical emitter by an outrageous margin, responsible for about twice as much carbon damage already done to the planet as any other country on Earth. On a per capita basis, the country has done five or six times as much damage as China, which is the second most responsible nation; given likely emissions curves this century, that gap will probably never close.

And yet  despite that responsibility, despite the United States early environmental action a half-century ago, and despite the fact that, thanks to abundant land and renewable resources, it may now be the best positioned in the world to race through a power transition, which would also generate considerable prosperity  the United States pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, undermined negotiations in Copenhagen and withdrew at least briefly from the Paris climate accord.

Domestically, it failed to pass major climate legislation with a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate majority in 2009, and failed again in 2021 and so far in 2022, with a slimmer majority but still with control of both Congress and the White House. And according to at least one recent assessment from O.D.I. Climate and the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance, it has fallen much more spectacularly short in delivering its own promises of climate finance aid to the developing world than any of the other nation in the Global North  producing a shortfall of more than $40 billion in 2020, when no other country missed its mark by even $5 billion.

This is all terrible. But it isnt much changed by West Virginia v. E.P.A. either. U.S. emissions are not likely to rise. The powers the judgment restricts were never actually exercised under the Clean Power Plan. The Affordable Clean Energy Rule, devised by former President Donald Trump as a fossil-fuel-friendly alternative to the C.P.P., is not in effect either. And American emissions have fallen faster without a cap-and-trade program and without the C.P.P. than advocates of either suggested was possible under those programs.

Thats not to say that where things stood yesterday is an encouraging place to be, or that the decision is meaningless. It could well prove a significant setback in the years ahead, though presumably only under a more aggressive or more empowered Democratic administration than this one.

For the time being, it probably changes more about the way we might imagine possible climate futures than anything about the one we are actually building today through inaction. But when its all hands on deck, you dont want one hand tied behind your back. Which is why, for those keeping a close eye on the ever shortening timelines for action, today probably feels considerably more restrictive still  a handcuffing.

David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells), a writer for Opinion and a columnist for The New York Times Magazine, is the author of The Uninhabitable Earth.
Its chaos out there.

The end of Roe v. Wade was foreseen, but in wide swaths of the country, it has still created wrenching and potentially tragic uncertainties. There have been numerous reports of patients screaming and sobbing in desperation when clinics canceled their appointments. Recipes for potentially deadly herbal abortions are going viral on TikTok. A group of hospitals, pharmacies and clinics in Missouri, a state where a so-called trigger law immediately banned abortion upon Roes demise, briefly stopped providing emergency contraception. In some states, doctors who perform in vitro fertilization fear they might be prosecuted for discarding unused embryos.

Every state with an abortion prohibition provides an exemption to save a mothers life, but theyre not generally well-defined, so doctors and their attorneys have to decide on their own which interventions they can legally justify. What if a pregnancy might kill a woman? What if doctors believe its going to become life-threatening, but not immediately? How sick does a patient have to be before medical professionals can act? Some doctors, said Lisa Larson-Bunnell, a health care regulatory attorney at a Missouri hospital, want to know if they can use methotrexate, a drug used to treat some cancers, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis that is also an abortifacient. The answers for these questions are going to be somewhat case specific, she said.

The vagueness in these laws is an expression of contempt. The people who wrote them either dont know enough about how reproduction interacts with other health conditions to think through what theyre prohibiting, or they dont care. In the coming weeks and months, a lot of Americans who dont think anti-abortion laws apply to them are likely to be shocked at how their health care is curtailed, often at the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
In 1984, an earlier generation of conservative Supreme Court justices formalized a doctrine of deference to the judgment of regulatory agencies, modestly concluding that judges were neither experts nor elected officials, and therefore ought to leave such decisions in other hands. In Thursdays decision, the court asserted that the policy of deference applies only to supposedly unimportant regulations. When it comes to major questions of regulatory policy, the court said, it would not hesitate to second-guess regulators  and to strike rules that it decided did not have a clear congressional warrant.

The decision amounts to a warning shot across the bow of the administrative state. The courts current conservative majority, engaged in a counterrevolution against the norms of American society, is seeking to curtail the efforts of federal regulators to protect the publics health and safety. The court already invoked a similar logic during the Covid pandemic to strike down workplace Covid testing requirements and a federal moratorium on evictions. And by refraining from defining a threshold for what constitutes a major question, the court is leaving a sword hanging over every new rule.

The West Virginia case has its origins in 2015, when the E.P.A. imposed new limits on carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. The agency determined that it was impossible for those plants to reduce emissions to what it regarded as a safe level while producing the same amount of electricity. Burning coal is simply too dirty. Accordingly, it directed companies to cut emissions by reducing output or by shifting to other forms of power generation.

The rule never took effect. The court stayed its implementation in 2016, and the Trump administration withdrew it in 2019. But the litigants, including the states of West Virginia and North Dakota and a pair of coal companies, pressed ahead with a lawsuit to make sure the rule stayed dead.
In 1969, when abortion was illegal in Illinois, an underground operation arose in Chicago. Officially called the Abortion Counseling Service of Womens Liberation, it became known as the Jane Collective, because women seeking abortions were told to call a number and ask for Jane.

While the Times critic Amanda Hess watched The Janes, an HBO documentary about the network, she was struck by the buoyancy of the story. As the Janes evade the church, the Mafia and the police to facilitate around 11,000 clandestine abortions, they emerge from anonymity as the stars of a new genre: the abortion caper.

As Amanda waited for the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision last week, she sought out such stories compulsively. She watched the French film Happening, which follows a student seeking an illegal abortion in France in 1963, and Oh God, a Show About Abortion, the comedian Alison Leibys one-woman show about terminating a pregnancy at Planned Parenthood at age 35.

What is the story of an abortion freed from justification?

  

Written and narrated by Alisha Haridasani Gupta
Caroline Cornell and Daniel Patrick Logan werent technically off the grid when they found romance on the Lost Coast of Northern California, the states most remote oceanfront area, in the summer of 2014. But the routes each had taken to get there could definitely be described as off the beaten path.

The two first met in middle school in southern Vermont, and later attended the same high school, Burr and Burton Academy, in Manchester, Vt. As teenagers they ran in the same circle of friends, with whom they would ski and snowboard.

Mr. Logan, 32, said that although there was never an acknowledged attraction between them back then, Ms. Cornell, 31, was a benchmark. She was one of those people I would compare other girls to, he said. I would say, That girls no Caroline, but thats OK.
TikTok gave U.S. lawmakers more details in a letter dated Thursday about how it plans to keep data about its American users separate from ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, aiming to combat concerns that the video app poses a national security risk.

In a letter to nine Republican senators, Shou Zi Chew, TikToks chief executive, explained how the company would operate the app from servers controlled by Oracle, the U.S. cloud computing giant. TikTok would be run from the American companys machines and audited by a third party, Mr. Chew said. He also reiterated a plan to store American users personal information with Oracle, rather than on TikToks servers.

We know we are among the most scrutinized platforms from a security standpoint, and we aim to remove any doubt about the security of U.S. user data, Mr. Chew wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times.
Before postponing any upcoming trip, though, its worth taking a close look at cancellation and delay data for insights into how travel has, and has not, changed this year.

Percentage of cancellations so far this year vs. a comparable time in 2019: 2.8 percent vs. 2.1 percent.

Lesson: The idea that air travel was so much better before the pandemic may be clouded by nostalgia for Before Times.

Social media is filled with declarations that air travel is the worst its ever been. Indeed on some holiday weekends and stormy weeks its been astoundingly bad. As Mr. Sanders noted in his letter, airlines have canceled flights four times as often on high-travel weekends as they did in 2019. But the reality is that airline reliability was pretty terrible even before the pandemic.

U.S. airlines have been operating somewhere between 21,000 and 25,000 flights a day in recent months. So far in 2022, an average of one of out five flights a day arrived behind schedule  a total of more than 820,000 delayed flights according to FlightAware. More than 116,000 flights have been canceled. All of this adds up to tens of thousands of people missing weddings, funerals and work events and grappling with how to salvage vacations. But in 2019 during a comparable period, it was not that much better. Back then, 17 percent  instead of 20 percent  also arrived late and the average delay time was 48 minutes instead of 49 minutes.

I think the reason people are noticing it so much more is because its clustered on these holiday periods, said Kathleen Bangs, a former commercial pilot who is now a spokeswoman for FlightAware.
Like many people who go to the church, Christine Schwan first stumbled upon Mr. Durbin on YouTube and saw him give a Mothers Day message about a woman who did not abort her baby. Days later, she joined one of the churchs protests at a Planned Parenthood clinic. It was something she felt she had to do.

Because of what I had done, Ms. Schwan, 63, said matter-of-factly in the church studio. Because of having had an abortion.

Asked how old she was when she had the procedure, she simply said, younger, and declined to give specifics. They were irrelevant to the real truth of the matter, she said.

I am not a victim, she said. I was a sinner. I was a complete sinner.

Ms. Schwan is now an assistant to Mr. Durbin and the other pastors, all men. When Mr. Durbin suggested she share her story, she agreed. She had grown up Catholic but said she was not truly saved until several years ago when she abandoned teaching yoga and new age ideas.

What upsets me most is when the pro-life industry says that women are victims, she said. That means I dont have to take responsibility for myself.

She started to cry and took her head in her hands. Im so sorry, she said.

She opened her laptop and read aloud from the Old Testament. The passage was about King Belshazzar of ancient Babylon, who was feasting when mysterious fingers of a hand wrote on the wall of his imminent destruction.
But now, Eso Won Books is closing.

Im just tired, Fugate said on Monday while sitting in his office behind the store, which is now based in Leimert Park, a largely Black neighborhood in South Los Angeles. On the desk beside him was a stack of copies of Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition by Cedric J. Robinson. In a box beneath the desk were several copies of Ibram X. Kendis book How to Raise an Antiracist.

Fugate, who grew up in Detroit and is now 67, said his love of books was instilled in him from a young age. His mother would read Dr. Seuss to him and his brother. Every week, he would go to the local library. But after a lifetime in the book business, Fugate said, the time has finally come to retire.

Before opening Eso Won, Fugate spent several years running college bookstores. He would often sell the stores books at weekend community events. But eventually, he got frustrated; he wanted to create something that would put money back into the community and champion Black writers. I felt uncomfortable, Fugate said. This should be a Black store.

By the early 1990s, Eso Won had outgrown its premises on Slauson Avenue. Fugate and Hamilton moved the store to Inglewood. There, they hosted Elaine Brown of the Black Panther Party and Barack Obama, a little-known writer at the time who was on his book tour for Dreams From My Father.
WASHINGTON  When an alarmed Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, called the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, demanding to know why the president of the United States had suggested he was coming to the Capitol while Congress met to certify his election defeat, the person on the other end of the line had just turned 25 years old.

I said, Ill run the traps on this, Cassidy Hutchinson, now 26, testified this week before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, recalling what she had told Mr. McCarthy, Republican of California. I can assure you, were not coming to the Capitol.

Ms. Hutchinsons two hours of testimony provided a riveting account of President Donald J. Trumps mind-set and actions the day of the mob attack and situated the young aide  an assistant by title, but a gatekeeper in practice  at the very center of some of the most sensitive conversations and events of that day.
The officials do not dispute that Mr. Trump angrily demanded to be taken to the Capitol. On the day of the riot, Trump administration officials told The New York Times that the president was in a fury while he was at the rally.

One Secret Service official, asking that his name not be used to describe the potential testimony, acknowledged a conversation took place with Ms. Hutchinson but said it played out differently than she described.

Officials with the Jan. 6 committee have sought to bolster Ms. Hutchinsons credibility, saying they found inconsistencies in Mr. Ornatos testimony, although they did not release the transcripts in question. A former colleague, Alyssa Farah Griffin, accused him on Twitter of lying about an encounter they had during the 2020 protests in Lafayette Square outside the White House. Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois and a member of the committee, wrote on the social media site, There seems to be a major thread here Tony Ornato likes to lie.

But Keith Kellogg, the former national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, vouched for Mr. Ornato publicly, as did other former officials.

I think the guys a straight shooter, said John F. Kelly, the former White House chief of staff who has publicly broken with Mr. Trump, and who worked with Mr. Ornato when he was the special agent in charge of Mr. Trumps detail. There was never a second thought in my mind that, wherever we went, the work the Secret Service needed to do was done and done really well.

A former senior official in the Trump administration recalled Mr. Trump demanding to be allowed to attend a major public event with a days notice, and Mr. Ornato bluntly informing him that such a move was not possible.
WASHINGTON  The most advanced weapons that the United States has so far supplied Ukraine are making an impact in their first several days on the battlefield, destroying Russian ammunition depots and command centers, American and Ukrainian officials say.

Ukraines military had eagerly awaited the arrival of the first batch of truck-mounted, multiple-rocket launchers, whose satellite-guided rockets have a range of more than 40 miles, greater than anything Ukraine had possessed. The weapons have even won grudging respect from some Russians for their accuracy and power, analysts said.

Still, only four of the launchers, called High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or HIMARS, and their U.S.-trained crews are in the fight, though four more are expected this month. Ukrainian officials say they need as many as 300 multiple-rocket launchers to combat Russia, which is firing several times as many rounds as Ukraines forces in the artillery-driven war of attrition in the countrys east.
The pressure is really on, T. said on a Thursday, four days after she gave birth to Cason. I have one year to rebuild my life while my body heals, and four kids to take care of at the same time. Its scary. I try not to think about what will happen when I leave the program. I know I can be a great mom, its just, can I provide for my children, keep the kids healthy and safe and have a roof over our head, and food?

She is hoping, she said, to get another job as a bookkeeper and eventually move into her own home.

She said she has a message for the Texas Legislature.

You dont know what is best for any family, you didnt protect me or my kids. I protect my kids. Only a mom can know what is best for herself and her family. And if youre going to force women to have all of these babies that they are not equipped to have, then you need to provide support for women and their children after the babies are born.

Earlier in the week, just a day and a half after giving birth, T. had something else to say.

Women, all we really have is our dignity and our voices, she said. And youre taking them away.
7. How can I help you feel more loved?

I just think this is a beautiful question, said Ms. Silverstein, who credits it to the well-known marriage researcher John Gottman. People looking to make their romantic relationship stronger often focus on asking for what they want and what they need, which is important, Ms. Silverstein said. But asking this question is a clear way of communicating how much your partner matters to you.

We want to create a culture in our conversations with our partners that is equally asking for what we need, but also being generous and offering to meet our partners needs, Ms. Silverstein said.

How to approach relationship check-ins

These questions can be thorny, so the experts said couples should plan ahead and really try to use their best communication skills. Dont ask them when youre busy feeding your kids breakfast, or when your partner is half-asleep. Be thoughtful and considerate about finding a time that works for you both.

It may be helpful to use I statements when discussing your relationship, Ms. Smith-Fiallo added. So instead of saying something like, You made me feel, try something like, When this happened, I felt XYZ, she explained. (All of the experts mentioned that some couples would find these conversations much easier and more constructive with the help of a therapist.)

Then, practice, practice, practice. The goal is not only to have these kinds of state-of-the-union check-ins after stretches of big change and transition, but to create a culture of communication in your relationship where you have a standing relationship summit daily, weekly, monthly and yearly, Ms. Smith-Fiallo said.

It can be really helpful in reminding each other that you are a team, she said. You are in this together.
Why are people using it?

A survey of delta-8 users backs this up, with respondents reporting feeling less paranoid, less anxious and having a nicer high compared with delta-9-THC. The most common experiences when using delta-8 were relaxation, euphoria and pain relief. People did report having some difficulty concentrating, problems with short-term memory and an altered sense of time, although not to the same extent as with regular marijuana.

When we asked participants to compare delta-8 to delta-9, they felt that it was less intense, said Jessica Kruger, a clinical assistant professor of health behavior at the State University of New York College at Buffalo, who led the survey. They remarked how they could use delta-8 and still be productive, whereas when they use delta-9 they would say that they had things like couch lock or didnt feel like getting up and doing anything.

Dr. Kruger and Dr. Klumpers said its unlikely that delta-8 has different effects than delta-9. Instead, experts said, the explanation is probably that theres less of the drug in the CB1 receptors, so people are less likely to experience the more distressing symptoms that can occur when they get too high.

Is it legal?

The purportedly milder high is one of delta-8s main attractions for users. The other is its legal status.

Delta-8s rise started with the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, which made hemp legal. Hemp and marijuana are both types of cannabis plants, but marijuana produces delta-9-THC and hemp doesnt. Think of hemp and marijuana like two varieties of tomato plants, if one type of tomato could get you high.

The Farm Bill stated that hemp could be grown legally as long as it contained less than 0.3 percent THC. But, said Kent Vrana, a professor of pharmacology at Penn State, the authors of the bill made an oversight: They defined THC specifically as delta-9-THC, which is still illegal federally. With that definition, a market for delta-8 was born.
At its worst point, it was labeled Africas World War, a transnational conflict that cost millions of peoples lives. At best over the past decades, there has been a fragile peace. But there has never been a definitive end to the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Now its resurging. Growing tension between Congo (formerly known as Zaire) and its neighbor Rwanda is threatening to spark a war in Africas Great Lakes region. However, like other crises in Africa  such as famine, drought, coups and ethnic violence  it has received little international attention with all eyes on the war in Ukraine.

For weeks, Congo has accused Rwanda of backing the rebel group M23, which has killed civilians in a spate of new attacks, captured a cross-border trading town, caused more than 25,000 people to flee and likely shot down a United Nations helicopter, killing eight peacekeepers on board, according to a recent U.N. report. Rwanda has denied supporting the rebels, but relations between the two countries have still been strained. One Congolese official even declared that if Rwanda wants war, it will have war.
Many of the people who died and those still trapped under the rubble had been in the area to work on the construction of a railroad station deep in the mountains. Some were soldiers in the Indian Army. Others were railway workers, local villagers and laborers.

The entire country is deeply saddened by loss of lives, Mr. Singh said on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he had reviewed the situation in Manipur and had assured Mr. Singh of all possible support from the central government. I pray for the safety of all those affected, he said. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.

Weeks of heavy rainfall from the monsoons have already killed more than 100 people and left millions homeless in Indias northeast and in neighboring Bangladesh. More than 60 people were killed in May during days of flooding, landslides and thunderstorms that left many people without food and drinking water and isolated them by cutting off the internet.

Tying climate change to an extreme weather event requires extensive scientific analysis. But climate change is often a contributing factor.
On Friday, South Korea said it was impossible for the balloon launches to have brought Covid-19 into the North, saying it had consulted disease-control experts on the question. Activists who have sent balloons across the heavily armed border, known as the Demilitarized Zone, accused the North of shifting the blame for its outbreak to the South, and of trying to frighten its people into avoiding the leaflets.

Its typical North Korean propaganda, attempting to turn its problem over its Covid outbreak into fear and hatred of South Korea, said one such activist, Lee Min-bok, a North Korean defector. Its regime fears outside news spreading among its people more than anything else.

After two years of claiming to have no Covid cases, North Korea declared a maximum emergency on May 12, saying that an outbreak had begun in late April and locking down all of its cities and counties. So far, it has reported 4.7 million cases of people developing Covid-like symptoms, such as a high fever. North Korea said on June 15 that 73 people had died of the disease, but it has since provided no update on fatalities.

Outside experts consider the Norths data untrustworthy, in part because the country does not have enough testing kits and laboratories to accurately track a major outbreak. In recent weeks, it has claimed to have the virus under control; it said its daily count of suspected new infections had dropped to 4,570 on Friday, from a high of 390,000 in mid-May.
HONG KONG  Under swarms of security, beneath clouds threatening rain, Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, marked the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to China with a showcase of just how thoroughly he had transformed and subdued this once-freewheeling city.

The police goose-stepped in Chinese military fashion at a flag-raising ceremony and showed off new mainland-made armored vehicles. The citys streets were empty of the protesters who traditionally gathered by the thousands each July 1. And Mr. Xi delivered a stern admonition that the open dissent and pro-democracy activism that had roiled  and, in many ways, defined  the city in recent years are things of the past.

Political power must be in the hands of patriots, he said, after swearing in a new leader for the city, a former policeman who led the crackdown on huge anti-government protests in 2019. There is no country or region in the world that would allow unpatriotic or even treasonous or traitorous forces and people to take power.
MELBOURNE, Australia  When climate protesters took to the streets of Sydney this week, including blocking one of its busiest traffic tunnels for over an hour, they faced the fury of government officials who labeled them professional pests and warned that theyd see the book being thrown at them.

The 24 people arrested during the protests this week face up to two years in jail and fines of up to $15,000 under a new state law passed in April covering protests that disrupt economic activity. Previously, the penalty was a fine of up to $400, with no jail time.

Human rights activists and legal groups are now questioning whether the law imposes an overly harsh punishment for nonviolent protests and is primarily being used against climate activists.
New Zealand has declared the Proud Boys, the far-right American group that played a key role in the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to be a terrorist organization, making it illegal for New Zealanders to participate in or support its activities.

There was no evidence that the group was operating in New Zealand, but its activity has been observed in Australia and Canada, which designated the group a terrorist organization last year.

New Zealands prime minister can designate groups terrorist entities if they have carried out at least one terrorist act, and the government believed the Proud Boys involvement in the Jan. 6 attack was consistent with the definition of a terrorist act, it said in a statement from June 20. It said that the groups extreme right-wing ideology was founded on racist and fascist principles and that it had shown a consistent fondness for violence.
Far-right groups  including the Proud Boys, which was co-founded by a Canadian, Gavin McInnes  have latched onto the Red Ensign in veneration of white settler history. In 2017, five members of the Canadian Armed Forces were among a group of Proud Boys who carried the Red Ensign flag while confronting Indigenous protesters in Halifax on Canada Day.

But neither the old Red Ensign flag nor the current maple leaf one has ever turned much of the country into flag fanatics. By and large, Canadians just arent that into it.

There are still some people who ostentatiously fly the pre-1965 flag, a sign of disapproval but, it is kind of arcane, said Robert Bothwell, a professor emeritus of Canadian history at the University of Toronto. You have to be reasonably sophisticated to know what it is, he said, adding so I dont see that becoming a popular movement.

Flags were historically used to color or give expression to Canadas political movements and sentiments, Mr. Bothwell said. Particularly in Quebec, flags came to denote whether the person waving them was a separatist, nationalist or federalist.
Photos of the W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner being led through a courthouse outside Moscow were released this week before her trial on drug charges that is set to begin on Friday, giving the Western world a rare glimpse of her after four months of being detained in Russia.

In some of the photos, a handcuffed Ms. Griner appears worried. She wears a gray T-shirt and round eyeglasses. The wrists of her long arms are cuffed together and then cuffed to a guards arm. Some fans described the photos as heartbreaking.

Only a few images of Ms. Griner have been released since her arrest in an airport near Moscow on Feb. 17, a week before Russias invasion of Ukraine, and they have been scrutinized for clues about her mental and physical health. She was detained as she passed through security after officials said they had found vape cartridges with traces of hashish oil in her luggage. If convicted, she faces a sentence of up to 10 years at a penal colony.
The report found that Ms. Frederiksen was grossly misleading and breached truth and legality, when she announced in November 2020 that all mink, infected or not, should be culled. But the commission said it was unable to assess whether Ms. Frederiksen had committed gross negligence because she has said she was unaware that she had overstepped her authority.

Ms. Frederiksen testified last year in front of the commission that she became aware of the fact that the government did not have the legal powers to kill noninfected animals only days after she announced the decision to cull the mink.

It was not immediately clear what the political consequences of the report would be. Ms. Frederiksen said she did not intend to resign and rejected calls for a legal investigation, saying that the government had been transparent about the issue.

The government has at no time tried to hide or cover up this mistake, she said. On the contrary, we have put it all out there.

A decision of how to proceed on the issue will be left up to Parliament, she said.

Some supporters of Ms. Frederiksens center-left government in Parliament said they would not call for a legal investigation. Many of her conservative opponents want an investigation, and they have been scathing about the governments handling of the affair.

Its a big show with five ministers trying to save themselves, said Soren Pape Poulsen, a leader of the Conservative Peoples Party, according to the Danish broadcaster DR.
They were then sent to Russia but made their way out through Georgia, then onto Germany, Poland and back to Ukraine.

After losing so much, being a part of this community reminds him of who he is, he said. But the new play is also offering him a fresh start. He said he never wanted to return to Mariupol.

Mr. Shevchenko flipped easily between a number of different characters in the performance. In one scene, he delivered one of Vasyl Stuss most famous poems in a booming bass that filled the rehearsal room.

How good that I am not afraid of death//And do not ask how heavy is my cross, he recited.

Nataliia Metliakova Marchenko, 63, who has acted with the theater company for more than 40 years, was born in Russia but her parents moved to Mariupol when she was a child. She still holds a Russian passport.

She spent weeks alone in her home as the city was bombarded before her sons friends helped her get to the west.

When the Russians came, they came to liberate me, she said, using the Russian word, with sarcasm obvious in her voice. And they liberated me from everything. They liberated me from the theater, from my apartment, from my home, from everything.
If it does, Mr. Saied will have remade Tunisias 2014 Constitution, written over two years of impassioned public debate, in a matter of weeks.

That document  which came after the 2011 popular uprising that overthrew the countrys longtime dictator, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali  limited presidential powers and enshrined rights including the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Parliament was a primary player in forming a government and approving legislation.

Mr. Saieds draft keeps most of the current Constitutions clauses concerning rights and liberties. But it puts the president firmly in charge, relegating the judiciary and Parliament to something more akin to bureaucrats.

Mr. Saied would have the power to appoint the government (though Parliament could withdraw confidence from the government with a two-thirds majority vote) and propose laws. The president alone would make treaties and draft budgets and appoint or dismiss judges and ministers. The proposed constitution gives him the authority to dissolve Parliament, but there is no mechanism for removing the president.

The draft would give the president two five-year terms, which could be extended in case of imminent danger to the country.

The draft also delivered what appeared to be a rebuke of Mr. Saieds main political foe, the Islamist party Ennahda, which has dominated Parliament since the post-revolution transition and is widely reviled among Tunisians.
The judge will hold a hearing on July 8. If he allows the law to go forward, it will ban anyone from performing an abortion or providing drugs to interrupt a pregnancy. It will allow exceptions only to prevent serious injury or death of a pregnant woman.
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a 2,430-meter (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometers (50 mi) northwest of Cusco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a tropical mountain climate.
The nations Health Ministers will gather in Canberra to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on Australias aged care sector.
Russia claimed the move was a "goodwill gesture" to allow the export of Ukrainian agricultural products. Meanwhile, fighting intensified in Lysychansk, in the Donbas region. DW has the latest.
euronews (in English) 01 Jul 2022

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Ten people were killed in Russian missile strike on Odesa apartment building, a Ukrainian official said. DW has the latest.
China's leader warned against "traitorous forces" as he defended his vision for the territory at a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the handover from Britain.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Hong Kong to celebrate 25 years of the former British colony's handover to Beijing amid heightened security and a clampdown on pro-democracy protests.
Hundreds of abortion rights activists protested outside the Supreme Court on Thursday 30 June. They sat on the sweltering asphalt as they conducted a nonviolent civil disobedience demonstration to demand safe and legal abortion access.
talkSPORT 02 Jul 2022

Thank goodness Mohamed Salah signed a new Liverpool deal. Until Friday, we were considering putting the Egyptian at wing-back in..
From Norway donating almost 1 billion to Ukraine to Gazprom seizing an energy project co-owned by British and Japanese companies, here are five of the latest developments in the war on Friday.
Turkey and Armenia agreed on the next step toward normalizing relations and will open a border to nationals from other countries. Turks and Armenians, for now, will still not be able to cross.
Following the move by Shinde camp, CM Himanta expressed his gratitude to donors and said that it will "go a long way" in reaching out to the victims.
Shinde took oath as 20th Chief Minister of Maharashtra a day after Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the top post following a Supreme Court order.
PM Narendra Modi on Friday discussed the situation in Ukraine, including its impact on international food and energy markets, in a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Indian government, Modi reiterated Indias long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended Hong Kong's 25th Handover Anniversary and claimed that the city was moving "from chaos to governance." The Asian leader's comments come as many observers believe that democracy in the region has slowly whittled away in the past few years.
Next week, the U.S. Government will import Nestle infant formula from Australia to address the nationwide shortage of infant formula caused by Abbott Nutrition recall. A flight, facilitated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Operation Fly Formula, will land in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 4, carrying more than 56,000 pounds of Nestle NAN SensiPro formula, the equivalent o
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talked up the strong connections between the UK and New Zealand during a packed visit to London on Friday in which she met Prime Minister Boris Johnson and reflected on her OE working for former Prime...
John Swinney will cover the role of finance secretary while Kate Forbes is on maternity leave, the Scottish government has said.
Former prime minister Theresa May has urged Boris Johnson to ban trans conversion therapy, four years after she promised to do so...

PinkNews 01 Jul 2022
A group of Nicaraguan asylum seekers who are waiting at a migrant shelter at the Mexican border city of Tijuana welcomed a US Supreme Court decision on Thursday which would allow President Joe Biden to scrap a Trump-era immigration policy. (June 30)


The Christian Right's wins in the Supreme Court on abortion and prayer in school come at a time when a growing majority of Americans are strongly opposed to its views.
In May 2022, a memo was leaked to the media which indicated that the Supreme Court would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion. Despite the warning, the announcement of the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision sent shockwaves across the country. The 6 to 3 conservative majority is...
Russian forces fired missiles on civilian buildings early Friday in the Odesa region in southern Ukraine, killing at least 21 people, according to authorities.
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Russia has increased its aerial assault on southern Ukraine, firing missiles at areas outside of the Donbas. But despite the threat, it's almost as if the war hasn't touched the port city Odesa.
Mr Home Buyer Sell My House Calgary (https://www.mrhomebuyer.ca/) proudly offers top real estate solutions to anyone requesting agents to "sell my house". At competitive rates, they provide the best cash deals that make house selling faster, easier, and hassle-free. This reputable company buys houses directly from property owners, as is. Such a concept frees their clients from having to worry about any house repairs or renovations and from having 
MIDLAND  Yes, Mosquito Control has visited your route recently.

No, you just didn't hear the fog units. And that's a good thing.

Midland County Mosquito Control has three battery-powered fogging units that only reach up to 80 decibels. By comparison, an operator of a gas-powered unit is likely wearing ear-protection outside of the vehicle. This difference has caused many residents to wonder whether or not Mosquito Control made a routine visit.

Midland County's Director of Mosquito Control Dr. Carl Doud explained how an electric spraying method has introduced a new model and experience for residents. Midland County observed the electric fogging models in Bay County, which was one of the first in the nation to adopt the electric spraying method in 2014.

"These electrics just have a whine to 'em," he said. "It's got a spinning ceramic sleeve that goes up to about 28,000 RPM (revolutions per minute) so it spins very, very fast. When that's up, it's got a hum to it that is not even louder than the sound of the vehicle running. It's very nice in that regard."

Because gas-powered foggers are quite noisy, residents have become accustomed to the noise being an association with a visit from Mosquito Control. Doud said operators of gas-powered foggers must wear hearing-protection outside of the vehicle.

Manager Rebecca Brandt of Bay County's Mosquito Control said Midland's regional neighbors have asked a similar type of questions since adding electric foggers to its total vehicle fleet. Despite the increase in calls, Doud and Brandt both told the Daily News of plans to purchase another electric fogger next year.

Photo Provided Midland County Mosquito Control

Mosquito Control spray times Midland County Director of Mosquito Control Dr. Carl Doud said the electric foggers help disperse material in a fine mist that stays aloft in the air for a period of time to contact active, or flying, mosquitoes. "That's why we operate in the evenings and not all throughout the day because the majority of mosquitoes are active in the evening," he said. Midland County operates until 11:30 p.m. Adulticiding involves the application of products to reduce the number of adult mosquitoes and protect you from mosquito-borne disease. Visit Midland County's GIS Map for more information. Bay County Manager Rebecca Brant said even with our gas-powered machines, Mosquito Control will sneak up on the property owners. "People don't hear us, or notice us go by, because (it is) so late at night," she said. "Anywhere from 9 p.m. until one in the morning." See More Collapse

Brandt said she likes the hushed feature, but one of the main perks is less maintenance overall with the electric machines. Plus, she said the carbon footprint has reduced.

Depending on the time of year, Brandt said more residents call with presence of rain, which likely means, more pests.

In addition, the insecticide doesn't work below 59 degrees. As an effort to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars, Administrator/Controller Bridgette Gransden said the foggers are turned off if the temperatures are below the threshold and technicians go back to the shop.

Currently in Midland County, 3 units of 11 total units are electric. Bay County has 15 total units, with 4 electric foggers.

Mosquitoes collected in the Bay County area recently tested positive for the Jamestown Canyon Virus. These are the first infected mosquito pools of 2022 in Michigan. Over Fourth of July weekend, Mosquito Control of Bay County reminds regional residents to spray bug-spray in an effort of public health.

"Mosquitoes aren't just a nuisance," Brandt said. "Mosquitoes do have the potential to spread viruses."

More mosquito news First Mosquito-Borne virus of 2022 discovered in Bay County

Gransden confirmed public health is also a priority of Midland County.

Residents with questions can contact Midland County Mosquito Control at (989) 832-8677. For more on Mosquito Control abatement methods and routes, visit www.co.midland.mi.us/MosquitoControl.aspx
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MANISTEE  "When you work for the post office, the government pays you to make friends."

That is a line from Margot Gillespie's favorite author, Amor Towles, and also how she describes her favorite thing about being able to work for the post office. Thursday, was Gillespie's last day at the Manistee Post Office.

After 27 years of service for the United States Postal Service, it was time to take a well-earned retirement.

A small party with food was organized by Gillespie's coworkers.

Barry Panzer, Gillespie's supervisor, read a letter from Diane Ingland, U.S. Postal Service district manager, which praised Gillespie's service to the post office.

"Dear Margot, on behalf of the United States Postal Service, I congratulate you on your well-deserved and long-awaited retirement. Please accept this as a commemoration of more than 20 years of personal contribution and commitment to our efforts for a better postal service," the letter from Ingland read. "Through your hard work and loyalty, you have helped the postal service reach new heights of success. Without your contributions or achievements could not have been possible. I greatly appreciate your dedication, which cannot be expressed in words. For us best wishes for many happy years of retirement."

After Panzer read the letter, he asked if Gillespie had anything she wanted to say to her co-workers. She simply said, "It's been fun. I'm going to miss you all. Keep on keeping on."

Gillespie said she grew up in Manistee. She ran rural route four for the Manistee Post Office.

Among her most memorable experiences when working for the post office were (when I) picked up a man off the road that had fallen on the ice and had been there for a couple of hours and yesterday I found three baby raccoons on my route that had lost a mother," she said.

See more photos See more photos of Margot Gillespie's last day at the Manistee Post Office along with this story at manisteenews.com See More Collapse

She said the customers and the people are the reason she loves her job.

"When you're on a route for 27 years, you really get to know everyone," Gillespie said.
Amazon is barring off-duty warehouse workers from the companys facilities, a move organizers say can hamper union drives.

Under the policy shared with workers on Amazons internal app, employees are barred from accessing buildings or other working areas on their scheduled days off, and before or after their shifts.

An Amazon spokesperson said the policy does not prohibit off-duty employees from engaging their co-workers in non-working areas outside the companys buildings.

Theres nothing more important than the safety of our employees and the physical security of our buildings, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. This policy regarding building access applies to building interiors and working areas. It does not limit employee access to non-working areas outside of our facilities.

The notice of the new policy, dated Thursday, says the off-duty rule will not be enforced discriminatorily against employees seeking to unionize. But organizers say the policy itself will hinder their efforts to garner support from co-workers during campaigns.

On our days off, we come to work and we engage our co-workers in the break rooms, said Rev. Ryan Brown, an Amazon warehouse worker in Garner, North Carolina, whos aiming to organize his workplace following the labor win on Staten Island, New York, where workers at an Amazon warehouse voted in April to unionize.

This was a direct response to that, to try to stop organizing by any means necessary, Brown said.

Seattle-based Amazon had previously barred employee access to non-working areas beyond 15 minutes before or after their shifts. The company rescinded that policy in December, when it entered a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow workers to organize more freely. Amazon also agreed to give workers a heads up in the event it chose to reinstate a lawful rule regarding off-duty employee access to its facilities. A spokesperson with the NLRB declined to comment on the companys new policy.

In the notice sent to employees, Amazon said it strived to create a safe environment for employees. One part of this is knowing who is in our buildings at any given time, so we can quickly find and account for everyone in the event of an emergency," the notice said.
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COPEMISH  Voters have two Cleon Township Fire Department matters to weigh on the ballot for the Aug. 2 election. One is a bond for a new fire hall and township hall, and the second is a millage renewal for the fire departments operations.

Mark Greiner, Cleon Township fire chief, said the current fire hall is not structurally sound.

It also needs a new roof, siding, windows, doors and insulation, Greiner said.

He said the Cleon Township Board bought the building the fire hall currently occupies in 2007 and that it was built in the 1960s.

Greiner said that eight years ago the building benefited from some work that helped to prolong its life span.

Back in 2014, the Manistee County Local Revenue Sharing Board awarded us a grant (for) $60,000 for some structural work that was really needed to keep the roof from falling down. Back then, they said that would buy you about 10 years, he explained.

Now, the plan is to build a new hall near the existing hall on Imoff Drive in Copemish on land owned by Cleon Township, Greiner said.

He said the township has architectural plans, elevations and renderings set for the new building.

In order to finance the construction, the township hopes to rely largely on requesting voters' approval of a 0.8820 mills bond proposal.

That will raise approximately $650,000 over a 30-year period, Greiner said.

The building is estimated to cost about $1.1 million, Greiner said.

This means that even if the bond proposal passes, it wont be enough to fully cover the costs of the new building.

That is not enough money. Between the township, between the fire department, the general operations has saved $300,000 since we moved into the building we are in now, he said. So that money along with the bond money will be almost enough to do what we need to do but not quite.

He said the hope is to close the gap and also apply for American Rescue Plan Act funds through the county.

Manistee County government was awarded somewhere around $4.7 million in ARPA fund money and we had applied for $300,000 of ARPA fund money based on the idea that that would get us enough to be able to get the project done, he said.

However, Greiner said at a recent Manistee County Board of Commissioners meeting he learned that there were 19 requests for funding.

More online See more primary election coverage online at manisteenews.com See More Collapse

So, the county administrator proposed to the board that they form an independent group of people  to evaluate all the proposals that were sent in and score them, he recalled. The long and the short of it was we wouldnt have made the cut.

He said fortunately there is a special meeting on July 17 where grant applicants have 10 minutes to make their case to the county board.

The future of the current building is still undecided.

The current structure would have to be assessed. The board is thinking one of two things: It could be used as some type of cold storage facility in part of it that might be structurally feasible, or it may be demolished, Greiner said.

If the bond proposal for a new township fire hall passes, he said the hope would be to have competitive bids sent out several weeks after the election and possibly award a contract for construction in September.

The cost of the bond on a home with a taxable value of $100,000 is about $88.20 a year. The fire department covers Cleon Township and Springdale Township.

Ballot language

BONDS FOR NEW FIRE HALL AND TOWNSHIP HALL

Shall the Township of Cleon issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds in one or more series in an amount not to exceed Six Hundred Fifth Thousand Dollars ($650,000) for the purpose of paying the cost of acquiring, constructing, furnishing and equipping a new Fire Hall and Township Hall in the Township?

The bonds will be outstanding a maximum 30 years, exclusive of refunding. It is estimated that it will be necessary to levy 0.8900 mill ($0.8900 per $1,000 of taxable value) to pay debt service on the bonds in the first year of the levy, and to levy an estimated average of 0.8820 mills ($0.8820 per $1,000 of taxable value) each subsequent year for debt service, until the bonds are retired.

The tax revenue received by the Township as a result of the unlimited tax pledge will be disbursed to the Township of Cleon to repay the proposed bonds.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Photo provided/Jon and Marilyn Horton Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Photo provided/Jon and Marilyn Horton Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Jon and Marilyn Horton are celebrating their 50th anniversary. Jon married the former Marilyn Meeks on July 1, 1972 at First United Methodist Church in Midland.

The Hortons have three children, Ben Horton of Bakersfield, California; Seth Horton of Caledonia, Michigan; and Luke Horton of St. Joseph, Michigan. They also have six grandchildren.
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CAIRO (AP)  Thousands took to the streets Friday in Sudan's capital, a day after nine people were killed in demonstrations against the country's ruling generals.

The United States and others in the international community condemned the violence in this East African nation, which has been rocked by near-weekly protests since an Oct. 25 coup upended its fragile transition to democracy.

The rallies on Thursdays were the largest seen in months. Sudanese military authorities have met the protests with a deadly crackdown, which has so far killed 113 people, including 18 children.

In and near Khartoum, large funeral marches took place for some of those killed the day before, while others gathered after Friday prayers at mosques in the country's capital. Online, photographs of the dead were posted, in some cases in an effort to identify them.

The Sudan's Doctors Committee, a medical group that monitors casualties from demonstrations, said security forces shot and killed nine people, including a child, in or near Khartoum during the rallies on Thursday. The demonstrations coincided with widespread internet disruptions. Internet monitors and activists say the government has crippled communications to prevent gatherings and slow the spread of news on days when large protest turnout is expected.

Sudans leading pro-democracy groups  Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change and the Resistance Committees  had called for nationwide protest against the coup. The takeover upended the countrys short-lived transition to democracy following the 2019 ouster of longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir.

Since the coup, the U.N. political mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the eight-nation east African regional Intergovernmental Authority in Development group have been trying to broker a way out of the political impasse. But talks have yielded no results so far.

In a joint statement tweeted Friday the three bodies expressed disappointment over the continued use of excessive force by security forces and lack of accountability for such actions, despite repeated commitments by authorities.

Thursdays protests also fell on the third anniversary of a 2019 mass rally that forced the generals to sit down at the negotiating table with pro-democracy groups and eventually sign a power-sharing agreement that was expected to govern Sudan during a transitional period, until general elections were to be held. The coup last October scuttled this arrangement.

Western governments have repeatedly called on the generals to allow for peaceful protests, but have also angered the protest movement for sometimes engaging with the leading generals. Pro-democracy leaders call for the generals to leave power immediately.

We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of life in yesterdays protests, the U.S. Embassy in Sudan said in a statement Friday. We urge all parties to resume negotiations and call on peaceful voices to rise above those who advocate for or commit violence.

From Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said she was alarmed by Thursdays killings, especially after the police had announced they would not use lethal force to disperse the demonstrators.

In no case is force permissible to dissuade or intimidate protesters from exercising their rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, or to threaten them with harm for doing so," she said.

Police said Friday an investigation was launched after a video circulated online, appearing to show security forces prodding and kicking a badly injured protester in the street the day before. According to pro-democracy groups, the protester later died. In a statement released on the website of the country's state-run news agency, police said the video shows security personnel violating orders to not approach demonstrations with firearms. It said those involved would be held accountable.

The country's interior ministry, which oversees the police, has continuously denied the use of live fire on protesters, despite evidence from activists and pro-democracy groups to the opposite.
MIDLAND  As the nation celebrates its independence, Northwood University is announcing the second of an online series of lessons for anyone interested in The Northwood Idea and free-market economics.

"The Northwood Idea exists as a timeless set of values that adapts to changing conditions while remaining steadfast as a guiding light," said Dr. Dale Matcheck, who chairs the Economics Department at Northwood University. "It provides direction to those who understand the full meaning of freedom. Freedom, we believe, is the foundation of prosperity."

Northwood is publishing the second lesson, Innovation & Innovism on July 4. The university will release additional modules with various lessons throughout the year, which will comprise a full course by year's end. Learners will be able to test their knowledge and earn certificates from Northwood University upon successfully completing the course.

The university promotes the importance of free enterprise, ethics, individual freedom and responsibility. Private, nonprofit, and accredited, Northwood University specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education at a full-service, residential campus located in Midland.

"The free-enterprise system incentivizes investment, innovation, efficiency, and determination," Matcheck noted. "It also serves as a shield against tyranny. We firmly believe government should be limited in scope, providing the rule of law by broad consent but not dictating its citizens' personal and economic decisions."

"Societies and the people who come together to form them thrive to the extent that those people are free to make their own choices," Matcheck said. "Individual freedom, coupled with individual responsibility, creates an environment where the greatest good  economic or otherwise  comes to the greatest number of people."

Northwood, with the support of donors, announced the formation of an online course, Philosophy of Free Enterprise, on the universitys Founders Day in March, when the first online lesson, A Brief History of Progress," was published on our online course platform.

The principal donors behind this effort are Donald S. Gottwald, a 1988 alumnus, and his wife, Pamela. They wanted to highlight The Northwood Idea, the University's guiding philosophy that provides a foundation for students to apply their unique individual talents in a free society to realize a life well spent.

"The Northwood Idea Task Force, formed in November 2020, set in motion a comprehensive effort to inject new energy into The Northwood Idea. The task force has offered several recommendations to create new academic programming centered on The Northwood Idea," said Justin Marshall, vice president of advancement and business development at Northwood. "We are very thankful for Mr. Gottwald's generous donation, which will allow us to share that programming with the public."

The effort to bring lessons about The Northwood Idea to the public also is being aided by a generous gift from the Thomas F. and Harriet S. Oakley Family Trust.

Donors who value liberty, the American free-enterprise system, and creating leaders who drive economic and social progress may consider a gift to Northwood University. Visit our giving page or contact Northwood's advancement office at (989) 837-4356.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  The first lawsuits have been filed only days after an Amtrak train collision and derailment in rural Missouri that left four people dead and injured up to 150 others.

In a federal lawsuit filed Friday, surviving passenger Janet Williams of Dubuque, Iowa, named Amtrak, BNSF Railway Co. and MS Contracting LLC, the employer of the dump truck driver whose vehicle was struck by the train. The complaint alleges negligent design of the railroad crossing near the town of Mendon, and says the train was packed with too many riders, creating cattle car conditions.

On Thursday, Amtrak and BNSF Railway filed a federal lawsuit against MS Contracting, the Kansas City Star reported. That lawsuit said the train was clearly visible and that the truck driver was careless in crossing the tracks.

Phone calls to MS Contracting rang unanswered on Friday.

The crossing where the collision occurred has no lights, signals or gates to warn of an approaching train. Area residents had previously expressed concerns about the safety of the crossing, described by locals and a federal transportation safety official as very steep. Chariton County leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years, presiding county commissioner Evan Emmerich said this week.

The truck driver, Billy Barton II, 54, of Brookfield, died in the collision, along with three passengers on the train. His widow, Erin Barton, on Thursday filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in state court against Chariton County and a BNSF official who cited the crossing as unsafe.

Chariton County Attorney Brandon Shelton did not immediately return a phone message left Friday.

Two train passengers  Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas  died at the scene. A third passenger, 82-year-old Binh Phan, of Kansas City, Missouri, died Tuesday at a hospital. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said up to 150 people also were injured.

Williams lawsuit said she sustained significant and life-altering injuries when she was suddenly thrown from her seat, struck by luggage and crushed by other passengers as her train car flipped onto its side. One of her attorneys, Robert J. Mongeluzzi, said in a statement that Amtrak and BNSF failed to use basic railroad crossing safety devices such as warning lights and crossing gates.

A BNSF spokeswoman said the company doesn't comment on pending litigation. A message left with Amtrak wasn't immediately returned.

The Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit the truck. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. Amtrak officials said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that the train was going about 87 mph (140 kph), under the 90 mph (145 kph) speed limit, when the collision happened.
Indian PM, Russian president discuss bilateral, global issues

Xinhua) 21:03, July 01, 2022

NEW DELHI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed bilateral and global issues including Ukraine over the phone on Friday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

The two leaders reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during Putin's visit to India in December last year and exchanged ideas on how to further encourage bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products, according to a statement.

The leaders also discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets.

Regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Modi reiterated India's long-standing position in favor of dialogue and diplomacy, the statement said.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji)
BIG RAPIDS  Cynthia Glazier was angry, and social media made her want to pick up a picket sign.

The Paris resident posted on Ask Big Rapids, a community Facebook page, about her plans to help put together a protest. Waves of comments came in deriding her and harassing her for being pro-choice, but she said this isnt a Roe v. Wade issue. Its about bodily autonomy.

Its none of my business whether youre pro-choice or pro-life, she said. Its also none of my business what you do with your body.

Im pro-freedom, which is what this country was founded on, she added. Independence Day celebrates that, and I want people to realize the freedom to own their own bodies.

To her, the SCOTUS decision harkens a dystopian future where the state can control what people do with their bodies in their private lives, she said.

Shes been a little concerned for my safety because of some online comments which made her reconsider sharing protest details online, she said.

I decided most people are keyboard warriors and Im the one who decided to make this a public thing, so I need to stand behind it, she said.

She'll be meeting with other protestors at Hemlock Park on Sunday at 1 p.m. to make signs and plan for the Monday protest, she said. Because of the harassment, she is keeping the exact protest locations private.

The last location, Sawmill Saloon, was canceled after the owners told Glazier to change locations, she said.

Im not out there with a megaphone. Im not out there waving anything in anyones faces, she said. I just want my voice and other peoples voices to be heard.

So far, at least 30 people expressed interest in protesting, she said.
BENGHAZI, Libya (AP)  Demonstrators broke into the building that houses the eastern Libya-based parliament in Tobruk on Friday, setting fire to parts of it amid protests over months of failed efforts to set the divided country on a path toward elections.

One witness, Taher Amaizig, said thousands joined a march to the parliament building calling for the current political powers to be dissolved and elections to be held. He said that as security guards tried to prevent people from entering, a protester was shot in the legs and other demonstrators then forced their way inside.

Videos circulated on social media showed protesters filing past burning piles. Friday is the first day of the weekend in Libya, meaning the building was likely empty when it was stormed. It was unclear what protesters intended by targeting the building

Other protests demanding elections were staged earlier in the day in several cities around Libya.

The unrest comes a day after representatives of Libyas rival powers  one based in the east of the country and the other in the west  failed at U.N.-mediated talks in Geneva to reach agreement on a constitutional framework for national elections.

After more than a decade of war, the country is once again split between competing administrations, sliding backwards despite a year of tentative steps towards unity.

Oil-rich Libya has been wrecked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, leading to a rise in rival governments. The administration based in the east is backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and a U.N.-supported administration is based in the capital of Tripoli. Each side is supported by different militias and foreign powers.

Tobruk, the seat of Libyas House of Representatives, has long been allied with Hifter. More recently the parliament there elected Fathy Basghagha as prime minister to a government that rivals the Tripoli-based administration. Bashagha, a powerful former interior minister, is now operating a separate administration out of the city of Sirte.

Libyas plan for elections last Dec. 24 fell through after the interim administration based in Tripoli, headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, failed to go ahead with the vote. The failure was a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in Libya.

The deteriorating economic situation was also a factor in Fridays protests. In Tripoli, hundreds came out earlier in the day in opposition to the political crisis but also to rail against electricity shortages and rising prices for fuel and bread.
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MARTINY TOWNSHIP  A two-vehicle accident near Rodney sent three individuals to the hospital Thursday afternoon.

According to a news release from the Mecosta County Sheriff's Office, at 3:34 p.m. Thursday, June 30, deputies responded to a personal injury accident on 120th Avenue (M-20) near 13 Mile Road, south of Rodney, in Martiny Township.

An investigation revealed that a 29-year-old male from Oakwood, Georgia, driving east on 13 Mile Road, allegedly failed to yield at a stop sign, colliding with a southbound vehicle on 120th Avenue, driven by a 57-year-old male from Remus, police said. Both drivers and one passenger were transported to the hospital for injuries.

Personnel from Morton Township Fire and Rescue, Colfax Township Fire Rescue, Mecosta County EMS, the Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State Police assisted Mecosta County Sheriff's deputies.
They lied.

Brett Kavanaugh.

Neil Gorsuch.

Samuel A. Alito. Jr.

Amy Coney Barrett.

Liars.

As Supreme Court nominees, they all were asked their opinions on Roe v. Wade.

All said essentially the same thing at the time they were nominated: It's settled. It's history. It's the law of the land.

Their opinions didn't "evolve." They didn't change their minds. They misrepresented.

They lied.

To be fair, almost no one believed their answers on abortion, anyway, especially Coney Barrett. Did I believe that Kavanaugh likes beer? Yes, after his heartfelt testimony, undoubtedly so. Did I think Coney Barrett, an ultra-conservative Christian, was going to respect a decision on women's reproductive rights? Not a chance.

Cagle Cartoons

Everyone has lied  or exaggerated  during a job interview, right? Casting yourself in the best possible light is understandable. This isn't just any job interview, though. This is the high court of the United States of America. This is a court that decides federal laws that affect how generations of Americans live their lives.

Why not just tell the truth?

Courtesy

Because we have normalized lying. President Trump certainly didn't invent lying, but boy, he seemed to master it while he was in office.

Presidents Nixon, Clinton, Bush  and many others before them - all told some whoppers. But minutes into Trump's tenure, the lies started  "Just look at the size of my record-breaking inauguration crowd!"  and they ended with The Big Lie.

In the Jan. 6 hearings, we are seeing lies being exposed in real time. Witness testimony has taken us all behind the scenes and exposed a coordinated effort to try to derail, by force, the peaceful transition of power in January 2021. We are seeing how a sitting president propagated The Big Lie  that a victory was stolen from him  hoping that through his own force of will it would somehow, miraculously be accepted as truth.

We are learning about the many people who felt it was easier to go along with the lie instead of having the courage to stand up and tell the truth.

One of my favorite, current lies is GOP gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke's stupid zombie voter ads. Apparently, he doesn't have much more to offer than the hilarious, old "dead people" voting bit. According to FactCheck.Org "an illegal ballot cast on behalf of a deceased voter is rare, and we could find no examples of it in Michigan in 2020 or 2016."

Also, why run that ad if the guy in the zombie makeup has twice the charisma of the candidate standing next to him?

Courtesy

Then, we have Congressman John Moolenaar out there on Facebook taking polls/donations with questions like, "Are you against Critical Race Theory being taught in our children's schools?"

Really, John? Why perpetuate that delusional idea, believed by many in the community, that somewhere in middle school classrooms in Bullock Creek or kindergarten classes at Meridian or high school classes in Midland, there are teachers (your constituents) sneaking in diversity training between algebra, chapter books and "Catcher In the Rye?"

You know that's not true, John. Don't contribute to the noise and don't make teachers out to be villains.

Cagle Cartoons

Ill say this for Clarence Thomas, he isnt a liar. In fact, in his comments after dismantling Roe v. Wade, he is signaling to other conservatives where he wants the lower courts to guide them next  gay marriage, bedroom politics. This is one politician  and that's exactly what he is  whom I would take at his word.

America is going to be a lot different after this Supreme Court is done with us. I'd be lying if I told you I thought Democrat leaders have enough smarts or strategy to fight back. These are the same people who let then-U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell steal two Supreme Court seats from them.

During the past 10 years, Americans have leaned into misinformation and conspiracy theory; we go to extreme lengths to convince ourselves to believe the unbelievable and the irrational. I don't think anyone knows how we are going to get out of this.

There are others, more optimistic than I, who believe that Trump's influence is starting to wane. And with that, the country might be headed toward a reconciliation with the truth. They believe that in America, things will always just kind of work out, no matter how divided we are, no matter how much we don't see eye-to-eye.

That's a great sentiment for a July 4 holiday weekend.

But if you believe that, then youre just lying to yourself.

Dave Clark is editor of the Midland Daily News. Email him at david.clark@hearst.com
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Spencer McKee is OutThere Colorado's Director of Content and Operations. In his spare time, Spencer loves to hike, rock climb, and trail run. He's on a mission to summit all 58 of Colorado's fourteeners and has already climbed more than half.
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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 95 asylum seekers and refugees were evacuated on Friday via a flight organized from Libya to Italy by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya's Parliament will convene immediately after the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha following the failure of three rounds of meetings of the two chambers of the legislature in Cairo, Egypt, and three days of talks between their leadership in Geneva to agree a legal basis for elections
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The UN migration agency on Friday deplored the deaths of at least 20 migrants in the Libyan desert and renewed its call for stronger migrant protection along the Chad-Libya border
Photo: (Photo : GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

While many parents and organizations commend the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for imposing new regulations against the use of hazardous sleep products, child safety advocates warn that this change could still fail babies if the parents or caregivers themselves continue to have unsafe habits.

Psychologist Carol Pollack-Nelson, who worked with the CPSC in studying the use of sleep products, told CNN that it might not be the products that put the babies at risk of suffocating or dying in their sleep. In collecting years of data for her report with CPSC, she learned that almost all the deaths involving sleep products had been tied to how the parents or caregivers use the items.

Alison Jacobson, an advocate for raising awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), believes that the new regulations will do little to prevent the parents, especially the exhausted moms and dads, from using non-sanctioned sleep products like a lounger, bouncer, or car seat to help the family get a shut-eye or some quiet and peace. Some parents might continue to find ways to secure the banned products from unsanctioned second-hand markets.

Both advocates agree that banning or modifying products will not be as effective in curbing SIDS unless there is a conscious effort to change behavior.

Read Also: Unsafe Infant Loungers: CPSC Sues Leachco for Refusing to Recall the Product

The Right Safe Sleep Habits Parents Need to Observe

Amid the advocates' comments, the CPSC said parents must look up their advice on Safe Sleep to know the proper habits to observe. The agency promotes "bare is best" for the baby's cribs, bassinets, and play yards.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also released a revised sleep guidance that recommends a flat and firm sleep surface. The group follows the same advice as the CPSC: the baby's sleep space must never be inclined more than 10 degrees. Further, the AAP said babies who fall asleep on strollers, carriers, or swings should be moved to a flat and firm surface as soon as possible.

Tired parents who perenially end up falling asleep with the baby on their bed need to be proactive. They have to remove pillows, blankets, and extra sheets that might accidentally cover the baby's face or lead to overheating because of the blanket's warmness.

Co-sleeping under any circumstances is no longer advisable for parents, even for twins or multiples. If the mom or dad has to feed their baby, they must be transferred to their own sleep space when the feeding is done or if the family is ready to go to bed.

While co-sharing on the bed is no longer advisable, room sharing is still a good idea. Per the AAP, room sharing until the baby is six months can reduce the baby's risks for SIDS by as much as 50 percent.

Prevent Infant Deaths by Following Recommendations

In York County, Pennsylvania, six baby deaths were logged within the last six months, prompting coroner Pam Gay to say that these incidents would have been prevented if the parents or caregivers had followed the safe sleep recommendations. She told Penn Live that they dread to receive calls about infant sleep-related deaths knowing that the adults can avoid the accidents.

Dr. Michael Goodstein, a Pennsylvania newborn doctor, also advocates for "bare is best" and reminds parents to avoid anything that creates a hazardous sleep environment for the babies. He said that 95 percent of the time, environmental practices factor into these incidents, especially for babies under the age of four months.

Related Article: Crib Bumpers Could Soon Become Illegal; Senate Approves Measure to Ban Sleep Product
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Will the abortion ban affect women who experience ectopic pregnancies? Critics of the Supreme Court's decision to reverse Roe vs. Wade believe that this ruling will risk mothers' lives.

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg develops outside the mother's uterus. Per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), 90 percent of the cases occur in the mother's fallopian tubes, where the fertilized egg should have traveled from the ovaries to the uterus.

When an ectopic pregnancy happens, it's considered an unviable or unsustainable pregnancy. Thus, the moms are advised to terminate the pregnancy. Some women interpret the termination of a pregnancy as abortion.

Read Also: Daughter of Roe Vs. Wade Plaintiff Says Mom Would be Devastated by SCOTUS Ruling; Who Was Jane Roe?

Celebrities Share their Ectopic Pregnancy/Abortion Stories

Following the Supreme Court's reversal, Lauren Conrad, the star of "The Hills," wrote on her Instagram Stories that she had an ectopic pregnancy six years ago. She's grateful to have access to prompt medical care, which allowed her to recover and regain her reproductive health to eventually conceive two healthy kids with her husband.

She said she recently learned of a story of a woman with an ectopic pregnancy rupture who was on the brink of death. The woman had to wait to receive medical care because her doctors were still consulting with lawyers out of fear that they might break the law and lose their license to practice. Conrad implied this is one of the consequences of the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, per Yahoo! Life.

"One Tree Hill" actress Hilarie Burton also shared that she had an abortion during the years she and her husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, were trying for a second child. While she didn't explicitly state the reason for terminating the pregnancy, the actress said that the procedure allowed her body to heal and pave the way for her daughter, George, to be conceived and born.

On social media, influencers also share their stories about their pain and grief over an unviable or unsustainable pregnancy. One influencer said she would have died and left her other kids without a mom if she did not have access to better reproductive health care after her ectopic pregnancy.

Laws Do Not Prevent Reproductive Healthcare Treatments to Save Moms

However, the National Review ran a story criticizing these stories on ectopic and other life-threatening pregnancies. The report cited that there has been no law in the U.S. in the last five decades that prevented mothers from getting life-saving treatments if they have an unviable or risky pregnancy.

The piece claimed that there is fearmongering among those pushing the pro-choice narrative, using ectopic pregnancy as an example. Even Planned Parenthood has explicitly explained that terminating an ectopic pregnancy is not the same as an abortion. The Catholic Church, which bans abortion, also endorses the procedure because it will save the mother's life.

Dr. Jessica Shepherd, an OBGYN in Texas, told Prevention that there is no clear impact of the reversal of Roe Vs. Wade on cases like ectopic pregnancies. She said it's a gray area that hasn't been acknowledged well. Some state laws ban a pregnancy termination if there is still a heartbeat. Unfortunately, some fetuses still have a heartbeat even if the pregnancy is already unsustainable. In this case, doctors will hesitate to perform the termination if they could be accused of covert abortion.

Dr. Lauren Streicher of Northwestern University said that several states are still deciding on their abortion legislature, but ectopic pregnancy cases are typically exempted from the abortion ban.

Meanwhile, women who are in the early phases of the pregnancy should watch out for ectopic pregnancy symptoms like vaginal bleeding, mild cramping, mild pain in the pelvis or abdomen, lower back pain that may travel to the shoulders, weakness, dizziness, and fainting. They can be at risk if they have a history of pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or past pelvic or abdominal surgery.

If pregnant moms are experiencing the symptoms, they need to go to their reproductive healthcare provider as soon as possible.

Related Article: Andrea Prudente Case: US Woman Denied Spontaneous Abortion to Save Her Life to Sue Malta Government
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Multiple military and defense officials told NBC News that every branch of the U.S. military is struggling to meet its recruiting goals for the fiscal year 2022. Numbers obtained by the media outlet show both a record low percentage of young Americans eligible to serve in the military and an even tinier fraction willing to consider it.

The officials said that the top leaders of the Pentagon are now looking for ways to find recruits to fill out the ranks of the military. They added that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks consider the shortfall a serious issue, with both top officials meeting on it frequently with other leaders.

Ret. Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr of the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, said this is the start of a long drought for military recruiting. He said the U.S. military had not had such a hard time signing recruits since 1973, when the United States left Vietnam, and the draft officially ended.

What is causing the recruitment problems?

The pool of those eligible to join the U.S. military continues to dwindle, with more young men and women disqualified for drug use, criminal records, or obesity. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville testified before Congress last month, saying that only 23 percent of Americans ages 17 to 24 are qualified to serve without a waiver to join, which is down from 29 percent in recent years, according to the American Legion.

An internal Defense Department survey found that only 9 percent of those young Americans eligible to serve in the U.S. military had any inclination to do so, the lowest percentage since 2007.

The survey sheds light on how the growing civilian-military divide and Americans' view of the military may also be factors in the slumping recruitment and how public attitudes towards the American military could cause recruiting struggles for years to come.

Read Also: Teen Boy Killed, 3 Others Injured in Shooting After Unpermitted Juneteenth Moechella Event in DC

Majority of young Americans fear emotional problems if they join the military

More than half of the young Americans who answered the Defense Department survey (about 57 percent) think they would have psychological or emotional problems after serving in the U.S. military. Nearly half of those surveyed believe they would have physical problems if they joined the military.

One senior U.S. military official familiar with the recruiting issues said they think they will be physically or emotionally broken after serving. He believes a lack of familiarity with military service contributes to that perception among young Americans.

Among Americans surveyed by the Pentagon who were in the target age range for recruitment, only 13 percent had parents who had served in the U.S. military, down from approximately 40 percent in 1995. According to The Hill, recruiting is not helped when 52 percent of parents do not recommend military service to their own offspring. The numbers are based on recent Department of Defense survey data.

Related Article: Parents Hesitant to Get Their Kids Vaccinated Against COVID-19 Because of Lower Vaccine Efficacy
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President Joe Biden has recently signed the landmark gun reform legislation in decades. The move came a month after a gunman in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 elementary school students and teachers.

Unknown to many, students around the country have been pushing for the legislation for years. In 2018, students nationwide took to the street and started the March for Our Lives and Students Demand Action. The two organizations are now major forces in the gun control movement. Earlier this month, thousands of young people gathered at the Washington Monument for the first March for Our Lives Rally since 2018.

What drove these student leaders to become gun-control activists? NPR interviewed some of the students, and these are their responses.

Shooting at their school that cost her classmate's/loved one's lives

According to Zoe Touray, 18, a school shooting happened in their school on a Tuesday after Thanksgiving break. She was lucky enough to jump out of the window to safety. However, some of her classmates were not fortunate. A 15-year-old student killed four students in the school. The shooting also injured six students and a teacher.

Touray admitted that after the shooting, she did not know how to heal. When March For Our Lives found its way to her through Twitter to talk to lawmakers through an upcoming rally in Lansing, she decided to try it.

She was doubtful at first, but her parents encouraged her. Lobbying in Lansing for secure firearm storage and increased mental health resources energized her and made her feel like she was making an impact; hence, she kept moving. Since then, she finished high school and started advocacy work for gun-violence legislation and, more recently, traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 2022 March For Our Lives. She wore the names of her lost classmates on a gray custom T-shirt as she marched. When Uvalde happened, it encouraged her to continue what she was doing and urged more students to get involved.

Lie-in protest that spurred a movement

Eliyah Cohen, 20, was in sophomore high school in Los Angeles when the Parkland shooting happened. When Uvalde happened, he found it difficult to process. Then he joined a 337-second lie-in at UCLA. It was a demonstration where students lay in silence to honor the 337 children, victims of school gun violence who have died since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 and protest gun deaths, per Daily Bruin. The lie-in eventually became a movement that aimed to turn students' anger and pain into policy demands.

Read Also: Double Tragedy: Father Kills Himself After Finding He Left His 18-Month-Old Son Dead in Car

Gun Violence at home

Tiana Patterson was at home with her three-year-old sister when her mother's ex-boyfriend, who had a gun, demanded to be let inside the house. She was only 15, but she instinctively gathered her three-year-old sister and hid under the bed. No shots were fired that day, but it impacted the young girl, who lived in a neighborhood where gang violence was common.

With the help of Moms Demand Action, she organized Students Demand Action, a national, grassroots group of college and high school students that educates communities about gun safety and advocates for changes to federal and local gun policies. She often speaks with other survivors of gun violence through online webinars. As per its website studentsdemandaction.org, the group aims to end gun violence in their communities.

Related Article: Boy, 8, Kills Girl, 1, and Wounds Her 2-Year-Old Sister in a Motel Using Dad's Gun
Photo: (Photo : Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) delivered some great news to parents, saying that Abbott Nutrition in Ireland will ship about 35,000 pounds of baby formula to the United States in mid-July.

The federal agency has granted increased flexibility to import baby formula from other countries across the globe to increase the supply in the United States, which is experiencing a nationwide shortage, according to Penn Live.

According to the FDA, Abbott Nutrition will provide 18,677 cans of Similac Advance 2-FL Stage I formula which is equivalent to 535,000 bottles. FDA said that part of this shipment from Ireland will be reserved to provide for critical needs in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) agencies.

Bellamy's Organic and Global Kosher to provide baby formula to U.S. consumers

The rest of the formula will be distributed to retailers online including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Abbott Store. The shipment from Ireland is timely as Abbott Nutrition's facility in Sturgis, Michigan, remains closed after suffering damage from severe weather around June 13, 2022.

The FDA revealed earlier this week that Bellamy's Organic of Australia will provide enough baby formula to make 21 million bottles, and Global Kosher in the United Kingdom will provide enough to make 128 million bottles.

The FDA for months has been exercising enforcement discretion for the importation of baby formula from other countries in order to increase the amount of formula that is available in the United States.

The shortage was in part sparked by a national recall of baby formula produced at Abbott Nutrition's Michigan plant which was then shut down for three months. Abbott closed the facility back in February after the FDA started investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula that was made from the plant.

Two of those babies died. According to the Associated Press, Abbott continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the said infections, which involved different bacterial strains.

Read Also: Baby Formula Shortage Highlights Huge Benefits of Human Milk Banking

Abbott still experiencing problems with its Michigan plant

Abbott, one of the largest manufacturers of formula in the U.S., recalled Alimentum, EleCare, and Similac powdered infant formulas. That massive recall resulted in empty store shelves across the country with retailers putting limits on how much a person could buy as a result. The supply had already been tight before Abbott's recall because of supply chain issues brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abbott was able to restart production on its Michigan plant on June 4 but shut it down again two weeks later because of the aforementioned storm damage. Abbott issued a statement, saying that it will restart EleCare production followed by specialty and metabolic formulas once the plant is re-sanitized.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said that they know Abbott is working quickly to assess the damage in the Michigan plant. He added that once the company establishes a plan, the FDA will be back in the plant working to ensure that Abbott can restart producing safe and quality formula products quickly, CNN reported.

Related Article: Many Baby Formula Plants Not Inspected in the US Because of COVID Pandemic
Photo: (Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Law enforcement sources and family members told the New York Post on Thursday, June 30, that Azsia Johnson, the young mom fatally shot while pushing her 3-month-old daughter in a stroller on the Upper East Side, was allegedly abused by the infant's father. He is now being sought for questioning by police.

According to the victim's heartbroken mom, Lisa Desort, her daughter had been allegedly assaulted by her ex-boyfriend at least once. She said Johnson was afraid when he found out she had given birth and had been released from the hospital.

She added he was stalking Johnson to the point that he knew when she was discharged from Mount Sinai hospital with her daughter. She said the young mother even moved to a domestic abuse shelter at one point to keep her safe from her ex-boyfriend, but somehow he still found out where she lived.

Johnson planned to meet her former partner despite her fears

Johnson texted her relatives that she planned to meet the baby's dad on Wednesday night despite her fears about her former partner, telling them that she felt bad that he was not in their daughter's life and wanted her to know him.

She was walking with her infant girl in a stroller at around 8:23 P.M. near the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 95th Street when the suspect, dressed in a black hoodie and sweatpants, shot her once in the head and fled the scene of the crime, according to the Daily Beast.

A high-ranking police source revealed that Johnson was targeted, as it was a close head shot to the victim, and powder burns were found on her. Law enforcement sources confirmed that her shooting death was domestic in nature. No arrests have been made in connection with Johnson's shooting, and the gunman's identity has also not been released.

Investigators are now looking to speak to the ex-boyfriend in connection with Johnson's murder, and he is considered a person of interest in the shooting. According to sources, the ex was actively calling his family members while he was on the run to check on the baby, who was unharmed during the shooting.

Read Also: Miracle in Germany as Cops Find Missing 8-year-old Boy Alive in Sewer

Johnson made multiple domestic violence complaints

Desort described her daughter as a wonderful and exceptional young lady with big dreams. The proud mom revealed Johnson was just enrolling in nursing school, saying she worked hard and dreams of becoming a pediatric nurse in the near future.

Desort added that her daughter was currently on maternity leave from her job as a home health aide taking care of the elderly, saying that she was a good girl who was never in trouble and respectable.

Desort told NBC New York that Johnson reported her ex to the cops on New Year's Day, saying he had assaulted her at his home in Jamaica, Queens, while she was six months pregnant with his baby.

Related Article: Olympic Star Lindsey Vonn Pays Tribute to Mom Who Has ALS in Emotional Hall of Fame Speech
Photo: (Photo : Allison Dinner/Getty Images)

The mother of Dylan Rounds, the teen farmer who has been missing in Utah since Memorial Day, strongly fears that the worst has happened to her 19-year-old son. Candice Cooley has reached out to a private investigator to find the boy, but she thinks he might have been murdered.

At first, Cooley didn't find it out of the ordinary when Rounds didn't phone her for three or four days. Speaking with People, the mother said that her son would usually be out of reach for a few days, and then they would talk five days in a row when he'd finally call.

Nevertheless, Rounds was always in contact with someone in their family in Idaho. He last talked with his grandmother on May 28 as he was getting ready to harvest the first crops in his farmland between Utah and Nevada.

But when Cooley visited her son on May 30, she found his property abandoned, and his truck was inside the shed. A search and rescue team was called to track the teen farmer, and they found his only pair of boots amid a pile of dirt close to his RV camper. His other stuff, such as his wallet, cellphone, and pistol, were nowhere to be found.

"As much as I hate to say it, I'm about 99 percent sure somebody murdered my son," Cooley declared.

THE FAMILY OF DYLAN ROUNDS IS OFFERING UP TO A $100,000 REWARD FOR THE SAFE RETURN OR INFORMATION DIRECTLY LEADING TO THE RECOVERY, ARREST AND CONVICTION OF PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DYLAN. #FindDylanRounds  #MissingInAmericaNetwork pic.twitter.com/asClk9isyw  Missing In America Network  (@MissingNAmerica) June 26, 2022

Read Also: 4-year-old Boy Survives Two Days Alone in the Remote Montana Wilderness

Arrest Warrant for the Neighbor of Dyland Rounds

For three years, Rounds dreamed of owning a farm as soon as he finished high school. Last year, his mother said that the teenager worked hard to build this dream. Rounds had property along Box Elder County, but he lived in an RV camper as he worked from the ground up to prepare his crops.

Following the search, the Box Elder County Sheriff's Department posted a notice on their social media pages to inform the public that Rounds' case remains an active missing person investigation. Rounds' grandparents, on the other hand, hired private investigator James Terry to help with the case.

One month after Rounds had gone missing, the authorities issued an arrest warrant for his neighbor, James Brenner, 59. According to East Idaho News, the police talked to Brenner on June 7 on his trailer five miles from the teenager's farm. Nine days later, the police issued a search warrant and found Brenner in possession of different weapons. He was previously convicted for possession of a firearm.

A witness named D.H. said that Brenner brought three weapons to him for safekeeping around the time Rounds went missing. D.H. knew that Brenner was not supposed to have any guns due to his criminal records.

However, Brenner explained that the guns were owned by a guy on the property near him. After learning about Rounds, D.H. turned over the firearms to the police, and the warrants were issued.

The police have not yet mentioned whether Brenner is a suspect in the disappearance of the teen farmer.

The Cooley Family Fires Investigator

Meanwhile, ABC 4 reported that the Cooley family had cut their ties with Terry. The boy's mother had accused Terry of spreading unconfirmed stories about what happened to her son.

Cooley claimed that Terry was "sharing these rumors, conspiracy theories and crazy accusations into the public eye" as he indulged TV, YouTube, and social media interviews. The investigator said he's helping trace Rounds by putting the boy's story on the internet. He alleged that Rounds was involved with the wrong crowd in Nevada based on tips he got from the netizens.

Terry also said he wanted to close the case to claim the reward. The Cooley family has offered $100,00 for verified information on the teen farmer.

Related Article: Who Killed Lily Peters? Suspect in Custody Over 10-year-old's Death; Police Patrol Schools
Photo: (Photo : CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Fernando Jose Redondo Caballero and Alejandro Miguel Andino Caballero were as excited about their voyage to the United States as they had been when they were kids looking forward to a celebration.

Instead, the two Honduran brothers met their deaths, according to NBC News. They were among the 53 migrants who died after having been inside a sweltering tractor-trailer rig abandoned in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, June 27.

Their mother, Karen Caballero, spoke to Telemundo News, telling the media outlet that her sons had been eager to go north to the United States to find work. An emotional Caballero said that her sons were so excited to make the trip, with the boys asking her every day when they would go. She added that it was as if they were going to a birthday, like when they were little kids.

Honduran government confirms brothers' deaths

Their search for better lives ended on a tragic note, with the Honduran government confirming the siblings were among the deceased. The two brothers were discovered inside the tractor-trailer rig on a torrid afternoon when an employee at a nearby building heard pleas for help coming from the truck.

According to Caballero, her son Alejandro was the most eager about the prospect of working in the U.S. as he wanted to fulfill a dream of buying a home for her. Caballero told Noticias Telemundo in an interview that it was funny because they said they would buy her a home when they got to the U.S. She replied that she wouldn't need a home because they won't be there anymore.

She still gave them her blessings to look for better pastures far from her. Mimicking a mom's instructive tone, she told her sons to focus and hope that they triumph in their journey. Caballero then recalled all the hugs, kisses, and touching after that exchange, not knowing that would be one of their last communication with each other.

Reuters reported that the brothers left their town in the northwest part of Honduras on June 4, along with Andino's wife, Margie Tamara Paz. The Honduran government said that the identification documents belonging to the three of them were found among the bodies in the abandoned truck.

Read Also: Texas Officials Say Identifying San Antonio Migrant Death Victims Slow, Tedious, and Sad

Four people arrested

Their mom said that the brothers were 19 and 22 years old. According to Caballero, Andino had nearly completed a degree in marketing, while the 24-year-old Paz held an economics degree but could not find work in their country.

According to CNN, four people have been arrested and charged in connection with the migrant deaths. One Homeland Security Investigations agent called what happened in San Antonio the deadliest human smuggling incident in U.S history.

Among those arrested were Homero Zamorano Jr., Christian Martinez, Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez and Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao. Both Zamorano and Martinez, if convicted, could face the death penalty or could face up to life in prison.

Related Article: Teenagers Among 51 Migrants Found Dead Inside Abandoned Truck in San Antonio, Texas
Photo: (Photo : Rich Fury/Getty Images)

Ewan McGregor is known as one of the most private actors in Hollywood, but his life was rocked with controversy following his divorce from his wife of 22 years, Eve Mavrakis, in 2020.

In an interview with GQ, the star of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" said that his divorce was like a bomb going off on his family. He acknowledged the damage his affair caused, especially to his children. He and Mavrakis have four kids - Clara, 26; Jamyam and Esther, 20; and Anouk, 11.

The actor said that they all needed to heal after the marriage ended. But for a while, his daughter, Clara, was angry at her father and the other woman, actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead. McGregor met Winstead while filming the third season of "Fargo" in 2017.

Read Also: Future MCU Stars? Chris Hemsworth Reveals His 3 Children Filmed Scenes for 'Thor: Love and Thunder'

Estrangement from Clara

Sources told Hollywood Life that Clara used to lash out at Winstead. As the eldest child, Clara was protective of her siblings, and when she saw how much they were hurting from the divorce, she redirected her anger at her father's paramour.

Talks suggested that Clara, who became estranged from McGregor, branded Winstead as a "piece of trash" and referred to her father with unkind terms. However, the father made peace with his children after McGregor and Mavrakis finalized their divorce and settled their financial arrangement.

McGregor told GQ that he has been working on a screenplay that Clara wrote. They filmed "You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder" in New Mexico, and it's currently in post-production.

The actor said that it was his daughter who approached him with the idea of a story that was patterned about them. Initially, McGregor was nervous to read the screenplay, but it opened his eyes to the beautiful story of his relationship with his eldest daughter.

"There's things that aren't accurate, or are bent - but they still reflect our estrangement for a while," McGregor said, adding that he felt Clara understood him more than he initially thought.

In making peace, Clara also apologized to Winstead, now her stepmother. McGregor married Winstead in April 2022, and they share a son, Laurie, who was born in 2021. This is also a second marriage for the actress, who was married to ex-husband director Riley Streams for seven years.

Following in Dad's Footsteps

Meanwhile, McGregor's other daughter, Esther, is also following in her dad's footsteps and has been working as an actress. She is in the "Star Wars" series just like her father, appearing as Tetha Grig in the second episode of "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

According to the Metro, McGregor, the show's producer, had no hand in Esther's casting. The proud father said Esther auditioned for her part. The actor recalled that director Deborah Chow approached him about finding this "brilliant girl" for the part of Tetha Grig.

"She turns out to be your daughter. Are you happy with that?" Chow asked McGregor. Naturally, the father did not say no to Chow's question.

Related Article: U2's Bono Reveals Secret Half-Brother and Challenging Relationship with His Dad Before Making Peace


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Bank customers who fail or are unable to link their GhanaCard to their bank accounts before the July 1 deadline, will not lose the account but will have their risk profile elevated, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Bankers Association, John Awuah has said.



If they fail to link the Card to the accounts, the banks are going to scale up due diligence when such customers attempt to transact business, Mr Awauh stressed.



The Bank of Ghana (BoG) had earlier directed that starting July 1, the GhanaCard shall be the only identification card to undertake transactions at all BoG licensed and regulated financial institutions.



In furtherance of its objective of ensuring the safety of the financial system, Bank of Ghana pursuant to Regulation 7 of the National Identity Register, 2012 (L.I.2111), hereby directs that with effect from 1st July, 2022, the Ghana Card shall be the only identification card that will be used to undertake transactions at all Bank of Ghana licensed and regulated financial institutions including: i. Banks; ii. Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions; iii. Non-Deposit-Taking Financial Institutions; iv. Payment Service Providers and Dedicated Electronic Money Issuers; v. Forex Bureaus and Credit Reference Bureaus, the regulator said.



Speaking in interview with TV3, on Thursday June 30, just a day before the deadline, Mr John Awuah said If you dont have it and the deadline comes, yes, your account will not be closed but the risk profile for your account will just be elevated and therefore, there will be extra due diligence that the banks will ask before you can transact.



This is a situation you dont want to put yourself into. So for your own convenience and for your own safety, the GhanaCard also provides extra safety in terms of security features. Some banks have sent links to their customers to update their records.



Meanwhile, the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has warned that fraudsters are taking undue advantage of the exercise to link the GhanaCard to bank accounts.



EOCO said these fraudsters send messages to suspecting customers demanding their bank account details, Mobile App PIN and Mobile numbers.



A statement by EOCO on Thursday June 30 said it has taken notice with great concerns the rate at which some members of the general public have fallen victims to fraudulent banking transactions.



Fraudsters have taken advantage of the ongoing call on customers of bank to link their accounts to Ghana Card. Regarding the bank fraud, the fraudulent messages are sent to individuals requesting them to click on links in order to update their bank records.



Customers are therefore asked to provide their bank account names, Mobile numbers, Mobile App PIN , One Time Password. Some daring fraudsters even make phone calls to members of the public to request for the aforementioned information.



Do not click on any link purporting to be emanating from your bank unless you have confirmed from your bank, EOCO warned.







Source: 3news









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Between 2012 and 2021, industrys contribution to the Ghana Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew from $11.9 billion to $18.7 billion, driven upwards by an upsurge in the value-added of manufacturing in GDP.



This almost tripled to 6.6%, from 2.5%, the African Development Bank has stated in its brief on Ghana.



Likewise, gross fixed capital formation strengthened from $7.4 billion in 2012 to $12.2 billion in 2021 (constant 2010 prices), a 65% increase. The increase for all African Development Fund countries was 49%.



In the same period, the economic diversification index increased from 0.77 to 0.81.



Finally, Ghanas score on the logistics performance index rose from 2.51 to 2.57 over the same time.



Despite these achievements, however, AfDB said the countrys global competitiveness index score dropped from 3.79 in 2012 to 3.58 in 2021.



Over 20122021, Ghanas industrialisation was guided by the Ghana Industrial Policy of 2011, which was complemented by the Made-in-Ghana Policy and a 10-point agenda for industrialisation as of 2016.



These policies were implemented through various programmes, including the Industrial Sector Support Programme 20112015, followed by the National Industrial Revitalisation Programme, which includes the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and such flagship projects as One District One Factory and One Region One Park.



Drawing on Ghanas comparative advantages and market potential, the strategic focus of the countrys industrial policies, the AfDB, said is in twofold.



One is to promote local content in resource-based industries on one hand, and to develop manufacturing activities  including the processing segments of modernised agricultural value chainson the other. The private sector is expected to spearhead the work.



Way forward



With the right policies in place, the AfDB said industrialisation in Ghana will diversify the economy and generate more wealth.



It will also create a greater number of better jobs, largely in the private sector. That is why the Banks country strategy for 20192023 includes a pillar on industrialisation and private sector development.



It was under this pillar that in November 2021, the Bank approved $40 million to capitalise



Development Bank Ghana, a newly established institution that seeks to overcome an important constraint to private-sector-led industrialisation.



It concluded that Development Bank Ghana will supply long-term, affordable finance to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises operating in agribusiness, manufacturing, information and communication technologies, and high-value service.



















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Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health, has called for effective collaboration among institutions and agencies to ensure the training of top-notch specialist health care professionals.



He said it was crucial as it would ensure that there were no parallel systems to duplicate activities and waste resources.



Mr Agyemang-Manu made the call in a speech read on his behalf to officially open the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the Ghana College of Pharmacists in Accra.



The two-day event, which coincided with the College's 10th Anniversary, was on the theme "Improving Access to Quality Health Services Through Specialist Pharmacist Training."



The event also witnessed seven new members inducted, bringing its total membership to 41.



Mr Agyemang-Manu called for sustained collaborations to secure the health of the nation and move all towards Universal Health Coverage.



The Minister congratulated the graduating group and urged them to use the skills they had acquired from time to time to improve access to quality health services for all clients.



He also commended the institution management for the strides made even in the face of the challenges and assured the of the Ministry's continued support in the execution of their mandate.



Dr Mrs Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, the Director of Technical Coordination Ministry of Health, in her thematic speech urged the Ghana College of Pharmacists (GCP) to produce tailored courses that would support key government policy initiatives in the country.



She said now that Ghana was exploring vaccine manufacturing, it was important that the area of specialisation was ramped up to ensure the specialists were ready to support industry to deliver on the promise.



"As a college how prepared are we to shift within our mandate to key policy initiatives by Government. Local vaccine production is one and Food and Drug Authority maturity level three going to four is another area to shape courses to support these government agendas and regional initiatives," she said.



Speaking on the theme, she underscored the importance of specialist trained pharmacists and the need for more such people.



Specialist training pharmacists play crucial roles and should be seen as strategic path towards achieving Universal Health Coverage especially through primary health care interventions; as society was better served with the level of knowledge, expertise and skills set, Dr Gyansa-Lutterodt stated.



She said COVID-19 pandemic response had thought countries and health systems around the globe innovative ways of optimising their health workforce, especially the pharmacist, to achieve better outcomes for their people.



The Director of Technical Coordination called for Ghana's health systems to embrace the extended scope of practice of the specialist trained pharmacists as outlined in Act 833 accompanied by the appropriate remuneration in accordance with the National Medicines Policy 2017.



Yvonne Yirenkyiwaa Esseku, the Rector of Ghana College of Pharmacists in her speech highlighted some of the institutions achievements and appreciated those who supported them got this far.



She Esseku said the college had completed conditions of services for staff and the strategic plan for the college and are now collaborating with the College of Health Sciences to provide joint qualification for candidates.



She congratulated the graduates and commended the team of staff for their immense support throughout the period.



Mr Joseph Kodjo Nsiah Nyoagbe, the President of the College of Pharmacists, also commended the effort of government through the Ministry of Health for investing, resourcing, and maintaining the Ghana College of Pharmacist.



He urged the graduates to face the future with pride and a sense of accomplishment towards the new chapter of their professional career.





Source: GNA









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A ceremony is being held in the Democratic Republic of Congo to bury the gold-crowned tooth of independence hero Patrice Lumumba more than 60 years after he was assassinated.



It is the only part of his body that exists after his remains were dissolved in acid.



The Belgian policeman who oversaw the disposal took the tooth as a trophy.



It was returned to the family last week and has toured several parts of DR Congo in a coffin.



People have been able to pay their respects ahead of the funeral that is taking place in the capital, Kinshasa.



President Felix Tshisekedi, Lumumba's family and other dignitaries are at the service which is taking place before the coffin is transferred to a specially built mausoleum.



Lumumba was the country's first prime minister and one of the leaders of the struggle for independence. He was also seen as one of the most prominent voices in Africa's anti-colonial movement.



Thursday marks 62 years since the former colonial power Belgium relinquished control of the vast country.



But it viewed Lumumba as a barrier to its efforts to maintain influence as well as hold on to important economic interests.



In a famous speech on independence day in 1960, in front of Belgian dignitaries including King Baudouin, Lumumba castigated Belgium saying that the Congolese had been held in "humiliating slavery".



The Belgians were stunned as a black African had never dared speak like this in front of Europeans.



Lumumba was toppled as prime minister just over two months later. Then in January 1961, with the tacit backing of Belgium, he was shot by a firing squad, along with two allies.

Source: BBC









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U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in Ghana last week after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



The initial group of thirteen Volunteers will resume Peace Corps mission of promoting peace and friendship, in collaboration with their Ghanaian counterparts, in junior high schools and schools for the deaf, health centers, and farming communities in the Eastern and Volta Regions.



Additional Volunteers who will work in the agriculture and health sectors will arrive in January 2023.



The Peace Corps represents the ideals of the United States  volunteerism, cooperation, and friendship  and these Volunteers are no exception, said Acting U.S. Charge d'Affaires Greg Morrison at a reception welcoming the Volunteers. Morrison himself served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco from 1994 to 1996.



Ghana was the first country to receive Peace Corps volunteers in 1961. As a former Returned Peace Corps Volunteer myself, Im beyond excited to welcome them back to Ghana.



President John F. Kennedy sent the very first Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Ghana in 1961. More than 5,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have since served in Ghana for 59 years, interrupted only by the COVID-19 pandemic.



As we like to say: the Peace Corps was born in the United States, but learned to walk here in Ghana. Now, our Volunteers are back to continue our 61-year commitment to the people of Ghana, said Peace Corps Ghana Country Director Tamu Daniel.



Peace Corps Volunteers work in critical sectors to help Ghanaian communities on locally prioritized projects. In addition to working in schools, health centers, and farming communities, Volunteers will partner with communities to provide COVID-19 education and promote access to vaccinations in coordination with local leaders and partner ministries, including the Ministry of Health.



About the Peace Corps:



The Peace Corps is an international service network of volunteers, community members, host country partners, and staff who are driven by the agencys mission of world peace and friendship.



At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps Volunteers work alongside community members on locally-prioritized projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development.



Through service, members of the Peace Corps network develop transferable skills and hone intercultural competencies that position them to be the next generation of global leaders. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries worldwide.



For more information, visit peacecorps.gov.























Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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Two new fast-spreading subvariants of Omicron are causing fresh surges of Covid around the world.



BA.4 and BA.5 were first identified in South Africa and may soon become the dominant strains in Europe and the US, health experts say.



What exactly are BA.4 and BA.5?



Ever since it first emerged, Covid has been mutating or shape-shifting. The new genetic versions that keep appearing are called variants.



There have been a few major variants already, such as alpha and delta, that have caused massive waves of infection.



The latest ones experts are concerned about - BA.4 and BA.5 - are very closely related to the Omicron variant behind last winter's wave.



They were added to the World Health Organization's monitoring list in March and have also been designated as variants of concern in Europe.



Where are they spreading?



They were spotted circulating in South Africa at the beginning of the year and now appear to be spreading much more quickly than other variants.



Most European countries now have them and they look set to overtake other types of Covid soon. That's already happened in Portugal - BA.5 is now dominant there.



In the US, officials say they are seeing rising numbers of infections caused by the two new subvariants.



Covid infections in the UK are also increasing, driven by BA.4 and BA.5.



Australia has reported cases too.



Will they be harmful?



Experts are unsure how hard countries will be hit.



BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron are not thought to be any more lethal than other types of Covid.



Lots of people have built up some immunity from past infections and vaccination, which is helping to make the disease less risky overall.



But the new subvariants do appear to be spreading more easily.



This is partly because immunity may be waning, but also because of the mutations the virus has undergone.



Many countries have also lifted their Covid restrictions, meaning people are mixing more, which gives the virus more chances to spread.



BA.4 and BA.5 appear to be able to infect people even if they've recently had other types of Omicron.



A wave of new infections could lead to more hospitalisations and some more deaths.



How can we protect against them?



As with other Covid variants, the risk or serious illness remains highest for people who are elderly, or who have significant underlying health conditions.



Although current vaccines are not a perfect fit, they are still the best line of defence.



They have cut the risk of severe illness against the other major Covid variants, including Delta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma.



Doctors say it is vital people get the recommended number of doses to gain maximum protection against existing and emerging variants.



How quickly could we get new vaccines against variants?



Updated versions of vaccines against Covid variants are already being designed and tested.



Manufacturers could scale up production quickly too, and regulators have already discussed how to fast-track the approval process.



Why do variants occur?



Viruses make carbon copies of themselves to reproduce, but they aren't perfect at it. Errors creep in that change the genetic blueprint, resulting in a new version of the virus.



If this gives the virus a survival advantage, the new version will thrive.



The more chances coronavirus has to make copies of itself in us - the host - the more opportunities there are for mutations to occur.

Source: BBC









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Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has described calls by the Minority in Parliament for the transfer of the Ameri plant to VRA for the governments relocation project as double standards.



Answering a question on the floor of Parliament on Friday morning, Dr Prempeh quizzed why in 2016 the NDC saw it fit to get Metka/Mytilineos to run the plant with VRA until Mytilineos was fully paid.



The matter comes on the back of current negotiations between the VRA and Mytilineos S A, the parent company of MEKTA for the relocation of the Ameri Plant to Kumasi.



The Minister who is also MP for Manhyia south argued that Mytilineos was selected because they operated and maintained the machines for 6 years and therefore are conversant and have firsthand experience with the technology of the Ameri plant and its operation.



Dr Prempeh expressed the belief that with this background, it is only appropriate that Mytilineos is allowed to run the plant.



He, therefore, said the minority calls are entirely misplaced.



Background



As far back as 10 years ago, GRIDCo did extensive studies on the national grid and concluded that a power plant needed to be located at Kumasi. This was necessary to strengthen the grid to help solve the chronic low voltage problem in that part of the country.



On the expiration of the Ameri BOOT Contract in January 2021, the government of Ghana took the policy decision to relocate the Ameri plant to Kumasi based on the recommendations of the GRIDCo study.



The Ministry, therefore, initiated the project to relocate the 250MW Ameri Power Plant from Aboadze to Kumasi to strengthen the national grid and also eliminate recent power system disturbances experienced in the northern transmission network.



Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh says no contract has been signed with Mytilineos S A, the company the Volta River Authority (VRA) is currently engaged in negotiations with towards a possible Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the relocation of the Ameri Power Plant from Aboadze to Kumasi.



Answering a question on the floor of Parliament Friday morning on the cost of the relocation, Dr Prempeh said to the extent that negotiations are still ongoing and no contract has been signed, it will premature to quote any figure as the total cost of the relocation.



To answer the question unequivocally, no contract has been signed and thus, it will be too early to quote any figure in that respect, Dr Prempeh said.



The Minister who is also a Member of Parliament for Manhyia South further indicated in an answer to another question on whether the contract will be brought to the house for approval that, since the EPC contract is an international one, it will definitely be brought to Parliament for approval.



The Minister assured the House that the Ministry is providing the necessary support and guidance to the VRA to ensure that the interest of the Republic of Ghana remains paramount in this particular negotiation.



Dr Prempeh further hinted that the figure that is likely to agree on for the contract to be signed will be way lower than the $86m cost under the initial BOOT arrangement. He reiterated that the entire EPC contract cost and its breakdown will be made known to the public in the interest of transparency, accountability and good governance.



Background



As far back as 10 years ago, GRIDCo did extensive studies on the national grid and concluded that a power plant needed to be located at Kumasi. This was necessary to strengthen the grid to help solve the chronic low voltage problem in that part of the country.



On the expiration of the Ameri BOOT Contract in January 2021, the Government of Ghana took the policy decision to relocate the Ameri plant to Kumasi based on the recommendations of the GRIDCo study.



The Ministry, therefore, initiated the project to relocate the 250MW Ameri Power Plant from Aboadze to Kumasi to strengthen the national grid and also eliminate recent power system disturbances experienced in the northern transmission network.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Mr Daniel Kwame Owusu Amponsah, the Dormaa Central Municipal Disease Control Officer has advised Ghanaians to limit the consumption of bush meat to avoid Monkey pox infections.



He said it was advisable and obligatory for bush meat consumers to carry out vital checks to trace and identify the source of bush meat before consumption.



Mr Amponsah was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region.



He said the disease is zoonotic and highly transmissible mutating from human to human after transmission from animals such as monkeys and others.



Mr Amponsah encouraged hunters who might come across carcasses of such animals to report to the Health Directorate or the Veterinary Services Department for investigations to be conducted on them for their own health and safety of the public.



He said as part of efforts to create awareness and to avert a possible outbreak of the disease in the Municipality, public education had been intensified through radio discussions, and visitations to churches and mosques.



We have held meetings and training for health professionals including doctors, nurses, physician assistants and laboratory staff across the Municipality to enable them to detect, respond and effectively manage the disease in case of an outbreak, Mr. Amponsah said.



He said outreaches would be held for inhabitants of communities on the routes to the border towns and the border towns such as Gonokrom and Kofibadukrom to raise awareness about the disease.



Mr Amponsah hinted of a plan by the Directorate to hold a meeting with traditional rulers, opinion leaders and Assembly Members at Duasidan, a community with a monkey sanctuary to sensitise residents about the disease.



He advised the public to observe good hygienic practices and COVID-19 protocols - keeping a distance, avoiding handshaking, hand washing with soap under running water and wearing of nose mask as it can be contracted through vomiting and sweating.





Source: GNA









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The Management of Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has dissociated itself and caterers under its supervision, from viral video purporting to be one of their own dishing out soup with eba to some pupils.



In a disclaimer issued by the Public Relations Officer, Siiba Alfa, on June 29, 2022, the Management said Our preliminary analysis of the video specifically on the pupils and their uniform could not establish their true origin.



Supporting its claim, the statement noted that the authorities could not conclude, agree or accept that the suspected caterer in the viral video is one of our trained and experienced caterers because the caterer and the man sighted in the video believed to be the headteacher of the school in question had their faces off camera.



Management of Ghana School Feeding Programme is almost convinced that the viral video is not from any of our beneficiary Ghanaian schools especially considering the container used by the suspected Caterer to dish out the supposed soup.



Ghana School Feeding caterers anywhere in Ghana have received the requisite basic nutrition and innovation training; and are under strict instructions to serve foods in ice chests in order to keep the food warm at all times the statement added.



Noting that the incident would have been reported if it had indeed occurred in any part of the country, the GSFP Management indicated that investigations have commenced at all levels to unearth where the feeding took place and the supposed caterer involved.



Below is the full statement:



The Attention of the Ghana School Feeding Programme under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has been drawn to a viral video circulating on social media. In the said video, a faceless woman perceived to be a caterer is seen dishing out what appears to be a hot liquid substance believed to be hot soup to some school children who were served with a particular meal in their bowls suspected to be ebba (mixture of gari and hot water) a common delicacy in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.



Our preliminary analysis of the video specifically on the pupils and their uniform could not establish their true origin.



Unfortunately, the face of the suspected Caterer was also not captured in the video except her feet. A man suspected to be a teacher or headteacher of the school was also captured with only his legs crossed, but without his face.



This, therefore, makes it difficult for Management to conclude, agree or accept that the suspected caterer in the viral video is one of our trained and experienced caterers.



Management of Ghana School Feeding Programme is almost convinced that the viral video is not from any of our beneficiary Ghanaian schools especially considering the container used by the suspected Caterer to dish out the supposed soup.



Ghana School Feeding caterers anywhere in Ghana have received the requisite basic nutrition and innovation training; and are under strict instructions to serve foods in ice chests in order to keep the food warm at all times.



We also believe that if this incident had occurred in Ghana, the head teachers and SHEP Coordinators in the schools who are effectively collaborating with the Ghana School Feeding Programme to inspect and taste every single meal prepared by our caterers on daily basis , would have officially reported that incident to our regional or national secretariat by now.



That notwithstanding, Management has commenced serious background checks to establish the actual source or root of that viral video. We have also directed all 16 Regional Coordinators of the Ghana School Feeding Programme to do their independent checks on the matter.



Management would also like to appeal to the general public or any individual who has any information or evidence that could lead to the actual school or the caterer not to hesitate to assist the Secretariat.



We urge our stakeholders to remain calm, and rest assured that every effort is being made to get to the bottom of the issue for a speedy redress.



Thank you.



Signed:



Siiba Alfa

(Head of Public Relations)





Source: ghanaweb.com









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The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has warned the public against fraudsters who they say are taking advantage of the on-going exercise across the country to link the Ghana Card to bank accounts.



In a press release dated June, 30 2022, EOCO disclosed that it has taken notice with great concerns the rate at which some members of the general public have fallen victims to fraudulent banking transactions.



Fraudsters have taken advantage of the ongoing call on customers of bank to link their accounts to Ghana Card. Regarding the bank fraud, the fraudulent messages are sent to individuals requesting them to click on links in order to update their bank records, the release signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Faustina Lartey for the Executive Director stated.



She continued: Customers are therefore asked to provide their bank account names, Mobile numbers, Mobile App PIN, One Time Password. Some daring fraudsters even make phone calls to members of the public to request for the aforementioned information.



Attached is the full statement from EOCO









Source: starrfm









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Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister has lauded the high sense of patriotism and professionalism exhibited by the personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in the country.



She observed the level of professionalism by the GAF had given the nation a reputable image and resilience globally, thereby enhancing Ghanas relations with neighbouring countries and the international community.



Mad. Owusu-Banahene gave the commendation when she joined Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and Major-General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, the Chief of the Army Staff to inaugurate young soldiers' accommodation complex at the 154 Armoured Regiment at the liberation barracks in Sunyani, constructed by the Military High Command.



They were accompanied by Air-Vice Marshal Frank Hanson, the Chief of Air Staff, and some senior officers of the GAF.



Mad. Owusu-Banahene said the sterling contributions of the GAF ought to be acknowledged and well appreciated, and added that, the nation truly recognised the selfless commitment and dedication of the GAF towards safeguarding and strengthening national security through its internal operations and participation in external missions.



The Regional Minister said she appreciated the cordial relationship that had existed between the Bono Regional Coordinating Council (BRCC) and the Military High Command that had culminated into favourable areas of cooperation between the two institutions.



Mad. Owusu-Banahene said the support from the 3BN had significantly helped in the fight against illegal mining and unscrupulous activities of nomadic Fulani herders who used their cattle to destroy peoples farms as well as containment of other security matters in the region.



As a beacon of peace and security, the BRCC recognised you as true partners in the development of our nation and I urge you to continue to remain professional in your conduct and discharge of your duties, she added.



On his part, Vice-Admiral Amoama applauded the continuous and selfless commitment of the Chief of Army Staff which had yielded several projects in all garrisons across the country.



This indeed is commendable, and it underscores the drive of the Military High Command to take steps to improve the lots of soldiers of the Command.



Ultimately, the ability of the military to efficiently undertake its continuous mandate hinges on its personnel being well-motivated, Vice-Admiral Amoama indicated.



Proper housing infrastructure, he said, formed a critical aspect of logistical support which ensure the motivation of officers, men, and women to perform efficiently.



The CDS said the government had also embarked on a drive to address the infrastructure and logistical challenges confronting the GAF, saying under the military housing project phases one and two, about 1,200 units of accommodation were being constructed in all garrisons across the country.

Source: GNA









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Today, the 29th day of June 2022, marks the 30th Anniversary of the founding of the New Patriotic Party, the most popular and oldest political tradition in our country, whose political antecedent, laid the foundation for Ghanas Independence struggle. The Party, on this momentous occasion, celebrates its contribution to 30 years of democratic growth in the Fourth Republic. This Anniversary marks the longest period of democratic practice in our country since Independence. In the period, Ghana has earned an enviable reputation for political stability, which is a valuable brand to be cherished, protected and enhanced.



We therefore take this opportunity to congratulate all stakeholders who have supported the growth of the 4th Republic. The Party gives thanks to the Almighty for bringing us this far. We are also very thankful to the founding fathers and mothers of our great tradition from the days of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in the 1940s, to the days of the Ghana Congress Party (GCP), the National Liberation Movement (NLM), the Northern Peoples Party (NPP), the Togolese Congress Party, the Ga Shifomokpe, the United Party (UP), the Progress Party (PP) and the Popular Front Party (PFP). We also remember the stalwarts who sacrificed their wealth, time, intellect, fighting spirit to nurture and grow rule of law and individual rights in Ghana.



We are a Party rooted in rich tradition and strong principles and values which were relevant in the pre-independence era, relevant during the times of independence and its aftermath, and even more relevant today and forever. The fact that we are the only political tradition in the country that have survived all Republics in pre and post-independence Ghana including the most cancerous dictatorial regimes and have stood the test of time, can only be a vindication of the richness and greatness of our political tradition. A tradition that was not built around individuals but strong principles and values.



Since 1992, the NPP has been the champion of electoral reforms. We spearheaded the transition from opaque ballot boxes to transparent boxes, the transition from black and white voter ID cards to coloured ID cards with pictures and the quantum leap from a manual voters register to a biometric register and photo ID Cards for all voters from limiting it to regional and district capital to National. In spite of the disruptive threat of Covid-19, Ghanas General Elections of 2020 have been hailed as perhaps the cleanest, most peaceful, and free and fair.



In terms of the economy, every policy of the NPP in Government has been designed to benefit as many Ghanaians as possible. The NPP Government of President Kufuor transformed the economy into Lower Middle Income status, found oil and gas in commercial quantities, restored and expanded cocoa production and expanded the financial sector.



We successfully rolled out some integrated initiatives towards agro-industry, which include One District One Factory (1D1F), One District One Warehouse (1D1W), One Village One Dam (1V1D) and Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). Heavy investments in the cocoa sector have resulted in the highest ever cocoa crop in Ghana in excess of a million tonnes in the 2021 crop season. Furthermore, we successfully rolled out the Mobile Money Interoperability, enabling digital payments across diverse platforms, roping in 70% of the bankable population into the financial space.



This has changed the face of banking in Ghana and is set to drive transactions in the African Continental Free Trade Area headquartered in Accra, which is another major plus for Nana Akufo-Addos leadership. The President has also championed the successful establishment of a credible automobile assembly enclave in Ghana. Moreover, the revamped Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) is set to drive the SME sector with appropriate support.



The NPP, despite its centre right ideology, has implemented more social intervention programmes than any other political party in the history of Ghana. Kufuor established National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and provided Free Maternal Health Care. He introduced the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) for indigent families and provided the Capitation Grant and the Ghana School Feeding Programme. He undertook pension reform, instilling sanity and bringing relief to retirees. He also initiated Cocoa Mass Spraying, creating new jobs, higher yields and increased incomes in the cocoa sector.



President Akufo-Addo has continued with innovative social interventions. One of his greatest legacies, Free Senior High School, is set to provide the literate society which will ensure skills and technical innovation to feed the industrialisation drive. President Akufo-Addo has delivered One Constituency One Ambulance (1C1A), a drone service for delivery of medical supplies, restoration of Teacher and Nursing Training Allowances, introduction of allowances for Arabic and Islamic Instructors under the National Volunteer Service Programme and the absorption of examination registration fees for BECE and WASSCE candidates. We successfully implemented the Zongo Development Fund and NABCO, which employed one hundred thousand graduates.



The NPP government is championing rapid digitisation of government services to improve access and turnaround time, reduce human contact, and ensure integrity of payments and receipts and the quality of records. Paperless Port System, Digital Address System, online passport application and processing system, online production of driving licences, National Identification Card System and NHIA are all taking government service delivery to a new level. The Ghana.Gov platform introduced by the NPP has made things even better as most government services may be accessed online from the comfort of your home or office.



Digitization also supports anti-corruption. Some of the best ways of preventing corruption include minimizing human contact and strengthening the capacity of regulatory, monitoring and enforcement agencies. President Kufuor legislated to strengthen public procurement and internal audit systems. President Akufo-Addo has enhanced the legal framework and invested heavily in improving the financial and operational capacity of independent regulatory and oversight agencies, including the Judiciary, CHRAJ, EOCO, the Security Services and Parliament.



The NPP also established the Office of the Special Prosecutor, with unprecedented independent powers to initiate investigations and prosecute corruption. He has also ensured the passage of the Right to Information legislation, which had been pending in Parliament for over twenty years, with an independent implementing Commission. A new Companies Act and Land Act have also been passed to ease bottlenecks in the private sector.



The NPP has also proven to be the bastion of media freedom and free speech in the country. It was an NPP government, under President Kufour that repealed the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law. President Nana Addo has gone even further with the passage of the age-long Right to Information Law and proceeded to set-up the Right to Information Commission, to give impetus to the realization of the objectives of the Law.



Free speech has expanded tremendously under the NPP, especially with heightened resort to social media. Along with expansion has come investment in infrastructure, creating a new brand of jobs, incomes and multiple channels of feedback. The vibrant social culture and promising corporate opportunities for new streams of income and technology transfer, have attracted the two international giants of social media, Google and Twitter to set up corporate offices in Ghana to serve Africa. The location of these two modern businesses in Ghana shows how attractive an investment destination Ghana has become.



Clearly, the NPP, by all indications, has proven to be the Party of choice for the Ghanaian people. We are a Party of principles; a Party of tradition and a Party of results and prosperity. To further consolidate our gains and contributions to Ghanas democracy, we have set up a party training institute primarily to offer leadership training to our members. Members will benefit from lessons in our political history, understanding our ideology, policy analysis, communications, research and other related political issues.



The Institute would be inaugurated by the end of the year. The Party has secured a National Secretariat for the Institute, and appointed a Governing Council for the Party School which shall be chaired by the immediate past Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Mike Aaron Oquaye. The Party also appointed a Rector for the Institute in the person of Prof Bonzi Simpson, the immediate past Rector for GIMPA.



In conclusion, the NPP continues to extend a hand of hope and prosperity to the Ghanaian people to believe in our ability to spearhead the affairs of this country and to overcome particularly the current economic challenges that have plagued the country and the World, which challenges have largely been driven by the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic, and exacerbated by the Russian-Ukraine war.



We also cease this opportunity to once again thank all party stalwarts and our countrymen men and women including young people who have contributed to the Partys unending success stories particularly over the past three decades. Finally, as the Party gears up for its 2022 National Annual Delegates Conference, between July 15th to 17th, which Conference would, inter alia, elect National Officers, the Party wishes all Candidates the best of LUCK.



Thank you.



Long live the New Patriotic Party!

Long live the Fourth Republic!

Long live mother Ghana!

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Editor-In-Chief of the Insight Newspaper, Ben Ephson, has chastised leaders of the Arise Ghana demo for reneging on their agreements with the Police relative to route and destination for Day One of their mass action.



According to the veteran journalist, it was unacceptable that a group enters an agreement to do one thing and unilaterally change their minds, more so when dealing with law enforcement officers.



He defended the action by the Police to block the protesters stressing that irrespective of which party was in power, that decision is one that the Police would stick to on any day.



I think that the leaders of the Arise Ghana demonstration have a responsibility for anything that happens because if youve agreed with the police that these are the routes we are going to take, the police said, well not allow you on this route, so, the police blocked the routes you originally wanted to use and you wanted to break through that, no responsible police officer or commander in charge will allow you, he said.



That one, no matter which government is in power  they [police] will not allow you. I think that the leaders have a responsibility to bear for their decision to go back on their agreed routes with the police, Mr Ephson stressed.



With respect to the destination of the protesters, Ephson lamented why they would choose to end their march at the Jubilee House.



He averred that marching to the place added little or nothing to the demands or the action that they were seeking. What is so special that if you dont go to Jubilee House, you cant make your views known?



You want to go pass Jubilee House, the police says, we wont allow you, you agree: Ok, well go through a different route, then march towards there [Jubilee House] 



"Why? If you dont go to Jubilee House, cant you make your views known? Does going to Jubilee House make your message more sensible? If you have a message, pass it on, he stated.



Ephson lambasted the organizers for wanting to "take the law into their hands," by their action, which move he said had resulted in risking the lives of people.



I repeat: I will not adhere to any group which will renege on an agreement with the police. Why do you want to go to Jubilee House? Has God told you if you go to Jubilee House, youll be heard better? You put peoples lives at risk, he concluded.



The veteran journalist and pollster was speaking on the Class Morning Show on Wednesday, June 29.



Arise Ghana, an amalgamation of groups and individuals organized the two-day protest to highlight the rising cost of living and issues of bad governance.



On Day One of the protest, despite a court order relative to time and route of the protest, the leaders insisted on following a route other than the one ordered by the court.



An insistence by the Police that they obey the agreed upon route resulted in the skirmishes - 12 Police officers were injured whiles 29 people were also arrested for their roles in the violence.



Day two of the protest ended without any incident as protesters marched from El-Wak to Parliament where they delivered a petition to the legislature.















Source: ghanaweb.com









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The Member of Parliament for Effutu Alexander Afenyo-Markin says that there is a difference between the current government seeking help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that of the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.



He said these after the Minority taunted the government with IMF while the Minister of Food and Agriculture Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto was answering questions in the House.



This candid decision by government through a statement by the Minister of Information, it is as though they dont know about IMF, you have been to IMF when you were not confronted by an international crisis, you went to IMF because of mismanagement. Why are you now telling us that we are going to IMF? he said.



Mr Speaker, when they were in government there were no international crisis yet they went to IMF.



Earlier today, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo instructed the Finance Minister to engage the IMF for a financial bailout.



In a statement signed by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, President Akufo-Addo had a telephone conversation with the IMF Managing Director, Miss Kristalina Georgieva, conveying Ghanas decision to engage with the Fund.



Ghana runs to IMF seeking for monetary assistance to provide a balance of payment support as part of a broader effort to quicken Ghanas build back in the face of challenges induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and, recently, the Russia-Ukraine crises, according to the statement from the presidency.



This is the second time Ghana is seeking support from the Bretton Wood institution in seven years after the country engaged them in 2015 under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahamas government.



In February 2022, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, said Ghana will not return to the IMF for a bailout despite the mounting economic challenges.



According to him, Ghana is a nation of pride and will seek solutions to the current financial challenges it is facing within.



I can say we are not going to the IMF. Whatever we do, we are not. Consequences are dire, we are a proud nation, we have the resources, we have the capacity. We are not people of short sight, but we have to move on.



So lets think of who we are as a strong proud people, the shining star of Africa, and we have the capacity to do whatever we want to do if we speak one language and ensure that we share the burden in the issues ahead, Mr Ofori-Atta told a gathering at the E-Levy town hall meeting in the Northern Regional Capital of Tamale.

Source: Dailymailghana









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Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 89F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Variable clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening, with mostly cloudy skies overnight. Low 72F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Mostly cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 88F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.
A Federal Maritime Commission member is asking President Joe Biden to intervene in a labor dispute at the Port of Charleston's newest shipping terminal, saying the disagreement is contributing to the nation's supply chain snarls.

Commissioner Louis Sola asked Biden to "examine this situation in South Carolina closely and pursue an aggressive agenda towards its resolution."

Sola visited the S.C. State Ports Authority's Leatherman Terminal on the former Navy base in May as part of a tour of maritime operations in Charleston and Savannah. He said in the June 23 letter to Biden that he is "shocked that this much-needed terminal is laying fallow during this time of crisis due to an organized labor dispute in a right-to-work state."

The International Longshoremen's Association says the terminal that opened last year violates its contract with container lines, which calls for cranes and heavy-lift equipment at new Southeast ports to be operated by union members. The ILA has pressured ship operators not to use the terminal and has filed lawsuits against companies that have called at its berth.

As a result, Leatherman is operating at just 50 percent capacity.

The SPA has said the terminal is not new because it was permitted more than a decade ago  long before the contract amendment the ILA cites took effect. The state maritime agency hires its own non-union staff to operate cranes at Leatherman, as it does for its other container terminals. The SPA has asked the National Labor Relations Board for a ruling, but it's not clear how long it will take to resolve the matter.

"Growing up in a union household, I am one who would generally be considered pro-labor," Sola said in his letter to Biden. "Nevertheless, the thought that a labor dispute would contribute to this nations current supply chain problem defies logic."

A SPA spokeswoman declined to comment on the letter, saying the agency's position on the dispute has been well-documented. An ILA spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Biden has previously put himself in the middle of maritime issues on the West Coast, advocating for around-the-clock operations at ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., and meeting with executives as recently as last month to discuss investments to bolster trade and improve the supply chain. Sola said in his letter that the Leatherman Terminal issue is just as important and "worthy of equal energy."

The White House has not issued any statement about the Leatherman Terminal, and Biden's top labor official has been reluctant to intervene in the dispute.

Im not going to get too much into it, U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said when he visited the Port of Charleston in November. Its not my place right now. But I hope things get worked out because its important that we continue moving goods and products into our country.

The Leatherman Terminal, the first new container terminal in the U.S. since 2009, has handled 132,026 cargo containers of all sizes through the first 11 months of this fiscal year. Its $1 billion first phase opened in March 2021 with a 1,400-foot berth capable of handling ships carrying as many as 20,000 containers. When fully built, the 286-acre, three-berth terminal will be able to handle 2.4 million containers a year, doubling the Port of Charleston's capacity.
COLUMBIA  People walk in and out of the mottled gray warehouse of a building on Two Notch Road that houses the Richland County Department of Social Services.

Through the sliding glass doors is a lobby full of chairs, where people wait to meet with staff members to discuss child welfare, food stamps and other programs.

Eventually, this will take place elsewhere.

The Richland County Council set aside up to $15 million in federal funds for the construction and renovation of a new Family Services Center, where the department will operate alongside other social services agencies. It's the most funding the county has allocated for a single project so far.

There is no timeline or specific plan in place yet for the move, county spokesman Todd Money said in an email. DSS officials have had initial meetings with the county to discuss relocation, but the project is still in the planning phase.

The current location has had "significant structural and systems failures" impacting its approximately 180 employees, DSS spokesperson Connelly-Anne Ragley said in an email.

County Councilwoman Gretchen Barron said when she visited, she noticed signs of aging in the floors and wiring of the 62-year-old building. While not necessarily major issues, they make the place "no longer worthy of Richland County," she said.

"We want a place where our employees are proud to come to work and they are happy to be there, and the people who are coming (for services), we can accommodate them," Barron said.

Increases in the number of staff and clients has also caused DSS to outgrow the space, Ragley said. The staff supports people and families in need by providing child welfare services, helping people sign up for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and operating Adult Protective Services.

Eventually, the goal is to have a number of social services agencies operating out of the same location as a central hub for families, Barron said.

The Department of Health and Human Services has 11 employees working out of the same building on Medicaid, who will move along with DSS, health department spokesperson Jeff Leieritz said in an email.

"When you've got families who are distressed and they are looking for resources, the last thing they want to do is come downtown to (the county building at) 2020 Hampton St., then turn around and go to Two Notch, and then turn around and come back here," Barron said. "So, we're hoping this is going to be a one-stop shop."

Nothing has been decided yet, but this could be accomplished by locating the center in the Columbia Place Mall, Barron said. For years, county officials have discussed using space it owns in the mall to centralize government operations as part of the Richland Renaissance plan.

So far, the county plans to construct a public safety complex in an empty department store. County and DSS officials have previously discussed moving the department there as well.

"The fact that there's hope that we can utilize property that's on our books and we have the funds to be able to do it, so we're not asking taxpayers for extra money  I've been saying, this is like Christmas in July, to have this COVID money and to be able to do things we've been putting off for years," Barron said.

Funding for the center makes up roughly 29 percent of the total the county set aside to address public health, County Administrator Leonardo Brown told a committee at a May 19 meeting. Several other council priorities, such as addressing mental health, are wrapped up in the center.

Beyond the initial $15 million, the county is hoping to fund the center's renovation through capital investments, Brown said at the May 19 meeting. But Barron said the federal funds gave the county "the boost that we need" to get started.

"It's time for us to provide a service and also utilize space that we've had for many years," she said.
Traffic was the number one question on people's minds at a meeting about a proposed elementary school on Johns Island.

The Charleston County School District presented updates on the plan to build a new elementary school at a community meeting June 30 at St. Johns High School. The auditorium was packed with parents, teachers, students and community stakeholders  and they had questions ranging from zoning to funding to bus routes.

The school has been in the works for several years. The district hosted two community meetings in September about the project, which will be funded by the Phase 5 sales tax referendum that was extended in November 2020. It was originally passed in 2010 and allows a penny of every dollar spent in Charleston County to go toward school construction, renovation and maintenance projects.

Though revenue doesnt start coming into the district until 2023, CCSD chief operating officer Jeffrey Borowy said theyve started planning the project early to expedite the process.

He said significant growth on Johns Island has underlined the need for the school. District 9 has three elementary schools  one is a Montessori, while the other two, Angel Oak Elementary and Mt. Zion Elementary, are public schools.

Both Angel Oak and Mt. Zion are experiencing overcrowding, and Mt. Zion hasnt been renovated in years, Borowy said.

The site tentatively chosen is along River Road on 55 acres of land near Swygerts Landing. While a portion of it is wetlands, the school would be built on the highlands. The district has been looking for a viable location for the school for four years, and vetted eight properties.

It was a challenge to find, Borowy said. We've been looking for land for a long time and evaluated many sites.

Parents, frustrated by the potential sites location, inquired about building the school on the Mt. Zion Elementary property. Borowy explained it was considered as a potential site, but it was rejected after discovering the septic system underground would have to be overhauled.

The proposed two-story school will cost $41 million and be able to house 700 students, with the potential to add capacity for 200 more  plans include the option to add another wing of classrooms if needed.

Most attendees concerns during the meeting last September regarded traffic  that continued to be the main topic on community members minds Thursday night.

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The district is wrapping up a months-long preliminary traffic analysis, but some parents still fear the school will only worsen traffic on Johns Island  especially now with the prospect of parents picking up students from two different schools far away from each other on the island.

Angela Barnette, director of planning and real estate, said the district is working with the South Carolina Department of Transportation to come up with a way to improve this. One of the strategies is adding two roundabouts near the school.

Borowy said in an interview with The Post and Courier before the meeting that community members concerns are valid, but construction plans include methods to ensure that traffic will flow smoothly.

Weve been doing our due diligence, he said. Todays regulatory hoops we have to jump through are pretty exhaustive.

Mt. Zion Elementary would close and possibly become a family center. Head start students, pre-K students, kindergartners and first graders would attend Angel Oak under the new plan, while the new school would house grades two through five. Some were concerned that young children would have to ride the bus for 11 miles each day, while others were disappointed that their students would have to attend a larger school.

It keeps us from having to rezone, said District 9 board chair Monica Smith "Zoning now with all these new developments, it would be holy hell."

Borowy added that one of his major priorities is avoiding a rezoning situation in which one school houses a disproportionate amount of low-income students, which he said the current concept prevents.

Brad Taggart, who started the Johns Island Parents for a New Elementary page on Facebook in 2014, said it was created out of frustration when Angel Oak was renovated.

I think its awesome that CCSD listened when we said we needed something on the east side of the island, he said. Its important that Johns Island has two good schools and theyre both successful.

Board chair Eric Mack and board member Helen Frazier, who represent the district along with Erica Cokley, were in attendance.

In August, Borowy and his team will take the proposal to the CCSD board of trustees. If its approved, construction will begin next March, and the school will open in the fall of 2024.

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GREENVILLE  The tallest office tower in Greenville just sold to local investors and plans are in the works to revitalize the property.

The Windstream building  more commonly referred to as the Landmark  on North Main Street in downtown Greenville changed hands on June 21 for $25.25 million.

The buyers were Capa Management, a local investment company helmed by NAI Earle Furman broker and shareholder Gaston Albergotti and his brother-in-law, and Appian Investment Services, a similar investment company owned by NAI Earle Furman.

"We will be announcing renovation plans as it's in much need of some improvements," Albergotti told the Post and Courier on July 1. "We'll be making significant improvements to the building as well as announcing a whole rebrand of the building."

He said additional details will roll out in the next several weeks.

The more than 357,000-square-foot structure at 301 N. Main St. opened in 1973. Today, telephone service company Windstream is one of the largest occupying tenants and has naming rights.

It was more than 75 percent occupied at the time of purchase, with multiple leases being signed while under contract and after the deal closed, Albergotti said.

The buyers were excited about the building because of its location, history associated with downtown Greenville, the city's plan to connect Main Street back to Heritage Green and the on-site parking, Albergotti said.

"We just think that it's a great bookend of downtown Greenville, and we're looking forward to revitalizing it and bringing it back into the conversation for downtown Greenville real estate," Albergotti said.

The majority of the people involved in the deal are based in Greenville or elsewhere in South Carolina.

Brokers Albergotti, Jake Van Gieson, Keith Jones and McNeil Epps all represented the buyers on the transaction. Albergotti also co-lead the acquisition of the deal in his role with Capa Management alongside Appian.
The South Carolina GOP executive committee has overruled the local party and reinstated Joey Russo as the winner of the Greenville County Council District 17 primary.

The June 30 ruling negates the Greenville County Republican Partys decision to throw out the election results after the losing candidate, incumbent Councilman Joe Dill, complained that voting machines didnt work properly.

The state party voted unanimously, with one abstention, to negate the local decision during a hearing in Columbia after Russo appealed. No new election will be ordered and Russo was declared the winner of the June 14 primary.

In a statement following the hearing, Russo called Dills actions to contest the election dangerous and said the party's decision settles the issue.

The integrity of our elections are of the utmost importance, Russo said in the statement. If one single vote is fraudulent, the whole system is at stake. However, what my former opponent has brought forward as proof to overturn the election simply isnt proof. In fact, much of what has been brought forward shows exactly how secure South Carolinas elections are."

He went on to say orchestrating an effort to overturn as election because you dont like the results is every bit as dangerous to our elections as cheating in an election. I appreciate the long time service of my predecessor, and wish him well in his future away from council.

After the state committees decision, Dill refused to concede the primary to Russo and said he refused to accept the committees decision. He planned to consult with his legal team on a next course of action.

Dill declined to attend the hearing in Columbia and didnt send anyone to speak on his behalf, saying the hearing violated a time requirement set in state law. He said he may challenge that decision before the state Supreme Court.

Dill, who has represented the district in northern Greenville County since 1998, filed an appeal to the Greenville County Republican Party after he was declared the loser by 132 votes. The county party agreed with Dill, declared the election invalid and called for a new election to be held.

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Russo then filed his appeal.

Dill said after Russo filed his appeal the SCGOP should have met by June 25, one day after the appeal was filed.

Three state GOP attorneys reviewed the state law, which says a hearing must be held Saturday next after an appeal is filed to the state party and each determined that meant the following Saturday, meaning the hearing June 30 fit the timeframe before the deadline of July 2, said Claire Brady, SCGOP communications director.

Dill said he is awaiting word from the Greenville County Election Commission on whether it would schedule a new election. The county party has asked for the election commission to schedule a new date for the District 17 primary, he said.

Conway Belangia, Greenville Countys director of voter registration and elections, said the county board hasnt made any decision to order a new election.

The state GOP said there would be no new primary election, since the state Election Commission awaits the decision by the state executive committee before conducting a new primary election.

At the hearing, each candidate was given opportunity to present their case and the committee members  made up of representatives from each county in the state  could ask questions. Since Dill didnt attend, only Russo presented his case.

"Ultimately, our state executive committee voted to uphold the June 14 primary results again  meaning that the committee determined there was no credible evidence that could have quantifiably changed the outcome of the primary, and therefore Greenville County's original acceptance of the protest is thrown out, said state GOP Chairman Drew McKissick in a statement. No new primary election will take place. Period."

Russo will face Democratic Party candidate Sheryl Guarniero in the November general election.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

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Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

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Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Taps has been played for the last World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

Hershel Woody Williams is now gone, but South Carolina and his home state of West Virginia are ensuring his long life won't be forgotten.

Williams was honored with a memorial service July 1 by Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. He was a member of the group and its longtime chaplain.

In the Mountain State this weekend, Williams is being remembered with services at the state Capitol.

The Marine's gallantry at the Battle of Iwo Jima made him a legend in West Virginia, and he is the first inductee in the state's new Military Hall of Fame.

Williams died June 29 in Huntington, W.Va., at 98.

The Woody Williams Foundation has raised money to establish more than 100 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the country in recognition of relatives who lost service members in a war.

He was instrumental in bringing one of the monuments to Patriots Point, where a small group gathered to pay tribute to the hero.

As the service got underway, the sun broke through the clouds and rain, prompting John Falkenbury, executive vice president of the society, to say that "it was God's way of welcoming Woody home."

Falkenbury said three things meant the most to Williams: "Fellow Marines and all service members, honoring Gold Star Families and the American youth."

Forged by family

At the 2016 groundbreaking for the Gold Star monument at Patriots Point, Williams told The Post and Courier he was motivated to honor family members by a chance meeting with a father who had lost his son in Afghanistan.

Nobody had paid any tribute to him, Williams said. He had never heard the word Gold Star Dad. 

Williams said there is no way of knowing the impact of the monument on the lives of those who will view it. Youth will see the sacrifices made just to keep us a free people.

Williams also was in Charleston in 2010 for an annual Medal of Honor Society gathering.

A common thread among many in their ranks is that they came from large, working-class families where self-reliance, unit strength and attention to duty were learned at an early age.

Hershel Woodrow Williams was born Oct. 2, 1923, the youngest of 11 children on a dairy farm in the northern West Virginia community of Quiet Dell. He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked as a teenage taxi driver in Fairmont, sometimes delivering Western Union telegrams to the families of fallen soldiers.

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"Everything depended on what you were supposed to do," Williams told the newspaper, speaking of life on the farm. "If you didn't get something done, you got in trouble with the rest of the family," he said, "not only with the mother and the father."

And just like in the military, there was no questioning of work or orders.

"You did it because it had to be done," said Williams, who agreed that he excelled during critical moments on the battlefield probably because of the values instilled back home.

This week, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice remembered Williams as an extraordinary man who tirelessly advocated for veterans.

"He was a wonderful friend to so many and a true American hero to all of us," Justice said. "His induction as the first member of this Hall of Fame is an incredibly fitting tribute to his lifetime of service.

Battle of Iwo Jima

As a young Marine corporal, Williams went ahead of his unit in February 1945 and eliminated a series of Japanese machine gun positions.

Later that year, at age 22, Williams received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for military valor, from President Harry Truman at the White House.

Williams' actions in battle to clear the way for American tanks and infantry were detailed on the military's Medal of Honor website: He was "quick to volunteer his services when our tanks were maneuvering vainly to open a lane for the infantry through the network of reinforced concrete pillboxes, buried mines, and black volcanic sands. Williams daringly went forward alone to attempt the reduction of devastating machinegun fire from the unyielding positions."

Facing small-arms fire, Williams fought for four hours, repeatedly returning to prepare demolition charges and obtain flamethrowers.

"His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strong points encountered by his regiment and aided vitally in enabling his company to reach its objective," the website said.

Williams remained in the Marines after the war, serving a total of 20 years, before working for the Veterans Administration for 33 years as a veterans service representative.

Although his two older brothers were serving in the Army, Williams wanted to take a different path. He knew some Marines from his area and admired their blue uniforms whenever they returned home. But at 5-foot-6, Williams was rejected because of his height when he tried to join in 1942. A year later, the Marines allowed him in at age 19.

Williams relied on his fiancee, Ruby, to get him through the often anxious times during the war, saying he had to get back to the girl in Fairmont that he was going to marry.

Their marriage lasted 62 years. Ruby Williams died in 2007 at age 83. The couple had two daughters and five grandsons.

Williams will lie in state at the rotunda of the West Virginia Capitol on July 2 with a state memorial service held July 3 at the Culture Center on Statehouse grounds.

Brad Nettles in Charleston and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
MYRTLE BEACH  A popular dog therapy duo retired from service this week at the Grand Strand Medical Center.

Four years ago, Bill Barnard, 71, of Reva, Md., and Driver, a now a 10-year-old golden retriever, began assisting patients every Tuesday at the hospital and at South Strand Medical Center, an outpatient department of the hospital.

On June 30 Barnard and Driver were honored for their service when Grand Strand Medical Center staff held a surprise retirement party  complete with cookies, balloons and dog treats. Barnard said the party took him by surprise.

"All of the currently active pet therapy teams were there, along with a number of staff members at the hospital," Barnard said. "There was even some that came in who were off duty. It was quite touching."

Taylor Wilson, child life specialist at Grand Strand Medical Center, started the hospital's pet therapy team program. She said that Barnard and Driver helped patients in nearly every department of the hospital during their tenure, and they put in many hours of work in assisting both patients and staff.

"He (Barnard) has really been a guide for a lot of our other handlers and interested parties," Wilson said. "He puts a lot of love and effort into it, and Driver, he's just such a good dog. He will lay down, and we even let babies with him, like he is so special."

Barnard and Driver became a pet therapy team about seven years ago, helping at nursing homes, schools and other healthcare facilities for about three years before joining the Grand Strand Medical Center.

Barnard had just retired from a lifelong career in public safety, which included a career as a firefighter and as the Maryland State fire marshal, before registering and certifying Driver as a service dog.

Once the team started at the hospital, they interacted with at least 100 people a day on average, including patients and staff.

Barnard said there was some personal satisfaction in serving with Driver as a therapy team. However, he said that he continued doing it all these years because of Driver.

"Driver really enjoys himself," Barnard said. "He put his vest on and he's ready to go into it. It's important to him to keep him active, too."

Barnard decided to retire Driver from service because Driver was diagnosed with, and is being treated for, arthritis in his left front elbow. Because Driver's certification and registration were up for their two-year renewal, Barnard said, the arthritis would have prevented him from completing all of the necessary requirements to re-certify.

Barnard reassured the public, though, that he and his wife will take good care of Driver during his retirement. They plan to take him on walks to keep him active, take him to visit his neighborhood friends. Driver's 11th birthday will take place on July 12.

Wilson said the hospital plans to sign on two more pet therapy teams, and she expressed optimism about more people wanting to volunteer at the hospital, now that the country is post-COVID-19. She also hopes to expand the therapy program to Saturdays and Sundays.

The hospital has partnered with Pet Partners and the Alliance of Therapy Dogs for its pet therapy program.

For more information on becoming a certified pet therapy team for Grand Strand Medical Center, call, 843-692-1000, and ask for Child Life Specialist Taylor Wilson.
The eastern black rail is a tiny bird on the path toward extinction, a bird so rare and adept at hiding that avid birders converge at the mere mention of a rail's distinctive kickee doo call.

In 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the black rail as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. But the federal agency declined to identify where black rails live, fearing that birders would trample their habitat.

Now, two environmental groups allege in a federal lawsuit the agency erred in keeping potential black rail locations under wraps.

In their lawsuit, the Center for Biological Diversity and Healthy Gulf of New Orleans said the agency provided no evidence to show that birders threaten the black rail.

Habitat loss, not birders, pose the biggest danger, said Kristine Akland, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. And to protect that habitat, you need to identify it, she said.

The groups filed the lawsuit June 30 in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and Akland said they also plan to challenged the agency's decision to list the species as "threatened," instead of the more protective "endangered."

The lawsuit noted that the agency predicts the black rail could be wiped out by 2068 if nothing is done. Said Akland: "If that doesn't mean endangered, what does?"

A spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service said the agency had no comment about the litigation.

The Post and Courier documented the black rail's plight in its 2020 project "Ghost Bird." Rails mostly live on slivers of low-lying land along the East Coast, often hiding in dense marsh grass. Rails declined by 75 percent over the past 20 years as developers and rising seas destroyed wetlands, researchers have found.

Black rails are unusually stealthy. Some have nicknamed the species the "feathered mouse" because they're rarely seen in the air. Because of this, competitive birders consider the black rail among the most difficult species to check off their lists. In the past, birders have strung together milk cartons filled with gravel and dragged them through the marsh to flush them.

South Carolina has emerged as an important last bastion, especially in the ACE Basin and Santee Delta. Many of these state, federal and privately protected areas contain old rice fields that enslaved people built centuries ago. These diked areas are somewhat protected from rising seas.

Christy Hand, a biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources, has done groundbreaking research on black rails in these reserves.

But in 2017, she warned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in an email that birdwatchers were using recorded black rail calls to lure them into view. She cited a case in 2015 where four birders were caught on hidden cameras stationed in black rail nesting areas. The area had been closed to the public.

The Post and Courier obtained the email from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through a Freedom of Information Act request. Officials from DNR were not immediately available for comment.

In its lawsuit against the Fish and Wildlife Service, the environmental groups said the agency failed to provide evidence that birders had destroyed eastern black rail habitat.

The groups also said the agency failed to analyze whether the benefits of identifying critical habitat outweighed any potential harm from birders.

And they alleged that failing to identify critical habitat effectively weakens the Endangered Species Act's protections.

If the federal agency identified areas where black rails breed and live, developers would have to study the impacts of their building plans.

This conflict could come into play in the Gulf where natural gas producers have proposed more than 20 liquid natural gas plants, said Cyn Sarthou, executive director of Healthy Gulf.

One in Louisiana is in an area where black rails have been sighted. She said she was perplexed by the agency's approach toward black rails. "If you don't protect the habitat of black rails, there will be no recovery," she said.
NORTH CHARLESTON  A man is now charged with murder after the victim he allegedly shot at a North Charleston motel earlier this week died from his injuries June 30 in a local hospital.

The shooting occurred June 26 at the Charleston Heights Motel, 4241 Rivers Ave.

Darnell Dwayne Brown, 34, was arrested and originally charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.

His charges have been upgraded to murder following the victims June 30 death at the Medical University of South Carolina, according to a release from the North Charleston Police Department.

Brown was served with the murder warrant at the Charleston County jail.

Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo ONeal identified the victim on July 1 as Jagdishbhai Patel, a 67-year-old from North Charleston.

The death comes amid a wave of other local gun-related homicides.

A shooting outside a gas station off Dorchester Road on June 29 left one man dead.

And on June 22, just days before the motel shooting, a 17-year-old male was shot and killed in a North Charleston neighborhood at McKnight and Lowell drives.

After a violent spring, North Charleston City Council unanimously approved funding this month for hundreds of new police cameras as part of a larger effort to improve public safety.

While critics of the surveillance equipment argued that the cameras will enable discriminatory police practices that target Black people, relatives of gun violence victims and North Charleston residents touted the initiative as a way to hold shooters accountable.

Nearly two dozen homicides have been reported in North Charleston so far this year.
Jassmine Baghdady was startled awake the night of June 28 by her mother.

After 27 years of returning every night to his wife's bed, Gaber Baghdady had not come home.

Jassmine Baghdady and her mother raced to downtown Charleston to find their loved one, a manager and cook for Toast All Day on King Street.

At the restaurant, they found a crime scene.

It was like a nightmare, Jassmine Baghdady said.

Gaber Baghdady, 65, was fatally shot in an attempted armed robbery at roughly 11:40 p.m. June 28, according to Charleston police.

Antwan Lamont Scott was arrested the next day on allegations he fatally shot Baghdady, a father of two children.

Scott, 29, waived his right to a bail hearing June 30, meaning he will remain jailed on charges of murder, attempted armed robbery and second-degree burglary.

Surveillance footage showed Baghdady was counting cash in his office shortly before midnight when an armed suspect in a mask forced his way into the restaurant, according to arrest warrant affidavits. The suspect put the gun to the manager's head, but Baghdady resisted, leading to a struggle.

Cameras did not capture the shooting, affidavits state.

The suspect's face was captured on video outside the restaurant  he had a "bushy" beard and a large ring on his left index finger.

A representative from the restaurants parent company, Charleston Hospitality Group, viewed the footage and identified Scott as the shooter, according to affidavits.

Scott had been fired from the restaurant, the affidavits state, and had visited the corporate office for "out-processing" only the day before the shooting.

Baghdady immigrated to the U.S. from Egypt in the 1980s and has lived in the Charleston area with his family since 2007, his daughter said.

He began working at Toast All Day about two months ago because he was looking for a job that enabled him to be creative in the kitchen.

Jassmine Baghdady said it made sense that her father fought the robber  he was a former boxer.

Hes tough on the outside, but inside hes the kindest person that I know, Jassmine Baghdady said.
Two South Carolina sheriffs say they won't investigate rapes reported to them by abortion clinics if it is against the wishes of the victims.

The stances mean rape victims in at least those two counties  Charleston and Richland  do not have to worry about law enforcement pressuring them to seek charges against their assailants, those officials say.

A provision in the new state law outlawing abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, about six weeks, makes an exception for cases of rape or incest. But abortion clinics are then required to report the rape to the sheriff of the county where the abortion took place within 24 hours after the pregnancy is terminated.

Abortion in rape and incest cases is still legal until 20 weeks.

Some abortion providers had concerns about the law forcing rape victims to report their experiences to clinics, and now by extension law enforcement, in order to procure an abortion.

"The disclosure really puts victims' privacy and safety at risk, and it poses further trauma on a person who may not be ready to talk about the assault," said Molly Rivera, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which has clinics in Charleston and Columbia.

Forcing providers to report abortions as a result of rape is bringing law enforcement into a doctor's place, which is a "place of duress" for patients, Rivera said.

"The length at which lawmakers are going to have total control over women and people's bodies should disturb all of us," Rivera said. "And the six-week ban is not the end."

Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano said she will not contact victims without their consent. Charleston is one of three counties in the state with abortion clinics. The others are Richland and Greenville.

Graziano said July 1 her office "will offer our support and investigative services only if they (the victims) request it."

"I know all too well the pain and heartache that comes from sexual assault as a family member to a victim and as someone who has worked with them as a law enforcement officer," Graziano said in a news release. "It is traumatizing and my agency will do everything we can to offer care, solace and respect to these women who are seeking health care."

Joanna McDuffie, deputy chief of Legal Affairs for the Richland County Sheriff's Department, said the agency will contact victims when they receive a report of rape from abortion providers but will not keep investigating if the victim doesn't want them to.

"There's no specific policy the department has, but as with any report, we would get it, we would vet it, and then potentially follow up on it if there was information to follow up on," McDuffie told The Post and Courier.

"If the woman doesn't want to follow up or investigate it, then we would go no further than that," she added.

Graziano is a Democrat and so is Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.

Ryan Flood, a spokesman for the Greenville County Sheriff's Office, declined to give specifics about how the department would handle the issue, saying the law is still too new.

"We enforce laws that exist as they're written," Flood said.

Greenville Sheriff Hobart Lewis is a Republican.

The South Carolina law does not say whether sheriff's offices are obligated to follow up with the victims. Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, whose district includes part of Charleston County, said it should be left up to the local sheriff whether to open an investigation.

He added the investigation part of the law was debated for several hours before senators voted on it.

"We ended up putting that the physician had to report it to the local sheriff and then it would be up to the sheriff to decide ... how much follow up, if any, the sheriff would want to do," Grooms said.

"If there's a claim of a rape, there was the expectation that there's probably a rapist out there and the rape should be investigated," he added, but clarified that senators didn't want to mandate that.

State Sen. Brian Adams, R-Goose Creek, whose district also includes part of Charleston County, said he doesn't think the law pressures victims to press charges because they can always refuse to talk to law enforcement.

He did say there is an expectation that sheriffs will follow up with victims. It's exactly like any other crime  if someone reports a bank was robbed, he argued, law enforcement aren't going to just ignore that without even filing a report.

"Law enforcement, they're obligated that if a crime's been committed to follow up," Adams said.

South Carolinas law banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is discernible took effect June 27, Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson announced, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade by sending control over the procedure back to the states.

The Legislatures Fetal Heartbeat Act that had banned abortion once a heartbeat is detected had been held up by an injunction from the U.S. District Court of South Carolina after pro-choice groups had sued to block it.

That injunction was removed because of the high court's ruling in a decision signed by South Carolina U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis.

Kailey Cota and Ema Schumer from Charleston contributed to this report, and Skylar Laird reported from Columbia.
Charleston, SC (29403)

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Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 89F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 76F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told reporters she will seek her party's nomination for president in 2024 if theres a place for me, fueling further speculation she will throw her hat in the ring as other presidential hopefuls begin accelerating their own campaigns.

Tailed by reporters at a Sioux Center fundraiser with Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on June 30, Haley offered some of her clearest comments on a future presidential bid to-date as other Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, weigh their own bids for president.

What I've always said is, I love this country, she told reporters, according to the Des Moines Register. I had the pleasure of serving the state that raised me and defending the country I love so much. And if it looks like there's a place for me next year, I've never lost a race. I'm not going to start now. I'll put 1,000 percent in and I'll finish it. If there's not a place for me, I will fight for this country until my last breath.

It's not the first time Haley has hinted her presidential ambitions. Haley offered a nearly identical statement a week earlier in a late June appearance on Fox News' "Faulkner Focus," telling the program's host she would likely reveal her decision on a potential bid early next year.

For her most recent comments, it's the backdrop rather than the comments themselves, that matters most.

While the Democratic National Committee has contemplated shaking up its primary calendar to incorporate a more diverse electorate into the presidential selection process, Iowa  where Haley has maintained a visiting presence since 2019  has remained a centerpiece of Republican plans to test the viability of the party's nominees for president.

As talks stand now, the state is all but assured to maintain its status as the GOP's first presidential primary state in 2024.

Haley's Iowa interest hasn't waned. In 2021, she attended numerous fundraisers and campaign events for various candidates throughout the Hawkeye State and last June headlined the Republican Party of Iowas annual Lincoln Dinner in West Des Moines.

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The former U.N. ambassador's apparent escalation in rhetoric also comes as other presidential hopefuls have begun accelerating their own activities in key battleground states around the country.

Late last month, a super PAC tied to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began airing digital ads in South Carolina and Iowa apparently teasing a national run.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has made several trips to South Carolina in recent months, including a visit to a pro-life pregnancy center in the Upstate in May.

Recently elected Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has also raised speculation of a future run for the White House after recent meetings with a number of GOP megadonors in New York, The Washington Post reported.

Throughout the week, Haley spoke at events for the Iowa Republican Party and at fundraising events for figures including Reynolds, congressional candidate Zach Nunn and U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. And in this election cycle, Haley has endorsed no fewer than 45 Republican candidates in high-profile races around the country, with appearances in key states like Georgia, Virginia, Texas and New Hampshire  another early primary state.

The key factor in Haley's future remains Trump, who has yet to announce his 2024 plans. Despite her early criticisms of his role in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, Haley has remained close to the former president, and has tiptoed around questions of whether she would mount a direct challenge to him in a competitive Republican primary.
COLUMBIA  Gov. Henry McMaster is cutting out the middleman.

The Columbia Republican on July 1 ordered his 19 Cabinet agencies to send grant money earmarked in the 2022-23 state budget directly to the charities and local governments that are meant to receive them. The executive order means lawmakers who advocate for those earmarks will no longer get to soak up the credit by hand-delivering the checks at photo opportunities and press conferences.

McMasters new rule follows Post and Courier stories revealing how a Greenville senator inexplicably withheld $125,000 in checks he was entrusted to deliver to three charities for projects benefiting underprivileged children and low-income seniors in his district.

Those groups told a reporter they waited months for the money, struggling to pay bills or get projects off the ground as state Sen. Karl Allen, D-Greenville, dodged their questions and calls. The grants were meant for an educational summer camp, an after-school program and a fitness park for low-income seniors. Allen never provided a detailed explanation. But the 61-year-old attorney scrambled to deliver checks to two of the nonprofits less than a week after the newspapers May 13 story.

In a written July 1 statement, Allen said he welcomes the change, saying he "wants to improve the quality of life for the children and seniors by any method necessary, whether that be by carrier pigeon or electronic mail."

McMasters order will affect the vast majority of state budget earmarks, most of which are routed through Cabinet agencies like the departments of Health and Human Services; Parks, Recreation and Tourism; and Public Safety. It also requires those agencies to publicly disclose details about the purpose and recipient of each earmark.

"Transparency must be absolute and uncompromised in order to maintain the publics trust and confidence in their state government. Disclosure of the sponsor and recipient is not enough," McMaster said in a statement. "With this executive order, we are providing additional accountability so taxpayers can judge for themselves the merit or lack of merit of earmarks in the state budget.

The Allen snafu renewed public scrutiny of the S.C. Legislatures earmarks process, in which state lawmakers direct tens of millions of public dollars each year to parks, civic centers, festivals, charities and other local initiatives. Until the past couple of years, these grants were largely kept secret within the state budget, hidden from public view to avoid questions from citizen watchdogs and vetoes from governors.

The earmarks, which cost S.C. taxpayers more than $100 million last year, go to causes handpicked by individual legislators, including some organizations run by lawmakers relatives and friends.

McMaster and others have called  in vain, so far  for a competitive grants process that would send taxpayers money only to projects that survive a rigorous screening process. Instead, lawmakers have agreed to disclose more details about the spending, including the amount of each grant and the names of the recipient and the legislator who requested it.

The governors July 1 order calls for even more transparency. It requires his Cabinet agencies to withhold the earmarks until the recipients explain in detail how they will use the money. And it orders those agencies to post those spending plans online for the public to see.

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McMaster last month vetoed nearly $53 million from the Legislatures nearly $14 billion annual spending package, saying legislators are still spending tax dollars on unvetted pet projects.

Others involved in the earmarks process have echoed McMasters concerns.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler, a Gaffney Republican with sizable influence over the state budget, has indicated his committee will no longer facilitate the hand-delivery of checks by senators.

A spokesman for DHHS, the agency that issued the $125,000 in earmark checks Allen failed to deliver, said the potential for legislators to thwart the flow of tax dollars to their intended recipients is an example of this flawed process.

A spokesman for the Department of Education, another agency that commonly houses earmarked grants, told The Post and Courier recently it would no longer let legislators deliver the checks.

But not everyone sees the change as necessary. Lawmakers have long personally delivered earmark checks without problems, noted outgoing state Rep. Gary Simrill, the interim chairman of the S.C. Houses budget committee.

The system doesnt require an overhaul just because of one senators mistakes, the Rock Hill Republican said.

Simrill noted lawmakers have added new rules to the budget in recent years requiring more disclosure of where earmarks are going and which legislator sponsored them.

We have added transparency and accountability, Simrill said.

A spokeswoman for new House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, did not respond to a request for comment.

Allen, meanwhile, has yet to explain his failure to deliver the grants. He initially ignored questions from reporters before ultimately issuing a vague statement blaming COVID-19, a pandemic that seemingly didnt affect the delivery of any other legislators earmarks last year.
With the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Indo-Pacific, with concerns over North Korea and China as as well as Russia, we see the upgrading  Read more
Liberals are gnashing their teeth over todays decision by the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA, in which the Court found that Congress has not delegated to the EPA power to reduce CO2 emissions by rearranging the countrys electricity producing system. The case, and the Lefts reaction to it, have several interesting features.

First, the Court has erected a barrier, at least in this instance, against the seemingly inexorable expansion of the administrative state. For the last century, Congress has steadily abandoned its Article 1 responsibilities by creating administrative agencies and delegating broad powers to them. Liberals have cheered this process since it inevitably has resulted in a steady expansion of unaccountable government power, so that, as I have written before, the government we live under is not the one that is described in our Constitution.

Chief Justice Roberts opinion links together several cases in which the Court has found that Congress did not intend to hide a radical expansion of regulatory authority in an obscure and seemingly innocuous statutory provision. Roberts groups these cases, including West Virginia, under the rubric of the major questions doctrine:

Precedent teaches that there are extraordinary cases in which the history and the breadth of the authority that [the agency] has asserted, and the economic and political significance of that assertion, provide a reason to hesitate before concluding that Congress meant to confer such authority. FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 529 U. S. 120, 159160. See, e.g., Alabama Assn. of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Servs., 594 U. S. ___, ___; Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, 573 U. S. 302, 324; Gonzales v. Oregon, 546 U. S. 243, 267; National Federation of Independent Business v. OSHA, 595 U. S. ___, ___. Under this body of law, known as the major questions doctrine, given both separation of powers principles and a practical understanding of legislative intent, the agency must point to clear congressional authorization for the authority it claims. Utility Air, 573 U. S., at 324. Pp. 1620.

This represents, I think, plain common sense, but in the context of the administrative state a modicum of common sense is overdue. We can hope that West Virginia signals a broader willingness to rein in the excesses of delegation of powers, and return our government to the branches that are accountable to voters.

Second, liberal attacks on the decision are not coming, as far as I have seen, from people who have read it. Roberts opinion is well-reasoned and persuasive. The idea that 42 U. S. C. 7411(d) authorizes and directs the EPA to reorganize Americas energy system, closing coal plants and mandating wind and solar facilities, is absurd on any fair reading.

In that context, liberals reactions to todays decision are revealing. Liberals view the actual words of statutes (like the words of the Constitution, see Roe v. Wade) as irrelevant. The one imperative is federal government power. If we have a supposed crisisglobal warming!the government must deal with it in the manner demanded by the Left, regardless of whether there is any statutory or constitutional authority for such action, and regardless of whether the peoples representatives have voted for it. This view is antithetical to both democracy and the rule of law, but it dominates todays Democratic Party.

Finally, this is one more instance where liberal reaction is utterly unhinged. Exhibit A is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the low-IQ but sort-of-cute representative from New York. She proposed that we abolish the Supreme Court:

Catastrophic. A filibuster carveout is not enough. We need to reform or do away with the whole thing, for the sake of the planet. https://t.co/if8PIbfs42  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2022



A filibuster carveout is not enough! It isnt going to happen, of course: note that the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case is the State of West Virginia. And what might the carveout be? A one-time change in the Senate rules for this vote? Or maybe a ride-along with the carveout to pass a nine-month abortion bill. I dont suppose either is likely.

But here is the real point: she says a carveout isnt enough, so we need to reform or do away with the whole thing, for the sake of the planet. Reform means packing the court with newly-appointed liberal justices, which cooler heads have not proposed. It would be massively unpopular, would cement the GOP sweep in 2022, and would be undone by the next Republican president (likely in 2025) who inevitably would pack the Court further. But the dim-witted AOC is oblivious to these details.

[D]o[ing] away with the whole thing, for the sake of the planet meansevidentlyabolishing the Supreme Court. This, of course, would require a constitutional amendment that would have to eliminate the entire Article III federal judiciary. To put it politely, that is an insane suggestion, and not one that any leftist would have advocated until approximately last week. Is this a serious proposal from the Democratic Partys most popular (but perhaps least serious) member? Presumably not.

And, while no one expects New Yorks best-known former bartender to be an expert on climate science, if we assume the Climatistas most dire calculations are correct, the Democrats proposed Clean Power Plan would have little or no measurable impact on the Earths climate. The planet is not at issue in todays case.

So in multiple ways, todays decision and reactions to it are signs of the times.

STEVE adds: This looks like pure white supremacy to me. Is it a coincidence that the very day the first Black woman joins the Court there are people calling for the Supreme Court to be abolished?

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Power Lines oldest friend:

Chaserapparently ABC News never heard of Thurgood Marshall or Clarence Thomas:

Naturally the Babylon Bee is all over this:
Writing about the Watergate scandal in the 1980s, political scientist John Marini said The passage of time has not resulted in greater clarity concerning what it is we should have learned from the event, perhaps because we still lack an authoritative account of it.

Having reached the 50th anniversary of the most famous burglary in history, we may be coming closer to have a complete understanding of Watergate through the original work of Geoff Shepard. Shepard was a young lawyer on the White House staff through the entire Watergate agony, and is one of the last insiders from that saga still living.

As an assistant to Nixons in-house lawyer Fred Buzhardt, Shepard transcribed many of the crucial Nixon tapes that were central to his downfall. But in the years since, Shepard has diligently reviewed the entire case with a fine-toothed comb, noting anomalies and errors in what might be called the Standard Account of Watergate. Above all, Shepard has pried loose numerous internal Department of Justice and National Archive files that have been closed ever since Watergatethe key document being released through a FOIA proceeding just in 2018. His work ought to revise everyones understanding of Watergate, but as we know the liberal narrative is dug in deep.

In a series of books, most recently The Nixon Conspiracy: Watergate and the Plot to Remove the President, Shepard makes a powerful case that just about every part of the received wisdom about Nixon and Watergate is wrong, and that Nixon should never have been chased from office. Every suspicion you may have had about the partisan motivations of the special prosecutors who investigated Watergate are more than confirmed by Shepards work. Moreover those tactics live on as a primary tool of the Deep State, as we can see with a certain House committee currently operating.

This is the first of two parts. Part 2 will be out early next week. Curious listeners can access the original documents and much else at Shepards website.

(And yes, my voice is indeed raspy, as I have at last caught COVID. Reallywe deranged the whole world for this? Ive had much worse cases of bronchitis.)

You know what to do nowlisten here, or go bug our hosts at Ricochet.
Ammo Grrrll calls this one SOWING AND REAPING, OH MY! She writes:

Its been all over the Internet for a couple of weeks now. A couple of mentions on Power Line as well by the fellas. I just wanted to add a few points from my valuable personal experience.

Although this Administration has been an unqualified disaster from January 21 on, The Left cannot quite do all the dastardly things it has in mind. That, it turns out, is not because they dont have nefarious plans for us. It is because their dozens of woke organizations are filled with lazy, fragile activists who spend all their time on internal squabbles, fiefdom fights, Victim Entitlement Olympics and the equitable division of spoils. Not to mention regular Hate Whitey and Whiteness mandatory workshops, HR harassment investigations, pronoun obsession and, if government employees are any example, regular perusal of porn sites. Nothing gets done. The Play-Doh and Kleenex budget alone must be enormous.

Is there any Schadenfreude more delightful?

Far be it from me to interrupt when The Enemy is paralyzed with Woke Fever. But, I will give you just this one little hint, Commie comrades, since it will be dismissed out of hand: For the love of God, dont hire ACTIVISTS. I can tell you from long, sad experience in the anti-war movement, that most politically motivated workers are lazy, useless slugs who are only fit to disrupt OTHER peoples enterprises.

What you most certainly do NOT want for employees are certifiable lunatics pretending to be community organizers who could not organize their way out of a wet paper bag. These are losers who are invested in shrieking about daily microaggressions, or humorless harridans with Karen Karenina in HR on Speed-dial in case some clueless shlub compliments them on their outfit, looks at them for over five seconds, or tells a blonde joke. We wont even discuss the horror of mis-gendering someone. Or the sexual assault of asking someone to go out for a cup of coffee.

As we have confirmed over the last few weeks, many are also diehard racists despite years of Diversity Training. It is clear from their relentless attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas that they save the majority of their all around generic hatred for humanity for black and brown people who dare to step foot off the Democrat plantation. How can we virtuous people SAVE you louts if you can get off your knees and save yourselves? could be their mantra.

To accomplish anything, you need people who come from a culture that honors work and expects results  Mormons, other Christians, ex-military, small town people, small business owners, farmers, old-school geezers working part-time in retirement, entrepreneurs, Conservatives, and Central American immigrants!

Sadly, most of the energetic actual workers mentioned above will not be down with the company mission statements. A real Catch-22, eh? The SJW drones cant or wont work and the worker bees dont cotton to the SJW drivel. The very definition of irony. (Which, by the way, is NOT the opposite of wrinkly.)

When I got out of college (not to be confused with graduating) in Chicago in the late 60s, there was near-full employment. NOW HIRING signs were hanging from every factory and page after page of Want Ads appeared in the Chicago papers. Work was what you did every single weekday and weekends if necessary, coming in on time, leaving at or after closing time and for that you got paid enough to make it to the next week. That was the bargain.

If you wanted fulfillment you formed a loving relationship, or wrote poetry, participated in a glee club or community theatre, or joined a church or synagogue. If you wanted love, you got married or bought a dog. (If you preferred indifference, you got a bad boyfriend or a cat. Haha. I kid cats. Both Joe and I have been Cat People since childhood.)

Work was never expected to provide fun or fulfillment. If you whined about anything work-related, some co-worker was bound to say, See, Susan, thats why they call it work.

Sure, SOME people got fulfillment as a side benefit  wonderful teachers, dedicated doctors and nurses, rabbis and ministers, hair-dressers who made young ladies look extra-good for the Prom  but it was not a part of the contract. At least it wasnt in the secretarial pools and night-shift typeshops I worked in before going self-employed.

The notion that your workplace was duty-bound to take extraordinary measures to retain you was laughable in the extreme. Haha. Im so old that I remember when it was up to YOU to keep your job!

I had a friend once who didnt come into her clerical job at the University of Minnesota for about 10 working days without even calling in with a lame excuse. (my go-to lame excuse was always something vaguely female which usually stopped further interrogation in its tracks, since back then the overwhelming majority of bosses were male). Imagine my friends surprise when she DID finally go in and found another lady at her desk which already had pictures of the ladys family on it. She realized she not only no longer worked there, but her chances of getting a recommendation for a future job were slim and none.

Several years later she did land a great job as a management trainee with General Motors as one of the first female Affirmative Action hires. Sadly, at one of the management trainee retreats, she got drunk and engaged in a food fight which was termed by HR to be inappropriate behavior. And yet she was retained and counseled rather than fired because by that time she was in a protected category where normal rules do not apply and Reality dares not intrude. Today just being a woman (whatever THAT is) would not save her unless she was not a Lighter Shade of Pale OR had once NOT been a woman (whatever THAT is)

It was about that time that the only sin in PC World was being judgmental. I said, Bertha June (not her real name), that wasnt inappropriate; that was stupid and wrong. See, that wussy word would imply that there would BE a time  just not that particular instance  in which a 30-year-old adult female throwing banquet food at a work-related event would be considered appropriate. And there IS no such time.

Oddly, our relationship degenerated badly after that. Some people are beyond helping with timely advice. Lets hope that the America haters and civilization wreckers are just as resistant to advice. Keep getting nothing done, kids. Youre on the right track. In fact, Id suggest if you are asked to do anything that even resembles work that you go on strike! A work stoppage, and just for good measure, a sex strike as well. Activists in the Red States are asking for time off to mourn their recent inability to kill their babies when their labor pains are 3 minutes apart. Grieving time is also a good idea. Take all the way to November.
Shell Plc said it has suspended its plans to sell its onshore oil assets in Nigeria, responding to a Supreme Court suit over oil leak appeal filed by a community in Bayelsa State.

The oil major had announced its plans of divestment in May 2021. It was subsequently sued by the people of Aghoro I in Ekeremor Local Government Area in Bayelsa over the May 17, 2018 oil leak from the oil firms Trans Ramos Pipeline.

The Supreme Court on June 16 ordered Shell to maintain the status quo until October, a ruling that will stop Shell from selling its assets in Nigeria until a dispute over a lower court decision to award a Niger Delta community N700 billion in compensation over the spill is resolved.

At the time, the spokesperson of the oil giant said the court ruling did on affect the planned sale of onshore assets in Nigeria.

The Supreme Court ruling on 16 June was with respect to the contempt proceedings and not related to (the) onshore portfolio review, Reuters quoted him as saying.

In a new turn of event on Thursday, the company in a statement by Chairman of Companies and Managing Director of SPDC, Osagie Okunbor, said it will not progress the divestment of its interest in SPDC until the outcome of SPDCs appeal.

The following is a statement by Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of SPDC and Chairman of Shell Companies in Nigeria on recent media reporting on the Supreme Court of Nigeria Torchi proceedings:

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd. (SPDC) complies with the law, including any court orders, and respects the judiciary and its role in upholding the rule of law.

Recent media reporting regarding the 16 June Supreme Court proceedings does not accurately reflect SPDCs response to the order. SPDC will continue to comply with the Supreme Courts order to maintain the status quo. We have a strong belief in the merits of our case, which we are vigorously defending.

The Shell Group has confirmed separately that it will not progress the divestment of its interest in SPDC until the outcome of SPDCs appeal.
Atiku Abubakar is entangled in a web of controversies, roughly one month after clinching the ticket of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the second consecutive presidential election.

The complex crises ricocheting on the front burner of national discourse concern moral standing, zonal propriety and the democratic style of the PDP candidate.

The Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, and former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, Wednesday landed uppercuts on Mr Abubakars presidential quest. While Mr Ortom criticised him for not choosing Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, the candidate overwhelmingly recommended by a 17-member advisory committee of which the Benue governor was a member, as his running mate, Mr Fayose emphatically reaffirmed his commitment to power shift to the southern half of Nigeria in 2023.

Mr Ortom accused the candidate of failing to honour the democratic choice in the selection of his running mate. He also berated him for failing to reach out to Mr Wike and other aggrieved members of the party after picking Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, for the slot.

Mr Ortom, who spoke in an interview on Arise TV, said he was waiting for Gods direction on whether to campaign for his partys presidential candidate or not.

On his own part, Mr Fayose, through his verified Twitter handle, stated that it was important for power to return to the South after the eight-year rule of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from Katsina State in the North-west geopolitical zone.

Atiku, PDP, Fayose and the North-South power rotation

Since his emergence as the PDP candidate against the grain of the rotational understanding, Mr Abubakar has been carrying the moral hunch of running away with a ticket that ought to have been held by someone from the southern part of the country. As the incumbent president, the opposition candidate is a Fulani-Muslim from the defunct Northern Region.

Nigeria, as a single entity, was formed through the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates of the British colonial empire on January 1, 1914. Based on a common understanding anchored on the need to foster unity and inclusiveness among the citizenry, the PDP enshrined rotation in its constitution.

Mr Fayose in his tweet harped on that provision when he contended that: The PDP Constitution provides for a rotational Presidency. Section 3(c) provides that the party shall pursue its aims and objectives by adhering to the policy of the rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness.

He added: The current President of Nigeria is a 2-term Northern Presidency, thus implying that it MUST be a Southern Presidency in 2023 or NOTHING. Awa South lo kan. Nigerians should await details soon.

Since the commencement of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, no democratically elected president from either north or south has taken over power from an outgoing president from his own section or region of the country. Similarly, no president from one ethnic group has handed over to another president from his own ethnic group.

In a complex country like Nigeria, with more than 250 ethnic groups, this scenario may weigh against Mr Abubakar when all the variables and analytics are put on the table in the approach to the 2023 general elections.

However, the zoning brouhaha is by no means the only moral burden resting on Mr Abubakars shoulders. There is an overhang of corruption allegations and counter-allegations.

Obasanjos salvo and Jibrins ultimatum

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP, Walid Jibrin, on Monday called out former President Olusegun Obasanjo and gave him 48 hours to clarify his statement that his choice of Mr Abubakar as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election was a mistake. Mr Jibrin, a northern Fulani-Muslim like Mr Abubakar, threatened to expose Mr Obasanjo unless the former president withdraws the statement.

Mr Jibrin said he would be left with no option but to expose the former president and tell Nigerians and the whole world who Mr Obasanjo is in reality if he failed to explain his statement about Mr Abubakar.

Mr Jibrin, who addressed a press conference in Kaduna, said despite the high regard the PDP has for the former president, it would be very disappointing if he indeed made the statement credited to him (Obasanjo) and carried by virtually all the nations news platforms.

He said the statement, among others, that he made a mistake in picking Mr Abubakar as his running mate in 1999 was worrisome.

Mr Walids 48 hours ultimatum expired Wednesday without a response from Mr Obasanjo or Mr Jibrin as to his next line of action.

Mr Obasanjo, while reflecting on his political experience, during an interaction with some students, on Saturday, remarked that one of the costly mistakes he made in life was his choice of Mr Abubakar as his running mate in 1999.

Mr Obasanjo, who was fielding questions from selected secondary school students that participated in the final of the National Exhibition and Awards organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, said his mistake in choosing Mr Abubakar psychologically impacted him.

The former president said, in response to a question by one of the students, 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 meI will say there are many things that could have been a mistake but God saved me from them all.

Mr Obasanjo was President of Nigeria between May 29, 1999, and May 29, 2007 with Mr Abubakar as the Vice President. After serving their first four-year term from 1999 to 2003, he re-nominated Mr Abubakar as his running mate in the 2003 election which they won despite their fractured relationship.

Atiku in Obasanjos lens

Preparatory to the unveiling of his memoir titled My Watch, Mr Obasanjo in December 2014 called his former deputy a shameless liar amid other accusations.

Those who can be regarded as influential and who have publicly accused me of allegedly manipulating a third term were Atiku Abubakar, who is a blatant and shameless liar, who was behind the whole episode of turning wholesome constitutional amendment efforts of the National Assembly to a futile exercise and as a means of riding on its ashes to be Nigerian President.

Third term was not my agenda or intention although I would not say I didnt know about it. I didnt mastermind third term. Those who were telling me to go on were the governors that were going to benefit from

it.

READ ALSO:

If I did not want tenure elongation when I was military Head of State and had need to, I see no reason why I should be falsely accused of coup planning by Abacha and tenure elongation by Atiku.

On pages 31 and 32 of the book, MY WATCH proper, Mr Obasanjo wrote about the former Vice President: What I did not know, which came out glaringly later, was his parental background which was somewhat shadowy, his propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgment, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety truth and

national interest for self and selfish interest.

The former vice president on his part had fought his former boss over the third term plot to remain in office beyond eight years.

In an interview with a Hausa newspaper, RARIYA, which was translated to English and published by PREMIUM TIMES in 2013, Mr Abubakar claimed that Mr Obasanjo nursed the ambition of tenure elongation. The former vice president said one of the instances he had altercations with President Obasanjo was about the third term ambition.

Mr Abubakar quoted Mr Obasanjo as stating as follows while craving his support for a controversial third term in office as against the maximum of two terms enshrined in the constitution: I left power 20 years ago, I left Mubarak in office, I left Mugabe in office, I left Eyadema in office, I left Omar Bongo, and even Paul Biya and I came back and they are still in power; and I just did eight years and you are asking me to go; why?

Mr Abubakar said he responded by telling him that Nigeria is not Libya, not Egypt, not Cameroon, not Zimbabwe and not Togo. I said (to Obasanjo) you must leave; even if it means both of us lose out, but you cannot stay.

Messrs Fayose and Obasanjos missiles have again brought into public focus, the moral issues surrounding Mr Abubakars perennial presidential aspiration.

With Mr Fayoses usurpation clanger added to the familiar Obasanjo salvos, the former vice presidents incubus in the coming election is now two-pronged  the odium of corruption painted by Mr Obasanjo and the Southern tenure grabbing red flag raised by Mr Fayose.

The array of accusations, true or false, is certain to negatively affect Mr Abubakar by making many people distrust him.

However, Mr Abubakar and his political foot soldiers are not resting on their oars as they have continued to respond to the allegations, dismissing some of them as baseless products of bilious politics.

PDPs negative perception

Shrugging off the charges is a task not just for the presidential candidate but also for his party leadership under its National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu. The main opposition party, which ruled Nigeria for 16 years between 1999 and

2015, is still seen by many critics as a platform that willingly lent itself as an organ for the perpetration of sleaze and sundry opaque deals in governance.

The presidential primary of the party in Abuja which produced Mr Abubakar as the candidate was also suspected to have been egregiously dollarized. On the eve of the PDP presidential primary, one of the aspirants, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, withdrew, alleging that the contest had been obscenely monetized.

Mr Hayatu-Deens withdrawal came a few days after another contender, Peter Obi, withdrew from the race and resigned entirely from the PDP. Mr Obi cited recent developments within the PDP which were incongruent with his moral conscience and made it impossible for him to continue participating and making constructive contributions.

A few days after, Mr Obi joined the Labour Party and emerged as its presidential candidate. His message, which centres on low consumption, productivity and frugality, has been making impact especially among the youthful segments of the population.

PDP and the Wike dilemma

Mr Wike may be the proverbial last straw that will break the camels back as far as Mr Abubakars controversial presidential bid is concerned. He is believed to be incensed over Mr Abubakars ambition and alleged shifty stance. Judging by Mr Wikes well-known stance on power rotation and the manner he was elbowed out at the presidential primary in May, will PDP be able to pacify and rekindle his faith in the party?

Mr Fayose exclusively told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday that he could wager that Mr Wike would never support the current presidential bid of Mr Abubakar. The former Ekiti State governor insisted that power must shift to the southern part of Nigeria in 2023 after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buharis second term.

Mr Fayose exclusively told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday that he could wager that Mr Wike would never support the current presidential bid of Mr Abubakar. The former Ekiti State governor insisted that power must shift to the southern part of Nigeria in 2023 after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buharis second term.

So far, Mr Okowas choice has not excited many PDP apparatchiks in the South, including some incumbent and former governors like Mr Fayose, and Mr Okowas two predecessors as governor of Delta State  James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Wike never said he wanted to be VP, but when Atiku visited him, he was the one who said, I want you to be my VP. He said that to Wike. If that then changes, is Wike not supposed to be told? Is he not supposed to know? Mr Fayose told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Fayose berated Mr Abubakar for ignoring the recommendation of a committee set up by the PDP leadership to shortlist his running mate. PDP set up a committee to recommend a running mate for the candidate and the committee voted and picked Wike, but they didnt comply with the recommendation of the committee, Mr Fayose fumed.

If the party is now a one-man show, we will show them that we can resist it. We are with Wike 100 per cent. When they need Wikes money and Wikes support, they will say, Wike is good enough. Wike has been injured, but we will remain with him. Whatever he does is what we would do; wherever he asks us to go is where we will go, the former Ekiti governor declared.

Obi and Tinubu: who benefits?

In the evolving context, either the Labour Partys (LP) Mr Obi or Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who are the leading candidates from the South, may profit handsomely from the widening rift in the PDP, with the former being the likely beneficiary.

The ruling party is already a crowded platform by bigwigs who may not easily yield space for big rivals like Messrs Wike, Fayose and other aggrieved PDP chieftains.

On the other hand, the LP, apart from the cult following of its presidential candidate by the youth, is still literally a tabula rasa waiting to be annexed by gladiators. That position makes the party an attractive platform for aggrieved secret backers from the two leading parties  PDP and APC. Such covert backers can only come to the fore if their gambit succeeds in pulling an upset victory for the supported candidate.

Mr Fayose was non-committal when asked whether they would support either Obi or Tinubu. This is not about Bola Tinubu or Obi, but this is about our belief that power must come to the South and it is a struggle we must actualise.

This time, it is the turn of the South because Buhari has spent eight years. Why will PDP be insisting that it must again be the turn of the north?

Mr Fayose also stated that he does not care if his actions are perceived as anti-party activity.

What I am saying is, it is the turn of the South? And if they want to expel me, to hell with them. I am not taking money from anyone to belong to this party.

If they want to rock this boat, we will help them to rock it, the outspoken former Ekiti governor declared.

With these signals, accentuated by Mr Obasanjos darts, the PDP presidential candidate certainly has enough political, psychological and moral burdens to bear.

As things presently stand, all the commanding positions in the PDP are held by members from one region  the presidential flag bearer, National Chairman and the BoT Chairman.

Indeed, Mr Abubakar and the PDP leadership have a gargantuan task to stem the worsening tide and restore the confidence of all the stakeholders in the party.

Mr Abubakar, on Thursday, acknowledged that many leaders of his party were uncomfortable with his emergence and his choices. He promised to listen to their complaints.

The @OfficialPDPNig will remain united. Focus on our actions. We are taking action to address the feelings of all party members. The unity in our community is my priority. Our resolve to unify Nigeria starts in our party and moves to the community, then on to society, he wrote on Twitter.
The UK Government, on Thursday, partnered with the Nigerian government, civil society and media, including PREMIUM TIMES, to launch the #ProtectWhatsYours campaign, which aims to raise awareness of illicit finance.

It is important we understand the direct harms that illicit finance causes, this is a crime that affects every citizen of NigeriaThe UK has partnered to deliver this innovative prevention campaign and we thank all agencies, civil society groups and media organisations who collaborated to deliver the films and content. This is another excellent example of UK/Nigeria co-operation in tackling illicit finance, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said in a statement.

Nigeria is losing an estimated $18 billion annually to illicit finance like bribery, internet fraud, and non-payment of taxes, said Torchlight Group  drivers of the campaign.

According to Torchlight Group, these outflows have a significant impact on the countrys economic stability and every Nigerian loses the equivalent of N35,000 annually.

This money can provide world-class facilities for Nigerians, build roads, create jobs, provide better educational systems and provide better and affordable housing systems, the group said as it launched the campaign on Thursday.

According to the UK government, the campaign seeks to encourage Nigerians to recognise and report financial crime in their immediate environment, and calls on the Nigerian diaspora to report from around the world, where assets could be located.

Illicit finance and associated crimes do not recognise borders, which is why the campaign is necessary to empower citizens to report suspected financial criminals to the relevant authorities both at home, and to go one step further to encourage reporting from around the world, it added.

Describing the project as innovative, Andrew Clowes, the Illicit Finance Lead at the UK High Commission in Nigeria, said citizens need to understand the direct impact this crime has on them and their families, and should be bold to report those they believe are involved in these crimes.

Nine government organisations including the EFCC, ICPC, and FIRS, have joined forces with the media and civil society to support the #protectwhatsyours campaign.
UAE president meets senior Chinese diplomat on bilateral ties, cooperation

Xinhua) 21:52, July 01, 2022

ABU DHABI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday met with visiting senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi to discuss bilateral ties and ways to boost cooperation.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, first conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to the UAE president.

Yang said that China regards the UAE, a comprehensive strategic partner, as the priority in its diplomacy in the Middle East.

He noted that the strategic guidance offered by the two heads of state plays a key role in the development of China-UAE relations. Since the beginning of this year, the two leaders have led the way to boost the bilateral ties in the new era with a successful meeting and a phone call.

Yang reiterated that China firmly supports the UAE in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, while resolutely opposing any interference in the Gulf country's internal affairs.

China highly appreciates the UAE's support for the China-proposed Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, and is willing to deepen cooperation with the UAE under the two major initiatives, aiming to make positive contributions to lasting world peace and long-term development, Yang said.

He expressed the hope that the two sides will enhance coordination under China's Belt and Road Initiative and the UAE's Designing the Next 50 development plan, overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and continue to expand collaboration in civil aviation, energy, finance, investment, infrastructure and other traditional sectors while creating more cooperation highlights in new fields.

On global and regional issues, Yang pointed out that China is willing to step up communication and coordination with the UAE and engage in extensive South-South cooperation.

Meanwhile, China stands ready to continuously strengthen its cooperation with all Arab countries, jointly practice true multilateralism, and safeguard international fairness and justice, the Chinese diplomat stressed.

For his part, the UAE leader asked Yang to convey his sincere regards to President Xi, while expressing warm congratulations to the CPC on its 101st anniversary which falls on Friday.

Sheikh Mohamed said that the UAE and China enjoy solid political mutual trust and brotherly friendship, serving as a model of mutual respect and trust between countries.

It's a long-term project to maintain the special comprehensive strategic partnership between the UAE and China, which has extraordinary importance, said the UAE president.

Sheikh Mohamed also pledged to deepen the synergy between the development strategies of the two countries and bilateral cooperation in various fields, actively participate in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and contribute to the peaceful development of the region and the world as a whole.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji)
Five American senators have asked the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to redesignate Nigeria as Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over the deteriorating state of religious freedom in the country.

Given the abysmal state of religious freedom in Nigeria, it is incumbent upon you to reverse last years decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without delay, the senators said in the June 29 memo.

In a memo seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the senators, all Republican, informed Mr Blinken that religious violence and intolerance directed toward Nigerian Christians has worsened in recent years, hence their request.

Apart from attacks on Nigerian Christians, the senators also said, the Nigerian authorities also restrict and crack down on religious minorities and detain individuals indefinitely on blasphemy-related charges.

The memo was signed by Josh Hawley (Missouri), Marco Rubio (Florida), Mike Brawn (Indiana), Tom Cotton (Arkansas), and James Inhofe (Oklahoma).

In November 2021, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the U.S. government removed Nigeria from its list of countries that violate religious freedom, ignoring the recommendation from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Last year, you inexplicably removed Nigerias designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) despite no demonstrable improvement in the countrys religious freedom conditions. On the contrary, the situation in Nigeria has grown worse. We previously urged you to immediately reverse your misguided decision, and we write today to renew our call, the memo said.

The senators cited recent cases of the attack on the St Francis Catholic Church, Owo and the alleged case of blasphemy that led to the burning of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto.

Muslims, others also persecuted

According to the memo, Nigeria earns the dubious honourfor the second consecutive yearof being the deadliest country on earth for Christians following an unnamed report that documented more than 4,650 cases of Nigerian Christians who were killed for their faith in 2021.

It added that not only has the government of Nigeria failed to take meaningful steps to mitigate such violence, Nigerian authorities restrict and crack down on religious minorities and detain individuals indefinitely on blasphemy-related charges.

READ ALSO:

The senators also expressed concerns that the Nigerian government is failing to protect the religious freedom and basic safety of its Christian citizens.

The memo noted that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) found that Nigerian government authorities directly participate in the persecution of Christians, Muslims, and even non-theists, most notoriously through arrests and convictions under blasphemy laws.

Make no mistake: continued enforcement of state-sanctioned blasphemy laws enables the type of deadly violence that killed Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu and so many others, it said.

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 Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to release the biodata of David Nwamini to Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice.

Mr Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President and his wife, Beatrice, were arrested last week in the United Kingdom over a botched plan to harvest Mr Nwaminis kidney for the couples ailing daughter.

The London Metropolitan Police arrested the Ekweremadus based on its investigations that Mr Nwanini, whom the couple took to London for organ harvesting, was a minor.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the prosecutors said the Ekweremadus were charged with 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

But the couple, who have been denied bail and face charges of organ trafficking in London, had insisted that Mr Nwanini was 21 years old.

They intend to prove their claim with the alleged victims official records in the custody of the relevant Nigerian authorities, including the NIMC.

Apart from the NIMC, others sued by the Ekweremadus are the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Stanbic-IBTC Bank, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Ekweremadu appeared at the Uxbridge Magistrates Court in London on Thursday during which the prosecutor insisted that Mr Nwamini was coerced to donate his kidney and is 15 years old.

The court adjourned the case until July 7.

But the Federal High Court in Abuja where the Ekweremadus sued the relevant Nigerian authorities, on Friday, ordered the release of Mr Nwaninis details to the couple to enable them to defend themselves in London.

The trial judge, Inyang Ekwo, ordered the NIMC, the Comptroller General of the NIS, Stanbic-IBTC Bank, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc to furnish the Ekweremadus with official details of Mr Nwamini.

Background

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022, the plaintiffs asked the court to direct the NIMC to avail them the Certified True Copy of Mr Nwaminis biodata information for the purposes of tendering same before the British Court in the pending criminal charge against them.

The suit followed the disclosure by immigration authorities in Nigeria that Mr Nwaninis records from the National Population Commission (NPC) and NIMC gave his date of birth as October 12, 2000, as against the alleged claims by the organ donor that he is a 15-year-old.

In the court papers, Mr Ekweremadus lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, said Mr Nwanini was flown to the UK with his consent to be a kidney donor for their daughter.

But upon a medical examination of Mr Nwaminis kidneys, it was discovered that none was a match for the couples daughter, the documents stated.
A Nigerian senator, Peter Nwaoboshi, has been sentenced to seven years in prison by the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal.

The senator, who represents Delta North senatorial district, was convicted on a two-count charge of fraud and money laundering.

The court also ordered that his two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Limited and Suiming Electrical Limited, be wound up in line with Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021.

The spokesperson of Nigerias antigraft agency, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, made this known in a statement on Friday.

The statement was also posted on the agencys official Twitter handle.

Mr Nwaoboshi has, in the past few years, been enmeshed in several allegations of fraud and misappropriation of funds.

In 2021, he was accused by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) of using 11 companies as fronts to secure for himself a N3.6 billion contract in the commission. The contract was not executed and the money was not refunded.

The past NDDC spokesperson, Charles Odili, had said the contract was the biggest single case of looting of the Commissions resources.

Charges and Nwaoboshis defection

In 2018, the lawmaker and his two companies were arraigned before a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court over N322 million fraud and money laundering charges.

The EFCC in suit number FHC/L/117C/18 arraigned the three defendants for acquiring a property named Guinea House, Marine Road, in Apapa, Lagos, for N805 million. The agency said that N322 million of the money was part of the proceeds of fraud.

While the trial was ongoing, Mr Nwaoboshi defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari welcomed him to the APC, the senator and his companies were discharged and acquitted by Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke and the charges were dismissed  in June 2021.

The judge ruled that the EFCC could not prove the charges filed against the lawmaker.

New ruling and conviction

The EFCC appealed the high courts ruling and was successful at the appellate court, leading to the sentencing of the lawmaker.

According to the EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujuren, the Court of Appeal held that the trial judge erred in dismissing the charges against the respondents.

It said the prosecution had proved the ingredients of the offence and consequently found the defendants guilty as charged.

Mr Nwaoboshi is among the over 50 senators seeking another term in the parliament. He won the APC ticket to contest again in the coming election.
A member of the House of Representatives, Jude Ise-Idehen, has passed away.

Punch newspaper reported that Mr Ise-Idehen passed away on Friday.

Until his death, Mr Ise-Idehen represented Egor/Ikpoba Okha Federal Constituency in Edo State.

He recently got the nod of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to recontest the seat.

Details later
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday in Turkey refused to grant audience to a former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri, who was sent to speak with him by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, those familiar with the matter have told PREMIUM TIMES.

Atiku, our sources said, deployed Mr Waziri to meet Mr Wike, who is on holiday in the Eastern European country, after the governor rebuffed several attempts by the candidate to arrange a meeting between them.

The former vice president has been unable to see Mr Wike since he overlooked him to pick his Delta State counterpart, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.

Sources said Mr Abubakar had wanted to personally inform Mr Wike that he was not his vice presidential pick before making the public announcement, but the governor left Abuja the night before the announcement, having found out that Atiku had settled for someone else.

The governor has also refused to speak on telephone with Atiku and his emissaries who were trying to have a meeting with him.

Having got wind that Mr Wike was away in Turkey, aides said Atiku deployed the former minister who tracked the governor down to Hilton Conrad Hotel in Istanbul on Thursday.

However, despite the two men running into each other in the lobby of the hotel, Mr Wike declined his request for the two of them to huddle to enable him deliver a message from Atiku.

Mr Waziri was said to have called several friends and some leaders of the PDP in Nigeria on telephone to help persuade Mr Wike to discuss with him, but the governor did not yield.

Contrary to the claim by Mr Waziri on Thursday that he met Mr Wike in Istanbul, aides of the governor insisted that Mr Wike did not grant an audience to the former minister.

Mr Waziri made the claim while debunking a statement by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, that Mr Wike flew to France to meet the partys presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, who is in that country.

Governor Wike came directly from Nigeria to Istanbul, Turkey. He did not go to France as speculated. This is to debunk the propaganda of the APC through Igbokwe. This is fake news orchestrated by the sinking ruling party which is on its way out, he said in a telephone chat as reported by Daily Trust newspaper.

When the newspaper asked him of his mission to Istanbul, he snapped; What is your business with our mission? We came to rest after our national convention. Of course, as a political animal, I do politics anywhere I find myself.

Speaking in an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, accused Atiku of not being fair to Mr Wike.

Atiku should go to him (Wike). Why wont he ignore their calls? Is that not an insult? Wike is a pillar in the party.

Currently, Nobody in the party has contributed more for the party to move forward than Wike. If Atiku was not going to honour the decision of the committee, he should have called Wike earlier and informed him. He didnt do that. You cant do things anyhow and expect us to be happy, Mr Ortom said.

Mr Wike had been spotted with Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, in Turkey. Another picture on Thursday showed the two governors and their Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, together in Turkey.

Mr Waziris telephone number could not be reached as of the time of this report. Mr Wike did not answer or return multiple calls made to him.
The Nigerian government on Friday in Berlin signed a declaration that will see the return of 1,130 Benin Bronzes from Germany.

According to a press release by the Nigerian Ministry of Information and Culture, the historic joint declaration will pave the way for the return of bronzes 125 years after they were looted from the ancient Benin Kingdom during the Benin Expedition of 1897.

Speaking at the signing event, Nigerias minister of information and communication, Lai Mohammed, described the planned return as the single largest repatriation of artefacts anywhere in the world.

According to Mr Mohammed, Germany has taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the past by agreeing to return the looted artefacts.

He said though Nigeria was never a German colony, many of the artefacts seen in German public institutions got there via trade and donations.

I have no doubt in my mind that this pace-setting action by the Federal Government of Germany will become a harbinger of more repatriation of cultural property to their place of origin, as other museums and institutions are expected to take a cue from what Germany has done, he said.

Germany has gained more friends in Nigeria and all over the world by returning to Nigeria what rightfully belongs to it, he added.

Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalens Baerbock, said, It was wrong to take the (Benin) bronzes. It was wrong to keep them for (125 years). This is the beginning to right the wrong.

Nigerias Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, who also witnessed the signing, called Germany the champion of justice and fairness.

Germanys Minister of State for Culture and media, Claudia Roth; Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar, and Director-General of Nigerias National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Abba Tijani, witnessed the signing.
The Chairman of Wase Local Government of Plateau State, Ado Buba, has said his administration is currently procuring firearms for vigilantes because of the dire security situation in the area.

Mr Buba said the administration has so far bought 80 pump-action guns for vigilantes.

He, however, said the Council is restrained by the economic situation from procuring more.

He disclosed this on Thursday during a meeting with the special ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives investigating the insecurity in some parts of Plateau State.

Mr Buba and the members of the committee, led by Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa) held a meeting at the Headquarters of Wase Local Government in Wase.

The Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase (APC, Plateau) had last year moved a motion on the killings in Plateau State, particularly in his constituency, Wase Federal Constituency.

The House resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the killings. It did not however commence work until after about six months.

Last week, Mr Wase also raised concerns about the insecurity in the state, noting that the resolutions of the House are now like mere statements. He lamented that no report has been submitted on the motion he moved.

80 pump action guns bought  Chairman

Mr Buba said the government had to take drastic action against insecurity because farmers are not allowed to go to the farm.

He said the people of the communities are expecting the state and federal governments to support the local government.

Weve also empowered our vigilantes by getting some pump-action guns for them. We have a total of 80 so far. But because of the economic crunch, we could not go further and that is why we are trying at all costs to see that, the other two senior tiers (Federal and State) governments come to our rescue too so that at least, our people will be able to farm this year and get what they are going to eat.

Because its adversely affecting the farming activities and also the activities that are within the Local Government, he said.

In his speech, Mr Fulata said the House is worried about the security situation in the state. He added that terrorists are operating freely in the state.

Its very unfortunate that terrorists and bandits are having a field day here. They have stopped farmers from cultivating their lands, they are abducting people for ransom, and there are a lot of atrocities being committed. This is what we observed here so far, he said.

Mr Fulata said the panel will meet with the governor of the state, Simon Lalong, on the security situation.
The Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Abeokuta, Adewale Musa-Olomu, says the hospital spends over N44 million monthly on the purchase of diesel to power its generating sets.

He disclosed this at a medical outreach organised for journalists in the state by the hospital on Thursday.

The medical doctor lamented the high cost of the product in the country, saying it is adversely affecting the running of the institution.

Mr Musa-Olomu, a professor, called on the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency in the energy sector.

He said the high cost of diesel recently jumped from N600 per litre to N730 per litre and was threatening the survival of the medical institution.

He added that the institution was blessed with a lot of equipment but had been struggling to power them following the rising cost of diesel.

He explained that the government needs to declare a state of emergency on the energy sector and most importantly, the use of energy in tertiary institutions; it is just very necessary.

In FMC Abeokuta, we used to spend N5 million worth of diesel every two weeks, which comes to N10 million in a month, but suddenly the thing (diesel) jumped to N22 million (every two weeks), which came to N44 million in a month. So, how are we going to cope?

Everybody knows the state of diesel; it is what we all use to power our generators and if as a medical centre we were spending N10 million, but suddenly jumped to N44 million, how are we going to cope?.

But if the Federal Government could declare a state-of-emergency on the energy sector and probably give us solar panels of about 1,000MW, it would help us a lot.

Mr Musa-Olomu said that the medical outreach was organised to enable journalists to ascertain their health status.

He appealed to journalists to cultivate a healthy lifestyle and shun alcohol and cigarette consumption.

He said we know from our experience over the years that quite a lot of people can get lost in their professions and forget to take care of themselves, especially journalists.

That is why we are organising this outreach to call their attention to it that it is necessary to take some time out to check ones health.

(NAN)
Three Ship-to-Shore cranes and 10 Rubber-Tyred Gantries critical to the beginning of operations of the Lekki Deep Seaport arrived in Nigeria on Friday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Their arrival, according to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, represents a major step toward birthing Nigerias first deep seaport.

It also demonstrates our readiness to take trade facilitation a notch higher, Mr Bello-Koko said in a speech at the event he described as epoch-making.

He said the commitment of the NPA toward providing every support necessary to place Nigeria on the global list of countries with deep seaports was unflinching.

This is why matters related to the operationalisation of Lekki Deep Seaport before the end of this year have been placed on top priority, he declared.

The NPA boss thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the tremendous backing the authority had enjoyed leading to the arrival of the vessel

For us at the NPA, the coming on stream of Lekki Deep Sea Port symbolises a lot of positives. Apart from being Nigerias first deep seaport, Lekki Port will also be the first fully automated port at take-off.

This provides an insight into the path we are already toeing as a management team to govern the operationalisation of not just the forthcoming Badagry, Ibom and Bonny Deep Seaports, but also of the reconstruction of the aged Tin-Can Port, where work will commence immediately the transport ministry and FEC approve.

He said that automation remained the most veritable tool for assuring port efficiency.

As most of us are aware, the NPA is working assiduously under the technical guidance of the International Maritime Organization to deploy the Port Community System which will enable us respond squarely to the dictates of global trade facilitation and optimise the opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to which Nigeria is a signatory.

Our strategic intent of becoming the maritime logistics hub for sustainable ports services in Africa rests heavily on how well we are able to deepen our efficiencies through a construction of deep seaports in order to leverage the concomitant benefits of economies of scale.

Mr Bello-Koko congratulated all stakeholders on the milestone and prayed for greater strides as the nation pushes toward trade facilitation.

NAN reports that the vessels came from Hong Kong. (NAN)
The Lagos State Task Force team impounded 55 motorcycles in Oshodi during a raid on Friday.

The enforcement team also arrested 13 defaulters including riders and passengers, Jubril Gawat, the state governors media aide said in a statement.

The Lagos State Task Force raided okada riders today at Toyota bus stop Oshodi Apapa Expressway and BRT Routes along Abeokuta Expressway, he said.

Mr Gawat said the team will continue to enforce the ban across restricted routes.

Okada ban

Following a mob attack that led to the death of a sound engineer, David Imoh, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu imposed a fresh ban on Okada riders in the state.

The ban restricted Okada riders from plying six local government areas in the state  Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, and Apapa and nine local government councils areas.

It is not the first time the government would impose the measure. In January 2020, the government banned the operation of motorcyclists in 15 local councils across the state.
Tens of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday defected to the All Progressives Party (APC) in Ikorodu.

Receiving the defectors at the APC party secretariat, Abiodun Ogunleye, a former deputy governor of Lagos State, welcomed the defectors, assuring them of fairness and equity in their new party.

I welcome you to our great party, APC as new members, and assure you of all rights accrued to the rest of our members.

We will ensure that you benefit from every opportunity regarding the welfare of members without sentiments, Mr Ogunleye said.

He urged the defectors to get their Permanent Voters Card(PVC) and vote for APC in all elective positions in the 2023 general elections.

Olayinka Adewale, who spoke on behalf of the. defectors said they were pleased with the way they were being received by members of their new party.

He said they defected to the ruling party owing to what he called internal wranglings in the PDP in Ikorodu.

Mr Adewale added that the emergence of a Southerner as the presidential candidate of APC also informed their defection, saying the victory of the ruling party in 2023 would not only benefit the zone but the country.

I am a delegate at the last PDP primaries and I was expecting the ticket to be zoned to the South.

Today we have taken a very important step to move to APC so that we can support the candidate of our choice, he said.

Also speaking, Wasiu Adesina, chairman Ikorodu Local Government, commended the defectors, saying they had made the right decision by joining APC.

Mr Adesina promised to carry them along in all party affairs and ensure that they benefit from all the opportunities brought to APC members in their various wards

He urged them to go to their respective wards and attend party meetings regularly for updates and other things concerning the party.

I am delighted to witness this event today and to receive many PDP members to our party.

Today I am overwhelmed and promise to ensure that they benefit from all the opportunities coming to the party, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that APC party leaders, the local government constituted authorities and members of APC in Ikorodu central were all present at the venue.

(NAN)
Airtel Africa resolved at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) that itself and all its subsidiaries be generally and unconditionally authorized to give political donations to political parties or independent election candidates, with the sum not surpassing 25,000 (about N12.5 million).

The telco heavyweight and its units are also at liberty to make donations not more than that sum to political organisations that are not political parties and incur political expenditure not exceeding 25,000 in total, according to resolutions reached at its AGM on Tuesday.

Airtel Africa is Nigerias biggest company by market capitalization, its market value standing at over N6.5 trillion at market close on Thursday.

The development comes as Nigeria, Airtel Africas largest market, prepares to go to vote in 2023, while Kenya, Angola and Senegal warm up to conduct general elections this year. Airtel Africa does not have a presence in the last two.

Airtel Africa and its subsidiaries could make the donations during the period beginning with the date of the passing of this Resolution (28th June, 2022) and ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company or, if earlier, on 27 September 2023, the wireless carrier said in a document seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

The money could be made up of one or more sums in different currencies which, for ease of conversion, shall be converted into pounds sterling at the exchange rate published in the London edition of the Financial Times on the date on which the relevant donation is made or expenditure incurred (or the first business day thereafter) or, if earlier, on the day in which the Company enters into any contract or undertaking in relation to the same.

Airtel Africa is to launch its payments service bank operations this week and is listed at 1.35 and N1,732.40 per share in London and Lagos respectively.
The Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Friday, said his party currently stands a better chance at victory in Kano State compared to other contenders in the 2023 general elections.

He disclosed this in Abuja during the official announcement of Haruna Magashi as his running mate in the coming election.

Mr Sowore, flanked by some members of the AAC, said both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition, PDP, will gallantly lose to his party given the performance of the former and the internal crisis in the latter.

We hope to defeat APC (All Progressives Congress) over there (Kano) because the governor has messed up; we know that we will defeat PDP (Peoples Democratic Party), thats the party thats imploding as we speak, the Sahara Reporters publisher boasted in an almost three minutes video shared across his social media account.

Despite the recent acceptance enjoyed by Rabiu Kwankwasos New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, both the ruling APC and PDP still command the largest percentage of supporters in the state.

Not ruling the former Kano governor out of his major contenders in the state, Mr Sowore said the influence of his running mate, Mr Magashi, is enough to deliver Kano for AAC while Peter Obis Labour Party (LP) stands no chance at all in the state.

We dont need to talk about the Labour Party in Kano because the party doesnt exist.

We believe that we will defeat Alhaji Kwankwaso and his party, the NNPP (New Nigeria Peoples Party) in Kano because we have got someone who is from there, the AAC presidential candidate boasted.

With veiled reference to the alleged missing credentials of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu and his placeholder running mate, Kabir Masari, Mr Sowore assured that the documents of his running mate were duly submitted to INEC.

While the primary and secondary certificates of Mr Tinubu were not accounted for in the personal credentials published last week by the INEC for scrutiny, similar controversies have continued to trail that of his running mate.

Mr Masari, in a court affidavit attached to his personal credentials published, claimed to have misplaced his Grade II certificate from Katsina Teachers College, his primary school certificate among other vital documents years back.

Mr Sowore vouched for his running mate, saying Nigerians would not have to worry because our Vice-president candidate has his certificates intact.

His certificates have not been eaten by goats or snakes and they are not missing. We will make it public as soon as possible, he mockingly said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has expressed worry over the declining number of whistleblowers across the country despite rewards offered to informants.

Abdulrasheed Bawa, the chairman of the commission, said this on Thursday in Awka at a meeting on strengthening the capacity of the public on whistleblowing policy, organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).

The programme, which was supported by the MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with Anambra Civil Society Network, had the theme Role of Community-Based Organisations in Entrenching Whistleblowing Policy at the Grassroots.

Mr Bawa, who was represented by Oshodi Johnson, Enugu zonal commander, EFCC, said the whistleblowing policy had helped the agency to recover huge stolen public funds across the country.

He, however, lamented that some challenges were undermining the policys effectiveness in the country.

According to him, ignorance of the legal and administrative frameworks of the policy and difficulties and bureaucratic processes for claiming the advertised incentives are some of the challenges.

It is also not impossible that the few false informants or whistleblowers who were prosecuted for wanting to turn a serious programme into memes unnerved some other would-be informants.

Whatever the challenges are, it is imperative that there is fresh awakening to sustain the flow of critical intelligence to Nigerian law enforcement agencies, he said.

Mr Bawa said the commission was committed to the success of the whistleblowing policy, saying it was a critical peg of the federal governments anti-corruption framework.

He promised to partner with AFRICMIL and other community-based groups in strengthening their capacities to identify and quickly report suspected cases of corruption in their communities.

Also speaking, Kennedy Ebhotemen, resident anti-corruption commissioner at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Enugu, said that corruption thrived in secrecy.

He urged the public to speak out by reporting any act of corruption or unethical practices to anti-graft agencies.

In his remarks, Chris Azor, chairman, Anambra Civil Society Network, urged EFCC and ICPC to establish their offices in Anambra state to aid easy access to Whistle-blowers.

Earlier, Chido Onumah, coordinator, AFRICMIL, said that whistleblowing policy had proved to be the most direct method of exposing corrupt acts.

Mr Onumah, who was represented by Kolawole Ogunbiyi, programmes manager of AFRICMIL, identified early detection and exposure of mismanagement of public funds, bribery, fraud, theft of public funds and other illicit acts as effective strategies in the fight against corruption.

He said: We all are aware that corruption thrives in multiple forms in our communities, but most visibly in the misappropriation of funds and abandonment of projects that could bring development and meaningfully turn around the lives of the people.

We are both morally and legally bound as citizens not to keep silent about any act of corruption or wrongdoing whenever we see one.

(NAN)
The police in Katsina State said on Thursday said it has begun investigating the alleged robbery of N61 million from Aminu Darma, a cashier at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the State.

Gunmen allegedly attacked Mr Darma, who was travelling with three bags filled with N61 million cash, shot him in the arm and stole the money.

The alleged robbery

Mr Darmas friend and a former special assistant to the Katsina State governor on new media, Maiwada Danmalam, told PREMIUM TIMES Mr Darma was attacked by the gunmen after their attempt to stop his vehicle failed.

The gunmen followed him from the bank, but he didnt stop when they tried to stop his car around the Katsina Steel Rolling Company roundabout. He instead decided to return to the city area but they (the gunmen) continued chasing his car. In the end, he lost control of the car and hit an object which forced him to stop, he said.

An eye witness, Aliyu Shehu, said Mr Darmas vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, hit another vehicle a Hilux van, which made it veer off the road.

I was standing by the other side when he hit that Hilux and we thought he was a bit careless because he was overspeeding until when the car, a Toyota Camry, chasing him stopped and the gunmen started shooting into the air, he said.

Mr Shehu said there were three gunmen.

They came out of their vehicle, opened the other vehicle and took away three sacks of money before they went and shot him in the arm.

PREMIUM TIMES visited Mr Darma at the Umaru Musa Yaradua University Teaching Hospital where his wound is being treated but was not allowed to see him.

The story sounds suspicious  Police

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, Gambo Isa, told PREMIUM TIMES via the telephone that the command was investigating the circumstances around the attack.

Mr Isa said the command is tired of receiving cook and bull stories involving financial officers from the Secretary to the Government of the State office.

The police spokesperson said a colleague of Mr Darma was involved in a similar case. He said the official withdrew money and left it in the trunk of his vehicle only to report the money has been stolen.

He said the stories coming from the same office were too similar not to raise suspicion.

Mr Isa wondered how an armed robbery attack involving an AK-47 would leave the victim with only bruises

Yes is true. But we are investigating the surrounding circumstance of the alleged attack. It baffled the command for a state government staff to carry such a huge sum of amount without police escort.

He also suggested that contrary to the story that the robbers shot Mr Darma was shot in his arm, he only sustained minor bruises.

Also the modus operandi was very suspicious. An attack with AK 47 by real armed robbers may lead to fatal injury and not mere bruises. We are also investigating why the personnel went alone to pick up the money without any supporting staff and only to be robbed by two gunmen in an ash-coloured Camry.

He was alleged to have single-handedly withdrawn the sum of sixty-one million naira from the bank. There is a conspiracy theory we are investigating here, he said
The British government on Thursday announced a new migration partnership with Nigeria.

Home Secretary Priti Patel in a tweet announcing the deal said our new landmark agreement with Nigeria will increase the deportation of dangerous foreign criminals to make our streets and country safer.

She added that the deal will take the fight to the criminal people smugglers together to tackle illegal migration.

The announcement coincided with the deportation of 21 persons of Nigerian and Ghanaian origin from the UK, Forbes reported.

About13 of them who were Nigerians were deported to Lagos while the remaining eight Ghanaians continued to Ghana.

The European human rights court, two weeks ago, issued a last-minute injunction to stop the deportation of asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda in what would have marked the commencement of the UK-Rwanda deal announced April 14.

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 gunmen who kidnapped three health workers in Zamfara State last Saturday along the Gusau Dansadau highway in Maru Local Governmen, have released the hostages.

The bandits, as the gunmen, terrorising the state and the rest of the northwest region, are called by the Nigerian media, also returned a N5 million ransom paid for the release of the health workers.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the gunmen ambushed the health workers including Muhammad Mansur, a medical doctor, in charge of Dansadau General Hospital Dansadau, in the Maru council area.

Mr Mansur, who appears to be surrounded by sympathisers confirmed their release to our reporter in a brief telephone response Friday morning.

The hostages were released Friday morning.

Residents said cattle herders who are committed to a lasting peace with the Dansadau farming communities, intervened and secured the release of the health workers as well as stopping the payment of the N5 million ransom the bandits demanded.

READ ALSO:

A traditional ruler, Mustapha Umar, said the concerned cattle herders escorted the ransom bearer, Samaila Nagogo, to the delivery location and caught the armed bandits, and took them to their superiors.

They (cattle herders) asked them to free the suspects and returned the N5 million ransom which they did, the traditional ruler said.

The ransom was returned to the owner, Mamman Tsafe, whose children were among the kidnapped victims.

We learned that the bandits are popular in the area and probably not aware of the peace truce entered between the crop farmers and the cattle herders in the Dansadau Emirate,  the traditional ruler said.

Peace dialogue

The residents of Dansadau had entered a truce last year with cattle herders, including armed bandits, in the district.

The truce was reached after years of tit-for-tat attacks in the area.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how a bandits kingpin, Ali Kacallah, initiated the peace dialogue when he sent emissaries to the Dansadau community.

Dansadau is about 97 kilometres from Gusau, Zamfara State capital, and is vulnerable to attack by bandits. The area sits at the edge of a forest of ungoverned boundaries with Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger states.

The community realised it could not wait for the government to secure the area and thus agreed to co-habit peacefully with the bandits.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said the attack on security forces in Ajata-Aboki community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State by terrorists was a direct assault on the Nigerian state which will not go unpunished.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that at least 43 people including 37 security personnel were killed during the attack.

Mr Buharis media aide, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said the president paid tributes to the security officials who lost their lives during the attack.

We honour our security forces, and particularly those brave souls who have given their lives fighting against the evil that is terrorism. They constitute the best that Nigeria has to offer and we remember each of them.

Sadly, Nigerias fight against terrorism continues. It is a battle that is taking its toll on all of us. But we shall not relent, nor shall we surrender.

We say it again that we have reduced Boko Haram to a shell of its former self. But terrorists are parasites. They thrive when the world is suffering.

This atrocity only serves to further strengthen us against them. Nigeria is united in obliterating these demons. Each day we grow closer to that goal. When they lash out during times of global suffering it is the act of a cornered animal, an act of desperation.

As always, their goal is the same: to sow fear and division amongst us. We will not let them.

Instead let us pray for the families and loved ones of those who sacrificed their lives in the fight against evil, and let us pray for the safe and speedy return of those abducted. We will do everything possible to ensure their return.

And to the sadists, I say this: we are coming. No matter what rock you crawl under, what hole you sink into, what lie you hide behind, we are coming and we will find you. Shiroro will see justice. Nigeria will know peace, the president assured in the statement.
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, did not hold a meeting with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in France, the APC leaders spokesperson has said.

A statement from the Tinubu Media Office Friday described media reports about the meeting as fake news.

It has become imperative to set the record straight. Although Asiwaju Tinubu is presently in France, he didnt have any meeting with Governor Wike whether in that country or anywhere whatsoever, read the statement issued by Tunde Rahman, Mr Tinubus spokesperson.

This, however, does not detract from the fact that the APC presidential candidate holds Governor Wike in high esteem.

Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, travelled to France on Monday for an important meeting, his spokesperson had said in a statement earlier this week.

Mr Wike, who lost the PDP presidential ticket to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is holidaying in Turkey, a roughly 3,000 kilometres distance from France.

Read the statement by Mr Tinubus media office below.

PRESS STATEMENT

Asiwaju Tinubus supposed meeting with Governor Wike in France is Fake News

We have seen a viral social media post made by one of the chieftains of All Progressives Congress in Lagos State and media reports emanating from same about a supposed meeting in France between APC Presidential Standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

It has become imperative to set the record straight. Although Asiwaju Tinubu is presently in France, he didnt have any meeting with Governor Wike whether in that country or anywhere whatsoever.

This, however, does not detract from the fact that the APC presidential candidate holds Governor Wike in high esteem.

And given the national and across-party lines appeal of Asiwaju Tinubus candidature, he will not hesitate to meet any important national leader when desirable.

As made public earlier, Asiwaju Tinubu is in France for some important engagements. He will return to the country shortly.

We would like, once again, to advice journalists to always cross-check their information with appropriate officers before rushing to press to avoid unintended errors.

Tinubu Media Office

Tunde Rahman

July 1, 2022
My position is that I understand the drive and motivation for self-help in security provisioning. Nonetheless, I think it is misguided. Flooding our communities with guns will provide a temporary belief that people are protecting themselves but it would be short lived. The bad guys have extorted so much money from citizens that when it comes to the arms race, they have more resources to out gun citizens. They can afford high calibre weapons to remain the superior force in the field of action.

For over a decade, Nigerians have been contemplating the desirability of self-help against growing violence all over the country. The logic is simple and compelling. Armed insurgents, bandits, militants and separatists have acquired weapons and are attacking, killing and raping members of communities. Persistent calls on security agencies to do the work they have chosen and are paid to do have not yielded results. The irony is that the security agents of the Nigerian state are increasingly being attacked and killed as well. They have failed woefully in performing their constitutional role of protecting citizens. It is in this context that Nigerians, individually and in their communities, have been contemplating and indeed acting to provide for their own security needs.

The culture of self-help has been growing in the country over the past thirty years. In general, Nigerians have grown to accept that the state no longer provides public utilities for the most part. The state has not been providing water and electricity, so citizens are providing these for themselves. Then most public schools failed and parents had to seek private provisioning for the education of their children. Communities contribute to fix neighbourhood roads and so on. Nigerians have come to accept that the state does nothing for them and in response they make sure they do not support the state by paying their taxes. The gulf has continued to widen between the state and the people. Security has been the last service that the state has sought to keep as its preserve and it has essentially failed in this.

According to Max Weber, the existence of a state is contingent on its capacity. The modern state, he says is:

A compulsory political organisation with continuous operations will be called a State in so far as its administrative staff successfully upholds a claim to the legitimate use of physical force.

When the state no longer has a monopoly of the legitimate use of violence, it essentially disqualifies itself from the achieved status of statehood. Current estimates are that private citizens in Nigeria have in their possession and are using over six million small arms and light weapons for insurgency, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping other citizens for ransom, settling inter-community feuds, seeking to separate from Nigeria, and so on. Essentially, the existence of the Nigerian state is in question. What is the answer to who or what will tilt the balance?

The Zamfara State government has actually bowed to popular pressure from people who believe that self-protection is now the only viable option left for them. It would be recalled that in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari cancelled the licenses of all private weapons across the country. This decision put him at odds with lawmakers, who cited nationwide insecurity as justification to support citizens carrying of arms

Maybe the answer is coming from Zamfara, whose claim to infamy is that it is the State with the largest number of armed bandits/terrorists in the country today, killing people, raping their wives and daughters, kidnapping them for ransom and increasingly imposing taxes on ordinary citizens  a feat the Nigerian state is unable to do for the most part. On Sunday, June 26, the governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, announced to residents of the State that they can now apply for gun licenses to protect themselves from gunmen and kidnappers. In a statement by Zamfaras commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, the move was in response to the increasing cases of kidnappings, killings and violent attacks within the State. According to Dosara:

Government is ready to facilitate people, especially our farmers, to secure basic weapons for defending themselves. Government has already concluded arrangement to distribute 500 forms to each of the 19 emirates in the State for those willing to obtain guns to defend themselves.

Their applications, he said, will then be moved on to the State Commissioner of Police for a second review. The Inspector-General of police will carry out the final phase of screening and reviews before gun licenses are issued.

The Zamfara State government has actually bowed to popular pressure from people who believe that self-protection is now the only viable option left for them. It would be recalled that in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari cancelled the licenses of all private weapons across the country. This decision put him at odds with lawmakers, who cited nationwide insecurity as justification to support citizens carrying of arms to defend themselves. Of course, our Constitution does not allow state governments to authorise the use of arms. Its an exclusively federal matter. The fact that state governments are now contesting this terrain with the Federal Government is yet another statement about the breakdown of state authority.

flooding the country with more arms would compromise the future capacity of a reformed military to address the situation. We would find ourselves in Hobbes world where life for all of us would become even more nasty, brutish and short. The solution can only be a reformed state rebuilding its capacity and competence to do its core duties.

There was, therefore, no surprise when the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, on Monday, faulted the call by Governor Bello Matawalle to people of Zamfara State to bear arms to defend themselves against bandits:

I do not also think that the governor has the power to instruct the commissioner of police to issue licenses, because the commissioner of police does not have the powers to issue licenses.

Irabor said the call was not right, as the armed forces and other security agencies were there to handle the challenges. The CDS spoke to newsmen on the matter at the opening of the Joint Exercise for the National Defence College and War Colleges of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, code named Exercise Grand National, in Abuja. Most Nigerians will find the statement from Irabor that security agencies are responding to the security challenges strange. It is precisely because they are not doing that, that the challenge of self-help arose. Governor Bello Matawalle responded to General Irabor stating clearly that there is no going back on his directive to Zamfara State residents to acquire arms and defend themselves against bandits. The stage is now set for a complete breakdown of state authority.

My position is that I understand the drive and motivation for self-help in security provisioning. Nonetheless, I think it is misguided. Flooding our communities with guns will provide a temporary belief that people are protecting themselves but it would be short lived. The bad guys have extorted so much money from citizens that when it comes to the arms race, they have more resources to out gun citizens. They can afford high calibre weapons to remain the superior force in the field of action. Secondly, there is a serious risk that the arms purchased by communities can be cornered by groups within who see material benefits in banditry and turn the guns against the community. Thirdly, flooding the country with more arms would compromise the future capacity of a reformed military to address the situation. We would find ourselves in Hobbes world where life for all of us would become even more nasty, brutish and short. The solution can only be a reformed state rebuilding its capacity and competence to do its core duties. Lets dream, why not, that the elections next year would produce a political class that is more responsive and competent that what we currently have. If not..

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.


In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy

All praise is for Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own souls and the wickedness of our actions, whoever Allah guides, there is none that can lead him astray, and whoever Allah allows to go astray, there is none that can lead him to the right path.

I testify and bare witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth but Allah, alone, without any partners. And I testify and bare witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. As for whats after:

Dear brothers and sisters! From Allah Almightys wisdom regarding His creation and His mercy towards them is that when He created them, He apportioned their livelihoods. And made some at the service of others to rectify affairs and to realise benefits. Allah Almighty said:

It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees [of rank] that they may make use of one another for service. [Quran, 43:32]

Allah Almighty made some wealthy and others poor. And the honourable and the humble. And the strong and the weak. And the boss and the subordinate. So that this serves that and that needs this.

And from His blessings is that He made the benefits of the earth subservient to them and what is extracted from it for their benefit and what He provided for them from its bounties. Allah the Most High said:

It is He who made the earth tame for you  so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision  and to Him is the resurrection. [Quran, 67:15]

And at the peak of this provision is the wealth that people have. Thus it satisfies needs. And suffices them from needing others. And Allah Almighty explained that He tests His servants with wealth. And He entrusts them with it to see how they manage it in terms of earning and spending. Allah Almighty said:

And spend out of that in which He has made you successive inheritors. [Quran, 57:7]

Respected brothers and sisters! Islam has come with what suffices to explain the relationship of man to this wealth that Allah Almighty provided him. And to clarify the limits and requirements in earning and spending in a manner to benefit both communities and individuals. If he adheres to the limits and controls, he will attain two benefits. First, the wealth itself. Second, adhering to Allah Almightys ordainments. And if he violated what Allah commanded him regarding wealth, then the blessing of the wealth will disappear. And he will be held to account on the Day of Resurrection for his violation.

And what keeps most people from adhering to Allah Almightys ordainments regarding wealth in earning and spending is their inherent love of wealth that crowds out being conscious and mindful of Allah. Allah Almighty said:

And you love wealth with immense love. [Quran, 89:20]

And Allah the Most High said:

And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense. [Quran, 100: 8]

And Allah made wealth an adornment for the children of Adam in front of other people regarding what they eat, drink, wear, ride and live in. As Allah Almighty said:

Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. [Quran, 18:46]

And for this reason, wealth is a great trial that tempts people. On one hand, they love it immensely and they would not have enough of it even if they owned valleys of gold and silver. And on the other hand, Allah did not give mankind the freedom to acquire and spend wealth however he wishes. Rather, Allah established limits to direct them. So it is a trial for people and a test for the wealthy. Allah Almighty said:

Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward. [Quran, 64:15]

And in spite of that, the Shariah describes wealth as good in view of the lawful and permissible ways of earning it and spending it on what benefits.

As was narrated in the Hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

O you people! Indeed Allah is Tayyib (good) and he does not accept but what is good. And indeed Allah ordered the believers with what He ordered the Messengers. He (Peace be upon him) said: O (you) Messengers! Eat of the tayyibat [all kinds of halal (legal) foods], and perform righteous deeds. [Quran, 23:51] and the Almighty has said: O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you. [Quran, 2:172] And he mentioned a man who is undertaking a long journey, whose hair is disheveled and he is covered with dust. He raises his hands to the heavens and says: O Lord! O Lord! Yet his food is from the unlawful, his drink is from the unlawful, his clothing is from the unlawful, and he was nourished by the unlawful. So how can that be accepted? [Muslim]

And the Prophet (Peace be upon him) instructed his companions that no one should enter into his stomach except from good earnings (Halal). They said to him (Peace be upon him) Advise us. So he (Peace be upon him) said:

The stomach is the first thing of the human body to rot (after death), so whoever is able to eat nothing but pure (Halal and earned lawfully) should do so.

And when Amr Bin Al As (may Allah be pleased with him) entered into Islam, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said to him:

Amr, I want to put you in charge of an army and Allah will protect you and give you spoils. And I will give you a fair portion of the spoils. I said, I did not become Muslim for the sake of wealth. I became Muslim out of the desire for Islam and so that I would be with the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) He said, Amr! Sound (legitimately acquired) wealth is very excellent for a righteous man. [Sahih Adab Al Mufrad of Sheikh Albani]

Dear servants of Allah! These textual evidences describe wealth as good and sound if it is with a righteous man who observes the ordainments of Allah Almighty in earning and spending it. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) made it permissible to yearn for this characteristic saying:

There is no coveting except for two: A man whom Allah has given wealth and caused him to dispose of it in a proper manner [Bukhari and Muslim]

And due to the great place and value of wealth with people, it is from the five necessities of life  preservation of religion, preservation of life, preservation of the mind, preservation of honour, preservation of wealth. Life is not established without these five necessities. Regarding wealth, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

Whoever is killed protecting his wealth, he is a martyr (Shahid). [An-Nasai]

However, preserving wealth has the lowest position among the five necessities. Therefore, one sacrifices wealth for safeguarding the religion, protecting life, preserving the mind and defending honour. Allah Almighty said:

Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire  of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return [i.e., Paradise]. [Quran, 3:14]

Dear brothers and sisters! Wealth is not a place for absolute condemnation or for absolute praise. Rather, one views its source and how it is spent. For if its source is good then it is sound wealth. And if it is with a good Muslim that is conscious of Allah who spends it, then it is with a righteous man. Then the wealth is praiseworthy as is its owner.

However, if it is corrupt wealth whose source is usury, bribes, corruption, looting of public treasury, theft, armed and pen robbery, kidnapping, rituals, devouring rights or unlawful trade, then it is bad wealth. And it lacks blessing and is often a liability and curse for its owner.

And questioning about wealth on the Day of Resurrection is unlike questioning about other matters. For the questioning has two aspects. From the aspect of earning and the aspect of spending. As was related in the Hadith that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

The feet of the servant shall not move on the Day of Resurrection, until he is asked about four (matters):  about his wealth and how he earned it, and what he spent on [At-Tirmidh]

And on the Day of Resurrection, wealth will bear witness upon its owner. As the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

This wealth is attractive and sweet. It is a good companion for a Muslim who gives it to the orphans, the widows, the poor and wayfarers. And the one who takes it unlawfully is like the one who eats but is never satisfied, and it will be a witness against him on the Day of Resurrection. [Bukhari and Muslim]

I ask Allah Almighty to suffice us with His lawful (Halal) over His prohibitions (Haram). And with His obedience over His disobedience. And with His grace over all else. Indeed, Allah is All Hearing, Answering.

Dear brothers and sisters! Our Mosque and Islamic center, Nagazi-Uvete Islamic Center is soliciting for your help and assistance. We sincerely seek your financial support, help, assistance, donation and contribution on the buying of cows in this coming blessed Eid-Ul-Adha Celebration for our orphans, widows and the students under our care. Your support is highly needed for Allahs sake.

As usual, we sincerely solicit for your kind and sincere contribution towards the Eid-Ul-Adha Udhiyyah/Layyah (sacrifice) for our orphans, widows and students; and the development of our schools and Islamic Center financially, materially and morally.

Our aim and objective always is to have a standard Islamic centre and Arabic/Islamic schools for orphans and less privileged Muslims children.

And if you want to pay your Zakah our great Islamic centre is waiting for your kind and merciful gesture. Sincerely, your donation will help distribute sacrifice meat, etc for our orphans.

Remember, Eid-Ul-Adha Celebration will not be the same without our families, but unfortunately this is not a privilege enjoyed by everyone. This is the reason were steadfast in planning to provide meat for the orphans, widows and students under our care!

We planned to distribute meat package that worth amount up to 4,000 widows and 2,000 orphans In Shaa Allah, this year.

And your contribution is highly waiting as usual. May Allah rewards all your efforts and your good deeds, ameen.

Allah Almighty says:

If you support the course of Allah, He will support you. [Quran, 47: 7]

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

Whoever relieves his Muslim brother of a hardship from the hardships of this world, Allah shall relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Judgement. And whoever makes things easy for a person in difficulty, Allah will ease for him in this world and the Next. Allah is forever aiding a servant so long as he is in the aid of his Muslim brother.

And he (Peace be upon him) said:

Every act of goodness is considered as Sadaqah. [Al-Bukhari]

Account details:

Account no.  0048647196

Account name  Murtala Muhammed

GTBank

For more enquiries contact, Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, the director and Imam Of the Center: 08038289761.

To donate cows, rams etc, contact the following Numbers: 08038289761, 08056557477

Jazakumullah Khairan as you kindly contribute.

I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as your Lord commanded:

Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace. [Quran, 33:56]

O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.

O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know.

O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know.

O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge.

O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good.

Dear servants of Allah! Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.

Remember Allah, the Great  He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours  He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him  He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him  He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.

All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Dhul-Hijjah 02, 1443 AH (July 01, 2022).
Labouring through the communique, I asked myself; did the African and other Third World leaders who populate the Commonwealth, wade through the document before endorsing it? Did their technocrats examine so long a communique before committing their countries to it? If they did, why was it not summarised into concrete, easily digestible points?

In my part of the world, it is said that when the address on the envelope is longer than the content of the letter, it means there is nothing substantial to say. This was the conclusion I arrived at when I read the Kigali communique of the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference, which held from June 19 to 21. The 117-point communique was 10,248 words long on bland statements and the endorsement of already endorsed programmes. For instance, the conference meandered around the same Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formally endorsed by world leaders at the United Nations in September 2015; that is about seven years ago. Also, its repetitive position on COVID-19 covered at least five of the points.

Labouring through the communique, I asked myself; did the African and other Third World leaders who populate the Commonwealth, wade through the document before endorsing it? Did their technocrats examine so long a communique before committing their countries to it? If they did, why was it not summarised into concrete, easily digestible points?

I was not really surprised because the headmaster of the Commonwealth is Britain, a country whose parliament is famous for long debates and whose current prime minister, the Honourable Boris Johnson, is a master of circumlocution. Given the verbosity, I was tempted to ask whether Mr Johnson wrote the communique; but it did not contain the flowery nature of his often combative prose.

The Commonwealth is primarily a club of former colonies repeatedly raped by Britain, which has convinced its victims that it is now reborn and wants a common wealth for all and a shared future. This is even as it refuses to repay, even by means of token restitution, the enormous resources it looted from the former colonies. For instance, from India alone, between 1765 and 1938, Britain looted over $45 trillion.

Even if it refuses to pay compensation, at least it can return artefacts looted from the colonies. From the Nigerian city of Benin alone, the British stole over 10,000 pieces, which the country is still keeping. The British Museum alone stores some eight million artefacts looted from the former colonies.

To be sure, colonisation and the process of de-colonisation were nightmares for the victims. The Pan Africanist, Frantz Fanon began his famous 1963 book, The Wretched Of The Earth with the truism that: National liberation, national renaissance, the restoration of nationhood to the people, commonwealth: whatever may be the headings used or the new formulas introduced, decolonization is always a violent phenomenon.

Charles, the Prince of Wales, who unlike Johnson does not strive to flaunt his Englishness, was more reflective and sober. In talking about the potentials of the Commonwealth, he said: to unlock the power of our common future, we must also acknowledge the wrongs which have shaped our past. Many of those wrongs belong to an earlier age with different  and, in some ways lesser  values.

However, British Prime Minister Johnson, who having buried his Kalfat, Turkish ancestry, and adopted that of his English great grandmother, Margaret Johnson, while claiming to be more English than the English, thinks the colonised ought to be grateful that Britain colonised them.

In his February 2, 2002 piece in the Spectator titled, Africa is a mess, but we cant blame colonialism, Johnson argued that the best option for Africa is to be recolonised; that Africas problems cannot be blamed on Britain, or colonialism, or the White manThe continent may be a blot, but it is not a blot upon our conscience. After exonerating the colonialists, Johnson wrote: The problem is not that we (colonialists) were once in charge, but that we are not in charge anymore.

In his speech at the Commonwealth, Johnson told the 54 countries gathered a lie that they and Britain are united by an invisible thread of shared values, history and friendship. In truth, the thread of colonialism is visible and the coloniser and the colonised could not historically have had shared values and friendship.

Charles, the Prince of Wales, who unlike Johnson does not strive to flaunt his Englishness, was more reflective and sober. In talking about the potentials of the Commonwealth, he said: to unlock the power of our common future, we must also acknowledge the wrongs which have shaped our past. Many of those wrongs belong to an earlier age with different  and, in some ways lesser  values.

He described the British colonisation of Canada and the genocide against the indigenous peoples as one of the darkest aspects of history.

Charles spoke to the heart of the Commonwealth when he told the gathering: It seems to me that there are lessons in this for our Commonwealth family. For while we strive together for peace, prosperity and democracy, I want to acknowledge that the roots of our contemporary association run deep into the most painful period of our history. I cannot describe the depths of my personal sorrow at the suffering of so many, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slaverys enduring impact. If we are to forge a common future that benefits all our citizens, we too must find new ways to acknowledge our past. Quite simply, this is a conversation whose time has come.

An intriguing aspect of this conference was the emergence of Rwandas Paul Kagame as the new chair of the Commonwealth. His country, like Mozambique which had also joined the Commonwealth, was not a former British colony. Rwanda was colonised by the French and Mozambique by the Portuguese. But within thirteen years of joining the Commonwealth, Rwanda holds the chair. Is this a strategy to draw in more countries that were colonised by other competitors?

Unlike Johnson who justifies and romanticises colonialism and presents it as the panacea for Africas problems, Prince Charles acknowledges and apologises for the nightmare that was colonialism. In comparison to Prince Charles, Johnson is a man who claims to be more Catholic than the Pope.

An intriguing aspect of this conference was the emergence of Rwandas Paul Kagame as the new chair of the Commonwealth. His country, like Mozambique which had also joined the Commonwealth, was not a former British colony. Rwanda was colonised by the French and Mozambique by the Portuguese. But within thirteen years of joining the Commonwealth, Rwanda holds the chair. Is this a strategy to draw in more countries that were colonised by other competitors?

At the Kigali meeting, two former French colonies, Gabon and Togo found their way to the venue as members. The Commonwealths claim that these countries were admitted on the basis of its principles of good governance, human rights and democracy is incorrect, as neither upholds these principles. Togo, for instance, has since the former French legion Sergeant Gnassingbe Eyadema seized power in 1967  with the baton, at his death, passing on to his son, Faure Gnassingbe  been a brutal country that neither respects fundamental human rights nor democracy.

President Kagame said that 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.

On the Russian-Ukrainian War, the conference made a little veiled support for the latter as the: Heads underscored the need to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the neo-colonial and neo-liberal policies that has impoverished almost all members of the Commonwealth. In this, they reiterated: the importance of maintaining transparent, inclusive, fair and open agricultural markets and trade.

At the end, the Commonwealth leaders came to Kigali, talked and returned home, perhaps to wait for the next gathering.

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.
MILWAUKEE, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS) will release its second quarter 2022 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, July 28, and has scheduled an investor conference call to follow at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).

The call can be heard live on the company's website, www.aosmith.com. An audio replay of the call will be available on the company's website after the live event. To access the archived audio replay, go to the "Investors" page and select the "Second Quarter Conference Call" link.
As the perfect companion for exciting outdoor adventures, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 has passed 15 military-grade tests including resistance to high and low pressure, extreme 70 heat and -40 cold, plus intense vibrations and shock  which were put to the ultimate test during the smartwatch's launch to space and return to land.

Beginning in the city of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 was sent into space on a lightweight spacecraft equipped with fully functional tracking and control systems, as well as an on-board camera to capture the most exciting highlights during the two and a half hour round-trip.

The smartwatch reached a peak altitude of about 113,000 feet (34.5 kilometers) and reached a top speed of over 180 miles per hour during the descent. Along with enduring intense air pressure of less than 0.2 percent of what we experience at sea level, the smartwatch also resisted freezing temperatures as cold as -64C.

During this incredible trip, the Amazfit T-Rex 2's dual-band positioning and support for five satellite systems were both enabled to track its journey, while the Sent Into Space operating team on the ground each sported their own Amazfit T-Rex 2 to display their real-time movement directly on their watch, as they tracked the spacecraft during its return to Earth.

Once they retrieved the returned Amazfit T-Rex 2 from the landed craft, the Sent Into Space team reviewed the complete route the smartwatch had taken during its challenging mission to space, and acknowledged that the Amazfit T-Rex 2 had proved itself to be a true rugged outdoor GPS smartwatch.

Commenting on the space ride, one of the spacecraft technicians said, "There's a lot of smartwatches on the market but there's very few I'd be confident to take on one of our launches in Death Valley, or in the glaciers in Iceland, or on an aquatic recovery trip in the Pacific. I mean, this is a smartwatch that can go to space and come back working fine without a scratch."

To watch the launch video, please visit https://youtu.be/uIxLgie54EQ and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to stay tuned for the behind-the-scenes story.

About Amazfit

Amazfit, a leading global smart wearables brand focused on health and fitness, is part of Zepp Health (NYSE: ZEPP), a health technology company. Offering a wide selection of smartwatches and bands, Amazfit's brand essence is "Up Your Game", encouraging users to live their passions and express their active spirits freely. Amazfit is powered by Zepp Health's proprietary health management platform that delivers cloud-based 24/7 actionable insights and guidance to help users attain their wellness goals. With outstanding craftsmanship, Amazfit smartwatches have won many design awards, including the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award.

Launched in 2015, Amazfit is today embraced by millions of users. Its products are available in more than 90 countries across the Americas, and EMEA and APAC regions. For more information about Amazfit, please visit https://www.amazfit.com/.

SOURCE Amazfit
Antonio Viana resigns as director on June 30th 2022

NEW YORK, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO, "Atento" or the "Company"), one of the largest providers worldwide and the leading company in customer relationship services and business process outsourcing (CRM / BPO) in Latin America, announces its Annual Shareholders Meeting was held in Luxembourg in June 29th 2022, immediately followed by an Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting (jointly, the "Annual Meetings"). 80.89% of the Company's share capital excluding treasury shares participated in the Annual Meetings.

The Company's shareholders approved each of the items submitted for approval at the Annual Meeting, including in particular the appointment of Akshay Shah as Class I director, immediately effective and for a period expiring at the annual general meeting of shareholders to be held in 2024, the renewal of Mr. Carlos Lopez-Abadia Rodrigo, Mr. Robert William Payne and Mr. Antenor Camargo, as class II directors, of the Company for a period expiring at the annual general meeting of shareholders to be held in 2025 and the ratification of the recent appointment by cooptation of Mr. Anil Bhalla as class I director for a period expiring at the annual general meeting of shareholders to be held in 2024. In addition, other ordinary matters were also approved including the individual and consolidated annual accounts of the Company for the financial year ended on December 31, 2021 and the allocation of results.

The complete list of resolutions and results of the votes on each of them is published in the Investor Relations section of our website: Atento - Financials - SEC Filings

Likewise, on June 30th 2022 Antonio Viana-Baptista submitted to the Company's board of directors notice of his resignation from his position as a Class III director of the Board, with such resignation to be effective immediately. Mr. Viana's resignation was not due to any disagreement relating to the Company's operations, policies or practices.

About Atento

Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing ("CRM BPO") services in Latin America, and among the top providers globally. Atento is also a leading provider of nearshoring CRM BPO services to companies that carry out their activities in the United States. Since 1999, the company has developed its business model in 14 countries where it employs approximately 150,000 people. Atento has over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational corporations in industries such as telecommunications, banking and financial services, health, retail and public administrations, among others. Atento's shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2019, Atento was named one of the World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces and one of the Best Multinationals to Work for in Latin America by Great Place to Work. Also, in 2021 Everest named Atento as a star performer. Gartner named the company as a leader for two years in a row, since 2021 in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. For more information visit www.atento.com

Media Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE Atento S.A.
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Argentina Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report considers the present scenario of the Argentina data center market and its market dynamics for 2022?2027. It covers a detailed overview of several growth enablers, restraints, and trends in the market. The study includes the demand and supply aspects of the market.



Argentina data center market size will grow at a CAGR of 9.59% during 2022-2027.



Key Report Highlights

The COVID-19 impact, remote working has led to the increase in data generation at local levels along with the introduction of data privacy and protection law, Ley de Proteccion de Los Datos Personales will drive the demand for data centers in Argentina .

. The Government had announced its ICT targets for 2020-2023 in its Plan ConectAR. The plan aims at improved 4G connectivity, deployment of 5G, improvement in satellite and fiber optic coverage, bridging the digital divide, especially in rural areas, increased adoption of cloud computing, especially for government services, setting up of a national data center, and increase in the adoption of digital television.

In Argentina , local enterprises, bank institutions, and international companies are some customers hosting their data in colocation data centers. The rising adoption of cloud-based services is helping in the growth of retail and wholesale colocation services in the market. The market is witnessing increased demand for colocation spaces across existing and upcoming data centers.

, local enterprises, bank institutions, and international companies are some customers hosting their data in colocation data centers. The rising adoption of cloud-based services is helping in the growth of retail and wholesale colocation services in the market. The market is witnessing increased demand for colocation spaces across existing and upcoming data centers. The deployment of 5G networks will boost the digital economy of the region and will lead to higher demand for high-bandwidth networking infrastructure. The adoption of Software Defined Networking (SDN) is likely to increase owing to smart city initiatives carried out by government agencies.

Why You Should Buy

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and Argentina colocation market revenue.

colocation market revenue. An assessment of the data center investment in Argentina by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators.

by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators. Data center investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities in the country.

A detailed study of the existing Argentina data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Argentina data center market size during the forecast period.

data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the data center market size during the forecast period. Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party data center facilities in Argentina

Facilities Covered (Existing): 05

Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 01

Coverage: 4 Cities

Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)

Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Argentina

Market Revenue & Forecast (2021-2027)

Retail Colocation Pricing

The Argentina data center landscape market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast.

data center landscape market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast. A comprehensive analysis of the Argentina data center market growth, latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, and prospects for the industry.

data center market growth, latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, and prospects for the industry. Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry.

A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspect of the market.

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Existing & Upcoming Third-Party Data Centers in Argentina

15+ Unique Data Center Properties

Data Center It Load Capacity

Data Center White Floor Area Space

Existing Data Center Capacity by Cities

Cities Covered

Buenos Aires

Cordoba

Chapter 2 Investment Opportunities in Argentina

Data Center Investments

Investment by Area

Investment by Power Capacity

Chapter 3 Data Center Colocation Market in Argentina

Colocation Services Market in Argentina

Retail Colocation

Colocation Pricing (Quarter Rack, Half Rack, Full Rack) & Add-Ons

Chapter 4 Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Market Restraints

Chapter 5 Market Segmentation

It Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Electrical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Mechanical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

General Construction Services: Market Size & Forecast

Chapter 6 Tier Standard Investment

Tier I & Ii

Tier Iii

Chapter 7 Key Market Participants

It Infrastructure Providers

Construction Contractors

Support Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Investors

Chapter 8 Appendix

Market Derivation

Quantitative Summary

Companies Mentioned

Arista Networks

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Juniper Networks

NetApp

Oracle

AECOM

Constructora Sudamericana

Fluor Construction

Quark

ABB

Alfa Laval

Assa Abloy

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

Johnson Controls

Legrand

Rittal

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Siemens

Vertiv Group

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

EdgeConnex

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8sdx2r

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
NEW YORK, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ember Infrastructure ("Ember") announced the final closing of Ember Infrastructure Fund I (the "Fund") with over $340 million of capital commitments to invest in the energy transition and resource efficiency sectors. The Fund received commitments from a diverse group of leading institutional investors from the United States, Canada and Europe, including public and private pensions, consultants, asset managers, foundations, insurance companies, and family offices.

With a long history of working together, the Ember senior investment team includes infrastructure professionals Elena Savostianova, Mary Weisskopf and Caleb Powers, who were previously at Global Infrastructure Partners, and veteran energy executive Bob Kelly, who was previously at SolarCity and Calpine Corporation. Ember's investment team also includes Vice Presidents Alex Smyk and Barrett Veazy, both of whom also previously worked at Global Infrastructure Partners.

Ember's differentiated approach consists of seeking to bring innovative capital solutions and hands-on value creation to companies and assets looking to grow their platforms.

The Fund has completed three investments to date, including the formation of ReGenerate Energy, a bioenergy platform with three facilities generating 138MW of renewable power; an investment in Caban Systems, a provider of energy storage and management solutions for the telecommunications industry, including support for Caban's Energy-as-a-Service offering; and an investment in SunShare, an established community solar developer.

"We are incredibly pleased with the support we've received from investors with a variety of objectives, including investors looking to achieve alpha in their infrastructure portfolios as well as investors who want to increase their allocations to sustainable investments but who want to still earn competitive returns," said Elena Savostianova, Managing Partner of Ember. "On the portfolio side, we are excited about the partnerships we've built to date with strong operating teams ready to capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunity offered by a new generation of infrastructure technologies. We are thrilled to direct our expertise and capital towards the businesses building the infrastructure that we believe can bring us closer to a sustainable future."

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as fund counsel.

About Ember Infrastructure

Ember Infrastructure is a private equity platform seeking to capitalize on investment opportunities created by the global economy transition into a low carbon and sustainable future. We aim to invest in assets and companies that decarbonize the economy, use resources efficiently and focus on sustainable processes across the value chain. Headquartered in New York, our team leverages a long history in energy and infrastructure, delivering innovative capital solutions to fast-growing sectors within the real assets space. For further information about Ember Infrastructure please see www.ember-infra.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

[email protected]

SOURCE Ember Infrastructure
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC) ("Encompass Health"), today announced that it has completed the spin off of 100% of Enhabit, Inc. ("Enhabit"), its home health and hospice business. Enhabit is now an independent public company. Encompass Health will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "EHC" and, effective today, Enhabit will begin "regular-way" trading on the NYSE under the symbol "EHAB."

The separation was completed through a distribution to Encompass Health stockholders of one share of Enhabit common stock for every two shares of Encompass Health common stock held as of the close of business on June 24, 2022, the record date for the distribution. Cash will be delivered in lieu of any fractional shares of Enhabit stock. Enhabit shares were distributed at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on July 1, 2022, in a distribution that is intended to be tax-free to Encompass Health stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, except with respect to cash received in lieu of fractional shares.

About Encompass Health

Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) is the largest owner and operator of rehabilitation hospitals in the United States. With a national footprint that includes 150 hospitals in 35 states and Puerto Rico, the Company provides high-quality, compassionate rehabilitative care for patients recovering from a major injury or illness, using advanced technology and innovative treatments to maximize recovery. Encompass Health is ranked as one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For and Modern Healthcare's Best Places to Work in Healthcare. For more information, visit encompasshealth.com, or follow us on our newsroom, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts, such as those relating to the timing and effects of the spin off, including the tax-free treatment, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, Encompass Health and Enhabit, through senior management, may from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning the matters described herein. All such estimates, projections, and forward-looking information speak only as of the date hereof, and Encompass Health and Enhabit undertake no duty to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates based upon current information, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and relate to, among other things, future events and transactions as well as future interpretations of facts and law by the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS"). Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those estimated by Encompass Health and Enhabit include, but are not limited to, the possibility that Encompass Health or Enhabit enter into or are the subject of a transaction that the IRS deems contrary to the assumptions underlying the tax-free status of the spin off and other factors which may be identified from time to time in Encompass Health's and Enhabit's SEC filings and other public announcements, including Encompass Health's Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and Enhabit's Form 10.

Media Contact Casey Winger, 205 447-6410 [email protected]

Investor Relations Contact Mark Miller, 205 970-5860 [email protected]

SOURCE Encompass Health Corp.
Enhabit also announces two new appointments to its board of directors

DALLAS, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Enhabit Home Health & Hospice, a leading national home health and hospice provider, today announces it is now an independent, publicly traded company following the completion of its spin-off from Encompass Health Corporation. Enhabit will begin trading regular way on the New York Stock Exchange this morning, July 1, 2022, under the ticker symbol "EHAB."

"Today marks a new and exciting chapter for our company, and we look forward to embarking on this next phase of growth with our team. We remain rooted in our philosophy of providing a better way to care for patients and their loved ones," said Enhabit President and CEO Barb Jacobsmeyer. "As an independent company, we will have enhanced strategic and operational flexibility to put the interests of our patients, people, and investors first as we strive to bring high-quality, compassionate care to every patient where they are most comfortable: in their homes."

Enhabit has more than 20 years of proven expertise, growing into one of the largest providers of home health and hospice services nationally. With over 10,000 employees at 351 locations in 34 states, Enhabit has an award-winning culture that is a key contributor to its continued success. By connecting with compassion, Enhabit's team members strive to develop strong relationships with patients and their loved ones to help them achieve their individual care goals.

From 2020 to 2030, the number of individuals in the U.S. over the age of 65 is expected to grow by approximately 30% to 73 million people, creating a greater need for cost-efficient, in-home care options. Enhabit will continue expanding the possibilities of home-based care, driving a low cost of care while achieving superior outcomes for patients.

Upon completion of the distribution, each Encompass Health stockholder as of June 24, 2022, the record date for the distribution, received one share of Enhabit common stock for every two shares of Encompass Health common stock held as of the close of business on the record date.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as financial advisors and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP served as legal advisors to Enhabit in connection with the spin-off.

Enhabit announces appointment of two new board members

In addition, Enhabit is excited to announce an expansion to its board of directors with the appointment of Tina L. Brown-Stevenson and Susan A. La Monica.

Tina L. Brown-Stevenson - Ms. Brown-Stevenson is a retired executive who brings nearly three decades of experience in the national healthcare payor industry where she developed an expertise in health system analytics and data. Ms. Brown-Stevenson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2008 as the Executive Vice President of Healthcare Innovation and Information Group before being promoted to the Chief Data and Analytics Officer of OptumInsight. In 2012, Ms. Brown-Stevenson rose to the role of Senior Vice President of Health System Analytics and Decision Support, where she oversaw the analysis and management of provider and patient data to validate UnitedHealth Group's strategy and product offerings, before her retirement in 2019. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Ms. Brown-Stevenson previously held senior leadership positions at several other insurance companies, including Aetna, Cigna, and Partners Healthcare. In addition to her healthcare company experience, Ms. Brown-Stevenson currently serves on the boards of directors of several organizations, including Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Kyruus Inc., a technology company that provides provider search and scheduling solutions to healthcare organizations. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ms. Brown-Stevenson has demonstrated her leadership and character through involvement on board roles in community and civic organizations. Ms. Brown-Stevenson also provided patient care for many years as a Registered Nurse before her retirement. As a result of her leadership roles at several large national payors in the rapidly evolving field of healthcare data and analytics and her various private board memberships, Ms. Brown-Stevenson is in a unique position to draw on her extensive experience to advise on opportunities to improve the quality of care for our patients through utilization of strategic technology.

Susan A. La Monica - Ms. La Monica is the Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Citizens Financial Group, a publicly traded banking and financial services company, where she is responsible for developing human resource strategies to support the company's business plan and directing its focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues as co-chair of the Citizens ESG Executive Steering Committee. Additionally, Ms. La Monica played a key role in the separation of Citizens Financial Group from the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2014. Prior to joining Royal Bank of Scotland in 2011, Ms. La Monica held several senior human resources leadership roles at JP Morgan Chase. In addition to her human resources experience, Ms. La Monica has demonstrated her leadership and character through over a decade of involvement on board roles in numerous community and civic organizations. As a result of her diverse leadership roles, Ms. La Monica is well positioned to address a full range of human capital issues, including compensation and benefits, talent acquisition and development, organizational development, and ESG matters.

About Enhabit Home Health & Hospice

Enhabit Home Health & Hospice is a leading national home health and hospice provider working to expand what's possible for patient care in the home. The company's team of clinicians supports patients and their families where they are most comfortable, with a nationwide footprint spanning 252 home health locations and 99 hospice locations across 34 states. Enhabit leverages advanced technology and compassionate teams to deliver extraordinary patient care. For more information, visit ehab.com.

Forward-looking statements

Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts, such as those relating to the timing and effects of the spin-off and rebranding of the home health and hospice business, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All such estimates, projections, and forward-looking information speak only as of the date hereof, and Enhabit undertakes no duty to publicly update or revise such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those estimated by Enhabit include, but are not limited to, our ability to execute on our strategic plans, regulatory and other developments impacting the markets for our services, general economic conditions, and other factors which may be identified from time to time in Enhabit's SEC filings and other public announcements, including Enhabit's Form 10 Registration Statement filed on May 25, 2022, as amended on June 9, 2022, and June 14, 2022.

Media contact

Erin Volbeda

[email protected]

972-338-5141

Investor relations contact

Jennifer Hills

[email protected]

469-621-6496

SOURCE Enhabit Home Health & Hospice
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Jobilio has helped hundreds of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the horrendous conflict to find employment in Canada, Germany, Romania, Poland.

David Arkless has an extensive experience in the HR industry and is regarded as a leading human rights expert.

As Chairman of the Board of Directors of Joblio, David will lead the company's global expansion.

Joblio's tech-enabled platform allows companies to conduct talent searches, to hire and manage cross-border workers.

The platform is and will always be free for the workers in accordance with the regulations of the International Labour Organisation.

With over 20 years of experience in international relations, David brings a unique perspective to the Board of Directors of Joblio. He has worked with various governments and international organizations in the UK, China, and the US.

As the Vice-President of the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (CIETT), he has been instrumental in the establishment of international initiatives aimed at fighting against human trafficking and slavery.

He is also a founding member of the California Act and the UK Modern Slavery Act. As Chairman of the Board of Directors of Joblio, he will continue to establish the gold standard of ethical and safe employment.

For over 20 years, David has been a significant member of the global HR industry landscape, and now, as the strategic leader of Joblio's team, he believes that the company's technology can help end the abuse of foreign and domestic workers. Despite the various initiatives that have been made to address the issue of human trafficking and slavery, the HR industry still has not come up with an effective global framework to protect workers.

Jon Purizhansky, CEO of Joblio: " David is a recognized expert in the field of human capital management. Joblio managed to tackle an extremely complex operational process of cross-border employment and pack it in a user-friendly experience available on 4 interfaces. Employers in Canada and other countries, that provide employment to Ukrainian refugees, are the pioneers of the ethical employment movement."

The global labor shortages are putting a strain on the supply chains of companies and organizations. Despite the calls to address these issues, the high churn rates that are affecting the hiring process have prevented employers from finding new workers.

One of the most effective ways to address the issue of labor shortages is by investing in the communities where migrant workers live and work. Through its proprietary program, Joblio is able to provide a more efficient way to recruit and train new workers. The company's platform is designed to help organizations manage their post-arrival community management.

Joblio's global platform eliminates the need for third parties, and it allows companies to get a more efficient and effective way to hire new workers. It offers a variety of user interfaces that help speed up the hiring process and improve the efficiency of its operations.

For complete information, visit: https://joblio.co

SOURCE Joblio, Inc.
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Instrument Transformers Market (2022-2027) by Type, Dielectric Medium, Voltage, Enclosure Type, Applications, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Instrument Transformers Market is estimated to be USD 7.86 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 10.75 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.46%.



Market Dynamics

Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Instrument Transformers Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are ABB, Arteche, BHEL, EMEK, GE, Indian Transformers Company, Instrument Transformer Equipment, Konear-Instrument Transformers, Mitsubishi Electric, Nissin Electric, Pfiffner Instrument Transformers, Ritz Instrument Transformers, Schneider Electric, Siemens, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Instrument Transformers Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Instrument Transformers Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Instrument Transformers Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Rise In Alternative Energy Programs

4.1.2 Refurbishment of the Aging Power Infrastructure

4.1.3 Huge Investments in Smart Grids and Energy Systems

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Increasing Competition from the Unorganized Sector of the Instrument Transformer Market

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Increasing investments In the Transmission & Distribution Infrastructure

4.3.2 Expanding Cross-Border Electricity Trade

4.3.3 Adoption of the Hvdc Technology for Long Distance Transmission

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Delays In Grid Expansion Projects



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Instrument Transformers Market, By Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Current Transformers

6.3 Potential Transformers

6.3.1 Inductive Potential Transformers

6.3.2 Capacitive Potential Transformers

6.4 Combined Instrument Transformers



7 Global Instrument Transformers Market, By Dielectric Medium

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Liquid Dielectric Instrument Transformers

7.3 SF6 Gas Dielectric Instrument Transformers

7.4 Solid Dielectric Instrument Transformers



8 Global Instrument Transformers Market, By Voltage

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Distribution Voltage

8.3 Sub-Transmission Voltage

8.4 High Voltage Transmission

8.5 Extra-High Voltage Transmission

8.6 Ultra-High Voltage Transmission



9 Global Instrument Transformers Market, By Enclosure Type

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Indoor Instrument Transformers

9.3 Outdoor Instrument Transformers



10 Global Instrument Transformers Market, By Applications

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Transformer & Circuit Breaker Bushing

10.3 Switchgear Assemblies

10.4 Relaying

10.5 Metering & Protection



11 Global Instrument Transformers Market, By End-User

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Power Utilities

11.2.1 Power Transmission Utilities

11.2.2 Power Distribution Utilities

11.3 Power Generation

11.4 Railways & Metros

11.5 Industries & OEMs

11.5.1 Oil & Gas

11.5.2 Iron & Steel

11.5.3 Cement

11.5.4 Chemicals

11.5.5 Automobiles

11.5.6 Industrial Machinery



12 Americas' Instrument Transformers Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Argentina

12.3 Brazil

12.4 Canada

12.5 Chile

12.6 Colombia

12.7 Mexico

12.8 Peru

12.9 United States

12.10 Rest of Americas



13 Europe's Instrument Transformers Market

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Austria

13.3 Belgium

13.4 Denmark

13.5 Finland

13.6 France

13.7 Germany

13.8 Italy

13.9 Netherlands

13.10 Norway

13.11 Poland

13.12 Russia

13.13 Spain

13.14 Sweden

13.15 Switzerland

13.16 United Kingdom

13.17 Rest of Europe



14 Middle East and Africa's Instrument Transformers Market

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Egypt

14.3 Israel

14.4 Qatar

14.5 Saudi Arabia

14.6 South Africa

14.7 United Arab Emirates

14.8 Rest of MEA



15 APAC's Instrument Transformers Market

15.1 Introduction

15.2 Australia

15.3 Bangladesh

15.4 China

15.5 India

15.6 Indonesia

15.7 Japan

15.8 Malaysia

15.9 Philippines

15.10 Singapore

15.11 South Korea

15.12 Sri Lanka

15.13 Thailand

15.14 Taiwan

15.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



16 Competitive Landscape

16.1 Competitive Quadrant

16.2 Market Share Analysis

16.3 Strategic Initiatives

16.3.1 M&A and Investments

16.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

16.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



17 Company Profiles

17.1 ABB

17.2 Arteche

17.3 BHEL

17.4 EMEK

17.5 GE

17.6 Indian Transformers Company

17.7 Instrument Transformer Equipment

17.8 Konear-Instrument Transformers

17.9 Mitsubishi Electric

17.10 Nissin Electric

17.11 Pfiffner Instrument Transformers

17.12 Ritz Instrument Transformers

17.13 Schneider Electric

17.14 Siemens



18 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5px4oq

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

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SOURCE Research and Markets
"The Chicago office location will help better serve our Illinois HOA and real estate clients," said Hirzel. The idea for the Chicago office came about when Member Adam Toosley , who has managed over 2000 litigation cases in the past 20 years as an Illinois attorney, joined the firm last year. The firm is also pleased to announce that Michael Shifrin , an experienced Illinois community association and real estate attorney, will also be joining Hirzel Law as of-counsel. "Hirzel Law is looking forward to serving the demand that is needed for condominium associations, homeowners associations, and other real estate clients in the Chicago market," said Hirzel.

"All of us at Hirzel Law are passionate in our commitment to providing peace of mind to our clients." As part of our ongoing commitment to educating our clients to set them up for success, Hirzel Law has also launched The Illinois Condo and HOA Law blog, which has various articles on hot topics in the condominium and HOA industry.

Hirzel Law, PLC is an award-winning and responsive law firm that focuses on condominium, HOA, and real estate law. Kevin Hirzel has been interviewed on community association and real estate issues by various national media outlets, such as CBS, CNBC, Dan Abrams Live, Dr. Drew Midday Live, Fox Business News, Fox News, Newsmax, and the Wall Street Journal. The attorneys at Hirzel Law, PLC have received numerous recognitions from Best Lawyers, the Community Association Institute's College of Community Association Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. Hirzel Law was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Farmington, Michigan, while also maintaining offices in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Traverse City, Michigan.

Contact Hirzel Law online or call the new Chicago, Illinois office at (312) 646-2770 to learn how our condominium, HOA, and real estate attorneys can assist with your Illinois community association or real estate matters.

Hirzel Law, PLC is an award-winning law firm with offices in Chicago, Farmington, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City. Hirzel Law, PLC represents condominium associations, homeowners associations, and summer resorts throughout Michigan and Illinois. The firm also represents individual and corporate clients in various real estate matters.

SOURCE Hirzel Law, PLC
The Settlement does not involve personal injury, death, or property damage.

Para una notificacion en Espanol, visite nuestro sitio de Web.

SEATTLE, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement is being issued by Kroll Notice Media regarding the Toyota Prius Inverter/IPM Settlement.

There is a proposed class action settlement alleging certain Toyota Prius and Prius V vehicles contained defective inverters/ Intelligent Power Modules ("IPMs"). Toyota denies the allegations. The Court has not ruled on these claims. This notice is to inform you about the settlement and your options.

Who Is Included?

You are a Class Member for settlement purposes only and may be eligible for benefits if you:

(a) Currently own or lease a 2010-2015 Prius or 2012-2017 Prius V vehicle that was the subject of Safety Recall E0E, F0R, J0V, and/or 20TA10 ("Subject Vehicle"), as of May 19, 2022; or



(b) Owned or leased a Subject Vehicle any time before May 19, 2022.





What Does the Settlement Provide?

The settlement provides these benefits:

(i) Customer Confidence Program : A 20-year/unlimited-mileage warranty enhancement, providing cost-free repair or replacement of the IPM or Inverter under certain conditions, starting from the first day the Subject Vehicle was in service, with an appeal process for any denials. For important details about benefits and appeal rights/deadlines review FAQ #10 at www.ToyotaPriusInverterSettlement.com.



(ii) Cost-free loaner and/or towing program if certain conditions are met . For details about benefits and appeal rights/deadlines see FAQ #11 at www.ToyotaPriusInverterSettlement.com.



(iii) Reimbursement : There is an initial $20,000,000 settlement fund to pay for reimbursement of unreimbursed IPM and Inverter repairs and replacements and/or related towing and rental car expenses incurred before the Final Effective Date, currently expected to be February 12, 2023, but likely subject to change. To receive a reimbursement, you must file a claim. For details, see FAQ #12www.toyotapriusinvertersettlement.com. If there is not enough money in the fund to pay valid reimbursement claims and those claims exceed $20,000,000, it will be replenished to cover them.



(iv) Redistribution Check: If there is any money left in the settlement fund after reimbursement claims are paid, you may get a check from the Redistribution Fund. If you replaced an IPM or inverter and did NOT receive notice that you are automatically registered for this potential benefit, you must submit a timely Registration and Reimbursement Claim Form to be eligible. For details see FAQ #13.



(v) Possible charitable, cy pres payments. If the settlement fund has a balance after Redistribution Checks are sent, that balance will go to Texas A&M University Transportation Institute. See FAQ #14.





What are Your Options?

Do Nothing . You will be legally bound by decisions of the Court, and you will give up any rights to sue for these claims.





You will be legally bound by decisions of the Court, and you will give up any rights to sue for these claims. Opt-Out . If you do not want to be bound by the Settlement, you must exclude yourself by October 26, 2022 .





. If you do not want to be bound by the Settlement, you must exclude yourself by . Object to the Settlement . You may submit an objection and explain why you do not like the settlement by October 26, 2022 . You cannot both exclude yourself and object to the settlement. Please see FAQ #21 at www.ToyotaPriusInverterSettlement.com for important details/requirements.





You may submit an objection and explain why you do not like the settlement by . You cannot both exclude yourself and object to the settlement. Please see FAQ #21 at for important details/requirements. File a Claim for Reimbursement and/or Register for Redistribution Check : You must submit a Registration and Reimbursement Claim Form to get reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses. If you replaced an IPM or inverter and did NOT receive notice that you are automatically registered for the Redistribution benefit, you must also register to be eligible to receive money from the Redistribution Fund, if available. The deadline to submit is three months after the Final Effective Date, and is currently anticipated to be May 12, 2023 , but is likely subject to change.

The Court will hold a hearing on January 13, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at First Street United States Courthouse, 350 West 1st St., Los Angeles, CA, 90012, Courtroom 8A to hear any objections, determine if the Settlement is fair, and consider the Special Master's recommendation that Class Counsel be awarded $19.6 million in fees and expenses and a Service Award for Class Representatives of $5,000 each, to be paid separately by Toyota. For details review FAQ #23 at www.ToyotaPriusInverterSettlement.com. You may attend the Hearing, but you aren't required to.

Where Can I Find More Information?

This is only a summary. If you have questions or want more information about this lawsuit, the settlement and your rights, visit www.toyotapriusinvertersettlement.com. call 833-942-3997, or write to: Prius IPM Settlement Notice Administrator, c/o Kroll Notice Administration, P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324. ALL DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CHECK WEBSITE FOR REVISIONS & OTHER UPDATES.

SOURCE Kroll Settlement Administration
Leading Boulder, CO Realtor Receives National Recognition by RealTrends.

BOULDER, Colo., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennifer Egbert of Boulder, Colorado has been named among the top 1.49% of more than 1.6 million licensed Realtors nationwide. This prestigious recognition is part of a program led by RealTrends + Tom Ferry America's Best Real Estate Professionals, which evaluates real estate professionals across the country in order to acknowledge exceptional leaders in the industry.

"This is such an honor, and I believe it truly speaks to the hard work we put in for our clients. My team and I have a very high standard of care, and we are meticulous about service excellence and staying on the forefront of everything that is happening within our local market," said Jennifer Egbert. "We are so proud to receive this recognition of our performance in the Boulder real estate market," she continued.

Ms. Egbert launched her real estate career in 2002, and in that time, she has exclusively served her adopted hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Jennifer's specialty is modernist luxury homes and properties of architectural significance, and she maintains a laser sharp focus on delivering an unparalleled upscale client experience.

To learn more about Jennifer Egbert Modern Luxury Real Estate and the Boulder real estate market, visit www.jenniferegbert.com .

About Jennifer Egbert Modern Luxury Real Estate

From concierge client service to artfully designed & articulated marketing, Jennifer Egbert and her team deliver on the promise of redefining the real estate client experience. With expansive roots in the Boulder, Colorado community, Jennifer leverages her incredible professional network in tandem with her unparalleled market knowledge to strategically position her clients to thrive.

PRESS CONTACT

NAME

Marissa Kasarov

PHONE

720.775.8191

WEBSITE

https://www.jenniferegbert.com/

SOURCE Jennifer Egbert Modern Luxury Real Estate
AV. DE FONTVIEILLE, Monaco, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NFTON, the online market for artists for purchasing, selling, and discovering unique digital assets or NFTs is creating a lot of buzz in the NFT industry. NFTON is a one-of-a-kind marketplace developed for artists by the artists.

NFTON Enters The Growing NFT Market Space; Offers Convenience NFTON gallery

NFTON aims to target only quality artists of the modern world and genuinely promote arts and culture on the website. Trading NFTs comes secondary for NFTON users. Anyone can invest in NFTs, and the NFT ownership is secured by blockchain to lock in ownership digitally, keeping the asset securely with the person who bought or created it.

Patrick Mimran is the visionary behind NFTON. A French multimedia artist and composer and the former CEO of Lamborghini, Mimran is globally known for his artwork across various mediums, including installations, digital art, electronic music, sculptures, figurative language, and paintings.

He is also the creative brains behind The Billboard Project, which ran from 2000 to 2012 in London, Miami, New York, Tokyo, and Venice. The billboards were a commentary about art and the relationship between artists and dealers.

"The goal of NFTON may seem to enable easy and smooth NFT trade. However, it is so much more! We want digital creators across the globe to have a platform wherein they connect with other high-ranking or performing artists and exchange their love for art and culture. We really hope we make "loving art" cool again and build a strong community of artists on our NFT website," explains Mimran.

Videos, digital artwork, photographs, music  NFTON supports various types of NFTs. One can create, purchase and sell NFTs as individual pieces or as a collection on the marketplace. It is also possible to buy and resell NFTs, retaining their ownership, to earn recurring royalty.

To get started on NFTON, one needs to set up the wallet via the wallet extension installed in the browser and select the option to create single or multiple NFTs.

Pick any digital collectible category and set the selling price in Ethereum currency. Name the NFT in the title field and write its description. After filling out the required details, click on the "Create NFT" button to successfully create the NFT.

Showcase the freshly minted NFT on the NFTON Gallery for no cost. The gallery account owner can connect with the artists - outside of the system - and manage the financial dealings of the artwork hassle-free. NFTON offers a free minting service and ensures the artists do not have to pay any other fees to get started on the platform.

Moreover, listing on the NFTON marketplace is easy and requires one to click the "Sell" button to set the selling price, currency, and other potential fees related to the sale.

If the NFT can be resold, NFTON allows the seller to add the royalty percentage and increase the number of copies to be minted of the digital asset.

Asset distribution is undertaken by smart contracts deployed on the blockchain. Once the entire process is finished, the marketplace admins review the verification requests from the backend.

Not only this, NFTON can integrate with some of the top global NFT wallets, including Metamask, Math Wallet, and Coinbase, for carrying out quick and budget-friendly transactions.

For those looking to collaborate and connect with artists like themselves and review trending yet impressive and ground-breaking art, please visit the official website of NFTON or contact them directly by filling out the form.

Media Contact:

NFTOn Market

[email protected]

https://twitter.com/nftonmarket

+41792104056

SOURCE NFTOn Market
In recent years, Jinggangshan has made good use of its historical resources to promote the local economy, such as Red tourism, modern industries, and modern agriculture. Thanks to the local government's efforts, the city was removed from the poverty list in February 2017, becoming one of the first county-level cities in the nation to be removed.

According to official data, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in Jinggangshan increased from 9,606 yuan ($1,433.56) in 2017 to 14,551 yuan in 2021, exemplifying the country's efforts to battle poverty.

Red tourism has become increasingly popular recently, and Jinggangshan has made use of its Red tourism and natural ecological resources to build tourism brands and promote rural vitalization.

Villagers in Shenshan village in Maoping town, Jinggangshan have tasted sweet success thanks to the local government's targeted poverty relief projects. In 2016, the village launched a project to build a beautiful countryside and develop rural tourism, and currently, it has been transformed from a poverty-stricken mountain village into a beautiful place full of life and vitality.

Relying on the industrial advantages of Ji'an, Jinggangshan has attached importance to developing digital information, new materials, and biomedicine industries.

In recent years, Jinggangshan National Economic and Technological Development Zone has accelerated its pace in developing the digital economy. Efforts have also been paid to facilitate the development of LED lighting, and intelligent hardware industries, as well as the intelligent terminals of the internet of things.

The zone has also been advancing its innovation-driven development strategy, focusing on cultivating high-level talent in the digital industry, and enhancing cooperation with scientific research institutions. According to official data, the business revenue of the zone's digital economy reached 46.6 billion yuan in 2021, which accounted for 43 percent of its total revenue.

SOURCE China Daily
This partnership expands Opteon's presence in the Northeast Tweet this

"We have always focused on providing high-quality appraisals to our clients. With the market rapidly changing in recent years, we must remain at the forefront of change to continue providing such excellent service. Partnering with Opteon guarantees we are able to provide our clients with an industry-leading experience," said Salvatore Vacanti, Vice President of Operations for NEA. Salvatore will continue to lead the appraisal team as Operations Manager of New York, while working with the AMC division to seamlessly integrate with our clients.

"Northeastern Appraisal Associates Residential has always strived to innovate and lead within the industry. We do so by keeping the appraiser at the center of everything we do. The Opteon vision of empowering appraisers through technology aligns with our goals, and we're excited to bring this partnership to our clients," added Robert Vacanti, President of NEA. Robert will be joining the Growth and Expansion team with Opteon USA to help grow national clients.

Founded in Australia in 2005, Opteon developed innovative technology that dramatically decreased turn times and revision rates. In Australia and New Zealand, Opteon delivers the majority of appraisal reports within 2 days, with less than a 1% rework rate. By partnering with world-class appraisal firms like NEA, Opteon aims to bring this technology to the United States.

"Our technology works hand-in-hand with appraisers. By equipping exceptional staff appraisers with our technology, Opteon streamlines the appraisal process. Northeastern Appraisal Associates Residential is comprised of an incredible team that will be able to implement our technology across the Northeastern US," said Chris Knight, Group CEO of Opteon.

Opteon has experienced substantial growth since the company's expansion into the US in 2019 and is one of the fastest-growing nationwide appraisal firms. This is the fourth acquisition Opteon has made in the last 12 months. Through these strategic acquisitions, Opteon has built a robust national Staff Appraiser model, allowing Opteon to utilize innovative technology to deliver drastically shorter turn times across the US. Together, Opteon's family of brands is bringing innovation and an elevated level of service to the industry.

About Opteon

Opteon is an international provider of valuation, advisory, and property services through innovative software solutions. With the company's expansion into the US in 2019, Opteon has invested heavily in its technology to reduce turn times, increase quality, and minimize human error without eliminating human expertise. Opteon's US sector is one of the fastest-growing nationwide appraisal firms and consists of more than 400 employees. Opteon was founded in 2005 and is recognized as the largest independent valuation and property services firm in Australia and New Zealand.

SOURCE Opteon
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Major Price Models in the Order Fulfillment Services Sourcing and Procurement Market

The report discusses in detail each pricing model and the pros and cons attached to every pricing model prevalent in the market. Also, the report provides insights with respect to the category supply chain and the margins of various suppliers within the supply chain.

The most widely adopted pricing models in the Order Fulfillment Services Sourcing and Procurement Market

Fixed fee pricing model



Cost-plus pricing model



Percentage of MRP pricing model

Learn about various other pricing models: Request for a sample report

Spend Growth and Demand by Region

The Order Fulfillment Services Sourcing and Procurement market will register an incremental spend of about USD 18.86 Billion during the forecast period. However, only a few regions will drive the majority of this growth. Moreover, on the supply side, North America, Europe, and APAC will have the maximum influence owing to the supplier base. The growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing demand and adoption of the category across those few regions.

To get a detailed analysis of the regional factors driving the Order Fulfillment Services Sourcing and Procurement Report:

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Most Adopted Procurement Strategies by Buyers Across the Order Fulfillment Services Sourcing and Procurement Market

The report provides a detailed insight of the most adopted procurement strategies by buyers across industries and analysis of these strategies with respect to innovation, regulatory compliance, quality, supply, and cost. Adoption of these procurement strategies will enable the buyers to reduce category TCO and achieve cost savings, while sourcing for thermal equipment requirements.

To get the exact information on various procurement strategies:

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This Order Fulfillment Services Sourcing and Procurement Market report answers help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers, for instance:

Am I engaging with the right suppliers?

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What are the workplace computing devices category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx?

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SOURCE SpendEdge
Pr. Christian de Boissieu, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, vice-president of the Circle of Economists, former president of the Economic Analysis Council to the Prime Minister and regulator at the French Financial Markets Authority and former adviser of the World Bank and the European Commission. He provides, among other things, an insight into tokenomics, currency models, financing models, as well as compliance aspects.

Dr Pascal Lorot, Doctor of Economics, founding president of the Choiseul Institute and inventor of the concept of Geo-economics, brings his strategic, diplomatic and geopolitical expertise. His brilliant track record in both the institutional and private sectors, his unique network of young international economic decision-makers and his laureates from the Choiseul Institute rewarded for their innovation and influence, are all major assets to accelerate Petale's international expansion.

Angelique Gerard, a graduate of INSEAD, is a special advisor to Xavier Niel, Chairman of the ILIAD Group, where she was Director of Free Subscriber Relations for 22 years and Chairperson of 8 subsidiaries, and a member of the Executive Committee of Iliad, of which she is a founding director. She was noticed by the Choiseul Institute, which awarded her first place in the "100 leaders of the French economy under 40" list in 2015, thus succeeding Emmanuel Macron at the top of the list. In 2020, she was ranked among the 40 most inspiring French women by Forbes.

Gwenaelle Avice-Huet, a physics graduate and holding an engineering degree from the Corps des Ponts et Chaussees, is a member of Schneider Electric's Executive Committee, Executive Director of Strategy and Sustainable Development. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Air France KLM. Gwenaelle previously spent over 10 years at Engie where she was a member of the executive committee in charge of global renewable energy and Managing Director North America. Gwenaelle brings her engineering and digital skills and her knowledge of the American market.

Florence Tondu-Melique, Chairman and CEO of Zurich France and a member of the Group's executive team. A graduate of HEC Paris and Harvard Business School, she began her career at McKinsey & Company before joining AXA Investment Managers and then Hiscox, at the heart of the global insurance market at Lloyd's of London, where she held various executive roles including Chief Operating Officer for Europe. She is a director of listed and private companies in France and the UK. Florence brings her skills in strategy, risk management, governance and knowledge of the financial services sector.

Kevin Polizzi, Chairman of Unitel Group and founder of Jaguar Networks, one of France's leading providers of secure data hosting with PCI-DSS banking accreditation, telecom solutions and intelligent services. Kevin brings skills in digital transformation, cybersecurity and data governance.

The members of the strategic board all bring their experience and vision in different areas of development to efficiently cover the high demand for accountability for "entreprises a missions et impact" (French status whereby businesses commit to corporate social responsibility initiatives) and new customer uses.

"With this strategic board, we are consolidating our governance in order to accelerate our development in this new and fast growing market of asset tokenisation. As such, we will continue to create new payment, investment and asset management experiences for our customers," Babacar N. Seck, Chairman and Founder of Petale Group.

Petale continues to deploy its technologies, automating the investment and wealth management processes. Its value proposition responds to a very open market initiated to new types of digital assets. The group is preparing to open up its financial services via its mobile application to the largest possible number of qualified investors.

https://www.petale.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/petalegroup

https://twitter.com/PetaleGroup

Press contact: [email protected]

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1849214/Christian_de_Boissieu.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1849215/Petale_Group_Strategic_board.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1769477/Petale_Group_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Petale Group
ATLANTA, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Propel Center, in commemoration of Black Music Month, joined with five of Propel's institutional partners to successfully launch the first of the three-part C3 Series, an executive music industry pipeline program to promote music entrepreneurship in tech.

The accelerator series, the acronym of which stands for Create, Collaborate and Connect, will work to increase the leadership pipeline in today's music industry for HBCU students and young people of color with the aim of fulfilling these three ambitions by providing participants with an all-access pass to learn directly from some of the music industry's greatest minds, executives and tastemakers.

The limited C3 Series will run through March 2023, with the program mission to ensure that the pipeline of diverse leadership reaches and includes HBCU talent, while fast-tracking the next generation of executive leaders in music marketing, music public relations, tech and production. The inaugural participants, which included more than 60 students convened in master classes hosted at Clark Atlanta University, hailed from Bethune-Cookman University, Jackson State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University and Bishop State Community College.

As part of C3's project-based, learning focused curriculum, each of the students were tasked with presenting a potential new artist to the consumer market by curating the needed music assets, and then working to implement a tailored marking and communications campaign. The program, funded by the Industry Impact Grants made available to eligible Propel Center HBCU member institutions, is co-facilitated by respected executives, Steve Higgs, COO, Preach Records/Ingrooves and head of A&R, and Cortez Bryant, co-CEO of the management firm Blueprint Group and adjunct professor at his alma mater, Jackson State University.

Guest speakers for the Black Music Month master class roll-out included Bryant and Higgs, Shawn Gee, partner/president at Live Nation Urban, Gee Roberson, co-CEO at Blueprint Group, Tuo Clark, SVP of A&R at Def Jam, Josh Raiford of Pandora/Sirius XM, Grammy Award-Winning producer Drummaboy, Dominique Simpson, CEO of CMPR, Inc. and music-producer Fresh Ayr.

"The new C3 Series program is just another example of the innovative, empowering work that's happening at Propel," said Dr. Charles J. Gibbs, president, Propel Center HBCU Consortium. "As we look to continue to provide our students with a pathway to help shape the future of the music industry, it's imperative that we expose them to the limitless executive opportunities beyond artist careers," he added.

"There are countless more possibilitiesand a greater likelihood of achieving successin the many roles that exist to display talent behind the scenes making things happen in music, and through this accelerator platform we're training our students to be the best prepared and ready to step into those roles."

"The Bethune-Cookman University Music Mogul project created at C3 with the Propel grant is proving to be a successful experiential learning program for our students who are participating in this unique pilot project," stated professor Sylvester Polk of BCU. "Our students are enjoying their experience and the wealth of knowledge that is being provided to them," he continued. "They had a rare chance to experience real-world industry operations, were in recording studios and attended master classes with seasoned industry professionals. This has been a necessary and vital complement to what we are doing in the classroom."

"There is a real need for developmental programs within the music business. I'm so thankful that Propel stepped up to the plate to lend the resources to attack that problem," emphasized industry partner Cortez Bryant. Concluded fellow industry partner Steve Higgs: "This program is the solution to equity and inclusion in executives' spaces within the music industry. HBCU students deserve innovative programs such as this, to ensure career readiness."

About Ed Farm

Ed Farm was launched in February 2020 in Birmingham, Alabama to create programs designed to engage students, educators and adult learners in innovative digital skills experiences that better prepare them for the 21st-century workforce. Moving forward, Ed Farm is expanding its programming and its footprint across the country, building upon the existing programming and work taking place in Birmingham.

About Propel Center

The Propel Center is a first-of-its-kind innovation and learning hub for the entire HBCU community of colleges serving as a catalytic epicenter of learning, providing students with the knowledge, skills, tools and resources necessary to transform the nation's talent pipeline and workforce. Through a robust virtual platform, on-campus activities at partner institutions and a physical campus to be located near the Atlanta University Center, Propel will bring innovative curricula and unprecedented leadership opportunities to produce the next generation of Black leaders. To learn more, visit propelcenter.org.

SOURCE PropelCenter.org
Computer vision is a field of AI that enables computers and systems to derive meaningful information from digital images, videos, and other visual inputs  and take actions or make recommendations based on that information. CVPR 2022 convened the brightest minds in the field for a week-long program of papers, keynotes, workshops, tutorials, posters, virtual learning, and discussion, and showcased the advancement of computer vision on a global scale.

CVPR's annual conference covered an extensive range of computer vision, AI, and ML topics and applications; the top five research categories at CVPR 2022 ranked by the number of papers accepted this year are:

Recognition: detection, categorization, retrieval

Image and video synthesis and generation

3D from multi-view and sensors

Low level vision

Vision + language.

CVPR 2022 experienced a record number of paper submissions - 8,161 - of which only 2,064 were accepted at the conference.

CVPR annually recognizes such research through its best papers awards, and the event is internationally known for its prestigious awards program. From this year's 33 finalists selected from the 2,064 accepted papers, the Awards Committee presented the following awards:

Best Paper Award

Learning to Solve Hard Minimal Problems

Authors: Petr Hruby, Timothy Duff, Anton Leykin, and Tomas Pajdla

Best Paper Honorable Mention

Dual-Shutter Optical Vibration Sensing

Authors: Mark Sheinin, Dorian Chan, Matthew O'Toole, Srinivasa Narasimhan

Best Student Paper Award

EPro-PnP: Generalized End-to-End Probabilistic Perspective-n-Points for Monocular Object Pose Estimation

Authors: Hansheng Chen, Pichao Wang, Fan Wang, Wei Tian, Lu Xiong, Hao Li

Best Student Paper Honorable Mention

Ref-NeRF: Structured View-Dependent Appearance for Neural Radiance Fields

Authors: Dor Verbin, Peter Hedman, Ben Mildenhall, Todd Zickler, Jonathan Barron, Pratul Srinivasan

The event's exhibit hall packed with 137 exhibitors provided an abundance of advancements to explore and included companies noted for their AI programs such as Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok, as well as autonomous driving companies like Argo AI, Tesla, cruise, and Zoox.

Exhibitor highlights include:

Unity Computer Vision showcased "Digital Humans for Computer Vision" - a proprietary digital human generator was developed that contains highly-parametric and simulation-ready 3D human assets.

showcased "Digital Humans for Computer Vision" - a proprietary digital human generator was developed that contains highly-parametric and simulation-ready 3D human assets. Tesla brought the Tesla Cybertruck prototype to CVPR for attendees to inspect up-close.

brought the Tesla Cybertruck prototype to CVPR for attendees to inspect up-close. Zoox , the autonomous robotaxi company bought by Amazon, showcased its purpose-built vehicle for the first time at the conference - guests were able to envision the future of transportation by sitting inside.

, the autonomous robotaxi company bought by Amazon, showcased its purpose-built vehicle for the first time at the conference - guests were able to envision the future of transportation by sitting inside. At the Meta booth, attendees met with researchers actively exploring the latest machine learning techniques for application to various areas of machine perception.

The CVPR 2022 keynote speaker lineup included the following high-profile industry leaders:

Josh Tennenbaum  Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ), presented "Learning to See the Human Way"

 Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, ( ), presented "Learning to See the Human Way" Xuedong Huang  Technical Fellow, Chief Technology Officer Azure AI, presented "Toward Integrative AI with Computer Vision"

 Technical Fellow, Chief Technology Officer Azure AI, presented "Toward Integrative AI with Computer Vision" Kavita Bala  Dean, Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, Cornell University , presented "Understanding Visual Appearance from Micron to Global Scale."

A panel session covering "Embodied Computer Vision," featured Martial Hebert, Carnegie Mellon University, as the moderator, with panelists that included Kristen Grauman, University of Texas, Austin, and Meta AI; Nicholas Roy, Zoox, and MIT; and Michael Ryoo, Stonybrook University and Google.

The 2023 CVPR event will take place in Vancouver, from June 17 to 23, 2023.

About CVPR

The Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference (CVPR) is the premier annual computer vision and pattern recognition conference. With first-in-class technical content, the main program, tutorials, workshops, a leading-edge expo, and attended by more than 7,500 people annually, CVPR creates a one-of-a-kind opportunity for networking, recruiting, inspiration, and motivation.

About the IEEE Computer Society

The IEEE Computer Society is the world's home for computer science, engineering, and technology. A global leader in providing access to computer science research, analysis, and information, the IEEE Computer Society offers a comprehensive array of unmatched products, services, and opportunities for individuals at all stages of their professional careers. Known as the premier organization that empowers the people who drive technology, the IEEE Computer Society offers international conferences including CVPR, peer-reviewed publications, a unique digital library, and training programs.

About the Computer Vision Foundation

The Computer Vision Foundation is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to foster and support research on all aspects of computer vision. Together with the IEEE Computer Society, it co-sponsors the two largest computer vision conferences: CVPR and the International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV).

SOURCE IEEE Computer Society
NEW YORK, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of HUMBL, LLC (OTC: HMBL) and/or the Company's unregistered digital asset (sold as BLOCKS Exchange Traded Index ("ETXs") on various cryptocurrency exchanges) between November 1, 2020 and May 19, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period") of the important July 19, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Humbl securities and/or the Company's ETXs during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Humbl class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=6398 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 19, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants violated provisions of the Exchange Act by making false and misleading statements concerning the Company's growth prospects, technological advancements, international partnerships, and financial benefits for Humbl common stock and digital asset investors, as well as using selectively timed announcements to keep Humbl stock price high so that Company insiders could sell off their holdings into artificially created volume. The complaint also alleges that defendants violated provisions of the Securities Act by selling its unregistered securities (BLOCK ETX digital assets) to investors.

To join the Humbl class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=6398 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
Vendor Insights-

The solar power market in India report offers information on several market vendors, including ABB Ltd., ACME Solar, Adani Enterprises Ltd., Azure Power, Canadian Solar Inc., GCL System Integration Technology Co. Ltd., Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd., JA Solar Technology Co. Ltd., juwi AG, and Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd. among others. Moreover, the market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market.

ABB Ltd.- The company offers solar power services that provides electrical power which includes energy production, power transmission, transportation, process automation and pollution control, under the brand name of ABB Ltd.

Canadian Solar Inc.- The company offers solar power services that provides solar photovoltaic modules, battery storage solutions, solar lighting, portable solar, solar transportation and many more, under the brand name of Canadian Solar Inc.

GCL System Integration Technology Co. Ltd.- The company offers solar power services that includes pv modules, energy systems, solar air conditioning, solar balloon, solar charger, solar backpack, solar cell phone charger, solar chimney, solar-powered waste compacting bin, solar cooker, solar dryer, solar-powered fan and many more, under the brand name of GCL System Integration Technology Co. Ltd.

Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Track Pricing, Supply, Demand, Trade, and Distribution Scenario along with Key Customers. View at Special Pricing

Solar Power Market in India Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 35.24% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 240.42 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 37.31 Regional analysis India Performing market contribution India at 100% Key consumer countries India Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled ABB Ltd., ACME Solar, Adani Enterprises Ltd., Azure Power, Canadian Solar Inc., GCL System Integration Technology Co. Ltd., Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd., JA Solar Technology Co. Ltd., juwi AG, and Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for forecast period, Customization preview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Latest Drivers & Trends of the Market-

Solar Power Market in India Driver :

Increasing investments in renewable energy:

The global energy mix has changed significantly over the past two decades. Improvement in energy efficiency played a vital role in balancing the energy supply and demand. The total cost of producing electricity using renewables is relatively higher than that of conventional sources. However, renewable technology is evolving and giving competition to fossil fuel-based power plants. With the increased support of the government and improved economics, the sector has become attractive from an investors' perspective. Low carbon emissions from renewable sources and growing concerns regarding environmental protection drove the adoption of renewable sources of energy, which led to an increase in investments in renewable energy across the world. The increased focus on renewable energy sources is raising the investments in the country's solar energy sector, which will drive the growth of the solar power market in India during the forecast period.

Solar Power Market in India Trend :

Declining costs of solar energy sources:

In the past, high cost and intermittency have affected the adoption of renewable sources of energy. The intermittent nature of solar energy can be overcome by integrating energy storage with the system, which increases the adoption of renewable energy in hybrid systems. Renewable energy prices in India have been reducing gradually. The Government of India is also providing tax incentives to users, which reduces the installation costs and results in the reduction of the final cost of solar energy. As a result, solar power has been giving tough competition to fossil fuels such as coal-based power in the country. As India is a potential market for solar power, it could import solar panels from China at significantly low prices, which would spur the demand for solar power among renewables and increase the sales of solar power systems in India. Therefore, the declining costs of solar energy will drive the growth of the solar power market in India during the forecast period.

Additional information about various other market Drivers & Trends available with Technavio  View with Sample Report

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Don't miss out on the opportunity to speak to our analyst and know more insights about this market report. Our analysts can also help you customize this report according to your needs. Our analysts and industry experts will work directly with you to understand your requirements and provide you with customized data in a short amount of time.

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Solar Power Market in Brazil by End-user, Application, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The predicted growth for the solar power market share in Brazil from 2021 to 2026 is 89.57 terawatt-hour units at a CAGR of 47.24%. The sunny climatic conditions is notably driving the solar power market growth in Brazil, although factors such as slow growth in photovoltaic system may impede the market growth. Find More Exclusive Research Insights Here

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2021

Market outlook: Forecast for 2021 - 2026

Five Forces Analysis

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Application

Market segments

Comparison by Application

Grid-connected - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Off-grid - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Market opportunity by Application

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user

Utility - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Rooftop - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Market opportunity by End-user

Customer landscape

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

ABB Ltd.

ACME Solar

Adani Enterprises Ltd.

Azure Power

Canadian Solar Inc.

GCL System Integration Technology Co. Ltd.

Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd.

JA Solar Technology Co. Ltd.

juwi AG

Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
CHICAGO, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- United will hold a conference call to discuss second-quarter 2022 financial results on Thursday, July 21 at 9:30 a.m. CT/10:30 a.m. ET.

A live, listen-only webcast of the conference call will be available at ir.united.com. The company will issue its second-quarter 2022 financial results and outlook after market close on Wednesday, July 20.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." In 2019, United and United Express carriers operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 162 million customers. United has the most comprehensive route network among North American carriers, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. For more about how to join the United team, please visit united.com/careers and more information about the company is at united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines
DURHAM, N.C., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- World Overcomers Christian Church (WOCC), led by founder and Pastor Andy Thompson, will celebrate Independence Day Weekend with a two-day event called the "Away Game," consisting of a Sunday Pop Up worship experience and a Saturday White Party social event.

(WOCC) is located in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina and was founded in 2003 with just 35 members. Since its inception, World Overcomers has become one of the fastest-growing churches in America. Membership has grown to more than 10,000 people, nearly half of them men.

Pastor Andy Thompson states, " The Away Game concept was conceived in response to the challenges that COVID-19 presented to churches across America. WOCC spent nearly two years streaming to thousands of viewers each week while the physical doors were closed. Even now, with our church doors open weekly, the majority of our membership still worships virtually. In a post-Covid-19 world, it matters less where you deliver your message and more about the impact of your message. So bringing the message of hope and freedom to Charlotte during a holiday celebrating freedom aligns with our mandate to be a church that reaches the world."

Both events will be held at the Knight Theater 430 S.Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28202.

The White Party will take place on July 2, 2022, at 7:00 PM and is free and open to the public. This will be a great opportunity to meet Pastor Andy Thompson and his staff. Space is limited; those who wish to attend must RSVP at https://brushfire.com/wocc .

The Pop Up Worship Service will be held on Sunday, July 3, 2022, at 10:00 AM, and doors will open at 9:00 AM.

Pastor Andy Thompson will be available for comments on Sunday from 9:30 AM until 10:15 AM.

Website: https://www.worldovercomers.church/awaygameclt

Media Contact: Marco Cortes, 619-798-8155, [email protected]

SOURCE World Overcomers Christian Church
Sulaiman Al Ali will assume the role following the departure of Farhad Khan who served as CCO of Yahsat for the past six years. Khan has been a key proponent of the expansion of the Group's YahClick business in existing and new markets.

Al Ali has been with the Yahsat Group since 2014, initially serving as a Director within the Yahsat Government Solutions area, prior to assuming the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Thuraya in 2019 and subsequently its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2021. As CEO of Thuraya, Al Ali has been instrumental in driving operational excellence and delivering new and innovative solutions to customers in a post-pandemic environment, as well as establishing a platform for strong future growth.

Al Ali's appointment aligns with Yahsat's commitment to maximizing the combined strength of its wide bench of technologies, services and capabilities to deliver greater value and innovation to its customers across the globe.

Commenting on the announcement, Ali Al Hashemi, Group CEO of Yahsat said: "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Sulaiman Al Ali as Chief Commercial Officer of Yahsat. Sulaiman's new position and expanded portfolio is reflective of his outstanding contributions across the Group and will enable us to expand and advance our customer solutions by effectively leveraging the distinct and complementary qualities offered by our fixed and mobility business and technology platforms. On behalf of myself and the leadership team, I take this opportunity to thank Farhad for his unstinting service and delivery to Yahsat and YahClick and wish him every success as he embarks upon his future endeavours."

Sulaiman Al Ali, CCO of Yahsat, added: "I am deeply honoured to have been appointed as the Chief Commercial Officer for Yahsat. I am committed to combining the collective strengths of our business to amplify the value we can deliver to our customers and partners. Yahsat is ideally placed to address the complex issues facing our customers by offering them a highly-equipped one-stop shop where they are able to fulfil their various satellite communications needs. We look forward to harnessing the innovative spirit that runs across Yahsat's commercial business to provide an unparalleled level of service to our customers."

About Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (Yahsat) is a public company listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and a subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, offering multi-mission satellite services in more than 150 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Asia and Australasia.





Yahsat's fleet of 5 satellites reaches more than 80% of the world's population, enabling critical communications including broadband, broadcasting, backhauling and mobility solutions. Based out of Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Yahsat provides C, Ku, Ka and L-band satellite communications solutions for land, maritime and aero platforms to consumers, governments and enterprises. Its businesses consist of Yahsat Government Solutions, Thuraya, YahClick (powered by Hughes) and YahLink. Yahsat also participates in Hughes do Brasil, an equity partnership with Hughes, and Yahlive, an equity partnership with SES. In 2020, Yahsat commenced construction of Thuraya 4-NGS, the next generation telecommunications system for Thuraya, which is scheduled to commence commercial operations in 2024.

For more information, visit: www.yahsat.com; Follow us on Twitter: @YahsatOfficial

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851527/Yahsat_Chief_Commercial_Officer.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851528/Yahsat_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC
VANCOUVER, BC, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The Yumy Candy Company Inc., (CSE: TYUM) ("Yumy" or the "Company") Canada's first publicly traded low sugar, plant-based confectionery company, is pleased to announce its partnership with Sungiven Foods, a top-quality large Asian conglomerate supermarket chain with more than 200 stores and over 3,000 employees worldwide. The partnership will consist of a co-branded line of Yumy Candy products, which will specifically target Sungiven Foods valued Asian clientele. Yumy will manage all aspects of the supply chain and production of the products, with Sungiven managing the distribution to their locations and sales.

Sungiven Foods launched in the North American market after achieving tremendous success in China, with over 200 locations worldwide Sungiven Foods is committed to serving Asians of all generations and all customers who love enjoying and cooking healthy Asian cuisine. They are focused on "more natural, less processed, and fewer additives" products, while advocating for local, organic, and healthy foods. Sungiven Foods offers a full range of healthy foods, with thousands of globally sourced, and affordable private-label products  including fresh fruits from around the world, and organic vegetables from Canada and Central America. In Metro Vancouver, Sungiven Foods opened nine locations with plans to expand to 20 stores in Canada, along with a simultaneous expansion into the U.S. market. Sungiven Foods has leveraged its global supply chain resources to further grow its wholesale channels and global import and export business, while actively developing an e-commerce platform. Sungiven has various white label brands, which they prioritize through their wholesale channels. Including selling their own products within Canada, as well as distributing and selling to other local markets and retailers, allowing the business to position themselves in all aspects of food industry. Sungiven also manages import/export of products between Canada and Asia.

Yumy has confirmed production capabilities to ensure volumes and quotas can be fulfilled, moving forward with global expansion objectives. "We are proud to announce our partnership with Sungiven Foods, adding another large-scale global customer we can count on contributing to the company's bottom line. Having Sungiven Foods stand behind our project in Asia gives our company a new level of credibility and helps us moving forward with our global expansion. We aim to see Yumy entering more strategic partnerships like Sungiven in the near future." States Cassidy McCord, Director of The Yumy Candy Company.

The co-branded items will consist of Yumy's signature Strawberry Kiwi, Peach and Sour Watermelon gummy bears in a 50g bag, as a custom 24-pack variety. The packaging design has been tailored to best fit the Sungiven clientele, as the stores focus many of their marketing efforts and promotions towards their in-house brands. The minimum volume commitment for the agreement is 38,880 units per quarter, with intent to increase volumes by promoting in-house brands. The partnership will consist of two phases, having the initial launch within their Canadian locations and the second phase to export to China to supply to the remainder of the Sungiven supermarkets.

THE YUMY CANDY COMPANY INC.

Erica Williams, Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (604) 449-2026 Email: [email protected]

The Yumy Candy is an affordable health-conscious low-sugar plant-based confectionery company based in Vancouver, British Columbia and it has developed a portfolio of healthier gelatine-free candies made from non-GMO ingredients with proprietary recipes. All of its products are free of gelatin, soy, gluten, nuts, dairy, eggs, sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners and genetically modified organisms.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable securities legislation. The information in this news release about future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking information. This forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time it was made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: general business, economic and social uncertainties; local and global market and economic uncertainties arising in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic; litigation, availability of key product ingredients, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; the ability to effectively expand manufacturing and production capacity; the ability to obtain retail partners to distribute Company products, the success of market initiatives and the ability to grow brand awareness; the ability to attract, maintain and expand relationships with key strategic vendors; our ability to predict consumer taste preferences; delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; the sufficiency of our cash to meet liquidity needs; those additional risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Accordingly, the forward-looking statements discussed in this release may not occur and could differ materially as a result of these known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting the Company. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Yumy Bear Goods Inc.
ENGIE Limestone Wind Project

LyondellBasell signed a PPA with ENGIE North America (ENGIE) for 100 MW of renewable electricity sourced from ENGIE's new Limestone wind project in Texas' Navarro and Limestone counties. The project is expected to commence operations late in 2022.

The 12-year agreement is estimated to generate approximately 377,000 MWh of clean power annually, equivalent to around 135,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide or the yearly electricity consumption of more than 35,000 average American homes.

"This agreement demonstrates a collaboration to create a path forward that helps address the collective global challenge of climate change," said ENGIE Chief Renewables Officer David Carroll. "We are particularly honored to work with LyondellBasell on their first PPA agreement which will deliver steady economic and environmental value in the long run for both parties."

Buckeye Files Solar Project

LyondellBasell also signed a PPA with Buckeye Partners for 116 MW of renewable electricity sourced from its Files solar project located in Hill County outside of Dallas, Texas. The solar farm is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2023.

The 10-year agreement is estimated to generate approximately 251,000 MWh of clean power annually, equivalent to around 90,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide or the yearly electricity consumption of more than 23,300 average American homes.

"Buckeye is pleased to partner with LyondellBasell on this new power purchase agreement and to support their sustainability goals," said Buckeye CEO Todd Russo. "This partnership is illustrative of our focus on providing for the increasingly diverse energy needs of our customers, including solar power."

LyondellBasell's climate-related goals support the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and the transition to a low-carbon economy. By procuring at least half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, LyondellBasell estimates the company's scope 2 greenhouse emissions will be reduced by approximately 1.5 million metric tons. LyondellBasell's renewable energy goal supports its commitment to achieve net zero scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

About LyondellBasell

As a leader in the global chemical industry, LyondellBasell strives every day to be the safest, best operated and most valued company in our industry. The company's products, materials and technologies are advancing sustainable solutions for food safety, access to clean water, healthcare and fuel efficiency in more than 100 international markets. LyondellBasell places high priority on diversity, equity and inclusion and is Advancing Good with an emphasis on our planet, the communities where we operate and our future workforce. The company takes great pride in its world-class technology and customer focus. LyondellBasell has stepped up its circularity and climate ambitions and actions to address the global challenges of plastic waste and decarbonization. In 2022, LyondellBasell was named as one of FORTUNE Magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies" for the fifth consecutive year. For more information, please visit www.lyondellbasell.com or follow @LyondellBasell on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this release relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management of LyondellBasell which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. When used in this presentation, the words "estimate," "believe," "continue," "could," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should," "will," "expect," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Actual results could differ materially based on factors including, but not limited to, the availability, cost and price volatility of utilities; our ability to meet our sustainability goals, including our ability to reduce our emissions and achieve net zero emissions by the time set in our goals; our ability to procure energy from renewable sources; and the successful construction and operation of the projects described in this release. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which can be found at www.LyondellBasell.com on the Investor Relations page and on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. There is no assurance that any of the actions, events or results of the forward-looking statements will occur, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on our results of operations or financial condition. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made and are based on the estimates and opinions of management of LyondellBasell at the time the statements are made. LyondellBasell does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change, except as required by law.

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847480/LyondellBasell_Industries_Engie_wind_project_turbines.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847481/Engie_Limestone_wind_project_LyondellBasell_Industries.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847482/LyondellBasell_Industries_Buckeye_Files_solar_project.jpg

Photo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1847483/LyondellBasell_Industries_Buckeye_Files_solar_project_panels.jpg

Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/562522/LYB_Advancing_Possible_Logo.jpg

SOURCE LyondellBasell Industries
JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- First in Indonesia, Alam Hijau Anagata (AHA) launched an eco-friendly crypto token called AHA Token. Launched in December 2021, AHA Token aims to become Indonesia's largest and most trusted contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, by supporting the development of green energy projects. AHA Token will collaborate with Indonesian relevant stakeholders to achieve the mixed energy target of containing 23% of renewable energy by 2025, in line with the government's mission.

In the early stages, the Solar PV and Carbon Trade Platform projects will be AHA Token's main focus. Now is the right momentum, considering the ongoing growth of solar roof panels ' usage in Indonesia. By August 2021, the number of Solar Power Plant ( PLTS ) users had reached 4,133, almost double from 2,346 customers in the previous year. The Indonesian Solar Energy Association ( ISEA ) estimates that PV mini-grid capacity could reach 1,000 MW next year and rise between 3,000 MW and 5,000 MW per year starting in 2025, so the impact on reducing tons of CO2 emission is huge.

AHA Token Contribution to Environmental Contribution

AHA's take on the green investment concept is expected to make waves, especially since the public has towering concern over deteriorating environmental conditions. Unlike other tokens that are mined with high energy consumption, AHA Token relies on a decentralized yield-generation utility eco-token system based on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) technology, thus providing safe and profitable transactions for all investors. This token is also the first in Indonesia to provide staking and dividends as a return on investment for all active holders.

"AHA Token's utilization is divided into three main functions, namely investment, transaction, and donation. We want to embrace people who share our green mindset and want to contribute to reducing global carbon emissions. AHA Token serves as a reward for their actions. Not only positioning it as a crypto, we also plan to launch gamification in the AHA ecosystem that supports tree-planting programs across Indonesia," said Aswin Regawa, CEO of AHA Token.

AHA Token is committed to bolstering Indonesia's transition into green energy and contributing to projects related to green energy in the country, such as water and air treatment, carbon trading , as well as other projects with unique business value. Furthermore, AHA Token will also promote various global green projects with sustainable economic value in the future, starting from Indonesia.

To achieve this vision, AHA Token has started carrying out reforestation and environmental preservation efforts. They started with the planting of mangroves in Serangan in February 2022, 1,000 mangroves in Buleleng in March 2022, and 1,200 mangroves at Telaga Waja Beach, Tanjung Benoa, in April 2022. This series of activities aims to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining life and earth sustainability.

For investors, AHA Token has appealing advantages, one of which is that the token has been linked to USDT, for a more efficient distribution process, as well as a more stable price. In addition, the process of buying and selling tokens is also safer, easier and confidential, because it is connected to a decentralized system. The AHA Token has now entered the Pre-Sale stage.

About AHA Token

AHA Token is an eco-friendly token issued by Anagata Green Nature. First launched in December 2021, AHA Token's vision is to become Indonesia's largest and most trusted contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, by supporting the development of green energy projects, both at home and abroad. AHA Token uses a decentralized yield-generation utility eco-token system based on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) technology, thus providing transactions that are more secure and environmentally friendly. Learn more here ! You can also join Telegram and AHA Token Instagram to get more information about green lifestyle!

SOURCE Token AHA
The animal disinfectant market report is segmented by Type (liquid animal disinfectant and powdered animal disinfectant) and Geography (Europe, North America, Asia, and ROW).

Revenue generating segment : The animal disinfectant market share growth in the Liquid animal disinfectant segment will be significant for revenue generation. Liquid animal disinfectants are offered with the premixed dilution of concentrates (active ingredients) in the solvent (usually water). These products have higher adoption among end-users owing to their wide range of applications, including foot dips, footbaths, aerial disinfection, foam-based sprays, and water-system disinfection.

: The animal disinfectant market share growth in the Liquid animal disinfectant segment will be significant for revenue generation. Liquid animal disinfectants are offered with the premixed dilution of concentrates (active ingredients) in the solvent (usually water). These products have higher adoption among end-users owing to their wide range of applications, including foot dips, footbaths, aerial disinfection, foam-based sprays, and water-system disinfection. For additional insights into the contribution of all the segments - Grab a sample report

Animal Disinfectant Market: Key Market Dynamics

Major Driver:

An increasing prevalence of infectious diseases in animals is one of the key factors driving the growth of the global animal disinfectant market.

The increasing prevalence of infectious diseases such as avian influenza, African swine fever, brucellosis, East Coast fever, African animal trypanosomiasis, Newcastle disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), and FMD has become a major concern among livestock farmers and governments across the globe.

These diseases severely impact the livestock population by spreading like an epidemic with a high mortality rate. Moreover, a significant number of human diseases are zoonotic in origin and spread due to the direct or indirect contact of humans with the saliva, urine, blood, feces, mucous, or other body fluids of an infected animal.

Advanced disinfectants have broad germicidal capabilities to remove such pathogens. Thus, to prevent infectious outbreaks, cleaning and disinfection processes using animal disinfectant products are gaining widespread adoption among animal care and animal breeding premises, which is driving the growth of the global animal disinfectant market

Major Challenges:

The stringent registration procedure is a major challenge for the global animal disinfectant market growth. Vendors manufacturing animal disinfectants operate in a highly regulated environment.

Vendors manufacturing animal disinfectants operate in a highly regulated environment. A significant share of capital is invested by vendors in product R&D. However, as animal disinfectants involve the use of toxic chemicals, new formulations are subjected to strict testing trials and registration procedures for ensuring their safety. Failure in the performance and optimum safety standards may expose the products to the risk of rejection and discontinuation, thus causing significant financial loss to vendors.

Furthermore, FIFRA mandates the disclosure and labeling of proper directions and safety precautions on the product. In addition to federal regulations, the US also has the presence of individual state-defined regulations. However, the disinfectant products that comply with these regulations can be commercialized in the EU countries.

Similarly, in China , disinfectants are required to comply with the requirements of the Chinese Disinfectant Regulation. Vendors operating internationally often find it difficult to comply with the stringent and varying regulations across regions, which hampers their operational efficiencies and refrains the growth of the global animal disinfectant market.

For additional details on the key drivers, trends, and challenges -. Request a Sample Report right now!

Animal Disinfectant Market: Vendor Analysis

The animal disinfectant market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market.

CID LINES NV

Diversey Inc.

Evans Vanodine International Plc

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

KERSIA GROUP

LANXESS AG

Neogen Corp.

Sanosil Ltd.

Virox Technologies Inc.

Zoetis Inc.

To gain access to more vendor profiles with their key offerings available with Technavio, Click Here

Get ready to achieve excellent business outcomes from this exclusive Animal Disinfectant Market report by Technavio. The report will include highlights of the overall market which includes frequently asked questions such as -

What are historical revenue figures and estimated revenue figures as well as CAGR during the forecast timeframe?

What is the current trend taking place in the market space?

Which are business tactics that will influence competitive scenarios along with defining the growth potential of the market?

What are market drivers, restraints, and challenges impacting demand & growth of the market?

Which regions & segments will garner massive revenue and emerge as market leaders in upcoming years?

The competitive scenario provided in the Animal Disinfectant Market report analyzes, evaluates, and positions companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered for this analysis include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.Don't wait, Make a strategic approach & boost your business goals with our Animal Disinfectant Market Forecast Report - Buy Now!

Related Reports:

The animal healthcare market share is expected to increase by USD 7.98 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 4.1%.

share is expected to increase by USD 7.98 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 4.1%. The vaccine research market share is expected to increase to USD 13.34 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 8.36%

Animal Disinfectant Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.75% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 1.17 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.50 Performing market contribution Asia at 42% Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled CID LINES NV, Diversey Inc., Evans Vanodine International Plc, GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, KERSIA GROUP, LANXESS AG, Neogen Corp., Sanosil Ltd., Virox Technologies Inc., and Zoetis Inc. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 01: Parent market



Exhibit 02: Market characteristics

2.2 Value chain analysis

Exhibit 03: Value chain analysis: Life sciences tools and services

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 04: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 05: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2020

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 07: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2020 - 2025 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 08: Five forces analysis 2020 & 2025

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 09: Bargaining power of buyers

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 11: Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 12: Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 13: Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 14: Market condition - Five forces 2020

5 Market Segmentation by Type

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 15: Type - Market share 2020-2025 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 16: Comparison by Type

5.3 Liquid animal disinfectant - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 17: Liquid animal disinfectant - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 18: Liquid animal disinfectant - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.4 Powdered animal disinfectant - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 19: Powdered animal disinfectant - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 20: Powdered animal disinfectant - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 21: Market opportunity by Type

6 Customer landscape

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 23: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 24: Geographic comparison

7.3 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 25: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 26: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 27: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 28: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 29: Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 30: Asia - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.6 ROW - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 31: ROW - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 32: ROW - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

7.7 Key leading countries

Exhibit 33: Key leading countries

7.8 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 34: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

Exhibit 35: Impact of drivers and challenges

8.3 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 36: Vendor landscape

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 37: Landscape disruption



Exhibit 38: Industry risks

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 39: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 40: Market positioning of vendors

10.3 CID LINES NV

Exhibit 41: CID LINES NV - Overview



Exhibit 42: CID LINES NV - Product and service



Exhibit 43: CID LINES NV - Key offerings

10.4 Diversey Inc.

Exhibit 44: Diversey Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 45: Diversey Inc. - Product and service



Exhibit 46: Diversey Inc. - Key offerings

10.5 Evans Vanodine International Plc

10.6 GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

Exhibit 51: GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft - Overview



Exhibit 52: GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft - Business segments



Exhibit 53: GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft - Key news



Exhibit 54: GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft - Key offerings



Exhibit 55: GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft - Segment focus

10.7 KERSIA GROUP

Exhibit 56: KERSIA GROUP - Overview



Exhibit 57: KERSIA GROUP - Product and service



Exhibit 58: KERSIA GROUP - Key news



Exhibit 59: KERSIA GROUP - Key offerings

10.8 LANXESS AG

Exhibit 60: LANXESS AG - Overview

- Overview

Exhibit 61: LANXESS AG - Business segments

- Business segments

Exhibit 62: LANXESS AG - Key news

- Key news

Exhibit 63: LANXESS AG - Key offerings

- Key offerings

Exhibit 64: LANXESS AG - Segment focus

10.9 Neogen Corp.

Exhibit 65: Neogen Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 66: Neogen Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 67: Neogen Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 68: Neogen Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 69: Neogen Corp. - Segment focus

10.10 Sanosil Ltd.

Exhibit 70: Sanosil Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 71: Sanosil Ltd. - Product and service



Exhibit 72: Sanosil Ltd. - Key offerings

10.11 Virox Technologies Inc.

Exhibit 73: Virox Technologies Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 74: Virox Technologies Inc. - Product and service



Exhibit 75: Virox Technologies Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 76: Virox Technologies Inc. - Key offerings

10.12 Zoetis Inc.

Exhibit 77: Zoetis Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 78: Zoetis Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 79: Zoetis Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 80: Zoetis Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 81: Zoetis Inc. - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 82: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.3 Research methodology

Exhibit 83: Research Methodology



Exhibit 84: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 85: Information sources

11.4 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 86: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

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SOURCE Technavio
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Aerospace States Association (ASA) is proud to honor Apollo 17 Astronaut and former U.S. Senator Harrison Schmitt with the 2022 Thomas R. Hobson Distinguished Aerospace Service Award. This recognition is given to someone who demonstrates exemplary character along with a genuine passion for advancing the aerospace industry. The awards namesake, Thomas R. Hobson, was a lifelong ASA member who was instrumental in creating relationships among the aerospace and defense industries at the local, state and national levels.

"Mr. Hobson used his years of experience and incredible wisdom to help ASA approach tough challenges and create innovative and effective solutions. This award is an important way for us to carry on his legacy and remember him as a mentor and trusted counselor. Mr. Schmitt is the perfect person to carry on this honor," said Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth of Alabama, National Chairman of the ASA.

Schmitt was a member of the first group of NASA scientist-astronauts and the only geologist in the astronaut corps when he landed on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission. He went on to represent New Mexico in the United States Senate, and served as chairman of the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee of the United States Committee on Commerce. He's now a full time consultant in business, geology, space and public policy and serves as an adjunct professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Schmitt has been a long proponent of lunar resource utilization and is a former chair of the NASA Advisory Council.

"Mr. Schmitt's resume speaks for itself. He has been a lifelong and tireless advocate of the aerospace industry and its importance to our country. We are proud to have him accept this award," said Lt. Governor Kevin Meyer of Alaska, incoming Vice Chair of the ASA.

Schmitt was presented with the honor at this week's ASA Annual Meeting and State Aerospace Policy Summit in Girdwood, Alaska.

Past recipients of the Thomas R. Hobson Distinguished Aerospace Service Award include Wally Funk, Aviator and Commercial Astronaut, Charles Huettner, former Executive Director of the ASA, and Buzz Aldrin, Ph.D., former NASA Gemini and Apollo 11 Astronaut. For more information visit aerostates.org/thomas-r-hobson.

About the Aerospace States Association

The Aerospace States Association (ASA) is a non-partisan 501c (3) organization comprised of Lieutenant Governors, Governor appointed delegates, state legislators, territorial and tribal government representatives and associate members from aerospace organizations and academia working to advance aerospace and aviation in member states and throughout the nation. ASA is the only aerospace advocacy organization promoting State based perspectives in federal aerospace & aviation policy development. Visit www.aerostates.org for more information on the Aerospace States Association.

SOURCE The Aerospace States Association
The automotive catalyst market report is segmented by Product (palladium, platinum, rhodium, and others), Application (light-duty vehicle and heavy-duty vehicle), and Geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, MEA, APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and MEA).

Revenue Generating Segment: The automotive catalyst market share growth in the palladium segment will be significant for revenue generation. The increasing demand for gasoline-powered vehicles in India , China , and other developing countries will drive the demand for palladium catalysts during the forecast period. In China, the widespread use of light-duty gasoline vehicles will drive the demand for palladium catalysts, as palladium catalysts are more cost-effective than other catalysts.

Grab a sample report for additional insights into the contribution of all the segments

Automotive Catalyst Market: Key Market Dynamics

Market Driver - Increasing vehicle production is one of the key factors driving the growth of the global automotive catalyst market . The global automotive industry will register a moderate growth rate during the forecast period. The demand for automotive catalysts has increased as they convert pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, into harmless gases before releasing them into the environment. Platinum, palladium, and rhodium are the major automotive catalysts. Globally, increasing vehicle production will drive the demand for automotive catalysts during the forecast period. Moreover, the global automotive market is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period. Stringent regulations on controlling nitrogen oxide emissions in Europe and North America have a positive influence on the market. The US EPA's Ozone Transport Region (OTR) NOx Cap and Allowance Trading Program regulates nitrogen oxide emissions.





. The global automotive industry will register a moderate growth rate during the forecast period. The demand for automotive catalysts has increased as they convert pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, into harmless gases before releasing them into the environment. Platinum, palladium, and rhodium are the major automotive catalysts. Globally, increasing vehicle production will drive the demand for automotive catalysts during the forecast period. Moreover, the global automotive market is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period. Stringent regulations on controlling nitrogen oxide emissions in and have a positive influence on the market. The US EPA's Ozone Transport Region (OTR) NOx Cap and Allowance Trading Program regulates nitrogen oxide emissions. Market Challenges - The fluctuation in raw material prices is a major challenge for global automotive catalyst market growth. Prices of metals are subject to fluctuations. South Africa is the major revenue contributor to the global platinum group metal (PGM) market, and the value of the rand compared to the US dollar exchange plays an important role in the dynamics of the market. An increase in the value of the rand will affect operations and production costs, thereby reducing the profit margins of vendors. Moreover, labor strikes in South Africa -based mining companies resulted in the South African rand falling against the US dollar and UK pound in March 2015 . Approximately 70% of the palladium supply is concentrated in Russia and South Africa . As a result, suppliers have control over prices. Prices of palladium, an industry-driven metal, had increased due to the lower output of the miners. The rise in palladium prices is mostly due to reduced platinum production in South Africa , and global economic factors will lead to a price hike during the forecast period. These prices are expected to fluctuate during the forecast period.

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Automotive Catalyst Market: Vendor Analysis

The automotive catalyst market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as automotive catalysts with integrated downstream capacities to compete in the market.

BASF SE



CDTi Advanced Materials Inc.



Clariant International Ltd.



Corning Inc.



Cummins Inc.



Ibiden Co. Ltd.



Johnson Matthey Plc



Royal Dutch Shell Plc



Solvay SA



Umicore

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Get ready to achieve excellent business outcomes from this exclusive Automotive Catalyst Market report by Technavio. The report will include highlights of the overall market which includes frequently asked questions such as -

What are historical revenue figures and estimated revenue figures as well as CAGR during the forecast timeframe?

What is the current trend taking place in the market space?

Which are business tactics that will influence competitive scenarios along with defining the growth potential of the market?

What are market drivers, restraints, and challenges impacting demand & growth of the market?

Which regions & segments will garner massive revenue and emerge as market leaders in upcoming years?

The competitive scenario provided in the Automotive Catalyst Market report analyzes, evaluates, and positions companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered for this analysis include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc. Don't wait, Make a strategic approach & boost your business goals with our Automotive Catalyst Market Forecast Report - Buy Now!

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Automotive Catalyst Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of over 2.39% Market growth 2021-2025 USD 1.70 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 1.01 Performing market contribution APAC at 63% Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled BASF SE, CDTi Advanced Materials Inc., Clariant International Ltd., Corning Inc., Cummins Inc., Ibiden Co. Ltd., Johnson Matthey Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Solvay SA, and Umicore Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 01: Parent market



Exhibit 02: Market characteristics

2.2 Value chain analysis

Exhibit 03: Value chain analysis: Automotive components and accessories market

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 04: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 05: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2020

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Exhibit 06: Global - Market size and forecast 2020 - 2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 07: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2020 - 2025 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 08: Five forces analysis 2020 & 2025

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 09: Bargaining power of buyers

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 10: Bargaining power of suppliers

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 11: Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 12: Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 13: Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 14: Market condition - Five forces 2020

5 Market Segmentation by Product

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 15: Product - Market share 2020-2025 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 16: Comparison by Product

5.3 Palladium - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 17: Palladium - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 18: Palladium - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.4 Platinum - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 19: Platinum - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 20: Platinum - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.5 Rhodium - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 21: Rhodium - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 22: Rhodium - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 23: Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 24: Others - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

5.7 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 25: Market opportunity by Product

6 Market Segmentation by Application

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 26: Application - Market share 2020-2025 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 27: Comparison by Application

6.3 Light-duty vehicle - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 28: Light-duty vehicle - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Light-duty vehicle - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

6.4 Heavy-duty vehicle - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 30: Heavy-duty vehicle - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 31: Heavy-duty vehicle - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 32: Market opportunity by Application

7 Customer landscape

8 Geographic Landscape

8.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 34: Market share by geography 2020-2025 (%)

8.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 35: Geographic comparison

8.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 36: APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: APAC - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

8.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 38: Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 39: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

8.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 40: North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 41: North America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

8.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Exhibit 42: South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)

Exhibit 43: South America - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

8.7 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Exhibit 44: MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ($ million)



Exhibit 45: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2020-2025 (%)

8.8 Key leading countries

Exhibit 46: Key leading countries

8.9 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 47: Market opportunity by geography

9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

9.1 Market drivers

9.2 Market challenges

Exhibit 48: Impact of drivers and challenges

9.3 Market trends

10 Vendor Landscape

10.1 Overview

10.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 49: Vendor landscape

10.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 50: Landscape disruption



Exhibit 51: Industry risks

11 Vendor Analysis

11.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 52: Vendors covered

11.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 53: Market positioning of vendors

11.3 BASF SE

Exhibit 54: BASF SE - Overview



Exhibit 55: BASF SE - Business segments



Exhibit 56: BASF SE - Key offerings



Exhibit 57: BASF SE - Segment focus

11.4 CDTi Advanced Materials Inc.

Exhibit 58: CDTi Advanced Materials Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 59: CDTi Advanced Materials Inc. - Product and service



Exhibit 60: CDTi Advanced Materials Inc. - Key offerings

11.5 Clariant International Ltd.

Exhibit 61: Clariant International Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 62: Clariant International Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 63: Clariant International Ltd.  Key news



Exhibit 64: Clariant International Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 65: Clariant International Ltd. - Segment focus

11.6 Corning Inc.

Exhibit 66: Corning Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 67: Corning Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 68: Corning Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 69: Corning Inc. - Segment focus

11.7 Cummins Inc.

Exhibit 70: Cummins Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 71: Cummins Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 72: Cummins Inc.  Key news



Exhibit 73: Cummins Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 74: Cummins Inc. - Segment focus

11.8 Ibiden Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 75: Ibiden Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 76: Ibiden Co. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 77: Ibiden Co. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 78: Ibiden Co. Ltd. - Segment focus

11.9 Johnson Matthey Plc

Exhibit 79: Johnson Matthey Plc - Overview



Exhibit 80: Johnson Matthey Plc - Business segments



Exhibit 81: Johnson Matthey Plc  Key news



Exhibit 82: Johnson Matthey Plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 83: Johnson Matthey Plc - Segment focus

11.10 Royal Dutch Shell Plc

Exhibit 84: Royal Dutch Shell Plc - Overview



Exhibit 85: Royal Dutch Shell Plc - Business segments



Exhibit 86: Royal Dutch Shell Plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 87: Royal Dutch Shell Plc - Segment focus

11.11 Solvay SA

Exhibit 88: Solvay SA - Overview



Exhibit 89: Solvay SA - Business segments



Exhibit 90: Solvay SA  Key news



Exhibit 91: Solvay SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 92: Solvay SA - Segment focus

11.12 Umicore

Exhibit 93: Umicore - Overview



Exhibit 94: Umicore - Product and service



Exhibit 95: Umicore - Key offerings



Exhibit 96: Umicore  Key news



Exhibit 97: Umicore - Segment focus

12 Appendix

12.1 Scope of the report

12.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 98: Currency conversion rates for US$

12.3 Research methodology

Exhibit 99: Research Methodology



Exhibit 100: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 101: Information sources

12.4 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 102: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
Request a Free Sample Report to Know More

Leading global suppliers can assist buyers in realizing high-cost savings through their efforts on areas such as forward integration, reducing total ownership cost, manage ad hoc spend, negotiate on pricing and contractual terms, conference participation, managing labor price volatility, level of automation, quality management, and reduction in ad-hoc spend. Collaborations with global suppliers will also help buyers in cost-saving and ensure high-quality procurement in the dynamic market.

Automotive Gears Market in India: Key Price Trends

The pressure from substitutes and a high level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the moderate bargaining power of suppliers. This makes it extremely important to get the pricing and pricing model right. Buyers should align their preferred pricing models for Automotive Gears with the wider industry and identify the cost-saving potential.

Per-user licensing pricing, subscription-based pricing, and single-license plus service fee pricing are the most widely adopted pricing models in Automotive Gears. Each pricing model offers optimum benefits and fitment in specific situations. Buyers should identify the model that suits their operations in the best manner and link supplier performance to the pricing models.

The report also offers information on the upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth.

www.spendedge.com/report/automotive-gears-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Insights Offered in this Automotive Gears Market Report

Top Automotive Gears suppliers and their cost structures

Top Automotive Gears suppliers in the US and their cost structures

Automotive Gears market spend analysis in the US

Automotive Gears price trends, and forecasts

Cost drivers influencing the Automotive Gears prices

Some of the Top Automotive Gears suppliers listed in this report:

This Automotive Gears procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

ZF Friedrichshafen

Magna International

Continental

Know More About Major Automotive Gears Suppliers

Regional Analysis

Further breakdown of the market segmentation at requested regions.

Market Player Information

Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players, vendor segmentation, and vendor offerings.

Know the strategies adopted by vendors during the COVID-19 Recovery Phase.

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To access the definite purchasing guide on the Automotive Gears that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis:

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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

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SpendEdge

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SOURCE SpendEdge
KREFELD, Germany and ZURICH, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiss Battery Technology pioneer Battrion AG together with its partner Jagenberg Converting Solution GmbH have demonstrated the Aligned Graphite Technology at industrial speeds. This important milestone validates Battrion's technology for mass scale production.

In March of this year, Swiss battery technology provider Battrion AG and Jagenberg Group with its sub-entity Jagenberg Converting Solutions GmbH communicated their partnership to bring the Aligned Graphite Technology to mass market. Today, the two companies have announced that they have successfully demonstrated the Aligned Graphite Technology on a large-scale coating line with speeds up to 100m/min. This achievement marks an important milestone in Jagenberg's and Battrion's collaboration, as it validates the feasibility of the technology for mass scale anode production.

Achieving this breakthrough comes at a crucial time. With raw material prices surging, cell manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce costs, all while expanding their production capacity and further improving battery performance. With the Aligned Graphite Technology cell manufacturers are now given a new powerful lever to address these issues, resulting in more flexibility in the cost vs. performance tradeoff. Negative electrodes can be made thicker without adversely impacting charging rate or can be charged faster at the same energy-density, safety, and lifetime.

Jagenberg is proud to announce that its coating line product portfolio is now fully compatible for use with Battrion's technology. The Aligned Graphite technology can be used by either implementing a new pilot or full production line (GWh-scale), or by retrofitting existing battery manufacturing lines.

About Battrion AG:

Battrion is an ETH Zurich spin-off founded in 2015. Battrion operates a research lab and production facility in Dubendorf, Switzerland, where it develops its Aligned Graphite technology, a fabrication technology for lithium-ion batteries that improve the microstructure of negative electrodes. The technology significantly increases the charge- and discharge performance of lithium-ion batteries and is particularly suited for EV and high-power applications. The technology is compatible with mixed silicon/graphite materials. Battrion offers its Aligned Graphite technology on a license basis. More information can be found at: http://www.battrion.com

About Jagenberg AG:

Jagenberg AG, part of the Kleinewefers Group and headquartered in Krefeld, Germany, is a strategic management holding company that currently employs around 1,300 people in its 23 operating affiliates in the Industrial Solutions sector in Europe, Asia, and the USA. The Jagenberg Group is focused on the Industrial Solutions division, whose core business areas relate to machines and systems, automation and control technology, and digital solutions for processing web-shaped materials such as films or paper.

www.jagenberg.com

About Jagenberg Converting Solutions GmbH:

Within the Jagenberg Group, Jagenberg Converting Solutions GmbH offers turnkey solutions from a single source as a reliable, competent, and innovative partner. The company bundles the competencies and many years of experience of more than 500 employees from companies in the Jagenberg Group and supplements these with solutions from strategic partners depending on the requirements. The focus of business activities is on the supply of services required for the finishing of sophisticated web-shaped materials for battery and decorative applications.

www.jagenberg-converting.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1534278/Battrion_Logo.jpg

Press contact Battrion AG:

Dr. Max Kory

Phone +41 (0) 44 585 1420

[email protected]

Press contact Jagenberg Group:

Silke Loser

Marketing and Communications

Kleineweferstrasse 1, 47803 Krefeld

Tel. +49 (0) 2151 93 40 99-81

[email protected]

SOURCE Battrion
BEIJING, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- John Lee, the new leader of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), started his new day by launching his Weibo account on Friday, which marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

"Sunrise, the beginning of a fresh day, makes people feel full of vigor," Lee wrote in his first posting, adding that he will share his work and life under his new mission on the Chinese twitter-like social media platform.

"Let's join hands and write a new chapter for Hong Kong," he wrote.

Lee was just sworn in as the sixth-term chief executive of the HKSAR. Chinese President Xi Jinping administered oath of office to the new leader at the inaugural ceremony held on Friday morning.

Patriots administering Hong Kong

The 64-year-old former security chief was elected as the new HKSAR chief executive under the newly improved electoral system with the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong."

Lee oversaw the introduction of the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR in June 2020, which came after the global financial hub was gripped by prolonged social disturbances in 2019, with violent activities seen ranging from hurling petrol bombs to attacking police and trashing shops.

Thanks to the enforcement of the law, Hong Kong residents have been freed from the fear of violence and regained their peaceful life, and the city has restored order and economic vitality.

Noting such progress in his speech on Friday, President Xi emphasized again the implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong."

To keep the power to administer the HKSAR firmly in the hands of patriots is essential for safeguarding the long-term stability and security of the city, he said, adding "at no time should this principle be allowed to be compromised."

Ever since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has enjoyed true democracy, with the overall jurisdiction by the central authorities and a high degree of autonomy in the SAR, he said.

The democratic system of the HKSAR, which conforms to the "One Country, Two Systems" policy and Hong Kong's constitutional status, is conducive to safeguarding the democratic rights of Hong Kong residents and maintaining prosperity and stability in the city, he noted.

Irreplaceable contributions to China's economic miracle

The Chinese President also hailed the irreplaceable contributions made by Hong Kong to the miracle of China's long-term, steady and rapid economic development since its return in 1997.

Hong Kong has been a trend-setter in China's reform and opening up, and acted as an important bridge and window connecting the Chinese mainland with other parts of the world, he said.

It has actively integrated into the country's overall development and aligned with the national development strategies, and continued to maintain the strengths of being highly free and open and compatible with international rules, he said.

The region has also weathered all kinds of challenges and forged forward steadily, he said, adding that none of the challenges, be it the international financial crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic, has stopped Hong Kong's steps forward.

Over the past 25 years, Hong Kong has enjoyed robust economic growth and maintained its solid status as a global financial, shipping and trade center. It has witnessed a rapidly-growing innovative technology sector and created a world-class business environment.

Moreover, Hong Kong's pre-existing laws have been preserved and developed, with across-the-board progress seen in various aspects of the society. The vitality of the cosmopolitan city has amazed the world.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-07-01/Hong-Kong-to-start-a-new-chapter-after-25-years-of-prosperity-1bjpwWDg5YQ/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
BEIJING, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "Young people in Hong Kong can't be confined to Hong Kong. We'd better have a whole picture of our motherland," said Tsang Yi, a young entrepreneur from Hong Kong.

Yi, who founded a hackerspace company in southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, told CGTN that he hopes to inspire more Hong Kong youths to purse their career in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), saying "this is the best time for young people from Hong Kong to integrate into national development and to realize their value in life."

With the local job market under great pressure amid the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more Hong Kong youngsters have turned to cities in the GBA to realize their dreams.

Under the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme introduced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government last year, nearly 1,100 graduates in Hong Kong have been hired by over 400 enterprises in the GBA.

Over the years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly demonstrated his concern for the well-being of the over seven million Hong Kong residents, with the growth of Hong Kong youths pulling at his heartstrings.

"When the young people thrive, Hong Kong thrives. When the young people grow, Hong Kong grows. When there is a future for the young people, there is a future for Hong Kong," Xi noted at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Calling for creating more opportunities for young people in Hong Kong to grow and shine, Xi said efforts should be made to help them overcome difficulties, gain a keen appreciation of the underlying trend in both the country and the world, and heighten their sense of national pride.

Embracing opportunities in the GBA

The latest survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups shows that 64 percent of respondents are willing to join Greater Bay Area-based work experience programs or internships.

The most attractive factors to these youths are career prospects, market size, social networking and training opportunities, the percentage of which stood at 84.1 percent, 84 percent, 70.7 percent and 70.4 percent respectively.

Promoting the development of the GBA has been an important part of Xi's vision for the HKSAR, which is hailed as the best entry point for Hong Kong to integrate itself into the country's overall development.

The GBA is comprised of the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and nine cities in neighboring Guangdong Province. The total area is around 56,000 square kilometers, and covers around 6 percent of the Chinese population.

"The Greater Bay Area spans three customs territories in one country that operate under two different social systems with three different currencies. This is unprecedented in the world," the Chinese president has said.

Gross domestic product (GDP) of the GBA hit 12.6 trillion yuan ($1.97 trillion) last year, 2.4 trillion yuan more than in 2017. With less than 1 percent of the country's land mass, the GBA created 12 percent of the national GDP.

Consolidating HK's unique status

China released its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) last year, the blueprint and action agenda for the social and economic development of the country in the next five years and Hong Kong's economic and social development are also highlighted in the plan.

The 14th Five-Year Plan continues to support Hong Kong's attempts to enhance its status as an international financial, transportation and trade center; strengthen its status as a global offshore Renminbi business hub, an international asset management center and a risk management center.

Xi on Friday reiterated the Central Government's full support for Hong Kong in maintaining its unique status on a long-term basis and called on the new HKSAR government to live up to people's expectations and give top priority to meeting the aspirations of the whole community.

"Hong Kong's fundamental interests are consistent with the fundamental interests of the country, and the heart of the Central Government and the heart of our Hong Kong compatriots always beat together," he added.

Since it returned to China in 1997, Hong Kong, under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle with a high degree of autonomy, has further consolidated its status as a leading international financial and global trading center. It has been consistently rated by global institutions as one of the freest and the most competitive economies with a world-class business environment.

Wrapping up his speech on Friday, Xi expressed the conviction that with the strong support of the motherland and the solid implementation of "One Country, Two Systems," Hong Kong will achieve even greater accomplishments.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-07-01/Hong-Kong-youths-embrace-brighter-future-with-national-development-1bjfAEDSJkQ/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
Chocolate Works to continue operating Moonstruck Chocolate Co. out of the brand's

East Portland facility

FREEPORT, N.Y., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CHOCOLATE WORKS ACQUIRES MOONSTRUCK CHOCOLATE

Chocolate Works, Freeport NY has acquired substantially all of the assets of Moonstruck Chocolate LLC, Portland OR for an undisclosed amount.

Chocolate Works is a fast-growing SQF II manufacturer of branded and private label specialty chocolates and confections. Having a reputation of being nimble, with attention to the highest quality and on time delivery, Chocolate Works has become one of the industry's largest drop ship manufacturers to many household name brands with broad, rapidly expanding capabilities supporting national retailers. "To satisfy our current demand, and in order to capture the many opportunities in front of us, this acquisition will not only add to further our capabilities, but also will give us a West Coast presence to better serve our customers," according to Founder and CEO, Joe Whaley.

Moonstruck Chocolate is a beloved, family-owned Oregon based brand, known for producing premium chocolates, that was featured in O magazine as one of "Oprah's favorite things." With lifetime sales of over $50 million, Moonstruck has built a solid foundation with a dedicated customer base that Chocolate Works can build upon into the future.

"Leading Moonstruck has been the highlight of my professional career," said Sneddon, CEO and owner of the company. "I am so grateful to our amazing staff and loyal customers who have supported us all these years. We look forward to watching the brand's growth and transformation under Chocolate Works as the brand expands from a regional favorite to the national stage."

Chocolate Works was advised by Keith Yonkers of 41 North LLC who specializes in food, beverage and consumer product investment banking. The transaction was closed in June 2022. Chocolate Works will be ready to service all current customers without interruption as they integrate. For any inquiries, please contact Chocolate Works at 516-868-8070 or [email protected]

SOURCE Chocolate Works
Premier Home Moving, Office Moving and Junk Removal Franchise Looks to Build Namesake with Help from Student Athletes

MIAMI, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- It was a little over a year ago today that collegiate athletes won one of the hardest-fought legal victories in NCAA history when it was ruled that they could now make money from their names, images, and likenesses (NIL). With roots planted firmly in the college landscape, College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, the nation's leading franchise brand for moving and junk removal services, has been quick to capitalize on the new law. Now, in a move to expand one franchise locations presence in the NIL space, College Hunks 305 of Miami is announcing a commitment of $1 million over the course of the next five years to securing additional NIL deals with prominent student athletes in the area.

College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving made history as the first brand in the country to begin utilizing the promotional power of NIL deals following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn longstanding NCAA regulations barring them. And for Ahmmon Richards, the Owner of College Hunks 305 and a former wide receiver for the University of Miami, it's the brand awareness and name recognition that stems from such partnerships that's fueling his company's intent to bring even more athletes and collegiate teams into the College Hunks fold through this investment.

Richards has played a key role in promoting and furthering the success that the College Hunks franchise has witnessed through continued NIL arrangements. Having seen his team and general operations, as well as his public prowess in the community, grow as a result of the agreements he has signed with college athletes in his area, he's become a staunch advocate of the opportunities they make available to athletes and business alike.

"The timing of the NIL era has coincided perfectly with the establishment of our base of operations here in Miami," said Richards. "It's functioned as an incredibly effective method of building out our staff and developing strengthened community ties with the families and individuals who can benefit from our services most."

The motivating force behind the company's involvement in NIL agreements  which is still a relatively new mode of marketing  is to expand the footprint of College Hunks 305 in the Miami community. This is accomplished by means of educating the general public on what the College Hunks concept and culture are all about. Who better to convey that message than some actual 'college hunks?'

"Our target clients are residential homeowners, property managers and real estate agents," said Omar Soliman, Co-Founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving. "Those clients tend to have a strong affinity towards supporting students-athletes, making NIL the perfect platform to promote our brand and services to the local community."

For more information about College HUNKS services and franchise opportunities, please visit collegehunkshaulingjunk.com.

ABOUT COLLEGE HUNKS HAULING JUNK AND MOVING:

College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving was originally founded by two college buddies with a beat-up cargo van. Now, the brand boasts more than 200 franchise destinations providing full-service, tech-enabled, residential and commercial moving, junk removal, donation pickups and labor services in the United States and Canada, generating $300+ million in yearly revenue. H.U.N.K.S., which stands for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable, Service, is a socially-conscious, values-based organization and has a national partnership with U.S. Hunger, which strives to end childhood hunger. The company strives to become recognized as an iconic brand, renowned for its world-class company culture and service, while also providing a viable employment and franchise opportunity for individuals to pursue personal and professional fulfillment.

Media Contact:

Conner Gossel

[email protected]

SOURCE College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving
VPD Sgt. John Vaughan (Ret'd) and 12/26/75 Tony Reid (Genius Book Publishing Author) Present the Evidence

VISALIA, Calif., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "Word for wordfor the world to read"

Visalia Heritage presents part two of "Inside the Visalia Ransacker Investigation," a panel discussion featuring former VPD Sgt. John Vaughan (Ret'd) and P.I./Attorney Tony Reid, author of the new book "12/26/75 (Twelve Twenty-Six Seventy-Five)," (Published by Genius Book Publishing, Milwaukee, Wisconsin).

Invitation Flyer for Inside the Visalia Ransacker Investigation Pt. 2 panel at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA Visalia Heritage Foundation

The title "12/26/75" refers to the date of the Exeter homicide of Donna Jo RichmondDecember 26, 1975. This groundbreaking, 448-page true crime book (available in paperback and ebook formats) provides an in-depth look inside the investigation: re-examining the original police reports, transcripts, and defense files. Despite maintaining his absolute innocence, Oscar Clifton was convicted and given the death sentence. In 2015, Mr. Reid began a new effort to examine the facts. Turning first to the original investigators, and then to the public for assistance, he created a podcast with the same title. The book adaptation reveals recent information, other possible crimes, and highlights the errors discovered in the recent integrity review.

The book also specifies the exact reasons why Clifton was wrongfully convicted and what evidence remains for DeAngelo as a suspect in the Richmond murder. The shocking details of exculpatory evidence and official misconduct make this perhaps the most consequential wrongful conviction of recent times.

The event panel will review how the investigation developed, what evidence pointed them to Exeter, CA and a list of new suspects. Remarkably, one full year before Joe DeAngelo, Jr. was identified, the podcast correctly announced that the Ransacker was "a resident of Exeter, California in 1975." They debunked how the EAR connection was broken and had already added DeAngelo to their suspect list.

Audience questions will follow the panel discussion, and copies of the book will be available for purchase and autographs after the presentation. The event will be live-streamed and can be viewed afterwards on YouTube.

EVENT DETAILS

COLLEGE OF THE SEQUOIAS

Ponderosa Lecture Hall

915 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, Ca 93277

July 7, 2022, 6-8pm

For interview requests or review copies, please contact: Leya Booth, [email protected]

For companion image downloads and PDF version, please visit:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k5oiirwdp6xn8tc/AADhBvfcrCBmSWAtV8sv1VxNa?dl=1

For more information about the title and publisher, please visit:

https://geniusbookpublishing.com/

CONTACT: Leya Booth

PHONE: (818) 235-6746

EMAIL: [email protected]

Genius Book Publishing

PO Box 250380

Milwaukee Wisconsin 53225 USA

https://geniusbookpublishing.com/

SOURCE Genius Book Publishing
"For all the naysayers, our numbers and more importantly, our insureds, tell a different story," says Eric S. Poe, Esq., CPA, CEO of CURE. "The reforms really are working and working well." Poe was confident that CURE could make a real difference to the residents of a state that had drivers paying the highest car insurance rates in the United States. "However, drivers need to shop around and rely less on their agents who are paid a commission on what consumers pay for insurance. The higher the rate, the more money the agent makes. At CURE, we do not use agents. That's why Michiganders are flocking to our website. We are finding that 94% of drivers are selecting options under the new law with average savings of 40%, which reaffirms that the reforms are needed and working."

Looking back to day one, Poe remembers, "One of the very first bound policies was for a mother and son in Pontiac, Michigan, who were previously paying $3,600 per year. Their rate dropped to $1,820. The next was a 52-year-old Detroit manager, who had been paying 55% more with his previous car insurance company." Poe adds, "We could not be happier than what we've accomplished this past year and are even more excited about the difference we have made for thousands of Michigan families."

Headquartered in Princeton, N.J., CURE auto insurance was heralded as the "cure" for the auto insurance no-fault crisis in New Jersey when it was founded in 1990. Specializing in no-fault insurance markets, CURE auto insurance insures over 85,000 vehicles and is licensed to do business New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

More information can be found at cure.com or by calling 800-535-CURE.

Contact: Glori Gayster, [email protected]

SOURCE CURE Auto Insurance
Regulatory filing is next step in Entergy's resilience conversation with regulators, communities

NEW ORLEANS, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Entergy New Orleans became the first of Entergy Corporation's operating companies to make a grid hardening and resilience filing with their regulator, the New Orleans City Council.

The last two hurricane seasons have shown that extreme weather events are impacting the New Orleans area, and the entire Gulf Coast region, with increased frequency and severity, with greater costs and disruptions to Entergy New Orleans and its customers. Entergy's entire service area has been impacted by multiple, more frequent, and intense severe storms, including Hurricanes Laura and Ida, two of the strongest hurricanes to hit Louisiana. The entire region, including New Orleans, must pivot to become more storm resilient.

Entergy New Orleans' filing includes a menu of options for the New Orleans City Council to consider including grid resilience, hardening projects, and alternative technologies such as microgrids. Projects were identified through a comprehensive, resilience-based planning approach and prioritized using a cost-benefit model designed to select the projects expected to deliver the largest benefits to customers. In totality, these hardening projects are estimated to cost approximately $1.5 billion over 10 years.

"While investments to harden the grid carry a significant cost, they result in substantial customer benefits in the long run," said Deanna Rodriguez, president and Chief Executive Officer of Entergy New Orleans. "Robust investments in grid resiliency will reduce the duration of power outages following major storms and will also reduce future storm restoration costs. Our objective is twofold - the hardening of the New Orleans grid and how quickly we get power back on for customers."

"Plans across all of Entergy's companies call for a $15 billion investment to better protect against weather events, from hurricanes to ice storms  and they will include the hardening of more than 30,000 miles of distribution power lines and nearly 500,000 distribution poles," said Rod West, group utility president for Entergy. "We know that hardening the electric system and investing in newer, more robust structures and equipment will help us to be better prepared for the new normal of the storms that impact our region. This is about serving our customers  whether it is a family, small business or large industrial manufacturer  with more reliable, more resilient power delivery systems."

In October of 2021, the New Orleans City Council opened a grid hardening and resilience docket asking multiple stakeholders to propose infrastructure resiliency and storm hardening plans for Council consideration. The company's filing today is a crucial step towards beginning the process to make a substantial investment in infrastructure needed to positively impact customers.

"While no amount of infrastructure investment can make an electric system completely resistant to the impacts of extreme weather conditions, we know that hardening the system will help us to be better prepared for the new normal of the storms that effect our region. The costs of such projects will impact customers so we look forward to working with the City Council and other stakeholders to identify which projects should be included in the company's 10-year resiliency investment plan and doing so in an affordable way for our customers," added Rodriguez.

Entergy New Orleans resilience filing builds upon its previous investments in the grid such as the New Orleans Power Station, which provides 128 MW of needed local generation and played a vital role in New Orleans' recovery from Hurricane Ida, the 20 MW New Orleans Solar Station, the commercial and residential rooftop solar program, critical updates to the Derbigny and Avenue C substations and the underground transformer replacement project in the Central Business District and French Quarter.

Entergy New Orleans looks forward to a collaborative process at the Council to determine the best path for New Orleans.

To learn more about Entergy's resilient solutions for a sustainable tomorrow, visit entergy.com/future.

About Entergy New Orleans

Entergy New Orleans, LLC provides electricity to more than 209,000 customers and natural gas to more than 110,000 customers in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Entergy New Orleans is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation.

About Entergy

Entergy (NYSE: ETR), a Fortune 500 company headquartered in New Orleans, powers life for 3 million customers through its operating companies across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy is creating a cleaner, more resilient energy future for everyone with our diverse power generation portfolio, including increasingly carbon-free energy sources. With roots in the Gulf South region for more than a century, Entergy is a recognized leader in corporate citizenship, delivering more than $100 million in economic benefits to local communities through philanthropy and advocacy efforts annually over the last several years. Our approximately 12,500 employees are dedicated to powering life today and for future generations. Learn more at entergy.com and follow @Entergy on social media. #WePowerLife

Download a high-resolution Entergy logo here.

SOURCE Entergy Corporation
Leading developer closes on the 165 million deal with the intent to develop the property into a luxury hotel managed by Four Seasons

MIAMI, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fort Partners Puerto Rico LLC (Fort Partners), led by Founder and CEO Nadim Ashi, today announced the acquisition of the Palazzo Marini (3-4) for 165 million with plans to develop the property into a luxury hotel that will be managed by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's leading luxury hospitality company.

"A project in Rome has been a dream of mine for many years. We have a clear vision and can already see this magnificent place come to life. As with our other properties, Fort Partners' commitment to delivering top quality, excellence and elegance will be ever present in the execution of this project in the heart of Rome," says Nadim Ashi, Founder and CEO, Fort Partners.

Fort Partners' vision for the Palazzo Marini 3-4 in Rome will be thoughtfully developed with a deep reverence for the building's architectural importance within the Eternal City. This vision will be led by a collaborative team of exceptional talents who will transform the property in a manner that pays homage to its history while elevating it with a contemporary aesthetic that meets the needs of discerning global travellers.

More details about this project will be announced at a later date.

About Fort Partners

Fort Partners Puerto Rico LLC is a real estate ownership, development and management company founded by entrepreneur Nadim Ashi. Under his leadership, Fort Partners is developing, acquiring, and enhancing properties, utilizing the top talents in the fields of architecture, design, and hospitality to bring to life extraordinary places that positively transform its surroundings.

Media Contact

Gabriela Navarro

[email protected]

SOURCE Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
SHENZHEN, China, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao are entering a new era of fast growth in sci-tech innovation and cooperation. On June 30, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Sci-Tech Innovation Cooperation Forum was held in Qianhai, Shenzhen. The forum aimed to promote the reform of mechanisms for sci-tech development, better connect the innovation chains between the Chinese mainland and the two SARs, and boost the tripartite cooperation in sci-tech innovation. Representatives from universities, research institutions, and business associations attended the forum online and offline, according to Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone.

Mr. Alfred Sit Wing-hang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology of HKSAR, said in his speech that Hong Kong has entered a golden era of sci-tech innovation, and the Greater Bay Area is definitely the best partner for HK in this respect.

Qianhai authority and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) signed, at the forum, an agreement on strategic cooperation to jointly support the development of entrepreneurship academy, research institutes of financial technology, advanced legal studies, and the frontier sci-tech industrial park, as well as the construction of a carbon-neutral pilot demonstration zone in Qianhai. All of these will give the city an edge in international cooperation and competition by accelerating the reform and updating of the sci-tech innovation mechanism and enhancing the opening up of financial industry and legal affairs.

Hong Kong people who are optimistic about the prospect of Qianhai in sci-tech innovation have long been practitioners of the collaborative innovation of Guangdong, HK and Macao. They are the so-called "tide makers" of the new era.

Patrick Chiang, a Hong Kong veteran in the electrical industry, came across the business environment in Qianhai last year and was deeply impressed. Three days later, he decided to set up his business headquarters here. "I'm thrilled by Qianhai's technological innovation and entrepreneurial environment," Mr. Chiang said in an interview. "With many technological talents gathering there, projects can proceed smoothly. It's easier to find the right supporting manufacturers. Besides, various policies help to reduce the costs for the company."

Last year, Qianhai International Talent Hub was developed. More and more young people in Hong Kong were attracted to start a business in Qianhai. For example, LEE Jee Bong, a member of the Hong Kong younger generation, is chasing his sci-tech innovation dream here. "In Qianhai, my company develops faster. Now, the staff number has grown many folds. We have taken in talents from Shenzhen, and even from all over the country. Last year, we were granted the national high-tech certification. And our products have been used by quite a lot of domestic Fortune 500 enterprises."

Previously, Qianhai has launched the "2022 Annual Talent Recruitment Action", through which a mechanism is established to collaborate with Hong Kong's employment sector, to facilitate Hong Kong youth's employment in Shenzhen with incentives, housing for talents and other supporting policies. All of these have paved the way for Hong Kong young people to excel themselves in Qianhai.

"Qianhai helps us to reduce the living burdens, so that we can feel at ease to start a business and concentrate on making better products and better business," said Mr. Lee. There is no doubt to him that Qianhai has become the preferred destination, or even the first choice for Hong Kong people to fulfill their dream in the mainland.

SOURCE Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The initial goal of GK Hair in 2007 was to fill a gap in the industry. The salons needed a product that could transform the hair, repair damage and ultimately control frizz. When GK Hair's founder brought this type of treatment to the salons in Miami, FL they were hooked from the very beginning. As the time passed, the company grew into a professional platform for the salon owners to rely on, learn from, and grow with all because of providing consistent results with GK Hair treatments from the beginning. Hundreds of thousands of salon professionals trust GK Hair products due to the high quality formulations and ultimately the results they are able to provide to their customers. As continued support to GK Hair salons, the company offers multiple reward/educational programs that help them build a successful salon business.

GK Hair Helped More Than 2000 Salons In Building A Successful Business

To assist new hair artists who are just stepping into the realm of hair care, GK Hair has developed an Education Portal which contains step-by-step YouTube tutorials on different hairstyle trends and techniques from hair coloring to hair taming. This education portal also features free-of-cost online courses which are hosted by skilled industry educators. Along with this, the company conducts live education sessions every week on Zoom/Facebook Live which helps the hair artists learn, hone their skills and be certified in the brands products.

Apart from educational sessions, GK Hair has recently launched the Social Media Library for those folks who need additional support in maintaining an online presence of their business. The Social Media Library contains pre-written, as well as pre-designed posts. stories, campaigns, and email templates for social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. Salon artists can access this pre-made content anytime in multiple languages without spending hours in creating a single post for their salon's media. Effective and simple, the Social Media Library is an easy to use tool in providing assistance to salon professionals who want to communicate with their audiences.

Along with this, GK Hair also offers bi-monthly promotions for salon professionals which includes special discounts on specifically designed professional packages, such as the Hair Taming System with Juvexin, Shampoo and Conditioner Duos, Styling Products, Juvexin Cream Colors, and Styling Tools. Other programs including the Salon Loyalty Program and Color Membership Program allow the salon artists to earn rewards for their continuous support to the brand.

For more information, visit GK Hair website on:

Website: https://www.gkhair.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gkhair

Instagram: https://instagram.com/GKhair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GKhair

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/gkhair

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GKhair/

Media Contact

Company Name: GK Hair

Contact Person: Meghan McHugh

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1.305.390.0044

Country: United States

Website: https://www.gkhair.com/

SOURCE GK Hair
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market (2022-2027) by Type, End Use, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market is estimated to be USD 8.47 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 12.41 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 7.94%.



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Abbott Laboratories, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Biomerieux, Boston Scientific, Danaher, GE Healthcare, Hill-Rom Holdings, Hoffmann-La Roche, Medtronic, Philips Healthcare, Qiagen, Siemens Healthineers, Thermo Fisher Scientific, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increasing Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases

4.1.2 Increase in Geriatric Population

4.1.3 Growing Demand for MInimally Invasive Endovascular Surgeries

4.1.4 Increasing awareness towards Point of Care Diagnostics

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 High Cost in Installation and Upgradation

4.2.2 Stringent Government Regulations for Approval

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Improvement In Healthcare Infrastructure in Emerging Country

4.3.2 Increasing Number of Insurance Providers

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Lack of Skilled Healthcare Professionals

4.4.2 Availability of Alternative Treatment Procedure



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market, By Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Laboratory Developed Test

6.2.1 Lipoprotein Test

6.2.2 Angiotensin Test

6.2.3 Fibrinogen Test

6.2.4 Serum Uric Acid Test

6.2.5 High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein

6.3 In-Vitro Diagnostic Test

6.3.1 Electrocardiogram Test (ECG)

6.3.2 Echocardiography Test

6.3.3 Transesophageal Echocardiogram Test



7 Global Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market, By End Use

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Laboratory Testing Facilities

7.3 Academic Institutes

7.4 Point-of-Care Testing Facilities





8 Americas' Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Argentina

8.3 Brazil

8.4 Canada

8.5 Chile

8.6 Colombia

8.7 Mexico

8.8 Peru

8.9 United States

8.10 Rest of Americas



9 Europe's Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Austria

9.3 Belgium

9.4 Denmark

9.5 Finland

9.6 France

9.7 Germany

9.8 Italy

9.9 Netherlands

9.10 Norway

9.11 Poland

9.12 Russia

9.13 Spain

9.14 Sweden

9.15 Switzerland

9.16 United Kingdom

9.17 Rest of Europe



10 Middle East and Africa's Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Egypt

10.3 Israel

10.4 Qatar

10.5 Saudi Arabia

10.6 South Africa

10.7 United Arab Emirates

10.8 Rest of MEA



11 APAC's Cardiovascular Diagnostic Testing Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Australia

11.3 Bangladesh

11.4 China

11.5 India

11.6 Indonesia

11.7 Japan

11.8 Malaysia

11.9 Philippines

11.10 Singapore

11.11 South Korea

11.12 Sri Lanka

11.13 Thailand

11.14 Taiwan

11.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



12 Competitive Landscape

12.1 Competitive Quadrant

12.2 Market Share Analysis

12.3 Strategic Initiatives

12.3.1 M&A and Investments

12.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

12.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



13 Company Profiles

13.1 Abbott Laboratories

13.2 Becton, Dickinson and Company

13.3 Biomerieux

13.4 Boston Scientific

13.5 Danaher

13.6 GE Healthcare

13.7 Hill-Rom Holdings

13.8 Hoffmann-La Roche

13.9 Medtronic

13.10 Philips Healthcare

13.11 Qiagen

13.12 Siemens Healthineers

13.13 Thermo Fisher Scientific



14 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kes5nd

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Pharmacy Automation Market by Product (Automated Medication Dispensing & Storage Systems, Table-Top Counters, Retrieval Systems, Medication Compounding), End User (Inpatient, Outpatient (Fast-Track Clinics), Retail Pharmacies) - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The pharmacy automation market is projected to reach USD 8.2 billion by 2027 from USD 5.6 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period.

The growth in this market is attributed to the growing need to minimize medication errors, rapid decentralization of pharmacies, and growing focus on automation to reduce labor costs. However, the stringent regulations that delay product launches can inhibit the growth of this market.



Based on product, the automated medication dispensing and storage systems segment holds the largest market share in 2021



Based on products, the pharmacy automation market is segmented into automated medication dispensing and storage systems, automated packaging and labeling systems, automated tabletop counters, automated medication compounding systems, and other pharmacy automation systems. In 2021, the automated medication dispensing and storage systems segment accounted for the largest share of this market, primarily due to the increasing occurance of medication errors and implementation of stringent regulatory guidelines for patient safety and medication dispensing across regions. Automated medication dispensing and storage systems allow the care providers to dispense medication faster and more accurately with the help of in-built advanced features that allow medication storage, picking, dispensing, and labelling.



Based on type, the robots/robotic automated medication dispensing segment accounted for the largest share of the automated medication dispensing and storage market



Based on type, the automated medication dispensing and storage systems market is segmented into robots/robotic automated dispensing systems, carousels, and automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs). In 2021, robot/robotic automated medication dispensing systems accounted for the largest share of this market. These systems lower the rate of errors by increasing the administration accuracy rate by incorporating robots with single/multiple robotic arms that handle the filling, storing, and dispensing of medications, thereby reducing the chances of manual errors.



The retail pharmacies end-user segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period



Based on end users, the pharmacy automation market is segmented into inpatient pharmacies, outpatient pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and pharmacy benefit management organizations and mail-order pharmacies. The retail pharmacies segment is expected to register the highest growth during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the growing need to incorporate automated solutions in order to achieve faster workflow and maintain record accuracy. Pharmacy automation systems and solutions help in integrating and managing the entire pharmacy inventory and supply workflows. Moreover, these solutions also assist the pharmacists in maintaining dispensed medication records and faster prescription filling, thereby making the workflow for accurate and limiting the chances of errors.



North America accounted for the largest share of the pharmacy automation market in 2021



North America accounted for the largest share of the pharmacy automation market in 2021. Factors such as stringent regulatory standards for medication dispensing & patient safety, and the presence of top pharmacy automation system manufacturers in the US region are expected to contribute to the growth of the pharmacy automation market in North America.



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Pharmacy Automation Market Overview

4.2 Asia-Pacific: Pharmacy Automation Market, by Product and Country (2021)

4.3 Pharmacy Automation Market: Geographic Growth Opportunities

4.4 Pharmacy Automation Market, by Region (2020-2027)

4.5 Pharmacy Automation Market: Developed Vs. Developing Markets

5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Growing Need to Minimize Medication Errors

5.2.1.2 Decentralization of Pharmacies

5.2.1.3 Rising Geriatric Population Leading to Increased Adoption of Automated Dispensing Systems

5.2.1.4 Growing Focus on Automation to Reduce Labor Costs

5.2.1.5 Increasing Specialty Drug Dispensing

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Reluctance to Adopt Pharmacy Automation Systems

5.2.2.2 High Initial Capital Investments

5.2.2.3 Lack of Skilled Personnel

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Increasing Awareness Among Pharmacists

5.2.3.2 Untapped Emerging Markets

5.2.3.3 Healthcare Cost-Reduction Measures

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 Stringent Regulatory Procedures

5.2.4.2 Risk of Cross-Contamination

5.3 Key Conferences & Events

5.4 Industry Trends

5.4.1 Software Configurations in a Smaller Footprint

5.4.2 Pharmacy Robotics

5.4.3 Radiofrequency Identification (Rfid) in Pharmacy Automation

5.4.4 Electronic Health Record Integration and Interoperability Through Pharmacy Automation Systems

5.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.6 Regulatory Bodies, Government Agencies, and Other Organizations

5.7 Regulatory Analysis

5.8 Value Chain Analysis

5.9 Technology Analysis

5.10 Patent Analysis

5.10.1 Patent Publication Trends for Pharmacy Automation Systems

5.10.2 Insights: Jurisdiction and Top Applicant Analysis

5.11 Ecosystem Analysis

5.12 Impact of COVID-19 on the Pharmacy Automation Market

6 Pharmacy Automation Market, by Product

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Automated Medication Dispensing and Storage Systems

6.2.1 Automated Medication Dispensing and Storage Systems, by Type

6.2.1.1 Robots/Robotic Automated Dispensing Systems

6.2.1.1.1 High Adoption of Robots to Reduce Dispensing Errors in Hospitals to Drive Market Growth

6.2.1.2 Carousels

6.2.1.2.1 Improved Inventory Control and Workflow to Drive Market Growth During the Forecast Period

6.2.1.3 Automated Dispensing Cabinets

6.2.1.3.1 Secured Medication Storage and Tracking of Drugs to Propel the Demand for Automated Dispensing Cabinets

6.2.2 Automated Medication Dispensing and Storage Systems, by Application/Operation

6.2.2.1 Centralized Pharmacies

6.2.2.1.1 Rising Demand for Centralized Pharmacies to Optimize Inventory Levels and Reduce Stock-Outs to Support the Growth of this Market Segment

6.2.2.2 Decentralized Pharmacies

6.2.2.2.1 Preference for Improved Patient Safety to Drive the Market Growth

6.3 Automated Packaging and Labeling Systems

6.3.1 Need to Improve Dispensing Accuracy and Lower the Overall Cost is a Major Driver for the Automated Packaging and Labeling Systems Market

6.4 Automated Tabletop Counters

6.4.1 with an Increased Number of Patients Visiting Pharmacies, Automated Tabletop Counters are Needed to Boost Operating Speeds

6.5 Automated Medication Compounding Systems

6.5.1 Automated Medication Compounding Systems Reduce the Cost Per Dose of Medication and the Need for Medication Outsourcing

6.6 Other Pharmacy Automation Systems

7 Pharmacy Automation Market, by End-user

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Inpatient Pharmacies

7.2.1 Acute Care Systems

7.2.1.1 Increasing Healthcare Spending to Increase the Adoption of Technology Solutions in Acute Care Settings - A Key Factor Driving Market Growth

7.2.2 Long-Term Care Facilities

7.2.2.1 Growing Geriatric Population to Drive the Adoption of Pharmacy Technology Solutions

7.3 Outpatient Pharmacies

7.3.1 Outpatient/Fast-Track Clinics

7.3.1.1 Growing Need to Minimize Medication Dispensing Errors in Outpatient Clinics Will Increase the Adoption of Pharmacy Automation Systems

7.3.2 Hospital Retail Settings

7.3.2.1 Need for Accurate Medication Dispensing and Faster Inventory Management to Drive Market Growth

7.4 Retail Pharmacies

7.4.1 Growing Need for Technology to Assist with Faster Prescription Filling and Medication Dispensing to Drive Market Growth

7.5 Pharmacy Benefit Management Organizations and Mail-Order Pharmacies

7.5.1 Need for Streamlining Pharmacy Operations and Ensuring Faster Workflows Will Drive Market Growth

8 Pharmacy Automation Market, by Region

9 Competitive Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Key Player Strategies/Right to Win

9.3 Key Stakeholders & Buying Criteria

9.3.1 Key Stakeholders in the Buying Process

9.3.2 Buying Criteria

9.4 Revenue Share Analysis of the Top Market Players

9.5 Market Share Analysis

9.6 Competitive Benchmarking

9.6.1 Product Footprint

9.6.2 End-User Footprint

9.6.3 Regional Footprint

9.7 Competitive Leadership Mapping

9.7.1 Stars

9.7.2 Emerging Leaders

9.7.3 Pervasive Players

9.7.4 Participants

9.8 Competitive Leadership Mapping for Other Companies

9.8.1 Progressive Companies

9.8.2 Dynamic Companies

9.8.3 Starting Blocks

9.8.4 Responsive Companies

9.9 Competitive Scenario

9.9.1 Product Launches/Upgrades

9.9.2 Deals

9.9.3 Other Developments

10 Company Profiles

10.1 Key Players

10.1.1 Beckton, Dickinson and Company

10.1.2 Omnicell, Inc.

10.1.3 Kuka Aktiengesellschaft (Swisslog Healthcare)

10.1.4 Baxter International Inc.

10.1.5 Capsa Healthcare

10.1.6 Cerner Corporation

10.1.7 Yuyama Co., Ltd.

10.1.8 Arxium, Inc.

10.1.9 Parata Systems, LLC

10.1.10 Rxsafe, LLC

10.1.11 Scriptpro, LLC

10.1.12 Pearson Medical Technologies, LLC

10.1.13 Medical Packaging Inc., LLC

10.1.14 Tension Corporation

10.1.15 Noritsu Pharmacy Automation

10.1.16 Euclid Medical Products

10.1.17 Touchpoint Medical Solutions

10.1.18 Meditech Pharmacy Management Solutions

10.1.19 Innovation Associates

10.1.20 Mckesson Corporation

10.2 Other Players

10.2.1 Willach Group: Company Overview

10.2.2 Staubli International: Company Overview

10.2.3 Medavail: Company Overview

10.2.4 Pharmacy Automation System: Company Overview

10.2.5 Deenova Srl: Company Overview

11 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/opts0p

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

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SOURCE Research and Markets
BEIJING, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong by train on Thursday afternoon, launching his visit to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland.

This is also Xi's first publicly announced visit outside the Chinese mainland since the COVID-19 epidemic started in early 2020. This visit will be of great significance as observers expect that Xi will point out in his speech the direction of the city's future development, especially after the implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong and electoral system reform helped restore stability in the city.

Observers in Hong Kong and the mainland believed that Xi's visit to Hong Kong amid an increasingly complex geopolitical environment sends a clear message to Hong Kong and to the world that the "one country, two systems" principle is beneficial to the country and to the city, and will be unswervingly upheld for the long term.

Carrie Lam, the outgoing chief executive of the HKSAR, and Luo Huining, director of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong, welcomed Xi and the first lady Peng Liyuan on the station platform. They were surrounded by local residents and students waving Chinese national flags, flowers and banners with the words "Warmly welcome President Xi to attend the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR."

Inside the station, a lion dance was held and the atmosphere of excitement was palpable.

Xi extended congratulations and best wishes to Hong Kong compatriots as he gave a short speech inside the station. He said he has always been concerned about Hong Kong and his heart is always with Hong Kong compatriots.

"It has been five years since my last visit to Hong Kong," Xi said upon arrival at the West Kowloon high-speed rail station.

Over the past five years, I have been all along concerned about and caring for Hong Kong, and my heart is always with Hong Kong compatriots, Xi said.

'A brighter future will beckon'

In the recent period, Hong Kong has withstood many severe tests and overcome many risks and challenges. After many storms and hardships, Hong Kong has been reborn and shown vigorous vitality, Xi said, noting that the reality proves that the "one country, two systems" principle has strong vitality that will ensure the long-term prosperity of the city and benefits of Hong Kong compatriots.

"A brighter future will beckon, if we forge ahead with perseverance," said Xi, noting that as long as the principle is upheld unswervingly, Hong Kong will surely have an even brighter future and make new, greater contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

"It's expected that with the care of Xi and the central government, the practice of 'one country, two systems' will be stable and sustainable in Hong Kong, and the city's status and importance in the country will be more prominent with its prosperity and stability much guaranteed," Lau Siu-kai, the vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Accompanied by Lam, Xi met with some 160 people from various sectors of Hong Kong and representatives of the disciplined services at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday afternoon. The President also visited the Hong Kong Science Park to inspect Hong Kong's innovation and technology development while his wife Peng Liyuan visited the Xiqu Centre of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Chan Yung, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, who was also among the 160 representatives, told the Global Times that Xi's visit greatly boosts the confidence of Hong Kong people, especially after the city has been battling the epidemic for two years.

China adjusted its quarantine policy for close contacts and international arrivals ahead of Xi's visit. Chan, who also served as a deputy director for Chief Executive-elect John Lee's campaign office, said he believed it's a positive signal for Hong Kong's economic recovery, as many are expecting the resumption of mainland-Hong Kong exchanges.

Xi's choice to go to Hong Kong by high-speed rail demonstrates the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which shows a major achievement of the practice of "one country, two systems" in the area, Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan affairs at Nankai University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Being a key part of China's high-speed rail network, the entire line of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link entered into service on September 23, 2022. The line is 141 kilometers long, of which 115 km is on the mainland and 26 km is in the Hong Kong SAR.

While Hong Kong is still in the aftermath of the fifth wave of its COVID-19 epidemic and Macao is witnessing sporadic cases, and the current international situation is bringing about more uncertain factors, Xi's visit to the SAR shows his and the central government's trust in and concerns about Hong Kong, Li noted.

During a meeting with Lam, Xi said the central government acknowledged her work over the past five years, as she made significant contributions to leading the HKSAR government to govern according to the law, uniting all sectors in society to stop violence, fighting COVID-19 outbreaks and integrating Hong Kong into national development while safeguarding sovereignty, security, development interests and the city's stability as well as prosperity.

The implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong and the electoral reform brought order back to the city and giving an opportunity for the city to select qualified leaders and competent patriots.

While the ups and downs of the past few years have led to doubts among some people about whether China will continue upholding the "one country, two systems" principle, Xi's visit set the fundamental tone on this issue, serving as a political vow, Tian Feilong, a legal expert at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

SOURCE Global Times
LONDON, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Laurent Ogier, Chief Executive of luxury ski wear brand Maison Ogier, has been named "Most Innovative CEO in the Winter Sportswear Industry" in the 2022 Business Worldwide Magazine CEO Awards.

The Awards are a celebration of the most outstanding leaders in the business world, across a wide range of sectors. Instead of focusing on companies as a whole, like many similar awards programmes, here the spotlight is on the CEOs, COOs and Directors that lead them. The aim is to give exceptional people the recognition they deserve, whilst inspiring others to achieve similar successes.

Established in 1948 and with boutiques in some of the world's most glamorous ski resorts, the Zurich based company has long been renowned for quality outdoor apparel and outstanding service. In 2014 Laurent Ogier took the helm at his family's company and has led it from small family business to what is today a leading luxury brand. At just 30 years old Laurent is at the top of his game. He studied Hospitality and Entrepreneurship Finance at the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland before working in finance in luxury hotels around the world. This experience, combined with his family history, gave him a unique insight into how to drive the name forward for a new generation.

Ogier is still very much a family concern, with the traditions and values of his grandfather and father still instilled in the company's ethos. Customer care is still the number one priority, with all customers receiving a warm welcome and five-star service in every store. Laurent took on his new role with a very different idea for the company  to create a private label and offer even better quality and performance, along with high fashion on and off the slopes. It was a challenging journey and he made mistakes along the way, but Laurent's determination and vision paid off. Today the brand is a must-have for skiers who demand high end outdoor apparel that's functional, practical and desirable.

Speaking to Business Worldwide Magazine, Laurent explained what made Ogier's rebrand such a success: "Our biggest strength is our family spirit, and our business is built on a culture of trust. I strongly believe in sustainable growth through people and the power of collective intelligence. The wellbeing of our people has always been  and will remain  Ogier's first priority. Our job, as executives, are to let people thrives under our management. Secondly, our designs are innovative and off the beaten path, combining comfort with head turning glamour and fashion-forward style."

Maison Ogier is opening new stores in Vail in USA, Crans-Montana and Zurich in Switzerland, as well as Kitzbuhel, Dallas, Las Vegas and Munich in the upcoming future.

To find out more, visit https://ogier-og.com/

An article on the company can be found on the Business Worldwide Magazine website: https://bwmonline.com/2022/05/26/ogier-from-small-family-business-to-global-luxury-brand/

Further information about the Business Worldwide CEO Awards can be found at https://www.bwmonline.com/awards

About Business Worldwide Magazine

Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enable an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few.

Contact

David Jones

Awards Department

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Business Worldwide Magazine
CHICAGO, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hxro Network ("Hxro"), a fully composable, on-chain derivatives primitive that provides core exchange, risk and settlement infrastructure, today announced it has launched the alpha version of its derivatives marketplace onto the Solana mainnet.

Hxro Network provides key primitive layer infrastructure for the exchange, risk, margin and settlement of derivatives including perps, futures and options. It is built on the Solana blockchain. The network boasts a marquee list of partners, many of whom have been key builders and active participants including principal trading firms SIG DT (a Susquehanna International Group Company), Jump Crypto, Alameda Research, Chicago Trading Company, and Pattern Research as well as venture participation from Blockchain Capital, Solana Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Commonwealth Asset Management, CoinFund, Genesis, LedgerPrime, Mantis and Magnus Capital. Notable macro hedge fund managers Alan Howard and Louis Bacon are also part of the network's ecosystem.

At launch, the alpha sandbox will feature a BTC/USDC perpetual future and 8 consecutive expiring futures markets including 2 weeklies, 2 monthlies, and 4 quarterlies along with associated exchange-supported calendar spread markets for each tenor. During the alpha sandbox, contributing developers will also be completing the integration of Hxro's staking and rewards contracts. This alpha period will be utilized to ensure that all critical staking and rewards functionalities are deployed efficiently during mainnet integration.

Dan Gunsberg, Co-Founder of Hxro Network commented on today's news: "Today's launch represents a significant milestone for the network and is very much just the beginning. With the launch to mainnet, Hxro Network will deliver decentralized derivatives products and infrastructure to traders, user facing applications, market makers and other market participants in a way that they are familiar with from a traditional market perspective but with the benefits of DeFi. With recent events in the CeFi space, the market has exposed a need for robust, transparent and decentralized market infrastructure. This is the time to start providing alternative solutions and giving market participants a choice. The network and its community look forward to leading this effort."

During the public testing period, any Solana wallet holder will be eligible to participate in the alpha sandbox. The sandbox will have a reference UI as well as a python API to support automated trading and dApp integration. Rust and typescript API's are available as well.

At launch, network contributors have chosen to take a conservative approach and use a sandbox test token with the symbol $UXDC. This token does not hold any monetary value and will be used in place of USDC as the network moves through its alpha phase. Once network contributors feel all components of the network are hardened, the network will enter its beta phase and offer USDC collateralized markets.

About Hxro Network

Hxro Network is a fully composable, on-chain derivatives primitive that provides core exchange, risk and settlement infrastructure built on the Solana blockchain. Through a series of native protocols, Hxro Network provides the framework and infrastructure for a robust, fully-functional decentralized derivatives primitive.

Media Contact

Jay Morakis (for Hxro Network)

+1 646 859 5951

[email protected]

SOURCE Hxro Network
June Sets Monthly Record For Sales In 2022

Best-Ever June Retail Sales Record For Tucson

Record-Breaking Q2 Total and Retail Sales for Palisade

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor America reported total June sales of 63,091 units, a 12.9% decrease compared with June 2021. June retail sales declined 5.5%. Hyundai's monthly sales results were better than industry predictions that forecasted a 15.8% decline in June. Hyundai established a new retail sales record in June for Santa Fe and set new total sales records for Tucson HEV and Nexo. June was the highest sales month in 2022.

"Hyundai's Q2 retail sales continue to highlight a terrific product mix, and consumer demand for our SUV lineup remains very strong," said Randy Parker, senior vice president, national sales, Hyundai Motor America. "Our dealers are selling everything they get, and we are continuing our efforts on growing market share."

Q2 Highlights

Hyundai sold 184,191 units in Q2 and 343,867 units in the first half. New all-time best Q2 records were set for Tucson HEV, Veloster N, Palisade and Nexo with SUVs representing 76% of the total retail mix. Hyundai Green sales of 7,886 represented 12.5% of retail (+6%). Hyundai had no fleet sales in the first half of 2022.

June, Q2 and Year-to-Date Total Sales Summary



Jun-22 Jun-21 % Chg Q2

2022 Q2

2021 % Chg 2022

YTD 2021

YTD % Chg Hyundai 63,091 72,465 -13 % 184,191 240,005 -23 % 343,867 407,135 -16 %

June Product and Corporate Activities

IONIQ 6 Design Revealed: Hyundai Motor Company revealed the streamlined and timeless design of the highly anticipated IONIQ 6, the second model in its IONIQ dedicated all-electric-vehicle lineup brand.

Hyundai Motor Company revealed the streamlined and timeless design of the highly anticipated IONIQ 6, the second model in its IONIQ dedicated all-electric-vehicle lineup brand. J.D. Power: The J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) sm ranked the Hyundai Accent as the best small car in initial quality today. The win marks the second year in a row Accent has won the best small car IQS trophy.

The J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) ranked the as the best small car in initial quality today. The win marks the second year in a row Accent has won the best small car IQS trophy. New Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory: Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI) announce a $51.6 million expansion project for a new Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory (STIL) in Michigan .

Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI) announce a expansion project for a new Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory (STIL) in . Next-Gen Tire Development: Hyundai Motor Group and Michelin signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on R&D for innovative tire technologies over the next three years.

Hyundai Motor Group and Michelin signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on R&D for innovative tire technologies over the next three years. 2023 Palisade Pricing : Hyundai released pricing for the new 2023 Palisade SUV , including its new XRT model.

: Hyundai released pricing for the new , including its new XRT model. Car Seat Safety Event: Hyundai hosted the first car seat safety event with Lurie Chicago . During the event, Hyundai Hope and $10,000 . Children's Hospital of. During the event, Hyundai Hope and [email protected] employee resource group donated

Model Total Sales



Vehicles Jun-22 Jun-21 % Chg Q2

2022 Q2

2021 % Chg 2022

YTD 2021

YTD % Chg Accent 2,088 959 +118 % 4,733 5,832 -19 % 7,430 10,104 -26 % Elantra 8,372 14,785 -43 % 26,772 47,964 -44 % 48,844 74,057 -34 % Ioniq 0 3,444 0 % 118 6,982 -98 % 3,662 11,107 -67 % Ioniq 5 2,853 0 0 % 7,448 0 0 % 13,692 0 0 % Kona 6,101 8,388 -27 % 17,251 28,386 -39 % 32,787 50,996 -36 % Nexo 49 22 +123 % 105 56 +88 % 271 134 +102 % Palisade 6,866 5,965 +15 % 22,612 22,294 +1 % 43,637 43,501 +0 % Santa Cruz 3,502 0 0 % 9,803 0 0 % 18,203 0 0 % Santa Fe 10,691 11,202 -5 % 32,313 34,540 -6 % 57,895 63,110 -8 % Sonata 4,736 9,938 -52 % 11,851 33,641 -65 % 19,595 54,198 -64 % Tucson 15,648 14,621 +7 % 44,416 50,370 -12 % 84,071 83,517 +1 % Veloster 197 108 +82 % 667 674 -1 % 1,129 1,361 -17 % Venue 1,988 3,033 -34 % 6,102 9,266 -34 % 12,651 15,050 -16 %

Note: Electrified vehicles are hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell models.

Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America focuses on 'Progress for Humanity' and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 820 dealers sold more than 738,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2021, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America
PHILADELPHIA, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National railroad disaster attorneys at Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky PC today filed what is believed to be the first lawsuit on behalf of a passenger injured in Monday's fatal, mass-casualty Amtrak train derailment in Mendon, Missouri. The complaint alleges negligence in the design of the railroad crossing which lacked basic safety features like warning lights and gates which have been in use for more than a century. The complaint also alleges that the train was oversold resulting in cattle car conditions.

The multi-count complaint against defendants Amtrak, BNSF Railway, and MS Contracting, LLC, Inc., filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, details the physical and emotional injuries suffered by Janet Williams, of Dubuque, Iowa, who was returning home from a family visit in New Mexico when she was suddenly thrown from her seat, struck by luggage, and crushed by other passengers as her train car flipped onto its side.

Railroad safety attorney Robert J. Mongeluzzi, President of SMB, said following the filing, "Amtrak, the operator of the train, and BNSF, the owner of the tracks, failed to use basic railroad crossing safety devices such as warning lights and crossing gates. The first patent for railroad crossing gates was issued on in the August 27, 1867. It is outrageous that these defendants didn't utilize these simple, effective and inexpensive safety devices that have been saving lives for over 150 years."

SMB Partner Jeffrey P. Goodman, head of the firm's Railway Accident Litigation Group, added, "As we state in today's filing, Amtrak intentionally overcrowded this train in Kansas City by allowing additional passengers on the train, which Amtrak knew did not have available seats. The additional passengers and luggage resulted in cattle-car overcrowding and placed all passengers in harm's way." Goodman added, "although we continue to fully investigate all causes of this tragedy, it appears at this preliminary stage that the overcrowding of train cars was a vital safety failure by Amtrak, the effects of which can be seen by the extent of serious injuries and deaths."

Mr. Goodman noted that Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky PC has already lined up a team of world class experts to investigate this tragedy including former NTSB investigators, train operators, accident reconstructionists, and biomechanical engineers.

The attorneys representing Mrs. Williams said she is still in shock from the incident, but she vividly recalls, prior to the Kansas City stop, announcements from the train crew stating the train was overly crowded and that passengers would have to occupy any available space, including the cafe and observation cars. Their co-counsel is Greg G. Gutzler, of Chicago-based DiCello Levitt Gutzler.

Philadelphia-based trial attorneys Mongeluzzi and Goodman have been among the lead lawyers in numerous catastrophic derailments including the 2015 derailment of Amtrak Train 188 that killed eight people; the 2021 derailment of an Amtrak train in Montana that killed three people, and other fatal crashes in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. They have consistently advocated for sweeping rail safety upgrades, including Positive Train Control (PTC), better controlled crossings, and safer railcars, which would improve the survivability of accidents.

In addition to their experience representing victims in train derailments, Mr. Mongeluzzi and Mr. Goodman previously were the lead lawyers for the victims in the sinking of amphibious Stretch Duck Boat 07 in Branson, Missouri in 2018 that killed 17 people.

SOURCE Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, PC
The Inventec Mategress storage server is a standard 2U high rack mount system, supporting 42 3.5" hot-swappable Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) drives with easy serviceability. It offers a higher maximum storage capacity than other similar products with full redundancy and exible input/output (I/O) expansibility or expandability.

The Mategress features include:

42 SATA drives (3.5") in a 2U form factor: Depth 925 mm, Width 447mm, Height 86.8mm

(3.5") in a 2U form factor: Depth 925 mm, Width 447mm, Height 86.8mm Efficient management system that oers monitoring capabilities and can be accessed remotely

that oers monitoring capabilities and can be accessed remotely Easy serviceability with front serviceable hard drives and hot-pluggable fans

with front serviceable hard drives and Wide range of application support

Remote Monitoring with High Flexibility

Due to its high density, the Mategress provides diverse ways of usage tailored to the customer's needs. The price, combination of performance, and configuration flexibility are suitable for many applications that require an increased demand for high performance storage.

The Mategress' management network interface controller (NIC) is a 1G Base-T from AST2520 BMC. Inventec designed the Mategress to cater to the new post-pandemic normal of remote working, enabling data managers to both remotely monitor the system's health status and control components remotely through the baseband management controller.

Strong Power Redundancy and Reliability

Inventec Mategress features four 8056 hot-swappable dual-rotor fans with N+1 redundancy, as well as two 800W power supply units with 1+1 redundancy, ensuring data managers a high level of reliability and operability. In addition, Mategress can operate optimally between 5 and 35 Celsius.

The server's input/output (I/O) drives comprise of Mini SAS HDs, SAS Cable LEDs, HDD Fail LEDs, RJ45 with LED (Management NIC), RJ45 W/O LED (UART), Mini USB (I2C),UID Button & LED (with Reset function), Power Button & LED, as well as a Health LED.

"Mategress represents Inventec's latest innovation to cater to the increasing needs of our global clientele for larger storage capacity, high reliability, and affordability in a single compact 2U42Bay," said George Lin, VP of Business Unit VI, Inventec Enterprise Business Group (Inventec EBG).

About Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG)

Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG) was established in 1998 and has been focusing on the design and manufacturing of server systems in Inventec Corporation. Over decades, Inventec EBG has been the key server system supplier of the global branding clients.

For more information, please visit https://ebg.inventec.com/en.

Follow "Inventec Data Center Solutions" on LinkedIn and Wechat to receive their latest news and announcements.

Inventec logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Inventec Corporation.

Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.

All trademarks and logos are the properties of their respective holders.

SOURCE Inventec Corporation
ATLANTA, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Trustees of each of the Invesco closed-end funds listed below today declared the following dividends.

EX-DATE 07/14/2022 RECORD DATE

07/15/22 REINVEST DATE

07/29/22 PAYABLE DATE

07/29/22







Name of Closed-End

Management Investment Company Ticker Monthly

Dividend

Amount Per

Share Change From

Prior

Distribution Invesco Advantage Municipal Income Trust II VKI $0.04181 -0.0043 Invesco Bond Fund VBF $0.0590 +0.0015 Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust VCV $0.0415 -0.0049 Invesco High Income 2023 Target Term Fund IHIT $0.0350 -0.0090 Invesco High Income 2024 Target Term Fund IHTA $0.0330 -0.0076 Invesco Municipal Income Opportunities Trust OIA $0.02861 -0.0019 Invesco Municipal Opportunity Trust VMO $0.04571 -0.0034 Invesco Municipal Trust VKQ $0.0451 -0.0029 Invesco Pennsylvania Value Municipal Income Trust VPV $0.04651 - Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust IQI $0.04461 -0.0024 Invesco Trust for Investment Grade Municipals VGM $0.04591 -0.0035 Invesco Trust for Investment Grade New York Municipals VTN $0.0421 - Invesco Value Municipal Income Trust IIM $0.0585 -0.0042















Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year will report distributions for federal income tax purposes. The Fund's annual report to shareholders will include information regarding the tax character of Fund distributions for the fiscal year.

1 A portion of this distribution is estimated to be from a return of principal rather than net income. The Section 19 notice referenced below provides more information and can be found on the Invesco website at www.invesco.com.

The final determination of the source and tax characteristics of all distributions in 2022 will be made after the end of the year.

In order to comply with the requirements of Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, each Fund will provide its shareholders of record on the record date with a Section 19 Notice disclosing the sources of its dividend payment when a distribution includes anything other than net investment income. The Section 19 Notice is not provided for tax reporting purposes but for informational purposes only. If applicable, this Section 19 Notice information can be found on the Funds' website at www.invesco.com

The amount of dividends paid by each fund may vary from time to time. Past amounts of dividends are no guarantee of future dividend payment amounts.

Investing involves risk and it is possible to lose money on any investment in the funds.

For additional information, shareholders of the closed end fund may call Invesco at 800-983-0903.

About Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. With offices in more than 20 countries, Invesco managed $1.5 trillion in assets on behalf of clients worldwide as of March 31, 2022. For more information, visit Invesco.com.

Invesco Distributors, Inc. is the US distributor for Invesco Ltd. It is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd.

Note: There is no assurance that a closed-end fund will achieve its investment objective. Shares are bought on the secondary market and may trade at a discount or premium to NAV. Regular brokerage commissions apply.

NOT A DEPOSIT l NOT FDIC INSURED l NOT GUARANTEED BY THE BANK | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

Invesco

CONTACT: Jeaneen Terrio 212-278-9205 [email protected]

SOURCE Invesco Ltd.
ATLANTA, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) will release its second quarter 2022 results on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. The earnings release and presentation materials are scheduled to be released and posted to the Investor Relations section of the Company's website, www.invesco.com/corporate, at approximately 7 a.m. ET. A conference call to discuss Invesco's results will be held at 9 a.m. ET on that day; the live audio webcast and replay can be accessed through the same website under Events and Earnings Releases.

Those wishing to participate should call:

US & Canada Toll Free: 866-803-2143 International: Passcode: Invesco 1-210-795-1098

The presentation will be made available via a simultaneous webcast at www.invesco.com/corporate .

An audio replay will be available approximately one hour after the call:

U.S. & Canada: 888-566-0411 International: 1-203-369-3041

The replay will be removed after August 9, 2022.

About Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. With offices in more than 20 countries, our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities. For more information, visit www.invesco.com.

Investor Relations Contacts: Greg Ketron 404-724-4299

Matt Seitz 404-439-4853 Media Relations Contact: Graham Galt 404-439-3070

SOURCE Invesco Ltd.
SANDVIKEN, Sweden, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sandvik will publish its second quarter results on Friday, July 15, 2022 at approximately 11:30 AM CEST.

A combined webcast and conference call for investors, analysts and financial media will be held at 13:00 PM CEST.

The report will be presented in a webcast and conference call by Stefan Widing, President and CEO as well as by Cecilia Felton, CFO.

The presentation will be broadcasted live on our website home.sandvik.

Dial-in details for the conference call:

SE: +46 (0) 8 505 100 31

UK: +44 (0) 207 107 06 13

US: +1 (1) 631 570 56 13

From about 12:30 PM CEST presentation slides will be available on our website home.sandvik.

Stockholm, July 1, 2022

Sandvik AB

For further information, contact:

Louise Tjeder, Vice President Investor Relations, Phone: +46 70 782 6374 or Johannes Hellstrom, Press and Media Relations Manager, Phone: +46 70 721 1008.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/sandvik/r/invitation---presentation-of-sandvik-s-report-of-the-second-quarter-2022,c3595169

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/208/3595169/1599953.pdf Invitation - presentation of Sandvikas report of the second quarter 2022

SOURCE Sandvik
As a tribute to U.S. military members, the Jeep brand is offering a military-themed, special limited-edition Freedom package for the 2023 Gladiator and Wrangler, featuring military-themed exterior and interior design cues. The Jeep brand will make a $250 donation to military charities with every Freedom edition sold.

"With our 1941 origins rooted in the military, we at the Jeep brand are proud of our heritage, and the Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom editions are a tribute to all the servicemen and servicewomen," said Jim Morrison, senior vice president and head of Jeep brand North America. "Through these special editions, this Fourth of July we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and support those who have served and continue to serve."

The Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special-edition vehicles include capability enhancements and unique exterior features, such as an Oscar Mike badge on the rear tailgate/swing gate. The 2023 Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom editions also feature LED headlamps and fog lamps, body-color fender flares, winch-capable steel front bumper, steel rock rails, black wheels and accents and an American flag decal along the side of each vehicle. Inside, the Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special editions boast leather-trimmed cloth seats and black accent stitching.

All active and recently retired service members also qualify for $500 military bonus cash for 2023 Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special editions.

Available for a limited time, orders will open for both Freedom special editions later this month, with vehicles scheduled to start arriving to Jeep dealers in time for Veterans Day. The Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom editions are available on the Sport S trim at a package price of $3,295.

Both Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special editions come standard with the Jeep Wave customer service program. The premium owner loyalty program is filled with exciting benefits and exclusive perks, including:

Three years of worry-free maintenance at Jeep dealerships

24/7 support via phone or online chat

Vehicle protection including 24/7 roadside assistance and first-day loaner coverage

VIP access to select, exclusive Jeep brand events

Jeep Brand

Built on 80 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV brand that brings capability, craftsmanship and versatility to people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a broad portfolio of vehicles that continues to provide owners with a sense of safety and security to handle any journey with confidence. The Jeep vehicle range consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, new three-row Grand Cherokee L, Grand Cherokee 4xe, Renegade and Wrangler and Wrangler 4xe. Jeep Wave, a premium owner loyalty and customer care program that is available to the entire Jeep 4x4 lineup, is filled with benefits and exclusive perks to deliver Jeep brand owners the utmost care and dedicated 24/7 support. The legendary Jeep brand's off-road capability is enhanced by a global electrification initiative that is transforming 4xe into new 4x4 in pursuit of the brand's vision of accomplishing Zero Emission Freedom. All Jeep brand SUVs will offer an electrified variant by 2025.

Follow Jeep and company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Jeep brand: www.jeep.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeep

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeep

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeep

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/jeep

YouTube: www.youtube.com/thejeepchannel or https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

SOURCE Stellantis
NEW YORK, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Labaton Sucharow LLP announces that the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has approved the following announcement of a proposed class action settlement on behalf of sellers of MINDBODY, Inc. publicly traded Class A common stock:

SUMMARY NOTICE OF PENDENCY AND PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION AND MOTION FOR ATTORNEYS' FEES AND EXPENSES

To: All persons and entities who or which sold shares of the publicly traded Class A common stock of MINDBODY, Inc. ("Mindbody" or the "Company") during the period from November 6, 2018 through February 15, 2019, inclusive, and were allegedly damaged thereby ("Settlement Class").

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and an Order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, that Court-appointed Co-Lead Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and all members of the proposed Settlement Class, and Mindbody, Richard L. Stollmeyer, Brett White, and Eric Liaw (collectively, "Defendants"), have reached a proposed settlement of the claims in the above-captioned class action (the "Action") in the amount of $9,750,000 (the "Settlement").

A hearing will be held before the Honorable Valerie E. Caproni on October 27, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. in Courtroom 443 of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, 40 Foley Square, New York, NY 10007 (the "Settlement Hearing") to determine whether the Court should: (i) approve the proposed Settlement as fair, reasonable, and adequate; (ii) dismiss the Action with prejudice as provided in the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement, dated March 3, 2022; (iii) approve the proposed Plan of Allocation for distribution of the proceeds of the Settlement (the "Net Settlement Fund") to Settlement Class Members; and (iv) approve Lead Counsel's Fee and Expense Application. The Court may change the date of the Settlement Hearing without providing another written notice. Information about any changes to the hearing will be posted on the Claims Administrator's website at www.strategicclaims.net/mindbody/. You do NOT need to attend the Settlement Hearing to receive a distribution from the Net Settlement Fund.

IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE SETTLEMENT CLASS, YOUR RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT AND YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A MONETARY PAYMENT. If you have not yet received a full Notice and Claim Form, you may obtain copies of these documents by visiting the Claims Administrator's website www.strategicclaims.net/mindbody/ or by contacting the Claims Administrator at:

Mindbody Securities Litigation

c/o Strategic Claims Services

P.O. Box 230

600 N. Jackson Street, Suite 205

Media, PA 19063

[email protected]

(866) 274-4004

Inquiries, other than requests for information about the status of a claim, may also be made to Lead Counsel:

LABATON SUCHAROW LLP

Carol C. Villegas, Esq.

140 Broadway

New York, NY 10005

www.labaton.com

[email protected]

(888) 219-6877

If you are a Settlement Class Member, to be eligible to share in the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund, you must submit a Claim Form postmarked, or submitted online, no later than September 27, 2022 to the Claims Administrator. If you are a Settlement Class Member and do not timely submit a valid Claim Form, you will not be eligible to share in the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund, but you will nevertheless be bound by all judgments or orders entered by the Court relating to the Settlement, whether favorable or unfavorable.

If you are a Settlement Class Member and wish to exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, you must submit a written request for exclusion to the Claims Administrator in accordance with the instructions set forth in the Notice such that it is received no later than September 27, 2022. If you properly exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, you will not be bound by any judgments or orders entered by the Court relating to the Settlement, whether favorable or unfavorable, and you will not be eligible to share in the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund.

Any objections to the proposed Settlement, Lead Counsel's Fee and Expense Application, and/or the proposed Plan of Allocation must be filed with the Court, either by mail or in person, and be mailed to counsel for the Parties in accordance with the instructions in the Notice, such that they are received no later than October 14, 2022.

DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT, DEFENDANTS, OR

DEFENDANTS' COUNSEL REGARDING THIS NOTICE.

DATED: July 1, 2022

BY ORDER OF THE COURT

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

SOURCE Labaton Sucharow LLP
WESTPORT, Conn., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LCR Capital Partners is happy to announce that Bassel Sweid has agreed to join LCR as our Director of Corporate Development.

Bassel will help drive LCR's growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as the point of contact for clients and channel partners in the region, in addition to exploring new potential markets and attractive investment opportunities for LCR.

LCR Capital Partners Bassel Sweid

"Bassel joins the LCR team with over 10 years of professional investment experience, including working with immigration investments and international real estate. As someone who has focused much of his professional career on high-net-worth families, Bassel makes an excellent addition to the firm and shows our commitment to having advisors in the region to assist our clients as they explore global opportunities," said Sherman Baldwin, CEO of LCR Capital Partners.

Prior to joining LCR Capital, Bassel worked at Holborn Assets and Citizenship Invest. He has raised more than USD 50 million of capital for government funds and international real estate transactions that provide clients the Portuguese Golden Visa. Bassel's experience also involves setting up marketing strategies, business plans, developing training programs, and working with teams of investment advisors.

"I am impressed with the caliber of LCR's executives and its professional networks. The company has an excellent reputation and really thinks about the whole family when presenting its offerings. I also love that they think about how technology can make investing easier. I look forward to being part of the team," Bassel said.

Suresh Rajan, Founder and Executive Chairman of LCR Capital Partners, observed, "This is a great moment for the industry and for our firm. Two of our immigration investment offerings, the US EB-5 visa program and the Portugal Golden Visa program, have been recently reformed and are accepting new investors. We have also expanded with new services, including LCR Wealth and International Investors Mortgage, to help global families. Investing globally is a significant decision, and advisors like Bassel who can explain the process and benefits make a big difference. I'm sure he will represent the firm well in the region."

Originally from Austria, Bassel is a native Arabic speaker, is proficient in English, and has been based in Dubai for the last 12 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in software engineering.

About LCR Capital Partners

LCR Capital Partners is a private investment and advisory services firm that serves families interested in global opportunities. Founded in 2012, the firm's primary focus is working with clients interested in immigrant investor programs. LCR has helped over 850 clients move to the United States via the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa, which grants investors and their immediate family members US green cards. LCR also works with the E-2 Investor Visa, the Portuguese Golden Visa, and Grenada's Citizenship by Investment program, which are all government-approved investments. Through its affiliates, International Investors Mortgage and LCR Wealth Management , the firm also offers US loan solutions and wealth management to foreign nationals moving to the United States. LCR has built long-term, trust-based relationships with a global client base of high-net-worth families in over 30 countries around the world. LCR is headquartered in Westport, CT, and has teams in Miami, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Dubai, Singapore, and Mumbai.

Website: http://www.lcrcapital.com

Press contact:

John M. Baker

CMO, LCR Capital Partners LLC

[email protected]

+1 (203) 883-1940

SOURCE LCR Capital Partners
HUDSON, Ohio, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaf Home, a leading technology-enabled direct-to-consumer provider of home solutions, added four new offices within the United States in June through its gutter protection, water, and safety brands.

Serving customers across the U.S. and Canada, Leaf Home delivers innovative, quality products for those looking to make upgrades inside and outside the home. With over 180 locations, the company's experienced local specialists provide end-to-end services directly to consumers through various solutions, including gutter protection, water purification, bathroom safety upgrades, stairlifts, cabinet refacing, decking, window and door replacement, and more.

"We're incredibly proud of our team and all their hard work in growing our market presence across North America," said Jeff Housenbold, President and CEO of Leaf Home. "Our experience and national footprint allow us to provide the best solutions for our customers, and we're looking forward to helping even more homeowners protect their most valuable asset through our product offerings."

LeafFilter Gutter Protection Grows in Key States

Last month, LeafFilter continued to dominate the gutter protection industry by adding new locations in Erie, Pennsylvania, and South Bend, Indiana. These openings officially mark 140 offices for LeafFilter, whose employees look forward to offering excellent protection from gutter, roof, and home foundation damage.

Since 2005, LeafFilter Gutter Protection has empowered homeowners to eliminate gutter cleaning hassle with its award-winning and patented technology, scientifically designed to keep everything out of the gutters except water.

Leaf Home Water Solutions Expands to More Texas Communities

Leaf Home Water Solutions has continued its swift growth by adding a third location in the state of Texas with San Antonio. Now joining the Dallas and Houston communities, which opened in May, the company is proud to provide clean, safe water across 10 states in the U.S.

Leaf Home Water Solutions pairs homeowners with the ideal whole-home water filtration system for their needs by testing tap water with free innovative digital water tests. The product line tackles city and well water's unique demands with a team of industry experts and an extreme dedication to customer service.

Leaf Home Safety Solutions Strengthens Ohio Presence

In June, Leaf Home Safety Solutions, which enables homeowners to access every room and level of their homes with ease and confidence, added its newest office in Columbus, Ohio. The company now serves homeowners in communities all throughout its home state.

Now available in over a dozen different states across the United States, Leaf Home Safety Solutions' life-enhancing products are designed to improve life quality without the need for a stressful, full-scale renovation. Custom installations and packages allow representatives to work with each customer's existing space, allowing projects to be completed in a matter of days instead of weeks or months.

About Leaf Home

Leaf Home is a leading technology-enabled direct-to-consumer provider of branded, innovative home solutions in North America. The company is on a mission to enhance the safety, enjoyment, and comfort of homeowners and their families by delivering seamless, transformative home solutions including gutter protection, home safety, water purification, and other home enhancement products. With its corporate headquarters in Hudson, Ohio, and locations across the U.S. and Canada, Leaf Home has become a trusted partner to over 1.1 million homeowners. Live Comfortable. Live Safe. Live Happy. For more information, visit www.leafhome.com .

Contact: [email protected] .

SOURCE Leaf Home
For the past 16 years, managed service providers (MSPs) from around the globe have submitted applications to be included in this prestigious and definitive listing. The Channel Futures MSP 501 survey examines organizational performance based on annual sales, recurring revenue, profit margins, revenue mix, growth opportunities, innovation, technology solutions supported, and company and customer demographics.

"Seeing what our global team has achieved throughout the last year makes me unbelievably proud," said Orrin Klopper, CEO, Netsurit. "I want to express my deepest gratitude to our people, our clients, and our partners for making this happen."

This year's list once again attracted a record number of applicants, making it one of the most competitive in the survey's history. Winners are recognized on the Channel Futures website and will be honoured at a special ceremony at the Channel Futures MSP Summit + Channel Partners Leadership Summit, Sept. 13-16, in Orlando, Florida.

"The 2022 Channel Futures MSP 501 winners are the highest-performing and most innovative IT providers in the industry today," said Allison Francis, senior news editor for Channel Futures. "The 501 has truly evolved with the MSP market, as showcased by this year's crop of winners."

Channel Futures is pleased to name Netsurit to the 2022 MSP 501. "These providers are most certainly driving a new wave of innovation in the industry and are demonstrating a commitment to moving the MSP and entire channel forward," said Kelly Danziger, general manager of Informa Tech Channels.

About Netsurit:

Netsurit is a global Managed Services Provider that delivers remarkable results. We ensure your business-critical apps and infrastructure are always on, secure, and resilient. Netsurit helps you accelerate growth, increase productivity, and drive business excellence through digital transformation and innovation.

With headquarters in New York and Johannesburg, Netsurit provides Managed Services for organizations of all sizes. Its culture is based on the tenet, "Supporting the Dreams of the Doers."

CONTACT: Jolandi Marais, +27725019996, [email protected]

SOURCE Netsurit
BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brooklyn Bridge Park - Pier 6 dog park has been newly renovated from gravel to a beautiful lush SYNLawn Plant-based synthetic grass. Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85-acre park located on the Brooklyn side of the East River in New York City. It has 6 different Piers which contain various playgrounds and residential developments. This renovation is a longtime dream for residents opening July 1!

"There's an opportunity to put in a material that's safe for pets," said Sandy Balboza, who sits on the park's volunteer Community Advisory Council. "There are a lot of dogs who don't like to walk on the gravel, so they don't come here, and some of them who do come might sit up on the concrete and not play."

More than a decade ago, the park had undergone a similar installation at Pier 2 with the help of SYNLawn New York and 30,000 square feet of our legendary SYNTipede243 artificial grass. To this day, SYNLawn remains in great condition and as a result, Brooklyn Bridge Park property managers returned to SYNLawn New York with great faith that this installation would be just as successful.

"SYNLawn is unique because we own our Master Batch which allows us to control all our ingredients, plant-based backing while supporting US Farmers and American Manufacturing. SYNLawn is 100% made in the US, is recyclable and sustainable."  Anastasia Phillips, owner of SYNLawn New York

SYNLawn pet grass is designed specifically for pets without the need for traditional maintenance. Domino Dog Park in Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach Dog Park and Tully Dog Park have chosen and recommended SYNLawn as their pet surfacing.

SYNLawn provides products that are designed to last, provide the most advanced technologies, and are made from plant-based and bio-based materials that give back to the environment. We work closely with US soy farmers to locally source our sugar cane, soybean oil, and more to remove significant portions of petroleum from our manufacturing process.

SYNLawn synthetic grass greatly reduces maintenance cost and labor, conserves thousands of gallons of water, saves money on equipment and water bills, and reduces our carbon footprint. Our products are safe for children and pets alike, are free of harsh chemicals and metals, and are hypoallergenic.

SYNLawn New York has proudly installed parks, playgrounds, and landscapes for over 10 years. For more information, visit SYNLawn New York to schedule a free consultation or call 212-247-5296 TODAY!

SOURCE SYNLawn New York
CARLSBAD, N.M., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NextMart, Inc. (the "Company" or "NXMR" - Pink Sheets Alternative Reporting Pink: NXMR)  NXMR would like to announce that it has named Oscar Maldonado as the new Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company effective July 1, 2022 ("Maldonado").

Mr. Maldonado was the former owner and officer of Two Brothers, LLC, a specialized oil field service company ("Two Brothers Service"), which was acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary by the Company on June 16, 2022, for 30,000,000 shares of Common Stock. William Bouyea announced his resignation effective at the end of the third fiscal quarter, June 30, 2022. Mr. Maldonado has run Two Brothers Service in the Permian Basin since 2016. Before that, Mr. Maldonado worked for Occidental USA for over ten years ending with being the Production Coordinator for the State of New Mexico.

Mr. Maldonado (CEO of the Company), states"I am excited to be part of the NextMart family. The Company would like to thank Mr. Bouyea for his tenure with the Company and everything he did with regards to acquisition negotiation as well as getting our oil field service division organized and fully operational. I have spent most of my professional career the last 20 plus years working in the oil and gas industry in the State of New Mexico, mainly in the Permian Basin. I plan to bring this experience to the Company and will assist with the growth our main business strategy, which is the development and sale of high-end, specialized oil field services in the Permian Basin. We want to be a major player in this market that is currently growing daily due to current economic conditions not only in the domestic United States, but also the world."

In passing, the Company has parted ways with Mark McKenzie, the head of our business operations, as well as working to unravel the acquisition of Defender Contracting, LLC, which should be completed within the next two business weeks. In the place of Mr. McKenzie, the Company has named Mr. Maldonado as new head of business operations and have started the process of consolidating all the Company's oil field service address at the new operational location in Carlsbad for Two Brothers Service.

Mr. Maldonado (CEO of the Company), states"With Two Brothers and Emco Oilfield Services being operated out of one main location, will not only save the Company in expenses and overhead, but will also increase its management and operational efficiency. It will allow us to make our specialized oil field service operations more proactive with regards to servicing our growing client based in the Permian Basin. Additionally, we are moving forward very fast with the development of the previously two new water station plants in Carlsbad as well. This will exponentially increase a current revenue source for the Company and will have an additional benefit of growing the use by our clients of our other suite of oil field services. With that said, even without the projected increased revenue generating activity from our current specialized oil field service unit due to the Company's investment in the new water stations, the Company will continue to grow in terms of new clients and top line revenue (e.g., monthly, quarterly, and annually) as the Permian Basin in projected to explode in terms of both oil and gas production for the foreseeable future."

Forward Looking Statement

Certain statements that we make may constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained herein may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to NXMR that are based on the beliefs of NXMR's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to NXMR's management. These forward-looking statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the NXMR's business prospects, future developments, trends and conditions in the industry and geographical markets in which NXMR operates, its strategies, plans, objectives and goals, its ability to control costs, statements relating to prices, volumes, operations, margins, overall market trends, risk management and exchange rates.

ABOUT US

NextMart, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, is a public quoted Pink Sheet issuer under the ticker symbol "NXMR". Currently, NXMR currently is a shell company with a new management team with plans to become a current alternative reporting issuer with OTC Markets. The Company is currently looking for an appropriate business acquisition.

Company Web Site: https://nextmartcorporation.com/

Emco Oilfield Services, LLC Web Site: https://emcooilfield.com/

Twitter: @CorporationNxmr

SOURCE NextMart, Inc.
Acquisition strengthens leading nationwide Appraisal Management Company's footprint in Northeast

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Opteon, a leading international provider of valuation, advisory, and property services, has announced its acquisition of Northeastern Appraisal Associates Residential (NEA), a Buffalo, New York-based appraisal management company (AMC) and staff appraisal firm. This partnership expands Opteon's presence in the Northeast, strengthening its nationwide service offerings and faster turn times in the fourth largest US real estate market.

Northeastern Appraisal Associates Residential has been delivering high-quality appraisal reports to the New York community since its inception in 1972. NEA has top-tier staff and panel appraisers throughout the New York region, servicing some of the nation's top mortgage lenders and originators. The partnership will also provide great new benefits for current NEA clients, such as extended business hours, a multi-level 200-point QC process, and coverage in all 50 states with 13,000+ panel and 250+ staff appraisers.

"We have always focused on providing high-quality appraisals to our clients. With the market rapidly changing in recent years, we must remain at the forefront of change to continue providing such excellent service. Partnering with Opteon guarantees we are able to provide our clients with an industry-leading experience," said Salvatore Vacanti, Vice President of Operations for NEA. Salvatore will continue to lead the appraisal team as Operations Manager of New York, while working with the AMC division to seamlessly integrate with our clients.

"Northeastern Appraisal Associates Residential has always strived to innovate and lead within the industry. We do so by keeping the appraiser at the center of everything we do. The Opteon vision of empowering appraisers through technology aligns with our goals, and we're excited to bring this partnership to our clients," added Robert Vacanti, President of NEA. Robert will be joining the Growth and Expansion team with Opteon USA to help grow national clients.

Founded in Australia in 2005, Opteon developed innovative technology that dramatically decreased turn times and revision rates. In Australia and New Zealand, Opteon delivers the majority of appraisal reports within 2 days, with less than a 1% rework rate. By partnering with world-class appraisal firms like NEA, Opteon aims to bring this technology to the United States.

"Our technology works hand-in-hand with appraisers. By equipping exceptional staff appraisers with our technology, Opteon streamlines the appraisal process. Northeastern Appraisal Associates Residential is comprised of an incredible team that will be able to implement our technology across the Northeastern US," said Chris Knight, Group CEO of Opteon.

Opteon has experienced substantial growth since the company's expansion into the US in 2019 and is one of the fastest-growing nationwide appraisal firms. This is the fourth acquisition Opteon has made in the last 12 months. Through these strategic acquisitions, Opteon has built a robust national Staff Appraiser model, allowing Opteon to utilize innovative technology to deliver drastically shorter turn times across the US. Together, Opteon's family of brands is bringing innovation and an elevated level of service to the industry.

About Opteon

Opteon is an international provider of valuation, advisory, and property services through innovative software solutions. With the company's expansion into the US in 2019, Opteon has invested heavily in its technology to reduce turn times, increase quality, and minimize human error without eliminating human expertise. Opteon's US sector is one of the fastest-growing nationwide appraisal firms and consists of more than 400 employees. Opteon was founded in 2005 and is recognized as the largest independent valuation and property services firm in Australia and New Zealand.

SOURCE Opteon
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Electrical Fuses Market (2022-2027) by Type, Voltage Range, End User, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Electrical Fuses Market is estimated to be USD 3.7 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 5.48 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.19%.



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Electrical Fuses Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are ABB, Bel Fuse, Bourns, Conquer Electronics, Danfoss power solutions, Fuji Electric, Fusepro, etc.

Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.

Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Electrical Fuses Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Electrical Fuses Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Electrical Fuses Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Growing Electrification of Different Industries

4.1.2 Increasing Investments in T&D Infrastructure

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Surging Demand for Substitutes such as MCBS, MCCBS, and Relays

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Execution of Performance-Based Incentive Schemes and Definite Service Programs

4.3.2 Advancement of Existing Substations and Feeder Line Protection

4.3.3 Ongoing Rapid Industrialization in Asia Pacific and Investments in Local Manufacturing

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Delays in Grid Expansion Projects

4.4.2 Impact of Covid-19 on Electric Fuse Market



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Electrical Fuses Market, By Type

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Power Fuse & Fuse Link

6.3 Distribution Cutout

6.4 Cartridge & Plug Fuse



7 Global Electrical Fuses Market, By Voltage Range

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Low Voltage

7.3 Medium Voltage



8 Global Electrical Fuses Market, By End User

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Utilities

8.3 Commercial

8.4 Industrial

8.5 Transportation



9 Americas' Electrical Fuses Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Argentina

9.3 Brazil

9.4 Canada

9.5 Chile

9.6 Colombia

9.7 Mexico

9.8 Peru

9.9 United States

9.10 Rest of Americas



10 Europe's Electrical Fuses Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Austria

10.3 Belgium

10.4 Denmark

10.5 Finland

10.6 France

10.7 Germany

10.8 Italy

10.9 Netherlands

10.10 Norway

10.11 Poland

10.12 Russia

10.13 Spain

10.14 Sweden

10.15 Switzerland

10.16 United Kingdom

10.17 Rest of Europe



11 Middle East and Africa's Electrical Fuses Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Egypt

11.3 Israel

11.4 Qatar

11.5 Saudi Arabia

11.6 South Africa

11.7 United Arab Emirates

11.8 Rest of MEA



12 APAC's Electrical Fuses Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Australia

12.3 Bangladesh

12.4 China

12.5 India

12.6 Indonesia

12.7 Japan

12.8 Malaysia

12.9 Philippines

12.10 Singapore

12.11 South Korea

12.12 Sri Lanka

12.13 Thailand

12.14 Taiwan

12.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Competitive Quadrant

13.2 Market Share Analysis

13.3 Strategic Initiatives

13.3.1 M&A and Investments

13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



14 Company Profiles

14.1 ABB

14.2 Bel Fuse

14.3 Bourns

14.4 Conquer Electronics

14.5 Danfoss power solutions

14.6 Fuji Electric

14.7 Fusepro

14.8 G&W Electric

14.9 General Electric Fuses

14.10 Hitachi Electrical Fuses

14.11 Kyocera

14.12 Legrand North America

14.13 Littelfuse

14.14 Mersen

14.15 Mitsubishi Electric

14.16 Nokia Networks

14.17 S&C Electric Company

14.18 Schurter Holding

14.19 SOC

14.20 Zhiguang Fuse



15 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qh3mk

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market (2022-2027) by Solution, Type, Applications, Geography, Competitive Analysis, and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market is estimated to be USD 4.2 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 6.21 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.14%.

Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.

As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are 3D Digital, AMETEK, Autodesk, Basic Software, Carl Zeiss Optotechnik, Faro Technologies, GEO3D DOO, Geomares, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HP), Hexagon, Maptek, Merrett Survey, Nikon Metrology, Riegl Laser Measurement Systems, Spatial Integrated Systems, Teledyne Technologies, Topcon Positioning Systems, TreisTek, Trimble, Zoller & Frohlich, etc.

Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.

Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Increasing Demand for 3D Laser Scanners in Infrastructure

4.1.2 Latest Advancements in Land Survey Equipment

4.1.3 Constant Adoption for Safety Measures in the Residential Sectors

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 High Investment and Operating Costs for Laser Scanning

4.2.2 Limitation to Extreme Weather Conditions

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Increasing Scope of Terrestrial Laser Scanning in GIS Field

4.3.2 Growing Investment in Mega Construction Projects such as Bridge and Tunnels in Developing Economies

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Complex Data Processing and Measurements are Typically Limited to a Single Event, Which Limits Their Utility



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market, By Solution

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Terrestrial Laser Scanning Services

6.2.1 Forestry & Agriculture

6.2.2 Infrastructure

6.2.3 Mining

6.2.4 Oil & Gas

6.2.5 Transportation & Logistics

6.3 Terrestrial Laser Scanning System

6.4 Hardware

6.4.1 Digital Cameras

6.4.2 GPS/Positioning Systems

6.4.3 Inertial Measurement Systems

6.4.4 Interface Devices

6.4.5 Laser Scanners

6.4.6 Wireless LAN Antenna

6.5 Software



7 Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market, By Type

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Mobile Scanner

7.3 Phase-Shift Scanner

7.4 Pulse-Based Scanner



8 Global Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market, By Applications

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Building Information Modeling

8.2.1 Architecture

8.2.2 Civil Engineering

8.3 Research & Engineering

8.4 Surveying

8.4.1 Archaeological Survey

8.4.2 City Modeling Survey

8.4.3 Forestry & Agricultural Survey

8.4.4 Mining Survey

8.4.5 Monitoring Survey

8.4.6 Topographical Survey



9 Americas' Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Argentina

9.3 Brazil

9.4 Canada

9.5 Chile

9.6 Colombia

9.7 Mexico

9.8 Peru

9.9 United States

9.10 Rest of Americas



10 Europe's Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Austria

10.3 Belgium

10.4 Denmark

10.5 Finland

10.6 France

10.7 Germany

10.8 Italy

10.9 Netherlands

10.10 Norway

10.11 Poland

10.12 Russia

10.13 Spain

10.14 Sweden

10.15 Switzerland

10.16 United Kingdom

10.17 Rest of Europe



11 Middle East and Africa's Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Egypt

11.3 Israel

11.4 Qatar

11.5 Saudi Arabia

11.6 South Africa

11.7 United Arab Emirates

11.8 Rest of MEA



12 APAC's Terrestrial Laser Scanning Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Australia

12.3 Bangladesh

12.4 China

12.5 India

12.6 Indonesia

12.7 Japan

12.8 Malaysia

12.9 Philippines

12.10 Singapore

12.11 South Korea

12.12 Sri Lanka

12.13 Thailand

12.14 Taiwan

12.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



13 Competitive Landscape

13.1 Competitive Quadrant

13.2 Market Share Analysis

13.3 Strategic Initiatives

13.3.1 M&A and Investments

13.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

13.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



14 Company Profiles

14.1 3D Digital

14.2 AMETEK

14.3 Autodesk

14.4 Basic Software

14.5 Carl Zeiss Optotechnik

14.6 Faro Technologies

14.7 GEO3D DOO

14.8 Geomares

14.9 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HP)

14.10 Hexagon

14.11 Maptek

14.12 Merrett Survey

14.13 Nikon Metrology

14.14 Riegl Laser Measurement Systems

14.15 Spatial Integrated Systems

14.16 Teledyne Technologies

14.17 Topcon Positioning Systems

14.18 TreisTek

14.19 Trimble

14.20 Zoller & Frohlich



15 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/n8pdiv

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
ATLANTA, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, to help alleviate ongoing supply shortages of baby formula, Peach State Health Plan continued its efforts to deliver critically-needed infant and baby formula to Georgia's medical providers in underserved areas around the state. Over 200 cannisters of formula have been distributed to pediatric clinics in Southwest Georgia and Atlanta, providing approximately 4,200 meals to feed newborns and babies of parents and families struggling to access this critical resource.

"The increased cost and scarce availability of baby formula is putting undue stress on Georgia's communities, and negatively impacting the health of newborns and their families," said Wade Rakes, CEO and President of Peach State Health Plan. "Some of the most negatively impacted are those living in rural and underserved regions of the state, and Peach State Health Plan is committed to help provide formula to areas that are in the greatest need."

Across the country over the past few months, parents and healthcare providers saw the availability of formula in stores diminish and prices on the secondary market soar. While supplies are slowly returning, many underserved and rural areas of the state are still experiencing critical shortages, causing parents across Georgia to continue to struggle to find formula. As Georgia's largest care management organization, Peach State is working with community physicians to address the needs of Georgia families.

"I am proud of the public-private partners that are banding together to support Georgians in need," said Governor Brian Kemp. "At the state level, we will continue working with relevant agencies and other stakeholders, like Peach State Health Plan, who are rising to meet the challenge before us and helping assist parents and newborns in need."

"Peach State Health Plan is one of our valued partners in Medicaid managed care," said Caylee Noggle, Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Community Health. "We are proud of the work they are doing to continue to help our community."

Infant formula is critical to the health and development of newborns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 1 in 4 parents exclusively breastfeed their children up to the age of 6 months, leaving the overwhelming majority of parents and caregivers at least partially dependent on formula.

"The formula donated by Peach State Health Plan will go a long way to help our patients struggling to find affordable or any formula for their families," said Dr. Nelson T. Madrazo, MD FAAP, Sumter Pediatrics. "The formula shortage has been tough on all of Georgia's families. It is good to know that there are companies out there like Peach State Health plan working to find solutions to the shortage."

In a continued effort to help Georgia's families through the formula shortage, Peach State Health Plan is donating additional deliveries of baby formula to healthcare providers in the coming weeks and months. Medical providers and organizations that have received or will receive cannisters of formula from Peach State Health Plan are located in Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Cairo, Columbus, Conyers, Leesburg, Norcross, Thomasville, and Tifton.

For families impacted by infant formula shortages, Peach State Health Plan members can contact the Community Connections Help Line for supply assistance at 1-866-775-2192 or TTY 711.

About Peach State Health Plan

Peach State Health Plan is a Care Management Organization that serves the needs of Georgians through a range of health insurance solutions. Peach State Health Plan serves the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids population in partnership with Georgia Families. The organization also focuses on under-insured and uninsured individuals through its federal insurance marketplace plan, Ambetter, and its Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan. Peach State Health Plan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise. For more information visit www.pshp.com.

SOURCE Peach State Health Plan
GREELEY, Colo., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional Finance Company, Inc. ("PFC"), an accounts receivable management company that provides assistance to various organizations (including healthcare providers), announced today that it is notifying individuals whose information may have been involved in a recent network security incident.

On February 26, 2022, PFC detected and stopped a sophisticated ransomware attack, in which an unauthorized third party accessed and disabled some of PFC's computer systems. PFC immediately engaged third party forensic specialists to assist with securing the network environment and investigating the extent of any unauthorized activity. Federal law enforcement was also notified. The ongoing investigation determined that an unauthorized third party accessed files containing certain individuals' personal information during this incident. PFC notified the respective healthcare providers on May 5, 2022. This incident only impacted data on PFC's systems. The list of healthcare providers can be viewed here:

https://bit.ly/CoveredEntitiesPFC

PFC found no evidence that personal information has been specifically misused; however, it is possible that the following information could have been accessed by an unauthorized third party: first and last name, address, accounts receivable balance and information regarding payments made to accounts, and, in some cases, date of birth, social security number, and health insurance and medical treatment information.

PFC today is mailing letters to potentially involved individuals with detail about the incident and providing resources they can use to help protect their information. PFC is also offering potentially involved individuals access to free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Cyberscout, a leading identity protection company.

Individuals should refer to the notice they received in the mail regarding steps they can take to protect themselves. As a precautionary measure, potentially impacted individuals should remain vigilant to protect against fraud and/or identity theft by, among other things, reviewing their financial account statements and monitoring free credit reports. If individuals detect any suspicious activity on an account, they should promptly notify the institution or company with which the account is maintained. Individuals should also promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, including the police and their state's attorney general. Individuals may also wish to review the tips provided by the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") on fraud alerts, free security/credit freezes and steps that they can take to avoid identity theft. For more information and to contact the FTC, please visit www.identitytheft.gov or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338). Individuals may also contact the FTC at: Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

PFC is providing a dedicated toll-free call center for potentially affected individuals who have questions, want to enroll in credit monitoring and identity theft protection services, or who want to learn additional steps to protect their information. To contact the call center, please call 1-844-663-3160, between 6am and 6pm MST. More information is available on the PFC website: https://www.pfcusa.com/.

Data security is one of PFC's highest priorities. Since the incident, PFC wiped and rebuilt affected systems and has taken steps to bolster its network security. PFC also reviewed and altered its policies, procedures, and network security software relating to the security of systems and servers, as well as how data is stored and managed.

Additional Information

Credit Reports: You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.

Security Freeze: You also have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency. You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, regular stamped mail, or by following the instructions found at the websites listed below. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse or a minor under the age of 16, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. As of September 21, 2018, it is free to place, lift, or remove a security freeze. You may also place a security freeze for children under the age of 16. You may obtain a free security freeze by contacting any one or more of the following national consumer reporting agencies:

Fraud Alerts: You can place fraud alerts with the three credit bureaus by phone and online with:

Equifax (https://assets.equifax.com/assets/personal/Fraud_Alert_Request_Form.pdf);

TransUnion (https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts); or

Experian (https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html).

A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit. As of September 21, 2018, initial fraud alerts last for one year. Victims of identity theft can also get an extended fraud alert for seven years. The phone numbers for all three credit bureaus are at listed above.

Monitoring: You should always remain vigilant and monitor your accounts for suspicious or unusual activity.

File Police Report: You have the right to file or obtain a police report if you experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You can generally report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement or to the Attorney General.

FTC and Attorneys General: You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338), TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 1-888-743-0023, and www.oag.state.md.us.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violators. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6400, and www.ncdoj.gov.

For New York residents, the Attorney General may be contacted at Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341, 1-800-771-7755, and https://ag.ny.gov/.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, www.riag.ri.gov, and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident.

For Vermont Residents, if you do not have internet access but would like to learn more about how to place a security freeze on your credit report, contact the Vermont Attorney General's Office at 802-656-3183 (800-649-2424 toll free in Vermont only).

SOURCE Professional Finance Company
XLHED is a very rare and debilitating congenital disease which affects approximately 4/100,000 live male births every year. This genetic disorder is a dermatologic-related condition which leads to abnormal development of the skin, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, hair, oral cavity and respiratory mucosal glands resulting in serious clinical manifestations such as hyperthermia, craniofacial anomalies and recurrent respiratory infections.

The EDELIFE clinical trial is a confirmatory study that will investigate the efficacy and safety of intra-amniotic ER004 administrations as a prenatal treatment for male foetuses who have been confirmed to have XLHED. ER004 is a pioneering in-utero therapy designed to replace the function of endogenous Ectodysplasin A1 (EDA1), a protein key to the normal development of ectodermal structures in the foetus. If successful, ER004 has the potential to become the first approved 'single-course treatment', administered during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

"It is an exciting time for the Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia community and for prenatal medical research. For the first time, we can hope to correct major symptoms of XLHED for those who are diagnosed before birth," said Caroline Kant, the Co-founder and CEO of the EspeRare Foundation. "We need the support of the XLHED community to ensure that those who may benefit from this unique treatment are aware of the EDELIFE trial."

A target number of 15 to 20 baby boys with XLHED will be treated within the EDELIFE trial across 8 centres in Europe and the USA. Clinical centres for the study are now open in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and will be open shortly in the USA. A dedicated web site (www.EDELIFEclinicaltrial.com) is available for interested families who want to learn more about the clinical trial and the conditions for enrolment. Beyond the initial English version, it will progressively be developed in German, French, Italian and Spanish.

"We are committed to supporting pregnant women with a confirmed diagnosis of XLHED in their treatment journey for their unborn baby boys," said Dr Deborah Szafir, Executive Vice President, Head of Medical and Patient Consumer Division at Pierre Fabre. "15 to 20 patients in the clinical trial may seem like a very small number, but given how rare the condition is, it is essential we facilitate the process of enrolment into the study as much as possible. This includes facilitating the pregnant women's travel to a nearby country if there is no investigational site open in their own country. We feel very proud at Pierre Fabre to support those with rare dermatologic diseases as we have already successfully done in infantile hemangiomas".

In the main study phase of the EDELIFE clinical trial, efficacy and safety of approximately 15 treated children will be assessed up to 6 months of age and safety of the mothers will be assessed up to 1 month after delivery. In the long-term follow-up phase, efficacy and safety of the treated children will be assessed up to 5 years of age. The main phase of the clinical study is expected to last until 2025.

The ER004 in XLHED program has received a wide range of regulatory support, including Breakthrough Therapy Designation in 2020 by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Its clinical development also benefits from the European Medical Agency's (EMA) PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) program.

Details also available on www.clinicaltrials.gov. Study NCT04980638

About XLHED

XLHED is a severe genetic disorder that affects the structure of the ectoderm, the most exterior part of the three primary germ layers formed during early embryonic life, from which the skin and its appendages are derived. XLHED is caused by mutations in EDA, a gene that encodes an important developmental signalling protein, EDA1. The absence of functional EDA1 in the ectoderm results in abnormal development of the skin, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, hair, oral cavity, and respiratory mucosal glands.

About ER004

ER004 is a pioneering in-utero therapy designed to replace the function of endogenous Ectodysplasin A1 (EDA1), a protein key to the normal development of ectodermal structures in the foetus. ER004 is a recombinant, soluble, and humanized form of EDA1 that is given as a single course treatment and delivered through intra-amniotic injections during the late stage of pregnancy. This approach has already demonstrated a promising potential in humans where it restored sweat gland function in three patients treated in this fashion by Prof. Holm Schneider at the University Hospital Erlangen in Germany. First results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine1 and in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology2 as well as featured in Nature Medicine's Research Highlights3.

About the EspeRare foundation

EspeRare is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in 2013 that is committed to improve the lives of children with life-threatening rare diseases. EspeRare addresses the unmet medical needs of these children by uncovering the potential of existing treatments. EspeRare's innovative model combines pharmaceutical know-how with philanthropic, public and private investments to develop and bring to life these discontinued therapies. With its unique patient-centred approach to drug development, EspeRare engages the patient community at each step of the process, with the intent of giving children and their families fair access to these therapies and a new hope for the future.

For more information, please visit www.esperare.org

About Pierre Fabre

Pierre Fabre is the 2nd largest dermo-cosmetics laboratory in the world, the 2nd largest private French pharmaceutical group and the market leader in France for products sold over the counter in pharmacies. Its portfolio includes several medical franchises and international brands including Pierre Fabre Oncology, Pierre Fabre Dermatology, Eau Thermale Avene, Klorane, Ducray, Rene Furterer, A-Derma, Naturactive, Pierre Fabre Oral Care.

In 2021, Pierre Fabre generated 2.5 billion in revenues, 66% of which came from international sales.

Established in the South-West of France since its creation, the Group manufacturs over 95% of its products in France and employs some 9,500 people worldwide. Its products are distributed in about 115 countries.

Pierre Fabre is 86%-owned by the Pierre Fabre Foundation, a government-recognised public-interest foundation, and secondarily by its own employees through an international employee stock ownership plan.

Further information about Pierre Fabre can be found at www.pierre-fabre.com, @PierreFabre.

References

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1851585/edelife.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1688212/Pierre_Fabre_and_EspeRare_Logo.jpg

CONTACTS :

EspeRare Foundation

[email protected]

Pierre Fabre

[email protected]

SOURCE Pierre Fabre, EspeRare Foundation
CHICAGO, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Progressing Cavity Pump Market by Pumping Capacity (Upto 500 GPM, 5011000 GPM, Above 1000 GPM), Power Rating (Upto 50 hp, 51150 hp, Above 150 hp), End User (Oil & Gas, Water & Wastewater, Others), Product Type, Stage Type and Region - Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Progressing Cavity Pump Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period, from an estimated USD 2.2 billion in 2022 to USD 2.8 billion in 2027. Growing developments in investments in water & wastewater treatment, oil & gas, chemicals & petrochemicals, mining is fueling the growth for progressing cavity pumps. The new technology trends in conveying high viscosity fluids and semi-solids is creating numerous opportunities for progressing cavity pump manufacturers.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=142949269

The water & wastewater treatment segment, by end-user industry, is expected to be the largest Progressing Cavity Pump Market during the forecast period

The water & wastewater segment has the largest share of the global Progressing Cavity Pump Market owing to rise in the demand in developing countries with increase in the sanitation services for achieving sustainability development goals. As these pumps work efficiently when comes to highly viscous fluids and semi-solids which is fueling the growth for progressive cavity pumps. Moreover, factors such as population growth, industrial development are increasing the demand for usage of progressive cavity pumps in wastewater treatment.

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51150 hp segment is expected to be the second largest market, by power rating, during the forecast period

51150 hp progressing cavity pumps offer various advantages such as less floor space and high performance allow them to be utilized in large number of end-user industries. Also, recent developments in the design of 51150 hp progressing cavity pumps is increasing their demand. These are more suitable in water & wastewater treatment, food & beverages, oil & gas industries.

Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the global Progressing Cavity Pump Market during the forecast period

In this report, the Progressing Cavity Pump Market has been analyzed for 5 regions, namely Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, South America. Asia Pacific is expected to lead the market during the forecast period.

Asia Pacific region has undergone rapid developments and growth from the major economies such as China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. The region has witnessed developments in various sectors such as oil & gas, food & beverages, mining, chemical & petrochemicals in the recent years. For instance, in China, there are natural gas explorations and import activities. China new mining policies involving foreign investments in the mining industry has supported to raise the demand for progressing cavity pumps this trend has been observed in different across countries in the region which fueled the growth for Progressing Cavity Pump Market.

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To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the Progressing Cavity Pump Market. These include including NOV (US), NETZSCH (Germany), Seepex (Germany), PCM (France), CIRCOR International (US), and Schlumberger (US). The leading players are trying to establish themselves in the markets of developed countries and are adopting various strategies such as investments, expansions, product launches, sales contracts, agreements, mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, partnerships, and joint ventures to increase their respective market shares.

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NEW YORK, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT) between March 4, 2021 and March 8, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important August 16, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Yext securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Yext class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=7115 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than August 16, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Yext's revenue and earnings were significantly deteriorating because of, among other things, poor sales execution and performance, as well as COVID-19 related disruptions; (2) accordingly, Yext was unlikely to meet consensus estimates for its full year ("FY") fiscal 2022 financial results and fiscal 2023 outlook; and (3) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Yext class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=7115 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
Official figures in The Saudi Ministry of Hajj stated that they're working to improve all programs which are meant to serve Hajj pilgrims. One of these initiatives includes the development of a new registration mechanism for pilgrims from Europe, North America, and Australia for the 2022 Hajj season. The integrated ePortal offers a variety of Hajj packages, online support services, and a 24/7 call center in multiple languages. In addition, it facilitated the issuance of eVisas to optimize and streamline the Hajj registration process for pilgrims applying from those countries.

This new endeavor falls within the strategic framework of the Saudi authorities to develop a digitalized Hajj registration experience, streamline application procedures, and offer reduced, competitive prices to pilgrims from those countries.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is a government ministry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is in charge of handling issues of Hajj and Umrah in the country. The ministry assures safe arrival and departure of pilgrims and visitors arriving in Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
The STEM Toys Market value is set to grow by USD 964.09 million, progressing at a CAGR of 5% from 2020 to 2025, as per the latest report by Technavio.

STEM Toys Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5% Market growth 2021-2025 $ 964.09 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 3.86 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 35% Key consumer countries US, Japan, China, France, and Canada Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Elenco Electronics Inc., Hasbro Inc., Johnco Productions Pty Ltd., Learning Resources Ltd., LEGO System AS, Mattel Inc., Melissa & Doug LLC, Ravensburger AG, Smartivity Labs Pvt. Ltd., and Spin Master Corp. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID 19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for forecast period, Customization preview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

STEM Toys Market: Advancement of Collaborative Environment in Educational Institutions to Drive the Market Growth

The shift in learning approaches from traditional exam-based education toward a context-oriented approach in educational institutions significantly contributes to the growth of the market. The adoption of STEM toys in classrooms enables teachers and students to link core concepts such as critical thinking, statistics, creativity, and argumentation with game-based learning and practical examples. This enables students to sync their education and learning activities with industry-specific and job-oriented learning. The education sector has witnessed a shift towards an example-oriented, context-based learning approach. Students are encouraged to understand the subject better through practical examples and illustrative designs in classrooms, as opposed to rote memorization. Thus, emphasis on context-based education is expected to continue to drive the market during the forecast period.

STEM Toys Market: Intense Competition from Mobile Games to Challenge the Market Growth

The penetration of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has resulted in the emergence of several game-based learning software and applications targeted at kids of different age groups. Technological advances allow these applications to offer user-friendly interfaces, thereby enabling better engagement and operability for students. The use of easy applications, better graphics, and content interactivity, and a range of gaming options will help mobile game manufacturers attract and retain their consumers at a higher rate than traditional toy manufacturers. Many mobile application developers provide a range of interactive learning software for STEM and other disciplines at competitive prices. The prominence of mobile applications and software in STEM learning is expected to hamper the growth of the market.

More insights on the drivers, trends, and challenges that will help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies. Look out for more information on market dynamics scenario, demand & supply forces, product offerings, financial information, and SWOT analysis. All at affordable Plans

STEM Toys Market Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD mn, 2020-2025)

Offline - size and forecast 2020-2025

Online - size and forecast 2020-2025

STEM Toys Market Geography Outlook (Revenue, USD mn, 2020-2025)

APAC - size and forecast 2020-2025

North America - size and forecast 2020-2025

Europe - size and forecast 2020-2025

MEA - size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - size and forecast 2020-2025

For more insights on the market share & contribution of various regions & segments  Request Sample Report

STEM Toys Market: Vendor Landscape

The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including:

Elenco Electronics Inc.

Hasbro Inc.

Johnco Productions Pty Ltd.

Learning Resources Ltd.

LEGO SySTEM AS

Mattel Inc.

Melissa & Doug LLC

Ravensburger AG

Smartivity Labs Pvt. Ltd.

Spin Master Corp.

The STEM toys market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market.

More vendor insights with latest product offerings & news  View with Sample Report

Related Reports Include

Smart Toys Market by Service and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The smart toys market share is expected to increase by USD 4.27 billion from 2021 to 2026, at a CAGR of 11.5%. 32% of the market's growth will originate from APAC during the forecast period. China and Japan are the key markets for smart toys in APAC. Find More Exclusive Research Insights Here

Educational Toys Market by Product, Age, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025: The educational toys market share is expected to increase by USD 28.40 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 14%. The outbreak of COVID-19 led to the closure of schools in various countries, owing to encouraging parents to opt for educational toys for their children is likely to boost the demand for educational toys in APAC during the forecast period. Find More Exclusive Research Insights Here

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five Forces Summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Distribution channel

Market segments

Comparison by Distribution channel

Offline - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Online - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Distribution channel

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Elenco Electronics Inc.

Hasbro Inc.

Johnco Productions Pty Ltd.

Learning Resources Ltd.

LEGO System AS

Mattel Inc.

Melissa & Doug LLC

Ravensburger AG

Smartivity Labs Pvt. Ltd.

Spin Master Corp.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

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UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
CPC steers Chinese economy in resilient recovery despite challenges

Xinhua) 21:53, July 01, 2022

BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC), embracing its 101st birthday on Friday, is steering the Chinese economy back on track despite headwinds at home and abroad.

To minimize the impacts of domestic COVID-19 resurgences and global complexity on the economy, the world's largest governing party has given instructions ranging from bolstering employment and unclogging logistics to propping up small businesses and increasing economic openness.

Following the Party's leadership, governments at all levels have made all-out efforts to help the economy navigate the temporary hardships.

EMPLOYMENT FIRST

Job creation has always been a priority on the CPC's policy agenda. Back in 2020, a year of so many uncertainties for the country that it set no numerical economic growth target, it dedicated itself to a clear goal of creating over 9 million urban jobs.

This year, facing COVID-19 disruptions, China is expected to see a record 10.76 million new university and college graduates, a year-on-year increase of 1.67 million.

Adhering to an "employment-first" strategy, the CPC leadership stressed efforts to stabilize and expand employment at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in April.

Government departments have taken firm actions accordingly. Maximizing China's institutional advantages, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission urged all centrally administered state-owned enterprises to expand their current recruitment and talent pool to create more job opportunities.

KEEPING LOGISTICS SMOOTH

To handle the COVID-19 impact on market supply and commodity prices, the CPC leadership has reiterated the importance of unclogging logistics and supply chain so that the economy operates smoothly and people's essential needs are met.

The country must consider a full picture of national development to ensure unimpeded transportation and logistics by normalizing key industrial and supply chains and suppliers for COVID response and critical infrastructure, according to the meeting in April.

Governments at all levels have acted upon the instructions with targeted moves. A unified national pass for vehicles transporting vital supplies has been adopted by various provinces nationwide, while cities including Beijing have established a "white list" mechanism to secure the delivery capacity of fresh produce suppliers and support the work resumption of key companies.

China's logistics sector is rebounding from the COVID-19 lows thanks to such efforts. The logistics performance index came in at 49.3 percent in May, up 5.5 percentage points from April, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

SHORING UP BUSINESSES

A series of burden-easing measures have been unveiled by varying government organs in response to the CPC's call for helping market entities, especially small and micro firms that underpin the country's economic resilience.

Since April 1, China has launched value-added tax credit refunds on a large scale amid continuous efforts in tax and fee cuts.

To further this policy, the country announced that firms in seven more sectors, including wholesale and retail sales, agriculture, accommodation and catering, will enjoy such refunds from July 1. This move will bring the total amount of tax refunds and reductions to 2.64 trillion yuan (395 billion U.S. dollars) this year.

Other efforts to this end include doubling the scale of the support facility for inclusive loans to micro and small businesses and deferring social security contribution payments for companies facing difficulties.

OPENING DOORS WIDER

Short-term uncertainties have not held back China's long-standing dedication to sharing opportunities with other nations. At the April meeting, continued efforts are mandated by the CPC leadership to expand high-level opening-up.

On top of introducing two shortened negative lists for foreign investment that came into force on Jan. 1, China has advanced the construction of 21 pilot free trade zones and signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with 149 countries and 32 international organizations.

Eyeing China's opening-up dividends, foreign investors are scrambling for a larger presence in the thriving Chinese market. In the first five months, foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 17.3 percent year on year.

According to recent reports by the German Chamber of Commerce in China and the American Chamber of Commerce in China, 71 percent of German-invested companies and over 60 percent of U.S. companies plan to increase investment in China.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Bianji)
Acquisition of Leading European Seamless Rolled Rings Manufacturer Expands Global Platform of Large Diameter Forgings

VENETO, Italy, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Siderforgerossi Group S.p.A. ("Siderforgerossi"), a leading global manufacturer of forged products and a portfolio company of KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS"), announced today that it completed the acquisition of Grupo Euskal Forging, S.L. and its subsidiaries (together "Euskal Forging" or the "Company"). Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Euskal Forging is a manufacturer of forgings and seamless rolled rings, including rings greater than eight meters in diameter, serving the wind power, capital goods, oil & gas, power transmission and mining end-markets. Headquartered in Irura, Spain, the Company operates three manufacturing facilities and has approximately 170 employees.

Daniele Crose, Chief Executive Officer of Siderforgerossi, said, "The capabilities of Euskal Forging represent an unparalleled opportunity for Siderforgerossi to expand our product portfolio, manufacturing footprint and competencies. This acquisition is an important step as Siderforgerossi advances its leading position in the wind power wide diameter forgings market, across both offshore and onshore applications. We are extremely impressed by the strength of Euskal Forging's management, customer relationships and unrivaled commitment to quality."

Inigo Fernandez Garate, General Manager of Euskal Forging, said, "The combination of Euskal Forging and Siderforgerossi creates clear benefits for the customers and employees of both companies. Euskal Forging and Siderforgerossi share a commitment to quality and customer service that extends from our operations to our products. We are thrilled to operate under KPS' ownership and join Siderforgerossi in this exciting new chapter of growth."

Banco Sabadell S.A. served as lead financial advisor, Houlihan Lokey served as debt capital markets advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Cuatrecasas served as legal counsel to Siderforgerossi and KPS.

Alantra Corporate Finance, S.A.U. served as financial advisor and BSK Legal & Fiscal as legal counsel to the seller, Inversiones Nider Lekim, S.L.

About Siderforgerossi

Siderforgerossi is a leading, vertically integrated manufacturer of rolled and forged products with capabilities across the manufacturing spectrum, including ring-rolled, open die and closed die forging. Siderforgerossi specializes in large diameter forged products and primarily serves the wind power, oil & gas, earth moving, and aerospace end-markets across Europe and India. Siderforgerossi provides customers with a vertically integrated offering including heat treating, destructive and non-destructive testing and machining. The Company is headquartered in Veneto, Italy and operates nine manufacturing sites in Italy and three additional sites in India. For additional information, please visit www.siderforgerossi.com.

About Euskal Forging

Euskal Forging is a manufacturer of forgings and seamless rolled rings, including rings greater than eight meters in diameter, serving the wind power, capital goods, oil & gas, power transmission and mining end-markets. Headquartered in Irura, Spain, the Company operates three manufacturing facilities and has approximately 170 employees. For additional information, please visit www.euskalforging.com.

About KPS Capital Partners

KPS, through its affiliated management entities, is the manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of investment funds with approximately $13.4 billion of assets under management (as of March 31, 2022). For over three decades, the partners of KPS have worked exclusively to realize significant capital appreciation by making controlling equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries, including basic materials, branded consumer, healthcare and luxury products, automotive parts, capital equipment and general manufacturing. KPS creates value for its investors by working constructively with talented management teams to make businesses better, and generates investment returns by structurally improving the strategic position, competitiveness and profitability of its portfolio companies, rather than primarily relying on financial leverage. The KPS funds' portfolio companies have aggregate annual revenues of approximately $19.7 billion, operate 233 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries, and have approximately 52,000 employees, directly and through joint ventures worldwide. The KPS investment strategy and portfolio companies are described in detail at www.kpsfund.com.

KPS Mid-Cap focuses on investments in the lower end of the middle market that require up to $100 million of initial equity capital. KPS Mid-Cap targets the same type of investment opportunities and utilizes the same investment strategy that KPS' flagship funds have for over three decades. KPS Mid-Cap leverages and benefits from KPS' global platform, reputation, track record, infrastructure, best practices, knowledge and experience. The KPS Mid-Cap investment team is managed by Partners Pierre de Villemejane and Ryan Harrison, who lead a team of experienced and talented professionals.

SOURCE Siderforgerossi Group S.p.A.
Supreme Court Refuses to Review California Law Curtailing Independent Contractors

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to take a case seeking to overturn a California law on worker misclassification, and by doing so expanded employment protections to California truck drivers currently misclassified as independent contractors.

In denying the petition of the California Trucking Association, the court will let stand AB 5, a California law meant to ensure that those who work at the beck-and-call of a company must be considered employees. The measure, which was signed into law in 2019 but hadn't fully gone into effect, was landmark legislation for California truck drivers, particularly at the ports, who rallied with the Teamsters for years against being improperly labeled as contract workers.

"Finally, port truck drivers and so many others across California will have the opportunity to join together and earn a fair wage that allows them to support their families," said Sean M. O'Brien, Teamsters General President. "These companies can no longer take advantage of workers and fill their own executive pockets with unfairly earned profits."

"AB 5 was a significant victory in the Teamsters' decades-long battle against misclassification in trucking," said Jason Rabinowitz, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. "We thank the courts for letting stand legislation that guarantees truck drivers the employment protections they deserve. Now it's time to enforce this law."

The Teamsters worked with Attorney General Rob Bonta to help defend the legislation.

"Over the last decade, the California Labor Commissioner found misclassification is rampant at our ports, in construction, package delivery, and more," said Randy Cammack, President of Teamsters Joint Council 42. "The race-to-the-bottom in trucking is going to end in California when the Teamsters help to enforce AB 5."

Companies purposefully and deceptively misclassify their workers as independent contractors to deny workers fair wages and benefits, and to avoid paying employee-related expenses, like unemployment insurance, workers' compensation and Social Security. This corporate greed damages the economy, leaves workers' lives in jeopardy, and puts good employers who play by the rules at a competitive disadvantage.

Lorena Gonzalez, who previously authored AB 5 as a state legislator and now is the incoming Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation, said workers will now have a better quality of life thanks to the law.

"AB 5 stands for the simple principle that all workers deserve the protections of employment status, including the right to unionize," Gonzalez said. "Misclassified truck drivers have been at the forefront of this fight for decades. The courts have spoken and AB 5 is the law of the land. Now it's time for us to crackdown on abusive employers and better the lives of working people."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Ted Gotsch, (202) 508-6437

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
ALAMEDA, Calif. , July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dozens of current and former Tesla, Inc. employees filed a lawsuit in Alameda Superior Court today alleging the electric car giant operates under a "pre-Civil Rights" atmosphere of racial discrimination as a standard operating practice.

This mass action alleges the plaintiffs were subjected to racially motivated harassment and intimidation in Tesla factories which were transformed into racially hostile work environments. The lawsuit names tech giant Tesla, as well as managers and supervisors who allegedly perpetuated constant racism and discrimination at Tesla.

"It's hard to imagine a workplace culture that these hard-working people had to endure day after day, having to live through racist comments and abusive behavior," said attorney Mike Arias. "Hearing story after story of employees being subjected to this level of disgusting and threatening behavior and language is still almost unbelievable."

"The stories we're hearing from Tesla's employees, one after another, are mind-blowing," said Arias. "To know that in 2022, people are going into work and being called racial slurs, seeing nooses hanging, and not getting the same opportunities as many of their counterparts because they are minorities is unacceptable."

The alleged racial abuse and harassment includes African American and Hispanic employees being subjected to offensive racist comments and behavior by colleagues, managers, supervisors, and even HR employees on a regular basis.

The complaint includes allegations of offensive and derogatory behavior and language that people of color were forced to endure while working for Tesla. These allegations include:

Racist graffiti on restroom walls, stalls, lockers, benches, workstations and more littered with "KKK", the "n-word", and swastikas.

African American employees were called "darkies" or "blackies" instead of being called by their names.

Employees named in the complaint were not trained, promoted, or given raises despite years of work and excellent reviews.

Employees of color were told they must work hard because they are minorities.

Physical attacks by co-workers with zero action taken by management to address to stop the assault.

Racial and sexual harassment by supervisors or in front of supervisors who did nothing to curb or address the behavior.

Targeting for termination by supervisors and HR based solely on race.

"These employees simply wanted to put in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, and instead they were treated horribly by co-workers, supervisors, and even HR representatives," said attorney Sahar Malek. "This can't go ignored."

The case is Jasmin Wilson et. al. v Tesla, Alameda Superior Court, Case No. 22CV013603. To read the complaint, click here.

About Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP

ASWT is a Trial Law Firm with offices in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Las Vegas and Montreal. The firm specializes in complex litigation in state and federal courts throughout the United States. We represent plaintiffs in employment, sexual assault and harassment, wrongful death, serious personal injury, elder abuse, civil rights, and mass and class actions on behalf of consumers and employees. To learn more about us, go to: https://aswtlawyers.com/.

Contact: Joe Marchelewski, [email protected]

SOURCE Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos
Broad range of impactful world-class leaders compose board of LLS, global leader in the fight against blood cancer.

RYE BROOK, N.Y., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) announced today National Board Officer appointments, as well as a new national board member. The National Board of Directors works alongside LLS leadership to drive forward the organization's steadfast commitment to saving lives and improving the quality of life for blood cancer patients and their families.

Effective July 1, 2022, the new officer appointments include: Jeff Sachs, Board Chair; Kathleen Meriwether, Vice Chair; Freda Wang, Secretary/Treasurer; Ruben Mesa, M.D., At Large.

Also effective July 1, 2022, Jim Reddoch, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Investments, and Chief Scientific Officer at Royalty Pharma, joins as a new board member.

"Volunteers are integral to the success of LLS, and we are grateful to the distinguished volunteer leaders serving on LLS's national boardall laser-focused on helping blood cancer patients and their families survive and thrive," said Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., LLS president and CEO. "With their diverse talents and skills and dedication to charting a bold course for the future, LLS can continue transforming the landscape of blood cancer care. We congratulate our new slate of officers, welcome our new board member, and look forward to the impact we will have together."

"As a leukemia survivor and longtime LLS volunteer and donor, I've witnessed firsthand LLS's impact on the lives of blood cancer patients and families, through unprecedented strides in research, patient services and advocacy," said Jeff Sachs, LLS Board Chair. "I'm honored to chair the board of this organization, which has exemplary management and was recently recognized as an innovative, impactful leader among cancer organizations, with best-in-class transition of donor funds into effective patient-oriented, mission-driven programs."

LLS Board & Leadership Announcements:

Board Chair, Jeff Sachs (Atlanta, GA): Jeff Sachs retired as the North American senior managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle's Hotels and Hospitality Strategic Advisory and Asset Management Group. Before joining JLL, Sachs was a founding partner of Strategic Advisory Group, which was acquired by JLL in early 2016. Prior to forming Strategic Advisory Group in 1998, he was the national director of the public assembly consulting practice and the southeast director of the hospitality practice for Ernst & Young. He earned a bachelor's and master's degree in accounting from the University of Iowa. Sachs has been a volunteer with LLS since 2005, one year after surviving a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia.

Vice Chair, Kathleen Meriwether (Philadelphia, PA): Kathleen Meriwether is retired from Ernst & Young, LLP, where she served as Americas Life Sciences Leader for the firm's Forensic and Integrity practice. She specialized in assisting health sciences companies with internal and government investigations, global risks and compliance assessments and regulatory compliance analyses. Prior to joining Ernst & Young, she served as an Assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, specializing in health care fraud matters. She previously spent more than 16 years with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in a number of legal, regulatory affairs and compliance positions, including division counsel for the Oncology and Immunology franchise. Kathleen has a bachelor's degree in economics from LaSalle University and earned her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Novartis Corporation and is a cancer survivor.

Secretary/Treasurer, Freda Wang (New York, NY): Freda Wang is a managing director in Goldman Sachs' Public Sector & Infrastructure Group within the investment banking division. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, she was a managing director and head of structured banking within the Municipal Securities Group at UBS. Wang has spent over two decades providing investment banking services to some of the country's largest public sector organizations, including state and local governments, public utility systems, transportation and mass transit agencies and other public and quasi-public organizations. Over the course of her career, she has helped numerous governmental, corporate and nonprofit clients solve complex financing challenges related to public projects. Freda was named the 2018 Woman of the Year candidate for LLS's Connecticut Westchester Hudson Valley Chapter. She currently serves as treasurer and board member of FUSE Corps, and as vice chair of the board and chair of the finance committee of New York City Health & Hospitals. Freda earned a bachelor's degree in urban studies with a concentration in economics from Columbia College of Columbia University in New York City.



At Large, Ruben Mesa, M.D., FACP (San Antonio, TX): Dr. Mesa is executive director of the NCI designated Mays Cancer Center, home to the UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, where he holds the Mays Family Foundation Distinguished University presidential chair. Dr. Mesa has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator in more than 100 clinical trials for patients with myeloid disorders and played a lead role in various FDA approvals. He has been a funded investigator of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on several projects in myeloproliferative neoplasms, and is appointed to the NCI Clinical Trial Advisory Committee. Dr. Mesa plays a range of leadership roles with the American Society of Hematology, and elected to the Board of the American Association of Cancer Institutes. Dr. Mesa completed his undergraduate training in nuclear engineering and physiology at University of Illinois and attended Mayo Medical School in Rochester, MN, where he completed his internal medicine residency and hematology & medical oncology fellowship. He was then on the faculty of the Mayo Clinic in hematology and later served as deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center from 2012-2017.

Board Member, Jim Reddoch, Ph.D. (New York, NY): Jim Reddoch, Ph.D. is Executive Vice President, Investments, and Chief Scientific Officer at Royalty Pharma, where he has identified and analyzed new biopharma investment opportunities and partnerships for over 14 years. Prior to joining Royalty Pharma in 2008, Dr. Reddoch was Head of Healthcare Research at FBR Capital Markets. Previously, Dr. Reddoch was a biotechnology analyst at Bank of America and CIBC World Markets. He is on Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's external review board for its Technology Development Fund. Dr. Reddoch has a bachelor's degree from Furman University, a PhD in biochemistry and molecular genetics from the University of Alabama medical school and was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is a global leader in the fight against cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has regional offices throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the LLS Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., ET.

For additional information visit lls.org/lls-newsnetwork. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kristin Hoose

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

(914) 821-8973

[email protected]

SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Iris Recognition Market (2022-2027) by Component, Product, Application, Vertical, Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Iris Recognition Market is estimated to be USD 2.83 Bn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 5.08 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 12.41%.



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Iris Recognition Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.

Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Aware Inc, Bi Technologies, Bioenable Technologies, BioID, CMI Tech, etc.



Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Iris Recognition Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Iris Recognition Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, The analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Iris Recognition Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Rising Adoption of Iris Recognition Technology by Government Organizations for Identification and Authentication Purposes

4.1.2 Increasing Penetration Rate of Iris Recognition Technology in Consumer Electronics

4.1.3 Surging Demand for Iris Scanners in Access Control Application

4.1.4 Growing Use of Iris Recognition Technology in E-Passport Programs

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Fear of Privacy Intrusion and Inconvenience

4.2.2 Presence of Various Competing Biometric Technologies

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Penetration of Biometric Technologies in the Automotive Industry

4.3.2 Integration of Cloud Computing with Iris Recognition Technology

4.3.3 Use of Iris Recognition Technology in E-Commerce

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Complexity of Integrating Iris Recognition Technology into Conventional Identification Solutions



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Iris Recognition Market, By Component

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Hardware

6.3 Software



7 Global Iris Recognition Market, By Product

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Smartphones

7.3 Wearables

7.4 Tablets & Notebooks

7.5 Personal Computers/Laptops

7.6 Scanners



8 Global Iris Recognition Market, By Application

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Identity Management and Access Control

8.3 Time Monitoring

8.4 E-Payment



9 Global Iris Recognition Market, By Vertical

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Government

9.3 Military & Defense

9.4 Healthcare

9.5 Banking & Finance

9.6 Consumer Electronics

9.7 Travel & Immigration

9.8 Automotive

9.9 Others



10 Americas' Global Iris Recognition Market

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Argentina

10.3 Brazil

10.4 Canada

10.5 Chile

10.6 Colombia

10.7 Mexico

10.8 Peru

10.9 United States

10.10 Rest of Americas



11 Europe's Global Iris Recognition Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Austria

11.3 Belgium

11.4 Denmark

11.5 Finland

11.6 France

11.7 Germany

11.8 Italy

11.9 Netherlands

11.10 Norway

11.11 Poland

11.12 Russia

11.13 Spain

11.14 Sweden

11.15 Switzerland

11.16 United Kingdom

11.17 Rest of Europe



12 Middle East and Africa's Global Iris Recognition Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Egypt

12.3 Israel

12.4 Qatar

12.5 Saudi Arabia

12.6 South Africa

12.7 United Arab Emirates

12.8 Rest of MEA



13 APAC's Global Iris Recognition Market

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Australia

13.3 Bangladesh

13.4 China

13.5 India

13.6 Indonesia

13.7 Japan

13.8 Malaysia

13.9 Philippines

13.10 Singapore

13.11 South Korea

13.12 Sri Lanka

13.13 Thailand

13.14 Taiwan

13.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Competitive Quadrant

14.2 Market Share Analysis

14.3 Strategic Initiatives

14.3.1 M&A and Investments

14.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

14.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



15 Company Profiles

15.1 Aware Inc

15.2 Bi Technologies

15.3 Bioenable Technologies

15.4 BioID

15.5 CMI Tech

15.6 DERMALOG Identification Systems GmbH

15.7 Eyelock

15.8 eyeLock LLC

15.9 HID Global Corp

15.10 Idemia

15.11 Iridian Technologies

15.12 Iris ID Inc

15.13 Irisguard

15.14 IriTech Inc

15.15 Mantra Softech

15.16 NEC Corp

15.17 Panasonic

15.18 Princeton Identity

15.19 risGuard Ltd

15.20 Secure Identity

15.21 SRI International

15.22 Tascent

15.23 Thales Group

15.24 Unisys



16 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sab754

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
New regional leadship to take the helm of 24 schools and more than 2,000 students.

SANTA ANA, Calif., June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Think Together, California's leading nonprofit provider of school improvement, expanded learning and afterschool programs, today announced the promotion of Richard Tran, M. Ed. to General Manager of the organization's Bay Area region. Tran has more than 16 years of experience in the Expanded Learning space and most recently held the role of Director of Program and Operations in Think Together's Riverside County region, one of the organization's largest service areas.

Think Together named Richard Tran as its Bay Area General Manager. Think Together will also hire 2,000 staff this fall. Tweet this Richard Tran, M. Ed. as its new General Manager of the Bay Area region

In his new position, Tran will lead a team of more than 200 site and administrative staff working to support 2,292 students enrolled in afterschool and expanded learning programs across 24 schools in Newark Unified School District, Alum Rock Unified School and San Jose Unified School District. He will also work with private foundations and grantmakers to increase private funding and lead program innovation.

"Richard's leadership skills have allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks and we're thrilled to have him head our Bay Area region," said Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. "With a rich career in expanded learning spanning from program management to curriculum development, community outreach and beyond, Richard is uniquely positioned to oversee Think Together's Bay Area programs."

As well as Tran's appointment, Think Together's Bay Area region is looking to fill adminstrative and site level roles across the three districts and nearly 2,000 positions throughout the state. Candidates of all experience levels are welcome to apply for roles ranging from summer program leaders to administrative support, IT technicians and early learning education specialists.

Site staff such as program leaders and site coordinators work directly with students in a classroom setting. These jobs offer flexibility with shifts worked typically during the hours after the school day and are ideal for: college students seeking careers in education and social services, semi-retired individuals looking for supplemental income, and parents seeking part-time work flexible to their child's schedules.

"We're looking for talented individuals who are passionate about working with students to lead them through creative activities, physical fitness and enriching curriculum," said Senior Director of Talent Acquisition Holly Perry. "Many of our senior leadsership team members began as site level staff and were promoted from within. Richard is a great example of how someone can find their passion and career path to leadership starting at the community level."

The hiring spree comes as Think Together prepares for another monumental summer bolstered by a record expanded learning investment of $5 billion by 2025 by the state of California. This is part of an overall $123 billion investment in K-12 systems to address student learning recovery and reimagine education and expanded learning solutions for every student in the state.

In addition to expanded learning programs, Tran will work with Yecenia Cardenas, M. Ed, Executive Director of Early Learning & School Age Programs, to implement plans for expansion of early learning programs in the Bay Area region. Currently, Think Together region offers full-day dual language preschool for children ages 3-4 in Alum Rock Unified with plans to nearly double students served.

About Think Together

Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements, and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together's program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org.

SOURCE Think Together
Minister Al Zeyoudi served as the UAE Government representative to SelectUSA, where he engaged with corporate leaders, industry experts, and exhibitors during his day-long visit to the conference. The UAE's extensive business delegation at this event included 19 companies and 24 delegates, plus representatives from the UAE Ministry of Economy. Minister Zeyoudi also attended the extensive programming seminars organized by SelectUSA featuring presentations delivered by US government and business leaders.

Minister Al Zeyoudi in addition played a leading role in a series of high-level events during his trip to Washington, DC. The Minister delivered a keynote speech at a business luncheon hosted by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, participated in a public discussion hosted by the Abraham Accords Peace Institute attended by experts from the think tank community, and met with congressional leaders from the newly formed Abraham Accords Caucus.

"Foreign Direct Investment from the UAE to the US was $44.7 billion in 2020 according to SelectUSA and that amount will only increase. Attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit has strengthened my government's deep commitment to this market," said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. "During meetings with Commerce Secretary Raimondo and Michigan Governor Whitmer, we discussed opportunities to deepen this economic relationship with an emphasis on the tech sector and clean energy investments."

In 2021, bilateral trade totaled $23.03 billion, with the US exporting more than $17 billion of goods and services to the UAE  a 16% increase from 2020. The resulting $11.13 billion trade surplus for the US is America's sixth largest trade surplus globally. The trade relationship reflects the success of the UAE's increasingly diverse economy, with non-oil sectors accounting for 70% of the UAE's GDP.

Top categories of US exports in 2020 included: Electronics, nuclear materials, passenger vehicles, and aircraft and spacecraft. The UAE trades with all 50 US states and supports 123,000-plus American jobs, strengthening the importance of the continued bilateral trade relationship.

Minister Al Zeyoudi also attended the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. The festival, titled, "United Arab Emirates: Living Landscape | Living Memory," highlighted activities featuring UAE culture, art, music, and food. Minister Al Zeyoudi met with Emirati exhibitors and spoke with American sightseers during his visit to the festival.

Before arriving in Washington, Minister Zeyoudi traveled to Florida where he attended high level business development, networking events and meetings hosted by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, the International Trade Consortium (ITC), Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership promoting economic development in Florida, and eMerge Americas, an organization focused on establishing Miami as the tech hub of the Americas.

Minister Al Zeyoudi met with Broward County Mayor Michael Udine, Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, and Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Jose "Pepe" Diaz.

The leaders discussed ways to enhance collaboration between the UAE and Florida, with a focus on investment, tourism, city planning, and healthcare. These meetings follow a delegation in March by a delegation of Florida mayors to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai where they engaged with the UAE business community and attended closing events for Expo 2020 Dubai including visiting the US Pavilion.

During Miami Mayor Francis Suarez's visit to the UAE in March, he signed a sister city agreement alongside HE Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, deepening ties between the cities of Dubai and Miami. Crown Prince of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended that signing ceremony.

In 2021, Florida exported over $1 billion of goods to the U.A.E., making it one of the top 10 states exporting to the Emirates. These exports supported an estimated 6,000 U.S. jobs. The UAE also exported over $180 million of goods to Florida that same year.

For press inquiries, please contact May Baaklini at [email protected]; [email protected], +1 202-316-3662

SOURCE Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
The World's Best Donut Tour launches their first tour in Ireland

DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Underground Donut Tour, the World's Best Donut Tour, is launching their first tour within the European Union, specifically, in Dublin, Ireland. The Underground Donut Tour has been running for 7 years across the US and the UK, including Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City, Portland, Seattle, Boston, Nashville, New Orleans, London and now adding Dublin to our roster. Hosting thousands of guests from around the world and showcasing the best doughnuts each city has to offer.

Some of the donuts you'll be able to sample Some of the donuts you'll be able to sample

"We were absolutely delighted by the number and quality the of doughnut shops in Dublin. We had no idea the passion, creativity, and longevity of many of the shops in Dublin and we are so excited to share them with the rest of the world", said Jeff Woelker, founder of the Underground Donut Tour.

What Can Customers Expect

Walking between 4 of the best doughnut shops in Dublin  we share the history of each location, along with many local sights, sounds, and tastes of the area. Our tour primarily takes place around such famous landmarks in Dublin as St. Stephen's Green, Temple Bar, the GPO (General Post Office) and the Ha'penny Bridge.

"We think we've really tapped into something with this doughnut tour. The doughnuts, the history, the stories  we think our guests are really going to enjoy all of it. We can't wait for you to join us" said Adrienne Garvey tour manager for the Underground Donut Tour Dublin.

When Do Tours Run

Tours will start on Friday, July 1st, and run year-round. Tours run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10-12 and 1-3 with more days and times coming soon. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis, so don't miss out.

How Can Customers Book Tickets

Tickets are 40 for adults and 25 for kids 10 and under. Tickets can be booked at www.undergrounddonuttour.com today.

For more information, please contact:

Jeff Woelker

[email protected].com

844-366-8848

For more information on the tour:

Visit: www.undergrounddonuttour.com

SOURCE Underground Donut Tour
Alfonso argues why, in a post-pandemic world, every company in every sector is a Digital Experience company, and must deliver a premium front-end design that end users and customers will love and recommend. Most importantly, he highlights real-life examples, including Amazon, Zoom, IKEA and PayPal, where delivering great UX is intrinsically linked to business performance.

Business leaders should not just limit themselves to 'being a digital company', or being 'in the software business', investing in Enterprise-grade IT, data management and back-end infrastructure to support their digital channels. These are important, but are simply not enough. The Digital Experience Company shows why world-class front-end UX Design is also required. Step by step, Alfonso explores today's revolutionary way to build software, where businesses are focused on the end user at every stage of the product development life cycle and make decisions based on real user insights. Conducting continuous UX Research and user testing is absolutely critical to being a successful Digital Experience company.

Running UX Research used to be slow and expensive. Fortunately, today product design teams have innovative software solutions that help scale and automate UX Research and are user insights-driven. However, Alfonso also argues that 'getting it right' is not only about technology or tools, but about culture  and leadership buy-in is a key component, as well as cross-functional collaboration from everyone.

"My book, The Digital Experience Company, is about making it clear to today's business leaders that it takes great UX Design to provide superior digital product experiences," said Alfonso de la Nuez, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, UserZoom. "We're the decade of design. In 2022 every company is a Digital Experience company and they need to provide memorable product experiences that users will love and recommend to others. You can accomplish this with a customer centric culture, and those that do are seeing invaluable return on investment and faster growth compared to their competitors."

Digital Experience Heavyweights Applaud "The Digital Experience Company"

"The world has gone remote, and very often the only way to interact with customers is through a digital channel. Alfonso's book focuses on a topic many leaders have still not fully grasped today: to stay competitive in the digital economy you need to deliver a great experience and focus on the customer. The book helps you understand why it's so important to focus on product design, customer happiness, and user research. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to upgrade their digital footprint."  Eric Yuan , CEO and founder, Zoom

"All companies are software-driven (at least partly), many customer interactions are digital, and brand is experience. Any of these three is enough to care about user experience, but the combo means that UX is destiny. This book explains all this. More importantly, it explains what to do about it. Read and prosper  or ignore and die."  Jakob Nielsen , PhD, user advocate and principal, Nielsen Norman Group

"At a time when companies obsess over big data and agile delivery, Alfonso de la Nuez delivers a critical message: How to interweave complementary insights about the digital experience of the customer into modern business practices at scale."  Christian Rohrer , PhD, senior director of design, TD Bank

Published by ForbesBooks, The Digital Experience Company is available to buy in hardcopy format on Amazon.com from August 2nd.

About Alfonso de la Nuez :

Alfonso de la Nuez is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of UserZoom, the pioneering UX Insights System. An entrepreneur, published author, podcast host and keynote speaker with over two decades of industry experience, Alfonso is a sought-after authority in Digital Experience, Customer Experience, and User Interface Design.

During his time at San Jose State University, in the heart of Silicon Valley, Alfonso discovered his passion for ensuring user-needs were at the core of product development in the emerging digital world. In 2007, that passion led him to launch UserZoom, with the goal of automating the complex and time-consuming process of UX Research. Over the last 15 years, Alfonso has applied the knowledge he's amassed to scale UserZoom into the company it is today, most recently leading to a strategic investment from Thoma Bravo and $800 million valuation, and is now sharing that experience with the broader business community.

About UserZoom:

UserZoom is the leading Digital User Experience Insights System. Its all-in-one platform, participant recruitment engine and professional services provide the in-depth quantitative and qualitative insights essential to testing, measuring and improving digital product experiences at speed and scale throughout the product development lifecycle. UserZoom helps businesses connect insights to their most important performance metrics, so they can make confident, customer-focused decisions that drive growth and deliver competitive advantage. With operations in North America and Europe, the company helps global brands such as Google, Oracle, Aetna, Santander, Kimberly-Clark, and half of the Fortune 100 raise the bar for an outstanding digital experience. To learn more, visit www.UserZoom.com.

UserZoom press contact: Douglas Keighley - [email protected]

SOURCE UserZoom
A platform delivering value for creators digital assets, as well as asset management that safely stores the contents

A starting point for all, a system people can own & use the contents

Hackathon and Seminars in the summer

SHIBUYA CITY, Japan, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Visual Voice Inc., and Academy Awards qualifying film festival, SSFF & ASIA are creating a new project to support creators in their various activities and provide them with a platform that can deliver value for their digital assets, as well as asset management that safely stores their content.

Taking advantage of festival's connection with creators and supporters for 25 years, we start this project through Metaverse, Blockchain, and NFTs in web 3.0 era.

A Teaser Site for the New Project has Launched Accepting Pre-Entry for the Hackathon SSFF & ASIA 2022 online closing seminar NFTCinema feat. The Rhetoric Star (NOMA  CoinPost) will be streamed online with English subtitles Discussing the development of film infrastructure services using blockchain and NFT technology

This project will construct a system where all the creators can connect with supporting companies and individuals through the NFT Market:

a platform delivering value for creators digital assets, as well as asset management that safely stores their contents a starting point for all, a system people can own & use the contents

In this market, all the creative items as props, treatments, screenplay, acting, lighting, sound, images will be treated as an asset. This will continue on as a portfolio matching, LOOT, DAO, service and its data will be a property of its own that you could manage.

Content on the market will be created by across the professional and industries: companies / creators, professionals / amateurs, and various industries as not only movies, games, music but crypto, tourism, medical, real estate, etc. It will become a creative asset (IP) that we, Visual Voice, will work together to create endless possibilities.

A Teaser Site for the New Project has Launched

URL: https://v-voice.jp/web3/

We also start calling for pre-entries for partners to develop this project and plan new business models.

For the companies and individuals that pre entered will be invited to the Hackathon in this summer.

SSFF & ASIA 2022 online closing seminar NFTCinema feat. The Rhetoric Star (NOMA  CoinPost) will be streamed online with English subtitles

Discussing the development of film infrastructure services using blockchain and NFT technology, Visual Voice presents a seminar with 100-minute live-action movie depicting the "greed, darkness, and hope" of Crypto Industry: THE RHETORIC STAR's production team: film director TAICHI, CEO at EDLEAD-japan- & producer Takahito Kagami, CEO of CoinPost

July 26Tue500 (JST) / Admission Free

https://youtu.be/iKiQu2XB5nc *English subtitles will be added in August

Contact:

Fuyumi Tanaka

0354748201

[email protected]

SOURCE Committee for Short Shorts Film Festival
SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman urges Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) investors who suffered significant losses to submit your losses now.

Class Period: Feb. 24, 2021  June 9, 2022

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Aug. 29, 2022

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/WFC

Contact An Attorney Now: [email protected]

844-916-0895

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) Securities Class Action:

The litigation focuses on Wells Fargo's statements about its diverse slate hiring policy ("Diverse Search Requirement"), which required that at least half of interview candidates must represent a historically underrepresented group for most posted jobs in the U.S. paying more than $100,000 per year.

Specifically, the complaint alleges Defendants: (1) misrepresented its commitment to diversity in its workplace; (2) conducted fake job interviews to meet its Diverse Search Requirement; and, (3) as a result, was under increased risk of regulatory and/or governmental scrutiny.

On May 19, 2022, the New York Times reported that a former executive in the company's wealth management division (Joe Bruno) told it that often diverse candidates would be interviewed for jobs already promised to someone else and he was fired after he reported to his superiors that the practice of conducting "'fake interviews'" was "'inappropriate, morally wrong, ethically wrong.'" NYT also cited other current and former Wells Fargo employees further corroborating Mr. Bruno's account.

Then, on June 9, 2022, the NYT reported that federal prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into whether Wells Fargo violated federal laws by conducting sham interviews of minority and female job candidates.

These disclosures caused Wells Fargo's shares to decline sharply.

"We're focused on investors' losses and proving Wells Fargo mispresented its commitment to diversity," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you invested in Wells Fargo and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Wells Fargo should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

Contact:

Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
DUBLIN, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Livestock Monitoring Market 2022-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global livestock monitoring market is expected to develop at a CAGR of 19.33% over the projected period of 2022-2028.



The studied market's growth is supported by factors such as the growing demand for real-time animal monitoring, increasing demand for meat & animal products, and the rising prevalence of animal diseases. Besides, the rising popularity of the cattle segment has influenced major players to produce cattle management products that offer lucrative growth opportunities for the market.



Also, the use of technology for livestock management has made livestock farming much easier. However, the low acceptance rate for such advanced technologies by small-scale farmers adversely affects the market's growth.



The global livestock monitoring market covers North America, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Europe.



Globally, North America accounts for the largest share of the livestock monitoring market, and is expected to maintain its lead in the forecast duration. The growth in this region is attributed to the stringent regulations by the US Department of Agriculture, which has mandated the use of RFID technology for proper monitoring and real-time disease detection & treatment of farm animals.



Moreover, the population of the countries in the region is on the rise, which boosts the demand for livestock food. As a result, more livestock farms are opening up, thereby increasing the livestock population. This, in turn, accelerates the demand for livestock monitoring to protect the animals and eliminate animal diseases.



The noteworthy companies listed in the livestock monitoring market include GEA Group, HerdX Inc, Lely, CattleEye Ltd, CowManager BV, Nedap NV, Allflex Livestock Intelligence, Cainthus, Sensaphone, BouMatic, Connecterra BV, Dairymaster, DeLaval, Afimilk Ltd, and Valley Agriculture Software.



Afimilk Ltd is a dairy equipment manufacturer that offers varied solutions for livestock management, such as cow monitoring, farm management software, and parlor automation. AfiActII and AfiCollar are the two major products served by the company that facilitate real-time monitoring of cows. The company was founded in 1977, and has its operations across multiple regions, such as the Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Global Livestock Monitoring Market - Summary



2. Industry Outlook

2.1. Impact of Covid-19 on the Livestock Monitoring Market

2.2. Key Insights

2.2.1. Transformation of the Livestock Industry Due to Advancements in Artificial Intelligence

2.3. Porter'S Five Forces Analysis

2.3.1. Threat of New Entrants

2.3.2. Threat of Substitutes

2.3.3. Bargaining Power of Buyers

2.3.4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

2.3.5. Threat of Competitive Rivalry

2.4. Market Attractiveness Index

2.5. Value Chain Analysis

2.6. Key Buying Criteria

2.7. Regulatory Framework

2.8. Vendor Scorecard

2.9. Key Market Strategies

2.9.1. Mergers & Acquisitions

2.9.2. Contracts & Agreements

2.9.3. Product Launches

2.9.4. Expansions & Divestitures

2.10. Market Drivers

2.10.1. Growing Demand for Real-Time Monitoring of Animals

2.10.2. Increasing Demand for Meat and Animal Products

2.10.3. Increasing Prevalence of Animal Diseases

2.11. Market Challenges

2.11.1. Low Acceptance Among Small-Scale Farmers

2.12. Market Opportunities

2.12.1. Livestock Monitoring Helps in Animal Management

2.12.2. Rising Popularity of the Cattle Segment



3. Global Livestock Monitoring Market Outlook - by Product Type

3.1. Hardware With Integrated Software & Systems

3.1.1. Sensors

3.1.2. Gps

3.1.3. Others (Rfid, Smart Cameras)

3.2. Standalone Software

3.2.1. On-Cloud

3.2.2. On-Premise

3.3. Services

3.3.1. Integration & Deployment

3.3.2. Maintenance & Support

3.3.3. Other Services



4. Global Livestock Monitoring Market Outlook - by Animal Type

4.1. Cattle

4.2. Poultry

4.3. Swine

4.4. Equine

4.5. Goats & Sheep

4.6. Others



5. Global Livestock Monitoring Market Outlook - by Application

5.1. Milk Harvesting

5.2. Breeding Management

5.3. Feeding Management

5.4. Animal Health Monitoring & Comfort

5.5. Heat Stress

5.6. Behavior Monitoring

5.7. Other Applications



6. Global Livestock Monitoring Market - Regional Outlook



7. Competitive Landscape

7.1. Afimilk Ltd

7.2. Allflex Livestock Intelligence

7.3. Boumatic

7.4. Cainthus

7.5. Cattleeye Ltd

7.6. Connecterra Bv

7.7. Cowmanager Bv

7.8. Dairymaster

7.9. Delaval

7.10. Gea Group AG

7.11. Herdx Inc

7.12. Lely

7.13. Nedap Nv

7.14. Sensaphone

7.15. Valley Agriculture Software



8. Research Methodology & Scope



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yyai2p

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets
Ferro-Alloy Resources Ltd (LSE:FAR) said the expanded feasibility study at its Balasausqandiq vanadium deposit in Southern Kazakhstan has already identified thicker intersections from in-fill drilling.

The junior extended its original study plans to four ore bodies from one after an investment from mining backer Vision Blue, with the drilling programme now 50% complete.

The study will look at an initial output of 5,600 tonnes of vanadium pentoxide per year, followed by phase 2 where output rises to 22,400 tonnes per year.

Phase 1s study is expected to be completed on the previously announced timetable by around the middle of 2023, Ferro-Alloy said today while adding that denser drilling of the original orebody (OB1) has already confirmed the previous modelling but with thicker intersections than expected in places.

Other areas of the study have indicated high vanadium recovery rates with a low level of acid required in the processing stage due to the ores low iron content.

Test results also showed a 40% carbon by-product can be recovered at 25% mass recovery that can be used as a substitute for carbon black in tyre manufacture.

The carbon black market is estimated to be worth US$19bn annually and mostly in tyre manufacturing, though Ferro-Alloy added that as it is a non-standard form its value depends on assessments from potential off-takers.
Adriatic Metals PLC (LSE:ADT1, ASX:ADT, OTCQX:ADMLF) Head Of Corporate Affairs, Dominic Roberts presents at the Proactive One2One Investor Forum - June 29th 2022

Adriatic Metals PLC is a precious and base metals developer that is advancing the world-class Vares Silver Project in Bosnia & Herzegovina, as well as the Raska Zinc-Silver Project in Serbia.

The Vares Project 2021 Definitive Feasibility Study boasts robust economics of US$1,062 million post-tax NPV8, 134% post-tax IRR and a capex of US$168 million. Adriatic is the only publicly listed mining company in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is leveraging its first-mover advantage.

The company is well-funded and concurrent with advancing the construction of the Vares Silver Project, continues to explore across its large, highly prospective 41km2 concession package.
Soaring profits mean Shell PLC (LSE:SHEL, NYSE:SHEL) may possibly announce a double-digit percent dividend increase whilst BP PLC (LSE:BP.) may possibly boost the size of its US$2.5bn share buy-back programme by 50%, thats according to analysts at American investment bank Jefferies.

Investors continue to underestimate and undervalue the current free cash flow generation potential among oil and gas majors.

It comes as crude oil and gas prices remain elevated due to volatile geopolitics, Russian sanctions and a broader push towards decarbonisation which has led to underinvestment in new projects, leading to expectations of tighter supplies and dependence upon smaller numbers of suppliers.

Prices will remain higher for longer, according to Jefferies analyst Giacomo Romeo who, in a note, said: Our updated energy macro deck reflects the ever tighter supply / demand balances in energy.

A rebalancing of the oil market is unlikely to come from demand responses alone, with Russian production set to decline further as the EU sanctions are implemented.

The outlook for gas remains largely driven by the evolution of Russian exports to Europe, with the return of Nord Stream from maintenance on July 21 a key catalyst.

Jefferies has now upgraded its forecasts for crude oil and European gas benchmarks  with Brent for example now forecast at US$105 per barrel, up from US$70.8.

Looking ahead to second-quarter results, released later this month, Romeo said: we expect sector earnings at US$66bn to increase 28% sequentially, topping 1Q earnings, which were already the best quarterly earnings in at least 12 years. Based on our marked-to-market estimates, we expect consensus upgrades of ~18%.

We expect yet another round of material increases in shareholders' remuneration.

The analyst believes Shell should lead its peers, predicting a further increase to the dividend, whilst tipping BP for an upgrade to its buy-backs.

Romeo reckons other European majors may show more restraint, for fear of provoking windfall taxation.

Altogether though, it adds up to lucrative returns for shareholders.

Based on the current shareholder remuneration level, the independent oil companies offer a ~9% yield as either dividend or buyback, Shell offers the highest upside (6.5% upside yield to 15.5%), while BP has the highest absolute yield (15.5% with upside to 18.3%).

Shell remains our top long-term pick, justified by its LNG exposure, shareholder remuneration upside, and balanced energy transition strategy, the Jefferies analyst summarised.
After working for almost two decades developing banking technology for some of the biggest banks in the world, including Standard Chartered and JPMorgan, Chi Kit Law felt there were several things a startup fintech company could do much better.

Developing products to make it easier for small business in his Hong Kong homeland to carry out cross-border payment solutions with Asia Pacific (APAC) and Greater China, he could easily see how rolling this product out to all the businesses that currently deal with APAC and Greater China might prove incredibly popular.

The big banks are very powerful and very good at what they do  and without them we can't do business.

But because they are big, they work cautiously and they havent moved any further to the SME business. Due to all the competition, they don't want any failures of their projects, so they don't want to push something new to the market, says Law, who is known in English-speaking business circles as Michael Law.

Regal Crown Technology Limited (RCT) was founded in 2013 to develop digital payment solutions for SMEs. In 2021 its 100% holding company, RC365 Holding PLC (LSE:RCGH), completed an initial public offer in London to raise funds and the profile of the business.

Roughly 2mln was drummed up for the group at a price of 6.2p per share, giving a market capitalisation of 6.7mln.

RCTs main area of focus is its payment gateway solution for SMEs and individuals, allowing cross border payment services, and it is in the process of being developed into the RC Wallet 2.0, which will add a variety of digital currency, payments, cards and virtual banking services.

As I worked for many different banks, I have a good understanding of their cash management services, the payment solutions, how they earn money from merchants and I thought it was kind of unavoidable, says Law, whose work at Standard Chartered included building their cash management systems and while at Singapores DBS Bank he was assistant vice president of group technology and operations.

Having first developed a mobile point-of-sale or mPOS device in 2014, allowing merchants such as shop and hospitality owners in Hong Kong to get around the slow telephone-line connections provided by the banks, RCT then built what it called its online payment gateway, allowing the merchants customers to pay via online and also pay by their mobile phones.

Merchants outside of China found it difficult to transact with counterparties in the Peoples Republic as they were unable or reluctant to open accounts with all of the payment services that are exclusively used there, such as AliPay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay.

RCT's online payments gateway is designed to allow a company or individual in Hong Kong, Singapore, UK and Europe to pay for goods or services through their Visa account while the Chinese supplier receives payment through their UnionPay card or Chinese account by using an official cross-border solution.

As Law puts it: We take the whole big picture of all the banks and payment gateway companies and we tailor it to one smart solution for the merchants.

At the time of the IPO, the company said it was just approaching an important pivot point as it worked on a major upgrade in the software development, as well as developing the RC wallet 2.0 and bringing the solution to Europe to allow merchants and consumers to access Asian, and particularly Chinese, counterparties as well as adding further fintech flourishes such as being able to provide e-marketing and promotions services.

Before the IPO we were only a solution provider, so we made the software and we didnt have a licence to onboard the merchants  the merchant funds are not going in and out of our company. But with RC Wallet 2.0 that will change, explains Law.

With licence support in Hong Kong, UK, Singapore, New Zealand soon we will not just be a solution provider, so it will be clear to the world how much transactions our company is doing.

And we can upgrade our payment gateway with 2.0 functionality, which means we will be able to do cards business, virtual bank business, online payment business and mPOS business.

Merchants will also be able to use the wallet to do payrolls or business travellers can use it as a payment card overseas, saving on the interchange rate from the banks and card organisation each time.

Law says the licences are secured in Hong Kong and the UK but not yet in Singapore. While it may take a bit longer in Singapore, it is a key Asia hub and it will allow us to get a digital money licence, a cryptocurrency permit in other words, so it is something that is really important.

The group is also in talks with UK and European merchants, banks and other financial services companies about introducing the 2.0 payment gateway solution, he says.

To win new business, Law says RCT will offer a model that was popular with its SME customers in Hong Kong, use now, pay later.

Other services that RCT has developed include CatchAR, a proprietary mobile application aimed at providing certain consumer facing businesses a platform to promote their services and branding through using i-Beacon and augmented reality (AR) technologies, as well as capturing customer data for promotional purposes.

Its just an app that we developed for merchants, so customers play a mini game when they come into the shop or cafe, just like the Pokemon concept, and once they get sufficient icons or points they can get a prize like a cup of coffee, a bottle of wine or something like that, says Law.

CatchAR was soft launched in Hong Kong in September 2021 and at the time of the IPO had eight clients using it, with both consumers and merchants needing to use RC's payment gateway solutions in order to benefit from these coupon and discount redemptions, driving uptake of the wallet.

Another service that RCT has developed also has a dual role.

Maid Maid Matching is a peer-to-peer platform that will be launched in late 2022, to allow maids and other domestic household staff in Hong Kong to find employers online without having to go through agents, who generally charge a sizeable fee to both sides.

I have two maids, and the agents charge each side around 2,000, which is about five months salary of a maid, says Law. Hong Kong has more than 300,000 Filipino maids, so this could be a huge market.

Once the necessary licences have been obtained, Law says the first phase will be getting initial maids to sign up and enter their employment records and names of references, and potential employers to use it, with the eventual aim being that the platform will allow employers to pay the maid's salary online using the RCT payment gateway.

And for the maids they get access to a payment card for banking services and also for sending payments back to the Philippines to their family  my maids have been asking for better ways to do this for a long time, says Law.

This is not a core business for us, but it is another way that we indirectly get customers to use the RC wallet and it is a useful service for both sides.

Like his maids, Law looks to have a busy time ahead but if he achieves his aims, all sides should benefit.
Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX:PDI) closed its Share Purchase Plan (SPP) on June 28, having received $2,894,700.

The SPP was done in conjunction with a Placement set to raise $55 million and cornerstoned by a suite of global institutional investors.

The new shares will be delivered to SPP applicants on July 4, 2022.

PDI looks to significantly increase inferred resource

The money raised by PDI over the last month will be used for a substantial work program to develop Guineas Siguiri basin into one of the most exciting new gold addresses in West Africa.

Predictive managing director Andrew Pardey has called the companys Bankan Project potentially one of many significant gold deposits where 3.65 million ounces has already been discovered.

On June 15, PDI released results from Bankan, noting its deepest drill hole to date hit gold 630 metres down-dip from the 3.65-million-ounce resource pit shell at the Bankan gold camp in Guinea. A diamond drill hole returned 24 metres at 5.5 g/t gold from 850 metres, including 11 metres at 10.3 g/t from 852 metres.

The program includes:
Pharmaxis Ltd (ASX:PXS, OTC:PMXSF) has placed the highly experienced Dr Jana Baskar, who has over 20 years experience in pharmaceutical and contract research companies, into to the role of Chief Medical Officer.

Dr Baskar will bring strong oversight to the clinical stage drug development company.

PXX is developing novel therapies to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases and will benefit by Dr Baskars experience in overseeing more than 70 phase IIII trials of oncology treatments in his six years as Medical Director at Novartis Oncology in Australia.

Chief Executive Officer of Pharmaxis Gary Phillips said of the appointment, We are delighted to welcome Dr Baskar to Pharmaxis, where his deep experience leading clinical programs will be an asset to the continued advancement of our pipeline.

Dr Baskar brings significant oversight, clinical development and strategic expertise, having previously guided numerous programs through all phases of development. His extensive background and experience will be particularly valuable as the Company progresses its lead asset, PXS5505, towards clinical proof of concept in myelofibrosis and other oncology indications.

About Dr Baskar

In his most recent role, Dr Baskar served as Medical Director for IQVIA in Australia and New Zealand where he also co-chaired the IQVIA ANZ Oncology Advisory Board providing strategic advice to Biopharma companies.

He holds a Master of Medical Science in Drug Development from the University of New South Wales, Sydney (MMedSc) and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Retirement of medical director

As Dr Baskar comes in, Pharmaxis founding scientist and Medical Director, Dr Brett Charlton, is retiring after more than 20 years service.

In that time, Dr Charlton has overseen development programs that lead to two products achieving global regulatory approval and the transition of several pipeline products into clinical development including Pharmaxis two lead assets in myelofibrosis (PXS5505) and scarring (PXS6302).

Id like to recognise and sincerely thank Dr Charlton for his extensive contribution to the Pharmaxis business and to advances in patient care. His experience and knowledge of transitioning drugs into early phase development has been extremely valuable and we will continue to seek his advice in a part time consultancy capacity until the end of 2022, Phillips said.
Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd (ASX:RAD) has opted to extend an agreement with global oncology provider GenesisCare to support a second Radioipharm clinical trial in Australia.

The trial will assess Radiopharms PSA-targeting antibody in a Phase 1 clinical trial into prostate cancer, expected to begin within months.

The proprietary monoclonal antibody used to target free human prostate kallikreain (PSA) in prostate cancer cells was discovered by Professor David Ulmert, previously at Memorial Sloan Kettering and now the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The antibody platform enables a radiotheranostic-applicable therapy of prostatic cancer through radioimmunotherapy and diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer.

A leader in cancer care

GenesisCare is a leader in cancer care and to further the relationship with the company adds to our confidence as we move through the various steps in our clinical development, Radiopharm CEO and managing director Riccardo Canevari said.

We look forward to getting to work on these trials and bringing updates to the market as they progress.

GenesisCare runs more than 440 locations in Austrralia, UK, US and Spain. The companys global innovation program is designed to bring novel therapies and precision medicine to more cancer patients in order to achieve the best possible life outcomes.

Radiopharm Theranostics is focused on the development of radiopharmaceutical products for diagnostic and therapeutic uses in areas of high unmet medical need.

Radiopharmaceuticals are safe radioactive drugs that can be used as diagnostic or therapeutic tools.
Highfield Resources Ltd (ASX:HFR) has launched its community-minded Muga Community Initiative a new public-private partnership created to help promote local development around the Muga Potash Mine.

The Muga Community Initiative is a social development project that encourages and facilitates collaboration and involvement between the local public administrations and the private sector. Its launch follows the start of construction activities at Muga.

HFR is focused on the construction of its flagship low cost, low capex Muga project in Spain having been granted the Mining Concession in July 2021 and now the mine gate and declines construction licence in June 2022.

Initiative to help broader community

The initiative comes as a direct result of the Government of Navarras 2021 Social Baseline Study of Muga.

Managing Director of the department of Local Administration and Depopulation of the Government of Navarra, Mr Jesus Maria Rodriguez, spoke at the launch saying that the Initiatives aim is "to promote the local development of the Sanguesa region, guaranteeing the settlement of the population and the emergence of new opportunities for the economic area of the Mine and its inhabitants, from a collective vision".

Also in attendance was Ms Miriam Marton, Managing Director of the Navarra Employment Service; Mr Tomas Rodriguez, Director General of Vocational Training; Mr Luis Campos, Director General of the Social Reality Observatory; Mr Eneko Larrarte, Director General of Housing; and local community Mayors.

Through the Muga Community Initiative the Government aims to maximise the socio-economic impact the Mine will have on the local area and to contribute as a partner with the coordination and implementation of four sectoral commissions to address the issues of training and employment, infrastructure, community services and socio-cultural resources.

HFR CEO Salazar is looking forward to bringing benefits to the local community.

"We congratulate the Government of Navarra for taking the leadership in initiatives like Comunidad Muga, Salazar said.

As we are starting construction, the Muga Community partnership arrives at the right time to maximise the socio-economic benefits of the Project in the community. This partnership demonstrates once more the continued support at all levels from the Government of Navarra and the local authorities and communities to Muga."
Hydrogen and electric-powered lorries will be massed produced in the UK by Tevva, an Essex-based startup.

Today it said the truck would be publicly unveiled at the Road Transport Expo, currently taking place .

Last year Tevva unveiled the combination of the hydrogen fuel cell system from Loop Energy with Tevva's electric battery heavy goods vehicle design, allowing its 7.5-tonne trucks to drive for up 310 miles.

Hydrogen fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity and extend the range of the electric truck from 160 miles otherwise.

So far the startup said it has raised US$140mln, including 42mln ($57mln) last November to enable it to complete its new factory and begin manufacturing its first mass-produced vehicle, of which first deliveries were planned from the second half of 2022.

Tevva noted that hydrogen refuelling typically takes a similar time to diesel truck refuelling, at between 5 and 20 minutes, and the dual-use of both battery electric and hydrogen energy sources "futureproofs Tevva and its customers as the transition away from fossil fuels and the decarbonisation of the transport industry continues".

The company said it is currently "on-boarding" various hydrogen suppliers to enable it to serve its customer base as it grows.

We firmly believe that the post-fossil fuel future, which is quickly approaching, will see a new range of technologies and fuels take centre stage in the transport industry," said founder and chief executive Asher Bennett.

By embracing hydrogen, we are futureproofing ourselves, our clients and the industries and communities they operate in. We also pride ourselves on the fact that our vehicles are safe, reliable and go the distance."

He said the company believes its hydrogen electric truck will be a popular choice for fleet operators across the UK, Europe and eventually North America.

"When a zero-emission truck is doing more miles per day, that is very good for the air we breathe, for the planet and for the economics of running electric trucks, Bennett explained to Sky News.

"Every mile you drive on an electric truck, it's so much cheaper than driving on a diesel truck."

"If you're concerned about range, and you're not driving a lot of miles, you're just not saving enough money as you could."

Despite adding hydrogen-powered fuel cells to its lorries, the main power source will continue to be electric, which is cheaper and easier to obtain and can be recharged overnight.
Lamprell PLC (LSE:LAM, OTC:LMPRF) shares have been temporarily suspended after an Abu Dhabi-based 19.1% shareholder said he was potentially looking at making a takeover offer, a week after the board received a lowball bid from another shareholder.

Sami Al Angari, who owns the stake, said he and his Al Gihaz Holding Company are in the very early stages of evaluating a possible transaction that may involve an offer for the London-listed oilfield services provider.

In a statement, Al Angari, who is CEO of Al Gihaz, also known as Algihaz, said this potential offer would be alongside a financing package to support the repayment of Lamprell's existing debt facilities and other working capital requirements.

Last Friday, Lamprell said it had received a bid approach from 25.06% shareholder Blofeld Investment Management at a "very significant discount to the prevailing share price".

With Lamprell felt to be over a barrel as it needs to meet funding requirements of US$75mln over the next two months, the shares crashed 80% to 4.5p in early trading on the day.

Al Angari said he had not yet made an approach or held any discussions with the board of Lamprell regarding a potential offer.

A further announcement will be made as and when appropriate.
Rio2 Limited and its Chilean subsidiary Fenix Gold have announced that further to Rio2's press release of June 23, 2022, the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) has postponed the meeting of the Comision de Evaluacion Regional, where 11 governmental institutions with environmental competencies will vote to approve or disapprove the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Fenix gold project. The meeting was originally scheduled for July 1 this year and a revised meeting date has been confirmed for Tuesday July 5 this year.

Nevada Copper Corp revealed it is in continuing discussions with third parties and financing partners as it updated investors on operations at its Pumpkin Hollow underground copper mine in Nevada. As reported previously, the company is seeking additional funds to continue operations, including the ramp-up of the underground mine. "The company is in ongoing discussions with third parties and the company's financing partners, including its senior lender, KfW IPEX-Bank, and Pala Investments Limited (Pala), the company's largest shareholder, about additional funding and other financial accommodations," it told investors.

Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd has said it will continue to focus on its core plant-based manufacturing business as it looks to eliminate operations that are not contributing to the companys growth moving forward. In a statement accompanying the release of its year-ended December 31, 2021 results, the company said its senior management is reviewing all operations to draw up a strategic plan that will capitalise on its strong position to continue penetrating the market it described as having a bright future. "The company continues to focus on reducing operating overheads while we continue to re-purpose our existing certified food facility in Pitt Meadows, BC to optimize production of plant-based entrees, Naturally Splendid CFO George Ragogna said in the statement. We have made positive strides for the company in several areas, including securing an exclusive 10-year manufacturing and distribution agreement for Canada with Flexitarian Foods Pty. Ltd, Australia's largest plant-based manufacturer, he said, noting the agreement can be extended for a further 10 years.

Aion Therapeutic Inc said it has sold four patent applications and all associated supporting data to Apollon Formularies PLC, a UK-based international pharmaceutical company listed on the Aquis Stock Exchange. In consideration for the intellectual property, Apollon has issued to Aion Therapeutic an aggregate of 4,348,679 common shares of Apollon at 0.066 per share; and agreed to pay to Aion Therapeutic an indefinite royalty fee of 4% of the global net revenue generated by the intellectual property. "The company has sold its intellectual property to Apollon associated with the treatment of cancer and inflammation which will allow Aion Therapeutic to focus on product development and intellectual property development related to a range of innovative plant-based wellness products including cannabinoids and functional mushrooms in Jamaica and North America, Graham Simmonds, chief executive officer of Aion Therapeutic, said in a statement.

GoviEx Uranium Inc has told investors it expects to complete the feasibility study for its Madaouela uranium project in Niger in the third quarter of 2022 as it reported positive progress from its infill drilling campaign at the Mutanga asset in Zambia. At Mutanga, the explorer said it is focused on upgrading the lower confidence inferred resource at the Dibwe East deposit to the higher confidence indicated category ahead of a planned feasibility study and the company said it has received "very positive initial results so far". Percussion drilling conducted at the end of June this year is around 40% complete, of the planned 15,500 metre (m) program, while a 9,000m planned diamond drilling campaign is just over 10% complete. Meanwhile, at Madaouela, GoviEx said it is in the final stages of completing the feasibility study and is currently working on final optimization and trade-off options. It expects to complete the report in Q3, 2022.

Kovo HealthTech Corporation has confirmed that it is now focusing on evaluating potential acquisition targets that would help it expand its market presence in the Northeastern US. The company said due diligence is underway on potential acquisition targets. "Kovo is active in every region of the US and for the rest of 2022, we're looking at strengthening our team and client roster in the Northeastern USA," the company's CFO Inder Saini said in a statement, adding that the company will continue to keep investors updated throughout the summer as it proceeds through due diligence on a number of potential targets.

LexaGene Holdings Inc said it has entered into a purchase agreement with a veterinary hospital in Wisconsin. In a statement, Dr Jack Regan, LexaGene's CEO and founder commented: "We are pleased to announce this sale to a veterinary hospital in Wisconsin. Once we complete our scheduled installations, we will have MiQLab Systems operating in 10 states across the US." He added: "Since the start of this year, our install base has increased 240% and we expect an even steeper increase in the latter part of this year."

American Resources Corporation (ARC) announced that its subsidiary reELEMENT Technologies has put in place a $2 million independent working capital facility to expand its critical battery material production facility in Indiana. The funds will also be used to increase internal lab space and put in place additional pre-processing to scale the production of high-purity and sustainable battery and magnet-grade critical and rare earth elements, the company said. The working capital facility was put in place by Maxus Capital, and allows reELEMENT to establish credit history and provides low-cost, non-dilutive, growth capital.

Hillcrest Energy Technologies Inc has said that through a wholly-owned subsidiary, it has ceased oil and gas operations at its West Hazel field in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Saskatchewan, completing the company's exit from the fossil fuel business. The Vancouver-based technology company said it proactively initiated abandonment activities at the West Hazel field last year to focus its efforts on commercializing its clean technologies. "Hillcrest has a singular focus and that is developing its clean energy technologies. The oil and gas assets were in direct public conflict with the direction the company is pursuing, requiring the assets to either be sold or remediated," Hillcrest CEO Don Currie said in a statement.

Canntab Therapeutics Limited has said that further to the announcement it made on April 14, 2022, with respect to an exploration of a variety of alternative business strategies including potential M&A opportunities, as well as identifying and negotiating partnerships to assist the company in expanding its product offerings in the United States and other international jurisdictions, a number of discussions are now underway and the company will provide more specific information when such information becomes material. Canntab said it is also experiencing a number of significant delays with receipt of raw materials due primarily to persistent supply chain issues. The company added that it has sufficient inventory levels for now and will continue to monitor the impact of these issues on its business. In an effort to preserve cash in these difficult markets, Canntab said it will also explore a number of cost-cutting measures beginning June 30, 2022, with a 60 day temporary reduction in some of its staffing, reduced marketing expenses and other non-essential expenses until market conditions and supply chain issues improve. These layoffs will not impede Canntab's ability to service its patients and clients, fulfill orders, or maintain its licenses, it added. Richard Goldstein, the company's CFO said that "while we regret having to impose these temporary layoffs, we believe this action is in the best interests of the long-term success and prosperity of Canntab and our customers and employees." He added: "We very much appreciate all of the hard work and dedication of our staff, and look forward to welcoming back all of our team members in the near future." Canntab said it is committed to building shareholder value by exploring all alternative strategies at its disposal.

PlantX Life Inc has announced that, upon review of the revenue recognition policy adhered to in fiscal 2021, the company will restate its previously issued audited consolidated comparative financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. This decision was approved by the company's board of directors upon the recommendation of the company's audit committee, and after consultation with management and its former and current auditors. The decision to restate these financial statements was based on the company's conclusion that certain revenues and cost of sales recognized during fiscal 2021 that were related to the company's wholesale operations should not have been recorded on a gross basis during that period. The company has subsequently ceased transactions relating to its wholesale division as of Q1 2022. These restatements should not impact historical cash or cash equivalents that were generated during the period mentioned above based upon the current review. At the present time, the restatements are expected to impact revenue and cost of sales line items. While the company's analysis is still underway, it currently estimates the revenue impact for full-year 2021 to be a reduction of approximately US$2.76 million (C$3.45 million) and cost of sales to decrease by approximately US$2.48 million (C$3.10 million). At this time, the company said it has not fully completed its review and the expected financial impact of the restatement is preliminary and subject to change. There can be no assurance that the final reported adjustments will not differ materially from the estimated amounts discussed in this press release, or that additional adjustments will not be identified. PlantX said it cannot at this time estimate when the restatement will be completed. The company added that it will continue to diligently pursue completion of the restatement and intends to make its upcoming 2022 annual filings as soon as reasonably practical.

Lion Copper and Gold Corp said the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing the company's proposal to issue 1,212,121 shares at a price of 8.25 cents per share to settle outstanding debt for $100,000 with one creditor.

Falcon Gold Corp said it has granted to officers, directors and consultants of the company incentive stock options to acquire up to 680,000 common shares of the company at an exercise price of 7.5 cents per common share for a period of three years under its stock option plan.

Vicinity Motor Corp has announced that certain eligible directors have requested that their respective director's remuneration for the calendar year 2022 be paid in Deferred Share Units (DSUs) and accordingly, the company has granted 104,012 DSUs in connection with directors remuneration for Q2.

OTC Markets Group Inc, the operator of regulated markets for 12,000 US and international securities, has announced that PopReach Corporation, a multi-platform technology company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market and has today upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market under the symbol POPRF. Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their US investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the US. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.
Geneva, July 1 : Under the auspices of the UN, a new round of high-level meeting on the Libya Constitutional Track concluded in Geneva.

The negotiators reported limited progress but no breakthrough, the UN Information Office said on Thursday.

"The Presidents of (Libya's) House of Representatives and High Council of State met in Geneva on June 28-29. They reviewed the outstanding provisions of the 2017 Libyan Draft Constitution, taking into account the agreement reached during the Cairo talks earlier this month," a statement by UN Special Adviser to the Secretary General Stephanie Williams said.

Williams said that the two chambers reached unprecedented consensus on a number of long-standing issues, but disagreement persists on the eligibility requirements for the candidates in the first presidential elections, Xinhua news agency reported.

The agreements they have reached include the designation of the headquarters and distribution of seats for the two chambers of the legislative authority, the division of responsibilities among the President, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the local government, and a revenue allocation mechanism for the different levels of government, the UN official added.

"While the progress secured during three rounds of consultations in Cairo and this round in Geneva is significant, it remains insufficient as a basis to move forward towards comprehensive national elections, which is a genuine desire of the Libyan people," she said.

Libya was expected to hold presidential elections on December 24, 2021. However, the elections, part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to regain stability in Libya following years of political division and insecurity, were postponed indefinitely due to technical and legal issues.
Sanaa, July 1 : Yemen's Houthi group has sent a delegation to Jordan's capital Amman to resume the UN-sponsored truce talks with the Yemeni government, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The delegation would discuss the violations of the ongoing truce and the opening of roads in Taiz, the report said on Thursday.

There was no comment yet from the Yemeni government, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Tuesday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg urged the Houthi group, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, to open the main roads to the besieged city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen in accordance with the terms of the ongoing truce.

Grundberg made the appeal during his meeting with Mohammed Abdulsalam, Houthi's chief negotiator for the ongoing ceasefire, in Muscat, Oman's capital.

"Opening roads is critical to ease the humanitarian suffering of Yemenis and build confidence," the envoy said in a tweet.

Ending the Taiz siege is the last major term to be fulfilled under the agreement reached by the country's warring parties before starting the ceasefire in April.

The government-controlled Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, has been under siege since the civil war erupted in Yemen in late 2014. Lifting the blockade would facilitate the movement of citizens and their access to humanitarian aid.
Baku, July 1 : Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced that the country, which currently chairs the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), put forward an initiative on establishing the organisation's support office in New York.

Addressing the Baku Conference of the NAM Parliamentary Network, Aliyev on Thursday added that the initiative is backed by the NAM member states, Xinhua news agency reported.

Parliamentary delegations from 40 countries and representatives of nine international organisations are attending the Baku conference which aims to discuss how to boost the role of national parliaments in promoting global peace and sustainable development.

The Azerbaijani leader expressed the confidence that the NAM Parliamentary Network not only will contribute to solidarity among member states, but also will establish close working relations with different parliamentary organisations of the world.

Aliyev also announced that Baku will host a youth summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in July.

The conference adopted the Baku Declaration and approved the rules of procedure of the NAM Parliamentary Network, as well as the official logo and flag of the organisation. The Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the network were also elected.

Initiated by Azerbaijan, the inaugural meeting of the NAM Parliamentary Network was held in Madrid, Spain, in November 2021.
Kanpur, July 1 : Mohammad Kausar Hasan Majidi, the President of Kanpur-based Sufi Khanqah Association, in Uttar Pradesh has reportedly received a phone call threatening of dire consequences for condemning the Udaipur incident and launching a tirade against Sunni Islamic organisation 'Dawat-e-Islami', police said.

Majidi had lodged a complaint at Juhi police station, seeking a probe into the activities of Dawat-e-Islami in Kanpur.

He had also condemned the Udaipur incident in a TV debate after which he was threatened with dire consequences by an unidentified caller on his mobile phone.

The police said they are looking into Majidi's complaint in connection with the matter.

Majidi had earlier made a complaint to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's office in 2021 regarding a probe into the operations of Dawat-e-Islami in Kanpur.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Anand Prakash Tiwari, said, "The police is looking into his (Majidi's) complaint and action will be taken as per the evidence." Questions have been raised over the activities of Dawat-e-Islami outfit in Kanpur and its possible connection with the outfits by the same name which is headquartered in Pakistan.

Existence of the outfit in Kanpur raised eyebrows after one of the two perpetrators of the Udaipur terror incident was found to be in touch with Dawat-e-Islami in Pakistan.
New Delhi, July 1 : When Pakistani artist Ali Kazim visited the unexcavated sites of the Indus Valley civilization, he noticed that the surface of the landscape was entirely covered with terracotta shards. It looked like a Martian landscape.

"The pottery shards had physical imprints of the people who made the pots. Their fingerprints were there. It was unreal when I picked up a pottery shard and it had some imprint of the potter. It was a kind of time travelling key for me. I wanted to pick up on this narrative in my work," he tells IANS.

Talking about his four-panel watercolour painting which is part of KNMA's group exhibition 'Inner Life of Things: Around Anatomies and Armatures', curated by Roobina Karode, the artist, a passout of Lahore's National College of Arts, who was the University of Oxford's

first South Asian artist-in-residence, says that for him the Harappan ruins are not really a landscape, but a collective portrait of the

people who may have lived there.

"I was more interested in creating a fictional narrative about those people by painting a surface filled with terracotta shards. It was rather a poetic approach." Fascinated by the South Asian miniature painting, Kazim, who was also invited to the Ashmolean Museum to be an artist-in-residence for the Gandhara Connections Research Programme, feels that artists struggle with the mechanics of the painting/work at the same time while they are formalising the ideas.

Remembering that when he made a body of work with graphic inks during his undergraduate course, he noticed that after some time certain colours had faded away more quickly, the artist recalls, "I was quite upset and wanted to fix the issue, and started experimenting with pigments which are richer in colour and do not fade away over the period of time. At that point, I looked at the Bengal school painting more carefully and examined the surfaces of works by Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore and A.R Chughtai's at the Lahore Museum. That is how I discovered a new and exciting way of making work. Besides, the miniature schools and the company school drawing are fascinating to look at." Kazim, who has shown widely in India --a solo show in 2008 and 2013 besides the Art fair, says, "Exhibiting in India has always been

an overwhelming experience." Adding that while current social and political situations in Pakistan do not really have an effect on his studio practice, he says, "Of course with adequate political stability, one feels more comfortable and grounded." Believing that there is a need to overhaul the art syllabus in academic institutions in both the countries, and bring in eastern approaches, he feels that the changes or creating a balance between the two depend on available academic resources.

"For instance, there are tons of publications, artists' interviews and documentaries on western art available for academics and students. Unfortunately, in comparison not many publications on South Asian art and contemporary artists are available, nor is much material accessible even on digital platforms. We need to develop these resources first and slowly change will happen." The artist says that the pandemic-induced lockdowns proved to be the most productive time he spent in his studio in a decade.

"My routine was to be there by 10 a.m. I started the day by throwing a couple of forms on the pottery wheel then the rest of the time was spent painting. There was sufficient time to read and listen to the online talks and lectures." As the conversation veers toward the need for more exchanges between Indian and Pakistani artists, he says that entire South Asia needs to be more connected like the EU.

"Many families and friends are not able to meet each other owing to the political situation. We all have seen the very emotional visual of the two brothers separated during the partition and reuniting after 75 years at Kartarpur Sahib. But then, Faiz Ahmed Faiz says 'Lambi Hai Gham Ki Sham Magar Sham he to Hai'." (Sukant Deepak can be reached at sukant.d@ians.in)
Kiev, July 1 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will announce news regarding his country's European Union (EU) membership negotiations on Friday.

In a video address to the nation late Thursday, the President said: "Our priority, which will also be a task that all representatives of our country will have to complete as quickly as possible, is to prepare for the beginning of the negotiations on (our EU) membership.

"Government officials, deputies and diplomats need to work on this 24 hours a day, seven days a week... Tomorrow there will be news on this issue. Ukraine's European integration cannot be stopped." At a summit in Brussels on June 23, EU leaders approved the decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova candidate status to join the 27-member bloc, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

The following day, Zelensky urged people to focus for now on the fact that Ukraine has been granted EU candidate status, rather than on how much still needs to be done in order to join.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
San Francisco, July 1 : Gene Levoff, a top corporate secretary and director of corporate law at Apple, has admitted engaging in an insider trading scheme that spanned five years.

California-based Levoff pleaded guilty by videoconference before US District Judge William J. Martini to six counts of an indictment charging him with securities fraud, said Vikas Khanna, an attorney for the US.

Levoff was initially charged by a complaint in February 2019, according to the US Department of Justice.

"Levoff betrayed the trust of one of the world's largest tech companies for his own financial gain," Khanna said in a statement late on Thursday.

Levoff's sentencing is scheduled for November 10.

"Despite being responsible for enforcing Apple's own ban on insider trading, Levoff used his position of trust to commit insider trading in order to line his own pockets," he added.

From February 2011 to April 2016, Levoff misappropriated material, nonpublic information about Apple's financial results and then executed trades involving the company's stock.

When Apple posted strong revenue and net profit for a given financial quarter, he purchased large quantities of stock, which he later sold for a profit once the market reacted to the news.

When there were lower-than-anticipated revenue and net profit, Levoff sold large quantities of Apple stock, avoiding significant losses.

This scheme to defraud Apple and its shareholders allowed Levoff to realise profits of approximately $227,000 on certain trades and to avoid losses of approximately $377,000 on others.

"This defendant exploited his position within a company strictly for financial gain that he would not have otherwise realized," said Terence Reilly, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge in Newark.

The securities fraud counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
Washington, July 1 : In a second such incident this week, a woman was gored by a bull bison in Yellowstone National Park, one of the largest and best-known national parks in the US, officials said.

The 71-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was gored by the bull bison near Storm Point at Yellowstone Lake on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency quoted a statement posted on the park's Facebook page on Thursday.

This is the third reported bison and visitor incident in Yellowstone so far this year.

A 34-year-old male from Colorado was gored by the bison near Giant Geyser at Old Faithful on Tuesday, while 25-year-old female from Ohio was gored and tossed over three metres into the air on May 30, sustaining a puncture wound and other injuries.

In Thursday's statement, park officials stressed once again that wildlife in Yellowstone National Park can be dangerous when approached.

Yellowstone closed for more than a week earlier this month and partially reopened last week after an unprecedented flooding that caused severe damage to roads and other critical park infrastructure.

Summer is usually the busiest season in Yellowstone.

The 8,991-square-km wilderness recreation area, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho, attracted approximately 4.86 million visitors last year.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 : Ten hours after the CPI-M state party headquarters faced an attack with some explosive material by a person riding a two-wheeler, the CPI-M and the Congress have started trading charges blaming one another for the attack.

The incident occurred at 11.30 p.m. on Thursday. The police after examining the place said the sound resembled that of a cracker, but party central committee member and former State Minister P.K. Sreemathi said she was in the office and could sense something was wrong after hearing the sound.

Former State Home Minister and veteran Congress legislator Ramesh Chennithala expressed surprise at the speed with which CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Left convenor E.P.Jayarajan pinned the blame on the Congress. He said, "How could they say within 10 minutes of the incident that this was the work done by the Congress workers." "Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is presently caught in a bind on a few grave issues and in order to divert the attention, the CPI-M leadership is coming out with baseless allegations. On the one hand these leaders are asking their workers to maintain calm and on the other hand, they have unleashed attacks on various Congress party offices in Alappuzha district and other places," said Chennithala.

State Congress president K. Sudhakaran said this is the work of Jayarajan who has lots of links with goons.

"Does the CCTV visuals say that this has been done by the Congressmen. I will not say this has been done with the knowledge of the CPI-M, but Jayarajan is the culprit. This has been done with ulterior motives on the day when Rahul Gandhi is touring his constituency and to direct the attention from the flak that Vijayan and his family are presently facing. The Congress party has nothing to do with this," said Sudhakaran.

Vijayan arrived at the scene at 9.20 a.m. on Friday and after seeing the spot where the 'explosive' was thrown, he went inside the party office to attend the routine weekly state secretariat meeting.

The available visuals fail to identify the person and the registration number of the two-wheeler.

State CPI secretary Kanam Rajendran, who arrived at the scene, said this was a calculated move to destroy the peace in the state and to unsettle a firm government which is performing well.

State Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, who is also the son-in-law of Vijayan said this is a concerted attempt to create problems in the state by the Congress and the BJP.

"This has been done purposely as all know what the consequence of this action would be. The Congress is shameless as they will welcome the person who did this act and make him a party office-bearer. The Congress perhaps knows that they might not come back to power here, so they are deeply upset and are doing these acts," said Riyas, whose wife Veena Vijayan is also presently under a cloud following the revelations made by Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case.

Meanwhile, the police are trying to get any clue on the person who did the act.
Chennai, July 1 : While the BJP and the NDA are highlighting Draupadi Murmu's candidature in Presidential poll as a major step towards elevating the tribal community in the country, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a prominent Dalit political party of Tamil Nadu, has urged all opposition parties to support Yashwant Sinha as the President.

VCK founder leader and Member of Parliament Thol Thirumavalavan said that despite the President being a Dalit, there has not been any reduction in the attack on the community in the country. The atrocities on the community has only increased, he added.

He said that the right-wing forces were bent on destroying the democratic institutions in the country and that there was a need for the opposition political parties to save the democracy and hence extend their support to the candidature of Sinha. He said that this was for protecting the democracy and constitution of the country.

The Presidential election, he said, is an ideological battle and called upon the YSR Congress and the Biju Janata Dal to reconsider their decision to support the candidature of Draupadi Murmu.

The VCK founder leader said that the Presidential elections are an opportunity for an ideological fight to protect the democracy, constitution, and freedom in the country and appealed to all the political parties to support the common candidate of the opposition, Yashwant Sinha in the elections to the Presidential post.
Washington, July 1 : A shooting in the US city of Newark has left nine people injured, multiple media outlets reported.

The shooting on Thursday took place on the 200 block of Clinton Place at around 6.20 p.m., Xinhua news agency quoted the reports as saying citing police.

The victims, including a juvenile, were transported to hospital to treat gunshot wounds.

All of them are reportedly in stable condition.

The incident is under investigation by the Newark Police Department. No further details were immediately known.

The mass shooting came less than a week after President Joe Biden signed into law what had been touted as a gun safety bill.

The compromise legislation took effect a month after a gunman broke into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers in a rampage that had triggered nationwide demonstrations against gun violence across the US and political inaction.

There have been more than 21,800 deaths from gun violence and 296 mass shootings across the country since the beginning of this year, according to the latest data from the Gun Violence Archive.
New Delhi, July 1 : India reported 17,070 Covid cases in a span of 24 hours, a marginal decline from the previous day's count of 18,819, said the Union MInistry of Health and Family Affairs.

In the same period, the country reported 23 more Covid deaths, taking the nationwide toll to 5,25,139.

The active caseload has also surged to 1,07,189 cases, accounting for 0.25 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The recovery of 14,413 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,28,36,906. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.55 per cent.

Meanwhile, India's daily positivity rate has also marginally declined to 3.40 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 3.59 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 5,02,150 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 86.28 crore.

As of Friday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 197.74 crore, achieved via 2,57,61,312 sessions.

Over 3.67 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.
New Delhi, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday greeted doctors on Doctors' Day and acknowledged their key role in saving lives and making the planet healthier.

"Doctors Day greetings to all hardworking doctors who play a key role in saving lives and making our planet healthier," he said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Modi also shared a small video acknowledging the doctors' role in saving lives.
Ranchi, July 1 : Jharkhand celebrates the 'Hul Diwas' every year on June 30 as the Santhal rebellion (also known as the Sonthal rebellion or the 'Santhal Hul') shook the mighty British Raj in 1855-56.

Most of the Indian history books mention the 'Revolt of 1857' as the first war of Indian independence, however, a large group of researchers and scholars of tribal history have launched a campaign to declare the country's first war of independence for 'Santhal Hul', which started from the Bhognadih village in Jharkhand on June 30, 1855.

On Thursday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren paid tribute at the site of Santhal revolution in Bhognadih and Pachkathia. He said that it is etched in history that tribal community has always been at the forefront in the fight for rights and dignity.

The rebellion started by Santhal tribals and local people against the British rule was led by Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, who were hanged to death by the British government.

The two freedom fighters had two other brothers Chand and Bhairav and two sisters Phoolo and Jhano, who also sacrificed their lives during the Hul revolution while fighting against the British rule.

According to tribal history researchers, more than 10,000 Santhal tribals and local people were martyred in this war of independence which lasted for an entire year.

Retired IAS officer Ranendra Kumar, Director of the Ram Dayal Munda Tribal Research Institute run by Jharkhand government, Ranchi, says that Karl Marx has mentioned about this mass independence war in his renowned work 'Notes on Indian History'. Before Karl Marx, several English newspapers from London also carried lengthy reports on the Santhal Hul rebellion.

Political philosophers such as Karl Marx only came to know about the indomitable struggle of the tribal people from Jharkhand through several published news articles.

Ranendra Kumar says that under the leadership of Santhal leaders Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand, Bhairav, Phoolo and Jhano, every district in Jharkhand stood up against the mighty Britishers.

Their fighting skills were such that the army of British East India Company was defeated in two separate wars despite being equipped with guns and modern weapons. The Santhal rebellion heroes fought only with help of primitive weapons and local leaders.

On July 16, 1855, during the Battle of Pirpainti, the army of Major Burroughs or the Burrough Army was defeated by these local tribal leaders. Similarly on July 21, 1855, the poweful army of Lieutenant Toll Maine had to face defeat in the Battle of Birbhum.

The Government of India had issued a postage stamp on Sidhu-Kanhu in 2002, but till date these local heroes have not got desired credit in history books.

Sudhir Pal, author of the Jharkhand Encyclopedia, says that the tribal rebellion that lasted a year has been ignored in Indian history, while there is a lot of documentation and evidence that due to this 167-year-old battle, the British rule had declined around hills and surroundings in Jharkhand.

The heroes of the Santhal revolution were Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, who were the children of Chunni Murmu, a resident of Bhognadih village of Sahibganj district in present-day Jharkhand.

Both the local tribal heros had held a large public rally at Bhognadih on June 30, 1855, against the oppressive policies of the British and the Zamindars, in which nearly 20,000 Santhal tribals had gathered.

Ashwini Kumar Pankaj, who has written several books on the tribal history of Jharkhand, has written in an article that "We do not have the complete details of any such revolution mentioned in Indian history even before and after 'Hul'." In all the studies and writings done on Santhal Hul in the last few decades, it has been highlighted that Hul revolution is the first history chapter of the beginning of Indian freedom struggle.

Pankaj says that Santhal Hul rebellion was not just a spontaneous movement against hymn and feudal exploitation. As per the available documents, it was a well-planned war against the British rule. The preparations were made by Sidhu Murmu of Bhognadih village along with his brothers Kanhu, Chand and Bhairav, prominent Santhal elderly citizens, chieftains and other local artisan and farming communities like Paharia, Ahir, Luhar etc.

When the preparations for Hul rebellion were complete, army teams, guerrilla units, military recruitment-training teams, intelligence teams, economic resource mobilisation teams, logistics teams, publicity teams, help teams, etc. were formed. On June 30, a huge meeting was held and summons were issued to the British to leave the country.

Summons were issued on behalf of the Santhals to the British government under the name 'Thakur ka Parwana' in which it was declared that only the Santhals have the right to collect the revenue. The summons also stated the announcement to restore the rule of the Santhals and the Britishers to vacate the area immediately. However, the British rulers refused to accept these demands.

Thereafter, with the ending of first week of July, the Santhals and the local people started the 'Hul' (revolution). There were systematic attacks on markets, the bases of the moneylenders, police stations, British administrative centres. It took several British troops to suppress this mass movement till 1856, but Hul rebellion leaders fought continuously till 1860-65 against the British Raj. More than 50,000 people from 52 villages were directly involved in this historic struggle for independence.

According to the available documents, the Santhal rebels had captured the Raj Bhavan of Amber Pargana in which a British army officer and several other officers, including 25 officers were killed.

The British army had to fight a fierce battle in suppressing this rebellion which lasted till 1856. Chand and Bhairav were martyred in the battle at Berhait.

Kanhu was arrested due to a Santhal local who colluded with the British army.

Sidhu was also caught a few days later and was hanged on a banyan tree in Pachkathia while his brother Kanhu was later hanged in Bhognadih village.
Phnom Penh, July 1 : Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday released more than 1 million fry and 200,000 young shrimps into a reservoir in Phnom Srok district to celebrate National Fish Day.

Speaking at the event, Hun Sen said the event was marked after a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The release of fry and other aquatic creatures is necessary to increase fisheries resources, which are a source of protein and income for people," he said.

He urged fishermen not to fish during the annual fish breeding season from July to October and encouraged farmers to expand fish raising in order to reduce the catches of natural fish.

Veng Sakhon, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, said the celebration aimed at encouraging people to preserve fish species in natural habitats and to increase fish raising activities.

He added that a variety of aquatic creatures, including fish, shrimps, tortoises, turtles and frogs, were freed into the Trapeang Thmor reservoir.

According to Sakhon, the Southeast Asian nation has 475 freshwater fishing communities, 41 marine fishing communities, 682 fisheries conservation locations and 915 fish habitats.
Hyderabad, July 1 : BJP National Executive Committee (NEC) members, including Union ministers and former chief ministers of various states are visiting Assembly constituencies of Telangana to boost the party cadres for the next year's Assembly elections.

Ahead of the national executive meeting beginning in Hyderabad on Saturday, the leaders fanned out to various parts of the state to kick off the party's preparations for the next year's Assembly polls. They have urged the party cadres to strive hard to bring the party to power in the state.

During the two-day stay on Thursday and Friday, the leaders interacted with the local party cadres and leaders to understand the problems in each of the 119 Assembly constituencies. A party leader said the feedback collected through the exercise will be used to prepare the party's strategy for 2023 polls.

The central leaders discussed with the local leaders how to strengthen the party in Assembly constituencies. They advised the local leadership to reach out to the people and explain the schemes implemented by the Modi government at the Centre during the last eight years.

The BJP leaders also advised the party cadres to highlight the failures of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government in the state and its attempts to project the schemes of the Central government as its own schemes.

The leaders during their visit to the Assembly constituencies in districts stayed at the homes of party cadres and dined with them.

Central ministers Kiran Rejiju and Anurag Singh Thakur visited Assembly constituencies around Hyderabad to interact with the local party leaders and cadres. They exuded confidence that the BJP will come to power in the state whenever the elections are held.

Addressing a party meeting in Mallapur housing board colony in Hyderabad, former chief minister of Jharkhand Raghubar Das said the people of Telangana no longer trust Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Swatandra Dev Singh, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, central ministers Giriraj Singh, Nityanand Rai, Union minister of state B.L. Varma were among the key leaders who visited various Assembly constituencies in Hyderabad.

Union minister of state for rural development and steel Faggan Singh Kulaste visited Nizamabad district. He said every BJP worker should work hard to bring the party to power in the state.

Union minister of state for defence and tourism Ajay Bhatt visited Armoor constituency and interacted with the party workers and leaders. He said that providing corruption-free governance is the aim of the party.

Former Chief Minister of Tripura, Biplab Kumar Deb visited Adilabad. He said the BJP would question all undemocratic actions of the TRS government.

BJP could win just one Assembly seat in Telangana in the 2018 elections. However, the party surprised everyone by capturing four Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

The saffron party also wrested two Assembly seats (Dubbak and Huzurabad) in the by-elections held in 2020 and 2021. Its performance was also impressive in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections in 2020 as it improved its tally in the 150-member body to 48, a big jump from the mere four seats it had earlier.

The BJP, which is going aggressive in attacking the TRS government, sees itself as the only viable alternative to the TRS. The party's state leaders are confident that Telangana will become the party's second gateway to south India after Karnataka.
Chennai, July 1 : The Tamil Nadu school education department has chalked out an elaborate plan to ensure that all children above the age of eight years in the state have basic literacy and numerical ability by 2025.

The directorate of elementary education of the state government has sent detailed and elaborate guidelines to teachers for achieving the goal of 'Ennum Ezhuthum' scheme of the state government. The 'Ennum Ezhuthum' scheme focuses on improving the basic literacy and numerical ability of school children above eight.

The elementary education department under the school education has directed all the district education officers to ensure that the 'Ennum Ezhuthum' scheme reaches all the elementary teachers. It is to be noted that the scheme is a dream project of the Chief Minister, M.K.Stalin to take the state of Tamil Nadu to achieve basic literacy and numerical ability for all the children above eight years of age.

The circular of the school education department states that morning prayer is compulsory that includes Tamil Thai Vazhthu, Thirukural teachings with their meaning, and wishing students on birthdays.

Students should be encouraged to read news and general knowledge-related material in English on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Class 1-3 students must be trained in phonic sounds, addition and multiplication tables, puzzles, diction, and storytelling in the morning time. Arts and crafts must be taught in the afternoon time. Students must compulsorily be made to play games to identify their talent in the sport.

The circular also says that students of Class 4-5 should be encouraged to be involved in solo acting, plays, library sessions, and reading children's magazines, newspapers and general knowledge books. Students should also be trained in music, arts, and dance.

The school education department will also provide movies to be screened for students. The circular stress that the children should be involved in literary club activities to improve their leadership skills.

A senior official with the Tamil Nadu school education department told IANS that the Chief Minister's office is keen that the project is implemented properly and results are produced by 2025 and hence District educational officers are seriously involved in the implementation of the project.
San Francisco, July 1 : Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has provided sophisticated tools to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to help it track transactions across Bitcoin, Ether and other cryptocurrencies.

According to a report in Intercept, Coinbase sold an analytics software license to ICE for $29,000 in August last year, followed by a software purchase potentially worth $1.36 million the next month.

"ICE now has access to a variety of forensic features provided through Coinbase Tracer, the company's intelligence-gathering tool (formerly known as Coinbase Analytics)," the report said on Thursday.

Coinbase Tracer allows clients, in both government and the private sector, to trace transactions through Blockchain.

A company spokesperson said that "Coinbase Tracer sources its information from public sources and does not make use of Coinbase user data." The software is offered on an "as a service" cloud subscription basis.

ICE is a division of the US Department of Homeland Security and also looks into "broader transnational crimes as well, including various forms of financial offenses".

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is forming a new specialised team dedicated to tackling growing cryptocurrency crimes.

Fraudsters are leveraging increased fear and uncertainty during the pandemic to steal money and launder it through the complex cryptocurrency ecosystem.

"People of all ages, including the elderly, are being victimised by criminals through cryptocurrency-related fraud schemes. Developments in cryptocurrency technology and an increasing number of businesses accepting it as payment have driven the growing popularity and accessibility of cryptocurrency," the FBI said recently.

The FBI in April blamed North Korean hacker group Lazarus for stealing $625 million in cryptocurrency from the Ronin Network, owned by developer group Sky Mavis.
July 01 : The promotion of the forthcoming film Ek Villian Returns is going on in full swing. The Ek Villian Returns star Arjun Kapoor donned a dapper villainy avatar in an all-black outfit at the trailer launch in Mumbai.

The actor has set the internet on fire as he shared some cool stills of himself. Arjun struck some dashing poses with a million-dollar smile. "Black isn't my favourite colour, but don't trust me, I am a villain," he wrote. The black bomber jacket and knit from Rishta by Arjun Saluja were paired with skinny black jeans. The actor, with his luscious hair with brown streaks and trimmed beard, is stealing the hearts of many.

Black isn't my favourite colour, but don't trust me, I am a villain.  pic.twitter.com/KFlUJEMzPq  arjunk26 (@arjunk26) July 1, 2022

The highly anticipated Bollywood film is all set to make a comeback after eight years since the release of its first part Ek Villian starring Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh in crucial roles. The Mohit Suri directorial, bankrolled by T-series and Balaji Motion Pictures, features John Abraham, Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani, and Tara Sutaria in prominent roles. The film is slated to release on July 29. The trailer, which was released yesterday, has got everyone pumped up.

Arjun Kapoor was last seen in the 2021 film 'Bhoot Police' helmed by Pavan Kirpalani. Apart from Ek Villian Returns, the actor will feature in the Ajay Bahl directorial 'The Lady Killer', a suspense thriller. The 37-year-old also has 'Kuttey' a Vishal Bhardwaj directorial, gearing up to hit the theatres this year.
Los Angeles, July 1 : Actor Ezra Miller, who is known for playing the DC superhero the Flash in several films for Warner Bros. -- was set to start filming the studio's latest entry in the 'Harry Potter' franchise, 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' in London when the shoot was halted on March 15, 2020, due to Covid-19.

In the following weeks, Miller, who identifies as nonbinary and uses "they/them" pronouns, became a regular at bars in Iceland's capital, ReykjavAk, where locals came to know and even befriend them. They then started showing a different, volatile side to their personality - one that began to concern Icelanders.

Miller had many altercations at the bar one of which includes the assault of a young woman at the bar, reports 'Variety'.

Soon after the incident, 'Variety' spoke with the woman Miller assaulted; she recently confirmed that her comments could be printed for this article. She asked to remain anonymous out of concern for her privacy, as she's telling her story publicly for the first time.

In the blurry video, Miller is seen confronting the woman -- who is smiling and waving her arms as she walks toward them -- and asking, "Do you want to fight? Is that what you do?" After Miller grabs her neck, she lets out an audible gasp. The person filming the video stopped to intervene, 'Variety' has confirmed.

According to three sources, the woman had been speaking to Miller at the bar prior to the quarrel. She said she had enquired about the actor's feet -- visible in flip-flops -- after noticing some wounds, which Miller explained were battle scars from a fight.

After discussing how they got them, she began to walk away, but turned around and joked, "But just so you know, I could take you in a fight." Miller replied, "You really want to fight?" and the woman told them to meet her in the smoking area in two minutes.

Another woman named Nadia alleged in an interview with 'Variety' that after a warm, two-year friendship with Miller, mostly via text message, the actor came to her Berlin apartment late one evening in February 2022 at her invitation. They hadn't seen each other since they had a consensual sexual encounter in 2020.

But after a friendly interaction, Miller's mood sharply turned when she told them that they couldn't smoke inside her home.

"That just set them off," Nadia said. "I asked them to leave about 20 times, maybe more. They started insulting me. I'm a "transphobic piece of shit." I'm a "Nazi." It became so, so stressful for me. They were going around my house, looking at everything, touching everything, spreading tobacco leaves on the floor. It felt disgusting and very intrusive." Then in June, a 'Rolling Stone' story alleged that Miller has been housing a mother and her three young children at their Vermont farm amid unsafe living conditions, with unsecured guns scattered around the expansive property.
Chennai, July 1 : At a time when the workers of two car manufacturers are negotiating severance package and wage revision, Hyundai Motors India Ltd has announced the inking of wage agreement with its worker's union.

On Thursday, Hyundai Motor India announced the signing of a wage agreement with United Union of Hyundai Employees (UUHE).

The wage agreement will be effective from 1.4.2021 and valid till 31.3.2024 with handsome wage hike.

"Hyundai Motors is a running company. Ours is on the verge of closing," said a worker at Ford India Pvt Ltd's plant near here.

"The company management seems to be on a stronger wicket as about 1,400 workers have resumed production out of 2,600 workers. About 130 EcoSport models are rolled out daily in a single shift while service parts production is done on double shifts," the senior worker told IANS preferring anonymity.

According to him, there is not much progress in the talks on the severance package.

However, workers have started reporting to duty after (a) agreeing with the severance package (b) not agreeing with the severance package, he added.

Ford India has extended the plant shutdown date till July end. Earlier the company said it would wind up production at its Maraimalainagar plant by June end.

On the other hand, the arbitration proceedings in respect of wage revision for workers of Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd is progressing, said an officer bearer of Renault Nissan India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS)/worker's union told IANS.

He said some interim payments have been made by the company to the workers.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Jaipur, July 1 : Two more persons were arrested and three others detained in connection with the brutal killing of Kanhiya Lal in Rajasthan's Udaipur, police said on Friday.

The arrests were made on Thursday by an Anti-Terrorist Squad.

Accused Mohsin and Asif have been arrested under IPC sections 120b, 307,326 .

They were involved in the conspiracy and preparation behind the entire crime, said the police.

Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was brutally killed on June 28 in his shop for supporting Nupur Sharma's comment on Prophet Muhammad. The killers, Gaus Mohammad and Riyaz uploaded a video of the murder following which they were arrested.

The case is being investigated by the NIA.
Jaipur, July 1 : In a major reshuffle over the alleged negligence by police in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case , the Rajasthan government has removed the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Inspector General (IG) range of Udaipur.

Prafulla Kumar, who is heading the SIT set up to investigate the murder, has been made the new IG.

Meanwhile, the killers Ghaus Mohammad and Riyaz Jabba have been shifted from Udaipur to Ajmer's high security jail.

At the same time, the NIA team reached Kanpur on Thursday night to investigate further in the case and raided several places.

The Internet remained suspended in Rajasthan for the fourth day on Friday. Section 144 has also been clamped for a month to prevent violence.

On Thursday night, the police arrested two more accused, Mohsin and Asif, involved in the conspiracy to murder. Three others have also been detained and were being interrogated. A case has also been registered in this murder case under the Arms Act.

The SIT will interrogate both the accused Ghaus Mohammad and Riyaz Jabbar on Friday. Udaipur district court on Thursday sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

The killers Gauss and Riyaz Jabbar after being shifted from Udaipur to Ajmer's High Security Jail have been kept in different barracks.

On Friday, many towns, including Sikar, Dausa and Barmer declared bandh in protest against the brutal murder. At the same time, Kota and Alwar will observe bands on July 2.
Jaipur, July 1 : In the aftermath of the Udaipur killing, the Rajasthan government has transferred a total of 32 IPS officers.

Notably, the police is being questioned for not taking timely action on the complaint filed by tailor Kanhaiya Lal on the alleged threats he received before his brutal murder.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was in Udaipur on Thursday, read Kanhaiya Lal's complaint letter and questioned IG Hinglajdan and SP Manoj Kumar as why no action was taken in the matter.

The same night, the IG and SP were transferred.

Prafulla Kumar is new IG and Vikas Sharma is new SP in Udaipur.

Jodhpur Commissioner Navjyoti Gogoi has also been shifted and given the responsibility of Jaipur Police Academy.

On May 2, major communal riots were reported in Jodhpur after which the internet was suspended.
Hyderabad, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be arriving in Hyderabad on Saturday to attend the two-day meeting of the BJP's national executive.

Modi, who will be reaching Hyderabad on Saturday afternoon, is likely to stay at Novotel hotel at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the venue of the BJP conclave.

According to the schedule, the Prime Minister will reach Begumpet Airport in the city at 2.55 p.m. He will then leave for HICC by a helicopter and check in at Novotel. He will attend the BJP executive meeting from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Modi will address the meeting to be attended by 360 national executive members, including central ministers, chief ministers of various states and other key leaders.

The next day, he will attend the national executive meeting from 10 a.m. He will be present during the deliberations on key resolutions including the resolutions on political issues.

He will also give a direction to the national executive on further strengthening the party and prepare it for Assembly elections in various states later this year and next year and also for 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Modi will attend the executive till it concludes at 5 p.m. He, along with other leaders, will then reach Parade Ground in Secunderabad to address the public meeting organised by BJP's Telangana unit.

After the public meeting, the Prime Minister will return to the hotel and on the morning of July 4 will leave for Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh.

This will be Modi's third visit to Hyderabad in five months. His previous visit to the city was May 26 to participate in the annual day celebrations of the Indian School of Business (ISB). During his brief visit, he had also addressed BJP workers at Begumpet Airport.

Modi had earlier visited the city on February 5 to unveil 216-feet tall statue of equality commemorating the 11th-century Saint Ramanujacharya and to attend 50th anniversary celebrations of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) at Patancheru near here.

During his visit beginning Saturday, the Prime Minister is likely to stay at Novotel, the five-star hotel abutting HICC near Hitec City, the information technology district. The stay was earlier planned at Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor. However, the state police reportedly raised concern over the proposal.

As Raj Bhavan is located in the heart of the city and surrounded by busy roads, the police had recommended the Special Protection Group (SPG) to make arrangements for his stay at Novotel. The police raised the concern over the choice of Raj Bhavan in view of the recent protest there by Congress party over Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons to its leader Rahul Gandhi and the June 17 violence during anti-Agnipath protest at Secunderabad railway station.

It was pointed out that PM's stay at Novotel will also avoid PM's travel by road from Raj Bhavan to the national executive meet venue for two days. Travel by road would require traffic restrictions along the busy route.
Lucknow, July 1 : Lucknow University geologist Prof Dhruv Sen Singh has been selected for the National Geoscience Award (NGA), 2019, for his outstanding contributions in geo-environmental studies, including in paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, climate change and monsoon variability using rivers, glaciers, and lakes.

Singh will be conferred the award in mid-July.

Instituted in 1966, NGA, the highest award in the field of earth sciences, is given annually by the Union ministry of mines to encourage geoscientists. The award is given for work done in the past 10 years.

Prof Singh studied the paleoclimate, and environment, analysing glacial, fluvial and lacustrine proxies in Himalaya and Ganga Plain in India and also in the Arctic (North Pole region).

Prof Singh found that the rapid retreat of Gangotri Glacier is due to its own typical characteristics and not necessarily linked to global warming.

He found that the rate of retreat of Gangotri Glacier is decreasing from 38 m/y in 1970 to 10 m/y in 2022 and is not in accordance with global warming.

He also worked on the causes and consequences of Kedarnath tragedy and has analysed rivers and lakes of Ganga Plain for paleoclimate which explain intense paleo-monsoon.

Member of first and second Indian expeditions to Arctic in 2007 and 2008, Singh worked on finding facts behind natural events on geological issues and socio-economic aspects. Singh is also the recipient of Vigyan Ratna, Shikshak Shree and Saraswati Samman given by the state government.

"I am overwhelmed. The award encourages us to do more work in the field of earth sciences," he told reporters.
Los Angeles, July 1 : Actress Lena Headey, who is known for her work in fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones, is being sued for $1.5 million over unpaid commission fees by her former U.K. agency Troika with regards to a number of projects including the upcoming film 'Thor: Love and Thunder'.

The agency claims that Headey owes them at least $500,000 -- equivalent to 7 per cent of her fee -- for her earnings on the Marvel movie. Variety has confirmed that Headey does not appear in the final cut of Thor: Love and Thunder, which stars Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, and is set for drop in theatres next week.

As per Variety, the actress was set to play the titular character in the Showtime dramedy series Rita, which is an adaptation of a Danish series of the same name. However, the show didn't secure a series order beyond its pilot episode by the television network.

Troika are seeking an account of commission fees owed, an order for Headey to pay the fees, damages for breach of contract, interest and reimbursement of legal fees.

In her defence, Headey claims she never signed any contract with Troika or with Duff, and that both parties were acting on an oral agreement formed when Duff was still at Lou Carl Associates in the late 1990s. Her filings also point out that Troika was never Headey's sole agent, as she is also represented by CAA in the U.S.

More specifically, Headey disputes that Troika has any claim to commission on Thor: Love and Thunder -- which she says came about after director Taika Waititi approached her directly.
New Delhi, July 1 : India and Pakistan on Friday through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody.

India handed over lists of 309 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 95 fishermen in India's custody. Similarly, Pakistan shared lists of 49 civilian prisoners and 633 fishermen in its custody, who are Indians or are believed to be Indians.

Under the provisions of the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, such lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1.

"The Government has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats, from Pakistan's custody. In this context, Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 536 Indian fishermen and three Indian civilian prisoners to India, who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Pakistan.

"In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the remaining 105 fishermen and 20 civilian prisoners, who are in Pakistan's custody and are believed to be Indians," said the Ministry of External Affairs.

It said that India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country.

"In this context, India has also urged Pakistan to expedite necessary action at its end to confirm the nationality status of 57 Pakistani prisoners, including fishermen, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation by Pakistan. In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pakistan has been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indians and believed-to-be Indian civilian prisoners and fishermen."
Chennai, July 1 : The arrival of four new Sri Lankan Tamil refugees on Thursday has brought the total refugees who reached Indian shores after the economic crisis in Sri Lanka to 96.

As the state government and Centre are going soft on the refugees, they are not being produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody for arriving in a foreign country without any documents.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had written to the Union government to allow the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who are reaching Indian shores be provided with shelter at the refugee camps in the state. The central government has also not taken an antagonistic position on this issue.

The state government officials who are in charge of the Mandapam refugee camp for Sri Lankan Tamils told IANS that the space in the camp is getting filled up fast and that a new camp has to be established.

It is to be noted that Tamil Nadu has more than 1, 50,00 refugees following the civil war in the island nation, and the present migration is considered minuscule when compared to the earlier one.

With the refugees arriving slowly but steadily to the shores of Tamil Nadu, the government is contemplating for a new camp not far away from Mandapam with more space.

The central intelligence agencies have, however, warned the state government of the possibility of certain hardened elements of the LTTE reaching the shores of Tamil Nadu under the guise of refugees. The police is scrutinizing the antecedents of all the refugees who are reaching the Indian shores.

The Marine Coastal police of the Tamil Nadu government and the Indian Coast Guard are monitoring the presence of suspicious persons and boats in the sea to prevent the arrival of any unwanted elements on Indian shores.
New Delhi, July 1 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested two close aides of Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain in connection with a Money Laundering case.

Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain have been named in both -- the CBI and ED's cases.

Satyendar Jain was arrested on May 30 and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. His bail plea was dismissed by the court.

The ED officials have not issued any official statement in this regard.

Money laundering investigation was iniated by the ED on the basis of an FIR registered by CBI in 2017 under section 13(2) read with 13(1)(e) of the PC Act, 1988 against Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

A charge sheet was filed by the CBI on December 3, 2018 against Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and other accused. It was alleged that Jain, while holding the office as a Minister in the Government of Delhi, during the period February 14, 2015 to May 31, 2017 had acquired assets which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI has accused Jain, his wife and other accused, for commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Earlier, the ED had provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to companies beneficially owned and controlled by Jain on March 31, 2022.

Jain was placed under arrest on May 30, 2022 by the ED under sections 19 of the PMLA. Further investigation in the matter is on.
New Delhi, July 1 : The Supreme Court on Friday minced no words in slamming suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, whose remarks on Prophet Muhammad sparked a controversy. The top court said her loose tongue has set the entire country on fire and her irresponsible remarks shows that she is "obstinate and arrogant".

Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Sharma, mentioned the plea before a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala seeking transfer of all FIRs filed against her to Delhi. However, the bench reprimanded Sharma for making irresponsible comments against a religion during a TV debate. It said, "These remarks are very disturbing...shows her arrogance. What is her business to make such remarks?" Singh pointed at the written apology issued by her.

"This lady has a loose tongue...making inflammatory statements...she should have to go on TV and apologize to the whole country. Please don't compel us to open our mouth," the bench told Singh. It further added, "It is so disturbing...the outcome is what happened at Udaipur." Singh said the top court has laid down the principle in Arnab Goswami case to stop vexatious multiple FIRs for the same alleged offence.

Singh said his client is facing a security threat and it would not be safe for her to travel now. The bench replied, "She faces threats or she has become a security threat? This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country." The bench continued with its criticism of Sharma's remarks, saying, "These remarks have led to unfortunate incidents in the country...These people are not religious. They do not have respect for other religions...nefarious agenda...cheap publicity." The bench said the remarks show she is obstinate and arrogant, and queried, if you are a spokesperson, "you have got license to make statements?... sometimes power goes to head". Singh insisted that there are multiple FIRs lodged in various parts of the country and her client is an advocate with 10 years of practice.

Singh added during the debate a foundation was laid for a mischievous provocation and cited top court's judgments ordering clubbing of FIRs in the same alleged offence. "All I am asking is for an investigation done at one palace...," said Singh. The bench queried what has been done in an FIR registered with Delhi Police so far. "They must be red carpeting for you...." said the bench. Singh said his client has joined the investigation and also cited the top court's order in businessman Satinder Singh Bhasin case where multiple FIRs were clubbed into a single FIR.

The bench questioned the police action in the case. It said, "When you lodge a complaint against someone that person is arrested but nobody dares to touch you...That shows your clout." The bench also pulled the TV channel for the debate saying, "what was the TV debate about? Only to fan an agenda? Why did they choose a sub-judice topic?" The TV debate was on the issue of Gyanvapi mosque.

The bench added that on her complaint, a person is arrested but despite multiple FIRs she has not been touched by the Delhi Police.

The top court also expressed its reservation on Sharma bypassing the lower courts and directly moving the Supreme Court. "The petition smacks of her arrogance, that the magistrates of the country are too small for her," said the bench.

Singh submitted that there are serious debates on this issue within the same community, and relied on Goswami's case seeking relief for clubbing FIRs. He also referred to another case which held that there can be no second FIR on the same cause of action.

Justice Kant said the case of a journalist on expressing rights on a particular issue is on a different pedestal from a spokesperson who is lambasting others with irresponsible statements without thinking of the consequences. After a thirty-minute-long hearing, the bench refused to entertain Sharma's petition and asked her counsel to move the high court. Singh agreed to withdraw the petition and the bench granted him liberty to withdraw the petition.

Sharma had moved the top court seeking transfer of several FIRs, registered against her in many states for alleged remarks to Delhi for investigation. Sharma contended she is constantly facing life threats from unsocial elements despite withdrawing her comments.
San Francisco, July 1 : Google has reached a settlement over a lawsuit with a group of developers, where it will establish a $90 million fund to support developers in the US who earned $2 million or less in annual revenue through Google Play, during each year from 2016-2021.

The proposed agreement, said Google, will help ensure that both developers and consumers can continue to benefit from Google Play.

"To continue to provide developers with a tiered pricing model, we'll maintain Google's 15 per cent commission rate for the first $1 million in annual revenue earned from the Google Play Store for US developers, which we implemented in 2021," the Wilson White, VP, Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google said in a statement late on Thursday.

A vast majority of US developers who earned revenue through Google Play will be "eligible to receive money from this fund, if they choose".

If the Court approves the settlement, developers that qualify will be notified and allowed to receive a distribution from the fund, Google added.

Developers around the world have earned more than $120 billion using the Google Play Store to date.

"In addition to the fund, we're committing to maintain a number of existing practices and implement new benefits that help developers innovate and communicate with their users, said Google.

In new versions of Android, Google will maintain certain changes implemented in Android 12 that make it even easier for people to use other app stores on their devices, while being careful not to compromise the safety measures Android has in place.

To showcase independent and small startup developers building unique high-quality apps, Google is creating an "Indie Apps Corner" that will appear on the apps tab on the Google Play homepage and "shine a spotlight on these developers".

Google said it will also publish annual transparency reports to share information about the Google Play Store, including statistics such as apps removed from Google Play, account terminations, and other data regarding how users interact with Google Play.
Chennai, July 1 : Actor Dulquer Salmaan, who paid a visit to Kashmir for the first ever time to shoot for director Hanu Raghavapudi's upcoming film, 'Sita Ramam', says Kashmir is nothing less than a paradise on earth.

The 'Sita Ramam' crew spent more than 30 days in Kashmir and finished their filming on time. The scenery was stunning, and the entire cast and crew of the movie had an enjoyable experience.

Talking about his first ever trip to Kashmir to shoot for 'Sita Ramam', Dulquer says: "This is my first time to Kashmir. Surprisingly, I had never got a chance to visit Kashmir before 'Sita Ramam', and this is my first personal and professional visit. It's long been a big dream of mine to experience the valley. It was every bit as wonderful as people say it is and I can't describe how breathtakingly beautiful Kashmir is.

"We got to shoot in Sonmarg and Srinagar and both were equally amazing. Sonmarg has mountains and snow and ski slopes and glaciers. Srinagar was like stepping back in time because of how historic it is. Most of the structures are still preserved as they were. The romantic Dal Lake and Shikharas were like poetry. I'm glad I got to experience all of it." The actor says the people around them were extremely kind, welcoming, and accommodating. "From those who looked after us at the hotels and shooting spots to even the local police, who made sure we were okay and told us to come back for more shoots and to encourage more films to be shot in Kashmir.

"Kashmir is so unique, it's like stepping into a photograph or a painting or a film. It's hard to take in the depth and beauty of Kashmir with your eyes and believe you are witnessing it in person. It's that awe-inspiring.

"In a heartbeat. I would love to visit Gulmarg and Pahalgam. I want to someday do a skimobile safari as some friends I know have done. It would be a dream to spot a snow leopard in the wild," he says.

'Sita Ramam', a beautiful love story set against the backdrop of a war in 1965, has Dulquer Salmaan playing the character of Lieutenant Ram, an orphan, serving the nation in snow-clad mesmerising terrains and gleaming lakes of Kashmir.

Pairing with Dulquer is Mrunal Thakur as Sita Mahalakshmi, the lead lady of the film, along with Rashmika Mandanna in an impressive role.

The film is presented by the 50-year-old Vyjayanthi Movies and produced by Ashwini Dutt for Swapna Cinema.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, July 1 : A 73-year-old man was stabbed to death in the national capital following which a minor boy was apprehended, an official said on Friday.

The accused, 17-year-old juvenile was apprehended for the crime.

According to the official, a PCR call regarding an injured person lying at Gali No-15 Vishwas Nagar, Farsh Bazar, Shahdhara was received at 6.00 a.m. after which a police team rushed to the spot.

"The police team at the spot found a man, in an unconscious state, lying in a pool of blood with an injury near his abdominal area," the official said, adding that he was taken to Hedgewar Hospital where doctors declared him 'brought dead'.

During inquiry, it was learnt that the deceased man, identified as Horam, used to run a rickshaw stand in Mandi but due to old age he remained confined to his home for the last 20 years.

"He usually went for a walk early morning and on Friday also, he left home at around 4 a.m.," the official said.

The analysis of CCTV footage near the scene of crime led to the suspect after which he was apprehended. The juvenile confessed to his crime and claimed that he was inebriated at the time of crime. "Necessary legal action is being taken," the official added.
Srinagar, July 1 : A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper shot himself with his service rifle on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

Police sources said the CRPF trooper posted in the Gund area of Ganderbal district shot himself with his service rifle.

"He was shifted to the sub-district hospital Kangan where doctors referred him to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar.

"He finally succumbed to injuries. An FIR has been registered in this incident under relevant sections of law," sources said.
New Delhi, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh and Gandhinagar in Gujarat on July 4.

In Gandhinagar, the prime Minister will launch 'Digital India Bhashini', Digital India GENESIS' and 'Indiastack.global'. He will also dedicate 'MyScheme' and 'Meri Pehchaan' to the citizens.

On the morning of July 4, the Prime Minister will launch the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in Bhimavaram. Thereafter, in the evening, he will inaugurate the 'Digital India Week 2022' in Gandhinagar.

In a statement the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Government is committed to giving due recognition to the contribution of freedom fighters and making people across the country aware of them.

"As part of the endeavour, Prime Minister Modi will launch the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of the legendary freedom fighter, Alluri Sitarama Raju, in Bhimavaram. The Prime Minister will also unveil a 30-feet tall bronze statue of Alluri Sitarama Raju," the PMO said.

Born on July 4, 1897, Alluri Sitarama Raju is remembered for his fight against the British, in order to safeguard interests of the tribal communities in the Eastern Ghats region. He had led the Rampa rebellion, which was launched in 1922. He is referred to as 'Manyam Veerudu' (Hero of the Jungles) by the local people.

In Gandhinagar, Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Digital India Week 2022, whose theme is 'Catalyzing New India's Techade'. During the programme, he will launch multiple digital initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility of technology, streamlining service delivery to ensure ease of living and giving a boost to startups.

The Prime Minister will launch 'Digital India Bhashini' which will enable easy access to the internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and help the creation of content in Indian languages.

The key intervention in building AI based language technology solutions for Indian languages will be the creation of multilingual datasets. Digital India Bhashini will enable massive citizen engagement to build these datasets through a crowdsourcing initiative called BhashaDaan.

Prime Minister Modi will launch 'Digital India GENESIS' (Gen-next Support for Innovative Startups) - a National Deep-tech Startup Platform, to discover, support, grow and make successful startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India. A total outlay of Rs 750 crore has been envisaged for the scheme.

He will also launch 'Indiastack.global' - a global repository of key projects implemented under India Stack like Aadhaar, UPI, Digilocker, CowiN Vaccination Platform, Government e MarketPlace (GeM), DIKSHA Platform and Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission.

The Prime Minister will dedicate to the citizens 'MyScheme' - a service discovery platform facilitating access to Government Schemes. It aims to offer a one-stop search and discovery portal where users can find schemes that they are eligible for.

He will also dedicate to the citizens 'Meri Pehchaan'- National Single Sign On for One Citizen Login. National Single Sign-On (NSSO) is a user authentication service in which a single set of credentials provides access to multiple online applications or services.

The Prime Minister will also announce the first cohort of 30 Institutions to be supported under the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme. The C2S Programme aims to train specialized manpower in the area of design of semiconductor chips at Bachelors, Masters and Research level, and act as a catalyst for growth of Start-ups involved in semiconductor design in the country.

It offers mentoring at organisational level and makes available State-of-the-art facilities for design to the institutions. This is part of the India Semiconductor Mission to build a strong design ecosystem in semiconductors.
New Delhi, July 1: A rival militant group the National Front for Freedom has claimed an attack on Taliban's Loya Jirga gathering on Thursday in Kabul. The Freedom Fighters Front said in a statement that its special forces had attacked the Taliban gathering. The front said that the attack was aimed at eliminating the Taliban. According to local media, gunfire was heard close to the venue where the Taliban had been holding a "Religious Clerics Gathering" to find a basic solution for the country's current economic crises and job shortages. At the time of attack there were about 3000 clerics present at the venue including some of the top leaders of the Taliban.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties in the incident, but videos posted on social media showed gunshots being heard in the area around the venue.

Taliban helicopters have started patrolling the venue of the 'loya jirga' after the attack. The Taliban has deployed security forces in strength across the capital, with the roads leading to the 'jirga' venue blocked and checkpoints being set up to avert any incident.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Taliban, tweeted that "there are no problems around the gathering, and security forces fired several shots at a suspicious location." Local residents told the media that gunshots were fired amidst two explosions when two insurgents stormed a building in the area, where they were killed by the Taliban forces.

The Taliban rulers have called a first loya jirga, a grand assembly of scholars and leaders from around the country, since the group took over Afghanistan last year, as they have been under mounting pressure to form an inclusive government to win international recognition.

A Taliban source told AFP that criticism of the government would be allowed at the three-day jirga starting from June 29, and thorny issues such as education of girls - which has divided opinion in the movement - would be discussed.

But ironically, women would not be allowed to attend, with deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi telling state broadcaster RTA on Wednesday there was no need because they would be represented by male relatives.

"The women are our mothers and sisters... we respect them a lot. When their sons are in the gathering it means they are also involved," he said.

According to Afghan journalists, this so-called "Loya Jirga" is a meeting of those clerics who have been supporting the Taliban. Not every Loya Jirga decision has stood its ground, nor has every loya jirga seen unanimous approval. In fact, there has been enough criticism of representation in these assemblies.

"Loya Jirga is a bankrupt mechanism, which's always been exploited to achieve a political end of a group or ruling elite of one ethnicity against the rest. Taliban know this and exploit it to their advantage against the rest of Afghanistan that reject them, their state-sponsor," tweeted Ambassador M. Ashraf Haidari, Afghanistan's ambassador to Sri Lanka who has been opposing the Taliban.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, July 1: Keeping pressure on the Pakistani government amid concerns about the security of its projects and citizens, China has sent its top trouble-shooter to Islamabad.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Central Committee on Foreign Affairs had a separate meeting with the Pakistani premier Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto and the Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday to allow the Chinese security forces to secure the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Pakistanis have so far rejected the Chinese request. Beijing is increasingly worried about the security of CPEC, which passes through restive Balochistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Several Chinese personnel have been killed by Baloch militants and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cadres including nine Chinese engineers working at the Dhasu power project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Yang, who is considered as the architect of Beijing's 21st century foreign policy, is accompanied by China's vice ministers for foreign affairs and commerce, vice chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and deputy secretary general of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

According to Pakistani observers, "whatever demands and concerns Yang conveys and any commitments that he makes during his meetings here will be seen as coming directly from President Xi." According to sources, Yang wanted to convey China's concerns and "unhappiness" over the security provided by the Pakistani agencies. Consequently, he raised the Chinese proposal of setting up a nodal security agency in the country. But so far, the Pakistani government has been resisting the Chinese "proposal".

"Pakistan has assured China's most senior and influential diplomat on Wednesday that the Chinese investors in the country would be provided unwavering security arrangements," said the Pakistani Foreign Office adding that the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to enhanced measures for safety, security and protection of the Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in the country." According to Pakistani media, the relation between "iron brothers" has been under heavy stress and it has become more evident when Yang conveyed his "unhappiness" to the Pakistani leadership about the lack of progress in the prosecution of people involved in the April 26 attack in which three Chinese teachers were killed in Karachi. And even after two months, neither the mastermind nor other major actors involved in the attack have been apprehended.

Yang has asked the Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto to push "hard" for Majeed Brigade of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army's Fidayeen (suicide) unit, to be listed on the UNSC 1267 Terror Sanctions list. The group has been behind most of the attacks on Chinese.

Earlier, the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had promised to a Chinese security delegation last month that the Pakistan security agencies would set up a foreign security cell at the Central Police Office (CPO) with the requisite staff and logistics. As per the report, the Special Branch, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Security Division were assigned to audit the security arrangements periodically. The Pakistan Army had raised a special security division just to look after CPEC projects and Chinese workers. But the Chinese were not "impressed" because "mere words did not match by deeds".

The Chinese are also concerned about the renewed threats coming from the TTP. On Wednesday the TTP boss Noor Wali Mehsud had blamed Pakistani security agencies for killing people on the behest of China in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions. The TTP chief admitted that his fighters have been targeting Chinese interests, including the attack on the Chinese ambassador in Quetta in April last year.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Hyderabad, July 1 : BJP MP K. Laxman on Friday 'predicted' Maharashtra-like political developments in Telangana.

The MP said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) would face a situation like the one witnessed by Shiv Sena in Maharashtra recently.

Laxman also predicted that the political scenario in Telangana would completely change after BJP's national executive and the public meeting in Hyderabad.

The two-day national executive of the BJP is beginning on Saturday while a massive public meeting is scheduled at the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad on Sunday, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders.

Laxman, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, said since TRS is like a family party like Shiv Sena it would meet the same fate. "The downfall of TRS and KCR has started," he said.

Stating that Modi, Amit Shah and Nadda were especially focusing on Telangana, the MP remarked that in a year's time there will be 'Ram Rajya' in Telangana.

He also predicted that TRS and Congress will join hands for the next elections in the state. He dubbed the Congress and AIMIM as the 'B' parties of TRS.

Laxman criticised the TRS for not extending support to NDA's candidate for Presidential election Draupadi Murmu.

Laxman along with Union minister for tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy visited the Parade Ground to review the arrangements for the public meeting.

Kishan Reddy alleged that TRS was creating hurdles for the BJP meeting as it was scared of defeat in the next elections.

He said the public meeting will give an assurance to the poor about their secure future under the BJP rule.

The minister said while the BJP meeting enjoys people's blessings, the TRS government is creating problems by putting up hoardings to mislead people.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 : Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalanadan on Friday submitted a breach of privilege notice against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for misleading the Kerala Assembly on Tuesday while replying to an adjournment motion moved by the Congress-led opposition.

While speaking for the motion, Kuzhalnadan told the Assembly that on May 20, 2020 Vijayan's daughter Veena's IT firm's website Exalogic which last had the description of Jaik Balakumar wherein it's stated that Jaik's involvement with Exalogic is at a very personal level where he mentors and guides the founders with his incredible knowledge of all the various aspects of the industry, had disappeared.

When the website reappeared, the reference to Jaik Balakumar was missing.

In his reply, Vijayan lost his cool slammed Kuzhalnadan for airing "baseless statements" about his daughter's IT firm and terming it a "blatant" lie. He claimed that she has never called Jaik Balakumar - a director of PricewaterhouseCoopers -- her mentor.

A furious Vijayan then said that the Assembly should not be used to drag the names of family members and that too with baseless allegations.

It was against this that Kuzhalnadan has filed a breach of privilege notice against Vijayan before the Speaker M.B.Rajesh stating that Vijayan has misled the House.

Along with the notice, Kuzhalandan has provided evidence from the website of Exalogic which mentions about Jaik Balakumar and his association with Veena's IT firm and also a video of a news report of a leading Malayalam TV news channel where Veena is saying about her firms' association with Jaik Balakumar.

With the present Assembly session scheduled to conclude in the last week of July, all eyes are on when this will be taken up as already the Congress-led Opposition is going hammer and tongs against Vijayan and his family's role in the smuggling of gold and currency as revealed by the prime accused in the gold smuggling case-Swapna Suresh.
Surat, July 1 : Surat police on Friday provided security to a youth after he received death threats on social media over his comment on the minority community.

He has been shifted to an undisclosed location, till the accused is arrested.

Yuvraj Pokharan, in his mid 20's, filed an application with the Surat Police Commissionerate on Friday complaining that he has received a life threat on social media.

Speaking to the local media, Yuvraj explained: "I had commented on a news posted by a news agency, where I stated that people wearing skull caps are enemies of humanity, they hate humanity".

Responding to his comment, a person named Faizal tweeted: "Gustakh E Rasool ki Ek Hi Saja, Sar Tan Se Juda". Soon others supported Faizal's comment.

Yuvraj on the defensive claimed that he has not hurt any religion, he only commented about insensitivity towards humanity, yet he is being threatened.

The moment Yuvraj approached the police, security is being provided to him and his family, said Sharad Shingal, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Surat.

"Our cyber cell has started working on the case, and it is searching for the person who has threatened Yuvraj on social media, we are hopeful to trace out the person through IP address soon," he added.
Chennai, July 1 : The increase in customs duty on gold will not have any major impact on the yellow metal's demand or the price, said a top official of Madras Jewelers and Diamond Merchants Association.

Nor the duty hike will result in any increased smuggling activity of the yellow metal, he added.

On Thursday, the central government increased the customs duty on gold from 10.75 per cent to 15 per cent to curb gold imports.

The government said, there has been a sudden surge of gold imports.

In May, a total of 107 ton of gold was imported and the import volume last month was also significant, the government said.

"The surge in gold imports is putting pressure on current account deficit. To curb import of gold, customs duty has been increased from present 10.75 per cent to 15 per cent," the government reasoned.

Speaking to IANS Jayantilal Challani, President, Madras Jewelers and Diamond Merchants Association and a partner in Challani Jewelry Mart said the duty hike will not have any major impact on the demand or the price as the government has scrapped the surcharge.

He said the duty hike may not also result in any increased smuggling activity as it will go on whether the duty is low or high.

India is the second largest importer of gold.
Kolkata, July 1 : The Chandannagar City Police in Hooghly district on Friday arrested three persons in connection with the murder of a Bihar-based scribe named Subhash Kumar Mahto.

The arrested persons have have been identified as Sourav Kumar (18), Priyangshu Kumar (21) and Roshon Kumar (22), all residents of a village under Bakhri police station in Begusarai district in Bihar, where Mahto was shot dead on May 20.

According to Vidit Raj Bhundesh, Deputy Commissioner of Chandannagar City Police, the three accused were hiding in Chandannagar under the fake names.

"They claimed to be residents of Madhya Pradesh and also had supporting fake documents. Every evening they would visit the banks of River Ganges at Chandannagar," Bundesh said.

It is learnt that since they were new faces in the locality, their movements created doubts among the local people who also used to visit the banks of the river to enjoy the evening breeze.

Finally, one of them informed the local police station and the three were summoned by the cops for questioning.

"Initially, they claimed that they were residents of Madhya Pradesh and also furnished fake documents in support of their claims. However, there were lots of inconsistencies in their statements following which our officials interrogated them further.

"Finally, they disclosed their real identities and also confessed that they were from a village in Begusarai district where Subhash Kumar Mahto was killed in May. We contacted our counterparts at the Bakhri police station, who confirmed the trio's involvement behind the murder of the scribe," Bhundesh informed newspersons.

The three arrested persons are currently under the custody of Chandannagar City Police and a team from Bakhri police station will shortly reach Chandannagar to take them back to Bihar under transit remand.

Mahto's killing created countrywide ripples with local journalists in Bihar alleging that liquor and sand mafias were behind his murder as he was extensively reporting on this menace.

He was killed on the evening of May 20 while he was returning home from a community dinner along with his father and some other relatives.

Eyewitnesses said that he was attacked by four strangers, who shot him and escaped from the scene.
New Delhi, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during the latter's visit to India in December last year, an official statement said.

In particular, the two leaders, in their telephonic conversation, exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilisers and pharma products could be encouraged further, it said.

The two leaders also discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets.

In the context of the ongoing situation in Ukraine, the Prime Minister reiterated India's long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy.

The leaders agreed to maintain regular consultations on global and bilateral issues, the statement said.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, July 1 : The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Delhi Police on a plea moved by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair challenging a lower court order allowing his police custody and seizure of his laptop in connection with a 2018 contentious tweet.

Dealing with the plea, a vacation bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula directed the police to file a counter-affidavit within two weeks.

During the course of the hearing, the court observed that his remand will end tomorrow and the matter has a "very limited shelf life".

Zubair's counsel Vrinda Grover argued that her client was arrested in breach of the Arnesh Kumar guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and that it was an attempt to breach his journalistic freedom as the police seized his mobile phone and laptop.

The matter will be heard again on July 27.

Zubair, who is currently in police custody in connection with a 2018 contentious tweet, on Thursday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the police remand.

On Tuesday, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Courts, Snigdha Sarvaria had allowed four days' custody of Zubair to Delhi Police in connection with one of his tweets on the micro-blogging platform Twitter in 2018 in which he allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of a community.

In a follow-up of the case, the Special Cell of Delhi Police flew Zubair to Bengaluru to recover his laptop which he used for uploading various contents on social media sites.

Zubair was charged under Indian Penal Code's Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) for one of his objectionable tweets.

"Transmission and publication of such posts have been deliberately done by Mohammed Zubair through electronic media to insult the religious feelings of a particular community with the intent to provoke breach of peace," read the FIR.

As per the FIR, accused Zubair had used a screengrab of an old Hindi movie which showed an image of a hotel, with its board reading 'Hanuman hotel' instead of 'Honeymoon hotel'. In his tweet, Zubair had written, "BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel".

The complainant tagging Delhi Police had written, "Linking our God Hanuman Ji with Honeymoon is a direct insult of Hindus because he is a brahmachari. Kindly take action against this."
New Delhi, July 1 : Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers on Friday hailed the GST Council's decision that EVs with or without battery pack will now be taxed at 5 per cent.

At present, e-vehicles are taxed at 5 per cent while lithium-ion batteries are taxed at 18 per cent.

The decision was taken at the GST Council's 47th meeting in Chandigarh on June 28-29, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"Electric vehicles, whether or not fitted with a battery pack, are eligible for the concessional GST rate of 5 per cent," a ministry statement read.

Akshit Bansal, CEO of electric vehicle (EV) charging network provider Statiq, said that the government has declared a clear intention to boost domestic EV adoption and usage by making the industry eligible for a concessional GST rate of 5 per cent.

"This move will encourage the industry to pass on more cost benefits to the users and also lend a necessary push to people who are still looking for incentives to adapt to the EV way-of-life," Bansal told IANS.

"I welcome this move of industry-wide GST reduction to 5 per cent and thank the government for helping us bridge the gap between the possible adoption of EVs and a real-life rise in its adoption," he added.

Battery price makes up as much as 50 per cent of an electric vehicle's cost.

In 2018, the GST rate on lithium-ion batteries was slashed from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.

In December last year, then NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government was working on reducing GST on EV batteries.
Chennai, July 1 : The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (Tangedco) wants the refuelling at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) to take place in July instead of March.

The Tamil Nadu power utility will petition the Central power ministry regarding the same.

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) has allotted 1152 MW power for the state of Tamil Nadu per year. However, the Nuclear plant is shut down for two months from March leading to a shortage in power supply from the plant. In Tamil Nadu, March is a season of peak summer, and shutting down during this period leads to shortage of power for the state. This has led to the Tangedco officials taking this issue up with the higher authorities of Central power ministry who are in charge of the plant.

Meanwhile, the Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC) meet will be held in Chennai on July 14. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, and Puducherry will participate in the regional power committee meeting.

Sources in the Tangedco told IANS that the department would communicate with the Central power ministry on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) regarding the change of refuelling work from March to July and from next year onwards in the months of June and July. This is due to the fact that Tamil Nadu would like to have a relaxation in the peak summer by the month of June and July.

Notably, the Southern States accounted for all-time peak demand for power in the month of April 2022 with the demand shooting up to 60,876 MW. The installed capacity of Southern states has increased from 1,15,165 MW to 1,18,313 MW in a year.

Another factor that will be taken up by the Tangedco is the difficulty in transit power through power grid lines due to technical errors. The Tamil Nadu power utility will also apprise the Central power ministry officials of the loss it was facing due to payment for power grid transmission lines that were not used for service by the Tangedco.

An official with Tangedco told IANS that this was occurring with all the South Indian states and that stakeholders had taken up the matter with the Central government power grid but to no avail. Officials said that this is burning the pocket of these power utilities.
July 01 : Actor Ayushmann Khurrana unveils his new look from the forthcoming medical drama Doctor G, in honour of National Doctors' Day. The film also stars Rakul Preet and Shefali Shah. Helmed by Anubhuti Kashyap, the film will feature actor Ayushmann as a gynaecologist for the first time in this university comedy-drama. The film is bankrolled by Junglee Pictures. On this unique occasion of National Doctors' Day, Ayushmann Khurrana took to his social media and shared, Ayushmann Khurrana - G se Gynecologist, G se Gupta, Thats our #DoctorG, Doctor Uday Gupta aka #DoctorG & team ki Taraf se wishing all the G se Genius doctors a #HappyDoctorsDay, @Rakulpreet @ShefaliShah_ @JungleePictures #SheebaChaddha @anubhuti_k #SumitSaxena @Saurabhbharat @vishalwagh21.

In his post, Ayushmann also sends his best wishes to all the diligent doctors who have repeatedly devoted their life to the care of others. The makers have yet to announce the release date of the movie. Apart from Doctor G, Ayushmann Khurrana is also busy with An Action Hero, the film is co-produced by Colour Yellow and T-Series. Revolving around an artists journey, the film is helmed by Anirudh Iyer, also starring Jaideep Ahlawat. The film is set to enthral the audience with its slick action and offbeat satirical sense of humour.
Patna, July 1 : Three policemen were seriously injured after a bomb, produced as evidence, exploded in a Patna court on Friday afternoon.

Patna police recovered the bombs recently from a hostel and brought them to the civil court to present before the judge as a proof against the accused. However, the bomb exploded soon after it was put on a table in the court.

Sub-Inspector Umakant Rai and two other personnel of Agam Kuan police station were injured in this incident as they were in close proximity.

The impact of the explosion was such that many officials and lawyers present in the court lost their hearing for a few minutes. The judge was also present in the court but managed to return to his chamber safely.

Following the explosion, SSP Manavjeet Singh Dhillon and officials of Pirbahore police station reached the court and sealed the area. The dog squad and bomb squad immediately reached in the court, along with forensic experts, and started the investigation.

The Patna police has not given an official statement about the incident so far.
Hyderabad, July 1 : A thick security blanket has been thrown around Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) ahead of the national executive meeting of BJP beginning on Saturday.

HICC, adjacent to Novotel hotel and Hyderabad International Trade Expositions Centre (HITEX) in information technology district Hitec City resembled an impregnable fortress as hundreds of personnel of Telangana police, state and central security agencies were deployed as part of massive security for the two-day event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Central ministers, chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and top party leaders will be attending the meeting.

Special Protection Group (SPG), which is responsible for the security of the Prime Minister and other VVIPs, has already taken over the sprawling premises of HICC and its surroundings.

The restrictions on movement of people at the venue came into force on Friday. Only valid pass holders were being allowed to enter the area.

Barricades were erected at the main entrance of HITEX and on internal roads to restrict people's movement.

A four-layered security ring was formed at the venue with Cyberabad police taking care of the three outer layers. A police command and control centre had also been formed to monitor security arrangements.

Deployment of snipers, anti-sabotage checks, quick response teams and bomb disposal squads form part of the security arrangements.

Cyberabad police have imposed prohibitory orders under section 144, banning assembly of five or more persons from July 1 to July 4. Elaborate measures were in place to deal with any spontaneous protests.

The police have also prohibited flying of remotely controlled drones, para-gliders and remotely controlled micro-light aircrafts in a five km radius around HICC.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner M. Stephen Raveendra said that arrangements have been made in line with the SPG's Blue Book. Police and security agencies will take care of multi-layered security, access controls and anti-sabotage setups, and VVIP protection.

About 10,000 police personnel of Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates, Telangana State Special Police (TSPS), elite anti-Maoist force Greyhounds and anti-terror force Octopus have been deployed as part of the security for the BJP national executive and also the public meeting at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad which will be addressed by Prime Minister Modi and other leaders.

The Prime Minister, who will be landing at Begumpet Airport in the city at 2.55 p.m. on Saturday, will fly to the national executive meeting venue by a helicopter.

A special helipad has been prepared at HITEX for the Prime Minister's helicopter. He will spend Saturday night at Novotel abutting HICC.

After the national executive meeting, Modi will fly to Begumpet Airport by helicopter and from there he will reach nearby Parade Ground by road. After addressing the public meeting, he will reach Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor for the night halt and the next day he will leave for Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand on Friday visited Parade Grounds to review the security arrangements.

As the BJP expects 10 lakh people for the meeting, the police were making elaborate security arrangements for regulating the traffic and movement of people.

In addition to the BJP national executive meeting venue and Parade Ground, police have also made tight security arrangements at hotels, guest houses and other places where the delegates are staying.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 : Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi, who arrived here on Friday to see his constituency office which was vandalised by Students Federation of India activists last week, said that violence will not resolve any issues.

Gandhi had arrived at the Kannur airport in the morning and then drove down to Wayanad.

All top Congress state leaders accompanied him to Wayanad.

Interacting briefly with the media after seeing the vandalisation, he said even though it is his office, this office is also the people of Wayanad.

"Violence is seen everywhere, but violence will not resolve problems. Even though I feel sad that my office was attacked, I am not angry as it's been done by 'children'. I don't have any hostility towards them. They have acted irresponsibly and did a silly thing. They are kids and I don't think they know what they did and I have forgiven them," said Gandhi.

He agreed with what the Supreme Court said about what is happening in the country and it is for the ruling dispensation to see that, as this is against the interest of India and the people.

Gandhi will be in Wayanad for two more days, attending various functions.
New Delhi, July 1 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked the Delhi Police to hand them over FIR, remand papers and account-related information of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair so that the agency could initiate a probe.

The Delhi Police had said that there were multiple transactions in his accounts.

ED sources said Zubair received huge transactions in his account and they want to go through it to check if the money was laundered.

If ED finds evidence, it will lodge an ECIR of Prevention of Money Laundering against Zubair and initiate the investigation.

As of now, Zubair is in the custody of Delhi Police after his arrest.

He was taken to Bengaluru on Thursday to recover his electronics gadgets.

The ED has not given any official statement in this connection.

As per the FIR, accused Zubair had used a screen-grab of an old Hindi movie which showed an image of a hotel, with its board reading 'Hanuman hotel' instead of 'Honeymoon hotel'.

In his tweet, Zubair had written, "BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel".

The complainant tagging Delhi Police had written: "Linking our God Hanuman Ji with Honeymoon is a direct insult of Hindus because he is a brahmachari. Kindly take action against this."
Washington, July 1 : The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a civil enforcement action against a South African company and its CEO for running a fraudulent commodity pool worth over $1.7 billion in Bitcoin -- the largest fraudulent scheme involving Bitcoin charged in any CFTC case -- from thousands of people including 23,000 Americans.

The case, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, charged Cornelius Johannes Steynberg of Stellenbosch, Western Cape, Republic of South Africa and Mirror Trading International Proprietary Limited (MTI) with fraud and registration violations.

Steynberg created and operated, through MTI, a global foreign currency commodity pool that only accepted Bitcoin to purchase a participation in the pool, with a value of over $1,733,838,372, the CFTC said in a statement late on Thursday.

"The CFTC seeks full restitution to defrauded investors, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, civil monetary penalties, permanent registration and trading bans, and a permanent injunction against future violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC Regulations," the commission said in a statement.

The CFTC cautioned victims that restitution orders may not result in the recovery of money lost, "because the wrongdoers may not have sufficient funds or assets".

From May 18, 2018 till March 30, 2021, Steynberg engaged in an international fraudulent multilevel marketing scheme, in addition to social media, to solicit Bitcoin from members of the public for participation in a commodity pool operated by MTI.

During this period, Steynberg accepted at least 29,421 Bitcoin - with a value of over $1,733,838,372 at the end of the period, to participate in the commodity pool without being registered as a commodity pool operator as required.

"The defendants misappropriated, either directly or indirectly, all of the Bitcoin they accepted from the pool participants," the agency said.
Kolkata, July 1 : In an 180-degree change of stance, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that she could have considered supporting NDA's Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu had the BJP informed her about its choice in advance.

Stating this at the Rath Yatra function of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) here, Banerjee also admitted that Draupadi Murmu has a better chance of winning than Yashwant Sinha, the unanimous opposition candidate.

"Draupadi Murmu has a better chance of winning. Had the BJP informed me in advance that it will field a tribal woman as its Presidential candidate, I could have thought otherwise and made attempts accordingly. For a larger national interest, the opposition parties could have discussed the issue then.

"It would have been better for the nation had there been a unanimous consensus candidate, just as it happened in case of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. But though the BJP sought my opinion on the issue of Presidential poll, it did not tell me anything about its choice," the Chief Minister said.

Banerjee also gave a subtle hint that the doors are not closed totally for a possibility of supporting Murmu.

"But I cannot take any decision alone now, since the decision about the unanimous opposition candidate was taken together by 17 parties. Unless the others agree, I alone cannot decide anything. All I want is a peaceful Presidential poll," the Chief Minister said.

The opposition parties, however, have ridiculed the changed stand of the Chief Minister on this issue.

BJP's national vice-president and party MP Dilip Ghosh said that this changed stance of Banerjee is because of the realisation that Yashwant Sinha will be defeated by a huge margin.

"She is now claiming that had the BJP informed her in advance, she could have given a positive consideration on Murmu's nomination. Then why was she in a hurry to field a unanimous opposition candidate before the NDA announced its nominee? She could have waited till the time Draupadi Murmu's name was announced," Ghosh said.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that he is not surprised by the changed stand of the Chief Minister since it is in her nature.

"Actually, she has to protect her family members and party leaders from the clutches of central agencies like the CBI and the ED. That is why it is necessary for her to keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi in good humour. The clandestine understanding between Trinamool Congress and BJP is crystal clear now," Chakraborty said.

Echoing Chakraborty, senior Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that probably Banerjee has understood that she went overboard by taking the initiative to field a unanimous opposition candidate.

"She is now realising that her action had made the BJP leadership angry. So now she is attempting a balancing act to keep the BJP leadership in good humour. This is what she has been practising all through," Chowdhury said.
Jaipur, July 1 : Two more accused were arrested late on Thursday night in connection with the brutal murder of a tailor in Udaipur on Tuesday.

The arrested persons have been sent to 14-day police reamnd, Additional Director General (ATS), Ashok Rathore, said on Friday.

Rathore informed that the two accused have been arrested for racketeering and hatching a criminal conspiracy to kill Kanhaiya Lal, who was beheaded inside his tailoring shop on a crowded street in Udaipur for posting content supporting now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed.

Rathore said that the two prime accused, Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus Mohammad, were arrested on the day of the incident on June 28. They have been sent to the high-security prison in Ajmer.
Chandigarh, July 1 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday decided to support NDA candidate Draupadi Murmu in the forthcoming presidential poll "as she symbolises the cause of minorities, the exploited and backward classes as well as the women and has emerged as a symbol of the poor and tribal segments in the country".

"While our serious reservations with the BJP over the prevailing atmosphere of mounting divisive and communal polarisation, especially the growing insecurity in the minds of the members of the minority communities, under the NDA government remains strongly intact, SAD is eventually inspired and guided by the ideals placed before humanity in supporting Murmu as she not only symbolises the dignity of womenfolk but also belongs to the downtrodden," said a resolution passed by the core committee of the party.

Giving details of the meeting, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal told the media here the party was also concerned over the dangers posed to human rights, especially to the democratic values like religious tolerance and freedom of speech.

"The party will never swerve from its core pro-Punjab, pro-minority, pro-farmers and pro-poor agenda. But in the presidential poll in question, the options before the party is either to support the candidate sponsored and supported by the Congress and its direct and indirect allies, or to be led by its conviction based on the ideals of great guru 'sahiban'. We have chosen to go by the latter," he said.

Badal also highlighted that several issues related to the Sikh community and Punjab remained unresolved and that the party was committed to doing its utmost to ensure they reached their logical conclusion.

He said these included securing the release of all Sikh detenues whose sentences had been commuted by the Central government on the occasion of 550th Prakash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev, handing over Chandigarh to Punjab as well as other issues like ensuring the status of Panjab University was not changed.

The SAD President, who also met Murmu here along with senior party members, offered the support of SAD to her.

He informed Murmu, who had earlier rung up the SAD President to seek support of her candidature, that the party's core committee had taken a unanimous decision to support her.
New Delhi, July 1 : American actor Matt Ford has become the first person ever with monkeypox infection to go public.

In a series of tweets, Ford, a self-employed actor who splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City, said the disease "sucks" as he is unable to "sleep through the night".

He also blasted the US government for its slow response to the virus that has infected more than 142 people in the country.

"The government needs to pick up the pace on vaccines and testing. The slow response is pretty unacceptable," Ford said.

Ford said he was exposed to the virus via "skin-to-skin contact" and got the symptoms a week after he was infected in Los Angeles.

From "just a couple bumps", he developed "intense" "fever, chills, sweats, fatigue".

Once the flu-like symptoms died down, more "itchy and painful" spots appeared in various places on his body.

Ford's doctor advised him to take a swab culture test, which was sent to the Department of Public Health confirming him to test positive.

Ford, who describes himself as a "proud openly gay man", said that some people had reported mild infection, but "the exposure web I'm linked to has had some severe symptoms. I'm currently struggling to sleep through the night".

He also revealed getting spots in and around his 'underwear zone,' and later they spread across the rest of his body, including his face, arms, hands and abdomen, Buzzfeed reported.

In total, he developed 25 spots which began to "fill with puss" and became itchy.

Several - especially in the "sensitive area" - became so painful they left him unable to sleep at night without taking painkillers.

"I think in total I counted 25 and there are also some in more sensitive areas which tend to be the most painful. They're so painful that I had to go to my doctor to get painkillers just to be able to sleep, like really f****** painful," Ford was quoted as saying.

Ford also urged people to get vaccinated, even as the government plans to release 56,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine immediately in areas where monkeypox transmission rates are high, followed by an additional 240,000 doses in the coming weeks, according to federal health officials.

"I have monkeypox currently and this shit is absolutely no joke. Get vaccinated for it if you can and be careful, especially New Yorkers with Pride this weekend," Ford wrote on Twitter.
Hong Kong, July 1 : Just 25 years after the handover, Hong Kong is no longer the world's freest economy and has plummeted in global press freedom rankings following a citywide crackdown on dissent under the national security law, RFA reported.

On July 1, 1997, the British flag came down for the last time in Hong Kong, as the city returned to Chinese rule.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Deng Xiaoping had promised it could run its own affairs under "one country, two systems," with the city's freedoms preserved for at least 50 years, and with progress promised towards fully democratic elections.

The reality has been rather different. "People who stayed are like the frog in a pan of gradually warming water," economist Law Ka-chung told RFA.

"Maybe some of them think everything's fine, but others see a huge difference." Today, not a single promise made by Chinese leaders before the handover has been kept. Halfway into the 50-year grace period, Hong Kong is already unrecognisable to many.

"Since the National Security Law came in, there's a lot of things you can't say any more; a lot of things you can't write; even people you can't interview," former Stand News journalist Lam Yin-bong told RFA.

The last races under British rule took place in June 1997. More than H.K.$2.5 billion in bets were placed.

Under "one country, two systems", China promised that "the horses will run as usual, and people can keep on partying".

Now, people's lives may appear similar on the surface, but what was once the world's freest economy no longer gets its own separate trading status, RFA reported.

Once known as Asia's World City, Hong Kong is seen as just another Chinese city now, RFA reported.

"Important stuff like politics, the economy, used to be very different from mainland China," Law said. "The way we collected data, our stock market." "But it all changed gradually until there was no difference at all."
New Delhi, July 1 : Expressing deep concern over the brutal Udaipur murder, All India Imam Organisation's (AIIO) Chief Imam, Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi on Thursday appealed to the government for the trial of the evil-doers by a fast-track court for the maximum punishment.

"I also request all the half a million Imams in the country to condemn this heinous act in their respective mosques during the next Friday prayers," said the Muslim cleric in a video message from Canada, where he is on a visit.

Imam Ilyasi, who terms himself the religious and spiritual guide of over 210 million Indian Muslims, said he is deeply sad and disturbed by the incident and expressed his solidarity with the victim Kanhaiya Lal's family.

"I'm so sad and disturbed after hearing the news of the brutal murder of Kanhaiya Lal. This is the first time I'm hearing such an incident happened in India. The act of making video of murder seems like what we usually see in other countries. In this distressing time, I along with Indian Muslims are with the family of Kahaya Lal," he said in the message.

These kinds of terror acts shake the entire humanity and I, along with my organisation, condemn this evil and un-Islamic act, he added.
New Delhi, July 1 : Recognising her contribution towards furthering the growth of Ayurveda in India and abroad, the UKs All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences (ITSappg) conferred the prestigious Ayurveda Ratna award on Dr Tanuja Nesari, Director of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Ayush.

Dr Nesari has been honoured for her exceptional service of the highest order for the promotion of Ayurveda by an ITSappg committee represented by dignitaries, including Amarjeet S. Bhamra, Ambassador for Ayurveda and Yoga in Great Britain; Virendra Sharma, MP, UK Parliament and Chair, ITSappg; and Bob Blackman, MP, UK Parliament and Chair, ITSappg.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences was formed in 2014 with an aim to spread the knowledge of Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Vastu, Unani and Sangeetam in United Kingdom and abroad.

Its mission is to expand and integrate medical pluralism in the national health service. It works closely with appropriate government and civil society bodies in the UK, EU, and globally to share best practices. ITSappgis working on a book that will serve as an introductory guide to Indian traditional sciences for parliamentarians and would also have contribution from the Ministry of Ayush. It is dedicated to encouraging research in the UK and recently concluded a research on Ashwagandha.

Dr Nesari said, "I am humbled and honoured to accept this award from the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences. For me, it represents not only a privilege, but a responsibility that I have been bestowed with. It reinforces my belief in Ayurveda's ability to touch the lives of people across the world and promote holistic healing in sync with nature.

"The AIIA has been associated with the London School of Hygiene for doing a research on Ashwagandha. Today, Ayurveda as medicine is gaining momentum and I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Ayush for giving thrust to this sector and making it global. It is a moment of pride for me and the entire Ayurveda fraternity." The award was presented to the Director at a virtual ceremony on the International Day of Yoga. The European Parliament every year celebrates the International Day of Yoga on June 21.
New Delhi, July 1 : Dealing with an alleged encroachment on a reserved forest area in the national capital, the Delhi High Court has observed that merely because the residents have built structures on that land, this cannot give them any right to continue residing there.

A vacation bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula and Neena Bansal Krishna was hearing a writ petition seeking quashing of a notification by the Delhi's Development Department declaring the land as "reserved forest" under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.

"From the facts narrated in the petition, it is apparent that the petitioners are keenly desirous of holding on to their encroached land. They cannot legally occupy the land in question which vests with the respondents. Merely because the petitioners have built a structure on the petition land, it cannot give them any right to continue residing thereon when the land underneath the said structure does not belong to them," it said in the order.

The bench also noted that allowing the present petition would unnecessarily hinder the process of removal of encroachers.

As per the directions of the Supreme Court, and National Green Tribunal, the Forest Department is now duty-bound to protect the areas and promote forestation, the court said in the order dated June 29.

Rajesh Pathak, counsel for petitioners, submitted that the petition land was initially under the control of the Revenue Department and later declared as forest land.

He contended that despite the petition land being declared as reserved forest in 1994, but the respondents never acted upon the same and petitioners were not made aware of such notification.

Petitioners are the legal owners of the houses erected on the petition land and are duly facilitated with electricity, water supply etc. by government agencies. He also highlighted the Aadhar cards in the same addresses and said petitioners predominantly belong to an economically weaker stratum of society.

On the other hand, Additional Standing Counsel Satyakam argued that petitioners are rank trespassers on public/reserve forest land and are not entitled to any equitable remedy under the writ jurisdiction of this court.

The court said: "We are in agreement with Satyakam that granting a relief to the petitioners, as prayed for, would upset the state of affairs that have been in operation for more than two decades." It also said there is no room for any doubt as the apex court has clearly held that the Ridge Area needs to be preserved, and no cultivation or any type of construction may be permitted there.
New Delhi, July 1 : The Central government on Friday warned edtech companies against unfair trade practices.

In a meeting with self-regulatory body India Edtech Consortium (IEC), which runs under the aegis of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Consumer Affairs Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, said that if self-regulation does not curb unfair trade practices, then stringent guidelines would require to be formulated for ensuring transparency.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the IAMAI, along with IEC member companies including upGrad, BYJU'S, Unacademy, Vedantu, Great Learning, WhiteHat Jr, and Sunstone. The IEC comprises of Indian start-ups and represents 95 per cent of the Indian learner community.

During the meeting, issues pertaining to unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements for the Indian edtech sector figured prominently.

Singh discussed ways to better manage consumer interests across India's edtech ecosystem.

As part of the agenda, the members discussed the need to further enhance the Indian edtech ecosystem to better safeguard consumer interests, through seamless, transparent, and feasible offerings for consumers.

The Secretary pointed out that it has been reported that certain advertisements and practices do not seem to conform to prevalent guidelines and existing regulations, and rherefore, it is imperative to work together to maintain robust checkpoints that align with the consumers' interests.

The problem of increasing fake reviews was also a major point of concern which needed to be contained.

A recent report by the ASCI revealed that education category is the largest violator of advertising code in 2021-22. The Secretary also advised IEC to continue with their positive efforts to serve the ecosystem and form a joint working group with relevant stakeholders to create the SOPs in this regard.

The industry members briefed him about the progress of the IEC and the direction of ongoing efforts to improve awareness and welfare of learners.
New Delhi, July 1 : A Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Surya Kant, had on Wednesday declined to stay the floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly ordered by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, after which Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray quit. On Friday, the same bench minced no words in slamming former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in connection with her remarks on Prophet Muhammad.

On June 29, the bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala -- after hearing counsel of Shiv Sena, rebel MLAs, Eknath Shinde, and the Governor for over three hours in a late evening court hearing - said: "We do not find any ground to stay convening of the special session of the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha on June 30, 2022 i.e, tomorrow at 11 a.m. with the only agenda of a trust vote." "The proceedings of the trust vote to be convened on June 30, shall be subject to the final outcome of the instant Writ Petition as well the Writ Petitions referred to above." The top court's order came on a plea by Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu terming Governor's direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test and prove its majority in the House on Thursday (June 30), as illegal, claiming the Governor didn't take into account Deputy Speaker's disqualification notices to 16 rebel MLAs.

Thackeray resigned soon after the top court's order.

On Friday, the same bench took up a plea filed by Sharma seeking transfer of several FIRs, registered against her in many states for alleged remarks on the Prophet, to Delhi for investigation. Sharma contended she is facing life threats from unsocial elements despite withdrawing her comments.

However, the bench noted that Sharma apparently appeared before the court under a "deceptive name".

As senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Sharma, replied she has a threat, Justice Surya Kant remarked: "She has a threat or she has become a security threat?" "The way she has ignited emotions across the country. This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country," the bench added.

It said the remarks show she is obstinate and arrogant, and queried, "if you are a spokesperson, you have got license to make statements?... sometimes power goes to the head".

Singh said that there are multiple FIRs lodged in various parts of the country and her client is an advocate with over 10 years of practice, as he noted during the debate, the foundation was laid for a mischievous provocation and cited top court's judgments ordering clubbing of FIRs in the same alleged offence. "All I am asking is for an investigation done at one place...," said Singh.

At this, the bench queried what has been done in an FIR registered with Delhi Police so far.

"They must be red carpeting for you....".

Singh said his client has joined the investigation and also cited the top court's order in businessman Satinder Singh Bhasin case where multiple FIRs were clubbed into a single FIR.

The bench then questioned the police action in the case. "When you lodge a complaint against someone that person is arrested but nobody dares to touch you...That shows your clout." It declined to entertain Sharma's plea and her counsel withdrew it from the court.
New Delhi, July 1: Russian President Vladimir Putin has again batted for the "speedy launch" of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to improve the transport and logistics architecture of the Eurasian region.

Ateet Sharma New Delhi, July 1: Russian President Vladimir Putin has again batted for the "speedy launch" of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) to improve the transport and logistics architecture of the Eurasian region.

At this week's Caspian Summit in Ashgabat, Putin spoke in detail about the 7,200 km-long, multimodal trade corridor which will start from Mumbai, with nodes in West Asia, Central Asia, Caucasia and Russia covering large swathes of territory in landlocked Eurasia.

"The speedy launch of this corridor is intended to be facilitated by the agreement between the Caspian states on cooperation in the field of transport, which came into force last year, which is aimed at turning the Caspian Sea region into a major international logistics hub," Putin told the gathering which comprised of Presidents of Azerbaijan (Ilham Aliyev), Iran (Ebrahim Raisi), Kazakhstan (Kassym-Jomart Tokayev) and Turkmenistan (Serdar Berdimuhamedov).

The Russian President highlighted active developments in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to advance the transport artery, emphasising that Moscow too continues to make "energetic efforts" in the direction.

"I would like to inform you that Russia has adopted and is implementing the Strategy for the Development of National Seaports in the Caspian Basin, as well as rail and road approaches to them until 2030. We are expanding the relevant infrastructure in the Caspian. We pay special attention to the ports of Astrakhan, Olya and Makhachkala," he added.

The Caspian Five acknowledged the huge significance of the large-scale project which would eventually link the far-west Russian city of Saint Petersburg to the ports of Iran and India.

Azerbaijan, which will be hosting the 8th meeting of the NSITC Coordination Council later this year, listed the development of transport infrastructure, improving the quality of transport services and multimodal transport as an important area of cooperation.

"Today, Azerbaijan is one of the important transport and logistics centers of Eurasia. Our country plays an important role in the development of East-West and North-South international transport corridors. We strive for the efficient use of the Trans-Caspian international transport route," said Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

However, for the successful completion of these projects Azerbaijan would have to also depend on extensive cooperation from the rival Caucasus nation of Armenia which is a key member of the initiative to establish the vast pan-Eurasian transport network.

During the first-ever visit to Yerevan by an External Affairs Minister of India since the independence of Armenia, S Jaishankar and his counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan had held extensive discussions on the utilization of Chabahar port in Iran which India is pushing to include in the INSTC framework.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com, the landlocked country's economic ambitions are expected to get a fresh lease of life through the unique project.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

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Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday condemned the violence and threats enacted by the BJP and the CPI-M while addressing a public rally at Kerala constituency Wayanad.

Gandhi, who arrived in his constituency early in the day in wake of the attack on his local office by Students Federation of India activists last Friday and visited it, said he has forgiven the children who did this.

Addressing the rally in the evening, he came down heavily in the manner in which both the BJP and CPI-M is going forward by indulging in threats and violence.

"Both these parties are trying to change my behaviour by indulging in threats and violence, but I will tell them, they cannot do that. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi thinks that if they use the Enforcement Directorate and question me for 5 days, I will change my behaviour, similarly the CPI-M government in Kerala thinks if they attack my office, I will change my behaviour.

"My behaviour is shaped by the love and affection of the people and it can never be shaped by my opponents," he said to thunderous applause by the crowd.

On the buffer zone issue in Wayanad, Gandhi said he has been closely following it both with the Centre and the state government.

"When this issue first came up I raised this issue with the Union Environment Minister and requested him to consider the opinion of the people who will be affected by this. Then I wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan... I am yet to get a reply from the state government and instead he (Vijayan) is spreading confusion. Breaking my office will not change me. The ball is in the court of Vijayan on the buffer zone issue," he said.
Hyderabad, July 1 : BJP and Congress workers clashed in Hanamkonda town of Telangana on Friday, resulting in injuries to few persons.

The incident occurred when Congress workers staged a protest against the Central government's recently announced scheme Agnipath for Army recruitments.

When the protesters reached near the BJP office and staged a dharna, workers of the saffron party raised an objection. This led to an argument between the sides. Soon this snowballed into a clash and both sides attacked each other.

BJP workers attacked the vehicles of Congress leaders. The incident triggered tension in the area. Police intervened to control the situation, and undertook a baton charge to disperse the clashing groups.
Mumbai, July 1 : The first policy initiative of new Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to revive the contentious Mumbai Metro car-shed in the eco-sensitive Aarey Colony forests kicked off a major controversy here on Friday.

In the first cabinet meeting after their swearing-in on Thursday, Shinde and Fadnavis decided to give a push to various infrastructure projects, including taking measures to bring back the Mumbai Metro-3 car-shed project to the Aarey Colony jungles.

Former CM Uddhav Thackeray and his son and ex-Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray had scrapped the project and shifted it to the Kanjurmarg salt pans site - which the then Opposition BJP had opposed strongly.

Later, following issues pertaining to the Kanjurmarg land ownership raised by the Centre, the car-shed for the crucial 33-km long Metro line remains stuck in litigation.

Raising the issue on Friday, Shiv Sena President Thackeray called upon the new regime "not to vent its anger against him on the people of Mumbai" on the issue.

"With folded hands I request them on behalf of the people of Mumbai not to bring back the Metro car-shed back to Aarey Colony forests. It was in the interest of Mumbai... Please cancel the proposal to save the city's environment. There is a lot of wildlife there, and I am feeling very sad about this," Thackeray appealed to Shinde-Fadnavis.

Referring to the Kanjurmarg land given by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), he said that even that stretch of land belongs to the people and must be put to good use for the masses.

State Congress President Nana Patole warned that shifting the car-shed to Mumbai would be detrimental to the health of the people and the city.

He pointed out how the environmentalists and the people of Mumbai had strongly protested the car-shed at Aarey Colony and even staged demonstrations against the earlier BJP government headed by Fadnavis in October 2019 when over 2,000 trees were chopped down in a single night using the police force.

"Subsequently, the MVA government decided against having the car-shed there and identified the alternative Kanjurmarg site, but there were hurdles created by the Centre and the Opposition BJP," Patole said, while reiterating that the party is not against against development but it should not be at the cost of the ecology.

Slamming the Shinde-Fadnavis move, the Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto said when so many important issues need to be considered in Maharashtra, the new government took the decision to move the car-shed back to Aarey Colony.

"This is recreating a problem solved by the MVA government. The green lung of Mumbai is in danger once again, what will he gain," Crasto asked.

One of the last surviving green spots in the city, the lush Aarey Colony is spread over more than 3,000 acres with 27 tribal villages, harbours rich flora and fauna, and serves as a buffer between Mumbai and the adjacent Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
Kolkata, July 1 : West Bengal's Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari had a narrow escape on Friday afternoon after a speeding truck barged into his convoy while he was returning to Kolkata from his ancestral residence in East Midnapore district.

The incident took place at Marisda in East Midnapore and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) escort vehicle was damaged severely. Fortunately, no one was injured. The driver of the truck is absconding and according to the district administration, all police stations in the district have been alerted.

After initial interrogation, the local police informed media persons that the excessive speed of the truck, that was coming from the opposition direction was the reason of the accident, as the driver lost control and hit the convoy of the Leader of the Opposition.

However, a political spat between the ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP has already started over the incident. Amit Malviya, th national convener of the BJP's IT cell, has, in a tweet, hinted at some kind of foul play behind this accident.

"Nothing in Mamata Banerjee's Bengal is a coincidence. If a random vehicle can ram into an escort car of a protected individual, one can only imagine how safe anyone else is in West Bengal," Malviya's Twitter message read.

Reacting to Malviya's message, Trinamool state General Secretary and spokesman Kunal Ghosh said his party wishes a very good health to Adhikari. "No one in Trinamool Congress wants him to face any accident. If he is not fit, how will he be able to face consequences of landing up behind the bars ultimately," Ghosh said.

Meanwhile, there was another controversy over an allegation that one of the CRPF jawans in the convoy, after the accident, had hit a driver of the bus, following which the latter had to be hospitalised. Confirming the development, a senior police officer of East Midnapore said that this matter will be looked into as well, once an official complaint is filed on this count.
Chennai, July 1 : The Tamil Nadu Health Department has commenced drive for eradication of tuberculosis in the state, and is visiting crowded residential areas, old age homes, industries, and areas vulnerable to the disease with a high-tech vehicle that has equipment that can trace cases.

This is part of the TB Free Tamil Nadu-2025 campaign, launched by the state government to reduce the incidence of TB from 217/lakh population in 2015 to 44/ lakh population by 2025.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday flagged off 23 such vehicles which have installed digital x-rays in addition to the equipment that is used to trace tuberculosis in people.

The vehicles will create awareness in the localities concerned and provide necessary medicines to those who are detected with the disease. In addition to this, an amount of Rs 500 will be provided to the patients, along with counselling, for continued medication.

Health Department officials told IANS that the vehicles are high-tech with generator facilities to operate the digital x-ray machine even in areas without electric connections. Sources said that the idea was to test as many people as possible even in remote villages of the state.

The state will be conducting tests on five lakh people this year with the help of these vehicles which can take 10 x-ray tests in an hour.

Health Department officials in Nilgiris district received appreciation and certificate from the Chief Minister for reducing tuberculosis by 40 per cent in the district.
New Delhi, July 1 : A 13-year-old girl, who fled home to begin a 'new life' with her boyfriend to escape the regular scolding of her parents, has been finally rescued by the Delhi Police after nearly 10 months, an official said on Friday.

The teen girl was rescued from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, where she was staying with her boyfriend as 'husband and wife'.

The accused boyfriend, identified as Neeraj, has been arrested by the police and charged under relevant sections of the POCSO Act.

Furnishing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Vichitraveer Singh, said the girl went missing from Fatehpur Beri in Delhi in October last year after which a case of kidnapping was registered by the police.

While hearing a writ petition in June, the Delhi High Court had transferred the investigation of the case to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Crime Branch.

Subsequently, a police team was constituted which began probing the matter. Within 18 days, manual and technical surveillance traced the girl's location to Coimbatore.

According to the DCP, during probe it was revealed that the parents of the missing girl used to scold her over small issues, and on October 12, 2021, the teen left her house along with her boyfriend Neeraj, who was residing in the same locality.

"By alluring the missing girl for marriage, Neeraj first took her to his village in Bihar and then to Coimbatore," the DCP said, adding that the accused and the missing girl were living together in Coimbatore since the past six months as 'husband and wife'.
Hyderabad, July 1 : BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Friday held a road show in Hyderabad, a day ahead of the party's national executive committee meeting.

Nadda arrived at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad on Friday evening to a warm welcome by the BJP's Telangana unit leaders.

Standing on an open-top vehicle, he waved at the BJP supporters who had gathered in large numbers. Flanked by state BJP president Bandi Sanjay, actress and party leader Vijayashanti and MP K. Laxman, Nadda was seen holding a party flag and also showering petals on the supporters.

The road show was held for one km on the main road amid beating of drums and music.

Nadda later drove to Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the venue of the two-day national executive meeting beginning on Saturday. He was accorded a warm welcome in a traditional manner by a group of Telangana artistes.

The BJP chief inaugurated a photo exhibition depicting the history of Telangana and its rich culture. The party also highlighted the 'excesses' committed on people in the Hyderabad State by Nizam's Army.

Nadda will later hold a meeting with the party general secretaries to discuss and decide the agenda for the national executive meeting. The meeting is likely to decide draft resolutions to be passed during the meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and central leaders of the party will be attending the meeting. This will be followed by a huge public meeting to be held on the evening of Sunday at Parade Grounds.

BJP general secretary Tarun Chug said 340 delegates will attend the national executive meeting. He said Prime Minister Modi will attend all the sessions along with the delegates.

Modi, who will be arriving in Hyderabad on Saturday afternoon, will address the national executive on the second day
Karachi, July 1 : The police in Karachi detained 27 employees of a mobile phone company on Friday following a violent protest by a mob over alleged blasphemy, media reports said.

A spokesperson for the Karachi South police said in a statement that the SHO of Preedy police station received information at around 11 am that a 'WiFi device' had been installed at the Star City Mall which allegedly played comments against the Holy Prophet's companions, Dawn reported.

Witnesses at the site told Dawn.com that the protesters, who had gathered at the site, damaged signboards at the mall, resulting in the closure of the mobile phone market, Dawn reported.

"Realising the gravity of the matter, the SHO rushed to the spot, got the device shut, and seized it," the statement said, adding that 27 employees of a private company were also detained.

The spokesperson said an inquiry committee led by the Saddar SP has been constituted to investigate the matter and if anyone is found involved in blasphemy, strict legal action would be taken against them.

Meanwhile, South SSP, Asad Raza, told Dawn.com that the police are trying to ascertain, with the help of the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) CyberCrime Wing, who all were responsible for installing the device.

"Twenty-seven men [from] Samsung office have been detained and an inquiry is underway," he added, Dawn reported.

For its part, Samsung Pakistan issued a statement saying the company maintained neutrality on religious sentiments.

"Samsung Electronics has reiterated its firm stance that it endeavours to maintain objectivity on all matters of religious significance... With reference to the recent developments in Karachi, Samsung Electronics stands firm on its stance that the company has utmost respect for all religious sentiments and beliefs and holds the religion of Islam in utmost respect." The company also said that it has "immediately" started an internal investigations into the matter, Dawn reported.
Patna July 1 : An FIR has been registered against a government school teacher in Bihar's Gaya for allegedly molesting a female teacher and some girl students, on the directions of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), police said on Friday.

"We have received a direction from the PMO and sent the matter to Kotwali police station to immediately register the FIR and initiate investigation," Ravi Ranjan, an inspector rank officer of the confidential branch of Gaya SSP's office, said.

The incident occurred on January 26, 2021 when a group of students of Ramruchi Girls Inter School went to the District Magistrate's office for Republic Day celebrations.

As they were returning after the event, the accused male teacher consumed liquor and tried to molest the female teacher. As she resisted, he tried to molest the female students. The female teacher somehow saved the girls and sent them to their respective homes.

After that incident, the female teacher had complained to senior officials of the district but no one listened to her. She eventually wrote a complaint to the PMO, which took the matter seriously and directed Gaya SSP Harpreet Kaur to probe the matter and take strong action against the accused male teacher.
Hyderabad, July 1 : The two-day BJP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting will start on Saturday in Hyderabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend all sessions of the party's NEC meeting, a top party leader said on Friday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Tarun Chugh said after 18 years, the NEC meeting is being held.

Ahead of the NEC meeting, a meeting of general secretaries will be held on Friday evening. BJP chief J.P. Nadda will chair the general secretaries' meet.

"Tomorrow morning, a meeting of national office bearers will be held to discuss the future strategy of the party... 340 delegates, which includes Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and others... chief ministers of BJP-ruled states will also attend the meet. In the evening, the NEC meeting will start. Prime Minister Modi will attend all the sessions and stay with the workers," Chugh said on Friday.

After the conclusion of NEC, Modi will address a public meeting at Hyderabad's Parade Ground on July 3 evening.

"BJP workers from 35,000 polling booths from across Telangana will attend the 'Vijay Sankalp Rally' which will be addressed by Prime Minister Modi," Chugh said.

He further said that ahead of the meeting, 119 NEC members are assigned one assembly constituency each and spending two days or 48 hours with people and party cadres to understand ground issues of that particular assembly constituency.

"These senior leaders include union ministers, former chief ministers, state president and former state president. They held seven meetings in their respective assembly constituency," he said.

The party is also holding 14 meetings of different groups of people staying in Hyderabad which will be addressed by chief ministers of that particular state and senior leaders.

Chugh also said that an exhibition is organised at the meeting venue to showcase 'atrocities' done by Nizam and BJP contribution and struggle for formation of Telangana.

The Telangana unit of BJP installed a 'countdown watch' against the TRS government displaying the number of days and hours left for the exit of the 'anti-people state government' at its party offices.

"Today, 522 days left of the TRS government and after the Prime Minister's rally on July, 3 it will be 520 days. Everyone knows who all are running the state government. Chief minister's daughter, son and son-in- law are running the government," he said.
Guwahati, July 1 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has lodged a criminal defamation case against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over the latter's allegations of corruption against him in the purchase of PPE kits during the Covid pandemic.

Addressing a press conference here, Advocate General Debojit Saikia on Friday said the court has already issued a notice to Sisodia.

"The case has been registered at the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup Metro under sections 499, 500, and 501 of the Indian Penal Code," he said.

The court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate has also asked Sarma to provide his initial deposition in connection to the case by July 22, 2022.

Sisodia had alleged that Sarma awarded a contract of PPE kits to a company linked to his wife and grossly overpaid for the same.

The Assam Chief Minister's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has already slapped Sisodia with a Rs 100 crore civil suit.

On June 4, Sisodia said: "Himanta Biswa Sarma awarded the contract to his wife's company. He paid Rs 990 for the PPE kits while others were purchased at Rs 600 a piece from another company on the same day. This is a huge crime." Sisodia had claimed he had the documents to prove so.

Both Sarma and his wife have separately denied all the charges levelled against them.
New York, July 1 : US President Joe Biden has vowed to end any filibuster on women's abortion rights in the Congress even as his supporters in the democratic party wanted to codify the Supreme Court Judgement of Roe (1973) to appease enraged women on the issue as the verdict has sparked off a nationwide protest among liberals and abortion rights activists and women's groups.

Biden condemned on Thursday the SC verdict overturning the Roe 1973 ruling upholding a woman's right to abortion as "outrageous behavior" saying for the first time that he supported ending the filibuster on the issue as protection to women and a broader constitutional right to privacy.

He was speaking at a Press Conference in Madrid on the last leg of his G7 visit to Bavaria in Germany and other countries. It is a striking assertion from a president, who is steeped in the traditions of the Senate and has resisted calls from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party to scrap the longstanding Senate practice of requiring a 60-vote threshold to pass legislation. But in chiding the justices for a decision he called "destabilizing" for the country, the president said it was time to push Congress to act, USA today reported from Madrid.

"We have to codify Roe v. Wade in the law, and the way to do that is to make sure the Congress votes to do that," Biden said. "And if the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights, we provide an exception for this, or an exception to the filibuster for this action." For a second time, Biden has urged Congress to scrap its rules on the filibuster because only in early January this year he called on lawmakers to make an exception to pass legislation to add voting rights protections.

Speaking at a press conference in Madrid ending a week-long series of meetings with NATO allies in Europe, Biden lamented the impact of the court's decision on a woman's right to have an abortion, calling Roe a "critical, critical piece".

But he also sought to broaden his critique of the ruling, saying it threatened decades of court precedent guaranteeing other fundamental tenets of American life based on the idea of a right to privacy in the Constitution.

Biden's public comments encourage and strengthen democrats in his party to find ways and means to codify the Roe judgement cutting across any filibuster they may encounter in the Congress. His comments also lend support to the public chorus warning that the legality of gay marriage and the availability of legal contraception could be at risk if the court -- now dominated by conservative justices -- decide to expand their rulings to other areas of the law, as Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in a concurring opinion in the case.

"I really think that it's a serious, serious problem that the court has thrust upon the US, not just in terms of a right to choose, but in terms of right to who you can marry -- an entire range of issues relating to privacy," Biden said.

The US has been embroiled in the Clarence Thomas ruling, a conservative appointee to the SC bench during the Donald Trump era, virtually exacerbating partisan divisions, prompting intense anger among Democrats and other abortion rights supporters, while gratifying the Christian right and satisfying anti-abortion conservatives.
The first vehicle rolled off the assembly line of the leading Chinese auto manufacturer BYD's brand-new plant in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, on Thursday.

In July 2021, BYD and Hefei reached a cooperation agreement involving the new project, and in less than a year, the company manufactured its first vehicle in the new plant at a record speed, according to local authorities.

The total investment of the project in the first phase was 15 billion yuan (about 2.24 billion U.S. dollars). After the project is fully operational, its annual output value is expected to exceed 50 billion yuan.

Hefei aims to become the capital of new energy vehicles (NEV) with international influence. A number of auto companies, including BYD, Volkswagen, NIO and JAC, have set up or are building NEV plants in the city.

Hefei's NEV industry raked in a revenue of 102.95 billion yuan in 2021, manufacturing 145,000 vehicles.




Jaipur, July 1 : The police in Rajasthan's Bundi district on Friday arrested two clerics accused of making inflammatory statements against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who recently courted trouble for her controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammed.

Maulana Mufti Nadeem, who made provocative statements against Nupur Sharma during a protest in Bundi, was arrested and produced in the court on Friday, which sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

Another cleric named Maulana Mohammad Alam Ghori was also arrested by the police on Friday on charges of making provocative statements against Nupur Sharma a month ago.

Soon after the brutal killing of a tailor in broad daylight on a crowded street in Udaipur on Tuesday, the demand for the arrest of Maulana Mufti Nadeem and Maulana Alam Gauri intensified, as their videos had gone viral on social media.

After the killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur for reportedly supporting Nupur Sharma, questions were raised over Rajasthan police's 'inaction' in arresting Maulana Mufti despite the latter making a provocative speech.

While protesting against Nupur Sharma outside the Bundi district collectorate, Maulana Mufti had threatened to gouge the eyes and chop the hands of those who speak against Prophet Muhammed.
New Delhi, July 1 : A Delhi man, who concocted a fake robbery story in a bid to clear off his debts with his wife's money, has been booked, Delhi Police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Raman Bhola, was booked under section 182 (False information) of the Indian Penal Code.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer, Sameer Sharma said a PCR call was received Paschim Vihar East police station on June 29, reporting the robbery of a bag containing Rs 2 lakh cash by two unknown persons.

A police team met complainant Bhola, who said that he had withdrawn the cash and was walking back towards his house. When he stopped to fetch his water bottle from his car parked near his house, one person came near him and enquired about an address on his mobile phone.

Suddenly, someone hit him from behind due to which he fell and became unconscious for a moment. When he regained consciousness, the bag had disappeared.

However, police were a little suspicious of his story.

"He was continuously changing his statement and during a detailed recording of his statement, he alleged that two unknown persons were on a motorcycle and snatched his bag," the DCP said.

Police then didn't register the case instantly but decided to conduct a preliminary enquiry, which found that Bhola incurred huge losses during the Covid pandemic and was also in debt. His wife worked as a private school teacher and also gave home tuitions. However, the couple often fought over financial issues.

"All the aspects were analysed and it was made out that the complainant had concocted this story and nothing happened to him. He was shown all the CCTV footage and finally he broke down and admitted that nothing happened to him," the DCP said.

The Rs 2 lakh, which he had kept hidden in his car, has been recovered, he added.
Mumbai, July 1 : The first policy initiative of the new Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to revive the contentious Mumbai Metro car-shed in the eco-sensitive Aarey Colony forests kicked off a major controversy here on Friday.

In the first cabinet meeting after their swearing-in ceremony late on Thursday, Shinde and Fadnavis decided to give a push to various infrastructure projects, including taking measures to bring back the Mumbai Metro-3 car-shed project to the Aarey Colony jungles.

Former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son and ex-Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray had scrapped the project and shifted it to the Kanjurmarg salt pans site -- which the then Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party had opposed strongly.

Later, following issues pertaining to the Kanjurmarg land ownership raised by the Centre, the car-shed for the crucial 33-km long Metri line remains stuck in litigation.

Raising the issue on Friday, the Shiv Sena President called upon the new regime "not to vent its anger against him on the people of Mumbai" on the issue.

"With folded hands I request them on behalf of the people of Mumbai not to bring back the Metro car-shed back to Aarey Colony forests... It was in the interest of Mumbai, please cancel the proposal to save the city's environment. There is a lot of wildlife there, and I am feeling very sad about this," Thackeray appealed to Shinde-Fadnavis.

Referring to Kanjurmarg land given by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), he said that even that stretch of land belongs to the people and must be put to good use for the masses.

Congress State President Nana Patole warned that shifting the car-shed to Mumbai would be detrimental to the health of the people and the city.

He pointed out how the environmentalists and the people of Mumbai had strongly protested the car-shed at Aarey Colony and even staged demonstrations against the earlier BJP government headed by Fadnavis in October 2019 when over 2,000 trees were chopped down in a single night using the police force.

"Subsequently, the MVA government decided against having the car-shed there and identified the alternative Kanjurmarg site, but there were hurdles created by the Centre and the Opposition BJP," Patole said, while reiterating that the party is not against against development but it should not be at the cost of the ecology.

Slamming the Shinde-Fadnavis move, the Nationalist Congress Party Spokesperson Clyde Crasto said when so many important issues need to be considered in Maharashtra, the new government took the decision to move the car-shed back to Aarey Colony.

"This is recreating a problem solved by the MVA government... The green lung of Mumbai in danger once again, what will he gain?" Crasto asked.

Taking cognisance of the barrage of criticism from the opposition and greens, Fadnavis this evening seemed to have softened his stance and said the government will "respect" Thackeray's sentiments while deciding on the contentious matter.

"We will take an appropriate decision. Will take a decision keeping Thackeray's respect and best interest of Mumbaikars in mind," the Deputy Chief Minister assured in a tweet.

One of the last surviving green spots in the city, the lush Aarey Colony is spread over more than 3,000 acres with 27 tribal villages and harbours a rich flora and fauna including leopards, and serves as a buffer between Mumbai and the adjacent Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
New Delhi, July 1 : In an important development, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Friday put out proposed amendments to decriminalise the existing provisions of three important legislations - the Environment, Water and Air Acts - and sought public inputs and experts' comments on it.

Apart from the decriminalisation, the proposed amendments to the three basic building laws also proposes creation of an earmarked fund that can be utilised for paying compensation to the affected parties, for restoration of environment or for reparation. The three funds are to be named as 'Environmental Protection Fund', the 'Water Pollution Remediation Fund' and the 'Air Pollution Remediation Fund'.

The three Acts are the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

In what can be termed as a good step for the Environment Ministry, this is a major pre-draft consultation step wherein the views and comments from public and experts are being sought at a time when the draft of the proposed amendment is not yet out. The comments/suggestions are to be submitted to the Ministry via a designated mail ID or through letters to the designated officer by July 21, the Ministry's notice said.

As per the current provisions of the three Acts, there is a provision of imprisonment or a monetary fine depending on the severity and second/repeat offence. The amendment to the Environment (Protection) Act proposes that failure or contravention or non-compliance of the provisions of EP Act such as submit reports, furnish information etc. would be dealt through imposing penalty through a duly authorised Adjudicating Officer but in case of serious violations that may lead to grievous injury or loss of life, it would be dealt with relevant IPC sections with the relevant section of the EP Act.

In case of water, the contravention or non-compliance of the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 would be dealt with by imposing penalty through adjudicating officer but violations related to prior consent to establish/ operate would attract criminal liability. Violations under several sections are proposed to be dealt with by imposing financial penalties replacing the prosecution in court of law.

Similarly, in case of air, the contravention or non-compliance of the provisions of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 would be dealt with through imposing penalty through an adjudicating officer but violations related to prior consent to establish/operate would attract criminal liability. Just as in case of water, violations pertaining to several sections are proposed to be dealt with through imposition of financial penalties replacing the prosecution in court of law.

In all three instances, the penalty amount would accrue in the respective Fund proposed. The Ministry has claimed that it would be duly audited and accounts submitted to the Parliament.
Panaji, July 1 : Reacting to Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray's statement that a 'deserter cannot be a Shiv Sena CM', Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Friday that he has the support of more than two-third Sena MLAs and hence they (Shiv Sena rebels and the BJP) will easily win the floor test.

Earlier on Friday, Thackeray had said that a person who has sidelined the Sena cannot be called a 'Shiv Sainik' CM.

While leaving for Mumbai from Goa, Shinde told mediapersons at the Dabolim airport that he is going ahead with the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray.

"We have enough support... We will easily win the floor test and even the Speaker's election. There is no doubt in it and there is nothing to worry about. The picture is very clear," Shinde said.

Stating that he is committed to the overall development of Maharashtra, Shinde said, "Right now I am going to Mumbai to hold a meeting of the disaster management committee." "We have enough numbers and are working as the Shiv Sena legislative party. We are committed towards the development of Maharashtra. We are the Shiv Sainiks of Balasaheb and we are taking ahead his Hindutva agenda. All the pending projects in Maharashtra shall be completed now," he said.
Chennai, July 1 : The Tamil Nadu Police's Idol Wing has traced the 300-year-old, world's first printed Bible translation in Tamil, stolen from the state's Thanjavur, to the King George III museum in London, officials said on Friday.

Sources in the Idol Wing told IANS that the department has commenced the process to bring the Bible back to India. An officer said that the Bible was stolen from Saraswathi Mahal Library in Thanjavur in 2005 and the theft is suspected to be the handiwork of a group of foreigners who had visited the library.

The deputy administrator of Serfoji Palace in Thanjavur filed a complaint about the theft with the Thanjavur west police station on October 10, 2005 and a case was registered a case but there was no progress.

Subsequently, on October 2017, Saraswathi Mahal Library administrator E. Rajendran lodged a complaint with the idol wing, and a case was registered and investigations launched.

After the progress was studied by Director General, Idol Wing, Jayanth K. Murali, a separate team was set up in 2020 and a detailed study of the registry was painstakingly undertaken by the team during the period the Bible went missing and it was found that on October 7, 2005, the library had hosted a group of foreigners.

"We found that the visitors had come to India to attend a function to commemorate Bartholomeus Ziegenbalg, the Danish missionary who had printed the Bible," Murali said.

An officer with the Idol Wing then scanned all the websites of libraries and private collectors associated with Ziegenbalg manuscripts, and stumbled upon at King George III museum.

They was able to find the stolen first Tamil translation that was printed at a printing press in Tharangambadi in the 17th century, and could match the stolen Bible with the one at the museum.

"We hope to retrieve the Bible and restore it to the Saraswathi Mahal Library under the UNESCO treaty soon. The wing has initiated steps to restore the Bible to the library," the Idol Wing said.

The King of Denmark had sent Ziegenbalg to Tamil Nadu and he arrived in Tranquebar (The anglicized name of Tharangambadi), which was then a Danish colony close to Nagapattinam, in 1706.

The Protestant missionary translated the New Testament into Tamil in 1715. After his demise, another missionary Schwartz handed over the first copy of the Bible to Tulaji Rajah Serfoji, the then ruler of Tanjavur.

The Tamil Nadu government had kept this antique as an exhibit at Saraswathi Mahal Library.

The Idol Wing, in its statement, also said: "The value of the Bible is further enhanced as the cover of this antique piece bears the signature of the then King of Tanjavur, Serfoji."
Patna, July 1 : RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday attacked the Nitish Kumar government over the law and order situation in Bihar.

In a Facebook post, he said that BJP leaders including Deputy Chief Ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs are not safe under the Nitish Kumar government, and the situation has reached such an extent that they do not believe state police would provide security to them and hence, were given central paramilitary force cover.

"If the Deputy Chief Minister, MPs, MLAs and MLCs are not feeling secure with their own government, how could they provide security to the common people of Bihar? The BJP leaders are making themselves secure on the money of taxpayers. This is the real sacrifice of BJP leaders," Tejashwi Yadav said.

Noting that the NDA leaders talked about 'Susashan' (good governance) during elections, but once the polls get over, they start taking potshots at each other and using abusive words on each other, he said that now, they have taken central paramilitary forces security.

"Central government should explain the reasons why it has given Y-category security to one dozen BJP leaders who are also in the ruling party. The BJP leaders spoke about the 'jungle raj' of the RJD. The BJP, which is part of Nitish Kumar government for 17 years, is running 'Mahajungle Raj' and 'Rakshas Raj' in Bihar. Hence, they are not secure with their own government," Tejashwi Yadav said.

Y-category security has been given to 10 BJP leaders including its state President Sanjay Jaiswal, Deputy Chief Ministers Tar Kishore Prasad and Renu Devi, and 7 other s in wake of the Agnipath protests when mobs attacked their properties. Jaiswal, in particular, was furious and alleged that the Bihar Police had deliberately not given security to BJP leaders.
Agartala, July 1 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who was elected to the state Assembly on June 23 after winning the bypoll, will take oath as member of the Assembly next week after resigning from the Rajya Sabha, officials said here on Friday.

An official from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Saha left for Hyderabad on Friday to attend BJP's national executive meeting and from there he would go to Delhi to resign from the Rajya Sabha.

The 69-year-old Congress-turned-BJP leader was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the lone seat in Tripura on March 31.

Saha, who won from the Town Bordowali Assembly constituency, would take oath as a member of the state Assembly next week, the official said.

Saha, who's also the state unit chief of the BJP, took oath as the Chief Minister on May 15, a day after Biplab Kumar Deb resigned from the top post.

Saha contested elections for the first time in his three-decade long political career. To fulfil the constitutional binding, he had to become a member of the Assembly within six months.

In the June 23 bypoll, Saha defeated Congress candidate Asish Kumar Saha by 6,104 votes.
New Delhi, July 2 : A dreaded criminal previously involved in six alleged cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery and Arms Act was arrested by the police in northwest Delhi, a police official said.

The accused identified as Sarjeev Kumar alias Sanju (28) was carrying three semi-automatic pistols and 30 live cartridges at the time of his arrest.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest), Usha Rangnani said a secret information was received in Keshav Puram police station that a person would come near Britannia Chowk with a huge quantity of illegal arms.

A police team was immediately constituted deployed in plain clothes at the specified location.

"At about 12.30 a.m., a person was seen coming from Britannia Chowk towards Keshav Puram fire station along with a bag on his back. The police staff nabbed that person with a bag on his back. When the bag was searched, three semi-automatic pistols and 30 live cartridges were found," the DCP added.

During his interrogation, the accused disclosed that he was going to take revenge of the murder of one of his associates for which he procured the recovered weapons from Aligarh, UP.

"He wanted to form his own gang along with his associates and become famous as a criminal," the official added.
New Delhi, July 2 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Secretary to take a humanitarian approach for resolving the grievance of the complainant in renowned slain Kashmiri poet Sarvanand Koul Premi's case and implement the recommendation made by State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

"The Commission directs Chief Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir, to take a humanitarian approach for resolving the grievance of the complainant in the capacity of the recommendations made by the SHRC within a period of eight weeks and submit its report accordingly within the given time frame," NHRC said on Friday.

The NHRC added that the order which has been passed by the erstwhile SHRC of J&K has been passed on a careful appreciation of materials which has been placed on record. Therefore, the plea of not implementation of the same is of no use.

It said that as recommendation of the erstwhile SHRC of J&K is concerned, it has not been challenged before the J&K High Court, rather the question has been raised regarding jurisdiction of NHRC to implement the recommendation of the erstwhile SHRC of J&K.

Therefore, in view of the full bench judgment of the Madras High Court, it is the duty of the state government to implement the recommendation and order of the erstwhile SHRC of J&K until the same is set aside by the High Court.

The NHRC said: "In consideration of above, the Commission is of the view that High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh at Srinagar while dealing with WP (C) No. 1431/2021 has neither issued a notice to the Commission nor stayed the proceeding of the Commission." "The Chief Secretary is not averse to filing any reply before the Commission. In the said order the Court have clearly mentioned that issue to notice to respondent No. 2 i.e. Rajender Premi and has neither stayed the proceeding and nor directed to even issue a notice to the Commission," the NHRC added.

"The Court further directed the J&K Chief Secretary to file the response before the Commission on or before the due date and in case he does so he need not appear in person on the said date subject to further orders that may be passed by the Commission."
Dhaka, July 2 : The foreign diplomats of various countries to Bangladesh paid their tribute to the victims killed in the terror attack at Dhaka's Holey Artisan Bakery in the state capital's Gulshan area six years ago.

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki, Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Enrico Nunziata, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D. Haas and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram K. Doraiswami paid their respects and placed wreaths on Friday.

Doraiswami said, "We remember the victims. We have to fight such militancy together so that tragedies like this do not happen in future." Ambassadors of different countries placed wreaths at a temporary altar before the bakery building on Friday morning to pay their tribute to the victims of the terror attack, marking its sixth anniversary.

"Seven of our citizens died in the incident six years ago, all were working in Dhaka Metro Line-1 project. We will never forget them," said Ito Naoki.

On July 1, 2016, five terrorists stormed Holey Artisan bakery in the state capital's Gulshan area, the diplomatic zone, and held diners hostage at gunpoint.

At least 22 people, including 17 foreign nationals were killed in the attack.

On November 27, 2019, a Dhaka court delivered the verdict in the case, sentencing seven Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen militants, including the mastermind of the attack, to death.
New Delhi, July 2 : An NIA Special Court in Bilaspur has convicted and sentenced seven accused persons in connection with the seizure of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district in 2019.

The accused persons -- Devendra Chandra, Manoj Sahu, Rohit Bharadwaj, Dilip Mahilange, Doman Miri, Nohar Sinha and Hemlal Sahu are charged under 489A, 489B, 489C, 489D, 255, 256, 259, (related to counterfeiting) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years with a fine of Rs 5,000 in each offence.

The case related to the seizure of FICN amounting to Rs 7,39,300 was initially registered by Hasoud police station in Janjgir-Champa district on June 20, 2019, and later re-registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 9, 2019, an official statement said on Friday.

Apart from fake currency, other material objects and stamp papers were also seized from the accused persons.

After investigation, NIA had filed a charge-sheet against the accused persons on September 8, 2020.
New Delhi, July 2 : A Special NIA Court in Lucknow has convicted and sentenced two accused persons in connection with the Hasanganj fake Indian currency notes (FICN) case in Uttar Pradesh.

The court awarded three years three months sentence to the accused duo, Abdul Salam alias Mithun and Jiya Haq, and also slapped a fine a Rs 5,000 on them.

The case relates to seizure of FICN by Uttar Pradesh's Special Task Force on August 24, 2018, with total market value of Rs 4.60 lakh from the possession of four accused persons.

The case was initially registered on August 24, 2018, with Hasanganj police station, Lucknow, and later on the probe was taken over by the NIA on September 18, 2018.

"Investigation had established that the consignment of said FICN, recovered from the four accused persons was sourced from Bangladesh through a complex network of FICN traffickers and couriers," the NIA said in the charge-sheet.

After thorough investigation, NIA had filed four charge-sheets against seven accused, including one accused who is absconding till now.

Earlier, four accused persons were convicted in this case.

Further investigation in the matter is underway.
Cureus appoints Gerald Klinck as CEO, effective 1 July 2022. Klinck will be responsible for the strategic orientation and future development of Cureus business segments, together with corporate communications, human resources, legal affairs, taxes, commercial property management, office organisation, IT and process management.

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Previously, Klinck was one half of the companys dual leadership team, as CFO alongside Christian Mohrke (COO). Mohrke will continue to be responsible for project development and the entire construction & project management segment of Cureus.



As the new CFO, Oliver Sturhahn, previously Head of Finance at Cureus, will be joining the management team from 1 July 2022. He will be responsible for the Financing, Treasury, Controlling and Accounting teams.



In view of Cureus dynamic growth and our ambitious growth targets, the time has come to share the management of the company more evenly, says Klinck, adding: I am very pleased about the trust placed in me. At the same time, I know that we have found an outstanding successor as CFO in Oliver Sturhahn, with whom I have enjoyed many years of close and successful cooperation.



I am delighted to welcome Oliver Sturhahn to the management of Cureus and look forward to extending our long-standing partnership. Through his previous work, he was already deeply involved in the topics and processes of the departments he will now oversee. Thanks to his experience in helping Cureus grow, we will certainly succeed in expanding the interfaces between the finance teams and the operative units even more efficiently in support of our future growth, adds Christian Mohrke.



I am delighted to have the opportunity in my new position to make an even greater contribution to keeping Cureus on a successful course, even in these challenging times for the economy as a whole. I would like to thank everyone at Cureus for the trust you have placed in me, says Oliver Sturhahn.



Gerald Klinck has been with Cureus since 2020. His career as a finance specialist in the real estate industry spans more than 20 years. From 2018, he was CFO of TLG Immobilien AG. From 2011 to 2018, he held numerous management positions at Vonovia  most recently as CCO responsible for controlling, property valuation and purchasing. Before that, he worked at Deutsche Wohnen Group from 2006 to 2011, most recently as a Member of the Executive Board. He began his career in 1997 at the former HSH Nordbank.



Oliver Sturhahn joined Cureus at the same time as Gerald Klinck in 2020 from TLG Immobilien AG, where he was Head of Financing & Investor Relations. Prior to that, he was Head of Controlling at TAG Immobilien AG until 2019. From 2012 to 2016, he worked at Gagfah and, after its takeover, at Vonovia, most recently as Head of Business Development Controlling. Before that, Sturhahn was at Deutsche Wohnen from 2008 to 2012  initially as Financial Controller, later as Head of Treasury. He started his career at BIH Berliner Immobilien Holding, GSK Stockmann and Becker & Kries.



Christian Mohrke has amassed more than 20 years of professional and management experience with companies in Germany and abroad, including 15 years in project development, construction and property management. He was appointed COO of Cureus since 2020 and had previously been a member of the Lindhorst Groups real estate management team since 2012. Before that, he was Managing Director of various project companies of a northern German family office since 2009 and Managing Director of the KCA Group in Spain from 2005. His career began in 2002 at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG as Product Manager in Denmark.
[The Video Creator University] will allow attendees to learn hands-on while forming powerful connections with top content creators, peers, and potentially your next video content collaborator. At the same time, having an online component makes sessions accessible to all no matter where you are.

Becoming an online influencer has emerged as a viable option for many young creators and the need for professional training has never been more evident. The Video Creator University is geared towards online content creators looking to build their skills in production and business. Programming will focus on content creation, marketing strategy, brand positioning, and monetization of an online channel.

We are pleased to feature this event that provides an ideal combination of technical, business, and marketing sessions to maximize your video creation creativity and your chances for online success, says Ben Kozuch, co-founder of Future Media Conferences. With both virtual as well as in-person options  everyone may attend!

Produced by FMC in association with Apple, the hybrid event will feature 2 full days of online, live training sessions on August 24-25 with an in-person event in Los Angeles on August 27.

Online sessions at the Video Creator University will focus on editing techniques, latest workflows, and cutting-edge software for creators looking to jump-start their careers. Acknowledging the importance of creating quality content, instructors at the Video Creator University will ensure that attendees learn how to produce, edit, and publish professional-looking videos.

Sessions presented by event instructors will cover all aspects of production and post-production as well as business and marketing. Sessions include:



Creative Ways to Plan and Work on Low Budget Projects

iPhone Shooting Techniques for Higher Production Value

Reaching a Wider Audience: Making Your Content Accessible

Being Authentic: Why Telling Your Personal Story on Social Matters

The in-person aspect of the event includes a meet and greet with instructors, influencers, and the Apple team. Real-life experiences will be shared along with the benefits and challenges of working as an online creator. Job opportunities are endless, so attendees will learn more about freelancing, project management, and what it means to work as part of a remote editing team.

The Video Creator University covers the best of both worlds, says Nick Harauz. After participating in online events for two years, its wonderful to see the return of in-person conferences. The in-person segment will allow attendees to learn hands-on while forming powerful connections with top content creators, peers, and potentially your next video content collaborator. At the same time, having an online component makes sessions accessible to all no matter where you are.

All Video Creator University attendees will also have the opportunity to learn more about the official Final Cut Pro certification exams. Apple has recently announced its dedication to providing more training resources for Final Cut Pro users. In doing so, Final Cut Pro certification exams are available for creative professionals who really want to stand out in the industry and showcase their expertise in the Apple Pro apps ecosystem.

Access to the online sessions taking place on August 24-25 is free to creators of all skill levels.

Tickets to the event in Los Angeles on August 27 are available, starting at $125.

For more details surrounding this unique hybrid training event, please visit https://www.videocreatoruniversity.com.

You may also email Event Manager, Megan Belka at meganb@fmctraining.com for any questions concerning registration options and training opportunities.

About Future Media Conferences, LLC

FMC has been a leading provider of training for content creators around the world for over 25 years. Through live courses and conferences, FMC enables creatives to maximize the power of technology to help tell their stories. FMC is the Authorized training provider for Adobe Apple, Avid, Autodesk, Blackmagic Design, Maxon, and BorisFX. Conferences include NAB Las Vegas, Post|Production World conference, Adobe Video World, the Visual Storytelling Conference, the Remote Production Conference, Editors Retreat, and more.

For a complete list of FMCs conferences, visit http://futuremediaconferences.com.
Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL) was a Prom Queen Sponsor at The Hope Center For Autism 2nd Annual Prom Night. The event took place at 2580 S.E. Willoughby Blvd. in Stuart on June 11. The prom night started at 6 p.m. and included food, drinks, music, dancing and more. The money raised provides support for local families affected by autism.

The Hope Centers mission is to open the doors for those affected with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on the Treasure Coast. The Hope Center is dedicated to preparing students to be college, career and community ready through programs designed to support the learning needs of students.

The nonprofit began in 2002 in a small room in the First Baptist Church in Jensen Beach when a small group of parents recognized that their children required more intensive instruction in the skills needed to be successful on a traditional school campus. In 2004, the Hope Center became a public charter school for students in Pre-K through 2nd grade. In 2018, the Hope Academy for Autism charter was accepted by the Martin County School District, adding grades 3-6. Hope has established additional support to assist all people of all ages and levels of need with ASD. Programs include Next Step, a social-vocational group for teens with autism facilitated by young adults with autism. The group began in 2018 with just four members and today has more than 80 young adults and teens with autism who meet weekly to socialize and learn tips for navigating issues.

Were honored to support this incredible event that raises awareness and impacts the lives of so many. Were proud to support our local organizations, said Stephen Shanton, CEO and president of Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL).

About Venture Construction Group of Florida

Founded in 1998, Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL) is an award-winning leader in construction, restoration, renovations, roofing, storm damage repairs, and 24/7 emergency services throughout Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bahamas and the Caribbean. Specializing in residential, industrial and commercial projects, VCGFL assists homeowners, property managers, condominium boards, homeowner associations, association boards, hotels, and business complexes with general contractor services, roofing, specialty construction, historical restoration, water and flood mitigation, and property repairs due to fire, flood, water, wind and hurricanes. With offices in Boca Raton, Ft. Myers, Naples, Panama City Beach, Orlando, Stuart, Tampa, San Juan, and Nassau, VCGFL is committed to operational excellence and exceptional customer service. VCGFL takes care of the details every step of the way including roofing, siding, windows, drywall, flooring, paint, gutters to rebuilding properties after major storm events from hurricanes, tornadoes, and hailstorms. VCGFL has earned leading industry awards including Roofing Contractor Magazines Top 100, Better Business Bureau (BBB) Southeast Florida and Caribbean 2021 Torch Award for Ethics Finalist, Gold Coast Builders Association (GCBA) Silver PRISM Award for Safety Team of the Year, GCBA Gold PRISM Award for Craftsmanship- Commercial Exterior, GCBA Silver PRISM Award for Craftsmanship- Commercial Exterior,Owens Corning Pinnacle Award for Safety, Roofing Alliance MVP Award, Coatings Pro Contractor Award, Pro Remodeler Forty Under 40 Award, Qualified Remodeler Top 500 Remodelers Award, Qualified Remodeler Master Design Award, Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association S.T.A.R. Spotlight Trophy for the Advancement of Roofing Awards in Sustainability and Community Service. Shanton is a certified member of the WindStorm Insurance Network and is a WIND Certified Umpire, WIND Certified Appraiser, and WIND Certified Fellow. VCGFL carries advanced accreditations and is an exclusive certified National Storm Damage Center Preferred Contractor and Certified Member of the United Association of Storm Restoration Contractors. VCGFL is a proud member of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Industry Members Association (EIMA); Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA); Gold Coast Builders Association (GCBA); Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association (IAUA); National Association of Environmentally Responsible Mold Contractors (NAERMC); National Association of Home Builders (NAHB); National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA); NRCA Qualified Trainer; Property Liability and Resource Bureau (PLRB); Restoration Industry Association (RIA). VCGFL is a registered U.S. Federal Government Contractor and holds leading manufacturer certifications including Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor, Mule-Hide Legacy Contractor, Certified CertainTeed Contractor, and Duro-Last Certified Contractor status. VCGFL credentials have been vetted and screened through independent third-party Global Risk Management Solutions. For more information, call 866-459-8351 or visit us online at http://www.VCGFL.com.

About The Hope Center For Autism

The Hope Center for Autisms mission is to open the doors for those affected with Autism Spectrum Disorder on the Treasure Coast. This is accomplished by providing the supports and services needed by children with autism so that they may reach their full potential. The purpose of The Hope Center for Autism is to prepare our students to be college, career and community ready through the implementation of evidence-based interventions designed to support the learning needs of students with autism spectrum disorder. At Hope, we believe all students have a fundamental right to learn. Children will learn when provided with the supports needed to understand and effectively respond to the academic, communication and social expectations of our world. Its our vision to provide a bridge of supports and strategies for people with ASD to be successful in school, home, community & career. Learn more at http://www.HopeCenterForAutism.org.

Media Inquiries:

Alexis Bott

Elev8 Consulting Group

Ph: 386-243-5388

Web:http://www.elev8cg.com
Q5id Inc. has announced a new agreement with Timberland Bank, which has served customers in Western Washington for more than a century. The agreement will deliver access to Q5ids patented Proven Identity (PID) solution through Timberlands in-branch network and online services.

Q5id has developed the worlds first proven identity solution, integrating several Personal Identifiers into creating a single, trusted identity. PID provides individuals with one, and only one, universal identity. Its revolutionary approach proves that a companys customers are who they say they are while putting control of identity management back in the hands of individuals. PID thus eliminates the impact of fraud, identity theft, and data breaches.

We are working closely with the team at Timberland Bank, said Q5id CEO Steve Larson. We look forward to our new partnership bringing the benefits of proven identity to this leading financial services institution. Identity can never be assumed; it must be proven.

Timberland Bank first opened its doors more than 100 years ago in downtown Hoquiam, a booming timber town near the Washington coast. The banks pursuit of innovation and excellence propelled it towards exploring options to replace the traditional, and less secure, bank experience many of its competitors offer.

Our agreement with Q5id and its Proven Identity platform enhances our services to our customers by providing them a safer and more secure way to perform everyday transactions, according to Timberland Bank COO Jonathan Fischer. We are proud of our long history as a community bank serving the people of Western Washington and are excited to announce this new agreement. Timberlands Chief Technology Officer, Breanne Antich, said the bank is excited to provide a new technology solution that will provide a layer of security and efficiency for our commercial and retail customers.

Q5ids technology will provide Timberlands customers with a uniquely convenient and secure way to access accounts, in addition to creating peace of mind in knowing that they are the only person who can perform transactions with their account. Q5ids Proven Identity solution offers the most robust, frictionless customer experience available on the market, authenticating identities in a matter of seconds.

About Q5id

Q5id is revolutionizing identity management with the first-ever proven identity solution. We eliminate the impact of fraud, identity theft, and data breaches, reduce service costs, and eliminate dispute resolutions with our patented Proven Identity solution. Providing individuals with one and only one, universal identity that proves with the highest level of assurance that they are who they say they are. Proven identity is the future, and we deliver it today. Contact us now at http://www.Q5id.com.

About Timberland Bank

In 1915, Timberland Bank first opened its doors in downtown Hoquiam, WA. The bank has continued to grow and evolve with 23 branch locations in Grays Harbor, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Pierce, and Thurston Counties. Timberland is committed to serving our consumers and trusted business clients.

Contact

Q5id, Inc.

Media Relations

(503) 389-0985

media@q5id.com

Follow us on Twitter: @Q5idProvenID

Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/q5id/

Like us on Facebook: @provenidentity
"His dedicated service, knowledge, and experience have led him to his judicial appointment and we know that Bob will perform the role with excellence." - Barry Szaferman

Robert Bob Lytle, Co-Chair of Szaferman Lakinds Litigation Department, has been appointed as a Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Bob was nominated by Governor Phil Murphy on June 9, 2022. On June 20th, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously recommended Bob out of committee for consideration by the full Senate, who subsequently voted to confirm his nomination on June 29th. Bob will be formally sworn in as a judge on July 8th and is expected to take the bench on July 11th.

Bob served for 10 years as a State and County Prosecutor before joining Szaferman Lakind in 2003. During his tenure, Bob acted as General Counsel to the firm and as a member of the firms Executive Committee. Bobs practice focused on complex civil litigation and criminal defense in both state and federal court. His civil practice included commercial litigation, representing victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, consumer class actions, and the prosecution of civil rights claims. His criminal practice focused on the representation of individuals, corporate officers and corporations who were subject to both traditional and white-collar prosecutions.

Bobs achievements as an attorney have been widely recognized. He was the recipient of the Mercer County Bar Associations Professionalism Award, as well as the Equal Justice Medal from Legal Services of New Jersey for his pro bono work in 2014, 2019 and 2022. Bob has also been included in the list of New Jersey Super Lawyers issued by Thomson Reuters* for his Class Action work from 2014 through 2022.

Among other activities, Bob served as the President of the Mercer County Bar Association, Chairperson of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Character and as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Special Committee on Attorney Ethics and Admissions.

It brings us great joy to witness Bob achieve his goal of becoming a Superior Court Judge, commented Co-Managing Partner Barry Szaferman. His dedicated service, knowledge, and experience have led him to his judicial appointment and we know that Bob will perform the role with excellence.

Founded in 1977, Szaferman Lakind is a full-service, Martindale-Hubbell AV-Preeminent law firm that was listed among U.S. News & World Reports Best Law Firms from 2014 through 2022. Based in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Szaferman Lakind has 30+ attorneys who provide legal representation to businesses, investors, professionals, families and individuals in several areas, among them family law, general and commercial litigation, personal injury, workers compensation and business law. To contact Szaferman Lakind please call 609.275.0400 or visit http://www.szaferman.com.

*The Super Lawyers lists are issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found at superlawyers.com/about/selection_process. Szaferman Lakind was selected to Best Lawyers Best Law Firms list. The Best Law Firms list is issued by U.S. News & World Report. A description of the selection methodologies can be found at bestlawfirms.usnews.com/methodology.aspx No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
The companies in the Star Tribune Top 200 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.

Emergent Software has been named one of the Top 200 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com/topworkplaces2022 and will also be published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section on Sunday, June 19.

Produced by the same team that compiles the 31-year-old Star Tribune 100 report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction. The analysis included responses from over 79,000 employees at Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations.

The rankings in the Star Tribune Top 200 Workplaces are based on survey information collected by Energage, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention.

Emergent Software was ranked 20 on the small company list.

Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, The companies in the Star Tribune Top 200 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.



To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Over 4,000 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses. -Michael J. Klingensmith
Former Navy SEAL, Mike Sarraille, Co-founder of Legacy Expeditions over Mt. Everest "Legacy Expeditions are designed to reflect and honor the memory of those we lost and ignite personal growth through adventure, adversity, and camaraderie. Mike Sarraille, Co-founder, Legacy Expeditions

Legacy Expeditions, an adventure capitalist firm, is raising awareness and inspiring action to support special operations veterans charities with an eight-day adrenaline-filled skydiving adventure through the land of fire and ice named Viking Sky: Iceland in memory of fallen special operations forces and military service members.

Adventure capitalism utilizes an extreme experiential leadership model to ignite personal and team growth through adventure, adversity, and camaraderie. Money comes and goes, but the impact, lessons, and memories created by participating in Legacy Expeditions adventures, alongside Special Operations leaders, will remain with you and your team for life.

The firm is run by retired Tier One Special Operators and Special Operations Soldiers to plan, coordinate, and execute exclusive, extreme expeditions that raise funds and awareness for veterans charities, while providing an intense vehicle for individuals seeking to challenge boundaries and connect post-service. Founded by retired Navy SEAL and former Recon Marine Mike Sarraille, the mission is to highlight and exemplify the members of special operations and US military, men and women lost in the global war on terror, foster a bigger sense of community, and inspire resilience.

The Global War on Terror shaped a generation of warriors forged in service, honor, and success on the battlefield. These same men and women are bringing their mission back home as a new generation of leaders in business, education, politics, and purpose-driven organizations.

Contrary to popular belief and the medias misguided messaging, Veterans are not broken, and we are definitely not victims. We believe our experiences have made us stronger, better, and more empathetic human beings. Todays combat veterans are the next generation of business and industry leaders, political leaders, educators, and first responders capable of influencing positive change in this country. Legacy Expeditions are designed to reflect and honor the memory of those we lost and tighten the bonds we established as combat veterans through extreme expeditions, explains Sarraille.

Joining Sarraille on the Viking Sky: Iceland expedition is Legacy Expeditions Co-founder, retired Navy SEAL, host of the Cleared Hot podcast, and former wingsuit world record holder, Andy Stumpf, who continues to fight for the special operations community and their families. He adds, Special Operations is largely complex problem-solving in dynamic and hostile environments. Those challenges create lifelong friendships, but it can be hard to recreate that sense of purpose once you move on from your military career. Skydiving across unforgiving terrain such as Icelands Arctic Golden Circle is the perfect environment to reflect, remember, and reconnect with that purpose.

The Firms 2021 Mt. Everest Expedition honored the 31 Americans of Extortion 17, the greatest single-incident loss of US lives in Operation Enduring Freedom  Afghanistan, on August 6, 2011. The Iceland Expeditions 16 Jumps are in honor of the following fallen service members:

 Sean Flynn (Navy SEAL)

 David Hall (Navy SEAL)

 Sean Harvell (Air Force CCT)

 Charles Keating IV (Navy SEAL)

 Jonas Kelsall (Navy SEAL)

 Shannon Kent (USN)

 Jason Lewis (Navy SEAL)

 Brendan Looney (Navy SEAL)

 Matthew Manoukian (MARSOC)

 Dae Han Park (Army Special Forces)

 Remington Peters (Navy SEAL)

 Diego Pongo (MARSOC)

 Christopher Shaw (Army Special Forces)

 Captain Kate Hendricks (USMC)

 Ashley White (USA)

 Chad Wilkinson (Navy SEAL)

Viking Sky: Iceland expedition fundraising will go directly to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. The fundraising in honor of the fallen soldiers will add to Legacy Expeditions previous donation of $200K raised by their Everest expedition last Fall. SOWF honors the legacy of Americas finest by ensuring complete post-secondary educational support and opportunities cradle to career for surviving children of fallen Special Operations Forces and children of all Medal of Honor recipients.
The Becker Plastic Surgery Medical Team - Dr. Daniel G. Becker | Dr. Nicole Schrader | Dr. Kirk Lozada

Starting this month, patients in the New Jersey and Philadelphia area can visit Becker Plastic Surgerys brand-new website. The team at Becker Plastic Surgery is excited to share this new development with its patients, as the website will make it easier to schedule appointments, book consultations with medical staff, and find an office that is close to them. In addition, those interested in getting plastic surgery can learn more about the team of expert surgeons and nurses working at Becker Plastic Surgery by visiting the new website.

Dr. Daniel G. Becker is a key member of the Becker Plastic Surgery team. He is also the Founder and Medical Director of the Becker Rhinoplasty Center and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise in Rhinoplasty and Revision Rhinoplasty has been essential to Becker Plastic Surgery and patient satisfaction. You can read more about his background and experience here.

Dr. Nicole Schrader specializes in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Otolaryngology & Head/Neck Surgery. She is a double-board certified plastic surgeon with over twenty years of medical experience. As a physician at Becker Plastic Surgery, she focuses on providing patients with high-quality care that improve facial aesthetics and reverses signs of aging. Read more about Dr. Schrader here.

Dr. Kirk Lozada, also of Becker Plastic Surgery, is an accomplished Facial Plastic Surgeon. He has worked and trained with some of the top plastic surgery experts in the country. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Facial Plastic Surgery at Penn Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Lozada here.

Overall, with the creation of their new website, the physicians and staff at Becker Plastic Surgery hope to further push their goals of patient-oriented care. Medical excellence and patient satisfaction is the primary objective of everyone at Becker Plastic Surgery. The surgeons and nurses at each office are board-certified and have performed thousands of procedures on patients with satisfactory outcomes. They use scientifically backed techniques and thorough consultations to give patients natural, beautiful, and lasting results.

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To learn more about Becker Plastic Surgery please visit our website here. You can read about the medical services offered by staff through the about page. We have provided information about each of our teams experiences in plastic surgery and cosmetic beauty.

To get in touch with one of our offices, use this contact page. Here you can find a list of our various locations which includes the addresses of our offices and the phone numbers you can use to call us. If you wish to schedule an appointment with our team, you can also fill out a patient contact form, as well. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Italian Wine Podcast Founder Stevie Kim and Producer Joy Livingston With a thousand episodes behind us and plenty more exciting new content to come, the Italian Wine Podcast is a fantastic free resource for wine lovers across the world.

The Italian Wine Podcast (IWP) was launched in 2017 and amassed 23,000 listens in its first year. Since then the show has enjoyed spectacular growth, especially during the pandemic, when audio media really exploded around the globe. Earlier this week IWP reached three million listens and this is expected to grow. IWP uses SoundCloud as its aggregation platform, it counts the total number of times a podcast has been played on SoundCloud.com, through its embedded player, its mobile apps for iOS and Android, and its API. Listens also include streams and downloads via RSS feed. The show now airs 7 days a week, 365 days a year and features some of the best known voices in the international wine community. The listener numbers are a testament to the variety of content as well as the loyalty of its listenership base.

Stevie Kim, Founder of the Italian Wine Podcast, said: After a rather slow but steady start, the Italian Wine Podcast is now enjoying exponential growth, with two of our three million listens coming in in the last 12 months alone. With over a third of Americans tuning in to podcasts on a regular basis, podcasting has become a crucial medium for communicating with the international wine community. With a thousand episodes behind us and plenty more exciting new content to come, the Italian Wine Podcast is a fantastic free resource for wine lovers across the world.

Joy Livingston, Producer of the Italian Wine Podcast, said: Reaching three million listens is a really remarkable milestone, only achieved thanks to the commitment and passion of all those involved in the project. Our eclectic team of hosts provide high quality and entertaining content every day of the week, bringing together some of the best-known personalities in the Italian wine community and beyond. The success of the Italian Wine Podcast also owes a lot to our global community of listeners, whose constant engagement and encouragement keeps the show fresh and relevant.

Since inception, the podcast has been publishing regularly, and because of this, it recently officially hit the 1000 episode mark; officially because it had already hit that mark months earlier, but for a long period of time, certain episodes were not all numbered. This speaks to the trial and error process, common to all podcasts, however, it is all part and parcel, the creative process is never a smooth one, but worth the effort, especially in weeks such as this one!

The Italian Wine Podcast is in the running for an award, the Best Podcast Listening Platform through The Podcast Awards, The People's Choice. Listener nominations are from July 1 to the 31st so IWP has been busy trying to let the wine world know in the hopes loyal listeners will take a few moments to vote in the categories: Peoples Choice Award, and Podcast Listening Platform. Winning an award would validate much of the hard work that has gone into 3million listens and 1000+ episodes.

_________________________

About: The Italian Wine Podcast: Cin Cin with Italian Wine People! launched in 2017 as a project dedicated exclusively to the Italian wine world. The program uncovers the unique world of Italian wine in conversation with some of its key protagonists. Under the umbrella brand of Mamma Jumbo Shrimp (encompassing books, maps, and videos, bringing together a global community of wine, food, and travel), Italian Wine Podcast aims to inform, educate, and entertain listeners with content for wine professionals and casual listeners alike. The only daily wine podcast in the world, content includes wine business, food & travel, diversity and inclusion, wine producers, science, and marketing and communication. Italian Wine Podcast is available on SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, XimalayaFM (for China), and on the official website. It now boasts almost 1,000 recorded episodes with a growing online following of over 3 million listens. Donations to the show are welcomed and help fund a portion of the shows equipment, production, and publication costs. To advertise on the show, please request a prospectus and/or customized advertising plan from info@italianwinepodcast.com. Cin Cin!


Lerner & Rowe Host Albuquerque Back to School Event The backpack giveaway was created as a means to help students in Albuquerque prepare for the 2022 - 2023 school year.

Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys excitedly announces that their law firm will be giving away 750 FREE backpacks stuffed with school supplies during a contactless drive-thru backpack giveaway on Friday, July 15, from 1:00 p.m. through 3:00 p.m. at Balloon Fiesta Park (9401 Balloon Museum Drive NE, Albuquerque 85113). The giveaway was created as a means to help students of economically challenged families in Albuquerque prepare for the 2022  2023 school year.

K-12 students must be present in vehicles to receive a backpack. As quantities are limited, backpacks will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. Families are also asked to be mindful of pedestrians and other vehicles when entering and exiting the parking lot.

Teens and pre-teens face many challenges in and out of school as they learn to build self confidence, handle problems with peers, and how to successfully adjust to everchanging health and educational hurdles. When you layer on household financial strains related to rising fuel and daily essential costs, it can become almost impossible for them to prepare for a new school year. Our team hopes that our annual Back to School giveaway in Albuquerque will help relieve some of those burdens by handing out free backpacks and school supplies, shared attorney Kevin Rowe.

For more information about Lerner and Rowes FREE contactless drive-up Albuquerque Backpack Giveaway, please contact Cindy Ernst or Christa Luirette with Lerner and Rowe Gives Back at 505-544-4444. Like and follow Lerner and Rowe Injury attorneys on Facebook to learn more about this and future giveaways.

About Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys

Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys is a powerhouse law firm in representing personal injury clients. Attorneys Glen Lerner and Kevin Rowe have grown their law firm into one of the largest personal injury firms in the country, with over 50 attorneys and nearly 400 support employees located in New Mexico, Indiana, Illinois, Arizona, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, Alabama, and Tennessee. The law firms reputation for excellence can be attributed to the high levels of respect, dignity, and customer service shown to victims and family members hurt in an accident.

For those injured outside one of the previously listed states, Lerner and Rowe has an established network of attorneys across the country, ready to help. The firm takes pride in nourishing these relationships as they know a personal injury attorney can make all the difference in obtaining fair compensation for the pain and suffering inflicted upon the victims of tortious conduct.

For more information about Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys in Albuquerque, please call 505-544-4444. To connect with the law firm socially, follow Lerner and Rowe on Twitter,Instagram, and TikTok, or become a fan of its Facebook page. Also, visit lernerandrowegivesback.com to learn more about the many other community services that the lawyers and legal support team of Lerner and Rowe actively support.

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2022-24 NAfME National President Scott R. Sheehan "I have seen music education change lives and save lives. And I know together, arm-in-arm, we will continue making a difference for music education moving forward."

On June 15, 2022, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) welcomed the new 20222024 National President, Scott R. Sheehan, as he begins his term. Scott Sheehan is the Director of Bands and Music Department Chairperson at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He is also a consultant for strategic planning and association development.

Together we are moving music education forward through a very challenging time as we emerge from the pandemic, shared Sheehan. As I begin my presidency, I am very excited to implement a new strategic plan. This plan focuses on advocacy, professional learning and growth, research, music teacher education, and our keystone of equity. . . . I realize that its the boots-on-the-ground music educators who make a difference for their students every day, and I am looking forward to working with the state music education associations (MEAs), as well as individual teachers to support and promote meaningful and relevant music education. I have seen music education change lives and save lives. And I know together, arm-in-arm, we will continue making a difference for music education moving forward.

As the President of the NAfME Eastern Division from 20152017, Sheehan served on the National Executive Board and Executive Committee. He was the Program Chair for the NAfME All-National Honors Ensembles from 2015-2021. As an active member of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), Sheehan has served as State President, as well as a District President and Curriculum and Instruction State Representative. He coordinates the PMEA Leadership Academy, serves on the PMEA Mentoring Program Steering Committee, and is chair of the PMEA Model Curriculum Framework project. Sheehan holds a B.S. Degree in Music Education, a B.M. Degree in Music Marketing from Clarion University, and holds a Masters Degree in Music Education from the Pennsylvania State University.

We must continue to advocate for our profession and encourage young people to consider a career in music education, shared Sheehan in an upcoming interview in the August 2022 Teaching Music magazine, a quarterly NAfME publication provided to all members. As we look at where music positions are vacant, the message should be strategic, supporting future music educators to ensure our profession reflects the diversity of our student populations. We also need to promote the profession outside of our own space so that school officials and the general public are aware that our profession has a great impact on the wellbeing of society. Music is not a luxury. It is a necessity, and we need a diverse, qualified, and motivated music educator workforce to facilitate music learning. In the upcoming issue of Teaching Music, Sheehan describes three main areas of focus for the Association in the next two years: Leadership, Relevance, and Relationships.

Learn more about Scott Sheehan here. And watch his message to the membership here.

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National Association for Music Education, among the worlds largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 50,000 members teaching millions of students nationwide, the organization is the national voice for music education in the United States.

Follow NAfME on Twitter (twitter.com/nafme) and on Facebook (facebook.com/nafme).

For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah@nafme.org or 703-860-4000.
Alpha-30R 3-Inch Performance Mobile Printer The Alpha-30R which offers a rugged design, IP54 rating without protective case, and large media capacity, is a perfect printer for everyday receipt printing applications, and there is a premium version that offers an economical solution for mobile label printing."

TSC Printronix Auto ID, a global leader in barcode label printing solutions, announces the launch of its new Alpha-30R 3-Inch Performance Mobile Barcode Label Printer. The new printer is available in two models, basic and premium, to offer expanded features and support for a wide variety of media types. The basic model offers support for receipt and label media with print speeds up to 5 ips, while the premium model offers support for a variety of receipt and label media with print speeds up to 6 ips. Both basic and premium models support linerless media.

Built for durability, the Alpha-30R meets MIL-STD-810 military standards for drop and vehicle vibrations. The Alpha-30R is IP54-rated to protect against water and dust and to keep your operation running smoothly indoors or outdoors. Designed to withstand a 2.1 m drop and 800 tumbles, when used with a protective case, the Alpha-30R has achieved a ruggedness level that can withstand a 2.5 m drop and 1,000 drops in a harsh environment.

When we launched the Alpha-30L and Alpha-40L mobile label printers last year, they were the best mobile printers TSC had ever built. We are excited about the new Alpha-30R which incorporates the best features of the Alpha-30L including its rugged design, IP54 rating without use of a protective case, and its large media capacity, said David Lundeen, Vice President of Marketing. The Alpha-30R is a perfect printer for everyday receipt printing applications, and there is a premium version that offers an economical solution for mobile label printing, Lundeen added.

Designed with an easy-to-read LCD display, the Alpha-30R is lightweight and comfortable to carry, moving easily with your employees throughout an entire shift to print receipts or labels from anywhere and on demand.

A seamless and reliable wireless connection is crucial for mobile devices. Our Alpha-30R mobile printer features a certified 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi module to enable fast roaming and enterprise-grade security for reliable and safe operation. Equipped with Apple-certified MFi Bluetooth 5.0 with NFC Tap-to-Pair for easy connectivity, users can securely print labels wherever they are needed. With the TSC Mobile Utility App, available for iOS and Android users, authorized IT staff can quickly and efficiently troubleshoot and solve mobile printer problems quickly and efficiently.

The Alpha-30R comes with sophisticated features such as smart battery status and auto-detection of bad printhead dots that can be seamlessly integrated and managed in SOTI Connect or TSC Console remote printer management tools. These can provide visible real-time monitoring of battery health status and remaining capacity, as well as printhead status. This allows enterprise IT management to manage multiple tasks, reduce maintenance costs, and avoid downtime of these business-critical devices.

The Alpha-30R offers a full line of accessories, including a protective case, multiple battery charging options and more to power your productivity, including hands-free mobility. Complete forklift and vehicle accessory options are available. The vehicle mount adaptors allow users to easily integrate the new mobile printers onto a forklift or truck with intuitive RAM mount components.

Key Features



Resolution: 203 dpi

Print Technology: Direct Thermal

Print Speed: 5 ips (Basic), 6 ips (Premium)

Print Width: 72 mm (2.83)

Print Length: 2,794 mm (110)

Drop Specification: 2.1 m (6.9 ft), with a protective case can be 2.5 m (8.2 ft)

Power:



Basic version: 3,080 mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery

Premium version: 3,030 mAh Li-ion rechargeable smart battery

Sensor:



Basic version: Reflective sensor/ Head open sensor

Premium version: Reflective sensor/ Gap sensor/ Head open sensor

Media Type:



Basic version: Ideal for receipts (black mark on printing side), can print selected labels/linerless labels

Premium version: Ideal for labels/linerless labels, can print receipts (black mark on printing side or back)

To learn more about the new Alpha-30R, please visit TSC Printronix Auto ID at http://www.tscprinters.com.

About TSC Printronix Auto ID

TSC Printronix Auto ID is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative asset tracking and identification solutions, including mobile, desktop, industrial and enterprise-grade barcode label printers, RFID printers, barcode label inspection systems, print engines, and genuine supplies. With one of the industry's most comprehensive selection of barcode label printers, TSC Printronix Auto ID provides solutions for transportation and logistics, retail, manufacturing, food and beverage, healthcare, and automotive companies seeking world-class, innovative, and high-performance tracking and identification solutions. With over 5 million printers sold around the world, TSC Printronix Auto ID is committed to providing strong local sales engineering support, continuous investment in new product development, and quick solutions to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies.
Detroit-area publisher childrens book publisher Cardinal Rule Press has just doubled in size after its acquisition of the assets of Bucket Fillers, a childrens publisher headquartered in Venice, Fla., that also publishes puzzles and educational materials, including multimedia teaching tools. Bucket Fillers will become an imprint of Cardinal Rule.

According to a release, the deal includes the transfer of all book sales, presentations, and permissions from Bucket Fillers founder and publisher Carol McLoud to Cardinal Rule publisher Maria Dismondy as of July 1.

"It is time for me to step away from running a business in order to concentrate on writing," McCloud told PW . "Cardinal Rule is a perfect fit. Their cardinal rule is kindness. They publish amazing childrens books that teach values. Maria Dismondy is young, energetic and passionate about kids reading great books. She is highly qualified to continue spreading our message through books, sessions and activities."

Founded in 2015, Cardinal Rules mission is to publish high-quality childrens literature that empowers children through timeless messages of hope, courage, and the Golden Rule." One of its bestselling titles is Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! by Dismondy, a 2015 release with sales that spiked during the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyds murder. Cardinal Rule, which publishes four titles each year, has 25 titles in print.

Launched in 2006 with the release of McLouds book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, Bucket Fillerss mission is to help all ages grow in kindness, self-control, resilience and forgiveness, all leading to a happier life by teaching the three rules that lead to greater happiness: be kind; dont be mean; protect your bucket and the buckets of others. According to McCloud's books, one's bucket is a metaphor for one's mental and emotional health and well-being.

In addition to its educational materials, there are 10 Bucket Fillers titles in print, all written by McCloud. Dismondy said that Cardinal Rule will update the covers on the Bucket Fillers bestsellers and modernize the content with such tweaks as adding a feature that Cardinal Rule is known for: questions for parents to ask their children before, during, and after reading the book.

Describing the events leading up to the acquisition as serendipitous, Dismondy told PW that she and McLoud have been friendly professional colleagues since 2016, when their distributor, Partners Book Distributing, declared bankruptcy and closed. We were both in search of what to do next. I went to IPG, and she followed me over there, Dismondy said.

With three million copies of its books sold, Bucket Fillers is, Dismondy said, about three times as big as Cardinal Rule Press. Were at the million copy mark. We are both very dedicated to the idea of empowering children with positive messages. Carol was very comfortable in selling her company to me as she knew I was going in the same direction as where she built her legacy.

Noting that Bucket Fillers publishes educational materials in French and Spanish, Dismondy said that she was excited to move Cardinal Rule more into that area" of foreign languages. She also, she said, is establishing a speakers program similar to one that Bucket Fillers used to sponsor, with speakers presenting in schools and to organizations on such subjects as team-building and the importance of kindness in ones dealings with other people. Covid really stopped Bucket Fillerss speakers program, Dismondy said, And we are bringing that back.

Bucket Fillerss three employees have received severance pay, and Cardinal Rules 16 part-time employees will assume responsibility for the Bucket Fillers list and other assets as well as Cardinal Rules list. Cardinal Rule intends to hire four new part-time employees.
After successfully challenging Marylands library e-book law in court, the Association of American Publishers is now seeking to recover roughly $300,000 in court costs and legal fees from the state. The figure was confirmed to PW by Maryland officials and comes after Judge Deborah L. Boardman set a briefing schedule for the parties in an order last week.

Under Boardmans June 23 order, if the parties do not resolve AAPs request for fees and costs, AAPs brief in support of its request for costs and attorney fees is due August 22. The states opposition is due September 21; the AAPs reply is then due on October 6, 2022.

The request comes after Boardman in a June 13 opinion and order declared Maryland's library e-book law "unconstitutional and unenforceable," ending a months-long legal effort by the AAP to block the law.

First introduced in January 2021, the Maryland library e-book law would have required any publisher offering to license "an electronic literary product" to consumers in the state to also offer to license the content to public libraries "on reasonable terms." The bill passed the Maryland General Assembly unanimously on March 10, and went into effect on January 1, 2022, though it was never invoked.

The AAP could face a high bar to winning an award for attorney fees. In a 2016 ruling, the Supreme Court issued new guidance on the awarding of legal fees in copyright cases, holding that such fee awards should not be awarded to the prevailing party simply as a matter of course, and that the reasonableness of a losing partys case should carry substantial weight in determining whether to award fees.

Notably, the AAP used this guidance to reverse a judge's decision ordering them to pay $3.2 million in legal fees, after being declared the losing party in its 11-year copyright battle over e-reserves with Georgia State University.

Library advocates maintain the Maryland e-book law did not intend to infringe upon copyright law but to regulate what the state believes are unfair licenses. Specifically, the law emerged as a direct response to Macmillan's (since abandoned) 2019 embargo on new release e-book titles, which librarians insist was fundamentally inequitable, and comes amid a decade of tension in the digital library market, with libraries long complaining of unsustainable, non-negotiated high prices and restrictions.

The AAP, meanwhile has argued that the library e-book market is working well and that the Maryland law was undertaken as "an end run by certain groups that want to divert copyright policy from the federal government to state legislatures."
The American Library Association concluded its first in-person conference since 2019 on Tuesday, June 28, in Washington, D.C., and while attendance was well below pre-pandemic levels, as expected, the show set a new high-water mark for the return to U.S. in-person events in the book business.

At press time, ALA officials reported 13,990 total registrations, with 8,023 attendees and 5,133 exhibitors. The ALAs last in-person annual conference in 2019, also held in Washington, D.C., drew 21,460 total attendees, while the 2018 conference in New Orleans drew 17,599.

In addition to in-person attendees, ALA reported 834 digital-only registrantsa surprisingly low number given the associations success with virtual events over the last two years and its stated commitment to using virtual access to increase engagement. The ALAs 2021 virtual-only annual conference (which was headlined by Barack Obama) drew 9,142 attendees. And the ALAs inaugural LibLearnX conference, the successor to the now discontinued ALA Midwinter Meeting, drew more than 2,100 attendees in January after being forced to go virtual-only.

The much-anticipated return of the ALA Annual Conference comes after the Public Library Association, one of the ALAs largest divisions, drew more than 4,000 in-person attendees to its biennial conference in Portland, Ore., in March, as well as nearly 1,200 virtual attendees.

But where the 2022 PLA conferencethe first major library conference in two yearsfelt like a reunion, attendees agreed that the 2022 ALA Annual Conference felt more like a return to business.

ALA Annual 2022 was a success for us, said Penguin Random House senior v-p Skip Dye, who noted that traffic in the exhibit hall was steady. The highlight for me was seeing people, library friends and colleagues, Dye said, adding that the meeting generally felt safe (ALA required vaccination and masksthough the mask rule, while generally observed, was not strictly enforced). Dye also said PRH adjusted its booth layout to promote more social distancing and to make colleagues, attendees, and authors more at ease.

Other publishers and exhibitors agreed with Dyes view, noting long lines for book signings and galley giveaways, and consistent traffic. The conference was full of energy, and we felt the passion from each librarian we met, said Barb Wing, v-p at Literati, the Texas-based subscription book box service that purchased Folletts book fair business earlier this year. A newcomer to the ALA annual conference, Wing expressed satisfaction with the show and said the company looked forward to returning to ALA conferences as it continues to expand its book fair business in support of both young readers and libraries.

For librarians, the return to an in-person ALA was a bit more complicated.

Librarians arrived in Washington amid a host of significant issues. A wide-ranging professional program addressed diversity, equity, and inclusion issues; the safety of library workers and patrons; the ongoing movement for equitable access to e-books; and the rise of book bans and other actions that undermine the freedom to read. Those actions took an ugly twist in recent weeks with reports of far-right groups like the Proud Boys showing up to menace attendees at childrens events at various libraries. Meanwhile, many librarians found time to join protests after the Supreme Court on June 24 released its long-anticipated ruling striking down Roe v. Wade.

Next up on the ALA calendar is its second annual LibLearnX show, set to run in-person Jan. 27-31, 2023, in New Orleans. And while it is unlikely Covid will force the 2023 LibLearnX conference to go virtual-only, economic and political challenges may now loom. Some librarians told PW that their travel budgets are very much in question given the state of the economy. Plus, there is talk that libraries in some states might curtail or limit non-essential travel to states where abortion is now illegal, or where educational gag orders, such as Floridas so-called dont say gay law, are in place.

The next annual conference is set for the ALAs hometown of Chicago, June 2227, 2023.

Editor's note: Look for more coverage of the ALA 2022 Annual Conference after the July 4 holiday.
Published on:

1 July 2022





Professor Sir Mark Caulfield, Vice Principal for Health and Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Queen Mary University of London, and Director of the NIHR Barts Medical Research Centre, has been awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Medical Science for distinction in medicine from Queens University Belfast.

Professor Caulfield has made substantial contributions to the discovery of genes related to blood pressure, cardiovascular health, cancer and rare diseases. He was awarded a knighthood in 2019 for his leadership of the 100,000 Genomes Project, an initiative that oversaw the sequencing of over 100,000 genomes of patients affected by rare disease or cancer. The project has already delivered life-changing results for patients and has shed light on the important role genomics can play in healthcare, paving the way for a new Genomic Medicine Service.

Professor Caulfield said:

Its a great honour to be recognised by Queens University for work that has put the UK on the map as a world leader in genomics Most importantly, with the involvement of Northern Ireland the UK NHS has offered thousands of patients new insights into the role of genomics can play in healthcare. It is particularly special to share this occasion with bright, new Queen's graduates who have undoubtedly much to offer the medical world during their careers, and I would like to wish them the best of luck.

Professor Caulfield was awarded his honorary degree at a graduation ceremony yesterday evening. Sarah Venning CEO of NI Water, also received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science in Economics for services to business and commerce.
Yellow (working title) is the story of two female fugitives, Dan and Nico. Extremely competitive Dan (Tessa Ia) thinks that winning by cheating is worth double and finds Nico (Lizeth Selene), played to be her impossible love. Nico is sincere to the point of being abrasive, has a heart of a child and lives without constraints. The two steal a stick-shift taxi to escape from the authorities.Realising that the car is not automatic, they are forced to kidnap Richie (Martin Saracho), the taxi driver, who also happens to be a suicidal ex-Formula 1 racer whose promising career ended after a catastrophic accident forced him to stop racing and is now a taxi driver. Constantly having to thwart his suicide attempts, the three reach an agreement: if he takes them to the border, they will kill him.Produced by The Immigrant, which is backed by global producer-distributor Fremantle, the six-episode, 30-minute series is scheduled to shoot for seven weeks on location in and around Baja California and Mexico City. Yellow is executive produced by Sofia Auza and Silvana Aguirre who both also serve as showrunners. Executive producers from The Immigrant are Silvana Aguirre and CEO Camila Jimenez. The series is created and directed by Sofia Auza and Silvana Aguirre."I wrote Yellow because I wanted to tell a story about friendship and the meaning of love, a story that had emotional impact hiding under a fun, comedic tone, commented Sofia Auza, and co-showrunner on the series. The relationship between Dan and Nico is one of the most important elements of the show: I wanted to explore the complex lines between friendship and love in female relationships."Added Jimenez: Yellow is the perfect example of the shows we love to make: fun, daring and profound, all at the same time. Sofia is an extraordinary creator whose worlds are beautifully unique, inhabited by complex, hilarious characters who you cant help but fall in love with. With Yellow, Silvana and Sofia will take audiences on a thrilling journey amongst the beautiful landscapes of Baja California in search of happiness and the meaning of friendship.Yellow will be available on Starzplay across its footprint in Europe and Latin America and in the US and Puerto Rico on Pantaya.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/30/2022



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

pro Jenna Johnson has made it known she's not okay with fans asking her about children and when she plans to start a family with husband Val Chmerkovskiy "It does [bother me]," Jenna, 28, told Us Weekly of people asking her when she's going to have a baby."I think it's a really insensitive question, actually, because... you never know what somebody is going through. And the amount of DMs and comments -- you know, 'babies on the brain' and 'when are you going to have a baby?' -- it adds pressure but also it's nobody's business."Jenna said although she is in the public eye, people have "no idea what [she's] gone through.""[People don't know] what we want in the future," Jenna explained, speaking on behalf of Val as well."And so, I think [ Peta Murgatroyd ] is a great example of that, of like, 'You are just adding salt to the wound."Peta, who has served as a professional partner on on and off since 2011, broke the news to People that she has been struggling to keep a pregnancy after welcoming her first child, her son Shai, with husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy , who is Val's brother, in January 2017.Peta, 35, recalled having three miscarriages in two years, with her third miscarriage having taken place in October 2021, when Maksim was away working in Ukraine as a judge on their version of ."She's kept it very private for the past two years," Jenna shared of her sister-in-law."So when I saw the beautiful piece that they did and that she finally opened up, I just called her and told her how proud I am of her, because I know how much heartbreak that brought her and how badly she wants another baby."The pro dancer and choreographer added, "Let's just avoid being in people's business about that kind of stuff. If I'm not asking you, just probably don't ask me."Jenna assured Us in 2020 that she and her husband, who also has a lengthy history competing on as a pro, were "definitely" talking about having children.However, Jenna and Val had agreed upon prioritizing their relationship, saying they just wanted to enjoy life together as a married couple at the time.Jenna and Val began dating in 2015 and the Ukrainian native proposed marriage in Venice, Italy, in 2018.Val and Jenna tied the knot on April 13, 2019 in a romantic ceremony overlooking the ocean at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palo Verdes, CA."Mr. & Mrs. Chmerkovskiy 04~13~2019," Jenna captioned a wedding photo that she shared on Instagram.Prior to joining as a Troupe member and then being promoted to a pro partner for Season 23, Jenna competed as a contestant and All-Star partner on separate seasons of So You Think You Can Dance.Jenna won ' 26th season with Adam Rippon and placed second on the show twice before with Nev Schulman and JoJo Siwa on Seasons 29 and 30, respectively.
Netflix will premiere the two-part season finale of the sci-fi horror Stranger Things, and PBS will air A Capitol Fourth in Washington, D.C. to wrap up the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

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Also, this weekend Disney+ will premiere its original series from National Geographic, America the Beautiful, and Hulu will start streaming the FX's FEUD: Bette and Joan series about their legendary rivalry.

Here's a rundown on a film and television shows that will be released this weekend.

Film

'The Princess' -- Hulu

Joey King (The Kissing Booth) will star as a princess in the film about family, loyalty and revenge, which premieres Friday. King gets locked in a remote tower of her father's castle after refusing to marry her betrothed, but fights back against her scorned suitor who is intent on taking the throne.

TV

'The Terminal List' -- Prime Video

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Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World) will star as a Navy Seal who returns home after his platoon is ambushed and begins to question his memories of the event in the action-thriller series to premiere on Friday.

'Top Gear America' -- Motor Trend+ Season 2

Hosts Rob Corrdry and Jethro Bovingdon will team up with Dax Shepard again to test the limits of different vehicles, including top speeds, in the second season premiering Friday. Producers booking a closed stretch of road in Butte, Mont., so there would be no other cars in the road for the experiment.

'Stranger Things: Season 4, Volume 2' -- Netflix

The two-part season finale, including a supersized episode of almost two and a half hours, will premiere on Friday. A preview showed Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends prepare to fight a malevolent and powerful being, Vecna, terrorizing their home of Hawkins, Ind.

'FEUD: Bette and Joan -- Hulu

The FX anthology series tells the story of the legendary rivalry between Joan Crawford Jessica Lange ) and Bette Davis Susan Sarandon ) when they worked together on the 1962 film What ever happened to Baby Jane? It will begin streaming on Friday.

'Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multitude of Madness -- Disney +

Director Sam Raimi and the cast of the film will "recount their experiences bringing Marvel's darkest story to life," according to a statement. It will premiere on Friday.

'A Capitol Fourth' -- PBS

Country star Mickey Guyton will host the celebration of America's 246th birthday in Washington D.C., on Monday. The event will feature musical performances from various genres, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra under premiere pops conductor Jack Everly's direction, and a spectacular fireworks display will cap off the evening.

'America the Beautiful' -- Disney+

All six episodes from National Geographic, will stream on Monday as part of an Independence Day celebration. The documentary series narrated by Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther, Creed) highlights "breathtaking landscapes," across North America and "showcases its many creatures," with the goal of conserving habitats for wildlife.
Students in the University of Georgias College of Public Health were warned to be more aware of [their] surroundings. This warning comes in the wake of an article published by Fox News on June 25 addressing violent responses to a map of crisis pregnancy centers that was created by two faculty members in UGAs public health program.
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NORFOLK  A Winsted man has been arrested after police say he attacked a woman out for an evening walk Thursday.

Jason Heath, 20, of West Road, was charged with third-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree strangulation/suffocation, breach of peace and second-degree stalking, police said. He was in custody early Friday on $250,000 bail and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in state Superior Court in Torrington.
Promises that the city would remain unchanged for 50 years and progress towards democracy are in tatters.

British soldiers lower the Union Jack flag for the last time on June 30, 1997 at the Cenotaph monument in the Central district of Hong Kong, just hours prior to the handover of the territory from British to Chinese rule at midnight.

On , 1997, the British flag came down for the last time in Hong Kong, as the city returned to Chinese rule.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Deng Xiaoping had promised it could run its own affairs under "one country, two systems," with the city's freedoms preserved for at least 50 years, and with progress promised towards fully democratic elections.

The reality has been rather different. Just 25 years after the handover, Hong Kong is no longer the world's freest economy and has plummeted in global press freedom rankings following a citywide crackdown on dissent under the national security law.

"People who stayed are like the frog in a pan of gradually warming water," economist Law Ka-chung told RFA. "Maybe some of them think everything's fine, but others see a huge difference."

, not a single promise made by Chinese leaders before the handover has been kept. Halfway into the 50-year grace period, Hong Kong is already unrecognizable to many.

"Since the National Security Law came in, there's a lot of things you can't say any more; a lot of things you can't write; even people you can't interview," former Stand News journalist Lam Yin-bong told RFA.

The last races under British rule took place in . More than H.K.$2.5 billion in bets were placed.

Under "one country, two systems," China promised that "the horses will run as usual, and people can keep on partying."

Now, people's lives may appear similar on the surface, but what was once the world's freest economy no longer gets its own separate trading status.

Once known as Asia's World City, Hong Kong is seen as just another Chinese city now

"Important stuff like politics, the economy, used to be very different from mainland China," Law said. "The way we collected data, our stock market."

"But it all changed gradually until there was no difference at all."

A view of a deserted Victoria Park in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on June 4, 2022, the venue where Hong Kongers have traditionally gathered to mourn victims of China's 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, on the 33rd anniversary of the event. Credit: AFP Flagging confidence

On the day of the handover, the Hang Seng Index closed at 16,365 points. "One country, two systems" meant that capitalism would stay, and that the city would remain a financial center.

In , the Hang Seng stood at around 18,000 points a rise of only a few percent over 25 years.

According to Law, foreign investment in Hong Kong has fallen in the past few years, and a lot of operations are now being directed from mainland China

"Right from the start, they started bringing in new people to work in important sectors like financial and banking, but not so people would notice that they'd replaced an entire sector," he said. "They did it in the non-profit sector too: in schools, in higher education, where they carried out brainwashing until it was all being run by their people."

"All the university vice chancellors are from mainland China now. Can you find me a single one who isn't?"

The annual vigils for the 1989 Tiananmen massacre were once seen as an important test of the 'one country, two systems' promise in practice.

In the years after the handover, Hong Kong continued to be the only Chinese city to hold them.

On the 30th anniversary of the crackdown, 180,000 people turned out for the once-annual candlelight vigil in Victoria Park.

But by 2022, nobody was lighting candles in Victoria Park on any more.

Instead, key areas of the park were closed for the anniversary and guarded by police, who warned passers-by to move on.

A COVID- ban on public gatherings was also in place making the lack of vigil less surprising.

"Gathering to remember the Tiananmen massacre is a very peaceful thing to do," a man in a commemorative T-shirt told RFA on the day in the nearby Causeway Bay shopping district.

"The government says it wasn't a massacre but an incident. Whatever they call it they'll find every excuse in the book to stop [any commemoration] from happening," he said.

"If even peaceful events aren't allowed, then what freedom do we have?"

Protests now a thing of the past

Under the terms of the handover, Hong Kong was promised freedom of association, and was once the protest capital of Asia, with wave after wave of mass protests since the handover, including the 2003 march against national security laws, the 2012 movement against the CCP's "patriotic education" program in Hong Kong schools, and the 2014 Umbrella movement for fully democratic elections.

In 2019, millions took to the streets to protest plans to allow the extradition of alleged criminal suspects from Hong Kong to face trial in mainland China, in a mass movement that occupied the Legislative Council and brought international outrage over the brutality of the police response to mostly unarmed young people.

Now, only trams and buses ply the once-familiar march route from Causeway Bay to government headquarters in Admiralty.

The advent of the National Security Law has turned Hong Kong's regular street protests and vigils -- a bellwether for freedom of assembly -- into a thing of the past, with the groups that once organized them forced to close and their leaders arrested.

One by one, prominent civil society groups have been forced to close, including the Professional Teachers' Union, the Confederation of Trade Unions, and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which once organized the candlelight vigils on .

Dissenting voices are barely heard in public any more.

"We have nothing left now, so I felt I needed to make a bit of a fuss," Italian priest-turned-rights activist Franco Mella told RFA after a brief, protest of just three people.

"A small fuss is better than no fuss," he said.

Mella is scathing about the Hong Kong government's handling of the 2019 protest movement.

"When one million or two million take to the streets, it's the government's job to know why," he said. "An intelligent government would understand that, right? Rather than cracking down and banning stuff."

Many of Mella's friends are now in prison for their activism.

"All they ever aimed to do was to care for others; to guide them in whatever direction," he said. "That's not a reason to send them to prison."

People queue for the last edition of the Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong early on June 24, 2021. Credit: AFP Not the old Hong Kong

Social activist Tsang "The Bull" Kin-shing agreed, telling reporters on his release from Stanley Prison: "Right now we have lawyers, professors, doctors, students, lawmakers in jail or on remand."

"The Hong Kong we are living in isn't the old Hong Kong we used to know," he said after serving a jail term for "incitement to illegal assembly" linked to his role in the 2019 protest movement.

Meanwhile, citizen journalist Lam Yin-bong, who covered Tsang's release, said he has been frozen out of opportunities to cover the news because he isn't affiliated to an approved news organization.

"I can't go to regular press events like news conferences with [incoming leader] John Lee," Lam told RFA. "They wouldn't let me in even if I wanted to go to them, because I don't have an official press pass."

"This is government policy. You need that pass to book a place. So, I mostly cover stuff that happens on the street, like political prisoners being released, stuff that mainstream media might overlook or maybe not cover prominently," he said. "I book my place on those stories instead."

Lam has many years' experience in the mainstream media, yet now he posts his stories to his own news page online.

"Gone are the days when we could write for an outlet like Stand News or the Apple Daily and be read by millions of people, and have a huge impact via the pro-democracy press," he laments. "There's no way they'll let you do that now. You do what you can - bits and pieces."

Lam started out as a journalist in 2006, and has worked for several outlets. His last job in journalism was as assignment editor at Stand News, which was forced to close at the end of 2021 as two of its senior editors were arrested.

"I never thought the day would come when just writing articles or saying the wrong thing would be a crime, even objective and factual descriptions," he said. "Now they call it incitement without even saying who the target was; whom you are supposed to have incited."

Hong Kong recently plummeted to 148th place in global press freedom rankings published annually by Reporters Without Borders compared with 18th place in 2002, when the rankings first appeared.

"These rankings are the hard figures," Lam said. "On the ground, everything just kept on getting worse."

"By 2021, Apple Daily, Stand News and Citizen News were all gone. So it's fitting that we rank so low," he said.

Emigrating for freedom

The last edition of the Apple Daily came out on , 2021 as several of its senior editors were arrested and well-wishers came to say goodbye at the soon-to-close Next Digital headquarters.

Stand News followed in , with two of its senior editors arrested.

"I don't know what total press freedom would look like," Lam said. "But I do know what a total lack of it looks like."

Faced with an ongoing crackdown and changes to the educational curriculum, many have chosen to leave Hong Kong and seek a freer existence elsewhere. Government figures suggest that more than 140,000 people have already gone.

Many Hong Kongers turned out in London to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre in the country that once ruled their city, and which signed the handover treaty with China.

"Hong Kong once seemed pretty free on the surface," a Hongkonger who attended the most recent vigil told RFA. "As long as you didn't cross a few red lines you'd be OK."

"But that all changed."

Another participant said they wouldn't have given an interview at all if they were still in Hong Kong.

"At least now I can answer your questions," they said. "I can give interviews. We have the freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom to report and to give interviews."

"And all of this can take place right outside of No. 10, Downing Street. Would that be allowed in Hong Kong? I think we all know the answer to that."

Yet there are mixed feelings among those who leave, and who must now adapt to a new life in exile.

"I'm always aware when talking about Hong Kong, how people back home might feel about it," former doctors' union leader Arisina Ma, now living in the U.K., told RFA. "They are already suffering enough.

"I'm never sure if they will be happy that I'm speaking out for them, or just be even more depressed," she said.

John Lee waves after being elected the city's new chief executive in Hong Kong on May 8, 2022. Credit: AFP 'We were pretty naive to believe'

She said many who left told themselves they could do more to help Hong Kong from overseas, but Ma said she was highly skeptical.

"I think this idea that you can fight harder if you go overseas ...maybe some people can manage it -- maybe politicians can," she said. "Someone like Nathan Law, who can't really do anything in Hong Kong now."

"But for most people who come here from Hong Kong, like me, for example, I don't think it's really achievable," Ma said.

There was no historical precedent for the "one country, two systems" idea.

So, what conclusion do ordinary Hong Kongers draw from this 25-year experiment?

"We were pretty naive to believe that there really would be one country, two systems, or that you could have partial freedom, like economic freedom," a Hongkonger now living in London told RFA. "That was so naive, really."

Law said the new restrictions take a bit of getting used to for people born and raised in a relatively free environment.

"So much is restricted now," he said. "It's about what you're used to, I guess."

"Someone moving here from Beijing or Shanghai would probably think it was OK."

Lam's assessment is more direct, however.

"The past 25 years since the handover have made it absolutely clear that "one country, two systems" doesn't work," he said. "It doesn't work because the people of Hong Kong have zero trust in the country that rules them."

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
After just 25 years of Chinese rule, the Legislative Council and chief executive are now hand-picked by Beijing.

Hong Kong Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee (center left) stands next to speaker Yeung Sum as they address a crowd from the balcony of the Legislative Council, July 1, 1997.

On June 30, 1997, pro-democracy members held the majority seats on Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo), the result of the city's first fully democratic general election in 1995, under political reforms brought in at the 11th hour of British rule by then colonial governor Chris Patten.

By the following day -- the first under Chinese rule -- the 1995 LegCo had been swept aside in favor of a China-backed "provisional LegCo," packed with members viewed more favorably by Beijing.

Twenty-five years after the handover, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has rewritten the rules to ensure that only those it deems "patriots" can stand as candidates.

The current LegCo -- elected earlier this year under the new rules -- now has no openly pro-democracy members at all.

And while the city's Basic Law -- endorsed by the CCP -- promised direct, popular elections for the city's chief executive by 2017, incoming chief executive John Lee was selected by a Beijing-backed committee in a "perfected" election in which he was the only candidate.

Meanwhile, dozens who once served as pro-democracy lawmakers are now behind bars, accused under a draconian national security law of "subversion" after they took part in a democratic primary in 2020.

The lack of democratic participation in post-handover Hong Kong isn't for want of trying.

From a mass march in 2002 against national security laws, to a 2012 campaign against CCP propaganda in schools, to the 2014 Occupy Central, or Umbrella Movement, Hong Kongers have mobilized in their thousands, hundreds of thousands and millions to demand an end to the erosion of their traditional freedoms and that promises of autonomy and more democracy made before the handover be kept.

Riot police launch tear gas into the crowd as thousands of protesters surround the government headquarters in Hong Kong, Sept. 28, 2014. Credit: AP Photo Extradition law protests draw brutal response

In 2019, mass protests of one and two million erupted in response to then chief executive Carrie Lam's plan to allow extradition of alleged criminal suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts.

Mass public anger over a brutal response to these protests spurred the movement further, which broadened to include demands for fully democratic elections, police and government accountability, and an amnesty for Hong Kong's growing number of political prisoners.

As protesters started to fight back against police tear gas, water cannon, live ammunition and rubber bullets with Molotov cocktails and bricks, not everyone was on board with a departure from peaceful resistance and civil disobedience.

But the District Council elections of November 2019 resulted in huge turnout and a sweeping majority for pro-democracy candidates across the board, among them many who had been expelled from LegCo for not being patriotic enough in the years before the national security law criminalized public dissent.

By March 2021, China's National People's Congress (NPC) had voted to change Hong Kong's electoral system to ensure that only vetted candidates approved by a Beijing-picked committee and cleared by the city's newly installed national security police could run for or hold any kind of public office.

The NPC announced that China would be "taking full political control" of Hong Kong, and that only patriots would be allowed to run for office.

Riot police fire tear gas during the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, Aug. 11, 2019. Credit: AP Photo Meanwhile, the arrests of outspoken journalists and the closure of pro-democracy media outlets and civil society groups continued under the national security law.

On July 1, 2019, protesters broke into and vandalized the LegCo chamber to protest plans to allow extradition to mainland China.

Now, the building has been refurbished and the Chinese national emblem added to the wall. The 90-seat expanded chamber is no longer the scene of lively political debate, and only 20 seats are returned by public vote.

"The whole basis on which we do politics has changed," Bruce Liu of the pro-democracy Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL) told RFA. "Political development has been uneven since the handover, with ups and downs, like the wind and waves."

"It's like a circle game that always ends up back where it started," Liu said, adding that his party now no longer seeks seats in LegCo, preferring to focus on social welfare and constituency clinics instead.

Police detain protesters after a protest in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong, July 1, 2020. Credit: AP Photo Exile or prison

Tik Chi-yuan, who represents the social welfare sector in LegCo and who holds one of the few seats still elected by individuals rather than block voting by organizations, said the CCP sees Hong Kong as a security risk.

"The central government in Beijing perceives some kind of threat to its security calculus," Tik -- who describes himself as a "non-establishment" LegCo member told RFA. "I think we need to look to the future now. The Basic Law promised democratic elections, so we should take that as our goal. It's a process."

With most of the former political opposition either behind bars or in exile, the younger generation who grew up protesting have also disappeared from public view, many to escape becoming Hong Kong's next political prisoner.

Former student leader Law Cheuk Yiu said he left for the U.K. out of fear for his personal safety.

"When the situation started to look truly bleak, I decided to leave," he said, recalling a relatively liberal political atmosphere in the years immediately following the handover.

"Things have changed since those early years: they won't ever go back to the way they were then," Law said. "Nowadays, anyone with a dissenting opinion is totally suppressed, basically."

For Law's generation of Hong Kongers born and raised after the handover the past few years have left them facing a crisis of identity -- whether they try to live under the national security law or seek a freer life overseas, as an estimated 140,000 have already done.

"Our generation knows only too well that China only brought in patriotic education [to Hong Kong schools] because they thought they had lost us," he said. "They couldn't control us, and they really wanted to."

A man waves the Chinese flag to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China, in Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. Credit: AFP 'Very bleak' outlook

Benedict Rogers, who formed the London-based rights group Hong Kong Watch to keep an eye on political and civil rights, said the changes that have battered Hong Kong in recent years are the result of Xi Jinping's personal leadership goals.

"What's happened in Hong Kong is part of that picture of Xi Jinping's total intolerance of any form of dissent," Rogers said. "It seems that for him and the Chinese Communist Party today, they emphasize their total power and control as a higher priority than economic success."

Rogers, who was accused of violating the national security law in March 2022 and who is wanted by the Hong Kong police, said he doesn't expect to see much change while Xi -- who will seek an unprecedented third term in office later this year -- remains in power in Beijing.

"In terms of the next 25 years, I think that as long as the current leadership in Beijing is in power, the outlook for Hong Kong is very bleak," Rogers said. "I think it will only get worse."

Will the city ever enjoy a high degree of autonomy, or its people be allowed to run their own affairs?

"It's pretty hard to start a mass movement when there's so little room to speak or act," Law said. "There's just no way to hold a public debate."

"That means everything is forced underground," he said.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping swore in a new, security-focused government in Hong Kong on Friday, 25 years after Britain handed the city back to China, saying the current arrangements -- which have seen a citywide crackdown on peaceful dissent and political opposition -- are here to stay.



"For this kind of good system, there is no reason at all to change it. It must be maintained over the long term," Xi said in a speech at the inauguration ceremony.



"After experiencing wind and rain, everyone can painfully feel that Hong Kong cannot be chaotic, and must not become chaotic again ... Hong Kongs development cannot be delayed again, and any interference must be eliminated," Xi said.



"Power must be in the hands of patriots," Xi said. "No country or region in the world will allow unpatriotic or even traitorous or treasonous forces and figures to hold power."



"In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, power is firmly in the hands of patriots, which is an inevitable requirement to ensure long-term stability in Hong Kong, and it will be unshakable," he said.



Xi also swore in former security chief and ex-cop John Lee, who has been sanctioned by the United States for his role in implementing the national security law, as chief executive.



Police outside ran a massive security operation that included no-sail and no-fly zones, as well as roadblocks around the Convention and Exhibition Centre where Xi gave his speech.



Xi's defense of Chinese rule in Hong Kong came after British prime minister Boris Johnson and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Beijing of failing to meet its handover commitments.



China's line is that the national security law ended months of mass protests for full democracy and official accountability in 2019, which saw some protesters fight back with makeshift weapons against riot police wielding batons, tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and even live ammunition.



China's President Xi Jinping (R) standing with Hong Kong's new Chief Executive John Lee (L) after Lee was sworn in as the city's new leader, during a ceremony to inaugurate the city's new government in Hong Kong on July 1, 2022. Credit: Hong Kong's Information Services Department. 'New era'

Uniform decorations declaring a "new era" of stability were seen across many districts, including red lanterns and the Chinese national flag, and the Hong Kong regional flag.



"Hong Kong has of course also encountered various challenges, including the global financial crisis, the unlawful occupy movement in 2014, the Mong Kok riots in 2016, the riots and violence in 2019 together with the interference in Hong Kong's affairs by external forces which threatened our national security, and the COVID-19 pandemic," Lee told the inauguration ceremony, thanking the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its support.



Lee also lauded the national security law for "bringing order out of chaos," and new election rules under which he was selected as the only candidate for the city's top job in May 2022.



"It is therefore imperative that we should cherish and uphold the system for a long time to come, and we should make good use of it to effect sound governance," Lee said, sounding the death knell for any hope of democratic development under the new regime.



Chinese political scientist Chen Daoyin said Xi's tone in the speech was condescending and parental, and that late supreme leader Deng Xiaoping's promise that Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years was already dead in the water.



"What [Xi] talked about what different from what Deng Xiaoping proposed," Chen said. "Deng said Hong Kong would be like mainland China after 50 years, and maybe not at all."



"Xi has a new view on Hong Kong, which he calls a new starting point, making the point that Hong Kong has been brought to order out of chaos," Chen said.



Current affairs commentator Sang Pu said Xi has deliberately distorted the meaning of "one country, two systems."



"If he admits that one country, two systems is over, that would be tantamount to inviting opposition from Europe and the U.S.," Sang told RFA. "It would also make it look as if he has failed."



"Instead, he is repackaging it as a new beginning."



Sang said Xi's mention of cooperation between Hong Kong's judiciary and that of mainland China was worrying, suggesting that the authorities may start requiring "patriotism" from judges as well as from lawmakers and civil servants.



Dutiful congratulations

Across the internal border in mainland China, the CCP-controlled state media focused on a highly choreographed "welcome" for Xi in Hong Kong, and on praising Beijing's governance of the city.



"Some media didn't report it at all, so we can see that Hong Kong isn't a priority for the government, and that nobody cares if Xi or anyone else goes there," a Chinese scholar surnamed Shen told RFA. "Hong Kong can never be given too much prominence in the Chinese media."



Official media reports on the anniversary garnered a few dozen comments, most of them dutifully congratulatory, on social media.



Only one comment on an article by the China Youth Daily, the official newspaper of CCP's Youth League, opined: "I wish Hong Kong a better tomorrow."



Current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said Xi's promise of science and technology cooperation between Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong province had likely been behind his visit to the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park on Thursday.



"Hong Kong's high-tech R&D is good, but there is a shortage of production capacity and talent," Lau said. "Through cooperation with the mainland, we can 'reap the east wind'."



Xi was likely taking the opportunity to try to reboot Hong Kong's international reputation as a trading and financial center in the wake of the national security crackdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, Lau said.



Xi was declaring to the rest of the world that he has confidence in Hong Kong's future and its economic policies, to exiting foreign investors to return, he said.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Democratic Taiwan on Friday said freedom had "vanished" in Hong Kong, as concerns were raised internationally over a political crackdown in the city after just 25 years of Chinese rule.



"It's only been 25 years, and in the past the promise was 50 years of no change," Taiwan's premier Su Tseng-chang told journalists as Hong Kong marked the 25th anniversary of the 1997 handover to Chinese rule.



"Freedom and democracy have vanished," he said, adding that Taiwan, which made a peaceful democratic transition in the 1990s after decades of authoritarian rule under the Kuomintang (KMT), must protect its own way of life in the face of Chinese territorial claims.



"We also know that we must hold fast to Taiwan's sovereignty, freedom and democracy," Su said, in a reference to Beijing's insistence that the island "unify" with China, despite never having been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and despite widespread public opposition to the idea.



"China's so-called 'one country, two systems' has simply not stood up to the test," Su said of the arrangement touted by Beijing as a success in Hong Kong, and as a possible pathway to a takeover of Taiwan.



Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said CCP rule had led to the end of freedom and democracy in Hong Kong.



In a statement, the council hit out at China's imposition of a draconian national security law "to govern Hong Kong in a coercive manner, restrict the basic human rights of Hong Kongs people, and to imprison democracy advocates, silencing the news media and prompting the collapse of civil society."



It also said recent changes to the city's electoral system to ensure only "patriots" can hold public office "is even more contrary to goal of universal suffrage and the expectations of Hong Kong citizens."



"Democracy, human rights, freedom, and rule of law have seriously regressed in Hong Kong, compared with 25 years ago," the MAC said, dismissing Beijing's claims that the pro-democracy movement had been instigated by foreign governments.



"Taiwan adheres to a free, democratic and constitutional government, that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, that sovereignty cannot be invaded and annexed, and that the future of the Republic of China and Taiwan must be decided by the people of Taiwan," the statement said.



"Taiwan will continue to safeguard universal values, democratic systems and ways of life, stand side by side with the international community, and firmly defend democracy," it said.



The statements from Taipei came after CCP leader Xi Jinping used the phrase "one country, two systems" more than 20 times during his speech on Friday marking the 25th anniversary of Chinese rule over Hong Kong, saying China's tougher political grip on the city in the wake of the 2019 protest movement had enabled it to "rise again from the ashes."



MAC spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng called on China not to keep deceiving itself about the success of its policies in Hong Kong.



"We solemnly urge [Beijing] to give the people back the democracy, freedoms and human rights that are their due," Chiu said.



Taiwanese political scientist Wu Rwei-ren said Xi wants to package the 25th anniversary as a kind of second handover.



"The legal basis for one country, two systems was the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration [setting out the terms of the handover]," Wu told RFA.



"By 2014, Xi Jinping's regime had declared that it wouldn't recognize [the treaty], saying it was a historical document with no meaning," he said. "In this way, they redefined one country, two systems as a purely internal concept."



"The basis for [Hong Kong's economic and social] achievements was the original political system, which has been destroyed by Xi Jinping," Wu said.



"He's now saying that all sources of chaos have been eradicated, Hong Kong has returned to stability, and that everyone can start working hard to improve the economy," he said. "But the institutional basis for that has been destroyed."



Wu said even the Taiwanese business community, which has typically been happy to overlook the CCP's worst failings in the pursuit of greater profits, is now getting out of China and Hong Kong.



"This isn't about ideology; it's about the very practical aspects of money," Wu said. "These people were once more enthusiastic about making money than they were about their own country."



"They invested huge amounts in China because it was profitable, but now, faced with various deteriorating factors, they are getting out of China fast," he said.



Meanwhile, invitations were circulating overseas for people to attend a "Funeral for Hong Kong's Lost Freedoms" in cities across the U.S., including New York, Washington and San Francisco.



Hong Kong protest rallies were also planned in the U.K., Canada and Japan.



A participant at the New York rally who gave only the nickname A Wai said the protest was over the CCP's failure to deliver on its promises.



"We're only halfway through the 50 years during which Hong Kong was supposedly not going to change, and everyone can now see through the lie that is one country, two systems," A Wai told RFA.



"That's why we chose July 1 to stand up ... Hong Kong people are still angry about the crackdowns on protesters on June 12, 2019, July 21, 2019 and Aug. 31, 2019, and we can express all of that on July 1," he said.



Former 2014 Occupy Central leader Alex Chow said everyone will be wearing black -- the color of the 2019 protest movements, but also the color of mourning in some cultures -- and that protesters would lay funeral wreaths to signal the death of Hong Kong's freedoms.



"The situation in Hong Kong and the mainland is full of turmoil and tears," Chow told RFA. "Behind the facade of prosperity, there is a lot of political in-fighting, and Hong Kong is one of the places where sacrifices are being made."



"That's why Hong Kongers overseas who have enough freedom to do so ... feel the need to come out," he said.



In the U.K., protesters plan to march across several cities over the weekend, with a memorial service planned on Piccadilly Circus on Friday for Leung Kin-fai, who committed suicide after stabbing a police officer non-fatally on July 1, 2021.



Former ruling Conservative Party leader Ian Duncan Smith told the House of Commons that he had called a parliamentary debate on Hong Kong to "commemorate the process and the destruction that has taken place since the original signing of the Joint Declaration."



Shadow foreign affairs minister Fabian Hamilton said the Joint Declaration "is no longer respected by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities."



"The UK has a moral duty to uphold the treaty, but has not done nearly enough," he said, calling on the British government to follow the U.S.' lead and sanction Hong Kong and Chinese officials linked to the crackdown.



"With the passing of the national security law, the sham so-called election of chief executive John Lee and his promises of further, rather disturbing legislation, we face the reality that Hong Kongers are at the mercy of the long arm of the Chinese state, and have no means to effect real change in their city, or to choose their own leadership, as was always promised," Hamilton said.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Fighting for control of a military outpost intensifies near the border with Thailand.

Five days of intense clashes between Myanmars military and joint anti-junta forces near the Thai border in Kayin state have left more than a dozen coalition fighters dead and several wounded on both sides of the conflict, sources in the region said Thursday.

The fighting began on June 26 when prodemocracy Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitaries and fighters with the ethnic Karen National Defense Army/Karen National Liberation Army (KNDO/KNLA) launched a joint attack on a military outpost near Myawaddy townships Ukrithta village, according to a report by the pro-military Myawaddy newspaper.

The attack prompted a military retaliation that included artillery fire and airstrikes, the report said. More junta troops are being deployed to the area, the report said.

Sources on the battlefield confirmed to RFA Burmese on Thursday that a joint force of ethnic Karen and PDF units led by Cmdr. Saw Win Myint of the KNDO Special Commando Battalion are fighting to take control of the Ukrithta camp held by junta troops.

Battalion sources told RFA that at least 13 members of the coalition forces have been killed in the five days of heavy fighting, which includes clashes in the nearby villages of Wawlay and Myaing.

KNDO officer Boh Salone said that Myanmars air force had been pounding opposition positions with strikes since June 26, including as recently as Thursday morning.

There are injuries on both sides but there are many on their side, he said.

They have been attacking us with jet fighters for the past four days. All throughout the day. When they came, they flew over the area four or five times and fired at us. The jets came nine or 10 times a day. They have already come 10 times today.

The military has not released any information on the number of casualties from the fighting and repeated calls by RFA seeking comment from the juntas deputy minister of information, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, went unanswered on Thursday.

KNDO chief, Gen. Saw Nedar Mya, told RFA that the junta is desperately fighting to prevent the camp from falling because of its strategic importance, although he did not elaborate on its significance to the military. The fighting is occurring near the Thai border south of Myawaddy, in an area controlled by the ethnic Karen National Unions (KNU) Brigade-6.

Fighter jets scrambled

Thailands air force scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to patrol the border area on Thursday after its radar captured Myanmar an air force jet allegedly violating Thai airspace briefly during its aerial assault against the Karen rebels, according to a report by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated news outlet.

At 11.16 hours, air force units found an unidentified aircraft violating territory at Pob Phra district, Tak province, to attack the minority along the border and later disappeared from radar screen, the Thai air force said in a statement, adding that helicopters were also detected in the area, although they did not appear to enter Thai airspace.

Therefore, the air force scrambled two F-16s to promptly perform combat patrol mission along Pob Phra border area and directed the air force envoy to Yangon to warn Myanmars related agencies to avoid reoccurrence.

BBC Thai showed photos of a Russian-made MiG-29 jet flying over Thai soil and reported that it fired rockets into Myanmars Kayin state.

The alleged incursion occurred a day after junta chief, Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, hosted a delegation headed by Lt. Gen. Apichet Suesat of the Royal Thai army in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw for the 34th meeting of the Thailand-Myanmar Regional Border Committee, according to a report by the official Global New Light of Myanmar.

The report said that the two sides had discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between defense forces and anti-terrorism measures to improve stability in the border area.

Zay Thu Aung, a former Myanmar air force captain who defected to join the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), said videos of Thursdays airstrike showed that the junta is using Russian-made MiG-29s to raid the area.

The videos show a MiG-29 attack, with the fighter gaining altitude following a bombing dive, he said. MiG-29s are very good as all-weather long-range attack fighters. They must have flown from [Yangons] Hmawbi Airbase.

A composite photo shows ethnic Karen rebels engaged in fighting in Kayin state's Myawaddy township. Credit: Citizen journalist Residents fleeing

Residents of Kayins Myawaddy township told RFA that Thursdays clashes had been the worst of the five days of fighting.

There were a lot of airstrikes today. Quite a lot. We also heard today that there was fighting in [nearby] Lay Kay Kaw [township] last night. We heard the military fired more than 20 artillery shells, one resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At present, people from Wawlay, Myaing and Ukrithta are fleeing.

Sources in the area said that the number of people who have been forced to seek refuge is unclear. Several airstrikes have been conducted in the area since anti-junta coalition forces seized a police station in Wawlay on May 18, detaining three policemen including the stations commander, and freeing several PDF fighters, they added.

In December 2021, about 200 fully armed junta troops arrested several CDM staff and PDF members sheltering in a KNU-controlled area in Lay Kay Kaw. Several days of fighting ensued between junta forces and the KNU, causing more than 70,000 residents to flee the area.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
The nine medics with the Wetlet township branch of the Generation Z Special Task Force who were killed by the military on June 29, 2022.

Junta troops in Myanmars embattled Sagaing region captured and killed nine unarmed civilians, including four teenagers, as they traveled to receive medical training, according to an official from their group and a family member of one of the victims.

The nine medics with the Wetlet township branch of the Generation Z Special Task Force, an organization aligned with the anti-junta Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitary group, were detained by the military, and shot dead on Wednesday near Shwebo townships Kunseik village while enroute to southeastern Sagaings Ayadaw township, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) away.

A spokesman for the Generation Z Special Task Force told RFA Burmese that those killed included four women: Pa Pa Khine, 14, Win Ei Kyaw, 15, Naing Naing Aung, 24, and Thit Thit Hlaing, 34; and five men: Pho Htaung, 17, Phone Kyaw, 17, Thein Than Oo, 21, Aung Kyaw Moe, 27, and Pho Nyein, 27.

The spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that his group confirmed the identities of the victims after obtaining photos of the slaughter.

They didnt have any weapons on them. They were going for medical training in an area where there was no fighting, he said.

We sent for them after notifying our allied groups as there were no military activities around here [and could safely return]. We have no idea how they got captured. We heard about some arrests [on Wednesday] and only [on Thursday], when we saw the photos, did we realize they were our team members.

The mother of one victim said she was devastated by the news that her daughter and her friends were killed at such a young age.

She wanted to do this, even though she was so young. She always said that she wanted to have a role she could play, said the victims mother, who also declined to be named.

Now that this has happened, Im heartbroken. Im so numb and I feel like I have nothing inside.

The junta has yet to comment on the incident and calls by RFA to junta deputy information minister, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, went unanswered on Thursday.

The Generation Z Special Task Force said it will work to obtain justice for the families of the victims of the extrajudicial killings and to bring international attention to the incident with the help of Myanmars shadow National Unity Government.

According to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, security forces have killed at least 2,053 civilians since the militarys Feb. 1, 2021, coup, although the group acknowledges its records are incomplete and says the real number of deaths is likely much higher.

Last month, the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP), a local think tank, said in a report that it had documented at least 5,646 civilian deaths in Myanmar between the coup and May 10.

The ISP figure included people killed by security forces during anti-junta protests, in clashes between the military and pro-democracy paramilitaries or ethnic armies, while held in detention, and in revenge attacks, including against informers for the regime.

At least 1,831 civilians were killed in shooting deaths, the largest number of which occurred in Sagaing region, where junta troops have faced some of the toughest resistance to military rule in clashes with the PDF paramilitaries that have displaced tens of thousands of residents since the coup, the ISP report said.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Three lawyers who were representing clients in anti-regime political cases have been arrested in Mandalay, sources close to the legal community told RFA on Friday.

A source close to the court told RFA Tin Win Aung, U Thuta and an unnamed lawyer were picked up on their return from working at Obo Prisons court in Mandalay on Wednesday evening.

Three people have been arrested, the third name is still unknown, he said.

No contact had been made with the detainees and it is still not known where they were taken, the source told RFA, adding that six Mandalay lawyers, including Ywat Nu Aung, are now in custody.

Aung was arrested on April 27 and charged under Section 50 (j) of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The prominent Mandalay lawyer was assisting members of the regional government, including the National League for Democracys (NLD) Mandalay Regional Chief Minister, Zaw Myint Maung.

The Regional Court in Chan Aye Thar San Township, Mandalay Region. CREDIT: RFA





In the third week of June, Khin Than Htay, another Mandalay lawyer who was assisting with political cases, was arrested by the military council and taken to Obo prisons court. Sources said the legal transcript of her case was written at the court.

Arrests of lawyers have not been confined to Mandalay. In Sagaing regions Monywa, three lawyers appear to have been arrested in the past few weeks. One was Moe Zaw Htun, who was representing Myint Naing, the NLD governments Chief Minister in the region. The other two lawyers are missing and it is not clear whether they have been arrested, Monywa residents told RFA.

The military council has not commented on the arrests of any of the lawyers. Calls to the military council spokesman by RFA went unanswered on Friday.

According to data compiled by RFA, 27 lawyers have been arrested since the February 2021 military coup, including several representing people arrested on political charges.
UPDATED at 10:28 EDT on 2022-07-01

A U.S. firm has completed sea trials of an advanced submarine rescue vehicle (SRV) for the Vietnamese Navy, reports said.

In a press release, Texas-based Forum Energy Technologies (FET) said its Scottish branch successfully completed sea trials of the SRV ahead of its deployment for an Asia Pacific-based navy. Media sources said the client was the Vietnamese Navy which bought six Kilo-class submarines from Russia ten years ago. An SRV is the main component of a submarine rescue vessel.

Vietnamese military officials were not available for comment.

Vietnam commissioned a homegrown multi-purpose submarine search and rescue vessel, which it named Yet Kieu after a legendary hero, in July 2021 but this final step indicates that the vessel should be nearing an operational capability, said Gordon Arthur, a defense analyst and Asia-Pacific editor of Shephard Media.

Given that Vietnam has been operating Russian-built Kilo-class submarines since 2014, it is perhaps surprising that it's taken nearly ten years to get such a rescue capability, Arthur told RFA.

Highly advanced vehicle

According to FETs statement, the sea trials tested the SRVs capabilities to perform a variety of demanding operations, including deep dives, navigation, and mating with a target.

In-country commissioning and testing took two months to complete, it said. The trials were done in close cooperation with the navy and Lloyds Register (LR), a maritime classification organization which offered third party verification and supervised every part of the sea trials.

The SRV is divided into two sections including a command module for pilots and a rescue chamber for the chamber operator and people being rescued. It is capable of rescuing up to 17 people at a time and operates at depths of up to 600m, FET said.

The vehicle boasts some of the most advanced sensors and sonars and depth sensing to quickly locate a distressed submarine.

FET will also be providing training for navy pilots as part of the contract, which includes theoretical training, maintenance, diving and recovery.

The mother ship 927-Yet Kieu meanwhile is nearly 100meters long, 16 meters wide and 7.2 meters high, with a displacement of up to 3,950 tons, according to Vietnamese defense sources.

The multi-purpose vessel can operate continuously at sea 30 days and nights and it is capable of withstanding high wind and waves. Vietnamese army company Z189 began building the ship in mid-2018 after the commissioning of the last of six Russian-made submarines in 2017.

Vietnam has the largest submarine fleet in Southeast Asia with six Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines, dubbed black holes for their stealthiness. With the new SRV, the Vietnamese navy has now joined the club of countries with submarine rescue capability in the Asia-Pacific including Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea.

Flag-hoisting ceremony on Kilo-class submarine Ba Ria  Vung Tau CREDIT: Vietnamese Navy





Expensive and dangerous

There has been a growth in the number of submarines in the region, noted Arthur, the defense analyst, adding that as submarine incidents have the potential to quickly become catastrophic, it is vital that navies operating submarines have their own rescue capability, so that they can quickly swing into action.

A submarine rescue capability is like a tuxedo. They are expensive and are rarely used - but when you do need it, absolutely nothing else can replace it, he said.

In April 2021 an Indonesian navy submarine, the KRI Nanggala, sank off the coast of Bali killing all 53 crew on board.

Yet Jakarta is seeking to expand its submarine fleet from four at present to at least 10 by 2029.

Some nations think that owning submarines will bring prestige and respect but submarines are not shiny toys. They are very expensive and underwater operations are inherently dangerous, said Arthur.

Navies need to ensure they have the skills, money and rescue capability to keep their submarines in top condition.

Vietnam, China and some other countries are entangled in territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the new submarine force would enable Hanoi to defend its interests, the Vietnamese military leadership has said.

But compared to its neighbor, Beijing has a much larger fleet of nearly 60 submarines, a third of which are nuclear-powered.

Analysts have questioned if Vietnams new SRV could be used for reconnaissance purposes besides submarine rescue missions. But some experts such as Collin Koh, research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, point out that such submersibles are handicapped by range and endurance, so they may have limited standoff reconnaissance capabilities.

But such submersibles with suitable modifications can potentially do seabed espionage-related work, such as tapping undersea cables, Koh said.

This article has been updated to change the headline and make minor edits to the text.
Questions about the investigation remain, and Nguyen Van Thiens father criticized the punishments as too light.

A military court in Vietnams central region sentenced five soldiers to a total of 41 years in prison on charges of causing the death of another soldier last year, a punishment the victims bereaved father said was too light.

Nguyen Van Thien, born in 1998 in central Vietnams Gia Lai province, began his mandatory military service in February 2020 and was just one month shy of finishing his two-year stint when he was found dead in a barracks bathroom last November.

Five people have been jailed, but the sentencing was not right, Nguyen Van Lam, Thiens father, told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

According to the investigation, the object that struck Nguyen Van Theins head and caused his death was a five-liter plastic pail. The defendant who was holding the pail when the death occurred claimed the death was an accident.

The plastic pail is too light to kill anyone, Lam said. The defendants described their positions when the killing happened, but it did not sound right. According to the lawyers, it was impossible to use a light plastic pail to cause someones death. So, we are not sure of the cause of death or who the killer is.

Four of the defendants were in the same platoon as Thien. Ksor Dim and Rmah Tuy were both sentenced to seven years, while Nguyen Dinh Tam, who was said to have been the main culprit, and Tran Van Mao, who stuck Thien in the head with the plastic pail, received nine-and-a-half year sentences. Squad leader Tran Duc Loi, meanwhile, got eight years.

According to the military procuracys report issued on April 25th, 2022, three soldiers, Nguyen Van Thien, Huynh Van Trung and Nguyen Van Hung went out for drinks at 3 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2021.

Their platoon leader discovered their absence after a roll call later in the day, and the platoon began searching for them.

At about 7 p.m. Nguyen Dinh Tam and the three other defendants in the platoon discussed what punishments they could face because of Thien, Trung and Hung. According to the court, Nguyen Dinh Tam persuaded the others to beat the three absent soldiers for revenge.

At 9 p.m., while in bed, Thien was called to the bathroom and beaten by the five defendants until he fell unconscious.

The defendants said that they tried to wake him up but could not, so they returned to their bunks thinking that Thien had blacked out because he had drunk too much.

A moment later, another soldier passed by the bathroom and found Thien lying on the ground with foam in his mouth. He called for help, but Thien was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.

During the trial, a representative of the Gia Lai military command told Theins family that the bruises on his body were from autopsy cuts and because he fell, not because he was engaged in a fight.

Vietnamese state media has not reported on the trial.

Le Xuan Anh Phu, the lawyer who represented the victim, told RFA that according to the procuracys report, defendant Tran Van Mao was the one who hit Thiens head with the plastic pail, causing him to fall. At the trial, however, Mao said he slipped and fell and that the pail had hit Thiens head by accident.

Phu said he requested another investigation because of discrepancies in the defendants statements and because he believes a five-liter plastic pail is too light to cause a serious head injury.

But the request was denied.

They did not reenact the whole scene. They just examined the scene and then the prosecutors argued that there were many witnesses of the beating, and the defendants testified the same, Phu said.

They concluded that they have enough evidence, he said. We argued that we need to reenact the whole scene to have a more convincing investigation and to satisfy the bereaved family.

Additionally, the five-liter pail shown in the courtroom was not the actual pail that struck Thien because investigators could not find the actual pail Mao allegedly used.

Representatives of Gia Lai military command told the court that they have disciplined more than 20 people in this case but did not elaborate on the details.

Phu, the attorney, said that military policy allowing other soldiers to discipline their colleagues indirectly led to Nguyen Van Thien's death. He said that the policy needs to be reviewed.

The victims father told RFA that the family will appeal the courts verdict in an attempt to discover the real cause of his sons death and determine who the real killer is.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Former political prisons in Belarus say they were denied medical care in jail, subjected to the constant glare of bright lights, and bombarded with speeches by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The accounts were part of a report by the Belarusian human rights group Vyasna. It documented the treatment of people detained in a brutal crackdown on mass protests against the 2020 presidential election results that were widely seen as falsified.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on July 1 handed a mandate to form a new government to the country's finance minister, Asen Vassilev.

Outgoing Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, a pro-Western reformist who resigned earlier this week following a no-confidence vote, said earlier on July 1 that his centrist Continue the Change party (PP) party would nominate Vassilev to become the country's next prime minister.

Vassilev now has seven days to try to end Bulgaria's latest political crisis, which Radev warned is also economic and social.

I expect adequate solutions and the defense of the national interest to build a free, democratic, and prosperous European Bulgaria, he added.

Vassilev must submit his proposed cabinet for approval to Radev and would then face a confidence vote in parliament.

Vassilev said all are aware of the crises that Bulgaria has to face, adding that it will be important that the cabinet "works in the interest of the citizens, not in the interest of the status quo."

Vassilev was handed the mandate after the leftist Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), a partner in Petkov's coalition, ruled out backing him. The BSP, traditionally friendly toward Moscow, said they were angered by Petkov's decision to expel 70 Russian diplomatic staff for allegedly working against Sofia's interests.

Bulgarias outgoing prime minister, Kiril Petkov, has rejected a Russian ultimatum to reverse a decision to expel 70 Russian diplomatic staff, calling Moscows behavior unacceptable.

Petkov earlier on July 1 rejected a Russian ultimatum to reverse the expulsions, calling Moscows behavior unacceptable.

On June 30, Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova delivered a diplomatic note that included a threat to close the Russian Embassy unless Sofia reversed the expulsions by noon on July 1.

The embassy remained open despite the ultimatum, but Mitrofanova said she would ask Moscow to close it.



"I intend to immediately raise with the leadership of my country the issue of the closure of the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria, which will inevitably lead to the closure of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in Moscow," Mitrofanova wrote on Facebook.



Petkov said earlier that Russia's behavior was unacceptable.

"We will not allow Bulgaria to take a wrong turn.... We will not allow foreign diplomats to give ultimatums to the Bulgarian state [to comply with their demands] by noon," he said.

Earlier on July 1, the BSP called on parliament to vote to revoke the expulsions to save diplomatic ties with Moscow. The biggest opposition party, the center-right GERB, said it backed the expulsions.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
Over the past five years, Central Asian countries have already seen some of the worst droughts, which has led to shortages of water for irrigation and hydropower. This, in turn, pushed prices for food up and caused electricity shortages. And in 2021, the deadliest border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in years started as a water dispute between local residents, although other factors played a role too.
Water is arguably the most important resource in Central Asia. It is vital for agriculture, which feeds and provides livelihoods for the regions predominantly rural population, as well as for hydropower stations that generate electricity for domestic consumption and export.

But this resource is at risk.

According to the 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, temperatures in Central Asia are rising faster than the global average. Scientists predict that the region will become dryer, and more parts of it will turn into deserts. Glaciers are melting at unprecedented speed. The World Bank report published last September estimated that Central Asia could see as many as 5 million internal climate migrants by 2050.

Over the past five years, Central Asian countries have already seen some of the worst droughts, which has led to shortages of water for irrigation and hydropower. This, in turn, has pushed prices for food up and caused electricity shortages. And in 2021, the deadliest border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in years started as a water dispute between local residents, although other factors played a role too.

In a live discussion on June 30, I spoke with Shahzoda Alikhanova, a natural resources management specialist from Uzbekistan who is currently a doctoral researcher at the Durrell Institute of Conservation Ecology at the University of Kent, and Sher Khashimov, a journalist from Tajikistan, about the impact of these environmental shifts on local communities, adaptation for a hotter and dryer future, and a lack of local scientific research and policy on grappling with climate change.

Some key takeaways:

Shahzoda Alikhanova (Uzbekistan): I would say that the biggest threat not only to Uzbekistan but across Central Asia is water shortages. Uzbekistan is a downstream country, and we are highly dependent on water resources and we dont generate our water. But water is crucial for agricultural production. I would say that farmers will be the most vulnerable, and they would be those who suffer the most because of the increasing droughts. There are different reports saying that crop yields across Central Asia are expected to decrease by 30-40 percent by mid-century. As precipitation patterns change, landslides and mudslides mostly occur in mountainous areas while droughts affect lowlands.

Sher Khashimov (Tajikistan): For the most part, I dont think people in Tajikistan understand how climate change is going to impact electricity production. Part of it has to do not only with the lack of knowledge but also with a lack of transparency on the part of the government. Usually, when the countrys energy systems face water shortages, and they are forced to shut down electricity access to certain communities in Tajikistan, the government just tells people that these are system maintenance days and they should gain access to electricity back in a few hours, maybe, a few days. But the government never acknowledges the larger systemic issues behind electricity shortages, which prevents people from understanding how its all connected to melting glaciers and climate change.

Listen to the full conversation here:

Read more on the subject from RFE/RL:

'Left With Just The Clothes We Were Wearing': Devastating Flood Made Kyrgyz Man An Environmental Migrant

The Curious Case Of Central Asia's Severe Electricity Shortages

Power Failure: Central Asia Relies On Coal To Get Through The Winter

Let It Rain: Anger, Frustration Increase As Central Asia's Drought Continues

Follow @RFERL on Twitter so as not to miss our regular conversations on life and social change in Central Asia every Thursday at 3 p.m. in Prague/9 a.m. in Washington (7 p.m. local time in Bishkek/Almaty/Astana, and 6 p.m local time in Tashkent/Dushanbe/Ashgabat).

We will return with a new episode on July 14.
TBILISI -- Forged amid the brutality of a police crackdown on protesters three years ago, one of the Georgian government's most consistently audacious critics is staging another showdown.

If Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his cabinet don't resign to make way for a caretaker government "of national consent" by July 3, the Shame Movement has vowed to raise protests that have already mobilized tens of thousands of Georgians to a "larger stage."

Shame and its NGO allies are gambling that they can leverage their limited foothold on Georgian society into a sustained push to reform and "de-oligarchize" their Black Sea nation of nearly 4 million people.

Civil society in Georgia is both strong and weak. It's very visible, and we hear it in the West.... On the other hand, it doesn't have that much support in Georgian society as a whole."

Their aim is to prod Georgia closer to its constitutionally declared goals of European and transatlantic integration. But if their pressure campaign fails, it could instead highlight the groups' lack of genuine traction despite fervent activism to improve governance and transparency in the face of a decade of dominance by the ruling Georgian Dream party and its oligarch founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

"Civil society in Georgia is both strong and weak," Stephen Jones, director of Georgian studies at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, told RFE/RL. "It's very visible, and we hear it in the West -- that's important. On the other hand, it doesn't have that much support in Georgian society as a whole."

The specter of tent cities and other forms of civil disobedience is not new in the Caucasus home of the first of the bloodless "color revolutions" in the former Soviet Union, the so-called Rose Revolution in 2003.

But the timing, with an unprovoked Russian war raging in nearby Ukraine and Tbilisi still stinging from the European Union's pointed snub to deny Georgia "candidate" status, threatens to slow down reforms and shape perceptions in the West of eroding democracy and freedoms, just when Georgians are hoping for closer political and defense ties in the shadow of an assertive Russia.

Shame's Roots

Close followers of Georgia and its three decades of independence suggest Shame and the other protesters' demands might be an overreach, despite popular discontent, given Georgian Dream and its 66-year-old billionaire backer's political and economic hold on the country.

But Shame and its diffuse leadership have shown from their inception that they're not afraid to swing and miss.

The Shame Movement was born of a violent crackdown in June 2019, when protesters surrounded parliament to express anger after a visiting Russian legislator, Sergei Gavrilov, spoke from the speaker's rostrum in what came to be known as "Gavrilov night."

Many regarded it as a national indignity, since thousands of Russian troops were still occupying Georgia's separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia 11 years after a lightning war with Russia in 2008.

More than 200 demonstrators were injured amid the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and truncheons by riot police and special Interior Ministry troops, and even more were arrested.

Wary of opposition parties whose participation they blamed for escalating the threat of violence, some protesters banded together under the Shame Movement banner.

Since then, Shame has repeatedly reemerged to spearhead protests -- eventually unblocking promised electoral reforms and, less successfully, demanding a recount and rerun of elections in 2020, as well as challenging a pandemic curfew it feared was aimed at curbing demonstrations.

Shota Dighmelashvili, who has worked as an editor and TV presenter and founded the Governance Monitoring Center NGO in 2017, emerged as a key speaker within the movement.

Of its 2020 rallies to warn of potential election fraud and to force the government to fulfill its pledge to fully introduce proportional representation in parliament, Dighmelashvili boasted, "If before, people were joining rallies organized by politicians, now politicians came to the rally organized by people."

But while the protests have attracted many Georgians in the past, it is unclear if they can expand their influence sufficiently to bring decisive pressure to bear on the government in the current standoff.

"Shame is active, but I'm not sure how many Georgians are aware of its activity," Harvard's Jones said. He said Shame's effort to remain nonpartisan was admirable because Georgians are "totally disillusioned with parties."

But he warned of a "disconnect" between Shame and ordinary Georgians, despite the apparent vibrancy of Georgian civil society compared with neighboring Armenia and, especially, Azerbaijan.

"The reality of Georgian politics and society is they are one voice among many and, quite frankly, don't have much power or leverage to influence political opinion," Jones said. "It's a shame."

Beyond the usual obstacles, he suggested, some groups that "do good work" but rely on Western funding can lack "indigenous connections." Shame is supported by the European Endowment for Democracy, an independent organization to promote democracy that was established by the European Union.

High Stakes

Georgian Dream's uninterrupted rule since its founding in 2012 has been accompanied by slippage in key metrics on democracy and media freedoms, human and minority rights, and the fight against corruption and political polarization, among others.

In early June, the European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the EU to impose sanctions against Ivanishvili for his "destructive role" in Georgia's politics and economy, including risks to free media and journalists' safety.

The resolution said that Ivanishvili, "despite not holding any official political position, still plays a major role in the country and is believed to be de facto in control of the government and economy, with at least four of the cabinet members being former employees or close associates of Ivanishvili, including the prime minister, who was his personal assistant."

Then, a week ago, the European Council granted candidate status to war-torn Ukraine and longtime laggard Moldova but deferred on Georgia until "the priorities specified in the commission's opinion on Georgia's membership application have been addressed."

The commission cited missing "key reforms" including in the areas of governance, justice, tackling organized crime, respecting human rights and minorities, and the rule of law.

"Crucial challenges nevertheless remain in particular due to the overly divided political scene," the commission said. "There is an urgent need to address this political polarization and enhance democratic oversight. Eradication of vested interests needs to be a high priority."

The European Commission will issue a progress report at the end of this year to assess Georgian progress.

Filling The Streets

Even ahead of the EU's formal mothballing of Tbilisi's application, the signals from Brussels were clear.

As a result, pro-EU demonstrations organized by Shame and others drew tens of thousands of people into the streets of Tbilisi on June 20 and June 24, underscoring the dampening effect on Georgians' morale.

If the Georgian government violates the constitution and we see signs of that, then the Georgian people have every right to tell the government that it is illegitimate."

At the second rally, outside parliament, Dighmelashvili issued two demands on behalf of what he dubbed a new Home To Europe movement. He called for Prime Minister Garibashvili's resignation and a caretaker "government of national consent...to implement all 12 EU recommendations."

He called the situation an "oligarchic dictatorship" and accused the government of abrogating Article 78 of the Georgian Constitution, which obliges it to "take all measures within the scope of their competences to ensure the full integration" of Georgia into the EU and NATO.

"If the Georgian government violates the constitution and we see signs of that, then the Georgian people have every right to tell the government that it is illegitimate," Dighmelashvili said.

"This protest has two demands that strive to encapsulate the sentiments of as many Georgian citizens as possible and avoid entering the field of polarization," Dighmelashvili told RFE/RL's Georgian Service. "The first is the resignation of the head of the government, the prime ministerwho should take political responsibility for the fact that once the leader country of the Association Trio [of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia] is now left out of it."

He said the demand for a "government of national consent seeks to avoid any one party" taking control, adding, "This should be a team chosen by consensus, according to their professional merits."

Shame has given the Georgian government until this weekend to meet its movement's demands to avoid "a larger stage of protest." The group announced a demonstration for the evening of July 3 that "won't disperse until oligarchic rule is dismantled."

Garibashvili has vowed to meet the EU's terms "so that we get candidate status as soon as possible." But following three divisive years since the bloody dispersal of the 2019 protests, there are doubts about the willingness of the prime minister and Georgian Dream to move.

"I don't think they will consider this proposal seriously. And there's no need to, quite honestly," Jones said. He cited Georgian Dream's "strong position" thanks to its grip on power and its parliamentary majority.

"They will move ahead, and they will tackle some of the demands that the EU commission has made," he said, "but we'll see how successful they are."

Debate Or Disconnect?

Georgians are among Europe's most enthusiastic supporters among nonmember states of European and transatlantic integration, with polls consistently showing around 80 percent of the country in favor of EU membership.

That support almost inevitably brings them into conflict with the government, Jones said, "because there is a sense that the Georgian government is either deliberately sabotaging the application -- I don't think that's the case, but there is a sense that that might be the case -- or that they are simply insufficiently committed to becoming members of the EU, or at least their policies suggest that they're not ready to fulfill the conditions that the EU is asking them to fulfill."

This week, the U.S. ambassador to Tbilisi, Kelly Degnan, highlighted Georgian public support for the reforms at the center of the EU recommendations for membership status, particularly among "stakeholders" including "the people, civil society, opposition parties, and some members of the government."

She added that "we know the government can move quickly when it wants to."

"The next six months will be an important opportunity to get started," Degnan said. "Everyone wants to see a very positive report for Georgia by the end of the year -- before that, if possible, but by December most certainly."

Some other prominent outsiders believe a technocratic approach -- skirting Georgian Dream's firm grip on power and decision-making -- is the best way to do that.

Veteran U.S. diplomat Kurt Volker, in a piece for the Center for European Policy Analysis, argued that "the best response" for Georgia to the EU's challenge would be a "nonpartisan, technocratic commission, including international and domestic experts," to map out how to meet all 12 of the EU's recommendations for candidate status.

"Without such concrete steps, the symbolic separation of Georgia from Ukraine and Moldova made today may become more than symbolic tomorrow," Volker warned.

With additional reporting from Tbilisi by RFE/RL's Georgian Service
TBILISI -- Tens of thousands of Georgians rallied on the streets of Tbilisi, angered by what the opposition sees as the governments failure to make progress on reforms that can boost the Caucasus countrys hopes of joining the European Union.

Participants of the July 3 event, organized by the Shame civic movement and other pro-democracy groups, also displayed support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, which occupies segments of Georgian territory captured in a short 2008 war.

Protesters holding flares and waving Georgian and EU flags and banners blocked traffic on the central Rustaveli Avenue and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and for a new government of national accord to be formed.

Georgia has been gripped by protests after EU leaders last month deferred Tbilisi's membership candidacy, recognizing it as a perspective member but insisting that candidate status could only be granted as soon as set priorities are met" and widespread reforms are put in place.

While deferring on Georgia, the EU at the same time formally agreed to take the historic step of making Ukraine and Moldova candidates for EU membership in the midst of the war in Ukraine and Moscows bitter denunciations of the two countries intensions.

Garibashvili has said his government is "mobilized" to meet the requirements set by Brussels "so that we get candidate status as soon as possible."

No immediate estimate on the number of rally participants was available, but an estimated 120,000 people took part in each of two previous rallies in the Georgian capital.

In one demonstration, Shota Digmelashvili of the Shame movement read out a manifesto and announced the launch of a new popular movement that will include opposition parties, civil society organization, journalists, and labor unions to make demands on the government.

The manifesto asserted that the countrys main obstacle on its European path is Bidzina Ivanishvili," the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party who is widely believed to be the top decision-maker in the South Caucasus country even though he does not hold office.

In May, the European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the EU to impose sanctions against Ivanishvili for his "destructive role" in Georgia's politics and economy. Ivanishvili insists he has retired from politics.

In a Facebook statement, rally organizers called on Ivanishvili to "relinquish executive power and transfer it, in a constitutional manner, to a government of national accord."

The statement said a new government could "carry out the reforms required by the EU, which will automatically bring us the status of an EU membership candidate."

"A next stage of our protests begins today. We will not disperse."

The government led by the Georgian Dream party has been hit by increasing international criticism over perceived backsliding on democracy, damaging its EU hopes.

The European Commission said the conditions that Tbilisi must fulfill include ending political polarization, progress on media freedom, judiciary and electoral reforms, and "de-oligarchization."

Georgian Dream officials insist they are following democratic principles and accused the opposition of "plans to overthrow the authorities by organizing anti-government rallies."

Opinion polls show that at least 80 percent of the Georgian population favor plans to join the EU, as well as NATO, amid perceived threats from Russia.

Georgias aspirations to forge closer ties with the West have long angered Russia. Tensions culminated in Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008 after which Russia recognized South Ossetia and another region, Abkhazia, as independent countries and stationed thousands of its soldiers in those areas.

With reporting by AFP
Nasrin Javadi, a trade union activist in Iran, has begun serving a seven-year prison sentence that she and activists have slammed as retribution for her labor agitation.

The Free Union of Iranian Workers said in a statement on June 30, that Javadi was ordered to report to prison on July 2, following "numerous summonses and pressure from the authorities."

Javadi, 64, was first arrested on May 1, 2019, when she attended a workers protest rally in front of parliament in Tehran. She was released from Qarchak prison on May 29 that year after posting bail.

Since then, the labor activist has been sentenced to a total of seven years in prison and 74 lashes by the Revolutionary Court for charges including "gathering and conspiring to act against the security of the country," "disturbing public order and peace," and "propaganda against the regime.

Activists and human rights groups have condemned the charges, saying Javadi has been persecuted for her labor activism.

In the past, Javadis lawyer had submitted medical documents to court showing she suffers from numerous illnesses that make it impossible for her to serve time in prison.

Labor protests in Iran have been on the rise amid declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of insurance support. Labor law in Iran does not recognize the right of workers to form independent unions.

Authorities have cracked down on the protests, arresting many of those taking part.

With writing and reporting by Ardeshir Tayebi
Japan's government warned on July 1 that its "interests must not be undermined" after a Moscow decree ordered a transfer of the operations of a multibillion-dollar joint oil and gas project to a new Russian entity.

The decree over control of the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia's Far East was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier and could mark a dangerous new precedent in Moscow's relations with foreign investors.

"Speaking generally, we believe our resource interests must not be undermined," Japanese government spokesman Seiji Kihara said. He said Tokyo was "closely examining the impact on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports."

Japan relies heavily on LNG imports and had previously ruled out Japanese companies' withdrawal from the Sakhalin-2 project despite Tokyo's support for international energy sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said later that his government did not think the decree "will immediately stop LNG imports," but his economy minister said officials were examining other potential suppliers.

Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda told reporters that Japanese officials do not regard the decree as a requisition but interpret it as Putin asking stakeholders about a possible handover to a new company.

Japanese trading houses Mitsui and Mitsubishi Corp own a combined 22.5 percent in Sakhalin-2.

Russian officials have been stung by massive financial and other sanctions since tens of thousands of Putin's troops rolled across Ukraine's borders on February 24.

Putin's decree reportedly creates a new Russian operator of Sakhalin-2 and requires current owners to apply to Moscow for the right to participate in it.

Asked about Sakhalin-2 as an example of what might happen to other joint projects with Western investors, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would act on a case-by-case basis.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
BISHKEK -- A Kyrgyz blogger known for his critical reports of authorities has been detained for 48 hours before a pretrial hearing to decide on whether to place him in detention or under house arrest.

Adilet Ali Myktybek, known on social media as Alibek Baltabai, faces charges of calling for social unrest on the Internet, allegations he says are politically motivated.

Myktybek was detained late on June 30 after he was questioned by Bishkek police for a third time since late May, the Birinchi Mai district court said.

Opposition politician Ravshan Jeenbekov told RFE/RL that Myktybek's supporters are currently looking for a lawyer to defend the noted blogger.

After questioning earlier by police, Myktybek said that the case against him is the authorities retaliation for his numerous reports on Facebook criticizing them.

"This is, I am confident, pressure being put on me for my opposition stance and my criticism of the authorities. What they are using against me is my own reports, in which I expressed my social and political stance, my activism," Myktybek said.

Myktybek is also known for actively covering anti-government rallies and pickets in the Central Asian nation.

He is also a freelance correspondent of the Next television channel, whose director, Taalai Duishembiev, is currently in pretrial detention over the airing of a controversial report in which an interviewee alleged the existence of an agreement between Bishkek and Moscow to send troops to assist Russian armed forces in the ongoing war against Ukraine.

Domestic and international human rights groups have urged Kyrgyz authorities to release Duishembiev, who was arrested on March 24.
UNESCO, the UNs cultural agency, has registered Ukrainian borscht, the beet-based soup, as part of Ukraines intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, a move that Ukraines culture minister lauded as victory in the borscht war.

The culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking was today inscribed on UNESCOs list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding by a UNESCO committee, the agency said in a July 1 statement.

UNESCO acknowledged that Ukrainian borscht is a national version of borscht consumed in several countries of the region.

An inscription of an element of intangible cultural heritagedoes not imply exclusivity, nor ownership, of the heritage concerned, the UNESCO statement said.

The decision was approved after a fast-track process prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the "negative impact on this tradition" caused by the war, UNESCO said in a statement on July 1.

"Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, UNESCO has initiated a series of emergency measures in the fields of culture, education, as well as the protection of journalists, in accordance with UNESCO's mandate," UNESCO added.

Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko hailed UNESCO's move, calling it Ukraines "victory in the borscht war."

"And remember and be sure that we will win both in the war of borscht and in this war," he said, referring to Russia's invasion.

In a post on Twitter, the Russian Embassy in the United States noted that borscht is a national food of many countries, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Lithuania.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook that our borscht doesnt need to be defended and is subject to immediate and complete destruction in the bowl.

She noted that dishes like humus and pilaf have been declared national dishes of multiple nations, but said Kyiv thinks everything is subject to Ukrainization.

What will be next? she wrote. The claim that pork is a Ukrainian national product?

Ukraines application for the UNESCO designation was pushed by the Institute of Culture of Ukraine, a nongovernmental organization founded by chef Yevhen Klopotenko. In a 2020 post on Facebook, Klopotenko said the designation was necessary because of claims borscht is a Russian soup.

Its about national identity, Klopotenko wrote.

With reporting by AFP, Ukrayinska pravda, Ukrinform, and UNIAN
At least 21 people have been killed, including two children, in Russian missile attacks on a village near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, authorities said, a day after Russian invading forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island.

Video of the aftermath of the predawn attack on July 1 showed the charred remains of buildings in Serhiyivka, located about 50 kilometers southwest of Odesa. Ukrainian news reports said missiles struck a multistory apartment building and a recreational center.

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.

Ukrainian authorities linked the missile strikes to the withdrawal of Russian troops from Snake Island a day earlier.

A terrorist country is killing our people. In response to defeats on the battlefield, they fight civilians," Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Twitter.

According to Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for Odesa's regional military administration, rescuers have so far found 21 dead as a result of the missile attack.

Ukrainian emergency officials said earlier that two children were among the dead and said 38 people were injured, including three children.



Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted photos of the destruction on Twitter and appealed for weapons.



"Terrorist state Russia continues its war against civilians with overnight missile strikes on Odesa region killing dozens, including children," he said. "I urge partners to provide Ukraine with modern missile defense systems as soon as possible. Help us save lives and put an end to this war."



The withdrawal of Russian forces from Snake Island was expected to potentially ease the threat to nearby Odesa. The island sits along a busy shipping lane.



The Kremlin portrayed the withdrawal as a goodwill gesture. Ukraines military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee in two small speedboats. The exact number of withdrawing troops was not disclosed.

Control of Snake Island, located about 40 kilometers from Ukraines coast near the Danube Delta, had enabled Russia to threaten the sea lanes leading to and from Odesa, Ukraines main port for shipping grain to the world.

General Valery Zaluzhny, commander of Ukraine's armed forces, said on July 1 that Russian planes had dropped phosphorus bombs on the island.



"The leadership of the armed forces of the Russian Federation does not even adhere to its own statements, which declare a `gesture of goodwill,''' Zaluzhny said on Telegram. He posted a video of explosions hitting the island on Facebook.

The attacks on the civilian buildings in Serhiyivka came in the 19th of Russian President Vladimir Putin's large-scale invasion, with Russian forces otherwise focused on what Ukrainians call an "enormous" bombardment of the last major city holding out in the east, Lysychansk, and the shelling of civilian settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

It also follows an attack earlier this week on a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk, in central Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have described the mall attack as a "terrorist" act, while Moscow has denied responsibility.

Ukrainian State Emergency Service on July 1 raised the number of confirmed dead in the attack to 19 and the number of injured to 64. Among the injured, 26 were hospitalized. The Prosecutor-General's Office reported that 36 people remain missing.

WATCH: Survivors of the Russian missile attack on the Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk on June 27 describe digging themselves out of rubble, being helped by strangers, and missing death by pure chance.

The head of the military administration of the Luhansk region to the east, Serhiy Hayday, said Lysychansk "is constantly being shelled with large [gun] calibers" by the Russian forces attempting to encircle the strategic hilltop city -- a key battleground in Moscow's attempt to conquer Ukraine's industrial heartland of Donbas.

After weeks of fighting that killed hundreds of civilians and turned the city into rubble, Moscow took control of neighboring Syevyerodonetsk, and is now setting its sights on Lysychansk.

The United States said on July 1 that a new package of military aid worth $820 million will include new surface-to-air missile systems and anti-artillery radar systems.



"We are going to support Ukraine as long as it takes," U.S. President Joe Biden said on June 30 at the close of a NATO summit in Madrid.



As part of the new package, the United States will purchase two systems known as NASAMS, a Norwegian-developed antiaircraft system.



Zelenskiy thanked Biden for providing the NASAMS, which he said will "significantly strengthen our antiaircraft defense."

In addition to the NASAMS, the package includes artillery ammunition and radar systems, he said in a video message late on July 1.



According to Zelenskiy, Ukraine is actively negotiating for other new weapons from partners.



"This is necessary for the Donbas, for the Kharkiv region, for the south of Ukraine. We are doing everything to break the advantage of the occupiers," he said.

With reporting by AP
Petrykivka painters are continuing their craft as missiles hammer eastern Ukraine and the town's historic art collection is transported to safety. In the museum of Petrykivka in eastern Ukraine, one room stands empty. Before Russia's February 24 invasion, the building held art treasures unique to the region, but now the museums curator says the paintings have been spirited away to a secret location for safekeeping.

Petrykivka is several hours drive from the frontline fighting in Ukraine, but on June 27, the same day RFE/RL visited the town, at least 20 people were killed when a 5.8-ton Russian missile obliterated a shopping center in Kremenchuk, less than 100 kilometers away. The next day, cruise missiles struck Dnipro, just 40 kilometers from Petrykivka.

Petrykivka painting is an ancient art form that once decorated the outside walls and interior stoves of Ukrainian village homes in the lush farming region around Dnipro. The candy-colored art was initially credited with warding off evil spirits and ensuring a fruitful, love-filled household. In 2013, the art was inscribed on UNESCO's list of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The painting style dates back around 300 years, but early examples of the art have been lost to time due to the perishable materials used. Before paint and lacquer were introduced, the villagers of Petrykivka used natural dyes, including juices squeezed from sunflowers, beetroots, cherries, and grass. A glossy coating was made from boiled sugar.

Natalya Rybak is one of Petrykivkas most well-known master painters and decorates items sold throughout Ukraine and abroad. Rybak says she "adores" her profession, adding, If your work can bring joy to other people, then why not?

Rybak says it is mostly women who paint in Petrykivka because men have to do heavy physical work that stresses their bodies, whereas women can be neat and tidy with their brushstrokes. After the February 2022 invasion, the master artist says she stopped painting for three months due to anxiety but restarted recently. I found it calms me and helps me take my mind off the war, she says.

According to Rybak, all professional painters in Petrykivka have their own paintbrushes made from cat fur, which is softer and more supple than other fibers and essential for authentic Petrykivka paintings. The cat needs to be of a "relaxed and happy" temperament, Rybak says, and is given a treat of sausage or lard after tufts of hair are snipped from the tip of its tail or from under its armpit. Petrykivka paintings are distinctive for their fantastical birds and flowers, which are often exaggerated versions of reality. Many features of the paintings serve a symbolic role.

The hearth painting seen above in the Petrykivka Museum tells a story of love, family, and faith. At the lowest level of the image, berries (each made with a single dab of a finger) represent deceased ancestors. Further up the artwork, two red flowers symbolize a husband and wife, while the hen-like birds represent love between the married couple. Above the birds, seeds in a sunflower-like plant represent children, then at the top of the image, three dots symbolize the Holy Trinity of God.

On the outskirts of Petrykivka, artist Mykola Deka runs a picturesque homestead that looks like a scene from the classic Soviet cartoon based on a Ukrainian folk tale Once Upon A Time There Lived A Dog. The artist keeps the ancient Ukrainian tradition of painted houses alive by ringing the windows of his properties with flowers and berries in the Petrykivka style.

Deka, who has a guesthouse on his land, says that since war broke out international visits have stopped completely and only tourists from nearby Dnipro have booked into his property.
Ukraine has asked Turkey to detain a Russian-flagged cargo ship believed to be carrying Ukrainian grain that Kyiv says set off from Berdyansk, a Ukrainian port occupied by Russian forces.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Ankara on July 1 said the Zhibek Zholy had reached the Turkish port of Karasu after setting sail from Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov.

"Based on instruction from the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General, we asked the Turkish side to take corresponding measures," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said on Twitter.

"I am confident that the decisions to be taken [by Turkey] will prevent attempts to violate Ukraine's sovereignty," Bodnar said.

The ambassador's tweets did not specify the ship's cargo.

Marinetraffic.com said the 140-meter general cargo vessel Zhibek Zholy was sailing under the Russian flag. It showed the ship late on July 1 anchored about 1 kilometer off Turkey's Black Sea port of Karasu.

Yevhen Balytskiy, the head of the Moscow-appointed administration in the Zaporizhzhya region, said on Telegram on June 30 that a merchant ship with 7,000 tons of grain had left Berdyansk. He said it was headed for "friendly countries" but did not name them or give any details on the origins of the grain.

A letter dated June 30 to Turkey's Justice Ministry says the Zhibek Zholy was involved in the "illegal export of Ukrainian grain" from Berdyansk, according to Reuters, which said it had seen the document.

Bodnar last month accused Turkey of purchasing grain seized by Russia from Ukraine during its invasion.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week that Ankara was investigating reports of Russian-seized Ukrainian grain reaching its shores. He added that Turkey had been unable to find any stolen Ukrainian grain shipments to date.

Moscow-installed officials claim that they have nationalized state infrastructure and buy their crops from local farmers.

Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn, and sunflower oil, but Russian forces are currently blocking Ukrainian Black Sea ports, endangering the world's food supply.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Hong Kong: President meets new CE, officials

President Xi Jinping met Chief Executive John Lee and members of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary after attending the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today.

President Xi swore in the Chief Executive and principal officials during the ceremony.

After the event, he met the officials, permanent secretaries of the new-term Government, as well as members of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.

They included Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung and Executive Council Non-official Members Convenor Regina Ip.

President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan concluded their visit to Hong Kong at around noon.

The Chief Executive and his wife Janet Lee saw them off at the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link's West Kowloon Station.

This story has been published on: 2022-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Although it has been nearly one year since Xu Xuefeng, a farmer in east Chinas Anhui Province was paid a sum of money from his village for transferring his land resources management rights, the man is still impressed by how the project has benefited him. In August 2021, Liuxi village in Jingde county, Anhui opened a rural resources bank in the hope of turning residential land, farmland and housing properties, which were sparsely scattered and offered few economic benefits, into tradable resources by integrating them, introduced Hu Liming, head of the team of officials stationed in Liuxi village engaged in facilitating rural development, and who also serves as first secretary of the Party committee in the village. Photo shows a white tea plantation in Liuxi village, Jingde County, east Chinas Anhui Province. (Peoples Daily Online/Zhang Jun) Liuxi village is situated in a mountainous region in southern Anhui. The agricultural and forestry land area located in mountains near the village is 9,358 mu (623.87 hectares), but the area of flat farmland run by the village is quite small. In 2017, the village kicked off a reform to transfer forestry resources management rights. During the reform, farmers transferred their rights to manage forestry resources to a stock cooperative in the village, which would then invest in the resources and run the investment projects. This mechanism effectively turned rural resources into assets and farmers into shareholders. Xu Xuefeng, a villager from Liuxi village, Jingde county, east Chinas Anhui Province, shows a certificate which proves that he is a beneficiary of the ecological resources transfer program. (Peoples Daily Online/Zhang Jun) In 2021, the collective income of Liuxi village reached 614,000 yuan (about $91,608), which was more than 20 times as much as the income collected by the village in 2016. The rural resources bank has put a price tag on rural resources, said Hu. While according to Sun Jun, deputy secretary of the Party committee and deputy head of the villagers committee in Liuxi village, because the resources had not been exploited in the past, they produced no economic benefits. Aside from three plantations that cover a total area of 2,276 mu, after the rural resources bank was opened, Liuxi village also finished the transfer of the rights to use 3,600 mu of agricultural and forestry land located in the mountains. In Liuxi village, there is also a white tea plantation that occupies 1,000 mu of land. The agricultural and forestry land area owned by Liuxi village is large, but the flattened area of farmland run by the village is quite small. (Peoples Daily Online/Zhang Jun) In addition to being paid land transfer fees, local farmers can also work at the plantations, which is able to provide jobs for more than 200 villagers, with their income totaling 3.6 million yuan each year, introduced Sun. Apart from Liuxi village, another 10 villages in Jingde county are running their own rural resources banks, which have gathered together 23,600 mu of agricultural and forestry land in the mountainous areas. Nearly one year after they went into operation, these banks have effectively converted local ecological resources into assets and capital. The rural resources bank has helped turn the ecological resources of Liuxi village into valuable assets. (Peoples Daily Online/Zhang Jun)
The capture of Syevyerodonetsk, once home to over 100,000 people, was a slow and grinding victory for Russian forces. As outgunned Ukrainians troops engaged in street fighting, the Russian side unleashed artillery barrages that devastated the city. Residents who had nowhere else to go are now emerging from the safety of their basements and shelters to find a wasteland of destroyed buildings and shattered infrastructure.

Ukraine described its pullback from Syevyerodonetsk as a "tactical withdrawal" as it repositioned its troops to higher ground in Lysychansk, on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets River. On June 30, a Reuters photographer captured the destruction in Syevyerodonetsk as its residents contemplated a future under Russian occupation.
De Letzebuerger Kenschtler huet der Jury e Wierk presenteiert, dat komplett digital kreeiert a mam 3D-Printer reproduzeiert gouf.

De Prais gouf vun engem greissere Jury verginn, deen sech unanime fir de Pit Molling entscheet huet. De Letzebuerger Kenschtler gouf 1984 zu Letzebuerg gebuer an huet sain Diplom bei der FADBK zu Essen gemaach.

Dei nachsten Editioun ass fir 2025 virgesinn.

 Pit Molling

Hei den offizielle Communique

Communique de presse

Prix de la sculpture Schlassgoart decerne a Pit Molling

Esch-sur-Alzette, le 1er juillet 2022

Le jury du Prix de la sculpture Schlassgoart sest reuni le 16 juin 2022.

A lissue de ses debats, le jury a decerne a lunanimite de ses membres le Prix

de la sculpture Schlassgoart a lartiste Pit Molling, Ne en 1984 a Luxembourg et

diplome de la FADBK d'Essen, Pit Molling a presente au jury une oeuvre realisee par

le biais de limpression 3D FDM (Fused deposition modeling), montrant ses

tentatives a capter la structure esthetique universelle du monde sous forme digitale,

afin de la reproduire en reel. Sinteressant a levidence de lart numerique, Pit

Molling questionne ainsi la veracite du monde virtuel a travers lart, cherchant a

resister aux tendances actuelles dun art impersonnel, leger et amusant, en refusant de

reduire son travail a un simple produit culturel consommable.

Mr Godfrey Worsdale president du jury a resume comme suit lappreciation du

jury sur le laureat et les autres candidats retenus pour loctroi du Grand Prix de la

Sculpture 2022 :

The practice of sculpture is a complex and shifting preoccupation. Unlike

painting, which seems to wain repeatedly before a predictable but notable

resurgence, sculpture proceeds along a number of strands, sometimes parallel and at

other times converging and overlapping. To be asked to consider and compare the

practice of a group of sculptors therefore can be an arduous challenge, and this was

the task of the Jury for the selection of this years Prix de la Sculpture, Schlassgoart.

Each finalist had presented work for consideration that demonstrated an

intimacy and sensitivity to their chosen material and process of execution, but in

each and every case, a clear and unique identity was palpable.



For both Gerard Claude and Jhemp Bastin, the possibilities of wood, a

sculptors material as old as the practice, is seen to be far from exhausted. Their

respective submissions demonstrate in very different ways, that great potential still

exists to engage with a material that is unpredictable and characterful, bringing its

own identity to the work. An entirely different approach is adopted by Armand

Strainchamps, whose proposal brings sculpture into dialogue with 2-dimensional

imagery and on into social exchange - his figures, at once images and objects,

interrupt and relate to our human curiosity with identity and personality, being

amongst us and reflecting our interactions.



Serge Ecker has proposed an idea that is also social, but in this case it is

associated with the language of architectural surface and the environment in which

we exist.



Manolis Manarakis made a powerful proposal, which spoke directly to the

challenge of human interaction and hierarchy; as the small looks up to the powerful

and strong, we reflect on the possibility of resistance and of authority. At the same

time we recognise the classical modernist device of two forms interacting and in pure

sculptural terms, generating tension.



Ann Vinck, forms primal characters from terracotta, speaking directly to the

human condition, whilst Ellen van der Woude takes us into infinitesimal detail

exquisitely executed in porcelain as she recreates the implausible perfections of the

natural world - creating something that seems to have grown without human

intervention.



Each of these sculptors is able to show us all something about the world we

inhabit and the way in which we understand our selves. Again, somewhat differently

to painting, sculpture - with its ever expanding lexicon of materials and techniques -

is open to a vast range of possibilities. To retain its relevance, sculpture will always

find ways to include new technologies into its vocabulary. However, the adoption of a

new technique doesnt necessarily facilitate the realisation of innovative work.

Our winner of the 2022 Prix de la Sculpture, has engaged with one of the most

significant technological interventions in sculpture for many years - digital printing.

This technology offers endless possibilities for the lives we live and that we will live

in the future, but for the artist, here-in is a risk. Such is the revolutionary nature of

this process, that its very deployment in an artistic purpose is all too often seen as a

sufficient endeavour for the results to be of interest and value.



In fact, the use of this technology is, in all the important ways, very similar to

the tradition of making sculpture in wood, as Claude and Bastin have both

demonstrated here, which should be subject to endless care, refinement and

experimentation for great results to be achieved. This brings us to our new Laureate;

Pit Molling, whose winning submission, once conceived was produced with this new

technology. For this years jury, there were two fundamental reasons for his success.

Firstly, the artist has not given over any authorship to the medium, which all

too often can produce work lacking in refinement and character, he has instead

created a seductive surface making endlessly rewarding references to finely woven

fabrics, which might remind us of our own context; of the clothing we wear or the

fabrics within our domestic environment. This meticulous effect is then orchestrated

like the surface of a minimalist painters canvas, whose obsession is focussed on the

way in which his work might reflect light. Perhaps informed by the artists time as a

painting student in Essen.



The second crucial characteristic is to be found in the way Mollings work

references the forms of classical modernism; a terrain where the natural form and

the machine-made product had to learn to interact and contradict one another. Here

Molling powerfully projects that comment by placing his amorphous form on a

meticulous light-coloured wooden plinth. Though abstract in nature and quiet in its

initial presentation, Mollings work is remarkably human and speaks of our social

situation, but it does so with calm and highly focussed allure.



Le jury du Prix de la sculpture Schlassgoart etait compose de :

Godfrey Worsdale Directeur de la Fondation Henry Moore, President du Jury

Pierre-Marc Knaff, Echevin a la culture de la Ville dEsch-sur-Alzette

Erna Hennicot-Schoepges

Marc Hostert, President du CAL

Michel Wurth, President de la Galerie Schlassgoart

Nathalie Becker, directrice de la Galerie, a rempli les fonctions de secretaire du jury

Le jury a tenu a remercier vivement tous les candidats pour leur contribution a

la reussite de ledition 2022.

La creation du Prix de la sculpture Schlassgoart a ete annoncee en septembre

2018. Il est le fruit dune collaboration entre la Ville dEsch-sur-Alzette, la Galerie

Schlassgoart et le Cercle Artistique de Luxembourg pour promouvoir lart

contemporain au Luxembourg.

La prochaine edition du Prix de la sculpture Schlassgoart est prevue pour 2025.
Case in Brief

R. v. J.J.

The Supreme Court finds constitutional a new procedure in the Criminal Code for deciding if a complainants private documents can be used by an accused in a sexual offence trial.

J.J. was accused of sexual assault in British Columbia. His identity is protected by a publication ban. Shane Reddick was also accused of the same in Ontario. In both cases, the men argued that sections 278.92 to 278.94 of the Criminal Code are unconstitutional. Those provisions set out how a judge decides if a complainants private documents (called records in the Criminal Code) can be used by the accused during their trial for a sexual offence. This is known as the record screening process. These provisions are also used to decide how evidence of the complainants past sexual activity can be used. Evidence like private documents and past sexual activity can be allowed in certain circumstances.

J.J. had records of communications between himself and the complainant. He wanted to use those records to cross-examine the complainant. Likewise, Mr. Reddick wanted to cross-examine the complainant in his case, but on evidence of her past sexual activity.

Before their trial, both J.J. and Mr. Reddick asked a judge to decide that the record screening process violated three of their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:the right to remain silent and to not self-incriminate, the right to a fair trial, and the right of an accused to present evidence in their defence and challenge the evidence against them.

In J.J.s case, the judge found one aspect of the record screening process unconstitutional. Both the Crown and J.J. appealed the judges decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. A jury later found J.J. not guilty, and the Crown has not appealed the acquittal.

In Mr. Reddicks case, the judge found the entire record screening process unconstitutional. The complainant asked the Supreme Court for permission to appeal that decision. She said it affected the right of sexual assault complainants to participate in decision-making about how details of their private sexual lives would be used in a public courtroom. The Supreme Court gave her permission.

The Supreme Court has found the record screening process in sections 278.92 to 278.94 of the Criminal Code constitutional.

The record screening process does not violate the Charter rights of the accused.

Writing for a majority of the judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Richard Wagner and Justice Michael Moldaver said the accuseds rights are not violated. The accuseds right to silence is not in issue because they are not forced to testify during the record screening process. Also, the accuseds right to a fair trial does not mean they can receive the most advantageous or beneficial trial possible. Finally, the accuseds right to present and challenge evidence is not unlimited. Ambushing complainants with their own highly private records at trial can be unfair to complainants and may be contrary to the search for truth.

The majority explained that sections 278.92 to 278.94 of the Criminal Code were created to remove barriers preventing sexual assault victims from coming forward. The goal of those sections was to have a process to protect the interests of complainants in their own private documents when an accused has those documents and wants to use them at trial. This process balances the rights and interests of the accused, the complainant and the public, the majority said.
The Supreme Courts ruling Thursday that federal officials have no authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants was a blow against national efforts to combat global warming. For California officials, it also showed the need for state action.

Todays ruling makes it even more imperative that California and other states succeed in our efforts to combat the climate crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. While the court has once again turned back the clock, California refuses to go backward  were just getting started.

We are running out of time in the fight against climate change, and we need all levels of government working together to take action before its too late, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.

Or as Chris Carr, an environmental attorney at the San Francisco law firm Paul Hastings, put it, the ruling signals to climate-leading states, like California, that they need to do all that they can to continue to lead.

The 6-3 ruling by the courts conservative majority did not prohibit regulation of power plant emissions, but said it was not clearly authorized by the Clean Air Act of 1970. The Environmental Protection Agency, which was also established by federal law in 1970, could try to invoke other federal laws to reduce coal plant emissions, a major source of planet-heating greenhouse gases.

But for now, the court has put federal regulation on hold, as temperatures rise and wildfire warnings increase. The Biden administration could ask Congress to change the law, but such changes would most likely be doomed by a filibuster in the current U.S. Senate.

The ruling applies only to federal law, and would not prevent states from taking their own actions. Newsom noted that California has committed billions of dollars to programs to reduce climate change and protect residents from its impact.

Those include investments in making electric vehicles more affordable, providing electric-powered buses for public schools, developing clean energy technology, and reducing the risks of wildfires with forest-thinning, prescribed burns and other measures, the governor said.

He has also called for ending the sale of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035, and for ending oil drilling by 2045. While Newsom has resisted an immediate ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which uses high-pressure liquids to release underground oil and gas deposits, he has ordered a halt to new fracking permits in 2024.

The ruling does not affect the EPAs authority to require existing power plants to limit their emissions by operating cleanly, or to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and other sources, said Cara Horowitz, co-executive director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA Law School. She also cited Californias important ability to seek and receive a (federal) waiver to enact (greenhouse gas) standards for cars and other transportation sources.

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.

At the local level, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement that his office will continue to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the damage they have caused and work with state and local partners to curtail climate change.

Attorney Eric Buescher of the environmental group San Francisco Baykeeper denounced the courts judicial power grab and said it would make his organizations job much harder. But thankfully, when action on the federal level might fail us, we still have Californias environmental laws to back us up, he said.

Still, residents of states with strong regulations would remain exposed to the consequences of emissions from elsewhere, in the absence of nationwide restrictions. And any far-reaching state actions would most likely be challenged by industry groups as an interference with federal authority, with the Supreme Court as the final arbiter.

Said Buescher: For anyone who cares about clean air, clean water, individual autonomy, privacy, public health, public safety or democratic institutions  the most frightening words imaginable begin with: The Supreme Court has agreed to review.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
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Evacuation orders were lifted Thursday night for a wildfire in Butte County.

The fire, dubbed the Sandra Fire, had scorched about 40 acres and was burning in the area of Robinson Mill, according to Cal Fires Butte Unit and Butte County Fire Department. The fire was 30% contained and forward progress had stopped shortly before 7:45 p.m.

An evacuation order remained in effect for Forbestown Zone 685.

One firefighter (not with Cal Fire) and one civilian sustained non-lifethreatening injuries, authorities said.

Firefighters were expected to remain at the scene overnight, Cal Fire officials said.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. wildfire cameras captured massive plumes of white smoke rising from the heavily forested area of the fire.

Lauren Hernandez (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez
Margaret Keane, the Bay Area artist best known for her paintings of woeful and big-eyed subjects  works that she famously reclaimed from her ex-husband, who for many years passed them off as his own  died June 26 at her home in Napa. She was 94.

The cause of death was heart failure, according to Robert Brown, Keanes former manager and executive director of Keane Eyes, the gallery space in San Francisco dedicated to her work that opened in the late 1980s.

She was a trailblazer in many ways, even though she appeared a very meek and humble woman, said Brown, who began representing her as an artist in the late 1980s. When you looked at her paintings, she was able to express a power  and thats what the world came to know and love.

Keanes portraits of teary, waiflike subjects  most of whom were children who seemed to carry with them the weight of the worlds sorrows  became a sensation across the Bay Area in the 1960s and inspired the 2014 film Big Eyes, directed by Tim Burton, who collected her work.

Though undeniably popular with the public, Keanes work was for many years derided by art critics, who used descriptors like tasteless, hack and formula, to describe the big-eyed repertoire that had soon exploded in popularity across the region and even earned praise from Andy Warhol.

But it wasnt the criticism, or the polarization, that Keane would be remembered for.

Peggy Doris Hawkins was born Sept. 15, 1927, in Nashville, and it was during her childhood that she built up a fascination with eyes. After a mastoid operation that left her with permanent hearing loss and eardrum damage, she came to rely on eyes to guide her in conversation, the New York Times reported.

At 10, she began taking drawing lessons and soon was sketching images of eyes in the margins of her schoolbooks, she told KQED in 2014. But she was perhaps most transfixed by the emotional purity that could be seen through the eyes of children.

Children do have big eyes, she told The Chronicle in 2014. When Im doing a portrait, the eyes are the most expressive part of the face. And they just got bigger and bigger and bigger.

She married her first husband, Frank Richard Ulbrich, in 1948. Ulbrich brought Keane and their daughter, Jane, to California from New York so he could study nuclear physics at UC Berkeley.

She was still married and already painting portraits of big-eyed children when she met Walter Keane, a real estate broker and self-taught painter in San Francisco. She divorced Ulbrich and married Keane in 1955, after which he began selling her paintings in various venues, including the hungry i, a now-defunct comedy club in San Francisco.

By the late 1950s, Walter Keane was expanding his reach and arranging showings in other cities, including Sausalito, and soon was off to New York City, New Orleans and Chicago. The couple were making a six-figure living off of the paintings, but he was passing them off as his own. Margaret Keane would later tell news outlets that although she knew what her husband was doing, she felt powerless to do anything about it.

Back then, women kind of went along with their husbands, didnt rock the boat. He finally wore me down, she told The Chronicle. While we were fighting this out at home, the paintings were just flying off the walls. Posters were selling. It was unbelievable. It snowballed overnight. I kept getting in deeper and deeper. I didnt know how I could get out of it. I lost all respect for him and myself, and lived in a nightmare.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle 2014

During that period, the eyes in her work got even more mournful  an outward reflection of her own sadness, she would tell friends and reporters, but it was that quality that made the work even more popular.

The work had a certain sadness about it that the public gravitated toward and everyone would see something different, said Brown, adding that people looking at her paintings in his gallery would often find themselves in tears.

People either hate her work or love it, and I saw it firsthand, he added, saying that on more than one occasion hed observe a woman come into the gallery and beckon in a male counterpart, who would not budge. One once told him, I cant stand all those eyes looking at me.

Literally, (they) would not cross the threshold, Brown said. I think women can oftentimes see the emotion that Margaret was able to put on the canvas, and they can relate to it.

By the late 1960s, the Keanes had divorced and she had moved to Honolulu, where she lived for more than two decades and continued painting.

She also gained the courage to set the record straight regarding her work. In 1970, when Keane announced on a public radio show in San Francisco that it was she who was the artist behind the work  not her husband.

After a San Francisco Examiner reporter gave Keane the idea, she challenged her ex-husband to a paint-off in Union Square. She let a crowd of spectators watch her create a big-eyed original. Her ex-husband didnt show up.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

In 1986, Keane sued her husband and USA Today, which had published an article saying that Walter Keane was the real artist. The infamous trial included another paint-off in court. Keane completed her painting in 54 minutes while her ex-husband abstained, citing a shoulder injury. She won her court case in 1990.

Bob Campbell/The Chronicle 1958

Through all of it, she kept painting.

For one to fully appreciate the work you kind of have to know the backstory, and it was remarkable, said Jim Hartley, the co-owner of San Francisco Art Exchange, a gallery that showed Keanes work in the late 1980s.

Hartley added that Keane had a unique ability to reiterate similar themes  sadness, for example  in a fresh way in each portrait, even if to the untrained eyes the portraits may have looked repetitive.

Each one has a personality and story and situation unto themselves, he said, referring to her work. And no child is repetitive.

Through the years Brown represented her work, he said, her style evolved  especially as she moved to Hawaii and experienced more happiness.

It became full of color, he said. And then when she started painting the children in later years with tears, they were not so much tears of sadness, but tears of joy.

Annie Vainshtein (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annievain
A man was shot and killed Thursday in San Francisco, according to police.

Officers from the Police Departments Northern Station responded to a reported shooting on the 400 Block of Rose Street Thursday around 9:16 p.m., officials said.

When they arrived, they found a 20-year-old man with apparent gunshot wounds.

Paramedics on the scene rendered aid to the victim and he was transported to a local hospital, but he later died as a result of his injuries.

The SFPD Homicide Unit is currently investigating the shooting. There was no known suspect as of Friday afternoon.

Jordan Parker (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jordan.parker@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @jparkerwrites.
Federal vaccine advisers urged the FDA to authorize a COVID-19 booster shot that targets omicron subvariants. Two new highly infectious and immune-evasive versions of the coronavirus known as BA.4 and BA.5 are now dominant in the U.S., and together they may extend the Bay Areas spring surge into the summer. And with as many as one in 20 people walking around unaware that theyre infected with the coronavirus, what are your chances of catching COVID from somebody who doesnt even know they have it?

Latest updates:

CDC data highlight benefit from boosters in preventing deaths

Figures released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention charting COVID-19 outcomes across the country in April reaffirmed the benefits of vaccines and boosters in stark detail. Among people 50 and older, those who were unvaccinated had a 42 times greater chance of dying from COVID-19 than those who were vaccinated with two or more boosters. Even among those who were vaccinated and boosted, having had only a single booster shot resulted in a four times higher risk of dying than if two more more boosters had been administered. In the population as a whole, those aged 5 and above were at six times greater risk of dying from COVID if they had not been vaccinated. UCSF medical professor Peter Chin-Hong noted in a tweet that the data highlighted the critical importance of boosters and that the biggest bang for buck came from having had two. Aside from preventing deaths, he added, vaccination also still provides more protection against COVID infection.

CDC recommends masks for 38 California counties, including Bay Area

Thirty-eight of Californias 58 counties are classified as having high COVID-19 levels, according to data published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That marks a significant increase from a week ago when 25 of the counties in the state were designated to have the highest risk level. Federal officials use metrics based on new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, plus the percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, to classify COVID levels. The CDC urges anyone living in an area classified as having high levels to wear masks in public spaces and take other measures to avoid the virus. The California counties currently classified as high include Alameda, which lifted its mask mandate just last week, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma in the Bay Area region; as well as Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Benito, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Shasta, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yuba, and Yolo. Nationwide, about one in five counties fall under the high designation.

Florida doctor booted from panel after advocating vaccines for kids

A Florida pediatrician who recommended COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 has been removed from a state health board, Insider reports. Dr. Lisa Gwynn said in a tweet that on the same day that we began administering COVID-19 vaccine to infants and children under 5, I was removed from the Florida Healthy Kids Board for advocating for equitable access for the underserved and for pediatricians. Disappointing. Gwynn said she had received an email on Wednesday telling her she was being sacked from the board of the public-private health insurance provider because of some very political statements that did not reflect the views of the organizations Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, a Republican running for re-election this year, according to Florida Politics. Florida is the only state that has not ordered the newly approved COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has said vaccinating young children is not appropriate.

Promoter of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID treatment dies at 48

Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, who drew national attention for promoting the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment, died on Thursday at age 48. His death, after a long battle with cancer, was announced on the website of his organization, the Z-Freedom Foundation. In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, Zelenko claimed he had developed a combination treatment called the Zelenko Protocol that included hydroxychloroquine, antibiotics and zinc, which he misleadingly said had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The unproven treatment was publicly and repeatedly endorsed by Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani. The FDA refuted their claims, warning hydroxychloroquine could cause serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19 and added that it was not a safe or effective treatment for people infected with the coronavirus.

Californias COVID rate climbs ahead of holiday weekend

Californias coronavirus test positive rate is now three times higher than the level public health experts consider acceptable for controlling the spread of the virus. The states test positive rate, which tracks the percentage of tests coming back positive for COVID-19, grew to 14.8% on Friday. It has steadily climbed since mid-March and is more than double what officials reported on June 1. Wastewater data collected by Stanford confirms the increase is not limited solely to those seeking tests because they are symptomatic. The state is reporting about 43 cases daily per 100,000 residents, with the level in the Bay Area up to 51 cases per 100,000. Newer omicron subvariants BA.5 and BA.4, which make up more than half of the sequenced cases in the region, are likely driving the latest wave, which comes before California had recovered from the BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 wave. There are 762 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Bay Area, up 30% in a month. Every county in the region has high COVID community levels, according to metrics used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, triggering a recommendation for indoor masking and other safety precautions.

FDA will not require new trial data to authorize updated COVID boosters

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will not require companies to submit clinical trial data on COVID-19 vaccines modified to protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 versions of omicron in order to authorize those shots, a top FDA official told Reuters. The agency earlier this week asked drug manufacturers to include components of the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants in its new formulas in the hopes of avoiding another surge in the fall. By relying existing vaccine data, they will be able to make the shots available to the public more quickly.

Mask mandate reinstated for film and TV productions in L.A.

Due to rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, film and television crews in Los Angeles County will have to mask up again. With new hospital admissions reaching more than 8 per week per 100,000 population, they will resume indoor masking requirements, along with several other safety measures, Los Angeles County Public Health Officer Barbara Ferrer said in a briefing Thursday. According to an agreement between unions and film and TV producers, which was last update in May, there is an Escalation Trigger that brings back several protocols if the region where a production is taking place meets certain COVID metrics. That includes the number of hospitalizations Ferrer mentioned. This industry has worked closely with their labor partners to institute COVID safety measures that create safety for all workers while being able to continue the important work, said Ferrer. We do applaud them along with many other businesses that are taking advantage of the many tools that are available to keep workers safe.

Britain reports signs of another surge as cases rise 32% in a week

COVID-19 infections are up 32% in a week in the U.K. with the omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 likely driving the latest surge, according to the Office for National Statistics. Nearly 2.3 million people in the country tested positive for the virus, up from up from 1.7 million people the previous week. Hospital admissions are also on the rise across the country. COVID-19 has not gone away, said Dr. Mary Ramsay, of the Health Security Agency. It is also sensible to wear a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces, she said. Britain dropped nearly all its coronavirus measures, including mask-wearing and social distancing, months ago and masks are rarely seen on public transport, the Associated Press reports. Globally, the World Health Organization said this week that COVID-19 is increasing in more than 100 countries worldwide. The U.N. health agency warned that relaxed testing and surveillance measures mean it may be more difficult to catch emerging variants before they spread more widely.

North Korea blames balloons from the South for COVID-19 cases

North Korea suggested Friday that its COVID-19 outbreak began in people who had contact with balloons flown from South Korea  a highly questionable claim that appeared to be an attempt to hold its rival responsible amid increasing tensions over the Norths nuclear program, the Associated Press reports. Global health authorities say the coronavirus is spread by people in close contact who inhale aerosols and more likely to occur in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces than outdoors. South Koreas Unification Ministry said there was no chance South Korean balloons might have spread the virus to North Korea.

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.

How to gauge the risk of getting COVID from someone who is asymptomatic

How likely is it for people to catch COVID from someone who is asymptomatic? Its not impossible  and may be more common than people realize, health experts say. With coronavirus cases currently stuck at a high level across California as fast-spreading offshoots of the omicron variant crowd out their competitors, that means the chances of getting COVID from an asymptomatic person are heightened. Read more about the risks.

One in 3 Americans in areas with high COVID levels, including the Bay Area

About 33% of the U.S. population now lives in areas designated to have high community COVID levels, including every county in the Bay Area, according to data published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is the highest proportion of Americans falling under the worst tier on the agencys risk map since the CDC updated its metrics in February. The agency assigns the levels based on new cases and hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, plus the percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. The CDC urges anyone living in an area classified as having high levels to wear masks in public spaces and take other measures to avoid the virus.

FDA recommends BA.4, BA.5 component in vaccine booster doses

Following a meeting with its vaccine advisory committee earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday formally requested that COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers seeking to update their formulas should include an omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein component to create a two component (bivalent) booster vaccine, so that the modified vaccines can potentially be used starting in early to mid-fall 2022. As we move into the fall and winter, it is critical that we have safe and effective vaccine boosters that can provide protection against circulating and emerging variants to prevent the most severe consequences of COVID-19, the agency said in a statement.

Free COVID-19 test kits on offer at Marin County Fair

After two cancelled years, the annual Marin County Fair returns for the Independence Day weekend at its usual location near the Civic Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The outdoor-only event runs June 30 to July 4 and features the usual favorites, from concerts and roaming performers to carnival rides, food and drinks, and nightly fireworks. In a sign of the times, the Marin County Public Health department will be giving away free COVID-19 test kits at the fair, one per family, while supplies last. The kits will be available at the Healthy Fair, Healthy Marin patio next to the auditorium. They could be as popular as the Ferris wheel or the funnel cakes.

Metallicas European tour disrupted by COVID

Metallica canceled a concert on its European tour after a member of the bands family tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. The Bay Area hard rock band did not specify if it was a band member who was infected but scrapped its show at Frauenfeld Rocks in Switzerland last night. It is with a very heavy heart that we are announcing that we will not be appearing at Frauenfeld Rocks in Switzerland today, as unfortunately, a member of the Metallica family has tested positive for COVID, the band said in a social media post. We are beyond sorry to disappoint those of you planning to attend this show. Read more about the cancellation here.

Justice Thomas erroneously states COVID vaccines made with aborted children

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Thursday repeated a debunked claim that COVID vaccines are produced with cells from aborted children in his dissent on a case involving 16 New York health care workers who sought a religious exemption from vaccine mandates. Writing on behalf of himself and Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, Thomas said the plaintiffs were within their rights to object on religious grounds to all available COVID-19 vaccines because they were developed using cell lines derived from aborted children. The messenger RNA vaccines available in the United States, produced by Pfizer and Moderna, do not contain any aborted cells. The drug makers did use cells obtained from elective abortions decades ago during the vaccine testing and development process, a common practice that was also used to test rubella and chickenpox vaccines. Because I would address this issue now in the ordinary course, before the next crisis forces us again to decide complex legal issues in an emergency posture, I respectfully dissent, Thomas wrote.
In 1776, the framers of the Declaration of Independence wrote,  ... all men are created equal ... with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We now know this meant all white men; our countrys founders immediately excluded women and people of color. They had a clear idea of what the American dream should look like, and that vision had nothing to do with the majority of people who lived here.

Our country has never overcome this exclusionary history. And that reality forces us, even centuries later, to continually ask the question: Who is included in the dream and who is excluded?

In the 1860s, we fought a civil war in an attempt to answer the question. In the 1910s, the womens suffrage movement forced us to reconsider it. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s demanded we revisit the question yet again. Our countrys entire history has been a struggle to determine whether immigrants belong  and, if so, which ones? Our gay brothers and sisters were excluded from the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for most of our history. And theyre now having to fight once again to preserve those rights only recently granted. Just last week, in the blink of an eye, the Supreme Court took away the national right for women to have a safe legal abortion. This right was established 50 years ago and many of us incorrectly assumed it was a settled question.

I believe it is our duty as Americans to continually work to become a more inclusive society. And that is how I approached my five-year tenure as superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District  a tenure that came to a close on Thursday.

Last week, in one of my final acts as superintendent, I presented a resolution to the San Francisco Board of Education that, if passed, would have made Lowell High School a more inclusive school  by extending the interim admissions policy, first enacted during the pandemic, for another school year. This interim policy wasnt revolutionary  it implemented at Lowell the same choice-based student assignment system used by all other comprehensive public high schools in San Francisco. Its continuation would have allowed students to list Lowell as one of their choices, instead of having to achieve a designated grade point average and standardized test score in order to qualify for admission.

In over four hours of public comments on my proposal, I watched as person after person came forward to explain that, even though they too had been excluded at different times in their lives because of their race, gender or social status, Lowell should continue to be a school that perpetuates the American cycle of exclusion.

To my disappointment, the majority of the school board chose to reinstate the old selective admissions practices.

The evidence is clear that test-based admission at Lowell resulted in a school where students of certain racial and socioeconomic backgrounds are excluded. If you dont believe me, I invite you to walk through the school and look in the classrooms.

You can clearly see who is included and who is not.

Those who believe Lowell shouldnt use the same process the district uses for its other high schools say that anyone who works hard enough can be admitted. That same argument was used for decades for test-based entry to elite colleges like the University of California. However, in May 2021, the University of California ended the use of the SAT and ACT for college admission. Officials came to accept the overwhelming pool of data that show test-based admissions to be unfair and biased toward poor, Black and Latino students.

These tests are extremely flawed and very unfair, said California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a member of the UC Board of Regents who supported the decision. Enough is enough.

Every day over the past five years as superintendent, I did my best to hold to SFUSDs core values as I made decisions: Student-Centered  we put students needs first; Fearless  we persist through challenges; United  we celebrate and build on each others strengths; Social Justice  we stand with those most vulnerable in our community; and Diversity Driven  we respect and seek to understand each person.

I believe the foundation of these values is inclusiveness.

Every public school in San Francisco has something special to offer students. And every San Francisco student deserves an education that prepares them to succeed. By returning to Lowells previous pre-pandemic admissions policy for incoming freshmen, we are saying that only students who meet certain test scores have a right to attend one of our public schools.

How does that align with our core values?

I grew up in San Francisco, and it has been my greatest honor to serve the school district that raised me. My fondest wish for the future of the district is for it to be guided by a deeply rooted commitment to inclusiveness. I believe deep in my heart that this is the best and only path to making us a better district.

In the same way that this country moves toward a more perfect union when we are inclusive, SFUSD moves toward a more perfect district when it is more inclusive.

Vincent Matthews grew up attending and teaching in San Francisco public schools and retired Thursday after serving five years as the superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.
Assistant district attorney and former deputy public defender Rebecca Young will square off against her old boss and incumbent Mano Raju in this years election for San Francisco Public Defender, pitting two courtroom powerhouses against one another in the offices first contested race in two decades.

Young, who officially launched her campaign Thursday, enters the contest with less than five months before the November general election, and well behind Rajus slate of endorsements and campaign fundraising thats given him a $100,000 war chest.

The candidates divide is rooted in disagreements over how the office should be led. While Raju has expanded programming and policy work that accompanies the defense of indigent clients, Young believes the office has strayed too far from its core mission, and that its clients suffer because of it.

Young also vows to reverse what she describes as plummeting morale and rising gender inequities under Rajus watch that she said have contributed to staff attrition. After quitting the office last year, Young joined nine other public defenders who went to work with District Attorney Chesa Boudin, himself a former deputy public defender.

I am running for public defender because a change in leadership is needed to improve safety and equality for women workers at all levels of the office, Young said in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle.

Youngs entry into the race pulls back the curtain on private but sometimes embittered divides inside the Public Defenders Office, according to interviews with 11 current and former employees.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

They painted starkly different pictures of Rajus leadership style and expressed diverging feelings about the direction of the office.

Supporters see Raju as a visionary and praise his empathy, advancements of women of color and policy work that extends beyond the walls of a courtroom. Even among his critics, Raju is widely regarded as a brilliant trial attorney.

Meanwhile, Young and several others described a workplace with top-heavy management: too many people tasked with promoting the offices vision and not enough bodies in the courtrooms. This imbalance, Young and others said, drains resources from the attorneys in the trenches, leaving them demoralized and with unsustainably high caseloads.

Young believes the offices focus on policy work and its recent decision to sue the courts over COVID-related trial delays was a mistake that ate up resources, conveyed few immediate benefits to clients and angered judges. Rajus focus on policymaking has distracted office staff, she said.

Shifting resources from the public defenders core mission to guarantee the fiercest, most compassionate defense available can only result in lower quality representation, Young said.

In a recent interview, Raju said his office was on the cutting edge of major reform initiatives, and highlighted the creation of the countrys first public police misconduct database and a storytelling project that helps push reform policies.

Much of the traditional wisdom of defense work has not been tested, he said. With increasing diversity in our field and the demographics of our client base becoming increasingly Black and brown, we need to continue to evolve what works in the courtroom.

Raju has helmed the office since 2019, succeeding Public Defender Jeff Adachi after his unexpected death. Hes scored important accomplishments in this time, including Be the Jury and expanding the capacity of the Clean Slate program, which helps to expunge their clients criminal records.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Still, Raju said his proudest accomplishments are the hands-on work hes done for his clients and the results hes achieved for them in court.

Because I think it affects not just them but their whole ecosystem  their families and subsequent generations, he said.

Many of the employees who spoke to The Chronicle, including deputy public defender Niki Solis, said they fully support Rajus mission and believe hes headed in the right direction.

I know that he is a visionary. I know that hes implemented programs that have never before been implemented. I know that hes promoted women at a rate that far exceeds any predecessor, said Solis, who works on juvenile cases. Hes created new positions to create parity ... its important that we have these positions to keep fighting the fight.

Two of Youngs complaints about the office  attorneys high caseloads and what she characterized as an unusually high occurrence of staff departures  are borne out by data, though Young and Raju disagree on the meaning of these statistics.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

From mid-2019 to June of this year, Rajus first three years as public defender, 36 attorneys have left the office, including 14 men and 22 women, according to figures provided by Rajus office. Twenty-three attorneys departed during Adachis last three years running the office, including 10 men and 13 women.

However, turnover is naturally higher under new leadership. And a spokesperson for Rajus office pointed out the unique circumstance of having a former public defender in the District Attorneys Office, where Boudin drew 10 of his old coworkers.

The number of non-attorney employees who left the Public Defenders Office was relatively similar under both Adachi and Raju. Raju has hired twice as many women as men, a higher rate than Adachi, and three out of five people on Rajus leadership team are women.

Currently, deputy public defenders have 70 felony cases each on average, compared to 45 in 2019, the year Adachi died.

Rajus office attributed that increase to a few different factors, including a pandemic-rooted backlog of cases and changes in how caseloads are counted, and said the office is soon adding new attorneys.

Young, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant and a descendant of of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Oliver Wolcott, grew up in Levittown, N.Y., a hamlet on Long Island with an ugly legacy of refusing to sell homes to anyone who wasnt white.

These restrictions had eased by the time Youngs mixed-race family of eight moved there from Harlem in 1966, but the sentiment coursed through its almost-all white residents, Young said.

It radicalized me, because I was really struggling to understand what I had done, Young said.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

After graduating law school at Golden Gate University, Young interned at the San Francisco Public Defenders Office in 1982, and then spent 16 years running her own private practice. In March 2003, Young received a call from Adachi.

He said, I need women in the office who are doing trials, recalled Young, who was by then raising two young sons. I need women to see that you can be a trial lawyer and be a mother.

Young spent 19 years at the Public Defenders Office, including six as a felony trial manager, co-managing 52 attorneys and overseeing training and development for new felony attorneys. At the District Attorneys Office, where shes been since last year, Young worked in the unit that tried officers for misconduct allegations.

When Mayor London Breed appointed Raju after Adachis death, the entire office was relieved that she had not chosen an outsider or someone inexperienced, Young said.

We all loved Mano. His trial skills were beyond question. He was smart and he was collaborative and kind, she said.

Young said her enthusiasm began to wane as she watched her ideas and requests repeatedly go ignored or denied.

I could see there was zero room for advancement, she said.

A breaking point came when Young, who was working homicide cases, said she was placed under a new manager whom she had filed a complaint about and who had been her subordinate.

A heated point of contention between the Young and Raju camps is Rajus recent decision to appoint some people to high-ranking positions to further the offices work on policies or programming  but who have no trial experience or no recent trial experience.

Raju forcefully defended these placements, and said his vision for the office is a little different than what it used to be.

While the office maintains its vigorous defense of clients, Raju said hes also opened up opportunities to enact reforms, which involves policy-making, organizing and legislative action.

Young said the recent appointments meant badly needed resources are being funneled into the salaries of people who arent carrying caseloads. And because they lack trial experience, they cannot offer guidance and mentorship or leadership to the trial attorneys, Young said.

Young, who is embarking on her first campaign for political office, said she is completely qualified for the job, and wants to return the office to the level of greatness it was known for in the past.

Im not saying I can be like Jeff Adachi, because he was unique and one of a kind, she said. But I can damn sure do a better job than whats being done now.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
The fireworks are still a few days away, but travel for the July Fourth weekend is off to a booming start
A small group of alleged members of the Proud Boys, a far-right political group, disrupted a drag show being held at a bar in Northern California Thursday night. The members were filmed harassing patrons from outside and attempting to forcefully enter the bar.

Videos and photos circulating on social media show a group of about 10 men, some wearing bandanas and sunglasses that concealed their faces, standing across the street from The Mojo Lounge in Woodland and yelling at patrons inside. Event organizers told local TV stations that Thursday's show had been canceled initially due to threats circulating online, but after an outpouring of support from the community, organizers decided to have a "scaled down" version of the show.

"There's just a lot of mixed emotions about how great the night was to begin with and how much fun everyone had. It was so good to see people so happy and then to see the exact opposite. People were scared. People were angry. People were really upset," Christy Hayes, owner of the bar, told KCRA. "This isn't what we wanted."

An exact timeline of events isn't clear, but at some point one member of the group attempted to enter the bar despite a police presence near the entrance. Officers told KCRA that the man was hit in the face with pepper spray, but it's unclear who discharged it. No arrests were made.

Woodland Police Department Deputy Chief Anthony Cucchi also told KCRA that officers are still attempting to figure out if the group was affiliated with an official organization, but KXTV's Luke Cleary said on Twitter that the men were alleged members of the Proud Boys. KRCA reported that the men were yelling homophobic slurs, and videos online show them accusing event organizers of pedophilia.

Hayes told Fox 40 that the event was meant to commemorate the end of Pride Month, and that the bar had been receiving threats since June 8, when flyers advertising the show were posted around Woodland. Hayes said no one inside the bar was seriously injured during the altercation, but did say one patron had an asthma attack following the discharge of pepper spray.

Thursday's incident capped off a series of LGTBQ events this month that were targeted with by members of far-right groups. A group of Proud Boys stormed a "Drag Queen Story Hour" event at a Bay Area library earlier this month, which occurred the same day that authorities in Idaho arrested 31 members of Patriot Front  a white nationalist group  near a Pride event in Coeur d'Alene.
Steven Senne/AP

DALLAS (AP)  American Airlines is offering pilots raises of nearly 17% by the end of 2024, a sign of the leverage that pilots enjoy as airlines struggle with a labor shortage.

CEO Robert Isom said Thursday that the proposal would boost pilot wages at American to the levels detailed in a tentative agreement between United Airlines and its pilots. Isom said in a video sent to pilots that the airline's workers will be paid well, and paid competitively, no matter what."
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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  A former employee of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has accused her then-manager of trying to rape her on a business trip last year as she pushes police to review charges in a case that has cast a rare spotlight on workplace harassment in the country.

The employee, a woman identified only by her last name Zhou, alleged in a lengthy account posted online this week that there were inconsistencies in a police statement about the case that she says led to online victim blaming against her. That came a week after a second man in the case was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexual assault.

The high-profile case kicked off a national discussion last year over workplace sexual harassment and highlighted the struggle and backlash that victims face when coming forward with allegations.

The former Alibaba employee accused her former manager of attempting to rape her while she was drunk and at times unconscious.

Alibaba has fired both Zhou and the manager, who has been identified in police statements only by his last name, Wang. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zhou criticized the official police account for turning her manager from someone who objectively has criminal intention, a rapist with actual criminal intentions, into a good boss caring for his drunk female subordinate.

And as for me? ... I have become a slut who is falsely accusing the male boss that she was carrying on with, she continued.

Zhou's online post said Wang had asked another Alibaba employee who was his deputy to talk with her after she reported him to the police. The employee offered her 600,000 yuan ($90,000) to settle the matter privately, the post said.

Wang did not respond to a request for comment made via his wife, who has emerged as his spokesperson, posting many statements online in her husbands defense.

Police investigated two men in the case. Wang was detained for 15 days, but prosecutors did not approve an arrest on formal charges, saying the actions did not constitute a crime.

Zhou and her lawyers asked police to review the case last year and charge Wang with rape but have yet to get a response.

A court convicted the other man, Zhang Guo, a representative of a supermarket chain that was in talks with Alibaba, of forcible indecency, saying he had molested Zhou twice  once while she was drunk at a dinner and the next day in her hotel room.

Zhou has appealed his 18-month sentence, seeking a longer one, her lawyer Du Peng said.

In her post, Zhou raised questions about the police account of what happened that night.

She wrote that her former manager had stolen her ID card to get the hotel to make him a key for her room, asking the staff to list him as a fellow traveler. She also said that police had concluded she could not express herself clearly when the front desk called to get her consent for giving him a key.

He voluntarily cancelled his taxi on the app, carried my stolen ID card, went back to the hotel and added himself to my room, sexually violated me, she told the AP, elaborating on her post. All these things show that not only did he intentionally try to rape, but also he committed a criminal act.

A police statement last August said that Wang had the key made with Zhous consent and that he had her ID card, without saying how he had gotten it.

Police in Jinan city, where the assault took place, did not respond to a request for comment.

The wives of both accused men have taken to the internet to deny Zhou's accusations. They have insisted that Zhou seduced their husbands.

Wang's wife, after the sentencing of Zhang, wrote that this entire thing was all voluntary on Zhou's part, self-directed and self acted, a small essay full of lies to frame and harm Zhang and Wang.

While many online commentators have supported Zhou and applauded her courage in speaking up, others used the wives' denials to label Zhou as sexually promiscuous.

Zhou has written of how abandoned she felt after the company initially apologized but later fired her.

She said she developed a mood disorder after going public, and that both she and her husband attempted suicide. Police kept them for a month in a hotel afterward, to make sure they didn't try again, she said. They also told her not to give media interviews.

I hope I can get a fair result, one where the victim isn't in despair at the justice system, she said.

___

Associated Press researcher Chen Si in Shanghai contributed to this report.

___

This story has been updated to reflect that attempts to reach Wang were made only through his wife and not Alibaba.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  U.S. financial analyst Peter Schiff told The Associated Press on Friday that he will fight to be able to sell a bank he established in Puerto Rico even though authorities have suspended its operations as part of an investigation.

Euro Pacific International Bank obtained a license in 2017 to operate in the U.S. territory and built up some 15,000 accounts two years later, but its deposits have dropped to $150 million and it lost customers after the Joints Chief of Global Tax Enforcement  a multi-government group fighting tax crimes and money laundering  said it acted two years ago to put a stop to the suspected facilitation of offshore tax evasion and money laundering by the bank.

We lost a lot of things because people were afraid, Schiff said.

He added that while he doesnt like anti-money-laundering rules, or regulations or taxes, he does abide by them.

The fact that Im so willing to publicly criticize rules, you better believe Im doing all I can not to break them, he said.

The so-called J5 agency, whose members are the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands, said Thursday that an investigation into the bank is still ongoing, although it declined to provide details.

Schiff said that was a lie, that the bank has never been investigated. He said agents with the Internal Revenue Service visited the bank in 2020 and told him they were investigating customers of the bank.

Our compliance is so rigorous, and we close accounts so quickly, he said, adding that he never took clients related to cryptocurrency, cannabis or other fields. I did everything by the book, and it cost me a fortune.

A spokeswoman for J5 did not return a message for comment Friday.

Schiff said he also was upset that the banks operations were suspended by Puerto Ricos Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, which announced the move on Thursday and accused the bank of a lack of internal controls, a lack of compliance and a level of insolvency. Officials noted it was separate from the J5 probe.

Its a huge shock that theyve done this, Schiff said of the banks suspended operations.

Schiff said that while he didnt realize the bank was undercapitalized until it was audited, he stressed it was not a matter of solvency but regulatory minimum capital requirements. He said the bank always has had a positive net worth and that while there was a deficiency based on deposits, the commissioner told him not to worry because a buyer had appeared.

Schiff said a Houston-based bank wanted to buy Euro Pacific International Bank and that he submitted an application in January to start the process.

They were going to rename it, rebrand it, so it would no longer have that stigma, he said.

Natalia Zequeira, commissioner for Puerto Ricos Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, told The Associated Press on Friday that she doesn't understand why Schiff was surprised by the agency action since the office met with him in October and he signed a consent form to make the changes required.

She added that the bank submitted a business plan, capital plan and strategic plan that her office did not approve, and said the bank did not refile those or correct deficiencies.

Surprises like the one Mr. Schiff had yesterday are a result of not reading the fine print of your regulator, she said.

Zequeira said the consent order he signed required changes in management and strategy that did not happen, and that those processes are separate from a change in ownership.

A regulator has the right to request the best of its institution, and just because you filed something doesnt give you the right to conclude that youre in compliance, she said. Regulators are not babysitters.

The office's cease-and-desist order stated that the bank had a net loss of nearly $751,000 in 2019 and overall accumulated losses of nearly $4 million. It added that at the end of 2020, the bank had a capital of negative $1.3 million: As such, the entity is classified as insolvent. In the first trimester of 2022, the bank had a net loss of nearly $550,000, the order stated.

Meanwhile, Schiff said he has invested $7 million of his own money to keep the bank afloat and that all customers can get 100% of their money back.

Right now, not a single customer is in jeopardy, he said.

Zequeira, however, said Schiff's personal money does not represent the capital of the institution, adding that the financials show a very high risk for his clients. The cease-and-desist order also called for a $765,000 penalty to be paid to Puerto Rico's Treasury Department.

Zequeira said an administrative officer is scheduled to hear the case on July 7 and could decide on whether to appoint a new manager or liquidate the bank, adding that Schiff has the right to go to an appeals court if he disagrees.
Every year during the apex of wildfire season, Californias most well-known icons erupt into raging balls of hellfire.

Over the last decade, there have been numerous accounts of "exploding" palm trees, particularly throughout the Los Angeles, San Diego and Coachella Valley areas. Subsequently, the famous trees, which go up like Roman candles, have sparked rumors online that they either self-immolate or combust due to extreme heat. While neither of these speculations are true, research scientists and fire department officials throughout Southern California say that they pose a very real threat regardless  and could make year-round fire season even more dangerous in California.

According to Bloomberg and the Escondido Fire Department, poorly maintained palm trees can explode into a giant torch if embers from fireworks, like small bottle rockets, get lodged into them. Power lines and lightning strikes, which recently pummeled California, also cause them to burst into flames, consuming them within minutes. Even scarier, EFD says flaming palm fronds can detach and fly long distances in the wind, potentially igniting other vegetation or structures.

"A lot of times they start because electric wires are crossing through the fronds, and of course what happens is a lot of these trees don't get pruned so there's lots of dry vegetation that will spark a fire," Captain Milton Urquilla of the Los Angeles Fire Department told Bloomberg. "And on the Fourth of July, with the illegal rockets that people use, that's another avenue for fire to spread."

Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department says that structure fires, trash fires, car fires and vegetation fires near the base of a tree  especially a dying one  can also make them burn rapidly. However, he says that some of these accounts of "exploding" palm trees are hyperbolic. "'Burst into flames' may be too strong a description for how a tree catches fire, as we are not aware of them spontaneously combusting," he iterated. Regardless, if trees are poorly maintained, they can quickly become a 50-foot-tall fire hazard. "If homeowners let years of dead palm fronds hang, this can be hazardous in wind and fire conditions. Homeowners are required to have these dead fronds removed, as is true for any dead branch or material on any type of tree or shrub," Prange said.

A document from EFD says that the accumulation of dead palm fronds creates a skirt of brown thatch that should be removed each year along with fibrous tissue that needs to be skinned. They advise people to be especially wary of palm trees within 100 feet of any structure or 30 feet of a driveway or roadway. More concerning, though, is that Science outlet Eos says that non-native palms  which dominate Southern California  burn more severely than indigenous plants. According to KCET, just one species of palm tree, the Washingtonia filifera, is native to the state.

While its unclear how many non-native palm trees are in Los Angeles area, the outlet says that over 25,000 were planted in 1931. The non-native Mexican fan palm is the most common species in the city, while Phoenix canariensis, the Canary Island date palm, typically lines wealthy areas like Beverly Hills and Hancock Park.

Because of their proclivity to burn at an alarming pace, power companies in Southern California are preemptively removing some of these iconic trees. In 2021, AP News reported that Southern California Edison, which provides electricity to most of SoCal, plans on removing 11,000 palms that are too close to power lines in service areas in Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, La Canada Flintridge, Malibu, Lake Elsinore and Santa Ana.

We understand that people living in Southern California love their palms, but since fire season is year-round, they can be a danger to the public, David Faasua, a vegetation management specialist, told the outlet. We will inspect vegetation before its removed and meet with the property owner in person to discuss the process.

Luckily, LAFD told SFGATE that the city isn't gutting theirs anytime soon. "The City of LA values the vegetation within its boundaries, both natural and ornamental," Prange wrote. "Unless a tree is dead, proper maintenance does not include removal of the entire tree."

For more information on how to properly plant and maintain vegetation, follow Edison's detailed safety guide.

The Santa Barbara and the Palm Desert fire departments did not respond to SFGATE's requests for comment.

SFGATE News Director Amy Graff contributed to this story.
Gov. Ned Lamont took a safe path early Thursday, naming a recently retired, veteran state lawyer from North Haven with elections experience to fill the secretary of the state position for the next six months.

Mark F. Kohler will take the secretary of the state role effective July 11, succeeding Denise Merrill, who has held the post for 11 1/2 years and is stepping down effective noon Thursday to care for her ailing husband. Merrill, 73, had announced last year she would not seek re-election.

Kohler, a 1987 UConn law school graduate, was head of the special litigation unit from 2011 to 2021, serving under two attorneys general, George Jepsen and William Tong. That unit represents all state constitutional officers, the legislature, and the judiciary, covering, among other matters, election issues  a subject of frequent lawsuits.

In naming Kohler, Lamont hewed to the tradition of picking a non-controversial veteran professional to fill a short-term vacancy in a constitutional office  as he did at the end of 2021, when he named Natalie Braswell to succeed former Comptroller Kevin Lembo, who resigned due to a heart condition.

Mark is an extraordinary public servant, Lamont said Thursday. He has been specializing in election law over that attorney generals office for many, many years.

He had just taken a retirement and he agreed to stay on to help us for 6 months and to make sure we get through this primary, next election, the balloting, as smoothly as can be done, he continued.

Kohlers appointment comes one day after a political blogger and Hartford Courant columnist, Kevin Rennie, incorrectly named a different person as Lamonts pick. The Courant retracted that story.

The secretary of the state position is the most hotly contested constitutional office in this years elections, with two candidates vying in the Democratic primary and three Republicans, all of them with significant credentials. Lamont made it clear he would not name a person with aspirations to run for the office.

The candidate who wins the seat in the November election would be sworn in on Jan. 4 under the political schedule laid out in the state Constitution.

Lamont also declined to name Scott Bates, Merrills top deputy, who has been the subject of controversy in his former role as chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority, due to cost overruns at the state pier in New London and other issues. The Republican state chairman, Ben Proto, had publicly warned Lamont not to name Bates.

Its unclear whether Bates was ever under consideration. Lamonts office said the candidate named by Rennie, Democratic Party insider Moriah Moriarty, was never under consideration.

Kohler retired earlier this year as an associate attorney general under Tong. Before the special litigation assignment, he headed the public utilities unit from 2009 to 2011 and the finance department from 2003 to 2009. In the early 1990s he was an associate at Shipman & Goodwin.

He had just taken a retirement and he agreed to stay on to help us for 6 months and to make sure we get through this primary, next election, the balloting, as smoothly as can be done, Lamont told reporters Thursday. People dont know if hes a Republican or a Democrat.

Thats code for, hes an appointee who is not politically active in campaigns. For the record, the North Haven town clerks office said Kohler is registered as a Democrat.

Mark is incredibly well-respected as a level-headed, tactful, and experienced attorney who has a considerable understanding of Connecticut state statutes, particularly those concerning the operations of our elections and government administration, Lamont said in a written release. The circumstances surrounding the need to fill this vacancy are very unfortunate, but I am pleased that Mark has agreed to step away briefly from his retirement and return to state service. I am confident that this will be a smooth transition.

I am honored and humbled to be named by Governor Ned Lamont to serve out the remainder of this term and continue my public service on behalf of the people of the State of Connecticut, Kohler said in the governors release. I have the utmost respect, appreciation, and admiration for the work Denise Merrill accomplished in this role, and I look forward to working with her dedicated team of professionals to ensure that our elections are carried out in an accessible, fair, and transparent manner.

Merrill, who was majority leader of the state House of Representatives before she won election for the constitutional office in 2010, issued a statement saying she was pleased with Kohlers appointment.

I am quite familiar with Marks work and stellar career in the Attorney Generals office, as well as his commitment to public service. I have every confidence he will make sure that all the important functions of our office, as well as our upcoming elections are handled fairly and with integrity.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com

Reporter Abigail Brone contributed to this report.
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TOKYO (AP)  Canadian rock legend Randy Bachmans long search came to an end Friday when he was reunited in Tokyo with a cherished guitar 45 years after it was stolen from a Toronto hotel.

My girlfriend is right there, said Bachman, 78, a former member of The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, as the Gretsch guitar on which he wrote American Woman and other hits was handed to him by a Japanese musician who had bought it at a Tokyo store in 2014 without knowing its history.

He said all guitars are special, but the orange 1957 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins he bought as a teenager was exceptional. He worked at multiple jobs to save money to buy the $400 guitar, his first purchase of an expensive instrument, he said.

It made my whole life. It was my hammer and a tool to write songs, make music and make money, Bachman told The Associated Press before the handover at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.

When it was stolen from the Toronto hotel in 1977, I cried for three days. It was part of me, he said. It was very, very upsetting. He ended up buying about 300 guitars in unsuccessful attempts to replace it, he said.

Bachman talked frequently about the missing guitar in interviews and on radio shows, and more recently on YouTube programs on which he performed with his son, Tal.

In 2020, a Canadian fan who heard the story of the guitar launched an internet search and successfully located it in Tokyo within two weeks.

The fan, William Long, used a small spot in the guitar's wood grain visible in old images as a digital fingerprint and tracked the instrument down to a vintage guitar shop site in Tokyo. A further search led him to a YouTube video showing the instrument being played by a Japanese musician, TAKESHI, in December 2019.

After receiving the news from Long, Bachman contacted TAKESHI immediately, and recognized the guitar in a video chat they had.

I was crying, Bachman said. The guitar almost spoke to me over the video, like, Hey, Im coming home.'

TAKESHI agreed to give it to Bachman in exchange for one that was very similar. So Bachman searched and found the guitar's "sister  made during the same week, with a close serial number, no modifications and no repairs.

To find my guitar again was a miracle, to find its twin sister was another miracle, Bachman said.

TAKESHI said he decided to return the guitar because as a guitar player he could imagine how much Bachman missed it.

I owned it and played it for only eight years and Im extremely sad to return it now. But he has been feeling sad for 46 years, and its time for someone else to be sad," TAKESHI said. I felt sorry for this legend.

He said he felt good after returning the guitar to its rightful owner, but it may take time for him to love his new Gretsch as much as that one.

Its a guitar, and it has a soul. So even if it has the same shape, I cannot say for sure if I can love a replacement the same way I loved this one," he said. There is no doubt Randy thought of me and searched hard (for the replacement), so I will gradually develop an affection for it, but it may take time.

Bachman said he and TAKESHI are now like brothers who own guitars that are twin sisters." They are participating in a documentary about the guitar on which they plan to perform a song, Lost and Found, together.

They also performed several songs at Friday's handover, including American Woman."

Bachman said he will lock the guitar up in his home so he will never lose it again. I am never ever going to take it out of my house again," he said.
When the original Oakland Kaspers Hot Dog restaurant at 4521 Telegraph Ave. closed its doors in 2003, owner Harry S. Yaglijian never imagined that his family business would remain closed for nearly 20 years. But after a prolonged ending, the historic restaurant is getting a second chance, albeit under new ownership.

Last July, Yaglijian sold the decades-old building to Emil Peinert, a managing partner at Oakland institution Kingfish Pub & Cafe. Since then, Peinert and his business partners have worked tirelessly to re-open and restore the famous restaurant to its original glory, as first reported by Berkeleyside.

Im happy that something is happening with the building, Yaglijian told SFGATE. Its the only hot dog restaurant in the country that had its own city block. I was hopeful that Emil would be the one who bought the original Kaspers. It was really reassuring what he did at Kingfish.

Yaglijian, of course, is referring to when Peinert and his business partners famously saved Kingfish from demolition back in 2015. The 1922 saloon was uprooted from its previous home on Claremont Ave. and transferred to Telegraph Ave. It remained intact and unchanged.

Im a fan of experiential history where you can feel the history, Peinert told SFGATE. You feel the generations that had been there before. [Kaspers] is a cool part of Oakland history. Many of our historic architecture gets turned into something that it wasnt. I worry that many of [those buildings] gets lost to progress.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

After Peinert and his partners purchased Kingfish in 2009, Vincent Traverso, partner at Kingfish, told SFGATE that he and Peinert developed a business relationship with Yaglijian. Traverso said that the idea of reopening Kaspers has been a longstanding goal of his and Peinerts ever since 2009.

It was an idea we hatched right when we were getting Kingfish, Traverso said. We looked down the road and thought about getting Kaspers back. Its a completely unspectacular building, but everybody who walks by stops and looks at it  thats part of the appeal. Theres something about it that just draws you in. In the end, it was an outright purchase of the property. We hope to apply the approach we did at Kingfish and keep [Kaspers] the same.

Peinert and his team plan to restore the tiny 490-square-feet structure and keep Kaspers as close to the original by repairing the vintage neon signs and maintaining the color scheme of the facade. When the restaurant opens, he expects that the menu offerings will include fries, beer, wine and, of course, hot dogs. Peinert said that while the frankfurters wont be an exact replica of the famous Kaspers dog  an all-beef frank on a steamed bun and topped with sliced onions, tomatoes, and relish  he does anticipate selling hot dogs that recall to the former classic.

There will also be one big change. Despite Yaglijians wish to license the original Kaspers name, the restaurant will re-open as Kasper Koojoolians  a move Peinert said will honor the founder of Kaspers Hot Dogs.

There are different branches of Kaspers in the Bay Area ... and I think its confusing for people with the K and C [restaurants] so were going to open as Kasper Koojoolians, Peinert said. He was the trunk of that tree, so it seems appropriate to name it after him as the founder of Kaspers in the Bay Area.

Courtesy of Harry S. Yaglijian Courtesy of Harry S. Yaglijian Courtesy of Harry S. Yaglijian Courtesy of Harry S. Yaglijian Harry Yaglijian, owner of the original Kasper's Hot Dog, is pictured at his restaurant located at 4521 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland during the 1950s and 1960s. (Photos courtesy of Harry S. Yaglijian) Harry Yaglijian, owner of the original Kasper's Hot Dog, is pictured at his restaurant located at 4521 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland during the 1950s and 1960s. (Photos courtesy of Harry S. Yaglijian)

Before both Kaspers Hot Dogs and the independently owned and operated Caspers Hot Dogs became household names, the founders of these businesses were in search of the American dream. Koojoolian found himself in Chicago in the early 1920s after he and three cousins narrowly escaped the Armenian genocide. Money was tight for many years; the men took up different professions, while also selling hot dogs around the Windy City to help make ends meet. But after years of enduring frigid winters, Koojoolian decided to pack his bags and head to California. As fate would have it, Koojoolians luck would change for the better when he eventually opened Kaspers Hot Dogs in Oakland in 1930.

Not long after, Koojoolians cousins made their way, one by one, to California where they helped run the hot dog enterprise. Years later, when the family members decided to split up, Koojoolian kept his namesake business and his cousin, Stephen Beklian, adopted the name Caspers Hot Dogs in the late 1930s. Ron Dorian, co-owner of Caspers Hot Dogs and Beklian's grandson, previously explained the reason behind the matching names.

They were trying to decide what to do in regard with the name because Kasper was Kasper, so he should have that, Dorian told SFGATE. I think it was my aunt who mentioned that there was a comic strip called Toots and Casper, and she said, Well, maybe you can spell it like they do on the funny pages. And as the legend goes, the four of them just kind of laughed and thought it was a great idea. That way, they can honor their shared legacy and have two separate companies going forward and that's how the name change occurred.

As Berkeleyside reports, Harry S. Yaglijians father, Harry Yaglijian, married Koojoolians daughter, Mary, and eventually joined the family business around the 1940s. Yaglijian told SFGATE that his father worked at the 4521 Telegraph Ave. outpost for more than 50 years, beginning around the mid-1940s to 1997. That year, Yaglijians father suffered a stroke that forced him into retirement. He passed away in 2000.

Yaglijian started working at Kaspers in 1980 alongside his father until the early aughts. He eventually took over the restaurant, but by 2003, he would end up making the tough decision to close when the city of Oakland urged him to bring the aging structure up to code.

They wanted so many changes to the inside of the building that it would have been unrecognizable, Yaglijian said. I was perfectly happy bringing things up to safety but there was a whole host of things they required that would have changed the interior. They basically wanted it gutted and done to their specifications as opposed to keeping it historic. That was important to me. It became too bureaucratic.

Reopening Kaspers wasnt for lack of trying, Yaglijian said. Despite his efforts, he said that he ultimately ran out of money and couldnt complete the repairs. Peinert wasnt shy to admit that maintenance of the structure has been a challenge, but he is also optimistic that his team can make it happen. Without sharing a definitive opening date, Peinert said that hes hopeful Kaspers will open before the end of 2022.

I lived in this area for 17 years and its going to be great to have [Kaspers] part of the community again, Peinert said.

Yaglijian, who is now 75, admits that he would have hoped for a different outcome for the end of Kaspers, as it was, in 2003. He wishes that the city of Oakland would have been more helpful, but he trusts that Kaspers is now in good hands.

I wish the new owners of the building well, Yaglijian said. My father was friendly with everybody and was much beloved because of that. Many politicians and luminaries ... used to go all the time. Everyone in the city loved the original Kaspers  it was a historical place.
I was sitting at the bar, sipping a coconut libation, in the midst of a tropical-feeling heat wave. All of a sudden, a rainstorm erupted, thunder crashing down. Things went dark. Then, it appeared behind me: a ghost pirate, brandishing his sword, fighting for the treasure that he felt was rightfully his.

I wasnt on a tropical island, and I wasnt at Disneyland. I was in the middle of downtown Napa, at Napa Valleys only tiki bar  and I. was. transfixed.

Wilfreds Lounge describes itself as a twist on tradition [that has] brought together Napa and Honolulu culture like youve never known before.

I have to admit: I was trying hard to keep my expectations low about Wilfreds. Being the only tiki bar in Napa Valley (and all of Napa County) meant that the place wouldnt have to try all that hard  simply by virtue of being the only one, it could easily be called the best.

It turns out, Wilfreds Lounge can hold its own not just in Wine Country, but it could easily have a place in San Francisco, too. And not only because the place has some original statues from an old Trader Vics  the general manager Daniel Doc Parks was beverage director at Pagan Idol and Zombie Village in SF.

Julie Tremaine Julie Tremaine Julie Tremaine Julie Tremaine Wilfred's Lounge in Napa is a tiki bar that works surprisingly well in wine country. (Julie Tremaine/SFGATE) Wilfred's Lounge in Napa is a tiki bar that works surprisingly well in wine country. (Julie Tremaine/SFGATE)

The drinks are definitely tiki, and they have a serious element of mixology to them. I sat at the bar watching the bartenders crank out libation after libation: for one, they torched a sprig of rosemary for a garnish; for another, a stencil to make a W emblazoned on the top. This one comes in a conch shell that looks like mermaids treasure, overflowing with fresh orchids. That one has a house-made coconut banana whip and dehydrated banana spears rising from its glass.

Wilfreds Lounge would be a great bar anywhere, but it really works in Napa. Wine Country already has a bewitching air about it, so when I walked in, fresh from a vineyard on a sunny afternoon, the transportive nature of a tropical-themed bar with islandy music and bright colors everywhere made sense to my vacation-mode brain. (And if Im being honest, my pineapple fried rice  with optional added kalua pork as good as what I recently enjoyed on the North Shore of Oahu  was a refreshing departure from the steak-and-red-wine-heavy menus youll find in most Napa restaurants.)

But on another level, the architecture just works with the landscape. The building is perched on the Napa River, and there are both downstairs and upstairs patios where you can sit by the water and take in the historic 1847 city and the hills beyond. I didnt realize it at the time, but part of why Wilfreds Lounge blends so beautifully into the Wine Country around it is because the restaurant has generations of wine-making history behind it.

Julie Tremaine

Father and son duo John and Nat Komes opened Wilfreds Lounge in November 2021, naming it after a family member, Wilfred, who was born in Hawaii and whose own bar was a fixture of the Honolulu cocktail scene. Wilfreds sister Flora moved to San Francisco from Hawaii in 1929, and eventually founded Flora Springs Winery with her husband Jerry. John Komes, one of their three kids, and his son Nat now run Flora Springs and the familys other wine labels.

This new venture honors the familys Hawaii roots and wine-making legacy. Theyve even displayed the trunk Flora brought over to California from Hawaii, and have some of her and Jerrys furniture in the restaurant. Theres real family history in the place, which gives it some heart underneath all the bamboo.

And if the place has some elements of magic to it, theres a reason for that, too. (See the aforementioned ghost pirate, who appears through a porthole and on a screen that alternates between an idyllic beach and his ghastly underwater realm, and the sudden change of climate indoors from a soft summer night to a sudden rainstorm.)

Wilfreds was designed by the same man who designed (and owns) High Roller Tiki Lounge in Solvang. Its an island-meets-Disney tiki bar in Santa Ynez Valley wine country that has elements of owner Michael Cobbs past life running the food and beverage program at Disneylands exclusive Club 33. (Look closely in that place and among the Trader Sams-style decor, youll find hidden Mickeys and nods to Walt himself.)

Julie Tremaine

Downstairs at Wilfreds is what you might expect from a tiki bar: bamboo and seagrass offset by intricate wooden carvings by artist Billy Crud and hanging lanterns. Upstairs, Im just going to be blunt: Its a pirate ship. Its an actual, entire interior of a pirate ship constructed inside the upper level of the building, and it is extremely cool  especially since you walk out the ships doors (made of sea creatures, of course) and onto a patio overlooking the river.

When you consider the ghost pirate downstairs, Wilfreds Lounge might draw some inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean, but there are also other Disney-ish hints inside: The upstairs displays a map of the Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island amid its rum bottles and antique pistols and ropes hanging overhead.

Soon after dinner, I hit the road  but I left Napa with some treasure of my own: a first-edition Wilfreds tiki coconut, now proudly displayed on my bar among the bottles of wine I brought home from my trip. It feels right there. They make sense together.
Two men have been arrested for attempting to transport six migrants, according to an arrest affidavit.

Laredo police officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle at about 12:10 a.m. June 26 in the 7900 block of San Dario Avenue. Authorities learned that a Chevy Silverado parked at the location was not supposed to be there.
Happy Fourth of July from the Greatest Lions Club. Lion Warner Phelps held his first meeting as President. He replaced Steve Williams, last years president, who did a great job. Lion Steve had a goal of having 330 members and we just made it by ending his term as president with 330 members. A great job by everyone to get new members.

Our meeting began with President Phelps having all former Conroe Noon Lion Past Presidents present lead us in the singing of God Bless America, as well as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge. Former president Wes Carr introduced the guests. We had 10 guests, including former Lion associate Kayla Argueta who is now a member of the Cut and Shoot Lions Club where she was awarded Lion of the Year. This weeks door prize was donated by Lion Bill Miller, which was a gift card to Roadhouse, thank you Bill. The Community Partner Spotlight of the Week went to Waypoint Landscaping. Thank you for all your support.

President Warner and his family just returned from Montreal where he and his family attended the Lions Clubs International Convention. Every year the Noon Lions Club sends our club President to the convention. Warner said this was never on his bucket list of things to do, but after this experience he changed his mine. He talked about all the people he met and had pictures of all the Texas clubs in red, white and blue vests, along with Cowboy hats. He met people from all around the world. The proud moment for him was his 14-year-old seeing him holding the flag for the Texas group in the parade. He encouraged everyone to attend next years convention in Boston.

This weeks agenda was to give out the year end awards to Lions for taking on various tasks. We handed out a few left-over honors from last weeks banquet, due to supply chain issues even Past President Steve Williams got his award. So many Lions stepped up and received awards. Thanks to all of you on a successful year. Lion Pat Brennan presented our very prestigious awards, the Life Membership Honorariums to six of our Lions. The six Lions honored were Andrew Cantu, Jeff Cashner, Jane Johnston, Karl Johnson, Craig Treadway and Cara Wood. Congratulations you all are great Lions!

Remember, there is no meeting Wednesday, July 6 because of the Fourth of July holiday.

Before I close, I would like to take a minute to talk about the Lions Camp in Kerrville, Texas. I was lucky enough to go up to the camp last week and serve dinner to some special families. This Camp is free to all that attend. They have different camps for physically disabled children as well as for kids with diabetes. Wes Carr, fellow Lion and Texas Lion Camp Chairman of the Board took me on a tour of the camp. To describe the camp in one word would be AMAZING, from the scenery to the fishing pond to all the new building going on. Thanks to all the Lions who help make this camp great. Thank You Wes for the tour, and all you have done for the Lions Camp.

If youre interested in the Conroe Noon Lions Club or the Lions camp please contact us at 936-760-1666. We meet every Wednesday at Noon at the Lone Star Convention Center. Please visit our website, www.conroenoonlions.org, or call the local club office at 936-760-1666; plus we have additional information on other area Lions Club.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  For three days, authorities combed the turquoise waters north of Puerto Rico searching for 23-year-old Harold Carrion, whose mother reported him missing earlier this week and feared drowned at a popular beach.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it scoured an area about half the size of the U.S. territory as Puerto Rico police officers, scuba divers, emergency management officials and others helped in a search that began Tuesday and cost more than $1.2 million.
The Columbus Zoo is mourning the loss of its 14-year-old Amur tiger, Jupiter.

The zoo said Jupiter died Sunday from pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

Zoo officials said Jupiter had been on a long-term treatment for chronic underlying illnesses he had which made him more compromised to the virus.

He is the first animal at the zoo to die from COVID-19, the zoo said.

His care team noticed he was sick last Wednesday when he wasn't interested in eating and was reluctant to stand or move and interact with his keepers.

It continued for a day before the care team put him under anesthesia to examine him and find ways to treat his illness.

He was diagnosed with an infection and his team began treating him. But they said his condition didn't get better.

The next day, the care team did more testing and treatments and although he appeared to be in stable condition, Jupiter died overnight.

Out of an abundance of caution, zoo staff working with cats, great apes and mustelids are required to wear masks when they're within 6 feet since they're more likely to get COVID-19 than others.

Jupiter was born at the Moscow Zoo on July 9, 2007. He came to the Columbus Zoo on March 19, 2015, after being at the Zoo Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic.

Related video: 80 animals receive COVID-19 vaccination at the Cincinnati Zoo

He sired nine cubs, six at the Columbus Zoo, contributing to the future of this endangered species, the zoo said.

His care team will remember him as a big and impressive tiger who loved fish, sleeping in the habitats cave, playing with cardboard boxes and interacting with another favorite item a 75-pound firehouse "plus sign."

He also was known for being very friendly with the female tigers, Mara and Natasha.

"Jupiter will be greatly missed," the zoo said.


LOS ANGELES  The Rices fire burning in Northern California continued to stymie fire crews on Thursday as it ballooned past 900 acres with only 12% containment.

At least five firefighters have been injured battling the blaze, which sparked Tuesday in rural Nevada County near the Yuba River. Officials said the injuries were primarily heat-related as temperatures near the fire soared into the 80s and 90s this week.

Crews are also contending with dangerously steep terrain and drought-dried brush that can easily act as fuel for flames, according to Mary Eldridge, a spokeswoman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Its just incredibly difficult to access, and so theyre talking about doing rope systems to even get down there, Eldridge said, adding that there are large rock outcroppings where it can can go from a 20- or 30-foot drop to a 150-foot drop, so its hard for firefighters to really get in there with any kind of tools.

Four structures have been destroyed by the fire and hundreds more are threatened, she said. Evacuation orders remain in place in four zones in Nevada County, with several surrounding areas under evacuation warnings.

The fire so far is holding at the Yuba River, a border between Nevada and Yuba counties, Eldridge said. But it is the biggest fire this year in the five-county area of Nevada, Yuba, Placer, Sutter and Sierra.

It burned quite quickly due to the amount of fuels that were in that canyon, and it doesnt have a lot of fire history on it she said. Between the brush and the heavy timber, there was a lot of fuel to burn, so once it got started  and because of the steepness of the canyon  it was really able to make that first run.

Eldridge said crews on Thursday were optimistic that changing weather conditions, including cooling temperatures, increasing humidity and slowing winds would help them turn a corner on the blaze.

Highs near the fire were expected to reach only into the low to mid-80s on Thursday, according to Sierra Littlefield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

We will see the moisture content in the air gradually increase into the (Fourth of July) holiday, which is definitely beneficial, Littlefield said. Temperatures will also be a tad below normal actually for this time of year.

Winds near the fire on Thursday were expected to be around 10 mph with possible gusts up to 15 mph, she said.

Some of the initial smoke from the fire has dissipated, she said. However, the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District has issued an air quality health advisory that will remain in effect through Tuesday due to the fire.

Air quality is expected to vary greatly throughout the advisory period depending on fire behavior and weather conditions, with smoke settling in low areas at night, the advisory says.

Residents who smell or see smoke are advised to stay indoors with doors and windows closed as much as possible.

Eldridge, of Cal Fire, said shifting winds could help the blaze burn back onto itself.

Thats actually a best-case scenario, she said. But you just never know, with the wind on it, if it might pop something up.

Around 1,000 personnel are battling the fire from the air and ground, she said, adding that aerial crews on Wednesday dropped 83,000 galloons of retardant onto the flames.

The big concern now is keeping the structures that overlook the river safe as it creeps to the northwest, she said.

You can imagine the beautiful views these folks have sitting on the top of the ridge looking down at the river  its lovely, Eldridge said. Its just that now its covered in smoke.
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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Archbishop John C. Wester is speaking about the decision to mortgage an iconic Santa Fe cathedral to meet a settlement agreement tied to church sex abuse victims.

The action was a last resort because we pretty much sold everything we can, including my residency," Wester told the Santa Fe New Mexican on Thursday.

The archbishop sent letters to parishes last month informing them they would collectively need to borrow $12 million to pay for the settlements. That's when he broke the news about the cathedral. The archdiocese has to remit $65 million by Sept. 30 and a final $10 million by March 31 of next year, Wester wrote.

Still, the decision to use the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the heart of the diocese, shocked many New Mexico Catholics. Wester believes the love for the cathedral actually was a factor in the property being accepted as collateral.

Im not a lender, but I would imagine that they would see that as a good thing because obviously the archdiocese is going to do everything in its power to make good on our debt, Wester said.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case seeking protection from creditors in 2018 as sex abuse claims surged.

The chairman of a creditors committee negotiated an agreement on behalf of surviving victims and a tentative deal was reached in May.

It totals $121.5 million and would involve about 375 claimants.

It also includes a non-monetary agreement with the Archdiocese to create a public archive of documents regarding the history of the sexual abuse claims.

In New Mexico, some 74 priests have been deemed credibly accused of sexually assaulting children while assigned to parishes and schools by the Archdiocese, which covers central and northern New Mexico.

Established in the 1850s after the Mexican-American War, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is one of the oldest in the nation. Wester has been the archbishop there since 2015.

While it was a tough decision to put up the cathedral, Wester said it was ultimately the right one.

If you think about it, by mortgaging the cathedral well have fewer churches, if any, that we have to mortgage, so its really mostly a practical thing, he said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden told Democratic governors Friday that he is looking at all the alternatives for protecting abortion access following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

One day after returning from international summits in Europe, Biden described the ruling as tragic and warned that Republicans could try to enact a nationwide ban on abortion if they retake control of Congress. He urged Democrats to elect at least two more senators so they could create an exception to the filibuster and codify in law the protections that had been provided under Roe v. Wade.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Bulgaria's president on Friday handed the mandate to try and form a new government to the country's finance minister, four days after pro-Western reformist Kiril Petkov resigned following a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

Asen Vassilev, from Petkov's We Continue the Change party, now has seven days to try to end the European Union and NATO member's latest political crisis amid soaring tensions with Russia.

Before handing over the mandate Friday, President Roumen Radev warned that Bulgaria "is in a political, economic and social crisis.

I expect adequate solutions and the defense of the national interest to build a free, democratic and prosperous European Bulgaria, he added.

The Harvard-educated Vassilev must submit his proposed cabinet for approval to President Radev, and would then face a confidence vote in the 240-seat Parliament. So far, he has secured support from one of Petkov's former coalition partners, but would need much broader backing to obtain a parliamentary majority.

Petkov's minority government lost a no-confidence motion on June 22 that was filed by the center-right GERB main opposition party. GERB accused him of poor budgetary and economic policy. Petkov had previously lost his majority after a junior partner quit his four-party coalition over similar concerns.

Vassilev was given the mandate instead of Petkov, whose party had won the most votes in last December's elections, because another of Petkov's former junior partners ruled out backing him due to a dispute with Russia.

This week, Bulgaria ordered the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomatic staff from Bulgaria, exacerbating tensions between the two historically close nations.

Petkov, who took a strong stance against Russia after it invaded Ukraine on 24. Feb, has claimed Moscow used hybrid war tactics to bring down his government.

Russia's ambassador to Sofia, Eleonora Mitrofanova, appealed Friday to Bulgaria to reverse the expulsion decision, and later threatened that Moscow would fully sever diplomatic ties.

I intend to urgently raise before the leadership of my country the issue of the closure of the Embassy of Russia in Bulgaria, which will inevitably lead to the closure of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in Moscow, she said in a statement.

The EU on Friday called Russia's response an unjustified threat and said it stands in full support and solidarity with Bulgaria.

In 2021, Bulgaria held three separate general elections, lurching from one political crisis to another.

More than three decades after communism ended in Bulgaria, it is ranked the most corrupt country in Europe, and is the EUs poorest member.

Daniel Smilov, a political science professor at the University of Sofia, said a government under Vassilev would be the same politics, the same type of government, (with) the same ideas as Petkov's.

If (Vassilev doesn't) succeed with the first mandate to form a government, the second party is GERB  (but) they have already said they are not going to attempt because they are pretty much in isolation in this parliament, he told The Associated Press.

"Overall I would say the country is moving towards a mid-term election.

___

McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania; Jonathan Stearns in Brussels, contributed.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California, which already has some of the nation's toughest gun laws, has added new restrictions on untraceable ghost guns and on marketing firearms to minors, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday.

"As the Supreme Court rolls back important gun safety protections and states across the country treat gun violence as inevitable, California is doubling down on commonsense gun safety measures that save lives, Newsom said in a statement announcing that he had signed the two bills a day earlier.

Ghost guns, the privately made weapons without serial numbers, are increasingly being tied to violent crimes. Their proliferation has prompted President Joe Biden's administration to come up with new regulations to crack down on them.

Under the new law, California now requires parts used to build firearms to have serial numbers, and gives Californians who have weapons without serial numbers until January 1, 2024, to register them and add the numbers.

Starting in January 2023, anyone convicted of manufacturing a firearm without a serial number, or aiding the manufacture of a firearm by a prohibited person, will be barred from possessing a firearm for 10 years.

Ghost guns have wreaked havoc in communities all over the state and in particular have disproportionately affected the states Black and Brown residents, said Kris Brown, president of Brady, a national gun control group.

But Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, said California lacks a clear definition of what constitutes a ghost gun kit. He predicted the new law will be overturned based on the tougher standard set last week by the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark firearms ruling that said Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense.

Newsom also barred marketing firearms to minors, with a civil penalty of up to $25,000 for each violation. It allows people harmed by violations to sue for damages.

The governor, a Democrat, also released a video blaming U.S. Supreme Court justices and right-wing Republicans for allowing what he called the disgusting marketing of weapons of war.

Guns are not toys  they are deadly weapons, said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who sought the restriction.

But Paredes fears the law endangers youth camps that include target shooting or firearms courses. It violates free speech, he said, predicting it also will be overturned.

The laws, which take effect immediately, are among more than a dozen gun control bills that legislators sent to Newsom before they left Thursday for a monthlong summer recess.
CHICAGO (AP)  A Chicago man pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot, court records show.

Athanasios Zoyganeles entered the plea to a charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He could receive a prison term of up to six months when he is sentenced, which is scheduled for Sept. 30.
HAVANA (AP)  Gen. Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja, one of the most trusted advisers to former Cuban President Raul Castro and head of the country's military business division, died on Friday at age 62.

The Communist Party and official news media said he died of a cardiopulmonary arrest.

Lopez-Calleja, who was also a former son-in-law of Raul Castro, was serving as executive president of the armed forces Business Administration Group, which includes an extensive array of hotels, shops, tourist agencies and construction firms.

He also was a member of the Communist Party's powerful Political Bureau and a member of the island's parliament.

Lopez-Calleja was a circumspect person who had become gradually more visible in official events as the armed forces businesses came to play a growing role in Cuba's economy.

He was born in the central province of Villa Clara on Jan. 19, 1960, just a year after the revolution led by Fidel Castro and his brother Raul had toppled the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and taken power.

He became a leader in party youth organizations, studied in the Soviet Union, participated in Cuba's African military mission to Angola and later serviced in military counterintelligence. His official biography says he began to lead the military business operation in 1996 and became part of the Communist Party Central Committee in 2011.

He had married  and later was divorced from  Raul Casro's oldest daughter, Debora, and they had a son, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, who is currently the most visible of his grandfather's bodyguards.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  The daughter of a reporter slain earlier this week in the northern Mexico border state of Tamaulipas died Friday of wounds suffered in the attack that killed her father.

On Wednesday, Antonio de la Cruz became the 12th journalist killed so far this year in Mexico, when a man on a motorcycle fired at him in his car outside his home. His daughter Cinthya de la Cruz Martinez, 23, was with him in the vehicle and was also shot.

On Friday, the newspaper De la Cruz worked for, Expreso, reported that the daughter had died of her injuries at a hospital in Ciudad Victoria, where the attack occurred. She had suffered a bullet wound to the head, according to the newspaper.

Also Friday, the governor of the western state of Jalisco said the director of a university radio station in the coastal city of Puerto Vallarta had been stabbed in what he described as an attempted robbery.

Gov. Enrique Alfaro said Susanna Carreno was in stable condition after undergoing surgery.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday that federal prosecutors have taken over the investigation of the killing of de la Cruz as a crime against freedom of expression.

One of the reporters colleagues said De la Cruz had once been asked, apparently by state authorities, to remove some of his tweets.

On Twitter, Antonio criticized the state government a lot and criticized the government, said fellow reporter Carlos Manuel Juarez. He even told me at one point that they had asked him to take down some critical tweets that he put up.

De la Cruz, 47, was a reporter for the local newspaper Expreso for almost three decades.

This is clearly an attack on freedom of expression, said Expresos director, Miguel Dominguez.

Almost all of Tamaulipas recent governors have faced accusations of corruption, ranging from money laundering to aiding drug cartels.

Expreso has been targeted over the years. In 2012, one of the worst years of drug cartel violence, a car bomb exploded in front of the newspapers building. In 2018, a cooler with a human head inside was left at the newspaper, with a warning not to report on violence in the city.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  Lawyers for the man accused of kidnapping and killing a Fernley teenager are seeking to dismiss the murder charge by arguing he cant be tried in Lyon County because she was killed in a neighboring county.

Troy Driver's public defenders filed the motion to dismiss Wednesday in justice court in Lyon County where Driver is scheduled to appear Tuesday on first-degree murder, kidnapping and other charges in the March death of 18-year-old Naomi Irion.

They cite a state Supreme Court ruling last year that forced separate prosecutions of a Salvadoran immigrant who eventually pleaded guilty to four murders in two northern Nevada counties.

They say investigators acknowledged in the criminal complaint that the evidence shows Irion was killed in Churchill County where her body was found buried in the desert northeast of Fernley on March 29.

Prosecutors said in charging Driver, 41, of Fallon, days later that he abducted Irion in Lyon County from a Walmart parking lot in Fernley on March 12 for the purpose of committing sexual assault and/or purpose of killing her.

Such an intent would establish jurisdiction for a Lyon County murder trial under the high court's ruling in the case of Wilber Ernesto Martinez Guzman.

But Driver's lawyers say prosecutors won't be able to prove he was the kidnapper, and therefore can't establish he had the intent or committed the necessary preparatory act to be tried for murder in Lyon County.

Lyon County District Attorney Stephen Rye said in an email to The Associated Press on Friday that he plans to oppose the defense motion but hasnt yet filed a formal response and anticipates the matter will be discussed at Tuesdays status hearing in Fernley. Driver remains jailed without bail.

The Supreme Court ruled last September that Martinez Guzman could not be tried in Washoe County District Court in Reno for the 2019 killings of two women in rural Douglas County south of Carson City at the same time he was being tried for the killings of Gerald and Sharon David in Reno.

Martinez Guzman currently is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole after agreeing to plead guilty and forgo any appeals in a deal with prosecutors that took the death penalty off the table.

District attorneys in Washoe and Douglas counties originally had argued that Nevada law allowed for one trial because the facts in the cases were intertwined, including evidence showing Martinez Guzman shot all four victims with the same gun he stole from the Davids residence.

In a 5-2 decision, the Supreme Court concluded that while Nevada law provides some exceptions allowing some crimes to be prosecuted in more than one county, the prosecution had failed to satisfy the standards.

The majority rejected the prosecution's argument that Martinez Guzman had an original plan to rob outbuildings and garages on the three properties and then changed his intent after finding the Davids firearm in Washoe County.

There is no evidence that Martinez Guzman took the firearm in preparation for the burglaries and murder in Douglas County, the high court ruled in that case.

In Driver's case, he was arrested after deputies acting on a tip found Irion's burial site on March 29. She had been shot in the head and forensic evidence at the scene indicated her body was not moved after death, the new defense motion states.

There is no evidence that the suspect had the intent to commit murder and engaged in a preparatory act requisite to the consummation of the murder while in Lyon County, it said.

For jurisdiction to be proper in Lyon County, Nevada, the assailant would have had to have kidnaped Ms. Irion in said county with the intent to later murder her. However, the amended criminal complaint does not assert that there existed a simultaneous act and intent of such a degree.

Moreover, the state will not be able to prove, by even a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Driver kidnapped Ms. Irion.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  Delaware lawmakers wrapped up the years legislative session with a flurry of action on secondary bills Thursday, after a successful push by majority Democrats to enact higher-profile measures tightening gun ownership laws and expanding abortion access.

Gov. John Carney put an exclamation point on the session's last day, signing a package of gun control measures that fellow Democrats rammed through the General Assembly after recent mass shootings in other states.

Those bills include bans on several types of semiautomatic firearms and on magazines capable of holding more than 17 rounds, and raising the age to purchase most firearms from 18 to 21. Other new laws will limit the immunity of gun manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits, return control of background checks for gun purchases from the federal government to the state, and ban the use of devices that convert handguns into fully automatic weapons.

This historic gun safety legislation would not have been possible without the dedication of advocates who demanded action across our state, Carney said in a statement after the bill signing. Id like to thank members of the General Assembly for working to pass these bills before the end of session.

Democrats also passed several measures to ensure access to abortion in Delaware, even in advance of the Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade. In 2017, Delaware became the first state following the election of Donald Trump to codify the right to an abortion. A bill signed by Carney, a Catholic, guarantees the unfettered right to an abortion before a fetus is deemed viable. The law also allows abortion after fetal viability if, in a doctors good faith medical judgment, abortion is necessary for the protection of the womans life or health, or if there is a reasonable likelihood that the fetus cannot survive without extraordinary medical measures.

In April, Carney signed a bill allowing physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe abortion-inducing medications including mifepristone and misoprostol. Lawmakers followed that up with a bill signed by Carney this week that allows physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners and nurse midwifes to perform abortions before viability. The new law 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 the protection of individuals from extradition to other states for criminal charges related to terminating a pregnancy.

On Wednesday, Democrats introduced a measure to enshrine the right to an abortion in Delawares state constitution.

Democrats also pushed through measures this year to make it easier for people to vote, approving same-day registration, with no photo ID required, and vote-by-mail bills. Each bill received a single GOP vote in the Democrat-controlled legislature. The vote-by-mail bill received final approval Wednesday, less than three weeks after it was introduced.

Democrats had less success in trying to legalize recreational use of marijuana by adults and to create a state-run cannabis industry. House lawmakers failed earlier this month to override Carneys veto of the legalization bill, which was a prerequisite for establishing a state-licensed and regulated marijuana industry.

Meanwhile, with state coffers flush, lawmakers approved recording-setting spending plans for the fiscal year that starts Friday.

On Tuesday, Carney signed a $5.1 billion operating budget, an increase of almost 6% over the fiscal 2022 budget of $4.77 billion. The new budget includes pay increases for state employees ranging 2% to 9%, as well as a $500 one-time bonus. The operating budget is in addition to a $378.6 million one-time supplemental appropriation that includes funding for paid family leave and a variety of other initiatives.

Lawmakers on Wednesday also gave final approval to a record $1.46 billion capital budget for construction and transportation projects, up from the record $1.35 billion capital budget approved last year. The new capital budget includes $331.4 million for transportation projects, $285.2 million for school construction, and $90 million for community reinvestment and redevelopment. It also includes $10 million for the School Safety and Security Fund.

The final element of the spending package is a grant-in-aid bill doling out taxpayer money for community organizations, nonprofit groups and volunteer fire companies. The grants bill, approved Thursday night, totals a record $69.4 million, up from last years record total of $63 million.

Among the other bills receiving final approval Thursday were measures mandating statewide mental health educational programs in all grades in district and charter schools, establishing mental health services units for middle schools, and requiring health insurance plans to cover annual behavioral health well checks.

Lawmakers also gave final approval to the first leg of a proposed constitutional amendment under which criminal offenders other than those charged with murder could be held without bail. The measure also must receive two-thirds approval by both chambers in the next General Assembly.

Under the legislation, offenders charged with certain felony offenses, which would be determined at a later date by the legislature, could be held without bail under certain circumstances. Supporters of the measure say it is an effort to balance the rights of criminal defendants with the need to protect public safety.

Thursday's vote came exactly one year after Carney signed a bill requiring more people charged with serious crimes to pay cash bail in order to be released from custody pending trial. That bill established secured cash bail as the baseline to be used by judges in determining pretrial release conditions for defendants charged with any of 38 specified offenses.

It also included a provision stating that it would expire upon enactment of the constitutional amendment allowing bail to be denied entirely for crimes other than murder.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  In the first week after the Supreme Court stripped away a womans constitutional right to have an abortion, Democrats and aligned groups raised more than $80 million, a tangible early sign that the ruling may energize voters.

But party officials say donors are giving much of that money to national campaigns and causes instead of races for state office, where abortion policy will now be shaped as a result of the court's decision. That's where Republicans wield disproportionate power after more than a decade of plunging money and resources into critical but often-overlooked contests.

The fundraising disparity offers an example of how a lack of long-term planning can lead to both a structural disadvantage and an exasperated Democratic base. Short of the votes to pass legislation through a gridlocked and narrowly divided Congress, the right to abortion now appears to be the latest issue ceded largely to the states. That's after failed Democratic efforts to expand voting rights, limit gerrymandering and significantly stiffen gun laws.

We can no longer afford Democrats systemic neglect of down-ballot races  not when Republicans are eager to intrude on our health care decisions, bedrooms, and marriages, said Gabrielle Chew, a spokesperson for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which helps finance state legislative races. This should be a wake-up call."

The massive $80 million fundraising haul was recorded by ActBlue, the Democrats' online fundraising platform, which has a ticker that shows in real time the money passing through the organization. ActBlue took in over $20 million in the first 24 hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that determined abortion was a constitutional right. By Tuesday, the group had processed more than $51 million in donations, and by Friday, the total had reached $80 million.

In fact, all major Democratic campaign committees reported a surge in contributions after the ruling, including those working on state-level as well as federal races. Planned Parenthood, too. But few have been willing to release hard numbers.

WinRed, the online fundraising portal for the Republican Party, did not respond to an inquiry about the partys fundraising since the courts decision.

The fundraising disparity is nothing new between Democratic groups working for state candidates and those focusing on national issues after a defining moment. For example, ActBlue took in more than $71 million in just 24 hours after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, little of which went to groups working on state-level campaigns.

Consider the case of Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, who in 2020 shattered fundraising records in his long-shot bid to oust Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and head to Congress in Washington. Harrison ended up losing the race by more than 10 points. He raised more than $57 million in the closing months of his campaign, including one 24-hour period in which he raised over $1 million.

But for statehouses? The Democratic Governors Association announced it had raised $200,000 online after the court's decision last week. The organization said Thursday that it was on pace to raise $1 million before the start of the long Fourth of July weekend.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which raises money for state races across the country, declined to say how much it has taken in since the court decision. But its past fundraising figures demonstrate how under-resourced the group is.

The DLCC raised $650,000 in the 48 hours after a leaked copy of the court's decision surfaced in May. Earlier this year, it celebrated when announcing it had raised nearly $6 million in the final three months of last year.

Its GOP counterpart, the Republican State Leadership Committee, raised more than twice that during the same period last year.

When Democrats (spend) 1-to-1 with Republicans in legislative races, we win them," said Greg Goddard, a Florida Democrat who raises money for national and state campaigns. "But when its 3-to-1, or 4-to-1, we get clobbered.

Amanda Litman, co-founder of the group Run For Something, which recruits candidates to run for school boards, city councils and legislatures, said Democrats have a woeful track record when it comes to investing in down-ballot races that also build a bench of future talent.

The worst laws are going to come from the reddest states, and they are not going to stay in those red state borders. So what are you going to do to mitigate the harm? Litman said after the abortion ruling. I want to see Joe Biden doing fundraisers for the DLCC and the DGA.

The Democratic fundraising eco-system typically rewards social media stars, those who appear on popular liberal shows, like Rachel Maddow, or candidates who go viral online. Thats exceedingly difficult for candidates in races that dont draw much attention away from home, like most legislative contests.

Meanwhile, big dollar donors have historically donated to national candidates, or groups focused on the presidency or Congress.

Still, some Democrats bristle at the suggestion that down-ballot races don't get enough attention.

Sam Newton, a spokesperson for the governors association, said it has its own success story to tell. Democratic candidates in key states saw major donation surges after the court decision, he said. The group has also closed a 2-to-1 fundraising gap with Republicans that existed less than a decade ago, reaching parity last year.

Planned Parenthood is part of a joint effort with the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY's List, which supports women running for office, that plans to spend $150 million up and down the ballot in the 2022 midterms, said Jenny Lawson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes.

Governors' races will be a major focus, she said, citing Michigan and Wisconsin, in particular, where decades-old laws banning abortion are still on the books. (Michigan's law dates to 1931; Wisconsin's to 1849.) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, both Democrats, are facing tough reelection battles.

Those governors have stood in front of these Republican legislatures who want nothing more than to ban abortion and they have said no," said Lawson. These governors are on the front line, and we need to protect them.

But others are skeptical that the effort will trickle down outside of high-profile races.

Litman said some party donors are warming up to the idea of giving to down-ballot contests. But there remains a culture in the party, particularly among megadonors, of chasing the bright, shiny object, she said. Republicans, meanwhile, treat political giving as a business investment  you get your judges and tax cuts and you spend money patiently knowing it will pay off, she said.

We have to balance our short-term immediate electoral goals with a long-term mission to win back these seats, Litman said.

___

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Oregon Democrats have a new nominee for whats expected to be a hard fought state Senate race.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that in a meeting Thursday, local party officials tapped attorney Rich Walsh over two other candidates seeking to represent Senate District 11. The former Keizer City Council member will face Republican state Sen. Kim Thatcher in November.

Walsh beat out state Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, D-Woodburn, and Anthony Rosilez, director of the states Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, for the nomination.

In mid-June the initial Democratic nominee, Woodburn Mayor Eric Swenson, announced hed decided not to pursue the seat despite defeating both Walsh and Rosilez in the May primary.

That meant that party officials within the district, rather than Democratic voters, got to choose Swensons replacement.

Senate District 11 stretches from Salem up Interstate 5 to Woodburn. The district is currently held by Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat and the longest-tenured lawmaker in Oregon history.

But Courtney is retiring this year, and after last years redistricting process the district now includes Keizer, Thatchers long-time political home.
VISTA, Calif. (AP)  A driver who ran onto a Southern California sidewalk and killed four people, including two young children, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years to life in prison.

Prosecutors say Ashley Williams, 30, was under the influence of difluoroethane, a gas used in aerosol products, and had marijuana and methamphetamine in her system when the crash occurred in May 2020 in Escondido.
Peter Dejong/AP

AMSTERDAM (AP)  The Dutch central bank chief apologized Friday for the institution's involvement in the 19th-century slave trade, the latest expression of contrition in the Netherlands linked to the country's historic role in the trade in enslaved people.

The apology came at an event on the national day marking the Dutch abolishment of slavery and followed similar moves in recent years from municipal authorities in the major Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)  El Salvadors Bitcoin-boosting president was back at it again Thursday, doubling down on his countrys losing investment in the cryptocurrency by buying over $1.5 million more.

President Nayib Bukele wrote on his Twitter acount after posting the purchase: Bitcoin is the future! Thank you for selling cheap.

Bukele said his government purchased 80 Bitcoins at $19,000 apiece. That is less than half the average price the government paid for its previous $105.6 million stake.

According to the tracking site nayibtracker.com, starting last September, El Salvador has paid an average of almost $46,000 per coin, for a loss of 56%, or around $59 million.

In mid-June, after the crypto currency fell below $20,000, Bukele wrote, I see that some people are worried or anxious about the #Bitcoin market price.

My advice: stop looking at the graph and enjoy life. If you invested in #BTC your investment is safe and its value will immensely grow after the bear market, he wrote at the time. Patience is the key."

Bukele became the first leader in the world to make the cryptocurrency legal tender last year and was still a devoted booster in May, when he boasted of buying the dip in the currencys price. But the coin has slid further since then.

Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya has sought to put a good face on the situation, saying that because El Salvador hasnt sold any of its Bitcoins, it hasnt really suffered any loss.

However, most companies and governments do write down the value of what accountants call an unrealized loss, even if they dont sell the distressed asset.

Zelaya also insisted the Bitcoin slide doesnt matter very much for El Salvador, saying that its investment doesnt even represent 0.5% of our budget.

That might prove a hard sell in a country where about one-fifth of the people live on less than $5.50 per day.

In January, El Salvador rejected a recommendation by the International Monetary Fund to drop Bitcoin as legal tender.

The IMF recommended that El Salvador dissolve the $150 million trust fund it created when it made the cryptocurrency legal tender and return any of those unused funds to its treasury. The IMF cited concerns about the volatility of Bitcoin prices and the possibility of criminals using the cryptocurrency.

Bukele has touted Bitcoin as a way to significantly increase financial inclusion, drawing millions of people who previously lacked bank accounts into the financial system. He has also spoken of the parallel tourism promotion targeting Bitcoin enthusiasts.

Bukele led the push to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender alongside the U.S. dollar. El Salvadors Legislative Assembly made the country the first to do so in June 2021.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday set execution dates for six death row inmates, just hours before an attorney filed a motion for a rehearing in one case.

Execution dates for James Coddington, Richard Glossip, Benjamin Cole, Richard Fairchild, John Hanson and Scott Eizember were scheduled, starting Aug. 25 with Coddington and followed on Sept. 22 with Glossip.

Glossip, whose first conviction and death sentence was overturned, was hours from being executed in September 2015 following a second conviction and death sentence when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug.

It was later learned the same wrong drug had been used previously to execute an inmate, and executions in the state were put on hold.

Executions in Oklahoma resumed in October with John Grant, who convulsed on the gurney and vomited before being declared dead.

Glossip's attorney, Don Knight, later Friday filed for a new hearing based on an investigation by a Houston law firm that contends Glossip is innocent.

The report by the law firm Reed Smith alleges evidence was lost or destroyed, and that a detective improperly asked leading questions to co-defendant Justin Sneed to implicate Glossip in the slaying of Barry Van Treese, the owner of the Oklahoma City motel where Glossip worked.

Sneed, the motel handyman, is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to beating Van Treese to death with a baseball bat in 1997 in a room at the motel. Sneed testified that he killed Van Treese, but only after Glossip, the motel manager, promised to pay him $10,000 to commit the crime.

The facts and evidence that we now know in this case prove Richard Glossip is an innocent man, Knight said. We urge the State of Oklahoma to grant this request for post-conviction relief based on the abundance of new evidence that has never before been evaluated by a judge or jury.

Knight also asked that the court lift Glossip's execution date until reaching a decision on his motion for a new hearing.

"We implore the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to strike Richard Glossips execution date until this new information can be fully considered, Knight said.

The motion alleges prosecutorial misconduct, insufficient and improper evidence, ineffective defense counsel, improper jury instructions and that the judge failed to sequester the jury in the Glossip's case.

Oklahoma Attorney General John O'Connor asked the state appeals court in June to set execution dates for 25 death row inmates following a federal judges rejection of their challenge to the states lethal injection method.

The dates are each about one month apart. Glossip's scheduled execution would be followed by those of convicted killers Benjamin Cole, Richard Fairchild, John Hanson and Scott Eizember.
During the summer months ticks numbers rise and the risk of contracting diseases from them can do the same.

Each year, about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to CDC by state health departments and the District of Columbia. Recent estimates using other methods suggest that about 476,000 people may get Lyme disease each year in the United States.

As cases continue to show up, taking precautions during tick seasons can make a major difference in protecting yourself from potential exposure and bites.

Dan Wolff is the founder of TickEase, a company producing the only patented CDC-compliant two-sided tweezer created expressly for the removal of embedded ticks from people and pets.

Wolff has extensive experience with ticks and earned the nickname Tick Man Dan because he brings them everywhere he goes. To raise awareness, he wears shoes, shirts, and a watch emblazoned with tick pictures.

He said his main goal is to raise awareness of the dangers of ticks.

I was trying to figure out what I could do for myself to help prevent exposure and what could lead to illness, Wolff said. I just really didn't find much on the topic of tick removal, and I saw a lot of old outdated information and a lot of contradictory information. I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

I'd come down to the idea that simple is better when it comes to removal, he added. "Agitating the tick, putting poison, trying to suffocate it, trying to make it dizzy, using soap, a lit cigarette, a hot match, it's just not necessary. My goal is to help minimize the risk and the exposure to harmful pathogens from ticks for people for pets.

According to Illinois.gov, the most common type of tick in Illinois is the American dog tick. Ticks are most active in April, May and June and adults are inactive by September. They can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.

Other tick varieties also seen include the lone star tick, the winter tick and the brown dog tick, all of which can carry potentially dangerous viruses.

PERSONAL PROTECTION

Wolff said there are simple steps that can be taken for personal protection.

Wear light-colored clothing because you can detect the tick while it's on you and before it starts biting you, Wolff said. If you were to stay in the middle of a trail, if you tuck your pants in your socks, that just makes it a little bit harder for them to get into the skin area.

Wolffs research revolves primarily around deer ticks and the dangers they pose to humans and increasing the number of ticks tested and education being put out.

When it comes to ticks, timely removal of these embedded pests is key as this reduces the transmission of saliva that could carry harmful diseases.

Wolffs advice is to avoid twisting the tick off or jerking the tick as this may cause the ticks mouthparts to remain embedded in the skin.

Using a Q-tip to circle the embedded tick to distract it and get it to detach is another old wives tale.

Ticks can get into the tiniest sort of creases and crevices that you can imagine, Wolff said. I would also recommend treating clothing with permethrin, which has been proven to be really effective against ticks. The trick is permethrin is to be used on apparel, and they come in mist bottles or spray bottles. You would apply that to the outside and the inside and you let it dry completely, then you're going to be protected for in the case of self-applying product, usually around six washes before you'll have to reapply it.

While some studies suggest Lyme transmission can take 24 to 72 hours after attachment, there are many other infections that you can get with varying transfer times. Powassan, a rare severe disease, causes headaches, vomiting, and fever, and may take as little as 15 minutes to contract.

If bitten by a tick, you should use fine-tipped tweezers as recommended by the CDC, steadily grasp the tick, and using the tweezers take hold of the tick as close as possible to the skins surface and pull upward in a steady motion.

Use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to clean the bite area and tweezers when done. Attached ticks should never be disposed of or destroyed. Keep them in a Ziploc bag for identification and testing. A diseased tick does not necessarily transmit illness.

If you are bitten by a tick in an area where Lyme is prevalent, a physician may suggest and prescribe a precautionary dose of antibiotics to reduce the risk of getting infected.

Wolff said doing a full tick check after being in the woods or on trails is key.

What I do is a full check with no clothes on, Wolff said. They can get anywhere, and looking everywhere is one way you can make sure you havent been bitten. Daily checks are also good if you live near the woods. I've actually had nymphs feed in my belly button.

If bitten by a tick, Wolff suggests submitting it to a lab for analysis to see what you might potentially have been exposed to.

If the tick tests positive, does not mean that you've been exposed and that you're going to get sick," he added. "It's an individual thing, how you react to those pathogens, how your immune system reacts, and how you might react to actual infection. Some people don't even know it, some people are incredibly reactive.

"Being vigilant about taking precautions and doing checks will help you stay safer, especially during the height of tick season.

For more information on ticks in Illinois, see the state website at dphstage.illinois.gov

For information on TickEase, visit tickease.com
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  The Alaska State Fire Marshal's Office is suspending the use of fireworks across large portions of the state, citing fire dangers.

The state Department of Public Safety in a statement said the fire marshal's office, along with the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection, have suspended the use fireworks until further notice in the Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Denali and Fairbanks North Star boroughs.
On June 30, the reporter learned from the press conference held by the Information Office of Anhui Provincial Government that the "Formation Plan of Guidance Fund for the Anhui Emerging Industries" ("Fund Formation Plan") was recently introduced.

"Starting from 2022, (the related departments) use five years to set up a provincial guidance fund with a scale of not less than 50 billion yuan (about 7.47 billion U.S. dollars). The parent-fund can establish sub-funds through equity participation or initiation, etc, to form a guidance fund system with a total scale of not less than 200 billion yuan." Cheng Gang, deputy director of the Provincial Local Financial Supervision Administration, said.

With the rapid development of the private equity investment market in China, more and more local governments have established the government-investment-funds by integrating fiscal funds, giving full play to financial leverage to boost the development of local industries.

The Fund Formation Plan specifies that the Anhui Provincial Department of Finance will contribute to the establishment of the guidance fund. Under the guidance fund, set up three fund groups with 16 parent funds: the theme fund group, the functional fund group, and the angel fund group. By leveraging socialized capital, form a guidance fund system with a total scale of not less than 200 billion yuan.

Among them, the theme fund group focuses on ten major emerging industries, including new-generation information technology, new energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles, high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials, smart home appliances, artificial intelligence, life and health, new energy and energy conservation, digital creativity, and green food. It will provide capital support to these industries with the model of "one industry, one fund".
DOVER, Del. (AP)  A former Delaware police officer charged with evidence tampering and lying to investigators in connection with his shooting and wounding of a carjacking suspect has lost a bid to dismiss the case.

A Superior Court judge on Friday refused to dismiss the indictment against former Wilmington police officer James MacColl, or to exclude statements he made in internal affairs interviews after the 2019 shooting.

MacColl is charged with felony counts of tampering with physical evidence and making a false statement to law enforcement, and a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct.

Prosecutors claim MacColl changed the barrel of his department-issued handgun sometime after shooting 18-year-old Yahim Harris in February 2019. Harris was shot several times while running from a stolen car. He survived his injuries and sued Wilmington police, claiming they used excessive force and violated his rights after he alighted from the vehicle, helpless, unarmed, and non-threatening.

The lawsuit was settled earlier this year.

The indictment alleges that MacColl, knowing his gun would be confiscated by investigators, reinstalled the factory barrel and then lied about modifying the handgun without authorization.

MacColl argued that, under a 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the state is prohibited from prosecuting him for statements he made during internal affairs interviews because he made them under penalty of termination. He also argued that forms he signed before the interviews explained that any admissions he made would not be used in any subsequent criminal proceeding. The defense also argued that any incriminating statements in the internal affairs files are protected from disclosure by Delawares Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights, or LEOBOR.

Superior Court Judge Charles Butler rejected those arguments, noting that the Supreme Court ruling protects only truthful statements made by police officers under penalty of termination. The judge also refused to accept MacColls argument that any statement he made in the interviews should be inadmissible.

MacColls statements are not admissions, Butler wrote. ... Admissions acknowledge truth. MacColls statement are allegedly false.

Butler also said MacColl, who was terminated from the police force for an unrelated violation, lacked standing to bring his LEOBOR claim.

MacColl argued that LEOBOR prevents prosecutors from requesting, and the police department from disclosing, internal affairs files.

Butler noted that LEOBOR rights apply only to police disciplinary proceedings, and that MacColl directed his LEOBOR claim against prosecutors who subpoenaed the internal affairs files, not the police department.

Notably, he did not sue WPD for wrongful termination or for violating LEOBORs disciplinary procedures, the judge wrote.

A ruling that excludes evidence or dismisses an indictment in a criminal case due to a LEOBOR violation would grant a law enforcement officer immunities afforded no other class of citizens anywhere, Butler added.

The Delaware Department of Justice cleared MacColl of any criminal wrongdoing for using deadly force against Harris. A report issued in November 2019 noted police had been told by a dispatcher that the carjacking suspects were armed, and that MacColl did not fire his weapon until Harris, who had been driving the stolen vehicle, turned toward him and extended his arm while holding a black object in his hand.

While being questioned by police after the shooting, Harris denied being the driver of the vehicle and said he ran because he was on probation at the time. He also told investigators he had a cellphone in his hand as he ran and denied hearing any commands from MacColl.

MacColl told investigators that while officers were rendering first aid to Harris, he asked Why did you shoot me? I didnt have the gun anymore.

Investigators found that MacColls recollection of events was corroborated by surveillance video and medical records of the injuries to Harris. They also noted that a handgun was found underneath the passenger side of the stolen vehicle. A juvenile who was a passenger in the car was later found delinquent in Family Court for possession of a firearm by a prohibited juvenile.

A ballistics report issued about two weeks after the shooting matched spent shell casings at the scene to MacColls handgun but found that markings on the bullets recovered at the scene did not match the rifling of the barrel on the weapon MacColl turned in.

Authorities have said MacColl previously admitted replacing the standard issue barrel on his gun with an aftermarket barrel in 2017 to improve his firing accuracy, but that he denied switching barrels after shooting Harris.

Prosecutors dropped charges against Harris in March 2020, noting that MacColls total lack of candor during the shooting investigation called into question his credibility as a witness.
BERLIN (AP)  German state officials said Friday that they want advertisers and social media influencers to label any photos that have used so-called beauty filters.

Critics argue that the filters, which offer easy ways to touch up images and remove supposed blemishes, promote unrealistic standards of beauty particularly among women and girls.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia's governor is extending the suspension of the state's motor fuel tax through mid-August.

Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday signed an executive order extending the suspension for a second time. The order also suspends the state sales tax on locomotive fuel.

Kemp previously signed a law in March that passed with broad bipartisan support suspending the states gas tax through May 31. At the end of May, he extended that suspension through July 14.

Under state law, Kemp can suspend taxes by executive order as long as state lawmakers ratify the action the next time they meet. Kemp abated gas taxes in 2021 during a pipeline shutdown, and former Gov. Nathan Deal suspended gas taxes multiple times.

In announcing the extension of the suspension, Kemp blamed high gas prices on President Joe Biden.

I am committed to fighting to ease the economic burden hardworking Georgians are facing due to disastrous policies from Washington politicians, Kemp said in a news release.

The price of gas has risen dramatically around the world since Russian President Vladimir Putin began amassing troops on the border of Ukraine. Biden last month called for a three-month suspension of federal gasoline and diesel taxes, though the proposal was met by doubts from many lawmakers.

Democrat Stacey Abrams, who's challenging the Republican Kemp in the governor's race in November, said on Twitter Friday that it's past time for Brian Kemp to commit to suspending the gas tax through the end of the year.

Georgias gasoline price normally includes a federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon and a state tax of 29.1 cents per gallon. A number of cities and counties also charge taxes. Federal taxes on diesel fuel are 24.4 cents per gallon, while Georgias tax on diesel is 32.6 cents per gallon.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The Indiana governors office racked up more than $500,000 in legal bills for its successful court fight against an attempt by state legislators to give themselves more power to intervene during public health emergencies.

The state has paid almost $520,000 to the Indianapolis law firm Lewis Wagner for its representation of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb in the lawsuit, according to records from the state auditors office.

Holcomb hired the law firm as Republican state Attorney General Todd Rokita, whose office typically represents the state in court, sided with the GOP-dominated Legislature in the dispute. The law aimed to give legislative leaders authority to call the General Assembly into an emergency session after the governor declared a statewide emergency.

The governors office referred Friday to previous comments in which Holcomb said the lawsuit was necessary because actions taken by the Legislature under the law could have been challenged as illegal and led to significant uncertainty during a time of emergency.

From the beginning, this case presented important procedural, statutory and constitutional questions that only the courts could answer, Holcomb said.

The Indiana Supreme Court agreed with Holcomb, issuing a unanimous decision in early June that the law violated the state constitution.

The governors office first signed a contract with the law firm in July 2021 for up to $195,000. That contract was amended in November and June to increase the maximum amount to $525,000.

The attorney generals office, which represented the Legislature in the dispute, did not track the time its staff spent on the case or hire any outside assistance, Rokita spokeswoman Molly Craft said.

Despite the state Supreme Courts ruling that the law was unconstitutional, Rokita said in a statement that the governors legal bill was a waste of Hoosier taxpayers hard-earned money.

As we pointed out in this case, Indiana taxpayers already pay the office of the attorney general to litigate these types of matters on their behalf, Rokita said.

The state Supreme Courts decision settled the legal fight that lasted more than a year over the law that was a response to Holcomb's efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Holcombs lawyers contended that the state constitution allows only the governor to call the Legislature into meetings for consideration of new laws outside of its annual sessions that begin in early January and adjourn by the end of April.
PHOENIX (AP)  A judge ruled Arizona has been violating the constitutional rights of incarcerated people in state-run prisons by providing them with inadequate medical and mental health care, saying the state has known about the problem for years but refused to correct its failures.

In a blistering verdict Thursday, U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver concluded the states inaction showed it is acting with deliberate indifference to the risks of inadequate care and said the state has adopted a health care system for prisoners that has led to preventable deaths.

She said there arent enough health employees to care for the roughly 25,000 incarcerated people housed in state-run prisons and that corrections officials have made no significant attempts to fix the understaffing problem.

The judge criticized Corrections Director David Shinn for pressing the states prison health care contractor hard enough to better staff its operations and for testifying that prisoners often have greater access to health service than people who arent locked up.

Shinns claim that access to care is greater in state prisons is completely detached from reality, Silver wrote. Given the overwhelming evidence and repeated instances of insufficient care leading to suffering and death, Defendant Shinn could not possibly believe prisoners have the same access to care as people in the community.

The ruling said prisoners arent getting timely access to emergency treatment, medications, treatment for chronic diseases and specialty care. Under the current system, nurses are the first  and often the only -- medical professionals available to see prisoners. Sometimes the nurses, who may be insufficiently trained to diagnose and treat a given condition, miss obvious signs that should lead to a referral to a higher level provider, Silver wrote.

The judge is expected to order remedies in response to the constitutional violations. Lawyers representing prisoners have previously asked Silver to set up a receivership where the court would take over health care operations in state prisons and appoint an official to run those services there.

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Re-entry, which has denied allegations that it provided inadequate care, issued a statement Friday saying: We remain committed to working collaboratively with the Court, Plaintiffs counsel, and appointed experts to meet the healthcare needs of those in our custody and care. We will continue to actively look for opportunities to enhance healthcare delivery methods and protocols, and to upgrade the electronic medical record system.

C.J Karamargin, a spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey, who hired Shinn, said the state didnt yet have any plans for an appeal. Its a lengthy ruling, and we are analyzing it closely now, Karamargin said.

Corene Kendrick, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who represented prisoners in the case, said Silver affirmed the bedrock principle that prisoners are entitled to basic health care under the Eighth Amendment.

The department has abdicated its responsibility under the Constitution to provide minimal protections to the people it locks up, Kendrick said.

The case was tried late last year after Silver threw a 6-year-old settlement over prison health care, saying the state showed little interest in making many of the improvements it promised under the deal. Silver also said that $2.5 million in contempt of court fines against the state didnt motivate authorities to comply with the settlement.

After Silver threatened yet another round of contempt fines, Shinn wrote a February 2020 letter to the states prison health care contractor to say the state expected the company to provide enough resources to meet the settlements requirements for care. The corrections director also wrote that the company would be on the hook for costs associated with noncompliance.

In Thursdays ruling, Silver chided Shinn for not knowing whether the contractor had reallocated staff within Arizona.

The only possible conclusion to draw is that Defendant Shinn had little interest in changing the underlying reality, Silver wrote. Rather, his letter appears to have been nothing more than a half-hearted effort to generate a piece of paper he could cite to avoid contempt. Obviously, the Court expected Defendant Shinn to take more direct action than signing a letter.

In the past, receiverships similar to the one being proposed by the Arizona prisoners have been ordered for prisons in other states, including California.

In 2005, a federal judge seized control of Californias prison medical system after finding that an average of one inmate a week was dying of medical neglect or malpractice. He appointed a receiver, who retains control of the medical system, although operations at individual prisons are gradually being returned to the states responsibility.

The lawsuit that prompted the change in California and a similar suit over poor mental health treatment of inmates led a panel of judges to declare that record prison crowding was making it impossible to improve conditions to constitutional standards.

The judges put a cap on Californias prison population that forced a dramatic drop in the number of people in prison as the state eased criminal penalties, kept lower-level offenders in county jails and increased opportunities for parole.
Amy Beth Bennett/AP

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A Florida judge has refused to delay the sentencing trial of Nikolas Cruz in the 2018 shooting at a high school in which 17 people were killed.

Cruz's lawyers had argued that recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, unleashed a wave of emotion nationally that could bias the just-seated jury against him and that the scheduled July 18 start is too soon.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  A local government in Kansas has agreed to pay $12.5 million to a man and his mother after he spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, approved the settlement Thursday and said in a statement Friday that it admits no guilt in the wrongful conviction and two life sentences of Lamonte McIntyre in the mid 1990s.

McIntyre was 17 in 1994 when he was arrested in Kansas City for the shooting deaths of 21-year-old Doniel Quinn and 34-year-old Donald Ewing. McIntyre was freed in 2017 after a local prosecutor asked the court to vacate his convictions and drop all charges, calling his case an example of manifest injustice. Prosecutors presented no physical evidence tying McIntyre to the killings and their case largely hinged on testimony that was allegedly coerced.

The following year, McIntyre and his mother sued the unified government and former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski, who they have accused, along with other police, of framing McIntyre for the killings. Their lawsuit sought up to $123 million in damages.

McIntyre and his mother have said Golubski coerced her into sex and then framed her teenage son for the double homicide because she rejected the detectives later sexual advances. They also allege Golubski abused dozens of Black women for years and many officers were aware of his conduct.

Federal authorities are investigating Golubski, and the Kansas City, Kansas, police department revealed last October that it had been responding to subpoenas from the FBI since 2019 involving allegations against Golubski.

Golubski has denied the allegations. His attorney, Morgan Roach of Kansas City, did not immediately return phone messages left Friday at his office and on his cellphone seeking comment.

Thursday's settlement also resolves the lawsuit against Golubski, said attorney Cheryl Pilate, who represents McIntyre and his mother.

Lamonte now hopes to put this painful chapter behind him and move forward with his life, Pilate said in an email. Lamonte remains deeply committed to the cause of justice, particularly in Wyandotte County, and will continue to be a voice for those who have suffered wrongful convictions or other injustices.

In 2020, McIntyre was awarded a certificate of innocence and $1.5 million from Kansas after the state attorney general's office initially fought his compensation claim. McIntyre now lives in Arizona.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP)  Conservation officers located two lost hikers after a long search in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness of Hoosier National Forest, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said Friday.

Monroe County dispatchers received a 911 call around 6 p.m. Thursday from Jason Craig, 44, of Valparaiso, requesting help because he and his wife were hiking in the southern Indiana wilderness and became lost.
BOSTON (AP)  A man who prosecutors say killed two men and injured a child when he opened fire on a group of people at a Boston public housing development four years ago has been found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder.

Wilvin Guity-Beckels was convicted Thursday and faces sentencing on July 12, according to the Suffolk district attorney's office.
BOSTON (AP)  A Massachusetts man has agreed to plead guilty to fraudulently obtaining about $1.2 million in federal loans intended to help businesses struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

James Joseph Cohen, 59, of Wenham, between April 2020 and September 2021 submitted six false applications in which he overstated the earnings, the number of employees, and the payroll for two companies he controlled, according to federal prosecutors.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  A Medal of Honor recipient from West Virginia who died this week has been chosen as the first inductee into the West Virginia Military Hall of Fame, Gov. Jim Justice said.

Hershel Woody Williams, 98, died Wednesday, and Justice said Thursday he had nominated Williams for the Hall of Fame. The West Virginia Veterans Council met Thursday and unanimously voted to induct Williams, Justice's office said in a news release.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan lawmakers approved a state budget early Friday that increases money for education but delayed a decision on how to cut taxes, unable to yet bridge disagreement between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican legislative leaders.

Michigan is flush thanks to federal pandemic relief that fueled higher resident income and consumer spending, but the Democratic governor and the GOP-controlled Legislature disagree on how to cut taxes in response.

Lawmakers aimed to approve at least the K-12 state spending plan by the end of June, because its the start of school districts budget year. The states fiscal year doesnt start until October, but fall elections created a strong incentive to wrap up budget planning by Friday.

The spending plan that passed both chambers was the result of broad budget talks between the governor and GOP lawmakers.

State Sen. Jim Stamas, a Republican from Midland who chairs the Senate's budget committee, said negotiators produced a spending plan making significant investments to educate our children, improve our infrastructure, protect our communities, and build a stronger economy.

Lawmakers approved a $450 per student increase in base funding for K-12 schools, about a 5.2% increase. The Michigan Department of Education said the $9,150 commitment per student marks the highest total in the state's history and Superintendent Michael Rice called the spending plan a win for Michigan kids.

After years of school underfunding, the FY23 budget has the potential to be the budget to which we point in the future as the pivot point in the strengthening of public education in Michigan, the year when we made the most substantial strides toward adequate and equitable school funding, Rice said in a statement.

Lawmakers also committed to $575 million for programs intended to increase teachers in the state, a priority in Whitmer's original budget proposal.

Negotiators couldnt come to terms, though, on how to cut taxes and agreed to develop a broader state spending plan without resolving that dispute. The $76 billion proposal includes $6 billion toward state and local roads, bridges and other transportation projects.

Lawmakers also agreed to put about $2.6 billion toward public pension systems. House Republicans made that a particular focus during budget discussions this year, and the chamber's budget committee chairman Rep. Thomas Albert, of Lowell, called it an essential support for schools and local government.

Leaders said talks will continue about how to cut taxes and estimate that $7 billion remains available for tax changes.

Whitmer proposed targeted tax changes, including a reversal of 2011 cuts to the earned income tax credit and lower taxes on pensions. Republicans, though, wanted broader tax changes including lower individual and corporate income tax rates.

Let us continue in this spirit of collaboration to invest the billions of dollars in additional revenue we still have on the table and offer real relief to families right now, especially as they face rising prices on groceries, gas, and other everyday expenses, Whitmer said in a statement released Thursday as lawmakers prepared for the budget votes. I will work with anyone to put Michiganders first and get this done.

The education and general budgets now go to Whitmer for her review.

___

Foody reported from Chicago. Cappelletti is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP)  Some 2,000 migrants, most Venezuelans, walked out of this southern Mexico city early Friday en masse to pressure authorities into allowing them to continue to the United States border at a time attention is focused on immigration.

The latest large public exit of migrants from Tapachula follows the discovery of an abandoned semitrailer in San Antonio with more than 60 migrants inside. Fifty-three of them died in the failed smuggling attempt.

It also comes a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration did not err in ending the controversial Trump-era policy that forced some asylum seekers to wait out their cases in Mexico.

Following other mass movements of migrants from Tapachula last month, the Mexican government quickly negotiated to give them temporary documents.

One hundred percent we go in honor of the migrants who have died, because we all know that its no secret for anyone that (the Texas victims) were also fighting for a future like we are, said Jonatan Avila, a migrant from Venezuela who helped organize the others.

Many migrants are no longer tolerating Mexicos strategy of confining them to the south, far from the U.S. border. They complain that the process of regularizing their status -- usually by applying for asylum -- takes too long and with limited work available, they cannot afford to wait.

Dozens of National Guard troops watched them walk without intervening.

Doris Perdomo, another Venezuela migrant, traveling with her two young children, referred to Thursdays Supreme Court ruling and said she had news  which was false  that U.S. President Joe Biden would allow all migrants to enter the United States.

It came out in the news yesterday that Biden gave free passage, that hes not going to return any migrants, said Perdomo, who had been in Tapachula for a month trying to get papers.

The court ruling, however, was expected to have little immediate impact because the Biden administration had seldom applied the so-called Remain in Mexico policy during his presidency.

Another Trump-era policy that remains in effect and was not affected by Thursdays ruling allows the government to quickly expel migrants without a chance to ask for asylum  casting aside U.S. law and an international treaty  on grounds of containing the spread of COVID-19. There have been more than 2 million expulsions since the pandemic-era rule, known as Title 42 authority, was introduced in March 2020.

While migrant caravans have garnered media attention, the migrants traveling in them represent a tiny fraction of the migratory flow that carries people to the U.S. border every day, usually with the help of smugglers.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi judge has set a Tuesday hearing in a lawsuit by states only abortion clinic, which seeks to block a law that would ban most abortions. A temporary restraining order would allow the clinic to remain open, at least while the lawsuit is pending.

The law is set to take effect two days after the hearing. It says abortion will be legal in Mississippi only if the pregnant womans life is in danger or if a pregnancy is caused by a rape reported to law enforcement. It does not have an exception for pregnancies caused by incest.
NORWALK  The Common Council has taken the final step in banning pesticides on nearly all city-owned properties.

The council this week approved a new ordinance banning the use of non-organic pesticides on all city-owned properties, except for certain extreme cases, such as persistent poison ivy on school properties.

Use of restricted pesticides will be monitored and approved by the interdepartmental pest management team, established to evaluate applications and make determinations under the new ordinance, according to city documents.

Under the ordinance, pest control substances are separated into three categories: organic product, which is the preferred type should pest control be needed; restricted product, which is only to be used under certain instances; and prohibited products, which should be avoided if possible, according to the documents.

Prohibited products are only permitted for use on poison ivy on city property, provided the area is not within 200 feet of water, according to the documents.

Its in the best interest of the city and its residents to protect the ecological integrity of the Long Island Sound, Norwalks River and streams, and improve and protect water quality throughout our region, Ordinance Committee Chair Lisa Shanahan said. These lethal chemicals blindly kill and make no distinction between pests and beneficial insects and healthy organisms.

The ordinance, dubbed healthy outdoor public spaces, bans pesticides on city property unless the use meets these qualifications: A situation that poses an imminent threat to human health, environment or to the public; reasonable attempts were made with organic products but failed to remediate the condition; the pesticide will minimize the impact of the adjacent properties that may include a watercourse or wetland; and the product has proven to be effective against the condition.

Norwalks departments of Public Works and Recreation and Parks havent used in about three years.

Three years now we stopped using Roundup on our property, Rec and Parks Superintendent Ken Hughes previously said. We never mass treated for weeds or insects.

Around 2019, the Parks and DPW teams shifted to BurnOut, a natural weed and grass killer, Hughes said.

I picked up the product BurnOut, which is citric acid and clove oil, Hughes said. We have used that on clay ball fields.

The ordinance was first proposed by the Councils Ordinance Committee in March, when representatives from a nonprofit that works to end pesticide use presented data on pesticides harms. Pesticide researchers presented data on the impact pesticides have on children and illnesses related to high pesticide ingestion.

Drew Toher, community resource and policy director for Beyond Pesticides, said at the March meeting while each town in Connecticut can restrict the communitys use of pesticides, they cannot be banned on private property.

Pesticide restriction cannot apply to private properties in Connecticut, Toher said. Preemption should not be a reason to forgo the consideration of a pesticide policy in your community.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
MEBANE, N.C. (AP)  A 1-year-old North Carolina child died Friday after being left inside a hot car by the father after he went to work, police said.

The Mebane Police Department said officers responded to a call from a manufacturing plant after 12:20 p.m. following a report of someone in cardiac arrest, according to local news outlets.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  When the Archbishop of the Brazilian city of Manaus Leonardo Steiner kneels before Pope Francis on August 27, the Brazilian clergyman will make history as the first cardinal to come from the Amazon region.

The communities feel that the distance between Rome and the Amazon is now smaller, Steiner told The Associated Press in a written interview. Perhaps this is the reason for the Amazonian peoples joy with Pope Francis move.

Steiner attributed his selection to four priorities of the pope: the desire to do more missionary work in the Amazon and to be attentive to the poor; to care for the Amazon as our common home and to be a Church that "knows how to contribute to the autonomy of Indigenous people.

Sprawling across nine countries, the Amazon region is larger than the European Union. It is home to 34 million people, of whom more than three million are Indigenous, belonging to around 400 ethnic groups, according to the Catholic Church.

There is a religious lens through which to see the acute environmental struggles playing out in the region as well: The Catholic Churchs socio-environmental agenda is a contentious issue with numerous Brazilian Pentecostal churches. These have a powerful caucus in Brazil's parliament and have embraced the pro-agrobusiness beef caucus in Congress. Both Pentecostals and cattle industry advocates belong to far-right President Jair Bolsonaros political base.

Cardinals are the most senior clergy below the pope. Often called red hats because of the color of their skullcaps, they serve as papal advisors. More important, together they select each pope, the leader of the worlds 1.3 billion Catholics.

For observers of the church, it will come as no surprise that Francis has finally named an Amazonian cardinal, given the importance the region has had for his papacy and the attention he has shown it.

POPE FRANCIS' ENVIRONMENTAL AWAKENING

Francis was first moved by the plight of the vast Amazon basin in 2007, during the Episcopal Council of Latin American Bishops Conference, according to the Brazilian priest and historian Jose Oscar Beozzo. Francis was at that time the archbishop of Buenos Aires, and helped write the official account of the conference. The final text advocates for the preservation of both the Amazon and Antarctica.

Francis then dedicated an entire synod, or meeting, of bishops from the region in 2019. In his environmental awakening, crystallized in his 2015 encyclical Praised Be, he advocates for the preservation of the region's biodiversity and portrays Indigenous peoples as forest guardians. In 2018, he also visited Madre de Dios, a region in the Peruvian Amazon devastated by illegal mining and logging.

The pope made Steiner archbishop of Manaus just after the Amazon synod ended, tapping a Franciscan who clearly shares the same ethos and ideology as the popes namesake, St. Francis. The pope may have noticed Steiner because he had a prominent position in the Brazilian bishops conference and was acting as its secretary-general from 2011-2019. He also has serious Roman credentials, having served as the secretary general of the Franciscans Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome, one of the major pontifical universities.

CATHOLIC BISHOPS FROM AMAZON REGION MEET IN ROME

The Amazon synod was also notable for the theft of three Indigenous statues featuring a naked pregnant woman, that were part of a procession in the Vatican at the start of the meeting. Conservative critics had blasted the synods pagan prayers and idolatry, and early one morning, thieves entered a Vatican-area church where the statues were displayed and tossed them into the Tiber River.

Francis publicly apologized to the Indigenous leaders present for the theft, and the statues were dredged from the river in time for the end of the meeting. One was placed prominently on display in the synod hall as the synod fathers voted on the final recommendations.

The main thief, an Austrian far-right activist Alexander Tschugguel, went on to become something of a celebrity within the traditionalist opposition to Francis because of the stunt. In the years since, the stunt itself has come to crystalize the loathing that conservatives and traditionalists have for this pope, where even crimes are justified to save the faithful from his heresy.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

The Catholic Churchs relationship with the Amazon began in 1617 when Franciscan missionaries arrived in the coastal region of Belem. Their opposition to the enslavement of Indigenous peoples strained the relationship with Portuguese authorities, who expelled Catholic missionaries from the region on three occasions, last in 1759.

In the beginning, Catholic denominations required missionaries to learn Indigenous languages to work in the Amazon and spread Christianity. Jesuit priests went as far as creating Nheengatu, a language based on the Tupi Indigenous language adapted with Portuguese words and grammar. For a time it became the most common language in the Amazon and remains spoken in some regions.

For Beozzo, the historian, Pope Francis is promoting a kind of patriarchy in the Amazon, similar to the five patriarchies in places such as Jerusalem and Constantinople during the early Middle Ages, an effort to elevate the status of the Amazon within the Catholic structure.

The synod, the creation in 2020 of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon Region and now Steiners elevation are all part of Francis' goal of placing the world's largest rainforest center stage, Beozzo said.

His choice begins a very important moment of considering the Amazon as a region with its own church dynamics, one which welcomes the prominence of the regions Indigenous peoples.

Steiner, 71, is one of 21 new Cardinals announced by Pope Francis in late May. They include Giorgio Marengo, who has been the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego and Peter Okpaleke, bishop of Ekwulobia, Nigeria.

Winfield reported from Rome.

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.
SEATTLE (AP)  Puget Sound crabbing kicks off Friday!

While some Western Washington crabbing areas, like the South Coast / Pacific Ocean and Columbia River have yearlong crabbing seasons, the season starts July 1 in most Puget Sound areas. In a few areas, the crab season starts on July 3, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The department said each year, sport fishers catch more than 1.5 million pounds of Dungeness crab, The Seattle Times reported.

Information on which days of the week each area is open is available at st.news/crabbing

The following areas open Friday, July 1:

Neah Bay  East of Tatoosh-Bonilla line

Sekiu and Pillar Point

East Juan de Fuca Strait, Port Angeles Harbor, Discovery Bay

Deception Pass  Area 8-1, which includes Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay

Port Susan/Everett  Area 8-2, located within Port Susan and Port Gardner north of a line from Possession Point to Shipwreck

Port Gamble/Port Ludlow

Admiralty Inlet

Hood Canal  North of Ayock Point

Crabbing at Marine Area 10, which includes the water between Seattle and Bremerton, and Marine Area 11, located between the north tip of Vashon Island and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, begins Sunday, July 3. Crabbing at Marine Area 7 begins July 14. This area includes waters south of the Canadian border containing the San Juan Islands, Haro Strait, Rosario Strait, Bellingham Bay, the southern Strait of Georgia and the northeastern portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Make sure you have the proper license (and the proper catch record card, if youre crabbing for Dungeness crab in Puget Sound), and learn more about each of the types of crab you can catch and keep in Washington waters:

Dungeness crab

Red rock crab

Tanner crab

Residents and non-residents must have a license to fish or shellfish in Washington waters. Everyone age 15 and older needs a fishing license. You do not need a license if you are fishing for common carp, crawfish, bullfrogs, or collecting relic shells.

If youre fishing for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut or Puget Sound Dungeness crab, your license will come with a catch record card to track your harvest.

Everyone, including those younger than 15, must carry a catch record card when fishing. All catch record cards must be returned to WDFW by the appropriate deadline, even if you didnt catch anything.

You can buy a license using the online licensing system, contacting the department by phone at 360-902-2464 or by visiting one of the hundreds of license dealers around the state

It can take as long as ten days to get the license if purchased online or by phone, however, the department said. If your WILD ID has an email address associated with it, you will be emailed a temporary license to use for that 10-day period. If you need immediate use of a catch record card or tag, visit a local license dealer to make your purchase.

The Department of Fish and Wildlifes webpage has information on a variety of related topics, such as daily limits, how to tell a soft-shell crab from a hard one and how to avoid losing your gear.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed full control over a major oil and natural gas project partly owned by Shell and two Japanese companies to a newly created Russian firm, a bold move amid spiraling tensions with the West over Moscow's military action in Ukraine.

Putin's decree late Thursday orders the creation of a new company that would take over ownership of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., which is nearly 50% controlled by British energy giant Shell and Japan-based Mitsui and Mitsubishi.

Putins order named threats to Russias national interests and its economic security as the reason for the move at Sakhalin-2, one of the worlds largest export-oriented oil and natural gas projects.

The presidential order gives the foreign firms a month to decide if they want to retain the same shares in the new company.

Russian state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom had a controlling stake in Sakhalin-2, the country's first offshore gas project that accounts for about 4% of the worlds market for liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Japan, South Korea and China are the main customers for the project's oil and LNG exports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that there is no reason to expect a shutdown of supplies following Putins order.

Shell held a 27.5% stake in the project. After the start of the Russian military action in Ukraine, Shell announced its decision to pull out of all of its Russian investments, a move that it said has cost at least $5 billion. The company also holds 50% stakes in two other joint ventures with Gazprom to develop oil fields.

Shell said Friday that its studying Putin's order, which has thrown its investment in the joint venture into doubt.

As a shareholder, Shell has always acted in the best interests of Sakhalin-2 and in accordance with all applicable legal requirements, the company said in a statement. We are aware of the decree and are assessing its implications.

Seiji Kihara, deputy chief secretary of the Japanese cabinet, said the government was aware of Putin's decree and was reviewing its impact. Japan-based Mitsui owns 12.5% of the project, and Mitsubishi holds 10%.

Kihara emphasized that the project should not be undermined because it is pertinent to Japans energy security, adding that anything that harms our resource rights is unacceptable.

We are scrutinizing Russias intentions and the background behind this, he told reporters Friday at a twice-daily news briefing. We are looking into the details, and for future steps, I dont have any prediction for you at this point.

Asked during a conference call with reporters if Putin's move with Sakhalin-2 could herald a similar action against other joint ventures involving foreign shareholders, Peskov said, There can't be any general rule here. He added that each case will be considered separately.

Sakhalin-2 includes three offshore platforms, an onshore processing facility, 300 kilometers of offshore pipelines, 1,600 kilometers of onshore pipelines, an oil export terminal and an LNG plant.

____

AP reporters Kelvin Chan in London and Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok contributed to this report.
In October of 1990, a 52-foot tugboat named the Barbara Lynn sank 12 miles north of Huron City after it capsized during a storm. The Barbara Lynn was towing a pair of construction barges at the time it sank. One crew member drowned.

Salvagers later attempted to recover the tug, raising out of about 200 feet of water. Another storm ended that attempt, and the Barbara Lynn eventually came to rest about 20 feet below the surface of Lake Huron, just north of Turnip Rock off the shore from Port Austin.

This video shot by Michigan Divers LLC shows the final resting place of the Barbara Lynn:

Earlier this week, four members of the eight-person Huron County Sheriffs Office Dive Team got in some valuable training time by taking a dive down to the Barbara Lynn.

The day started at 8 a.m. as the members of the team  Sgt. Brandon Kadar and Sgt. Jacob Dhyse of the Huron County Sheriffs Road Patrol, Sgt. Justin Tietz of the jail staff and Detective Sgt. Justin Nitz of the Tuscola County Sheriffs Office  gathered at Port Austin State Harbor to load their diving gear onto the Huron County Sheriffs 31-foot boat, one of five vessels the department has to patrol the more than 100 miles of shoreline in Huron County.

Kadar said the dive team trains three or four times a year, which includes winter training in which divers cut holes in the ice to access the water. He said when the dive team gets a call, their goal is to rescue, but circumstances surrounding calls often result in recovery.

With the boat loaded and all passengers aboard, Dhyse took the captains chair and steered the boat out toward the Port Austin lighthouse. They were met with a clear, blue sky and bright sunshine as we headed out of the harbor past the break wall.

They soon passed by the lighthouse, spotting a few smaller boats with anglers getting a jump on the long Fourth of July holiday weekend along the way.

A short time later, they spotted a couple of plastic antifreeze jugs fastened to a rope that served as a marker for the Barbara Lynn.

With Turnip Rock in the distance, blending into the rocky cliffs behind it, two of the divers spent a few minutes freeing up the anchor line, which had been jamming the winch that drops and raises the anchor.

Once the anchor had been dropped, Nitz and Tietz began to suit up for their dive. Their diving suits consisted of pants and a topcoat.

With their suits on and their air tanks and masks in place, the duo each sat on the side of the boat and fell backward into Lake Huron.

Treading water for a brief time to make sure their suits were in proper condition, Tietz and Nitz disappeared under the slightly choppy waters, their presence marked by a circle of bubbles breaking through to the surface.

The two resurfaced 15-20 minutes later and climbed back on board the boat. The process repeated itself, this time with Kadar and Dhyse taking their turn in the water.

After the second dive was over and they were preparing to return to the marina, one of the divers made a comment about the relatively poor visibility around the Barbara Lynn that day. The choppiness of the water kept the boat in a constant state of motion, much like a carnival ride, even when it was anchored to the bottom of the lake.
On this weeks episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD, interviews Mary Ettling, director of Online Services and Educational Outreach.

This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. Sunday, July 3. Listeners can tune into WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie.

Ettling earned a bachelors in elementary education from Kent State University in 1990, a masters in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma in 1998, and a post masters certificate in enrollment management from Capella University in 2011. With more than a decade of experience at SIUE, she has also held positions at Saint Louis University, the University of Oklahoma and the Geilenkirchen Army Education Center, as well as several elementary teaching positions.

How did you become interested in higher education, specifically online education and educational outreach? begins Leonard.

I was teaching elementary school in South Carolina and married to an Air Force NCO, Ettling says. We had just moved and landed in the Netherlands for a three-year commitment. With my elementary teaching background, it just made sense for me to gravitate over to the education center.

Ettling describes employment opportunities while there, serving as the DANTES test administrator, teaching a FAST (Functional Army Skills Test) class, and working for the University of Oklahoma on site.

My job was to recruit and retain folks interested in several of their graduate degree programs, expresses Ettling. One of the graduate programs was Adult Higher and Continuing Education, so I became a student there. There was a tuition benefit, and I really found that the topic of how adults students learn was fascinating.

She says it was a gratifying and fulfilling position, getting to know the adult students, making sure they had their materials and they were continuing to progress, and seeing them graduate. When her family transferred back to the U.S. to be stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Ettling was offered a position at Saint

Louis University as the director of the School for Professional Studies, where she worked with the adult student population and has since continued to work in positions that support that group.

Can you tell us more about the process by which adults learn, and how thats different from traditional college age student learning and elementary school education? Leonard asks.

As an elementary education major, theres this idea of tabula rasa  students are a clean slate, explains Ettling. The job of the teacher is to fill them with knowledge. That aligns with some of the things you see in elementary classrooms today  worksheets, practice, multiplication tables.

When it comes to adult students who have real life experiences, she says they are looking for and expecting something different. Adult learners expect to be co-creators of their learning, which provides a challenge for anyone who is thinking from the tabula rasa mentality. The idea is adult students want to be engaged and want something relevant, whether personal or professional. Faculty members in quality online programs give different opportunities to different people which align with their needs and interests.

Tell us more about the Office of Online Services and Educational Outreach. What is the mission and who does it serve, Leonard prompts.

Our mission ties into the Universitys mission in a really important way, Ettling describes. The SIUE mission talks about striving to create a student-centered educational community dedicated to communicating, expanding and integrating knowledge. We take that same approach just extending out the meaning of that typical student one might expect.

The Offices mission describes enriching the lives of a diverse society, eliminating barriers to expand the resources of SIUE. The goal, she says, is to utilize the resources at SIUE to better serve the community, specifically people who are not already served or have been historically underserved at the collegiate level.

Many services are offered by the Office to the community, including serving undergraduates interested in completing their degree in a fully online format and delivering online programs to employees of corporate partnerships.

Tune in at 9 a.m. Sunday, July 3 to WSIE 88.7 The Sound to hear the entire conversation
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  A Vermont corporation that operates as a McDonald's restaurant franchisee has been ordered to pay $1.6 million in damages and penalties after authorities said it failed to protect young workers from harm and sexual harassment, the state attorney generals office announced Friday.

The agreement reached by the state and the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission with Coughlin Inc. is the largest public sexual harassment settlement in the history of the Attorney Generals Office and one of the largest reported employment discrimination settlements in Vermont, the state says.
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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Tropical Storm Bonnie hit the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua near the border with Costa Rica late Friday and was expected to make a quick march across Central America and potentially develop into a hurricane after reemerging in the Pacific.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Bonnie made landfall about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Bluefields, Nicaragua. It was expected to cause significant flooding, with rains of up to 8 inches (about 20 centimeters), and even more in isolated places.

It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) at landfall and was moving to the west at 16 mph (26 kph).

Rain had begun falling in Bluefields early Friday, and authorities said they had established 50 temporary shelters.

Many of Bluefields' 57,000 residents began nailing boards across their windows in preparation for the storm. Many Nicaraguans still remember Hurricane Joan, a powerful 1988 storm that wreaked huge damage on the Atlantic coast and caused almost 150 deaths in the country.

We are waiting for the storm to hit, hoping that it won't destroy our region," said Bluefields resident Ricardo Gomez, who was 8 when Joan hit.

The area was also battered by two powerful hurricanes, Eta and Iota, in quick succession in 2020, causing an estimated $700 million in damage.

Officials in Costa Rica expressed concern that the storm would unleash landslides and flooding in an area already saturated by days of rain.

Costa Rica's government said that seven shelters in the northern part of the country already held nearly 700 people displaced by flooding.

A massive landslide a week ago cut the main highway linking the capital San Jose to the Caribbean coast and it remained closed Friday. The government canceled classes nationwide Friday.

Heavy rains had also destroyed or damaged a number of bridges.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Colombia's San Andres Island and from Cabo Blanco in Costa Rica northward to Puerto Sandino in Nicaragua.

The Hurricane Center said it was projected to emerge over the Pacific on Saturday and gain force while moving over the Pacific roughly parallel to the coast over the following days.

The fast-moving disturbance has been drenching parts of the Caribbean region since Monday without, until Friday, meeting the criteria for a named tropical storm.
Jae C. Hong/AP

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  State officials on Thursday ordered local school districts across Texas to audit and correct security deficiencies at their schools before the start of the next school year.

The Texas Education Agency issued directives requiring the districts to support the safety and security of public schools. State lawmakers have targeted school security and mental health issues without further regulating firearms access.
HONG KONG (AP)  The following are key events in the history of Hong Kong, which marked the 25th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule on Friday.

China had promised the territory could retain its civil, economic and political liberties for 50 years under the one country, two systems" framework. However, in recent years Beijing has severely limited rights to free speech and assembly and virtually eliminated political opposition under the rubric of maintaining national security.

 1841: The Qing dynasty cedes Hong Kong Island to Britain after China's defeat in the first Opium War. British administration begins the next year, helping to grow trade in goods from tea to porcelain, while China's leadership deals with internal conflicts and increasing demands for foreign access to its enormous domestic market.

 1860: The colony grows after the Qing cede Kowloon, a mountainous region opposite Hong Kong Island, to Britain after the second Opium War. China accedes to the demands after the imperial court is driven from Beijing and its famed Summer Palace is sacked, looted and torched by foreign troops.

 1898: Britain leases the New Territories, a large area around Kowloon, from China for 99 years, or until 1997. The largely rural area provides a buffer against unrest within mainland China and greater economic viability for the colony as a whole. The lease also sets the clock ticking on Hong Kong's eventual return to Chinese rule.

 1941-45: Japan occupies Hong Kong until the end of World War II. British, Chinese and allied forces resisted for three weeks, but were forced to surrender against overwhelming odds. Along with anti-colonialism, rhetoric against Japanese wartime atrocities remains a central theme in the Communist Party's nationalistic appeal.

 1984: Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China in 1997 under a one country, two systems framework that gives the city its own economic and political system for 50 years. The Sino-British Joint Agreement is registered with the United Nations, although Beijing now says it is null and void and rejects any foreign criticism as meddling in its internal affairs.

 1997: Hong Kong is handed over to Chinese rule in a ceremony attended by Prince Charles and Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Hours later, People's Liberation Army troops enter the city in a highly public display of China's repudiation of colonial rule.

 2003: In the largest protest since the handover, hundreds of thousands of citizens march against proposed national security legislation that would have criminalized subversion against the Chinese government. The bill was subsequently withdrawn in what was seen as a victory for civic organization and an indication of Beijing's continued  although waning  tolerance for dissent.

 2014: Protesters seeking direct elections for Hong Kongs leader lay siege to government headquarters for 79 days but fail to win any concessions. The protests spawn a generation of young activists who will continue to push for greater freedoms against an increasingly intransigent Chinese leadership.

 2017: Chinese leader Xi Jinping visits Hong Kong on the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, during which he delivers a speech declaring Beijing will accept no opposition. Long-time civil servant and close Beijing ally Carrie Lam becomes Hong Kongs chief executive with a mandate to enforce China's will, while maintaining the city's status as an international business hub.

 2019: Protests break out over proposed legislation that could have see Hong Kongers and foreign residents sent to mainland China for trials in a legal system beset with accusations of ill-treatment and forced confessions. While the bill is withdrawn, protests continue among mostly students and young people frustrated with a lack of representation and opportunities in one of the world's most economically divided cities.

 2020: Following a heavy crackdown on protesters, opposition figures and independent media, China's rubber-stamp parliament imposes a sweeping National Security Law that jails thousands of government critics, with others seeking asylum abroad or being intimidated into silence. Changes to the makeup of Hong Kong's Legislative Council ensure only patriots" loyal to Beijing will have a voice.

 2022: Former security chief John Lee is installed as Hong Kong's chief executive following what was widely seen as a sham election in which he was the only candidate. Lee is among a number of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials under U.S. and European visa bans for their roles in cracking down on human rights in the territory. Authorities require new textbooks asserting that Hong Kong was never a British colony, claiming China never recognized the treaties over its status. The move is seen as an attempt to erase the memory of past freedoms and assert the ideology of China's great rejuvenation" that is central to Xi's political agenda.
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SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP)  Stunning new revelations about former President Donald Trumps fight to overturn the 2020 election have exposed growing political vulnerabilities just as he eyes another presidential bid.

A former White House aide this week described Trump as an unhinged leader with no regard for the safety of elected officials in either party as he clung to power on Jan. 6, 2021. The testimony from the congressional panel investigating the Capitol attack provided a roadmap for prosecutors to potentially charge Trump with a crime, some legal experts say.

Republican voters  and Trump's would-be rivals in the 2024 presidential race  took notice.

Here in Iowa, the state expected to host the first presidential nominating contest in roughly 18 months, several voters signaled Thursday that they were open to another presidential candidate even if Trump were to run again. At the same time, some conservative media outlets issued scathing rebukes of the former president. Aides for multiple GOP presidential prospects also indicated, publicly and privately, that they felt increasingly emboldened to challenge Trump in 2024 following the explosive new testimony.

Nikki Haley, Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, drew roughly 350 conservative activists to a congressional fundraising barbecue on Thursday in Sioux County, where Trump won 82% of the vote in 2020.

And there was ample evidence of Trump fatigue. Interviews with a dozen attendees revealed strong interest in a 2024 alternative, even if Trump is on the ballot.

Youd be hard-pressed to find people in this area who support the idea that people arent looking for someone else, said Dave Van Wyk, a transportation company owner. To presume that conservative America is 100% behind Donald Trump is simply not the case.

For some Republican voters, that was the feeling even before this week's stunning new testimony.

Former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson on Tuesday offered previously unknown details about the extent of Trumps rage in his final weeks of office, his awareness that some supporters had brought weapons to the city on Jan. 6 and his ambivalence as rioters later laid siege to the Capitol.

Upset at the size of the crowd at his Stop the Steal rally  many supporters avoided entering because they were armed and didn't want to go through metal detectors  Trump said words to the effect of, "I dont care that they have weapons. Theyre not here to hurt me," according to Hutchinson. She recalled hearing about a separate incident after the rally in which Trump tried to grab at the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle to go to the Capitol to join his supporters.

That detail has caused some pushback. The agent who was driving the vehicle and another official were reportedly prepared to testify under oath that Trump never lunged for the wheel.

But the renewed concern was evident,

The conservative Washington Examiner's editorial board said Hutchinson's testimony ought to ring the death knell for Trump's political career. Trump is unfit to be anywhere near power ever again.

The often Trump-friendly New York Post blasted the headline: Tyrant Trump." And the conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal wrote, Just when it seems as if Donald Trumps behavior after his 2020 loss couldnt possibly look worse, a new piece of wild testimony arrives.

To be sure, conservatives have shared serious concerns about Trump repeatedly in recent years. And in every case, the former president has emerged largely unscathed, sometimes stronger. He has been caught on video bragging about sexual assault; he instigated a violent attack on the Capitol; and he has been twice impeached.

Yet Trump is sitting on campaign funds that exceed $101 million and remains deeply popular with many Republican voters. Lest there be any question, Republican candidates from Arizona to Pennsylvania to Georgia have been battling one another this midterm season for his support.

The American people remain hungry for his leadership, Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich said, citing Trump's strong endorsement record and fundraising success. And as another witch hunt is blowing up in the faces of Democrats, President Trump is in a stronger position now than at anytime before.

But even before this week's revelations, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 48% of U.S. adults say Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Views on Trumps criminal liability break down predictably along party lines, with 86% of Democrats and 10% of Republicans saying Trump should be charged. Still, the fact that nearly half the country believes he should be prosecuted is a remarkable position for the former president, pointing to the difficulties he could face if he makes another run at the White House.

Trump reported raising nearly $9 million in March and April combined. Figures for May and June were not yet available, but aides to the former president say his fundraising has remained strong.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, eyeing a presidential bid in 2024, says he was hearing concerns about Trump from donors and voters alike before this week's testimony, which adds to the cumulative weight of the former president's political shortcomings.

People are concerned that we could lose the election in '24 and want to make sure that we dont nominate someone who would be seriously flawed, Christie said.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is also considering a 2024 run, said he considers Trump beatable in a GOP primary even if Republican voters aren't paying close attention to the congressional hearings, as he suspects.

His approval among Republican primary voters has already been somewhat diminished, Hogan said in an interview. Trump was the least popular president in American history until Joe Biden."

Aides for other Republican presidential prospects said privately this week that Trump may still be the overwhelming favorite to win the next GOP presidential nomination, but they believe his standing with Republican voters has been in steady decline. There was a broad sense  or at least a hope  that Hutchinson's testimony would accelerate that decline among voters and donors in a way that would open opportunities for others.

Marc Short, a senior adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, another likely 2024 presidential contender, was blunt when asked about Trumps political strength.

Republican activists believed Donald Trump was the only candidate who could beat Hillary, Short said. Now, the dynamic is reversed. He is the only one who has lost to Joe Biden.

Indeed, Trump's would-be Republican competitors are leaning in.

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who serves on the Jan. 6 commission and has not ruled out a 2024 presidential bid, cast Trump as a direct threat to American democracy in a Wednesday night speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Republicans cannot both be loyal to Donald Trump and loyal to the Constitution. We must choose, she said.

Haley, who has said she would not seek the 2024 GOP nomination if Trump ran, declined to say Thursday whether the testimony has given her reason to rethink that plan. Instead, she sounded an upbeat note.

If it looks like theres a place for me next year, Ive never lost a race, Im not going to start now, Haley told reporters. Ill put 1,000% in and Ill finish it. And if theres not a place for me, I will fight for this country until my last breath.

Farmer Bob de Koning said he remains devoted to Trump. He plans to support him in Iowas leadoff caucuses no matter who runs.

But his wife, Kathy de Koning, said, We can do better.

I just dont know if hes electable anymore, she said.

___

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

___

A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that Trumps fundraising numbers had fallen off dramatically over the last two months.
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TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisian President Kais Saied on Friday unveiled a new draft constitution that would bestow broad powers on the president and curtail the authority of the prime minister and parliament.

A referendum on the constitution is scheduled for July 25, exactly a year after Saied suspended parliament and seized power. He said the move was necessary to save the country from political and economic crisis. This prompted strong criticism from the opposition, which accuses him of a slide toward totalitarianism.

Several organizations, including the powerful UGTT central trade union, have deplored the absence of a public dialogue in preparing the new constitution that they have dubbed the Constitution of Kais Saied."

The draft text, published late Thursday, would give the president greater executive power than the prime minister and establish a bicameral parliamentary system for the first time.

That would be a shift from the current constitution, which was seen as groundbreaking when it was passed in 2014 after consultations with multiple groups.

The 2014 constitution sought to limit presidential powers after the Arab Spring protests put an end to 23 years of unchallenged reign by former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. He was overthrown in 2011 by a popular revolt which triggered a similar movement in several countries of the region against autocratic leaders.

The new charter would give the president the right to appoint the prime minister and the ministers, and to fire them. It restricts presidents to two five-year terms.

The new draft constitution removes a reference to Islam in Article 1 of the old charter, which read that Tunisia is a free, independent and sovereign state, Islam is its religion.

The preamble to the new version says Tunisia is an integral part of the Islamic community and that the state ensures the protection of religious rights  as long as they do not undermine public security.

Saied and some others blamed Islamist party Ennahdha in part for Tunisias political crisis last year. Ennahdha, which dominated parliament before it was suspended, is among Saieds fiercest critics.

Like the previous one, the draft new constitution guarantees freedom of worship and conscience, as well as individual and public freedoms and freedom of opinion and media.

It also guarantees unions rights to strike except for the army, police and judges and other magistrates. Saied has been in a showdown for weeks with judicial officials who have been on strike following the dismissal of 57 judges, some of whom are accused of corruption and obstruction of justice.

The new charter would also create a second house of parliament called the national council of regions and districts thats meant to ensure balance between the regions.

If adopted in the July 25 referendum, the new constitution would enter into force as soon as the results of the vote are announced.
There are 19 empty chairs and 10 crosses in front of Midlands United Church of Christ in remembrance of the lives lost in recent mass shootings.

Because their faith instructs them to let their prayers become actions, the display accompanies a sign saying, We thought, we prayed and now we act.

The empty chairs signify there will be a next time, Buchholz said.

It's a striking visual reminder that of the deaths caused by gun violence, said Retired Rev. Pam Buchholz. UCC is located at 4100 Chestnut Hill in Midland. The display is expected to remain up until school starts when the parking lot starts to get busy.

Buchholz is part of the UCC said the social concerns committee brought forth the idea for the church. The empty chairs represent the lives lost in May 24, Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The crosses are for those who died in a May 14, Buffalo, New York grocery store shooting.

Midland Public School Board of Education candidate Jenn Ringgold, who attended the Thursday morning presentation said according to the Center for Disease Control, in 2020, firearms became the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.

Statistics vary, because there is no centralized data collection regarding gun violence and gun deaths, but between nine and 12 children are killed by guns every day in the United States, Ringgold said.

Every two days, approximately the same number of families that lost children to the mass shooting in Uvalde, lose children to gun death, she said.

According to the CDC, in 2020, there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States  thats about 124 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day. More than half of firearm-related deaths were suicides and more than four out of every 10 were firearm homicides. In addition, firearm homicide rates are highest among teens and young adults ages 15 to 34.

Buchholz said not only did the recent mass shootings just happen, but the likelihood of them happening again is still there.

Were not against gun ownership, she said. We support sensible gun legislation.

Ringgold cites that Besmartforkids.org estimates there are 4.6 million U.S. children living in homes with guns that are loaded and unlocked.

This isn't about taking guns, this is about moving the focus to lives being taken, and then advocating for common sense ways that we can act to help save lives," Ringgold said. As a parent, community member, and person of faith that follows a radically nonviolent Jesus who teaches us to value and protect the lives of women, children, and the marginalized and oppressed, I feel we have to do better.

Ringgold cites that MomsDemandAction here in Midland currently works with the local police department and school systems to bring awareness to BeSmart strategies for gun safety. Sandy Hook Promise leads the way in advocating for safer schools by valuing student lives and creating a culture shift that prevents isolation and works to eliminate violence that hurts and harms children.

Buchholz notes that gun violence is not just about mass shootings, she cites that six out of every 10-gun deaths is a suicide. Her family was victim to an armed home invasion in 1997 and her grandfather committed suicide with a gun.

Securing the guns, you have is important. Guns are much more prevalent than people think, Buchholz said. We are not looking at this as a political issue, but a human right and health issue. There is more that needs to be done to keep us as safe as possible.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed on with his campaign to obtain support from Latin America with calls Friday to the leaders of Argentina and Chile.

I continue to establish relations with an important region  Latin America, Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

The conversations with Alberto Fernandez of Argentina and Gabriel Boric of Chile came a little more than two weeks after Zelenskyy spoke with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso and Guatemalans President Alejandro Giammattei.

At the time, Zelenskyy said in a speech that the conversations with Lasso and Giammattei marked the beginning of our new policy of restoring relations with Latin America.

Fernandez held a 35-minute call with Ukraines leader, in which he offered help in any negotiations that may take place with Russia, Argentinas government said in a news release.

As the current head of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Fernandez told Zelenskyy, Latin America is a continent of peace that rejects the use of force and promotes dialogue to resolve conflicts, according to the release.

Before the war, Fernandez was moving to improve relations with Russia. In a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in early February, Fernandez said Argentina should become the entry door to Latin America for Russia. Fernandez later condemned Russias invasion.

Boric wrote on social media that in his convesation with Zelenskyy he expressed my solidarity and our willingness to support the condemnations of the invasion in international organizations.

Ukraine has a friend in South America, Boric added.

Zelenskyy wrote that he thanked Boric for his countrys support in the United Nations and discussed the possibility of involving Chilean specialists in demining.
LISBON, Portugal (AP)  A United Nations conference warned Friday that measures needed to protect the worlds oceans are running late and urged countries to accelerate their implementation.

More than 6,000 senior officials, scientists and activists from more than 120 countries attended a five-day U.N. Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

A declaration published on the final day said delegates were deeply alarmed by the global emergency facing the ocean, whose sustainability is critical for the planet.

The declaration said that action is not advancing at the speed or scale required to meet our goals.

Greater ambition is required at all levels to address the dire state of the ocean, it concluded.

The oceans face threats including global warming, pollution and acidification.

A key step is a new international agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, also known as the Treaty of the High Seas.

That treaty aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework for the high seas, which cover some 70% of the earths surface and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people.

After 10 years of talks, however, negotiating countries still havent clinched a deal, frustrating activists. A fifth round of talks is scheduled for August in New York.

Greenpeace said words were not enough.

Laura Meller from the environmental groups Protect the Oceans campaign, said that if declarations could save the oceans they wouldnt be on the brink of collapse.

The crunch will come at next months talks, when governments aim to finalize the global ocean treaty that, at a minimum, seeks to ensure the protection of 30% of the worlds oceans by 2030.

Anything less than that is just not enough, Meller said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended part of the conference.

Guterres blamed the egoism of some countries for the failure to strike a global oceans agreement so far.

Remi Parmentier, director of the Varda Group ocean think tank, told the Associated Press that the Lisbon conference would be remembered as the moment the tide turned against deep sea mining.

___

Follow all of APs climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. announced on Friday that it will provide Ukraine with $820 million in new military aid, including new surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radars to respond to Russia's heavy reliance on long-range strikes in the war.

Russia in recent days has launched dozens of missiles across Ukraine and pinned down Ukrainian forces with continuous fire for sometimes hours at a time. Ukraine's leaders have publicly called on Western allies to quickly send more ammunition and advanced systems that will help them narrow the gap in equipment and manpower.

All told, the U.S. has committed more than $8.8 billion in weapons and military training to Ukraine, whose leaders have sought more help from Western allies to repel larger and heavily equipped Russian forces. About $7 billion of that aid has been announced since Russia's February invasion.

"We are going to support Ukraine as long as it takes," President Joe Biden said this week at a press conference during the NATO summit in Madrid. He argued that Russia had already suffered a blow to its international standing and major damage to its economy from Western sanctions imposed over the invasion.

The U.S. is giving Ukrainians the capacity so that they can continue to resist the Russian aggression, Biden said. And so I don't know how it's going to end, but it will not end with a Russian defeat of Ukraine in Ukraine.

Much of the aid formally announced Friday will take weeks or months to reach Ukraine.

As part of the new package, the U.S. will purchase two systems known as NASAMS, a Norwegian-developed anti-aircraft system that is used to protect the airspace around the White House and Capitol in Washington. A senior defense official told reporters the NASAMS are intended to help Ukraine transition away from using Soviet-era air defense systems that besides being well known to the Russians have to be repaired with spare parts that are hard to procure. The official briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude.

I am especially grateful today to the United States and to Biden personally for the package of support for Ukraine announced today, which includes very powerful NASAMS  an anti-aircraft missile system that will significantly strengthen our air defense. We have worked hard for these supplies," Zelenskyy said late Friday in his nightly video address.

The Pentagon will also provide the Ukrainians with up to 150,000 rounds of 155-millimeter artillery ammunition. Given the high usage of artillery on both sides, it's unclear how long those new rounds would last. The official declined to say how many estimated rounds Ukraine and Russia are firing daily.

And the Pentagon will also buy four counter-artillery radars for Ukraine. Those new purchases, funded by the Pentagon's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, require weeks at a minimum for defense companies to build. Ukrainians are also being trained to use the newly provided systems.

The Pentagon will also provide additional ammunition for medium-range rocket systems it provided Ukraine in June, known as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS. The ammunition will come from the Defense Department's own inventory under what's known as drawdown authority and will be made available to Ukraine more quickly.

This is the 14th package of military weapons and equipment transferred to Ukraine from Defense Department stocks since August 2021.

The war has evolved into a grinding stalemate in which both sides are heavily reliant on artillery, according to Western officials and analysts. While Russia has not achieved its initial goals of toppling Ukraine's government, it is believed to be making slow progress in consolidating control over the eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas.
ROME (AP)  The Vatican said Friday it had finalized the sale of a London property that is the focus of a criminal trial in the Vatican courts, offloading the former Harrods warehouse for 186 million pounds (215 million euros, US$223 million).

The Vatican secretariat of state had poured some 350 million euros into the building and related fees and commissions paid to brokers  losses that are at the heart of the accusations of fraud, embezzlement and extortion against 10 people on trial.

The Vatican said it sold the warehouse on 60 Sloane Ave. in Chelsea to Bain Capital, the Boston-based private investment firm co-founded by Republican U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, after a bidding process that involved 16 preliminary offers and relied on the expertise of property advisers Savills.

The scandal over the London property has convulsed the Vatican for three years and prompted Pope Francis to strip the secretariat of state of its 600-million-euro asset portfolio, which had essentially operated as a sovereign wealth fund not answerable to rigorous internal or external controls.

Trial testimony has shown that the office's investment decisions were essentially made by one man, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, and confirmed by his boss, the No. 2 in the secretariat of state, with minimal outside financial expertise or advice.

Perlasca had initially been the leading suspect in the investigation, but flipped and began cooperating with prosecutors. He is now a leading witness for the prosecution and was granted the status of an injured party in the case, able to recover damages in the event of convictions.

The secretariat of states money is now managed by another Vatican office, APSA, which is under the authority of an economy ministry that oversaw the sale of the property after Francis decided to sell the building given the reputational and financial harm the deal had caused the Holy See.

In a statement Friday, the Vatican said the losses incurred in the deal  which prosecutors have estimated topped 200 million euros overall  had been absorbed by the secretariat of states reserve funds. It stressed that the losses didnt hit the so-called Peters Pence fund that collects annual donations from the faithful for the popes works of charity and to help run the Holy See bureaucracy.
DANVILLE, Va. (AP)  A Virginia man was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday for shooting a store clerk in the back of the head one year ago.

Jaivon Alonzo Scott, 33, was sentenced by a judge to 18 years  with 11 suspended  for malicious wounding, possession of a firearm by a non-violent felon and use of a firearm during commission of a felony, the Danville Register & Bee reported.
Air travel is in turmoil. Cancellations and flight delays are the new normal and travelers are frequently reminded to prepare for the worst.

On June 30 alone, according to the flight tracking platform FlightAware, there were 209 delays and 18 cancellations at SFO. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, OAK and SJC each had 51 and 50 delays, respectively, that day.

Earlier this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders published an open letter that called on Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to step up. Among Sanders suggestions was to refund passengers for flights that have been delayed more than an hour and to impose steep fines on airlines that mismanaged flights.

Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents the 17th Congressional District in the South Bay, has now joined the calls to Buttigieg to rein in the airline industry.

In a letter published June 30, Khanna characterized DOTs response to the air travel troubles as lacking the urgency, imagination, and boldness to meet the moment and needs of the American people.

The letter reprimands the airline industry by noting that $60 billion in federal pandemic airline aid was provided by taxpayers to prevent airline staff layoffs and maintain working levels for when demand returned. Khanna describes an operations failure that led to a shortage of pilots and flight crews while revenue for major airlines have more than doubled since 2021.

Offering a solution to the problem, Khanna suggested a precedent set by the Obama administration in 2009 that issued a rule fining airlines $27,500 per passenger for excessive delays on the tarmac.

After three hours, the airlines had to allow passengers to go back to the gates or face stiff penalties, Khanna wrote in the letter. I urge you to consider following in your predecessors footsteps and determine the best way to fix our countrys air travel issues.

In 2014, the Department of Transportation said that such fines were successful.

"Tarmac delays over three hours have been virtually eliminated over the last four years," the agency said. "From January to December 2013, there were 84 tarmac delays longer than three hours on U.S. domestic flights compared to the 693 three-hour-plus tarmac delays between May 2009 and April 2010, the last 12-month period before the rule took effect."

Buttigieg has not directly responded to the policy proposals offered to Sanders, Khanna and others. In a Friday tweet, he wrote, "Today is one of the years busiest travel days. Were watching closely to see how airlines are meeting their responsibilities to get passengers where they need to go this weekend, providing support for operations, and here to help consumers who have issues."
WFO BINGHAMTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, July 1, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northern Sullivan County in central New York...

* Until 730 PM EDT.

* At 650 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Fosterdale,

or 12 miles southwest of Liberty, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Liberty, Bethel, Neversink, South Fallsburg, Cochecton,

Jeffersonville, Parksville, Swan Lake, Loch Sheldrake and

Hurleyville.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BROWNSVILLE Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, July 1, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Brownsville TX

557 PM CDT Fri Jul 1 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northwestern Kenedy

and northeastern Brooks Counties through 645 PM CDT...

At 556 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near

Airport Road Addition, or 7 miles east of Falfurrias, moving east at

10 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

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

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Airport Road Addition and Flowella.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.

Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe

shelter inside a building or vehicle.

LAT...LON 2726 9799 2721 9798 2721 9797 2723 9795

2724 9792 2724 9786 2725 9785 2713 9783

2712 9811 2726 9812

TIME...MOT...LOC 2256Z 265DEG 8KT 2724 9802

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN

MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH

The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Duval County in south central Texas...

Southwestern Nueces County in south central Texas...

Southwestern Jim Wells County in south central Texas...

Northwestern Kleberg County in south central Texas...

* Until 630 PM CDT.

* At 559 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 6 miles south of Alfred to near Bishop to near

Ricardo, moving east at 30 mph.

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

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

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

* Locations impacted include...

Kingsville, Alice, Robstown, Driscoll, Bishop, Ben Bolt, Palito

Blanco, Alice Acres, Banquete, Kingsville Naval Air Station, Agua

Dulce and Petronila.

This includes the following highways...

US Highway 281 between mile markers 676 and 696.

US Highway 77 between mile markers 672 and 698.

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

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO CORPUS CHRISTI Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, July 1, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Corpus Christi TX

325 PM CDT Fri Jul 1 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern

Victoria, southeastern Goliad, northern Refugio and eastern Bee

Counties through 415 PM CDT...

At 324 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9

miles north of Quintana, or 11 miles southwest of McFaddin, moving

west at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

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

unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...

McFaddin, Fannin, Quintana, Tivoli and Blanconia.

This includes the following highways...

US Highway 183 between mile markers 646 and 666.

US Highway 59 between mile markers 656 and 662.

US Highway 77 between mile markers 596 and 620.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

LAT...LON 2849 9686 2829 9697 2829 9702 2836 9750

2875 9732

TIME...MOT...LOC 2024Z 105DEG 16KT 2848 9719

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of Duval and

southeastern Webb Counties through 415 PM CDT...

At 330 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along

a line extending from near Rosita to 11 miles north of Bruni to 8

miles south of Mirando City. Movement was north at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail.

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Freer, Benavides, Realitos, Mirando City, Bruni, Oilton, San Jose,

Rosita and Aguilares.

This includes US Highway 59 between mile markers 754 and 800.

LAT...LON 2727 9915 2746 9931 2785 9891 2803 9846

2761 9824 2734 9852 2734 9855 2736 9856

2736 9859 2734 9859 2734 9862 2736 9863

2735 9880 2727 9880

TIME...MOT...LOC 2030Z 157DEG 15KT 2771 9845 2759 9877 2734 9903

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN

...OZONE ACTION DAY...

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has issued

an Ozone Action Day for the Dallas-Fort Worth area for Saturday,

July 2, 2022.

Atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing

high levels of ozone air pollution in the Dallas-Fort Worth area

on Saturday. You can help prevent ozone pollution by sharing a

ride, walking, riding a bicycle, taking your lunch to work,

avoiding drive-through lanes, conserving energy, and keeping your

vehicle properly tuned.

For more information on ozone:

Ozone: The Facts (www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/ozonefacts)

Air North Texas: (www.airnorthtexas.org)

EPA Air Now

(www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action.local_state&STATEID=45&TAB=0)

Take care of Texas (www.takecareoftexas.org)

North Central Texas Council of Governments Air Quality

(www.nctcog.org/trans/air/index.asp)

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO LAKE CHARLES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, July 1, 2022

_____

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

The National Weather Service in Lake Charles has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...

East Central Jefferson County in southeastern Texas...

South Central Orange County in southeastern Texas...

* Until 1100 AM CDT.

* At 752 AM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing

heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are

possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected

to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban

areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as

other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...

Port Arthur, Nederland, Groves, Port Neches and Port Acres.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
The girl said she was attacked at a hotel in Andratx, which is in the southwest of the island on the evening of June 24. Before that, she met the two artists at a nearby restaurant and talked and drank with them.

The three then went to the beach and got intimate before going to one of the artists' hotel rooms where the girl was raped. The two artists then made her take a bath to remove the evidence.



The girls relatives immediately reported to local police after receiving information from the girl. The two artists were arrested at the hotel on June 25. The two artists, a 37-year-old actor and a 42-year-old musician appeared in court on June 28. They were released on bail, but their passports were detained.

The two artists refused to answer questions when at the court. The British girl is said to have left the island with her family after being approved by the judge.





By Thu Giang  Translated by Anh Quan
Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam inspects the treatment of dengue fever at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. (Photo: SGGP)

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam made a field trip with his delegation to inspect the prevention of dengue fever and vaccination against Covid-19 in Ho Chi Minh City on June 30, accompanied by Standing Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen and Vice Chairwoman of HCMC People's Committee Phan Thi Thang.



Dengue fever cases increased by 172.5 percent



MD-Dr. Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Health of HCMC, informed that by June 29, the cumulative number of dengue cases in the city was 20,952, an increase of 172.5 percent compared to the same period last year, including ten deaths. Districts with high dengue cases include Binh Tan, Binh Chanh, District 12, Hoc Mon, Thu Duc City, Cu Chi, and Tan Phu.



It is because the work of killing mosquito larvae and mosquitoes has not become a habit in people's awareness and actions. Besides the ineffective propaganda, violation sanctioning in dengue fever prevention and control still has many shortcomings.



Most localities do not fine or are unable to fine violated individuals and groups. From 2015 to 2021, around 1,547 sanctioning decisions were issued, but in the first six months of 2022, only nine were made citywide.



In the context that the dengue fever epidemic is increasing rapidly and might break widely and to improve the effectiveness of treatment at medical facilities in the city, the HCMC Medical Association together with the City Children's Hospital, Childrens Hospital 2, and Hospital for Tropical Diseases, organized training courses to update diagnosis and treatment for dengue fever to doctors and medical staff involved in diagnosis and treatment at health centers in districts and Thu Duc City and public and private medical examination and treatment facilities.



Up to now, there are 15 training courses with about 3,600 doctors and nurses attending.



Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and Vice Chairwoman of HCMC People's Committee Phan Thi Thang discuss with a doctor of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases about the treatment of dengue fever. (Photo: SGGP)



Channeling and routing of dengue fever treatment yet to be effective



Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that the problem of channeling and routing dengue fever treatment in the Southern provinces had not been effective yet. Up to 50 percent of severe cases treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases were transferred from lower-level medical centers. Sending too many patients to the upper level has caused last-line hospitals to be overloaded, not respond to treatment, and lead to a risk of cross-infection at medical facilities.



In addition, as for vaccination work, the Standing Deputy Minister of Health requested HCMC review vaccination subjects, especially those at risk, such as old and people with chronic diseases. Health workers need to go from door to door to mobilize people to get the Covid-19 vaccines.



Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the dengue fever epidemic came early this year. Although it has not reached its peak, the number of infections surpassed the peak in previous years. HCMC had deployed many campaigns to prevent dengue fever and clean up, but the city must do it continuously, not just once.



The Deputy Prime Minister asked the MoH to review why the rate of dengue fever patients transferred to upper-level hospitals is so high; whether there is a shortage of drugs and medical supplies at the lower-level medical centers. If there is a shortage of medicines or medical supplies, it must be dealt with immediately because patients cannot wait.



Acknowledging that the rate of Covid-19 booster vaccination is still low, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that the reason was that the propaganda was not actually effective. A year ago, when vaccines were scarce, the death toll rose to thousands of people. Thanks to Covid-19 vaccines, the disease has been controlled, making people subjective, so the injection of the third and fourth doses tends to slow down. Although the number of new Covid-19 cases has decreased, the risk that the Covid-19 pandemic recurs still lingers if people neglect vaccination, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.



He requested that the HCMC health sector need to strengthen propaganda so that people understand that vaccination is not only to protect their health but also the community. The propaganda work needs to go deeply and closely to listen to the concerns and thoughts of people, thereby giving advice and answers so that people understand and agree.



Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam inspected the dengue fever epidemic prevention and control in Ward 5 of District 8 and the dengue fever treatment at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCMC.



Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination, MD-Dr. Nguyen Van Vinh Chau said that, so far, HCMC had received more than 20.4 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from the Ministry of Health (MoH). Currently, the number of vaccines in stock is more than 490,500 doses which the MoH will not receive back. Because the rate of people vaccinated against Covid-19 remained low, on June 14, HCMC implemented the peak month for Covid-19 vaccination, so the number of people vaccinated was higher.Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that the problem of channeling and routing dengue fever treatment in the Southern provinces had not been effective yet. Up to 50 percent of severe cases treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases were transferred from lower-level medical centers. Sending too many patients to the upper level has caused last-line hospitals to be overloaded, not respond to treatment, and lead to a risk of cross-infection at medical facilities.In addition, as for vaccination work, the Standing Deputy Minister of Health requested HCMC review vaccination subjects, especially those at risk, such as old and people with chronic diseases. Health workers need to go from door to door to mobilize people to get the Covid-19 vaccines.Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the dengue fever epidemic came early this year. Although it has not reached its peak, the number of infections surpassed the peak in previous years. HCMC had deployed many campaigns to prevent dengue fever and clean up, but the city must do it continuously, not just once.The Deputy Prime Minister asked the MoH to review why the rate of dengue fever patients transferred to upper-level hospitals is so high; whether there is a shortage of drugs and medical supplies at the lower-level medical centers. If there is a shortage of medicines or medical supplies, it must be dealt with immediately because patients cannot wait.Acknowledging that the rate of Covid-19 booster vaccination is still low, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that the reason was that the propaganda was not actually effective. A year ago, when vaccines were scarce, the death toll rose to thousands of people. Thanks to Covid-19 vaccines, the disease has been controlled, making people subjective, so the injection of the third and fourth doses tends to slow down. Although the number of new Covid-19 cases has decreased, the risk that the Covid-19 pandemic recurs still lingers if people neglect vaccination, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.He requested that the HCMC health sector need to strengthen propaganda so that people understand that vaccination is not only to protect their health but also the community. The propaganda work needs to go deeply and closely to listen to the concerns and thoughts of people, thereby giving advice and answers so that people understand and agree.Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam inspected the dengue fever epidemic prevention and control in Ward 5 of District 8 and the dengue fever treatment at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCMC.

On the morning of June 30, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam registered for the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. "I am over 50 years old this year and need to be vaccinated with the fourth dose. I get Covid-19 injections not only to protect myself but also many others," Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam receives his fourth Covid-19 dose at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases on June 30. (Photo: SGGP) "The Department of Health of HCMC needs to identify the extent of the shortage of drugs and medical supplies. Health workers must explain to people that drugs can be replaced by others with the same active ingredient to avoid making people panic. The most important thing is peoples trust in the health sector," said Ms. Phan Thi Thang, Vice Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

By Thanh Son  Translated by Da Nguyet
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Theres that old joke about a tourist in New York who asks a passerby how to get to Carnegie Hall, one of the worlds most prestigious classical music venues.

Practise, practise, practise, the local quips.

But if they were really in the know, rather than just a wiseguy, theyd have added that an artist diploma from the citys Juilliard School  the pre-eminent performing arts school, whose alumni have won more than 100 Grammys, 62 Tonys and 16 Pulitzers  couldnt hurt.

Guitar players Miles and Ziggy Johnston. Credit:Jiyang Chen

And now two Australian brothers are about to make history in that course: they are the second guitarists, and the first guitar duo, to be accepted into a scholarship program that takes on only a handful of the worlds best young musicians each year, and rigorously trains them to become even better.
Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects were told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics theyre given. This week, he talks to Michelle de Kretser. The Sri-Lankan-born novelist, 64, emigrated to Australia at age 14. She has won the Miles Franklin twice, for Questions of Travel and The Life to Come, and her new novel, Scary Monsters, is on the awards 2022 shortlist.

I was lucky to come to Australia at a time when tertiary education was free. I know what it is to not be middle-class. Credit:Joy M Lai

DEATH

You once wrote a short, moving essay about the death of your pet dog. Tell me about your dogs and why theyre so important to you. They just help enliven our lives. They introduce an element of chaos and unpredictability. And I think its quite nice to live with another species. It reminds us of our own animal nature.

There doesnt seem to be much discussion about the death of pets  or if there is, perhaps its trivialising. Theres that feeling from some people  well, you can just get another dog to replace the one youve lost, whereas you cant replace your mother or your partner. Or maybe you can replace your partner  Im sure many do! [Laughs] But animals are as individual as humans are. So when they go, they take their irreducible personality with them. They are simply irreplaceable  as much as you or me.
The offshore bank owned by American celebrity investor Peter Schiff has been suspended and Australian customers have been fined for tax evasion, as a global investigation into suspected criminal activity continues.

A joint investigation by The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, 60 minutes and New York Times in 2020 revealed that Euro Pacific Bank was the subject of a widespread tax evasion and money laundering investigation led by the J5  a taskforce of tax chiefs in Australia, the US, UK, the Netherlands and Canada set up after the Panama Papers leak.

Peter Schiff. Credit:The Age

In Puerto Rico on Friday morning (AEST), the local financial regulator announced the bank would be suspended and fined $US765,000 ($1.1 million) for failing to comply with capital requirements and other regulations.

Natalia Zequeira Diaz, commissioner at Puerto Ricos Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF), said Euro Pacific had a long history of non-compliance with the territorys regulations.
Churches are turning into religious versions of political parties, in which adherents must toe the party line and publicly attest to views with which they privately disagree in order to remain a member, a dissident Anglican rector has warned.

St James rector Andrew Sempell agrees with critics who say the church does not reflect the values and ethos of the broader community. Credit:Nick Moir

Andrew Sempell, rector of the historic St James Church in King Street in Sydneys CBD, said churches must engage with criticism of institutional religion as divisive, self-centred and more interested in judgment than grace, and be honest about the reasons for their decline.

These are fair criticisms and the religious institutions need to be prepared to engage with them rather than be defensive or seek legislative protections to entrench their privilege, he said.

The latest government census shows the number of people identifying as Anglican in greater Sydney has fallen by 2.8 per cent over the past five years, from 12 per cent to 9.2. The national fall was slightly greater, dropping by 3.5 per cent to 9.8.
Credit:Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images The great mantra of the Right is the market decides. Well, it is clear that the market has decided that teachers wages are far too low. Why hasnt the premier accepted that? Keith Binns, Goulburn Press release Surely the problem with curling pages in the Herald (Letters, June 30) can be resolved by getting ones butler to first iron the paper. John Christie, Oatley Do the iPad types, while reading their gadget, ever try swatting that bothersome mosquito or fly with it? Ed Harbas, Yeppoon (Qld)

Class conflict Well said, your correspondent (Letters, July 1). Class warfare is perpetual because the chooks keep voting for the foxes. Dave Goldberg, Wrights Beach The exit lounge Noting from the census that the Baby Boomers (my mob) are numerically declining, I suggest we label them Generation ZZZ. Tony Mclean, Faulconbridge Bad sports

Its disgraceful of those correspondents to say they hope Nick Kyrgios loses (Letters, July 1). The tennis world is stuffy and pompous, particularly at Wimbledon. Those hecklers should have been immediately thrown out. Elaine Hoyle, Avalon Beach Where are the viewer warnings for audiences watching televised sport when known serial offenders with anti-social behaviours are scheduled to appear? Perhaps SOAB could be displayed? Col Shephard, Yamba Try charging an EV if you live in an apartment block While attention is given to upping Australias emissions standards (Car makers urge rev up for electric vehicle rules, July 1), there is genuine concern about getting charging outlets in apartment blocks for electric vehicles. When I asked my strata committee about installing an electrical meter in my garage, I was told it wasnt allowed because the overall electrical system for the complex could not support numerous electric vehicles without being overloaded. To increase capacity, the system would require an upgrade costing more than $250,000. Clearly, if the NSW government is serious about climate change, it needs to find a way for apartment owners to charge their vehicles too. In France, for example, there are on-street parking zones with pay-as-you-go charging outlets. Larry Woldenberg, Forest Lodge Mandating vehicle emission standards will be a sensible move for the Labor government to take. From the climate perspective, this will help accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles to enable the Labor government to meet its 2030 climate change goals. The health benefits are significant too; higher levels of air pollution have been linked to increased heart and lung problems, and increased mortality. Fewer petrol cars on roads will reduce air pollution and improve the health of the general population. Any policy that will not only help us achieve our climate goals, but also reduce the burden on our overloaded public health system is simply a win-win policy. Ching Ang, Magill (SA)

Credit:Photo: AP Not so fast No traffic-related death is good, and permanent injury from traffic accidents must be devastating to the person involved and their loved ones (Lower speed limits, save young lives: experts, July 1). However, to propose a 30km/h speed limit in urban streets is simply untenable and absurd.

It is not as though most Sydney streets are ancient and narrow cobblestone alleyways, such as those in Europe where such limits can be justified. Responsible drivers must be able to commute at a safe and reasonable speed to allow us to complete our daily tasks. The article did not stipulate how many pedestrian related accidents and deaths there are each year, but surely there are other ways to maximise pedestrian safety on our streets than inconvenience the majority of sensible, responsible and law-abiding drivers? Tony Bennet, Broke Big town blues As a Sydneysider, I relish the prospect of a quieter city with fewer people (Population fall will cost states cash and power, July 1). I have fond memories of the charming city of my childhood. Surely we could cope with some of the wealth going elsewhere. Economic prosperity has only seen a steady increase in the number of battlers living on the streets of a city that doesnt seem to care. Having fewer politicians in NSW would be a bonus. Rob Mills, Riverview

COVID is with us I am grateful to Health Minister Mark Butler for concentrating on the present in his inquiry into COVID-19 vaccine supplies (Snap inquiry into vaccine purchase, July 1), rather than pursuing the previous government, as he could have. It is heartening that the federal government understands the pandemic is not over, even though much of the community evidently hasnt realised that. With 300 mostly retirement-age Australians dying each week from COVID, it would also be cheering if people would voluntarily wear masks indoors to protect those more susceptible than themselves. Perhaps some government advertising on the subject would help, since I must believe that not doing so stems from lack of thought rather than younger people simply not caring what happens to those older. Jennifer Briggs, Kilaben Bay Dont forget Lismore The state government red tape surrounding assistance for flood victims is disgraceful (Lack of planning for floods despite warnings, July 1). Victims are still homeless and deserve better, especially when more rain is forecast over the next few days.

Mr Perrottet, please prioritise urgently.

Peng Ee, Castle Cove I think few people in NSW would begrudge losing the upgrade to the Powerhouse Museum (Powerhouse Ultimo renovation goes to new heights, June 27) if the money were redirected to flood mitigation and assistance for the people of Lismore and flood-ravaged areas. Lyndsay White, South Grafton

Lismore on March 2, 2022. Credit:NEARMAP Trading places Climate sanctions in EU trade deals should Australia miss climate change targets (Climate sanctions in Europe trade deal, July 1) channel the money talks imperative. Nothing focuses our governments attention to climate change better than having to confront the prospects of losing out on valuable EU exports revenue. Steve Ngeow, Chatswood Time to come home, Albo, and bring Julian with you. Thank you. Trevor Taylor, Port Macquarie Believe it or not

The reaction to the census figures on religion highlights the importance of the separation of church and state (Letters, July 1). In common with other democracies, Australia has Christians, atheists and other religions living in our society. New citizens make a pledge of commitment to Australia and its people, including respect for its democratic beliefs, rights, liberties and laws. To maintain a cohesive society we need to avoid any hint of preference by the state for any belief, unbelief or religion. James Moore, Kogarah Religious awakening Just because I dont believe atheism is true doesnt make it so (Letters, June 30). That would be blind faith. Hendry Wan, Rosebery Jesus said: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Exclusive? Yes. Inclusive? Yes. The question is: do you believe him? Ian Robinson, Katoomba People are a mixture of success and failure. Same with religion. Even Christians arent always Christian. Mary Julian, Glebe
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Perched on two thin mattresses, atop an antique oak wardrobe near the ceiling, Nikki McGuire kissed her dog Lizzie and cat Max goodbye, before plunging into the rising floodwater inside her living room. From the high wardrobe, she struck out towards the only possible escape: submerged stained-glass casement windows, facing the street. In the fetid, brown darkness she felt for the fastener on the metal arm of the window stay, and loosened it, enough. Then, somehow, tiny Nikki McGuire pushed the window open against the Wilsons River in full flood, barrelling down her residential street in Girards Hill, Lismore, in the early morning hours before dawn on Monday, February 28. Immediately, the force of the torrent dragged her outside into the early morning darkness, throwing her along her roofline. She flung out a hand to get a last grasp purchase on the gutter, and it stuck. For nearly two hours, as the freezing rain pummelled her, as escaping gas filled her lungs, as the neighbours screams tore at her, Nikki McGuire hung on. Nikki McGuire has been left traumatised by the flood escape from her grandmothers family home in Girards Hill, Lismore. Credit:Jacklyn Wagner Youve got this, youve got this, she kept saying. Hang on, girl, youve got this. Blood was filling her mouth. Her teeth were vibrating uncontrollably, slicing the inside of her mouth and tongue. As daylight broke, trapped neighbours across the road on higher ground started yelling: Hang on, Nikki, hang on.

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Out of the gloom, a kayaker appeared, roaring along in the swirling floodwater. Loading Nikki yelled out: Can you please get me? Im gonna drown. The kayaker replied firmly: No She screamed: You cant leave me. The kayaker pointed behind him to where a lady was hanging on, trying to keep her head above water. The man paddled the woman to safety, before he returned, asking Nikki to jump onto the kayak. She told him she couldnt. Why? My tights are around my ankles, and Ive got no knickers on. And I dont want my arse being caught by a TV chopper on the news tonight.

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They both started laughing before Nikki made herself presentable for rescue. When she returned to the house days later, after the water had subsided, her Lizzie and Max were found alive. She walked inside the living room and looked at the casement windows: her black hand marks and footprints jumped around the frame, still desperate for her escape. She began to cry. Today, a photo of Nikki McGuire is among a collection of nearly 100 images of Lismore flood victims bound together by spirex wire on NSW Premier Dominic Perrottets desk inside his Macquarie Street office. Photographer Jacklyn Wagner began taking the images three weeks after the history-making disaster, which saw a 14.4 metre flood hit Lismore. She wanted to capture the flood victims returning to their homes, striving to regain some small essence of their former lives. Last month, Lismore mayor Steve Krieg presented the catalogue of Wagners images to the NSW premier and new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to remind them of the humans behind any decision made about the Northern Rivers in the aftermath of the flood.

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Perrottet has tied his premiership to the Northern Rivers, describing the rebuild of the region as his most important task. He has visited the region five times. For one period, he stayed for eight consecutive days, away from the TV cameras, listening and learning. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet touring a bakery in Lismore days after the devastating flood. Credit:Elise Derwin Asked about how a political leader in these situations can prevent compassion overruling good governance, he said you need to exercise balance, giving comfort and explaining the seriousness of the situation to the rest of the state. But then, when he returned to Sydney, he was determined to address the situation in an intellectual way to try and solve the short-term and long-term problems he had witnessed and been told about. He set up the NSW Inquiry headed by former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller and Professor Mary OKane and the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Commission, which formally started this week. Loading I certainly went through that journey myself because at the start, when I was up there, early on, he says. It was very confronting, and very difficult and very .... I found it difficult emotionally.  Asked about the photos on his desk which he shows to visitors and ministers, he said: The pictures in the book brought back the physical devastation, as well as the human devastation, in a way that I think I hadnt seen before.

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The premier and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin are setting up an exhibition of the photos at the NSW Parliament. Perrottet wants a book published for all MPs and offered for sale to the public. It is winter now, a bitterly cold and dry morning in Lismore, and Im driving with Wagner to visit the people she photographed, nearly four months after the flood. As we drive into the hardest-hit areas of South Lismore and North Lismore, an unforgiving morning mist rises from the valley floor. It limps between rows and rows of crooked houses that look like broken teeth, missing glass, timber, tin and, in some cases, people. For sale signs dot the neighbourhood. If you follow the fog into backyards, the rutted ground now has a dusty crust. One quick step off the Hills Hoist path, however, and the surface cracks under your weight, underfoot is still wet, moving, seemingly ready for the next flood to drag everyone down to the river all over again. Its a community made up of Southies and Northies who hand down timber and tin homes like the family jewels; bohemians and artists attracted by the freedom, alternative lifestyle types treasuring the architecture; first home buyers hungry for a bargain; and the desperate seeking out cheap rent.

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A joyful Forest Lodge home, Ultimos new public school where every class has views of grass, an arts precinct at Walsh Bay and a new residential quarter near Circular Quay that looks at home next to its sandstone neighbours have all won accolades at this years NSW Architecture Awards.

Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects earned the professions highest honour at a ceremony on Friday night, winning the NSW Architecture Medallion for its masterful transformation of Pier 2/3 wharf at Walsh Bay into an arts precinct.

Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects won the Greenway Award for heritage architecture for the transformation of the old Pier 2/3 finger wharf at Walsh Bay into a new arts precinct. Credit:Brett Boardman

Led by architect Peter Tonkin, the Walsh Bay project also landed the Greenway Award for Heritage, and awards for public and interior architecture. The jury recognised its technical feats, which include delivering views of the Harbour Bridge from the new and soundproofed Australian Chamber Orchestra concert hall.

Kerstin Thompson Architects was recognised with the prestigious Sulman Medal for Public Architecture for Bundanon, the newly completed art museum on the Shoalhaven home where the late artist Arthur Boyd painted and lived.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet wants the so-called tinnie army, the wonderful and beautiful members of Australias biggest community-led rescue effort during the February flood, to play a more permanent role in future disasters.

Perrottet told the Herald that former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller, the NSW Flood Inquiry co-chair, has been tasked with trying to incorporate these spontaneous rescuers into the response to future flood and bushfire events.

The premier said bigger and more frequent disasters driven by climate change would require a better and different systemic response from government agencies and volunteer organisations, adding that sometimes having to ruffle some feathers in the public service was required.

He said the appointment of NSW Police Deputy Police commissioner Mal Lanyon as Northern NSW Recovery Coordinator two weeks after the flood in northern NSW had stepped on the toes of Resilience NSW, but it was the right thing to do, as was the creation of the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation.
One of Sydneys oldest Catholic schools is considering becoming co-ed, with inner-city St Marys Cathedral College putting a proposal to parents this week that could see it expand to a dual campus.

If the plan moves ahead it would be the fifth new co-educational school created by Sydney Catholic Schools in the past decade. High-fee paying private all-boys schools Cranbrook and Newington are also consulting parents and alumni about co-ed proposals.

Anthony Albaneses old school, St Marys Cathedral College in Sydney.

St Marys, an all-boys school established almost 200 years ago, is the alma mater of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who campaigned there in lead up to the election alongside Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher.

A proposal sent to parents said that by reimagining the college, St Marys can enhance its standing as one of Sydneys great colleges.
Opposition LNP members of a powerful Queensland parliamentary committee have stymied a Palaszczuk government effort to install the new anti-corruption agency boss for a longer term, as Labor scraps its business cash-for-access program.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has also reiterated her intention to lead the party to the 2024 election, after some media reports suggesting otherwise, and offered a belated apology to public servants who may have faced the bullying outlined in a damning report into government culture.

Acting Crime and Corruption Commission chair Bruce Barbour has now been formally handed the role for a three-year term amid a period of significant disruption for the watchdog. Credit:Dallas Kilponen

Fronting a press conference on Thursday for the first time since Professor Peter Coaldrakes report was published two days earlier, Palaszczuk had said she was not troubled by it and stopped short of issuing an apology.

On Friday, Palaszczuk made an apology to any public servant who has been bullied, and said she probably wasnt as clear yesterday as I should have been.
The word and the gesture translate easily to White Australia. However, there has been a mix-up over how Reconciliation apparently requires a considerable amount of acquiescence (politely eating cupcakes at Reconciliation Week morning tea) and generosity (being expected to give advice and do other work for free) from Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander people. It is not us who need to do the reconciling. It is those who, to use the Christian vernacular, have sinned, and who continue to sin. The settlers, the colonisers, the invaders, the British, the White Australians: it is they who must listen to us, learn from us and work with us, not only to reconcile but to ensure justice and truth-telling. These must be combined with the sharing of wealth and power and an overhaul of the systems that White Australia has created to keep Indigenous people and communities from flourishing  even, in many ways, from existing. It is not enough to make admissions without anything then being changed. Bob Hawke was the first prime minister I heard talk about treaty, land rights and native title. I was 10 in 1988, when Australia was celebrating its bicentenary  200 years of British invasion/ settlement. Anticipating this event, the theme chosen for the 1987 National Aboriginal Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week was White Australia Has a Black History. A new commitment was aired by Hawke at this time, after his visit to the festival at Barunga in the Northern Territory  that a treaty would be made to acknowledge the unique rights of all Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander people.

This was not the first time there had been promises, beliefs or hopes of treaties and justice. The Yirrkala bark petitions were the first documents asserting native title prepared by Aboriginal people  the Yolngu of Arnhem Land  and presented to parliament in 1963, in an act of sovereignty intended to create legislative change and constitutional reform. In 1972, the Larrakia people brought their petitions to then prime minister William McMahon, who also rejected them. Prime minister Bob Hawke receives the Barunga Statement from Galarrwuy Yunupingu in 1988. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald Discussions of treaties and land rights were met by some fierce opposition within Hawkes own party, including from then WA premier Brian Bourke, who supported the mining companies in their public scare campaigns. In the words of Labor MP Linda Burney, it was racist, venomous, ugly and feral. The Opposition said that as soon as they could take office, they would tear up any treaty Hawke dared make with Aboriginal people. Hawke should have stood his ground. I dont understand why a leader such as he didnt do so. Is it all easier said than done? Its not within my ambitions to enter politics, but as a citizen, a taxpayer and a sovereign Yawuru woman, the least I should expect is that a prime minister keeps their word. I remember seeing Hawke on TV, weeping during a press conference, dismayed that his government would not achieve treaty. He expressed his disappointment as he asked his Aboriginal friends to understand that more could not have been done. Dad was at that press conference, and when the camera panned across to him, I saw a sovereign man looking utterly bereft, an image now etched in my mind.

As a citizen and a sovereign Yawuru woman, the least I should expect is that a prime minister keeps their word: Inala Cooper. It cannot be said enough that the systems created by Australia are not broken. Rather, they have been intentionally designed to diminish us, humiliate us, imprison us, get rid of us. If institutions are serious about Reconciliation and aligning with campaigns such as Racism: It Stops with Me, then they need to be proactive in reviewing their governance, leadership and ways of working. Employment initiatives, for example, must do more than provide entry-level roles for Aboriginal/ Torres Strait Islander people. Look at who is in the boardroom, who makes up the executive, and who occupies other leadership positions, because the lived experiences of those individuals, combined with the history and culture of the organisation, define how things operate. It is not complicated. It starts with respect and humility to both see and admit that Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander people display knowledge and excellence, and ways of knowing, doing and being, which both differ from those of non-Indigenous people and hold extraordinary value. Bias, both conscious and unconscious, plays a huge role in the application of the concept of merit to individuals, and it is a means of maintaining a safe place from which White people can continue to operate the systems in the way they were designed to operate, which is usually (surprise, surprise) by White privileged men, for White privileged men. This is not to say that all White people are inherently racist. But nor does a disruption of who holds the power mean that White people lose anything  rather, everyone gains more. White versions of merit are too easily used to evaluate how someone will fit instead of broadening the discussion of what Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander people can bring to the table. We are also making our own tables, but that doesnt mean we dont belong at the existing ones.

Marrul: Aboriginal Identity & The Fight for Rights by Inala Cooper. Credit: The late Professor Uncle Colin Bourke was a strong and gentle Gamilaroi man who devoted his entire career to Indigenous success in education. In his words to me: All we need to do is appoint Aboriginal people and support them to succeed. Then we will achieve good outcomes for everyone. Having hope, I think, is a sign of optimism, and it can belong both to the privileged and the deprived. My views on hope shifted when I read Munanjahli/South Sea Islander woman Professor Chelsea Wategos 2021 book Another Day in the Colony, written clearly and unapologetically for the mob. Watego is unwavering in her message that we should not be hopeful but sovereign, for it is through our sovereignty that we remind the colonisers that we are still here, that they didnt succeed. Loading We who are Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander people identify ourselves as individuals, families and communities in the way we see fit. There are both solo and shared expressions of who we are, and we shall not be forced to pick or choose any one way to be according to others instructions or expectations. Similarly, we shall not be forced to pick or choose which rights and how much social justice we are afforded. It is not one or the other when it comes to treaty and land rights, truth-telling and recognition. We deserve all of our rights, and that means not having to compromise.
Perrottet, who also talked up the trade roles on that summer morning in late 2019, insisted Barilaros success in securing the job was done at arms length from the government. Stuart Ayres, who replaced Barilaro as trade minister, was equally adamant. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet maintains the appointment process was conducted at arms length from government. Credit:Janie Barrett But internally, Liberal ministers were furious. A divisive figure, who had threatened to blow up the Coalition over koala planning policy, Barilaro had left behind his fair share of enemies in the Liberal ranks. Said one minister: The Liberals have long memories. It was always a messy relationship within the Coalition with Barra as leader. Another Liberal MP, who requested anonymity, said the former deputy premier was the Barnaby Joyce of the NSW parliament - extremely polarising. In what would be the final cabinet meeting with Berejiklian as premier on September 27 last year, Barilaro convinced his colleagues that the high-profile trade roles should be ministerial appointments. That decision was passed on to Amy Brown, the head of Investment NSW who was responsible for hiring the trade commissioners.

Five days later, Berejiklian resigned and a new cabinet, led by Perrottet, was later sworn in. But within the maelstrom of Berejiklians departure, a candidate who had been made a verbal offer for the New York job was told she would not be going to the US. Barilaros policy change meant the appointment of senior public servant Jenny West had to be undone, and the process restarted so the cabinet could make its own pick. Loading That never happened. Instead, Ayres thought it prudent to keep the decision-making in the hands of the public service, and took a submission back to the strategy subcommittee of cabinet to retain the status quo. Cabinet agreed, and Investment NSW, the agency which fell under Barilaros responsibility as trade minister, resumed its search for a commissioner for New York. The job was readvertised over the Christmas break last year and Brown, who had reported to Barilaro when he was minister, ultimately gave him the job. Barilaro had contacted Ayres via text to ask about the details of the job before it was advertised and also told Perrottet in a social setting about his plans to throw his hat in the ring. In defending his decision to reverse the cabinets original ruling and keep the appointments away from politicians, Ayres this week said the government was damned either way.

This is an invidious situation, Ayres said. We create a hands-off recruitment process where politicians dont engage in the recruitment process, and [when] that process selects a former politician, it immediately creates questions. Thats a very difficult position for the public service to be in. He insisted politicians played no role in the recruitment and that West, a respected public servant, was treated fairly despite the job offer being retracted. Investment NSW boss Amy Brown gives evidence at the NSW parliamentary inquiry. Credit:Janie Barrett The day after the US trade posting was announced, Perrottet said Barilaro would do a brilliant job, but privately, his colleagues disagreed. Within three days, a NSW upper house inquiry was convened to probe the decision, but still Perrottet saw no substantive issue. However, later that week he directed the states most senior public servant Michael Coutts-Trotter to conduct a separate review. Further inflaming the controversy, Perrottet also conceded to parliament that two similar trade roles were mistakenly reviewed by cabinet. West was so troubled by the way the job offer had been rescinded she penned Coutts-Trotter a 45-page document in January. He has since outsourced the review to former public service commissioner Graeme Head, to ensure transparency and public confidence.

Loading A dump of documents released under parliamentary order have painted a picture of a chaotic recruitment strategy, including fears among bureaucrats of ministers messing with due process, providing further ammunition for critics of Barilaros appointment. But while ministers were seething internally, it took the governments resident bomb-thrower Transport Minister David Elliott to finally bring the matter to a head on Thursday. Speaking to Sky News he made the emotive plea to Barilaro to do the honourable thing and withdraw from the role. Within hours, Barilaro did just that, releasing a statement that his appointment would continue to be a distraction and not allow this important role to achieve what it was designed to do. I stress that I have always maintained that I followed the process and look forward to the results of the review, Barilaro said. His withdrawal, whoever, does not ensure the matter disappears for the government. The parliamentary inquiry will continue, as will the independent Head review.
Former deputy premier John Barilaro has not sought any financial compensation from the NSW government after quitting a US trade posting amid public furore over the controversial appointment.

Barilaro sensationally stepped down late on Thursday after two weeks of intense scrutiny of his appointment to the role, which he created when he was trade minister.

After Transport Minister David Elliott on Thursday said Barilaro should do the honourable thing and stand down from the appointment, Treasurer Matt Kean on Friday said he had been surprised Barilaro had been offered the job, and said it had been a distraction for the government.

I was surprised that John got the job but, again, I was told that it had gone through the proper process. Thats what ld expect for anyone to apply for one of these government jobs, he said.
Facebook owner Meta has cut plans to hire engineers by at least 30 per cent this year as it faces intense competition for users attention from TikTok and the global technology sector slashes costs because of a stormy economic outlook.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg delivered the news to employees this week, delivering a pointed warning that coincides with a wave of layoffs at Australian startups revealed by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

If I had to bet, Id say that this might be one of the worst downturns that weve seen in recent history, said Zuckerberg, who is one of the most influential people in the technology world. He made the remarks in a weekly employee Q&A session, according to Reuters, which had access to audio from the event.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has issued a dire pronouncement on the economy as his companys share price remains about half what it was at the start of the year. Credit:AP

Meta had initially planned to hire 10,000 new engineers in 2022, Zuckerberg said. In addition to reducing hiring, the company was leaving certain positions unfilled in response to attrition and turning up the heat on performance management to weed out staffers unable to meet more aggressive goals, he said. Realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldnt be here, Zuckerberg said.
London: New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has declined to reveal what her country would do if diplomacy failed to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

After Australia and the UK warned that Russias invasion of Ukraine had a direct parallel with Chinas intentions for Taiwan. Ardern, outlining her foreign policy approach to the prestigious foreign policy think tank Chatham House in London, said diplomacy and dialogue were the key to preventing conflict.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaking at Chatham House on Friday. Credit:YouTube

Ardern, like Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, was invited to attend this weeks NATO summit in Madrid after which leaders declared China a threat to peace for the first time.

China bristled at the label and also at Albanese for his comments, made to The Australian Financial Review en route to the summit, in which he drew a direct parallel between Russias invasion and Chinas intentions for Taiwan, which it regards as its territory.
London: More than three years after the first complaint was filed, the row over alleged bullying of staff by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has ended just as it began: in silence.

Then, it was an email sent between two close colleagues, raising quiet concerns over the treatment of palace staff. Now, it is a secret report blocked not only from the public but even to those who took the time to contribute.

Meghan attended a reception for friends and family of competitors of the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, in April this year. Credit:Getty Images

Meghan is unscathed but unvindicated, with no further details coming to light about the alleged bullying she has vehemently denied.

In October 2018, Jason Knauf  then the press secretary to Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex  voiced concerns about what he had seen in the household.
And even old Western alliances have been restored. As US President Joe Biden declared following the decision to welcome two new nations into the fold in Madrid on Wednesday, Putins war on Ukraine has only strengthened NATO. He tried to weaken us, expected our resolve to fracture, but hes getting exactly what he did not want, Biden said. He wanted the Finland-isation of NATO. He got the NATO-isation of Finland. The new confrontation with Russia has revitalised the alliance  founded to counter the threat from the Soviet Union during the Cold War  bringing with it two new potential Nordic members, Finland and Sweden, and more boots on the ground. In a sign of its clear commitment to Europe after the isolationist Trump years, the US has poured in more than 40,000 additional troops, while Britain and other NATO members have deployed extra troops to the alliances eastern flank in countries bordering Russia.

The alliance now wants to increase its available forces on high alert to more than 300,000 troops to genuinely fortify the border with Russia and fully defend allied territory. Germany, Europes largest economy, has finally agreed to meet NATOs defence spending target of 2 per cent of GDP. It is also investing 100 billion ($152 billion) on rearming  a pledge that would once have sent a collective shiver across Europe. And even Turkey, despite its more recent growing ties with Russia, has come down on the side of NATO. In contrast, other international bodies such as the United Nations  where Russia is a permanent Security Council member and wields a veto  have been made to look irrelevant.

At this summit, we rallied our alliances to meet both the direct threats that Russia poses to Europe and the systemic challenges that China poses to a rules-based world order, Biden said. Loading I dont know how its going to end, but it will not end with Russia defeating Ukraine. Ukraine has already dealt a severe blow to Russia. Readying allies for a long conflict in Ukraine despite talk in March of a possible victory, he added: We are going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Two years ago, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the former Norwegian prime minister, was dismissed by many within the alliance when he warned it should turn its attention to threats further afield. He suggested NATO should seek to scale down activities outside members borders and scale up their domestic defensive resilience to better resist external threats.

China is coming closer to us ... We see them in the Arctic. We see them in cyberspace. We see them investing heavily in critical infrastructure in our countries, he said at the time. And of course, they have more and more high-range weapons that can reach all NATO-allied countries. They are building many, many silos for long-range intercontinental missiles. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during the family photo of the Asia-Pacific partners at the NATO leaders summit in Madrid. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The past week has shown that despite the war in Ukraine, the West has not lost sight of the threat from Beijing. And NATO is now looking away from its geographical moorings to recognise borders are not the same as they once were. It is why Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was invited, along with his counterparts from Japan, South Korea and New Zealand  now known as the Asia Pacific Four  which declared their nations were not distant from the challenges being faced in Europe.

Just six weeks after his election and with foreign affairs never having been at the forefront of his responsibilities, Albanese has had to make a swift transition to become a player on the world stage. Addressing a meeting with his regional counterparts in a hotel conference room on the outskirts of Madrid on Wednesday, Albanese declared that the events in Europe had real and significant implications for their own region of the Indo-Pacific, just as events in the Indo-Pacific affected Europe. Ultimately, this is code for the Chinese Community Partys increasingly assertive actions throughout the region. Only by working together can partners offer a real choice  in the region and take tangible steps to promote, peace, stability and prosperity for the Indo-Pacific, the Australian leader said.

Albanese drew a direct link from Russias special relationship with Beijing. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the invasion of Ukraine had shaken the very foundations of the global order. The security of Europe and the security of the Indo-Pacific, Kishida said, could not be decoupled. NATOs new Strategic Concept warned that authoritarian regimes challenge our interests, values and democratic way of life, interfering in democratic processes and testing nations resilience.

It called out both Russia and China over their investment in sophisticated conventional and nuclear missile capabilities with little transparency or regard for international norms and commitments. Loading The document also singled out China for its efforts to control key technologies, critical infrastructure and strategic materials. China is not our adversary, but we must be clear-eyed about the serious challenges it represents, Stoltenberg told the summit, referencing Beijings military forces, including nuclear weapons and bullying of neighbours. We must continue to stand with our partners to preserve the rules-based international order. A global system based on norms and values. Instead of brute violence.

Declaring that global challenges demand global solutions, Stoltenberg said NATO would step up co-operation with its Indo-Pacific partners, including on cyber defence, new technologies, maritime security, climate change and countering disinformation. But for now, the strategy outlines, Russia remains the alliances most direct threat. This week, the new head of the British Armed Forces, Sir Patrick Sanders, warned of an approaching 1937 moment, a reference to Western Europes failure to confront Nazi Germanys territorial expansion in the years preceding World War II. At this summit, we rallied our alliances to meet both the direct threats that Russia poses to Europe and the systemic challenges that China poses to a rules-based world order. US President Joe Biden We are not at war, but we must act rapidly so that we arent drawn into one through a failure to contain territorial expansion, he said.

Sir Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of war studies at Kings College London, says the one effect of the brutal and criminal nature of Russias invasion has been to forge a remarkable NATO unity on the need to support Ukraine in a war where the outcome cannot be predicted with confidence. The conflict is already causing great economic pain and hardship, and may yet lead to gas rationing, even though member states are not engaged in the fighting, he said. Loading This is, therefore, one of those climactic moments in international affairs on which all future security arrangements depend. The alliances unity may fray but, for now, the commitment has been made to support Ukraine as it seeks to drive out the occupiers. Freedman says NATO cannot simply wait for Putin to depart the scene or for Russia to withdraw its forces. He says it must provide Ukraine with constant supplies of new weapons and ammunition as well as financial support.
Bonaire:--- On Monday, June 27, 2022, the Honorable Ministers of Justice of Aruba; Rocco Tjon, Curacao; Shalten Hato and St. Maarten; Anna E. Richardson met in Bonaire for a Justice Tripartite meeting between the Caribbean countries of the Dutch Kingdom. The three Ministers were initially scheduled to meet with the Netherlands Honorable Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius in Bonaire for the Judicial Four-Country Consultation (JVO) meeting, however, it was unfortunately postponed to a later date due to Minister Yesilgoz having to cancel her attendance because of an emergency situation developing in the Netherlands. Due to the postponement, the three Ministers of Justice of the Caribbean countries decided to use the opportunity to hold the first Tripartite Justice meeting between the three countries.

Though Minister Tjon, Minister Hato, and Minister Richardson remain in constant contact and have met on previous occasions for multilateral events and other forums, the initiative for a structural Tripartite meeting served as a forum for regular dialogue at the Ministerial level in the field of Justice. During the meeting chaired by Minister Richardson, possible ways in which more value can be added to strengthen the ongoing cooperation efforts between the three Ministries of Justice of the Dutch Caribbean were discussed.

Minister Richardson stated, I am very appreciative of my esteemed colleague Ministers of Justice for the positive response to this initiative when it was presented. Historically, the three Ministries of Justice have been cooperating with each other and assisting the various departments within the respective Ministries. As such, this working visit offers the three countries the opportunity to intensify the established working relationships and expand these relationships.

Focusing on areas of mutual interest, the topics discussed during the Tripartite meeting were; Formalizing the semi-annual Tripartite Justice meeting; a proposal to incorporate investigative psychologists into the Police forces of the countries; Rehabilitation and resocialization of prisoners; Structural training and education of Justice employees through the establishment of Law Enforcement Institutes/Justice academies in the countries; Increasing the effectiveness of the countries Immigration laws through closer cooperation; the introduction of St. Maartens new weapon policy and assistance sought in weapons training of applicants; dealing with at-risk youth on St. Maarten through successful programs that have been implemented on Aruba and Curacao with support from the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands and other partners.

The three Ministers of Justice expressed their contentment with the efficient conduct of the Tripartite meeting as this now marks the start of increased cooperation and productive working relationships between the three countries. These types of forums enable us as decision-makers to directly discuss issues related to Justice and in doing so, achieve positive outcomes that benefit all three countries equally, stated Minister Richardson.

Discussions are ongoing for the next JVO meeting with the four Ministers of Justice of the Dutch Kingdom with a target date of August 2022. The next Justice Tripartite meeting is scheduled to take place in October 2022 and will be hosted by the Ministry of Justice of St. Maarten with the Minister of Justice as chair of the meeting.
Vikram Sodhi and SunValley Investments Will Do or Say Anything to Seize Control of Your Board, Company and Project

They Are Repeating Their Falsehoods in Multiple Disclosures But That Does Not Make Them True

You Can Defend Your Company and Investment by Voting FOR Canagolda?s Board Nominees Using ONLY the YELLOW Proxy

VOTE ONLY THE YELLOW PROXY a Questions or assistance with voting the YELLOW Proxy? Contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 or by e-mail at assistance@laurelhill.com.

Canagold Resources Ltd. (TSX: CCM, OTC-QB: CRCUF, Frankfurt: CANA) (aCanagolda or the aCompanya  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/canarc-resource-corp/) urges Canagold shareholders to ignore and discard the SunValley Company DMCC (aSunValleya or the aDissidenta) information circular released on June 27, 2022 which continues to show their complete disregard for both truthful disclosure and Canagold shareholders.

SunValley, led by their Managing Director Vikram Sodhi, is continuing their campaign of lies and misinformation against Canagold and its Chairperson, Bradford Cooke. They are repeating multiple falsehoods and misleading statements to deliberately distract Canagolda?s shareholders from the Dissidenta?s true intention  to seize 60% control of the board, your Company and its core asset, the New Polaris gold mine project located in northern British Columbia while owning only 17% of the shares, without paying you, the shareholders, anything for control.

SunValley is Attempting to Conceal its Real Agenda

If the Dissidenta?s three hand-picked and interconnected board nominees succeed in getting enough votes, they would control your board, and could use that control to advance the Dissidenta?s creeping takeover attempt through additional cheap equity financings with the Dissident.A All this without you, the shareholders, being able to do anything about it. The Dissidenta?s nominees are clearly not independent, but there for the bidding of the Dissident.A The Dissidenta?s nominees have a history of working together and will likely do so at Canagold to ensure that SunValley and Vikram Sodhi advance their agenda of seizing control of Canagold, without consideration for the majority of our shareholders.

Now is the time to stop them in their tracks, by voting FOR Canagolda?s Management Nominees today using only the YELLOW Proxy.

Canagold Shareholders have the right to make decisions about the future of Canagold based on facts and truth, not lies and misinformation. To set the record straight and ensure that our shareholders act on facts rather than the inaccurate and false statements in the Dissidenta?s circular, Canagold will, AGAIN, inform our shareholders about the truth about various matters in this and future news releases.

Falsehood #1 a aMr. Cooke attempted to encumber the project with a second royalty.a

In a letter dated May 18, 2022, addressed to Mr. Sodhi, Scott Eldridge, Canagolda?s CEO, clearly informed Vikram Sodhi and SunValley on behalf of Canagolda?s Board as follows:

aGiven the current depressed state of the junior mining equities market and Canagolda?s share price in particular, management feels it prudent to evaluate the potential for non-equity financing at this time. The royalty market has recently been very active with significant NAV multiples being offered. This is not to say that we intend to do a royalty financing. We are simply evaluating its accretion/dilution potential as compared to an equity financing. We may not receive any offers from royalty companies, and if we do, they may not be on acceptable terms. The Company is presently assessing its financing alternatives and it will not make any determination on what is in the best interest of the Company until it has a full understanding of the various options available to it.a (Canagold letter to SunValley)

Notwithstanding this letter explaining managementa?s fiduciary duty to evaluate all possible financing alternatives in order to select the best one for the benefit of ALL shareholders instead of just ONE shareholder, Mr. Sodhi insisted management ABANDON its review of financing alternatives and he continued his hostile attempt to seize control of your board, the Company and New Polaris.

What did Vikram Sodhi do, did he back off of his demands for 60% control of your board?A No, instead he doubled down on his efforts to hijack control of your board of directors. These are not the actions of a reasonable shareholder; the Dissident is simply using this untrue allegation to misdirect other shareholders away from their real mission to seize control of the Company.

In the Dissident circular filed on Monday, June 27th, the Dissident continues to make false and misleading allegations about Canagold pursuing a royalty. This is in spite of the fact that your Board informed the Dissident in writing over a month ago and again two weeks ago that the Company is assessing all financing options available and does not intend to do a royalty financing, Knowing this to be the case, why would they intentionally repeat this false statement in their information circular? Because the facts do not suit their agenda  to seize control of your company without paying you the shareholders anything!

Falsehood #2 a aMr. Cooke Rejected Multiple Premium Financing Offersa

Mr. Cooke did NOT receive multiple financing offers, he received ONE financing offer prior to SunValleya?s false, misleading disclosure, and he did NOT reject the offer, Canagolda?s board simply informed Mr. Sodhi in writing that Canagold was exploring all of its financing options and would include the Dissidentsa? ONE offer for consideration in the financing process that was already underway.A

The uncertainty created by Vikram Sodhi and SunValley in attempting to take control of your company has stalled Canagolda?s financing process, as management has been forced to spend their time defending the Company and ALL of its shareholders from the predatory actions of ONE shareholder.

Moreover, the Dissidenta?s defamatory attacks on Mr. Cooke are wholly unjustified. It is Canagolda?s Board including Mr. Cooke who have consistently considered the best interests of the Company and ALL shareholders. The Dissident proudly boasts of their $0.32 non-flow-through financing offer is at a 20% premium to market and his $0.42 flow-through financing offer is at a 60% premium to market, but:

His non-flow-through financing offer is actually a 20% DISCOUNT to Canagolda?s last non-flow-through financing at $0.40 per share only 18 months ago

His flow-through financing offer is actually a 16% DISCOUNT to Canagolda?s last flow-through financing at $0.50 per share only 9 months ago

Nor did he disclose that his predatory financing offer would boost his Canagold shareholdings to 35%, just the next step in his hostile creeping takeover of the Company

Your board feels it can do substantially better than Mr. Sodhia?s offer once this proxy fight is over and it is allowed to complete the process of generating and evaluating multiple financing offers

It is important to inform shareholders of the steps Vikram Sodhi and SunValley are taking to hijack control of Canagold and its board:

Step 1 of their hostile creeping take-over attempt was to buy a small stake in the $0.40 financing 18 months ago.

Step 2 of their hostile creeping take-over attempt was to buy a large stake in off-market transactions at $0.37, a 35% discount to the $0.50 flow through financing price paid by other shareholders to get to 9.4%!

Step 3 of their hostile creeping take-over attempt was to buy out another shareholder at $0.325 in another off-market transaction last week to get to 17%.

Regarding these people attempting to take control of your investment, board, company and project, we know very little of Vikram Sodhi or SunValley.

Vikram Sodhi and SunValley. state they are a private equity fund based in Dubai, UAE and with a branch office in Colombia. But when you visit the SunValley website, you will find NO disclosure whatsoever about who they really are:

NO DISCLOSURE about their team  no names, no photos, no bios

NO DISCLOSURE about their assets  no investments, no shareholdings or properties

NO DISCLOSURE about their financials  no balance sheet, no income statement, no cash flow statement or where their money comes from

It is clear that the hand-picked, interconnected nominees of Vikram Sodhi and SunValley, who have who have worked together in the recent past, are there to drive SunValleya?s agenda and do Vikram Sodhia?s bidding.

Vote FOR Canagolda?s Management Nominees Using Only the YELLOW Proxy

We urge our shareholders to read Canagolda?s management information circular and visit our website www.canagoldresources.com for further details related to Canagolda?s annual and special meeting of shareholders scheduled for July 19, 2022. Your vote has never been more important. ACT TODAY to protect your investment by voting FOR Canagolda?s management nominees using only the YELLOW proxy that was mailed to shareholders with the management information circular on June 15, 2022. Voting is easy. You may vote online, by telephone or other methods found on the YELLOW Proxy.

VOTE your shares today to stop the Dissident Shareholder from taking control of your company.

Make the Right Choice a Vote FOR Canagolda?s Management Nominees Today  Using only the YELLOW Proxy

Shareholder Questions and Voting Assistance

If you have questions or require assistance with voting your shares, please contact Canagolda?s strategic advisor and proxy solicitation agent:

Laurel Hill Advisory Group

North American Toll Free: 1-877-452-7184 (416-304-0211 Outside North America)

Email: assistance@laurelhill.com

aBradford CookeaA A

Bradford Cooke

Founder and Chairman of the Board

CANAGOLD RESOURCES LTD.

\Scott Eldridgea

Scott Eldridge

Chief Executive Officer

CANAGOLD RESOURCES LTD.

About Canagold  Canagold Resources Ltd. is a growth-oriented gold exploration company focused on generating superior shareholder returns by discovering, exploring and developing strategic gold deposits in North America.A Canagold shares trade on the TSX: CCM and the OTCQB: CRCUF.

For More Information  Please contact: A Knox Henderson, VP Corporate Development

Toll Free: 1-877-684-9700 Tel: (604) 604-416-0337 Cell: (604) 551-2360

Email: knox@canagoldresources.com A Website: www.canagoldresources.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains aforward-looking statementsa within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and aforward-looking informationa within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Dissidenta?s intentions in providing the advance notice and their plans for Canagold and its future financings; the Dissidenta?s nominees working together at Canagold to advance the Dissidenta?s agenda; and the availability of other financing opportunities on equal or better terms than those offered by the Dissident. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as \plans\, \has proven\, \expects\ or \does not expect\, \is expected\, \potential\, \appears\, \budget\, \scheduled\, \estimates\, \forecasts\, \at least\, \intends\, \anticipates\ or \does not anticipate\, or \believes\, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results \may\, \could\, \would\, \should\, \might\ or \will be taken\, \occur\ or \be achieved\.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others risks related to the uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company\-s ability to continue as a going concern; the Company\-s ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration; risks related to operations in foreign countries; future prices of metals; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.
Things are happening in gold trading

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have entered into a partnership in gold trading.

The so-called Comprehensive Economic Partnership between the two countries is a landmark agreement. It is India\-s first such complete free trade with a country in more than a decade. It is significant because the UAE is the third largest trading partner after China and the US. Before the partnership, India exported about $29 billion worth of goods to the UAE, with an import duty of five percent. Now, most goods are duty-free. With this, the Indian government wants to quickly increase its exports to 40 billion U.S. dollars. In the long term, this figure is expected to reach 100 billion U.S. dollars. In particular, trade between the two countries in gems and jewelry is to be promoted in this way.

The background is that the UAE was the second largest supplier of precious metals to India, at the same time the UAE was the largest importer of Indian jewelry for decades. In 2021, India imported about 120 tons of gold from the UAE and exported $2.7 billion worth of gold jewelry. Before the pandemic, gold jewelry exports were between five and six billion U.S. dollars. With the new partnership, Indian jewelry now enters the UAE duty-free. Overall, trade between the UAE and India should increase. Whether this will cause trade in the West to suffer economically in the coming years remains to be seen. In any case, gold is in demand, not only among Indians, but also among investors who want to use it to gain a bit of security. This could also or even especially be achieved with an investment in gold shares. With royalty companies, the investor gets diversification at the same time.

Empress Royalty  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj9xXKHciGE  owns 17 precious metals investments relating to gold and silver in Peru, Canada and Mexico.

Gold Royalty  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXOMTd15gHI  has more than 190 royalties in its portfolio (USA). The last half year delivered record sales.

Latest corporate information and press releases from Gold Royalty (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/gold-royalty-corp/ -).

In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid.

Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998  312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/
Alpha Lithium Completes Drilling in Tolillar and Initiates Exploration at Hombre Muerto

Alpha Lithium Corporation (TSX.V: ALLI) (OTC: APHLF) (Germany WKN: A3CUW1) (aAlphaa or the aCompanya  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/alpha-lithium-corp/ ) is very pleased to provide an operational update on its Salar del Hombre Muerto and Tolillar Salar projects in Argentinaa?s Lithium Triangle. Alpha is commencing a Vertical Electrical Sounding (aVESa) survey on its 100% owned, 5,000-hectare property in Hombre Muerto with the intention to compliment and direct the Companya?s upcoming drilling program. At Tolillar, the Company is pleased to provide an update on VES, drilling and the scheduled completion of an inaugural NI 43-101 Resource Report.

The Company currently has $44 million in cash; and accordingly, is extremely well-funded to continue its drilling and exploration activities.

Salar del Hombre Muerto:

In the Salar del Hombre Muerto, Alpha is planning to acquire an additional 45 VES points. These 45 points are being acquired across the Companya?s 5,000 hectares and are expected to give a solid understanding of exactly where to direct the forthcoming drilling operations.

The Salar del Hombre Muerto is home to the oldest and a for more than two decades a sole lithium chemicals producer in Argentina, American-based Livent Corporation. Recently, POSCO, one of the worlda?s largest chemical companies, acquired more than 10,000 hectares in Hombre Muerto, much of which is contiguous and connected to Alphaa?s properties in the same salar. Earlier this year, after meeting with local government officials, POSCO announced plans to spend an additional US$4 billion on their 10,000 hectares in Hombre Muerto, signifying their intentions to tap into the rising demand for lithium.

Brad Nichol, President and CEO of Alpha, stated, aIt is very exciting to start our activities in Hombre Muerto. Hombre Muerto is known to be one of the best lithium salars in the world and is occupied with the likes of POSCO and Livent, amongst others. The quality of brine, extremely high concentrations of lithium, low impurities, extensive existing infrastructure, and a proven, reliable government regime are all just elements, which together make Hombre Muerto one of the worlda?s most sought-after addresses in lithium brine production.a Nichol continued, aVES will give us some technical decision-making support; however, our expert team already understands the salar in great detail and we are immediately surrounded by lithium production wells drilled by our neighbors. We have drilling license applications already in the queue and as soon as those are granted we will commence drilling, using at least one of the four drilling rigs we currently have employed.a

Tolillar Salar:

At the Tolillar Salar, Alpha has continually expanded its understanding of the project area with a combination of exploratory and developmental drilling and VES acquisition. In the salar itself, the Company has drilled thirteen wellbores and has acquired 160 VES data points to gain a solid understanding of the Tolillar Salar. The Company currently has plans for another five wells and has already begun construction of the roads and drilling platforms for these upcoming wellbores. Figure 1 below provides a summary of the VES and drilling work done to date, plus indicates future drilling. It is worth noting, what is depicted in Figure 1 is only the northernmost extent of the Tolillar Salar.

The Company has four drilling rigs operating in Tolillar, all of which have recently completed drilling operations. Brine samples from the wells have been acquired and sent to laboratories for chemical analysis and the wells are all currently being flow-tested. As soon as lab results for each well are received, the Company will provide an update on those results.

The Company has also engaged its QP, Montgomery and Associates, to undertake a 43-101-compliant Resource Estimate of the Tolillar Salar, which is expected in the next six to eight weeks.

Nichol continues, aDuring our last round of drilling we saw increasing and improving lithium concentrations (up to 351 mg/L) and our team is very excited about the results of this latest campaign, which is focused on expanding the salar boundaries to the north and east. Every well and every VES data point adds to our understanding of this salar, which makes drilling additional wells cumulatively complementary. We have shown that Tolillar Salar, especially being just 15 km from Hombre Muerto and surrounded by producing salars and associated infrastructure, could be a very efficient and productive salar. This view has been further validated by the high level of unsolicited interest in Tolillar Salar.a

The Alpha team is exceptionally experienced with geo-electrical exploration in Argentina, as they have successfully identified brine reservoirs in Argentinian salars such as Hombre Muerto, Arizaro, Jama, Cauchari, RincAn, Antofalla, Llullaillaco, Salinas Grandes, Tres Quebradas, Pozuelos, and many others. VES is used to identify thickness, rock type and fluid type (i.e. brine or fresh water) through the analysis of resistivity readings over multiple VES shot points in a salar.

Qualified Person, QA/QC Statements:

Michael Rosko, MS, PG, of Montgomery and Associates (M&A) of Santiago, Chile, is a registered geologist (CPG) in Arizona, California and Texas, a registered member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME No. 4064687), and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Rosko has extensive experience in salar environments and has been a qualified person on many lithium brine projects. Mr. Rosko and M&A are independent of Alpha. Drilling was conducted by Andina S.R.L. of Salta, Argentina utilizing two Prominas rotary drilling rigs. Sampling was conducted during step, and long term, pumping tests and samples were processed using an ICP mass spectrophotometer by SGS Laboratory in Salta, Argentina utilizing a 32 elements suite analysis protocol. The Company has a robust QA/QC and sample management program that includes duplicates, blanks and standard samples when lab batches are prepared. Mr. Rosko has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF ALPHA LITHIUM CORPORATION

aBrad Nichola

Brad Nichol

President, CEO and Director

For more information:

Alpha Lithium Investor Relations

Tel: +1 844 592 6337

relations@alphalithium.com

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch

About Alpha Lithium (TSX.V: ALLI) (OTC: APHLF) (Germany WKN: A3CUW1)

Alpha Lithium is a team of industry professionals and experienced stakeholders focused on the development of the Tolillar and Hombre Muerto Salars. In Tolillar, we have assembled 100% ownership of what may be one of Argentinaa?s last undeveloped lithium salars, encompassing 27,500 hectares (67,954 acres), neighboring multi-billion-dollar lithium players in the heart of the renowned aLithium Trianglea. In Hombre Muerto, we continue to expand our 5,000+ hectare (12,570 acres) foothold in one of the worlda?s highest quality, longest producing, lithium salars. Other companies in the area exploring for lithium brines or currently in production include Orocobre Limited, Galaxy Lithium, Livent Corporation, and POSCO in Salar del Hombre Muerto; Orocobre in Salar Olaroz; Eramine SudAmerica S.A. in Salar de Centenario; and Gangfeng and Lithium Americas in Salar de Cauchari.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as \will\, \may\, \should\, \anticipate\, \expects\ and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company\-s expectations include the results of further brine process testing and exploration and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No securities regulatory authority has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.
In 1842, as required by the Treaty of Nanjing, the Qing government formally ceded China's Hong Kong Island to the UK.

In 1860, also under the reign of Qing government, the Beijing Treaty was signed and part of Kowloon Peninsula was ceded to the UK.

On July 1st, 1997, the People's Republic of China recovered the sovereignty over Hong Kong and applied the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. The Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) was established, and the PLA Hong Kong Garrison took over the defense duties of HKSAR.

On July 1st, 2022, HKSAR embraces its sixth chief executive John Lee (Lee Ka-chiu), and celebrates its 25th anniversary of return to the motherland.

With the solid support of the motherland, Hong Kong has defused risks, weathered challenges and maintained prosperity and stability over the past 25 years, demonstrating that the "one country, two systems" principle has stood the test of practice and time. And the PLA Hong Kong Garrison will never forget the mission entrusted by the country and the people, that is, to be the guardian of Hong Kong.
Natasha Behnam is set as a lead opposite Melissa Benoist in The Girls On The Bus, HBO Maxs political drama series from Warner Bros. TV.The series centers on Sadie McCarthy (Benoist), a journalist who romanticizes Tim Crouses Boys on the Bus book and who scrapped her whole life for her own shot at covering a presidential campaign for the paper of record. Sadie hits the trail and eventually bonds with three female competitors, Grace, Lola (Behnam) and Kimberlyn. Despite their differences, the women become a found family with a front-row seat to the greatest soap opera in town: the battle for the White House.Behnams Lola Gabriel is a sharp-witted and passionately political TikTok star and well-known Gen Z influencer.
Shahid Al Hafid, 1 July 2022 (SPS) - The Permanent Office of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front expressed its strong condemnation of the terrible massacre committed by the Moroccan occupation state against sub-Saharan migrants who wanted to enter Melilla, in a statement following the Offices meeting on Thursday.



The Office considered the massacre committed against sub-Saharan migrants a full-fledged crime, such as the one that the occupying power has repeatedly committed in secret against defenseless Sahrawi civilians since its invasion of Western Sahara in October 1975.



On Thursday, the President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, chaired a meeting of the Permanent Office of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front, at the Presidency of the Republic.



The meeting examined, analysed and evaluated developments in the national issue as well as various projected internal and external entitlements.



The meeting touched on the positions and measures necessitated by the challenges at the current stage as a result of the resumption of the armed struggle. (SPS)



062/SPS
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Recipes created by some of the winners of FOXs MasterChef" are going to be available to order via GrubHub, but only in 20 markets nationwide. Bridgeport is one of them.

Called "MasterfChef Table," the new promotion lets diners in certain cities across the country order dishes from menus created by past MasterChef winners and contestants. In Connecticut, food will be delivered around the Bridgeport area. Nationwide, it will be available in large metro areas like Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C.

Chef Dorian Hunter  the first African American female winner and the oldest contestant to win the show in season 10  said shes excited for the Bridgeport to try her dishes: Down South Quesadilla, Bangin Buffalo Chicken Fries and Italian Hoagie Burger (The Dorian Burger). The menu items for her MasterChef Table offerings in Bridgeport came from the inspiration of fans and family.

With the power of social media, fans were able to tell me what they wanted me to put in the quesadilla and it worked, she said. My favorite are the Bangin Buffalo Chicken Fries.

The experience creating the foods for GrubHub was not like on the show because the chefs had full control over hand-creating what they wanted to offer customers.

This is amazing. A lot of the time, I get Chef Dorian, I wish I could try your food, and now they can have it, said Hunter. I might not be cooking it, but you can have something that is tangible. You cant get to me or hire me? Now you can experience some of me.

Marnie Boyer, vice president of restaurant acquisition at Grubhub, said in a press release that offering MasterChef table helps expands their delivery services.

Were always looking for ways to deliver new experiences to diners," Boyer said. "Our partnership with MasterChef gives them exactly that, a seat at the table in the comfort of their home."
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With hundreds of flights nationwide delayed daily, including 3 percent of all those in Connecticut, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling on major airlines to provide cash refunds to customers immediately.

Major airlines have blamed the many recent delays and cancellations on bad weather and busy air traffic, but Blumenthal contested those claims.

Theyre blaming it on weather and traffic  well, weather is no worse than it has been in recent years and traffic control is no more of a problem, said Blumenthal, D-Conn. The problem is the airlines have failed to plan. If theyre short on attendants or pilots, thats on them. They shouldnt be planning flights when they know theyre going to be short on personnel, whether its pilots or flight attendants. Its on them.

Airlines have yet to refund the cost of tickets for canceled flights, opting instead to provide vouchers for future trips, he said.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Blumenthal said he will advocate for the committee to push airlines to reimburse customers for canceled flights.

Remember, its not just the cost of the flight, the missed vacation. Its nonrefundable hotel expenses and other costs of what they planned that are nonrefundable, he said. Passengers deserve the cash back in their pockets without question, not credits for some future, indeterminate, uncertain time. They deserve money back right now, cash refunds, and if they fail to do it, I believe the U.S. Department of Transportation will force them to do it.

Flight cancellations are expected to increase further over the long Fourth of July weekend, Blumenthal said.

Nationwide, 2,800 flights were canceled over Memorial Day weekend, 3,700 flights were canceled on Fathers Day, 2,000 flights were canceled last Wednesday and 868 were canceled Sunday, June 26, he said.

In the first four months of the year, 7,300 complaints were filed against airlines, Blumenthal said.

In Connecticut, 3 percent of all flights were canceled recently, but airlines have yet to release specific data, according to Blumenthal.

We are asking for exactly that kind of data from the airlines, how many flights were canceled and why, he said.

Airlines were granted billions of dollars in federal aid to help stay afloat during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they proceeded to cut their payrolls, Blumenthal said.

With hundreds of flights canceled over Fathers Day weekend, the rate of cancellations in the tristate area had calmed to about 140 flights by Monday, June 20.

Bradley International Airport is lucky that of its few flights have been canceled lately, Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dillon said.

For the most part, Bradley has been very fortunate. We have had very few cancellations and delays out of Bradley, Dillon said. When we look at the system nationwide, yes, there are challenges. The airlines are struggling to get staffing back.

The biggest concern for airlines is the need to rehire staff after losing many of its flight crews and flight attendants throughout pandemic.

They now have to get those pilots back. They have to be recertified before they can start a flight, Dillon said. Its not a matter of the actual aircraft being available, its the employees to operate.

Dillon said he is hopeful that in the next six months flights will return to normal, in both staffing and passenger rates.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is expected to a busy weekend at Bradley, but the lack of airline staff is still of concern. Nevertheless, Dillon said he expected passenger numbers to return to normal within the next year.

Most of the July 4th period is a big drive, but we are certainly prepared here. Slowly airlines are bringing back staff, Dillon said. The portion of traffic that hasnt returned as quickly as wed like is business travel. Certainly, thats related to peoples telecommute changes and the fact that a lot of people are still not back in the office. We are confident over the next fiscal year we will be back to prepandemic levels.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
STAMFORD - Stamford will place automatic license plate readers across the city in a move officials say will help police prevent and solve crimes but others warn could infringe on civil rights.

The city announced earlier this week that it has signed a contract with Rekor Systems Inc. to provide the city with fixed automatic license plate readers.

Stamford Public Safety Director Ted Jankowski said the automatic license plate readers, which use small high-speed cameras to photograph thousands of plates per minute, are a relatively low-cost resource that will provide the (Stamford Police Department) the additional tools to address general crime prevention, deterrence, detection and investigation.

The use of this technology will improve the safety for Stamford residents which is a top priority for my administration, Mayor Caroline Simmons said in the release.

Under the contract, Rekor will affix 50 cameras at 30 different locations in the city. Jankowski told The Stamford Advocate the 30 locations are spread out throughout the city, but did not specify where exactly theyd be located.

Rekor will also be responsible for mounting the readers and covering all costs related to installation, operation and maintenance of the equipment, according to Jankowski.

While city officials herald the automatic license plate readers as a step toward making Stamford safer and more secure, civil rights organizations have raised concerns that the technology could infringe on peoples privacy.

David McGuire, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, told The Advocate that license plate readers are problematic for several reasons.

For one, McGuire said, the readers can be used to collect information and pool them into databases that can be used for what he called nefarious reasons.

They make everyone a suspect, essentially. They generate a lot of data, which we have seen Connecticut towns share with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and use for reasons that are far broader than some of the reasons that police departments will usually tell communities that they will use it for, McGuire said.

In 2019, the ACLU wrote in a report that police in Fairfield, Westport, Stratford, Trumbull and Norwalk had helped U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement monitor potential targets by way of a wide-ranging database of individuals and their locations that were collected by automated license plate readers.

The ACLU report ultimately found that more than 80 local law enforcement agencies from more than a dozen states had entered similar agreements to share license plate location information with ICE.

McGuire said, in addition to creating mass surveillance systems, license plate readers are ineffective and disproportionately used against underprivileged communities.

What weve seen is that the surveillance ends up most hurting Black and brown people because of where these cameras are often placed, and it is a real issue for Connecticut, he said. We believe that every dollar increasing police surveillance is money that can instead go to valuable programs that actually keep people safe.

The contract with Rekor, which requires annual renewals, will cost the city about $60,000 for the first year.

Stamford signed on for a six-month pilot program using the technology in January. Since then, Jankowski said the cameras have resulted in the resolution of more than 20 major incidents, including gathering evidence that has resulted in arrests for strangulation, robberies, stalking, stolen vehicles and fatal pedestrian incidents. He said the technology also identified a vehicle used in a recent shooting.

Jankowski said he could not provide specific examples, however, because of the ongoing nature of the cases.

The usage of LPRs promotes public safety and efficiency of law enforcement criminal investigatory activities, Stamford Police Chief Tim Shaw said in the release. The Department has instituted policies and procedures for using the cameras, and we look forward to the many positive results.

The locations of the fixed automatic license plate readers were unanimously approved by the citys Camera Review Committee, a committee of three Stamford residents, the president of the Board of Representatives and the director of public safety, on Oct. 15, 2021.

The license plate readers were approved at a Surveillance Level 4, which means their location cannot be disclosed to the public. The Camera Review Committees discussions on the application for the automatic license plate readers were held in executive session and not made available to the public.
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The Supreme Court decision to limit how the Environmental Protection Agency regulates carbon dioxide emissions from power plants could make an already grave situation worse for those affected most by climate change and air pollution, advocates say.

Environmental and climate justice advocates from across the United States are decrying the court's 6-3 ruling, saying it will be felt most by communities of color and poor communities, which are located near power plants at higher percentages than the national average. They are calling on the EPA to find alternate ways to limit carbon dioxide emissions and other forms of air pollution, and for Congress to grant the agency the authority to do so.

The court did not prohibit the EPA from regulating carbon emissions, in fact Chief Justice John Roberts said capping carbon emissions to move the U.S. away from burning coal for electricity may be sensible for the crisis of the day."

Despite this, advocates said the ruling puts disadvantaged communities at risk of greater harm due to the effects of climate change and air pollution. They also are concerned about the ability of the EPA to enforce other bedrock environmental laws, like the Clean Water Act.

The Supreme Court decision "denies relief to Black and other communities of color as well as poor communities disproportionately exposed to power plant pollution and vulnerable to climate change, Monique Harden, assistant director of law and policy at the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice told the Associated Press.

Harden's organization has done extensive research on the effects of heavy industry on people living along the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor  also known to some as Cancer Alley  a stretch of petrochemical plants and oil refineries.

That corridor touches New Orleans and Baton Rouge, two cities that have experienced intense storm surges and hurricanes worsened by climate change over the last 20 years. And Baton Rouge has a power plant, Big Cajun II, with two coal-fired units that's owned by Cleco Power.

Thousands of miles west the Supreme Court decision was just as alarming to Darryl Molina Sarmiento, executive director of Communities for a Better Environment. She said the ruling is part of a decades-long effort by the fossil fuel industry to strip the EPA of its ability to protect vulnerable communities, including those that live alongside power plants.

Because the entire western grid is connected, a polluting power plant in Southeast L.A. can be supplying power to wealthy white communities in Utah," she said. The same is true when California imports power from coal-fired power plants in Arizona and the low-income communities of color that surround them there are polluted, she said.

On a press briefing with the Green New Deal Network, a nationwide coalition of environmental organizations, U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman expressed concern that the decision could set a precedent that will limit regulatory agencies in their ability to protect human health.

This ruling could potentially undermine all kinds of regulations that are about saving lives and promoting well-being," he said. "We cannot, we must not and we will not let this court stop us. The Biden administration must declare a climate emergency immediately and use every single power at its disposal.

Although carbon dioxide is not a health hazard, many other pollutants that are harmful to the respiratory system, like particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, are typically emitted along with them. Recent research has shown that people of color are disproportionately exposed to this type of air pollution.

It is our responsibility to respond at this time because we cannot allow those who are most vulnerable to pay this price, said Sen. Ed Markey, who was also on the call. Its up to those of us who have been given some power, given some privilege to now stand up, shoulder to shoulder with them, to engage in this fight.

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Follow Drew Costley on Twitter: @drewcostley.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  Savannah's police chief says he soon will step down to focus on his nomination to serve as a U.S. Marshal, an announcement that comes amid scrutiny over recent local police shootings, including the death of a Black man at the hands of a white officer.

Police Chief Roy Minter said Thursday that he will resign at the end of July to focus on the confirmation process for his nomination to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Georgia. Minters last day with the Savannah Police Department will be July 29, The Savannah Morning News reported.

Minter, who has served as chief since 2018, had been facing criticism from religious leaders who have called for both his resignation and a federal investigation into recent fatal police shootings, including the June 24 shooting of Saudi Arai Lee, 31.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which has launched a probe into the case, said officers spotted Lee walking around midday in the middle of a street. Authorities said Lee immediately showed them his wallet, saying it contained his weapons permit, and then lifted his shirt and removed a weapon from a holster. Investigators said a short chase followed and that Lee was shot by Savannah Police Officer Ernest Ferguson, who is white.

Lees killing was the fifth officer-involved death in the city this year, according to The Savannah Morning News.

Elder James Johnson of the Racial Justice Network said there were too many police shootings under Minters watch and he also has questioned the training of officers in the field.

In response to Minter's announcement, Savannah City Manager Jay Melder said the city was grateful for Minter's service.

"Chief Minter is the definition of a professional police chief, and I thank him for his tireless service to the City of Savannah, our residents, businesses, and visitors. I wish him well in the confirmation process and in all future endeavors, and I look forward to working with him in his new capacity, he said.

In a statement, Minter said: Being Savannahs police chief has been an honor and I look forward to the potential opportunity to continue my service to this community and all of southeast Georgia."

Melder has appointed Assistant Chief Lenny Gunther to serve as interim chief effective July 30. Gunther has served the department since 2001. The city will launch a nationwide search for Savannahs next chief, but the final decision rests with Melder.

Mayor Van Johnson said he had mixed emotions about Minter's announcement, but noted it wasnt unexpected following the news of Minters nomination in May.

I knew that this day was going to come once it was announced that he was nominated, Johnson said.

Johnson said he wants to give Gunther an opportunity to see what he can do in his new role.

I dont want to rush so quickly to a national hire and we miss a local opportunity, he said. Chief Gunther was raised in the Savannah Police Department and so, I would be interested ... in giving Chief Gunther an opportunity to see what he can do.
NEW YORK  Two people were charged in connection with sex trafficking women across six states and disguising the profits in a Connecticut-based company, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office announced Wednesday.

Jonathan Ruiz, also known as Saiint, 29, of Youngstown, Ohio, and Charline Santiago, 27, also of Youngstown, Ohio, were charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment after they forced multiple women in their mid-20s to engage in commercial sex acts in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Massachusetts, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a news release.

Ruiz was also charged with labor trafficking for forcing one of the women to produce videos on OnlyFans.com, a website where subscribers can pay creators for their photos and videos, Braggs office said.

Ruiz and Santiago would then hide the profits in a limited liability company with a business address in Beacon Falls, according to state records and Braggs office.

At one point, Ruiz moved multiple women to a house in Connecticut, Braggs office said.

The two coerced these women by beating them, brandishing a firearm, withholding their personal identifying documents, forcing them to take cocaine and more, Braggs office said.

These horrific allegations detail an abhorrent sex-trafficking scheme that preyed on vulnerable people so the ringleaders could turn a profit, Bragg said. The internet gives traffickers new ways to exploit people through economic, emotional, physical and psychological coercion.

We will continue to hold accountable those who engaged in this type of criminal activity, while also continuing our work to ensure that survivors have the services and support they need to recover and move beyond the trauma they have faced, Bragg added.

Bragg described Ruiz and Santiago as intimate partners with children in common.

Court documents allege that, from February 2020 to February 2021, Ruiz and Santiago worked together to profit from forced commercial sexual acts. Ruiz would post online advertisements for the women and drove them to work at hotels and other locations in the northeast. Santiago would often wait outside of hotels to accept the payments, Braggs office said.

Ruiz pressured these women into prostitution through cruel beatings. He would allegedly hurt the women if they did not want to work, stashed money to save, attempted to flee or fell asleep when he wanted them to work. The beatings frequently resulted in black eyes, bruises and lacerations with long-lasting scars. At least one beating was at the direction of Santiago, according to Braggs office.

Ruiz also owned a firearm and, at least once, displayed it to the women, Braggs office said.

Along with the scheme, Ruiz and Santiago withheld the womens government IDs, birth certificates and Social Security cards to prevent them from fleeing. They also used these documents to fraudulently obtain government benefits and loans in their names. Ruizs emails and bank records indicted that he used these documents to collect thousands of dollars in state and federal benefits in the womens names, according to Braggs office.

Ruiz also made the women take cocaine while working in order to stay awake and earn more money. If the women didnt earn enough in a day, Ruiz would beat them or sometimes not allow them to eat, Braggs office said.

Court documents allege Ruiz also forced one woman to take nude photos, create sexual videos and speak with clients on OnlyFans. He threatened to strike the woman if she did not comply, and he kept all of the proceeds, according to Braggs office and the indictment.

Braggs office said the pair took extensive steps to conceal and advance the conspiracy by creating a limited liability company in Connecticut. The company, New Road Management, LLC, lists the business address as a home in Beacon Falls. Both Ruiz and Santiago are listed as executive officers, state records show.

The two also issued fraudulent pay stubs and maintained extensive transaction records between themselves and clients, according to Braggs office.

Ruiz was charged with fourth-degree conspiracy, four counts of sex trafficking, labor trafficking, two counts of second-degree promoting prostitution and third-degree promoting prostitution.

Santiago was charged with fourth-degree conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of second-degree promoting prostitution and third-degree promoting prostitution.

Both Ruiz and Santiago pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday. The two are scheduled to appear Sept. 8 in New York Supreme Court, according to court records.
Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Friday in Constanta about a missile attack by the Russian forces early today on a healthcare centre belonging to Moldova that made victims that this situation reconfirms that this is a war that is not only illegal, but also immoral that must end as soon as possible.

Aurescu said that Romanian officials are in constant contact with their colleagues in Moldova, and to the extent that they can help with the victims of this attack, they will do so."We have very strongly condemned the attack that took place this morning, as we have condemned all other attacks by the Russian Federation against civilians in Ukraine. This is another flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, another flagrant violation of the rule of wars. Because international humanitarian law prohibits civilians from being targets of military attacks, it prohibits civilian targets from being involved in hostilities. And from this point of view, this unfortunate situation created by another attack on civilians only reconfirms that we are talking about a war that is not only illegal, but also immoral and must end as soon as possible. We will get in touch and we are in constant contact with our colleagues in Chisinau, and we will help with the victims of this attack as far as we can," Aurescu said at a news conference in Constanta when was asked for an opinion on the attack that took place on July 1 in the Odessa region, where a sanatorium was bombed, a healthcare facility of Moldova's, where Moldovan children were treated. Several people were reportedly injured, and another would have died. AGERPRES
Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Friday in Constanta that Romanian authorities continue their efforts to increase Romania's capacity in facilitating the transit of Ukrainian grains to third markets and, at the same time, support international efforts to find alternative solutions, including, if possible, unblocking of the port of Odessa.

Regarding the possibility of the port of Odessa reopening, Aurescu said that he has reservations for obvious reasons of a military nature."We have been making efforts lately to increase Romania's capacity to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grains to third markets. It is quite complicated, because until this year we did not have Ukrainian grains in transit, which is natural because they would leave directly from Ukrainian ports, especially from the port of Odessa to third-country destinations. We will continue to take steps and I am convinced that all the Romanian authorities with responsibilities in this field will continue to take steps to increase transit and, at the same time, we support all international initiatives to find alternative solutions, including whether or not it will be possible to unblock the port of Odessa, although I must confess that I have my reservations about the possibility of the port being opened or demined or used. again for the transport of grain, for obvious reasons, of a military nature," Aurescu told a news conference in Constanta.According to him, finding solutions for the export of grains from Ukraine is a priority concern of the international community."But this situation remains on the agenda of priority concerns of the international community, it is discussed in all formats in which solutions can be identified, it is discussed in the context of NATO, and in the European context, and in the context of the UN. There are efforts being made by various countries, and Romania will be an integral part, as before, of these efforts. We will help the best we can," said Aurescu. AGERPRES
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca announces the entry into force, on Friday, of the measures regarding the increase in the value of meal vouchers and the granting of an aid of 700 lei for pensioners with incomes below 2,000 lei.

"As of today, two more important measures from the "Support for Romania "package come into force, through which we protect Romanians affected by price increases: 1 - The value of meal vouchers will increase by 50%, from 20 to 30 lei; 2 - Pensioners with incomes below 2,000 lei will receive an aid of 700 lei (after the one granted in January to those with pensions under 1,600 lei)," Ciuca wrote on Facebook.He said the Government will continue to implement support measures for citizens during this period."Our mission is to get the country through the multiple crises that affect us and to start the massive reforms undertaken under the National Resilience and Recovery Plan," the prime minister added. AGERPRES
The Secretary of State for Defense Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, said on Friday, during the round table "Black Sea Security Summit", that Romania welcomes the fact that Russian forces have withdrawn from the Snake Island, and this is again in the hands of Ukraine.

Cojocaru, said that 120 days ago, the Russian Federation decided to brutally attack a peaceful, independent and sovereign country. Russia's war against Ukraine has caused multiple crises. A humanitarian disaster, with more than 8 million refugees, attacks on civilians and the beginning (...) In the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one of Russia's first objectives was to conquer Snake Island, located 25 miles from the Romanian coast. The Snake Island has a strategic role in the region.Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Polishchuk said Russia was ready to compromise when it saw that the free world not only has the means to defeat the aggressor, but is willing to act and fight, not just talk.Polishchuk added that Russia's aggression has met with strong resistance. Kremlin is ready to compromise when it sees that the free world not only has the means to defeat the aggressor, but is willing to act and fight, not just speak. As Ukraine is fighting now. At the annexation of Crimea in 2014 Polishchuk said that the lack of reaction opened a Pandora's box.Bulgaria's Deputy Defense Minister Yordan Bozhilov said Ukraine must receive support until Russia ceases its aggression and withdraws troops from the country.Bozhilov condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine saying it is a violation of international law and undermines international security and stability. All those responsible for the war crimes committed against Ukraine must be held accountable and brought to justice. The Russian invasion of Ukraine poses a direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security and affects the states on the Eastern Flank, and could lead to the destabilization of the entire Black Sea region. At this regional level, transatlantic unity, solidarity and cohesion are more necessary than ever.The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, co-chaired together with the American senator Roger Wicker the round table "Black Sea Security Summit", organized by the US Congress' Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe. AGERPRES
David Muniz, the charge d'affaires of the United States Embassy in Bucharest, said on Friday, at the Independence Day reception, that Romania leaves a positive mark on the world, recalling in this sense the reaction to refugees from Ukraine and the position at the recent NATO Summit in Madrid, when it offered the allies the unique and invaluable perspective of a NATO member on the border with the nation under Russian barbarian attack.

I am also very pleased that Romania is leaving a positive mark on the world. Yes, certainly in the field of security, where it is now an exporter of stability, but in two ways that speak directly to the goodness and decency that characterizes this country and I am referring to Romania's readiness to provide humanitarian aid to the neighboring country, which is under siege, and to its commendable success in combating trafficking in human beings. I know the Romanian people too well. The ability of Romanians to be really good does not surprise me at all, said the diplomat.He spoke in detail about the war in Ukraine and the reaction of the Romanians.I admit, I was amazed, moved, both by the official reaction of Romania to help the refugees from Ukraine, and by the private reaction of so many citizens. Processing of refugee requests, granting aid, efforts to simplify the requirements for granting the right to work and the desire to ensure that a generation of Ukrainian pupils and students are not lost are, in a word, admirable.' The involvement and compassion of ordinary Romanians is a source of inspiration. The transportation provided altruistic actions, donations, care - all have strengthened what I and so many others already know: Romania is a great country, full of good people", said Muniz.He also referred to the recent decisions announced at the NATO Summit in Madrid.At the summit, Romania offered the allies the unique and invaluable perspective of a NATO member on the border with the nation under Russian barbarian attack. It inspires and amazes us to see the growing presence of some of the most famous American military units that cooperate with the allies. I mentioned Madrid and I am sure many of you know that in Spain, President Biden announced that the United States will soon deploy a combat brigade command in Romania, he pointed out.He also addressed the issue of US commitment to the Treaty underlying the Alliance.Muniz said that together we are moving toward a stronger position of deterrence and defense. Our presence is proof that we are serious about our security commitments and that the United States is fully prepared and able to fulfill its commitment to the United States.He appreciated that Romania is one of the strongest partners of the United States of America.As for the present, it would be a negligence on my part not to return to the security situation and to our Alliance. Seventy-nine years ago, our nations were in different camps. As we all know, we have continued to be ideological enemies for decades to come, separated by another criminal shadow cast by the Kremlin, the impenetrable Iron Curtain. And yet today, Romania is one of America's strongest allies, Muniz pointed out. AGERPRES
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis named Matuschka Lindo Briggs as vice president and regional executive for the Little Rock branch, which serves the majority of Arkansas.

Briggs succeeds Robert Hopkins, who retired after 38 years at the St. Louis Fed. As regional executive, Briggs represents the St. Louis Fed with business leaders, bankers, local government officials and other stakeholders. She also supports the Little Rock branchs board of directors.

Briggs, a former broadcast news reporter, joined the St. Louis Fed in the Treasury division in 2015. Most recently she served as director of the community development departments special projects and strategic support.

She earned her bachelors degree in journalism and communications from William Woods University and her masters in business administration from Washington University.
ST. LOUIS  The outdoor industry is working to get more Black Americans into the countrys wilderness. And its spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in St. Louis to do so.

A local hiking group is embarking next weekend on the second of five National Parks trips, funded by a $120,000 National Park Foundation stipend. And a regional collaborative is using a $300,000 grant to sponsor adventure camps, set up a free outdoor gear library, and teach middle- and high-school girls how to kayak, among other exploits.

My dream is just having families pouring outside, said Chris Geden, program manager for the collaborative, River City Outdoors. We have to remove a lot of barriers.

Decades after the Civil Rights Act, the demographics of who uses the countrys public lands remain lopsided. White people comprise less than two-thirds of the U.S. population, but about 75% of participants in outdoor recreation, according to the Outdoor Foundation. And while parks, trails and rivers swelled with record numbers of visitors in the early days of the pandemic, the crowds largely looked the same as they always had: mostly white, middle-aged and middle-class.

Now efforts are accelerating to democratize outdoor spaces. In May, an all-Black expedition summited Mount Everest for the first time. Outdoor stores are trying to both serve  and hire  a more diverse population. Closer to home, Black-led organizations promote biking, running and exploring.

But access can require transportation, equipment, even admission fees. Investments in trails and parks have historically tilted toward white communities. And for generations, racial exclusion was codified.

Even after legal integration, many African Americans felt uneasy or unwelcome at parks and pools.

As a Boy Scout in small-town Illinois, Anthony Beasley of the Central West End fished and camped. He stayed active during a stint in the Army. But even that breadth of experience didnt fuel his confidence that hed be accepted as a Black man trekking around Missouri.

I was still hesitant, he said. I was not necessarily comfortable being the only person of color out there.

He found like-minded folks in Outdoor Afro, a California-based not-for-profit with 60 networks across the country, including St. Louis. He dove into caving, kayaking and backpacking.

Then, two years ago, Beasley was tapped for the steering committee of River City Outdoors, to promote St. Louis as a destination for outdoor recreation.

Focus on children

In May 2021, the River City earned a three-year, $300,000 grant from the Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Outdoor Industry Association in Boulder, Colorado. The Thrive Outside initiative aims to reverse a trend that shows a troubling youth gap in Black participation.

Children who dont interact with nature typically become adults who dont interact with nature, said the foundations director, Stephanie Maez. And thats bad news for the industry.

When we identify levers for systems change, youth is really a smart way to go, she said.

River City Outdoors is using the grant to partner with boys and girls clubs, community centers and St. Louis Public Schools. Its focusing its initial programs on north St. Louis and pockets of South City. This summer, it is co-sponsoring three daylong adventure camps and a Mississippi River canoe outing. In the fall, students at Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls in the Kingsway West neighborhood, north of Forest Park, will learn kayaking during their PE classes.

More extensive projects are still in the early planning stages, including a free gear library that River City Outdoors hopes to pilot next year, for checking out everything from tents and sleeping bags to cookware and canoes. Making supplies available can be enough to spur folks to try something new, said Geden, the program manager.

The biggest thing we have to do is go where theyre at, he said.

In the past 10 months, five outdoor retailers have opened in the region, with a sixth slated for November. Among the new and existing stores, only one, Cabelas, is located in north St. Louis County; none are north of Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis.

African Americans represent an unrealized market, said Aarin Weathers of Maryland Heights. He hikes about three times a month, on his own and with a group of Black hikers.

We can only do so much to change other peoples mindsets, he said. Its going to take a concerted effort by businesses to have that conversation: Where do we open our stores? Where do we target our wares?

The Alpine Shop, the oldest outdoor retailer in the region, strives to be a gathering space for everyone, said co-owner Lisa Hollenbeck. Its locations in Chesterfield and Kirkwood offer clinics and classes for all experience levels.

Were not just talking about white people in West County, she said. We want to reach people in different groups.

Theyve had some success, Hollenbeck said, but not as much as theyd like. Hiring a diverse staff has been a challenge, too.

National park adventures

Outdoor recreation was not a part of Debbie Njais life growing up. Njai, of Edwardsville, was in her 30s before she ever went on a hike. One weekend in August 2019, she tagged along with a friend on a 1.7-mile loop around Castlewood State Park. Njai was hooked.

It was therapeutic. It was exhilarating, she said. She didnt know it then, but moving would be become a movement.

It was a slow buildup, at first.

I tried to invite people who looked like me, said Njai. There was a lot of reluctance.

She plowed ahead, incorporating Black People Who Hike as an LLC a month after her Castlewood initiation. On her first official hike, one person joined her. But week after week, she ventured out. Friends told friends, and more and more people showed up  to state parks, conservation areas and trails winding through Missouri and southern Illinois.

Her Instagram following ballooned  gaining momentum during the Black Lives Matter protests two summers ago  to more than 32,000. Hikes expanded, too, and sometimes incorporated yoga, bouldering or meteor-shower-viewing. Organizations such as Missouri State Parks, yoga group the Collective STL and the conservation consortium Mississippi River Network reached out to collaborate.

Late last summer, Njai applied for a new National Park Foundation grant, ParkVentures, designed to boost park use by historically excluded communities. According to national park data, only 6% of the systems visitors are Black.

In November, Njai found out that Black People Who Hike would receive $120,000 to fund trips to five national parks.

About 35 Black hikers convened in Yosemite last month for three days of trail-conquering, wildlife-watching and star-gazing. Another group is heading to Yellowstone next weekend, and three more excursions are scheduled: Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, Acadia in Maine and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Each trip costs about $350 per person, which covers food, lodging and activities. Participants also have to pay for their transportation to the park. But for Yosemite, Njai was able to fund $10,000 in scholarships.

Gabby Davis of University City is already excited to see Hawaii in November. She joined Black People Who Hike almost three years ago, when she was going through a stressful period.

Being outside helped me, she said. More Black people have to get outside.

Njai is trying her best to make that happen: Black People Who Hike is recruiting ambassadors across the country to spread the word. She plans to apply for a capacity-building grant to hire staff; right now, her team of 19 is all-volunteer.

Eventually, shed like to drop some of her responsibilities managing six of her familys Little Caesar franchises to focus more on the group, expanding its partnerships and maybe starting an outdoor clothing line.

It makes me a little nervous, she said. But its good nervous.

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SUNSET HILLS  Panera Brands, the parent company of St. Louis Bread Co., said Friday that it has called off a plan to go public.

Panera announced plans in November to file for an initial public offering in partnership with St. Louis native and Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer. The plan included merging with USHG Acquisition Corp., a shell company Meyer controls.

On Friday, Panera announced it was calling off the plan due to unfavorable economic conditions, and a faltering IPO market in recent months. The company said it will continue to explore and prepare for an IPO, should markets improve. Meyer said USHG will search for another group to partner with.

We are disappointed that market timing was not on our side, Meyer said in a statement.

USHG is a special purpose acquisition company, a type of entity more commonly known by the abbreviation SPAC, or sometimes referred to as a blank check company, that serves as a shell company for the business that is taken public. Its a method of going public that was used by two other St. Louis-area companies recently: the agriculture firm Benson Hill and the educational technology business Nerdy. In more recent months, its seen a decline in popularity.

Panera and USHG allowed their agreement to end, officially, on Thursday. According to a notice USHG filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, it has until March 1 to combine with another company, or get stockholders to approve an extension.

The first St. Louis Bread Co. store opened in 1987, in Kirkwood. It sold to Au Bon Pain Co. in 1993. In the late 90s the combined company sold Au Bon Pain, moved its headquarters to St. Louis, and renamed itself Panera Bread Co. In 2017, the Luxembourg-based private equity group JAB Holdings bought Panera.

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Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has praised his fathers legacy and glossed over its violent past as he was sworn in as Philippine president. His rise to power comes 36 years after an army-backed People Power revolt booted his namesake dictator father from office. In his inaugural speech, Marcos Jr. said his father accomplished many things and built better roads that had not been done since the countrys independence. Activists and survivors of the martial law era say the stunning election victory was pulled off by whitewashing the Marcos familys image. Protests took place at the same time as Marcos Jr. took oath at the steps of the National Museum in Manila. He called for unity and avoided the mention of abuses under his father's rule.
ST. LOUIS  Missouris week-old abortion ban provides an exception for medical emergencies affecting the life of a pregnant woman, but some health care providers and the lawyers who advise them say the laws definition of emergency is narrow and worrisome.

Missouri is among five states that have so far imposed total abortion bans in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last Friday that ended the constitutional right to an abortion.

The Missouri abortion law, passed by the Republican-led Legislature in 2019 and triggered by the high courts ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, defines a medical emergency as a condition which, based on reasonable medical judgment, so complicates the medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert the death of the pregnant woman or for which a delay will create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.

That statutory language is incredibly narrow and has physicians concerned that they cant intervene until a pregnant woman is close to certain death, said Lisa Larson-Bunnell, a Kansas City area health care regulatory attorney.

This is a really serious issue, Larson-Bunnell said. This is something that physicians and attorneys all throughout the state are trying to wrap their minds around.

Trying to decide whether there is a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment also is not as simple as it may sound.

When you are in the moment, it is not always easy to tell if something is irreversible, because of the wonders of modern medicine, we have treatments for lots of things, and some of those treatments work and sometimes they dont, she said.

Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-Shrewsbury, on Wednesday sent a letter to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, urging him to release a statement defining what he will not prosecute because it is a medical emergency.

Unsicker asked him to at least address ectopic pregnancies (when a fertilized egg implants outside the womb), miscarriage management, septic pregnancies, pregnancies of children under the age of 16, cancer patients and patients with a medical condition that makes pregnancy dangerous.

These cases are true emergencies even before they get to an emergent point, Unsicker said.

The attorney generals office did not respond to a request for comment.

Unsicker said she was prompted to write the letter after having a conversation with a worried emergency room physician who sometimes faces having to provide life-saving abortions, and after seeing reports on social media of delayed treatment of an ectopic pregnancy that was allowed to rupture and pregnant women from Missouri being denied radiation therapy for cancer.

Under the law, providers who violate the abortion ban can be charged with a class B felony, punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and lose their medical license. Its up to local prosecutors or Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, to prosecute abortion violations.

Unsicker said shes concerned doctors and hospitals will have to spend time defending medical decisions, could face losing their malpractice insurance or the insurance could become unaffordable.

I am afraid doctors are going to leave the state because of this, and that is going to harm everybody, she said.

Dave Dillon, spokesman for the Missouri Hospital Association, said hospital officials are concerned about the medical emergency exception will play out.

It has potential to create second-guessing of clinical judgment and expose caregivers to evaluation of that judgment by non-clinicians, Dillon said.

Jeff Howell, an attorney who serves as the executive vice president for the Missouri State Medical Association, said doctors are concerned that they have to withhold care for pregnant women until a situation is dire.

In real life, you shouldnt have to make a patient wait to do that if its going to be inevitable, Howell said.

Reproductive care and emergencies can be very nuanced and nearly impossible to regulate every scenario, he said.

They dont fit into a nice convenient box, he said. All patients are different. All pregnancies are different. Its not cookie-cutter and you cant really treat them all the same, and thats an issue.

Howell said he does not have enough feedback yet to make a specific request to Schmitt or other legislators, but he was glad to hear about Unsickers letter.

It will be interesting to hear what comes from that, he said.

Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, who helped pass Missouris abortion ban that was written in 2019 and triggered to go into effect after the Supreme Court ruling, said, the law is clear.

Its a really dangerous game that the Left is playing regarding womens health and what is and what isnt allowed, Coleman said. I am really calling on the Left to stop this dangerous rhetoric and information because women are going to be really hurt.

Earlier this week, a Kansas City-area hospital system stopped providing emergency contraception to sexual assault patients because of questions over the laws definitions of abortion, an unborn child and when pregnancy begins.

After Schmitt and Gov. Mike Parson stated the law does not ban the use of emergency contraception, the hospital system changed course.

But some of those same questions over when pregnancy begins also complicates treatment for medical emergencies under the law, such as whether ectopic pregnancies are considered pregnancies or what to do when a miscarriage dangerously stalls and an embryo is still in tact, Larson-Bunnell said.

Coleman again insists theres no ambiguity in the law.

The definition of abortion in our state is clear, its about ending the life of unborn child intentionally in the mothers womb , she said. As long as they dont kill the child they wont lose their license.

But Larson-Bunnell said theres a lot of gray area in the law.

Human reproduction is messy  and its lay people that draft these laws, and they dont understand the real implications, she said. Even attorneys are not in agreement.

That is how you get facilities operating in different ways, and you have physicians operating in different ways; and its because we have received very little support or insight from the state at this point, she said.

Providers are unsure and wary of how an overzealous local prosecutor might interpret the law, Larson-Bunnell said. After performing an abortion, she said, physicians are required to send records to the state health department, which also shares the records with law enforcement agencies.

I think this is a really dangerous time, she said. Every single one of these has the potential to be scrutinized, and who knows who going to pick it up and be a like a dog with a bone.

Posted at 7:30 a.m. Friday, July 1.

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Consumers, employers, and just about everyone else interested in health care prices will soon get an unprecedented look at what insurers pay for care, perhaps helping answer a question that has long dogged those who buy insurance: Are we getting the best deal we can?

As of July 1, health insurers and self-insured employers must post on websites just about every price theyve negotiated with providers for health care services, item by item. About the only thing excluded are the prices paid for prescription drugs, except those administered in hospitals or doctors offices.

The federally required data release could affect future prices or even how employers contract for health care. Many will see for the first time how well their insurers are doing compared with others.

The new rules are far broader than those that went into effect last year requiring hospitals to post their negotiated rates for the public to see. Now insurers must post the amounts paid for every physician in network, every hospital, every surgery center, every nursing facility, said Jeffrey Leibach, a partner at the consulting firm Guidehouse.

When you start doing the math, youre talking trillions of records, he said. The fines the federal government could impose for noncompliance are also heftier than the penalties that hospitals face.

Federal officials learned from the hospital experience and gave insurers more direction on what was expected, said Leibach. Insurers or self-insured employers could be fined as much as $100 a day for each violation, for each affected enrollee if they fail to provide the data.

Get your calculator out: All of a sudden you are in the millions pretty fast, Leibach said.

Determined consumers, especially those with high-deductible health plans, may try to dig in right away and use the data to try comparing what they will have to pay at different hospitals, clinics, or doctor offices for specific services.

But each databases enormous size may mean that most people will find it very hard to use the data in a nuanced way, said Katherine Baicker, dean of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

At least at first.

Entrepreneurs are expected to quickly translate the information into more user-friendly formats so it can be incorporated into new or existing services that estimate costs for patients. And starting Jan. 1, the rules require insurers to provide online tools that will help people get upfront cost estimates for about 500 so-called shoppable services, meaning medical care they can schedule ahead of time.

Once those things happen, youll at least have the options in front of you, said Chris Severn, CEO of Turquoise Health, an online company that has posted price information made available under the rules for hospitals, although many hospitals have yet to comply.

With the addition of the insurers data, sites like his will be able to drill down further into cost variation from one place to another or among insurers.

If youre going to get an X-ray, you will be able to see that you can do it for $250 at this hospital, $75 at the imaging center down the road, or your specialist can do it in office for $25, he said.

Everyone will know everyone elses business: for example, how much insurers Aetna and Humana pay the same surgery center for a knee replacement.

The requirements stem from the Affordable Care Act and a 2019 executive order by then-President Donald Trump.

These plans are supposed to be acting on behalf of employers in negotiating good rates, and the little insight we have on that shows it has not happened, said Elizabeth Mitchell, president and CEO of the Purchaser Business Group on Health, an affiliation of employers who offer job-based health benefits to workers. I do believe the dynamics are going to change.

Other observers are more circumspect.

Maybe at best this will reduce the wide variance of prices out there, said Zack Cooper, director of health policy at the Yale University Institution for Social and Policy Studies. But it wont be unleashing a consumer revolution.

Still, the biggest value of the July data release may well be to shed light on how successful insurers have been at negotiating prices. It comes on the heels of research that has shown tremendous variation in what is paid for health care. A recent study by the Rand Corp., for example, shows that employers that offer job-based insurance plans paid, on average, 224% more than Medicare for the same services.

Tens of thousands of employers who buy insurance coverage for their workers will get this more-complete pricing picture  and may not like what they see.

What were learning from the hospital data is that insurers are really bad at negotiating, said Gerard Anderson, a professor in the department of health policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, citing research that found that negotiated rates for hospital care can be higher than what the facilities accept from patients who are not using insurance and are paying cash.

That could add to the frustration that Mitchell and others say employers have with the current health insurance system. More might try to contract with providers directly, only using insurance companies for claims processing.

Other employers may bring their insurers back to the bargaining table.

For the first time, an employer will be able to go to an insurance company and say, You have not negotiated a good-enough deal, and we know that because we can see the same provider has negotiated a better deal with another company, said James Gelfand, president of the ERISA Industry Committee, a trade group of self-insured employers.

If that happens, he added, patients will be able to save money.

Thats not necessarily a given, however.

Because this kind of public release of pricing data hasnt been tried widely in health care before, how it will affect future spending remains uncertain. If insurers are pushed back to the bargaining table or providers see where they stand relative to their peers, prices could drop. However, some providers could raise their prices if they see they are charging less than their peers.

Downward pressure may not be a given, said Kelley Schultz, vice president of commercial policy for AHIP, the industrys trade lobby.

Baicker, of the University of Chicago, said that even after the data is out, rates will continue to be heavily influenced by local conditions, such as the size of an insurer or employer  providers often give bigger discounts, for example, to the insurers or self-insured employers that can send them the most patients. The number of hospitals in a region also matters  if an area has only one, for instance, that usually means the facility can demand higher rates.

Another unknown: Will insurers meet the deadline and provide usable data?

Schultz, at AHIP, said the industry is well on the way, partly because the original deadline was extended by six months. She expects insurers to do better than the hospital industry. We saw a lot of hospitals that just decided not to post files or make them difficult to find, she said.

So far, more than 300 noncompliant hospitals received warning letters from the government. But they could face $300-a-day fines for failing to comply, which is less than what insurers potentially face, although the federal government has recently upped the ante to up to $5,500 a day for the largest facilities.

Even after the pricing data is public, I dont think things will change overnight, said Leibach. Patients are still going to make care decisions based on their doctors and referrals, a lot of reasons other than price.
CLAYTON  Dr. Faisal Khan, acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, will helm the public health department serving Seattle and King County, Washington, starting on Sept. 6.

Seattle and King County officials announced the appointment on Wednesday.

He will oversee a department with more than 2,000 employees in a jurisdiction of more than 2 million residents, with among the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates, and lowest death rates, in the country.

His appointment is subject to confirmation by the the Seattle City Council and King County Council.

Khan announced earlier this month that he was stepping down in August as acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.

Khan will stay on as acting health director in St. Louis County for another two months, telling Page in a resignation letter that he would work to ensure continuity of and a seamless transition plan for all operations of the Department of Public Health.

Khan has served as acting health director since February 2021, returning to a department where he had worked from 2010 to 2018, including the last three years as health director.

His return to the county came as Page and a council majority of his critics were at odds over health orders and pandemic aid spending, and a vocal anti-mask crowd regularly packed County Council meetings.

It culminated with a tense County Council meeting in July 2021 after which Khan, who had failed to get council support for a mask mandate amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, made an obscene gesture at an angry and vocal anti-mask crowd.

Khan, in a letter, acknowledged the gesture but said it came after he was subject to racist harassment by the crowd, and a council majority voted 5-2 in December to reject Khans formal appointment.

Page, who had told the council in September that he had verbally reprimanded Khan for giving the middle finger, kept Khan in an acting role, and supporters said Khan was put under unfair pressure for trying to protect public health.

Pages office has said an interim health director will be named in September shortly before Khan leaves.

Khan was CEO of the federally funded Samuel Rodgers Health Center in Kansas City between 2018 and 2021, and had previously worked on HIV and AIDS and other communicable disease prevention in South Africa, Botswana, Pakistan, Vietnam and China and for public and private health administrations in West Virginia and Massachusetts.

He has a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS) degree from the Army Medical College in Rawalpindi, Pakistan; trained as a physician at a military hospital in Multan, Pakistan; and earned a masters in public health from Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia.

King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell lauded Khans experience in a joint news release.

After several years of draining  and critical  emergency public health response, Dr. Khan has the experience and vision to lay a foundation as we refocus and rebuild for a healthy future of our region, Harrell said.

This report has been updated to correct the spelling of a name.

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Last July, a federal judge in West Virginia heard closing arguments in the first lawsuit to go to trial over the U.S. opioid addiction epidemic. With an avalanche of documents that included transcripts of testimony and exhibits, Judge David Faber didnt indicate when he would make a ruling, and his decision wasnt expected right away. Nearly a year later, a community is still waiting. The lawsuit by Cabell County and the city of Huntington accused distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson of creating a public nuisance. Some 81 million pills were sent to the community of about 93,000 along the Ohio River from 2006 to 2014.
FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Who you voted for at the ballot box may have the most influence over whether you've gotten a COVID-19 booster shot.

Researchers studying vaccine hesitancy two years into the pandemic found that political party affiliation was a key determinant of where study participants got their information about the pandemic and vaccines.

"Survey respondents who described themselves as conservative are the most hesitant toward the COVID-19 vaccine, while those who described themselves as liberal are more likely to have already received the vaccine plus one or both boosters," said lead researcher Agustin Vallejo, a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs. He spoke in a school news release.

The survey was conducted between Dec. 22, 2021 and March 2, 2022, receiving responses from nearly 2,600 people in the Houston area and another 1,000 throughout Texas. About 3 of the 5 were fully vaccinated, which at that time was an original dose or doses plus one booster. More than one-third of respondents had not received any COVID vaccines.

The survey showed there was little difference in vaccination rates between genders. Meanwhile, racial differences were small yet significant. About 67.5% of white people were vaccinated, while just over 61% of Black people and 60% of Latinos were. The highest vaccine rates were among people aged 45 and older.

Among participants who described themselves as liberal, 75.6% were fully vaccinated. This was compared to 60.3% of those who said they were politically "moderate" and 56.6% of those who were conservative.

Those who were already vaccinated used words like "safe" and "good" to describe the vaccine, while those who were unvaccinated tends to use words like "no" and "not getting" when asked about the vaccine.

"When we asked which news sources participants relied on most, television was identified as the most trustworthy and essential, with 17% of Democrats most often tuning in CNN and 23.4% of Republicans usually choosing Fox News," said researcher Sunny Wong, associate dean for graduate studies at Hobby.

"When divided by age, younger respondents [ages 18 to 44] reported relying more on the internet, while respondents 45 and older said they stayed with television," he said in the release.

The researchers noted one unexpected and interesting outcome was a link with flu shots. About 87% of participants who get an annual flu shot were also up to date on COVID vaccines, whereas about 66% of those who have never had a flu shot had also not had any COVID shots.

"This tendency may be a hint that some COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy could be part of a larger, generalized distrust of immunizations of all kinds," said Gail Buttorff, director of the Hobby Schools Survey Research Institute.

Researchers also gave the survey participants a hypothetical scenario in which they received an mRNA vaccine that was fully CDC-approved and had one day of side effects. They asked what kind of compensation it would take for them to get their vaccine.

About 16% said they would get the COVID vaccine with no compensation. About 18% would get a first shot for $250, 21% for $500 and 24% for $750.

"Examining this information shines light on what has been driving vaccine hesitancy throughout the pandemic. A deeper understanding is especially relevant now," said Pablo Pinto, director of the Hobby School's Center for Public Policy.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on COVID-19 boosters.

SOURCE: University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, news release, June 28, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News)  When a mosquito bites and infects you with a virus like dengue or Zika, it also makes you smell good to other mosquitos, new research suggests.

That makes it more likely another one will bite, pick up the virus and carry it to the next victim.

The virus can manipulate the hosts skin microbiome to attract more mosquitoes to spread faster! said study co-author Penghua Wang, an immunologist at UConn Health in Farmington, Conn.

The findings could explain how mosquito-borne viruses persist for such a long time, researchers said.

Both dengue and Zika are spread by mosquitoes and are in the same viral family as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and West Nile.

Dengue affects 50 million people a year and kills 20,000, mostly children, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease.

Zika can cause serious birth defects in the unborn children of infected pregnant women, though it rarely causes serious problems in adults.

To keep spreading, both viruses require ongoing infections in animal hosts. If all the mosquitoes died or all susceptible hosts cleared the virus, the viruses would disappear.

But there are always mosquitoes in tropical climates without killing frosts, and the viruses just need one to to bite a host to be able to spread.

Researchers suspected the viruses might be altering peoples scent in some way to attract mosquitos.

They found that mosquitos seemed to prefer mice infected with dengue more than healthy mice.

They then found and tested several molecules that were more common on infected animals. They applied these to both clean mice and the hands of human volunteers.

One molecule, acetophenone, was especially attractive to mosquitoes.

Similarly, skin odorants from people with dengue found more acetophenone and that these patients also were more attractive to mosquitoes.

Acetophenone is made by some Bacillus bacteria that grow on human and mouse skin. An antimicrobial peptide that skin produces typically keeps it under control, but infected mice dont produce as much of it when theyre infected with dengue or Zika, prompting the bacteria to grow faster.

Researchers also tested a potential preventative  a vitamin A derivative called isotretinoin that increases production of the skins protective antimicrobial peptide. Mice treated with isotretinoin turned out to be less attractive to mosquitoes.

The next step is to analyze more human patients with dengue and Zika, Wang said. The goal will be to see if the skin odor-microbiome connection holds up in real world conditions. Researchers also want to see if isotretinoin reduces acetophenone production in sick people as well as it does in sick mice.

The findings were published June 30 in the journal Cell.

More information

The National Library of Medicine has more about mosquito bites.

SOURCE: University of Connecticut, news release, June 30, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
Aisha Sultan Aisha Sultan is home and family editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Aisha Sultan 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

Most of Sheila Burketts team was off on June 24 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and Missouri became the first state to ban abortion.

But the messages in the companys Slack channels quickly started showing up from employees in Colorado and New York. Her employees in these states that still protect reproductive choice reached out to their Missouri-based counterparts: You are welcome to come here. We will help you. We will make sure you have access.

Burkett, the president and owner of Spry Digital, a St. Louis-based small tech company, felt compelled to respond to her team: No matter what your situation is, if you are stuck and need help, we are here to help and make that happen.

While dozens of large corporations nationwide  from Dicks Sporting Goods to Wells Fargo  have pledged to cover travel costs for employees needing abortion care, in St. Louis, small-business owners, leaders of professional womens organizations, churches, scholars and scientists are looking for ways to help those who will face unwanted pregnancies.

Advocacy groups such as Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri and the Missouri Abortion Fund have been preparing for this new legal landscape and have established systems and supports in place for people seeking help. But it is the rise of outspoken activism in the civic and private sectors that signals how significantly the landscape may be shifting  even in red states.

When Gov. Mike Parson signed a proclamation ending abortion in Missouri, he put out a release saying, Today, our efforts have produced what generations of Missourians have worked and prayed for: Today, we have won our fight to protect innocent life.

Burkett said she realized that her power to help women under this new legal reality centers around her companys human resources policies and benefits.

When I think about my influence and control, thats where I have power, she said.

At a time when many women feel stripped of their full humanity by the state, that realization is empowering.

Adrienne Davis, professor of law at Washington University, said the fact that so many corporations are standing up for employees right to abortions as basic health care is an extraordinary departure from the pre-Roe era. Before it was legalized, access to abortion was seen as a purely private matter. Now, companies are publicly announcing that they see this as a matter of public health, reproductive freedom and gender equity, Davis said.

That cultural shift spells trouble for Missouris ability to attract and retain talent.

I worry about our ability to attract students, faculty and staff, Davis said. As a scholar of slavery, she is haunted by how recent rulings and proposals in anti-abortion states employ the same legal mechanisms that slave states used  criminalizing those who try to help others, criminalizing information and trying to police peoples effort to seek freedom of choice outside the state. Missouri has not criminalized helping someone seek an abortion out-of-state  yet.

Theres already talk about whether major conferences should be held in anti-choice states, she said. If a pregnant attendee has a medical emergency, she may not be able to get the medical care she needs.

Elyse Hendrickson, a biochemist and coordinator with the 500 Women Scientists St. Louis pod, said many scientists in the organization are still reeling from the decision.

From a professional standpoint, many persons who could become pregnant will avoid attending college or selecting jobs in our state, so they dont risk losing the right to make their own healthcare decisions, she said. Not only will this affect the pool of talented scientists, it will also discourage new pharmaceutical or technology start-ups from relocating here, she added.

While many larger companies are offering travel benefits for abortion care, she worries about legal repercussions that may face employees in their home states. And many people dont want to disclose such private health decisions to an employer. These measures also neglect those most likely to be most negatively affected by abortion bans  young students, women of color, people with disabilities, the uninsured and those in the poorest households.

As responsible women and leaders in our state, its something we have to think about and address, she said.

Jennifer Ehlen, founder and CEO of BGI, a software company in St. Louis, agrees that the impact of the abortion ban will disproportionately hit the most disadvantaged communities, while also hurting the overall economy.

If Missouri employers think (this) isnt going to impact them, they are kidding themselves, she said. Given the extraordinarily high cost of child care, there are mothers who will not be able to stay employed due to child care expenses and lack of support, she said.

Davis said the choice gap that already exists  with few options for people who lack the money and time to travel for abortion care  will worsen. But, the more that institutions and corporations can cover their employees, the more funding remains available for vulnerable women, she added.

St. Louis is one of a few municipalities proposing to use federal funds to help women get abortions in a neighboring state, along with providing funds for childbirth doulas and lactation consultants.

Lakisha Redditt, chair of the St. Louis Doula Project, said that as a birth worker her goal is to make sure her clients have access to resources and care so they can make the best choices for themselves. She fears the bans will lead to an even greater disparity in maternal mortality for Black women in the city, with more women trying to self manage abortions and developing complications that can become life threatening, such as sepsis. Her organization is trying to get clarity in the vague, gray areas of the law in Missouri, so they can make sure they are staying within the legal framework while helping people access the care they need.

The Rev. Michelle Higgins, with St. John United Church of Christ in St. Louis, said her congregation will continue to show up and support people even if it means defying the laws of the state.

Our primary job remains to take care of people and to let nothing overturn our power to decide for our bodies ourselves. That power cant be removed. My faith tells me that power comes from God, she said.

She challenges faith leaders and communities who may be celebrating the end of Roe to align their budgets to reflect their values of supporting marginalized pregnant women by devoting funds for social services, doula care, pre and post natal services. She wants to see them supporting access to reproductive care, which is more than just abortion, for women who cannot afford it.

Small business owner Tamara Keefe, founder and CEO of Clementines Naughty and Nice Creamery, says she believes access to comprehensive reproductive health care is a human right. Her company plans to reimburse travel expenses for any employee who has to travel for abortion and reproductive care. She also expects it will be harder to convince young college graduates or working women to relocate to Missouri.

The message is loud and clear: Women are second-class citizens in this state, she said.

Thats partly what motivated Ashley Jaworski, owner of Sugar Monster Bakery in Chesterfield, to run a cookie sale and raffle to raise money for the Missouri Abortion Fund. She decided a few years ago that even though her platform is small as a home-based bakery, working by herself, she needed to voice her beliefs.

Does this alienate some people? she asked. Absolutely, but I just dont think we can be silent anymore.

Shes had other small businesses reach out to her confiding they also want to speak out on the issue but are nervous.

We are trying to make money and support our families, and I totally get it, Jaworski said. She tells them that she ends up gaining followers and clients when she does post publicly and share her views.

The bottom line is that most Americans dont support these abortion bans, she said.

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One of the best things about the Small Works Invitational show at the Duane Reed Gallery is the opportunity for collectors to acquire original works by St. Louis artists that wont break the bank.

The artworks, just 14 inches square, dont require a huge space, either. Theyll fit in an apartment or in a small house just fine. The grid display in the main gallery invites close inspection of new works by 65 artists whose enthusiastic responses brought in 124 works to the gallery.

Artist Tim Eberhardt says he thinks this show will appeal to young collectors. Its a survey of many of the artists in town and a chance for collectors of any age to buy something. The pieces run from $150 to $2,000. Eberhardt has new works in the show himself.

For gallery owner Duane Reed, the show brings a long-held vision to life. This show has been on my mind for many, many years. I initially saw another gallery do something similar on a much smaller scale at an art fair. The assembled work had such presence. I noticed how quilt-like it was and how people were attracted to it, including me.

Reed didnt act on the idea until now. Although hes done group shows at his gallery, they arent his favorite things.

Its like pulling something together out of the air. Its going to be a glass show, or ceramics, or landscapes. Group shows are hard to do. Youve got to corral the artists and then convince everyone to get the work in on time, and understand the process, he says.

At planning sessions with his staff for the 2022 season last winter, Reed knew their gallery shows had to be bold. After two quiet years when few people ventured into group settings because of the pandemic, Reed challenged his staff to come up with a special show for the summer season. The idea was to create an event that would be explosive; a celebration that would bring a diverse audience of people wanting to get out and have a reunion to come to the gallery.

With size as the only stipulation, the decision to display the works in a grid pattern, a unique patchwork, would bring Reeds memory of the small works show from long ago to the fore. It wasnt intentional, but the size we chose isnt common, so each piece was made specifically for this show. The artists couldnt go into their inventory and pull something out, Reed says.

Along with Reed, assistant gallery director Ethan Meyer and gallery assistants Douglas Dale and Michelle Rigell generated a list of artists affiliated with the gallery or artists who had exhibited there in the past to make up roughly half the show. Reed personally felt validated when all 31 of these artists responded enthusiastically.

They were excited about it. Thats why this was far easier to put together than it should have been, Reed says.

Reed turned to members of his staff for suggestions on an additional 34 artists. We were looking to fill the wall, Reed says. We set a strategy to reach out to artists who would want to bring their friends in to see their work, and that did happen.

Reed admits he is somewhat conservative, so he looked to Meyer and Dale to connect with the younger community of artists. He wanted to bring more experimental works into the gallery. I have faith in in my team, Reed says. Whether we lucked out or it was intentional, the show all hangs together. We have more conservative pieces next to something thats a little more flamboyant, and it works.

Reed also handed off the show details to Meyer and Dale. Working from a graph they devised, Dale handled the dealings with each artist. Meyer was in charge of the installation. Both worked out the placement of the dissimilar pieces that made up the show.

The installation was a lot of fun, Meyer says. Douglas and I approached it like a bit of visual Sudoku. We laid blankets down in the main gallery, brought out some work and put everything in a grid on the floor so we could stand over it to see what looked good together. Then wed bring more work in.

The two intuited subtle visual relationships between pieces through colors, rhythms, materials and content, a challenging job at best. I told Douglas just to have fun with it. It was a game of shuffling the pieces around. Were both artists so we have strengths in the visual department, Meyer says.

The show included artists working in three dimensions as well. With the addition of sculptural elements, the installation would no longer be flat, Reed says. Ethan and Douglas both said Well make this work, and they did. The sculptural pieces energize the wall and engage the viewers.

My brain went to the sculptures first, Dale says. The depths can be wild if they cluster too closely. They were the first things I wanted to place, sort of the tent poles, and then we curated everything else around them.

Most artists submitted two pieces to the show. Meyer and Dale wanted to give each piece equal weight, so they didnt place two works by the same artist together.

We asked Meyer and Dale about their favorite pieces in the show, even though thats a bit like asking a parent whos their favorite child.

Two artworks stand out for me by artists affiliated with the gallery, Meyer says. Lindsay Pichaske created spectacular ceramic sculpture of a blue hare for the show. Im really happy with how it presents. Right next to it is a painting of a paper origami crane sitting on a lollipop by Michelle Riggel. William Rimel and Devin Rojas are both close friends of mine, and I was really happy to have them participate as artists.

Dale went a little more old-school. Yes, weve got some up-and-comers, but weve got some legends who dont work in small scale any longer. Theres a couple of people that stand out for me. Victor Wang is an absolute pro. I think hes indicative of the magic of this show. We had some guests who purchased a small Victor Wang. It was just a beautiful harmony moment. And then theres Kate Anderson and Jane Sauer. Theyre both legends. Theyre fabulous. To get a small piece of theirs in a gallery is a rare opportunity. I love having them in the show, Dale says.

For Alex Johnmayer, who is not affiliated with the gallery, the invitation from Meyer and Dale was both a challenge and an opportunity. I do not normally work small, he says. I used the smallest paint brushes I own for this show. I was very happy my painting sold. I was very careful the last two years because of COVID. The opening was the biggest crowd Id seen at a gallery since pre-COVID days, he says.

Meyer agreed the opening and the subsequent traffic through the gallery has been encouraging. Im really pleased with this show. I think everyone who participated did an excellent job, Meyer says. Were just so humbled by the community involvement and the show of support on opening night.

Dale also reflected on the shows successes. Now, this is silly, but its where my mind goes at the end of the night, Dale said. When we were closing down, I saw this big pile of empty wine bottles. It was the sign of a party that said, Oh my God, we did have a lot of people in here. Everyone seemed to have a blast, a feeling we havent had for so long.

The Small Works Invitational continues through July 30 at the gallery. Two other small works shows run concurrently. The Gallery Window features small fiber spiral works by Alton artist Sun Smith Foret displayed on a spiral sculpture by Dan Barnett  a whirlwind of intricate threads, colors, glitter bits, and earthy things that invite close inspection and contemplation.

The second gallery contains sculptural ceramic works by California artist Sasah Koozel Reibstein.

For Reed, the show was a gladsome thing. There will be some people that we pick up from this show, or that we may show in the future. Thats always that hope when you have a good experience with an artist, he says.

Where Duane Reed Gallery, 4729 McPherson Avenue  More info 314-361-4100; duanereedgallery.com
ST. LOUIS  The first wisps of black smoke downriver brought cheers from rooftops and across the wide cobblestone levee, where thousands of giddy people had gathered for a special steamboat a'comin'  the majestic Robert E. Lee.

As the sidewheeler turned toward the city, a cannon boomed from the foot of Walnut Street. The Lee had won the great upriver race against the rival Natchez, an event that riveted the nation for four days.

The St. Louis newspapers put the time of arrival at 11:25 a.m. on July 4, 1870. The Lee had steamed from New Orleans to St. Louis in three days, 18 hours and 20 or so minutes. It remains the standard for the gaudy, dangerous and short reign of the Mississippi River steamboats.

If the railroads were whistling doom for the river trade, there still was plenty of affection for the luxury packets. The race between the Lee and Natchez was irresistible  two queens of the river, captained by proud river barons who disliked each other. Lore has it that the Lee's John Cannon and the Natchez's Thomas Leathers once had a fistfight in a French Quarter tavern. And the Natchez held the New Orleans-to-St. Louis record.

When the two boats arrived at the same time in New Orleans, everyone knew what was up. Bets were wagered on both coasts.

The race began in New Orleans shortly after 5 p.m. June 30, the Lee jumping into the lead. She was 14 minutes ahead when she reached Natchez, Miss., her rival's namesake, and had a 59-minute lead by Memphis. But riverboats were prone to breakdowns, groundings and worse. Newspapers splashed breathless dispatches from onboard reporters, who tossed their stories to riverbank runners.

By dawn July 4, all of St. Louis knew the boats were near. Excursion boats headed south to meet them. Soldiers at Jefferson Barracks fired a salute to the Lee. Picnicking families waved from the South Side bluffs. But there was no Natchez to be seen.

The verdict had been cinched in a thick fog north of Cairo, Ill., the night before. Leathers, captain of the Natchez, prudently tied up. But his counterpart, Cannon, chugged slowly through, skirting disaster more than once.

When the Lee landed, hundreds of cheering race fans boarded her in a rush that overwhelmed police. The Natchez pulled in at 5:58 p.m.

The next evening, the city threw a banquet at the elegant Southern Hotel. Cannon and Leathers sat at separate tables, but the papers said everyone had a grand time.

Read more stories from Tim O'Neil's Look Back series.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Erin Bulfins daughter, and her dog, Daisy, used to play dress up.

Skylar was 7 at the time. She wore a Scooby Doo costume. Daisy, a terrier mix the Webster Groves family adopted from a shelter, wore a pink tutu.

They did everything together, Bulfin says of her daughter and Daisy. They were constantly with each other.

That companionship ended shortly after Christmas in 2019. On Dec. 26, Daisy nipped at Skylar as they were playing with a new toy. Bulfin and her husband, Edward Nea, took their daughter to the hospital, where she needed stitches on her nose. While there, Bulfin, a teacher in the St. Louis Public Schools, looked up on Google what to do when your dog bites somebody.

The situation was traumatic, and I didnt want animal control officers to take our dog. I wanted to make sure we did the right thing. I wanted to protect my daughter and Daisy, Bulfin says. One of my biggest fears was that they would euthanize her.

After doing research and calling her veterinarian, Bulfin determined the best thing was to take Daisy to the shelter operated by St. Louis Animal Care and Control for a 10-day hold. She called animal control and they agreed that was the right thing to do.

The next day, Nea took Daisy there. Workers filled out the paperwork and Nea signed it. He asked if they could come visit during the 10 days, and the workers told him they could. Nea made it clear they wanted Daisy back after 10 days.

That night, Bulfin called a cousin who was a veterinarian. She found out that if her house was set up for it, she could do the 10-day hold at home. The next morning, she went to animal control to pick up Daisy and make new arrangements.

Daisy was already dead.

Heres how the lawsuit that Bulfin later filed in federal court describes what happened next:

Rather than holding Daisy for ten (10) days, the individual Defendants, acting alone and in concert with others, unlawfully seized Daisy by immediately euthanizing her within minutes of her relinquishment, in clear contradiction to local ordinances and to St. Louis Countys official policies, it alleges. At no time did Ms. Bulfin request or authorize ACC or the individual Defendants to euthanize Daisy. In fact, Ms. Bulfin and the person temporarily relinquishing Daisy to ACC, for purposes of complying with state and local quarantine ordinances, both expressly stated in no uncertain terms that they did not want Daisy to be euthanized.

When Bulfin and Nea found out their dog had been killed, they were horrified. They didnt have the heart to tell Skylar. Instead, they told her a version of the Daisys gone to the rescue farm story that so many parents have told their children when a pet dies. Eventually, Skylar overheard her older siblings talking about what happened.

I was in complete shock, Bulfin remembers. I felt like I was going to be sick. They didnt offer any explanation or apology.

Bulfin hired lawyers Dan Kolde, who specializes in animal cases, and Mark Pedroli, who has recently been doing battle with St. Louis County government over wrongful deaths at the county jail. According to court records, rather than apologize for their mistake, St. Louis County has consistently said it did nothing wrong, going so far as to countersue Nea at one point. U.S. District Court Judge John Bodenhausen dismissed that lawsuit as meritless.

Bulfins lawsuit has uncovered a pattern of what Pedroli and Kolde, in court filings, call fraud related to animal deaths: County workers consistently require people bringing dogs to the shelter to sign an inaccurate form that says they consent to euthanasia, even when they explicitly have said the opposite.

Its ghoulish, Pedroli says. Its like a house of horrors.

An audit found similar patterns. The administration of St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has said they plan to privatize the shelter, in part because of the audits findings. That audit, which recommended high priority changes to the countys animal shelter operation, came out before Daisy was killed.

Bulfin didnt even get to see her dog to say goodbye. The shelter decapitated Daisy and sent her head to a state veterinary lab to be tested. Pedroli and Kolde had to fight for more than a year to get those documents from St. Louis County, at one point getting the judge to admonish county attorneys for delays and obfuscation.

County Counselor Beth Orwick declined to comment because the litigation is pending.

Bulfin didnt want to be where she is now, with this lawsuit headed to a trial, and her family having to relive the horror of Daisys untimely death.

We thought they would issue us an apology, she says. That didnt happen at all. They attacked my husband. They made outrageous claims. They keep embellishing these bizarre stories about what happened. Its scary to me that they have control over all these other living beings that they dont care too much about. They have no idea what theyre doing.

From City Hall to the Capitol, metro columnist Tony Messenger shines light on what public officials are doing, tells stories of the disaffected, and brings voice to the issues that matter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY  A St. Charles County sheriffs deputy accused in May of fatally shooting a neighbors dog resigned last month and now has been charged with a misdemeanor in the case.

The St. Charles County family whose dog was killed said they were horrified when they learned this week that the man is only facing a misdemeanor animal abuse charge. A video of the dogs owner confronting the neighbor to ask him if he was responsible for the May 22 death of their dog, Apollo, drew national attention.

Ryan Kuehner, who was a St. Charles County sheriffs deputy at the time of the shooting, was issued a criminal summons for misdemeanor animal abuse on Thursday by the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. He has a court appearance scheduled for July 22.

Im not disappointed in the prosecutor, the detectives, anybody who worked on it because I understand what their limitations are, but Im really disappointed in Missouri law, that this is the outcome of such a terrible crime, said Erica Hansen, who owned the dog with her boyfriend, Eric Bacon, and two sons.

St. Charles County Sheriff Scott Lewis said Monday that his office investigated after the owners reported the incident involving the deputy. Kuehner resigned after Lewis initiated disciplinary proceedings against him on June 17. The sheriff added that he apologized to Bacon last week for the familys loss.

The criminal investigation of the shooting was handled by the St. Charles County Police Department. The countys prosecuting attorney then asked a judge to appoint a special prosecutor due to a familial relationship between the suspect and an employee of this office. It was turned over to Jefferson County prosecutors.

Kuehner was off duty at the time of the shooting. He hasnt responded to requests for comment.

Hansen said she and her family are considering their legal options. She said she has talked with others whose pets have died under similar circumstances and wants to push for harsher consequences for animal abuse.

Moving forward, thats where Im putting my energy, she said.

On the day of the shooting, Hansen said, she and her family were at her mothers home in unincorporated St. Charles County when she noticed that Apollo appeared to be choking. The dog died as they were trying to get it to a veterinarian. Hansen said X-rays showed that a pellet had penetrated the dogs chest cavity and collapsed both lungs.

Bacon later recorded a confrontation with Kuehner on the deputys property; in the video, Kuehner questioned why the dog had wandered into his yard, but did not admit shooting the 3-year-old mastiff mix.

Apollo would play with other dogs with permission from neighbors, Hansen said. However she said the dog never wandered over to the deputys yard.

The death left a hole in the familys heart, Hansen said, and the family has since adopted two dogs from animal rescue facilities.

Interest in the case came from as far away as Michigan, some in the wee morning hours and with the callers levels of intoxication debatable, the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorneys Office said on its Facebook page after the shooting. The post was later removed.

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the St. Charles County sheriff.

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY  A St. Louis County grand jury has decided not to charge the man who caused a crash in November that killed two highway department workers, one of whom was pregnant.

According to a statement Thursday from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, the driver had suffered a medical emergency at the time of the crash.

On Nov. 18, the man drove a Chevy Cavalier through a construction zone, hitting three Missouri Department of Transportation workers standing behind a work truck parked in the northbound lane of the on-ramp from Telegraph Road onto Interstate 255.

The Post-Dispatch typically does not identify people who have not been charged.

MoDOT workers Kaitlyn D. Anderson, 25, of De Soto, and James Brooks, 58, of St. Louis, were pronounced dead at the scene. A third worker, Michael Brown, 35, of House Springs, was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

Anderson was pregnant when the crash happened. St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell said in his statement that Andersons unborn son would have been named Jaxx.

Because the grand jury deliberations typically are not shared, Bell said he was limited on what he could say about the case, but released an unusually long statement because of high public interest.

Bell said that some people had called 911 before the crash, citing the mans erratic driving and speculating he was a drunken driver. However, the mans toxicology tests revealed there was no alcohol nor intoxicants in his system, Bell said.

Phone records also indicated he was not using his phone at that time, Bell noted.

Instead, Bell said the driver, who is diabetic, was suffering a medical emergency due to a sudden and severe drop in his blood glucose level.

According to several medical experts, his medical emergency resulted in a sudden loss of brain function, not unlike the severe impairment from heavy alcohol consumption, Bell wrote.

Bells office consulted two medical professionals as part of its investigation, which delayed the grand jury process.

Both experts agreed the man could not have anticipated the episode, having received a diagnosis after the crash of hypoglycemia unawareness.

Hypoglycemia unawareness, according to the National Library of Medicine, occurs when someone doesnt experience or perceive the symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Bell said his office found the man had experienced a similar incident last August while behind the wheel that did not result in death or injury. However, Bells office found no evidence the man was advised not to drive a vehicle.

While the deliberations of a grand jury are by design secret, I believe that these fact patterns help to explain the grand jurys decision not to issue criminal charges in this tragic incident, Bell wrote in his statement.

The standard for a grand jury issuing charges is much lower than for a jury finding guilt, as just nine of 12 grand jurors must find probable cause that a crime has been committed.

Bell wrote that while not every tragedy is a crime, this incident is without question a horrible, heartbreaking tragedy.

While we do not believe that the surviving victim or the families of those who lost their lives will believe justice has been served, we accept and respect the grand jurys decision, the prosecutor said.

In May, Andersons family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state transportation agencys board, her supervisor and the driver.

The next hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 8.

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A suspected serial killer in the St. Louis area has been moved temporarily to a jail in Kansas City to face charges in a seventh murder.

Jackson County prosecutors allege Perez Deshay Reed shot and killed Stephon D. Johnson in November in Kansas City, then used Johnsons credit card to buy a cigar and juice.

Police found the body in a closet in Johnsons Kansas City apartment about a week after the killing.

Reed, 26, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, was scheduled for an initial court appearance in Kansas City on Friday, but court records show it happened a day early. Reed appeared Thursday from jail via Webex videoconference software. A bond hearing is scheduled for July 7.

U.S. marshals moved Reed to Kansas City this week, and jail records show he was being held in the Jackson County Detention Center.

Johnson was, authorities allege, Reeds seventh victim in a two-state spree.

Reed already is charged with two murders in St. Louis County and two murders in St. Louis city in September. He also has been accused of the murders of a man and a woman in Kansas City, Kansas, in late October.

In St. Louis County, Reed is charged in the shooting deaths of a 16-year-old runaway, Marnay Haynes, on Sept. 13 in unincorporated North County, and Lester Robinson, 40, on Sept. 26 in Ferguson. Reed has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

In St. Louis, he has been charged in the Sept. 16 murder of Pamela Abercrombie, 49, and the murder of Carey Ross, 24, who was found dead three days later. Reeds next court hearing in St. Louis is set for July 28.

Reed also has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of transporting a gun across state lines with the intent to commit a felony crime. David Bruns, who is Reeds attorney in the federal case, does not represent Reed in any of the state murder cases. Bruns said the murder cases would be handled first, before the federal gun case.

Court documents said Reed had been living in the 1300 block of Chambers Road in Bellefontaine Neighbors.

Prosecutors charged him in the Jackson County killing after a witness recognized Reeds crescent tattoo on his forehead. Police found the body of Johnson on Nov. 8. He had been shot. Police came to his apartment after his family filed a missing persons report, saying they hadnt spoken to Johnson since Nov. 1. Prosecutors said the victim was 30 years old.

Jackson County prosecutors on May 27 charged Reed in Johnsons killing, citing witnesses, a gun and a key possessed by Reed that matched evidence at the scene, and DNA evidence. After the killing, Reed then twice used Johnsons credit card to buy a cigar and some juice, charges allege.

Reeds public defender from the St. Louis area, Brian Lee Horneyer, could not be reached for comment.

Kim Bell covers breaking news for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLtoday.com. She can be reached at kbell@post-dispatch.com

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ST. LOUIS  Alderman Megan Green on Friday formally filed to make her second run for the citywide office of aldermanic president.

Green, of the 15th Ward, also turned in petitions with more than 2,300 signatures to Election Board offices downtown.

Green had declared her candidacy less than a week after incumbent Lewis Reed resigned June 7 after pleading not guilty to federal corruption charges. Also planning to run is Alderman Jack Coatar, 7th Ward.

Signatures of 1,175 registered voters are needed to qualify for the ballot for the special Sept. 13 primary.

Election Board workers are expected sometime next week to finish verifying Greens signatures. If she falls short, she would have until the filing deadline of July 15 to turn in more.

Coatar has yet to submit his signatures. No other candidates so far have announced they plan to run.

If only Green and Coatar qualify for the race, theyll be pitted against each other both in the September primary and in a runoff scheduled for Missouris Nov. 8 general election.

Under the nonpartisan approval voting system passed by St. Louis voters in 2020, the top two vote-getters in the primary face each other in the general election. In the primary, residents vote for as many candidates as they approve of.

The winner of the November election race will serve the final five months of what would have been Reeds final term. Someone to hold the office the next four years will be picked in an election next April, preceded by a primary in March.

Greens first race for president was in 2019, when she lost the Democratic primary race to Reed. She finished third in that race.

Updated at 5:20 p.m. with new estimated signature total

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ST. LOUIS  Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said Friday he intends to file suit to block any plans approved by St. Louis and St. Louis County officials to spend public money to help residents get abortions in Illinois or other states.

Schmitt cited a state law that bars any public funds from being used for the purpose of performing or assisting an abortion not necessary to save the life of the mother or to encourage or counsel a woman to have an abortion.

Legislation pending before the city Board of Aldermen and County Council would set aside $1 million apiece in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to fund transportation, child care and other logistical support for women wanting to access abortion in states where the practice remains legal.

Using hard-earned taxpayer dollars, whether it be ARPA funds or other forms of revenue, to fund abortions is plainly illegal under Missouri law, Schmitt said in a statement.

Schmitt issued the statement as he entered the final month of his campaign for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination against several other well-known candidates.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, who endorsed the county proposal, also is in the middle of an election fight as he tries to fend off challenger Jane Dueker in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary.

Page on Wednesday noted that the county plan wouldnt be spent on any abortion procedure or be used to encourage or counsel a procedure. Similar wording is in the city bill, which is supported by Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, also a Democrat.

On Friday, Page spokesman Doug Moore said we care about the health and safety of women. The AG has made it clear he does not. A court can decide on what is proper funding.

Jones on Friday said the only thing Eric Schmitt loves more than wasting taxpayer dollars on his Senate campaign is attacking St. Louis families and our fundamental right to make our own private health care decisions.

The two measures were a response to Missouris abortion ban that was activated by the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling last week to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision.

Schmitt in his statement also referred to a city ordinance passed Thursday in Kansas City that could reimburse city employees who need to travel to have an abortion.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas told reporters Thursday that the way Kansas Citys legislation was written does not welcome a legal challenge.

The Kansas City Star contributed to this report.

Updated at 2:45 p.m. Friday, July 1.

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SAN MARCOS ATEXQUILAPAN, Mexico (AP)  Clutching rosaries, residents of this mountain village stared at photographs of three of their own atop the altar at the local church, praying that teenagers Jair, Yovani and Misael were not among the 53 migrants who perished inside a stifling trailer in Texas.

The wait for confirmation has been agonizing for families from Mexico to Honduras. Now they hope for what before would have been dreaded -- capture by the Border Patrol, even hospitalization -- anything but the solemn finality that has been trickling out family by family across the region.

Then again, at least they would know. For now parents re-read last messages, swipe through photos, wait for a phone call and pray.

Not far from the church, outside the Olivares familys neat two-story homes -- each sisters and their parents all in a row -- a black tarp was hung Thursday to shade the dozens of people who have come each day to be with the parents of teenage brothers Yovani and Jair Valencia Olivares and the mother and father of their cousin, 16-year-old Misael Olivares Monterde.

Such a covering is customary for wakes, when the family home cannot accommodate all those who come to pay their respects. But in this case it is a vigil where residents of the town of 3,000 come to buoy the familys spirits, praying and swapping stories about the boys.

Teofilo Valencia, father of 19-year-old Jair and 16-year-old Yovani sat looking at his phone, reading the last messages he received from them.

Dad, now were going to San Antonio, Yovani wrote at 11:16 a.m. Monday. A half-hour later, his brother wrote to their father that they were ready to work hard and pay for everything.

Hours later came the horrific discovery of the semitrailer abandoned beside railroad tracks on the outskirts of that south Texas city.

The cousins had left together June 21. Yolanda Olivares Ruiz, the brothers mother, tucked Yovanis school certificate in his wallet as identification and stuffed three changes of clothes for each in backpacks, along with phone numbers of relatives in the U.S. and Mexico.

Hermelinda Monterde Jimenez spent the night before their departure talking with her son Misael. He told me, 'Mom, wake me up, and for a moment I thought about not doing it so he wouldnt go, she said. But it was his decision and his own dream.

Their parents took out loans, using their homes as collateral to cover the $10,000 smuggling fee for each cousin. They paid a portion up front and were scheduled to pay the rest after the boys arrived safely.

The youths wanted to work, save up money and return to open their own clothing and shoe store. They gave themselves four years.

By last Friday, June 24, they were in Laredo, Texas.

They told their parents that after the weekend they would be taken to their destination in Austin, where a cousin who had made the journey just months earlier awaited. In the past week, 20 some residents have departed the town for the United States.

The family did not hear of the ill-fated trailer until Tuesday. They tried to reach the boys, but the messages and calls didnt go through. They went that same day to government offices, providing whatever information could help in the search.

On Wednesday, Mexicos consul in San Antonio confirmed that residents of the Gulf coast state of Veracruz  in which San Marcos is located  were among the 27 Mexican victims. On Thursday, state lawyers traveled to San Antonio to assist in identifications.

Meanwhile, the Olivares wait and pray.

A week after his 18th birthday, Marcos Antonio Velasco set out from Mexico's capital for the United States, accompanied by his friend Jose Luis Vasquez Guzman, who he had met back in his mothers hometown in the southern state of Oaxaca. This week, authorities confirmed that Vasquez Guzman was one of the survivors from the trailer and was hospitalized in San Antonio.

The fears of Velasco familys grew when an official from Mexicos foreign ministry called Wednesday to say that their sons identification had been found in the trailer. Since then, they have shared information that could help identify their son, but have only been told to wait.

I want to know where he is, if he is alive or dead, said his mother Maria Victoria Velasco.

The wait ended Thursday for the family of Jazmin Nayarith Bueso Nunez in El Progreso, Honduras. Their prayers for her safe return were not answered. She was confirmed as being among the dead in San Antonio.

Bueso Nunez suffered from lupus, an immunological disease, that had cost her a job in an assembly plant and whose treatments were very costly, her family said.

A family friend had offered to help her travel to the United States, where she hoped to find better-paying work to help support the 15-year-old son she left with her parents and to find treatment for her disease.

Before leaving June 3, the 37-year-old told her father she intended to migrate.

Dad, Ive come to say goodbye, Jose Santos Bueso said she told him on their last visit. Im going north.

He tried to talk her out of it, noting the dangers. No, Dad, this is a special trip, she told him. I was there, daughter, I tell her. There are no special trips. The only special trip was to travel by plane with a visa, he told her.

The smuggler is making $15,000. He says hes going to take me without worries, she told him.

She was in Laredo when they last spoke. She told him the smugglers were going to take their phones before going on, so she wouldnt be able to communicate for a time.

On Thursday, a relative in the United States who had been helping the family provide identity documents to authorities told them the sad truth, said her brother Erick Josue Rodriguez.

The economic situation, the social situation that exists in our country is very, very difficult, Rodriguez said. It is the reason that we see day after day, month after month caravans, migrants. Its because people have dreams and dont have opportunities.

Back in San Marcos Atexquilapan, Mexico, sisters Hermelinda and Yolanda walked late Thursday from their homes to the church carrying photographs of their sons. They were flanked by women bearing candles.

Inside, the mothers sat in the first row while the priest asked those gathered to pray.

It is not that they are criminals, he said. They went in search of their daily bread.

The townspeople prayed: We ask you for these boys to have the dream of a better life, give them that consolation, that relief wherever they are, Lord, that answers are given because these families are suffering, they have an anguished heart.

Martinez reported from El Progreso, Honduras. Sherman reported from Mexico City. AP writer Fabiola Sanchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Hmmm, well have to study safety measures

The rail crossing where an Amtrak train collided with a dump truck in rural Mendon, Missouri, had no warning signals or barriers. The need for a safety upgrade should have been obvious long ago. Even a Missouri Department of Transportation safety assessment earlier this year appears not to have garnered the attention it deserved.

According to the state assessment, a $400,000 investment was all that was needed to improve safety at the crossing, with federal funds covering about 80% of the cost. A spokeswoman for BNSF, the rail lines owner, said her company would work with all of the parties involved to determine if additional warning devices are needed.

If BNSF officials cant tell from the deaths of four people and injuries sustained by 150 others that additional warning devices are needed, then perhaps they need to find another line of work.

Putting out the unwelcome mat

Darnita Robinson is a long way from qualifying as Hillsdales Tenant of the Year, and long is her list of financial and health problems that put her rental payments in arrears. But whatever the grievances between her and her landlord, there was no legal cause for the landlord to remove the exterior and basement doors from her home as a way to make her leave.

That forced Robinson, who is disabled, and her caretaker to hold a round-the-clock vigil to ensure outsiders didnt come in to steal their stuff. Police wound up taking their pet dog to animal control. The owner also ran off with the utility meter and cut the PVC water pipe in the basement, the Post-Dispatchs Jesse Bogan reported.

Such tactics are hardly new in the book of dastardly landlord tales, but they are unlawful as methods to force a tenant to leave. You have to go through regular protocols for evicting people, Hillsdales police chief, John Bernsen, said. And that includes obtaining a court order, not removing doors and disconnecting utility equipment.

Lock the closet door behind you

State Rep. Tricia Derges, R-Nixa, finally got the federal conviction she so richly deserved after being charged with 22 criminal counts including wire fraud, illegal distribution of controlled substances and making false statements to investigators. The assistant physician tried all kinds of tricks to fool people into believing amniotic fluid was an effective treatment for the coronavirus and other diseases. She claimed nearly $900,000 in federal funding for the bogus treatments.

Her antics so outraged her Republican colleagues in the Missouri House that they stripped her of her committee assignments and gave her an office in a broom closet. Somehow, she failed to get the message that it was time to resign. The GOP blocked her from running as a Republican for reelection this fall.

Pushing the wacky envelope

In the ongoing competition for who qualifies as the craziest among the ultra-far-right members of Congress, two have pulled far ahead of the pack in a do-or-die contest for the top spot on the looney list. Its simply too close to call the race between Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Boebert, R-Colorado, reacting harshly to recent Supreme Court decisions, told audience members at a Colorado church service that she is tired of the separation of church and state and all this commotion about a stinking letter penned by one of the Founding Fathers, the Denver Post reported.

The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church. That is not how our Founding Fathers intended it. She expressed exasperation with this separation of church and state junk thats not in the Constitution. It was in a stinking letter, and it means nothing like what they say it does.

While we await a concurring opinion from Irans supreme ayatollah, we turn to Greene, R-Georgia, who suggested during a Capitol Hill discussion on school security that it might be time to start training and arming kids. I believe children should be trained with firearms so they understand how to use them and understand the safety, she said, clarifying that she was not calling for kids to take over school security duties.

That said, she added, If my children are in school and a mad man with a gun comes to a school to kill people, unfortunately a psychologist is not going to be able to just talk him out of it.

Puppet master

Elmo the Muppet recently got vaccinated in a public-service announcement meant to reassure young children not to be nervous about the shot. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz responded with a Twitter meltdown, reminiscent of the one he had when Big Bird got vaccinated last year. Is it any wonder serious people of both parties dont like this guy?

The Food and Drug Administration this month approved two coronavirus vaccines for children under 5. Though kids are less likely than adults to suffer severe effects from the coronavirus, it has still proven more dangerous to them than influenza, which most parents dont mess around with.

But Cruz apparently cares more about pandering to anti-vaccine extremists than protecting his own constituents. You  have @elmo aggressively advocate for vaccinating children UNDER 5, he tweeted, as if advocating that kids be inoculated against a deadly disease is some woke conspiracy.

But you cite ZERO scientific evidence for this, he added  as if the approval by the FDA and other experts isnt as reliable as the self-serving rantings of a demagogue who goes after puppets.
Brightcove's Yuriy Reznik Talks 2022 Emmys and Context-Aware Recording

Tim Siglin: Welcome back to Streaming Media East 2022 here at the Westin Copley in Boston. Today, I've got with me Yuriy Reznik, who's the VP of Research at Brightcove. The Brightcove is, of course, a Boston-based company, but Yuriy, you're based out in Seattle. So, some pretty exciting news for you this year: the two Emmys that you won. A lot of people in the industry were shown holding one Emmy, and I saw a picture of you with two Emmys. What were the Emmys for?

Yuriy Reznik: Well, it was indeed a very humbling moment, and Brightcove was honored by two Emmy awards from National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. One was in the category of massively parallel workflows for media processing. And that reflects work that's been done at Brightcove since very early beginnings when we started working on massive transcoding processes, building products, such as Zencoder and Brightcove Studio that was even before cloud systems existed. We did it in our data centers an eventually we transitioned to public clouds, to AWS and others. And the second Emmy was in the category of perceptual metrics for optimized 3D encoding. And that reflects work that we have done in developing Brightcove context-aware encoding (CAE). It's a technology for optimizing transcoding of video for streaming applications, with multiple bitrates and resolutions chosen for encoding. And we do it in a way that is preserving the best possible quality as it send this composition of streams to the end users over CAE.

Tim Siglin: And CAE is where I first met you a number of years ago. One of the things that seems fascinating for you from a Brightcove perspective is you get to see end-to-end from the encoding through to delivery. How do those different parts in the middle sort of feed into decisioning around CAE?

Yuriy Reznik: Excellent question. So Brightcove is really in a unique position by looking at the problem holistically. We ingest videos, we transcode videos. We choose CDNs to use. We have on origin servers connections to CDNs, and then our own players. And we have analytics systems that collect data from both players, as well as CDN and analytics data. We see network statistics, we see user statistics and the shapes of those networks' distributions is what we are using to drive CAE. And if you look at it, end-to-end CAE effectively works as an end-to-end optimization system. It's not only content-aware encoding; it's a context-aware encoding where we take into account not only properties of content, but also properties of networks, different devices that receive it and the plurality of network distributions that they see.

Tim Siglin: And so just to make sure that people understand, while there are systems out there that focus on content-aware, meaning same perceptual quality at slightly lower bit rates, in reality, what you're doing is taking that plus what the network topology is at any given moment and making the decisions around the transcoding.

Yuriy Reznik: That's correct. In this scenario, we are looking at network statistics that are more or less steady state, which we collect based on previous deployments for the same customers, the same audiences that they have. And it makes perfect sense. For example, if the predominant receiving devices are mobiles, then those will be low bitrate renditions. That's where you need to put more of them and you need to optimize their resolutions and bitrates to be effective in that operating range. On the other hand, if you have broadband connections, it will be the highest renditions all the time. That's only rendition you would get in that case.

Tim Siglin: And it's interesting because it seems like oftentimes, what you hear from people is, "Well, you never know who's gonna watch your content. You need to go ahead and transcode it. All of these renditions are fine." Obviously, there's a storage component to that. There's a processing component to it. But if you know through real-time data that you don't have people watching those other renditions, you don't necessarily have to go through that.process.

Yuriy Reznik: But what's important is the shape of the probability distributions, because those probability distributions are what allows us to shape our better locations most efficiently. And that's a very unique aspect of what we do relative to other solutions.

Tim Siglin: Hence the Emmys. Well, Yuriy, thank you very much for your time. Always good to talk to you. And we'll be right back.

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Ameet Mallik, Chief Executive Officer of ADC Therapeutics, also joins the Board

LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT) today announced the appointment of veteran oncology drug developer Jean-Pierre Bizzari, MD, to its Board of Directors. Additionally, Ameet Mallik, who was appointed as the Companys Chief Executive Officer in May 2022, will join the Board.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005047/en/

Jean-Pierre Bizzari, MD (Photo: Business Wire)

Jean-Pierre is an exceptional addition to our Board, said Ron Squarer, Chairman of ADC Therapeutics Board of Directors. His integral role in the development and approval of leading cancer treatments across global markets will bring valuable perspective to ADC Therapeutics as we advance a robust pipeline of ADCs for the treatment of hematological cancers and solid tumors.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Bizzari is an internationally renowned oncologist with over 35 years of experience in oncology drug development. He was Executive Vice President and Group Head of Clinical Oncology Development at Celgene Corporation where he was responsible for clinical development and operations across the United States, Europe and Asia/Japan. During his tenure at Celgene, he oversaw the development and approval of leading oncology products including REVLIMID (lenalidomide), VIDAZA (azacytidine), and ABRAXANE (nab-paclitaxel). Dr. Bizzari also served as Vice President, Clinical Oncology Development for Sanofi-Aventis (formerly Rhone-Poulenc, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Aventis) where he oversaw the approval of ELOXATIN (oxaliplatin), TAXOTERE (docetaxel) and ELITEK (rasburicase).

Dr. Bizzari currently serves on the scientific advisory boards of Frances National Cancer Institute and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer. He also serves on the scientific advisory boards and board of directors at numerous global pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Bizzari has received various industry honors and has authored hundreds of scientific articles and publications.

Dr. Bizzari received his medical degree from the University of Nice and has trained at the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and the McGill Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre (formerly the McGill Cancer Center) in Montreal, Canada.

With a proprietary ADC platform validated by the FDA approval of ZYNLONTA, a robust pipeline of solid tumor targets and a global team committed to transforming patients lives, ADC Therapeutics is poised to build on its success, said Dr. Bizzari. I look forward to working with the Board to continue ADC Therapeutics positive momentum and make a meaningful difference for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.

About ADC Therapeutics

ADC Therapeutics (NYSE: ADCT) is a commercial-stage biotechnology company improving the lives of those affected by cancer with its next-generation, targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The Company is advancing its proprietary PBD-based ADC technology to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

ADC Therapeutics CD19-directed ADC ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large b-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. ZYNLONTA is also in development in combination with other agents. Cami (camidanlumab tesirine) is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 trial for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and in a Phase 1b clinical trial for various advanced solid tumors. In addition to ZYNLONTA and Cami, ADC Therapeutics has multiple ADCs in ongoing clinical and preclinical development.

ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne (Biopole), Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey. For more information, please visit https://adctherapeutics.com/ and follow the Company on Twitter and LinkedIn.

ZYNLONTA is a registered trademark of ADC Therapeutics SA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business and commercialization strategy, market opportunities, products and product candidates, research pipeline, ongoing and planned preclinical studies and clinical trials, regulatory submissions and approvals, projected revenues and expenses and the timing of revenues and expenses, timing and likelihood of success, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our managements beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including those described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date of this press release. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based unless required to do so by applicable law. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements.

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Investors

Eugenia Litz

ADC Therapeutics

[email protected]

+44 7879 627205



Amanda Hamilton

ADC Therapeutics

[email protected]

+1 917-288-7023



Media

Mary Ann Ondish

ADC Therapeutics

[email protected]

+1 914-552-4625

Source: ADC Therapeutics SA
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

In conformity with market best practices, Air Liquide (Paris: AI) announces today that its Pre-Half Year 2022 Results Communication document is available on the companys corporate website under the Investors section: https://www.airliquide.com/investors/first-half-2022-results

This quarterly document aims to assist in the financial modeling of the Groups performance.

The Half Year 2022 results will be published on July 28, 2022.

A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 75 countries with approximately 66,400 employees and serves more than 3.8 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquides scientific territory and have been at the core of the companys activities since its creation in 1902.

Air Liquides ambition is to be a leader in its industry, deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability - with a strong commitment to climate change and energy transition at the heart of its strategy. The companys customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its stakeholders.

Air Liquides revenue amounted to more than 23 billion euros in 2021. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.

www.airliquide.com

Follow us on Twitter @airliquidegroup

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Investor Relations

[email protected]



Corporate Communications

[email protected]

Source: Air Liquide
Military Services Group expands footprint to 18 installations

CAMDEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced today its Military Services Group has been awarded a contract for ownership, operation, maintenance and replacement of the wastewater utility system assets at Naval Station Mayport (NS Mayport) in Jacksonville, Fla.

American Waters Military Services Group provides water and wastewater services to military installations across the country as part of the federal governments Utilities Privatization (UP) Program. American Water was selected for the NS Mayport wastewater UP contract by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which operates as the primary UP contracting agency for the Department of Defense.

American Water is honored to be awarded our first Navy contract, said Susan Hardwick, American Water President and CEO. With the addition of Naval Station Mayport, this expands our water and wastewater footprint across all military branches and continues to demonstrate our leading position as a trusted partner for the Department of Defense. We are proud to provide safe, clean and reliable water and wastewater treatment services for service members, families and civilians at 18 installations.

NS Mayport is one of three major Navy installations in the Jacksonville area and has grown to become the third-largest fleet concentration area in the U.S. It is home to a daily population of over 32,000 sailors, families, and civilians, and the Navys 4th Fleet. The mission of NS Mayport is to sustain and enhance warfighter readiness.

The total contract value awarded is approximately $341 million over a 50-year period and will be subject to an annual economic price adjustment.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and diversityataw.com. Follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Military Services Group

Military Services Group, a subsidiary of American Water, provides water and wastewater services to military installations across the country as part of the federal governments Utilities Privatization program. Including Naval Station Mayport, Jacksonville, Fla., the Military Services Group will own, operate and maintain water and wastewater assets at 18 military installations: Fort Rucker, Ala.; Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.; Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Polk, La.; Fort Meade, Md.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.; U.S. Army Garrison West Point, N.Y.; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Hood, Texas; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Fort A.P. Hill, Va.; Fort Belvoir, Va.; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

AWK-IR

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Investor Contact:

Aaron Musgrave

Senior Director, Investor Relations

(856) 955-4029

[email protected]



Media Contact:

Alicia Barbieri

Manager, Corporate Communications

(856) 676-8103

[email protected]

Source: American Water
ANTWERP, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Azelis (Brussels: AZE), a leading global innovation service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry, announces that it has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Chemical Partners and Chempart Polymers entities in Lebanon and Belgium. The company is an independent distributor of specialty chemicals with a strong foothold in the industrial chemicals market, particularly in CASE1 and R&PA2, in Africa and the Middle East.

Chemical Partners represents a strategic acquisition to strengthen Azelis lateral value chain (LVC) in industrial chemicals following the acquisition of Umongo earlier this year, providing the group with a strong portfolio of products and expertise spanning the key end markets in industrial chemicals in the region (CASE, R&PA and L&MWF3). This would also complement Azelis existing LVC in life sciences in the region, optimizing the groups portfolio to reach more customers and principals and serve them more efficiently. In addition, the acquisition expands Azelis geographical footprint, with Chemical Partners present in over 30 countries across the Middle East and Africa, including the Levant and Sub-Saharan Africa, providing further opportunity for growth.

Founded in 1995, Chemical Partners has grown to become one of the leading distributors of specialty chemicals in Africa and the Middle East. The company has long-standing relationships with top-tier principals, and serves a diversified customer base. Chemical Partners also provides technical advice to its customers, and shares the same commitment to innovation and sustainability as Azelis. As part of the transaction, the core management team of Chemical Partners will continue to lead the business and support the integration into Azelis. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, after fulfilment of customary closing conditions.

Dr. Hans-Joachim Muller, Azelis Chief Executive Officer, comments:

We very much look forward to welcoming Chemical Partners to the Azelis family. This acquisition is an important milestone in our strategy to reinforce our market leadership in the region. Chemical Partners is a very strong fit to our product portfolio and geographical footprint, significantly strengthening our LVC and positioning us to service more customers and grow with our principals. I look forward to seeing our teams join forces and everything that they will accomplish together.

Ralph Raffoul, Managing Director at Chemical Partners, says:

After growing the business over the last 25 years, we are delighted to take the next step in our journey and join the Azelis team, furthering the growth of Chemical Partners. Azelis approach to innovation and sustainability, along with their proven customer intimacy, align perfectly with our mission. As part of the team, we aim to expanding our presence in the region, and the value-add it will bring to customers and principals. We look forward to combining our many strengths to bring the best opportunities to the region.

Anna Bertona, CEO & President Azelis EMEA, adds:

We are thrilled to welcome Chemical Partners into Azelis. Their exemplary expertise, diverse customer base and strong relationships complement the organic growth of Azelis. I have no doubt that Chemical Partners will thrive even more within our team, in close collaboration with Chris Sacy, who leads our operations in Africa and the Middle East, and who himself joined the Azelis family via the acquisition of Orkila in 2020.

Raja Wakil, Managing Director at Chempart Polymers, comments:

We are very excited to become part of Azelis as we both share the same ambition to deliver to our customers high quality specialty chemicals and food ingredients, innovative solutions, technical expertise and a high standard of logistical service. While we have a long and established presence in various segments, including plastic additives in the Middle East and Maghreb, Azelis unique platform will be an opportunity for us and for our principals to serve the wider region. Truly, a very motivating challenge!

Chris Sacy, MEA Managing Director at Azelis, comments:

We are all very happy to have Chemical Partners joining Azelis, and to welcome their team, principals and customers. Chemical Partners has a strong reputation and benefits from longstanding relationships in the region. They are the go to distributor in segments such as CASE and plastic additives, and therefore a great fit with the existing LVC of Azelis. Together, we are in a unique position to reach customers throughout the region and across segments. I look forward to bringing the teams and knowledge together and strive for innovation and growth.

- END 

About Azelis

Azelis is a leading global innovation service provider in the specialty chemical and food ingredients industry present in over 50 countries across the globe with over 3,000 employees. Our knowledgeable teams of industry, market and technical experts are each dedicated to a specific market within Life Sciences and Industrial Chemicals. We offer a lateral value chain of complementary products to more than 51,000 customers, supported by ~2,300 principal relationships, creating a turnover of 2.8 billion (2021). Azelis Group NV is listed on Euronext Brussels under ticker AZE.

Across our extensive network of more than 60 application laboratories, our award-winning staff help develop formulations and provide technical guidance throughout the customers product development process. We combine a global market reach with a local footprint to offer a reliable, integrated and unique digital service to local customers and attractive business opportunities to principals. EcoVadis Platinum rated, Azelis is a leader in sustainability. We believe in building and nurturing solid, honest and transparent relationships with our people and partners.

Impact through ideas. Innovation through formulation.

www.azelis.com

***

1 CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants & elastomers)

2 R&PA (rubber & plastic additives)

3 L&MWF (lubricants & metal working fluids)

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Contact information

Azelis

Noemie Bruneau

Corporate Communications Business Partner

T: +33 6 35 22 43 23

E: [email protected]

Source: Azelis
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Delaware Enhanced Global Dividend and Income Fund (the Fund), a New York Stock Exchangelisted closed-end fund trading under the symbol DEX, announced the preliminary results of its issuer tender offer to purchase for cash up to 558,998 of its common shares (Common Shares), representing up to five percent of its issued and outstanding Common Shares, without par value. The offer expired at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on Thursday, June 30, 2022. Based on current information, approximately 34.05% shares of common stock, or approximately 3,806,613 of the Funds Common Shares outstanding, were tendered through the expiration date. This total does not include shares tendered pursuant to notices of guaranteed delivery. Because the number of shares exceeded 558,998 shares, the relative number of Common Shares that will be purchased from each shareholder will be prorated based on the number of Common Shares properly tendered. The final number of Common Shares validly tendered and accepted pursuant to the tender offer will be announced at a later date. The Fund expects to make cash payments for tendered and accepted Common Shares at a price equal to 98% of the Funds net asset value (NAV) as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, July 1, 2022. Payment for Common Shares tendered and accepted is expected to be sent to tendering shareholders within approximately ten business days after the expiration date.

The Funds primary investment objective is to seek current income, with a secondary objective of capital appreciation. The Fund invests globally in dividend-paying or income-generating securities across multiple asset classes, including but not limited to: equity securities of large, well-established companies; securities issued by real estate companies (including real estate investment trusts and real estate industry operating companies); debt securities (such as government bonds; investment grade and high risk, high yield corporate bonds; and convertible bonds); and emerging market securities. The Fund also uses enhanced income strategies by engaging in dividend capture trading; option overwriting; and realization of gains on the sale of securities, dividend growth, and currency forwards. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest: (1) at most 60% of its net assets in securities of U.S. issuers; (2) at least 40% of its net assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers, unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by the Manager, in which case, the Fund would invest at least 30% of its net assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers; and 3) up to 25% of its net assets in securities issued by real estate companies (including real estate investment trusts and real estate industry operating companies). In addition, the Fund utilizes leveraging techniques in an attempt to obtain higher return for the Fund.

The Fund has implemented a managed distribution policy. Under the policy, the Fund is managed with a goal of generating as much of the distribution as possible from net investment income and short-term capital gains. The balance of the distribution will then come from long-term capital gains to the extent permitted, and if necessary, a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Funds investment performance and should not be confused with yield or income. Even though the Fund may realize current year capital gains, such gains may be offset, in whole or in part, by the Funds capital loss carryovers from prior years.

Under the Funds managed distribution policy, the Fund makes monthly distributions to common shareholders at a targeted annual distribution rate of 7.0% of the Funds average NAV per share. The Fund will calculate the average NAV per share from the previous three full months immediately prior to the distribution based on the number of business days in those three months on which the NAV is calculated. The distribution will be calculated as 7.0% of the prior three months average NAV per share, divided by 12. The Fund will generally distribute amounts necessary to satisfy the Funds managed distribution policy and the requirements prescribed by excise tax rules and Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. This distribution methodology is intended to provide shareholders with a consistent, but not guaranteed, income stream and a targeted annual distribution rate and is intended to narrow any discount between the market price and the NAV of the Funds Common Shares, but there is no assurance that the policy will be successful in doing so. The methodology for determining monthly distributions under the Funds managed distribution policy will be reviewed at least annually by the Funds Board of Trustees, and the Fund will continue to evaluate its distribution in light of ongoing market conditions.

The offer to purchase and other documents filed by the Fund with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Funds annual report for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2021, are available without cost at the Commissions website (sec.gov) or by calling the Funds Information Agent.

About Macquarie Asset Management

Macquarie Asset Management is a global asset manager that aims to deliver positive impact for everyone. Trusted by institutions, pension funds, governments, and individuals to manage more than $US579 billion in assets globally,1 we provide access to specialist investment expertise across a range of capabilities including infrastructure, green investments & renewables, real estate, agriculture & natural assets, asset finance, private credit, equities, fixed income and multi asset solutions.

Advisory services are provided by Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust, a registered investment advisor. Macquarie Asset Management is part of Macquarie Group, a diversified financial group providing clients with asset management, finance, banking, advisory and risk and capital solutions across debt, equity, and commodities. Founded in 1969, Macquarie Group employs more than 18,000 people in 33 markets and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. For more information about Delaware Funds by Macquarie, visit delawarefunds.com or call 800 523-1918.

Other than Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (Macquarie Bank), any Macquarie Group entity noted in this press release is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities. In addition, if this press release relates to an investment, (a) the investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group entity guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment.

1 As of March 31, 2022

 2022 Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc.

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Investors

Georgeson LLC (during pendency of the tender offer)

888 605-8334

delawarefunds.com/closed-end

Media contacts

Sarah Stein

[email protected]



Lee Lubarsky

[email protected]

Source: Delaware Enhanced Global Dividend and Income Fund
Three serial entrepreneurs and a leading Professor from the Weizmann Institute of Science join forces to establish Quantum Source and actualize a breakthrough technology that will enable photonic quantum computers that are 50,000x more efficient than state-of-the-art implementations.

TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Quantum Source (QS), an Israel-based quantum computing company is coming out of stealth mode with a $15 million seed funding round co-led by Grove Ventures, Pitango First, and Eclipse Ventures.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005139/en/

Quantum Source Management Team. Photographer: Tal Rachmani

The company was founded by three serial entrepreneurs and a Professor from the Weizmann Institute of Science: Oded Melamed, CEO, who was the co-founder and CEO of Altair Semiconductor acquired by Sony; Gil Semo, VP R&D, who was among the founding team of Anobit Technologies acquired by Apple, who later became the Director of Platform Architecture at Apple in Israel; Dan Charash, Chairman, who was the co-founder and CEO of Provigent acquired by Broadcom; and Prof. Barak Dayan, Senior Scientist and founder and head of the Quantum Optics lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The company employs twenty-five physicists and engineers, fifteen of whom hold PhD degrees.

A quantum computer is a new type of computer with enormous processing power that will be able to solve problems that classical computers cannot, like factoring of large integers and simulations of complex molecules.

The global effort to develop a commercially viable quantum computer has gained significant momentum in recent years. Most research groups and companies active in the field such as Google, IBM, IonQ, and Rigetti rely on matter-based technologies, e.g. superconducting qubit (a basic unit of quantum information) or trapped ions, and have built quantum computers with a small number of qubits (tens or hundreds of qubits). In order to solve commercially valuable problems, a quantum computer with millions of qubits is required.

Quantum Sources vision is to enable scaling quantum computers to millions of qubits with its breakthrough photonic technology. Large-scale photonic quantum computers are expected to instigate a revolution in entire industries. These quantum computers will accelerate, for instance, the development of new drugs, shorten the time pharma companies can introduce new medicines to the market, and support physicians with treatment optimization for complex diseases.

Oded Melamed, CEO and Co-Founder, Quantum Source: The difference between small quantum computers that are developed today, with tens or hundreds of qubits, and building efficient, large-scale quantum computers with millions of qubits is huge. The photonic quantum technology that Quantum Source is developing will enable a dramatic leap forward and the realization of quantum computer systems with millions of qubits. These new full-scale quantum computers will have a significant impact on many industries, solving previously computationally impossible problems in multiple sectors, such as drug and material development, finance, and cybersecurity.

###

About Quantum Source

Quantum Source (QS) is located in Rehovot, Israel, and is developing breakthrough technology to enable a commercially viable photonic quantum computer with millions of qubits. The company was established in 2021. For more information, please visit: http://www.qs-labs.com/

About Pitango

Pitango is home to visionary entrepreneurs and ground breaking companies from stealth mode to shining unicorns. With more than $3 billion raised to date, Pitango invests in founding teams who are early to board the next tech revolutions, via three dedicated funds: Pitango First, Pitango Growth and Pitango HealthTech. Since inception in 1993, Pitango has invested in over 250 companies and saw more than 85 become publicly traded companies, or acquired by strategic players. For more information visit www.pitango.com

About Grove Ventures

Grove Ventures is an early-stage venture capital investment firm which partners early with exceptional Israeli entrepreneurs who believe that the Deep Future is now and are ready to build it. Founded in 2016, Grove invests in leading startups developing hard-to-replicate solutions at the intersection of technology, science, and applicable market needs. Grove's team, built of experienced investors, veteran entrepreneurs, and company builders, provides startups with the needed support to become great companies. The funds core principles are putting people first, close cooperation and value-creation. For more information, visit www.grovevc.com

About Eclipse Ventures

With over $2 billion in assets under management, 70 portfolio companies, and a team of investors with deep expertise in technology, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, healthcare and consumer products, Eclipse is one of the US leading venture capital organizations. Its leadership team has the experience and deep expertise necessary to create and scale complex operations  with partners coming from industry giants, such as Flextronics, Tesla, Apple, Samsara, Intel and GE. Eclipse partners with entrepreneurs boldly transforming the essential industries that define and propel economies. For more information, visit www.eclipse.vc.

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Press Contact

Ben Ofer

Head of Marketing and Communications, Grove Ventures

[email protected]

Source: Quantum Source
Says tragedy could have been avoided if railroads had acted properly

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lawsuits were filed today by a St. Louis law firm, Schlichter Bogard and Denton on behalf of four passengers and for two Amtrak crew members involved in the collision of an Amtrak train with a truck loaded with rock on Monday, June 27th near Mendon, Missouri in Chariton County. The Amtrak train was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago.

The suit alleges that Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF), Amtrak, and MS Contracting, LLC, a trucking company, are responsible for causing the collision. Four people were killed and over 100 were taken to area hospitals.

This is a tragedy that would never have happened, if the railroads had acted on warnings they had for years. This was a highly dangerous crossing, without flashers, with very steep inclines, loose gravel, and limited visibility, and a train going about 90 miles per hour, said Jerry Schlichter of Schlichter Bogard & Denton, who represents the passengers and crew members.

According to the suit, the passengers are Sherri Schwanz of Lansing, KS, Kimberly Howard of Lawrence, KS, Noel Lucero of Wichita, KS and Allen Gallaway of Andover, KS. The crew members are Brian Marra and Chris Marzullo both of Chicago, IL, who were Amtrak conductors on the train.

The suit alleges, that for years residents of Chariton County reported this as a highly dangerous crossing, particularly for slow moving farm tractors and heavy trucks because of its steep inclines, loose gravel on the approach, impaired field of vision, and high-speed trains.

The suit also states that a farmer, Mike Spencer, of Mendon, MO took a video of the crossing, with a train passing, approximately two weeks before the incident and warned BNSF, which owns the tracks, of the dangers. The lawsuit alleges that the BNSF failed to properly maintain the crossing, failed to upgrade the level of protection to flashers or gates, and failed to warn people of the dangers.

The suit also states that the Missouri Department of Transportation, over a year prior to the incident, recommended that gates and flashers be installed because of its danger, but the BNSF failed to follow that recommendation.

Mr. Schlichter added, We now know that all of this suffering, and the losses, could have been avoided if the railroads had simply acted upon what the local people were telling them over and over was needed to avoid such a tragedy.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005436/en/

Jerry Schlichter (314)497-5480

Source: Schlichter Bogard & Denton
The upscale single-family rental community will offer residents a new way to rent residential housing in a revitalized historic Texas city near Austins growing tech hub

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Wan Bridge, a Texas-based builder and operator of build-to-rent (BTR) communities, officially opened the doors at Georgetown Heights (468 Northwood Drive), the companys first rental development in Georgetown, Texas. Just north of Austin, this luxurious rental community features 48 three- to four-bedroom, two-story duplexes ranging from 1,400 to 2,100 square feet.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005378/en/

Ribbon cutting ceremony at Georgetown Heights grand opening event. (Photo: Business Wire)

We are eager to welcome residents to Georgetown Heights, our first BTR community among one of Austins thriving submarkets, said Ting Qiao, CEO of Wan Bridge. Residents can expect all the Wan Bridge trademark qualities like modern, thoughtful designs, high-quality finishes, excellent service from our property management service and 24/7 maintenance.

Georgetown Heights Reflects Texas with Style and Function

Wan Bridges latest development will satisfy the increasing need for residential properties while taking rental living to a new level in Georgetown, one of the top-ten fastest growing cities in America.

Blending modern and Texas-style architecture to elevate the classic southern look, Georgetown Heights will offer residents both ambiance and function. Lined with lush landscaping, the picturesque development features spacious floor plans, energy-efficient appliances, two-car garages, private yards and smart home packages. In addition to the primary bedroom, additional bedrooms offer options for offices and hobby rooms, guest accommodations and more. Each of the homes will feature open-concept floor plans, spacious bedrooms and contemporary designs for a true blend of form and function.

At Georgetown Heights, residents will also enjoy Wan Bridges hassle-free lifestyle with five-star-quality on-site maintenance which includes lawncare, air filter and bulb replacement, and pest control services. The community is strategically located near the booming industrial hub north of Austin. Residents will have the opportunity to live, work and play in one of the fastest growing areas of the country, with large innovators like Tesla, Samsung, Google, Apple and Dell a short drive away.

Ribbon Cutting to Celebrate Leasing

Wan Bridge, alongside the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, local elected officials and partners celebrated the launch with a ribbon cutting. During the ceremony, The Wan Bridge Foundation presented a check to Brookwood in Georgetown to recognize the organizations contribution to the local community.

The grand opening of Georgetown Heights follows the companys latest build-to-rent community in the greater Houston area, Pradera Oaks, which was unveiled at the beginning of June and will feature 812 single-family homes.

For further information on Georgetown Heights, please visit www.georgetownheightstx.com. To learn more about Wan Bridge and its impact on the build-to-rent industry in Texas, visit www.wanbridge.com.

About Wan Bridge

Wan Bridge is a Texas-based builder and operator of build-to-rent (BTR) communities across the state. Since 2016, we have been active in the acquisition, development and operation of our communities located in high-demand cities across Texas, including Austin, Dallas and Houston. Our BTR community products range from low-density homes on acreage sites to medium-density developments that include duplexes, triplexes and townhomes. We believe that residents do not have to own to call it home and our ultimate goal is to give them more time with the people they love and partake in activities they enjoy the most. BTR provides flexibility without sacrifice every day. Learn more at www.wanbridge.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005378/en/

Bradlee Borgfeldt

Pierpont Communications

(713) 385-9337

[email protected]

Source: Wan Bridge
Voyager Digital LLC, the operating platform of Voyager Digital Ltd. ("Voyager" or the "Company") (TSX: VOYG) (OTCQX: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2), announced it is temporarily suspending trading, deposits, withdrawals and loyalty rewards, effective at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time today.

"This was a tremendously difficult decision, but we believe it is the right one given current market conditions," said Stephen Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer of Voyager. "This decision gives us additional time to continue exploring strategic alternatives with various interested parties while preserving the value of the Voyager platform we have built together. We will provide additional information at the appropriate time."

Voyager previously announced that its subsidiary, Voyager Digital LLC, issued a notice of default to Three Arrows Capital ("3AC") for failure to make the required payments on its previously disclosed loan of 15,250 BTC and $350 million USDC. Voyager is actively pursuing all available remedies for recovery from 3AC, including through the court-ordered liquidation process in the British Virgin Islands.

To support its exploration of strategic alternatives, the Company has engaged Moelis & Company and The Consello Group as financial advisors, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal advisors.

Voyager also provided the following financial and balance sheet updates, per requirements of Canadian Securities Laws. All figures are preliminary, non-reviewed and unaudited and subject to final adjustments following completion of quarterly and year-end close procedures.

June 30, 2022 Crypto assets held (in thousands) $ 685,373 Crypto assets loaned (in thousands) $ 1,124,825 A Cash held for customers (in thousands) $ 355,725 Crypto collateral received/ held (in thousands) $ 168,685

Note A: The balance includes $350 million of USDC and 15,250 BTC loaned to Three Arrows Capital.

As of June 30, 2022, crypto assets loaned consisted of the following (in thousands, except for number of coins):

June 30, 2022 Number of Coins Fair Value Fair Value Share BTC 21,796 $ 434,779 39 % B USDC 401,762,866 401,763 36 % C ETH 170,336 182,160 16 % Other 106,123 9 % Total $ 1,124,825 100 %

Note B: Includes 15,250 BTC loaned to Three Arrows Capital.

Note C: Includes $350 million USDC loaned to Three Arrows Capital.

As of June 30, 2022, crypto assets loaned disaggregated by significant borrowing counterparty was as follows (in thousands) (refer to prior filings for comparative information):

June 30, 2022 Borrowing Rates June 30, 2022 Counterparty A 1% - 11.5% $ 376,784 Counterparty B 3% - 10% 654,195 Counterparty C 4% - 13.5% 17,556 Counterparty D 1% - 14% 27,342 Counterparty E 1% - 30% 34,427 Counterparty F 0 % - Counterparty G 10.0 % 13,770 Other 4% - 8% 751 Total $ 1,124,825

As of June 30, 2022, crypto assets loaned balances were concentrated with counterparties as follows (refer to prior filings for comparative information):

Geography June 30, 2022 Counterparty A British Virgin Islands $ 376,784 Counterparty B Singapore 654,195 D Counterparty C United States 17,556 Counterparty D United Kingdom 27,342 Counterparty E Canada 34,427 Counterparty F United States - Counterparty G United States 13,770 Other Various 751 Total $ 1,124,825

Note D: Represents amount loaned to Three Arrows Capital.
FILE PHOTO: Representations of the Ripple, Bitcoin, Etherum and Litecoin virtual currencies are seen on a PC motherboard in this illustration picture, February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

By Huw Jones and Tom Wilson

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union on Thursday reached a provisional deal on the world's first set of comprehensive rules to regulate what one lawmaker called the "Wild West" crypto market.

WHAT ARE THE NEW RULES?

Crypto firms that want to issue and sell digital tokens in an EU state will have to obtain a licence from a national regulator.

The licence will allow operators to serve the whole 27-country bloc from one base, and be liable for losing cryptoassets from consumers' digital wallets.

Currently, firms show an EU national regulator they have adequate controls to stop money laundering, but can only operate within that country.

National watchdogs must update the EU's securities watchdog ESMA about any large operators they have authorised, which stops short of lawmaker calls for a European watchdog for the sector.

SO THE RULES ARE ALREADY IN EFFECT?

Not yet.

The deal needs formal rubberstamping by EU states and the European Parliament before it comes into effect - likely 2023 at the earliest.

The rules will apply to some tokens such as "stablecoins" - crypto pegged to traditional currencies or commodities that aim to keep a steady value - 12 months from the day the law comes into force. For other tokens, the rules will apply 18 months after the start date.

Crypto firms that already comply with anti-money laundering controls will also be given 18 months to obtain licences under new law, without disrupting service.

ARE STABLECOINS A BIG ISSUE?

For sure.

The collapse in May of the terraUSD stablecoin triggered a sharp sell-off in crypto markets and worried regulators.

The EU rules will give holders of stablecoins the right to claim their money back free of charge. Issuers of the tokens will have to hold minimum levels of liquidity, and will be overseen by the EU's European Banking Authority.

Crypto firms must have a registered office in the bloc to issue stablecoins, and coins based on non-European currencies will be constrained to preserve "monetary sovereignty."

Crypto industry officials say it will become harder to make money under such rules.

AND NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS?

It's complicated. Lawmakers wanted non-fungible tokens (NFTs) under the new rules, but EU states opposed.

That led to a compromise where NFTs are not included, but if they become fungible - mutually replaceable - regulators can force them to comply with crypto rules. If they act like traditional securities, the EU's stringent MiFID markets rules can come into play.

The European Commission will assess within 18 months whether standalone rules are needed for NFTs.

WHAT ABOUT CRYPTO AND CLIMATE CHANGE?

Bitcoin's energy use is a big worry for lawmakers.

Crypto firms will have to disclose their impact on the environment and climate change, using standards that the ESMA securities watchdog will draft.

The European Commission will assess within two years the environmental impact of cryptoassets and introduce mandatory sustainability rules, including on the energy-intensive "proof of work" system used for "mining" crypto such as bitcoin.

WHAT ARE OTHER COUNTRIES DOING?

Japan blazed a trail among major economies by introducing a crypto law in 2017, forcing exchanges to register with its financial watchdog.

Others have been slower.

In the United States, there is no federal framework in place, though individual states do have crypto-specific rules. Senators unveiled this month a bill to set out new rules and hand the bulk of oversight to commodities regulators, though it's unclear when the rules would be approved.

Britain said in April it would introduce rules on stablecoins, leaving most cryptocurrencies and related firms subject only to patchy regulation.

(Reporting by Huw Jones and Tom Wilson; Editing by Mark Potter)
(Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX crypto exchange has signed a deal with an option to buy embattled crypto lender BlockFi for up to $240 million, BlockFi Chief Executive Zac Prince said on Friday.

FTX has also agreed to provide BlockFi with a $400 million revolving credit facility, Prince said in a tweet. He added that BlockFi has faced a jump in withdrawals after news of crypto lending platform Celsius Network's freeze.

Fears of a possible U.S. recession due to aggressive rate hikes from the Federal Reserve have roiled risky assets this year, including cryptocurrencies. That has sparked a meltdown in what was just last year a booming industry.

Last month, BlockFi cut 20% of its headcount and implemented multiple cost-cutting measures such as reducing marketing spending and executive compensation.

Companies use revolving credit facilities as backstop financing to combat adverse impacts on other sources of income. For the most part, these facilities remain undrawn.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
Also reports Financial Results for the 3 months ended March 31, 2022

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V: AQS, OTCQB: AQSZF) (Aequus or the Company), a specialty pharmaceutical company with a sales force that currently markets third party or exclusively licensed products for which the Company receives revenues from direct product sales and profit share arrangements, today reported financial results for the year ended December 31, 2021 (Fiscal 2021) and the three months ended March 31, 2022 (Q1 2022), and reports associated Company developments. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are in Canadian currency.

Mr. Janzen commented Waiting for our auditors to complete their audit of the annual financial statement have been frustrating for both ourselves and our shareholders. The delay was due to a significant number of new information requests from our auditors to our commercial partners. No material weaknesses in Aequus controls or policies were identified as the cause of the delay in filing our financials and we are very grateful to our commercial partners for the significant time they spent with our auditors to complete our annual audit. Now that our Fiscal 2021 and Q1 2022 financial statements have been filed we expect Aequus shares to resume trading on the TSX-V on or before July 8, 2022.

The year ended December 31, 2021 was the final year of the Sandoz original agreement terms and was the highest gross revenue year in the history of the Company. The first quarter is traditionally our weakest quarter and the first half of 2022 is expected to be a transition period as we adjust to lower Tacrolimus revenues and enter into agreements with partners to add additional products.

I personally entered into a $2,000,000 loan agreement with the Company last month because I believe in our ability to continue to grow revenues and add new products at Aequus. This loan should allow the Company to bridge Q1 revenue weakness given the amended Sandoz contract terms announced last January.

On May 9, 2022, the Company was the subject of a failure-to-file cease trade order (CTO) issued by the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) pending the filing of the Companys annual audited financial statements, Management disclosure and analysis and Annual Information Form for the 2021 financial year (collectively, the 2021 Annual Disclosure). The delayed filing of our 2021 Annual Disclosure resulted from delays in our auditors obtaining information they needed from third parties, which delayed necessary audit procedures beyond our annual filing deadlines. As a consequence of the CTO, the BCSC suspended trading of the Companys securities. The audit of the annual financial statements is now complete, and the Company believes it is now current with its continuous disclosure obligations, however, the CTO will remain in place until the BCSC has issued a revocation order. The Companys management, audit committee and board will discuss actions to prevent this type of issue from happening again.

Balance Sheet highlights

March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 As at (unaudited) (audited) ASSETS Current assets $2,825,978 $3,592,975 Convertible promissory note 509,257 512,840 Property and equipment 11,032 12,765 Right-of-use lease asset, net 199,596 229,535 Total assets $3,545,863 $4,348,115 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY` Current liabilities $2,584,647 $2,457,068 CEBA Loan 27,002 26,087 Lease liability 42,384 75,895 Total liabilities 2,654,033 2,559,050 Shareholders Equity 891,830 1,789,065 Total liabilities and shareholders equity $3,545,863 $4,348,115

Key Fiscal 2021 Financial Highlights

For the years ended December 31 2021 2020 Revenue Promotional $2,610,826 $2,592,613 Product 103,872 - 2,714,698 2,592,613 Cost of goods sold 25,779 - 2,688,919 2,592,613 Operating expenditures: Research and development 296,848 54,608 Sales and marketing 2,190,592 1,547,773 General and administration 2,023,773 2,055,221 4,511,213 3,657,602 Loss before other income (loss) (1,822,294) (1,064,989) Other income (loss) 12,702 19,629 Net loss $(1,809,592) $(1,045,360)

Key Q1 2022 Unaudited Financial Highlights

For the three months ended March 31 2022 2021 Revenue Promotional $262,520 $481,463 Product 39,760 10,358 302,280 491,821 Cost of goods sold 9,781 2,613 292,499 489,208 Operating expenditures: Research and development 246,107 87,898 Sales and marketing 489,132 477,830 General and administration 475,828 547,116 1,211,067 1,112,844 Loss before other income (loss) (918,568) (623,636) Other income (loss) 1,682 1,978 Net loss $(916,886) $(621,658)

ABOUT AEQUUS PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V: AQS, OTCQB: AQSZF) is a growing specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing high quality, differentiated products. Aequus has grown its sales and marketing efforts to include several commercial products in ophthalmology and transplant. Aequus plans to build on its Canadian commercial platform through the launch of additional products that are either created internally or brought in through an acquisition or license; remaining focused on highly specialized therapeutic areas. For further information, please visit www.aequuspharma.ca.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT DISCLAIMER

This release may contain forward-looking statements or forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities legislation that may not be based on historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words believe, may, plan, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, expect, potential and similar expressions. Forward- looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as the factors we believe are appropriate. Forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements relating to: our ability to continue to grow revenues and add new products; the two million dollar loan allowing us to bridge Q1 revenue decreases given the amended Sandoz contract; the expectation that Q1 2022 is a transition period as we look to add to our product offerings; the implementation of our business model and strategic plans; revenue growth trends into the future; expected timing for product launches; the Companys expected revenues; the regulatory approval of its products; and the revocation of the CTO. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Aequus, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In making the forward looking statements included in this release, the Company has made various material assumptions, including, but not limited to: obtaining regulatory approvals; general business and economic conditions; the Companys ability to successfully out license or sell its current products and in-license and develop new products; the assumption that the Companys current good relationships with third parties will be maintained; the availability of financing on reasonable terms; the Companys ability to attract and retain skilled staff; market competition; the products and technology offered by the Companys competitors; the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Companys operations; and the Companys ability to protect patents and proprietary rights. In evaluating forward looking statements, current and prospective shareholders should specifically consider various factors set out herein and under the heading Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Information Form dated June 30, 2022, a copy of which is available on Aequus profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, and as otherwise disclosed from time to time on Aequus SEDAR profile. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties, or a risk that is not currently known to us materialize, or should assumptions underlying those forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and we do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are inherently uncertain. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward looking statements.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

VistitanTM: Trademark owned or used under license by Sandoz Canada Inc.

CONTACT INFORMATION Aequus Investor Relations Email: [email protected] Phone: 604-336-7906

Source: Aequus Pharmaceuticals
BOSTON, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DentaQuest and Presbyterian Health Plan (PHP), today, celebrate 25 years of partnership, which has helped thousands of New Mexicans receive comprehensive oral health care. To commemorate this exceptional partnership, DentaQuest is contributing a total of $35,000 to three non-profit organizations across New Mexico including Casa De Peregrinos, New Mexico Mission of Mercy and the Hermits Peak Wildfire Relief Fund (organized by the Las Vegas New Mexico Community Foundation).

Casa De Peregrinos mission is to end hunger while mobilizing resources that build strong, diverse, and inclusive relationships and partnerships in the community. With DentaQuests $15,000 contribution, over 90,000 meals will be purchased and distributed to 30,000 families in need across southern New Mexico. DentaQuests $10,000 donation to New Mexico Mission of Mercy will support the New Mexico Dental Association Foundations efforts to provide dental treatment at no cost to New Mexicans who cannot access and/or afford dental care.

DentaQuest has been a dependable partner with the shared goal of keeping members at the center of every decision. They also recognize the importance of fostering strong relationships with dental providers, communities and stakeholders in order to support customer satisfaction and strong outcomes, said Mary Eden, Senior Vice President Government Programs. Were grateful for the depth of expertise that DentaQuest provides in the administration of dental benefits and we look forward to the continuation of our partnership in service to our members.

Additionally, DentaQuest provided dental tool kits  filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss  to the Barret House, Mandys Farm, Safe House New Mexico, and Community for Learning.

DentaQuest is grateful for the 25-year partnership with Presbyterian Health Plan and are proud of all the incredible milestones weve accomplished together, said Mark Sanchez, executive director, DentaQuest New Mexico. This landmark anniversary is a testament to our tireless commitment to remain a trusted partner providing top-tier comprehensive dental benefits. This is a team effort!

About DentaQuest

DentaQuest is a purpose-driven health care company dedicated to improving the oral health of all. We do this through Preventistry  our inclusive approach to quality care and expanded access built on trusted partnerships between patients, providers, and payors. As one of the nations largest and most experienced Medicaid dental benefits administrators, we manage dental and vision benefits for more than 33 million Americans through a nationwide network of providers in all 50 states. Our outcomes-based, cost-effective dental solutions are designed for Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare Advantage, small and large businesses, and individuals. At the same time, we are expanding our footprint of more than 70 oral health centers in six states to deliver direct patient care in rural and underserved populations. Learn more at www.DentaQuest.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

###

Fred Menko DentaQuest 615-308-7414 [email protected]

Source: Dentaquest
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- K92 Mining Inc. (K92 or the Company) (TSX: KNT; OTCQX: KNTNF) is pleased to announce the voting results of its 2022 annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders that was held today as a virtual event. All of the resolutions proposed at the meeting were duly passed.

A total of 148,725,971 common shares, representing 65.57% of the Companys issued and outstanding common shares as at the record date were voted. All of the Companys nine director nominees were elected and detailed results of the vote for directors are shown below:

Name of Nominee Votes For Votes Withheld Number % Number % R. Stuart (Tookie) Angus 134,516,515 97.48 3,484,415 2.52 Mark Eaton 99,506,016 72.11 38,494,914 27.89 Anne E. Giardini 134,193,532 97.24 3,807,398 2.76 Saurabh Handa 134,252,680 97.28 3,748,250 2.72 Cyndi Laval 136,215,300 98.71 1,785,630 1.29 Nan Lee 137,918,918 99.94 82,012 0.06 John D. Lewins 132,329,902 95.89 5,671,028 4.11 John (Ian) Stalker 117,902,586 85.44 20,098,344 14.56 Graham Wheelock 135,779,314 98.39 2,221,616 1.61

Matter Votes For Votes Against Number % Number % Number of Directors 137,846,060 99.89 154,870 0.11 Appoint Auditors 148,122,408 99.59 603,563 0.41

Shareholders also voted in favour of the following matters:

Setting the number of directors at nine (9); and

Re-appointing PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year and authorizing the directors to fix the auditors remuneration.

Further details on the above matters are set forth in the Company's meeting materials, including the Management Information Circular dated May 20, 2022, which are accessible on K92s website at www.k92mining.com and under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Final voting results on all matters voted on at the AGM are also be contained in the Report on Voting Results filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR.

About K92

K92 Mining Inc. is engaged in the production of gold, copper and silver at the Kainantu Gold Mine in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea, as well as exploration and development of mineral deposits in the immediate vicinity of the mine. The Company declared commercial production from Kainantu in February 2018 and is in a strong financial position.

The Company commenced an expansion of the mine based on an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment on the property which was published in January 2019 and updated in July 2020. K92 is operated by a team of mining professionals with extensive international mine-building and operational experience.

On Behalf of the Company,

John D. Lewins, Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information, please contact David Medilek, P.Eng., CFA at +1-604-687-7130.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements that address future plans, activities, events, or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur are forward-looking information, including statements regarding the realization of the preliminary economic analysis for the Kainantu Project, expectations of future cash flows, the planned plant expansion, production results, cost of sales, sales of production, potential expansion of resources and the generation of further drilling results which may or may not occur. Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the market price of the Companys securities, metal prices, exchange rates, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations in PNG, mitigation of the Covid-19 pandemic, continuation of the lifted state of emergency, and regulations and other matters. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Source: K92 Mining Inc.
Ludovic Oster is appointed Director of Human Resources of Vallourec Group

Meudon (France), 1 July 2022 - Vallourec announces the appointment of Ludovic Oster as Group Human Resources Director. He will take up his position on 4 July 2022 and join the Executive Committee.

Philippe Guillemot, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Vallourec said: "I am delighted to welcome Ludovic to the Group and the Executive Committee. With his solid experience in change management, in organizational transformation processes, he will be a great asset to Vallourec at a key stage of its development".

Francois Curie will leave the Group at the end of the year after a transition period for those transformation projects for which he is responsible.

Biography

After graduating from Skema Business School (formerly ESC Lille), Ludovic began his career in 1993 with the automotive supplier Delphi, where he held various positions in human resources, both operational and functional, in France and the United States. He then joined the Valeo Group in 1999 to support a major acquisition and to deploy and optimize employee involvement processes, particularly in the US, Spain, and Germany. Ludovic Oster then took on operational Human Resources functions for divisions and branches, based in Spain and France, contributing to the improvement of their performance in a highly competitive international context. In 2008, he joined the Norbert Dentressangle Group, where he became a member of the Board in 2014, as Director of Human Resources. In this position, Ludovic Oster supported the group's strong international growth by strengthening and structuring the Human Resources function. Following the acquisition of Norbert Dentressangle by XPO Logistics in 2015, he contributed to change management by implementing transformation and organizational evolution processes, in line with the group's ambitions. Since August 2018, he has been Human Resources Director of the Elior Group where he contributed to the implementation of the group's strategy, particularly through the alignment and commitment of teams, the development of human resources and organizational efficiency.

About Vallourec

Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions for the energy markets and for demanding industrial applications such as oil & gas wells in harsh environments, new generation power plants, challenging architectural projects, and high-performance mechanical equipment. Vallourecs pioneering spirit and cutting-edge R&D open new technological frontiers. With close to 17,000 dedicated and passionate employees in more than 20 countries, Vallourec works hand-in-hand with its customers to offer more than just tubes: Vallourec delivers innovative, safe, competitive and smart tubular solutions, to make every project possible.

Listed on Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0013506730, Ticker VK), Vallourec is part of the CAC Mid 60, SBF 120 and Next 150 indexes and is eligible for Deferred Settlement Service.

In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R4074, Ticker: VLOWY). Parity between ADR and a Vallourec common share has been set at 5:1.

For further information, please contact:

Investor relations Jerome FribouletTel : +33 (0)1 49 09 39 77 [email protected] Press relations Heloise Rothenbuhler Tel: +33 (0)1 41 03 77 50 [email protected] Individual shareholdersToll Free Number (from France): 0 800 505 110 [email protected]

Attachment

Source: VALLOUREC
Nathalie Joannes is appointed General Counselof Vallourec Group

Meudon (France), July 1, 2022 - Vallourec announces the appointment of Nathalie Joannes as General Counsel for the Group. She will take up her position on July 4 and join the Executive Committee.

Philippe Guillemot, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Vallourec said:I am delighted to welcome Nathalie to the Group and the Executive Committee. Nathalie has extensive global industry experience. She will be instrumental in the transformation of Vallourec which is now well underway.

Nathalie will succeed Claire Langelier who will accompany the transition process. Claire will leave the company after seven years as General Counsel. In particular, she will have contributed to financial restructuring.

Biography

Prior to joining Vallourec, Nathalie was Executive Vice President Legal and Compliance & General Counsel at LEO Pharma. She also worked at Roquette Freres' headquarters in Lille as Group General Counsel. During her long career as general counsel in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, Nathalie Joannes has successfully built up international legal, risk management and compliance teams in listed and private companies worldwide. She holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Liege and a masters degree in law from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She has been a member of the New York Bar since 1987.

About Vallourec

Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions for the energy markets and for demanding industrial applications such as oil & gas wells in harsh environments, new generation power plants, challenging architectural projects, and high-performance mechanical equipment. Vallourecs pioneering spirit and cutting-edge R&D open new technological frontiers. With close to 17,000 dedicated and passionate employees in more than 20 countries, Vallourec works hand-in-hand with its customers to offer more than just tubes: Vallourec delivers innovative, safe, competitive and smart tubular solutions, to make every project possible.

Listed on Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0013506730, Ticker VK), Vallourec is part of the CAC Mid 60, SBF 120 and Next 150 indexes and is eligible for Deferred Settlement Service.

In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R4074, Ticker: VLOWY). Parity between ADR and a Vallourec ordinary share has been set at 5:1.

For further information, please contact:

Investor relations Jerome FribouletTel : +33 (0)1 49 09 39 77 [email protected] Press relations Heloise RothenbuhlerTel: +33 (0)1 41 03 77 50 [email protected] Individual shareholdersToll Free Number (from France): 0 800 505 110 [email protected]

Attachment

Source: VALLOUREC
TORONTO, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE) (FSE: PNX) (The Company or Pasinex) today reports that at this stage, T.C. Maden ve Petrol Iserl Genel Mudurlugu (MAPEG), the mining ministry in Turkey, have not extended the principal mining operational license of Horzum AS beyond April 15, 2023, and the Akkaya operational exploration license of Pasinex Arama at this time. As a result, both Pasinex Arama and Horzum AS have each filed a court action in Adana, Turkey challenging the denial of the license extensions. The actions were filed on July 1, 2022, in order to meet the legal statute of limitations in the mining law.

At the present time, Pasinex has not been provided with any reasons as to why these licenses have not been extended at this point and will work in the coming weeks with the officials of MAPEG to negotiate solutions for the mutual benefit of all. Turkey has one of the best and most advanced mining laws in the world that benefits all parties.

The mining operation in Horzum AS, with about 125 employees and contractors, will continue as usual during the period of discussions. The advancement of the 541-adit in the Pinargozu license toward the Akkaya license will continue to allow underground exploration of the Akkaya license when the operational exploration license of Akkaya is extended. Pasinex believes that Horzum AS has good community relations, an excellent safety record and management system, meets all environmental regulations and laws, and is one of the largest employers in the Kozan region in the Province of Adana and is working to develop a longer-term sustainable mining operation for the benefit of all.

About Pasinex

Pasinex Resources Limited is a Toronto-based mining company that owns 50% of Horzum Maden Arama ve Isletme Anonim Sirketi (Horzum AS or Joint Venture), through its 100% owned subsidiary Pasinex Arama ve Madencilik Anonim Sirketi (Pasinex Arama). Horzum AS holds 100% of the producing Pinargozu high-grade zinc mine. Horzum AS sells directly to zinc smelters and or refiners through commodity brokers from its mine site in Turkey. The Company also holds an option to acquire 80% of the Gunman high-grade zinc exploration project in Nevada. Pasinex has a strong technical management team with many years of mineral exploration and mining project development experience. The mission of Pasinex is to build a mid-tier zinc company based on its mining and exploration projects in Turkey and Nevada. Visit our website at www.pasinex.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors PASINEX RESOURCES LIMITED

Andrew Gottwald

Andrew Gottwald Evan White Chief Financial Officer Manager of Corporate Communications Phone: +1 416.861.9659 Phone: +1 416.906.3498 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although Pasinex believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not a guarantee of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, exploration results, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Source: Pasinex Resources Limited
MILL CREEK, Wash., July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With an expedited implementation process of less than four weeks, Silver Bay Seafoods went live with NorthScope ERP software at all five of its Alaska plants and is beginning implementation of its California-based squid plant.

With this go-live, NorthScope is providing Silver Bay's plants with:

Electronic fish ticket processing and fisherman settlement functionality

Ability to import fishermen credit card transactions into NorthScope

Ability to import AP invoices for fishermen into NorthScope

System training

Following this initial go-live, plans include additional configuration of NorthScope for Silver Bay as well as additional integrations, custom reports, and additional training, all which is estimated to be complete by the end of summer 2022.

Discussing the partnership with Silver Bay Seafoods, Northlake Partners Managing Partner Adam Herman said, "We are very excited to be working with the Silver Bay team and appreciate the opportunity to earn their business. The timeline for this go-live is tight but we know with an all-hands-on-deck approach, we will be able to meet their objectives." Regarding the progress of the expedited implementation, Silver Bay Project Manager Kim Partridge said, "It has been a tremendous benefit to have the NorthScope team come to Kodiak and Naknek. They are great to work with and have a good knowledge of the business and how to set up NorthScope to provide SBS with the information we need, in the format we want."

In addition to Silver Bay Seafoods, NorthScope's new partnerships include Greenhead Lobster, Artic Fisheries, and more.

About NorthScope: NorthScope is ERP software for food manufacturers created by the Northlake Partners (NLP) to specifically support seafood processors, food manufacturers, food distributors and agricultural processors. Since 2008, NLP has been providing ERP software and step-by-step guidance for food manufacturers, giving them the tools to build the business they've always wanted.

About Silver Bay Seafoods: Silver Bay Seafoods is a primarily fishermen-owned seafood processing company operating six high-capacity facilities in Alaska and three in California. The company processes salmon, herring, squid, pollock, Pacific cod, halibut, sablefish, and rockfish. Silver Bay produces fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable healthy, sustainable seafood products. Founded in 2007 as a single salmon processing facility in Sitka, Alaska, Silver Bay is now one of the largest seafood companies in Alaska and the West Coast.

Media Contact:Tatum GarinoThe Northlake Partners425-949-3313 x115[email protected]

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Source: Northlake Partners
FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with Facebook's logo is seen with new rebrand logo Meta in this illustration taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By Katie Paul

(Reuters) -Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc has cut plans to hire engineers by at least 30% this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees on Thursday, as he warned them to brace for a deep economic downturn.

"If I had to bet, I'd say that this might be one of the worst downturns that we've seen in recent history," Zuckerberg told workers in a weekly employee Q&A session, audio of which was heard by Reuters.

Meta has reduced its target for hiring engineers in 2022 to around 6,000-7,000, down from an initial plan to hire about 10,000 new engineers, Zuckerberg said.

Meta confirmed hiring pauses in broad terms last month, but exact figures have not previously been reported.

In addition to reducing hiring, he said, the company was leaving certain positions unfilled in response to attrition and "turning up the heat" on performance management to weed out staffers unable to meet more aggressive goals.

"Realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn't be here," Zuckerberg said.

"Part of my hope by raising expectations and having more aggressive goals, and just kind of turning up the heat a little bit, is that I think some of you might decide that this place isn't for you, and that self-selection is OK with me," he said.

The social media and technology company is bracing for a leaner second half of the year, as it copes with macroeconomic pressures and data privacy hits to its ads business, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The company must "prioritize more ruthlessly" and "operate leaner, meaner, better executing teams," Chief Product Officer Chris Cox wrote in the memo, which appeared on the company's internal discussion forum Workplace before the Q&A.

"I have to underscore that we are in serious times here and the headwinds are fierce. We need to execute flawlessly in an environment of slower growth, where teams should not expect vast influxes of new engineers and budgets," Cox wrote.

The memo was "intended to build on what we've already said publicly in earnings about the challenges we face and the opportunities we have, where we're putting more of our energy toward addressing," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The guidance is the latest rough forecast to come from Meta executives, who already moved to trim costs across much of the company this year in the face of slowing ad sales and user growth.

Tech companies across the board have scaled back their ambitions in anticipation of a possible U.S. recession, although the slide in stock price at Meta has been more severe than at competitors Apple and Google.

The world's biggest social media company lost about half its market value this year, after Meta reported that daily active users on its flagship Facebook app had experienced a quarterly decline for the first time.

Its austerity drive comes at a tricky time, coinciding with two major strategic pivots: one aimed at re-fashioning its social media products around "discovery" to beat back competition from short-video app TikTok, the other an expensive long-term bet on augmented and virtual reality technology.

In his memo, Cox said Meta would need to increase fivefold the number of graphic processing units (GPUs) in its data centers by the end of the year to support the "discovery" push, which requires extra computing power for artificial intelligence to surface popular posts from across Facebook and Instagram in users' feeds.

Interest in Meta's TikTok-style short video product Reels was growing quickly, said Cox, with users doubling the amount of time they were spending on Reels year over year, both in the United States and globally.

Some 80% of the growth since March came from Facebook, he added.

That user engagement with Reels could provide a key route to bolster the bottom line, making it important to boost ads in Reels "as quickly as possible," he added.

Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told investors in April that executives viewed Reels as "a major part of the discovery engine vision," but at the time described the short video shift as a "short-term headwind" that would increase revenue gradually as advertisers became more comfortable with the format.

Cox said Meta also saw possibilities for revenue growth in business messaging and in-app shopping tools, the latter of which, he added, could "mitigate signal loss" created by Apple-led privacy changes.

He said the company's hardware division was "laser-focused" on successfully launching its mixed-reality headset, code-named "Cambria," in the second half of the year.

(Reporting by Katie Paul; Editing by Kenneth Li, Peter Henderson and Lisa Shumaker)
Anyone who is struggling with life's difficulties can get assistance at any time and from any location.

San Diego, California--(Newsfile Corp. - June 30, 2022) - Cyti Psychological's ground-breaking telehealth model provides high-quality mental health treatment to anybody, at any time and from any location. Cyti Psychological was founded to solve the shortage of online mental health treatment, and it is composed of a team of certified therapists who are experts in their fields. Anxiety, depression, stress, parenting challenges, and relationship troubles are now in high demand, and the Cyti Psychological team has been hand-picked to meet this need.

According to studies, individuals prefer online treatment with a professional therapist to in-office or pseudo-text sessions. Clients using online therapy report outstanding success as well as feeling more relaxed and comfortable undergoing treatment in a place of their choice without having to worry to step out of their home, start the car, tackling the traffic, and reach the clinic! Cyti Psych is meant to give high-quality, results-driven genuine treatment anywhere you feel comfortable!

Mary White, the founder of Cyti Psychological, stated, "Cyti Psychological was formed with the goal of providing true therapy to everyone, at any time, and from any location. True therapy is defined as authentic therapy that follows clinical best practice guidelines and is founded on years of evidence-based study on the efficacy of therapeutic approaches. In-office treatment is no longer required to obtain the tools you require to complete your objectives."

The pay-per-session model at Cyti Clinic allows its clients to stop thinking about monthly subscriptions and instead focus on recovery. Cyti therapists provide their clients with the skills they need to succeed, whether they need help managing everyday anxiety or transitioning to a new parenting style. Their care professionals are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week to link customers with the correct therapist. Cyti Clinic's counselors are trained in CBT, DBT, EMDR, and a number of other therapies.

The cost of Cyti Psych therapy or psychiatric consultations varies based on the type of care the clients require, and the design of the health plan. Clients can confirm the price before requesting a visit. They can refer to the insurance card or call Cyti Psychological at 1-866-478-3978. Cyti Psychological works with all PPO insurances and accepts FSA/HSA cards for payment. Sessions are held utilizing cutting-edge, HIPAA-compliant video platforms for maximum confidentiality and connection convenience.

Contact Information

Company Name: Cyti Psychological

Contact Person: Mary White

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 1-866-478-3978

Country: United States

Website: http://cyticlinics.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129462
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 30, 2022) - Pacific Booker Minerals Inc.'s (TSXV: BKM) (OTC Pink: PBMLF) Audited Annual Financial Statements and the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended January 31, 2022 have been filed on SEDAR and are available on our website at http://www.pacificbooker.com/financials.htm . Please complete the area on that page to request a copy sent by regular mail. The mailing information provided will be used for that purpose only.

The Company's 20-F Report for the year ended January 31, 2022 has been filed on the US Securities and Exchange Commission's website at: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=0001319150 and is available on our website at http://www.pacificbooker.com/financials.htm .

Also, the Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at the Company's office on Thursday, July 28th, at 1:30 pm. The notice and information circular have been posted on SEDAR.

Our independent consultant, Kent Zehr, has completed a "cold eyes review" of the project (as designed in 2012) and has identified certain items that can be improved to protect the environment and improve the project. He states in a report to Management that "given that the feasibility study project design had previously been judged acceptable by the EAO and given that no material exceptions were expressed in the (February 7) rejection in 2022, it became apparent that other issues may have been at play." He also states, "that on its first proposed day of production the Morrison Mine can be one of the most modern mines, with respect to at least its equipment, in northern BC." Letters are being assembled, addressed to both government ministers and the local indigenous administration, with a view to determine what additions or amendments to the proposed project would be necessary for its approval in the near future.

If you would like to be added to or removed from our email newsgroup, please send your request by email to [email protected].

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"John Plourde"

John Plourde, Director

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129686
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 30, 2022) - Seabridge Gold (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) (the "Company") today provided the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held on June 29, 2022. A total of 44,498,539 common shares were represented at the meeting, representing 55.48% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company on the record date. All matters presented for approval at the meeting were duly authorized and approved, as follows:

Increase in the number of directors to ten; Election of all of management's nominees to the board of directors of the Company;

Director Votes For Votes Withheld Percentage For Trace J. Arlaud 32,619,829 312,505 99.05 Rudi P. Fronk 32,754,711 177,623 99.46 Eliseo Gonzalez-Urien 32,414,917 517,417 98.43 Richard C. Kraus 32,647,087 285,247 99.13 Jay S. Layman 32,458,700 473,634 98.56 Melanie R. Miller 32,637,162 295,172 99.10 Clem A. Pelletier 32,732,296 200,038 99.39 John W. Sabine 31,245,353 1,686,981 94.88 Gary A. Sugar 32,541,942 390,392 98.81 Carol T. Willson 32,641,362 290,972 99.12

Appointment of KPMG LLP as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year; Authorization of the directors to fix the auditors remuneration; Amendment of the Articles of the Company to clarify the rights and restrictions attached to the Common shares; Increase in shares reserved under security-based compensation plans.

A total of 11,566,178 shares were "non-votes" under U.S. proxy rules and were not cast with respect to the election of each of the directors or the approval of the amendment of the Articles of the Company or the increase in shares reserved for issue under the Company's security-based compensation plans.

Commenting on the AGM, Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk noted the addition of Carol Willson to the Board and welcomed her as a new director to the company. "We are delighted to have Carol Willson join our Board. Carol brings extensive mining industry experience in audit and risk assessment. During a 28-year career at Ernst & Young, and as a consultant, she has been involved in internal audit reviews, fraud investigations, capital projects, ESG and cyber security." With the addition of Carol Willson to the Board, the Company has now reached its gender diversity target of 30% of its Board members being women.

Seabridge holds a 100% interest in several North American gold projects. Seabridge's assets include the KSM and Iskut projects located in northwest British Columbia, Canada's "Golden Triangle", the Courageous Lake project located in Canada's Northwest Territories, the Snowstorm project in the Getchell Gold Belt of Northern Nevada and the 3 Aces project set in the Yukon Territory. For a full breakdown of Seabridge's Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources by category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.com.

None of the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, or their Regulation Services Providers accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Rudi Fronk"

Chairman and C.E.O.

For further information please contact:

Rudi P. Fronk, Chairman and C.E.O.

Tel: (416) 367-9292 " Fax: (416) 367-2711

Email: [email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/129648
FILE PHOTO: The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, California, U.S., September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake

By David Shepardson and Echo Wang

(Reuters) -Chinese-owned social media site TikTok told U.S. senators it was working on a final agreement with the Biden Administration that would "fully safeguard user data and U.S. national security interests," according to a TikTok letter seen Friday by Reuters.

The letter dated Thursday came in response to questions raised in a June 27 letter https://www.blunt.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/tiktok_oversight_letter.pdf by a few senators including Republicans Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz, TikTok said.

TikTok, owned by Chinese technology conglomerate ByteDance, is one of the world's most popular social media apps, with more than 1 billion active users globally. It counts the United States as its largest market.

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew told senators in the letter the short video app was working with Oracle Corp on "new advanced data security controls that we hope to finalize in the near future."

Last month, TikTok said it had completed migrating U.S. users' information to servers at Oracle but it was still using U.S. and Singapore data centers for backup.

TikTok's letter acknowledged that China-based employees "can have access to TikTok U.S. user data subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our U.S.-based security team."

TikTok said it expected "to delete U.S. users' protected data from our own systems and fully pivot to Oracle cloud servers located in the U.S."

TikTok has sent a response to the senators' letter, a company spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. "We look forward to connecting with members of Congress to discuss the substance of our letter."

TikTok is working to build U.S.-based engineering capacity to further reduce the need for data access across regions, the spokesperson added.

Senator Blackburn, of Tennessee, said TikTok "should have come clean from the start but instead tried to shroud their work in secrecy." She said TikTok needs to "come back and testify before Congress."

The TikTok letter came nearly two years after a U.S. national security panel ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok because of fears that U.S. user data could be passed on to China's communist government.

That order was not enforced after Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump as U.S. president last year. The panel, however, known as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), is still conducting a national security review of the company, according to the letter.

"We know we are among the most scrutinized platforms from a security standpoint and we aim to remove any doubt about the security of U.S. user data," the letter said.

TikTok has said in the past that employees in China have data access to U.S. user data. In a 2020 blogpost Roland Cloutier, TikTok's chief information security officer, said, "Our goal is to minimize data access across regions so that, for example, employees in the APAC region, including China, would have very minimal access to user data from the EU and US."

A BuzzFeed story in June showed ByteDance engineers in China had access to U.S. data between September 2021 and January 2022.

SHARED ALGORITHMS

The letter also said "ByteDance developed the algorithms for both Douyin and TikTok, and therefore some of the same underlying basic technology building blocks are utilized by both products." TikTok is known as Douyin in China.

But TikTok's business logic, algorithm, integration and deployment of systems is specific to the TikTok application and separate from Douyin, the letter said.

Reuters previously reported that while the code for the app, which determines the look and feel of TikTok, has been separated from Douyin, the server code was still partially shared across other ByteDance products. The server code provides basic functionality of the apps such as data storage, algorithms for moderating and recommending content and the management of user profiles.

The Chinese government took a stake and a board seat in a key ByteDance entity in 2021.

TikTok explained in its letter to the senators that its acquisition of 1% of Beijing Douyin Information Service Ltd was necessary to obtain a news license in China.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington D.C. and Echo Wang in New York; Additional reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington D.C.; Editing by Richard Chang)
The American Revolution Experience charts the journeys of 13 individuals caught up in the turmoil and ultimate triumph of America's struggle for independence

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As tensions mounted in the 13 American colonies during the 1770s, an entire generation was faced with a momentous choice: would these ordinary citizens risk rising against a great colonial power in pursuit of liberty? Or would they remain loyal subjects of the British crown, coming into conflict with neighbors and family? A new digital exhibition from the American Battlefield Trust and Daughters of the American Revolution examines the lives of 13 men and women who witnessed the dawn of a new nation, and how their decision shaped the journey they faced in those tumultuous years.

Trust President David Duncan further emphasized the role of individuals in the nation's origins. "Independence may have been declared in Philadelphia by the Declaration's 56 signers, but it was won on the battlefield with the blood of thousands of patriot soldiers. The experiences of ordinary people, soldiers and civilians alike, and what they sacrificed for the promise of a new nation must be remembered."

The American Revolution Experience marries the two organizations' respective grounding in the fascinating people and places of the Revolutionary era. It brings to life diverse viewpoints and experiences, touching on the fates of Patriots and Loyalists, men and women, Black and Native populations and even international allies. Rather than focusing only on generals and famous statesmen, it introduces audiences to drummer boys, military mapmakers and other ordinary people who were impacted by global events.

Users are invited to watch the physical journeys of the Revolution's participants unfold across the map, discover thematic connections between the lives of subjects and explore contemporary connections via namesakes, descendants and other mechanisms. The exhibit links throughout to the Trust's industry-leading battle content and makes use of incredible documents and artifacts in DAR collections. It is richly illustrated with custom, impeccably researched artwork by South Carolina artist Dale Watson.

The Trust and DAR are united in understanding the power of tangible links to the past, the way that landscapes, objects and family legacy can bind us across the centuries to the essence of the American story. Earlier this month, they came together for a symbolic planting to initiate the DAR Pathway of the Patriots, a 250-tree commemorative grove honoring individual Revolutionary War participants on one of the battlefields where they fought. In April, when the Trust announced its goal to protect 2,500 acres of Revolutionary War battlefield land during the 250th anniversary period, DAR enthusiastically embraced the vision.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With nearly 190,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org.

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America's hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 55,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-battlefield-trust-and-daughters-of-the-american-revolution-launch-digital-exhibition-exploring-people-and-places-of-the-revolutionary-war-301579715.html

SOURCE American Battlefield Trust
Join us NYC Best Cocktails and Bar Food in Astoria, Queens - Celebrate a Birthday or Special Occasion with us - Reserve Today

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Contact:Doha Bar Lounge347-848-1540[email protected]

Photo(s):https://www.prlog.org/12923238

Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-cocktails-and-bar-food-in-astoria-queens-301579541.html

SOURCE Doha Bar Lounge
HOUSTON, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Independence Contract Drilling, Inc. (the "Company" or "ICD") (NYSE: ICD) today announced that its Board of Directors elected Robert J. Barrett, IV to its Board of Directors. Mr. Barrett will serve on the Company's Audit Committee and will chair the Company's Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

Anthony Gallegos, President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I'm very pleased to welcome Bobby to ICD. Bobby brings extensive financial, operating and executive oilfield service leadership experience and skills to our Board. We are all excited to work with Bobby as we continue to execute ICD's long-term strategic initiatives".

About Robert J. Barrett, IV

Mr. Barrett has over 20 years of energy experience as an investor, operations executive, director, and advisor. Most recently, from 2017 to June 2022, Mr. Barrett was a Managing Director at Angelo Gordon in the Energy Credit strategy group. From 2008 until 2017, Mr. Barrett served as an Executive Vice President at Basin Holdings, a private holding company where he held several executive management positions, including Global Head of Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer of the rental and manufacturing divisions. Prior to Basin, Mr. Barrett was a member of Credit Suisse's Special Opportunities Group, a proprietary debt and equity investment team, and worked in investment banking at both UBS and Goldman Sachs. Mr. Barrett received a B.A. from Georgetown University and M.B.A. from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

About Independence Contract Drilling, Inc.

Independence Contract Drilling provides land-based contract drilling services for oil and natural gas producers in the United States. The Company constructs, owns and operates a fleet of pad-optimal ShaleDriller rigs that are specifically engineered and designed to accelerate its clients' production profiles and cash flows from their most technically demanding and economically impactful oil and gas properties. For more information, visit www.icdrilling.com.

INVESTOR CONTACTS:

Independence Contract Drilling, Inc.E-mail inquiries to: [email protected]Phone inquiries: (281) 598-1211

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/independence-contract-drilling-adds-robert-barrett-to-its-board-of-directors-301579035.html

SOURCE Independence Contract Drilling, Inc.
The latest JBOD provides maximum storage capacity with a flexible, remote management system and improved power redundancy at a competitive price.

TAIPEI, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Server manufacturer Inventec (TPE: 2356) unveils Mategress, the highest density storage JBOD with 42 SATA drives in a 2U enclosure to meet industry needs while improving efficiency with reduced costs.

As demands for storage skyrockets, data centers are facing space and performance concerns in delivering higher quality of service and reliability. Mategress addresses both these issues with its unique high density in a small frame, dramatically reducing the cost for storage centers.

The Inventec Mategress storage server is a standard 2U high rack mount system, supporting 42 3.5" hot-swappable Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) drives with easy serviceability. It offers a higher maximum storage capacity than other similar products with full redundancy and exible input/output (I/O) expansibility or expandability.

The Mategress features include:

42 SATA drives (3.5") in a 2U form factor: Depth 925 mm, Width 447mm, Height 86.8mm

(3.5") in a 2U form factor: Depth 925 mm, Width 447mm, Height 86.8mm Efficient management system that oers monitoring capabilities and can be accessed remotely

that oers monitoring capabilities and can be accessed remotely Easy serviceability with front serviceable hard drives and hot-pluggable fans

with front serviceable hard drives and Wide range of application support

Remote Monitoring with High Flexibility

Due to its high density, the Mategress provides diverse ways of usage tailored to the customer's needs. The price, combination of performance, and configuration flexibility are suitable for many applications that require an increased demand for high performance storage.

The Mategress' management network interface controller (NIC) is a 1G Base-T from AST2520 BMC. Inventec designed the Mategress to cater to the new post-pandemic normal of remote working, enabling data managers to both remotely monitor the system's health status and control components remotely through the baseband management controller.

Strong Power Redundancy and Reliability

Inventec Mategress features four 8056 hot-swappable dual-rotor fans with N+1 redundancy, as well as two 800W power supply units with 1+1 redundancy, ensuring data managers a high level of reliability and operability. In addition, Mategress can operate optimally between 5 and 35 Celsius.

The server's input/output (I/O) drives comprise of Mini SAS HDs, SAS Cable LEDs, HDD Fail LEDs, RJ45 with LED (Management NIC), RJ45 W/O LED (UART), Mini USB (I2C),UID Button & LED (with Reset function), Power Button & LED, as well as a Health LED.

"Mategress represents Inventec's latest innovation to cater to the increasing needs of our global clientele for larger storage capacity, high reliability, and affordability in a single compact 2U42Bay," said George Lin, VP of Business Unit VI, Inventec Enterprise Business Group (Inventec EBG).

About Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG)

Inventec Data Center Solutions (Inventec EBG) was established in 1998 and has been focusing on the design and manufacturing of server systems in Inventec Corporation. Over decades, Inventec EBG has been the key server system supplier of the global branding clients.

For more information, please visit https://ebg.inventec.com/en.

Follow "Inventec Data Center Solutions" on LinkedIn and Wechat to receive their latest news and announcements.

Inventec logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Inventec Corporation.

Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.

All trademarks and logos are the properties of their respective holders.

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SOURCE Inventec Corporation
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

Jeep brand offers Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special editions to honor servicemen and servicewomen

Military-themed exterior and interior design cues include an Oscar Mike badge, as well as an American flag decal

Winch-capable steel front bumper and steel rock rails

Jeep brand will make a $250 donation to military charities with every Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom edition sold

Orders for 2023 Freedom special editions are available this month for a limited time

As a tribute to U.S. military members, the Jeep brand is offering a military-themed, special limited-edition Freedom package for the 2023 Gladiator and Wrangler, featuring military-themed exterior and interior design cues. The Jeep brand will make a $250 donation to military charities with every Freedom edition sold.

"With our 1941 origins rooted in the military, we at the Jeep brand are proud of our heritage, and the Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom editions are a tribute to all the servicemen and servicewomen," said Jim Morrison, senior vice president and head of Jeep brand North America. "Through these special editions, this Fourth of July we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and support those who have served and continue to serve."

The Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special-edition vehicles include capability enhancements and unique exterior features, such as an Oscar Mike badge on the rear tailgate/swing gate. The 2023 Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom editions also feature LED headlamps and fog lamps, body-color fender flares, winch-capable steel front bumper, steel rock rails, black wheels and accents and an American flag decal along the side of each vehicle. Inside, the Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special editions boast leather-trimmed cloth seats and black accent stitching.

All active and recently retired service members also qualify for $500 military bonus cash for 2023 Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special editions.

Available for a limited time, orders will open for both Freedom special editions later this month, with vehicles scheduled to start arriving to Jeep dealers in time for Veterans Day. The Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom editions are available on the Sport S trim at a package price of $3,295.

Both Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler Freedom special editions come standard with the Jeep Wave customer service program. The premium owner loyalty program is filled with exciting benefits and exclusive perks, including:

Three years of worry-free maintenance at Jeep dealerships

24/7 support via phone or online chat

Vehicle protection including 24/7 roadside assistance and first-day loaner coverage

VIP access to select, exclusive Jeep brand events

Jeep BrandBuilt on 80 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV brand that brings capability, craftsmanship and versatility to people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a broad portfolio of vehicles that continues to provide owners with a sense of safety and security to handle any journey with confidence. The Jeep vehicle range consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, new three-row Grand Cherokee L, Grand Cherokee 4xe, Renegade and Wrangler and Wrangler 4xe. Jeep Wave, a premium owner loyalty and customer care program that is available to the entire Jeep 4x4 lineup, is filled with benefits and exclusive perks to deliver Jeep brand owners the utmost care and dedicated 24/7 support. The legendary Jeep brand's off-road capability is enhanced by a global electrification initiative that is transforming 4xe into new 4x4 in pursuit of the brand's vision of accomplishing Zero Emission Freedom. All Jeep brand SUVs will offer an electrified variant by 2025.

Follow Jeep and company news and video on:Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.comMedia website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.comJeep brand: www.jeep.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/jeep Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeep Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeepLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/jeepYouTube: www.youtube.com/thejeepchannel or https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

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SOURCE Stellantis
WESTPORT, Conn., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LCR Capital Partners is happy to announce that Bassel Sweid has agreed to join LCR as our Director of Corporate Development.

Bassel will help drive LCR's growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as the point of contact for clients and channel partners in the region, in addition to exploring new potential markets and attractive investment opportunities for LCR.

"Bassel joins the LCR team with over 10 years of professional investment experience, including working with immigration investments and international real estate. As someone who has focused much of his professional career on high-net-worth families, Bassel makes an excellent addition to the firm and shows our commitment to having advisors in the region to assist our clients as they explore global opportunities," said Sherman Baldwin, CEO of LCR Capital Partners.

Prior to joining LCR Capital, Bassel worked at Holborn Assets and Citizenship Invest. He has raised more than USD 50 million of capital for government funds and international real estate transactions that provide clients the Portuguese Golden Visa. Bassel's experience also involves setting up marketing strategies, business plans, developing training programs, and working with teams of investment advisors.

"I am impressed with the caliber of LCR's executives and its professional networks. The company has an excellent reputation and really thinks about the whole family when presenting its offerings. I also love that they think about how technology can make investing easier. I look forward to being part of the team," Bassel said.

Suresh Rajan, Founder and Executive Chairman of LCR Capital Partners, observed, "This is a great moment for the industry and for our firm. Two of our immigration investment offerings, the US EB-5 visa program and the Portugal Golden Visa program, have been recently reformed and are accepting new investors. We have also expanded with new services, including LCR Wealth and International Investors Mortgage, to help global families. Investing globally is a significant decision, and advisors like Bassel who can explain the process and benefits make a big difference. I'm sure he will represent the firm well in the region."

Originally from Austria, Bassel is a native Arabic speaker, is proficient in English, and has been based in Dubai for the last 12 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in software engineering.

About LCR Capital Partners

LCR Capital Partners is a private investment and advisory services firm that serves families interested in global opportunities. Founded in 2012, the firm's primary focus is working with clients interested in immigrant investor programs. LCR has helped over 850 clients move to the United States via the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa, which grants investors and their immediate family members US green cards. LCR also works with the E-2 Investor Visa, the Portuguese Golden Visa, and Grenada's Citizenship by Investment program, which are all government-approved investments. Through its affiliates, International Investors Mortgage and LCR Wealth Management, the firm also offers US loan solutions and wealth management to foreign nationals moving to the United States. LCR has built long-term, trust-based relationships with a global client base of high-net-worth families in over 30 countries around the world. LCR is headquartered in Westport, CT, and has teams in Miami, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Dubai, Singapore, and Mumbai.

Website: http://www.lcrcapital.com

Press contact:John M. BakerCMO, LCR Capital Partners LLC[email protected] +1 (203) 883-1940

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SOURCE LCR Capital Partners
IRVINE, Calif., July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total June sales of 15,130 vehicles, a decrease of 53.6 percent compared to June 2021. Year-to-date sales totaled 142,803 vehicles; a decrease of 24.5 percent compared to the same time last year. With 26 selling days in June, compared to 25 the year prior, the company posted a decrease of 55.4 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.

CPO sales totaled 4,121 vehicles in June, a decrease of 31 percent compared to June 2021.

Mazda Canada, Inc., (MCI) reported June sales of 3,419 vehicles, a decrease of 49.8 percent compared to June last year. Year-to-date sales decreased 17.5 percent, with 22,892 vehicles sold.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported June sales of 2,479 vehicles, a decrease of 25.4 percent compared to June last year. Year-to-date sales decreased 32.7 percent, with 16,421 vehicles sold.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts, and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, and Mexico through approximately 780 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at News.MazdaUSA.com.

Follow MNAO's social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.

Month-To-Date Year-To-Date June June YOY % % MTD June June YOY % % MTD 2022 2021 Change DSR 2022 2021 Change DSR Mazda3 865 3,323 (74.0) % (75.0) % 14,855 21,634 (31.3) % (31.8) % Mazda 3 Sdn 576 1,960 (70.6) % (71.7) % 6046 13,716 (55.9) % (56.2) % Mazda 3 HB 289 1,363 (78.8) % (79.6) % 8809 7,918 11.3 % 10.5 % Mazda6 0 1,889 (100.0) % (100.0) % 334 10,026 (96.7) % (96.7) % MX-5 Miata 132 1,227 (89.2) % (89.7) % 2,800 6,677 (58.1) % (58.3) % MX-5 65 497 (86.9) % (87.4) % 973 2,694 (63.9) % (64.1) % MXR 67 730 (90.8) % (91.2) % 1827 3,983 (54.1) % (54.4) % CX-3 - 667 - - - 4,040 - - CX-30 4,733 5,824 (18.7) % (21.9) % 21727 33,904 (35.9) % (36.3) % CX-5 6,654 16,393 (59.4) % (61.0) % 81804 92,620 (11.7) % (12.3) % CX-9 1,157 3,282 (64.7) % (66.1) % 16180 20,265 (20.2) % (20.7) % CX-50 1,566 0 - - 4787 0 - - MX-30 23 0 - - 316 0 - - CARS 997 6,439 (84.5) % (85.1) % 17,989 38,337 (53.1) % (53.4) % TRUCKS 14,133 26,166 (46.0) % (48.1) % 124,814 150,830 (17.2) % (17.8) % TOTAL 15,130 32,605 (53.6) % (55.4) % 142,803 189,167 (24.5) % (25.0) % *Selling Days 26 25 152 151

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SOURCE Mazda North American Operations
SACRAMENTO, Calif. , June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition today praised California Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature for agreeing to a record $300 billion state budget that includes $4.2 billion in critical funding to advance the state's high-speed rail project.

"California's political leaders listened to voters and stepped up for the future of high-speed rail," said Ray LaHood.

The State Senate and Assembly passed the budget late Wednesday and sent it to the Governor for signing.

The agreement on a multi-year funding plan signals growing momentum for high-speed rail in California. And it comes as high-speed rail projects around the country are advancing and as Congress considers the pending budget reconciliation bill, which includes $10 billion in dedicated funding for high-speed rail projects.

Additional budget support for high-speed rail in California comes as U.S. consumers are growing increasingly frustrated with spiraling gas prices as well as exorbitant airline ticket prices, flight cancellations and delays.

The $4.2 billion will go toward completion of electrified high-speed rail service between Merced and Bakersfield in California's Central Valley. In addition to funding for high-speed rail, the state budget for FY 2022-23 includes $10.8 billion in major transit investments and other transportation funding.

Also included in the budget is the appointment of an Inspector General to conduct audits and reviews and provide oversight of the high-speed rail project.

"California's political leaders listened to voters and stepped up for the future of high-speed rail," said Ray LaHood, former U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary and Coalition Co-Chair. "I am gratified that funding for this critical legacy project will be expanded, creating new job opportunities and leading the way not only for California but for the country."

A recent UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll showed that 56% of California voters continue to back construction of high-speed rail, 14 years after voters approved Proposition 1A to launch the project. The $4.2 billion is part of the original bond funding from Prop. 1A.

Over the past four months, the Coalition has mobilized its members to advocate for greater funding for high-speed rail in California. In a letter to Senate and Assembly leaders, the Coalition urged them to approve the $4.2 billion appropriation and give "the Biden Administration an incentive to provide significant federal investments for the project."

The letter was signed by LaHood; Coalition Co-Chairs, former U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and California High Speed Rail Authority Chair Emeritus Rod Diridon; and leading businesses, unions and industry and nonprofit organizations.

Completing high-speed rail in California is critical to ensure mobility for the state's growing populationprojected to reach 50 million by 2050to reduce toxic carbon emissions and to meet its ambitious clean-energy goals. Transportation accounts for 40% of California's carbon emissions; high-speed rail will remove the equivalent of more than 400,000 cars from roads each year, while helping to end dependence on fossil fuels. Any alternative to a statewide high-speed rail network, such as adding freeway lanes or airport runways, would cost more than twice as much as high-speed rail and dramatically increase carbon emissions.

SOURCE U.S. HIGH SPEED RAIL COALITION
TSX and OTCQX: MPVD

TORONTO and NEW YORK, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. ("Mountain Province", the "Company") (TSX: MPVD) (OTCQX: MPVD) announces that the nominees listed in the management proxy circular for the 2022 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders ("Annual Meeting") were elected as directors of the Company. Detailed results of the vote for the election of directors held at the virtual Annual Meeting on June 30, 2022 are set out below.

Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Jonathan Comerford 89,625,741 95.74 % 3,990,735 4.26 % Mark Wall 89,985,292 96.12 % 3,631,184 3.88 % Brett Desmond 89,961,169 96.10 % 3,655,307 3.90 % Karen Goracke 93,290,789 99.65 % 325,687 0.35 % Daniel Johnson 93,290,020 99.65 % 326,456 0.35 % Ken Robertson 93,168,177 99.52 % 448,299 0.48 % Kelly Stark-Anderson 93,241,874 99.60 % 374,602 0.40 %

At the Annual Meeting, KPMG LLP were re-appointed as auditor of the Company at remuneration to be fixed by the directors.

About the Company

Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kue diamond mine located in Canada's Northwest Territories. The Gahcho Kue Joint Venture property consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls 106,202 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases that surround the Gahcho Kue Mine Joint Venture property that include an indicated mineral resource for the Kelvin kimberlite and inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites.

For further information on Mountain Province Diamonds and to receive news releases by email, visit the Company's website at www.mountainprovince.com.

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding Mountain Province's mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Matthew MacPhail, P.Eng., MBA, and Tom E. McCandless, Ph.D., P.Geo., both employees of Mountain Province Diamonds and Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking InformationThis news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to operational hazards, including possible disruption due to pandemic such as COVID-19, its impact on travel, self-isolation protocols and business and operations, estimated production and mine life of the project of Mountain Province; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; the future price of diamonds; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the ability to manage debt; capital expenditures; the ability to obtain permits for operations; liquidity; tax rates; and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Mountain Province, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Mountain Province and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include the development of operation hazards which could arise in relation to COVID-19, including, but not limited to protocols which may be adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and any impact of such protocols on Mountain Province's business and operations, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in market conditions, changes in project parameters, mine sequencing; production rates; cash flow; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental approvals; supply of, and demand for, diamonds; fluctuating commodity prices and currency exchange rates, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Mountain Province's most recent Annual Information Form and in the most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR, which also provide additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Mountain Province cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Mountain Province believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Mountain Province has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Mountain Province undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Further, Mountain Province may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. The principal assets of Mountain Province are administered pursuant to a joint venture under which Mountain Province is not the operator. Mountain Province is exposed to actions taken or omissions made by the operator within its prerogative and/or determinations made by the joint venture under its terms. Such actions or omissions may impact the future performance of Mountain Province. Under its current note and revolving credit facilities Mountain Province is subject to certain limitations on its ability to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration of dividends is at the discretion of Mountain Province's Board of Directors, subject to the limitations under the Company's debt facilities, and will depend on Mountain Province's financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mountain-province-diamonds-announces-results-of-annual-general-meeting-of-shareholders-301579199.html

SOURCE Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.
GUANGZHOU, China, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Onion Global Limited ("Onion Global", the "Group" or the "Company") (NYSE: OG), a next-generation lifestyle brand platform that incubates, markets, and distributes the world's fresh, fashionable, and future brands to young people in China and across Asia, today announced that it generated over RMB14.8 million in GMV within the first three days of its 2022 Luca Brand Shopping Festival. To address the rapidly evolving needs and expectations of the younger generation, Luca Brand Shopping Festival, one of Onion Global's key promotional events of the year, brings together a collection of "fresh, fashionable and future" high-growth brands designed specifically for Gen Z. Onion Global has been implementing the Luca Brand portfolio strategy since 2018, currently consisting of over 40 new-consumption brands spanning across daily necessities, food, beauty, and healthcare to meet the diversified needs of young consumers. The twelve-day Shopping Festival started on June 17, 2022 and continued until June 29, 2022.

Highlights for the first three days during the 2022 Luca Brand Shopping Festival

The total GMV during the first three days was over RMB14.8 million, and the total number of orders was over 30,000;

More than 700 Standard Product Units (SPUs) offered by 36 brands participated in the Luca Brand Shopping Festival this year;

The total number of buyers exceeded 19,000 with a repurchase rate of higher than 31%;

Mr. Cong (Kenny) Li, Founder, and CEO of Onion Global commented, "As part of our core strategy, the Luca Brand portfolio has helped Onion Global build emotional and personal connections with the younger generation, especially Gen Z, and respond to the ever-changing consumption environment. We believe with new demands bring new opportunities, and the diversification of consumer demand under the new consumption trend will undoubtedly change the landscape of new consumption brands. Against this backdrop, Onion Global helps brands adjust their marketing strategies to keep up with the consumption concepts of the new generation. For example, we helped Baiyunshan Wanglaoji, a functional drinking product, launch a new type of sugar-free and sparkling herbal tea to fit into diverse catering scenarios. We also incubated Soul Mui, a fruit wine brand featuring Chinese cultural elements, to target the alcopop and low alcoholic beverage market favored by the younger generation. This April, we launched Eyelicious, an eye fashion brand, to take advantage of the booming eye makeup market fueled by the regular wearing of face masks. Onion Global will capitalize on the new consumption trends and continue to work with its partners across the value chain, incubating and developing more trendy brands and products, and expand the Luca Brand categories further."

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, the Company's forecasts, general observation of the industry, and business outlook, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expects," "anticipates," "target," "aim," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "potential," "estimates" "continue," "is/are likely to," or other similar statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Onion Global's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Onion Global does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

About Onion Global Limited

Onion Global Limited (NYSE: OG) is a next-generation lifestyle brand platform that incubates, markets, and distributes the world's fresh, fashionable, and future brands, which we refer to as "3F brands," to young people in China and across Asia. The Company's mission is to be the dream factory of lifestyle brands for young people. The Company's platform offers an integrated solution to develop, market, and distribute new and inspiring branded products, thereby reshaping the lifestyle shopping and consumer culture in China. Onion Global Limited has been listed on New York Stock Exchange since May 2021.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.msyc.com/.

Investor Relations ContactIn China:Onion Global Ltd.Investor RelationsE-mail: [email protected]

ChristensenMr. Eric YuanE-mail: [email protected]Tel: +86-10-5900-1548

In the United States:ChristensenMs. Linda BergkampE-mail: [email protected]Tel: +1-480-614-3004

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/onion-global-surpasses-rmb14-8-million-in-gmv-for-the-first-three-days-during-the-2022-luca-brand-shopping-festival-301579426.html

SOURCE Onion Global Limited
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lance Zaal, veteran, entrepreneur and owner of US Ghost Adventures, today announced the launch of Ghosts of Liberty, a private group of U.S. veterans formed to support volunteers in Ukraine through financing supplies and equipment and providing training.

Ghosts of Liberty's mission is to equip and train small groups of Ukrainians to defend themselves and their families

Ghosts of Liberty's mission is to equip and train small groups of Ukrainians with the means to defend themselves and their families; and to financially assist veterans who want to aid in training or fighting. The organization has been privately funded by Zaal but is accepting donations and volunteers at ghostsofliberty.com.

"There are times when we must act, no matter how small, to defend against the evils of our time," commented Zaal. "Putin aims to rebuild the Russian Empire, starting by erasing the Ukrainian identity and people. As Ukrainians continue to fight for their right to exist, they need all the help they can get. We can make a difference. I'm happy to do my part to support Ukraine."

Shortly after the invasion, Zaal made donations to the country's defense fund and searched for other ways to help, like purchasing first aid kits and other supplies. After discussing the needs with his friend in Ukraine, Ivan, whom he graduated from business school with in 2012, he created Ghosts of Liberty.

Ivan, a real estate developer, was living in Kyiv with his wife and two children until the invasion when they left the country and Ivan was called into the Territorial Defense forces. He was given a brief, several day introduction course, a rifle, and some ammunition. Because of his Marine Corps experience, Zaal was asked to do more than provide support from afar, but to come to Ukraine and train Ivan's group and an Army contingent. Through Ivan, Lance was introduced to a member of the Ukrainian Parliament working with Ukrainian Special Forces and Alpha Group, and a Ukrainian Spetsnaz group focusing on counterintelligence and combat operations. To support Ivan and the local forces, Lance went on to train 80 men in both the Army and Territorial Defense Forces, and supply 80 sets of plate carriers equipped with magazine pouches, first aid kits, grenade pouches, body armor, and some Kevlar helmets. To support the Special Forces, he purchased night vision scopes for their machine guns and rifles, bipods, and more.

After returning to the U.S. in late April, after spending a month in Ukraine and financing over $40,000 in supplies, Zaal knew he needed to find a way to continue to help.

"During my visit in Ukraine, I helped lead a three-week training course focused on infantry skills. I was honored to have the opportunity to get to know the men and learn Ukrainian culture, history, and perspectives," said Zaal. "I'm proud of the progress they made, humbled by their courage, and saddened by their sacrifices. Watching the men make what may be their final goodbyes to their children and wives felt unfair as I was leaving. I originally wanted to keep Ghosts of Liberty quiet, but now we're seeking more support from the public as the conflict continues."

Zaal served in the Marine Corps infantry from 2002 to 2006 and completed three deployments, including two in Iraq. Later, Zaal graduated Cum Laude from The College of William and Mary in 2009, where he studied International Relations and Economics. He later earned a master's in business from the College in 2012, where he met Ivan. Before starting his business, he worked for Booz Allen Hamilton and Oracle Corporation.

About Ghosts of Liberty

Ghosts of Liberty is a private group of U.S. veterans who believe in liberty and the freedom of people everywhere from tyranny. The group is actively working to supply and train small numbers of citizens in Ukraine with the means to defend themselves and their families. While government aid has been great, there are still many Ukrainians without access to arms, supplies, and specialized training. Ghosts of Liberty hopes to address that gap by training the trainers and empowering small teams with what they desperately need to help fight back.For more information or to support the Ukraine effort, visit GhostsofLiberty.com.

Photo Resources available upon request.

Press Contact:Kristen Pollock[email protected]407.757.7673

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SOURCE US Ghost Adventures LLC
NEW YORK, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Voyager Digital LLC, the operating platform of Voyager Digital Ltd. ("Voyager" or the "Company") (TSX: VOYG) (OTCQX: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2), announced it is temporarily suspending trading, deposits, withdrawals and loyalty rewards, effective at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time today.

"This was a tremendously difficult decision, but we believe it is the right one given current market conditions," said Stephen Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer of Voyager. "This decision gives us additional time to continue exploring strategic alternatives with various interested parties while preserving the value of the Voyager platform we have built together. We will provide additional information at the appropriate time."

Voyager previously announced that its subsidiary, Voyager Digital LLC, issued a notice of default to Three Arrows Capital ("3AC") for failure to make the required payments on its previously disclosed loan of 15,250 BTC and $350 million USDC. Voyager is actively pursuing all available remedies for recovery from 3AC, including through the court-ordered liquidation process in the British Virgin Islands.

To support its exploration of strategic alternatives, the Company has engaged Moelis & Company and The Consello Group as financial advisors, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal advisors.

Voyager also provided the following financial and balance sheet updates, per requirements of Canadian Securities Laws. All figures are preliminary, non-reviewed and unaudited and subject to final adjustments following completion of quarterly and year-end close procedures.

June 30, 2022 Crypto assets held (in thousands) $ 685,373 Crypto assets loaned (in thousands) $ 1,124,825 A Cash held for customers (in thousands) $ 355,725 Crypto collateral received/ held (in thousands) $ 168,685

Note A: The balance includes $350 million of USDC and 15,250 BTC loaned to Three Arrows Capital.

As of June 30, 2022, crypto assets loaned consisted of the following (in thousands, except for number of coins):

June 30, 2022 Number of Coins Fair Value Fair Value Share BTC 21,796 $ 434,779 39 % B USDC 401,762,866 401,763 36 % C ETH 170,336 182,160 16 % Other 106,123 9 % Total $ 1,124,825 100 %

Note B: Includes 15,250 BTC loaned to Three Arrows Capital.

Note C: Includes $350 million USDC loaned to Three Arrows Capital.

As of June 30, 2022, crypto assets loaned disaggregated by significant borrowing counterparty was as follows (in thousands) (refer to prior filings for comparative information):

June 30, 2022 Borrowing Rates June 30, 2022 Counterparty A 1% - 11.5% $ 376,784 Counterparty B 3% - 10% 654,195 Counterparty C 4% - 13.5% 17,556 Counterparty D 1% - 14% 27,342 Counterparty E 1% - 30% 34,427 Counterparty F 0 % - Counterparty G 10.0 % 13,770 Other 4% - 8% 751 Total $ 1,124,825

As of June 30, 2022, crypto assets loaned balances were concentrated with counterparties as follows (refer to prior filings for comparative information):

Geography June 30, 2022 Counterparty A British Virgin Islands $ 376,784 Counterparty B Singapore 654,195 D Counterparty C United States 17,556 Counterparty D United Kingdom 27,342 Counterparty E Canada 34,427 Counterparty F United States - Counterparty G United States 13,770 Other Various 751 Total $ 1,124,825

Note D: Represents amount loaned to Three Arrows Capital.

About Voyager Digital Ltd.

Voyager Digital Ltd.'s (TSX: VOYG) (OTCQX: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2) US subsidiary, Voyager Digital, LLC, is a cryptocurrency platform in the United States founded in 2018 to bring choice, transparency, and cost-efficiency to the marketplace. Voyager offers a secure way to trade over 100 different crypto assets using its easy-to-use mobile application. Through its subsidiary Coinify ApS, Voyager provides crypto payment solutions for both consumers and merchants around the globe. To learn more about the company, please visit https://www.investvoyager.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the exploration of strategic alternatives, discussions with third parties in respect of strategic alternatives and the results of those discussions, the temporary nature of the suspension of the platform, future growth and performance of the business, the exploration of strategic alternatives, future adoption of digital assets, anticipated trends and challenges in our business and industry, the regulation of digital assets offerings, the availability of the credit agreement, the impact of the 3AC default on the Company, including its ability to utilized the credit agreement, the Company's liquidity and ability to satisfy customer orders and withdrawals and the Company's anticipated results may constitute forward looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements), which can be identified by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "intend," "continue" or "believe" (or the negatives) or other similar variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Voyager's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any of its future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. It is uncertain what amount Voyager will be able to recover from 3AC for non-payment and whether the default of 3AC will constitute a default under its credit agreement or the legal remedies available to Voyager in connection with such non-payment or the impact on the future business, cash flows, liquidity and prospects of Voyager as a result of 3AC's non-payment. Forward looking statements are subject to the risk that the global economy, industry, or the Company's businesses and investments do not perform as anticipated, that revenue or expenses estimates may not be met or may be materially less or more than those anticipated, that parties to whom the Company lends assets are able to repay such loans in full and in a timely manner, that trading momentum does not continue or the demand for trading solutions declines, customer acquisition does not increase as planned, product and international expansion do not occur as planned, risks of compliance with laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to the business and those other risks contained in the Company's public filings, including in its Management Discussion and Analysis and its Annual Information Form (AIF). Factors that could cause actual results of the Company and its businesses to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the results from the exploration of strategic alternatives, the inability to resume trading, deposits, withdrawals and rewards on the platform in a timely manner, an inability to drawdown under the credit facility or access other sources of financing, an increase in customer demands for withdrawals from the platform, any insolvency or similar proceedings with respect to 3AC, our ability to find a strategic alternative, a decline in the digital asset market or general economic conditions; changes in laws or approaches to regulation, the failure or delay in the adoption of digital assets and the blockchain ecosystem by institutions; changes in the volatility of crypto currency, changes in demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum, changes in the status or classification of cryptocurrency assets, cybersecurity breaches, a delay or failure in developing infrastructure for the trading businesses or achieving mandates and gaining traction; failure to grow assets under management, an adverse development with respect to an issuer or party to the transaction or failure to obtain a required regulatory approval. Readers are cautioned that Assets on Platform and trading volumes fluctuate and may increase and decrease from time to time and that such fluctuations are beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements, past and present performance and trends are not guarantees of future performance, accordingly, you should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, current or past performance, or current or past trends. Information identifying assumptions, risks, and uncertainties relating to the Company are contained in its filings with the Canadian securities regulators available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements in this press release are applicable only as of the date of this release or as of the date specified in the relevant forward-looking statement and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after that date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. The Company assumes no obligation to provide operational updates, except as required by law. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements, unless required by law. Readers are cautioned that past performance is not indicative of future performance. There is no assurance that the funds available under the loan agreement will be available or, even if available will, together with any other assets of Voyager be sufficient to safeguard assets.

The TSX has not approved or disapproved of the information contained herein.

Press Contacts

Voyager Digital, Ltd.

Voyager Public Relations Team[email protected]

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SOURCE Voyager Digital Ltd.
A recent update to Air Force personnel policy has made discharge from the service the default consequence for sexual assault convictions.

The Air Force significantly narrowed the criteria allowing members found guilty of sexual assault to remain in the military, according to an internal guidance document published June 24.

These revisions will significantly improve our ability to discharge those unworthy of calling themselves airmen and guardians, Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones said in a statement.

Officials are no longer allowed to consider personal, family or financial circumstances, medical or mental health or even good character or service record when making their discharge decision, the service said in a statement.

Mental health factors and military service may be considered only when it comes to the characterization of the final discharge.

Under the new guidance, commanders are mandated to initiate discharge proceedings on members found guilty of sexual assault.

Service members facing the new default discharge for sexual assault must prove that exception criteria exist to receive consideration for a lesser consequence.

However, no exceptions will be granted in cases of sexual assault against a child. The previous policy allowed airmen to remain in service if the conduct was not likely to recur, a threshold service officials found too subjective.

In addition, members will be denied retention if they have had other substantiated allegations of sexual assault against them, assaulted a victim who was incapable of consenting, used violence during an assault or used their position or rank against a victim.

These new objective criteria reflect our commitment to justice for sexual assault survivors and accountability of offenders, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a statement June 24. We are determined to maintain a culture of respect for the safety, dignity and personal boundaries of every airmen, guardian and civil servant.

The Air Force consistently has the lowest sexual assault rates among the services, according to Defense Department data.
WASHINGTON  The Navy enacted two new policies this week to help break down institutional barriers that once made reporting sexual assaults more difficult, according to the service.

The first  dubbed the Safe-to-Report policy  protects sailors, Marines and U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen reporting incidences of sexual assault from being disciplined for minor misconduct in which they might have participated while they were victimized, according to one of the new policies.

The idea is to encourage victims to report their assaults without fear of punishment for behavior that might be discovered in an ensuing investigation, such as an underage drinking, curfew violations or having an unprofessional relationship with the accused, the Navy said in a statement issued Friday.

Choosing to report a sexual assault is already a major decision for a survivor. It is a first step to accessing the services they need and the justice they deserve. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in the statement. Removing this barrier empowers victims and survivors  they should not have to choose whether to implicate themselves by reporting a crime committed against them.

Before the Safe-to-Report policy, which went into effect Wednesday, victims may have had to choose whether to implicate themselves for misconduct by reporting an assault, according to the Navy.

Collateral misconduct by the victim of a sexual assault is one of the most significant barriers to reporting because of the victims fear of punishment, Navy Force Resiliency assistant director Andrea Goldstein said in the statement. Were committed to removing barriers to reporting, restoring victims trust, and improving victim care.

While commanding officers can now spare disciplinary action for victims in such cases, they can still take nondisciplinary administrative actions if warranted, such as referring a victim to substance abuse treatment, according to the policy.

Also Wednesday, the Navy implemented a new No Wrong Door policy aimed at ensuring victims of sexual assault seeking help dont fall through the cracks by attempting to seek care from an office or agency that might not be the right fit for their needs.

Before the policy, finding the right care could be confusing because the Navy offers a host of victim care services from multiple offices, including the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, Family Advocacy Program, Military Equal Opportunity Program, Victim Witness Assistance Program, medical professionals, Victims Legal Counsel and chaplains, according to the service.

Individuals who experience sexual assault, sexual harassment, or domestic abuse should receive the care and support they need -- without delay, said Ashish Vazirani, interim director of the Navy Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment and Suicide Prevention and Response Office. Regardless of which supporting professional they contact, the answer should be, 'I will help you.

The policy now requires Navy personnel in care and support offices to ensure victims get a warm hand-off to the appropriate service provider, according to the policy.

This warm hand-off will include direct connection, introduction to the responsible staff, and follow-through to ensure the needs of the person seeking care are met, the Navy said in the statement.
CAIRO  Thousands took to the streets Friday in Sudan's capital, a day after nine people were killed in demonstrations against the country's ruling generals.

The United States and others in the international community condemned the violence in this East African nation, which has been rocked by near-weekly protests since an Oct. 25 coup upended its fragile transition to democracy.

The rallies on Thursdays were the largest seen in months. Sudanese military authorities have met the protests with a deadly crackdown, which has so far killed 113 people, including 18 children.

In and near Khartoum, large funeral marches took place for some of those killed the day before, while others gathered after Friday prayers at mosques in the country's capital. Online, photographs of the dead were posted, in some cases in an effort to identify them.

The Sudan's Doctors Committee, a medical group that monitors casualties from demonstrations, said security forces shot and killed nine people, including a child, in or near Khartoum during the rallies on Thursday. The demonstrations coincided with widespread internet disruptions. Internet monitors and activists say the government has crippled communications to prevent gatherings and slow the spread of news on days when large protest turnout is expected.

Sudan's leading pro-democracy groups  Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change and the Resistance Committees  had called for nationwide protest against the coup. The takeover upended the country's short-lived transition to democracy following the 2019 ouster of longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir.

Since the coup, the U.N. political mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the eight-nation east African regional Intergovernmental Authority in Development group have been trying to broker a way out of the political impasse. But talks have yielded no results so far.

In a joint statement tweeted Friday the three bodies expressed "disappointment over the continued use of excessive force by security forces and lack of accountability for such actions, despite repeated commitments by authorities."

Thursday's protests also fell on the third anniversary of a 2019 mass rally that forced the generals to sit down at the negotiating table with pro-democracy groups and eventually sign a power-sharing agreement that was expected to govern Sudan during a transitional period, until general elections were to be held. The coup last October scuttled this arrangement.

Western governments have repeatedly called on the generals to allow for peaceful protests, but have also angered the protest movement for sometimes engaging with the leading generals. Pro-democracy leaders call for the generals to leave power immediately.

"We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of life in yesterday's protests," the U.S. Embassy in Sudan said in a statement Friday. "We urge all parties to resume negotiations and call on peaceful voices to rise above those who advocate for or commit violence."

Police said Friday an investigation was launched after a video circulated online, appearing to show security forces prodding and kicking a badly injured protester in the street the day before. According to pro-democracy groups, the protester later died. In a statement released on the website of the country's state-run news agency, police said the video shows security personnel violating orders to not approach demonstrations with firearms. It said those involved would be held accountable.

The country's interior ministry, which oversees the police, has continuously denied the use of live fire on protesters, despite evidence from activists and pro-democracy groups to the opposite.
SAN ANTONIO  The tractor-trailer at the center of a human-smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead had passed through an inland U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint with migrants inside the sweltering rig earlier in its journey, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The truck went through the checkpoint on Interstate 35 located 26 miles northeast of the border city of Laredo, Texas.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said there were 73 people in the truck when it was discovered Monday in San Antonio, including the 53 who died. It was unclear if agents stopped the driver for questioning at the inland checkpoint or if the truck went through unimpeded.

The disclosure brings new attention to an old policy question of whether the roughly 110 inland highway checkpoints along the Mexican and Canadian borders are sufficiently effective at spotting people in cars and trucks who enter the United States illegally. They are generally located up to 100 miles from the border.

Texas state police also announced they would operate their own inland checkpoints for tractor-trailers on the orders of Gov. Greg Abbott, who considers the Biden administration's efforts insufficient. It was unclear how many trucks they would be stopping.

Also Thursday, Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, the alleged driver of the tractor-trailer, made his initial appearance in San Antonio federal court. During a hearing that lasted about five minutes, Zamorano, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, said very little, giving yes and no answers to questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney about his rights and the charges against him.

The judge appointed a federal public defender for Zamorano as well as a second attorney since the smuggling charge he faces carries a possible death sentence. She scheduled a hearing next week to determine if he is eligible for bail.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that Border Patrol agents may stop vehicles at inland checkpoints for brief questioning without a warrant, even if there is no reason to believe that they are carrying people in the country illegally. Still, the practice has galvanized immigration advocates and civil libertarians who consider checkpoints ripe for racial profiling and abuse of authority. Some motorists post videos to social media accusing agents of heavy-handed, inappropriate questioning.

The Laredo-area checkpoint is on one of the busiest highways along the border, particularly for trucks, raising the possibility of choking commerce and creating havoc if every motorist is stopped and questioned.

Border Patrol officials call the checkpoints an imperfect but effective second line of defense after the border, acknowledging that agents must balance law enforcement interests with disrupting legitimate commerce and travel.

Volume and configuration vary widely among checkpoints, but agents generally have five to seven seconds to decide whether to question a driver, said Roy Villareal, former chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson, Arizona, sector.

Ultimately, it's very difficult to ascertain with crime in general. It's hard to say whether you're 100% effective, 50%, 10%."

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who drives through the checkpoint almost weekly, said investigators believe the migrants boarded the truck in or around Laredo, though that is unconfirmed. That would be consistent with smuggling patterns: migrants cross the border on foot and hide in a house or in shrubbery on U.S. soil before getting picked up and taken to the nearest major city.

Even if the truck were empty, it would raise questions about the checkpoints. Migrants often perish trying to circumvent them, getting dropped off before reaching them with plans to get picked up on the other side. In Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, migrants walk through sweltering ranches to avoid a checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas, about 70 miles north of the border.

The Government Accountability Office reported this month that agents at inland checkpoints detained about 35,700 people believed to be in the U.S. illegally from the 2016 to 2020 fiscal years, only about 2% of all Border Patrol arrests. Agents seized drugs nearly 18,000 times during that period with more than nine of 10 arrests involving U.S. citizens.

They have been a trap for U.S. citizens carrying even small bags of marijuana. About 40% of pot seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from fiscal years 2013 to 2016 were an ounce (28 grams) or less from U.S. citizens, according to an earlier GAO report.

Abbott did not provide details on the extent of Texas' new inland inspections announced Thursday. Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said troopers would take a more aggressive stance. Asked if that meant stopping every truck, Olivarez said he did not know and that it would partly depend on staffing.

Its going to be inspecting more than what we usually inspect, Olivarez said.

In April, Abbott gridlocked Texas border for a week after issuing orders that troopers inspect every tractor-trailer entering from Mexico as part of his ongoing fight with the Biden administration over immigration policy. Those inspections, which were mechanical and safety inspections, did not turn up any migrants or drugs.

___

Spagat reported from San Diego. Paul Weber contributed from Austin, Texas.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  The Army is transitioning to a Stryker brigade combat team this fall as its rotational force in South Korea in place of its armored brigade combat team.

The change will enable the U.S. to maintain capabilities on the Korean Peninsula to respond to any acts of aggression, according to an Army news release Friday.

Armored brigade combat teams have traditionally served in South Korea in nine-month increments. The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, out of Fort Bliss, Texas, is currently mobilized to South Korea.

Stryker brigade combat teams consist of roughly 4,000 soldiers and typically operate with less resources and in more adverse terrain and weather than armored teams. They are structured around the eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles that range in configuration based on their mission, such as fire support or reconnaissance.

The existing equipment from the armored brigade combat teams will be maintained and put in a ready state as part of the Armys defense posture in South Korea, the news release said.

Eighth Army, the U.S. field army in South Korea, did not immediately comment on which Stryker team would deploy to South Korea and for how long. The change follows the Army decision in June to designate 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Alaska as the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth in May said the Army may potentially move its existing Strykers from Alaska.

We have not made a final decision about that, Wormuth told Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. But if we do that, we will basically take them and look at the ones we can re-use elsewhere or use for parts.

Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, most of them in Camp Humphreys, about 40 miles south of Seoul.
By Zhu Ri

The NATO summit was recently held in Madrid, Spain. The leaders of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) attended the event for the first time, which has drawn great attention. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should have an organization in central and eastern Europe as shown by its name. However, why has it extended its tentacles to the Asia-Pacific region? Why did Japan and ROK, two non-NATO members, approach NATO, the worlds largest military alliance?

The US-led NATO means to extend its operation scope to the Asia-Pacific region and confront China and Russia by winning over Japan and ROK. During the summit, China has been identified for the first time as a systemic challenge to Euro-Atlantic security in NATOs new strategic concept. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO would respond to any move that may challenge the interests, security and values of the NATO member states.

As a matter of fact, there is the political self-interest of some individual countries including the US lying behind NATO's stress on the so-called China threat. The US has always regarded China as its biggest competitor and never concealed its intention to contain China. Under the leadership of the US, NATO has naturally turned out to be a tool for the US to maintain its hegemony. Bringing NATOs tentacles to the Asia-Pacific region, the US is trying to reshape the strategic environment around China with the help of the world's largest military alliance, so as to counterbalance Chinas development and better implement its hegemonic policy.

As the US' Asia-Pacific partners, Japan and the ROK have to closely follow in the footsteps of the US, while on the other hand, having self-interests considered in moving closer to NATO.

According to Japanese media reports, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called on NATO to turn its attention to Asia at the summit. Japan has expected to strengthen its weakness in the military through frequent interactions with NATO and realize its ambition to be a great power. Although the Japanese economy ranks third in the world, Japan has never considered itself a normal country as a defeated country in World War II due to the restriction of the pacifist post-World War II constitution. For a long time, Japan has tended to develop offensive weapons and increase defense spending, and even some Japanese politicians have tried to undermine the pacifist constitution and get rid of the restriction on its military.

Recently, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) has proposed to the government to revise three documents including the National Security Strategy (NSS), a long-term guideline for its foreign and security policies, and requested that Japans defense spending be doubled, accounting for more than 2% of the current gross domestic product (GDP). As a defeated country in the World War II, Japan has no self-reflection based on history; instead, it tends to get closer to the world's largest military alliance and act as a vanguard of NATO. This move will exacerbate tensions in Asia and is not conducive to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

The ROK may discuss the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula at the summit, and meanwhile, expand its international partnerships and enhance its global status. According to Yonhap News Agency, ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol will take the opportunity of attending the NATO summit to strengthen strategic cooperation with NATO with the expectation of establishing partnerships in the second half of the year. During the summit, the two sides will discuss the cooperation between the ROK and NATO member states in the fields of economy, technology and human rights. Its reported that President Yoon Suk-yeol will seek to discuss the ROKs Indo-Pacific strategy with European partners in multiple bilateral talks. In addition, the ROK also seeks to dispatch a permanent mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium.

Looking back on history, it can be found that NATO has always been a troublemaker since the end of the Cold War and has never given up the Cold War mentality of engaging in provoking bloc confrontation. Over the past 20 years or so, NATO has expanded eastward five times, having reached Russias doorstep; meanwhile, NATO member states are frequently seen in large or small military conflicts around the world. As major countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan and the ROK should have strived to promote regional peace and development; however, they have chosen to get closer to NATO, acting in a completely opposite way. This will only lead to a negative effect on the Asia-Pacific region and themselves.

NATO is of no need in the Asia Pacific region. As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian has said, the US-led NATO should abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset, and stop making enemies. NATO has already disrupted Europe, and it should not seek to mess up Asia and even the whole world.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on cankaoxiaoxi.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
PARIS  Australia and France opened a "new chapter" in their relations Friday as the new Australian prime minister seeks to heal wounds from a secret submarine contract that infuriated France.

President Emmanuel Macron warmly shook hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outside the French presidential palace, showing a thumbs-up before putting his arm around the Australian leader's back as they headed inside for talks.

"Trust, respect and honesty matters," Albanese told reporters. "This is how I will approach my relations" with France.

Paris responded with fury when the previous Australian government announced in September that it was canceling a 90 billion Australian dollar ($62 billion) contract for French-made diesel-electric submarines. Instead, Australia had struck a deal with the United States and Britain to provide submarines powered with U.S. nuclear technology, which French leaders said was sealed behind their backs.

France temporarily withdrew its ambassadors from the U.S. and Australia, and Macron accused former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying to him, which Morrison denied.

After coming to power in May elections, Albanese's Labor Party government announced it had agreed to pay France's Naval Group a 555-million-euro ($583 million) settlement for breaking the contract.

"We are opening up a new chapter in our relationship," Albanese said Friday.

Macron, too, appeared ready to move on, saying in English, "We'll speak about the future." Pointing at Albanese, he added, "He's not responsible for that."

Albanese called France a "an Indo-Pacific and global power" through its overseas territories in the Pacific and Indian Oceans." With the U.S. and allies increasingly worried about China's growing ambitions in the region, he said, "France's active engagement in the Indo-Pacific will be critical in overcoming challenges that confront our region."

Macron also thanked Australia for sending thousands of troops to fight in France in World War I, and for its support for Ukraine as war is again waging in Europe.

After the previous Australian government's position on climate change complicated relations with the EU, Albanese said Australia "wants to be an active part of the global solution" to fighting it. Albanese has promised to rehabilitate Australia's international reputation as a climate change laggard with steeper cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
Three Chinese warships completed a 17-day circuit around the Japanese archipelago on Wednesday, following a route similar to one taken by Russian warships earlier in June.

Two Chinese guided-missile destroyers and a replenishment oiler steamed through the Miyako Strait, between Okinawa and Miyako Island, around 11 p.m. Wednesday, Japans Joint Staff said in a news release Thursday. The Joint Staff confirmed the same ships were spotted June 12 starting a journey that took them past Japans largest islands.

A flotilla of seven Russian vessels began a similar journey June 15, of which five completed a circuit around Japan on June 21, Japans Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said at a news conference June 22. Both the Chinese and Russian vessels effectively circumnavigated the Japanese archipelago, he said.

The fact that about 10 Russian and Chinese ships sail around Japan on the same route in a short period of time is a display of the military presence of both countries around Japan, Kishi said in the news conference.

Japans Defense Ministry is analyzing the ships activities and intentions, Kyodo News reported Thursday.

The Chinese ships were last reported about 80 miles off the coast of Miyako Island, 284 miles from Taiwan, and were traveling northwest towards the East China Sea and the Chinese mainland, the Joint Staff said Thursday. The Self-Defense Force dispatched the destroyer JS Setogiri and a P-3C Orion aircraft to monitor the ships passage and collect information.

The Russian vessels, which included frigates and destroyers, were part of a Russian exercise in the area, USNI News reported June 20.

The Russian and Chinese naval activity in the waters around Japan coincided with the conclusion of a 12-day U.S. naval exercise in the Philippine Sea.

It also preceded the start of Rim of the Pacific 2022 on June 29, a naval exercise in the waters around Hawaii and California that includes 26 nations, 38 surface ships, four submarines, 170 aircraft and approximately 25,000 personnel.
HONG KONG  Chinese President Xi Jinping officiated the swearing-in ceremony of Hong Kong's new leader John Lee on Friday as the city marked the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule after being pulled in recent years under much tighter Communist Party control.

Lee, a former security official who oversaw the crackdown on dissent in the city since 2019 pro-democracy protests, pledged to uphold the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and bear allegiance to Hong Kong. He also pledged to be accountable to the central government in Beijing.

His inauguration followed a morning flag-raising ceremony attended by Lee, outgoing city leader Carrie Lam and several hundred other people. Xi, who is making his first trip off the mainland in 2 1/2 years, was not present at the ceremony.

On his arrival Thursday, Xi told well-wishers that Hong Kong has overcome many challenges over the years and had been "reborn from the ashes" with "vigorous vitality," in an apparent allusion to the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which were followed by a sweeping crackdown on dissent that has transformed the economic hub once known for its political and civic freedoms.

The flag-raising ceremony was held amid strong winds, and police officers carrying the Chinese and Hong Kong flags marched into the Golden Bauhinia Square for the ceremony with the Chinese "goose-stepping" style, replacing a British-style march. Guests stood at attention as the Chinese national anthem was played.

Xi last visited Hong Kong in 2017 for the July 1 celebrations, during which he warned that there would be no tolerance for any activities seen as threatening China's sovereignty and stability.

The months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 were seen by China's ruling Communist Party as just such a threat, and Xi in remarks Thursday evening praised Lam for ending chaos that had gripped the city and for ensuring that only "patriots" would rule Hong Kong.

Since the protests, Beijing and Hong Kong authorities drafted a national security law that was then used to arrest scores of activists, media figures and democracy supporters; introduced a more "patriotic" curriculum in schools; and revamped election laws to keep opposition politicians out of the city's Legislature. The changes have all but eliminated dissenting voices in the city and have driven many to leave.
SEOUL, South Korea  Donald Trumps unconventional summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018 and 2019 produced nothing, former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said at a forum here Friday.

The United States under Trumps presidency was not traditional for what Americas role has been in the world, the retired Marine general and former head of Central Command said at a gathering hosted by the Seoul Forum for International Affairs, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Korea Society in Seoul.

The two nations were threatening war in 2017, but Kim and Trump emerged friends from their 2018 summit in Singapore, trading love letters afterwards. The two met again the following year in Hanoi, Vietnam, and at the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea.

Trump hailed the meetings as momentous developments, but foreign policy experts widely criticized them for failing to produce any agreements between the two countries.

As far as what came out of it, I would say nothing, Mattis said of the summits. I saw nothing that came out of it.

In 2020, North Korea resumed missile tests and its bellicose statements aimed at the U.S. and South Korea. North Korea has so far this year launched 17 rounds of missile tests, a one-year record.

President Trump was an unusual leader who believed in personal diplomacy, Mattis said.

He was convinced that he could work something out with Kim  I was not optimistic, he added. My job was to make certain I did everything I could to stand by the [South Korean] Ministry of Defense and make certain the U.S. military  ties were absolutely at the top of their game to ensure that we were buying the time to safely engage in that summit.

In contrast to Trumps record, Mattis said, President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Seok Youl a record 10 days after Yoons inauguration in May. Under President Biden, we have seen the earliest summit meeting between Korea  which shows the priority that the Americans place on the relationship, Mattis said.

Trumps presidency was a very strange time in America, Mattis said.

Democracies go through raucous times, he said. Democracies will at times go populist and they will at times break the tradition. Its the nature of democracies at times to be testing ideas.

The first of Trumps three defense secretaries, Mattis resigned from the Cabinet in 2018, citing his disagreement with the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria.

Two years later, Mattis, quoted in The Atlantic magazine, said Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people  does not even pretend to try.

Deterring aggression in the Indo-Pacific requires a group effort, and the U.S.-South Korea is key to that effort, Mattis told his audience.

I think that the Korea-American alliance is actually a model for others, Mattis said. Why? Because in the face of an adversary right next door, within artillery range of where we sit right now, it is the alliance that has helped maintain the peace.
Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters practiced close air support recently near Mount Fuji, marking the first time the fifth-generation aircraft conducted that training in Japan.

Two F-35Bs from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni each made four runs on Tuesday, dropping inert bombs on simulated armored vehicles at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Col. Neil Owens, 50, said Friday.

Had they been live munitions, the bombs definitely would have had effects on the target, Owens, the training center commander, told Stars and Stripes by phone.

U.S. Forces Japan posted photos of senior leaders observing the drills at Camp Fuji on its Facebook page Thursday with a note that said the aircraft involved were from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242.

This training marked the first-ever live close air support mission in Japan with an F-35B, the note said.

The air strikes were guided from the ground by joint terminal attack controllers, or JTACs, with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and the 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, which is part of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters, Owens said.

The attack controllers use laser designators to feed coordinates to smart munitions and radios to give pilots information about their targets.

Two teams of controllers, each team composed of four or five Marines, participated in the Camp Fuji drill, Owens said.

This is the first time we have done this with F-35s, he said. Its a foundation for how we fight.

Marines practiced close air support at Camp Fuji for the first time in recent memory last year when they worked with F/A-18 Super Hornets, he said.

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force also trained there on close air support last year, he said.

Japan has about 20 F-35A stealth fighters stationed at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan. The Japanese Defense Ministry is committed to purchasing 147 of the multirole fighters, including as many as 42 F-35Bs.

Next month F-35Bs from MCAS Iwakuni will travel to Australia to participate in the countrys biennial Exercise Pitch Black, Marine Aircraft Group 12 announced in April.
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SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea suggested Friday its COVID-19 outbreak began in people who had contact with balloons flown from South Korea  a highly questionable claim that appeared to be an attempt to hold its rival responsible amid increasing tensions over its nuclear program.

Activists for years have flown balloons across the border to distribute hundreds of thousands of propaganda leaflets critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and North Korea has often expressed fury at the activists and at South Korea's leadership for not stopping them.

Global health authorities say the coronavirus is spread by people in close contact who inhale airborne droplets and it's more likely to occur in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces than outdoors. South Korea's Unification Ministry said there was no chance South Korean balloons might have spread the virus to North Korea.

Ties between the Koreas remain strained amid a long-running stalemate in U.S.-led diplomacy on persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for economic and political benefits. South Korean and U.S. officials have recently said North Korea is ready for its first nuclear test in five years amid its torrid run of weapons tests this year.

The state media report said North Korea's epidemic prevention center had found infection clusters in the town of Ipho near its southeastern border with South Korea and that some Ipho residents with feverish symptoms traveled to Pyongyang. The center said an 18-year-old soldier and a 5-year kindergartener had contact with "alien things" in the town in early April and later tested positive for the omicron variant.

In what it called "an emergency instruction," the epidemic prevention center ordered officials to "to vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons" along the inter-Korean border and trace their sources to the last. It also stressed that anyone finding "alien things" must notify authorities immediately so they could be removed.

The reports did not specify what the "alien things" were. But laying the blame on things flown across the border likely is a way to ease public complaints about its handling of the pandemic while repeating its objections to the ballooning activities of North Korean defectors and activists in South Korea, observers say.

Leafletting campaigns were largely halted after South Korea's previous liberal government passed a law criminalizing them, and there were no public balloon attempts made in early April.

An activist who is standing trial for past activities flew balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border in late April after halting them for a year. Park Sang-hak floated balloons twice in June, switching the cargo on those attempts to COVID-19 relief items such as masks and painkillers.

Police are still investigating the recent leafleting activities by the activist, Cha Duck Chul, a deputy spokesperson at the South's Unification Ministry, told reporters Friday.

Cha also said the consensus among South Korean health officials and World Health Organization experts is that infections via contact with the virus on the surface of materials is virtually impossible.

In its previous dubious statements on COVID-19, North Korea also claimed the virus could spread through falling snow or migratory birds. Its pandemic-related restrictions even included strict bans on entering seawater.

Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at South Korea's Sejong Institute said North Korea wants its people to believe the coronavirus originated from leaflets, U.S. dollars or other materials carried across the border by the balloons.

Cheong said North Korea will likely sternly punish anyone taking such South Korean items covertly. He said North Korea could also try to shoot down incoming South Korean balloons, a move that would prompt South Korea to return fire and would sharply escalate animosities between the countries.

North Korea is infuriated by the leafletting campaign because it's designed to undermine Kim's authoritarian rule over a population that has little access to outside information. In 2014, North Korea fired at propaganda balloons flying toward its territory and South Korea returned fire, though there were no casualties.

North Korea's latest announcement on the virus contradicts the outside view that it spread after North Korea briefly reopened its northern border with China to freight traffic in January and it surged further following a military parade and other large-scale events in Pyongyang in April. Some outside experts have accused Kim of being largely responsible for the outbreak because he organized those events to boost public loyalty to the ruling Kim family amid economic hardships.

After maintaining a widely disputed claim to be coronavirus-free for more than two years, North Korea on May 12 admitted to the COVID-19 outbreak, saying an unspecified number of people in Pyongyang were diagnosed with the omicron variant.

North Korea has since reported about 4.7 million fever cases out of its 26 million population but only identified a fraction of them as COVID-19. It says 73 people have died, an extremely low fatality rate. Both figures are believed to be manipulated by North Korea to keep its people vigilant against the virus and prevent any political damage to Kim.

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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.
CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii  Human error was the primary cause of two separate fuel spills at a Navy storage facility in Hawaii in 2021 that contaminated drinking water for thousands of residents of military communities, according to an investigative report released Thursday.

But human error is not the full story, concludes the investigation ordered by Adm. Samuel Paparo, the head of U.S. Pacific Fleet, only days after residents in late November began complaining of petroleum-tainted water.

The investigation further revealed several preventable contributing factors included a culture of procedural non-compliance; material deficiencies; poor training and supervision; ineffective command and control; absence of ownership regarding operational safety; unacceptable immediate response actions, including a lack of timely, accurate and thorough reporting; and a fundamentally flawed investigative process concerning the first of the two spills on May 6 and Nov. 20.

Jet fuel from the spills at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a massive World War II-era underground tank farm, seeped into one of three wells the Navy uses in its water distribution system for communities on and near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

The contamination displaced thousands of residents for several months beginning in late November. The contaminated well remains closed as work continues to rid it of petroleum.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on March 7 that the storage facility would be permanently closed.

The multi-phase plan for emptying and closing the facility will not be completed until the end of 2024, Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment, said during a media roundtable Thursday at Camp H.M. Smith in Honolulu.

The roundtable also included Paparo and Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Through everything and in every action, we will be operating at the speed of safety, Berger said virtually from the Pentagon. The Navy will continue to refine its shut-down efforts and look for opportunities to accelerate our timeline based on information, but not at the cost of safety, she said.

Ruptured pipe joints

The investigation, which was completed in January, and a supplemental portion that wrapped up in April detail missteps from both spills that led directly to the well contamination.

On May 6, 2021, operators at the storage facility improperly executed a fuel transfer procedure, which caused two pipe joints to rupture, the report states.

Roughly 21,000 gallons of jet fuel emptied into a room designed to automatically seal in the event of a leak. The leak activated sump pumps that pushed the fuel into a lengthy fire-suppression retention line, according to the investigation, but operators remained unaware of the pump action.

The decrease in tank inventory of nearly 20,000 gallons of fuel coincident with the 6 May 2021 spill should have promoted a more critical and thorough investigation by supervisors, the report states.

A cursory investigation by the Naval Supply Systems Command failed to identify the root causes of the spill and recommended no meaningful corrective measures, the newly released investigation states.

Between May and November, the weight of the missing fuel now lodged in the plastic retention line caused it to slowly sag.

The fire suppression system is poorly designed and has not been properly maintained, the report states.

Workers move about the lower access tunnel using a cart on rail lines, and over time the overhead retention line sagged enough for the cart to graze a valve and crack the pipe.

On Nov. 20, the cart operator discovered the pipe leaking with the equivalent of four safety showers on full blast at one time, according to the investigative report.

About 20,000 gallons of fuel were recovered, but another roughly 5,000 gallons seeped through cracks in concrete, then moved relatively quickly through porous basalt bedrock and into the well shaft.

Critical shortcomings

Had leaders at the scene questioned more critically the potential for a release to the environment, they would have acted more decisively to stop the source of the spill and demanded more resources to manage it, the report states.

The lack of critical thinking, intellectual rigor and self-assessment by key leaders at decisive moments exemplified a culture of complacency and demonstrated a lack of professionalism that is demanded by the high consequence nature of fuel operations, the investigation concludes.

The investigative report released Thursday redacts all names of those operating the system or involved in the response to the spills.

Asked how many individuals have been disciplined, reassigned or fired as a result of the water crisis, Paparo said there are a number of people who are no longer in their assigned duties.

Some of that remains legally privileged information, he said.

The commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command will administer justice to those individuals that are identified as potentially having had substandard performance of duty or dereliction of duty, Paparo said.

This investigation will inform that process as well an additional probative legal process in order to administer that justice, he said.
The European Union proposed 1 billion euros ($1.04 billion) in short-term financial relief for Ukraine to shore up the war-ravaged nations urgent cash needs, as Germany continues to hold up talks on a larger package, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said the first part of an assistance plan will allow us to give an immediate answer to the urgent needs of Ukraine.

The EU will keep on providing relief to Ukraine and in the longer-term support its reconstruction as a democratic and prosperous country, she said in a statement on Friday.

EU officials prepared the 1 billion euro back-up option after the commission failed to secure Berlins blessing for a package that would entail 8.8 billion euros in loans, Bloomberg reported earlier Friday. In addition to qualms over the structure of the financing, Germany is calling for grants rather than loans, the people said.

The emergency funding, which needs to be approved by all member states before it can be disbursed, comes as details of the larger package are still being worked out. EU leaders, who met this month as well as in May, had reached a preliminary agreement on financial assistance.

Under the proposal, funds will be made available to Ukraine in the form of long-term loans on favorable terms, the commission said. The EU budget will cover the interest costs, and the loan will be backed for 70% of the value by amounts set aside from the EU budget.

The commission has been pushing for weeks to get backing for the payout of the larger volume to Ukraine, whose government is struggling to keep afloat financially as the Russian invasion destroys infrastructure and chokes the nations economy.

But various attempts have been scuppered as Germany delays the proposal, the people said. Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government favors grants to ease Ukraines debt burden and disputes how to calculate and structure guarantees, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.

Asked about the hold-up, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said hed already authorized 1 billion euros for Ukraine, which should be taken into account as talks on additional help move forward.

Germany should not be called upon twice, Lindner told reporters in Berlin. Everyone should be called upon to the extent of his or her ability.

The EUs larger assistance package would seek to make a sizable contribution toward covering Ukraines 2022 financing gap, which is estimated to be around $10 billion, according to a draft text of the proposal. The commission will seek to raise funds on the market as early as this summer to fund the credit line.

The Finance Ministry in Kyiv is running out of financing options as the war drags on, leaving the country increasingly reliant on outside help. Ukrainian officials are exploring the possibility of debt restructuring as a way to lighten its burden while remaining on good terms with international investors.

The EU funds will come on top of a previous credit line of 1.2 billion euros given to Kyiv earlier this year. The loan program will include a 25-year maturity, with a 10-year grace period to pay back the principal, said the people.

Group of Seven countries have made about $20 billion of financial commitments to Ukraine so far, according to the draft text of the proposal.
STUTTGART, Germany  Gen. Christopher Cavoli, an Army officers son who grew up on bases across Europe during the Cold War, took command Friday of more than 100,000 troops operating on a continent on edge over another war.

Besides leading U.S. European Command, he also will serve as NATOs supreme allied commander, a position he takes up Monday.

I understand just how heavy the responsibilities are at this time in Europe, Cavoli said Friday. I will not let you down.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who officiated at the change of command ceremony Friday at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, elaborated on what Cavoli alluded to in his brief remarks.

Russias attack on Ukraine poses the greatest threat to European security since the end of World War II, Austin said.

Cavoli speaks Russian, Italian and French and was described by Austin as a combat-tested soldier-statesmen who will bring creativity and intellect to the job.

He replaced Gen. Tod Wolters, who has led EUCOM for the past three years. Wolters tenure involved management of a series of crises, including the coronavirus pandemic, the evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan and the Russia-Ukraine war.

No (supreme allied commander) has faced a challenge of this magnitude in recent memory, Austin said about Wolters.

Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, credited him for deftly leading U.S. and allied forces during a tumultuous period. The retiring Wolters humble leadership style built trust across the alliance, Austin said.

Milley said troops under EUCOM are central to deterring potential Russian aggression on the Continent and are standing watch right now at the most pivotal and dangerous time in our lifetime.

For EUCOM, the security situation on the Continent is a marked turnaround from the one that existed less than a decade ago, when Patch Barracks was unofficially referred to as Sleepy Hollow by many of the people who worked there.

Today, even with thousands of U.S. troops deployed up and down NATOs eastern flank, the Pentagon is adding reinforcements to the EUCOM mission.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced a series of troop increases, including the establishment of a permanent garrison in Poland and a new rotational Army brigade in Romania.

In Cavoli, EUCOM is getting a commander already steeped in the Europe mission, as he had commanded the Army on the Continent for the past four years.

Our eastern flank is going to remain in good hands, Milley said. All of Europe is going to remain in good hands.
PARIS  A European military task force that helped Mali's government fight Islamic extremists has formally withdrawn from the West African country amid tensions with its ruling military junta.

The French military, which spearheaded the Takuba task force, announced Friday that it officially ended its work Thursday. The move was tied to France's decision earlier this year to withdraw troops from Mali after nine years helping Malian forces fight violent extremists who had threatened to seize power.

The Takuba force was composed of several hundred special forces troops from 10 countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. It aimed at training and protecting Malian combat forces.

Despite the withdrawal, the French military called the force a "strategic and tactical success" and an example of "what Europeans are able to achieve together in complex security environments," saying that lessons learned from Takuba could be used in future joint operations.

In announcing its pullout, France accused Mali's authorities of neglecting the fight against Islamic extremists. France is maintaining a military presence in neighboring West African nations facing threats from extremist violence.

The departure of the European force comes after the U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to maintain the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, while condemning its military rulers for using mercenaries who are accused of committing human rights and humanitarian violations.

Russia and China abstained from the French-drafted resolution, which extends the mandate of the mission until June 30, 2023, with its current ceiling of 13,289 military personnel and 1,920 international police.

Mali's junta, which seized power in August 2020, has grown closer to Russia as Moscow has looked to build alliances and gain sway in Africa.

Insurgents remain active in Mali and extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali, stoking animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the region.
BERLIN  Germany's vice chancellor said Thursday he suspects that Russia may not resume natural gas deliveries to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after planned maintenance work in July, complicating the outlook for this winter.

Russia reduced gas flows to Germany, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia this month, just as European Union countries scramble to refill storage facilities with the fuel used to generate electricity, power industry and heat homes in the winter.

Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom has blamed a technical problem for the reduction in gas flowing through Nord Stream 1, which runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. The company said equipment being refurbished in Canada was stuck there because of Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

German leaders have rejected that explanation and called the reductions a political move.

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who is also Germany's economy and climate minister and responsible for energy, said a "blockade" of the pipeline is possible starting July 11, when regular maintenance work is due to start. In previous summers, the work has entailed shutting the for about 10 days, he said.

"But given the pattern we have seen, it wouldn't be so super-surprising if some little technical detail is found and then they say, 'We can't switch it on again; now we found something during maintenance and that's it,'" Habeck told a forum organized by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

"So the situation is certainly tight," he said, stressing the importance of filling storage and getting liquefied natural gas terminals up and running. At present, Germany is continuing to store gas, albeit at about half the rate it was before deliveries through Nord Stream 1 were reduced, the vice chancellor said.

A week ago, Habeck activated the second phase of Germany's three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies, warning that Europe's biggest economy faced a "crisis" and storage targets for the winter were at risk.
LONDON  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has appealed against the British's government decision last month to order his extradition to the U.S.

The appeal was filed Friday at the High Court, the latest twist in a decade-long legal saga sparked by his website's publication of classified U.S. documents. No further details about the appeal were immediately available.

Assange's supporters staged protests before his 51st birthday this weekend, with his wife Stella Assange among people who gathered outside the Home Office on Friday to call for his release from prison.

Julian Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse.

American prosecutors say the Australian citizen helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A British court ruled in April that Assange could be sent to face trial in the U.S., sending the case to the U.K. government for a decision. Home Secretary Priti Patel signed an order on June 17 authorizing Assange's extradition.

The Australian government has been under mounting pressure to intervene, but last month Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected calls for him to publicly demand that Washington drop its prosecution of Assange.

Assange's supporters and lawyers maintain he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech. They argue that the case is politically motivated, that he would face inhumane treatment and be unable to get a fair trial in the U.S.

Assange remains in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has been since he was arrested in 2019 for skipping bail during a separate legal battle. Before that, he spent seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but British judges have kept Assange in prison pending the outcome of the extradition case.
It has not been an easy week for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He took his first foreign trip since the invasion of Ukraine to shore up relations with troublesome Central Asian allies. He watched as NATO declared Moscow its main enemy and invited Russia's neighbors Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. And he was forced to deny that his troops had yet again attacked a civilian target in Ukraine.

Countering a show of Western unity over Ukraine at a series of summits in Europe this week, Putin has sought to cast the moves by the U.S. and its allies as a proof of their hostile designs, and he vowed to press the offensive against Russia's neighbor, now in its fifth month.

Putin long has described NATO's expansion to Russia's borders as the top security threat to his country. When he sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, he cited increasingly close military ties between Kyiv and the West as a key reason behind his action.

Russia's aggression against its neighbor has helped cement Western unity, with allies offering billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Kyiv and slamming Russia with unprecedented sanctions that froze its hard currency reserves, targeted oil and other key experts, and barred its planes from European skies.

The invasion also prompted NATO to deploy more troops and weapons into the territories of its members in Eastern Europe and encouraged Sweden and Finland to abandon their neutrality and seek NATO membership.

At its summit in Madrid on Wednesday, the alliance formally invited the two nations to join and declared Russia the "most significant and direct threat" to its members' peace and security.

Putin, who visited Turkmenistan Wednesday to attend a Caspian Sea summit with three former Soviet nations and Iran, responded by saying that NATO's actions proved its anti-Russian focus while admitting his action helped Western allies cement their ranks.

At the summit in Ashgabat, Putin and other participants didn't mention the war in Ukraine in their public comments. In a communique after the talks, they emphasized their agreement to bar any foreign militaries from the Caspian and underlined a pledge not to offer their territories for aggression against another country on its shores.

During a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the summit, Putin emphasized "strategic" ties between Moscow and Tehran.

Speaking to reporters in Turkmenistan, Putin charged that the U.S. has "long been looking for an external enemy, for a threat that would help rally allies," adding that "Iran wasn't good enough for that role, and Russia fit much better."

"We have given them a chance to unite all allies," Putin said, noting that the NATO summit's decisions offer a fresh proof that the Western group "is a relic of the Cold War intended to serve as an instrument of the U.S. foreign policy to keep its satellites in rein."

Before the war, Russia insisted on binding guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations and demanded a rollback of the military alliance's deployments in Eastern Europe. The U.S. and its allies firmly rejected the demands, emphasizing that a key alliance principle is that membership is open to any qualifying country and no outsiders have veto power.

At the same time, Washington and NATO offered to discuss arms control, confidence-building measures, greater transparency and risk reduction  issues that Moscow shrugged off as secondary to its main security demands.

Until the invasion, the Kremlin denied having plans to attack but warned the West that NATO's expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations is a "red line" that must not be crossed.

Putin alleged the West had "swindled, blatantly cheated" Moscow by offering verbal pledges in the 1990s not to expand NATO's eastward and then enlarged it to incorporate former Soviet bloc countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet republics in the Baltics.

On Thursday, he spoke with his usual rancor about what he described as Western efforts to discourage Ukraine from sitting down for talks with Russia to negotiate an end to hostilities.

"The calls to Ukraine to continue fighting and to abandon any further negotiations confirm our belief that the united West and NATO do not care for Ukraine or the interests of the Ukrainian people, and that their goal is to protect their own interests," Putin said. "The leading NATO members are using the Ukrainian people to reinforce their positions and their role in the world, reaffirm their hegemony and their imperial ambitions."

Commenting on NATO's invitation to Finland and Sweden, Putin rejected the Western description of the move as a major defeat for Russia.

"As for the assumption that we were fighting against NATO expansion to Ukraine but now have Sweden and Finland to deal with, there is no substance behind it at all, because for us Finland and Sweden joining NATO is not at all the same as the potential membership of Ukraine," he said.

Sweden and Finland are free to do what they want, he said, but noted that "we will have to respond quid pro quo if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there and create the same threats for the territories where they are created for us."

He said Russia doesn't have territorial disputes with those countries, unlike Ukraine, which has declared an intention to win back Crimea that Russia annexed in 2014 and regain control over the Moscow-backed separatist regions in the east, known as the Donbas..

"Ukraine is a totally different matter," Putin said. "They were turning Ukraine into an anti-Russia, a bridgehead for trying to destabilize Russia."

He hailed his forces in Ukraine as "heroes" protecting Russia's security and said that the "special military operation" will continue until its goals of "liberating Donbas, protecting its people and creating conditions that will guarantee the security of Russia itself" are achieved.

Putin also denied that Russian forces targeted a busy shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, saying that his country doesn't hit civilian facilities and alleging the airstrike was directed at a nearby weapons depot, echoing the remarks of his military officials.

But that was disputed by Ukrainian officials and witnesses, who said a Russian missile directly struck the mall, killing at least 18 people, injuring dozens and leaving 20 others missing. Earlier in the war, Russia hit a hospital, theater, residential buildings and a railway station crowded with fleeting civilians.

Putin said the actions in Ukraine "are proceeding according to plan" and "our forces are moving forward and attaining the objectives that have been set for the particular period of the engagement," adding that he wouldn't rush the operation to minimize losses.

U.S. director of national intelligence Avril Haines said Putin apparently has gotten beyond the disappointment by the failure to quickly defeat Ukraine and may now hope that if Russia succeeds in crushing the Ukrainian military in Donbas, "that will lead to a slump basically in the Ukrainian resistance and that that may give them greater opportunities."

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.
Ukraines version of borscht - the eastern European beetroot soup produced in various forms in countries throughout the region - has been added to a United Nations protection list, fast-tracked because of the Russian invasion.

Ukrainian borscht was already on the U.N. intangible cultural heritage list, but as of Friday, it has been upgraded to the grandly named List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. According to the U.N. citation, the displacement of people and bearers threatens the element, as people are unable not only to cook or grow local vegetables for borscht, but also to come together to practice the element, which undermines the social and cultural well-being of communities.

Borscht is cooked in many different forms, from a pure beetroot barszcz common in Poland, to recipes including mushrooms, fish or sweet peppers. Core ingredients include beet, cabbage, onion, potato and carrot. It is also common in Russia and Romania, leading to culinary disputes about which kind of borscht is tastiest or most authentic.

Borscht is considered part of the fabric of Ukrainian society, cultural heritage, identity and tradition, says the U.N., while noting that inclusion on its urgent safeguarding list does not imply exclusivity, nor ownership, of the heritage concerned.

Borscht and the best way to cook it have long been the subjects of fierce dispute between Russians and Ukrainians, well before the invasion in February, with Ukrainian chefs drawing up a compendium of regional variations. And, like arguments in Middle Eastern countries about hummus, it is a subject with many partisan advocates but no undisputed claimant, born of traditions that predate todays national borders.

In a Telegram post Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Borscht originated among Russian residents of Kyiv, citing an obscure 16th-century document. Now live with it, she wrote.

Food, like language, is the first and last cultural bastion, Marianna Dushar, a Ukrainian anthropologist and food writer, told The Washington Post in 2020. We grow up with it, and we associate ourselves with it. Countries communicate with other countries through food.

Immigrants to the United States from borscht-making regions have also made the recipe their own. In an article for Bon Appetit magazine, food writer Claire Saffitz called an Ashkenazi Jewish preparation the greatest recipe of all time.

Its something every grandma teaches their kid how to make, said Jason Birchard, the third-generation owner of Veselka, a popular, 24-hour Ukrainian diner in New Yorks East Village, said in a phone interview, adding praise for the UNESCO listing.

In the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Birchard said that all proceeds he makes from selling borscht in-house and online will be donated to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. So far, the restaurant has raised more than $200,000.

I have customers telling me that they dont like borscht but they want to contribute $100, Birchard said.

- - -

Duplain reported from London and Tsui from Washington. Robyn Dixon in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report.
TEL AVIV, Israel  Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip systematically torture critics in detention, a practice that could amount to crimes against humanity, an international rights group said Friday.

Human Rights Watch called in its report for donor countries to cut off funding to Palestinian security forces that commit such crimes and urged the International Criminal Court to investigate.

The report alleged that Palestinian security forces "use solitary confinement and beatings, including whipping their feet, and force detainees into painful stress positions for prolonged periods, including hoisting their arms behind their backs with cables or rope, to punish and intimidate critics and opponents and elicit confessions."

HRW's report comes a year after the death of Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority, whose family says he died after security forces stormed his residence in the middle of the night and beat him with metal batons. His death sparked weeks of protests against the PA, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian security forces violently dispersed some of those protests..

Amnesty International said last week that the Palestinian Authority has failed to hold its security forces accountable for the death. Palestinian authorities arrested 14 officers last summer and are trying them in a military court, but have taken no action against top commanders.

"More than a year after beating to death Nizar Banat, the Palestinian Authority continues to arrest and torture critics and opponents," said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch.

"Systematic abuse by the PA and Hamas forms a critical part of the repression of the Palestinian people."

The group listed Palestinians who it said had been arbitrarily arrested in the aftermath of Banat's death.

HRW said security forces are not held to account for the alleged torture and that given their systematic nature over many years, the practice could amount to crimes against humanity.

Palestine is part of the Convention Against Torture, which requires members to work to prevent torture.

The report also describes Israeli mistreatment and torture of Palestinian detainees in the West Bank, saying that no indictments have been issued against Israeli security forces despite hundreds of complaints made over the last 20 years.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California will not consider amending its constitution to eliminate indentured servitude as a possible punishment for crime after Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration predicted that it could cost the state billions of dollars to pay minimum wage to prison inmates.

Democratic Sen. Sydney Kamlager said Thursday that she ran out of time and supporters after the measure barring involuntary work without pay last week fell seven votes short of the two-thirds margin it needed in the Senate.

She elected not to bring it back for another try after she said it still lacked support before lawmakers adjourned Thursday for a monthlong summer recess.

One of the challenges weve had is people are conflating policy with a moral argument about taking out words that are historical, that are loaded, that are remnants of a slave past and that were implemented in ways that made people less human, Kamlager said in an interview.

The policy questions could have been hashed out later, she argued.

The financial impact feared by Newsom's Department of Finance hasn't been an issue in three states  Colorado, Nebraska and Utah  that previously made similar changes, said Kamlager and Jamilia Land, who is both a spokeswoman for the California Abolition Act Coalition and a coordinator for Abolish Slavery National Network.

And voters in Alabama, Louisiana, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont will consider similar ballot measures in November.

It is the height of hypocrisy for California to be stepping onto the national stage as a haven of progressiveness right now, when its leaders continue to enshrine slave labor practices in the state," the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, a reform group that supported the amendment, said in a statement.

Fiscal analysts in Colorado predicted the measure passed there in 2018 would have a minimal effect on its budget. The amendment there included language intended to allow legitimate opportunities to work for people convicted of a crime, while barring compulsory labor.

Kamlager on Monday added similar language to her proposal in an unsuccessful attempt to attract more support. Currently, California inmates can face discipline for refusing to work, which can include reduced privileges like limits on visits, telephone calls and time out of their cells.

But Colorado inmates who were punished for refusing to work sued after the amendment passed.

State lawyers said in asking to have the lawsuit dismissed that Colorado voters did not intend to ban prison work programs. They argued that requiring inmates to work is part of their rehabilitation, but does not amount to forced labor and so does not violate the amendment.

As in California, Colorado inmates who refuse to work can lose privileges like being able to watch television or get snacks or have their sentence reduced. But the state's attorneys argued that their basic needs like food and shelter are still met and their sentences are not lengthened.

Corrections officials in the three states did not respond to questions about how their states were affected when the laws were changed.

California finance officials said that depending on court interpretations, the amendment might require paying minimum wage to more than 65,000 inmates who now make sometimes only a few dollars a day to fight wildfires, make license plates and cook, clean and do the laundry for fellow prisoners.

Two law professors also said the potential impact of the California proposal remained unclear, likely until legal challenges were resolved.

The state would need to pay enough to prisoners that it would not be considered involuntary servitude, University of California, Berkeley law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky said. "But whether that would require the minimum wage would be an issue to be litigated unless the amendment was clear on this.

Kathleen Kim, associate dean of equity and inclusion at Loyola Law School, supported the proposed amendment and said inmates likely could seek back pay or compensation for emotional harm or forced labor if the measure was enacted.

What I foresee is a suspension of forced labor practices in prisons, Kim said. But that likely wouldn't bring a flood of lawsuits, she said, because she predicted administrators would have to conform their regulations to the constitutional change.

Even programs that are deemed voluntary could still be seen as forced labor, Kim said, because inmates might feel they were not free to quit. She noted that lawsuits against private prison operators have been resolved in favor of immigrant detainees who were forced to work and not fairly paid.

An earlier version of the California proposal cleared the 80-member Assembly in March on a bipartisan 59-0 vote, though 17 members withheld their votes.

Californias first-in-the-nation task force on reparations for Black people supported the constitutional amendment in a report that recommended a fair market rate for prison labor, repeal of a law requiring faithful labor from inmates, and allowing inmates to decide which programs and jobs they will do.

A separate Senate-approved bill awaiting Assembly consideration would require state corrections officials to adopt a five-year plan to boost compensation to the level where inmates could afford to buy care packages, educational materials and maintain family connections.

___

Associated Press writers Brian Melley in Los Angeles and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.
Four men with permits to carry concealed handguns in Washington, D.C., sued the city on Thursday, arguing that the ban on carrying firearms in the Metro transit system is unconstitutional under a recent Supreme Court ruling.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, cites the Supreme Courts June 23 decision that makes it harder for governments to restrict the carrying of pistols outside the home. Writing for the courts 6-to-3 conservative majority, Justice Clarence Thomas said that to ban concealed handguns in a particular place, the government must demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with this Nations historical tradition of firearm regulation.

D.C. prohibits people with concealed-carry permits to carry weapons in more than a dozen locations designated sensitive areas, including schools, government buildings, polling places, medical offices and businesses serving alcohol, in addition to the transit system. In the lawsuit filed Thursday, the plaintiffs argue that Metro should be removed from the list.

Public transportation vehicles and stations, essentially the D.C. Metro, share few, if any, characteristics supporting the designation of other locations as sensitive areas, the lawsuit says.

Unlike schools and government offices, for example, the Metro system is not populated with individuals who would be high-value targets to a terrorist or active killer, the plaintiffs contend. They are not landmarks or symbols of our nation which would be inviting to terrorists or active killers. . . . There is not a tradition or history of prohibitions of carrying firearms on public transportation vehicles. In short, there is no basis to label the Metro as a sensitive area.

The office of D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, D, vowed to fight the lawsuit  one of many such cases that are likely to arise across the country in light of the Supreme Courts ruling last week in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen.

Racine will continue to defend the Districts common-sense gun regulations and keep District residents safe, the office said in a statement. As the Supreme Court said, the Second Amendment is not a license to keep and carry any weapon in any manner for any purpose.

Although the lawsuit challenges only the ban on guns in the transit system, George Lyon Jr., a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said other locations on the prohibition list are questionable and could be the focus of future litigation.

I dont think anyone at this stage can complain about [barring guns in] schools or government buildings or polling places or around the White House or the vice presidents residence, Lyon said in an interview.

But once you get away from that, things start to become much less certain, he said. For example, Ill give them penal institutions and Ill give them mental hospitals. But Im not sure I can give them doctors offices or veterinary offices.

His clients are identified in the lawsuit as Gregory Angelo, Tyler Yzaguirre and Cameron Erickson of Washington, D.C., and Robert Miller of Fairfax County, Va. The lawsuit says the four are regular users of the Metro system and all have permits to carry concealed handguns in D.C.

The citys gun laws have been a continual focus of legal challenges for years.

In 2008, the Supreme Court invalidated the citys decades-old ban on handgun ownership in District of Columbia v. Heller, a landmark ruling that said the Second Amendment guarantees the right to own firearms unconnected with service in a militia. The court in Heller also said that governments could enact reasonable firearms restrictions, and Washington, D.C., adopted a regimen of controls, including a ban on concealed carry.

The ban was later thrown out by a judge, after which the city adopted a list of sensitive areas where people with concealed-carry licenses would be barred from carrying their weapons.
Jul. 1 (Tribune News Service)  During a visit to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on June 24, speaker and best-selling author D.J. Vanas encouraged military personnel and civilians to apply the warrior spirit as they further develop their careers or leadership skills.

Vanas, an enrolled member of the Ottawa Tribe and former Air Force officer, presented two interactive programs for base audiences. Senior leadership learned about Vanas principles in the morning, while an afternoon program at the base theater was open to the general public.

The events were awesome, Vanas said, with about 75 people attending the first program and 200 present during the second.

Growing up as an Air Force military brat, Vanas said speaking at Wright-Patt was like a homecoming.

Being on base and seeing my brothers and sisters in blue was amazing, he said, praising Wright-Patt for its hospitality

Based in Colorado, Vanas is a speaker for Fortune 500 companies, hundreds of tribal nations and more than 7,000 audiences nationwide. He has also spoken at the White House. Organizations such as Intel Corp., P&G, Subaru, Accenture, USAA, Walt Disney and NASA have relied on Vanas stories, humor and practical, easily implemented lessons.

To persevere on the path to success requires more than sheer fearlessness and willpower. It requires what Vanas calls the warrior spirit, the kind of strength that looks outward but comes from within.

Vanas introduced base personnel to the Native American warrior spirit. The tribal principles that led the first cultures in America, he explained, can be applied today to lead organizations with courage, clarity and resilience.

When faced with an important job, and people depending on you to do it, most of us will give and give until theres nothing left, according to Vanas.

But running on empty, even for a worthy cause, only sets you up for failure in the long run, he said. You cant be a warrior if youre falling apart.

A true warrior is not the toughest or bravest person in the room, Vanas added, nor is he or she operating alone.

Thats been an overly romanticized vision of a warrior, he said.

True warriors commit to self-mastery, know how to navigate change, transform setbacks into opportunities, refuse to quit and, most importantly, always fight for something bigger than themselves, according to Vanas.

With a vast array of stories and examples, he showed attendees how warrior spirit principles could transform how they show up both for themselves and those around them.

He also talked about staying effective and leveraging such resources as time and energy.

Vanas, an Air Force Academy graduate, is author of the best-selling book, The Tiny Warrior, which is printed in six countries, and the novel Spirit on the Run. His latest book, The Warrior Within, is being published by Penguin Random House and will be available Aug. 2.

He is also featured on the PBS documentary The Warrior Tradition, which explores the warrior spirit traditions across Indian country. The show aired nationwide on Veterans Day. Vanas also hosted his own PBS special, Discovering Your Warrior Spirit, which aired nationally in 2021.

To learn more about Vanas, who is the president-owner of Native Discovery Inc., visit his website at www.nativediscovery.com .

(c)2022 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit www.daytondailynews.com
Three Sikh men suing the U.S. military on religious freedom grounds are seeking a ruling allowing them to attend Marine Corps boot camp without having to shave their beards or meet other grooming standards.

On Tuesday, Milaap Singh Chahal, Jaskirat Singh and Aekash Singh asked a federal court in Washington to find that the Marine Corps denial of their religious accommodation requests for boot camp is discriminatory and violates their constitutional rights, said Amrith Kaur Aakre, legal director at the New York City-based Sikh Coalition, which represents the men.

The prospective recruits, in their late teens and early twenties and who have passed fitness and other tests, could have to wait years before their lawsuit is resolved, potentially hurting their future military careers.

The judges decision is expected in a few months, Aakre said.

Objections to similar Army rules first raised by the coalition in 2008 didnt bring about an official policy change until January 2017, Aakre said.

For our clients to not be able to start the process and go through boot camp could inevitably put them in this decadelong position of waiting, she said. Not to mention, just the general being in limbo in your life and not being able to have access to the career of your choice, especially by the U.S. largest employer.

The Justice Department, which is defending the Marine Corps and other agencies named in the lawsuit, did not respond Friday to a Stars and Stripes request for comment.

In April, the three plaintiffs and a Sikh active-duty Marine artillery officer sued the Marine Corps, the Navy, the Defense Department and several U.S. military officials, alleging that rules preventing them from having beards and long hair and wearing turbans or other religious items in combat zones or during boot camp violate their constitutional rights.

In court filings, the government has denied many of the assertions and defended grooming requirements, such as clean-shaven faces and short hair on men, as necessary to maintaining discipline, order and esprit de corps.

It also has said that beards could interfere with the effectiveness of gas masks in a chemical or similar attack.

During the roughly hourlong hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon focused on recent changes to grooming standards in the Marine Corps that allow beards in some circumstances and eased restrictions on tattoos.

Other services, too, have begun to modify their rules. Last week, the Army announced that tattoos on hands or the back of the neck or behind the ear will be allowed.

The services also have allowed exemptions to the facial hair policy for troops with a painful skin condition caused by shaving, and they have approved such hairstyles as braids and locks.

As it did previously, the government asserted Tuesday that those changes were needed to help with recruitment and retention, thus allowing for a more diverse and representative force.

However, Aakre contends that allowing accommodations for secular reasons but not for religious ones runs counter to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which limits the federal government from restricting a persons exercise of religion, even in cases where it may have a compelling interest.

The Marine Corps is using a pick-and-choose style of removing barriers or relaxing rules for groups that they feel are culturally normative, she said.

Under our legal system you just cant do that, especially when youre the government, Aakre said.
(Tribune News Service)  As a boy, Marine Corps pilot Capt. Michael Wolff was thrilled by movies such as Star Wars and Top Gun.

Being a military pilot would be a cool job, he thought, and dreamed of flying and one day experiencing his own exhilarating action, he said.

And he has in his eight-year flying career, but it was during a routine training flight over the Salton Sea on Sept. 29, 2020, when he ended up in an aerial life-and-death struggle not many movie scripts could replicate.

For landing his KC-130J Super Hercules and its crew safely after it was struck by an F-35B Lightning II during that aerial refueling exercise, Wolff, 32, was recently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The award is the Pentagons highest for extraordinary aerial achievement and an aviators second-highest medal for bravery.

Wolffs co-pilot, Maj. Cory Jones received the same award and the planes crew received other recognitions of aviation achievement. They are part of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Jones is now stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

The midair collision in the skies near Ocotillo Wells, just west of the Anza-Borego State Park, was witnessed by people on the ground who reported a booming crash and a large fireball. The $100 million fighter jet was lost, but its pilot ejected and had only minor injuries.

Very violent air crash

Wolff, with his crew of seven aboard the Super Hercules known as Raider 50, had two missions during the training, refuel two F/A-18 Hornet fighters and two F-35Bs, which are the Marines newest and most sophisticated fighter jets.

A support plane with a similar wingspan to a 737, but shorter and stubbier, the Super Hercules was flying at 17,000 feet, prepared to hook up with the aircraft. The Marines use the probe-and-drogue system, which puts the burden on the pilot to get their planes refueling probe into a basket surrounding the fuel connection with the refueling plane.

The receiver comes to us, Wolff said. Theres a 90-foot hose with a basket behind us and they plug into our basket with their hose. Both were in formation to receive.

After one F-35B tanked up, something happened that caused the jet to strike the Super Hercules. While the investigation is complete, its findings have not been made public.

He hit us beneath the right wing, Wolff said. It took off engine three and four and a propeller, and it also hit the fuselage, including where the landing gear is located.

An 800-gallon external tank that separated from the Super Hercules on impact exploded in the air. While Wolff didnt see that happen, he got a report over the radio from one of his crew, who had been in the window watching as the F-35B got closer and closer.

In 1.2 seconds, there was a very violent crash, Wolff said. For a few seconds, I thought, This is probably it. It felt like a wing had come off.

The impact knocked the pilots headsets off.

Everything that wasnt strapped down was flying around and it pushed us hard against our restraints, Wolff said. A second later I reached for the flight control and they were still working. That was pretty incredible.

Shrieking alarms, flashing lights

Instantly, Wolff and his crew, despite the initial shock and chaos, fell back on their training fundamentals: Aviate, Navigate and Communicate, Wolff said.

In his eight years in the cockpit, Wolff has encountered other emergencies. Hes also trained extensively in flight simulators on what to do in a bird-strike situation and other possible emergency scenarios. But none of that training included multiple crises at one time, he said.

With warning lights flashing in the cockpit, shrieking alarms and outside air rushing into the hole torn into the fuselage, Wolff said he and his crew locked into what theyve been taught as the plane began a dramatic descent.

We had to maintain airspeed, so the plane was controllable, he said. And, figure out where and in what configuration to land.

Wolff made a plan with his crew and communicated his intentions to traffic control.

In audio obtained from traffic controllers, Wolffs voice appears calm: L.A. Center! L.A. Center! This is Raider 5-0 declaring an in-flight emergency.

We have two engines out and we are leaking fuel and might be on fire. In an emergency descent at this time. Raider 5-0, he proceed to layout for the controllers on the ground.

With partial control of the aircraft, they went into a controlled descent, he said, using the power provided by the remaining operating motors.

We were in a descending left turn aiming toward Thermal due to the impact and the previous flight plan, Wolff said.

Thermal is a small community southeast of Palm Springs with a small airstrip.

When the plane landed, it hit a wet cauliflower field that Wolff said provided a soft landing on which the plane slid for 300 to 400 yards before coming to a stop.

As his crew exited the plan, Wolff breathed a sigh of relief, he said. Im in shock about what happened and in shock that we all walked off the plane.

No procedure for this emergency

Retired Marine Col. Charlie Quilter, a decorated fighter pilot who flew in Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, understands flying. For decades, the Laguna Beach resident flew the F-4 Phantom and has focused on military history since his retirement.

Quilter said Marine aviators are in a class of their own and, though he said there is no set procedure that Wolff could have relied on to safely bring the crippled plane down, hes not surprised that Wolffs training gave him a foundation for remaining calm and in control.

There is an old axiom in flying that the two most-feared in-flight emergencies are fire and structural failure, Quilter said. Here it was the latter, and maybe it was both. Simply keeping the aircraft upright and preventing it from flipping into a deadly spin was definitely distinguished flying in my view, let alone getting it back onto earth in one piece.

The pilot kept his cool, fell back on his training as a naval aviator and saved his aircraft and all aboard, Quilter said. Peacetime awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross are extremely rare, but this is one of the situations where it is appropriate.

Jamey Federico, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and AH1 Cobra helicopter pilot who is decorated with a Bronze Star and the Air Medal-18 for flying in combat over in Iraq and Afghanistan, agreed that Wolff and his crew demonstrated extraordinary airmanship.

After 22 years of active duty and 17 years flying, Federico, who now serves on the Dana Point City Council, said he knows only one pilot who received the Distinguished Flying Cross during that time. It was for flying in combat in Iraq.

We just dont give out the Distinguished Flying Cross, Federico said, adding that Marine Corps is generally conservative when handing out awards and personal decorations.

This is what we train for and military flying is dangerous business, he said of the crews training that helped make the emergency landing a success.

Now, he said, it will be Wolff and his crew who are role models for other pilots and crews.

Its ingrained in the Marine Corps culture that everything we do, the mistakes we make or what we do right, we learn from that, Federico said. You can never have enough experience and sometimes you learn by proxy from fellow pilots and air crews. Any time something unique happens, you have to take advantage. So much more when the outcome is positive like this, and you learn what made them successful that day.

Since the collision, Wolff and his crew have been up in the air again, and Wolff has told his story to every pilot in his squadron.

This is survivable, he said is the message he wants other aviators to understand. The airwing will continue to use the midair collision as a case study about how things can go right.

Wolff, who commissioned into the Marines in 2013, said while he appreciates the recognition tremendously, hes more thankful for the emergencys outcome.

Im happy to be here and thankful to be flying, he said. And, thankful how everything worked out.
WASHINGTON  The United States will send two advanced air-defense systems to Ukraine as part of its latest $820 million military aid package, Pentagon Press Secretary Todd Breasseale announced Friday.

Ukraine will receive two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, which can strike targets about 100 miles away. They will be purchased for Ukraine, rather than being pulled from U.S. stocks, according to the Pentagon.

This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional capabilities to Ukraine's armed forces, Breasseale said.

The U.S. uses the Norwegian-developed anti-aircraft systems to protect airspace above the White House and U.S. Capitol building in Washington, according to The Associated Press.

The United States continues to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its evolving battlefield requirements, Breasseale said. In particular, [the Defense Department] recognizes Norways cooperation to enable the historic provision by the United States of modern air defense systems that will help Ukraine defend against Russias brutal air attacks.

The systems are expected to enhance Ukraines long-range rocket and missile capabilities that senior defense officials say have become more pertinent to the fight now focused in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

The NASAMS are the latest advanced weapons that the U.S. has sent Ukraine in its fight against invading Russian forces. In June, President Joe Biden sent eight High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, which can strike targets roughly 50 miles away.

Also included in the latest aid package are four counter-artillery radars, up to 150,000 rounds of 155mm howitzers artillery ammunition, and additional HIMARS ammunition.

The military aid announced Friday is the 14th time that the U.S. has sent weapons and equipment to Ukraine since August, according to the Pentagon, the majority of which has been sent since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

The latest $820 million brings the total amount of aid that the U.S. has sent Ukraine to about $6.9 billion since the start of the war, and approximately $8.8 billion since Biden took office in January 2021, Breasseale said.

The aid will come out of the approximately $11 billion that Congress assigned for military aid in its supplemental funding bill to support Ukraines defense against the Russian invasion, according to the Pentagon.
For the first time, the U.S. is supplying more natural gas to Europe than Russia sends by pipelines, according to the International Energy Agency.

Europe is seeking alternatives such as U.S. liquefied natural gas to Russian supplies after Gazprom slashed shipments through Nord Stream, its biggest pipeline to Europe, and cut off shipments to countries that didnt comply with new payment terms. Russia met more than a third of the European Unions gas demand last year.

Russias recent steep cuts in natural gas flows to the EU mean this is the first month in history in which the EU has imported more gas via LNG from the U.S. than via pipeline from Russia, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a tweet. The drop in Russian supply calls for efforts to reduce EU demand to prepare for a tough winter.

The increase in U.S. LNG imports comes as the nation ramps up output of the super-chilled fuel after starting exports from the Gulf Coast in 2016, transforming global energy trade. U.S. shipments remain strong even after a fire at the Freeport LNG plant in Texas, which has been shut for prolonged repairs.

After Russias war on Ukraine, the EU in March agreed on an additional 15 billion cubic meters of U.S. LNG this year in a bid to displace Russian gas. In an ambitious target, the bloc has sought to replace a third of Russian gas with LNG from various sources this year.

Russia ships about 150 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe via pipelines every year, and another 14 billion to 18 billion cubic meters of LNG.

Combined with Russian LNG, which keeps arriving in Europe except for the UK, the country may still be a bigger overall gas supplier to Europe than the U.S.. In 2021, Russia was the third-biggest supplier of LNG to Europe, after the U.S. and Qatar and ahead of Algeria, according to BP Plcs annual statistical review of world energy.
The former Sinn Fein councillor Dowdall and Gerry The Monk Hutch are charged with the murder of David Byrne in 2016

An appeal by former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall against the High Court's refusal to overturn a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to try him for the Regency Hotel murder at the Special Criminal Court (SCC) has been struck out by the Court of Appeal.

Dowdall (44), of Navan Road, Dublin, and Gerry The Monk Hutch (58)  who was extradited from Spain last September  are both charged with the murder of David Byrne (33) at the hotel in Whitehall, Dublin, on February 5, 2016.

They are due to stand trial at the non-jury SCC after losing separate challenges against the DPPs decision.

Both had claimed in judicial review proceedings at the High Court that any trial before the SCC would be unlawful and in breach of their fundamental rights because the court was operating as permanent institution after being established on a temporary basis half a century ago.

But Mr Justice Anthony Barr dismissed both actions, ruling that the legislation challenged was neither temporary nor had any temporal limit.

Hutch and Dowdall later sought leave to appeal the High Court judges decision directly to the Supreme Court.

Dowdall, a former Dublin City councillor, had also lodged an appeal against Mr Justice Barrs ruling with the Court of Appeal.

Read more Senior garda suffers severe leg injuries as woman arrested in Limerick hit and run

But today the President of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice George Birmingham, was informed by Colm Kitson BL, for the Attorney General, that the case could be struck out.

The move follows the Supreme Courts decision to hear the Hutch and Dowdall appeals next Tuesday (July 5).

Dowdall and Hutch Dowdall and Hutch, last of The Paddocks, Clontarf, Dublin 3, had originally raised judicial reviews against the Minister for Justice, Dail Eireann, Ireland and the Attorney General.

Seanad Eireann was also a respondent in the Hutch case.

In a judgement issued on February 11, Mr Justice Barr also stated that there was no basis in law to prevent the DPP from certifying that Hutch and Dowdall should be tried before the SCC on the charge of murder.
Today, a state solicitor said the book of evidence was ready and the DPP consented to the accused being sent forward to the present sittings of the circuit court.

A BAR worker has been sent for trial accused of attempting to arrange the murder of two women. Bryan Kennedy (35) had a book of evidence served on him when he appeared in Dublin District Court.

Judge Tresa Kelly returned him for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Mr Kennedy, with an address at Harolds Cross, Dublin 6W, is charged with soliciting another to murder two named women.

The offences are alleged to have happened at a location within the state between October 1, 2019 and January 11, 2020.

Today, a state solicitor said the book of evidence was ready and the DPP consented to the accused being sent forward to the present sittings of the circuit court.

Judge Kelly gave Mr Kennedy the formal notice that he has 14 days to furnish the prosecution with any alibi details, before remanding him on bail.

His case will be mentioned in the circuit court on July 22.

On his first court date in May, Garda Sergeant Ronan OMalley of Terenure station said he arrested the accused at Shanliss Avenue in Santry. Mr Kennedy was charged that morning and made no reply to either count after caution. He was handed copies of the charge sheets. At the time, the court heard gardai consented to bail and Judge Kelly was told despite the description of the charge, the district court had jurisdiction with respect to bail. Sgt OMalley said conditions were being sought. Judge Kelly had granted bail in Mr Kennedys own bond of 500, with no cash lodgement required.

READ MORE: Barman in court accused of attempting to arrange murder of two women

Under conditions, he must sign on once weekly at Santry garda station, between 9am and 9pm. He is to remain within the jurisdiction, surrender his passport and not apply for a new one, or any other travel documents. The Director of Public Prosecutions directed trial on indictment and Judge Kelly had extended the time required for the service of the book.

Keith Spencer BL, defending, had applied for free legal aid, saying Mr Kennedy had recently started work in a bar and appeared to be an appropriate candidate.

The judge granted legal aid, assigning solicitors Wayne Kenny and Claire Finnegan.

The charges against Mr Kennedy are under Section 4 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.
A painter who was working in the house at the time managed to pull Byrne off his wife

Philip Byrne (41) was pulled off his wife by a painter working at the house after stabbing her in the abdomen but he managed to get free and stab her twice more, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Byrne, with an address at Levmoss Park, The Gallops, Leopardstown, pleaded guilty to assault, threatening to kill or cause serious harm, production of a kitchen knife and false imprisonment at the family home on December 2, 2020.

Sentencing Byrne on Friday, Judge Melanie Greally said the assault had been potentially life-threatening.

She said there are several aggravating factors including Byrne's previous convictions and the nature of the offence.

The court was previously told that the woman required surgery on her hand to have the nerves and tendons reattached and suffered permanent nerve damage. She received eight stitches to the wound on her abdomen and five on her breast. Medical evidence was presented to the court.

Byrne has 39 previous convictions, including for assault and possession of a firearm, and has been in custody since his arrest.

Judge Greally noted mitigating factors included Byrne's expressions of remorse and shame, his poor mental health, and the positive steps he has taken since going into custody.

She also noted that Byrne holds a position of responsibility within the prison's laundry and is a volunteer with the Samaritans.

Judge Greally said that a probation report found the defendant is at high risk of re-offending and engaging in harmful behaviour in an intimate personal relationship.

She handed Byrne a sentence of seven years in relation to the count of false imprisonment.

Suspending the final two years of the sentence, the judge directed Byrne to follow the directions of the Probation Services for two years upon his release.

Byrne must also disclose any intimate interpersonal relationship and comply with any safeguarding measures.

Judge Greally imposed separate three and a half year sentences for the three remaining counts. She backdated all sentences to December 3, 2020.

The court heard the couple have since reconciled. His wife indicated she wished to withdraw her statement and made another statement saying it was accidental. She did not submit a victim impact statement.
Patrick Challoner (52) is facing trial on more than 100 theft and deception charges after he was arrested by gardai earlier this year.

When the case came back before Dublin District Court, Judge Treasa Kelly granted a further adjournment for the preparation of a book of evidence and remanded the accused on continuing bail.

Mr Challoner, with an address at Chanel Road, Artane, Dublin is alleged to have committed offences under the Theft and Fraud Act at AIB, St Brigids Road, Artane.

The charges against him span a number of years in the 2000s and 2010s.

The case first came before the court in April and when it was called again today, a state solicitor asked for the time required for the service of the book of evidence to be extended.

It was a "complex case" with a lot of charges involved, he said.

The accused, represented by solicitor Danica Kinane, was not required to address the court during the brief hearing. He has not yet entered pleas to the charges.

Mr Challoner was arrested by appointment at Terenure Garda Station in April following a lengthy investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau.

Evidence of the accused's arrest charge, and caution was given by Detective Garda Garrett Lynch.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on indictment and the accused will be sent for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when the book is ready.
The WRC was told the woman was posing for a photo when the colleague groped her in 2018

An employer has been told to pay a worker of 36 years service 12,000 after she said she was groped by a drunk colleague at a retirement party in 2018.

The Workplace Relations Commission heard that the employer investigated the incident but determined that no formal sanction should take place and the woman's colleague was instead directed to write her a letter of apology.

Making the recommendation in the industrial relations complaint, a WRC adjudicating officer wrote that if the woman had made an employment rights complaint the employer might have been ordered to pay a higher quantum as compensation.

The woman lodged a complaint under section 13 of the Industrial Relations Act against her employer, with their identities remaining anonymous in a written decision published yesterday.

The Commission was told the worker was standing for a photo at the end of a retirement party when a colleague groped her.

She complained to her employer about the incident in March 2018 and a disciplinary process followed over the course of almost a year.

The worker said the disciplinary action which followed was not proportionate compared to the nature of the intentional behaviour she was subjected to

Read more Irish boxing champ escapes jail after breaking mans jaw in three places in bar

She said her character had been attacked during the investigation and sought a declaration from the employer that the disciplinary action it took was not robust enough.

The worker also said it was too much to expect her to remain in the same work environment as the perpetrator  and sought a recommendation that the perpetrator be transferred.

The unidentified employer, which was represented by Amanda Kane of the Local Government Management Association, argued the complaint was investigated through its dignity at work policy.

Read more Teenager dies two days after being hit by car in Celbridge, Co Kildare

It was determined that no formal sanction take place, but the colleague was directed to write a letter of apology to the employee, she said.

Mediation was offered but declined by the worker, Ms Kane added.

In a recommendation published this morning, adjudicating officer Conor Stokes noted that a the independent investigator appointed by the employer had found the incident did occur and a credible witness with no vested interest had called it a deliberate act.

The person complained of had a lot of drink taken during the event and said he was completely disgusted afterwards, according to the investigation report, seen by the commission.

The conclusion was that the incident had the effect of offending, humiliating and intimidating the worker, the report continued.

Mr Stokes noted further that according to the employers dignity at work procedures, unwelcome physical contact was treated as sexual harassment if it had the purpose or effect of violating a persons dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

Although the [employers human resources] director concluded that there was insufficient evidence from both the investigation report and the disciplinary hearing to determine whether the actions were accidental or malicious, the person complained about was requested to issue a formal written apology, he wrote.

Had this dispute been taken as an employment rights complaint, this award may have been at a higher quantum, Mr Stokes added.

He recommended the employer make a payment of 12,000 to the worker, whom he urged to engage with the mediation process offered by the employer.
The judge at the trial of Murtagh said evidence given by emergency services was testament terror, evil and brutality she suffered

Daniel Murtagh, who beat his former partner Nadine Lott to the point where she was "completely unrecognisable", leaving her with "extreme and grotesque" injuries from which she never recovered, has filed legal papers in his bid to have his murder conviction overturned

Murtagh (34), of Melrose Grove, Bawnogue, Clondalkin, Dublin, had pleaded guilty to Ms Lotts manslaughter but had denied her murder.

The plea, however, was not accepted by the State and he was convicted by a unanimous verdict of murdering 30-year-old Ms Lott at her apartment in St Mary's Court, Arklow, Co Wicklow on December 17, 2019, following a two-week trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Sentencing Murtagh to the mandatory life term in October last year, Mr Justice Michael MacGrath described Ms Lotts murder as brutal and the evidence heard at trial from members of the emergency services who attended the scene was testament to the terror, evil and brutality she had suffered at his hands.

Murtagh has now launched an appeal against his conviction.

At the Court of Appeal today, Emmet Nolan BL, for Murtagh, told Court President Mr Justice George Birmingham that his clients appeal against the murder conviction required two affidavits from the defence to proceed.

The first affidavit, he said, was from his client and that had already been sworn and filed.

Mr Nolan told Mr Justice Birmingham that he expected the second affidavit, from Murtaghs solicitor, John Shanley, to be sworn and filed by lunch time today.

A date for the full hearing has yet to be set and the case will be called again for mention at the same court on July 15.

At Murtaghs sentence hearing, Ms Lott's mother, Claire Lott, said her family was haunted by thoughts of her daughter's terror, fear, panic and cries during the prolonged, evil attack carried out by a monster.

Mrs Lott told the jury her daughter had been beaten so badly by Murtagh she did not recognise her when she found her dying in the kitchen of her apartment, on December 14, 2019.

I couldn't recognise her face, I couldn't recognise it was Nadine, she said.

She later told the court in a victim impact statement that the total carnage she encountered when she walked into the flat can and never will be forgotten.

The house, her beautiful apartment, was the sight of a horror movie. Nadines blood splashed everywhere, broken glass, smashed mirrors, just total horror. When we got to the kitchen the screams of my son and my younger daughter, I will always carry with me.

Nadine, my daughter, my baby was beyond recognition, she was gasping, blood pouring from her in so many places that all I could do was lie on the floor with her holding her hand trying to give comfort, comfort that I was there.

Nadine died three days later, on December 17, in St Vincents Hospital, Dublin.

Twelve jurors unanimously rejected Murtagh's defence that he was too intoxicated to have formed the intent to murder his ex-girlfriend and that the bloodbath would never have happened but for the drink and drugs he consumed that night.

Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the grounds of lack of intent due to alcohol intoxication.

Murtagh had told gardai that before his assault on Nadine, he had smoked a joint, taken two pills and drank a daddy naggin or shoulder of Captain Morgan rum straight. He also told them that he had been on methadone for the previous three months.

The jury accept the State's contention that this was a case of murder and nothing short of murder.

In his closing speech, prosecution counsel John O'Kelly SC argued that there was no defence of intoxication in the case and said Murtagh had the clearest intent when he inflicted the most dreadful blunt trauma injuries to the beauty therapist's face.

Just look at what the accused didn't do and what he never tried to do, he never raised a hand to get Nadine any kind of help, he stressed.
They all had an incidence rate of over 280 per 100,000 in the past week, figures for the spread of the virus reveal.

The measure lags behind the full level of infection sweeping the country and is based on free HSE PCR tests.

It does not take into account those who found they had the virus through home antigen tests or the many who had mild or no symptoms.

The lowest incidence levels were seen in Roscommon, Monaghan, Cavan, Louth, Leitrim, Wexford, Mayo and Kilkenny.

The report from the disease watchdog, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), comes as Ireland remains engulfed in a summer Covid-19 wave, hitting industry and sparking high levels of staff absence due to the need to self-isolate.

GPs are reporting people are developing possible symptoms but not following the advice to self-isolate until 48 hours after signs of illness disappear.

Some are relying on home antigen tests, which can initially show up a negative result.

The advice to people with potential symptoms is to self-isolate until two days after they have gone, and not to see a negative antigen test as a green light.

There were 798 Covid-19 patients in hospital yesterday, up from 776 on Wednesday. Of these, 33 were in intensive care, indicating an upward trend.

Around half are there due to Covid-19 illness and the rest are in hospital with other illnesses but tested positive.

The impact of the wave is seen in a rise in outbreaks last week, particularly in nursing homes, where they more than doubled from 11 to 23.

There were 24 outbreaks in hospitals, a rise of one over the previous week. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan in recent weeks has described the numbers picking up the virus in hospital as significant.

The latest report on Covid-19 deaths shows 336 were notified in April, 108 in May and 41 in June up to last Saturday.

Between mid-December and June 19, 85pc of those admitted to intensive care due to Covid-19 had an underlying condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease or liver disease.

However, 14.6pc, or 46 patients, ended up very sick with no underlying condition.

Meanwhile, the latest update on cases of monkeypox virus shows 39 confirmed infections have been notified here to date.

The cases in Ireland come after the reporting of more than 4,000 other confirmed cases of monkeypox in Europe, North America and many other countries worldwide over recent weeks, said the HPSC.

All cases were diagnosed in men, with a median age of 37 but ranging from 19 to 65.

The vast majority identified as gay or bisexual. Seven men were hospitalised, one due to complications related to monkeypox and two for isolation purposes. More cases are expected to be seen here.

Separately, there have been 16 probable cases of hepatitis of unknown cause in children here but the hope is that this has peaked.

There has been no increase in deaths. One child has died and two others have needed liver transplants.

It is still unclear what is triggering these cases, but parents are urged to be alert for symptoms such as pale or grey-coloured stools, dark urine, or yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Meanwhile, the special leave with full pay for public health sector workers who caught Covid-19 at work and developed long Covid is to end this month, following instructions from the Department of Public Expenditure. Asked how many workers were impacted and what the rationale for the decision was, the department yesterday declined to answer.

Several of these workers were in the health service, caring for sick patients at the early stage of the pandemic when little was known about the virus and there was poor access to face masks and other protections.

They will now rely on regular sick leave entitlements.

Independent TD Denis Naughten said yesterday that up to 300,000 people in the wider population could be impacted by long Covid.

He said the HSE was still only at the planning stage in the assessment of the scale of the problem.
Aer Lingus has cancelled further flights today to and from Dublin Airport as a result of a spike in Covid-19 cases.

According to the Live Flight Information, seven flights departing from Dublin Airport have been cancelled by the airline today.

The flights departing from Dublin Airport affected today were EI342 to Zurich at 7.10am, EI506 to Bordeaux at 1.30pm, EI608 to Amsterdam at 2pm, EI238 to London LGW at 3.10pm, EI638 to Brussels at 6.45pm, EI276 to Birmingham at 7.20pm, EI248 to London LGW at 7.30pm.

As a result, the corresponding return flights from those destinations due to arrive in Dublin Airport today have also been cancelled.

Last weekend 13 flights were cancelled, while 12 were pulled on Wednesday and nine were cancelled yesterday.

The airline admitted it had been impacted by a spike in Covid cases among staff in recent days.

An airline spokesperson told the Irish Independent just over 1pc of its flights for June had been impacted by cancellations.

In addition to Covid, the airline industry last weekend was impacted by a cabin crew and air traffic controller (ATC) strike in Spain, Portugal and Belgium.

There was an air of calm at Dublin Airport this morning as holiday makers prepared to take flight to the sun.

Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) had provisions in place for long queues if the happened, extending to a tented area outside departures and even into a sectioned-off area of the car park if the worst came to the worst.

The DAA expects 56,000 departures from the airport today.

But at 7am bag drop was taking an average of 45 minutes in Terminal 1 and there were no queues for security, with a waiting time of between fifteen and twenty minutes being displayed on an information board.

At Terminal 2 things were better again, with a bag drop time of around twenty minutes and a security screening time of fifteen minutes.

One young couple delighted to be flying this morning told of the difficulties they had faced last Monday morning when they were originally due to take off.

We came up from Cork with our families, we are going to Canada on work visas, and our itinerary was changed just before we left home, they said.

We were originally supposed to be flying Dublin to Toronto to Vancouver, and that was changed to Dublin, Glasgow, Reykjavik, Vancouver.

We got here at 5.30am for a 10.10am flight but we werent let fly because the layover was too short and there was no serv ice agreement with Iceland Air regarding baggage, so we had to go home and re-book the whole thing and now were back this morning.

The couple added: The original flights cost us 350 each, and the re-booked flights cost us 1,360, so its been a bad start. But weve dropped our bags off and now were told our flight is being delayed, but at least its a direct flight this time so were hopeful.

The cafes and shops of the airport were operating well and there did not appear to be queues, and airport staff were busy guiding passengers to bag drop and security areas, keeping everything moving.

Sunday World has contacted Aer Lingus and is a awaiting response.
Today marks the first day of the transition to Health New Zealand.

The 20 district health boards which ran services for individual areas around the country are being replaced by one new body, Health NZ, which will instead plan services for the whole population.

Health NZ will have four regional divisions but also district offices.

There is also a new Maori Health Authority being introduced from today.

The country's 30 primary health organisations - large regional networks of GPs and primary care - will also be ditched. Read more here.

But what does that mean for the Bay of Plenty?

Very little, according to interim BOP district director Pete Chandler.

At our district level of the health system very little will be different today.

We will still be providing health services at community level such as GP practices and kaupapa Maori Hauora right through to hospital level care at Whakatane and Tauranga Hospitals.

Change at our district level of health system will be gradual over the coming months working in partnership with Maori Health Authority and the newly appointed Iwi Maori Partnership Board for Te Moana a Toi, Te Poari Hauora, on health priorities for our communities.

You can find more information Home | Health New Zealand (hnz.govt.nz)

Former Chair of Te Runanga Hauora Maori o Te Moana a Toi Linda Steel says the IMPB is the successor to the Runanga, which has operated for 22 years.

While the structures and staff will undergo changes during this time of transition, the kaupapa remains the same as that started by a group of kaumatua and kuia decades ago, better health outcomes for whanau can only be driven by equal partnership as described in the principles of Te Tiriti, she says.

Maori dont want to just experience the system, we need to play a crucial role in the decision-making.

Fifteen iwi representatives have been appointed to the Iwi-Maori Partnership Board, with an opportunity for other iwi representatives and matawaka to be appointed in the near future.

The IMPB will supply the MHA with insights into the lived experiences of whanau in Te Moana a Toi.

As direct representatives of their iwi, the appointees of the IMPB have a clear line of communication to the needs of their whanau. Collating data and vital information from these flax roots and disseminating it to central agencies such as the MHA and Health New Zealand offers an opportunity for responsive decision-making based on real-life outcomes, says Linda.

The contribution tthe IMPB will make acknowledges the long-held relationship between the Runanga and the Bay of Plenty District Health Board (to be renamed Health New Zealand); a special relationship which is unique to our region.

The successful appointees to the BOP IMB are:

Ngai te Rangi - Roimata Ah Sam

Ngati Ranginui - Melanie Tata

Ngati Pukenga - Kipouaka Pukekura-Marsden

Waitaha - Carliza Nathan-Patuawa

Tapuika - Rutu Maxwell-Swinton

Ngati Whakaue ki Maketu - Susan Elliott

Ngati Whakahemo - Margaret Williams

Ngati Makino - Te Ata Ngatai

Ngati Manawa - John Porima

Ngati Whare - Jane Nicholas

Ngati Awa - Jackie Copeland-Davis

Whakatohea - Mariana Hudson

Ngai Tai - Lucy Steel

Te Whanau a Apanui - Dayle Takitimu

Te Whanau a Te Ehutu - Theresa Ngamoki

FAQs surrounding the health system change.

What are the agencies respective roles going to be?

Manatu Hauora  the Ministry of Health (MoH) is the chief advisor to the Minister of Health and continues to support the delivery of high-quality health services by advising the Government on funding and system settings and developing the policy and laws needed. It will focus on strategy, policy, regulation and monitoring the outcomes achieved by the system as a whole and will host the Public Health Agency, which will be responsible for public health policy, strategy, monitoring and intelligence.

Health New Zealand (HNZ) leads the day-to-day running of the health system and unites the 20 District Health Boards, shared services agencies and Te Hiringa Hauora under one national organisation. It leads and coordinates delivery of health services, coordinating efforts across the motu, including hospital and specialist services, the new National Public Health Service, clinical governance, and community services including primary and community care.

The Maori Health Authority (MHA), working in partnership with Manatu Hauora and Health New Zealand, is responsible for ensuring the health system delivers equitable outcomes for Maori. It has been set up as an independent statutory authority to drive improvement in hauora Maori.

Who do we approach about what?

From July 1, the Ministry of Health will provide leadership across the health system and government in relation to health and wellbeing.

It will focus on strategy, policy, regulation and monitoring the performance of, and health outcomes achieved by, the new health system to make sure its delivering the best health services to New Zealanders.

This will be done with a focus on equitable health outcomes and meeting Te Tiriti o Waitangi responsibilities.

Hosting the Public Health Agency, it will be responsible for public health policy, strategy, monitoring and intelligence.

Some of the functions the Ministry was previously responsible for have been transferred, such as the National Immunisation Programme, the Health Infrastructure Unit, the COVID-19 response.

Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand will manage the health system day-to-day; plan and commission services for the whole population via four regional divisions.

It will pick up national operational level questions about the system, including the district and the new localities approach.

As an example, service delivery questions, which have previously sat with the Ministry, should be directed to HNZ in the first instance.

The National Public Health Service within HNZ will be responsible for population health, including the management of outbreaks and pandemics, health promotion, health prevention and health protection

Vaccination/immunisation and Covid-19 health response queries will also now sit with HNZ.

District queries (formerly at a DHB level) should still be directed to local media teams.

The Maori Health Authority

The Maori Health Authority will be responsible for ensuring the health system provides more equitable outcomes for Maori.

It has specific responsibilities in the new integrated health system, including planning and funding services designed specifically for Maori (such as kaupapa Maori services), and monitoring the performance of the entire health system to improve equity.

It will work with the Ministry of Health on strategy and policy issues of particular relevance to Maori, ensuring the Crowns commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi continues to underpin approaches to hauora.

It will work in partnership with Health New Zealand to plan and co-commission services, ensuring service design and priorities reflect the needs of Maori and of all New Zealands diverse communities.

It will be responsible for ensuring the needs, interests, and aspirations of Maori communities are at the heart of the new health system, including through the new Iwi Maori Partnership Boards.

Ministry for Disabled People

The reforms of the Health system have provided an opportunity to review the current arrangements for working with, and supporting, the one in four New Zealanders who identify as disabled. Theres more information here on the new Ministry for Disabled People.

The agencies will be able to talk you through where to direct questions around specific subject matter areas.
Three members of a drug ring that attempted to smuggle $20m worth of cocaine into New Zealand have successfully reduced their sentences by arguing it wasnt as bad as meth.

The men, a Serbian, a Croat and an Australian, were sentenced at Rotoruas High Court in February 2020 for the plot that involved submersible scooters, gym bags stuffed with cash and the use of container ships as unwitting drug mules.

The sentences have been quashed by the Court of Appeal  and now Croatian Mario Habulin would serve 23 years and 4 months in prison instead of 27 years and six months, Serbian Deni Cavallo would serve 17 years and 8 months instead of 23 years, and Australian Matthew John Scott would serve 20 years and 5 months instead of 24 years.

The men were a group of foreign nationals part of an international, organised criminal group that imported cocaine from South America through the Port of Tauranga in three shipments in June, July and October 2017.

Habulin imported a total of 76 kg of cocaine, supplied 25 kg from the first two shipments and transferred $1,498,500 to a money-laundering ring.

Matthew John Scott has had his 24-year jail term reduced to 20 years and 5 months.

Scott assisted in supplying the first two shipments and transferred $1,192,000 to the money-laundering ring.

Both Scott and Cavallo assisted in importing the third shipment of 46 kg.

They were charged with drug-related and money-laundering offences, and plead guilty at the beginning of trial in the face of what was labelled an overwhelming Crown case.

The men's plot came undone in November 2017 when 46 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of around $20 million, was seized in a dawn raid in Tauranga.

It was the second-biggest seizure of cocaine in New Zealand history to date.

Their operation involved using Maersk Line ships travelling the South Pacific Express service carrying the drugs in underwater caches that would be stashed and later retrieved by divers at night.

The ships would travel through Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Peru, with the last stop before Tauranga being San Vicente, Chile.

Shortly after each ship left San Vicente, Habulin and Cavallo would travel to New Zealand.

They would pose as theme park owners and theme park engineers when giving their reason for visiting New Zealand to customs.

Croatian Mario Habulin would now serve 23 years and 4 months in prison instead of 27 years and six months.

Money was being laundered through a Vietnamese money laundering service with Habulin said to be seen taking hundreds of thousands in cash stashed in a gym bag for laundering.

In their appeal, the men argued the sentences were manifestly excessive in light of the lesser harm of cocaine compared to that of methamphetamine.

They also argued the sentencing judge should have granted higher discounts for their personal mitigating circumstances.

Evidence submitted to the Court of Appeal showed cocaine powder was less toxic and harmful than methamphetamine, the judgement said.

Therefore, cocaine offending should generally be sentenced slightly below comparable methamphetamine starting points.

As a result, the Court of Appeal reduced the starting point of the mens sentences to account for this.

As for personal mitigating factors, the court said Scott overcame early life difficulties to become a successful adult, and did not suffer from a systemic inability to tell right from wrong.

It said there was also very modest cogency between the offending and Habulin and Cavallos backgrounds.

The sentencing judge had already given a sentencing discount for the mens foreign status, and considered the appellants chose to come to New Zealand to offend seriously and profit substantially.

This mitigates the required response to the hardship they will otherwise face, it said.

However, it concluded the Judge did err in refusing to give a discount for Scotts rehabilitative prospects, as evidence showed his capacity to make good in adult life after the adversity of his childhood.

As a result, starting points were discounted by 15 per cent for Cavallo and Habulin, and 20 per cent for Scott.

The final sentences are: 17 years and 8 months imprisonment (Cavallo); 23 years and four months imprisonment (Habulin); and 20 years and 5 months imprisonment (Scott).

-Stuff.
More than 10 volunteers took part in a deep clean and survey of Pilot Bay in Mount Maunganui this week - removing a surprising amount of litter across a 1300m2 stretch of the outwardly tidy beachfront.

The group was made up of volunteers from technology business Brother New Zealand, who meticulously combed the section and analysed their findings via the Sustainable Coastlines Litter Intelligence Programme.

Litter Intelligence is a nationwide programme that aims to inspire and inform better decisions for a world without litter," says Litter Intelligence manager Ben Knight.

"It's grown so much since launching in 2018 which is a true testament to the dedicated efforts of our brilliant volunteer Citizen Scientists and our committed programme funders like Brother, who have signed up to be both and who we're delighted to have onboarded this year as Litter Intelligence Monitoring Supporters."

Volunteers didn't have to dig deep to find cigarette butts throughout the beach.

Brother has been an active sponsor of Sustainable Coastlines since 2017, but this year marks its first as an official LI Monitoring Supporter for Pilot Bay - something it has agreed to fund until at least 2025 as part of its wider commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Pilot Bay has a visual assessment grade of A, meaning it appears from first look to have little to no litter present. So, it was a shock to find large contents of plastic and cigarette butts throughout the sand, says Mayuko Hirose, Director of Corporate Strategy and CSR at Brother.

Of the total 317 man-made items collected, 199 were plastic, including 79 cigarette butts, 40 unidentifiable hard plastics, 15 bottle caps, and 11 food wrappers.

Foamed plastic (polystyrene, ear plugs) made up the second largest group, totalling 85 pieces.

Other litter found included metal, glass, rubber bands and chewing gum.

Volunteers from Brother New Zealand found a 'shocking' amount of plastic.

The assessment also found an estimated 100 microplastics on the shoreline.

Microplastics are classified as fragments of any type of plastic measuring less than 5mm in length.

The particles come from a variety of sources including improper breakdown of larger plastics, and microbeads - exfoliants that can be found in some skincare products and toothpastes. Mayuko said that while microplastics are harder to spot, they pose a very real risk to sea life.

The volunteer group will continue to survey Pilot Bay regularly over a three-year period to monitor changes and opportunities for improvement from beach goers and businesses.

Warwick Beban, Managing Director at Brother with volunteers scouring Pilot Bay for litter.

Reducing litter on our beaches and in our waterways is a cause close to our hearts at Brother, and given the proximity of Pilot Bay to our Tauranga Head Office, we are so pleased to be taking care of this special piece of Aotearoa to create long term change, says Mayuko.

Litter Intelligence is New Zealands first and only national litter monitoring programme, enabling communities to collect data, gain insights and take action to prevent litter.

Led by New Zealand charity Sustainable Coastlines, the programme works in close collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation and Statistics New Zealand.

All findings are published and regularly updated at https://litterintelligence.org, where businesses and individuals can also find information on how to get involved.
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board has faced some interesting challenges in the 22 years since its inception.

Today marks the first day of Health New Zealand and the Maori Health Authority, which replace the country's 20 district health boards.

As Aotearoa experiences the largest shake up of the health system since DHBs were implemented in 2000, outgoing BOPDHB board chair Bev Edlin reflects on the last two decades.

Edlin told Local Democracy Reporting she is very proud of the team and what the health board has achieved in her six years as a member.

Some of the biggest challenges the staff at Whakatane and Tauranga Hospitals faced was the aftermath of natural disasters, says Edlin.

There were floods in Matata in 2005, then Edgecumbe flooded in 2017, and perhaps the most devastating, was the Whakaari eruption in 2019.

We've had some interesting challenges over the years, very interesting, very hard on the staff, she says.

Whakaari, when she blew some of our staff, and not all of them were medics, they went out and brought those people in off the helicopters.

That's trying times for people who are not in the medic side.

You continually stretch your resources when some of these environmental issues come up.

Then suddenly you're not running the hospital in isolation which again puts the staff under a huge amount of pressure, says Edlin.

The staff over the last 10 -15 years have faced quite a lot of emergencies and different situations.

That comes into their day, and they ride it, they stay back, they do everything they can to make sure that those patients get the best care they can possibly get.

Edlin says she enjoyed working with a diverse and solid team of board members and senior management who were dedicated to the cause.

We worked well, one governing, one delivering, to make things happen.

It's been a strong board working with a very strong management team.

We could not do any more. We did what we could with what we had.

We used the skills, the expertise around the table and kept things going through some rather challenging times.

The district health boards that managed the hospitals have been disbanded and replaced by Health New Zealand and the Maori Health Authority. File photo/SunLive.

One of the challenges Health New Zealand faces is making sure the infrastructure is set up correctly, says Edlin.

You've got to have the infrastructure as well, to serve the population. This is such a growing population here.

The buildings have to be ready for the way medicine's going, the way things are developing, and the way operations are taking place.

Training, retaining, and attracting more staff is also an area that needs continued focus, she says.

The board started a co-governance model with iwi 16 years ago to work on inequity issues and this is something Edlin hopes the new system will continue to address.

If they can get better efficiencies out of the system and put a lot of attention to ensure equity right throughout the system, I think I can say that most of us will be quite pleased with that outcome, given that that's where we've been driving for many years.

A newly appointed Bay of Plenty Iwi Maori Partnership Board aims to transform the health outcomes for Maori in the rohe.

Fifteen iwi representatives have been appointed to the Iwi-Maori Partnership Board (IMPB) , with an opportunity for other iwi representatives and matawaka to be appointed in future.

The IMPB will supply the Maori Health Authority with valuable insights into the lived experiences of whanau in Te Moana a Toi.

Linda Steel, former chair of Te Runanga Hauora Maori o Te Moana a Toi, the partnership boards predecessor, says the goal remains the same.

While the structures and staff will undergo changes during this time of transition, the kaupapa remains the same as that started by a group of kaumatua and kuia decades ago, better health outcomes for whanau can only be driven by equal partnership as described in the principles of Te Tiriti, she says.

Maori dont want to just experience the system we need to play a crucial role in the decision-making.

Interim Bay of Plenty district director Pete Chandler. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

BOPDHB chief executive Pete Chandler says today is the start of transforming the health system to create a more equitable, accessible, cohesive and people-centred system that will improve the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

At our district level of the health system very little will be different, says Chandler.

We will still be providing health services at community level such as GP practices and kaupapa Maori Hauora right through to hospital level care at Whakatane and Tauranga Hospitals.

He says change at the district level of the health system will be gradual over the coming months.

Our local focus over the last weeks has been to deliver on our aim of bringing the DHB to a respectful ending, acknowledging the work done by many over the last 22 years.

There is much work to be done, but we leave a healthy, well connected foundation for the next phase of evolution of health services across the Bay of Plenty.

Chandler has been appointed interim BOP district director through to December 2022 to help with the transition.

In a statement, Health Minister Andrew Little says the health system had become complex and fragmented and the 20 different district health boards meant healthcare was a postcode lottery.

He says a true nationwide health service will change that.

Ultimately this is about improving access to healthcare on the basis of need for all New Zealanders, no matter who they are, their ethnicity or gender, or whether theyre urban or rural.

The launch of the new health system is the start of Pae Ora (healthy futures) and means we will have fewer people getting so sick they need to go to hospital.

We will be able to better support our health workforce and take advantage of new technologies.

Today is just the start. The next step is to develop the healthcare plan that will guide and determine service delivery across the country and the health charter for our health workforce.

Were leading the change needed so kiwis have a health system we can be proud of today, and for generations to come, says Little.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
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Join Date: Jun 2022 Location: WEST DELHI Posts: 18 Thanked: 19 Times

Re: Latin NCAP crashes LHD Hyundai Aura into Hyundai Accent Quote: roy_libran Originally Posted by While this might seem a novel and questionable concept, I can see that this is more reflective of a real world crash and how human life & limb would fare in different cars.

That it brings out discriminatory practices (in the same manufacturer) between geographies is definitely concerning and worthwhile for regulators to consider, because a life is not less valuable in an i10 than in an Accent or Verna or Santa Fe or whatever....

Its true that people buy more into features but its so because Manufacturer plays that card. The way how us Indians have given Cars from Tata and M&M more love lately indicates that there are people out there who WILL chose safety over features. Its unfortunately a shame that some of the best examples of after service and reliable cars come in forms of tin cans ONLY. Wish we had best of both worlds. Truly said. In ideal world, an i10 should have lesser features and power or comfort but not less safety in any sense.Its true that people buy more into features but its so because Manufacturer plays that card. The way how us Indians have given Cars from Tata and M&M more love lately indicates that there are people out there who WILL chose safety over features. Its unfortunately a shame that some of the best examples of after service and reliable cars come in forms of tin cans ONLY. Wish we had best of both worlds.
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Re: The Scale Model Thread



Mattel's Hot Wheels and Match-box brand scale models are no longer available here in Pune, you will be lucky to get one from a toy shop near you. The prices of models online have increased manyfold



Just 8 months back in December 2022, I brought a Mercedes A-Class and a Porsche for 120 Rupees a piece, guess what is the price you will see online for the same today ???





Got this car for INR 120 !!!





And this one for INR 80 2 years back!!



These tiny cars costing 120-300 Rupees are now selling at 1500-2500 Rupees.



I asked the local shopkeeper, he said they stopped taking these models from distributors as they know they are too expensive for anyone to purchase, especially when you have cheap imitations coming from China. Even big shops like Hamley's are not having these models in stock, same is the case for other brands like Wellys and Bburago. They are just not there on the shelves anymore :(



Guess what the cheap Chinese cars cost now?

They cost Rupees 120 a piece, previously I could get it for 40-60 Rupees from a local shop. They are quite flimsy and will break if you step on them. The chassis is screwed to the body instead of riveted like original HWs.



My brother staying in UK has the same concern, he says this HW model costing a Pound or so is now about 6 Pounds.



I am not sure what triggered such a drastic increase in price of the scale models, but as a collector I am disheartened by this. My kid and my nephews are all crazy about these models which I used to purchase after a lot of searching. I have had some of the best cars but they took away all my collection



Here's a recent one taken during summers, my kid was playing with this on the 'fort' that we built in Diwali, which was in ruins in summer ...

I have been a Hot-wheels and match-box collector ever since I started earning, but wanted to post something very serious about scale models scenario in India. In fact, I would say this needs a separate thread altogether!Mattel's Hot Wheels and Match-box brand scale models are no longer available here in Pune, you will be lucky to get one from a toy shop near you. The prices of models online have increased manyfoldJust 8 months back in December 2022, I brought a Mercedes A-Class and a Porsche for 120 Rupees a piece, guess what is the price you will see online for the same today ???Got this car for INR 120 !!!And this one for INR 80 2 years back!!These tiny cars costing 120-300 Rupees are now selling at 1500-2500 Rupees.I asked the local shopkeeper, he said they stopped taking these models from distributors as they know they are too expensive for anyone to purchase, especially when you have cheap imitations coming from China. Even big shops like Hamley's are not having these models in stock, same is the case for other brands like Wellys and Bburago. They are just not there on the shelves anymore :(Guess what the cheap Chinese cars cost now?They cost Rupees 120 a piece, previously I could get it for 40-60 Rupees from a local shop. They are quite flimsy and will break if you step on them. The chassis is screwed to the body instead of riveted like original HWs.My brother staying in UK has the same concern, he says this HW model costing a Pound or so is now about 6 Pounds.I am not sure what triggered such a drastic increase in price of the scale models, but as a collector I am disheartened by this. My kid and my nephews are all crazy about these models which I used to purchase after a lot of searching. I have had some of the best cars but they took away all my collectionHere's a recent one taken during summers, my kid was playing with this on the 'fort' that we built in Diwali, which was in ruins in summer ...
In brief: As video game streaming struggles to find a steady foothold in the industry, service providers have partnered with television manufacturers to make it easier for players to get their game on through built-in apps. Samsung has jumped on board with its new Gaming Hub. Its 2022 sets will soon be the only smart TVs equipped with Microsoft's Xbox TV app for cloud gaming.

On Thursday, Samsung unveiled its new Gaming Hub for several of its 2022 smart TVs. The hub contains shortcuts to any of the consoles you may have plugged into the set using Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) to wake the console without turning it on manually or with a controller.

The hub also has game streaming apps baked in, so you don't need access to a browser or external hardware like Chromecast to start playing. It currently supports Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia, Xbox TV, Utomik, and Twitch. Samsung says it will also be adding support for Amazon's Luna game-streaming service but didn't provide a timeframe.

Samsung Gaming Hub also has passthrough support for controllers and headsets, so users don't need to pair multiple accessories for their various services and consoles. Passthrough can allow players to use Xbox Series controllers with their PlayStation or their Xbox without re-pairing since the devices are synced with the TV instead of the console.

Samsung's Gaming Hub is not a first by any means. Several other television manufacturers already have similar user interfaces. Visio's Smartcast was recently updated to include support for most video and game streaming. However, the Xbox TV app, which enables Game Pass cloud gaming, is currently only available on Samsung smart TVs. However, Microsoft intends to partner with more OEMs in the months to come.

Samsung did not have a precise release date for the interface, only saying that the hub would come with a firmware update to 2022 televisions later this year. It also noted that while a Samsung account is not necessary to use Gaming Hub, it is recommended so that users can reliably sync their game progress with its streaming partners.
WTF?! In what sounds suspiciously like the plot of Minority Report just without the precognitive psychics floating in a photon milk bath, an algorithm has been developed that can predict future crime one week in advance with an accuracy of 90%.

The algorithm was developed by social scientists at the University of Chicago who used historical data on violent crimes (homicides, assaults, and batteries) and property crimes (burglaries, thefts, and motor vehicle thefts) within the city to test and validate the model. These crimes were chosen as they are less likely to experience the kind of enforcement bias often present in drug-related and similar offenses.

By splitting cities into 1,000-square-foot spatial tiles, the algorithm is able to identify patterns and try to predict future crimes, which it does with a reported 90% accuracy, according to the study published in Nature Human Behavior.

It's not just Chicago where the algorithm had a seemingly precognitive ability to predict crime. The system worked just as well after feeding it data from other US cities: Atlanta, Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Francisco.

The press release states that, unlike previous future-crime detection tools, the algorithm does not depict crime as coming from hotspots that spread to surrounding areas. This method can ignore the complex social environment of cities and the relationship between crime and the effects of police enforcement.

"Spatial models ignore the natural topology of the city," said sociologist and co-author James Evans, PhD, Max Palevsky Professor at UChicago and the Santa Fe Institute. "Transportation networks respect streets, walkways, train and bus lines. Communication networks respect areas of similar socio-economic background. Our model enables discovery of these connections."

Lead author Ishanu Chattopadhyay warned that the tool should not be used to direct police forces, despite its accuracy. Departments should not use it to swarm neighborhoods proactively to prevent crime, for example.

"We created a digital twin of urban environments. If you feed it data from what happened in the past, it will tell you what's going to happen in the future," Chattopadhyay said. "It's not magical; there are limitations, but we validated it and it works really well."

Earlier this week, we heard that Chinese regulators were looking to use a variety of data points collected on Chinese citizens to build profiles from which an automated system could predict potential dissidents or criminals before they have a chance to do something the government deems illegal, which somehow makes a Minority Report-style system sound even more worrying.
The US Space Force has a new unit, the Space Delta 18, that will provide "critical intelligence on threat systems, foreign intentions and activities in the space domain," according to Space.

(Photo : FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

US Vice President Kamala Harris meets with officer during a visit to the command space center at Vandenberg space force Base in Lompoc, California on April 18, 2022.

It will operate the National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC), which is a new intelligence hub at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Furthermore, a team of 345 civilian and military personnel will be deployed there.

With the newly-activated unit, it will help hone the future of the Space Force's innovation and technology acquisition. It is tasked with identifying kinetic and non-kinetic threats.

Kinetic threats are the ones that can cause physical damage or degrade US satellites and their other assets. On the other hand, non-kinetic are the anti-satellite weapons that utilizes directed energy, signal jamming, and other means that can disrupt the operations of the satellites.

"As the Service Intelligence Center for the US Space Force, NSIC will be positioned to support US and allied space decision makers at an absolutely critical moment in the history of space development. In the years ahead, the environment will only become more contested. And as we move forward, NSIC will be relied upon to produce and analyze scientific and technical intelligence related to space for the entire nation," said the United States Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

Also Read: Space Force's GSSAP Satellites Launches Succesfuly to Orbit, to Focus on 'Neighborhood Watch' Features

Years in the Making

The US Air Force has operated its own NASIC at Wright-Patterson since 1993 but Space Force has been pushing for its own space intelligence unit since 2020. This results in the Delta 18 unit that will help them anticipate the demand for additional space intelligence that will support foundational, tactical, operational, and strategic levels.

The need for this unit was driven by China and Russia's anti-satellite capabilities. Recently, a Chinese satellite was seen to have dragged a defunct navigation satellite into a graveyard orbit. Moreover, Russia has performed anti satellite tests that were destructive when it created hazardous orbital debris fields.

One of the non-kinetic threats is the growing presence of Russian and Chinese interference with, disruption and destruction of unclassified commercial and government satellites by means of electronic jamming and physical attacks. Furthermore, they are also increasing their capabilities to counter the US anti-satellite weapon.

With the Space Force, more assets will be required to ensure the space domain's safety. It can be done by developing and improving the space situational awareness program. It will also be helpful to detect and characterize potential threats that are there in space.

In short, the US Space Force will help and protect the US in the space domain.

Establishing this new command helped the US address the dangers and steps to secure the space domain. It ensures that the access to space for national security, economic prosperity, and scientific advancement will be preserved and protected. It will provide an essential role for national security and the growth of the US economy.

It will help the United States launch a more strategically effective defense system and ensure that the US is prepared for the future of its space assets.

Related Article: NASA and Space Force Order Several Launches from SpaceX and ULA for National Security Missions!

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Samsung completed its development of the upcoming 3nm chips that would power modern technological devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and other innovations coming soon. The South Korean tech company managed to bring its affairs in order and develop the chips that are smaller in size but do not shy away from power.

Samsung Completes its Development of the 3nm Chips

(Photo : Samsung Global Newsroom)

The Global Newsroom of Samsung brings a massive announcement for all, and the completion of its development for its 3nm chips brings a new focus to the company. The chips are an integral part of a device as it powers the processes and functions that they would do for the technology, and it helps the public get more if their chips are powerful.

The new 3nm chips are advantageous for their Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO), which helps boost Power, Performance, Area (PPA) benefits for the users. It may be something that the public may understand at the moment, but it means that the chips bring a better performance than existing ones.

It is significantly smaller than current chips in the industry, from its size reduction hailing from 5nm to 3nm.

Read Also: Wear OS 3 Adds iPhone Capabilities But With a Price: More Expensive than a 256GB iPhone 13 Pro Max?

Samsung's Team Brings a Smaller Processor for All

According to Gizmodo, the Samsung team that worked on the chips aims for better efficiency for the devices, which would help power them for their needs. Samsung uses the Gate-All-Around transistor architecture (GAA FET) technology to bring a high-performance chip that is smaller in structure but does not sacrifice its power in the process.

Apple, TSMC's Quest for the Smaller Processor

Apple and TSMC are known partners regarding the chips that the Cupertino giant needs for its tech devices available now, and the companies have worked well in the past. There were reports regarding the Taiwanese company's budget for the upcoming development of the new chips, and it talks about the 3nm and 2nm processors coming soon.

It is a known venture that Apple and TSMC are looking to produce and deliver the 3nm chips as the first in the world, but in recent news, Samsung beat them to the finish line for this venture. The new 3nm chips would be the latest M2 Pro chips that aim to power MacBooks better, but it is unknown at this time what device it would come to once it releases.

Samsung did not have any announcements regarding its chip production before this, and it remained a closed venture for the company until its successful take.

The South Korean company would offer its technology to the world, and since its announcements now, there are several applications that it would see in the coming years for the new 3nm chip. One of the most significant applications for this is the Galaxy smartphones and devices that it brings to the world, with other devices also poising in for the new processor.

Related Article: Samsung's New Galaxy XCover6Pro is 'Rugged' and 'Durable' - Find Out Its Full Features!

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An unmanned robotic ship that is recreating the Mayflower's 1620 maritime in the most modern way has docked near Plymouth Rock, according to AP's report.

More than 400 years after the historic voyage of its namesake from England, the AI-powered Mayflower Autonomous Ship greeted an escort boat as it reached the Massachusetts coastline on Thursday.

As per U.S. law, unmanned vessels are subject to Coast Guard regulations. Hence, it was brought into Plymouth Harbor.

Mayflower's Historical Significance

The sailboat was anchored next to a replica of the actual Mayflower, which carried the Pilgrims to America, and was subject to Coast Guard regulations.

Since an artificial intelligence software operated the 50-foot trimaran, it had no crew members aboard, including a captain and navigator.

In April, it departed once more from the southwest coast of England, but technical malfunctions forced a detour to the Azores Islands in Portugal, then to Canada.

The necessary mechanical and physical adjustments can't be made without someone on board, Rob High said in a statement with AP. High is an IBM software executive working on the project.

Further, the AI-powered ship started its smooth 4-day cruise to Plymouth Harbor on Monday from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Read also: 'Flying Hotel That Never Lands': AI Sky Cruise Ship Will Use Nuclear Energy to Fly in Luxury

Who Is Behind the Crewless Ship?

The ship was constructed by IBM and nonprofit maritime research organization ProMare, which has been using it to gather information about microplastic waste, whales, and other scientific studies.

Although there have been a few autonomous experimental ships that have crossed the Atlantic, this is the first ship of its size to travel the seas, according to researchers.

The crew can now begin examining the data from the ship's journey and delving into the performance of the AI system because the expedition has ended, according to High.

He asserted that the prospect of such unpiloted vessels traversing the oceans continues to make it easier to gather all the kinds of data that marine biologists are interested in.

Promare developed the innovative technology known as the Mayflower Autonomous Ship, which seeks to transform maritime travel. This "captainless" ship aims to advance shipping while also improving sustainability.

To develop an AI that can navigate the ocean and discover more about the world's aquatic bodies, IBM teams up with Promoting Marine Research and Exploration (Promare). When compared to research vessels with human crews, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship is said to be more affordable and adaptable.

The robot ship project received backing from numerous multi-million dollar firms, including Rolls Royce, Honeywell, ABB, and Wartsila.

Related Article: AI in Doctor-Patient Relationship Still Subject to Digital Transformation, Raises Bioethics Issues

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The iconic Apple logo bite has been baffling many people. Unlike other brand icons, Apple's symbol is one of those with the simplest designs.

(Photo : Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)

The Apple logo is seen on a window of the company's store in Bangkok on March 5, 2021. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)

Samsung's icon needs to have the company's full name on it so that it can be recognized by its consumers.

The same goes for other smartphone manufacturers, such as Oppo, Nokia, LG, Huawei, and other popular iPhone competitors.

Meanwhile, Apple only needs to create the shape of an apple fruit that has a bite in it. But why did the designer create it this way?

Rob Janoff, the graphic designer behind the iconic Apple logo, finally provided an answer during an interview with Creative Bits.

Iconic Apple Logo Bite Explained!

According to iNews UK's latest report, many individuals are confused by Apple putting a bite on its logo. Some even concluded that the bite in the iPhone maker's icon refers to the tech term "byte."

(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A person walks by an Apple Store on April 23, 2013 in San Francisco, California. Analysts believe that Apple Inc. will report their first quarterly loss in nearly a decade as the company prepares to report first quarter earnings today after the closing bell.

Also Read: Apple iPhone 13 Prices Increase by 20% in Japan! How About in the US?

On the other hand, other individuals claimed that the bite actually symbolizes Isaac Newton's story, with him taking a bite of the Apple after the fruit fell near him, leading to the discovery of gravity.

But, Janoff clarified all these speculations. He said all the rumors about the iconic Apple logo bite are interesting. However, none of them are correct.

"I designed it with a bite for scale, so people get that it was an apple not a cherry. Also it was kind of iconic about taking a bite out of an apple," said the logo designer.

Other Questions Answered by Apple Logo Designer

Aside from the iconic bite design, Janoff also shared why the older version of Apple's symbol was multi-colored. Before it had its silver color, the Apple logo featured six horizontal stripes of different colors.

Because of this, many individuals speculated that the colorful logo is actually a representation of the company's support for LGBT+ society.

But, Janoff said that the multi-colored Apple logo was created back in 1977 because the company's founder, Steve Jobs, liked it that way.

He said that the colorful version was a "homage" to Jobs. But, the company decided to transform it into a simpler version, which is what you see now.

Meanwhile, Apple Watch Series 7 was recently offered by Amazon for only $87.

On the other hand, Apple suppliers decided to manufacture second-gen OLED iPads.

For more news updates about Apple and other tech giant firms, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Apple Store Is Back Online After Being Down in the U.S.

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Long-term space flights are now a trend in the rising space industry as NASA, and other government-funded and independent space agencies conduct their own out-of-this-world missions.

(Photo : Photo By Getty Images)

381298 08: Astronaut William (Bill) Mcarthur, Appears Suspended Over The Blue And White Earth October 15, 2000 During Space Walk Activities Near The Longerons Of The Space Shuttle Discovery.

Some people think that becoming one of the astronauts reaching outer space is the coolest career they can have. But, before you try and become one of them, you still need to know the negative effects of zero-gravity on your body.

For the past few years, researchers concluded that long-term spaceflights really reduce the bone density of astronauts. Now, a new study revealed that recovering from this is actually a rare scenario.

Spaceflights Permanently Decrease NASA Astronauts' Bone Density!

According to Extreme Tech's latest report, long-term spaceflights really lead to permanent bone density loss.

(Photo : Photo credit should read MAXIM MARMUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Microsoft software developer Charles Simonyi flies during a parabolic flight aboard a zero-gravity simulator, a Russian IL-76 MDK aircraft used for astronauts' training flights in weightlessness, in Star City outside Moscow, 26 February 2007. The world's next space tourist, Simonyi, will blast off on his journey to the International Space Station on April 7.

Also Read: NASA: Swimming Robots to Detect Life on Different Planets, SWIM Project for Europa

Leigh Gabel and Steven Boyd, kinesiologists from the University of Calgary, confirmed this detail in their new study, which was published in the Nature journal.

"We examined bone strength, density, and microarchitecture in seventeen astronauts (14 males; mean 47 years) using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography," explained the researchers.

Their findings revealed that 1% to 2% of bone density is reduced every month once people are in space. This means that the longer you stay in a zero-gravity environment, the more you lose bone density.

Bone Density Loss Recovery is Rare?

The new findings of Steven Boyd and Leigh Gabel are really alarming, especially since the average stay duration of astronauts and cosmonauts at the International Space Station is around six months.

But, Mark Vande Hei stayed more than six months, becoming the first NASA astronaut to live at the ISS for almost a year (355 days in total).

Now, the new space study focusing on bone density loss showed that only one out of the 17 astronauts recovered. If you want to see further details about the new research, you can visit this link.

On the other hand, deeper universe photos captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are expected to arrive this July.

Previously, experts claimed that NASA's Europa Clipper could crash into the largest moon in the solar system.

For more news updates about bone density loss and other negative effects of spaceflights, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: NASA's DART Mission May Deform a Mini-Moon

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Only 35 active funds with a return of more than 15% in the first half of the year can invest in only 35 funds in the second half of the year
Marchers walk past Our lady of Wisdom Catholic Church during a march in response to decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade starting from Girard Park to the intersection of University Ave. and Johnston Street on Sunday, June 26, 2022 in Lafayette, La.. The marches walked past Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church and First Presbyterian Church.
Sonora burrito at Blue Corn Modern Mexican

For a time there, trips to Blue Corn became a Sunday night, post-Mass ritual, but then came a shift to weeknights because the crowd seems a little smaller. That makes the service a little faster, though the earlier visits weren't agonizingly grueling. It may just have been that as the pandemic wound down everyone picked the same night to go out.

Whatever the night, there hasn't been a bad meal in what is likely 10 trips over the last year; the most recent brought the Sonora burrito.

First off, this thing is huge. It's impossible to list everything that is stuffed inside. The choice of meat is yours (this week it was carne asada), and there's at least guacamole, pico de gallo, beans, cheese and rice inside. Secondly, a just-as-noteworthy blue corn soup comes on the side. It's chicken broth-based, and isn't blue.

Overall, the best thing about Blue Corn is that the food isn't overly seasoned. It's flavorful, but not so overwhelming that you leave thinking "Ooh, that was too much cumin" or "I wish they had used less chili powder." The atmosphere isn't the greatest  bordered on two sides by a strip mall parking lot  so ask for a table facing the bar or kitchen.

Can't decide what to eat? We've been documenting the best things we ate in Baton Rouge every week Figuring out what to eat can be one of the most difficult parts of the day. Whether it's what to grab for lunch or where to go for dinner, hav

Blue Corn Modern Mexican, 7673 Perkins Road, near Essen Lane. (225) 300-4601.

Open at 11 a.m. daily; closes at 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. If you go too late there's a chance they could pack up before their official closing time if there's no crowd. It's not an official policy, but there have been nights that a 7:30 p.m. visit was unproductive on the taco front. (Metro Editor Kelly P. Kissel)

Carnosa pizza with a side of wood-roasted okra at Rocca Pizzeria

Explore BR Each week we'll highlights the best eats and events in metro Baton Rouge. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

While meat lover pizzas are consistently good, Rocca's carnosa pizza was on another level. The pie was packed with sausage, bacon, smoked pork belly, pepperoni and shredded mozzarella. The smoked pork belly gave the pizza a little something extra over the other pizzerias in town. For $19, the pizza was the perfect serving for two, with leftovers.

On the side, we tried an order of the wood-roasted okra. The veggies came in a hot skillet topped with sundried tomato pesto and paprika sunflower seeds. While the serving of sauce was a little too much, the combination elevated the dish over traditional roasted okra. The almost sweet topping gave it a twist that made it stand out.

To drink, the "violet you're turning violet" was a perfect summer cocktail. It blended limoncello, lavender, honeysuckle vodka and blueberries for a refreshing treat.

Rocca Pizzeria, 3897 Government St., Baton Rouge, La. 70806. (225) 478-1286

Closed Mondays. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. (Emma Discher)

Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at University Seafood

Should you find yourself on Highland in the vicinity of LSU and you're looking for a dependable lunch that won't break the bank, try the unexpected  University Seafood. The convenience store-looking establishment is clean and does a steady business. They're known for their crawfish and you'll recognize that the moment you open the door  the aroma de crawfish is strong. (If you're wondering, they moved to this location about two years ago.)

Even though, they've got seafood in the name, they have an array of non-seafood sandwiches and a plate lunch counter. Among their specialties, you'll find a mean hamburger and one of my personal favorites, the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich.

The French bread is the perfect blend of soft and crunch  and gave the sandwich a bit of a Louisiana flair. They dress the sandwiches with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Be warned  you may get pickles even if you don't ask for them. Consider them lagniappe. You were supposed to have them. Served in a Styrofoam covered plate, the sandwich is wrapped tight, taped and cut in the middle. The result is that the wrapping holds the fixings in place. Fries are included and are sprinkled with a nice Cajun-style seasoning. Price for the meal is $8.59  hard to beat! Each sandwich is made to order and takes about 15 minutes to prepare. Call to order ahead, as the friendly policeman who was there while I was knew to do.

University Seafood, 2819 Highland Road, Baton Rouge (225-383-4220).

Hours are 10:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday noon to 7 p.m.
In a preliminary proposal that will take months to decide, the Biden administration is floating the possibility of nixing oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico and the rest of the outer continental shelf for the next five years.

As required by federal law, the Department of the Interior on Friday released a draft of a plan that typically outlines a schedule of proposed lease sales for the outer continental shelf for the next five years. The sales allow oil and gas extraction companies to bid for drilling space in offshore waters.
To the rest of Australia, Melbourne is easy to mock. Melburnians are often derided as a bunch of latte-sipping, bleeding-heart-liberal, intellectually superior snobs, naive to the concerns and realities of life outside the self-proclaimed cultural capital of the country.

For locals, Melbourne culture provides just as much fodder for comedy, but with far more granularity. Its not Melbournes laneway culture locals make fun of, but specific bars, DJs and even sommeliers.

A number of mainly anonymous local Instagram accounts have emerged and begun chronicling the many eccentricities of life in inner-city Melbourne. Credit:@inner_north_rainbow_mafia/Instagram

Of late, a number of mainly anonymous local Instagram accounts, including but by no means limited to @merri_freek, @melbourneaffirmations, @dumbbitchmemes69, @club_nite_guest_list and @inner_north_rainbow_mafia, have emerged and begun chronicling the many eccentricities of life in inner-city Melbourne.

These accounts trade in memes, where images, text and videos are used to communicate an immediately funny or relatable idea and then spread across the internet, often being reproduced and reinterpreted along the way. Famous global memes included distracted boyfriend, which features a man ogling a woman as his partner looks on disapprovingly, and Pepe the Frog, which was initially a fairly innocuous comic book character but has become associated with the far right. Melbourne memes run the gamut, from wholesome references to places that Melburnians can identify with, to esoteric ruminations on the citys nightlife, brands and trends, made to appeal to niche communities.
By Qian Jingyi

The world's largest multinational maritime joint military exercise the Rim of the Pacific 2022 (RIMPAC 2022) is scheduled to be held in the waters near Hawaii of the US at the end of June. Compared with last year, the RIMPAC 2022 featured with larger scale, more troops, and more complete equipment. It reflects the sinister intention of the US to use the exercise to form gangs and engage in "major power competition", as well as its political intention to advance the Indo-Pacific strategy.

The RIMPAC military exercise is coordinated by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and is organized and implemented by the US Third Fleet. After labeling China as its strategic competitor in 2017, the US took this military exercise as an important tool to isolate China and safeguard regional hegemony and made it clear that "deal with the China challenge" was an important purpose of the exercise.

According to the news released by the US Third Fleet, the RIMPAC 2022 has a total of 25,000 troops from 26 countries, 38 surface ships, four submarines and more than 170 fighter jets. Behind such a big presence, it is the deep political consideration of the US to use the exercise as a tool to advance its Indo-Pacific strategy.

On the one hand, it aims to show the "leadership" of the US in the Indo-Pacific and even the world. On February 11, the Biden administration released the report of US Indo-Pacific Strategy, saying that it will increase resource investment in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthen the US's leading role in the Indo-Pacific region. However, the sudden Russia-Ukraine conflict involved a lot of energy from the Biden administration. Although the Biden administration claimed to be capable of dealing with two competitors of China and Russia, its ability to advance the Indo-Pacific strategy has been widely questioned. The US invited 13 Asian countries and 12 countries outside of the region to participate in this military exercise to show its determination to anchor the Indo-Pacific so that it can dispel the doubts of its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific and demonstrate its regional and global influence.

On the other hand, it aims to test the "loyalty" of its Indo-Pacific allies. Many Asian allies of the US have made special arrangements for this military exercise to support the US. The Philippine Navy sent the newly commissioned Antonio Luna guided missile frigate and an AW-109 helicopter. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force sent the Izumo-class helicopter carrier to participate in the exercise for the first time. The ROK Navy sent four ships including the flagship, ROKS Marado amphibious assault ship and over 1,000 troops. It is the largest troops since ROK first participated in the exercise in 1990.

More importantly, the smell of gunpowder smoke in this exercise is obviously stronger and the trend of aiming to deal with "major power competition" is more obvious.

According to the US, this year's exercise has a series of subjects with a high level of actual combat, including "high-end" warfare courses such as mine clearance, anti-submarine, live ammunition, maritime air defense, and amphibious landings. The complexity of the exercise scenarios has also increased. In addition, because it involves multiple tactical fields, the exercise has higher requirements for the cooperative combat capabilities of all participating parties in sensitive fields such as intelligence information sharing and tactical confidential communication.

At the same time, new equipment and combat forces will also be tested in the exercise. According to reports, the US Navy will send four unmanned surface ships of a highly classified project and they were previously only used in internal exercises. Furthermore, the First Marine Littoral Regiment formed in March this year will make a public appearance in the exercise and test its capability to coordinate operations with allied forces and conduct "high-end" warfare.

It is not difficult to see that the RIMPAC military exercise is becoming an important training ground for the US to deal with the so-called "major power competition" and that will have a serious negative impact on regional peace and stability.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Now that weve well and truly rolled into winter, events throughout July in Melbourne (and surrounds!) will make even the coldest of days seem a little warmer. From a slate of gigs coming off the back of Splendour in the Grass to Manchester Uniteds highly anticipated friendly matches with Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace FC, the city has a lot to offer us this month. Firelight Festival Docklands | July 1 - July 3 | Free

Finding it hard to think of a reason to visit Docklands? Think no more, the annual Firelight Festival will run over three nights and feature food stalls, music and more than 40 fire pits and drums, 35 flame jets, two fire sculptures, and an eight-metre-high fiery phoenix centrepiece. The free family-friendly spectacle celebrates the longest night of the year, the solstice, and will be held across three sites at NewQuay Promenade, Victoria Harbour Promenade, and Harbour Esplanade. Docklands Firelight Festival is making a comeback. Credit:Grace Petrou Replay Festival

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Comedy Club | Until July 22 | Tickets from $18

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival may be over, but the laughs arent. Catch some of the biggest names in Australian comedy, alongside the best breakthrough comedians at the Comedy Republic throughout the month. The July program features Rhys Nicholson, Greg Larsen, Michelle Brasier, Lloyd Langford, Lizzy Hoo, Alex Ward, Frankie McNair, Geraldine Quinn, Luke Heggie and more. Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2022 Cinema Nova | July 21 - July 31 | Tickets from $13

In the theme of Punks, Rebels, Mavericks and Renegades, the seventh edition of MDFF is back for another year of great films across feature lengths and shorts, featuring local Australian and international documentaries. Theres also an online festival component that runs from July 1 - July 31. Fireside Yarra Valley Yarra Valley | July 9 - July 24 | Tickets here

Returning for its fourth year, the Fireside Yarra Valley festival is back for a 16-day festival of events that celebrates the regions finest food and wine. World Food Championships Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre | July 8 - July 10 | Tickets from $23

The worlds largest food sports event is coming to town for three days with over 200 cooks across the country battling it out for a $300,000 cash prize and attendees able to taste an array of cuisine and beverages.

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Winter Night Market Queen Victoria Market | Wednesdays until August 31 | Free

Wednesday evenings in Melbourne mean one thing: The Winter Night Market. A staple in the Melbourne winter calendar, it features over 35 street food traders, a bustle of artisanal stalls and entertainers, and even a silent disco. Faux snow falls at the Queen Victoria Markets winter night market. Disney on Ice: Into the Magic Rod Laver Arena | June 30 - July 4 | Tickets from $30

Combining classic Disney stories with world-class ice skating was a stroke of genius when it first debuted in the 80s, now almost three decades later, Disney on Ice is bigger than ever with new characters like Moana and Elsa mesmerising audiences. Disney On Ice celebrates Mickey and Friends. Credit:Must Do Brisbane.

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Electric Fields and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Hamer Hall | July 7 | Tickets from $50

Award-winning electronic music duo Electric Fields  Zaachariaha Fielding (vocals) and Michael Ross (keyboard/producer)  are coming together with MSO for NAIDOC Week in a debut concert. They will perform song cycles of the duos work, arranged for orchestra by the MSOs 2022 Cybec Young Composer in Residence, Alex Turley. Sheku Kanneh-Mason: Mid-Season Gala Hamer Hall | July 30 | Tickets from $70

After performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Masons career is rising to dizzying heights. He was the first cellist in history to reach the top 10 of the UK album charts and has made debuts with the Seattle Symphony and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Kanneh-Mason joins the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Shostakovichs Second Cello Concerto. Sheku Kanneh-Mason, lost in the moment at Londons Royal Albert Hall. The Elvis Big Band: 45th Anniversary Spectacular Thornbury Theatre | July 17 | Tickets from $57

If there ever was a time to see an Elvis tribute show, now is probably it. The Elvis Big Band will be performing music from The Kings career, spanning his early Vegas years to his movie-era rockers and boppers, and epic ballads.

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Come Rain or Come Shine Southbank Theatre | June 20 - July 23 | Tickets from $53

Adapted from Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguros wildly comic short story, Come Rain or Come Shine is a musical about music, memory and lifelong friendship. Directed by Simon Phillips and starring Gillian Cosgriff (Vivid White), Angus Grant (Cock) and Chris Ryan (Shakespeare in Love). Cast Angus Grant and Gillian Cosgriff. Credit:Jeff Busby Cinderella Regent Theatre | May 20 - July 23 | Tickets from $99

Rodgers and Hammersteins take on the classic fairytale comes to life at the Regent Theatre, in this Tony Award-winning musical from the creators of The Sound of Music. Starring Shubshri Kandiah.
A Chinese developer fronting a corruption inquiry said he believed his business partner paid expenses for two Sydney councillors travel to China, partly with the hope of securing their support for multimillion-dollar developments in the citys south.

Trips to China taken by former Georges River and Hurstville councillors Vince Badalati and Con Hindi are at the centre of a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into whether the men accepted benefits in return for supporting developments in Hurstville from 2014 to 2021.

Vince Badalati standing onstage at the signing ceremony in Tangshan, China, in April 2016.

The ICAC is probing allegations that Badalati and Hindi accepted perks  including overseas flights and accommodation  from Chinese developers Ching Wah (Philip) Uy and Wensheng Liu, and businessman Yuqing Liu. It is also investigating whether they failed to disclose a conflict of interest regarding their relationships with the developers.

Hindi and Badalati voted in favour of the developers projects - a block of 75 apartments on Treacy Street, as well as the Landmark Square project comprising 357 apartments, a 200-room hotel and a supermarket on Forest Road at Hurstville - about one week after travelling to Tangshan in China with Hindis wife, real estate agent Mireille Hindi, and Wensheng Liu in April 2016.
Victoria Police denies its new anti-gang unit will duplicate the role of existing organised crime taskforces or drain resources from other areas as it tries to tackle gun violence after the attempted assassination of ex-Mongol Suleiman Sam Abdulrahim.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton announced on Friday that police had launched the Viper taskforce to disrupt and dismantle outlaw motorcycle gangs, organised crime networks and street gangs.

Patton unveiling the new taskforce. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Victoria Police already has two separate units which target organised crime groups: the Echo taskforce and the armed crime squad.

Patton said Viper officers would complement their efforts and offer up a mobile workforce, allowing police to be deployed anywhere in the state at short notice, giving the force an on-tap resource.
Seoul: North Korea claims the countrys first COVID-19 outbreak began with patients touching alien things near the border with South Korea, apparently shifting blame to the neighbour for the wave of infections in the isolated country.

Announcing results of an investigation on Friday, the North ordered people to vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders, the official KCNA news agency said.

A balloon bearing leaflets and a banner showing an image of South Koreas president-elect Yoon Suk Yeol is released from the border town of Gimpo, South Korea, on April 25. Credit:Fighters For A Free North Korea/AP

The agency did not directly mention South Korea, but North Korean defectors and activists have for decades flown balloons from the South across the heavily fortified border, carrying leaflets and humanitarian aid.

South Koreas Unification Ministry, handling inter-Korean affairs, said there was no possibility of the virus entering the North through leaflets sent across the border.
As Anthony Albanese jetted off to Europe last weekend for a meeting with NATO leaders, he may have reflected on the frenetic pace at which his prime ministership has begun  and not just on the domestic front. With the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the growing political and military assertiveness of China, Australia finds itself an active participant in the geopolitical upheaval under way. That was reflected in the rare expansion of the NATO talks, with Albanese being invited along with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk- yeol. The purpose of including four nations from the Indo-Pacific region became evident when, for the first time, NATO made mention of China in its new 10-year strategic blueprint, declaring that Beijings stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values. Anthony Albanese greets President of Finland Sauli Niinisto as they attend the North Atlantic Council meeting at the Nato Leaders Summit in Madrid, Spain. Credit:Lukas Coch It was a fundamental shift for an alliance that was born in the Cold War era but came to view a post-Soviet Russia as a possible ally, and did not focus on China at all. But things have changed. NATOs stance on China was accompanied by tougher language on Russia, which it now believes is the most significant and direct threat to the allies security. That heightened threat opened the way for the previously nonaligned Nordic countries Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after Turkey dropped its veto on their membership. And while former US president Donald Trump seemed to revel in antagonising his European allies, Joe Biden, who is facing deep divisions at home, has been effective at marshalling the Western alliance into acting with a remarkable level of unity and resolve in funnelling arms to Ukraine, increasing defence spending and imposing severe economic sanctions against Russia. America, still the backbone of the NATO alliance, has agreed to establish a permanent military headquarters in Poland, will send an additional 5000 troops to Romania and will increase rotational deployments in the Baltic states.

But with the Australian government in a battle with Beijing on many fronts, it would have been NATOs robust views on China that would have most heartened Albanese. In surprisingly direct language, NATOs blueprint declares that Chinas confrontational rhetoric and disinformation target allies and harm alliance security. It also attacked Beijing over its bid to subvert the rules-based international order. While NATO did offer an olive branch, saying it was open to constructive engagement, Chinas support for Russias actions in Ukraine has fractured its relationship with Europe. In contrast, Australias relationship with the EU has vastly improved since Labor defeated the Coalition. According to The Ages Europe correspondent, Rob Harris, Albaneses election has been met with a great deal of positivity throughout Europe, mainly due to Labors bolder climate pledges. There are also signs that Australias relationship with France is improving after the diplomatic fallout from the Morrison governments dumping of the French submarine contract in favour of an agreement with Britain and the US for nuclear-powered submarines. On Friday night, Albanese was expected to dine at the Elysee Palace in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron. The outcome of that meeting could have an impact on Australias trade negotiations under way with the European Union and our level of co-operation with France in the Pacific region. A trade agreement with the EU has the potential to open up a market for Australian goods and services of almost 450 million people and the promise of increasing two-way trade by up to $94 billion. But security was foremost during Albaneses European trip, and he wanted to make clear that Australia stood shoulder to shoulder with NATO in condemning Russias actions in Ukraine. After the Kremlins missile strikes on a busy shopping centre, he echoed the dismay of other world leaders, who branded the attack abominable. The prime minister also announced that Australia was weighing up strengthening its diplomatic presence in Kyiv by reopening its embassy and that he would like an ongoing on-ground presence in the war-torn nation in the coming weeks. While Australia had sporadic dealings with NATO since its inception in 1949, it was not until the Howard government committed military personnel to the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan in 2005 that more permanent ties were formalised. Since then, Australia has signed up to several agreements with the Western alliance, deepening its co-operation. This has been in line with NATOs increasing recognition that ensuring Europes safety requires paying attention to regions beyond its borders.
Lima: Firefighters have largely controlled a forest fire near the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, though they remained alert for a possible resurgence of the blaze due to strong winds near the ancient city high in the Andean mountains.

The fire, which had engulfed an area of some 30 hectares was started on Tuesday by farmers burning grass and debris to prepare to sow new crops.

The Ministry of Culture said late on Friday (AEST) that the fire had been 90 per cent extinguished and that the incident had not affected tourist activity in the region.

Firefighters battle a bushfire encroaching on Machu Picchu area ruins in Peru on Thursday. Credit:Facebook/Peru Ministry of Culture

Machu Picchu, a complex of stone structures sitting atop a mountain, was built more than 500 years ago by the Incas, whose empire controlled large swaths of South America from what is today southern Ecuador to central Chile.
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Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

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2 Democrat Senators Dash Bidens Hopes to End Filibuster to Pass Abortion Bills

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) dashed the Biden administrations hopes that the Senate would vote to remove the filibuster hurdle to pass a law codifying Roe v. Wade.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden told reporters in Spain that he wants Congress to pass the law and suggested the Senates filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to overcome, be removed.

The foremost thing we should do is make it clear how outrageous this decision was, Biden said. I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade in the law, and the way to do that is to make sure that Congress votes to do that.

Senator Manchins position has not changed, said Sam Runyon, spokeswoman for the West Virginia senator, according to media reports. And Hannah Hurley, a spokeswoman for Sinema, suggested to Business Insider that she would not support ending the filibuster.

Sinema released a statement after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week and said the Senate rule previously protected abortion rights, noting votes that failed under President Donald Trumps administration to make abortions illegal at 20 weeks.

In response to Bidens comment Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) strongly signaled that Republicans would not support the move.

Attacking a core American institution like the Supreme Court from the world stage is below the dignity of the president, McConnell told reporters. Hes upset that the court said the people, through their elected representatives, will have a say on abortion policy. That does not destabilize democracyit affirms it. By contrast, it is behavior like the presidents that undermines equal justice and the rule of law.

Earlier in 2022, Biden suggested that he wants to end the 200-year-old filibuster to back a Democrat-backed voting law. But during the 2020 campaign, then-candidate Biden said he doesnt support abolishing it in the midst of comments from left-wing lawmakers and pundits that the rule should be ended once Democrats take over the Senate.

Manchin and Sinema, meanwhile, have previously stated they dont believe in ending the Senate rule, with Manchin in January saying that Founding Father and former President James Madison said the purpose of the Senate was first, to protect the people against their rulers, secondly, to protect the people against the transient impressions into which they themselves may be led, adding that the upper congressional chamber is a necessary fence against such danger.

Sinema in May told PunchBowl News that she doesnt believe in ending the filibuster to pass a gun-control law in the wake of high-profile mass shootings in several states.
The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond Scenic Area in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 21, 2022. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

KAOHSIUNG, TaiwanOn the evening of June 21 Shen Yun Performing Arts International company had its first performance, this season, at the Jhih-De Hall of Kaohsiung Cultural Center.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai sent a congratulatory message A Complete Success to A Grand Affair of Art and Culture to wish Shen Yun a successful tour.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai wrote his congratulatory message in calligraphy, wishing Shen Yun A Complete Success to the Grand Affair of Art and Culture on June 21, 2022. (The Epoch Times)

Shen Yun showcases traditional pre-communist Chinese culture. In just two hours, Shen Yuns program retold the prosperous times of Chinese history through beautiful dance and music.

Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Can Purify Peoples Hearts

Lin Tai-hua, a legislator watching Shen Yun for the second time, said, I think everyone can see that Shen Yun uses very fine and detailed costumes, and an orchestra, incorporating Chinese and Western instruments, to present five thousand years of Chinese traditional culture.

Ms. Lin noted that The program exhibits the various styles and features of Chinese lives in the South and the North, including those of the Yi ethnic group, the Mongolians, and life in Chinas Greater Central Plains.

Of course, the rarest of all and the most precious is that the performance portrayed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the core values of Falun Dafa, she said.

Legislator Lin Tai-hua watched the performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kaohsiung Cultural Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 21, 2022. (Cheng Shun-li/The Epoch Times)

She believes that following these core values will purify peoples hearts.

I believe that to be sincere and kind and to be tolerant of all people and things will purify peoples hearts and elevate human morals; it is beneficial between people and between countries, and I believe it would help reduce the disasters in the world, she explained.

In order to reduce disasters in the world, Ms. Lin said, we must start by changing peoples hearts. The most important thing is that truthfulness, compassion, forbearance as portrayed in the performance should be the goal we pursue and strive for, so I am very grateful to Shen Yun for bringing a very different artistic feast, she said.

For many people who are afraid to go out of their homes during the epidemic, she encouraged them, saying, I think in the future, we will have to move towards a new life despite the impact of the epidemic, so take it easy and I invite everyone to watch Shen Yun together.

Its very pleasing to the eye, its really wonderful!

Its very pleasing to the eye, its really wonderful! This time is very different from the performances (I previously saw), including dance and orchestra performances and everything. Shen Yun incorporates a lot of interactive scenes in the backdrop, which are very lively and dynamic. Its truly wonderful. Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Hui-wen said.

The performance teaches people to be kind and to have benign thoughts. I think this is the spirit that Shen Yun wants to show, she said.

Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Hui-wen at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kaohsiung Cultural Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 21, 2022. (Cheng Shun-li/The Epoch Times)

After watching the whole performance, I felt very energetic and very happy.

Ms. Chen added that because of busy work, I was actually very tired and wanted to go straight to sleep after a full day, but during the entire performance, I was really being pleasantly surprised. My whole body felt reinvigorated and I didnt feel sleepy at all, not even the slightest bit! I was practically staring at the stage from the beginning to the end!

Seeing Shen Yun Makes Me Feel Like Royalty

Yang Kun-tso, manager of a regenerative medicine technology company, saw Shen Yun for the first time. He was in total awe and said, I think its very special and innovative. All of the dances and the content of the performance are uniquely different from other performances.

Mr. Yang said that in ancient times, Shen Yun would probably be a performance for the imperial family, which made him feel particularly intrigued.

Being able to watch such a beautiful performance in the post-epidemic era, Mr. Yang said, I think its very good. Its rare to see such a performance, I feel quite refreshed. Yes, its a whole new experience.

Yang Kun-tso attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kaohsiung Cultural Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on June 21, 2022. (Cheng Shun-li/The Epoch Times)

Let the World See the Chinese Traditional Culture

Mr. Zhang, a mainland tourist who came to Taiwan to visit relatives but was unable to return to China due to the pandemic, had the opportunity to see Shen Yun.

The most touching part is the dance, which has educational significance for young people, he said. It is mainly to show the prosperous times of the Qin dynasty, the Han dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty, and to present traditional Chinese culture to the audience of Taiwan.

Mr. Zhang concluded, Some people dont understand Chinese traditional history, and this performance brings it to life for people to see.

So beautiful for the eyes to take it all in

Hsu Chu-ju and his wife attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kaohsiung Cultural Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on June 21, 2022. (Lung Fang/The Epoch Times)

Todays program is something that we have never seen before, and the emcees are also terrific! The two are really geniuses, said Hsu Chu-ju, chairman of I Cheng Thermal Insulation and Refractory Engineering Company.

Mr. Hsu praised the variety present in Shen Yun.

I like each and every piece very much, they are all of a high standard, and the animated backdrop adds just the right amount to enhance the experience, he explained.

He added that the performance was a real eye-opener. Its really well-choreographed and put together, and the whole show is a feast for the eyes.

Mr. Hsu said that he encourages his friends to experience Shen Yun for themselves.

Reporting by Epoch Staff in Kaohsiung.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Travelers queue up at the north security checkpoint in the main terminal of Denver International Airport in Denver on May 26, 2022. (David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

Airlines Cancel, Delay Hundreds of Flights Ahead of Fourth of July Weekend

Airlines have already canceled and delayed well over 1,000 flights as of Friday ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

More than 3,200 U.S. flights have been delayed and another 349 have been canceled as of Friday at 3 p.m. ET, according to tracking website FlightAwares latest update.

The cancelations come at a time when tens of millions of Americans are expected to travel over the weekend via plane, road, and rail. Auto club AAA predicted that about 48 million people will travel between Friday and Monday, July 4. Some 3.55 million are expected to fly.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened about 2.4 million travelers at airport security checkpoints on Thursday, TSA Administrator David Pekoske told NBC News on Friday morning. Thats about 17 percent more than the same time in 2019.

He added that TSA officials believe Friday and Sunday will be very busy at airports.

Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned that Americans could face problems while traveling over the July 4 weekend due to weather problems and labor shortages. He noted that more than 20,000 flights have been canceled since Memorial Day in May.

The majority of cancellations and the majority of delays have nothing to do with air traffic control staffing but when there is an issue, were working that issue, Buttigieg said.

Thousands of flights were canceled across the United States during Memorial Day weekend, and in mid-June, more than 1,500 flights were canceled on a Thursday.

Several weeks ago, major airlines warned that an increasing number of flights will be canceled this summer even though airlines received $54 billion in federal assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic to deal with the layoffs of employees, including pilots.

A group of airline pilots issued a statement in May that mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations may have forced pilots out of work.

Many of our pilots have lost medical certification to fly and may not recover the same, the statement reads. Others are continuing to pilot aircraft while carrying symptoms that should be declared and investigated, creating a human factors hazard of unprecedented breadth. The very foundation of our just safety culturenon-punitive reportingno longer exists.

Some lawmakers have proposed issuing fines to airlines for cancelations amid the surge.

The American people are sick of airlines ripping them off, canceling flights at the last minute and delaying flights for hours on end, wrote Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.). Its time for [Buttigieg] to fine airlines $55,000 per passenger for every flight cancellation they know cant be fully staffed.
AMD Treatment Delay for 20 Percent Hong Kong Seniors During the Pandemic; Eyesight Worsened in 35 Percent of Patients

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), a common eye disease in the elderly, is categorized into DRY and WET. Wet macular degeneration or Neovascular AMD can also be the culprit of vision loss.

A patient organization survey found that, follow-up diagnosis of nearly 20 percent of patients with wet elderly macular degeneration, were on average, delayed by up to two months due to the fifth wave of the pandemic.

While one-third of the respondents said that their eyesight declined during the pandemic by 30 percent, some peoples conditions worsened further.

Retina Hong Kong (RHK), formerly known as Hong Kong Retinitis Pigmentosa Society, is a non-profit mutual patient aid charity organization. RHK commissioned Hong Kong Health Care Alliance to conduct a survey from May to June 2022 and successfully interviewed 200 patients within Hong Kong.

The results showed that during the fifth wave of the pandemic, 18 percent of the patients had follow-up delays due to the pandemic, with an average delay of 61 days; 35 percent of patients had vision loss, with an average drop of 30 percent, of which about 30 percent of those respondents cited their doctors, the cause of their vision loss was due to delayed treatment. In addition, 37 percent of the patients surveyed experienced worsening macular neovascular leakage.

At the moment, there are 50,000 patients with wet macular degeneration in Hong Kong.

Age-related macular degeneration is the second largest cause of visual impairment in Hongkongers. If the conditions of Neovascular AMD are not properly managed, intraocular vascular endothelial growth will lead to leakage and bleeding, which can cause permanent damage to the central vision. The condition is irreversible.

In severe cases, patients can become blind in a few days. Ophthalmologist Lee Ka-yau said, There is no cure for wet age-related macular degeneration. It is necessary to receive timely and continuous treatment to control the condition and stabilize the patients vision with primarily intraocular injection treatment.

According to RHK, it is difficult for out-patients to arrange ongoing and frequent treatments while waiting for follow-ups and treatment at the Hospital Authority.

Moreover, some patients might need to use the new generation of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors which are not currently registered in the public hospitals drug roster.

As a result, RHK launched the Intraocular Injection Drug Subsidy Scheme, which allows eligible Hospital Authorities out-patients to receive treatment in private clinics for up to four injections a year, while the cost of medications, injections, and preoperative examinations for patients is the same in total as the public hospital fees.

According to RHKs statistics, over 2,100 patients have benefited from the program since its launch in 2019. The program also began covering a new generation of intraocular injection drugs at the end of 2021. The average time for participating patients to receive their first dose of intraocular injection treatment was only 12.6 days, while the average time required for the first treatment at HA was 2 months. The result was tremendously shortened by the new scheme of RHK.

RHK urges all eligible HA patients to participate in the Intraocular Injection Subsidy Scheme and receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible, to avoid blindness due to delayed treatment.

Mr. Choi, a 68-year-old patient, said he was diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration in his right eye in September 2021. Doctors recommended intraocular injection as treatment. However, during his treatment period, Hong Kong was hit by the fifth wave of coronavirus outbreak.

Mr Choi suspected that the two weeks delay in treatment had caused his conditions to worsen. Fortunately, resuming the treatment improved the deterioration and his condition.

Mr Choi expressed that by joining the drug subsidy scheme, he could receive treatment as quickly as he did. Even with the ongoing outbreak of the pandemic, there has not been any delay in follow-ups or treatments at the private clinic.

Choi was grateful to the subsidy scheme, which aided him in receiving eye treatment promptly and maintaining the condition of his wet age-related macular degeneration.
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on December 4, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Americas Strategic Ambiguity on Taiwan Possibly Dangerous: US Lawmaker

The U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan could be dangerous as it offers no security guarantee for the self-ruled island, which Beijing regards as part of its territory, a U.S. lawmaker has said.

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Taiwan Caucus, said the Biden administration should end the policy of strategic ambiguity and declare its commitment to defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion.

I think that would make it less likely that China would actually take military action, Chabot said in an interview with Nikkei Asia on Wednesday.

Chabot also pushed for stronger military intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Taiwan to better counter Chinas military threats, while raising concerns about Taiwans flaws in combat readiness.

Washington has focused on enhancing Taiwans asymmetric-warfare capabilities with anti-ship missiles, missile defenses, and early warning systems, which is consistent with Taiwans goal. But Chabot believes that Taiwans efforts have been insufficient thus far.

Unfortunately, over the years, they havent taken the threat seriously enough either, he said, adding that Taiwan was not devoting enough of their budget to their own military preparedness.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) speaks during a hearing with the Helsinki Commission in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on March 23, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said in May that Taiwan should consider purchasing large amounts of U.S.-made anti-ship missiles, sea mines, aerial drones, and tank-busting drones to prepare for potential conflicts.

As a prosperous first-world nation, Taiwan can easily afford the high-end U.S. weapons needed to deter a Chinese invasion. Unfortunately, Taiwan does not spend nearly enough on it own defenses, he said in a statement.

We are already selling Taiwan F-16 fighter jets, and we should speed up these sales while making older models available sooner. Taiwan can pay for all this by boosting defense spending by $7 billiona small price to pay to prevent war.

One China policy

The United States has taken an ambiguous stance on its commitment to Taiwans security. While President Joe Biden has said that Washington will defend Taiwan if China attacks, the U.S. policy on Taiwan remains unchanged.

According to the State Department, Washington does not support Taiwans independence and opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.

An H-6 bomber of the Chinese army flies near a Taiwan F-16 on Feb. 10, 2020. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/Handout via Reuters)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin said on June 11 that Washington remains committed to the One China policy, although it would still provide Taiwan with the capabilities necessary to maintain its defense.

And it means maintaining our own capacity to resist any use of force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security or the social or economic system of the people of Taiwan, Austin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Cross-strait tensions have been escalating in recent months, with China making its second-largest incursion into Taiwans Air Defense Identification Zone on May 30 with 30 PLA warplanes.

Austin said the Chinese communist regime has become more coercive and aggressive in its territorial claims, citing Beijings illegal maritime activities in the disputed South China Sea.

But the stakes are especially stark in the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Weve witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan. And that includes PLA aircraft flying near Taiwan in record numbers in recent months, and nearly on a daily basis, he said.
A boy jumps over logs seized by the Amazon Military Police at the Manacapuru River in Manacupuru, Amazonas State, Brazil, on July 16, 2020. (Ricardo Oliveira/AFP via Getty Images)

An Inconvenient Truth About the Amazon Rainforest

Commentary

What you have been told about the Amazon rainforest is not necessarily the truth, and quite to the contrary.

For example, World Wildlife Fund claims that more than a quarter of the Amazon rainforest will be devoid of trees by 2030 if cutting continues at the same speed. In reality, deforestation in the Amazon fell in May from the same month last year. According to environmental scientist Michael Shellenberger, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has declined dramatically over the last 15 years. It remains at one-quarter its 2004 peak when the president of Brazil was Lula da Silva.

Sergio Moreira Lima is Brazils Ambassador to Australia. He explains that Brazil has dramatically reduced deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by 72 percent during the past 15 years and that more than 9.4 million hectares of native forest have been regenerated and planted on a further 2 million hectares.

The ambassador also explains that 66 percent of the entire landscape of Brazil remains entirely covered by native vegetation, and the nations protected areas amount to approximately one-quarter of its national territoryand half of the Amazon region.

In the Brazilian Amazon alone, at least 84 percent of the entire landscape remains pristine and untouched. Although the country has preserved more than 66 percent of its native vegetation, the country is still the fourth largest food producer in the world. Brazil is entirely self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs and it ranks as the worlds number one producer of banana, cacao, cassava, coffee, corn, orange, maze, rice, soybean and sugar.

Efforts to Protect the Rainforest

The Brazilian government has recently created the National Council of the Legal Amazon to coordinate all the integrated work for the protection, preservation, and sustainable development of the Amazon rainforest. Enacted in April 2021, the Amazon Plan 2021/22 sets up strict guidelines for monitoring and combatting illegal deforestation, fires and other environmental and land crimes committed in the Amazon rainforest. On June 10, a National Force was deployed by the Brazilian government to the region to combat drug trafficking and organized environmental crimes.

Through these coordinated actions, the number of deforestation alerts in Brazil has declined for two months straight, and the number of forest fires has fallen significantly over the last two years.

Aerial view showing a boat speeding on the Jurura river in the municipality of Carauari, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon Forest, on March 15, 2020. (Florence Goisnard/AFP via Getty Images)

As can be seen, the world has a lot to learn from this country when it comes to environmental protection and sustainable economic growth. And yet, Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro says the leaders of the United States (Joe Biden), France (Emmanuel Macron), Canada (Justin Trudeau), and the United Kingdom (Boris Johnson) never miss an opportunity to corner Brazil all the time over the Amazon rainforest.

Of course, there is nothing extraordinary happening in that region. In this context, the Brazilian government sensibly decided to turn down the G7 countries an offer of aid (US$20 million) in combating fires in the Amazon in August 2019. Brazil is the ninth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and it certainly does not need such a help from other countries.

Amazon Rainforest Misinformation Campaign

Based on hyperbolic twitter photos, French President Emmanuel Macron made the supposed international crisis of the Amazon fires a first order emergency to be discussed in the 2019 G7 Summit. Prior to that event, he wrote on Twitter: Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rainforestthe lungs which produces 20 percent of our planets oxygenis on fire. It is an international crisis. Member of the G7 Summit, lets discuss this emergency as a first order! #ActForTheAmazon.

First of all, everything the French president wrote in that Twitter post was completely untrue. For example, Dan Nepstad, one the worlds leading Amazon rainforest experts, explains that the region produces a lot of oxygen but it uses the same amount of oxygen through respiration.

In fact, even the photo Macron had used to show the fires in the Amazon was fakea stock photo from a photographer who had already passed away. The fires seen in the photo are set by farmers preparing Amazon-adjacent farmland for the next years crops and pasture. According to Americas national space agency, NASA, in the Amazon region fires are rare for much of the year because wet weather prevents them from starting and spreading.

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks during the presentation of the France 2030 investment plan at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on Oct. 12, 2021. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters)

Based on this sort of false and misleading information, Macron even threatened to cancel a substantial foreign trade deal between Brazil and the European Union. Arguably, these global leaders do not really care about the Amazon rainforest or the world environment. Instead, they are just cynically exaggerating the impact of fires and deforestation in the Amazon in an attempt to demonise the Brazilian president, the Trump of the tropics.

Of course, another possible reason is the global economic interest in Brazils northern region where the Amazon rainforest is located. The Amazon rainforest is a huge bank of endless natural resources for the Brazilians. The region has the largest percentage of sweet water, valuable minerals, and petroleum in the world. It is also home to an estimated 20 percent of the Earths plant species, many of which are found nowhere else.

It is no wonder these global leaders are appealing to environmental issues in attempt to undermine Brazils sovereignty.

Securing Fertiliser Supply to Protect the Amazon

The Bolsonaro government is also protecting the rainforest by obtaining a continuing supply of fertilisers for countrys massive agriculture industry. Brazil is the worlds largest importer of the product, of which 44 percent is sourced from Russia.

Apart from Russia, where could Brazil find more fertilisers from?

The potassium reserves in Brazil are primarily in the Amazon region. According to Marcio Remedio, director of Geological Survey of Brazil, a state-owned company under the Ministry of Mines and Energy, These reserves are world-class. They have the potential, if not more, than those in the Ural Mountains produced by Russia and Belarus, and also of Saskatchewan in Canada.

By making an agreement with Russia to continue buying fertilizers, the Brazilian government prevented not only potassium mining that could harm the Amazon region, but also potentially saved the world from a catastrophic food crisis.

If Brazil were to scale back next year because of a lack of fertiliser, that would certainly be bad news for a global food crisis, says Joseph Schmidhuber, an economist who has studied the conflicts impact on food for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

As Bolsonaro points out, Brazil feeds one billion people. We guarantee the food security of one-sixth of the world population. In other words, not only has the Brazilian government avoided a catastrophic food crisis by replenishing the countrys stockpiles with the help of Russia, but it has also been playing a leading role in protecting the Amazon from fires and deforestation. World leaders have lots to learn from the Brazilian leader when it comes to food security and preserving the environment.

U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attend a bilateral meeting at the 9th Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, Calif., June 9, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

International Pressure

However, at the Cupula das Americas summit in Los Angeles, held between June 6 and June 10, Bolsonaro bitterly called out the international misinformation and pressure over the Amazon rainforest. In his speech, he reminded other leaders that no other country in the world has done more to protect the world environment.

After all, we are responsible for emitting less than 3 percent of the planets green gas emissions, even though Brazil is the 10th largest economy in the world, Bolsonaro said. He also took the opportunity to praise the countrys agribusiness, reminding everyone that, without it, part of the world would go hungry.

To conclude, we are witnessing a deliberate campaign against the competent leader of a nation that has protected its rainforest and potentially saved the world from impending mass starvation. Arguably, the ultimate goal of these global elites is not just to prevent the reelection of a conservative leader in the forthcoming presidential elections in Brazil, but to dispossess the Brazilian people of their land by taking a large part of their land and their nations natural resources.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Prince William, Princess Anne, and Prince Charles ride horseback during the Trooping the Colour parade at Buckingham Palace in London, on June 2, 2022. (Chris J Ratcliffe /Getty Images)

Australia Raised Security Level for Travel to UK Due to Terrorism Threats

Australia has raised its security alert for travellers to the United Kingdom because of the threat of terrorism.

The warning level for UK has changed from green to yellow, the same as those for travellers to the United States, Peru, France, Greece, and Indonesia.

Green is the level one warning, meaning travellers should take normal safety precautions such as exercising common sense and looking out for suspicious behaviour.

Yellow is the level two warning, meaning travellers should exercise a high degree of caution and pay close attention to their personal safety and current health conditions.

Weve reviewed our advice for the United Kingdom. We now advise you to exercise a high degree of caution due to the threat of terrorism, the Australian governments smartraveller website updated on June 30.

International terrorists have staged attacks in the UK. The UK Governments terrorism threat level is substantial, meaning it assesses an attack is likely.

Islamic extremism, extreme right-wing ideology, and the status of Northern Ireland contribute to the threat.

Always be alert to terrorism. Take official warnings seriously.

UK Raises Terrorism Threat Level After Major Attacks

There are five levels of terrorism threat in the UK, from low to high: Low  an attack is highly unlikely; moderate  an attack is possible but not likely; substantial  an attack is likely; severe  an attack is highly likely; and critical  an attack is highly likely in the near future.

The UK terrorism threat level was previously raised to severe in November 2021 after a terrorist attack in Liverpool on 14 November 2021 and a fatal attack on British Member of Parliament David Amess on 15 October 2021.

Flowers were left in memory of Sir David Amess outside the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, London, on Oct. 22, 2021. (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Northern Ireland has previously experienced street violence and rioting, including attacks on police with stones, fireworks, and petrol bombs, the website stated.

The violence has mainly occurred in loyalist areas in west and south Belfast, Londonderry, and parts of County Antrim.

Australian authorities warn travellers to avoid areas where protests are taking place due to the potential for chaos and violence and to always be alert to the threat of terrorism and take official warnings seriously.

The Smartraveller website currently divides security advice for 177 countries into four levels.

These levels include exercise normal safety precautions (green, Level 1), exercise a high degree of caution (yellow, level 2), Reconsider your need to travel  (orange, level 3), and Do not travel (red, level 4).
Workers wear face masks as they set up displays at a local fruit and vegetable market in Sydney, Australia, on July 9, 2021. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Australian Government Stops Pandemic Leave Payment Citing Ongoing Costs

Australias Health Minister Mark Butler says the government has no plans to continue pandemic leave payments for individuals that must take time off work after contracting COVID-19.

Butler told ABC Radio National on Friday that the federal government did not have the financial capability to continue funding the emergency payments, which came to an end on June 30.

This is despite the fact Australians who contract COVID-19 will still be expected to isolate for seven days and potentially force workers to take sick leave, or leave without pay, to cover their isolation period.

At some point in this pandemic, and we are reaching that point, we are going to have to start lifting emergency measures, Butler said noting that Australians had been told well in advance about the end of the pandemic measure.

Weve got a trillion dollars of debt and theres simply not the financial capacity to continue to fund these emergency measures forever.

However, when asked if financially vulnerable Australians could be forced to work with while COVID-19 positive, Butler said he hoped not.

Well, we hope not, you know there will be orders for them not to, he said.

Butler noted that the current health measures around COVID-19 were in fact determined by state government health authorities and that the federal government had lifted its emergency setting around COVID-19 in May, while giving health authorities plenty of time to return society to normal.

Unions Highly Critical of the Move

The governments decision has been met with criticism from the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

It is a mistake to stop paid pandemic leave, according to Secretary Sally McManus.

Workers without paid sick leave are required to isolate for seven days and will now suffer a severe financial penalty for doing so. Removing support for people to isolate is a surefire way to increase the spread of the virus, she wrote on Twitter.

It is a mistake to stop paid pandemic leave. Workers without paid sick leave are required isolate for seven days and will now suffer a severe financial penalty for doing so. Removing support for ppl to isolate is a sure fire way to increase the spread of the virus.  Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) July 1, 2022

The health minister is also pushing for increased use of antiviral treatments for COVID-19 to alleviate stress on the hospital system.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee has been tasked with reviewing the eligibility criteria for access to antiviral therapies.

I dont think still theres a great level of awareness about these treatments out in the community, which is why Ive tried to talk about it a lot over the last couple of weeks, Butler said. So lifting awareness, lifting information in the broader community and among GPs for that matter, is something were very focused on.
The TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2020. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Ban Chinas TikTok Now

TikTok algorithm influences US political beliefs for Beijing

Commentary

TikTok, the wildly popular and youthful social media app, is controlled by China and tripled its ad revenue in 2022 to $12 billion. Companies want access to this latest conduit to mold youthful preferences, and every year they are willing to pay a lot for the privilege.

Sixty percent of TikTok users are in the age range of 16 to 24, a highly sought demographic for both their impressionability and enduring market potential.

But hapless TikTokers are also apt to lose their private data to Beijing, which ultimately controls TikTok. And the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses its control over TikToks parent company, ByteDance, to manipulate the TikTok algorithm to favor political messaging that promotes Chinas national interests over those of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the United States itself.

Brendan Carr, commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, rightly noted on June 28 that TikTok is not just another video app. Thats the sheeps clothing. It harvests swaths of sensitive data that new reports show are being accessed in Beijing.

Carr has called on Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores due to its violation of their rules.

TikTok collects user data for micro-targeted advertising that China can already deploy for political purposes using TikTok users unique IDs. Inexplicably, the Biden administration is giving Beijing access to these unique IDs.

According to a recent Buzzfeed News report cited by Carr, Beijing can access all of TikTok users data anyway, as there are plenty of backdoors built into the software, which is fully controlled by the CCP even if U.S. TikToker data is stored in places like Virginia, Texas, and Singapore.

So anything a Tiktok user puts on their feedincluding cat videos, political beliefs, and their most personal of preferencesis known to Beijing, which can track and correlate them, and micro-target political messaging to users. This could have major effects in democracies, where voters political preferences lead directly to changes in government.

In Colombia, for example, an obscure mayor named Rodolfo Hernandez used TikTok and a team of young supporters, who posted his folksy material to the app. Hernandez consequently gained 600,000 followers. This allowed him to rise to national prominence during the second round of the presidential election in June.

A flyer with the image of Colombian left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro and Colombian center-right presidential candidate Rodolfo Hernandez is pictured days before the second round of the presidential election in Bogota, Colombia, on June 16, 2022. (Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters)

If it can happen in Colombia, it can happen in the United States.

A peer-reviewed study by Zuza Nazaruk in 2021 found that TikToks algorithm is biased against topics seen as sensitive by Beijing, such as the Tiananmen Square massacre, the genocide in Xinjiang, and the TikTok algorithm itself.

While none of the topics was fully censored, TikToks algorithm showcased videos supporting the CCP line at the top of the search, despite their lower number of likes or earlier posting dates, according to Nazaruk.

There is no good reason for the American people, represented by their government, to allow TikTok to grow into the next big thing. There are plenty of other social media companies and a host of up-and-coming services that could be the next place to go for millennials who dont want to use mom and dads preferred social media.

Each generation wants to reinvent itself, which gave TikTok an opening. But it doesnt have to be that way, if the app were banned by Congress on national security grounds.

The prior administration did ban TikTok by executive order. However, two federal court rulings blocked the ban, and the Biden administration rescinded it altogether.

Congresspersons should step into the breach and protect the privacy of Americas TikTok users. The only way to do so is to direct them, through a ban, to other more trusted social media companies. This will also protect U.S. national security by ensuring that Beijing cannot use the TikTok algorithm to influence voters political beliefs.

The fact that the Biden administration and Congress are apparently scared to ban TikTok, for fear of the ire of TikTok users and their voting power, is proof that the law is needed. The longer our democracy waits, the harder it will be.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reacts as she gives a press conference with European Commission President after a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels, on June 30, 2022. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Responds to New Zealand PM Call to Protect International Rules-Based Order

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has rejected New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns speech at the Madrid NATO summit where she said to stand firm on the rules-based order as the Chinese regime was becoming more assertive and willing to challenge international rules.

The spokesman of the Chinese embassy in New Zealand called the comments misguided and regrettable.

In the statement, he added that such comments were not helpful for furthering mutual trust nor for keeping bilateral relations on the right track.

As a NATO partner, Ardern was invited to the NATO session where China was formally recognised as a security threat by the military alliance for the first time.

In her speech, she said New Zealand was not at the event to expand military alliances, adding the country has a fiercely independent foreign policy.

But the prime minister, while referring to the CCP, highlighted that the alliance and its allies needed to stand firm on the worlds rules-based order.

Here, we must respond to the actions we see. We must stand firm on the rules-based order, call for diplomatic engagement and speak out against human rights abuses at all times when and where we see them, Ardern said.

Arderns comments about Chinas human rights abuses were not addressed nor mentioned at all, but the embassy spokesman said the CCP opposed countries that imposed its own will and definitions of international rules on others, claiming that it undermined global peace.

Warning to New Zealand

However, in NATOs newest Strategic Concept, it stated that Beijing employed the use of economic leverage to create dependencies and enhance its influence, most notably through the Belt and Road Initiative.

The PRC (Peoples Republic of China) employs a broad range of political, economic, and military tools to increase its global footprint and project power while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions, and military build-up, the strategic concept document said.

Ardern also told the NATO summit that ties in the Indo-Pacific should be strengthened through relationships and economic architecture rather than militarization.

The embassy spokesman responded by saying that Chinas relations with the Pacific nations was for the goal of responding to climate change and improving development.

He claimed that if there indeed was an escalation of tensions in the Pacific, it would not be caused by China.

New Zealand was given a slight warning, with the spokesman stating that the regime would be willing to work with New Zealand through win-win cooperation by having mutual respect and dropping differences.

China is New Zealands largest trading partner and the small island nation usually shies away from using strong language toward the regime due to fear of economic retaliation.
Attendees pose for photos in front of The Miami Bull during the Bitcoin 2022 Conference at Miami Beach Convention Center on April 7, 2022. (Marco Bello/Getty Images)

Blockchain is Risky, Users Need to Trust Programmers Wont Introduce a Bug, Warns Pentagon Report

A report commissioned by the Pentagons Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has found that blockchainthe technology behind cryptocurrencies like bitcoinis not as decentralized as commonly thought, while also being vulnerable to attacks.

The challenge with using a blockchain is that one has to either (a) accept its immutability and trust that its programmers did not introduce a bug, or (b) permit upgradeable contracts or off-chain code that share the same trust issues as a centralized approach, according to the report (pdf) published in June.

Every widely used blockchain has a privileged set of entities that have the ability to modify the blockchains semantics and potentially alter past transactions.

In order for a blockchain to be optimally distributed, there must be a Sybil cost. At present, there is no way to implement Sybil costs in a permissionless blockchain like bitcoin without using a centralized trusted third party (TTP). Unless Sybil costs are enforced without a TTP, it will be almost impossible for permissionless blockchains to achieve satisfactory decentralization, the report states.

The vast majority of bitcoin nodes took no part in the mining activity. A dense subnetwork of bitcoin nodes was found to be largely responsible for communicating with miners and reaching consensus. The vast majority of nodes do not meaningfully contribute to the health of the network. Sixty percent of all bitcoin traffic traverses just three IPs.

Node operators do not face any explicit penalty for dishonesty, the report pointed out. Stratum, the standard protocol used to coordinate within the mining pool, was found to be unencrypted. Traffic on bitcoin is also unencrypted, allowing anyone in the network routes between the nodes to observe and choose to drop any messages they wish.

US Digital Currency

The Pentagon report comes as there is discussion about the United States issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut is a major supporter of issuing a CBDC.

The longer the United States government waits to embrace this innovation, the further we fall behind both foreign governments and the private sector.  It is time for Congress to consider and move forward with legislation that would authorize a U.S. CBDC, Himes said, according to CoinTelegraph.

During a June 23 monetary policy meeting, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell revealed that a CBDC is something that needs to be explored.

However, a Federal Reserve CBDC is being opposed by three Republican senatorsTed Cruz (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.)who are pushing a bill that aims to amend section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act.

The amendment proposes adding the following phrasing: No Federal reserve bank may offer products or services directly to an individual, maintain an account on behalf of an individual, or issue a central bank digital currency directly to an individual.

The three senators argue that Americas digital currency policy must rest on protecting financial privacy. Allowing the Fed to mobilize itself into a retail bank will allow the agency to collect personal information of users and track their transactions, they pointed out.
Students walk to summer semester classes at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., on June 29, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

California College Waives Tuition for Students

TORRANCE, Calif.A community college in Torrance waived tuition for its enrolled students through the fall 2022 semester.

El Camino College announced its Tuition Relief Program earlier this month, which allows current and new students to attend summer and fall classes for free.

The college will also forgive outstanding tuition and fees for students who enrolled between spring 2020 and spring 2022.

We are aware that some students had to put their academic and professional development dreams on hold because of costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that by reducing this financial load, students will achieve their dreams of earning a college degree or certificate, Brenda Thames, superintendent and president of the college, said in a statement.

The students who want to have their tuition waived must enroll in at least three units for the summer term or six units for fall.

The program is funded by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund which was passed by Congress to financially support students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, the community colleges in California have received approximately $2 billion in COVID relief funds from the Federal government through several batches of stimulus checks.

In addition to giving students direct grants, the funds were used in many ways to help students with financial needs to continue their education path. How much a student can get depends on the schools population and students needs.

For more information about El Caminos Tuition Relief Program, visit the colleges website.
Canadian Flag a Promise of Opportunity and Safety: Trudeau in Canada Day Message

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian flag represents a promise of opportunity and safety for people fleeing war and violence, as he calls on Canadians to recommit to the countrys values of hope, respect, and kindness in his Canada Day statement.

Today is an opportunity for us all to recommit ourselves to those valuesvalues that the Maple Leaf represents. Because our flag is more than a symbol, its also a promise. A promise of opportunity. A promise of safety for those fleeing violence and war. And a promise of a better life, he said.

On the day marking Canadas 155th anniversary of confederacy, Trudeau also reflected the countrys history of indigenous affairs, referencing the treatment of indigenous people during the colonial era.

Today, we celebrate the place we all call home. I know for some, our countrys historic wrongs can make that difficult. But while we cant change history, we can put in the work to build a better future; one that reflects our values of hope, resilience, kindness, respect, and generosity, he said.

Governor General Mary Simon also said that Canadians are living on the land of indigenous peoples and called for the building of an inclusive society.

Governor General Mary Simon speaks at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa to mark Canada Day on July 1, 2022. (Annie Wu/NTD)

Wherever and however you mark the day, remember to keep working together to build an inclusive society. Be kind to each other. Make safe spaces where our stories can be told, she said in her official Canada Day message.

Listen to Indigenous peoples, on whose land we live. Learn from one another. Have hope for the future, and faith in our neighbours, our friends, our family and ourselves.

Simon gave a speech at the formal celebrations at the LeBreton Flats in Ottawa on July 1, which Trudeau also attended.

The City of Ottawa met locals and visitors to the the national capital with an unprecedented level of security on July 1, for the first in-person Canada Day events held there since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police have a highly visible presence throughout the downtown core, with groups of officers walking the streets and cars framing the entrance to LeBreton Flats Park where the main celebrations are taking place. Visitors have to walk through airport-style metal detectors and have their bags searched before entering.

Thousands of people protesting the federal governments COVID-19 mandate also poured into downtown Ottawa on June 30, which marks the largest demonstration of this kind since the Liberal government declared a national emergency in February during the Freedom Convoy protests that also demonstrated against the same cause this winter. The police arrested four people on June 30 at the National War Memorial.
Tesla vehicles are parked outside a building at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on January 9, 2019. (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via Reuters)

CCP Tethers Kitchen Knives and Bans Tesla Cars in Beach Town Before Its Top Meeting

Local authorities in northern Chinas port city Qinhuangdao recently issued strict measures to control kitchen knives prior to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) holding its annual top circle meeting in the citys Beidaihe district this summer.

According to local media Qinhuangdao Evening News, on June 18, Qinhuangdao launched a campaign to control knives in the city. Law enforcement officers tethered all kitchen knives and scissors in food stalls with strong metal cords.

A viral video shows a local Urban Management staff tying kitchen cleavers and scissors used by street food vendors to the counters with metal wire to make sure they cannot be carried out of the stalls.

In the video, one can hear a man say to himself: I would never have imagined that a kitchen knife would need to be tied with iron wire.

The new control measure drew wide attention on social media. One netizen said in a post, I remember that in the history books there was such a policy in the last years of the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BC), whereby 10 households were only allowed one kitchen knife, and soldiers were sent to the communities to prevent the people from rising up.

Dong Guangping, a current affairs commentator, told The Epoch Times on June 27, The control of knives to this extent in mainland China has never happened before. This is the first time. It is actually related to the [upcoming CCP] Beidaihe meeting. I think its a temporary measure just for the meeting.

Current and former CCP leaders usually hold an internal meeting in Beidaihe every summer to discuss Party politics and policies.

Earlier this month, Tesla vehicles were banned from the streets of Beidaihe, a move believed to be part of CCPs preparation for its top meeting.

A picture of a notice received by a Tesla owner has been circulating on Chinese social media. The owner was required to sign a letter of commitment, promising not to drive into the Beidaihe District of Qinhuangdao from July 1 to August 31.

Reuters reported the Tesla ban in Beidaihe, citing a local Chinese traffic police officer, on June 20.

Tesla electronic vehicles use cameras for the autopilot function. The cars are connected to Elon Musks Starlink internet satellite system, which is not controlled by the Chinese regime. International media and experts believe that the CCP is concerned that the Tesla will be used to spy on its top meeting.

Victor Shih, an associate professor at the UC San Diego Institute for Global Policy and Strategy, tweeted about the news of the Tesla ban: Well I guess thats when the Beidaihe meeting will take place and I guess the Chinese government doesnt trust Tesla.

Luo Ya and Li Jing contributed to the report.
COVID Vaccines Increase Menstrual Irregularities Thousandfold, Fetal Abnormalities Hundredfold: Doctors VAERS Analysis

New disturbing pharmacovigilance signals from VAERS surrounding the use of the COVID vaccines on women of reproductive age prompted a group of doctors to call for a ban on the gene therapy COVID-19 vaccines.

Over the past two weeks, Dr. James Thorp, a maternal-fetal medicine expert, painstakingly analyzed and verified the most recent Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data related to COVID-19 vaccines and compared them to the influenza vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccines compared to the influenza vaccines are associated with increases in menstrual disorders, miscarriage, fetal chromosomal abnormalities, fetal cystic hygroma, fetal malformations, fetal cardiac arrest, fetal cardiac arrhythmias, fetal cardiac disorders, fetal vascular mal-perfusion abnormalities, abnormal fetal surveillance testing, abnormal fetal growth patterns, placental thrombosis, and fetal death, Thorp told The Epoch Times last week.

His findings are listed below:

Abnormal uterine bleeding (menstrual irregularity) is 1000-fold greater

Miscarriages are 50-fold greater

Fetal chromosomal abnormalities are 100-fold greater

Fetal malformation is 50-fold greater

Fetal cystic hygroma (a major malformation) is 90-fold greater

Fetal cardiac disorders are 40-fold greater

Fetal arrhythmia is 50-fold greater

Fetal cardiac arrest is 200-fold greater

Fetal vascular mal-perfusion is a 100-fold greater

Fetal growth abnormalities are 40-fold greater

Fetal abnormal surveillance tests are 20-fold greater

Fetal placental thrombosis is 70-fold greater

Thorp said that he verified his analysis with a DOD (Department of Defense) statistical consultant that agreed to help him on the condition of anonymity.

Lack of Safety Testing

Regarding the VAERS data, vaccinologist Dr. Robert Malone, a key contributor of mRNA technology, told The Epoch Times on Thursday: The risky strategy of authorizing the emergency use of mRNA vaccine products prior to completion of rigorous non-clinical animal testing for reproductive and genotoxicity risks, followed by advocacy of widespread use in pregnancy, now appears to have resulted in substantial and avoidable reproductive toxicity.

Prior non-clinical (animal model) data from the Pfizer Emergency Use Authorization data package, together with the absence of adequate data and testing of safety during pregnancy have resulted in avoidable reproductive and fetal toxicities, Malone further noted.

He stressed that expectant mothers should avoid the experimental COVID vaccines and that their infants should not be injected with them.

These new VAERS data and analyses demonstrate that both reproductive-aged mothers and their infants have been damaged by accepting unlicensed, inadequately tested, emergency use authorized genetic vaccines, Malone said.

Earlier this year Jessica Rose Ph.D. co-authored a VAERS analysis that got withdrawn by the academic journal Elsevier.

She told The Epoch Times that Thorps analysis aligns perfectly with hers.

I do believe it is not only important, but necessary, to pull these products from pregnant/breastfeeding women and infants since there is no long-term safety data and the short-term data looks bad. As per both Moderna and Pfizers safety documents presented to VRBPAC pre-EUA granting for 0- 4-year-olds, this applies. They both showed terrible risk, Rose said.

Christiane Northrup, MD., a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, also stands by the analysis.

Having been on the front lines of the DES disaster as a young OB/GYN, I am astounded that we are repeating the same kind of mistake but on a far more devastating level. COVID-19 shots must be stopped immediately in all pregnant women before further damage is done to the next generation, Northrup told The Epoch Times.

Dr. Christiane Northrup speaks at Broadway Rally For Freedom in Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 16, 2021. (Enrico Trigoso/The Epoch Times)

Thorp continued: All of these adverse outcomes are statistically significant (p value < 0.0001)in other words, the probability of these adverse outcomes occurring by chance alone is less than 1 in 10,000. It was incumbent upon the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, FDA, CDC, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology to have demanded this safety data prior to pushing these dangerous vaccines in pregnancy.

These institutions have violated the golden rule of pregnancy: new substances be it nutraceuticals, drugs, or vaccines have NEVER been allowed in pregnancy until long-term outcome data are available. Now, the COVID-19 vaccines make prior obstetrical disasters of diethyl stilbesterol (DES) and thalidomide look like prenatal vitamins. I am calling for a worldwide ban and moratorium on the use of any experimental gene therapy and/or COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy until long-term safety data are irrefutable, Thorp stated.

Dr. James Thorp (Courtesy of James Thorp)

According to medalerts.org, The U.S. Government collects reports of adverse health events that follow the administration of a vaccine and can be seen in the VAERS database publicly.

According to OpenVAERS, VAERS is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System put in place in 1990. It is a voluntary reporting system that has been estimated to account for only 1% of vaccine injuries.

The VAERS official disclaimer, however, states: While very important in monitoring vaccine safety, VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness.
Crowds gather in downtown Ottawa to call for freedom and mark Canada Day on July 1, 2022. (Limin Zhou/The Epoch Times)

Crowds Rally in Ottawa After March for Freedoms on Canada Day

OTTAWACrowds of people gathered in Ottawa on Canada Day to call for freedoms as police continued to maintain a heavy presence, at times confronting some of the protesters.

Police had set up three scanning areas to check people as they entered the precinct of Parliament Hill, where a rally was planned to protest the federal governments COVID-19 vaccine mandate. But due to the delays caused by the screening process, rally organizers decided to move the equipment for the event closer to the fence, as the vast majority of the protesters were waiting on the other side.

However, the police tried to stop the rallys relocation, and a brief confrontation erupted between police and protesters.

Protesters repeatedly yelled out freedom as they moved to the alternative gathering location. As police intervened, some protesters yelled police stand down and shame on you.

Tom Marazzo, a military veteran who acted as the spokesperson for the truckers Freedom Convoy protest at the national capital earlier this year, called on the demonstrators to remain calm.

The Ottawa police want the same thing as you do. Youre working with us. Were working with them, he said.

The conflict was quickly resolved, and the organizers were allowed to move their speakers and equipment closer to the fence.

Earlier in the day, people marched through downtown Ottawa to protest the federal governments different COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. Cheering and chants of freedom were heard as people marched.

Organizers of a rally on Parliament Hill speak across a fence to a crowd protesting the federal governments COVID-19 vaccine mandates on July 1, 2022. Police were scanning people entering the area, which delayed the protesters from joining the rally. (Limin Zhou/The Epoch Times)

A day earlier, a large crowd convened at the War Memorial to welcome military veteran James Topp to his final destination, after he completed his four-month journey on foot from downtown Vancouver to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

There has been a heightened police presence as the city and law enforcement say they want to avoid a similar situation to what occurred this winter when Freedom Convoy protesters camped in the Parliament area for weeks. They were cleared in an escalated police operation after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, in a controversial move.

Police limited access to the downtown area ahead of July 1, and the city raised fines, saying offences such as unusual noise and shouting would result in $1,000 fines. Vehicle-based protests were also prohibited at the citys core and will be stopped on highways or roadways if they present a public safety risk, the OPS said.

Police keep watch in downtown Ottawa as a huge crowd marches in protest of the federal governments COVID-19 vaccine mandate, on July 1, 2022. (Limin Zhou/The Epoch Times)

Police arrested four people after a confrontation with protesters on June 30.

The Ottawa By-law and Regulatory Services said in the morning of July 1 that since June 29, officers had issued 275 parking tickets and towed 72 vehicles in areas designated as vehicle control zones in place for Canada Day events.

Limin Zhou Follow Limin Zhou is a reporter based in Ottawa.
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, Early COVID Therapeutics Innovator, Dies at 48

Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, a Nobel prize-nominated physician who famously discovered and used an early treatment for COVID, dubbed the Zelenko Protocol, passed on June 30, 2022, at the age of 48 after a long battle with pulmonary artery sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

He was born in 1973, in Kyiv, Ukraine, and came to Brooklyn, New York, in 1977 with his family.

Zelenko earned a B.S. in chemistry with high honors at Hofstra University and then earned an M.D. at the Buffalo School of Medicine in 2000.

He had been practicing in Monroe, New York, in 2020 during the outbreak of COVID-19, and is credited with having treated about 7,500 patients with his method.

The doctor, who could not sit back and wait for politicians and health officials to agree on prescribed treatments, came up with the Zelenko Protocola combination of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), zinc, azithromycin, and other drugs, including steroids.

He credited divine intervention for the discovery of the abovementioned treatment.

Several experts and doctors who knew him personally expressed their condolences and praised his achievements.

Dr. Zelenko was not just our hero, he was a man of God, Kevin Jenkins, co-chair of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, told The Epoch Times.

Vladimir Zelenko (C), Kevin Jenkins, and Ann Vandersteel. (Courtesy of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation)

Two years ago, he stepped into the fire to save humanity. The world is better off today because of his God Courage. Our prayers and love go out to Zevs friends and family. At the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, his dream for the world will never be forgotten. We will work tirelessly to further his legacy and encourage everyone who is worried about the growing menace of medical tyranny to stand with us and make a positive change, Jenkins added.

The other co-chair of the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, Ann Vandersteel, told The Epoch Times: Dr. Zelenko was a course correction for humanity. As a man of God, his faith gave him the strength to stand in the breach and deliver his life saving Zelenko Protocol when the medical community faltered. His Protocol saved millions of lives worldwide and is a standard of care for physicians who honor their Hippocratic oath.

Zelenko, also known as Zev, had sent a letter to then-President Donald Trump about hydroxychloroquine.

I recall hearing President Trump during a March 2020 press conference talk about a letter he received from a country doctor in upstate NY. That letter that saved millions of lives. Zev had discovered that hydroxychloroquine was, in fact, an efficacious treatment for coronavirus. I believe that was the beginning of the end of big pharma, and with the publics support, we will continue Zevs fight through the Zelenko Freedom Foundation, Vandersteel said.

In March 2020, Dr. Christiane Northrup, a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, had just testified in favor of LD798, a law titled An Act to Protect Maine Children and Students from Preventable Diseases by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements at the Maine state House.

The law was a referendum to overturn the vaccine mandate law in Maine.

The referendum failed by one voteand as a result, all Maine children going to nursery school, college, and public school are now required to get at least 72 shots by the age of 18, Northrup told The Epoch Times.

My colleagues were also testifying in their state legislaturesbut to no avail. A hidden agenda was being played out. And it included this thing we call COVID, which my colleague Dr. Lawrence Palevsky correctly called a poison right from the beginning. Whatever COVID was or is, it was clear that there was a hidden agenda playing out in the background. It made no sense. Everything shut down overnight, and the mainstream media began scaring people to death. I knew that something was way off from the very beginningbut anything I posted on social media that ran counter to the official COVID narrative was met with censorship and defamatory articles in the press. It was at that time that I first heard about the Zelenko protocol from an acupuncturist colleague in Brooklyn. And began letting people know about it. And that they had nothing to fear. You see, Dr. Zev Zelenko who was at ground zero in New York City and his Orthodox Jewish community was particularly hard hit. Through a combination of research and Divine inspiration, Dr. Zelenko came up with a combination of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, etc. Even President Trump called him and began to report on the success of HCQ. Thats when things got even worse.

Northrup had no idea that the media would start attacking Zelenko and his reputation, including their own colleagues.

Throughout it all, Dr. Zev Zelenko fearlessly stood up for his patientsand the rest of ussaving millions of lives. He called out those institutions that were censoring and attacking him and other truth tellers. His testimony before the Rabbinical Court in Israel was particularly impactful. He told the truth straight outand never backed down like so many others have. Instead, he put it all on the linehis career, his reputation, his health. And he continued telling the truth fearlessly until the moment he took his last breath. I had the good fortune to meet Dr. Zelenko on a private zoom and experience, personally, what a great Lion of God he was. Dr. Zelenko was a living legend. And he will be remembered by millions of us with love and gratitude, Northrup said.

Vaccinologist Dr. Robert Malone, a key contributor to mRNA technology, posted a video titled Eulogy for a selfless Truth Warrior on his substack on July 1, a documentary about Zelenko.

The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) also mourned the passing away of Zelenko.

The entire team at FLCCC is saddened to hear of the loss of a great friend and fellow supporter of early treatment for COVID-19. We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the Zelenko family and pray they find the strength to see them through this difficult time, the group stated.

Dr. Zelenko stepped up and fought for access to early treatment when few others did, President and Chief Medical Officer of FLCCC Dr. Pierre Kory said. He had a huge impact, and his loss will be felt by many.
Tractors drive by Dutch police officers standing guard as dutch police close access to Apeldoorn on the A1 highway to stop potential farmers demonstrating against the Dutch government's plans to cut nitrogen greenhouse gas emissions, on 29 June 2022. (Jeroen Jumelet/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Dutch Farmers Protest Climate Mandates That Would Cut Livestock by 30 Percent

Nation is world's 5th largest food exporter

Dutch farmers are continuing their demonstrations against a government climate policy that officials expect to end many farmers livelihoods, with organizers on Telegram planning July 4 protests they say will flatten the whole of the Netherlands.

The message calls on concerned farmers and citizens to organize their own regional actions with the goal of closing all distribution centers for food supplies and all major polluters until the government changes its plans.

One viral call for a July 4 protest came from a large truckers Telegram group, suggesting that some truckers in the Netherlands may find themselves in solidarity with the nations agriculturalists.

The farmers, who plan to protest at many of the nations airports, specifically mentioned Schiphol and Eindhoven. NLTimes.nl has reported that spokespersons for both airports say they are monitoring the situation but have little information at present.

The Epoch Times reached out to both airports for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

In 2021, the Netherlands coalition government proposed slashing livestock numbers in the country by 30 percent to meet nitrogen greenhouse gas emissions targets.

The country has already implemented stringent restrictions on new construction with the aim of curbing nitrogen greenhouse gas emissions.

Rabobank has argued that those new hurdles have slowed down homebuilding in the Netherlands, intensifying a housing shortage in the densely populated coastal nation.

On June 10, the government issued a national and area-specific plan for curbing nitrogen greenhouse gas emissions. Those emissions are heavily driven by ammonia from livestock manure.

Some parts of the country would have to slash those emissions by 70 or even 95 percent.

It openly acknowledged that there is not a future for all [Dutch] farmers within [this] approach, as reported by the U.S. Department of Agricultures Foreign Agriculture Service.

The Minister of Nature and Nitrogen Policy expects about a third of the 50,000 Dutch farms to disappear by 2030, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reported in a June 23 Market Insight Report.

The Netherlands is the worlds fifth-largest exporter of food, exceeded only by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and China, according to World Bank statistics.

The Dutch government offers a multibillion-dollar buyout arrangement for farmers.

Christianne van der Wal, minister of nature and nitrogen policy, has left open the possibility that the government will expropriate land from farmers who do not comply, as reported by NOS Nieuws.

The proposals and resultant protests come amid worldwide fertilizer and food shortages.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on June 24 that there is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022, adding that 2023 could be even worse.

On a recent episode of Facts Matter on EpochTV, American farmer John Boyd, Jr. warned of potential food shortages as a result of steeply rising input costs.

He said the expenses of running his own operation have tripled, driven in large part by significantly increased fertilizer costs.

In Sri Lanka, a ban on chemical fertilizers contributed to an economic crisis that has destabilized the government.

The country has recently announced a temporary ban on fuel sales to private vehicles, effective June 27 through July 10.

The latest round of demonstrations by Dutch farmers comes after a wave of similar protests in 2019 after lawmaker Tjeerd de Groot called for livestock numbers in the Netherlands to be cut by 50 percent.

Demonstrators have burned hay bales alongside highways, blocked roads with tractors, and spread manure to make their anger known.

In recent days, protesters have targeted the homes of Dutch government officials, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Nitrogen Minister van der Wal.

Footage circulating on social media purports to show protesters spraying manure on Dutch law enforcement.

Rutte criticized protesters, saying, You can demonstrate, but in a civilized way, as reported by the Associated Press.

AP also reports that Dutch police say they arrested 10 people on June 28 in connection with the protests.
Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade marking the 30th anniversary of the spiritual discipline's introduction to the public, in New York on May 13, 2022. (MarkZou/The Epoch Times)

Ending Western Complicity in Chinas Forced Organ Harvesting Will Come Next, Says Expert

WASHINGTONWith rising awareness of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) harvesting organs of prisoners of conscience, ending Western complicity would come next, said Dr. Jessica Russo, a board member of Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), a medical professional advocacy group, and a clinical psychologist based in Philadelphia.

By Western complicity, she is referring to international transplant organizations turning a blind eye to or not holding the CCP accountable for forced organ harvesting, pharmaceutical companies in the West providing materials for China, Western transplant centers training Chinese physicians, and the media muffling the story.

If we did not support China, they would not be able to do this, Russo told The Epoch Times.

We must stop allowing citizens to go to China to get organs. We have to stop training [Chinese] physicians. We have to stop allowing research articles that come out of China in the transplantation field.

We have to put a chokehold on this.

An outstanding bill in Congress is trying to do some of that. The Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) in March 2021, stipulates property-blocking and visa-blocking sanctions on persons responsible for forced organ harvesting and prohibits exports of medical devices used in forced organ harvesting or related human trafficking.

The bill has 35 co-sponsors from 21 states, mainly Republicans, and is currently with the House judiciary and commerce committees. The bill must pass before Jan. 3, 2023, or it will have to be reintroduced in the next Congress.

Forced Organ Harvesting Continues

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been known for using the organs of executed and involuntarily prisoners for transplants, a practice that the regime announced as ending in December 2014.

However, a lesser-known yet more severe aspect of the operations that the CCP has never acknowledged is that it targets prisoners of conscience. Killing on demand was how Dr. Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at New York University, described the atrocity.

At a virtual event by the conservative think tank Hudson Institute on June 30, Russo and Nury Turkel, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said that state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting still happens today in China.

A Third of the United States

The two main groups targeted by the CCPs killing on demand are Falun Gong practitioners and the Uyghurs in Xinjiang of northwestern China.

The spiritual discipline Falun Gong, whose teachings are based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, reached 70 million to 100 million practitioners in the 1990s but came under nationwide persecution by the Chinese Communist Party in 1999. In the decades since, millions of adherents have been arrested and subjected to various forms of abuse designed to decimate their faith.

Russo pointed out that, adding the about 12 million Uyghur population in Xinjiang, the CCPs total target population for forced organ harvesting is around 100 million.

Just putting that in context, this is about a third of the U.S. [population], she told The Epoch Times.

Halal Organs

At the Hudson event, Turkel said that the persecution of Uyghurs in China had given rise to a new marketing message: Chinese hospitals had been advertising halal organsorgans from people who didnt drink alcohol, eat pork, or do anything forbidden by Islamto patients from Muslim countries. And the Uyghurs in Xinjiang of northwestern China are predominantly Muslims.

He added, This is a human body that has been commercialized.
President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson at number 10 Downing Street on Dec.3, 2019, in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Erdogan: Nordic NATO Bid Could Still Be Nixed If Vows Unkept

ISTANBULJust two days after agreeing to lift deal-breaking objections to Sweden and Finlands NATO accession, Turkeys leader warned Thursday that Ankara could still block the process if the two countries fail to fully meet his expectations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the close of the alliances summit in Madrid that the 10-article agreement with the Nordic pair was a victory for Ankara and addressed all its sensitivities.

He particularly stressed the satisfying of Turkeys demand for Sweden and Finland to extradite terror suspects with links to outlawed Kurdish groups or the network of an exiled cleric accused of a failed 2016 coup in Turkey.

But Erdogan added that if the two Nordic states renege on their promises, Turkeys Parliament could refuse to ratify the deal reached Tuesday. NATO accession must be formally approved by all 30 member states, which gives each a blocking right.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a media conference at a NATO summit in Madrid, on June 30, 2022. (Manu Fernandez/AP Photo)

This business will not work if we dont pass this in our parliament, Erdogan said. First, Sweden and Finland must fulfill their duties and those are already in the text.  But if they dont fulfill these, then of course there is no way we would send it to our parliament.

Erdogan claimed that Sweden had promised to extradite 73 terrorists to Turkey and crack down on the financing and recruitment activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKKlisted as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the European Unionand linked groups. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, an extension of the PKK.

The text of the memorandum sets no specific number of extraditions. It says Finland and Sweden will address Turkeys pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly, taking into account information, evidence and intelligence provided by Turkey in accordance with the European Convention on Extradition.

On Wednesday, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Sweden and Finlands justice ministries have files from Turkey on 33 people with alleged links to PKK and the network of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Journalists repeatedly pressed Erdogan on Thursday about the extraditions and whether Sweden had actually promised the number he cited. He said the number of extradition requests previously stood at 60 but was updated to 73.

Of course, what we understand is important from our meetings and talks, Erdogan said. Sweden promised to give us these 73 people with this text. They may or they may not, we will follow that through the text and we will make our decision.

There was no immediate response to requests for comments from the Swedish delegation at the summit in Madrid.

The Swedish government has sought to allay concerns that the deal would lead to extraditions to Turkey without due process.

I know there are some people who are worried that were going to start to hunt people and extradite them, and I think its important to say that we always follow Swedish laws and international conventions, and we never extradite Swedish citizens, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told public broadcaster SVT on Wednesday.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto stressed that Helsinki pointed out that the memorandum does not list the names of individuals.

In the case of extraditions, we will adhere to our own legislation and international agreements. Ultimately, extradition is a legal discretion which politicians have no right to influence, Niinisto said.

With the joint memorandum signed, NATO moved ahead with inviting the Nordic countries to the military alliance that seeks to enlarge and strengthen in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The most time-consuming part of gaining NATO membership is the ratification of the applicants accession protocols by the alliances 30 member countries. Its a process that involves national parliaments  and could take months.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country would launch the process of ratifying the planned NATO membership of Sweden and Finland this week and conclude it very quickly.

By Zeynep Bilginsoy
The 15th Guardian-class Patrol Boat manufactured by shipbuilder Austal and delivered to the Australian Department of Defence, which was then gifted to the Cook Islands government and named the "Te Kukupa II." (Courtesy of Austal Australia)

Faults Found in Australian Naval Patrol Boats Gifted to Pacific Nations

A hiccup has emerged in Australias relationship-building efforts in the Pacific after technical defects were discovered in a fleet of Guardian-class patrol boats delivered to island nations under the Pacific Maritime Security Program.

The $2.1 billion Program (US$1.45 billion), part of the wider Pacific Step-up initiative, promised the delivery of 22 patrol vessels to Pacific island governments.

The vessels are manufactured by ASX-listed Perth-based shipbuilder Austal, which also has a major shipbuilding facility in Alabama, and are used to assist with maritime surveillance. So far, 15 boats have been delivered.

Australias Department of Defence revealed that several issues have been discovered over the past 16 months.

In February, cracks were discovered in the couplings between the engine and gearbox.

In May, problems with the ventilation system in sick bays were found, as well as issues with the exhaust system, which saw carbon monoxide being pumped into certain compartments.

Lieutenant Commander Paulino Yangitesmal, commanding officer and the crew of the FSS Tosiwo Nakayama, the 14th Guardian-class Patrol Boat gifted by the Australian Department of Defence to the Federated States of Micronesia. (Courtesy of Austal Australia).

The Defence Department and Austal will dispatch representatives to Pacific nations to look at immediate short-term fixes before considering longer-term solutions.

The Guardian-class ships are under the sovereignty of the individual Pacific governments, who will decide whether to continue using the vessels or pause operations.

Defence remains committed to our partners in the Pacific and the Pacific Maritime Support Program, a Defence Department spokesperson said in a statement.

Our Pacific partners are large ocean states. The [Program] is vital to assisting our partners in exercising their sovereign rights in their maritime domains.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the Australian government was committed to working through all the challenges to ensure the boats were safe and operational.

We understand how important these vessels are for Australia and our partners in the Pacific. The Guardian patrol boats play a critical role in maritime surveillance activities as well as detecting and deterring illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

A Speed Bump for Pacific Relations Building

Austal is also working to rectify problems with its Independence-class littoral combat ship, manufactured in Mobile, Alabama. Cracks have been found in the hull when the vessels travel faster than 15 knots or in seas where waves rise above eight feet in height.

The entire Littoral Combat Ship program has been plagued with problems and cost blow-outs because of overly ambitious design goals, from being able to move quickly and engage enemy fleets in coastal regions to being anti-ship and anti-submarine vessels.

USS Montgomery (LCS 8) rolls out of Austals Bay 4 in Mobile, Alabama (Supplied by Austal)

In contrast, Austals offshore patrol cutter vessel for the U.S. Coast Guard has fared much better. The Coast Guard has just signed off on a US$3.3 billion deal to design and construct 11 boats.

Meanwhile, for Australia, the hiccup with the Guardian class will likely be watched closely by Beijing, who has been willing to pounceor piggybackon any perceived gaps in support that Pacific nations receive from democratic nations.

For example, in November last year, the Australian, New Zealand, Fijian, and Papua New Guinean governments sent security forces to the Solomon Islands to help maintain peace after violent riots, which resulted in Honiaras Chinatown district being razed.

Weeks later, Beijing began dispatching police and security trainers to assist with training the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force on how to deal with riots.
Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Md., on Aug. 29, 2020. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

FDA Wants COVID-19 Boosters Targeting Omicron BA.4, BA.5 Subvariants

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday recommended COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers change the design of their booster shots beginning this fall to include components tailored to combat the currently dominant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the coronavirus.

If authorized, the changes would mark the first major retooling of COVID-19 vaccines, but also could slow their rollout as the FDA has recommended a design somewhat different from what the companies had already tested and started producing.

The FDA will not require new studies testing the BA.4/BA.5 shots in humans to be completed for authorization, a top agency official told Reuters, similar to how annual changes to flu vaccines are handled.

In a sense, we are chasing the virus, just as we do with influenza, and how close we can get to the variants that are prominent at the time, well have to wait and see, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, adding that redesigned vaccines could provide better protection than current ones.

The FDA said companies would not need to change the vaccine for the primary vaccination series, saying the coming year will be a transitional period when this modified booster vaccine may be introduced.

The new booster shots would be bivalent vaccines, targeting both the original virus as well as the Omicron subvariants.

The decision follows a recommendation by the agencys outside advisers to change the vaccine design this fall to combat more prevalent versions of the coronavirus.

BA.4 and BA.5 are estimated to account for more than 50 precent of U.S. infections, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and have also become dominant elsewhere.

The FDA said on Thursday that it hoped the modified vaccines could be used in early to mid-fall.

Scientists have suggested redesigned boosters could spur a broader range of immune responses that might also protect against future variants that may emerge.

Predicting the future with COVID-19 in particular is hazardous, because COVID has faked us out on a number of occasions, Schaffner said.

Different Strategies for Different Countries

Regulators from other countries are seriously considering using new boosters based on the BA.1 Omicron variant that caused the massive surge in cases last winter, top FDA official Dr. Peter Marks said in an interview.

Some may want a vaccine more rapidly. That (vaccine) is going to be available more rapidly, Marks said, after a meeting of international regulators on Thursday.

Advisers to the World Health Organization preferred BA.1-based boosters, arguing that the variant is more distinct and could generate a broader response than the more recently circulating subvariants.

Pfizer Inc. with partner BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. have been testing versions of their vaccines modified to combat the BA.1 Omicron variant.

Although they have said those vaccines generated a good immune response against BA.1 and the more recently circulating variants, they did see a lower response against BA.4 and BA.5.

The companies had already been manufacturing their BA.1 vaccines, and said on Tuesday switching to a BA.4/BA.5 design could delay their introduction.

Pfizer/BioNTech, which on Wednesday announced a $3.2 billion contract to supply more COVID vaccine doses to the United States, said they would have a substantial amount of BA.4/BA.5 vaccine ready for distribution by the first week of October.

Moderna said it would be late October or early November before its modified vaccine is ready.

The FDA has directed manufacturers to launch clinical trials to study the BA.4/5 vaccines, but said they would evaluate data on their previous BA.1-based vaccines to support authorization of the retooled shots.

Marks said data from the new trial will be important to gauge the continued effectiveness of the boosters against new variants that may arise.

By Michael Erman and Manas Mishra
Gabby Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt and stepfather Jim Schmidt at a press conference in Bohemia, N.Y., on Sept. 28, 2021. (Reuters/Screenshot via NTD)

Florida Judge Allows Lawsuit Against Parents of Gabbi Petitos Fiance to Go to Trial

A Florida circuit court judge on Thursday allowed a lawsuit from the parents of Gabby Petito to go ahead against the parents of her deceased fiance, Brian Laundrie.

This comes after Laundries parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, sought to dismiss the case, which claims the Laundries intentionally inflicted emotional distress on Petitos parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, Fox News reported.

Petito and Schmidt are suing the Laundries, claiming they knew Gabby Petito was dead before her body was found but said nothing, which exacerbated their emotional distress.

Matt Luca, the lawyer representing the Laundries, said the parents of Brian Laundrie were not obligated under the law to speak, CBS News reported.

The law imposes no such obligation to speak and the state and federal constitution support that. In our society, under our laws, people are free not to speak, Luca said.

However, Circuit Court Judge Hunter Carroll denied the motion to dismiss the case, noting that the Laundries had not remained silent because they had in fact released a statement about Petito, Fox News reported.

On behalf of the Laundrie family it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family, read a statement the Laundries released through an attorney on Sept. 14, 2021.

For purposes of the motion to dismiss, the Court must assume the Laundries are responsible for authoring the September 14, 2021 statement issued by their attorney, Carroll said.

The Laundries claimed their statement was plain, but in oral arguments heard in court plaintiffs argued that it was knowingly false and designed to create false hope, and issued by the Laundries who knew Gabby was dead and where her body was located, Fox News reported.

The judge wrote in the order that if this is true then the statement released by the Laundries on Sept. 14, 2021 was particularly callous and cruel, and it is sufficiently outrageous to state claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Because the Laundries statement by their attorney in the context of the unique facts of this case is objectively outrageous, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs have stated causes of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress against the Laundries. The Court denies the Laundries motion to dismiss, Carroll wrote.

The parents of Gabby Petito have welcomed the judges decision, their lawyer, Patrick Reilly, told Fox News.

This gives them an opportunity to proceed with their claim for the emotional distress caused by the conduct of the Laundries. Joe and Nichole look forward to discovering the information the Laundries knew about Gabbys death and her whereabouts, and in particular getting a copy of any correspondence, emails and texts exchanged during the difficult period when Gabbys whereabouts were unknown, Reilly said.

Meanwhile, the lawyer for the Laundries said they were disappointed.
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning (C) is participating in military drills in the South China Sea on Jan. 2, 2017. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

From Tiananmen to Taiwan and the South China Sea: China Updates Its Rules of Engagement

Commentary

Several news outlets announced on June 13 that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had signed an order to implement rules on military operations other than war (MOOTW), consisting of 59 articles in six chapters.

Xi is also the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).

These new rules, implemented on June 15, are designed to standardize, and provide the legal basis for Chinese troops to carry out missions like disaster relief, humanitarian aid, escort, and peacekeeping, and safeguard Chinas national sovereignty, security and development interests, according to Chinese state-run media Global Times.

In other words, the new rules provide the legal framework for the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to operate domestically and in other non-wartime frameworks supporting the CCP. The PLAs oath inculcates subservience of the military to the CCP:

I am a member of the Peoples Liberation Army. I promise that I will follow the leadership of the Communist Party of China, serve the people wholeheartedly, obey orders, observe strict discipline, fight heroically, fear no sacrifice, work hard to improve my fighting ability, prepare for battle at all times, and under no circumstances will I ever betray the Military or the Motherland.

No Preparatory Announcement

What was the significance of the announcements timing?

The CCP had not hinted that this document was being drafted or that it would be published. Earlier CCP documents, such as the 2007 and the 2015 China Military Strategy White Papers, mention the MOOTW concept and its focus on emergency rescue and disaster relief, counter-terrorism and stability maintenance, rights and interests protection, guard duty, international peacekeeping, and international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

As reported by the Global Times, the rules will provide a legal basis for Chinese troops to carry out operations like disaster relief, humanitarian aid, escort, and peacekeeping and to safeguard Chinas national sovereignty, security and development interests.

The last item listedsafeguard Chinas national sovereignty, security and development interestsis an addition to previous MOOTW definitions and is key to understanding the significance of the new rules.

Three Warfares

In June 1989, toward the end of the demonstrations for more freedoms in Beijings Tiananmen Square, the CCP tasked the PLA and police to clear the square and disperse the crowds. In doing so, the PLA murdered thousands of unarmed protesters. Other protesters across China were also murdered and injured.

Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers march near the entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, on May 22, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

The CCP does not want a repeat of the Tiananmen Square disaster that it denies happened. It wants to control any future narrative, as it does today with the Tiananmen Square massacre. The PLAs Three Warfares guide the MOOTW rules for controlling the media (media warfare), perceptions (psychological warfare), and legal challenges to its actions (legal warfarelawfare).

For example, according to a report by Edwin S. Cochran, the PLA organizations responsible for media, legal, and psychological warfares include the Central Military Commission (particularly the Joint Staff Branch and its Intelligence Bureau, the Political Work Division Liaison Branch, and the Office for International Military Cooperation), the Strategic Support Force, and PLA-controlled media enterprises.

These organizations would create the narrative most favorable to the PLA operations and would counter criticism of its operations. The regulations will delineate the roles and responsibilities of each during MOOTW events.

Connection to Tiananmen Square Massacre

The announcement of the new MOOTW rules, close to the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, was certainly on the minds of many who read about the new regulations when they were published, almost a week after the anniversary.

The CCP would not have published the MOOTW rules before the Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary; even Chinese netizens would have made the connection to Tiananmen Square. By announcing the MOOTW rules a week after the anniversary, the CCP diminished criticism that these rules apply to the Tiananmen Square anniversary.

Reverberations of the Tiananmen Square massacre calamity persist, despite the CCPs attempts to suppress mention of it. For example, as of 2017, over 170 phrases (mostly related to Tiananmen) were forbidden on WeChat, Chinas version of Twitter.

Free speech and free thought are restricted in CCP-controlled China. For example, in 2017, the CCPs State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT) announced 45 directives for all media in China. Thirteen of those directives cover terminology restrictions for territory and sovereignty issues, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Xinjiang, as well as the disputed Spratly and Senkaku Islands, according to an article in The News Lens.

Listed below are SAPPRFT rules and examples of the banned phrases, as translated from Chinese state-run media Xinhua by The News Lens:

Taiwan should never be referred to as a country.

If references to Taiwans governmental system and other such institutions cannot be avoided, then quotation marks should be used, such as Taiwans Legislative Yuan, Executive Yuan, Taiwans National Tsing Hua University, Palace Museum, and other such names should be put in quotation marks.

Never use President (or Vice-President) of the Republic of China to refer to the leaders of Taiwan, even if the titles are put in quotation marks.

Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and China cannot be used together; for example, ChinaHong Kong, ChinaMacau, and ChinaTaiwan. Use instead the inland and Hong Kong, Mainland and Taiwan, or BeijingHong Kong, ShanghaiHong Kong, and MinnanTaiwan.

Taiwan Independence should be put in quotation marks.

Do not refer to Taiwan as Formosa. If paraphrasing or quoting in a report, put it in quotations.

The Nansha Islands should not be referred to as the Spratly Islands.

Diaoyu Island should not be referred to as the Senkaku Islands.

It is forbidden to refer to Xinjiang as East Turkestan.

Thousands of participants take part in a memorial vigil to honor the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Victoria Park in Hong Kong, China, on June 4, 2020. (Sung Pi-lung/The Epoch Times)

What new list of forbidden terms related to Taiwan and the South China Sea will the CCP announce as part of its Three Warfares MOOTW campaign?

Use of Lethal Force

The new MOOTW regulations guide the PLA, police, and other security forces on using lethal force. The CCP has political officers in every PLA echelon. PLA squads and platoons (Party Small Group Leaders), companies (Political Instructors), battalions (Political Directors), brigades (Political Commissars), bases (Political Commissars), and above are co-commanded by CCP political officers.

These political officers will ensure the faithful execution of new MOOTW instructions. During kinetic operations (war) against Taiwans military, the political commissars will ensure that the CCPs political objectives are implemented.

Taiwan and South China Sea Implications

Many Taiwan observers compared Xis use of military operation to Putins special military operation. They warned that the MOOTW guidelines apply to Taiwan and how the PLA would operate. These comparisons are accurate, but there is more to the story.

The phrase in the reported new rules (legal warfare) safeguarding Chinas national sovereignty, security and development interests relates to Taiwan and its associated islands. It also applies to all regions the PLA has conquered or may conquer. More specifically, the South China Sea (SCS) is being conquered, and these new MOOTW rules will apply to foreign citizens and soldiers captured on the islands and in the SCS sea. The MOOTW rules will set procedures for military prisoners and the use of detention with Chinese communist characteristics.

According to the U.S. Armys analysis of the PLAs legal warfare (lawfare), the following summarizes how the PLA uses lawfare in the context of its operations:

Legal Warfare refers to setting the legal conditions for victoryboth domestically and internationally.  Legal Warfare seeks to unbalance potential opponents by using international or domestic laws to undermine their military operations, to seek legal validity for PLA operations worldwide, and to support Chinese interests through a valid legal framework. Legal Warfare has emerged with a particularly prominent role via the various Chinese political maneuverings in the Western Pacific, particularly those areas surrounding international waterways, disputed land masses, and economic rights of way.  It guides how the PLA trains to treat prisoners of war, detainees, and civilians, and how it abides by international legal conventions, codes, and laws. (Chinese Tactics, Army Techniques Publication, 7-100.3, Aug. 9, 2021.)

A J-15 fighter jet lands on Chinas Liaoning aircraft carrier during a drill at sea on April 24, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

The new MOOTW regulations will not follow the long legal tradition of the Geneva Conventions that protect military personnel captured during wartime by using the excuse that Chinese forces are conducting MOOTW and liberating their own territory. This stance enables the CCP to use legal warfare to enhance its operational capabilities while restricting its adversaries freedom of movement.

The CCP will not follow the international humanitarian laws of war and the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) when dealing with Taiwan and the SCS because the CCP will claim that it is involved in a non-international armed conflict, where captured enemy fighters are not given POW status and can be subject to prosecution of captured rebel fighters for the mere fact of having taken up arms, according to the Third Geneva Convention.

Taiwanese citizens and military personnel will be categorized differently than citizens and military personnel of the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia since the CCP does not recognize Taiwanese citizenship.

Another area of interest is the treatment of property rights of people who live on the captured islands, as well as their rights at sea. Will civilian property in Taiwan be respected or appropriated, as the CCP has done to Chinas wealthy and political elite? Will the CCP return civilian ships to their owners, or will the ships be expropriated based on the new MOOTW regulations?

The CCP and the PLA intend to ignore the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as they did in 2016 in response to The Hagues Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that the CCP had no right or claim to the Philippines exclusive economic zone or any other part of the CCPs SCS sovereignty claim, including the so-called nine-dash line.

China and the Philippines both signed and ratified UNCLOS. Yet the CCP chose to ignore and deny the Permanent Court of Arbitrations authority. The MOOTW rules will reinforce this position, whether it refers to Taiwan or the SCS. The CCPs nine-dash line claim includes Taiwan, which was another reason for the CCP to ignore the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitrations decision.

Conclusion

In addition to affecting Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the Senkaku Islands, the CCPs new MOOTW regulations apply to territories taken by the CCP, such as Tibet, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Hong Kong, and Macau. The MOOTW regulations also apply to internal actions in support of security operations, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and COVID-19 demonstrations when PLA personnel were deployed to cities to enforce lockdowns.

Every effort should be taken to expose the MOOTW regulations so that the people affected, especially the Taiwanese and the SCS countries populations, understand how they will be treated. Those countries that oppose totalitarian states expanding their borders and their oppression should also be prepared to counter the CCPs use of psychological, media, and legal warfares.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A logo of Google at its exhibition space, at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on June 15, 2022. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

Google Targeted in Fresh EU Consumer Groups Privacy Complaints

BRUSSELSGoogle has been targeted by a French consumer group and its peers in complaints to privacy watchdogs over its vast trove of users personal data harvested via their Google accounts, European consumer organization BEUC said on Thursday.

In addition to the French consumer group, others in Greece, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Slovenia have taken their complaints to their data protection authorities, BEUC said.

It said the German consumer body had sent a letter to Google, a unit of Alphabet, that could lead to a civil lawsuit, while consumer agencies in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden have written to their privacy regulators alerting them about Googles practices.

BEUC said the issue was Googles account sign-up process.

The language Google uses at every step of the registration process is unclear, incomplete, and misleading, the group said.

Google also frames the more privacy-friendly options as missing out on advantages.

This prevents the consumer from taking an informed decision when they make their choices and results in unfair, non-transparent and unlawful processing of their personal data, it said.

Google said users can choose from different options when they open a Google account.

These options are clearly labeled and designed to be simple to understand. We have based them on extensive research efforts and guidance from DPAs (data protection authorities) and feedback from testers. We are committed to ensuring these choices are clear and simple, a spokesperson said.

Google, which has been fined more than 8 billion euros ($8.4 billion) by EU antitrust regulators and is the focus of two ongoing antitrust investigations, could face fines worth up to 2 percent of its global turnover if found guilty of breaching EU privacy rules.

Some of the agencies complained to their privacy enforcers about Googles tracking of users four years ago but have yet to see any action taken. They aim to ramp up the pressure on regulators with their latest complaints.

($1 = 0.9534 euros)

By Foo Yun Chee
HK Police Say Tear Gas Is Not Harmful to Health or Environment Despite Reports to the Contrary

At an Independent Police Complaint Council (IPCC) meeting on 21 June, a representative of the Hong Kong police said that tear gas does not cause health or environmental harm. However, on the same day, the Hong Kong High Court received a claim that tear gas had caused serious damage to a building.

At the IPCC meeting, the police spokesperson said they had received a total of 1,949 complaints related to the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement by the end of May, of which over 30 percent (618) were general complaints and 263 were serious allegations, including police abuse of power, assault, and intimidation.

Regarding the use of force, the police put out a brief in the follow-up to the IPCCs recommendations on using force. The statement said the police didnt consider tear gas harmful to health or the environment and there was no need to set up an expert committee to follow up on the toxicological level of tear gas, and that given Hong Kongs environment, the police will consider the use of other weapons in the future.

But on the same day, the High Court heard a claim relating to tear gas damage. Dr. Kam Chung Kenneth Leung, an ear, nose and throat doctor, filed a writ against the Commissioner of Police.

On November 18, 2019, during the demonstrations the police fired 3293 tear gas rounds at protestors at Polytechnic University, according to the writ, there was misfiring of two tear gas submunitions causing serious damage to the two units in his clinic in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong. According to a letter issued by the Fire Services Department in 2021, the blaze happened because the heat from the tear gas caused flammable objects in the units to burn, hence Dr Leung was seeking HK$6.72 million (about $856,000) in compensation from the Commissioner of Police.

The police claim that tear gas is not a health hazard is clearly not credible. During the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement (anti-ELAB), numerous Hong Kongers shed tears and choked on the gas shrouding the scene. Afterwards, their skin was covered in a red rash and blisters, some even coughed up blood or had bloody stools, and there were many bird corpses at the site of the tear gas grenades.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association collected 17,000 questionnaires from 29 November to 2 December 2019. The responses showed that 18 to 23 percent of the respondents suffered from symptoms like difficulty breathing, itchy skin, and constant watering of the eyes from the tear gas. About 17 percent had skin rashes, blisters, and pus, mainly on the face, arms, and neck. Around 14 to 16 percent reported stomachache or diarrhea, and 5 percent of the respondents had serious symptoms such as coughing up blood, bloody stools, and abnormal urine color.

In October 2019, the Hong Kong police admitted to using tear gas made in China. A female protester at a rally in December of the same year said that since the police switched to made in China tear gas, after I inhaled it, I was coughing up blood the next day and I started to have a fever. For the next three months, she did not have a regular menstrual cycle, not without blood, but with a small amount for two or three days, but the blood was black.

Earlier, the Hong Kong Police also admitted to using expired tear gas. Dr. Karen Mak, a lecturer in the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong, explained in an interview with public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) that the CS gas, which is the main component of tear gas, should be valid for three to five years and is a complex chemical structure that may degrade over time. It cannot be ruled out that other toxic gases, such as Cyanide and phosgene, will be released after the tear gas has been fired and heated.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, a long-standing academic journal, published a review of tear gas in 2016 saying that tear gas is a sublethal incapacitant weapon with long-term health effects, and can cause respiratory disease, skin burns and dermatitis, eye damage, cardiovascular and intestinal disease, major injuries, and even death.

During the 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement, the intensity and the duration of the tear gas being fired by the Hong Kong Police has rarely been seen in history.
H&M Closes Shanghai Flagship Store

H&M shut down its flagship store in Shanghai, the latest sign of the impact of Beijings strict zero-COVID policy on the business of international fast-fashion retailers.

After two months of lockdown, the epicenter of Shanghai finally reopened; however, traffic in the citys shopping centers remained low.

The store was opened earlier this month, but now, this three-story store in downtown Shanghai is boarded up, and its H&M sign is gone, according to Reuters on June 24.

Business Slump in China Before COVID-19

The Shanghai flagship store was H&Ms first and largest store in the Chinese market since it opened 15 years ago.

After announcing its commitment to responsible business conduct by refusing to use Xinjiang cotton, and saying that the move had nothing to do with politics on its official Weibo account on March 24, 2021, the company started to see its sales going downhill.

In an undated statement, H&M expressed its deep concern over the use of forced labor in Xinjiang in the supply chain.

In fact, H&M sales started to slump at the end of 2019, but insiders believe it was due to the lack of connection to the local authorities and sponsoring local events, a typical consequence of doing business in the Communist regime, as indicated in a Bloomberg article .

A Chinese woman waits for customers in a nearly empty restaurant at a shopping mall in Beijing, China on March 26, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Departure From China

The lockdown measures in Shanghai hit the retailers hard. Fashion retailers were stuck with piles of unsold stock as cautious consumers stayed away from the commercial hubs glitzy shopping districts, Reuters reported.

The closing of the H&M Shanghai flagship is the latest departure of global chains from the restrictive Chinese market.

Earlier, other international chains reacted to the reduced Chinese market by limiting services.

Amazon stopped supplying retailers in China with Kindle e-readers on June 2, and will shut its Kindle e-bookstore in China next year.

Nike reportedly announced to its customers in China via a notice in its Nike Run Club app that the company will cease service and operation in the region starting July 8.

Airbnb announced on May 24 that the company will be removing all 150,000 of its listings in China starting on July 30. According to the Airbnb 2020 Securities and Exchange Commission report, Airbnb has been facing increased difficulty in complying with requests or other requirements as interpreted by the regimes agencies.

Xia Yu contributed to this report.
Hong Kong in Limbo 25 Years After British Handover to China

HONG KONGWhen the British handed Hong Kong to Beijing in 1997, it was promised 50 years of self-government and freedoms of assembly, speech, and press that are not allowed on the communist-ruled Chinese mainland.

As the city of 7.4 million people marks 25 years under Beijings rule on Friday, those promises are wearing thin. Hong Kongs honeymoon period, when it carried on much as it always had, has passed, and its future remains uncertain, determined by forces beyond its control.

Before the handover, many in Hong Kong worried that life would change when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took over. Thousands rushed to obtain residency elsewhere and some moved abroad. For the first decade or so, such measures looked overly dramaticthis bustling bastion of capitalism on Chinas southern coast appeared to keep its freedoms, and the economy was booming.

In recent years, the CCP has been expanding its influence and control. Those moves appeared to be hastened by mass pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019. Now, schools must provide lessons on so-called patriotism and national security, and some new textbooks deny Hong Kong was ever a British colony.

Electoral reforms have ensured that no opposition lawmakers, only those deemed to be patriots by the CCP, are in the citys legislature, muting once lively debates over how to run the city. The Chinese communist regime has installed John Lee, a career security official, as the successor to Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Freedom of the press has come under attack and pro-democracy newspapers openly critical of the government, such as Apple Daily, have been forced to close. Its publisher Jimmy Lai has been jailed.

Hong Kong media mogul and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court in Hong Kong, Dec. 12, 2020. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Hong Kong also has banned annual protests marking the CCPs June 4, 1989, massacre of the pro-democracy movement centered on Beijings Tiananmen Square, with authorities citing pandemic precautions. The citys tourism and businesses are reeling from its adherence to stringent COVID-zero policies enforced on the mainland.

Alex Siu, a building services engineer, was born in Hong Kong and only left in 2020his parents had ensured hed have the option by getting him a British National Overseas passport years earlier.

Siu moved to Manchester, England, with his girlfriend after getting fed up both with Hong Kongs work environment and the political situation. Hes homesick for the food, friends, and family, but isnt planning to go back.

I believe there is no hope because the government holds absolute power, Siu said of the deteriorating political freedoms in Hong Kong. Us little citizens, we dont have much power to oppose them or change the situation.

Beginning in 2020, the authorities launched a clampdown on political dissent, arresting dozens of activists and imprisoning them for unauthorized assembly, despite provisions guaranteeing freedom for such gatherings under Hong Kongs Basic Law, the citys constitution.

John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong, was skeptical that the CCP would ever allow Hong Kong full democracy or universal suffrage, goals enshrined in the Basic Law at the time of the 1997 handover.

Hong Kong was going to become part of a local government of an authoritarian country ruled by a Leninist party. How could it be a Western-style parliamentary democracy? Burns said in an interview.

The authorities clamped down and moved to stamp out dissent after the months long 2019 protests, he noted.

Burns said many in Hong Kong still support the pro-democracy movement even if they are silent for now.

Protesters gesture to riot police during a massive demonstration outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on June 12, 2019. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Were in a kind of hellish place. Hong Kong is not part of the system and therefore it cant bargain that way, we are not free, Burns added.

Former Democratic Party chairwoman and ex-lawmaker Emily Lau says she is disappointed with the changes but not surprised. When you deal with a communist regime, you shouldnt be expecting anything. Nothing should surprise you, Lau said.

Shes focused on Hong Kongs future. The city remains distinct from the mainland, she said. Her friends and colleagues may be imprisoned, but she can visit them and they can choose their own lawyersrights usually denied political prisoners in China.

I know its very difficult. But I think we owe it to ourselves and to future generations to do the best we can to fight for our core values, which are human rights, democracy, rule of law and personal safety, and social justice, she said.

Chan Po-ying, 66, whose longtime partner and fellow pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-hungbetter known by his nickname Long Hair, is serving a nearly 2-year prison sentence and awaiting a hearing on national security related charges, says she is pressing on.

I have persevered for a long period of time, I believe that I should not give up so easily, especially during this difficult time, Chan said The government and the law have granted these rights to us (under the Basic Law).

Chan Po-ying, a 66-year-old veteran pro-democracy activist(L), and her long-time partner and fellow activist Leung Kwok-hung(R), hold pictures of detained Chinese human rights activists outside the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong on Dec. 27, 2017. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

In May, during an election for Hong Kongs new chief executive, Chan and several others held a small protest to demand universal suffrage. On June 4 this year, the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Chan together with two others, stood on a street in silent protest, dressed in black and wearing white face masks with black xs taped across them.
Hong Kong Was Never a Colony Disrupts Historical Discourse

Commentary

Hong Kong was never a colony, as asserted in some new Hong Kong textbooks, is as absurd as saying the Peoples Republic of China is not a country. In order to uproot Hong Kong independence, textbooks are asked to distort history. However, history is like sedimentary rock, with sand and gravel accumulating layer by layer into hard rock; if changing a fundamental concept at the very starting point of a time line, the original historical discourse will be destroyed. Problems will arise before any benefit can be seen.

Problem 1: It concerns the core evidence they usedHong Kong and Macau were removed from the list of colonies by the United Nations in 1972, which proved that Hong Kong was never a colony. Despite its absurd inference, lets take it seriously: the fatal flaw of this inference rests on the success of the PRC, in replacing the Republic of China in the United Nations in 1971, or more precisely on the success of Albania and Algeria in pushing forward the agenda of restoring the legal rights of the PRC in the UN. This implies that had these exogenous factors not occurred at that time, Hong Kong would have remained a colony. Remove a name from a list and then the colonial status of a place can be rejected, retroactively effectively back to 1843 when the colony was foundedwho will believe in this logic, except the new Hongkongers?

Problem 2: The CCP seems to not care about the discrepancy with the comments made by CCP-related historical figures. For example, in 1919, Chen Duxiu, the first CCP secretary general, said, The present colonial systems by European countries, the USA and Japan, such as governors in India, governor of Hong Kong. Zhou Youguang, father of pinyin, recalled his return to China after the Second World War, We got plane tickets at England and flew all the way to Hong Kong. All the places we passed were important British colonies, and Hong Kong was also a British colony.

The most interesting materials certainly come from the CCP itself. For example, in the Canton-Hong Kong General Strike and Boycott (1925-26) in which the CCP actively participated, the CCP Central Committee wrote, To striking workers in Canton and Hong Kong that, Hong Kong was originally a Chinese territory, but was ceded to Britain because of the Opium War. It is not difficult to infer from the word originally that the CCP considered Hong Kong, a British territory.

Problem 3: The distorted history contradicts the current historical view of the CCP. In its historical framework, the CCP divides territories according to the degree of loss of sovereignty: sovereign state (with full sovereignty), colony (with complete loss of sovereignty), and semi-colony (formally independent and autonomous, but economically and politically dependent on imperialist powers). The concept of semi-colony was invented by Lenin and first appeared in 1916 in Imperialism is the Highest Stage of Capitalism, (in which China, Turkey and Persia were classified as semi-colonial countries). As a disciple of Marxism-Leninism, the CCP naturally had to hold it high, and later coined the phrase,semi-colonial and semi-feudal, to describe the nature of Chinas modern history from 1840-1949.

The logic of this historical discourse, before the distortion takes place, is consistent: Hong Kong was originally a Chinese territory, and unequal treaties made it a colony, with sovereignty given to Britain, whereas China maintained formal independence but was exploited by the imperialist states, hence the numerous approaches and theories to save China. In the end, the Chinese Communist Party became the savior to liberate China and eventually unify it with Hong Kong and Macao.

Does the Hong Kong government know that it will cause serious consequence by overturning a century-long consensus among the Chinese that the Treaty of Nanjing deprived China of its sovereignty over Hong Kong? Never a colony implies that starting from the mid-nineteenth century Hong Kongs political status had been higher than that of semi-colonial by China for a whole century; China has always had sovereignty over Hong Kong, as we all know is factually untrue, is actually an accusation to successive governments (at least 1843-1949), that they never actively claimed sovereignty over Hong Kong, and acted as if Hong Kong had been de facto given up. Does the new historical discourse suggest that Hong Kong had in fact enjoyed some kind of independent status for more than a century?

History forms a system in which everything is intertwined. Distorting a piece of historyespecially a fundamental onewill result in an endless ocean of facts falsifying the wrong history.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A special unit of the Hong Kong police provides security in the city's Wanchai district as Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Hong Kong to attend celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China on June 30, 2022. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

Hong Kong Was Once My HomeToday Its a Police State

My friends are in jail and I've been threatened with imprisonment

Commentary

Twenty-five years ago today, Hong Kong was handed over to China and the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, sailed out on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Two months later, as a young fresh graduate, I flew in to begin my first job and career as a journalist and activist.

I had the privilege of living in Hong Kong for the first five years after the handover. I had the opportunity to witness history as an observer of the beginnings of one country, two systemsthe principle established by former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and on which the handover of Hong Kong was based. I also had the privilege of beginning my working life in a city that was the gateway between East and Westthe bridge between the democratic world and the worlds largest remaining communist dictatorship.

And to be honest, for those first five years, by and large, it appeared as though the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) kept to its side of the bargain. Hong Kongs freedoms remained largely, its autonomy was high, and the rule of law continued.

I worked as a journalist, first as an editor of a niche business journal and then as the lead writer and columnist for a pro-democracy daily newspapernow defunctknown as the Hong Kong iMail. I wrote editorials and columns about the leaders in Beijing and their quislings in Hong Kong that would land me in jail if I were in Hong Kong today.

The then-Secretary for Security Regina Ip complained about me to my editor at a reception, but his response was to return to the newsroom laughing, telling me that Regina isnt happy.

I managed to get one edition of the management journal I editedChina Staffbanned in mainland China because I had interviewed Chinese labor rights activist Han Dongfang, who had warned that one day, the workers will take to the streets. But other than that, I wrote freely.

Police officers escort men into a police van following a pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, 2020. (May James/AFP via Getty Images)

Alongside my journalistic career, Hong Kong became for me a hub from which to champion freedom for others across Asia who were denied it. I met humanitarian workers trying to help North Korea and Christian missionaries working in China. I worked with East Timorese refugees in Macau to lead a march through central Hong Kong in protest at the carnage in East Timor in 1999. I led groups from Hong Kong churches to help refugees on the Thailand-Burma border and in East Timor.

Hong Kong, for me, from 1997 to 2002, was a base in Asia from which to help those in urgent need in places of conflict and repression. I never expected one day to be protesting for Hong Kong or founding an advocacy organization to defend the rights of Hongkongers. I never expected to see my friends in Hong Kong in jail, in exile, or silenced.

A quarter of a century on, Hong Kong has changed beyond all recognition. It has transformed from one of Asias most open cities to one of its most repressive police states. Within the past two years, since the imposition of the CCPs draconian National Security Law, Hong Kongs press freedom, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, basic liberties, autonomy, and the rule of law have been shredded. In a city that was once an oasis of freedom, no one can speak freely.

In what was once the Pearl of the Orient, everyone lives in fear. In what was once Asias world city, people no longer dare communicate with foreigners who might be politically risky. Before July 2020, I was in daily contact with dozens of friends in Hong Kong. Today, I am hardly in touch with anyone for fear of putting them in danger.

In 2017, I was denied entry to Hong Kongthe city that had once been my home. Since then, I have experienced a flurry of abusedozens of anonymous threatening letters to my home in London, my neighbors, my mother, my employers, and members of parliament, as well as efforts by the Chinese Embassy to lobby parliamentarians to persuade them to silence me.

Then, in 2022, I was directly threatened by the Hong Kong Police Force and the National Security Bureau with a heavy fine and a prison term of one year, or three years, or potentially life in prison for threatening Chinas national security. But I am in London and banned from Hong Kongso how will they enforce this? I might have to be mindful of countries with extradition agreements with Hong Kong or China, but thats all.

Benedict Rogers holds a placard that reads: Fight for freedom. Stand with Hong Kong. Never forget, Never give up. Be Water. Be United. In solidarity, at a rally in this undated photo. (Lisa Lee, Joann Chow/The Epoch Times)

Of far more serious concern is the fate of Hongkongers 25 years on from the handover.

Britain and China made a deal. That deal was enshrined in a treatythe Sino-British Joint Declarationwhich was lodged at the United Nations and is valid until 2047.

That deal said that Hongkongers freedoms, basic human rights, autonomy, the rule of law, and way of life would be protected.

Halfway through that treaty, Beijing totally reneged on it. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has torn it apart.

For that, there must be consequences.

Two key actions come to mind: let us provide a lifeline to those who need to get out and cut the lifelines for the regime and those who are complicit with it.

The United Kingdom has led the way with its courageous and generous British National Overseas (BNO) scheme, enabling hundreds of thousands, potentially several million, Hongkongers to build a new life in freedom. Canada and Australia have also opened pathways for Hongkongers, although they could do more. The United States and the European Union, perhaps along with New Zealand and Japan, should join us and open their arms to Hongkongers who need to get out.

Protesters fill the streets in a march against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong on July 1, 2019. (Yu Gang/The Epoch Times)

The free world as a whole must be braver in reducing our economic ties with a genocidal, mendacious, malevolent, and brutal regime. We must diversify our economic relationships and ensure that our pensions are not invested in the tools of genocide, crimes against humanity, repression, and surveillance.

And we must ensure that those responsible for dismantling Hong Kongs promised freedoms are held accountable for their actionsand that they pay the price. We need the worlds major democracies to implement tough, targeted, and coordinated sanctions against Beijings tyrants and their Hong Kong quislings.

Tonight, Pattenwho publishes his Hong Kong Diaries this monthwill address hundreds of Hongkongers and friends of Hong Kong in the Emmanuel Center in London at an event organized and hosted by Hong Kong Watch.

Doubtless, they will chant Fight for Freedom, Stand With Hong Kong.

We, the friends of Hong Kong, will chant with them.

Will we mean it? In our hearts, we will. From my heart, I will. But what will we then do? Thats the question. We must turn it into actionto help Hongkongers find sanctuary and hold those who destroyed Hong Kong accountable. Those are our two big tasks now.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington on April 5, 2021. (Alexander Drago/AFP via Getty Images)

House GOPers Demanding Answers on Why Grants Going to Boost Atheism Overseas

House Republican Study Committee (RSC) chairman Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and 15 GOP colleagues are challenging the legality of State Department grantsof as much as $500,000 eachto international organizations committed to the practice and spread of atheism and humanism.

Their challenge is contained in a June 30 letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken concerning the departments competitive grant process issued in April 2021 for Promoting and Defending Religious Freedom Inclusive of Atheist, Humanist, Non-Practicing and Non-Affiliated Individuals in South Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

To be clear, atheism and humanism are official belief systems.

As an initial matter, therefore, we would like to know what other United States government programs supported with appropriated funds are being used either to encourage, inculcate, or to disparage any official belief systematheist, humanist, Christian, Muslim, or otherwise, Banks and the other signers told Blinken.

It is one thing for the department to be tolerant and respectful of a wide range of belief systems, and to encourage governments to respect the religious freedom interests of their citizens. It is quite another for the United States government to work actively to empower atheists, humanists, non-practicing, and non-affiliated in public decision-making, the signers continued.

Any such programfor any religiously-identifiable groupin the United States would be unconstitutional.

In addition to its constitutionally dubious legal foundation, we also question how such a grant or cooperative agreement program advances the foreign policy interests of the United States, the signers wrote.

A State Department spokesman could not be reached for comment.

In addition to Banks, the signers include Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), Rep. Tim Burchett (R- Tenn.), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).

In countries with a dominate religious culture such as the Middle East and parts of North Africa where Islam dominates, the signers warned Blinken that providing U.S. tax dollars to groups promoting non-Islamic faiths is likely to be perceived by local populations as subversive funding from a foreign power designed to shatter local religious and cultural relationships.

In addition, the signers told Blinken they have reviewed other similar official State Department Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) documents that violate both the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses, but also the No Religious Test Clause of Article VI of our nations constitution.

The funding provided to the organizations selected by the department would be used to support building networks and advocacy groups for atheists, according to the official notice.

This would be analogous to official State Department promotion of religious freedom particularly for Christians in China, with the express goal being to build a corresponding missionary network, the signers told Blinken.

Obviously, this goal that would never pass constitutional muster and would be derided by radical Leftist bureaucrats in your agency as completely out-of-bounds.

So why is this atheist NOFO not viewed with similar objection, the signers asked.

Americans rightly discern this as a part of the broader effort on the part of your administration to promote radical, progressive orthodoxy abroad. Atheism is an integral part of the belief system of Marxism and Communism, the signers said.

The letter to Biden and Blinken regarding State Department grants to support atheism and other religious belief systems follows revelations last week that officials are preparing to appoint a Special Representative for Equity and Justice.

The appointment is part of Bidens government-wide Equity Action Plan that mandates all federal departments and agencies to appoint such officials.

Congressional Republicans criticize the plan as a thinly disguised effort to use the federal government to promote Critical Race Theory (CRT), the controversial view that the color of an individuals skin determines their values and how they perceive people of other ethnicities.

In addition to the U.S. Embassy in Germany flying a Black Lives Matter flag, the Republicans pointed to the U.S. Vatican City Embassy flying an LGBT pride flag, which they describe as a transparent provocation at tenets of Christianity, and the State Departments creation of a new gender classification for use on passports for individuals of unspecified or another gender identity.
In this photo illustration, a Rock River Arms AR-15 rifle is seen with ammunition in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 18, 2012. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

House Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Ban IRS From Buying Ammunition

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Friday introduced a bill in the House to bar the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from acquiring ammunition.

The bill (pdf), known as the Disarm the IRS Act, stipulates that the IRS is prohibited from acquiring ammunition and notwithstanding any other provision of law. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) are co-sponsors of the measure, according to his office.

It came after Gaetz, in interviews with Fox News and other outlets, expressed concern after he discovered that the IRS purchased more than $700,000 in ammunition in recent days. The congressman suggested that its part of a broader White House plan to disarm Americans.

Heres the Biden plan: Disarm Americans, open the border, empty the prisonsbut rest assured, theyll still collect your taxes, and they need $725,000 worth of ammunition, apparently, to get the job done, he told Fox News last week.

The bill, he said, would put a total moratorium on the IRS buying ammo. When we used to talk about the IRS being weaponized, we were talking about political discrimination, not actual weapons for the IRS.

Undeniably, part of the strategy is that with one hand, the Biden regime is doing everything they can to suppress access to ammunition for regular Americans, while with the other hand, they are scooping up all the ammo that they can possibly find, Gaetz alleged.

5 Million Rounds

According to a report released by the Government Accountability Office in 2018, the IRS has been stockpiling ammunition and weapons for years. As of 2018, the agency had 4,487 firearms and 5,062,006 rounds of ammunition in its inventory, the report said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) walks in a courtroom in Atlanta, Ga., on April 22, 2022. (John Bazemore/Pool/Getty Images)

A 2018 report from Forbes noted that the IRS buys guns and ammunition for its Criminal Investigation Division. Agents in that division are the only employees in the IRS that carry firearms, according to its website.

But in an interview last month with Breitbart, Gaetz said hes heard concerns that its part of a larger trend to have any entity in the federal government buy up ammo to reduce the amount of ammunition that is in supply, while at the same time, making it harder to produce ammo.

You cannot fully exercise the complement of your Second Amendment rights if you are unable to acquire ammunition in your own country because your government has reduced the production of that ammunition, and then on the other hand, tried to soak up the supply, the congressman added.

Republicans in June expressed concerns over a report suggesting the Biden administration would block private ammunition companies from using the federally owned ammo factory in Missouri, potentially creating a backdoor ban on AR-15-style rifles. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the GOP leadership, later confirmed that the White House will keep the Lake City factory running.

The IRS and Treasury Department have not responded to requests for comment.
Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius arrives for sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, July 6, 2016. (Marco Longari/Reuters)

Jailed South African Paralympic Star Pistorius Met Victims Father

JOHANNESBURGFormer South Africa paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, last week met her father, a lawyer for the Steenkamp family said on Friday.

The lawyer, Tania Koen, said Pistorius took part in a process known as victim-offender dialoguean integral part of South Africas restorative justice program that brings parties affected by a crime together in a bid to achieve closure.

(I can) confirm Barry Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius participated in a victim-offender dialogue on 22 June 2022, Koen said in a statement.

She said she would make no further comment due to her clients privacy.

The department of correctional services said earlier that Oscar Pistorius was transferred back to Atteridgeville prison near the capital Pretoria, from St Albans Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape near where Steenkamps parents live.

He had been moved closer to her family late last year.

Pistorius, known as Blade Runner for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, went from public hero to convicted murderer in a trial that drew worldwide interest. He becomes eligible for parole after serving half of his 13-year sentence.

Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesman for the department of correctional services, said in a statement Pistorius will continue serving his sentence as participating in the victim-offender dialogue does not equate to an end of sentence nor parole.

Gold medalist Pistorius, once the darling of the Paralympic movement for pushing for greater recognition and acceptance of disabled athletes, shot dead Steenkamp, a model, and law student, in his bathroom in 2013.

Pistorius said he had believed she was an intruder but was jailed in 2016, initially for a six-year term. After an appeal by prosecutors who said this was too lenient, the term was increased to 13 years.
A pro-life campaigner displays a plastic doll representing a 12-week-old fetus as she stands outside the Marie Stopes Clinic in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on April 7, 2016. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Judge Temporarily Blocks Abortion Ban in Kentucky, the Latest of States With Trigger Laws on Hold

Abortions may resume in Kentucky for now, clinics to reopen Friday

A judge has temporarily blocked an abortion ban in Kentucky that came into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision on June 24 that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

The Kentucky abortion ban, passed in 2019, has an exception that lets the doctor perform the abortion if it is deemed necessary to prevent the death or injury of the mother. The law took effect after the Supreme Court issued its decision on June 24 that overturned Roe, the ruling that had largely legalized abortion in the country for nearly five decades.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Mitch Perry on Thursday granted the request by Planned Parenthood and EMW Womens Surgical Center, the states only two abortion providers, for a temporary suspension of Kentuckys trigger law.

He heard arguments from both sides in Louisville on Wednesday before issuing his order. Attorneys for the clinic argued that Kentuckys constitution protects the right to an abortion. Meanwhile, Kentucky Republican Attorney General Daniel Camerons legal team says no such constitutional right exists.

Perry also temporarily blocked the enforcement of another Kentucky law, also passed in 2019, that bans abortion at six weeks, which is generally before most women know they are pregnant. The six-week ban was previously blocked by a federal court. But the challenge by the clinics argued that the injunction stopping the ban from being enforced will be dissolved due to the June 24 Supreme Court decision.

Kentucky now joins a number of other U.S. states with trigger laws that have been temporarily blocked due to intervention by state courts. Judges have put such laws on hold in Louisiana, Texas, and Utah.

Meanwhile, in Florida on Thursday, a circuit court judge in Tallahassee granted a petition to temporarily block a new abortion law that would ban the procedure at 15 weeks of pregnancy. The new law was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April.

Legal challenges to abortion measures are pending in Idaho, Ohio, Mississippi, and West Virginia. Idaho and Mississippi have trigger laws. Ohio has a six-week abortion ban, and West Virginia had a ban on abortion before the Roe v. Wade decision was issued.

Kentucky residents are set to vote on a ballot initiative in November that would, if ratified, establish that no state constitutional right to abortion exists.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Lawsuits Target Virginia School Board Sex-Assault Response

FALLS CHURCH, Va.A pair of lawsuits that for years has plagued Virginias largest school system with allegations that it ignored students accusations of sex assaults are back in front of federal judges.

One of the lawsuits includes allegations of horrific abuse suffered by a student at a Fairfax County middle school and was the basis for a 2014 federal investigation.

The lawsuits attracted low-level attention when they were filed before the pandemic and became caught up in appeals. Now, both cases are moving forward again at a time when schools responses to alleged sex assaults are receiving more intense scrutiny, as evidenced by the national attention in neighboring Loudoun County.

The middle schooler filed an amended complaint earlier this month after the school boards efforts to block her suit were rejected. Her ordeal began in October 2011, according to the lawsuit, when she was a seventh-grader at Rachel Carson Middle School in Reston. A classmate started telling others that hed engaged in sexual activity with the girl, identified only by her initials in the lawsuit.

As rumors spread, she started to face harassment and name-calling at her locker in hallways. Then, she alleges, a boy at the school began routinely sexually assaulting hersometimes with others joining the assaultand threatening her to remain silent.

The assaults occurred over a period of months, according to the lawsuit. The girl was evaluated by a nurse who confirmed scarring consistent with anal rape, but a police detectivethe former school resource officer at Rachel Carsondismissed the activity as consensual.

School officials continued to downplay and minimize the alleged assaults as consensual, even though the girl was 12 and was pleading with administrators and counselors for protection while the supposedly consensual relationship was ongoing.

She also alleges that on school grounds, a group of boys forced her into a closet and sexually assaulted her.

Eventually, in 2012, the girls mother filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights. After a two-year investigation, the school system entered a voluntary resolution agreement in which it admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to improve its tracking and responses to allegations of sexual assaults.

The lawsuit was filed in 2019. It has been hung up until now because the school system objected to her filing under a pseudonym. The school system appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, which unanimously ruled in the girls favor.

In a statement, Fairfax County Public Schools says it cooperated fully with the investigation and noted that police and prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges. The school system also said the girls allegations in the most recent complaint are more severe than what she first reported to school officials.

We continue to believe the senior staff acted appropriately and lawfully in addressing this familys concerns 11 years ago, the school system said in the statement.

The other lawsuit involves a girl at Oakton High School who said she was sexually assaulted by a boy on a bus during a school band trip. That case went to trial in 2019. A jury found in the school systems favor, ruling that the girl had been assaulted but did not give the school system proper notice of what had happened to her.

On appeal, though, the 4th Circuit ruled 96 in favor of the girl and sent the case back to Alexandria for a new trial.

The appellate ruling has turned a case that seemingly hinged at trial on a he-said-she-said question of whether the girl was assaulted into a case that could significantly alter the scope of Title IX, the 50-year-old law that bars discrimination based on sex in education.

The dissenting justices said school systems shouldnt be held liable for a sexual assault unless they had some reason to know beforehand that the perpetrator posed a risk.

Judges who ruled in favor of the Oakton student said the school system should not be entitled to one free rape before it can be held liable for its policies and procedures.

Alexandra Brodsky, a lawyer with Public Justice, which is representing the Oakton student, said shes especially concerned that a purportedly progressive school board in Fairfax County authorized pursuit of a legal strategy that, while it could help it win its case against the Oakton student, could set a dangerous precedent that weakens students protections from abuse.

Fairfax County is asking the Supreme Court to gut Title IX protections for sexual assault survivors, Brodsky said.

Brodsky said there is now greater public awareness of schools failure to support students who report sexual assaults and sexual harassment, particularly in Fairfax County, the nations 10th largest school system.

Students at high schools across the county staged walkouts protesting administrative inaction to student claims. Two school principals have been charged criminally with failing to report alleged sex crimes to police, as required by law.

Much of that scrutiny has been driven by conservative political activists. In Loudoun County, the school system faced intense backlash over its handling of alleged sex assaults, which became a national rallying point on conservative news outlets in part because the perpetrator in two of those cases was a boy wearing a skirt.

Brodsky said that while transphobia drove some of the attention to the issue in Loudoun, I dont think that means that there isnt good faith, bipartisan concern about these issues.  Protecting students from sexual abuse should be a nonpartisan issue.

By Matthew Barakat
Man Suspected of Shooting 2 Alabama Deputies Captured

CENTREVILLE, Ala.A man suspected of shooting two Alabama deputies, critically wounding one of them, has been captured, a prosecutor said.

District Attorney Michael Jackson said Austin Hall, 26, was captured in the same county where the shooting occurred. The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon in Bibb County. Two deputies were chasing a suspect in a stolen vehicle when the man fired at the deputies, shooting both, Jackson said. He said one of the deputies was critically wounded.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued a Blue Alert, on Wednesday night asking people to notify authorities if they see Hall.

Austin Patrick Hall. (Attorney General Steve Marshall via Twitter)

Multiple law enforcement agencies had been involved in the hunt for the suspect. Local television news outlets showed a heavy police presence in the county, located in central Alabama.

We are praying hard for the two Bibb County deputy sheriffs shot in the line of duty tonight, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement issued Wednesday night on social media.
Xi inspects PLA garrison in Hong Kong

EditorChen Zhuo Time2022-07-01 22:55:13

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, south China, July 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Friday inspected the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), ordering the troops to raise its capabilities in performing duties and contribute more to the enduring success of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), came to the Central Barracks on Friday morning, and met with representatives of the army officers and soldiers.

Over the past 25 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, the Hong Kong Garrison has steadfastly carried out decisions and instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC and fulfilled defense-centered tasks under the guidance of "one country, two systems" principle as well as the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Garrisoning the HKSAR, Xi said.

Particularly in recent years, the garrison, while facing a complicated and evolving situation in Hong Kong, has played an important role in Hong Kong's transition from chaos to order by dutifully serving the CPC Central Committee's work on Hong Kong affairs, he noted.

With Hong Kong now at a crucial stage of advancing to further prosperity, the Hong Kong Garrison must strengthen self-building in all respects and raise its capabilities in performing duties, so as to contribute more to safeguarding national security and Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability as well as the enduring success of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong, Xi said.
Veteran James Topp takes a knee in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa on June 30, 2022. Topp walked 4,300 kilometres from Vancouver to protest against vaccine mandates. (Noe Chartier/The Epoch Times)

Mission Accomplished for Veteran James Topp Who Walked From Vancouver to Ottawa for Freedoms

OTTAWAVeteran James Topp accomplished his mission on Thursday when he climbed the steps of the War Memorial in Ottawa and took a knee in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Supporters were waiting for him at the Memorial, while another big group was walking behind him, most of whom had joined him on the last leg of his journey as he arrived in Ottawa on June 30.

As Topp approached his final destination, people began cheering and yelling, but organizers told the crowd to contain their excitement and keep silent as the veteran slowly made his way to the Tomb.

At every step, organizers, veterans, and a small security detail tried to get the crowd to make space for Topp, as people sought to get close to him.

After Topp stood up from kneeling, shouts of Hero! and Thank You! could be heard. Topp then took the microphone and presented the team that had supported him along the way.

The veteran and his team of 12 completed the 4,300-kilometre journey on foot from Vancouver to Ottawa, which Topp started in February to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

As a civilian in the RCMP and a military reservist, Topp was affected by two mandates.

Veteran James Topp at the War Memorial in Ottawa on June 30, 2022. (Annie Wu/NTD)

He told the crowd he had undertaken the march as an act of protest, but this is not about that anymore.

This is about the completion of this march and what weve accomplished, he said.

You all helped me get here as well. It wasnt just me marching, it was all of you. Everyone I met, from Vancouver to Ottawa, youre the ones responsible for getting me here. I could not have done it without the encouragement and the support in every possible way.

Crowd Swell

The last day of the trek started in Bells Corner, west of Ottawa. There were many more people at the rendezvous point compared to the previous day, when about 20 to 40 people walked with Topp throughout the day.

On Thursday morning, about 150 supporters lined up in two rows for the final leg of the walk, with veterans facilitating an orderly move.

Ottawa police were present in small numbers from the start to near the end. They didnt block intersections for the crowd making their way to the waypoint of Hogs Back Park, who ended up being separated by large distances due to traffic lights.

Veteran James Topp meets with supporters in Hogs Back Park in Ottawa on June 30, 2022. (Noe Chartier/The Epoch Times)

By the time Topp reached Hogs Back Park, the number of supporters had grown to around a 1,000.

He spent about an hour shaking hands, giving hugs, and posing for pictures with people wishing to meet and thank him. The group then walked down Colonel By Drive along the Rideau Canal, which was closed to cars, and its numbers kept growing.

Veteran James Topp walks with supporters on the last day of his 4,300-kilometre trek from Vancouver to Ottawa on June 30, 2022. (Noe Chartier/The Epoch Times)

In the downtown area, the group passed the Rideau and Sussex intersectionthe same spot where veterans were roughed up when police started clearing the Freedom Convoy protest on Feb. 18.

They then walked up Wellington, took a left on Elgin, and entered the grounds of the National War Monument.

A group of counter-protesters that showed up could be heard yelling obscenities, but their presence didnt derail the event.

After Topp finished his speech, he met again with supporters who came to express their gratitude.

Topp told The Epoch Times on Wednesday that he had not given any thought to what comes next for him, being solely focused on completing his task.

The first thing now is to get some rest, he told the crowd on Thursday.
People inspect the area of a landslide after heavy rainfall in Dima Hasao district, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, on May 16, 2022. (Dima Hasao district administration via AP)

Mudslide Kills 16 People in India, 60 Others Feared Trapped

At least 16 people were killed and 60 others were feared trapped in a mudslide triggered by prolonged heavy rain at a railroad construction site in northeast India, Indian officials said on July 1.

Nineteen people have been sent to the Noney Army Medical unit for treatment, and rescue operations are still ongoing, The Times of India reported.

Officials said that most of the victims were sleeping when the mudslide hit Manipurs Noney district on June 30.

More are being searched. Not confirmed how many are buried, but as of now, 60 people, including villagers, army, railway personnel, and laborers [are feared trapped], Director General of Police P. Doungel told reporters.

More than 200 disaster response workers and police are using earth-clearing equipment like bulldozers to rescue those buried under the debris in the area. But the heavy rain and landslides have impeded rescue efforts.

According to the Northeast Frontier Railway, the landslides have damaged construction worker camps, track formation, and the new railway line project at the Tupul station building.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he reviewed the situation with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and assured all possible support from the government.

I pray for the safety of all those affected. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon, Modi said in a tweet.

Continuous rainfall over the past three weeks has wreaked havoc across Indias northeastwhich has eight states and 45 million peopleand in neighboring Bangladesh.

An estimated 200 people have been killed in heavy downpours and mudslides in states including Assam, Manipur, Tripura, and Sikkim, while 42 people have died in Bangladesh since May 17. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bill Gates speaks onstage at the TIME100 Summit 2022 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, on June 7, 2022. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)

North Dakota Rules on Bill Gatess $13.5 Million Farmland Purchase

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has won legal approval to buy a massive swath of prime North Dakota farmland over the objections of some local residents and questions about the legality of the purchase.

North Dakotas attorney general, a Republican, cleared the sale on June 29 after finding that the Gates-controlled entity complies with a Depression-era law meant to protect family farms because the land is being leased back to farmers.

Red River Trust, a Texas-based organization controlled by Gates, in November bought some 2,100 acres of farmland in North Dakota, near the borders of Minnesota and Canada.

The move drew scrutiny from North Dakotas top prosecutor in the context of possible non-compliance with laws that prohibit corporations or limited liability companies from owning farmland or ranchland but allow individual trusts to own the land if it is leased to farmers.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley looked into the land sale and on June 29 issued a letter saying the transaction complies with the anti-corporate farming law because the farmland is being leased back to farmers.

Matthew L. Thompson, an attorney at the North Dakota-based Vogel Law Firm who represents Red River Trust, confirmed Gates ownership in a letter responding to the inquiry from the attorney generals office.

Red River Trust is a trust established pursuant to the laws of the State of Washington. William H. Gates, III is its sole beneficiary, Thompson wrote in a letter to Kerrie Helm, a paralegal in charge of corporate farming enforcement for the attorney generals office, which The Epoch Times obtained.

In a June 29 letter obtained by The Epoch Times, Helm responded that after reviewing all the information, the office was satisfied that Red River Trusts current ownership and lease of the land to Campbell Farms, a General Partnership, is in compliance with the law.

Besides legal questions, the land sale also sparked concerns about ultra-rich landowners who may not share the states values.

Gates is the fourth-richest man in the world, according to Forbes, and is Americas largest private owner of farmland.

Residents Livid

North Dakotas agriculture commissioner, Doug Goehring, said that news of the deal sparked a public outcry.

Ive gotten a big earful on this from clear across the state, its not even from that neighborhood, he told North Dakota TV station KFYR-TV. Those people are upset, but there are others that are just livid about this.

In a recent media interview, though, Wrigley appeared to downplay the issue, telling The Associated Press that hes not sure that its quite as volatile a situation as some have depicted.

The issue has taken off, its all over the planet, but its not me sticking a finger in the eye of Bill Gates. Thats not what this is.

He added his office makes such corporate farming inquiries as a matter of course.

Its meant to get everybody up to speed on what the ownership arrangement is and what their intentions are for the land, Wrigley said. If it complies with state law, the matter goes forward. If not, theyre informed theyre going to have to divest of the land.



Gates made his first public comment about his farmland investments in March 2021, during an Ask Me Anything session on the social media platform Reddit.

Why are you buying so much farmland? asked one Reddit user.

My investment group chose to do this. It is not connected to climate, Gates wrote in response.

The agriculture sector is important. With more productive seeds we can avoid deforestation and help Africa deal with the climate difficulty they already face. It is unclear how cheap biofuels can be but if they are cheap it can solve the aviation and truck emissions, Gates said.

Gary Hubbell, a real estate broker and accredited land consultant at United Country Ranch Properties in Colorado, said he sees a lot of resentment and resistance to [Gates] acquisitions.

Not to say that we dont appreciate people who amass large holdings, because its an integral part of our business, Hubbell told NTD. But they are no longer really a part of the community, and it seems that Bill Gates, his goals are contrary to many of the established practices and traditions of those communities.

Gates sparked controversy when he suggested that consumers in wealthy countries should ditch beef and instead switch to synthetic beef in an effort to fight climate change.

Tom Ozimek Reporter Follow Tom Ozimek has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education. The best writing advice he's ever heard is from Roy Peter Clark: 'Hit your target' and 'leave the best for last.'
A police officer receives treatment after four people were arrested in a demonstration in downtown Ottawa on June 30, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby)

Ottawa Police Arrest Four People Amid Protests

Police arrested four people in downtown Ottawa on June 30 as thousands flocked to the nations capital for Canada Day celebrations and protests.

The Ontario Police Service (OPS) says it is investigating an incident at the National War Memorial where an interaction with officers became confrontational and 1 officer was choked.

Other officers immediately responded, 4 people were arrested, the OPS said on Twitter on July 1.

Theres a massive clash between police and protestors at the War Memorial. Its unclear what caused it. One officer is seen running from the scene holding his had over his eye. pic.twitter.com/JdpZFjlssh  The Real Andy Lee Show (@RealAndyLeeShow) June 30, 2022

The Epoch Times reached out to the OPS for further details but didnt hear back.

Large crowds gathered at the National War Memorial as military veteran James Topp arrived at the site on June 30, the final stop of his journey that began in downtown Vancouver in February to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Several organizations had announced plans for events and protests in Ottawa for July 1 to call for freedoms and demonstrate against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

However, police on Guard for Thee, one of the groups supporting Topp, said that given a recent incident in Ottawa, it has decided to cancel its July 1 Family Day Picnic at the Strathcona Park.

Activist and independent journalist Andy Lee, who captured a video recording of the police intervention on June 30, told The Epoch Times she saw one police officer washing his eye with water. She said she didnt witness what led to the incident.

Tom Marazzo, a military veteran who acted as the spokesperson for the Freedom Convoy back in February, said he doesnt know the details of what led to the police intervention, but said the top priority for him and other protesters was maintaining the peace.

We were focused on de-escalating the tension from the public towards the police in order to ensure a safe event and to not interrupt James Topps momentous celebration, Marazzo told The Epoch Times.

We are reviewing video and investigating the incident at the National War Memorial this evening.

The initial investigation finds that an interaction with officers became confrontational and 1 officer was choked. Other officers immediately responded, 4 people were arrested  Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) July 1, 2022

Topps career with an RCMP detachment as well as with the Canadian Armed Forces was impacted because he chose not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

As he made his way across the country on foot, he was joined here and there on his 4,300-kilometre trek by other supporters.

The journey has been arduous, physically challenging, but at the same time it has allowed me to connect with my fellow Canadians in a way that I never would have thought possible, he told a group of around 20 Conservative MPs on June 22.

Conservative MP and leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre joined Topp on June 30 as he made his walk to his final destination.

Many other groups are maintaining their plans for protests on July 1, including Freedom Fighters Canada, which says it has events planned at 3 p.m. in front of Parliament Hill to march to freedom, and a rally with speeches and live music at 5 p.m.

Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
This is the first government guidance of its kind on how schools should approach the teaching of sensitive issues. (Alamy/PA)

Outsourcing Sex Education Opens Wild West of Indoctrination, Say MPs

British MPs have discussed how materials are being flooded into schools by external providers who are exposing children to deeply inappropriate, wildly inaccurate, sexually explicit, and damaging materials in the name of sex education.

On Thursday, concerns were raised in Westminster Hall that children as young as six are being introduced to indoctrinating, graphic, and extreme sexual material from sex education providers. Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister.

Conservative MP Miriam Cates, a former biology teacher, said it was it is important that children are taught clearly and truthfully about sex and that sadly the case that the internet now presents children with a vast array of false and damaging information about sex.

Not Suitable for Children

However, she opened her speech with a health warning saying it is not suitable for children.

That is sadly ironic, given that all of the extreme and inappropriate material I am about to share has already been shared with children in our schools, she said.

The government chose to make the teaching of relationships and sex education (RSE) compulsory in all secondary schools from September 2020, but she said that despite its good intentions, the new RSE framework has opened the floodgates to a whole host of external providers who offer sex education materials to schools.

Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price said that anyone can be a provider.

The DFE needs to get a hold on that if it is going to protect our children from harm, added Doyle-Price.

Now, children across the country are being exposed to a plethora of deeply inappropriate, wildly inaccurate, sexually explicit, and damaging materials in the name of sex education. That is extremely concerning for a number of reasons, said Cates.

Cates named some of the providers, saying that school sex education provider, School of Sexuality Education defines sex is defined as, anything that makes you horny or aroused. It is the same company that consulted makers of The Family Sex Show, which invited families to take children from age five to explore themes such as boundaries, pleasure, consent, queerness, and sex as well as featuring full-frontal nudity. The show was eventually pulled due to growing outrage over its content.

She said that the charity Sex Education Forum tells children they fall into one of two groups: menstruators or non-menstruators. And that the book for teachers, Great Relationships and Sex Education, suggests an activity for 15 year olds in which children are given prompt cards and have to say whether they think certain types of sexual acts are good or bad.

The LGBT organisation The Proud Trust has produced a dice game encouraging children to discuss explicit sexual acts, based on the roll of a dice.

Another company called Bish Training had materials that involved the discussion of a wide range of sexual practicessome of them violent. Bish is aimed at young people of 14 and over and provides training materials for teachers.

Indoctrination

She added that even primary schools are not immune from using inappropriate materials.

An All About Me programme developed by Warwickshire County Councils Respect Yourself team introduces six and seven-year-olds to rules about touching yourself, she said. One poster put out in primary schools by Educate & Celebrate, said: Age is only a number. Everyone can do what they feel they are able to do, no matter what age they are.

Former Conservative Party leader MP Iain Duncan Smith on the subject of gender ideology said that it is not just a sense of indoctrination; there are also physical consequences, because children will end up going through medical processes that lead them to almost irreversible problems later on, should it turn out to be something that is a problem for them.

Cates replied that the problem is that these ideas do not just stay as ideas; they have serious physical consequences.

There has been a more than 4,000 percent rise in the referrals of girls to gender services over the last decade, and a recent poll of teachers suggests that at least 79 percent of schools now have trans-identifying children. That is not a biological phenomenon. It is social contagion, driven by the internet and reinforced in schools, she said, adding that is why it is more important than ever that parents and schools tell children the truth about sex and relationships and gender.

The Epoch Times requested comment from the School of Sexuality Education, Sex Education Forum, Warwickshire County Councils Respect Yourself, Educate & Celebrate, The Proud Trust, and Bish.

Teaching Risky Sex Acts

Labour and Co-operative Party MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said that he disagreed with some of Cates examples.

I did not plan to say this, but during the pandemic, my second cousin, a 15-year-old boy, died in a tragic accident of auto-asphyxiation. It devastated the family, as can be imagined, and happened in the pandemic when we were only allowed six people at the funeral, he said.

If he had been taught about risky sex acts, he was 15, not a pre-pubescent child, and how to make sure he did things safely, rather than just learning something from the internet that then led to the end of his life, he might still be around and his family might not be devastated, he added.
Newly-elected Philippines President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, delivers a speech during the inauguration ceremony at the National Museum in Manila, Philippines, on June 30, 2022. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

Philippines Starts New Era of Marcos Rule, Decades After Overthrow

MANILAFerdinand Marcos, the son of the Philippine ruler overthrown in a popular uprising 36 years ago, was sworn in as the countrys president on Thursday, promising to strive for unity and a better future while praising his late fathers legacy.

Marcos, 64, won last months election in a landslide, capping off his wealthy familys decades-long quest to regain the presidency and transform its image after it was driven out in 1986.

We are here to repair a house divided, to make it whole and to stand strong again, he said in an inauguration speech that echoed his campaign slogans of unity.

In a rousing, 30-minute address with sister Imee, a senator, and mother Imelda, a former congresswoman, seated nearby, Marcos Jr thanked voters for giving him the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy, and said the country would go far on his watch.

The elder Ferdinand Marcos ruled for two decades from 1965, almost half of it under martial law, helping him to extend his power until his overthrow and his familys retreat into exile during a people power revolution.

Thousands of his opponents were jailed, killed, or disappeared during his rule, and the family name became synonymous with cronyism, extravagance and billions of dollars of missing state wealth. The Marcos family denies embezzlement.

I am here not to talk about the past. I am here to tell you about our future, Marcos Jr said before thousands of cheering supporters, waving flags, and wearing red, a color associated with his father.

No looking back in anger or nostalgia.

Marcos Jr, who closely resembles his late father, defended his fathers legacy and said he would emulate his achievements.

I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence  but he got it done. Sometimes with the needed support, sometimes without, so, will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me, he said.

Marcos took his oath at the heavily guarded National Museum, once a legislative building that witnessed frequent demonstrations against his fathers presidency.

Reject, Marcos

Close by, hundreds protested against Marcos, angered by a campaign his critics say relied heavily on social media to win votes by debunking narratives of Marcos-era abuses and decadence and offering alternative versions of history.

Carrying banners saying Reject, Marcos they gathered at the Plaza Miranda, where some of his fathers opponents were killed and injured in a bombing blamed on communists.

Marcos campaigned on the slogan together, we shall rise again, invoking nostalgia for his fathers rule, which his family and supporters have portrayed as a golden age for the Philippines.

At a heroes monument, victims of persecution under martial law gathered for their own oath-taking, promising to guard against what they called tyranny and lies.

The survivors are a vanishing breed, if not an endangered species and the time to correct falsehoods and lay bare the truth is now, said Cristina Bawagan, who said she suffered abuse under the elder Marcos rule.

His son has pledged to deliver jobs and bring down consumer prices in a country of 110 million people, nearly a quarter of whom live on less than $2 per day.

He said he would not disappoint the public and would improve food sufficiency, education, infrastructure and energy supply, tackle plastics pollution and better support millions of overseas Filipino workers.

I am ready for the task, he said. I will get it done.

By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales
Peoples Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier (2nd L) walks with veteran James Topp (C) on the final day of Topps cross-country trek in protest against government COVID-19 mandates, in Ottawa on June 30, 2022. (Noe Chartier/The Epoch Times)

Poilievre, Bernier, and Sloan Join and Praise Veteran James Topp on Final Day of Cross-Country Trek

OTTAWASeveral politicians joined military veteran James Topp either for a short time or for the whole day as he was completing his cross-country trek in Ottawa on June 30.

Topp walked from the Terry Fox Memorial in Vancouver to the National War Memorial in the nations capital to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Peoples Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier, whos been the most vocal federal politician on the issue of public health restrictions since the onset of the pandemic, joined Topp at the starting point in Ottawas Bells Corner neighbourhood and walked 20 kilometres to the National War Memorial downtown.

Oh my god, its great, Bernier said about the completion of Topps 4,300 kilometre journey.

What hes doing right now for all Canadians, its about our way of life, its about preserving our country like we were used to. We used to be free in this country, and we are not anymore.

Bernier told The Epoch Times that Topp has been fighting for people who lost their jobs for a medical decision and that he himself has been doing the same.

Thats why Im with him today.

Topp, a civilian employee for the RCMP, was put on leave without pay for not taking the vaccine. As a serving military reservist, hes also in the process of being expelled for that same decision.

He also faces military charges for speaking up publicly against the mandate. Topp did so while in dress uniform in February.

Conservative MP and party leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre met with Topp and his supporters at the College Square Mall along the way. He then walked briefly with Topp.

Today I walked alongside military veteran, James Topp, who has travelled the country by foot for free choice. End all mandates. Restore our freedoms. Let people take back control of their lives. pic.twitter.com/yp6XwXEE9B  Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) June 30, 2022

Poilievre asked Topp how he felt about being close to the finish line, and the veteran said, Its exciting.

I support freedom of choice. I always have, and believe people should have the ability to decide for themselves on these matters, Poilievre told Topp.

We should be free Canadians that can decide what they put in their bodies, decide what we think, decide who we are as people .and restore the freedom that brought so many millions of immigrants to this country in the first place. Thank you to everybody who was supporting freedom of choice.

Topp met with some 20 Conservative MPs in Ottawa on June 22 and told The Epoch Times that this is part of what he set out to accomplish.

He said the meeting was made possible by people he met along the way who wrote to their MPs about what he was undertaking.

Given the current political landscape were in, I think [the MPs] were courageous in doing so. They did what theyre supposed to do, they listen to people in their ridings, and they acted on their behalf, Topp said.

MP Leslyn Lewis, also a Tory leadership contender, was among the MPs who attended the June 22 meeting with Topp.

Roman Baber, a former Ontario MPP and also a Conservative Party leadership hopeful, did not attend Topps last day but walked 15 kilometres with Topp on June 15. Baber did so while wearing dress shoes, pants, and shirt.

Ontario Party Leader Derek Sloan joined Topp at Hogs Back Park, where the group of walkers took a one-hour break.

Sloan told The Epoch Times that what Topp has accomplished is historic.

It's a good day to march for freedom in Ottawa. Support James Topp and @CanadaMarches here: https://t.co/pPqznXxXUf pic.twitter.com/C2T7WQAwdS  Derek Sloan (@TrueDerekSloan) June 30, 2022

I hope that this symbolizes the pinnacle of the freedom protest movement, meaning that at this point, hopefully we see no more infringement on freedom, we see the remaining mandates removed, Sloan said.

Theres a lot of people rallying around James. Theres a lot of members of Parliament rallying around him, and I support James 100 percent.
Pro-abortion supporters with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights wear green as they protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on June 15, 2022. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Pro-Abortion Injunctions Attempt to Delay Abortion Bans

Americas first post-Roe v. Wade pro-life laws have been delayed by a series of injunctions that have resulted in women continuing to be able to have abortions.

Many have long anticipated that the end of Roe v. Wade would see a flurry of pro-life legislation passed across America.

Even before the Supreme Courts Dobbs v. Jackson decision, 13 states had trigger laws that would automatically end or severely limit abortion immediately after Roes overturn.

But pro-abortion groups have responded by asking for a series of legal injunctions that delay the application of these laws, although they have often been overturned within a few days.

This strategy has thrown a delay that pro-abortion groups have taken full advantage of.

Abortion clinics face closing as state-level pro-life laws pass across America. Photo of a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis, MO, on June 4, 2019. (Jeff Roberson/AP Photo)

Our affiliates, our health centers are fighting to get every single patient in that they can see right now before the state issues an injunction, said Planned Parenthood president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson.

Trigger laws are on hold in Louisiana, Kentucky, and Utah. Challenges to trigger laws are pending in Idaho, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

Other states have faced longstanding federal injunctions that are now being overturned.

Although Texas has a trigger law that automatically bans abortion after the end of Roe, it wont take effect for about two months.

However, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton acted to end abortions in the state immediately.

Paxton said the state could enforce an abortion ban dating from 1925, which Roe v. Wade long blocked. Now Texas has begun enforcing the ban again.

Pro-life supporters celebrate outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 24, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

In response, a series of abortion groups attempted to block the ban with a lawsuit.

Groups including the Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argued the ban was repealed by Roe v. Wade and therefore unenforceable.

A press release from the center noted that its injunction was filed in the hopes of performing as many procedures as possible.

Every day, every hour that abortion remains legal in Texas is a chance for more people to get the care they need.

The clinics we represent want to help as many patients as they can, down to the last minute, said Nancy Northup, the centers president and chief executive.

At the Alamo Womens Reproductive Services clinic, a preliminary visit and an abortion together cost $650.

In Michigan, Planned Parenthood also sued for an injunction against an old law.

In 1931, Michigan banned abortion. This law was blocked by Roe v. Wade.

Michigans attorney general has already announced that she doesnt intend to enforce her states old abortion ban.

But Michigan Judge Elizabeth Gleicher also issued an injunction against the law, saying that women face a serious danger of irreparable harm if prevented from accessing abortion services.

Legal Battles Continue

In other states, the attacks on abortion bans come from other sources.

In Florida, Planned Parenthood sued to stop the states ban on abortions after 15 weeks from taking effect.

Then, Florida judge John Cooper said he would pass a temporary injunction to stop the law.

He argued the states abortion ban violated the Florida Constitution, which grants a right to privacy.

A spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis disagreed with the interpretation.

The Florida Supreme Court previously misinterpreted Floridas right to privacy as including a right to an abortion, and we reject this, spokesman Bryan Griffin said.

The Florida Constitution does not includeand has never includeda right to kill an innocent unborn child.

In Indiana, the state government has asked for the lifting of a federal injunction that prevented its laws against abortion from taking effect. For now, terminations are still legal there.

Tennessee was in a similar situation, but the federal 6th Circuit Court of Appeals just ended its federal injunction.

Down to the Last Minute

In the states where abortions days are numbered, clinics have continued working.

In Mississippis only abortion clinic, the Pink House, staff have scheduled extra shifts.

I will tell you thisany patients who contact us, we will see them, said its owner Diane Derzis.

We will make sure we see them in those 10 days. A woman should not have to leave the state to receive health care.

In Georgia, uncertainty over the future of legal abortion has resulted in increased interest in the procedure.

Calls to Planned Parenthood Southeast have doubled after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

We knew that this [Dobbs] ruling was coming, and so in anticipation of that, we have been working over the past several months to create an interstate network of support for patients, said Lauren Frazier, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Southeast.

Right now, the volume for us is still manageable.

The Epoch Times reached out to Planned Parenthood, the National Network of Abortion Funds, and NARAL Pro-Choice America but received no comment.
Indonesian president elect Joko Widodo (C) answers questions from the media in Jakarta on July 23, 2014 as Widodo returns to work after the General Elections Commission declared him the winner of the presidential elections. The ex-general who lost Indonesia's presidential election to Joko Widodo will challenge the result in court, his campaign team said, a move that could spell weeks of uncertainty for the country. (Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images)

Putin Agrees to Restore Sea Route for Ukraines Food Exports: Indonesian President

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has agreed to open a sea route for Ukraines food exports, the Indonesian President said on Friday, in a move to sustain the food supply chain amid Moscows ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with Putin in Moscow just a day after meeting Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on June 29, as he offered to become a communication bridge between the two leaders.

During his meeting with Putin, Widodo discussed the disruption in the food and fertilizer supply chain and how it will impact hundreds of millions of people worldwide, particularly in developing countries.

I really appreciate President Putin, who said that he would guarantee the security of food and fertilizer supplies from both Ukraine and Russia. This is good news, he was quoted as saying by the Foreign Ministry.

Widodo said he supported the United Nations efforts to reintegrate food and fertilizer products from Russia and Ukraine into the global supply chains, including the plan to reopen a sea route for Ukrainian food exports.

Specifically for the export route for Ukrainian food products, especially through the sea route, President Putin has already given his guarantee, he remarked.

Russia Blames Western Sanctions

Putin rejected any notion that his country was responsible for the disruption in the global food supply chain due to the Ukraine war, instead blaming Western sanctions imposed against his country, which had impeded Russian exports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the situation in the oil and gas sector at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, on April 14, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia has been subjected to a barrage of Western sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine in February, including being blocked from the international financial messaging system SWIFT. Moscow retaliated by imposing export bans on its products.

In a statement, Putin said the disruption in the food supply chain is a direct consequence of the long-standing irresponsible macroeconomic policy of some states, uncontrolled issuance, and the accumulation of unsecured debt.

However, instead of admitting that their economic policies were misguided, the Western countries are further destabilizing global agricultural production by imposing restrictions on Russian and Belarusian fertilizer supplies, impeding exports of Russian grain to world markets.

Russia is one of the worlds top food producers and exporters, exporting more than 43 million tonnes of grain and 33 million tonnes of wheat to 161 countries last year, the Russian leader said.

Putin said that his country is prepared to meet the demand of agricultural producers in Indonesia and other friendly countries for nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium fertilizers, and [other] raw materials for their production.

Looming Food Crisis

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of multiple looming food crises prompted by Russias invasion of Ukraine, climate shocks, and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a June 7 report (pdf) titled Hunger Hotspots  FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, the organizations said that acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 20 nations across the globe between now and September 2022, and called for urgent humanitarian action.

Additionally, 49 million people in 46 countries throughout the world may be facing famine or famine-like conditions unless they receive immediate life and livelihoods-saving assistance, the organizations said.

Along with recurring climate shocks like droughts, flooding, and hurricanes impacting farming and livestock, and dire macroeconomic conditions in some countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global fallout of the RussiaUkraine conflict is further exacerbating conditions in some nations, according to the report.

Meanwhile, increasing energy costsanother side effect of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraineand massive public debt burdens are further worsening the situation in many nations.

We are deeply concerned about the combined impacts of overlapping crises jeopardizing peoples ability to produce and access foods, pushing millions more into extreme levels of acute food insecurity, said FAO Director General Qu Dongyu.

Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) (C) speaks at a press conference, was joined by House Republican Whip Steve Scailse (R-La.) (L) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), following a Republican caucus meeting, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on June 8, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Rep. Stefanik Introduces Bill to Prevent Adversaries Control Over US Agriculture Industry

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is introducing a bill to address domestic food security issues and the global food supply chain by preventing foreign adversaries from acquiring U.S. agricultural companies.

Stefaniks bill, titled Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act, would bar anyone acting on behalf of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from taking ownership of a U.S. agricultural company.

Food security is national security, and I am proud to stand up against our foreign adversaries as they attempt to exploit any potential vulnerability and assert control over our agriculture industry, Stefanik said in a press release on July 1.

The United States cannot allow malign ownership bids of American assets by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea to undermine the efforts of our farmers, whose hard work feeds and fuels our communities, she said. Especially as we witness the devastating impact of a supply chain crisis, the United States cannot cede any ownership of our food supply to those who do not share our security interests.

Threat to National Security

The proposed legislation included a provision that would make the Secretary of Agriculture a member of the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment. It would also require the secretary to submit a report every 180 days reviewing the risks that foreign purchases of agricultural companies may pose to the U.S. agricultural sector.

Adversarial nations, like China, continue to threaten our homeland, using tactics like buying American agriculture companies and stealing agriculture research to undermine our economy, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), who co-introduced the bill, said in a statement.

Washington must realize that agriculture security in national security, and we have a duty to protect our food supply and those who produce it.

Experts have previously told The Epoch Times that Chinese farmland investments in the United States could allow the regime to stage espionage campaigns against America.

Last November, Chinas Fufeng Group began negotiations to purchase of 370 acres of land in Grand Forks, North Dakota as the location for a massive new corn-milling plant, which has been described as the largest single private capital investment in the regions history, according to the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation.

But according to Ross Kennedy, the founder of Fortis Analysis, the Chinese regime has become very involved in major infrastructure projects around the world in recent years, and some of their chosen locations have been regions of strategic and national security importance.

This Chinese company may be coming into Grand Forks under the guise of setting up a food nutrient and additive manufacturing facility, but could be setting up the ability to passively and actively monitor one of the nations most valuable assets, Kennedy previously told The Epoch Times.

Mary Hong Follow Mary Hong has contributed to The Epoch Times since 2020. She has reported on Chinese human rights issues and politics.
Retirement Funds to Benefit From Increasing Contributions in New Financial Year

Compulsory superannuation contributions will increase from 10 percent to 10.5 percent for Australian workers in the new financial year.

The increases will continue until reaching 12 percent in 2025, boosting the already vast retirement fund industry that now controls around $3 trillion (US$2.05 trillion) in fundsthe fourth largest pension fund in the world.

For some workers, the changes could see employers simply up the amount they pay into their super accounts while leaving their wages untouched. For others, the difference could see their take-home pay reduced with the 0.5 percent compulsory contribution coming from their existing pay packets.

A further legislative change is the removal of the $450 per month minimum wage threshold, which will open the door for part-time workers to receive super.

Compulsory superannuation in Australia is a legacy of the former left-leaning Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, who established the scheme in 1992.

Super Not Without Its Critics

New South Wales Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has called for compulsory contributions to be removed entirely, and for Australians to be given the choice to access their existing funds to help pay for their first home purchase.

Superannuation is a significant failure of Australian economic policy. It doesnt get many people off the pension, it costs the budget more than it saves, and it reduces agency and individual choices, he said in a statement on May 25.

The senator has also been critical of super funds donating millions to unions.

According to Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) data, $12.9 million has been paid from super funds to unions in the 2020-21 financial year. This is a new record, up from $11 million in the previous year, he said in a March 14 statement.

Ties between the Labor Party, unions, and major superannuation funds are tight. Notably, bodies like Industry Super Australia, are overseen by former Labor ministers Wayne Swan and Greg Combet.

Meanwhile, economist Cameron Murray says the system has provided no real benefit to retiring Australians.

The first and fundamental problem is that the system provides no insurance element. What I mean by that is if you dont earn income during your life, you dont get any super when you retire, he previously told The Epoch Times. If you get injured, sick, must care for your partner, whatever the case may be.

Instead, he said Australia would be better off investing in the age pension system, which supports more individuals than the super system does.

The super system is predicated on this idea that somehow the age pension is unsustainable, bad, or unreliable, he said, noting that the combined value of superannuations yearly fees (A$30 billion) and tax breaks (A$40 billion) swamped the cost of the age pension.
A general view shows the Sakhalin-2 project's liquefaction gas plant in Prigorodnoye, about 70 km (44 miles) south of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Oct. 13, 2006. (Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters)

Russia Seizes Control of Sakhalin Gas Project, Raises Stakes With West

TOKYO/LONDONPresident Vladimir Putin has raised the stakes in an economic war with the West and its allies with a decree that seizes full control of the Sakhalin-2 gas and oil project in Russias far east, a move that could force out Shell and Japanese investors.

The order, signed on Thursday, creates a new firm to take over all rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., in which Shell and two Japanese trading companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi hold just under 50 percent.

The five-page decree, which follows Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, indicates the Kremlin will now decide whether the foreign partners can stay.

State-run Gazprom already has a 50 percent plus one share stake in Sakhalin-2, which accounts for about 4 percent of the worlds liquefied natural gas (LNG) production.

The move threatens to unsettle an already tight LNG market, although Moscow said it saw no reason for Sakhalin-2 deliveries to stop. Japan imports 10 percent of its LNG each year from Russia, mainly under long-term contract from Sakhalin-2. The action also raises the risks facing Western companies still in Russia.

Russias decree effectively expropriates foreign stakes in the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, marking a further escalation in ongoing tensions, said Lucy Cullen, a principal analyst from consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Many Western firms have already packed up, while others have said they would quit, but Putins move adds complications to an already complex process for those looking for the exit. Moscow has been preparing a law, expected to pass soon, to allow the state to seize assets of Western firms which decide to go.

Shell, which has already written off the value of its Russian assets, made clear months ago it intended to quit Sakhalin-2 and has been in talks with potential buyers. It said on Friday it was assessing the Russian decree.

Sakhalin-2, in which Shell has a 27.5 percent minus one share stake, is one of the worlds largest LNG projects with output of 12 million tonnes. Its cargoes mainly head to Japan, South Korea, China, India, and other Asian countries.

Making Preparations

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia saw no grounds for halting LNG deliveries from Sakhalin-2 and said the future of other projects or investments would be determined case by case.

A general view of the liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy at Prigorodnoye on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, Russia, on July 15, 2021. (Vladimir Soldatkin/Reuters)

There can be no general rule here, he said.

Japan, which depends heavily on imported energy, has said it would not give up its interests in Sakhalin-2, in which Japans Mitsui has a 12.5 percent stake and Mitsubishi holds 10 percent.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that Russias decision would not immediately stop LNG imports from the development, while Japans Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said the government did not consider the decree a requisition.

The decree does not mean that Japans LNG imports will become immediately impossible, but it is necessary to take all possible measures in preparation for unforeseen circumstances, Hagiuda told reporters.

Japan has 23 weeks of LNG stocks held by utilities and city gas suppliers and Hagiuda has asked his U.S. and Australian energy counterparts for alternative supplies, he said.

According to the decree, Gazprom keeps its stake but others must ask the Russian government for a stake in the new firm within one month. The government will decide whether to approve any request.

Gazprom, Sakhalin Energy, and the Russian energy ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

A Mitsubishi spokesperson said the company was discussing with partners in Sakhalin and Japans government about how to respond to the decree. Mitsui did not comment immediately.

Shares in Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. slid more than 5 percent on Friday. Shells shares edged higher.

Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said on Wednesday the company was making good progress in its plan to exit from the Sakhalin Energy joint venture without giving details.

Russian LNG production from projects such as Sakhalin-2 was likely to suffer as foreign expertise and parts became unavailable, said Saul Kavonic, head of Integrated Energy and Resources Research at Credit Suisse.

This will tighten the LNG market materially this decade, he said.

By Yuka Obayashi, Emily Chow, and Ron Bousso
Russias invasion in Ukraine is prompting military spending boosts in the West. But questions rise over whether war in Ukraine will shift focus away from the threat to Taiwan.

To counter China, Americans must reconstruct their frame of thought. A former NATO chair breaks it down.

Five more Chinese companies are added to a U.S. blacklist for their support of the Russian military.

A U.S. hypersonic missile fails a test in Hawaii. At the same time, China and Russia are boosting their own weapons development. Now some are asking, is the Unittd States lagging behind?

Will China stick to its zero-COVID-19 policy? News reports and a statement from Chinas Communist Party leader may hint at the future.

Topics include:

Russian Invasion Prompts Military Spending Boosts

Uk Foreign Sec. Warns China Against Invading Taiwan

Chinese Companies Accused of Aiding Russian Military U.S. Hypersonic Missile Fails During Test Launch

Xi Visits Hong Kong for Handover Anniversary Xi Jinping: China to Stick to Zero-covid-19 Policy

Former Nato Chair on China Tensions

Have other topics you want us to cover? Drop us a line: chinainfocus@ntdtv.org

And if youd like to buy us a coffee: https://donorbox.org/china-in-focus

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A community volunteer stands behind the fence in a residential area under a COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai's Huangpu district on June 22, 2022. (Liu Jin/AFP via Getty Images)

Shanghai Declares Victory Over COVID, While Residents Call It a Tragic Joke

Shanghais Communist Party chief Li Qiang on June 25 announced that the financial hub had finally won its three-month battle fighting COVID-19. However, it came at a huge cost to the Shanghai economy while creating immense suffering for the citys 25 million people.

Li declared the victory at a municipal meeting of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) representatives and attributed the victory to the CCP-led political system and the authorities firm adherence to the dynamic Zero-COVID policy.

After the news report was posted on a Peoples Daily social media account, the history log of the comment section showed that readers left 761 comments. However, in a short while, there were only five comments remaining, and a message appeared at the bottom of the webpage which said, inappropriate comments have been filtered, and some comments will not be displayed for the time being.

A Chinese blogger, whose internet name is Proud Girl, reposted the news report on Twitter, saying that Shanghais victory is a tragic joke.

Workers in protective suits keep watch on a street during a lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Shanghai, on April 16, 2022. (Aly Song/Reuters)

On Zhihu.com, a Chinese Quora-like question-and-answer platform, someone asked the question, How do you view Shanghais victory over the pandemic? Another person provided an answer saying, You expect them to apologize, yet they expect you to thank them. It became a top-rated answer, liked by 4,526 readers.

Economic Losses

Starting in March this year, Shanghai was placed under partial lockdown to curb the virus, and then full lockdown was implemented in early April until the city gradually eased pandemic restrictions in June. The three-month strict zero-COVID policy hit Shanghais economy hard.

Data from the Shanghai Bureau of Statistics revealed that in April alone, Shanghais total industrial output fell by more than 60 percent year-on-year; retail sales of consumer goods dropped by nearly 50 percent; foreign direct investment fell by more than 40 percent; and the total value of imports and exports also fell by more than 40 percent.

Using Shanghais annual GDP in 2021 as a reference, which was $646 billion, the citys average daily output is $1.77 billion, and the direct economic loss of Shanghais 70-day closure is expected to be $123.9 billion, if the partial reopening towards the end of lockdown is not considered.

This calculation does not include the financial and human resources spent on building makeshift hospitals in Shanghai, quarantining large numbers of people, and repeated mass nucleic acid testing of its 25 million residents.

Moreover, some enterprises have permanently closed. Many foreign-funded enterprises have already withdrawn or are planning to withdraw from Shanghai, the exact numbers are not yet available.

A resident looks out from her window during a COVID-19 lockdown in the Jingan district of Shanghai on May 25, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Sick people died after struggling to access medical care during the lockdown, there were incidents of people committing suicide due to unbearable stress or depression, and elderly people who lived alone were found dead at home, likely from starvation. On April 11, a frontline medical personnel member died suddenly due to overwork.

As the Chinese state-run media rarely reports bad news, some civilians in Shanghai are trying to do their own investigation to collect data.

A Twitter account named Shanghai 2022 Lockdown Unnatural Death Record has so far recorded 136 death cases. Among them, 69 cases have complete information including names, addresses, time of death, and detailed accounts.

Life Upside Down

Li Yuanhua, a former professor at Beijing Normal University, told The Epoch Times that some Chinese belonging to the well-off classes used to enjoy a carefree life, thinking that it would always be wonderful and peaceful. The Shanghai lockdown made them suddenly realize that no matter how rich they are, there might be a scenario where they cannot buy anything. No amount of money can guarantee the safety of their own lives.

The CCP claimed that they won the battle. Who won? Through the lockdown of Shanghai this time, people have thoroughly seen the evil nature of the CCP regime, and they no longer trust and put hope in the CCP, Li said.

People who have been negative in the last two nucleic acid tests line up to leave a temporary hospital converted from the National Exhibition and Convention Center to quarantine COVID-positive people in Shanghai on April 18, 2022. (Chinatopix via AP)

In April and May, there were numerous blog articles on Chinese social media sharing peoples reflections on Shanghai peoples hopeless situation, something they could have never imagined before. A new catchphrase emerged from these articles, which says, Financial freedom means nothing on the Titanic.

Many middle-class residents in Shanghai have publicly condemned the Communist Party on social media such as WeChat.

Thanks to the lockdown, a huge number of Chinese people have awakened, Xue Ping (pseudonym) wrote in her post publicly. Lets hope Xi Jinping will be re-elected, so the CCP will collapse during his term of office. If someone else comes to the throne, it may prolong the CCPs life, and the commoners will suffer even more.

Kane Zhang contributed to this report.
Silicon Valley Church Sues County Over Pandemic Restrictions

In Californias Silicon Valley, a church in San Jose with over 600 members has filed a civil rights lawsuit against county and state officials over COVID-related restrictions and fines.

From May through October 2020, Calvary Chapel San Jose (CCSJ) continued to hold indoor services with masks optional and did not enforce social distancing nor limit attendees, thus violating the county mandates that were in place during that time.

The county filed a civil enforcement lawsuit against the church in November 2020 to collect fines and penalties totaling $2.87 million, significantly higher than any COVID-19 mandate violation fines filed against any other entity in the state of California, according to public records.

CCSJ and Pastor Mike McClure filed their civil rights lawsuit in the Northern District of California against Santa Clara County, the Board of Supervisors, Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody, Governor Gavin Newsom, and the state public health officer. Plaintiffs will focus on depositions of Cody and the enforcement officers this summer.

Calvary Chapels case document was filed on April 15, 2022 and set for trial in the summer of 2023.

The document states: Early in 2020, California public health officials became aware that a novel respiratory virusdubbed COVID-19was spreading in the state and could trigger a pandemic. Despite those concerns, state officials repeatedly told Californians that the risk to the general public was low. They encouraged Californians not to panic and to use common sense measures to combat the virus.  But, during March 2020, a group of local government officials in the Bay Area decided to disregard that advice and take matters into their own hands.

The document adds that Cody and Emergency Operations Center director James Williams issued a shelter-in-place order and convinced the other Bay Area counties to issue similar orders.

Dr. Cody and Mr. Williams vigorously enforced [the countys] stay-at-home order and subsequent COVID-19 orders, despite a plethora of scientific literature and studies connecting the lockdowns with an unprecedented mental health crisis. Churches were among those most heavily punished by Dr. Codys and Mr. Williams actions.

It also states that the county sent threatening letters to the churchs bank, that this caused the bank to temporarily sever ties with the church, and that the U.S. Supreme Court had admonished state and county officials for placing such restrictions on churches in a violation of the First Amendment.

Williams, who jointly filed the lawsuit against the church with District Attorney Jeff Rosen, said in a press release in February this year: The COVID-19 pandemic was and remains an unprecedented challenge for our community, and it is critical that everyone do their part to comply with the public health orders and keep each other safe. Calvary and its leadership were uniquely defiant in their refusal to do their part, and this lawsuit aims to hold them accountable for that failure.

In a press release in 2020, Williams stated: These public health orders are literally a matter of life and death; they are designed to reduce COVID-19 transmission, avoid serious illness, and save lives. This entitys ongoing violations put the whole community at risk, and they wont be tolerated.

Pastor McClure said: We must stand up against these wicked leaders that have no fear of God and we must refuse to follow any and all wicked and unbiblical laws. This is not political; its much deeper; its biblical. Its time for America to remember where we have fallen, repent, and go back to the beginning works that made us a great nation where every town had at its center the gospel preached on Church Street and we all honored the First Amendment.

Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney with Advocates for Faith and Freedom who is representing CCSJ and McClure, said, I think this is a case about ego at this point, because what weve found is that not a single case of COVID-19 transmission can be traced to Pastor Mike McClures services or gatherings.

After Williams sent a letter to the churchs bank about the case, the bank filed a Notice of Default against the church. The bank has since rescinded the Notice of Default and apologized to the church after learning that the church was contesting the fines, Gondeiro stated.

If risk of contagion was the standard, then it would justify governments issuing these exorbitant fines, Gondeiro said. Its actual harm they need to show, and I believe that the county wont have a leg to stand on at trial.

She argued that the county cannot justify fining the church strictly on the basis of spreading the virus, as the county is required to prove that the church actively harmed its congregants by remaining open, which they have not shown to date.
Spirit Airlines planes are prepared for flight at the Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on May 16, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Spirit Airlines Defers Key Shareholder Vote on Frontier Deal Again

Spirit Airlines Inc. on Wednesday postponed a key shareholder vote on a proposed deal with Frontier Group Holding Inc. until next week.

What Happened

The Florida-based airline said it aims to discuss more options with Frontier and rival suitor JetBlue Airways Corp..

This is the second time Spirit has postponed the vote and said the meeting will now reconvene on July 8.

The development comes a day after JetBlue sweetened its offer to buy Spirit, which the latter rejected and instead, recommended shareholders to vote in favor of a merger with Frontier at a meeting on Thursday.

Takeover War

The battle for Spirit began in February with Frontiers cash-and-stock offer of $25.83 a share. JetBlue entered the bid in early April with an all-cash $33 per share, or $3.6 billion, bid for Spirit.

The airline rejected JetBlues offer a month later, citing the lower possibility of securing regulatory approval.

Spirit called for a shareholder meeting on June 10 to vote on its proposed merger with Frontier, even as JetBlue upped the hostile offer and sweetened the deal.

JetBlue on Wednesday issued a letter to Spirit shareholders ahead of the meeting, saying its cash offer of $33.5 per share was superior and has a premium of 51 percent to the implied value of the Frontier transaction, and has greater regulatory commitments, including a larger reverse break-up fee of $400 million.

By Rachit Vats

 2022 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Following Landmark Second Amendment Decision, SCOTUS Overturns Appeals Court Decisions in 4 States

The Supreme Court followed up its June 23 landmark ruling that for the first time recognized a constitutional right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, by issuing a series of rulings June 30 reversing federal appeals court decisions that upheld gun restrictions in California, New Jersey, Maryland, and Hawaii.

Courts will find it difficult to uphold the firearms laws in question after the high courts June 30 and June 23 rulings.

In unsigned orders, all four cases were remanded June 30 to lower courts for further consideration in light of the Supreme Courts June 23 decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. In that 63 ruling, the high court invalidated New York states tough concealed-carry gun permitting system.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The Supreme Court has been strengthening Second Amendment protections in recent years. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court held the amendment protects the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation, and in McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), that this right is fully applicable to the States.

It makes no sense to recognize Americans right to defend themselves in their homes while denying them the ability to defend themselves outside their homes, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote June 23 in the courts majority opinion.

After all, the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation, and confrontation can surely take place outside the home.  Many Americans hazard greater danger outside the home than in it, Thomas wrote.

In the new orders, the Supreme Court summarily disposed of the four pending cases, simultaneously granting appellants petitions seeking review while skipping over the oral argument phase. Some lawyers call this process GVR, standing for grant, vacate, and remand.

In the Maryland case, Bianchi v. Frosh, court file 21-902, a coalition of 25 states led by Arizona challenged Marylands Firearms Safety Act of 2013. The statute, which was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in September 2021, required pistol purchasers to seek a license, complete safety training, and be fingerprinted. Maryland bans popular weapons such as the AR-15 and similar rifles and limits magazine capacity to 10 rounds.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, a Democrat, was defiant after the remand order. Military-style firearms pose grave risks to public safety, as recent mass shootings in other states have made clear, Frosh stated. Despite the Bruen ruling, the states law remains in effect, he said. Marylanders have a right to be protected from these dangerous weapons.

The California case, Duncan v. Bonta, court file 21-1194, challenged the states ban on magazines containing more than 10 rounds. The ban went further, requiring the confiscation of such magazines, which had previously been lawful to own. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld the ban in November 2021.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, is currently scrambling to deal with the fallout after his office leaked sensitive personal information, including the names and addresses of every concealed-carry permit holder in the state. Some holders say they now fear for their lives.

The New Jersey case, Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs Inc. v. Bruck, court file 20-1507, is similar to the California case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit affirmed the New Jersey law in December 2021.

Petitioners challenged the state law that bans 10-round magazines and requires that owners surrender such magazines to law enforcement. The law also forbids the transfer or sale of these magazines but allows owners to keep them if they modify them to reduce how many rounds may be held. Failing to comply with the law is a crime that can be punished with a sentence of up to 10 years of imprisonment and $150,000 in fines.

In Young v. Hawaii, court file 20-1639, a petitioner challenged Hawaiis gun licensing system that allows the transportation of an unloaded firearm only in an enclosed container and only to and from a gun repair shop, target range, licensed gun dealer, hunting ground, or police station. Licensed firearms may only be used for hunting or target shooting. Licenses are issued by the chief of police of the county in which the gun owner lives.

Hawaii law requires gun owners to keep their weapons at their place of business, residence, or sojourn. Concealed-carry permit applicants must show they have reason to fear injury to the applicants person or property in order to obtain a permit. Permits allowing open carry are granted only where the urgency or the need has been sufficiently indicated and the applicant is engaged in the protection of life and property.

Records show the state granted only 4 permits from 2000 to 2020, KITV reports.

The Hawaii law was affirmed in March 2021 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Surf City Preps for 4th of July Parade and Fireworks

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.After two years of modified July 4 celebrations, the Surf Citys traditional Fourth of July celebration is back.

The weekend full of events kicks off June 30 with a Main Street Block Party from 5 to 9 p.m. Presented in partnership with the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District, there will be a vendor fair lined up on the first three blocks of Main Street and live music from a city showmobile.

Over 70 vendors and carnival rides will line Huntington Beachs Pier Plaza from July 1 through 4. Food trucks, pop-up food vendors, and fenced-off alcoholic beverage sponsors will be open for refreshments under the July heat.

On the morning of July 4, the annual Surf City 5k Run at 7 a.m welcomes all ages. Registration is open at the Run Surf City website. Registration is $45 for adults and $25 for kids. The run will take place on the Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street.

Residents can expect street closures from Goldenwest Street to Beach Boulevard to Gothard around 5 a.m. that morning.

The 4th of July Parade is returning for its 118th year from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are around 100 parade entries including elected officials, military veterans, public safety personnel, marching bands, community groups, and vintage cars. The route runs from the Pacific Coast Highway to 9th Street and along Main Street.

The annual Fireworks Over the Ocean display will be shot off the Huntington Beach Pier July 4 at 9 p.m. Views of the show can be seen up and down the beach or in the streets of downtown. Pier and VIP seating options are available to purchase on the firework event site.

The firework show is presented by Robert Mayer, a long-time resident and major developer in Huntington Beach. Mayer was recognized by the city council on June 21 for his work, and for sponsoring the 4th of July 2021 fireworks show.

After receiving Mayor Barbara Delgleizes thanks on behalf of the city, Mayer said, Im very proud to be a part of the whole city.
Two earthquakes that have a magnitude of 3.5 and 3.6, respectively, hit Wednesday close to Elgin, South Carolina (USGS)

Swarm of Earthquakes Hitting South Carolina Are Getting Stronger

A so-called earthquake swarm that is hitting South Carolina appears to be getting stronger, researchers said this week.

Two earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.5 and 3.6, respectively, hit Wednesday close to Elgin, South Carolina, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Days before that, a 3.4 magnitude earthquake struck in another part of the state, while a 3.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the Georgia-South Carolina state line on June 18.

Both of Wednesdays earthquakes were the strongest to hit South Carolina since a 4.1 magnitude quake struck McCormick County in 2014.

Geologist Wendy Bohon said in a video released by the states Emergency Management Division that theyre part of a string of about 30 quakes that have struck the state so far in 2022, which they suggested is an unusual phenomenon. She described it as an earthquake swarm, something common in places like Southern California.

South Carolinas Emergency Management Division wrote on Twitter the state does in fact have several fault systems and is one of the most seismically active states on the East Coast.

Swarms happen in all seismic regions and the earthquakes continue until they stop, seismologist Lucy Jones wrote this week in reference to the quakes in South Carolina. That may not seem helpful, but knowing this is normal can help.

Jones said that the swarm has been occurring for at least six months, noting seven quakes that were recorded at a magnitude of 3 or above.

But state geologists said they are not sure why the Midlands region is having so many earthquakes at the moment.

If you can figure that out, you should go get your tux and pick up your Nobel Prize, Thomas Pratt, regional coordinator of the Geological Surveys earthquake hazard program, told The State newspaper. The Eastern United States in general is not on a plate boundary, so its a mystery in the scientific community why in this exact location, in the middle of a plate, that something would trigger this.

Pratt noted that swarms of quakes can be foreshocks to a larger earthquake, adding, Theres no reason to think there will be, but it cant be eliminated.

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake was reported in Charleston in 1886, killing at least 60 people, according to historical records.

Earthquakes that are lower than 4.0 on the Richter scale generally dont cause much damage, according to the USGSs website.

Most earthquakes occur where the earths plates come together, and theyre the result of the tension and the stress that builds up as those plates are grinding and moving, slamming into each other. Thats not happening to us here on the East Coast, Bohon told the Weather Channel. But there are ancient fault lines here from in the past when continents had slammed together  and they are still building up stress and strain but on a much, much slower time scale.
Texas Police: 4 Migrants Killed in Smuggling Attempt

ENCINAL, TexasFour migrants died Thursday and three other people were injured in a highway crash in Texas that authorities described as another fatal human smuggling attempt during a tragic week near the U.S.Mexico border.

The crash happened in Encinal, a small town where a tractor-trailer carrying illegal immigrants passed through Monday before ending up in San Antonio, where authorities found more than 50 people dead or dying inside.

On Thursday, a Jeep carrying seven people was being pursued by Border Patrol agents when it crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on the interstate, said Lt. Chris Olivarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The driver was hospitalized in critical condition along with two others who were also injured, Olivarez said. He said it was the second deadly smuggling attempt in 24 hours in South Texas after two migrants died in a car that was being pursued by authorities near the border city of La Joya.

Authorities said 53 people died in San Antonio in the back of a tractor-trailer with no air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. Federal prosecutors have arrested four people, including the suspected driver, who was scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday.

The truck had been packed with more than 60 people. The dead included 27 people from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala, and two from El Salvador, according to Francisco Garduno, chief of Mexicos National Immigration Institute.
In honor of two El Monte police officers killed in a recent motel shooting, hundreds of community members, law enforcement officers, and family members gathered at a candlelight vigil outside the El Monte Civic Center in El Monte, Calif., on June 18, 2022. (Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times)

Thousands of Law Enforcement Personnel Honor Memory of Slain El Monte Officers

ONTARIO, Calif.Thousands of law enforcement personnel from throughout the region gathered June 30 for a memorial service at Toyota Arena in honor of two El Monte police officers fatally shot in the line of duty, with the men hailed as valiant heroes.

The ceremony, which followed a solemn procession that began at El Monte police headquarters, was held in remembrance of Sgt. Michael Paredes, 42, and Officer Joseph Santana, 31, who was gunned down June 14 while responding to a reported stabbing at a motel. Both are survived by wives and young children.

The memorial service, which began shortly after 10 a.m., was not open to the public but was open to all uniformed law enforcement personnel.

Thousands of law enforcement personnel gathered for a memorial service in honor of two El Monte police officerswho were killed in a motel shootingat the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif., on June 30, 2022. (Jackie Rios/NTD Television)

Like all of us, they chose to be police officers, but they did not choose to be taken from us, El Monte police Chief Ben Lowry told the mourners. I want the families to note that there is no way they would willingly allow themselves to be taken from you.

You were the reason they came to work every day, Lowry said. But they left this world as valiant heroes; Mike and Joseph were heroes. Im not saying that because they died. Im saying that because of how they lived. Well never forget Mike and Joseph. Thank you for sharing them with us. They were the best of us.

The procession, featuring dozens of motorcycle officers and dozens more in law enforcement vehicles, set off at 8:30 a.m. and began with the participants passing under an American flag draped from two fire department ladder trucks, then headed east on the San Bernardino (10) Freeway to the arena.

A flag is seen at the Toyota Arena where thousands of law enforcement personnel from throughout the region gathered for a memorial service in honor of two El Monte police officers in Ontario, Calif. on June 30, 2022. (Jackie Rios/NTD Television)

Today is the most difficult day in my familys life, Santanas sister, Bianca Santana, said. We gather to say farewell to a son, brother, father, husband, grandson, nephew, and friend. To those of you who are hereand everyone who knew Josephyou are already aware of the type of person he was.

Bella Paredes remembered her father, Michael.

My entire life, Ive been told Im my fathers daughter, she said. On the days leading up to my fathers passing, I began to recognize who he was to me, and what he stood for to the others around him.  I realized how much I loved him, and just how great of a guy he was.

El Monte Police Department Officer Joseph Santana, 31, and Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42, were killed in the line of duty during a motel shooting in El Monte, Calif., on June 14, 2022. (Courtesy of El Monte Police Department)

The ceremony also featured a riderless horse provided by the Anaheim Police Department, a 21-gun salute by the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department, and a flyover by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

Paredes and Santana were fatally shot the afternoon of June 14 when they entered a room at the Siesta Inn at 10327 Garvey Ave. to confront a suspect in a reported stabbing.

The suspect, 35-year-old probationer Justin William Flores, ran from the room after the shooting and exchanged gunfire with at least one other officer in a parking lot. He subsequently died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the Los Angeles County coroners office.

Local officials and community members mourn the two El Monte officers killed in the line of duty at a June 14 motel shooting in front of the El Monte Police Department on June 15, 2022. (Annie Wang/NTD Television)

Paredes and Santana were both shot in the head, according to the coroners office. They were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

Paredes was a corporal at the time of the shooting, but he was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

Both officers lived in Upland but were raised in El Monte, and both were married fathers with children.

Paredes began as a cadet at the police department and was sworn in as a full-time police officer in July 2000, city officials said. He is survived by his wife of 18 years, his 16-year-old daughter, and his 14-year-old son.

Santana spent six years working for the citys Public Works Department, then worked for three years as a San Bernardino County sheriffs deputy. He joined the police department last year. He is survived by his wife of seven years, a 9-year-old daughter, and 2-year-old twin boys.

In honor of two El Monte police officers killed in a recent motel shooting, hundreds of community members, law enforcement officers, and family members gathered at a candlelight vigil outside the El Monte Civic Center in El Monte, Calif., on June 18, 2022. (Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times)

Following the officers deaths, L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon came under criticism for policies that critics say allowed Floresa felon with a history of arreststo be on the street.

Flores was given a plea deal last year that allowed him to avoid prison time for being in possession of a firearm. As a result of the plea, charges of methamphetamine possession and being a felon in possession of ammunition were dropped, and Flores was placed on two years probation, serving 20 days in jail.

Santanas mother, Olga Garcia, said policies implemented by Gascon led to the deaths of her son and Paredes.

Gasconthe target of a recall effortinsisted the plea agreement was appropriate under the circumstances. He also conceded that we have an imperfect criminal justice system, and said its impossible to predict 100 percent of the time what will happen with criminal defendants in the future.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon speaks at a press conference in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles County probation department has also, subsequently, come under criticism for its handling of Floress case.

Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported that, in the days before the officers deaths, the county probation department had received reports Flores was in possession of a gun and had beaten a woman. However, Flores had not been seen in person by his probation officer in more than six months, the newspaper reported.

The lobbying organization Peace Officers Research Association of California has established a fundraising campaign on behalf of the officers families.

More than $390,000 had been raised through the effort as of Thursday.
Three Conservative Justices Dissent From Supreme Courts Refusal to Hear Appeal on New Yorks Health Care Worker Vaccine Mandate

The state has denied all religious exemptions

The Supreme Court refused on June 30 to take up an appeal by 16 health care workers who object on religious grounds to New York states COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers.

New Yorks mandate offers medical exemptions but not religious exemptions.

The petitioners, who served New York communities throughout the COVID19 pandemic, object to all COVID-19 vaccines because they were developed using cell lines derived from aborted children.

Three conservative justices dissented from the high courts refusal to grant the petition for review filed Feb. 14 in the case known as Dr. A v. Hochul, court file 21-1143.

In the unsigned order, the other justices did not explain why they decided against hearing the case. Justices usually do not offer explanations when deciding which appeals to take on. For such a petition to be granted, at least four of the nine justices must agree.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote an opinion (pdf) dissenting from the denial of the petition, which was joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.

Thomas recounted that the petitioners, after being forced to choose between their employment and their faith, sued in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, arguing the vaccine mandate violated the Free Exercise Clause in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The district court sided with the health care workers and issued an injunction blocking the mandate. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit then overruled the district court.

Previously, Christopher Ferrara, who represented the workers before the district court, said the mandates unprecedented First Amendment violation could not be more apparent. Ferrara is special counsel at the Thomas More Society, a public interest law firm.

Two doctors working in the same hospital, with the same patients, are treated differently based on nothing but the religious motivation of the one seeking a religious exemption versus the one seeking a medical exemption.

But on Dec. 13, 2021, the Supreme Court denied the petitioners emergency application to reinstate the injunction halting the mandate. The same the three conservative justices dissented (pdf) from the denial of relief.

Since then, every Petitioner except one has been fired, forced to resign, lost admitting privileges, or been coerced into a vaccination, the petition stated.

Thomas noted that the Supreme Court held in Fulton v. Philadelphia (2021) that a law is constitutionally suspect if it prohibits religious conduct while permitting secular conduct.

Yet there remains considerable confusion over whether a mandate, like New Yorks, that does not exempt religious conduct can ever be neutral and generally applicable if it exempts secular conduct that similarly frustrates the specific interest that the mandate serves. Three Courts of Appeals and one State Supreme Court agree that such requirements are not neutral or generally applicable and therefore trigger strict scrutiny, the justice wrote.

Thomas lamented that the high court declined to take a prudent course by granting the petition now, instead of procrastinating until the next crisis forces us again to decide complex legal issues in an emergency posture.

Although she wont grant a religious exemption, the respondent in the case, Kathy Hochul, New Yorks Democratic governor, has injected religion into the public debate over COVID-19, denouncing the unvaccinated and accusing them of defying the will of God, The Epoch Times reported in November.

Theres people out there who arent listening to God, what God wants, you know this, you know who they are, the governor told an audience Sept. 26, 2021, at New York Citys Christian Cultural Center, adding that those who have been vaccinated are the smart ones.

The Epoch Times reached out for comment to New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, who represents the state in Supreme Court proceedings, but didnt receive a reply by press time.
UK Black Parents More Likely Than Whites to Support Stop and Search for Cannabis: Poll

Black parents and those of other ethnic minorities are more likely to support the police using stop-and-search powers to look for cannabis than white parents, according to new research.

More than 1,000 parents were questioned in a survey by Deltapoll for the think tank Civitas.

The survey suggested 80 percent of BAME families agreed with stop-and-search being used to eradicate the sale of cannabis on the streets, compared with 70 percent of white parents.

Black parents were also more likely to back government plans for schools to routinely test teenage schoolchildren for the drug.

The report comes in the wake of the row over Child Q, a 15-year-old black girl who was strip-searched by police at a school in London after a teacher suspected she was in possession of cannabis. No drugs were found on her. The schools head teacher later resigned and four police officers are being investigated for gross misconduct over the incident.

Tough Approach to Cannabis is not Unpopular

But Civitass editorial director, Frank Young, said: This research blows out of the water the idea that stop and search or school heads taking a tough approach to cannabis is somehow unpopular among black and minority ethnic communities.

The Civitas survey found 70 percent of BAME parents were worried about their children taking cannabis, compared with just 47 percent of white families and they were less likely to favour legalisation.

Young said: Policymakers and government ministers should be wary of any rush to legalise cannabis. British parents think it would make their job harder, would do nothing to stop the likelihood of their children being targeted by drug dealers, and overwhelmingly want the police to take a tougher approach to cannabis on the streets.

One in three parents told Deltapoll cannabis was as easy as ordering a pizza with London and Scotland the places where the drug was most accessible.

Cannabis is often seen as a gateway drug to Class A drugs like cocaine.

Simon Harding, professor of criminology at the University of West London, told the Daily Telegraph: Cannabis can have a more central cultural role in some communities than others. So thats a possibility. Another is that there can be quite strict discipline in ethnic minority homes, that may be absent in white families.

Last month the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, lifted restrictions on stop-and-search as part of a new initiative against violent crime in England and Wales.
British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Liz Truss attends a joint press conference with her Czech counterpart in Prague on May 27, 2022. (Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Continues to Stand With Hong Kong, Foreign Secretary Vows 25 Years After Handover

The UK will keep standing unwaveringly with Hong Kong, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Thursday in a statement marking the 25 anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China.

The statement also came two years after Beijings rubber-stamp Parliament imposed a national security law in Hong Kong that led to the imprisonment of pro-democracy advocates and the shutting down of Hong Kongs independent media outlets.

Since the draconian law was pushed through, we have seen a steady erosion of political and civil rights, in Hong Kong, Truss said in the statement.

Citing the UKs enduring historic commitment to Hong Kong and its people, Truss said the UK continues to challenge the Chinese communist regime over its breaching of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration, in which Beijing promised to uphold Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy, rights, and freedoms.

Truss said the UK has condemned the regimes conduct on the world stage with its G7 partners and has so far received 120,000 immigration applications from British Nationals Overseas from Hong Kong.

Twenty-five years on, the UK continues to stand unwaveringly with Hong Kong. We are working with our allies and partners as part of a global network of liberty to hold China to its international obligations, the foreign secretary concluded.

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, waves to wellwishers as he leaves on the Royal Yacht Britannia on June 30, 1997. (John Stillwell/PA Media)

Trusss statement came as Chinese leader Xi Jinping defended the regimes rule over Hong Kong in a brief visit to the once-flourishing global financial hub.

In his speeching marking the anniversary, Xi defended the one country, two systems strategya policy that claims the Chinese communist governments sovereignty over Taiwan as well as Hong Kong and Macau, while allowing a certain degree of autonomysaying the implementation of the strategy in Hong Kong has been a globally-recognised success.

He also defended the national security law, saying the legislation was based on the principles of safeguarding the national security, perfecting the voting system, and guaranteeing Hong Kong is ruled by patriots.

In March last year, Chinas rubber-stamp legislature also approved electoral changes for Hong Kong that effectively barred democratic representatives from occupying key positions, in a bid to have only patriots run for office and govern the city.

All candidates in the December 2021 election were backed by Beijing after leading figures in the pro-democracy opposition were jailed or forced into exile.

A year ago, All Taiwanese officials working at the islands representative office in Hong Kong were forced to leave Hong Kong after they declined to sign a one China commitment letter to concede Chinese rule over Taiwan.

Rita Li contributed to this report.
Rescue workers work at the scene of a missile strike at a location given as Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout image released on July 1, 2022. (State Emergency Services of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)

Ukraine Says Russian Strikes Kill 19 Near Odesa

SERHIIVKA, UkraineRussia rained missiles near Ukraines Black Sea port of Odesa on Friday, hitting an apartment building and a resort that killed at least 19 people, Ukrainian officials said.

One section of a nine-storey apartment block was completely destroyed by a missile that struck at 1:00 a.m. The walls and windows of a neighboring, 14-storey apartment block had also been damaged by the blast wave. Residents were helping rescue workers comb the rubble.

Ukrainian officials said at least 16 people had been killed at the apartment block in the village of Serhiivka, and another three, including one child, in strikes that hit nearby holiday resorts.

The Kremlin denied targeting civilians: I would like to remind you of the presidents words that the Russian Armed Forces do not work with civilian targets, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Zelenskyy and lawmakers in parliament stood for a minute of silence for those killed in the attacks near Odesa. Reuters could not independently confirm details of the attacks.

Russia has focused its main ground campaign on the east, where it demands Kyiv cede full control of two provinces to pro-Russian separatist proxies.

Moscow has been on the verge of capturing one of those provinces, Luhansk, since taking the city of Sievierodonetsk last week after some of the heaviest fighting of the war. Ukraines last bastion in Luhansk is the city of Lysychansk across the Siverskyi Donets river, which is close to being encircled under relentless Russian artillery assault.

The Russians were shelling Lysychansk from different directions and approaching from several sides, regional Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Ukrainian television.

The superiority in fire power of the occupiers is still very much in evidence, Zelenskyy said. They have simply brought in all their reserves to hit us.

The United States announced a further $800 million in weapons and military aid.

By Iryna Nazarchuk
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on the final day of its term in Washington on June 30, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

US Supreme Court Tosses 3 Rulings Against Abortion Laws

Two cases regarding lower court rulings on abortion bans and a third abortion-related case were thrown out of the Supreme Court on Thursday in light of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

Federal appeals courts in Arizona and Arkansas had made rulings that invalidated abortion bans in those states. A third case in Indiana involved parental notification of abortions performed on minors, Reuters reported.

Those lower court decisions were based on Roe, which was decided 1973, and a companion precedent known as Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which was decided in 1992.

After the June 24 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe, the three cases will now return to lower courts to be reconsidered.

In Arkansas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit blocked measures passed by lawmakers to ban abortions performed because of fetal genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome. This decision was made in Rutledge v. Little Rock Family Planning Services.

A federal appeals court in Arizona made a similar decision to block a ban on abortions due to fetal genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome.

Speaking to LifeNews, Denise Harle, the senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, praised the decision.

Every human life is worthy of protection; Arkansas laws protect both unborn children and women. And now that the Supreme Court has returned policy decisions of this sort to the states, we trust that the 8th Circuit will conclude that Arkansas laws protecting unborn children, the health of pregnant mothers, and the integrity of the medical profession are legitimate, she said.

The third case thrown out of the Supreme Court relates to a law in Indiana that required the parents of minors seeking abortions to be notified.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit will now have to reevaluate its decision in Box vs. Planned Parenthood of Indiana.

In 1973, the Roe decision largely made abortions legal nationwide and the 1992 companion ruling held that states cant impose significant restrictions on abortions before a fetus becomes viable for life outside the womb.

Both of those rulings were overturned on June 24 when the Supreme Court, powered by its conservative majority, upheld a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturned Roe.
A Boeing 78710 Dreamliner taxis past the Final Assembly Building at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, S.C., on March 31, 2017. (Randall Hill/Reuters)

US Watchdog to Audit FAA Oversight of Boeing 787, 737 Production

The office of the inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department will audit the Federal Aviation Administrations (FAAs) oversight of Boeing 737 and 787 production, it said on Wednesday.

The watchdog said it would review the FAAs processes for identifying and resolving production issues and addressing allegations of undue pressure within the production environment.

The aircraft maker declined to comment. The FAA did not immediately comment.

Boeing suspended deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner in May 2021, after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) said since 2019 a number of concerns have been raised regarding production of the Boeing 737 and 787 aircraftthe two production lines with the largest number of aircraft on order.

The OIG noted in December 2021 that the FAA had mandated inspections on some previously delivered 787 aircraft due to reports of missed requirements during assembly.

The OIG added that the top Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the Transportation Committee and aviation subcommittee in November asked it to conduct a review of the FAAs oversight of the production of the Boeing 787.

House Transportation Committee chair Peter DeFazio and aviation subcommittee chair Rick Larsen said in a statement late Wednesday the audit should be thorough and unsparing to help prevent a repeat of safety issues previously identified by FAA and to ensure the manufacture and production of safe aircraft.

In February, the FAA said it would not allow Boeing to self-certify individual new Boeing 787 planes. Then FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said the FAA needed from Boeing a systemic fix to their production processes.

The FAA also said at the time it would retain the authority to issue airworthiness certificates until it is confident Boeings quality control and manufacturing processes consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design standards.

A December U.S. Senate report said the FAA must do a better job overseeing Boeing and the certification of new planes, as well as review allegations raised by seven industry whistleblowers.

FAAs certification process suffers from undue pressure on line engineers and production staff, the Senate report said.

Boeings 737 MAX was grounded globally in March 2019 after deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people and did not resume flying in the United States until December 2020 after software modifications and additional pilot training.

By David Shepardson
The fear that educational material pushing extreme gender ideology is indoctrinating their children could be nudging more parents to opt for home education.

Yesterday British MPs discussed how materials are being flooded into schools by external providers who are exposing children to deeply inappropriate, wildly inaccurate, sexually explicit, and damaging materials in the name of sex education.

British actor and leader of the new political movement the Reclaim Party Laurence Fox and maker of the recently released documentary GroomedHow Schools Sexualise Your Children told the Epoch Times that were looking at an absolute cradle to grave indoctrination of our children because theyre trying to bring in a very very deeply Marxist agenda, where children are not educated at all to think freely.

Opened the Floodgates

Laurence Fox, leader of the Reclaim Party, attends a Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Royal Artillery War Memorial in Hyde Park Corner, in London, on Nov. 8, 2020. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

The government chose to make the teaching of relationships and sex education (RSE) compulsory in all secondary schools from September 2020, but Tory MP Miriam Cates said that despite its good intentions, the new RSE framework has opened the floodgates to a whole host of external providers who offer sex education materials to schools.

The MP highlighted that organizations produced games encouraging children to discuss explicit sexual acts, supplied material with violent sexual acts, and also introduced six and seven-year-olds to rules about touching yourself in the name of sex education.

Kim Isherwood, who chairs the group Public Child Protection Wales, has started a legal case representing 5,000 parents and grandparents to overturn a proposal by the Labour-led administration to make a new standard of Religious and Sex Education (RSE) lessons compulsory. She believes what is happening here is the sexualisation of children, not the education of children.

She told The Epoch Times by email that she knew 100s of parents who had removed their kids into home education because of compulsory RSE in Wales.

Politicised, Divisive Ideologies

Isherwood appeared in Foxs documentary Groomed to talk about her case. In this video, Fox says he exposes the worrying degree to which politicised, divisive ideologies including gender theory, critical race theory, queer theory, and transgender toolkits are being taught to kids through Personal, Social, Health, and Economic education (PSHE). In some cases, he found that activism is even part funded by taxpayers.

Through PSHE in the UK, secondary schools should include LGBT content in their teaching. Primary schools are strongly encouraged.

While acknowledging the harms of critical race theory, Fox pointed out that he believed that gender theory was as dangerous as it comes because of the irreversible damage it does to children.

The horrible thing about this is that it is rampant homophobia. Kids that have body dysmorphic tendencies during the puberty phase of their lives, tend to either become gay or it goes away, he said.

With the mutilation of kids and as a father I cant stand by, because of what I do for a living, children are our future, he said.

Fox said it was his job to highlight this stuff to MPs, adding that Miriam Cates MP referred to much of the content of the documentary during the Commons education committee.

Communist Indoctrination Factory

He also urged parents to demand schools give them the materials and to thoroughly read through them.

I also believe in everybodys right to make their own choice and to make a decision themselves. Whether they think that children are being educated or being turned into little comrades, the education system has turned into a communist indoctrination factory.

Fox recently set up the Bad Law Project, with Harry Miller, a former police officer and part of the organisation Fair Cop, and family law barrister Sarah Phillimore as well as The Reclaim Party Deputy Leader Martin Daubney. This was in response to a culture of coercion and to warn of the dangers of compelled speech.

Were going find out how many of our foundational institutions are corrupted, he said.

And its not just primary education and secondary education. Its with higher education, he added.

Its every single aspect of our education and these people [activists] are coming out into life. And they are applying the same ideologically driven mantras to life and thats not what a liberal secular democracy is all about. Its about freedom of speech, free expression, and the rights of people to disagree, said Fox. Gender ideology possesses none of those things, and neither does Critical Race Theory.

Fox said that on Twitter, he recently found himself suspended for saying that men cannot get pregnant.

A Department for Education spokesperson told The Epoch Times by email that Schools have a duty to provide Relationships, Sex and Health Education to all secondary age pupils and relationships and health education to all primary age pupils.

School leaders are best placed to decide what is appropriate for their pupils and are free to include a full range of issues, ideas, and appropriate materials, even where they are challenging and controversialbut this must always remain politically impartial. Our RHSE guidance is designed to give schools the confidence to construct a curriculum that reflects diversity of views and backgrounds, while fostering all pupils respect for others.

Severing that Connection

Catholic blogger, mother of 4, and expert on parenting and home-schooling, Zoe F Willis told The Epoch Times she thinks what is happening in the U.S., its only a matter of time before it comes over here.

The total number of children receiving home education in the USA soared to 3.7 million during the 20202021 academic cycle. Public schools across the United States have faced considerable backlash and protests over introducing Critical Race Theory and transgender initiatives into curriculums.

My takeaway from this (granted in the American context but soon to be here, Im sure) is the interposing of the state between parent and child, the severing of that connection, the sacrifice of children for what is clearly wrong, she said.

I will end on a jollier note. I believe that those of us who are gathering our children in, protecting them now, and preparing them for a future in the world, are creating little beacons of hope and light for all. People will meet our grown-up children, individuals who will be confident and sound in the knowledge of who they are, that they are loved and that they have purpose. And some people will reject them, added Willis.

Yet others will be curious, intrigued, and want to find out more, drawn to these bright lights of hope. Who knows how many souls will be healed from todays mad brokenness as a result. God has got this. All we have to do is pray, love, and trust. All will be well, said Willis.

A Lifestyle and Philosophical Choice

Thats not a common reason for parents to come to home education, but it is certainly one of the minority reasons as compared to education, particularly amongst Christian and Muslim parents, Wendy Charles-Warner, a Trustee of Education Otherwise, told The Epoch Times. The charity is one of the organisations across England and Wales that promotes and supports the right of a parent or guardian to home educate.

Though she did say that last week a father decided to home educate because he discovered his daughter was being taught gender ideology at school and that she was told that she choose whether to be male or female.

He doesnt consider that appropriate for his child, she said.

Charles-Warner said that when the 1970s really kick-started the mass movement for homeschooling, the most common reason for doing so was that it was a lifestyle and philosophical choice.

Because they felt they should be responsible for their childs education and that they could provide better education, she said.

But as the years have gone by, and this is getting to worrying levels (especially with parents of special needs children), she said she was hearing a great deal of dissatisfaction with the school system.

You remove the privacy of the parents essentially. The school decides what their beliefs about sexuality will be, what their beliefs about religion will be. Parental obligation, parental rights, and responsibility are being undermined and parents dont like it so, of course, theyre going to respond to it, said Charles-Warner.

The Values Foundation for Faith and Families in Education was formed in the UK in August 2018 to promote the views of faith and traditional family groups in the educational sector.

Nigel Steele, co-director of The Values Foundation, told The Epoch Times by email that schools are supposed to be acting in loco parentis but many parents are now finding their children are being taught ideas that are contrary to their own values especially when it comes to Relationships and Sex Education.

He said that probably the specific area of greatest concern is the confusion being created in childrens minds by gender ideology and unscientific information about gender identity.

Parents are so concerned about the sexualising and confusing curriculum content their children are being exposed to, that they are taking matters into their own hands, saying enough is enough, and courageously stepping up to begin home educating their own children, said Steele.

Autumn Spredemann contributed to this report.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivers a speech via video link to the opening ceremony of the Bo'ao Forum For Asia in southern China's Hainan Province on April 21, 2022. (Huang Jingwen/Xinhua via AP)

Xi Jinpings Public Statements Mask the Truth

Debunking some of Beijing's recent lies

Commentary

There is an old adage to which many people subscribe: How do you tell if a politician is lying? When his lips move. If communist is substituted for politician, the accuracy of the adage increases to over 95 percent of the time.

Let us examine Chinese leader Xi Jinpings latest whoppers that have been dutifully amplified and propagated by state-run Chinese media.

Whole-Process Peoples Democracy

On June 27, Xi made a pitch for soliciting public opinion on issues in preparation for the upcoming 20th National Congress that will be held this fall. According to China Daily, Xi claimed that collecting public opinions online is an example of the whole-process peoples democracy.

From state-run Peoples Daily: Whole-process peoples democracy includes democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight. It integrates with the will of the state.

Of course, the will of the state is manifested by the arbitrary authoritarian rules and diktats of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is certainly not based on inputs from average Chinese citizens. This is how to interpret Xis remarks properly: we will be happy to accept public input, but the CCP will decide what is best for China.

Xis whole-process peoples democracy has resulted in the complete corruption of CCP-approved political parties in China, complete control of the candidate selection process for elected positions at all levels of government, and intimidation, coercion, and psychological conditioning of Chinese citizens to conform and defer to CCP decision-making in all circumstances.

This is certainly not democracy as understood by the rest of the world, and the notion that public opinion is important in the CCPs deliberations is absurd.

In communist China, what citizen would risk persecution by the state by submitting a real suggestion for change that runs counter to the CCP?

Perhaps Xi is merely soliciting inputs from the 95 million CCP members who can be expected to toe the line. Or perhaps he is being even more clever.

That article also mentioned that many suggestions from the general public sought via the internet platform have been taken into the Government Work Report delivered at the annual session of the National Peoples Congress.

Since no specific examples were given, perhaps in the interests of conveying a facade of democracy, Xi may actually be using CCP members to submit opinions online to make it seem like communist China is a participatory democracy in the Western sensebut with Chinese characteristics.

Portraits of detained Chinese human rights lawyers Jian Tianyong (L) and Wang Quanzhang are seen as Hong Kong pro-democracy activists observe a silent protest in support of human rights lawyers in China outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kongs central district on July 9, 2017. (Tengku Bahar/AFP/Getty Images)

Xi Calls for Global Cooperation

On June 26, as reported by state-run Xinhua, Xi called for high-quality partnerships for a new era of global development during a virtual meeting of something called the High-level Dialogue on Global Development.

Virtual participants included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao, and Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, as well as presidents and prime ministers from a dozen other largely Asian and Middle Eastern countries. These countries are pursuing alternatives to the Western-dominated world economic, legal, and financial system.

For the last several years, Xi has been pushing the United Nations grand plan, called Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including during this recent virtual meeting. Beijing is attempting to reorient the U.N. and its various agencies under Chinese leadership while at the same time displacing the United States as the worlds only superpower. Pushing the U.N.s plan helps achieve those ends.

Sustainable development is a euphemism that embraces the integration of four dimensions: society, environment, culture, and economy. The environment dimension is key for Xi, as China has become the worlds largest supplier of solar panels and other so-called green technology. Sustainable ultimately means money to the Chinese regime. The rest is gobbledygook and expediency toward the CCPs long-term goals of world dominance and leadership.

Xis high-quality partnership is more correctly centered on the spiderweb arrangement of his Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also called One Belt, One Road), in which the web ensnares other countries in debt traps for the benefit of China (the spider at the center of the web). In short, those partnerships that Xi mentions are implemented in Chinese terms, not as real partnerships as the term is generally understood by most people.

Does Xi Support the UNs 2030 Agenda?

Part of the vision statement for that plan includes this sentence: We envisage a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality and non-discrimination; of respect for race, ethnicity and cultural diversity; and of equal opportunity permitting the full realization of human potential and contributing to shared prosperity.

During the virtual meeting, Xi stated, Only when people all over the world live better lives can prosperity be sustained, security safeguarded, and human rights solidly grounded.

Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong adherents, Christians, and other minority and religious groups who have long been persecuted in China fully understand that the CCP does not uphold human rights. Human rights with Chinese characteristics as defined by Xi really means CCP torture and reeducation camps.

Protesters hold placards linking Chinas human rights record and the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympic Games during a rally in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 9, 2022. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images)

During that virtual meeting, Xi claimed that his goal was to help build an open world economy, and shape a global governance system and institutional environment that are more just and equitable.

Are we to believe that the leader of mercantilist Chinawhich has a tightly controlled and highly regulated economy, as well as a totalitarian government that is accelerating the use of social controls to surveil and enforce CCP-approved behavior by all Chinese citizensis somehow interested in a global governance system that is more just and equitable than existing international organizations? Please.

On June 20, state-run China Daily quoted Xis remarks on fighting corruption made to a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CCPs Central Committee. Xi stated that more work must be done to reduce chances for officials to engage in corruption, including steps to focus on departments that are responsible for policymaking, approval, supervision and law enforcement.

Anti-corruption campaigns have been a hallmark of the CCP since Xi took power in 2012. They have a triple benefit for Xi: anti-corruption measures are a convenient excuse to purge factional rivals; they are popular with the general public, who witness corruption among CCP bureaucrats virtually every day; and they are used to distract the general public from the bad results of CCP policies.

Ten years after he announced his first war on corruption, Xi raised the issue again at a politburo meeting in June 2022. According to China Daily, anti-graft bodies nationwide investigated over 4 million cases [of corruption] between November 2012 and October 2021, in which 4.37 million officials, including 484 senior officials, were held accountable for their wrongdoing.

If Xi is claiming that corruption is still a major problem after ten years of anti-corruption campaigns, then either the Central Commission for Discipline Inspectionthe main government entity involved in the anti-corruption effortsis itself corrupt or at the very least inept, or perhaps one or more of the above three reasons is really what is behind Xis latest public utterances about corruption.

Concluding Thoughts

Nothing that Xi states publicly should be taken at face value. To determine his real meaning, one must decipher each Marxist euphemism and phrase carefully. Three recent public utterances are cases in point: soliciting public opinions, calling for high-quality partnerships, and fighting corruption.

Xis definitions divert greatly from how non-communists, in particular, would define those phrases. Each is best described by adding this phrase afterward: with communist Chinese characteristics.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
NEW HAVEN  A man, woman and a large dog were rescued Thursday evening after a small plane dropped into the Quinnipiac River, according to officials.

Good Samaritans operating two boats in the marina saved the passengers from the water, according to New Havens Director of Emergency Operations, Rick Fontana.

The threes trip originated in Wellington, Fla. They stopped in Woodbine, N.J. and were on their way to New Bedford, Mass., when the crash occurred, according to Fontana and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

The planes passengers appeared to be uninjured.

Officials are concerned about the environmental impact of the crash, as the single-engine 1988 Beechcraft Bonanza landed on sensitive oyster beds, Elicker said.

Fontana said the passengers started experiencing engine trouble at around 7,000 feet.

The pilot radioed the tower at Tweed New Haven Airport saying that he was in distress and the engine was sputtering. Sean Scanlon, the executive director of Tweed New Haven Airport, said the pilot made a personal decision to land the plane, fearing he could not make it to Tweed.

It was a very difficult situation for him and I think he made a very good decision, Scanlon said.

Landing a plane in the river is not an easy thing to do, according to Scanlon.

Obviously, he is a pretty skilled pilot, he added.

New Haven Assistant Fire Chief Justin McCarthy said the plane came to a safe landing just north of the Grand Avenue Bridge. The two freed themselves and their dog from the aircraft and stood in the shallow water on a sand bar, he added.

The passengers were medically evaluated on land. McCarthy said they were a little shaken up, but other than that, they were not experiencing any issues.

Jonathan Perlich, the co-owner of the Quinnipiac Marina on Front Street, said he saw the plane land at 4:56 p.m.

Im glad no one got hurt, Perlich said.

At first, Perlich thought the aircraft was a seaplane.He came in nice and easy, he added of the way the pilot handled the aircraft.

Elicker was grateful there were no injuries. He said the main concern now is the local environment as the plane landed on protected oyster beds.

The team is working to secure the plane and bring it to shore, Elicker said.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to the incident. Will Healey, a spokesperson with the agency, said the aircraft was intact and authorities will use floating bags to move the plane from the oyster beds to a nearby dock where the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board can investigate.

Some 55 gallons of fuel were estimated to be on board the aircraft, and a small amount leaked from a breather vent, according to Healey.

At this time, environmental impact is deemed minimal, he said. Authorities will use absorbent booms to soak up the oil.

We are ensuring that there is no fuel or oil leaking into the water right now, McCarthy said. Authorities were looking to get a crane to lift the plane out, but McCarthy was not certain if that could happen Thursday night.

We are working with the tide, he added.

McCarthy said his crew had not spotted any sheen in the water that would indicate a fuel leak early Thursday evening.

In addition to personnel from DEEP, Coast Guard and federal NTSB and FAA officials were on their way to the scene.

McCarthy said the fire department will remain on the scene Thursday night to make sure there are no hazards.

Staff writer Liz Hardaway contributed to this report.
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DOVER, Del. (AP)  The jury in the corruption trial of Delaware State Auditor Kathy McGuiness acquitted her on Friday of felony charges of theft and witness intimidation but found her guilty on three misdemeanor counts.

Jurors deliberated for about four hours over two days before finding McGuiness, a Democrat elected in 2018, guilty of conflict of interest, official misconduct and structuring a contract with a consulting firm to avoid compliance with state procurement rules.

It marks the first time in Delaware history that a sitting statewide elected official has been convicted on criminal charges.

Even though fellow Democrats quickly called on her to resign, the misdemeanor convictions don't prevent McGuiness from holding public office, and she said she still plans to seek reelection in November.

The conflict of interest charge involved the May 2020 hiring of McGuinesss daughter, Elizabeth Saylar McGuiness, who still works for the auditors office. Prosecutors alleged that Saylar McGuiness, 20, was hired even as other part-time workers in the auditors office left because of a lack of work during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities said McGuiness then allowed her daughter special privileges, including access to a state vehicle and permission to work remotely while away at college in South Carolina, that were not available to other casual-seasonal workers.

The jury rejected the prosecutions claim that, by exercising control over state funds used to pay Saylar McGuiness, and having access to their joint bank account, Kathy McGuiness committed felony theft. Jurors also acquitted her on a felony charge of intimidating and harassing employees who she suspected might be cooperating in an investigation of her office.

McGuiness was convicted, however, of structuring payments under a no-bid communications services contract with My Campaign Group, a consulting firm she had used in a 2016 campaign for lieutenant governor, to avoid having to get them approved by the state Division of Accounting.

The structuring and conflict of interest convictions laid the foundation for jurors to also find McGuiness guilty of official misconduct. Each of the three misdemeanor charges carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, but a presumptive sentence of probation. No sentencing date has been set.

I will say I believe its political, McGuiness said when asked why she found herself in court.

Both McGuiness and Democratic Attorney Kathleen Jennings have been mentioned as possible gubernatorial candidates in 2024.

From the moment I took office, I promised that no one would be either above the law or beneath justice, Jennings said in a prepared statement. Todays guilty verdict confirmed that.

Defense attorney Steve Wood said he would refile a motion for acquittal on all charges or, alternatively, ask for a new trial. He said Superior Court Judge William Carpenter Jr. made multiple erroneous decisions during and in advance of the trial.

The state engaged in multiple acts of discovery misconduct which the court agreed with, but then failed to impose any kind of a meaningful sanction. The crime of structuring as defined by the court we have argued, and will argue again, is contrary to the way the crime is defined in Delaware law, Wood said.

Along the way, we repeatedly objected to evidence that we thought is nothing other than inadmissible and unfair character evidence, he added.

As state auditor, McGuiness is responsible for rooting out government fraud, waste and abuse. Instead of protecting the public from such misconduct, McGuiness engaged in it, prosecutor Mark Denney told jurors in closing arguments.

Kathy McGuiness knew just how to play the system, and she did, he said.

Wood, meanwhile, noted that chief investigator Franklin Robinson repeatedly made false statements in a search warrant affidavit and grand jury testimony, despite seeing documents with contradicting information. Wood told jurors the prosecutions investigation was incomplete, incompetent and biased from the very beginning, and spurred by complaints from disgruntled employees as McGuiness tried to make changes in her office following her predecessors 30-year tenure.

We had some bumps along the way. ... Change is very difficult for some folks, McGuiness said. I wanted to make that office relevant again, because I can tell you that most people dont even know we have a state auditor and what we do.

Following the verdict, Democratic leaders in the state Senate called on McGuiness to resign immediately, having previously urged her to take a leave of absence pending her trial.

Any public official engaged in these behaviors is unfit for public office, but especially the states top financial watchdog, the lawmakers said.

The misdemeanor convictions, however, do not disqualify McGuiness from holding office.

In October, just days before McGuiness was indicted, the Delaware Supreme Court overturned a judges ruling that a small-town police chief who had been convicted of official misconduct was guilty of an infamous crime under Delawares constitution, and therefore unable to serve as a town commissioner. The judges ruling came in response to a petition by Jennings seeking to nullify Michael Caprigliones election as a Newport town commissioner.

The Supreme Court determined, however, that only felonies can be disqualifying infamous crimes.
Illinois has launched a new program to help investigate gun crimes.

Crime Gun Connect will digitize gun records, making it easier for law enforcement agencies to trace crime-gun records.

To solve crimes committed using firearms, we are turning more and more towards technology and increasing information sharing opportunities to help expand the reach and coordination of law enforcement agencies and the justice system, said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly.

ISP created a portal that has grown over the years into a one-stop-shop where law enforcement can get intelligence for crime-gun related enforcement, and now includes the Crime Gun Connect tool, he said.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the existing process requires requests on paper, slowing investigations. Crime Gun Connect was developed in collaboration with the state police and Everytown for Gun Safety.

The searchable digital database contains more than 100,000 crime gun trace records dating back to 2009, using data from about 200 Illinois law enforcement agencies. More than 60% of firearms recovered from Illinois crime scenes originate out of state, Raoul said, making the new platform essential in monitoring gun trafficking.



The platform is available to Illinois law enforcement agencies enrolled in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) eTrace system that have opted in to collective data sharing through eTrace. Collective data sharing allows agencies to share crime-gun trace records with other participating agencies.

Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC said tracking the flow of illegal guns, and going after straw purchasers, were proven strategies to reduce gun violence.

"This portal will enhance the ability of all law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute illegal gun trafficking and gun crimes in Illinois," she said. "Under the new bipartisan federal gun law signed by President Biden, straw purchasers are now subject to 15-year federal prison terms. Illinois new gun data portal can help turn these stricter statutory sentences into reality  helping stop the flow of illegal guns to gangs and others engaged in criminal violence." This joint development by the Attorney General and the State Police is the exact kind of cooperative law enforcement effort that Illinois needs.

Illinois also has launched a free online resource that lets the public access crime-gun data online. Available on the Attorney General's website, it also provides aggregate totals of crime-gun recoveries by region and illustrates how many of the firearms were first sold by out-of-state retailers.
Abortion facilities in the Metro East are vying to continue offering services following a Supreme Court decision on June 24.

Last week the high court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that provided a constitutional right to abortion. The June 24 ruling left states to decide the legality of abortion. It remains legal in Illinois but is now illegal in Missouri.

Erin King, executive director of Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, said she was "heartbroken" by the Supreme Court's decision.

"The ruling will immediately affect every person in this country, but will disproportionately impact Black, indigenous and people of color and other historically marginalized communities," King said.

"Hope Clinic is committed to serving as a crucial hub of access to abortion care, just as we have for the last five decades," she said. "We will ensure that people from communities across the South and Midwest can still access the safe, quality health care they need and deserve."

According to King, the clinic is creating a network to help people access abortions and other forms of reproductive health care. Those efforts included collaborating with Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region last in late 2021 to open the Regional Logistics Center which connects people with existing abortion funds and support organizations. It also provides assistance with travel and funding.

"Illinois maintains strong protections for abortion access, and we urge our policymakers to continue enacting legislation that guarantees the right of each person to make decisions about our own bodies," King said. "We will speak out against any efforts by anti-abortion extremists in Illinois to promote policies and litigation that could create barriers to abortion.

"This is not the end of the struggle to protect abortion access, but unfortunately it is a new beginning," she said. "We will fight for people in our community and across the country who need abortion care  and it is a fight we are determined to win."

Planned Parenthood of Illinois, which has a facility in Fairview Heights, Illinois, posted on Facebook that the court ruling left the organization "outraged and heartbroken.

"We've been doing everything we can to prepare for this very moment," the group said. "There is a tough road ahead of us, but we will not be defeated."

Yamelsie Rodriguez, President /CEO of Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, said the court ruling was the "worst case scenario for 36 million people of reproductive age."

"Everything that led to the overturning of Roe should be a stain on our history from which we must learn and do better," Rodriguez said. "This begins a rebuilding of a future with abortion equity  not just rights or access, but rights and access for all people.

"From this day on, we cannot accept compromise, middle ground, or good enough,'" she said. "We must demand a system that creates abortion access for all people who need it, no matter their identity, insurance status, or zip code.

"Were not going anywhere; we're just getting started," she said.
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ISLAMABAD (AP)  The Talibans supreme leader offered prayers Friday for Afghanistan's earthquake victims during a speech to Islamic clerics in Kabul.

The tremor in June killed more than 1,000 people in the eastern part of the country. State radio aired Haibatullah Akhundzadas speech live Friday from the gathering in Kabul, where thousands of Islamic clerics and tribal elders are together for the first time since seizing power in Afghanistan in August. Women were not allowed to attend.

Akhundzadas appearance added symbolic heft to the meeting and the decisions the group is considering about Afghanistans future. The Taliban are under international pressure to be more inclusive as they struggle with Afghanistans humanitarian crises.

The powerful earthquake killed more than 1,000 people in eastern Afghanistan, igniting yet another crisis for the struggling country and further underscoring the Talibans limited capabilities and isolation. Overstretched aid groups already keeping millions of Afghans alive rushed supplies to the quake victims, but most countries responded tepidly to Taliban calls for international help.

In his hour-long speech, Akhundzada called the Taliban takeover a "victory for the Muslim world.

He added that, Afghan businessmen should return and invest in the country.

Akhundzada has been the spiritual chief of the Islamist movement but has remained a reclusive figure.

He rose from low-profile to leader of the Taliban in a swift transition of power after a 2016 U.S. drone strike killed his predecessor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

After being appointed leader, Akhundzada secured the backing of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who showered the cleric with praise, calling him the emir of the faithful.

The endorsement by Osama bin Ladens heir helped seal his jihadist credentials with the Talibans longtime allies.

Akhundzada told the gathered clerics and leaders that during the bloody takeover, the Taliban never intended to fight the Afghans" allied with the U.S.-led force. "We fought them because they became the shield of the invaders, he said.

The Taliban, who have kept a complete lock on decision-making since taking over the country, touted the gathering in the capital of Kabul as a forum to hear a range of voices on issues facing Afghanistan.

But all those who addressed the assembly  and, it appeared, the overwhelming majority of attendees  were Taliban officials and supporters, mostly Islamic clerics.

Women were not allowed to attend, although media reports suggested that the reopening of the girls schools would be discussed. The Talibans supreme leader earlier this year banned girls after sixth grade from attending school and issued a decree requiring women in public to cover themselves completely, except for their eyes.

The Talibans Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi told state broadcaster RTA on Wednesday that male delegates would represent women. When their sons are in the gathering it means that they are also involved, he said.

The gathering was held in the Loya Jirga Hall of Kabuls Polytechnic University. A Loya Jirga is a gathering of tribal leaders and prominent figures, a traditional Afghan way for local leaders to have their grievances heard by rulers. However, the Taliban notably did not call the gathering a Loya Jirga, instead titling it the Great Conference of Ulema, the term in Islam for religious scholars and clerics.

The international cut-off of Afghanistans financing has deepened the countrys economic collapse and fueled its humanitarian crises. Millions in the country rely on international aid to have enough food to live.

The meeting comes as finance and central bank officials from the Taliban-led government are meeting with U.S. officials in Qatar to discuss economic and aid issues following last weeks earthquake.

The Washington Post first reported Tuesday that senior Biden administration officials are working with the Taliban leadership on a mechanism to allow Afghanistans government to use its central bank reserves to deal with the countrys severe hunger and poverty crises while erecting safeguards to ensure the funds are not misused.
FARGO, N.D. (AP)  A coalition of veterans organizations is upset over plans to build an outhouse on the grounds of a national cemetery that borders North Dakota and Minnesota.

The group said Tuesday it plans to file a formal complaint with the Department of Veterans Affairs over the outdoor bathroom set to be built next to a proposed Native American ceremony area at the Fargo National Cemetery.
A group has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look for a peaceful and united Nigeria before aspiring to a peaceful transition in 2023, when his two terms of office as president would elapse.

This was contained in a statement issued by a non-governmental organization, the Advocacy Network on Religious and Cultural Coexistence (ANORACC), on Thursday, June 30, 2022.

The President of ANORACC, Odimegwu Onwumere, speaking in Port Harcourt after the president's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the quest for a "peaceful transition" known, said that Nigeria needed peace and unity today before 2023.

According to Onwumere, "President Muhammadu Buhari has spoken of his fear of a peaceful transition in 2023 while we are in 2022, like someone who is in a hurry to hand over the reins of power to the would-be succeeding government, like someone who is on a hot seat lagging what to do."

The group asked the president to do everything within his power to make sure that he calmed perceived frayed nerves across the country to a calm spirit where the citizens would be harmonious within themselves so that there would be an easy coexistence before he gave up power.

"It's palpable that insecurity and price increases in almost everything in Nigeria have caused the president to lose his inner peace, and as a result, he's thrilling to hand over the upset country to whoever wins the 2023 presidential election," Onwumere said.

The ANORACC added that it was appalling that the citizens have been living a depressed life occasioned by hardship as if they were living in the decades past and have lost hope and are anxious about the future if the president refused to address the issues of energy, insecurity, infrastructure, health, free press, etc. today.

"When things change positively for Nigerians under the Buhari administration, things will change positively around Nigeria before the 2023 handover.

It's pertinent that the president understands that the majority of Nigerians are looking for peace of mind for five minutes in today's Nigeria given the bedeviling news and personal economic woes they are feeding on daily before he talked about peace in the 2023 transition," Onwumere said.

Onwumere, therefore, cautioned that the president ought to stop making utterances as if peace in Nigeria was very far, while advising that the absence of politics played in virtually all the spectra of administrations in the country would absolutely lead to peace.

Odimegwu Onwumere,

President, Advocacy Network on Religious and Cultural Coexistence (ANORACC),

Port Harcourt.

WhatsApp:+2348032552855.


The corruption of the Senate was in view some hours ago as Nigerians witnessed an unusual form of senatorial conduct during the screening of ministerial nominees.

I dont mean the kind of corruption that regularly sends public officials like legislators and executive officers to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) due to charges of bribery, embezzlement, and misappropriation of public funds.

I'm referring to corruption as procedures that involve the explicit or implicit violation of norms of conduct by supposed entrusted lawmakers who should be impartial in their decision-making work.

Senator Rochas Okorocha (APC: Imo West) during the screening of ministerial nominees was not allowed by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to directly interrogate a ministerial nominee under screening. Ironically, the ministerial nominee, Goodluck Nana Opiah, according to Okorocha, comes from his constituency in Imo State. 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 democracy should become in Nigeria.

It is very important that the current constitutional, presidential, legislative, and senatorial systems in Nigeria were mainly adopted from Americas Constitution. Whereas part of the senate's tradition of unlimited debate has it that no senator can be disallowed to speak and pose questions to nominees.

In a more democratic manner, Okorocha countered and tried to educate the senators present during the screening irrespective of the so-called agreement reached in the chambers closed-door session, pointing out that the minimization of questions and the syndrome of "bow and go" are anti-democratic practices.

Beyond screening these recent nominees, Okorocha believed that as part of a non-schizophrenic or primitive approach to screening ministerial nominees, he wanted to apparently ask questions that reflect not only on his constituency but also on the plethora of problems plaguing the country.

Taking nominees to task becomes more important, especially when the presidency sends nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation in a schizophrenic or confusing manner, meaning with no identified portfolios that the potential ministers are supposed to occupy.

The likes of Okorocha believe that in order for the young democracy to move forward, ministerial nominees should openly go through a rigorous confirmation process.

During a debate on nominees or other vital matters, it is worth knowing that every state and senator has an equal voice in the Senate, and in the case of what happened between Lawan and Okorocha, it is worth knowing that senatorial courtesy allows senators to ask detailed questions about nominees from their home constituencies.

Certainly, there could be concern that a senator might block nominees from their home districts, especially in a troubled society marked with sentimental, ethnic, and religious divides and negative competing elements. However, it is still a senators right to speak to issues other than emotions. Just listen to what he or she is going to say.

No current Nigerian is oblivious to the fact that there is bad blood between Okorocha and the current Imo State governor.

On the basis of parliamentary fairness and with the permission of the Senate president, a senator should ask direct questions of a nominee. In this matter, the Senate President had allowed another Imo state Senator to speak defensively, so why disallow another, such as Okorocha, from making comments even if they were differing questions?

Nigerians should not be allowed to have the perception of autocratic abuse going on in the national assembly or elsewhere.

We are still a democracy, no matter how disturbed. Even when inside the parliamentarian chambers, just like Okorocha's legal position, are full of men and women with unfinished and current fraud cases and misappropriating public funds under a weak criminal justice system, each senator must assume duty to their constituent and nation in terms of service.

It is only in a schizophrenic or troubled democratic environment where systems are mired in confusion that allows for potential ministers who are to drive national policies to be allowed to take office even when they are not faced with hard questions that could determine the quality of people that will take charge of the economy.

As long as the people allow an environment characterized by incomprehensibility, confusion, and erratic or undemocratic behavior, improvement, and progressive performance in every sectoreconomy, education, youth development, energy, and powerand others suffer.

In a society where self-interest trumps public interest, knowing what nominees will bring beyond their past histories before they are confirmed ministers makes the country less disorganized, unreal, and confused, and more safe and sluggishly progressive.

It is a fact that more Africans, including Nigeria, live in entirely or partially authoritarian societies today than at most points in the last few decades. Let's hope in the next presidential administration and national assembly in Nigeria, along with Senator Okorochas thinking, democratic norms and consolidating democratic practices slowly get enshrined in Nigeria. This is my fantasy.

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]


Acting on the strength of the current political tempo (or is it temperatures) in the country which encourages all to obtain their permanent Voters Cards (PVC), I took a trip to one of the Government buildings in Lagos venue of the programme.

The venue was filled to capacity and dotted with all manners of Nigerians of the major ethnic groups. I met with courageous Nigerians and came across Nigerian youths, mostly boys with a sprinkle of girls, who have met resistance from their own government in the past but refused to give up in their quest to build a better Nigeria.

But of all that I heard/observed, the gathering acknowledged what has been on the mind of Nigerians, They explained that their decision to actively participate in this electoral process was not taken hastily or rashly. But because there is little hope for us until they become tough-minded enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice, half-truth, and downright ignorance. As any nation that produces soft minded men purchases its own spiritual and socio-economic death at installment plan. They essentially demonstrated a strong conviction that none discrimination, justice and fairness are the foundations for peace, unity, stability and economic prosperity of any nation. And further asserted that building a nation where all citizens of the country shall not be discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, birth or other status is possible.

As I listen to these youthful Nigerians paint a gory picture of the situation in the country, I recall how the Justice Development and Peace Centre (JDPC), Catholic Archdiocese Of Lagos, a while ago, during a press briefing gave a similar account about our nation.

On that day, at that time and in that place, the Group among other concerns noted that the greatest and immediate danger to the survival of the Nigerian state today is the unwarranted, senseless, premeditated, well organized and orchestrated killings across the country-from Benue to the Plateau, Taraba to Zamfara, Enugu to Ebonyi, Kogi to Edo, Ekiti to Ondo, where Nigerians are cut down at will, babies ripped from their mothers wombs, houses destroyed and burnt down, particularly when all the time the killers are never apprehended, even when they make self implicating statements about such killings.

The countrys economy, the Group added, has shown its inability to sustain any kind of meaningful growth that promotes the social welfare of the people. The result can be seen in the grinding poverty in the land (eighty percent of Nigerians are living on less than two dollars per day - according to the African Development Bank (AFDB) 2018 Nigeria Economic Outlook). Nigeria is ranked among the poorest countries in the world. Sadly, according to a report from Brookings Institute, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extremely poor in early 2018 in the world. At the end of May 2018, Brookings Institute's trajectories suggest that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared with Indias 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute.

In Education, 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, the highest in the world. Our industries continue to bear the brunt of a negative economic environment. As a result, job losses and unemployment continue to skyrocket, creating a serious case of social dislocation for the vast majority of our people.

The running of our countrys economy continues to go against the provisions of our constitution which stipulates forcefully that the commanding heights of the economy must not be concentrated in the hands of few people. The continous takeover of national assets through dubious (privatization) programs by politicians and their collaborators is deplorable and clearly against the people of Nigeria. The attempt to disengage governance from public sector control of the economy has only played into the hands of private profiteers of goods and services to the detriment of the Nigerian people.

On social issues, let's listen to the Group; Life in Nigeria, quoting Thomas hobbs, has become nasty, brutish, and short. Nigerians have never had it so bad. Indeed, while Nigerians diminish socially and economically, the privileged political class continues to flourish in obscene splendor as they pillage and ravage the resources of our country at will. This malfeasance at all levels of governance has led to the destruction of social infrastructure relevant to a meaningful and acceptable level of social existence for our people. Adequate investment in this area, it has been shown, is clearly not the priority of those in power.

As a result, our hospitals whether state owned or federal owned have become veritable death centers where people go to die rather than to be healed. The absence of basic items such as hand gloves and masks are indicative of the level of decadence and rot in the countrys health National Budget recommended by the United Nations.

With regards to the criminal justice system, our people, especially the poor and vulnerable continue to suffer unprecedented acts of intimidation and violation of rights at the hands of security agencies across the country. Extra judicial killings, lack of scientific based investigation of crimes and corruption in the judiciary contribute to acts of injustice against the innocent. Our prisons have become places where prisoners are hardened rather than places of reformation of prisoners for reintegration back into the society.

Also, Nigerian workers have faced unprecedented hardship over the years as governments across the nation continue to deprive them of legitimately earned salaries and pensions. It is quite unfortunate that as a Nation we are still debating minimum wage, and not even living wage, especially in a country where every commodity has skyrocketed save the monthly take home of workers. And we supposedly have leaders who claim to have the interest of the masses at heart. Tell me another lie!!!

As to solution to these challenges, JDPC succulently puts it this way; surely, leadership holds the key to unlocking the transformation question in Nigeria, but to sustain these drive leaders must carry certain genes and attributes that are representative of this order. They expressed the belief that only a sincere and selfless leader and a politically and economically restructured polity brought about by national consensus can unleash the social and economic forces that can ensure the total transformation of the country and propel her to true greatness.

This will help to ensure that there is provision of adequate social infrastructure such as genuine poverty alleviation programmes and policies, healthcare, education, job provision, massive industrialization, electricity provision to mention a few. It is critical to jettison this present socio-economic system that has bred corruption, inefficiency, primitive capital accumulation and socially excluded the vast majority of our people. The only way this can be done is to work to build a new social and political order that can mobilize the people around common interests, with visionary leadership to drive this venture. Only then can we truly begin to resolve some of the socio-economic contradictions afflicting the nation. This is the pathway to true, genuine and lasting peace.

For us to achieve this as a nation, this piece holds the opinion that the first step to take is for all Nigerians to cap themselves with Permanent Voters Card!!!!
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it's projecting to hold a one  day national protest to push the Federal Government to accede to the demands of university-based unions.

The President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, made this disclosure on Thursday while speaking in Abuja during the opening of the National Executive Council meeting of the Congress.

He said that reports from a meeting of its Central Working Committee showed that there was no progress in the negotiation between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and National Association of Academic Technologists.

Wabba directed all the affiliate unions of the NLC to issue directives on the planned one-day national protest from next week.

In his words, I think there is reluctance in addressing this issue (of strike) and therefore, CWC has decided that there will be a one-day national protest to call the attention of the government to resolve the issue immediately. After that, the next decision of the CWC will take place.

He, however, did not state when the national protest will hold.

Wabba also lamented the present fuel crisis in the country, while adding that the congress is studying the sack of teachers by the Kaduna State Government.
At least, 20 persons have been reportedly killed by gunmen suspected to be terrorists in different attacks unleashed on three villages in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Sources said the gunmen who were numbering 30 on motorbikes, stormed the communities, shooting indiscriminately on Thursday afternoon.

The bandits were also said to be moving from house to house, killing people.

According to a source in the area, 20 people lost their lives while several houses were destroyed during the attack.

25 women were also abducted by the gunmen, the source disclosed.

It was learnt that while some of the victims have been laid to rest, other residents have deserted the communities.
A former senator, Dino Melaye has appealed to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, that the time for him to become Nigeria's president is yet to come.

The ex-lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, enjoined Peter Obi to wait for his time before he could be back and contest for president.

He made the appeal in a video published on his verified Facebook page on Friday.

In the video, the former Kogi lawmaker could be heard saying, I have listened to your postulations, I have listened to your arguments, I have listened to your deliveries, I have listened to your campaigns and I can say 90 percent of your campaigns are dwelling on reducing the cost of governance."
The 27th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP27) will be held in Egypt during 7-18 November 2022. Amid unmet climate commitments, lingering disruptions due to COVID-19, and the finance, energy and food challenges created by the war in Ukraine, Africa Renewals Franck Kuwonu, talks to the current Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on climate change, Mr. Ephraim Mwepya Shitima of Zambia, about Africas priorities and what a successful COP27 would look like for the continent. These are excerpts:

What are Africas priorities in the lead-up to COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt?

For the African Group, COP27 should be about advancing implementation of the National Determined Contributions (NDCs), including adaptation and mitigation efforts and delivery of finance to enhance implementation.

COP26 concluded the remaining guidance on implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change , therefore, we need to advance the implementation of our climate actions.

For instance, we would like to see the conference reach a concrete decision on the global goal for adaptation. The latest IPCC Working group report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, highlighted the annual cost of adaptation in developing countries from $140 billion to $300 billion by 2030. We are calling for adaptation financing to match these figures.

Mr. Ephraim Mwepya Shitima of Zambia, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on climate change.

Is Africa devising a new common position on key issues or you are sticking with the one used for COP26?

After every COP, we prepare and update the African Group Position following the decisions of committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). It should be noted that some agenda items we have worked on through the years may require reiterating of African views. For example, we will continue calling for global goal for adaptation to be operationalized and guide the adaptation efforts of countries. We will also reiterate the importance of delivering the $100 billion a year by 2020 goal that was not met by developed countries.

How does the crisis in Ukraine impact Africas priorities?

The concern is that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is directly contributing to the exacerbation of the food price crisis , bringing to the fore the need for food supply chains resilience. The soaring food prices combined with the impacts of climate induced droughts could create an even grimmer outlook for food security in coming years.

In addition to the food crisis, the scramble by many countries to find alternative sources to energy they used to get from Russia appears to be a setback for the climate agenda as new investments are being made in fossil fuels and new supply routes being created.

Diversion of attention from climate obligations in terms of climate finance , is another area of concern. But as we go back to the negotiations, our hope is that it shouldn't affect the outcome, as the multilateral process is guided by its rules and guidelines, irrespective of the geopolitical situation and should not make us lower our expectations.

Will it make negotiations easier or difficult this time round?

The current situation is difficult. However, the negotiations under the UNFCCC are guided by the Paris Agreement obligations, and we are committed to collectively enhancing and progressing our work under the UNFCCC. All the IPCC reports call for urgent climate action, and the Africa Group will continue to call for urgent climate action, accordingly.

What are the lessons, if any, that Africa learned from COP 26 in Glasgow that will be useful at COP27?

COPs are multilateral processes that are guided by the UNFCCC. Africa has and will continue to stress the importance of multilateral process, and COP27 will strengthen the multilateral efforts guided by the UNFCCC.

Many promises were made at COP26, including meeting the $100 billion financing gap by developed countries. How is that going?

Following the call by developing countries, the COP26 noted with regret that developed country parties have not met the $100 billion goal annually. The COP also agreed on a Climate Finance Delivery Plan: Meeting the US$100 Billion Goal by 2025.

The African Group will continue calling on developed country parties to meet their obligation and work with other parties to ensure the swift implementation of the climate finance delivery plan.

One of the issues is that we need to agree that the $100 billion is climate finance. The danger is that our partners would want aid given to Africa and other developing countries to count as climate finance, even when its not related to climate.

So, we would like to drive a very clear distinction between Official Development Assistance (ODA) and climate finance.

Generally speaking, why should Africans care about climate change? How should we explain this to the ordinary person?

The reality of climate change has dawned on us for quite some years now. Particularly for our rural communities who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods.

Probably, someone in the urban centres such as Lagos, Johannesburg or Cairo may want to be academic about it because the only thing that they see is the erratic rain patterns, with no direct consequence on their daily lives, because after all, they get their water from the taps. But for rural communities across the continent who must get all their resources from mother nature, the reality is very stark.

For instance, streams or rivers which used to be their lifeline are drying up and can no longer sustain them. As a result, agricultural productivity is going down. These people can barely harvest enough crops to take them to the next season.

These are things that these people can see. The only thing that can be done is to explain to them that their traditional coping mechanisms may no longer be adequate and therefore, they need support with additional tools.

But even to those who want to be academic; the urban dwellers for example, and to those who may not pay a lot of attention to the weather patterns, you can demonstrate to them that in most of their countries, load shedding is frequently happening because not enough electricity is generated due to water levels going down. It doesn't matter where people are, climate change affects everyone.

So, we should all care because climate change is impacting Africas economy as well as the development trajectory, and its adverse impacts are costing lives. The recent flooding in South Africa and its impact on peoples lives and the economy is another example.

Climate campaigners have been stressing that Africa contributes just 4 per cent of global gas emissions, yet it is highly threatened by the climate crisis. Does this argument resonate with the developed world?

It still does and we will continue pushing it. The African Group supports the need to consider this negligible contribution, and the adverse impact the continent is facing. It is important that campaigners bring to light African interests and support our agenda of sustainable development .

Africa cannot continue along the same traditional path which will simply be untenable and costly.

However, what is also true is that Africa cannot continue along the same traditional path which will simply be untenable and costly. For example, in the energy sector, we can no longer continue with the fossil fuels in the long term when the entire world is changing. We must adapt and change . In terms of our development trajectory, it must be low carbon development and one that will be sustainable.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect efforts to address the climate crisis in Africa?

The pandemic has had a severe impact on the health and the economy of Africa by contracting the GDP of the continent by up to 3.4% , with an estimated loss of between $173.1 billion and $236.7 billion for the years 20202021.

This has exacerbated the adverse impacts of climate change and reduced the capacity of African countries to adapt to climate change.

In terms of our development trajectory, it must be low carbon development and one that will be sustainable.

On the other hand, because of disruptions and the inability to meet in person, most countries were not able to update their NDCs on time.

In the larger scheme of things, however, COVID-19 has taught us the virtue of countries working together in tackling challenges. If we can apply the same model of cooperation to ensure that response to climate change is at that scale and resources quickly mobilized and made available to countries, that would be probably one of the lasting legacies from COVID-19.

What would be your idea of success for Africa at COP27?

We have a few expectations for COP27, but clear decisions on implementation of climate action will constitute success at COP27. We must have a lot of tangible, implementable outcomes . We must have decisions that people can point to and say: this is being implemented.

For more information on COVID-19, visit www.un.org/coronavirus

Africa Renewal


Lusaka, July 1, 2022  Somali authorities should immediately and thoroughly investigate the explosion that killed three people and injured journalists Abdikarin Mohamed Siyad and Khalid Mohamud Osman, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

On Monday, June 27, a vehicle carrying the journalists along with government and military officials was damaged by an explosive device in the town of Qabno, in Somalias central Hiiraan region, in Hirshabelle state, according to multiple media reports, a tweet by the Federation of Somali Journalists, and a joint statement from the local press freedom groups Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) and the Somali Media Association (SOMA).

Those reports alternatively refer to the explosive device as a roadside bomb and a land mine. CPJ was unable to immediately determine the nature of the device.

Three soldiers were killed in the explosion, and Abdikarin and Khalid, reporters with the state-owned Hirshabelle TV broadcaster, were injured, according to those sources and Hirshabelle Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Mohamed Abdirahman, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

The journalists were covering a military campaign against the militant group Al-Shabaab at the time of the attack, Mohamed told CPJ. He said the journalists were doing well and had sustained some injuries to their faces but did not have any broken bones. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to those sources.

The constant threat of physical attack looms dark over Somali journalists, and the only way to assuage these fears is to root out impunity and ensure accountability whenever a journalist is harmed in the course of their work, said CPJ sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo. Authorities should credibly investigate the injuries sustained by journalists Abdikarin Mohamed Siyad and Khalid Mohamud Osman in a recent explosion, as part of broader efforts to guarantee safety for journalists in Somalia.

On Monday, the two journalists were taken to the town of Guri El, in central Galmudug state, and on Tuesday were evacuated to the Somali capital of Mogadishu for further medical attention, according to Mohamed and news reports.

Hirshabelle police spokesperson Diini Roble told CPJ via messaging app that police were working to know the people behind this bombing.

Bashiir Abdullahi Osman, the SJS press freedom coordinator for Hirshabelle state, told CPJ via messaging app, Hirshabelle reporters work in a bad situation. The journalists fears are the explosions and threats posed by Al-Shabaab.

On Wednesday, Hirshabelle Vice-President Yusuf Ahmed Hagar visited the two journalists at Kalkaal Hospital in Mogadishu and promised to cover all expenses they incurred while hospitalized, Osman said.

On November 20, 2021, a suicide bombing killed journalist Abdiaziz Mohamud Guled and injured Sharmarke Mohamed Warsame and Abdukadir Abdullahi Nur in Mogadishu, as CPJ documented at the time.
At least, 40 bakeries in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have shut down operation due to high cost of production and multiple taxation.

According to findings, some of the bakeries that are no longer at work include; Abumme Bakery Ltd. Lugbe, Airports Road, Hamdala Bakery, Kuje, Harmony Bite Bakery, Karu, Doweey Delight Bakery Ltd, Kubwa.

Others are Merit Baker, Mpape, Funez Baker, Orozo, Slyz Bakery, Wuse Zone 2, among others.

The Chairman, Abuja Master Bakers, Mr Ishaq Abdulraheem, said bakeries in the FCT could no longer survive with the high cost of production.

He said that most members have lost their means of livelihood, while workers have been out of job due to the shut down.

Ishaq appealed to the Federal Government to quickly intervene and check agencies of government frustrating bakery business.

He revealed some of the agencies to include National Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Environmental Standards and Regulations, Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

He said that the six Area Councils in FCT had also made business very unpleasant and difficult for bakery with huge taxes and tenement rates.
The Court of Appeal, Lagos, on Friday, sentenced the Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Peter Nwaoboshi, to seven years imprisonment for money laundering.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Nwaoboshi and his two companies, Golden Touch Construction Project Limited and Suiming Electrical Limited on a two-count charge of fraud and money laundering.

The defendants were arraigned over the acquisition of a property named Guinea House in Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos, for N805 million.

The commission alleged that the N322 million Suiming Electrical Limited transferred on behalf of Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Project Limited was among the proceeds of fraud.

The Court also ordered that his two companies be wound up in line with the provisions of Section 22 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2021.
United States of America Senators, Marco Rubio and Josh Hawley have written to President Joe Biden to reinstate Nigeria's position as a "Country of Particular Concern" over increasing cases of violence against Christians in the country.

The letter was written by the two US Republican lawmakers and signed by another three senators, Mike Braun, Tom Cotton and Jim Inhofe.

In the letter to the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the senators urged President Biden to immediately reinstate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.

The US lawmakers noted that religious violence is still high in Nigeria which had been earlier put on the list of the countries of particular concern with regards to religious violence by President Donald Trumps administration but was delisted by the current Biden administration.

The letter which was also published on Senator Rubios official website reads: "As you are well aware, horrific acts of deadly violence have been committed against Nigerian Christians in recent weeks, including the massacre of churchgoers on Pentecost Sunday and the stoning of a Christian college student. Sadly, such violence has become all too familiar for Christians in Africas most populous country.

"Last year, however, you inexplicably removed Nigerias designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) despite no demonstrable improvement in the countrys religious freedom conditions. On the contrary, the situation in Nigeria has grown worse. We previously urged you to immediately reverse your misguided decision, and we write today to renew our call.

"Recent high-profile acts of violence underscore the intense religious persecution that is regularly experienced by Nigerian Christians. On Pentecost Sunday, gunmen attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in Nigerias Ondo state, reportedly killing at least 50 churchgoers.

"Last month, a violent mob brutally stoned to death Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a student at Shehu Shagari College of Education in northwest Nigeria. According to reports, some Islamist students were enraged by a blasphemous message Deborah had posted in a WhatsApp group, in which she said that Jesus Christ is the greatest. He helped me pass my exams. Merely expressing ones Christian faith has apparently become tantamount to a death sentence in many parts of Nigeria.

"Religious violence and intolerance directed toward Nigerian Christians has worsened in recent years. One report documented more than 4,650 cases of Nigerian Christians who were killed for their faith in 2021. Accordingly, Nigeria earns the dubious honorfor the second consecutive yearof being the deadliest country on earth for Christians.

"We wrote last year that "not only has the government of Nigeria failed to take meaningful steps to mitigate such violence, but Nigerian authorities restrict and crack down on religious minorities and detain individuals indefinitely on blasphemy-related charges. We remain concerned that the Nigerian government is failing to protect the religious freedom and basic safety of its Christian citizens.

"Furthermore, as this years annual reports from the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and from your own Department make clear, Nigerian government authorities directly participate in the persecution of Christians, Muslims, and even non-theists, most notoriously through arrests and convictions under blasphemy laws. Make no mistake: continued enforcement of state-sanctioned blasphemy laws enables the type of deadly violence that killed Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu and so many others.

"When we previously wrote you, we were met with a response which failed to answer our questions about why the State Department views Nigeria as not having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom or even severe violations of religious freedom. This is unacceptable, especially because you are required by federal law to consider the recommendation of USCIRFwhich, since 2009, has been to designate Nigeria as a CPC. In fact, USCIRF reiterated in its 2022 Annual Report that it was appalled at the removal of Nigerias CPC designation. Despite public statements from you and other State Department officials condemning the recent bloodshed in Nigeria, the fact remains that the Department still does not officially regard Nigeria as a severe violator of religious freedom.

"The State Department released its 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom on June 2, which starts the 90-day timeline for the Department to make its religious freedom designations. Given the abysmal state of religious freedom in Nigeria, it is incumbent upon you to reverse last years decision and redesignate the country as a CPC. The moment demands that you do so without delay."
The Federal High Court, Abakaliki has declared the order made on 22nd April, 2022 by the governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi, for the arrest and prosecution of an Abakaliki-based newspaper columnist and civil society activist, Mr. Monday Eze, over Eze's publication condemning the unlawful detention without trial of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Timothy Ngwuta, unconstitutional and a gross infringement of the activist's fundamental human rights.

Delivering the judgement on Friday, 1st July, 2022 in an application for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the applicant with suit number, FHC/73/2022 brought before the court by the columnist through his lawyer, Aleke, T.U. Esq., pursuant to Order 2 Rules 2, 3, 4 & 5 of the fundamental rights enforcement procedure 2009 as preserved by the 1999 CFRN (as amended), the presiding judge, His Lordship, Honourable Justice S.O. Riman, further declared the attempted arrest and abduction of the applicant by Ebonyi State Command of Ebubeagu Security Network following the said order of the Governor of Ebonyi State as unconstitutional, unlawful, unprovoked, unwarranted, and a gross violation of the applicant's fundamental rights to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof as enacted by section 41(1) of the 1999 CFRN as amended. The court issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents which includes Ebonyi State Government, Attorney-general of Ebonyi State and Ebonyi State Command of Ebubeagu Security Network; as well as their agents or privies to wit the police, Department of State Security (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the military and privies from further order to arrest, attempt to arrest, abduct, intimidate, harass, sending to exile and further infringement on the fundamental human rights of the applicant as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria.

The court ordered Ebonyi State government to pay the sum of Two million naira only as damages to the applicant over the attempt to arrest and abduct him which forced him into exile and made him abandon his family, means of livelihood, health checks and for several other losses.

Speaking after the judgement, counsel to the applicant, Barr Tochukwu Aleke, thanked the Nigerian judiciary for living up to her billing as the last hope of the common man.

Following the unlawful arrest and detention without trial of a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, Reverend Father Timothy Ngwuta, in Abakaliki prisons, a columnist and civil society activist, Mr. Monday Eze, published a column entitled "Timothy Ngwuta: The Universal Church of Christ is in Ebonyi Prisons" in New Telegraph newspaper on 15th April, 2022 condemning the arrest and detention of the innocent priest and calling on Ebonyi State government to release the priest and apologize to the church. On 22nd April, 2022, the governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi, after resenting the contents of the column, ordered that the author be arrested and charged to court. Few days later, an attempt was made to arrest and abduct the columnist in the streets of Abakaliki. This attracted condemnations from Ebonyi State chapter of Human Rights Defenders, HURIDE, and other rights groups who called the attention of the Nigerian presidency to Governor Umahi's aversion to free speech which had culminated in Umahi handing down life bans on two Ebonyi journalists, Chijioke Agwu and Peter Okutu; and the enactment of the defunct Ebonyi Cybercrimes Prohibition Law. Amidst the bedlam, the priest was hurriedly released from prison while the columnist went into exile from where he brought the application through his lawyers before the court. The judgement of the court attracted jubilations from Ebonyi residents and the entire Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki who celebrated the vindication of the rights activist. The judgement of the Federal High Court, Abakaliki is, certainly, a great boost to free speech and the judiciary deserves commendation.
California passes sweeping law to reduce non-recyclable plastic

LOS ANGELES: California passed an ambitious law yesterday (June 30) mandating reduction of non-recyclable plastic by at least 30% in six years, while also placing responsibility on producers.

pollutionenvironmenthealth

By AFP

Friday 1 July 2022, 09:46AM

In California, about 85% of plastic waste ends up in landfills, according to the NGO CalMatters. Photo: Spencer Platt / AFP file

The measure is meant to tackle the persistent problem of plastic refuse - in California, about 85% of plastic waste ends up in landfills, according to the CalMatters publication.

California wont tolerate plastic waste thats filling our waterways and making it harder to breathe. Were holding polluters responsible and cutting plastics at the source, Governor Gavin Newsom said after he signed the law yesterday.

Earlier in the day the bill had passed the state Senate unanimously and had passed the Assembly the day before.

The measure mandates that at least 30% of plastic packaging in the state be recyclable by Jan 1, 2028, and raises the amount to 65% by 2032.

It also requires a 25% reduction in non-recyclable expanded polystyrene, colloquially known as styrofoam, in three years, with a total ban to go in place if this goal is not met.

Single-use plastic containers, meanwhile, must decrease by 25% by 2032.

This is the most comprehensive plastic waste reduction legislation in the nation, The Nature Conservancy environmental nonprofit said.

The law, officially titled SB54, shifts the onus of responsibility for the plastic waste from users to producers, a move applauded by environmental organisations.

It clearly states that companies that do not comply with the measures will be fined up to US$50,000 (B1.7 million) per day.

Reducing plastic pollution at the source will cut emissions to air & water and reduce plastic that gets in our ocean, tweeted the Oceana nonprofit.

Countless hours of work have led to this moment, state senator and bill author Ben Allen tweeted following his chambers vote.

Its time for California to lead the nation and world in curbing the plastic crisis. Our planet cannot wait, he added.
Phuket readies for IMT-GT Ministerial Meeting

PHUKET: Phuket officials today discussed details of hosting the 28th Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Ministerial Meeting on Sept 13-16.

economics

By The Phuket News

Friday 1 July 2022, 05:45PM

The event will see a series of high-level international meetings held in Phuket, Phuket Provincial Palad (Chief Administrative Officer) Somprat Prabsongkram told a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall today (July 1).

The meetings will include a Ministerial Meeting on Security Measures, the IMT Economic Zone Development Plan and other related meetings, including a meeting of senior international officials with the Phuket Governor, Mr Somprat said.

Thattai Kiratipongpaiboon, Director of the International Strategy and Coordination Division Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), and other leading heads of government organisations will be attending the meetings, he added.

The meeting of national secretary level chiefs will be held on Sept 13, the 29th Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) will be held on Sept 14 and the 19th meeting of the Chief Ministers will be held on Sept 15, Mr Somprat explained.

The Chief Ministers and Governor Forum (CMGF) and the Informal Ministerial Meeting (MM Retreat) will also be held as part of the Phuket talks, he added.

A press conference will be held after the ministerial meetings, on Sept 16.

The meetings are important to show that cooperation of the three countries will foster cooperation in a constructive manner to further develop and improve the implementation of similar projects, and lead to jointly setting new standards for tourism economic development after the COVID-19 epidemic, which will require us to continue to focus on compliance with strict hygiene safety standards, Mr Somprat said.
Phuket to host regional round of 29th National Skills Competition

PHUKET: Phuket will be one of four venues in Southern Thailand to host the regional round of the 29th National Skills Competition later this month, with the winners to compete in the WorldSkills Thailand Competition 2023 in the first quarter of next year.

economics

By The Phuket News

Friday 1 July 2022, 12:06PM

The announcement came through an online meeting hosted by the Institute of Skill Development Region 11 office in Surat Thani yesterday (June 30). Photo: PR Phuket

The announcement came through an online meeting hosted by the Institute of Skill Development Region 11 office in Surat Thani yesterday (June 30). Photo: PR Phuket

The announcement came through an online meeting hosted by the Institute of Skill Development Region 11 office in Surat Thani yesterday (June 30). Photo: PR Phuket

The announcement came through an online meeting hosted by the Institute of Skill Development Region 11 office in Surat Thani yesterday (June 30). Photo: PR Phuket

The aim of the competition, organised by the Department of Skill Development, is to provide opportunities for youths aged 22-25 from all regions of Thailand to showcase their talents in 25 different skill areas.

Phuket, along with Surat Thani, Songkhla and Nakhon Sri Thammarat will host the regional rounds on July 20-22, an online meeting with the Institute of Skill Development Region 11 office in Surat Thani was told yesterday (June 30).

The national contest will see the winners selected to represent Thailand to participate in the 13th ASEAN Skills Competition in Singapore in July 2023, in the Asian Skills Competition in Malaysia and the chance to and to participate in the 47th International Skills Competition in Lyon, France, in September 2024.

Entrants will compete in 25 skill categories, including automotive technology, food processing, food and beverage service, welding, information technology, web design, electrical systems, furniture assembly, fashion, mechatronics, graphic design, refrigeration. hair styling, electronics, CNC machining and industrial automation.

The national skills competition is held in Thailand every two years to stimulate skill development of the labour force in order to lead to increased employment opportunities, public income generation and the overall economic development of the country, the Department of Skill Development said in its release announcing the regional rounds.

With the WorldSkills Shanghai 2022 event cancelled due to the pandemic, WorldSkills International, organiser of the international WorldSkills competitions, this year has organised a series of skill competitions collectively known as WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition (WSC2022SE).

The locally organised global competition is expected to attract more than 1,100 competitors from 57 countries and regions

We are delighted by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the WorldSkills Members and Partners to ensure that our Competitors have an international WorldSkills experience in 2022, said Chris Humphries, President and Chair of the Board at WorldSkills International.

We know that WorldSkills Competitions have a positive impact showcasing and motivating more young people to develop their technical and vocational skills. This will still provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for competitors and benchmarking for members. Accordingly, we are so pleased to be able to deliver a special edition competition in 2022, he said.
Thai spikers lose to Dominican Republic in FIVB final week

Sport >> Thailand

Phuket

World Thai spikers lose to Dominican Republic in FIVB final week

VOLLEYBALL: The Thai womens volleyball team lost 3-1 to the Dominican Republic yesterday (June 30) as their hope to play in the finals is now in jeopardy.

Volleyball

By Bangkok Post

Friday 1 July 2022, 09:19AM

Jarasporn Bundasak and Pornpun Guedpard try to block a spike from the Dominican Republic during the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Womens Nations League, held in Sofia, Bulgaria yesterday (June 30). Photo: Thailand Volleyball Association Facebook

The Thais won the first set 25-22 but were beaten in the next three sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-21) in the final week of the preliminary round of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Womens Nations League, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, reports the Bangkok Post. Pimpichaya Kokram led the Thai squad with 30 points, followed by Ajcharaporn Kongyot with 15. You girls put up the best fight. Thumbs up, the Thailand Volleyball Association praised them after the match. Keep on fighting, it added. Thailand stays at eighth with 15 points after the match yesterday, with five wins and five defeats. They blanked South Korea 3-0 on Wednesday. Thailand will take on stronger opponents Brazil and Italy tomorrow and Sunday, respectively. Only top seven teams will play in next months finals, along with the host Turkey.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 26C. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by some light rain after midnight. Low 17C. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Why captions are suddenly everywhere and how they got there

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Ketanji Brown Jackson has been sworn in to the Supreme Court, shattering a glass ceiling as the first Black woman on the nations highest court
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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Opposition leaders asked new Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday to restore the country's membership in the International Criminal Court to strengthen defenses against human rights abuses.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose six-year term ended on Thursday, withdrew the countrys ratification of the Rome Statute, the treaty which created the ICC, in 2019 after The Hague-based court launched a preliminary examination into thousands of killings during his campaign against illegal drugs.

Critics said Duterte's move was an attempt to evade accountability. However, the ICC prosecutor said the court still has jurisdiction over crimes alleged while the Philippines was still a member of the court.

The more we are a member of communities of shared values of human rights, the better, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said, citing the prevalence of rights violations and extrajudicial killings in the country.

Detained former Sen. Leila de Lima said restoring ICC membership would improve the countrys image and protect people from crimes against humanity committed by state forces.

There was no immediate reaction from Marcos Jr.

De Lima, one of the fiercest critics of Dutertes anti-drug campaign, has been detained for five years on drug charges she said were fabricated by Duterte and his supporters to muzzle her and threaten other critics.

Arturo Lascanas, a retired police officer who earlier served under Duterte when he was mayor of southern Davao city, said as many as 10,000 drug suspects may have been killed in the city during Duterte's crackdown on drugs there.

Duterte expanded the crackdown nationwide after becoming president in mid 2016. Officials reported that more than 6,250 suspects were killed during his presidency.

Duterte has denied authorizing extrajudicial killings but has openly threatened drug suspects with death.

Lascanas, who has gone into hiding outside the Philippines, said in a video interview that he is ready to testify in a potential ICC trial and provide evidence that Duterte ordered and funded many killings in Davao. Lascanas said he and other Davao police officers were involved in killings ordered by Duterte.

An ICC investigation of the killings as a possible crime against humanity was suspended in November after Dutertes administration said it was conducting its own probe of police. But the ICC chief prosecutor recently asked the court to authorize an immediate resumption of the investigation.

The ICC is a court of last resort for crimes that countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute themselves. It was officially created 20 years ago, on July 1, 2022.

Edre Olalia of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers, a group of human rights lawyers, said it was unlikely Marcos Jr. will agree to restore the country's ICC membership.

The president, who was sworn in Thursday, is the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose rule was marked by massive rights violations and plunder. He was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising.

He and new Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of the former president, have defended their fathers' legacies.

We think it is a longshot under the present political dispensation, Olalia said.
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SOUTH ROXANA  Illinois Department of Transportation employees on Thursday installed new signs designating the stretch of Illinois 111 from near Madison Avenue in South Roxana to New Poag Road as the Chief Todd Werner Memorial Highway.

A ceremony to dedicate the signs and the highway designation is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the sign located near Madison Avenue. State Rep. Amy Elik, R-Fosterburg and the Village of South Roxana are hosting the event.
Julie David is on a mission  and some of it undercover. The managing director of Peugeot UK aims to transform the showroom and online experience of customers when choosing, buying or leasing its cars.

Upwardly mobile and edging towards premium class, Peugeot's pitting itself against rivals such as Germany's Volkswagen and Korea's Hyundai. But its crop of stylish models on offer and coming down the line is better than how the public perceives the brand image and experience. And that has to change, she says.

When Julie took over 18 months ago, she undertook secret 'mystery shopper' trips to showrooms with her sons. She noted: 'One little thing  someone not talking to you, or ignoring you, and that's it. You'll never go there again.'

Harbinger: Peugeots Julie David and the recently launched upmarket 408

Her best experience was from the youngest and least experienced dealer, she said.

So impressed, in fact, that she went back later to reveal her identity and congratulate him.

Her worst was in the showroom of a global performance car company.

'I was totally ignored. I still get a bad vibe when I see their cars, she said.

That hands-on feedback is driving a big showroom revamp, the way cars are sold and how customers are treated, with more standardised pricing and less haggling.

She has a friend at Peugeots French HQ  the global CEO is Coventry-born Linda Jackson. She, too, undertook secret mystery shopper missions and encountered  and exposed  sexism in the showroom when she was ignored in favour of her late husband.

Peugeots new look is epitomised in the recently unveiled 408, a feline fastback set to go on sale next year with hybrid and petrol power. It features sophisticated styling, a bold grille and a new-look lions head badge.

The new range of Peugeot cars are 'real head-turners' she believes - and I agree - and indeed they continue to pick up a raft of awards for their combination of stylishly chic but bold looks, both inside and out, driving prowess and keen though not cheap pricing.

The current watchword in Peugeot is to create enticing cars with 'allure' and bold elegance.

Similarly, the showroom experience of customers is as much to do with the 'tone' of the conversation, she says.

This will become increasingly important as the move towards electric cars  and the ending of sales of petrol and diesel cars from 2030  gathers pace, with many vehicles already 'electrified' with hybrid powertrains.

The new range of Peugeot cars are 'real head-turners'

A combination of stylishly chic but bold looks, both inside and out, driving prowess and keen though not cheap pricing

The current watchword in Peugeot is to create enticing cars with 'allure' and bold elegance

Upwardly mobile and edging towards premium class, Peugeot's pitting itself against rivals such as Germany's Volkswagen and Korea's Hyundai

Peugeot's crop of stylish models on offer and coming down the line is better than how the public perceives the brand image and experience

She said: '2030 is not very far off. We feel we have a duty of care to have that conversation with customers. Even if not all the vehicles we sell are fully electrified.'

To get a sense of where she wants her company to be in future, I pressed her: if Peugeot were a supermarket or store, what would it be?

Aldi, Morrison's, Sainsbury, Tesco, Waitrose, Harvey Nichols or Fortnum & Mason?

She said is most impressed by John Lewis  both for the customer experience and for consistency: 'We all know John Lewis. It's not always the most exciting. But it is consistent. It would be my 'go to.

'They show great respect for the customer and there's nothing left to chance.'

So get ready for chic new 'Salon Peugeot' showrooms  and cars that are never knowingly undersold.
Veterinary and pet pharma group CVS has acquired a vet centre for 3million as it continues to cash in on the pet ownership boom seen during the pandemic.

The Norfolk-based firm said it has bought Old Courts Veterinary Centre, a veterinary practice in North Lincolnshire, and has secured enough cash and bank facilities for 'further' acquisitions.

CVS was forced to sell Quality Pet Care, which it had bought in August last year, after the competition watchdog concluded that the deal could leave pet owners in some local areas of the UK worse off.

Corporate swoop: The UK has seen a massive reduction in small, independent veterinary practices in recent years

CVS said it will take a 12million hit from the aborted deal, after it sold the company for 9million on Thursday, having paid 20.4million for it in August 2021.

However, it did not change its guidance for the year and said trading remained in line with expectations.

CVS, one of the six largest corporate vet groups in the UK, operates over 450 veterinary practices across the country, and offers services including out-of-hours care, diagnostic laboratories and pet crematoria.

The UK has seen a massive reduction in small, independent veterinary practices in recent years, primarily as a result of acquisitions by big corporate groups like CVS.

The Competition Markets Authority said that while independent veterinary practices accounted for 89 per cent of the UK veterinary industry in 2013, this had fallen to approximately 45 per cent by 2021.

The watchdog, which launched an investigation into the Quality Pet Care deal just a couple of months after it was announced, said this week it would drop the probe if CVS agreed to offload the business.

CVS shares have fallen by around a third over the last year and remain well below their pandemic peak of around 28

During its investigation, it found that groups like CVS often looked to 'establish a significant presence within specific localities' to benefit from economies of scale, but this often means less competition.

It said it had received a number of specific concerns relating to the merger of the two companies.

'Some third parties suggested that high levels of corporate consolidation in local areas through the acquisition of independent vet practices were leaving consumers with a lack of sufficient alternatives,' it said in February.

'Third parties also noted that the implications of corporate consolidation were not always obvious to customers because some corporate owners decide not to rebrand independent veterinary practices after buying them.'

It concluded that that deal would result in a 'substantial lessening' of competition in the local areas of Bristol, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Southampton and Warrington.

CVS shares dropped by nearly 2 per cent to 16.23 in morning trading on Friday.

They have fallen by around a third over the last year and remain well below their pandemic peak of around 28.
Bulb's chief executive will leave the collapsed energy supplier at the end of July, having continued to receive a 250,000 salary while the firm is being propped up by the taxpayer.

Hayden Wood, who co-founded Bulb in 2015, stayed on at the company and continued to be paid even after it went into special administration in November last year.

He has come under fire from MPs about this, considering that Bulb has received 1.7billion in taxpayer loans so far to ensure operational continuity until a buyer is found.

Stepping down: Hayden Wood, the chief executive and co-founder of Bulb

Wood previously told MPs that he has never received a bonus from Bulb, and had put all his personal savings into the company.

Bulb, which promised to make 'energy simpler, cheaper, greener', had around 1.6million customers on its books when it collapsed last year amid soaring gas prices.

It was temporarily nationalised as it was deemed too big for any rival to take on.

The Government hopes to recover the majority of the bailout money through a sale of Bulb or its assets, although it has yet to find a buyer.

The deadline for closing bids was yesterday, but it is understood the Government is hoping a deal can be agreed over the next month.

British Gas owner Centrica reportedly pulled out of the race to buy Bulb in June, leaving just two potential suitors - Octopus Energy and Abu Dhabi rival Masdar.

The taxpayer bailout of Bulb was the biggest since Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group and Halifax Bank of Scotland in the 2008 financial crisis.

Bulb went bust as it had not pre-bought enough energy in advance before prices shot up last autumn.

This left it unable to buy energy at a cheap enough price to cover the rates it must charge under the Government's price cap.

Bulb said Hayden Wood was 'stepping back from the business'.

'We wish him all the best for the future,' it added.
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan delivers a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos during their meeting in Manila, the Philippines, June 30, 2022. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Wang attended the Philippine presidential inauguration of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Thursday at the invitation of the government of the Philippines. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

MANILA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan on Thursday put forward a four-point proposal on the development of relations between China and the Philippines.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Wang attended the inauguration of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos as the 17th president of the Philippines.

At a meeting with the new Philippine president, Wang said President Marcos and his family have made great contributions to enhancing the China-Philippines friendship.

The Chinese side has always given priority to the Philippines in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is ready to work with the new Philippine government in carrying on their friendship, boosting mutual trust and deepening cooperation so as to usher in a new "golden age" in bilateral ties, he said.

The Chinese vice president said that both sides should develop bilateral relations under the guidance of the two heads of state, who will steer the course of the development of bilateral ties.

The two countries should dovetail their development strategies so as to foster new growth points of pragmatic cooperation in the new era.

The two sides should properly resolve differences and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the South China Sea, Wang said.

He also said the two countries should uphold international equality and justice, and jointly promote peace and development in Asia, as well as the well-being of humanity.

For his part, Marcos welcomed Wang's presence at his presidential inauguration ceremony.

Marcos recalled his 1974 visit to China when accompanying his mother Imelda, and noted that the relationship between his country and China has a long history and the two peoples are close to each other.

Describing China as the most powerful partner of the Philippines, Marcos stressed that good-neighborly friendship is in the fundamental interests of both peoples.

The new Philippine government attaches utmost importance to the relations with China, and is willing to deepen its participation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, join hands with China in coping with regional challenges, and elevate the bilateral ties to a higher level, Marcos added. 

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos in Manila, the Philippines, June 30, 2022. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Wang attended the Philippine presidential inauguration of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Thursday at the invitation of the government of the Philippines. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with Imelda Marcos, mother of Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, in Manila, the Philippines, June 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)
Kingsport, TN (37660)

Today

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
Kingsport, TN (37660)

Today

Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. High 91F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable.
Africa has no vaccines for monkeypox and test kits are in short supply, international health agencies said on Thursday, warning that richer countries already appeared to be hoarding vaccines.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. It is endemic in parts of Africa but has also recently been reported in countries with no history of human transmission, including Ghana, Morocco and South Africa.

The geographic spread of monkeypox to parts of Africa where cases have never been detected before is a worrying sign, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) director for Africa.

What happened in the early days of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout when Africa watched on the sidelines as other countries snapped up limited supplies must not be allowed to recur. There are some signs that this is already happening, she said.Advertisement  Scroll to continueReport an ad

Monkeypox vaccines are in short supply globally and there have been no donations to countries in Africa, the WHO said.

There are no specific vaccines for monkeypox, but smallpox jabs protect against the virus.

Monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency, the WHO ruled on Saturday, although Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was deeply concerned about the outbreak.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is treating the outbreak as an emergency, its acting director, Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, said.

Monkeypox is an emergency here on the continent and we are calling on all our friends and partners to join us in controlling this outbreak including making available test kits and vaccines, he said.

The lack of testing capacity has resulted in a high number of suspected cases that cannot be confirmed, he said. More than 1,821 cases have been reported in 13 countries but only 109 are laboratory confirmed.

In recent weeks around 40 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks, with more than 4,300 confirmed or suspected cases mostly in Europe.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Russian missiles hit an apartment building and a resort near Ukraines Black Sea port of Odesa on Friday, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens, Ukrainian authorities said.

Thousands of civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what Ukraine says is an unprovoked war of aggression. Russia denies targeting civilians and says it hits only military infrastructure in what it calls a special operation to root out dangerous nationalists.

With its ground forces concentrated in Ukraines eastern industrial region of Donbas, Russia has more than doubled the number of missile strikes around the country in the past two weeks, using inaccurate Soviet-era missiles for more than half of the attacks, according to a Ukrainian brigadier general.

One missile struck a nine-story building in the town of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi at about 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Thursday), the Ukrainian emergencies ministry said. It also caused a fire in an attached store building.Advertisement  Scroll to continueReport an ad

Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa regional administration, told Ukrainian state television a rescue operation was under way as some people were buried under rubble after part of the building collapsed.

Another missile hit a resort facility, Bratchuk said, killing at least three people including a child and wounding one person.

Reuters could not independently confirm details of the incident.Advertisement  Scroll to continueReport an ad

The attack came after Russia on Thursday said it had decided to withdraw from Snake Island as a gesture of goodwill to show it was not obstructing U.N. attempts to open a humanitarian corridor allowing grain to be shipped from Ukraine.

Ukraine said it had driven Russian forces off the Black Sea outcrop after an artillery and missile assault, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailing a strategic win.

It does not yet guarantee security. It does not yet ensure that the enemy will not come back, he said in his nightly video address. But this significantly limits the actions of the occupiers. Step by step, we will push them back from our sea, our land and our sky.

In contrast, however, Ukrainian forces were desperately hanging on in the city of Lysychansk.

Russian artillery shelled from different directions while the Russian army approached from several sides, regional Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Ukrainian television.

The superiority in fire power of the occupiers is still very much in evidence, Zelenskiy said. They have simply brought in all their reserves to hit us.

Russian forces have been trying to encircle Lysychansk since they captured Sievierodonetsk, on the opposite side of the Siverskyi Donets River, last week after weeks of heavy fighting.

In Sievierodonetsk, residents have emerged from basements and are sifting through the rubble of their ruined city.

Almost all the city infrastructure is destroyed. We are living without gas, electricity, and water since May, Sergei Oleinik, a 65-year-old resident told Reuters. We are glad that this ended, and soon maybe reconstruction will start, and we will be back to more or less normal life.

SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

Despite yielding ground and taking punishing losses in the eastern Donbas in recent weeks, Ukraine hopes to inflict enough damage to exhaust Russias advancing army.

Ukraines Western allies have been sending weapons and the government was given another boost with the United States saying it would provide a further $800 million in weapons and military aid.

U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking after a NATO summit in Madrid, said America and its allies were united in standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I dont know how its going to end, but it will not end with Russia defeating Ukraine, Biden told a news conference. We are going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

As well as providing weapons, the United States and allies have imposed punishing sanctions on Russia and many Western companies have withdrawn from it or are planning to.

Russia has taken control of some assets and on Thursday moved to create a new firm to take charge of the giant Sakhalin-2 gas and oil project in its far east, knocking shares in the Japanese companies that own part of the project.

SMOKE AND FIRE

Ukrainian forces in the south district of the Joint command of the Ukrainian armed forces killed 35 Russian servicemen and put out of action two tanks and four armoured vehicles, the Ukrainian military said in a statement on Facebook.

The Ukrainian armed forces are not only holding defence lines but also engaging in successful operations aimed at liberating occupied towns in Kherson region from the invaders, Kriviy Rih regional Governor Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram, adding Ukrainian troops had taken back the town of Potyomkin.

Reuters could not immediately verify battlefield claims.

Snake Island was retaken by Ukraine after weeks in which momentum in the four-month-old conflict appeared to be shifting in favour of Russia.

Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov said Ukrainian forces had not occupied the island but would do so.

Russia denies blocking Ukraines ports and blames food shortages on Western sanctions it says limit its exports.

Speaking in Moscow on Thursday, Indonesian leader Joko Widodo offered to be a diplomatic bridge between Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, and said he hoped global food and fertiliser supply lines could be reinstated.

I really appreciate President Putin who said earlier that he will provide a security guarantee for food and fertiliser supplies from both Russia and Ukraine. This is good news, he said.

SOURCE: REUTERS
"No, I have never denied the Eucharist to anyone, to anyone!"

-Pope Francis, Sept. 15, 2021



An extraordinarily contentious election season has been unleashed on the heels of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. That action has already triggered huge demonstrations across the country. Worse - the threat on one justices life is a regrettable preview of what may lay ahead over the summer. Emotions are running high. We will likely witness demonstrations not seen in this country since the protests against the Vietnam War.

Political and religious leaders on both sides of the abortion debate have an obligation to temper the passions of advocates, implore them to respect the rule of law and protest peacefully and to refrain from demonizing those with whom they disagree.

One Catholic leader is utterly failing in this regard.

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco recently declared that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would not be permitted to receive communion in his archdiocese because of her support for abortion rights.

He made the pronouncement on Twitter. The actions of Cordileone are more deplorable than misguided. That was a political act, done in defiance of both Vatican guidance and the deliberations of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It has no place in a pluralistic democracy in which is enshrined  however vaguely or theoretically  the principle of separation of church and state.

Archbishop Cordileone publicly casts judgment on Pelosi. That is outrageous.

Sin, forgiveness and redemption are deeply private and religious matters, not public and political ones. Cordileone stated that he attempted to speak with Pelosi to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating. Fine. Such discussions would fall within the duties, bounds, and confidentiality of pastoral care. When Pelosi was unresponsive to his appeals, he should have prayed for her.

Last fall the USCCB released a paper, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church. On the eve of its release, the Catholic News Service published an article entitled  get this - Draft statement stresses Eucharists importance, not a need to deny it.

Here's an excerpt:

"When the statement was first proposed  some bishops said a strong rebuke of [President Joe Biden] should be included in it because of Bidens recent actions protecting and expanding abortion access, while others warned that this would portray the bishops as a partisan force during a time of bitter political divisions across the country. Cordileone is not only ignoring the findings of the USCCB, he is also defying the specific guidance of Pope Francis."

During the turbulent 2020 presidential campaign, a South Carolina priest announced he would not allow then-candidate Biden to take communion in his church due to Biden's views on abortion. According to The National Catholic Reporter, last fall in the midst of a Biden abortion-Eucharist-dustup, the Pope warned bishops and priests from wading into politics. "Be a shepherd and do not go around condemning or not condemning," the Pope said. When asked whether he has ever denied the Eucharist to someone who presented themselves for Communion, the Pope replied, "No, I have never denied the Eucharist to anyone, to anyone!"

The Vatican responded swiftly to Cordileones breach of pastoral practices by appointing Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego to cardinal. As reported in the Jesuit publication America Magazine on May 29, By choosing [McElroy]to be a cardinal  Pope Francis is sending a powerful message to the American bishops and church.

Observers see this appointment as a clear rebuke to Cordileone and the 18 American bishops who support Cordileone's action.

Interestingly, Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C., is not among the 18. Gregory, who in the past expressed his opposition to prohibiting Catholic politicians from the Eucharist because of their political positions - to include those on abortion - issued a recent statement that his position has not changed. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York holds a similar view. In an interview last fall on "Fox & Friends," Dolan said that he would not deny anyone reception of the Eucharist.

The duty of priests, bishops and cardinals is to teach us about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and certainly not to wade into politics and tell us how to vote. It is up to us Catholics to apply those teachings in our daily lives, including in political activities and in the voting booth as we weigh thorny issues: abortion, sex education, capital punishment, gay minority rights, criminal justice, immigration, energy and the environment.

Should Catholic leaders feel compelled to get involved in political issues, they ought to avoid gratuitous grandstanding and instead organize parish and diocese discussion groups to examine candidates and their positions on all issues that concern Catholic voters.



The author, a retired Army infantry officer, is a Catholic and a graduate of Fordham University.
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MENANDS  When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, Dr. Vadim Vaisman's first emotion was disbelief.

Vaisman, an anesthesiologist and director of vascular anesthesiology at Albany Medical Center, grew up in Russia before immigrating to the Albany area in 1993. But many of his relatives, including his parents and grandparents, have lived in Ukraine, and he never really differentiated between the two countries that have centuries of shared history,

"I couldn't sleep the first week. I would wake up in the middle of the night to check the news," Vaisman said."It was very stressful."

He reached out to longtime friend Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky, a surgeon and chair of the urology department at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, who was also experiencing sleepless nights.

Vaisman met Bratslavsky when he moved to the Capital Region 30 years ago. Bratslavsky had arrived a year earlier and helped his friend learn the English language and find jobs.

Bratslavsky, who attended Hudson Valley Community College and Siena College and received his medical training at Albany Medical College, graduating in 2000, said he still feels a strong connection to the Capital Region.

Soon after the war broke out, Bratslavsky and his wife, Katya, launched HelpFreeUkraine.com to send medical supplies and other humanitarian resources to Ukraine. Vaisman and his family and other Ukrainian-American friends quickly got involved.

Vaisman approached Albany Med President Dennis P. McKenna with the proposal to support Bratslavsky in his medical relief efforts.

On Friday, Albany Medical Health System and its affiliate, Saratoga Hospital, sent 12 pallets of medical supplies from the health system's supply warehouse in Menands to Ukraine, including 1,200 packages of surgical gowns, 9,400 N95 masks, 2,300 pairs of surgical gloves, 18,000 patient gowns and 60 containers of sterile water for inhalation purposes.

"Right now I feel very proud working for such an altruistic organization that brings the highest level of care not only in the region but now halfway across the world," Vaisman said.

Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) and Glens Falls Hospital, also Albany Med affiliates, have organized similar donations of medical supplies and equipment, working with Radiologists Without Borders.

Each shipment is a massive undertaking involving multiple partners along the way. Stocking up trucks and getting them to the cargo plane is the easy part. After all, Vaisman and Bratslavsky both worked jobs moving furniture during their early years in the U.S.

"We are very accomplished movers at this point," Bratslavsky likes to tell people.

It's the final stretch, getting the supplies into the war-torn country and distributing them to various regions, that is most challenging.

Bratslavsky made the treacherous journey once himself.

The details of his trip were kept secret, even from his family. Only his partners and friends knew he was to arrive in Lviv, Ukraine, with two ambulances full of supplies. In April, when he took the trip, Lviv was considered relatively safe from Russian attack.

As he landed in Warsaw, Poland, he opened his Telegram app and saw that the city had been bombed.

"My enthusiasm for a trip and driving to Ukraine went quite low. To be honest, I was just afraid. I felt responsible for my family, I felt responsible to complete what I wanted to do. It was scary," Bratslavsky said.

His friends in Lviv discouraged him from coming and sent him images with a "nice black mushroom clouds quite visible from the hotel room," he said. But he pressed on.

Along his 20-hour journey, he stopped at Ukrainian-manned checkpoints. Upon seeing his American passport, the checkpoint operators darkly joked that he was going the wrong way.

At night, he drove the ambulance without headlights through pitch-black Lviv streets so as not to attract the attention of Russian warplanes.

"I just spent a short time there, understanding there are millions living continuously under the threat of this terror. It gives you a very different perspective," he said.

Through his humanitarian relief organization, Bratslavsky has transported more than $100 million worth of medications, medical supplies, gas masks, satellite phones and first aid kits to Ukraine. The group has purchased multiple ambulances that are currently used by hospitals in Lviv, Odesa and Kyiv, and pick up wounded soldiers from the front lines.

Katya Bratslavsky, an artist who grew up in Moscow, has sold over 100 paintings and raised $250,000 for the effort.

But as the war wears on, and casualties stack up, the stress for Ukrainians in America has not dissipated, according to Vaisman.

"Unfortunately the media's not covering (the war) as much as in the beginning, so people don't know what's going on," Vaisman said. "But there are fights every day in Ukraine. Soldiers getting killed and wounded. Civilians, women, kids, the elderly. As a medical community, I think we should be aware of all that and try to help as much as we can."

Going into Independence Day weekend, Vaisman hopes people take a moment to think of the people of Ukraine.

"This is the Ukrainian people fighting for freedom in the world and for democracy," Vaisman said.
ALBANY  An appeals court unanimously reversed the Albany County conviction of a man who repeatedly promised to blow an officers head off if prison officers did not stop harassing his incarcerated brother  all because two investigators never warned the lock-up or an agency of the threat.

In a 5-0 decision, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Courts Third Department in Albany reversed the 2021 conviction of Emmanuel Santiago, who was found guilty at trial of making a terroristic threat, a crime passed into law following the 9/11 attacks. Santiago, a prior convicted felon, has been serving a five-year prison sentence.

On Aug. 29, 2019, Santiago called up the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, provided his name and phone number and spoke to an investigator, according to the Third Department's ruling authored by Justice Lisa M. Fisher.

"As soon as the first investigator picked up the phone, the caller was already speaking and said, 'I'm going to blow an

officer's head off,' " Fisher stated, highlighting the investigator's testimony at trial. "The first investigator asked the caller if that was a threat and the caller replied, 'it's not a threat, it's a promise.' "

The investigator testified that Santiago, who was concerned that his brother was being harassed by correction officers, stated: "If they touch my brother, I'm gonna blow an officer's head off. They don't know who they're messing with. I don't care if I get in trouble."

The investigator sent a complaint to his supervisor but did not warn the prison or contact police, the decision said. It said the supervisor did not learn of the threat until Sept. 3, 2019, after returning from Labor Day weekend. The supervisor testified that he called Santiago, who told him he had previously been in prison and was aware how prisoners are treated.

Santiago "became very belligerent and upset about his brother being harassed and mistreated," Fisher stated. When the supervisor asked Santiago about the threat, Santiago allegedly replied, "I didn't threaten anyone. It's a promise. If they mess with my brother, I'm going to go up there and violate them."

The supervisor issued no warnings. He assigned the case to another investigator, who met with Santiago. A bulletin for officer safety was eventually put out, the decision said.

"Although the supervisor stated that it was generally the responsibility of the person who received the initial call to issue such warnings, the supervisor did not ensure that this was done," Fisher said.

On Thursday, the Third Department determined that Santiago's actions did not legally constitute a terroristic threat. Fisher stated that the law requires there be a "reasonable expectation or fear of the imminent commission" of the offense. In this case, she noted, the first investigator and supervisor were not moved to act.

Santiago, who made the alleged threat in October 2019, was not charged until January 2020.

"Neither the first investigator nor the supervisor took any actions to warn the correctional facility or any other agency or

individuals of the threat," Fisher stated. "While a notice was eventually issued, this was not done until well after the initial threat was made. None of the witnesses provided any testimony that they or anyone else had a reasonable expectation or fear that the threat would be imminently carried out, nor did their actions indicate any such belief. Based on the foregoing, the verdict is against the weight of the evidence."

Defense attorney Steven Sharp argued the appeal for Santiago. Assistant District Attorney Vincent Stark represented District Attorney David Soares' office.

Justices Christine Clark, Stanley Pritzker, Molly Reynolds Fitzgerald and Andrew Ceresia supported the ruling.
KNOX  In 2014, 5-year-old Kenneth White was killed by his 19-year-old cousin after experiencing months of child abuse. In the aftermath, a group of people came together to form a charity for abused children in Albany Countys Hilltowns and named it Kenneths Army Champions for Children.

But eight years after his death, Whites sisters Cheyanne Dunn, 12, and Christine Dunn, 11, and their adoptive mother, Linda Dunn, are asking the charity to drop Whites name from their title and stop using his picture.

I understand that it is to help bring awareness to child abuse, said Dunn, who fostered and then adopted the girls after they were removed from their aunts home. We only simply want them to change their name and stop using Kennys pictures, because they have his picture plastered on every poster when it comes time for that run, and its just really triggering.

Dunn said the girls, particularly Cheyanne, who is Whites twin, have been experiencing severe post-traumatic stress disorder since his death. Cheyannes therapist and psychiatrist both advised that the annual charity motorcycle ride, Kenneths Run, and use of Whites name and picture for it triggers Cheyanne on a regular basis. Removing his name and photo, Dunn said, could give her a sense of closure about her twins death.

Its awful because she really does blame herself for Kenny being dead, said Dunn. She carries a lot of guilt about Kenny dying and her not being the one that died. Its not her fault. Its just survivors guilt.

Because of her PTSD, the 12-year-old is mentally about 7 years old, Dunn said. She experiences mental breakdowns, most recently about a week before the annual Kenneths Run this year  the first time since his death the family considered going, because the girls seemed like they may have been emotionally ready.

She sat sobbing, sobbing, sobbing about Kenny, and him dying, and Why did he have to die? Why are they still using Kennys name and these pictures? Dunn said. I feel like its just one more thing for her to process.

Kenneths Army did not respond to multiple requests for comment. However, in an interview with the Altamont Enterprise, they said they have no intention of changing the organizations name.

The Army refusing to do this, as far as Im concerned, is pretty much their own form of mental child abuse to these children, Dunn said.

The short life of the Berne-Knox-Westerlo kindergartner was a study in what can happen to children when neglect, poverty, mental illness and substance abuse collide.

Kenneth, his twin sister and his 4-year-old sister were living with their aunt, Brenda VanAlstyne in a small mobile home on Thacher Park Road along with Brenda's 19-year-old daughter, Tiffany, and another teenager Brenda had taken in years before. According to the aunt, the children had escaped a home in Montgomery County that was fouled with dog feces, and where their parents constantly fought. Their mother, Christine, and father, Jayson, led a volatile life impacted by substance abuse problems. In fact, Christine had nine children who ended up in the foster care system.

Albany County Child Protective Services had deemed the trailer, which is in the town of Knox, a suitable place for Kenneth and his siblings to live.

Tiffany had stopped taking her medications for bipolar disorder and was often left to care for her young cousins. On a day the twins were home sick from school, Tiffany called her mother to say that two masked men had entered the home and forcibly taken Kenneth. Later that night, a police dog picked up a scent off the road only about 100 feet from the trailer, which is just across the town line in Berne. Part of the boy's head was protruding through the snow.

Investigators concluded Tiffany strangled Kenneth and dragged his body down the road, threw him over the guardrail and then climbed over herself to cover the body with snow. She told police she could hear a gurgling sound coming from Kenneth's throat, but she left him there and concocted the kidnapping story  delaying his discovery for hours. She was convicted of murder and is now serving 18 years to life in prison.

Family court hearings would later reveal that Tiffany had also recently beaten one of Kenneth's sisters with a small bat, the bruises still noticeable weeks later. Following a court proceeding, neglect by Brenda VanAlstyne was verified and her custody of the children was revoked.

I get that its forever going to be on the internet  I cant control everything that child sees when shes not in my care, said Dunn. But if I could say to (Cheyanne), were going to put closure to this part of our lives, they can no longer use his name, that might help her put closure to it, too. Maybe she can heal and move on from that.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  A patched-up dispute between the European Union and Poland over judicial independence revived Thursday when a top EU official said new Polish regulations did not meet expectations, threatening the flow of billions of euros in recovery funds to Warsaw.

The new regulations that abolish a controversial, politicized body that disciplined judges were signed into law by Polish President Andrzej Duda and will take effect July 15. But they introduce a new body of judicial accountability, to be appointed by the president.

Poland is also expected to take other steps, or milestones, to ensure judicial independence before it could receive any of the frozen funds totaling about 36 billion euros ($39 billion).

Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said the new regulations do not meet the required criteria and the funds will not be paid before Poland's judges have their independence guaranteed in a legally binding way.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland will fight to defend its point of view.

I am of good faith that at the end of this year, or early next year, the first recovery funds will be disbursed for specified projects in Poland, Morawiecki said.

He also used the current threat to Europe's security posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an argument for overcoming discords and disputes.

Media reports say Morawiecki is facing harsh criticism from his ruling right-wing Law and Justice party whose members and ministers say he had not consulted with them on the terms agreed on with the EU.

The commission has conditionally approved Poland's recovery plan, which is a step toward the disbursement of the frozen funds. But the changes that are to take effect next month are largely seen as superficial and retaining political control over judges.

The EUs chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, warned this month that no money will be disbursed if Poland fails to reach the milestones which are: abolishing the disciplinary chamber, rewriting its rules and allowing judges sanctioned or suspended by the chamber to have their cases reviewed.

Von der Leyen has faced criticism from centrist lawmakers in the European Parliament who argued that paving the way for disbursement of funds to Poland was premature as Warsaw has failed to address most EU conditions.

The Disciplinary Chamber, to be abolished next month, has cost Poland dearly. The European Court of Justice fined Poland last tear a record 1 million euros per day for failing to dismantle it.
A man pleaded guilty Thursday to selling drugs out of the former Stockade Market and Deli in Schenectady, the fourth person to admit their guilt for being involved in a scheme that began in China.

Abdullah M. Hussein, 43, admitted to selling synthetic marijuana from March to August 2018 out of the market, which was on State Street. His guilty plea was announced in a U.S. Attorneys Office press release.

The office described some of the drugs as being sold at the market in brightly colored packets, with labels that included Scooby Snax, Ice Dragon, Loopy, Whats Up, and Geeked Up.

Also involved in the scheme and pleading guilty previously were three others, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Mansoor Ghaleb said he imported 8 kilograms of synthetic marijuana from China with the goal of processing the raw chemicals into spice or K2 for distribution in the Capital Region and at the Stockade Market and Deli, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Rayen Hussein and Abdulqadoos Alomari said they conspired to distribute the synthetic marijuana, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. They were arrested on August 17, 2018, when investigators executed federal search warrants on multiple locations in Schenectady, Glenville and Amsterdam and seized a kilogram of synthetic marijuana packaged for distribution.

Hussein said in his guilty plea that he conspired with Rayen Hussein and Alomari to sell 2.5 kilograms of drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Ghaleb was sentenced to 60 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release in 2019.

The remaining three face maximum sentences of 20 years in prison, fines of up to $1 million, and terms of supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life.
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OSLO, Norway (AP)  The suspect in a deadly shooting ahead of an LGBTQ festival in the Norwegian capital, which authorities are treating as an Islamist attack, was ordered held Monday in pre-trial detention for four weeks  two of them in solitary confinement. He continued to refuse to be questioned.

Zaniar Matapour, a 43-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after Saturday's predawn shooting in Oslos nightlife district and was held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Two people were killed and more than 20 wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an Islamist terror act.

Prosecutor Ingvild Myrold said investigators have many hypotheses" regarding a possible motive for the shooting although police have unsuccessfully tried to question Matapour for the third consecutive day.

We take a closer look at his mental health, his political motives and background and possibly who else he may have had contact with before this happened," Myrold told The Associated Press. We do not exclude anything. But now the accusation is about pure terror incident, she added.

Matapour is now being held solely on suspicion of murder and attempted murder according to an Oslo District Court ruling obtained by the AP. The court added that it cannot see that it is necessary today to decide whether there is good reason to suspect terrorist intent.

Matapour has refused to explain his actions to investigators. His lawyer, John Christian Elden, said his client objects to having his statement recorded and videotaped unless police release the entire recording to the public with no time delay so it wont be censored or manipulated. Recording interrogations is a standard police practice.

Matapour arrived in Norway with his family from a Kurdish part of Iran in the 1990s, according to Norwegian media.

The gunman opened fire at three locations, including outside the London Pub, a popular gay bar in downtown Oslo. Police investigators have said it is too early to say whether the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community.

Police on Monday identified the two victims as Kare Arvid Hesvik, born in 1962, and Jon Erik Isachsen, born in 1968.

A Pride parade scheduled for Saturday was canceled because of the shooting.

In a joint statement on Monday, the head of Norways national police, Benedicte Bjrnland, and the acting security service chief Roger Berg said they would review their response to the shooting, saying it is very important that ... any weaknesses and errors are identified quickly in order to be able to implement measures.

The agency known by its Norwegian acronym PST earlier had said that it first became aware of the suspect in 2015. It had talked to the suspect in May because he had shown interest in demonstrations and activities perceived as insulting to Islam. Our assessment, after talking to the perpetrator, was that he did not have violent intentions, it said.

PST also said that the suspect had a long history of violence and threats, as well as mental health issues.

After the attack, PST raised the threat scale from moderate to its highest level, adding the move implies that there has been a terrorist attack and that there is an unresolved situation. We are continuously assessing the terrorism threat level.

Police urged the cancelation of a spontaneous Pride parade in the aftermath of the attack, scheduled for later Monday, saying they cannot guarantee security. We know that this can be big, and as long as we have such an unresolved threat situation, we cannot recommend that (the march) be implemented, Martin Strand of the Oslo police said according to the Aftenposten daily.

___

Olsen reported from Copenhagen, Denmark.
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SCHENECTADY  Tenants of eight apartments at a high-rise building were ordered by the city earlier this week to vacate the premises after the discovery of potential safety issues with bricks on the building's facade, city officials said.

The situation involves a sagging brick facade on the second floor of a side of Summit Towers.

Schenectady Chief Building Inspector Chris Lunn said Thursday that a tenant on Sunday spotted the problem and the city was notified. A structural engineer inspected the building Monday morning, Lunn said.

Theres an action for the building owner to remove some of the bricks so we can then make a determination of why the brick failed, said Lunn. Theyre going to have to come up with a plan that can safely remove four stories of brick between two apartments or two window sections.

To do that, the building's New York City-based management company has retained a structural engineer and contractor, added Lunn.

He said they have seven days from Sunday to remove the bricks and then the city will work with them on fixing the damage.

That work began Friday morning, according to Barbara McBride, the executive director at Summit Towers.

Lunn said its unlikely the building will have to be entirely evacuated during construction because the problem appears to be localized to a certain area and that presumably its water infiltration that got behind the bricks and caused the bricks to fail.

We made an interior inspection Sunday of the building and it shows no signs of cracking or distress inside the building in the main structure," said Lunn. The building itself is structurally safe, this is a facade issue  and in an effort to maintain safety in those units, we dont want any bricks or any debris flying through their windows or causing them any injuries.

The displaced tenants are staying at two hotels in downtown Schenectady not far from Summit Towers, said McBride.

The city building department has issued eight separate orders to vacate the Albany Street building near downtown, said Lunn.

A column of brick facade facing the courtyard appeared to be buckling and yellow police caution tape down below rendered it off-limits.

In February 2016, the Times Union reported about problems of rampant drug dealing and prostitution, primarily from outsiders, that some tenants say threatens their safety and makes life miserable in the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development-subsidized building.

One fed-up tenant threatened to withhold her rent until the issues were addressed. A month later, building management announced improvements to security to limit access to parts of the building. Cameras were added too.

When it first opened, the apartments were inhabited mainly by senior citizens and disabled tenants under HUD rules.

That changed over the years when the definition of disability was broadened to include people with addictions and alcoholism as a mental illness.

WTEN-Channel 10 was the first to report on the new problems at the building.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS  In blazing heat, volunteers carried mattresses and coolers through the forest Friday.

It was moving day for 20 people who have been camping for years amid the trees by the Amtrak station parking lot.

Next week, a developer plans to buy the 17 acres of vacant forest by the station. The broker for the sale asked the city police to charge the residents there with trespassing, in an effort to get them to move before the closing. The land has never been fenced off or posted as private property, but a police officer handed out a letter from Markwood Enterprises that said everyone must leave by July 4. The broker and Markwood did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Markwood Enterprises, an investment and development firm, is based in Beverly Hills, Calif. The current owner, Mahnaz Mehdizadeh, also lives in Beverly Hills. City officials did not know whether Markwood represents the property's current owner or its prospective buyer.

Residents took the letter seriously. On Friday, with the help of workers from RISE Housing and Support Services and the Salvation Army, they packed up all of their belongings and began taking apart shelters that they had spent years erecting.

I dont want trouble, said resident Lorie Savage, adding, They have a right to do what they want when they own the property. Moving will save a lot of problems. Sooner or later, they are going to build.

Shes lived there for four years. With salvaged pallets and tree trunks, she built a small shack.

I really cant move my shack in three days, she said. If it does take longer (for development to start), I plan to do it piece by piece. Especially my floor. Its nice and solid and off the ground.

For now she will use a tent.

'Not trespassing'

Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino said the police cannot issue trespassing tickets if residents stay.

Its not fenced. Its not posted, he said. People tell me its been an encampment for decades. Since the land is not posted, youre not trespassing.

Residents said they had lived there for years. That means they must get formally evicted, Montagnino said.

You cant simply throw them out, he said. These folks have certain rights.

He speculated that some might even be able to claim ownership under adverse possession rights.

Id love to see an enterprising young attorney say, This is not a simple eviction, he said.

In any case, he said, the police will not get involved.

Were not going to evict for a private owner, he said.

No power to fight

Residents liked his reasoning but said there was no point trying to fight a developer.

We could put it on hold, but eventually youre going to have to get out, said Steven W. Harris. They have more power. They have the money. We have nothing but our tents.

Hes lived there for eight years. In the winter, he goes to the Code Blue shelter. When that closes, he goes back to the forest.

Sometimes theres still snow on the ground, he said.

But its safer than city shelters and urban gathering sites, he said.

Theres too much crazy stuff on the streets. I got a tooth knocked out. I had to get stitches, he said.

He has already moved to a part of the forest outside the area that will be sold.

Leaving the forest for an apartment isn't an option. They cannot afford housing without help. Encampment residents said they have been on waiting lists for years for assistance.

"We have nowhere to go," Savage said.

Resident Ralph Weddle, who spent Friday moving his belongings to a site near Harris, chose to put up a tent instead of staying at a homeless shelter where he was placed after getting a pacemaker a year ago.

It was a really rough area, he said.

He prefers the forest.

RISE volunteers moved his heavy items for him, worried about his heart. He was left to fold up his tent. One of the last things he did was to climb on a plastic crate and take down a decorative sign in the shape of a tiger face.

A friend of mine died. He gave me that, he said.

Hes taking it with him, wherever he ends up.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday announced an enhanced nationwide vaccination strategy to mitigate the spread of monkeypox.

The strategy will vaccinate and protect those at risk of monkeypox, prioritize vaccines for areas with the highest numbers of cases, and provide guidance to state, territorial, tribal, and local health officials to aid their planning and response efforts.

Under the strategy, HHS is rapidly expanding access to hundreds of thousands of doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine for prophylactic use against monkeypox in areas with the highest transmission using a tiered allocation system.

Jurisdictions can also request shipments of the ACAM2000 vaccine, which is in much greater supply, but due to intense side effects is not recommended for everyone.

Within days of the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the United States, we quickly began deploying vaccines and treatment to help protect the American public and limit the spread of the virus, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. While monkeypox poses minimal risk to most Americans, we are doing everything we can to offer vaccines to those at high risk of contracting the virus. This new strategy allows us to maximize the supply of currently available vaccines and reach those who are most vulnerable to the current outbreak.

Monkeypox is a rare, viral infection that does not usually cause serious illness, though it can result in hospitalization or death. Symptoms include flu-like symptoms and blisters that can be painful and leave a scar.

Health officials are concerned because monkeypox is spreading, and cases of monkeypox are presenting in ways not typically seen in past monkeypox outbreaks.

Monkeypox spreads through close, physical contact between people. While anyone can get monkeypox, the current outbreak has primarily impacted men who have sex with men.

A total of 96 confirmed monkeypox cases were identified in New York as of Friday, up from 69 a day earlier, according to the state Department of Health. Most cases were found in New York City, though there were five cases identified in Westchester County, one in Sullivan County, one in Chemung County and one in Rockland County, according to the most recently available state data.

There were 430 confirmed monkeypox cases nationwide Friday, with New York and California reporting significantly higher infection numbers than other states, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) monkeypox tracker.

HHS will provide 296,000 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine. Of that number, 56,000 doses will be made available immediately, and an additional 240,000 doses will be made available in the coming weeks.

HHS expects more than 750,000 additional JYNNEOS doses to be made available over the summer, and an additional 500,000 doses will be produced and released throughout the fall, totaling 1.6 million doses available this year.

The vaccine will be allocated using a four-tier distribution strategy. Within each tier, doses will be allocated based on the number of individuals at risk for monkeypox who also have pre-existing conditions, like HIV.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices currently recommends vaccination for those at high risk following a confirmed monkeypox exposure.

Given that there is a large number of potential contacts and it may be difficult to identify all contacts during the current outbreak, the vaccine will now be provided to individuals with confirmed and presumed monkeypox exposures.

We are focused on making sure the public and health care providers are aware of the risks posed by monkeypox and that there are steps they can take  through seeking testing, vaccines and treatments  to stay healthy and stop the spread, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in a statement.

To date, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), in coordination with the CDC, has responded to requests from 32 jurisdictions, deploying more than 9,000 doses of vaccine and 300 courses of antiviral treatments. HHS will continue to evolve and strengthen its vaccine supply and distribution strategy to ensure the communities most in need have access to vaccinations to combat monkeypox. This includes being in regular communication with states and jurisdictions to monitor case rates and be responsive to requests made by jurisdictions to ensure the vaccine strategy continues to meet needs in real-time.

The expanded vaccine strategy is part of the Biden-Harris administrations broader monkeypox outbreak response plan to mitigate the spread of the virus and protect those at highest risk. The administration has already deployed testing and treatment resources to communities most impacted, according to an HHS press release.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The man considered to be the wealthiest oligarch in Russia, who has been photographed playing ice hockey with President Vladimir Putin, joins a growing list of those transferring  or, sailing  their prized assets to Dubai as the West tightens its massive sanctions program on Russias economy.

Vladimir Potanin, head of the worlds largest refined nickel and palladium producer, may not be sanctioned by the United States or Europe yet; such sanctions could roil metal markets and potentially disrupt supply chains, experts say. As the biggest shareholder in mining company Nornickel, Potanin had a personal fortune of $30.6 billion before the war on Ukraine, according to Forbes.

But like an increasing number of blacklisted Russian oligarchs, he has apparently taken the precaution of moving his $300 million superyacht to the safe haven of Dubai, in the U.S.-allied United Arab Emirates.

It is called the Nirvana, and the sleek 88-meter-long (289-foot-long) superyacht, equipped with a glass elevator, gym, hot tub, 3D cinema and two terrariums of exotic reptiles, stands out even in a port full of flashy, floating mansions.

The giant Dutch-built vessel with a navy blue hull was docked on Tuesday flying the flag of the Cayman Islands when Associated Press journalists observed the ship at Dubais Port Rashid  in the eyeshot of sanctioned Russian parliamentarian Andrei Skochs $156 million Madame Gu.

Representatives for Potanin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The arrival of Russian-owned luxury vessels in Dubai has become an outsized symbol of the UAEs reluctance to oppose Moscows war on Ukraine and enforce Western sanctions. One of a shrinking number of countries where Russians can still fly directly, the financial center has become a thriving hub for Russia's rich, in part because of its reputation for welcoming money from anywhere  both legitimate and shady.

They haven't tried to hide the fact they're accepting oligarchs themselves and their yachts, said Julia Friedlander, a former senior policy adviser for Europe in the U.S. Treasurys Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. When it comes to taking sides in the conflict, it's not in their political interest to do so. They want to keep their access to money from around the world.

The UAE Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Emirati stance has stoked tensions with the United States, which has sought to pressure its Gulf Arab ally to help combat Russian sanctions evasion. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, one of the main U.S. coordinators on the Russian sanctions strategy, visited the UAE last week to voice American concerns about Russian financial flows and demand increased vigilance.

Still, there's no indication that President Joe Biden will impose secondary sanctions, leaving Washington with few pressure points.

As Moscows war on Ukraine grinds on, Western economic sanctions have proliferated in an effort to pressure Putin to change course. The European Union has captured billions of dollars in art, yachts and property. Britain, Fiji, Italy, Spain and other countries have impounded oligarchs yachts. The U.S. has seized vessels and aircraft.

Some prominent oligarchs, however, have escaped the blacklist because of their strategic holdings. Although Potanin has been hit with Canadian and Australian sanctions for his close ties to the Kremlin, his reputation as the King of Nickel has so far spared him.

We're reaching a critical metal shortage and we don't know where those supply chains are headed, so you have to ask, would sanctioning him make things worse?" Friedlander said. Those are serious considerations.
Parents and loved ones of the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School pressed Uvalde City Council members Thursday for details on the official investigation into the tragedy  but their requests for more information were, once again, denied.

Their pleas come as police and Uvalde government officials have routinely denied access to details of the shooting requested by media, elected officials and family members of the 19 children and two teachers killed May 24 inside the small school about 100 miles west of San Antonio. At Thursday's scheduled council meeting in Uvalde, Mayor Don McLaughlin said the Texas Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County District Attorney's Office said releasing such information would jeopardize the investigation.
 

1
Throughout the 4th District most Kansas City voters understand that Councilman Bunch is exceptionally difficult to contact for those outside of his bicycle fundraising crew.



Councilman Bunch is so bad and communicating with constituents that troll bot allies working with the Mayor's office & hipster friends are coordinating a digital campaign to smear his former assistant, Crissy Dastrup, who is also running against the social justice advocate turned elected official.

Real talk . . .

Surprisingly, for somebody who talks a great game about plight of the working-class . . . Council dude Bunch hasn't kept in close contact with 4th District residents outside of his activist clique.

Neighbors from Northeast, Westside, Northland and even Brookside don't really have much representation in their 4th District office.

And all of this brings us to Westport impresario Bill Nigro and his estimation of the council dude desperately seeking reelection . . . We were lucky enough to talk with this longtime local leader and here's part of what he had to say . . .



" Anybody but Bunch . Seriously, the guy has done NOTHING for Westport or any neighborhood in Kansas City. He continually makes life hard for us and he's not interested in anything but his cyclist agenda. It's ridiculous that he imagines bike lanes as the solution for every problem."



About the upcoming council campaign . . .



"I've listened to Crissy Dastrup and she has some good ideas and a great future but I think the real game changer is Henry Rizzo getting into this election ."

Mr. Nigro continued . . .



"Henry has more experience and skill to get Westport what we need and help us as an economic engine for Kansas City. Henry will have my support because he's a strong community leader with an excellent track record of responding to neighborhoods."



Bill Nigro continues to lament a controversial "baby sitting" policy enacted by city hall over security check points.

"Over the past two years Westport has been forced to pay out at least a million dollars for a problem that doesn't exist. We're obligated by KCMO to direct our money to activists when we would much rather spend those funds on security."



Mr. Nigro's glimpse at the big picture . . .

"KC needs to think about replacing these people who worked to DEFUND public safety in Kansas City . That needs to be our first goal. Council members like Katheryn Shields and Bunch have endangered Westport and our city . . . I don't think they should ever hold another elected office again . . ."

In the coming days we'll hear more from Bill Nigro regarding his constant effort to work for & improve Westport amid an increasingly dangerous Summer.

Developing . . .


Today the Mayor & Council decided to show the metro that they really don't know the definition of irony.

To be fair . . . High praise of all the human tragedy involved in the controversial abortion procedure is now the standard progressive talking point.



Check the word salad chatter . . .



The City Council on Thursday also passed a resolution declaring reproductive rights to be "fundamental human rights."

More . . .

It's in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which sparked a trigger law banning abortion in Missouri.



The ordinance will now let the city manager begin the process to start renegotiating health care benefits for city employees and their dependents and roll out a new enrollment period for health care coverage.



This new health care plan will ensure they are covered for Food and Drug Administration-approved methods of contraception and give them a plan to provide reimbursement of certain health-related travel expenses.



Each employee or covered dependent shall be eligible for one such reimbursement per fiscal year.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Kansas City Council approves financial help for city employees seeking out-of-state abortions The Kansas City Council on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a resolution to provide financial assistance to city employees seeking an out-of-state abortion. Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week overturning Roe v. Wade, nearly all abortions in Missouri are now illegal, forcing Missourians who need an abortion to travel to states such as Kansas or Illinois where the procedure is still legal.

KC council OKs ordinance exploring employee travel expenses for health care In Kansas City, Missouri, the city council Thursday approved giving the city manager the go-ahead to explore health insurance changes that will reimburse employees' travel expenses if they need an abortion.It's in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v.

KCMO approves $300 travel stipend for city employees seeking abortions KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Employees who work for the city of Kansas City, Missouri, and are seeking abortion services could soon have access to a $300 travel stipend. The KCMO City Council voted 10-2 to pass the resolution Thursday afternoon.

KC Council passes ordinance to help city employees with abortion travel costs Editor's note: The story below has been updated to reflect that the ordinance does not have a set dollar amount for the reimbursement. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The city council has passed Mayor Quinton Lucas' ordinance that creates a travel reimbursement for city employees who choose to travel to another state to get an abortion.

Developing . . .
We posted this earlier in a compilation but tonight most local news stations offered celebratory coverage of the verdict that might signal an ongoing cultural shift cont'd right here in the Kansas City metro.



Here are the basics . . .



The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, unanimously approved a $12.5 million settlement Thursday night with Lamonte McIntyre, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 24 years for a double slaying he didn't commit.



McIntyre, 45, had sought $93 million and his mother, Rose, had asked for $30 million in their civil lawsuit against the UG and various Kansas City, Kansas, police officers, including former Detective Roger Golubski, who allegedly framed the then-17-year-old McIntyre for the double homicide in 1994.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Unified Government to pay $12.5 million to wrongfully imprisoned Kansas City, Kansas, man The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, unanimously approved a $12.5 million settlement Thursday night with Lamonte McIntyre, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 24 years for a double slaying he didn't commit.

Unified Government reaches settlement in lawsuit from Lamonte McIntyre The Unified Government of Wyandotte County - Kansas City, Kansas has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by Lamonte McIntyre for $12.5 million.McIntyre was exonerated after spending two decades in prison for a crime he didn't commit.He sued Wyandotte County for $93 million.In the lawsuit, McIntyre, along with his mother, say the Unified Government was accountable for the actions of former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective.

Lamonte McIntyre, wrongfully convicted man, to receive $12.5M from UG KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Lamonte McIntyre, a man who was wrongfully convicted in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1994, will receive $12.5 million as part of a settlement with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas. McIntyre, who was released in 2017 after serving 23 years in prison, was seeking more than $100 million from the UG and the city's police department.

Lamonte McIntyre settles wrongful imprisonment lawsuit with Wyandotte County KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Exonerated inmate Lamonte McIntyre has settled a wrongful imprisonment lawsuit with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County for $12.5 million. The lawsuit was settled at a special commission meeting Thursday evening. McIntyre served 23 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit.

Developing . . .
In the Midwest . . . Any victory over AOC is worth a bit of song and dance.



This week's ditty as the right-wing band plays on whilst the sky falls . . .



In Kansas, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican candidate for Governor, celebrated the decision in West Virginia v. EPA as necessary to stop the advancement of policies in the Green New Deal without approval from the peoples elected representatives.



Todays ruling confirms that unelected Washington bureaucrats cannot write federal law to fit their preferences for energy production and the American economy without congressional authority, Schmidt said. More broadly, this ruling is a victory for basic principles of democratic self-government and may one day be seen as a turning point in the decades-long fight to regain control over the ever-expanding federal bureaucracy.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Check this latest fight over 300 bucks vs. the right to life and/or the U.S. quickly enforcing a modern day Handmaid's Tale without the cool costumes.



Midterm election season vendetta almost explained . . .



"The Kansas City Council approved a resolution on Thursday that would provide financial assistance to city employees who seek an abortion outside of Missouri, where nearly all abortions are now illegal."

In his reasoning, Schmitt cited RSMo. 188.205: It shall be unlawful for any public funds to be expended for the purpose of performing or assisting an abortion, not necessary to see the life of the mother, or for the purpose of encouraging or counseling a woman to have an abortion not necessary to save her life.



Schmitt specifically pointed out St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as areas he is willing to file suit against.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Missouri Attorney General says he'll sue Kansas City over financial help for out-of-state abortions A week after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Friday said he plans to sue Kansas City after the City Council approved a resolution to provide financial help to city employees who seek out-of-state abortions.

MO AG Schmitt vows to sue any MO city, county that uses tax money on abortions KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt vowed Friday to file a lawsuit in the case of any city or county in Missouri using tax money on abortions. In his reasoning, Schmitt cited RSMo.

Missouri AG threatens to sue cities authorizing taxpayer money for abortions The Missouri attorney general said Friday that any city that attempts to authorize taxpayer-funded abortions will be met with a lawsuit.Kansas City may possibly reimburse city employees who need to travel to have an abortion after last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v.

Developing . . .
Following the example of Mayor Garner . . . The UG mostly works to evade questions from newsies.



Here's one example out of many . . .



Attorney Mark Kind was hired March 31 with a salary of $88,192, according to employment data obtained by The Star through a Kansas Open Records Act request. He is listed as a senior assistant district attorney and, two sources confirmed, oversees the unit charged with investigating complaints of police misconduct and potential wrongful convictions.



Reached by phone Wednesday, Kind referred The Star to DA spokesman Jonathan Carter, who in an email said no interview with Kind would be available. Weeks ago, when The Star asked who was running the unit, Carter said the DAs office does not discuss personnel matters.



Kind was hired 10 months after the DAs office in May 2021 fired two unit employees for making remarks that violated the offices code of conduct. Those firings were announced as KCTV5 published secret recordings taped by a third employee, who had been terminated before the other two, that revealed unit members made disturbing comments, including about Black people.



The DAs office did not announce Kinds hiring. Asked if Dupree wanted to comment, his spokesman said in an email: No, thank you. Dupree did not return a voicemail left on his cellphone Thursday.



Prosecutors in other parts of the country have publicized the names of lawyers running similar units.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
The Golden Ghetto suffers and EPIC cash defeat today that will make suburbanites even poorer and boost the fortunes of America's least favorite box store . . .



"In a unanimous decision, the court ruled the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals wrongly found Johnson County overtaxed Walmart's 11 properties there by tens of millions of dollars."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Walmart wants lower property taxes, but the Kansas Supreme Court pushes back The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday dealt a blow to what's known as dark story theory, an idea used by big box retailers to reduce their property taxes. The decision reversed a previous ruling in favor of Walmart's argument that its properties in Johnson County were overtaxed by tens of millions of dollars.

Developing . . .
Heres what you need to know about a possible fall COVID booster campaign

According to new advice, heres who should be considering a booster, what we know about how they work, and what "fully vaccinated" may soon mean.
lyf (pronounced "life") is a hospitality concept, with 17 properties in 9 countries that provide co-living spaces for digital nomads, technopreneurs, creatives and self-starters to live your freedom in a dynamic environment. The apartments, social spaces, and experiential programmes at lyf properties are designed for guests to forge connections and nurture a strong sense of community.



(TRAVPR.COM) AUSTRALIA - June 30th, 2022 - The Ascott Limited introduced its co-living hotel brand lyf to Australia with the opening of lyf Collingwood in May this year.

lyf - which stands for live your freedom, pronounced life - is a next generation hotel concept designed to foster a sense of community among guests lodged at these Collingwood serviced apartments through features such as a communal kitchen, shared workspace, launderette, social space and more.

lyf Collingwood Melbourne, launched on the 14th of May 2022, features 105 studio rooms, including studio and two-bed offerings, custom-designed to suit both leisure and corporate travellers.

The opening of lyf Collingwood signals the start of a phase of growth for The Ascott Limited in Australia, following the successful integration of the Quest Apartment Hotels brand into the business, said The Ascott Limited Managing Director  Australia, David Mansfield.

We see great opportunity for expansion across key gateway cities in Australia, especially for our globally successful Citadines Aparthotel and lyf brands and we are currently working with a number of interested parties on both management and franchise models.

lyf Collingwood Melbourne is intended to be a space where leisure and corporate travellers can mix  offering a networking lounge, free barista-made coffee for Ascott Star Rewards Members, high-speed Wi-Fi, a communal kitchen and a laundry space complete with old-school arcade-style game machines.

The lyf Residence Manager, Shermaine Chong mentioned, Start-ups and technopreneurs dont just want a conference room  they want fun, creative spaces, and the opportunity to explore. They want to bond and network organically.

Guests dont just want a room and a shower. Theyre looking to connect with like-minded people. They want a team who can help them really discover the fabric of a neighbourhood  the secret bar, the pop-up restaurant, the late-night comedy gig. Our guests want authenticity and community  they want somewhere to stay that is much more than somewhere to sleep.

lyfs Two of a Kind studios  designed for friends or colleagues travelling together  feature side-by-side apartments with separate lockable entrances and a shared kitchen kitted out with SMEG appliances. The One of a Kind studios  for singles or pairs  aim to satisfy those seeking a little more floor space, while One of a Kind Plus are accessible apartments complete with open format bathrooms, wheel-in showers and easy access counters and door handles.

The hotel  which includes a 24-hour reception staffed by lyf guards  is also pet friendly with the CollingWOOF package offering canine guests a bed, blanket and food bowl plus a welcome pack including a treat and toy.

For more information and details, visit: https://www.discoverasr.com/en/lyf/australia/lyf-collingwood-melbourne

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The UNC says governments five-week revision programme for SEA students who underperformed is merely a quick fix and not a real solution. Speaking during their weekly Sunday media conference, MP Anita Haynes said this years results had little to do with the pandemic.
The death toll from a Russian missile attack on the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky district of the Odesa region has increased to 14.

The Ukrainian State Emergency Service said this in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports.

The service added that as of 06:00, 14 people were killed in the rocket attack. Another 30 were injured, including three children. Employees of the State Emergency Service were also able to rescue seven people, including three children, from under the rubble.

On the night of July 1, Russian strategic aircraft flying over the Black Sea launched a missile attack on the Odesa region. According to the regional military administration, one missile hit a nine-story residential building, and another one hit a recreation center in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky district.

One section of the nine-story building was completely destroyed.
Seven battalions of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus have been deployed at the state border with Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Facebook, referring to an interview of its representative, Vadym Skibitskyi, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Skibitskyi, the threat of the Belarusian army invading the territory of Ukraine, from a military perspective, is persisting. But, at the moment, the direct military offensive from Belarus is unlikely to be launched.

Today there is no direct threat from Belarus, as a military grouping has not been created and a relevant control system has not been established. This is the key element of direct preparations for hostilities, Skibitskyi noted.

Meanwhile, seven Belarusian battalions kept at the border with Ukraine are forcing the Ukrainian command to attract additional deterrent forces and enhance reconnaissance.

This diverts resources and means from our eastern front. In addition, continuous troops transfers are aimed at keeping us under tension. Separate elements, tactical episodes of possible offensive actions from the territory of Belarus are considered, Skibitskyi explained.

A reminder that, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Kremlin propagandists are actively spreading narratives about the high probability of the attack on Ukraine by Belarusian forces to sow panic among Ukrainians.

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Ukraine is actively negotiating on new weapons from partners to break the advantage of Russian invaders.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this in his nightly video address to citizens, Ukrinform reports.

We are no less actively negotiating on new weapons from our partners - it is necessary for Donbas, for Kharkiv region, for the south of Ukraine. We are doing everything to break the advantage of the occupiers," Zelensky said.

He thanked the United States and personally President Biden for the new support package for Ukraine, which includes NASAMS systems, a missile defense complex that will significantly strengthen air defense.

"We worked a lot for such supply. In total, this package weighs 820 million dollars and, in addition to NASAMS systems, it includes artillery ammunition and radar systems," he stressed.

In addition, Zelensky noted that the Prime Minister of Norway visited Kyiv on July 1. The parties discussed further defense support for Ukraine and strengthening sanctions against Russia.

The President also reminded about the establishment of a special group on international security guarantees for Ukraine. "The main task of the group is to develop a format of security guarantees for our state that will work long-term and realistically so that there are no future aggressions," Zelensky said.

On February 24, Russia began a new stage of the war against Ukraine - a full-scale invasion. The Russian forces have been shelling and bombarding Ukrainian cities, towns and villages.
Norway will provide a EUR 1 billion aid package to Ukraine by the end of this year and throughout the next year.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said this at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday, July 1, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

He said he had arrived in Kyiv to announce Norway's support for Ukraine and its people. He added that Norway would provide EUR 1 billion to help people in need and support measures to rebuild Ukraine.

Stre said that this war is a violation of international law and its basic principles.

He said that Ukrainians have the absolute right to defend themselves and "we have the right to help you defend yourself, and we will use this right."

On June 29, the Norwegian government decided to transfer to Ukraine, with the help of the United Kingdom, three M270 multiple rocket launchers and 5,000 155mm shells.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has discussed with President of Chile Gabriel Boric the possibility of involving Chilean specialists in demining Ukraines territories and thanked for the humanitarian aid provided for the country.

The Head of State wrote this on his Twitter account, Ukrinform reports.

Distance is not an obstacle for friendly countries. Glad to establish contact with the newly elected President of Chile Gabriel Boric. Thanked for the support in the UN, humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Discussed the possibility of involving Chilean specialists in demining Ukraines territories, he wrote.

Read also: Norway to provide EUR 1B in aid to Ukraine

On February 24, Russia began a new stage of the war against Ukraine - a full-scale invasion. The Russian forces have been shelling and bombarding Ukrainian cities, towns and villages.

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Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Stre have discussed defense assistance, energy and humanitarian cooperation.

The meeting of the officials took place in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Government portal.

"Norway holds a leading position among the countries providing practical support to Ukraine. We highly appreciate your countrys allocation of almost 1 billion euros in aid. This is important for the support of the social sphere and the macro-stability of our state, because the majority of the budget today is aimed at ensuring the defense sphere," Shmyhal said.

He stressed that this visit to Ukraine at such a difficult time is an important and timely gesture of Norway's solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

The head of the Ukrainian government thanked for providing military and technical assistance for Ukraine, as well as for joining the European Union sanctions against Russia.

Photo credit: Government portal

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| By Heide Aungst

Babies born to women with HIV often have poorer health and under-developed growth in the early months of life than infants born to women without the infection  even if those babies dont contract HIV during birth, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)s Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Institute of Human Virology (IHV). The study also provides new insights into why these health issues often continue throughout the babies lives.

Claire Fraser and Man Charurat

Science has come far in preventing HIV transmission from mother to baby, thanks to the standard use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-positive pregnant women. However, babies of HIV-positive mothers still struggle with slower growth and adverse health outcomes.

In the study published online in April in Microbiome, IGS and IHV scientists found a complex interaction of factors shaped babies development and health. These included maternal HIV status, infants gut microbiota, the length of time that mothers breastfed, and the breastmilk composition.

For 18 months, study leaders Claire Fraser, PhD, the Deans Endowed Professor of Medicine at UMSOM and director of IGS, and Man Charurat, PhD, MHS, professor of medicine at UMSOM and the division director of Epidemiology & Prevention at IHV, along with colleagues, followed a group of 272 Nigerian babies born to mothers with and without HIV. All mothers with HIV in this study were being treated with ART, and none transmitted the virus to their newborns.

Surprisingly, the researchers found no significant differences between the gut and vaginal microbiomes of the mothers with and without HIV, as well as no difference in the gut microbiomes of the babies at birth. Infants born to mothers with HIV exhibited lower weight-to-age Z-scores (WAZ) at birth in comparison to infants born to uninfected mothers. The Z-score measures the distance away from a particular data point. These differences persisted throughout the 18-month study and were further exacerbated in infants who were not breastfed.

The World Health Organization recommends that HIV-positive mothers breastfeed exclusively for six months and continue to nurse, along with solid food, for up to two years. The Fraser/Charurat team discovered that by six months, 99 percent of mothers without HIV were still breastfeeding, but only 39 percent of mothers with HIV were breastfeeding. The numbers became even more discrepant at nine months: 95 percent of mothers without HIV still breastfed their infants, and only 17 percent of mothers with HIV were still breastfeeding.

Weve long known that the composition of the gut microbiome in infants impacts their overall health, growth, and development. That composition is strongly influenced by what the babies eat early in life, Fraser said.

Scientists know that the gastrointestinal tracts of healthy breastfed infants are filled with the bacteria Bifidobacterium. The loss of this  or invasion of other types of bacteria  can predispose an infant to metabolic and autoimmune diseases throughout life.

We wondered whether the lack of breastfeeding in infants of HIV-positive mothers during the first weeks and months postpartum was associated with a lower abundance of Bifidobacteria and, in fact, we found significantly less of that genus in non-breastfed babies, Fraser explained. We also thought that lower amount might impact a babys weight, and, again, low Bifidobacteria led to lower infant weight.

Is it how long a baby receives breastmilk or is it the content that makes a difference?

It seems that it is both, Fraser said. Theres a difference in growth between babies of mothers with HIV who were breastfed longer and those who stopped early on. We discovered that the presence of ART in breastmilk correlated with a lower abundance of Bifidobacteria in the infant gut microbiome as well.

Researchers dont know whether the ART drug metabolites directly impact Bifidobacteria levels.

It seems that breastfeeding helps close the gap between the babies in the two different groups, Fraser explained. It may mean that breastmilk containing ART metabolites may be less than ideal  perhaps ART is directly toxic to some of the gut microbes.

Dr. Fraser said the use of Bifidobacterium probiotic supplement may be one way to help strengthen the gut  and ultimately reduce disease  in babies born to mothers with HIV. A stronger gut, then, could reduce ongoing poor growth and mortality among those infants.

We recognize there are other confounding factors, like available food choices in impoverished areas, that could play a role in this complex interaction between mothers with HIV and their newborns health, Charurat added. We will be taking a deeper dive into this research.

Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president for medical affairs, UM Baltimore, the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, and dean at UMSOM said, This research is critical to allow babies born to mothers with HIV to thrive alongside their peers whose mothers have not contracted HIV.

The research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01DE025174. Additional support was provided by the Deans Endowed Professorship to Fraser. Olivia A. Martin is a TL1 postdoctoral fellow supported by 1TL1TR00310001, 1UL1TR00309801, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

The authors have no conflicts of interest.
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July 1 2022

Ambassador Group has revealed plans to redevelop Bangour Village, a former NHS site on a 215-acre estate in West Lothian, with Ark architecture + design.

The Glasgow-based construction firm proposes to build 900 energy-efficient homes on the site, 20% of which are to be affordable, linked by paths to established woodland.

Bangour Village Estate will also deliver several community benefits including the refurbishment of an A-listed church, retail and delivery of a new primary school, incorporating an A-listed recreation hall.

Gordon Coster, managing director of Ambassador Groups developments division, said of the development: We hope it recognises, respects and cherishes the heritage of Bangour in such a way that our reimagining brings this iconic and much-loved site back to life.

These community benefits are essential in establishing the necessary infrastructure and environment we would like to achieve here, bringing circa 150m of investment into the area over the 10-year project."

The development has been awarded planning permission in principle by West Lothian Council.
July 1 2022

The latest stage of a major regeneration initiative at Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, has commenced with the launch of a two-week public consultation.

7N Architects with The City of Edinburgh Council, Cruden Homes East and Buccleuch Property are hosting the two-week online event to showcase their latest thinking for a canalside district comprising 464 tenure-blind homes - up from 434 homes.

Building on a master plan for the area the latest plans promise less carbon and cars, together with more homes and green space to win over existing and future residents.

The key to this approach is giving people a sense of belonging beyond their front door by emphasising shared spaces and the public realm as well as a net-zero energy strategy.

Alongside new housing, a host of complementary cafes, restaurants and shops are proposed to ensure the canal is restored as a working environment, not just a dormitory.
Paris, July 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2022 ) :Big brands are rushing to the metaverse but the path to profit is still unclear and mass adoption may be years away, one of the sector's biggest players, Sebastien Borget, told AFP in an interview.

Borget is co-founder of The Sandbox, a platform that began life as a game for mobile phones and PCs but is transforming itself into a virtual world where anyone can buy land in the form of digital tokens.

Fashion brands like Gucci and Adidas, financial firms Axa and HSBC, and Warner Music are among those who have already chosen to set up shop in The Sandbox.

"Above all, it is a place for creativity and experience," said Frenchman Borget, distancing himself from the idea that it is simply a commercial venture.

"Brands don't go there to monetise, we don't know how to do that." Enthusiasts are convinced that internet users in the near future will shop, mingle with friends or go to concerts in platforms like The Sandbox or its main competitor Decentraland.

Users will strap on virtual reality headsets, buy and sell in cryptocurrencies and have all their transactions stored on the blockchain -- a kind of digital ledger.

At least that is the theory.

- Digital owners - The Sandbox is still largely a quest game where players hop through landscapes illustrated in block graphics, collecting treasures and vanquishing enemies.

Players are also encouraged to build their own worlds and invent games.

The metaverse version -- where players largely do the same thing but can earn cryptocurrency rewards and buy extra kit for their avatars -- has only opened to the public for special events.

Some 350,000 people visited during its last opening in March, said Borget, far short of his aim to attract "hundreds of millions".

"We hope to achieve this within five to 10 years," he said.

But there is still plenty of public scepticism about the metaverse and the wider web3 phenomenon -- an idea for a blockchain-based internet centred on individuals rather than big social media platforms.

Cryptocurrency trading underpins the commercial side of web3, but the main coins are wildly unstable and transactions can suck up a huge amount of energy.

The crypto ecosystem is largely unregulated, has gaping security flaws and little in the way of insurance, leaving users open to fraud and scams.

But Borget is confident that the offer of a space for individuals to socialise, trade, play -- and crucially own their digital footprint -- will win out.

"For the first time, users have ownership of their digital content," he said.

"The avatar, the wearables, the equipment, the land, the houses... everything belongs to them. They can dispose of it as they want." - Early adopters - Despite his focus on the social and creative aspects, The Sandbox has a clear commercial motive.

It takes five percent commissions on all transactions as well as pocketing profit from the sale of virtual land. Its revenue was $200 million last year.

Plenty of major companies have jumped in, Borget highlighting that The Sandbox has only 166,464 plots of virtual land on offer.

"This map has a finite number of plots, which is not the case for all decentralised virtual worlds," said Borget.

"We have sold 70 percent of them so far." The firm's sales of virtual land topped $500 million last year and Borget claimed his metaverse had 64 percent market share.

But Borget said brands were still searching for the best way to develop their virtual shops and offices.

"Brands were slow to embrace the web," he said.

"With web3 they are trying to get in a little earlier so as not to repeat their past mistakes."
Port Moresby, July 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2022 ) :Women are fighting to get at least one seat in Papua New Guinea's male-dominated parliament when voting opens Monday in a mountainous, forest-clad land scarred by gender-based violence.

Prime Minister James Marape is fending off a challenge from his predecessor Peter O'Neill to lead this resource-rich but poverty-struck Pacific Island for the next five years.

Whoever wins, the new leader will need to cobble together a coalition government, say analysts.

Women, though, are hoping just to have a voice in the 118-seat parliament.

In the nearly 50 years since Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia, only seven women have ever secured a seat, and not one in the last election in 2017.

"A lot of us really feel like we stand a great chance," said Sylvia Pascoe, one of 142 women among the almost 3,500 candidates in this election, told AFP.

"Not just because the timing is right, but because we've spent our lives building up to this moment."Statistics on women's experiences in the country are alarming: 63 percent have been subject to physical, sexual or emotional violence at the hands of their spouses, according to a national survey completed four years ago.

At least 70 percent of both men and women agreed that a man would be justified in beating his wife in at least one of these circumstances: if she burnt food, argued, went out without telling her husband, refused sex, or neglected her children.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan on Friday said a notorious gangster, involved in over 500 criminal cases, had been killed along with his accomplice during a joint operation by the Islamabad Police and the Intelligence Bureau

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2022 ) :Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan on Friday said a notorious gangster, involved in over 500 criminal cases, had been killed along with his accomplice during a joint operation by the Islamabad Police and the Intelligence Bureau.

The IGP told a press conference that the gangster Bilal Sabit was wanted by the police in several incidents of robbery, car-lifting, attacks on law enforcers and other crimes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

He had links with terrorist groups and had received training in Afghanistan,and caused a loss of more than Rs 3 billion to the citizens, the IGP added.

Dr Akbar said the police were collecting data from Peshawar and Rawalpindi to dismantle the network of gang in coordination with other intelligence agencies.

The gangster's other accomplices would also be arrested soon.

He said the gang became more active after 2018 and kept escaping from the police due to use of modern technology. "We are chasing the gang members and its facilitators to recover the looted items," the IGP remarked.

The number of gang members, he said, might vary from 16 to 24, and six of them had been killed in several encounters.

"Crime cannot be controlled without the cooperation of masses and law enforcement agencies," he said and extended his gratitude to those who helped the police in tracing the gang.

To a question, he said the security of Islamabad was put on high alert and he himself was monitoring the situation closely to ensure law and order.
Danish Ambassador to Pakistan Lis Roseholm said on Friday that Pakistan and Denmark were enjoying good bilateral relations

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2022 ) :Danish Ambassador to Pakistan Lis Roseholm said on Friday that Pakistan and Denmark were enjoying good bilateral relations.

She expressed these views while talking to media during her visit to a mango pulp plant in the city's suburbs.

She said that both the countries were working together to strengthen the ties further and supporting each other to address the mutual issues and challenges.

Danish Ambassador further said that they were working with companies in Pakistan with an objective to providing solutions to diabetes, mental health and production of electricity through wind energy.

She said that food wastage was a global challenge and hailed the efforts of Pakistan in reducing the food wastage. She said that initiatives meant to plug chances of food crop wastage would leave a good impact on Pakistan economy. She admired the taste of aromatic Multani mangoes for its natural aroma and sweetness.

The Ambassador further said that they were working for women empowerment with the goal of creating equal opportunities for girls and boys in sight.

She said that 20 percent Pakistani women were working in labour force but the contributions from women were needed to be increased which would fortify the economy.

She said that Multan was a beautiful city, and hospitality of the Multani people amazed her.

Earlier, Lis Roseholm visited various parts of the mango pulp plant and planted a sapling there.

She appreciated the pulp plant administration for creating opportunities for female workers there.

Chairman of the mango pulp plant Ali Mubashir Kazmi, during a briefing to the ambassador, said, they were working on the slogan of no food waste. He said, 40 percent of mango crop is wasted every year, which, if utilized, could fetch one billion US Dollar.

He informed that the natural life of fresh fruit was seven days but pulp processing can extend it to two years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday commended the performance of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for achieving tax collection target of Rs. 6.1 trillion

ISLAMABAD, Jul 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2022 ) :Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday commended the performance of Federal board of Revenue (FBR) for achieving tax collection target of Rs. 6.1 trillion.

The PM, in a tweet on his Twitter handle, said, "This sets a good example for other ministries to step up to the plate. My congratulations to Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, MOS Dr Ayesha Pasha, Chairman FBR & his team. We still have to go far."
PM and Army Chief discussed and exchanged views on the current security situation of Pakistan

According to GEO News, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the COAS of the army today (Friday) .

The country's security condition and the military's professional issues were among the topics discussed by the civil-military brass, according to the sources.

PM Shehbaz Sharif posted a video clip on Twitter with the caption, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today. Professional matters pertaining to National security were discussed during the meeting.

According to the sources, the meeting took place at the PM's office. The prime minister and chief of army staff last spoke in April, following the premier's election to office.
Dialogue between Myanmar's junta and ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to end the bloody crisis unleashed by the toppling of her government last year is "not impossible", a junta spokesman told AFP on Friday

Naypyidaw, Myanmar, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jul, 2022 ) :Dialogue between Myanmar's junta and ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to end the bloody crisis unleashed by the toppling of her government last year is "not impossible", a junta spokesman told AFP on Friday.

The Southeast Asian nation has been in chaos since the putsch, with renewed fighting with ethnic rebel groups, dozens of "People's Defence Forces" springing up to fight the junta and the economy in tatters.

Suu Kyi, 77, has been kept virtually incommunicado by the military and was recently transferred from house arrest to solitary confinement while she faces multiple trials that could see her sentenced to more than 150 years in jail.

"There is nothing impossible in politics," junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP when asked if the junta could enter into dialogue with Suu Kyi to resolve the turmoil.

"We cannot say that (negotiations with Suu Kyi) are impossible." "Several countries" had urged opening dialogue with the Nobel laureate, he said, without giving details.

Diplomatic efforts led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- of which Myanmar is a member -- have so far failed to halt the bloodshed.

Last year, the bloc agreed on a "five-point consensus", which calls for a cessation of violence and constructive dialogue, but the junta has largely ignored it.

ASEAN envoy and Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn arrived in Myanmar on Wednesday for his second visit aimed at kickstarting dialogue between the junta and opponents to its rule.

He met with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Thursday and on Friday met with members of several political parties in the military-built capital Naypyidaw, a junta spokesman said.

The junta has said he will not be allowed to visit Suu Kyi.

"We have performed whatever she asked for related to her health and living situation," Zaw Min Tun said regarding Suu Kyi's new living conditions in prison.

- 'Dangling dialogue' - Dangling the prospect of dialogue would be "consistent with their (the junta's)... political calculus", independent Myanmar analyst David Mathieson told AFP.

"Punish to the extreme then show a sliver of conciliation to ensure they stay in power. Suu Kyi is potentially their way out, if they can overcome their hatred of her," he said.

Fighting continues across swathes of the country, with local media reporting killing and burning sprees by junta troops as they struggle to crush opposition to the coup.

Almost 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the putsch, the United Nations said in May.

On Thursday, Thailand scrambled F-16 fighter aircraft after a Myanmar jet involved in operations against anti-coup fighters near its border violated Thai airspace, officials said.
According to the Nicaraguan authorities the Missionarie of Mother Teresa of Calcutta operating in the Central American country have failed to comply with their obligations. The decision comes amidst ongoing tensions between the Sandinista government and the Catholic Church.

By Lisa Zengarini

In what seems to be a new crackdown against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, the Sandinista Government led by President Daniel Ortega has announced the closure of an Association run by the Missionaries of Charity (MC), alongside other 100 NGOs, including a number of Catholic organizations operating in the country.

The official reason of the provision

The measure was ordered by the Nicaraguan Ministry of the Interior and is expected to be approved in the coming days by the National Assembly, where Ortegas Sandinista National Liberation Front party (SNLF) holds an overwhelming majority.

According to the Nicaraguan authorities, the Association of the MC has failed to comply with its law obligations, and specifically with Law 977 on money-laundering financing of terrorism, and financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Moreoever, says the Ministry of the Interior, the Missionaries are not accredited by the Ministry for the Family to function as a nursery-center for childhood development, home for girls, and home for the elderly, nor do they have an operating permit from the Ministry of Education to provide remedial education for students and their financial statements reported to the Ministry of the Interior dont agree with other documents presented for review.

Other Catholic NGOs to be closed

The list of Catholic organizations the Government has ordered to close also include the Spirituality Foundation for Children of Nicaragua, the Catholic Foundation for Human Development Assistance for Nicaraguans, the My Childhood Mothers Foundation, and the Diriomito Childrens Care Home Association.

Working in Nicaragua since 1988

The Missionaries of Charity have been operating in Nicaragua since 1988, following the visit St. Mother Teresa made to the Central American country during the first term of Daniel Ortega.

The nuns run the Immaculate Heart of Mary Home in the city of Granada, where they take in abandoned adolescents or victims of abuse. In the Nicaraguan capital Managua they run a nursing home, which provides the elderly with food, clothing, and other care. The MC also provide remedial education for minors at risk and run a nursery for poor children.

Ongoing tensions between Government and Church

The decision on the closure comes in the context of heightened tensions between the Catholic Church and Ortegas government who has been governing the Central American country for 15 years.

Relations have been tensed since 2018 when Nicaraguan authorities clamped down on protests against a series of controversial reforms to the social security system. Despite attempts to mediate in the crisis, bishops were ultimately banned from the dialogue and relations further worsened after the controversial 2021 elections which confirmed President Ortega, amid allegations of fraud and the political persecution of rival presidential candidate.

In that same year Ortega and his wife, who is now vice-president, called the bishops coup perpetrators, foreign agents, and accused them of preaching a false Christianity.

Early in March this year the government declared the Apostolic Nuncio to Nicaragua, Polish Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, persona non grata and expelled him. The Holy See expressed surprise and regret at the notification, sayng the measure is incomprehensible because in the course of his mission Archbishop Sommertag worked with profound dedication for the good of the Church and the Nicaraguan people always seeking to foster good relations between the Apostolic See and the authorities of Nicaragua."

Read also 12/03/2022 Holy See calls Nicaragua's withdrawal of approval of Nuncio 'incomprehensible' A statement issued by the Holy See Press Office notes how the Nuncio to Nicaragua, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, carried out his mission there "with deep dedication for ...

The Church target of nearly 200 attacks in four years

Since the outbreak of the crisis in 2018, the Church has been the target of nearly 200 attacks and desecrations, as well as harassment and intimidations of bishops and priests. In 2019, Managua Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Jose Baez was forced to leave the Diocese of Managua at Pope Franciss request after receiving several death threats.

In a tweet written in Florida, where he presently lives, Bishop Baez wrote that he was saddened by the news of the closure of the Association of the MC , saying nothing justifies depriving the poor of charitable care.
Funeral of Fr. Vitus Borogo killed by bandits in Kaduna, Nigeria (Source: Facebook page of the Archdiocese of Kaduna)

Following the killing of Fr. Vitus Borogo, priests of the Kaduna archdiocese protest the state of insecurity and attacks on clergy, calling on authorities to take up urgent action. Fr. Borogo was buried on Thursday.

By Fr. Benedict Mayaki

Over 700 catholic priests in Nigeria have held a peaceful protest on Thursday as they buried Fr. Vitus Borogo, a priest who was killed over the weekend in Kaduna state

Vatican News had reported that Fr. Borogo, a Catholic priest serving in the Archdiocese of Kaduna, was killed by unknown armed persons at Prison Farm, Kujama, along Kaduna-Kachia road, Chikun Local Government Area, on 25 June.

Fr. Borogo's younger brother was also abducted during the attack.

During the protest held after the Mass, the priests of the Kaduna archdiocese carried placards with inscriptions to express their grievances and to call on authorities to take action.

Priests hold peaceful protest (Source: Facebook page of the Archdiocese of Kaduna)

Insecurity

At the funeral, which was held at the Queen of Apostles Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Kaduna, Matthew Ndagoso, lamented the rising state of insecurity in the country, particularly under the present administration.

The archbishop said that Nigerians, and in particular the faithful in the archdiocese of Kaduna are traumatized because of the rising attacks in the country, while authorities seem to be incapacitated to tackle the problem.

Funeral of Fr. Vitus Borogo (Source: Facebook page of the Archdiocese of Kaduna)

"But in our confusion and trauma, we believe God is in it", he assured. And this is what gives us hope and a reason to live.

He prayed for the family members of Fr. Borogo, his mother, siblings, and in particular, the younger brother who is still in the hands of the captors.

He also prayed for God to touch the hearts of the kidnappers. "They are human beings and therefore they are not beyond redemption  nobody is beyond redemption," the Archbishop said. "It is our hope and prayer that God in his time, will touch the hearts of these people to lay down their arms and allow their fellow citizens to live their normal lives."

Read also 27/06/2022 Nigeria: Catholic priests killed in Edo and Kaduna The Catholic Dioceses of Auchi and Kaduna mourn the deaths of Fr. Christopher Odia and Fr. Vitus Borogo, who were killed in the Nigerian states of Edo and Kaduna over the weekend.

Fr. Borogo is not the first priest of the Archdiocese of Kaduna that has died at the hands of armed bandits since the start of this year.

Just three weeks ago, a funeral was held for Fr. Joseph Aketeh Bako without his corpse. The priest had died in the custody of his abductors, after being kidnapped in March.

A cross section of priests at the funeral Mass (Source: Facebook page of the Archdiocese of Kaduna)

The archbishop advised the government to take measures to ensure the security of the country and to protect vulnerable communities against attacks.
In a Spanish-language interview with Argentina's national news agency Telam, Pope Francis reflects on a wide range of issues, including "building back better," the need to live in harmony with nature, the role of young people in building a better world, and what he has achieved in the first ten years of his papacy. Telam has provided an English translation of the first part of the interview with Pope Francis, which Vatican News offers here.

By Bernarda Llorente

Outside, the blazing sun does not seem to discourage the thousands of tourists who, in full sunshine, share endless lines to enter the Vatican City. Just a few feet away, at Casa Santa Marta, his busy schedule moves forward step by step. Some odd movements announce his arrival. Francis, his Holiness, the Argentine Pope, one of the leaders who set the social and political agenda of the world, walks toward me with a beaming smile on his face. He looks fully recovered. Aware of all the transformations put in place during his nine years of Papacy and with a long-term view regarding the future of humanity, faith, and the need for new answers. As we walk together into the hall where the exclusive interview with Telam (Argentinas national news agency) will take place during an hour and a half, I know that this 20 June is an exceptional and unique day for me.

Telam: Francis, you have been one of the most important voices in a moment of extreme loneliness and fear in the world, during the pandemic. You defined it as the limitations of a world in economic, social, and political crisis. And then you said, We do not come out from a crisis the same as before. We either come out better or worse. In which way do you think we are coming out of this crisis? Where are we headed?

Pope Francis: Im not particularly liking it. We have grown in some aspects, but, in general, I dont like it because it has become selective.

Look, the mere fact of Africa not having many vaccines or having a minimum amount of doses means that salvation from the disease has been rationed by other interests. The fact that Africa is in need of vaccines indicates that something has not worked well. When I say we never come out of a crisis the same as before, it is because the crisis necessarily changes us.

Even more, crises are moments in life in which we take a step forward. There is the adolescence crisis, the coming-of-age crisis, the midlife crisis. A crisis gets you moving, makes you dance. We must learn to take responsibility, because if we dont, they become a conflict. And conflict is a closed thing, conflict seeks the answer within itself, it destroys itself. On the contrary, a crisis is necessarily open, it makes you grow.

One of the most serious things in life is knowing how to go through a crisis, not with bitterness. Well, how did we experience this crisis? Each person did what they could. There were heroes. I can speak of what was closest to me: doctors, nurses, priests, nuns, secular people who gave their lives. Some of them died. I believe over sixty of them died in Italy. One of the things we saw during this crisis was people giving their lives. Priests also did a great job, in general, because churches were closed, but they would call people over the phone. Young priests would ask elderly people what they needed from the market or they would buy groceries for them.

I mean, crises make you show solidarity, because everyone is going through the same crisis. And we grow from that.

Many people thought that the pandemic was setting some limits: to extreme inequality, to the disregard for global warming, to exacerbated individualism, to the malfunction of political and representation systems. However, some sectors insist on reconstructing the conditions previous to the pandemic...

We cannot go back to the false security of the political and economic structures that we had before. Just as I say we dont come out from a crisis the same as before, we come out either better or worse, I also say we dont come out from a crisis on our own. It is either all of us or none of us.

Expecting just one group to come out from the crisis alone, it may be a salvation but it is a partial, economic, political salvation, for certain sectors of power. But that is not leaving the crisis behind entirely. You will be gripped by the choice of power that you made. You have turned it into a business, for example, or you have grown stronger culturally from the crisis. Using the crisis for ones own profit is coming out of the crisis in a wrong way and, above all, it is coming out from it on ones own. We dont come out from a crisis on our own, we need to take risks and take each others hand. If we dont do that, we cant come out of the crisis. So, that is the social aspect of the crisis. This is a civilization crisis.

And it just happens that nature is also in a crisis. I remember a few years ago I received several Heads of State from countries in Polynesia. And one of them said: Our country is considering buying land in Samoa, because we may not exist in 25 years' time, since the sea level is rising.

We may not be aware, but there is a Spanish saying that could make us ponder: God always forgives. You can rest assured that God always forgives, and we, men, forgive every now and then. But nature never forgives. It pays us back. If we use nature for our profit, it will bear down on us. A warmed-up world prevents the construction of a fraternal and just society.

We have the crisis, the pandemic, the notorious Covid. Back when I was a student, the corona viruses would give you a cold, at most. But then they began to mutate and we have seen what happens. It is so curious this thing about the viruses mutations, because we are facing a viral crisis, but also a world crisis. A world crisis in terms of our relationship with the universe. We are not living in harmony with the creation, with the universe. We slap it every so often. We use our strength in a wrong way. Some people cant imagine the danger in which humanity is right now with this global warming and this abuse of nature.

I will tell you a personal experience: in 2007 I was part of the committee that would draft the Aparecida Document, and Brazilians would bring proposals regarding the protection of nature. What are these Brazilians thinking?, I wondered back then, as I didnt understand anything about these matters. But I have woken up, little by little, and then I felt I had to write something.

Years later, when I traveled to Strasbourg, President Francois Hollande sent his Minister of Ecology and Sustainable Development, who was Segolene Royale, to welcome me. And she asked me: Is it true that you are writing something on the environment? When I said yes, she said: Please, have it published before the Paris Climate Conference. So, I got together with scientists again, and they gave me a draft. Then I got together with theologians and they gave another draft. And so I wrote Laudato si'. It was a demand to make the world aware that we are slapping nature. And nature will pay us backIt is paying us back.

The encyclical Laudato si' warns that we often speak of ecology, but separate it from the social and development conditions. What would those new rules be, in economic, social, and political terms, in the middle of what you have defined as a civilization crisis and with an Earth that, on top of everything, says, Im done?

-Everything is connected, it is harmonious. It is impossible to think of humankind without nature and it is impossible to think of nature without humankind. Just like that passage in Genesis: Grow, multiply and fill the Earth. Filling the Earth is being in harmony with it, to make it fruitful. We must have that vocation.

The indigenous people from the Amazon rainforest use an expression that I love: living well. They have a philosophy of living well, which has nothing to do with our Argentine concept of having a good time or with the Italian dolce vita. To them, living well is living in harmony with nature. We need an inner option for people and counties. A conversation, lets say.

When people told me that Laudato si' was a nice environmental encyclical, I replied, No, it is a social encyclical. We cannot separate the social and the environmental aspects. The lives of men and women take place in an environment.

I think of a Spanish saying, I hope it is not too vulgar: He who spits toward the sky is spitting on his own face. This is what abusing nature is about. Nature will pay us back.

Again: nature never forgives, not because it is vengeful, but because we set in motion processes of degeneration that are not in harmony with our being.

A few years ago, I was stunned to see a photograph of a ship sailing over the North Pole for the first time. A navigable North Pole! What does this mean? The ice is melting because of global warming. When we see these things, it means we need to stop. And young people perceive it the most. We elderly people have worse habits. We say its not just a big deal, or we simply dont understand.

Young people, politics, and hate speech

Young people, as you point out, seem to have greater ecological awareness, but it also seems to be segmented. We observe less political commitment and voter turnout is very low among people under 35. What would you say to these young people? How can we help rebuild their hope?

-You brought up a difficult issue: the lack of political commitment in young people. Why dont they get involved in politics? Why dont they take a chance? Because they are disheartened. They have seenI dont mean all of them, of coursemafia deals, corruption. When young people see that in their countries, as the saying goes, even ones mother is up for sale for the sake of business, then political culture is in decay. And that is why they do not want to get involved in politics.

Nevertheless, we need them because they are the ones who have to lay out the salvation for universal politics. Why salvation? Because if we do not change our approach to the environment, we are done for.

Last December, we had a scientific and theological encounter about this environmental situation. And I remember that the head of the Italian Academy of Sciences said, If this doesnt change, my granddaughter who was just born yesterday will live in an uninhabitable world in 30 years' time. That is why I say to young people that protesting is not enough. They need to find a way to take responsibility for the processes that can help us survive.

Do you believe that this frustration in young people is, in part, what leads them to be seduced by political extremism and hate speech?

The process of a country, its process of social, economic, and political development, needs continuous reassessment and continuous clashing with others. The world of politics is that clash of ideas and positions that purifies us and makes us move forward together. Young people must understand the science of politics, of coexistence, but also of the political struggle that cleanses us of selfishness and carries us forward. It is important to help young people in that social and political commitment, and also to protect them from being duped.

But nowadays, I do believe the youth are sharper. Back in my days, we were so easily duped. They are more awake, they are brighter. I have a lot of faith in the youth. Sure, but they dont show up to Mass, a priest may say. And I reply that we must help them grow and be by their side. Then, God will speak to each of them. But we need to let them grow.

If young people are not the protagonists of History, we are done for. Because they are the present and the future.

A few days ago, you spoke of the importance of intergenerational dialogue.

Regarding that, I would like to underline something that I always say: we need to reinstate the dialogue between the youth and the elderly. Young people need to dialogue with their roots and the elderly need to feel that they are leaving a legacy behind. When young people spend time with their grandparents, they receive sap, they receive things to carry forward. And when the elderly spend time with their grandchildren, they get hope.

There is a line in one of Bernardezs poems, I forget which one, that says: What the tree has in bloom is nourished by that which is buried. He does not say flowers come from the underground. No, flowers are up there. But the dialogue between them, what we take from our roots and carry forward, that is the true meaning of tradition.

There is a quote by composer Gustav Mahler that had an impact on me: Tradition is the guarantee of the future. It is not a museum piece. It is what gives us life, as long as it makes you grow.

Going backward is something different: that is unhealthy conservatism. It has always been done this way, so I wont take a step forward, they say. This topic may need further explanation, but I am sticking to the essential: the dialogue between young people and the elderly being the true meaning of tradition. It is not traditionalism. It is tradition that makes you grow, that is the guarantee of the future.

Evils of our times

Francis, you usually describe three evils of our times: narcissism, despondency, and pessimism. How can we fight them?

Those three things you mentionednarcissism, despondency, and pessimismare within what is called mirror psychology. Narcissus, obviously, looked at himself in the mirror. And that way of looking is not looking forward, but turning in on oneself and licking your own wounds. Actually, what makes one grow is the philosophy of otherness. One cannot grow in life without confrontation.

Those three things you mentioned are related to the mirror: I look in the mirror to see myself and feel sorry for myself. I remember a nun who was always complaining. People at the convent called her Sister Lament. Well, some people are constantly complaining about the evils of our times.

But there is one thing that really helps to fight narcissism, despondency, and pessimism: a sense of humor. It is so humanizing. There is a beautiful prayer by Saint Thomas More that I have prayed every day for over 40 years, that begins this way: Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke A sense of humor puts things in perspective and is very good for us. It goes against that pessimistic, lamenting spirit. That was Narcissus, wasnt it? Going back to the mirror. Typical narcissism.

Back in 2014, you already maintained that the world was entering a Third World War. Today, reality seems to confirm your prediction. Is the lack of dialogue and listening an aggravating factor for the current situation?

The expression I used back then was a World War in pieces. The conflict in Ukraine is very close, so we are alarmed, but lets think of Rwanda 25 years ago, or Syria the last 10 years, or Lebanon with their infighting, or Myanmar at this moment. What we are seeing today has actually been happening for a long time. Unfortunately, war is daily cruelty. War is not about dancing the minuet, it is about killing. And there is an entire structure for the sale of arms that favors it. A person who knew a lot about statistics once told me, I cant remember the right numbers, that if arms were not produced for a year, we could end world hunger.

I believe it is time to rethink the concept of a just war. A war may be just, there is the right to defend oneself. But we need to rethink the way that concept is used nowadays. I have said that the use and possession of nuclear weapons are immoral. Resolving conflicts through war is saying no to verbal reasoning, to being constructive. Verbal reasoning is very important. Now I am referring to our daily behavior. When you are talking to some people, they interrupt you before you have finished. We dont know how to listen to one another. We dont let people finish what they are saying. We must listen. Receive what they have to say. We declare war in advance, that is, we stop dialoguing. War is essentially a lack of dialogue.

When I visited Redipuglia in 2014, a World War I Memorial, I saw the age of the dead and I cried. That day I cried. Some years later, on 2nd November, I visited the Anzio War Cemetery and when I saw the age of those dead boys, I cried as well. Im not embarrassed to say it. Such cruelty! And during the commemoration of the Normandy landings, I thought of the 30,000 boys who died on those beaches. Troops were ordered to storm the beaches, as the Nazis were waiting for them. Is that justified? Visiting the military cemeteries in Europe helps it dawn on you.

A crisis of institutions

Are multilateral organizations failing in regard to these wars? Is it possible to achieve peace through them? Is it feasible to seek joint solutions?

After World War II, trust was placed in the United Nations. It is not my intention to offend anybody, I know there are very good people working there, but at this point, the UN has no power to assert its authority. It does help to prevent wars, and Im thinking of Cyprus, where Argentine troops are collaborating. But in order to stop a war, to resolve a conflict like the one we are seeing in Europe right now or like others around the world, it has no power. I dont mean to offend. It is just that its constitution does not give the organization that kind of power.

Have the powers in the world changed? Has the weight of some institutions been modified?

I dont want to universalize. Ill put it this way: some distinguished institutions are in crisis or, even worse, they are in a conflict. Those in crisis give me hope for possible progress. But the ones in a conflict are busy resolving internal problems. At the moment, we need courage and creativity. Without those two things, we wont have international institutions that can help overcome these very serious conflicts, these death situations.

Time to take stock

2023 will mark the 10th anniversary of your election as Pope, an ideal time to take stock. Were you able to achieve all your objectives? What projects are still pending?

Everything I have done was neither my invention nor a dream I had after a night of indigestion. I picked up everything that we the Cardinals had said at the pre-Conclave meetings, the things we believed the new Pope should do. Then, we spoke of the things that needed to be changed, the issues to tackle. I carried out the things that were asked then. I do not think there was anything original of mine. I set in motion what we all had requested.

For example, the Curia reform concluded with the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium, whichafter eight-and-a-half years of work and inquiriesmanaged to include what the Cardinals had asked, changes that were already in motion.

Nowadays, it is a missionary-style experience. Praedicate evangelium, that is, be a missionary. Preach the word of God. It means that the essential thing is going out.

Something curious: at those meetings, one of the Cardinals said that in the text of Revelation, Jesus says I am at the door and call; if someone opens the door, I will enter. So the Cardinal said: Jesus is calling, but this time He wants us to let Him out, because we are imprisoning Him. That is what was asked at those meetings with the Cardinals.

When I was chosen, I set things in motion. A few months later, inquiries took place and we published the new Constitution. Meanwhile, changes were being made. I mean, these were not ideas of my own. I want that to be clear. These were ideas born from the requests of the entire College of Cardinals.



But you are leaving your mark. We can see the stamp of the Latin American church

That is true.

How did this perspective make the changes we are seeing possible?

The Latin American Church has a long history of being close to the people. If we go over the episcopal conferencesthe first one at Medellin, then Puebla, Santo Domingo, and Aparecidathey were always in dialogue with the people of God. And that really helped. It is a popular Church, in the real sense of the word. It is a Church of the People of God.

That was altered when people could not express themselves, and it ended up becoming a Church of trail bosses, with pastoral agents in command. People began to express themselves more and more about their religion and they ended up becoming protagonists of their own story.

Rodolfo Kusch, an Argentine philosopher, is the one that best understands what a people is. I highly recommend reading Kusch. He is one of the greatest Argentine brains. He wrote books on the philosophy of the people.

In a way, this is the experience of the Latin American Church, although there have been attempts of ideologization, such as the use of Marxist concepts in the analysis of reality by Liberation Theology. That was an ideological exploitation, a path of liberation, lets say, of the Latin American popular church. But there is a difference between the people and populisms....
Cardinal Pietro Parolin sets off on his visit to Kinshasa and Juba

The Vatican Secretary of State sets off on a visit to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing the Popes closeness after the Holy Father was forced to postpone his apostolic visit to the two African nations due to problems with his knee.

By Vatican News

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, has embarked on a journey taking him to the Democratic Republic of Congo and to South Sudan. He is scheduled to return to the Vatican on 8 July.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office revealed that Pope Francis decided to send the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to Kinshasa and Juba in order to show his closeness to the beloved peoples of the Congo and South Sudan.

Speaking during the Angelus on Sunday 12 June, the Pope apologized for having had to postpone his journey and assured the faithful that he plans to make the journey personally as soon as possible.

Read also 12/06/2022 Pope apologizes for postponing Africa trip, hopes to visit soon Pope Francis apologizes to the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan for having to postpone his Apostolic Visit, and says he plans to go as soon as ...

Cardinal Parolin's visit will take place during the period when Pope Francis' 37th Apostolic Journey abroad was originally scheduled.

A tweet from the Secretariat of State included the programme for Cardinal Parolins visit.

Democratic Republic of Congo

It says that after his arrival in Kinshasa, the Vatican Secretary of State will meet the Congolese Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, and will participate in the signing of an Agreement between CENCO  the Episcopal Conference of the Democratic Republic of Congo - and the government.

In Kinshasa, Cardinal Parolin will also meet President Felix Tshisekedi, he will celebrate Holy Mass in the square in front of the Parliament, and he will meet with religious congregations.

South Sudan

In Juba, the Cardinal will hold meetings with President Salva Kiir and with Vice President Riek Machar.

He will also meet with the bishops, with the clergy and religious, and with UN representatives in the country.

The Vatican Secretary of State will visit Bentiu Camp for Internally Displaced Persons, where he is scheduled to celebrate Mass; he will also visit the Catholic University in Juba and a centre for disabled children.

Finally, Cardinal Parolin will celebrate an open-air Mass for South Sudanese faithful in the John Garang Mausoleum Park in Juba.
Leonidas Iza (L) signs a document next to the Secretary General of Ecuador's Bishops' Conference, Bishop David de la Torre, as Conference president Archbishop Luis Cabrera and Minister of Government Francisco Jimenez look on. (AFP or licensors)

After more than two weeks of trouble and strife in Ecuador, the Minister of Government and the indigenous leader of the protest movement have shaken hands, sealing a breakthrough agreement aimed at a more equitable economic approach, signalling a path forward.

By James Blears

Secretary of Government in Ecuador Francisco Jiminez and Leonidas Iza, who leads the Confederation of Indigenous Nations, shook hands on an agreement mediated by Archbishop Luis Cabrera of Guayaquil, the head of the countrys Episcopal Conference, who tempered tense and sometimes terse as well as frank points of view.

The agreement ends eighteen days of unrest, which saw major demonstrations, spearheaded by indigenous groups, protesting dire poverty.



Gasoline and diesel prices will decrease by fifteen cents per gallon, instead of the ten cents worth, as initially proposed by the government. The agreement insists on the need to address improving health and education, and to limit oil exploration and expansion, while banning mining in protected areas, including national parks.



The Government now has ninety days to back up its commitments by keeping its promises.



Archbishop Cabrera, meanwhile, mildly but firmly cautioned that helping marginalized communities must be the priority. Half of the population of Ecuador is indigenous.



Acknowledging the wide variety of issues Jimenez said: We have a nation with problems, divisions, and injustices.



President Guillermo Lasso, for his part, said, Weve achieved the supreme value to which we all aspire: Peace.
U.N. investigators warn that millions of Syrians face acute hunger as war continues to rage in the country and nearly 15 million depend on humanitarian aid. The latest report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry in Syria has been submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

With international attention focused on the war in Ukraine, the war that has been raging in Syria for the past 12 years has been all but forgotten. Despite this waning attention, the violence, human rights violations, and desperation of civilians deprived of lifesaving assistance goes on.

The U.N. Commission reports the Syrian economy is in freefall and humanitarian needs throughout Syria are at their highest ever. Commission Chair Paulo Pinheiro says an estimated 14.6 million Syrians are dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Given this disturbing reality, it is unconscionable that discussions at the Security Council are focused on whether to close the one remaining authorized border crossing for aid, rather than how to expand access to lifesaving aid across the country and through every appropriate route, said Pinheiro.

More than a million people in northwest Syria risk having aid cut off next week. Thats when the Security Council will vote on whether to continue the cross-border delivery of U.N. humanitarian assistance from Bab al-Hawa in Turkey to rebel-held Idlib in Syria. Russia reportedly has threatened to veto the renewal of aid through this corridor.

The Commission says all obstacles to aid must be removed, including those caused by unilateral sanctions. In its report, the Commission describes continued shelling and aerial attacks by pro-government forces in Idlib, which have caused numerous casualties.

It says hostilities between pro-government forces and opposition groups also continue to the east, killing and injuring people, destroying and damaging homes. Similar scenarios, it says, are playing out in southern Syria.

Commission chair Pinheiro says the war continues to create untold misery and suffering for millions of people, including for tens of thousands of children of Islamic State militants whose fate remains uncertain.

We need to remind this body that 40,000 children are still held in appalling conditions in Al Hol and Al Roj camps in northeast Syria, alongside 20,000 adults, mainly women. Insecurity in Al Hol remains rife, with at least 24 murders reported this year, said Pinheiro.

The Syrian Ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Hussam Edin Aala, rejects the Commissions report as being driven by false allegations. He says no political solutions or remedies for the suffering of refugees can be achieved by making what he calls prefabricated accusations, controversial decisions and false reports.
Blind people in Cameroon were protesting this week against job discrimination when according to witnesses, police bundled them up and dumped them outside the city. Despite the alleged abuse, the protests continue.

Scores of blind Cameroonians continued a week-long protest Friday in the capital against job discrimination, despite allegations this week of police abuse.

The visually impaired braved heavy rain Thursday in Yaounde to protest in groups of nine along seven major streets.

They raised their white canes and said the world should know that Cameroons police abused them every day this week while they were asking the government to provide them with jobs.

Arnaud Djikissi is a spokesperson for the protesters.

He says on day one of the protest on Monday, Cameroon police destroyed their white canes, tore dresses, and arrested and detained blind persons for up to six hours. Djikissi says on Tuesday, while they protested in front of the prime minister's office, his group of more than 60 blind men was again abused by police. He says the police bundled them in buses, dumped blind persons outside of the capital Yaounde, and told the sightless people to find their way back home.

When contacted by VOA, Cameroon police acknowledged clearing the streets of the blind protesters for what they said were illegal protests.

But officials at Yaoundes first central police station would not comment on allegations they drove blind people outside of Yaounde and abandoned them.

Eyewitnesses told VOA that police dumped the blind protesters in different districts outside of Yaounde, some as far as 30 kilometers away. The protesters had to call family members or appeal for rides from drivers passing by to get home.

Local media reported that blind people on Thursday protested the police abuse in towns including Bamenda, Buea and Mbalmayo.

Tancho Fidel is president of the Bamenda-based Organization for the Realization of an Inclusive Society.

"Blind people in Cameroon are not given jobs," said Fidel. "They are considered as underdogs. When they come out to decry the situation, they are tortured. We want the Cameroon government to consider us as able people and normal human beings."

Cameroon passed a law in 2010 mandating protections for people with disabilities, including the visually impaired.

But blind Cameroonians say most employers ignore the law, which is rarely enforced.

Cameroons government says there are about 600,000 blind people in the country and more than one million who are visually impaired.
Australias first foreign-born foreign minister, Penny Wong, is in Malaysia -- the country of her birth -- for talks on security and instability in Myanmar.

On Thursday, she returned to Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian state of Sabah where she was born in 1968. She left with her Australian mother when she was 8.

Wong has tried to reaffirm Australia's image as an increasingly diverse country that is at home in Asia.

Australia, a former British colony, has in the past been considered a largely Anglo outpost.

But recent census data has shown that more than half of its people were born overseas or have an immigrant parent.

Tim Harcourt, the chief economist at the University of Technology Sydney, said he believes Australias regional neighbors appreciate its cultural diversity.

I think the Asian nations are really good at understanding Australias multicultural nature, he said. There is a good understanding of that and someone like Penny Wong herself, you know, born in Malaysia. Her fathers Malaysian, her mum was from Adelaide. So, she is a mix herself and I think it is the mix you get together between the Anglo-Celtic heritage, the Indigenous heritage and modern Australia when you have got every nationality under the sun. I think it is the mix together that is the strength, not one community or the other."

Wong also discussed regional security and defense cooperation with senior Malaysian officials.

They have reiterated their concerns about Australias plans for a nuclear-powered submarine fleet under the AUKUS alliance with the United States and Great Britain.

Malaysia and Indonesia have expressed concerns Australias proposed submarine capability could ignite a regional arms race.

Wong was in Vietnam for talks earlier this week. This is her second visit to Southeast Asia since the Labor party won an election in Australia on May 21.

She has also traveled with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Indonesia and has also made three trips to the Pacific to counter Chinas security and trade ambitions in a region that Canberra regards as its traditional sphere of influence.
Hong Kong should expect economic stability over the next 25 years, analysts say, along with increasingly tight control by China, which began to rule the international finance center 25 years ago this week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hong Kong Thursday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the former British colonys handover.

Economically, Beijing is working to link Hong Kong more closely with the Chinese mainland, especially the technology-driven, factory-intensive neighboring Guangdong province. The Hong Kong-Guangdong-Macao region has more than 86 million people and a $1.67 trillion gross domestic product.

That process could increase the wealth flowing into Hong Kong, the Council on Foreign Relations said in a May 19 analysis.

"This dramatic transformation will not be the end of Hong Kong as a global financial hub, as it has already begun to boost economic integration with mainland China," the think tank's East Asia legal expert, Jerome A. Cohen, said in the analysis.

Hong Kong lies now "at a crucial stage of advancing toward further prosperity," China's official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday after Xi arrived.

China has administered Hong Kong, a former British colony, since 1997. The U.K. managed it for about 150 years and made a declaration with China for the 1997 handover. China at that point agreed to run Hong Kong for 50 years, through 2047, under a "one country, two systems" model that would give the territory a measure of local autonomy.

Xi is making his first trip outside mainland China since before the pandemic and his first to Hong Kong since 2017. The visit is likely to be "smooth" and "successful" as a confirmation of Beijing's policies toward Hong Kong, said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington.

"Looking into the next 25 years, I think we're likely to see Hong Kong becoming more and more like a mainland city, like a regular city under mainland control, and operating according to the will and policy of Beijing," Sun said.

Political freedoms seen declining

Chinese leaders pushed back against Hong Kong's autonomy and other political freedoms in 2020 after months of mass anti-China protests and rioting a year earlier.

To stop future protest waves, China approved a Hong Kong-focused national security law in June 2020. Journalists and hundreds of former demonstrators have been arrested on suspicion of anti-government activity.

Hong Kong's libraries have pulled politically sensitive books, and universities are hiring top faculty members who support Beijing, said Wang Yaqiu, New York-based senior China researcher with Human Rights Watch. It is harder now to stand up for labor rights, Wang added. She said posting anti-government material online runs the risk of arrest, even though foreign social media channels are open in Hong Kong, unlike the case in mainland China.

"There's no technical obstacles like in the mainland, but when you know if you can post things but you can be punished for posting contents that are critical of the government  you can be arrested, you can go to prison for years  then of course you wouldn't do it," Wang said.

Beijing's increased leverage in Hong Kong's legislature and the security law have thrown particular doubt onto how much autonomy China will allow through 2047.

"It will be just another Chinese city, in political terms, long before 2047 and may one day be competing for its economic life against the likes of Shanghai and Shenzhen," said Sean King, vice president of the Park Strategies political consultancy in New York. "Either way, Hong Kong's days as Asia's World City, as it's been marketed to the world, are long since gone."

"Remaining freedoms" will disappear entirely over the next 25 years, said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division.

Protests were not expected during Xi's visit to Hong Kong this week due to heightened security. But some people have draped black cloth over the Chinese flags on display for the festivities, Wang said.
Ecuador's government and Indigenous groups' leaders on Thursday reached an agreement to end more than two weeks of protests against the social and economic policies of President Guillermo Lasso that left at least eight dead, Indigenous leaders said.



Protests organized by Indigenous organization CONAIE erupted across Ecuador June 13, with demonstrators' demands including lower fuel prices and limits to further expansion of the mining and oil industries.



The protests also led to food and medicine shortages and severely affected the oil industry, Ecuador's main source of income, costing the country $213 million, according to Energy Ministry figures.



"We have achieved the supreme value to which we all aspire: peace in our country," Lasso said in a tweet that celebrated the end of the protests.



As part of the deal, the government agreed to again lower fuel costs, including on the most used gasoline and diesel, by an extra 5 cents, following previous cuts of 10 cents per gallon.



The total price cut of 15 cents on both fuels will cost $340 million a year, the Finance Ministry said.



Lasso also offered to scrap a decree for oil projects and reform a similar one for mining projects. The reform will ensure communities have the right to be consulted on such developments.



"We're going to keep fighting," said CONAIE leader Leonidas Iza, though adding that protests would be suspended following the agreement. Some leaders disagreed over certain points of the deal.



Lasso's adversarial relationship with Ecuador's National Assembly deteriorated during the protests. Opposition lawmakers pushed a vote to oust him earlier this week, which he narrowly survived.



Protesters complained of police violence during the demonstrations, and the government reported scores of injured security force members, while one soldier was killed during an attack on a convoy carrying fuel to Ecuador's largest oil field.



Energy Minister Xavier Vera said Thursday that the country expected to begin recovering oil wells closed during the protests, aiming to return the majority to production within a month.



Ecuador's pre-crisis oil production of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) had fallen to 234,310 bpd as of Wednesday after more than 1,200 wells were shut.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations, is visiting Ukraine and Russia for meetings with the leaders of the two warring nations after attending the Group of Seven summit in Germany.

Widodo has sought to maintain a neutral position since the start of the war, and he hopes his efforts will lead to a cease-fire and eventual direct talks between the two leaders.

What does Widodo hope to achieve?

Widodo said he wants to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to start a dialogue on ending the war, which has caused global food shortages and surges in commodity prices.

"My mission is to build peace, because the war must be stopped and (its effects) on the food supply chain must be lifted," Widodo said, "I will invite President Putin to open a dialogue and, as soon as possible, to carry out a cease-fire and stop the war."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has choked global markets and contributed to higher prices of meat, dairy products, cereals, sugar and vegetable oils.

"These visits are not only important for Indonesians but also for other developing countries in order to prevent the people of developing and low-income countries from falling into extreme poverty and hunger," Widodo said.

Why does the war in Ukraine matter to Widodo?

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said it's important to achieve a resumption of grain exports from Ukraine and food and fertilizer exports from Russia to end shortages and reduce prices.

Rising costs of cooking oil prompted the Indonesian government to temporarily ban exports of palm oil products amid a series of student protests against skyrocketing food prices. Indonesia resumed exports of crude palm oil a month later.

Indonesia and Malaysia are the world's largest exporters of palm oil, accounting for 85% of global production.

Why might Putin and Zelenskyy listen to Widodo?

As this year's G-20 president, Indonesia has sought to remain neutral in dealing with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has been guarded in its comments.

Widodo has said he offered Indonesian support in peace efforts to both Putin and Zelenskyy, a move seen as an attempt to unite the G-20 forum divided by the ongoing conflict.

The United States and its allies in the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations -- a subset of the G-20 -- have sought to punish Putin in as many ways as possible, including by threatening a boycott of the G-20 summit to be held later this year in Bali unless Putin is removed from the forum.

Widodo has invited Zelenskyy to the summit along with Putin in hopes it will appease proponents of both Ukraine and Russia and limit any distraction from the forum's other agenda items. Ukraine is not a member of the forum, but Russia is.

What are his chances of success?

Widodo will be the first Asian leader to visit the warring countries.

His efforts come weeks after Russia said it was looking over an Italian proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine. Talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the hostilities have essentially ground to a halt.

The Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers met for inconclusive talks in Turkey in March, followed by a meeting of the delegations in Istanbul, which also failed to bring about concrete results.

Gilang Kembara, an international politics researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, an Indonesian think tank, is pessimistic that Putin will listen to Widodo to find a peaceful solution to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.

"The chance for that is very slim," said Kembara, "Indonesia does not have great experience as a peace broker outside the Southeast Asia region."
Western leaders signaled confirmation of their attendance at the November summit of the Group of 20 in Bali, despite initial boycott threats, and the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin could possibly participate virtually at the gathering.

In a call with reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said they would decide at the necessary time on whether Putin would attend in person.

Putins potential remote participation at the summit could solve a diplomatic headache for host country Indonesia, which has been under Western pressure to kick Moscow out of the gathering of the worlds 20 largest economies, with U.S. President Joe Biden and other Group of Seven leaders previously stating they would not attend unless Putin was excluded.

As this years G-20 chair, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has been on a diplomatic blitz trying to salvage the summit. He met Putin in Moscow on Thursday following his Wednesday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, and with G-7 leaders in Germany earlier this week.

Jakarta announced in April that it had invited Russia, a G-20 member. It has since sought to bridge the gap between the West's effort to isolate Putin at various global forums as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine, and the interest of middle-power members, including India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, who want the summits agenda to center on post-pandemic recovery.

Zelenskyy to attend

Zelenskyy told Widodo on Wednesday that he would be attending the summit, depending on the status of the Russian invasion and the composition of participants in the event.

In April, Widodo invited Zelenskyy, despite Ukraine's not being a member. Biden had pressed for Zelenskyy to be invited to the G-20 if other members chose not to expel Moscow.

No boycott

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became the latest G-7 leader to say his country would take part in the gathering in November.

"It's too important that we be there to counteract the voice and the lies that Russia will perhaps be putting forward, he said Thursday.

Trudeau said he expected the other G-7 countries  the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan  to take part even if Russia remained a member of the G-20 group.

The White House has not responded to VOAs request for confirmation on whether Biden will be attending.

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Western leaders not to boycott. He questioned the wisdom of Western leaders' vacating their seats at the meeting and leaving the whole argument to China, to Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and G-7 host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also indicated that they would attend. Scholz said Tuesday that there had been great unity at the G-7 leaders meeting and that we do not want to drive the G-20 apart.

Italian view

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi indicated that Jakarta had assured Western leaders they would not be seated at the same table as Putin.

"President Widodo rules it out," Draghi told reporters at the end of the G-7 summit. "He was categorical, he [Putin] will not come. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov fired back, Draghi does not decide this.

Jakarta has not responded to VOAs request to confirm Widodos statement on Putins plans.

Lucas Myers, Southeast Asia analyst at the Wilson Center, said Widodo has a chance to enhance his international prestige if he pulls off the balancing act.

"If successful in achieving a productive summit that manages to placate both Russia and the G-7, it will demonstrate Indonesias growing role internationally and Jakartas ability to balance the complex rivalries of an increasingly multipolar and tense world, Myers told VOA.

Messenger

In a joint press conference with Putin after their meeting at the Kremlin Thursday, Widodo said via an interpreter that he had conveyed a message from Zelenskyy to Putin and had offered to play peace broker between the two.

Widodo did not provide details, and neither side said what the message entailed.

The Indonesian leader said Russia had agreed to open a sea route for Ukrainian wheat exports amid escalating concerns about global food shortages.

"I really appreciate President Putin, who has said he'll provide security guarantees for food and fertilizer supplies from both Ukraine and Russia  this is good news," Widodo said.

Widodo said he supported the U.N. proposal to open a Black Sea route for Ukrainian grain exports as well as Russian food and fertilizer exports. The U.N. has been in talks with both countries and Turkey, which has suggested that ships could be guided around sea mines by establishing safe corridors in the Black Sea.

Tens of millions of people across the world, including in Indonesia and other developing nations, are at risk of hunger as the conflict disrupted shipments of grain from Ukraine and fertilizer from Russia, both key producers.
Editor's Note: The last paragraph of this article has been updated to clarify details of the RSF World Press Freedom Index.



Journalists in Hong Kong were left frustrated and bemused after reporters from several media outlets were banned from covering the citys biggest political event of the year.

Friday marks 25 years since Hong Kong was handed back to China after more than 150 years of British rule. To mark the occasion, Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Hong Kong for the first time since 2017.

Since Xis last visit, Hong Kong has endured major changes prompted by a wave of anti-government protests in 2019. Beijing subsequently imposed a national security law on the city that has been enforced with a crushing crackdown on all pro-democracy opposition.

Xi, making his first known trip outside mainland China in more than two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, arrived in the territory Thursday via high-speed train. After meeting local government officials, he delivered a speech praising the city for overcoming serious challenges, an apparent reference to the political unrest in recent years.

Fridays main event marking the anniversary of the handover was scheduled to include the swearing-in by Xi of incoming Chief Executive John Lee.

The 25th anniversary also marks the halfway point in the one country, two systems agreement reached between Britain and China at the time of the handover that calls for the territory to enjoy a high degree of autonomy until 2047.

In the lead-up to anniversary events, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said at least 10 journalists from several media outlets were denied access to Friday's ceremony, Reuters reported.

Two weeks ago, the press club released a statement that urged the citys authorities "to be more inclusive by accepting applications from media organizations keen to attend.

Agence France-Presse reported that 13 local and international journalists were denied accreditation to cover the handover celebrations, including two of their own. A government official cited unspecified "security reasons" for the denials, although a third AFP reporter was later granted accreditation.

One journalist denied accreditation for AFP told VOA anonymously of having to go through three days of COVID-19 PCR tests as part of the media accreditation application. The journalist tested negative but still was denied approval for security reasons, despite having covered a Xi visit to Macao in the past.

Keith Richburg, a journalism professor and president of Hong Kongs Foreign Correspondents Club, said the media ban was surprising considering the importance of the event.

'Coming-out party'

I thought this was a big coming-out party, they wanted to show how much Hong Kong has achieved in 25 years of the handover, and they want to inaugurate the chief executive. They have a new patriots-only legislature. Hong Kong is up there with pretty strict control now, he told VOA in a phone call.

Im not sure why they dont want to let the world know through the international media and the local media  be there in droves, record this and show the world whats going on, he added.

Richburg, who reported on the handover in 1997 for The Washington Post, added that previous high-level visits always had heightened security but never media bans, including Xis last visit for the inauguration of Carrie Lam.

When the handover happened in 1997 there were probably over 1,000 media outlets here covering it. Nobody was barred. Now they seem to be picking and choosing outlets, picking and choosing reporters, so it doesnt make any sense to me.

I believe everybody was able to cover it [in 2017]. It was an exciting time because it was the first woman chief executive being sworn in, so obviously [the media ban] is all a bit new and odd. Its kind of an own goal. The story should be about their 25th anniversary; now the story is about the media ban, he added.

The Foreign Correspondents Club previously released a statement saying it was deeply concerned by the reports of the media ban.

One of those denied accreditation was Iris Tong from VOAs Mandarin Service, who received an email from Hong Kongs Information Services Department saying that because of the latest epidemic situation, security requirements and venue constraints there will be constraints on the number of media organizations that can be invited.

Tong also received an email outlining how to access the ceremony via streaming services and media workstations away from the official venue.

'Striking a balance'

The Overseas Public Relations team from the Information Services Department told VOA that the government is striking a balance between the need of media work and security requirements, while declining to comment on which media had applied for accreditation.

The email said the government had set a very high standard for major events amid the epidemic, adding that the government was committed to safeguarding the freedoms of the press and speech.

Increased security around the celebrations has not targeted only the citys media. Pro-democracy activist Avery Ng, who was recently released from prison, told VOA that he was being constantly followed by undercover authorities.

]The authorities] kindly reminded me not to do anything and stay away from sensitive areas for the next few days, Ng said in an electronic message.

The restrictions on coverage of the anniversary come in the context of a two-year-old crackdown on the citys media under the national security law.

Stand News, an online news site, decided to close after seven years of operations in December after police officers raided its newsrooms as part of a sedition investigation.

The pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was forced to close a year ago after several of its executives were charged under the security law. Jimmy Lai, founder of the newspaper, has been in prison since the end of 2020 and faces three charges under the security law. He could face life in prison.
Indias top court has slammed a former spokesperson for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for making controversial comments on the Prophet Muhammad, saying she had set the country on fire.

The derogatory comments made by Nupur Sharma during a television debate a month ago sparked protests in which two demonstrators were killed and triggered an outcry across over a dozen Islamic nations.

Sharma, who made the comments while she was the spokesperson for the BJP, was suspended from the party soon after New Delhi faced diplomatic protests from several countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The BJP distanced itself from Sharma, saying her views did not represent the views of the party.

In unusually strong comments, two judges on the Supreme Court said that "the way she has ignited emotions across the country, this lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country." The court asked her to apologize to the nation and said, she and her loose tongue has set the entire country on fire.

The observations were made as the judges turned down Sharmas request to consolidate multiple cases that have been filed against her in courts across the country.

As the controversy erupted, Sharma had withdrawn her comments. But the judges said that "she was too late to withdraw, and that, too, she withdrew conditionally, saying if sentiments were hurt."

Political analysts and opposition parties have often blamed right wing Hindu activists linked to the ruling party and BJP politicians for a rising tide of hate speech targeting the countrys Muslim minority since the party took power in 2014. The BJP says it does not discriminate against any minority.

The comments by the court against Sharma are meant to check hate speech, but they do not address the bigger picture, which is the entire climate of hate that is being promoted for the last seven or eight years, says Niranjan Sahoo, a political analyst at the Observer Research Foundation. She is not alone in being responsible for the rise in hate that we see. She is only the symptom of a larger malaise, a small fish in the larger ocean of inflammatory speech.

Political analysts and opposition politicians have also criticized the BJP for not pursuing any legal action against its former spokesperson.

The court also linked Sharmas comment to the murder of a Hindu tailor in the northern city of Udaipur in Rajasthan on Tuesday that has sent shockwaves through the nation.

He was brutally killed on camera by two men who said they were "avenging an insult to Islam."

In two videos posted online, two Muslim men brandished a meat cleaver while claiming responsibility for killing the tailor, who had backed Nupur Sharma in a social media post. They also issued a threat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their video.

Rajasthans chief minister, Ashok Gehlot, told reporters the case is being investigated as a "terrorism-related incident" rather than a communal one.

The incident has raised fears of deepening communal tensions in the aftermath of the killing. On Friday, thousands of Hindus marched in Udaipur, demanding protection for Hindus.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday lobbed insults at Russian President Vladimir Putin and slammed his invasion of Ukraine as incompetent and foolish.

At a speech in Seoul, Mattis compared Putin to the kind of paranoid characters created by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Putin is a creature straight out of Dostoevsky. He goes to bed at night angry, he goes to bed at night fearful, he goes to bed at night thinking Russia is surrounded by nightmares, Mattis said.

Mattis was speaking at a forum organized by the Seoul Forum for International Affairs, the Korea Society, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has made relatively few public comments since resigning as Pentagon chief in 2018 over a foreign policy disagreement with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

In his speech, Mattis did not address those disagreements in a direct way, saying only Trump had overseen a nontraditional foreign policy that had challenged U.S. relations with its allies.

Mattis most pointed comments focused on Putin, whom he portrayed as unhinged and unable to make smart decisions due to the lack of people giving him sound advice.

Asked about the biggest lesson that could be drawn from Russias war in Ukraine, Mattis replied, Dont have incompetent generals in charge of your operations.

He also said the Russian invasion was tactically incompetent" and strategically foolish.

War is enough of a tragedy without adding stupidity on top, he said.

Mattis also criticized Chinas growing relations with Russia and its unwillingness to oppose the war in Ukraine.

A country cannot be great if they support Russias criminal invasion of Ukraine, he said.

Addressing his tenure under Trump, Mattis spoke of raucous times and called Trump an unusual leader but did not directly criticize the former president.

Democracies will at times go popularist and will at times break with tradition, he said. Its the nature of democracies at times to be testing ideas and all.

Americans, Mattis said, should respond by keep[ing] faith in the institutions and in those that disagree with you.

Mattis speech was in South Korea, a U.S. ally that dramatically felt the effects of Trumps nontraditional foreign policy.

Asked how he felt about Trumps summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Mattis said he was never optimistic about the talks, but that the diplomatic effort was the right thing to do.

As far as what came out of it, nothing. I saw nothing that came out of it, he said.

Mattis also praised South Koreas new president, former chief prosecutor Yoon Suk Yeol, for wanting South Korea to play a bigger role in the world.

Yoon, a conservative who has explicitly embraced the United States, has said he wants South Korea to become a global pivotal state. This week, Yoon attended the NATO summit in Madrid, the first time a South Korean leader had attended such a meeting.

Mattis praised Yoons presence at the NATO summit, saying a globally pivotal state in South Korea is in all our best interests.

He warned, however, against voices in Seoul who have recently called for South Korea to acquire its own nuclear weapons.

You dont need nuclear weapons on the peninsula to ensure an extended deterrence so long as there is trust between the ROK and the United States, he said, referring to an abbreviation of South Koreas official name, the Republic of Korea.

Opinion polls consistently show that most South Koreans support their country acquiring their own nuclear weapons, especially as North Korea continues developing its own arsenal.

As a candidate, Yoon said he would ask the United States to agree to a nuclear weapons sharing arrangement, or to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons that Washington withdrew from South Korea in the early 1990s -- notions quickly rejected by the U.S. State Department.

To avoid such an outcome, the United States and South Korea should continue to build trust, including by demonstrating extended deterrence against North Koreas nuclear weapons, Mattis said.

I think anything you can do to avoid having these weapons yourselves, you should do. They are horrible weapons, he said.
Authorities in Nigeria's central Niger state are searching for gunmen who attacked a mine this week and abducted several people, including four Chinese citizens. Nigerian media report the attack Wednesday killed an unknown number of workers. It's the second time this year that Chinese workers have been abducted in the state, as insecurity spreads in Nigeria.

Niger state Police Commissioner Monday Bala Kuryas said reinforcements have been sent to the Shiroro local government area, where the Ajata Aboki mining site is located.

Armed men attacked the site on Wednesday, opening fire on operators and killing an unspecified number while kidnapping workers, including four Chinese citizens.



Kuryas said the mining site is far into the bush and that some security operatives, including the military, police and local vigilantes, immediately responded to a distress call from the site and ran after the attackers.



He said four police officers were killed but did not disclose how many military personnel and vigilantes were affected. He also said security officials killed some of the armed men.



"For now, we're on their trail. Some of them were neutralized," Kuryas told VOA. "We're still on it trying to find out the exact number, that's the update for now, we're still investigating, the military I cannot speak for them."



China's embassy in Nigeria has not made an official statement on the incident and was unavailable for comment Friday.



State Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello called the attack disturbing, and urged security officials not to relent in efforts to restore peace in the state.



Abuja-based security expert Patrick Agbambu said, given the record of attacks in the state, authorities should have been more vigilant.



"Knowing that Niger state has been a flashpoint of such attacks in recent times, I expected more security to be in place," he said. "Foreign nationals are considered to be more lucrative persons to be kidnapped foe ransom and for attention, it's going to become rampant and just maybe, Nigeria will become unsafe for business."



Nigeria is seeing a wave of attacks in several regions and analysts say foreign workers and nationals are often targets of criminal gangs seeking to squeeze huge payments from employers.



In January, three Chinese nationals, working on a hydro-electric power project in Shiroro, were abducted.



Beijing has been warning nationals working in Nigeria to be vigilant in areas prone to attacks. In May, Chinese officials and representatives of local Chinese companies in Nigeria held talks on security matters.
Some global companies could be "unknowingly supporting" China's use of Uyghur forced labor from the Xinjiang region by importing goods from Chinese companies headquartered in other parts of China, according to a new report.



Shifting Gears: The Rise of Industrial Transfer into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, published Thursday by the Washington-based nonprofit Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), says a new U.S. law banning the import of goods produced by Uyghur forced labor in China includes loopholes that allow some products to enter global supply chains.

On June 21, the U.S. government began enforcing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), a law meant to ensure goods made "wholly or in part with forced labor" in Xinjiang do not enter the U.S. market.



But enforcement is complicated by a Chinese policy that encourages companies located elsewhere in the country to open operations or manufacturing centers in Xinjiang. The so-called Xinjiang Pairing Assistance Program incentivizes companies to move their manufacturing operations into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), according to Nicole Morgret, human security analyst at C4ADS and the author of the report.



"This means that many companies in XUAR are linked to eastern China, whether as subsidiaries of a conglomerate or through investment and corporate officer overlap," Morgret told VOA.



According to Morgret, global corporations doing business with Chinese companies that have corporate or manufacturing ties to Xinjiang risk "unknowingly" supporting forced labor.



"[Chinese] manufacturing corporations in the Uyghur region closely collaborate with the local government entities carrying out repression," Morgret said. "As such, global stakeholders will have to improve their due diligence practices to better assess the domestic Chinese corporate networks to identify ties to forced labor in XUAR."



These corporate connections are purposefully obscured and can be hard to track, meaning businesses that source from companies headquartered in other Chinese cities may unknowingly be importing goods produced by forced labor in Xinjiang, according to the report.



Global brands under scrutiny



Tesco, a British grocery and general merchandise chain, and Esprit, a Hong Kong- and Germany-based clothing manufacturer, may be "inadvertently" buying and selling products tainted by Uyghur forced labor, the report stated.

"According to our analysis, Esprit and Tesco source products from Xinxiang Chemical Fibre, a major chemical fiber manufacturer and state-owned conglomerate based in Xinxiang, Henan," Morgret said. "Xinxiang Chemical Fibre has two subsidiaries based in the Uyghur region, which means there is a significant risk that it relies on forced labor in its manufacturing process."

According to a Tesco spokesperson, the company takes "allegations of human rights abuses" in its supply chain extremely seriously and conducts regular and thorough checks to ensure workers are treated fairly.

"We have not made any orders connected to this site for more than 12 months and have removed it from our approved list of sources," said the spokesperson, who declined to be named in accordance with company policy and who communicated via email.



Esprit did not respond to VOA's multiple inquiries.



While the U.S. government is easily able to identify and block goods imported directly from Xinjiang, it is much harder for relevant agencies to identify goods from Xinjiang that are transshipped through eastern China or third countries, according to Morgret.



"The U.S. government needs to develop better methods to map complex supply chains and can benefit from using methodologies showcased in our report," Morgret said.



President Joe Biden signed UFLPA into law in December after it passed with majority bipartisan support in Congress. Biden accused Beijing of "widespread state-sponsored forced labor" of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.



The U.S. government has accused Beijing of rights abuses including genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. U.S. officials estimate that since at least 2017, China has detained more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, subjecting detained individuals to forced labor, forced sterilization, torture, separation of children from parents and near-constant surveillance.



China's response



Beijing dismisses the U.S. accusations as lies, insisting that the country's policies in the Xinjiang region are aimed at combating what it calls the "three evil forces" of separatism, terrorism and extremism.



According to Liu Pengyu, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, the "allegations of 'forced labor' in Xinjiang are nothing but vicious lies concocted" by anti-China forces.



"We admonish the U.S. to correct the mistake immediately, and stop using Xinjiang-related issues to spread lies, interfere in China's internal affairs and contain China's development," Liu told VOA in an email. "China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and workers."



History of Uyghur forced labor



In the past five years, China has established "a massive state-sponsored system of forced labor" in the Xinjiang region, according to a report published two weeks ago by Sheffield Hallam University.



"Uyghur and other minoritized workers from the region are unable to refuse or voluntarily exit jobs assigned to them by the government," said the report, Built on Repression.



The report said the Chinese government's "labor transfers and surplus labor employment transfers" programs in Xinjiang meet the standards of forced labor under international law.



Goods made by forced labor



According to Laura Murphy, professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at Sheffield Hallam University and one of the authors of Built on Repression, the U.S. government has identified products with tomatoes, cotton and polysilicon, a key raw material in solar panels, as being at particularly high risk for being made with Uyghur forced labor.



Products tainted with Uyghur forced labor also include "apparel and shoes made of all fabrics, all new energy technologies, extractive industries such as coal, copper, and rare earth materials, electronics, building materials and machinery," Murphy told VOA. "And the government has now told companies it is their responsibility to ensure that they are not bringing those forced-labor-made goods into the homes of consumers in the U.S."
A group of Rohingya women and girls is expected to travel to Argentina within two months to testify against the Myanmar military in a genocide trial being heard by a court in Buenos Aires.



The survivors have each given remote testimony of sexual assault to the court. The Argentine court has a history of taking up cases based on the premise of "universal justice." This legal concept holds that some horrific acts, including genocide, can be tried anywhere.



The case originates with the 2017 army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, a Buddhist majority nation. More than 370 Rohingya villages were set on fire, killing hundreds of civilians during a military security clearance operation in northern Rakhine state to retaliate against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, an armed Rohingya group. The United Nations has said the Myanmar army's actions amount to genocide. More than 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after the crackdown.



Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization U.K., or BROUK, told VOA Burmese that "testimony is most likely to occur within a maximum of two months. That testimony is very important. Women will be taken to court in Buenos Aires for a hearing."



BROUK filed the lawsuit against the Myanmar military on Nov. 13, 2021, and the Argentine federal court accepted the case the following month. Proceedings against Myanmar and its leaders are already under way at the International Criminal Court and the United Nation's International Court of Justice.



Tun Khin said the appearance of the women and girls will be the first time that Rohingya will speak in an international court over allegations that the Myanmar military violated international law in northern Rakhine state in 2017. As part of the prosecution, Tun Khin appeared in an Argentine court last December.



VOA Burmese asked Major General Zaw Min Tun, a military spokesperson, about the junta's stance on the charges against the military being heard in Argentina.



"We have been to testify at the ICJ, which is an official U.N. body, and explained that there has been stability in Rakhine state in the past," he said of appearances before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. "The conflicts have been going on only after the emergence of the ARSA terrorist group. Accusers ought to analyze the history of different ethnicities living peacefully in Rakhine state harmoniously."



U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on other countries to join forces with Argentina and Turkey, which are investigating Myanmar's military leaders in violation of international law, in line with universal jurisdiction.
At least 21 people were killed and dozens injured early Friday in Russian missile strikes in Ukraine's Odesa region. At least one of the sites hit was a residential building. Ukrainian military officials said two children were among the dead, and the search for survivors was ongoing.

The nine-story residential building is in the town of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, according to a Ukraine Defense Ministry statement.

Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesman for the Odesa regional administration, said on Ukrainian state television that a rescue operation was continuing to free people buried under the rubble after a section of the building collapsed. Another missile hit a resort facility, Bratchuk said, wounding several people.

Russia has denied targeting civilians in the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff accused Russia of waging a war on civilians.

The Odesa attack followed Russia's report Thursday that it had pulled its forces from Ukraine's Snake Island, which had become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since Moscow's invasion began in late February.



Russia had used the Black Sea island near the port city of Odesa as a staging ground after seizing it in the early stages of the war, launching attacks on Ukraine from it and monitoring shipments from Ukrainian ports.



Ukraine confirmed that Russian forces had pulled out after Ukrainian forces hit the island with missile and artillery strikes, leaving the remaining Russian forces to escape in two speedboats.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it left the small island "as a symbol of goodwill" after completing its mission there. It said the departure demonstrated that Russia does not interfere with the export of Ukrainian grain, although global monitors say otherwise. Developing nations, especially in the Middle East, depend on Ukraine and Russia for their wheat.

A regional Ukrainian official said that for the first time in months, a cargo ship filled with 7,000 tons of grain left the port of Russian-occupied Berdyansk on Thursday. The official said it was government-owned grain and that the ship was sailing toward "friendly countries."



In other developments, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Ukraine's parliament that EU membership was "within reach" but urged lawmakers to press forward with anti-corruption reforms.

"You have created an impressive anti-corruption machine," she told the lawmakers by video link Friday. Von der Leyen stressed that Brussels and the EU member states were firmly behind Ukraine in both its battle with Russia and the quest to be "reunited with our European family." For his part, Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the European Union were starting a new chapter of their history after Brussels formally accepted Ukraine's candidacy to join the 27-nation bloc.

"We made a journey of 115 days to candidate status and our journey to membership shouldn't take decades. We should make it down this road quickly," Zelenskyy said.

At the NATO meeting in Madrid, Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, proclaimed their continued military and humanitarian support for Ukraine.

Norway announced $1 billion in aid to Ukraine over two years, as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store visited the country.

The fund is for "humanitarian aid, reconstruction of the country, weapons and operational support to the [Ukrainian] authorities," the Norwegian government said in a statement Friday.

"We stand together with the Ukrainian people," Store said in the statement. "We help support the Ukrainians' struggle for freedom. They are fighting for their country, but also for our democratic values."

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
The Talibans reclusive supreme leader Friday ruled out any talks or compromise on his Islamic system of governance in Afghanistan in an apparent rebuke to international calls for his hardline ruling group to ease restrictions on womens rights to work and education.

I am not here to fulfill your [foreigners'] wishes, nor are they acceptable to me. I cannot compromise on Shariah [Islamic law] to work with you or even move a step forward, Hibatullah Akhundzada told a men-only closed-door gathering of around 3,500 mostly religious clerics in Kabul.



He made the rare public appearance and speech amid tight security. Audio of his speech was aired live by Afghan state-run social media.

Akhundzada hailed last years Taliban takeover of war-shattered, impoverished Afghanistan and the subsequent enforcement of the Islamic system there.



The insurgent-turned-ruling group seized power in August, when the United States and NATO partners withdrew their final troops from Afghanistan after almost two decades of military intervention.



"The success of the Afghan jihad is not only a source of pride for Afghans but also for Muslims all over the world, Akhundzada told the audience.

Mujahedeen [holy warriors] have established peace and order throughout Afghanistan in the last 10 months. It is a great achievement but its survival depends on us all being united, he said.

Men only

The Taliban have installed a men-only administration, restricting womens access to public life and preventing most teenage girls from returning to secondary school education. Women have been ordered to wear face coverings in public and have been barred from traveling beyond 70 kilometers without a close male relative.

The harsh treatment of women and girls and a lack of political inclusivity in governance have kept the global community from granting diplomatic recognition to Taliban rule.

Akhundzada, in an apparent response to the criticism, said that Afghanistan "is now a sovereign country and did not need orders or interference in its affairs.



They want to run Afghanistan on their whims, the Taliban chief told the clerics. "They say, Why dont you do this? Why dont you do that? Why do you even interfere in my work, my country and my principles?



You have used the mother of all bombs and you are welcome to use even the atomic bomb against us because nothing can scare us into taking any step that is against Islam or Shariah, the Taliban chief added.



Akhundzada referred to the U.S. dropping what was described as the mother of all bombs, or the most powerful conventional bomb in the American arsenal, in 2017 on an Islamic State terror base in eastern Afghanistan.

First such session since takeover



The three-day Kabul huddle began Thursday under tight security in and around the venue in the wake of a recent wave of deadly Islamic State attacks.

The meeting is the first of its kind since the Taliban takeover of the country. Critics saw the event as an attempt by the hardline group to demonstrate its hold on power and domestic legitimacy.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters after the inaugural session of the three-day Kabul meeting that women were not invited to the event because it was organized at the request of independent participating scholars and that the government had nothing to do with attendees nor the agenda.

Critics questioned the effectiveness and legitimacy of the grand scholars meeting in the absence of women, almost 50% of the countrys estimated 40 million population.

The Taliban takeover prompted Washington and other Western countries to immediately cut financial assistance to largely aid-dependent Afghanistan, seize its foreign assets worth billions of dollars, mostly held by the U.S., and isolate the Afghan banking system.



The action and long-running terrorism-related sanctions on senior Taliban leaders have thrown the cash-strapped country into a severe economic upheaval, worsening an already bad humanitarian crisis blamed on years of war and persistent drought.



Taliban and U.S. officials concluded a two-day meeting Wednesday in Doha, Qatar, where the issue of unlocking the frozen Afghan funds also came under discussion. The talks were the first in person since March, when the Taliban abruptly decided against allowing teenage Afghan girls to resume secondary school education, prompting Washington to suspend the dialogue.
The heads of Voice of America and Germany's Deutsche Welle on Friday criticized actions by Turkey's media regulator to block access to their content.

Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council, known as RTUK, blocked VOA's Turkish-language content and DW's news sites Thursday after both international public broadcasters declined to apply for licenses as requested by the regulator.

In February, RTUK gave three international broadcasters, including VOA's Turkish Service, short notice to obtain broadcast licenses or have their content blocked.

Ilhan Tasci, an RTUK board member from the main opposition Republican People's Party and vocal critic of the licensing demand, announced Thursday on Twitter that access to VOA's Turkish Service and DW had been blocked by a court decision.

The block affects VOA's Turkish news website amerikaninsesi.com and all of DW's language services.

"Access to DW Turkce and Voice of America, which did not apply for licenses, has been blocked by the Ankara Criminal Court of Peace, upon the request of the RTUK board," Tasci said Thursday. "Here is your freedom of press and advanced democracy!" he added sarcastically.

The February licensing decision was based on a regulation that had gone into effect in August 2019. At that time, several media freedom advocates raised concerns about possible censorship because the regulation granted RTUK the authority to control all online content.

RTUK's deputy head, Ibrahim Uslu, dismissed the concerns, saying the decision "has nothing to do with censorship but is part of technical measures."

Under the regulation, RTUK is authorized to request broadcast licenses from "media service providers" so that their radio, TV broadcasting and on-demand audiovisual media services can continue their online presence.

If the licensees do not follow RTUK's principles, the regulation allows RTUK to impose fines, suspend broadcasting for three months or cancel broadcast licenses.

Peter Limbourg, the director general of DW, said the broadcaster will take legal action over the block.

"We had outlined in an extensive correspondence and even in a personal conversation with the chairman of the media control authority why DW could not apply for such a license. For example, media licensed in Turkey are required to delete online content that RTUK interprets as inappropriate," Limbourg said in statement published by DW. "This is simply unacceptable for an independent broadcaster."

VOA Acting Director Yolanda Lopez said the network "firmly objects" to RTUK's decision, which she described as "a thinly veiled effort to censor unfavorable press coverage."

"Through circumvention tools and other means, VOA will not be deterred," Lopez said in a statement Friday.

Kelu Chao, acting head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA, also said the agency would not be deterred.

"RTUK has made an alarming choice to pave the way for internet censorship. Audiences in Turkey deserve access to fact-based news about the world around them," she said in a statement.

With this decision, the authority of RTUK over news websites was used for the first time, said Can Guleryuzlu, president of the Progressive Journalists Association.

"Voice of America and Deutsche Welle (DW Turkish) reported on many issues that were followed by millions and that the national press could not bring to the agenda. With the last decision of the judiciary, (that) has been blocked. The judiciary turned its face not to justice but to the government in Turkey," Guleryuzlu added.

Yaman Akdeniz, a cyberlaw professor at Istanbul Bilgi University, told VOA Turkish that "complete access blocking to these news websites can only be described as censorship."

The court's decision to block access to VOA Turkish came on the heels of the meeting between President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Madrid.

When Turkey first announced its licensing decision in February, VOA issued a statement that said its charter "prevents VOA from agreeing to or allowing its coverage to be censored in any way."

The RTUK decision was "noted with regret," a spokesperson for Germany's government said Friday.

"Our concern about the situation of freedom of expression and of the press in Turkey persists," DW cited the spokesperson as saying.

The U.S. State Department also expressed concern.

"We regret the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) decision to block access to VOA Turkish and DW, in enforcement of its February 2022 application of broadcast licensing requirements to the websites of these outlets," a department spokesperson said.

"This access ban expands government control over freedom of expression and press freedom in Turkey and clearly exposes the websites of these outlets to being censored or banned. As such, we do not see it as a simple, technical requirement," the spokesperson added.

Turkey has a poor record for press freedom, ranking 149 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, for which 1 is the freest.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the annual index, says that discriminatory practices against media in Turkey are commonplace and that the RTUK "helps to weaken critical TV channels economically, by giving them heavy fines."

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday called on Ankara to reverse its decision.

"Turkish authorities' censorship of the international broadcasters Voice of America and Deutsche Welle is the latest attempt to silence critical media as the country prepares to hold elections next year," said Gulnoza Said, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in a statement.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include statements from the heads of the German government, media freedom groups, and DW, VOA and the USAGM.

Ezel Sahinkaya and Begum Ersoz of VOA's Turkish Service contributed to this report. Some information for this report came from Reuters.
Delegates attending an urgent debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council on the status of women and girls in Afghanistan are urging the international community to exert maximum pressure on the Taliban.

In opening Fridays debate, U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet accused the Taliban of systematic oppression and of the exclusion of women and girls from public life in Afghanistan.

She told the rights council that domestic violence and harassment have grown under Taliban rule, as have attacks against female human rights defenders, journalists, and lawyers. She said that women can no longer find employment and that secondary schooling for more than a million girls has ended.

She said an increasing number of restrictions on movement and dress have plunged women into a deep depression.

While some of these concerns predate the Taliban takeover in August 2021, reforms at that time were moving in the right direction. There were improvements and hope," Bachelet said. "However, since the Taliban took power, women and girls are experiencing the most significant and rapid rollback in enjoyment of their rights across the board in decades.

The special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said the degradation of womens rights is central to the Taliban ideology. Under Taliban rule in the 1990s, he noted, there was a marked regression in womens and girls rights.

'Misogyny and oppression'

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that, despite public assurances from the Taliban that they would respect womens and girls rights, they are reinstituting step by step the discrimination against women and girls characteristic of their previous term and which is unparalleled globally in its misogyny and oppression, he said.

In an impassioned speech to the council, the first female vice president of the Afghan parliament, Fawzia Koofi, described the dire situation among Afghan women. She said women no longer participate in parliament, in civic or public life. She said every day one or two women commit suicide because they have no hope left.

Afghanistan is the only place in the world that women are basically literally invisible  the second class of their citizens," she said. "In the 21st century, it is heartbreaking. It is painful for me and for my other sisters and fellow citizens to advocate for our basic rights  the right to be visible, the right not to be erased from public life.

The United Nations does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistans legitimate rulers, and the group does not have the right to speak at any U.N. forum. The Afghan ambassador of the previous government did speak and essentially confirmed what the other participants had to say.

While the debate was going on, 3,000 Islamic clerics were meeting at the first Loya Jirga, or grand council assembly, since the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Only men are present at the gathering, called to discuss national unity and issues the country faces. Taliban officials say male delegates are representing women.
Here's a summary of Uyghur-related news around the world:

Thailand urged not to deport Uyghurs back to China

Rights groups in Thailand urged the government not to extradite Uyghurs to China. Some 50 Uyghur refugees have been held in detention centers in Thailand since fleeing China in 2014. In 2015, Thailand sent 109 Uyghurs to China and 173 to Turkey.

Leaked speeches show Beijing efforts to forcefully assimilate Uyghurs

Classified speeches leaked in a recent trove of documents called the Xinjiang Police Files demonstrate that the Chinese government coordinated a plan to assimilate Uyghurs by force, describing them as an "enemy class" whose culture and traditions must die for the country to survive.

Amnesty International: Trial reveals Beijing's latest strategy to unlawfully jail Muslims

Zulyar Yasin, a Uyghur university student whom Chinese authorities arrested in December in Xinjiang, will be sentenced up to five years in jail, Amnesty International learned from Yasin's aunt in the Netherlands.

News in brief

Some global companies could be "unknowingly supporting" China's use of Uyghur forced labor from the Xinjiang region, according to a report by the Washington-based nonprofit Center for Advanced Defense Studies, "Shifting Gears: The Rise of Industrial Transfer Into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region."

According to the report, the corporate connections of many products are intentionally obscured by a Chinese policy that encourages companies located elsewhere in the country to open operations or manufacturing centers in Xinjiang.

The report says that can make it harder to track where products come from, and that businesses that source from companies headquartered in other Chinese cities may unknowingly be importing goods produced by forced labor in Xinjiang.

Quote of note

"The police do not have any evidence for his so-called crime. There is no law in China  Uyghurs are being targeted and detained for fake sins. I am broken."

 Zulyar Yasin's aunt, who was informed that Chinese authorities will sentence her nephew to up to five years in jail.
On the outskirts of a Ukrainian village stand the remnants of a small school that was damaged in the early weeks of the Russian invasion.

The school's broken windows offer glimpses of abandoned classrooms that are unlikely to see students again anytime soon. It is just one of many buildings in Yahidne that were shattered by the war.

But this village and others are gradually returning to life a few months after Russian troops retreated from the northern Chernihiv region. Now people are repairing homes, and the sound of construction tools fills the air. Volunteers from all over Ukraine, and from other countries, are coming to help because there is so much to do before another winter approaches.

Among the workers are a copywriter and a cameraman who have been repairing the roof of an apartment building in front of the school for several days under a scorching sun.

Denys Ovcharenko, 31, and Denys Huschyk, 43, came from the capital, Kyiv. They joined a volunteer building organization called Dobrobat, a name that combines "dobro," or kindness, with "bat" for battalion.

The men and 22 other volunteers help their compatriots return to their homes as soon as possible.

"While the guys are protecting us, we work here," Huschyk said, referring to troops at the front.

No one in the village yet plans to rebuild the school, which was used by the Russians as a base. Villagers prefer not to mention the place at all.

Most of Yahidne's residents  almost 400 people  spent a month in the school's basement, where they were held around the clock as human shields to protect against an attack by the Ukrainian army.

Only occasionally did the Russian troops allow villagers to climb upstairs and enter the yard. But that was not enough. Ten people died in the dark, crowded basement. Survivors blame the lack of fresh air.

The Russians left the village at the end of March.

The Dobrobat group plans to repair the roofs of 21 houses in the coming weeks. The volunteers include teachers, athletes and programmers. About 80% of them have no experience in construction.

Yahidne is just one of the villages in northern Ukraine that suffered from Russia's aggression. And Dobrobat is just one of the groups responding, sometimes drawing volunteers from beyond Ukraine.

A father and son from the Czech Republic decided to spend their annual family trip in Ukraine this year. Michal and Daniel Kahle see each other for only a few weeks each summer, because the son studies in the United States.

"We wanted to do something meaningful instead of just being tourists," said Daniel, 21.

That's how they came to the town of Makariv in the Kyiv region. Many buildings there were destroyed or damaged in the first weeks of the war.

Father and son joined the youth volunteer movement Building Ukraine Together, which since 2014 has helped restore damaged buildings in eastern Ukraine. For several days, together with young people from different parts of Ukraine, they worked to rebuild the Makariv fire department, which was hit by an artillery shell on March 12.

"It's a long game. We cannot pause our lives, sit at home and wait for the war to end," said Tetyana Symkovych, the volunteer group's coordinator in Makariv.

Many Ukrainians volunteer because they want to be helpful. But that is not the only reason Yulia Kapustienko comes to the fire department every morning to putty the walls. At the end of April, the young woman left Mariupol after spending two months in the besieged port city.

"I saw dead bodies and burned houses. Still, when I see a normal house, I automatically imagine what will happen to it after the rocket hits," she said. "It is impossible to erase this from your mind. But at the same time, I try not to get stuck in the past, so it is important for me to do something, to take responsibility."

The 23-year-old is originally from Horlivka in the eastern Donetsk region. Her first experience of armed occupation was in 2014. After that, she cried for three years, unable to endure the loss of her hometown.

This time, she chose a different strategy.

"I know now that you need to do something," Kapustienko said. "I don't care what to rebuild. The main thing is for it to be in Ukraine."
Harare (AFP)  Zimbabwe has issued an arrest warrant for award-winning author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga after she failed to appear in court over charges of inciting violence, her lawyer has said.

Dangarembga, 63, is seeing her doctor in Germany and "missed court for medical reasons," her lawyer Chris Mhike told AFP on Tuesday.

"We expect her to be well enough to return to Zimbabwe imminently, and to attend to the outstanding court processes."

Dangarembga was arrested in July 2020 for staging an anti-government protest alongside her neighbour in the affluent Harare suburb of Borrowdale.

Standing by the roadside, she held a banner that read "We want better -- reform our institutions."

Dangarembga was charged with inciting public violence and freed on bail the following day.

Nearly two years on, the trial has still not started and Dangarembga has filed to have the case thrown out for lack of evidence.

A magistrate's court on Monday was due to rule on her request, but issued the arrest warrant when she failed to show up.

Dangarembga will seek to have the warrant cancelled, said the lawyer.

The ruling on the application for discharge will now be handed down on August 4.

Dangarembga stepped into the international limelight in 1988 with her debut novel "Nervous Conditions," the first book published in English by a black Zimbabwean woman.

The work earned her the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize the following year.

The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) last week called on the Zimbabwe government to clear Dangarembga "of all charges, or to drop the case.
Police in Zimbabwe have arrested three members of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who allegedly kidnapped a Zanu PF activist a week ago.

Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the arrest saying we are carrying out investigations, and as you know, we are not in a position to give you any further details.

Nyathi said the CCC members, who allegedly abducted Nicholas Madzianike at Chisedze Business Center, are currently helping us with investigations.

Some CCC members claim that the suspects - Chengetanai Musudu, Hakata Musudu and Aaron Chizemo  were allegedly tortured by the police in order to force them to admit that they killed the Zanu PF activist.

CCC deputy spokesperson, Ostallos Siziba, said police are attempting to cover up acts of terror being committed by the ruling party whose members killed Moreblessing Ali and other CCC supporters.

He said they have asked a team of lawyers to handle the case. We are confident that they will do a wonderful job.
The African Continental Free Trade Area has been operating for more than a year with the aim of cutting red tape to expand inter-African trade and lift millions of people out of poverty. But the largest trade pact in the world, in terms of member countries, has seen slow progress and mixed results. Anne Nzouankeu reports from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in this report narrated by Moki Edwin Kindzeka. Videographer: Anne Nzouankeu
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Bhutan paro (30.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I was with my phone on my bed when it suddenly moved and it lasted for about 5 to 10 seconds Because the next thing I looked at was my water to see if it was moving. I don't remember exactly as I was worried about my cousin child that I lost track of time | 2 users found this interesting.

Kalimpong (75.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Bed shaking, windows and doors vibrated for 3 to 4 secs also heard rattling and weird sound after the quake. | One user found this interesting.

Lachung,Sikkim ,India (81.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : I was awake so I felt it. There were few more who were awake and came out of their rooms. Those asleep did not come to know at all.

Thimphu (49.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s : Maybe it was very weak shaking according to the descriptions above. And perhaps Im a light sleeper because it woke me up but I am also at the top floor of a 5/6 storied building. I felt a very subtle kinda shake where I must of been swayed right and le

Kalimpong (79.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : My cupboard shook a bit and I felt my bed shake for a second leading to a kind of needle and pins feel in my legs. This all happened in 1-3 seconds

Gangtok, Development Area (70 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : I was at home(Gangtok) on my bed studying and I suddenly felt my bed shaking, it lasted for about 3-4 seconds max

India, West Bengal, Darjeeling (103.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I was lying down on my bed while watching YouTube and then suddenly my bed was shaking and my house's tin roof and the windows were making light noises and I felt that it was an earthquake.

Kurseong (104.9 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : I was just laying down on my bed on the topmost floor of my house which is the 3rd floor and then I felt a weak shaking. A second later a friend of mine texted me "Earthquake or wot?"

Mabelvale AR / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s : Feels like this piece of land is on a bumper car!! Felt two vertical bumps and a couple of sideways jolts. Still happening. The windows & walls made a cracking sound but no visible damage. There is tilting & rolling occurring right now, still, as well for

Salugara / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Was sitting on sofa on the ground floor and felt the sofa move from side to side (horizontally) for like one second

Thimphu / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : weak horizontal shaking on the second floor. | One user found this interesting.

Gantoka, East District, Sikkim (69.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I was sleeping on G minus one floor while I felt the shocks

Gantoka, East District, Sikkim (69.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : I was on my bed studying at felt it for more like 1 sec and was a little stronger quake

Algarah (69.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s It was a hard shake but for a short time period (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Mirik (112.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Felt a bit

Ghoom, Darjeeling (104.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Thimphu (49.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Ajman (3367.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s

Matelli Bazar (52.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Weak shaking.

COOCH BEHAR (93.8 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Thimphu, Bhutan (48.6 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I am living on the attic of a fiver story building. I first heard the strange sound of a n

Was in bed (33.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Yes

Sikkim (70.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I was on my bed when i felt it shaking and it last for two to three seconds i guess

Siliguri (97.2 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Kalimpong (80.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

BINNAGURI (70.8 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s : LIGHT CONTINUAL SHAKING FOR OVER A PERIOD OF OF 5-7 SECONDS

Jalpaiguri (89.5 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Phuentsholing bhutan (34.6 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

North Sikkim sikkim (81.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : It lasted for 5 10 seconds it was really frightening it just vibrated so loudly

Phuntsholing, Chukha (33.9 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Light shaking feel

Windows glass and bed. (38.1 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : In my sleep... Suddenly wake me and watched the time and ready with after shock...
1 - Finland and Sweden will not provide support to YPG/PYD, and the organization described as FETO in Turkiye. Turkiye also extends its full support to Finland and Sweden against threats to their national security. Finland and Sweden reject and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, in the strongest terms. Finland and Sweden unambiguously condemn all terrorist organizations perpetrating attacks against Turkiye, and express their deepest solidarity with Turkiye and the families of the victims.

2 - Finland and Sweden confirm that the PKK is a proscribed terrorist organization. Finland and Sweden commit to prevent activities of the PKK and all other terrorist organizations and their extensions, as well as activities by individuals in affiliated and inspired groups or networks linked to these terrorist organizations. Turkiye, Finland and Sweden have agreed to step up cooperation to prevent the activities of these terrorist groups. Finland and Sweden reject the goals of these terrorist organizations.

3 - Further to this, Finland refers to several recent amendments of its Criminal Code by which new acts have been enacted as punishable terrorist crimes. The latest amendments entered into force on 1 January 2022, by which the scope of participation in the activity of a terrorist group has been widened. At the same time, public incitement related to terrorist offenses was criminalized as a separate offense. Sweden confirms that a new, tougher, Terrorist Offenses Act enters into force on July 1, and that the government is preparing further tightening of counter-terrorism legislation.

4 - Turkiye, Finland and Sweden confirm that now there are no national arms embargoes in place between them. Sweden is changing its national regulatory framework for arms exports in relation to NATO Allies. In future, defense exports from Finland and Sweden will be conducted in line with Alliance solidarity and in accordance with the letter and spirit of article 3 of the Washington Treaty.

5 - Turkiye, Finland and Sweden committed to the following concrete steps:

 Establish a joint, structured dialogue and cooperation mechanism at all levels of government, including between law enforcement and intelligence agencies, to enhance cooperation on counterterrorism, organized crime, and other common challenges as they so decide.

 Finland and Sweden will conduct the fight against terrorism with determination, resolve, and in accordance with the provisions of the relevant NATO documents and policies, and will take all required steps to tighten further domestic legislation to this end.

 Finland and Sweden will address Turkiyes pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly, taking into account information, evidence and intelligence provided by Turkiye, and establish necessary bilateral legal frameworks to security cooperation with Turkiye, in accordance with the European Convention on Extradition.

 Finland and Sweden will investigate and interdict any financing and recruitment activities of the PKK and all other terrorist organizations and their extensions, as well affiliates or inspired groups or networks.

 Turkiye, Finland and Sweden commit to fight disinformation, and prevent their domestic laws from being abused for the benefit or promotion of terrorist organizations, including through activities that incite violence against Turkiye.

 Finland and Sweden will ensure that their respective national regulatory frameworks for arms exports enable new commitments to Allies and reflects their status as NATO members.

6 - For the implementation of these steps, Turkiye, Finland and Sweden will establish a Permanent Joint Mechanism, with the participation of experts from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Justice, as well as Intelligence Services and Security Institutions. The Permanent Joint Mechanism will be open for others to join.

7 - Turkiye also confirmed its long-standing support for NATOs Open Door policy, and agrees to support at the 2022 Madrid Summit the invitation of Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO.
Biden-Harris Administration is Driving a Multi-Pronged Response to Global Food Security Crisis

President Biden and G7 leaders will announce that they will contribute over $4.5 billion to address global food security, over half of which will come from the United States. President Biden will announce $2.76 billion in additional U.S. Government funding commitments to help protect the worlds most vulnerable populations and mitigate the impacts of Russias unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine on growing food insecurity and malnutrition. These new investments will support efforts in over 47 countries and regional organizations, to support regional plans to address increasing needs.

Vladimir Putins actions have strangled food and agriculture production and have used food as a weapon of war, including through the destruction of agricultural storage, processing, and testing facilities; theft of grain and farm equipment; and the effective blockade of Black Sea ports. Russias choice to attack food supplies and production have an impact on markets, storage, production, negatively impacting consumers around the globe. Putins aggression in Ukraine, combined with the impacts from COVID-19, increasing conflict, high prices for fuel and fertilizer, have combined to devastate already fragile global food security and nutrition. Millions of people living far from the conflict face an increased risk of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition as a result of Putins war. Estimates suggest that up to 40 million more people could be pushed into poverty in 2022 as a result of Putins war in Ukraine and its secondary effects.

While the entire globe will continue to be affected by Russias actions, the most immediate needs will present in the Horn of Africa, as it experiences a record-setting fourth straight season of drought, that may lead to famine. As many as 20 million people may face the threat of starvation by the end of the year. The prolonged drought is also having dire nutrition impacts, putting children at severe risk of malnutrition and in need of treatment.

To address and mitigate further impacts on global food security, the U.S. Government will continue life-saving food assistance to address these growing needs and leverage additional financial commitments. Of the newly announced commitment of an additional $2.76 billion in humanitarian and economic assistance, $2 billion will be to help save lives through emergency interventions and $760 million will be for sustainable near-term food assistance to help mitigate further increases in poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in vulnerable countries impacted by high prices of food, fertilizer, and fuel.

The U.S. governments multi-pronged response to combat global food insecurity includes:

Global Humanitarian Assistance

Since the start of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, the United States has provided $2.8 billion to scale up emergency food operations in countries impacted by the food security crisis. In addition to this funding, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is committing another $2 billion in international disaster assistance (IDA) funds for emergency humanitarian needs over the next three months. These funds include direct food assistance, as well as related health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene services, in countries with high levels of acute food insecurity, reliance on Russian or Ukrainian imports, and vulnerability to price shocks, and will support countries hosting refugee populations.

Global Development Assistance

As we continue to address acute humanitarian needs, the U.S. government will continue to strengthen food systems and mitigate medium-term impacts on food security. The U.S. Government is investing $760 million to combat the effects of high food, fuel, and fertilizer prices  now being driven up by Putins war  in those countries that need it most.

 The United States, through USAID, will program $640 million to support bilateral targeted agriculture and food security programs to strengthen agricultural capacity and resilience in more than 40 of the most vulnerable countries  Ukraine, as well as across 24 countries and regions in Africa, 10 countries in Asia, 6 countries and regional presence in Latin American and the Caribbean, and 6 countries in the Middle East. These investments will tackle urgent global fertilizer shortages, purchase resilient seeds, mitigate price shortages for fertilizer, scale-up social safety nets for families suffering from hunger and malnutrition, and avert food and humanitarian crises in the most vulnerable countries. These solutions will be tailored to mitigate specific needs within specific contexts, driven by local solutions that can be scaled for maximum impact.

 The United States will also undertake multilateral efforts to protect livelihoods and nutrition and help vulnerable countries build their resilience to shocks, including food price volatility, supply chain issues, climate impacts, and other stresses beyond the immediate term. Specifically, in working with Congress, the United States will provide $120 million to the following efforts:

 Support for the African Development Banks (AfDB) African Emergency Food Production Facility (AEFPF) to increase the production of climate-adapted wheat, corn, rice, and soybeans over the next four growing seasons in Africa.

 Support for the International Fund for Agricultural Developments (IFAD) Crisis Response Initiative (CRI) to help protect livelihoods and build resilience in rural communities.

 Support for the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) to develop a pipeline of bankable projects in Africa, to leverage private equity.

 Support for the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) Africa Disaster Risk Financing Programme (ADRiFi) to help African governments to respond to food system shocks by increasing access to risk insurance products.

 A fertilizer efficiency and innovation program to enhance the efficiency of fertilizer use in countries where fertilizer tends to be overapplied.

 Support for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will fund soil mapping spanning multiple countries to provide information allowing for wiser water usage, greater fertilizer conservation, and improved climate resilience impacts.

Expansion of Feed the Future

Feed the Future (FTF), the U.S. governments flagship global food security initiative led by USAID, is expanding its global footprint in eight new target countries from 12 to 20 target countries, in Africa that were also most vulnerable to the impacts of Russias war in Ukraine. The new target countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. This expansion of Feed the Future countries delivers on President Bidens $5 billion commitment in September 2021 to end global hunger, malnutrition and build sustainable, resilient food systems abroad.

The U.S. government currently invests more than $1.9 billion per year through Feed the Future, which builds on existing technical expertise, programs and partners in more than 35 countries. In these countries, the U.S. government investments pave the way for further investments from the private sector, donors and local governments.

Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP)

The United States through the U.S. Treasury, continues to exercise leadership in the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP)  a $2 billion multilateral financing mechanism that has helped the worlds poorest countries increase investments in agriculture and food security. The United States is contributing $155 million to support projects that raise agricultural productivity, link farmers to markets, improve livelihoods, reduce vulnerability, and enhance resilience to shocks. The United States is also newly serving as Co-Chair of the GAFSP Steering Committee. In this leadership position, the United States will help deepen and accelerate GAFSPs response to the food security crisis.

USG Leadership in Driving Global Action

From the beginning, the United States has been at the forefront of global efforts to confront this crisis.

 The Department of the Treasury is also providing $500 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which will help support the EBRDs Resilience and Livelihood Framework. This package of investments, expected to reach 2 billion over the next two years, will support businesses and public services across all sectors affected by the war in Ukraine and neighboring countries. The funding will support Ukraines energy and food security needs; investing in improvements in municipal infrastructure to provide energy, water and wastewater services, and other needs, and supporting internally displaced persons. The United States contribution is helping to mobilize an additional $500 million in support from other donors.

- and USAID took the extraordinary step to draw down the full balance of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT) as part of an effort to provide $670 million in food assistance to countries in need as a result of Putins unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine. USDA will provide $388 million in funding through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to cover ocean freight transportation, inland transport, internal transport, shipping and handling, and other associated costs. USAID will use the BEHTs $282 million to procure U.S. food commodities to bolster existing emergency food operations in six countries facing severe food insecurity: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen.

 In May, the United States chaired a Global Food Security Call to Action Ministerial and launched the Roadmap for Global Food Security  endorsed by 94 countries  which affirms a commitment to act with urgency, at scale, and in concert to respond to the urgent food security and nutrition needs of millions of people in vulnerable situations around the world. Ninety-four countries have endorsed the Roadmap and committed to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, build resilience of those in vulnerable situations, support social protection and safety nets, and strengthen sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems in line with the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, and the objectives of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. The United States also convened the UN Security Council during its May presidency to underscore the intersection of food insecurity and conflict, particularly in the context of Russias war in Ukraine, and to urge the international community to action.

 In June, the United States, in coordination with partners, raised awareness of growing food insecurity at the World Trade Organization (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference. Key outcomes included: a Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity, in which WTO Members committed to take concrete steps to facilitate trade and improve the functioning and long-term resilience of global markets for food and agriculture; and a Ministerial Decision in which Members agreed to exempt World Food Programme food purchases from export restrictions and prohibitions.
The June 29-30, 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain will be an historic moment for the Transatlantic Alliance. Building on the Presidents first NATO Summit on June 14, 2021, and extraordinary Summits held on February 25, 2022 and March 24, 2022 in response to Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, this Summit in Madrid will convene all 30 Allied leaders and key NATO partners from Europe and Asia. For the first time, it will include NATOs Asia-Pacific partners at the leaders level. The Summit will provide an opportunity to advance collective efforts with these Allies and partners to strengthen the rules-based international order. President Biden will reaffirm the United States unwavering commitment to the Transatlantic bond and NATOs Article 5  that an attack on one is an attack on all. Alongside major new contributions from Allies, the President will also announce at the Summit new stationing of U.S. forces and capabilities in Europe to support NATO and to deter any aggression against our Allies.

Key Summit Outcomes:

A New Strategic Concept: Allied leaders will endorse NATOs next Strategic Concept, the first update since 2010 for this key public document which describes how NATO will address threats and challenges in its security environment in coming years. The new Strategic Concept outlines NATOs transformation in line with the NATO 2030 agenda adopted at the 2021 Summit. It will also guide efforts to safeguard Euro-Atlantic security in response to Russias aggression, as well as the systemic challenges posed by the Peoples Republic of China, and the deepening strategic partnership between Russia and China. The Strategic Concept outlines NATOs core tasks as deterrence and defense, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security. It will ensure NATO continues to develop appropriate tools and collective responses to transnational threats such as cyber attacks and the security implications of climate change, and recognizes the value of a human security approach to NATOs work, such as the protection of civilians during conflict, and preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence.

Stronger Deterrence and Defense: In response to the more dangerous European security environment caused by Russias aggression against Ukraine, NATO activated its defensive plans and over 40,000 troops are now under direct NATO command. Allies have also doubled NATOs battlegroups on the eastern flank, ensuring strong defense from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. At the Summit, Allied leaders will endorse a new strengthened defensive force posture, with a 360-degree view across land, air, sea, cyber, and space, and an emphasis on more combat-credible forward capabilities on the eastern flank. Leaders will also take decisions to strengthen NATOs posture, readiness, and interoperability through more identified reinforcements and an enhanced exercise program.

In response to Russias aggression against Ukraine, and in order to ensure the defense of our Allies, the United States deployed or extended over 20,000 additional forces to Europe, and there are currently approximately 100,000 U.S. forces providing defense and deterrence throughout Europe. The United States will continue to adjust its posture as needed in response to the dynamic security environment. In close cooperation with our Allies and hosting nations, President Biden announced today that the United States will take the following additional actions to strengthen NATOs deterrence and defense and European security:

 Establishment of a permanent V Corps Headquarters Forward Command Post in Poland, which will improve U.S.-NATO interoperability across the eastern flank.

 Commitment to maintaining an additional rotational Brigade Combat Team in Europe, which the United States will position in Romania, with the ability to deploy subordinate elements for training and exercises across the eastern flank.

 Enhanced rotational deployments in the Baltic region including armored, aviation, air defense, and special operations forces, building further interoperability and intensified training with these Allies, and enhancing our ability to quickly reinforce and provide combat-credible defenses. We will maintain a persistent, heel-to-toe presence in the region and will intensify training with our Baltic Allies.

 An agreement to work with Spain to increase the number of U.S. destroyers stationed in Rota from four to six.

 Two squadrons of F-35 aircraft to the United Kingdom.

 Stationing of additional air defense and other enablers in Germany and Italy.

Our Allies are stepping up as well, and have significantly enhanced their contributions to NATO through identified reinforcements and establishment of new combat-credible structures able to scale up to brigade size across the eastern flank. Our Allies will make additional announcements during the Summit on their contributions to NATO, demonstrating their support for shared responsibility for defense and security within the Transatlantic Alliance. We salute all our men and women in uniform from across North America and Europe who continue to serve daily to keep us safe.

Membership Invitations for Finland and Sweden: On May 18, Finland and Sweden made the sovereign decision to apply for NATO membership, demonstrating the continued importance of NATOs Open Door policy, which provides a path to membership for any European state in a position to further the principles of the Washington Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area. The United States welcomes the trilateral agreement signed on June 28 by Turkey, Sweden, and Finland that will pave the way for NATO leaders to issue an invitation during the Summit to Sweden and Finland. The United States strongly supports the applications by Sweden and Finland and has prepared all necessary materials for the U.S. Congress to carry out their advice and consent responsibilities, once accession talks have concluded and Allies sign the accession protocols, which is expected to occur in the coming days.

Greater Resourcing for NATO: Allies submitted updated plans ahead of the Summit on their efforts to meet their commitment under the Wales Pledge to increase national defense expenditures and major equipment procurement. 2022 is projected to be the eighth consecutive year of increased defense spending by non-U.S. Allies, and many Allies now spend well above NATOs benchmark of 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is increasingly seen as a floor and not a ceiling. Nine Allies will meet or exceed this commitment this year, 19 Allies have clear plans to meet it by 2024, and an additional five Allies have made concrete commitments to meet it thereafter. By the end of 2022, European Allies and Canada will have spent an additional $350 billion on defense in real terms since 2014. At the Summit, leaders will also decide on significant increases over coming years to NATOs commonly-funded military and civilian budgets and security investment program, which will enhance the Alliances ability to do more together in support of our common security and defense.

Support for Ukraine: At the Summit, Allied leaders will hear directly from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and discuss their ongoing efforts to provide Ukraine with security, humanitarian, and economic assistance. The United States has led the world, providing since the start of the Biden Administration more than $6.3 billion in security assistance to support Ukraines right to defend itself. In order to better support Ukraines short and long-term needs, Allies will launch with Ukraine at the Summit an updated NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine, the mechanism by which NATO provides non-lethal assistance and support for defense reforms in Ukraine.

Expanded Global Partnerships: For the first time ever, the leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea will participate in a NATO Summit. Allies and these Asia-Pacific partners will initiate a roadmap for expanded cooperation, ensuring closer political consultation and joint work on issues of mutual interest, including cyber and hybrid threats, maritime security, counterterrorism, and the impact of climate change on security. In recognition of the mutually-reinforcing roles of NATO and the EU in bolstering Euro-Atlantic and international security, the presidents of the European Council and European Commission will join the Summits discussions and the Transatlantic dinner hosted by Spain. Allies will also consult with Georgia to express support for its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Allies will also approve expanded programs to support the defensive needs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova.

Safeguarding Democratic Values and Institutions: NATOs founding treaty and its day-to-day work to secure our citizens make clear that NATO Allies are strongest when they stand united in their respect for the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law. NATOs Parliamentary Assembly has highlighted the importance of democratic resilience to NATOs strength and unity, and the United States is working with Allies to support and bolster these efforts. At the Summit, leaders will receive a Progress Report on the Implementation of NATOs successful Building Integrity program, which promotes transparency and reform in the defense and security sectors. The report also tasks NATO to continue working with Allies and partners to address good governance and the impact of corruption as key elements of the Alliances broader political and security agenda.

Strengthened Cyber Resilience and Defense: Building on last years adoption of a new Cyber Defense Policy for NATO, Allied leaders will endorse a new action plan to strengthen cyber cooperation across the political, military, and technical levels. As an operational domain for NATO, cyber will also be a key component of NATOs strengthened deterrence and defense posture. Building on lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine, Allies will decide at the Summit to use NATO as a coordination platform for offering national assets to build and exercise a virtual rapid response cyber capability to respond to a serious cyber-attack. The United States will offer robust national capabilities as part of this support network.

Preserving our Technological Edge: Leaders will offer pledges to help stand up a new Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, which will support NATOs efforts to boost interoperability and ensure that every Ally has access to cutting-edge technological solutions for military needs. The U.S. will contribute by facilitating access to U.S. entities, such as test centers and accelerator sites, drawn from across the extensive and diverse U.S. innovation sector.

Combating Climate Change and Promoting Energy Resilience: Ahead of the Summit, NATO hosted its first-ever high-level dialogue on climate change and related security implications. The U.S. has been a leader in the alliance on spurring NATOs adaptation to these issues, including by mainstreaming climate considerations in intelligence analysis and assisting with development of a methodology for mapping the NATO enterprises greenhouse gas emissions. As part of implementing NATOs new climate change and security action plan and reducing energy dependence, the United States will also continue to work with Allies to promote best practices for reducing energy demand in military procurement.
The United Kingdom stands side-by-side with Ukraine on its path as a free European democracy. We strengthened this through our trilateral partnership with Poland. Now more than ever, we stand together.

President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Boris Johnson are united in defence of Europes security and freedom. The two of us have struck up a close friendship as Foreign Ministers, seeing eye-to-eye on Russia and many other issues.

The partnership between our great nations is based on the fundamental principle that people should be free to choose their own future. Yet this is anathema to Vladimir Putin. He feels threatened by the prospect of neighbouring free democracies like Ukraine succeeding as it risks exposing the failures of authoritarianism. So he is now hell-bent on snuffing out the flame of freedom in Ukraine through all-out war.

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 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.

Russian forces are weaponising global hunger by stopping Ukrainian grain exports and stealing harvests. Russian proxies have breached the Geneva Convention in the way they treat prisoners of war, including British citizens serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

It is therefore imperative that the G7 and NATO this week demonstrate that their commitment to Ukraine will never be surpassed by Putins determination to seize it. That means increasing and speeding up their supply of heavy weapons, continuing to sanction all those colluding in Putins war, and cutting off imports of Russian energy completely.

Every weapon delivered will help the people of Ukraine repel Russian forces, retake cities currently under fire like Severodonetsk and those controlled by Russia like Kherson. Every sanction will help starve Putins war machine of funding and save more innocent civilians from further barbarism. The Ukrainian people are fighting fearlessly for their homeland. They can win this battle, and will win it with the free worlds unyielding support.

That is why the UK is at the vanguard in supplying heavy weapons. British M270 multiple-launch rocket systems are on their way to help Ukraine defend against Russian long-range artillery. The UK has already provided 1.3 billion in military aid, including anti-tank missiles, air defence systems, armoured vehicles and training. The people of Ukraine will forever remember what the UK did in its darkest hour.

The UK is increasing its sanctions, with further legislation this week on a range of trade bans, and more to come over the next month. The free world, collectively, needs to bear down harder to cut Russia off from its key sources of foreign income: energy and other exports such as gold.

We cannot be cowed by Putin trying to gas-light the world with lurid threats. Whenever NATO has stood up to his bullying, he has been forced to back down, not double down. His aggression is only succeeding in encouraging more nations to join the worlds most successful defensive alliance.

There will come a time for peace. But it needs to be a good and lasting peace. Putins path to the negotiating table runs through the battlegrounds of Ukraine. He will only be serious about negotiations once the Ukrainian people have pushed his troops back.

Ukraines supporters need to all play their part in ensuring President Zelenskyy can negotiate from a position of strength by facing a weakened Putin. That is essential for peace to endure.

There can be no negotiated settlement which replicates the Minsk Agreement, which came at the expense of Ukraines sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

Those who propose sacrificing Ukraines land are actually proposing paying in Ukrainian blood for the illusion of peace. It will be a mirage unless accompanied by the restitution of Ukrainian territory and the containment of Putins imperialism.

Putin has made clear he will not stop at Ukraine in his ambitions, but go further by targeting other sovereign nations  especially those he believes perniciously are part of Russia. That is why no one can feel secure until Russia retreats from Ukraine and is never able to perpetrate such aggression again.

The Ukrainian people are not just fighting for their future but also the future of freedom and democracy across Europe and the wider world. This is everyones war because Ukraines victory is in all our interests, however long it takes.

Together, we can secure Ukraines future in a Europe whole and free, where peace prevails once again.
The Russian security services (FSB) have declassified new documents that shed light on the Banderites during the interwar period.

One of them, published by the Extreme-Orient journal, reveals that. in 1939, the Ukrainian nationalists of Stepan Bandera contemplated leaving the territory of present-day Ukraine to found an independent Ukrainian state under the protection of the Nazis in Primorsky Krai (Manchuria), where a large Ukrainian minority had already settled.

As we have explained at length that the Ukrainian nationalists never sought to defend their territory, but indeed their race. They claim to be of Scandinavian origin, descendants of the Varangians and above all not Slavic.

Yevhen Konovalets, of Ukrainian-Lithuanian background, who founded and chaired the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) and commanded the UVO (Ukrainian Peoples Army, financed by the German and then Nazi secret services) until his assassination by the NKVD in 1938, met with Adolf Hitler twice. It was Konovalets who negotiated the creation of the Ukrainian state in Primorsky Krai when the Nazis and the Japanese attacked the Soviet Union.

His remains were transferred by the new Ukrainian regime to the Lviv cemetery, together with those of Stepan Bandera and Andriy Melnyk.

On 17 June 2011, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament paid tribute to him.
The European Union is preparing to lift its anti-Russian sanctions in the Polish corridor of Suwalki whereby to allow the supply of essential goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

To put on a good showing, the EU emphasized that this exemption does not apply to the export of goods to other destinations.

The Suwalki Corridor was going to be used anyway to supply Kaliningrad, as stipulated in the pertinent International Treaties.
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A crucial part of the European Unions plan to wean itself off Russian energy is to greatly increase purchases of liquefied natural gas from other producers. The EU, however, isnt yet equipped to receive enough LNG to replace Russian gas entirely and will need to outbid rival buyers. And because the worlds supply of LNG cant expand quickly, routing more of it to Europe leaves other would-be buyers wanting.

1. Why liquefy gas?

The places where natural gas is found are often hundreds or thousands of miles away from where its used in power plants, factories, refineries and homes. It can be moved relatively cheaply by land through pipelines, but only to fixed points. Over the past six decades, a multibillion-dollar industry has developed to cool the gas to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 162 degrees Celsius), at which point it changes into a liquid that can be loaded aboard refrigerated ships and sent across the globe. At the other end, it must be received at a specially built terminal where the fluid is converted back to gas.

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2. Whats available for Europe to buy?

Global LNG production  led by the US, Qatar and Australia  is expected to total 455 million tons in 2022, figures from Bloomberg Intelligence show. Roughly 70% of cargoes on the water are reserved for customers holding long-term contracts, while the remaining 30% are sold on the global spot market. That means roughly 136 million tons of LNG this year will go to the highest bidder. In theory, theres enough LNG on the market to cover the EUs gas imports from Russia, the equivalent of 118 million tons of LNG. However, the two dozen import terminals in Europe have spare capacity to take in only about half that.

3. Whats Europe doing?

Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian gas in the EU, intends to build several LNG import facilities, its first, despite its goal of abandoning fossil-fueled power by 2035. It ordinarily takes several years to obtain the permits and land contracts and billions of euros in financing necessary to construct such terminals, though Germany temporarily authorized an acceleration of the approval process. A number of countries, including Germany, announced plans to hire ship-borne floating terminals that can be put into operation in a matter of months rather than years. To move gas from coastal import terminals to demand centers elsewhere, new pipelines are being laid and plans have been launched to reverse the flow in an existing one built to bring gas from Azerbaijan to Italy.

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4. Why cant supply easily expand?

Although a new gas well can be brought into production within weeks, the process of approving and financing a plant that liquefies gas takes years. So, for the immediate future, the world is limited to about four dozen LNG plants around the world, along with some 600 specialized tankers that can ferry cargoes. A fire at a Texas LNG plant in June temporarily knocked out almost a fifth of US exports.

5. How do increased EU purchases affect other importers?

A tug of war over limited cargoes caused the price of LNG to soar. Thailand, for instance, paid twice as much for supplies in June as it had a year before. For some buyers, prices were out of reach. Emerging economies in South Asia such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were having to turn more to fuel oil, which is more carbon-intensive, to produce electricity, intensifying pollution and compromising efforts to contain global warming. Pakistan was also forced to cut electricity to households and industry.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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To judge by Turkeys pro-government media, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan scored a major geopolitical victory for his country at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Madrid this week. Turkey slammed its fist on the table, Europe came to its knees, declared the conservative Yeni Akit daily. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight This was a reference to Erdogans brinkmanship over the accession of Sweden and Finland, which forced the alliances other members to invest time and energy in entreating him just as NATO faces its sternest test in decades as a result of Russian expansionism. The Nordic nations eventually signed an agreement with Turkey, pledging to address its security concerns, which center mainly on Kurdish groups that Ankara considers terrorists.

This allowed the president to withdraw his objections to their membership. As a reward, Erdogan got a face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden and the White Houses backing for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. NATO also held a special session to discuss its southern flank, allowing the Turkish leader to raise the threat of Kurdish terrorist groups, his personal hobbyhorse.

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In the weeks and months ahead, Erdogan will talk up his success in Spain as he ratchets up his re-election campaign. With less than a year to go before he faces an electorate in severe economic distress, the president will take any opportunity for chest-thumping he can get.

But Turks paying close attention to the 11th-hour machinations in Madrid will know Erdogan gained very little  and may have lost a lot. If he got a few talking points for his campaign speeches, the president gave up a chance to return Turkey to the high table of international affairs.

He could have played it differently. Instead of holding up Sweden and Finland, Erdogan might have used his status as NATOs longest-serving leader to be the statesman at a time of strife. His views about the crisis growing along NATOs eastern borders, with the war in Ukraine and anxiety in the Baltics, would have been especially valuable because he enjoys a closer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin than anybody else in the alliance.

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Instead, his gamesmanship confirmed Erdogans reputation within NATO as a spoiler who pursues personal advantage above the collective good. When Sweden and Finland join the alliance, the list of members with bitter experience of his self-serving opportunism will grow by two. The others, already angered by his making common cause with Putin and compromising the security of the group as a whole by purchasing Russian missile-defense systems, wont forget that when a major crisis confronted them all, Erdogan chose to play parochial politics.

And to what end? There is less to that agreement with the Nordic countries than meets the eye. Although Sweden and Finland agreed to address Turkeys longstanding complaints that they give shelter to Kurdish terrorists and other groups dedicated to Erdogans downfall, they have more than enough room to obfuscate when it comes to taking action against those Ankara has identified as enemies.

Evidence of the wriggle room will soon be at hand. Turkey has asked Sweden and Finland to extradite 33 individuals. Some are reportedly members of the Kurdish Workers Party, known as PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and the European Union as well as Turkey. Others are followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based Turkish cleric and former Erdogan ally whom Ankara blames for a 2016 coup attempt. (Gulen has rejected the accusation.)

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But the agreement announced in Madrid doesnt commit Sweden and Finland to hand over specific individuals, much less oblige them to change their extradition laws. The burden of proof they will require from Turkey is substantial, and the odds that any of the 33 will be put on a plane to Ankara anytime soon arent very good.

The other commitment in the trilateral agreement is somewhat more significant: The two Nordic countries will lift arms embargoes against Turkey. But the weapons Ankara covets most tend to be American, and Erdogan made no breakthroughs on that front.

Bidens support for the sale of the F-16s was hardly a concession: It has been expected for many months. The main hurdle had been in Congress, where lawmakers were holding up the sale to punish Erdogan for his 2017 decision to purchase Russian-made S-400 missile-defense systems despite American warnings that they would compromise NATO security. And even there, objections had already softened before the kerfuffle over NATO expansion.

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In any case, the F-16s are only a consolation prize. Turkey remains barred from acquiring more advanced F-35s  it was meant to participate in the manufacture of the jets, but was dropped from the program when it bought the S-400.

And that face-to-face meeting with Biden? The two men smiled dutifully for the cameras, and Erdogan can use those images to advertise his status as a world leader. But Biden wont have changed his assessment that the Turkish leader is an autocrat and that the US ought to embolden his opponents to defeat him next year. Erdogan may yet find that Biden wasnt so much smiling as baring his teeth.

As for that NATO session on the southern flank, that was not so much a concession to Turkey as an indulgence to Spain, the summits host, which wanted a discussion on migration and militant groups in Africa.

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Erdogan has long gotten away with foreign-policy adventurism at the expense of Turkeys allies, and he extended that streak in Madrid. But the returns from his maneuvering have dwindled nearly to the point of nothing.

More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:



Rumors of NATOs Brain Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Andreas Kluth



The West Must Move East for NATO to Survive: Hal Brands



What to Expect From NATOs New Strategic Concept: James Stavridis

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering foreign affairs. Previously, he was editor in chief at Hindustan Times, managing editor at Quartz and international editor at Time.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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[W]hen Mr. Trump descended into rage, his staff resorted to summoning an aide, nicknamed the Music Man, to play favorite show tunes they knew would soothe him, including Memory from the Broadway musical Cats.  The New York Times, summarizing the account of White House aide Stephanie Grisham Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight My usual theme for Fourth of July is about how politics is at the core of the American republic, and that celebrations of Independence Day should keep politics  not military might  in the forefront.

I had been thinking this year about writing a tribute to poll workers, the maybe 600,000 people who allow us to hold the nations numerous and complicated elections. Or perhaps to the half-million US elected officials. Or to the many millions who get involved in electioneering, party politics and interest groups.

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Theyre the ones doing what the nation was founded to do  even if the vast majority of them would have been excluded from the Framers ideas of who was included in the people.

All that is well and good. But as a member of the American Political Science Association sections on Politics, Literature and Film and on Presidents and Executive Politics, I cant help but be focused on the Music Man in the Trump White House.

Now, granted, he wasnt exactly Professor Harold Hill, the spellbinding conman who is the lead character in that show. But I imagine he thought of himself as Hill. And so for July Fourth, Im thinking about Broadway and Hollywood musicals  one of the great US cultural accomplishments  and how they could help President Joe Biden and future occupants of the Oval Office.

What could characters from classic musicals bring to the White House staff?

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Charlie Cowell, the anvil salesman from The Music Man: Im not sure that any president really needs a Harold Hill. But a Charlie Cowell? Hes more or less the villain of the show  he sells a real product, albeit with a very limited market, and resents that Hill is conning everyone and ruining it for honest salespeople.

Having a Cowell around might be helpful to presidents who are inclined to be too caught up in their own myth-making, and for White House staffers who, after all, have strong incentives to believe those myths as well. Having someone around to drop that anvil on the floor and deflate some of the hype would generally be a good idea.

Big Jule from Guys and Dolls: Big Jule is a bully and a cheater, which are not usually the types you want in a president. He forces the gamblers to shoot craps with his special dice that have no dots on them, telling them that he knows what the dice are saying.

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I wouldnt normally recommend the presidents try that sort of thing. But its basically what Seth Masket is recommending right now to Biden after the Supreme Courts decision to overturn abortion rights. Right now, perhaps Biden could use Big Jule to remind him that every once in a while the president should insist on using his own dice just to see if he can get away with it.

Anna from The King and I: An obvious but important choice. Presidents need someone  actually they need lots of someones  who are willing to confront them with the truth. Or even with strong opposing opinions. Ever since the Bay of Pigs at least, presidential scholars and staffers have known about the dangers of Group Think, but its very difficult to fight. Presidents definitely need Annas.

Alexander Hamilton from Hamilton: Is it cheating to include him? Its hard to think of anyone better suited for White House chief of staff from the era before the job existed.

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Max Detweiler, the impresario from The Sound of Music. Uncle Max is a difficult character, and Im not sure my interpretation of him is accepted by everyone. He is certainly self-serving, cynical and manipulative. Yet in the end, he also had a moral line he would not cross. Granted, its not much, but its there.

Presidents need staffers who are cynical and manipulative, and who urge them  as Max did for Captain von Trapp  to look out for themselves. And to remind presidents that their staffers are also going to look out for themselves, something that Max never hid. Yes, that is a dangerous package unless it comes with at least some ethical constraints.

Sandy from Annie. Every modern president but one had a White House pet, and all but three overall did. Correlation may not be causation, and I am not a person who likes pets, but none of the modern occupants of the White House who had pets were impeached twice (and may still face legal trouble). Oh, and one of the three earlier presidents without a pet was Andrew Johnson, who came even closer to being convicted and removed than Trump did. Ill trust Harry Truman on this one.

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Franklin Roosevelt  but not the one from Annie. No, Im thinking of the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy, which has two FDRs. One frames the movie by giving George M. Cohan, played by James Cagney, an award. The other is played by Cagney/Cohan in a Broadway show about the president, in which Cagney/Cohan/Roosevelt dances energetically (!) and explains the trick he uses to get reporters to write what he wants. OK, if you had the greatest of modern presidents available, you could probably do better than to slot him in as press secretary, but then again he would be awfully good at it.

And lets circle back to The Music Man and finish with Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn. Theres nothing presidents need more than information, and Mrs. Shinn, the mayors wife, is fully up to date on every single piece of gossip about every citizen of River City.

Enjoy the 4th, everyone.

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For weekend reading, here are some of the best items from political scientists this week:

 Want more about presidents and musicals? Sara Goodman has a terrific Twitter thread.

 Pamela Clouser McCann and Charles R. Shipan at the Monkey Cage on the Supreme Courts radical EPA decision.

 Also at the Monkey Cage, Christine M. Slaughter and Chelsea N. Jones on how Dobnebs will affect Black women.

 Dave Hopkins on Dobbs and the midterms.

 Scott Lemieux on the nation after Dobbs.

 Matt Grossmann talks with Kevin Munger about the Baby Boomers.

 Lee Drutman on competitive elections.

 Rick Hasen on prosecuting Trump.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

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Two years ago, China was being lauded by the World Health Organization for its success in beating the coronavirus. But its insistence on adhering to a so-called Covid Zero policy is leaving it increasingly isolated as other countries that suffered far-worse outbreaks return to a semblance of pre-pandemic life. Their populations have built up a large degree of protection through waves of infections and more-effective vaccines. Chinese officials have said shots alone cant prevent infections and stringent curbs aimed at wiping out the virus are needed to avoid a health care calamity. President Xi Jinping has pledged to try to reduce the economic and social impact resulting from enforcing the strategy, which Hong Kong also follows. But he has vowed to stick with it despite continued flareups -- including one that locked down the financial capital Shanghai for two months this year.

1. Does Covid Zero mean zero cases?

Ideally, but its not that simple. Beijings perception of Covid hasnt changed much since the virus first emerged in late 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan: Its a public health threat that must be eliminated at all costs. Thats why China still requires strict quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad -- though the duration was cut by half to seven days in late June as the omicron variant appears to have a shorter incubation period. Any outbreak domestically is met with a barrage of targeted testing, contact tracing and quarantines to try to nip it in the bud, with citywide lockdowns as a last resort. That approach, which has become known as dynamic clearing, acknowledges that infections occur but aims to stop onward transmission. More infectious variants have made it more difficult for China. In early April the daily case count topped 20,000 -- surpassing the opening days of the pandemic in China, when testing wasnt readily available -- before falling back.

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2. Why is China sticking to it?

In its calculus, the benefits outweigh the costs. The government estimates the strategy has avoided 1 million deaths and 50 million illnesses. Its reported fewer than 6,000 deaths from Covid on the mainland, mostly early in the pandemic. That compares to about 1 million in the U.S., which has a population less than a quarter the size. China has used those figures to portray its system of governance as superior. Along with saving lives, Covid Zero also allowed the Chinese economy, the worlds second biggest, to grow while other major economies contracted in 2020. In late June, Xi declared Covid Zero the most economic and effective policy for China. A modeling study by researchers at Shanghais Fudan University, published in May in Nature Medicine, offered a glimpse of what could happen if omicron were allowed to spread unchecked: a tsunami of infections resulting in 1.6 million deaths.

3. Whats the domestic impact been?

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As the virus has become more contagious, its led to more frequent outbreaks, some of which have resulted in hardcore lockdowns, where most people are required to stay home. A handful have dragged on for more than a month, such as in Shanghai and the northeastern industrial province of Jilin, leading to economic and social hardship and distress for people with chronic medical conditions. When the western city of Xian was locked down, one woman suffered a miscarriage and a heart attack victim died after difficulty accessing emergency care. On the other hand, the giant tech hub Shenzhen emerged from just a week of lockdown relatively unscathed, with some factories continuing to operate under a new closed-loop system throughout. Workers are effectively put in a bubble, ferried between their company-run dormitories and the plant -- or sleeping on the floor at work -- with regular testing and temperature checks. Authorities in Beijing and other cities including Hangzhou, home to tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., have avoided full lockdowns by initiating testing blitzes and other restrictions immediately after the first cases turn up.

4. And on the economy?

While this year got off to a stronger-than-expected start, the outlook has been clouded not only by Covid but trouble in the domestic property market and the global repercussions from Russias invasion of Ukraine. All the disruption and fear of infection have weighed further on the economy. People have avoided travel, shopping and dining out. Even partial lockdowns have snarled industrial supply chains. Economists have been steadily downgrading their growth forecasts to well below the governments target of around 5.5% -- which was already well below last years final rate of 8.1%. Xi has said China would strive to minimize the economic and social impact while still achieving maximum prevention and control.

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5. What are the hurdles to getting back to normal?

Here are some:

 While nearly 90% of the population has been vaccinated and a growing number received boosters, the rates are lower for the elderly: 82% for those between 70 and 79 and about 51% for those over 80, health officials said in mid-March. (In Hong Kong, which had similar problems vaccinating the elderly, people 65 and older accounted for more than 90% of the more than 9,000 Covid-related deaths in the city this year through April.)

 Many analysts point to the lower efficacy of vaccines developed in China. The most widely used are inactivated shots, which offered less protection against infection caused by the original strain of the virus in clinical trials than the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc., BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. The mRNA shots are the backbone of immunization in much of the world but are unavailable in mainland China.

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 Chinese health officials have made it clear that vaccination alone isnt enough, since breakthrough infections are common even with Western vaccines.

 The run on hospitals across the world, both in under-resourced places like India and in the developed world, is a constant reminder about how Chinas patchy hospital network could easily crash under a sudden spike in infections.

 Switching tactics to let the virus infect a large swath of the population could create bad optics ahead of the national congress of the ruling Communist Party slated for later this year, where Xi is expected to try to extend his power.

6. Whats the cost to the rest of the world?

Covid Zero has sent ripples through the global supply chain. Tesla Inc.s Shanghai plant was shut down for three weeks before the company started a closed-loop system. Outbreaks have led to temporary production halts at the factories of other foreign carmakers in cities including Tianjin and Jilin and disruption for chipmakers in Xian. But abandoning the policy could cause far greater disruptions, at least temporarily, if workers were too sick to show up at work, given how much the world relies on China for everything from raw materials to finished consumer and industrial products. In the worst-case scenario of the virus spreading out of control and China imposing a national lockdown, Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that could slow Chinas economic growth to 1.6% this year -- the lowest in more than four decades -- and send shock waves through the world economy. Among the likely results: lower commodity prices, and a more gradual pace of Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on China to shift its strategy, saying the approach no longer makes sense as the omicron variant spreads and the countrys economy suffers.

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7. Whats the endgame for China?

Government officials havent explicitly said how they expect the pandemic to end. Meanwhile, there are mounting signs the country expects to stick with Covid Zero for the foreseeable future. Visiting Wuhan this year, Xi said the country is willing to endure temporary blows to the economy rather than put lives at risk. Across Chinas biggest cities, testing booths began sprouting up everywhere this year as new rules require hundreds of millions of urbanites to get tested as frequently as daily. Authorities also updated their Covid Zero playbook in June by standardizing policies for mass testing, targeted lockdowns and contact tracing that had varied widely. Such moves, along with the shorter quarantine, are meant to make the strategy less disruptive and more tolerable for the public, rather than a move toward eventually living with the virus -- an idea Xi has scoffed at. Some experts think the strategy will eventually crumble as the virus becomes too transmissible to control. Another possibility is a new variant may emerge thats mild enough for the government to relent without harming the population. Without any meaningful pivot, life in China in the coming years could be drastically different from the rest of the world.

8. Whats the outlook for Hong Kong?

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The financial hub and gateway to China has prioritized aligning its policy with the mainland in an effort to reopen the border. Successive outbreaks on both sides have kept that from happening. As omicron swept through Hong Kong early this year, public hospitals became overcrowded and the governments priorities shifted to vaccinating the elderly and reducing fatalities. In March, after acknowledging that public tolerance was fading, city leaders dropped a plan for mandatory citywide testing and instead sent kits to all residents and asked them to test themselves. As case numbers fell, the city eased social-distancing restrictions in stages and shortened the mandatory hotel quarantine for most incoming travelers to seven days. But officials said efforts to reopen borders still face challenges.

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Rivals for centuries, China and Russia now have a partnership that has no limits, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin said in early February. The energy, military and political ties nurtured over the past decade between the worlds two most powerful authoritarian states  both of which aim to upend at least parts of the US-dominated, post-Cold War order  have aroused growing concern among democratic leaders from Washington to Tokyo. Just weeks after the joint statement, when Russia invaded Ukraine, China refused to condemn the move. Still, the support Beijing has shown its ally since has been anything but boundless.

1. What pushed China and Russia closer?

The rapprochement was driven by a common alienation from America that deepened after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and became increasingly overt after the 2008 financial crisis, which originated in the US. Both states concluded that the meltdown would undercut faith globally in the US economic and political model. They increased ties cautiously until 2014, when Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula triggered sanctions and a definitive break between Russia and the wider West. That forced Moscow to look for new partners and especially new markets for its energy exports. China was a good fit, proving a massive and fast-growing buyer of Russian commodities and weapons. The two states also share a deep hostility toward US alliances in what they consider their own rightful spheres of influence. For Russia, thats the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Europe; for China, its Washingtons network of bilateral defense treaties in the Indo-Pacific region. Though short of a formal, treaty-based alliance, the partnership between China and Russia has been enhanced by a strong personal bond between Putin and Xi.

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2. Why the bromance between the two leaders?

Products of tough childhoods, both men have evinced a determination to crush dissent at home and restore their nations to greatness, ending their perceived humiliation by the US and Europe. They have met more than 30 times, making dumplings together in Tianjin and pancakes in Vladivostok. In 2019, Xi called Putin his best friend. In a joint statement in February, they spelled out their shared contempt for Western ideas of democracy. They defined democracy without reference to elections, independent courts or free media and said it was about economic development, with all models for public political participation equally valid.

3. Whats the history between the two states?

In the 1800s, Russia was among European powers that imposed so-called unequal treaties on Chinas Qing dynasty, including one ceding the territory where the Russian city Vladivostok sits today. Relations improved dramatically for a short period after Mao Zedong led Chinas Communist Party to power in 1949, finding a natural ally in Josef Stalin. But Mao opposed the political reforms known as de-Stalinization that followed the Soviet leaders 1953 death and, in 1961, he split from Moscow. In 1969, the two countries fought a brief border war over disputed territories and, in 1972, China did the unthinkable by turning toward the US. It wasnt until the mid-1980s, when Mikhail Gorbachev took charge in the Kremlin, that relations began to thaw again.

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4. What can they offer each other now?

Since 2014, Russia has sold China some of its most advanced weapons systems, including $5 billion worth of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems and SU-35 attack jets. Within two months of Crimeas annexation, Russias Gazprom PJSC signed a deal it said was worth about $400 billion to supply China with natural gas through a pipeline called the Power of Siberia. A second pipeline deal has been struck since. In addition, the two countries have increasingly coordinated their positions at the United Nations Security Council, where both wield vetoes.

5. What worries the democratic powers?

The growing cooperation between China and Russia has led some policy makers in the US to fear that the country could be forced to fight wars on two fronts, for example if Russia were to threaten an American ally in Europe to distract the US during a confrontation with China over Taiwan. US Senator Jim Inhofe argued last year that, adjusted for purchasing power parity, the two nations combined spend more on defense than the US. Theres a wider concern that the combination of economic, military and political muscle the two can muster is emboldening other world leaders with autocratic tendencies, undermining confidence in democracy as a political system, and threatening the version of the rules-based international order promoted by the US and its allies since the end of the Cold War.

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6. How has the war in Ukraine played in the relationship?

China avoided criticizing the invasion, blamed the US and NATO for the conflict, and bought Russian oil that was being shunned by some other countries, indirectly funding Moscows war machine. But Xi proved reluctant to unequivocally back the war or help Russia cushion the financial impact of US and European Union sanctions. With a gross domestic product almost eight times the size of Russias, China has substantially more at stake in a global economy thats still dominated by the US and other developed democracies.

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[Sam Fazeli co-authored this column] The question used to be: Have you had Covid? Now its: How many times have you had it? Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Both of us have had a Covid (re)infection in recent months. Many of us know people currently sick with Covid or recently recovered. In the week ending June 24, an estimated 1 in 30 people in the UK (some 2.3 million people) were infected with Covid, up 32% from the previous week.

That largely reflects the changing virus. The UKs Health Security Agency reckons omicrons more highly transmissible subvariants BA.4/5 make up more than half of new infections. The Centers for Disease Control in the US came to a similar conclusion there.

While people are still hospitalized with Covid, and there are still Covid deaths (especially among the more vulnerable or unvaccinated), the vast majority of vaccinated people soon recover, though the illness can still be rough for many. In terms of its kind of lethality, the picture now is much, much, much closer to seasonal flu than it was when [coronavirus] first emerged, Jonathan Van-Tam, formerly Englands deputy chief medical officer told the BBC recently.

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That leaves the question of how to manage the virus through the coming winter. On one hand, countries with high levels of vaccination should have higher resilience and therefore fewer restrictions. On the other, the viruss ability to mutate means high infection levels pose risks. We discuss what lies ahead for booster shots and other strategies for containing the pandemic.

Therese Raphael: Both Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. have announced that their candidate vaccines that target omicron provide more potent and potentially durable immune responses. The FDAs advisory panel recommended Tuesday that updated Covid-19 booster shots include an omicron component. Do you think its right to go ahead with an omicron-specific booster?

Sam Fazeli: There was some uncertainty among FDA panel members about whether omicron shots would beat the current vaccine, but the majority believed that a vaccine that includes an omicron sequence has a good chance of being beneficial against omicron while also providing a defense against other variants. Still, when you look at the data that the companies presented, they both marginally failed to show statistical superiority of their new vaccines against BA.1 compared to the currently available shots.

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TR: So what gives the panel confidence they will be superior then?

SF: The shots still showed improved antibody responses to BA.1, the original omicron variant. But the panel stated that they want a BA.4/5 omicron shot, and I think regulators are going to ask the companies to update their vaccines yet again. The data on shots based on omicron BA.1 induced three times less neutralization against BA.4 and BA.5 than against BA.1. My math suggests they will be about 50% effective against BA.4 and BA.5 infections after three to four months.

Pfizer has already started work on a vaccine to counter BA.4 and BA.5, and they showed some promising data at the meeting looking at neutralization in mice. If those findings carry through to humans, it will make for a better vaccine than one based on BA.1.

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TR: Thats good, since it seems most of us having reinfections are getting the later subvariants. Its hardly summer here, but thinking ahead, do we need to do something different this winter? Especially with flu potentially more prevalent than it has been the previous two years? Or will levels of natural immunity do the work of booster shots?

SF: Neither vaccines nor prior infection is going to stop reinfections. I tested positive two weeks ago having been fully vaccinated and having had a delta infection last October. Vaccination may delay it by a few months, but infections will eventually happen, even if Moderna is right that the bivalent vaccine (treating both omicron and previous variants) may induce longer-lived antibodies.

The concept of herd immunity as regards infection is dead really. What we need to do is to make sure we have protected the most vulnerable segments of the population against severe disease, which was also noted several times by the FDA panel. Whether this is people aged over 65 or 60 or 50, we will see what the FDA says.

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TR: We were told that mRNA technology could be easily adapted to fit emerging virus strands so its surprising that we dont even have a booster shot for BA.1 on the market yet. Why not?

SF: Well lets not forget that this is the first time we are updating the vaccines and the virus is changing very fast. Still, Pfizer noted at the meeting that it could have high-volume production of a BA.4/5 shot by September, and Moderna by October or November. This is assuming the FDA does not require large human trials with a couple of months of safety data. Both companies are still adamant that they can get to a manufactured product within 90 to 100 days.

TR: There are two things that concern most vaccinated people these days when they think about new Covid variants. One is the risk of serious illness and the other is Long Covid. Have those risks changed in light of BA.4/5?

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SF: Data from South Africa and Portugal does not suggest a major change in severity with BA.4/5 compared with BA.1. But dont forget that this is on the background of many people having been infected with BA.1 in the first omicron wave, so its not easy to compare.

Its worth mentioning a recent study showing much higher severity after reinfections, which included the omicron variant. The problem is that this study was done on patient data from the US Department of Veterans Affairs electronic health records, with most subjects being over the age of 60 and having comorbidities that increase the risk of severe disease. Its also notable that a majority of those included in the analysis were unvaccinated.

But its biggest flaw is what we call ascertainment bias, which arises when some members of a target population are less likely to be included than others. For example, if most people dont bother getting officially tested if they have mild symptoms due to reinfection, the data become skewed to more severe disease which leads to an overestimate.

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As regards Long Covid, a recent study showed that omicron seems to lead to fewer Long Covid cases than previous variants. Note, this was in the UK, where a large majority of people are triple-vaccinated.

TR: It sounds like many of us face reinfections this winter. Does that make it more likely well see another significant mutation with greater ability to evade immunity? Will the updated vaccines be able to protect us against new variants?

SF: The problem is that we dont know what the next variant will look like. Everyone thought any new variant would be based on the delta variant  instead it came from left field with a host of mutations that few expected. Using a bivalent vaccine may already be the first step towards a polyvalent shot. But, we must not forget that a large majority of people have either been vaccinated or infected, so these booster shots are on top of pre-existing immunity. That leads to immune imprinting, where the body keeps getting pushed into making the same antibodies.

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As regards new mutations, its not background immunity which has so far led to big mutational jumps like omicron but long-term infections in immunocompromised people.

If there are major shifts again in omicron or a totally new variant turns up, we may have to develop yet another variant vaccine. But, if immune imprinting is not a problem, each successive infection or immunization with updated vaccines will broaden the immune response and further reduce the risk of severe illness. Alas, as antibody levels fall within a few months of every infection or vaccine shot, the chances of getting reinfected and developing mild disease returns.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 As Crispr Turns 10, Its Medical Promise Comes Into Focus: Lisa Jarvis

 Fuzzy Language Is Setting Back the Fight Against Covid: Faye Flam

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 The Surge in Gas Prices Isnt as Painful as It Looks: Robert Burgess

(Updates the first paragraph with the latest ONS data on infections)

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering health care and British politics. Previously, she was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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PARIS  A European military task force that helped Malis government fight Islamic extremists has formally withdrawn from the West African country amid tensions with its ruling military junta. The French military, which spearheaded the Takuba task force, announced Friday that it officially ended its work Thursday. The move was tied to Frances decision earlier this year to withdraw troops from Mali after nine years helping Malian forces fight violent extremists who had threatened to seize power.

The European departure comes after at least 132 people were killed in several villages in central Mali in recent weeks in attacks blamed on jihadi rebels linked to al-Qaida, and after a contractor for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali was killed Thursday.

It also comes as Malis junta has grown closer to Russia, as Moscow has looked to build alliances and gain sway in Africa.

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The European Takuba force was composed of several hundred special forces troops from 10 countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. It aimed at training and protecting Malian combat forces.

Despite the withdrawal, the French military called the force a strategic and tactical success and an example of what Europeans are able to achieve together in complex security environments, saying that lessons learned from Takuba could be used in future joint operations.

In announcing its pullout, France accused Malis authorities of neglecting the fight against Islamic extremists. France is maintaining a military presence in neighboring West African nations facing similar threats.

Insurgents remain active in Mali, and extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali, stoking animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the region.

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The recent attacks on villages in central Mali were the deadliest since mutinous soldiers toppled the president in 2020.

Then on Thursday, a Malian contractor for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali was killed by armed militants on a motorcycle in the city of Menaka. The U.N. force MINUSMA said he was in route to see his hospitalized wife when he was killed, denouncing the killing as a cowardly and barbaric act.

The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to maintain the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, while condemning its military rulers for using mercenaries who are accused of committing human rights and humanitarian violations.

The junta has hired mercenaries from Russias Wagner Group, which has been accused by the European Union and human rights groups of violating human rights and international humanitarian law. While the Kremlin denies links to the company, Western analysts call it a tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia and China abstained from the French-drafted U.N. resolution, which extends the mandate of the mission until June 30, 2023, with its current ceiling of 13,289 military personnel and 1,920 international police.

Officials say more than 270 peacekeepers have died in Mali, making it the U.N.s deadliest peacekeeping mission.

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BERLIN  Germany and Nigeria on Friday signed an agreement paving the way for the return of hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa more than 120 years ago  an accord that Nigerian officials hope will prompt other countries to follow suit. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Governments and museums in Europe and North America have increasingly sought to resolve ownership disputes over objects that were looted during colonial times.

A British colonial expedition looted vast quantities of treasures in 1897 from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now southwestern Nigeria, including numerous bas-reliefs and sculptures.

The artifacts ended up spread far and wide. Hundreds were sold to collections such as the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, which has one of the worlds largest groups of historical objects from the Kingdom of Benin, estimated to include about 530 items, including 440 bronzes. Many of them date from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

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Two pieces held by the Berlin museum  a commemorative head of a king and a relief slab depicting a king with four attendants  were handed over as German and Nigerian officials signed their joint political declaration at the German foreign ministry in Berlin.

This is just the beginning of more than 1,000 pieces from the Kingdom of Benin that are still in German museums, and they all belong to the people of Nigeria, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. It was wrong to take the bronzes; it was wrong to keep them for 120 years.

The bronzes are some of Africas greatest treasures, but they are also telling the story of colonial violence, Baerbock said.

The Nigerian government, which in recent years has stepped up its demands for the return of the Benin Bronzes, said the accord would pave way for the return of 1,130 pieces. It described it as the single largest repatriation of artifacts anywhere in the world.

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Germany has taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the past, Nigerian Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said. He added that he expects the move to become a harbinger of more repatriation of cultural property.

Germany last year announced its intention to return the Benin Bronzes that ended up there.

Officials didnt give a timeline for the return of the remaining artifacts on Friday, but Berlins Ethnological Museum said a agreement on the rest of the bronzes it holds will follow later this year. The authority that oversees the museum says it expects to keep some on long-term loan. Baerbock said she is looking forward to seeing bronzes on holidays in Germany.

Fridays agreement provides for museum cooperation between Germany and Nigeria. Germany is helping Nigeria set up a new museum in Benin City where bronzes will be displayed in the future, Baerbock said.

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It is my sincere hope that other European countries ... will follow in your footsteps, Nigerias state minister for foreign affairs, Zubairu Dada, said of Fridays accord.

Hundreds of objects from the Kingdom of Benin remain in the British Museum in London, which has resisted calls to return them.

The British Museum remains committed to thorough and open investigation of Benin collection histories, the museum said in an emailed statement Friday. This includes fully acknowledging and understanding the colonial history which forms the key context for the development of the Museums Benin collections.

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Frank Jordans in Berlin and Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria contributed to this report.

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CAIRO  Thousands took to the streets Friday in Sudans capital, a day after nine people were killed in demonstrations against the countrys ruling generals. The United States and others in the international community condemned the violence in this East African nation, which has been rocked by near-weekly protests since an Oct. 25 coup upended its fragile transition to democracy.

The rallies on Thursdays were the largest seen in months. Sudanese military authorities have met the protests with a deadly crackdown, which has so far killed 113 people, including 18 children.

In and near Khartoum, large funeral marches took place for some of those killed the day before, while others gathered after Friday prayers at mosques in the countrys capital. Online, photographs of the dead were posted, in some cases in an effort to identify them.

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The Sudans Doctors Committee, a medical group that monitors casualties from demonstrations, said security forces shot and killed nine people, including a child, in or near Khartoum during the rallies on Thursday. The demonstrations coincided with widespread internet disruptions. Internet monitors and activists say the government has crippled communications to prevent gatherings and slow the spread of news on days when large protest turnout is expected.

Sudans leading pro-democracy groups  Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change and the Resistance Committees  had called for nationwide protest against the coup. The takeover upended the countrys short-lived transition to democracy following the 2019 ouster of longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir.

Since the coup, the U.N. political mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the eight-nation east African regional Intergovernmental Authority in Development group have been trying to broker a way out of the political impasse. But talks have yielded no results so far.

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In a joint statement tweeted Friday the three bodies expressed disappointment over the continued use of excessive force by security forces and lack of accountability for such actions, despite repeated commitments by authorities.

Thursdays protests also fell on the third anniversary of a 2019 mass rally that forced the generals to sit down at the negotiating table with pro-democracy groups and eventually sign a power-sharing agreement that was expected to govern Sudan during a transitional period, until general elections were to be held. The coup last October scuttled this arrangement.

Western governments have repeatedly called on the generals to allow for peaceful protests, but have also angered the protest movement for sometimes engaging with the leading generals. Pro-democracy leaders call for the generals to leave power immediately.

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We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of life in yesterdays protests, the U.S. Embassy in Sudan said in a statement Friday. We urge all parties to resume negotiations and call on peaceful voices to rise above those who advocate for or commit violence.

From Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said she was alarmed by Thursdays killings, especially after the police had announced they would not use lethal force to disperse the demonstrators.

In no case is force permissible to dissuade or intimidate protesters from exercising their rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, or to threaten them with harm for doing so, she said.

Police said Friday an investigation was launched after a video circulated online, appearing to show security forces prodding and kicking a badly injured protester in the street the day before. According to pro-democracy groups, the protester later died. In a statement released on the website of the countrys state-run news agency, police said the video shows security personnel violating orders to not approach demonstrations with firearms. It said those involved would be held accountable.

The countrys interior ministry, which oversees the police, has continuously denied the use of live fire on protesters, despite evidence from activists and pro-democracy groups to the opposite.

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TEL AVIV, Israel  Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip systematically torture critics in detention, a practice that could amount to crimes against humanity, an international rights group said Friday. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Human Rights Watch called in its report for donor countries to cut off funding to Palestinian security forces that commit such crimes and urged the International Criminal Court to investigate.

The report alleged that Palestinian security forces use solitary confinement and beatings, including whipping their feet, and force detainees into painful stress positions for prolonged periods, including hoisting their arms behind their backs with cables or rope, to punish and intimidate critics and opponents and elicit confessions.

HRWs report comes a year after the death of Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority, whose family says he died after security forces stormed his residence in the middle of the night and beat him with metal batons. His death sparked weeks of protests against the PA, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian security forces violently dispersed some of those protests..

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Amnesty International said last week that the Palestinian Authority has failed to hold its security forces accountable for the death. Palestinian authorities arrested 14 officers last summer and are trying them in a military court, but have taken no action against top commanders.

More than a year after beating to death Nizar Banat, the Palestinian Authority continues to arrest and torture critics and opponents, said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch.

Systematic abuse by the PA and Hamas forms a critical part of the repression of the Palestinian people.

The group listed Palestinians who it said had been arbitrarily arrested in the aftermath of Banats death.

HRW said security forces are not held to account for the alleged torture and that given their systematic nature over many years, the practice could amount to crimes against humanity.

Palestine is part of the Convention Against Torture, which requires members to work to prevent torture.

The report also describes Israeli mistreatment and torture of Palestinian detainees in the West Bank, saying that no indictments have been issued against Israeli security forces despite hundreds of complaints made over the last 20 years.

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POKROVSK, Ukraine  A Russian airstrike on residential areas killed at least 21 people early Friday near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, authorities reported, a day after the withdrawal of Moscows forces from an island in the Black Sea had seemed to ease the threat to the city. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Video of the attack before daybreak showed the charred ruins of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Odesa. The Ukrainian presidents office said warplanes fired three missiles that struck an apartment building and a campsite.

Ukrainian authorities interpreted the attack as payback for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Snake Island a day earlier, though Moscow portrayed their departure as a goodwill gesture to help unblock exports of grain.

Russian forces took control of the island in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraines biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

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The occupiers cannot win on the battlefield, so they resort to vile killing of civilians, said Ivan Bakanov, head of Ukraines security service, the SBU. After the enemy was dislodged from Snake Island, he decided to respond with the cynical shelling of civilian targets.

Ukraines military reported late Friday on social media that two Russian Su-30 warplanes bombed Snake Island with phosphorus bombs. Black-and-white aerial video showed two blasts hitting the island. The warplanes reportedly struck from the east, from Belbek, on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. The Russian military did not immediately comment.

Large numbers of civilians were killed in Russian bombardments earlier in the war, including at a hospital, a theater used as a shelter, and a train station. Until this week, mass casualties involving residents appeared to become less frequent as Moscow concentrated on capturing eastern Ukraines Donbas region.

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Russian missiles struck the Kyiv region last weekend after weeks of relative calm around the capital and an airstrike Monday on a shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk killed at least 19 people.

A U.S. defense official said Friday in Washington that Russian forces appeared to use an anti-ship missile in the mall attack, a type of weapon that the official said is not accurate against land targets. Russias defense ministry spokesman claimed earlier this week that warplanes fired precision-guided missiles at a depot that contained Western weapons and ammunition, which detonated and set the mall on fire. Ukrainian authorities said that in addition to the direct hit on the mall, a factory was struck, but denied it housed weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy noted that as in Mondays shopping mall attack in Kremenchuk, Russian forces on Friday appeared to use anti-ship missiles to hit Serhiivka.

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These missiles, Kh-22, were designed to destroy aircraft carriers and other large warships, and the Russian army used them against an ordinary nine-story building with ordinary civilian people, he said at a news conference Friday.

Twenty-one people  including an 11-year-old boy, his mother and the 42-year-old coach of a childrens soccer team  were killed and 38 others, including six children and a pregnant woman, were hospitalized, Ukrainian officials reported. Most of the victims were in the apartment building.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow is not targeting residential areas.

Oleh Zhdanov, an independent Ukrainian military analyst, said the Russian pullback from Snake Island bears colossal psychological significance for Ukraine.

Snake Island is key for controlling the Black Sea and could help cover the Russian attack if the Kremlin opted for an amphibious landing operation in Odesa or elsewhere in the region, he said. Now those plans are pushed back.

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Ukraines military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee the island in two small speedboats. The exact number of troops withdrawn was not disclosed.

Early in the war, the island became a symbol of Ukrainian defiance. When a Russian warship demanded that its defenders surrender, they supposedly replied: Go (expletive) yourself.

Zelenskyy said that although the pullout did not guarantee the Black Sea regions safety, it would significantly limit Russian activities there.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces kept up their push to encircle the city of Lysychansk, the last stronghold of resistance in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the Donbas.

The shelling of the city is very intensive, Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said. The occupiers are destroying one house after another with heavy artillery and other weapons. Residents of Lysychansk are hiding in basements almost round the clock.

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Haidai said the Russians were fighting for control of an oil refinery on the citys edge. But Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian and separatist forces had taken control of the refinery as well as a mine and a gelatin factory.

Ukraines presidential office said Russian strikes in the past 24 hours also killed civilians in eastern Ukraine  four in the northeastern Kharkiv region and another four in Donetsk province.

More help for Ukraines fight was announced:

The Pentagon said it will supply the country with $820 million in new military aid, including surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radar to respond to Russias heavy reliance on long-range strikes. All told, the U.S. has provided more than $8.8 billion in weapons and training to Ukraine.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announced 1 billion euros ($1.04 billion) in aid to Ukraine.

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In other developments, a pro-Moscow separatist news agency in eastern Ukraine reported that two more Britons it identified as mercenaries fighting for Ukraine are facing the same charges on which three other foreigners were recently sentenced to death. The news agency identified the pair as Dylan Healy and Andrew Hill, without providing further details. Britains SkyNews said they had been captured in eastern Ukraine several weeks ago.

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Follow APs coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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BARCELONA, Spain  Thousands of people in several Spanish cities protested Friday over the deaths of at least 23 migrants last week at the frontier between the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Africa and Morocco, amid growing calls for an independent, cross-border investigation. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The demonstrations were being held under the moniker Las Vidas Negras Importan in Spanish or Black Lives Matter in English.

The deaths occurred June 24 during repeated attempts by sub-Saharan migrants and asylum seekers to scale the border fence separating the territories. Moroccan authorities said the migrants died as a result of a stampede but protesters are blaming officialsand Europes migration policies.

In Madrid, demonstrators filled Callao square and held signs that read Borders Kill and No human being is illegal. In Barcelona, participants marched as they chanted against racism and colonialism.

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In order to protect their borders they killed a lot of Black people, said Victoria Munoz, a protester of African descent.

In Rabat, the capital of Morocco, some 40 people held placards splashed with red paint, emulating blood to demand justice for the dead migrants.

The least we can do is voice our outrage and demand that the Moroccan state stop acting as Europes border police, because through this nefarious activity it is accountable for what occurred last Friday, said Al-Tayeb Madmadh, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and one of the protest organizers.

Videos and photos that emerged in the days following the deaths sparked outrage and condemnation by several human rights groups and officials, including the United Nations secretary-general.

In one video shared by the Moroccan Human Rights Association dozens of young African men, some of them motionless and bleeding, are seen strewn on the ground as Moroccan security forces stand over them. One uniformed man is seen poking a body with his baton.

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In another video a group of migrants is seen climbing a fence, some hurling rocks at Moroccan anti-riot police trying to stop them. At one point, the fence collapses, sending them to the ground from a height of several meters.

I am shocked by the violence on the Nador-Melilla border, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres tweeted this week. The use of excessive force is unacceptable, and the human rights and dignity of people on the move must be prioritized by countries.

Spains state prosecutors announced the launch of a probe to clarify what happened given the significance and seriousness of the events at the Melilla border.

Moroccos Human Rights Association contested the official death toll, reporting instead that 27 migrants had died, while the Spanish NGO Walking Borders is reporting 37 fatalities.

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Authorities in Morocco and Spain also reported that 140 security officers on the Moroccan side and 60 National Police and Civil Guard officers on the Spanish side, were injured.

In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, Spains Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended the way Moroccan and Spanish police handled the incident, calling the attempt an attack on Spains borders.

Meanwhile, the dead have yet to be identified.

Omar Naji of Moroccos Human Rights Association in Nador said they have been contacted by the families of young men from Sudan believed to be among the victims but have not been allowed to see the bodies or the dozens of injured migrants being treated at a local hospital.

Violence and political turmoil in Sudan have pushed thousands of Sudanese to seek asylum in Europe, including in Spain. On top of this a third of Sudans population currently face a hunger crisis.

We demand a thorough investigation to clarify who is responsible (for the deaths) as well as the necessary autopsies to identify the causes of their deaths, he said.

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Tarik El-Barakah in Rabat, Morocco and Hernan Munoz in Barcelona, Spain contributed to this report.

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Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

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TUNIS, Tunisia  Tunisian President Kais Saied on Friday unveiled a new draft constitution that would bestow broad powers on the president and curtail the authority of the prime minister and parliament. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight A referendum on the constitution is scheduled for July 25, exactly a year after Saied suspended parliament and seized power. He said the move was necessary to save the country from political and economic crisis. This prompted strong criticism from the opposition, which accuses him of a slide toward totalitarianism.

Several organizations, including the powerful UGTT central trade union, have deplored the absence of a public dialogue in preparing the new constitution that they have dubbed the Constitution of Kais Saied.

The draft text, published late Thursday, would give the president greater executive power than the prime minister and establish a bicameral parliamentary system for the first time.

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That would be a shift from the current constitution, which was seen as groundbreaking when it was passed in 2014 after consultations with multiple groups.

The 2014 constitution sought to limit presidential powers after the Arab Spring protests put an end to 23 years of unchallenged reign by former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. He was overthrown in 2011 by a popular revolt which triggered a similar movement in several countries of the region against autocratic leaders.

The new charter would give the president the right to appoint the prime minister and the ministers, and to fire them. It restricts presidents to two five-year terms.

The new draft constitution removes a reference to Islam in Article 1 of the old charter, which read that Tunisia is a free, independent and sovereign state, Islam is its religion.

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The preamble to the new version says Tunisia is an integral part of the Islamic community and that the state ensures the protection of religious rights  as long as they do not undermine public security.

Saied and some others blamed Islamist party Ennahdha in part for Tunisias political crisis last year. Ennahdha, which dominated parliament before it was suspended, is among Saieds fiercest critics.

Like the previous one, the draft new constitution guarantees freedom of worship and conscience, as well as individual and public freedoms and freedom of opinion and media.

It also guarantees unions rights to strike except for the army, police and judges and other magistrates. Saied has been in a showdown for weeks with judicial officials who have been on strike following the dismissal of 57 judges, some of whom are accused of corruption and obstruction of justice.

The new charter would also create a second house of parliament called the national council of regions and districts thats meant to ensure balance between the regions.

If adopted in the July 25 referendum, the new constitution would enter into force as soon as the results of the vote are announced.

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Davis, a member of the 2014 Financial System Inquiry panel, says in his submission that buying a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin is primarily (if not exclusively) a form of gambling/speculation. He says when youre buying Bitcoin, the chances are youre doing it not to make a payment but because you believe someone will be willing to pay you more for the Bitcoin in the future. Davis concedes thats different from other forms of gambling, where the outcome of a horse race or a sporting match determines the gain or loss. But he sees it as gambling all the same, and likens the digital currency exchange that allowed you to buy Bitcoin to a newsagent selling lottery tickets. These things are highly speculative. Where do you rule the line? Former ASIC chairman Greg Medcraft Why is the distinction important? Well, he thinks theres a risk that designating Bitcoin a financial product could make consumers think crypto products are safer, and more useful, than they actually are. Instead, Davis says only cryptos that are clearly acting like financial products should be regulated as such. The stand-out example is stablecoins, which are crypto assets pegged to other assets in an attempt to stabilise their value. While some stablecoins have proven anything but stable lately, these products can look a lot like bank deposits, so theres clearly a case for regulating them.

They should think very carefully about what bits of [the crypto sector] are treated as a financial product, and what bits are just pure gambling, Davis says. Davis is clearly a crypto sceptic. But he is not alone in highlighting the extremely speculative nature of cryptos, and the implications this might have for how we regulate them. The Bank for International Settlements last week published research suggesting retail investors may not fully realise the risks of crypto investing, pointing to evidence that new investors in crypto were chasing past price increases. Its modelling found that for every 10 per cent increase in the Bitcoin price, there was a 3 per cent lift in the number of crypto app users. Bitcoin prices have plunged by around 60 per cent this year. Credit:Bloomberg It said the biggest group of crypto app users were men aged under 35 - a group known for risk-taking, who could be motivated by a fear of missing out.

How far should regulators go in trying to protect these traders from risks? People should be free to invest in risky assets if theyd like to, but the BIS said there needs to be adequate disclosure of the risks, and regulation of the advertising claims crypto firms make. In Australia, regulators have also started requiring financial firms to show their products are likely to be consistent with consumers objectives, financial situation and needs. If cryptos were regulated as financial products, they should meet this hurdle too. Someone with plenty of expertise in both digital finance and regulation is Greg Medcraft, the former chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, who also led the OECDs financial services directorate, where digital finance was a key priority. Medcraft does not go as far as saying crypto trading is outright gambling, pointing out there are plenty of other high-risk financial products. These things are highly speculative. Where do you rule the line? he told me this week.

Rather, he says cryptos have become too big to ignore and regulating them is a way to provide the same sorts of consumer protections that apply to risky financial products. While Medcraft was leading ASIC, for example, the regulator banned prime-time advertising of certain high-risk derivatives known as contracts for difference. Whatever the regulators ultimately decide, the extreme volatility of cryptocurrencies puts traditional financial institutions in an interesting position. Loading While most Australian banks arent ready for the risks of facilitating crypto trading, Commonwealth Bank made a surprise announcement last November that it would launch a trial allowing customers to trade crypto assets through its app. CBAs crypto trading foray has been paused lately as it deals with regulators, but the bank has maintained it intends to continue with the pilot. But if or when the product does ultimately launch, its expected the bank will be careful in which customers it allows to access crypto trading via its app.
This masthead can also confirm layoffs at police software maker Mark43, after former staff posted online saying it had made an entire team redundant, payments company Zepto and medical management company Perx Health. (Mark43 did not answer repeated requests for comment and NSW Police, which it supplies, declined to comment. Chris Jewell, Zeptos chief executive, said the downturn had forced Zepto to make the heartbreaking decision to lay off about 10 per cent of its staff, whose contribution to the company he praised. Hugo Rourke, Perxs chief executive, said the company had made the tough decision to do a few layoffs in late May but had achieved some customer wins since then.) The list does not stop there. Solar power company Brighte also recently cut jobs, while neobank Volt this week announced its closure. The cuts that have been publicised are widely seen as the tip of the iceberg, with many companies quietly trimming headcount. For founders, it is a delicate balancing act. The dance is people need to grow to raise but they need to be financially disciplined to get there, says one Sydney start-up staffer, who was not authorised to speak on the record. In other words, venture capital investors tend to only back companies that are building revenue rapidly. But unlike a few months ago, Australias venture capitalists are now leery of firms that are spending at all costs to get there.

The customer research startup Dovetail is one of many firms still eagerly hiring during the downturn. Credit: The outspoken American venture capitalist David Sacks, who was an early executive at PayPal alongside tech titans such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, said on the influential All-In Podcast last week that start-ups were getting the dance wrong. He recalled a recent industry conference where founders were told they needed enough money to cover their companys losses for the next three or four years because if they needed to raise more cash in one year, the amount of available money would have plunged by 75 per cent. When polled about how they would approach the situation, Sacks said, the results showed a contradiction. There is a common set of values that go beyond company to company and in challenging times thats very useful. Jono Herman, Earlywork co-founder "On the one hand the founders understood intellectually that we're headed into a downturn, we're headed into a recession, and so the polling reflected that," Sacks said. "On the other hand if you asked the founders how they're going to react to it... are you going to cut headcount or are you going to accelerate your business to beat competitors, everybody said 'Oh we're going to out-accelerate our competitors.' So everybody thought they were the exception."

Some Australian founders who have spoken with overseas venture funds in recent months confirm American firms are being told to make hard choices, fast. Others who are seeking funding report a more positive picture. Dany Milham, the founder of rapid grocery delivery firm Milkrun, told this masthead that hed had significant interest from overseas firms in a fresh capital raise despite the business losing $13 per order just months ago at one of its best stores. Another has found the overseas market more receptive than local venture capitalists, who the founder described as being wary of investing while they wait to see how severe the downturn is. Local venture capital firms, such as Blackbird, Square Peg and AirTree, either declined to make any of their partners available or did not respond to calls seeking interviews. But the funds have previously said they are advising their companies to be more cautious but still have substantial amounts of money to invest in good companies. Marina Wu, Jono Herman and Dan Brockwell (l-r) from Earlywork partnered with a venture firm called AfterWork to launch a free service connecting people laid off to new jobs. Credit:Rhett Wyman It points to a multi-speed sector. Companies that held out from raising, raised and spent lavishly, or simply require a lot of cash to grow, are in a tough position. But many start-ups that were lucky or strategic enough to raise while the market was still roaring along and have spent judiciously since then are sitting on tens of millions of dollars in dry powder, allowing them to hire aggressively.

Customer research startup Dovetail, which raised money at a near $1 billion valuation late last year, has put up posters and a light rail ad in Sydney advertising its $5000 bonus policy for any member of the public who refers it a successful candidate. Loading Investors at AfterWork Ventures, which puts money into early-stage companies, and Earlywork, a platform that shepherds people into tech careers, this week rapidly spun up a free tool to match laid off staff with companies still hiring. More than 100 firms signed up to the service  dubbed Between Work  in less than 24 hours. Jessy Wu, an investment principal at AfterWork, says growing companies jumped at the opportunity to access talented staff with experience that are usually hard to find. The silver lining here is the opportunity for earlier stage companies to capture some of the talent thats been shed by later stage companies, and harness the workers skills and experience as they scale, Wu says.
Australias cultural institutions are in a state of disrepair and will take years to recover, according to Labors Arts Minister Tony Burke.

In an interview with The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in which he addressed a range of issues including the need for Australian content quotas for the streamers, the previous governments lack of support for the local film industry while throwing incentives at Hollywood, and the stacking of cultural boards with political appointees, Burke said the damage was substantial and would take years to undo.

Tony Burke announcing the Labor Partys arts policy in Melbourne in May. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

The Morrison government operated on the principle of providing funding to cultural institutions only when everything was falling apart, he said.

It took a massive number of leaks in the National Gallery before it got funding. It took for some of the records at the Australian Archives to be physically dissolving before extra funding was provided. For a political brand that calls itself conservatives, they werent interested in conserving much.
The world may well be heading to another Arab Spring thanks to a perfect storm of food crises, which we know from history can result in massive social unrest.

Twelve years ago, simultaneous grain harvest shortages in Ukraine, Russia and China  all rooted in extreme weather events  led to the tripling of the spot price for wheat, and drove unrest across the Middle East and North Africa. These events became a trigger for the Syrian war, whose subsequent mass displacement of people almost brought down the European Union and was a decisive issue in the Brexit decision.

A daily wage laborer waits for work at a wholesale market in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Monday. The country is experiencing crippling food and fuel shortages. Credit:AP

Right now, the world faces shortages of basic commodities, rising prices, crops devastated by extreme weather, a grain trade disrupted by war, and looming famine, especially in East Africa. The world will face more challenges to political order as it gets hotter and drier, and becomes harder to produce food for a growing population. In light of this, Australia needs to understand the risks and implications for its own food security, and for the food security of the world.

The causes of the present food crisis are well known. Even before the war in Ukraine, which in some ways is also a war about energy politics in Europe, global food prices were heading for record highs, driven in part by the fact COVID-19 has disrupted supply chains.
The crossbenchers say they dont have the backup a major party gives its MPs, and that the library cant provide the sort of tailored advice a staffer does, let alone be as fast with assistance, or available around the clock. Loading Crossbench senators make a further case. In a chamber where the government is in minority, their votes matter more than those of crossbenchers in the lower house, where Labor will have the numbers. This applies particularly to someone like Pocock who, with the Greens, is expected to assure the government of its majority on various pieces of legislation. On raw numbers, the Greens havent had their staff reduced, but the party will only have the same number to service a total party room that has increased from 10 to 16. When he returns from overseas, Albanese will address the complaints. His choice is staying tough (the public wouldnt care) or buying some crossbench goodwill with a conciliatory gesture.

The staffing dispute has provided immediate controversy. But in this new parliament, which first meets July 26, therell be more fundamental issues around the crossbenchers. The crossbench is, of course, diverse. In the lower house, there are Greens, the new teals (obviously individuals in their own right) and other independents, as well as the idiosyncratic Bob Katter, from the deep north. In the Senate, the crossbench ranges from Greens to the two Hansonites and Ralph Babet, elected from Victoria for the UAP. The teals have a lot to live up to, after their high-profile campaigns. They are different from many other MPs. They havent been political staffers or come up through the rugged internal party machines (although a couple hail from well-known political families). They talk about doing politics differently. But without the balance of power in the House of Representatives, will they be able to drive meaningful changes in how things are done?

And what of policy substance can the lower-house teals achieve? They need to demonstrate theyre relevant. Loading Lacking hard power, they can only operate through influence and advocacy. This is possible, though difficult. For example, in the previous parliament independent Helen Haines release of a private members bill for an integrity commission added to the public pressure. She (and others) will be anxious to have a voice on the issue as the government presses ahead with its legislation. One problem for the teals is that the Albanese government will address core issues they campaigned on, notably climate change and integrity. It was easy enough for them to rail against the Coalition before the election, but things are more challenging when they are (essentially) aligned with the government on these matters. They can say Labor should go further (although there mightnt be mileage in that), and there will be some scope for suggesting amendments to legislation.

Recent history indicates once crossbenchers are elected they dig in, but they arent invulnerable (as Kerryn Phelps found in Wentworth). The teals will have to show over the next three years they represent what we might describe as value for votes. And if the government delivers on climate, integrity and womens issues, the teals will need to refresh their own agendas for the 2025 election. Loading The government has some interest in teals surviving, because they provide a firewall. They keep seats Labor cant itself win out of Liberal hands. So, it may look to give them a few modest policy wins. The Greens-Labor relationship will be more potent and scratchy. The two parties are fierce competitors and theres no love lost. But Labor will require the Greens (plus one more vote) to get contested legislation through the Senate. The Greens will push for changes. It will likely often be a game of bluff and counter bluff.

The Greens party room is politically diverse  witness the radicalism of Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe who questions the legitimacy of parliament itself  so there could be some robust internal battles. Greens MP Lidia Thorpe. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui The Greens say their position on Labors climate legislation will be to improve, not to block. The first test will come early, when the government presents a bill to put into law its emissions reduction targets. Given the Greens cant get a more ambitious position, they would  if they follow their own maxim  support the legislation. Lastly, Pococks position is interesting. He wont be the only go-to person for the government to obtain that additional Senate vote. Jacqui Lambie and her newly elected Senate colleague would be candidates.
I would like to remind you of the presidents words that the Russian Armed Forces do not work with civilian targets, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Video of the attack showed the charred remains of buildings in Serhiivka, about 50 kilometres south-west of Odesa city. Ukrainian media said a resort area was also hit. Ukrainian authorities said Russian missile attacks on residential buildings in the port city of Odesa killed more than a dozen people. Credit:AP It came after Russia said it had decided to withdraw from Snake Island as a gesture of goodwill to show Moscow was not obstructing UN attempts to open a humanitarian corridor allowing grains to be shipped from Ukraine. The Ukrainian military claimed it had forced the Russians to flee the outcrop in two small speedboats following a barrage of Ukrainian artillery and missile strikes. The exact number of troops was not disclosed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailing the strategic win: It does not yet guarantee security. It does not yet ensure that the enemy will not come back, he said in his nightly video address. But this significantly limits the actions of the occupiers. Step by step, we will push them back from our sea, our land and our sky. In contrast, however, Ukrainian forces were desperately hanging on against Russias superior firepower in the city of Lysychansk. This image shows a burning pier and buildings on the northern end of Snake Island, in the Black Sea, on Thursday. Credit:Maxar Technologies via AP Russian artillery shelled from different directions while the Russian army approached from several sides, regional Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Ukrainian television. The superiority in firepower of the occupiers is still very much in evidence, Zelensky said. They have simply brought in all their reserves to hit us.

A senior Ukrainian military official, Oleksiy Gromov, earlier said Kyiv was planning to deploy troops to Snake Island, but did not specify a timeline. Loading At the moment, we control [the island] with the help of our weapons: long-range artillery, rocket units and aviation, Gromov said. Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant general Igor Konashenkov said the withdrawal was intended to demonstrate that Moscow wasnt hampering UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor for exporting agricultural products from Ukraine. But that was before Fridays strike on the apartment building in Odesa. Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of blockading Ukrainian ports to prevent exports of grain, contributing to a global food crisis. Russia has denied that and said Ukraine needs to remove mines from the Black Sea to allow safe navigation.

Turkey has sought to broker a deal to unblock grain exports. But the talks have dragged on, with Kyiv expressing fear that Russia will exploit the removal of the mines to attack Odesa. Snake Island sits along a busy shipping lane. Russia took control of it in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa. Ukraines biggest port is crucial for shipping grain to Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Its also the headquarters of the countrys navy. This WorldView-1 satellite black and white image shows the southern end of Snake Island with a destroyed tower and burned vegetation in several locations. Credit:Maxar Technologies via AP The island  shrouded in myth since ancient times  early on took on legendary significance for Ukraines resistance to the Russian invasion, when Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back, Go [expletive] yourself. Ukraine has celebrated the story with patriotic fervour, issuing a postage stamp in commemoration.

The islands Ukrainian defenders were captured by the Russians but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange. After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there and its air defences. Loading At a NATO summit in Madrid, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson billed the Russian pullout as a sign that Ukraine will prevail in the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the end it will prove impossible for Putin to hold down a country that will not accept occupation, Johnson said. Meanwhile, Moscow kept up its push to take control of the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. It is focused on the city of Lysychansk, the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province. Russian troops and their separatist allies control 95 per cent of Luhansk and about half of Donetsk, the two provinces that make up the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas.

Ukraine said the Russians were shelling Lysychansk and clashing with Ukrainian defenders around an oil refinery on its edges. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian reconnaissance units trying to enter Lysychansk on Wednesday were repelled. He said the Russians were trying to block a highway used to deliver supplies, and fully encircle the city. The Russians have thrown practically all their forces to seize the city, Haidai said, but denied that Lysychansk had been encircled. Nevertheless, Haidai noted that as of Thursday evening, evacuations from the city were impossible due to heavy shelling and mined access roads. Earlier, a representative of the Ukrainian military said it was not planning a retreat from Lysychansk. Loading
Pointing to a portion of the law allowing the EPA to regulate pollutants that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare, Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissenting opinion: Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases fit that description. Erin Tinerella, who lives in Chicago but is in Washington DC for an internship, protests against the US Supreme Courts decision. Credit:AP Was a carbon rule already on the books for power plants? Nope. And thats what made this case so strange from the start. During then president Barack Obamas last year in office, the Supreme Court blocked his administrations rule to cut power plants carbon, called the Clean Power Plan, from taking effect. The Trump administration replaced the plan with a more lenient version, but it, too, was blocked by an appellate court on his last day in office.

Normally, judges wait for regulators to act. But this high court decided to hear the case before the Biden administration could weigh in with its own proposal. Twenty years ago, theres no way that court would ever have taken this case, said Sambhav Sankar, a senior vice president at the environmental law group Earthjustice. Its just not a real case. Do the companies that operate coal-fired power plants want this? Not necessarily. A group of electric utilities serving more than 40 million people, some of which have divested from coal, told the court its decision to even hear the case is premature and untethered to actual circumstances driving change in the power sector.

In reality, utilities have been closing coal plants over the past decade in the face of competition from cheaper forms of energy such as gas-fired generators, solar farms and wind turbines. In their own brief, Apple, Tesla and other major tech firms investing in renewable energy agree that stable, nationwide rules on emissions are needed to accelerate that trend. Regardless of what the decision looks like, we do not anticipate much near-term impact on the power sector, Christine Tezak, managing director of the independent research group ClearView Energy Partners, wrote in a note on the court case. But many companies in the coal business are firmly on the side of West Virginia, which led the court case against the EPA. A trade group called Americas Power  which consists of coal-mining firms, barge operators and equipment manufacturers as well as some electric utilities  argued in its own brief that the EPA must be reined in since coal is necessary for keeping energy prices low and the grid reliable. This is not a case in which business is on one side, to be sure, said Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. What does the Biden administration do now?

Good question. Both the White House and the EPA said the administration is reviewing the decision. Our lawyers will study the ruling carefully and we will find ways to move forward under federal law, White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan said in a statement. But EPA officials have already signalled they have other tools for cutting pollution from power plants. The agency, for instance, is working on new rules to compel power plants to cut down the emissions of smog-forming pollution blown across state lines and to stop toxic contaminants in ash pits from leaching into drinking water. Taken together, the new regulations may make running coal plants more costly to operate. But the agencys ability to meaningfully and directly regulate carbon dioxide  the chief driver of global warming  from power plants smokestacks is now kneecapped after the Supreme Courts decision.

What does this decision mean for the planet? It puts the country even further off track from Bidens goal of running the US power grid on clean energy by 2035  and making the entire economy carbon-neutral by 2050. Local efforts on global warming only go so far. About four in 10 Americans live in a state, city or territory that has committed to reaching 100 per cent clean electricity by the middle of the century at the latest, according to an analysis by the League of Conservation Voters. Even achieving Bidens nationwide aims alone wouldnt stop climate change, as the United States is responsible for one-seventh of annual carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. China has double the share. But Biden has always aimed to lead by example when it comes to countries cutting emissions. That kind of diplomacy just got harder, especially with world leaders scrambling for new sources of fossil fuels after Russias invasion of Ukraine.
Festivals  Kashmir Festivals  Kheer Bhawani

Kheer Bhawani Festival

Place : Tulmulla, Ganderbal district, Srinagar, Kashmir

Month: June

Significance: Hindu Muslim harmony

Date: 8.6.2022

Located 18 miles (29 kms) north of capital Srinagar, the Kheer Bhawani shrine at Tulmula village in Ganderbal district, attracts thousands of people from all over the country.

The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Rajnya Devi, popularly known as Kheer Bhawani. The name 'Kheer Bhawani' is derived from the fact that thousands of devotees offer milk and 'Kheer' (pudding) to the sacred spring, as they believe the pudding turns black to warn of impending disaster. Devotees believe that the colour of the spring inside the shrine, annually predicts Kashmir's future. Legend says that Mata Ragnya flew from Sri Lanka during Demon king Ravana's reign, to Kashmir and established her seat beside a spring in the then Tullamulla village. Be it Hindus or Muslims, devotees from all across India throng the temple during the Kheer Bhawani festival.

The annual pilgrimage to this temple is a sort of homecoming for many Hindu Kashmiri Pandits who migrated from the state when terrorism was at its peak in the valley. It is at this temple that the age-old tradition of communal harmony comes to the forefront as the local Muslims set up stalls for the convenience of Kashmiri Pandits who visit the shrine, and have been traditionally welcoming their Pandit brothers with milk during the festival.

Around 250,000 devotees, mostly migrant Hindus, participate in a 'Maha Yagna', a traditional offering, at the shrine. Stalls are erected and all kinds of wares are sold at the fair. The enthusiasm of Muslim residents of Tulmula is a perfect example of Hindu Muslim brotherhood in Kashmir. It is also a perfect example of religious harmony that is so special to Indian culture.

A replica of the temple in Tulmulla village, is installed at Bhawani Nagar in Janipura area in Jammu, the winter capital of the state. Recently, more crowd is witnessed in this temple during the holiest festival of Kashmiri Pandits.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.  The popular Splash Mountain rides at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will reopen in 2024 with a "Princess and the Frog" theme that will replace the backstory based on the 1940s Disney film "Song of the South," criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure attractions will replace the Splash Mountain water rides at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in late 2024, according to Disney officials.

The new attraction name and opening date were announced by Disney officials on Friday at Preservation Hall in New Orleans during the Essence Festival of Culture.

Walt Disney Imagineering has traveled to Louisiana and New Orleans during research trips for the revamped ride to work with academics, musicians, chefs, local experts and cultural institutions.

"In many ways, Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a love letter to New Orleans," Charita Carter, Imagineering executive producer of relevancy activations, said in a statement. "Like the musical city that inspired this attraction, Tiana's second act is about a community working in harmony to achieve something extraordinary. She reminds us of an immutable truth we can all relate to: 'If you do your best each and every day, good things are sure to come your way.' And that's a melody we can all sing along to."

Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Princess Tiana in the 2009 movie, let the 2024 opening date slip out in early June during an appearance on "Live with Ryan and Kelly."

"I've been involved in the beginning, just talking about how we want it to be, what we want it to do," Rose said on the show. "But if I were to tell you anything else, I would be sucked into the ground and you'd never see me again."

Disneyland and Walt Disney World have not yet announced closing dates for the classic log flume rides on both coasts. California's version opened in 1989; the attraction in Florida opened in 1992.

Further details about the twin makeovers of the Splash Mountain rides are expected to be revealed during an expo in September at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

Disney announced in June 2020 the Splash Mountain log flume rides would be transformed by Walt Disney Imagineering with a new theme based on "The Princess and the Frog" animated movie.
By Sen. Doug Mastriano, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor and current representative of the 33rd district

To no ones surprise, the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas is being exploited to pressure Americans into accepting a false choice: their rights or their safety. Dont be fooled.

Its much easier to confront inanimate objects than human flaws, which is why many lawmakers are quick to demonize guns. But that doesn't solve the problem. The investigation into this crime is ongoing, but we already know that standard life-saving protocols were not followed.

As elected leaders, we cant allow the focus to shift from the evil actions of individuals to inanimate objects. In Pennsylvania, lawmakers have worked together to provide schools with critical tools to identify potential threats and safeguard classrooms.

The General Assembly established the School Safety and Security Grant Program, which enabled schools to hire police officers, resource officers and counselors. It empowered schools to implement safety plans and violence prevention initiatives, and purchase equipment to boost student safety.

In 2019, the General Assembly created The Safe2Say Program, an anonymous school threat reporting system, to help prepare schools and law enforcement for potential violent incidents. This system has generated more than 86,700 tips since its inception, not only for school safety concerns, but also for student safety issues like bullying and self-harm.

Also in 2019, the General Assembly established Threat Assessment Teams to ensure students who could potentially pose a safety risk receive necessary evaluations and treatment, and it established training requirements for school security personnel.

The General Assembly established regional Risk & Vulnerability Teams to conduct school safety and security assessments at no cost to schools. They created Community Safety Grants for local municipalities, colleges and community groups to boost safety and reduce the risk of violence in their communities.

What can the General Assembly do now? I have called for a $20 million funding increase in this years budget that may be used for armed resource officers, metal detectors, door fortifications, emergency response training, security cameras, door-locking technology, and increasingly innovative solutions that will provide more security than taking guns away from law-abiding citizens.

We can also join 29 other states that have added an extra layer of security in the classrooms by allowing school staff to carry firearms. Im introducing SB 1288, which will allow Pennsylvania school employees to be armed while on school property.

An employee carrying a firearm on school property will be required to possess a valid PA concealed carry permit, complete a rigorous firearms course, and be certified as proficient with the firearm the employee intends to carry on school grounds.

To be certified, training must include courses on protection of students, interactions with first responders, tactics for denying classroom entry to intruders, safe handling and storage of weapons, and proficiency with defensive weapons under duress.

Additionally, those certified to carry in school would provide their name and photograph to the local municipal Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police. This will allow law enforcement to know who is certified to carry should they need to enter the building in an active shooter situation.

SB 1288 would not be a mandate but would give school staff the ability to be a last line of defense if they choose. Sadly, there are some who think they shouldn't have that choice. The President of the Teachers Union in Pennsylvania has gone on every network to call this proposal dangerous and absurd. He believes that, even if a school employee has been trained, permitted, and certified, they should not have the ability to defend students in a worse-case life and death scenario.

Mr. Askey is dead wrong. Mass murderers are often attracted to soft targets where they know victims are not armed. According to the Crime Prevention Resource Center, there has not been a single mass shooting in a school where staff were permitted to carry a firearm. According to the Crime Research Center, there has never been an incident of lost or stolen firearms where school employees are permitted to carry. Overwhelmingly, those with concealed carry permits have proven themselves trustworthy for decades.

All of these school safety best practices are tangible, rational steps we can take to protect our students and protect our constitutional rights at the same time.

It's also important to note that criminality, violence, violence with guns, and antisocial behavior are pathologies commonly linked to young men from fatherless homes. Confiscating guns does not address this demonstrably significant factor. We need to start a difficult conversation about this cultural disaster.

Citizens across the nation and in Pennsylvania have long been pressured to trade their liberty for security. One cannot exist without the other. We can do better at protecting our kids in schools without infringing upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Pennsylvanians.
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Reading, PA (19601)

Today

Morning clouds and an early shower from the Delaware Valley to the shore, otherwise becoming partly to mostly sunny and turning less humid. .

Tonight

Mainly clear and comfortable. A nice night for firework displays!
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Morning clouds and an early shower from the Delaware Valley to the shore, otherwise becoming partly to mostly sunny and turning less humid. .

Tonight

Mainly clear and comfortable. A nice night for firework displays!
It has never been easier to see a stage adaptation of a beloved Disney film than it is this summer in London, as Frozen, The Lion King and Mary Poppins are joined in the West End by Beauty and the Beast. This new staging of the Olivier Award winning musical is playing a limited engagement at The London Palladium amidst a UK and Ireland Tour and features one of Alan Menken's most beloved and iconic scores.

Though the flashy production is a new one, it reunites members of the show's original creative team over two decades later to collaborate once again. Original set designer Stanley A Meyer has traded lavish scenery for a sparser reinterpretation, with limited set pieces and clever use of a video screen, while within the castle three Rococo-style scrolls are used to create a variety of different rooms. Ann Hould-Ward's costumes are perhaps even more characterful than when she first designed for the show, with the designs for the servants proving particularly striking.

The show's original choreographer Matt West has now risen to the rank of director and as well as providing stunning extended dance sequences he has implemented resourceful staging that makes innovative use of projections to sidestep logistical challenges such as the appearance of a pack of wolves (who are notoriously difficult to work with). "Be Our Guest" remains a thrilling showstopper led coyly by Gavin Lee's Lumiere, though it is worth remembering that this number began its life as a theatricalisation of a dinner, and the shelving of the dancing cutlery in favour of yellow costumed can-can dancers feels disappointingly generic.

As the bookish Belle, Courtney Stapleton offers a genuine sweetness, though she seems to have been directed towards emotional extremes, rarely finding much ground between sorrow and euphoria. This does, however, set her up for knockout performances of "Home" and "A Change in Me" that draw thunderous applause thanks to her stratospheric vocal delivery. The Beast to her Beauty is portrayed by Shaq Taylor, a rising talent whose mellifluous voice feel more suited to romance than aggression, and truly enough as his character softens, he quickly becomes more engaging. Though he looks the part, Tom Senior struggles to find his footing in the lower register of his character, Gaston and he isn't plenty helped by an odd staging of the song named after him which is overstuffed with half-baked visual gags.

An unexpected breakout performance is given by Samantha Bingley, making her professional debut as Madame de la Grande Bouche. Not content to let a cumbersome costume swallow her, Bingley makes compelling use of every syllable she can find in the script. Lee's Lumiere and Nigel Richards' Cogsworth are also a predictably charming and side-splittingly funny double act while Sam Bailey is consistently warm and endearing as Mrs Potts, no more so than when she performs a pathos-filled rendition of the titular song.

At times the show's emotional impact and depth feel pre-empted by its many technical demands, an admittedly thrilling piece of stage magic necessitates half-light and a gauze curtain which obstruct a pivotal emotional moment at the show's conclusion. This being said, it is difficult to envision many theatregoers not enjoying this show, though it may have a small handful of dramaturgical drawbacks, it delivers on so many fronts with powerhouse performances, dazzling magical effects and awe inspiring company numbers.

One thing is certain as the Sun' and that's how many families will make up the Palladium's audience for the next three months. Some of those families will include young Black children who can see themselves represented onstage  as well as in the show's marketing and merchandise materials  which is a wholly wonderful thing.
Female kinship and the ties that bind take quite a battering in Ambreen Razia's engaging but uneven family drama. This Clean Break and Bush co-production starts with teenage Leila, living with her grandmother, anxiously awaiting the return of mother Aleena from a spell in prison; Leila, in a performance of remarkable pathos and insight from Ashna Rabheru, then becomes the central chess piece in a power struggle between the two older women as recriminations fly and family secrets bubble to the surface. Plays about contemporary Pakistani families in present day London are not exactly common, so this has an added layer of freshness and vitality, especially when performed as superbly as it is here.

Most of Razia's dialogue is funny, pithy and plausible, although some of the heartfelt lengthier speeches feel a little contrived. Her characters burst into life with all too human flaws and characteristics: prim grandmother Noor, beautifully played by Renu Brindle, is a secret smoker, Leila is dogged by crippling anxiety, and her mother Aleena is a mass of contradictions, espousing the efficacy of yoga one moment and trying to get off her face the next.

Rosin McBrinn and Sophie Dillon Moniram's staging gives full rein and weight to the tragicomic possibilities in Razia's script, but struggles to make the more unexpected elements gel (there is a wish-fulfilment fantasy sequence between Aleena and Leila that doesn't fully work, and a farcically bizarre egg-lobbing fight section that strains credulity). Nor does the direction solve the problem that arguably the most enjoyable character (family friend and severely judgemental pillar of the community Fozia: Rina Fatania in fine, hilarious scenery-chewing form) appears to have wandered in from a completely different play.

Avita Jay gives newly released young mum Aleena a slightly manic, hard edge that entirely chimes with a woman thrilled at gaining her freedom and seeing her beloved daughter, while nursing a low level fury at the unfairness that led her to prison in the first place. Jay, Brindle and Rabheru beautifully evoke the unspoken bonds that draw this central trio together, their love for each other is never in doubt, and neither is a deep well of resentment. The contrast between the women  Rabheru's subtly nervous watchfulness as Leila versus the compelling human tornado of Jay's dynamic Aleena and Brindle's uneasy authority as the doting grandmother  is fascinating, and feels like the true heart of the play.

Liz Whitbread's set has a wonderfully lived-in feel to it, and the sense of a community that supports but sometimes oppresses and nearly always judges stretching beyond the family photo-bedecked walls, is very powerful.

Razia's text falters in it's unconvincing final scene where we learn why Aleena was sent to prison, and in a hastily contrived conclusion that ends the play on an optimistic, but not necessarily persuasive, note. Despite these reservations, Favour is a consistently engaging watch, and there is real dramatic meat in some of the heated exchanges. If you like your drama with a lot of heart and humour, you'll certainly find that here, along with a quartet of terrific performances.
A lot of men get old and retire and buy themselves a little boat as a reward. When Steve Hawchuk was 32, he bought not one, but two, massive cruise ships.

A lot of men get old and retire and buy themselves a little boat as a reward. When Steve Hawchuk was 32, he bought not one, but two, massive cruise ships.

It was 1969. He was working a solid job for a concrete company, but when his brother told him the Paddlewheel Queen and Paddlewheel Princess were for sale, Hawchuk had trouble thinking of a reason to say no. He loved the river. He didnt like his job that much. He liked, and still likes, his brother, who would become his business partner.

Hawchuk said yes, and before long, he was a riverboat captain, ferrying down the Red River guests both ordinary  the elderly Mrs. Hildebrand, who boarded each Saturday  and cartoonishly extraordinary.

SUPPLIED Col. Sanders was very nice, says Steve Hawchuk with the man himself in 1957 aboard the Paddlewheel Queen.

"Col. Sanders was very nice," Hawchuk says. The Kentucky Fried Chicken man looked just like he did on the bucket when he strutted aboard in 1977: white suit, white hair, white Fu Manchu.

Seven years earlier, the sitting prime minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, cavorted on the Queen while in town on official business. "I didnt vote for him," Hawchuk says. "But he was interesting to listen to."

In those days, the river was the place to be. As many as 90,000 passengers took to the waters each season. Field-tripping school children, partying bachelors and bachelorettes, tourists and professional athletes  there were babas and there was Bobby Hull. The Queen and Princess were a nightclub and daytrip, wrapped into one nautical package, and for 44 years, Steve Hawchuk was at the helm, steering two ships through triumph and choppy waters.

This was not the concrete business, and in a newly published memoir  Welcome Aboard!  Hawchuk shares some details of his captains log: lively parties, loud concerts, and even a naval war with a rival armada led by a bitter rival who didnt mind playing a little dirty.

The riverboat business was not all fun and games.

It takes an eccentric to dream of building a riverboat, and thats a good word to describe Ray Senft, who had Dobermann pinschers, a mynah bird, a Siamese cat, and a pet mule named Bert.

He started a successful construction company in the 1940s, when he was still in his 20s. But when he saw a pair of ships  the Mark Twain in New Orleans and the Huck Finn in St. Louis  doing brisk business as passenger vessels, the industrious Senft, a boat enthusiast known as Red River Ray, got a little twinkle in his eye.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Steve Hawchuk shares some details of his captains log: lively parties, loud concerts, and even a naval war with a rival armada led by a bitter rival who didnt mind playing a little dirty.

Over 80 days in 1965, the Purvis Boat Company in Selkirk built the 92-foot, 400-passenger Paddlewheel Queen at a cost of $200,000. The next year, he gave the Queen a Princess as a younger sister. Two ships, going merrily down the stream.

But Senft was not alone on the water for long.

During the Queens maiden season, the snack services were managed by a man named Daniel Ritchie, another brilliant businessman who had run one of the citys largest industrial catering companies, a restaurant chain called the Millionaire Drive-In, and the Snow Cap Drive-In on Nairn Avenue. Apparently seeing the potential boon on the water, Ritchie jumped Senfts ship and built his own, contracting Purvis to craft a competitor for the Queen and Princess: the River Rouge.

"Someone can check me on this but oftentimes  I would say the majority of times  we had the idea first and then Ritchie would copy us," Hawchuk writes. "We had the Queen first, and Ritchie followed us with the Rouge. We had the 200-passenger Princess first, and Ritchie copied it with the 200-passenger Lady Winnipeg. We launched Princess cruises to Lower Fort Garry, then Ritchie ran Lady Winnipeg cruises to Lower Fort Garry. We were the first to lengthen the supper hour and night cruises to three hours, instead of two; Ritchie followed soon after."

KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS FILES The Paddlewheel Queen last sailed in 2013.

It was like "miming in front of a mirror." Ritchie even went so far as to challenge Senft in the pages of the Free Press to a riverboat race from the Redwood Bridge to the University of Manitoba and back. The race didnt happen, but the war was on.

In 1967, royalty was on the line. A real princess was in town. Alexandra and her husband Angus Ogilvy visited Winnipeg for a brief spell that June, and both captains vied to carry her luggage for an afternoon. Ritchies ship was docked in Selkirk, and the water was too low for the River Rouge to leave. The princess took a trip to Kildonan Park on the Queen.

Ritchie called himself the Commodore, but had no naval experience. After Hawchuk and his brother  former member of parliament Joe Slogan  bought the ships from Senft, Ritchie would steer his in front of the Queen and Princess, nearly causing several collisions. "He just liked to get (Hawchuks) goat," recalls former Paddlewheel captain John Wallis. "He said to me one day, I just enjoy poking the bear."

At times, Ritchies poking was subject to criticism. And the bears were cubs.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS In Welcome Aboard!, Steve Hawchuk, documents 44 years of adventure aboard the Paddlewheel Queen and Princess boats.

In 1978, three teenagers were ashore above Palmerston Avenue, throwing crabapples at the Rouge. Two or three hit the boat. The boat rolled on, but then, in Hawchuks account, things turned sour.

"Once around the bend, (the ship) pulled into shore out of sight of the three male youths," he writes. "The captain jumped off, snuck around behind the youths, and grabbed two of them by the arm. One got out of his grip but he managed to drag one youth back to the boat."

A passenger said he saw the ships captain lift the 15-year-old aboard, where Ritchie pulled his hair, dragged him into the wheelhouse, and bound his hands and legs with rope; the teen was face-first on the deck for nearly two hours as the voyage continued. Ritchie was allegedly overheard saying, "If he moves, kick him." it was Ritchies belief that the boys had thrown rocks, which endangered his passengers.

"That was the story they told to police detectives, and that was the story they would stick to throughout the courtroom trial that ensued," Hawchuk writes.

"The captain jumped off, snuck around behind the youths, and grabbed two of them by the arm. One got out of his grip but he managed to drag one youth back to the boat."

Ritchie faced charges of unlawful confinement, which carried a penalty of five years in prison. Some people saw his actions as barbaric; others said heroic.

A passenger named Edward Byrne, as recounted in Macleans in a 1979 report, testified to the provincial court that "by the time I got to the scene of commotion the boy had started to cry." He was "disgusted by the whole thing" and when he tried to intervene, Ritchie "asked who the hell I thought I was and told me he was the authority on the boat."

Ritchie played the victim: his ship had been pelted by everything from apples to stones to dead fish and pigeons that had been set on fire. He said he bound the boys ankles for his safety, "in case the youngster had tried to jump overboard," Macleans wrote; that very thing had happened only one month earlier, and in another more serious hurling, a railway tie from the CN Rail Bridge landed on the deck.

The commodore and his captain were acquitted. "In my view," Judge G.O. Jewers wrote, "not only were the accused lawfully entitled to make the arrest, they were absolutely right to do so. The actions of the boys were a threat to the ship itself  witness the broken window  and to the passengers, some of whom were on deck and liable to be injured by the objects hurled."

SUPPLIED Steve Hawchuk was 32 when he bought the two cruise ships.

As the commodore enjoyed a legal victory and a boost of publicity, not to mention a reasonably credible scare tactic to prevent copycats  he claimed objects were hurled much less often after the trial  the boys paid $25 fines for wilful damage of private property, and ordered to pay $25 in restitution.

Onto the Queen and Princess, things were often thrown. On one occasion, an errant fishing line hooked into the back of a passenger. On another, a grape Slurpee fell onto a bride and groom. Hawchuk recalls that they laughed and changed clothes.

"People are funny about bridges and dropping things," Capt. Graham Cox told Hawchuk in an interview.

Though much fun was had aboard, there was a lot of sadness, and a fair deal of tragedy, Hawchuk writes. "Every summer wed find one or two bodies floated up against our boat," Hawchuk writes. "Wed arrive in the morning and see that unfortunate sight."

It was a common occurrence to see people standing on a bridge, and sometimes, passengers of the boats themselves fell or dove into the water. In one captains first year at the helm of the Queen, 13 people jumped off into the powerful Red. No Queen or Princess passenger ever died, Hawchuk writes. But aboard the Rouge, one teen fell in the water at a high-school graduation in 1987, going overboard after a drunken argument with his girlfriend.

A lifeguard classmate leapt over to save his friend, but couldnt find him in the river.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Hawchuk at the helm of the Paddlewheel Queen in 2010.

The commodore sold his ships in 1986, and in the 1990s, they came into Hawchuks ownership.

But by that point, the riverboat business was beginning to sink. After reaching a peak of 90,000 combined passengers on only two ships in 1980, the Queen and Princess, plus the newly purchased Rouge plateaued at 59,718 in the year 2000, sinking ever further after. 9/11 hurt cross-border tourism  a key feeder of riders  and water levels were too high to enjoy a full boating season.

In 2006, the last year all three ships were in operation, only 39,339 people climbed aboard. The Queen and Princess last sailed in 2013. The heyday was over.

The Queen was cut up for scrap. The Princess was sold and then lit aflame by four teens, destroying the ship, whose hull now rusts in the Selkirk Slough, next to the oxidizing skeleton of the River Rouge.

As for Hawchuk, he is spending his senior years the same way he spent his youth north of Selkirk: in a house overlooking the river.

The boats are gone, but the memories are here.  Steve Hawchuk

He spent two years writing the book, with editing by former Free Press reporter Bill Redekop. He also got some help reminiscing from several former captains, servers, employees and customers. Some former Rouge captains gave their reminiscences, including Esther Nagtegaal, who not only became an employee of Hawchuks, but is now married to him.

Hawchuk says its unlikely a riverboat boom will ever happen again on the banks of the Red: it would cost millions of dollars to build a ship, and the elements that contributed to the sinking of his ships fortunes have only worsened with time.

He does not boat anymore. He says hes now too old for it. But he has his stories, and now, he has them compiled in a book.

Its a part of his life he says he will always hold close, representing a different time in the citys history.

"The boats are gone, but the memories are here," says the 84-year-old captain.

All aboard.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com

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OTTAWA - Plans for a full day of protest events alongside Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa caused only minimal disruptions Friday as a few hundred people marched through downtown to voice their opposition to the federal government and public health restrictions.

Final Canada Day preparations are made in downtown Ottawa on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Both celebrations and protests are set to take place throughout downtown Ottawa for this year's Canada Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Plans for a full day of protest events alongside Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa caused only minimal disruptions Friday as a few hundred people marched through downtown to voice their opposition to the federal government and public health restrictions.

The city was once again crowded with people draped in the Maple Leaf, but this time the vast majority of them were joining in the official celebrations.

There was a celebratory, if low-key mood in the capital, where the main holiday events were moved away from Parliament Hill to nearby LeBreton Flats Park, and Place des Festivals Zibi across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Que.

Large numbers of police were present throughout Ottawa's downtown core, and people hoping to enter the Hill were screened with metal detectors and bag searches.

In the late afternoon, police directed traffic and escorted hundreds of marchers who chanted, danced and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They gathered at the National War Memorial east of Parliament Hill, where they sang O Canada.

Signs are pictured on Parliament Hill prior to Canada Day in Ottawa on Monday, June 27, 2022. Downtown Ottawa is once again awash in red and white and crowded with people draped in the Maple Leaf. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Along the way they were met by both supporters and some counter-protesters weary of the now-familiar shouts of "Freedom" after February's convoy blockades and April's Rolling Thunder event.

Organizers re-routed the march after learning the Supreme Court was fenced off as part of the extra security measures. When they arrived back at Parliament Hill after the march, supporters were frustrated to hear they would need to submit to a search and security check to enter the grounds for planned speeches and a scheduled dance party.

With some refusing to enter the security lineup, the crowd of marchers largely dispersed.

The atmosphere by evening was charged and at times noisy, but remained peaceful.

Lisa Owens came from Port Hope, Ont., to join the group.

"I am here because I believe that the government has turned to evil," she said. "This is darkness vs. light."

People protest and march on Wellington street against COVID-19 health measures during Canada Day in Ottawa, Friday, July 1, 2022. Plans for a full day of protest events alongside Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa amounted to very little disruption Friday, as a few hundred people marched through downtown to voice their opposition to the federal government and pandemic restrictions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Jason Kowalyshyn, a biological engineer from Hamilton, said he came to celebrate Canada Day and to "advocate for collective rights and freedoms."

"What bothers me the most are child suicides during the lockdown, because of the lockdown. They got depressed and they were taken away from their friends," he said.

Officials had warned there would be zero tolerance for "unusual noise," blockading roads and sidewalks or setting off fireworks this weekend. But attempts to enforce one bylaw led to a tense situation in front of the gates to Parliament around noon.

The brief clash centered around two women with a group called Stand For Thee, which had been handing out copies of the Bill of Rights and calling for Trudeau's arrest. The Bill of Rights was superseded in 1982 by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which governs the application of laws at both the federal and provincial level.

The women were selling merchandise from a table on the sidewalk when bylaw officers told them to take the table down, citing a the city's use and care of roads bylaw.

That order prompted a crowd to start shouting and chanting. Bylaw and police officers retreated as the crowd pressed in, chanting, "Rule of law!" But the group eventually removed the table.

One woman, who refused to give her name, told the crowd: "Everything they're doing is a violation of our rights."

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"Do your job, go into the Hill and take down the people that have created tyranny," she said.

No one took her up on that suggestion and protesters dispersed not long afterward. In all, the disruption lasted about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of people in the downtown were there to enjoy warm weather under skies that turned sunny late afternoon. Families strolled through the closed-off streets eating ice cream, snapping photos and taking in street performances.

Longtime Ottawa residents Trudy and Michael Hallen said Fridays celebrations were much smaller than years past. Still, Trudy Hallen said it was nice to see children out wearing red and white, and what she called a nice cross-section of Canada celebrating.

As for the protesters, I hope they get the message that they're a really small part of society, they don't speak for everybody else, she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2022.
BERLIN (AP)  German state officials said Friday that they want advertisers and social media influencers to label any photos that have used so-called beauty filters.

BERLIN (AP)  German state officials said Friday that they want advertisers and social media influencers to label any photos that have used so-called beauty filters.

Critics argue that the filters, which offer easy ways to touch up images and remove supposed blemishes, promote unrealistic standards of beauty particularly among women and girls.

The dpa news agency quoted Hamburg's state minister for equality, Katharina Fegebank, saying that digital tools should not determine what is considered beautiful or not.

A majority of officials from Germany's 16 states want the federal government to come up with legislation that would require the labeling of images and videos where beauty filters were used to enhance a person's face, skin or hair.

This would apply to commercial advertising and influencers with a significant number of followers, Fegebank was quoted as saying.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  U.S. financial analyst Peter Schiff told The Associated Press on Friday that he will fight to be able to sell a bank he established in Puerto Rico even though authorities have suspended its operations as part of an investigation.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  U.S. financial analyst Peter Schiff told The Associated Press on Friday that he will fight to be able to sell a bank he established in Puerto Rico even though authorities have suspended its operations as part of an investigation.

Euro Pacific International Bank obtained a license in 2017 to operate in the U.S. territory and built up some 15,000 accounts two years later, but its deposits have dropped to $150 million and it lost customers after the Joints Chief of Global Tax Enforcement  a multi-government group fighting tax crimes and money laundering  said it acted two years ago to put a stop to the suspected facilitation of offshore tax evasion and money laundering by the bank.

We lost a lot of things because people were afraid, Schiff said.

He added that while he doesnt like anti-money-laundering rules, or regulations or taxes, he does abide by them.

The fact that Im so willing to publicly criticize rules, you better believe Im doing all I can not to break them, he said.

The so-called J5 agency, whose members are the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands, said Thursday that an investigation into the bank is still ongoing, although it declined to provide details.

Schiff said that was a lie, that the bank has never been investigated. He said agents with the Internal Revenue Service visited the bank in 2020 and told him they were investigating customers of the bank.

Our compliance is so rigorous, and we close accounts so quickly, he said, adding that he never took clients related to cryptocurrency, cannabis or other fields. I did everything by the book, and it cost me a fortune.

A spokeswoman for J5 did not return a message for comment Friday.

Schiff said he also was upset that the banks operations were suspended by Puerto Ricos Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, which announced the move on Thursday and accused the bank of a lack of internal controls, a lack of compliance and a level of insolvency. Officials noted it was separate from the J5 probe.

Its a huge shock that theyve done this, Schiff said of the banks suspended operations.

Schiff said that while he didnt realize the bank was undercapitalized until it was audited, he stressed it was not a matter of solvency but regulatory minimum capital requirements. He said the bank always has had a positive net worth and that while there was a deficiency based on deposits, the commissioner told him not to worry because a buyer had appeared.

Schiff said a Houston-based bank wanted to buy Euro Pacific International Bank and that he submitted an application in January to start the process.

They were going to rename it, rebrand it, so it would no longer have that stigma, he said.

Natalia Zequeira, commissioner for Puerto Ricos Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, told The Associated Press on Friday that she doesn't understand why Schiff was surprised by the agency action since the office met with him in October and he signed a consent form to make the changes required.

She added that the bank submitted a business plan, capital plan and strategic plan that her office did not approve, and said the bank did not refile those or correct deficiencies.

Surprises like the one Mr. Schiff had yesterday are a result of not reading the fine print of your regulator, she said.

Zequeira said the consent order he signed required changes in management and strategy that did not happen, and that those processes are separate from a change in ownership.

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A regulator has the right to request the best of its institution, and just because you filed something doesnt give you the right to conclude that youre in compliance, she said. Regulators are not babysitters.

The office's cease-and-desist order stated that the bank had a net loss of nearly $751,000 in 2019 and overall accumulated losses of nearly $4 million. It added that at the end of 2020, the bank had a capital of negative $1.3 million: As such, the entity is classified as insolvent. In the first trimester of 2022, the bank had a net loss of nearly $550,000, the order stated.

Meanwhile, Schiff said he has invested $7 million of his own money to keep the bank afloat and that all customers can get 100% of their money back.

Right now, not a single customer is in jeopardy, he said.

Zequeira, however, said Schiff's personal money does not represent the capital of the institution, adding that the financials show a very high risk for his clients. The cease-and-desist order also called for a $765,000 penalty to be paid to Puerto Rico's Treasury Department.

Zequeira said an administrative officer is scheduled to hear the case on July 7 and could decide on whether to appoint a new manager or liquidate the bank, adding that Schiff has the right to go to an appeals court if he disagrees.
ROME (AP)  The Vatican said Friday it had finalized the sale of a London property that is the focus of a criminal trial in the Vatican courts, offloading the former Harrods warehouse for 186 million pounds (215 million euros, US$223 million).

ROME (AP)  The Vatican said Friday it had finalized the sale of a London property that is the focus of a criminal trial in the Vatican courts, offloading the former Harrods warehouse for 186 million pounds (215 million euros, US$223 million).

The Vatican secretariat of state had poured some 350 million euros into the building and related fees and commissions paid to brokers  losses that are at the heart of the accusations of fraud, embezzlement and extortion against 10 people on trial.

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The Vatican said it sold the warehouse on 60 Sloane Ave. in Chelsea to Bain Capital, the Boston-based private investment firm co-founded by Republican U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, after a bidding process that involved 16 preliminary offers and relied on the expertise of property advisers Savills.

The scandal over the London property has convulsed the Vatican for three years and prompted Pope Francis to strip the secretariat of state of its 600-million-euro asset portfolio, which had essentially operated as a sovereign wealth fund not answerable to rigorous internal or external controls.

Trial testimony has shown that the office's investment decisions were essentially made by one man, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, and confirmed by his boss, the No. 2 in the secretariat of state, with minimal outside financial expertise or advice.

Perlasca had initially been the leading suspect in the investigation, but flipped and began cooperating with prosecutors. He is now a leading witness for the prosecution and was granted the status of an injured party in the case, able to recover damages in the event of convictions.

The secretariat of states money is now managed by another Vatican office, APSA, which is under the authority of an economy ministry that oversaw the sale of the property after Francis decided to sell the building given the reputational and financial harm the deal had caused the Holy See.

In a statement Friday, the Vatican said the losses incurred in the deal  which prosecutors have estimated topped 200 million euros overall  had been absorbed by the secretariat of states reserve funds. It stressed that the losses didnt hit the so-called Peters Pence fund that collects annual donations from the faithful for the popes works of charity and to help run the Holy See bureaucracy.
A mother is seeking answers after her two-year-old daughter died one day after staff at a northern nursing station reportedly sent her home without being examined.

A mother is seeking answers after her two-year-old daughter died one day after staff at a northern nursing station reportedly sent her home without being examined.

Angel Tyo said her daughter, Santaya, was found lifeless on a couch in her home on Tuesday. On Monday, she had sought medical help at the nursing station on Norway House Cree Nation because the child was having trouble breathing and had a temperature.

SUPPLIED Angel Tyo, a Norway House Cree Nation woman, said her daughter, Santaya, was found lifeless Tuesday on a couch in her home. On Monday, she had sought medical help because the child was having trouble breathing and was running a temperature.

On Thursday, Tyo didnt want to talk to the Free Press. However, in a text message to her sister, NDP MLA Bernadette Smith, detailing what happened, she said: "I want justice for (my) baby girl I want to fight. I wanna put it out there that this is not right and she was only a baby."

Smith said her sister told her she was so worried about her daughters breathing that she slept with the child Sunday night.

Norway House is 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

However, Smith said, because her niece  who the Point Douglas MLA described as "just a super happy kid"  was smiling when she arrived, the nurses sent her home without examining the child, saying: "Keep the temperature down."

SUPPLIED Angel Tyo, Norway House Cree Nation woman is seeking answers, after her two-year-old daughter, Santaya, died a day after staff at a local nursing station reportedly sent her home without examination.

On Tuesday, Tyo went out to do some errands, leaving Santaya with her teenage siblings, Smith said.

"She came home and was told (Santaya) fell asleep on the couch and when she went over she found she was deceased," the MLA said. "She ran to get help.

"My sister knows her baby and only took her in because she knew something wasnt right, but they dismissed her. Santaya was her seventh of eight children. She knows when a child is sick and needs to be seen. My sister is devastated. We are going up north (Friday) to support her."

Smith said her sister had to leave the home (before being allowed back in Thursday) due to an RCMP investigation into the death.

"They are going to do an autopsy, but we will also push for an inquest so something like this doesnt happen again," the MLA said. "This was at ground zero for Jordans Principle."

Smith was referring to the case involving Jordan River Anderson, who was born with complex medical needs in Norway House.

Anderson was cared for in hospital in Winnipeg for the first two years of his life, but spent another two years there while the federal and provincial governments argued over who would pay for his care in home at the northern Manitoba First Nation. He died in 2005, at five years of age.

Named after Anderson, Jordans Principle is to ensure all First Nations children living in Canada can get the services and supports they need, including health, social and educational.

Its not the first time tragedy has touched the family.

Tyo and Smith are sisters of Claudette Osborne-Tyo, 21, who has been missing since she was last seen July 25, 2008, in Winnipeg.

The Norway House chief could not be reached for comment.

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Ottawa will carry out a patient safety review following the girl's death.

It will be co-led by Indigenous Services Canada and an external review team, said ISC spokeswoman Maddy Warlow.

The review will include a debriefing with ISC staff involved in the case, an examination of patient records and any recommendations to improve care.

"The health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples and communities is a high priority for our government, and our thoughts are with the family for their loss," Warlow wrote in an email.

 with files from Chris Kitching

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
New security fencing has been erected along the west side of the Manitoba Legislative Building ahead of Canada Day weekend.

New security fencing has been erected along the west side of the Manitoba Legislative Building ahead of Canada Day weekend.

Manitoba Justice also confirmed, among its security plans, the front driveway has been completely blocked to vehicles for the first time since February, when the so-called "freedom convoy" occupied Memorial Boulevard.

On July 1, 2021, protesters spurred by discoveries of potential unmarked gravesites at former residential schools across Canada toppled and beheaded a larger-than-life Queen Victoria statue on the front lawn of the legislature grounds.

Two weeks ago, a small group connected to the "freedom convoy" erected a giant teepee near where the statue had been located, to the puzzlement of Manitoba First Nations leadership.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Barriers have been put up in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building.

"I have no idea who they are," Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs acting grand chief Cornell McLean said Thursday.

The groups Facebook page was set up in February to support the Manitoba "freedom convoy." Its now calling itself "It Takes a Village," and acknowledges in a video most people gathering at its site are non-Indigenous.

McLean said he cant comment on the actions that particular group, but "I just want to say, with the non-Aboriginal groups, maybe theyre not getting any traction, so they figure if they mix in with the First Nations people, then maybe theyll get some traction."

During the "freedom convoy" occupation of Ottawa in February, the Chiefs of Ontario issued a statement condemning protesters for spreading misinformation and appropriating Indigenous culture.

The anti-government, anti-COVID-19 vaccine mandate group occupying the teepee in front of the Manitoba legislature has raised the flags of the American Indian Movement and the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Two weeks ago, a small group connected to the freedom convoy erected a teepee near in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Some of those involved say theyre Indigenous; theyre calling the encampment a "law lodge." Reporters have been warned to stay off their "private lawn" and away from their "sacred fire."

Like the "freedom convoy" protesters, group members say they mistrust news media. On social media, they oppose government laws and vaccine requirements while supporting conspiracy theories about the world economy and chemtrails.

"Im not sure what the purpose is of their protest," said McLean.

The acting AMC leader said hes spoken to Justice Minister Kelvin Goerzten about a small group of American Indian Movement supporters whod been protesting on Highway 6 near Fairford, but were moving to the legislature grounds Thursday.

One resident of the area near the legislature said shes concerned the protesters who in February blocked roads, occupied Memorial Boulevard and hectored passersby are back  and have been allowed to take root on the grounds.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The front driveway has been completely blocked to vehicles and new fencing has been erected on the west side of the Manitoba Legislative Building.

"What the heck is going on?" said the recent retiree who lives in Osborne Village. The woman who agreed to be interviewed if her name wasnt published, because she is scared of retaliation from protesters.

At first, she assumed the giant teepee set up two weeks ago was connected to an Indigenous group thats peacefully camped on the eastern side of the legislature for more than a year. When she found out it was connected to the February protests, she grew alarmed.

"Are these different groups joining forces? If so, thats very concerning."

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The protesters have been allowed by the provincial government to park their vehicles near the teepee, while other vehicles are not allowed on the property unless they have business at the legislature.

"It just seems like a very foolish choice to let this take place, given what has happened (in February)," said the area resident.

"It just seems like a very foolish choice to let this take place, given what has happened (in February)."  Area resident

NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine has also raised concerns about security at the legislative building and the misappropriation of Indigenous culture by the protesters with the teepee in front of it.

"(On Tuesday), I had to ask security to walk me to my vehicle because of these so-called sovereignists, lead by a non-Indigenous man with a British accent," Fontaine posted online.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeggers celebrated Canada Day at The Forks Friday, either oblivious to, or appreciative of, changes to the annual festival that sought to downplay colonialism and focus on Indigenous heritage.

Winnipeggers celebrated Canada Day at The Forks Friday, either oblivious to, or appreciative of, changes to the annual festival that sought to downplay colonialism and focus on Indigenous heritage.

By noon, the crowd was beginning to swell. People of varying cultures and abilities roamed the grounds of Winnipegs historic gathering place, many wearing red, white or orange shirts.

The mild, 20-degree weather, low wind and clear skies made for a pleasant celebration, said Emily Tacknyk, a Winnipeg resident in attendance.

ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS This year, Canada Day at The Forks transformed into what organizers called a reimagined version of the national celebration.

"I like to watch people, and this I enjoy," she said, gesturing toward the Oodena Celebration Circle, where a cluster of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people engaged in a pipe ceremony. "Its just nice to see all people and nationalities getting together."

Over near the Johnston Terminal, a pair of musicians tuned their instruments and checked the microphones for an upcoming performance. And on the banks of the Red River, people shared snacks and conversation.

For some, it was a day of celebration  for others, a day to reflect.

This year, Canada Day at The Forks transformed into what organizers called a reimagined version of the national celebration.

ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jaden, Bryce and Tait Loewen climb the Winnipeg sign in their Every Child Matters shirts at The Forks.

In the wake of thousands of potential unmarked graves being discovered last year on residential school grounds, and after consultations with Winnipegs Indigenous community, The Forks replaced its typical Canada Day festivities with a new slate of culturally influenced events.

"Honestly, it was heartbreaking," said 26-year-old Daveada Young, recalling the moment she learned of the tragic discovery of potential unmarked graves. Young was among thousands of others who marched to Manitobas legislature last year to protest the former residential school system.

While she was not at The Forks to celebrate, Young supported the organizations move toward a more culturally informed event.

"Last year, I was mad because I feel not a lot of people understand the history of my people," she said. "Canada has always been multicultural, but Canada Day just seemed like one thing, and now I feel like its starting to be more diverse and everything  letting people celebrate how they want to celebrate."

ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A dog with a Canada bow tie at A New Day Ceremony at The Forks in Winnipeg.

Events at The Forks included a variety of Indigenous ceremonies, performances by more than 150 musicians, 10 culturally influenced cultural pop-up shows and the usual smattering of food trucks and treats.

While the event schedule may have changed, the feeling was the same, said Clare MacKay, VP of strategic initiatives.

"Today is proof that people are here to see what we have to offer and are willing to come together to have conversations  to maybe learn a few things along the way and see our very multicultural, rich city."

MacKay, who has been with The Forks for 18 years, encouraged people to welcome the organizations changes to its Canada Day event. She stressed that the reimagining was never intended to discourage people from celebrating and was instead a turn toward a more family-friendly and culturally inclusive event.

ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dancers at the pow-wow dance demonstration at A New Day Ceremony at The Forks in Winnipeg.

"I think today is already a success," MacKay said. "I look around, and I see a massive diversity of people sitting around me who are enjoying themselves, sitting by the river. This is proof of our mission Weve got spaces for celebration but also spaces for gathering and spaces for contemplation."

While the Forks does an official attendee count every year, this years numbers will be unavailable until at least this morning. Pre-pandemic, the area might see up to 50,000 visitors throughout Canada Day, MacKay said.

Organizers expect the numbers to be smaller this year, she added, not just due to the altered programming but because the province is still reeling from COVID-19.

In preparation for the influx of people, The Forks bolstered its security with support from the Winnipeg Police Service and members of the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, a group of volunteer patrol organizations.

ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dancers are introduced at the pow-wow dance demonstration at A New Day Ceremony at The Forks in Winnipeg.

The Forks has seen a spate of recent violence, including assaults Wednesday that left two men with stab wounds and a woman with minor injuries. Another incident involving an assault on a father and daughter occurred on Monday.

Throughout the city, organizers took steps to incorporate Indigenous culture and diversify entertainment.

A group of Indigenous drummers performed at the Bridgewater Canada Day block party before helping the Winnipeg Chinese Senior Association break a Guinness World Record for "the most people performing a drum roll online simultaneously."

Breaking the record involved people from 28 cities in six time zones drumming in unison for seven minutes.

ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Drummers at the pow-wow dance demonstration at A New Day Ceremony at The Forks in Winnipeg.

Premier Heather Stefanson attended alongside members of Winnipegs city council.

Friday marked the sixth time the WCSA has participated in the event, which is dedicated to promoting unity, said organizer Tony Guan.

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy also saw crowds out in full force, with thousands lounging on blankets and lawn chairs while enjoying musical performances at the Lyric Theatre.

The event opened at 11 a.m. with a blessing from Vern Dan, an Indigenous knowledge keeper.

Cree Crowchild, a member of the Indigenous community, kept a sacred fire burning and led tobacco offerings at a newly constructed Indigenous Peoples Garden near the Leaf. Throughout the day, guests enjoyed various performances at the Lyric, including music from Winnipeg folk duo The Small Glories and drumming performances from Fubuki Daiko and Drum Cafe.

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Seeing organizations across the city taking steps to incorporate diversity into the Canada Day event is in line with Canadian values, said Ginette Marion, 31, who rode her bike to Assiniboine Park to enjoy the festivities.

"This year seems more about celebrating cultural diversity and less about Canada Day as weve always known it, so I think thats a really good thing," she said.

The 400-acre park played host to as many as 5,000 people by 1 p.m., and the conservancy estimated it might see up to 20,000 visitors before entertainment ended at 5 p.m., said Trevor Clearwater, VP of guest services

It was the first time the park had seen a Canada Day event of this scale since 2019, Clearwater said, adding that there seemed to be a feeling of "post-pandemic euphoria."

"I think this has been one of the best Canada Days," he said. "If youre having a party to celebrate Canada, and you understand the people that make up Canada, you know that it is reflective of the community above all, we want this space and all of our community spaces to be welcoming to all."

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
The province is providing a one-time grant of $1.7 million to the City of Winnipeg toward the replacement of the Creek Bend Road Bridge.

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The province is providing a one-time grant of $1.7 million to the City of Winnipeg toward the replacement of the Creek Bend Road Bridge.

As part of the south Perimeter Highway safety plan, the new span replaces an aging piece of infrastructure. It is expected to open September 2024, a Manitoba government news release said Thursday.

The safety plan was developed in 2018, to reduce high-risk access points and improve traffic operations. It involves changes to access points along the Perimeter Highway, including the closing of median openings where intersections are controlled with stop signs.

The project also involves a new interchange at St. Marys Road and the Perimeter Highway, as well as service road upgrades.

Highway access points from Aimes Road and Melnick Road will be closed. The north service road will be upgraded to connect Aimes Road with Melnick Road to mitigate the closure of the highway access points.

Replacing the Creek Bend Road Bridge is a critical infrastructure project that will support the implementation of the safety plan, while also ensuring farm traffic and heavy transport vehicles continue to have the local access they need, the news release said.
For the first time in three years, elementary students streamed out of St. George School  with melting freezies and garbage bags of leftover belongings in hand  to mark the end of an academic year altogether.

For the first time in three years, elementary students streamed out of St. George School  with melting freezies and garbage bags of leftover belongings in hand  to mark the end of an academic year altogether.

Angela Huntinghawk said she feels relieved her son finished Grade 6 with in-class instruction rather than online school, which is how the majority of Winnipeg students ended their respective levels in June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Hes getting the social interactions that he needs to thrive and to be confident," she said outside the K-8 building in the Louis Riel School Division.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the playground was packed with parents hand-delivering cards and tokens of appreciation to staff members. Students hugged their peers and teachers before beginning summer vacation. There were few dry eyes among school employees.

"Today was special," said Robbie Mager, who had to wipe away tears more than once during an interview in his office, including after a student knocked on the door to thank him for being "a good principal."

"I think people were dragging themselves across (the finish line), but they tried to make it as normal as they could for the kids."

End-of-year concerts, convocations, field days, community barbecues and extracurricular celebrations are among the highly anticipated events that have returned to Manitoba schools.

The June 30 celebrations at St. George School resembled pre-pandemic traditions, but the principal said they culminated an academic year that was even more difficult than 2020-21. Even though COVID-19 remains an ongoing concern, there were many community expectations school life was resuming to "normal" throughout the year and it created uneasiness among both staff and students, Mager said.

Vice-principal Susan Ciastko said she is more tired than she has ever been in her 30-year career in education.

"Weve also noticed it in the kids. They just didnt have the same stamina as theyve had in the past, but its OK  we made it. We had to get to the end for everybody to know what it was like again."

More than 110 school days have been remote in Winnipeg-area divisions between 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. Students have missed approximately 20 per cent of in-person instructional days scheduled during that period.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Grade 7 and 8 students at St. George School share some hugs and laughs as they say goodbye on their last day of school on Thursday afternoon.

While disruptions have been minimal this year  there were fewer than 10 face-to-face learning days cancelled in 2022, in comparison to roughly 60 in 2020, the novel coronavirus has interfered with academic and extracurricular activities.

Numerous classrooms in the city have made sudden pivots to e-learning due to COVID-19 clusters, high absenteeism rates or a combination of both. Countless individual students and teachers have also stayed home in response to positive test results.

Manitobas decision to lift public health orders around mandatory quarantine periods and masking in K-12 classrooms on an arbitrary date (March 15), came as a shock to many. Hospitals remain overrun with ill patients and the death toll continues to climb. Others, however, welcomed the shift to a new phase of the pandemic, which touts recommendations rather than requirements.

Following two difficult years of uncertainty, the last couple of months have been "encouraging," said J.J. Ross of the St. James Assiniboia School Division.

"All of the things that weve done this spring since spring break are busting at the seams," said the phys-ed and health education co-ordinator. "You provide an opportunity and (kids) are lining up at the door."

Ross indicated when the province lifted most every public health restriction in mid-March, students flocked to join available lunch-time intramurals and extracurriculars. There has been record-breaking participation in activities including badminton and track and field in SJASD.

Meantime, there is excitement about the return of face-to-face send-offs for educators who have retired in recent years or are capping off their careers in 2022, said James Bedford, president of the Manitoba Teachers Society.

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Some education workers who had planned to retire in 2020 initially held off amid all the uncertainty.

"Youre transitioning from being a teacher into whatever lies next and thats a big occasion in any persons life and many members want to mark that occasion. They want closure," Bedford said, adding he has attended many in-person retirement parties in recent weeks.

Given this year has been "tremendously difficult" for teacher and student mental health, in part due to persistent and unprecedented staffing shortages, the union leader said there is much relief that summer break has arrived.

The 2022-23 academic year starts Sept. 6.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Three days after the United States Supreme Court decision that toppled Roe v. Wade and paved the way for the end of safe, legal abortion in a swath of American states, an evangelical pastor, once one of the stars of the anti-abortion movement, went on CNN and told the story, again, of how hed come to have a change of heart.

Three days after the United States Supreme Court decision that toppled Roe v. Wade and paved the way for the end of safe, legal abortion in a swath of American states, an evangelical pastor, once one of the stars of the anti-abortion movement, went on CNN and told the story, again, of how hed come to have a change of heart.

A few years ago, that pastor, Rob Schenck, had written on the same topic in the New York Times, where he acknowledged his former allies would consider him a "turncoat" for abandoning his fight to end Roe v. Wade. Once, hed organized some of the most aggressive anti-abortion protests in the U.S., raised millions of dollars, and been arrested for his actions.

But over the last decade, the pastor wrote, hed changed his view. He no longer believed that ending legal abortion would be, in his words, "pro-life." Hed begun that transformation while he himself was incarcerated for anti-abortion activism, and in prison came into contact with people who had come from far more difficult circumstances than himself.

So to the audience of the Times and CNN, he spoke about how coming face-to-face with true poverty, with the fragility of life on the fringes, and with the appalling lack of social support for poor women and children had changed him. In that experience, hed realized some situations are so difficult that those realities must be addressed, above all.

"Suddenly I realized the world is not the fantasy I imagined it to be," he told CNN.

After that, he wrote in the Times, hed come to believe that extreme anti-abortion laws "will leave poor women desperate and the children they bear bereft of what they need to flourish." Hed come to doubt the ability and willingness of his movement to invest the same cash and energy in building the vast social supports necessary to make those lives bearable.

Security works outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin / The Associated Press)

It was, I thought, both hopeful and frustrating to hear the story of his change of heart. Hopeful, because it suggests there is still a place the sides can meet, should they truly be motivated by love and compassion; frustrating, because prison couldnt have been the first place Schenck encountered the fact that life, real life, is messy and painful and complicated.

Schenck must have heard the truth, long before. He must have read then, as there are plenty of places to read now, people testifying why they chose to end their pregnancies, about the infinite and always deeply personal reasons that inform each decision, reasons that have been with us for as long as we have borne children. He must have heard.

It wasnt enough for him to hear, thats whats so frustrating. He heard, but never believed. For that, he had to see.

To this day, I remember word-for-word the little spiel I gave when I first sat down with each client. Its been more than 10 years since the last time I said it, and yet it still holds the same weight to me now, that it did then. "Welcome to Womens Health Clinic," the preamble began. "Were a feminist reproductive and sexual health clinic.

"What that means to us is that we think women are smart enough, and capable enough, to make decisions about their own lives," Id continue. "You know your life better than anyone else. Our job is to help you get the information and support you need to make the decisions that are right for you."

My volunteer work there was pretty simple: I sat with women who were pregnant. I talked with them. I made sure they had all the facts they might need about abortion, or adoption, or all the supports that are available to parent a child and how to access them. I held space for them to cry, or talk about their lives, or just ask to schedule their appointment.

Over the years, I have made much of my life public. I lean on it the way many writers do, as a way to find the universal in the personal, or just to explore the texture of the world in a grain that can be felt finest through living it. But I never wrote about my time at WHC, because to me, it was sacred. It was the most transformative experience of my life, and it was private.

Maybe its time to write about it now. Only a little.

The Womens Health Clinic in Winnipeg (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

When I tell people about my two years volunteering at WHC, this is what I tell them: more than anything else in my life, that experience made me a better reporter and a better person. It taught me how to be present, how to meet people where theyre at, how to listen without judgment. Above all, it taught me how to really and deeply love women.

I dont remember every client I had. I wouldnt share their stories in any detail if I did. But I do remember the women.

The women: they fit every description. They were single, married, widowed, divorced. They were students and professionals and mothers. They were abuse survivors. Theyd grown up in foster care. Theyd grown up in war. Theyd grown up and lived in every way that people can experience the world, which is to say real and imperfect and uniquely their own.

The youngest clients sometimes came with their friends, so anxious they would stare at their hands and twist their fingers as we spoke. The oldest client I ever had thought shed hit menopause, because she hadnt gotten her period for ages. When she went to a doctor about odd symptoms she was having, she learned, to her shock, that she was eight weeks pregnant.

They were all doing their best. Thats all I can say about the wide range of circumstances that informed my clients decisions. They were all doing the best they could with what they had been given. And the more I saw that, the more I knew that what I told them at the beginning was true: they were smart enough and strong enough to find their own way through.

Sometimes, leaving a session, I would think: if only the people who want to take this choice from them could see. If only they could be in this room, and listen, and understand a little better the reasons that bring people to the moment of making these decisions. But I would never have wanted to put that role on my clients. I would never wish that upon them.

I loved them all, very much. I can say that part too.

I remember the women.

I remember 31-year-old Savita Halappanavar, a dentist from Ireland, who died in 2012 when she was 17 weeks pregnant. She had gone to hospital suffering a stalled miscarriage, caused by a uterine infection. Shed asked multiple times for an abortion to complete the process; doctors, apparently not realizing her life was sufficiently at risk to allow the procedure, refused.

Halappanavar died of sepsis after seven days in hospital. One of the last things she ever heard was a midwife telling her "we dont do that here dear, its a Catholic thing." Her death galvanized the Irish public, and in 2018 a referendum to expand the legal accessibility of abortion in Ireland passed with resounding support. It didnt bring Halappanavar back to her family.

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Mitzi Rivas (left) hugs her daughter Maya Iribarren during an abortion-rights protest at City Hall in San Francisco, following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, on June 24. (Josie Lepe / The Associated Press files)

I remember Elizabeth from Argentina, who died of septic shock in 2018 after desperately trying to end her pregnancy in a country where its illegal. I remember Izabela, from Poland, who died last year in similar circumstances to Halappanavar, after doctors refused to hasten a stalled miscarriage under the countrys restrictive anti-abortion laws.

"For now, thanks to the abortion law, I have to lie down," she wrote in a text message to her mother. "And there is nothing they can do. Theyll wait until it dies or something begins, and if not, I can expect sepsis."

And I remember the women all over the world, countless women who have died because doctors refuse to give them cancer treatment while theyre pregnant or let ectopic pregnancies burst. The women who die by suicide seeing no other hope. The women who die from unsafe abortions, which account for up to 13 per cent of global maternal deaths every year.

Advocates tell their stories. Some opponents either dont care, or dont believe. But soon, too soon, they will see.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Travelers flying in and out of La Crosse will see an increase in size of American Airlines aircraft, starting Aug. 16.

This increase means there will be more seats traveling to and from American Airlines hub at Chicago OHare Airport.

American is excited to offer dual-class service from the La Crosse Regional Airport beginning this summer in direct response to customer demand, said Philippe Puech, Americans director of short-haul network planning.

With just one stop in Chicago-OHare, customers have access to nearly 150 destinations across Americans global network. Were proud to be the only airline in La Crosse to offer this service.

The planes will be Embraer E170 or E175 jets, which will have either 65 or 76 seats and include a first-class cabin. Compared to current 50-seat regional jet aircraft, this represents at least a 30% increase in available seats in the La Crosse market.

La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE) is Western Wisconsins largest airport. Owned by the City of La Crosse, the airport is a self-sufficient enterprise serving approximately 180,000 passengers annually, hosting 76 based aircraft and providing for approximately 20,000 annual aircraft operations.

LSE is comprised of approximately 1,300 acres and has three commercial runways. Two major airlines (American Airlines and Delta Air Lines) provide four daily departures with direct service to Chicago and Minneapolis.

For more information about the La Crosse Regional Airport, call (608) 789-7464 or visit www.lseairport.com.

This is great news as American Airlines recognizes the demand in our local market for air service, said Ian Turner, director of the La Crosse Regional Airport. I encourage our local travelers to capitalize on this opportunity. Filling these additional seats is the best strategy to gain more flight options in the future.

Passengers will find these options already available when they book travel with American.

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A small crowd gathered in Portage on Friday afternoon to hear and meet with Gov. Tony Evers as he discussed issues including abortion, broadband expansion, affordable housing and taxes.

Evers was speaking at the new home of the Columbia County Democrats at 322 De Witt Street. He spoke about his accomplishments over the last 3 years in office and about recent events affecting the state.

When asked about the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, Evers said the decision makes woman second class citizens in society. He added that his office and Attorney General Josh Kauls office worked together to file a lawsuit earlier this week asking the courts to invalidate Wisconsins 173-year-old abortion ban stemming from an 1849 law.

On Friday afternoon Evers explained the lawsuit was legitimate and that they are now waiting for a decision. He said AG Kaul will not be prosecuting those seeking an abortion in Wisconsin.

During his remarks, Evers focused on his record as governor. He pointed out his administration has fixed miles of roads in Wisconsin. In 3 years over 1,700 miles of road have been fixed, he said.

But we seem to have a ways to go in Portage, Evers said.

He also said he kept his word on broadband expansion with over 300,000 homes having access to high speed internet and more than 800 homes being added this summer.

Evers noted that was when when he took over as governor, he intended to give the middle class a 10% tax cut. This turned into a 15% tax cut which, according to Evers, which has saved residents between $4 billion and $5 billion.

The discussion then turned to small businesses and the importance of having a strong downtown area.

It doesnt matter if its downtown Milwaukee or downtown Portage, thats where we need to focus, Evers said.

When asked about the recent Portage Housing Study and the need for affordable housing in the area, Evers said its a top priority.

Ill gladly sit down with the mayor of Portage to look into ways to expand affordable housing, Evers said. The state cant pay for every development, but in times like these its critical everyone has access to affordable housing.

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Environmental advocates slammed Thursdays Supreme Court decision stripping the Environmental Protection Agencys authority to regulate heat-trapping gasses emitted from power plants, while Wisconsins business lobby hailed it as a win.

Local leaders vowed to redouble efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, while the states largest utility company says it still plans to stop burning coal by 2035.

Heres a selection of reactions from Wisconsin organizations:

The Court chose to side with the narrow, self-serving interests of the dying coal industry rather than allow states to use a variety of smart, economical tools to reduce power plant pollution.  Katie Nekola, general counsel for Clean Wisconsin

States, as well as Congress, will need to step up and act more strongly to protect our environment and public health while the Supreme Court installs roadblocks to federal agency actions.  Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center

Our most vulnerable populations will suffer the most from the ongoing climate crisis. ... This is not just a matter of climatethis is a matter of justice.  John Greenler, executive director of 350 Wisconsin

We have already announced plans to exit coal by 2035 and we do not expect todays ruling to change that.  Brendan Conway, spokesperson for WEC Energy Group, Wisconsins largest utility company

Alliant Energy is focused on executing a long-term strategy to deliver reliable and affordable energy with lower carbon dioxide emissions, independent of changing policies and political landscape. We remain committed to these plans.  Tony Palese, spokesperson for Alliant Energy

Todays ruling is a major win for the rule of law, and it ensures that decisions with massive impact on the economy can only be made by officials who answer directly to the voters and not unelected bureaucrats. Environmental regulations must not only be based in science, but also balance the economic impact they will have.  Scott Manley, executive vice president of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce

Todays decision means that cities must redouble our efforts to fight climate change. Meeting the scope and scale of the climate crisis will require actions at every level of government and we hope this decision inspires Congress to act swiftly to pass vital climate legislation.  Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

Dane County remains fully committed to doing everything we can to address climate change.  It is beyond disappointing to see the Supreme Court take actions that could negate our actions by empowering polluters in other parts of the country.  Dane County Executive Joe Parisi
For some reason, fewer people vote in primary elections than in general elections. But because primaries determine which parties nominees appear on general election ballots, theyre just as important as the November elections. This year, Wisconsins primary election is Aug. 9, and absentee ballots have already been mailed to voters.

In primaries, voters must vote for only one partys candidates. The parties listed are Democratic, Republican, Libertarian and Constitution. On my ballot, few if any candidates are running in the Libertarian or Constitution parties.

When Scott Walker was governor, he and the Republican legislators hired a law firm with our money to redraw district maps so Republicans were guaranteed to win the majority of legislative seats. After the 2020 census, since Republicans still hold the majority in the Legislature, Gov. Tony Evers was unable to redraw the maps to be fair to both parties.

As a result, Republican candidates win in most districts, even though overall Wisconsin has more Democratic voters. But the maps dont affect statewide seats such as governor and U.S. Senate.

And those races  for U.S. Sen. Ron Johnsons seat and the governors office  are getting the most attention this year. Johnsons broken promise that he wouldnt run for another term is just one example of his dishonesty that I witnessed firsthand at a town hall here in Baraboo soon after he was first elected. The meeting hadnt been publicized, except to his supporters, but I and some others found out about it and attended. When he took questions, I asked, What are you going to do about the Republican law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating the prices of prescription drugs? I figured, as a businessman, he would be all for negotiating prices of products that are purchased in large quantities.

He answered, If its true, and immediately called on someone else. He was either ignorant of the law or too cowardly and dishonest to admit it existed. The pharmaceutical companies give politicians like Johnson a lot of campaign money, so God forbid he should favor the health and welfare of the people over big pharmas profits and his campaign chest.

David Schroeder is the other Republican running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. Johnson. Hes unknown by most Wisconsinites. In an article about the primary candidates, wispolitics.com states, A Google search for details about Schroeders candidacy was unsuccessful. So basically, Johnson has no competitor in the primary election.

On the Democratic side for the U.S. Senate seat, there are several choices, and I could almost guarantee that any one of them is more honest, intelligent and capable than Johnson. My first pick would be Mandela Barnes because I met him once when he visited Baraboo and was highly impressed by how easily he relates to others, his knowledge of issues facing our country and state, and his willingness to work hard for all of us. I also like Alex Lasry and Sarah Godlewski.

In the race for governor, many Republicans are on the ballot to be their partys nominee. Rebecca Kleefisch, who was lieutenant governor under Gov. Walker, seems to be the most favored by Republicans so far. That could change since rich businessman Tim Michels got into the race.

Also, Kleefisch was just caught in a lie about Evers and the funding of law enforcement. The Feb. 1 issue of urbanmilwaukee.com states she dodged questions about the Walker administration cutting $76 million from shared revenue which, the article states, helps fund critical public safety measures, including firefighters and police.

It also describes major cuts under Walker to the Parole Commission, a 42.5% cut to the sexual assault victim services, and alleges the Walker administration lost track of nearly 3,000 people convicted of sexual crimes.

On April 30, instead of acknowledging any of that, Kleefisch said that Gov. Evers is a big proponent of this defund-the-police movement. On May 20, politifact.com deemed her statement false. It went on to prove that Evers has said hes opposed to reducing police funding and that he directed more than $100 million in federal COVID relief money to support law enforcement. He got more money for police through shared revenue and in March of this year approved using $56 million to boost law enforcement and crime prevention programs and to clear a backlog of criminal cases.

Like most Democrats, Evers seeks to support and protect workers as well as consumers and to ensure workplace safety. He believes and fights for equal opportunity, fair wages, disability rights and regulations to protect our air and water. And like most Democrats, he believes the rich should pay their fair share of taxes.

Whats not to like?

Nash lives in Baraboo: patnash5149@gmail.com.
As director of Asian & Pacific Islander American (APIA) studies and professor of sociology, Deenesh Sohonis research projects examine issues such as racial and economic segregation in American public schools, the social incorporation of Asian Americans, the development of anti-immigrant attitudes in the United States, and military naturalization and U.S. citizenship. Sohoni researched veteran deportation with Yosselin Turcios 20 beginning in her freshman year as part of the W&M Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE) program. WMSURE provides support for all undergraduates who want to conduct research. Yosselin called her experience with Professor Sohoni one of the most rewarding experiences of her undergraduate career.

Along with Professor Francis Tanglao Aguas, Professor Sohoni helped build the APIA studies program he now leads, with the university offering both a major and minor in APIA studies. As co-chairs of the William & Mary Asian Centennial commemoration, Sohoni and Aguas together also led the university's celebration of 100 years of Asian-American students at W&M. The commemoration began in 2021 and featured a year and a half packed with academic collaborations, research, performances and other programs. It also brought to campus three Asian Centennial Arts Fellows, the inaugural William & Mary Asian Centennial Awards and launched the Asian Pacific Middle Eastern (APM) Research Project. As part of the APM research project, two undergraduate students, Sumie Yotsukura '22 and Brian Zhao '23 enrolled in an independent study course with Sohoni to find out more about the first students of Asian descent  leading to the installation of the public exhibit Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M at Swem Library.

Learn more about Professor Sohoni
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a congratulatory letter to Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on his inauguration as president of the Republic of the Philippines.

In his message, Xi recalled that not long ago, he talked with Marcos over phone and reached important consensus with him on upholding good-neighborly friendship of the two countries and joining hands for common development.

Xi said he is ready to work with Marcos to chart the course for the development of bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, and continue to write a great chapter of the China-Philippines friendship and cooperation for the new era, so as to benefit the two countries and their people.

(Source: Xinhua)
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua)  A speech highlighting the need to better understand and make use of the historical experience of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over the past century by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, will be published.

The speech by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published on Friday in this year's 13th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi delivered the speech at a seminar for provincial and ministerial-level officials themed on studying and implementing the guiding principles of the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.

The speech stressed the need to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, calling for efforts to continue to adapt the basic tenets of Marxism to China's realities and fine traditional culture.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party has recognized that the principal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved to be that between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life, the speech said.

It stressed having a comprehensive understanding of the contradictions while giving priority to resolving major ones and key aspects of the contradictions.

Stressing the importance of enhancing strategic thinking, the speech called for efforts to maintain a firm resolve to implement the strategies while making flexible policies in line with realities.

All regions and departments must cross-check their work with the Party's theories, lines, principles and policies, said the speech, adding that the strategic decisions made by the CPC Central Committee must be implemented unconditionally without being distorted or bent.

Emphasizing maintaining the CPC's true nature as a Marxist party, the speech stressed that the key to self-reform is the courage to confront problems squarely and cut to their very core in fixing them.

Demanding a long-term and regular mechanism for Party history education, the speech urged the whole Party to focus on studying and implementing the guiding principles of the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.

(Source: Xinhua)
Aerial photo taken on July 29, 2020 shows a view of Liangjiahe Village of Yanchuan County in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Liangjiahe Village, used to be a barren mountain village, has been lifted out of poverty through the development of rural tourism and characteristic agriculture over years. [Xinhua/Zhang Bowen]

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua)  July 1 this year marks the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). For each of its 96 million plus members, submitting an application letter to join the Party is a significant moment in life.

Like the millions before him, and the millions after, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, too experienced this momentous life event. His application, however, took tremendous effort and resolve. A total of 10 application letters were meticulously penned and submitted until he finally joined the Party.

In 1969, Xi, barely 16 years old, arrived in Liangjiahe, a small village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, as one of the urban educated youths nationwide mobilized to experience rural life and work.

Despite the sudden change of surroundings, Xi soon settled into village life and the manual labor of farm work. It was Xi's years in Liangjiahe that taught him the people-oriented philosophy and solidified his faith in the Party.

Xi's passion to serve the people was noticed by Liang Yuming, then village Party chief. Encouraged by Liang, Xi submitted his first application letter to join the Party. However, due to political circumstances at that time, the application was not immediately approved. Liang was even chastised for helping Xi submit his application.

Yet Xi did not give up. He applied again, and again, and again; nine more letters in total.

"Xi was determined to join the Party," said Liangjiahe villager Shi Chunyang. "Why? Because he cared about the people, and wanted to do practical and meaningful things for them."

In the end, the respect he had earned from the villagers for his hard work and attitude would prove to be crucially influential factors. Xi's application was finally accepted. He joined the Party in 1974, and later became the village Party chief of Liangjiahe.

"Villagers supported him. They trusted him and approved him. They all wanted to make him their village Party chief," said Yang Shizhong, a former member of the Wen'anyi Commune Party committee.

As village Party chief, Xi spearheaded a series of initiatives, including a dam that would protect farmland from floods, a methane tank to provide villagers with gas for their cooking and lighting, and a mill.

Xi always put people first and was strict with himself, Shi said. "He did a lot of practical things for the village. He took the lead among the Party members and officials."

"As a public servant of the people, I have my roots deep in the northern Shaanxi plateau because it cultivated my unchanging mission: to do practical things for the people!" Xi once wrote while recalling his years in Liangjiahe.

Since he joined the Party, Xi has always maintained his original aspiration to seek happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation.

Less than a month after assuming the Party's top post in late 2012, Xi put forward the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Since then, he has already led the historic efforts to eliminate absolute poverty and realize the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

It is hard to miss the same determination and faith Xi exhibited when joining the Party in these achievements, as is expressed in the Party admission oath  "be loyal to the Party, work hard, fight for communism throughout my life, be ready at all times to sacrifice my all for the Party and the people."

(Source: Xinhua)
Lake Michigan, one of North America's five Great Lakes, provides an enormous shoreline that stretches across parts of Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and of course, Michigan. All of this prime real estate has led to an ample supply of summertime beach towns to choose from. Though Michigan certainly has the widest array of premium spots, the neighboring states are not without their worthy additions. Plus, there are always more hidden gems to uncover. These are some of the best places to plug into your GPS this season. Let us begin by working our way steadily north along the Western Shore of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, and then see what else is in store across Lake Michigan's alluring borders.

Saint Joseph, Michigan

Aerial view of the St. Joseph North and South Pier Lighthouses on Lake Michigan.

First up is the Southwestern Michigan waterfront community of Saint Joseph, or "St. Joe," in Berrien County. Given its accessible location, St. Joe attracts out-of-state visitors from nearby Indiana, as well as Illinois, particularly the greater Chicago area. The wave of Midwest tourists can fan out across Silver Beach, Grand Mere State Park, Jean Klock Park, Weko Beach, Warren Dunes State Park, Lions Park, and Rocky Gap Park. All of these enticing spots are located in and around town, and all of them offer a sandy frolick right next to the Lake.

South Haven, Michigan

Saint Basil Catholic church behind a well occupied sand beach on Lake Michigan in South Haven. Editorial credit: Claudine Van Massenhove / Shutterstock.com

This Van Buren/Allegan County beach town is located around 25-miles up the shore from Saint Joseph. Though technically a city (a recurring theme in Michigan), the modest population of just over 4,000 residents ensures the laid-back vibes. South Haven has an excellent beach set up, with long sandy stretches sub-divided by the South Haven Piers, complete with an eye-catching, red lighthouse. Aside from the shoreline, South Haven also has a captivating downtown core, and a wealth of nearby inland lakes and nature trails to explore.

Read MoreSouth Haven, Michigan

Saugatuck, Michigan

The Kalamazoo river running through Saugatuck, Michigan.

A further 20-miles up the coast from South Haven lies Saugatuck, another city, but this time with less than 1,000 residents. Saugatuck continues the waterfront wonder, not only of Lake Michigan, but the sizable Kalamazoo Lake is added to the mix. Idyllic beaches, though the most magnetic feature, are not the only attraction across this list. Saugatuck Dunes State Park is one of the best places to explore these fascinating phenomena. The 2.5-mile stretch houses dunes as tall as 200-feet. The Saugatuck splendor also continues inland, throughout the soothing forested trails.

Read MoreSaugatuck, Michigan

Grand Haven, Michigan

Flying aliens and sea creature kites at Michigan kite fest in Grand. Editorial credit: Susan B Sheldon / Shutterstock.com

Continuing another 35-miles Northbound (or about equidistance East from Grand Rapids), the popular lakelife getaway of Grand Haven awaits. Here, visitors will have their choice between Grand Haven City Beach, Grand Haven State Park, or North Beach Park, which is actually just North of Grand Haven in Ferrysburg. For some sneaky alternatives during peak season, one can also make for Olive Shores Park, Buchannon Beach, Rosy Mound Natural Area, or Windsnest Park. Basically, if you are staying in Grand Haven, then you are never far from a natural tanning bed, a refreshing swim, or a beautiful sunset.

Read MoreGrand Haven, Michigan

Muskegon, Michigan

Aerial view of Muskegon.

A mere 15-miles on is Muskegon, the most populous city along Michigan's Western shore, but still quaint enough for a classic "beach town" feel. This two-for-one lake special in Muskegon County provides not only the expected Lake Michigan shoreline goodness, but also the expanded bounty of Muskegon Lake, which is only separated from the Great Lake by a small ferry channel. Between these two bodies of water, there are over a dozen sites, totaling 26-miles of beaches, for visitors to choose from. To add some excitement after all the lounging, head on over to Michigan's Adventure Amusement and Water Park.

Charlevoix, Michigan

The jaw bridge in downtown Charlevoix that allows boat passage between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix.

The final stop on the Michigan tour is a 190-mile Northbound haul to the Township of Charlevoix, in Charlevoix County. This spritely community sits between Lake Michigan (to the West), Loeb Bay, which is an extension of Lake Charlevoix (to the East), and Round Lake sits smack dab in the middle. Not far from town are the lovely and expansive Boyne Falls. In town, a surprising number of quality breweries, wineries, and distilleries keep the adult beverages flowing. No wonder Ernest Hemmingway spent his summers nearby. Charlevoix certainly delivers the expected Michigan waterfront beach magic, as well as some memorable quirks, like The Thatch (or Mushroom) House, which can be rented by large parties.

Read MoreCharlevoix, Michigan

Beach Park, Illinois

Representing the Illinois beach town scene is the aptly named but relatively unknown Beach Park. This quiet village is part of the Benton and Waukegan townships in Lake County. Beach lovers can set up base camp here and then make for the six-miles of beaches and sand dunes in Illinois Beach State Park. Recent reviews suggest that the amenities are a little rough around the edges, but those with a bohemian beach-town attitude will not be deterred. In fact, the overgrown parking lot just adds to the aesthetic of the wild natural shoreline. The dune areas of Illinois Beach State Park harbor over 650 species of plants, so tread lightly. This area offers a basic campground, bike rentals, hiking paths, day-use facilities, and of course, the opportunity to splash around until one's heart's content.

Two Rivers, Wisconsin

Seagulls sitting on the ice in the harbor at Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

Making some waves for Wisconsin is the small city of Two Rivers in Manitowoc County. To get those feet in the sand, visitors can check out a number of locations. Point Beach State Park showcases another six-mile stretch of beach, as well as 3,000 acres of forested land, campsites/cabins, and the Rawley Point Lighthouse, which has been in operation since 1853. Another great spot to sprawl out, go for a swim, play some volleyball, or even get a horseshoe toss tournament going, is Neshotah Park & Beach. Finally, if you do not mind leaving the shores of Lake Michigan, head slightly inland to visit the Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve. If you get tuckered out on a hot day, treat yourself to a nice ice cream sundae, which, funnily enough, was invented in Two Rivers back in 1881.

Beverly Shores, Indiana

Historic 1933 Chicago World's Fair Century of Progress home in Beverly Shores.

And finally, putting Indiana on the beach town map is the humble community of Beverly Shores, within Pine Township, in Porter County. This little gem is part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and right next to the National Park of the same name. Kemil Beach has a rugged yet pleasant feel to it and does not attract the same kinds of crowds as some of the other beaches on this list. If the clouds roll in and you need to pass an afternoon in a different fashion, roll on by the Century of Progress Homes, a collection of artistic and (once) futuristic-looking show homes that were displayed at the 1933 World Fair.

Hopefully, that gives you a bit of summertime road trip inspiration. If you live around or are planning to visit the American Midwest, then head on over to a few of these great Lake Michigan beach towns. The soft sands and fresh, inviting (and shark-free) waters await.
Carson City is the sixth-largest city and the capital city of Nevada, United States. It's known as a four-season destination with many activities to boot. Of them, Lake Tahoe is a favorite summer hang-out among visitors, although many outdoor enthusiasts and photographers may opt for the awe-worthy sights of the Carson Range and Eagle Valley. Due to its closeness to the Sierra Nevada, one can go for a day trip to nearby Yosemite National Park and the bright lights of Reno from Carson City. With a rich constitutional history etched out from the railroad and gold, there are many museums and historical buildings for curious minds.

Geography And Climate Of Carson City

Aerial view of Carson City - the capital of Nevada.

Carson City is situated in the western portion of Nevada, in a branch of the Sierra Nevada known as the Carson Range, which also makes up the city's skyline. Carson City is an Independent City with Lake Tahoe to the west. The other nearby major cities include Reno and its neighbor Sparks, about 32 miles north; Virginia City, about 16 miles northeast; and Sacramento, California, about 130 miles southwest. As for day trips, Yosemite National Park is approximately 119 miles south, and further south is the Sierra National Forest, about 212 miles away.

According to the Koppen Climate Classification, Carson City has a semi-arid climate. With four seasons, it experiences dry and hot summers and cold and snowy winters. The annual average temperature is 50.0 F, with an average temperature in July of 69.5 F and January of 32.9 F. July is the warmest month, with the highest recorded temperature being 107.0 F, and January is the coldest, with the lowest recorded temperature of -27.0 F. Throughout the year, Carson receives 9.66 inches of rainfall and 13.8 inches of snowfall, collected from 42.6 days of precipitation. Carson City has a moderate UV of 5.3 annually, which is seen over 253 days of sunshine.

History Of Carson City

Entrance to the Nevada Governor's Mansion in Carson City, Nevada. Editorial credit: Nagel Photography / Shutterstock.com

Before the influence of silver and gold on would-be Carson City, the Washoe people lived within the Great Basin for over 6,000 years. John C. Fremont arrived with a group of European migrants in an area called Eagle Valley. Thus, Fremont named the flowing river after Mountain Man Kit Carson, who was hired onto the expedition. By the 1850s, a ranch and trading post along the Carson River became a popular stopover on the California Trail. Due to early settlers hunting eagles, the area was named Eagle Valley and the trading post- Eagle Station. Carson City was founded in 1858 when Abraham Curry bought the land and determined it would one day serve as a capital city. More so, he left a 10-acre plot of land at the heart of the development to serve as the city center. With the discovery of silver and gold at Comstock Lode, near Virginia City, a population boom ensued in 1859. This resulted in James W. Nye traveling to Carson City and designating it as a capital. This delegation would become permanent at the height of the American Civil War when Nevada became a state in 1864.

The Population And Economy Of Carson City

Cactus Jack's Casino on Carson Street in the heart of Carson City, Nevada. Editorial credit: Gchapel / Shutterstock.com

As per the latest US Census, Carson City has a population of 58,058 residents. This is an increase of 5.6% from the 2010 census, which reported a population of 54,981 residents. Expanding over an area of 407.26 sq. km, Carson City has a population density of 149.2 people per sq. km. Of the population, the average age is 42.4 years old, with females accounting for 48.51% and males making up 51.49%. Overall, 9.99% of the population lives below the poverty line. The median household income is $75,267, and the gross monthly rent is $982. As for cultural/racial background; 79.18% identified as white, 8.51% were of another race, 5.08% were of two races or more, 2.82% were Asian, 2.40% were Native American, 1.93% were African American, and 0.07% identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

The primary industries that constitute Carson Citys economy are as follows: public administration at 14.5% overall, retail trade at 13.1%, and manufacturing at 10.8%. The highest paying jobs come from mining, quarrying, oil, and extracting, earning $122,788, utilities with $72,578, and finance and insurance with $53,375. Of the 25,700 employed, 3,059 work in public administration, 3,037 work in accommodation and food services, and 2,900 in manufacturing.

Attractions In Carson City

Nevada State Museum

Skeleton of a mammoth inside the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, Nevada. Editorial credit: Kit Leong / Shutterstock.com

The Nevada State Museum is full of hands-on and walk-through installations focused on the art and culture of Nevada's history. An exhibit of interest is the last functioning Coin Press No. 1, which offers a weekly coin pressing demonstration and can be seen as part of the larger Historical Carson City Mint exhibit. Another notable exhibit is Nevada's Changing Earth gallery, which contains the infamous skeleton of a replica mammoth. Moreover, this collection includes 300 fossils and gemstones found within Nevada and is a small glimmer of what the Nevada State Museum has to offer.

Nevada State Railroad Museum

Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, Nevada. Editorial credit: Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock.com

The Transcontinental Railroad was instrumental for western Nevada's economy and history. As such, this is one of the permanent exhibits that visitors can come and see at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. The museum is geared toward all ages, with full-sized trains and collectibles on display to the public. Among the many train cars is the 401 Edwards Motor Car, which offers scheduled rides where one can experience what a train ride was like from 1926 until 1947. Alas, these are some exhibits and experiences of the Nevada Railroad Museum that have made it a family favorite of Carson City.

Carson City is a four-season vacation destination known for the pristine waterways of Lake Tahoe, many museums, and a day trip to exciting Reno and Yosemite National Park. It has all the appeal of that small town but comes with an exciting history paired against the backdrop of the breathtaking Carson Range. Thus, this is why Carson City has magnetized many to step foot into Nevada's Capital City.
When one thinks of deserts, a secluded area isolated from society comes to mind. Well, that is not the case for the Atacama Desert. Instead, picture a collision of seawater and dunes because that is what it looks like on its coastal fronts.

Geography Of Atacama Desert

Salt formations at the Atacama Desert.

Previously part of the Pacific Ocean seabed, the Atacama Desert landscape consists of caked salt deposits called playas which stretch for miles and can be up to 1.6 feet thick in some places. This geologic wonderland is said to be the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, with its highest point reaching almost 22,615 feet at Ojos del Salado. This is due to its less than one-millimeter yearly rainfall, making it fifty times drier than Death Valley and much drier than the famous Sahara Desert.

Geysers of the Atacama Desert, Atacama, Chile.

The Atacama Desert stretches across 600 to 700 miles of land between the spectacular Andes Mountains and the Cordillera de la Costa mountain range. Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia border the Atacama Desert. The powerful gusts of wind carry the speckled stones found on its surfaces across the playas much like the tumbleweed in old cowboy movies. Its nitrate belt stretches 435 miles and is 12 miles wide. The Atacama Desert plateau, elevated at 16,570 feet and located in Chile's northeastern frontier with Argentina and Bolivia, is probably the ideal place to explore the solar system's secrets with so many giant telescopes already stationed there. It also hosts 12 volcanoes mainly located in the western outliers of the Andes, most notable of which is the perfectly symmetric Licancabur sitting pretty at 19,420 feet and 80 geysers that spit out water over 10 meters high.

Climate Of Atacama Desert

Flowering desert in the Atacama Desert.

The Atacama Desert receives almost no rainfall. This is due to its location between the Andes, which blocks the humid air from the Amazons and the Coastal mountain range. In a miraculous turn of events, torrents of rain do fall on the barren land every couple of years or so, consequently sprouting colorful wildflowers as far as the eye can see, notably in 2011, 2015, and 2017. Although marvelous to look at, this wildflower awakening means the termination of microbial life as they get soaked in water and end up physically bursting into non-existence. This happens because these specific microbes are used to the desert's hyperarid core and react poorly when exposed to water. In addition, the area has numerous underground water reserves accumulated over thousands of years. Weirdly enough, scientists suspect that these storm outbursts might become more frequent in the future, thus rendering the desert wetter contrary to logic.

Milky Way in Licancabur volcano at the Atacama Desert.

Another phenomenon that occurs in the arid desert is the formulation of fog and stratus clouds (without rain) which is a direct product of the upwelling effect the nearby ocean has. The average temperature in summer reaches 66 F, which is significantly low for desert standards. With more than 330 cloud-free nights away from pollution, amateur and professional astronomers from across the globe flock to the Atacama Desert to catch a glimpse of the starry night and all the wonders it has to offer. The landscape here is so extra-terrestrial that it has been dubbed Mars on Earth and is used for numerous experiments and testing. A network of 66 telescopes run by the Republic of Chile and other alliances runs the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, also known as ALMA. ALMA is the most significant project as it helped make the first image of a black hole. In addition, another telescope known as the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is also found in the area and has gathered plentiful data on distant exoplanet atmospheres.

History Of Atacama Desert

The arches of the ruins of the ancient city of Pukara de Quitor in San Pedro de Atacama.

One would assume that such a harsh environment would not be hospitable to any life form, let alone humans. However, that is not the case for the Atacameno people, an almost extinct Indian culture with a count of 200 in total today. Aside from the Atacameno people, a vast network of races and cultures inhabit the place. Newcomers started to arrive in the area in the late 1800s. Shortly after that, thousands of workers began to migrate to the desert due to the abundance of white gold. A natural nitrate is used to make anything from fertilizers to explosives. Today, over 1 million people live in the Atacama Desert, which is surprising given that the place is often compared to being "hell on Earth." This arid desert is the oldest on Earth and has experienced such conditions for 150 million years. However, scientists speculate that its inner core has been hyperarid for the past 15 million years. That is due to its unique geological composition and atmospheric conditions. During much of the 19th century, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia fought for the right to claim the area due to its rich mineral resources, particularly its sodium nitrate deposits located mainly inland from Iquique and northeast Antofagasta. Although most sites belonged to Peru and Bolivia, the Chilean and British controlled the mining industry. Eventually, Chile gained permanent ownership of the area after signing the Treaty of Ancon in 1883. This was a turning point for Chile, and the land acquisition proved significant as it helped the country get by during the economic depression by systematically mining the Nitrate deposits after the mid-19th century.

Wildlife In The Atacama Desert

Lama guanaco and vicuna are the famous inhabitants of the Chilean Atacama Desert.

It would be presumptuous to think that since the area does witness any rainfall, it would be absent of vegetation or animal life. Surprisingly, its coastal areas are blessed with vegetation and wildlife, including llamas, mice, grey foxes, deer, vicunas, and alpacas. Colonies of penguins, pelicans, seals, and cormorants can be found along the coast. Some birds hover around the area, such as the puna miner, the black-throated flower-piercer, lesser rhea, Tamargo one bill, Andean swallow, Chilean woodstar, and giant Humminbird. As for flora, some farming is done at San Pedro de Atacama. Lemons are grown at Pica; potatoes and alfalfa are grown near Chuquicamata. The permanent residents, however, have to be the adapted microbial organisms that only seem to perish if exposed to water.

Tourism In The Atacama Desert

La Silla Astronomical Observatory in Atacama Desert, Chile.

Over 36,000 tourists per year flock from around the globe to witness this enchanted place's magic. Mostly visiting its three largest coastal cities, Iquique, Arica, and Antofagasta, tourists come to experience the astronomical phenomenons firsthand and the desert's number of observatories. The sites include the European Southern Observatory, La Silla Observatory, Paranal Observatory, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Mamalluca Observatory, and Pangue Observatory.

Bikers In Atacama Desert, Chile.

Suppose stargazing is what you are looking for, well. In that case, the Atacama Desert offers a pleasant cloud-free climate all year round and excellent light transparency, attracting photographers who flock to get the perfect shot of its landscape and the starry night. If barren was ever considered beautiful, it indeed is because of the Atacama Desert and its enchanting landscape that mesmerizes anyone who looks at it. This Mars lookalike is worth checking out if you ever find yourself in South America. Bucket list worthy, the Atacama Desert is a must-see that will surely transport you to outer space without having to qualify as an astronaut.
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. &&
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Daily heat index values of 100 to 110 degrees expected. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Indiana, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois. * WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 9 PM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Heat index values today will top out around 100 to 105 degrees. The peak of the heat will occur Tuesday through Thursday, when daily heat index values will reach 105 to 110 degrees. Daily chances for isolated thunderstorms will provide limited 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. &&
Criminal damage, shoplifting and a wanted man found in a bush are amongst the incidents dealt with Wrexham town officers over the last 24 hours.

In his daily update Inspector Luke Hughes said the force had received 59 calls on Thursday (30 June)  nine of which required a blue light response, 21 needed a non-urgent response but desirable within an hour of the call being received and the rest will be picked up by the neighbourhood team or desk based enquiry officers across the force.

Insp Hughes said: Nine in custody today when I started, three relevant to Wrexham. One male charged with breaching a restraining order, he will be placed before the courts this morning.

A second male charged with three shopliftings after he was detained yesterday morning and officers quickly identified him as the washing powder offender from 4am that morning, so no clean get away after all.

The third detainee has been arrested for assault and was located hiding in a bush at 3am this morning.

Lots planned this weekend in Wrexham, atmosphere is set to be good and I truly hope it is pleasant and enjoyed by all.

08:47hrs: First of three call from large town centre retailers, it appears that between 17:00hrs  20:00hrs on the 29th June most have been visited by an organised group of what are likely to be offenders from out of the area.

They have systematically entered the store, made their way to the alcohol section, in particular spirits before selecting and stealing a significant number of bottles.

I would suggest this is most likely committed by an OCG (organised crime gang) these items will be sold online or via other retailers having been sold on.

Those committing the offences are sometimes involved through choice, but on occasion are coerced to commit these offences.

Officers will attend today and collate the CCTV footage and record statements; it is highly likely they have been active across the region.

10:10hrs: Criminal damage reported to windows at an office near to the town centre, CCTV review will be undertaken, no suggestion of any attempt to gain entry, just pointless and frustrating damage.

11:07hrs: Report of a heated argument taking place near to queen square  officers are nearby and attend. If you dont like someone, just ignore them, no need to involve others in your quarrels.

11:26hrs: Another report of damage at a location not far from the first, possible it is the same offender who has committed both. Officers will try to link, again no entry gained.

11:59hrs: Washing powder bandit detained after foot chase. We are on a roll 3-0, one officer falls and receives some nasty cuts to his hand  true commitment as he gets up and continues the male then detained.

16:24hrs: Drunk male causing issues in licensed premises  officers attend and escort him away ensuring all is calm.

16:46hrs: male calls on 999 asking for the phone number to the hospital

19:06hrs: RTC  Stansty Road near to Crispin lane  two vehicles have come together  officers attend  priority is injury, which is confirmed as minor  road closed for short time whilst details taken and vehicles recovered.

20:53hrs: Intoxicated male asleep on a bus  officers attend and remove.

21:00hrs: Report of a lurking male causing a little concern  officers attend  no one located.

22:25hrs: Assist with medical emergency  resolved on arrival.

00:51hrs: Concern for safety / missing person  located safe and well.

03:00hrs: Wanted male located in a bush.
Memorable year for talented local butcher who wins another apprenticeship award

Its turning out to be a memorable year for talented local butcher who has added another award to his growing list of honours.

In the space of just a few weeks, 30-year-old Ben Roberts, from M. E. Evans Traditional Butchers, Overton on Dee, has scooped two Apprentice of the Year awards.

His first came at the inaugural Wales Food and Drink Awards in Cardiff. Now he has been recognised at training provider Cambrian Training Companys annual Apprenticeship, Employment and Skills Awards.

Ben will also be competing with the Craft Butchery Team Wales at the World Butchers Challenge in America in September, finished third in the 2021 WorldSkills UK butchery competition and has been appointed Skills Excellence in Wales Ambassador.

Completing an Apprenticeship in Food Management with Cambrian Training Company, one of Wales leading work-based learning provider, has given him the confidence and self-esteem to excel at his craft.

Since completing his apprenticeship, Ben has been promoted from shop manager in Overton-on-Dee to managing the entire M. E. Evans business. He is now progressing to Apprenticeship in Business Management, with plans to continue his learning journey.

There was an unbelievable level of competition for this award and the two other finalists were winners in their own right, said Ben.

It will take time to sink in that Im the best out of all the people in the category.

Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to push yourself in the workplace. The progression thats possible through apprenticeships is huge.

I am now hoping that I can make it a hat-trick of award at the World Butchers Challenge, which would be a great finish to the year.

The other Apprentice of the Year finalists were Despoina Tsolakaki, 27, The Danish Bakery, Cardiff and Kayla Millon, Whitbread  Premier Inn Caerphilly Crossways who lives in Port Talbot.

Recognising employers and learners who have excelled in apprenticeship, skills and employment training programmes delivered by Cambrian Training Company, the awards were held at The Metropole Hotel & Spa, Llandrindod Wells on June 14.

With offices in Welshpool, Holyhead, Colwyn Bay, Llanelli and Llanelwedd, Cambrian Training Company delivers work-based apprenticeships across Wales.

Arwyn Watkins, OBE, the companys managing director, congratulated Ben, the other award winners and finalists for their achievements despite the challenging disruptions caused by the pandemic over the past two years.

These awards showcase the dedication and commitment by individuals and companies to the apprenticeship programme here in Wales, he added. Ben has demonstrated what can be achieved in career progression through apprenticeships.

The Apprenticeship Programme in Wales is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.
Welsh Government breaches statutory deadline for annual accounts by months due to payout

Welsh Government should have finalised their accounts by November, however an MS has said due to a payout that legal deadline has been missed.

North Wales MS Mark Isherwood in his role as Chair of the Welsh Parliaments Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, made a formal Statement in the Senedd this week to place the Committees concerns over the problem on the public record and ensure that the wider Senedd is aware of the issue.

Mr Isherwood stressed that the delay has undermined the Committees ability to scrutinise the Accounts, which will include significant public expenditure arising from the pandemic, which is a matter of public interest.

Mr Isherwood said, Members may be aware that there has been a significant delay in signing off the Welsh Governments 2020-21 annual accounts. To provide context, the previous Public Accounts Committee would usually undertake detailed scrutiny of these accounts annually during the autumn term, and we had hoped to continue with this in the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee during this term. To provide context, as Ive said, this has has always occurred.

The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee was informally made aware last summer by both the Welsh Government and the Auditor General for Wales that the Welsh Governments accounts for 2020-21 may be finalised later than usual.

We were told that the delay was due to the additional work being undertaken by Audit Wales on support to business grants provided by Welsh Government.

The committee was expecting that to be done no later than November 2021, which is within the statutory time frame for doing so.

The committee were alerted to a further delay, when the Welsh Government needed to advise Audit Wales of a potential post-balance-sheet event in order to ensure full transparency.

Mr Isherwood gave some limited detail to what that was about, I must stress that we cannot discuss the specific reason for the delay. Until the accounts are signed, we are not able to discuss this, as it is not in the public domain and, as we understand, could even be subject to legal proceedings. 

He added, The committee was becoming increasingly concerned about its ability to scrutinise the Welsh Government on these important matters. This delay has resulted in statutory deadlines for financial reporting being missed. And, given that we are referring to the accounts of a Government, it is important that this matter and the concerns of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee are placed on the public record and raised in this Chamber.

It appears the whole process will be reviewed as Mr Isherwood pointed out various timings are to ensure that public accountability, scrutiny and reporting to Her Majestys Treasury can take place within a reasonable time frame  but obviously without the submissions there is nothing to look at  he noted, there are no safeguards built into the process that prevent this, thus hindering scrutiny.

The Committee appear unswayed with their task, I also want to place on the record that the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee takes these matters very seriously and we will not rush or be pressurised into curtailing our scrutiny once the accounts have been published.

We anticipate these to be a more complex set of accounts, with several important issues, which we will need the time to scrutinise in detail publicly. Were well aware that these accounts will include significant public expenditure arising from the pandemic, which is a matter of public interest. It is imperative that we undertake this work, fulfil our role in the financial accountability cycle, and instil public confidence that we are holding the Welsh Government to account on its expenditure. We hope that we can look forward to being able to undertake this work in the autumn term accordingly.

In the short debate that followed Natasha Asghar MS called a spade a spade and stated, Publishing the annual accounts has been delayed due to a Welsh Government payout; its a simple as that. I expressed concerns previously and said exactly the same words during a business statement right here in this Chamber on 18 January 2022 about the delay, which in my opinion has hindered the work of the public accounts committee in scrutinising and holding the Welsh Government to account.

Ms Asghar added, As a country, each year, countless individuals and businesses across the UK have to legally submit their returns to HMRC and Companies House, or face a fine for the delay. No-one likes to be fined, including me and many of my constituents in south-east Wales, and Im sure all across Wales, and quite frankly, Im just astounded by the delay here in the Welsh Government, and by the Welsh Governments lack of embarrassment for this.

I would like to pay sincere tribute to my learned colleague Mike Hedges, who, week after week, month after month, has enquired about the updates to the accounts to simply no avail. I must also praise the auditor general and his team for his patience in this matter.

Top pic: The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee this week  the above statements took place during a Plenary session in the main chamber.
On Thursday, June 23, the Democratic Party-dominated Philadelphia City Council voted unanimously to approve a measure which increases the Philadelphia Police Departments budget by an additional $30 million, bringing its total annual funding to over $788 million.

Philadelphia police restrain a man during the Justice for George Floyd Philadelphia Protest, May 30, 2020. [AP Photo/Matt Rourke]

The funding increase is part of a larger $5.8 billion city budget supported by Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the massive cash infusion for the police was the most of any city agency, and $150 million more than in 2016, when Kenney took office.

The Democratic mayor also granted the police an additional $23.7 million in order to cover contractually obligated pay raises for officers, writes the Inquirer.

The Philadelphia Police Department is no stranger to large budget increases. Since 2013, the PPDs budget has risen by $231 million. While the 2013 budget was $557 million, the now-adopted 2023 budget is $788 million. This was an 8 percent increase from the preceding 2022 budget.

The citys police union sought to justify its pay raises on the grounds that this would make police more accountable. In reality, the exact opposite has happened.

In preceding years in which the budget has been raised, police-related shootings went up. From 2015-2016, the PPDs budget was increased by $50 million. In 2015 there were 10 officer-involved shootings and in 2016 there were 26 officer-involved shootings. In 2016 alone the PPD made 20,503 arrests.

The Philadelphia Democratic Partys raising of the police budget comes alongside a general growth in open support for law enforcement among the political establishment.

According to the Philadephia Inquirer, [t]he public safety spending plan received final approval  and ended up sailing through Council with little public disagreement among members. It added that this came just two years after Council voted to effectively freeze police funding following the murder of George Floyd.

This shift in support also occurred among phony progressives, who during the anti-police violence protests corralled mass opposition into support for the Democratic Party with promises of reform and defunding the police.

Kendra Brooks, a Philadelphia city council member and representative of the Democratic Party-aligned Working Families Party, opposed raising the budget in 2021. In 2020, Brooks declared that [d]isplays of excessive force against protesters, hostility toward journalists, and rallies behind violent vigilante groups have further called into question whether the PPDs budget is justified.

This year, however, Brooks declared, I am voting for the budget to recognize the numerous improvements that it contains, which will undoubtedly improve our citys ability to support residents. Brooks tried to balance this full-throated endorsement for more weapons and military equipment for the police by stating the city must do more to put forward a real vision for recovery, safety, and stability.

Brooks typifies the affluent and grasping middle class layer that is drawn to the Democratic Party. As a member of the Philadelphia City Council, she makes around $130,000 in a city where the median household income is $49,127 and where 19.4 percent of residents live in poverty.

The budget increase is being doled out to a police force notorious for its violent and abusive behavior. A report from 2021 indicated that out of around 9,000 civilian complaints against PPD officers, only 0.5 percent, or about 45 incidents, ever go beyond a simple reprimand. Not a single allegation of civil rights violation was ever dealt with by serious measures.

In May, members of the South Philadelphia Task Force were charged with first degree murder for the killing of an unarmed 12 year old, Thomas Siderio Jr.

Siderio, who was white, was shot while essentially facedown on the sidewalk by Edsaul Mendoza, an African American police officer, according to the citys district attorney.

Since 2015, nearly 7,500 people have been shot and killed by police officers across America. Police violence impacts workers regardless of their race. While African American and Hispanic workers are disproportionately killed by the police, the largest number of victims are white.

Further demonstrating the citys assault on the working class, the 2023 budget includes tax cuts for business income. The rate was previously 6.2 percent but is now being cut to just 5.9 percent. The depleting tax revenue, coupled with the increase in policing, will serve to deepen poverty in the city while cutting the population off from means to improve their situation.
At the conclusion of this weeks NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, the members of NATO, including most European states as well as the United States and Canada, adopted a strategy document outlining plans to militarize the European continent, massively escalate the war with Russia, and prepare for war with China.

The NATO Summit in Madrid. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)

The document pledges to deliver the full range of forces needed for high-intensity, multi-domain warfighting against nuclear-armed peer-competitors.

An excerpt from the strategy document

In a sea change from the last strategy document, first published in 2010, the new NATO strategy document proclaims that the Euro-Atlantic area is not at peaceall but declaring that the alliance is at war. This is despite the fact that none of the members of the NATO alliance have declared any war within the Euro-Atlantic area.

The document declares that The Euro-Atlantic area is not at peace.

The strategic framework document openly adopts the language of power politics, better known by its German name, Machtpolitik. It references the word interests seven times, declaring that both China and Russia challenge the Alliances interests.

The previous NATO strategic framework, published in 2010, used the word interests only once, in pledging to enhance the political consultations and practical cooperation with Russia in areas of shared interests.

While the 2010 document named Russia a partner, this year's strategic framework proclaims Russia a threat and China a challenge. The new NATO strategy document explicitly justifies these designations by declaring that these countries challenge our interests.

It declares that The PRC [Peoples Republic of China] seeks to control key technological and industrial sectors, critical infrastructure, and strategic materials and supply chains. It uses its economic leverage to create strategic dependencies and enhance its influence.

The document asserts that Chinas economic development (expressed as control) conflicts with the interests of NATO members.

In order to preserve their interests, the allies pledge to significantly strengthen deterrence and defense.

Critically, the document asserts that the series of actions that triggered the war in Ukraine have been a success, declaring NATOs enlargement has been a historic success. The Kremlin justified its invasion of Ukraine by claiming that Ukraines efforts to join NATO and the deployment of nuclear weapons on Russias border constituted a threat to its national security.

The NATO document doubles down on the expansion of the military alliance, declaring, We reaffirm our Open Door policy.  Our door remains open to all European democracies that share the values of our Alliance. It adds, Decisions on membership are taken by NATO Allies and no third party has a say in this process.

The war now raging in Ukraine is the largest in Europe since the Second World War, and has already killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians and Russians. In describing the expansion of NATO as having been a success, the alliance effectively declares that these deaths, and many more to come, are acceptable costs for protecting the interests of the alliances members.

In response to the challenges to the alliances interests, the NATO members have pledged a program of militarization that will affect all aspects of society. It declares, In an environment of strategic competition, we will enhance our global awareness and reach to deter, defend, contest and deny across all domains and directions, in line with our 360-degree approach.

The document further states, As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance, and the alliance pledges to ensure a substantial and persistent presence on land, at sea, and in the air, including through strengthened integrated air and missile defense. The document adds that NATOs nuclear deterrence posture also relies on the United States nuclear weapons forward-deployed in Europe and the contributions of Allies concerned.

The achievement of the goals set out in the document requires a massive expansion of the troops, munitions, and supply chains necessary for war fighting. We will deter and defend forward with robust in-place, multi-domain, combat-ready forces, enhanced command and control arrangements, prepositioned ammunition and equipment and improved capacity and infrastructure to rapidly reinforce any Ally, including at short or no notice.

The NATO strategy document does not acknowledge or recognize any competing priorities for military resources. The words hunger, poverty and unemployment do not appear, nor is there any reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed tens of millions worldwide and 1 million in the United States alone.

The comments of US president Joe Biden were fully consistent with the tone of this document.

At a post-summit press conference, Biden boasted: We provided Ukraine with nearly $7 billion in security assistance since I took office. In the next few days, we intend to announce more than $800 million more, including a new advanced Western air defense system for Ukraine, more artillery and ammunition, counter-battery radars, additional ammunition for the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system weve already given Ukraine and more HIMARS coming from other countries as well.

He added that the total commitment of the US allies included nearly 140,000 anti-tank systems, more than 600 tanks, nearly 500 artillery systems, more than 600,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, as well as advanced multiple launch rocket systems, anti-ship systems, and air defense systems.

Yet when asked about the costs to the American public of the war, Biden did not indicate that this was even taken into consideration.

At the press conference, Biden was asked by a reporter, G7 leaders this week pledged to support Ukraine, quote, for as long as it takes. And Im wondering if you would explain what that means to the American peoplefor as long as it takes. Does it mean indefinite support from the United States for Ukraine? Or will there come a time when you have to say to President Zelenskyy that the United States cannot support his country any longer?

Biden replied, We are going to support Ukraine as long as it takes.

Another reporter asked about the high price of gasoline in the United States and around the world  How long is it fair to expect American drivers and drivers around the world to pay that premium for this war?

Biden reiterated, As long as it takes.

Biden: Gas prices will be high for As long as it takes.

Bidens declaration is effectively an unlimited pledge of social resources for the war effort. Having gutted COVID-19 funding, meaning that uninsured workers will be forced to pay out of pocket for vaccines and COVID-19 hospitalization, the American ruling class is pressing ahead with funneling vast social resources into the war effort.

The plans outlined in the latest NATO strategy document will have incalculable consequences, not only for the war itself, but also in the endless diversion of social resources to military spending, which will be coupled with the slashing of spending for health care and pensions, and reductions in workers wages.

As workers enter into struggle all over the world against the surging cost of living, it is critical that they take up as a critical demand the struggle against war and militarism.
Last week the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Supreme Court postponed the trial of Bruce Lehrmann, charged in August 2021 with sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins, a parliamentary staffer at the federal parliament in March 2019. Lehrmann has strenuously rejected the charges and denied that any form of sexual activity occurred.

Lisa Wilkinson speaking at Logies award night. (Image: YouTube screen grab)

The court decision was in response to a Logie acceptance speech by Network 10 journalist Lisa Wilkinson at this years Australian television award night. The high-profile journalist won a Logie for her exclusive interview with Higgins on the networks The Project in 2021.

In her speech Wilkinson thanked Higgins for trusting her and The Project with the story. She praised Higgins for courage, bravery and changing the national conversation around allegations of sexual abuse.

Steve Whybrow, Lehrmanns barrister, successfully argued that Wilkinsons speech and an interview later that night, as well as comments the following day by radio broadcasters Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones, were a potential contempt of court and could impact on the impartiality of the jury trial.

Whybrow told the court that his client had no interest in delaying the trial which was due to begin on June 27, but wanted it to be a fair trial.

ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum concurred. Wilkinsons speech, she bluntly declared, had obliterated the distinction between an untested allegation and the fact of guilt. The implicit premise of Wilkinsons speech, she added, was to endorse the credibility of the complainant, whose story she herself had publicised.

The trial of the allegation against the accused has occurred, not in the constitutionally established forum it must, as a matter of law, but in the media The public at large has been given to believe that guilt is established. The importance of the rule of law has been set at nil, McCallum said.

The chief justice concluded that any directions given to a jury, prior to empanelment or during the trial to ignore Wilkinsons speech and similar public comments, could not adequately address the prejudice that could have been engendered by the recent publicity.

As a result, Chief Justice McCallum concluded, regrettably and with gritted teeth, the trial must be delayed. Late last week, the court ruled that the trial will begin on October 4.

In April, McCallum rejected an application from defence lawyers that the case be permanently stayed or postponed. Lehrmanns lawyers argued that a fair trial before a jury was not possible because of widespread media comment on the case.

Last week, however, the chief justice told the court she had made a mistake in refusing a bid for suppression orders to prevent further publications about the case. I trusted the press you were right, and I was wrong, she said.

Wilkinson, who was to appear as a prosecution witness in the trial, was given a clear and appropriate warning by ACT Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shane Drumgold on June 15.

Echoing previous statements by Chief Justice Mc Callum, he told Wilkinson to say nothing about the case at the Logies event. Wilkinson, who told Drumgold that she did not expect to win the award, ignored his warnings.

Wilkinson has been publicly pilloried by numerous journalists and television personalities on social and mainstream media, including Murdoch-owned newspapers and its Sky News.

The Australian weighed in on June 23 with a cynical editorial about the need for accountable journalism and the dangers of uncritically accepting social media allegations. It was necessary, the newspaper declared, to observe the norms of responsible publishing and the self-restraint necessary to maintain civil discourseand public confidence in our independent courts.

This from a publishing empire that has been in the forefront of vicious #MeToo-style attacks on Geoffrey Rush, John Jarratt, Craig McLachlan, to name just a few of its local victims.

No charges were ever laid against Rush, who won a $2.9 million defamation suit against Murdochs Daily Telegraph, while Jarratt and McLachlan were found not guilty of sexual assault charges. Despite these legal victories, Rush, Jarratt and McLachlan have not worked again, their acting careers effectively destroyed.

Wilkinsons speech, apparently checked by Network Ten, was not an emotive outburst by a novice. It was a carefully prepared effort by a highly experienced magazine editor and journalist, and an active proponent of #MeToo.

Lisa Wilkinson and Brittany Higgins (Image: Lisa Wilkinson Instagram)

Notwithstanding all the public criticism of Wilkinson, nothing has been said about the media establishments ongoing marketing of #MeToo.

From the outset, the corporate media has treated #MeToos explicit anti-democratic declaration that women must be believed, which if accepted overturns the presumption of innocence and other legal principles, as good coin.

That Wilkinson should forget about how to avoid contempt of court, hardly comes as a surprise. Her interview with Higgins, and its legally untested claims, were used to spark a media frenzy, including the leaking of the name of the accused and assertions of his guilt.

Then followed other sexual assault accusations, this time against then Attorney-General Christian Porter. He was alleged to have raped a woman, decades earlier in 1988 when he was a teenager. While the allegations were unprovable because the woman died in 2020 and there were no charges, Porter was forced to step down.

The corporate media, backed by Labor and the Greens, then promoted nationwide protests on March 15, presenting them as a historic turning point in the struggle against millennia of discrimination and sexual tyranny.

Above all, Wilkinsons award acceptance speech is a further exposure of the contempt #MeToo advocates have towards presumption of innocence and basic legal rights.

Contrary to its claims, this right-wing movement has nothing to do with defending womens rights but is based on selfish, career-driven aspirations of upper-middle class layers, indifferent to basic democratic rights of ordinary people, men and women alike. Wilkinson, like other local well-heeled leading lights championing #MeToo, is one of highest paid journalists in Australia. Her annual salary from Network 10 is reportedly $1.7 million and was paid $400,000 by HarperCollins for her autobiography It Wasnt Meant To Be Like This published last year.



The fact that the Logies judges considered Wilkinsons television interview with Higgins and its unsubstantiated and legally untested allegations Australian televisions Most Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs Report in 2021, says much about the degenerated state of the corporate media.

Two nights before the nationally-broadcast event at Australias Gold Coast, British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that she had approved WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assanges extradition to the United States. If extradited the Australian citizen faces 18 charges under the Espionage Act and 175 years imprisonment for exposing US war crimes and other illegal activities.

Unsurprisingly, this did not elicit a single comment from the stars of Australian television journalism gathered at the lavish Gold Coast event.

With one or two notable exceptions, this privileged social layer, has played a key malicious role, recirculating government lies hurled against Assange, including the fraudulent Swedish sexual assault allegations, denied the illegal, torturous nature of his imprisonment, and provided political cover for all the Australian governments who have refused to secure his release.
The two-day NATO summit in Madrid, which ended yesterday, was dominated by the military alliances preparations for war against the nuclear powers Russia and China. NATOs new Strategic Concept describes Russia as the most significant and direct threat to Allies security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. NATO cannot consider the Russian Federation to be our partner and will significantly strengthen deterrence and defence for all allies.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a media conference at the NATO summit in Madrid [AP Photo/Manu Fernandez]

For the first time in NATOs history, the alliance also has China in its crosshairs. The newly adopted NATO strategy speaks of malicious hybrid and cyber operations, disinformation and confrontational rhetoric, among other things. It therefore plans to address the systemic challenges posed by the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] to Euro-Atlantic security and ensure NATOs enduring ability to guarantee the defence and security of Allies.

The cynicism is breathtaking. In fact, it is the NATO powers, and their imperialist allies in the South Pacificincluding Japan and Australia, both of which were represented in Madridwho are the aggressors in world politics. They have been waging war almost continuously for 30 years and have reduced entire countries to rubble. Russia and China have also been systematically encircled with the aim of weakening and militarily subjugating these resource-rich and geostrategically important countries.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a desperate and, at its core, reactionary response by the capitalist Putin regime to NATOs war policy, which is now being further escalated. The summit launched measures directly aimed at expanding the NATO-led proxy war in Ukraine into an all-out war against Russia.

With the accession of Finland and Sweden, NATO is turning Scandinavia and the entire Baltic Sea into a second front in the war against Russia. Finland alone has a land border with Russia that is more than 1,300 kilometres long. Should military contingents and military infrastructure be stationed in these states, Russia would be forced to respond in kind, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat on Thursday.

NATO has decided to turn the whole of Europe into a military staging area for war against Russia. NATOs rapid reaction force (NRF) will be increased from 40,000 to well over 300,000 soldiers, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced at a press conference. The battle groups in the eastern part of the alliance would be strengthened up to brigade level.

All in all, it concerns the biggest restructuring of our collective deterrence and defence since the Cold Wara euphemism for the preparations now underway for a devastating hot war. What is planned, he said, was, More pre-positioned equipment, and stockpiles of military supplies. More forward-deployed capabilities, like air defence. Strengthened command and control. And upgraded defence plans, with forces pre-assigned to defend specific Allies.

The forces deployed would then exercise together with home defence forces. And they will become familiar with local terrain, facilities, and our new pre-positioned stocks. This would enable them to respond smoothly and swiftly to any emergency. Specifically, the troops are to be ready for war within a few days. According to a report in Der Spiegel, the new NATO documents speak of a so-called notice to effect. According to this, troop units would not only have to be ready to leave within 10 days but would have to arrive at the place of operations and be ready to fight; the rest would have to be ready within 30 days at the latest.

The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) is playing a central role in this massive rearmament. In future, we will provide credible and substantial support for the new force structure, whose forces the NATO Secretary General has put at 300,000 for the first hours and days of a crisis, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at his press conference at the summit.

Germany had set the standard in the alliance with its announcement to keep a combat brigade [i.e., up to 5,000 soldiers] exclusively available for the defence of alliance territory in Lithuania. In addition, he said, the offer to provide a regional naval command for the Baltic Sea region will enable us to assume leadership responsibility in the maritime domain.

And that is far from all. In addition, and in high readiness, the Bundeswehr will permanently maintain at its core an armoured division in the order of 15,000 soldiers for the defence of north-eastern Europe, over 60 aircraft and up to 20 naval units, Scholz added.

Scholz made clear that the ruling class in Germany regarded the offensive against Russia as an opportunity to increase its own weight within Europe and NATO, and to re-establish itself as a leading imperialist power after losing two world wars in the 20th century. As a logistical hub in Europe, Germany made a strategically important contribution to NATOs collective defence capability, Scholz explained.

Eighty-one years ago, on June 22, 1941, Hitlers army, the Wehrmacht, invaded the Soviet Union and began a war of extermination that claimed the lives of at least 27 million Soviet citizens. Despite these monstrous crimes, the thrust of German imperialism is once again directed towards the East.

Today, in coordination with NATO, we have already expanded our presence on the eastern flank geographically, and, among other things, by contributing to air surveillance in Poland and Romania with Eurofighters as well as to the NATO unit in Slovakia with currently 500 soldiers and the high-value Patriot capability, Scholz boasted.

Then, as if moved by the old militaristic megalomania, he exulted that Germany would further expand its contribution on land, at sea and in the air. Among other things, he offered to establish a regional maritime command for the Baltic Sea in Rostock. In addition, he promised that in future, the Bundeswehr will maintain an armoured division for north-eastern Europe, among other things.

Scholz also used his appearance to defend the massive German arms deliveries to Ukraine, many of which are going to right-wing extremist forces in the Ukrainian army and the countrys so-called territorial defence. It was right, what we are doing, that we are supplying weapons to Ukraine, he declared. This included, of course, the self-propelled howitzers that we have delivered and the multiple rocket launchers, but also, all those deliveries that we provide for defence against attacks from the air. This course would be continued in this way.

He said the same applied to the historic rearmament of the Bundeswehr that he had announced previously. No one should believe that when the 100 billion from the special fund is spent, there will suddenly no longer be a requirement to continue investing accordingly, he threatened. However, for the change of direction one needed to set the points, so to speak and this was the 100 billion euro Bundeswehr special fund.

Scholzs press conference and the NATO summit are more than a warning. The imperialist ruling elite have made clear they are preparing for a devastating third world war, for which the working class will pay in every way. As cannon fodder on the battlefields, and in the form of massive attacks on social and democratic rights, and in financing and enforcing the war policy. The only way to prevent a catastrophe is to build a socialist movement of the international working class against war and its root cause: capitalism.
The Socialist Equality Party calls on workers, students and professional people to attend its online meeting on Sunday July 10, at 3 p.m. AEST to defend and free Julian Assange. Check the meeting time in your timezone and register now to attend the meeting.

Last month, British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that her government had approved the extradition of the WikiLeaks publisher to the United States, where he faces 175 years imprisonment for exposing US-led war crimes.

Assanges lawyers are seeking a further appeal for the British courts. But Patels announcement makes clear that the fight to free the WikiLeaks founder has reached a new stage of urgency. Assanges very life is in danger. At the same time, Australias new Labor-led government has made crystal clear that it will do nothing to defend Assange, despite the fact that he is a persecuted Australian citizen.

Patels order is the latest stage in a decade-long conspiracy against Assange, involving the US, British and Australian authorities. They have trampled on all of his legal and democratic rights, and perpetrated what outgoing United Nations Rapporteur Nils Melzer branded as state torture against Assange. The WikiLeaks founder has not committed a single crime. His supposed wrongdoing has been to shed light on the illegal wars of the last 30 years, their mass killings and violations of international law.

The stepped-up pursuit of Assange coincides with a further escalation of imperialist war. The journalist who revealed to the worlds population the crimes of the previous imperialist wars in the Middle East and Central Asia is being silenced while the perpetrators are preparing new wars and crimes across the globe.

The US and NATO are now engaged in a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. At the same time, Washington is confronting China in the Asia-Pacific. The recently-concluded NATO summit openly presented these as two fronts in a single conflict.

The US-led confrontations have nothing to do with protecting human rights or democracy, as the persecution of Assange makes clear. Instead, they are part of a new imperialist redivision of the world, which threatens a global catastrophe.

The persecution of Assange is an attack on the mass opposition among workers and young people to these war policies. It is intended as a precedent for broader frame-ups and victimisations. This is being pursued, as part of a turn to authoritarian forms of rule, directed against a resurgence of working-class struggle, including major strikes in Britain, the US and Australia.

At this meeting, Socialist Equality Party speakers from Australia and Britain will outline the need for a stepped-up campaign for Assanges freedom. As with the struggle against war, securing Assanges freedom requires the mobilisation of the international working-class, the only constituency for democratic rights.

Register now at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zlegb7BRQMaZjX_aDZpv4g

Local timezone conversions:

Sydney, Australia  Sunday July 10 at 3:00 pm (AEST)

London, United Kingdom  Sunday July 10 at 6:00 am (BST)

Paris, France  Sunday July 10 at 7:00 am (CEST)

New York, USA  Sunday July 10 at 1:00 am (EDT)

Mumbai, India  Sunday July 10 at 10:30 am (IST)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Sunday July 10 at 2:00 am (BRT)

Lagos, Nigeria  Sunday July 10 at 6:00 am (WAT)

Wellington, New Zealand  Sunday July 10 at 5:00 pm (NZST)
The current US Congressional hearings into the events of January 6, 2021 have exposed harsh truths about the diseased, precarious state of American democracy.

The hearings have incontrovertibly proven that Donald Trump and his allies led a serious, determined effort to overthrow the constitutional system and establish a fascistic presidential dictatorship, that this conspiracy embraced a substantial portion of the Republican Party, the judiciary and no doubt elements within the military, that it came within minutes (or perhaps seconds) and inches of succeeding and that its failure was not the result of any organized resistance whatsoever but rather happenstance, logistics, inexperience and so on.

This last fact needs to be emphasized. The American media is eternally generating heroes, and yet even it has not been able to come up with a single political figure identified with resistance to the January 6 insurrection, not one daring or gallant action, no photo opportunity, nothing. Fleeing politicians, people hiding beneath their seatsnot an image, a phrase, a gesture associated with opposition, not one act of even symbolic confrontation.

The ongoing hearings have revealed the magnitude of the event. They have brought to light important, even explosive new facts. But the latter only raise more starkly this issue: Why has it taken 18 months to make the public aware of the reality? In any event, there is not the slightest indication that the hearings will become the basis for any action. President Biden continues to refer to members of the Republican Party as my friends.

It is clearer than ever that neither before nor during the coup was there any attempt to forestall or obstruct it in any way. Now, the contrast between the scale of the crimes revealed and the meagerness of the reaction is staggering.

Why did this fascistic coup come so close to succeeding?

Its preparation was no secret; it was organized in plain sight to a large degree. Trump spelled out his plans again and again in the weeks and months leading up to the 2020 election.

The WSWS at the time pointed repeatedly to the ongoing threat. In September 2020, for example, we commented that Trump is an out-and-out fascist who is conspiring to erect a presidential dictatorship... If the [presidential] debate made one thing clear, it is that he will not accept the outcome of the election. In October, we argued that Trump has a strategy to steal the election, the Democrats have no strategy to oppose it. A score of such citations could be presented.

No faction or individual in the political establishment attempted to prevent Trumps criminal operation ahead of time. No one alerted the population to the immense risks it confronted in January 2021. The democratic rights of the American people were left entirely vulnerable for the fascist rabble to trample on.

On January 6 itself, there was no effort to put down the coup detat while it was in progress. Trumps extreme right supporters came close to murdering leading officials in the US government. Biden issued no statement for hours. Nor did Nancy Pelosi or Charles Schumer. The military and the police-intelligence agencies bided their time, waiting to see who would come out on top.

The coup attempt was not halted, it merely petered out. A grand total of 60 people were detained January 6on the occasion of a concerted, violent effort to overturn the American government and the Constitution in operation for 232 yearsat the US Capitol, in downtown Washington D.C. and along the National Mall, combined. Only 10 were arrested on the spot for unlawfully entering the Capitol, where they planned to assassinate leaders of Congress. The coup plotters, for the most part, made their way home and lived to fight another day.

Had the coup succeeded, it would have been accepted by the Democrats and the political-media establishment. Their preoccupation would have been to block, demobilize and demoralize popular opposition. Just as the Democrats accepted the theft of the 2000 election, they would have accepted the suppression of what remained of American democracy.

Had the Democrats planned to act against Trump and the fascist coup makers, they would have done so by now. They will do nothing. This is an imperialist party, a party of Wall Street and the oligarchs, propped up by the trade unions and the upper-middle class race and gender fanatics. The Democrats fear arousing the population against the far right, which all the present circumstances render entirely possible, a thousand times more than they fear each and every far-right conspiracy.

The Democrats primarily differed with Trump while he was in power over his handling of foreign policy, the Ukraine-Russia situation in particular. They wanted him to be more focused and aggressive against the Putin regimeit was this on which they based their impeachment efforts, not the presidents obvious dictatorial tendencies.

The inaction of the Democratic Party in response to January 6, despite the hand-wringing and verbal jousting, comes as no surprise. No less passive and no less criminal roles were played by the AFL-CIO and the rest of the labor federations. In the modern era, resistance to far-right dictatorship depends upon the existence of a powerful, politically vigilant working class movement. On January 6, the AFL-CIO was an irrelevancy. Then-President Richard Trumka did nothing to mobilize resistance, issued no call for a general strike or widespread protest. The only intervention along these lines was the spontaneous action of Twitter employees to cut off Trumps account and halt his fascist provocations.

The rabidly chauvinist, pro-capitalist American union hierarchy would not be especially troubled by the prospect of a dictatorship in the US. After all, it has helped organize enough of them in Latin America, Africa and elsewhere.

The absence of opposition to January 6 extends to the academic world. Is there a single prominent intellectual who has spoken out or offered a way forward in the face of Trumps coup? Professor Noam Chomsky rightly observed that the January 6 participants were united in the effort to overthrow an elected government, but then went on to blame [white peoples] fear of losing our country for many of the difficulties.

Authors Sinclair Lewis, Jack London and Philip Roth, among others, turned the fascist danger in America into convincing fiction. Now that the threat is more actual than at any time in US history, shamefully, the novelists, poets and dramatists have nothing to say.

The upper-middle class pseudo-left refused to take the coup attempt seriously. Historian Bryan Palmer, for example, claimed that the events of January 6 were not an insurrection and derided those who warned about their significance: Hyperbole flowed as the trail of tears grew to a tidal wave. Jacobin magazine lulled its readers to sleep, arguing that the defeat of the January 6 attempt and its quick repudiation by the political and economic elite made plain that there is currently little base in the state or among big capital for a Trumpist coup. Jacobin issued this immortal pronouncement: Capital, it seems, is still committed to liberal democracy.

Whats left of academic radicalism has been fatally infected by the race and gender obsession. For such people, class has been abolished as a gauge in politics. While Trump was putting together his plans for authoritarian rule, the identity politics forces in Hollywood, on campuses and in the media were maniacally focused on the persecution and prosecution of individuals over allegations of sexual abuse. To them, Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen and Kevin Spacey represented a far graver danger than the fascist mobs.

The refusal of these elements to resist the extreme rights attempt to seize the US government has been mirrored in their attitude toward the murderous COVID-19 pandemic and the US-NATO proxy war with Russia, which threatens a new world war.

A vast flood of cash has corrupted the media, academic life and artistic circles. Following stock market and real estate values and pursuing ones career have largely replaced a serious concern for social issues and the fate of the broad masses.

Frederick Engels, in 1886, observed that insofar as the German intelligentsia had set up its temple in the Stock Exchange, it had lost the aptitude for purely scientific investigation, irrespective of whether the result obtained was practically applicable or not, whether likely to offend the police authorities or not. The old fearless zeal for theory had been replaced by an anxious concern for career and income, descending to the most vulgar job-hunting. That process has metastasized in our day.

Only one movement was correct in its analysis and warnings on a daily basis of the Trump plotthe WSWS, the Socialist Equality Party and the International Committee of the Fourth International.

The WSWS is the expression of the objective, revolutionary role of the working class, and it consciously articulates the organic resistance of workers to capitalism. As this resistance becomes more pronounced, as militancy and open struggle re-emerge, the correlation between the WSWS and the struggles of the working class will become more evident and powerfully intersect.

The January 6 coup and the response of the entire political establishment to it demonstrates that opposition to dictatorship can only come from a movement that is based on the working class and fights for the overthrow of capitalism. The WSWS does not have to suppress the truth because the program of revolutionary socialism corresponds to the logic of objective developments. The exposure of capitalism is critical to the development of a movement for socialism.

Those who recognize the necessity of this struggle must make the decision to join the SEP.
The Supreme Court ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday, deciding that it did not have the authority to regulate pollution from power plants on a nationwide basis. In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the conservative majority on the court has taken a provocative and reactionary action defending the interests of the fossil fuel industry.

Emissions from a coal-fired power plant are silhouetted against the setting sun in Kansas City, Missouri, February 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

At the center of the ruling is an Obama era policy plan, called the Clean Power Plan, that was drafted in 2015. Under the plan, the EPA would have imposed regulations that restrict carbon emissions from states, primarily caused by power plants, which would have encouraged a transition to renewable energy.

But the Supreme Court blocked that plan in 2016, and it never went into effect. The Trump administration then repealed the plan and imposed its own more lenient policies. That Trump era plan was also blocked by the federal appeals court in Washington D.C, which ruled that the EPA could in fact adopt broad policy plans.

Despite neither the Obama nor Trump emissions plans being in effect, several Republican states and two coal companies preemptively sued the Biden administration, expecting him to introduce a plan similar to Obamas. But Bidens emissions plan never came, leaving legal experts to expect the court to overlook the case.

To their surprise, however, the Supreme Court took up the case in West Virginia v. EPA. The resultant ruling is effectively a ban on a policy that does not actually exist, instead attacking future policies and limiting the broader regulatory power of federal agencies.

In his brief on the ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Actinitially passed in 1970, years before federal regulators had any serious knowledge of climate changedid not give the EPA the express authority from Congress to regulate statewide emissions. The ruling still allows the environmental agency to regulate individual power plants but severely limits its ability to combat climate change caused by the fossil fuel industry as a whole.

The Clean Air Act calls for the reduction of air pollution through the best system of emissions reduction, a vague authority that the EPA has cited as the basis for much of its work. The courts ruling states that the act is not specific enough, and that the EPA may not operate beyond the bounds of how Congress has explicitly instructed it to act.

The basis of this ruling is formed on the major questions doctrine, a judicial principle the Supreme Court granted itself in order to rule on issues of vast economic and political significance. In other words, if the court determines an issue to be significant enough, it may utilize an un-enumerated authority to prevent federal agencies from reaching beyond their express written powers granted by Congress.

The significance of this ruling and its legal justification are far reaching. Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law, described the ruling in an interview with CNN as cataclysmic for modern administrative law.

He continued by saying: For a century, the federal government has functioned on the assumption that Congress can broadly delegate regulatory power to executive branch agencies. Todays ruling opens the door to endless challenges to those delegationson everything from climate change to food safety standardson the ground that Congress wasnt specific enough in giving the agency the power to regulate such major issues.

Such a ruling opens the door for the Supreme Court, as well as lower courts, to block regulations on businesses on the grounds that the responsible agencies were not granted specific authority. And there is concern among legal experts at how ill defined the major questions doctrine is.

Its surprisingly unprincipled, said Jay Duffy, an attorney and power plant emissions expert for the Clean Air Task Force, to CNN. Its a can of worms that has been opened and without much guidance as to how important is important. How major is major? I think it could create a lot of problems.

The Supreme Court has also used this doctrine to block regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requiring COVID-19 vaccinations, efforts by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco sales and to overturn the eviction moratorium imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the early stages of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The court had previously ruled in 2007 in Massachusetts v. EPA that the EPA did have the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in general based on the authority of the Clean Air Act. Using the major questions doctrine, the court rejected the EPAs argument that it did not have express authority because the language of the act is sweeping and capacious and that the agency was unjustified in its inaction against climate change.

Dissenting from the courts ruling were three of the current conservative justices: Roberts, Alito and Thomas.

Seeing a chance to undo their previous defeat, the conservative majority of the court decided that they could now drastically change the policy powers of a federal agency, usurping the powers of Congress the court claims to protect.

The political danger of the ruling was captured by Justice Elena Kagan, who wrote that The subject matter of the regulation here makes the Courts intervention all the more troubling. Whatever else this Court may know about, it does not have a clue about how to address climate change. And lets say the obvious: The stakes here are high. Yet the Court today prevents congressionally authorized agency action to curb power plants carbon dioxide emissions. The Court appoints itselfinstead of Congress or the expert agencythe decision-maker on climate policy. I cannot think of many things more frightening.

This decision, along with its deeply reactionary ruling on abortion rights earlier this month, is a demonstration of the courts right-wing political character and the fascistic turn of the Republican Party.

The court has effectively granted itself legislative powers, with the aim of stripping the working class of its hard-won democratic rights and undoing regulatory reforms of the past which might even slightly hinder the pursuit of profit.

The ruling on Roe v. Wade and the creation of many regulatory agencies, including the EPA, came at the end of the liberal period that followed the Second World War and the civil rights movement. Such reforms are now being torn apart by the Supreme Court, which is acting as a theocratic cabal in the service of the Republican Party and the most reactionary elements within the ruling class.

After the elimination of the right to abortion, Clarence Thomas, whose wife was directly involved in the January 6 coup attempt, has been explicit in his intention to target other court rulings, including those that guarantee the right to gay marriage and contraception, among others.

The Democratic Party bears responsibility as well. For over five decades they have failed to establish any comprehensive plan to fight climate change and have refused to grant federal regulators the proper authority and resources to do so.

The Supreme Courts ruling could be undone with the passage of a bill to combat climate change, granting the EPA the express powers that the court demands. But the Democrats have consistently failed to pass any legislation of note. From voting rights to climate change, the Democrats have repeatedly built false promises of reform only to purposely trip at the final hurdle. As the Republicans and the Supreme Court move to attack the rights and protections of the working class, no progressive solution can be found through the feckless politics of the Democratic Party.

In order to fight climate change and defend democratic rights, the working class must take up the fight itself, armed with a social perspective to reorganize society to meet the needs of the vast majority and not the profit interests of a privileged few.
On February 10, 2022, Labcorp announced it had entered a strategic collaboration with hospital giant Ascension Health. The agreement stipulated that Labcorp would manage Ascensions hospital-based laboratories in 10 states and purchase select assets of the health systems outreach laboratory business.

Ascension St. John Hospital workers [Photo by Ascension]

Although the select assets have not been disclosed, for phlebotomists, technicians and other lab workers at Ascension facilities in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, the deal means they are being terminated as full-time hospital employees and must reapply for their jobs with Labcorp.

Ascension Health is the third largest health care network in the US with 143 hospitals and 2,600 medical facilities in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Like the other large hospital systems in the US, the St. Louis-based Ascension Health is the product of the consolidation of the health care industry over the past two decades.

In 2018, St. John Providence Health System, which operated four hospitals and 125 medical facilities in the Detroit Metropolitan area, was acquired by Ascension Health and renamed Ascension Michigan. Since that time, Ascension Michigan has acquired another ten hospitals in the state.

At each step along the path of expansion, Ascension Health has cut costs at the expense of employees and patients alike. The health care conglomerate with an annual revenue in 2021 of more than $20 billion, has closed facilities and laid off thousands of employees in a single-minded drive to improve financial performance and increase the compensation of its executive staff.

While Ascension Health is operated as a not-for-profit entity, the health care system owns a venture capital fund with over $15 billion in assets under management. The CEO of Ascension Health and Chairman of the Board of Ascension Capital, Anthony R. Tersigni, was the second-highest-paid nonprofit health care executive in the US in 2021, with an annual salary of $13,655,282.

Even though Ascension Health received $1.8 billion in government funds under the federal coronavirus CARES Act grants, the management of the organization is continuing with its cost-cutting measures including the termination of full-time employees and their replacement with contract workers.

A veteran lab worker spoke to the World Socialist Web Site about the contracting out of jobs at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit.

Ascension is going to replace all our jobs with contractors. All the work associated with the lab done by techs and phlebotomists is being moved to a different facility in Troy and will be run by Labcorp. We have been told we are no longer Ascension St. John employees.

I was shocked. No one knew this about this. We were told to reapply for our own positions. If you dont accept the offer, once the changeover is done you wont be working here anymore.

We dont know what is going to happen to our benefits. We had a 403 (B) retirement plan, and our contributions were matched by Ascension. Now well be under LabCorp, which has a 401 (K) and hasnt said anything about matching our contributions.

Weve been told we will get comparable medical insurance. At St. John, I had the best plan offered. Are we going to have more co-pays and deductibles now? We dont know. The thousands of dollars we paid into our flex health plans, are we going to get it back? No one is giving us any answers.

Labcorp is one of the largest clinical laboratory networks in the world. It is a very profitable publicly traded corporation with a revenue of $16.1 billion and profits of $2.38 billion (14.8 percent) in 2021. Labcorp is itself the result of consolidation of the medical laboratory market beginning in the 1990s.

The St. John Hospital lab worker continued, I work for a health care company, and I can hardly afford my health insurance. The top pay in the lab is $18.33 an hour and a lot of girls are only making $15 an hour. I can go to a McDonalds for that. There are a lot of other jobs closer by, where I wont have to spend so much on gas. I wouldnt have to risk getting poked with a needle, or worry about getting Covid, AIDS or some other deadly disease. Fast food workers get verbally abused too, but what is the chance of getting hepatitis?

Some of the nurses at the hospital are in a union. Lab workers are not. We were told not to talk to anyone about unionizing and to report it if someone was coming around. It sounds shady to me.

Ascension took over in 2018. A lot has changed. We used to discuss our benefits face to face with people in St. Johns HR department. Now its an out-of-state firm called Sedgwick where everything is done online or email. I used to be able to talk to someone in HR and say, My son lost his job and hes underage, can you put him on my insurance. Now it seems like Sedgwick prolongs everything, asking you for more and more documentation, and making it as hard as possible. This is a life-changing event, and you should be able to add family members to your insurance in between enrollment periods. When my husband lost his job, I was able to get him on my St. Johns health insurance.

We are already down a lot of people and now Ascension says they are in a hiring freeze. The bosses cant hire anybody because of the Labcorp nightmare. They are saying they cant get supplies like butterfly needles to draw blood.

The St. John Hospital lab worker went on to discuss issues with butterfly needles, which are used to draw blood and for intravenous injection and are preferred by medical professionals because they are easier to use and less painful for patients. Butterflies are more expensive. But they are for older people with frail veins, children who move around a lot, or patients whose veins are more difficult to draw blood from. Once youve got the line in, you can change tubes.

But the hospital is only giving us a couple of butterflies per day. We ration them. Weve asked nurses who have come here to get their blood drawn if there is a shortage of these needles in the hospital. They say theyve got lots of butterflies. Weve been told its hard to get these needles from the manufacturers, but other departments and hospitals have plenty of them.

Telling us theres a shortage is a joke. We can do our jobs quicker and easier, and we can do it with less problems with the butterflies. You see someone with frail veins, and you know a straight syringe will blow out their veins. [The smaller needle is easier to place more precisely on veins that are especially fragile, small in size, or that roll]. A butterfly costs about $1 apiece while a straight needle is about half the price. We draw blood from about 125 people a day and up to 150. Is saving $50 or $75 a day worth it? I could do my job faster and will have to poke the patient fewer times. Is the damage done to a person humane?

Everything comes down to cutting costs. Before a MRI is ordered, you first have to have X-rays and blood work, even though a doctor knows you should get a MRI from the beginning.

The bosses arent telling us anything. They say theyll update us through Zoom townhall meetings. But they hold these meetings after the end of our lunchbreaks when were at work. Thats shady. They should have several meetings and space them out so everybody can record or ask questions. In my opinion, they are covering their asses by having online meetings that people cant log into. In the end, the only information you get is word-of-mouth.

There is no question that the capitalist interests controlling the US health care industry took advantage of the pandemic to both reduce staff and take in billions of dollars in government funding to enhance their financial position.

As the lab technician explained, When the pandemic first hit, it was frightening and frustrating. A lot of girls got it. We were constantly working short-staffed. They were offering premium pay to draw blood in the Covid wards, and a lot of us got Covid. They told us not to wear masks because it would scare the patients. That was until the CDC said we should wear masks. I was making masks for my co-workers because we werent getting any from the hospital.

The outpatient workers are at the bottom of the totem pole in a hospitalits frustrating. When you are drawing blood, you are face-to-face with your patients. Things have slacked down with safety, and you dont see masks at the stores or in public. But at the hospital they check for a mask at the door. There are a lot of arguments and sometimes people get escorted out.

People are sick and everybody is high-strung about the economy, getting transportation to the hospital and other things. A lot of elderly people are hard of hearing and rely on lip reading. Its a lot harder for them to do that when you are wearing a mask. Sometimes people get angry and take it out on us.

If a patient gets hurt, its always our fault and bosses blame the technicians. Were always under stress, asking ourselves are we saying the right things to patients. Are we going to get in trouble? Ive seen a nurse get punched. I dont know how the nurses do it. They are working 10-hour and 12-hour shifts.

There are so many patients for every nurse. When the pandemic first hit, we got critical pay for working back-to-back 12-hour shifts. The pay was good, and they were begging workers to come in. But I was so tired my eyes were getting blurry, and I had to get out. Thats not a life for the nurses and thats why there is so much burnout. After four days, you need a couple of days just to recover.
The reading list for a Muskego High School English class has become a national talking point after district leaders said staff had to reconsider their selection of a book that delves into the U.S. incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The Wisconsin school district leaders have denied interview requests and issued a vague statement about why the book, When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka, isn't moving forward as part of the Accelerated English curriculum. They said staff had to start over their process for choosing a new book for the class.

In recent weeks, more than 100 parents and others have signed a petition asking the district to accept the book. National organizations and Otsuka herself have weighed in about the value of the text.

Banned books explained: Book bans are on the rise. What are the most banned books and why?

A June 13 school board committee meeting, where the book was not approved, was not recorded, according to Muskego-Norway Schools administrative assistant Laurie Buxengard. The district has not posted or provided minutes, which Buxengard said will be presented at the next board meeting July 18.

Parents in attendance, including Ann Zielke and Alison Hapeman, who support the book, told the Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, that committee member Laurie Kontney said she thought staff chose the book because it was "diverse" and that should not be the basis of choosing it.

Kontney, in an email, said her words have been spun to meet a narrative and she wants to see a wider pool of book options considered. She also said she didn't think the book was rigorous enough to prepare students for the Advanced Placement English course and exam, arguing the book doesn't appear on lists of top books referenced on the exam or recommended for the AP course.

"When the Emperor was Divine" book cover

She did not grant interview requests to discuss the issue further.

Superintendent Kelly Thompson, committee chair Terri Boyer and board president Christopher Buckmaster also have not agreed to interviews with the Journal Sentinel.

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Boyer did send a statement saying the book didnt move forward because of concerns that the selection process had been discriminatory. She didnt explain what that meant, or say what may have been discriminatory about the process.

Another board member who was in attendance but not on the committee, Brett Hyde, said committee members seemed to think the point of view of the book, of Japanese people being incarcerated, was too similar to an excerpt from another book taught in the class.

District staff first asked the board for approval of the book, along with four other new reading materials for other classes, in April, after an internal selection process. In the staff memo, they said the book was chosen as an update as part of a College Board review cycle.

While the board approved materials for the other classes, Otsuka's novel was held for weeks before being sent back to staff for reconsideration. Boyer didn't clarify whether staff could recommend the same book after going through the process again.

Zielke, a district parent who has been speaking out and organizing support for the book since it came up in April, said she hopes the board will reopen discussion about the book and hear from specialists in diversity in education.

"There are members of the community who didnt feel heard in this process, or seen or cared about," she said.

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Board members say book 'too poetic,' suggest a 'different angle'

Of the three-person board committee, Tracy Blair was the only committee member to talk to the Journal Sentinel.

Blair said her problem with the book was that she "didnt feel it was a very good book, was too poetic, and had bad reviews online. She also didnt like that the characters didnt have names.

It was just a hard book to read, Blair said in an interview. She had too much poetry in it.

Asked why she thought staff had chosen the book, Blair said she didnt know, as it was her first meeting as part of the committee.

The book, published in 2002, was well-received by literary critics and has won awards from the American Library Association, the Asian American Writers' Workshop and  just this year  the Children's Literature Association.

Hyde said, from what he heard at the meeting, committee members felt the book was too similar in terms of the viewpoint and the timeframe to a chapter from Farewell to Manzanar.

The view was coming from the same point  both people who were interned at the camp, and I dont think that the committee felt that was a broad enough selection, as far as trying to get a different angle on everything," he said.

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Hyde suggested there could be reading material from another "angle," such as something about the Pearl Harbor attack that would provide some history as to why the citizens of Japanese descent were viewed as a threat and what was the reasoning to have them put into the internment camps.

The debate over the book comes as conservative school board candidates nationwide, including Kontney, have run campaigns demanding more oversight of curriculum materials and opposing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

"Many of the topics around 'social justice' are no longer about social justice, rather, targeted propaganda designed to divide people and teach our children to not love our country," Kontney wrote on her campaign's Facebook page in March, before the book came before the committee.

Hyde, asked whether he thought the political movement of scrutinizing diverse curriculum was influencing the debate, said there is a concern about going too far teaching one part of history or one part of social ideas.

"I do think the concern is out there that we want to make sure that we don't miss out on the American culture that we've grown up with," he said, noting that he didn't think classes should focus too much on certain parts of history  like the incarceration of Japanese Americans.

We shouldn't focus on it and have all that we're teaching are the mistakes that have been made in the past, again, by a culture that we have absolutely no right to judge based on our moral standards today, Hyde said.

Book's author believes lessons more important than ever

After the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, U.S. authorities forcibly removed nearly all of the 120,000 Japanese people in the country from their homes and incarcerated them in remote areas under harsh conditions for most of the war. Two-thirds were U.S. citizens.

A congressional commission that studied the incarceration concluded it had been based on racism, pointing out that no mass detention was ordered against German and Italian Americans.

President Ronald Reagan later officially apologized on behalf of the U.S. government and authorized $20,000 in reparations for each internee who was still alive.

Otsuka, the book's author, said it's important for students to learn from the past and consider how racism against Asian Americans persists today.

Given the level of hatred that Asian Americans are experiencing in this current moment  every time we step out onto the street we are fearful  I think it is more important than ever that students learn about this countrys racist past," Otsuka said in a statement provided to the Journal Sentinel.

She continued: "For so long we have been seen as foreign, as the other, and if, by reading my novel, students are able to better understand  and empathize with  a family that may not resemble theirs at all, then I will consider my job done. Reading is a radical act of empathy.

The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, which shares the legacy of a location where over 14,000 Japanese people were incarcerated, Tweeted an invitation to the school district leaders to meet with them virtually or in person to talk about the history.

The executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, David Inoue, also weighed in with a letter to board members.

"The call for a 'balanced' viewpoint in the context of the incarceration of Japanese Americans is deeply problematic, and racist, and plays into the same fallacies the United States Army used to justify the incarceration," Inoue said.

The Wisconsin chapter of the League recently shared the family stories of its members as part of an exhibit at Jewish Museum Milwaukee about the WWII incarceration. Those videos are also available on the chapter's YouTube page.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Banned books: School board blocks book about WWII Japanese Americans
Seven mile beach in the Cayman Islands

Universal Images Group/ Getty Images

The Cayman Islands relaxed entry rules for vaccinated travelers and children on Thursday, eliminating testing and mask rules.

The Caribbean island, which only welcomes vaccinated travelers and unvaccinated visitors under 12, no longer requires pre or post-arrival COVID-19 testing, according to the Cayman Islands Government.

Previously, the Cayman Islands required visitors to get tested the day before their trip and then again several times after arriving.

All travelers to the Cayman Islands will still be required to apply before coming on the Travel Cayman Portal where they will receive a travel certificate. Vaccinated travelers must apply no less than 72 hours before their departure, while unvaccinated travelers  including children  must apply five days before their trip.

Visitors must also have a "suitable Medical and Travel Insurance, which you should ensure that COVID-19 is not an exclusion to the existing policies," according to the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

The travel application does not apply to cruise travelers.

The island makes an exception to its vaccination rule by allowing unvaccinated travelers who own a local property or business to come.

While the Cayman Islands is dropping mandatory pre-arrival testing, the island does still recommend people get tested with rapid tests each day for the first seven days of their trip.

The island joins several other destinations in the Caribbean that have loosened or dropped COVID-19-related entry rules. Earlier this month, the Bahamas also eliminated all pre-arrival testing for vaccinated travelers, and the British Virgin Islands stopped requiring travelers to register on its BVI Gateway Travel Portal or show proof of travel insurance, regardless of their vaccination status. Saint Lucia has also eliminated testing for vaccinated travelers, while Grenada, Aruba, and Bonaire have taken it even further by eliminating all pandemic-related entry rules.

This month the United States also dropped pre-arrival testing rules, which in turn extends to its Caribbean territories' Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
Rendering of Entergy's new facility in Flora. The company will relocate 44 employees to the refurbished facility. It is expected to be ready in 2023.

The town of Flora continues to see commercial growth. Still, the small Madison County community will get an even bigger shot in the arm.

Entergy Mississippi has purchased the former Primos manufacturing facility, along with 10 acres and another 25 acres in the Flora Industrial Park. It will relocate 44 employees to Flora, with more than $30 million being invested in the project.

The property is expected to be in service by mid-2023 as construction is scheduled to begin soon on the 102,700-square-foot building, which is being redesigned to accommodate 39 full-time employees and five contract employees.

The synergy around Flora has been surging in recent months as Downtown Flora has been near 100% capacity for shops along Main Street and an influx in new businesses and restaurants.

The first serious commercial development for the town of 2,300 in nearly 60 years is also underway.

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The West Main project in Flora will be a two-phase development that will include nearly 30,000 square feet of retail and living space. Other small businesses have cropped up over the last couple of years and have the downtown area bustling.

In addition to the 44 employees on-site at the Entergy facility, another 37 contracted employees who work remotely will utilize the building as a home base. Entergy expects the building will be in service by June 2023.

The newly redesigned building will replace three separate facilities, which currently house Entergys transmission line department, substation operations department and the central Mississippi substation maintenance department for the Jackson metropolitan area.

The additional land will be used as a pole yard and to store spare equipment. The property will be known as the Central Mississippi Transmission Facility.

Were happy to have found an existing building that will allow us to consolidate three facilities and those employees into one central location and to have the nearby land, which is located near our Flora substation, available for material storage, said Haley Fisackerly, Entergy Mississippi president and CEO. Its been a very positive experience, working with Mayor Les Childress and the board of aldermen and with the Madison County Economic Development Authority to bring this project to fruition. Were looking forward to being a part of this community.

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Entergy purchased approximately 25 acres adjacent to the warehouse from the Madison County Economic Development Authority, which markets the 115-acre industrial park along Highway 49 in Flora.

The company is working with MCEDA on improvements to the site, including a road extension.

Entergy also worked with the mayors office and the Flora Board of Aldermen on zoning issues related to the material storage site.

The Primos manufacturing facility was constructed in 2002. It was being used as an administration and sales office before Entergys purchase.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Entergy has purchased the former Primos manufacturing facility
EXCLUSIVE: Alec Baldwin and his pregnant wife Hilaria are spotted together in the Hamptons

TheImageDirect.com Alec and Hilaria Baldwin

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin are soaking up the summer.

The couple was spotted out together in the Hamptons, New York, on Thursday  their 10-year wedding anniversary  dressed casually during an outdoor walk.

Alec, 64, wore a white polo, navy blue shorts and brown sandals, while a pregnant Hilaria, 38, opted for a breezy white dress over her growing baby bump.

The two are currently expecting a baby girl, their seventh child together.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

RELATED: Pregnant Hilaria Baldwin and Husband Alec Baldwin Reveal Sex of Baby No. 7

PEOPLE confirmed the pregnancy in March, with Hilaria recently revealing that they are expecting a girl.

The couple's daughter will join big sisters Carmen Gabriela, 8, and Maria Lucia Victoria, 16 months, as well as brothers Rafael Thomas, 7, Leonardo Angel Charles, 5 , Romeo Alejandro David, 3, and Eduardo "Edu" Pao Lucas, 21 months. Alec is also dad to daughter Ireland Baldwin, 26.

At the time of the pregnancy announcement, the Baldwins told PEOPLE, "We have 'somos un buen equipo' engraved on our wedding bands. We say that to each other all the time at home  that we're a good team. One of the most beautiful things my children have experienced with a big family is how the heart can grow with every new sibling."

"Our capacity to love continues to expand and we can't wait to embrace our new little one this fall!" they added.

RELATED VIDEO: Hilaria Baldwin Is Pregnant, Expecting Seventh Baby with Husband Alec Baldwin

Hilaria marked the couple's milestone anniversary on Thursday with a throwback photo of Alec down on one knee.

In the image, Hilaria stood before her husband, holding his chin with one hand as daughter Carmen was perched on her hip in a princess costume.

"10 years packed full of so many babies, laughs, tears, frustration, breakthroughs, passion, fear, joy  and everything all in between that our life brings," she wrote. "Happy anniversary Alec."

The actor and the yoga instructor wed in 2012 and welcomed daughter Carmen, their first child, in August 2013.
South Africa: Action expected against striking Eskom workers

Eskom CEO, Andre de Ruyter, says the power utility will be taking action against workers who embarked on an illegal strike over the past week.

The strike hit the power utility hard, with up to 90% of workers absent from duty  plunging the country into stage six load shedding as a mitigating measure to avoid a system collapse.

De Ruyter said workers at Eskom are not permitted to engage in a strike, as it is considered an essential service.

We will be taking disciplinary action against workers that have been away unlawfully. That may include the application of the 'no work, no pay' principle. Where there are acts of intimidation and violence, the Eskom disciplinary code will apply and we will be processing the various investigations accordingly. Where there are criminal acts, these will be reported to the South African Police Service for them to investigate.

Eskom is an essential service. Therefore, workers may not go on strike. In addition to the fact that they are essential workers and may not go on strike, we obtained an interdict [against the strike], therefore there is a double breach of the law here. This is an unacceptable situation where the country is held hostage by [these] actions, he said.

On Wednesday, the power utility said it was expecting workers back at their stations after Eskom agreed to re-engage in wage talks with unions.

According to De Ruyter, this did not materialise with stay-away action continuing.

The most important point of constrain at this time is the successful return to work of the two unions. in order to allow us to lift load shedding. Theres about three stages of load shedding attributable to the unlawful industrial action, so that is the major factor putting us in the position that we are in right now, De Ruyter said.

With added pressure on the grid, Eskoms diesel reserves and dam water reserves are beginning to run low.

This is something we are addressing. We are sourcing additional diesel supply from whatever source we can. We have not replenished our dams as much as we would have liked to and therefore we unfortunately have to return to stage six load shedding from 4pm this afternoon in order to safely navigate through our peak period, De Ruyter said.

Returning to service

De Ruyter said despite these challenges, at least 1 500MW of power is expected back on the grid over the next few weeks.

At least 600MW from Mozambiques Cahora Bassa hydroelectric power station is expected back by the end of the weekend, following a collapse of one of its pylons.

The Mozambican company has managed to access the site, which is located in a very remote area. They are busy effecting repairs and it should be restored towards the end of Sunday. So by Sunday, we should see 600MW from Mozambique returning to the grid [and] that will of course play an important role.

Koeberg [Nuclear Power Station] unit two will have its refuelling completed on 15th of July. That is on schedule and it will add another 920MW to the grid once the unit returns. Of course, it takes a number of days to ramp up to full capacity, he said.

Stage six load shedding is expected to commence from 6pm this evening, while stage four load shedding is expected to be implemented throughout the weekend.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Right-wing Hindu rally

Security personnel tries to take the flag from a member of a right-wing Hindu group during a June 29 protest in New Delhi against the killing of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur who was killed by two Muslim men. Credit - Kabir JhangianiPacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images

The killing of a Hindu tailor by two Muslim men in Rajasthan, India has sparked chilling calls for revenge against the countrys already marginalized Muslim population.

The gruesome death of Kanhaiya Lal on June 28 has fueled the sectarian tensions that have long been encouraged by Hindu nationalist supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Lals Muslim assailants recorded themselves slitting his throat, AP reported, quoting police. They then posted a second video in which they accused him of insulting the Prophet Muhammad and threatened to kill Modi, too. Lal appeared to have been targeted because he seemed to express support of derogatory remarks made about the Prophet by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in May, which sparked international condemnation as well as a demand from Indias Supreme Court that she apologize.

The reaction was immediate. Government officials temporarily shut down the internet and banned public gatherings to contain the ensuing religious unrest; the duo were arrested on terrorism charges. Muslim politicians and Islamic preachers swiftly condemned the killing. Indian home minister Amit Shah tweeted that federal police would thoroughly investigate the involvement of any organization and international links.

People pay their respects on June 30 to slain Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal, who was killed by two Muslim men. Sajjad Hussain/AFPGetty Images

But in the days since, Hindu Lives Matter has emerged as a rallying cry, particularly on social media, where the slogan took the form of a hashtag and was tweeted thousands of times. South Indian actress Pranitha Subhash posted a photo of herself on Instagram with the phrase. Political experts call that dangerous, risking the amplification of a heinous but isolated crime into an assertion of systemic violence against Hindus, who make up some 80% of Indias 1.2 billion people

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Just because two members of that community commit this type of crime you cannot paint the entire community with the same brush, says Dhirendra Jha, a political journalist in India and author of Shadow Armies: Fringe Organizations and Foot Soldiers of Hindutva. This is not good for Indian democracy.

Prior to Modis election in 2014, elected governments had taken greater care to emphasize Indias religious diversitywith Hindus, Muslims, Christians and other groupsas a virtue of its secular democracy. But rhetoric, policies and violence targeting Muslims, who account for some 14% of the population, have escalated dramatically under Modi. Between May 2015 and December 2018, Human Rights Watch reported attacks on at least 44 people36 of them Muslimsand many of them led by so-called cow protection groups that often have ties to right-wing Hindu groups. Modis Bharatiya Janata Party government has bulldozed Muslim homes and businesses, propagated the love jihad conspiracy theory that Muslim men are trying to convert Hindu women to Islam, and chipped away at the political autonomy of Indias only Muslim-majority state, Jammu and Kashmir.

Read More: What a Rising Tide of Violence Against Muslims in India Says About Modis Second Term



The thing with a message like Hindu Lives Matter, is that it has to be read within this broader infrastructure of messages that are calling for Muslim genocide, says Mohan Dutta, professor at Massey University in New Zealand, who has researched anti-Muslim hate in India.

Dutta worked on a 2021 report about the experiences Muslims in India have with Islamophobic content on digital platforms. It found that, since Modis election victory in 2014 and 2019, the hate on digital platforms in India and in the Indian diaspora has proliferated exponentially.

The content of digital hate driven by Hindutva, the report notes, referring to an ideology promoting Hindu hegemony, has been directed at Indias religious minorities, Muslims and Christians, as well as oppressed caste communities.

Dutta says using language mirroring the Black Lives Matter slogan, which is rooted in organizing against racist structures, falsely suggests that Hindus are systematically oppressed in India. Its ironic that a majoritarian structure takes that hashtag to deploy hate towards Indias Muslim minority community, which has consistently been targeted by hate, he says.

The Hindu Lives Matter slogan emerged at a time when hardline Hindus in powerful positions have openly called for a genocide of Muslims. Last year, a leading member of a right-wing Hindu political party said If 100 of us become soldiers and are prepared to kill 2 million (Muslims), then we will winprotect India, and make it a Hindu nation. BJPs Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has frequently made violent remarks about Muslims, saying in 2017 if they kill even one Hindu, we will kill 100. If you think about the various stages of genocidefrom dehumanization to the actual calls for violencewhat we are seeing right now in India, is that all of those stages are playing out, Dutta says.

Angana Chatterji, a scholar at the University of California, Berkeley notes that the Rajasthan murder is horrible in its specifics, but has to be considered in the larger context of repeated targeting of unarmed, ordinary Muslims by Hindu nationalist violence. Systemic violence by state institutions and Hindu vigilante groups against Muslims are bound to commence cycles of violence, she says.

Hindu Lives Matter presumes those lives have been overlooked. Hindu lives have not been overlooked in a Hindu majoritarian state, Chatterji says. This is a revisionist fabrication of history and the present.
A lawyer representing a group of McPherson County landowners has filed a lawsuit against Summit Carbon Solutions alleging that a law allowing companies to survey land without consent is in violation of both the South Dakota and U.S. constitutions.

The state law in question notes that anyone with an open filing before the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission can survey land without a landowner's consent so long as 30 days notice is given.

According to the lawsuit, several landowners received notice from Summit Carbon Solutions that their land would be surveyed with backhoes, spades and shovels, potentially causing soil disturbances. Some landowners claim that Summit informed them that trenches as deep as 6 to 10 feet would be dug.

The suit claims that the law violates the South Dakota Constitution in that it allows the company's entry to survey land without the owner's consent and without compensation. It claims the law allows the permit applicant to unilaterally determine the damage.

Brian Jorde, an attorney with Domina Law Group in Omaha, Neb., who represents the McPherson County landowners, said the lawsuit claims that anybody who follows the law is in violation of the constitution. But that means the law has to be found unconstitutional. A state court would make that decision. If appealed, the next step would be the South Dakota Supreme Court.

More: PUC approves Summit Carbon Solutions' request for a permit application deadline extension

Summit Carbon Solutions doesn't comment on current litigation

John Satterfield, director of regulatory affairs for Summit Carbon Solutions, said in a statement to the American News that the company does not comment on current litigation. The statement highlighted Summit's reasons for conducting surveys.

"Summit Carbon Solutions continues to work closely with landowners across the Midwest to create a mutually beneficial partnership built around voluntary survey permissions and easements. In South Dakota, the company has secured nearly 350 miles of voluntary survey permissions and has signed over 115 miles of voluntary easements.

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"While Summit Carbon Solutions doesnt comment on current litigation, we think its important to highlight the need and role surveys play. Surveys are a critical aspect of the project and permitting process," he said.

More: Landowners concerned about property acquisition process for carbon sequestration pipeline

Satterfield said that there are three types of surveys Summit conducts, each with specific objectives.

Environmental/biological: To study and minimize environmental impacts, including sensitive habitat and threatened and endangered species.

Cultural: To study and minimize impacts on historic and cultural sites, including those important to tribes and Native American nations.

Civil/construction review: To verify land boundaries and to obtain critical information to ensure the safe construction and operation of the system.

"Were unsure why landowners counsel would advise them against achieving these important objectives; they are critical. We need to achieve these objectives to comply with regulations and do right by all stakeholders," Satterfield said in the statement.

Landowners' attorney wants Summit to halt activities

Cases like the one filed typically take between 12 and 18 months for resolution, said Jorde, although there is no way to determine with certainty a time frame. He said he has sought an agreement with Summit to halt its activities until the constitutionality of the law has been determined, although the case just applies to McPherson County for the time being. The law could also be challenged in more counties, he said.

Both the state and U.S. constitutions note that land cannot be taken without "just compensation." And the state constitution adds that private property cannot be used for public use or damaged without just compensation, according to the lawsuit. That's evident in Article 6, Section 13 of South Dakota's constitution.

More: A second carbon sequestration pipeline, dubbed Heartland Greenway, could be coming to South Dakota

Constitutionality questions

The Takings Clause in the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which is often cited when referring to eminent domain, also states that private property cannot be taken without just compensation.

South Dakota's constitution also reads that landowners have a right to compensation determined by a jury and payment prior to entry of their land, according to the lawsuit. Article 17, Section 18 states that corporations taking private property for public use must provide compensation before any work is done. If landowners appeal, a jury will determine the damages as well as the compensation. So if the landowners are victorious, Summit Carbon Solutions would not be allowed to determine the compensation amount and would not be allowed on the land before payment.

The South Dakota law allowing companies land access to survey without permission in advance deprives property owners of due process, the McPherson County landowners claim.

Both constitutions include clauses about protecting personal property, according to the lawsuit.

Landowners want judge to delay survey work

The landowners also filed for a preliminary injunction, which would essentially stop Summit from surveying until the lawsuit is settled.

Factors that determine whether a preliminary injunction would be granted include the consideration of the harm done to the plaintiffs, how much harm could be caused, how likely it is that the plaintiffs will succeed in court and the public interest, according to the lawsuit.

More: Landowners call for the dismissal of Summit Carbon Solutions permit application

Those factors weigh in favor of the landowners, according to the lawsuit, because more harm will be done to them.

The plaintiffs also ask that a court determine what damages will be caused by the survey work and any compensation, as opposed to Summit determining those things.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: South Dakota landowners file lawsuit against Summit Carbon Solutions
Piedmont Lithium recently submitted an application to the North Carolina mining approval program. Here, Piedmont outlines a proposed site for mining and production in northwest Gaston County.

Piedmont Lithium says they are still aimed at establishing a lithium mine in Gaston County, despite news that the company is moving forward with investments in Quebec of Ghana.

The pivot, according to Reuters, came as a North Carolina regulatory review delayed the company's plans to establish a mine in Gaston County.

Piedmont Lithium had said in a February interview that they would turn to partnerships with companies in Canada and Ghana that produce spodumene concentrate if Gaston County tells the company no. Now, they appear to be turning to those companies anyway.

In a statement, Piedmont Lithium President and CEO Keith Phillips said that the company's goal is to be the leading American producer of lithium hydroxide, and Carolina Lithium Project is their "flagship project."

Still, he said, establishing a mine in Gaston County is a long process, and in the meantime, Piedmont Lithium is moving forward with investments in Quebec and Ghana, as well as a U.S.-based lithium hydroxide processing facility.

"These are strategically timed projects that will allow us to provide the U.S. electrification market with much needed lithium products in the near term, while generating revenue for Piedmont Lithium," Phillips said.

Production in Quebec is expected to start in the first half of 2023 and in Ghana in 2024.The U.S. processing plant is expected to be operational in 2025.

But Piedmont Lithium hasn't given up on Gaston County.

Piedmont signed a deal in 2020 to begin supplying Tesla Inc with lithium between July 2022 and July 2023 from the Gaston County mine, but that timeline has been extended, Reuters reported.

The company's goal is now to be fully permitted and rezoned in 2023, with construction underway in 2024 and production beginning in late 2025 or 2026, Philips said.

To Rich and LeAnne Pembleton, the company turning their sights abroad is good news. The mine, if established in Gaston County, would be about a mile northwest of the Pembletons' property, which sits in Gaston County near the Gaston-Lincoln county line.

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Rich and LeAnne Pembleton are concerned that a lithium mine that could be placed about a mile northwest of their property might destroy the quality of their well water.

The couple is dependent on well water, and whether or not the mine would affect the quality of their water is their chief concern.

"Water is what gives life," LeAnne Pembleton said. "If we lose that, we lose a lot."

The property the Pembletons owns is their "dream come true," Rich Pembleton said.

They moved to North Carolina from Atlanta around seven years ago in order to return to a more "rural lifestyle." They have bees, donkeys, chickens, and a goldfish pond that their golden retriever, Ginger, likes to play in.

The lithium mine Piedmont Lithium hopes to establish in Gaston County would be about a mile northwest of Rich and LeAnne Pembleton's property.

"If you lose water, you lose it all," Rich Pembleton said.

Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 704-869-1850 or at kfohner@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Piedmont Lithium sets sights overseas , but Gaston mine still planned
Former New Mexico State Aggie signed with the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday.

LAS CRUCES  Former New Mexico State Aggie men's basketball star Trevelin Queen has signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to several media outlets.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report Queen inked a NBA contract after Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported this morning that the Houston Rockets had declined to extend Queen a qualifying offer, making Queen an unrestricted free agent. Haynes reported Queen's deal is a two-year, $3.3 million contract.

More:Men's basketball guard Kiran Oliver enters transfer portal

The 2022 NBA G League MVP spent the 2021-22 season on a two-way contract with the Rockets but spent most of the season with the team's G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He averaged 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals during the regular season. He was named the G League Finals MVP for helping the Vipers to their second G League championship since 2019. Queen scored 44 and 24 points in the two Finals games.

More: It's Aggies, Lobos to open The Basketball Tournament in Albuquerque

Queen will be one of the smaller cap hits on a 76ers team which recently saw NBA star James Harden choose to decline a $47.4 million option in favor of a more "financially flexible" contract to bolster the 76ers roster, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Philadelphia also signed veterans P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Thursday afternoon.

Queen signed with the 76ers less than an hour after the NBA free agency period officially began.

Born in Glen Burnie, Maryland, Queen starred in all sports growing up. But the 5-foot-9 high school freshman would soon grow to 6-foot-6 and decided to take basketball seriously. However, he went largely unrecruited out of high school. He started his post-high school career playing for Marin College, where he and his teammates bounced around from house to house  sometimes sleeping in a car.

Queen would continue to bounce around the country  including at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell  in pursuit of a Division I opportunity and finally found it at New Mexico State. In his senior, COVID-shortened season, Queen averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and caught the eye of NBA scouts for his "three and D" play, though he went undrafted in 2020.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Former NMSU Aggie Trevelin Queen signs with Philadelphia 76ers on first day of NBA free agency
The Day N Vegas Festival, slated for Labor Day weekend from Sept. 2 to Sept. 4, has been canceled due to logistical issues. The co-headliners were SZA, J. Cole and Travis Scott, who was set to take to the festival stage for the first time since the Astroworld tragedy that claimed the lives of 10 people.

Were sorry to announce that a combination of logistics, timing and production issues have forced us to cancel Day N Vegas for 2022, the festival announced on its social media channels. The refund process will begin immediately, and funds will appear back to your account within the next 2-4 weeks. All orders will be refunded to the credit card used to complete purchase. If you purchased a festival pass(es) via AXS and have questions about the refund process, please contact AXS via http://support.axs.com. For Fuse Hotel Package support, please visit http://daynvegas2022.com for more info.

The festival, produced by Goldenvoice, was also set to include performances from Playboi Carti, 21 Savage, Baby Keem, Summer Walker, H.E.R., Jhene Aiko, Trippie Redd, Jorja Smith, Pusha T, Joji, Amine, City Girls, T-Pain, Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs, Steve Lacy, Tems, Syd, Sabrina Claudio and more.

Scotts return to the stage will likely occur at the Primavera Sound Festival, held in Chile, Brazil and Argentina in November, barring cancellation. Following Scotts Nov. 5, 2021 performance at Astroworld  a Houston festival he founded and organized by the company LiveNation  a total of 10 people died as a result of a crowd rush, and hundreds more were hospitalized with injuries. Since then, Scott has kept a low profile, and is the subject of a massive lawsuit from victims families that combines nearly 400 cases. In a recent update, attorneys say over 4,900 attendees were injured and that more than 700 needed extensive medical treatment. LiveNation is also party to the civil suit.

Investigations are currently underway to determine if Scott and the concert promoter installed sufficient safety measures in place. Back in March, the rapper was accused of violating a gag order in efforts to restore his reputation and influence jurors. Since the tragedy, Scott has claimed through his representative that he did not hear screams and calls for help from the crowd.
The announcement of the departure of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 sent shockwaves throughout college football circles Thursday afternoon.

What's next? That remains to be seen. Safe to say, all of the dominoes have not yet fallen.

We'll try and answer the questions Pac-12 enthusiasts are asking.

Will the Pac-12 look to expansion?

The statement put out by the conference hours after the confirmed departure of the Los Angeles schools on Thursday seemed to indicate the conference had no intention of folding into another conference or disbanding.

It put out another statement Friday afternoon, which echoes that sentiment:

"The Pac-12 Board of Directors met this morning and authorized the Conference to explore all expansion options. The 10 university presidents and chancellors remain committed to a shared mission of academic and athletic excellence on behalf of our student-athletes."

The Pac-12 logo on Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

What schools might be on the wish list of the Pac-12?

BYU might have been a nice fit since the Cougars already play some Pac-12 schools in various sports, most notably football. It went 5-0 against Pac-12 contenders in football with two of the wins coming over Arizona and Arizona State. And that is the sport that is driving the realignment train. But the Cougars already dumped their "independent" status when they opted to join the Big 12, effective next July.

Expect the Pac-12 to look at poaching schools from the Mountain West, a conference from which most Pac-12 schools have been drawing non-conference opponents in football. The best first would likely be San Diego State and possibly UNLV. Both are relatively easy trips for the other Pac-12 schools and San Diego State would give the conference another Southern California quotient it wouldn't have now that the Los Angeles schools have jumped ship.

UNLV hasn't had the success in football that San Diego State or Boise State, another option, has had but Las Vegas would be an attractive market. Las Vegas already hosts the Pac-12 basketball tournaments and the football conference championship game so that would make sense.

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There has also been talk that the conference headquarters might eventually relocate there, another reason UNLV fits well into the picture.

Could the conference go back to being Pac-10?

It could but that isn't likely, especially because it is already losing the two teams from its biggest market and its two top name brands.

Conferences are getting bigger, not smaller.

With the loss of the Los Angeles schools, it would be a stretch to call the Pac-12 a "Power 5" conference so the addition of schools is the preferable option.

How about Arizona, ASU?

If the state schools were to make a move, the one that makes the most sense would be the Big 12, which will be back to 12 teams when all the dust settles from losing Texas and Oklahoma and adding BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. Adding the Arizona schools would bring the Big 12 up to 14, just two short of the SEC and Big Ten. There are some marquee schools in the major sports, Oklahoma State (football), Kansas and Baylor (mens basketball), so there is some notoriety there. Plus, there is a lot of regional familiarity and recruiting overlap in the Big 12, from the remaining Texas schools to BYU. The Big 12 wouldn't be a bad landing spot.

Who might be the next to opt out?

The obvious choice here is Oregon, the last real name "brand" left in the Pac-12 footprint. The Ducks seem to have nothing to gain by remaining but you can be sure the Pac-12 braintrust will do everything in its power to keep the Ducks in the fold.

Washington is another school that may look to leave but it seems to have lost some swagger with poor performances in basketball in particular.

There was some speculation Oregon might look to jump on the Big Ten bandwagon but USC beat writer Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times reported that that conference is not currently looking to add other schools.

How will recruiting be impacted for the Arizona schools?

No doubt it will be. Both ASU and Arizona have recruited the talent-laden Southern California market heavily. Part of the pitch was always, come play for us and you can play against those schools in front of your friends and family. ASU had done very well recruiting in that area before being derailed by the NCAA investigation, which is still ongoing. Arizona's effort there is on an upward trajectory since the arrival of Jedd Fisch. The recruits, especially upper echelon prospects, might be harder to pluck from there now because the Pac-12's reputation is plummeting quickly whereas that of the Big Ten is on the rise.

Is the Pac-12 still a Power 5 conference without the L.A. schools?

Theres literally no way to replace their market, history or clout, since all comparable schools are committed to other conferences. At issue is whether there even needs to be a term like Power 5 anymore in an era with two superconferences and a few struggling wannabes: ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12.

What happens to the Rose Bowls traditional pairing of Big Ten and Pac-12?

It's among the many college football traditions whose time seems to have passed. The Rose Bowl hasnt chimed in yet, but it does have a lot to think about. USC and UCLA have combined for 46 Rose Bowl appearances. Does the Rose Bowl have a say in keeping alive the traditional matchup if the Pac-12 isnt on the same level as the Big Ten? Is it ready for possible USC-Stanford matchups down the road?

Since 2002, the Rose Bowl has had to deviate from its traditional matchups for use in "national championship" systems. In 2002 and 2006 (the 2001 and 2005 seasons), under the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system, the Rose Bowl was designated as its championship game, and hosted the top two teams determined by the BCS system, regardless of conference.

Since 2015, the Rose Bowl has been part of the College Football Playoff (CFP) as one of the New Year's Six bowlsthe top six major bowl games in the national championship systemhosting one of the semifinal games every three years and that hasn't always included schools from the Pac-12 and Big Ten.

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@gannett.com or 602 444-4783. Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What do Pac-12 changes mean for ASU, Arizona?
Advocates and some relatives of Emmett Till are pushing for the arrest of Carolyn Bryant Donham after finding an unserved arrest warrant for kidnapping, an attached affidavit from Moses Wright, and court minutes from 1955 in the basement of a Leflore County courthouse.

Keith Beauchamp, director of the movie, "Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till," told ABC News that he and a team from the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, including co-founder and Till's cousin Deborah Watts, went to Mississippi to check if the warrant had ever been rescinded, but came across the documents in an unmarked box, seemingly untouched for over sixty years.

PHOTO: After their acquittal in the Emmett Till trial, defendant Roy Bryant (R), smokes a cigar as his wife happily embraces him and his half brother, J.W. Milam and his wife show jubilation. (Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)

Beauchamp said he is looking to state law enforcement for prosecution on the kidnapping charge in an effort to hold Bryant Donham, 88, accountable for her alleged role in the lynching of 14-year-old Till. The Department of Justice first opened an investigation into Till's murder under its Cold Case Initiative in 2004, but stated it lacked jurisdiction to raise federal charges.

"This is only the tip of the iceberg," Beauchamp said. "I want people to understand that this is not a complicated caseI thought it was impossible to get the case reopened in 2004. But it happened."

"Let's follow the law and make sure that justice is done in this case," he added.

In 1955, 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant accused the teenager, who was visiting from Chicago, of whistling at her after leaving a store, Bryant's Grocery & Meat Market. Till was later abducted from his great-uncle Moses Wright's home by Carolyn Bryant's husband Roy Bryant and his half brother J.W. Milam.

Till's brutalized remains were found days later in the Tallahatchie River. Mamie Till Mobley's decision to have photos from her son's open casket funeral published in Jet magazine catalyzed the civil rights movement.

MORE: Mamie Till-Mobley's life and advocacy after son Emmett's murder chronicled in new podcast

The two men were indicted on kidnapping and murder charges, but later acquitted by an all-white jury. Rev. Wheeler Parker, Till's cousin, was there the night he was kidnapped. He has worked for years to see justice for Till For him, the rediscovery of the warrant "is only a headline, not evidence."

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PHOTO: Half-brothers J.W. Milam (center) and Roy Bryant (right) confer with attorney Sidney Carlton on murder and kidnapping charges facing them in the death of 14-year-old Emmett Till. (Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)

"For nearly 67 years, I have sought justice in the brutal lynching of my cousin and best friend, Emmett Till. We accepted the determination of the government that there was not sufficient evidence to indict Carolyn Bryant Donham," he said in a statement to ABC News.

PHOTO: Chicago native Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi after being accused of flirting with a white woman. (Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)

The Department of Justice closed its 2017 re-investigation of Till's murder in December 2021. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division declined ABC News' request for comment on this recent development.

MORE: Family of Emmett Till reacts to DOJ closing investigation into his murder

"I would be overjoyed if that woman could be held accountable for this horrible crime. If she can be compelled merely to tell the truth, I would even support that," Parker said. "To me, there is a measure of justice in that, too."

PHOTO: In this May 24, 2002, file photo, Emmett Till's photo is seen on his grave marker in Alsip, Ill. (Robert A. Davis/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

"We need to send a message that it doesn't matter how long you live, if you commit a hate crime, eventually the law will catch up to you. But we don't want to keep raising our hopes just to have them dashed againif it's not going to lead to justice."

ABC News' Fatima Curry contributed to this report.

Arrest warrant in Emmett Till case found in Mississippi court basement after 67 years originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Moet Hennessy continues to make moves.

Following news of acquiring Napa and Sonoma-based Joseph Phelps Vineyards, the wine and spirits division of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has launched Volcan X.A  a luxury tequila.

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With a portfolio that includes Dom Perignon, which dates back to 1668, and Ruinart, founded in 1729, and, of course, Moet & Chandon, 1743, and Hennessy, 1765, it was in 2017 that Moet Hennessy introduced its first venture into the world of tequila, unveiling Volcan De Mi Tierra (with a blanco, cristalino and reposado). A partnership with the Gallardo family  with 300-year-old roots in Jalisco, Mexico  Volcan X.A, too, is crafted in the volcanic region, using agave grown in soil fertilized by the eruption of a volcano (fittingly known as Volcano Tequila). While Volcan De Mi Tierra bottles are aged for over a year, the new blend is made with three levels of aging, for 36 months.

Going into tequila was quite obvious for Moet Hennessy, because in tequila you have everything we love in the world of luxury wine and spirits, said Julien Morel, president and chief executive officer of Volcan de Mi Tierra. You have beautiful stories of terroir, a story of a country, a provenance and a savoir faire which is unique in the world. Tequila is an appellation which is protected. And the savoir faire, its 300 years of history. And we thought that adding to this tradition, we could really leverage the 250 years of expertise on the Moet Hennessy side of blending and aging. And we believe that we could bring something to the world of tequila, and that was our goal for the last five years.

Tequila is a booming industry, continued Morel, and theres clear business interest for Moet Hennessy to offer the spirit. Though the company declined to share sales figures, Morel noted sales of Volcan de Mi Tierra tripled in 2021 through retail partnerships amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as shoppers stocked up on liquor and make their own cocktails while home.

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The bottle will be available at select clubs and restaurants. - Credit: Courtesy of Moet Hennessy

Courtesy of Moet Hennessy

The rollout strategy of Volcan X.A differs in that bottles will only be found at select clubs and restaurants globally, with accounts at familiar hot spots in Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles and Florida. Internationally, destinations include St. Tropez, Cannes, Ibiza, Mykonos, Tulum and Bodrum.

What we created will be scarce by definition, said Morel. We have a limited quantity available for the world.

In an oversaturated market, Moet Hennessy aims to stand apart by using the depth of tradition of tequila making but also by [adding] some level of innovation, said Morel. We created the distillery by looking at every step of the process of tequila making and see how we could improve each of the steps from the terroir, selecting the agave, the cooking, the milling, the fermentation, the distillation, aging and blending.

After over 50 different trials in the making of Volcan X.A, the result created for a smooth and aromatic liquid, one that broke the rules, added Morel, by blending the ages: Its very elegant with a very nice level of complexity and finish that we loved.

To mark the launch, Volcan X.A was introduced at a party in Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel on June 24. In the U.S., the company is hosting a bash in Las Vegas at Zouk Nightclub on July 16.

Theres more to come from Moet Hennessy, said Morel: Today, my biggest concern but also most of my work and biggest job of my team is to accelerate the development of the distillery so we can produce more tequila for the future.

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When the history of Gen Z television is written (and what a fascinating work that will be) the opening chapter must surely be dedicated to Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers nostalgia-inflected sci-fi smash began in 2016 with a cast of unknown children, who, as the years have gone by, have grown up and into superstars. And as the shows audience has matured, so too has its tone. Now, returning for the final instalment of its fourth season (or chapter as they insist on calling them) Stranger Things is a fusion of supernatural thriller and serial killer horror, but still the same youthful romp its been since day one.

Chapter Four has so far, in the seven episodes released in May, been a big return to form for Stranger Things, after a saggy third season and a lengthy hiatus. Thats despite its characters, the core gang, being scattered across the globe. As things pick up here in the last two episodes, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and the Byers brothers (Noah Schnapp and Charlie Heaton) are in California, while Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman) are in Siberia, searching for Hopper (David Harbour). Guess you got my message, says Hopper, when they finally reunite. Oh, no, Ive just always wanted to visit the Soviet Union, deadpans Joyce, their chemistry fizzing off the screen.

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), meanwhile, is underground somewhere in the Nevadan desert. Enemies are closing in: not just Jamie Campbell Bowers arachnoid Vecna but the US military and a heavily armed vigilante mob in Hawkins. And if the good-cop/bad-cop of child behavioural psychiatry (Paul Reisers Dr Owens and Matthew Modines Dr Brenner) have their way, itll be on Eleven to save the world. You eased her into it nice and gentle, Owens tells his colleague, with a raised eyebrow, after they reveal that only Eleven can stop Vecna. Not ominous at all.

The greatest strength of Stranger Things has always been its casting. Guessing  and it is always a guess with child actors  which kids will be able to carry that childhood charisma over into adulthood is a very specific skill. But, without exception, Stranger Things has aced it. This fourth series has offered a huge breakthrough to Sadie Sink as tortured tomboy Max, and her effortless cool continues into the finale. But really these final episodes are all about Millie Bobby Browns Eleven. I came here to try and understand who I was, to see if I was the monster, she tells Dr Brenner. And now I know the truth: it is not me, it is you. Eleven has always been the existential enigma at the heart of the show, and finally she is getting some clarity on who, and why, she is. Sidelined for much of this season in California, stripped of her powers, shes back with a bloody nosed vengeance.

The first episode of Stranger Things, back in the naive innocence of 2016, was 49 minutes long. This series finale is 150 minutes long. Its an episode that is not just feature length, but epic  longer even than Apocalypse Now. The desire to further blur the line between cinema and television (especially with movie theatres in terminal decline) is natural, though the sprawling scope of this series of Stranger Things would, possibly, be usefully tamed by a tighter running time. All the same, the Duffer Brothers know how to construct a climax, as the reunited gang do battle with Vecna back on the home turf of Hawkins, Indiana. I have this gnawing feeling that it might not work out for us this time, Robin (Maya Hawke, another great casting) tells Joe Keerys Steve Harrington. But if we dont stop him, who will?

There is no need for Stranger Things to be as good as it is. Its marketed towards a generation who are happy scrolling through 10-second videos of their classmates dabbing, or 10-hours-long Fortnite streams. They couldve simply phoned it in, and yet what theyve created is a lavish yet intimate drama, blending almost every genre  from comedy to horror to romance  into a show that is a near faultless crowd pleaser. This excellent penultimate season of Netflixs golden goose is the perfect antidote to lowest common denominator television: a show that offers much more than its audience asks for.
MILAN  In light of luxury and sportswear brands rush to transition toward eco-minded materials, Thermore, a Milan-based premium thermal insulation company for apparel and outerwear, is introducing its latest innovation under the moniker Evodown Recycled, crafted from post-consumer rPET.

The company, established in 1972, labels the padding as a new-gen material providing the same soft touch and luxurious look, lightweight and silky feel of down stuffing, the company says.

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Based on a hybrid technology, it is made of millions of free fibers encapsulated by two high-density outer layers, and according to Thermore, it combines the best features of the former with the easy manufacturing offered by cloth padding.

Evodown Recycled marks an evolution of the companys rich portfolio of sustainable paddings, 97 percent of which are made of either fully or partially recycled fibers.

Thermores EVOdown padding. - Credit: Courtesy of Thermore

Courtesy of Thermore

In the 1980s, Thermore introduced its first recycled insulation material made of recycled PET bottles, which evolved into a fully recycled fiber-based padding in 2011 before the introduction in 2019 of the signature Ecodown product, including 10 PET bottles per outerwear piece.

The companys portfolio includes rolled options with five different paddings, each coming in different weights and thicknesses (for a total of 50 combinations), as well as free fiber paddings, available in six iterations.

Currently being assessed to obtain the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification and Interteks Green Leaf, Thermore is PETA-approved as a vegan manufacturer. In addition to Milan, it boasts industrial plants in Hong Kong and Bangkok, the former certified according to the Higg standard for its environmental and social impact and the latter approved by Bluesign, which bestows its certification on companies with responsible business models especially when it comes to the use of chemicals.

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Cason's mother holds him shortly after he was born in Argyle, Texas, on June 26, 2022. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)

ARGYLE, Texas  Two days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a 27-year-old woman delivered her fourth child, a boy she named Cason. Born after his mother fled from domestic abuse and was denied an abortion, he is among the first of many post-Roe babies expected in Texas.

I love my kids and I feel like Im a really good mom, said Casons mother, who asked to be identified by her first initial, T. But due to this pregnancy, I couldnt provide for them.

One in 10 people of reproductive age in America lives in Texas, which will soon join half of all the states in outlawing almost all abortions. Texas conservative leadership has spent decades narrowing abortion access while cutting social spending and publicly funded health care. Now, even some anti-abortion adherents say their state is woefully unprepared for a likely surge in births among poor women.

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The overturning of Roe creates the sense of urgency that now will create, hopefully, the resources. But unfortunately, theres that gap, said Aubrey Schlackman, founder of Blue Haven Ranch, an anti-abortion nonprofit that is providing housing and other assistance for T.s family.

We do want to limit abortions, Schlackman continued. But we personally werent ready to handle an influx, and I know so many of the other nonprofits that we work with arent ready for that, either.

Texas is one of the most dangerous states in the nation to have a baby. The states maternal mortality rate is one of the worst in the country, with Black women making up a disproportionate share of deaths. The states infant mortality rate, at more than 5 deaths per 1,000 births in 2020, translates into nearly 2,000 infant deaths annually.

Texas opted not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, which helped lead to hospital closures and the formation of rural health care deserts, where obstetricians are scarce and prenatal care scarcer still. More than a quarter of women of childbearing age are uninsured, the highest rate in the nation. Medicaid covers low-income women through pregnancy and for two months postpartum, compared with 12 months in most states.

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A proposal in the Texas House to expand postpartum coverage to 12 months was cut to 6 months by the state Senate. Tens of thousands of children born to low-income parents languish on the waiting list for subsidized child care.

In September of last year Texas passed Senate Bill 8, banning abortions for patients with detectable embryonic cardiac activity, which generally begins at about six weeks. A recent Times analysis suggests that Texas abortion rate declined by only 10% after the bill passed, as more women traveled out of state or ordered medication abortions by mail. But poor patients often lack those options.

Assuming just 10% of women arent able to secure an abortion, thats a massive rise in fertility, said Elizabeth Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who studies religious liberty, health law and equality.

Theres no way there are any institutions prepared to meet that demand.

Three years ago, T. was a bookkeeper for a chain of fitness centers. At $36 an hour, it was the best-paying job she had ever held. She was proud to become her familys main breadwinner after her partner, whom she has been with since high school, lost his construction job during the pandemic. But early in her pregnancy with Cason, she developed complications that eventually forced her to quit her job.

The family economized, moving into smaller and smaller homes until late last year, when they finally had to move in with the mother of her partner. The couple were unloading their belongings, with their infant daughter in her stroller nearby, when he snapped on me, T. said. Her partner choked her, she said, until she lost consciousness. When she was revived by a stranger she had trouble speaking, and a ring of bruises circled her neck. Terrified for her children, she fled the next morning to a shelter for domestic violence victims, she said.

She said she had never sought an abortion before. But the prospect of raising four young children on her own, and of giving birth alone, filled T. with desperation. She agonized about the needs of her three children, and about sacrifices. If I do this, I will make sure theyre always good, are always taken care of, she said she recalled thinking.

It was a very difficult decision, but I felt like it was a smart one for me.

Her sister drove her to Southwestern Womens Surgery Center, an abortion provider in Dallas. But Texas had just enacted Senate Bill 8, and the providers told T. that she was about seven weeks pregnant  too far along for an abortion in Texas. Could she travel to New Mexico? In the waiting room, T. sobbed. The trip was impossible. She had no money, and so few child care options that she had brought her baby daughter with her to the appointment. She didnt know about medication abortion.

T. rejoined her sister, who was waiting in the parking lot. She was sitting in the car, distraught, when an anti-abortion sidewalk counselor approached.

You are not alone. If you are pregnant and you need help, we can help you, the sidewalk counselor told her, T. recalled.

I just started crying, T. said, in a sense of relief.

The next day the woman T. had met in the parking lot guided her to Birth Choice, an anti-abortion pregnancy resource center located in the same office complex as the abortion provider.

Some anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers have come under scrutiny for misleading or misinforming women seeking abortion care. But in that moment, They asked me the perfect questions, T. said of the Birth Choice counselor. Am I OK? Are my kids doing OK? What did I need?

Mind you, I had left everything, she said. They provided me with everything right there: baby bag, diapers, formula, clothes for me. They even gave me a couple of little clothes for my daughter and a toy, T. said.

Then my counselor comes back and says, I found you a place.

The place was Blue Haven Ranch, based in Argyle, about 45 minutes from Dallas.

Blue Haven provides housing, help with household bills, job training, and financial and other counseling for a up to a year or more after delivery for pregnant women with existing children. Among Americans who seek abortion care, 60% are already mothers, and half have two or more children. Most are in their late 20s, and poor.

Schlackman, 34, a former dental hygienist, evangelical Christian and mother of two, founded Blue Haven in 2020.

She grew up believing that women seek abortion care for the sake of convenience. Now I can understand why they would choose it, she said.

Schlackman requires women to attend group informational sessions with a strong religious component in a community church on Monday nights. Blue Haven does not seek money from the government or anyone else that might question its religious approach. It takes in donations from abortion rights supporters as well as opponents, Schlackman said, reading a note from one, who sent $50: I dont share your beliefs about abortion and Christianity, but I do hope youll use your strength to encourage similar initiatives elsewhere.

Blue Haven supports five families, and there are 12 on the waiting list. The cost is about $2,500 per family per month for housing and utilities, plus gas and unexpected household expenses. A financier in Boston who read about Blue Haven and offered to help recently negotiated a deal on a used car for a mother with a poor credit score.

Currently there is no ranch; the families live in rented apartments. Schlackman and her husband Bryan have plans to buy a patch of rolling acreage outside Denton, Texas, and build a compound with small homes, a meeting house and group kitchen, plus open spaces and livestock for farm therapy.

Standing in the wheat field where she envisions the houses will stand, Schlackman estimated that she would need to raise $13 million for the land, construction and three years operating funds. After Roe was overturned, Blue Haven received $25,000 in donations in two days.

Its focus on the Bible and emphasis on Christian family ideals make some Blue Haven mothers uncomfortable. But for T., the group offered a lifeline in a time of dwindling options.

One recent Monday night she attended a group session while her children played on the churchs pristine playground, supervised by grandparent volunteers. Other volunteers laid out a communal supper.

Blue Haven threw a baby shower for T., and its supporters bought everything on a registry that Schlackman created. (T. chose a zoo animal theme for her sons layette, in shades of blue and green.) When Cason was born, Schlackman was there, attending to T. in the spalike birthing center where she had delivered her own sons.

Blue Havens assistance will end about a year after Casons first birthday.

The pressure is really on, T. said on a Thursday, four days after she gave birth to Cason. I have one year to rebuild my life while my body heals, and four kids to take care of at the same time. Its scary. I try not to think about what will happen when I leave the program. I know I can be a great mom, its just, can I provide for my children, keep the kids healthy and safe and have a roof over our head, and food?

She is hoping, she said, to get another job as a bookkeeper and eventually move into her own home.

She said she has a message for the Texas Legislature.

You dont know what is best for any family, you didnt protect me or my kids. I protect my kids. Only a mom can know what is best for herself and her family. And if youre going to force women to have all of these babies that they are not equipped to have, then you need to provide support for women and their children after the babies are born.

Earlier in the week, just a day and a half after giving birth, T. had something else to say.

Women, all we really have is our dignity and our voices, she said. And youre taking them away.

 2022 The New York Times Company
As Indigenous people to this land, we have witnessed the U.S. Supreme Court stand as the backbone of American democracy against those who wish to undo the nations solemn promises to tribal nations. But over the course of history, we have also witnessed the court depart from the plain language in the nations Constitution. We have watched the court pick flawed policy perspectives over precedent.

More: Oklahoma reclaims some criminal jurisdiction on reservations

Two years ago, in the McGirt v. Oklahoma case decision, the court upheld the promise the United States made to our nation, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, in concluding that our reservation and our inherent sovereignty remains intact. This week, this same court abandoned its own precedent and the Constitutions command that treaties remain the supreme law of the land to conclude that Oklahoma has jurisdiction on tribal lands when Natives are victims of crimes committed by non-Native Americans. Simply, that is an alarming affront to our sovereignty, the safety of Native people and the U.S. Constitution.

Brittany Dias counters claims made by a panel to address post-McGirt concerns July 13, 2021, as other hold up signs and red cards in Tulsa. The panel ended early as frustration grew among audience members.

In the last two years, the state of Oklahoma has waged a war against the courts decision in McGirt. Instead of cooperating with tribal nations to implement the courts decision, Gov. Kevin Stitt has dedicated millions of dollars and untold resources to actively fight it  and encourage others to do the same. Oklahomas primary concern has not been the safety of Native people. Oklahoma has been exclusively focused on undermining the tribal sovereignty that the Supreme Court not only affirmed in McGirt, but also let stand earlier this year without the reconsideration that the state sought.

Nothing in the U.S. Constitution provides the court with any authority to give states jurisdiction over tribal lands. Quite the opposite, as Justice Neil Gorsuch notes in his dissent, the drafters of the Constitution specifically took that power away from states, who had this power under the Articles of Confederation. They granted that power exclusively to Congress  to protect and preserve the sovereign-to-sovereign relationship between tribal nations and the United States. The courts decision to grant states jurisdiction over tribal lands is unfounded and comes with significant consequences.

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More: Supreme Court sides with Oklahoma in battle over crimes on Native American territory

This is not the first time a state has sought to exercise jurisdiction over our lands and our people. We have been here before. And we have always been told it is for our benefit. When Alabama sought to remove us from our homelands, we were told it was for our safety given the conflicts our newly arrived non-Native neighbors had with us over our lands and our way of life.

Today, Oklahoma has told us, and the court, that Oklahoma needs jurisdiction over crimes committed by non-Natives against our citizens on our lands because, if Oklahoma does not have this jurisdiction, Native people will not be safe. That is a harmful falsehood on par with those our people have heard now for generations.

McGirt ruling: Oklahoma reclaims some criminal jurisdiction on reservations after Supreme Court decision

Truly, the best path forward for protecting Native children in Native homes is ensuring their tribal nations have jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed against them  regardless of who commits them. Native children face the highest rates of violence in the United States precisely because the Supreme Court took that jurisdiction away from tribal nations in 1978. The solution is not giving it to the states. The solution is restoring jurisdiction to the sovereign with the greatest interest in protecting Native people: tribal nations.

We look forward to collaborating with members of Congress and the federal government to identify all options available to empower tribal nations to ensure the safety and prosperity of all who reside, work or visit our reservation. This is a pivotal moment for all tribal nations.

David Hill is principal Chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Del Beaver is second chief, and Geri Wisner is the nation's attorney general.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chief: Castro-Huerta ruling undermines tribal sovereignty in Oklahoma
Adopting one child is a major undertaking that involves lots of red tape and sleepless nights. So, imagine adopting a family of eight siblings from another country. That's the challenge Hayley and Mike Jones took on when the couple from Thompson's Station, Tennessee, decided to adopt an orphan family from Sierra Leone in West Africa.

"We had always talked about adoption even when we were dating and had always known that we wanted to adopt from the continent of Africa," says Hayley. "We always thought we would adopt a little boy."

However, on visiting the orphanage in Sierra Leone, the plight of the eight siblings struck a chord. Their father had been killed in a boating accident, and they faced the real possibility of being separated until Mike fell in love with the idea of adopting them.

"The weight of eight was just so much. So, just had to really pray and seek God's guidance on it. And he just clearly told me that the eight was what we had to do."

The Jones already had two children of their own, so the prospect of adopting eight more would involve a complete change of lifestyle. That included transforming their house from a home for four into a home for twelve!

"We felt like Noah building the Ark," says Hayley. "We had people from church come and help us, like build some rooms out in the basement of our house. We re-did our kitchen. We did all of this, just preparing for the children."

After three years of traveling to and from Sierra Leone trying to complete the adoption, Mike and Hayley were finally able to welcome the children onto U.S. soil.

Watch the video to see how tragedy became a triumph for 8 orphaned siblings.

"It was a big adjustment," says Mike. But it all worked out really well. I mean, they're great kids. They bless us, I always tell people, more than we bless them."

One way the boys acclimatized to the American way of life was through soccer. It began with the eldest boy, Michael. He'd played in the streets occasionally back in Sierra Leone but had never played organized soccer.

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"It was a big adjustment because not knowing the goals of soccer or anything was really hard for me," says Michael. "And then not able to talk to the coaches about how to play the game because of English. Also, I was like, man, my feet are light. And then I put on the cleats; they're so heavy on my feet. So, I told my dad, I was like, "Hey, dad, is there a way I can take off these cleats and just play barefoot?"

Michael eventually came to terms with soccer, American style, and became a key player on the team at Grace Christian Academy in Franklin, Tennessee. In fact, he started a Jones soccer dynasty, as the rest of his siblings followed suit to become star players at the school, which recently won a state championship.

"Whenever one of our siblings have games, we are always there cheering them on and just bonding together as a family," says Michael. "Because these are times you have to cherish."

Michael is now in college, getting his master's degree while still playing and coaching. His siblings have also continued with soccer, notably his brothers Malachi and Levi, who've just joined the soccer program at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Meanwhile, back at home, it's business as usual for Hayley and Mike. Since they adopted the siblings from Africa, they've had another child of their own, increasing the size of their family to 13!

"It's a beautiful mess," says Hayley. "It's full of sacrifice, but at the same time, it's full of blessings."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eight African siblings live the American dream after being adopted
A little red brick building located on the east bank of the Ouachita River was once the office of a noted Monroe attorney and statesman.

The Garrett House, located at 520 S. Grand St., two hundred yards from the site of the original Fort Miro and close to the I-20 overpass, served as the law office of lawyer and politician Isaiah Garrett.

Garrett was one of the most prominent attorneys in Louisiana. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention for the state in 1845 and was elected to the Secession Convention in 1860. He was one of the seven members of the Convention who refused to sign the ordinance of secession as it would have violated his oath of allegiance to the United States.

The house was built in 1840 by Samuel Kirby. The one-story building originally consisted of a 36-by-18-foot rectangle containing two rooms and a 21-by-18-foot wing on the left rear which served as a kitchen.

The Isaiah Garrett Law Offices, located at 520 South Grand, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 1972.

Kirby transferred the property to Garrett on March 5, 1842, when the young lawyer and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy relocated to Monroe from Missouri, according to records published by the National Register of Historic Places.

Downtown Monroe: Historic Ouachita Candy building is key piece of downtown Monroe's history, future

Shortly after moving to Monroe, Garrett met Narcissa Grayson. Narcissa's father, Col. Thomas Grayson, was an associate of Daniel Boone and moved to Louisiana in 1813. The Graysons were one of the founders of Caldwell Parish, and the town of Grayson was named for the family.

Isaiah and Narcissa were married in Ouachita Parish on May 10, 1836. The couple were the parents of eleven children; five of whom lived to maturity.

The soft red brick of the exterior has not weathered well and has undergone repair or replacement at various locations around the building. Although the basic form of the building and most of the original materials have remained intact, a number of changes have taken place.

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The gable roof and the front porch building into two rooms have been removed. To provide for its present day needs, electrical wiring and bath facilities were installed by adding a 5-inch frame addition along the north wall of the ell on the rear of the structure. Although the fireplace mantel remains in the ell room, the chimney itself has been removed.

The two fireplaces in the front of the building remain and have simple Greek Revival mantels. Along the right rear wall one window and one door have been filled in with brick.

Isaiah Garrett was prominent attorney in Monroe during the 19th century.

Downtown Monroe: Milner Motors: Former home of downtown Monroe car dealership listed on National Register

Garrett used the modest brick property for his law offices and practiced there for many years before his death in 1874. He was buried in the Old City Cemetery in Monroe, where a large obelisk marks his grave to this day.

After Garrett's death, the house was used for many purposes until the Monroe Committee of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America was granted the right to use it as a museum to house materials and objects relating to the history of Louisiana and the United States.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 1972.

The property is currently owned by the City of Monroe.

Follow Ian Robinson on Twitter @_irobinson and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3vln0w1.

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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Monroe offices of prominent lawyer and politician Isaiah Garrett
MILAN  The brisk rebound fashion has experienced in the aftermath of the pandemics gloomiest seasons is not entirely putting the supply chain in a safe place.

The ongoing volatile economy and geopolitical instability are closely monitored, especially by small- and medium-sized textile makers and manufacturers, which constitute the backbone of Italys internationally acclaimed fashion pipeline.

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A range of initiatives in the country are coming to the rescue, aiming to provide these companies with opportunities to keep their businesses steadily growing, promoting matchmaking between established or up-and-coming brands and the local supply chain, as well as compensating for the marketing prowess these companies often lack.

Entrepreneur David Clementoni has been supporting SMEs since 2015, way before the pandemic would disrupt business. Under the moniker Italian Artisan, he has developed a platform recruiting firms sized between four and 100 employees, third-party manufacturers spread across 30 out of 54 of Italys fashion manufacturing hubs, and facilitating their engagement with international fashion brands and retailers.

When we launched it, we didnt have a tech platform-enabled service and the project was intended to allow up-and-coming and start-up brands [to] develop their collections in Italy, the entrepreneur said.

The platform was introduced in its current version in 2019 and has amassed around 700 manufacturing firms, a growing number Clementoni said, as he and his team keep scouting for players to add, and more join via word of mouth, provided they can show manufacturing, business and financial stability.

Manufacturing at one of Italian Artisans firms. - Credit: Courtesy of Italian Artisan

Courtesy of Italian Artisan

Italian Artisans goals have evolved as more brands, established and larger in size, have joined the platform aiming to re-shore production from abroad to leverage the valuable Made in Italy label, which oftentimes guarantees a premium and luxury positioning, and to develop brand extensions in the fashion arena. As of June, the platform counted 10,000 registered brands.

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More than matchmaking, our goal is to ensure business is effectively and efficiently carried out. Were more facilitators than we are intermediaries, Clementoni said, explaining the platforms business model is based on royalties from produced goods and add-on services Italian Artisan provides.

Similarly, Italys association of leather goods manufacturer Assopellettieri has been fine-tuning its Mipel Lab format, developed in tandem with tanning industry trade show Lineapelle to favor business relationships between manufacturing firms and fashion players that do not already produce in Italy.

Introduced as an area within Lineapelles biannual fair, the format is debuting a digital business-to-business platform in collaboration with the Intesa Sanpaolo bank and with tech support by Ds Group, which provided the AI-enabled software.

Inside the Mipel Lab area at the Lineapelle trade show. - Credit: Courtesy of Mipel

Courtesy of Mipel

If we could draw to Italy even only 5 percent of fashion companies which dont already see Italy as a manufacturing hub, we could provide SMEs with plenty of business, said Danny DAlessandro, Mipels chief executive officer.

Its our duty as an association to seek new business opportunities for our enterprises, echoed Assopellettieri president Franco Gabbrielli.

The move reflected a shifted scenario, as leather goods firms in the country have been transitioning toward third-party manufacturing in light of declining sales for house brands, swallowed by competition from fashion powerhouses with marketing prowess.

It counts 16 manufacturers, which together post revenues of 500,000 million euros, and a few dozen brands.

The goal is to promote the countrys supply chain and engage brands that dont produce here because of higher costs, but which may be facing snafus due to increasing production and logistics costs from overseas manufacturing, especially China. Its a great opportunity to work in synergistically, DAlessandro said.

Clementoni has witnessed a similar scenario in recent years.

Brands viewed manufacturing costs as squandering, all the more so because they often had two to four intermediaries in their journey to install production in Italy, which dented the bottom line and entailed waste of resources, he said. Also, there was an issue with trust as brands are seeking production partners that can be reliableand able to offer high-value services that small manufacturers often couldnt. Lastly, neighboring countries such as Spain and Portugal were seen as less expensive, which is no longer the case.

As its unique selling proposition shifts from consulting to business facilitator, Italian Artisan has forged ties with British platform Arts Thread, which counts 300,000 users from fashion schools across the globe, and Italys Camera Buyer allowing local retailers to develop house brands. Overall, the platform aims to draw 60,000 brands by 2028 and generate more than 370 million euros in business.

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In 1980, the United States launched a new army recruitment drive. It was five years after the end of the Vietnam War, a conflict that had collapsed public confidence in its military. Be All You Can Be read the famous slogan, often held up as one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time. Capitalising on Americans voracious appetite for self-improvement, it reimagined a military career as something smart and sexy, and not just an appointment that would cart you off to die in some foreign war. And Be All You Can Be carried US military recruitment right through until the advent of video games like Call of Duty, which taught a generation that war is a fun puzzle to be solved through violent heroism. It is in this vein that the latest recruitment initiative for American imperialism arrives on our screens, in the form of new Amazon thriller, The Terminal List.

Chris Pratt, the square-jawed, dead-eyed star of Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, is Navy Seal Commander James Reece (One rowdy motherf***er, Pratt says, on the blurb to one of Jack Carrs novels that has been adapted for this series). The show opens with Reece on a mission in Syria that goes FUBAR, resulting in the deaths of his entire unit. Reece himself is severely concussed and returns to the United States a blurry mess; his memories of what happened in the submerged crypt in Syria do not align with those presented to him by the authorities. I know what its like when war follows you home, Jeanne Tripplehorns shady politician tells him. But I hope youll be able to find peace knowing this mission is over. Fat chance.

This is an action thriller, so PTSD cannot merely be PTSD. The only thing theyve told me is that you have a concussion and you have to lay low, Reeces wife Lauren (The Girlfriend Experiences Riley Keough) tells him. But during a routine MRI, two masked assassins show up and Reeces worst fears are confirmed: this is a conspiracy that has come home with him. More trauma will soon be thrown into the mix, allowing Reece, never knowingly under-armed, to storm around on a mission of revenge. Pratt is a strange leading man, the product more of the masculine desire for reinvention (he was slightly soft around the edges in Parks & Recreation, now hes ripped  so you could be too!) than any discernible talent.

Story continues

And the whole thing is desperately masculine. With the exception of Keough and Constance Wus intrepid reporter, the cast are an assemblage of interchangeable crew-cut men with varying degrees of stubble (Lose the five oclock shadow when youre in garrison, Reece is told at one point, but director Antoine Fuqua knows that Pratt looks much more convincingly tough with a bit of beard). Carr, upon whose novel the show is based, is a former Navy Seal, and both the book and its adaptation have made a big show of their verisimilitude (Dont use WhatsApp, Reece snarls to a confidential source, its compromised, has been for years). But the story could just as easily have been created by someone who spent the last couple of decades playing Splinter Cell instead  I would be shocked to discover that real Navy Seals spend as much time, gun drawn, peeking round corners in government facilities as James Reece does.

Those with an appetite for the Jacks (Reacher and Ryan) will find something to enjoy in the violent infallibility of Reece. There is plenty of skull cracking and head shots. But the plot, in so much as there is one, will make about as much sense to viewers as it does to the heavily concussed Reece. Might these repercussions be affecting your memory of the operation? the demob officers ask him. You dont forget an op like that he muses in reply, but watching The Terminal List is a constant, attritional battle against forgetting what on earth is going on.

Be All You Can Be. That alchemical phrase, the US militarys magic of turning dumb hunks of lead into Middle East meat mincing gold, has never lost its influence. The recruitment adverts just got slicker. The Terminal List represents a nadir for the form of radical reinvention offered by a 6ft 2in muscled frame and an arsenal of firearms that would make the British army (or average American household) blush. Are the makers of The Terminal List being all they can be? Surely they  we  can be better.
In a letter to nine Republican senators, TikTok said it's working to "remove any doubt about the security of US user data." CEO Shou Zi Chew reiterated a claim that TikTok stores American user data on servers run by Oracle, which will be audited by a third party. Chew also said the company expects to "delete US users' protected data from our own systems and fully pivot to Oracle cloud servers located in the US."

"[We] are working with Oracle on new, advanced data security controls that we hope to finalize in the near future," Chew wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times. "That work puts us closer to the day when we will be able to pivot toward a novel and industry-leading system for protecting the data of our users in the United States, with robust, independent oversight to ensure compliance."

Chew was responding to questions in a letter sent by the Republican senators  including Roger Wicker, the ranking Republican member of the Senate Commerce Committee  following a report by BuzzFeed News. The publication reported last month that China-based engineers of ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, accessed non-public data on users in the US between at least September 2021 and January 2022.

The report also prompted Brendan Carr, the Federal Communication Commission's senior Republican commissioner, to call on Apple and Google to remove the TikTok app from their stores. Carr requested a response from the companies by July 8th if they choose not to remove TikTok from the App Store and Play Store, respectively.

In the letter , Chew refuted much of BuzzFeed News' reporting, though conceded that ByteDance workers outside the US can access American user data "subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our US-based security team. In addition, TikTok has an internal data classification system and approval process in place that assigns levels of access based on the data's classification and requires approvals for access to US user data."

Legislators have been raising security concerns about TikTok over the last few years. In August 2020, then-president Donald Trump signed an executive order that would have made it difficult, if not impossible, for the app to operate in the US. The following month, Trump approved , in principle, a deal that would see Oracle and Walmart take a stake in a new company that would run TikTok's business in the US. Microsoft was also in the running to secure a deal.
Charles Hoffert holds up his bandaged hand during a preliminary appearance hearing in Yakima County Superior Court Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Hoffert, who was arrested following a June 16, 2022, standoff at his Summitview Avenue home, was in court for a preliminary appearance on an allegation that he attacked a police dog during the standoff.
Former WA state Rep. Matt Shea is in a small town in Poland with a group of more than 60 children whom he says were rescued from a Ukrainian orphanage.
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A new EU regulation on mobile phone roaming takes effect from July 1, keeping the service free in the EU and the European Economic Area for an additional ten years until 2032, but with stricter requirements that improve quality.

Consumers will have the right to the same quality of mobile internet abroad as at home.



Mobile service providers must ensure that consumers have access to 4G or more advanced 5G networks, where they are available.



There is a separate provision on the prevention of unexpected hidden charges.



According to a European Commission study, 33% of Europeans had lower mobile internet speeds abroad than at home, and 28% were able to communicate only on a lower quality network, i.e., 3G instead of 4G.
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The codeshare arrangement between Turkish Airlines and IndiGo, which permits one airline to sell seats on the other's flights, has been reinstated. Both airlines are able to offer their customers more options because of the codeshare. Domestic and international flight operations at Indigo have been growing. Prior to this, they declared that they would begin offering flights between Thiruvananthapuram and Abu Dhabi in order to meet the rising demand for customers.

"Currently, Turkish Airlines operates a daily flight on Delhi-Istanbul and Mumbai-Istanbul routes, whereas IndiGo operates a daily flight on Delhi-Istanbul route and is also planning to add a second frequency from August 2022," said the joint statement of the two airlines.

For example, according to the codeshare, a passenger will be able to book a single ticket on Turkish Airlines' website to travel from Istanbul to Bengaluru, wherein the Istanbul-Mumbai leg will be on a Turkish flight while the Mumbai-Bengaluru flight will be on IndiGo's flight.

Also read: Indigo to operate three more flights on Delhi-Leh route to meet high demand

Such a passenger will receive check-in baggage directly at the Bengaluru airport as he or she is traveling on a single ticket due to the codeshare agreement.

IndiGo had, in December 2018, announced a codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines, but it was suspended from March 23, 2020, onwards due to the suspension of scheduled international flights amid the coronavirus pandemic.

India resumed scheduled international flights on March 27 this year. IndiGo, India's largest airline, already has codeshare agreements with Qatar Airways, American Airlines, and Air France-KLM airlines.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: The Central government has increased the basic import duty on gold to 12.5%, up from the previous 7.5%, the government said on Friday (July 1). With the move, India, which is the second-largest consumer of precious metal, is aiming to reduce its demand. The move will also help the government to bring down the trade deficit. At present, India meets most of its gold demand via imports that are putting pressure on the rupee which hit a record low early in the day.

The duty increase would raise prices and moderate demand in India, potentially weighing on global prices. However, it may stoke under-the-counter buying and increase demand for precious metals smuggled into the country, according to trade officials quoted in a report by Reuters. (ALSO READ: 5 big changes in July that will impact your finances directly)

"The sudden rise in prices could bring down jewellery demand this month," Prithviraj Kothari, managing director of RiddiSiddhi Bullions, told the media agency. (ALSO READ: Govt hikes taxes on petrol and diesel exports, windfall tax on crude oil)

Following the duty increase, dealers were offering discounts of up to $40 per ounce off official domestic prices, inclusive of the 12.5 per cent import and 3 per cent sales taxes.

The May trade deficit in India increased to $24.29 billion from $6.53 billion a year ago. Gold imports increased to a whopping $6 billion in May 2022 from a mere 678 million in the same period last year.

Short-term gold demand may fall, but long-term demand will remain strong and imports will rebound, according to Surendra Mehta, secretary of the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).

Following the announcement of the increase in duties, local gold prices jumped around 3%. On the other hand, global prices fell 0.5% on the news, according to a Reuters report.

According to a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm, the hike has increased the gap between local and overseas prices to more than 15%, which could increase gold smuggling in the country. "Smuggling decreased after duty reductions and COVID-19 restrictions on people movement. However, it may now rise again," the dealer was quoted as saying.
New Delhi: The most revered annual Rath Yatra at Odisha's Puri Jagannath Temple has started today (July 1). The chariot festival dedicated to Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra attracts thousands of devotees across the globe to visit the temple town of Puri in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020, the devotees were not allowed to participate in the Rath Yatra but now after two years, once again Lord Jagannath bhakts are elated to seek the darshan of their deity as preparations are in full swing. In 2020 and 2021, only servitors took part in rituals due to the pandemic.

COVID-19 PROTOCOL AT PURI JAGANNATH TEMPLE IN 2022

This year, keeping the large gathering in view, wearing masks has been made mandatory by the administration. "We are expecting a large congregation during the festival this year. Mask is mandatory in Puri during the festival. Health camps will be set up at the railway station, bus stand and Grand Road (Bada Danda)," Director of Health Service Bijay Mohapatra told PTI.

Covid Care Centres with oxygen and ICU beds are in place, the official told. He also added that people with symptoms should avoid visiting the town, as caution should be maintained to check the spread of the virus.

RATH YATRA TIMINGS 2022:

Ratha Yatra on Friday, July 1, 2022

Dwitiya Tithi Begins - 10:49 AM on Jun 30, 2022

Dwitiya Tithi Ends - 01:09 PM on Jul 01, 2022

(according to drikpanchang.com)

PURI JAGANNATH RATH YATRA SIGNIFICANCE

In the Rath Yatra, the three chariots used to carry the Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra (sister) are different in size and other detailing. The chariots are beautifully and intrinsically designed and painted every year.

The "Chita Lagi" ritual of the three deities is completed on the "Rathas". pic.twitter.com/fGjyspD7nn  Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri (@JagannathaDhaam) July 1, 2022

Ratha Yatra commemorates Lord Jagannatha's annual visit to Gundicha Mata temple. It is believed that in order to pay their respects to Queen Gundicha, wife of the legendary King Indradyumna, who built the Puri Jagannatha temple, Lord Jagannatha along with brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra leave their regular abode from the main temple and spend some time in this temple built by Gundicha in their honour.

As per drikpanchang.com, it is said that after the Lord Jagannath along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra take a rest for 8 days at Gundicha Mata Temple, they set out on their return Jatra to the main abode. This day is known as Bahuda Yatra or Return Yatra, observed on the eighth day after Ratha Yatra on Dashami Tithi. On his return, the Lord also stops at Mausi Maa Temple which is dedicated to Goddess Ardhashini.

Jai Jagannath!
New Delhi: The World Bank has approved loans totalling USD 1.75 billion (about Rs 13,834.54 crore) to fund India's PM Ayushman Bharat scheme and private investment to boost the economic growth. Of the total loan, USD 1 billion will go towards the health sector, while the rest USD 750 million will be in the form of development policy loan (DPL) to fill the financing gaps through private sector investment in the economy.

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved two complementary loans of USD 500 million each to support and enhance India's health sector. (ALSO READ: GST collections in June leaps to Rs 1.44 lakh crore)

Through this combined financing of USD 1 billion, the World Bank will support India's flagship Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), launched in October 2021, the World Bank said in a release on Friday. (ALSO READ: Will gift cards, reward points attract TDS on virtual digital assets?)

The funds will be used to improve public healthcare infrastructure across the country. In addition to the national-level interventions, one of the loans will prioritize seven states namely Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, the multi-lateral funding agency said.

Separately, its board approved the DPL to the union government to support reforms critical to addressing financing gaps by leveraging private sector investment in infrastructure, small businesses, and the green finance markets.

The World Bank said India's performance in the health sector has improved over time. It has estimated India's life expectancy at 69.8 in 2020, up from 58 in 1990 -- higher than the average for the country's income level.

The under-five mortality rate (36 per 1,000 live births), infant mortality rate (30 per 1,000 live births), and maternal mortality ratio (103 per 1,00,000 live births) are all close to the average for India's income level, reflecting significant achievements in access to skilled birth attendance, immunizations, and other priority services, the World Bank said.

It said despite these advances in the health sector, COVID-19 has underscored the need for revitalizing, reforming, and developing capacity for core public health functions, as well as for improving the quality and comprehensiveness of the health service delivery.

"The COVID-19 outbreak has re-emphasized the urgency for significant reforms to improve the health sector performance in India," said Hideki Mori, World Bank's Acting Country Director for India.

Mori said India's decision to invest early and significantly to strengthen its health system even as it emerges from the pandemic, is a pioneering choice and "we are pleased to support this important agenda."

Under health, two loans-- Public Health Systems for Pandemic Preparedness Programme (PHSPP) and Enhanced Health Service Delivery Programme (EHSDP) -- are designed to be complementary and transformational in impact.

It will support the Indian government's reform agenda to accelerate universal coverage, improve quality, and increase the resilience and preparedness of the health system, the World Bank said.

PHSPP will support the government's efforts to prepare India's surveillance system to detect and report epidemics of potential international concerns; enhancing capacity to detect pathogens, including zoonotic diseases and strengthen coordination and build institutional capacity of core public health institutions.

EHSDP will support the government's efforts to strengthen service delivery through a redesigned primary health care model; improve quality of care by supporting the National Quality Assurance Standards certification across Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs); and transform the health sector governance and accountability by strengthening implementation capacity.

About the DPL, the World Bank said the Indian government has taken several measures over the past decade to improve financial inclusion as well as the stability of the financial sector and the domestic capital markets.

This has resulted in a more efficient and resilient sector in the face of the COVID-19 crisis and other external shocks.

Despite this progress, pressure on public resources and financing needs for key sectors of the economy remain high. For infrastructure and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the annual finance gap is estimated at 4 per cent of GDP and between Rs 18?25 lakh crore, respectively.

In addition, the World Bank estimates show that the energy transition required to meet the government's COP26 commitments will require an annual cumulative investment of 1.5 per cent of GDP.

"An efficient financial system capable of meeting the country's investment needs is key to support India's rebound from the pandemic and to realize its ambitious sustainable growth targets," Mori said.

This operation aims to reduce the pressure on public finances by leveraging private resources to support the country's development goals, the official said.

Of the USD 750 million commitment, USD 667 million will be a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and USD 83 million will be financed by a credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessionary lending arm.
Volkswagen will take the lead over Elon Musks Tesla by 2025, Herbert Diess, the current chairman of the board of management of the German motor vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen Group said. During a meeting at the company's headquarters in Germany, Diess said that Tesla will lose its strength trying to ramp up two gigafactories -- one in Austin, Texas and the other in Grunheide, Germany, reports the Daily Mail.

He sees this as an opportunity to take the lead, as Volkswagen is running at full capacity. "Elon must simultaneously ramp up two highly complex factories in Austin and Grunheide -- and expand production in Shanghai. That will cost him strength," he told workers on June 28, as first reported by Financial Times.

"We have to seize this opportunity and catch up quickly -- by 2025 we can be in the lead," he added. Diess has had his sights set on Tesla for quite some time -- earlier this year he said Volkswagen is capable of selling more electric vehicles than its rival by 2025.

Also read: Tesla ranks 7th from bottom on EV quality, battery vehicles more problematic: Report

During the presentation, Diess also mentioned that Tesla is weakening and then presented a slide with a meme that showed actor Jason Momoa representing Volkswagen creeping up behind fellow actor Henry Cavill cast as Tesla. Diess and Musk are friendly outside of the EV race, but the German executive continually notes Tesla as Volkswagens biggest rival.

Volkswagen sold 4,52,900 electric vehicles worldwide in 2021, while Tesla sold 9,30,422. It is listed fourth when it comes to electric car companies and fifth among the largest EV companies.

(With inputs from IANS)

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It was Shiromani Akali Dal - Badal SAD(B)s big decision to take up the issue of the release of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) for its own political revival after the partys near route in the last assembly elections but the partys trump card also wrecked after it's so called Panthic candidate Kamladeep Kaur Rajoana, sister of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh assassination case convict Balwant Singh Rajona (one of the Sikh prisoner), lost her security deposit in the Sangrur parliamentary by-elections.

Though SAD(B) claimed that Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana was the joint Panthic candidate but even before the elections the fissures among the Panthic candidates appeared after the president of SAD(A) Simranjit Singh Mann filed his nomination papers from the Sangrur parliamentary elections which came as a big jolt to Sukhbir Singh Badal led SAD(B) who had initiated the unification drive and had even held a meeting at Teja Singh Samundari Hall at Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) complex to put up a joint face before public.

The election results surprised everyone when Simranjit Singh Mann was declared the winner and even more surprising was the near rejection of joint Panthic candidate Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana who has polled only 44428 votes as against the winner candidate Mann who was polled 270722 votes. The more surprising was that BJP candidate Kewal Singh Dhillon polled 66298 votes.

The downfall of SAD(B) began in the 2017 assembly elections. The Akali party had bagged 56 seats in the 2012 assembly election but came down to just 15 seats in the 2017 assembly elections and now the party has shrunk to its lowest tally of 3 seats in the 2022 assembly elections giving a major blow to even its most seasoned and experienced candidates who had to face defeat.

Its a known fact that SAD(B) rules the SGPC by proxy and even uses its influence during the appointment of Sikh high priests. The issueless party came up with the idea of evoking sentiments by taking up the issue of the release of Sikh prisoners even as it failed to secure their release when the party was in power in Punjab with its former alliance partner BJP in power in the Center.

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Agnipath recruitment 2022: The Indian Navy started the application process for the recruitment of Agniveer under the Agnipath recruitment scheme 2022 today, July 1. Interested and eligible candidates can apply for the Agniveer posts in the Indian Navy through the official website joinindiannavy.gov.in. Armed forces recruitment under Agnipath scheme 2022 is ongoing in Indian Air Force, IAF and Indian Army already. Candidates must note that a one-time relaxation of the upper age limit up to 23 years has been granted for the Agniveer 2022 batch.

Agnipath Recruitment 2022: How to apply for Indian Navy Agniveer

Visit the official website-- joinindiannavy.gov.in On the appeared homepage, click on the registration tab Entre the required credentials Login to the website using your registration number or email id and password Click on the Current opportunities and select Agniveer recruitment Fill in the Agniveer Recruitment Application form and upload the required documents Submit and download your application form for Indian Navy Agniveer registration Take a printout for future references

Indian Navy Agniveer recruitment: Selection procedure

Candidates appearing for Indian Navy Agniveer recruitment will have to pass the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) which will be considered for the preparation of a merit list based on marks obtained in the written examination.

"All selected candidates will be called to INS Chilka for Recruitment Medicals. The selection of a candidate will stand cancelled and he will have no claim for enrolment in the Indian Navy in case the candidate fails to report on the date and time mentioned in call letter for Recruitment Medical Examination at INS Chilka," stated the Indian Navy in an official notice

"The original documents uploaded by the candidates during the online filling of application viz Original Certificates, Mark Sheets, Domicile Certificate and NCC Certificate (if held) are to be brought by the candidates at all stages of recruitment (PFT and Enrollment Medical at INS Chilka). If the details provided in 'online application' are not matching with original documents at any stage, the candidature will be cancelled," Indian Navy stated further.

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NEW DELHI: Following summer vacations, schools in the national capital reopened today, July 1, 2022. Despite the fact that the rise in Covid-19 cases in the country has raised concerns among parents and school principals. In the last 24 hours, Delhi recorded 865 new COVID-19 cases and zero deaths, bringing the national capital's active cases to 3,914 with a daily positivity rate of 4.45 percent. The national capital's schools were closed for the summer vacation on May 11, 2022. However, Mission Buniyad classes continued until June 18, 2022.

The Deputy Chief Minister stated that Mission Buniyad classes were conducted on a war footing this year, and the results have been spectacular, adding that it has played a critical role in closing the learning gap that has widened over the past two years of the pandemic. ALSO READ- PSEB 10th Results 2022 BIG UPDATE: Punjab board class 10th result next week at pseb.ac.in- Check DATE ,Time and more details

"Thousands of children in our schools have benefited from this, and their learning levels have improved. The teachers and principals of the DoE and MCD deserve full credit for this. If MCD and DoE collaborate in this manner, students' learning levels will improve significantly, says CM.

Delhi | Schools reopen in the national capital from today, after summer vacations. Visuals from Ramjas School at Pusa Road. pic.twitter.com/5AyJYBnTOF  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2022

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will organize a training session for 'Targeted Pedagogical Approach' with teachers from MCD and DOE. Teachers will assess each child weekly, the school head will monitor each child's progress, and a mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) will be organized in July to share the learning level of their children with the parents in Delhi Government and MCD schools.

In 2020, the coronavirus scare grew across the country. More than 1 billion students were still out of school due to nationwide school closures. The Delhi government ordered all educational institutes to remain closed until further notice. Schools reopened for completely offline classes from April 1 after prolonged closure in view of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. ALSO READ: TS TET Results 2022 to be declared TODAY on tstet.cgg.gov.in, check direct link, websites and more here
Doctors` Day, observed on July 1 to honour the service of the fraternity, was marked across Karnataka with various unctions and celebrations in recognition of their services especially during the various waves of Covid-19. Participating in a programme to honour senior doctors and their family members at United Hospital, Jayadeva Hospital Director Dr CN Manjunath noted that due to innovations in technology, the expectations of people and patients on doctors are increasing.

Due to `Idiot` syndrome, it is becoming very difficult to treat educated people, he said. IDIOT syndrome (Internet Derived Information Obstructing Treatment) is when people blindly trust medical information available online and stop their treatment abruptly without consulting their doctor.

"People are getting information about their ailments and diseases with the help of technology available on their palm. Amidst the explosion of technology, the expectations of the patients and their attendants has increased. Doctors are overwhelmed when people rush to the hospital with unrealistic expectations of the doctor. In this changed context, the need for a specialist doctor to have not only technical and professional skills but also communication skills has increased a lot," he said.

"Doctor`s Day is a day to encourage the busy working doctors among us. The pressure on doctors who work from morning to midnight is increasing day by day. It is a matter of great pride that United Hospital, started by young doctors, is honouring senior doctors and their families for their tireless service in the midst of pressure."

Manjunath also said that due to the `Idiot` syndrome which is becoming more common among people, there is a lot of difficulty in the treatment of people. Given the pressure on doctors, there is a need for health camps for doctors themselves as they are getting sick due to stress and the need to pay attention to their health and family has increased.

United Hospital Director Dr Veena Siddareddy said that the service rendered by senior and junior doctors in the context of Covid-19 pandemic and emergency is commendable.

Executive Director Dr Shantakumar Muruda said: "Doctors have spent more time serving patients than spending time with family members. During the Covid-19 pandemic, not only doctors but their families have also suffered."

Dr Niti Raizada, Director, Medical Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Fortis Hospitals, Bengaluru, said: "We face stressful situations round the clock as cancer patients are generally more critically ill than other specialities, it is as if we are running on a constant treadmill of work 24/7 which include late night phone calls, hospital visits, often impatient/irate relatives of patients who are constantly interacting on any platform available, not for a moment realising that there will be a number of equally sick patients to handle."
Wayanad: Calling the Students' Federation of India (SFI) activists who had vandalised his office as "kids", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said he does not harbour any anger or hostility towards them and reminded them that violence never resolves problems. Gandhi, who is on a three-day visit to his constituency here, reached the office along with other senior leaders of the party and took stock of the damage.

The Wayanad MP met the party workers, who had suffered injuries in the attack, examined the damaged articles and sat on the office chair after removing the plantain tree placed by the attackers on it.

It is for the first time that he is arriving in his Lok Sabha constituency after his MP's office here was attacked by the students' wing of the ruling CPI(M) last Friday over the buffer zone issue.

Later, he told reporters that it is the office of the people of Wayanad and what had been done by the Left students' cadre was "quite an unfortunate thing."

But, he made it clear that violence never resolves problems and he does not harbour any anger or hostility towards them. "Everywhere in the country, you see the idea that violence will resolve problems. And, violence never resolves problems... It's not a good thing to do...They acted in an irresponsible way. But, I don't have any anger or hostility towards them," he said.

Gandhi also called the SFI activists who indulged in violence as "kids".

Last week, a protest march of the SFI against Gandhi turned violent after a group of Left activists allegedly barged into his office here and vandalised it, prompting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to strongly condemn the incident and warn of stern action against the culprits.

Strongly condemning "the act of violence" by SFI of its top leader's office at Kalpetta in Gandhi's LS constituency Wayanad, the Congress staged a statewide protest, which turned violent in some regions.

The incident occurred when the SFI activists held a march to Gandhi's office alleging his inaction in the issue of buffer zones around forests. Issuing a slew of directions, the Supreme Court had on June 3 ordered that no permanent structure would be allowed within eco-sensitive zones and said if the local law or other rules provide for an ESZ of more than one kilometre, then the earlier provision would continue to apply.
Panaji: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday called new Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and congratulated him over his elevation to the top post. The Maratha strongman also said that he has a lot of expectations from Shinde since he is also from Satara  the district which has so far given 4 chief ministers to Maharashtra.

Sharing more information, Maharashtra MLA Deepak Kesarkar said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar called Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and congratulated him." He also said that you belong to Satara so I expect many things from you for Satara... There is a rule of ED now but its not that ED (Enforcement Directorate). ED here means `E` for Eknath Shinde and D` for Devendra Fadvanis," he went on to explain.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar called CM Eknath Shinde& congratulated him. He also said that you belong to Satara so I expect many things from you for Satara... There is a rule of ED now but its not that ED. ED here means 'E' for Eknath Shinde &'D' for Devendra Fadvanis: Deepak Kesarkar pic.twitter.com/ZsTYn0HT3c  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2022

Kesarkar, who is from the Eknath Shinde camp, also said that former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray "is a big stature leader" and they won`t speak against him. Kesarkar, who was the spokesperson of the rebel group of Shiv Sena during the Maharashtra political crisis, said that they will speak to former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the right time and all misunderstandings will be sorted out.

"Uddhav Thackeray is a big stature leader and we won`t speak against him. We will speak to him at the right time. All the misunderstandings will be sorted out," he told the media. Kesarkar made these remarks after Uddhav Thackeray said that "this CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM".

Uddhav Thackeray is a big stature leader and we wont speak against him. We will speak to him at the right time. All the misunderstandings will be sorted out: Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar, in Goa pic.twitter.com/OFjCJITUYR  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2022

The political crisis in Maharashtra was created by a revolt in Shiv Sena led by Shinde who stayed in Guwahati with other MLAs supporting him. Uddhav Thackeray resigned on Wednesday. Thackeray clashed out at the BJP on Friday for giving the Chief Ministerial slot to Shinde and said that had BJP leadership agreed to this earlier, there would have been no Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state.

The Shiv Sena and BJP had parted ways after the 2019 Assembly elections over the post of Chief Minister. With the BJP not agreeing with Shiv Sena`s demand, the party tied up with Congress and NCP to form a government.

"About what happened yesterday, I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would`ve been no Maha Vikas Aghadi." Shinde was sworn in as Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as Deputy Chief Minister on Thursday.

"The manner in which government has been formed and a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could`ve been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM," Thackeray said.

The Shiv Sena chief also criticized the new government for its decision to build the metro car shed in Mumbai`s Aarey colony, which the earlier Devendra Fadnavis government had termed important, Thackeray asked not to "project anger" for him on Mumbaikars.

The Eknath Shinde`s government in Maharashtra will face a Vote of Confidence on July 4, to prove its majority in the State Assembly. The Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held on July 3 and 4.
New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has to prove a majority in the state Assembly on July 4. The Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held on July 3 and 4, when the newly formed Shinde government will face the vote of confidence. The nomination for Speakers election will be filed on July 2 and the election will be held on July 3. The Speaker post has been vacant since Congress MLA Nana Patole resigned last year.

As per ANI sources, top Maharashtra BJP MLAs including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will meet today to discuss the Assembly Speakers election. "The name of the candidate is likely to be finalised in the meeting," sources said.

In a surprise move, Eknath Shinde was announced as the Maharashtra CM on Thursday while Devendra Fadnavis took oath as his Deputy. Shinde has claimed he has the support of 50 MLAs including those from Shiv Sena and Independents.

Earlier on Thursday, Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis had met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked a claim to form the government.

Meanwhile, taking a dig at the newly-formed Shinde government, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Friday (July 1) questioned BJP's decision to install a "so-called Shiv Sainik" as Maharashtra chief minister. About what happened yesterday, I had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would've been no Maha Vikas Aghadi, Thackeray was quoted as saying by ANI.

The manner in which Govt has been formed and a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could've been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM, he added.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said: "phenomenal profits" made by some oil refiners on exporting fuel at the expense of domestic supplies had prompted the government to introduce an export tax on petrol, diesel, and ATF. The export levy as also the windfall tax imposed on record profits of domestic oil producers will be reviewed every fortnight to calibrate them if the need arises, she told reporters here. She said the new taxes are aimed at improving the supply of petroleum products in the domestic market, as private producers were mainly focussing on exports. The government on Friday slapped an export tax on petrol, diesel and jet fuel (ATF) and imposed a windfall tax on crude oil produced locally.

"Every 15 days, this will be assessed to see how things are working out," the minister said. Sitharaman said that currently, India is facing difficulty in getting crude oil from abroad at an affordable price. Also Read: Rupee relatively better placed than other global currencies against dollar: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Observing that at a time when oil prices are "unbridled" internationally and domestic exporters are making "phenomenal profits", she said it is essential to ensure enough domestic supplies. India imports 85 per cent of its crude oil requirement.

"These are times when oil prices internationally are unbridled. They are just going on and on upwards. And for any country, like India for instance, which depends largely and very much largely on imports, we also need to pay that kind of money to get the imports," Sitharaman said. She said crude oil exports from India are happening at "abnormal" prices, which is resulting in "extraordinary profits".

"We do not grudge people earning profits," she said, adding at the same time there is a need to ensure enough supply within the country. Sitharaman said there are reports that petrol pumps owned by private companies are not selling enough fuel to domestic customers.

India buys crude oil from different places from "cost-effective" options and also reduces excise duty so that the cost of petrol and diesel remains low and the burden on the ordinary citizen is less, she added. "But with all these being done, if oil is not being available and they are being exported, good they are exported but exported with such phenomenal profits. Good for earning profits, but extraordinary times. We need at least some of it for our own citizens and that is why we have taken this twin-pronged approach.

Taxes on crude oil rises

"It is not to discourage exports, it is not to discourage India has a refining hub, it is certainly not against profit earning, but extraordinary times do require some such steps," Sitharaman said. The government on Friday imposed a Rs 6 per litre tax on the export of petrol and ATF and a Rs 13 per litre tax on the export of diesel effective from July 1.

Additionally, a Rs 23,250 per tonne tax was levied on crude oil produced domestically. Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said the new taxes would be applicable on SEZ units.

"But, the export restriction will not be applicable," he said.

The government also framed new rules requiring oil companies exporting petrol to sell in the domestic market, the equivalent of 50 per cent of the amount sold to overseas customers, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. For diesel, this requirement has been put at 30 per cent of the volume exported.

These restrictions on export are also aimed at shoring up domestic supplies at petrol pumps, some of which had dried up in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat as private refiners preferred exporting fuel to selling locally. Also Read: Did fuel rates increase? Check prices in your city
The return was certain. But at the last minute there was a dramatic change. It is not Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is Eknath Shinde, who is also supported by the BJP. Shinde said Fadnavis was not lured for the Chief Minister's post despite being more in number. But a few minutes later, it was revealed that Fadnavis wanted to be the Chief Minister. The BJP leadership did not agree. So he didn't want to join the Shinde government. In the end, with the intervention of Amit Shah, the ice melted. Fadnavis agreed to become the deputy Chief Minister. But questions are being raised as to why Fadnavis, the protagonist of the two-week-long drama, was not made the Chief Minister. However, political circles are seeing a strong strategy in this decision.

Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra on his own after the Supreme Court dismissed his plea for a stay on the trust vote. After that, Shinde and Fadnavis, both of them, came to Raj Bhavan with a proposal to form the government. Till then, Fadnavis is the Chief Minister and he is everywhere. But to everyone's surprise, Fadnavis himself announced that Shinde is the Chief Minister. He does not hold any position in the government. There was also a hue and cry within the BJP. It is known that Fadnavis was upset with not being made the Chief Minister.

Nadda-Shah Took The Stage

           .        ,      .



        .      ,      . https://t.co/uBp4yBsU5D  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 30, 2022

After this, BJP's All India President JP Nadda took to the stage. He requested Fadnavis to become the deputy Chief Minister. However, Fadnavis did not agree. In the end, Amit Shah has to come forward. Shinde alone will not be able to handle the responsibility, he said, adding that it is important for Fadnavis to remain in the government if the BJP is to be retained in the state. According to sources, Fadnavis's mind changed the moment before he was sworn in. Shah first tweeted that Fadnavis is the deputy Chief Minister. Retweeting the same tweet, Fadnavis said that as a loyal worker, the party's order is titled. He then read out the oath at the Raj Bhavan.

BIG Political Strategy

A section of observers see BJP's political strategy behind the decision to make Shinde the Chief Minister and Fadnavis as the deputy Chief Minister. They claim that Shah killed two birds with a stone through this 'masterstroke'. On the one hand, making Shinde the Chief Minister was the last nail in the coffin in terms of Uddhav's political career. At the same time, Fadnavis was forced to become deputy Chief Minister in place of the Chief Minister and this move was virtually aimed at clipping his wings.

Goa-Effect

This is because in addition to the ruckus in Maharashtra, in Goa recently, the late Minister and long-time member of the BJP Manohar Parrikar also allegedly turned the tables on the candidature of his son. Manohar's son Utpal was forced to fight against the BJP. Although there was no strong action on Fadnavis in the election atmosphere, the political circles feel that the excesses he was doing could be explained by this step.

Opposition Mocks Fadnavis

Congress national spokesperson Rohan Gupta also took a dig at Fadnavis over the issue. Bjp workers had served laddoos to Fadnavis on Wednesday night after Uddhav resigned. Sharing the picture, Rohan wrote on Twitter, "Fadnavis ka LADDU Shinde Kha Gaye". At the same time, in a sarcastic tone, he wrote, "Ab ki baar, E-Eknath, D-Devendra, Sarkar, i.e. 'ED' government. "Laddu betrayed you this time too," Rohan wrote.

       Rohan Gupta (@rohanrgupta) June 30, 2022

Congratulatory Message

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had approached Uddhav with a proposal to make Shinde the Chief Minister during the rebellion. Pawar also greeted Shinde on his swearing-in as Chief Minister on this day. Uddhav also sent a congratulatory message. He hoped that he and Devendra would work for Maharashtra. But Sharad threw a dig at Devendra. "It could not have been imagined that Shinde would become the Chief Minister. Seeing Devendra Fadnavis, it was clear that he was not happy. It flashed in his eyes."

The BJP, however, countered that its party is not power-hungry. There is also nothing wrong with the party not making Fadnavis the Chief Minister. But at the beginning of the BJP's return to Maharashtra, the chaos that has taken place is the evidence of the sequence of events after the day. Shinde and the BJP's coalition government will prove its majority in the Maharashtra Assembly on Saturday. On the same day, the assembly speaker will be elected.
Jabalpur: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken a dig at the state Congress president and his predecessor Kamal Nath over the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in Maharashtra.

Chouhan said that while the Congress had sent Nath to Maharashtra on the mission of saving the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress following a rebellion within the Sena, the attempt proved futile as the Thackeray-led dispensation finally collapsed just the way Nath had to step down from his chief minister's position in March 2020.

Talking to reporters on Thursday night about the developments in the neighbouring state, Chouhan said in reference to Nath, "Hum to doobe hain sanam, tumko bhi le doobenge. Aur wo hi kiya, bichare Uddhav bhi chale gaye (We are already sunk darling, but we'll take you with us. And it so happened that poor fellow Uddhav also went away)."

Taking a further dig at the Congress, he said, "The Congress is also strange! Someone who could not save his own government was sent to rescue the one in Maharashtra...Congress never stops amazing us. There is only one 'Nath' (master), all others are 'anath' (orphan). The rest of the Congress is orphan."

The Congress had deputed Nath as the AICC observer in Maharashtra after Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde rebelled against his party along with a group of party MLAs and independent legislators, pushing the Uddhav Thackery-led government to the brink of collapse.

Days after the rebellion, Thackeray resigned as the chief minister on Wednesday. A day after his resignation, Shinde took oath as the chief minister, while senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as his deputy.

Nath had to step down as Madhya Pradesh chief minister in 2020 after 22 MLAs, most of them loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, resigned from the state Assembly, reducing the Congress to a minority with 92 legislators in the 230-member House. The development paved the way for the return of the saffron party in the state at the helm after a 15-month rule of Congress.

The Congress rebels, including their leader Scindia, were later inducted into the BJP. These turncoats contested the assembly by-polls with most of them winning it. Most of these legislators were rewarded with plum portfolios in the Chouhan cabinet, while Scindia was appointed as the Civil Aviation Minister in the reshuffle of the Union cabinet.

In March this year, 63-year-old Chouhan achieved the distinction of being the longest-serving BJP chief minister, breaking the record held till then by former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, which came down heavily on suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma for her controversial comments against the Prophet, asked why no FIR was registered against the anchor of the controversial TV debate show and also questioned the Delhi Polices handling of the matter. Th apex court, while stating that Nupur Sharmas "loose tongue" has "set the entire country on fire", asked the suspended BJP leader to immediately apologise to the entire nation for her remarks.

Refusing to entertain Sharma's plea for clubbing of FIRs lodged in various states against her for the remark, the bench held that the comment was made either for cheap publicity, political agenda or some nefarious activities.

"She actually has a loose tongue and has made all kinds of irresponsible statements on TV and set the entire country on fire. Yet, she claims to be a lawyer of 10 years standing... She should have immediately apologised for her comments to the whole country," the court said.

Sharma's remark against the Prophet, made during a TV debate, triggered protests across the country and invited sharp reactions from many Gulf countries. The BJP subsequently suspended her from the party.

"These remarks are very disturbing and smack of arrogance. What is her business to make such remarks? These remarks have led to unfortunate incidents in the country...These people are not religious. They do not have respect for other religions. These remarks were made for cheap publicity or political agenda or some other nefarious activities, the bench said.

While refusing to entertain Sharma's plea for clubbing of FIRs, a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala allowed her to withdraw the plea. The bench also said that Nupur Sharmas apology came too late and that too conditionally saying if religious sentiments are hurt and so on. She should have been on TV immediately and apologised to the nation," the SC bench said.

The court said her petition smacks of arrogance and that she thinks that the magistrate of the country is too small for her. Her lawyer said Sharma was a spokesperson of a political party and her unintentional comments were in relation to a debate.

"If you are a spokesperson of a party, it is not a license to say things like this", the bench said, adding, "if there was a misuse of the debate, the first thing she should have done was to file an FIR against the anchor".

To which, Sharmas lawyer said she had reacted to the debate initiated by other debators and pointed to the transcript of the debate. The bench said, "what was the TV debate for? Was it to fan an agenda and why did they choose a sub-judice topic?"

When her lawyer said she has joined the investigation being conducted by the Delhi Police and not running away, the bench said, "What has happened in the investigation so far? What has Delhi Police done so far? Don't make us open our mouths? They must have put a red carpet for you."

After the hearing for nearly 30 minutes, the bench said it is not convinced with her bonafide and refused to entertain the petition.

(With Agency inputs)
Puri (Odisha): The holy city of Odisha`s Puri is all set to celebrate the famous Rath Yatra festival of Lord Jagannath on Friday (July 1) as the three Raths of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra have been pulled and put stationed in front of the Singha Dwara of the Shreemandira on Thursday itself. Odisha Police has made top-notch security arrangements keeping the expected crowd at the festival in mind. The Ratha Yatra festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July. This year the festival falls on July 1. The three chariots are built a new, every year ahead of the annual chariot festival.

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw along with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday night inspected preparation for #JagannathRathYatra at Puri Railway Station.

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw along with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last night inspected preparation for #JagannathRathYatra at Puri Railway Station pic.twitter.com/xesgHtc55T  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2022

Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has made magnificent sand art with the message: On this Rath Yatra, let us pledge to "Say no to single-use Plastic". Pattnaik makes 125 sand chariots to mark Lord Jagannath RathYatra, adding "This time we have created 125 sand chariots to mark the holy rath yatra of Lord Jagannath. It will be our new world record."

This time we have created 125 sand chariots to mark the holy rath yatra of Lord Jagannath. It will be our new world record, said Sudarshan Pattnaik (30.06) pic.twitter.com/Ft0MXUxJQ7  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2022

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu greeted the people on the occasion of Rath Yatra, adding "I convey my heartiest greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra of Odisha, depicting the annual journey of Lord Jagannatha, considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, witnesses the coming together of the entire community in celebration of the grace and divinity of the Lord."

Naidu further said, "Devotees who join the Rath Yatra consider it their blessing to pull the chariot of the Lord Jagannatha. The splendour and grandeur of the Rath Yatra is truly unparalleled. May the pious and noble ideals associated with Rath Yatra enrich our lives with peace and harmony."

On Lord Jagannath RathYatra, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb told ANI, "Greatest festival of Supreme Lord is Rath Yatra which happens every year. For last two years devotees' participation was barred due to pandemic but is allowed this year...expecting huge public participation today."

Puri, Odisha | Greatest festival of Supreme Lord is Rath Yatra which happens every year. For last 2 yrs devotees' participation was barred due to pandemic but is allowed this year...Expecting huge public participation today:Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb on #JagannathRathYatra pic.twitter.com/ZLwMn7cIog  ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2022

The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is the most prominent Hindu festival in the Puri city of Odisha. Vibrant colours, enthusiastic faces, crowded shops, and cheery craftspeople are just a few of the highlights of Rath Yatra in Puri, the popular Chariot celebration held on a big scale every year outside Jagannatha Temple.

(With ANI Inputs)
Supreme Court slams Nupur Sharma over Prophet comment remarks. "You should apologise to the whole country. She (Nupur Sharma) is solely responsible for what has happened in the country." said the Supreme Court.

Justice Surya Kant said, "We saw the debate, how she insisted. The way she said everything and later said that she is a lawyer is shameful. She should apologize to the entire country."

Nupur Sharma had appealed that all the FIRs lodged against her be sent to Delhi. The petition was heard in the Supreme Court. During the hearing, the lawyer of the suspended BJP leader alleged that she (Nupur Sharma) is constantly facing threats. In this regard, the judge wants to know, "Is she getting threats? Or is it the security in threat? The way she has stirred up emotions in the whole country, this woman alone is responsible for what is happening in the country."

Also Read: 'Won't leave her, UNTILL...', Angry Mamata Banerjee THREATENS Nupur Sharma over Prophet Row

Justice Surya Kant also said, "she was the spokesperson of a party, what happened! She thinks she has a backup of power with her, so she can make any kind of comment without respecting the country's rules."

In view of this, Nupur Sharma's lawyer told the court that she was only replying to a question from the host during the debate on TV. The court then said that then there should be a case against the host as well. The lawyer then remarked that citizens had no right to speak? In response, the judge said, "In a democracy, everyone has the right to speak. In a democracy, grass also has the right to be born. Donkeys have a right to eat.

Nupur Sharma Comment Row: Justice Surya Kant's Top 5 Remarks

Is she getting threats? Or is it the security in threat?

We saw the debate on how she was incited. But the way she said all this and later says she was a lawyer. It is shameful.

She was the spokesperson of a party, what happened! She thinks she has a backup of power with her

In a democracy, everyone has the right to speak. In a democracy, grass also has the right to be born. Donkeys have a right to eat.

This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country.

Prophet Comment Row: Who is Nupur Sharma?

Nupur, a graduate in economics from Hindu College under Delhi University, later also earned a law degree. She also holds a masters in law from the London School of Economics.

Nupur is involved in politics in college. She emerged as the leader of the Sangh Parivar's student wing, the ABVP.

Nupur Sharma became the president of the Delhi University Students' Union in 2008.

Nupur was fielded against AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi assembly constituency in the Delhi assembly constituency in 2015. However, she lost to Kejriwal by 31,583 votes.

Nupur Sharma became delhi BJP spokesperson in 2017.

Several countries, including Iran, Qatar and the United States, have been vocal in their criticism of Nupur's comments. In the end, under pressure, the BJP leadership suspends Nupur Sharma. But even then, the fire of anger did not go away. There have been demands from various quarters for Nupur's arrest. Complaints were lodged against Nupur at several police stations including Kolkata and Mumbai.
Today, on Friday, a truck hit the convoy of BJP leader and MLA Suvendu Adhikari. The opposition leader of the West Bengal assembly was on his way to the ISKCON temple in Tamluk on the occasion of Rath Yatra. It was then that the truck hit the convoy of Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari. The accident took place at Marishda in East Medinipur. The front part of the car was badly damaged due to the accident. Although the truck was seized and brought to the police station, driver of the truck is absconding. Suvendu Adhikari, however, remains unharmed.

What happened in Marishda?

According to local sources, Suvendu was on his way out of 'Shantikunj' in Kanthi and was on his way to Tamluk. He was supposed to inaugurate the Rath Yatra there. But the schedule was ruined because of the accident on the way. The BJP has demanded an inquiry into the incident. A truck hit his convoy. The car also hit the car of the bodyguard of Suvendu Adhikari. The incident took place near Durmuth under Marishda police station.

A heavy vehicle rammed into a CRPF escort car of my convoy. By the grace of Lord Jagannath no body was hurt.

I am not injured & would continue attending scheduled events.

I am grateful for the innumerous calls enquiring about my well being & would assure everyone that I am fine. pic.twitter.com/rA0hDfjdlV  Suvendu Adhikari    (@SuvenduWB) July 1, 2022

What is BJP saying?

The BJP said there was a conspiracy behind the accident. There was negligence in the security of the opposition leader. The Trinamool Congress has dismissed the BJP's allegations. They claim that the allegation of this conspiracy is merely imaginary. The Trinamool Congress has even accused the BJP of playing politics over the accident.

What information police get?

According to Marishda police station sources, the accident took place near a petrol pump on the national highway. The truck collided with the convoy of Suvendu. Several people, including the driver of the vehicle, suffered minor injuries in the incident. However, he is safe. He was in a car in the middle of the convoy. He didn't have any injuries.

After the accident, Suvendu himself tweeted, "A heavy car hit the car of my CRPF convoy. There was no injury to the body by the grace of Lord Jagannath. I was not injured." He also said that he will not miss any of the events of the day. "I will join the scheduled events today. let me tell everyone who has taken my news that I am fine, I am grateful for everyone's phone calls", said Suvendu. He was said to have got a big escape from the accident.
New Delhi: Taking yet another preventive measure, the Centre on Friday directed the social media platforms to remove content glorifying the brutal Udaipur beheading incident in the name of avenging insult to Islam. A notice issued by the Ministry of Electronics and IT said, social media platforms need to remove content which encourages, glorifies or justifies brutal murder in Udaipur.

Kanhaiya Lal, a resident of Udaipur in Rajasthan, was killed on Tuesday by two cleaver-wielding men, Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, who posted a grisly video of the crime online claiming responsibility for the "beheading".

"Through this notice, you are directed to forthwith ensure that as part of your obligation of due diligence, safety and trust, you proactively and immediately remove any and all content, either in the form of a text message, audio, video, photo or any other form, that seem to encourage/glorify/justify this murder and killing with a view to prevent any incitement and disruption of public order and to restore public peace and harmony," the notice dated June 29 said.

The video of the brutal murder was posted online and there have been several reported instances of social media handles and accounts glorifying and justifying the murder. The incident triggered widespread protests in parts of the country and prohibitory orders were clamped in order to control the law and order situation.

The police later nabbed the two culprits and the case was handed over to the NIA.

Meanwhile, in a major reshuffle over the alleged negligence by police in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case, the Rajasthan government has removed the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Inspector General (IG) range of Udaipur. Prafulla Kumar, who is heading the SIT set up to investigate the murder, has been made the new IG.

The killers Ghaus Mohammad and Riyaz Jabba have been shifted from Udaipur to Ajmer`s high-security jail. The Internet remained suspended in Rajasthan for the fourth day on Friday. Section 144 has also been clamped for a month to prevent violence.



On Thursday night, the police arrested two more accused, Mohsin and Asif, involved in the conspiracy to murder. Three others have also been detained and were being interrogated. A case has also been registered in this murder case under the Arms Act.



The SIT will interrogate both the accused Ghaus Mohammad and Riyaz Jabbar on Friday. Udaipur district court on Thursday sent them to judicial custody for 14 days. The killers - Gauss and Riyaz Jabbar - after being shifted from Udaipur to Ajmer`s High-Security Jail have been kept in different barracks.

(With Agency Inputs)
Uddhav has been the target of cousin Raj Thackeray this time after he resigned from the Chief Minister's post. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, without naming Uddhav, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj wrote, "When anyone misunderstands good fortune as one's personal accomplishment; therein begins the journey towards one's decline!" The rebel camp led by Eknath Shinde on Thursday also said that it is going to fight for political survival with the name of late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray in front of them. Raj's tweet in this situation has created new speculation in Maharashtra politics. A source in MNS indicated that Raj may also join the alliance of the BJP and the Shinde faction.

A section of the Shinde camp, which claims to be the "Real Shiv Sena", feels that the presence of the title 'Thackeray' is necessary to claim Balasaheb's political legacy. So they want to get Raj along. Raj has also spoken to Shinde over the phone several times during the recent political turmoil in Maharashtra.

It was during Balasaheb's lifetime that in 2006, his favourite nephew Raj left the Shiv Sena and formed his own party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Though he did not make any allegations against Balasaheb, he has repeatedly taken a dig at Uddhav's 'leadership' qualities.

Raj's party had stunned by winning 13 seats in the 2009 Assembly elections in Maharashtra. In the 2012 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, MNN won in 27 wards. But due to the hardline position and violent movement, Raj became increasingly cornered in Maratha politics. In recent times, Raj has taken a hardline Hindutva stand on the loudspeaker debate. His relationship with the BJP is also good now. In the recent Legislative Council elections, only one MLA from Raj's party voted for the BJP candidate.
Kolkata: The TMC on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's terse observations in connection with a Nupur Sharma case, slamming Union Home Minister Amit Shah "for sheltering her". The ruling party of Bengal also urged the Delhi Police to arrest the former BJP spokesperson for her recent remarks against Prophet Mohammad. "SC notes @NupurSharmaBJP 'single-handedly responsible' for setting the 'country on fire'; leading to brutal Udaipur murder. 'Nobody dares to touch you (Sharma). That shows your clout'," the party tweeted, quoting the apex court's remarks.

Pillorying Shah and the Delhi Police, who report to Shah, the party said, "Shame on the Home Minister @AmitShah & @DelhiPolice for sheltering her."

Coming down heavily on suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, the apex court on Friday said it led to unfortunate incidents and ignited emotions across the country.

The court, dismissing Sharma's plea for clubbing of FIRs lodged in various states, held that the remark was made either for cheap publicity, political agenda or some nefarious activities, and said she should have apologised to the whole country.

Sharma's remark against the Prophet, made during the course of a TV debate, triggered protests across the country and invited sharp reactions from many Gulf countries. The BJP had subsequently suspended her from the party. The court's observations against the suspended BJP leader came days after a tailor in Udaipur, who had posted videos online in support of Sharma, were murdered by two men.
Telangana Department of School Education, Hyderabad is all set to declare the Telangana State Teachers Eligibility Test, TS TET Results 2022 today, July 1, 2022. The TS TET result date and time were shared by Manabadi. Telangana education department has already released the final answer key for TS-TET 2022. TS TET Results 2022 are expected to be released today by noon as the School Education Minister had advised the officials to release the TET results at the earliest. Once released, candidates can check their TS TET results 2022 on the official website tstet.cgg.gov.in, scroll down for the direct link.

The TS TET 2022 exam was held on June 12, 2022. Nearly 3.51 lakh candidates registered for the examination. Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 were conducted for teaching jobs in primary, middle and senior secondary classes respectively.

TS TET 2022: Qualifying marks

The qualifying criteria for the TS TET exam is 60%. Candidates are required to score at least 60% in the TS TET 2022 results to be eligible to apply for teaching jobs in various government schools. Qualifying marks for reserved categories are lower.

Candidates must notice that the Telangana education department has validated the TS TET certificate for life which means candidates now will not be required to reappear for the exam once they have qualified the same. A TET certificate is mandatory for teaching jobs under the Right to Education Act.

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was conspicuously absent from a celebration held at the state BJP headquarters on Friday over the new government formation after the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. PTI quoted sources as saying that he would not be attending the BJP's national executive meeting in Hyderabad.

The program at the party office in south Mumbai was meant to celebrate its return to power in Maharashtra after two-and-half years following the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.

Fadnavis, who had on Thursday announced that he would not be part of the new Eknath Shinde-led government but later took oath as deputy chief minister, did not attend the celebration. A close aide of the former chief minister said he was busy holding meetings at his residence ahead of the two-day special session of the Maharashtra legislature from July 3.

Asked if Fadnavis would attend the national executive of the party that will start in Hyderabad from Saturday, a BJP functionary said, "He has spoken with our national leaders and informed them about the situation here. He would not attend the Hyderabad meeting as dates overlap with the legislature session."

He would be addressing a meeting of BJP legislators at a hotel here on Friday evening, sources said. It was widely expected that Fadnavis, considered to be instrumental in engineering a split in the Shiv Sena which led to the collapse of the Sena-NCP-Congress government, would again become chief minister.

But on Thursday evening, he announced in a press conference after meeting the governor that Shinde, the rebel Sena leader, would be the next CM, while he himself would not be part of the government.

The BJP, notably, is the single largest party in the Assembly. Even as the state reeled under the stunning news, BJP president J P Nadda informed that Fadnavis had been asked to accept the post of deputy CM. Shinde was a minister when Fadnavis headed the BJP-Sena government in the state from 2014 to 2019.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday lashed out at the BJP for giving the Chief Ministerial slot to Eknath Shinde, a rebel Shiv Sena leader, and said that had the former ally kept its promise made earlier, there would have been no Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state. Referring to Eknath Shindes swearing-in as CM and Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy, Uddhav said that he had told Amit Shah earlier as well that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years (during the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance). Had they done this earlier, there would've been no Maha Vikas Aghadi."

He also lashed out at rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who led the revolt against him for over a week which culminated in the resignation of Thackeray from the office.

The Shiv Sena chief said that the new CM is not from his party which the BJP has aimed at making. He said that he had told Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2019 about the distribution of the Chief Ministerial post for 2.5 years each.

It may be noted that the Shiv Sena and BJP had parted ways after the 2019 Assembly elections in the state after the former demanded 2.5 years of Chief Ministership each for both the parties during the term of five years, which the latter had not agreed to. Shiv Sena had then stitched an alliance with rival NCP and Congress to form the government.

Uddhav went on to say that "the manner in which Govt has been formed & a so-called Shiv Sena worker has been made CM, I had said the same to Amit Shah. This could've been done respectfully. The Shiv Sena was officially with you (at that time). This CM (Eknath Shinde) is not a Shiv Sena CM."

Slamming the new government for its decision to build the metro car shed in Mumbai's Aarey colony, Thackeray asked not to "project anger" for him on Mumbaikars. "Don't project anger for me on Mumbaikars. Don't change the proposal for the metro shed. Don't toy with the environment of Mumbai," he said.

In September 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important".

Uddhav Thackeray resigned on Wednesday after most of his Shiv Sena MLAs joined rebel Eknath Shinde, bringing down the coalition government.

Eknath Shinde was sworn in as CM on Thursday, with former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy. One of the first decisions he took was to reverse the Thackeray government's decision to shift a controversial metro car shed project from a green zone in Mumbai.

(With Agency Inputs)
MUMBAI: MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who has taken a dig at his cousin and outgoing Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray through cryptic tweets, on Friday congratulated Devendra Fadnavis on becoming the states Deputy Chief Minister. "Everyone thought that you'll become CM but sometimes one has to accept the party's instructions. This should be remembered by every political party worker & leader," the MNS chief wrote in his letter to Fadnavis.

It may be noted that Fadnavis had earlier announced that he wont be part of the new Maharashtra government and announced that Eknath Shinde would be the new chief minister. However, shortly after that, in a dramatic turn of events, BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah insisted that Fadnavis should be the deputy chief minister in the new government.

Fadnavis was reportedly not very happy with the decision initially but accepted the central leaderships order to take charge as the new Deputy CM of Maharashtra. Many saw this as the BJPs masterstroke to weaken the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction and woo the powerful Maratha community in the state.

By backing Shinde as CM, the BJP also countered the allegations of being power-hungry. Amid all this, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today said his elevation to the top post is due to the masterstroke by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

People thought that the BJP was desperate for power. But truly, this is a masterstroke by Devendra Ji. To hand over power to another person despite having larger numbers (of MLAs) requires a big heart, he said.

With his decision, people of the state and the country got to see a new example of this large-heartedness, Shinde said after he and Fadnavis were sworn in as CM and Deputy CM respectively at Raj Bhavan Thursday evening.

The party with the most numbers has the claim to the chief minister's post. But in this case, I would like to thank PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, J P Nadda and specially Devendra Fadnavis, who showed a big heart and gave this chance to a Shiv Sainik, Shinde told a TV channel.

Shinde said the previous stint of Fadnavis as chief minister will come in handy as he leads the state. Fadnavis joined this ministry due to the directives of his (party) seniors. I am happy for this because his experience will come in handy in speeding up developmental works in the state, Shinde said.

Maharashtra state BJP president Chandrakant Patil also said that there was nothing unexpected about Devendra Fadnavis becoming Deputy Chief Minister in the new government in Maharashtra. "I am aware that many people were shocked by the events yesterday. But there was nothing unexpected in what happened with Devendra Fadnavis," Patil told reporters here.

"BJP decided to support Shinde for CM's post for taking the Hindutva ideology ahead. But Shinde himself asked Fadnavis to join his cabinet. So Fadnavis asked our leaders in Delhi for permission," he said. "You need a truly large heart to work under a person who was your junior earlier," Patil said, praising Fadnavis.

Shinde was a minister when Fadnavis headed the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government in the state from 2014 to 2019.
MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is a global superstar who has fandom worldwide. The 56-year-old is one of the most loved entertainers. 'King Khan', as he is lovingly called by his fans, he has entertained everyone for thirty years. Recently, a picture of Shah Rukh from the sets of his upcoming film 'Pathaan' surfaced online. In the viral image, Shah Rukh is seen sporting a white shirt. He looks uber cool in a bun and sunnies. Needless to say, the picture is hot enough to create waves on the internet.

Several photos of Shah Rukh Khan from the sets of 'Pathaan' have time and again leaked on social media and gone insanely viral. And just like the previous ones, this one too is too handle to handle. Shah Rukh is seen flaunting his chiselled physique in an unbuttoned white shirt which he teamed with white bottom and accessorised his look with golden chains. This BTS photo from 'Pathaan' sets is definitely going to give his female fans a few sleepless nights.

Reacting to Shah Rukh's look, a social media user commented, "Oh my God. Can't take my eyes off him."

"SRK is the best," another one wrote.

"SRK is back and how," a netizen commented.

Shah Rukh Khan to return to big screen after 4 years





It is to be noted that Shah Rukh will be breaking his four-year hiatus from films with his first project of 2023 - 'Pathaan'. He was last seen in Aanand L Rai's 2018 directorial 'Zero', alongside Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. The Bollywood megastar has three back-to-back releases, all lined up for 2023, and he has been busy shooting for them.

He will be seen in 'Jawan' directed by Atlee Kumar along with newly- wedded Nayanthara. SRK will also be seen in YRF's 'Pathaan' also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, and Rajkumar Hirani's immigration drama 'Dunki' with Taapsee Pannu.

Buzz is strong that he will also be seen in a special appearance in Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra'.

Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan to team up again in 'Tiger 3'





On June 25, 2022, Shah Rukh completed 30 years in the film industry. Marking the special occasion, he did an Instagram live session, in which he revealed several details about his upcoming films. He hinted that Salman Khan might be a part of a song in 'Pathaan', which also stars Deepika Padukone, John Abraham and Ashutosh Rana among others. "With Salman Khan, there is no working experience. There is only love experience, happy experiences, friendly experiences and brotherly experiences. So, it is amazing whenever I get to work with him," Shah Rukh Khan said when a fan asked him his experience of working with the actor.

He continued, "We haven't done a full-fledged film together apart from 'Karan Arjun', which also was not full-fledged as we were not together in it for too long. So, we get to work four-five days in a year sometimes. Last two years have been fantastic as I got to be in one of his films. I had a couple of days role with Kabir Khan. And he came in 'Zero' and did a song with me. Now, in 'Pathaan'. I don't know if this is a secret but inshallah, I will try to in 'Tiger 3' also. So, it is great fun working with him."

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NEW DELHI: Television actress 'Mahhi Vij', who is known for playing the role of 'Nakusha' in daily soap 'Laagi Tujhse Lagan', has revealed about being harased and receiving threatening messages from her cook. The actress took to Twitter and shared that the cook was spotted stealing by their nanny and got alerted, resulting in abusing her.

In a now-deleted tweet, the 'Balika Vadhu' actress wrote, "Scared for my and my daughters life. Police and Jay caught this cook and now leaving him on bail to kill us. Wow marne ke baad morcha nikalna he openly saud which was shown to police ki chaaku maar dunga tujhe."

Mahhi Vij-Jay Bhanushali file FIR after cook threatens to kill them



In a chat with ETimes, Mahhi Vij shared that the nanny had spotted their cook stealing after which he was alerted. She further shared that it had just been three days since she was aware of her temporary cook stealing things. She further shared that after her husband and actor Jay Bhanushali came to know about his behaviour, he asked the cook to settle the bill and quit the work. However, the cook demanded to be paid for the entire month and when Jay tried to reason out, he threatened them by saying that he would get '200 Biharis' and started hurling abuses, the actress told the publication.

After the incident, the couple rushed to the police station and reported him as they were scared for their daughter Tara. Mahhi also expressed her disappointment after she learnt that the cook will be eventually out on a bail. She expressed her fear stating what if he targets them after coming out of the jail.

Mahhi Vij and Jay Bhanushali dated each other for some time before they tied the knot in 2011. They welcomed their daughter Tara in August 2019. Mahhi is known for her work in 'Laagi Tujhse Lagan', 'Laal Ishq', 'Shubh Kadam', etc. Jay Bhanushali is known for Ekta Kapoor's show 'Kayamath'. He also participated in several reality shows - 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 2', 'Kaun Jeetega Bollywood Ka Ticket', 'Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao' and was last seen in 'Bigg Boss 15'.

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NEW DELHI: Actress-model and former 'Bigg Boss' contestant Sofia Hayat suffered a major health setback after she had to be hospitalised due to low body salt levels. The former actress, who bid adieu to showbiz to embrace spirituality in 2016, was observing a fast when her body salt dipped below the dangerously level. As per reports, she was rushed to a hospital after she fainted. As per reports, the actress had started shivering and felt dizzy while she was observing the fast.

Sofia Hayat, who is currently in the UK, was given five packets of salt and after that, she was revived. The fast was part of her spiritual practice and it was an unexpected turn of events that her health deteriorated. She has now been discharged from the hospital and is currently recovering.



Bigg Boss 7 fame Sofia Hayat hospitalised in UK





Speaking about the incident, Sofia told ETimes, "I was doing the body cleanse practice by fasting and I did anema. I think during the purging process I lost a lot of salts and electrolytes from the body. The levels went dangerously low. I asked the nurse to get my me five packets of salt and that kind of saved me. So, this condition resulted in me being hospitalized, my heart felt funny and I was shivering. I spoke to my friend from the hospital, he is a healer, and it felt good."

Sofia added, "So, eventually I had to break the fast and I had to eat food, to listen to my body. My body doesn't want to fast this time. But, I am not sure why my health suffered this time because every time I have done it in the past- the last time was in 2014, I was quite fine."

The model also joked about how expensive hospital bills are in the UK. "One of the first things they put in my face when I was in hospital was the bill. Thank god I have health insurance here in the UK. Though the bill being so expensive, can actually bring back people to life!" she said.





Actress-model Sofia Hayat details her medical setback





Sofia followed the ritual of fasting as a spiritual practice. However, the fasting process didn't suit her this time and she got hospitalised. IANS quoted her saying, "I'm all alone, my family is not here with me. I need love as the doctor has said my life is in danger. I had also practised fasting even before. And it has helped me to meet my previous births and realised that God is around me. Positive energies are helping me to pursue the fasting ahead."

On Wednesday evening, she took to her Instagram Story to share a health update. Sofia said that she's doing okay now and is not fasting anymore.

When Sofia Hayat was accused of having one night stand with Abhinav Shukla



Sofia Hayat was a contestant in 'Bigg Boss 7' and had entered the show as a wild card entry. However, she got evicted on the 12th week of the show. In June 2021, Sofia was accused by a troll of having a 'one-night stand' with television actor Abhinav Shukla. However, she shut down the troll saying she doesn't know the actor 'until I googled him'.

Sofia Hayat has hosted 'Superdude' and appeared in 'Welcome: Baazi Mehmaan Nawazi Ki' and 'Comedy Nights Bachao'.

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NEW DELHI: 'Brahmastra' actress Alia Bhatt, who recently announced her pregnancy, is currently in London shooting for her Hollywood debut, 'Heart Of Stone'. The 29-year-old along with her sister Shaheen Bhatt met their aunt-in-law Rima Jain and her family for a dinner. Filmmaker Karan Johar, who launched Alia in Bollywood with 'Student Of The Year' in 2012, was also part of the fam dinner at a restaurant.

A new photo of mommy-to-be Alia went viral on social media here in she was seen posing with Karan in London. The 'Kalank' actress was seen in a black outfit and was seen in a no-makeup look. But what caught our attention was that she was smartly seen hiding her baby bump in the photo.

Grandfather to Be @karanjohar with his Daughter @aliaa08 in London ______



Looks like the Fam Having a Gala Time as they are enjoying this new announcement #AliaBhatt pic.twitter.com/IYRGBfjtFs  Sai Sunil Reddy (@SaiSunil452) June 28, 2022

Recently, Alia and Ranveer's picture from London went viral and it seems as if the two are shooting for a sequence for their upcoming film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. Karan shared the picture on his Instagram and captioned the picture, "I found Rocky and Rani!"

A few days, Alia also met Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, who are also vacationing in London. Celeb designer Manish Malhotra, who is also in London, shared a photo from the get-together that featured him, Karan Johar and Alia. In another picture, he was seen posing with Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Alia Bhatt announces her pregnancy with ultrasound photo





On June 27, Alia took to Instagram and announced that she is expecting her first child with her husband Ranbir Kapoor. The news comes months after Bhatt, 29, and Kapoor, 39, tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony here in April. Alia shared the news as she posted a picture from an ultrasound session at a hospital with Ranbir. "Our baby.... Coming soon," the 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' star captioned the photo.

Her upcoming films include 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani' and 'Darlings', which mark her debut as a producer.

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New Delhi: Actor Ranbir Kapoor will be seen playing a larger-than-life hero with the action entertainer Shamshera. The makers dropped the trailer some days back and fans showered love on it, liking their favourite actor's acting chops along with Sanjay Dutt's villainous act. Ranbir's never-seen-before avatar and the anticipation to watch him is sky-high.

Ranbir wanted to be Amitabh Bachchan but...

In the second episode of a three-episodic candid video series titled RK Tapes, Ranbir talks about his favourite Hindi film heroes and how they have shaped his consciousness over the years! The superstar says, "I wanted to be Amitabh Bachchan. When I grew up, I wanted to be Shah Rukh Khan! Finally, I had to be Ranbir Kapoor."

Check out Ranbir speaking straight from his heart in the second episode  The Hindi Film Hero here:



Ranbir Kapoor opens up on RK Tapes

Ranbir is seen as saying, By the time I grew up these Hindi Film heroes had become my real-life heroes. Everything I did, how I dressed, how I spoke, and subconsciously in everything I did was inspired by my heroes. But strangely enough, when I became an actor, I wasnt choosing the kind of films my heroes would choose. So I may have satisfied the actor in me, but when I look back at that 12- year-old, Hindi Film Hero obsessed with Ranbir, I feel he still has to fulfil his dream.

Shamshera release

Ranbir starrer Shamshera is set in the fictitious city of Kaza, where a warrior tribe is imprisoned, enslaved and tortured by a ruthless authoritarian general Shudh Singh. This is the story of a man who became a slave, a slave who became a leader and then a legend for his tribe. He relentlessly fights for his tribe's freedom and dignity. His name is Shamshera.

The high-octane, adrenaline-pumping entertainer is set in the 1800s in the heartland of India. It has the big promise of a never-seen-before Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Shamshera in the film! Sanjay Dutt plays Ranbirs arch-enemy in this huge casting coup and his showdown with Ranbir will be something to watch out for as they will ferociously go after each other with no mercy.

This action extravaganza has been produced by Aditya Chopra and is set to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on July 22, 2022.
New Delhi: The four labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations and occupation safety, health and working conditions may be implemented soon. Once the New Wage Code comes into effect, there could be a lot of changes in terms of salary restructuring, PF and gratuity component, working hours and Earned Leaves as per media reports. If these labour codes are implemented, the new wage code will also impact full and final payment settlement in case of resignation, dismissal or removal from employment and services of the employees. Since these are now early speculations, nothing concreted should be infered till the government officially notifies the rules.

Till now, 23 states have pre-published draft rules on these laws, while the Centre has completed the process of finalising the draft rules on these codes in February 2021. The central government had notified four labour codes, namely, the Code on Wages, 2019, on August 8, 2019, and the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 on September 29, 2020.

Since labour is a concurrent subject, the Centre wants the states to implement these as well in one go, as has been reported earlier.

Reduced in-hand salary after implementation of Wage Code

The government's notification on Code on Wages 2019 may reduce the take-home pay while components like PF and Gratuity might rise. This is based on the grounds that the new wage code mentions provision entailing that the employee's basic salary will be at least 50 percent of his/her net monthly CTC. Hence, if this provision comes into effect, it will mean that employees will not be able to get more than 50 percent of his/her net monthly salary in form of allowance.

Higher PF after implementation of Wage Code

This also means that there will be a consequent rise in gratuity and PF contribution of the employee. Hence, while the take home pay of the employees may be reduced, the Gratuity and PF component may rise.

12 hours work-week after new wage code implementation

Experts also believe that the new draft will impact the working hours of employees with some media reports saying that employees may be allowed a four-day workweek but they will have to work for 12 hours on those four days. The labour ministry has apparently made it clear that 48-hour weekly work requirement is a must.

Big changes in Earned Leave policy after new wage code implementation

The biggest change could be seen in cases of Earned Leave. Government departments now allows 30 holidays in 1 year, defense employees get 60 holidays in 1 year. Employees can cash up to 300 holidays on carry forward, however the Labor union is demanding to increase number of holidays to 450 in new code. At present there are 240 to 300 holidays in different departments. Employees can take these holidays in cash only after 20 years of service.

New Wage Code rules on full and final settlement within 2 days of resignation

The New Wage Code says, "Where an employee has been - (i) removed or dismissed from service; or (ii) retrenched or has resigned from service, or became unemployed due to closure of the establishment, the wages payable to him shall be paid within two working days of his removal, dismissal, retrenchment or, as the case may be, his resignation."
New Delhi: Stranger Things fans all over the world were excited to watch the final season of the popular horror fiction. However, most were disappointed when Netflix crashed as a large number of fans flocked to the OTT platform on the day of release. Frustrated with the Netflix crash, they are now sharing funny, relatable memes on Twitter to vent their frustrations.

On Friday (July 1), Netflix released volume 2 of Stranger Things 4. Many users were perplexed when they were unable to log in or even load the final episodes of the popular web series. As a result, many flocked to various social media platforms such as Twitter to find out if they were the only ones experiencing the problem or if others are also faced with the issues. (ALSO READ: Sensex falls 111 points; Nifty dips 28.20 points)

There goes Netflix crashing down pic.twitter.com/6ICQunh2ck  rave (@ravensfullmoon) July 1, 2022

I did not just count down the seconds like its New Years for Netflix to crash #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/uP6Vylac6p  idk (@squidwardsprof1) July 1, 2022

me waiting for netflix to start working again since it crashed so i can see volume 2 of #StrangerThings4 pic.twitter.com/3sWZot17o2 July 1, 2022

ITS BEEN 5 MINUTES HOW DID WE CRASH NETFLIX ALREADY #StrangerThings4 pic.twitter.com/HdQIn54AsU  c: (@hopewrlfd) July 1, 2022

According to the DownDetector, Netflix users were experiencing app crashes. The outage detection website pointed out that the outage peaked around the same time Stranger Things premiered. (ALSO READ: Bill Gates shares his resume from 1974 on LinkedIn, netizens react)

A few Netflix shared screenshots showing that were greeted with "Error 503" on the OTT platform. On the other hand, others received a "Network Error" message and were asked to try again later.

The issue was not limited to India or a particular country. Fans from all over the world began tweeting to show their anger. Pretty soon, hashtags such as 'Netflix down' and 'Netflix crash' started trending on the microblogging platform.

Featuring Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things is a popular web series that has now come to its end. The American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers is one of the most popular shows on the OTT platform.
Seoul: North Korea claimed on Friday that the country`s first COVID-19 outbreak began with patients touching "alien things" near the border with South Korea, apparently shifting blame to the neighbour for the wave of infections in the isolated country. Announcing the results of an investigation, the North ordered people to "vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders," the official KCNA news agency said. The agency did not directly mention South Korea, but North Korean defectors and activists have for decades flown balloons from the South across the heavily fortified border, carrying leaflets and humanitarian aid.

South Korea`s unification ministry, handling inter-Korean affairs, said there was "no possibility" of the virus entering the North through leaflets sent across the border. According to KCNA, an 18-year-old soldier and a five-year-old kindergartner who contacted the unidentified materials "in a hill around barracks and residential quarters" in the eastern county of Kumgang in early April showed symptoms and later tested positive for the coronavirus.

The KCNA said all other fever cases reported in the country until mid-April were due to other diseases, but it did not elaborate. "It`s hard to believe North Korea`s claim, scientifically speaking, given that the possibility of the virus spreading through objects is quite low," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of people getting infected with COVID through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects is generally considered low, though it is possible.

The North also said the first two patients touched the unspecified objects in the eastern town in early April, but the first time a defectors` group is known to have sent balloons across the border this year was in late April from the western Gimpo region.

The North`s first admission of a COVID outbreak came months after it eased border lockdowns enforced since early in 2020 to resume freight train operations with China. But it would have been difficult for Pyongyang to point fingers at China, said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University. "If they concluded the virus was from China, they would have had to tighten quarantine measures on the border area in a further setback to North Korea-China trade," Lim said.

The North has claimed the COVID wave has shown signs of subsiding, although experts suspect under-reporting in the figures released through government-controlled media. North Korea reported 4,570 more people with fever symptoms on Friday, with the total number of fever patients recorded since late April at 4.74 million. Pyongyang has been announcing the number of fever patients daily without specifying whether they had contracted COVID, apparently due to a lack of testing kits.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and reiterated India`s long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy amid the ongoing situation in Ukraine. "In the context of the ongoing situation in Ukraine, the Prime Minister reiterated India`s long-standing position in favour of dialogue and diplomacy," read the release by the Prime Minister`s Office.

The two leaders reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during President Putin`s visit to India in December 2021. They also exchanged ideas on how bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products could be encouraged further.

The leaders further discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets. The leaders agreed to maintain regular consultations on global and bilateral issues. Since the war started on February 24 in Ukraine, PM Modi has been appealing to both Russia and Ukraine for peace and an end to hostilities.

Earlier, the Prime Minister intervened and had spoken with Russian President Putin and suggested that a direct conversation between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts to deal with the ongoing conflict.PM Modi had also spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and expressed his deep anguish about the loss of life and property due to the ongoing conflict.

These talks also come after the G7 nations criticized Russia for its war on Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi, however, made India`s position clear on the Ukraine conflict at the G7 summit as well.

The Prime Minister reiterated that there must be an immediate end to the hostilities and a resolution should be reached by choosing the path of dialogue and diplomacy. At the G7 outreach summit, PM Modi had also spoken with the world leaders on the knockdown effect of the conflict in Eastern Europe on the food security crisis, especially in vulnerable countries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar earlier this month hit back at the unfair criticism of Indian oil purchase from Russia amid the Ukraine war that has created a knock-off effect on the world economy.

While defending India`s oil imports from Russia, Jaishankar stressed that it is important to understand how the Ukraine conflict is impacting the developing countries. He also questioned why only India was being questioned while Europe continues to import gas from Russia amid the Ukraine war.

Responding to a question on whether India`s oil import from Russia is not funding the ongoing Ukraine war, Jaishankar said, "Look I don`t want to sound argumentative. If India funding Russia oil is funding the war... Tell me then buying Russian gas is not funding the war? It`s only Indian money and Russian oil coming to India funding the war and not Russia`s gas coming to Europe not funding? Let`s be a little even-handed."

At the GLOBSEC 2022 Bratislava Forum in Slovakia, Jaishankar said, the packages of sanctions imposed by the European Union are imposed keeping in mind the interest of certain European nations.

"...if you can be considerate to yourself, you can be considerate to other people. If a Europe says, if we have to manage it in a way impact on the economy is not traumatic, that freedom should exist for other people as well," he said.
There are currently two different lineages of monkeypox. One is located in the area of the clade (phylogenetic group) of Central Africa and the other one in the clade of West Africa the latter being the one with the least virulence and circulating in Peru.

The specialist said that despite the fact that a less virulent and deadly variant circulates in our territory, it is necessary to continue with genomic surveillance so as to later determine whether there is variability in this virus or whether it remains the same.

Scientific evidence

"The sequencing of the first monkey virus genome in our country enables us to be aware of what we are facing, as well as to take adequate prevention and control measures. The health system bases its actions on scientific evidence; that is why the work of the INS team is important," he indicated.

Likewise, the specialist called on the population not to be alarmed by the recent monkeypox cases detected in the South American country because the transmission of this disease is not comparable to that of COVID-19, which is still affecting the entire world.

How is monkeypox spread?

Dr. Escalante stated that this disease is transmitted by close contact with an infected person or through the droplets that one expels while speaking.

Thus, it is important to continue wearing facemasks which not only protect against COVID-19 but also monkeypox.

Logro peruano! Los investigadores ?????????????? del @INS_Peru del #Minsa secuenciaron el genoma completo del virus que causa la viruela del mono a partir de una muestra del primer paciente en el pais con esta enfermedad. pic.twitter.com/wVj6DUMpEN
?? Video del preciso momento del deslizamiento de tierra en Chavin de Huantar, Ancash. Se informa que entre 40 y 50 casas se encuentran en condiciones criticas https://t.co/eZjGzDgxNS



Video: Huari Lindo pic.twitter.com/dz6LqeFA0D
"El objetivo del Gobierno para mitigar la criminalidad es tener unidades de flagrancia en todo el territorio nacional. Reafirmo el compromiso de apoyar economicamente estas sedes en el pais", dijo el presidente @PedroCastilloTe al inaugurar la Unidad de Flagrancia de Trujillo. pic.twitter.com/Jg3STyahwK
??#NotaDePrensa

La fiscal suprema titular Liz Patricia Benavides Vargas juro como fiscal de la Nacion para el periodo 2022- 2025 durante una ceremonia realizada esta manana en la sede del Ministerio Publico.



?? https://t.co/ZbrAXTqSxm pic.twitter.com/mFkh8UQZRw
#PlenoDelCongreso aprobo censurar al ministro del Interior, Dimitri Senmache, con 78 votos a favor, 29 en contra y 8 abstenciones.



?? https://t.co/ucpaDRSEXO pic.twitter.com/5Alefz83xa
?? En vivo | El presidente @PedroCastilloTe, junto con el titular del @MinjusDH_Peru y otras autoridades, participa en la inauguracion de la Unidad de Flagrancia de Trujillo, en el Centro Integrado de Servicio de Administracion de Justicia, La Libertad.https://t.co/De2Z3latwZ
Within this framework, Mr. Castillo affirmed that he is respectful of that political group and the guidelines established in the 2021 electoral campaign.

Via Twitter, he stressed that such a decision comes given his responsibility as President of 33 million Peruvians.

Hoy he presentado al @JNE_Peru mi renuncia irrevocable al partido politico Peru Libre. Tal decision obedece a mi responsabilidad como presidente de 33 millones de peruanos. Soy respetuoso del partido y sus bases construidas en la campana. pic.twitter.com/KsRGmujnoQ
YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament of Armenia recalled opposition MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan from the post of Vice Speaker of Parliament, and terminated the powers of opposition lawmaker Vahe Hakobyan as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs.

The results were clear after a closed voting.

66 MPs participated in the voting, and all voted in favor of the draft decisions.

The opposition lawmakers did not participate in the voting.

The emergency session of the Parliament has been convened at the initiative of the ruling Civil Contract faction.

The explanation of the decision regarding Saghatelyan said that he has failed to fulfill the duties of the Vice Speaker of Parliament.

As for Hakobyan, the decision says that he had numerous absences from the parliamentary activities.
YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of the Special Representatives of Armenia and Turkey dealing with the Armenia-Turkey normalization process launched in Vienna, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

The last meeting of the special envoys took place on May 3. They reaffirmed the declared goal of achieving full normalization between their respective countries through this process. They reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions.
YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Samvel Karapetyan, President of "Tashir" Group of Companies, founder of "Investors Club of Armenia", ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

At the meeting, the interlocutors referred to the steps of the Government of Armenia in the direction of economic development, the course of the investment programs implemented by the "Tashir" Group of Companies and the projects planned in the future.

Emphasis was placed on their effective implementation and ensuring continuity of programs.
YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan attended the ceremonial session dedicated to the establishment day of the State Protection Service of the National Security Service, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, Director of the National Security Service Armen Abazyan, Head of the State Protection Service Sargis Hovhannisyan and other officials were also present at the event.

The Prime Minister congratulated the representatives of the State Protection Service on the occasion of the holiday and noted that the State Protection Service performs special functions that are extremely important for the normal functioning of the state.

"I must emphasize that we have survived and are still surviving a rather difficult period, and during this period the State Protection Service properly fulfilled its task and performed its function. This deserves appreciation. However, like any public administration body, starting from ministries, departments, we should never be satisfied with the quality of our work and should try to improve it every day, especially since work is a phenomenon that always has room for improvement, the Prime Minister said.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, the State Protection Service is entering a new stage of institutional development. The Prime Minister reminded that according to the Government's Action Plan and the adopted political decision, the State Protection Service will function as a body under the Prime Minister in the near future, following the legislative changes. In this regard, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the development of the institutional capacities of the State Protection Service.

I am talking about increasing the quality of the personnels work and technical equipment. In this direction, of course, we must be consistent and solve the the tasks set before us.

Once again I want to thank all of you for the work done, the service and wish all of us success in solving the tasks set before us, because indeed our Motherland is going through very difficult times, and the overcoming of these difficult times must be carried out at a proper level, so that as a result of all this we have a safe, developing, developed country, where every citizen of the Republic of Armenia will feel confident and will look to the future with more confident eyes and feelings, the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan awarded a group of employees of the State Protection Service of the National Security Service of Armenia with the Medal for Combat Service, the Prime Minister's Commemorative Medal and the Prime Minister's Letter of Appreciation for their dedication and bravery while performing their duties.

NSS director Armen Abazyan also presented awards to the head of the State Protection Service Sargis Hovhannisyan and a group of representatives of the Service.
The Fiscal Year 2023 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs House Appropriations legislation includes humanitarian assistance to Armenia in the amount of $60 million, and $2 million for Artsakh, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) informed.

July 1, 2022, 10:15 US House Appropriations legislation includes assistance to Armenia and Artsakh

STEPANAKERT, JULY 1, ARTSAKHPRESS: The report language states that the "Committee recommendation includes not less than $60,000,000 for Armenia for economic development, private sector productivity, energy independence, democracy and the rule of law, and other purposes."

In addition, the "Committee recommendation also includes not less than $2,000,000 for demining activities in Nagorno-Karabakh...[and] remains concerned about the humanitarian impact of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and resulting challenges in the areas of housing, food security, water and sanitation, health care and other human needs."

In addition to prohibiting the sale of defense articles to the Turkish Presidential Protection Directorate, the bill includes language on Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ), as well as House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), have both expressed their strong concerns regarding the waiver of Section 907, which the Administration waived last week.

Chairman Menendez stated "it makes no sense to say that U.S. assistance and training has not impacted its military balance with Armenia," and further stressed that he "will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of any and all assistance to Azerbaijan and expect the Department of State to operate with complete transparency and provide all necessary details for Congress to assess any assistance provided to Baku."

Chairman Schiff said in part that providing military support to Azerbaijan "runs counter to our nation's core democratic values" and "could empower the Aliyev regime to continue or escalate its provocative actions against Armenians."
NATO will create a one billion euro innovation fund to promote technological research that will benefit the military. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Tass informs.

July 1, 2022, 11:24 NATO to create one billion euro innovation fund

STEPANAKERT, JULY 1, ARTSAKHPRESS: According to the alliance, the multinational fund aims to bring together governments, the private sector and academia to strengthen NATO's technological superiority.

The United States has relied on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for decades to invest in breakthrough technologies that could benefit national security.
Ankaras new military operation in northern Syria could begin at any moment, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, Tass informs.

July 1, 2022, 17:44 Erdogan says military operation in Syria could start at any moment

STEPANAKERT, JULY 1, ARTSAKHPRESS: "I always say that we can start [the operation] at any moment at night. We should not worry and rush, especially since we are working in the area. I hope we will start the operation when the hour comes," Erdogan told reporters after returning from the NATO summit in Madrid.

Turkish authorities have previously reported that the Turkish Armed Forces are fully prepared for a cross-border operation. According to Erdogan, the main purpose of the planned operation in Syria is to expand the 30-kilometer security zone created in October 2019 after Operation Peace Spring.
In his words: "I am just a professional writer, which means I don't do blogs and try and get money for whatever I write."

The irony, gentle readers, is devastating and one would cry if one didnt laugh

Robert Clive

Frequented a Calcutta dive;

He said if His Majesty should call

Say Im conquering Bengal.

George Nathaniel Curzon

Went on a Himalayan excursion

He said if anyone should call

Tell them Im dividing Bengal

Mujib ur Rehman

Got fed up of being East Pakistan

He said if anyone should call

Tell them were reverting to Bengal

From Key Holo: A Peep into Bengali History;

tr. from the Bengali of Bonking Chandra Chatterley, by Bachchoo

Some years ago, I was in New Delhi with Vidia and Nadira Naipaul, when Vidia asked if I could be with them that evening. I said I planned to go to Mumbai and he asked me if I could postpone my trip as he wanted me to accompany them that evening to address the BJPs cultural wing.

Thats an oxymoron, I take it, I said.

Now, now, now Farrukh, he said -- or some such!

I went. It was quite an occasion. The media with cameras and crews were gathered in a horde outside the BJP headquarters as they were denied entry. We were greeted by BJP stalwarts and ushered into the hall. I sat in the audience as Vidia had asked me to do, saying he wanted an articulate witness to the proceedings, as people would almost certainly misconstrue his attendance and performance there.

Vidia told the audience he was not going to make a speech but he wanted to use the occasion to ask them questions. The encounter proceeded and the audience seemed eager to get his approval for their policies, ideology and actions. Vidia remained subtly evasive, endorsing nothing.

Then someone asked him what he thought of the Babri Masjid episode. He thought for a moment.

All Id say is it was built as an act of hubris by Babar.

I dont know if the questioner understood the operative word. I am sure in that august and learned assembly very many did -- just as they must have known that the ancient University of Takshashila was not located in Bihar.

Its a useful word and I recall the above incident, gentle reader, because BoJo, the UKs PM, made a statement which can only be described by it. He said he expected to be the UKs Prime Minister in 2034 -- predicting, for himself and perhaps his Uncle Toms Cabinet, several terms. And this when his first term looks dangerously like coming to a premature end.

Let me count the ways:

This very week Nicola Sturgeon, the virtual Prime Minister of Scotland, announced that her Scottish Nationalist Party would appeal to the British Supreme Court to respect the democratic result of the referendum she is planning to hold next year to determine whether Scotland should secede from the United Kingdom. Her party is for the independence of Scotland and, if she succeeds, it will mean that poor BoJo will go down in history as the PM under whose jurisdiction and yes, through his fervent advocacy of Brexit, the United Kingdom fragmented.

Then there is the other troublesome kingdom within the unity -- Northern Ireland, whose regional government, the Stormont parliament, has been virtually suspended because the Opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuses to participate until the Westminster government does away with the clauses of the Brexit agreement which BoJo signed with the European Union requiring customs checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from mainland Britain.

BoJo now says that hes going to placate the DUP by unilaterally changing the international treaty he himself signed. His predecessor as PM, Theresa May, has said in Parliament this week that this would not work and, whats more, it would be illegal under international law. Does BoJo care?

Enter BoJos nominated attorney general, one Suella Braverman (or should she now be called Supinella Cowradlyperson -- for reasons you will understand?). She is of the very dodgy and internationally disputed opinion that this treaty with the EU can be unilaterally altered by her and BoJo.

And then there is the disputed decision by BoJos home secretary Pritti Clueless to deport asylum seekers who arrive in Britain to Rwanda. The European Court of Human Rights, to which the UK is a signatory, had stopped the deportation of the first asylum seeker who Clueless was attempted to send off. Supinella now says she can get Britain out of this European Court of Human Rights altogether and get the deportations to Rwanda moving.

The irony, gentle readers, is devastating and one would cry if one didnt laugh. Here are two members of Uncle Toms Cabinet, themselves descendants of, or immigrants to, Britain, ganging up to defy international law -- leave aside common human compassion -- to keep a few thousand asylum seekers, fleeing terror and death in our God-forsaken world, out of the UK where they live as massively privileged immigrants?

The iron of irony has turned to steel. Ahura Mazda, forgive us -- for I, like Clueless and Supinella, not married into money or the British class system, am an immigrant too!

Where did BoJo make his hubristic statement? Rwanda! At a conference of the Commonwealth leaders. Forgive me, but I had naively thought that the Commonwealth was a conglomerate of countries that had once been part of the British Empire. Was Rwanda???

(Puzzled of Pune!)

Or is BoJo and his chamchis, Clueless and Supinella, trying to establish Rwanda as an international hub of respect to which I may be deported soon for saying so?
In yet another historic reversal of long-standing precedent, the US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 6-3 along ideological lines to severely limit the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency in regulating carbon emissions from power plants, further hamstringing the Biden administration's ability to combat global warming.

The case, West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 20-1530, centered both on whether the Clean Air Act gives the EPA the power to issue regulations for the power industry and whether Congress must "speak with particular clarity when it authorizes executive agencies to address major political and economic questions," a theory the court refers to as the major questions doctrine.

In short, the court holds that only Congress, not the EPA, has the power to regulate emissions. Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible solution to the crisis of the day, Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. But it is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme [...] A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body.

Hard on the heels of snatching away fundamental liberties, the right-wing activist court just curtailed vital climate action,Jason Rylander, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversitys Climate Law Institute, responded in a statement Thursday. Its a bad decision and an unnecessary one, but the EPA can still limit greenhouse gases at the source under Section 111 and more broadly through other Clean Air Act provisions. In the wake of this ruling, EPA must use its remaining authority to the fullest.

The EPA case grew out of the Trump administration's efforts to relax carbon emission regulations from power plants, what it called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, arguing that the Clean Air Act limited the EPA's authority to enact measures "that can be put into operation at a building, structure, facility or installation." A divided three-judge appeals court struck down the rule on Trump's last full day as president, noting that it was based on a "fundamental misconstruction" of the CAA and gleaned only through a tortured series of misreadings.

Story continues

Had it gone into effect, the Affordable Clean Energy Rule would have replaced the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan of 2015, which would have forced the energy industry further away from coal power. The CPP never went into effect as the Supreme Court also blocked that in 2016, deciding that individual states didn't have to adhere to the rule until the EPA fielded a litany of frivolous lawsuits from conservative states and the coal industry (the single-circle Venn diagram of which being West Virginia).

The E.P.A. has ample discretion in carrying out its mandate, the appeals court stated. But it may not shirk its responsibility by imagining new limitations that the plain language of the statute does not clearly require.

This decision doesn't just impact the EPA's ability to do its job, from limiting emissions from specific power plants to operating the existing cap-and-trade carbon offset policy, it also hints at what other regressive steps the court's conservative majority may be planning to take. During the pandemic, the court already blocked eviction moratoriums enacted by the CDC and told OSHA that it couldn't mandate vaccination requirements for large companies. More recently, the court declared states incapable of regulating their own gun laws but absolutely good-to-go on regulating women's bodily autonomy, gutted our Miranda Rights, and further stripped Native American tribes of their sovereignty.

Today, the court strips the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the power Congress gave it to respond to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time, Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the minority. Kagan was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor in her dissent.
Company Logo

Global Eye Tracking Market

Global Eye Tracking Market

Dublin, June 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Eye Tracking Market (2022-2027) by Offering, Tracking Type, Application, Industry Vertical, Mounting Type, and Geography, Competitive Analysis, Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Eye Tracking Market is estimated to be USD 667.15 Mn in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 2587.61 Mn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 31.14%.



Market Dynamics

Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Eye Tracking Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding the growth and reducing the risks.



Company Profiles

The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for the publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are Biopac Systems, Eyetech Digital Systems, Eyetracking Inc., Noldus Information Technology, SR Research, Tobii, etc.



Countries Studied

America (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, United States, Rest of Americas)

Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Rest of Europe)

Middle-East and Africa (Egypt, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Rest of MEA)

Asia-Pacific (Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

Story continues

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Eye Tracking Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.

The report analyses the Global Eye Tracking Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.

Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.

Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Eye Tracking Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains the competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's Proprietary competitive positioning tool.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Report Description

2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Rising Demand for Eye-Tracking-Based Assistive Communication Devices

4.1.2 Growing Penetration of Eye-Tracking Technology in Automotive & Transportation Industry

4.1.3 Rise in Consumer Electronics Devices with Eye-Tracking Technology

4.1.4 Increasing Demand for Contactless Biometrics

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 High Cost of Eye-Tracking Systems

4.3 Opportunities

4.3.1 Penetration of Eye-Tracking Technology in AR/VR Devices

4.3.2 Increasing in Demand for Eye-Tracking Technology in Emerging Country

4.4 Challenges

4.4.1 Interoperability and System Integration Issues



5 Market Analysis

5.1 Regulatory Scenario

5.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Ansoff Matrix Analysis



6 Global Eye Tracking Market, By Offering

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Hardware

6.3 Software

6.4 Services



7 Global Eye Tracking Market, By Tracking Type

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Mobile Tracking

7.3 Remote Tracking



8 Global Eye Tracking Market, By Application

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Assistive Communication

8.3 Human Behavior & Market Research

8.4 Others



9 Global Eye Tracking Market, By Industry Vertical

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Retail and Advertisement

9.3 Consumer Electronics

9.4 Healthcare & Research Labs

9.5 Government, Defense, and Aerospace

9.6 Automotive & Transportation



10 Global Eye Tracking Market, By Mounting Type

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Head Mounted

10.3 Wheelchair Mounted

10.4 Table/Device Mounted



11 Americas' Eye Tracking Market

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Argentina

11.3 Brazil

11.4 Canada

11.5 Chile

11.6 Colombia

11.7 Mexico

11.8 Peru

11.9 United States

11.10 Rest of Americas



12 Europe's Eye Tracking Market

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Austria

12.3 Belgium

12.4 Denmark

12.5 Finland

12.6 France

12.7 Germany

12.8 Italy

12.9 Netherlands

12.10 Norway

12.11 Poland

12.12 Russia

12.13 Spain

12.14 Sweden

12.15 Switzerland

12.16 United Kingdom

12.17 Rest of Europe



13 Middle East and Africa's Eye Tracking Market

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Egypt

13.3 Israel

13.4 Qatar

13.5 Saudi Arabia

13.6 South Africa

13.7 United Arab Emirates

13.8 Rest of MEA



14 APAC's Eye Tracking Market

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Australia

14.3 Bangladesh

14.4 China

14.5 India

14.6 Indonesia

14.7 Japan

14.8 Malaysia

14.9 Philippines

14.10 Singapore

14.11 South Korea

14.12 Sri Lanka

14.13 Thailand

14.14 Taiwan

14.15 Rest of Asia-Pacific



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Competitive Quadrant

15.2 Market Share Analysis

15.3 Strategic Initiatives

15.3.1 M&A and Investments

15.3.2 Partnerships and Collaborations

15.3.3 Product Developments and Improvements



16 Company Profiles

16.1 Biopac Systems

16.2 Converus

16.3 Ergoneers

16.4 Eyegaze

16.5 EyeSee Research

16.6 Eyetech Digital Systems

16.7 Eyetracking Inc.

16.8 Gazepoint

16.9 Imotions

16.10 Iscan

16.11 Mirametrix

16.12 Noldus Information Technology

16.13 PRS IN VIVO

16.14 Pupil Labs

16.15 Seeing Machine

16.16 SR Research

16.17 Tobii



17 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5ptiyx

Attachment

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Road flares are a piece of safety equipment many people carry in their vehicle in case of breakdown. They are also often used in "ring of fire" celebrations by lakefront owners when they light flares to create a glowing ring around the lake. The traditional road flares are chemical, or incendiary (burning) flares. These are considered flammable solids, as they release dangerous potassium perchlorate and strontium nitrate when burned. These hazardous chemicals can cause adverse health effects, such as injury to eyes, skin and the respiratory system. Furthermore, the blinding light and smoke produced from these toxic flares create additional safety issues. These traditional flares are hot enough to melt tires, skin and clothing.

The Finger Lakes are sensitive drinking water sources and essential economic drivers that are currently threatened by pollutants that drive the increasing frequency of harmful algal blooms, among other water quality concerns. The size and duration of the use of traditional flares suggests a minimal impact to water quality, but when used in large numbers during ring of fire celebrations, at rates greater than common use scenarios, residual ash has a high possibility of contaminating nearby soil and water.

It is therefore in the communitys best interest to transition from the use of road flares to the use of LED flares to protect themselves and their drinking water sources while participating in ring of fire events. LED flares are non-combustible, low-cost, waterproof and reusable, and do not contain hazardous materials that can burn the skin, eyes and lungs. LED flares can be carried in your vehicle instead of traditional road flares. Furthermore, the lack of hazardous materials produced by LED flares lends not only to ambient safety, but also to reducing the contamination of the water and soil of the Finger Lakes. This alternative will allow for traditions such as the ring of fire to continue, while protecting water quality and the safety of participants.

Wegmans began selling LED flares for the summer starting May 22 at its Auburn, Geneva, Geneseo, Jamestown, Corning, Hornell, Canandaigua, Newark and Webster locations. Wegmans has agreed to donate $2 for each two-pack and $6 for each six-pack of LED flares sold at the Auburn store from May 22 through Sep. 24 to be shared by the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council, Skaneateles Lake Association and Otisco Lake Association.

The Citizen's 2022 Fourth of July guide: Fireworks and more in Auburn, Fair Haven From Auburn to Fair Haven, Owasco Lake to Lake Ontario, the Fourth of July will be celebrated all this weekend in Cayuga County.

Ally Berry is lead watershed inspector with the Owasco Lake Watershed Inspection and Protection Division and Michele Wunderlich is an associate planner with the Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development. For more information, visit owascoinspection.com.

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U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, is picking sides in the 22nd Congressional District GOP primary.

Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, endorsed Steve Wells for Congress. Wells, a businessman and former criminal prosecutor, launched his bid for the 22nd district seat in May after the congressional maps were redrawn.

Wells and Brandon Williams, a Navy veteran and entrepreneur from Cayuga County, are seeking the GOP nomination.

In endorsing Wells, Stefanik highlighted his experience.

"(Wells) is a prosecutor. He understands how important it is to support our law enforcement, and to have safe and secure communities," she said. "Steve Wells is an entrepreneur. He's created 1,500 jobs right here in central New York. And we need people who have that experience running small businesses, creating jobs locally  rather than more bureaucrats in D.C."

Stefanik added, "Steve Wells is a conservative Republican and an America First leader. Steve understands the issues facing central New York families, and I know that he's going to be an incredible member of Congress for the region. I look forward to working with Steve to hold this critical congressional seat for the Republican Party and to deliver results in Congress for central New York families."

Tenney gets support from anti-abortion group

National Right to Life, a pro-life group that opposes abortion, endorsed U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney in the 24th Congressional District race.

The group praised Tenney's 100% pro-life voting record in the current Congress. Specifically, they pointed to her opposition to the use of taxpayer funds to pay for abortions. She also voted against the Women's Health Protection Act, a bill introduced by House Democrats to preserve access to abortions.

"This endorsement reflects your strong pro-life record and your commitment to building a culture of life in Washington, D.C., and throughout our nation," National Right to Life said.

Fratto nets local Conservative Party endorsements

Three Conservative Party committees in the 24th district have endorsed Mario Fratto over Tenney.

The committees in Genesee, Ontario and Seneca counties are backing Fratto, R-Geneva, for Congress.

"Let's show everyone that the establishment politicians, that ignore us, and don't work for us, will not be voted for," said Julie Ann Bolas-Carasone, chair of the Genesee County Conservative Committee. "We need real leaders and that is Mario!"

While Fratto picked up a few local endorsements, the state Conservative Party has already endorsed Tenney for Congress. When districts are comprised of multiple counties, the state party has the final say.

Fratto, Tenney and George Phillips are vying for the GOP nomination in the 24th district. The primary election will be held on Aug. 23.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Residents along Cross Lake and the Seneca River in Cayuga and Onondaga counties could finally get help from the state.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday signed legislation that names Brian Stratton, who heads the state Canal Corporation, as chair of the Upstate Flood Mitigation Task Force. The task force will hold its first meeting on Aug. 22 and issue a report by July 1, 2023.

The main objective of the task force will be to develop flood management and mitigation measures for the canal system  the Seneca River is part of the state Canal System overseen by the Canal Corporation.

"Countless New York communities are at risk of climate-related dangers like flooding and storm damage," Hochul said in a statement. "By convening the Upstate Flood Mitigation Task Force, we are taking action to identify flood mitigation strategies that will protect the people who live in communities along the Erie Canal, and ultimately help to relieve these communities from the impacts of repeat flooding."

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. John Mannion and Assemblyman Al Stirpe, both of whom represent communities along Cross Lake and the Seneca River. Mannion visited Cross Lake in November and in May, hosted a meeting in Cato where Cross Lake flooding was discussed. Representatives from the state Canal Corporation and New York Power Authority were at the meeting.

After Hochul signed his bill, Mannion said in a statement that flooding of businesses and homes along Cross Lake and the Seneca River is "unacceptable and demands a real solution from the state of New York."

"My legislation brings to life the dormant Upstate Flood Mitigation Task Force with a charge to deliver actionable flood mitigation strategies within 12 months," he said. "I thank Governor Kathy Hochul for signing this into law and for being a strong partner on resolving the devastating and systemic flooding that has plagued these communities."

The bill's signing was praised by property owners. Bruce Chilton owns a resident in the town of Cato. He singled out Mannion for his efforts, especially the sponsorship of the bill and organizing the recent meeting in Cato.

"This legislation is a meaningful step towards mitigating the unacceptable flooding that has devastated Cross Lake and the Seneca River in recent years," Chilton said. "The task force will look at real solutions for cohesively managing water levels and reducing the disparate impacts of regional flooding."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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U.S. Rep. John Katko is not happy with the Supreme Court's decision that allows President Joe Biden to end the "Remain in Mexico" policy implemented under former President Donald Trump.

In a 5-4 ruling, the Court determined that the Biden administration did not violate federal law by moving to end the policy, which kept asylum seekers in Mexico until they could appear before an immigration court judge.

The Trump administration instituted Remain in Mexico, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols, in 2018. After Biden took office in 2021, he sought to terminate the policy.

Katko, the ranking Republican member of the House Homeland Security Committee, has been a leading critic of Biden's immigration policies. He said Thursday that he is disappointed with the Supreme Court's ruling.

"But to be clear, we are in this position because of the utter disregard President Biden has for defending our borders and our homeland security," Katko continued. "President Biden would rather fight this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court than secure the border."

Katko believes the Remain in Mexico policy was a "critical tool" for the Border Patrol in the agency's efforts to manage the number of migrants entering the U.S. at the southern border.

Biden has opted for a different approach. In addition to ending the Remain in Mexico policy, he has sought to terminate the Title 42 restrictions that prevented migrants from entering the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Katko's criticism of Biden's immigration policies is largely due to the large number of migrants that have sought to enter the country. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of individuals encountered at the border was 177,793 in May, a 15% increase in one month.

"Nothing short of a fully reimplemented and enforced MPP in conjunction with Title 42, physical barriers, and more resources for Border Patrol can fix the border crisis at this point," Katko said. "When Republicans take back the majority in the House next Congress, we fully intend to see these important policies reinstated."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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July 1, 2007

Although Yates County farmer Maureen Marshall hires her immigrant workers through the state's Department of Labor, her farm has been raided by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement twice in the past 10 years.

We document everyone and do everything above the law but we have a system that's broken, Marshall said.

Marshall and other members of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigrant Reform have been pushing for a guest worker program reform for more than a decade. This year, she thought that at last the U.S. Congress was close to passing legislation that could help farmers across the nation.

We've been working on this for 11 years. We are in a crisis situation, Marshall said.

But last week's defeat of an immigration reform bill in the U.S. Senate has the farm industry troubled.

As immigrant workers wait in a seemingly never-ending line for their chance to receive temporary worker status in the United States, farmers, including some in the local area, are battling to find a workforce. They're being forced to reach into the immigrant work pool, sometimes not knowing their employee's citizenship status.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday blocked the possibility for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 to likely move any further until after the 2008 presidential election. The bill could have created an improved immigrant guest worker program, advocates said, adding it would have helped both immigrants and farmers. Opponents, though, said the idea of amnesty and allowing more immigrants into the United States reduces the domestic workforce and continues to funnel U.S. dollars out of the country.

Some local farmers, such as Sjana McClure-Berry, agree with those opponents of the bill.

McClure-Berry and three others, all U.S. citizens, farm the 800 acres of land McClure-Berry and her husband own in Genoa without the help from immigrant labor.

Illegal immigrants are changing our whole society, McClure-Berry said. Americans do want these jobs, it's a very honorable profession.

She said by continuing to hire a domestic workforce, she is also retaining money in the local area rather than sending it off to other countries.

We've done this by choice of life. It's a moral decision. We only want to reap what it is we do, McClure-Berry said.

But Marshall said that the labor force is changing in the United States and there are fewer people willing to take agricultural jobs.

People aren't raising their children to be farmers, Marshall said. Farming is hard work and it's dirty. There are so many more options for people today.

For farmers like Marshall who depend on the immigrant workforce, the legislation that may help this group of employers still remains in the hands of federal officials, though the likelihood of any action soon became bleak.

Since the legislation's introduction to the House and Senate, President George Bush has said he supported the need for immigration reform, saying it will secure American borders and help illegal immigrants without providing them amnesty.

During a June 14 speech to Associated Builders and Contractors, the president said that the need for reform is urgent and that the current system has failed and is broken, according to a copy of the speech.

The immigration reform act would establish a temporary guest worker program allowing immigrants to obtain a three-year temporary visa with one option to renew it for an additional three years. According to the legislation, the act will provide U.S. worker protection and the implementation of an alien employment management system and establishment of a temporary worker task force.

The reality is we need a workforce to harvest crops, said T. Mark James, executive director of the New York Farm Bureau Finger Lakes Office.

According to James, last year state farmers encountered a 30 percent decrease in farm labor due to immigration enforcement. James said he had no numbers this year but said he anticipated a larger decline.

Marshall said it's very difficult to find large numbers of domestic workers qualified for the work required on farms.

We can't just take people from the welfare roles. (Farming is) a skill, Marshall said.

Cayuga County relies on immigration because locally there is not reliable source of labor otherwise, James said. It's a never-ending cycle. There's a pure lack of labor and if you have consistent turnover it's not good for our economy.

Farm Bureau, a national organization, supports the legislation. They say the current system is broke.

The current H-2A guest worker program provides immigrants the opportunity to take jobs that U.S. citizens aren't taking.

A workable system to document immigrants is what we're looking for. The current system is very cumbersome with a very large backlog of paperwork, James said. We want a more simplified program that works with technology.

Farm Bureau members continuously advocate the government to authorize an improved guest worker program. A reformed program, they believe, will shorten the amount of time it takes to get an application approved.

There has to be a reasonable time frame to get these visas approved, James said.

But a Syracuse immigration lawyer doesn't feel that new legislation will be able to expedite the system.

The farmers I talk to are concerned in a number of ways. The H-2A system is very cumbersome and most farmers don't use it because it becomes too costly, said Sharon Ames, of Ames Immigration, who has focused solely on immigration law for eight years.

Ames explained that the proposed legislation highlights two types of visas immigrant workers may try to obtain.

The temporary Y-Visa would be valid for six years, requiring the immigrant to go home for one year in between every two-year work period. But Ames predicts that the country would have a hard time documenting this, preventing immigrants from being forced to go home every two years.

The reality is that they're not going to go home after six years. It makes no sense for workers and employers who are now comfortable with their work ability, Ames said.

Under the Z-Visa, immigrants could apply for permanent status for four years, including those that already reside in the country illegally. Every four years the person will have the opportunity to renew the visa at a cost.

Associated with the Z-Visa is the word amnesty, a word widely used in organizations that oppose the legislation and believe it awards those who currently live illegally in the country.

Ames believes what the legislation proposes isn't amnesty, due to the fines and numerous requirements that must be met to receive legal status.

But organizations like the Federation of American Immigration Reform believe that this area of the proposed legislation will provide pardons to people who have already moved to the country illegally.

Legislation in the Senate is outright amnesty for millions who broke the law, said Ira Mehlman, FAIR media director. The bottom line is people broke the law in order to live and work in the U.S. and that's what they'll get.

FAIR is a national non-profit organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that the nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest, according to the FAIR Web site.

Mehlman said the fines illegal immigrants will have to pay aren't that hefty and that the English and U.S. history classes they will have to complete are something everyone desiring legal status in the country should learn.

Enforce the laws you already have is all we're asking, Mehlman said.

 Compiled by David Wilcox

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New York State Police and local authorities statewide are set to increase patrols to crack down on impaired driving over the Independence Day weekend.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the campaign on drunk and drugged driving Friday, according to a news release. This enforcement period, funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, will run from 6 p.m. Friday, July 1, through 3 a.m. Tuesday, July 5.

State troopers and other law enforcement officers will establish sobriety checkpoints and target aggressive and reckless driving across New York.

"State Police and local law enforcement agencies will once again be out in force on New York's roadways this holiday weekend," Hochul said in the news release. "We want New Yorkers to have fun celebrating the Fourth of July, but we also want them to do so responsibly. We have zero tolerance for drivers whose reckless actions endanger the lives of others and will hold those who do so accountable."

State police issued 10,238 traffic tickets over the 2021 Fourth of July weekend, the news release said. A total of 195 people were arrested by troopers during that time, with 648 crashes investigated, including two fatalities.

In addition to sobriety checkpoints and increased driving while intoxicated patrols, law enforcement agencies will be looking for people who are using their phones and other electronic devices while driving. Those operating vehicles are also reminded to "move over" for stopped emergency and hazard vehicles stopped on the side of the road when on state roadways, the release said.

During this program, both marked and unmarked state police vehicles will be used. The concealed vehicles are meant to blend in with normal traffic, letting troopers more easily identify people using handheld devices while driving.

"The Fourth of July is known for its fun and fireworks, but New Yorkers should also remember that making the wrong decision to drive while impaired can result in tragedy. If your celebrations include alcohol, plan for a safe ride home, and if you're travelling this weekend, remember to put down the phone, follow posted speed limits, and always put safety first," New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said in the news release.

Another news release from the state Friday said temporary lane closures for road and bridge construction projects on New York highways are suspended from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Tuesday, July 5, in order to ease travel over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

However, some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers or for emergency repairs. That construction suspension matches up with the state's Drivers First Initiative, which is intended to prioritize the convenience of motorists to minimize traffic congestion and travel delays due to road and bridge work, the release noted.

"With record high car travel expected this July 4th weekend, we want to ensure everyone gets to their destination safely and with minimal delays," Hochul said in the news release. "I encourage everyone traveling this weekend to plan ahead, drive responsibly and remember to move over when you see emergency responders and workers on the side of the road who are still working to ensure the safety of motorists this holiday weekend. I wish all New Yorkers a happy and safe Independence Day."

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York would enshrine abortion rights  as well as gender expression rights  following the overturning of Roe v. Wade under a proposed state constitutional amendment that passed the Senate on Friday.

Both houses of the Legislature were expected to pass the resolution Friday afternoon to begin the process of passing the amendment, which would expand the state constitutions Equal Protection Amendment by banning discrimination based on pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

This is a massive step forward for our state while others move backwards, and an important stance against the Supreme Courts attacks on our rights, Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, said in a statement.

The Senate passed the amendment Friday with a 49-14 vote, with votes expected in the Assembly Friday afternoon. Under the state's amendment process, lawmakers would have to pass it again during next year's session to send it to voters in a statewide referendum.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the measure would protect reproductive health in New York for generations to come and assuage the fears of residents concerned about what might happen next on abortion at the federal level.

Theyre scared, and theyre looking to us for leadership, the Democratic governor said at a press conference.

State law currently allows abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy, but abortion rights supporters say they want a guarantee that a future legislature wont be able to pass more abortion restrictions.

New York is taking a different approach from California, where voters will decide whether to amend their constitution to add the fundamental right to choose to bear a child or to choose and to obtain an abortion.

But Katharine Bodde, New York Civil Liberties Union assistant policy director, has said New York's approach will hold up better in court and prohibit more kinds of discrimination against pregnant people.

And New York will also add ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to the state's Equal Protection Amendment. Right now, the state constitution currently prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed or religion.

Backers say the intent would also be to create legal grounds for barring the government from trampling on transgender rights, among other things.

Efforts to add constitutional protections against sex discrimination have failed for years in New York and elsewhere amid opposition from conservatives.

Hochul, a Democrat running for her first full term as governor in November, has vowed in campaign ads to protect the right to abortion in the state constitution.

New York's amendment would protect affirmative action programs, and also make clear that its protections do not interfere with, limit or deny other people's civil rights.

The leaders of an anti-abortion Catholic group have been urging lawmakers to oppose the amendment, partly over concerns that health care workers who, for religions reasons, dont want to provide abortions or gender transition care.

Health care workers with religious concerns are already somewhat protected under federal and state law, but Catholic Conference Executive Director Dennis Poust said those protections arent enough.

Kristen Curran, director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference, said the state should focus on helping women and families rather than promoting abortion.

Unfortunately, this bill solidifies the message that New York has been sending women for some time now: Abortion is positive, empowering, and the key to success, Curran said in a statement. This couldnt be further from the truth.

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

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Beijing (Gasgoo)- Baidu and Geelys joint auto brand, JIDU, has reportedly established a holding company in Hong Kong for its two Chinese mainland entities, a person close to the matter disclosed to a local media outlet.

Photo credit: JIDU

JIDU Automobile (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., the rumored holding company of Beijing JIDU Technology Co., Ltd. and Shanghai JIDU Automobile Co., Ltd., is set up by JIDU to expand its financing channels, making it easier for more foreign capitals to invest in the company, the source added.

Aside from that, on June 28th, Jidu Automobile Co., Ltd. was found with another registration change, with Geely withdrawing from the shareholders list.

Specifically, Geely-affiliated Shanghai Maple Automobile Co., Ltd. dropped out of the company as shareholder, and JIDUs other parent, Baidu-affiliated Dazi County Bairuixiang Venture Capital Management Co., Ltd. become the auto brands sole owner.

In the meantime, the CEO of JIDU, Xia Yiping, was removed as the companys legal representative, board member, and general manager.

Nonetheless, Geely, Baidu, and JIDU emphasized that JIDU is till jointly held by Geely and Baidu. Their partnership stays unchanged, as well as Xia Yipings leadership in the company as CEO.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

CATL aims to realize sodium-ion battery industrialization in 2023

CATL disclosed at an online platform that the company is facilitating the industrialization of its sodium-ion batteries, which can be expected in 2023.

Photo credit: CATL

Changan Automobiles Shenlan SL03 to hit market in July

Changan Automobiles new energy vehicle brand, Shenlan (deep blue in English), plans to put the SL03, the first model under the new brand, onto market in July this year. The model will be installed with a electric motor, offering a maximum range of 712km.

Photo credit: Changan Automobile

BYD invests in DPS firm HAAWKING

According to the Chinese corporate database Qichacha, BYD has become one of the shareholders of Beijing Haawking Technology Co., Ltd., a professional DSP supplier. The company is founded in 2019 with a registered capital of RMB28.9075 million.

XPeng reports highest monthly, quarterly, H1 deliveries among Chinese auto startups

In the second quarter of 2022, Chinas electric vehicle startup XPeng delivered the most vehicles among all domestic auto startups for the fourth consecutive quarter.

NIO scores 60.3% YoY surge in June 2022 deliveries

NIO delivered 12,961 vehicles in June 2022, posting a year-on-year surge of 60.3%, the company announced today.

HUAWEIs auto partner SERES delivers 7,658 vehicles in June

In June, Chongqing Sokon Industry Group Stock Co., Ltd. (Sokon Group), the auto group owning the brand SERES, continued to witness growth in its new energy vehicle sales.



Zhou Song appointed new Valeo China President

Effective from July 1, 2022, Zhou Song has been appointed as Valeo China President and will directly report to Christophe Perillat, Chief Executive Officer of Valeo, the French automotive supplier announced today.

Baidu permitted to charge fares for Robotaxi in Wuhan

Baidu Apollos Robotaxi platform Apollo Go started pilot commercial operation in Wuhan, providing paid autonomous mobility service to the public.

Leapmotor June deliveries hit new high

In the sixth month of 2022, Chinas new energy vehicle startup Leapmotor saw its monthly delivery volume hit a new high.

HOZON Auto achieves new record-high monthly deliveries in June 2022

HOZON Auto, the Chinese startup owning the new energy vehicle (NEV) brand NETA, saw its monthly deliveries hit another record high of 13,157 units in June 2022, skyrocketing 156.1% year on year, while also jumping 19.5% month on month, the automaker announced via its WeChat account.

ZEEKR 001s cumulative deliveries surpass 25,000 units by June 2022

ZEEKR, the premium EV brand of Geely Holding, today announced the monthly deliveries of the ZEEKR 001 reached 4,302 units in June 2022, edging down 0.6% from the previous month.

China's vehicle inventory alert index in June stands below 50%

China's vehicle inventory alert index ("VIA"), which reflects the inventory pressure on automobile dealers, declined 7.3 percentage points month on month in June 2022, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA).

JIDU reportedly sets up holding company in HK for foreign financing

Baidu and Geelys joint auto brand, JIDU, has reportedly established a holding company in Hong Kong for its two Chinese mainland entities, a person close to the matter disclosed to a local media outlet.

Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen H1 sales jump 39% YoY

In June, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile (DPCA) achieved impressive momentum in its monthly sales, maintaining a positive growth for 19 consecutive months.

Geometry E hits market, starting at 86,800 yuan

Geometry, a BEV brand of Geely Auto, saw the Geometry E hit the market on June 30. Coming with three trim levels, the model is priced from 86,800 yuan ($13,000) to 103,800 yuan ($15,500) after subsidies.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese semiconductor supplier Shenzhen BASiC Semiconductor LTD. (BASiC or BASiC Semiconductor) announced on July 1 it has closed its C3 round of financing, which was led by Technology Financial Group and Truesino Fund.

According to BASiC, Technology Financial Group is a state-run company dedicated to providing finance services for Guangdong-based enterprises technology innovation. Truesino Fund is backed by Truesino Holding Group, which was incorporated in 2015 and focuses on investment in such areas as photoelectric chips, intelligent manufacturing, new materials, and information technologies.



Photo credit: BASiC

The fresh funding round was completed only 24 days after the company finished its C2 round, which attracted such investors as GAC Capital and Shenzhen V&T Technologies.

The company said the proceeds raised from the C2 round would be used to boost its R&D of SiC power devices and construction of relevant manufacturing base, and step up market expansion in new energy vehicle (NEV) and photovoltaic power fields.

BASiC didn't reveal the fundraising volumes for either the C2 or the C3 rounds.

Founded in 2016, BASiC is committed to the R&D and industrialization of SiC power devices, according to the description posted on the companys official website. Its R&D fields cover the whole industrial chain of SiC power devices, such as epitaxial preparation, chip design, wafer manufacturing, packaging test, driver circuit application, and etc. Core products of the company include SiC diodes, SiC MOSFET, automotive-grade SiC power modules, SiC driver chips, and etc.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Baidu Apollos Robotaxi platform Apollo Go started pilot commercial operation in Wuhan, providing paid autonomous mobility service to the public.



Photo credit: Baidu

The pilot service is available in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WHDZ). The Robotaxi fleet will serve passengers in the 30 square kilometers area in the WHDZ on 166 km of roads. There are 63 pick-up/drop-off stations in the area, covering university campuses, sport centers, and commercial plazas. Passengers in the area are able to hail a Robotaxi ride via the Apollo Go mobile application and Wechat mini program through 8:00 to 17:00 daily.

Notably, Wuhan is the fourth city that has granted Baidu the permission to operate commercial service after Beijing, Chongqing, and Yangquan.

Up to now, Baidus Apollo autonomous driving arm has accumulated over 27 million kilometers of safe testing distance. As the largest Robotaxi service provider in the world, Baidus Apollo Go service has reached Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and many other cities.

In the first quarter of this year, its autonomous taxi fleet has fulfilled 196,000 orders.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- ZEEKR, the premium EV brand of Geely Holding, today announced the monthly deliveries of the ZEEKR 001 reached 4,302 units in June 2022, edging down 0.6% from the previous month.

By the end of June 2022, ZEEKR had cumulatively delivered 25,017 vehicles, 19,010 units of which were delivered in the first half of this year.

ZEEKR 001; photo credit: ZEEKR

As ZEEKR's first production model, the ZEEKR 001 was launched on April 15, 2021. Based on Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), it comes with three variants, which are currently priced from 299,000 yuan to 386,000 yuan ($44,660 to $57,650). According to the automaker, the average selling price of the ZEEKR 001 was 335,000 yuan ($50,030).

The automaker said it newly opened 26 sales and service stores in June.

As of June 2022, there have been 327 ZEEKR's self-built charging stations deployed in 47 cities across China, 19 cities of which, including Xiamen, Dongguan, Wenzhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing, Dalian, and Shijiazhuang, introduced their first ZEEKR-branded stations last month.

ZEEKR said the route planning function of its charging map continued to improve in June. Up until now, ZEEKRs charging map has had access to 340,000 third-party charging points in 329 cities across China.

In addition, the automaker has launched the one-stop installation service for its smart home charging piles in 299 cities nationwide.
BINGHAM FARMS, Mich.Corey D. Silverstein, the driving force behind MyAdultAttorney.com and Adult.Law, announces his post-COVID return to The European Summit Affiliate Conferences (TES), where he will lend his expertise and insights during multiple TES events. Attendees can also schedule an on-site appointment with Silverstein during the show.

TES is happening from Aug. 22-25 at the Vienna House Diplomat Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic. Register here.

Silverstein is returning as a sponsor for the show and will have a dedicated meeting roomRome, which is located on the shows first flooravailable for the duration of the event. Prospective clients, existing clients, and/or anyone just wanting to say hello can stop by to meet Silverstein.

Visitors are encouraged to schedule a meeting in advance of the show by emailing [email protected] directly.

Said Silverstein, "TES Prague has become the biggest and best yearly show for anyone operating in the online marketplace. COVID may have paused things for a minute, but now that the world is slowly normalizing, there was no way I would miss attending and participating in this event. TES organizers Walter and Andreas know how to put together the best business meetups, so sponsoring this event was an easy decision. I cant wait to re-connect in person at TES with so many of my friends and colleagues from around the world!

Among Silverstein's slated engagements during the conference will be a "Legal Update" seminar on Aug. 23, 2022, from 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. (local time). During the seminar, participants will discuss the legal landscape for online businesses, which has never been more complex. For instance, in the United States, Section 230 is under attack, leaving an uncertain future for online service providers. Meanwhile, in the EU, age verification is once again making headlines as data privacy regulation continues. Additional seminars will be announced soon.

Silverstein is the managing and founding member of Silverstein Legal and the founder of the subscription service Adult.Law. His practice focuses on representing all areas of the adult industry. Those interested in retaining Adult.Laws services can learn more about subscription tiers here.

Join Silverstein on Twitter @myadultattorney and on Instagram @coreydsilverstein.
The Flagstaff Police Department will soon be receiving training on responding to health emergencies through a partnership with Griffith Blue Heart and Guardian Medical Transport.

Griffith Blue Heart was one of six organizations awarded grants in the Health First Foundations 2022 grant cycle.

The grant of up to $100,000 will fund a program that trains and equips police officers in Flagstaff to be able to provide cardiac care in emergency situations.

Currently, law enforcement around the nation remains the most underutilized component of survival, said Brandon Griffith, Griffith Blue Hearts founder and CEO.  ... We are required first responders, and were on the scene first 90% of the time, so its very vital that we prepare by training law enforcement for these emergencies.

Griffith, himself a police officer, was inspired to start the program after his own experience with an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

At age 26 while off duty, I had an electrical malfunction in my heart that caused me to drop dead, he said. My wife was in the room with me [and] she called 911, started CPR until an officer arrived and took over compressions until fire and EMS arrived. All in all, I was medically dead for about 16 minutes. ... It wasn't until I returned to the field that I realized how unprepared law enforcement really is for resuscitation in an emergency."

He realized that, while police are often some of the first on the scene in cardiac emergencies and thus the most able to make an impact, many agencies arent well-equipped to provide that care. Agencies often dont have automated external defibrillators (AED) on hand, for example, and training may only be a two-hour refresher on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) every few years.

I cant tell you how many times Ive been waiting for the fire department to get here, just compressing away hoping they make it, Griffith said. Its a very time-sensitive issue, especially when it comes to hemorrhage control and when it comes to overdoses. Without the proper tools and training, were not going to be able to make much of an impact.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about nine in 10 people who have an OHCA die. About 350,000 OHCAs happen each year, it said, and measures such as early, high-quality CPR and AED use can increase the chance of survival.

Griffith Blue Heart is trying to help police departments across Arizona develop high-performance resuscitation programs" to address the issue, including training, research, recognition of successes and providing AEDs.

Griffith Blue Heart had begun work with FPD prior to the Health First grant, which will allow them to continue the efforts. These funds will be used to provide FPD with about 50 AEDs, training through Griffith Blue Hearts Advanced Law Enforcement Resuscitation Academy program, and help with developing and implementing an entire system of care, including chain of command, dispatch and other protocols.

The training covers everything from overdoses to cardiac arrest to drowning to pediatric choking cases.

Griffith said it was designed with experts, including medical personnel and SWAT medics, to build on the skills officers are already trained in.

This program is going to be focusing on non-EMS applications of automated external defibrillators and a focus on increasing the high-performance resuscitations," he said.

It takes a reality-based approach, with officers participating in simulations of various situations to help them build up muscle memory and experience.

Participants are scored on various aspects of their response both during and after the training to measure the program's results. Griffith Blue Heart also uses police and fire department data to measure the training's success.

The idea is to get to a point where officers basically have a blueprint to draw from when the time comes, Griffith said.

Due to staffing and supply chain issues, the program is still in the process of scheduling training and is waiting the AEDs to arrive. It has already begun implementing new protocols.

More about Griffith Blue Heart can be found at griffithblueheart.com.

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The Economist recently tweeted: "Pigs ate 431 million tons of grain in 2019".

That looked fine till one read the rest of the tweet, which said,"45 percent more than the people of China did".

As ties between China and the West have been worsening for years, we have long got accustomed to the Western media blaming China for everything, but this kind of sensationalism comparing the Chinese people to pigs only exposes how low some of the Western media can stoop.

Although The Economist later changed the tweet, racism has been rearing its ugly head more often than ever in the West, and China seems to be their main target. The media there blames China for having a "too strong" naval force, blames Chinese migrants for being so diligent as to harvest so many jobs, and the Chinese for eating too much meat and accelerating the global climate change process.

This, despite the United States navy being no small fry, Chinese scientists and scholars having contributed much to Western technological advances, and Chinese people consuming only a quarter of the meat consumed in the US.

In the race to blame China, certain Western media outlets give up all moral and legal binds. This lack of ethics and bias against China stems from the old Western disease called "racism". For centuries, the Anglo-Saxon white people dominated the world stage, forgetting that every race or color is equal and that every nation can rise on its own wisdom and diligence.

Despite the criticism, China stays prosperous and strong, and is capable of sweeping away these fabricated lies as if they were cobwebs. It is the West that should stay alert against the rise of racism. Isn't that the banner under which the Nazis stormed to power in Germany?
1. The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations have pledged to raise $600bn in private and public funds over five years to finance infrastructure in developing countries and counter Chinas older, multitrillion-dollar Belt and Road project.

US President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders relaunched the newly renamed Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment on Sunday at their annual gathering being held this year at Schloss Elmau in southern Germany....

Source Link: aljazeeradotcom

2. Those guys in the following photo seem to have an awkward smile. If they smiled sarcastically at the launch of the so-called $600bn infrastructure plan, they are forgiven for doing so because the White House incumbent has not even managed to build a single toilet for his grand domestic infrastructure plan since he assumed office.

It won't come as a surprise if the huge amount of money would end up in weapon development or building of more US military bases around the world.
The summer interim is always an excellent time for learning about issues, meeting people in the district and working on legislative studies at the office. I am also enjoying our many community celebrations and parades, which allows me to talk in person with so many of you!

The calendar has been full and varied since the session ended, which all helps as we contemplate legislation for next year. I was able to participate with Mosaic via zoom on their annual update, and be part of a panel discussion at UNL on the political process. Additional meetings were held on workforce and low income housing, public health departments and the state chambers of commerce. A large group of educators met with me in my office to discuss teacher shortages in key areas.

As a member of the Building and Maintenance Committee of the Legislature, I have traveled to several state owned facilities around Nebraska. It is always enlightening to see the management of existing infrastructure and look at future needs. A tour of the Department of Corrections Treatment Center in west Lincoln was also on my schedule; as was a meeting with the Department of Transportation about routes through the city of Beatrice.

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Sen. Arch and Sen. Brandt, attended a meeting and tour at the Beatrice State Developmental Center. I appreciate hosting these meetings in an effort to educate my fellow senators about the services provided by BSDC and Mosaic in Beatrice.

A couple of speaking engagements allowed me to encourage citizen participation in our legislative process; at Leadership Beatrice and the OLLI program sponsored by the University of Nebraska. An additional opportunity, sponsored by Open Sky, was shared with Sen. Brandt via zoom, educating non profit organizations about how to engage with the legislature and make all voices heard.

The SIMS (Simulation in Motion - Nebraska) program, which brings emergency medical education to rural areas by delivering high-tech training to hospital ERs, EMS and ambulance services across the entire state, was in Adams in early June. I have supported this project with legislation in the past and will continue to look for ways to enhance this important teaching tool and the numerous benefits to our small town EMS providers.

I have met with some of our Congressional delegation about issues affecting District 30, and attended city council meetings in Beatrice and Hickman. I have also talked with Lincoln Public School officials about their upcoming school year and needs at LPS. Other meetings have covered wind turbines, extraterritorial jurisdictions, and judicial issues in southeast Nebraska. Finally, I met with new state Sen. Kauth, who was appointed to fill the seat of late Sen. Pahls. I will look forward to meeting with yet one more appointee, when the legislative seat held by Sen. Flood is filled.

In coming weeks, I will be attending interim hearings and meetings for LR 374, a study of local school aid. This is an important piece of the funding mechanism known as TEEOSA and concerns how property tax goes to fund education. Also on the calendar: the plan for improving the 14th and Old Cheney intersection, the Gage county board, Main Street Beatrice and continued meetings with newly elected officials. Of course, we are waiting to hear about a possible special session to be called in wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade.

Remember, my office is always available to receive your emails and calls. mdorn@leg.ne.gov, 402-471-2620. PO Box 94604, Lincoln NE 68509-4604. I look forward to hearing from you.

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A black bear was killed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks after it was seen lumbering near ZooMontana shortly before the zoos usual opening time Friday. The zoo was closed until noon to deal with the situation.

The bear was first spotted near the zoos northern entrance, close to the parking lot, said ZooMontana director Jeff Ewelt. It was poking around the playground and was able to climb into the zoo by the time FWP dispatch found it.

It had been seen around the park for the past few days, Ewelt said. Neighbors of the zoo had been reporting the bear since Monday, and beehives nearby had been knocked over.

Its unusual for bears to wander around that area, especially during the hot summer months, Ewelt said. It is unknown why the bear was there. The bear was just under three-years-old, and it was flexible and capable of climbing fences, Ewelt said.

Bob Gibson of FWP said the bear had become too used to humans. When bears acclimate to humans and lose their fear, they become extremely dangerous, Gibson said.

"That was a troubled bear, and it probably wasn't going to behave well," Gibson said. The dispatch team sent to ZooMontana didn't think the bear could be taught to fear humans again, he added.

Greg Lemon, Montana FWPs Communication and Education Administrator, explained that black bear sightings arent uncommon. With so much of Montana communities butting against nature, its expected for animals to occasionally stumble into towns.

In many black bear sightings, FWP teams will try to figure out what the bear is doing and the condition of the bear. If they think the bear isnt a danger and isnt making a habit of wandering near humans, theyll try to scare it off using loud noises. The goal is for the bear to associate humans with fear, Lemon said. That way, theyll avoid humans.

In other cases, the bear might be captured and released deeper in the wild.

But for bears that are acclimated to humans, FWP often resorts to euthanasia.

The sighting comes a few weeks after Montana FWP predicted wildlife encounters would become more common. A social media post warned Montanans that recent floods will drive wildlife away from their typical homes, causing them to wander into human-typical territory.

Montana FWP advised homeowners to store garbage in certified bear-resistant bins or secured, hard-sided buildings. If bears learn they can get an easy meal from the trash, theyll learn to come to town more often.

Bears are smart and they learn quickly that city garbage is an abundant and reliable food source, the social media post said. Which is dangerous for them and us.

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A man who operated a sex trafficking ring in and outside Billings was sentenced earlier this week to 30 years in prison, ending a decade of his exploiting vulnerable women and girls in a racket that spanned several states.

Louis Gregory Venning, 42, coerced, threatened, assaulted and in some instances raped nearly two dozen victims, according to federal court documents. U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen also sentenced Venning to a lifetime of supervision Monday, should he be released. Prosecutors said in sentencing documents the danger Venning poses to society cannot be overstated.

Venning targeted young women and girls, including a minor, to force them into his interstate prostitution network, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. He gave those victims drugs and some income, while at the same time he coerced, cajoled and forced them into a life of commercial sex, traveling from town to town and state to state to set up the business for a few days at a time, all to enrich himself. Those victims were emotionally and physically abused, not only by Venning, but also by his customers.

Starting in 2011 and through his arrest on federal charges in May 2020, Venning recruited young women and girls to engage in prostitution. His usual tactic involved prowling the internet for sex ads and posing as a potential customer. After meeting with his victims, he coerced them into working for him. Most of his victims had histories with trauma, were on dire financial straits or were addicted to drugs. At two people snared in his sex trafficking ring were children, court documents said.

Venning has been arrested multiple times in the past decade: in Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee and finally Montana. All of the arrests stemmed from prostitution charges. None of these arrests apparently stunted his efforts to search towns and cities for victims. He blackmailed victims by either outing them online as sex workers, or threatening to call Child Protective Services if they didnt work for him. He also supplied at least 10 of his victims with drugs, feeding addictions to meth, heroin or cocaine. In one instance, according to court documents, he tried to recruit a 17-year-old girl into commercial sex over social media by offering her cocaine. The girls mother intervened and stopped the conversations.

He subjected several of his victims to physical violence, court documents said. Women told law enforcement Venning punched, choked and slapped them while he was their trafficker. He showed one woman pictures of her family, telling her he knew where they lived and threatening them.

Assistant U.S. attorneys Zeno B. Baucus and Bryan T. Dake, who prosecuted the case, wrote in their sentencing recommendation that Venning did not relent even after his 2012 conviction in Missouri for promoting. Nor did he relent after his arrest in Georgia during a prostitution sting. The asked Judge Christensen for a 35-year sentence.

Venning has never cared about his victims, never during the time that he was using them, and he showed no mercy for them as he continued to exploit them  Venning put his victims in danger every day by coercing them into complete, naked vulnerability with strange men who could have injured, raped, or murdered them, prosecutors wrote.

Defense attorney Samir F. Aarab asked the judge for the mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. He wrote in his sentencing recommendation Venning has spent nearly 70% of his adult life incarcerated, and that he is a product of a rough upbringing in his home state of South Carolina. Sex trafficking was the only way to earn money that Venning knew, and he facilitated young women to ply the sex trade.

Venning preyed on vulnerable women and girls, taking away their voice and their dignity through manipulation and violence, said Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice, of the Salt Lake City FBI in a statement released by the U.S. Attorneys Office on Monday. The FBI shares in an unwavering commitment to aggressively investigate and help eliminate this form of modern-day slavery and seek assistance and justice for victims.

Venning pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a person with intent to engage in prostitution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine in November 2021, just a day before his case was set to go to trial.

In June 2022, addition federal charges were filed against Venning while he was in custody at Cascade County Jail in Great Falls. Prosecutors allege Venning attempted to smuggle cocaine and marijuana into the jail, and tried to tamper with a witness. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Along with the 30-year sentence, Judge Christensen has ordered Venning to pay restitution to his victims. A restitution hearing has been scheduled in Missoula on September 1.

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A former prison guard was given prison time Thursday for sexually abusing a woman at Montana Womens Prison.

Allan Lee Hagstrom, 41, was sentenced Thursday in Yellowstone County District Court to 10 years in prison, with five years suspended. Hagstrom, who had 13 years as a guard in several facilities across multiple states, repeatedly portrayed himself as the victim throughout the case.

Mr. Hagstrom took advantage of his position of trust and sexually offended an inmate, said District Judge Rod Souza, who presided over the sentencing. It has been my observation that the vast majority of females who are in the correctional system and in a custodial setting have been subjected to extensive trauma in their lives. You took advantage of the victims vulnerability for your own sexual gratification.

County prosecutors filed charges against Hagstrom in September 2019 after a compliance officer at MWP requested an investigation from the Montana Department of Corrections. Hagstrom was a guard at MWP from August 2018 to late January 2019. Surveillance footage taken from his last shift at MWP on Jan. 25, 2019, showed Hagstrom following a woman off camera and into a blind spot while sitting in a room on the prisons third floor. The woman was later identified as an inmate. They remained off camera for about 25 minutes.

A prison staff member searched the womans room about a week later. The guard found a piece of paper with an email address later linked to Hagstrom. In an interview with a DOC investigator, the woman said shed had multiple sexual encounters with the prison guard, the last one occurring during his final shift Jan. 25.

Another DOC investigator traveled to Shelby to speak with Hagstrom in early February 2019, according to court documents. Hagstrom was working as a guard at Crossroads Correctional Center at the time. He told the investigator the woman performed oral sex on him at least three times. He said he did not force the woman into any kind of sexual contact, but he was worried about prison time and his wife divorcing him.

She wanted it and I just, I f***ed up, he said, according to a transcript of the interview.

After charges were filed in September of that year, the U.S. Marshals Service in Galveston, Texas arrested Hagstrom on a warrant that was issued in November.

Hagstrom posted a $25,000 bond and was released from custody. He reached a plea agreement with county prosecutors in February 2022. He entered an Alford plea of guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent in exchange for the other two counts being dropped at his sentencing. An Alford guilty plea allows Hagstrom to not admit to any criminal acts, but he does acknowledge that there is enough evidence that a jury would likely find him guilty.

In several interviews and in court, Hagstrom said the victim instigated their sexual contact, typically by grabbing his genitals and leaving him powerless to respond. Testifying in court before his sentencing Thursday, Hagstrom said he regretted not fighting back. He also asked the judge to consider the victims criminal history in his sentencing.

She knew what she was doing, Hagstrom said.

Federal law criminalizes any kind of sexual contact between those imprisoned in the United States and officials. The Prison Rape Elimination Act, signed into law in 2003 as way to set national policies and standards to prevent rape in correctional facilities, established that incarcerated people cannot legally consent to sex with their guards. As required of all corrections officers in the state, Hagstrom had received PREA training prior to the charges filed against him.

Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney Paul Vestal asked Judge Souza for a 20-year sentence, with 10 years suspended. He said Hagstrom has avoided responsibility for what he did to the woman, and posed as a victim. Hagstrom insisting that he froze, could not fight off the woman, or gave up fighting her off because nobody would believe him, ran counter to both logic and his more than a decade of training. Vestal illustrated his point by recounting what security footage showed of Hagstroms last shift at MSP.

Hagstrom walked into the officers station on the third floor and sat down at a computer, according to surveillance footage. Three minutes later, footage showed the victim get off an elevator with a cleaning cart. She left the cart and walked past Hagstrom, camera footage showing her wearing black gloves. She continued into a blind spot beneath the camera. Just a few seconds later, Hagstrom got up from the computer and walked into the same blind spot. The victim walked back into frame about 25 minutes later, no longer wearing black gloves, and Hagstrom followed a few seconds after her. The victim may have initiated contact with Hagstrom, Vestal said, but Hagstrom as an officer in a position of authority did nothing to prevent it.

Hagstrom knew what he was doing, and he did it voluntarily, Vestal said. And as a reminder, Mr. Hagstrom testified that quote, In my experience, having caught officers that were doing what I was accused of doing and having to waltz them out at the end of their shifts because of it, not a single one of them had charges pressed on them.

Hagstroms defense asked Souza for a probationary sentence. His attorney argued that a psycho sexual evaluation showed he was not a serious risk to reoffend, and that he had no sexually deviant inclinations, such as pedophilia. Two people also testified on Hagstroms behalf, saying that he was a model employee, and a devoted caretaker for his mother.

That same evaluation, however, also revealed that Hagstrom was inclined to shift blame, and skirt responsibility for his actions. Souza recounted the several times Hagstrom had demonstrated what seemed to be a lack of remorse for what hed done to the woman. Hed made statements in which he regretted not fighting off the victim, or reporting the victim. More than two years after what happened, Souza said, Hagstrom still did not appreciate the severity of his actions.

These statements really amount to victim blaming. But sir, you were the corrections officer. Youd had the training. The victim was in your custody, and you took advantage of that, Souza said.

Per Montana law, Hagstrom will be eligible for parole after serving two-and-a-half years of his sentence. Souza also required that Hagstrom complete sex offender training while in prison. When he leaves custody, Hagstrom will have to register as a sex offender.

In June of last year, the Montana DOC paid a six-figure settlement to a former corrections officer at MWP who faced retaliation for raising alarms regarding rape allegations at the prison. The former employee claimed that hed been looked over for promotions because he reported his supervisor for sexually abusing women in custody in 2017.

About 30% of all reports made of sexual misconduct with the states DOC facilities involved allegations of staff abusing inmates, according to the most recent PREA annual report published in 2020. Of those 81 reports, three were substantiated and eight were still under investigation.

A PREA audit of MWP in 2019 found the prison up to or exceeding all standards set by the legislation. However, the report noted that many women at the prison were unaware the Billings YWCA functioned as an advocacy group for MWP inmates. The reports authors recommended making it clear to the imprisoned women they have emotional support services and crisis intervention specialists for victims of sexual assault upon confidential request from YWCA.

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A Supreme Court decision limiting EPA powers to steer energy companies away from coal-fired power plants is unlikely to change the trajectory of Montana energy.

The Courts conservative majority Thursday rejected the EPAs dormant policy of using carbon emission caps to steer energy companies into cleaner generation, meaning either natural-gas burning power plants or renewable energy. The policy was part of former President Barack Obamas Clean Power Plan, which proposed state-level carbon emissions reductions, which in Montana were nearly impossible to meet without at least reducing power from coal-fired power plants, namely Colstrip.

As the Justices noted in their ruling, the Clean Power Power Plan was never put into practice. Attorneys general from multiple states, including former Montana AG Tim Fox, secured a Supreme Court injunction against CPP in 2016 before it could be used. Later, former President Donald Trumps administration repealed the Clean Power Plan. But what remained undecided was whether the EPAs best system of emissions reduction was within the powers given to the agency under the Clean Air Act of 1970.

Before CPP, the Environmental Protection Agency had always regulated air pollution in a way that gave power plant owners a chance to comply by cutting emissions from the power plant.

By contrast and design, there are no particular controls a coal plant operator can install and operate to attain the emissions limits established by the Clean Power Plan, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. EPAs attempt to lower carbon emissions not at the smokestack, but throughout the overall power system was an overreach.

Roberts also recognized the caps on carbon emissions set by CPP, intended to produce a national energy generation mix by 2030 that was about 27% coal power, down from 38% in 2014. Without the Clean Power Plan, coal powers share of the energy mix had fallen to 21.8% last year with natural gas accounting for 38.3% and renewable energy sources 20.1%. Those numbers, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, illustrate that natural gas supplanted coal as the primary fuel source for baseload power in the United States.

The court ruling triggered a raft of statements from Montanas Republican politicians. Attorney General Austin Knudsen identified the ruling as going against the Biden administration's attempt to weaponize the Clean Air Act.

More accurately, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines said Im glad to see the Supreme Court uphold what weve known all along  the Obama-era Clean Power Plan was a massive overreach. This ruling right-sizes the authority of the EPA to issue sweeping regulations and realigns the EPA with the original intent of the Clean Air Act. At a time when Americans are already facing record high gas prices, it ensures that the Biden administration will not be able to weaponize the EPA to shut down American energy and further its radical anti-energy agenda.

The Supreme Court ruling was driven by EPA policy targeting coal plants, not other types of electricity generation, or gasoline.

President Joe Bidens administration hasnt attempted to revive the Clean Power Plan. Biden did issue a 311-word response, in which he called the ruling another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards. The president said he would use his lawful authorities to protect public health and address the climate crisis.

The ruling comes at a time when the state is arguing that it doesnt have the authority to regulate carbon emissions under the Montana Environmental Policy Act. Lawyers for the attorney general, Department of Environmental Quality and NorthWestern Energy made that point in Yellowstone County District Court last week.

DEQ does not have the legal authority to regulate carbon, Ben Alke, attorney for NorthWestern Energy, told Judge Michael Moses. At issue is the Department of Environmental Qualitys permitting of NorthWesterns natural-gas power plant near Laurel. No one disputes that greenhouse gas emissions are a problem, Alke said, but DEQ cannot regulate them.

When DEQ issued the air quality permit for the power plant without addressing carbon dioxide emissions, sulfur dioxide emissions or noise pollution, the Montana Environmental Information Center sued. MEIC argues the department didnt apply the Montana Environmental Policy Act, which it says would have meant addressing carbon pollution and the other issues.

DEQ argues that addressing the specific impacts of climate change on Montana is impossible without addressing the impacts beyond the states borders, which it says it cannot quantify.

Anne Hedges, MEIC co-director and director of policy and legislative affairs, said the Supreme Court ruling isnt expected to be an issue with litigation concerning the NorthWesterns natural gas plant and pipeline.

I dont think there will be any impact, from the Supreme Court case, Hedges said. This case was really about EPA trying to find other ways for coal plant operators to limit emissions. EPA was trying to give flexibility to companies, instead of what they traditionally do, which is saying you must lower pollution from your stacks.'

If EPA returns to cutting carbon emissions at the smokestack, the power plant owners might not be too pleased, Hedges said.

In the Clean Power Plan era, which ended in 2016, Montanas elected officials  Republican and Democrat  were concerned the state couldnt comply with the emissions caps without a partial closure of Colstrip Power Plant. Former Gov. Steve Bullock accused the Obama administration of moving the goalposts after a draft proposal of caps indicated Colstrip could be spared. States were supposed to have compliance plans in place by 2018 with carbon pollution reductions at power plants staring in 2022.

As it turned out, Colstrips two oldest units were shuttered for economic reasons in 2020, which would have brought the state into compliance.

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The damage is catastrophic, a Red Lodge business owner said. Were between a rock and a hard place. And if we dont get some assistance, were not gonna make it. He speaks for all of us who were hard hit by the flooding last week.

We know that theres a risk of fires and smoke interrupting our summer revenue stream. However, an extreme weather event, like this flooding disaster at the beginning of tourist season, and following on from the COVID pandemic, has devastated businesses, infrastructure, and households. Many of us wont recover.

Like you, we cherish Montana, places like the world-renowned Yellowstone Park, our rivers, and the towns that thrive on the tourism they attract - Gardiner, Red Lodge, Livingston, Billings, and Kalispell, to name just a few. Why did this happen?

Until the floods, this spring was wet and cold. Then, the warming temperatures meant rapid snowmelt and rain-on-snow events. Coupled with the high streamflow, the result was catastrophic flooding.

Extreme weather events  heat, drought, floods, and wildfire  are predicted to occur more frequently as we keep warming the atmosphere by adding carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas.

According to the Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment, our average and extreme temperatures are getting warmer. Since 1950, Montanas annual average temperatures have increased between 2.0-3.0F. The Montana Climate Assessment report states: Winter and spring in Montana have experienced the most warming. Average temperatures during these seasons have risen by 3.9F.

Meaningful climate action means getting on track to meet the goal of reducing carbon pollution 50% by 2050, deploying the clean energy economy, and investing in forest management to sequester carbon.

To decarbonize our energy sources, fortunately there are technological solutions ready to roll that wont tank our economy. In Montana weve got options in spades, like wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal. Coupled with battery storage technologies, we could have reliable nonpolluting energy that will reduce and eventually eliminate carbon pollution.

As small business owners and retired professionals ourselves we support the fiscally conservative way to get there from here, called carbon pricing. See citizensclimatelobby.org/price-on-carbon/.

A fellow volunteer in Nevada recently asked: How much will this cost? This question has two sides: How much will it cost to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? And how much will it cost if we dont?

She found that Deloitte, a premier accounting, tax, and consulting company, recently issued a report that estimated, ...the gain to the U.S. economy from decarbonizing is $3 trillion. If we do nothing, the cost is $14.5 trillion. Thats on the national scale. How much is this flooding going to cost the taxpayer, the businesses, the home owners, and the towns here in Montana? We have a lot to gain if we do act, but much more to lose if we dont.

Were extremely grateful to Senators Daines and Tester and Congressman Rosendale for quickly urging that President Biden approve a major disaster declaration to deal with the flooding impacts. When they work together, we all benefit. Now, they need to work together to enact legislation for transitioning to a clean energy economy. Carbon fee and dividend policies, sometimes called cashback carbon pricing, help, not hurt, our economy.

We urge you to call or write Daines, Tester, and Rosendale and add your voice to the chorus of citizens who want effective, reasonable nonpartisan policy to help stabilize the climate.

You can use our website to find contact information, cclusa.org/write or cclusa.org/call.

As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce states: Inaction is not an option.

Members of Citizen's Climate Lobby Montana include Laurel Eastman, CCL National Outdoor Industry Action Team Co-Leader, Bigfork; Alexandra Amonette, Big Timber; Robin Paone, Whitefish; Aidan Stevens, Missoula; Laura Reynolds, Kalispell.

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As a lifelong angler and hunter, fifth generation Montanan, and immediate past chairman of Montanas Fish Wildlife and Parks Commission I can assure you that the wildlife in Montana and our nation are facing an unprecedented crisis. Nationwide, one-third of wildlife species are at heightened risk of extinction. Here in Montana, our wildlife agency has identified 47 species at critical need of conservation. Ive seen first-hand the decline of frogs, terns, and sharp-tailed grouse in the central and eastern parts of Montana.

The primary reason for these population declines is habitat loss. This loss of habitat is no secret to any of us who have been out on our public lands and waters recently. Drought, wildfires, impacts from climate change, and human development have degraded habitat and disrupted wildlife migration. The National Wildlife Federation recently released a report that showed that game species lost 6.5 million acres of vital habitat over the last two decades. This report squares completely with what I learned about loss of habitat in my 12 years serving as a commissioner. This habitat loss has serious implications for all of us who enjoy Montanas storied wildlife heritage.

Fortunately, the U.S. House of Representatives just approved a bipartisan bill that would give state and Tribal wildlife agencies the funding they need to restore wildlife habitat so that wildlife can survive and thrive. Its called the Recovering Americas Wildlife Act and it will give $1.3 billion to state fish and wildlife agencies to implement congressionally-mandated wildlife action plans. These plans use the best available science, along with public input, to ensure that our wildlife recover and survive.

There are other common-sense economic reasons to support this legislation. Improving wildlife populations before a species becomes endangered and has to undergo a costly Endangered Species Act listing saves us all money. Reversing declining populations of pollinators can provide priceless benefits to Americas farmers. Restoring grassland and forest habitat can help safeguard drinking water supplies and make communities more resilient to drought. And helping fish, big game, and other wildlife species recover can expand opportunities for hunting, fishing, bird watching, and other outdoor recreation. Montanas outdoor recreation economy generates $7 billion in consumer spending and almost $300 million in state and local taxes.

Apart from the profound economic benefits to recovering our wildlife populations, its the right thing to do, and the right time to do it. All Americans are yearning for a functional and cooperative Congress, especially on issues that unite us. As Montanans, we are defined by our sweeping landscapes, blue-ribbon trout streams, our iconic wildlife and our Western way of life. All of that is at risk when our wildlife is at risk.

Conservation of wildlife unites all of us, from all walks of life and all political backgrounds. The Recovering Americas Wildlife Act is the best chance we have to win the race against the wildlife crisis. The U.S. Senate is expected to take up this legislation later this summer. I hope that Sen. Steve Daines will join Sen. Jon Tester and 16 Republican colleagues in supporting this historic legislation. The Recovering Americas Wildlife Act will conserve Montanas wildlife, restore our lands and waters, and safeguard our sporting traditions so they can survive and thrive for future generations.

Shane Colton is a Billings attorney, an avid outdoorsman and immediate past chair of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

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The clinic hopes "to continue to provide abortion care in North Dakota as long as it's legal, and hopes to have little to no disruption and be able to see patients in Minnesota immediately after it's no longer available in North Dakota," Kromenaker said.

She told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she couldn't immediately confirm whether the clinic would be open in Moorhead by July 28.

A GoFundMe page set up Friday to benefit the transition had raised nearly $788,000 as of midafternoon Tuesday. The original goal of $20,000 has been increased to $1 million.

Kromenaker on Monday said that the fundraising effort is breaking down so many barriers that will allow the transition to Moorhead become a reality, AP reported.

It's humbling. We're grateful, she said. I think people feel powerless right now. Along with the GoFundMe we've had an inundation of people who want to escort and have offered all kinds of other resources. It has been an ongoing outpouring of tremendous support.



Planned Parenthood has said it would offer abortion services at its clinic in Moorhead if the Red River Women's Clinic has not relocated by the time North Dakota's ban takes effect.
A Bismarck School Board election recount has verified that Emily Eckroth won a seat over Amanda Peterson.

Results from the North Dakota Secretary of State's website show Eckroth beat Peterson by just one vote. Preliminary results from the June 14 election had Eckroth leading by three votes.

North Dakota election law states that a recount must be conducted when any candidate fails to be elected by a margin of 0.5% or less. The initial vote spread between Eckroth and Peterson fell within that range, triggering the automatic recount.

Eckroth, a general practice physician, celebrated the win on her campaign Facebook page, thanking her supporters, the election committee and Peterson.

Peterson congratulated Eckroth on her own campaign page and said she will continue to serve the district and state as director of educational improvement and support for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

Eckroth along with incumbent Jon Lee and newcomer Josh Hager will be sworn into office before their first meeting July 11.

Reach Alex Kautzman at 701-250-8255 or alexandra.kautzman@bismarcktribune.com.

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The bus was following another bus and a pickup truck on U.S. Highway 281 north of Ellendale about 3:30 p.m. Friday, the Highway Patrol reported. When the pickup slowed to make a turn, the bus swerved into the ditch to avoid hitting the bus in front of it. The bus then traveled over an embankment, struck a highway sign and went back into the ditch.
Bismarck State College and Dickinson State University canceled classes and evacuated their campuses on Friday after bomb threats to those schools and two others in the state.

Bismarck police after about an hour gave the all-clear. BSC offices and services remained closed for the rest of the day.

The threats to the two southern North Dakota schools came within a couple minutes of one another around midday, according to North Dakota University System spokeswoman Billie Jo Lorius. Lake Region State College in Devils Lake and Dakota College at Bottineau received similar threats, she said. All campuses had received the all-clear by 2 p.m.

There are 35 students living on the BSC campus this summer, according to college spokeswoman Juanita Lee.

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The Sacred Pipe Resource Center in Mandan is hosting a series of community forums on housing issues that impact Native Americans and other marginalized groups.

The forums are a product of the Community Council, a community-based group addressing issues that impact the Native American community in Bismarck, Mandan and Lincoln.

The first forum was held June 24 in Prairie Room 101 at the Bismarck Event Center. The other forums will be Aug. 16 and Oct. 18. They are free and open to the public.

Organizers hope for feedback from Native Americans and other groups including immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, according to center Executive Director Cheryl Kary.

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COVID-19 cases in North Dakota ticked up over the past week, but severity of disease remains low.

The state Health Department's coronavirus dashboard on Friday showed 1,411 confirmed cases in the past seven days, the most since the state went to weekly reporting a little over three months ago. The previous week's total was 1,222.

The case count for Burleigh and Morton counties this week was 271, up from 212 the previous week.

The state has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases since late April due to highly contagious mutations of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. But severity of disease, which is one of the things the weekly dashboard aims to measure, remains low.

New COVID-19 hospital admissions statewide totaled 49, compared to 50 the previous week and down from 84 the week before that. Coronavirus patients made up about 2.4% of occupied inpatient beds and 0.5% of intensive care unit beds statewide. Both percentages declined slightly from the previous week.

Federal data showed two virus-related deaths over the week, raising North Dakota's pandemic total to 2,296. County-level death data is not available. There have been 250,319 confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Dakota during the pandemic that began in March 2020.

More information

Federal data shows that North Dakota continues to have some of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country: 66.7% of adults in the state are fully vaccinated, with the rate for all vaccine-eligible people -- age 5 and older -- at 60.3%. The national averages are 76.8% and 71.2%, respectively.

COVID-19 booster shots are recommended for people 12 and older. North Dakota's first booster rate is 45.7%, compared to 49.5% nationally. Second booster doses are available for three main groups of people:

All adults 50 years and older.

All people 12 years or older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

Adults 18 to 49 years who received two doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

County-level COVID-19 risks determined by the CDC can be found at https://bit.ly/3Clifrq. Burleigh and Morton counties both dropped back from medium risk to low risk this week, but 14 other counties are at medium, including Kidder, Mercer, Oliver and Adams. Three counties are considered at high risk, including Logan and McIntosh.

State Health Department guidance and resources for businesses is at https://bit.ly/3w0DpKj.

Go to https://www.ndvax.org or https://bit.ly/3N3IMxb or call 866-207-2880 to see where COVID-19 vaccine is available. Information on free public testing and free test kits is at health.nd.gov/covidtesting. More detailed pandemic information is at www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Mandan residents who were asked to conserve water after a water main break may resume normal usage, according to the city.

The affected area was north of Main Street and south of Interstate 94 from Collins Avenue west, as well as Dianes Addition, according to Mandan Public Works.

Residents in that area can resume normal water usage including watering yards.

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Organizations in Bismarck and Mandan are preparing traditional events to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, and city officials are preparing traffic control measures for the festivities that typically attract thousands of people.

The Mandan Progress Organization will be hosting its annual events starting on Saturday and running through the July Fourth holiday on Monday. They include the Mandan Rodeo Days, Art in the Park and the Independence Day Parade.

We are really looking forward to (the weekend), MPO Executive Director Matt Schanandore said. We take pride in owning the longest-running Fourth of July parade in North Dakota. We also take pride in owning the longest-running rodeo in North Dakota.

The Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra will host its annual 4th of July Symphony Spectacular on Monday night at the state Capitol. Braveheart Band will open the event at 7:45 p.m., with the symphony orchestra featuring King's Cadence quartet slated for 9 p.m. A fireworks show will follow the performance, starting around 10 p.m. For more information, go to https://bismarckmandansymphony.org/.

There will be no road closures or traffic reroutes due to the Capitol fireworks. The Mandan events will prompt road closures and traffic reroutes.

Mandan Rodeo Days

Mandan Rodeo Days will run nightly Saturday through Monday. The first night is Family Night. The second night will be Patriot Night. Spectators are asked to wear red, white and blue in honor of the nation and the military. The final night will be Firework Night, which will feature a fireworks display at the conclusion of the rodeo. All events will be at Dacotah Centennial Park starting at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m. Ticket and other information is at http://mandanrodeo.com/.

Traffic leaving Dacotah Centennial Park after the fireworks will be directed onto one of two routes. One will be the 24th Avenue Southeast route, which will move traffic westbound toward Third Street Southeast. Traffic on the route will continue to Memorial Highway and then be directed westbound again. Memorial Highway is better known as The Strip.

The other route will be the Longspur Trail route. Traffic will be directed to use 32nd Avenue Southeast or Redwing Drive toward Memorial Highway. This route will force traffic eastward. Riverwood Avenue will be closed during this time.

Art in the Park

Art in the Park is a two-day festival Sunday and Monday at Dykshoorn Park on Main Street in Mandan. It's an opportunity for people to view arts and crafts from local vendors and to enjoy live performances. The event will start at 9 a.m. on both days, running to 7 p.m. on Sunday and to 5 p.m. on Monday. More information is at https://www.artintheparknd.com/.

Main Street will be closed between Second Avenue Northwest and Fourth Avenue Northwest starting at 1 a.m. on Saturday for Art in the Park. It will reopen at 8 p.m. on Monday. Traffic trying to take this route will be detoured to First Street Northwest.

Mandan parade

Mandan's Independence Day Parade festivities start at 8 a.m. Monday. The actual parade begins on Memorial Highway at Third Street Southeast around 10 a.m. The parade will turn onto Main Street, eventually ending on Main at 10th Avenue Southwest.

Parade marshals are Chad and Sara Berger. Chad Berger is a renowned rodeo stock contractor. The parade also will include high-stepping equestrians, marching bands, classic cars, floats and more. A map of the route and more information is at https://www.mandanparade.com/schedule--route.html.

Main Street and Interstate 94 Exit 155 for Main Street will be closed for the parade and will reopen after it has concluded. Memorial Highway will close at 9:30 a.m. from Third Avenue Southeast and Bisman Avenue to Main Street.

Access into Mandan will be available via Exits 153 at Mandan Avenue and 152 at Sunset Drive. Parking on Main Street will be prohibited from 1 a.m. Monday until after the parade.

Fireworks rules

Fireworks sales are permitted by state law from June 27 through July 5 and Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, according to the North Dakota Century Code. A purchaser must be at least 12 years old.

Bismarck prohibits the sale, possession and discharge of fireworks in city limits, aside from permitted events. Violations are a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Mandan allows fireworks from noon to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, except in city parks. Sky lanterns and bottle rockets are prohibited in all areas. Violations carry a potential $150 fine.

The Saturday-Monday weather outlook for Bismarck-Mandan is high temperatures in the 80s, with on-and-off chances for rain showers all three days, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday and Monday could be breezy.

Reach Zachary Weiand at 701-250-8244 or zachary.weiand@bismarcktribune.com.

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A committee that contained five board members held a special meeting by phone on March 31. The committee posted a meeting notice on the boards Facebook page and website, but did not post it at the principal office, provide notice to the official newspaper or include the information necessary for the public to join the call, according to Wrigley.
The Growth Fund is authorized up to $250 million from the Legacy Fund but has $100 million for its initial five-year investment period.

A spokesman said the group has committed a total of $62.5 million from the Growth Fund.

"Through our capital we'll invest both in companies directly as well as in funds that will in turn invest in North Dakota companies," 50 South Managing Director Trey Hart told the advisory board Thursday.

Other investments include St. Louis-based venture capital firm Lewis & Clark AgriFood, Dallas-based private equity firm LongWater Opportunities and South Dakota-based venture capital company Homegrown Capital, all of which have investments or offices in North Dakota.

Those Growth Fund investments totaled $22.5 million as of February, according to 50 South.
Clarence Thomas, who became a Supreme Court Justice despite being credibly accused of sexual harassment, has recently made it clear on at least two occasions that he wants to remove well-established libel protections by making it easier for public figures such as Donald Trump and himself to successfully sue media outlets for defamation.

This week the Supreme Court decided not to hear a defamation lawsuit filed by a Christian nonprofit group after the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labeled it a hate group. Thomas dissented, saying "This case is one of many showing how New York Times and its progeny have allowed media organizations and interest groups 'to cast false aspersions on public figures with near impunity.'"

Last year Thomas dissented in another defamation case the Supreme Court declined to take. "The lack of historical support for this Court's actual-malice requirement is reason enough to take a second look at the Court's doctrine," Thomas wrote. "Our reconsideration is all the more needed because of the doctrine's real-world effects. Public figure or private, lies impose real harm."

From The Washington Post:
The classic glamor of Hollywood is seemingly back from its extended sabbatical. Whether through the choice of subject matter or the washed-out color grading that has become synonymous with modern "mature film," the trademark sheen and style Hollywood films used to be known for has become an endangered aesthetic. Occasionally, masters like Wes Anderson and Kenneth Branagh will revive the style for films like Grand Budespet Hotel and Death on the Nile, respectively. It's no coincidence that both films are period pieces that feature elements of mystery paired with opulent sets and vibrant colors. Nothing screams old Hollywood like a gorgeously shot and artfully designed mystery.

In the video linked above, Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, and Adrian Brody, star in See How They Run. The film follows Rockwell and Ronan's characters as they attempt to uncover the identity of a serial killer rampaging through a group of theater professionals in London's West End of the 1950s. The film looks to revive the classic glamor of Hollywood by setting the narrative in the era where such movies were commonplace.
A national provider of community- and home-based pharmacy services is closing its Cheektowaga location, a move that will affect 36 employees.

PharMerica Corp., which notified the state Labor Department of the impending closure, said in a statement that it is consolidating its operations at 2355 Union Road, Suite 200, with its location about an hour away in West Henrietta, Monroe County.

The consolidation will occur Sept. 30, at which point employees will start to lose their jobs, according to a notice filed with the state.

"We will be working with the 36 employees at our Cheektowaga location to offer alternate positions for them within the organization," PharMerica said.

The Cheektowaga location is a long-term care pharmacy, which provides prescription fulfillment for skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in the region. The company's website indicates it operates more than 180 long-term care, home infusion and specialty pharmacies across all 50 states.

PharMerica's statement did not provide a reason for the consolidation, and the notice on the state's website simply lists the reason as "economic." The company occupied 9,000 square feet in the medical office building in Cheektowaga.

After the closure, the company will still have an Onco360 location in downtown Buffalo, which "will continue operations as normal," PharMerica said. That Onco360 site is a specialty pharmacy that supports the medication needs of oncology patients.

As a company, PharMerica has went through a series of corporate changes over the last five years.

In late 2017, the then-publicly held PharMerica was acquired for $1.4 billion and taken private by a newly formed company controlled by massive private equity firm KKR with Walgreens Boots Alliance as a minority investor. Such a deal represented a good business opportunity: PharMerica was able to continue to supply drugs to long-term care facilities while getting bulk discount prices through Walgreens, BuzzFeed News reported in a story this year about KKR.

Then in March 2019, KKR acquired BrightSpring Health Services, a home and community-based health service provider, for $1.3 billion. It then merged BrightSpring with PharMerica, creating a company with combined revenue of about $4.5 billion.

A first-quarter letter posted online from BrightSpring President and CEO Jon Rousseau indicates that pharmacy services "account for over half of the company today." BrightSpring is headquartered in Louisville, Ky.

Jon Harris can be reached at 716-849-3482 or jharris@buffnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByJonHarris.

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When Bruce Nisbet took the helm of Spectrum Health and Human Services in 2004, the organization served Erie County, employed 120 people and posted revenue of around $7 million.

Now, as Nisbet prepares to retire Aug. 19 as Spectrum president and CEO, the agency serves seven counties, employs 380 and generates more than $32 million in revenue.

During his tenure, Spectrum developed 24/7 Crisis and Re-stabilization Emergency Services, or C.A.R.E.S., and was designated as one of 13 certified community behavioral health clinics in New York. Nisbet, 74, also co-founded Value Network, a behavioral health care collaborative independent practice association, and Spectrum also continues to explore a partnership with Evergreen Health.

After 54 years in the field, the Clarence resident said it's simply the "right time" to retire and spend time with his family. He also spoke about Spectrum's crucial role, getting confused with the cable company and his future plans:

Q: With the pandemic's toll on mental health and addiction, does that mean Spectrum's work is as important as it's ever been?

A: Absolutely, I think of people dealing with the trauma of Covid, whether they've had it themselves or lost family members, and then the stress in terms of what it means to be dealing with a potentially fatal disease. Then add to it our staff, having to really navigate the same terrain for themselves and their family members, while at the same time trying to provide services to clients in need. They were really the ones who met the need and responded in just terrific ways.

Spectrum Health CEO retiring after 54-year career in behavioral health Bruce Nisbet, the longtime president and CEO of Spectrum Health and Human Services, is retiring Aug. 19, kicking off a search for the next leader of the Orchard Park-based behavioral health and addiction counseling agency.

Q: Was there a most amusing part of the job, like maybe sharing a name with a certain cable company?

A: Yes, yes, we were taken aback that they stole our name. [Laughs.] Particularly in the first couple years after they changed over to Spectrum, we would have people show up at our mental health clinics carrying their box and wanting to turn in their box or get calls from customers of Spectrum cable furious and calling to complain about the problems they're having with their internet and cable. So yes, we dealt with a lot of that  not so much anymore.

Q: Your wife, Patti, also recently retired from a faculty position at the University at Buffalo. Do you two plan to stay in Western New York?

A: We plan to stay. I know we're both going to be looking to do some work with refugees here in the Buffalo area and continue to find ways that we can make a meaningful difference for people.

Jon Harris can be reached at 716-849-3482 or jharris@buffnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByJonHarris.

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Kangarootime raises $26M, will open new downtown riverfront office

Child care software company Kangarootime is the quintessential Buffalo startup story: a 43North winner that relocated its operations to Buffalo and has continued to grow, hiring staff and raising money in Western New York.

That growth isn't slowing down anytime soon. Kangarootime recently announced it raised $26 million from investors and plans to open its own office on Buffalo's riverfront.

Kangarootime's software for child care centers provides a host of services and operations, such as managing billing and payments, helping teachers stay on track in the classrooms and updating parents on what their child is doing while at day care.

Kangarootime has been in Buffalo since 2018 when it received a $500,000 investment from the 43North startup contest. CEO Scott Wayman sees Buffalo as an integral part of his company moving forward.

"We really want to be a big, sustainable story in the city of Buffalo," Wayman said. "I feel like we found this magical alchemy of grit, kindness and hard work."

Here's what the near future for Kangarootime holds and how Buffalo will play a role, Wayman said.

Hiring

A major portion of the $26 million Kangarootime raised will go toward hiring more employees, Wayman said.

The company plans to triple its engineering team as it continues to round out the next generation of its platform. Kangarootime is also starting to build up a data science team to provide more data-driven insights to customers, Wayman said.

Kangarootime has been hiring like crazy recently and will hit 70 employees by the beginning of July, Wayman said. More than half of those employees are located in Buffalo. The rest are in Australia and others work remotely.

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Wayman predicts Kangarootime will have 80 or 90 Buffalo-based employees by the end of 2023 with a total of more than 100 worldwide.

"We really like the labor force in Buffalo," he said. "We feel like there's a really special element to the people there. We're really proud of what we're building in Buffalo."

New office space

After nearly five years, Kangarootime has finally outgrown its space in the 43North incubator at the Seneca One tower.

The company will open its new headquarters at 301 Ohio St., a modern, mixed-use building that houses Papi Grande's restaurant, office space and apartments on the Buffalo River.

The company can't move into its new office space until it gets approval from Start-Up NY, a state-run program that lets startups operate tax-free in New York for 10 years, Wayman said.

International expansion

Kangarootime currently operates in the United States and Australia.

More than 100,000 families and teachers at thousands of child care centers use the platform daily between the two countries, Wayman said.

The capital raised by Kangarootime will go toward solidifying its operations in Australia and expanding into New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada, Wayman said.

 Natalie Brophy

Want to know more? Three stories to catch you up:

Welcome to Buffalo Next. This newsletter from The Buffalo News will bring you the latest coverage on the changing Buffalo Niagara economy  from real estate to health care to startups. Read more at BuffaloNext.com.

THE LATEST, IN CONTEXT

What: Circuit Clinical has partnered with a medical clinic in the Philadelphia area to bring clinical trials as a care option closer to home for more than 180,000 Pennsylvania residents.

Tell me more: Circuit Clinical is a Buffalo-based startup that helps patients access clinical trials. With this partnership, patients will be able to participate in clinical trials at Pottstown Medical Specialists, a primary care and specialty services physician network located about 40 miles outside Philadelphia.

Why it matters: Circuit Clinical is one of Western New York's fastest growing startups. Its mission is to make clinical trials accessible to everyone by creating a network of physicians and sites across the country so patients can participate in clinical trials from their own doctors offices. The company raised $29 million earlier this year to focus on expanding and diversifying that network so people in historically underserved areas can participate in clinical trials.

THE LATEST

Catch up on the latest news from Buffalo Next:

The push to redevelop the LaSalle Metro Rail station and surrounding acreage is generating more interest than any previous real estate bid by the city, as 10 developers or groups submitted responses to the city's "request for qualifications" in early May.

A request by the developers of Elmwood Crossing to amend the original planned-unit development regulation that governs the zoning for the $150 million project is being met with heightened scrutiny and concern from neighborhood residents

A new Dollar General store is coming to the Larkinville area on vacant land at E. Eagle Street, after the Buffalo Planning Board gave a green light Monday to plans by developer Broadway Group for a new discount retail location.

Young Development has a pair of apartment projects underway in Cheektowaga that will add 430 units as part of the construction of the $15 million Town Center Apartments and $75 million Midtown Apartments.

The development firm owned by Carl and William Paladino is hoping to create 300 to 400 units of affordable housing in the city in the next couple of years  a significant increase compared to the limited holdings it now has in that arena, said William Paladino, the company's CEO.

William Harvey Jr. is bringing a steady hand to Northwest Bank as its interim leader, after the company's CEO died unexpectedly in late May. The Pennsylvania-based company has 22 local branches.

The Erie County Legislature voted 8-3 to approve SUNY Erie Community Colleges proposed $98.6 million 2022-23 budget Thursday, but even legislators who voted for it pledged to play a watchdog role in the spending of the money and implementation of needed cost-cutting measures.

The Cannabis Control Board unanimously approved opening the application process, starting June 28, for those entities and individuals seeking a conditional adult-use cannabis processor license. Processors are the link between the farmers growing the products and the business owners who will sell them.

The Buffalo Niagara region's shrinking unemployment rate got even smaller in May as the jobless rate dipped to 3.4%, the lowest on record for the region in state Labor Department data going back to 1990.

ICYMI

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. How community developers can build up neighborhoods: With the support of SAA-EVI, and investments from two national nonprofits, passionate locals are seeking to transform neighborhoods from the bottom up  by starting small but dreaming big.

2. Jeff Gingerich will become the first non-Catholic to lead St. Bonaventure University: Growing up Mennonite on an Iowa farm  living simply and serving the marginalized  set the stage for his career in education and role as the 22nd president at the nation's oldest Franciscan college.

3. Companies large and small are taking a harder look at how much office space they need: Many employees prefer working remotely, and are doing so productively, which can leave employers paying for a lot of leased space sitting empty.

4. The gasoline tax suspension provided only fleeting relief from soaring prices that now are approaching $5 a gallon: It has drivers changing their habits, skipping road trips that they would otherwise be taking and looking for different ways to save.

5. New Western New York tech boot camp: 'A shining example of the power of diversity': Buffalo's Tech Academy Data Analytics Bootcamp, the first of its kind in Western New York, has its first graduates. The initiative aims to build a tech workforce that represents the area's diversity and fills the needs of local companies.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.

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Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The Texas Supreme Court blocked a lower court order late Friday night that said clinics could continue performing abortions, just days after some doctors had resumed seeing patients after the fall of Roe v. Wade.

It was not immediately clear whether Texas clinics that had resumed seeing patients this week would halt services again. A hearing is scheduled for later this month.

The whiplash of Texas clinics turning away patients, rescheduling them, and now potentially canceling appointments again  all in the span of a week  illustrated the confusion and scrambling taking place across the country since Roe was overturned.

An order by a Houston judge earlier this week had reassured some clinics they could temporarily resume abortions up to six weeks into pregnancy. That was quickly followed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asking the states highest court, which is stocked with nine Republican justices, to temporarily put the order on hold.

These laws are confusing, unnecessary, and cruel, said Marc Hearron, attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, after the order was issued Friday night.

Clinics in Texas had stopped performing abortions in the state of nearly 30 million people after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion. Texas had technically left an abortion ban on the books for the past 50 years while Roe was in place.

A copy of Friday's order was provided by attorneys for Texas clinics. It could not immediately be found on the courts website.

Abortion providers and patients across the country have been struggling to navigate the evolving legal landscape around abortion laws and access.

In Florida, a law banning abortions after 15 weeks went into effect Friday, the day after a judge called it a violation of the state constitution and said he would sign an order temporarily blocking the law next week. The ban could have broader implications in the South, where Florida has wider access to the procedure than its neighbors.

Abortion rights have been lost and regained in the span of a few days in Kentucky. A so-called trigger law imposing a near-total ban on the procedure took effect last Friday, but a judge blocked the law Thursday, meaning the states only two abortion providers can resume seeing patients  for now.

The legal wrangling is almost certain to continue to cause chaos for Americans seeking abortions in the near future, with court rulings able to upend access at a moment's notice and an influx of new patients from out of state overwhelming providers.

Even when women travel outside states with abortion bans in place, they may have fewer options to end their pregnancies as the prospect of prosecution follows them.

Planned Parenthood of Montana this week stopped providing medication abortions to patients who live in states with bans to minimize potential risk for providers, health center staff, and patients in the face of a rapidly changing landscape.

Planned Parenthood North Central States, which offers the procedure in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska, is telling its patients that they must take both pills in the regimen in a state that allows abortions.

The use of abortion pills has been the most common method to end a pregnancy since 2000, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone  the main drug used in medication abortions. Taken with misoprostol, a drug that causes cramping that empties the womb, it constitutes the abortion pill.

Theres a lot of confusion and concern that the providers may be at risk, and they are trying to limit their liability so they can provide care to people who need it," said Dr. Daniel Grossman, who directs the research group Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California San Francisco.

Emily Bisek, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood North Central States, said that in an unknown and murky legal environment, they decided to tell patients they must be in a state where it is legal to complete the medication abortion -- which requires taking two drugs 24 to 48 hours apart. She said most patients from states with bans are expected to opt for surgical abortions.

Access to the pills has become a key battle in abortion rights, with the Biden administration preparing to argue states cant ban a medication that has received FDA approval.

Kim Floren, who operates an abortion fund in South Dakota called Justice Empowerment Network, said the development would further limit women's choices.

The purpose of these laws anyways is to scare people, Floren said of states bans on abortions and telemedicine consultations for medication abortions. The logistics to actually enforcing these is a nightmare, but they rely on the fact that people are going to be scared.

A South Dakota law took effect Friday that threatens a felony punishment for anyone who prescribes medication for an abortion without a license from the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners.

In Alabama, Attorney General Steve Marshalls office said it is reviewing whether people or groups could face prosecution for helping women fund and travel to out-of-state abortion appointments.

Yellowhammer Fund, an Alabama-based group that helps low-income women cover abortion and travel costs, said it is pausing operation for two weeks because of the lack of clarity under state law.

This is a temporary pause, and were going to figure out how we can legally get you money and resources and what that looks like, said Kelsea McLain, Yellowhammers health care access director.

Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, said staff members at its clinics have seen women driving from as far as Texas without stopping or making an appointment. Women who are past 15 weeks are being asked to leave their information and promised a call back when a judge signs the order temporarily blocking the restriction, she said.

Still, there is concern that the order may be only temporary and the law may again go into effect later, creating additional confusion.

Its terrible for patients, she said. We are really nervous about what is going to happen.

Groves reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. AP writers Paul Weber contributed from Austin, Texas; Dylan Lovan from Louisville, Kentucky; Adriana Gomez Licon from Miami; and Kim Chandler from Montgomery, Alabama.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
After criticism from hundreds of Buffalo residents, the Common Council canceled a vote on new Council district boundaries that some say do not take into account neighborhoods or promote racial fairness.

Critics of the plan said Thursday they were prepared to take the matter to court if the Council had followed through with a vote planned for Friday.

City residents gave Council Members an earful during redistricting hearing Their message was clear: Maps should be more inclusive and racially balanced, and the public should have more time to consider the changes and provide feedback.

"The Council has decided to delay this meeting in order to provide more time to review and consider the details associated with the proposed maps and public input," Council President Darius Pridgen said in an email. "We will be rescheduling this meeting at a future date to be determined."

The email came some 37 minutes after the start of a press conference by Our City Action Buffalo, a coalition of community organizations and city residents that developed an alternative redistricting plan it wants the Council to consider.

The organization called the press conference Thursday at City Hall to urge Council members to hold off on voting on a redistricting recommendation by the citys reapportionment commission.

"Today is a win for the people," said Harper Bishop, a member of the organization. "Were heartened the Common Council decided to listen to the will of the people, and we look forward to a more robust process that takes into account all ... residents in the city of Buffalo."

Bishop said the group intended to file its own plan with the City Clerk soon after its press conference.

Critics contend the process of crafting the redrawn boundaries was not transparent enough. Since the Council has until July 30 to approve the new map, more time should be spent gathering public feedback, they said.

The citys reapportionment commission held a public hearing May 18 on its recommendation, just days after the May 14 mass shooting at Tops, with the public reeling from the massacre, critics say. The Common Council held a public hearing Tuesday  Primary Day  in Council Chambers to get feedback on the proposed adjustments to the boundaries of the citys nine Council districts.

Theres 278,000 of us, and we can come together and have a conversation about how we want to be represented at the local level, and that didnt happen. And it feels  as a citizen  like it purposely didnt happen, said Jessie Fisher, an urban planner and executive director of Preservation Buffalo Niagara.

One public hearing four days after the massacre at the Tops, and then a second public hearing ... on Primary Day. Ill be honest. I have four kids. I was scrambling to do my day job, go vote, get on that 5 oclock Zoom. It was hard, and Im an extremely privileged person. I will put that out there, and it was still a scramble for me to get to.

Reapportionment happens once a decade based on the 2020 U.S. Census.

Buffalo attorney Adam Bojak was among the more than 100 people in the Council Chambers at Tuesday's public hearing. About 50 others participated remotely. And more than 700 people signed a petition to endorse an alternative redistricting plan developed by Our City Buffalo Coalition.

Ten years ago, the people on the Common Council looked at the map and they said, I want to keep my job, and thats a natural thing. Its a position of power. Its a position of prestige, and youd want to stay there, said Bojak, who lives in the Niagara District. There is way too much gerrymandering here, and theres still, 10 years later, elected representatives choosing their voters, whereas the voters should be choosing their representation.

'Diluted and striped away'

In the current district map and the one proposed by the commission, people who identify as white have numerical advantages in two-thirds of the districts, even though white people don't make up two-thirds of the city's population, said Russell Weaver, a community geographer who worked on the alternative map developed by Our City Action Buffalo.

Under the commission's proposed redistricting plan, Ellicott would have 17,950 Black residents, with 23,347 in Masten and 18,970 in University.

Now we have an opportunity to enhance the voting power of Black folks in East Buffalo, only to see that diluted and stripped away, said India B. Walton, a candidate in last years mayoral race, who has criticized the commission's redrawn boundaries for taking away a plurality of the Black voting age population.

Buffalos population grew for the first time in 70 years to 278,349 residents in 2020 from 261,275 in 2010, according to the Census Bureau.

The commission's map does not reflect that much of the population growth occurred in the current Fillmore district, Our City Acton Buffalo members said.

Thats the district that would have to contract, but instead it shot up even farther into Allentown and the Elmwood Village, which is kind of counter intuitive. Instead of it shrinking down in size, it horse-shoed up even more, Bishop said.

It horse-shoed up into predominantly white neighborhoods, when the population growth was primarily people of color in that district, Fisher added.

Not enough transparency

Fisher sat on a reapportionment commission 20 years ago. Weaver did the same 10 years ago. Based on their experiences, there was not enough transparency in this year's process, they said.

Every meeting that we held as a commission had the cameras at the table," Weaver said. "They all went onto public access government TV channel."

A dedicated website included the resources that the commission used, he said.

"There was a Power Point presentation where we went over all the decisions that were made, why they were like that," he said. "There were easels where people could go up and sort of write on a map, whether or not they liked the boundaries.

We met for months on end, multiple, multiple meetings, Fisher added. They were open to the public. We looked at so many iterations of maps.

At the time, Elmwood Village was in four different districts, and it was just always very complicated."

"Ultimately, we did get Elmwood Village into two from four, which was super helpful," he added. "I felt like that process was robust, and open and transparent and so I lost gracefully, Fisher said. When I saw this map it was kind of shocking, first of all, Elmwood back in four districts again. Again, you dont have to just take those districts that were created 10 years ago and kind of tweak around the edges to make up for the population shift. You could have, again, another robust conversation.

According to the Council, detailed notes and meeting minutes were filed with the Council for each of the commissions four meetings from April 20 through May 17, and the public hearing on May 18.

The commissions public hearing was posted on the Councils social media channels four times inviting the public to attend. In addition, the commissioner streamed the public hearing live on Facebook and allowed guests to attend in person or access it remotely.

A city website page was created with draft maps, meeting minutes, a timeline and a form for public comments. The City Clerks office announced on June 14 the Councils public hearing that was held Tuesday. A meeting notice announcing the meeting was sent to all media outlets on June 14, as well, and follow-up reminders were sent to the media.

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The former director of member services for the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce was sentenced to state prison Thursday for embezzling $105,000 from the organization, according to the Wyoming County District Attorney's Office.

In a March 17 appearance before Wyoming County Court Judge Michael M. Mohun, Kelly Ashcraft, 45, of Warsaw, admitted to forging the signature of another chamber employee and failing to make entries in the chamber's business records.

On Thursday, Mohun sentenced Ashcraft to 2-1/3 to 7 years in prison for second-degree grand larceny; 2 to 6 years in prison for second-degree forgery; and 1-1/3 to 4 years in prison for falsifying business records. Mohun ordered all of the sentences to run concurrent to each other.

She must also pay full restitution.

The judge said Ashcraft showed no remorse for breaching the trust of the small businesses that make up the chamber.

"She failed to pay any of the $105,000 that she stole from the Chamber of Commerce and its members," Mohun said. "This sentence continues to send a message that violating the communitys trust will not be tolerated."

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Shakespeare famously wrote "All the world's a stage."

But that doesn't mean it's easy to get there.

Shakespeare in Delaware Park celebrates 47th season, founder Saul Elkin With audience turnouts of up to 2,000 on Buffalos balmy summer nights, the company found its footing and survived the Covid tempest of 2020-21 well enough that Elkin is ready to release his hands from the wheel.

To make it easier for all fans of the Bard to get to productions of Shakespeare in Delaware Park, which take place at the bottom of a hill near Hoyt Lake, some new accommodations have been announced.

They include free shuttle service from Windsor Avenue and Rumsey Road; a bigger, upgraded accessibility platform; exit lighting on the hill; and additional touring performances throughout Western New York.

Also, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy has made improvements in the park included newly paved paths and trail lighting.

"As You Like It" is being performed through July 17, followed by "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from July 28 to Aug. 21. The plays are performed at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free.

For more information, go to shakespeareindelawarepark.org.

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Zeneta Everhart marveled at the mountain of Amazon boxes piled in the driveway of her friend Molly Hirschbeck's home Friday morning.

The boxes contained children's books about racism and diversity from donors across the country.

One month after the Tops massacre: 'We need time. We need love' One month after the Tops shooting, a memorial ceremony was held Tuesday at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Landon Street. The event was marked with 13 seconds of silence for the dead and wounded.

"I told you it was a lot," Everhart said to George Johnson of Buffalo United Front, who showed up to help her move the massive collection.

"You said 4,500," Johnson said.

"I think it's more like 10,000," Everhart said.

Zeneta Everhart tells Congress: 'I do not feel protected' from gun violence Everhart, whose son was wounded in the May 14 Tops massacre, told a congressional committee that Congress must act on gun control  while the entire nation must act to counter white supremacy.

Everhart is the mother of Zaire Goodman, who survived the mass shooting May 14 at the Jefferson Avenue Tops Markets. A Tops employee, he was helping a customer with her groceries just outside the entrance when the gunman emerged from his car wearing combat gear and armed with a military-style rifle and fatally shot 10 people. Authorities say the gunman chose the location because he wanted to kill as many Black people as possible.

After the shooting, Everhart and her son started a book drive. They called it Zeneta and Zaire's Book Club, with a goal of collecting children's books that address racism, as well as Black history and culture. They started a wish list on Amazon.

They did not anticipate such a response.

The books include biographies of Harriet Tubman, Barack Obama, Simone Biles and John Lewis. An alphabet book is titled "A is for Activist." There is a book called "Curls" about Black girls' hair. A children's book called "Born on the Water" is based on "The 1619 Project." And an illustrated book called "Change Sings" is by poet Amanda Gorman.

Books arrived from all around the country, many with greetings.

Tops employee survives bullet through neck from mass shooter Zaire Goodman, 20, survived a bullet through his neck and back Saturday afternoon while collecting shopping carts in the parking lot of the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue.

"Thank you for working to encourage people to have race conversations at an early age. We need more people like you in the world," one donor wrote.

"Sending strength from a 4th grade teacher in Boston. What a beautiful thing you are doing," wrote another.

"What an amazing thing you are doing! Changing an incredibly horrible experience into an educational opportunity for so many! I'm a teacher from Texas and this is one of my favorite books. (Thank you) for what you are doing," another said.

A friend and fellow staffer at Sen. Tim Kennedy's office offered to store the books for Everhart. They soon filled her house.

On Friday, volunteers with the Buffalo Peacemakers helped transport the boxes to Villa Maria College, where Everhart went and her son now attends. The college will house the book club.

Forming a bucket brigade in the driveway, they filled Everhart's SUV, a minivan and most of a box truck.

"It's incredible to just look at it," Everhart told reporters. "Every time I look at it, it gets crazier and crazier. My heart is full. We're thankful and appreciative to everybody who donated all these books."

After the shooting, she said she felt a strong need to act.

"I needed something to do to try to make the world a better place," she said.

And that's how they came up with the idea of books for children.

"This project is about letting people know that it's real. It's real. Racism is real," she said. "It's time that we start talking about it, and it's time that we start educating our children about it. The reason for the terrorist attack in my community was racism. My son, along with 10 other Black people were targeted because of their skin color. In this country. It's ridiculous. It makes no sense ... And for me, it starts with kids and education."

The books will be distributed to libraries, community centers, day cares and homes "so parents can sit down and read books with their kids that have Black children in them," she said.

Goodman hasn't had a chance to see the giant stacks of books, his mother said. But he's seen photos and videos.

"Everyone sent all those books?" Everhart said her son asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, kid," she replied.

Her son wasn't able to participate Friday, she said. He was doing physical therapy, part of the recovery from his injuries. Goodman is healing well, physically and emotionally, she said.

The book drive has been a part of that.

"I just want him to see the good in the country," she said. "I just want him to know that there's love around him. This person ... this person isn't going to dim his light. I just want him to know the world is an amazing place. I know this is an amazing place because look what's behind me," she said of the mountain of books.

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SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP)  Police in northern Virginia say an officer shot a suspect outside a shopping mall Thursday.

Fairfax County Police said on Twitter late Thursday afternoon that their preliminary investigation indicates officers were trying to stop a wanted suspect outside Springfield Town Center when the confrontation occurred.

The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital.

A police spokesman, 2nd Lt. James Curry, said no officers were injured, according to the preliminary investigation.

No further details were immediately available. The shooting occurred Thursday afternoon and helicopter footage showed a large police presence in a mall parking lot.

Thursday's shooting comes less than two weeks after a shooting at another Fairfax County mall, Tysons Corner Center. No one was injured by bullets in that shooting, but three people were hurt while fleeing the mall.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SAN ANTONIO (AP)  The tractor-trailer at the center of a human-smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead had passed through an inland U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint with migrants inside the sweltering rig earlier in its journey, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The truck went through the checkpoint on Interstate 35 located 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of the border city of Laredo, Texas.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said there were 73 people in the truck when it was discovered Monday in San Antonio, including the 53 who died. It was unclear if agents stopped the driver for questioning at the inland checkpoint or if the truck went through unimpeded.

The disclosure brings new attention to an old policy question of whether the roughly 110 inland highway checkpoints along the Mexican and Canadian borders are sufficiently effective at spotting people in cars and trucks who enter the United States illegally. They are generally located up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the border.

Texas state police also announced they would operate their own inland checkpoints for tractor-trailers on the orders of Gov. Greg Abbott, who considers the Biden administration's efforts insufficient. It was unclear how many trucks they would be stopping.

Also Thursday, Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, the alleged driver of the tractor-trailer, made his initial appearance in San Antonio federal court. During a hearing that lasted about five minutes, Zamorano, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, said very little, giving yes and no answers to questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney about his rights and the charges against him.

The judge appointed a federal public defender for Zamorano as well as a second attorney since the smuggling charge he faces carries a possible death sentence. She scheduled a hearing next week to determine if he is eligible for bail.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that Border Patrol agents may stop vehicles at inland checkpoints for brief questioning without a warrant, even if there is no reason to believe that they are carrying people in the country illegally. Still, the practice has galvanized immigration advocates and civil libertarians who consider checkpoints ripe for racial profiling and abuse of authority. Some motorists post videos to social media accusing agents of heavy-handed, inappropriate questioning.

The Laredo-area checkpoint is on one of the busiest highways along the border, particularly for trucks, raising the possibility of choking commerce and creating havoc if every motorist is stopped and questioned.

Border Patrol officials call the checkpoints an imperfect but effective second line of defense after the border, acknowledging that agents must balance law enforcement interests with disrupting legitimate commerce and travel.

Volume and configuration vary widely among checkpoints, but agents generally have five to seven seconds to decide whether to question a driver, said Roy Villareal, former chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson, Arizona, sector.

Ultimately, it's very difficult to ascertain with crime in general. It's hard to say whether you're 100% effective, 50%, 10%."

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who drives through the checkpoint almost weekly, said investigators believe the migrants boarded the truck in or around Laredo, though that is unconfirmed. That would be consistent with smuggling patterns: migrants cross the border on foot and hide in a house or in shrubbery on U.S. soil before getting picked up and taken to the nearest major city.

Even if the truck were empty, it would raise questions about the checkpoints. Migrants often perish trying to circumvent them, getting dropped off before reaching them with plans to get picked up on the other side. In Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, migrants walk through sweltering ranches to avoid a checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of the border.

The Government Accountability Office reported this month that agents at inland checkpoints detained about 35,700 people believed to be in the U.S. illegally from the 2016 to 2020 fiscal years, only about 2% of all Border Patrol arrests. Agents seized drugs nearly 18,000 times during that period with more than nine of 10 arrests involving U.S. citizens.

They have been a trap for U.S. citizens carrying even small bags of marijuana. About 40% of pot seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from fiscal years 2013 to 2016 were an ounce (28 grams) or less from U.S. citizens, according to an earlier GAO report.

Abbott did not provide details on the extent of Texas' new inland inspections announced Thursday. Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said troopers would take a more aggressive stance. Asked if that meant stopping every truck, Olivarez said he did not know and that it would partly depend on staffing.

Its going to be inspecting more than what we usually inspect, Olivarez said.

In April, Abbott gridlocked Texas border for a week after issuing orders that troopers inspect every tractor-trailer entering from Mexico as part of his ongoing fight with the Biden administration over immigration policy. Those inspections, which were mechanical and safety inspections, did not turn up any migrants or drugs.

Spagat reported from San Diego. Paul Weber contributed from Austin, Texas.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authoritys $650,000 federal grant for a plan to upgrade bus service along Bailey Avenue should result in a better experience for everyone from bus riders to businesses.

The grant, announced by the Federal Transit Administration, bodes well for the busy stretch of road that boasts a high concentration of riders on the No. 19 Metro Bus route, along the Buffalo VA Medical Center route and serving as a main thoroughfare to the University at Buffalos South Campus. Even during the worst of the pandemic, it was a busy route.

The federal agency awarded a total of $16.2 million to help fund 40 transportation projects in 32 states through its Area of Persistent Poverty program. It is designed, according to the agency, to help create better transit for residents with limited or no transportation options, as well as achieving other goals, such as increasing service and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

The NFTA has announced plans to improve Bailey Avenue bus service, so that it meets the highest industry standards for modern transit. As part of that plan the authority will pursue funding for bus rapid transit, or BRT.

The No. 19 service would continue but BRT could offer much more. For starters, buses would use dedicated lanes and synchronized signals  long a dream of motorists throughout the city. The upgrade could also produce bumped-out curbs to accommodate specially designed buses. It could feature fewer stops with ticket machines  no need to pay fares on board buses.

Bus stops would be similar to above ground Metro Rail stops. The project would reduce travel times, increase bus frequency. The project would potentially enhance shelters and address overall environmental issues by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The improvements, as a spokeswoman for the NFTA observed, could be huge.

NFTA Director of Public Transit Thomas George described the proposed BRT as very similar to light rail. He commented in a Feb. 7, 2021, Buffalo News story that the stations would be spaced further apart, with traffic and lane infrastructure amenities, and dedicated lanes that could make it faster travel than even by car. He calculated the probability of improved travel time by as much as 40%. Granted, that was a best-case scenario.

Picture larger buses and bendable in the middle, and it wouldnt be outrageous to think Buffalo had transformed into a much larger city. Moreover, the buses might be electrically charged.

The BRT approach has worked in other cities, such as Albany and it should find the same success here. Implementation requires substantial federal resources. The $650,000 federal grant makes pursuing funding for this valuable improvement that much easier.





Whats your opinion? Send it to us at   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.

Channels: WNY
Violence among students and against teachers is not a new problem at McKinley High School or at other Buffalo schools. Media reports that go back two decades show that teachers have been thrown to the ground and kicked. Theyve been bitten. Theyve been pushed, shoved and grabbed. In one case, a student had a knife she was prevented from using. In another case, a knife did make contact with a teachers eye; thankfully, it was plastic and the injuries were not severe.

Students have been similarly attacked by other students in disturbing incidents that also date back years before the February stabbing and shooting at McKinley. And, very often, teachers become the victims of violence when they attempt to break up fights among students.

Its troubling that schools dont always make official reports of these occurrences, which are required by New York State. Among those schools, as The News recently reported, is McKinley High. Whether this is to avoid the publicity, the paperwork or the chances of being placed on a state list of dangerous schools, we dont know. We do know that the first step to addressing an escalating problem is to have all the facts on the table.

Teachers and other staff, fully aware of the incidents, whether theyve been officially reported or not, have long been calling for strategies that may help prevent violence and injuries, including additional security staff, working cameras, better weapons detectors and more.

In March, after the McKinley stabbing and shooting, School Board President Louis Petrucci said, Were commissioning a security firm to take a deep dive into our procedures and policies and make sure theyre best for the district.

A deep dive makes sense and part of that should include looking at the research on this subject and what practices have helped decrease violence in other urban school districts.

Some of the obvious strategies might not be effective as many have assumed.

A significant number of studies question the utility of metal detectors, such as 2011 National Institutes of Health research that looked at 15 years worth of data and concluded: There is insufficient data in the literature to determine whether the presence of metal detectors in schools reduces the risk of violent behavior among students, and some research suggests that the presence of metal detectors may detrimentally impact student perceptions of safety.

Professionals working in the field have concurred: The best metal detector is a relationship between children and adults, said Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District. As a head dean of discipline, as a teacher, as a principal, what I have found is we have prevented violent acts and having guns or weapons in schools when children feel safe enough and comfortable enough to report that to an adult.

Though the problems at McKinley and other Buffalo schools do go back decades, theres also no question that the isolation of remote learning during the pandemic has also set students back. Put simply, many students need to relearn how to be in school after so many months away. There are trauma and stress levels unlikely to be successfully addressed by metal detectors and safety officers.

Some schools, including New York Citys Harvest Collegiate High School, are turning to restorative justice, a methodology that focuses on giving students and staff space to talk through conflicts instead of resorting to punitive measures like suspensions.

High numbers of out-of-school suspensions resulting from fighting and other disruptive behavior have been a hot-button issue for many Buffalo schools.

As with all complex problems, theres no easy answer or single solution that will make our schools safer. But a good start would be full transparency and timely reporting by school officials.

A good next step would be bringing in experienced professional consultants to help explore mitigating strategies. Parents, teachers and the general public should be informed about whats being done and invited to participate.

Finally, it should always be stated that violent incidents in Buffalo schools, though disturbing, are isolated incidents. They are serious and need to be publicly reported and competently addressed, but they should also be kept in context.

  

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.
The Another Voice column of June 18 (Aggressive climate measures in state wont make a dent) repeats a now-familiar argument against state-level climate action: Since our states current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are so small compared to those of China and India, we dont need to reduce our emissions.

If one considers only practical impacts, then indeed, emissions reductions in New York  despite providing an example for others to follow  will accomplish but little by themselves.

If, though, one believes in fairness as an important moral principle, then that argument is morally questionable. Since the Industrial Revolution, Chinese and Indians have emitted far less GHGs per person than have New Yorkers. Currently, per-capita emissions (metric tons per person per year) are 8.7 in New York compared to 4.47 globally. Therefore, we New Yorkers must do at least our fair share in reducing emissions; thats why I support New Yorks Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) of 2019.

The Another Voice column also expresses concern for state residents struggling to pay their energy bills. I share that concern, since the warming climate is already increasing needs for air conditioning, especially in low-income urban districts. The Climate and Community Investment Act (CCIA), proposed by the New York Renews alliance, both addresses climate change and protects struggling families, thereby promoting the CLCPAs goals.

The CCIA would place a fee on fossil fuels purchased (proportional to the associated CO2 pollution), and return 33% of the proceeds as energy rebates to low- and moderate-income New Yorkers, nonprofits and small businesses. Citizens concerned about the worsening climate crisis should investigate the CCIA (now bill A6967 in the New York State Assembly committee), and express their opinions to their state Assembly members.

Jeannet de Jong

East Aurora
So Im talking with an older Asian woman who is a retired teacher. She is quite accomplished and emigrated to this country when she was a child. We were talking about the high premium on achievement that characterizes her own and so many ethnic civilizations now part of the American life. I half jokingly asked her how come you guys win all the spelling bees? The good woman responded with the magic word, parents. What an idea. She went on to remind me that within her culture and many other ethnic groups its the parents and families that are the essential strength. When you achieve, whether its winning a spelling bee or completing medical school youre doing it for your family, not just yourself.
Here is the Western New York outdoors calendar for events happening in the region:

Through Aug. 7  New York Walleye Derby on Lake Erie continues. Registration is closed. www.newyorkwalleyederby.com.

July 2-31  Summer Lake Ontario Counties Trout, Salmon and Walleye Derby. For more information, check out www.loc.org. Sign up before 7 a.m. to fish the same day.

July 4  Firecracker 100 bird Sporting Clay Shoot at Hanover Rod and Gun Club, 780 Overhiser Road, Forestville. Registration starts at 8 a.m. $50 for the main event. Shooting starts at 9 a.m. All shooters welcome. Contact phasteddie1@yahoo.com for more info.

July 5  Lake Ontario Charter Boat Association monthly meeting at 7 p.m. at the Irondequoit Rod and Gun Club, 658 Bay Front S, Rochester (first Tuesday of every month).

July 5  Niagara Musky Association monthly meeting set for the Eldredge Club, 17 Broad Street, Tonawanda, starting at 7 p.m.

July 5  Allied Sportsmen Outdoor 3D Archery League continues. Shooting on Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 5:30 p.m. Walk-ons welcome. It is a 15-target course for 17 weeks. For more info, contact John Floriano at 716-725-5822 or Kevin Ulrich at 716-430-1059.

July 5  Spring Trap and Skeet League continues at Evans Rod and Gun Club, 864 Cain Road, Angola. Tuesdays 6-9 p.m.; Thursdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Teams consist of 5 people. Contact Fred Lima at 716-479-4833.

July 6  Singles 12-week trap league begins at the Tonawanda Sportsmans Club, 5657 Killian Road, Pendleton, from 6-9 p.m. Shooting will also take place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more info, call Jim Cagney at 716-481-6615. A doubles league will start on July 13.

July 6  Sunlife Marina Bass Open Tournament behind the Buffalo Harbor walls from 6-9 p.m. Cost is $40 per boat. Best 3 fish.

July 7  Double Trap League, Boston Valley Conservation Society, 9624 Zimmerman Road, Boston. Six weeks, 300 targets. Thursday shooting from 6-8 p.m. Targets may be ATA registered. For more info, call Ernie at 716-335-4111.

July 7  Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association general membership meeting at the North Amherst Fire Hall, 2200 Tonawanda Creek Road, Amherst, starting at 7 p.m. A panel of captains will talk about summer fishing.

July 9  Fly Fishing 101 Class at Buffalo Orvis, 4545 Transit Road, Williamsville, starting at 9 a.m. Pre-register at www.orvis.com/buffalo. Call 716-276-7200 for more info.

July 9  Grand Island Owl Prowl from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. with Buffalo Audubon and WNY Land Conservancy in Margery Gallogly Nature Preserve looking for eastern screech owls. Meet inside Assumption Cemetery on Whitehaven Road. Register at www.buffaloaudubon.org.

July 9  WNY Kayak Bass Tournament on the Oak Orchard River. Check out www.nykbf.com for details.

July 10  38th Annual Southtowns Walleye Associations annual walleye derby awards at 5895 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg, at 1 p.m. www.southtownswalleye.com.

July 12  Open meeting on Industrial Wind Turbines on Lake Erie starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Southtowns Walleye Association of WNY clubhouse located at 5895 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg. Guest speakers include Sen. George Borrello and several area charter boat captains. For more info call Sharen Trembath at 716-549-4330.

July 12  Erie County Trappers Association family potluck dinner/meeting at the Wattengels, 12580 Jennings Road, Lawtons, at 7 p.m. For more info, call 716-337-2556.

July 13  50-Target Doubles League begins at Tonawanda Sportsmans Club, 5657 Killian Road, Pendleton, for 10 weeks. For more info, call Jim Cagney at 716-481-6615.

July 15  Curt Meddaugh Memorial Tournament of the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association. www.lotsa1.org You must be a member.

July 16  LOTSA King Salmon Tournament. www.lotsa1.org. You must be a member.

Submit calendar items to billhiltsjr@gmail.com at least three weeks in advance.
MILAN  John Richmond has launched Unknown Pleasures, an olfactory collection of four genderless fragrances.

Developed under license with Parma, Italy-based perfume company Italart Co. and hitting stores today, the line makes for a higher positioned offering compared with the usual fragrance catalogue of the brand. The perfumes also cover different olfactory families  ranging from citrusy to woody  and can be layered for a customized experience.

More from WWD

The line includes Acid Bomb, combining Mediterranean citrus fruits and spices; Secret Woods, blending fresh bergamot and black pepper with a Brandy accord; Hidden Amber, mixing incense with floral notes, and Lost Rose, spotlighting the Turkish rose as key ingredient.

Master perfumers involved in the project included Jordi Fernandez for the creation of Acid Bomb and Lost Rose, Veronique Nyberg for Secret Woods and Guillaume Flavigny for Hidden Amber.

Coming in the same geometrical, black flacons, each scent bears a differently colored metallic ring on the cap, engraved with the brands logo. Retailing at 110 euros each for a single, 100-ml. format, the fragrances will be available at selected perfumeries as well as at John Richmond stores and e-commerce.

Strategically, the shared goal with the brand was to expand the offering, including in the three-year development plan a limited, high-range line to position the fragrances also in the luxury and niche segment of the beauty world, said Italart Co. chief executive officer Alberto Tanzi, adding that the rollout plan will involve 500 doors in Europe.

Along with a strong focus on the domestic market, the company will also target Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with particular attention to Arab countries. Rollout in China and the U.S. will follow in a second phase of the launch, as Italart Co. is to close further distribution deals in these countries by the end of the year and the first months of 2023.

Story continues

The Unknown Pleasures collection follows the Black Metal Woman scent, which John Richmond launched with Italart Co. last fall, after the two signed a licensing agreement. The preexisting John Richmond For Men fragrance, launched in 2010, and its For Woman counterpart continue to be distributed by the company, too.

We chose to keep in the brands portfolio only two of the most representative products of the brand, Tanzi said. As part of the new offering, the executive said theres a final phase of this first part of brand extension scheduled for October 2022, when the Black Metal for men will be introduced in the assortment.

Tanzi declined to provide both companys 2021 sales figures and projections on estimated sales for the new John Richmond fragrances, pointing to the recent nature of the licensing deal with the brand. Still, he said he is very satisfied as the markets reaction has been positive and the forecasted [number] of estimated orders has tripled, so we expect a good performance from this launch, too.

Founded in 1954 by Attilio Tanzi and redubbed Italart in 1984 by his son Roberto, the company is run by the third generation of the family and also develops and distributes fragrances for other local players, including Battistoni and Roccobarocco. Last month, the firm signed a five-year deal with denim and casualwear company Fashion Box for the beauty license of its Replay brand. This partnership will also kick off this month with the launch of Replays line of natural body fragrances Earth Made.

John Richmond is operated by Arav Group, which controls the Marcobologna and Silvian Heach brands, too. The group acquired a controlling stake in the fashion house founded by the British designer, who still holds the role of creative director, in 2017. Sales of the John Richmond brand were not disclosed, but Arav Group reported a turnover of about 40 million euros in 2021.

The fragrance launch adds to the effervescent moment the John Richmond brand is experiencing. Earlier this year, the company introduced a capsule collection with Playboy as well as announced its collaboration with cryptocurrency provider Shiba Inu, one of the key players in the blockchain-enhanced ecosystem, for the launch of an NFT-based fashion collection in fall.

Called John Richmond x Shib, as in the name of the meme cryptocurrency issued by Shiba Inu, the collection will include 10,000 non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. Physical counterparts to the NFTs will then be paraded on the John Richmond runway during the upcoming Milan Fashion Week, slated to run Sept. 20 to 26. Titled Legends Live Forever, the show will unveil a see now, buy now collection, which will be immediately available at the brands Milan and Shanghai flagship stores, as well as on its e-commerce and at select e-tailers.

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Solis Minerals Ltd (TSX-V:SLMN, ASX:SLM) has opted to withdraw from an option agreement to acquire 100% of the Mostazal project in Chile, relinquishing the companys claim to the tenure and releasing itself of any obligations to the vendor.

The agreement  signed June 23, 2021  offered Solis the option to acquire 100% of the project in return for spending A$7.25 million (US$5 million) on exploration and further payments totalling A$7.25 million (US$5 million) over four years.

The decision to withdraw was prompted by drilling and geophysical survey results from the first phase of exploration on the project, which did not meet the minimum requirements to continue the acquisition option agreement.

Funds better used elsewhere

Mostazal presented an exciting prospect for us with a known copper mineralised system at surface and historical data supported an exploration thesis testing deeper targets, Solis Minerals CEO and president Jason Cubitt said.

However, results from our first phase of drilling and geophysical surveys undertaken by the company in 2022 ultimately did not meet our minimum expectations and management determined that it is in the best interest of shareholders to reallocate the companys resources.

SLM maintains a cash balance of A$3 million, a position from which the company believes it is well equipped to advance its portfolio of porphyry and IOCG copper projects in Peru, including Ilo Norte and Ilo Este.

Additionally, early this year Solis acquired more tenure in Peru through the acquisition of seven concessions in the Tacna Region of Southern Peru.

The applications lie along the regional Incapuquio Fault system in southern Peru, which is associated with three large copper-molybdenum deposits currently in production: Cuajone, Quellaveco and Toquepala.
Naturally Splendid said its attendance at trade shows has increased sales activity from retailers, food service outlets as well as consumers buying directly through its Plantein website

Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. (TSX-V:NSP, OTC:NSPDF) has said it will continue to focus on its core plant-based manufacturing business as it looks to eliminate operations that are not contributing to the companys growth moving forward.

In a statement accompanying the release of its year ended December 31, 2021 results, the company said its senior management is reviewing all operations to draw up a strategic plan that will capitalise on its strong position to continue penetrating the market it described as having a bright future.

"The company continues to focus on reducing operating overheads while we continue to re-purpose our existing certified food facility in Pitt Meadows, BC to optimize production of plant-based entrees, Naturally Splendid CFO George Ragogna said in the statement.

We have made positive strides for the company in several areas, including securing an exclusive 10-year manufacturing and distribution agreement for Canada with Flexitarian Foods Pty. Ltd, Australia's largest plant-based manufacturer, he said, noting the agreement can be extended for a further 10 years.

The Vancouver-based companys build-out of its Pitt Meadows facility will allow for the production of up to 20 tons of plant-based entrees daily for the majority of its standard plant-based offerings, and as much as 30 tons of plant-based production daily for certain products, translating to a manufacturing capacity potential of over C$30,000,000 annually, Ragogna said.

The manufacturing facility will remain a cornerstone of the companys future, driving revenue not only from its own products but also through private label and contract manufacturing clients.

Naturally Splendid initially focused on food service, developing a network of distributors that included national distribution partners such as Sysco Canada, Gordon Food Services, and Tri-Elite Marketing, one of Canada's leading food service brokers, to represent Plantein across Canada.

Plantein is the companys retail line of plant-based entrees including burgers, crumbed and sweet chili tenders, nuggets, and fillets.

While we continue to progress with the build-out of our facility, our combination of brokers, distributors and internal sales staff continues to work towards increasing our sales in both food service and retail channels, Ragogna added.

Naturally Splendid said gross profit margins increased by 3.4 percent in the year ended December 31, 2021, from a year earlier due to higher margins from new plant-based sales.

It noted that however, COVID-19 restricted the launch of more product lines, resulting in lower sales of $763,796 in 2021, compared with $1,576,408 in 2020.

Meanwhile, its net loss in 2021 narrowed to $3,269,452 from $4,659,642 a year ago due to lower selling and distribution expenses, the company added.

"The company recently attended three significant industry trade shows that have been on a hiatus for the past two years due to the pandemic. Being able to sample our delicious entrees in trade show settings has made a huge difference, generating significant interest in our Plantein line of plant-based offerings, said Naturally Splendid CEO Craig Goodwin.

Among the events the company attended were the Canadian Health Food Association trade show, Western Canada's largest natural, health and organics trade event, and the Planted Expo, Canada's largest plant-based consumer event of the year.

These shows affirmed our belief that we have a winning product line and we have seen an increase in sales activity from retailers, food service outlets as well as consumers buying directly through the Plantein website, Goodwin added.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
"Since the start of this year, our install base has increased 240% and we expect an even steeper increase in the latter part of this year," the LexaGene CEO added

LexaGene Holdings Inc (TSX-V:LXG, OTCQB:LXXGF) said it has entered into a purchase agreement with a veterinary hospital in Wisconsin.

In a statement, Dr Jack Regan, LexaGene's CEO and founder commented: "We are pleased to announce this sale to a veterinary hospital in Wisconsin. Once we complete our scheduled installations, we will have MiQLab Systems operating in 10 states across the US."

"Since the start of this year, our install base has increased 240% and we expect an even steeper increase in the latter part of this year," he added.

READ: LexaGene reveals MiQLab Systems sale to large US veterinary corporation

LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that develops molecular diagnostic systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing and biodefense.

End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press 'go'.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
Nevada Copper owns the Pumpkin Hollow copper project in Nevada, which has substantial reserves and resources including copper, gold and silver

Nevada Copper Corp (TSX:NCU, OTC:NEVDF) revealed it is in continuing discussions with third parties and financing partners as it updated investors on operations at its Pumpkin Hollow underground copper mine in Nevada.

As reported previously, the company is seeking additional funds to continue operations, including the ramp-up of the underground mine.

It comes after a weak rock structure encountered in the main ramp to the East South Zone restricted access to the planned East South stoping zones.

"The company has continued development of its priority heading through the dike structure and into the East North mining zone, which is expected to have significantly higher copper grades and better geotechnical conditions compared with the East South Zone," it said in a statement, but added: "Although almost complete, additional work is required to finish the dike crossing."

"The company is in ongoing discussions with third parties and the company's financing partners, including its senior lender, KfW IPEX-Bank, and Pala Investments Limited (Pala), the company's largest shareholder, about additional funding and other financial accommodations," it also told investors.

The company has drawn US$11.5 million under the previously disclosed US$20 million promissory note from Pala, Nevada Copper said, adding that further draws were subject to agreed use of proceeds and satisfactory arrangements being reached with certain creditors and vendors, which have not yet been reached

While these discussions are ongoing, the company said it is taking measures to "significantly reduce Underground Mine site and other operational expenditures," including the suspension of most mining activities. "The company has not made payments due to certain creditors and vendors, including its mining contractor and working capital provider, and is in discussions with them regarding timing of payments and services and supplies. Consequently, the company is in default of its obligations under certain financing and contractual arrangements," said the company.

Nevada Copper owns the Pumpkin Hollow copper project in Nevada, which has substantial reserves and resources including copper, gold and silver. Its two fully-permitted projects include the high-grade underground mine and processing facility, which is now in the production stage, and a large-scale open-pit project, which is advancing towards feasibility.

Contact the writer at giles@proactiveinvestors.com
TEL AVIV, Israel, July 01, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) announced today the appointment of Eric A. Hughes, MD, PhD as Executive Vice President, Global R&D and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Hughes will begin his employment on August 1, 2022, and will be based out of Teva's U.S. headquarters in Parsippany, NJ.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005225/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

Dr. Hughes joins Teva with nearly 20 years of experience in all phases of drug development in leading global pharmaceutical companies, most recently as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Translational Medicine at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and prior to that as Head of the Immunology, Hepatology & Dermatology Global Development Unit at Novartis.

"Eric brings nearly 20 years of leadership roles with a proven track record in a variety of R&D functions for global pharmaceutical companies, and has a successful record of accomplishment fostering productive collaborations with key opinion leaders and patient advocacy groups," said Kare Schultz, Teva's President and CEO. "As an accomplished scientist with specialty training in infectious diseases and immunology, combined with his track record of leading clinical development activities and talent across multiple therapeutic areas around the globe, I believe Eric has the experience and expertise to lead our Global R&D function and execute on the company-wide vision for innovation and growth going forward."

Dr. Hughes stated, "I am thrilled to join Teva's executive management team and lead its unique, integrated Global R&D organization. Building on Teva's strong heritage of value creation, we have a tremendous opportunity to bring meaningful specialty, biologics and generics medicines to patients worldwide."

Kare Schultz, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "On behalf of the Board of Directors and our leadership team, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Hafrun Fridriksdottir for over 25 years of service to Teva and its legacy companies. Hafrun has been an integral part of my Executive Management team and I wish her good luck as she embarks on her next adventure."

Story continues

Eric A. Hughes bio

Dr. Hughes has held senior positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a U.S. based global biotechnology company and at Novartis. He launched his career in the pharmaceutical industry in 2004, in early clinical research at Bristol Myers-Squibb Company and then at Schering-Plough Research Institute. He then had a one-year stint at Merck Research Laboratories as Director of Clinical Research for Clinical Hepatology before returning to Bristol Myers-Squibb in 2010.

Dr. Hughes was the Medical Lead in Global Clinical Research for Virology at Bristol Myers-Squibb and his career there culminated as Head of Virology, Fibrotic Diseases, Genetically Defined Diseases, Autoimmunity, and Cardiology Exploratory Clinical & Translational Research where he managed teams responsible for discovery medicine and biomarkers, driving the development from First-in-Human to Proof of Concept. He also led due diligence and integration teams.

Dr. Hughes earned his MD and PhD at Yale School of Medicine. He completed his medical residency with the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital/Yale University School of Medicine, and a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is a prolific and widely published scientist, co-authoring more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and a deep passion for helping patients.

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve peoples lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at www.tevapharm.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are based on managements current beliefs and expectations and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from that expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "should," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "target," "may," "project," "guidance," "intend," "plan," "believe" and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to our business and operations in general, including our ability to attract, hire and retain highly skilled key personnel, our ability to successfully compete in the marketplace, including our ability to develop and commercialize biopharmaceutical products, competition for our specialty products, including AUSTEDO, AJOVY and COPAXONE; our ability to achieve expected results from investments in our product pipeline, our ability to develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products, and the effectiveness of our patents and other measures to protect our intellectual property rights; our substantial indebtedness; uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the governmental and societal responses thereto; our ability to successfully execute and maintain the activities and efforts related to the measures we have taken or may take in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated costs therewith; compliance, regulatory and litigation matters, including failure to comply with complex legal and regulatory environments; other financial and economic risks; and other factors discussed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2022 and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, including in the section captioned "Risk Factors." Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or other information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220701005225/en/

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Workforce Readiness

Connecticut Institutions Closing the Tech Skills Gap with Talent Accelerator Initiative

Seven higher education institutions in Connecticut are participating in a new initiative called the Tech Talent Accelerator, which aims to boost high-demand tech skills by fostering business-higher education partnerships in areas such as cybersecurity, virtual modeling, software development and digital analytics. The University of Saint Joseph, Quinnipiac University, University of Bridgeport, Mitchell College, University of Hartford, University of New Haven and Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system will receive a combined $180,000 in grants from the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), supported by funding from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development's Technology Talent Fund.

The goal of the Tech Talent Accelerator is to help each institution do the following:

Develop short-term certificate programs to prepare students for entry-level, technology-enabled jobs;

Embed industry-recognized credentials (such as those offered by Google and IBM) into curricula and degree programs;

Incorporate industry-aligned and regionally relevant tech knowledge, skills and competencies into curricula and credential pathways;

Provide pathways to high-value, in-demand technology skills and credentials to help Connecticut residents secure jobs in the region; and

Incorporate digital skills and industry-recognized credentials into liberal arts curricula and provide work-based learning to increase students' employability.

At the University of Saint Joseph, for example, a $30,000 Tech Talent Accelerator grant is funding the development of a degree concentration in data analytics, tailored to the needs of employers in the Greater Hartford region.

"This grant comes at a critical juncture when USJ is seeking to build stronger collaboration with business partners and grow several new programs, including Computer and Data Science, Digital Media and Communication, and Sport Management," said USJ Professor of Computer Science & Mathematics Hong Zhou, in a statement. "The grant will enable us to embed Google Data Analytics into our Data Science and Business and Management courses and align our curriculum with Connecticut business technology needs."

"By investing directly in faculty-industry relationships, NEBHE and BHEF will accelerate capacity-building, unlock existing innovations inside the Connecticut higher education system and set a path for sustainability that will benefit the entire higher education system, Connecticut employers and learners," said BHEF CEO Brian Fitzgerald.

For more information, visit the NEBHE site.
A Dane County resident has been infected with monkeypox, the first known case in Wisconsin as cases continue to rise nationwide, the state Department of Health Services reported Friday.

DHS officials said in a statement the adult is currently isolating, and the overall risk to the general public remains low. There have been about 400 confirmed monkeypox and orthopoxvirus cases in the U.S. as of Thursday. No deaths have been reported in the country.

We have an opportunity to prevent it from spreading widely, but were only going to do it if people think to test for it, Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer with the DHS, said Friday. Its not a trivial virus  people have died from monkeypox. You dont want it, for sure, but its not something that should cause undue alarm for the general public.

Most monkeypox patients experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue, though more serious illness  including a rash and lesions on the face and body  can develop in some individuals. Westergaard said monkeypox vaccines are available to doctors and clinicians through the federal government.

The disease is transmitted through respiratory droplets, sustained skin-to-skin contact and contact with items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores of a person with monkeypox.

Westergaard said one potential reason for the rising number of cases of monkeypox in the U.S. may be related to lowering levels of overall immunity in the general population to smallpox, a disease quite similar to monkeypox.

Prior generations were vaccinated for smallpox. Since we eradicated smallpox and since we no longer give smallpox vaccines to the general population, the number of people who are susceptible to monkeypox has increased dramatically, Westergaard said.

The conditions were right for this virus, which is endemic in animals, rodents, to jump over and in the right environment it can cause a cluster or a network, and what were seeing now is transmission aided by international travel among other things.

The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It does not usually spread easily among people.

Last month, cases began emerging in Europe and the United States. Many  but not all  of those who contracted the virus had traveled internationally. Most were men who have sex with men, but health officials stress that anyone can get monkeypox.

Its an important conversation because we want people to know who is at risk and that information is important to share but we also want to make sure that people understand this is not a disease that affects only people who identify as LGTBQ, anyone can get it, and its important when we communicate about it to avoid language that can shame or marginalize, Westergaard said.

To prevent spread of the disease, DHS officials encourage residents to avoid skin-to-skin contact with people showing a rash or skin sores and activities or gatherings where close contact is likely in areas with known monkeypox spread.

Individuals exposed to the virus should contact their health care provider, monitor their health for symptoms and avoid contact with others until they receive treatment.

We can prevent and treat people with monkeypox infection and we can potentially prevent it from spreading and taking hold so it becomes an endemic virus, but were only going to do that if we catch as many cases as we can, Westergaard said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON  In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nations main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.

The decision, said environmental advocates and dissenting liberal justices, was a major step in the wrong direction  a gut punch, one prominent meteorologist said  at a time of increasing environmental damage attributable to climate change amid dire warnings about the future.

Conservatives throughout the country see the decision as a win against perceived overreaches of executive power. "Much like our Wisconsin state agencies, federal agencies often think that have unlimited power through executive order to go around the legislative process, which renders voters powerless under a near dictatorship," state Rep. Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, wrote on Facebook Thursday. "Today, the SCOTUS issued another sound decision, hemming in executive agencies' power to where it belongs."

Here

It's unclear what immediate or long-term impacts there will be in Wisconsin.

A spokesman for We Energies, which provides electricity and natural gas to just shy of half of Wisconsin's population, said he does not expect any effect on the monopoly's operations.

"We are reviewing the decision to fully understand what impact it may have on our operations. At this point, we do not believe it will have any significant effect on our power generation plans," Brendan Conway of We Energies said in an email Thursday afternoon. "We remain committed to reducing carbon emissions 60% by the end of the 2025 and 80% by the end of 2030. We have already announced plans to exit coal by 2035 and we do not expect todays ruling to change that."

A 2020 investigation by the Chicago Tribune found that We Energies' coal-fired power plant in Oak Creek, immediately north of Caledonia, "is the largest industrial source of toxic metals dumped into Lake Michigan."

All over

The Supreme Court Court's ruling could complicate the administrations plans to combat climate change. Its detailed proposal to regulate power plant emissions is expected by the end of the year. Though the decision was specific to the EPA, it was in line with the conservative majoritys skepticism of the power of regulatory agencies and it sent a message on possible future effects beyond climate change and air pollution.

The decision put an exclamation point on a court term in which a conservative majority, bolstered by three appointees of former President Donald Trump, also overturned the nearly 50-year-old nationwide right to abortion, expanded gun rights and issued major religious rights rulings, all over liberal dissents.

President Joe Biden aims to cut the nations greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade and to have an emissions-free power sector by 2035. Power plants account for roughly 30% of carbon dioxide output.

Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible solution to the crisis of the day, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his opinion for the court.

But Roberts wrote that the Clean Air Act doesnt give EPA the authority to do so and that Congress must speak clearly on this subject.

"A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body, he wrote.

In a dissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that the decision strips the EPA of the power Congress gave it to respond to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.

Kagan said the stakes in the case are high. She said, "The Court appoints itselfinstead of Congress or the expert agencythe decisionmaker on climate policy. I cannot think of many things more frightening.

Biden, in a statement, called the ruling another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards." He said he would "not relent in using my lawful authorities to protect public health and tackle the climate crisis.

Added U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in a statement: For more than 50 years, the Clean Air Act has reduced pollution and improved air quality for families across Wisconsin. After decades of Congressional Republicans and the big polluters that fund their campaigns attempting to gut the Clean Air Act and roll back the clock on this progress, the activist Supreme Court has misguidedly done the bidding of fossil fuel executives and barred the very agency charged with protecting communities from pollution from doing their job. In Washington, I will continue fighting to address climate change, provide Wisconsin communities the resources they need to respond to extreme weather events, and ensure every Wisconsinite can live in a community with clean air and water.

EPA head Michael Regan said his agency will move forward with a rule to impose environmental standards on the energy sector.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who led the legal challenge to EPA authority, said the EPA can no longer sidestep Congress to exercise broad regulatory power that would radically transform the nations energy grid and force states to fundamentally shift their energy portfolios away from coal-fired generation.

University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd, a past president of the American Meteorological Society, said of the decision: "It feels like a gut punch to critical efforts to combat the climate crisis which has the potential to place lives at risk for decades to come.

Richard Revesz, an environmental expert at the New York University School of Law, called the decision a significant setback for environmental protection and public health safeguards.

But he also said in a statement that EPA still has authority to address greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

The court held that Congress must speak with specificity when it wants to give an agency authority to regulate on an issue of major national significance.

Underlying all these issues is a lack of action from Congress, reflecting bitter, partisan disagreements over the role of the federal government.

On the environment, Bidens signature plan to address climate, a sweeping social and environmental policy bill known as Build Back Better, is all but dead amid united opposition from congressional Republicans and conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin from coal state West Virginia.

The justices heard arguments in the case on the same day that a United Nations panels report warned that the effects of climate change are about to get much worse, likely making the world sicker, hungrier, poorer and more dangerous in the coming years.

Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, Seth Borenstein and Cathy Bussewitz in New York contributed to this report. Adam Rogan of The Journal Times also contributed.

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Cindy Backemeyer has brought educational nourishment to hundreds of Elmwood-Murdock students with her deep teaching roots in the school district.

The David City native was recognized for her achievements with a prestigious teaching award earlier this month.

Backemeyer was named the Nebraska Department of the American Legion Elementary Teacher of the Year. She will be honored during a special ceremony at the Nebraska American Legion State Convention. The convention took place over the weekend in Columbus.

Elmwood American Legion Post 247 Commander Bonnie Brewer said she was happy to see Backemeyer selected for the statewide award. She said Backemeyer has gone above and beyond in her support of American Legion activities for more than two decades.

Cindy is our first nominee, so were very excited to be able to honor her in this way, Brewer said.

Elmwood-Murdock Elementary School Principal Trisha Nichelson said Backemeyers commitment to the local community made her a good choice for the Elementary Teacher of the Year honor.

Cindy takes the time to teach her students and other members of the community about caring and being responsible for our history and the valuable lessons we can learn from them, Nichelson said in a letter to the state selection committee. She makes it her passion to ensure her students know the importance of education both in and out of school. It is because of her dedication to the education of students of our community that I recommend her for this award.

The Nebraska American Legion sponsors Teacher of the Year awards for elementary, middle and high school educators. Teachers must have promoted American Legion youth programs in the field of education at a notable level. They can be a veteran or non-veteran and must have accomplished many positive educational goals in their careers.

A local American Legion post must endorse candidates for the award. The states Americanism Committee selects winners in elementary, middle and high school levels by majority vote each spring.

Brewer said members of American Legion Post 247 decided to nominate Backemeyer earlier this year. They wanted to honor her for leading fourth-grade students in many community service projects.

We feel Cindy meets this criteria with her support of bringing students to visit the Elmwood G.A.R. Hall Veterans Museum, visiting the cemetery to help clean veterans tombstones and general support of veterans throughout the year and especially on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Brewer said.

Nichelson said Backemeyers list of achievements is a lengthy one. She works with Student Council members and Elmwood-Murdock families to raise money for the local food bank each year. She coordinates a fund-raising activity before Christmas and leads a cereal challenge in the spring.

Backemeyer takes fourth-grade students to Elmwood Cemetery each year in the week prior to Memorial Day. Students learn how to identify graves of veterans, the war in which they served and additional facts about the history of the cemetery. They also clean tombstones and crosses with rags and buckets in preparation for the annual Memorial Day service.

Backemeyer takes her classes to the Bess Streeter Aldrich House and Grand Army of the Republic Hall Veterans Museum each year to give them a chance to learn about Elmwood history. In addition to teaching social studies lessons at school, Backemeyer also works with students and families to create pop-up shops. Children learn about economics and entrepreneurship by selling products to local residents. They then donate their profits to area charities.

Nichelson said Backemeyer has planted many positive seeds with her work at Elmwood-Murdock. She said those efforts have paid off in many ways for everyone in Cass County.

Cindy models for her students and the staff what it means to serve our community, Nichelson said. From raising money for the local food pantry to cleaning headstones before Memorial Day, Cindy works to ensure the community is well taken care of.

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HARRISBURG  Work on a new state budget for Pennsylvania will plow into next week as the state government started the fiscal year Friday with diminished spending authority, details of a new spending plan still largely a secret and questions about whether negotiators can solve lingering disputes.

Leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate sent rank-and-file lawmakers home through the holiday weekend, to return Tuesday, prompting frustration from Democrats.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has said little and remained out of sight in the Capitol.

Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, said that just because it is July doesnt mean that it is any different from June, when budgets are negotiated, everything is in flux and things can change on a moments notice.

Negotiators had yet to fully brief rank-and-file lawmakers  who must still vote on budget legislation  or publish hundreds of pages of budget-related legislation that typically underpin spending plans.

Talks were bogged down in 11th-hour wrangling over a number of issues, although Republican lawmakers still publicly professed confidence that closed-door negotiations on a roughly $42 billion spending plan were on the right track.

Everybody is working hard, both sides of the aisle, the governors office, everybodys doing the best they can to get this over the hump and move on, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor, R-York. But I think well have a good product when were done.

Without new spending authority in place, the state is legally barred from making some payments, although a stalemate must typically last several weeks before any effect on services is felt.

Theres certainly a pathway forward on all these remaining issues, said Rep. Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. We need to show some leadership to get this home.

In a long-term stalemate, the state is legally bound to make debt payments, cover Medicaid costs, issue unemployment compensation payments, keep prisons open, meet weekly payrolls and more.

But, if it becomes necessary, Wolfs administration could postpone payments to vendors, such as utilities, insurers, suppliers and landlords, and put off paying discretionary items, such as tax credits, grants and discretionary subsidies such as public school aid.

For now, the states bank account is flush with billions in extra cash. It is not in danger of running out of money and can make its legally required payments, a Treasury Department spokesperson said.

The state also has $2.2 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid left over from last year to dole out, while federal pandemic aid continues to cover billions of dollars in extra Medicaid costs normally borne by the state.

Rank-and-file Republican lawmakers say they want a budget that keeps a spending increase to the rate of inflation, a benchmark that budgetmakers likely will meet by shifting a couple billion dollars onto last years books. Republicans also want to put another $5 billion into reserves.

Negotiations revolve around new aid for public schools and concessions by Wolf to Republican lawmakers.

New aid for public school instruction, operations and special education is expected to land at around $850 million, or about 10% more. Democrats call it a historic amount, although still less than what Wolf requested in his February budget proposal.

Schools are also expected to get another $200 million for security upgrades and counselors or psychiatrists  a response to recent mass shootings and hardships highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Budgetmakers are not contemplating any sort of broad-based tax cut on sales or income. Rather, Wolf and Republican lawmakers have focused on cutting Pennsylvanias 9.99% corporate income tax rate, one of the nations highest.

There also will be more money for nursing homes, county-administered mental health counseling programs, child care subsidies and possibly a program that helps the elderly and disabled pay for property taxes or rent.

In addition, Saylor said to expect the largest investment in the environment in decades, if not a century.

In exchange for boosting aid to schools, Republican lawmakers sought concessions on various policy goals that Wolf had unilaterally pursued over Republican objections.

Those include regulations written by Wolfs administration to subject charter schools to stronger ethics, accounting and admissions standards.

Republicans have also pressed for an agreement on legislation to restrict third-party funding for county election offices and equipment  a demand fueled by former President Donald Trumps false claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020s presidential election.

Another fight involves more than $150 million in state aid for the University of Pittsburgh.

Abortion rights opponents in the House have held up the aid, insisting the university first end its federally funded fetal tissue research. The dispute has divided Republicans.

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Editors Note: This is a submitted story from Christine Musser.

My first journey to Nebraska began one crisp fall day in New Kingstown.

Walking through an old cemetery, I found a large granite headstone inscribed with: David B. Herman, Dec. 29. 1844killed by hostile IndiansMay 20, 1876In western Nebraska on North Platte River, near the Sidney Crossing of the main road to Red Cloud and the Black Hills, aged 31 yrs, 7 mos, & 19 ds.

Who was this man? Why had so much detail been written about his death? Why wasnt he buried where he died, as so many others were during that time?

The Nebraska State Historical Society provided some answers. I wrote them, and they replied that: David B. Herman was the ranch foreman for the Bosler B Bar Ranch, located in western Nebraska. He was killed while fording the North Platte River at Clarkes Bridge. On his person, he had $2,000 in cash along with a check from the Sioux City Bank. These items were strewn all over the land. His clothes were removed and taken as well as his pistol. The cattle he was in charge of were also scattered about.

I was surprised to see the name Bosler in the letter, for I knew it well from visiting the J. Herman Bosler Library in Carlisle. A little investigation in Pennsylvania revealed that the Bosler family had been in Carlisles early history and had donated money throughout the United States for building libraries, schools and jailhouses. They didnt have money like the Carnegies or Vanderbilts; they were what was called second-tier entrepreneurs. Still, they claimed enough money to run in the same social circles as U.S. senators and even presidents. The source of their fortune was the cattle business in the West, notably Nebraska.

There were four Bosler brothers, and one, James Williamson Bosler, seemed to love Nebraska especially. He never called the West home, but he always felt drawn to the prairies. Thinking of him, I wondered if I could go to Nebraska and find any semblance of the vast space that was such a lure in the mid-19th century.

On an October day, I flew into Rapid City, South Dakota. I drove Route 385 south to Nebraska, traveling a route running parallel to the 1870s road that gold-seekers took from Sidney to the Black Hills. I crossed the state line expecting to see flatlands, dirt and no trees whatsoever. Instead, I drove into the Pine Ridge Division of the Nebraska National Forest, a place of towering ponderosa pines. It was beautiful but looked more like Pennsylvania than the Great American Desert, depicted in novels, advertisements and journals from the 1800s.

I found myself hoping the landscape would change, and soon it did. The sky opened up, and I gazed in awe at the large view of tall golden-brown grass, dry tan-colored hills, and old barns that stood far off the highway against backdrops of a few scattered cottonwoods. The sky seemed to be continually moving and changing. I felt I could follow this road to the end of the earth, and I sensed that Id found the very land the Boslers and their foreman knew.

To my right, I noticed a train moving down the tracks. Could these tracks have replaced those of the Bolser years? I recalled the Nebraska railroad stories the Boslers recounted, of American Indians riding alongside steam-powered locomotives, trying to outrun them, and trains having to stop because of buffalo on the tracks.

I pulled into the town of Bridgeport, on the North bank of the North Platte River, and began my research at the Bridgeport Public Library. The librarian showed me a book by Clark Fuller, Pioneer Paths. It described old ranches in the vicinity and noted the Bosler Brothers were north of the river and the present town of Gering. According to other sources, the first location of the ranch headquarters was near Lewellen, then near Bridgeport. The ranch accommodated 40,000 to 50,000 head of cattle, ran 150 miles along the North Platte River, and eventually extended into Wyoming (Bosler, Wyoming is named for James Williamson Bosler).

Nellie Snyder Yosts book, Call of the Range, pinpointed the ranch headquarters on Brown Creek, nine miles east of Bridgeport. All buildings were soddies, she wrote. Twenty-five men rode on spring roundups, 15 were kept busy on the ranch through summer, and eight stayed on to handle chores over the winter. And, Yost added, There wasnt a woman anywhere within the 640,000-acre B Bar Cattle Kingdom.

It was easy for me to conjure up images of the cowboy era on Bridgeports wide streets: trail dust smells of sweat and manure, bawling cattle, yelling cowpoke. I learned later that Bridgeport wasnt much of a cowtown, but Sidney and Ogallala were. Nights turned wild in those places when cowboys rode in off the trail.

One evening at Ogallalas Leach House, George Bosler was present when someone fired 15 shots into the room where he sat talking with several men. A lamp shattered, as did every window, but the men escaped without a scratch. Later they learned a brawl had broken out in the nearby Tucker Saloon. When the fight spilled into the street, the only light the brawlers spotted was a lamp illuminating Boslers conversation. The brawlers decided the light should be out, so out it went.

If the Boslers rubbed shoulders with renowned politicians and entrepreneurs in the East, they associated with an internationally known personality in the West. Buffalo Bill Cody wintered his cattle with the Boslers. After the winter, he showed up for the roundup with a supply of cigars, snakebite antidotes and whiskey. Bosler accounts say Cody didnt help much at roundup time. But it seems everyone found him entertaining.

The ranch reaped a golden harvest by buying Texas cattle, grass-feeding them on the Nebraska range, and then selling them to the federal government to the Red Cloud (todays Pine Ridge) and Spotted Tail Indian Reservations.

Like many big businesses of any era, the Bosler operation wouldnt be immune to scandal. The ugliest charge, never proven, came from surveyor Alex Schleigal when he found one of his assistants hanging from a tree near Sidney with a sign that read Horse Thief. Schleigal was scheduled to survey Bosler rangelands, an activity the Boslers opposed. They saw it as the first step toward opening the country to homesteaders. The surveyor believed his assistant died not because he was a horse thief but to scare the surveyors away. The surveying, however, was completed without further incidents.

The most notable Bosler scandal became a federal case after Yale University paleontology professor, O. C. Marsh, met with Red Cloud at the Red Cloud Indian Reservation. Marsh needed permission from Red Cloud to explore the area for fossils. Red Cloud allowed him to explore with one condition: he promised to report to Washington that the Reservations were not receiving promised beef, flour and corn supplies.

Board of Indian Affairs Clerk Samuel Walker investigated the claim. Later he reported, Neither is there any record of the amount of beef received at the agency, other than copies of the receipts issued to the contractor, which Mr. Bosler, the beef contractor, informed me he made out himself. Further, Walker stated that Bosler based the governments price by weighing only the prime animals before setting up a proper scale.

I think it clear that fraud was intended, Walker wrote and accused Boslers and the Red Cloud agent of collusion. The Boslers were eventually acquitted, and the investigative committee decided they made a big profit but earned it legally.

Among those questioned at the hearing was ranch foreman David B. Herman, whose headstone pointed me in the direction of the Boslers and Nebraska in the first place. I learned Herman was a cousin to the Bosler brothers and held a law degree from Dickinson College. His 1876 murder on the North Platte occurred the same Spring the Black Hills gold rush hit full stride, and a month before the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Although the Carlisle paper reported that the Bosler ranch was far from the Black Hills, tensions ran high. The Nebraska Newspaper said it was perfectly quiet in that section, there being no trouble with the Indians. His coat, vest and revolver were gone. It is supposed he was killed by Indians.

The Bosler ranch didnt survive much longer than its foreman. In 1883, James Williamson Bosler died. Older brother J. Herman Bosler decided to sell the cattle and land holdings to William Paxtons Keystone Cattle Company. That enterprise eventually became the Ogallala Cattle Company.

The Boslers Nebraska story lives mainly in local history books. However, at Longsdorf Cemetery, one piece of the story is etched in granite.

Do the geographic details on the headstone appear as a testimony to the empire the Boslers and their cousin believed they were building out West? After all, theres no mention of David B. Hermans family, law degree or fraternity participating in his funeral. Instead, the references to American Indians in western Nebraska, the North Platte River, the main road to Red Cloud and the Black Hills remain.

Christine Musser is an author, historian and advocate for heritage preservation. She holds a masters in Applied History with a concentration in Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Management.

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The delayed Childrens Lake Dam repair project in Boiling Springs is back on track for a construction kickoff thats expected to happen later this summer, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission representatives said this week.

At South Middleton Township supervisors meeting Thursday, Fish and Boat Commission executive director Tim Schaeffer said Gov. Tom Wolfs office has released additional funding that allows the state Department of General Services to award a contract for the Childrens Lake rehabilitation project.

The project is expected to be completed in summer 2024.

This is great news, township solicitor G. Bryan Salzmann said Thursday. Childrens Lake is a premiere attraction and landmark along the Appalachian Trail. It is a special place to generations of central Pennsylvania residents and this additional funding from the commonwealth will restore it for many, many decades.

Salzmann said he was proud to advocate and secure these additional monies, and credited Sen. Mike Regan and Rep. Torren Ecker for spearheading the request for additional funds and the legislature that provided the authorization that allowed Wolf to release additional monies for this important project.

When it comes to working together on both a state and local level, we could not appreciate more the assistance of South Middleton Township, Sen. Regan, Rep. Ecker, and other important community partners to get us where we are, ready to start this project, Schaeffer said. We look forward to continuing to partner with the (South Middleton) Board of Supervisors and the Boiling Springs residents to see this beautiful enhancement to a local treasure come to fruition.

Project construction was projected late last year to begin this spring following the first day of trout season. It was placed on hold after contractor bids for the work came in over budget. In November 2021, agency representatives said the total project was expected to cost between $2.4 million and $2.9 million.

In late 2017, South Middleton Township procured the $400,000 needed for the projects design phase, including $150,000 from the townships local design funds, $25,000 from F&M Trust and $12,500 each from Allen Distribution and Mowery. Along with $200,000 pledged by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, that was considered enough to cover engineering costs for the repairs.

In 2018, Wolfs office released $2.4 million in promised funding for Childrens Lake, setting the project into motion. Under Thursdays action, the Wolf administration has released additional funding for a combined total of $5.8 million dedicated to the project. Project construction has been delayed several times since 2018 due to permit delays and effects of the pandemic, all of which have contributed to time-related cost increases.

Its a long time coming, township board president Bryan Gembusia said Thursday.

Paul Urbanik, the Fish and Boat Commissions director of engineering, said Friday that contract awards actually havent gone out yet, but he expects it will happen in a few weeks and he will disclose details at that time.

Gembusia said Thursday that the project will involve reconstruction of the Childrens Lake Dam, a fishing pier addition for those with physical challenges, boat launch area improvements, and rehabilitating most of the existing lake wall which has fallen into disrepair.

The board of supervisors knows how important Childrens Lake is to our township residents, as well as so many people in our region, and thats why we have supported the tireless work of so many community members, our legislators, our friends at the Fish and Boat Commission and GMS Funding Solutions, our grant consultant, to help make this goal a reality, Gembusia said.

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a case that could change the way elections for Congress and the presidency are conducted by handing more power to state legislatures and blocking state courts from reviewing challenges to the procedures and results.

The justices will consider whether state courts, when finding violations of their state constitutions, can order changes to federal elections and the once-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts. The case probably will be argued in the fall.

This case could profoundly alter the balance of power in states and prevent state courts and agencies from providing protections for peoples right to vote, said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine. Theres a wide range of ways the court could rule on this. Taken to its extreme, it would be a radical reworking of our system of running elections.

In the most extreme example, lawyers said, if the Supreme Court were to rule that no entity besides state legislatures can set rules regarding federal elections, that could stop a governor from vetoing election bills or a state court from blocking rules that set up different voting hours in urban and rural precincts.

Jason Torchinsky, a Republican lawyer who wrote a legal brief urging the high court to take the case, said it is absurd to think the Supreme Court would ultimately allow that. He said that as recently as 2015, the court agreed that legislatures do not have absolute power in elections, ruling that Arizonas voter-approved redistricting commission could legally take the authority away from lawmakers to draw district lines.

The case, an appeal from North Carolina Republicans, challenges a state court ruling throwing out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly that seemingly would have made GOP candidates likely victors in 10 of the states 14 congressional districts.

The Supreme Court has never invoked what is known as the independent state legislature doctrine, but four of the courts conservative justices have expressed interest in taking on the subject. One of them, Justice Clarence Thomas, was among three justices who advanced it in the Bush v. Gore case that settled the 2000 presidential election.

It only takes four of the nine justices to agree to hear a case. A majority of five is needed for an eventual decision.

The issue has arisen in cases from North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where Democratic majorities on the states highest courts have invoked voting protections in their state constitutions to frustrate the plans of Republican-dominated legislatures.

The case comes as state courts have become increasingly involved in redistricting, the consequence of a 2019 decision in which the Supreme Court said federal courts could no longer handle claims of illegal partisan gerrymandering.

Initially, in cases in states such as North Carolina and Pennsylvania, that hurt Republicans and helped Democrats. But courts in Democratic-dominated states including Maryland and New York then threw out maps as Democratic gerrymanders, leaving Republicans with a slight edge at the end of the once-a-decade congressional redistricting process.

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The Albemarle County School Board has appointed two new administrators to principal posts at Henley Middle and Hollymead Elementary schools, the division announced Friday.

The new principals will begin their transitions immediately and relocate to their new schools by the middle of August, according to the news release. Fridays announcement leaves only two principal positions vacant for the next school year. The division is still looking for top administrators at Center 1 and Crozet Elementary.

At Henley, a Chesterfield County administrator will serve as principal and succeed Beth Costa, who left Henley to become principal of Monticello High School.

LaRuth Ensley has been the assistant principal of Falling Creek Middle School in Chesterfield County for the last three years. She also has experience working in Richmond Public Schools and on the faculty of several community colleges and online universities, according to the division news release.

Albemarle County has great appeal for any educator who is focused on consistent, measurable, and broad-based student learning, Ensley said in a statement. I am very impressed with the divisions priorities as outlined in its strategic plan.

Falling Creek Middle School has about 500 more students than Henley, which is the countys largest middle school. The division noted in its release that Ensley has a background in strategic planning, community outreach and professional development with staff.

The breadth of Ms. Ensleys instructional expertise and innovation, both at the secondary and post-high school levels, will be a significant asset for Henley students in preparing for their future academic and career goals, said Clare Keiser, the divisions assistant superintendent for Organizational Development and Human Resource Leadership, in the release. Her exceptional interpersonal skills and her passion for collaboration are a perfect fit with a learning community that cares so deeply about the academic and social and emotional development of each and every child.

At Hollymead, an Illinois elementary school principal will take the reins from Craig Dommer, who has been appointed as the school divisions Director of Instructional/Tiered Services.

Joe McCauley has been the principal of Ogden Avenue School in La Grange, Illinois since 2017. La Grange is a suburb of Chicago. McCauley began his career as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools and worked for nine years as a special education teacher.

The division release noted that McCauley has led the implementation of increased rigor in the curriculum at Ogden Avenue, prioritized equity-based practices and worked with parents and teachers to expand classroom technology resources.

Our entire team was highly impressed with Mr. McCauleys commitment to always putting students first, the value he places on closely working with teachers and staff, his communication skills, and his systemic approach that always comes back to learning improvement in the way he leads a school, Keiser said in the release.

McCauley said in a statement that he was excited to join the division.

The districts vision for student learning and schoolwide systems makes this a fantastic opportunity for a school leader, he said. Hollymead has a caring and active community of parents, and its staff clearly is committed to and passionate about teaching and learning. Im eager to work with everyone and support their continued great work with students.
Fireworks will once again light up the night sky over Charlottesville and Albemarle County on Monday as the nation celebrates Independence Day.

The display of $30,000 worth of fireworks will be shot off from Carter Mountain, though the event isnt affiliated with the orchard. Organized by a group of local businesses and individuals, the Celebrate US Charlottesville fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m. Monday.

The group has used property owned by Wendell Wood as the launching point since 2020. Before the pandemic, the show was held in Charlottesvilles McIntire Park. In addition to delighting community members with the eye-catching explosions, the show will benefit the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad (CARS).

Donations are currently being collected to pay for the show. Anything raised beyond whats needed for the fireworks will be donated to CARS.

Volunteers from the CARS have been providing EMT service to our community since 1960, the group said on its fundraising page. Our highly trained volunteers answer over 6,000 calls annually. At any given time CARS has over 110 active volunteers, who collectively donate over 60,000 hours of service.

CARS treasurer Clare Ruday said the donations will go toward purchasing equipment and supplies. As of Friday afternoon, a little more than $20,000 had been raised.

Some communities across the country have had to cancel their July 4 fireworks because of supply chain issues. But Ruday said the team behind the show in Charlottesville has secured the necessary rockets.

CBS19 will air the show live at 9 p.m. on MeTV. It will be replayed at 11 p.m. on FOX Virginia.

Mondays fireworks display will cap a busy holiday weekend in the Charlottesville area.

On Saturday, the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department is hosting its Independence Day celebration and parade from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Claudius Crozet Park. The parade will begin at 5 p.m. while the event at the park begins at 6 p.m. There will be no fireworks this year.

At the park, there will be a range of food vendors along with bounce houses and activities for children.

Crozet volunteer fire chief Gary Dillon wrote on Facebook that the weather forecast could complicate plans for the event. Currently, theres a chance of thunderstorms when the parade is slated to begin. The fire department will make a decision Saturday afternoon about the parade and post updates on Facebook.

On Monday morning, more than 45 people will take the oath of citizenship at Monticellos 60th annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony. This will be the first year since 2019 that the ceremony is in-person and open to the public. According to Monticello, the ceremony is the nations oldest continuous naturalization ceremony held outside a courtroom.

The event begins at 9 a.m., and is free to attend. Attendees can park at PVCC and take shuttles to Monticello. The ceremony will be streamed live on Monticellos Facebook page, website and YouTube account. To learn more about the event, go to www.monticello.org/july4.

Frank Friedman, the retiring president of Piedmont Virginia Community College, will be the ceremonys keynote speaker. According to PVCC, hes the first community college president to deliver the keynote address.

I am honored to be speaking at Monticello on July 4, Friedman said in a statement. Past speakers have included five United States Presidents, several Virginia Governors, Collin Powell, Madeleine Albright and multiple Pulitzer Prize winners. The selection of a community college president recognizes the tremendous impact community colleges have on immigrants to our country.

The Town of Scottsville is having its annual July 4 parade at 9 a.m. Monday, hosted by the Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department. A car show will follow the parade, and then there will be live music from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Dorrier Park, according to an event flyer. Around dusk, a fireworks show over the James River will wrap up the celebration.

Earlysvilles 26th Annual Stupendous July 4 parade kicks off at 10 a.m. Monday. Refreshments will be served along the route and at the Union Church after the parade.

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ROANOKEA $2.2 million repair job is underway to reopen a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway damaged near Roanoke in October.

A heavy equipment operator on Wednesday scooped out dirt and rock where 150 feet of road gave way in a 2020 landslide, leading to an immediate suspension of vehicular traffic. Stacked nearby were metal cages and rolls of sturdy plastic netting to hold in place new gravel on which new pavement will go.

After the rebuilding of the failed section, complete with grass, the parkway will reopen between U.S. 220 in Clearbrook and the Adney Gap entrance in Bent Mountain, parkway officials said.

Gates have closed the roughly 15-mile segment to traffic for about 25 months. It includes an overlook of the Roanoke Valley. Two fall color seasons have come and gone with motorists required to detour around the area.

The stretch of road, in place since before 1967, failed because of groundwater action, an official said. Bryants Land and Development Industries Inc. of Burnsville, North Carolina, is the contractor.
A $2.2 million repair job is underway to reopen a damaged section of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke in October.

A heavy equipment operator on Wednesday scooped out dirt and rock where 150 feet of road gave way in a 2020 landslide, leading to an immediate suspension of vehicular traffic. Stacked nearby were metal cages and rolls of sturdy plastic netting to hold in place new gravel on which new pavement will go.

After the rebuilding of the failed section, complete with grass, the parkway will reopen between U.S. 220 in Clearbrook and the Adney Gap entrance in Bent Mountain, parkway officials said.

Gates have closed the roughly 15-mile segment to traffic for about 25 months. It includes an overlook of the Roanoke Valley. Two fall color seasons have come and gone with motorists required to detour around the area.

The stretch of road, in place since before 1967, failed because of groundwater action, an official said. Bryants Land and Development Industries Inc. of Burnsville, North Carolina, is the contractor.

Roanoke experienced its rainiest year on record in 2020, with 62.65 inches total, including more than 9 inches in a five-day stretch in May that year, when the landslide occurred.

Meanwhile, motorists will regain access any day to another, long-closed section of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke  the stretch with the spectacular bridge over the Roanoke River near Explore Park. That reopening could happen this week, a spokeswoman said.

Officials closed that section in May 2021 to repaint the horizontal metal beams of the bridge. Thats done and the bridge also has new pavement.

Big Walker Mountain Tunnel turns 50 J.D. Bolt has had a distinguished career as an attorney and now General District Court judge. But he also has a distinction that not many people know about: he was one of the first people to travel through the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel, which celebrated its 50th anniversary on Wednesday.
Temperatures are rising, and it feels like summer has finally arrived to the mid-Willamette Valley. A popular way to beat the heat is to spend time on the river.

But how safe are the local rivers? Fire officials say there are plenty of hazards river-goers need to be mindful of.

Rivers still cold

It may be scorching hot outside, but the river temperatures arent. The cool water may seem like an ideal retreat from the heat, but when river temperatures are between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be dangerous for swimmers to take a dip.

When people go swimming, they can go into shock, Benton County Sheriffs Lt. Toby Bottorff said. If you dont have a life jacket on, its going to be a lot harder to get one on when your body is in shock or experiencing hypothermia.

Bottorff is in charge of the department's marine deputies. The marine deputy program is seasonal and generally runs from May to mid-September.

Jefferson Fire District Division Chief Louis Gisler echoed Bottorff in saying the water is still cold enough to be dangerous. He anticipates the water temperatures will increase once the water levels go down.

Life jackets are a must

One of the easiest ways to stay safe on the rivers is to wear a life jacket. Not only is it the law in some cases, but its a preventive measure that pays off.

Over the years, I would say in at least 90% of drownings, people did not have life jackets, Bottorff said.

Throughout his years on the job, Bottorff said pulling deceased people out of the water has made an impact on him.

It brought home the fact that its really important to wear that life jacket, he said.

Depending on someones age and the type of boat they are on, not wearing a life jacket can be costly in more ways than one.

Word spreads around when were out giving tickets, Bottorff said. But we dont care about the money; we care about compliance and people being safe.

Even if you have a life jacket, if it doesnt fit properly, its not going to do its job, Gisler said.

One of the problems he sees out on the river is people not wearing the proper size. For example, a child should not be wearing an adult life jacket.

To find out more about life jacket regulations and safety tips, go to the Oregon State Marine Board website.

River users can also tap local agencies' stashes if they dont have their own life jackets. For example, Albany Fire Department, the Osborn Aquatic Center and Lebanon Fire District all have life jacket loaner programs.

Really know the water

Water rescue officials say one of the most important tips for safe river usage is knowing the water. Just because someone has floated the same river for years doesnt mean new hazards or flow patterns arent safety threats.

In late April, two kayakers from Eugene went missing on the Long Tom River near Monroe and were ultimately found deceased. Although its unclear exactly what happened, officials said their deaths appeared to be water-related.

Make sure you have a plan, Bottorff said. Be familiar with the river youre using. Scout the river for hazards beforehand.

Knowing what to expect on the river before floating on it is crucial, but knowing your own abilities is just as important.

I think the biggest mistake people make is overestimating themselves and underestimating the water, Gisler said.

He added that the water is always going to be dangerous, regardless of conditions or someones experience level.

People assume because theyre on a float or inner tube that they can kick and move and outwork the water, Gisler said. Water does not get tired.

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Hazards on and beneath the surface

Water levels are expected to retreat and river temperatures should increase in the coming weeks, but dangers still exist.

The Oregon State Marine Board has a Boating Obstruction Reporting Tools dashboard that offers information and pictures of current river hazards, such as log jams and strainers.

For example, the North Santiam River has a major log jam across the river, a few miles downstream of Buell Miller.

This log jam cant be removed due to a fish habitat, Gisler said. If someone finds themselves encountering the log jam, theyll be stuck.

As the water levels begin to recede, Gisler said some areas of the river will become unpassable. This is why he suggests checking on river conditions before floating.

Between log jams, strainers and a swift-moving river, hazards can catch unprepared floaters and boaters off guard. A healthy fear of the water is necessary, according to Gisler.

If youre not afraid of the water, you shouldnt be in it, he said. People need to respect it.

Maddie Pfeifer covers public safety for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6091 or Madison.Pfeifer@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @maddiepfeifer_

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South Africa: Government pursues innovative ways of linking learning with earning

Acting Public Service and Administration Minister, Thulas Nxesi, says government is seeking innovative new ways of linking learning with earning.

The youth of South Africa continues to be disadvantaged in the labour market, with an unemployment rate higher than the national average, Nxesi said at the official launch of the Future of Work Ambassadors Programme, in Pretoria, on Friday.

Nxesi hopes the programme will strengthen and modernise the recruitment and retention of youth in the public service, and provide a comprehensive experience of learning while earning.

The programme seeks to reimagine the government graduate recruitment programme, which has, in its current form, been rendered as ineffective in unearthing potential and skilling graduates into future leaders in the public service.

Nxesi said while the graduate unemployment rate remains relatively low in South Africa compared to other educational levels, unemployment among the youth continues to be high, irrespective of educational attainment.

Nxesi explained that the Future of Work Ambassadors Programme will see the placement of 33 young graduates in internship programmes across selected national and provincial departments for a duration of 24 months. Participants will be provided with practical exposure to the workplace, and be capacitated with skills and training to complement their academic credentials.

The purpose of the programme is to bring a different approach to governments graduate recruitment programme that is focused on future skills, Nxesi said.

The public service seeks to build a foundation and legacy to ensure that it recruits and retains a coterie of fresh skills and energetic candidates in the public service.

The programme will unlock potential in young graduates to enhance their capacity and to grow them into future leaders in the public service.

The target group is youth between the ages of 18 and 35, and this new cohort of future public servants is expected to receive skills that will enable them to become progressive thinkers, who are innovators and problem solvers.

Our endeavour is to provide the participants with workplace exposure to improve their employability and value offering to the public service, and for them to establish long-term careers in the public sector, the minister said.

The inaugural group of 33 graduates and future participants in the programme will be placed in various departments nationally and provincially, and will receive a monthly stipend of R6 275 for a duration of 24 months.

The ambassadors will receive training in their fields of qualification, and mentorship and exchange of knowledge, experiences and ideas on how the public service can serve the citizens better.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will also expose the selected candidates to international peer learning through exposing them to public service management in other countries.

Speaking at the same event was Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA) Chief Executive Officer Bontle Lerumo who emphasized the importance of exposing the graduates to workplace experience.

We need to expose interns to real work experience, she said.

Lerumo expressed concern at the low number of graduates who are taking part in the programme, saying she hopes the number of participants will increase.

Lerumo encouraged unemployed graduates to register with the Department of Labour and Employment for placement.

She commended the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) for recruiting the participants within a short space of time.

One of the participants in the programme Nikelo Tyane (27), who holds an LLB degree from the University of Johannesburg, told SAnews that he is happy with the programme and placement at the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities.

I am going to use the opportunity to gain experience on how government works and how to serve people, Tyane said.

Although Tyane did not know exactly what he will be doing, he said he was looking forward to getting experience and new ideas.

The current cohort of graduates that are being recruited are from the following fields:

- Finance and Supply Chain Management

- Law

- Risk Management

- Human Resource Management

- Communications

- Marketing Management

- Public Management

The programme was launched by the Department of Public Service and Administration, in partnership with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Public Sector Education Authority (PSETA) and the United National Development Programme (UNDP).  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2022-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A framework for a federal red flag law undoubtedly would be abused by President Joe Biden's Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with its efforts to take away American citizens' guns based on speech the left doesn't like.

After the recent school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, Democrats and Republicans are yet again arguing over gun control and, specifically, what have come to be known as "red flag laws."

Biden on Saturday signed what some call the most significant gun control measure in decades, a bipartisan compromise that includes a provision to help states put in place red flag laws making it easier for authorities to confiscate weapons from those adjudged as dangerous.

Despite the Supreme Court's ruling Friday upholding the Second Amendment, we know that the Biden administration will unfairly use anything and everything at its disposal to drive its narrative and silence political opponents.

That's part of the reason the Department of Homeland Security's short-lived "disinformation" board received such deserved pushback from many Americans. Although DHS officially paused its Disinformation Governance Board, let's not be so naive as to believe the board was the be-all, end-all of the Biden administration's thought control efforts.

Biden's DHS has worked before with other departments (including the Department of Education) on disinformation campaigns, and continues to direct efforts toward garnering "public trust surrounding disinformation efforts." .....
With 4th of July weekend days away, the state awarded over $800,000 to dozens of swimming pools to help the pools open amid an ongoing shortage of lifeguards.
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The victors immediately became clear in most races as soon as the early results began posting on Tuesday, establishing patterns and themes that held throughout the count. Here's a summary of who fared well  and who didn't  in Tuesday night's primary election.
Government's Digital India programme has given relief to poor from corruption and it is working for elimination of middlemen in all fields, says PM Modi.
Telenor stressed it will stay in the Thai market after the proposed merger between Total Access Communications (DTAC) and True Corporation, with future plans to transform the merged entity into a telecoms technology company to tap into new growth verticals.

Telenor Group president and CEO Sigve Brekke (pictured) commented at a press conference on a question regarding speculation on Telenors exit post-merger - it is the majority shareholder in DTAC. The chief executive explained the merged company will turn into a technology focus company by tapping into 5G, IoT and AI together.

"Telenor is not going to leave Thailand. A lot of people have been wondering that. We entered Thailand two decades ago with a vision that all Thais should have access to cell phones. That's what we called the growth 1.0 model. Growth 2.0 I call a perfect storm of technologies -- 5G, AI, and IoT -- that are coming together," Brekke, reported Bangkok Post.

Brekke also tipped the merger between DTAC and True will gain regulatory approval this month, he said the merger has a very good case in regards to spurring competition against dominant market leader AIS.

Bangkok Post reported the merger will result in an operator with a subscriber base of around 50 million, six million more than AIS base.

"We are optimistic this will go through. I look at it from two angles -- one is the competitors of AIS [Advanced Info Service], True and DTAC are the big global companies, not local players. The definition of competition in the telecom sector needs to be expanded.

"The other angle is real competition happens when strong players compete. That's why if one player is too strong and there are two weak players, that's not real competition," said Brekke.

The chief executive conceded the merger is necessary as Telenor underinvested in network modernisation and spectrum in the last few years, leaving it behind AIS.

Telenor is close to wrapping up another merger in Malaysia between its unit Digi and Axiatas Celcom.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is releasing the largest update to its mobile application in a decade, the agency announced Thursday.

FEMA is releasing the app at the beginning of a hurricane season that experts predict will be above average and a wildfire season thats already devastating, for example, in New Mexico.

The update makes the app more like social media and includes options for users to personalize the information they get when disasters hit. It also makes makes the app more user friendly to people with disabilities.

We are better helping communities plan, protect and recover from disasters through clear, effective and relatable communication, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement.

The previous version of the app had a list of categories for notifications and looked like a directory or listserv. In the updated version, users can customize what they see based on their preferences and location.

For accessibility, the app now works with technologies like screen readers and voiceovers, is scaled for different screen sizes and has a more consistent layout. Gloria Huang, digital engagement and analytics branch chief for FEMA, said improvements for people with disabilities will continue.

This is part of our commitment to always include accessibility as a key part of our design and development, rather than just trying to be compliant with disability laws, Huang told the Associated Press.

Huang said in the future the agency plans to make the app more accessible for people with visual impairments or reading disabilities and make some features usable offline.

The app also features a section called Recover where users can learn more about federal disaster declarations in their area that indicate federal assistance will be available and how to apply for it. Huang said the agency took feedback from disaster survivors because that was one major intended audience for the redesign.

The app mainly gets downloaded immediately before, during and after disasters, she said, which suggests that people are using it specifically as a tool to help them adapt and survive these events.

It does seem that if youre going through recovery this could be a useful tool to organize potential FEMA aid, Samantha Montano, assistant professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, told the AP.
Troy Public Radios newest podcast, It Came from the Archives, discusses the history, culture, and people of Alabamas Wiregrass region.

It Came from the Archives made its podcast debut in June with its first episode, Troy Universitys Origin Story, featuring Wiregrass Archives Director Dr. Marty Olliff hosted by Greg Phillips, and centering on A.A. Wiley, who founded Troy and left a dramatic imprint on the Wiregrass region of Alabama, according to a press release from Troy University.

Where the blog posts rely on the visual appeal of the collections photographs, podcasts provide an opportunity to discuss the nuances and stories that go far beyond the limited length of the blog post, and podcasts are an easy medium to consume, Olliff said.

The first episode concerns A. A. Wiley, who grew up in Troy as a member of one of the major merchant families there. He began practicing law in 1871 with Thomas Goode Jones (governor, 1890-1894) and Samuel Rice (chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court), served 15 years on the Montgomery City Council and held multiple terms in both the Alabama House and Senate.

In 1887, he helped write the bill that established the State Normal School at Troy (the precursor to Troy University) and shepherded it through the Alabama legislature. Later, Wiley served as a lieutenant colonel of infantry in the Spanish American War, an assistant governor of Santiago province in Cuba, the corporate counsel for the Atlantic Coast Line railway, and the US congressman for Alabamas Second District from 1901 until his death in 1908.

Other future episodes cover the National Peanut Festival, education during the Jim Crow era through the lens of the Weems Family of Columbia, Alabama, and the newspaper of the famed Dixie Division, which is the 31st Infantry Division as it trained at camp Blanding, Florida prior to World War II.

Getting a well-crafted podcast into the market opens topics that might not be accessible otherwise. Like blog posts, podcasts can provide an outlet for the historical stories of the area that arent large enough for traditional publication or that appeal to a small, niche group of listeners, Olliff said

It Came from the Archives podcast can be found at Troy Public Radio Podcast Network hosted on PodBean.
The shooting of two Alabama deputies has stunned the community, and those who know the two wounded public servants.

Brad Johnson, 32, has served with the sheriffs office just over seven years. He is engaged to be married and is the father two daughters.

His father, Steven Johnson, said his son was shot in the head. The deputy on Thursday remained on life support and was going through the organ donor process.

Chris Poole, a 30-year-old husband and father, has been released from UAB Hospital and is recovering at home.

We ask that you continue to remember Deputy Brad Johnsons family in your prayers as theyre still with him at the hospital and hes going through the final processes to continue to save lives, said an emotional Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade.

Its been said that a coward dies a thousand deaths, but a hero but one, the sheriff said. Brad Johnson was a hero.

The community is just shocked that anything like this could happen nearby, said Centreville Mayor Mike Oakley. Its shock and outrage.

Both deputies, Oakley said, are some of the best law enforcement officers in the county.

Theyre friends and community leaders, the mayor said.

Theyre two of the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for, said friend Brittany Russell. They both are amazing men.

Johnson, a former volunteer firefighter, has been described as a genuine sole that served the community with pride.

Today is a sad day in our community, according to a post by Brierfield Ironworks State Park. We grieve with the Johnson family for the loss of a true hero, Brad Johnson.

Brad worked as a deputy for our sister park in the past and has helped us with special events every year. We are heartbroken.

Not only have we lost a brother law enforcement officer, said AHIC Chief Scott McDonald, I have lost a friend. Im praying for the Johnson family. Rest easy, brother. Weve got it from here.

Alana Godwin, who previously worked at DHR, said Johnson and Poole often accompanied her on case visits.

I never once worried about my safety with them because I knew they were the kind that would defend me no matter what it cost, Godwin posted on Facebook.

Even though Im not an officer, I felt a certain camaraderie and always smiled when I was in a pinch and would call Chris because he would say, Ive got your six.

Both of these men have become dear friends with whom Ive still had conversations with after leaving the department, Godwin wrote. Brad has always been a perfect gentleman and came by to help me pick up trash recently after a mental health fair.

We talked about his engagement, and he beamed, she wrote. We always discussed our kiddos. Chris was the only colleague who showed up to my moms funeral which means more than words can say.

Poole, a father to a son and daughter, formerly served as a Bibb County dispatcher and a corrections officer at the Bibb County Jail before becoming a deputy and later becoming an investigator.

Earlier this month, he became the first Bibb County deputy to graduate from the National Computer Forensics Institute. Hes so smart, and we are so proud of him, Russell said.

Poole also has been lauded for his devotion to the community.

The CAC has had the honor and privilege of working with Investigator Chris Poole on many cases. He is one of the most caring and diligent law enforcement partners that we have ever met.

Not only is he a great friend, but an amazing daddy and husband to his kids and wife, Russell said.

Not only is he a goofy guy and will always keep you laughing, he is one of the sweetest and most caring, she said. He will drop whatever he is doing and help anyway he can.

Russell said Poole is determined. He wont stop until he meets his goal, said.

Mayor Oakley described both officers as community oriented and family oriented.

They would stop in City Hall just to stick their head in and shoot the bull, he said.

Johnson, he said, always took his K9 to school events. He was the face of the sheriffs department for the school kids, he said.

Theyre both good folks, good people, the mayor said.

Austin Patrick Hall, a 26-year-old convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history, was named as the suspect in the shootings. He was captured early Thursday about a half mile from the crime scene.

He is being held at the Shelby County Jail and will be arraigned  likely on capital murder charges  in Bibb County on Friday, said District Attorney Michael Jackson.

Oakley said he and the community are concerned about why Hall, who has been arrested on at least 46 criminal charges since he was 17, was out of jail.

How was this lifelong felon allowed to walk and something like this happen, the mayor said.

How can we better identify people with habitual problems so that it would not come to something like this? Maybe we need to do a better job of identifying people whose lives could lead to this.
The Facebook logo is displayed on a mobile phone in this picture illustration taken December 2, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Johanna Geron

Global social media platforms, especially Facebook, have persistently ignored prevention of toxic information being spread among Vietnamese users, a top information official said.

Luu Dinh Phuc, head of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Communications and Information, said international social networks have committed to the ministry in preventing the spread of toxic information and removing it.

However, "several foreign companies providing services in Vietnam still avoid preventing toxic information in Vietnam, especially Facebook," he told a seminar reviewing activities in the information field in the first six months held Thursday in Ho Chi Minh City.

"The act of spreading fake and toxic news mostly occurs on social media platforms, especially international ones.

"Part of the reasons is because users are still treating those platforms as a virtual world that has no impacts on real life and therefore, they have made statements and spread unverified information without thinking about the consequences," Phuc said.

He said fake news on platforms that connect billions of people around the world today like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok will immediately have thousands of shares and comments with millions of views.

If the information spread around is not identified by the competent authority as fake news, many people still think it may be real and continue to spread it, exponentially causing confusion in the community, he added.

However, due to "differences in opinion and legal environment, the handling of fake and toxic information on those social networks has remained slow and incomplete."

Existing technology solutions do not allow the ministry to separate violating content from the platforms for handling, banning the entire site instead.

Meanwhile, people have become more and more reliant on foreign social media platforms but Vietnam has yet to develop competitive services to keep up with the demand, Phuc said.

The Information Ministry said it will continue to strengthen measures to make Facebook, Google and TikTok follow Vietnamese rules and have solutions to prevent the spread of fake news on those platforms.

The Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information has signed agreements with information-communications departments in Hanoi, HCMC, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Can Tho, Vietnam's five centrally-managed cities, and Dong Nai Province, an industrial hub bordering HCMC, on cooperating to handle fake news on social media.

These are the six localities with the most reports on fake and toxic news.

According to Germany-based data portal Statista, Facebook's user base in Vietnam amounted to approximately 65.56 million users last year.

It predicted that the number of social media users in Vietnam would rise from 72.29 million in 2022 to 81.63 million in 2027.
Spanish National Police officers wearing protective face masks stand guard at Atocha train station during a partial lockdown amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in Madrid, Spain October 5, 2020. Photo by Reuters/Sergio Perez

Spain has recently arrested two Vietnamese citizens over sexual assault allegations on a 17-year-old girl from the U.K., Spanish police confirmed Friday.

"Two Vietnamese males have been arrested by police of Mallorca Island over sexual assault allegations. One was born in 1980, the other in 1984," said a spokesman of the Mallorca police department. The spokesman however refused to provide their identities and occupations.

The mens identity and occupations were not revealed, but local reports said they were an actor and a musician.

Further legal proceedings would be decided by the Mallorca court, the spokesman said, adding that they "might have been allowed to be out on bail".

Spanish media reports had earlier cited an announcement by the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies that two Vietnamese citizens have been arrested June 25 on Mallorca Island, part of Spains Baleares Islands, for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl from the U.K.

The two Vietnamese citizens were "actor, musician", aged 37 and 42, reports said. They were produced before the court on June 28 and released on bail, but had their passports seized by Spanish authorities. The 17-year-old girl gave her statement to the court and it was verified by the police. She and her family left Mallorca on June 28.

The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that the two Vietnamese citizens stayed at the Sant Elm hotel in Mallorca, while the 17-year-old girl stayed with her family at a different hotel. She met and talked with the Vietnamese men at a restaurant on June 24.

Local media reported that the group exchanged "intimate" gestures before returning to the hotel room of one of the two Vietnamese men. The girl later reported to local police that she was raped in the hotel room. Authorities took the girl to the Son Espases hospital for a check-up and arrested the accused.
Visitors gather on the walking streets around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, May 1, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

There were 60.8 million domestic tourists in the first half of this year, 1.4 times the pre-pandemic number and already past the full-year target of 60 million.

June saw the highest monthly figure in recent years of 12.2 million, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Tourism revenues were however worth only VND265 trillion ($11.3 billion), or 66 percent of the year's target.

Ho Chi Minh City led the country with 11 million arrivals, 86 percent of the pre-pandemic figure.

It was followed by Hanoi (8.61 million) and HCMC's neighboring beach province Ba Ria-Vung Tau (6.98 million).

The demand for travel has been on the rise in recent months, according to data from Google's Destination Insights.

The number of searches related to domestic flights and accommodation increased by 500 percent year-on-year in June.

The 10 most searched tourist destinations were HCMC, Phu Quoc Island, Hanoi, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Vung Tau, Quy Nhon, Hue, and Phan Thiet.
On June 24, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned previous Supreme Court decisions which established a womans right to abortion, namely Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, for the last fifty years.

This historic decision reverberated across the world and sparked major protests in cities like Madrid, Dublin, London, Paris, Sydney, Toronto, from both pro-life groups and pro-abortion advocates. The European Parliament had decided to address the topic in a debate in its previous plenary, too, although abortion is not one of its competences. Several world heads of state (Macron, Trudeau, Johnson), as well as UN and WHO leaders made comments about the Courts ruling.

While we acknowledge that it is a US internal matter over which we have no say or influence, we cannot deny the reactions it stirred in Europe and all over the world. We are also worried about the language or tone taken around this issue, especially online, which often is misleading. For that reason, we would like to offer some context to this ruling and also dispel some myths regarding our own pro-life stance.

CONTEXT

In 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided in a case which was going to become a landmark when it came to protecting abortion, namely Roe vs. Wade. In that case, it was argued that a womans right to abortion is part of the right to privacy which stems from the 1st, 4th, 5th 9th and especially the 14th amendments to the US Constitution. It was said that personal and medical decisions are between a woman and her doctor, and the government cannot interfere. At the same time, that decision went further and outlined the phases of a pregnancy (trimesters) and said that women have sole power of decision during first trimester, the government can regulate (but not prohibit) during second trimester, and the government can prohibit abortion during the third trimester to protect a fetus who could survive outside the womb, except when a womans health was in danger.

In a subsequent case in 1992- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey- the Supreme Court upheld the central hold of Roe and established that restrictions on abortion are unconstitutional if they place an undue burden on a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus is viable. It revised Roe in replacing the trimester formula with viability and it acknowledged that a fetus may be viable earlier than Roe had decided. In Hellerstedt (2016) and Russo (2020), the Court invoked the Casey decision of undue burden to strike down Texas and Louisiana restrictions requiring abortion clinics to meet standards of surgical centers and abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

It is also worth mentioning that a rarely used abortion procedure known as D&E (dilation and evacuation) has been banned in US at federal level (Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, 2003) and upheld by the Courts Gonzales v. Carhart decision in 2007. Therefore, those who claimed it was taking place or that it was rampant across US were simply misleading their audience.

THE OVERTURN

A few days ago, SCOTUS published its decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, where an abortion clinic challenged the Mississippi Gestational Age Act which forbade abortions after 15 weeks and claimed it was unconstitutional. The Court rejected that claim and thus overturned Roe v. Wade and the subsequent decisions based on it. The majority opinion made several key points:

- The US Constitution does not explicitly or implicitly confer a right to abortion and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the States.

- The right to obtain an abortion is not rooted in the Nations history and tradition and is not an essential component of ordered liberty. The Justices wrote that prior to late 20th century there was no support in American law for a constitutional right to obtain an abortion, and the terms liberty and due process found in the 14th Amendment[1] cannot be applied to abortion, since historically it had been considered a crime.

- The right to obtain an abortion is not part of a broader entrenched right supported by legal precedents. What sharply distinguishes the abortion right from the rights recognized in the cases on which Roe and Casey rely is something that both those decisions acknowledged: Abortion is different because it destroys what Roe termed potential life and what the [Mississippi] law challenged in this case calls an unborn human being. wrote the Justices in the majority opinion.

- Roe v. Wade is a precedent which can be overruled because it was decided on weak or erroneous historical, medical and legal grounds.

AFTERMATH

Thirteen American States already had so-called trigger laws on the books, which were meant to go into effect the moment Roe v Wade was overturned, and which would make terminating a pregnancy illegal. Some of these laws are currently challenged in courts. Currently, seven states have a ban on abortion. Almost half of the American States are thought to have in the near future total or near-total bans on abortions.

Where does ECPM stand?

We are a European political party which promotes, via our members, the right to life and life-affirming policies, from conception to natural death. We support the right to life of both the mother as well as of the unborn child. We base our beliefs on Biblical teachings which say we are fearfully and wonderfully made inside our mothers womb, and on Christian-democrat tradition which values life, family and children. We are unapologetically pro-life and we see that as our right and freedom in the democratic society we live in.

Our members work tirelessly in their respective countries on legislative initiatives which support (single) mothers and needy families, provide financial help and which ensure pregnant women in crisis have adequate and complete information about ALL options at their disposal. We recognize that the available help is not perfect or even sufficient sometimes, and we are working on it. We advocate for supportive and social measures which would render abortion unnecessary and undesirable.

We find ourselves in agreement with the US Justices that abortion is not a constitutional or human right, in America or anywhere else. It is not enshrined in any international law charter or convention, therefore when abortion advocates are using the phrase the right to abortion, it is factually and legally inaccurate. Its unrestricted practice is also not rooted in historical or traditional precedent.

Lastly, the social context is essential in this discussion. In Europe we enjoy a rather robust social safety net, various protections and forms of support needy families and pregnant women can use. In United States, there is currently no federal maternity leave, no universal healthcare coverage and very little protection and financial help for children from poor families. We believe solid and comprehensive social support policies are necessary in order to foster and protect life, for women and families to flourish. However, that is for the American citizens to decide for themselves and although on this other side of the Atlantic we can discuss and opine over this historic shift, we remain aware that we have no say in the matter other than continue to pray with our American brothers and sisters.
The United States is deeply concerned by the June 14 mass conviction of some 60 opposition activists in Cambodia, including Cambodian-American lawyer Theary Seng. The sentencing of these opposition activists, many of whom are associated with the disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party, is the latest instance in an alarming pattern of threats, intimidation, and persecution of opposition political leaders and parties.



Convicted of treason, Theary Seng was sentenced to 6 years in prison; the others received sentences of five to eight years. Theary Seng told reporters she was ready for a "sham" guilty verdict. "I am ready and prepared to go to the notorious Cambodian prison for my political opinions, for my beliefs, for my belief in democracy, for my belief in freedom," she said. "I am ready to pay the price of prison in order that I live out my conscience and my belief in freedom and justice."

U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy tweeted out, We are deeply troubled by [the] verdict against Theary Seng. Freedom of expression and association, and tolerance of dissenting views, are vital components of democracy. We call on Cambodian authorities to release her and other human rights activists from unjust imprisonment.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for 37 years, rising to prominence in the 1980s, after the defeat of the Khmer Rouge regime. The Cambodia National Rescue Party was Hun Sens biggest political rival before it was disbanded by a court ruling prior to national elections in 2018 that led to victory for Hun Sen's Cambodia People's Party. Theary Seng and most of the other defendants were charged over a failed attempt by the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party to return from exile in 2019.



All Cambodians should be able to exercise their human rights, to express their views freely, to assemble peacefully, and to choose their leaders, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price. We call on Cambodian authorities to release all those unjustly detained, including Theary Seng, and protect freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, consistent with Cambodias constitution and its international obligations and commitments.



The United States stands with the Cambodian people and remains steadfast in support of their aspirations for democracy and human rights.
ELKO  The BLM Elko District seeks public comment on the proposed business plan to modify fees at four day-use sites and campgrounds in accordance with guidelines established by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA).

The new fees will be issued for short-term recreational use of specialized sites, facilities, or services that meet the fee collection guidelines established by FLREA and enable the BLM to continue to provide the best possible facilities and services to the public. The 30-day public review and comment period concludes on July 29, 2022.

Fees collected support maintenance and rebuilding of campsites including vault toilets, road maintenance and repair, and additional services to ensure a safe and healthy experience for both day use and overnight camping, said Gerald Dixon, BLM Elko District Manager. Fees at Elko District recreation sites have not been modified or increased in more than 20 years.

A copy of the proposed business plan can be found at https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-fees/business-plans or you may get a copy by contacting the BLM Elko District Office. The business plan includes detailed information regarding specific facilities and fees.

Comments may be mailed to the BLM Elko District Office, Attn: Outdoor Recreation Planner Tammy Owens, 3900 E. Idaho St., Elko, NV 89801 or emailed to BLM_NV_ELDOWebmail@blm.gov. Please note Business Plan Comment in the subject line and provide any comments by July 29, 2022.

For additional information, please contact BLM Assistant Field Manager, Elisabeth Puentes at 775-753-0294 or via email at epuentes@blm.gov.

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Taylor B. Nix, 28, of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee was arrested June 25, 2022 at Fifth and Commercial streets for fugitive felon from another state.

David E. Owens, 36, of Elko was arrested June 24, 2022, at 325 Bullion Road for violation of probation.

Anthone K. Santarone, 52, of Spring Creek was arrested June 24, 2022, at 512 Morse Lane on a felony warrant for grand larceny of a motor vehicle. Bail: $20,000

Ryan S. Flynn, 36, of Lamoille was arrested June 27, 2022, at Fifth and Silver streets for felony possession of a controlled substance and allowing child abuse or neglect. Bail: $7,500

Trenton R. Whitehouse, 31, of Elko was arrested June 27, 2022, at Wingers for attempted burglary of a motor vehicle. Bail: $5,000

Skylar J. Eldridge, 28, of Elko was arrested June 28, 2022, at the Nevada Parole and Probation Office for violation of probation.

Allen H. Mehlhaff, 38, of San Francisco was arrested June 28, 2022, on U.S. Highway 93 at Lages Junction for failure to appear after bail on a felony crime. Bail: $7,500

Dillon R. Papach, 32, of Elko was arrested June 28, 2022, at Walmart for failure to appear after bail on a felony crime. Bail: $15,000

Mitchell B. Remington, 19, of Battle Mountain was arrested June 28, 2022, on Interstate 80 for violation of probation; displaying bogus vehicle registration, plate or title; possessing one ounce or less of marijuana; license plates displayed improperly; driving without a drivers license; failure to wear safety belt; and on a criminal justice detainer.

Cody D. Twitchell, 29, of Elko was arrested June 28, 2022, at Elko County Jail for fugitive from another state.

Norman D. Wasson, 38, of Elko was arrested June 28, 2022, at 177 W. Court St. for camping on public property and failure to appear after bail on a felony crime. Bail: $20,640

Daniel J. Aguilar, 28, of Elko was arrested June 30, 2022, at Ruby Valley Road and Harrison Drive for assaulting a first responder with a deadly weapon, two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, driver disobeying peace officer endangering others, destroying or concealing evidence, and reckless driving disregarding personal or property safety. Bail: $38,390

Todd L. Dixon, 52, of Elko was arrested June 29, 2022, at Dottys for burglary of a motor vehicle and grand larceny. Bail: $10,000

Michael M. Ventura, 37, of Elko was arrested June 29, 2022, at Dottys for burglary of a motor vehicle and grand larceny. Bail: $10,000

Steven A. Gomez, 39, of Elko was arrested June 30, 2022, at Elko County Jail for fugitive felon from another state.

Samuel R. Leivas, 50, of West Wendover was arrested June 30, 2022, at 1560 Eastline Road for assault with a deadly weapon, interfering with a public official by threat of force or violence, resisting a public officer, and fugitive felon from another state.

Anamaria Robles, 21, of Elko was arrested July 1, 2022, at Maverick Casino for violation of probation.

Rick M. Robles, 49, of Elko was arrested June 30, 2022, at 7176 Kayenta Drive on four counts of forgery, trafficking a controlled substance, two counts of child abuse or neglect, felony possession of a controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia. Bail: $245,640

Javier I. Silva, 41, of Elko was arrested June 30, 2022, at Lamoille Highway and Sunrise Drive for use or possession of a stun gun or device by a felon or fugitive, driving with a suspended drivers license, and no proof of insurance. Bail: $21,095

Amber M. Smith, 39, of Elko was arrested June 30, 2022, on Puccinelli Parkway for felony possession of a controlled substance. Bail: $5,000

The charges listed do not imply guilt. Under the law, everyone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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The Board of Regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) voted 10-3 to end a COVID vaccine mandate for higher education employees during a special meeting Thursday, ending the requirement less than seven months after it went into effect.

The move comes after an internal system task force raised concerns earlier this year that the mandate, as written, did little to account for the need for booster shots meant to combat the Omicron variant.

The task force also raised concerns over the justifiability of continuing an employee rule in the absence of any student equivalent, after a procedural vote from lawmakers last December functionally ended that student mandate.

The shift comes as a part of the original language of the policy passed last year, which required regents to reassess the mandate sometime before the start of the 2022-2023 academic year.

Only three regents  Regents Jason Geddes, Mark Doubrava and Lois Tarkanian  opposed the repeal. Tarkanian did not specify her reasoning, though both Geddes and Doubrava expressed concerns over the mandate being repealed.

In presenting the proposal to the board, interim system leader Crystal Abba told regents that the repeal was not necessarily a function of opposing the use of vaccines, but rather an end to a mandate that had triggered numerous human resources issues without necessarily meeting the goals laid out by the creation of the mandate.

Were not asserting that we dont care about vaccines anymore, Abba said. What were saying is this is important, but there are ways that we can protect ourselves without having the COVID vaccine requirements in place, given where we are in the situation with the pandemic.

The motion to repeal the mandate also included the passage of a resolution encouraging students and employees to get the vaccine, while also affirming that NSHE will continue to abide by any regulatory mandates laid down by the governor or state Board of Health.

That resolution was also tweaked during deliberations to leave the door open for a wide range of possible mitigation measures after at least one regent, Geddes, said that an initial focus on masks in the resolution just doesnt go far enough.

The final version of the resolution reaffirmed that  in the absence of specific requirements from the governors office  the presidents of individual institutions maintain the authority to create their own COVID mitigation regulations, a range that implicitly includes possible mask mandates.

There are currently no mask mandates on Nevada campuses following the lifting of a statewide mandate by the governor in March. However, in June, following a declaration by Southern Nevada health officials that COVID transmission was high, UNLV made a non-binding recommendation that those on campus begin wearing masks in communal spaces again.

Higher education vaccine mandates in Nevada began at the student level, after the governors COVID task force, alongside the NSHE task force, recommended the implementation of a mandate for students enrolling in person at public colleges and universities for the spring 2021 semester.

After a furious public debate that opened political fissures behind the scenes at NSHE, that student mandate was eventually approved by the state Board of Health in late August, and took effect in November 2021.

In the midst of those discussions, regents separately explored the creation of an employee mandate, eventually voting 10-3 to approve the requirement  as well as religious and medical exemptions  in late September 2021.

However, when state lawmakers deadlocked over a procedural vote that would have ended the emergency status of the student mandate and extended it into the new year, anti-mandate regents moved to hold a new vote on the employee requirement before it went into effect at the end of the calendar year.

However, with one regent absent, the Board of Regents also deadlocked in a 6-6 vote, essentially preserving the employee mandate and terminating 209 unvaccinated employees in the new year.

After lengthy search, regents tap replacement for special counsel

In a separate vote Thursday, regents also voted 11-1 to approve Robert Kilroy as the boards new chief of staff and special counsel, ending a more than year-long search to replace the former special counsel, Dean Gould.

Under the terms of the offer sheet presented Thursday, Kilroy  currently the senior deputy general counsel for the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners and a former deputy attorney general under former Attorney General (now-Senator) Catherine Cortez Masto  is set to receive a base salary of just under $209,000 per year beginning on Aug. 8.

Gould left the system in late 2020, following a workplace dispute between himself and another then-regent, Lisa Levine. During a debate over parliamentary procedure during a heated discussion over Title IX regulations, Gould told Levine: I dont want to man-speak but I will have to if you continue to child-speak, so please stop.

The comment drew widespread condemnation on social media, including from elected Democrats, including Gov. Steve Sisolak and Rep. Dina Titus.

In a statement released at the time, Gould criticized Levines lack of decorum. An investigation into the incident by a third-party law firm did not yield any publicly released results.

After Goulds departure, regents spent several months without a special counsel before opening a formal search in spring 2021. That search stalled and later failed, amid allegations from a former regent who had applied for the position, James Dean Leavitt, who alleged that he had been unfairly excluded from the semi-finalist pool.

Following long-running disruptions to board business stemming from the hostile workplace complaint filed by former Chancellor Melody Rose, regents eventually restarted the search that culminated in the appointment of Kilroy on Thursday.

However, it appears it came again with a complaint from Leavitt, who sent another letter to the board this week alleging that he had again been unfairly excluded from the semi-finalist pool and calling for the continuation of the search.

To that end, Regent Patrick Boylan requested an investigation of the hiring process for the special counsel during the meetings new business section, though it is unclear what form that investigation  if one does occur  will take.

<&rule>

The Nevada Independent is a 5013 nonprofit news organization. We are committed to transparency and disclose all our donors. The following people or entities mentioned in this article are financial supporters of our work:

Steve Sisolak$3,200

Jason Geddes$585

Lisa Levine$332

Lisa Levine$100

Dean Gould$25

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LUCIN, Box Elder County  A squatter who was living near 19-year-old Dylan Rounds when he went missing from the remote community of Lucin in northwest Utah in May faces new criminal charges in federal court.

James Brenner, 58, was charged in the U.S. District Court of Utah on Thursday with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was also charged in 1st District Court on June 23 with three counts of being a restricted person in possession of a firearm, a third-degree felony.

Dylan Rounds, originally from Rigby, Idaho, was last heard from on May 28. According to family members, Rounds lived by himself in a camp trailer where he farmed grain. Family members reported Rounds missing to the Box Elder County Sheriffs Office on May 30.

On this day, (Rounds) contacted a relative by phone and told them that he was putting the grain truck into shelter, according to the complaint filed in federal court.

The shelter for the grain truck is adjacent to two other parcels of land, the charges state. Brenner was squatting in a trailer on one of those parcels about five miles away from Rounds home, the charges state.

Brenner, who is considered a family friend of Rounds, was interviewed by law enforcement on June 7.

On June 11, the Box Elder County Sheriffs Office requested assistance from the FBI and Davis County Sheriffs Office. Five days later, law enforcers served a search warrant on Brenners trailer.

During that search, ball ammunition, ignition caps, black powder, and speed loads, all related to muzzle loading were located and photographed in the trailer, but the items were not seized at this time, according to the charges.

On June 20, another neighbor was interviewed and told investigators that after Rounds went missing and before Brenner was questioned on June 7, Brenner brought three black powder guns over to (the neighbors) residence and asked him to safekeep them. When (the neighbor) asked why, Brenner stated that he needed to do this for his own safety and that the last time he had trouble with the law they took everything from him, and he did not want the things he had left to be taken again, the charges state.

The neighbor also said that Brenner brought a .22-caliber rifle to his residence about the same time.

He explained to us that the rifle had been left in a trailer on the property where Brenner had been living, prior to Brenner living there, by a person who owed (the neighbor) money. Brenner upon moving into the trailer had taken possession of it. (The neighbor) knew that Brenner wasnt allowed to have firearms because of his criminal history, charging documents state.

The three muzzle-loaders and rifle were handed over to police.

On June 21, officers went back to Brenners trailer with another search warrant and more ammunition, a muzzle loader, black powder and ignition caps were seized, the charges state.

Brenner previously served 2  years in federal prison after a 2012 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The search for Rounds continued Thursday. No arrests have been made or charges filed in connection with his disappearance.

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The safe storage of mining waste has been a critical part of the debate over a lithium mine in northern Nevada, and now environmental advocates are pointing to a report warning that flawed analysis of the mine may lead to failures that could unleash toxic slurry into the states watershed.

Lithium Nevada, a subsidiary of Canada based Lithium Americas, plans to build a lithium mine near the Oregon-Nevada border, after securing federal approval early last year. The mine has also secured a number of state permits required to begin construction of the project.

On Monday, one of those state permits was unsuccessfully challenged by the Great Basin Resource Watch, a conservation group that has strongly opposed the mine.

The Nevada State Environmental Commissions five-member appeals board ruled against the conservation groups appeal of a state permit allowing the mine to produce and store at least 60 million tons of toxic mining waste on Nevadas landscape.

However, the group argues a major report they commissioned detailing flaws in Lithium Nevadas plan to contain contaminated water waste produced by the mine was stricken from the hearing after Lithium Nevada objected to its inclusion on procedural grounds.

During the hearing, representatives for the Great Basin Resource Watch repeatedly alluded to the report, saying they could not argue their case to the panel after their central evidence was blocked.

Representatives for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, however, said the report submitted by the conservation group contained falsely generated catastrophic concerns.

At the center of the conflict is whether or not clay, a porous material, retains more water than sand.

Lithium Nevada says that the mine at Thacker Pass will be a zero-water discharge facility, meaning that toxic water used for mining will be captured, purified, and recycled rather than dumped back into the environment and waterways.

The mine says it plans to store much of its waste using a dry stack method, an emerging technology that some environmental nonprofits and mining experts argue will better prevent water pollution. The method involves miners removing water from waste and working it into a sandy mixture thats left over once minerals are extracted, which is then put on a liner and covered with soil and vegetation.

But the report prepared for Great Basin Research Watch by Steven Emerman, an associate professor of Hydrology for Utah Valley University who has evaluated mining projects from North America to Asia, has left conservationists troubled about the viability of the mines strategy for containing toxic water waste.

Moisture content for waste using the dry stack method is typically around 23%, according to Emerman, as storage facilities for mining waste using the drier technique are not designed to keep large amounts of contaminated water from seeping through. But the moisture content of the waste produced by Thacker Pass would be 46%  twice that of conventional tailings or rock waste.

It would probably have greater water content than any tailings storage facility ever constructed, wrote Emerman in the report. Although this should be a zero-discharge facility, seepage rates would be tens to thousands of gallons per minute and would continue for decades after closure with no provisions for management of the seepage.

Thats because the mine is planning to extract lithium from clayrich soil that retains much more water than the sand found in other environments. According to the report, the saturation rate of clay used for dry stacking could be up to 52%an unprecedented practice for filtered tailings, writes Emerman.

The filtration of clay tailings is a new technology and there are no operating mines with filtered clay tailings anywhere in the world, Emerman wrote.

Just a bad process

During the hearing, attorneys for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection said Lithium Nevadas infrastructure plan for water seepage was more than sufficient to ensure complete containment and no degradation to the states water.

Representatives for the division detailed a separate report by Lithium Nevada that found seepage would not be an issue as a result of the companys drying method for tailings.

The permit issued here is a zero discharge permit, meaning no contaminated water is permitted to be discharged in the states water, said deputy attorney general for the division, Andrew Bell. The Division received and reviewed multiple credible reports that showed the project will not contaminate the states water.

Attorneys representing Lithum Nevada also said they would monitor fluid levels in the reclaim pond  which is designed to capture water waste  daily and that any water collected would not be discharged into the environment.

In his report Emerman says his findings show that even if seepage could be managed through the reclaim pond the amount of water waste produced by the porous clay tailings would make the reclamation pond entirely inadequate.

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection also argued there are precedents for dry stacking with clay-rich soil, such as the Pumpkin Hollow copper mine near Yerington.

Representatives for Great Basin Resource Watch maintained that all precedents named by the division are either not in operation or processing hard-rock ores rather than extracting metal from clay deposits, as planned at the Thacker Pass mine.

The conservation group argued the division should have exercised extra due diligence to address possible water pollution due to the unique nature of the mine and carefully reviewed all analysis before granting permits.

To us, its just a bad process, said John Hadder, director of the Great Basin Resource Watch. We wish the agency would have held off on finalizing the permit until more information was in.

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Originally published on nevadacurrent.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
Policymakers in Washington are calling for a nationwide energy transformationa future dominated by electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, and wind turbines. But theres a catch. Not only does China currently control the supply of critical minerals required for these advanced technologies, but recent news reports make clear that Beijing also relies on forced labor to make them a reality. This begs a question: Do Americans really want an energy future monopolized by Chinese supply chains rife with labor abuses?

Nowhere is this quandary more evident than in the electric vehicle industry, particularly high-tech EV batteries. The International Energy Agency predicts that, by 2040, the demand for lithium, nickel, graphite, and cobalt used in EV batteries could jump by a staggering 30 times. And thats where China smartly has a stranglehold, since it controls 70 percent of the worlds lithium supplies, for example, and almost all of the worlds graphite.

Unfortunately, the U.S. has allowed itself to become heavily reliant on imports for 47 of the worlds key minerals. In fact, the U.S. is 100 percent import-reliant for 17 of them. This leaves the United States dependent on mineral supplies from China in order to build its EV future. And thats doubly problematic since its now apparent that Chinese companies are using forced labor to extract these raw materials.

Specifically, the mining conglomerate Xinjiang Nonferrous Metal Industry uses hundreds of ethnic Uyghurs from western China in its mining workforce. This isnt the first time were hearing about labor abuse in China, however. Its estimated that since 2017 at least 80,000 Uyghurs have been transferred from Xinjiang to forced labor across China. And roughly 82 well-known global brands have utilized this forced labor in their supply chains.

Beijings comfort with labor abuse should be no surprise, though. Chinese firms also control much of the cobalt mining in the Congoand are complicit in the use child labor to extract raw cobalt under grueling conditions.

Americas EV revolution shouldnt be built on a foundation dominated by China. As the demand for critical minerals soars, the U.S. must get serious about building a secure, reliable, and responsible supply chain of our own. We can do so if we choose, since the U.S. is home to an estimated $6.2 trillion worth of untapped mineral reserves. That includes everything from rare earth elements to lithium, nickel, and cobalt.

What we need now is a commitment to produce these critical resources at home. But China is hard at work trying to stop that from happening. In the wake of President Biden invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to ramp up Americas mining sector, China has launched social media campaigns to discredit U.S. mining. The cyber-security consulting group Mandiant says that China has used fake social media accounts to feign concern over environmental and health issues related to U.S. mining. These fraudulent accounts have also criticized President Bidens use of the DPA.

Clearly, China wants the U.S. to remain reliant on mining imports. But thats all the more reason to get American mining up and running.

The answer is for Washington to finally address the bureaucratic hurdles handcuffing Americas mining industryparticularly the duplicative and painfully cumbersome mine permitting process that regularly takes a decade or longer. Doing so will strengthen U.S. economic and national security while also creating good jobs at home. And that means future U.S. energy policy wont fund Chinas abhorrent labor abuses.

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The Hong Kong community said they were greatly uplifted and encouraged by President Xi Jinping's visit amid the pandemic, which demonstrated his great care and support for the city as it emerged stronger after withstanding a string of recent challenges.

Residents made the remarks after Xi kicked off his inspection tour of Hong Kong on Thursday to mark the city's grand 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland. He will attend a celebration meeting and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1 and inspect the region.

After arriving at the West Kowloon Railway Station by train on Thursday afternoon, Xi said he feels great care and concern for Hong Kong, and expressed great confidence in the "one country, two systems" principle and in the city's future.

Lawmaker Joephy Chan Wing-yan said Xi's visit amid the pandemic outbreak reflects his great care for Hong Kong and his firm support of "one country, two systems".

"It gave us a strong shot in the arm and proved that the motherland will always be the strong backing of Hong Kong, no matter what difficulties the city faces," Chan said.

Chan said this year's celebration is quite meaningful, as the city has regained stability following a period of chaos and has successfully held three major elections under the revamped electoral system.

The visit, a strong endorsement of "patriots administering Hong Kong", will greatly boost Hong Kong people's confidence in the new political system, and guide the city's future development under the nation's blueprint, Chan said.

A woman takes a photo of three children standing on the podium marked with the logo of the HKSAR's 25th anniversary, June 30, 2022. (Calvin Ng/China Daily)

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, Hong Kong lawmaker and convener of the Executive Council for the new-term SAR government, said that  thanks to the efforts of the central government led by Xi during the social unrest, and the changes made to the city's electoral system  Hong Kong now has a good foundation to start anew.

Ip said that Xi's visit is of great importance, and that many in the city are excited about it, as he played an important role in helping the city transition from chaos to order and peace.

Ip said Xi attaches great importance to the city's development in innovation, technology and culture, which will facilitate the city's integration into the nation's development.

Innes Tang, 57 and chairman of Politihk Social Strategic, a local non-profit organization, was thrilled to see Xi in Hong Kong, saying that his visit here is of significance, and a boost of encouragement to the residents at a time when the city is set to make strides towards achieving new goals under the new-term government.

Xi's visit to the city is his first trip outside the Chinese mainland since the pandemic struck in early 2020, demonstrating his great care for the city, Tang said.

In Tang's opinion, Xi's visit and his remarks upon arrival served as a pat on the back for Hong Kong. "With the strong backing of the central government, we are brimming with confidence for Hong Kong's future," Tang said.

Young pianist Ricky Chiu Lam-ho, who is 25 and was born in 1997 when Hong Kong was returned to the motherland, said Xi's return to the city five years after his last trip shows Xi's continuing care and concern for the city. Chiu, a senior student at a conservatory in Vienna, returned to Hong Kong from Austria to attend the 25th anniversary celebrations. While waiting for Xi's arrival, the youngster said he was particularly looking forward to finding out what Xi's plans are for the city and its future.

His questions were answered by Xi in his speech at the station. Chiu believes the HKSAR will play an essential role in the country's development by making good use of its stable and superior social conditions, just as Xi outlined in his speech: "as long as one country, two systems is upheld unswervingly, Hong Kong will surely have an even brighter future and make new greater contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

Xi, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, was warmly received by a crowd of Hong Kong residents, which included local students and representatives of various sectors, waving national and HKSAR flags at the railway station. A lion dance with a drum and trumpet was also performed for the occasion. The sound of the instruments echoed through the station, which was decorated with colorful banners and billboards celebrating the grand anniversary.

In 2017, Xi also made a three-day inspection tour of the city to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its return to the motherland. He met with officials, social leaders and youngsters, witnessed the signing of major cross-boundary cooperation pacts, and inspected key infrastructure.
Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue (left) on June 30 had a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab as part of his official visit to the UK. (Photo: VNA)

Raab said NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hues visit was of significance as it contributes to promoting the UK-Vietnam strategic partnership, especially legislative ties between the two countries.

He spoke highly of Vietnams increasing role and position in the region and the world at large, stressing that the UK wants to boost cooperation with Vietnam in various spheres, especially economy, trade, investment, national defence, security, education, justice and climate change response.

For his part, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed the importance Vietnam attaches to the bilateral relationship, and emphasised that the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership is developing strongly in various fields and at different levels.

The two sides shared the view that the relationship is now at an all-time high, and there still remains huge room for the two countries to advance it, especially at the time when Vietnam and the UK have become strategic partners, signed a free trade agreement, and established many effective cooperation mechanisms, both bilateral and multilateral.

The political and diplomatic ties are also thriving in all channels, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they said, agreeing to maintain the existing cooperation mechanisms.

For economic, trade and investment links, they said the results have yet to match potential and expectations of both sides, and held that the two countries should better optimise incentives of the bilateral trade deal to boost the economic ties after COVID-19, and cope with challenges regarding supply chains, and energy and food security.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue suggested the two sides create conditions for British firms to expand investment in Vietnam, especially in green finance, pharmacy, health care, digital technology, education, start-up, innovation, infrastructure building, and clean energy.

The NA Chairman also called on the British government to further support the Vietnamese community in the host country.

Raab thanked Vietnam for its support to the UK to become a dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and asked for Vietnams support to soon join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Lauding the UKs role in the successful organisation of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) last year, Hue called on developed countries and international organisations to help Vietnam with green finance, technology, renewable energy development and personnel training to achieve the commitments at the conference.

He also called for British investments in association with climate change response in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese NA backs the government and will work to enhance its role and integrate the commitments into local laws to soon fulfill the set targets, the leader noted.

Applauding the signing of a letter of intent on the signing of a new memorandum of understanding on cooperation in legal and judicial issues, by the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice and its British counterpart within the framework of the visit, Hue such collaboration creates a legal framework for partnerships in other areas.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern, and emphasised the significance of law observance, saying all countries must follow basic principles of international law and the UN Charter.

Sea-related issues should be addressed on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), they said.

On this occasion, Hue asked Raab to convey Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's invitation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to visit Vietnam.

Also on June 30, the NA Chairman met with Home Secretary Priti Patel who lauded efforts by Vietnamese and British agencies in the signing of a memorandum of understanding on money laundering prevention and control.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (right) and the UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel. (Photo: VNA)

Hue spoke highly of the UKs support to many countries, including Vietnam, in the fight against money laundering and terrorism.

Patel expressed her belief that NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hues visit will promote not only the bilateral legislative ties but also cooperation in economy, trade and finance, including the combat against financial and money laundering crimes, and illegal migrants.

They said Vietnam and the UK should cooperate in handling common challenges like traditional security challenges and transnational crimes.

The UK side pledged to continue its assistance to Vietnam in technology and training.

On this occasion, Hue witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of understanding on money laundering prevention and control between Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam and Patel./.
From July 3 to 14, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair the seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers Meeting in Myanmar, attend the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Indonesia upon invitation, pay an official visit to Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia and host the second Meeting of China-Indonesia High-level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism, and chair the 14th Meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation and the sixth Meeting of China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee in Nanning, Guangxi.

CCTV: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has visited Chinas neighboring countries several times over the past couple of years and held frequent virtual and in-person interactions with leaders in Southeast Asian countries. Could you share with us Chinas consideration and expectation for his upcoming trip to the four regional countries?

Zhao Lijian: China and Southeast Asian countries are friendly neighbors. We are linked by mountains and rivers and share our future together. We are also important partners that share vast common interests and seek common development. At present, mankinds pursuit of peace and development is confronted with strong headwinds in the face of the combined impact of major changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century. In a world fraught with turbulence and changes, China and Southeast Asian nations have worked hand in hand to address the challenges, safeguarded peace and stability in our region, and cultivated this region into a most dynamic and promising hub for development.

Through this visit, China hopes to deepen strategic communication with the four Southeast Asian countries, work for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, strive to build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, inject new impetus into and foster new highlights in bilateral relations, and get the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership off to a good start. The Chinese side will also work in concert with Southeast Asian nations to advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, boost economic recovery, uphold peace and tranquility, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and make greater contributions to regional and global peace and development.

Phoenix TV: Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland. This morning a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was held. At the same time, some Western countries including the US and the UK issued statements claiming that Hong Kongs democracy and rule of law had been undermined and that China had failed to comply with its commitment to One Country, Two Systems. Whats Chinas comment?

Zhao Lijian: Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland. President Xi Jinping personally attended the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term HKSAR government, and visited the Hong Kong SAR. He was warmly greeted by people from various sectors.

President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland. He fully recognized the success seen by the world of One Country, Two Systems in the past 25 years. He stressed that One Country, Two Systems is a sound policy that has been well-tested in practice. It serves the fundamental interests of the country and the entire nation, and serves the fundamental interests of Hong Kong and Macao. It has the overwhelming support of the over 1.4 billion Chinese people and has been fully endorsed by residents across Hong Kong and Macao. It has also been well-received internationally. President Xi underscored that the Central Government will remain firmly committed over the long term to the policy of One Country, Two Systems without deviating. He also stressed the importance of applying the policy fully and faithfully, of ensuring a high degree of autonomy in the SAR while upholding the Central Authorities overall jurisdiction, of following the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong, and of maintaining Hong Kongs unique status and advantages. President Xis important speech has drawn up a blueprint for Hong Kongs development as it enters the new stage of transition from governance to greater prosperity, and pointed the way to achieve steady and continued success of One Country, Two Systems. We are convinced that with the strong leadership and firm support of the Central Authorities, with the great motherland having its back, and with the united efforts of the over seven million Hong Kong compatriots, Hong Kong will surely create an even brighter future.

At this joyous moment for Hong Kong compatriots and all other Chinese, certain Western countries chose to wantonly criticize the practice of One Country, Two Systems in Hong Kong and point their fingers at Hong Kong affairs, which are purely Chinas domestic affairs. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn this. These countries keep stressing the importance of democracy and human rights, but remain oblivious to their own serious problems and poor track records. They have no authority to pass judgement on a prospering, stable, united and flourishing Hong Kong. We want to make it clear to these countries that no attempt to maliciously smear the success of One Country, Two Systems will lead anywhere; no attempt to meddle in Chinas internal affairs will succeed; no external force will bar the steady and continued success of One Country, Two Systems or stop Hong Kong from enjoying lasting prosperity and stability.

Peoples Daily: Whats Chinas expectation for the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting?

Zhao Lijian: The world is facing the persistent impact of the pandemic, turbulence in the international situation and setbacks in global economic recovery. The G20, as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, needs to take the lead in strengthening multilateralism, improving global economic governance, and working toward robust, green and sound global development. China is ready to work with all parties for a productive foreign ministers meeting, and send a positive message of the G20s commitment to supporting multilateralism, deepening solidarity and cooperation and jointly responding to global challenges.

CRI: How does China assess the development of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation at the moment? Whats Chinas expectation for the seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers Meeting?

Zhao Lijian: The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) is the first new type of sub-regional cooperation mechanism jointly initiated and established by the six riparian countries. For six years since its launch, the six riparian countries have upheld the original aspiration for win-win cooperation and common development and deepened practical cooperation in various areas. We six countries have built a shining example for regional cooperation, and steadily injected vibrancy into regional development. China expects that this meeting will offer an opportunity for countries to further cement political mutual trust, take stock of cooperation experience, outline development blueprints and elevate LMC to new heights to jointly build an area of demonstration for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, an area of pioneering efforts under the Global Development Initiative and an area of cooperation under the Global Security Initiative in order to bring more benefits to the people in the six countries and provide a stronger boost to regional stability and prosperity.

Associated Press of Pakistan: Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi conducted a two-day visit to Pakistan. Can you share some details? And what is the significance of the visit?

Zhao Lijian: At the invitation of the government of Pakistan, Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, paid an official visit to Pakistan from June 29 to 30. During his visit, Director Yang met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa respectively, and the two sides had in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations, practical cooperation and international and regional issues of common interest.

Director Yang stressed that China always prioritizes China-Pakistan relations in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is ready to further strengthen policy communication and link up development strategies with Pakistan, continue the traditional friendship, enhance strategic mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, ensure the safety, smoothness and high quality of cooperation to develop the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and jointly build an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. The Pakistani side stressed that developing relations with China serves as the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Pakistan is ready to work with China to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, speed up the construction of CPEC and elevate the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China to a new height. Both sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in safeguarding and promoting regional security, stability and development as well as counter-terrorism, and play a positive role in regional and global peace and development.

Beijing Youth Daily: At the 50th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, a member of the US delegation said that disinformation is a dangerous, quick, and inexpensive way to destabilize societies, sow confusion, and shake public trust. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Speaking of disinformation, that US official must have quite a lot of experience, for the US is a true expert on playing with disinformation. The US is accustomed to using the public opinion machine and its hegemony of narrative to distort facts, cover up its egregious acts and evade accountability.

The Iraq War is a case in point. With a false claim backed by a vial of white powder, or what some describe as washing powder, the US waged the Iraq War, which lasted eight long years and killed more than 200,000 civilians. By monopolizing the source of information, the US sought to convince the world that its military operation there was clean and responsible. In 2009, then Associated Press CEO Tom Curley criticized the US administration, saying that it turned the US military into a global propaganda machine. A high-ranking US military official even threatened to do away with Curley and AP if they continued to follow the principles of journalism. In order to hide the atrocities it committed during the war from the world, the US military invented a whole set of narratives, which calls civilian casualties collateral damage, murders key operations, extorting confessions by torture enhanced interrogation techniques and killing civilians wasting the enemy.

The US also suppressed targeted media outlets to manipulate the narrative of wars. In the Kosovo War, the US-led NATO bombed the Radio Television of Serbia headquarters in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and killed dozens of media practitioners and civilians in order to stop the countrys media from reporting what truly happened there to the rest of the world. In March this year, people in Serbia unfurled huge banners carrying the names of victim countries and regions of wars launched by the US and NATO at a Europa League match. It was a scene to behold, yet it received very little media coverage in the US.

Nothing can change the truth. A lie will always be a lie. The US may present itself as an advocate for justice or a superhero trying to save the world using whatever kind of narratives it comes up with and glosses itself over, and still nothing can hide its hypocrisy, hegemony and double standard on justice. We believe more and more people will find out about what the US is truly like.

Reuters: General Motors said today that its called off the sale of a shutdown Indian plant to Chinas Great Wall Motor after Great Wall Motor failed to obtain regulatory approvals in India. Whats Chinas foreign ministrys comment to that?



Zhao Lijian: We noticed relevant reports. We hope relevant country will act upon its commitment to openness and cooperation, and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign investors.

Phoenix TV: At the NATO Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the security and defense of Europe and the Indo-Pacific are inseparable. No attempt to make unilateral changes to the status quo with force should be allowed. Japan has a strong sense of crisis that Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We have noted relevant reports. Japan is merely repeating its old rhetoric at the NATO Summit. While claiming itself to be against changing the status quo by force, Japan is actually looking for excuses to justify its own military buildup. This has long become quite clear to others. Before talking about East Asias future, one needs to first think about what happened to East Asia in the past. If Japan truly hopes to see a peaceful and stable East Asia, it should seriously reflect upon its history of militarist aggression, draw lessons from it, instead of going about stirring up trouble and fanning the flame.

Japan says it welcomes greater input from NATO to the Indo-Pacific region. It seems Japan intends to spearhead NATOs foray into the Asia-Pacific. This is driven entirely by selfish interest and a Cold War mentality. It will only stoke bloc confrontation and create antagonism and division in the region. Nothing good will come out of this for Japan or any other regional country. I would like to stress that East Asia is one of the most peaceful and stable regions in the world and a promising land for cooperation and development, not an arena for geopolitical contest. Any attempt to undermine its peace and stability and sabotage regional solidarity and cooperation will be jointly rejected by the people in China and the rest of East Asia. Such attempts are bound to fail.

Bloomberg: The new Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will also attend the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. You said that China is ready to work with all parties for positive outcomes from the meeting. Does that include Australia? Will Wang Yi be willing to meet with Australias foreign minister?

Zhao Lijian: As usual, on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will have a number of bilateral meetings. As for the meeting between Chinese and Australian foreign ministers you asked about, I have nothing to release.

Bloomberg: You commented earlier about the criticism of the UK and the US about the situation in Hong Kong. Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night said that the actions of the Hong Kong government had breached the Joint Declaration that governed Hong Kongs handover and the drafting of its Basic Law. Do you have any comment on these comments from the prime minister?

Zhao Lijian: The Chinese side has elaborated on its position on the Sino-British Joint Declaration on multiple occasions. Hong Kong is Chinas Hong Kong. No external force has the right to interfere in Hong Kong affairs. The UK has no sovereignty, no power of administration, and no right of supervision over Hong Kong after its return to the motherland. There is no so-called promise to keep. The UK has time and again brought up the Sino-British Joint Declaration to support its argument, yet it only exposes its dark and outdated colonial mindset and malicious intention to tarnish Hong Kongs image under the pretext of human rights. The UK should accept the fact that it has been 25 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland. The UK should view Hong Kongs development in an objective and unbiased light, respect Chinas sovereignty and unity, stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs or anything else that belongs to Chinas domestic affairs, and stop creating trouble for China-UK relations.

Reuters: Yesterday the US Supreme Court decided, ruling six to three, that it would limit the powers of the USs top environmental regulator to curb carbon emissions. I wondered if the Chinese foreign ministry had a comment?

Zhao Lijian: China has taken note of the relevant ruling and the international communitys fair criticism of it. As we always say, to address climate change, it is not enough to just chant slogans. It is about everyone doing their own part. We hope that all parties will actively fulfill the commitments theyve made and work together to turn into reality the green and low-carbon vision set out in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. We urge developed countries, including the US, to earnestly abide by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, own up to their historical responsibilities and show greater ambition and actions. At the same time, developed countries should effectively help developing countries enhance their capacity to cope with climate change in terms of funding, technology and capacity building.

***

The following question was raised after the press conference:

On June 29, the Republic of Koreas senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Choi Sang-mok said at a press briefing during the NATO summit that the era of export boom through China that South Korea has enjoyed over the past 20 years is coming to an end, adding that the ROK needs to develop its economy through cooperation with Europe. His remarks have triggered opposition to and concerns over decoupling with China in the ROK. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: I noted what Mr. Choi Sang-mok told the press on June 29 and the attention and reaction it received from China and the ROK. I would like to share some figures here. According to our statistics, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and huge downward pressure on the world economy, China-ROK two-way trade volume increased by 26.9% year-on-year to a record-high $362.35 billion last year, which is higher than the figure of the ROKs trade with the US, Japan and Europe combined. The ROK export to China reached $213.49 billion and its import from China stood at $148.86 billion, taking the ROKs trade surplus with China to $64.63 billion. Apart from trade, two-way investment exceeded $100 billion. The two countries central banks have signed a local currency swap agreement worth RMB 400 billion. These figures fully attest to the high degree of integration of the two closely-intertwined economies. I would like to stress that fundamentally what drives the rapid development of China-ROK relations across the board is mutual benefit. The current situation is a result of market laws. China stands ready to work together with the ROK to advance economic and trade cooperation and deliver more benefits to both peoples.

***

Today marks the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return to the motherland. We wish the CPC a happy birthday and all the best for Hong Kong and for our motherland!
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky noted that the export of Ukrainian electricity to the European Union can compensate for part of the Russian gas consumed by Europeans.

"Today, another significant step in our rapprochement with the European Union took place - Ukraine launched a significant export of electricity to the territory of the EU, to Romania. And this is only the first stage. We are preparing to increase supply," he said in a traditional video message on Thursday evening.

"At the expense of Ukrainian electricity, a significant part of the Russian gas consumed by Europeans can be replaced. That is, it is not just a question of export revenue for us, it is a question of security for the whole of Europe," he stressed.

He reminded that "our country joined the common energy system of the EU already after the start of the war. Ukraine is doing things that seemed impossible."
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen calls on Ukraine to focus on implementing the law on deoligarchization.

She said today Ukraine is the only country in the Eastern Partnership that has adopted a law to split the pincers of oligarchic power into the economy. Now it is necessary to focus on the implementation of this law and take into account properly all the conclusions of the Venice Commission, she said, speaking online at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada.

She called on Ukraine to intensify the work of the country's institutions to combat corruption and to appoint a responsible leadership for this as soon as possible.

Investments (in the reconstruction of Ukraine) should go along with reforms, she said. She urged to start the fight against corruption.

According to her, anti-corruption institutions have been created in Ukraine, and now the main task is for these institutions to be headed by worthy people. She stressed that the heads of SAPO and NABU should be appointed as soon as possible.

She also drew the parliament's attention to the need to adopt a law on media that would bring Ukrainian legislation into line with current European Union standards.

Von der Leyen said that Ukraine needs to start developing plans for the reform of the Constitutional Court.

Legislation is necessary for the procedures for selecting judges. Institutions must be revived so that they can realize the aspirations of the people, she stressed.

"There is a long road ahead for Ukraine but Europe will be at your side every step of the way. For every reform, for as long as it takes. From these dark days of war until the moment you cross the threshold that leads into our union," she said.
EBRD, WHO, OECD, Council of Europe, reps of IMF, World Bank, EIB and over 35 countries to take part in Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano

President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso, Secretary Generals of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann and the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric confirmed their participation in the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will be held in Lugano on July 4-5.

According to the materials released by the conference organizers, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be represented by Director of the European Department Alfred Kammer, the World Bank  Regional Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde, the European Investment Bank (EIB)  Vice President Teresa Czerwinska, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)  Vice President Alfonso Garcia Mora.

In addition, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, UN System Coordinator in Ukraine Osnat Lubrani, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan, ICRC Operations Director for Europe and Central Asia Martin Schuepp will participate in the conference.

As reported, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will arrive at the conference, and separate countries will also be represented by their top leaders: Switzerland will be represented by President Ignazio Cassis, and Prime Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki, Piotr Fiala, Eduard Heger and Ingrida Simonyte will represent Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania, which hosted a similar conference last year.

According to the materials, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will speak at the online conference. The Ukrainian delegation headed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Head of the Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk also includes Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov and heads of six ministries: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs  Dmytro Kuleba, the Ministry of Energy  Herman Haluschenko, the Ministry of Infrastructure  Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Ministry of Natural Resources  Ruslan Strilets, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy  Mykola Solsky and the Ministry of Regional Development  Oleksiy Chernyshov.

As the Swiss Foreign Ministry reported on June 20, serious security measures would be taken during the conference. In particular, the Federal Council approved the auxiliary deployment of up to 1,600 military personnel, as well as a temporary restriction on the use of airspace. In cooperation with Italy, the Swiss Air Force will strengthen the air police service with combat aircraft and ground-based air defense systems.

At the conference, Ukraine will present its Recovery Plan for the first time and will consider other current proposals for the recovery of the country and the contribution that international partners can make. The agenda includes, inter alia, the priorities, methods and principles of reconstruction.

As the Swiss organizers noted, the Lugano Conference is not a donors' conference, however, it aims to highlight the broad support of international partners for the recovery process in Ukraine.

At the end of the two-day event, which will include a discussion of the ways and priorities of recovery by business, a declaration will be presented outlining the most important outcomes of the conference.
Sanctions may be lifted from Russia in case of guarantees of non-repetition of aggression, compensation for damage  Yermak

The sanctions imposed on Russia must continue until Russia fulfills two conditions. First, it must provide appropriate assurances and guarantees that aggression against Ukraine will not be repeated. Secondly, it must provide full compensation for the damage caused to Ukraine and its citizens.

This was stated by Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, speaking at the first meeting of the Group on International Security Guarantees on Friday, the presidential press service said.

Noting that Ukraine categorically refuses to repeat the experience of security assurances under Budapest Memorandum, Yermak noted the need to ensure, first of all, Ukraine's ability to exercise the right to self-defense.

"This block of guarantees will include, in particular, the further provision of modern conventional weapons and military equipment without any restrictions and politically motivated obstacles. The rapid restoration of the defense potential of Ukraine is one of the important factors in preventing a recurrence of aggression. Therefore, we will need annual financial assistance for the development of the defense sector," he said.

"The next block is actions to contain new aggression. Prompt delivery to Ukraine of everything necessary to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the right to self-defense, including weapons, equipment, financial and other assistance, is the cornerstone of this bloc," Yermak said.

In his opinion, "a system of bilateral and/or multilateral agreements should be built, which will provide for detailed mechanisms for the actions of guarantors in the event of aggression against Ukraine."

"We believe that the necessary elements of this block are a permanent mechanism for assessing threats and challenges to security and mutual information about them, as well as mechanisms for urgent bilateral or multilateral consultations," he said.

The last block of guarantees, according to him, should be the sanctions policy. In addition to the existing sanctions, he said "an effective mechanism is also provided for the implementation of preventive sanctions for the future, in the event of a threat of aggression. At the same time, guarantees are needed for the urgent implementation of a coordinated and synchronous international sanctions regime in case that aggression does occur."

"When practice confirms the effectiveness of guarantees for Ukraine, they can be extended to other countries. The idea of President Volodymyr Zelensky is that security guarantees for Ukraine in the future will become the basis of a new global security system. The United 24 format is a kind of rescue service for countries," Yermak said.
The Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman, with its prominent cymbal-shaped solar arrays, is pictured attached to the International Space Station's Unity module as the orbiting lab flew 263 miles above the coast of Lisbon, Portugal.

iss067e141211 (June 20, 2022) - larger image



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Norway to transfer EUR 1 bln in assistance to Ukraine by end of 2022

Norway will provide Ukraine with assistance worth EUR 1 billion by the end of 2022, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store has said.

"I arrived here to express support for the people of Ukraine. Norway will transfer EUR 1 billion by the end of 2022 and at the beginning of 2023 for the needs of people," he told a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday.
Health Minister of Moldova Ala Nemerenco has said that one employee of Moldovan rehabilitation center for children in Serhiyivka, Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky district, Odesa region, was killed and five employees injured as a result of Russia's missile attack on the town on Friday morning.

"The Health Ministry has a rehabilitation center for children in Serhiyivka. It is a restored health improvement facility with good conditions. Children with health problems from Moldova have an opportunity to receive medical rehabilitation services on the Black Sea coast. Unfortunately, its work was suspended for the time of pandemic. And once we have started planning to resume its work, the war broke out," she said on Facebook.

The center suffered minor damaged during the attack, the minister said.

"Regrettably, we have been informed that five employees of the center suffered injuries and one [employee] was killed. All of them lived in the building which was hit by the bombing. These peaceful people made days of Moldovan children better, they took care of their rehabilitation with big love and devotion. We wish them to get well soon. We offer our deep condolences to the family of our decease colleague," the minister said.
Eight people, incl. three children, rescued after missile attack on Odesa region

The employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine rescued eight people, including three children, after an enemy missile attack on Serhiyivka, Odesa region, on Friday.

"Eight people, including three children, were rescued (seven people, including three children, in the multi-apartment building, one person at the recreation center)," the state service said.

As of 5:50 p.m., twenty-one people were killed (16 people in the residential building, five, including one child, at the recreation center), 39 were hospitalized with injuries (38 people, including six children, from the residential building, one from the recreation center).

The operations to clean-up the aftermath of the missile attack continue.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has said that Ukraine submitted a filing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to prove that Russia violated the Genocide Convention.

"Today, Ukraine submitted a major filing at the ICJ. We prove that Russia violated the Genocide Convention by justifying its aggression with a false pretext of a genocide that never was. Critical step to hold Russia accountable and make Russia pay for the harm it has inflicted," he said on Twitter on Friday.
The Public Prosecution ordered on Friday the detention of the husband of Egyptian TV presenter Shaimaa Gamal, a member of a judicial authority, on premeditated murder charges pending investigation.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in London on Monday in an official visit to launch the first session of the association council between Egypt and the UK.
The newly formed 19-member board of trustees of Egypt's national dialogue will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, marking the beginning of the dialogue between political forces called for by the president in April.
The U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet is starting to offer rewards for information that could help sailors intercept weapons, drugs and other illicit shipments across the region amid tensions over Iran's nuclear program and Tehran's arming of Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Today is the ninth anniversary of the 30 June 2013 Revolution, with media outlets, senior officials, and political figures vying to celebrate an event which saved Egypt from becoming an Islamist state.

President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi is expected to deliver a statement on the occasion. On the eighth anniversary, he said the 30 June Revolution was not just a passing moment in which Egyptians expressed their anger, indignation, and resentment at an extremist regime, but was an expression of a sense of belonging to the homeland and loyalty to its values: As we celebrate the anniversary of our glorious revolution, he said, I send a precious message to all those who sacrificed their lives by rejecting extremism and terrorism. We will never forget you.

Al-Ahram political analyst Hassan Abu Taleb argues that the impact of the 30 June Revolution continues to reverberate across the Arab world. We have seen regimes supported by the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam movements in countries like Libya, Morocco, and Sudan collapse in the last two years. In June 2021 came the dramatic fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia, and even in Turkey the administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opted to distance itself from the Muslim Brotherhood after an eight year honeymoon.

The 30 June Revolution created an anti-political Islam trend all over the Arab world where most people now view the faction as a source of economic trouble, sectarian strife and political mayhem.

Political analysts agree that when millions of Egyptians took to protest against a year of Muslim Brotherhood rule in 30 June 2013 Egypt was on the brink of war, its economy in tatters, and ties with the outside world in disarray.

Nine years on and the picture has completely changed. Al-Ahram political analyst Gamal Abdel-Gawad wrote Egypt began to stabilise only after Al-Sisi was elected president in May 2014, and even then the country was forced to fight the remnants of terrorist groups and help the state stand on its feet again.

Abdel-Gawad noted that despite its defeat on 30 June 2013, the Brotherhood resumed its war against the new regime, resorting to terrorism and assassinations and launching a media war.

In October 2015, when the Islamic State blew up a plane carrying more than 200 Russian tourists above Sinai, huge damage was done to the tourist sector and to the economy in general. But because people believed in the 30 June Revolution, they gave President Al-Sisi a blank cheque to contain the damage.

President Al-Sisi was able to make a successful deal with the IMF which helped stabilise the economy and ensure it could withstand the economic shock of the pandemic in 2020 and the economic damage of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.

Abdel-Gawad argues that President Al-Sisis recent call for a national dialogue to set Egypts political and economic priorities is a natural extension of the 30 June Revolution.

The call reflects the strength of the Egyptian state as it was reconstituted after the revolution, said Abdel-Gawad.

One of the ideals of the 30 June Revolution was to end the mixing of religion with politics and underline that Egypt is a civilian state.

While political reform was forced to take a back seat during a period in which the priorities were to defeat terrorism, restore internal stability, achieve economic reform, and recover Egypts role in the Arab world, Africa, and the Middle East, now these objectives have been achieved political reform has climbed to the top of agenda. The national dialogue which will start in the first week of July will prioritise one of the goals of the 30 June Revolution, the full democratisation of Egypt.

Gamal Zahran, professor of political science at Suez Canal University and a former independent MP, agrees that the 30 June Revolution helped restore Egypts role in the Arab world.

Even Qatar, which supported the Muslim Brotherhood after its regime in Egypt was removed in 2013, now admits the 30 June Revolution was positive, says Zahran. The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani even visited Egypt last week and congratulated President Al-Sisi on the ninth anniversary of the 30 June Revolution.

Zahran says that while the 30 June Revolution caused tensions with the US, nine years later most American politicians have recognised the overwhelming impact of the uprising.

US President Joe Biden will visit the region in July and is scheduled to meet with leaders of Arab Gulf countries, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.

He will be here to contain the damage that has been done to Americas relations with these countries since he came to office, and to recognise their influential role in the region and capacity to keep their nations safe in an increasingly troubled world, says Zahran.



A version of this article appears in print in the 30 June, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has installed a collection of replicas of the ancient Egyptian protection goddess Selket at the airports of seven touristic cities to promote tourism.

Amr El-Kady, secretary-general of the Egyptian Tourist Authority said the replicas were produced by Konoz factory for replicas and three of them have been installed in the arrival halls in terminals 1, 2, and 3 of the Cairo International Airport, while the others are being put at Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, and Aswan airports.

Each replica statue is three metres tall, made of gilded fiber glass, and fixed on a one-metre-tall black granite mount. On each is written "Welcome to Egypt," and a description of the role Selket, the scorpion goddess of protection, has played in ancient times.

Selket was believed to have both positive and negative sides. Her role was recounted in several myths of ancient Egypt. One of her important duties was to guard the deceased king.

Selket is often depicted with Neith, the goddess of war and weaving.

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NEWS PROVIDED BY

Alveda King Ministries

July 1, 2022



ATLANTA, July 1, 2022 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Dr. Alveda King, she is available for comment:

On July 2, we will celebrate the 58th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. On July 4 we will celebrate Independence Day in America. A few days ago, the United States Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. Just a few days before, we celebrated Fathers Day and Juneteenth.







We are in a time in our history, where we have a beautiful opportunity to unite and end the squabbles that are overburdening us now.



Fifty-eight years ago, there was civil unrest in America. During that time, many of us in the Black or African-American community were fighting for equal rights and equal justice.



That 20th century movement was led by my uncle, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was supported by many valiant American citizens of every ethnicity. My uncle ML, and my father Reverend Alfred Daniel Williams King lost their lives in that struggle in the 20th century.



Here we are years later, living in another century, yet still fighting over skin color. The shadows of racism, crimes against humanity followed us. Here in century 21, we are still plagued with the skin color differences and we are yet faced with injustices to American human beings in the womb.



I have learned during 72 years of life, that these battles must be won in every generation, every decade, and right now it seems every moment. At the forefront of many of today's disputes right now are angry women, frightened women, women who have been lied to, and women who are so frustrated over the issue of protecting their bodies, that they don't have a heart to consider another class of people, the babies in the womb.



Many years ago, I was one of the women who would be so frustrated today if I had not had an enlightening moment in the 1980s. An encounter with Jesus Christ helped me to understand that the babies that I had aborted, and a miscarriage which was a result of damage to my body during their abortions, we're not the ultimate answer to my happiness.



Throughout human history, there have been instances when human beings have been able to turn away from fear, selfish ambition, and injustices and civil unrest. Crimes against humanity, including abortion, are not new at all. I am praying that we are having one of those moments where our hearts can turn towards compassion. Turn away from fear to embrace love, hope and faith.



Tomorrow marks the 58th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; a day that gave equal rights to all Americans regardless of skin color.



This act paved a way for a new nation envisioned by my uncle Dr. Martin Luther King and all of the supporters of the 20th Century Civil Rights Movement.



"I have a dream; it is rooted in the American Dream." MLK



Today as we continue the civil rights journey in America, let's also remember on Monday, Independence Day, that the unborn are front and center in the cry for justice.







Yes, the journey continues. Last week, The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now It is time for "we the people" in every state, to raise our voices for the voiceless in the womb. As we support the unborn and their parents, freedom will truly ring across the land.



Ring the bell for the 1964 Civil Rights Act tomorrow; and on July 4, not just for skin color, and never as color blind. May we all see and love each other, regardless of ethnicity; as the one blood human race; uniting for all human life and all human dignity.



Please join us now as we work and pray to ensure that the unborn and their mothers and fathers are protected and supported; and that all Americans are given equal rights and the American Dream. From the Womb to the Tomb.
The Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) issued a permit to Russias State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) for the construction of the El-Dabaa NPP Unit 1, according to an announcement by the corporation Thursday.

This permit, along with excavation works at site, is necessary for the start of the main stage of construction, ROSATOM said.

In November 2015, the Egyptian government signed an agreement with Russia to build Egypts first nuclear power plant in El-Dabaa region of Marsa Matrouh, which aims to generate a total of 4,800 megawatts through four reactors.

Obtaining construction permit for the Unit 1 is a momentous occasion paving the way for the launch of full-scale construction of the first NPP in Egypt, Alexey Likhachev, ROSATOM director general stated on Thursday.

He added that El-Dabaa NPP will be the first nuclear power plant of this generation on the African continent. It will further secure the countrys regional technological leadership.

Amgad El-Wakeel, board chairman of Nuclear Power Plants Authority of Egypt, said, Today, we etched in gold Egypt joining the ranks of countries building nuclear power plants after over 70 years waiting for this dream to come true.

Earlier in June, ROSATOM announced that it started the manufacture in Saint Petersburg of electrical components for the plants reactor vessel, according to Sputnik news agency.

Earlier in 2022, CEO of ROSATOM Alexey Likhachev stated that construction of El-Dabaa is set to begin in July.

According to the projects design, the nuclear plant will have four VVER-1,200 reactor units, with the first unit scheduled to be operational in 2026.

In November 2021, Egypt signed a long-term one million-dollar agreement with the Czech UJV Rez Research and Development company to consult on El-Dabaa Nuclear Plant, according to ENRRA Chairperson Sami Shaaban.

According to the contract, UJV Rez will provide technical assistance to the ENRRA in licensing the nuclear plant.

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Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated on Wednesday that establishing an Arab military alliance akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is not possible and would not be proposed.

Shoukrys remarks came in a joint press conference Wednesday with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani on the sidelines of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis two-day visit to Bahrain.

In the past few days, speculation regarding the creation of an Arab NATO involving US-sponsored Arab-Israeli security cooperation has widely circulated in advance of US President Joe Bidens visit to the region in mid-July.

Though Shoukry ruled out the idea of creating an Arab NATO at the current stage, he stressed the importance of reinforcing joint Arab action, according to the Bahraini daily Akhbar-Alkhaleej.

We are confident that our joint capabilities are great and capable of protecting Arab national security interests against any interference from outside the Arab region, the Bahraini newspaper quoted Shoukry as saying.

The top Egyptian diplomat stressed, we have an interest in continuing consultations and coordination at the level of relevant leaderships and agencies to maximise benefit from cooperation among us in all fields [including] political, economic and security, because we have a common history and destiny that must be preserved.

In an interview with to CNBC earlier this week, Jordan's King Abdullah II said he believed a Middle Eastern military alliance could be built with like-minded countries, stressing that the vision of such an alliance must be very clear.

The remarks come nearly two weeks before the upcoming Gulf Cooperation Council+3 Summit which will be chaired by Saudi Arabia on 16 June.

The summit will host the heads of state of the GCC countries, the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, as well as US President Joe Biden, who will be making his first tour in the Middle East by visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and the West Bank.

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Russian missile attacks on residential areas in a coastal town near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa early Friday killed at least 19 people, authorities reported, a day after Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island.

Video of the pre-dawn attack showed the charred remains of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Odesa. The Ukrainian president's office said three X-22 missiles fired by Russian bombers struck an apartment building and two campsites.

``A terrorist country is killing our people. In response to defeats on the battlefield, they fight civilians,`` Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine's Security Service said 19 people died, including two children. It said another 38, including six children and a pregnant woman, were hospitalized with injuries. Most of the victims were in the apartment building, Ukrainian emergency officials said.

The airstrikes followed the pullout of Russian forces from Snake Island on Thursday, a move that was expected to potentially ease the threat to nearby Odesa, home to Ukraine's biggest port. The island sits along a busy shipping lane.

Russia took control of it in the opening days of the war in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa. The Kremlin portrayed the departure of Russian troops from Snake Island as a ``goodwill gesture'' intended to facilitate shipments of grain and other agricultural products to Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world.

Ukraine's military claimed a barrage of its artillery and missiles forced the Russians to flee in two small speedboats. The exact number of withdrawing troops was not disclosed.

The island took on significance early in the war as a symbol of Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion. Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back, ``Go (expletive) yourself.''

Zelenskyy said that although the pullout did not guarantee the Black Sea region's safety, it would ``significantly limit'' Russian activities there.

``Step by step, we will push (Russia) out of our sea, our land, our sky,'' he said in his nightly address.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces kept up their push to encircle the last stronghold of resistance in Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the country's Donbas region. Moscow-backed separatists have controlled much of the region for eight years.

Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said the Russians were trying to encircle the city of Lysychansk and fighting for control over an oil refinery on the city's edge.

``The shelling of the city is very intensive,'' Haidai told The Associated Press. ``The occupiers are destroying one house after another with heavy artillery and other weapons. Residents of Lysychansk are hiding in basements almost round the clock.''

The offensive has failed so far to cut Ukrainian supply lines, although the main highway leading west was not being used because of constant Russian shelling, the governor said. ``The evacuation is impossible,'' he added.

But Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Friday that Russian and Luhansk separatist forces had taken control of the refinery as well as a mine and a gelatin factory in Lysychansk ``over the last three days.''

Ukraine's presidential office said a series of Russian strikes in the past 24 hours also killed civilians in eastern Ukraine - four in the northeastern Kharkiv region and another four in Donetsk province.

Russian bombardments killed large numbers of civilians earlier in the war, including at a hospital and a theater in the port city of Mariupol. Mass casualties had appeared to become more infrequent as Moscow concentrated on capturing the Donbas region.

However, a missile strike Monday on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, a city in central Ukraine, killed at least 19 people and injured another 62, authorities said Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied that Russian forces targeted the shopping mall, saying that his country doesn't hit civilian facilities. He claimed the target in Kremenchuk was a nearby weapons depot, echoing the remarks of his military officials.

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The Public Prosecution ordered on Friday the detention of the husband of Egyptian TV presenter Shaimaa Gamal, a member of a judicial authority, on premeditated murder charges pending investigation.

The crime of premeditated murder is punishable by the death penalty in Egypt.

The prosecution also detained the man who claimed he witnessed the crime as a suspect in the case pending investigation.

The Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday that they had arrested the husband in Suez city less than a week after the prosecution found the body of the victim.

The husband had earlier reported that Gamal went missing in front of a commercial complex in 6 October city in Giza.

Relatives of the victim said she disappeared from the complex after being last seen in the company of her husband.

On Monday, the prosecution announced that the body of the TV presenter was found after a man  who claimed that he was close to the victims husband  willingly offered his testimony to the prosecution.

The man said he witnessed the crime and claimed that the husband killed Gamal over differences between them. He informed the prosecution of the place where Gamal's body was buried.

The prosecution said it obtained authorisation from the judicial authority, which employs the husband, to lift his immunity and take measures against him, the statement said without naming the authority.

Gamal was known for her programme El-Moshagheba (The Troublemaker) on LTC TV satellite channel.

She also worked for Al-Hadath Al-Youm satellite channel.

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Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission Monique Nsanzabaganwa has called for boosting coordination between Egypt and the AU concerning the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

Nsanzabaganwa praised Egypts preparations for the conference, set to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh city in November, saying it will be a unique opportunity to allow Africa to express its concerns and priorities regarding the climate issue.

She made the remarks in a meeting on Thursday with a delegation from the Egyptian COP27 presidency in the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The Egyptian delegation briefed Nsanzabaganwa on the latest preparations and reiterated their keenness to work with the AU as the climate file is a top priority to the AU and the African continent.

The delegation was headed by Ambassador Mohamed Nasr, the director of Environment and Sustainable Development Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' and chief negotiator for the Egyptian presidency team for COP27.

Egypt has vowed to speak for African interests in combatting climate change at COP27.

Earlier this month, during the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development held in Cairo earlier, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt, through hosting COP27, will coordinate with all African countries to set a clear map for the sake of the climate action on the global and regional levels as well as enhancing the accesses to the financial resources for the African countries.

Egypt will also focus on the green recovery agenda and supporting Africas efforts to contain the impacts of the ongoing challenges, Shoukry said.

He urged the international community to meet its obligations for the continent which is the smallest contributor to the climate change crisis, as Africa is responsible for only three percent of the global carbon emissions.

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The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) marked the ninth anniversary of the 30 June 2013 Revolution, saying it coincides this year with "a key leap in advancing rights and freedoms in Egypt."

In a statement on Friday, the NCHR congratulated President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian people on the anniversary of the revolution, saying it coincides with serious steps in the human rights file and the start of a comprehensive national dialogue.

The leap in rights and freedoms across the country has been achieved after Egypt had crossed an exceptional stage in its modern history by defeating the forces of backwardness and exclusion and the beginning of laying the foundations of the New Republic, the NCHR said.

The new republic is based on equality between men and women in rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution and international human rights conventions observed in Egypt, as well as social justice and the rule of law, the NCHR said.

National dialogue: Serious step

In the statement, the NCHR reaffirmed sincere support to the efforts by El-Sisi and the state to consolidate the culture of dialogue and ensure constructive participation by all segments of the Egyptian people in the upcoming national dialogue.

The national dialogue was called for by President El-Sisi during the annual Egyptian Family Iftar banquet on 26 April with the inclusion of all political forces without any exceptions or discrimination and is set to start later in July.

The dialogue is the result of a series of serious steps that started last year with the ending of the state of emergency and the launching of the 2021-2026 National Strategy for Human Rights with directives by the president to expedite the process of implementing its provisions, the council said.

President El-Sisi launched the country's new human rights strategy in September of last year to address political, economic, social and cultural rights for all societal groups.

The launch of the national dialogue between the various political currents and social forces comes as a culmination of the steps to implement the National Strategy for Human Rights and lay the foundations for building a new republic, the NCHR said.

The new republic guarantees freedom of opinion and expression for everyone in a way that ensures their participation in building a modern civil, democratic state, the council added.

The recent reconstitution of the NCHR and the subsequent approval in a free vote in the House of Representatives of the national human rights strategy constituted another positive sign of the seriousness of the state in dealing with the human rights file, the council said.

The NCHR also lauded important developments in dealing with the comprehensive concept of human rights in Egypt over the past six months.

These developments were evident in the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon Committee in April and the subsequent release after presidential pardons of a number of prisoners who had received final court rulings in successive batches, the statement added.

The NCHR appreciates the serious steps dictated by the national interest and the sincere desire to build a society in which all citizens participate in strengthening the foundations of democracy, the statement read.

The council added that Egypts national efforts in this regard currently enjoy great international attention and appreciation.

The anniversary of the 30 June Revolution  which is a national paid holiday  marks mass demonstrations by millions of Egyptians on that day in 2013 to demand that then Islamist-President Mohamed Morsi leave office.

Marking the anniversary on Thursday, El-Sisi said in a televised address to the nation that Egypt will continue to build an advanced state, a secure homeland and a stable and vibrant society.

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Thousands took to the streets Friday in Sudan's capital, a day after nine people were killed in demonstrations against the country's military authorities.

The United States and others in the international community condemned the violence in this East African nation, which has been rocked by near-weekly protests since the military tookover on 25 October to upend its fragile transition to democracy.

The rallies on Thursdays were the largest seen in months. Sudanese military authorities have met the protests with a deadly crackdown, which has so far killed 113 people, including 18 children.

In and near Khartoum, large funeral marches took place for some of those killed the day before, while others gathered after Friday prayers at mosques in the country's capital. Online, photographs of the dead were posted, in some cases in an effort to identify them.

The Sudan's Doctors Committee, a medical group that monitors casualties from demonstrations, said security forces shot and killed nine people, including a child, in or near Khartoum during the rallies on Thursday.

The demonstrations coincided with widespread internet disruptions. Internet monitors and activists say the government has crippled communications to prevent gatherings and slow the spread of news on days when large protest turnout is expected.

Sudan's leading pro-democracy groups - Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change and the Resistance Committees - had called for nationwide protest against the military takeover.

The takeover upended the country's short-lived transition to democracy following the 2019 ouster of longtime autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir.

Since 25 October, the U.N. political mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the eight-nation east African regional Intergovernmental Authority in Development group have been trying to broker a way out of the political impasse. But talks have yielded no results so far.

In a joint statement tweeted Friday the three bodies expressed ``disappointment over the continued use of excessive force by security forces and lack of accountability for such actions, despite repeated commitments by authorities.''

Thursday's protests also fell on the third anniversary of a 2019 mass rally that forced the generals to sit down at the negotiating table with pro-democracy groups and eventually sign a power-sharing agreement that was expected to govern Sudan during a transitional period, until general elections were to be held. The military takeover last October scuttled this arrangement.

Western governments have repeatedly called on the generals to allow for peaceful protests, but have also angered the protest movement for sometimes engaging with the leading generals. Pro-democracy leaders call for the generals to leave power immediately.

``We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of life in yesterday's protests,'' the U.S. Embassy in Sudan said in a statement Friday. ``We urge all parties to resume negotiations and call on peaceful voices to rise above those who advocate for or commit violence.''

Police said Friday an investigation was launched after a video circulated online, appearing to show security forces prodding and kicking a badly injured protester in the street the day before. According to pro-democracy groups, the protester later died. In a statement released on the website of the country's state-run news agency, police said the video shows security personnel violating orders to not approach demonstrations with firearms. It said those involved would be held accountable.

The country's interior ministry, which oversees the police, has continuously denied the use of live fire on protesters, despite evidence from activists and pro-democracy groups to the opposite.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Norway announced almost a billion euros of aid to Ukraine, over two years, as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store visited the country on Friday.

The fund of 10 billion Norwegian kroner is for "humanitarian aid, reconstruction of the country, weapons and operational support to the (Ukrainian) authorities", the Norwegian government said in a statement.

"We stand together with the Ukrainian people," Store said in the statement.

"We help support the Ukrainians' struggle for freedom. They are fighting for their country, but also for our democratic values."

The latest announcement is in addition to previous aid announced by Norway and came as Store visited Kyiv and Yahidne, a Ukrainian village devastated by the war.

Store described Yahidne as "a glimpse of hell on earth", according to Norwegian news agency NTB.

Oslo on Wednesday announced it would send three multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine, a weapon Kyiv has been especially eager to acquire as its forces try to defend the eastern Donbas region.

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The National Assembly has until next year to revise the law, so with all necessary procedures abortion will probably become legal in Korea in 2021.

The case was brought by a woman who had an abortion and the doctor who performed it after they were punished in a rare instance of the law being enforced.

The Constitutional Court on Thursday finally overturned Korea's widely ignored abortion ban. The bench ruled by a majority of 7:2 that the current law, which dates from 1953 and bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy, is unconstitutional because it violates the rights of pregnant women.

The Constitutional Court last upheld the ban in 2012. At the time the main sticking points were the right of a fetus to life and the right of a pregnant women to choose, and the court ruled that the fetus' right to life takes precedence.

But this time the court accepted the argument that a fetus' right to life is an "abstract" principle while the danger of violating a woman's right to choose is concrete.

The court also ruled that the law is outdated because in reality some 170,000 abortions are performed in Korea every year and the ban could prompt pregnant women to seek unsafe abortions.

The court said women are paying exorbitant fees for abortions and are unable to claim compensation for problems after surgery. The law has also caused many teens and impoverished women to abandon their babies after giving birth to them.

At present, the only cases where abortion is legal is when fetuses have genetic abnormalities or were conceived as a result of rape. But the court capped abortion at the 22nd week of pregnancy, which is more or less the international standard. A court spokesman said the reason is that babies born prematurely after that time have been known to survive.

Even under current law the cutoff point for legal abortions is 24 weeks. The National Assembly will decide the exact timeframe.

The ruling is expected to lead to many people who were found guilty of violating the abortion law to be absolved or pardoned. Women's rights groups cheered the court's decision, calling it a "landmark ruling," but some religious groups expressed "deep regret."
Marcos also praised his father, while saying he was not there to talk about the past, which his family has tried hard to whitewash and to avoid during the heated campaign. "I once knew a man who saw what little had been achieved since independence in a land filled with people with the greatest potential for achievement, and yet they were poor. But he got it done. Sometimes, with the needed support. Sometimes, without," Marcos said. "So, will it be with his son. You will get no excuses from me," he added.

In what his camp touted as a simple and solemn inaugural rite, Marcos promised the Philippine people he would deliver. "You picked me to be your servant to enable changes to benefit all. I fully understand the gravity of the responsibility that you've put on my shoulders. I do not take it lightly but I'm ready for the task," he said in his first speech as president.

President Rodrigo Duterte skipped the inauguration, held at the steps of the National Museum, where past presidents were also sworn in, but the two met inside the palace before the noon swearing in.

With more than 31 million votes, Bongbong -- as he is popularly known -- snatched the presidency in the country's most consequential election in May. Marcos, 64, ran on a campaign of national unity, which was an invitation to forget the atrocities of his father's dictatorial regime while propagating a collective nostalgia for the supposed "golden era" of the country. Critics say his victory can be attributed to decades-long historical revisionism efforts by the family and massive disinformation on social media platforms.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, became the 17th president of the Philippines Thursday, successfully fulfilling his family's mission to return to power 36 years after a people's uprising toppled his father.

Marcos leads his family in returning to Malacanang Palace, the seat of power in the Philippines and the official residence of the president, which they left three decades ago to escape the angry mob of Filipinos.

His election sealed the deal for the family's return to power, which they have worked on since Marcos Sr. died in September 1989 while in exile in Hawaii. His mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos, who became synonymous with extravagance, made two attempts at the presidency. It is estimated that the Marcos family plundered $10 billion from the public's coffers during their 21-year rule in the Philippines. Subsequent administrations elected after the restoration of democracy recovered only half of it.

Jina Godoy, 56, joined fellow Marcos supporters in rejoicing at the victory of Marcos Jr. at a satellite celebration in the capital, Manila. "I hope corruption will be removed or lessened," Godoy told VOA. "I hope he will fulfill his promises, but I think he will do it because his father did it." When asked about the Marcos familys corruption issues, Godoy said, "I don't believe that."

Some Filipinos are concerned that the Marcos family, now in control of the Philippines, wil abuse their power to unlock cash and assets they have stashed in offshore accounts. It is also feared that the second Marcos presidency will be as brutal as the first.

Bonifacio Ilagan, a martial law survivor, led other activists who survived torture and human rights abuses during the Marcos regime in taking an oath to "guard against tyranny, falsehoods, and the trampling of people's rights and livelihood." "It's a nightmare," Ilagan said before a group of aging activists and their young supporters at a shrine for martial law victims, "But this is our reality now. We need to accept it. Can you imagine we were young when we fought Marcos Sr.? Now I'm 70 and we're facing Marcos Jr. It's hard to accept."

The group vowed to resist all forms of historical revisionism and called on Marcos to recognize and atone for the human rights violations during his father's regime. A U.S. federal court found Marcos Sr. was responsible for human rights abuses in the Philippines and has ordered the compensation of some 7,500 victims.

At another anti-Marcos protest in a historic public plaza, activists denounced the political alliance between Marcos and Duterte, and vowed to resist what they expect will become an extension of Duterte's tyrannical rule that saw killings of some 30,000 people in the name of a war on drugs. "I don't think that Macos is the legitimate president of the Philippines," Charm Maranan, an activist with Defend Southern Tagalog, told VOA. "The last election has been muddled with electoral fraud, there have been accounts of cheating, of widespread corruption and of widespread voter disenfranchisement."

The Commission on Elections has denied there was cheating during the election despite reports of irregularities from international observers. "In the next six years, we plan on continuing to fight, continuing to resist all attacks against the people and hopefully, a lot more Filipinos and a lot more of our fellow countrymen will be joining our fight and our struggle," she added.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijans Electronic Security Service under the Digital Development and Transport Ministry and well-known Israeli Technion University signed an agreement on the establishment of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center, Azernews reports.

The center, to be established under the agreement, will train more than 1,000 professional specialists over the next three years. Training under the program will be conducted in Baku by the teaching staff of Technion University. Education at the center will be conducted in English and will be available to Azerbaijani citizens over 18 years of age. In addition, graduates will be given certificates from Technion University.

One of the main advantages of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center is the training of local trainers along with cyber security specialists.

Today, together with Technion University, we have laid the foundation for cooperation in the field of cyber security, which is one of the most important areas for our country, Rashad Nabiyev said.

The minister added that students, who will study under the program, based on the methodology of the university, will be trained as competitive specialists in the labor market.

We are very pleased to cooperate with Technion University, one of the worlds leading educational institutions and knowledge centers, to bring international knowledge and experience in the field of cybersecurity to our country, he said.

In turn, Technion University President Professor Uri Sivan expressed satisfaction with the cooperation and hoped it would expand in the future.

The new center we have established is an important project to support the information security of Azerbaijan, and specialists to be trained there will contribute to the development of this area not only in Azerbaijan but also in the region, Uri Sivan said.

This agreement was signed during the visit of the delegation led by Azerbaijans Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev to Israel.

Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel is based not only on economic partnership but also on traditional historical and cultural roots, as well as mutual respect and trust. Israel was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan's state independence and establish diplomatic relations.

Furthermore, during the 44-day Second Karabakh War, Israel was among the first countries to express support for Azerbaijan's just position and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan expressed its willingness to involve Israel in the restoration of the country's newly liberated territories in January 2021.

In 2021, the two countries' trade turnover totaled $928.4 million.
Fears that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would spur China to take a similar approach to Taiwan do not appear to be playing out, at least not yet, according to the top U.S. intelligence official.

Chinese President Xi Jinping "quite clearly sees reunification of Taiwan as a goal," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told an audience in Washington late Wednesday, adding Xi "continues to prefer doing that peacefully as opposed to using military force."

"There are not indications that he is currently intending to take Taiwan by military force even as he is planning for the potential," Haines added.

Senior U.S. defense officials have repeatedly warned about China's increasing aggressiveness in and around the South China Sea and Taiwan, and a military buildup larger than any seen since World War II.
Seoul has been ranked second in the world out of 1,034 cities in terms of hosting the most international meetings in 2021.

According to a report released by the Union of International Associations last week, Seoul went up one slot from the year before, despite mulitple challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Seoul hosted 265 meetings, both online and in-person, up 115 on-year. Globally, a total of 6,473 meetings were held, up around 53 percent on-year.

The city government attributed the higher ranking to its increased support for hosting online meetings and its provision of disinfection services, like air shower booths, at meeting venues.

The top-ranked city was Brussels, and Tokyo ranked third.
Vietnam had the highest annual per-capita consumption of instant noodles in the world last year, beating Korea for the first time in eight years.

Citing the World Instant Noodle Association, the Korean food company Nongshim said Thursday that the average person in Vietnam last year consumed 87 bowls of instant noodles. Korea ranked second at 73, followed by Nepal at 55.

The market for instant noodles has grown rapidly in Vietnam. Noodle consumption in the Southeast Aisan country rose from 55 bowls on average in 2019 to 72 bowls in 2020.

The rise is attributed to Vietnam's growing economy and a tendency to eat at home during the pandemic.




Genres : Drama



: Drama Running Time : 109 min.



: 109 min. Directed by : Mike Mills



: Mike Mills Starring : Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann

Synopsis : When his sister asks him to look after her son, a radio journalist embarks on a cross-country trip with his energetic nephew to show him life away from Los Angeles.
The proportion of Korea's exports that is sold to China has been shrinking since 2018, which is good news for those who worry that the country is becoming too dependent on its giant neighbor.

The figure surged from 10.7 percent in 2000 to 26.8 percent in 2018. Cheap labor prompted Korean manufacturers to set up factories in China, and Korean exporters began supplying them with intermediate goods, contributing to the surging proportion.

Last year, more than a quarter of Korea's total exports of US$644.4 billion still went to China, which has been the top export destination since 2003.

By contrast, the U.S.' proportion of Korea's exports has shrunk to little more than 10 percent. In the late 1980s, it stood at around 35 percent and remained above 20 percent until the early 2000s. The EU's proportion fell to the single digits after 2010.

But China's proportion is edging down now from 25 percent in 2021 to 23.4 percent in the first five months of this year, the lowest since 2009.

The main reason is that Korean manufacturers started moving their factories to Vietnam and India when the climate in China became more hostile, but supply chain disruptions and lockdowns in China also played a part.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 1, 2022 - 19:57 | World, All, Coronavirus

North Korea on Friday claimed the cause of the country's COVID-19 outbreak, saying people who had touched "alien things" near the border with South Korea had been first infected with the novel coronavirus.

The claim came as North Korea has long criticized the South for failing to prevent defectors from launching balloons across the border that contain leaflets critical of leader Kim Jong Un's rule -- a recent source of tension between the two Koreas.

By blaming Seoul for the virus's entry into North Korea, Pyongyang is expected to adopt a hardline stance against the administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office in May, foreign affairs experts said.

In June 2020, Pyongyang blew up an inter-Korean liaison office in the nation's border city of Kaesong after shutting down all lines of communication with Seoul in retaliation for defectors disseminating such balloons.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Friday that an 18-year-old soldier and a five-year-old kindergartener "contacted with alien things on a hill around barracks and residential quarters" in the eastern county of Kumgang near the border in early April.

They later "tested positive for novel coronavirus," the news agency said.

KCNA also quoted the country's health authorities as requiring North Korean citizens to "vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders."

The South Korean government immediately dismissed the North's assertion, saying there is no possibility that its coronavirus outbreak is connected with such materials from the South, according to Yonhap News Agency.

On May 12, North Korea reported its first COVID-19 case since the pandemic began in 2020, prompting Kim to instruct officials to thoroughly lock down all cities and counties across the nation.

North Korea said Friday that about 4,500 new fever cases had been confirmed in the 24 hours through 6 p.m. Thursday, bringing the total number to around 4.74 million since late April.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 1, 2022 - 22:00 | All, Japan

All Nippon Airways Co. on Friday resumed operations of its Airbus A380 superjumbo passenger jets on its Narita-Honolulu route, after regular flights were suspended for more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the three double-decker giant planes the company owns took off in the evening from Narita airport near Tokyo for the seven-and-half-hour trip to Hawaii.

The world's biggest passenger jet, which seats 520 passengers and features sea turtles on its fuselage, is known as the "Flying Honu," after the Hawaiian word for the marine creature.

"We've always wanted to go to Hawaii on Honu," said Mitsuhiro Tanaka, a 28-year-old from Matsuyama in western Japan, before boarding the airplane with his wife on their honeymoon. "We want to take a lot of pictures there."

ANA, a group company of ANA Holdings Inc., introduced the A380 in May 2019, but flights were suspended in March 2020 after the pandemic caused demand for international travel to slump.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 1, 2022 - 11:08 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

The average land price in Japan as of Jan. 1 was up 0.5 percent from a year earlier, the National Tax Agency said Friday, rebounding from a fall in 2021 as the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

While 20 of the country's 47 prefectures saw increases, 13 more than in 2021, prices continued to fall in others, especially tourist and commercial areas hit by diminished inbound travel.

The price of roadside land as of Jan. 1, 2021, was down 0.5 percent on average from a year earlier, largely due to the disappearance of foreign visitors amid tighter border controls to stem the spread of COVID-19.

This year, land prices on the northern main island of Hokkaido were up 4.0 percent, the highest among the 47 prefectures, aided by redevelopment in the capital Sapporo.

Fukuoka and Miyazaki prefectures in southwestern Japan saw increases of 3.6 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, with high demand in the former for office buildings.

Tokyo as well as Aichi, Osaka and Hiroshima prefectures also saw land prices rebound.

In contrast, 27 prefectures saw price declines, with the biggest in Wakayama at 1.3 percent, though many of the contractions were smaller than in the previous year.

Meanwhile, 15 prefectural capitals saw land price increases, with prime locations in the city of Chiba and Sapporo rising at 5.1 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively, boosted by ongoing or planned redevelopment projects nearby.

Sixteen prefectural capitals logged lower land prices, affected by declines in the number of inbound travelers and residents, although the total figure was down six from a year earlier. Land prices remained at the same level in sixteen prefectural capitals.

The biggest price drop for a prefectural capital was 5.8 percent at Sannomiya Center Gai shopping street in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, usually popular with tourists.

Meanwhile, the most expensive plot in Japan for the 37th year was in front of Kyukyodo stationery store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district.

It was appraised at 42.24 million yen ($311,000) per square meter, down 1.1 percent from the year before, but the decline was far less than the 7 percent fall in government data for 2021.

As in previous years, no values were assigned for land in areas designated as evacuation zones in Fukushima Prefecture following the 2011 nuclear disaster, because of difficulties appraising them.

The tax agency's annual survey of prices per 1 sq. meter of land facing major roads as of Jan. 1 is used to calculate inheritance and gift taxes. It is based on land price data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and reflects land transactions.

Related coverage:

FOCUS: Rising prices key focus in election but no party has silver bullet

Japan households becoming less tolerant of surging food prices: study

Japan land prices rebound after marking 1st fall in 6 yrs
KYODO NEWS - Jul 1, 2022 - 20:21 | All, World, Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to set up a new operating company for the Sakhalin 2 oil and liquefied natural gas project, Russian media reported, casting the investments of two major Japanese trading houses into doubt.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida denied it would immediately cause a halt in the shipment of LNG to Japan. "We must communicate with the operator and consider how to respond," he told reporters in Okinawa Prefecture.

The trading houses, Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp., could be forced to withdraw from the project in the Russian Far East following the decision made Thursday, as foreign investors must apply within a month to retain their existing shares in the new entity, according to the decree.

Japan, which is already reeling from the effects of higher energy prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, might be forced to source LNG from the market at higher prices. Around 9 percent of Japan's LNG imports come from Russia, almost all of them supplied by Sakhalin 2.

Failure to agree to the new terms, which have yet to be elaborated on, would lead to investors' shares being sold. The new firm will be affiliated with Russian energy company Gazprom and effectively under Russian government control, with all staff and businesses transferred from the current operator Sakhalin Energy Investment Co.

Mitsui and Mitsubishi hold 12.5 percent and 10 percent stakes, respectively, and said they are confirming the facts in response to the news.

The decree said the removal of the operating firm is aimed at protecting Russia's national interests from "unfriendly" acts by the United States and other countries which have imposed sanctions on Moscow. Japan has coordinated with the United States and European countries to impose sanctions on Russia.

Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara told reporters Friday, "Our interests in our country's resources must not be undermined," adding that the government is examining the impact of the latest development.

The Japanese government has stressed the need to retain interests in oil and gas projects off Sakhalin as they are vital to securing stable energy supplies.

Shortly after the Russian invasion, British oil giant Shell PLC, which has an approximately 27.5 percent stake in the project, said on Feb. 28 that it would exit the Sakhalin 2 joint venture with Gazprom. Gazprom holds around a 50 percent stake in the project.

The Group of Seven nations have agreed to ban or phase out imports of coal, oil and other products from Russia as part of sanctions against the major energy producer in response to the invasion. But natural gas is not on the list.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda reiterated Friday that Japan will secure necessary energy supplies by all possible means while continuing efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.

News of the potential loss comes as Japan tries to prevent power shortages amid a blistering heatwave.

Hiroshima Gas Co., which procures about 50 percent of its LNG from Sakhalin 2, said of the news, "We are still gathering information and cannot comment at the present time. We are looking at measures, including increasing our procurement from other contractors, in the event that supplies are affected."

Sakhalin 2 can produce about 10 million tons of LNG a year.

Related coverage:

Japan lodges protest against Russia for suspending safe fishing pact

Japan says Sakhalin energy projects do not contradict Russia sanctions

Banning Russian LNG tough without supply alternatives: Japan minister
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States should immediately correct its mistakes and stop sanctioning and suppressing Chinese enterprises, China's commerce ministry said Thursday.

Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, made the comments in response to recent U.S. moves to impose sanctions on relevant Chinese companies on excuses related to Russia, Iran, and military links at a press briefing.

In the name of "upholding international order," such actions are, in essence, practices of unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying, and are typically economic coercion, Shu said.

Such actions severely undermined international economic order and trade rules and threatened the stability of global industrial and supply chains. They also damaged the vital interests of enterprises globally, including Chinese and U.S. enterprises, Shu said. Shu noted that China firmly opposes them.

Shu said China would take necessary measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

"We hope that the United States could meet China halfway and do more things conducive to the stability of global industrial and supply chains and economic recovery," Shu said. 
By Trend

Azerbaijan has approved the list of feeds and feed additives, which are exempt from VAT, the Cabinet of Ministers told Trend.

According to the statement, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 251, forming the legal basis for the classification of feeds and feed additives. The legal framework is of great importance for Azerbaijan's feed market development.
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Procuratorial organs across China filed over 670,000 public interest litigation cases from July 2017 to the end of June 2022, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said on Thursday.

Of the cases, 58,000 were civil lawsuits and 614,000 were administrative cases, according to the SPP.

As a result, an approximate total of 7.86 million mu (about 524,000 hectares) of damaged farmlands, forests, wetlands and grasslands were restored, with 9.35 billion yuan (about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) recovered for ecological restoration, the SPP said.

Procuratorates facilitated the clearing of over 45.8 million tonnes of household and solid waste over the past five years.

Approximately 1.82 million kg of counterfeit and poor quality food were confiscated, as well as 60,000 kg of counterfeit and smuggled drugs, the SPP said.

China began to institute public interest litigation on July 1, 2017, after the country's top legislature incorporated the practice into law by passing amendments to civil and administrative procedure laws.

Over the past five years, the SPP has also launched various supervision campaigns focusing on areas including the ecological environment, food and drug safety, and workplace safety. 
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- By the end of May, Chinese police had cracked over 3,700 cases involving organized crime related to natural resources and apprehended 4,700 criminal suspects since the launch of a targeted nationwide campaign in last July, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Thursday.

During the campaign, local public security authorities actively worked with relevant departments to collect evidence and carry out thorough examinations of links such as the mining, sale and transportation of natural resources, especially sand and minerals.

Under the watch of the MPS, a series of criminal cases that were large in scale and severely infringed upon the interests of the people have been handled and concluded, according to the MPS.

Local public security organs have also strengthened their cooperation with discipline inspection and supervision agencies in tackling shelters covering up and conceiving such crimes, and partnered with relevant authorities to enhance efforts to combat such crimes in a coordinated and preemptive manner. 
URUMQI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- When Pan Yulian, 80, broke her hip bone and was hospitalized in May, about a dozen people, all claiming to be her "children," took turns looking after her in the ward.

Pan had worked voluntarily as an after-school teacher since 1992 in Shule County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. She has a son, and the people claiming to be her children are her previous students from different ethnic minority groups.

Pan's work and her strong bond with her students created over the past 30 years have had far-reaching influences.

"I did everything I could for the kids, and they tried their best to pay me back," Pan said while lying in the hospital bed.

Pan's father was Han and her mother was Uygur. She had offered after-school child care to her neighbors since 1992, as she was one of the few locals who were proficient in both Mandarin and Uygur languages.

Back then, quite a few of her neighbors worked late and needed help taking care of their children. They were also unable to help them with homework due to limited education.

Seeing the situation, Pan decided to transform one room of her house into a "nursery center," where she offered guidance in Chinese, mathematics and other subjects. Her classroom accommodated dozens of kids.

"I just couldn't take watching those kids wandering around unattended," Pan said.

In addition to helping with school work, Pan also provided food and accommodation to children whose parents were not at home or came home late from work.

"One time, my parents didn't come home till late at night, and I fell asleep on her bed. She even got up at midnight to help cover me with the blanket," recalled Shemshinur Memet, who was Pan's student and one of her old neighbors.

She repeatedly refused fees offered by parents, as she considers these children family. At one point, she even offered financial support for a student.

When Rabigul Haji, one of her neighbors, was about to enter second grade nearly 30 years ago, her family was unable to pay the school fees. Pan used her own savings to support the child.

"Without Pan's help, I couldn't have gone to school, let alone have a stable job," said Rabigul Haji, who now works in a local community.

In early 2020, affected by the COVID-19 epidemic and her increasingly obvious signs of brain atrophy, Pan stopped teaching the class. By then, she had taught more than 2,000 students.

Pan's acts of kindness and benevolence are seen throughout the county. With the support of local authorities, the model of Pan's after-school class has been widely replicated and covered many communities and villages in Shule.

Rabigul Haji is in charge of one of the after-school classes. Instead of focusing on teaching from textbooks, the newly established class emphasizes cultivating students' interests and hobbies, offering dancing and painting lessons.

"Although Pan no longer teaches the classes, she likes to visit the children and check out how the teachers are doing," said Rabigul Haji. 
The 2022 Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) wrapped up in Madrid on Thursday amid mounting criticisms. A scholar from the University of London has told Xinhua recently that NATO's new strategic concept shows the alliance is "going far beyond the area of NATO into the Asia-Pacific." #GLOBALink

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi speaks during a press conference in Rome, Italy, on June 30, 2022. Italy's Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday approved a measure providing billions of euros in tax cuts and financing for natural gas as the government worked to reduce the economic impacts of surging fuel prices. (Str/Xinhua)

ROME, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Italy's Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday approved a measure providing billions of euros in tax cuts and financing for natural gas as the government worked to reduce the economic impacts of surging fuel prices.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced the plan late Thursday after leaving the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Spain. Draghi attended the first two days of the summit in Madrid, and was replaced on the final day by Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini.

In his remarks, Draghi did not specify the total value for the aid package, but said the measure would include financing for 4 billion euros (4.2 billion U.S. dollars) in loans to energy market operator GSE to facilitate the refilling of gas storage capacity before demand increases next winter.

Draghi said that gas storage was currently around 50-60 percent of capacity and that his government was "confident we'll reach our target" of 90 percent of capacity by November.

Italian media reported that the total package, including the financing for GSE, could be worth as much as 8 billion euros (8.4 billion dollars), including cash to support long-term contracts for gas imports and a reduction in taxes on energy bills. 

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi speaks during a press conference in Rome, Italy, on June 30, 2022. Italy's Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday approved a measure providing billions of euros in tax cuts and financing for natural gas as the government worked to reduce the economic impacts of surging fuel prices. (Str/Xinhua)

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrives for a press conference in Rome, Italy, on June 30, 2022. Italy's Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday approved a measure providing billions of euros in tax cuts and financing for natural gas as the government worked to reduce the economic impacts of surging fuel prices. (Str/Xinhua)
TUNIS, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied has validated the draft of a new constitution and unveiled it to the public ahead of the constitutional referendum scheduled for July 25.

The draft constitution, published late Thursday in the official bi-weekly gazette Journal of the Republic of Tunisia, comprises 10 chapters and 142 articles, with the most notable Article 1 stipulating that Tunisia is a republic with a presidential system.

The draft details that the president exercises executive power with the assistance of the government, the head of which is appointed by the president and will not be presented to the parliament for a vote of confidence.

It meets expectations that Tunisia will abandon the mixed presidential-parliamentary system under the country's 2014 constitution, as Saied has vowed to reshape the political system on many occasions.

Also as expected, the draft constitution sets a new parliamentary chamber for "regions and districts," echoing the president's long-held vision for a decentralized democratic model that he described as a "democracy of individuals."

It also limits the presidency to a maximum of two terms, but the term can be extended when the president decides there is an imminent danger to the country.

The last chapter stipulates that the exceptional measures, announced by Saied and approved in September 2021, will remain in force until the next parliamentary elections due in December 2022.

The new constitution keeps most parts of the sections in the 2014 version that enumerated rights and liberties, including freedom of speech, the right to organize in unions, and the right to peaceful gatherings.

However, it forbids strikes held by certain sectors, such as security, army, and court.

Tunisia has been trapped in an economic crisis, with declining public services, an increasing unemployment rate, and chronic political paralysis. On July 25, 2021, the president sacked the prime minister and suspended the parliament in response to a series of mass anti-government protests amid the economic collapse fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After that, he appointed a new government and dissolved the parliament as well as the supreme judicial council.

Last December, Saied declared that a constitutional referendum will be held on July 25, the country's Republic Day, for a "new republic."

However, the planned referendum has met with mixed reactions. Some Tunisians welcomed it to "change the corrupt and inept old system," while others denounced it as a "power grab" by the president.

On Thursday, the Independent High Authority for Elections announced that nearly 9.3 million Tunisians have registered to vote in the referendum. 
BUENOS AIRES, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Argentina confirmed its sixth case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Mexico, the Ministry of Health reported Thursday.

The 25-year-old man, who lives in Cordoba Province, was in contact with a person who had the disease during his trip to Mexico, the ministry said in a statement.

"The person first presented symptoms such as a fever, a severe headache and general malaise on June 19, arrived in Argentina on June 20 and had a medical consultation by telephone on June 25," it explained.

After a hospital evaluation, the necessary samples were sent to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, coming back positive.

The person has been in isolation since the day he arrived in the country and is progressing favorably with home monitoring.

The Health Ministry also advised that the most frequent symptoms of monkeypox are fever, headache, muscle or back pain, as well as swollen glands and fatigue, adding that up to five days later a skin rash appears.

After the first international cases of monkeypox were recorded, the ministry formed a work team to monitor the disease, as well as to generate specific recommendations for health teams and the population. 
Video screenshot taken on June 30, 2022 shows Associate Justice Stephen Breyer (R) administering the judicial oath for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (L) in a ceremony at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Credit: The U.S. Supreme Court)



Court watchers believe Ketanji Brown Jackson is expected to vote very similarly to Stephen Breyer and her ascension won't change the Supreme Court's ideological balance, in which conservatives have a 6-3 majority over liberals.

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in at noon on Thursday to formally become an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the nation's first African American woman to serve in that role.

Chief Justice John Roberts administered the constitutional oath for Jackson while Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, whom she clerked for, administered the judicial oath, in a ceremony before a small gathering of her family at the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill.

Jackson, in a statement, said that she will administer justice "without fear or favor."

The ceremony was streamed live on the homepage of the Supreme Court's website. A formal investiture ceremony will take place at a later date, according to the court.

It came a day after Breyer, who had served in the Supreme Court since 1994, said that he will step down from the Supreme Court bench Thursday. The 83-year-old liberal announced his retirement from the court early this year.

U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Jackson, 51, to succeed Breyer in late February. It was one of the veteran Democrat's major promises to fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy with an African American woman.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (R) and U.S. President Joe Biden attend an event marking the Senate confirmation of Jackson for the Supreme Court at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The U.S. Senate confirmed Jackson in a 53-47 vote in April, with three Republicans joining 50 Democrats and independents in supporting Biden's nomination of her for the Supreme Court.

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 country's constitution.

Since the Supreme Court was established in the United States in 1789, 116 justices have been confirmed to the bench. Of them, 108 are white men and only six are women, including Jackson. The justices have life tenure and can serve until they die, resign, retire, or are impeached and removed from office.

Born in Washington, D.C. but raised in Miami, Florida, Jackson received her law degree from Harvard University and graduated cum laude in 1996. Earlier in her legal career, she worked as an assistant federal public defender in D.C. and served as vice-chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission for four years.

Jackson served more than eight years as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before being elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in June 2021.

Court watchers believe Jackson is expected to vote very similarly to Breyer and her ascension won't change the Supreme Court's ideological balance, in which conservatives have a 6-3 majority over liberals. 
Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the rubble of a house damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan. Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

GAYAN, Afghanistan, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghansitan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses.

Gul Mohammad, 70, whose 17-year old son was killed in the quake and another member of his family was badly injured in the natural disaster, said that his family has been living in a tent after the earthquake destroyed his house.

"My house was my only shelter and it is what I have worked for throughout my life. I had managed to build the house but it was destroyed within seconds," Mohammad told Xinhua at the site of his ruined house.

"I need at least 4 million afghani (1 U.S. dollar equals 88 afghani) to rebuild my house and live along with the remaining of my family members under the same roof."

The residents of Gayan have been living in mud houses without running water, gas and electricity.

Living in the shattered Wachakai village of Gayan district, Gul Mohammad, who is the head of an 18-member family, said that the tremble had killed 32 people and destroyed around 200 houses in his village.

Recalling the devastating quake, he said, "It was almost at midnight when we were waked up by shocks, and seconds later the roof of our house caved in."

Eight hours after the quake, the villagers helped pull out the body of his son from the rubbles.

At least 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,500 others injuried in the quake.

Gayan is a very poor area as there is no asphalted roads, schools and health centers to provide medical treatment to the injured victims or facilitate the families to take their injured ones to hospitals in neighboring provinces.

Although humanitarian assistances including foodstuff, blankets, tents and medicines have been sent to the area, the affected families are in need of more support to recover.

"We have received tents, but we need more assistance and above all we need support to rebuild our houses," another resident of Gayan district Mohammad Akram told Xinhua.

Akram who was injured in the quake and is the head of a 53-member family said that scores of houses had been destroyed and all the affected families want to rebuild their houses.

"All houses in our village were destroyed in the earthquake and we all need to rebuild our houses," another survivor of the tremble Rahim said.

Responding to the plight of the quake victims, provincial head for Information and Culture Mohammad Amin Zaefi told Xinhua that the provincial government, with the support of national and international aid agencies, will do its best to help rebuild the houses of the affected families. 

Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the rubble of a house damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan. Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

A man is seen near the rubble of a house damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan on June 28, 2022. Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

A man stands by the rubble of a house damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan on June 28, 2022. Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

A man is seen in the rubble of a house damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan on June 28, 2022. Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses.(Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Photo taken on June 28, 2022 shows the rubble of houses damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan. Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
DUBAI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Dubai started on Friday imposing a 25-fils (6 U.S. cents) tariff for each single-use plastic bag, which is part of the UAE's plan to gradually ban the use of some single-use plastic products by 2024.

The move is "in line with enhancing environmental sustainability and encouraging individuals to reduce the excessive use of plastics," the Dubai Media Office said.

According to Dubai Municipality, the tariff in Dubai is mandatory for all shops including groceries, retail stores, restaurants, pharmacies, e-commerce services, and delivery services that provide single-use bags (measuring less than 57 micrometers in thickness) to carry goods.

Meanwhile, stores are not obligated to provide free alternatives to their customers.

The move by the Dubai government follows Abu Dhabi's decision on June 1 to ban the use of single-use plastic bags across all stores in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. 
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and Turkiye have discussed joint steps to attract additional cargo flows to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and the Middle Corridor, Azernews reports.

The discussion took place during the first meeting of the Azerbaijani-Turkish Working Group on Transport and Communication.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the joint measures to improve the efficiency of Ro-Ro [ed. roll-on/roll-off ships] transport on the Caspian Sea, to implement more flexible regulations for transit cargo transportation and to facilitate transportation processes.

They highlighted the importance of the first tripartite meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs and transport of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Kazakhstan in Baku on May 27 and the signing of the Baku Declaration.

Moreover, the sides underlined that the Zangazur corridor will contribute to peace, stability, and cooperation in the region. In this regard, they emphasized the importance of the construction of the Kars-Nakhchivan railway line, which will be the continuation of the corridor.

During the event, there was an extensive exchange of views on the development of fiber-optic infrastructure between the two countries, cooperation in the fields of new-generation 5G mobile communication technologies, cybersecurity, and smart transport systems. An agreement was reached to exchange experience and organize joint training in these areas.

At the end of the meeting, the minutes of the first meeting of the Azerbaijani-Turkish working group on transport and communications were signed.

The meeting, co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan Rahman Hummatov and Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkiye Omar Fatih Sayan, was attended by authorized persons from the fields of civil aviation, road and maritime transport, railways, and communications.

Azerbaijan and Turkiye collaborate in a variety of economic sectors and have completed major energy and infrastructure projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, and TANAP.

The two countries set up a goal to bring the mutual trade turnover to $15 billion in 2023. As of 2021, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $4.6 billion. So far, Turkiye is Azerbaijans second-largest investor followed by the UK.
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC), embracing its 101st birthday on Friday, is steering the Chinese economy back on track despite headwinds at home and abroad.

To minimize the impacts of domestic COVID-19 resurgences and global complexity on the economy, the world's largest governing party has given instructions ranging from bolstering employment and unclogging logistics to propping up small businesses and increasing economic openness.

Following the Party's leadership, governments at all levels have made all-out efforts to help the economy navigate the temporary hardships.

EMPLOYMENT FIRST

Job creation has always been a priority on the CPC's policy agenda. Back in 2020, a year of so many uncertainties for the country that it set no numerical economic growth target, it dedicated itself to a clear goal of creating over 9 million urban jobs.

This year, facing COVID-19 disruptions, China is expected to see a record 10.76 million new university and college graduates, a year-on-year increase of 1.67 million.

Adhering to an "employment-first" strategy, the CPC leadership stressed efforts to stabilize and expand employment at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in April.

Government departments have taken firm actions accordingly. Maximizing China's institutional advantages, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission urged all centrally administered state-owned enterprises to expand their current recruitment and talent pool to create more job opportunities.

KEEPING LOGISTICS SMOOTH

To handle the COVID-19 impact on market supply and commodity prices, the CPC leadership has reiterated the importance of unclogging logistics and supply chain so that the economy operates smoothly and people's essential needs are met.

The country must consider a full picture of national development to ensure unimpeded transportation and logistics by normalizing key industrial and supply chains and suppliers for COVID response and critical infrastructure, according to the meeting in April.

Governments at all levels have acted upon the instructions with targeted moves. A unified national pass for vehicles transporting vital supplies has been adopted by various provinces nationwide, while cities including Beijing have established a "white list" mechanism to secure the delivery capacity of fresh produce suppliers and support the work resumption of key companies.

China's logistics sector is rebounding from the COVID-19 lows thanks to such efforts. The logistics performance index came in at 49.3 percent in May, up 5.5 percentage points from April, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

SHORING UP BUSINESSES

A series of burden-easing measures have been unveiled by varying government organs in response to the CPC's call for helping market entities, especially small and micro firms that underpin the country's economic resilience.

Since April 1, China has launched value-added tax credit refunds on a large scale amid continuous efforts in tax and fee cuts.

To further this policy, the country announced that firms in seven more sectors, including wholesale and retail sales, agriculture, accommodation and catering, will enjoy such refunds from July 1. This move will bring the total amount of tax refunds and reductions to 2.64 trillion yuan (395 billion U.S. dollars) this year.

Other efforts to this end include doubling the scale of the support facility for inclusive loans to micro and small businesses and deferring social security contribution payments for companies facing difficulties.

OPENING DOORS WIDER

Short-term uncertainties have not held back China's long-standing dedication to sharing opportunities with other nations. At the April meeting, continued efforts are mandated by the CPC leadership to expand high-level opening-up.

On top of introducing two shortened negative lists for foreign investment that came into force on Jan. 1, China has advanced the construction of 21 pilot free trade zones and signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with 149 countries and 32 international organizations.

Eyeing China's opening-up dividends, foreign investors are scrambling for a larger presence in the thriving Chinese market. In the first five months, foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 17.3 percent year on year.

According to recent reports by the German Chamber of Commerce in China and the American Chamber of Commerce in China, 71 percent of German-invested companies and over 60 percent of U.S. companies plan to increase investment in China. 
The death toll of migrants in a sweltering 18-wheeler on Monday in San Antonio, Texas, has risen to 53, 40 male and 13 female.

"Deaths of 53 migrants in Texas stoke grief, fears of a deadly summer" -- this is the title of the report by The Washington Post. "Tractor-trailers are common because these criminal organizations are trying to maximize profit."

"When U.S. Immigration Policy Kills" -- this is the title of the commentary by The Wall Street Journal.

"Human smuggling is an ugly business, and sometimes a murderous one. The death of at least 50 migrants trapped in a truck in broiling heat is a crime, but it's also another sign that America lacks a humane, sensible immigration policy."

The Editorial Board commentary insisted that "as the party in power in Washington with the responsibility for immigration policy, the (Joe) Biden Administration has the duty to fix this so migrants don't have to play roulette with their lives."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott was also quick to blame the president, writing that "these deaths are on Biden."

He and other Republican candidates running in the November elections have been hammering Democrats over border security issues for a long time.

Biden reacted in a precise way and to the target. He said in a statement that "exploiting vulnerable individuals for profit is shameful, as is political grandstanding around tragedy."

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
LANZHOU, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Huang Kunming, a senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official, has urged concrete actions and progress to set the stage for the Party's 20th National Congress.

Huang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour to northwest China's Gansu Province from Tuesday to Friday.

He stressed efforts to fully display historical achievements made by the Party and the country since the 18th National Congress of the CPC.

Huang ordered further publicity of the philosophy of ecological civilization, progress in ecological conservation and green development.

Huang also called for the deepened integration of culture and tourism, as well as coordination between the COVID-19 containment and tourism development. 
BAKU, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced on Thursday that the country, which currently chairs the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), put forward an initiative on establishing the organization's support office in New York.

Addressing the Baku Conference of the NAM Parliamentary Network, Aliyev said the initiative is backed by the NAM member states.

Parliamentary delegations from 40 countries and representatives of nine international organizations are attending the Baku conference which aims to discuss how to boost the role of national parliaments in promoting global peace and sustainable development.

The Azerbaijani leader expressed the confidence that the NAM Parliamentary Network not only will contribute to solidarity among member states, but also will establish close working relations with different parliamentary organizations of the world.

Aliyev also announced that Baku will host a youth summit of the Non-Aligned Movement next month.

The conference adopted the Baku Declaration and approved the rules of procedure of the NAM Parliamentary Network, as well as the official logo and flag of the organization. The chairman and vice chairmen of the network were also elected.

Initiated by Azerbaijan, the inaugural meeting of the NAM Parliamentary Network was held in Madrid of Spain last November. 
* NATO's latest northward expansion amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis poses a grave challenge to global security, especially in the Baltic Sea region and the North Pole region.

* Instead of making "them (Sweden and Finland) safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure," analysts fear that such accession would only upend the security landscape of Europe and eventually invite disasters.

* NATO has repeatedly said that its role as a regional alliance remains unchanged, and it does not seek to expand its influence in other regions. But what the bloc is doing tells a different story.

by Xinhua writers Fu Yiming, Du Juan, Ma Mengli, Zhang Yisheng

MADRID, June 30 (Xinhua) -- NATO has formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance, a sign of how deeply "the product of the Cold War" indulges itself in ideological confrontation and bloc politics.

While emphasizing self-proclaimed security assurances for members, its latest northward expansion amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis poses a grave challenge to global security, especially in the Baltic Sea region and the North Pole region, experts have said.

A man takes part in a protest against NATO in Madrid, Spain, June 26, 2022. (Photo by Juan Carlos Rojas/Xinhua)

ESCALATING CONFRONTATION

Amid highly tightened security measures and widespread discontent from demonstrators, NATO member leaders gathered in Madrid for its 2022 summit, where Sweden and Finland -- two Nordic countries with longstanding neutral and military non-alignment policies -- have been formally invited to join the bloc.

NATO's expansion is bound to further increase Russia's sense of insecurity and trigger corresponding countermeasures as Finland's accession and its 1,300 km land border with Russia would more than double NATO's territorial boundaries with Russia.

Instead of making "them (Sweden and Finland) safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure" as NATO has promised, analysts fear that such accession would only upend the security landscape of Europe and eventually invite disasters.

NATO's expansion and its reactions to the Ukraine crisis "will create huge socioeconomic and political problems and even upheavals in Europe as time goes by," Jan Oberg, director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

He said Europe and the whole world are now "in a more dangerous situation than we have ever been" in the past decades, and that "NATO is responsible for the underlying conflict built upon the perverse idea that there are no limits to expansion. And it continues."

NATO flag and Spanish national flag are seen in Madrid, Spain, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

Croatian political analyst Zarko Puhovski said that NATO's expansion and Russia's strong reaction are bound to result in "long and unfriendly borders," which could eventually spark conflicts.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, noted on Tuesday that NATO's five eastward expansions after the Cold War have not only failed to make Europe securer, but also sowed the seed of conflict.

"The Cold War ended a long time ago. It is necessary for NATO to reconsider its own positioning and its responsibilities, completely abandon the Cold War mentality that is based on bloc confrontation, and strive to build a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security framework in line with the principle of indivisible security," he said.





TOOL FOR HEGEMONY

While promoting northward expansion in disregard of Russia's security concerns, NATO declared Russia as the "most significant and direct threat" to its members' peace and security at the Madrid summit in a new Strategic Concept, its once-in-a-decade set of priorities and goals.

Analysts said the move shows that NATO is now little more than a tool for Washington to maintain its hegemony. The so-called new Strategic Concept is only "old wine in a new bottle," which has not changed the Cold War mentality of bloc confrontation.

Stephen Ndegwa, an international relations lecturer at the Nairobi-based United States International University-Africa in Kenya, said NATO's main objective is to maintain dominance over other countries, he said, adding that by mobilizing more Western countries to join, NATO may further stoke the fires of the Russian-Ukraine crisis.



Participants of the 2022 NATO Summit pose for a group photo in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2022. (Photo by Juan Carlos Rojas/Xinhua)

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov expressed his doubts by saying that Russia condemns the "irresponsible course" of the military alliance that is "ruining the European architecture, or what is left of it."

Meanwhile, China is labeled for the first time as a "systemic challenge" in the Strategic Concept.

"China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. It does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs or export ideology, still less engage in long-arm jurisdiction, economic coercion or unilateral sanctions. How could China be labeled a 'systemic challenge'?" China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing on Tuesday.





ILL INTENTIONS FOR ASIA PACIFIC

In an effort to contain China, U.S. officials and their NATO allies have been aggressively trumpeting the view that China, an East Asian country, threatens Euro-Atlantic security.

Washington, which has been trying to entrench its influence in Asia for decades, has invited its Asia-Pacific followers, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, to take part in the NATO summit for the first time.

NATO has repeatedly said that its role as a regional alliance remains unchanged, and it does not seek to expand its influence in other regions. But what the bloc is doing tells a different story.

Police stand guard at the blocked Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain, June 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

"NATO wants to be global," Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said in an interview with Xinhua on the eve of the summit.

NATO has been flexing its muscles in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years, trying to bring the pattern of bloc confrontation from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region.

Former NATO Secretary General Javier Solana said NATO's expansion and its pursuit of a stronger presence in Asia will make it more difficult for NATO members to interact with other countries that do not see China or Russia as enemies or rivals. They do not want to take sides between China, Russia and the West.

Solana warned that a "global NATO" or "NATO plus" could divide the world into adversarial blocs.

(Reporters Meng Dingbo in Madrid and Zhu Shaobin in Nairobi also contributed to the story.) (Video reporters: Feng Junwei, Sun Xinjing, Liu Xinyu, Zhang Zhang, Du Juan; video editors: Ma Ruxuan, Cao Ying, Zhu Jianhui, Liu Ruoshi)
HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping left Hong Kong by train Friday after attending celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

At the West Kowloon high-speed rail station, people from all walks of life and children, waving flags and flowers and singing songs, bid farewell to the president. Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan waved back to the crowd.

Arriving here Thursday afternoon, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended celebrations, met with representatives of various sectors and inspected Hong Kong.

Xi attended Friday morning a meeting marking the anniversary and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

In his speech at the meeting, Xi extended cordial greetings to all Hong Kong residents and warm congratulations to John Lee, the newly inaugurated sixth-term chief executive of the HKSAR, principal officials of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR, and members of the Executive Council.

Hong Kong's return to the motherland opened a new epoch in the history of Hong Kong, Xi said, noting that the practice of "one country, two systems" has achieved success in Hong Kong recognized by all.

He stressed the need to fully and faithfully implement the "one country, two systems" policy, ensure both overall jurisdiction by the central authorities and a high degree of autonomy in the special administrative region, implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," and maintain Hong Kong's unique status and strengths.

Calling the next five years crucial for Hong Kong to break new ground and launch a new take-off, Xi expressed hopes for efforts in Hong Kong to improve governance, strengthen the momentum of development, address difficulties in people's lives, and uphold harmony and stability.

During his trip here, Xi met with Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying, the fifth-term Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam, and John Lee, respectively.

Xi met with senior figures of the HKSAR's executive, legislative and judicial bodies, local dignitaries, and representatives of the HKSAR disciplined services, and visited central government officials based in Hong Kong and senior executives of Hong Kong branches of mainland enterprises and institutions. He also inspected the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison in the HKSAR.

In a tour of the Hong Kong Science Park, Xi had warm exchanges with researchers and youth representatives of innovation enterprises.

Xi also met with Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, who was here for the celebrations. 
People stand near a house damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on June 23, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Although humanitarian assistance, including foodstuff, blankets, tents and medicines, has been sent to the area, the quake-affected Afghan families are in need of more support to recover. "All houses in our village were destroyed in the earthquake and we all need to rebuild our houses," a survivor said.

GAYAN, Afghanistan, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of families have been left homeless following a devastating quake that struck the Gayan district of Afghansitan's eastern Paktika province on June 22. The quake victims are appealing for support to rebuilding their houses.

Gul Mohammad, 70, whose 17-year old son was killed in the quake and another member of his family was badly injured in the natural disaster, said that his family has been living in a tent after the earthquake destroyed his house.

"My house was my only shelter and it is what I have worked for throughout my life. I had managed to build the house but it was destroyed within seconds," Mohammad told Xinhua at the site of his ruined house.

"I need at least 4 million afghani (1 U.S. dollar equals 88 afghani) to rebuild my house and live along with the remaining of my family members under the same roof."

Photo taken on June 23, 2022 shows houses damaged in an earthquake in Paktika province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

The residents of Gayan have been living in mud houses without running water, gas and electricity.

Living in the shattered Wachakai village of Gayan district, Gul Mohammad, who is the head of an 18-member family, said that the tremble had killed 32 people and destroyed around 200 houses in his village.

Recalling the devastating quake, he said, "It was almost at midnight when we were waked up by shocks, and seconds later the roof of our house caved in."

Eight hours after the quake, the villagers helped pull out the body of his son from the rubbles.

At least 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,500 others injuried in the quake.

Earthquake survivors receive relief supplies in Paktika province, Afghanistan, June 23, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Gayan is a very poor area as there is no asphalted roads, schools and health centers to provide medical treatment to the injured victims or facilitate the families to take their injured ones to hospitals in neighboring provinces.

Although humanitarian assistances including foodstuff, blankets, tents and medicines have been sent to the area, the affected families are in need of more support to recover.

"We have received tents, but we need more assistance and above all we need support to rebuild our houses," another resident of Gayan district Mohammad Akram told Xinhua.

Earthquake survivors receive relief supplies in Paktika province, Afghanistan, June 23, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Akram who was injured in the quake and is the head of a 53-member family said that scores of houses had been destroyed and all the affected families want to rebuild their houses.

"All houses in our village were destroyed in the earthquake and we all need to rebuild our houses," another survivor of the tremble Rahim said.

Responding to the plight of the quake victims, provincial head for Information and Culture Mohammad Amin Zaefi told Xinhua that the provincial government, with the support of national and international aid agencies, will do its best to help rebuild the houses of the affected families.
Zhou Pingjian (front R), Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, and Maniza Zaman (front L), representative of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Kenya, sign the completion certificate of a China-funded project to promote maternal, newborn and children's health in the East African Nation, in Nairobi, Kenya, June 30, 2022. The Chinese Embassy in Kenya and the UNICEF on Thursday held a ceremony to mark the successful completion of the project. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

NAIROBI, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Kenya and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday held a ceremony to mark the successful completion of a China-funded project to promote maternal, newborn and children's health in the East African Nation.

The project, with 1 million U.S. dollars funding from the Chinese government, was implemented by UNICEF between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 30, 2021, involving the procurement and distribution of medical equipment and medicines.

The successful completion of the project with desired results reflects sound cooperation between China and UNICEF under the framework of South-South Cooperation, said Zhou Pingjian, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, who witnessed the signing of the completion certificate.

The project offered medical materials and training to 159 health facilities in 8 counties across Kenya, benifiting more than 3 million people, according to UNICEF Kenya.

With Chinese donation and support, UNICEF has been strengthening the construction of grassroots health facilities in Kenya and has effectively reduced the fatality rate of pregnant women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Maniza Zaman, UNICEF representative in Kenya. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, south China, July 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Friday inspected the Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), ordering the troops to raise its capabilities in performing duties and contribute more to the enduring success of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), came to the Central Barracks on Friday morning, and met with representatives of the army officers and soldiers.

Over the past 25 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, the Hong Kong Garrison has steadfastly carried out decisions and instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC and fulfilled defense-centered tasks under the guidance of "one country, two systems" principle as well as the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Garrisoning the HKSAR, Xi said.

Particularly in recent years, the garrison, while facing a complicated and evolving situation in Hong Kong, has played an important role in Hong Kong's transition from chaos to order by dutifully serving the CPC Central Committee's work on Hong Kong affairs, he noted.

With Hong Kong now at a crucial stage of advancing to further prosperity, the Hong Kong Garrison must strengthen self-building in all respects and raise its capabilities in performing duties, so as to contribute more to safeguarding national security and Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability as well as the enduring success of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong, Xi said. 
GAZA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Friday welcomed a UN report that called for the immediate ending of the siege that Israel has been imposing on the Gaza Strip since 2007.

On Thursday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report that the situation in the Gaza Strip "is catastrophic" due to a siege that has been imposed on the coastal enclave for 15 years.

"The Israeli siege raised the rates of poverty and unemployment to be the highest in the world, destroyed the economy, crushed a large segment of the Palestinians, and turned them to depend on international aid by more than 50 percent," the report said.

"The siege of Gaza should be lifted completely in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1860," OCHA said.

The report called for the immediate lifting of the Israeli siege, lifting all restrictions that undermined the Palestinian economy, and reopening and constructing factories destroyed during the conflicts.

Hamas Spokesman in Gaza Abdel Latif al-Qanou called on the international community to work to put an end to the "Israeli occupation." 
By Trend

Discussions were held on the draft protocol of the 51st meeting of the permanent Azerbaijan-Iran Joint Commission for use of water and energy resources of Araz River, in Tabriz city of Iran, Spokesman of Azerbaijan Amelioration and Water Management OJSC Dilgam Sharifov told Trend.

Sharifov said that the meeting of the commission, chaired by the Co-chairman from the Azerbaijani side, Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijan Melioration and Water Management OJCS Zakir Guliyev, was attended by the Head of the department of the company Elchin Mammadov and the Head of the sector Elkhan Huseynov, representatives of Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and natural resources and relevant organizations of Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

A number of issues were discussed at the meeting. Therefore, the working regime of the Araz reservoir and water distribution between the two countries were determined.

Appropriate distribution schedules were prepared at the meeting within the framework of the joint use of water and energy resources of Araz River, and a protocol was signed.

Next discussions of the draft protocol of the 52nd meeting of the joint Azerbaijani-Iranian commission will be held in Baku next year.
TEHRAN, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian lawmaker said Friday that they still cannot express "definite optimism" that Washington will remove sanctions against Tehran.

"We had reached a draft agreement in Vienna, but some issues remained to be agreed upon in this draft, and most of them are related to the sanctions that the United States wants to maintain," Abolfazl Amouei, spokesman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told semi-official Mehr News Agency.

Doha talks, as the continuation of Vienna negotiations, were aimed at resolving the remaining issues and to "lift the sanctions in the interests of the people," he said, expressing hope that "the proposed model would accelerate the talks to resolve the remaining issues."

Amouei did not elaborate on the "proposed model," but reiterated the Iranians' remarks that "if the United States is ready to lift sanctions, negotiations will be concluded."

After three months of pause, Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Doha, capital of Qatar, earlier this week, but two days of intensive negotiations resulted in no agreement to settle their differences.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (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 JCPOA in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

The Iranian nuclear talks began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington. 
UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) urgently needs additional funds to continue its work, a UN spokesman said on Friday.

With its current resources, the UNVIM will be forced to suspend operations at the end of August, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told the regular press briefing.

The UNVIM was instituted by the United Nations at the request of the government of Yemen to facilitate the unimpeded flow of commercial items to Yemen and to revive the economy of the country.

UNVIM aims to restore trust among the shipping community that goods can be delivered to Yemen without unexpected and costly delays, thus decrease insurance rates and costs for shipping companies and traders, increase the amount of basic goods and services entering Yemen, decrease the inflated prices for commodities and thus cover basic needs of the population that cannot be met through humanitarian assistance.

"Since 2016, it has cleared more than 1,600 ships to ensure essential items such as food, fuel and other commercial goods are able to reach Yemeni men, women and children," Dujarric said, noting that Yemen imports nearly 90 percent of its food.

The UN Security Council has often expressed its commitment to facilitating these imports, he said.

The UNVIM needs 3.5 million U.S. dollars for its operations from September until the end of the year, said the spokesman.

UNVIM is managed and operated by the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), a self-financing organization, with funding open to UN member states. 
Chinese peacekeepers march at a medal parade ceremony in Hanniyah village, southern Lebanon, July 1, 2022. A total of 410 peacekeepers of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon were awarded UN medals of peace on Friday. (Xinhua/Liu Zongya)

BEIRUT, July 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 410 peacekeepers of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon were awarded UN medals of peace on Friday.

As part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Chinese peacekeepers were hailed as "great ambassadors" of China and Chinese armed forces by Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, UNIFIL's head of Mission and Force Commander, at a medal parade ceremony.

The commander expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chinese government for its continuous support and contribution to UNIFIL.

The ceremony, held at the Chinese peacekeepers' camp in Hanniyah village in southern Lebanon, was also attended by Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian, representatives of the Lebanese armed forces, local officials and fellow peacekeepers.

Saenz told the Chinese peacekeepers that "the well-deserved medal is a token of appreciation in recognition of your hard work, as well as the significant contribution and commitment you gave" to this peace mission in southern Lebanon in the past months.

Saenz highly praised the Chinese peacekeepers for their work, including clearing dangerous minefields, developing construction works and providing medical assistance.

The Chinese peacekeepers "have assisted many local communities here, improving their living conditions, providing medical care and strengthening the bonds with them," he said, adding that this is "a symbol of your active role in maintaining peace and stability in southern Lebanon and the people who live here."

The 20th Chinese peacekeeping contingent, which includes a multi-functional engineer detachment, a construction engineer detachment and a medical detachment, has been serving the UN Mission since August 2021.

More than 7,000 Chinese peacekeepers have been dispatched to Lebanon since 2006.

The UN Security Council established the UNIFIL on March 19, 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Its mandate was expanded following the 2006 Lebanon War. 

Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) head of Mission and Force Commander, presents a UN medal of peace to a member of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon at a medal parade ceremony in Hanniyah village, southern Lebanon, July 1, 2022. A total of 410 peacekeepers of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon were awarded UN medals of peace on Friday. (Photo by Liang Yuyuan/Xinhua)

Chinese peacekeepers march at a medal parade ceremony in Hanniyah village, southern Lebanon, July 1, 2022. A total of 410 peacekeepers of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon were awarded UN medals of peace on Friday. (Xinhua/Liu Zongya)
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and delivers an important speech, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong, south China, July 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

HONG KONG, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and also the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was held on Friday morning at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the event and delivered an address.

Over the past 25 years, with the full support of the country and the joint efforts of the HKSAR government and people from all walks of life in Hong Kong, the success of "one country, two systems" has won recognition throughout the world, Xi said.

"One country, two systems" has been tested repeatedly in practice. It serves the fundamental interests of not only Hong Kong and Macao, but also the whole country and the nation. It has gained wide support from the 1.4 billion-plus Chinese people including the residents of Hong Kong and Macao. It is also widely accepted by the international community. There is no reason for us to change such a good policy, and we must adhere to it in the long run, Xi stressed.

The atmosphere in the center was solemn and warm. Behind the podium were the national flag and emblem of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the flag of the HKSAR. Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan walked into the center accompanied by John Lee, the sixth-term chief executive of the HKSAR, and his wife Janet Lam. All present rose and greeted them with warm applause.

The meeting and inauguration ceremony began at around 10 a.m. All rose and sang the national anthem of the PRC.

Xi walked onto the stage to administer the inauguration. Lee took his oath of office, as stipulated in the Basic Law of the HKSAR, in front of the national flag and emblem of the PRC and the flag of the HKSAR with his right hand raised, sworn in as the sixth-term chief executive.

Then, led by Lee, principal officials of the sixth-term HKSAR government took their oaths, administered by Xi.

Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR were then sworn in by Lee.

After a shower of applause, Xi delivered a speech. He first extended sincere greetings to all the people of Hong Kong and expressed warm congratulations to the newly inaugurated sixth-term HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee, principal officials of the sixth-term HKSAR government, and members of the Executive Council. And Xi expressed heartfelt appreciation to all fellow compatriots both at home and abroad, and international friends for their support for the cause of "one country, two systems" and for Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

According to Xi, in the over 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, Chinese ancestors working hard on the land south of the Five Ridges is an important chapter. In the history of modern China after the Opium War in 1840, the humiliation of ceding Hong Kong is a page of pain and also included is the Chinese people's fight for the survival of our country. The past century has witnessed how the Communist Party of China has united and led the Chinese people in its magnificent endeavors for a better future, to which fellow Chinese in Hong Kong have made unique and significant contributions. Throughout history, people in Hong Kong have always maintained a close bond with the motherland in weal and woe.

The fundamental purpose of "one country, two systems" is to safeguard China's sovereignty, security, and development interests and to maintain long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao. All that the central government has done are for the benefits of Hong Kong and Macao, for the wellbeing of all residents of the two regions, and for the future of the whole country. "One country, two systems" has been tested repeatedly in practice. It serves the fundamental interests of not only Hong Kong and Macao, but also the whole country and the nation. It has gained wide support from the 1.4 billion-plus Chinese people including the residents of Hong Kong and Macao. It is also widely accepted by the international community. There is no reason for us to change such a good policy, and we must adhere to it in the long run, Xi stressed.

The practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong has left us both valuable experience and profound inspirations. Only if we have a profound and accurate understanding of the laws guiding the practice of "one country, two systems," can we make sure our cause advances in the right direction in a sound and sustained manner, Xi noted.

First, we must fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems." This principle embodies a complete system. Its top priority is to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. With this as a prerequisite, Hong Kong and Macao can keep the previous capitalist systems unchanged for a long time and enjoy a high degree of autonomy. The thorough and precise implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle will open up broader prospects for the development of Hong Kong and Macao. The more firmly the "one country" principle is upheld, the greater strength the "two systems" will be unleashed for the development of the SARs, Xi said.

Second, we must uphold the central government's overall jurisdiction while securing the SARs' high degree of autonomy. The central government's overall jurisdiction over the SARs underpins their high degree of autonomy, and such autonomy bestowed by the law is fully respected and resolutely safeguarded by the central government. Only when the enforcement of the central government's overall jurisdiction dovetails with the fulfillment of a high degree of autonomy in the SARs, can the SARs be well governed.

Third, we must ensure that Hong Kong is administered by patriots. It is a universal political rule that a government must be in the hands of patriots. The government of the HKSAR must be safely kept in the hands of those who love the country. This is an essential requirement for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability and must not be compromised under any circumstances. To put the governing power in the right hands is to safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability as well as the immediate interests of more than 7 million people in the region.

Fourth, Hong Kong should maintain its distinctive status and advantages. Hong Kong's close connection with the world market and strong support from the motherland are its distinctive advantages. The central government fully supports Hong Kong in its effort to maintain its distinctive status and edges, to improve its presence as an international financial, shipping and trading center, to keep its business environment free, open and regulated, and to maintain the common law, so as to expand and facilitate its exchanges with the world. On the country's journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects and realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the central government believes that Hong Kong will make great contributions.

Xi made four proposals for the newly inaugurated government of the HKSAR and people of all sectors in Hong Kong. First, Hong Kong should improve its governance and deliver better performance in ensuring stability and prosperity in the region. Second, Hong Kong should continue to create strong impetus for growth and unlock enormous creativity and development potential of Hong Kong society. Third, Hong Kong should earnestly address people's concerns and difficulties in daily life and make sure that all citizens in Hong Kong share more fully and fairly in the fruits of development. Fourth, the people of Hong Kong should work together to safeguard harmony and stability, creating a better future.

Xi stressed that it is important to give special love and care to young people. We must guide young people to be keenly aware of the trends in both China and the world and help them cultivate a sense of national pride and enhance their awareness of their status as masters of the country. We must help young people with their difficulties in studies, employment, entrepreneurship, and purchasing of housing, so that more opportunities will be created for their development and accomplishment. We sincerely hope that all of Hong Kong's young people will devote themselves to building Hong Kong into a better home, writing a rewarding chapter of their life with impassioned youth.

Xi said that China's national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability, and the successful practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong is an important part of this historic process. We firmly believe that, with the strong backing of the motherland and the solid guarantee provided by "one country, two systems," Hong Kong will surely create a splendid feat on the journey ahead toward the second centenary goal of building China into a modern socialist country in all respects, and will share the glory of the Chinese nation's rejuvenation together with people in the rest of the country.

John Lee said in his speech that as the sixth-term chief executive of the HKSAR, he felt deeply honored and is also well aware of the immense responsibility on his shoulders. He said that he will lead his governance team in making all-out efforts and will unite people from all sectors in Hong Kong in order to fully and faithfully implement the policy of "one country, two systems," under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy. He promised that his team will protect the special administrative region's constitutional order as defined in the Constitution of the PRC and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and secure the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, with a view to contributing to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Ding Xuexiang, Xu Qiliang, Shen Yueyue, Wang Yi, and Xia Baolong attended the meeting and inaugural ceremony.

Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam, former chief executive of the HKSAR, as well as representatives from Hong Kong society and specially invited guests also attended the meeting and inaugural ceremony.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, administers oath of office to the sixth-term Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. Xi attended a meeting held here Friday morning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR and delivered an important speech. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, administers oath of office to the sixth-term Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. Xi attended a meeting held here Friday morning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR and delivered an important speech. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, administers oath of office to the sixth-term Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. Xi attended a meeting held here Friday morning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR and delivered an important speech. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, poses for a photo with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee, who was just sworn in, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. Xi attended a meeting held here Friday morning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR and delivered an important speech. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, administers oath of office to principal officials of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. Xi attended a meeting held here Friday morning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR and delivered an important speech. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, administers oath of office to principal officials of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2022. Xi attended a meeting held here Friday morning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR and delivered an important speech. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)
KAMPALA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Uganda said Friday it had not yet registered a monkeypox outbreak, after all suspected samples turned negative.

Pontiano Kaleebu, director of state-run Uganda Virus Research Institute, said on social media that the samples from 24 individuals suspected to have monkeypox all tested negative.

"There is no confirmed monkeypox case in Uganda at the moment," he said.

The health ministry said in a statement early last month that it had heightened surveillance following the spread of monkeypox in some parts of the world.

On Thursday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said 12 African countries have reported 1,678 suspected and 104 confirmed cases monkeypox cases.

Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of Africa CDC, told a briefing that the cases have been reported in countries both endemic and non-endemic to monkeypox.

"Unfortunately, 73 deaths have been reported in the continent as a result of the monkeypox outbreak, bringing the case fatality rate of the disease to 4.1 percent," Ogwell said. 
JUBA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF) on Thursday donated more than 1.3 million personal protective equipment (PPE) items to refugees in South Sudan, in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to support the COVID-19 response.

Juliette Murekeyisoni, the deputy representative of UNHCR in South Sudan, said the donation of personal protective equipment will help curb the spread of coronavirus among refugees living inside and outside camps, together with their hosts.

"This donation will help us to keep the people we serve safe," Murekeyisoni told journalists during the handover ceremony in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

She stressed the need for strategic collaboration to boost COVID-19 response among vulnerable groups like refugees and internally displaced persons.

The donated items included 1.1 million pairs of gloves, 70,000 disposable fluid-resistant gowns, 70,000 protective eye goggles, 70,000 N95 respiratory masks and 1,000 pairs of rubber boots.

The UNHCR said the anti-COVID-19 supplies donation from China will help protect more than 900 frontline medical and support staff from secondary infections as they respond to and serve patients affected by the disease in 17 primary healthcare centers and units, two hospitals in South Sudan's Unity, Upper Nile, Western and Central Equatoria States, said the UNHCR.

According to the UNHCR, the facilities which will benefit from anti-COVID-19 supplies provide medical services to 343,000 refugees, 80 percent of whom are women and children besides more than 60,000 members of host communities.

Mu Jianjun, the counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs in the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, said COVID-19 has brought an unprecedented crisis to refugees across the world since 2020 and also posed a severe problem in front of refugee protection.

"In the future, China will continue to uphold the authority of multilateral mechanism with the United Nations at its core and firmly support UNHCR and other multilateral institutions to play their role in addressing challenges of the refugee issue. At the same time, China will uphold the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, actively deepen cooperation with UNHCR, and make continuous contributions to improving global refugee governance. I hereby would like to thank UNHCR for its long-term commitment and strong promotion and the contribution to the protection of refugees in difficult conditions in South Sudan," Mu said. 
NAIROBI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's export earnings in the first quarter amounted to 208.8 billion shillings (about 1.77 billion U.S. dollars), representing a growth of 8.7 percent compared to the same period in 2021, the government statistics agency said on Friday.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said that Africa continued to be the leading export destination, accounting for 39.8 percent of the total export earnings.

"This improvement was partly due to a significant increase in exports to Tanzania which almost doubled," KNBS said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

According to the statistics bureau, the total exports to Rwanda and Ethiopia also expanded in the first quarter compared to a similar period last year.

The bureau noted that total exports to Uganda declined in the review period, largely as a result of a decline in exports of crude palm oil and cement clinkers.

KNBS revealed that the value of exports to the European Union slightly improved, boosted by an increase in domestic exports of coffee to Belgium. 
OUAGADOUGOU, July 1 (Xinhua) -- At least four civilians were killed in the blast of an improvised explosive device Friday in the central-north region of Burkina Faso, a security source told Xinhua in the capital Ouagadougou.

A tricycle among a convoy of civilians under Army escort hit an improvised explosive device, causing the death of at least four people, the source requesting anonymity said.

According to the source, the incident occurred in the locality of Bourzanga as the convoy from Djibo was traveling to Ouagadougou.

Local media in Burkina Faso also reported the attack with a death toll at least four and two others injured. 
RTHK: Assange lodges UK appeal against US extradition

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday filed an appeal against his extradition to the United States, as supporters denounced the British government.

Assange, who turns 51 on Sunday, has been held in a high-security prison since 2019.

On Friday his wife Stella was among dozens of people who demonstrated outside Britain's interior ministry to demand his release.

Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition last month, but court officials confirmed an application to appeal had been received on Friday.

"We're not at the end of the road here," Stella Assange, who married the Australian publisher earlier this year, told reporters when Patel announced her decision.

"We're going to fight this. We're going to use every appeal avenue."

Assange is wanted to face trial for allegedly violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010, related to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

He could face decades in jail if found guilty, but supporters portray him as a martyr to press freedom after he was taken into UK custody following a years-long stay in Ecuador's embassy.

"He's been in prison for telling the truth," supporter Gloria Wildman, 79, said at Friday's protest.

"If Julian Assange is not free, neither are we, none of us is free," she said. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-07-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijans Digital Development and Transport Ministry and the Israeli Transport and Road Safety Ministry have signed an agreement on air communication, Azernews reports.

The agreement was signed during Azerbaijani Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev's working visit to Israel.

The signed document will facilitate the mutual visits of citizens of Azerbaijan and Israel and will have a positive impact on the development of tourism and cultural ties between the countries.

Israeli Minister Merav Michaeli expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between the two countries and praised the signed agreement. During the meeting held between the ministries, there was an exchange of views on cooperation in the field of transport between Azerbaijan and Israel.

During the visit to Israel, Rashad Nabiyev also held a number of bilateral meetings with various officials of Israel.

Tourism cooperation

Thus, a meeting was held with the Israeli Tourism Minister and Co-Chairman of the Israeli-Azerbaijani joint intergovernmental commission Yoel Razvozov.

Noting the potential for cooperation in the tourism sector, Rashad Nabiyev praised the activities of Azerbaijans Trade and Tourism Mission opened last year in Israel. Touching upon the large-scale transport and logistics projects underway in Azerbaijans liberated territories and the opening of the Zangazur corridor, the minister briefed about the tourism opportunities in the Karabakh region.

In turn, recalling that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Azerbaijan, Yoel Razvozov underlined that over the past two years, cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries had reached a new level. He also stressed the need for more active development of partnership in all spheres.

Innovations, space cooperation

Rashad Nabiyev also held a meeting with Israels Innovation Authority Executive Director Dror Bin. The meeting included discussions in the government cloud and e-government setors.

Moreover, a meeting was held with Israeli Space Agency Director Uri Oron. During the meeting, the parties spoke about the broadcasting support provided to Israeli companies in the region of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa as part of cooperation with Azercosmos.

They also discussed prospects for cooperation with Israels space science industry and research centers.

Israeli agencies and companies were invited to participate in the International Congress of Astronautics slated for 2013 in Baku.

Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center

Earlier, it was reported that Azerbaijans Electronic Security Service under the Digital Development and Transport Ministry and well-known Israeli Technion University signed an agreement on the establishment of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center.

The center, to be established under the agreement, will train more than 1,000 professional specialists over the next three years. Training under the program will be conducted in Baku by the teaching staff of Technion University. Education at the center will be conducted in English and will be available to Azerbaijani citizens over 18 years of age. In addition, graduates will be given certificates from Technion University.

One of the main advantages of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center is the training of local trainers along with cyber security specialists.
NEW DELHI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed bilateral and global issues including Ukraine over the phone on Friday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

The two leaders reviewed the implementation of the decisions taken during Putin's visit to India in December last year and exchanged ideas on how to further encourage bilateral trade in agricultural goods, fertilizers and pharma products, according to a statement.

The leaders also discussed global issues, including the state of the international energy and food markets.

Regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Modi reiterated India's long-standing position in favor of dialogue and diplomacy, the statement said. 
BANTEAY MEANCHEY, Cambodia, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Friday released more than 1 million baby fish and 200,000 young shrimps into a reservoir in Phnom Srok district in the country's northwestern part to celebrate the National Fish Day.

Speaking at the event, Hun Sen said the event was marked after a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The release of baby fish and other aquatic creatures is necessary to increase fisheries resources, which are a source of protein and income for people," he said.

He urged fishermen not to fish during the annual fish breeding season from July to October and encouraged farmers to expand fish raising in order to reduce the catches of natural fish.

Veng Sakhon, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, said the celebration aimed at encouraging people to preserve fish species in natural habitats and to increase fish raising activities.

He added that a variety of aquatic creatures, including fish, shrimps, tortoises, turtles and frogs, were freed into the Trapeang Thmor reservoir.

According to Sakhon, the Southeast Asian nation has 475 freshwater fishing communities, 41 marine fishing communities, 682 fisheries conservation locations and 915 fish habitats. 
PRAGUE, June 30 (Xinhua) -- An informal European Union (EU) summit will be held in the Czech capital Prague on Oct. 6-7, European Council President Charles Michel and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after their meeting here on Thursday.

Michel, who visited Prague on the eve of the start of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, said the Czech presidency comes at a "turning point" for Europe.

"Never has our Union faced such great challenges," he said in a statement, naming the conflict in Ukraine, security and defense, energy, and the resilience of EU economies.

"I confirm that on Oct. 6 and 7, you will host the 27 European leaders for the informal meeting of the European Council," he added.

According to the Fiala, the economic situation of the citizens of the EU member states and the availability of energy will also be a great challenge.

"These are all things that we cannot even deal with in isolation, like individual European states. We must find a common European solution," he said in a separate statement.

The Czech Republic is to take over the rotating EU Council presidency for the next half a year starting from July 1. It has listed refugee crisis and aid to Ukraine, energy security, defense reinforcement and resilience of the European economy, among others, as its presidency's main priorities. 
BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday welcomed the UK government's decision to provide another 1 billion pounds (about 1.21 billion U.S. dollars) in military support to Ukraine.

"The UK is our true friend and strategic partner," Zelensky tweeted.

- - - -

Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of two self-proclaimed regions in eastern Ukraine's Donbass, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"We consider this decision to be an unfriendly act against Ukraine, an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state, and a gross violation of Ukrainian law, the UN Charter, and the fundamental norms and principles of international law," the ministry said in a statement.

- - - -

Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the supplies of grain and fertilizers amid a global food shortage.

During a joint briefing after their talks in the Kremlin, Putin said he informed Widodo in detail of the situation in Ukraine.

- - - -

Ukraine began exporting electricity to Europe on Thursday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

"The long-awaited export of Ukrainian electricity to Europe has begun," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.

Shmyhal said the first flows of electricity went to Romania at an initial capacity of 100 megawatts. 
BRUSSELS, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The European Union and New Zealand on Thursday concluded negotiations on a free trade deal which will remove certain tariffs, and could help boost business between the two trading partners by 30 percent.

A joint statement issued by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the EU's annual exports to New Zealand will potentially grow by up to 4.5 billion euros. EU investment in the Pacific country has the potential to grow by up to 80 percent.

The agreement should also cut some 140 million euros a year in duties for EU companies during the first year of application. "This trade agreement brings major opportunities for our companies, our farmers and our consumers, on both sides," said von der Leyen.

The deal will open New Zealand's services market in key sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, maritime transport and delivery services. It will allow EU companies to participate in procurement contracts for goods, services, works and works concessions.

Under the deal, it will be easier for EU farmers to sell their produce in New Zealand, with tariffs eliminated on key EU exports such as pig meat, wine, chocolate, sugar confectionery and biscuits.

It is also the first agreement to integrate the EU's new approach to trade and sustainable development, including the possibility of sanctions as a last resort in case of serious violations of core labor principles or of the Paris Agreement.

"This deal will unlock a raft of fresh export opportunities for EU businesses and SMEs for goods and services. It also contains the most ambitious sustainability commitments in any trade agreement ever," said European Commission Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis.

Negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two partners started in June 2018. The draft texts will now go through legal revision before being submitted to representatives of EU member states for signature. 
NEW YORK, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC) on Wednesday expressed serious concern over the Supreme Court decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, which expands state criminal jurisdiction in Indian country.

"The Supreme Court's decision to simply grant the State of Oklahoma criminal jurisdiction over crimes committed against Native victims on tribal lands fails to take into consideration the rights and voices of Native victims," said Lucy Simpson, executive director of the NIWRC, in a statement released shortly after the decision.

"Nothing is more colonial and harmful than telling Native women and children they will not be protected by their own Tribal Nations, but rather, must seek refuge in the courts of the States that have, historically and still to this day, sought to exterminate them," she added.

According to the ruling, the state of Oklahoma has concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed by non-Indians against Indians in Indian country. 
NEW DELHI: On Friday, India and Pakistan exchanged lists of the fishermen and civilian prisoners they were holding through diplomatic channels, simultaneously in New Delhi and Islamabad.

309 Pakistani civilian prisoners and 95 fishermen in Indian captivity were listed in the list that India provided. In a similar vein, Pakistan gave lists of 633 fishermen and 49 civilian detainees who it thought to be Indians.

The 2008 Agreement on Consular Access stipulates that such lists are exchanged annually on January 1 and July 1 in accordance with its requirements.

"The Government has demanded the immediate release from Pakistani custody of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen with their boats. In this regard, Pakistan was requested to hasten the release and return to India of 3 Indian civilian prisoners and 536 Indian fishermen who have served their sentences and whose nationality has been verified and relayed to Pakistan.

The remaining 105 fishermen and 20 civilian captives, who are thought to be Indian citizens and are being held by Pakistan, have also been asked for prompt consular access, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

It stated that India is still committed to dealing with all humanitarian issues, including those involving prisoners and fishermen in each other's countries, in a priority manner.

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21 dead in Russian air strike on Odesa Oblast (UPDATED) 1 July, 06:37 PM 20 people became victims of the rocket attack by the occupiers on Odesa Oblast. (Photo:REUTERS/Iryna Nazarchuk)

Three Russian Kh-22 missiles struck targets in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi District of Odesa Oblast, killing 21 and injuring 39 people, Ukraines Operational Command South said in a Telegram post on July 1.

UPDATE: As the State Emergency Service of Ukraine keeps dismantling the rubble, the number of victims in the latest Russian missile attack on Odesa Oblast keeps rising. As of now, 21 people were killed and 39 have been injured. Eight more people were rescued from under the rubble.

16 people died in a residential building, Russian missile struck early in the morning. Five more died in a resort that was also attacked.





 

UPDATE: State Emergency Service has reported that the number of victims in today's Russian missile strike against Odesa Oblast rose to 20 people killed and 38 wounded.

According to the latest data, 16 people died in a missile attack on a residential building in Serhiivka, four more, including one child, died at a recreation center in Odesa Oblast.

The attack was carried out by Tu-22 strategic bombers, flying over the Black Sea.

The missiles struck an apartment block and two resorts in the region.

Emergency services and forensic experts are working on site.

Read also: Russian missile downed by air defenses over sea near Odesa Oblast

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The Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) has said that 69 per cent of Nepals population has been fully vaccinated against Covid while 77 per cent has received at least one jab of the vaccine. Upon vaccination, individuals receive a Covid vaccine card that records their details and information about the vaccine.

Although an official at the vaccination centre signs the card, it does not function as an authenticated proof of vaccination, especially when travelling abroad. Travellers need to obtain a digitally signed Covid vaccine certificate provided by the Government of Nepal to prove that they have received the full dose of the Covid vaccines.

But, what exactly is a Covid vaccine certificate with a QR code, and how do you obtain it?

Lets find out.

A Covid vaccine certificate with a code

QR code. Photo: Pixabay

QR is an acronym for the square-shaped, pixelated codes that store information such as web addresses, app download links and bank account details. The arrangement of the code varies according to the data stored in it. A QR code can easily be scanned with a smartphone, using scanning software or application. Most smartphones these days come with built-in QR code scanners and apps.

It is the same widely used technology that the Government of Nepal has adopted to issue Covid vaccine certificates to facilitate storing and accessing information about the vaccination.

Upon vaccination, beneficiaries receive a card that mentions their details and information about the Covid vaccine they received. Once fully vaccinated, the beneficiaries can apply for a digital certificate with a QR code. The ministry and local health units must provide such credentials upon request. As per Dr Rudra Prasad Marasini, the chief of the Management Division at the ministry, the QR code certificate encompasses information about full-dose vaccination that is stored digitally in a QR code that can be scanned all over the world.

Why do you need it?

File: A senior citizen is vaccinated against Covid.

The Covid vaccine certificate with a QR code is proof that the person has received a full dose of vaccine against Covid. This certificate is verified by officials of the Department of Health Services under the MOHP and the health units of the concerned local government.

The QR code directs to the MOHP website, which, in turn, reveals information about the beneficiary, the vaccine, and the date of vaccination.

How can you obtain it?

To be eligible to apply for a Covid vaccine certificate with a QR code, beneficiaries must first receive a full dose of a vaccine against Covid. Once they receive a physical card, they can apply online for a QR code through https://vaccine.mohp.gov.np/public-request-form.

The form prompts beneficiaries to furnish the vaccines name and batch number. It also asks them to provide details about the date and location of vaccination.

Upon furnishing these details, beneficiaries need to upload the following documents.

Citizenship certificate/passport Passport-size photo Covid vaccine card

The beneficiaries receive a registration number (0000-000000-0000Y) after applying.

If the names of the local government, vaccination centre or stamp are illegible on the card, beneficiaries need to approach the vaccination centre. Illegible documents lead to the rejection of the application for Covid vaccine certificates with QR codes.

Can you apply for it offline?

The easiest way to receive a Covid vaccine certificate with a QR code is to apply online. However, if the beneficiaries are not in a position to apply online, they can submit a printed form along with required documents to a concerned local government or the Department of Health Services, says Dr Marasini. These institutions then scan and upload the form to the system.

How long does it take to obtain it?

The governments policy is to provide the code to applicants immediately, but a heavy workload means it takes from 72 hours to seven days to verify and release the code, says Dr Marasini. However, applicants can contact the local government or the department if they are in a hurry.

To receive their Covid vaccine certificate, applicants can log on to https://vaccine.mohp.gov.np/verify-status. Upon furnishing the registration number, they can download their vaccine certificate. They can also download it from the Nagarik app.

Do you need it for domestic travel?

File image: Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu

No, you do not need it for domestic travel, according to Yog Raj Sharma Kandel, the spokesperson of the Airlines Operators Association. Passengers must show a vaccination card provided by the vaccination centre for domestic air travel. But, a QR code isnt required, he tells South Asia Check.

How much does it cost?

It is a free service provided by the Government of Nepal. This means that beneficiaries are not required to pay any money at any stage of the application process.

A step-by-step guide to the application process

Log on to https://vaccine.mohp.gov.np/public-request-form.

Fill up the form by providing all the details required.

Upload the citizenship certificate/passport, passport-sized photo and Covid vaccine card issued by the vaccination centre.

Submit the application.

Note the registration number.

To download the certificate, log on to https://vaccine.mohp.gov.np/verify-status.

Enter the registration number and download the certificate.

This post first appeared on South Asia Check.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan Culture Minister Anar Karimov has met with Iranian Minister of Heritage, Culture, Tourism and Handicrafts Sayyid Ezzatollah Zarghami to discuss the joint reconstruction of Khudafarin bridges, Azernews reports, citing the Culture Ministry.

During the meeting, Anar Karimov praised the level of the Azerbaijani-Iranian ties. He emphasized that the relations between the two friendly countries, which have an ancient history, are based on mutual trust.

In his speech, the Culture Minister drew attention to joint work in cultural and humanitarian spheres.

The Iranian minister emphasized the role the mass media plays in historically-established and successfully continuing friendly bilateral ties.

The ministers highly valued the restoration of both Muslim and Christian temples on Azerbaijan's territories destroyed as a result of the Armenian occupation.

The sides also noted the significance of Azerbaijan's cultural capital-Shusha city for the Islamic community.

The ministers stressed the importance of joint cooperation in combating Islamophobia, which was considered a global problem.

The Azerbaijani and Iranian ministers also exchanged views on the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the joint reconstruction of the Khudafarin bridges.

There are two Khudafarin bridges connecting the northern and southern banks of the Araz River in Jabrayil region.

Located on the historical Silk Road, the 11-arched Khudafarin bridge was built in the 11th-12th centuries.

The 15-arched Khudafarin bridges were constructed in the 13th century.

Khudafarin bridges played a huge role in the development of the Great Silk Road and had exceptional military-strategic importance.

After the occupation of Jabrayil by Armenian invaders in 1993, Khudafarin bridges have seriously been damaged.

On October 4, 2020, the Azerbaijani armed forces liberated Jabrayil, where the Khudafarin bridges are located, and several villages of the region from Armenian occupation.
Pensacola, Fla.  PENSACOLA, FL  The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County urges residents and visitors to limit exposure to Vibrio vulnificus. Occurring naturally in the warm coastal waters, particularly during the summer months, Vibrio vulnificus has the potential to cause serious illness.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that normally lives in warm, brackish seawater. Since it is naturally found in warm marine waters, people with open wounds, cuts, or scratches can be exposed to Vibrio vulnificus through direct contact with seawater or estuarine water. Also, Vibrio vulnificus can cause disease in those who eat raw or undercooked oysters and shellfish.

Healthy individuals typically develop a mild disease; however, Vibrio vulnificus infections can be a serious concern for people who have weakened immune systems.

Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus can include vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

Wound infection can lead to skin breakdown and blistering.

In persons who have weakened immune systems, particularly those with chronic liver disease, Vibrio vulnificus can invade the bloodstream, causing a severe, life-threatening illness with symptoms like fever, chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock) and blistering skin lesions.

Individuals experiencing these symptoms should contact a physician immediately for diagnosis and treatment. Individuals with wound infections should also seek care promptly.

It is important for people to be vigilant of these symptoms and seek immediate medical care, said Marie Mott, Administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County. Residents and visitors should also avoid consuming raw and undercooked shellfish as well as foods that have come into contact with raw seafood. Those with open wounds should not enter the water.

TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY AND SAFE

Thoroughly cook oysters and other shellfish, either by frying, stewing, or roasting to eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses in the meat. Avoid exposing open wounds, cuts, or scratches to seawater or estuarine water.

###

About the Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board , works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.
Market Research Future

Agriculture Equipment Market is growing due to increasing the demand for tractors designed with cutting edge technology

New York, US, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Agriculture Equipment Industry Analysis by Product Type, Function (Harvesting, Planting & Fertilizing, Haying, Plowing & Cultivation and others), Sales Channel (OEM and Aftermarket) and Region - Forecast till 2030 valuation is poised to reach USD 189.42 Billion by 2030, registering an 8.53% CAGR throughout the forecast period (20222030).

Agriculture Equipment Market Overview

Usually, agriculture requires several kinds of equipment like land leveler, cutters & shredders, tractors, hay & forage, seeding, and harvester. Various agricultural tasks such as spraying the pesticide harrowing, planting, plowing, disking, tilling, and application are performed using these types of equipment. These equipment profits are gaining a high crop yield in less time with minimum effort. The global market for agricultural equipment has recorded massive growth in the last few years.

Agriculture Equipment Market Report Scope:

Report Metric Details Market Size by 2030 USD 189.42 Billion CAGR 8.53% (2022-2030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Product Type, Sales Channel and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Vendors Escorts Limited (India), AGCO Corp. (US), Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (India), JC Bamford Excavators Limited (UK), CLAAS KGaA mbH (Germany), Deere & Company (US), Daedong Industrial Co., Ltd (US), CNH Industrial NV (UK), Iseki & Co., Ltd (Japan) and Kubota Corporation (Japan) Key Market Opportunities Government support is also needed for the growth of the agriculture equipment market in a way of subsidies for acquiring fertilizers, seeds, and other agriculture equipment Key Market Drivers Increasing the demand for tractors designed with cutting edge technology

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Agriculture Equipment Market Drivers

The global market for agricultural equipment has witnessed enormous increase in the recent years. The market's growth is primarily attributed to the innovative technologies in the agriculture production system. Furthermore, the deployment of mechanical power is another crucial parameter supporting the market's growth. Moreover, the factors such as increasing the demand for tractors designed with cutting-edge technology, an increase in the online and offline food services centers, and precision farming implementation are also anticipated to boost the market's growth over the coming years. In addition, the growing number of supportive government measures is likely to offer lucrative opportunities to the players across the global market.

Agriculture Equipment Industry Restraints

On the other hand, the lack of awareness regarding the benefits of agricultural equipment is anticipated to impede the market's growth.

Agriculture Equipment Industry Segments

Among all the product types, the tractors segment is anticipated to dominate the global market for agricultural equipment over the assessment timeframe. The significant aspect causing an upsurge in the segments' growth is the labor shortage across several regions worldwide. Furthermore, the growing population to fulfill the global food requirements has also made tractors a necessity for boosting productivity in the agriculture industry. Moreover, the factors such as the emergence of electric tractors, the increasing adoption of precision farming, and the promotion of farm mechanization in regions such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America are also projected to boost the segment's growth over the assessment timeframe. In addition, cost-effectiveness coupled with electric tractors' high-efficiency and eco-friendly characteristics may offer lucrative opportunities to the players over the coming years.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (188 Pages) on Agriculture Equipment Industry:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/agriculture-equipment-market-2182

Among all the application areas, the land development and seedbed preparation segment are anticipated to lead the global market for agricultural equipment over the assessment timeframe. The segment includes agriculture implements, levelers, and tractors. The tractors' demand is boosted given the various factors such as the increased urbanization causing a shortage in labor, availability of technologically advanced tractors, and increasing need for food propelling the need to mechanize farm work, pushing farmers to implement machinery. All of these aspects are causing an upsurge in the segment's growth. Furthermore, the growing adoption of tech-driven agriculture will likely boost the segment's growth over the coming years.

Among all the sales channels, the aftermarket segment is anticipated to rule the global market for agricultural equipment over the assessment timeframe. The segment's growth is attributed mainly to the increasing number of agriculture equipment aftermarket centers in developing countries such as Brazil, China, India, and Argentina. Furthermore, the growing number of large agricultural bases across emerging countries will also likely catalyze the segment's growth.

Agriculture Equipment Market Regional Analysis

The global Agriculture Equipment Market is studied across five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

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According to research reports by MRFR, the Asia- Pacific region is anticipated to secure the top position across the global market for agricultural equipment over the assessment timeframe. The region is known to have high population countries like China and India, which needs high production of food and cereals, which in turn is causing an upsurge in the growth of the regional market. Furthermore, factors such as the contract farming in India, lack of labor, growing sales of tractors, incentives for agriculture equipment, and a rise in government support are also likely to catalyze the regional markets growth over the assessment timeframe.

The agricultural equipment market for the North American region is anticipated to record a substantial growth over the assessment timeframe. The growing number of wineries and demand for tractors from Canada and the US are the primary aspects causing an upsurge in the regional market's growth.

COVID-19 Impact

The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected the majority of the market sectors severely across the globe. The global market for agricultural equipment is no different than others. In the pre-pandemic stage, the global market for agricultural equipment was increasing globally. But after the COVID-19 pandemic, the agricultural equipment market faced several problems because of the disturbing global supply chains. For the government rules, the fabricated industries are shut down to stop the spread of the disease; thus, the agriculture machinery market has slowed down.

The global has impacted agriculture and several business sectors such as construction, healthcare, automobiles, semiconductor & electronics, and many more. The tractors segment, in 2020, accounted for approximately 50% of the market share across the global market. Gradually, the pandemic situation changes, and the businesses are revived. The rising population requires additional food production and agricultural equipment, which boosts the demand for the market.

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Agriculture Equipment Market Competitive Analysis

Dominant Key Players on Agriculture Equipment Market Covered are:

Escorts Limited (India)

AGCO Corp. (US)

Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (India)

JC Bamford Excavators Limited (UK)

CLAAS KGaA mbH (Germany)

Deere & Company (US)

Daedong Industrial Co. Ltd (US)

CNH Industrial NV (UK)

Iseki & Co. Ltd (Japan)

Kubota Corporation (Japan)

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About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis regarding diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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VANCOUVER, BC, July 1, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development, Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada and Member of Parliament for Vancouver South, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, announced additional support for a new seniors centre in South Vancouver. In addition to the funding announced in 2021, the Government of Canada is committing an additional $5.2 million in funding, approved in principle, which brings the Government's total support for this project to over $10.5 million.

The Sunset Seniors Centre will help meet the neighbourhood's growing needs for a facility dedicated to community, culture, and recreation programs for seniors in South Vancouver.

The new 10,000 square feet seniors centre will be adjacent to the existing Sunset Community Centre. It will include multi-purpose dining and event rooms, two activity rooms, a fitness room, a commercial kitchen, a lobby and cafe, a lounge area, administrative space, as well as outdoor spaces for walking, gardening, and gathering. The new centre will welcome seniors with a wide range of interests, abilities, cultures, and languages, enabling them to enjoy the rich diversity of the neighbourhood.

The Government of Canada has approved in principle a total of $10.5 million, and the City of Vancouver has provided $3.1 million towards the project.

Quote

"Our focus continues to be on building a strong, resilient and inclusive Canada. This federal funding for the Sunset Seniors Center in Vancouver South will build the space needed to provide seniors in our neighbourhood various opportunities for connection. This Centre has been a dream of many in Sunset who have advocated tirelessly for years and I am pleased that with the support of our Government this dream is becoming a reality."

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development, Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada and Member of Parliament for Vancouver South, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

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"I am so delighted to announce the launch of Sunset Seniors Centre. Seniors and elders are the bedrock of our families and communities, and I am thrilled with the opportunity to support them with amenities, gathering spaces, nutrition programs and more with this new community project. This is a great step forward in making an inclusive city that works for all of us."

Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver

Quick facts

The Government of Canada's funding comes from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. It is contingent on a contribution agreement signed by both parties.

The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program is providing $33.5 billion over 11 years for public infrastructure across Canada. Under this program, provinces and territories prioritize and submit projects to Infrastructure Canada for review. To date, the program has approved more than $20 billion for over 4,500 projects in communities across the country.

Across B.C., $257.3 million in federal funding have been invested in 168 community, culture, and recreation projects (including the RNIS component) since 2016 under the Investing in Canada Plan.

Infrastructure Canada helps address complex challenges that Canadians face every dayranging from the rapid growth of our cities, to climate change, and environmental threats to our water and land.

Associated links

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map

Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

Cision

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2022/01/c2726.html
Fleetzero has an ambitious goal: to compete with global shipping companies with its own boats, powered entirely by electricity. The company just secured $15.5 million in new funding and is looking for the first ship to convert to run on its shipping container-shaped batteries.

The company's plan, described in detail here, is to convert existing ships to electric propulsion, replacing the diesel engine or generator with enormous batteries of the company's own design. These would be loaded and unloaded like any other cargo, swapped out at ports and charged between journeys. Done right (and it seems likely that's the way they're trying to do it) a ship doing this can handle some of the longest and most popular routes across the Pacific.

But though it all sounds good in theory, obviously at some point you need to put these theories on the water, and that's the next step for the company. Fortunately, co-founders Steven Henderson and Mike Carter have backgrounds in shipping and shipbuilding and are excited to jump in.

While Fleetzero's tech could eventually power ships in the 700-foot range, it makes sense to start with something a little smaller but that also benefits from battery power.

"Companies across the spectrum have reached out to us across industries  not just container shipping," said Henderson. "So we've been going through the list of the biggest auxiliary ship companies, like supply vessels for oil and gas companies, and research vessels, and saying: All right, we've got this tech, and our goal is eventually to go do our own cargo, but we want to prove it out with a partner so we don't have to spend millions on the first ship."

Surprisingly, this "want to give us a boat?" pitch went over quite well. "People are so interested in our batteries that they're willing to pay us to test them," Henderson added. Ultimately Fleetzero plans to make their own boats, but that's a long-term goal.

It helps to understand that there's a real variety in ocean-going vessels and their operators. Some big companies own and operate, some only own or only operate, some have fleets for short-term hire and so on. The possibility of electrifying their ships has a different charm to all these, though some are more likely to bite first.

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One of those better prospects is the "auxiliary" category of ships mentioned earlier: These are things like research vessels, ships that go out and inspect offshore wind farms, and other tasks that take a serious boat and crew but aren't the hyperspecialized bulk movers of container ships. Many of these ships are already partially electrified  they use electric motors powered by diesel generators. It sounds like the worst of both worlds, but I'm sure they have their reasons  and more importantly, they're really easy to convert to Fleetzero's battery tech.

"It's minimum scope; the conversion itself takes a matter of weeks, and it doesn't involve a dry dock," said Henderson. "In the best case, a PSV [platform supply vessel] about 250 feet long, we put our batteries on the back deck and just wire them in."

You really just swap out the engine and put the batteries there. Not to scale. Image Credits: Fleetzero

Such a conversion would be an important proof of concept; though the company has plenty of inbound, there are surely doubters out there who would like to see a working vessel before committing any resources.

Carter noted that Fleetzero is one of relatively few companies attempting to really move the needle in shipping. Though logistics and supply chain economics certainly have their share of innovation on the data and services side, the ships and shipping companies themselves have stagnated.

In fact, he pointed out, the White House recently issued a report lamenting that "three global alliances, made up entirely of foreign companies, control almost all of ocean freight shipping." And when they say almost all, they mean it: We're talking 95% of some critical trade lines. The feds will be looking into price fixing (and in fact just passed a law), but supporting a sustainable American alternative is kind of a no-brainer as well.

It's hard to challenge such a dominant set of incumbents (which may well be termed a cartel at this point), and Fleetzero can't make any claims to doing so as a fresh new startup, but their approach neatly avoids the most direct competition.

The electrified ships the company builds with shipping partners will operate in parallel to traditional lines, using smaller ports inaccessible to huge container ships. This saves time (less waiting for a spot at the docks) and money (cities with disused ports are excited to reactivate them) and makes for a robust network of charging and offloading stations across the pacific. Of course, they'll need to make some friends in southeast Asia as well.

The new funding was led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the Bill Gates-led venture group that the man himself talked about recently at TC Sessions: Climate. Apparently they were big on due diligence  it shouldn't be a surprise, but there it is.

BEV wasn't alone, though; Founders Fund, McKinley Capital and previous investors also contributed. Carter said that McKinley, based in Alaska, was an important one to get since of course the state makes up a huge portion of the Pacific U.S. coast.

The money will be crucial for building out and testing the first ship, but Fleetzero is also hiring  they had 1,500 applicants for 10 positions after they came out of stealth. It suggests a lot of people in the shipping world are interested in the company, or perhaps a lot of people at other companies are interested in the shipping world.
ReportLinker

Food Grade Lubricants Market Research Report by Type (Mineral Oil and Synthetic), Form, Application, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Food Grade Lubricants Market Research Report by Type, Form, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06286925/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Food Grade Lubricants Market size was estimated at USD 359.23 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 402.26 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 12.23% to reach USD 718.02 million by 2027.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2019 and 2020 are considered historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered the forecast period.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Food Grade Lubricants to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Type, the market was studied across Mineral Oil and Synthetic.



Based on Form, the market was studied across Grease and Oil.



Based on Application, the market was studied across Beverages, Food, and Pharmaceuticals.



Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict:

We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Food Grade Lubricants market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Food Grade Lubricants Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Competitive Scenario:

The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market, including AB SKF, Brit-Lube Ltd., Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P., Chevron Corporation, Clarion Lubricants, Clearco Products Co., Inc., Condat Group, Elba Lubrication Inc., Exxon Mobil Corporation, Fuchs Petrolub AG, Haynes Manufacturing Company, HUSK-ITT Corporation, Illinois Tool Works Inc., JAX Inc., Kluber Lubrication Munchen SE & Co. KG, Matrix Specialty Lubricants B.V., Petro?Canada Lubricants Inc., The Chemours Company LLC, The Dow Chemical Company, and TotalEnergies SE.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Food Grade Lubricants Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06286925/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




ForFarmers N.V.

Lochem, 1 July 2022

ForFarmers and 2Agriculture join forces in the United Kingdom

Joint venture well positioned to meet changing demands in agri and food sector

ForFarmers United Kingdom (ForFarmers UK) and 2Agriculture have come to an agreement to merge their businesses into a joint venture to serve a wider customer base. The joint venture will have a balanced feed portfolio across species, with an expected combined sales volume of more than 3 million tonnes of compound feed per year. At the same time the joint venture makes for a robust business, with improved expertise and presence across species, to successfully meet the changing demands from the entire value chain.

The mutual agreement to enter into a joint venture meets the strategic objectives of both partners. ForFarmers UK strengthens its position in its home country in the promising poultry sector and at the same time creates possibilities to make the organisation more efficient. 2Agriculture benefits from shared investment opportunities across a larger volume, an increased geographic spread of manufacturing sites and exposure to other species markets.

The deal will be subject to approval from the UK competition authority.

Profiles of Partners in the joint venture

ForFarmers UK, a subsidiary of the Dutch-based ForFarmers N.V., is a feed company in the United Kingdom selling approximately 2 million tonnes of compound feed volumes annually (i.e. excluding volumes of straights and co-products) across species, produced in 14 mills. The majority of feed produced by ForFarmers is for ruminants and pigs, with smaller volumes being produced for poultry. The company has approximately 900 employees.

2Agriculture is a UK company that supplies approximately 1.2 million tonnes of feed annually to poultry farmers mostly into the integrated market, but also to independent customers. The company employs 250 employees and operates 5 mills located in Scotland, East Anglia and North Wales and has an extrusion plant in Cambridgeshire.

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Strategic Rationale

The joint venture will bring together 2Agricultures expertise in the promising poultry feed sector with ForFarmers capabilities in research and development as well as in formulation, particularly in ruminant and pig feeds. In addition, the combined broad geographic coverage will provide synergy opportunities, particularly in production and logistics. Similarly, the joint venture will generate further benefits for its customers by being able to combine the sourcing of raw materials. Finally, the joint venture will invest in expansion of the supply chain, enabling improved transparency around sustainability and the origin and quality of food.

Steven Read, Managing Director of ForFarmers UK and nominated Managing Director of the intended joint venture: We are excited to announce the merger with 2Agriculture, which will bring benefits to customers and supply chains in all sectors. Together, we can meet the changing requirements from customers and society through our strength in innovation and feed concepts. At the same time, we have the opportunity to create further value for our customers across all species by constantly driving improvements and optimising our service in the most efficient manner. We look forward to working with the colleagues at 2Agriculture to make this happen.

Kevin Sketcher, Managing Director of 2Agriculture and nominated Board member of the intended joint venture: We look forward to joining forces with ForFarmers, a company that is also very focused on delivering quality feed and good advice to customers to enable them to realise sustainable and enhanced returns on farm. We see the anticipated joint venture as a good strategic step forward for both parties. We will be able to give our combined customer base across all species value for money by providing them with sustainable high quality feed. Moreover, we will be well positioned to support the agricultural sector offering food security to UK consumers. 

Market characteristics

The total feed market in the United Kingdom is estimated at approximately 17.5 million tonnes. Expectations per species vary, with the expectations for the poultry sector at present being the most positive. The majority of poultry feed produced in the United Kingdom is manufactured in-house by poultry processors for integrated use in their supply chains. The United Kingdom is not fully self-sufficient with respect to production of fresh chicken (95%) nor of pig meat (60%). Although the pig market is expected to grow in the mid to longer term, the short-term outlook is that the market will remain stable due to the destabilised European pig market as a result of various outbreaks of African swine fever. The dairy market is self-sufficient and the ruminant sector in general is expected to grow minimally.

Deal structure

The merger agreement is a non-cash transaction. The share split will be 50.1% for ForFarmers UK and 49.9% for 2Agriculture. This is based on the current enterprise value of both joint venture partners, and takes into account the respective expectations for 2022 and beyond. The share split also reflects the fact that 2Agriculture is fully focused on the promising poultry sector and has existing supply arrangements in the integrated market. ForFarmers will consolidate 2Agriculture fully into its financial results.

You can also read the press release and download a pdf via this link.

This press release contains information that qualifies as inside information in the sense of Article 7 paragraph 1 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

Note to the editor / For additional information:

Caroline Vogelzang, Director Investor Relations

M: 0031 6 10 94 91 61

E: caroline.vogelzang@forfarmers.eu





Kevin Sketcher, Managing Director 2Agriculture

E: kevin.sketcher@2agriculture.com

About ForFarmers N.V.

ForFarmers N.V. is an international organisation that provides complete innovative feed solutions to the (organic) livestock farming industry. With its For the Future of Farming mission ForFarmers is committed to the continuity of farming and to a further increasing the sustainability of the agricultural sector.

ForFarmers is the market leader in Europe with annual sales of around 10 million tonnes of animal feed. The company is active in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. ForFarmers has approximately 2,500 employees. In 2021 revenue amounted to approximately 2.7 billion. ForFarmers N.V. is listed on Euronext Amsterdam.

ForFarmers N.V., P.O. Box 91, 7240 AB Lochem, T: +31 (0)573 28 88 00, F: +31 (0)573 28 88 99, info@forfarmers.eu, www.forfarmersgroup.eu

About 2Agriculture

2Agriculture is a UK milling business which has been supplying feed to the poultry industry for the past 50 years. Over 250 employees work across six sites across the UK in Scotland, East Anglia, North Wales and Cambridgeshire. 2Agriculture formulates diets to deliver results working in partnership with poultry farmers and managers to help meet the production targets for each crop. 2Agriculture aims to be the UKs most efficient producer of consistent, high quality feed and to support its farming partners achieve best cost production.









FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those relating to ForFarmers legal obligations in terms of capital and liquidity positions in certain specified scenarios. In addition, forward-looking statements, without limitation, may include such phrases as intends to, "expects, takes into account, "is aimed at , ''plans to, "estimated" and words with a similar meaning. These statements pertain to or may affect matters in the future, such as ForFarmers future financial results, business plans and current strategies. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, which may mean that there could be material differences between actual results and performance and expected future results or performances that are implicitly or explicitly included in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may result in variations on the current expectations or may contribute to the same include but are not limited to: developments in legislation, technology, jurisprudence and regulations, share price fluctuations, legal procedures, investigations by regulatory bodies, the competitive landscape and general economic conditions. These and other factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect any forward-looking statements or the actual results of ForFarmers, are discussed in the last published annual report. The forward-looking statements in this press release are only statements as of the date of this document and ForFarmers accepts no obligation or responsibility with respect to any changes made to the forward-looking statements contained in this document, regardless of whether these pertain to new information, future events or otherwise, unless ForFarmers is legally obliged to do so.








OSLO, Norway, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG) has signed an agreement with a brand new partner in Spain to provide its award winning platform, powering their move online.

The new partner already has an established retail business in the region, and the partnership will allow the new licensed brand to expand its operations online by the end of this year. It is expected that their digital transformation will take advantage of the substantial experience and knowledge that GiG can offer.

Given the new partner's existing 'brand equity', with more than 27 large games rooms among their expansive retail operations, it is anticipated the brand will be able to secure a competitive market share and quickly drive revenue, tapping into the vast potential of iGaming in Spain.

The signed agreement is for an initial period of three years, with the option for an additional year.

This new partner will be GiG's thirteenth client in Spain, and they are well positioned for supporting organisations of all sizes with similar aspirations, in line with their targeted strategy. The regulated Spanish online casino market continues to grow and generated 407 million of GGR in 2021, an increase of 13% from 2020, with a similar growth forecasted for 2022 according to H2 Gambling Capital.

Herve Schlosser, Managing Director of Sportnco Gaming, said "We're delighted to be teaming up with this new partner to help them utilise their existing retail brand and move into online gaming. In today's marketplace, being able to offer the expertise, support and tools to help our partners stand out from the competition when launching in new markets is something we view as an essential part of our service offering. This new deal is fully in line with our strategy to focus on fast growing regulated markets, and also bring our expertise to a large number of clients in every market we are. With now 13 clients in Spain, our platform is more than ever the market reference and leader in this country."

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For more information:

Richard Brown, CEO GiG, richard.brown@gig.com, +34 661599025

About Gaming Innovation Group (GiG)

Gaming Innovation Group is a leading iGaming technology company, providing solutions, products and services to iGaming Operators. Founded in 2012, Gaming Innovation Group's vision is 'To be the industry leading platform, sportbook and media provider delivering world class solutions to our iGaming partners and their customers'. GiG's mission is to drive sustainable growth and profitability of our partners through product innovation, scalable technology and quality of service. Gaming Innovation Group operates out of Malta and is dual-listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GIG and on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker symbol GIGSEK. www.gig.com

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/gaming-innovation-group/r/gaming-innovation-group-signs-with-a-new-online-operator-in-spain,c3594904
ReportLinker

Extremity reconstruction devices are utilized to cure, rebuild, substitute, or heal fractures or damage to the extremities. Implant devices for the elbow, shoulder, wrist, fingers, foot, and ankle joints are included in the extremities reconstruction market size.

New York, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Extremity Reconstruction Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Material, By Product, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022  2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289243/?utm_source=GNW

Outside articulated organs that perform various loco-motor functions are known as extremities. The human body is made up of four extremities: two lower limbs and two upper limbs. This surgery is used to correct flaws or deformities caused by trauma, cancer, and other medical problems. The procedures are important in improving the movement and appearance of damaged organs. Lower and Upper extremity operations are the two types of extremity surgery. Implants for the elbow, shoulder, ankle, wrist, and digits of the hands and feet are included in extremity reconstruction devices. It is because of the rising number of patients with malignancies, chronic diseases, and accidents that result in the amputation of limbs. This is becoming increasingly necessary for advancement in this sector to get more funding from the healthcare business. Plastic surgeons also utilize flaps or skin grafts to conceal wounds on the extremities, allowing patients to return to a more normal lifestyle more quickly.



The market for extremities reconstruction devices is primarily driven by a rise in the number of joint disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, as well as a quick rise in lifestyle-related disorders such as diabetes and obesity, which lead to joint disorders. In addition, a rising focus on aesthetic views is expected to improve the market for extremities reconstruction technologies. Moreover, rising patient awareness of the advantages of small joint reconstruction implants, as well as improved technology like the advancement of reverse shoulder implants that require fewer ankle reconstruction implants and shoulder implants that help patients regain ankle mobility, are expected to boost the extremity reconstruction market.



COVID-19 Impact



Although it has been a substantial decline in non-cancer associated major reconstructive surgeries, a large amount of work for other types of surgeries continues to increase throughout lockdown. As well as in this period, increasing number of fatal accidents and injuries have been recorded, also many region governments in meantime is investing heavily to provide smooth healthcare facilities to the patients. As a result, the breakout of COVID-19 has a beneficial impact on the market for extremities reconstruction. The healthcare infrastructure has been working actively enough since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been engaged all throughout this period.



Market Growth Factors



Surge in the number of plastic surgeries



With an increase in instances noticed on a complete level, aesthetic medicine, cosmetic surgery, and minimally invasive procedures are reaching new heights. The leading countries for cosmetic surgery include many developed nations, which account for a significant portion of the comprehensive market for extremities tissue expanders. Such developed nation has appropriate healthcare infrastructure to assist the plastic surgery procedure. Also, people of these developed nations are financially sound enough to afford the costly cosmetic surgery.



Increasing prevalence of natural attacks and calamities



Mass casualty occurrences (MCIs), whether planned or unintentional, continue to be a serious problem for multidisciplinary trauma teams and emergency medical resources. Geographic disasters, such as earthquakes and landslides, regularly emphasize multi-national relief operations in resource-constrained situations. In an age of international and domestic terrorism, planned acts of mass violence involving explosives and firearms have shattered social closeness and put regional care centers to the test. The crush injuries to the lower and upper limbs, whose etiologies are based on the variety of disaster types, are of special concern in MCIs.



Market Restraining Factors



Risk factors for serious side effects



Smoking has the potential to impair both circulation and healing. To decrease infection, nonunion, and wound healing issues, patients must abstain from smoking for at least few weeks before and after an electively planned operation. Patients who were existing smokers had a higher rate of infection, nonunion, and osteomyelitis in a prospective, multi-center investigation of limb trauma. It is because smoking cessation is often impossible following trauma, surgeons should continue with soft-tissue covering while encouraging postoperative cessation. The smokers and nonsmokers have similar rates of flap thrombosis after micro-surgical head and neck and breast reconstructions, however, the rate may be higher in individuals having lower extremity free flap reconstruction.



Material Outlook



Based on Material, the market is segmented into Metallic, Ceramic, Polymeric, and Natural. The ceramic material segment procured a substantial revenue share in the extremity reconstruction market in 2021. The ceramics had no negative biological effects. Tissue ingrowth into ceramic pores was observed in all three types and both pore diameters, however, the density of penetrating tissue was much lower in calcium aluminate than in tricalcium phosphate or calcium hydroxyapatite. The soft tissue ingrowth was denser with bigger pore sizes and longer implantation times for each kind of ceramic. In most cases, bone ingrowth was not visible inside the pores of any ceramic. The histology findings in the rats and rabbits were identical.



Product Outlook



Based on Product, the market is segmented into Upper Extremity and Lower Extremity. The upper extremity segment procured the highest revenue share in the extremity reconstruction market in 2021. Elbow reconstruction, Shoulder reconstruction, and wrist and hand reconstruction are the three types of upper extremity reconstruction devices. Ankle fusion, ankle reconstruction, and foot fusion are the three types of lower extremity reconstruction. It is because of the increasing number of patients choosing technological advances in shoulder implants, shoulder reconstruction surgery, and positive clinical outcomes of shoulder reconstruction surgeries. Stemless shoulder replacement is linked to less discomfort and blood loss, as well as a quicker recovery time.



Regional Outlook



Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. North America emerged as the leading region in the extremity reconstruction market in 2021. This is due to an increase in the prevalence of joint problems, as well as a rise in the older population. As an outcome, the region is on track to become one of the worlds oldest in the coming decades, due to abundant growth potential in terms of non-treated medical requirements for the treatment of minor joint problems, expanding awareness, and growing acceptance of new technologies.



The major strategies followed by the market participants are Acquisitions. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Johnson & Johnson is the forerunner in the Extremity Reconstruction Market. Companies such as Smith & Nephew plc, Stryker Corporation and Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. are some of the key innovators in the Market.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Smith & Nephew PLC, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., Johnson & Johnson (DePuy Synthes), Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation, Medtronic PLC, ConMed Corporation, Acumed LLC, Skeletal Dynamics, LLC, Arthrex, Inc., and IDS GeoRadar s.r.l.(Hexagon AB).



Recent strategies deployed in Extremity Reconstruction Market



Product Launch and Product Expansion:



Mar-2022: Stryker introduced Insignia hip stem, a collared, hyaluronic acid-coated hip stem, utilized in total hip arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty procedures. This product launch aimed to enable surgeons to improve patient outcomes.



Feb-2022: Smith & Nephew expanded its product line of CORI surgical system, a handheld robotic surgery solution. This product expansion aimed to enable surgeons to use robotics for component alignment during THA procedures. In addition, RI. Hip Navigation on the CORI system would strengthen Smith & Nephews Real Intelligence digital ecosystem and underscores the commitment to advancing clinical outcomes in THA.



Nov-2021: Depuy Synthes introduced UNIUM System as the newest inclusion to its Power Tools portfolio. This product launch aimed to offer surgeons an ergonomically advanced choice to give a high level of care. UNIUM System comprises two handpieces, a modular device, and a dedicated reciprocating saw, as well as a complete portfolio of attachments and cutting tools.



Sep-2021: Stryker introduced T2 Alpha Femur Retrograde Nailing System, a new nailing solution. This product launch aimed to match surgeon preferences with enhanced ease of use during procedures. In addition, T2 Alpha Femur Retrograde Nailing System offers axial stability for surgeons via an advanced locking screw option built to restrict motion between the screw and nail, along with a guided, proximal targeting system created to lower the number of X-rays taken compared with freehand locking.



Aug-2021: Depuy Synthes released the INHANCE Shoulder System, a first-to-market, fully unified shoulder arthroplasty system. This product launch is aimed at the INHANCE Shoulder System to align with how surgeons approach patient care.



Jul-2020: Smith+Nephew unveiled the RI.HIP NAVIGATION, for purpose of total hip arthroplasty (THA). This product launch aimed to assist in maximizing precision and, reproducibility by providing patient-specific component alignment, an important factor for surgeons when checking indivIDUAL THA cases. In addition, RI.HIP NAVIGATION aid the surgeon take control of individual patient pelvic tilt, offset measurement, leg length, and support with cup placement by providing a predicted view of the post-op AP X-ray in surgery.



Acquisition and Mergers:



Feb-2022: Depuy Synthes took over CrossRoads Extremity Systems, a foot, and ankle company that provides a wide array of procedure-specific, instrumentation systems, and sterile-packed implants cleared for lower extremity indications, located in Tennessee. This acquisition aimed to improve meaningful innovation by strengthening the offering for elective foot and ankle procedures, allowing Depuy Synthes to provide more complete and leading-edge options to surgeons and patients.



Dec-2021: Depuy Synthes completed the acquisition of OrthoSpin, a developer and manufacturer of automated strut systems, based in Israel. This acquisition aimed to help the patients to navigate the recovery with more confidence and less uncertainty with the strut adjustments. In addition, this acquisition would display the commitment of Depuy Synthes to bring transformative Medtech advancements to the industry via the application of automated technology that resolves a broad array of orthopedic challenges.



Jan-2021: Integra LifeSciences took over ACell, a biotechnology company, based in Columbia, Maryland. This acquisition aimed to allow Integra LifeSciences to deliver more complete complex wound management solutions to resolve customers most pressing clinical challenges



Jan-2021: Smith & Nephew took over the Extremity Orthopedics business of Integra LifeSciences Holdings. This acquisition aimed to assist Smith+Nephews strategy to invest in higher-growth segments. In addition, this acquisition would strengthen Smith+Nephews extremities business by including integration of emphasized sales channel, upper and lower extremities portfolio, complementary shoulder replacement, and a better new product pipeline.



Dec-2020: Zimmer Biomet took over A&E Medical, a provider of a complete suite of sternal closure products. This acquisition aimed to enhance the standard of care and resolve a range of unmet patient and surgical requirements. In addition, this acquisition would benefit patients, surgeons, and health care systems.



Nov-2020: Stryker took over Wright Medical Group, a global medical device company focused on Extremities and Biologics. This acquisition aimed to enhance the global market position in extremities and trauma, giving crucial opportunities to advance innovation and reach patients.



Approvals and Trails:



2021-Apr: Zimmer Biomet received approval from FDA for ROSA Partial Knee System for the purpose of Robotically-Assisted Partial Knee Arthroplasty. This approval aimed to better bone cut precision and range of motion gap analysis, which may enhance flexion and restoration of natural joint movement. The ROSA Partial Knee System is the newest inclusion to ROSA Robotics, Zimmer Biomets multiple application robotics platform which comprises the ROSA Knee System for total knee replacement surgery and ROSA ONE for neurosurgical and spine procedures. The ROSA Partial Knee System features proprietary 2D to 3D X-Atlas imaging technology and real-time, intraoperative data gathering on soft tissue and bone anatomy.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Material



 Metallic



 Ceramic



 Polymeric



 Natural



By Product



 Upper Extremity



 Lower Extremity



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Smith & Nephew PLC



 Stryker Corporation



 Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.



 Johnson & Johnson (DePuy Synthes)



 Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation



 Medtronic PLC



 ConMed Corporation



 Acumed LLC



 Skeletal Dynamics, LLC



 Arthrex, Inc



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289243/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




ReportLinker

Health-care fraud is characterized as illegal deception aimed at gaining financial benefit in the areas of medication manufacture, product quality, medical practice, and healthcare insurance.

New York, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Healthcare Fraud Analytics Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Delivery Model, By Application, By End User, By Solution Type, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022  2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289251/?utm_source=GNW

The practice of healthcare fraud includes cheating government-sponsored healthcare schemes, as well as defrauding insurance companies, businesses, and consumers. Leading life sciences companies are currently using a variety of data mining techniques to combat these fraudulent operations. These data mining techniques entail scouring databases for new information, such as healthcare insurance data, fraud strategies, and healthcare information systems, among other things.



In the coming years, the healthcare fraud detection market is expected to be driven by a rise in the number of fraudulent events in health care, an uptick in the frequency of patients going to opt for health care insurance, and an increase in the pressure to keep a record of fraud and abuse in health care spending. Other factors include a growth in the frequency of health care BPO and fraud identity management software, quick acceptance of cloud-based analytical solutions, increased influence of social media on the health care industry, and the efficiency of artificial intelligence in healthcare services & solutions.



With a unique visualization interface that allows users to go over individual and account views to evaluate all relevant activities and relationships at a network dimension, users may discover linkages within apparently unrelated claims. With social network diagrams and extensive data mining skills, organizations may gain an improved understanding of new dangers and prevent large losses before they happen. Additionally, by constantly developing models and modifying the system, organizations can keep in front of variations in payment and cost-cutting trends.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The healthcare fraud analytics industry is confronted with numerous obstacles. Business dynamics are being impacted by travel restrictions and quarantines, shuts down in outdoor/indoor activities, temporary business outages, supply-demand fluctuations, stock market volatility, diminishing business confidence, and a myriad of other worries. In the healthcare industry, doctors, patients, physicians, and other medical experts have all been engaged in fraud situations. Many healthcare professionals and experts have been discovered scamming patients for monetary gain. Patients fraudulent acts in the healthcare sector include fraudulently obtaining sickness certificates, prescription fraud, and evasion of medical payments.



Market Growth Factors



Growth In Frequency Of People Looking For Health Insurance



The number of people who have benefited from various healthcare initiatives has increased dramatically over time. The increase in the ageing population, growth in healthcare costs, and rising illness load are all factors leading to the expansion of the health insurance market. The number of people without health insurance in the United States has declined dramatically, from the year 2010 to the year 2016. During the 2017 open enrollment period, multiple millions of people signed up for or renewed their health insurance, as per National Center for Health Statistics.



Social Medias Emergence And Influence On The Healthcare Business



The healthcare business is evolving at a breakneck pace, and one of the primary factors driving this evolution is the increasing influence of healthcare communication via social media. Not only has social media grown in popularity as a source of health information, but it also allows for dual-way public communication among patients, other third parties, and providers. This contributes to the creation of a big forum for comprehensive health discussions.



Market Restraining Factors



Time-Consuming Deployment And The Need For Frequent Upgrades



The execution of fraud analytics solutions consumes a huge time. Developing new databases, user interfaces, and predictive models; assessing and implementing models; and tracking their efficacy are all part of the process. During this step, data analysts execute algorithms till they find the best accurate forecasting model. The eave-droppers are very clever to notice that which organization is lacking regular upgrades & updates and is the deployment process time-consuming and accordingly plan & execute the unauthorized interference.



Delivery Model Outlook



Based on delivery model, the healthcare fraud analytics market is bifurcated into On-premises and Cloud-based. The On-premises segment acquired the highest revenue share in the healthcare fraud analytics market in 2021. The simplicity of access to data being on-site, i.e., hospitals, etc., results in better record management and data monitoring, among other things. Current systems in small businesses are functional, but when scaled up, data management can become complicated and cumbersome, especially if the company is dealing with a large data set. This could imply a significant financial investment in data storage and security.



Application Outlook



Based on Application, the healthcare fraud analytics market is divided into Insurance Claim Review, Pharmacy billing Issues, Payment Integrity, and Others. The pharmacy billing issue segment garnered a significant revenue share in the healthcare fraud analytics market in 2021. The increased frequency of medical billing fraud is happening in pharmacies.. The objective of pharmacy billing is to reduce expenses from the admin side.



End- Use Outlook



Based on end-use, the healthcare fraud analytics market is classified into Public & Government Agencies, Private Insurance Payers, Third-party Service Providers, and Employers. The Public & Government Agencies segment acquired the highest revenue share in the healthcare fraud analytics market in 2021. A greater amount of patients in government hospitals, as well as the increased vulnerability of government organizations to fraudulent operations because of a lack of technologically updated infrastructure, specifically in developing countries, are two significant factors leading to the big percentage.



Solution type Outlook



Based on solution type, the healthcare fraud analytics market is segmented into Descriptive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics, and Predictive Analytics. The descriptive analytics segment acquired the highest revenue share in the healthcare fraud analytics market in 2021. For the purpose of identifying patterns and linkages, it uses both current and historical data. This aids in the more accurate detection of potential scams. It also serves as a foundation for implementing predictive and prescriptive analytics effectively. This contributes to the segments continued expansion.



Regional Outlook



Based on Region, the healthcare fraud analytics market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. North America emerged as the leading region in the healthcare fraud analytics market with the largest revenue share in 2021. This is due to rising healthcare spending, increased adoption of healthcare IT, and an increase in the number of fraud instances. As per the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, the United States spends several trillions on health care each year (NHCAA). NHCAA believes that health care fraud costs tens of billions of dollars out of that total. There is the availability of various advanced solutions and services associated with healthcare fraud detection, as well as strategic steps taken by big players present in the country.



The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Wipro Limited, IBM Corporation, DXC Technology Company, SAS Institute, Inc., Conduent, Incorporated, HCL Technologies Ltd., UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (Optum, Inc.), OSP Labs, Cotiviti, Inc., and ExlService Holdings, Inc.



Strategies Deployed in Healthcare Fraud Analytics Market



Oct-2021: ExlService Holding joined hands with GEOX, a leader in supplying geospatial data to insurers. This collaboration aimed to provide unified image analytics offering to insurance carriers. Further, this partnership aimed to improve assist carriers in attaining enhanced underwriting assessment, smart roof condition assessment, more accurate property renewal assessment, and improved claim processing assistance.



Apr-2021: Wipro entered into an agreement to acquire Ampion, an Australia-located provider of cyber security, quality engineering services, and DevOps. This acquisition aimed to bring scale and market flexibility and speed to respond to the increasing demands of customers.



Feb-2021: IBM Corporation came into partnership with Watson Health and Humana, a not-for-profit American health insurance company located in Louisville, Kentucky. This partnership aimed to aid deliver an improved member experience while giving higher transparency and clarity on advantages and other associated matters for Humana Employer Group members.



Sep-2020: HCL Technologies extended its partnership with Google Cloud. This partnership aimed for customers to have real-time valuable information from the operational data at a significantly lower total cost of ownership. Further, this partnership aimed to bring HCLS Actian portfolio, beginning with Actian Avalanche, to Google Cloud. Action Avalanche is a high-performance hybrid cloud data warehouse created to support enterprises highly demanding operational analytics workloads.



Jul-2020: SAS Institute formed a partnership with National Health Authority (NHA), NHA is responsible for implementing Indias flagship public health insurance/assurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. This partnership aimed to aid check abuse and fraud in the execution structure of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB PM-JAY) scheme. In addition, SAS would deliver an end-to-end framework to ensure claim processing with notable elements for alert management, fraud detection, and case-handling for NHA.



Jun-2020: SAS Institute came into a partnership with Microsoft Corporation. This partnership aimed to allow customers to simply run the SAS workload in the cloud, expanding the business solutions and unlocking vital value from the digital transformation initiatives. Under this partnership, the companies would aid the customers to fasten their growth and discover new methods to boost innovation with a wide set of SAS Analytics offerings on Microsoft Azure.



Jun-2018: Wipro came into a partnership with Opera Solutions, a global leader in applied Big Data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). This partnership aimed to integrate Opera Solutions powerful AI and machine learning based Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) detection engine with Wipros extensive full-service claim processing capabilities in claims review, which comprises the forensic examination of questionable audits, claims, negotiations, adjustments recovery follow-up and payment posting. Further, this partnership aimed to solve the concerns of waste, fraud, and abuse in healthcare insurance claims in the United States.



Scope of the Study



Market Segments covered in the Report:



By Delivery Model



 On-premise



 Cloud



By Application



 Insurance Claim Review



 Pharmacy billing Issue



 Payment Integrity



 Others



By End User



 Public & Government Agencies



 Private Insurance Payers



 Third-party Service Providers



 Employers



By Solution Type



 Descriptive Analytics



 Predictive Analytics



 Prescriptive Analytics



By Geography



 North America



o US



o Canada



o Mexico



o Rest of North America



 Europe



o Germany



o UK



o France



o Russia



o Spain



o Italy



o Rest of Europe



 Asia Pacific



o China



o Japan



o India



o South Korea



o Singapore



o Malaysia



o Rest of Asia Pacific



 LAMEA



o Brazil



o Argentina



o UAE



o Saudi Arabia



o South Africa



o Nigeria



o Rest of LAMEA



Companies Profiled



 Wipro Limited



 IBM Corporation



 DXC Technology Company



 SAS Institute, Inc.



 Conduent, Incorporated



 HCL Technologies Ltd.



 UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (Optum, Inc.)



 OSP Labs



 Cotiviti, Inc.



 ExlService Holdings, Inc.



Unique Offerings



 Exhaustive coverage



 Highest number of market tables and figures



 Subscription based model available



 Guaranteed best price



 Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06289251/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Story continues

CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




InnSuites Hospitality Trust

Phoenix, AZ, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InnSuites Hospitality Trust (NYSE American: IHT) continued its strong rebound with 2023 First Fiscal Quarter (February 1, 2022, to April 30, 2022), revenues of approximately $2.136 million, up 53% from the prior Fiscal Year First Quarter.



Total Consolidated Fiscal First Quarter Net Income increased 139% to $376,187.

Earnings Per Share based on this First Fiscal Quarter Consolidated Net Income were $0.05 per share, up $0.03 from prior year income of $0.02, an all-time First Fiscal Quarter record.

Total Trust Equity increased to $4,312,186 at the end of Fiscal First Quarter 2023, up 56%, or $1,551,898 million, from the $2,760,288 reported at the end of the prior Year Fiscal First Quarter.

Net Income before non-cash depreciation expense was $359,806 for the Fiscal First Quarter ended April 30, 2022, up 358%, or $281,269, compared to prior Year Fiscal First Quarter ended April 30, 2022.

Total Revenues for the Twelve Month Trailing Period ended April 30, 2022, were approximately $7.15 million, up 72% from the previous Twelve Month Trailing period.

Operating Income for the same Twelve Month Trailing period (ended April 30, 2022), improved by $2.8 million, compared to the same previous twelve month period (ended April 30, 2021).

Consolidated Net Income was approximately $1 million for the most recent twelve month period (ended April 30, 2022), an improvement of $3.3 million, from the same prior year twelve month period (ended April 30, 2021).

IHT hotel operations are contributing to a solid start in the current 2023 Fiscal Second Quarter, with both the Tucson Hotel and Albuquerque Hotel achieving record revenue for the combined months of May and June 2022, of the current Fiscal Year indicating that financial results are progressing positively as the Hospitality Industry, and InnSuites Hospitality Trust (IHT) specifically, continue to rebound and recover.

InnSuites Hospitality Trust (IHT), in late 2019, made a diversification investment in privately held UniGen Power, Inc. (UniGen), a company developing a patented, high profit potential, efficient clean energy generation innovation. UniGen is making progress on development, and is in pursuit of three additional valuable patents. IHT holds convertible bonds and warrants that, when fully exercised, could result in IHT holding an approximate 25% ownership stake in UniGen.

Story continues

Said James Wirth President, CEO, and IHT Board Chairman:

With 2023 Fiscal First quarter revenues and profits continuing to rebound, along with the recently completed profitable Fiscal Year 2022, strong upward trends continue. IHT management believes that due to hotel real estate held on the books of IHT at low book values believed to be significantly below current market value and due to the high potential of the UniGen diversification investment, the future of IHT looks promising. IHT management continues to believe that recent market IHT stock valuations, especially in the current turbulent and uncertain times, do not fully reflect the future potential of IHT. Accordingly, IHT continues and has recently increased its corporate stock buyback program.

Said Sylvin Lange Chief Financial Officer (CFO):

IHTs strong operating results and IHTs increasingly strong balance sheet, both reflect a significant rebound from the prior travel year, believed to now place IHT in compliance with NYSE American listing terms.

On June 29, 2022, the Board of Trustees of IHT announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.01 per share, payable on July 29, 2022, to shareholders of record as of July 15, 2022. This announcement continues an uninterrupted, continuous 52-year history of annual dividends, since 1971, with semi-annual dividends paid January 31, 2022, and scheduled for July 29, 2022.

The IHT Board approved, and notice is hereby given that the Fiscal 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of IHT will be held at the InnSuites Hospitality Trust corporate offices located at 1730 E. Northern Avenue, Suite 122, Phoenix, Arizona 85020 (phone: 602-944-1500) on Tuesday August 16, 2022, at 1:00 P.M., local time. Shareholders of record of IHT at the close of business on July 7, 2022, are entitled to vote at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

For more information, visit www.innsuitestrust.com and www.innsuites.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

With the exception of historical information, matters discussed in this news release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements regarding IHTs review and exploration of potential strategic, operational, and structural alternative diversification investments, and expected associated costs and benefits are forward-looking. Actual developments and business decisions may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that could cause IHTs actual results and future actions to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements include the uncertain outcome, impact, effects and results of IHTs success in finding potential qualified purchasers for its hospitality real estate or finding a reverse merger partner, the success of timing, and/or available development cash of the UniGen clean energy diversification innovation, the continuation of semi-annual dividends in the year(s) ahead, and other risks discussed in IHTs SEC filings. IHT expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof, all of which are expressly qualified by the foregoing, other than as required by applicable law.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Marc Berg, Executive Vice President

602-944-1500

email: mberg@innsuites.com

INNSUITES HOTEL CENTRE

1730 E. NORTHERN AVENUE, #122

Phoenix, Arizona 85020

Phone: 602-944-1500




By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The National Gurama Festival will be held for the first time in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing the Icharisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve.

The exhibition of handicrafts kept in the funds of the country's museums will be demonstrated during the festival.

Masterclasses on making handicrafts will be also held as part of the event.

The festival's guests have a chance to take part in musical and poetry evenings.

The event is co-organized by the Icharisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve, the Culture and Education Ministers as well as the Baku Authorities.

The National Gurama Festival will run until August 7.

Gurama is a patchwork where a single piece is sewn from pieces of fabric according to the principle of a mosaic. This is free art, without any canons, or rules.

Since ancient times it has been very popular in Azerbaijan. It was very common until the beginning of the XX century.

Now simple and uncomplicated geometric patterns are replaced by more and more complex combinations of colors and shapes. Gurama art served a wide variety of purposes.

Work on the revival of Azerbaijan's ancient gurama art is underway at the initiative of the Icharisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve and the State Employment Agency.

The craftswomen from the Gala village have been already involved in the project aimed at promoting gurama art and providing employment to women living in Khazar region.
(Bloomberg) -- Sign up for our Middle East newsletter and follow us @middleeast for news on the region.

Most Read from Bloomberg

European-brokered efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal are likely to resume following US President Joe Bidens visit to the region this month, after an intense round of talks in Doha failed to overcome differences.

Two European diplomats with direct knowledge of this weeks negotiations said that, while talks didnt progress, efforts to resurrect the accord were expected to continue beyond the July deadline suggested by the UN nuclear watchdog.

A third person familiar with the talks said efforts could resume in the Qatari capital following Bidens trip.

One source briefed on the negotiations said the Doha talks had focused on oil sanctions, adding that other areas actively under discussion are Irans access to funds blocked in South Korea, sanctions on airlines and the removal of penalties on the business operations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The latter is very unlikely to be agreed but the others were achievable, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Narrow Window

The 2015 agreement offered Iran sanctions relief, including on oil exports, in return for curbs to its enrichment activities and intrusive International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.

Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. President Joe Biden has sought for more than a year to revive the deal but Iran has rapidly expanded its nuclear work while steadily dialing down international oversight during the course of negotiations.

The IAEA said at its last meeting on June 9 that its inspectors would no longer be able to verify Iranian nuclear activities permitted under the accord if a diplomatic compromise wasnt reached within a month, setting the clock ticking on talks.

Story continues

US officials have repeatedly said that the window for a deal is narrow as the accelerated pace of Irans nuclear work threatens to make the terms of the original deal obsolete.

Tehrans negotiating team also reiterated grievances over an IAEA censure issued over Irans lack of cooperation with monitors, according to one of the European diplomats.

While IAEA investigators can report with a high degree of certainty that Iran isnt diverting any of its declared nuclear material, theres less conviction about whats been happening inside the countrys centrifuge workshops, said the other European diplomat. Some monitors are concerned that Iran could hedge against a diplomatic stalemate by stashing uranium-enrichment capacity at an undeclared location.

The search for a compromise will probably be given until at least the third quarter, after which the US will hold Congressional elections that could weaken Bidens hand.

NPT Threat

A key meeting of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty members convenes next month in New York. Iran has threatened to leave that bedrock bargain -- which limits the spread of nuclear weapons, in return for access to atomic technologies -- should talks fail, resulting in the country being referred back to the United Nations Security Council for more sanctions.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a statement Thursday his country remains determined to continue negotiations until an agreement thats based on realism is reached.

While western officials at the talks dismissed Irans words as grandstanding, they arent ready to slam the door on talks quite yet. Gulf nations are being encouraged to play a more active role as the EUs role as mediator reaches its limit, according to the European diplomats.

The US also must outline a strategy for Middle Eastern stability that is not merely based on containment and confrontation with Iran or securing a short-term reduction in oil prices, Iran researchers Vali Nasr and Maria Fantappie wrote Friday in the US journal of Foreign Affairs.

It must establish a durable framework for preventing conflict, they wrote. The most effective way to do this would be to conclude a new nuclear deal with Iran.

(Adds talk details in 8th and 9th paragraphs.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
MAISONS DU MONDE

MAISONS DU MONDE

Societe anonyme

Au capital de 146.583.736,56 euros

Siege social : Le Portereau - 44120 Vertou

793 906 728 RCS Nantes

ISIN FR0013153541

SHARES IN THE CAPITAL AND VOTING RIGHTS

(Article L.233-8 French commercial code and articles 221-1 and 223-16 of the AMF General Regulations)

MAISONS DU MONDE shareholders are informed that the total number of shares in the capital and voting rights, on 30 June 2022, was as follows:

30 June 2022 31 May 2022 Shares in the capital 45,241,894 45,241,894 Gross total of voting rights 45,241,894 45,241,894 Net total of voting rights 42,500,807 42,500,407

Attachment




(Bloomberg) -- Oil rose in thin trading ahead of the US holiday weekend as export disruptions in Libya exacerbated global supply concerns.

Most Read from Bloomberg

West Texas Intermediate rose over $108 a barrel, posting a slight weekly gain after dropping the previous two weeks. Production from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries dropped by 120,000 barrels a day in June for a second straight monthly decline, according to a Bloomberg survey. Libyan exports have fallen to about one-third of last years level after a worsening political crisis prompted the suspension of shipments from two of the nations biggest ports.

Crude prices are finishing the week on a high note as Libyas political crisis is leading to a steep drop with oil exports. Weve seen this movie before and a tight oil market and force majeure at key ports should provide underlying support for oil prices, said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda Corp.

Fridays rebound comes after crude ended June down 8% on the month as investors fretted over a potential global slowdown. Oil has increased enough to alarm US President Joe Biden, whos pushing for cheaper gasoline at home while spearheading efforts to get producers in the Middle East to boost crude output.

Withing OPEC, erratic exporter Nigeria drove the loss, with output slumping to a record low. Yet even Saudi Arabia -- which Biden will visit this month -- failed to deliver its promised increase. Nigerias output dropped by 100,000 barrels a day to 1.2 million a day, the lowest since the country joined the ranks of major producers, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Risk of weaker fuel exports is also emerging in India after the government on Friday increased levies on shipments of gasoline and diesel as part of a drive to control a worsening currency deficit. India is a major global fuel supplier and a drop in sales could further tighten markets that have been reeling from reduced Russian shipments.

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Still, the market for real crude barrels remains firm. Premiums for North Sea oil remains strong, while crude from Angola is selling fast as European refiners buy more cargoes with supply drying up from some of the continents biggest supplies. The scarcity is highlighted in crudes futures curve remaining backwardated, where near-term contracts are more expensive than those for later delivery.

Traders will be scrutinizing the next moves by OPEC and its allies. While the group this week ratified an oil-production increase for August, it left the more-pressing issue of future output levels unresolved.

Meanwhile, US demand remains robust as a record number of drivers are expected to hit the road this weekend for Independence Day travel, buttressing gasoline consumption. Average retail pump prices have eased slightly in recent weeks after hitting a record above $5 a gallon in June.

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Pasinex Resources Limited

TORONTO, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE) (FSE: PNX) (The Company or Pasinex) today reports that at this stage, T.C. Maden ve Petrol Iserl Genel Mudurlugu (MAPEG), the mining ministry in Turkey, have not extended the principal mining operational license of Horzum AS beyond April 15, 2023, and the Akkaya operational exploration license of Pasinex Arama at this time. As a result, both Pasinex Arama and Horzum AS have each filed a court action in Adana, Turkey challenging the denial of the license extensions. The actions were filed on July 1, 2022, in order to meet the legal statute of limitations in the mining law.



At the present time, Pasinex has not been provided with any reasons as to why these licenses have not been extended at this point and will work in the coming weeks with the officials of MAPEG to negotiate solutions for the mutual benefit of all. Turkey has one of the best and most advanced mining laws in the world that benefits all parties.

The mining operation in Horzum AS, with about 125 employees and contractors, will continue as usual during the period of discussions. The advancement of the 541-adit in the Pinargozu license toward the Akkaya license will continue to allow underground exploration of the Akkaya license when the operational exploration license of Akkaya is extended. Pasinex believes that Horzum AS has good community relations, an excellent safety record and management system, meets all environmental regulations and laws, and is one of the largest employers in the Kozan region in the Province of Adana and is working to develop a longer-term sustainable mining operation for the benefit of all.

About Pasinex

Pasinex Resources Limited is a Toronto-based mining company that owns 50% of Horzum Maden Arama ve Isletme Anonim Sirketi (Horzum AS or Joint Venture), through its 100% owned subsidiary Pasinex Arama ve Madencilik Anonim Sirketi (Pasinex Arama). Horzum AS holds 100% of the producing Pinargozu high-grade zinc mine. Horzum AS sells directly to zinc smelters and or refiners through commodity brokers from its mine site in Turkey. The Company also holds an option to acquire 80% of the Gunman high-grade zinc exploration project in Nevada. Pasinex has a strong technical management team with many years of mineral exploration and mining project development experience. The mission of Pasinex is to build a mid-tier zinc company based on its mining and exploration projects in Turkey and Nevada. Visit our website at www.pasinex.com.

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On Behalf of the Board of Directors

PASINEX RESOURCES LIMITED

Andrew Gottwald

Andrew Gottwald Evan White Chief Financial Officer Manager of Corporate Communications Phone: +1 416.861.9659 Phone: +1 416.906.3498 Email: info@pasinex.com Email: evan.white@pasinex.com

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although Pasinex believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not a guarantee of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, exploration results, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.




The brutal kidnapping, beating and killing of Emmett Till is often taught as history, but the fight to bring those involved to justice continues 67 years later.

In August 1955, Chicago teenager Emmett Till was visiting family in Mississippi.

He was accused of whistling at a married white woman named Carolyn Bryant in a grocery store. Four days later, he was abducted from his great uncles home in the middle of the night. Till was brutally beaten, mutilated and ultimately shot. His body was then sunk in the Tallahatchie River, only to be discovered three days later.

When his body was returned to Chicago, Mamie Till, Emmetts mother, insisted on an open casket funeral, despite the grotesque state of her sons body. Photographs of his body would become some of the most influential pictures ever taken, inspiring many to join the Civil Rights Movement.

Tills killers were Roy Bryant, Carolyns enraged husband, and J.W. Milam, Roys half-brother. Roy Bryant and Milam were found not guilty by an all-white jury in one of the most publicized court cases in history. They later admitted to the lynching. They sold their story to Look magazine for $4,000.

Tills legacy as a civil rights martyr lives on  in March Congress passed the Emmett Till anti-lynching act  but the fight for justice continues as well. The same month Congress passed the law bearing his name, Emmett Tills family came to the Mississippi capitol to ask for justice.

We will bear witness to the hatred that has been embedded in our DNA since the slave ships arrived," said Deborah Watts, a cousin of Till and co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. We made a promise to Mamie that we would persist and thats why were here today."

Deborah Watts, cousin of slain civil rights figure Emmett Till, speaks during a press conference inside the rotunda of the Mississippi State Capitol. The family is asking for the prosecution of Carolyn Bryant Donham for her alleged association with Till's murder in August of 1955. Friday, March 11, 2022 in Jackson, MS.

The foundation wasnt just asking though, they were also searching through documents in a Mississippi courthouse. What they found may finally lead to someone serving time.

Inside of a file, itself inside of a box marked only by its decade, was the arrest warrant from the killing. It listed three names, Roy Bryant, J.W. Milam, and Mrs. Roy Bryant. Written in pen were two check marks above the names of the two men. There was no check mark above Mrs. Roy Bryant. Carolyn Bryant, now Carolyn Bryant Donham, was never arrested or tried in the case.

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Deborah Watts daughter Terri joined her in searching for the document. Terri Watts told the Associated Press that Donham should be arrested and charged.

Serve it and charge her, Teri Watts told the AP in an interview.

The arrest warrant for Donham, who is now in her 80s and living in North Carolina, was public knowledge at the time of the trial. However, the LeFlore County sheriff at the time said he did not want to bother her because she had young children.

Timeline:

August 20, 1955

14-year-old Emmett Till leaves Chicago on a train from the 63rd Street Station, bound for Mississippi where he will be visiting family.

August 21, 1955

Till arrives in Money, Mississippi, and begins staying with his uncle Moses Wright.

August 24, 1955

Till and a number of other teenagers go to Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market. Till speaks with Carolyn Bryant, one of the white owners of the grocery store. There are conflicting accounts of what happened but Till allegedly flirted with and possibly whistled at Bryant.

Bryant's Grocery & Meat Market in Money can be seen, first in 1955, and now today, where vines and weeds have overtaken the crumbling store where Emmett Till was reported to have wolf-whistled at Carolyn Bryant. Some are interested in turning the old store into a civil rights museum, but the owners are still holding out for $4 million.

August 28, 1955

At around 2:30 a.m., Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam kidnap Till from Wright's home. They brutally beat the teenager, and ultimately shoot him in the head before dumping his body into the Tallahatchie River, weighed down by a large fan used in cotton processing.

August 29, 1955

Roy Bryant and Milam are arrested on charges of kidnapping in LeFlore County. Carolyn Bryant is also listed on the warrant, but she is not arrested.

August 31, 1955

Till's body is discovered and pulled out of the river. Wright identifies the body based on Till's ring, which had once belonged to his father.

September 3, 1955

Till's funeral takes place at Roberts Temple Church of God in Chicago. His mother, Mamie Till, insists on an open casket. Thousands of people wait in line to see the body, and pictures of it are seen across the world.

September 6, 1955

Till is buried. A grand jury in Mississippi indicts Roy Bryant and Milam for murder. They plead innocent.

September 19, 1955

The trial begins in Sumner, Mississippi, with jury selection. An all-white male jury is selected.

September 21, 1955

In one of the most iconic moments of the trial, Wright stands up in the witness box and points directly at Milam, identifying him as the man he saw kidnapping his nephew.

September 23, 1955

After just over an hour of deliberation, the jury finds Roy Bryant and Milam not guilty of murder. They cannot be charged again with the same crime. The accused smoke cigars and kiss their wives for photographers.

September 30, 1955

Roy Bryant and Milam are released from jail, though kidnapping charges are still pending.

November 9, 1955

A grand jury does not indict Roy Bryant and Milam on kidnapping charges. Carolyn Bryant was never arrested or charged. The two men are now free.

J.W. Milam, left, and Roy Bryant, right, sit with their wives in a courtroom in 1955. Milam and Bryant were acquitted in the murder of Emmett Till. FILE - In this Sept. 23, 1955, file photo. J.W. Milam, left, and Roy Bryant, right, sit with their wives in a courtroom in Sumner, Mo. Milam and Bryant were acquitted of murder in the slaying of Emmett Till. Wheeler Parker and Deborah Watts, cousins of Till, said authorities should take a fresh look at the killing of Till since Carolyn Donham, then wife of Roy Bryant, who was at the center of the case, is now quoted as saying she lied in a new book.

January 24, 1956

Look Magazine publishes an interview with Roy Bryant and Milam where they admit to kidnapping and killing Till, and they describe how they did it. They were paid $4,000 by reporter William Bradford Huie for their story.

December 30, 1980

Milam dies of stomach cancer at the age of 61.

August 25, 1985

In an interview with the Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News, Roy Bryant denies having killed Till, despite confessing nearly 30 years earlier. Hell no, I didnt do it! Bryant said, though he then says Till deserved what he got. I feel this way: If Emmett Till hadnt got out of line, it probably wouldnt have happened to him.

September 1, 1994

Roy Bryant dies of cancer at the age of 63.

May 10, 2004

The Department of Justice announces they are reopening the Till case to investigate whether anyone other than Roy Bryant and Milam were involved. A series of federal investigations will follow.

February 27, 2007

A mostly Black grand jury does not indict Carolyn Bryant Donham, along with others, after they fail to find significant evidence that they took part in the kidnap or lynching.

January 31, 2017

Author Timothy Tyson releases "The Blood of Emmett Till," in which he claims Bryant Donham told him during a 2008 interview that her accusations against Till were not true. Tyson did not have her recanting on tape, but did have it in his notes from the 2008 interview. Relatives of Bryant Donham have said she never recanted her accusations.

December 6, 2021

The Department of Justice closes its investigation into the Till lynching without finding any additional suspects.

March 29, 2022

President Joe Biden signs the Emmett Till Antilynching Act.

President Joe Biden signs the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act in the Rose Garden of the White House on Tuesday in Washington.

June 29, 2022

The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation announces they have found the original kidnapping arrest warrant, which lists Bryant Donham. Till's ancestors call for her to be arrested and charged.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Emmett Till lynching from 1955 to today, back in the spotlight
(Bloomberg) -- The boss of Revolut Ltd. said his fintech startup has enough funding for at least two more years and would not be looking to raise money, as venture capital dries up across the technology industry.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Nikolay Storonsky, the 37-year-old chief executive officer, said the London-based company is now profitable and aggressively expanding in Latin America, India and the Philippines while looking to the Middle East.

The CEOs comments in an onstage interview with Bloomberg News at TheCityUKs annual conference in London suggest Revolut can avoid the pitfalls of raising money during a downturn. Valuations for startups are expected to fall as they gather fresh funds, reversing several years of soaring growth, with Swedens Klarna Bank AB reportedly considering raising money at a lower valuation. Lenders see tech companies looking to take on debt rather than endure a so-called down round of capital raising.

Storonsky said Revolut was in an different place as it has a more diversified model than its Swedish competitor -- even joking that he now can probably buy Klarna at its latest reported price. Though he ruled out taking Revolut public in the next two years, given the turbulent market conditions, he still sees the UK as an option for an eventual initial public offering.

Read More: Revolut CEO Would Like to Buy Klarna. Hell Battle It Instead

Revolut, which was valued at $33 billion in a funding round last July, continues to view the UK as its most important market, generating about a quarter of its revenue, Storonsky said.

Revoluts rise has been rapid. It launched in 2015 as a prepaid card offering cheap foreign-exchange fees, with Storonsky  a former derivatives trader at Credit Suisse Group AG and Lehman Brothers  handing out freebies at railway stations. Now it has more than 18 million customers and is venturing into buy now, pay later products.

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Grey Zones

While Storonsky would still choose London as the place to build his company, he said hed prefer regulation there to have fewer grey zones where people dont know what to do. During the interview, the Russian-born CEO joked saying that regulators across the world have all been very friendly so far, but also said he hopes the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority will give the final green light to Revoluts full banking license as soon as possible, following a process thats already taken a year and a half.

I would look into making regulation less principle driven and more rules driven, he said, citing Singapore as a good example of the rules being crystal clear.

Read More: Revoluts Frustrated Billionaire Is Forced to Wait in Line

Although cryptocurrency trading is a key revenue contributor for Revolut, Storonsky said his own experiments in the space are limited. Sometimes I play, but purely for testing products, he said. Demand from retail investors is great and traditional banks are missing out, he added.

Decentralized finance allows every single person to access to a lot of instruments that you dont have in real life, said Storonsky. Another question is whether you need them or not, but there is a lot of innovation going on. I do believe in technology, I do believe in the industry.

When the outbreak of Covid-19 dampened customers general spending, there was a lot of trading in stocks and in crypto, he added. This year, with the crypto winter this revenue line dropped a lot yet other services such as payments, subscriptions and business accounts grew a lot, he said.

Storonsky also confirmed Revolut had solved simply any issues after Russias invasion of Ukraine by closing offices in both countries, with staff relocating to Dubai and London.

(Adds more details on Revolut crypto business from ninth paragraph.)

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2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Former UNC basketball standout Theo Pinson is staying put in Dallas.

The forward is returning to the Mavericks on a one-year deal per ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski. Pinson entered this offseason as a free agent but struck a deal to stay in Dallas for another season.

The 26-year-old Pinson played 19 games for the Mavericks last season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. He was signed on a 10-day contract with the Mavs dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak and then earned a two-way contract for the remainder of the season.

While Pinson hasnt become a key figure in their rotation, hes crucial for team chemistry, something the team values.

Dallas lets run this thang Back!! Got unfinished business!!  Theo pinson (@tpinsonn) July 1, 2022

The Mavericks are fresh off a run to the Western Conference Finals a year ago where they fell to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
ReportLinker

Timber & Wood Product Market Research Report by Timber Type (Ash, Beech, and Birch), Application, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, July 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Timber & Wood Product Market Research Report by Timber Type, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06287107/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Timber & Wood Product Market size was estimated at USD 591.34 billion in 2021 and expected to reach USD 625.99 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 6.11% to reach USD 844.30 billion by 2027.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across five major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2019 and 2020 are considered historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered the forecast period.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Timber & Wood Product to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Timber Type, the market was studied across Ash, Beech, Birch, Cedar, Fir, Mahogany, Maple, Oak, and Pine.



Based on Application, the market was studied across Fuel Wood and Industrial Round Wood.



Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict:

We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Timber & Wood Product market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Timber & Wood Product Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Competitive Scenario:

The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Timber & Wood Product Market, including Andersen Corporation, Arauco, Canadian Wood Products, Canfor Corporation, Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion, Falcon Lumber Limited, Georgia Pacific, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Hampton Affiliates, Idaho Forest Group, Interfor, PotlatchDeltic Corp., Resolute Forest Products, RSG Forest Products, Sierra Pacific Industries, Stora Enso, West Fraser Timber Co Ltd, Weyerhaeuser, and Weyerhaeuser Company.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Timber & Wood Product Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Timber & Wood Product Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Timber & Wood Product Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Timber & Wood Product Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Timber & Wood Product Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Timber & Wood Product Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Timber & Wood Product Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06287107/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Don't miss CoinDesk's Consensus 2022, the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12.

Bill Gates was still in high school when Richard Stallman was busy hacking computers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Artificial Intelligence Lab in 1971. Stallman went on to launch the free software movement, and Gates gladly assumed the role of corporate software antihero.

I was watching "Revolution OS," a history of open-source computing, the other day and couldnt help but chuckle when the narrator read Gates scathing Open Letter to Hobbyists. Microsoft had released software for the very early Altair 8800 and was accusing PC hobbyists of illegally copying and distributing that software. Gates wrote:

Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to share. Who cares if the people who work on it get paid? Is this fair?

Stallman was on a different trajectory. In 1984, he quit his job at MIT to focus on building a free and open operating system. The goal was to create an alternative to proprietary systems like Unix. His project was aptly named GNU, a recursive acronym for Gnus not Unix.

This article is part of CoinDesk's Future of Work Week.

Stallman was all too familiar with Gates assertion that developers couldnt make money from free and open software. In 1985, he released his famous GNU Manifesto and countered Gates argument head-on. Under the section Programmers need to make a living somehow, Stallman wrote:

People with new ideas could distribute programs as freeware, asking for donations from satisfied users.

How to become a Bitcoin developer  pay it forward

Mike Schmidt, co-founder and executive director of Brink, an organization that funds Bitcoin development, explains that Bitcoin developers dont just crank out code. They test, review and contribute in many other ways. In fact, a deep passion for contributing is pivotal if you want to join the Bitcoin family.

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Schmidt compares the process of becoming a Bitcoin developer to a funnel. At the top, you have acclimatization. This is where one becomes intimately familiar with key areas current developers are working on. A great starting point is subscribing to the weekly Bitcoin Optech newsletter, which aggregates information from developer mailings lists, pull requests and key discussions.

Next, you have education. Schmidt recommends Bitcoin coding boot camps like Jimmy Songs Programming Blockchain seminars, or Lisa Neiguts Base58 course. Theres also something called the PR Review Club where budding developers can sharpen their pull request reviewing skills.

The bottom of the funnel is where developers become comfortable with the inner workings of the Bitcoin Core codebase. To be clear, theres no magical line separating each stage, and this funnel concept is only an analogy. In fact, some developers like Larry Ruane entered the funnel at an intermediate stage. Ruane is a Bitcoin Core developer on a full-time Brink grant. He graduated with a master of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois.

When I first heard of Bitcoin in 2013, I was mostly fascinated by the trustless consensus mechanism. I didn't think such a thing was possible, especially so simply," Ruane said.

Ruane had already worked on consensus protocols like Paxos, but something about Bitcoin's proof-of-work consensus was alluring to him. In fact, he went on a brief foray into hobbyist bitcoin mining before getting hired to work on Zcash.

I got a job at the Electric Coin Company, creators of Zcash, which is a code fork of Bitcoin Core. I happened to find a minor bug in Zcash and discovered it also existed upstream. So I opened my first Bitcoin Core pull request to fix the bug. It merged quickly, so I assumed it was pretty easy to get changes into Bitcoin Core. (This belief was naive.), Ruane said.

That pull request triggered a flywheel effect. Ruane gradually increased his contributions until Brink awarded him a small grant to work on Bitcoin Core one 10-hour day a week.

I proposed to help with pull request review because that's a critical need right now. It also helps to show your enthusiasm and dedication. You're much more likely to succeed if you've already put in the effort and built a reputation," he said.

After proving himself and paying it forward, he was awarded a full-time grant. I got the sense that Brink's grant application process is both challenging and competitive, so I asked Ruane what made his grant application stand out.

I was lucky to have help from more experienced developers. I revised my application many times. I think it helps to be as specific as possible and to emphasize how your work will advance Bitcoin," he said.

Funding Bitcoin development

Brinks fellowship and grant programs are 100% donor funded. Donors range from large crypto exchanges like Coinbase to smaller startups like BtcTurk. Brink isnt the only player in the Bitcoin funding network, and Schmidt was quick to point out how diverse that network is.

There's Chaincode [Labs] that employs a bunch of Bitcoin developers. Theyre in New York, and they have a nice office up there. There's Blockstream that has a bunch of folks specializing in crypto. So crypto meaning cryptography. They fund a lot of the cryptographers and mathematicians doing research and development in the space.

Those funding efforts are global in scale. Schmidt gave the example of Qala, a Bitcoin funding program supporting the next wave of Bitcoin and Lightning developers in Africa. Qala is funded by some of the same organizations that donate to Brink. In fact, prior to the current bear market, many companies in the sector were increasing their funding activities.

A lot of exchanges are trying to spin up or have spun up their own developer funding divisions, the first of which is BitMEX. Theyve funded different developers over the years, and they do all of that in-house. Theres someone there whose job is to vet applications and go through them to make sure the right people are getting funded," Schmidt said.

Back in 2020, Coinbase started its Crypto Community Fund with the initial goal of funding Bitcoin Core development. Gemini recently announced Superlunar, which provides grants and sponsorships to contributors in the market.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has donated over $750,000 to more than 20 Bitcoin-related projects via its Bitcoin Development Fund. HRFs vision is to promote the use of Bitcoin as a financial tool for human rights activists.

It's a much richer landscape than it has been in years past, which is good, but there's still a lot to do," Schmidt said.

Read more: Human Rights Foundation Gives Out $210K in Bitcoin Development Grants

Career advice from a Bitcoin Core developer

Stallman famously said: Free software is a matter of freedom, not price. Thats my favorite Stallman quote. I bring up that quote because I sensed a similar ethos when I asked Ruane for his advice to aspiring developers.

The most important piece of advice I have is to first look inward, he said.

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'We're Freaking DAOing It': The People Who Think DAOs Are the Future of Work

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Youre Hiring Wrong: Do It More Like Web3

By adopting a more open, fluid model, traditional firms would find it easier to attract talent and end up with a more passionate, engaged workforce.




Bringing the classroom classic To Kill a Mockingbird, which also cemented Gregory Peck in the public consciousness as Atticus Finch for his iconic film performance, to the stage is certainly a daunting assignment. But rest assured, Aaron Sorkins retelling is a grade A production and offers a fresh, thought-provoking look at this treasured piece of American literature.

With the Broadway show on hiatus, audiences have an opportunity to watch To Kill a Mockingbird closer to home as the North American tour comes to the Kennedy Centers Opera House. The production, the highest-earning American play in Broadway history, closed in January with Jeff Daniels as the idealistic lawyer and will return with Greg Kinnear this summer. If your travels take you to London the next few months, theres even a West End run with Rafe Spall.

Meticulously directed by Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird is a gripping piece of work in its reframing of this story about lost innocence and racial injustice in the American Southall told in Sorkins signature, rapid-fire style. The dialogue runs smooth and rhythmic, and oftentimes punctuated with humor.

A natural-colored curtain with the words fire curtain reveals Miriam Buethers rustic and elegant set design that transforms seamlessly from scene to scene, mainly the Finch familys front porch and courtroom. Costumes by Ann Roth, lighting by Jennifer Tipton and sound by Scott Lehrer contribute to this fine-looking production.

Die-hard fans will notice striking differences between Harper Lees coming-of-age novel and this stage adaptation, such as changes in storytelling and the weight of the characters. The main focus has shifted from Scout to her father, the most honest and decent man in Maycomb, and the characters of Tom Robinson, an innocent Black man on trial for raping a white woman, and the Finch familys Black housemaid Calpurnia are given more of a voice.

Lees story takes audiences all the way back to Maycomb, Alabama, in 1934, but there are moments throughout the the play that jolt us to whats happening in a modern-day America grappling with racial and social tensions, and police brutality. A late second-act exchange between Calpurnia and Atticus makes that connection between then and now frighteningly apparent.

Television veteran Richard Thomas steps into the role of Atticus Fitch and his famous cream-colored suit. Thomas delivers a calm and dignified portrayal of the small-town lawyer trying to do the right thing and single father who shares words of wisdom and encourages them to climb in someone's skin and walk around in it. The actor has been a mainstay on small screens since his early days as John-Boy Walton and seen more recently on shows such as Ozark, Billions and The Americans. When he first stepped out onstage at Thursday nights showing, the crowd erupted in applause.

Scout shares narrating duties with her older brother Jem and new friend Dill, while also being part of the narrative. Instead of casting children, the narrators are played with youthful exuberance by a trio of adult actors. Melanie Moore, a So You Think You Can Dance favorite whos been racking up credits on Broadway and on screen, is absolutely captivating as the headstrong and outspoken Scout. Justin Mark is terrific as her protective big brother on the cusp of manhood, and Steven Lee Johnson is a delight as the quirky Dill (a character inspired by Lees childhood friend Truman Capote).

Calpurnia is wonderfully played by Jacqueline Williams and challenges Atticus sentiments in a sibling-like relationship, and Yaegel T. Welch delivers a quietly moving performance as the soft-spoken farmhand Tom Robinson.

Other standouts: Joey Collins as the menacing racist Bob Ewell, and Arianna Gayle Stucki as his abused daughter Mayella, intensify the courtroom scenes with their emotionally charged rants; and deaf actor Anthony Natale as town drunk Link Deas, shares an incredibly touching moment with the children who help relay his story.

And in her stage debut, Mary Badham, who played opposite Peck as the original Scout, is memorable in her brief moment onstage. This time she plays the crotchety neighbor Mrs. Henry Dubose who calls Scout an ugly girl.

After more than half a century, To Kill a Mockingbird continues to be a cultural touchstone, and Sorkins reworked adaptation allows audiences to experience this cherished classic againor maybe for the first timethrough a more contemporary lens.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu stated that David Babayans visit to Moscow was private, Azernews reports.

Previously, the Armenian media reported that David Babayan, who introduces himself as the "minister of foreign affairs" of a non-existent entity on the Azerbaijani territory, held meetings with Russian officials from June 21 through June 27.

"According to official information received from Russia, the man in question was in the territory of the country for a private visit during a specified period and the reports of a working visit are wide of the mark. His meetings were private and none of the Russian officials met him," the embassy said.

The embassy noted that residents of Azerbaijans Karabakh region (persons of Armenian origin) arrive in Russia with passports of Armenia, and the dissemination of reports of such alleged visits is provocative.

He added that such information aims to mislead public opinion and casts a shadow over the Azerbaijani-Russian relations.

Azerbaijan and Russian regions have mutual cooperation in different fields, such as economy, agriculture, customs, communications, high technology, and others. More than 230 intergovernmental and intercompany documents have been signed between the two countries and six "road maps" are being implemented.

Azerbaijani investments in Russia's economy have exceeded $1.2 billion, with the majority of these investments being in the non-oil sector. In addition, Russian investments in Azerbaijan's economy totaled $6.3 billion, with $5 billion invested in the oil sector and $1.3 billion in non-oil sectors.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.9 billion in 2021, making Russia Azerbaijans third-largest partner.
A Stafford County judge has denied a mans request to reduce the long prison sentence he got last year for sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl back in 2004 and 2005.

Michael X. Whitted, 35, was ordered in November by Judge Victoria Willis to serve 32 years and eight months in prison. He had pleaded guilty in Stafford Circuit Court to three counts of aggravated sexual battery.

According to court records, Whitted was living with his girlfriend and her family when the molestation took place. His victim, the younger sister of the girlfriend, became pregnant as the result of the molestation.

The girl kept the pregnancy a secret and delivered the baby alone. The baby was found dead in an abandoned car in 2006 and the teen eventually pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and served prison time.

Whitted had been in prison for many years on other convictions when the allegations finally came to light during a 2020 investigation involving Whitteds daughter, who is also the niece of Whitteds victim.

Detective K.A. Lawrences investigation resulted in the conviction of Kaleem Rodgers, who is serving a seven-year prison term for sexually molesting Whitteds daughter starting when she was 11. Rodgers victim, who was 13 when the investigation began, also became pregnant, but her childs father turned out to be someone other than Rodgers.

During the Rodgers investigation, the now-adult aunt told police about her interactions with Whitted years earlier. Warrants were served on Whitted about a week before he was scheduled to be released from prison.

Whitteds attorney, Eugene Frost, argued at a recent hearing that Whitted did not deserve to serve so much more time than Rodgers, who was dating Whitteds victim at the time.

Frost claimed the aunt brought up the old allegations against Whitted as retaliation for him encouraging his daughter to move forward with the complaint against Rodgers. He also claimed that his interactions with the aunt back in 2004 were consensual.

Willis wrote that regardless of the aunts motive in coming forward, that does not detract or mitigate the offense itself ... accordingly, no adjustment to the sentence will be made.

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It will be like a homecoming for the Rev. Mark Beran.

Years ago, Beran lived in Fremont and St. Patricks Catholic Church was his parish.

Today, Beran is director of St. Augustine Indian Mission in Winnebago. The mission is primarily a kindergarten- through eighth-grade Catholic school which serves children from the Omaha and Winnebago reservations.

Beran will return for a visit to Fremont on Wednesday, July 13, when the church hosts a fundraiser for the mission. The event starts at 6 p.m. in Delaney Hall in the church at 3400 E. 16th St.

The public is invited for a meal and to learn more about the mission. Tickets are $50 each and are available online at bit.ly/3aZ5V6J or by calling the parish office at 402-721-6611.

Beran said a young man will play a Native American flute at the event and a family may perform a dance. He said the Knights of Columbus group will grill steaks for the event.

Funds raised will support St. Augustines church and mostly the Catholic school, which is about an hours drive north of Fremont on U.S. Highway 77.

We try to be a presence and help the people, Beran said. The reservations still struggle with poverty and addictions and we want to share the goodness of Christ to people and we do that primarily through education. We also help with a food pantry and a thrift store and other ways  whatever we can do to build up the people of the tribes and honor their culture.

Beran said about 110 boys and girls, ages 5 to 13, attend the school.

He hopes local and area residents will attend the fundraiser.

Its a great way for people in Fremont to experience Native American culture thats right here in Nebraska and to bring us all together in faith, Beran said.

Beran expressed his thankfulness for St. Patricks, whom he said is organizing the event.

It was really their idea, Beran said. They wanted to bring the people together so Im really grateful to Father (Walter) Nolte and all the staff and people at St. Patricks, Beran said.

Crystal Sixta, assistant office manager at St. Patricks, cites the thoughts behind the event.

The Archdiocese of Omaha is striving to be missional, focusing outside the needs of our own parish, Sixta said. We hope that this evening is a success to help St. Augustine maintain not only their faith education, but also to preserve the Winnebago language and culture.

Mother Katherine Drexel founded the St. Augustine Indian Mission School in 1909. She died in 1955. In 2000, Pope John Paul II canonizes Blessed Katharine Drexel, now Saint Katharine Drexel.

The school has continued to teach and encourage students throughout the years. Its website states: Our school provides a challenging, faith-filled, educational experience that serves as the foundation for a life lived in service to Jesus, the church and community.

Berans connection to Fremont began years ago.

His family moved from Los Angeles to Fremont in 1993, a few weeks after he graduated from high school.

The parish has always been a great prayer support for me from my years in the seminary to the last 20 years as a priest, theyve been praying for me and supporting me along the way and Ive always appreciated that, Beran said.

Beran looks forward to the event, adding:

St. Patricks is my home church and so its nice to have that connection with my home church and to bring people together from different cultures and get to know and understand each other better.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  An eastern Nebraska man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of threatening to kill a U.S. wildlife officer who cited him for fishing and hunting violations.

Cody Cape, 23, of Blair, also pleaded guilty Tuesday in a federal courtroom in Omaha to a count of brandishing a firearm during a violent crime, the Omaha World-Herald reported. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors will ask for nearly 10 years in prison when Cape is sentenced in September.

Prosecutors said Cape and a friend were cited for a hunting and fishing violation in October 2020 near the DeSoto Wildlife Refuge. The friend later told police that Cape drove by the home of the wildlife officer who had ticketed them and that Cape had forced the friend at gunpoint to drive by an area where he thought the officer might be. The friend also said Cape explained how he could use explosives to kill the officer and his family.

Blair police arrested Cape on Christmas night in 2020 during a traffic stop and said they found a handgun and bullets in Capes vehicle. A woman who was with Cape when he was arrested told police Cape had said he wanted to kill the wildlife officer, prosecutors said.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Omaha World-Herald.

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Residents and international human rights watchdogs are criticizing the Taliban for grave rights abuses that have been reported in its military campaign against a dissident commander in a remote part of northern Afghanistan.



Civilians in Balkhab, a rural district in the Sar-e Pul Province, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that they have faced atrocities and collective punishment -- including extrajudicial executions -- during a recent offensive.



The Taliban rejected the accusations and claimed to have restored security to the areas after subduing the rebellion.



The operation is targeting Mehdi Mujahid, formerly the most senior ethnic Hazara security official in the Taliban government. The former head of Taliban intelligence in the central province of Bamiyan, Mujahid was angered by the Taliban leadership after he was dismissed for unspecified reasons in early June.



Mujahid accused Taliban leaders of alienating the predominately Shi'ite Hazara minority by depriving them of government posts and civic rights.



The two sides clashed after the Taliban attacked Mujahids stronghold in Balkhab. Locals told RFE/RL about intense fighting as both sides claimed to have caused casualties, though it is impossible to verify the conflicting claims. Fighting appeared to have calmed down as of June 28.



Afghan media outlets have reported that scores of civilians in Balkhab have been killed. They have also said hundreds have been displaced from the region and fled to the neighboring Bamiyan Province.

'Crimes Against Humanity'



Many of Balkhab's some 100,000 residents are clearly in distress.



Crimes against humanity are now taking place in Balkhab, a male resident of the district who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons told Radio Azadi.



Crime after crime is taking place. People are under threat, he said. "I want to ask the United Nations and independent media to probe these abuses.



Mujahids rebellion comes amid growing divisions within the Taliban.



While Uzbek, Tajik, and Hazara Taliban members are a minority of the Islamist group dominated by Pashtun clerics, they were instrumental in capturing northern provinces in the run-up to the Taliban's takeover of the country in August.



But some prominent Taliban commanders who are ethnic minorities have been fired or demoted in recent months.



The current offensive has added to the Taliban's difficulties.



The fundamentalist group's government had already faced accusations of ethnic discrimination and armed resistance from the National Resistance Front (NRF), a predominantly Tajik militia in the northern Panjshir and Baghlan provinces.



The NRF and Taliban have engaged in clashes during the past three months, with civilians in the regions accusing the hard-line Islamists of beatings, arbitrary arrests, illegal killings, and forced displacement.

The Taliban is now facing growing criticism of its conduct in confronting the latest rebellion in Balkhab.



The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on June 29 that it is "concerned by reports of civilian harm, displacement, allegations of serious human rights violations, and property damage due to the recent outbreak of conflict" in Balkhab.



The organization tasked with assisting "the state and the people of Afghanistan in laying the foundations for sustainable peace and development" said it will follow up on the reports of atrocities.

'Information Blackout'



Earlier in the week, Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, said he regretted that the verification of rights abuses in Balkhab was hampered by an information blackout, Internet [cuts,] and denial of access to media and HR monitors.



He said reports of extrajudicial killings, civilian displacement, property destruction, and other rights abuses in Balkhab are "disturbing."

Patricia Gossman, the associate Asia director for Human Rights Watch, described as alarming reports from Balkhab, where Taliban forces reportedly carried out summary executions of detainees in retaliation for armed resistance.



She tweeted that the Taliban should cease all such collective punishments and other war crimes and hold their forces accountable.



Amnesty International also weighed in on the clashes that first broke out last week as the Taliban deployed forces against Mujahid after parleys ended.



The watchdog called on the conflicting parties to respect the "laws of war in all hostilities and avoid harming civilians and civilian objects."



It called on the international community to pay attention to the increasing human rights violations in Afghanistan.



As the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, the Taliban has a primary responsibility to end the attacks against civilians and ensure justice and accountability, Amnesty said in a statement on June 27.
The Taliban's supreme leader, Mawlawi Haibuatullah Akhundzada, is addressing a grand meeting in Kabul of some 3,000 male clerics and tribal leaders discussing the running of the country.

The June 30-July 2 "grand assembly of ulema," or religious scholars, is a tightly controlled event where women are banned and delegates are handpicked by the Taliban. Ethnic and religious minorities have been excluded.

Akhundzada heads the Taliban-led government that took control of Afghanistan after U.S.-led international troops withdrew and the UN-backed government collapsed in August.

In his speech, he reportedly congratulated attendees on their "victory" in Afghanistan.

He also expressed prayers for the victims of a recent devastating earthquake last week that killed more than 1,000 Afghans.

Akhundzada's presence at the assembly on July 1 marks his first public appearance in Kabul.

Before October, Akhundzada had not been seen in public at all since becoming Taliban leader in 2016.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi said this week that the assembly's participants would discuss Islamic governance, national unity and security, and economic and social issues, and that politicians, businessmen, and traders would attend.

The inclusion of some of those groups suggests the Taliban are trying to make it resemble a long-promised Loya Jirga (grand council) --- a centuries-old institution that provides representatives from Afghanistan's diverse ethnic, religious, and tribal communities an opportunity to say how the nation will be governed.

The United States and most of the international community have shunned the Taliban and its unrecognized government, demanding greater inclusivity and respect for minority and womens rights.

The international isolation of the Taliban and the countrys financing have contributed to Afghanistan's economic collapse and ongoing humanitarian crises, including dire food shortages.

Last week, Akhundzada called on the international community to donate to help with relief efforts after the earthquake struck early on June 22.

He urged outsiders "to join hands with the Afghan people in this great tragedy."

Finance and central bank officials from the Taliban-led government are reportedly meeting with U.S. officials in Qatar to discuss economic and aid issues following the earthquake.

The Washington Post first reported on June 28 that senior Biden administration officials are working with the Taliban leadership on a mechanism to allow Kabul to use central bank reserves while erecting safeguards to ensure the funds are not misused.

With additional reporting by Reuters and AP
Dear Reader,

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If youre new to the newsletter or haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here.

This week's Gandhara Briefing brings you insights into the Taliban's grand assembly, atrocities during the Taliban offensive against rebel Hazara commander Mehdi Mujahid, and the Taliban's efforts to convert secular schools into religious seminaries.

The Taliban's Big Tent

Radio Azadi reports on why critics view this week's Taliban "Grand Gathering" as failing to showcase grassroots inclusivity, as it falls short of granting representation to many segments of Afghan society.

No women are participating in the grand assembly because, according to a senior Taliban organizer of the event, they will be "somehow involved" because "their sons will be part of the gathering."

Heather Barr, co-director of the Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, says the assembly has only gathered Taliban supporters.

"This cannot boost their legitimacy because they ignored others, especially women, who have no place in this meeting," she told us.

In his speech to the gathering -- his first in Kabul -- the Taliban's reclusive supreme leader, Mawlawi Haibuatullah Akhundzada, indicated that the Taliban is likely to double down on the policies that have prevented the group from winning domestic and international legitimacy.

Atrocities Feared In Taliban Operation

I write about the mounting concerns residents, the UN, and international watchdogs have expressed over grave rights abuses during a Taliban offensive against a dissident commander in northern Afghanistan.

Mehdi Mujahid, the most senior former ethnic Hazara security official in the Taliban government, rebelled against the group after he was fired in early June. He accused the Taliban of discriminating against the predominantly Shi'ite group.

The Taliban responded with force by sending troops into his stronghold in Balkhab, a mineral-rich district in Sar-e Pul.

"Crimes against humanity are now taking place in Balkhab," said a male resident of the district who requested anonymity. "I want to ask the United Nations and independent media to probe these abuses."

Mehdi has joined several Taliban commanders from among Afghan ethnic minorities who have revolted against the Islamist group, led by Pashtun clerics, since the beginning of this year.

The Taliban's War On Modern Education

Radio Azadi reports on the Taliban's aggressive tactics of dismantling modern education in Afghanistan by converting secular schools into religious seminaries.

Provincial teacher-training centers and prominent high schools appear to be the first targets because of their influence in implanting secular syllabuses and shaping the worldview of youth.

"It has upset people," said Sainullah Siyal, a graduate of Abdul Hai Habibi High, which was recently converted into a madrasah. Residents of Khost revered it as the most prestigious school in southeastern Afghanistan. "It is wrong to turn secular schools into madrasahs."

Critics say the move is part of the Taliban's efforts to transform Afghan society through "social engineering" by brainwashing the new generation in ideological schools.

"This way, they can keep recruiting [madrasah] students to be their soldiers and build a medieval theocratic system," said Mohammad Mohiq, an Islamic scholar.

(Listen to why an Afghan schoolgirl is lamenting the Taliban ban on teenage girls going to school.)

Smuggled Iranian Medicines For Afghan Patients

In a video report, Radio Farda takes us to Tehran and Kabul to probe the booming business of Iranian medicines being sold illegally on the Afghan market.

The illegal trade generates much-needed employment for many Afghans and provides cheaper medicines compared to those imported from Pakistan. But there are doubts over the quality of the drugs and whether some can retain their potency as they are moved without refrigeration across international borders.

"Smuggled drugs are always lower in quality," said an Afghan pharmacist. "The packaging may look right, but the content lacks quality."

I hope you found this weeks newsletter useful, and I encourage you to forward it to your colleagues.

Please note that there will no Gandhara Briefing on July 8. We will return on July 15.



If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.



Yours,

Abubakar Siddique

Twitter: @sid_abu
Colorados highest peaks draw plenty of attention and plenty of crowds, while down below some of the states most pristine, unspoiled nature affords true, splendid solitude.
A former El Paso County sheriffs candidate filed a formal complaint Thursday alleging Undersheriff Joe Roybal violated Colorado election law by allowing a shooting range owner to offer a discount to people who signed a petition to get Roybal onto the Republican primary ballot for sheriff.

Roybal was named the winner of Tuesday's GOP sheriff's primary.

In his complaint filed with the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office, former sheriff's contender and unsuccessful Republican House District 21 candidate Karl Dent alleged Mel "Dragon Man" Bernstein offered a $5 discount at his shooting range to entice voters to sign Roybal's petition.

"Mr. Roybal was present and allowed Mr. Bernstein to make this offer," Dent wrote in his complaint he shared with The Gazette. "It is violation of law for Mr. Roybal to have allowed this offer to be made by Mr. Bernstein. Additionally, it is against the law for anyone to accept a bribe as an inducement to sign an elections petition."

Roybal did not immediately return The Gazette's request for comment Thursday. Calls made to phone numbers believed to be connected to Bernstein were also not immediately returned.

Roybal earned 57% of the vote in this week's primary election to opponents Todd Watkins' 24% and Greg Maxwell's 18%, unofficial results from the Secretary of State's Office show.

Maxwell said he felt the complaint should be thoroughly investigated.

Click or tap here for the latest El Paso County and Colorado election results.

"They should be held accountable," he said. "The people that voted for someone probably voted in good conscience. But if he's not supposed to be (on the ballot), those people should have the opportunity to vote for the people who should be on the ballot."

Colorado law states if a vacancy caused by disqualification occurs in a major party nomination after the primary election, it can be filled by a party assembly vacancy committee appointed by the party.

Because the matter could come before the Secretary of State's Office it could not comment specifically on the accusations against Roybal, a department spokeswoman said.

A Colorado Springs TV news station was the first to report Wednesday on a video posted to Facebook on Feb. 20 showing Bernstein at his Dragonman shooting range urging people to come to the range and sign a petition to get Roybal onto the Republican primary ballot. In return, they would receive $5 off admission to the range, Bernstein said.

Roybal can be seen standing next to Bernstein in the video.

Colorado candidates can earn their spot on a ballot in two ways: They must either earn at least 30% of the votes at the primary assembly or collect enough signatures. Roybal petitioned on.

Challenges to a candidate's petition must come within five days after it is deemed sufficient, according to Colorado election law.

The law also states any person collecting signatures cannot pay "or will not in the future pay ... directly or indirectly, any money or other thing of value to any signer for the purpose of inducing or causing the signer to sign the petition."

People are also forbidden from offering or permitting any person to offer "any bribe or promise of gain to (a voter) to induce him or her to sign any petition or other election paper." Additionally, the law bars people from accepting such bribes.

A district attorney or the attorney general can investigate the alleged violations and prosecute the violator if they are deemed legitimate.

The 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office is "aware of the video," spokesman Howard Black told The Gazette in an emailed statement Thursday. "As we conduct a preliminary review, decisions will be made as appropriate."

Among endorsements he won from outgoing Sheriff Bill Elder and Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, Roybal had also earned District Attorney Michael Allen's public support.

Dent requested his complaint be referred to the Colorado Attorney General's Office for further investigation, citing Allen's endorsement of Roybal as a conflict of interest.

"I filed this complaint on behalf of the citizens of El Paso County and on behalf of the candidates who even though they failed to get on the ballot, they gathered their petition the right way."

If investigators find the accusation against Roybal is a violation of state law, it is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

It was unclear whether a misdemeanor conviction would disqualify a candidate from holding the sheriff's office. Colorado law states a person convicted of or who has pleaded guilty to a state or federal felony cannot hold the sheriff's seat.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijani Deputy Defense Minister, Chief of the General Staff Col-Gen Karim Valiyev, and Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu have discussed bolstering military cooperation, Azernews reports per the ministry.

Valiyev welcomed the Pakistani guests and expressed his satisfaction with the degree of historic and brotherly ties between the two nations. The chief of the General Staff emphasized the need for further upgrading the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan in security, defense, military, military-technical, and military-educational domains, as well as boosting mutual visits at the level of experts.

In response, the commander of the Pakistani Air Force emphasized the importance of such meetings and increasing mutual contacts in improving bilateral relations.

The conference also covered joint drills and other topics of mutual interest.

In the same vein, Azerbaijani Deputy Defense Minister, Air Force commander Lt-Gen Ramiz Tahirov and his Pakistani counterpart Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu discussed cooperation issues on June 29, Azernews reports per the ministry.

Tahirov welcomed the Pakistani delegation, emphasizing the expansion of cooperation between the two nations in the sphere of military aviation that has made a significant contribution to further enhancing the combat capacity of both forces.

In reply, Sidhu remarked that educating Azerbaijani military pilots at the Pakistan Air Force Academy, as well as training his country's air force helicopter crews in Azerbaijani aviation training centers, are clear illustrations of the two nations' effective military aviation cooperation.

The parties addressed the issues of mutual interests and shared perspectives on the potential for the growth of cooperation between the Azerbaijani and Pakistani air forces.

Earlier that day, Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov also discussed a variety of cooperation issues with the senior Pakistani military official.

During the 44-day war with Armenia in 2020, Pakistan was among the first countries to voice political support for Azerbaijan. Pakistan also supports Azerbaijan in the restoration of the country's liberated territories.

In September 2021, the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Pakistani special forces conducted joint international drills in Baku, codenamed "Three Brothers - 2021".

Under the drills plan, the special forces units carried out practical shootings using small arms and grenade launchers, the report added.

Furthermore, the parliaments of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Baku Declaration on cooperation. The document was signed following the trilateral meeting held by speakers of the three countries parliaments on July 27, 2021.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad will welcome the first guests of its 2022 season Friday after postponing its original opening day due to exceptionally dry conditions, the railroad announced.

The original opening day was scheduled for June 11.

"The decision was made out of an abundance of caution and in the highest regard for the railroads stewardship of the land where we operate," the railroad said in a news release. "In 50+ years of operation, the C&TSRR has maintained an excellent fire safety record and established a hard-earned reputation for a proactive and vigorous approach to fire safety."

The train, which departs from either Antonito, Colo., or Chama, N.M., winds passengers along 64 miles of track and across the two states' border 11 times in a popular historical and scenic experience for tourists in the summer and fall.

The train yards are set to open at 8 a.m. Friday and passengers will begin boarding at 9:30 a.m., officials said. Trains depart from both the Colorado and New Mexico stations at 10 a.m.

The Chama depot is located at 500 Terrace Ave., and the Antonito depot is located at 5234 U.S. 285.

The 2022 season will run through Oct. 23., according to the railroad's website
A party-turned-tragedy left one dead in Colorado Springs earlier this year, and the mother of the victim appeared in 4th Judicial District Court on Thursday to tell the man who accidentally killed her daughter that she forgave him.

"I want Eric (Lockhart) to know that I forgive him," April Leary, mother of Malaya Marie Leary, said as she struggled to clean tears from her face. "As bad as I'm hurting, I forgive him."

Those were the only words April Leary had for the court before exiting to the hallway in tears.

Eric Terrell Lockhart Jr., 19, was scheduled to have his preliminary hearing to determine if the prosecution had enough evidence to take him to trial for the death of Malaya Leary, 18.

Lockhart is accused of having accidentally shot and killed Leary while intoxicatedly playing with a gun during a small party at a friend's apartment in May.

Under advisement from his defense attorney, Lockhart instead opted to waive his right to a preliminary hearing as the defense continues to speak with the District Attorney's Office about a potential plea deal.

The defense also stated that Lockhart had written a letter to the Leary family from prison and had sent it to the DA to read.

"This is a very emotional case for everyone," the defense stated.

An arrest affidavit previously acquired by The Gazette outlined the reckless actions taken by Lockhart that ultimately led to the death of his friend.

Lockhart told police after the incident that he had several shots of vodka and had been playing with his friend's gun despite him asking Lockhart "multiple times to stop messing around with his gun."

When speaking with police about the shooting, Lockhart said he was sitting in the bedroom with Leary playing with the gun, and that he accidentally discharged the weapon because he believed he was engaging the safety switch.

The affidavit states that Lockhart told police "repeatedly" that he didn't intend to shoot Leary.

The affidavit also outlined that Lockhart should not have been in possession of weapons in any capacity, as he was on parole for an aggravated robbery arrest  something Lockhart acknowledged to police following his arrest.

Lockhart is being held in El Paso County jail on charges of manslaughter and weapon possession by an offender.

Lockhart could have his plea entered at his next court hearing, scheduled for Aug. 18.
One man is dead and a woman is hospitalized following an officer-involved shooting in Pueblo on Wednesday, according to the Pueblo Police Department.

At around 3:20 p.m., officers located a woman with a gunshot wound on a dirt road approximately 300 yards east of the 4500 block of Dillon Drive. Police said a male suspect was no longer on scene.

About 400 yards south of the woman's location, officers said they spotted the armed suspect, who immediately opened fire when officers approached him in their patrol car.

One officer was injured when one round shattered the patrol car's passenger window. Two officers returned fire, officials said, and shot the suspect, who was pronounced deceased on scene.

Officials have not released the identities of anyone involved.

Police said the female was taken to a local hospital and both officers were treated for minor injuries.

This is the third officer-involved shooting involving Pueblo Police this week. Gazette news partner KKTV reported police reactions to the statistic.

Its concerning for me, Sgt. Ortega said when reporters brought up this was the second officer-involved shooting in two days. Im worried about my coworkers.

The 10th Judicial District Critical Incident team led by the Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Bureau of Investigation are handling the investigation. The involved officers have been placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol.
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By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Representatives of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry and specialists of the Latvian engineering training center have discussed cooperation, as well as demining issues, Azernews reports, citing the ministry.

The meeting was held under the bilateral cooperation plan for 2022 at the ministrys International Military Cooperation Department, the report added.

During the meeting, the visitors were given full information regarding the mine-clearing work done in the liberated lands following the 44-day war with Armenia in 2020.

Moreover, a comprehensive discussion on mine and improvised explosive device neutralization, as well as other issues, took place between the sides.

Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, thereby being a major threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russia-brokered peace agreement on November 10, 2020, to end the 44-day war and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov and his Russian counterpart Alexander Grushko discussed European security issues, as well as the Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization process on June 29, Azernews reports per the ministry.

The meeting took part in line with the "2021-2022 consultation plan between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation" signed in 2021.

As part of the next round of political consultations between the two foreign ministries, the sides exchanged views on European security, issues on the agenda of European regional organizations, and the regional security situation, the ministry said.

The parties emphasized the importance of full implementation of the trilateral statements signed by Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, January 11, 2021, and November 26, 2021. In this context, the diplomat addressed the current situation around various aspects of the post-conflict normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

On June 30, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also received a delegation led by the Russian deputy minister, who visited the country for consultations.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current situation in Europe, including relations between the two countries with the European Union and NATO, and the situation in the OSCE and the Council of Europe. They also discussed a wide range of issues on the international and regional agenda, Azernews reports, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The diplomats also discussed the implementation of the trilateral agreements signed between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia. The intention to maintain a close dialogue on this issue was confirmed on both sides, the report added.
10th Judicial District Attorney Jeff Chostner will head an investigation into a possible election violation involving El Paso County sheriff's candidate Joe Roybal, the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced Friday.

Former sheriff's candidate Karl Dent filed a formal complaint with the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office on Thursday alleging Roybal, the county undersheriff, violated Colorado election law when he allowed a shooting range owner in February to offer a discount to people who signed a petition to get Roybal onto the Republican primary ballot.

Roybal was named the winner of Tuesday's GOP sheriff's primary.

State law allows a district attorney or the attorney general to investigate the alleged violations and prosecute the violator if they are deemed legitimate.

Among endorsements Roybal won from outgoing Sheriff Bill Elder and Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, Roybal had also earned 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen's public support.

Dent requested his complaint be referred to the Colorado Attorney General's Office for further investigation, citing Allen's endorsement of Roybal as a conflict of interest.

Allen asked that Chostner take on the case as a special prosecutor, a move permitted under Colorado law, 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office spokesman Howard Black said in a written statement.

"All materials received regarding this matter have been turned over to Mr. Chostners office," Black said.

Roybal's campaign on Friday declined to comment on the investigation's move.

In his complaint, Dent alleged Mel "Dragon Man" Bernstein offered a $5 discount at his shooting range to entice voters to sign Roybal's petition.

"Mr. Roybal was present and allowed Mr. Bernstein to make this offer," Dent wrote. "It is violation of law for Mr. Roybal to have allowed this offer to be made by Mr. Bernstein. Additionally, it is against the law for anyone to accept a bribe as an inducement to sign an elections petition."

A Colorado Springs TV news station was the first to report Wednesday on a video posted to Facebook on Feb. 20 showing Bernstein at his Dragonman shooting range urging people to come to the range and sign a petition to get Roybal onto the Republican primary ballot. In return, they would receive $5 off admission to the range, Bernstein said.

Roybal can be seen standing next to Bernstein in the video.

Colorado election law states any person collecting signatures cannot pay "or will not in the future pay ... directly or indirectly, any money or other thing of value to any signer for the purpose of inducing or causing the signer to sign the petition."

People are also forbidden from offering or permitting any person to offer "any bribe or promise of gain to (a voter) to induce him or her to sign any petition or other election paper." Additionally, the law bars people from accepting such bribes.

In a written statement from his campaign, Roybal said at the time he wasn't aware a discount would be offered nor that it could violate the law.

"After this issue was brought to my attention, my campaign and I researched the rules and understand why the question was raised," he said. "If Id had a full understanding of the rules at the time, I would have intervened. Now, I have a better understanding of the process and will ensure full compliance in the future."

Melissa Flanell, co-owner of Dragonman shooting range and Bernstein's daughter, said Bernstein's promotion was made innocently.

"We don't encourage bribery. We weren't trying to do anything affiliated with that," Flanell said. "We were not aware of the rules. If we had a full understanding, then obviously that's not anything we would have done.

"It was an innocent promotion that (Bernstein) probably thought of on the spot and he wasnt aware of the repercussions. Unfortunately, we learned a lesson. If we could take it back, we would."

Colorado candidates can earn their spot on a ballot in two ways: They must either earn at least 30% of the votes at the primary assembly or collect enough signatures. Roybal petitioned on.

Roybal said in his statement the number of signatures he collected in the petition process is still valid because he turned in more signatures than required.

He earned 43 signatures at the shooting range Feb. 20, he said.

"I was certified to the ballot with over 1,500 valid signatures, 500 more than needed, after talking to more than 2,000 voters," Roybal said in the statement. " ... The number of signatures in question has no bearing on the outcome of my certification."

Challenges to a candidate's petition must come within five days after it is deemed sufficient, according to Colorado election law.

If investigators find the accusation against Roybal is a violation of state law, it is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

It was unclear whether a misdemeanor conviction would disqualify a candidate from holding the sheriff's office. Colorado law states a person convicted of or who has pleaded guilty to a state or federal felony cannot hold the sheriff's seat.
This is what 114 pounds of pure fentanyl powder looks like. It was found underneath the floorboard of a car on June 20, 2022, and is believed to be the largest ever seizure on a U.S. highway to date. The car was stopped headed east to Denver around Georgetown on Interstate 70.
Authorities in Pittsylvania County are looking for information on a vehicle that left the scene of Sunday mornings shooting in Sutherlin that left one person dead and injured seven others.

The Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office is asking for the publics help to identify the owner of a white Ford Mustang, officials announced Friday afternoon.

The Mustang was observed leaving the scene of the deadly shooting at 1220 Kerns Church Road in the Sutherlin area of Pittsylvania County in the early morning hours Sunday.

Anyone with information is asked to call 434-432-7931 or email sar@pittgov.org. A $5,000 reward from the Pittsylvania County Crime Stoppers is offered if the information provided leads to an arrest and convention.

It was about 1:30 a.m. Sunday when the 911 center in Pittsylvania County received a call that multiple people had been shot at a large party. 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 said.

All victims  in their late teens or early 20s  were transported to an unidentified hospital and two remained in the facility earlier this week listed in stable condition. The other injures werent considered life-threatening.

Its devastating to the families and its devastating to us, Taylor 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, something the sheriff said is now a common practice.

Police havent released a motive.

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.
Jaivon Alonzo Scott will serve seven years for shooting a store manager at American Freight last July.

On Friday, Danville Circuit Court Judge Joseph Milan sentenced Scott, 33, to a total of 18 years  with 11 suspended  for malicious wounding, possession of a firearm by a non-violent felon and use of a firearm during commission of a felony.

To shoot someone in the back of the head execution style ... [it] is just simply difficult to understand how anyone could do such a thing, Milam said just before sentencing Scott.

Scott, an employee at the store, was on duty when he shot the manager, Dacha Lamont Fitzgerald, of Bassett. Other employees also were there, but no one else was injured.

Scott was taken into custody July 14 after he fled the scene and was chased down by three police officers. He was apprehended behind AutoZone located nearby the shopping center housing American Freight.

American Freight is a retail chain selling brand-name furniture, mattresses and home accessories, the companys website states.

Scotts attorney, Eric Cronin, argued that Scott was facing difficult circumstances in his life at the time of the shooting. He was a young father with another child on the way and he had to take his father, who had died just two weeks before the incident, off life support, Cronin said.

He had some stressors in his life, he said.

Scott also held a steady job, he added.

This [the shooting] was not characteristic of Mr. Scott, Cronin said. He was leading a productive life.

But Danville Commonwealths Attorney Michael Newman countered that Scotts life situation was not unusual.

The defendant was not going through anything that most of us dont go through, Newman argued.

Scott shot Fitzgerald in the back of the head while Fitzgerald was standing in front of the door inside the business, Newman pointed out. It was the middle of a work day.

When the victim tried to get away after being shot, Scott continued shooting at him, Newman said.

He almost killed a man, Newman said.

The victim will have the bullet in his head for the rest of his life and has suffered headaches, hearing loss and insomnia, Newman said.

Scotts wife, Tytia Jones, described Scott in court as an introvert, a very kind-hearted person, to give you the shirt off his back. He is confident, strong, but very shy, she added.

He was also a very doting father and husband who made sacrifices for his family, Jones said.

He would go without to make sure that we had, she said.

In his final statement to the court, Scott said he has had time over the past year to think about the severity of what he did.

Id just like to apologize to all the parties involved, Scott told the court, adding that he apologized to the victim and his family, as well as Scotts family.

He added that with enough time, hed like to again be a father and husband and a productive member of society.

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RALEIGH  Public school advocates say the proposed new state budget falls hundreds of millions of dollars short of a court-ordered plan for increasing funding to improve public education.

In April, a state judge issued a court order saying that North Carolina isnt spending enough on public education, falling $785 million short of funding a plan developed by an education consultant.

At a rally Wednesday outside the Legislative Building, a coalition of public education advocacy groups said the state Supreme Court should order the additional funding because lawmakers didnt fully fund the Leandro plan in the new budget.

The time is now to secure an order from the highest court in North Carolina requiring the General Assembly to do what it should have done 25 years ago, said Brian Link, an award-winning social studies teacher at East Chapel Hill High School.

Link said lawmakers took baby steps in the budget to fund the Leandro plan.

But Republican legislative leaders say theyve released a budget that increases education funding while still maintaining responsible spending levels in the face of a looming recession.

This is a solid budget for the people of the state of North Carolina, Senate leader Phil Berger said at a news conference on Tuesday.

At issue is the long-running Leandro school funding lawsuit that was initially filed in 1994 by low-wealth school districts to get more state funding. Over the years, the state Supreme Court has ruled that the state Constitution guarantees every child an opportunity to receive a sound basic education and that North Carolina was failing to meet that obligation.

In 2020, Superior Court Judge David Lee adopted a multi-year plan from California-based WestEd, a nonprofit devoted to improving education thats designed to provide every student with access to a high-quality teacher and high-quality principal. The plan includes expansion of the states pre-K program, more money for lower-wealth districts and higher pay for educators.

In November, Lee ordered the state to transfer $1.7 billion to fund the next two years of the Leandro plan. A state Court of Appeals panel blocked the order from being enforced.

Superior Court Judge Michael Robinson, who replaced Lee, ruled that last years state budget left the plan nearly $800 million short of being fully funded.

The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case in August, including whether the courts can order the additional funding.

Our courts have found time and time again that the state has been failing to meet our students basic needs, Iliana Santillan, the executive director of Raleigh-based El Pueblo, said at Wednesdays rally.

Supporters of the Leandro plan rallied in the rain outside the Legislative Building on Wednesday morning before going inside to lobby lawmakers. Multiple speakers talked about how fully funding the Leandro plan would expand access to pre-K programs.

Time is of the essence. The time is now, said Gayle Headen, executive director of Wake County Smart Start.

Republican legislative leaders say theyve provided significant investments into education, including:

An average 4.2% raise this year for teachers.

An average 4% raise or a minimum salary of $15 an hour for school support staff, whichever is higher.

Raising the minimum starting salary for teachers to $37,000.

A $70 million increase in the state fund to supplement teacher pay.

Berger, a Rockingham County Republican, said lawmakers didnt focus on the court-ordered plan when developing the budget. GOP lawmakers have argued in court that the judicial branch cant require them to spend money for the plan.

We looked at what the requirements are for funding public education in North Carolina and we appropriated dollars to do that, Berger said. How that matches up with what a non-profit from California determined was an appropriate amount, I couldnt say.

But this is a North Carolina budget adopted by North Carolina representatives and senators elected by the people of North Carolina.
A Missoula doctor who was initially charged with committing sex crimes against patients in Helena was sentenced Thursday to at least five years of state supervision as part of a plea deal.

James Haldeman Armstrong was initially charged with felony sexual intercourse without consent, felony sexual assault and misdemeanor sexual assault, but pleaded down to a lesser charge of felony criminal endangerment and will receive no prison time.

Armstrong's defense and the Lewis and Clark County Attorney's Office proposed a lighter, deferred sentence of three years of supervision and then the charges would be wiped from his record, but District Judge Christopher Abbott told Armstrong from the bench, "it's important this conviction follow you."

Instead, Abbott handed down a sentence of 10 years to the Department of Corrections with all incarceration suspended. Officials determined Armstrong has a low risk to re-offend, and he will not be eligible for conditional discharge from supervision for at least five years.

As part of the plea agreement, Armstrong voluntarily terminated his Montana medical license and may not seek or renew a medical license in any state during the time of supervision.

Abbott also barred Armstrong from seeking any job in health care with direct access to patients while on supervision. He is to have no contact with his two victims.

"I'm not going to send you to prison. I think that would likely cause you to withdraw your plea," Abbot said. "I also need to be respectful of the victims, if it's not their desire to go forward with a trial."

Abbott said he was concerned that bringing the case to a trial would cause "great distress" to the victims "for possibly a lesser outcome than agreed to today."

Lewis and Clark County Deputy Attorney Fallon Stanton said the loss of Armstrong's medical license was a priority for the victims.

Armstrong addressed the judge prior to his sentencing.

"Your honor, I sincerely apologize to (the victims) for my behavior towards them during my evaluation examination," he said. "It was never my intention to cause discomfort to either of them. I recognize my behavior was harmful to both."

On Dec. 10, a Helena Police Department officer spoke with a woman who reported that she saw the doctor about her mental health during an appointment in the 2900 block of Prospect Avenue in Helena.

She said the doctor told her she needed a physical examination, which surprised her given the reason for her appointment. The defendant allegedly asked her if she had a husband or boyfriend and is accused of touching and examining her private body parts.

On Dec. 17, a detective spoke with another patient who reported that she was inappropriately touched by the defendant.

The woman said she had seen the defendant on two separate occasions regarding her mental health. During these visits, the defendant is accused of pulling away the woman's leggings, and lifting up her shirt to put his hands on her stomach. The woman reported that he did not explain why this was medically necessary.

Court documents state that the defendant asked "very detailed" questions about the sex life of the second patient. The defendant allegedly claimed he was looking at "red splotches" on her stomach. The woman allegedly told the defendant that she didn't have any red splotches, and the defendant replied "oh." The woman told authorities she believed the defendant's actions gave him a "weird satisfaction."

The woman told detectives that the defendant touching her stomach and having no reason to look in her pants made her uncomfortable. The defendant allegedly told the woman she could avoid weight gain with her new medication if she "enjoyed lots of sex with her husband."

The defendant previously had his medical license revoked in both Arizona and Montana stemming from sexual misconduct with patients in Arizona.

Armstrong must abide by the standard conditions of supervision with some modifications by Abbott. The judge did not impose the standard condition barring those convicted from consuming alcohol and amended the condition barring him from having contact with anyone under the age of 18 to exclude his 17-year-old son.

Though someone convicted of criminal endangerment is not normally required to register as a sex offender, should Armstrong violate conditions of his supervision, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

"It is an unsatisfactory resolution for all," Abbott said, adding that it was "the best the court could do" to achieve what he called "rough justice."

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By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan's Security Council Secretary Ramil Usubov attended a meeting of the National Security Councils of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani embassy in Turkiye.

On June 30, Secretary of Azerbaijans Security Council Ramil Usubov attended the event, the report elaborated.

On November 12, 2021, the 8th summit of the OTS was held in Istanbul. At the summit, decisions were made to change the name of the organization and to grant Turkmenistan an observer status. In addition, a document, titled Vision of the Turkic World-2040, and the declaration of the 8th summit were adopted. Azerbaijan transferred its chairmanship to Turkiye.

Azerbaijan's presidency of the Organization of Turkic States, (OTS, formerly known as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States - Turkic Council), which began on October 15, 2019, successfully lasted till 2021. During Azerbaijan's tenure, the activities of the organization were further strengthened and its reputation grew.
When Emily Warhank had a conversation with her best friend about their wish for an alternative schooling option in Helena, she never thought shed be the president of a private school board.

The mother of five just wanted a school that would let her kids have the autonomy to choose their own learning path.

But when she started asking other people about their interest and found that they felt the same way, she got more serious about the idea.

Originally we were going to do like a homeschool co-op type thing, Warhank said. But she ran into issues when she looked at laws about homeschooling in Montana.

So, she started looking into Montanas laws around private schools. She put out a call to have a school board meeting, and the nine people who showed up took the boards positions.

What was once just an idea snowballed, and became the new Free Roots Alternative Learning Center  a Helena-based private school that will be open for business starting in fall 2022.

The school board, which Warhank is the president of, will be hiring two teachers in the coming weeks. The school is for grades K-8 and has capacity for 40 students. And just a couple of weeks ago, Free Roots secured a building for the school, located in the Helena Valley just past Bobs Valley Market.

As of June 29, Warhank said there were still 12 spots available for the fall. The first day of Free Roots school year will be Aug. 22.

At Free Roots, students will study math and English in the mornings with a teacher, have an hour-long lunch and then return to the classroom for electives in the afternoon. Those electives, Warhank said, will offer students a chance to study music, social studies and more. And, students will get to vote on what they want to learn too.

The school will follow a Montessori model as a base for curriculum, Warhank said. A Montessori school is one that offers students self-directed activities where students get to make choices about what they learn, according to Montessori Northwest, an organization based in Portland, Oregon.

Then we have multiple other options for kids depending on their learning style, Warhank said. Like hands-on, we have ones that have lots of worksheets. We have multiple different types of curriculums so that way we can fit the needs and interests of each kid.

Brittany Johnson, the school boards secretary, also said Free Roots will offer a chapel service during the school day. But that service will be optional for families.

Johnsons also been in charge of organizing the schools non-profit paperwork, and said shes learned a lot about that process. Since the school is a non-profit, Johnson said, all of its funding has to come from donations, and school board members arent paid.

Theres been a lot of time and financial resources and all of that for the board members, Warhank said. Theyve been really putting in a lot of effort.

Free Roots recently held a silent auction fundraiser and local businesses donated items. Warhank said donations are also how the school has furniture for next year. And, the Doubletree has been donating its boardroom as a meeting space for Free Roots' school board.

Warhanks children will be attending the school in the fall. The school boards vice president, Chloe Moorman, also said she has a first grader whos going to Free Roots come August.

Im excited that shell have an individualized curriculum and be able to learn at her own pace, because she can be really advanced in some things and not in other things, Moorman said. I just feel like shell get a more well-rounded education this way.

For Warhank, the experience of starting Free Roots has been a positive one that shes learned a lot from  from raising money, to curriculum, to laws about schools in Montana.

She said she hopes Free Roots will be around in the Helena community for years to come, and that in the future, shed love to see it expand to include pre-school and high school too. She said theyre also hoping to bring it to other places in the state.

For now, Warhanks just glad that everyone involved has come together for Free Roots to become operational.

If you have an idea, you can follow through and make it happen, Warhank said.

For more information, visit www.freerootsalc.com or email info@freerootsalc.com.

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After a letter circulated online saying Planned Parenthood of Montana will not perform medication abortions for patients in states like South Dakota with now near-total abortion bans, the head of the organization said the change was because of "the rapidly changing landscape for abortion access across the country and amid the cruel intention of anti-abortion politicians to sow chaos and confusion."

A statement and letter from Planned Parenthood CEO and President Martha Fuller made it clear that "Planned Parenthood of Montana will continue to serve patients from out of state who are seeking abortion," though only for surgical abortions.

The change comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that ensured access to abortions, leaving the decision now up to individual states. Abortion is legal in Montana.

Medication abortions have very low risk of side effects and require fewer trips to a clinic, meaning less travel for people seeking them in a state where they don't live. They are generally done up to 10 weeks in a pregnancy. The percentage of people who have abortions through medication has risen from 29% in 2014 to 39% in 2017, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion data.

According to legal filings in challenges to abortion laws in Montana, Planned Parenthood of Montana wrote that medication abortion makes up about 75% of those done by the organization.

" ... Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe, we must make decisions around the provision of abortion care in consideration of the rapidly changing landscape for abortion access across the country and amid the cruel intention of anti-abortion politicians to sow chaos and confusion," Fuller said in an emailed statement Thursday. "No matter what, Planned Parenthood of Montana will do whatever we can to protect patients, providers, and health center staff. Access to abortion in Montana remains constitutionally protected and is available.

In her letter to providers, Fuller said the "risk around cross-state provision of services are currently less than clear, with the potential for both civil and criminal action."

Some places, like Texas, have passed laws to attempt to limit abortions by relying on civil enforcement through private citizens, which further muddies the legal waters.

Blue Mountain Clinic, a family practice and primary care clinic in Missoula, told the Missoulian after the Supreme Court's order it expected an increase in demand for services from out-of-state patients, but would also limit who it could provide medication abortion to.

Aside from South Dakota, the list of states that Planned Parenthood of Montana can no longer provide medication abortion to includes residents of Idaho, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The letter says Ohio and Texas' ban at six weeks means Planned Parenthood of Montana can't provide medication abortions to patients form those states after that point.

Every state bordering Montana  Idaho, Wyoming and North and South Dakota  has some form of trigger law meant to ban abortion in the event the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the landmark Roe.

In Montana, access to pre-viability abortions is protected by the state Constitution's privacy provisions, as articulated in a 1999 state Supreme Court decision known as Armstrong. The state's Republican attorney general, however, is asking the Montana Supreme Court to reverse that previous decision. In a filing this week he cited the U.S. Supreme Court's order in a brief filed with Montana's high court asking for further opportunities to file briefs given the changed national landscape.

Following a legal challenge from Planned Parenthood of Montana last year, three new abortion laws passed by the 2021 Legislature are on hold for now.

The laws temporarily blocked 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.

Medication abortion is safe and effective, with pregnancies terminated 99.6% of the time and a 0.4% risk of major complications. The mortality rate is 0.00064%, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

About 60% of abortions are among people in their 20s, according to Guttmacher, and nearly half of those who get abortions live below the federal poverty line. Fifty-nine percent of abortions are for people who already have children.

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In their latest attempt to dismantle public elk hunting throughout the Big Sky State, the United Property Owners of Montana, a group representing wealthy, out-of-state interests and some resident landowners, is suing Montana's Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Helena Hunters and Anglers, Hellgate Hunters & Anglers, Montana Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Montana Bowhunters Association, Montana Wildlife Federation, Public Land Water Access Association and Skyline Sportsmen's Association have requested to formally intervene in the lawsuit. Our groups reject UPOMs agenda and are committed to defending Montanas elk hunting and management solutions.

Here's why:

The UPOM lawsuit attacks wildlife management and public hunting. Given UPOM's history, it's hard to believe this is really about managing elk. We've repeatedly pointed to existing solutions and new ideas to address problematic concentrations of elk. But we're met with opposition from the same party crying wolf  UPOM dismisses these solutions and demands bull elk tags for landowners as the remedy.

In the 2021 legislative session, UPOM pushed bills that would have forced FWP to change from equitably allocated permit hunting to unlimited over-the-counter tags for bull elk, awarded large landowners 10 free non-resident bull tags, and given outfitted hunters 60% of non-resident elk tags. Each of these was largely defeated, leading UPOM to seek other avenues.

Later in 2021, UPOM lobbied the commission and FWP to change hunting regulations to allow for unlimited bull elk hunting on private lands while cutting the number of available public land hunting opportunities in half.

In early 2022, UPOM again leaned on the commission and FWP to drastically increase the number of bull tags available to landowners, while staying mostly silent on proposals that would have addressed elk distribution issues, like more aggressive and targeted cow elk harvests.

During February 2022s commission meeting, new regulations were passed that allowed six months of cow elk hunting in virtually all districts at or above the stated and outdated population objectives. Many of these opportunities are now unlimited for both residents and non-residents alike, and hunters are allowed to take up to three elk per season. But UPOM filed suit, pointing to outdated and socially created elk objective numbers from 2005, to get what they really want: bull elk tags. It appears that their aim is not to address elk concentration issues but rather to benefit monetarily from selling unrestricted opportunity to hunt bull elk.

Unfortunately for UPOM, things just dont add up.

Consider the district UPOM cites in its lawsuit: Hunt District 417 near Lewistown. UPOM filed suit in Fergus County because theyre challenging FWPs management mainly in that hunting district, but others, too. In that district for the 2022 season, 79 either-sex (bull) permits already are set aside for landowners (by law, 15% of the total number of permits 525). Of these, only 21 were claimed by landowners in the draw. In the very same district UPOM claims needs more bull elk tags for landowners, 74% of bull elk tags reserved for landowners are left unclaimed. (Similar trends emerge in previous years). HD 417  among many others  now allows hunters to hunt cow elk with a general tag, plus offers an unlimited number of cow elk tags, valid for five-and-a-half months on both public and private.

UPOM is seeking not just bull permits for landowners but bull permits that they then can monetize. Theres a big difference. High-value bull elk permits are what they wanted in the 2021 legislature and what they wanted in the 2022 season-setting process. That's what this lawsuit is really about.

While FWP signals they intend to defend themselves, the key leadership positions at both FWP and the commission are politically appointed, making this issue subject to politics and influence. Montanans deserve to have a voice.

FWP has shown that they're willing to settle with UPOM and even admitted at a legislative hearing that they were behind the UPOM-supported HB 505, which would have given landowners 10 transferable non-resident bull tags. We don't want this to happen again. Thats why we've asked the judge in Fergus County to let us help defend the publics interest.

We have the tools we need to effectively manage elk in Montana. But advancing a false narrative fueled by entitlement and an insatiable appetite, like UPOM is doing, runs counter to Montanas long-held tradition of balancing public and private interests in wildlife.

We know what this lawsuit is really about, and were calling bull.

Thomas Baumeister is vice chair of Montana Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. Walker Conyngham is president of Hellgate Hunters & Anglers. Drewry Hanes is the executive director of Public Lands Water Access Association. Steve Platt is president of Helena Hunters and Anglers. Ken Schultz is president of Montana Bowhunters Association. Chris Servheen is board chair of the Montana Wildlife Federation. You can learn more about this lawsuit at keepelkpublic.com.

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During challenging times  like the ones we are currently facing  it is crucial that we have elected representatives who put the well-being of our state first. It is only then that we will be able to prioritize the needs and the safety of our citizens. One of these elected officials is our Congressman, Matt Rosendale.

We have a dangerous situation on our Southern border with illegal drugs pouring in every day. Because of this, cities across Montana, and across the country, are being overrun with drugs and crime. This includes human trafficking and sex crimes against children.

According to the Montana Attorney Generals office, effectively 100% of the fentanyl that is being seen in Montana is coming across the southern border, which thanks to Joe Biden, is wide open. Not only this, but violent crime in our state has increased over 30% in just one decade.

Congressman Rosendale supported and introduced legislation like the Secure Americas Borders First Act to combat these trends, to secure the southern border, and protect Montanans from dangerous drugs and stop human trafficking.

Darin Gaub,

Helena

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Forsyth is set to reel in a new restaurant.

Its a cajun style seafood restaurant, said Jerry Li, who has been working with his cousin and restaurant owner Alex Li, to bring Crab Lobster to the former O'Charley's location.

The Li family has other restaurants located in Indianapolis, Indiana. So he just wanted to expand out in the Illinois area, Jerry Li said about the Forsyth restaurant.

With plans to open within the next month, the building continues to undergo renovations.

It just depends on how quick they move on the details, said Dustin Pruitt, Forsyth building inspector.

According to Pruitt, the layout of the restaurant is similar to OCharleys. Theyve decorated it differently and with new booths, he said.

Forsyth continues to support the addition of other restaurants, including the new Panda Express restaurant, currently under construction near the entrance to the Hickory Point Mall. Further north of Route 51, near Menards, will be the coffee shop, Ziggys.

Well start to see some progress soon, said Jill Applebee, Forsyth village administrator.

Contact Scott Perry at (217) 421-7976. Follow him on Twitter: @scottperry66

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Preliminary reports indicate that Wilham was traveling the wrong way and struck Otto's vehicle. Wilham was airlifted to HSHS St. John's and Otto was pronounced dead at the scene.

Allmon said an autopsy conducted Thursday showed Otto died from multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the crash. Wilham's death was also from multiple blunt force injuries.
DECATUR  A group called Lincoln Park Advocates met at St. John's Episcopal Church on Thursday to organize support against a proposal to build a new Dennis School in the park.

Decatur Public Schools and the Decatur Park District released a joint statement on June 27 that the two entities are in talks about the idea, though no decision has been made, and at the June 28 board meeting, two residents of the Lincoln Park area spoke to the board to ask them to reconsider.

About 50 residents met at St. John's Episcopal Church on Thursday to create a plan of action to stop the proposal.

Margret Borchers Cuttill said she has lived in her house in the Lincoln Park neighborhood all her life, and that her family has lived in this area for generations. She and her late husband counted 22 eagles living in the area bordering the park last spring, she said, and federal regulations might be one way to stop the construction of a school there.

I can't see why logic can't go into effect, she said. We need another location (for a new school).

Tim Hamilton said he has contacted the Sierra Club and Ducks Unlimited, hoping for help in putting pressure on the school district and the park district, but hasn't yet heard back.

The streets are too narrow to allow access for school buses, increased traffic for parents dropping off children, and for emergency vehicles should the need arise for them, said Mark Peters, who organized the meeting and set up the group's Facebook page.

Crea Street was closed as a deterrent to crime, said Jerry Pelz, who lives on that street, and it worked.

(Closing it) enhanced the area and addressed every one of the problems, Pelz said.

Technicians hired by Decatur Public Schools have been in the area in the last few days mapping the terrain as if the plan is not only solidified, but is moving forward, said John Dunn, who also spoke to the school board on Tuesday.

The proposal is to use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, which was approved by the General Assembly in April at the urging of Sen. Doris Turner, and because the school district has more than $76 million in those funds, which must be obligated by Sept. 30 or returned to the federal government, no referendum is required.

If it (had required) a referendum, Dunn said, we'd have had several meetings (with district officials) and we would have known (the plan) in advance.

Greg Anderson is a senior engineer technician for Martin Engineering Co. of Springfield.

The firm was hired by the school district to map Lincoln Park, which includes all boundaries, contours, trees, buildings and utilities, which includes an extensive network of sewer lines

He has been on site since last week and expects to be back in the area next week.

He said he has been approached by many neighborhood residents asking about his reason for being there, some of which have been very emotional.

In addition to questions about the building project, which he has no details to share, people seem most concerned about the fate of the trees which have been marked with numbers using orange paint.

He said those markings are not identifying trees that are set to be cut down. Instead, the numbers reflect the diameter of the trees which are needed as part of the mapping process.

He said miscommunication resulted in the markings being placed on the trees instead of on the ground nearby.

Emily Cuttill, Margret Cuttill's granddaughter, said Siegel Street is almost impossible to navigate in winter and that school buses would have great difficulty in reaching the area of Lincoln Park. If the money has to be designated for something before Sept. 30, there are other things the district could spend it on.

They could fix up the schools they already have, she said. They could buy books, equipment, maybe even bonuses for teachers.

Mark Tyus said, even if the park district and school board members have already made up their minds, the residents should make their voices heard and show up at board meetings to speak and consult an attorney about legal challenges, whether those are on behalf of the eagles and other wildlife, the danger the narrow streets would present and the increased traffic, concerns about flooding, or all of them, one after the other. Doing so, he added, could discourage the school board from going forward.

The first part of the plans include creating a petition for neighborhood residents to sign, and designating spokespeople for various aspects of the opposition, such as the effect on wildlife. Those spokespeople, accompanied by as many other residents as are able to attend the meetings of the school board and park board, would present their case at those board meetings.

Meanwhile, others are exploring the possibility of hiring an attorney to pursue legal action to stop the proposal.

Let's keep battling, Dunn said.

The next meeting of the group is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at St. John's Episcopal Church.

Dennis School, at 1499 W. Main St., was built in 1910, and its second campus, formerly French Academy at 520 W. Wood St., was built in 1914. The two are the oldest buildings in the district still in use, said district spokeswoman Denise Swarthout, who declined comment on the Lincoln Park Advocates group.

Board member Alana Banks did comment on the proposal on a Facebook page, Citizen Stakeholders for Educational Excellence - DPS 61. "Do we need a new Dennis? Yes," she wrote. "Does it need to be at Lincoln Park? Maybe. As a board member, it is my understanding that Lincoln Park is going to be the last viable option for the new school. Im aware of the flood possibilities, but we have been told that there are ways to maneuver this concern.

"Weve looked into: renovations at the current Dennis, renovations and/or demolition at Woodrow Wilson, building at Kiwanis Park, and other places along the west end. All of those other options have been ruled out. The only thing that truly concerns me regarding Dennis is air conditioning and (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. If we can obtain that while still using the current building, then theres no need for an all new school."

Dennis was expanded into a K-8 school and occupies a second campus as part of the BOLD Facilities Plan created under former Superintendent Paul Fregeau. French Academy was renamed American Dreamer STEM Academy and moved to the former Enterprise School site, 2115 S. Taylor Road, while Enterprise Montessori School and Garfield Montessori School combined into Montessori Academy for Peace and moved into the former Thomas Jefferson Middle School building. Thomas Jefferson students moved to Stephen Decatur Middle School.

Local news editor Scott Perry contributed to this story.

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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DECATUR  Amid extraordinary scenes, Patrick A. Hutton, the Decatur man accused of firing a gun while being chased by police and who was shot at after allegedly pointing a gun at an officer, was arraigned on multiple felony charges Thursday.

Judge Rodney Forbes had been warned by Macon County Jail corrections officers that Huttons behavior was erratic, and that became obvious as soon as he was led handcuffed into the courtroom.

Surrounded by a semi-circle of seven corrections and court security officers, the 26-year-old defendant stood with his head bowed and refused to tell the judge his age.

I am scared to talk, I am scared to do anything, he told Forbes.

All youve got to do is tell me your age at this point, the judge replied.

Im sorry, Im sorry, I cant, Hutton said. Im scared.

Forbes then proceeded to outline the charges against him, which include the aggravated assault of a peace officer, three counts of armed violence and being a felon in possession of a 9mm handgun. He is also charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing police and one count of possession of methamphetamine.

As the court hearing continued, Hutton gradually began to bend his body further and further forward as he stood before the judge until he was bent in half at the waist with his head pointing toward the floor.

Forbes asked him if he wanted the court to appoint a public defender to represent him or whether he wanted time to hire his own lawyer. No answer came.

Well show the defendant refused to answer, that he is bent over, his hands are cupped around his ears and he is visually trembling, noted the judge. I want to show I have a bona fide doubt as to his fitness to stand trial.

Forbes then appointed the public defenders office to represent Hutton and ordered a mental evaluation before a court hearing July 20.

Hutton, by now sobbing, could be heard saying dont hurt me, dont hurt me as he was escorted out of the courtroom.

A sworn Decatur Police affidavit about the case said Officer Tanner Brummitt had encountered Hutton on the night of June 23 while waiting in his squad car for a red light at the intersection of North Jasper and East Eldorado streets.

Brummitt said he saw Hutton sitting in the drivers seat of a nearby car holding a gun in his right hand pointing at the cars ceiling. Hutton accelerated away westbound on East Eldorado and fled as the officer said he activated his emergency lights and tried to make a traffic stop.

...I observed him point the handgun out of the driver's side window. I then heard a loud pop which I believed to be consistent with a single gunshot, the officer said in the affidavit

Brummitt said the chase hit speeds of more than 67 mph as other police units arrived to assist. At one point an officer was stopped at the intersection of West King Street and North Park Place as Hutton barreled toward them.

Patrick pointed the handgun toward the DPD officer as he drove by the officer and squad car, resulting in shots being fired at Patricks vehicle, Brummitt said.

Hutton escaped injury and finally came to a stop in the 500 block of North Fairview Avenue. Brummitt said Hutton was holding the gun to the right side of his head but finally threw it out of the car window and was arrested.

Hutton was quoted as telling officers There was a war going on and that he Wanted to kill himself because he knew how he would be treated.

Brummitt said Huttons gun had a hollow point bullet in the chamber but no magazine inserted; two magazines were found in a compartment inside his car. Police also seized 23 grams of pills that tested positive for meth.

A check of court records shows that Hutton is not allowed to own a gun as a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to a charge of robbery as part of a deal that saw four alternate counts of murder and a charge of armed robbery dismissed. He had been sentenced to four years in prison.

He remains held in jail on the current charges with his bail set at $2.5 million, requiring him to post a bond of $250,000 to be freed.

Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid

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A Chicago police officer was shot Friday morning, a police department spokesman said.

The officer was transported to Stroger Hospital and their condition is unknown, Chicago Police department spokesman Tom Ahern said on Twitter. The officer served in the departments 12th District, he added. The 12th District covers the Near West side.

The offender is being sought, Ahern said.

The police officer was transported in a police car, Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said.

A man in police custody with lacerations was transported by the Chicago Fire Department from a nearby location that wasnt the exact scene of the shooting, he added. It is currently unclear if the man was involved in the police shooting, Langford said.

Outside Stroger Hospital Friday morning, a helicopter hovered loudly overhead while several unmarked police squad cars with their lights on arrive at the ER.

Rain drops fell briefly from the overcast sky as at least five officers directed traffic into and within the parking lot. Five others linger in front of the emergency room talking to one another and taking phone calls.

In early June, officers were shot in three separate incidents. A man shot police Officer Erik Moreno during a traffic stop in Englewood on June 5. Moreno was released from the hospital a week later.

Just four days before, another officer had been shot during a late afternoon traffic stop in Englewood. That officer, who police said was seriously wounded in the incident, was also released from the hospital following the shooting.

That same week, a US Marshals officer was shot in the hand and a police dog was also struck by bullets while serving a warrant on the Northwest Side. The officer had declined hospital treatment.

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By Trend

During the period of occupation the Armenians looted and burnt Shusha city, desecrating and destroying mosques, shrines and other cultural heritage sites, Nurit Greenger, Israeli activist and a freelance journalist wrote in an article to NewsBlaze, Trend reports.

Greenger published an article after her visit to Azerbaijan, where she visited the liberated city of Shusha and where she had the opportunity to speak with Emin Huseynov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh Economic Region (except Shusha district) .

During the First Karabakh War, the city was invaded by Armenian forces and its majority Azerbaijani population either was expelled or fled. The Armenians looted and burnt the city, desecrating and destroying mosques, shrines and other cultural heritage sites. Armenians dismantled and sold off historic dark bronze busts of three Azerbaijani musicians and poets from Shusha, and the gravestones in the Azerbaijani cemetery, on the edge of town, were methodically smashed and vandalized by Armenians, she wrote.

In Greengers words, following Azerbaijans liberation of Shusha, the second-largest city in Karabakh, on November 8, 2020, Armenia was compelled to capitulate and agreed to a ceasefire. Subsequently, the war ended on November 10, 2020, with Azerbaijans decisive victory.

The message Azerbaijan delivered to the world after the 44-days fighting ended was: the conflict is over; the land Armenia occupied is back into its rightful masters hands. Azerbaijan immediately got to work to rebuild the liberated territories. Two regional economic zones were established: Eastern Zangazur and Karabakh, together they compromise the entire liberated area, she wrote.

The author emphasized that almost instantly Azerbaijan invested billions of dollars in restoring the liberated land, building roads, tunnels, power plants, industry parks and farms; completing the impressive Fuzuli International Airport, within just 8 months, with two more airports under construction; restoring cultural heritage sites and building the first smart village, in Zangilan, to where, soon, the formerly displaced Azerbaijanis will return.

One thing is for sure: the love the Azerbaijani nation has for the liberated areas, the entire region and beyond will make it bloom and shine like never before, she added.
With the retirement of Judge Little, the voters in Macon County have a choice of electing a new Circuit Judge. To be clear, I do not know Shane Mendenhall either personally or professionally. In talking to other attorneys, I was informed that he has little trial experience. I have met Rodney Forbes several times and know from three judges and numerous attorneys he is very highly regarded.
DECATUR  A group called Lincoln Park Advocates met at St. John's Episcopal Church on Thursday to organize support against a proposal to build a new Dennis School in the park.

Decatur Public Schools and the Decatur Park District released a joint statement on June 27 that the two entities are in talks about the idea, though no decision has been made, and at the June 28 board meeting, two residents of the Lincoln Park area spoke to the board to ask them to reconsider.

About 50 residents met at St. John's Episcopal Church on Thursday to create a plan of action to stop the proposal.

Margret Borchers Cuttill said she has lived in her house in the Lincoln Park neighborhood all her life, and that her family has lived in this area for a very long time. She and her late husband counted 22 eagles living in the area bordering the park last spring, she said, and federal regulations might be one way to stop the construction of a school there.

I can't see why logic can't go into effect, she said. We need another location (for a new school).

Tim Hamilton said he has contacted the Sierra Club and Ducks Unlimited, hoping for help in putting pressure on the school district and the park district, but hasn't yet heard back.

The streets are too narrow to allow access for school buses, increased traffic for parents dropping off children, and for emergency vehicles should the need arise for them, said Mark Peters, who organized the meeting and set up the group's Facebook page.

Crea Street was closed as a deterrent to crime, said Jerry Pelz, who lives on that street, and it worked.

(Closing it) enhanced the area and addressed every one of the problems, Pelz said.

The proposal is to use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, which was approved by the General Assembly in April at the urging of Sen. Doris Turner, and because the school district has more than $76 million in those funds, which must be obligated by Sept. 30 or returned to the federal government, no referendum is required.

If it (had required) a referendum, we'd have had several meetings (with district officials) and we would have known (the plan) in advance, said John Dunn, who also spoke to the school board on Tuesday.

Emily Cuttill, Margret Cuttill's granddaughter, said Siegel Street is almost impossible to navigate in winter and that school buses would have great difficulty in reaching the area of Lincoln Park. If the money has to be designated for something before Sept. 30, there are other things the district could spend it on.

They could fix up the schools they already have, she said. They could buy books, equipment, maybe even bonuses for teachers.

Mark Tyus said, even if the park district and school board members have already made up their minds, the residents should make their voices heard and show up at board meetings to speak and consult an attorney about legal challenges, whether those are on behalf of the eagles and other wildlife, the danger the narrow streets would present and the increased traffic, concerns about flooding that has been an issue in the park for years, or all of them, one after the other.

Let's keep battling, Dunn said.

The next meeting of the group is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at St. John's Episcopal Church.

Decatur Public Schools spokeswoman Denise Swarthout said the district had no comment about the group.

Dennis School, at 1499 W. Main St., was built in 1910, and its second campus, formerly French Academy at 520 W. Wood St., was built in 1914. The two are the oldest buildings in the district still in use, said district spokeswoman Denise Swarthout, who declined comment on the Lincoln Park Advocates group.

Dennis was expanded into a K-8 school and occupies a second campus as part of the BOLD Facilities Plan created under former Superintendent Paul Fregeau. French Academy was renamed American Dreamer STEM Academy and moved to the former Enterprise School site, 2115 S. Taylor Road, while Enterprise Montessori School and Garfield Montessori School combined into Montessori Academy for Peace and moved into the former Thomas Jefferson Middle School building. Thomas Jefferson students moved to Stephen Decatur Middle School.

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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The number of people flying in and out of Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) is nearing pre-pandemic levels.

In the first five months of 2022, TRIs total passenger volume exceeded 141,000 and was up 51% compared to the same time a year ago, the airport said in a press release this week. Thats just 15% less than the level recorded from January to May 2019.

Prior to the pandemic, larger aircraft were flying from the Blountville airport, said Kristi Haulsee, director of marketing and air service development at the Tri-Cities Airport Authority. Haulsee says TRI could be at pre-pandemic passenger levels if more seats were available.

We dont have the same number of seats, Haulsee said. I really feel like we have more people wanting to fly than we actually probably have seats in our market.

Another factor slowing TRI, and the air travel industry, has been staff shortages, from pilots to maintenance workers.

Some of the [Federal Aviation Administration] towers are experiencing staffing issues, Haulsee said. Its just a ripple effect through the whole entire industry right now.

Tri-Cities-area residents opting to fly at other airports also inhibits TRIs growth. When considering factors such as driving time and potential costs for food or lodging, Haulsee says it could actually cost no more to conveniently fly local, compared to flying from a bigger city.

I know a lot of folks like the non-stop flights places, but if the prices are pretty much the same, then it really does make an impact and a difference when our local folks choose to fly from here instead of another airport, and the airlines do notice that, Haulsee said.

All in all, the future looks bright at TRI. In April, American Airlines increased its capacity for the NASCAR races at Bristol Motor Speedway. Allegiant Air has also decided to extend its seasonal non-stop flight to St. Petersburg, Florida from November 2022 through February 2023. This years increase in travel has also prompted the reopening of TRIs long-term express parking lot for the first time since the pandemic.

Going forward, bringing new markets and airlines to TRI could the catalyst for growth.

Certainly being able to add new markets, and maybe even new airlines, has been a goal of ours pretty much forever, Haulsee said. We do continually meet and talk with airlines throughout the year.

At the end of the day, TRI needs the full support of local fliers to reach its potential.

(With) the state of the industry at this current point in time, I dont think we will see additional service in the immediate future, Haulsee said. What makes one of the biggest impacts on our opportunities is that our local community actually uses the airport, so anytime folks in our region are looking to fly, if they will look at Tri-Cities first for their options to fly, thats most important.

Three airlines  Allegiant, American and Delta  fly out of TRI, which offers non-stop flights to five cities  Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Orlando and St. Petersburg.

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Furniture from the Bristol Mall is finding new life in area businesses thanks to donations from the Bristol Casino  Future Home of Hard Rock.

As part of the renovations taking place at the mall to make way for the temporary casino opening on Friday, July 8, construction teams have been clearing out furniture.

Rather than sending the pieces to local landfills, Hard Rock is donating the mall furniture to the Habitat for Humanitys Re-Store in Kingsport, Tennessee, where the items have been exceptionally popular.

I can tell you - we retrieved between 10-15 enormous pots and every single one has sold. Those were a hit, Laura Kelly, executive director of the Holston Habitat for Humanity said. The partnership between Holston Habitat for Humanity and Hard Rock was a no-brainer. We are grateful for Hard Rock investing in our community and cant wait to see what else we accomplish together.

With the renovations taking place at the former Bristol Mall, Hard Rock has donated thousands of dollars worth of commercial grade furniture and supplies to Habitat Stores. Items like kiosks and large flower pots are popular among local small business owners that are re-using the items in their businesses.

This is just one way Hard Rock is choosing to serve the community were a part of, Allie Evangelista, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol said. We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with Habitat for Humanity to generate funds they can use to build homes for families in our community.

According to Habitat for Humanity, the donations will result in thousands of dollars in sales that will fund an affordable new home in Bristol for a single mother this fall.
No parent wants to outlive their child. For some, the loss of a child is simply too much to bear.

On Tuesday, an 18-month-old toddler died in Chesterfield County after the father left the child in a hot car for several hours, according to a press release from the organization Kids and Car Safety. Police later found the father behind the family home, the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

This difficult-to-fathom tragedy should serve as a reminder to be especially mindful whenever children are in a vehicle.

Currently, Virginia ranks No. 9 nationwide for the number of children who have died in a hot car, a total of 35, since 1990. Of the 35 deaths, 23 occurred because the children were unknowingly left behind.

Children are most likely to be left in a car thats parked at their residence or in a parking lot, according to research by Kids and Car Safety.

Nationwide, these deaths have been steadily climbing since 1990, according to KCS. And the summer months of May through August are the most deadly. We can reverse this trend, but it will take three forces coming together to make it happen.

Education: In the 1990s, there was a sharp spike in the number of children killed because of front-seat air bags. These bags deploy within milliseconds of a collision, and at a speed of as much as 200 mph. This force is lethal to children in rear-facing car seats placed in the front passenger seat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the 1990s launched an aggressive campaign to have parents always put children and their car seats behind the first row. The result was a sharp decline in deaths. Today, these types of deaths are practically unheard of.

Greater nationwide awareness campaigns about the dangers of leaving children in cars can go a long way toward curbing this troubling trend of child deaths in hot cars. KCS is one of the organizations leading the way.

Industry pressure: Automakers have historically been slow to adopt safety innovations in their vehicles. To get them to do so, nonprofit organizations have arisen to force them to put safety first. The most successful example is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, whose test track and crash-test facilities are located just north of Charlottesville.

Through its research, IIHS has raised awareness of cars crashworthiness, the human factors involved in crashes, as well as environmental factors that affect safety. Its highly valued Top Safety Pick Plus and Top Safety Pick awards have motivated automakers to install advanced safety features and earn these awards. These awards have since become powerful marketing tools that help automakers sell more cars. Its a win-win.

Organizations that can push automakers to speed the adoption of rear-seat reminders and other alert systems that warn owners someone is locked in a car can help drive down death rates.

Government: In addition to industry pressure, government can mandate automakers to include safety features that would prevent child deaths in hot cars. Previous safety mandates that lowered passenger death rates include: seatbelts, car-seat restraint systems (commonly called LATCH), and rearview cameras.

As these three forces work to address child deaths in hot cars, its imperative that car owners take it upon themselves to ensure that there is no child (or pet) in the back seat of a car when walking away.

The reasons kids are unknowingly left behind vary. The most common, however, is that the driver was supposed to drop the kid off at day care and forgot. Other reasons include miscommunication between caregivers, and a caregiver unknowingly leaving a kid in the car.

Kids also die because they gain access to a car without anyone knowing. So when parked at home, keep your doors locked.

Cars heat up very quickly. And death can come to children in a matter of minutes. Further, it doesnt have to be 100 degrees for this to happen. Since 1990, there have been six children who died because they were left in cars where the outside temperature was less than 50 degrees. And 84 have died with the outdoor temperature between 70 and 79 degrees.

With temperatures rising right now, check, double-check, and triple-check your back seat before walking away from the car.

When it comes to our children and our cars, we cant be too careful.
Prosecutors often highlight the cases where they get convictions, but there are times when its defense attorneys who get to tout their successes.

Such was the case recently with a felony driving while impaired case in Catawba County.

Hickory attorney Blair Cody said his client, Gary Lester Lawing, 55, had been arrested by Maiden police and charged with felony driving while impaired, driving while license revoked and failing to maintain his lane in January 2021.

Lawings case went to court in May. He admitted to the driving while license revoked and failing to maintain his lane charges but contested the DWI charge.

Cody said he felt Lawing had little choice. The offer from District Attorney Scott Reillys office was to plead guilty as charged and face up to a year in prison.

Given the less than favorable terms of that deal and their belief that the prosecutions case had flaws, Cody and Lawing proceeded to trial.

Lawing was ultimately found not guilty of the DWI following a weeklong trial, Cody said.

He credits the outcome at least in part to a piece of evidence the jury did not review: the chemical analysis performed at the time of the stop.

Cody said he was able to successfully convince Judge Gregory Hayes to keep the results out of trial because, among other reasons, the device used was not properly calibrated.

They didnt follow procedure, Cody said. It wasnt proper and therefore youre not going to get the result or even the fact that there was a test to be considered by the jury.

Responding to the outcome of the case, District Attorney Scott Reilly said: We were disappointed but we respect the judges decision. He ruled the blood alcohol results were inadmissible, and without that there wasnt much case.

Cody, who has spent more than two decades practicing as an attorney in Catawba County, said Reillys office has created an environment where defense attorneys can have constructive dialogue with prosecutors.

In the case of Lawing and others, Cody sees his role as keeping prosecutors and law enforcement honest.

At the end of the day, if theyve done their job and did it properly and the facts are there and theyre on their side, then your client, the defendant, may get convicted, likely will and probably should if thats the case, Cody said. If they dont do something properly and they dont do their job, then I think there has to be accountability for that.

Kevin Griffin is the City of Hickory reporter at the Hickory Daily Record.

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HICKORY  Catawba Valley Community College music student Noah Messick takes the national stage this weekend for his chance to build on the legacy of the colleges music program.

Messick is competing at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Student Auditions this weekend at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

This will be the first time Messick has been able to perform his pieces live after previously recording them for NATS competition.

It definitely has motivated me a lot more, Messick said of performing live. You only get one shot this time, and thats it. With all the time Ive had this month, Ive been working on my music and getting that down pat. Ive tried to get that super strong to be prepared for that one take.

CVCC music instructor Caroline Simyon is excited for her student Messick to get a once-in-a-lifetime experience of performing live in Chicago.

I think what he will enjoy the most is the energy in the room, Simyon said. Its infectious. He will play off that energy. Thats something you cant get when you record in front of a camera. Singing in front of those judges will be like no other.

This is the seventh time that a student in the Catawba Valley Community Colleges music program has performed in the final stages of the NATS national competition  four in music theater, two in spiritual.

Messick is the first to reach this level in the classical music category, and he is one of the final 14 freshman and sophomore competitors nationally in the category.

Messick will perform the same pieces he has during the previous three rounds of NATS competition  one German, one Italian and one English art song. Messicks pieces are Aaron Coplands Dodger, German piece Du Bist Wie Eine Blume and Italian piece Gia Il Sole Dal Gange.

Since the end of the spring semester at CVCC, Messick has been practicing to prepare for the competition at his grandparents church  Plateau United Methodist in Vale.

The church has given me massive support, Messick said. Being able to have a place to practice has really helped me this month. You have no one disturbing you. No one is banging on your door to stop. Its really helped me a lot.

Messick also performed at the Red Hawk Awards ceremony on CVCCs campus earlier this spring, and he believes the experience will also benefit him during NATS nationals this weekend.

Thats probably the biggest crowd Ive performed in front of, Messick said of singing at the Red Hawk Awards.

If he advances past the semifinal stage, he will compete later Saturday afternoon with the chance to finish in the top-three nationally in his classical music category. In the past, NATS national competitors would have an extra day to prepare for the final round of competition.

Messick isnt phased by the short time frame in between semifinal and final round competition.

Theres pros and cons, but Im more of a fan doing it the same day, but the songs are still going to be set in stone, he said.

Simyon is excited for Messick, and shes going to give him the best advice she can before he takes the stage in front of the three to four NATS judges.

Well have 12 hours in the car discussing all of this, she said. His CVCC classmates are 100 percent behind him.
The lecture on regulations and policies related with overseas Chinese, titled as Protecting the rights of overseas Chinese, Executing practical works, in Hunan Normal University

Organized by The United Front Work Department of CPC Hunan committee and Hunan Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the lecture on regulations and policies related with overseas Chinese, titled as Protecting the rights of overseas Chinese, Executing practical works, has recently been held in Hunan Normal University. Revolving around Changhsa talent policy and regulations on overseas Chinese, this event distributes and explain Qiaoqingzhuanbao document, and aims to enhance understanding on regulations and legal rights of overseas Chinese and student studied abroad. It will improve on building the federation of overseas Chinese among universities in Hunan.

Can graduates with master or doctor degrees purchase real estate immediately?  How overseas Chinese apply for extra added point in standardized tests? In the event, returned overseas Chinese and students studied abroad have raised many meaningful questions regarding to policies and regulations.

Sun Minsheng, the party secretary of Hunan Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, states that this lecture aims to assist returned overseas Chinese and student studied abroad to understand beneficial policies and to protect their own rights. It is an important event organized by the federation to unite with the university. Returned overseas Chinese has made great contributions in different periods of People Republic of China. The Federation will continue to provide quality service to returned overseas Chinese and student studied abroad.
Azerbaijani president promotes Interior Ministry officers

01 July 2022 [15:55] -

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on granting high special ranks to officers of the Interior Ministry, Azernews reports. To be updated

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N.C. Chief Justice Paul Newby convened a Remote Proceedings Task Force to improve efficiency and reduce the liability and costs associated with transporting individuals from detention facilities to courthouses for hearings. The Task Force first met in December.

As a result of recent legislation, the scope of the Task Force was expanded to include proceedings that involve N.C. State Crime Laboratory remote forensic analyst and chemical analyst testimony. This led to the establishment of the State Crime Lab Subcommittee of the Remote Proceedings Task Force.

The charge of this newly formed Subcommittee, chaired by Cabarrus County Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Martin McGee, is to:

Develop a scheduling system between the court and the State Crime Lab to schedule remote testimony of forensic and chemical analysts.

Develop a process for the issuance of subpoenas to distinguish between remote and in-person attendance of forensic and chemical analysts at court proceedings.

Prioritize the types of hearings  G.S. 20-139.1(c6) and G.S. 15A-1225.3(b1)  and the ideal circumstances under which analysts remote testimony is appropriate.

Identify any evidentiary issues associated with remote testimony of chemical or forensic analysts and establish a procedure to address the issues (e.g., develop a procedure for the State Crime Lab to submit exhibits to the court, if applicable).

The Subcommittees primary goal is to develop scheduling systems, processes, and procedures that can be applied and utilized statewide to ensure the success of remote chemical and forensic analyst testimony in district and superior court trials. The State Crime Lab Subcommittee held its first meeting May 25 via Webex.

Cabarrus County is currently working with the N.C. State Crime laboratory to pilot hearings that involve the remote testimony of analysts. Judge McGee said he is grateful for the opportunity for the Cabarrus County courthouse community to partner with the State Crime Lab and the Chief Justices Remote Proceedings Task Force to pilot remote lab analyst testimony. This commonsense use of technology should aid our courts more efficiently provide justice, said McGee.

On March 14, the technology was tested in a non-trial setting with representatives from the District Court Judges Office, Indigent Defense Services, the District Attorneys Office, the defense bar, law enforcement, and the State Crime Lab. On May 3, two driving while impaired cases were tried, utilizing remote chemical analyst testimony with the N.C. State Crime Lab. A subsequent trial was conducted using the remote technology on May 17 and May 31.

Other than some confusion of when the cases would be called, the hearings occurred with no problems, said District Court Judge Michael Knox. I believe the defense counsels ability to discuss the matter with the analyst beforehand has been key. To me, this is a timesaver for all parties involved that wish to take advantage of the virtual process. I have seen no negatives thus far.

The Cabarrus County District Attorneys Office appreciated the efforts of lab staff to coordinate the remote testimony with our office, said Assistant District Attorney Ashlie Shanley. We hope that the continued use of virtual testimony will assist us in resolving trial matters in a more timely manner.

The lessons learned in Cabarrus will be used to inform and improve practices statewide in the coming months.
Elizabeth City State University, AeroX and Piedmont Flight Training have created an online aviation degree and flight-training program that will be based at Smith Reynolds Airport.

The groups announced the 10-year collaboration, an extension of the universitys Aviation Science and Unmanned Aircraft Systems degree program, on Tuesday.

The local online program will be the same as the four-year aviation degree offered in person at ECSU.

The initial online degree program will concentrate on flight education for students from Forsyth, Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Randolph, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties.

Students will complete the flight portion of the online degree at Piedmont Flight Trainings facilities at the airport, with graduates earning a pilots license.

The university said that a potential student is required to apply for admission. Once accepted, the student can enroll in the aviation science degree program.

We anticipate that students will begin applying for the online aviation degree this fall, and are hoping for about 100 students in the first year in the online program, ECSU said in a statement. Its expected well continue to add about 100 online aviation degree students each year thereafter from the 10-county region.

Through the N.C. Promise Tuition Plan, in-state students pay $500 a semester in tuition at ECSU. It was unclear on Tuesday when students could begin to apply for the program.

Piedmont Flight Training will provide flight-training services for ECSUs aviation science degree.

AeroX is a non-profit organization formed in 2021 with the goal of creating and expanding unmanned aviation technology in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

Winston-Salem is where I was born and raised, and its an honor and privilege to match the love of my hometown with my passion for higher education, ECSU Chancellor Karrie Dixon said in a statement.

Thanks to this new collaboration, were able to offer this opportunity to other regions of North Carolina. Were diversifying the workforce, giving our students a bright, stable economic future, and supporting the aviation industry and our state all at the same time.

One of the leaders of the effort is David Mounts, who retired April 15 from Inmar Intelligence after 12 years as chief executive and eight years as chairman.

Mounts, 58, has been one of Winston-Salems top corporate executives and an influential community leader in digital technology. He is the owner of Piedmont Flight Training and serves on AeroXs board of directors.

AeroX is creating Americas first urban air mobility system that will attract companies and create technology jobs, while Piedmont Flight Training and ECSU are preparing students for aviation careers, Mounts said in a statement.

Our partnership with ECSU will help us prepare our local workforce and expand access to high-potential job opportunities right here in our communities.

AeroX role

In December, AeroX received $5 million in funding from the General Assembly toward its drone technology platform. The group is focusing on what it calls next-generation technologies, including the commercialization of unmanned aircraft systems and electric vehicle takeoff and landing.

ECSU will provide student and faculty resources and expertise to help create this low-altitude air traffic control system.

AeroX will offer two paid advanced air mobility summer internships to provide experience in the aviation industry and support AeroXs STEM-related activities.

We are currently seeing the biggest change in aviation since the jet engine, said Basil Yap, AeroXs president.

Over the past five years, North Carolina has established itself as a leader in drones with the first routine drone delivery operations in the nation happening here in our state.

In addition, we conducted the first public air taxi  or flying car  demonstration in the nation.

AeroXs mission is creating a national model ecosystem for advanced air mobility and a testbed for pioneering companies seeking to leverage emerging UAS technologies to grow their companies.

Yap said the collaboration ensures we are giving our communities the education and training to benefit from these advancements in aviation to help our state maintain its leadership role.
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MATTOON  The Mattoon school district is seeking candidates for a school board appointment to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of board Secretary Susan Braun on Friday.

I have enjoyed my service to the Mattoon Community Unit School District and am deeply grateful to all who support the importance of educating our youth," Braun said in a post on the district's Facebook page.

Braun was elected to the board in spring 2011. Prior to serving on the board, Braun worked for 33 years in education as a teacher and assistant principal at Mattoon Middle School and as curriculum director for Mattoon schools before retiring in 2009. The district reported that she made a significant impact on students, staff, and programming of Mattoon schools, and that she will be recognized for her service to the district at an upcoming board meeting.

We thank Suzie for her service to the students, staff and residents of the Mattoon community, said board President Michelle Skinlo in a press release.

The individual selected to fill the vacancy will serve as a board member until the next regular school board election in April 2023. To be eligible, the prospective board member must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, a resident of Illinois and the district for at least one year immediately preceding the election, and a registered voter on the date of appointment.

Reasons that would make an individual ineligible for board membership include holding an incompatible public office, certain types of state or federal employment, and having a prohibited interest in any contract with the district. Child sex offenders, as defined in Section 11-9.3 of the Criminal Code, are ineligible for board membership.

Membership on the board is restricted to a maximum of three members from any one township. Because three of the four current board members live in Lafayette Township, the appointee for the unexpired term may not live in Lafayette Township. Braun resides in Mattoon Township

The Board has 60 days to fill the vacancy. The boards policies regarding school board service, elections, and filling vacancies are available on the districts website, www.mattoon.k12.il.us.

Qualified candidates may pick up an application form between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Administrative Service Center, at 1701 Charleston Ave.

Applications must be received no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, July 8. After screening the applications, the board may invite prospective candidates for interviews during a closed session of the regular board meeting on July 12.

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud

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ARCOLA  The Thomas Monahan Co. has been celebrating its centennial and reflecting on its foundation when Arcola hometown was known as Broomcorn Capital of the World.

However, the family that is in its fifth generation of owning and operating this manufacturer of cleaning tools said the key to the company's longevity has been its abilities to evolve and look to the future.

"If we would have stayed in the broomcorn business, we would not still be in the business," said Pat Monahan, co-owner of the Monahan Partners mop division, as he noted changes in broomcorn sourcing and broom fibers over the decades. "If we had not been willing to change with the times and always look for new opportunities, we wouldn't still be around."

The Thomas Monahan Co., which now produces a variety of cleaning supplies for home and commercial use, has roots that stretch back to Irish immigrant Patrick Henry Monahan settling in Arcola and starting in business as a broomcorn broker in 1867. Brokers would match crops of broomcorn, a type of sorghum known to have strong, durable fiber for sweeping, with the particular demands of broom manufacturers.

Monahan Partners reports in its company history that Patrick Monahan turned his brokerage firm over to a cousin, Thomas Lyons, in 1871 and it became known as The Thomas Lyons Co. by 1875. Patrick and Hannah Monahan's son, Thomas F. Monahan, later went to work for Lyons, purchased this business in 1922, and renamed it The Thomas Monahan Co.

"At that time, nearly 14,000 tons of broomcorn was raised each year within a 10-mile radius of Arcola. The town that was known as 'The Broomcorn Capital of the World,'" the company history reports.

Thomas F. and Lillian Monahan had two children, Mary and Thomas Jr., and they both became actively involved at the company, with Thomas Jr. becoming president in 1939. The history reports that the company expanded its presence into broomcorn growing areas in the western U.S.; and diversified into brokering wire, twine, bands, and handles for broom manufacturers during that era. Thomas Jr. and his wife, Mary Cunningham, eventually had four boys of their own, Tim, Pat, Joe and Jim.

In high school, or even in late grade school, we worked in the warehouses during the summer, unloading broom corn, Jim Monahan said in the company history. In high school, we were sent to some of the broom corn growing fields in Colorado, Oklahoma, and South Texas. We grew up around broom corn and were into the broom and mop business ever since we were old enough to think about it.

Jim Monahan said their father always told them that they could join the company but would have to find their own niches there and could not be "free riders." Jim took the responsibility for The Monahan Companys handle business, now known as Handles, Inc., expanding its domestic and international sources for wood and starting a metal handle operation that the company later sold in 2009.

The company history reports that Tim Monahan pioneered a method, RediCorn, for selling broomcorn presorted by grade, length, and color into bales to broom manufacturers. He also invented and patented a plastic broom insert, allowing a broom to be wound on the insert and shipped without a handle. He continues to lead The Thomas Monahan Co.'s Monahan Filaments and Brush Fibers, Inc. subsidiaries.

"It's nice knowing we have ben able to go this long as a company and the only way we have gone that long is to have good principles," Tim Monahan said of the examples set by their forebears.

The brothers said those principles include building good relationships with their customers, treating their employees like family and developing many long-term staff members, and providing community service in their Arcola hometown, where Joe Monahan is also involved through his work in the banking industry.

Tim Monahan said it also helps that he and their brothers get along well and have gotten to see the business enter its fifth generation. Tims sons Jon, Matt and Chris work for Monahan Filaments/Brush Fibers; while Pats son, Kevin, runs Monahan Partners.

"It's a pleasure coming in everyday, seeing my brothers, and finding out what they are up to and what their kids are up to," Pat Monahan said.

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud

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CHICAGO - As Chicago contends with a series of recent pedestrian and cyclist deaths that have brought into focus the sometimes perilous nature of walking or biking city streets, plans are underway to boost the number of bike lanes protected by a concrete curb.

Concrete curb-protected bike lanes have been a key ask of safety advocates. Now, the Chicago Department of Transportation has unveiled a roughly $7 million plan to convert all existing protected bike lanes to include concrete curbs by the end of 2023 and add 10 miles of new concrete-protected lanes.

Concrete curbs will become the standard for new protected bike lanes in the city moving forward, CDOT said.

The city has about 35 miles of protected bike lanes, but the majority of those lanes do not include concrete, instead often featuring plastic posts separating cyclists from car traffic. By the end of this year, the city aims to convert 15 miles of those lanes to include a concrete curb, and another 13 miles are expected to undergo work next year.

When the work is complete, including the additional new lanes, about 45 of the citys nearly 400 miles of bikeways will be protected by a concrete curb.

The work comes as recent traffic deaths have unleashed anger among community members and sparked calls for citywide infrastructure that prioritizes the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

Among the bicyclists recently killed when hit by a vehicle was 15-year-old Joshua Avina, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. The teen was struck by a delivery truck Friday afternoon as he was crossing South Austin Avenue on the citys Southwest Side, Chicago Police said.

Earlier, on June 9, 3-year-old Lily Grace Shambrook was killed when a semitruck collided with the bicycle she was being carried on in the 1100 block of West Leland Avenue in Uptown, Chicago police said.

Their deaths follow those of other cyclists and pedestrians this year, including bicyclist Nick Parlingayan, 22, who was hit and killed by a vehicle that fled the scene in the 3800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue on the citys Northwest Side.

The stretch of road where Parlingayan was struck and killed is among those identified for concrete protections. Also identified were stretches of road elsewhere on the citys Northwest, West and South sides and in areas near downtown.

Kyle Whitehead, spokesman for the Active Transportation Alliance, celebrated the additional concrete-protected bike lanes, saying they will prevent future crashes and help make bicyclists feel more comfortable, encouraging more people to ride on city streets.

Theres still this problem that people will be riding bikes most often on streets where they wont have this protection and they will potentially be vulnerable, he said. But where these lanes are going in are popular biking routes today, and people riding those lanes will be more safe and more comfortable than they were before.

Concrete protections arent a natural fit for every street  for example, they make more sense on major city roads than on smaller side streets, he said. But he considered the announcement particularly exciting because it involves upgrades across several neighborhoods at once. Bike lane design often happens block by block or ward by ward, leaving a patchwork of protections across neighborhoods.

Still, more protections for pedestrians and bicyclists are needed, he said.

City officials are touting plans for the new protected bike lanes as the largest bike lane upgrade in city history. In an email, CDOT spokeswoman Erica Schroeder said work on road safety would continue.

CDOT continues to work with Aldermen and community stakeholders throughout Chicago to make additional safety improvements for all road users, she said. CDOT is committed to increasing the number of protected bike lane miles annually, expanding our network of low-stress routes, and implementing new designs at conflict points to increase comfort and safety.

Work on the concrete curbs will begin this week along Kinzie Street between Milwaukee and Wells. Other bike lanes slated to get protections this year include:

Lake Street from Pulaski to Damen;

Logan Boulevard from Rockwell to Diversey;

Milwaukee Avenue between Addison and Irving Park, Chicago and Division, and Kinzie and Ohio;

Independence Boulevard from Douglas to Harrison;

Douglas Boulevard from Independence to Sacramento;

119th Street from Ashland to Halsted and the Major Taylor Trail.

The Chicago Tribunes Rosemary Sobol contributed.

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Q: Recently we had a package delivered containing a product that we had not ordered. The delivery name and address were for a company that we owned several years ago but it is now defunct. The invoice indicates that it was charged to a credit card account that we no longer have. Is this some sort of convoluted scam? We have never had any use for this product so certainly we would never have ordered it. What should we do with it?

A.K.

Answer: The product is yours to keep, donate or throw away. Any time you receive an item you did not order, you are under no obligation to return it or pay for it.

It could be an attempt to get personal information or to pressure you into paying for goods that you didnt order.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the investigative division of the U.S. Postal Service, says this about receiving merchandise you didnt order:

Dont pay for it and dont be talked into paying for it.

If it was delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, you can mark it, Return to Sender and the USPS will return at no charge.

You can throw it away, as long as its not a hazard to put it in the trash.

If you opened it and you like it, you may keep it. By law, you may keep unsolicited merchandise and are under no obligation to pay for it, the service said.

USPIS also advises you to change passwords, and monitor your credit report and credit card statements.

If the package was from Amazon, eBay, or another third-party seller, notify them and file a fraud report.

Q: I saw a comment on Facebook and the person said when he was 9 years old (around 1970) he was out rolling up Winston-Salem Journal newspapers at 3 a.m. and would finish his route in time to start school. Was there a minimum age requirement for newspaper delivery workers in that time period?

J.S.

Answer: Frank Clayton, who recently retired as the production manager for the Winston-Salem Journal, turned being a paper boy into a long career with the newspaper.

He said that paper carriers had to be at least 12 years old.

In the 60s and 70s most newspaper carriers were kids. You had to be at least 12 to get a route in your name. Your parents had to sign the contract as well.

I started delivering around age 9 but it was as a helper to the kid who delivered on my block. I knew several kids whose younger siblings assisted in delivering newspaper.

Papers were delivered to porches or mailboxes in those days. We also delivered morning and night. Average route was 75-90 customers back them.

Q: There is an unoccupied house in my neighborhood where the grass has not been cut in months. The weeds are now over 4 feet high. In addition to being a terrible eyesore, I am concerned about snakes and other critters taking up residence in this jungle? Isnt this against some regulation? The home is within the city limits.

N.B.

Answer: Section 62-2.6 (a) of the Winston-Salem Municipal Code states, Turf grasses shall not exceed eight inches in height.

You can report the violation to CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000. You can also report it through the citys website, www.cityofws.org.

Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101

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Forsyth County has been shifted back to the low community level for COVID-19, according to the latest update from the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.

The county was listed at the high level for three consecutive weeks before being lowered to medium last week.

The shift to the lowest COVID-19 level comes even though Forsyth was reported Wednesday with 886 cases for the week that ended June 25, up 11.9% from a revised 794 in the previous report from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Forsyth health director Joshua Swift has stressed that the DHHS weekly case totals include only laboratory-confirmed cases, and dont include most people who determine they are positive with an at-home test. People are not required to report their positive tests to county health departments.

However, Swift said the department has seen an increase of people who test positive from an at-home kit that choose to verify the result through a test administered by the department.

While the risk level is low, COVID is still in our community, and people should take the precautions that fit their risk tolerance, Swift said Friday.

The best defense is to stay up-to-date on vaccine and boosters.

The CDC listed only Alleghany County in the medium level for COVID-19, while the other 13 Triad and Northwest N.C. counties are at the low level.

Altogether, there are four N.C. counties with high levels of COVID-19, down from 12 last week.

The CDCs COVID-19 community level is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.

The CDC listed Forsyth with 158 new cases per 100,000 population, a rate of 9.8 new COVID-19 related hospital admissions per 100,000 and a 2.9% rate of staffed inpatient beds being used by COVID-19 patients.

Becky DeCamallis, an epidemiologist with Novant Health Infectious Diseases Specialists, said Forsyth remains at a 21% positive case level, which is up 5% from the previous week.

Even though we still have COVID circulating in our area, were by and large not seeing folks having to be admitted to the hospital for COVID infection, DeCamallis said.

On June 6, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said city residents are being advised  but not mandated  to resume wearing masks indoors.

Forsyth is at 100,997 cases for the pandemic. Of the 886 new reported cases, DHHS said 116 represented people who have been re-infected with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, there were two COVID-19 related deaths last week for a total of 839 since the onset of the pandemic in mid-March 2020.

The weekly DHHS dashboard totals are subject to revision.

When newly listed cases and deaths are added retroactively to statewide and county totals, they are attributed to the week in which the positive case is determined.

Child vaccine update

Swift offered Thursday a brief update on the initial response to the COVID-19 vaccine being available to children ages 6 months to 4.

The vaccine is available at the county health department and at some at select Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Novant Health Inc. and Cone Health facilities.

Each provider requires an appointment for getting the vaccine in that age range.

The Forsyth health department said appointments can be scheduled at Bit.Ly/FCNCCovidVaccine. Vaccine clinic hours for that age group will be noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays.

Swift said the department has been serving between 30 and 70 individuals per day, with about half of those being in the ages 6 months to 4 range.

We are seeing a good bit of interest, Swift said.

Swift said there have been a few situations in which parents opted to get their booster shot at the same time as their childs first shot.

Its interesting that anytime we have a new group of eligible individuals it creates more interest, and its not just all little children, Swift said.

Dr. Christopher Ohl, an infectious diseases expert with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, said Thursday that turnout is pretty good for COVID-19 vaccinations in the age group.

It could be better, and I would not call it robust, but its summertime and people are on vacation, Ohl said.

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.

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.

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.

Ohl said its uncertain whether there will be specialized booster shot for those under age 18 by the fall.

Ohl said the second or third vaccine dose for the age group can be provided between four to eight weeks after the first.

My suggestion is to wait eight weeks between the shots, Ohl said.

Ohl said that data from Canadian public health providers show that the vaccine is more effective at an eight-week interval, and side effects  such as fever and soreness  tend to be more moderate.

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The controversial ICE sheriffs cooperation legislation has been successfully fast-tracked through the General Assembly in the final week of the regular 2022 session.

Senate Bill 101 resurfaced last week after being dormant since March 2021. Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, is among the bill cosponsors.

The Republican-sponsored SB101, titled Require Cooperation with ICE 2.0, cleared the House floor by a partisan 65-47 vote Thursday after objections were stated by several Democrat legislators.

Since the House made a slight change to SB101, the Senate was required to agree or reject the change.

The Senate voted Friday 25-19  also along partisan lines  to accept the changes.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has 10 days to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature.

Because there were no House or Senate Democrat votes in support of SB101, it is likely that a Cooper veto will stand.

At least 32 Senate and 72 House votes are required to overturn a governor's veto.

SB101 is similar in legislation to House Bill 370, which Cooper successfully vetoed in August 2019.

Cooper's office could not be immediately reached for comment about his plans for SB101.

The governor has previously expressed concern about politically motivated laws that allow Washington, D.C., to supersede local law enforcements ability to keep our communities safe, and this appears to be one of those, Mary Scott Winstead, deputy communications director for Cooper, said Tuesday in discussing SB101.

Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson, and primary bill sponsor, said changes made to SB101 addresses Coopers concerns in HB370.

Edwards told the Rules and Operations committee that SB101 is necessary because a number of sheriffs have refused to cooperate with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

This is a bill intended to keep criminals off of the streets, Edwards said.

Rep. Dustin Hall, R-Catawba, said during the House floor that SB101 would prevent sheriffs who arent cooperating with ICE officials from putting politics over public safety.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. wasnt available for comment on the latest versions of SB101.

Kimbrough opposed previous legislative efforts involving SB101 in March 2021 and HB370 in 2019. Similar opposition has been stated by other urban county sheriffs.

Edwards cited what he calls increased interest in SB101 from sheriffs that border the urban counties that crime is escalating and more and more incidents of human trafficking, drug use and increased gang activity.

SB101 details

The current version of SB101 would require sheriffs to:

* Inform ICE when a person charged with certain felony offenses is in custody and legal residency or U.S. citizenship status is undetermined.

According to SB101, those felony offenses are: homicide; rape and other sex offenses; kidnapping and abduction; human-trafficking offenses; certain gang-related offenses; an A1 misdemeanor or felony assault, such as assault on a female and the other most serious misdemeanors; and violation of a domestic violence protective order.

If this bill becomes law, then it would be mandatory that sheriffs cooperate with the ICE detainer, said co-primary sponsor Sen. Norman Sanderson, R-Craven.

* Require a judicial official to order that a prisoner subject to a detainer and administrative warrant be held in custody for 48 hours or until ICE resolves the request.

The daily cost for detaining a person for potential ICE pickup is between $137 and $300, depending on the jail, Edwards said Tuesday. On Thursday, Edwards said the net cost per detainee is $10 to $20.

* Create reporting requirements related to ICE queries.

Edwards said the current version of SB101 does make the same requirements of sheriff offices across the state (as HB370) with two major differences.

Instead of requiring a query of ICE on any infraction of anyone who is brought into a jail, it only requires an inquiry when someone is accused of the most heinous crimes.

Edwards said the second major difference reflects concerns expressed by Cooper about potential criminal penalties for sheriffs who decline to cooperate with ICE involving jail detainees.

The initial version of SB101 would have made it a class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a 120-day jail sentence and a discretionary fine. Subsequent language 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.

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 penalties are eliminated in the 2.0 version, Edwards said Tuesday.

SB101 background

In March 2021, the state Senate approved SB101 along partisan lines by a 27-20 vote.

The bill sat in House Rules and Operations until being sent Friday to Judiciary 4.

SB101 was amended Tuesday to 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.

What SB101 will do is require local law enforcement to work with federal immigration officials in the interest of public safety amid growing public concern ... about people who have come across our borders illegally, Edwards said.

SB101 creates a process for a judicial official to follow for every person in custody who is subject to an ICE detainer or administrative warrant.

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.

Rep. Vernetta Alston, D-Durham, said she opposed SB101 primarily because of the oversight and financial burden it places on sheriff offices that adds to their workload, as well as questioning the constitutionality of the 48-hour confinement period.

Edwards countered by saying if SB101 were to impose a financial burden on sheriff offices, it would be an illustration of just how desperately this bill is needed ... because it means there would be more folks charged with heinous crimes required to be detained.

According to ICEs website, there are 15 local law enforcement agencies in North Carolina listed as participating entities in what is known as the 287(g) program.

That includes the Alamance, Randolph and Rockingham sheriffs offices in the Triad and Northwest N.C.

We are a law-abiding law enforcement agency, Kimbrough said in March 2021. 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.

Edwards said the N.C. Sheriffs Association was in strong support of (HB370) in 2019. On this version, they have chosen to take no action, which to me says that they are in still in full support of the concept.

Hall repeated the associations strong support during the House floor debate.

The sheriffs association has not issued any statement on this legislation, last year or this year, Eddie Caldwell, the associations general counsel, said Tuesday.

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Alcohol in space: the position of star-forming molecular cloud Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) close to the central source of the Milky Way, Sgr A*. The image, taken from the GLOSTAR Galactic Plane Survey (Effelsberg & VLA) shows radio sources in the Galactic centre region. The isomers propanol and iso-propanol were both detected in Sgr B2 using the ALMA telescope.

Many of us have probably already - literally - handled the chemical compound iso-propanol: it can used as an antiseptic, a solvent or a cleaning agent. But this substance is not only found on Earth: researchers led by Arnaud Belloche from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn have now detected the molecule in interstellar space for the first time.

It was observed in a "delivery room" of stars, the massive star-forming region Sagittarius B2, which is located near the centre of our Milky Way. The molecular cloud is the target of an extensive investigation of its chemical composition with the ALMA telescope in the Chilean Atacama Desert.

The search for molecules in space has been going on for more than 50 years. To date, astronomers have identified 276 molecules in the interstellar medium. The Cologne Database for Molecular Spectroscopy (CDMS) provides spectroscopic data to detect these molecules, contributed by many research groups, and has been instrumental in their detection in many cases.

The goal of the present work is to understand how organic molecules form in the interstellar medium, in particular in regions where new stars are born, and how complex these molecules can be. The underlying motivation is to establish connections to the chemical composition of bodies in the Solar system such as comets, as delivered for instance by the Rosetta mission to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko a few years ago.

An outstanding star forming region in our Galaxy where many molecules were detected in the past is Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2), which is located close to the famous source Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole in the centre of our Galaxy.

"Our group began to investigate the chemical composition of Sgr B2 more than 15 years ago with the IRAM 30-m telescope", says Arnaud Belloche from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn/Germany, the leading author of the detection paper. "These observations were successful and led in particular to the first interstellar detection of several organic molecules, among many other results."

With the advent of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) ten years ago, it became possible to go beyond what could be achieved toward Sgr B2 with a single-dish telescope and a long-term study of the chemical composition of Sgr B2 was started that took advantage of the high angular resolution and sensitivity provided by ALMA.

So far, the ALMA observations have led to the identification of three new organic molecules (iso-propyl cyanide, N-methylformamide, urea) since 2014. The latest result within this ALMA project is now the detection of propanol (C3H7OH).

Propanol is an alcohol, and is now the largest in this class of molecules that has been detected in interstellar space. This molecule exists in two forms ("isomers"), depending on which carbon atom the hydroxyl (OH) functional group is attached to: 1) normal-propanol, with OH bound to a terminal carbon atom of the chain, and 2) iso-propanol, with OH bound to the central carbon atom in the chain. Iso-propanol is also well known as the key ingredient in hand sanitizers on Earth. Both isomers of propanol in Sgr B2 were identified in the ALMA data set. It is the first time that iso-propanol is detected in the interstellar medium, and the first time that normal-propanol is detected in a star forming region. The first interstellar detection of normal-propanol was obtained shortly before the ALMA detection by a Spanish research team with single-dish radio telescopes in a molecular cloud not far from Sgr B2. The detection of iso-propanol toward Sgr B2, however, was only possible with ALMA.

"The detection of both isomers of propanol is uniquely powerful in determining the formation mechanism of each. Because they resemble each other so much, they behave physically in very similar ways, meaning that the two molecules should be present in the same places at the same times", says Rob Garrod from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville/USA). "The only open question is the exact amounts that are present - this makes their interstellar ratio far more precise than would be the case for other pairs of molecules. It also means that the chemical network can be tuned much more carefully to determine the mechanisms by which they form."

The ALMA telescope network was essential for the detection of both isomers of propanol toward Sgr B2, thanks to its high sensitivity, its high angular resolution, and its broad frequency coverage. One difficulty in the identification of organic molecules in the spectra of star forming regions is the spectral confusion. Each molecule emits radiation at specific frequencies, its spectral "fingerprint", which is known from laboratory measurements.

"The bigger the molecule, the more spectral lines at different frequencies it produces. In a source like Sgr B2, there are so many molecules contributing to the observed radiation that their spectra overlap and it is difficult to disentangle their fingerprints and identify them individually", says Holger Muller from Cologne University where laboratory work especially on normal-propanol was performed.

Thanks to ALMA's high angular resolution, it was possible to isolate parts of Sgr B2 that emit very narrow spectral lines, five times narrower than the lines detected on larger scales with the IRAM 30-m radio telescope! The narrowness of these lines reduces the spectral confusion, and this was key for the identification of both isomers of propanol in Sgr B2. The sensitivity of ALMA also played a key role: it would not have been possible to identify propanol in the collected data if the sensitivity had been just twice worse.

This research is a long-standing effort to probe the chemical composition of sites in Sgr B2 where new stars are being formed, and thereby understand the chemical processes at work in the course of star formation. The goal is to determine the chemical composition of the star forming sites, and possibly identify new interstellar molecules. "Propanol has long been on our list of molecules to search for, but it is only thanks to the recent work done in our laboratory to characterize its rotational spectrum that we could identify its two isomers in a robust way", says Oliver Zingsheim, also from Cologne University.

Detecting closely related molecules that slightly differ in their structure (such as normal- and iso-propanol or, as was done in the past: normal- and iso-propyl cyanide) and measuring their abundance ratio allows the researchers to probe specific parts of the chemical reaction network that leads to their production in the interstellar medium.

"There are still many unidentified spectral lines in the ALMA spectrum of Sgr B2 which means that still a lot of work is left to decipher its chemical composition. In the near future, the expansion of the ALMA instrumentation down to lower frequencies will likely help us to reduce the spectral confusion even further and possibly allow the identification of additional organic molecules in this spectacular source", concludes Karl Menten, Director at the MPIfR and Head of its Millimeter and Submillimeter Astronomy research department.

Interstellar detection and chemical modeling of iso-propanol and its normal isomer, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2022). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202243575



Astrobiology, Astrochemistry

Please follow Astrobiology on Twitter.
Azerbaijani president names judges to several courts

01 July 2022 [15:57] -

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree appointing judges to several courts of the first instance, Azernews reports. To be updated

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A Durham nonprofit that focuses on assisting people with substance abuse disorders has spent $1.07 million to purchase the Fayetteville Street apartment complex in Winston-Salem.

The sale of the 19-unit campus at 215 Fayetteville St. was closed Wednesday, according to a Forsyth County Register of Deeds filing. The property is near UNC School of the Arts.

The buyer is TROSA Residential Inc., while the seller was Cardinal Winston Properties LLC of Chantilly, Va.

TROSA spokeswoman Kristin Pearson said Friday the plan is for the apartment complex to be used by TROSA program graduates and staff.

"TROSA has a Continuing Care department dedicated to empowering our graduates to be positive members of their communities, and this includes providing a year of transitional housing to those who have graduated our program," Pearson said.

"As housing costs continue to rise both locally and nationwide, having access to safe, stable, low-cost sober housing for our graduates is important." Pearson said.

"In turn, having the presence of our graduates and staff living nearby our campus provides our program participants with ongoing mentorship, support and positive role models in recovery.

The complex is 6.5 miles away from a new substance abuse treatment center at 1931 Union Cross Road that TROSA plans to open by late summer.

Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers held a ceremonial groundbreaking in May 2021 at the longtime home of Addiction Recovery Care Association, or ARCA.

The center is projected to have beds for up to 100 men when it opens.

TROSA plans to eventually have beds for 200 people with opioid, alcohol and other substance use disorders by the time it completes its second phase, likely sometime in 2023, Brian Buland, project lead for the Winston-Salem campus, said in May 2021.

We saw that individuals from the Triad region were historically among our most-served residents, and we also knew that our outreach to the more western parts of North Carolina were not as robust as our reach to central and eastern regions, according to a TROSA post on its website about the Winston-Salem center.

TROSA uses an abstinence model to treat people with addictions. Its Durham facility serves the entire state for men and women. Treatment at TROSA is free. It also does not accept insurance.

Clients stay for two years and receive vocational training in areas such as food and hospitality, lawn maintenance and construction.

In addition, TROSA plans to operate a thrift store off Peters Creek Parkway that will generate revenue for the facility while providing some retail training for the men in the program.

TROSA has long wanted to expand into the Triad, Buland said.

Weve seen a significant demand for our services throughout the state, he said. We wanted to branch out and expand our mission and work a little to the west.

In Durham, we tend to serve the Piedmont and coastal regions and by opening in the Triad, we feel like there will be a lot of potential partners and potential funding.

Over the last few years, TROSA has secured a $6 million grant from the N.C. General Assembly, a $1.5 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, and $250,000 in Golden Leaf funds among other revenue sources to build the facility on the six-acre site on Union Cross Road.

Over the course of the next few years, it plans to have about 20 employees, Buland said.

We teach our residents not to just be in a community, but to be part of a community, and thats what were hoping to bring here, Buland said.

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Scientists have identified a gene that appears to increase the risk of Alzheimer's in women, providing a potential new clue as to why more women than men are diagnosed with the disease.

The gene, O6-Methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase, or MGMT, plays an important role in how the body repairs damage to DNA in both men and women. But researchers did not find an association between MGMT and Alzheimer's in men.

"It's a female-specific finding  perhaps one of the strongest associations of a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's in women," said senior study coauthor Lindsay Farrer, chief of biomedical genetics at Boston University School of Medicine.

Two-thirds of the 6.5 million Americans currently living with the devastating brain disease are women, according to the Alzheimer's Association. It's a trend that holds true worldwide.

"Women, due to unique genetic risk factors like APOE 4 and MGMT, and sex-specific risk factors like the sudden reduction in estrogen during the peri-menopause transition, may be in the fast-lane toward the disease, while men are sitting in traffic," said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

The APOE 4 gene is considered the strongest risk factor for the future development of Alzheimer's in people over the age of 65, which is "especially true for women, who are more impacted by APOE 4 than men," Isaacson said.

However, many women with APOE 4 don't develop Alzheimer's while women without the gene may still develop the disease.

"Perhaps MGMT is an important missing piece of the risk prediction puzzle for these women, but further studies are necessary," Isaacson said.

A lucky discovery

The discovery of the new gene's existence was made in two completely separate groups of people. A team of researchers from the University of Chicago were analyzing the genetic makeup of a small group of Hutterian Brethren women who live communally in rural Montana and South Dakota. Hutterites are a closed population who intermarry within their own ranks and keep extensive genealogical records, making them an excellent choice for genetic research.

"The relatively uniform environment and reduced genetic variation in Hutterites increases our power to find associations in smaller sample sizes than required for studies in the general population," said senior study coauthor Carole Ober, chair of human genetics at the University of Chicago, in a statement.

When the new association with MGMT popped up in her analysis, Ober reached out to Boston's Farrer to see if he might help replicate her findings.

Farrer, who was in the midst of a huge genetic analysis of over 10,000 women from the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium study, was surprised by the call.

"I told her we'd found the exact same gene in our analysis," Farrer said. "Two different studies started independently of one another find by serendipity the same gene, which to me adds a lot of confidence that the finding is robust."

The combined study was published Thursday in Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

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Nebraska towns range in size from one resident (Monowi) to more than 400,000, but these are only the settlements that have withstood the test 
A 5-year-old German Shepherd is dead and another dog was treated at Nebraska Animal Medical Center after they were intentionally poisoned in west Lincoln, according to police.

Vici, the German Shepherd, died after a poisoning reported to the city's Animal Control Division on May 19, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.

City employees installed a trail camera to monitor the property near West B and South Folsom streets, where an unknown male inserted a can of food into a dog kennel in a second attempted poisoning May 31, Vollmer said.

The food contained unknown orange pellets that police sent to the Iowa State Veterinary Laboratory for testing.

The second dog, a 3-year-old lab named Lyla, was inside at the time of the second incident and did not consume additional poison, Vollmer said.

Police asked anyone with information on the incident to contact the department at 402-441-6000.

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A 23-year-old man who had been on work release from Lincoln's Community Corrections Center did not return to the facility after his shift Friday morning and is now considered an escapee, according to authorities.

Seth Straub was set to become parole eligible later this month, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services said in a news release.

He had been serving a three- to five-year sentence on a theft charge out of Hitchcock County, the department said. Straub, who began his sentence in April 2021, had a tentative release date of July 19, 2023.

Straub, 5-foot-10, weighs 210 pounds. Corrections officials asked anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts to contact local authorities or the Nebraska State Patrol.

Inmates at community custody facilities in Nebraska are allowed to participate in work opportunities and to attend school and religious services without supervision.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley

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Eighteen rail cars fell from the track and a nearby bridge collapsed when a BNSF coal train derailed Thursday evening southeast of Bennet, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred at about 5 p.m. Thursday near 190th Street and Bennet Road, spilling coal along the rail line and forcing the adjacent road to close for several hours, Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said.

The derailment site is about 10 miles southeast of Lincoln.

Houchin said a bridge along the rail line collapsed as a result of the incident and the tracks beneath the train were torn up. He said the line that extends through south Lincoln won't be operable for three weeks.

"BNSF personnel are on site and using heavy equipment to clear the location and assist with repairs," company spokesman Ben Wilemon said in a statement, adding that the railway is investigating the cause of the derailment.

The incident marks the second derailment along the same set of tracks in just more than a year. In June 2021, 10 cars derailed near 148th Street and Bennet Road after days of heavy rain saturated the area.

A coal train heads east daily on the line servicing the Omaha Public Power District plant in Nebraska City. An empty train then returns over the same route each day.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley

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The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday rejected a convicted killer's latest attempt to challenge the sentence that landed him on death row.

John Lotter's attorney had presented a two-pronged argument to the Supreme Court last year, arguing that a district court judge had ruled improperly in denying the 51-year-old an evidentiary hearing to consider whether his intellectual level should keep him from being executed.

"An evidentiary hearing is required in this case," attorney Rebecca Woodman argued in February 2021, railing against a district court's ruling that Lotter's relief claim of intellectual incompetency could not be considered because of time and procedural issues.

Lotter was sentenced to death for his role in the 1993 killings of Brandon Teena and two witnesses, Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine. He has maintained his innocence in the killings at a Humboldt farmhouse. His co-defendant, Thomas Nissen, is serving life sentences for the part he played in the crimes.

In a 41-page ruling issued Friday, the state's Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision on each of Woodman's arguments.

One portion of Lotter's latest motion revolved around what the court termed his "LB268" claim, referring to the 2015 bill passed by the Legislature ending the death penalty in Nebraska. That law was later repealed by a statewide ballot referendum in which more than 60% of voters opted to reinstate the death penalty.

Lotter's attorney posited that when the Legislature passed LB268, it effectively vacated his death sentence, so the subsequent repeal of the law amounted to a re-imposition of the sentences and violated his due process rights.

Relying on previous Nebraska Supreme Court cases that examined nearly identical arguments, the district court judge dispatched that claim as "meritless," a decision the Supreme Court again upheld Friday.

At the heart of Lotter's latest motion, though, was his attorney's argument that he was diagnosed as intellectually disabled in 2018 and therefore is ineligible for imposition of the death penalty under U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

Woodman, a lawyer at the Missouri-based nonprofit law firm Center For Death Penalty Litigation, argued that an expert who evaluated Lotter determined his full-scale IQ was 67 in 2018, which the expert said was consistent with mild intellectual disability.

But neither the district court nor Supreme Court vetted the actual merits of that claim when the courts ruled on Lotter's motion, instead finding that "the claim was both procedurally barred and time barred under Nebraska postconviction law," according to Friday's order.

The law referenced in the ruling requires defendants to make postconviction relief claims within a year from any of five triggering events.

Lotter's attorney pointed to the 2018 evaluation as a triggering event for the appeal, originally filed in March of that year, arguing that Lotter could not have possibly sought relief before that point since "the factual predicate for his claim did not exist until he was diagnosed."

But, in its denial of that argument, the justices noted that evidence of Lotter's intellectual disability was mentioned during his trial more than 20 years ago.

The high court also pointed to Woodman's own admission that one of Lotter's prior attorneys had made an effort to raise an intellectual disability claim in the early 2000s but abandoned the effort.

"As such, we agree with the district court that Lotter could have discovered, through the exercise of due diligence, the factual predicate to support a constitutional claim of intellectual disability ... long before March 2018," the court said.

The ruling clears the latest legal challenge to Lotter's death sentence, though his execution is far from guaranteed. The state has only executed one death row inmate in the last 25 years and, like other states, has faced challenges in acquiring the combination of drugs required for lethal injections.

In 2018, the state executed Carey Dean Moore using a four-drug combination that until then hadnt been used for that purpose. After public documents released after a court battle revealed Community Pharmacy Services in Gretna had obtained the drugs and sold them to the state, the companys owner issued a statement saying it regretted the decision.

The Department of Correctional Services said last year it was still pursuing execution drugs.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley

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In honor of Independence Day, The Lincoln Journal Star is providing unlimited access to all of our content from June 28th-July 4th! Presented by University of Nebraska - Lincoln
LONDON (AP)  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has appealed against the British's government decision last month to order his extradition to the U.S.

The appeal was filed Friday at the High Court, the latest twist in a decade-long legal saga sparked by his website's publication of classified U.S. documents. No further details about the appeal were immediately available.

Assange's supporters staged protests before his 51st birthday this weekend, with his wife Stella Assange among people who gathered outside the Home Office on Friday to call for his release from prison.

Julian Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse.

American prosecutors say the Australian citizen helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A British court ruled in April that Assange could be sent to face trial in the U.S., sending the case to the U.K. government for a decision. Home Secretary Priti Patel signed an order on June 17 authorizing Assanges extradition.

The Australian government has been under mounting pressure to intervene, but last month Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected calls for him to publicly demand that Washington drop its prosecution of Assange.

Assanges supporters and lawyers maintain he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech. They argue that the case is politically motivated, that he would face inhumane treatment and be unable to get a fair trial in the U.S.

Assange remains in Londons high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has been since he was arrested in 2019 for skipping bail during a separate legal battle. Before that, he spent seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but British judges have kept Assange in prison pending the outcome of the extradition case.

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

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YORK  Friday marked the day York College became York University.

The York College Board of Trustees had approved the name change for the 130-year-old school in mid-January.

The universitys president, Sam Smith, explained that the process  from an unaccredited junior college many years ago to accreditation to offering four-year degrees to adding graduate programs  has been years in the making.

University will more accurately describe Yorks profile as a comprehensive higher education institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs that encompass the liberal arts, pre-professional preparations and professional studies," he said.

He said the word "college" often infers a two-year program  and that hasnt been the case for the York institution in a long time.

This reflects what we already are, Smith said.

The transition has been undergirded by a $15.9 million fundraising campaign  which was started a year ago and intended to be a three-year campaign. Smith said the goal has almost been met.

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By Trend

Venezuela supports the objective of building a better world together, and the Baku Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Parliamentary Network is of utmost importance for this purpose, Second Vice President of the Venezuelan National Assembly Vanesa Montero Lopez said at the Conference on July 1, Trend reports.

According to her, Venezuela intends to establish cooperation with the NAM member states.

"We should make considerable efforts to build a more humane future, as well as to overcome the challenges facing humanity. Considering Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, we're ready to promote these initiatives together. The Baku Conference is highly commendable for developing relations at the parliamentary level," Lopez said.
RACINE  A Kenosha man has been accused of selling crack cocaine, fentanyl and MDMA in Racine.

Travis A. Rasmussen, 39, of the 6800 block of 14th Avenue, was charged with four felony counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place, three felony counts of deliver less than or equal to 10 grams of fentanyl, two felony counts of manufacture/deliver between 1-5 grams of cocaine and manufacture/deliver less than or equal to 1 gram of cocaine and a felony count of deliver less than or equal to 3 grams of designer drugs.

According to a criminal complaint:

An agent with the Racine County Metro Drug Unit utilized a confidential informant to buy controlled substances from Rasmussen at a residence in the 800 block of St. Patrick Street.

Between April and May, the confidential informant purchased 0.7 grams of crack cocaine, 4.5 grams of cocaine and fentanyl, and 0.8 grams of MDMA and fentanyl.

Rasmussen was given a $10,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is July 7 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online court records show.

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An Indiana man facing criminal property damage charges for releasing otters and owls from a Baraboo zoo allegedly boasted of the break-in while drinking at a nearby bar, according to a criminal complaint.

Baraboo police were led to Aaron Wayne Hovis, 34, of West Lafayette, Indiana, after a bartender contacted them about a patron who said he had been at the Ochsner Park Zoo and set a bunch of animals free, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in Sauk County Circuit Court.

Hovis went into the Downtowner Bar and Grill, just blocks from the zoo, the day of the break-in and, while drinking shots of Jack Daniels alongside a pet Chiweenie dog, started telling stories that seemed way out there, the bartender told police, according to the complaint.

Hovis, who was walking with a limp, eventually confessed to the bartender that he rolled his ankle jumping the zoos fence, the complaint states.

The Indiana man faces nine counts of criminal property damage for allegedly destroying locks, a door and a gate at the zoo. Hovis also allegedly broke into a bear cage, but only managed to damage one of three doors that fully open the cage.

Between the lock damage and veterinary bills, the break-in cost the zoo $2,100, the complaint states.

On the morning of June 7, police responded to the zoo after staff arrived to find doors broken and a pair of river otters and great horned owls missing from their enclosures. Kayakers found the otters later that day playing in the Baraboo River.

One of the owls, Jerry, was found on June 9 and taken to the zoos veterinarian with two wing fractures and a small eye injury. The other owl, Linda, was eventually captured Tuesday and brought to the vet.

According to the complaint:

Through receipts from the bar, security camera and a northwestern Indiana phone number, Baraboo police reached the mother of Hovis children, who said Hovis had told them three days before the break-in that he planned to release animals from a zoo.

Hovis works as a trucker and makes deliveries to states around Indiana, she told police. The bartender in Baraboo also told police Hovis had arrived in a white semi-cab with no trailer.

Hovis later texted the mother of his children news articles about the break-in and bragged in a phone call that he had liberated animals from the zoo.

The woman told police Hovis had been acting erratically as of late and might have been using meth.

During the investigation, Baraboo authorities were contacted by police in Rensselaer, Indiana, who had arrested Hovis for various warrants on June 15.

While being arrested, Hovis allegedly told his mother that I robbed a (expletive) zoo just to prove this (expletive). He was also talking to police about Baraboo, saying thats where that zoo is.

Hovis remains in custody at the Jasper County Jail in Indiana after being charged there on June 9 with felony counts of bribery, theft and tax evasion, in addition to later charges on June 17 of felony intimidation and resisting arrest, according to online court records.
The state of Oklahoma made use of the death penalty for the first time in nearly seven years on Oct. 28, 2021, with the execution of John Mari
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

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Indirect talks between Iran and the United States to break an impasse over how to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with major powers have ended, EU's envoy Enrique Mora tweeted on Wednesday, Trend reports citing Reuters

"Unfortunately, not yet the progress the EU team as coordinator had hoped-for. We will keep working with even greater urgency to bring back on track a key deal for non-proliferation and regional stability," Mora said.
GIBBON  Seven people are displaced after a house fire Thursday evening in Gibbon.

The Gibbon Volunteer Fire Department was called at 9 p.m. Thursday to a structure fire at 503 West Ave. When firefighters arrived on the scene, smoke had filled the single-story home and there was a fire on the northeast side coming out of a window, said Rick Brown, Gibbon Fire Chief.

It took the firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The fire was contained to one room of the house, but the rest of the structure maintained smoke and heat damage.

Seven people have been displaced, and the American Red Cross has been called to assist them. No one was injured, but Brown reported the residents did lose some birds.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

Brown credited his crew for acting quickly to maintain the fire.

The guys really did a really good job of knocking it down, he said.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission will conduct a reverse auction to fund $13 million of broadband expansion in certain areas of the state.

Broadband companies can apply to take part in the auction through July 15, with the reverse auction set to take place Aug. 8.

In the reverse auction, each census block will receive a starting price, and through successive rounds, companies will lower their bid until a winner is determined.

Winners will be required to demonstrate they can provide broadband speeds of 100 Mbps download and upload to a certain number of areas within the census block.

The funds to pay for expanding high-speed internet access come from redistribution of the Nebraska Universal Service Fund.

The targeted areas are mainly in south-central and northeast Nebraska.

"We see this as another tool along with other NUSF programs and the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Grant Program to get broadband into our rural areas," said Commission Chairman Dan Watermeier.

The Public Service Commission approved the process for the reverse auction in March.
This past week marked the end of the term for the Supreme Court, which handed down its final rulings on several high-profile cases including abortion, gun rights and freedom of religion.

It also marked the end for retiring justice Stephen Breyer and the beginning for his replacement, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

We begin this episode by looking at the final rulings of the term, the transition, public opinion of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and fallout from that case.

The House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 was supposed to be on a recess until after a break for the July 4 holiday. However, the committee called a surprise hearing featuring details from a former aide.

The economy remains a concern and a focus of daily headlines. Its been a tough first six months of the year on Wall Street and most Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.

It was another week of primary elections in the U.S. We have highlights from Tuesday, concerns for Democrats ahead of Novembers midterm elections and an altercation at a grocery store with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was campaigning for his son.

And in other national news, dozens of migrants were found dead in Texas inside of a tractor-trailer, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced and John Hinckley Jr. apologized.

In health news, the World Health Organization says coronavirus cases are on the rise globally. This comes as vaccine makers look at tweaking their formulas to address variants. Also, officials are dealing with the ongoing Monkeypox outbreak.

It was a busy week for President Joe Biden, who was in Europe for G-7 and NATO meetings. The focus of both gatherings was the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In other news, the European Union is working to address climate concerns, a Ukraine mall was hit by a rocket attack and political change in both Israel and Philippines.

 Compiled and narrated by Terry Lipshetz from Associated Press reports

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Brazil's Senate on Thursday approved a major pre-election aid package, sending the government-backed measure to the lower house, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The package includes a 1,000 reais ($192.38) aid for self-employed truckers, a key Bolsonaro constituency. It also increases by 50% the amount paid in the Auxilio Brasil social welfare program, and increases a gas voucher.

At the last minute, government-backed senators managed to include in the proposal two more measures, an aid targeting taxi drivers and to grant more funding to an existing food security program.
Friday, July 1, 2022

By Martha F. Davis, University Distinguished Professor, Northeastern University School of Law, co-director, Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (June 28, 2022)

This blog was originally published at by the Human Rights at Home Blog as part of a Symposium on Dobbs v. Jackson and has been republished here with permission.

Reading Justice Alitos opinion in Dobbs v. JWHO, I was struck by the reference to Geduldig v. Aiello (1974). In dismissing the possibility of an equal protection challenge to abortion restrictions, the Dobbs majority opined that no heightened equal protection review would be available to scrutinize abortion policies because Aiello and its progeny made clear that pregnancy discrimination was not a type of sex discrimination. Aiello concerned Californias failure to include pregnancy as a compensable disability in its unemployment insurance program. In contrast, the law compensated men for disabilities caused by ailments and procedures that affected men alone: for example, vasectomies, circumcision, and prostatectomies. Here is a key passage from that case:

"While it is true that only women can become pregnant, it does not follow that every legislative classification concerning pregnancy is a sex-based classification like those considered in Reed, and Frontiero. . . . Absent a showing that distinctions involving pregnancy are mere pretexts designed to effect an invidious discrimination against the members of one sex or the other, lawmakers are constitutionally free to include or exclude pregnancy from the coverage of legislation such as this on any reasonable basis, just as with respect to any other physical condition."

We now recognize a broader range of people who may experience pregnancy, but Aiellos ruling still stands for the proposition that the disparate impact of abortion restrictions on women does not matter, absent proof of invidious discriminatory intent.

Just how difficult it is to prove the requisite intent was made clear in the case of Bray v. Alexandria Womens Health Clinic (1993). There, the claim made was that the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which engaged in massive and often violent clinic blockades, acted with invidious discriminatory intent in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act, 42 U.S.C. s. 1985(3). John Roberts (yes, that John Roberts) appeared on behalf of the U.S. government to argue in support of Operation Rescue. Justice Scalias opinion for the Court rejected the idea that the violent protests directed against people seeking abortions could be connected to sex discrimination. Wrote Scalia:

"Some activities may be such an irrational object of disfavor that, if they are targeted, and if they also happen to be engaged in exclusively or predominantly by a particular class of people, an intent to disfavor that class can readily be presumed. A tax on wearing yarmulkes is a tax on Jews. But opposition to voluntary abortion cannot possibly be considered such an irrational surrogate for opposition to (or paternalism towards) women."

The Bray case dealt with a private conspiracy that aimed to, but realistically could not, shut off all possibility of obtaining an abortion. But a law like that recently enacted in Oklahoma, that completely bans the choice to have an abortion, goes beyond mere opposition. Isnt it tantamount to a ban on yarmulkes? Isnt it impossible to disentangle any good faith motive  credited by Justice Scalia -- from the means employed in Oklahoma and other states, which deny women decision making authority over their own bodies? Isnt this the very definition of paternalism?

In 2012, Justice Ginsberg raised the alarm over the Aiello decision in her dissent in Coleman v. Maryland Court of Appeals. The case involved the Family and Medical Leave Act, specifically whether in enacting the law, Congress was addressing a pattern of state constitutional violations that would support Congresss abrogation of state sovereign immunity with respect to the FMLAs self-care provision. The majority said no, that because both men and women took medical leave, Congress was not responding to evidence of sex discrimination by the states.

Justice Ginsburg, however, recognized the unique risks of discrimination faced by pregnant employees. According to Justice Ginsburg, "childbearing is not only a biological function unique to women. It is also inextricably intertwined with employers stereotypical views about womens commitment to work and their value as employees. Because pregnancy discrimination is inevitably sex discrimination, and because discrimination against women is tightly interwoven with societys beliefs about pregnancy and motherhood, I would hold that Aiello was egregiously wrong to declare that discrimination on the basis of pregnancy is not discrimination on the basis of sex."

In recent years, we have seen other Supreme Court dissents gradually transform into majority opinions. Importantly, Aiello has been almost uniformly rejected by state courts when they consider whether the disparate impact of pregnancy discrimination on women constituted sex discrimination. The Aiello opinion has been repeatedly criticized by scholars. The approach has been rejected internationally. It has been substantively cited by the U.S. Supreme Court only a few times. It is, to invoke Justice Alitos Dobbs language, exceedingly weak. As long as precedents are on the chopping block, perhaps Aiello should be the next to fall.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2022/07/what-else-is-egregiously-wrong.html
Yuet Tung China Works is Hong Kongs last remaining hand-painted porcelain factory. It is filled with dinnerware  plates, bowls, cups and more. They are all decorated by hand. The pieces have beautiful images of flowers, fruits and animals.

Joseph Tso is the third-generation owner of the factory. Tso and his small team are among the few people in Hong Kong who are experts at the traditional method of painting guangcai, or Canton porcelain.

It is a disappearing art in this modern city. Fewer young people are willing to put in the time and effort required to learn the art form or to work at the factory full-time.

Tso said, The business environment in Hong Kong is not suitable for labor-intensive industries. Labor-intensive industries require a large amount of work in relation to the amount of goods they produce.

Tso explained, Hong Kongs traditional handicraft industry is gradually declining. It will eventually disappear.

Guangcai, which comes from the nearby Chinese city of Guangzhou, uses a special method known as an overglaze technique. The painter draws a design on white porcelain and then fills it in with color using thin brushes before heating the piece in a kiln.

Tsos grandfather established the factory in Hong Kongs Kowloon City in 1928. It became famous over the years for its craftmanship and specially-made dinnerware.

The factory is known for its Canton rose porcelain painted with a color 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 - special pictures used to represent a family  on dinnerware for foreign buyers.

Chris Patten was the last British governor of Hong Kong before the city was returned to China in 1997. He 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 of The Hong Kong Ceramics Research Society.

The porcelain factory breathed at the same pace as the development of Hong Kong, said Yim. She added that if the factory stops its work, it will be an immeasurable loss.

Im John Russell.

Katie Tam reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

_______________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

porcelain  n. a hard, white substance that is very delicate and that is made by baking clay

decorated adj. something made more appealing by placing a design on it

suitable adj. having the right qualities for a particular use

handicraft  n. an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands: an object made by skillful use of your hands

kiln  n. an oven or furnace that is used for hardening, burning, or drying something (such as pottery)

ingredient  n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc.

sector n. an industry or area of an economy

pace  n. the speed at which something happens; the speed at which someone or something moves
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday established limits on the federal governments power to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.

The ruling immediately affects President Joe Biden's plans to deal with climate change by cutting the release of carbon gases into the atmosphere. It also raises new legal questions about government agencies' power to set rules and regulations.

Scientists say greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat and cause the atmosphere to warm.

The court's six-to-three ruling restricted the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal- and gas-fueled electricity plants under the Clean Air Act anti-pollution law. The court's six conservatives were in the majority decision with the three liberals disagreeing.

With Thursdays ruling, the high court overturned a lower court decision in 2021 that had struck down former President Donald Trump's Affordable Clean Energy rule. That regulation, which the Biden administration has said it does not want to keep, would set limits on the EPAs power to regulate emissions from existing power plants.

The Biden administration aims to cut the nations greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of 2030. It says it wants to have an emissions-free power industry by 2035. Power plants produce about 30 percent of carbon dioxide released in the U.S.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion for the court. He wrote that the Clean Air Act does not give the EPA the power to place limits on emissions in the way it proposed. He said Congress must speak clearly on this subject.

A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body, he wrote.

Conservative activists have long supported measures to reduce agency power in what some called a "war on the administrative state." They want lawmakers in Congress to authorize action on issues of broad importance and societal impact.

In January, the conservative justices also blocked the Biden administration's vaccine policy for large businesses meant to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan said the majoritys decision takes away the power that Congress gave the agency to deal with the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.

Kagan added that the majority has a clear goal: "Prevent agencies from doing important work, even though that is what Congress directed."

Complicated issues

The justices heard arguments in the case on February 28. That was the same day that a United Nations report warned that the effects of climate change are about to get much worse. It said the warming of the earth would likely make people sicker and hungrier in the coming years.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, criticized the court's ruling. He called it "dangerously misguided and abhorrent.

Schumer said, like the courts ruling on guns and abortions, Thursday's decision "will cause more needless deaths - in this instance because of more pollution that will exacerbate the climate crisis and make our air and water less clean and safe."

Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican, praised the decision. He said the ruling restates that Congress never intended the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for the states."

The decision was issued on the final day of rulings for the court's current term. The day also marked the swearing-in of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African-American woman on the Supreme Court.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Hai Do adapted this story for VOA Learning English from Associate Press and Reuters reports.

_______________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

regulation n. (usually pl.) an official rule or law that says how something should be done

magnitude n. size, extent or importance

consequence n. importance, value

pursuant to prep. in a way that agrees with or follows something

authorize v. to give legal or official approval

dissent n. to publicly disagree with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs

exacerbate v. to make a situation worse than it already is

intend v. to have something in mind as a purpose or goal

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LEXINGTON  Dates for a jury trial have been set for a Lexington man charged with first degree murder in the July 6, 2021 drive-by shooting of Marcus Keyser.

Francisco Hernandez-Corona, 19, is charged with first degree murder, a Class 1A felony with use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Class 1C felony.

Hernandez-Coronas lawyer, Brian Davis of Cozad, filed a notice that the jury trial would begin on Monday, Aug. 22 and conclude on Friday, Aug. 26.

Dawson County District Court Judge James Doyle set the new pre-trial hearing date for Friday, July 22 at 8:30 a.m.

About 2 a.m. July 6, Lexington police officers, Dawson County Sheriffs deputies and Nebraska State Patrol troopers responded to an anonymous report of possible gun shots in the 800 block of West Ninth Street in Lexington, but did not find anything at that time, according to the Lexington Police Department.

Two blocks away, officers later located a Ford Explorer; Adalberto Saenz-Gonzalez, 19, and Hernandez-Corona were inside. According to court documents, both were allegedly intoxicated and in possession of alcohol. They were arrested on suspicion of being minors in possession. Both had iPhones that were taken later as evidence.

About 3:10 a.m., Medical Rescue was dispatched to 800 W. 9th St. for an unresponsive male lying on the ground with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. Marcus Keyser, 23, was pronounced dead at that time.

Keysers iPhone was collected as evidence, according to court documents.

Officers found several bullet holes at the residence Keyser was found in front of, as well as the neighbors home. Two more bullet holes were found in a vehicle parked along West 9th, according to court records. No brass ammunition casings were located at the scene.

Police say security camera footage from Caseys showed Saenz-Gonzalez and Hernandez-Corona entering the North Adams Caseys General Store at 1:31 a.m.; Keyser entered the store at 1:33 a.m.

After an encounter with Hernandez-Corona, Keyser began to walk back to West 9th Street.

Lexington officers gave the mens iPhones to Investigator Dan Warrington with the Kearney Police Department, who has technology to perform forensic downloads of cellphone data.

Keysers cellphone had a health application that recorded his steps and distance traveled, as well as a time and date stamp associated with the information.

According to that data, after leaving Caseys, Keyser walked around 1,000 feet to West 9th Street, arriving at 1:44 a.m. After this, there was no health or phone activity.

Based on this information and the report of the gunshot at 1:47 a.m., it is believed Keyser was killed around this time.

When interviewed at the Dawson County Jail, Saenz-Gonzalez and Hernandez-Corona agreed to speak, saying they were together for several hours before they were arrested but denied any involvement in the shooting.

Location data from Saenz-Gonzalezs iPhone showed the phone at Caseys at 1:31 a.m., consistent with security video at Caseys. Around 1:36 a.m., the data places the phone traveling on the Adams Street overpass, then near Hernandez-Coronas residence on West Maple Street.

At 1:46 a.m., the data indicated the Saenz-Gonzalezs phone was at 9th and Ontario Street, where Keysers body was found.

After Saenz-Gonzalez and Hernandez-Corona were arrested for minors in possession, they were booked into the Dawson County Jail. Both posted $100 bail later on July 6 and were released. They were arrested again July 26.
LEXINGTON  Questions were raised by Plum Creek Care Center about the City of Lexington purchasing the Avamere facility during the city council meeting on Tuesday, June 28.

On June 1, Avamere at Lexington announced its permanent closure and that the community would be closed by July 31. At the time, the property had been purchased by a limited liability company from Roswell, N.M.

Later, on June 15, the City of Lexington announced it would be purchasing the facility from the New Mexico LLC, no later than Aug. 1. This closing will impact the community by displacing the senior residents currently living in the facility and eliminating approximately 40 jobs, City Manager Joe Pepplitsch said in a press release.

The City intends to lease the facility to a local non-profit corporation that will be formed to operate a senior assisted living community beginning Aug. 1, 2022. This structure will allow the facility to become self-sustainable moving forward, with local input, local care, and local control, the release stated.

During the city councils discussion of the purchase agreement and closing documents for the Avamere property, Keith Sladky, Vice President of Operations with Lantis Enterprises expressed questions.

It was noted the Lantis family has owned Plum Creek Care Center for nearly 40 years.

Sladky said the city purchasing the Avamere property gets them involved in a private industry and competes with Plum Creek Care Center.

I feel the city purchasing a business to directly compete with our business is probably unprecedented, Sladky said.

He said he feels that the citys purchase could put a damper how Plum Creek Care Center operates, Sladky also noted due to the COVID-19 outbreak they had sustained some losses and saw their costs increase.

Sladky asked if Plum Creek Care Center can no longer operate, if the city would purchase the facility as well.

When Sladky was expressing concern about Plum Creek Care Center being at a competitive disadvantage, Mayor John Fagot said the facility will not be tax exempt.

Fagot continued saying, The city is more or less acting as a banker and we will be putting this in play with a board at first, not run by any of us (city council) here. Then we will have to see where we go from there.

One possible outcome is the city acting as a bridge so the facility could return to the ownership of a private business, Fagot said. He also noted the Avamere facility was built with assisted living use in mind and it would be hard to change it over to something else.

It is not our intention to do anything to hinder your operations or compete any differently than how they have co-existed for years, Fagot said to Sladky.

Fagot also said the council discussed if Plum Creek Care Center is in a redevelopment area and there are things they need to do to improve the facility or make it more vital, the city has economic development funds or redevelopment funds the center could use.

We want to stress, that absolutely if there is something we can do to help you improve your facility, dont hesitate to contact us, Fagot said.

Sladky said he would take the citys comments back to the Lantis family.

After the discussion, the city council approved the purchase of the Avamare property for $1,200,000.00, with the closing date to be held on or before Aug. 1.

The next item on the agenda was a development agreement between the City of Lexington and Dawson County.

Per the agreement, the city would take over the Dawson County Road Department building on the corner of W. 8th and Ontario St., while the county would take over a 10 acre tract near E. Prospect Road and Road 434 so they can build a new road building.

After agreeing on the exact wording of the contract, the Dawson County commissioners had approved the agreement during their meeting Friday. The city council in turned approved it, as well.

When asked what the city intends for the property, Fagot said they will tear down the building and find a best use for the space in the future.

The council then discussed if they would concur with the acceptance of a low bid for the St. Anns Parish Center Community Development Block grant project.

Pepplitsch noted the city is acting as a conduit for the funds which will be passed to a non-profit.

St. Anns Parish Center, the former St. Anns High School, is planned to be improved, with updates to the gym, bathrooms and basic structural improvements to the roof and doors.

The council approved the low bid of $452,000 from Lacy Construction Company of Grand Island.

A resolution for allocating levy authority to the Lexington Airport Authority was also presented. Pepplitsch said the request was $162,000.00, an increase from past requests as the airports operating costs have risen. The council approved the resolution.

The council sat as a board of equalization to consider assessments related to property maintenance abatement fees.

There were three properties in question, one of 15th St. with $500 in mowing costs, 7st St. with $205 in mowing costs and 12th St., with $170 in mowing costs.

The council approved a levy and assessment against the properties, a special tax to pay for the citys costs.

The council also approved a Walmart liquor license manager application for Christel Armstrong.

The council then entered executive session at 5:50 p.m. to discuss real estate negotiations.
Fred Krieg received a call at 6:30 a.m. from a truck driver notifying him that his farm about two miles west of Lingle was under water as the result of a breach of the Interstate Canal. By later Friday morning, that breach threatened the small Wyoming town.

After I got the phone call, I called my farmer and he said we got a massive water problem, Krieg said. He could see about a 20 foot section broke out of the Tri-state ditch ruptured and it was dumping water downhill to our property.

Dan Ellis, who leases the Krieg farm ground, Well, I've heard of it happening. But this is the first time I've ever witnessed it and it's a lot of water."

Krieg and his wife, Sue, rent the house on their farm, which was quickly evacuated. He said the first floor of the house along with the barn were under water Friday morning. Sue said the water was running down both sides of U.S. Highway 26 toward Lingle when they tried to reach their farm.

Ellis said about 550 head of cattle were moved out of Brian Greenwalds feedyard before it became completely flooded.

They got the canal shut off but it's gonna take quite a while for it to drain, Ellis said. It drains back both directions for a while and then we get a lot of our water out of the little ditch, the Lucerne canal and it broke it out, too. So its running water too but not near the volume.

According to an alert issued by the U.S. National Weather Service-Cheyenne office, by mid-morning, residents of Lingle have been advised to evacuate due to the canal breach one mile east of Lingle.

A Flash Flood Emergency has been issued for the Lingle area. The warning stated, "This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!"

The Flash Flood Emergency is in effect in and near Lingle until 4 p.m. The weather service advised that a Whalen Dam operator reported that flow in the canal should begin to recede after 2 p.m.

Nicole Heldt is a reporter with the Star-Herald, covering agriculture. She can be reached at 308-632-9044 or by email at nheldt@starherald.com.
By Trend

Board Chairman of Kazakhstans KazMunayGas (KMG) NC JSC Magzum Mirzagaliyev met with President of Russian Transneft PJSC Nikolai Tokarev in Moscow on June 30, Trend reports via KMG.

According to the company, the parties discussed pressing issues of the activities of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) for the transportation of Kazakh oil, and noted the importance of the CPC project for the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Russia.

Mirzagaliyev stressed that Transneft PJSC is a long-term and reliable partner of KMG in the field of transportation and transit of Kazakh oil.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to the current situation at the CPC marine terminal in connection with the demining of especially dangerous items in the area of the single point moorings (SPMs) - SPM-1 and SPM-2.

Work on the additional search and disposal of underwater potentially hazardous items in the water area of SPM-1 and SPM-2 has been carried out by the Russian Emergencies Ministry since June 15 this year. The operation of SPM-3 is carried out in the normal mode. It was originally planned to complete the demining work by June 25, however, due to weather conditions, they were extended until July 5.

The parties were informed that the ongoing demining work in the SPM-2 area is being completed, and from July 1, the oil pipeline will operate using two single point moorings. Work on additional search and demining in the water area of SPM-1 is planned to be completed by July 5.

The heads of KMG and Transneft PJSC noted that under the above conditions, CPC ensures uninterrupted shipment of Kazakh oil in accordance with the schedules of shippers.

After exchanging views on the progress of demining work in the area of SPM-1 and SPM-2, Mirzagaliyev and Tokarev expressed their hope for the timely completion of the work and confirmed the importance of the stable operation of all three single point moorings.

The heads of KMG and Transneft stressed their satisfaction with the dynamics of relations between the companies in all aspects of joint activities and stated that the cooperation between the parties is carried out in the spirit of mutual understanding and partnership.

Shareholders of CPC JSC are Transneft PJSC (31 percent). KazMunayGas NC JSC (20.75 percent), Chevron (15 percent), LUKOIL (12.5 percent), ExxonMobil (7.5 percent), Rosneft-Shell (7.5 percent), Shell (3.75 percent), and Eni (two percent).
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Animal clinic threatened after viral dog video

Threats were lodged against the Angelina Animal Hospital Thursday morning, following news that Lorenzo Johnson, a man accused of abusing his dogs, would be getting his animals back.

Johnson was accused of animal cruelty and torture after a video surfaced in which he was recorded whipping his dogs. Sheriffs deputies arrested him on June 22 following hundreds of calls and reports after the video went viral.

News broke Wednesday, however, that Justice of the Peace Donnie Puckett was permitting Johnson to regain custody of the three dogs confiscated after his arrest. The case is still pending, but Johnson was given 30 days to have certain health issues resolved with the animals or risk of losing them again and facing criminal charges.

This decision came, in part, because of a medical examination by local veterinarian Dr. Lindsay Syler, owner of Angelina Animal Hospital, and her staff.

The hospital is the only emergency animal clinic in the area and has worked with the city of Lufkin and Angelina County on cases like this and others in the past, she said. She does not decide when these cases hit her doorstep but tries to remain objective in each assessment, she said.

Unbiased facts make a better exam, she said.

Syler and her staff avoided the video online and kept away from social media surrounding the situation because she had a feeling the dogs would be coming to her, she said.

We have to do a head to tail exam, she said. So well start with a dog or animal  it could be a horse or whatever animal is under that investigation.

The results of the exam were used in a hearing in Pucketts courtroom that ultimately led to Johnson regaining custody of the dogs. Syler and her staff were not asked their opinions on whether Johnson should be given custody, she said. But the community responded to this news with repeated threats against veterinarian staff and the hospital.

Were an emergency hospital  our phones ring off the hook, said Stormy Hannah, the clinics practice manager. Unfortunately, we spent a lot of our time going through (the threatening) phone calls and trying to get on the line with emergencies. Actual emergencies.

Staff can only say so much, but Syler and her team were not the ones who ultimately made the decision on what would happen with Johnsons dogs. They only could report on what they found in the examination, Syler said.

Syler examined three dogs starting with their mouths, ears, and everything down to the tail, she said. In this case, she and her staff were looking for whip marks, bruises or slashes. She watched the dogs walk to see if they were lame and she made note of their demeanor.

If theyve been whipped or abused, then they shouldnt want to be around us, she said.

The dogs were perfectly friendly and sociable, she said. They were happy to be around people, even strangers.

The dogs were not malnourished, and Syler found no marks on any of the dogs, but did note that they had fleas, heartworms, intestinal worms and one or two had ear infections. Johnson will have to do a lot to retain custody of his animals, she said.

Theres a battery of things he has to do for three dogs, she said. Do you realize the expense of that? Thats a lot. But the thing is, the thing the community has to realize is: Do you know how many people I see with those kinds of problems every day?

She saw 10 people with the same problems just on Thursday.

Hannah asked whether those symptoms would be considered abuse or neglect if they had not been brought in under these conditions. The veterinarians or vet techs may consider it that, knowing that animals need a standard of care that keeps them safe from these health concerns, but also recognize a difference of opinion from others in the community, she and Syler said.

Syler recognized that the community was reacting strongly to what was seen in the video, but her exam could only report the facts of what she saw, which did not include marks of physical violence or abuse.

She hopes Johnson finds a veterinarian who can help him treat the animals and that he learns how to manage their health. She also hopes Johnson stops whipping his dogs and this will have served as a lesson, she said.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani armys commando units have conducted drills under the annual combat training plan, Azernews reports, per the Defense Ministry.

In practical training, the commandos overcome the obstacles with high professionalism and accomplish the tasks of opening the scout trail obstacle and destroying the imaginary enemy. During the exercises, held to further improve commandos' individual skills, as well as fire and tactical training, the assigned tasks are being successfully accomplished, the ministry said.

On June 26, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of a new commando military unit as part of his visit to Kalbajar region. This was the second commando military unit commissioned in the liberated regions, following the one founded in Hadrut on December 24, 2021.

Today we are opening another military unit of the newly-established commando forces in Kalbajar. This shows that the process of army building after the second Karabakh war is in full swing and the commando forces, along with all other armed forces, have all the capabilities to fulfill the tasks facing the country, protect our territorial integrity and our borders, Aliyev stressed addressing the servicemen in the opening ceremony.

Earlier, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan would create many commando brigades across the country. President Aliyev described the creation of the commando brigade unit in Hadrut as a significant event of strategic importance.

Experts described the creation of commando brigades in Azerbaijan as a new stage in the national army building. It was also assessed as a clear message for supporters of revanchist ideas in Armenia.




WASHINGTON  In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nations main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.

The decision, said environmental advocates and dissenting liberal justices, was a major step in the wrong direction  a gut punch, one prominent meteorologist said  at a time of increasing environmental damage attributable to climate change amid dire warnings about the future.

Conservatives throughout the country see the decision as a win against perceived overreaches of executive power. "Much like our Wisconsin state agencies, federal agencies often think that have unlimited power through executive order to go around the legislative process, which renders voters powerless under a near dictatorship," state Rep. Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, wrote on Facebook Thursday. "Today, the SCOTUS issued another sound decision, hemming in executive agencies' power to where it belongs."

Here

It's unclear what immediate or long-term impacts there will be in Wisconsin.

A spokesman for We Energies, which provides electricity and natural gas to just shy of half of Wisconsin's population, said he does not expect any effect on the monopoly's operations.

"We are reviewing the decision to fully understand what impact it may have on our operations. At this point, we do not believe it will have any significant effect on our power generation plans," Brendan Conway of We Energies said in an email Thursday afternoon. "We remain committed to reducing carbon emissions 60% by the end of the 2025 and 80% by the end of 2030. We have already announced plans to exit coal by 2035 and we do not expect todays ruling to change that."

A 2020 investigation by the Chicago Tribune found that We Energies' coal-fired power plant in Oak Creek, immediately north of Caledonia, "is the largest industrial source of toxic metals dumped into Lake Michigan."

All over

The Supreme Court Court's ruling could complicate the administrations plans to combat climate change. Its detailed proposal to regulate power plant emissions is expected by the end of the year. Though the decision was specific to the EPA, it was in line with the conservative majoritys skepticism of the power of regulatory agencies and it sent a message on possible future effects beyond climate change and air pollution.

The decision put an exclamation point on a court term in which a conservative majority, bolstered by three appointees of former President Donald Trump, also overturned the nearly 50-year-old nationwide right to abortion, expanded gun rights and issued major religious rights rulings, all over liberal dissents.

President Joe Biden aims to cut the nations greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade and to have an emissions-free power sector by 2035. Power plants account for roughly 30% of carbon dioxide output.

Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible solution to the crisis of the day, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his opinion for the court.

But Roberts wrote that the Clean Air Act doesnt give EPA the authority to do so and that Congress must speak clearly on this subject.

"A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body, he wrote.

In a dissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that the decision strips the EPA of the power Congress gave it to respond to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.

Kagan said the stakes in the case are high. She said, "The Court appoints itselfinstead of Congress or the expert agencythe decisionmaker on climate policy. I cannot think of many things more frightening.

Biden, in a statement, called the ruling another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards." He said he would "not relent in using my lawful authorities to protect public health and tackle the climate crisis.

Added U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in a statement: For more than 50 years, the Clean Air Act has reduced pollution and improved air quality for families across Wisconsin. After decades of Congressional Republicans and the big polluters that fund their campaigns attempting to gut the Clean Air Act and roll back the clock on this progress, the activist Supreme Court has misguidedly done the bidding of fossil fuel executives and barred the very agency charged with protecting communities from pollution from doing their job. In Washington, I will continue fighting to address climate change, provide Wisconsin communities the resources they need to respond to extreme weather events, and ensure every Wisconsinite can live in a community with clean air and water.

EPA head Michael Regan said his agency will move forward with a rule to impose environmental standards on the energy sector.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who led the legal challenge to EPA authority, said the EPA can no longer sidestep Congress to exercise broad regulatory power that would radically transform the nations energy grid and force states to fundamentally shift their energy portfolios away from coal-fired generation.

University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd, a past president of the American Meteorological Society, said of the decision: "It feels like a gut punch to critical efforts to combat the climate crisis which has the potential to place lives at risk for decades to come.

Richard Revesz, an environmental expert at the New York University School of Law, called the decision a significant setback for environmental protection and public health safeguards.

But he also said in a statement that EPA still has authority to address greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

The court held that Congress must speak with specificity when it wants to give an agency authority to regulate on an issue of major national significance.

Underlying all these issues is a lack of action from Congress, reflecting bitter, partisan disagreements over the role of the federal government.

On the environment, Bidens signature plan to address climate, a sweeping social and environmental policy bill known as Build Back Better, is all but dead amid united opposition from congressional Republicans and conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin from coal state West Virginia.

The justices heard arguments in the case on the same day that a United Nations panels report warned that the effects of climate change are about to get much worse, likely making the world sicker, hungrier, poorer and more dangerous in the coming years.

Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, Seth Borenstein and Cathy Bussewitz in New York contributed to this report. Adam Rogan of The Journal Times also contributed.
SEATTLE (AP)  A cruise ship that struck an iceberg in Alaska has docked in Seattle for repairs.

The Norwegian Sun arrived in Seattle on Thursday. It hit part of an iceberg on Saturday near Hubbard Glacier in Alaska.

The ship was turned around to Juneau, where it underwent inspection. It was cleared to travel at lower speeds to Seattle by authorities.

A Nevada family who was onboard says the impact sounded like a loud door being slammed.

Benjamin Talbott was hanging out with family when his brother, Anthony Romo, noticed something in the water and told him to take out his phone. Talbott recorded as the cruise ship struck the big chunk of iceberg.

Then all sudden, boom, the whole ship shakes. And Im like, Well, whats going on? And then I had to start recording and I looked at the front of the ship and all I see is this ... iceberg just turning over and coming down. And I was like, Oh my God, we hit an iceberg, he said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Madison artist Lilada Gee's work at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art had already been upended once.

Last week, it happened again.

In March, a white staff member at the adjacent Overture Center for the Arts aggressively confronted Gee, who is Black, on her way back inside the building after retrieving art supplies from her car because she was entering a door not generally open to the public.

The experience led Gee to halt work on her mural, intended to "give light to Black girls who have been silenced and erased," and display it unfinished, she said.

Gee's interrupted art installation looked like a workspace, with half-finished circular canvasses lying on a white table, a blank mural, paints, brushes and a video in which Gee recites an open letter she read aloud at the exhibit's opening.

Her installation was intended to serve as a statement about what Black women endure and an effort to show that "some things cannot be undone," she said before the exhibit opened. Her work had been displayed on the ground level of MMoCA for exactly two months, unbothered.

On June 24, three museumgoers  a woman and her two children  apparently saw the empty space as an invitation to create their own works of art, attacking the canvases with brushes, paint and glitter before attempting to take the items home with them, Gee said, in an incident first reported by Madison365.com.

Gee's original piece was part of MMoCA's 2022 Wisconsin Triennial, titled "Ain't I A Woman?"  a quote from abolitionist and women's rights advocate Sojourner Truth. The exhibit features the art of 23 Black Wisconsin women.

Had the mother and her children walked away with the art, it would have marked the first time anyone stole art from the museum, MMoCA spokesperson Marni McEntee said. But the art was returned to the museum .

An exhibit defaced

Gee said she struggled to comprehend how the vandals could have had uninterrupted access to her artwork. Aside from a custodian walking by, Gee said, the woman and her children had "almost 40 minutes alone" with the exhibit from security footage the museum provided her. Both children appeared to be "younger than 10," museum director Christina Brungardt said.

"It is my understanding that this exhibit was going to be monitored," Gee said. "It's a museum, for God's sake."

McEntee said Gee's work was unattended for 16 minutes, as one gallery attendant watched two adjacent spaces.

In the video, which MMoCA declined to share publicly, Gee said she saw the woman open bottles and cans of paint. On the unfinished canvasses and a board that would have been part of the unfinished mural, the group painted over the designs, including one design that Gee said looks like a penis.

"When I saw the custodian walk right past them, as they were opening up cans of paint, my head fell off," she said. "It's just unbelievable." She also questioned why the vandals would have painted so haphazardly, even if they thought the piece was interactive.

MMoCA will adjust staffing levels to prevent gallery spaces from going unattended in the future, and placed a rope line around Gee's piece to "eliminate any potential confusion about what is and is not intended as interactive art within the space," McEntee said.

As of Thursday, however, there was no sign instructing visitors not to touch or interact with the piece.

The point of the museum "is to break down barriers for participation in art," said Karin Wolf, the city's arts program administrator. While she stressed she hoped the incident would not create new barriers, Wolf said the museum should only open the area if it has staff to "facilitate" visitors' interactions with the art.

"One of the first things you're taught while making art in kindergarten is not to mark on the other person's paper without permission," Wolf said. "This is pretty fundamentally about consent and respect for the other person's artistic production."

Respect is a central theme of Gee's installation. She said her mural was intended to represent the disrespect and interruptions many Black women experience. It included an open letter to all the "beths" who interrupt Black girls  named for the Overture employee who blocked her entrance into the building in March, Gee said.

Along with her work as an artist, Gee is the founder and president of Defending Black Girlhood and Black Women Heal, Madison nonprofits supporting Black women and girls. And with her brother, the Rev. Alex Gee, she is working on plans for the city's Center for Black Excellence and Culture.

"I wanted to create something magnificent in order to tell the stories of beautiful Black baby girls, who have forgotten who they were, before they could remember their greatness," Gee said in her open letter, "because of the thoughts of inferiority that you feed them on plastic lunch trays."

Now, that work had been defaced, "further erasing" her ideas, Gee said.

"The museum would like to talk further with Lilada Gee about how to support her, repair the damage to her artwork, and address any other concerns she may have," McEntee said. "MMoCA extends a sincere apology to Lilada, the guest curator, and each artist featured in the exhibition."

Those who defaced Gee's art didn't stop there: They walked out the door, carrying the canvasses with them.

Contentious call

When it became apparent the mother and children intended to walk out the door with the artwork, a gallery attendant and a staff member at the front desk attempted to stop them, Brungardt said. But the museum's policies stress de-escalation and communication  especially in the presence of children.

Brungardt, with the gallery attendant on duty, walked quickly out of the museum to the top of Capitol Square on State Street, where they found the woman and children with the artwork in hand. Upon approaching, the mother was insistent upon keeping the artwork.

"It was a very volatile moment," Brungardt said, explaining that she tried to approach with "calm and using de-escalation techniques" while getting the artwork back to the building.

Returning the artwork to the museum was Brungardt's first priority, she said. By promising to call Gee upon returning to MMoCA, Brungardt convinced the mother to go back to the museum.

MMoCA, Brungardt said, had no intention of letting the woman take the artwork home: Calling to Gee was meant to bring the woman to a "calm space."

"This was entirely to calm her down," she said. "It also helped us get the works into the building and away from her, in a space we made sure she couldn't get into."

"It was a very intense conversation," Brungardt said, "and very awkward to call an artist in a situation that you hope never happens."

Brungardt called Gee and expressed the woman's request to keep the work.

The prompt was a non-starter for Gee: "Why are you calling to ask me this?" she said she wondered at the time. Gee ended the conversation. When Brungardt asked if she could call back, Gee told her not to do so. That series of events, she said, did not justify the call.

"There was no reason for her to ever involve me in that," Gee said. "If she was trying to de-escalate the situation ... there's no way that's a reasonable thing where an executive director of a museum calls an artist and says those things to them."

After Brungardt informed the woman that Gee would not let her take the art home, the woman "escalated the situation again" and left the museum shortly after.

"This is a very singular situation," Brungardt said. "I wanted to make sure we got the artwork back and safe."

Wolf said she expected Brungardt to take the situation "very seriously."

"I hope she gets the support she needs to make amends and try to heal the situation and make sure it doesn't happen to any other artist, ever," she said.

MMoCA has had no further contact with the woman or her children, though it "continues to evaluate further steps," McEntee said.

Deeper problems

When Gee returned to the museum on Wednesday to see her installation, she said museum staff had begun returning it to its original state.

"I don't feel like they should have disturbed it further without my permission," Gee said.

MMoCA did not restore the art itself. The canvasses are still streaked with glitter and stray brushstrokes. While McEntee said the museum determined the work can be restored, they want Gee's "instructions and approval" before proceeding.

McEntee said the museum also contacted Madison police the day of the incident but was told that only the owner of the artwork could seek charges for any damages.

In the past week, friends and other artists in the Madison area have reached out to Gee to offer support. A friend noted the irony of the situation: While Gee struggled to get in the door to paint her mural, the woman and children who vandalized it were able to disrupt her installation unbothered.

Still, "it's not just the vandalism," Gee said. "It's the utter disrespect with which the executive director engaged me."

Brungardt hopes to have a "deep conversation" with Gee about the events, she said  but also for both her and the museum to learn from the events while weighing "restoration and justice" for Gee.

"This is not a situation an artist should ever have to face," Brungardt said. "We sincerely do apologize for what transpired, not just to Lilada but to all the artists in the exposition."

The interaction reminded Gee of what she sees as deeper problems in the way Madison interacts with Black women and girls.

"Art is big enough, but it's bigger than art," she said. "The stress of Black women  it's impacting our physical health, our mental health. This is a larger issue. That goes to quality of life."

Wolf said that she and Fabu Phillis Carter, Madison's former poet laureate, began putting together a panel of Black women artists to speak about how Madison could best support them and their work after Gee's incident in March.

Artists of color are more likely to be mistaken for not being artists, and to have their work taken less seriously, Wolf said: "We've made a mess, and we need to fix it. We can't talk about equity in our city if we don't take these kind of treatments of each other seriously."

"I want to know: How does this change how Madison views MMoCA?" Gee said. "I want to know how the sponsors, the supporters, how this changes how they see them. Everyone wants to say Madison is liberal, we don't see color. I want to know how Madison sees this."

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A new Spider-Man is coming out, and he's gay, proud and fabulous.

Marvel is introducing its first gay Spider-Man, a character named Web-Weaver, in the upcoming "Edge of Spider-Verse #5," out in September.

Earlier this month, writer Steve Foxe announced on Twitter that he'd "had the huge gay honor of helping to co-create WEB-WEAVER, who'll make his debut in EDGE OF THE SPIDER-VERSE #5 this September!"

The character was designed by Kris Anka, who shared on Twitter late last week that he took inspiration from the late fashion designers Alexander McQueen, from England, and Thierry Mugler, from France.

"I cast a wide net for the original designs while also looking at new and unique spiders that (Foxe) has recommended, which eventually paired down to this look," he tweeted, sharing a first-look of the fashion-forward designs.

On Tuesday, Foxe took to Twitter to explain a little more about his idea for the latest Spider-Verse variant.

"Something I realized immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can't  and shouldn't  represent ALL gay men. No single character can," he wrote. "His fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it's not the STORY...which you can experience for yourself in September!

"Edge of Spider-Verse" is Marvel Comic's upcoming five-part "Spider-Man" series written by Foxe, Mark Bagley, Dan Slott, Alex Segura and Karla Pacheco.

The series launches in August, and each issue will feature three separate stories featuring fans' favorite Spider-Man variants, including Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Mobile, as well as some new variants besides Web-Weaver.

"Edge of Spider-Verse #5," which will be released in September, will feature cover art by Josemaria Casanovas, a variant cover by Anka, as well as design variants by Anka and Bagley.
Dear Dr. Paster: I am afraid that simple acts of kindness, as you called them in a recent Sunday column, have been phased out of American society.

I have been worried for some time about the long-term effects of the paranoia we all experienced, perhaps justifiably at the outset, during the initial COVID-19 pandemic. The government and the media told us all to stay away from others, and this helped to promulgate an inarticulate fear of society overall during this time. Everyone else, it seemed, suddenly became dangerous.

But that initial panic-driven reaction seems to have become the norm, and the rebuff you received from that poor young man who refused to help you is, I fear, a portent of things to come.

I agree with you that its very likely he did not feel genuinely sorry for not helping you, but I also suspect that deep down he may be even sorrier he did not feel moved to help someone else. He may have discovered a gap in his own outlook that he hadnt noticed until you brought it to the surface.

This perspective, of course, is being extremely generous; perhaps he simply refuses to be troubled by anothers plight, however minor.

I hope he is not in a situation soon where he requires a kind act by a stranger. But more concerning is the question of how far this sort of indifference to the lives of others will go, both in individual situations and in society overall. That is a very sad statement on life in America today.  M.L., from Madison

Dear M.L.: I dont usually print nearly entire letters sent to me, but this one struck me as pertinent.

To summarize, the column I wrote was about picking up my wife from a baby shower. We couldnt connect by phone, and the security door to the building she was in was locked.

A young guy in the lobby refused my request to walk to the baby shower room, about 50 paces down the hall, to tell them I was outside waiting for her. Sad story.

But now, a good story. Being the perennial optimist, I always look for them  this one found me.

My wife, Penny, and I were going to our favorite Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda, after a fine night at the Overture Center in Madison seeing one of the best musicals I ever saw, Aint Too Proud, about the Temptations. We were in a fine mood.

Penny has had surgeries that make it difficult for her to walk. Sometimes she uses a cane, other times a walker. When we go out to eat or to a show, a walker is safer and better.

And, by the way, for those of you who dont like to use a walker because it makes you look old, get over it  especially if you actually are old. Walkers can keep you from falling, breaking your hip and dying. One-fourth of people over 65 who break a hip are dead within two years. But I digress.

After arriving at the restaurant, I got out of the car and helped my wife get situated with her walker, then we headed toward the door. As we approached, a young couple walked out of the restaurant passing us. The guy, who looked to be in his 20s, said something to the lady friend and then turned around, went back to the door, opened it and held it for us. He went out of his way to make sure Penny and I got safely in the restaurant.

My spin: Random acts of kindness are still around  for many of us. Stay well.

This column provides general health information. Always consult your personal health care provider about concerns. No ongoing relationship of any sort is implied or offered by Dr. Paster to people submitting questions. Any opinions expressed by Dr. Paster in his columns are personal and are not meant to represent or reflect the views of SSM Health.
Police have arrested a 38-year-old Brooklyn man in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash earlier this month in the town of Oregon.

Timothy W. Pritchett was being held in the Dane County Jail Thursday on suspicion of vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run causing death.

According to the Dane County Sheriffs Office, Pritchett was driving a Chevrolet G1500 van when he struck and killed 30-year-old Logan Gueths on Highway MM in the town of Oregon.

A truck driver spotted Gueths body around 5 p.m. on June 8. According to his family, the Green Bay native and UW-La Crosse graduate was out for a jog when he was killed.

The Sheriffs Office said interviews with area residents and tips from the public led investigators to Pritchett, who was arrested Thursday after police questioned him and searched his van.

According to court records, Pritchett was sentenced last year to a year in jail in Dodge County in a case in which he was accused of driving more than 120 mph while fleeing police after a traffic stop.

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One of four men charged for having a role in a daytime shootout in Madison in 2020 that left one man dead was sentenced Thursday to five years of probation for illegal gun possession, with a threat of prison hanging over him if that probation is ever revoked.

Dane County Circuit Judge Ellen Berz warned Kimeionta Stanley, 26, of Madison, that he cannot keep living the life hes led, which has included selling drugs and carrying a gun around when hes not legally allowed to have one.

Stanley pleaded guilty in January to possession of a firearm by a felon for his role in the Oct. 31, 2020, shootout on Flower Lane, on Madisons Far West Side, that killed Stanleys cousin, Jason Eggleston, 30, of Madison.

Two others  Jeffrey D. Briggs, 27, of Madison, and his brother, Javion D. Briggs, 19, of Sun Prairie, were charged with first-degree intentional homicide for Egglestons death, but those charges were dismissed on the eve of a trial that was to begin on June 13.

Stanleys cousin, Kairen Stanley, 18, of Houston, Texas, who was shot in the chest during the shootout, is charged with first-degree reckless injury for allegedly shooting Javion Briggs in the face during the incident. A trial for Kairen Stanley is scheduled for August.

Prosecutors said that after reviewing testimony that was to be given by Stanley they no longer believed they could prove their case against the Briggs brothers beyond a reasonable doubt. The Briggs brothers said they acted in self-defense.

Javion Briggs subsequently pleaded guilty to four counts of felony bail jumping and one count of misdemeanor bail jumping, while Jeffrey Briggs remains charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.

Assistant District Attorney Dan Hess, who recommended a two-year prison sentence, said Stanley has two prior heroin delivery convictions and was shot in 2017 by Quadren Wilson over money owed for a drug transaction. Wilson, who served a prison sentence for the 2017 shooting, was shot by state agents in February during a traffic stop and has since been returned to prison.

Stanleys attorney, Taavi McMahon, argued for no additional prison time for Stanley, who is currently serving a prison sentence after his state Department of Corrections supervision for one of his heroin delivery convictions was revoked.

Stanleys probation would begin after he finishes his current sentence in September. The suspended sentence Stanley would serve if his probation is revoked is three years in prison followed by three years of extended supervision.

Stanley told Berz that when he gets out of prison he wants to be a better father to his children, and said theyve missed him. He said hes training to be a mason.

But Berz said Stanley cant have it both ways  he cant be a provider for his children and be someone still involved in guns and drugs.

If Stanley continues that lifestyle, Youre going to die, Berz said. You are going to be killed. Its not if, its when.

Stanley had avoided being shot in 2020, and survived a shooting in 2017, she said, and has lost family members to gun violence.

How many times do you think thats going to happen? Berz asked Stanley. Id say your luck has nearly run out.

At the same time, Berz said she didnt see any logic in sending Stanley to prison for an incident in which he did not fire a gun but admitted that he possessed one, when its possible that others involved who did fire shots may not go to prison.

I dont think that sounds fair, she said. I dont think that sounds just.

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An Indiana man facing criminal property damage charges for releasing otters and owls from a Baraboo zoo allegedly boasted of the break-in while drinking at a nearby bar, according to a criminal complaint.

Baraboo police were led to Aaron Wayne Hovis, 34, of West Lafayette, Indiana, after a bartender contacted them about a patron who said he had been at the Ochsner Park Zoo and set a bunch of animals free, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in Sauk County Circuit Court.

Hovis went into the Downtowner Bar and Grill, just blocks from the zoo, the day of the break-in and, while drinking shots of Jack Daniels alongside a pet Chiweenie dog, started telling stories that seemed way out there, the bartender told police, according to the complaint.

Hovis, who was walking with a limp, eventually confessed to the bartender that he rolled his ankle jumping the zoos fence, the complaint states.

The Indiana man faces nine counts of criminal property damage for allegedly destroying locks, a door and a gate at the zoo. Hovis also allegedly broke into a bear cage, but only managed to damage one of three doors that fully open the cage.

Between the lock damage and veterinary bills, the break-in cost the zoo $2,100, the complaint states.

On the morning of June 7, police responded to the zoo after staff arrived to find doors broken and a pair of river otters and great horned owls missing from their enclosures. Kayakers found the otters later that day playing in the Baraboo River.

One of the owls, Jerry, was found on June 9 and taken to the zoos veterinarian with two wing fractures and a small eye injury. The other owl, Linda, was eventually captured Tuesday and brought to the vet.

According to the complaint:

Through receipts from the bar, security camera and a northwestern Indiana phone number, Baraboo police reached the mother of Hovis children, who said Hovis had told them three days before the break-in that he planned to release animals from a zoo.

Hovis works as a trucker and makes deliveries to states around Indiana, she told police. The bartender in Baraboo also told police Hovis had arrived in a white semi-cab with no trailer.

Hovis later texted the mother of his children news articles about the break-in and bragged in a phone call that he had liberated animals from the zoo.

The woman told police Hovis had been acting erratically as of late and might have been using meth.

During the investigation, Baraboo authorities were contacted by police in Rensselaer, Indiana, who had arrested Hovis for various warrants on June 15.

While being arrested, Hovis allegedly told his mother that I robbed a (expletive) zoo just to prove this (expletive). He was also talking to police about Baraboo, saying thats where that zoo is.

Hovis remains in custody at the Jasper County Jail in Indiana after being charged there on June 9 with felony counts of bribery, theft and tax evasion, in addition to later charges on June 17 of felony intimidation and resisting arrest, according to online court records.

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A Madison teen was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for spraying more than 15 rapidly fired gunshots from a moving car at another car in an East Side neighborhood last year.

The sentence for Jamell D. Grant-Amos, 19, will be shortened by more than a year for the time he has spent in the Dane County Jail since his arrest for the June 7, 2021, incident near Oak and Union streets. Circuit Judge Ellen Berz also made Grant-Amos eligible for a program in prison that could further reduce the time he spends incarcerated.

You have some great qualities, Berz told Grant-Amos, noting his achievements in jail over the past several months that included getting his high school diploma and being awarded a $2,000 college scholarship. Does that erase how dangerous that was? No. But it gives me some hope for you.

There isnt clear consensus about why Grant-Amos shot at the car. The victim of the shooting told police he had been followed from a tobacco store on East Washington Avenue by a car that pulled around his car. A passenger in the car then leaned out a window and fired the gunshots at the mans car, according to a criminal complaint.

But Grant-Amos attorney, Michael Covey, said the two cars were initially going in opposite directions, and then the victims car somehow ended up speeding up behind the car Grant-Amos was in, and thats when Grant-Amos fired the gunshots.

Regardless, Berz said that if a speeding car is the justification for shooting at and potentially killing people, we have a huge problem here.

At the time of the shooting, Berz noted, Grant-Amos was on Serious Juvenile Offender Program supervision after having been incarcerated at Lincoln Hills School for shooting at someone else in 2017.

Judge (Shelley) Gaylord talked to you about everything were talking about today, Berz said. About how lucky that person is to be alive. This is a rerun of when you were last in court.

Last year, Grant-Amos was just shy of 18 years old when the shooting occurred. Assistant District Attorney Will Davis said the sound of the shots was captured on a Ring doorbell camera, and at least 15 shots were heard, likely more, from the 9mm semi-automatic handgun, augmented with an extended magazine, that Grant-Amos used. He turned 19 on Wednesday.

Grant-Amos still had the gun, which was loaded, when he was arrested about two weeks after the incident.

The shots struck the cars windshield and one of its tires and caused other damage, and an errant shot also flattened a tire on a car that was not involved, Davis said. Nobody was hurt.

Grant-Amos was originally charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide but pleaded guilty in April to first-degree reckless endangerment with a dangerous weapon.

Grant-Amos said he accepts full responsibility for what he did and apologized for the danger he caused others. Having been shot at age 13, he said, he fully understands the trauma of being shot at, he said. He added that even in prison, he will continue to better himself and achieve his goals, which Covey said was to become a real estate broker.

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By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Russia's UTair Aviation considers launching flights from St. Petersburg to Baku in July 2022, President of UTair Oleg Semenov said.

According to him, the company has significantly expanded the route network to Azerbaijan this year. He added that in early 2022, UTair launched direct flights from Moscow to Azerbaijan's Ganja and Nakhchivan, while the flights to Baku were operated from Moscow, Surgut, and Tyumen.

Moreover, the regular flights from Chechnya's Grozny and Ufa to Baku have been carried out since June 2022, and now the company is considering starting flights from St. Petersburg in July 2022. UTair has also lately launched direct flights from Russia's Ufa to Baku for the first time.

"We will further open new routes to provide our passengers with direct flights both within Russia and the CIS," Semenov stated.

Azerbaijan and Russian regions have mutual cooperation in different fields, such as economy, agriculture, customs, communications, high technology, and others. More than 230 intergovernmental and intercompany documents have been signed between the two countries and six "road maps" are being implemented.

Azerbaijani investments in Russia's economy have exceeded $1.2 billion, with the majority of these investments being in the non-oil sector. In addition, Russian investments in Azerbaijan's economy totaled $6.3 billion, with $5 billion invested in the oil sector and $1.3 billion in non-oil sectors.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.9 billion in 2021, making Russia Azerbaijans third-largest partner.
One of the leaders of the local organization that drove the Madison School Board to pull resource officers out of high schools and has been at the forefront of several social justice initiatives is stepping down.

M Adams, co-executive director of Freedom, Inc., said Friday would be her last day with the organization.

Adams has worked with Freedom, Inc. for 14 years, beginning as a queer youth apprentice. The organization shaped her, she said.

FI has been my political home, an incubator to my radical visioning, and my vehicle of practice in struggling toward the North Star, she said in a farewell note to the organization. I cannot say enough about the impact that the organization, its leadership, its members and its political projects have had on me.

Adams co-director, Kabzuag Vaj, will continue serving as executive director of Freedom, Inc. Vaj founded the organization in 2000. A refugee from Laos, she started her advocacy work at the age of 16, assisting and housing at-risk teens.

Vaj was recognized as a Champion of Change at the White House during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 2011.

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Covering much of western Dane County as well as some of Iowa and Green counties, the 80th Assembly District has been held for 20 years by retiring Rep. Sondy Pope, D-Mount Horeb.

The winner of the Aug. 9 Republican primary will face the winner of the busy Democratic primary. The 80th District has a 35-point Democratic lean, according to an analysis by Marquette Law School research fellow John Johnson.

Jacob Luginbuhl

Age: 31

Address: 2157 Sugar River Road, Verona

Family: No response

Job: Painter

Prior elected office: None

Other public service: Associate director, Heartland Credit Union

Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration management with certificate in entrepreneurship, UW-Platteville

Email or website: jacobforwisconsin.com

Nathan Graewin

Age: 49

Address: 115 Llanos St., Verona

Family: Married with two children

Job: Business owner

Prior elected office: No response

Other public service: No response

Education: Diesel and heavy equipment mechanic training, Western Wisconsin Technical College

Email or website: No response

Q&A

Why are you the best candidate for this position?

Luginbuhl: I am the best candidate for Representative to the Assembly because of my close ties to the community I hope to serve; and my ability to solve problems. I am approaching 10 years as a small business owner. Adapting to the many challenges life throws at you is essential to staying open and that experience will carry over into my role in Office.

Graewin: As an owner of three companies, I know the struggle that has taken place during the COVID epidemic. My focus is to help out the small businesses that has survived and to hopefully bring back the ones that we have lost. Our children (have) taken such a large hit with education. This future generation needs a strong government to help the education system to produce a strong future for our children. As a concerned Wisconsin citizen, we need to ensure that we have safety in our schools, streets, and in the businesses.

What unique expertise would you bring to the office?

Luginbuhl: I know what its like to get knocked down and start over from nothing. In my short life so far I have experienced our failed systems first hand and learned from it. I have lost a dear friend and employee to gun violence in our very own community, cared for a family member who lost their life to cancer after their year long fight left them bankrupt and without healthcare.

Graewin: No response.

Do you think the 2020 election was fair? If not, what do you think should be changed? Do you support calls to terminate the Wisconsin Elections Commission?

Luginbuhl: No response

Graewin: The 2020 election (has) become an interesting issue the past couple of months. The public needs to feel that us Americans can vote and feel that our one vote is counted and counted correctly.

If Roe is overturned, should there be any exceptions in abortion bans for rape, incest, the mothers health or the mothers life? Which?

Luginbuhl: Absolutely, the exceptions for rape, incest and mothers life need to be protected.

Graewin: No response

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Four Republican candidates for governor have squared off in a raucous debate for the first and only time ahead of the Aug. 2 primary. Development attorney Karrin Taylor Robson called for leaving behind the 2020 election and focusing on the future. Former news anchor Kari Lake doubled down on the lie that former President Donald Trump lost because of fraud. The race is taking clearer shape with one week to go before early voting begins. Polling has shown Lake leading for the entirety of the campaign, but former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmons decision this week to drop out and endorse Robson could shake things up.
The Racine County Sheriffs Office has recommended four felony charges to the Racine County District Attorney against former Pleasant Prairie Public Works Director John Steinbrink Jr.

The Village of Pleasant Prairie has also announced the retirement of Steinbrink Jr., effective June 28.

The recommended charges included three felony counts of misconduct in public office and one felony count of private interest in public contract prohibited, according to Racine County Sheriffs Public Information Officer Lt. Michael Luell.

The latter refers, according to statue, to cases where courts may determine that a public contract is illegal when it is awarded where an official or employee has a private interest.

The Racine County District Attorneys Office has yet to decide whether to charge Steinbrink Jr.

The investigation of Steinbrink Jr. was turned over to the Racine County Sheriffs Office by the Village of Pleasant Prairie in April to avoid a conflict of interest. Steinbrink Jr., who had been public works director since 2010 and employed with the village the last 28 years, was placed on paid administrative leave following an alleged undisclosed complaint filed earlier this spring.

Pleasant Prairie Communications Manager Steve Linn released a statement from an internal email shared with village staff stating, The Village of Pleasant Prairie is announcing the retirement of Public Works Director John Steinbrink Jr., effective June 28, 2022.

The Village of Pleasant Prairie declined additional comment on Friday.

Village President John Steinbrink Sr., Steinbrink Jr's father, acknowledged the allegations that had been made against his son but declined to comment on them.

Instead, he spoke about the numerous programs his son had worked on during his 28 years with the village, ranging from snow removal to the water distribution system, and what his retirement would mean for Pleasant Prairie.

"He's built bridges over rivers and parking lots," Steinbrink Sr. said. "It'll be a loss to the village. I'm proud of the work he did here."

Steinbrink Sr., said his son has saved the village millions of dollars over the years through his efforts.

"If you go out there and talk to people who really know the village, you'll hear the same thing," Steinbrink Sr. said.

Steinbrink Sr., said he had not seen the charges recommended by the Racine County Sheriff's Office and could not comment.

Steinbrink Jr., could not be reached for comment Friday.
DETROIT (AP)  The inaugural class of the Detroit Apple Developer Academy, a free program that teaches students the fundamentals of coding, design, marketing and project management, celebrated its unique accomplishment during a ceremony Thursday.

The academy in Detroit for people interested in a career in the app economy is the first in North America and was launched as part of Apples Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.

Can you believe it? That you're here at this moment where all your hard work has paid off, Lisa Jackson, the tech giant's vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, asked the graduates. I do want to be among the first to say congratulations."

The 90 grads range in age from 18 to 64 and include a high school student, a pastor and a mother and son.

The academy is supported by Michigan State University and the Gilbert Family Foundation and Rocket Companies. Michigan State supplies the program's instructors and mentors, while the Gilbert Family Foundation and Rocket Companies provide money and space.

As a Black man in America, it is hard to find opportunities like this that gives you the skills to get started in tech," said graduate Mario Crippen, a 28-year-old from Detroit. He added that he was thankful for the "chance to change the narrative around Black tech and making my son proud of his dad.

Crippen and his classmates received 10 months of training, with all equipment needed for iOS development provided. Graduates developed new apps now available on  or soon coming to  the iPhone app store that address a range of consumer needs, including travel, health and wellness and more.

Apple opened its first Developer Academy in Brazil nearly a decade ago and has more than a dozen other academies around the world, including in Brazil, Indonesia and Italy. It announced the Apple Developer Academy in Detroit in January 2021.

The Detroit graduation comes after a federal judge last year ordered Apple to dismantle a lucrative part of the competitive barricade guarding its app store. The judge didnt brand Apple as a monopolist or require it to allow competing stores to offer apps for iPhones, iPads and iPods.

Those were two of the biggest objectives sought by Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game that filed what it would hoped would be a landmark antitrust case after defying an exclusive payment system that funnels 15% to 30% of all in-app digital transactions on iPhones to Apple.

Both sides are appealing the decision.

Academy grads have earned jobs at companies such as General Motors, Ford and Rocket Mortgage. One was accepted into Michigan State's engineering college, an accomplishment that earned a shoutout from school President Samuel Stanley during Thursday's ceremony.

I'm going to be the first to welcome you to MSU, Stanley said, pointing to Paul Campbell, who completed his high school requirements in the morning while attending academy classes in the afternoon.

The Detroit Apple Developer Academy is accepting applications from people 18 and older for the upcoming class on a rolling basis.

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

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BURLEY  A group of businesses stepped up on Friday to donate enough money for a city fireworks show  after a glitch in the supply chain delayed the citys fireworks order.

It wont be our usual show, Burley Administrator Mark Mitton said. But well have enough for all of our tubes.

Each year the city orders between $22,000 and $23,500 in fireworks.

The citys order was placed in January with Fireworks West based in Logan, Utah.

City officials received word on Thursday afternoon from the distributor that the citys fireworks order would not arrive in time for the company to get it to Burley by Monday.

We dont really know what happened, City Councilman Casey Andersen said. It was something they couldnt overcome.

The city issued a statement Thursday that the show was canceled.

People love the show and its always well attended, Mitton said. And we like doing it.

Mitton said the city had received several calls Friday from angry people.

Several businesses  Wickel Tire Pros, Kelly Bearing, AMI and Idaho Water Sports, among others  stepped in to donate fireworks for the display.

Mitton said when the fireworks order arrives it will be saved for next years show.

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TWIN FALLS  City Manager Travis Rothweiler will recommend a $78,489,514 budget to the city council Tuesday at its regular meeting.

The proposed total net budget for fiscal year 2022-23 is 13%  $9,024,574  larger than the current fiscal years budget of $69,464,941.

Following Tuesdays presentation, the meeting agenda allows time for input from the public.

The city council will adopt a budget in late August, following a series of public hearings.

A summary of the proposed budget, available on the citys website, outlines the proposed tax rates, expenditures, and changes from last year.

The proposed budget has the lowest tax rate the city has issued at $4.78 per $1,000 of assessed value. That number is down from $6.25 per $1,000 assessed value this year.

Although the tax rate is lower than in previous years, home values have increased year after year in Idaho. The median home value in Twin Falls climbed to $358,000 in January this year, up from $257,000 in 2021, the city says.

The city estimates that the average homeowner will see a city property tax increase of $288.74 next year over this years taxes. Taxes paid on property in the city averaged lower than property taxes in other Idaho cities such as Jerome, Pocatello, Nampa, Caldwell, Idaho Falls and Lewiston.

Presentations about each of seven categories of the city budget will be made at each .

Council will hold a series of public hearings prior to adopting a new budget. The public hearings are scheduled for Aug. 8 for rates and fees and Aug. 22 for foregone balance and appropriations ordinance. Final adoption of Appropriations Ordinance is also scheduled for the evening of Aug. 22.

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If successful, Planned Parenthoods challenge to Idahos pending abortion ban  triggered by the U.S. Supreme Courts repeal of a womans 50-year constitutional right to reproductive autonomy  will send the matter back to the Legislature.

No one would expect that GOP-led body to change its stripes. Eventually, the Gem State will make abortion a crime.

But until now, lawmakers have relied on sloganeering masquerading as policy. Who cared if they passed draconian measures designed to instill loyalty among the anti-abortion rights base of their party? As long as Roe v. Wade remained the law of the land, they could do so with impunity. Their actions had no consequences on the unsuspecting targets of their political machinations.

Now those consequences are about to take shape, unless the Legislature removes the irresponsible features of these laws by:

Getting rid of the bounty hunters. Its never a good idea to follow Texas lead, whether in battle or in public policy. By doing so in this case, Idaho lawmakers have empowered private citizens with dubious claims  including rapists  to seek at least $20,000 in civil judgments against health care providers who perform abortions.

That gives legal standing to people whose lawsuits would otherwise be thrown out of court  because they have suffered no injury.

Its redundant. Under Idahos abortion ban, a health care provider who performs an abortion could serve time in prison and lose his professional license.

And its poorly written. For instance, what burden of proof would someone have to meet in order to claim his money?

Passing a genuine exception for victims of rape and incest. More than three-quarters of Americans agree with that idea. Yet the exception in Idaho law isnt worth the paper its printed on.

Thats because the victim of rape or incest must present a police report in order to obtain an abortion. In this victim-blaming culture, fewer than two-thirds of rape victims ever come forward. And what incest victim is going to see a relative prosecuted?

Assume, however, that a victim steps forward. Even then, theres no guarantee of getting a timely report.

Under Idahos public records act, law enforcement is under no obligation to release a report when an investigation is active  and increasingly, police are exercising that authority.

As critics of the states abortion ban also noted at the time it was proposed, on average, police take about three months to close a rape investigation.

And the longer a woman must wait to get an abortion, the more complicated her situation becomes.

Why bring the police in at all?

A more humane, effective remedy would give the rape or incest victims own health care provider the discretion to act.

Leaving northern Idaho alone. Idahos anti-abortion rights laws already chased providers out of the Panhandle and north central Idaho. Theyve taken refuge among Washingtons abortion-tolerant venues.

For instance, of the 255 Panhandle women who obtained an abortion in 2020, one underwent the procedure in Idaho.

During that same period, only two of the 90 north central Idaho women who had abortions relied on Gem State providers.

In contrast, all but 23 of the 822 abortions secured by women in the Ada County area were performed within the state.

The last thing anybody needs now is some fanatical GOP lawmaker screaming about forbidding Idaho women from traveling to states where abortion remains legal.

Chief among the gatekeepers who can stop yet another Idaho assault on a constitutional right is Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa. Chairman of the House State Affairs Committee, Crane can bury any such mischief in his desk drawer and deny it any further consideration.

Appearing on Idaho Public Televisions Idaho Reports, on May 6, he pledged to do just that:

No, I would not (hear it) because an individual still has the right to travel. And if theyre legal in the state of Oregon and if a woman in Idaho chooses to travel to Oregon, thats a decision shes making to travel to Oregon. When the government is stepping in and restricting peoples ability to travel, thats a scary place to be.

Indeed, it is.

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As the Nation observes the 246th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we will often hear mention of patriots and patriotism. But, just what does it mean to be a patriot? The dictionary defines the term as a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors. That definition clearly fits many people who Americans hold dear in their hearts.

Some of Americas very first patriots were those who put their signatures to that revered Declaration. We swell with pride for this country when hearing these stirring words: 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. Those words were followed by a long list of grievances against King George, many of which would have condemned the signers to prison or death, as they well knew. They concluded the Declaration, saying, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. All of those precious things were truly at risk.

Those who fought in the Revolutionary War and all who have fought in our countrys wars since, save and except those who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, are American patriots. Many who have labored tirelessly to support and safeguard American ideals fit the definition. Abraham Lincoln, who led the fight to preserve the Union and abolish the stain of slavery, was one of our greatest patriots.

There have been patriots worthy of mention in just the last few yearspeople who have put their safety and security at risk to protect the American form of government. Although Ive had little regard for the man in the past, recent revelations put former Vice President Mike Pence in the patriot category. He literally risked his life resisting extreme pressure to overturn the results of a fair and honest election.

Two Trump appointees at the U.S. Department of Justice, acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen and his deputy Richard Donoghue, kept our government from careening into chaos in a heated White House meeting on January 3, 2021. When the former president asked them what they would do if he replaced them with a sycophant whod agreed to cooperate in trying to overturn the presidential election, they were prepared. They informed Trump that the top leadership in the Justice Department would resign en masse, which stopped the plot in its tracks. Rosen and Donoghue are true American patriots for putting themselves at risk to protect the country.

Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney are rare examples of federal elected officials willing to risk their positions and even their lives by standing up for America. They have certainly earned patriot status.

The interesting thing about patriots is that they rarely give themselves that title. Beware of those who do proclaim themselves to be patriots (apparently because nobody else will). Numerous of the unconscionable insurrectionists who defiled the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, falsely claimed to be patriots. Nothing could be further from the truththey were common criminals, at best.

Here in Idaho, we have seen a number of instances of people self-describing themselves as patriots. The Panhandle Patriots Riding Club threatened to disrupt a peaceful gathering in a Coeur dAlene park on June 11, hardly the conduct you would expect of real patriots. The day of the gathering, 31 misfits, who called themselves the Patriot Front, were caught in a U-Haul truck before they could wreak havoc at the park. Certainly not the stuff of patriots.

As we enjoy our Fourth of July weekend, lets give thanks for the real patriots who have labored, sacrificed and all-too-often died to establish and maintain this country and our marvelous form of government. We certainly have our problems, but if each one of us shoulders some of the patriotic burden, there is nothing we cant overcome in unison. After all, we are the United States of America.

Jim Jones is a Vietnam combat veteran who served eight years as Idaho attorney general (1983-1991) and 12 years as justice of the Idaho Supreme Court (2005-2017). He is currently a regular contributor to The Hill online news. He blogs at JJCommonTater.

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By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Several Azerbaijani officials have been detained for bribery, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General's Office.

According to the information, a criminal case has been initiated under the relevant articles of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code as a result of operational-search activities carried out on the basis of information related to the illegal actions of the head of the Architecture and Construction Department of the Office of the Head of the Sabirabad District Executive Authorities, Mushvig Gasimov.

The investigative measures established that Gasimov in conjunction with Chief Consultant of the State Construction Inspectorate on specific objects of the national importance of the State Agency for Control over Construction Safety at Azerbaijan's Ministry of Emergency Situations Eldar Guliyev and others, received bribes for granting permission to conduct construction activities on non-residential facilities in Sabirabad district.

Based on the evidence collected, Mushvig Gasimov and Eldar Guliyev were indicted under Articles 311.3.1 and 311.3.3 (large-scale bribery by a group of persons with prior agreement) of the Criminal Code.

The criminal investigation is currently underway.
Tuesdays blockbuster testimony before the House Jan. 6 Select Committee brought the American public directly into former President Donald Trumps inner White House sanctum to understand his thinking and motivation as the Capitol insurrection was being planned and launched. The evidence and testimony strongly suggest that he knew an attack was planned, that some attackers were armed, and that he was directly involved in the insurrections violent outcome. Trump allegedly was so anxious to be a witness to the siege that he physically grappled with his limousine security personnel when they told him he could not go to Capitol Hill amid the Jan. 6, 2021, pandemonium.

Testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, portrayed the president alternately as a willing conspirator and power-crazed madman. He threw dishes in anger when told by then-Attorney General Bill Barr that there was no legal justification to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. In addition to allegedly reaching for the steering wheel of his limousine, he may have reached for the throat area of a security adviser who told him conditions on Capitol Hill were too dangerous for him to go there during the insurrection. That account is, at best, third-hand and requires corroboration under oath from those directly involved. But the account doesnt conflict with other witness accounts to Trumps violent behavior and Barrs conclusion that Trump had become unhinged.

When advised that there were people carrying assault rifles and handguns just beyond the security perimeter for his Jan. 6 rally, Trump angrily protested as Hutchinson stood nearby in a security tent, Theyre not here to hurt me. He and Meadows seemed entirely uninterested in the presence of armed men among the crowd members who, soon afterward, stormed the Capitol. If Trump didnt know what their plans were, how else could he have been so confident that they werent there to hurt him  especially since Trump and his spin doctors repeatedly blamed Antifa leftists for the siege?

Hutchinson also recalled a meeting with Meadows two days before the rally in which he warned her that things might get real, real bad on Jan. 6. That remark followed concerns she and others raised after reading security briefings about potential violence that day. She said Trump also was aware of those reports. Yet he proceeded with the rally and insisted on language in his speech directing the crowd toward the Capitol to fight.

For many Americans, such revelations only confirm what theyve known from the beginning about the man who, upon entering the White House in 2017, was deemed by 27 psychiatrists around the country to exhibit dangerous sociopathic tendencies. Shockingly, Republicans across the country still regard Trump as some kind of savior who was robbed of reelection in 2020 and who deserves to represent the party in the 2024 race. Its doubtful their devotion to Trump will be swayed, as if to confirm his 2015 statement that he could shoot someone in the middle of Manhattan and not lose their support.

Those who havent drunk the Trump Kool-Aid should be more convinced than ever that he belongs in jail. The case has never been stronger for that outcome, and judging from recent FBI raids and seizures, the Justice Department seems to think likewise. The FBI appears to be closing in, having searched the house of Trump lawyer Jeffrey Clark with a warrant while he had to stand on the street in his pajamas. Separately, agents seized the phone of John Eastman, another Trump legal adviser. These actions strongly suggest that the Justice Department is building a case for criminal prosecution.

Trump, in predictable fashion, tried to portray Hutchinson as a nobody whom he barely knew at the White House and who was disgruntled after being refused a position on Trumps post-White House team. During her testimony, the committee displayed photos of her in close proximity to Trump in his Air Force One presidential office. Other White House insiders back the credibility of her account.

Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinsons role or her access in the West Wing either doesnt understand how the Trump (White House) worked or is attempting to discredit her because theyre scared of how damning this testimony is, former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews tweeted.

Nevertheless, the committees case would be strengthened if other witnesses could summon Hutchinsons courage and testify. What the committee wont receive is cooperation from the cowards who bent the law to the breaking point and subsequently requested pardons from Trump or exercised their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination when appearing before the committee.

Among those who also allegedly sought a pardon was Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the fast-talking, sanctimonious Trump defender who encouraged the presidents defiant stand and worked overtime to help block House confirmation of the 2020 election result. Jordan claims he cant recall details of the multiple telephone exchanges he had with Trump and Meadows on Jan. 6, but records show he had a 10-minute call with Trump that morning. Hutchinson said Jordan called Meadows later, as the insurrection was in progress, with chants of Hang Mike Pence audible in the background.

These credible allegations bear all the hallmarks of a coup engineered directly from the White House with the presidents full knowledge and cooperation. Efforts by the likes of Jordan, Meadows and others to block the facts from public exposure appear to be quickly unraveling. This is the salve that a wounded nation needs so desperately if it is ever to heal.

Reprinted from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, distributed by Creators.com.

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Four new individuals, including a vocal critic of the University of Virginias current administration, are joining the universitys Board of Visitors.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Thursday that he appointed Bert Ellis Jr. of Hilton Head, South Carolina, Dr. Stephen Long of Richmond, Amanda Pillion of Abingdon and Doug Wetmore of Glen Allen to the board. Each will serve a four-year term, which begins July 1.

The Board of Visitors is made up of 17 governor appointments including non-voting student and faculty members.

For Youngkin, the appointments are a chance to exert influence over the university. In May, he called on college presidents in Virginia to make political diversity a priority in hiring. Hes also been critical of the state of free speech at universities.

Ellis, the CEO and chairman of Ellis Capital, wrote in a blog post late last year that he was pleased with Youngkins election.

The most immediate opportunities for the Governor are his selections for the Board of Visitors, wrote Ellis, who graduated from UVa in 1975. Over the next four years, he can totally replace the Board with his nominees.

Ellis wrote the current board was responsible for letting the University make the outrageous changes that have been made over the tenures of Presidents Sullivan and Ryan.

Ellis is the current chair of the Jefferson Council, a UVa alumni group that was created in 2021 to promote an academic environment based on open dialogue throughout the university and preserve Jeffersons legacy, among other goals.

Governor Youngkin can and will appoint new Board members that reverse this and make the University a place permitting open dialogue on all matters and where education and merit are the managing principles of the University, he continued. This is our only opportunity to change/reverse the path to Wokeness that has overtaken our entire University. Meanwhile, we still have a ton of work to fight the ongoing and continuing onslaught by the entrenched DEI bureaucracy at UVA.

In an interview Thursday, Ellis said he wanted to join the board to affect change and that plans to listen and learn in his first year.

Im not going in to make stuff happen on the first day, he said. Theres a lot of things to learn and people to meet.

Ellis also is an investor in The White Spot, a diner on the Corner. He said hell step aside from any role or investment that is deemed a conflict of interest for his role as a board member.

The appointments of Dr. L.D. Britt, of Suffolk, Frank M. Conner III of Alexandria, Barbara J. Fried of Crozet and C. Evans Poston Jr. of Norfolk concluded June 30, according to UVa. Only Poston was eligible for reappointment.

UVA has made great progress toward the goals described in our 2030 Strategic Plan, but we have more to do, UVa president Jim Ryan said in a statement. Im grateful for the service of our outgoing board members toward these efforts, and I am looking forward to collaborating with our newest board members as we continue to work to make the University the absolute best version of itself.

The Board of Visitors is the governing body for the university, including the medical center, and is responsible for approving budgets, hiring the president and setting policies, among other tasks. The board meets quarterly and will hold a retreat in August, which will be the first meeting for the new members.

Long is an associate clinical professor of anesthesiology at Virginia Commonwealth University and has served on the boards of the VCU Health System and the American Society of Anesthesiologists, according to UVa. Long previously served on the UVa board from 2011 to 2015.

Pillion, a member of the Abingdon Town Council, was part of Youngkins transition team. Wetmore is a graduate of the UVa School of Law.
A man with a long criminal history faces new charges in connection with the theft of a pop-up camper, authorities said on Friday.

Detective Burlin Ballew charged 49-year-old John Harold Daniels III of Marion with felonious larceny and possession of stolen goods. A magistrate set his bond at $15,000 secured.

In November 2021, a McDowell resident reported the theft a pop-up camper valued at $5,000 from her property in Nebo. An investigation revealed Daniels III was responsible for stealing the camper which has since been recovered, according to a news release

Daniels III was located and arrested on June 27. Additional suspects have been identified and charges are pending.

According to a check of the N.C. Department of Public Safety database, Daniels III has previous convictions for rape, indecent liberties with a child, failure to register as a sex offender, multiple breaking and entering vehicles, forgery, speeding to elude arrest, failure to stop for blue light and siren and credit card theft.
U-Haul has teamed with independent dealers to offer rental equipment to do-it-yourself movers since 1945. During these challenging times for small businesses, more than 21,000 dealers across the U.S. and Canada are generating supplemental income through their U-Haul affiliation. When customers rent from a U-Haul dealer, they are directly supporting an independent small business in their community.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched AviLease, an aircraft leasing company that will provide leasing, trading and asset management services.

The fund in a statement said AviLease will initially focus on scaling through purchase-and-lease-back transactions with airlines, portfolio acquisitions and direct orders from aircraft manufacturers, Zawya reports. AviLeases fleet will comprise a new generation of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft from the top global aviation giants, the statement also indicated. PIF has said its assets under management had reached approximately $620 billion. The wealth fund has made investments at home and abroad.
Qatar has provided the Lebanese army $60 million as part of the Gulf countrys pledge to support the struggling regional country.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani according to Qatar News Agency, QNA, gave the directives of the gesture. The announcement comes within the framework of Qatars firm commitment to support Lebanon, stand by the brotherly Lebanese people, and its firm belief in the importance and necessity of joint Arab action, the agency added.

The announcement came as Qatars Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani was visiting Lebanon to attend the Arab Foreign Ministers Consultative Meeting.

The tiny gas-rich country in July last year announced it would support the Lebanese army with 70 tons of foodstuff every month for a year, Arab News reports.
Heavily armed men attacked a mine in central Nigeria on Wednesday killing security personnel and kidnapping workers, including at least four Chinese, local authorities said in a statement on Thursday.

Heavily armed criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, have been raiding villages in northwestern and central Nigeria to kidnap or kill residents for years, but their attacks have recently become more widespread.

These bandits also target infrastructure projects and mining sites, including kidnapping foreign workers for ransom. Dozens of Chinese employees have been targeted in recent years. They are usually released after paying a ransom.

On Wednesday afternoon, the gunmen attacked a mine in the village of Ajata Aboki, in the Shiroro area of eastern Niger state, said regional security official Emmanuel Umar.

People employed at the mining site, including four Chinese nationals, were abducted, he added, adding that the exact number of abductees had yet to be determined.

Security personnel clashed with the attackers, killing both sides, but the exact number of people killed has yet to be determined, the authorities said.

They did not specify the raw material extracted from the mine, nor the name of the company in charge of its exploitation. A climate of almost generalized violence reigns in the north of Africas most populous country, plagued by criminal gangs in the west and jihadists in the east, who are multiplying attacks and kidnappings, less than a year before the presidential election.

President Muhammadu Buhari is due to serve his second term in February 2023, and is widely criticised for his inability to curb insecurity.

In recent years, violence perpetrated by bandits has been on the rise: these criminal gangs killed more than 2,600 civilians in 2021, an increase of more than 250% compared to 2020, according to figures from the NGO Acled.

The bandits are motivated by money, not ideology, and often release their hostages after paying a ransom. But analysts are concerned about possible links with jihadist groups in the north-east.
Demonstrations have stormed the Tobruk-based Libyan Parliament, on Friday. The demonstrators were protesting against deteriorating living conditions and the political deadlock, media reported.

Several TV channels claimed that demonstrators entered the interior of the building and carried out looting.

Images aired by the TV channels showed thick columns of black smoke rising from the perimeter of the building after angry young protesters burned tires, reports AFP.
For intensive care unit survivors, cognitive impairment at hospital discharge is associated with the risk of new physical disability at six-month follow-up, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Critical Care.

Gerardo Eman, M.D., from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, and colleagues examined the association between cognitive impairment at hospital discharge among intensive care unit survivors from two cohort studies and six-month outcomes. At hospital discharge, patients were screened using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)-Blind; vital and physical disability status were assessed at six months after discharge. A total of 320 of 423 patients enrolled were alive at hospital discharge.

The researchers found that 66.6 percent of patients (213 patients) were able to complete the MoCA near discharge, while 14.7 percent could not complete it due to cognitive impairment. The median score was 17 among MoCA completers. Lower MoCA scores were seen in association with older age and blood transfusion during hospitalization. At follow-up, 82.6 percent of the 213 patients were alive, 23.3 percent of whom had new severe physical disabilities. There was no significant association seen for discharge MoCA score with six-month mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.03; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.93 to 1.14), but a significant association was seen with the risk of new severe disability at six months (adjusted odds ratio, 0.85; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.76 to 0.94).

"Future research could focus on developing approaches to integrate cognitive assessment at the hospital discharge time point as a potential prognostic enrichment strategy for rehabilitation interventions geared toward improving disability outcomes after critical illness," the authors write.

Explore further Cognitive impairment reported after COVID-19 infection

More information: Gerardo Eman et al, Utility of Screening for Cognitive Impairment at Hospital Discharge in Adult Survivors of Critical Illness, American Journal of Critical Care (2022). Gerardo Eman et al, Utility of Screening for Cognitive Impairment at Hospital Discharge in Adult Survivors of Critical Illness,(2022). DOI: 10.4037/ajcc2022447

Copyright  2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Findings from a research study exploring the mental health of Dublin's general hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal significant impacts on doctors, nurses and radiographers, including high levels of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and suicidal thinking.

The COWORKER Study, developed to investigate the mental health impact of the pandemic on Dublin general hospital staff and help inform appropriate responses, involved researchers from Trinity, St Patrick's Mental Health Services and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Services. It was led by Declan McLoughlin, Research Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity and Consultant Psychiatrist at St Patrick's Mental Health Services.

Staff in three large Dublin general hospitals (St James's Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital) were invited to participate, with the study also aiming to provide an opportunity for doctors, nurses and radiographers to recognize if they have been experiencing mental health difficulties during the pandemic and to seek support if required.

Among the key findings, which came from a cross-sectional anonymous survey of 377 Dublin health care staff during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2021, are:

45% of respondents reported moderate or severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

52% of respondents reported low mood

13% of respondents reported thinking of ending their life over the previous week and 5% reported planning to end their life

The high levels of post-traumatic symptoms found in this study are higher than the current best international estimate for health care workers.

Staff also reported high levels of moral injury, which is the psychological distress experienced when one is forced to witness or perform acts that go against one's ethical beliefs.

This concept arose in military mental health research but has gained importance in research studying health care worker mental health due to COVID-19-related scenarios. For example, health care workers may have had no option but to ration care when resources were scarce, or they may have had to stop family from visiting their loved-ones due to restrictions.

Researchers also examined whether there were any differences in the levels of mental health difficulties between staff based on their roles. The findings show that doctors were significantly less likely to report symptoms of PTSD, low mood and moral injury than nurse or radiographers, while radiographers were significantly more likely to report low mood.

Speaking about the impact of the findings, Declan McLoughlin, Research Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity and Consultant Psychiatrist at St Patrick's Mental Health Services, said:

"The pandemic has presented immense challenges for hospitals, their staff, patients and families. While there have been many studies internationally examining the psychological impact on hospital staff, this is the first to examine the impacts on those working in Dublin hospitals.

"We hope that the study's findings will highlight potential areas of concern for hospital management and staff so that they can address this and seek support as required."

Lead author of the study, Dr. Conan Brady, Trinity, said:

"The results of the COWORKER study have shown the significant mental health impacts of the pandemic for those working in hospitals. While we do not know the full extent of the mental health experiences for hospital staff before COVID-19, there are many pandemic-related factors that may have impacted on this cohort's mental health.

"In addition to the restrictions we've all faced, other reasons could be job stress or concerns about stigma from working in environments with high levels of COVID-19. There are few data on suicidal ideation in hospital staff internationally, and this warrants more investigation."

The results of the peer-reviewed study have been published as an open access paper in the Irish Journal of Medical Science.

Explore further Significant mental health impacts of the pandemic on nursing home staff

More information: Conan Brady et al, Dublin hospital workers' mental health during the peak of Ireland's COVID-19 pandemic, Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) (2022). Conan Brady et al, Dublin hospital workers' mental health during the peak of Ireland's COVID-19 pandemic,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s11845-022-03056-0
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

The Azerbaijani State Border Service seized over 79.3 kg of drugs and some 9,162 psychotropic pills in June, Azernews reports, citing the service.

The State Border Service maintained its efforts to ensure reliable border protection and combat smuggling, illegal migration, and drug trafficking.

Over 15.4 tons (14,508 pieces) of wild hemp were burned and destroyed with the participation of representatives of relevant institutions, the report added.

During the reporting period, 38 people were detained for illegally crossing the state border, 18 of them were citizens of Azerbaijan, five Iranians, two Indians, one Uzbek, six Moroccans, two Pakistanis, a Kazakh, and three Afghans.

In an effort to combat illegal migration, 18 people were detained after attempting to cross the state border with forged passports of the EU member states, permanent residence cards, ID cards, and Schengen visas.

Some 646 people were detained for violating the rules of the border regime and appropriate measures were taken against them.

As a result of anti-crime measures, 216 people wanted by the law-enforcement agencies were detained and handed over to the relevant authorities. Some 478 people who were barred from leaving Azerbaijan were unable to leave, and 19 people, who were previously barred from entering the country, were denied entry.

Anti-smuggling measures resulted in the seizure of contraband, including tobacco products, gold jewelry, cosmetics, and alcoholic beverages worth approximately AZN 591,274 ($347,808).

Measures are being taken to organize reliable protection of the state borders, the report concluded.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

It's been almost two weeks since federal regulators authorized COVID-19 vaccines for infants and preschoolers, but Katie Old Crow still hasn't been able to get her 14-month-old son vaccinated.

The Town 'N Country, Florida, mother is waiting for her family's pediatrician to vaccinate her son, Rollin, because most pharmacies only offer shots to kids ages 3 and older.

Her pediatrician's office on June 21 told her and other parents that they expected the child-sized doses to become available "within the next few weeks" and would email parents once the shots arrived.

But Old Crow said she hasn't heard anything since last week. She wonders if the long wait is the result of Florida's decision against preordering vaccines for children under age 5.

"It's disappointing because we've been waiting for two years," she said.

Florida was the only state in the nation that did not preorder the newly authorized vaccine for children ages 4 and younger. That's because the Florida surgeon general recommended that healthy children need not be vaccinated against COVID-19, contrary to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has left the state with a confusing patchwork of vaccine providers that some parents are struggling to navigate.

Retail giants Walmart and Walgreens are giving out the shotbut only to children ages 3 and up. CVS MinuteClinic locations will vaccinate children ages 18 months and older. But Publix, a major player in Florida's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, is not offering doses to kids younger than 5.

Florida's vaccine stance also means neither patients nor doctors can obtain doses through county health departments as they did for older children. In a briefing to a congressional subcommittee Tuesday, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Lapado said that will affect about 33,000 children ages 4 and under who receive primary care at those facilities.

That has parents frustrated and confused, said Rosana Lastra, a pediatrician at Head2Toe Pediatrics in St. Petersburg. It's toughest for parents of children between 6 and 18 months.

"A lot of families have been having difficulties finding places where they can get (their child) vaccinated," she said.

Lastra was so concerned she decided her clinic would offer doses of the vaccine to any family that needs themnot just her patients. She set up a drive-thru vaccination site and has already helped families who found out about her on social media or through the local health department.

Health officials are referring families to "federally qualified health centers," clinics typically run by nonprofits that receive federal money to subsidize medical bills for lower income families.

But one of Hillsborough County's main providers, Tampa Family Health Centers, is still waiting on a shipment of 800 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from the federal government, said Chief Medical Officer Ashley McPhie.

"We're just at the mercy of their shipping," she said.

McPhie hopes her group can begin giving children shots by next week. The nonprofit plans to offer the vaccine at eight of its 16 clinics, she said, adding that it has been confusing for parents.

The vaccine will be available to their patients and to any family that needs it. "We don't turn anyone away," she said.

But that is not the case at Evara Health, a federally qualified health center operating 14 clinics throughout Pinellas County.

It has received vaccine doses but only plans to make them available to existing patients, said Chief Medical Officer Nichelle Threadgill.

Old Crow, the Town 'N Country mother, also has a 3-year-old daughter, Vivienne, that she may get vaccinated at a pharmacy. But she'd rather have both Vivienne and her 14-month-old son get shots during a single trip to their pediatrician's office.

"That's just more convenient," she said.

Erin Lehnen, a St. Petersburg mother, wants to get her 2-year-old daughter Grey vaccinated at a pediatrician's office, too.

But Lehnen called this week and couldn't get information about the office's vaccine plans. Lehnen doesn't know if they ordered doses.

"Maybe they're just as in the dark as we are," she said.

Explore further Pediatricians' group urges parents to get youngest kids vaccinated against COVID

2022 Tampa Bay Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Fallout is mounting for the food delivery service Daily Harvest, which has voluntarily recalled a frozen food product suspected of sickening hundreds of customers in at least 26 states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating. And an Oklahoma woman has sued the company, blaming one of its products for an array of serious health problems, including gastrointestinal illness and liver and gallbladder dysfunction, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The company said it had received nearly 500 reports of people getting sick after eating Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. Daily Harvest initiated a voluntary recall of the product on June 23.

The FDA said consumers, retailers and others should not eat, sell or serve the product.

So far 133 adverse illness events can possibly be attributed to the crumbles, including 42 hospitalizations, according to the FDA.

The product, touted on social media by high-profile influencers, was shipped nationwide. Illnesses have been reported in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington state and Wisconsin.

The most recent reported illness was June 21, according to the FDA.

Candice Smith, of Raleigh, N.C., told CNN Business she thought she was having a heart attack after eating the product.

"It was the worst night of my life," she said. Though she had no preexisting health conditions, Smith said she spent four days in the hospital undergoing tests on her enlarged liver and elevated liver enzymes.

Her gallbladder had to be removed, Smith told CNN.

Carol Ready, the Oklahoma woman who has sued Daily Harvest, told the Los Angeles Times she wound up in the emergency room twice after eating the crumbles. She, too, had elevated liver enzymes and her gallbladder was removed.

The FDA is investigating in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It said the company sent about 28,000 units of the product to U.S. consumers between April 28 and June 17. A small number of consumers received samples.

Daily Harvest touts its products as "vegan-friendly" and distributes them through online sales, direct delivery, its Chicago retail store and a pop-up store in Los Angeles.

The company contacted consumers for whom it had contact information and issued a credit, according to the FDA. Those who may still have the product in their freezers should throw it out.

All lot codes of the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles are affected. The product is packaged in a 12-ounce white pouch with the words "Daily Harvest" at the top, a large "CRUMBLES" immediately below the top and the words "French Lentil + Leek" in bold.

The FDA said anyone who experiences yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, itching with no rash, gastrointestinal illness, nausea, fatigue, body aches, severe abdominal pain and/or fever after consuming this product should contact their health care provider.

Providers should report these illnesses to their local health department, the FDA said.

Explore further Jif peanut butter recalled due to possible salmonella

More information: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asks consumers to The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asks consumers to report adverse reactions to the manufacturer

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Q: Why am I seeing brands of baby formula I've never heard of, and are they safe?

A: To help ease the national shortage of baby formula, the United States government is importing several brands that weren't previously sold here. If you see them in your grocery store or pharmacy, then they have been imported based on special regulations and review to make sure they meet safety and nutritional standards.

They are all brands widely used in Europe and Australia among other places with demonstrated safety.

Here are some other common questions that consumers have now:

How do these imported baby formulas compare to the brands I am used to seeing?

Many of the imported baby formulas will be very similar. But there are some that will be unique in the U.S. market, such as brands made from goat's milk protein. Some of the imported baby formulas are certified as organic; others are not. All should be labeled in English, though instructions for mixing them may use different standards of measurements, such as milliliters rather than ounces.

Are there any other differences in imported baby formulas?

There are several key differences to look for in these new imported formulas. First, you may see on the label "Stage 1" or "Stage 2." Stage 1 formulas are intended for babies in the first 6 months after birth, but generally can be used throughout the first year. Stage 2 formulas are meant for babies over 6 months of age.

Also, if you look at the labels, you may see some differences with typical American formulas. For example, the iron content is usually lower in imported formulas. This is because the rules in Europe and Australia for iron are different than in the U.S. However, there is plenty of iron in these formulas, and you do not need to use an iron supplement unless advised by your pediatrician.

Goat's milk baby formula? Is that OK for an infant?

Yes, European and other international authorities have thoroughly reviewed the nutritional content of goat's milk. They've found that, when adapted for baby formula, goat's milk protein supports normal growth and development in infants. Some people believe that it may be tolerated better than formula based on cow milk or soy protein, with less upset stomachs or allergic responses, but that's not certain. However, raw goat's milk, like raw cow's milk, is not safe to feed a baby.

How do I mix imported baby formulas?

As with all baby formulas, read the label closely and follow the instructions exactly unless advised otherwise by your pediatrician. Most countries tell you the amount of water to add in "mls," which means milliliters. If your baby bottles don't have ml scale markings, you may have to convert from ounces to milliliters.

Remember that 30 mls is one ounce. Some of the formulas will have you mix one scoop for each two ounces (60 mls) of water, while others will have you mix one scoop for each one ounce (30 ml) of water. Be sure to use the scoop that came with the container of baby formula you are using.

Also note that the imported baby formula's instructions may refer to the bottle's nipple as the "teat."

As prepared, the imported baby formulas will have about the same amount of calories per serving as the usual U.S. formulas. If you have any questions about preparing the imported baby formula, be sure to talk with your pediatrician. Too much or too little water used with powder or concentrate is dangerous for your baby.

Can I just import baby formula on my own?

Do not try to import yourself directly, because you can't be sure it meets U.S. safety standards. Rely on what has gone through the special government approval process. Contact your pediatrician if you are unsure if a formula has been properly imported.

How long will imported baby formulas be on the shelves in the U.S.?

The special program allowing these importations lasts until November 2022. However, it is not known if it will be extended. Also, some of these formulas may stay in the U.S. marketplace after that time if the FDA and the company agree to this based on usual FDA regulations.

Can I get these imported baby formulas with my WIC benefits?

Some, but not all, of these imported baby formulas are available to WIC clients, although this is determined by state. Check with your state WIC website or office.

Are any specialty baby formulas for infants with special needs being imported?

Yes, some of the baby formula being imported under FDA oversight are designed for highly allergic babies. Additional supplies of formulas designed for infants born prematurely are scheduled to be imported soon.

2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Visual giving an impression of how the modeling and simulation strategy could help optimize drug therapies and protect vulnerable patients from COVID-19. Credit: National University of Singapore

NUS pharmaceutical scientists have developed a modeling and simulation strategy to evaluate the pharmacotherapy of COVID-19 related drugs and help guide dose adjustments for those in the vulnerable population.

There is great public interest regarding the drugs that were granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of COVID-19. These drugs include both Paxlovid and baricitinib. Paxlovid received its EUA in December 2021 for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 at risk of progression to severe infection. Baricitinib, a medication typically used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, was also issued with an EUA in November 2020 for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients requiring supplemental oxygen. Both drugs are also prescribed for COVID-19 patients in Singapore.

The lack of full FDA approval during the public health emergency would mean that dosing information for these two drugs may be lacking for the adults in older age groups. Also, clinical trials could not be performed in a timely manner for this vulnerable cohort during this period. Multiple chronic health conditions and polypharmacy often accompany older adults and it is expected to take many years to complete the complex risk evaluation involved. This sets barriers for clinicians to make suitable decisions on an optimal COVID-19 drug therapy for their older patients.

To address this clinical conundrum, Professor Eric Chan from the Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, developed a modeling and simulation strategy to evaluate the pharmacotherapy of two COVID-19 drugs, Paxlovid and baricitinib, under various virtual clinical scenarios. The research team utilized an approach termed as physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling to simulate the pharmacokinetics of their target drugs among virtual populations. This methodology has been accepted by FDA in several drug labels for dose recommendations in recent years as an alternative to real-world studies.

For Paxlovid therapy, the research team identified potential risks of drug-drug interactions for a specific group of patients through the PBPK-based simulation. These are COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular diseases and already undergoing treatment using anticoagulants, either rivaroxaban or warfarin. From their simulation outcomes, the team found a significant increase in bleeding tendency when the older patients are on rivaroxaban. Those receiving warfarin treatment are found to suffer from an increased risk of potential thrombotic events.

Dr. Ziteng Wang, one of the team members said, "We suggest dose adjustment of rivaroxaban to mitigate the risk of internal bleeding and up to two-weeks surveillance for warfarin treatment after Paxlovid discontinuation to avoid warfarin-related thrombosis."

In a separate study, the team analyzed the current dosage strategies of baricitinib, which was evaluated to be broadly adequate for older adults, except for those with mild renal dysfunction, who might benefit from a dose reduction by half.

Prof Chan said: "Our results provide scientific evidence for the rational dose adjustments of COVID-19 drugs and co-medications in a vulnerable cohort, who are underrepresented in current clinical guidelines. These novel findings are pertinent in supporting further clinical studies and systematic analyses of real-world data to ensure efficacious and safe COVID-19 drug therapies."

Dr. Tat Ming Ng, principal pharmacist (specialist) at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, commented, "PBPK modeling is a mechanistic and quantitative approach in understanding how the human body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes and excretes drugs under different scenarios that are influenced by intrinsic (age, disease, ethnicity, gender, genetic, pregnancy) and extrinsic (drug, food, smoking) factors. In terms of the treatment for COVID-19, the findings will be useful to help guide clinical scenarios where these drug interactions cannot be avoided."

The associated studies were published in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. The team plans to extend their virtual simulation strategy in the evaluation of other COVID-19 drugs to clinically relevant yet untested clinical scenarios.

Explore further COVID-19 rebound after taking Paxlovid likely due to insufficient drug exposure

More information: Ziteng Wang et al, PhysiologicallyBased Pharmacokinetic Modelling to Investigate Baricitinib and Tofacitinib Dosing Recommendations for COVID19 in Geriatrics, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2022). Ziteng Wang et al, PhysiologicallyBased Pharmacokinetic Modelling to Investigate Baricitinib and Tofacitinib Dosing Recommendations for COVID19 in Geriatrics,(2022). DOI: 10.1002/cpt.2600 In Press. Ziteng Wang et al, Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic ModellingGuided Dose Management of Oral Anticoagulants when Initiating Paxlovid for COVID 19 Treatment, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2022). DOI: 10.1002/cpt.2687 In Press.
A 12-week topical treatment regimen for facial redness and sensitive skin calms inflamed skin and is well-tolerated, according to a study published online May 31 in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

Ellen O. Turner, M.D., from the Dermatology Office in Dallas, conducted a 12-week, open-label clinical trial to examine the efficacy and tolerability of a topical facial regimen for treating facial redness and sensitive skin. Healthy men and women, aged 25 to 60 years, with Fitzpatrick skin types I to VI, who were seeking treatment for moderate or severe facial redness were enrolled. Products were provided that were applied each morning and evening.

Turner found that at weeks eight and 12, the mean Overall Redness Scale Score improved by 34 and 25 percent, respectively. Mild or moderate improvement was seen in Global Improvement Scale scores starting in week two; by week 12, more than 50 percent achieved marked improvement. All subjects agreed or strongly agreed that by week 12 their facial redness was less noticeable, their skin seemed less inflamed, there was improvement in overall skin appearance, and their skin looked and felt healthier. The treatment regimen was well tolerated.

"The results of this 12-week study indicated a treatment regimen designed to neutralize skin redness, calm inflamed skin, and provide sunscreen protection was well-tolerated and improved the visible and physical symptoms of sensitive skin," Turner writes.

The research was funded by Colorescience, the manufacturer of the products used in the study.

Explore further High-energy protocol improves photoaged facial skin

More information: Ellen O. Turner, OpenLabel assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of a skin care regimen for treating subjects with visible and physical symptoms of sensitive skin, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2022). Ellen O. Turner, OpenLabel assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of a skin care regimen for treating subjects with visible and physical symptoms of sensitive skin,(2022). DOI: 10.1111/jocd.15134

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Since Roe v. Wade was overturned on Friday and Missouri's trigger ban outlawed nearly all abortion in the state, interest in vasectomies has been on the rise around Kansas City.

Since the ruling dropped on Friday, The Kansas City Urology Care, which has about a dozen locations in the region, has seen nearly a 90% increase in vasectomy consultation, according to urologist, Dr. Christian Hettinger.

Vasectomies are a safe and effective form of birth control for people who have sperm and are trying to prevent pregnancy, but Kansas City doctors warned they are intended to be permanent.

Here are a few things Hettinger and University of Kansas Health System Urologist Ajay Nangia said to consider when deciding if a vasectomy is a good option for you.

What is a vasectomy?

A vasectomy is a procedure where a doctor makes a small incision in the scrotum, and then severs and blocks the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles. The tube is called the vas deferens and will disconnect the tube and block it with clips or by burning the ends of where the tupe was separated.

"So it blocks the sperm from being released when a man has an ejaculation," said Hettinger. "So, in essence, they're shooting blanks. No sperm comes out when they have an ejaculation."

Are there multiple kinds of vasectomies?

Yes, there are two techniques for performing vasectomies, including the scalpel method and a no-cut method. The incision method uses a scalpel to make a cut on the scrotum. The no-cut method uses a tool to puncture a small hole instead of making a cut, according to Planned Parenthood.

"There are numerous ways you can do it, but in the end, it's a very similar procedure, just different, slightly different techniques to it," Hettinger said.

Can vasectomies be reversed?

Yes in some cases, but the success rate of reversals decreases over time.

If someone is having a vasectomy and is considering getting it reversed, it's better to get it reversed sooner than later, according to Hettinger. He suggested getting the procedure reversed in the first few years, and said that later than that might make reversal less possible.

"If you're waiting 10 to 15 years to get it reversed, your success rates drop pretty low," Hettinger said.

Dr. Nangia from KU Med said that he makes sure that his patients know that the procedure is supposed to be permanent.

"We have to make patients aware that we view this technique as permanent. We're doing this for them because they don't want any more children," Nangia said.

If a patient does change their mind about children after having the procedure, they can either try to have their vasectomy reversed, or they can have sperm retrieved from their testicles and use a process like in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive a child.

Do vasectomies hurt?

The doctors said vasectomies are typically not very painful. Most patients are awake for the procedure, as it only calls for a local anesthetic and has a pretty quick recovery period.

Nangia said he often prescribes Valium to his patients who might be anxious about the pain before the procedure.

Otherwise, patients typically walk out of the doctor's office in less than an hour and can manage any pain that follows with ice and ibuprofen.

How long does a vasectomy procedure take?

The procedure takes about 30 minute.

What are the risks?

Like any other procedure, there are some risks. But overall, the doctors said vasectomies are very safe. There is a 1-2% chance of infection or chronic pain after a vasectomy, according to the American Urological Association.

And there is a 1 in 2,000 chance that the vasectomy fails or the sperm duct reconnects itself. However, the procedure is still more than 99% effective against pregnancy.

What's the recovery time after the procedure?

Recovering from a vasectomy should be a fairly smooth process. Both Nangia and Hettinger tell their patients to take it easy for up to two weeks. Most activity can resume as normal as soon as two days after, but it's important for patients to ice any pain, avoid sex and avoid strenuous activities.

"Then when they feel okay [or] they're not focus[ed] on anything hurting down there, they can resume protected intercourse or activities, sporting, work-related or otherwise," Dr. Nangia said. "They don't have to be off work, they may have to limit some of their work, especially depending on what career [they have]."

When can you have sex again after a vasectomy? Are you sterile right away?

After a week or two, patients can start having sex again. But the doctors said it's important to know that people who had the procedure aren't protected from pregnancy right away.

"You're not instantly sterile right after a vasectomy," Nangia said. Based on the American Urological Association guidelines, Nangia said patients need to wait at least three months and must ejaculate at least 20 times before they clear all the sperm and are considered sterile.

In the meantime, other birth control methods need to be used to prevent pregnancy. After waiting three months and ejaculating at least 20 times, patients have to revisit their doctor for a sperm analysis to make sure they have cleared all the sperm.

Do people still have semen after a vasectomy?

Yes. People still have semen and are able to ejaculate after having a vasectomy. However, there will be no sperm in the semen.

How much do vasectomies cost?

If you are uninsured, the procedure can cost up to $1,000. Some insurance covers vasectomy, so if you are insured, it's best to contact your provider to see how much the procedure will cost for you.

Explore further Mayo Clinic Minute: Reversing a vasectomy

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Lionheart Cannabis has lowered its prices across the board to ensure every customer is receiving the best value in terms of product quality and strain variety.

Chris Fanuzzi, founder and owner of Lionheart Cannabis, Montanas leading medical and recreational cannabis provider, said quality has always been a top priority on both of these fronts, along with customer service.

Customers deserve quality at all levels, whether they are interested in high-end products or more middle-of-the-road selections, Fanuzzi said. And of course, that emphasis on value and quality pairs with great customer service. We want to make sure customers feel welcome from the moment they walk in the door. Our budtenders can answer questions and help with different recommendations.

Fanuzzi has understood the importance of quality since day one. Founded in Bozeman in 2007, Lionheart is renowned for its focus on quality products, variety (dozens of strains in stock), compassionate patient care and educational awareness among clients. Home to the original Montana Silvertip strains, Lionheart currently produces myriad concentrates, edibles and tinctures in a variety of flavors, strengths and price ranges. In addition to its headquarters in Bozeman, the company has five cultivation facilities throughout the state, as well as dispensaries in Billings, Butte, Helena, Great Falls, and Missoula, with Kalispell and Livingston opening this summer. Lionheart also offers online ordering for each location, with lives menus available on their website. Montana allows marijuana for adult use, ages 21 and older, and medical cannabis, according to the Montana Department of Revenue.

Fanuzzi is most proud these days of the variety of exceptional quality buds available at each Lionheart location. He believes its the widest selection ever of some of the customers favorite strains and flowers, including Ice Cream Cake, Lemon Creamsicle, Super Silver Sour Diesel, Sourdough Kush and even a Tahiti Lime, to name a few. In addition to the concentrates and edibles  from cookies to brownies and chocolate  Lionheart also is currently offering some popular salves and rubs.

Demand throughout the state is at an all-time high, said Fanuzzi. As a result, we have added more layers to our quality control in terms of the grading and screening of our products to ensure perfection at every stage. Every single package is examined in terms of its content, quality and labeling, ensuring that nothing but the most beautiful, dense nuggets are included. Smaller buds, which are just as high quality as the larger buds but not as dense, are packaged separately and sold at more moderate prices.

Along with the reduced pricing on products, Lionheart has special deals right now on pre-rolls, cartridges, live resin and dabs. The companys user-friendly loyalty program provides customers with a 5% store credit on any purchase made in-store, along with special offers via text.

This is an opportune time for customers to visit any one of our locations and meet with our experienced budtenders, Fanuzzi said. Ask questions, take time to look around and allow our staff to find that special strain that will work for you, all at an affordable price.

Visit lionheartcannabis.com for more information.

Information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and does not supersede any medical advice given by a physician. Cannabis is still considered a schedule 1 controlled substance and is illegal under federal law. Adults who consume cannabis must keep cannabis products away from animals and out of reach of children. Note that the intoxicating effects of cannabis can sometimes be delayed, so do not operate a vehicle or machinery after consumption. Use of cannabis during pregnancy or while breastfeeding may be harmful. By purchasing cannabis from a dispensary, you are assuming the risk of any damage or loss that occurs during its use.

This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com.

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FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Who you voted for at the ballot box may have the most influence over whether you've gotten a COVID-19 booster shot.

Researchers studying vaccine hesitancy two years into the pandemic found that political party affiliation was a key determinant of where study participants got their information about the pandemic and vaccines.

"Survey respondents who described themselves as conservative are the most hesitant toward the COVID-19 vaccine, while those who described themselves as liberal are more likely to have already received the vaccine plus one or both boosters," said lead researcher Agustin Vallejo, a postdoctoral fellow with the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs. He spoke in a school news release.

The survey was conducted between Dec. 22, 2021 and March 2, 2022, receiving responses from nearly 2,600 people in the Houston area and another 1,000 throughout Texas. About 3 of the 5 were fully vaccinated, which at that time was an original dose or doses plus one booster. More than one-third of respondents had not received any COVID vaccines.

The survey showed there was little difference in vaccination rates between genders. Meanwhile, racial differences were small yet significant. About 67.5% of white people were vaccinated, while just over 61% of Black people and 60% of Latinos were. The highest vaccine rates were among people aged 45 and older.

Among participants who described themselves as liberal, 75.6% were fully vaccinated. This was compared to 60.3% of those who said they were politically "moderate" and 56.6% of those who were conservative.

Those who were already vaccinated used words like "safe" and "good" to describe the vaccine, while those who were unvaccinated tends to use words like "no" and "not getting" when asked about the vaccine.

"When we asked which news sources participants relied on most, television was identified as the most trustworthy and essential, with 17% of Democrats most often tuning in CNN and 23.4% of Republicans usually choosing Fox News," said researcher Sunny Wong, associate dean for graduate studies at Hobby.

"When divided by age, younger respondents [ages 18 to 44] reported relying more on the internet, while respondents 45 and older said they stayed with television," he said in the release.

The researchers noted one unexpected and interesting outcome was a link with flu shots. About 87% of participants who get an annual flu shot were also up to date on COVID vaccines, whereas about 66% of those who have never had a flu shot had also not had any COVID shots.

"This tendency may be a hint that some COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy could be part of a larger, generalized distrust of immunizations of all kinds," said Gail Buttorff, director of the Hobby Schools Survey Research Institute.

Researchers also gave the survey participants a hypothetical scenario in which they received an mRNA vaccine that was fully CDC-approved and had one day of side effects. They asked what kind of compensation it would take for them to get their vaccine.

About 16% said they would get the COVID vaccine with no compensation. About 18% would get a first shot for $250, 21% for $500 and 24% for $750.

"Examining this information shines light on what has been driving vaccine hesitancy throughout the pandemic. A deeper understanding is especially relevant now," said Pablo Pinto, director of the Hobby School's Center for Public Policy.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on COVID-19 boosters.

SOURCE: University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, news release, June 28, 2022

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FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News)  When a mosquito bites and infects you with a virus like dengue or Zika, it also makes you smell good to other mosquitos, new research suggests.

That makes it more likely another one will bite, pick up the virus and carry it to the next victim.

The virus can manipulate the hosts skin microbiome to attract more mosquitoes to spread faster! said study co-author Penghua Wang, an immunologist at UConn Health in Farmington, Conn.

The findings could explain how mosquito-borne viruses persist for such a long time, researchers said.

Both dengue and Zika are spread by mosquitoes and are in the same viral family as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and West Nile.

Dengue affects 50 million people a year and kills 20,000, mostly children, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease.

Zika can cause serious birth defects in the unborn children of infected pregnant women, though it rarely causes serious problems in adults.

To keep spreading, both viruses require ongoing infections in animal hosts. If all the mosquitoes died or all susceptible hosts cleared the virus, the viruses would disappear.

But there are always mosquitoes in tropical climates without killing frosts, and the viruses just need one to to bite a host to be able to spread.

Researchers suspected the viruses might be altering peoples scent in some way to attract mosquitos.

They found that mosquitos seemed to prefer mice infected with dengue more than healthy mice.

They then found and tested several molecules that were more common on infected animals. They applied these to both clean mice and the hands of human volunteers.

One molecule, acetophenone, was especially attractive to mosquitoes.

Similarly, skin odorants from people with dengue found more acetophenone and that these patients also were more attractive to mosquitoes.

Acetophenone is made by some Bacillus bacteria that grow on human and mouse skin. An antimicrobial peptide that skin produces typically keeps it under control, but infected mice dont produce as much of it when theyre infected with dengue or Zika, prompting the bacteria to grow faster.

Researchers also tested a potential preventative  a vitamin A derivative called isotretinoin that increases production of the skins protective antimicrobial peptide. Mice treated with isotretinoin turned out to be less attractive to mosquitoes.

The next step is to analyze more human patients with dengue and Zika, Wang said. The goal will be to see if the skin odor-microbiome connection holds up in real world conditions. Researchers also want to see if isotretinoin reduces acetophenone production in sick people as well as it does in sick mice.

The findings were published June 30 in the journal Cell.

More information

The National Library of Medicine has more about mosquito bites.

SOURCE: University of Connecticut, news release, June 30, 2022

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Saudi Global Ports (SPG) has reached an agreement with Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) to manufacture three state-of-the-art quay cranes for the King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

SGP is a joint-venture company that is formed between Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia and PSA International. In April 2020, it signed a 30-year build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement for the container terminals in the King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam with Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani). In line with this agreement, SPG has embarked upon a drive to develop and modernise King Abdulaziz Port.

The port offers full-scale operational services with the help of hi-tech crane equipment capable of handling all kinds of cargo, with two modern container terminals, one chilled and frozen cargo terminal, two general cargo terminals, two cement terminals (one for Black Portland cement and clinker and the other for White Portland cement), one bulk grain terminal, one iron ore terminal, a ship-building yard, and oil and gas stations, along with a ship repairing facility consisting of two floating docks that can accommodate vessels of up to 215 m in length.

The deal was signed by Saudi Global Ports CEO Edward Tah and Liu Chengyun, Chairman and President of ZPMC, in the presence of Omar bin Talal Hariri, President of Saudi Ports Authority, and Captain Fahad Al-Amer, Director General of King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, as well as Saudi Global Ports Chairman Abdullah Al-Zamil and Wan Chee Foong, Regional CEO, Middle East and South Asia, and Head of Group Business Development at PSA International.

The agreement reflects SGPs commitment towards transforming King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam into a globally competitive and sustainable container hub in line with the commercial concession signed with Mawani worth SR7 billion ($1.86 billion), as the modern crane equipment will have a minimum outreach to load and unload containers up to 25 rows, which enables the handling of next-generation giant vessels at optimum efficiency and scale, the report said.

Saudi Global Ports is also assessing the possibilities to equip the cranes for remote operation and with photovoltaic panels to harness and operate them via solar energy to achieve sustainability and automation of port operations.

On the deal, Hariri said it was a direct result of the Smart Ports Initiative which was launched earlier this year to boost the competitive edge of Saudi ports and keep pace with a continuously evolving maritime industry, which calls for developing logistical performance and container ports in the kingdom given its strategic position as a hub connecting three continents and its leading role in regional and global trade, in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS).

Al Zamil pointed out that Saudi Global Ports continues to take bold steps to transform the kingdom into a global logistics powerhouse in line with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, along with achieving sustainability by looking at possibilities of harnessing renewable energy in future quay crane operations, supporting the Saudi Green Initiative, and participating in the global drive to combat climate change.

Foong said: "PSA is pleased to have worked alongside Saudi Global Ports to develop the optimal design and specifications of the quay cranes and support the rigorous evaluation process."

"PSAs commitment to the transformation of King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam into a leading port with long-term sustainability, automation, digitisation and integrated supply chain goals will ensure Saudi Global Ports remain relevant and future-ready, realizing the Kingdoms plans to become a global logistics hub," he stated.

Considered Saudi Arabia's largest port on the Arabian Gulf coast, the King Abdulaziz Port enjoys a unique location as a gateway of global trade with 43 berths, a total area of 19 sq km, and a throughput capacity of 105 million tons as well as rail connection to the Riyadh Dry Port, stated Hariri.

This helps simplify transportation of goods to the Eastern and Central regions of Saudi Arabia from countries around the world, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- If a national abortion ban follows a Supreme Court ruling overturning the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision, U.S. maternal deaths would likely increase by 24%, new research suggests.

That assessment, based on newly released 2020 data, is a 14% increase over an earlier estimate based on 2017 data.

Pregnant Black women would face even more dire impacts, with maternal deaths increasing by 39%, the study found.

If no abortions were permitted in the 26 states that have already banned or plan to ban abortion, there would have been 64 more maternal deaths in 2020.

This study focused only on how maternal death rates are impacted by abortion simply because data shows staying pregnant carries a higher risk of death than having an abortion. It did not include data on how society might try to increase access to abortion for those living in states where it's illegal or how the criminalization of abortion will impact health care-seeking behaviors.

"The prior estimates relied on abortion rates, births and maternal mortality rates as of five years ago. Since then, abortions have increased, births have decreased and maternal mortality rates have worsened," said lead author Amanda Stevenson, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 0.41 deaths per 100,000 legal abortions between 2013 and 2018, and the maternal death rate was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.

In the new study, the researchers estimated that in the first year during which no abortions took place due to bans, the number of maternal deaths would increase from a baseline of 861 to 969. In years that follow, maternal deaths would increase to 1,071, which is 210 each year over baseline, a 24% increase. The increase would be much more for Black women.

"There is a robust network of Black-led research demonstrating how we can better support Black pregnant people who are at 2-3 times greater risk of dying because they're pregnant compared to other groups," Stevenson said in a university news release.

How the new state laws banning abortion would affect women depends on each state.

In states with already high maternal death rates, as well as moderate to high abortion rates, maternal deaths would increase by about 29%, according to study estimates. These states would include Florida and Georgia.

Other states, where getting an abortion was already difficult, there may be little to no change. This includes states such as Nebraska, Missouri and West Virginia.

Solutions to stem these deaths include helping people in states where abortion is illegal obtain legal access to reproductive care, investing in the maternal health crisis and addressing "shocking" inequalities in maternal health care.

"Our estimates highlight how we can prevent the post-Dobbs [Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling] bans on abortion from increasing the already tragically high numbers of deaths due to pregnancy in the U.S.," Stevenson said. "Pregnancy shouldn't kill people -- in fact, in other rich countries it very rarely does."

The new findings were published on a preprint server and have not yet been peer-reviewed.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on maternal death rates.

SOURCE: University of Colorado Boulder, news release, June 30, 2022

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HONG KONG (AP)  Chinas leader Xi Jinping marked the 25th anniversary of Hong Kongs return with a speech Friday that emphasized Beijings control over the former British colony under its vision of one country, two systems  countering criticism that the political and civic freedoms promised for the next quarter-century have been largely erased under Chinese rule.

Xi praised the city for overcoming violent social unrest  a reference to massive pro-democracy protests in 2019 that were followed by a Beijing-driven crackdown that has snuffed out dissent and shut down independent media, aligning Hong Kong more closely with stricter controls under China's ruling Communist Party.

The shift shocked many in the city of 7.4 million people that Britain returned to China in 1997, after running it as a colony for more than a century. As part of the agreement, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to have its own government and legal system for 50 years.

In the ensuing years, Hong Kong activists pushed back against Chinese efforts to curtail freedoms and even made demands for fully democratic elections, drawing out hundreds of thousands of people for marches in the streets.

Under Xi, that pushback has been silenced. For years, the anniversary of the July 1 handover was marked by an official ceremony in the morning and a protest march in the afternoon. Now, protesters have been cowed into silence in what the Communist Party hails as restoring stability to the city.

Xi said that Beijing has comprehensive jurisdiction over Hong Kong, and that Hong Kong should respect Chinese leadership, even as Beijing allows regions like Hong Kong and neighboring Macao to maintain their capitalist system and a degree of autonomy.

After the return to the motherland, Hong Kong has overcome all kinds of challenges and moved forwards steadily, Xi said. Regardless of whether it was the international financial crisis, the coronavirus pandemic or violent social unrest, nothing has stopped Hong Kongs progress.

His speech represented the culmination of what China scholar Jeff Wasserstrom has described as a push and pull between two competing visions of one country, two systems."

Many in Hong Kong fought for a more robust understanding of the two systems, to have an idea that theres a very different lifestyle there," said Wasserstrom, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink.

That view, at least for now, has lost out to the narrower one of the Communist Party, which is mainly interested in maintaining the economic advantages of Hong Kong's capitalist system, he said.

Hong Kong resident Grace Chan saw little reason to celebrate on Friday. Its been very difficult for Hong Kong people in recent years, she said. "I just wanted to relax today and not to surround myself in a negative atmosphere for too long.

Since the 2019 protests, authorities have used a sweeping national security law to arrest scores of activists, media figures and democracy supporters. They introduced a more patriotic curriculum in schools and revamped election laws to keep opposition politicians who are deemed not patriotic enough out of the citys legislature.

In its view, Chinas Communist Party has restored stability to a city that was wracked with demonstrations seen as a direct challenge to its rule. For Western democracies, Xi has undermined the freedoms and way of life that had distinguished the city from mainland China and made it into a global finance and trade hub.

U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement that Chinas policies toward Hong Kong, including the national security law, have shaken the institutions, rules, and systems that had been the basis of international confidence in Hong Kong.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: We have seen a steady erosion of political and civil rights since the imposition of the National Security Law on June 30, 2020. Authorities have stifled opposition, criminalized dissent and driven out anyone who can speak truth to power.

Xi warned that there would be no tolerance for foreign interference or traitors meddling in Hong Kongs affairs. He said that safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is of the highest priority.

Nobody in any country or region in the world will allow foreign countries or even traitorous forces and figures to seize power, he said, adding that only by having patriots governing Hong Kong can it ensure long-term stability.

He said that that one country, two systems was still a good system that "must be maintained for a long time.

In the remote village of Tai O, where homes are built on stilts, fisherman Ng Koon-yau is fine with Beijing being in charge.

Hong Kong is part of China, and Ive never thought of moving anywhere else, said Ng, who came from Chinas neighboring Guangdong province in the 1950s. I hope that China will make Hong Kong a better place, where everyone can prosper."

Xi also stressed the importance of caring for the youth of Hong Kong. Many of the protesters in pro-democracy movements in 2014 and 2019 were students, many disillusioned by not only the loss of promised political freedoms but also an increasingly competitive job market and rising housing costs.

It is necessary to help the majority of young people solve the difficulties they face in their studies, employment, and in entrepreneurship and property ownership, he said. There must be more opportunities created for them to grow and become talents.

Xi's trip to Hong Kong was his first outside of mainland China since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in January 2020. He had last visited Hong Kong in 2017 for the 20th anniversary of the handover.

Thousands of guests were required to take daily coronavirus tests and check into quarantine hotels ahead of their attendance at events with Xi.

Xi officiated at the swearing-in of Hong Kong's new leader John Lee, a former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on dissent.

The next five years will be a crucial time for Hong Kong to advance from governance to prosperity," Lee said.

He has previously indicated plans to follow through on a long unfulfilled requirement for the city to enact its own laws to protect the Chinese government against acts that threaten national security. An earlier initiative was abandoned after large protests in 2003.

Amnesty International warned that Lee's plans for laws governing state secrets and cybersecurity will likely mirror similar laws in China.

The extremely broad definition of such laws facilitates arbitrary enforcement, a fact that creates yet more uncertainty and fear for people in Hong Kong, the group's Asia-Pacific regional director Erwin van der Borght said.

At a morning flag-raising ceremony  attended by Lee and his predecessor Carrie Lam but not Xi  police officers carrying the Chinese and Hong Kong flags marched into Golden Bauhinia Square with a Chinese goose-stepping style, replacing a British-style march. Guests stood at attention as the Chinese national anthem was played.

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and news assistant Karmen Li in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BERLIN (AP)  The rust-colored tower rising from an industrial site near the banks of Berlin's Spree river looks nothing like the sleek flasks Germans use for coffee, yet its purpose is similar: to provide some warmth throughout the day, especially when it's cold outside.

With a height of 45 meters (almost 150 feet) and holding up to 56 million liters (14.8 million gallons) of hot water, utility company Vattenfall says the tower will help heat Berlin homes this winter even if Russian gas supplies dry up.

It's a huge thermos that helps us to store the heat when we dont need it, said Tanja Wielgoss, who heads the Sweden-based company's heat unit in Germany. And then we can release it when we need to use it.

While district heating systems fueled by coal, gas or waste have been around for more than a century, most aren't designed to store significant amounts of heat. Instead, they burn as much fossil fuel as needed, contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming.

By contrast, the new facility unveiled Thursday at Vattenfall's Reuter power station will hold water brought to almost boiling temperature using electricity from solar and wind power plants across Germany. During periods when renewable energy exceeds demand the facility effectively acts as a giant battery, though instead of storing electricity it stores heat.

Sometimes you have an abundance of electricity in the grids that you cannot use anymore, and then you need to turn off the wind turbines, said Wielgoss. Where we are standing we can take in this electricity.

The 50-million-euro ($52 million) facility will have a thermal capacity of 200 Megawatts  enough to meet much of Berlin's hot water needs during the summer and about 10% of what it requires in the winter. The vast, insulated tank can keep water hot for up to 13 hours, helping bridge short periods when there's little wind or sun.

It will also be able to use other sources of heat  such as that extracted from wastewater, said Wielgoss. While it will be Europe's biggest heat storage facility when it's completed at the end of this year, an even bigger one is already being planned in the Netherlands.

Berlin's top climate official, Bettina Jarasch, said the faster such heat storage systems are built, the better.

Due to its geographic location the Berlin region is even more dependent on Russian fossil fuels than other parts of Germany," she told The Associated Press. "Thats why were really in a hurry here.

The war in Ukraine and the energy crisis teach us that we need to be faster, said Jarasch.

First of all to become climate neutral," she said. And secondly, to become independent (of energy imports).

Figures released Thursday by Germany's utility industry association BDEW shows efforts to reduce natural gas use are having an effect.

Consumption of gas dropped by 14.3% in the first five months of this year compared to the same period in 2021.

Part of the decline was due to milder weather, but the industry group said even accounting for warmer temperatures there was a measurable drop that it attributed to bumpier economic conditions, appeals from the German government to save energy and individuals' personal efforts.

Wielgoss said she was confident that Vattenfall's customers won't go cold this winter, despite the looming gas squeeze from Russia as Moscow retaliates for Western sanctions by reducing the gas flowing through key pipelines.

Consumers in Germany are very well protected, she said. So they for sure will not suffer any shortages. But of course, we plead with everybody to really start saving energy.

Each kilowatt hour we save is good for the country, she added.

Follow AP's climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate

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PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP)  A crewless robotic boat retracing the 1620 sea voyage of the Mayflower has landed near Plymouth Rock.

The sleek Mayflower Autonomous Ship met with an escort boat as it approached the Massachusetts shoreline Thursday, more than 400 years after its namesake's historic journey from England.

It was towed into Plymouth Harbor  per U.S. Coast Guard rules for crewless vessels  and docked near a replica of the original Mayflower that brought the Pilgrims to America.

Piloted by artificial intelligence technology, the 50-foot (15-meter) trimaran didnt have a captain, navigator or any humans on board.

The solar-powered ship's first attempt to cross the Atlantic in 2021 was beset with technical problems, forcing it back to its home port of Plymouth, England  the same place the Pilgrim settlers sailed from in 1620.

It set off from the southwest English coast again in April but mechanical difficulties diverted it to Portugal's Azores islands and then to Canada.

When you dont have anybody onboard, you obviously cant do the mechanical, physical fixes that are needed, said Rob High, a software executive at IBM helping to work on the project. Thats also part of the learning process.

On Monday, it departed Halifax, Nova Scotia for a successful 4-day journey to Plymouth Harbor.

Nonprofit marine research organization ProMare worked with IBM to build the ship and has been using it to collect data about whales, microplastics pollution and for other scientific research. Small autonomous experimental vessels have crossed the Atlantic before but researchers describe it as the first ship of its size to do so.

The voyage's completion means we can start analyzing data from the ships journey and dig into the AI system's performance, High said. He said the prospect of such crewless vessels navigating the seas on a continuous basis will make it easier to collect all the kinds of things that marine scientists care about."

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York officials denied required air permit renewals Thursday to a bitcoin-mining power plant on the grounds that it was a threat to the state's climate goals.

The permitting decision was another example of New York putting the brakes on a cryptocurrency bonanza that has alarmed environmentalists. It also comes at a time when cryptocurrency prices have plunged, wiping out fortunes, fueling skepticism and sparking calls for tighter scrutiny.

The state's permitting decision involved Greenidge Generation, an old coal-fired plant by the shore of Seneca Lake which had once been shut down, but was converted from coal to natural gas several years ago and began bitcoin mining in earnest in 2020.

A majority of the electricity produced by the plant is now used to run more than 15,000 computer servers for bitcoin mining, which guzzles massive amounts of electricity.

In rejecting the renewals, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said the plants conversion to a cryptocurrency mining operation meant it was creating a significant new demand for energy "for a wholly new purpose unrelated to its original permit.

Instead of helping to meet the current electricity needs of the state as originally described, the facility is operating primarily to meet its own significant new energy load," the agency said in its letter to the company.

The company said it would continue operating under its current permit while it challenged the decision. It said there was no credible legal basis" for the denial.

It is absurd for anyone to look at these facts and rationally claim that renewing this specific permit  for a facility that makes up a small fraction of the states electricity generation capacity  would impede New Yorks long term climate goals. It simply would not," the company said.

Climate activists who see Greenidge as a test case had asked Gov. Kathy Hochuls administration to deny renewal of the plants air quality permit and to block similar projects.

The decision comes as Hochul is deciding whether to sign into law a two-year moratorium on new and renewed air permits for fossil fuel power plants used for proof-of-work mining.

Greenidge is not affected by the first-of-its-kind moratorium measure, which covers new applications.

New York has attracted a number of companies that need inexpensive energy to run the huge computer arrays needed for energy-intensive proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining  a term for the computational process that records and secures transactions in bitcoin and similar forms of digital money.

Greenidge has said that even if the plant ran at full capacity, its potential emissions equate to 0.23% of the states greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2030. The company argued the plant is 100% carbon neutral, thanks to the purchase of carbon offsets, such as forestry programs and projects that capture methane from landfills.

Environmentalists were pleased with the denial.

Governor Hochul and the DEC stood with science and the people, and sent a message to outside speculators: New Yorks former fossil fuel-burning plants are not yours to re-open as gas-guzzling Bitcoin mining cancers on our communities, said Yvonne Taylor, vice president of the advocacy organization Seneca Lake Guardian.

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Annie Belcourt has always been curious about her surroundings.

Its why she decided to enroll at the University of Montana for psychology in 1992. Its why Belcourt transitioned from education to research after getting her masters degree at the University of Colorado.

And her drive for knowledge is part of why she is taking over as chair for the Native American Studies Department at UM this fall. With the leadership role, she plans to be a mentor for Indigenous students while continuing her research uncovering disparities in tribal communities.

I really would like to see things change for the better for the people that I come from, Belcourt said. I want to see more health equality in our state and, and to start to see more elevation of Native voices, you know, in many different areas.

The Native American Studies Department provides a broad-based liberal arts education that centers on Indian Country issues, and offers courses from literature to history.

The department has roughly 20 full-time students, although many others take one-time courses through the department.

Belcourt grew up on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and is a member of the Blackfeet and the Three Affiliated Tribes. When she was a child, she wondered why people acted the way they did, why government and society operates the way it does.

She said her father played a role in her interest in human health, as he was one of the first Native Americans to get a masters in public health from the University of Berkeley in the 1980s. She wanted to transform some of her experiences on the reservation into data-driven research.

Study of life

Belcourt earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from UM in 2006, and has been doing research studies for the past decade.

Her most recent work includes studying the effects of indoor particulates from wood-burning stoves in rural communities and developing culturally minded prevention programs for Indigenous communities.

But part of her unique skill set comes from her interdisciplinary studies that have strengthened her storytelling. Belcourt said it is one thing to do the research, but another to spend time in communities affected by problems and explain the data so action can be taken.

One of my areas of my focus is trauma and how trauma impacts communities and individuals, especially Native people, Belcourt explained. So trying to look at ways to understand that through science and then partner with the community so that they can have access to science, and to the benefits of scientific knowledge.

One way she has gotten the word out is through making movies with her daughter, Maya Rose Dittloff, a member of the Writers Guild of America. The two are currently working on a film titled Going to the Sun, a narrative-based story describing the trauma of losing loved ones to violence, closely linked to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women campaign.

It is a story the two know personally, as Belcourts sister was murdered in 2001. She said violence is an issue on the reservation that most know about, but she wants to explain why these disparities keep happening.

What is the story behind the statistics? Belcourt said.

Curtis Noonan, director for the School of Public Health and Community Sciences, said he has always enjoyed working with Belcourt on research projects, and thought her new role will be great for the university.

As a department focus, Native American Studies draws from a variety of fields, and Annie has a rich diversity of expertise, Noonan said. She will really serve the department well.

Selena Beaumont Hill, director of inclusive excellence at UM, said she was excited for Belcourt to take over the chair and continue expanding Indigenous excellence across the university.

While Hill was getting a masters in counseling education, she recalled Belcourt running group counseling sessions at UM's Curry Health Center for her doctoral work. She said she was amazed by Belcourts drive and excellence as an Indigenous woman.

She has been doing the work in the community her whole life, Hill, a member of the Crow Tribe, said. This shows Indigenous students that they can do well and follow in her footsteps to be something at our university."

Full circle

Belcourt said much of her inspiration came from the Native American Studies chair Bonnie HeavyRunner when she was an undergrad. HeavyRunner founded the Native American Studies Department in 1991.

Then it only offered a minor degree option, and worked out of the house on Arthur Street, now home to the OConnell Center for the Rocky Mountain West. Belcourt recalled a more formal time at UM, when people had stricter dress codes and more rules on classes.

Despite being at the bottom of the food chain at the newly-formed department, HeavyRunner would schedule a weekly meeting with Belcourt, advising her on her classes and making sure she was doing well away from home.

That made a really big difference to me academically, Belcourt said. To know there's a strong Indian woman who cared about me and cared about what happened to me. That was a real inspiration.

And now, she is in the same role as HeavyRunner. Belcourt also found help from her psychology chair, David Shulberg, for helping her think critically while at UM. She also thanked her parents, and her children  who are listed on her resume.

The future

Now chair of Native American Studies, Belcourt looks to strengthen the Indigenous presence on campus, which has increased after reaching a low point in 2019. She said while UM could do better in hiring more people of color for leadership roles, she sees intent by the university to be more diverse.

Those things are really enriching to our community, and really helped to deconstruct some of the kind of systematic discrimination that American Indian people have faced in academia, Belcourt said. Our students are really in a place where they're much more savvy about these things.

She added that the pandemic brought a silver lining of people going back to their roots of traditional ecological knowledge, a term used for traditional health practices and medicines used by tribes. Much of that is coming into mainstream research, Belcourt said, which she hopes to build on when talking about drug abuse and addiction.

Another goal of Belcourt is bridging the gap between Native American studies and the realities Indigenous people face each day.

The paradigm around Native American studies to become more, frankly, relevant to contemporary society and thinking about Native people now, Belcourt said. We always have to be informed by our history, by anthropological knowledge around our language and practices, but also bridging that into today.

She wants to do that by getting Indigenous people involved in more fields of study like law and the arts. With more Indigenous scholars, both reservations and urban Native Americans can grow and prosper.

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Here's some business news in the Missoula area:

The Mexican Moose food truck and the Bamboo Bar, a mobile tiki bar in Missoula, are partnering up for pop-up food and cocktails events this summer. They'll be at the corner of Pattee and Broadway on July 1 for First Friday from 5-10 p.m. and will have other dates set in the coming months.

The Poverello Center is hosting the second annual Picnic for the Pov on Wednesday, July 13 at Ogren Park at Allegiance Field from 5:30-7 p.m., sponsored by First Interstate Bank and TownPump.

Picnic attendees will gather with community leaders to share the impact the Veteran Programs are making every day and to invite attendees to support the Veteran Programs work. Dinner is complementary. The program will begin at 6 p.m. and last no more than one hour.

The Veteran Programs Team went from working toward long-term solutions to functionally ending Veteran houselessness to trying to figure out how we could provide services to as many people as possible, as safely as possible, Executive Director Jill Bonny said. Now, we are excited to be evolving our Veteran Programs to better serve our clients and support all Poverello Center programs.

The program will feature speakers from the Poverello Center and partner organizations as well as a video produced by John Nilles at With A Cause Productions and Treasure State Studios.

The event will be live-streamed via the Montana Community Access Television Facebook page.

Starting July 10, Mountain Line will expand to seven-day service by adding Sunday service for the first time ever and operating later into the evening, increasing service by 30%.

This is a transformative moment for Mountain Line, said Corey Aldridge, Mountain Line CEO and general manager. Were grateful to be fully staffed and able to make our dream of seven-day service a reality this summer.

This service expansion is a direct response to public input gathered during Mountain Lines strategic planning process that began in 2017 and culminated in 2020 when voters approved the agencys service-expansion initiative by a 20% margin.

While the timeline for service expansions was impacted by the national labor shortage in 2021, the agency has successfully grown from 58 employees in April of 2021 to 100 employees in April of this year.

Highlights of the July 10 service expansion include:

 Sunday service from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.*

 Saturday service from 9 a.m. to 10:45 p.m.*

 Expanded weekday hours, from 6 a.m. to 10:45 p.m.*

 All-day service on Routes 4 & 11

*Hours vary by route.

These service expansions will benefit fixed-route riders and seniors and people living with disabilities who use Mountain Lines Paratransit and Shuttle Van services.

Also starting July 10, the agency will be changing some routing on Routes 3, 5 and 11 (details available online) and increasing service on holidays. Effective the same date, Mountain Line will operate every day except New Years Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

Mountain Line benefits us all by helping students get to school, employees get to work and seniors and those living with disabilities remain mobile and active. Even those who dont ride benefit from reduced traffic congestion, decreased parking demand and cleaner air, said Jesse Dodson, Missoula Urban Transportation District board chair. Were excited to amplify these benefits this summer to help build a healthier, more equitable community.

Detailed schedules and more information can be found at mountainline.com/service-expansion.

A large affordable housing complex in Missoula is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Council Groves Apartments, at 1904 S. 3rd Street W., is marking five decades of providing quality affordable housing in Missoula, according to site manager Michael Dorshorst.

A Golden Jubilee celebration for residents was held the week of June 27 through July 2, 2022.

We are celebrating the impacts of Council Groves Apartments now, its legacy of providing shelter and community for Missoula residents in-need over five decades, and are planning for a sustainable and supportive future, Dorshorst said. There is a real and growing need for affordable housing in Missoula, and across the country.

When it was constructed in 1972, the Missoulian reported the 72-unit complexs value at $717,390. It is cited among the first nonprofit, rent-supplemented apartments in the Missoula area.

Council Groves Apartments is a Section-8 complex, owned and operated by a board of directors comprised of representatives from local Catholic organizations. Those organizations include Saint Anthonys Parish, Saint Francis Xavier Parish, Christ the King Parish, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community Parish, Missoula Knights of Columbus, Catholic Social Services, and the Secular Franciscans.

"In the early 1970s, the Low-Income Group for Human Treatment (LIGHT), forerunner to the Human Resource Council, strongly advocated for the complex to be built," Dorshorst said in an email. "Construction of the apartments was historically framed in the context of 'the war on poverty,' anti-poverty programs initiated under President Lyndon B. Johnson that ran from 1964 to 1973. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around 19%."

According to 2020 Census data, the U.S. poverty rate is currently 11.4%.

"As a consequence of the Council Groves Apartments Boards strong financial stewardship and dedicated on-site staff, the property is continually upgrading and adding amenities and opportunities for residents," Dorshorst said. "This year, among other improvement projects, Council Groves Apartments is renovating units incrementally. With each move-out, new, luxury vinyl plank flooring and paint schemes are being installed."

Council Groves Apartments serves very-low and extremely-low income families and individuals.

KettleHouse Brewing Co.'s Cold Smoke beer won a gold medal at the International Beer Competition hosted by the North American Brewers Association. It's the fourth time the beer has won gold.

This years NABA judges have figured out why Cold Smoke Scotch Ale is Montanas favorite craft beer and its not the first panel of judges to do so," said Kettlehouse co-founder Tim O'Leary. "Im super happy for our production team to get the recognition they deserve.

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Burglars looted the late grizzly researcher Chuck Jonkels Missoula home twice last week, stealing not only historic bear memorabilia but current wildlife research files.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear manager Jamie Jonkel, Chuck Jonkels son, discovered the break-in on Monday at the home near the base of Mount Sentinel. The thieves had apparently spent hours rooting around in the house, taking the senior Jonkels collections of bear pins and jewelry, rare coins and stamps, spotting scopes, and other personal items. They also took several things belonging to Jamie Jonkel, including his FWP work computer and a sack full of thumb-drives loaded with photos and videos of grizzly management activity.

They went through Chucks collection of can openers with bears on them, Jamie Jonkel said. He loved anything that had to do with bears.

Jonkel tried to seal up the house after reporting the burglary to the police. On Tuesday after filing lists of missing items and closing vulnerable bank accounts, he returned to discover thieves had entered a second time and taken more things, including his fathers straight razor collection.

I think they might have been there when I drove up, Jonkel said.

While most of the items appeared to be chosen for quick resale and portability, Jonkel said much of it had irreplaceable historic value. Chuck Jonkel died in 2016, and Jamie had been organizing much of his fathers research materials and memorabilia from a foundational career in bear studies. That included the Border Grizzly Project, which Chuck Jonkel led shortly after grizzly bears received Endangered Species Act protection in 1975 and no one knew clearly how many of the big bears were left in the Continental United States.

Chuck Jonkel was also a founder of the Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival and helped start the Environmental Studies program at the University of Montana. Jamie Jonkel has been a prominent figure in current grizzly research and management, including efforts to bear-proof Missoula neighborhoods as wildlife incidents rise.

Missoula Police spokeswoman Lydia Arnold said the case was under investigation and no arrests had been made as of Friday.

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The timeline for updating standards for Montana schools extended into July after a committee spent 10 hours on Thursday struggling with rules related to counselors and library staff.

The committee had 50 rules to finish, but spent all last week on four rules, reaching consensus on two.

Initially, the negotiation process was expected to wrap up by the end of June to transmit the new rules for the consideration of Montanas Board of Public Education at a July meeting. However, a stalemate surrounding a handful of rules pushed that timeline back.

The Negotiated Rulemaking Committee has reached consensus on many meaningful changes to our state school accreditation standards, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. The remaining rules focus on enhancing literacy, student wellness and career development through program services that deliver measurable outcomes for our Montana students. Our child and our families deserve standards that open the door to their future.

The committee has met 17 times since its Feb. 24 orientation and reached consensus on 48 individual rules. Since Arntzens first wave of recommendations in mid-May the committee has met for nearly 30 hours over eight meetings to wrap up their work. Arntzen issued additional recommendations in early June.

This week, the group met twice to wrap up discussions on four rules related to superintendents, administrators, library media services and counseling staff. After about 12 hours of discussion, the committee finally reached consensus on two rules regarding superintendents and administrators.

The two remaining rules concerning school counseling and library staff have been highly contentious topics among committee members and in public comment throughout the process.

Arntzens recommendations would allow Montana schools to have fewer librarians and counselors by eliminating ratios that previously existed in the respective rules. She explained to the group that her recommendations are aimed at emphasizing local control at a May meeting.

I firmly believe that mental health is in a crisis and we must come out of it and give an opportunity, but a ratio is not the manner of doing it, Arntzen said in May. It is local control so that students needs and families can be met where they are needed and not at a check-the-box opportunity.

Committee members attempted to find a middle ground on the rules over two meetings during the last week of June. Some in the group were unwavering in their support of ratios in those positions to maintain a set standard for all schools.

Renee Schoening, the executive director of the Montana School Counselor Association and member of the rulemaking committee, said that she would prefer that the counselor-to-student ratio be closer to 1:50, but would settle for a ratio closer to 1:300 for the sake of compromise.

Committee member Stephen Schreibeis, the superintendent of Glendive Public Schools, agreed with Schoening about the importance of maintaining a set ratio for all schools, especially for school counselors.

We keep having conversations and I think every single one of us can agree that we have a problem with mental health and we have a problem with a lot of different pieces and the thing that I havent heard is what we replace it with, Schreibeis said.

He clarified that no one  including Arntzen  is arguing that school counselors should be eliminated entirely.

Schreibeis compared school counselors to lifeboats on the Titanic, noting that when the ocean liner first launched the standard was set to have 16 lifeboats on board, but the ship set sail with 20 although it was large enough to hold 32.

Im not saying that a counselor is a lifeboat, but if anybody in the school is considered a lifeboat  its a counselor, he said. Looking back at the Titanic, if they wouldnt even have the standard of 16 would they have even dropped (the number of lifeboats on board) down even more?

There are two economic impact surveys open now to determine if there are any substantial cost implications associated with proposed rule changes. One survey will close on July 5. The second related to superintendents, administrators and principals will close on July 8.

The group will meet again on July 15 in another attempt to wrap up the rulemaking process. When all rules have reached consensus they will be transmitted to the Board of Public Education for final approval.

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ALLEN, Ky. (AP)  Three law enforcement officers were killed and five wounded in eastern Kentucky when a man with a rifle opened fire on police attempting to serve a warrant, authorities said.

Police took 49-year-old Lance Storz into custody late Thursday night after an hourslong standoff at a home in Allen, a small town in the hills of Appalachia.

An emergency management official was also injured and a police dog was killed, according to the arrest citation.

The responding officers encountered pure hell when they arrived on the scene, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told reporters Friday afternoon.

They had no chance, he said.

Hunt said four deputies initially responded, then called for backup when they were shot at. The sheriff said Storz surrendered after negotiations that included his family members. Hunt had told local media the deputies were serving a court-issued warrant Thursday evening related to a domestic violence situation.

Hunt said one of his deputies, William Petry, and Prestonsburg Police Capt. Ralph Frasure were killed in the shooting. Frasure worked for 39 years in law enforcement in Floyd County. Another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, died after being hospitalized, the police department said in a social media post Friday night.

Storz was arraigned Friday morning by a judge in Pike County. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder of a police officer and was jailed on a $10 million bond. One of the charges was originally attempted murder of a police officer, but a judge said at the hearing that was upgraded to murder. He is also facing another attempted murder charge and assault on a service animal.

Few details were available Friday. State police had said in a brief statement that they were investigating an officer-involved shooting.

This is a tough morning for our commonwealth, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a social media post Friday morning. Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night. I want to ask all of Kentucky to join me in praying for this community.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron posted on social media that he was heartbroken over news of the officers' deaths.

Our law enforcement exhibited unimaginable heroism and sacrifice last night in the face of evil, he said.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, WYMT-TV.

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Abortion Activists Fight Abortion Bans Post Roe

NEWS PROVIDED BY

July 1, 2022





To date, judges in Texas, Utah and Louisiana have temporarily blocked abortion " WASHINGTON, July 1, 2022 / Christian Newswire / -- The reign of Roe v. Wade ended Friday, June 24, 2022, with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization . Liberty Counsel's amicus brief overviewing the eugenic and racist history and purpose of abortion was cited by the High Court in the opinion. However, as expected, activity in the states has ramped up as abortion facilities began contesting state abortion bans.To date, judges in Texas, Utah and Louisiana have temporarily blocked abortion " trigger laws " or slowed down their implementation. Abortion trigger laws are state laws on the books that were designed to become effective as soon as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. There are other states that have pre-Roe laws that are still on the books and come back into effect now that Roe has been overturned.

Louisiana's state court became the first in the nation to block a trigger law on Monday when abortion providers argued the bans were unlawfully vague. A hearing in the case is set for July 8.

Utah came next when its state court placed a temporary restraining order on its abortion ban. The ban, which took effect Friday, will not be enforced for 14 days as the case progresses, a state judge ruled Monday.

Texas is the third state where a judge has issued a temporary restraining order that blocks the state's pre-Roe abortion ban, which applies at least to the abortion facilities that filed the lawsuit. Abortions in Texas are already banned after approximately six weeks gestation, and in a few weeks, a separate trigger law will go into effect.

Lawsuits over trigger bans also have been filed in Kentucky, Idaho and Mississippi. The ban in Mississippi, where the Dobbs case overturned Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, will soon take effect.

Wisconsin's attorney general filed a lawsuit on Tuesday taking issue with the state's pre-Roe law. The state's abortion ban has been in effect since 1849for 173 years, yet Attorney General Josh Kaul is arguing that statutes passed in the 1980s supersede the ban. Wisconsin adopted an originalist law in 1985 that prohibits abortion after an infant is able to survive outside the womb.

In federal courts, judges in South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Alabama have allowed state abortion bans to be reinstated. Tennessee's abortion law, which the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals let stand Tuesday, means that abortion is banned in the state as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The court's action comes before the state's trigger ban is set to go into effect in less than a month, stopping the practice of abortion in Tennessee almost entirely.

Florida recently enacted a 15-week abortion ban, which goes into effect on July 1. On Monday, Planned Parenthood and others requested a Florida judge block the 15-week ban (which includes exceptions but not in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking) from taking effect, arguing the state constitution guarantees access to abortion. Florida currently allows abortions up to 24 weeks. This challenge will present a mirror image to the Dobbs case as it is an opportunity to have the Florida Supreme Court reverse In re T.W., a terrible activist decision from 1989 that ruled Article I, Section 23 of the Florida Constitution provides a right to abortion. This could likely happen since Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed three new Justices to the Florida Supreme Court and a super majority of the Court are originalists, not judicial activists, in their judicial philosophy.

As of the start of June, nine states have pre-Roe abortion bans in place: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Thirteen have trigger laws: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Four have passed an amendment declaring their state constitution does not secure or protect a right to abortion or allow use of public funds: Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and West Virginia. Kansas has a similar state constitutional amendment on the ballot later this year.

Liberty Counsel's Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "In light of the historic win overturning Roe v. Wade at the Supreme Court, the fight to protect human life will intensify. This is an historic opportunity which we have worked to achieve over many decades. Liberty Counsel will be engaged at all levels across the country to protect the sanctity of human life and end this terrible scourge of abortion."

Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org



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The Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, has announced the launch of the 'AviLease', an aircraft leasing company which aims to be a leading institution across the aviation leasing value chain, maintaining an optimal portfolio of assets with its core focus on leasing, trading and asset management services.

AviLease will initially focus on scaling through purchase-and-lease-back transactions with airlines, portfolio acquisitions and direct orders from aircraft manufacturers and then it will look into expansions through corporate acquisitions.

According to PIF, the companys fleet will comprise new generation of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft from the top global aviation giants.

AviLease is managed by a top-tier team that will lead its growth, localize knowledge and expertise, and enable the development of the companys desired infrastructure, with plans to become a national champion in the aircraft leasing market.

Additionally, the companys establishment will contribute to the reduction of value leakage for Saudi Arabia, while enhancing integration into the global aircraft financing market, it stated.

As a PIF-owned company, the wealth funds ample liquidity and strong balance sheet, combined with its depth of financing and investment-structuring expertise will help the company leverage the opportunity in the aircraft leasing market.

One of the largest and most impactful sovereign wealth funds in the world, PIF has a whopping $620 billion worth of assets under management (AUM) as of the end of Q1 2022 across a diversified portfolio spanning 13 strategic sectors in Saudi Arabia and globally.

The launch of AviLease underlines PIFs mandate to unlock the capabilities of promising sectors locally that can help drive the diversification of the economy and contribute to non-oil GDP growth, said a company spokesman.

In addition, the company will be supporting a thriving aviation sector and driving financial sustainability within the aviation ecosystem in line with Vision 2030, it stated.

Since 2017, PIF has established 54 companies and created, directly and indirectly, more than half a million jobs as at the end of 2021. It plays a leading role in advancing Saudi Arabias economic transformation and diversification, as well as contributing to shaping the future of the world economy.-TradeArabia News Service
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  Energy companies bid more than $22 million to secure drilling rights on about 110 square miles (285 square kilometers) of public lands in the western U.S. on Thursday, during the first onshore oil and natural gas lease sales since President Joe Biden took office.

Leases on about 90 square miles (233 square kilometers) went unsold in the U.S. Bureau Land Management online auctions that included parcels of federal lands in seven states.

Oil and gas produced from the leases will be subject to a royalty rate of 18.75%. That's up from 12.5% and the first royalty increase since the 1920s.

About 200 square miles (518 square kilometers) of federal lands had been offered for lease in eight western states. Most of those sold were in Wyoming, where companies paid more than $13 million for parcels totaling about 105 square miles (272 square kilometers).

A planned sale in Utah for a single, 160-acre (65-hectare) parcel did not happen and there was no immediate explanation from federal officials.

The auctions came as federal officials try to balance efforts to fight climate change against pressure to bring down high gas prices.

Biden faces calls from fellow Democrats to do more to curb fossil fuel emissions that are heating the planet, even as he's being pushed by Republicans to expand U.S. crude production.

Critics of the leasing program pointed to unsold parcels in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Nevada as further evidence oil companies have enough leases and drilling permits already stockpiled to last them for years.

It is apparent that the calls from oil and gas CEOs for more drilling on public lands were just a distraction as they aim to maximize their profits, said Pegah Jalali, an environmental policy analyst at the Colorado Fiscal Institute.

But with several prior lease sales still tied up in court challenges from environmentalists, some companies had concerns going into the sale that they might not be able to drill on leases they acquired, said Ryan McConnaughey, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. Those worries could have dampened interest in the latest sale, he said.

They still haven't issued leases from 2020, McConnaughey said. They paid upfront and if they can't get to those leases, they can't produce from them. That's a huge tie up of capital resources.

Oil production increased in the U.S. in recent months, but its still well below pre-pandemic levels. Companies have been hesitant to expand drilling too quickly because of uncertainty over how long high prices will continue.

Biden suspended new leasing just a week after taking office in January 2021. A federal judge in Louisiana ordered the sales to resume, saying Interior officials had offered no rational explanation for canceling them.

The government held an offshore lease auction in the Gulf of Mexico in November. A court canceled that sale before the leases were issued.

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

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ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkeys media watchdog has banned access to the Turkish services of U.S. public service broadcaster Voice of America and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, prompting criticism of censorship.

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television enforced a February warning to the two companies which air television content in Turkish online to apply for a broadcast license or be blocked. An Ankara court ruled to restrict access to their websites late Thursday.

Neither website was available in Turkey on Friday. Deutsche Welle is German taxpayer-funded and Voice of America is funded by the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

In a statement, Deutsche Welle said it did not comply with the licensing requirement because it would have allowed the Turkish government to censor editorial content.

Director general Peter Limbourg said this was explained in detail to the Turkish radio and TV board, abbreviated as RTUK.

For example, media licensed in Turkey are required to delete online content that RTUK interprets as inappropriate. This is simply unacceptable for an independent broadcaster. DW will take legal action against the blocking that has now taken place, Limbourg said.

The German government said it took note of the reports with regret.

Our concern about the state of freedom of opinion and the press in Turkey continues, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said, adding that Germany is in a regular, critical exchange with Turkey on the issue.

Asked whether the German government can intervene in this case, Hebestreit noted that Deutsche Welle has said it plans to take legal action and we have to wait for that.

Ilhan Tasci, a RTUK member from Turkey's main opposition Republican Peoples Party, said he opposed the move to block the two foreign broadcasters. Here is press freedom and advanced democracy, he tweeted sarcastically.

The move is based on an August 2019 regulation that says the RTUK would give 72-hour advance notice to unlicensed online media regarding when they had to apply and pay three months of licensing fees. Failure to do so could result in legal action against a media organization's executives and access restricted.

In February, RTUK said it identified three websites without broadcast licenses, which also included the Turkish services of Euronews. But Euronews said it argued that it did not broadcast live in Turkish or air visual bulletins and was therefore exempt from the licensing requirements. TRT said it was newsgathering and reporting like any other international media but had to register as a foreign agent in 2020.

The RTUK board is dominated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party and its nationalist allies, and regularly fines critical broadcasters.

The Journalists Union of Turkey called the decision censorship. Give up on trying to ban everything you dont like, this society wants freedom, it tweeted.

Voice of America noted in February that while licensing for TV and radio broadcasts is a norm because broadcast airwaves are finite resources, the internet does not have limited bandwidth. The only possible purpose of a licensing requirement for internet distribution is enabling censorship," VOA said in a statement then.

State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted when the licensing regulation emerged in February that the U.S. was concerned with RTUKs decision to expand government control over free press outlets.

In response, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic noted that the U.S. required Turkeys state English-language broadcaster, TRT World, to register as a foreign agent under a law intended for lobbyists and public relations firms working for foreign governments. TRT said it was newsgathering and reporting like any other international media but had to register as a foreign agent in 2020.

TRT abides by relevant regulations for its activities in the U.S. Is that censorship? We expect the same from @VoATurkish and others, Bilgic tweeted.

Turkey was rated Not Free for 2021 on the Freedom of the Net index by Freedom House. Hundreds of thousands of domains and web addresses have been blocked.

Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey at 149 out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, saying all possible means are used to undermine critics, including stripping journalists of press cards, online censorship, lawsuits and arrests.

Frank Jordans and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

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

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Cody McCartney and the Montana Technological Universitys robotics team have competed against the best colleges in America for a decade, but have never gone farther than qualifying for a shot at the top prize.

That is, until the clubs mining robot won NASAs Lunabotics competition for the first time last month, defeating the University of Alabama and nearly 40 other schools. For Corvallis-raised McCartney, the victory is about growing his professional toolbox while having a little fun.

I was not even considering the team until my friend who went to school with me convinced me, McCartney said. Science in general is very interesting. You can go into so many different fields.

McCartney and nine others are part of the Montana Tech Robotic Mining Club. They aim to create a robot from scratch that can dig up minerals on a simulated moon surface, and successfully carry the dirt to a collection bin.

Students from the mechanical, software and electric departments at the university build the robot from scratch each year and transport it to Florida to compete. This year was the first in-person competition since 2018, which club advisor and associate professor Bryce Hill said presented several roadblocks along the way.

This year was hard because we had no returning students, there wasnt that connection there said Hill, who thought at the time it would be his last year running the club. That has obviously been undone.

McCartney worked on the software side. He designed the program concepts and carried out the important act of connecting the robot to a remote control that can transmit a signal from another room.

A five-member team departed for Florida with their robot, nicknamed Ain't She A Butte. During the first round, a communication error prevented the robot from even moving. The club only had one more shot to make it on the board.

The second time went really well, McCartney said. We got enough material to be in a good position.

Little did he and his team know that only two schools dug up enough dirt to make the finals: Tech, and the University of Alabama, which sent two teams and had 20 times more students enrolled. It was a true underdog situation, with nobody expecting Tech to win.

We were watching the awards online when they announced Alabama as second place, and one of my students said if they got second, who got first? Hill said. You could probably hear us screaming from Missoula after they announced our name.

The team picked up first place, which included a $3,000 scholarship for the club. For McCartney, the win added another trophy to his wall of science competitions. He joined his middle schools science Olympiad team in eighth grade, going to nationals during his first year.

He stuck with it through high school, making Rube Goldberg machines or testing his knowledge on astrology. McCartney said he hopes to pick up as many skills through his education, so that he too could find a good job in the science field.

The Tech sophomore is going to school for computer science, and McCartneys passion is software. He learned many skills from his father, who programs audiobooks for the deaf. But he has been his own teacher too, patiently learning at home or his schools computer science lab.

A lot of stuff for programming you have to find and learn it yourself, he said. And thats what I did.

And while he hopes to get a technology job, he also plans to stay in the Bitterroot Valley. This summer he will be working while spending time with his family  preparing for another year with the robotics team.

This is the place I grew up, McCartney said. The valley is where I lived. Its home to me.

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A Washington airline passenger on Thursday admitted allegations that he interfered with a flight crew by jumping on a beverage cart and pushing a flight attendant into a seat, screaming and trying to take off his clothes on a flight that was diverted to Billings for his removal, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Adam Alexander Williams, 33, of Auburn, Washington, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with interference with flight members and attendants. William faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $25,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Williams was released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on Jan. 9, Williams boarded an American Airlines flight departing Seattle, Washington, for a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina. Once in the air, Williams behavior turned erratic and escalated. Williams yelled out to no one in particular, Where is Jamie Sanders? At one point, Williams jumped over passengers in his row and onto a beverage cart that was in service. As he came off of the cart, he almost landed on a flight attendant and pushed her into a seat, knocking drinks and cups to the ground. He then began to run down the aisle of the aircraft. Williams behavior startled the flight attendant, who later appeared distressed and traumatized.

Another flight attendant was able to calm Williams down and escort him to his seat. About 10 minutes later, Williams began to act up again and screamed an obscenity. Flight attendants placed several Marines, who happened to be on the flight, in seats around Williams. Then, after roughly another 10 minutes, Williams stood up and began screaming while taking off his clothes. At that point, to ensure the safety of passengers, the aircrafts captain turned the plane around and landed in Billings so that Williams could be removed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno B. Baucus is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Billings Airport Police.

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Nearly a dozen Montana counties are reportedly at high risk this month for spreading COVID-19, according to an article in the Billings Gazette.

Of course, we all have COVID-19 fatigue, and for that reason, maybe you skipped over the risk assessment.

Weve been in COVID-mode since early 2020, and the pandemic is still with us. Now, though, is an especially important time to look to its more fundamental origins and the incubators of future variants. We dont want to be thrown back into the depths of the pandemic without effective treatments and vaccines against the virus.

Theres one particularly significant, looming zoonotic disease threat: mink farms. I happen to know a lot about them, having spent much of my youth on farms where these animals were raised. Every known variant thats come from a nonhuman source has come from mink farms  five of them in the U.S. and in Europe. No other nonhuman species contracts and spreads the virus on this scale.

Life on the farm

My grandfather raised mink on his farm in Franklin, Idaho. Our nearest neighbor was in the business too, and was the top producer in the state.

I was raised on a small family farm with horses and cattle that roamed on open, spacious pastures, and it was my job from a young age to fix the fences, irrigate the fields, stack hay, and care for the animals. I participated in 4-H as a youngster with my pet rabbits and goats, and in high school was active in Future Farmers of America, raising and showing beef steers and dairy heifers.

Even as a very young boy, I saw that the way we raised our farm animals was very different from the realities of the mink farms. Mink are wild, solitary carnivores who spend most of their time in water hunting for fish, frogs, and rodents. To keep such a creature in cramped and barren factory farms violates everything I was taught about responsible animal husbandry.

Thats why mink farming is so undeniably inhumane. I saw firsthand every morning the dead or maimed mink who hours before had been in vicious fights with their pen mates. The animals were highly aggressive toward their human handlers and spent their time pacing relentlessly back and forth in their tiny cages. They are also proven escape artists, which does not bode well for containing new variants inside the farm.

Mink and the coronavirus

One-third of U.S. mink farms have had coronavirus outbreaks, including at operations in Oregon, Wisconsin, Utah and Michigan. But that high rate of viral outbreaks may be a serious underreporting because our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USDA, and state agriculture agencies have ignored or downplayed this zoonotic disease threat, with spotty investigations done only when invited. CDC field teams have so far investigated only eight out of dozens of farms, which makes me wonder how many cases are not being detected. By contrast, European nations with mink farms took immediate, decisive action to shut down their mink farm industries once the zoonotic threat was identified.

Jim Keen, a veterinarian who studied infectious diseases in farm settings for the USDA for more than two decades, says that mink farming is both an urgent and a moral public health risk thats not to be ignored.

Public safety, not politics

Comprehending the interspecies trajectories of the coronavirus is like chasing a moving target, but eliminating mink farming would help solve a major piece of the puzzle.

Montanas senators  both Jon Tester and Steve Daines  got it wrong and voted to urge the full Senate to reject a ban on mink farming that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives in the form of an amendment to the America COMPETES Act.

Growing up in agriculture, I understand the instinct to circle the wagons when there is a regulatory and legislative attempt to restrict production. But breeding wild mink for fur is not agriculture  it is not food or fiber that we need as individuals or as a nation.

Americans no longer buy or wear fur, so the mink pelts produced in the U.S. are being exported to provide luxury fashion garments to wealthy Chinese elites. Thats a great deal for the wealthy in China, where the virus originated, but it has deadly ramifications for Americans.

Scott Beckstead grew up in Idaho and lives in Sutherlin, Oregon. He is director of campaigns for the Center for a Humane Economy and teaches animal law, wildlife law, and Endangered Species Act at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

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After three weeks of an election filing period, it came down to the last day before there were two people to file for two seats open on the Soil and Water Conservation District board in Burke County.

Incumbent member Joseph Wenzel filed for re-election on June 23.

And newcomer Joshua Pless filed to run for the board on Friday morning, according to information from the Burke County Board of Elections. Filing to run for the two seats ended at noon on Friday.

There is no primary election for the two open seats. The two who fill the seats will be decided in the General Election on Nov. 8.

The non-partisan Soil and Water Conservation District Board is made up of five members, three of which are elected by voters and two of which are appointed by the state Soil and Water Conservation Commission, according to information from Burke County. The four-year terms are staggered, the information says.

Districts promote the wise use and management of natural resources  soil, water, air, plants and animals. The Burke Soil and Water Conservation Districts objectives are secured largely through voluntary cooperation of landowners, according to information from the county.

The district also provides educational services for schools, civic groups and many other organizations, the county says.

Soil and Water Conservation Districts are subdivisions of state government. There are 96 Districts in North Carolina, covering the states 100 counties.

The local Soil and Water Conservation District board meets at 8:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month at the Burke County Agricultural Building, located at 130 Ammons Drive, Morganton.
Two men got a trip to jail after being held at gunpoint by a homeowner who told officers he caught them trespassing on his property. police said.

Michael Edward Monn, 30, of Morganton, and Dalton Kristopher Hall, 25, of Drexel, both were charged with one count each of misdemeanor trespassing, according to a release from the Burke County Sheriffs Office.

Deputies were dispatched to 1238 Burkemont Ave., Morganton, where a man reported he found two people trespassing on his property, the release said.

The homeowner told 911 dispatchers he was holding the individuals at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived, the release said.

Monn has a previous felony conviction of obtaining property by false pretenses/cheats/services, according to a records check on the North Carolina Department of Public Safety website. He also has pending charges of two counts of felony larceny and a count of possession of methamphetamine, according to the North Carolina Judicial Branch website.

Hall did not appear to have any previous convictions, NCDPS records showed. He has two pending misdemeanor charges of communicating threats and injury to personal property, the judicial branch website showed.

Both were issued $500 secured bonds with court dates set for Sept. 16.

The Morganton Department of Public Safety also assisted with the call.
Burke Youth Organized Philanthropists, operating under the auspices of the Community Foundation of Burke County, have announced grant recipients for 2022:

Burke Council on Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency: $5,000 awarded for the implementation of the Adolescent Prevention Services Anti-Vaping Initiative focused on the prevention of vaping in the middle schools of the Burke County Public School System.

First United Methodist Church of Valdese: $1,000 awarded for its Backpack Feeding Ministry

The Industrial Commons: $1,000 awarded to support the cost of the Hometown Walkabout Program for 10th, 11th and 12th-graders. The program will explore cultural diversity through a week-long exploration of personal narratives from members of the African-American, Asian/Hmong, European, and Latinx communities.

BYOP provides grants to tax-exempt organizations that provide projects and/or programs impacting the lives of Burke County children, ages 0-18, and their families. The mission of BYOP is to engage and empower youth through learning and serving to strengthen our community.

BYOP consists of students representing the high schools in Burke County, as well as students from recognized homeschools. Sara Black Moses, a native of Burke County and a CFBC board member, serves as the volunteer director of BYOP. As a member of BYOP, students are able to develop philanthropy skills while gaining a better understanding of the needs in Burke County.

To learn more, visit www.cfburkecounty.org or contact Nancy Taylor, president and CEO of CFBC, at 828-437-7105.
Joe Wegley, graduate of Butte High School and Montana Tech will be signing his work "Made to Move" at Isle of Books on July 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Made to Move is about how to stay mobile and active into senior life, something Wegley feels passionate about as a physical therapist.

Early in Wegleys career, he was drawn to neurologic physical therapy. In other words, his 18-year career has been focused on helping those with spinal cord injuries, suffering from post stroke or brain injury. The skills required to recover from catastrophic events are easily transferable to all people wanting to maintain independence into their senior years, according to Wegley.

As fundamental as it seems, all people want to be able to get up off the ground and on and off seats throughout their lifetime," Wegley said in a press release. "This is a manual to help all people do just that. This is a book to help everyone maintain dignity and independence as they age. No one wants to get to a point where they require assistance to do the most basic functions in life.

Joe is a personable physical therapist who takes pride in sharing his cell phone number with patients, blurring the lines of clinician and friend with those he treats.

My goal has always been to help people have the best quality of life possible," he said. "I believe its not just helping someone to walk again, I want all people to be able to care for themselves always.

Joe is looking forward to discussing his book, reconnecting with the the people of Butte and sharing his knowledge with all at the book signing. This is a passion project he is very proud of.

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Lufthansa said it is reactivating the Airbus A380 in response to the steep rise in customer demand and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft and expects to use the long-haul aircraft again from summer 2023.



The company is currently assessing how many A380s will be reactivated and which destinations the Airbus will fly to.



Lufthansa still has 14 Airbus A380s, which are currently parked in Spain and France for long-term so called deep storage. Six of these aircraft have already been sold, eight A380s remain part of the Lufthansa fleet for the time being.



The Executive Board Members of Deutsche Lufthansa AG said in a joint letter to the company's customers: "In the summer of 2023, we not only expect to have a much more reliable air transport system worldwide. We will be welcoming you back on board our Airbus A380s, too. We decided today to put the A380, which continues to enjoy great popularity, back into service at Lufthansa in summer 2023.



In addition to this, we are further strengthening and modernizing our fleets with some 50 new Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777-9 long-haul aircraft and more than 60 new Airbus A320/321s in the next three years alone.



The Airbus A380 is the world's largest passenger aircraft: it is 73 meters long and 24 meters high and can seat 509 passengers at Lufthansa.  TradeArabia News Service
In honor of Independence Day, The Montana Standard is providing unlimited access to all of our content from June 28th-July 4th! Presented by Town Pump
After a nearly three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Pipes and Drums Band of the Edmonton Police Service is back in Butte on Sunday-Monday, July 3-4.

The bagpipers have been a perennial favorite since 1984, whether it be for the St. Patricks Day celebration or for Freedom Fest.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, July 4. It starts at the Butte Civic Center, running along Harrison Avenue, and ending at the intersection with Elizabeth Warren.

During the bands two-day visit, they will be performing at the following locations:

Sunday, July 3

2 p.m.  Macs Tavern, 125 N. Main St.

4 p.m.  Butte Brewing Co., 465 E. Galena St.

6 p.m.  Headframe Spirits, 21 S. Montana St.

8 p.m.  Butte Americas Big Bang Celebration at Chester Steele Park, Clark and Alabama Streets

Monday, July 4

10 a.m.  Freedom Fest parade

4:30 p.m.  Shenanigans Bar and Casino, 1000 S. Excelsior Ave.

Contributions large and small are gratefully accepted and acknowledged to help defray the expenses while they are in Butte.

According to George Everett of Mainstreet Uptown Butte, the band plans to return for the 2023 St. Patricks Day celebration and contributions will be applied toward that visit as well.

Donations can be sent directly to Mainstreet Uptown Butte, P.O Box 696, Butte, Montana 59703, with a notation that the donation is for the Friends of the Pipers Fund.

For more details, call 406-497-6464 or email everett@montana.com

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Man hits woman

Around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday a 53-year-old woman reported being struck by William Leonard Sloan, 56, of Butte at a residence in the 3600 block of Gaylord.

When officers arrived, Sloan was arrested for felony partner or family member assault with minor injuries.

Brought to jail

Yellowstone County law enforcement officers brought Zachary Wayne Carter, 33, of Butte to the Butte Detention Center late Wednesday morning on outstanding warrants.

Carter was jailed on these warrants that included the misdemeanor offenses of theft and two counts of obstructing a peace officer.

Early-morning run

Sean Terrance McLaughlin, 42, of Butte was arrested around 7 a.m. Wednesday for the felony warrants of probation violation and revocation of sentence, and the new misdemeanor offenses of criminal mischief, simple assault, obstructing a peace officer, and tampering with a communication device.

Police were called to the 600 block of South Dakota Street to investigate an assault. The woman told officers that McLaughlin had pulled her out of her car and then struck her in the face. It is also alleged he threw her cell phone against a building. McLaughlin took off running, but officers caught up to him in the 600 block of South Montana Street.

Car gone

Sara Mae Wellsted, 39, of Butte was arrested Tuesday night for felony motor vehicle theft.

A woman was giving Wellsted a ride home but stopped at an apartment at Silver Bow Village, 910 Evans. When she came out, her passenger and her car were gone.

Wellsted later pulled back into the complex and was arrested.

New tenant

Shelby Dawn Jones, 23, of Butte was booked in to the Butte jail late Tuesday morning for felony probation violation out of Powell County.

Naked guy

Just after 8 a.m. Tuesday, a call came in about a naked man running around Emma Park. When officers arrived, he was all dressed and gathering up his belongings.

Reported break-in

A storage unit at Sentry Storage, 1110 Hayes, was reportedly broken into. The break-in was discovered Tuesday afternoon.

A bit rude

Late Tuesday afternoon, a man was reportedly rude while at a business located on Curly Gulch Road. He left before officers arrived.

Yelling at others

On Tuesday night, a woman in the 1000 block of Maryland Avenue was knocking on residents doors and yelling at people in the neighborhood. An officer told the woman to stop her yelling, get off the porches and if dispatch received any more complaints, shed be going to jail. The woman decided to zip it and leave.

Missing wallet

Also on Tuesday night, a woman was out walking on the trails near the Mining Museum. When she returned to her car, a window had been broken out and her wallet was missing.

Expensive bikes

It was discovered late Wednesday morning that two Pinarello mountain bikes valued at $21,000 were taken from an unlocked U-Haul parked in the 100 block of East Broadway Street. A suitcase was also stolen.

Way too close

On Wednesday afternoon, three juvenile males were setting off fireworks too close to a fireworks stand near the intersection of Olympia and Warren. The trio was told to knock it off.

Stolen vehicle

Just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, a 2001 black Nissan Pathfinder was stolen while parked in the 2700 block of Colusa Street.

Dont come back

Shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday, a man refused to leave Spud McGees at 541 S. Main St. He finally agreed to go and was told never to come back.

Enough is enough

Some kids were lighting fireworks near their neighbors old garage in the 200 block of Baden Street. That neighbor called dispatch just after 10 p.m. Wednesday. An officer arrived at the childrens house and the kids were told no more fireworks for the night, and from now on, light them in front of your own house.

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Friday, July 1

LEWIS & CLARK CAVERNS

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park welcomes Franco Littlelight at 8 p.m. Friday, July 1, to speak about Native American History. Littlelights presentation will begin in the campground amphitheater. The park is 15 miles southeast of Whitehall along Highway 2. For details, visit stateparks.mt.gov/lewis-and-clark-caverns or call 406-287-3541.

CLUBS AND MEETINGS

The Butte Public Library offers after-school clubs from 4 to 5 p.m. weekdays, in the teen zone at the Library for teens and tweens. Snacks and materials are provided. For details, call the Library at 406-723-3361.

Books and Babies starts at 11 a.m. followed by Story Time at 11:15 a.m. at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St. in the childrens room. Stories, songs, finger-plays and crafts are available. For details, call Cathy at 406-723-3361.

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of allowing state law enforcement to prosecute non-Native people who commit crimes against Native people on reservation land.

Experts and tribal leaders condemned the decision, saying it undermines tribal sovereignty.

Jeffrey Stiffarm, president of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, said on Thursday that the ruling was another attempt to dilute the sovereignty of Indian nations," calling it a slap in the face.

It is unfortunate that Indian Nations, after more than 200 years, are still fighting to preserve their homelands and right to govern, Stiffarm said. But as our ancestors taught us, and because of our need to protect those yet to come, we will continue to fight for our people.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a statement the Supreme Court ruled against legal precedent and the basic principles of congressional authority and Indian law.

Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians, called the ruling an attack on tribal sovereignty.

John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, said the unauthorized and unconsented intrusions on tribal sovereignty are antithetical to tribal sovereignty and tribal treaty rights.

What is Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma?

In 2015, Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta, who is non-Native, was charged by the state of Oklahoma for child neglect. Castro-Huerta was convicted in state court and sentenced to 35 years in prison, according to court documents.

While Castro-Huertas case was pending, the Supreme Court decided McGirt v. Oklahoma, which, in a 5-4 vote, found that the state lacked jurisdiction to prosecute violent crimes by or against Native Americans that occurred on tribal lands. The court issued the ruling on the grounds that the Muscogee (Creek) Nations treaty reserved lands in eastern Oklahoma were never disestablished for criminal jurisdiction and remained part of Indian Country. (Indian Country is a legal term referring to reservations and lands held within tribal jurisdictions.)

Following McGirt, Castro-Huerta argued that the federal government had exclusive jurisdiction to prosecute him for a crime committed against his stepdaughter, who is Cherokee, in an area of Tulsa that is considered Indian Country. He said the state lacked jurisdiction in his case.

Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma was expected to affirm the McGirt ruling, but the Supreme Court instead found that the federal government and state have concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed by non-Natives against Native people in Indian Country.

Justices on the court voted 5-4 in the Castro-Huerta case. Justice Amy Coney Barrett was not on the court when McGirt was decided and cast the deciding vote.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion, stating, in part, that Indian Country is part of a state, not separate from a state.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, with Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, penned the dissent, saying, where this court once stood firm, today it wilts. Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion in McGirt.

Tribes are not private organizations within state boundaries, the dissent reads. Their reservations are not glorified private campgrounds. Tribes are sovereigns.  Tribal sovereignty means that the criminal laws of the states can have no force on tribal members within tribal bounds unless and until Congress clearly ordains otherwise.

'Ripple effect throughout Indian Country'

Crimes occurring on or near reservations are subject to a patchwork of laws dictating criminal jurisdiction among federal, state and tribal law enforcement entities. The lead agency is determined by the severity and location of the crime and whether the victims or perpetrators are Native or non-Native.

If a non-Native person commits a major crime against a Native person on the Fort Belknap Reservation, for example, federal law enforcement would have jurisdiction.

But jurisdiction on tribal lands also varies by reservation. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) have adopted Public Law 280, which essentially replaces federal jurisdiction with state jurisdiction. So, if a non-Native person commits a major crime against a Native person on the Flathead Reservation, the state would instead have sole jurisdiction.

While the CSKT acknowledged that the Supreme Court's ruling will not directly affect them, as the Flathead is a P.L. 280 reservation, the tribes said in a statement that "the sweeping language used by the majority regarding basic federal Indian law and policy could certainly have a destabilizing effect throughout Indian Country."

Experts say the patchwork of laws establishing jurisdiction lack a coherent approach and was not created with Native people, their values or their communities in mind. The Castro-Huerta case further complicates this system.

The Native American Rights Fund said the decision not only weakened a component of the McGirt case but has fundamentally altered the long-established understanding of how criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians functions with respect to the federal government, state governments and tribal nation governments.

David Hill, principal chief of the Muscogee Nation, said in a statement that the ruling is an alarming step backward for justice on our reservation.

Hill added that when the state of Oklahoma held illegal jurisdiction on the Muscogee Nations reservation before the McGirt decision, the state routinely failed to deliver justice for Native victims.

While we hope for the best, we are not optimistic that the quality of effort from the state of Oklahoma will be any better than before, he said. This will have a ripple effect throughout Indian Country across the United States.

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A Missoula doctor who was initially charged with committing sex crimes against patients in Helena was sentenced Thursday to at least five years of state supervision as part of a plea deal.

James Haldeman Armstrong was initially charged with felony sexual intercourse without consent, felony sexual assault and misdemeanor sexual assault, but pleaded down to a lesser charge of felony criminal endangerment and will receive no prison time.

Armstrong's defense and the Lewis and Clark County Attorney's Office proposed a lighter, deferred sentence of three years of supervision and then the charges would be wiped from his record, but District Judge Christopher Abbott told Armstrong from the bench, "it's important this conviction follow you."

Instead, Abbott handed down a sentence of 10 years to the Department of Corrections with all incarceration suspended. Officials determined Armstrong has a low risk to re-offend, and he will not be eligible for conditional discharge from supervision for at least five years.

As part of the plea agreement, Armstrong voluntarily terminated his Montana medical license and may not seek or renew a medical license in any state during the time of supervision.

Abbott also barred Armstrong from seeking any job in health care with direct access to patients while on supervision. He is to have no contact with his two victims.

"I'm not going to send you to prison. I think that would likely cause you to withdraw your plea," Abbot said. "I also need to be respectful of the victims, if it's not their desire to go forward with a trial."

Abbott said he was concerned that bringing the case to a trial would cause "great distress" to the victims "for possibly a lesser outcome than agreed to today."

Lewis and Clark County Deputy Attorney Fallon Stanton said the loss of Armstrong's medical license was a priority for the victims.

Armstrong addressed the judge prior to his sentencing.

"Your honor, I sincerely apologize to (the victims) for my behavior towards them during my evaluation examination," he said. "It was never my intention to cause discomfort to either of them. I recognize my behavior was harmful to both."

On Dec. 10, a Helena Police Department officer spoke with a woman who reported that she saw the doctor about her mental health during an appointment in the 2900 block of Prospect Avenue in Helena.

She said the doctor told her she needed a physical examination, which surprised her given the reason for her appointment. The defendant allegedly asked her if she had a husband or boyfriend and is accused of touching and examining her private body parts.

On Dec. 17, a detective spoke with another patient who reported that she was inappropriately touched by the defendant.

The woman said she had seen the defendant on two separate occasions regarding her mental health. During these visits, the defendant is accused of pulling away the woman's leggings, and lifting up her shirt to put his hands on her stomach. The woman reported that he did not explain why this was medically necessary.

Court documents state that the defendant asked "very detailed" questions about the sex life of the second patient. The defendant allegedly claimed he was looking at "red splotches" on her stomach. The woman allegedly told the defendant that she didn't have any red splotches, and the defendant replied "oh." The woman told authorities she believed the defendant's actions gave him a "weird satisfaction."

The woman told detectives that the defendant touching her stomach and having no reason to look in her pants made her uncomfortable. The defendant allegedly told the woman she could avoid weight gain with her new medication if she "enjoyed lots of sex with her husband."

The defendant previously had his medical license revoked in both Arizona and Montana stemming from sexual misconduct with patients in Arizona.

Armstrong must abide by the standard conditions of supervision with some modifications by Abbott. The judge did not impose the standard condition barring those convicted from consuming alcohol and amended the condition barring him from having contact with anyone under the age of 18 to exclude his 17-year-old son.

Though someone convicted of criminal endangerment is not normally required to register as a sex offender, should Armstrong violate conditions of his supervision, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

"It is an unsatisfactory resolution for all," Abbott said, adding that it was "the best the court could do" to achieve what he called "rough justice."

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Montana has long been associated with big skies, open spaces, freedoms, and liberties. Ryan Zinke, however, has a different vision for Montana  a dangerous one that denies half a million Montana women the liberty and autonomy to control their own bodies.

While Zinke believes females are inferior to our male counterparts, we know our Montana women to be a sign of strength and independence. We climb mountains, row rapids, raise herds, and bail hay. We deserve to be treated equally to the men we work alongside, and that includes the freedom to make decisions on our own reproductive health. The first woman elected to Congress was a strong, Montana woman herself, that relentlessly stood up for womens rights, and is to thank for our protections in the first place.

Zinkes shameful voting record is an assault on womens rights, health care, and reproductive freedom. Hes repeatedly voted against abortion services, in favor of defunding family planning organizations that provide preventative care and cancer screenings, and has been endorsed by anti-choice groups. A womans medical decisions are her own to make, not a politicians.

Montana is already facing an endemic of abuse and violence against Indigenous women. Stripping the reproductive freedoms of Indigenous women and blocking access to safe and legal abortions will only perpetuate domestic violence against both mothers and children, derailing educational and career-focused pursuits and placing a greater financial burden on the shoulders of struggling mothers.

Montana is the only refuge left for reproductive freedom in the Rocky Mountain West, and its up to us to vote in leaders that will protect the rights of all Montanans.

California-Zinke doesnt represent Montanans, and certainly not Montana women. The only choice for women's rights and our freedoms this election is Monica Tranel.

Quincey Purcell,

Ennis

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Starting Friday, Iowans will see reduced unemployment benefits, child care providers will see relaxed regulations and third-party food delivery services will face fines for using a restaurants logo or menu without permission.

Iowa law enforcement can also start looking through your garbage without a search warrant.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds singed more than 150 bills into law this year passed by the Iowa Legislature. Many of those measures take effect Friday, the start of the states new fiscal year.

The laws do everything from banning school districts and day care centers from requiring students and children be immunized against COVID-19 to allowing all-terrain vehicles to travel on more county and state highways.

Here is a look at some of the bills and what that means for Iowans.

Fewer jobless benefits

Unemployed workers in Iowa will receive 10 fewer weeks of state unemployment benefits.

The new law reduces the length of state unemployment benefits from 26 to 16 weeks. Iowa becomes just the fourth state with 16 weeks or fewer of state unemployment benefits.

Reynolds, in a statement, said the new laws modernize Iowas unemployment system and will attract new workers to businesses.

The new law also changes the requirements for taking a job that pays less than the unemployed Iowans previous job.

The progressive advocacy group Progress Iowa issued a statement critical of the reduction, saying it will hurt laid-off workers, suppress wages and make Iowa an unwelcoming state.

Food delivery services face fines

Third-party food delivery apps like DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats that use a restaurants logo or menu without permission will be subject to fines, starting at $1,000 and up to $10,000.

The rise of third-party delivery services has caused issues for restaurants seeing their menus and images used online without permission and have become a growing source of consumer complaints, according to the Iowa Restaurant Association.

Under the new law, third-party delivery services must enter into agreements with restaurants to arrange for delivery or pickup of orders. It also requires delivery services to adhere to food safety regulations  including barring passengers, pets, smoking and vaping in the vehicle when delivering food  and are liable for any harm or injury caused for failure to meet requirements.

Delivery apps must also clearly provide a way for customers to raise concerns about an order, and cannot intentionally inflate or alter a restaurants pricing without its consent. Delivery services, however, may charge additional fees as long as theyre noted separately to the customer.

Loosened child care restrictions

Child care workers who are 16 or 17 years old can work unsupervised, and child care centers can operate with one worker for every seven 2-year-olds and one worker for every 10 3-year-olds.

The new law was designed by Republican lawmakers to address child care worker shortages. Critics have said it does not go far enough and note it does not contain any provision to help address child care workers low wages or funding designed to entice the creation of more child care centers.

Schools cant require COVID-19 vaccinations

Colleges, K-12 school districts and day care centers in Iowa cannot require students and children to be immunized from COVID-19.

Iowa schools, by state law, require eight types of immunizations by age 5. Immunization from COVID-19 will not be added to that list, thanks to the new law, which passed the Iowa Legislature mostly on party-line votes, with Republicans supporting the proposal and Democrats opposing.

Police can search garbage

The new law states law enforcement officials are able to search an individuals garbage placed at the curb without having to obtain a search warrant from the court.

The law states a person has "no reasonable expectation of privacy" for garbage placed outside the residence for collection "in a publicly accessible area. Instead, the law designates the garbage as abandoned property.

The new law seeks to overturn a 2021 Iowa Supreme Court decision in which a divided court banned police from searching people's uncollected trash without a warrant. The case involved a Clear Lake man who successfully appealed a conviction and sentence for drug possession based on evidence obtained from a warrantless search of his trash.

Supporters say the new will make law enforcement investigations simpler and easier, and that the U.S. Supreme Court has held that warrantless garbage grabs do not violate the federal constitutional prohibition on unreasonable search and seizures.

$500,000 for anti-abortion pregnancy services

The state budget includes $500,000 for nonprofit organizations that provide pregnancy support services and advocate against abortion. To receive funding under the new statewide program, organizations must have a primary mission of promoting healthy pregnancies and childbirth instead of abortion, according to the new law.

Reynolds, in a statement, touted the program as a way to promote healthy pregnancies and childbirth as well as meet the needs of pregnant women and new mothers in the wake of state and federal Supreme Court decisions paving the way for further abortion restrictions in the state.

The new statewide program seeks to promote childbirth by providing information, counseling and support services that assist pregnant women or women who believe they may be pregnant to choose childbirth and to make informed decisions regarding the choice of adoption or parenting.

ATVs allowed on more highways

All-terrain and off-road utility vehicles can travel on more county and state highways, with few exceptions.

ATVs and UTVs can now cross noninterstate two-lane highways statewide that serve as the most direct and accessible route between an ATV park or trail, a secondary road or city street on which such vehicles are authorized, and the operator's home.

The law requires users be at least 18 years old and mandates liability insurance coverage on the vehicles and a host of security requirements for the vehicles, including headlights and mirrors.

Cities and counties could override the measure allowing for expanded operation on primary highways and secondary roads in cases of unsafe intersections.

New protections for mobile home tenants

Landlords are required to provide an extra months notice of a rent increase or when canceling a lease for mobile home owners who rent their land.

Advocates had sought stronger measures and said the new law does not go nearly far enough to add protections for mobile homeowners, and thus do little to address the recent proliferation of out-of-state companies that have purchased mobile home lots and parks and increased rent and fees on tenants.

The new law passed on mostly party-line votes, with Republicans supporting and Democrats largely opposing.

The Iowa Attorney Generals Office had recommend the legislation include limits on how often a mobile home landowner can increase rent and fees, and require landowners to provide a legitimate reason for terminating a residency. None of those recommendations are in the new law.

Cities can take nuisance bars to court

Iowa cities can take bar owners to court to pull their liquor licenses for public safety concerns rather than relying on state regulators.

City and county attorneys can now sue alcohol establishments for creating a serious threat to public safety and to seek a temporary injunction before trial, rather than relying on the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division to revoke a license.

A serious threat to public safety would exist if an owner, employee or patron in or near an alcohol establishment would fire a gun, assault someone or participate in a riot in or near the alcohol establishment, including any parking lots or public rights of way adjacent to the licensed premises.

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MUSCATINE  As Americans across the state prepare to celebrate the nations anniversary, those Iowans near the Mississippi River may find themselves having a fairly wet 4th of July holiday.

On Friday, July 1, the National Weather Service  Quad Cities released its weather forecast for the 4th of July weekend. It was reported that the weekends weather impact was at level yellow (or limited), due to the mix of humidity, scattered shows and isolated storms that may be found at the start of next week.

According to the forecast, while Saturday and Sunday are currently seeing a low chance of thunderstorms and are otherwise expected to have seasonable temperatures, both the heat and the humidity are expected to rise as Sunday goes into Monday. Although Monday morning may not be too warm, afternoon into early evening heat index readings could be in the range of 90 degrees north to around 100 degrees far south.

As for any rain chances, the odds of Muscatine County getting hit with some showers have a much bigger chance on Monday, with these showers most likely occurring during the morning and the late afternoon/evening of that day.

Right now the timing (of the rain) is a little iffy, so there is a risk of a potential washout. Were on the edge of this heat dome that storms are rolling in to feed off of, Quad Cities Meteorologist Jim Hladik explained. We could get repeated storms, which could lead to some potential flooding issues. Additionally, even if people are able to get outside in-between storms, its going to be warm and muggy, so people should take their normal heat precautions."

In response to this rain possibility, Rebecca Paulsen, Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GMCCI) Interim CEO, released a statement in which she explained the back-up plans that have been put into place should either of Mondays 4th of July events be rained out.

Regarding the parade, Paulsen explained that GMCCI will make an announcement through its Facebook page. If the parade is cancelled that day, its cancellation announcement will be made by 1 p.m. on Monday. Additionally, city officials will be notified and will pass the message along to their staff while parade participants and volunteers will be called or emailed. Due to there not being a rain date for the parade, all parade fees will be reimbursed should the parade be cancelled.

As for the fireworks, Paulsen stated that the show would only be cancelled in case of any sort of weather that would put either the pyro technic group or the community in danger. This severe weather could include strong winds, lightning and/or heavy rains. If it is only a light rain, however, and its been determined that there is no hazard, the show will continue as planned.

Residents can check both the Muscatine 4th of July Celebration Facebook page and the GMCCI Facebook page for any last-minute announcements. The rain date for the fireworks is Tuesday, July 5 at dusk. Currently, there is no alternate date set in the case of July 5 also getting rained out.

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South African employers should be aware that sending staff instructions outside of their specified working hours could be unreasonable under labour laws.

That is according to SchoemanLaw Inc senior professional assistant Kavita Kooverjee, who recently penned a short article discussing the use of WhatsApp for work-related communication.

Kooverjee explained that the Basic Conditions of Employment Act determined that employees in South Africa may not work longer than 45 hours a week.

They are also entitled to a daily rest period of 12 consecutive hours and a weekly rest period of 36 hours, including Sundays.

According to Kooverjee, responding to a message outside official working hours qualified as carrying out your job.

An employee should not be expected to be available 24 hours a day to an employer, and employers should not feel free to contact employees whenever they want, Kooverjee explained.

She elaborated more on the issue during a recent interview with eNCA.

We have seen situations where people are being dismissed for not responding to an instruction sent over WhatsApp, Kooverjee stated. The problem we have is that some employers think it is okay to message their employees after working hours.

Even though its lawful, its not reasonable. Some employees are not available 24 hours. They have also got their personal time.

We have to think: Are we meant to be that available to our employers?

Kooverjee said there were exceptions when responding to a message outside of typical work hours would be reasonable.

These include an emergency or if responding outside of work hours is something that you have negotiated with your employer. The latter would depend on the scope of your job.

One example might be a legal professional who must deliver court documents timeously. Another is a factory worker who must clock in to help fix a broken-down machine that might create a dangerous situation or cause financial losses to the company.

Labour union Solidarity previously explained when an instruction might be reasonable and when not.

It is quite reasonable for the employer to expect the employee to keep his/her working space tidy, but it is unfair and unjust of the employer to phone employees at 08:00 on a Saturday morning, requiring them to go to work immediately to clear up their working spaces, the union said.

Solidarity said if the employer gives instructions to an employee who is neither competent nor qualified to carry them out, the instructions are unreasonable and unlawful.

In such a case, the employee, therefore, does not have to carry out the instruction, irrespective of the way the instruction is communicated or the platform that is used to communicate the instruction, the organisation said.

Solidarity added that employees and employers should use their own discretion to respect one anothers privacy and determine the necessity and urgency of an instruction.

It may appear unfair if an employer starts giving instructions on a Sunday evening for the coming week while the instructions are of such a nature that they could be given on a Monday morning during working hours.

On the other hand, WhatsApp allows the employee to ignore the messages until Monday morning and to carry them out within working hours.

Kooverjee agreed with this, stating that when the instruction was not a matter of an emergency or responding to it did not fall within the nature of your work, employees did not immediately have to reply via WhatsApp outside of working hours.

It can be responded to the next [work] day, Kooverjee said.

Now read: WhatsApp makes big privacy changes but South African law demands more
South African ICT distributor and services provider Mustek has appointed Hein Engelbrecht as its group chief executive officer, effective 30 June 2022.

Engelbrechts permanent appointment comes after he acted as the companys group CEO for more than a month following the passing of Mustek founder David Kan in May 2022.

Engelbrecht has worked at Mustek for around a quarter of a century and served on its board for 21 years.

He joined the company in 1997, initially serving as group financial manager. He was promoted to group financial director in 2000.

In 2007, he was appointed as group managing director.

At the time of his appointment as acting CEO, the Mustek board said it was confident Engelbrechts work experience and skills would help stabilise and move the group forward.

Kans legacy

Mustek South Africa is one of the largest assemblers and distributors of PCs and ICT products in South Africa.

Kan founded the company in 1987 after attending South Africas first PC exhibition and meeting Mustek Corporation MD at the time, Owen Chen.

He set up operations using a $50,000 loan from his father and from Chen, the only source of funding he would require.

Kan developed Mustek and Mecer into well-known and respected brands in South Africa.

Now read: All the companies Naspers owns
Researchers from the University of Chicago have developed an algorithm they say can predict individual incidents of crime within 1,000 feet (roughly 333 metres) one week before they take place.

The team behind the research recently published their findings in a Nature Human Behaviour journal article.

Lead author Ishanu Chattopadhyay explained they created a digital twin of urban environments to make the predictions.

If you feed it data from what happened in the past, it will tell you whats going to happen in the future, Chattopadhyay said.

The algorithm was trained using historical public data on violent and property crimes in Chicago.

Violent crimes included homicide, assault, and battery, while property crimes encompassed burglaries, thefts, and motor vehicle thefts.

The researchers focused on these crimes because they were more likely to be reported in urban areas with a high level of distrust and lack of cooperation with law enforcement.

They also excluded crimes which could be more susceptible to enforcement bias, such as drug crimes, traffic stops, and misdemeanour infractions.

The algorithm divides Chicago into spatial tiles, each 1,000 feet across.

It can predict that a specific crime will occur within a particular tile a week before its occurrence.

According to the researchers, the algorithm had a predictive accuracy of 90%  far greater than what has been achieved with similar models in the past.

Its not magical; there are limitations, but we validated it, and it works really well, Chattopadhyay said.

It managed to perform with similar accuracy when using data from seven other cities in the US.

The algorithm also helped the researchers confirm bias in police responsiveness to crimes based on the area where a crime occurred.

The researchers cautioned against using their tool to direct law enforcement policies, but instead advised incorporating it within urban policies and policing strategies to address crime.

You can use this as a simulation tool to see what happens if crime goes up in one area of the city, or there is increased enforcement in another area, Chattopadhyay said.

If you apply all these different variables, you can see how the systems evolve in response.
On the night of July Fourth, many Americans will thrill to the sights and sounds of bombs bursting in air. Often, their furry friends are another matter.

With the approach of Independence Day, animal welfare groups, shelter operators and veterinarians regularly urge pet owners not to take their dogs, cats or other animal companions with them to their local fireworks display.

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The return of fireworks to the city of Napa on Monday  after most public festivities were canceled for two straight summers during the COVID-19 pandemic  has become an occasion for local pet welfare figures to remind people that the best light and sound show, for most pets, is none at all.

Where humans can see rockets detonating loudly and colorfully but at a safe distance, those sensations far more often trigger raw fear, terror, distress and often an overwhelming urge to run from danger, according to Wendi Piscia, executive director of Napa Humane.

If you have a dog who, the other 364 days of the year, is not hearing this noise and now suddenly theyre hearing it, theyre thinking, I dont know what it is and I need to run from it,' she said.

Napans can take various steps to reduce their fur friends anxieties on the loudest of holidays  provide a quiet room, play music, even provide a prescription sedative  but the most important step may be to keep pets away from Fourth of July fireworks events if at all possible, according to Piscia.

Even with the messaging we do, we continue to see people who think their pets are enjoying it and having fun, because theyre part of the family and part of the festivities, she said Wednesday.

25 facts about fireworks Here's a look at the long history of fireworks from antiquity to the most recent Guinness World Records.

Napa Humanes advice arrives as local July Fourth celebrations are mostly returning to their typical routine of large gatherings in city centers  and sometimes culminating, again, with a literal bang.

While Independence Day festivals in communities like St. Helena will remain fireworks-free this year, light displays are returning not only to Napa but also American Canyon, which in 2021 was the Napa Valleys first city to bring back the attraction following the start of the pandemic.

At the Napa County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, the staff is taking extra precautions during the run-up to the Fourth to reduce fireworks-related stress, according to manager Katie Ribardiere. Pets are checked to ensure they are secure in their kennels, dogs receive Kong chew toys filled with frozen peanut butter to preoccupy them, classical music is played in the facility, and dogs known to suffer from anxiety receive medications prescribed by vets.

Although the county shelter on Gasser Lane does not track the suspected reasons why stray animals are brought into its facility, directors have pointed to annual increases in the number of pets taken in leading into July Fourth.

Thirty-seven animals were returned to the Napa shelter July 3-10 in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, but that number dropped to 17 for the same week in 2020 when strict social distancing rules curbed nearly all public gatherings, including fireworks shows.

The largest number of stray pets typically arrive in the two days after the holiday, according to Ribardiere. Pets with an ID tag are kept for up to 10 days before being placed for adoption, compared to three days for animals with no ID.

A pet owners ideal haunt on July Fourth night is not in front of the fireworks but home with his or her dog or cat, to keep the animal as calm and soothed as possible, according to directors at Napa Humane and the county shelter. They recommended that pets be kept in a quiet inner room of the home away from windows, with a television or radio playing at normal volume to mask firecracker noises.

Other devices that can ease the symptoms of canine stress caused by noise are pheromone-treated calming collars sold under Adaptil and other brands, and ThunderShirt garments that produce an effect similar to softly hugging a pet.

Animals should not be left unattended outside when fireworks are audible, even if the pet is on a chain or behind a locked fence, according to Ribardiere. Noise-driven fear and stress, she said, can drive even otherwise placid pets to snarl themselves on a chain or leash and injure themselves  or jump a fence and run into streets, where vehicle collisions can injure or kill them.

If a dog still must get some time outdoors on the Fourth, said Ribardiere, walk your dog earlier in the day. Double-check that your yard is secure, that your fence is secure, if for any reason your dog has to go outside.

A pet runaway remains a risk even if a homeowner is farther away from a big, showy, public fireworks show. Keeping a pet indoors also will protect it from being spooked by lower-power consumer firecrackers, which are illegal to use throughout Napa County but widely used in neighborhoods  and, according to local pet welfare workers, about equally risky to animals who might be only a block or house away.

"People may know to not take their pet to the city show, but if your neighbor is shooting off fireworks, thats definitely a challenge, said Piscia of Napa Humane. Hopefully we see less of that this year, (if only) because people are more fire-mindful as well.

Even for people who take safeguards for their pets, identity tags and microchips remain vital for quickly and safely returning those fur friends who do flee.

Encouraging owners to have their pets chipped  and to regularly update the stored information, especially after moving to new homes  is a regular part of Napa Humanes advocacy to visitors. In addition, the nonprofit on Thursday used its weekly appearance on Napa radio station KVYN-FM to discuss July Fourth pet safety measures, including chip implants.

As common as such advice may be, according to Piscia, the lessons still need to be retold to people who may be sharing July Fourth with a pet for the first time.

Those of us who have had pets for a number of years have an idea how pets react or dont react to fireworks, but this is important messaging to anyone who has a new-to-them pet in their life, she said.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com

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Will Napas historic Franklin Station post office building get a new owner and a new shot at redevelopment?

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After spending years trying to convert the building into a luxury hotel and residences, property owner Jim Keller recently listed the downtown parcel for sale. A price was not disclosed.

Bids were due June 2.

Weve received several offers from interested parties, read a statement from commercial real estate agency CBRE. The company declined to elaborate on the asking price or who those bidders are.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Keller wouldnt comment on the listing either. However, in a 2018 Napa Valley Register interview, Keller said he remained extremely motivated to move the post office project forward.

Im pressing everyone I can to get this building restored, said Keller at the time.

According to the CBRE statement, with the COVID pandemic waning the growth and strength of the lodging market throughout Napa Valley "has reached an entirely new level from the period before the pandemic.

Napa historic post office lanterns get wrapped up Napa's historic post office lanterns get preservation update with new coverings.

Demand for drive-to hotels and resorts remains strong in the Bay Area and beyond, said the statement. This category of hospitality has been among the best performers since the pandemics onset. Additionally, the work that has been done in downtown Napa has revitalized the area, attracting new bars, restaurants and winemakers, helping the area to really come into its own.

This listing referred to the property as the Franklin Station Hotel & Residences. Its located at 1351 2nd St.

This phenomenal project, is entitled for up to 163 units, and will be developed around the Art Deco facade and interior portions of the historic Franklin Station Post Office, originally built in the 1930s.

It would also occupy the adjacent land where Zellers Ace Hardware now operates. A five-story parking garage would be built at the southeast corner of Second and Randolph streets, a corner now used for surface parking.

Downtown Napa hotel plan calls for merging Zeller's and former post office sites Napa developer Jim Keller has filed preliminary plans with the city to build a downtown hotel that encompasses both the former Franklin Statio

The project will cost more than $100 million, Keller said in earlier interviews.

Besides the residential rooms, the project would include supporting retail and hospitality amenities, along with an ancillary parking structure which includes a 7,000 square foot restaurant or retail space, said the listing. Up to 25% of the rooms may be condo/hotel, and up to 25% of the rooms can be whole ownership residential units.

Because of its downtown location, the project also has the potential to be structured as a qualified Opportunity Zone investment, which will allow advantageous tax treatment upon the sale of the hotel 10 years from the date of investment, said the listing.

The last time the Franklin Station came before city officials was in July of 2020. At that time, the city Planning Commission was set to review the design of the project, but instead decided to continue the discussion to another date. The Franklin Station redevelopment has not appeared on the citys calendar since then.

City planners to review post office-to-hotel conversion in downtown Napa The plan to recast downtown Napa's 1930s-area post office building into a 163-room hotel will go back before city land-use authorities on Thursday.

As recently as this past year, Keller said the project wasnt dead.

Unfortunately we lost a year on the project with the pandemic, but hospitality is back stronger than ever, said Keller in an October 2021 interview.

Napan Joe Fischer, senior vice president of real estate at Strong & Hayden commercial real estate, said it would be wonderful to see the transformation of this site, with its iconic frontage and vintage postal lobby as part of a new compelling hospitality property in downtown Napa.

The downtown Napa retail and restaurant scene is transforming because the hospitality growth has migrated to the city along with the visitor traffic that butters the bread of our downtown business owners and their many employees. This could be a first-class, three-plus to four-star property that would continue to raise the bar on our hotel offerings, he said.

Fischer noted that buyers may have some difficulty getting over the hump on the construction cost of the project and what they need in nightly rates to make that work. However, every new hotel project has shown that Napa can compete with Upvalley properties, and hoteliers simply need to pay attention to the fact that the Napa County hospitality market is outperforming every other market in California.

The listing makes sense, said Andrew Mazotti of Zapolski Real Estate (ZRE). That company is developing First Street Napa and the adjacent Napa Parkway Plaza project.

Jim has been carrying that property for almost a decade, pointed out Mazotti. He worked hard and spent a lot of money to get the entitlement, which gives the property potential for a new life in a much better way.

Yes, COVID delayed most developers, but now Napa is thriving so it is a good time to get the property out there to somebody who will put in the time and effort and resources to make something great happen there.

Mazotti said he knows some Napans feel there are too many hotels, and they dont appreciate the tourism industry and what it does for our economy, he said. However, they said that about the Archer Hotel, in the beginning. Now I see locals up there enjoying the rooftop bar and the views. I see our local retail tenants thriving. I see downtown as vibrant as ever. A major reason for all of that is the hotels.

When asked, Mazotti said that ZRE did not bid on the Franklin Station property because we just have our hands full right now.

Napa post office repair bill tops $8 million It would cost more than $8 million to renovate and seismically retrofit Napas earthquake-damaged downtown post office, roughly 16 times the c

The process to getting a project like that built takes a ton of resources and man power and we just have a lot going on with First Street Napa and other new projects. Its a great piece of property though, said Mazotti.

After the 2014 Napa earthquake, the USPS originally moved to demolish the damaged post office building.

The agency said that it would cost $8 million to repair quake damage, while it would cost only $500,000 for demolition.

Napa's old post office sold for $2 million for a hotel On Monday, local developer and broker Jim Keller got the keys to his newest commercial real estate purchase.

The Napa Franklin Station was built in 1933 with funding from the federal Public Works Administration.

After considerable public outcry, the USPS decided to try selling the building to a buyer who could repair the structure and preserve its architectural integrity.

You can reach reporter Jennifer Huffman at 707-256-2218 or jhuffman@napanews.com

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Qatar has allocated $60 million to the Lebanese armed forces, the country's foreign ministry said.

The announcement is made as part of Qatar's strong commitment to supporting Lebanon, the ministry said in a statement.

Lebanon is grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis, which the World Bank has described as one of the worst on the planet since the 1850s.

The small Mediterranean country defaulted on its debt in 2020, the local currency has lost about 90 percent of its value on the black market, and the UN considers four out of five Lebanese poor.

The economic crisis undermined the salaries of soldiers and cut the military budget for maintenance and equipment.

The Lebanese army said in 2020 it had eliminated meat from the meals offered to soldiers due to rising food prices. And in June last year, she announced that she would offer tourists helicopter flights to replenish her treasury.

Lebanese military sources told AFP that Qatar's bailout will help pay the salaries of Lebanese soldiers.

Qatar's statement was made during a visit by Gulf Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to Lebanon.
YEREVAN.  Zhoghovurd daily of Armenia writes: Today, the parliament will discuss the matter of depriving opposition MPs Ishkhan Saghatelyan and Vahe Hakobyan of [their] positions.

The political authorities, the Civil Contract, have circulated a draft according to which Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a representative of the ARF SB [i.e., the Supreme Body of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun Party of Armenia], is not compatible with the position of the vice-president of the National Assembly [(NA)], as he has generated hate speech in the public discourse.

And Vahe Hakobyan, the leader of the [opposition] Reviving Armenia Party, cannot continue his tenure [as chairman] at the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, as he has not come to the parliament, has not organized, and has not participated in the work of the committee.

(...) nonetheless, the representatives of the ruling and the opposition wing are forced to meet each other. (...).

It is interesting that the oppositionists and the authorities, who voice the sharpest criticism against each other, are having meetings in the Armenia "territories" of foreign countries. Moreover, they keep the proportion and do not turn down the invitation of the embassies of especially the superpowers: the USA and Russia.
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Armenia president congratulates Biden on US Independence Day anniversary

Nigeria police free 77 people being held in basement by religious organization members

Massive forest fire rages in Greece

Google develops keyboard mode for owners of foldable phones

Armenia opposition MP: It's just terrible what police have done

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
ETCHMIADZIN.  Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on Thursday received the newly appointed Ambassador of Israel to Armenia, Joel Lion, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the latters information system informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Reflecting on the historical relations and commonalities of the Armenian and Israeli peoples, the Catholicos spoke with sorrow about the tragediesthe Holocaust and the Armenian Genocidethat befell the two peoples in the last century, and touched upon the friendly relations formed between the two peoples children in the diaspora.

In his turn, Ambassador Lion highlighted the deepening of cooperation and friendly relations between the two countriesand thanks to dialogue.

The interlocutors exchanged views also on the preservation of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage in the territories that came under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in the fall of 22020, and the policy of their appropriation.
As of now, no work is being carried out to evacuate the residents of Berdzor and some other communities. This was announced by Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan, during a discussion.

Stepanyan noted that he had contacted the representatives of those communities Thursday, but there is no information regarding their being relocated.

"First of all, the Artsakh authorities themselves need to take care of their residents. And I don't consider it possible that there would be a situation where those people would be held hostage [by Azerbaijan]; steps are being taken in this regard," he said.

According to Stepanyan, the residents of both Berdzor (Lachin) town and Aghavno village benefit from the same privileges that are set for displaced persons.

"I have certain information that among the possible optionsif the matter eventually comes to thatit is discussed that the residents of Aghavno will be accommodated in the Hin Shen and Mets Shen communities, and the same programs will be implemented for the residents of Berdzor that are implemented for the other displaced persons. They may be allocated dwellings in Armenia. At the moment, there are many issues," said the Artsakh ombudsman.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto predicts that the country's accession to NATO will not happen before the autumn of this year.

"We hope to sign the accession protocol in Brussels on Tuesday, but the ratification process in the 30 national parliaments will take longer," Finlands top diplomat told the Spanish newspaper.

"We have seen the speed in the US Senate, which has already started the process, and I think there are many countries that are even competing to be the first to ratify it. But there will be parliaments that stop their activity during the summer and resume it in the fall," he added, TASS reported.

"When we made the decision [to join NATO] at the national level and reported it to [Russian] President Putin, he replied that it was a mistake, because Russia was not a threat to Finland," the paper quoted Haavisto as saying. "We told him that it was our decision and that we were responsible for it," he noted.
YEREVAN.  A delegation led by Svenja Schulze, the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, and which has arrived in Armenia on a two-day visit, on Thursday visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, the Ministry of Economy of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Schulze laid a wreath at the monument commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Subsequently, the members of the delegation placed flowers at the Eternal Flame, and observed a minute of silence in memory of the 1.5 million innocent victims of this tragedy.

Also, the delegation learned about the history of the three cross-stones installed at the Armenian Genocide Memorial area, are dedicated to the Armenians who died during the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population in Azerbaijan at the end of the last century.

In addition, the delegation visited the memorial wall on the back of which are interred the remains of foreign figures and missionaries who had protested against the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Turkish government.
Over 40 Armenian and Azerbaijani practitioners met for a roundtable discussion, supported by the European Union (EU).

Together with counterparts from the EU, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, they discussed possible scenarios of a future peaceful South Caucasus in Kachreti, Georgia on June 29-30, commonspace.eu reported.

Discussions enclosed scenarios in the fields of economy and connectivity, security, governance and cultural policies. The sides assessed the possible steps that can be taken by national governments, civil societies and external actors to enhance prospects of viable solutions to the many challenges confronting long-lasting peace between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, Toivo Klaar, affirmed the EUs continuing commitment to sustainable peace.

He acknowledged the many challenges and high emotions accompanying debates on the future of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

Klaar also welcomed the determination of practitioners to continue their efforts to engage in dialogue, build trust and counter embedded narratives precluding not only improved Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, but a peaceful and prosperous future of the South Caucasus region as a whole.
The opposition "With Honor" and "Armenia" Factions of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia on Friday issued a joint statement. It reads as follows, in particular:

"(...) the authorities of the day adopted decisions to recall NA vice president [and opposition member] Ishkhan Saghatelyan and NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs chairman [and opposition member] Vahe Hakobyan from the [aforesaid] positions.

The situation is absurd in that it is being done to distract the public from the existing security challenges, the possible threat of war which they themselves have declared, the Berdzor [(Lachin)] issue, new concessions [to Azerbaijan], and the issue of not returning the [Armenian] prisoners of war [in Azerbaijan] to the homeland to this day.

The international community, despite the obvious retreat of parliamentarism, persistently tries not to notice the current situation, whereas such behavior by the [Armenian] authorities should have been followed by a sharp and immediate reaction [by the international community].

With this behavior, the authorities of the day once again confirm that they are concerned only with positions, busy with persecutions, lacking any opportunity to face the challenges facing the country, have no legitimacy, do not represent the interests of Armenia and Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)]. And under these conditions, [their] removal [from power] is inevitable."
The Minister of Economy of Armenia, Vahan Kerobyan, received a delegation led by General Director Sergey Zhukov of the Russian Mosmetrostroy group of companies.

The minister informed the guests that a new subway station with the latest engineering solutions is planned to be built in the Armenian capital Yerevan, as well as to improve the existing subway stations and the operation of the Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan train system.

Zhukov, in turn, presented the activities of their company, noting that they are engaged not only in subway systems, but also in the construction of tunnels, railways, and some other road construction activities.

Also, the head of Mosmetrostroy expressed hope that interesting projects will be implemented with Armenia, and there will be an exchange of professional experience, too.
Bloomberg, citing sources and its own calculations, reports that the Ukrainian government is exploring the possibility of restructuring the state debt, since by September 1, payments will have to amount to $1.41 billion. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered support to Kyiv.

Kyiv is considering several options for solving the problem, within one of them, the issuer may request the bond holder to change the terms of the issued securities.

The second option is to use the frozen Russian assets as collateral. So far, the legitimacy of such an initiative is being questioned.

The terms of trading in dollar and eurobonds of Ukraine speak of a crisis and the risk of restructuring, the newspaper writes.

In March 2022, the IMF approved the allocation of $1.4 billion to Ukraine as part of emergency assistance.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimated the country's monthly budget deficit at 7 billion. This is money that should be directed to salaries, pensions and social support. Zelensky asked the G7 countries to allocate $50 billion.

In May, the US House of Representatives approved a bill to provide Ukraine with assistance to reduce public debt.
ATO is constantly on the lookout for an external enemy that will keep the alliance alive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a speech to students at the Belarusian State University in Minsk. The broadcast was conducted on the YouTube channel of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The meaning of NATO's existence, which by and large - even many politicians and analysts in the West admit - was lost during the period when the Warsaw Pact disappeared, the Soviet Union disappeared," Lavrov said.

He noted that in the early 1990s there were chances to start building a common space of security and economic cooperation, as proposed in France, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Lavrov called "stupid" and "shameful" statements that NATO is an exclusively defensive alliance. He pointed to the desire of the military bloc to increase its influence in the so-called Indo-Pacific region and recalled that NATO has expanded five times since the Cold War.
A joint meeting of members of the European Commission and the Czech Cabinet in the castle of the ancient city of Litomysl (in the east of the Czech Republic) on Friday at 13.00 began the Czech presidency in the European Union, Czech TV reported.

As Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters on Thursday, his country's EU presidency will take place in a very difficult period associated with military operations in Ukraine.

This topic will somehow dominate our actions as the EU presidency, along with another important topic - ensuring the energy security of the EU countries, in particular, the search for alternative oil and gas suppliers to our continent, Fiala noted.

The joint meeting of the EC members and the Czech Cabinet takes the form of a working lunch at the castle brewery in Litomysl. After about one hour, members of the upper and lower houses of the Czech Parliament should join the meeting. At the same time, talks will be held between EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Fiala, as well as EC members, with individual Czech ministers. Von der Leyen and Fiala will hold a press conference later.

After that, a cultural program will begin, which includes the opening of a photo vernissage and a classical music concert, which will begin with a performance of works by the outstanding Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. Litomysl is the birthplace of Smetana, and the summer music festival that bears his name takes place here every year.
Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has urged the world to stop telling how to govern Afghanistan, insisting that Sharia law is the only model for a successful Islamic state.

Akhundzada, who hasn't been filmed or photographed in public since the Taliban returned to power in August, addressed a large gathering of religious scholars in the Afghan capital to establish the Islamist group's rule.

More than 3,000 clerics gathered in Kabul for a three-day, all-male meeting. Rumors about the appearance of Akhundzade have been circulating for several days, although the media are forbidden to cover this event.

"Why does the world interfere in our affairs?" he asked. "They say, 'Why don't you do this, why don't you do that?' Why does the world interfere with our work?

Akhundzada rarely leaves Kandahar, the homeland and spiritual center of the Taliban, and apart from one undated photograph and several audio recordings of speeches, has almost no digital footprint, writes AFP.

But analysts say the former Sharia court judge holds the movement with an iron fist and bears the title "Commander of the Faithful."

His arrival in the meeting room was greeted with applause and chants.

Women do not attend the clerics' meeting, but a Taliban source told AFP this week that sensitive issues such as girls' education would be discussed, which has divided opinion in the movement.

Akhundzada did not mention this topic in his speech, which was mainly limited to calling on believers to strictly observe Islamic principles in life and government.

Since the return of the Taliban, high school girls have been banned from studying and women have been fired from government jobs, banned from traveling alone and ordered to wear clothes that cover everything but the face.

The Taliban also outlawed the performance of non-religious music, banned the depiction of human figures in advertisements, ordered television networks to stop showing films and soap operas featuring naked women, and ordered men to wear traditional clothing and grow beards.
Special Representatives for the Normalization of Relations between Armenia and Turkey, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador Serdar Kilic held their fourth meeting in Vienna on July 1.

During the meeting, the sides agreed to ensure the possibility of crossing the Armenian-Turkish land border for third-country nationals visiting Armenia and Turkey, respectively, as Armenian News-NEWS.am was told by the RA MFA press service, and also decided to start the necessary processes in this direction.

An agreement was also reached on the start of Armenia-Turkey direct air cargo transportation as soon as possible, and a decision was made to start the necessary processes in this direction.

Other possible concrete steps were discussed that could be taken to achieve the final goal of a full settlement of relations between the two countries.

In the end, the parties reaffirmed their agreement to continue the process of settling relations without preconditions.
With scientists continuing to warn that time is running out to avert a climate catastrophe, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday curbed the Environmental Protection Agencys power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, dealing a significant blow to the Biden administrations plans to fight global warming.

In a 6-3 ruling on the case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, the court ruled that Congress, not the EPA, should have the authority to enact decisions on how to combat climate change.

Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible solution to the crisis of the day. But it is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme in Section 111(d), Chief Justice John Roberts, referring to a section of the Clean Air Act, wrote for the majority. A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body.

The courts five other conservative justices joined Roberts.

In the dissent, Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor, slammed the majoritys decision, writing that, Whatever else this Court may know about, it does not have a clue about how to address climate change. And lets say the obvious: The stakes here are high. Yet the Court today prevents congressionally authorized agency action to curb power plants carbon dioxide emissions. The Court appoints itselfinstead of Congress or the expert agencythe decision-maker on climate policy. I cannot think of many things more frightening.

Katharine Mach, an associate professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, also found the ruling disturbing.

Responding to climate change requires flexibility and adaptive governance. At the local level and at the national level, we need to be able to rise to new challenges, said Mach, who is a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report. The ruling today is worrisome in that it limits the governments ability to help keep Americans safe and healthy as the climate continues to change and actions to rein in our emissions of heat trapping gases remain woefully inadequate.

Thursdays decision, which follows other controversial Supreme Court rulings of the past few daysfrom gun rights to religion to abortionis a victory for Republican-led states and coal companies.

The case centers around the EPAs Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era policy established in 2015 that set emission guidelines for states to follow in limiting carbon dioxide (CO) emissions from power plants. (In 2020, CO accounted for about 79 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, according to the EPA.)

Several states as well as other parties challenged the Clean Power Plan in federal court. And in 2016, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, stopped its implementation.

Then, during the Trump administration, the EPA repealed the plan, replacing it with new, more lenient guidelines for power plants.

A total of 22 U.S. states then challenged the repeal of the Obama plan, even as a group of other states and coal companies supported the Trump administrations proposed guidelines.

Last year, a circuit court struck down the Trump administrations repeal of the Obama regulation. And thats when states appealed to the Supreme Court, asserting that the lower courts ruling provided the EPA with broad powers over carbon emissions.

Owley

Jessica Owley, a professor of law and faculty director for the Environmental Law Program at the University of Miami School of Law, who specializes in climate change law and policy, answered a few critical questions about Thursdays ruling.

The ruling significantly cuts back the EPAs authority to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants. How big of a blow is this to the Biden administrations plans to combat climate change?

It is hard to say that this is a big blow to Bidens climate plans mostly because Biden has announced goals but not a real plan to achieve them. This case examines the legitimacy of Obamas Clean Power Plan, something the Biden administration already said that it wasnt going to implement. However, the Biden administration still hasnt announced its plan for implementing this part of the Clean Air Act. Without comprehensive climate change legislation, the Clean Air Act is our best shot for reducing carbon emissions, but no administration has yet figured out how to do so.

What will be the major impacts of todays decision?

There are a few ways to think about the impacts of this decision. First, it hasnt lifted any current limits on greenhouse gas emissions from our worst polluting plants because we dont currently have any limits. It does, however, limit the Biden administrations ability to regulate existing power plants. The EPA hasnt released its new proposal. They promised it would come before the end of this year. So, we cant yet say how much this decision will affect that new proposal.

The real harm from this decision is the courts embrace of what it calls the Major Questions Doctrine. This new doctrine limits the action of agencies. Essentially the court is saying that the agencys interpretation of the Clean Air Act has too much of an impact on the economy. The court argues that if Congress really wanted to give the EPA that much power, it would have stated so explicitly. Of course, Congress did explicitly acknowledge that the Clean Air Act would have far-reaching economic impacts when it was enacted back in the 1970sthey just didnt understand the problems of climate change yet.

One could read the decision as a narrow issue of how to interpret the word system in the context of Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. The majority argues that it only refers to a technological device that would install on a facility. EPA saw system more broadly as something that could involve the energy sector and the mix of coal/gas/renewables. But I think it is a mistake to see it so narrowly. The real issue is not really what the word system means but the bigger idea of the power of the EPA to implement regulations that might affect the economy. We cannot launch a successful fight against climate change while maintaining the status quo, but that is how the court is confining agency action.

And it is very telling that the majority barely mentions climate change and doesnt cite Massachusetts v. EPAthe case explicitly stating that the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. Both are prominent parts of the dissent.

How will the ruling impact the way the U.S. is viewed on the world stage?

The U.S. is already viewed poorly on the world stage. You would be hard pressed to find a country that actually thinks the U.S. is doing a good job fighting climate change. This will make it extra challenging for the EPA to be taken seriously at COP27 in Egypt in November. The U.S. is still one of the largest economies, and John Kerry, the first United States special presidential envoy for climate, is well respected. But how can anyone believe that the U.S. can meet its commitments?

What other alternatives does the Biden administration have to address emissions?

Biden should be pressing for a climate change law. Congress should explicitly recognize the problems of climate change and authorize action. This should be our main message. Stop fiddling with the margins of a 50-year-old statute and tackle the problem head on. Biden could do a better job of reducing emissions from motor vehicles. He could use other pieces of the Clean Air Actthe ambient air quality standards, for exampleor the EPA could work on a rule for existing power plants that deals with them on a plant-by-plant basis instead of looking at them as a whole. But frankly, I think the current court would find a reason to invalidate any EPA regulation addressing greenhouse gas emissions. The fact that they took this moot case demonstrates their distaste for EPA climate action.
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New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI/GPRC): House of Tuhina, a leading jewellery brand striving for excellence, showcases an exemplary array of collections. The portfolio of articles is adored by patrons not just nationwide but also customers from across the globe. However, there is much more to House of Tuhina than its international fame. A brand established by Tuhina Goyal, the label has been delving deep in the layers of the current society dynamic and understanding the socio-economic status of women and working on uplifting their professional and individual stature. House of Tuhina staunchly stands by its principles of empowering women and creating a platform for them to enhance their skills and leverage them for financial stability and independence. The brand has been supporting women from all regions, streets and corners of the country to come forth and build their careers in order to sustain themselves and their families. House of Tuhina has been making a difference on the grass-root level and being the beacon of light as it uses age-old art of handcrafting jewellery to catalyse growth of women in our society. Curating varied collections from statement necklaces to delicate earrings, House of Tuhina offers masterpieces that count for affordable luxury and are equally sustainable. Encouraging women to take their power and simultaneously vouching for VocalForLocal by boosting the spirit of local women artisans, the brand is reforming the industry and changing its internal edifice to a more empathetic and gender-neutral world that focuses on merit and equal opportunities. Their collection is currently creating a whole new trend, it has introduced itself as a unique handcrafted and 'bohemian' style of jewellery. Their collection is an ode to a nomadic life that reflects a free-spirited lifestyle, a relaxed and peaceful attitude, individualism, and a love for nature. Whether it is finger rings, earrings, necklaces, or bracelets, you will find all kinds of jewellery pieces in the gypsy boho style making it just perfect for holidays. Please visit the website - https://houseoftuhina.com This story is provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GPRC)
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): MetaOneVerse, a UAE-based cryptocurrency platform, launches its staking application, which aims to develop metaverse on its own blockchain and enhance the overall performance and security of the blockchain network. Created with the purpose to provide a scalable solution for one of the world's most secure NFT/Metaverse marketplace, the platform has launched staking with 60 per cent APY, one of the highest percentages offered by a metaverse project and especially in BUSD stablecoin. MetaOneVerse has increased by 4000 per cent in the last month and has now entered the multi-million-dollar market cap. As per their estimates, their stocks will further witness a growth of 10,000 to 20,000 per cent in the coming months. The BUSD platform will also offer periodic staking plans that will pay users up to 60 per cent APY in stablecoin. The MetaOneVerse token is also developing its own NFT marketplace. The BUSD platform is already in talks with industry-leading NFT creators, and with the launch of their NFT marketplace, they hope to join the $100 million club soon. Commenting on the new developments, CMO, MetaOneVerse said, "We have a strong development and marketing team, which has piqued the interest of blockchain industry veterans worldwide. Within just two months of entering operations, the company was able to acquire a global user base along with the introduction of various unique features. Trading needs reformity and support that we as a platform are definitely capable of providing." MetaOneVerse recently introduced the Dapp wallet that supports a variety of blockchain networks including Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain. The company is already delivering on a positive note post getting listed on the LBank exchange and has a 4.5+ rating on play stores. Twitter: mobile.twitter.com/metaoneverse. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI/GPRC): Social Worker Rupesh Pandey joins the Bharatiya Kisan Forum for the empowerment of farmers. He has been included by Devendra Tiwari, the National President of the forum on July 20, 2022. Devendra Tiwari got membership in the forum in view of his interest in social work and the bright future for youth and the empowerment of women and farmers of the country. Along with this, he appointed Rupesh Pandey as "National General Secretary" of "Bharatiya Kisan Manch". Apart from this, Devendra Tiwari also handed over an additional charge of "State Incharge" of Bihar-Maharashtra state to Rupesh Pandey. On this occasion, Devendra Tiwari said, "The Bharatiya Kisan Manch not only has hope for him but also fully believes that he will honor the former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Late. He will take ideologies of Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji and Sant Samaj one of the greatest men and heroes to the masses and strengthen the platform in the country and the state." At the same time, Sharing his thoughts, Rupesh Pandey said, "Farmers are our food donors and it is our responsibility to connect the farmers with the main schemes of the government and take them forward. That's why today I decided to join the Bharatiya Kisan Manch and work under the leadership of respected Devendra Tiwari Ji. It is a matter of luck for me. The farmers of our country are very hardworking, for which the Modi government of the country is determined. The role of farmers is important in the progress of the country. That's why we are with the farmers and whatever work will be given to us from the platform. We will discharge it sincerely." The event was graced by many officials among which Mahant Brijmohan Das and Sanjay Bhushan Patiyala were also present. With Rupesh Pandey joining Bharatiya Kisan Forum for the empowerment of farmers, it is for sure that a good time for farmers is near. And, now they will be able to fulfill their all needs with the help of Rupesh Pandey. This story is provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GPRC)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): AAYU, an AI-driven health and wellness app has been recognized by the Ministry of Ayush for the 'Start-up' India program under the category of 'Yoga in the Digital Era' which is a part of the government's 'Digital India' vision. PM, Narendra Modi inaugurated this program at the 'Digital Yoga Exhibition' held at Mysuru on the International Day of Yoga. At the event, the PM acknowledged the AAYU app, its offerings and the national initiative being carried out to make India disease-free. The PM also talked about the startup yoga challenge initiated by the Ministry of Ayush and emphasized the contribution of the youth and the startups in bringing about innovation and new ideas in the field of Yoga. AAYU, which gained the attention of the PM at the event, claims to offer therapeutic health solutions to lifestyle diseases using natural, sustainable and traditional methods of yoga and meditation. The app was launched at S-VYASA University in Bengaluru by the CM of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai. RESET TECH, the makers of AAYU collaborated with S-VYASA, a renowned yoga university to recently launch the 'Rog Mukt Bharat' - 'Disease-Free India' movement with an aim to heal people from chronic diseases and lifestyle disorders. This movement was launched by the Hon'ble Governor of Karnataka Shri Thawar Chand Gehlot. Abidali Dantrelia, CEO, of RESET TECH said, "We are elated to get support from the Ministry of Ayush which will enable us to free Indians of chronic and lifestyle diseases and hope to make India a healthier nation. AAYU's mission is to offer therapeutic health solutions using digital modes of yoga and meditation. We are glad to be able to work with and support the government of India given our vision of Rog Mukt Bharat." Vamsi Krishna Talasila, Co-founder and CTO, RESET TECH said, "The government of India's recent path-breaking initiatives and attention towards the revival of yoga has motivated us to launch a nationwide movement that aims to bring lifestyle transformation through yoga among the people. We want to use the power of technological innovation to solve real-world health problems and in turn, create a high growth trajectory in the health-tech ecosystem. We would like to bring yoga into the digital era, through our AI-driven platform and take the healing powers of yoga to the world." The Disease-Free India movement aims to reach and impact over 5 million chronic disease patients within a span of 5 years through the app. It will effectively provide users with personalized wellness solutions and offer doctor consultations based on an individual's personal history and monitor their progress enabling them to accelerate their healing and recovery. The movement kicked off the initial leg with the Swastha Shakti Program which will host wellbeing activities, holistic offerings, and masterclasses for people to access freely. AAYU uses Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and advanced analytics as the building blocks of it's tech architecture. The app has been designed by doctors from S-VYASA University and the knowledge and information therein are based on research from over 750 medical papers. For more information on the AAYU app, please visit: www.aayu.live For more information on the Disease-Free India initiative, please visit www.diseasefreeindia.com. RESET TECH is a Mumbai-based health-tech company. It is founded by serial entrepreneurs Karan Talreja, Luke Coutinho, and Vamsi Krishna Talasila. The company offers therapeutic health solutions to lifestyle diseases using natural, sustainable and traditional methods of yoga and meditation. RESET TECH in collaboration with SVYSAS recently launched the 'Rog Mukt Bharat' - 'Disease-Free India' Initiative. The objective of the program is to 'Heal with Yoga'. The mission of the initiative is to provide holistic wellness solutions to every Indian along with the opportunity to free themselves of chronic diseases, through the right approach of yoga, enabling them to accelerate their healing and recovery. www.resettech.in. S-VYASA, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, is a unique Yoga University translating the vision and teachings of Swami Vivekananda into action through academic higher education programs. S-VYASA is also one of the pioneers of Yoga research and has contributed immensely to the understanding and unravelling of the multiple health benefits of this subtle science. S-VYASA has five major academic divisions: Yoga - Spirituality, Yoga & Life Sciences, Yoga & Physical Sciences, Yoga and Management Studies, and Yoga & Humanities. It has, over the years, played a huge role in standardizing advanced yoga techniques such as CM (Cyclic Meditation), PET (Pranic Energisation Technique), and MSRT (Mind Sound Resonance Technique) and MEMT (Mastering the Emotions Technique) among others. svyasa.edu.in/index.html This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): Swiss Re signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Insurance and Risk Management (IIRM), an organisation dedicated to providing executive education across the financial services sector. The partnership is aimed at catalysing synergies to strengthen re/insurance academia in India. Swiss Re Global Business Solutions India will collaborate closely with IIRM on its Post Graduate Diploma in Management, offering short modules, conducting lectures on re/insurance topics, and creating opportunities for IIRM students through internships and job placements. Amit Kalra, Swiss Re's Head GBS Centres India said, "Swiss Re is committed to the growth and development of India's insurance sector. This collaboration will be a building block towards structuring and elevating capabilities across the entire insurance value chain. Together with IIRM, we will work to equip the industry with upskilled professionals, who play an important role in building India's resilience and narrowing the nation's insurance protection gap." Together, Swiss Re and IIRM will undertake industry research to improve overall knowledge on the insurance ecosystem. Through the partnership, both organisations will explore the possibility of Swiss Re becoming a representative member on IIRM's advisory panel and Academic Governing Council. Suresh Mathur, Managing Director of IIRM, added, "We are happy to partner with Swiss Re in supporting the insurance and allied industries with work-ready professionals. We hope that this joint effort will benefit students by helping them develop into responsible and professional talents within the industry. We trust and value Swiss Re's expertise and deep understanding of the insurance ecosystem, and that they will bring global best practices to better prepare students for a dynamic professional environment." Following the successful implementation of the collaborative program, Swiss Re and IIRM aim to offer joint certification on technical topics such as global reinsurance and insurance trends, as well as other value-added courses. The Swiss Re Group is one of the world's leading providers of reinsurance, insurance, and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. It anticipates and manages risk - from natural catastrophes to climate change, from ageing populations to cyber crime. The aim of the Swiss Re Group is to enable society to thrive and progress, creating new opportunities and solutions for its clients. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1863, the Swiss Re Group operates through a network of around 80 offices globally. Swiss Re Global Business Solutions India is an analytical and innovation hub of Swiss Re and comprises 1600+ employees. It plays a key role in accelerating the company's competitiveness across markets through R&D-focused initiatives, innovation, and analytics, which is especially relevant in today's dynamic business environment with technology-spurred disruptions. Established in 2001, Swiss Re GBS India has traversed a remarkable journey of growth, acquiring deep capabilities to become a Centre of Excellence and Bangalore is Swiss Re's third-largest office location today. IIRM has been in existence for over a decade and is mandated to deliver excellence in education that meets the changing need of the rapidly growing Industry and Economy at large, with the sole aim of developing an employable workforce. It is unique in character as the Institute is promoted by the Regulator IRDAI and Govt. of Telangana and the programs offered by the Institute are approved by AICTE. Institute is dedicated to education in the financial services sector, which includes courses on Finance & Financial Services, Banking, Insurance, Risk Management, Actuarial Science, Marketing, Data Science & Analytics, and allied areas. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Dubai [UAE]/ Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India] July 1 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Joyalukkas Exchange one of the leading money exchanges houses in the Gulf has partnered with Effiya Technologies an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions provider on AML/CFT compliance for greater efficiency and effectiveness in real-time screening transactions. They have a hybrid ensemble approach with seamless integration and better algorithms backed with machine learning models to generate the most accurate hits. The implementation of this technology has helped reduce the false positives to a greater extent without compromising potential matches by generate real-time alerts and hence empowering the overall compliance performance. Antony Jos - Managing Director, Joyalukkas Exchange quoting on this partnership said, "At Joyalukkas Exchange, adherence to compliance is non-negotiable and we don't like it be compromised at any level. We are diligent on this, to ensure a safe and secure experience for all our customers in line with Regulations and global AML standards. For us building a culture of effective compliance will always remain a critical factor. Our aim with this collaboration is to help and strengthen our responsibility and commitment as a regulated entity licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE to manage safe and secure transactions for our customers." This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): In recognition of his contribution to the media industry Nikhil Singhal, Founder, Vigor Media Worldwide and Vigor Media Productions (Media & film production companies with operations in Delhi/Mumbai, London and Singapore) has been conferred with the prestigious Times 40 Under 40 Award. The esteemed award was bestowed upon Nikhil Singhal in the presence of the leading lights of the industry and a host of celebrities like the Cine Star Sonu Sood at a well-attended ceremony held at the Westin, Gurgaon. One of the youngest Media Strategist in India Nikhil Singhal has been honoured by The Times Group for achieving lofty benchmarks of professional excellence by demonstrating outstanding achievements in all the areas of his work. Thronged by the who's who of the society, the event was organised to recognise achievers Under 40 from all walks of life who have driven change through their exemplary contribution in their respective fields right from Corporate, Retail, Sports, Art, Literature, Humanitarian Work, etc. Elated at receiving the prestigious award, Nikhil Singhal said, "I'm delighted to win Times 40 Under 40 Award for which I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to The Times Group. It's certainly a very proud and humbling experience to be honoured at such a prestigious platform. I dedicate this award to my entire team for their hard work and to my family members for their continuous support." Man of impeccable credentials, Nikhil has already won many accolades and among them, the most recent one is winning the prestigious Mannat Impact Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary service and dedication to his profession. He has also won the prestigious Times Excellence Award besides International Indian Business Award for excellence in entrepreneurship held in Dubai, just to name a few. Nikhil has catapulted Vigor Media brand to heights of global expansion by the time-tested virtues of hard work, focus, foresight and perseverance. Specialising in public relations and media management, he is closely working with global companies across the world. He has gathered extensive experience ranging from public relations, media management, to image enhancement of top-line brands and multinational corporates. Leading from the front, he has established, Vigor Media Worldwide as a benchmark in the industry and for his excellent efforts in his domain, he has been acknowledged on various platforms over the years. Nikhil believes that it is important for brands to build relationships and engage with customers, fully understand their needs, problems, and desires, so as to convey a message which they remember for long. He is equally adept at handling various media platforms including print, electronic and digital domains. He has helped reposition brands to gain a competitive advantage. Headquartered in Delhi-NCR, Vigor Media Worldwide started expanding its wings in the year 2016 with the launch of branch offices in Mumbai and roping in associates in more than 20 states. The company also enjoys a strong presence across borders and actively works with brands operating out of Dubai and the UK. Founded in 2010, the organisation is a result of Nikhil's inborn leadership capabilities and effective interpersonal skills combined with his passion for media and advertising verticals. Today, Nikhil's brainchild has gained cross-sectoral expertise spanning the domains of Real Estate, Education, Lifestyle, FMCG, Hospitality, Healthcare, Technology, Security, Consulting and a host of other segments. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] July 1 (ANI/BusinessWire India): 'NAREDCO NEXTGEN' the youth wing of the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) - an apex body, formed under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, today announced the launch of three state chapters of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. 'NAREDCO NEXTGEN INDIA' formed under the leadership of Jay Morzaria, Vraj Group to empower young entrepreneurs and encouraging the participation of youth in the real estate sector and allied fields. NEXTGEN strives to create an environment where youth in the real estate sector can come together: to share experiences, harness their skills, draw on their resources, influence, grow together and bring about lasting change. NAREDCO NEXTGEN also announced the launch of NEDEx- an idea-sharing and conversation-led platform for the industry that will focus on creating futuristic communities. It will help the industry body in implementing innovative promotion strategies too. The NEDEx platform will help the industry in discussing and implementing innovative financial models of sales and marketing, devise new ways of advertising and branding for macro and micro-markets, and harness the potential of social and digital media. NAREDCO announced this at its yearly event, NAREDCO NextGen Excelerate: Sales and Marketing 1.0. This year's Excelerate was based on the theme of sales and marketing. On the occasion, NAREDCO's youth wing NEXTGEN also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to bring efficiency in sales and promotion, and launch new innovative sales initiatives with industry alliances. The MoUs will help bridge the knowledge gap in the sector through better insights and enhance the sales outreach through collaborative initiatives like quality summits, training and capacity building. These will also ensure that NAREDCO's members get discounted rates from these partner firms. Launched in December 2021, NEXTGEN's objective is to attract youth to the real estate industry. Rajan Bandelkar, National President of NAREDCO said, "NextGen Excelerate was aimed to bring all stakeholders of NAREDCO and innovators under one umbrella to discuss new alliances. We aim to attract more and more youth to the real estate sector and benefit from the energy and innovation that the segment can bring to the table." "The industry needs stronger collaboration between various stakeholders, including the development fraternity, architects and design firms, urban planners, sales aggregators, international property consultants, research firms, proptech partners, digital agencies and outdoor advertising partners. The renewed partnerships ensure that the sector's future is bright and holds potential. And our youth wing NEXTGEN is here to accomplish that. Conversations at our NEDEx platform will offer solutions against all the challenges," he added. Commenting on the relevance of NEXTGEN, the tie-ups and NEDEx, Jay Morzaria, President, NAREDCO NEXTGEN INDIA said, "It is safe to say that the future of the real estate industry depends on the success of the youth. Over the past decade, the sector has seen a transformation and has witnessed more and more millennials going for home ownership. Real estate ownership is not just seen as a basic necessity but is seen as a hedge against economic uncertainty and upheavals like the one we witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Homebuyers' perspectives have changed in the past two years. The scenario propelled the demand for home ownership. NEXTGEN will leverage the existing insights and channels for better promotion of projects. The collaboration will unlock the various challenges that the industry faces today on the sales and promotion front. It would mean better use of insights. Our new platform, NEDEx will help bring a more solution-oriented approach." At the NEXTGEN Excelerate event, industry veterans came together to discuss some of the key issues through a series of panel discussions, which included a discussion on the Use of the internet and digital media in the RE Space, Preparing Innovative Financial Models for Sales and Marketing, Transformation and Disruption in Indian Real Estate - Then, Now & Next by Anuj Puri, Chairman, ANAROCK Property Consultants, Future of Workspaces, and a fireside conversation with Dr Niranjan Hiranandani, MD Hiranandani Group and Vice Chairman, NAREDCO INDIA. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI/PNN): GRM Overseas Limited (herein referred to as "GRM") a BSE listed company, India's 3rd largest basmati rice exporters, a growing consumer staples player after a successful launch of "10X Ready-to-Cook Biryani" category in December 2021 has further strengthened its product portfolio by introducing two more Biryani flavours Awadhi Biryani Kit and Lucknowi Biryani Kit to its existing portfolio of Biryani Kits. Biryani is known to be a royal-delicacies and is a regal treat to enjoy on special occasions. With the introduction of Biryani kits under Ready to Cook category, GRM has enhanced its presence in the ever-growing demand of Biryani by providing traditional and authentic taste to its customers. GRM's Biryani Kits contain high quality owned basmati rice with an authentic biryani masala paste made with secret ingredients and aromatic whole spices, all ready to be cooked with convenience to perfection. According to a study by FICCI and PwC in 2018, the Biryani industry has a market size of about Rs. 280 bn and is growing consistently in India. Out of this, the organised biryani segment has a size of Rs. 30 bn (~11 per cent share) providing enough growth potential for the company. The product appeals to the urban millennials for its convenience and taste which makes it a great choice for social gatherings due to its universal appeal. Sharing his views on this important development, Atul Garg, Managing Director, said: "We are delighted to introduce new flavours under our Biryani Kit portfolio which has enlarged our space in the fast-growing packaged food industry domestically. Our focus has been to reach a wide consumer base with a varied range of products to strengthen our 10X brand. We are confident to gain strong momentum going forward in the Ready-to-Cook Biryani Kit segment, as peoples' liking has been changing consistently along with the growing urbanisation and increasing percentage of working women pushing the need of these Ready-to-Cook products." GRM overseas incorporated GRM Food Kraft in India in FY21 to launch its flagship domestic brand "10X". GRM Food Kraft through its brand 10X intends to provide Indian Consumer a basket of highest quality food staples. Portfolio of "10X" entails varieties of Basmati Rice, Mixed Spices, Flour and ready to cook Biryani Kit. We have plans to unveil higher margin products in coming quarters under our 10X brand which will further strengthen our presence in both the general and modern trade. Being one of the leading basmati rice exporters, the company has transformed itself into a major consumer staples player with a focus on improving its brand visibility and aiming to create India's largest and trusted standalone consumer staples brand." Added Garg. From humble inception in 1974 to redefining itself in the form of GRM, the Company has travelled a long way since then. Initially set up as a rice processing and trading house, it is growing to become a consumer staples organisation. During the initial years, GRM exported rice to the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Gradually expanding its reach, GRM has developed a market for its rice in more than 38 countries, thereby achieving the title of the 3rd leading Rice Exporter in India. GRM has three rice processing units with an overall annual production capacity of 4,40,800 MT-based out of Panipat (Haryana), Naultha (Haryana) and Gandhidham (Gujarat). Additionally, the Company has a warehousing facility of 1.75 Lakhs sq. ft space adjacent to the Gandhidham plant facilitating speedy shipments from Kandla and Mundra ports. GRM sells products under its brands, namely "10X", "Himalaya River" & "Tanoush," and also sells through private label arrangements under customers' brands. GRM has endeavoured to reach consumers directly with its brands and products in recent years. By placing its products on the shelves of several major retailers in India and abroad, GRM has ensured that the end consumer always has easy access to their high-quality products. The Company aims to deliver the best quality products to customers with stringent and proactive quality control procedures in place, according to international requirements. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
New Delhi [India] July 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): NRI Institute, a not-for-profit organisation founded in the Year 1989 which aims to provide a platform for the Indians living in India and abroad organised NRI World Summit on June 23 and 24, 2022 in the United Kingdom. Representing the entire Non-Resident Indians globally, The NRI Institute is dedicated to expand its members professional network and business insights. NRI World Summit consists of JMS Foundation Charity Gala Dinner with the theme "Upliftment of the underprivileged in India"; Presentation of Legendary Shiromani Awards instituted 45 years ago; NRI Business Forum Conclave and A talk on Indo-British Relationships at the House of Lords, UK Parliament. The World leaders along with the most influential families from around the Globe witnessed the two-day gala summit. To name a few, Baron Lord Swraj Paul; GP Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group and his daughter Ritu Prakash Chhabria along with husband Prakash Chhabria; Lord Karan Bilimoria; Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, ICCR; Yohan and Michelle Poonawalla; the AKBARALY family from Madagascar - Yilas AKBARALY, Director, Redland and Thomson Broadcasting with his Daughters Eileen AKBARALY and Yara AKBARALY; Lord Rami Ranger with Lady Ranger along with their daughter Councillor Reena Ranger; Wife of Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Amruta Fadnavis; Ace Indian Fashion Designers Falguni Shane Peacock; Her Excellency Nimisha Madhvani, High commissioner of Uganda; Ramesh Arora, Ace Hotelier from London were in attendance. The richest Indian Origin man in the United Kingdom, GP Hinduja sang in support of the JMS Foundation, A legacy named after Sardar Jagmohan Singh to help the one in need by his son, Secretary-General Manu Jagmohaan Singh. On this occasion the vision of JMS Foundation was shared by Secretary-General Manu Jagmohaan Singh, 20 Acre of land to be developed as an ashram on the holy land Vrindavan to provide the widows and mothers a safe space to life a sustainable life. Secretary-General to the Nri Institute, Manu Jagmohaan Singh outshines in proving that the NRI Institute is indeed the biggest and the strongest networking forum for Indians around the world. "The focus of the NRI World Summit is to connect and celebrate the achievements of NRI's across the Globe," he said at the event. The glorious 33 years were celebrated with pride and glory and the legacy that his late father Sardar Jagmohan Singh left behind for the cause of Indians was applauded and cherished by all. The NRI Institute is amongst the fastest growing organization for Non-Resident Indians. It is a not-for-profit (NGO), organization which aims to provide a platform for the Indians living in India and abroad to connect and enhance their business, taking it to new heights. Incepted in 1989 by Late Sardar Jagmohan Singh, connecting Indian Diaspora where many long-stranded problems were brought to the table for discussion; be it issues revolving around dual citizenship or problems pertaining to investment strategies. NRI Institute was the first to raise these problems. Manu Jagmohaan Singh, Secretary-General, NRI Institute followed his father's footsteps and has taken the legacy forward. Under his dynamic youthful guidance, 'The NRI Institute' is bound to cover many a mile towards bringing the NRIs closer to their Motherland. Since the demise of his father in 2012, Manu Jagmohaan Singh has been holding conferences and dinners, keeping the momentum, spreading his wings with his main focus on maintaining the decorum his father had set up. The NRI's believe that Singh has a sharp mind. He is focussed on goals to achieve and targets to meet. A young mind with an essence of Indian roots has touched the hearts of hundreds of NRIs who meet him at the networking dinners and conferences etc. and stay connected. Singh has launched The NRI Business Forum solving problems and issues faced by Non-Resident Indians. The NRI Business Forum aims to provide a wider platform so as to connect the NRIs and Indians who wish to come together and expand their businesses. Very soon it would be the only platform which would provide solution to all problems under one roof. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India] July 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): CloudThat, one of India's leading global organizations that provides Cloud Training and Consulting Services for mid-market, enterprise clients, announced that it has been named a finalist of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award-Learning Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. "It is a true honor to be chosen as a finalist for the second time in three years. This recognition is a testament to our ongoing strategic partnership with Microsoft and our commitment to demonstrating technical acumen, driving customer excellence, and fostering business innovation leveraging Microsoft technologies and services." - Bhavesh Goswami, Founder and CEO, CloudThat. The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. Awards were classified in various categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 3,900 submitted nominations from more than 100 countries worldwide. CloudThat was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services in the Microsoft 2022 Partner of the Year 'Learning Award' category. Their perseverance to find a solution to the current skilling and employment gap resulted in the successful creation of their 'Capability Development Framework' and 'Job Guarantee Program'. These two solutions have helped organizations globally and hope to create a bridge between employers and professionals. "I am honored to announce the winners and finalists of the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nick Parker, corporate vice president of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "These partners were outstanding among the exceptional pool of nominees, and I'm continuously impressed by their innovative use of Microsoft Cloud technologies and the impact for their customers." Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced annually prior to the company's global partner conference, Microsoft Inspire, which will take place on July 19-20 this year. CloudThat is a leading global organization that provides Cloud Training and Consulting services for mid-market and enterprise clients around the world. With expertise in major Cloud platforms, CloudThat is uniquely positioned to be the single technology source for organizations looking to utilize the flexibility and power Cloud Computing provides. As part of the AI-skilling initiative in collaboration with Microsoft and NASSCOM Future Skills, they have trained over 230K+ professionals so far which includes 100K+ learners during the Week of AI and Week of AI 2.0 workshops during the collaboration with Microsoft and 4.5K+ professionals under the Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative. They have introduced a flagship subscription-based offering titled Azure Mastery Pass to help learners access all Azure certification courses through a single subscription. CloudThat already has a public calendar in the USA and has trained over 800 professionals from many large US enterprises. For more information, please visit training.cloudthat.com. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Author JK Rowling recently found support from Warner Bros. after an external PR, acting on behalf of the studio, stated that the company is "not connected" to the British author. According to Variety, Warner Bros. issued the response following a spat between a news outlet and the PR, who blocked the outlet from asking Harry Potter actor Tom Felton about Rowling during a press event in London last week. Felton was part of an event around the expansion of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter attraction. He unveiled Professor Sprout's Greenhouse, a fan favorite set from the films, which will be a permanent addition to the attraction. During an interview with the news outlet, Felton was asked about Rowling, who has faced backlash for comments about the trans community, and who was notably absent from 'Return to Hogwarts', the HBO Max documentary special marking the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter. At this point, an external PR executive hired for the event, who is not a Warner Bros. employee, cut in and said: "Next question please." Later, when the outlet questioned the PR as to why they were interrupted, they got a response stating: "J.K. Rowling is not connected to Warner or Tom Felton, the team felt it was not relevant to the piece." However, in a statement shared with Variety, Warner Bros. stood by its long-standing relationship with Rowling. "Warner Bros. has enjoyed a creative, productive and fulfilling partnership with J.K. Rowling for the past 20 years. She is one of the world's most accomplished storytellers, and we are proud to be the studio to bring her vision, characters and stories to life now -- and for decades to come. On Monday, a statement was issued by a third-party media agency that appeared contrary to this view. The statement was wholly wrong, and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London regrets it happened as part of a media event that day," it read. The greenhouse expansion opens at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter on July 1 and is part of a new feature titled 'Mandrakes and Magical Creatures', which will run through September 12. (ANI)
Hollywood actor William Shatner of 'Star Trek' fame has given his stamp of approval for a new documentary about his life which will be produced by Legion M and Exhibit A Pictures. According to Variety, the announcement regarding the new project was made by the production companies on Thursday. "For years I've had people approaching me to do a documentary about my life, but I turned them all down because it didn't feel like the right fit," Shatner said in a statement. He added, "When I heard how Legion M wanted to incorporate audiences to be a part of it, it was perfect. Fans have been responsible for my career -- it only seems right that they should own this doc." The upcoming documentary which currently has no official title will be directed by Alexandre O. Philippe. Shatner will introduce first-look footage of the documentary during a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July, which will be moderated by Kevin Smith. Legion M will be allowing the populace to directly provide funds to produce the film, a decision that allows them to share in the potential profit of the documentary. In a statement, Legion M co-founders Paul Scanlan and Jeff Annison, said, "From make-believe starship captain to a real-life rocketman, William Shatner has led one of the most unique and best-lived lives on the planet." "While we all know him from his iconic roles, the REAL William Shatner is even more interesting. We're thrilled to be working with Alexandre and the top-notch team at Exhibit A, and excited to give fans around the world an opportunity to be a part of Bill's legacy," they added, as per Variety. (ANI)
Bollywood actor, Ranbir Kapoor has finally started the promotions of his upcoming periodic drama film 'Shamshera', for which the 'Rockstar' recently collaborated with Indian YouTuber and social media influencer Niharika Nm. The YouTuber took to her Instagram and shared a slew of adorable pictures in which the 'Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani' actor can be seen holding the content creator in black ethnic wear, whereas Niharika opted for a beautiful red lehenga and gives a surprising reaction to the actor, as he stands close to her. Sharing these behind the scene pictures, she captioned it, "Gotta catch 'em all. Hi Ranbir" followed by a wink and sparkle emoticon. In the second picture, the duo can be seen looking into each other's eyes and standing with one ft. Distance in between them. The third picture is a happy monochrome image as the 'Besharam' actor can be seen making fun of the YouTuber and in response to it she gives out a blushing smile. Another picture shows Ranbir holding Niharika's shoulders, looking deep into her eyes and in response, she gives out a surprising reaction to the 'Saanwariya' actor. In the last picture, the YouTuber has been kept in focus, she poses at door, holding one of her ears and pouring out a surprising look at the 'Sanju' actor. Fans flooded the comment section with heart emoticons and congratulated Niharika for her first collaboration with going-to-be-father Ranbir. "Niharika won at life dayummmm" a user commented on the pictures. Another user wrote, "Oh I'm jealous,she is so luckyyyyyyyy " "Awwwwwwww-dorable" a fan wrote down in the comment section followed by multiple heart emoticons. Previously, Niharika collaborated with actors like Ajay Devgn, Kartik Aaryan, Mahesh Babu, and Yash among others, ahead of their film releases. Meanwhile, the 'Tamasha' actor is currently busy promoting his upcoming film 'Shamshera' in which he will be seen opposite Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. The film is all set to hit theatres on July 22, 2022. Apart from that, he also has 'Brahmastra: Part One" with Alia Bhatt and Amitabh Bachchan, which is slated to release on September 9, 2022. (ANI)
Poison was scheduled to perform Thursday night, June 30, alongside Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Joan Jett on their Nashville stadium tour together, but the band called it quits after frontman Bret Michaels was taken to the hospital. According to TMZ, who first reported the news, members from Poison stepped onstage to let the audience know that Michaels was hospitalized after having "a bad reaction to medication" and would not be able to perform. According to the publication, the reaction may have been related to COVID-19, reported Billboard. Fans on Twitter seemingly confirmed the hospitalization, including one attendee who said he drove all the way from Kansas City, Missouri, to see the band. The band has yet to comment publicly on the situation, and it's not yet clear if Michaels will be able to perform at this weekend's show in Jacksonville on Saturday, July 2. As per Billboard, the huge North American tour was postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19, and then again in 2021. "To all our loyal fans, we wanted to let you know that we learned today that the tour is getting moved to 2022. This is the only way to ensure that we can play ALL of the dates for ALL of you who have purchased tickets. We appreciate you hanging in there and can't wait to get back on stage and bring The Stadium Tour to all of our fans. It is going to be one for the history books!", the band said in a Facebook post in May 2021. The mega tour finally kicked off in Atlanta, Georgia on June 16 and is scheduled to run throughout the summer, concluding in Las Vegas on September 9. (ANI)
Bollywood actor Tisca Chopra, who is celebrating the success of her recent project JugJugg Jeeyo, dropped a 'fun' video with her father on social media, who recently moved to Mumbai to live with her. On Thursday, the 48-year-old star took to her Instagram handle and shared a glimpse of her bond with her father, she captioned the video, "Masterji ki beti ki reel aur kaisi hogi (Masterji's daughter can make only such Instagram Reels). Especially when Principal sir moves to the city... more on the parents and their move coming up." The video featured Tisca and her father, Tisca could be seen posing in front of a door with a pair of swim pieces in her hands. As the video proceeds, her camera is interrupted, when her father opens the door of a room behind her back, and threw his white kurta pyjama on the floor. And in the next few seconds of the video, Tisca was now seen wearing the same kurta pyjama. This funny video of Tisca Chopra gained immense love and her father got praises for his acting skills and fans also called him 'Pro'. In reaction to the video, Tisca's friend actor Manav Gohil commented on the video and wrote, "Baap baap hota hai (after all, a father is a father)." A fan commented, " He is such a pro... he was superb in the act." Another person commented, "Such a funny father-daughter duo, amazing video". Meanwhile, on the work front, Tisca was last seen in 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo'. The actor was paired opposite Anil Kapoor in a love triangle in the family drama, portraying the role of 'Mira' in the film. Helmed by Raj Mehta, 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' features Varun Dhawan, Anil Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Neetu Kapoor, and Maniesh Paul. Varun Sood has a cameo appearance in the film, while social media influencer Prajakta Koli has marked her Bollywood debut with it. The family entertainer revolves around two couples of different generations on the verge of divorce. Currently, social media is flooded with reactions from fans and members of the film industry. It is produced by Viacom18 Studios and Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, and Apoorva Mehta under Dharma Productions. (ANI)
Dia Mirza tweeted, "Thank you @OfficeofUT You cared for people and the planet. Conveying my gratitude and respect here May you have many more opportunities to serve the nation."

In response to her tweet, the 'The Kashmir Files' director wrote, "Which Planet? Planet Bollywood?

Soon after the director took a dig at the actor, fans lashed out at the 'Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein' actor for her tweet, "Planet ? Which planet ? In which galaxy ? In which universe," a user commented.

Another user wrote, "Since when did these bollywoodiyas start to take interest and speak about serving the nation??".

Maharashtra political crisis was triggered after some MLAs of Shiv Sena supported Eknath Shinde which led to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Consequently, Eknath Shinde, with the help of BJP, became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Devendra Fadnavis as the deputy Chief Minister.

'The Tashkent Files' director even congratulated Eknath Shinde for becoming the new Chief Minister and slammed the former CM Uddhav Thackeray.

" Congratulations @mieknathshinde Congratulations @Dev_Fadnavis for your dynamic leadership. At least, now we can live without fear. #JaiMaharashtra" the director tweeted.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Vivek Agnihotri's recently released film 'The Kashmir Files' was declared a blockbuster hit and collected more than Rs 300 crores worldwide. The film is currently streaming on OTT platform Zee5. (ANI)
Alia Bhatt's recent Instagram post clearly shows that she is basking in the pregnancy glow. Taking to the social media application, Alia shared a few pictures of herself from a resort in Portugal. In the first image, she is seen flashing her million-dollar smile. In the other picture, she showed a glimpse of her shadow. "Nothing a walk with yourself can't fix," Alia captioned the post. Alia and Ranbir Kapoor tied the knot on April 14, 2022, after dating for many years, at Ranbir's Mumbai residence in an intimate ceremony. After two months of their marriage, the couple on Monday announced that they are all set to embrace parenthood. "Our baby ..... coming soon," Alia wrote on Instagram, adding a picture from her ultrasound appointment. She also posted a picture which features two lions and a lion cub. A day after announcing her pregnancy, Alia thanked everyone for their wishes. "Overwhelmed with all the love. I have tried to read everyone's messages and good wishes and all I want to say is, it truly feels so special to celebrate such a big moment of our lives with all the love and blessings. Thank you to every single one of you," she posted on Instagram. She also called out reports that claimed that the former has planned her pregnancy in such a way that her film commitments are not affected. The reports also stated that Ranbir would be flying down to the UK "to pick up" Alia. Expressing disappointment over misogynistic coverage of her pregnancy news, Alia took to Instagram Story and wrote, "Meanwhile we still live in some people's heads we still live in some patriarchal world.. FYI. Nothing has gotten delayed!!!! No one needs to PICK anyone up. I am a woman, not a parcel!!!!! I do not need to REST at all but good to know you'll have a doctors certification as well :) This is 2022. Can we pls get out of this archaic way of thinking! Now if you would excuse me.. my shot is ready." Alia is currently in the UK for the shoot of her Hollywood debut 'Heart of Stone'. (ANI)
National Doctor's Day is an occasion celebrated annually on July 1 by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy by acknowledging the contributions of doctors toward mankind. It was first celebrated in the year 1991 to show gratitude for the hard work and contribution of Dr Roy, who served as a physician, a freedom fighter, an educationist and a politician. There can be no better way to remember the doctor whose story is that of hard work, grit, talent, determination despite racial discrimination, love for his country and unmatched dedication to his profession. He was an eminent physician and the second chief minister of West Bengal for 14 years, from 1948 till his death in 1962. Dr Roy also played a great role in establishing medical institutions like Jadavpur TB Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan and Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital among others and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1961. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended his greetings on the special occasion and said doctors play a key role in saving lives and making the planet healthier. "Doctors Day greetings to all hardworking doctors who play a key role in saving lives and making our planet healthier," PM Modi tweeted. The theme for this year's National Doctors' Day is 'Family Doctors on the Front Line', which emphasizes the contribution of doctors who care for the whole family or a community. In the past few years, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences once again shed light on how doctors work round-the-clock shifts to save lives and use their knowledge of the body to aid those in need. For this reason, they are considered among the most important public servants. This day is commemorated by organizing several events and activities in the honor of doctors. Free medical check-ups and camps are organized at healthcare centers in order to promote free-of-cost medical services. Doctor's Day is not just celebrated in India but also in different countries, however, on different dates. In the United States, it is observed on March 30, in Cuba on December 3 and in Iran, it is celebrated on August 23. (ANI)
On the order of the state government, Andhra Pradesh Police have been conducting surprise raids at the check posts on the city's outskirts. The move was taken following the reports of illegal liquor transportation from other states to Andhra Pradesh. A total of 1,083 cases were registered on illegal liquor in the last two years.

Rahul Dev, Superintendant of Police (SP), Eluru, said, "In Andhra Pradesh, we have taken action on illegal liquor coming from outside the state. We have been taking action for the last two years. We have been conducting raids on border check posts. Whenever we received information regarding illegal liquor, we have taken action on it.

"In last two years, 1,083 cases have been registered on illegal liquor. Today we have destroyed 33,933 illegal liquor bottles worth Rs 80 lakhs in front of police, Excise, Special Enforcement and Task Force officials," added SP Rahul Dev. (ANI)
Apple purchased Intel's modem group with the intention of phasing out Qualcomm and using internal 5G modems in the future. According to the earlier timeframe, that might not be happening, said analyst Migh-Chi Kuo. According to GSM Arena, the inference was that the technology wasn't prepared, though. FOSS Patents now offers a different perspective, arguing that the issue with Apple's 5G initiatives is a legal one rather than a technical one. Qualcomm and Apple have a licencing deal that expires in 2025 and has a 2027 extension option. It was formerly anticipated that Apple will transition to internal modems prior to that time, but this is increasingly appearing doubtful. Funny thing is, none of the two patents preventing Apple's advancement has much to do with 5G. One allows the user to decline a call by texting "I'm busy," for example, while the other has to do with the app-switching interface. The real kicker is that Qualcomm will sue Apple for violating the involved patents if it decides to switch to its own modem. The two patents have respective expiration dates of 2029 and 2030, and Apple's efforts to have them cancelled came to an end this Monday when the Supreme Court declined to take Apple's request to reopen the patent dispute, as reported by GSM Arena. Initially, Apple hoped that by late 2023, Qualcomm would only be providing 20 per cent of the modems it requires rather than 100 per cent. However, if Florian Mueller is correct, this won't happen, and Apple will still need to purchase from Qualcomm and pay licence costs. (ANI)
Soon after Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister, the state government directed the Advocate General that the metro car shed be built in Mumbai's Aarey colony itself, said sources. The side of the Maharashtra government regarding the metro car shed issue in Aarey forest should be presented before the Court, sources said. In September 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important". Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation announced its plan to cut down over 2,700 trees from the Aarey colony in order to build a car shed for the Metro. The colony, spread over 13,000 hectares, is home to over 27 Adivasi villages and inhabits various animal species. The Bombay High Court in September 2019, verbally directed the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) and the state government not to cut any trees in the Aarey forest area for the construction of a metro car shed, to which they agreed. Later in October 2019, the Bombay High Court had dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in Aarey Colony of Mumbai to make way for a Metro car shed. However, the Maharashtra government had stayed the order for the Aarey metro car shed project following massive public agitation in the city. In 2020, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the state government had withdrawn cases registered against people who were protesting against the proposed metro car shed in Aarey. He had said the proposed car shed has been shifted from Aarey to Kanjur Marg. Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening. He was administered the oath by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis took an oath as Deputy Chief Minister. Fadnavis, who was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that Eknath Shinde will be the new CM. Fadnavis also announced at the press conference that he will not be part of the government. Later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that Fadnavis has decided to be part of the new government in Maharashtra in the interest of the people of the state after a word from BJP chief JP Nadda and congratulated him for his decision. He said in a tweet that Fadnavis has shown a "big heart" and the decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra. "On the word of BJP chief JP Nadda, Devendra Fadnavis, showing a big heart, has decided to be part of the government in the interest of Maharashtra and the people of the state. This decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra. I congratulate him from the bottom of my heart," Amit Shah said. Earlier on Thursday, Shinde and Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to stake a claim to form the government in the state. "After the swearing-in ceremony today, we will have a cabinet expansion and Shiv Sena and BJP leaders will take the oath. I will stay out of the government," Fadnavis said. "In 2019, BJP and Shiv Sena had an alliance and we got the required numbers in Assembly elections. We hoped to form the government but Shiv Sena chose to get into an alliance with those against whom Balasaheb protested throughout his life. Shiv Sena insulted the mandate of the people." "Shiv Sena MLAs were demanding that the alliance with Congress and NCP should be ended but Uddhav Thackeray ignored these MLAs and gave priority to MVA alliance partners, that's why these MLAs intensified their voices," he added. Uddhav Thackeray's resignation as Chief Minister on Wednesday came days after Shinde led a rebellion with at least 39 Shiv Sena MLAs. Shinde, who was also present at the press conference with Fadnavis, said the decision taken is committed to Bal Thackeray's Hindutva and for development work in the constituencies of the 50 MLAs supporting him. "A total of 50 MLAs are with us, including 40 MLAs from Shiv Sena...We have fought this battle so far with their help...I will not let even a scratch mar the trust that these 50 people have placed in me - let alone break that trust," Shinde said. "The decision that we have taken is committed to Balasaheb's Hindutva and for the development work in the constituencies of our MLAs. We have 50 MLAs with us," he added. The Shiv Sena leader further said that though BJP has 120 MLAs, Fadnavis did not take up the post of Chief Minister. (ANI)
At least eight bodies, including seven of Territorial Army personnel, were recovered after a massive landslide in Manipur's Noney district, triggered by incessant rains over the past few days, buried dozens of people alive on Thursday, officials said. At least 23 others were injured and rescued as rescue operations by the Central and state agencies were on at full pace. According to local media reports, at least 51 more people are still missing. A defence spokesman said that the mortal remains of seven Territorial Army soldiers and a civilian have been recovered and relentless search operations would continue during the night. He said that engineering equipment, including bulldozers, have been pressed into service for creating access to the incident site and helping in rescue efforts. The administration has cautioned civilians living in downstream areas of the Ijei river to evacuate due to the likelihood of breach in the dam created on the river by the landslide. Army's Eastern Command chief, Lt Gen R.P. Kalita and Spear Corps commander, Lt Gen R.C. Tiwari reached the incident site and took stock of the rescue efforts. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also visited the incident site, for first-hand inputs on the rescue operations and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have spoken to Biren Singh and assured him of all possible help. Modi tweeted: "Spoke to Manipur CM N. Biren Singh and reviewed the situation due to a tragic landslide. Assured all possible support from the Centre. I pray for the safety of all those affected. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon." Shah in a tweet said: "Spoke to N. Biren Singh and Ashwini Vaishnav in the wake of a landslide near the Tupul railway station in Manipur. Rescue operations are in full swing. A team of NDRF has already reached the spot and joined the rescue operations. Two more teams are on their way to Tupul." Noney Deputy Commissioner Haulianlal Guite said the landslide occurred at the Tupul Yard Railway construction camp. The landslide also obstructed the course of the Ijei river which flows through Tamenglong and Noney districts.As the situation is still unfolding, the Deputy Commissioner has warned the general public, especially children, against going near the river. If the situation further deteriorates, it would wreak havoc to the low-lying areas of Noney district, he added. People have also been advised against travelling along the National Highway 37 due to multiple road blockages due to landslides. The district administration has also launched several helpline numbers for the affected people to call for assistance. The under construction Tupul station building, track formation and camps of construction workers got damaged as a result of the massive landslide. Northeast Frontier Railways Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said rescue teams from the NDRF, the SDRF, state government and the Railways rushed to the site and full-scale rescue operations are in progress. However, bad weather and fresh landslides are affecting the rescue operations. Concerted effort by all is underway to rescue the missing individuals. Army helicopters are also being used to airlift the critically injured, the CPRO said. Earlier, defence spokesman Lt. Col. Mohit Vaishnava said the Army on Thursday rescued 13 Territorial Army personnel, who were trapped following the massive landslide. The personnel were deployed to provide security to the under construction railway line from Jiribam to Imphal. --IANS sc/vd ( 597 Words) 2022-06-30-20:40:02 (IANS)
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday sought detailed information on the criminal cases which the state government has withdrawn against the elected parliamentarians and legislators in the state since May 1, 2021, when the Trinamool Congress came to power in the state for a third consecutive term. Dhankhar has written to Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi, directing the latter to submit a detailed report on this count to the office of the Governor by July 11. In the letter, the Governor has sent a strong note of caution to the Chief Secretary to avoid failure in submitting the report. "The Chief Secretary also be cautioned that his repeated failures to make available information sought earlier is a gross violation of The All India Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and a misconduct that cannot be overlooked. He needs to ensure that all such information be also sent by July 11, 2022 along with his explanation of failure to ensure compliance thereof," the letter read. Although the Governor did not specify the reasons as to why he sought specific information on this count, those in the state's bureaucratic circles believe that this has some connection with the post-poll violence cases in West Bengal since May 2021, which are being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In fact, a team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had visited the state after the Assembly polls last year and interacted with the victims of the post-poll violence. In its report, the NHRC mentioned names of many elected MLAs and MPs of the ruling Trinamool Congress. It also named a number of state ministers. The state government, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has on a number of occasions expressed displeasure over the Governor seeking information from bureaucrats or summoning bureaucrats and police officers to the Governor's house. --IANS src/arm ( 318 Words) 2022-06-30-20:52:04 (IANS)
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday said that it is in the hands of the state Police Department to preserve its honour in connection with the Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scandal. Noting that there are many allegations regarding the PSI recruitment and police officers and middlemen are accused, the court also noted that a comprehensive investigation is required regarding the scandal. A single judge bench of Justice H.P. Sandesh directed the DGP, CID P.S. Sandhu to personally monitor the investigations as it heard the bail petitions of the accused. "Corruption with regards to the appointment of Sub-Inspectors is a serious matter. The truth must come out. The court will also monitor the progress of the investigation. The action should be initiated against the accused, irrespective of whether they are ministers or officers," the court noted. It also directed Sandhu to submit a progress report regarding the investigation on July 7. The Karnataka government had announced re-exams for 545 PSI posts following the scandal. The exams were held for these posts on October 3, 2021. The government has also ordered comprehensive analysis of answer sheets of all candidates. As many as 54,041 candidates appeared for exams. The results were announced this January. Later, the allegations surfaced that candidates who gave very poor performance in descriptive writing got maximum marks in Paper 2. However, the Police Department and the Home Minister denied any irregularities in the exams. One of the candidates filed an RTI application seeking information on OMR sheets of one of the candidates. Though the application was rejected, the OMR sheet of the candidate appeared in public domain. Police sources say that Veeresh, the candidate, had attended only 21 questions in paper 2 but got 100 marks. He was given the 7th rank. Congress MLA Priyank Kharge had alleged that more than 300 of the 545 candidates had paid Rs 70 to 80 lakh bribes to officials and ministers to become PSIs. The ruling BJP has challenged him to produce evidence before the CID. --IANS mka/vd ( 351 Words) 2022-06-30-22:34:02 (IANS)
The incident was reported from Jhallu Das Tola Middle School in Naugachia village.

Following the incident, district civil surgeon, sub-divisional officer, district education officer, block development officer and police personnel of Naugachia reached the hospital and took stock of the situation.

An official said that the school administration had prepared rice, pulses and vegetables inside the premises. After consuming the meal and going inside the classroom, more than two dozen pupils in the age group of 10 to 14 complained about vomiting and loose motion.

The school principal immediately took them to nearby hospitals for treatment.

The official said that the students suffered from food poisoning. "We have collected the samples of food and sent them to the lab for testing. The conditions of students are stable now," he said.

--IANS ajk/pgh

( 164 Words)

2022-06-30-22:36:02 (IANS)
Five terrorists linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT were arrested from J&K's Srinagar and Sopore on Thursday by police and other security forces, police said. "In Srinagar, based on specific input regarding movement of terrorists in the district, Srinagar police set up special checkpoints at various locations. On one such checkpoint laid by police and 50 RR on Sanat Nagar Chowk-Rangreth road area, one hybrid terrorist was arrested. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including a pistol was recovered from his possession," police said. Police said on his disclosure during questioning, an anti-terrorist operation was launched in Pampore area, during which one more hybrid terrorist was arrested. During his search, arms and ammunition including three pistols were recovered from his possession. The duo has been identified as Naveed Shafi wani, resident of Shar Shali Khrew, Pampore and Faizan Rashid Teli, resident of Kadlabal, Pampore. "Preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested duo was involved in transportation of terrorists, arms/explosive material and providing logistic support to the terrorists of proscribed terror outfit LeT in district Srinagar before as well," police said. Moreover police said six pistol magazines, 11 pistol rounds, a grenade, 16 gelatin super power sticks, cortex wire (6 mts approx), and eight detonators have been recovered from their possession. Police have registered a case and further investigation is in progress. In Sopore, on a specific input regarding movement of terrorists in the area, a joint checkpost established by police alongwith the army's 52RR and the CRPF's 177Bn) at Takyabal Krankshivan intercepted three suspicious persons who tried to flee from the spot but were apprehended. During search, an AK 47 rifle, two pistols, two magazines, 10 pistol rounds and a hand grenade were recovered from their possession. They have been identified as Rahid Mushtaq Ganie and Amir Shafqat Mir, both residents of Amargarh, and Tahir Nisar Sheikh son of Nisar Ahmad Sheikh resident of Baag-e-Rehmat, Sopore. "Preliminary investigation revealed that the trio are uncategorised terrorists of proscribed terror outfit LeT and were in constant search of an opportunity to carry out terror attacks in the area," police said. --IANS zi/vd ( 360 Words) 2022-06-30-22:38:03 (IANS)
A day after four of the five AIMIM MLAs in Bihar joined the RJD, party leader Tejashwi Yadav and state President Jagadanand Singh warmly welcomed them into the party here on Thursday evening. "It is a big win for our party after 4 MLAs of the AIMIM joined us. They went before Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha who officially announced in the house about them have become MLAs of the RJD. "Keeping in view the present situation of the country, they have joined the RJD. Now, the RJD is the single largest party in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha. Over the years, if any kind of merger took place in the past, the legislators generally joined the ruling party in the country. Due to the ideology and acceptance of Lalu Prasad Yadav, leaders are joining us. This is a win for ideology," Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said. "Due to the ideology of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the BJP did not dare to contest elections alone in Bihar. During the 2020 Assembly election, the majority of the seats of Seemanchal area were given to the Congress. We were expecting more seats from Seemanchal in the previous election but the result had not come to our expectation. Now, they (the AIMIM lawmakers) have joined us and our strength in the Seemanchal area has increased now," he added. Noting that the Seemanchal area is severely affected by floods, he said that they were concerned about it. "We will work together for the people of Seemanchal so that the fund allocated for the Seemanchal area in the budget will be spent in the welfare of people there. A large number of people believe in the ideology of Lalu Prasad Yadav and I will soon visit the region," Tejashwi Yadav said. --IANS ajk/vd ( 317 Words) 2022-06-30-22:52:01 (IANS)
Bringing massive respite to the scorched national capital by lowering the maximum temperature seven notches below normal, the Southwest Monsoon arrived in Delhi on Thursday with a bang, poured over 100 mm in central Delhi during the day. For the 12 hours between 8.30 a.m. and 8.30 p.m., Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded 116.6 mm rainfall while Lodhi Road recorded 107.6 mm rainfall for the same duration. Other stations too recorded heavy rainfall during this same period but nothing comparable to these two central Delhi locations. Aya Nagar in South Delhi recorded 51.9 mm, Palam near the IGI Airport recorded 31.8 mm, while Ridge in north Delhi recorded 65.2 mm rainfall in these 12 hours. Prior to that, Safdarjung had recorded 'trace' rainfall till 8.30 a.m., Palam had received 4.4 mm, Lodhi Road recorded 'trace', Ridge observatory recorded 'trace' while Aya Nagar had witnessed 0.3 mm till 8.30 a.m., IMD data showed. Maximum temperature in Delhi fell down to 29.4 degrees Celsius, as many as 7 notches below normal, bringing it almost on par with the minimum temperature which remained at 27.6 degrees Celsius. IMD forecast for Friday said moderate rain/thunder showers are likely with maximum and minimum temperatures to be 32 and 24 degrees Celsius, respectively. "Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into entire Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, some parts of Rajasthan, entire Delhi, some parts of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh, today. The Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) now passes through Deesa, Ratlam, Jaipur, Rohtak, Pathankot and Jammu," the India Meteorological Department said, adding, "Conditions are now favourable for further advance of monsoon into some more parts of Rajasthan, entire Punjab and Haryana during next 24 hours." However, Delhi's total rainfall for the month of June has been recorded at just 20.3 mm against the normal of 66.5 mm (minus 70 per cent, or a large deficit). This is so because, for any given day, the IMD counts rainfall after 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. So, the 100 plus mm rainfall on Thursday will be counted for July 1. Earlier this week, with the Southwest Monsoon proceeding slower than normal, it had missed its date with Delhi. The normal date of arrival of monsoon over Delhi is June 27, shifted from June 29 two years ago, based on correction provided by long term data. However, this is not the first time that the monsoon has missed its date with Delhi. Last year, the monsoon reached Delhi on July 10, making it the most delayed in 19 years. In 2020, it was two days before time, on June 25. The most delayed monsoon arrival over Delhi - that crossed over to July - include July 19 in 2002 and July 9 in 2006 but it was in 1987 that Delhi had witnessed the most late monsoon arrival on July 26. --IANS niv/vd ( 491 Words) 2022-06-30-23:00:04 (IANS)
On the last day of the Monsoon Session of Bihar Assembly on Thursday, Land Reforms and Revenue Minister Ram Surat Rai announced to establish a locality for landless people in the state in the names of CM Nitish Kumar and PM Narendra Modi. "In Bihar, a large number of people do not have houses. Hence, funds have been allocated for them under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Then we learnt that a large number of people do not have land to construct houses. Hence, we have decided to allot land for them in Bihar and then give the funds for the construction of houses," Rai said. "The process of land allotment will start from Banka district after the monsoon. The places selected for the land allocation will be called Nitish-Modi Nagar," Rai said. Reacting to the announcement, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi said: "Earlier, the double-engine government had given charge to all MPs to develop model villages in the state. What happened to that policy? How many model villages have they developed? This government only brings policies, but never implements them on the ground. The new policy will face a similar fate." --IANS ajk/arm ( 205 Words) 2022-06-30-23:14:03 (IANS)
The Trinamool Congress on Thursday evening received a major political jolt from its close associate in the Darjeeling hills, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) floated by Anit Thapa, as the latter resurrected the demand for separate Gorkhaland state, just a day after clinching a massive victory in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) polls. The development came as a shocker since during the entire campaigning process for the GTA polls, the semi-autonomous council for governing the Darjeeling hills, Thapa had remained silent on the issue of separate statehood for Gorkhaland. His silence provided comfort to the Trinamool Congress, especially Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has always been against the division of the state. However, late on Thursday evening, i.e., just a day after bagging victory in 27 out of 45 seats in GTA, Thapa said that the proposal for separate statehood will be passed in the first meeting of the new board of GTA. "The proposal will be passed and sent to the West Bengal and the Union governments for clearance," Thapa said, surprising the Trinamool leadership, which did not make any comment on the issue till the filing of this report. However, the BJP and the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which has always been in the forefront of the movement for a separate Gorkhaland, welcomed Thapa's announcement whole-heartedly. According to Raju Singh Bista, BJP MP from Darjeeling, his party has always been in favour of a permanent political solution in the Darjeeling hills issue. "It's good that Anit Thapa has raised it again and I hope that the state government will finally accept the demand," he said. GJM general secretary Roshon Giri said it is good that Anit Thapa is now voicing the separate statehood demand. "The people of the hills want that," he said. Both the BJP and GJM, as well Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), had abstained from the GTA polls. Their logic was that the polls were useless without a permanent political solution to the Gorkhaland issue. --IANS src/arm ( 350 Words) 2022-06-30-23:20:03 (IANS)
The Delhi Police saved the life of a person who was allegedly attempting suicide by hanging himself from ceiling of his house in Jahangirpuri area of the national capital on Thursday. Delhi Police received a PCR call on the intervening nights of Wednesday and Thursday at about 2.30 am regarding hanging of a person in a house in D-block, Jahangirpuri. Personnel from Jahangirpuri police station immediately reached the spot and they found one person hanging from the ceiling fan of his room. The room was found locked from inside. Policemen acted swiftly and forcefully opened the door and rescued the person from making suicide attempt. One of the personnel hold his legs up while the other opened the knot of chunni used for hanging. Police also gave CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to the victim and rushed him to BJRM Hospital for treatment. His condition is stable now. According to the police, the man who attempted suicide is around 40 years of age and runs a general store in Bhalaswa dairy. The police further said that he was under stress as he had taken a big loan. Deputy Commissioner of Police, North-West, Usha Rangnani, appreciated the good work of staff of Jahangirpuri police station and said the personnel will be rewarded for their timely humanitarian act that saved the life of the person. (ANI)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office today after the investigating agency declined his request to provide some extra time for his appearance in connection with a money laundering case. The ED had sent him a second summons to appear before July 1, after he failed to appear in his first summon on Monday due to the then political crisis in Maharashtra. Notably, Raut is being probed in connection with the re-development of Mumbai's Patra Chawl. His lawyer had sought 13-14 days time to present the documents in front of the probe agency, however, the request was declined by the Agency. "I will be going to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office tomorrow," said the Shiv Sena leader on Thusday while speaking to the media here. Referring to Uddhav Thackeray's resignation from the post of the Chief Minister on Wednesday evening, he said that Shiv Sena will work and come to power "on our own once again". "Shiv Sena is not born for power, power is born for Shiv Sena. This has always been Balasaheb Thackeray's mantra. We will work & come to power on our own once again," he said. Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening. He was administered the oath by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis took an oath as Deputy Chief Minister. After taking the oath, Shinde and Fadnavis held the first cabinet meeting of the new government in Mumbai on Thursday evening. Fadnavis, who was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that Eknath Shinde will be the new CM. Fadnavis also announced at the press conference that he will not be part of the government. Later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that Fadnavis has decided to be part of the new government in Maharashtra in the interest of the people of the state after a word from BJP chief JP Nadda and congratulated him for his decision. He said in a tweet that Fadnavis has shown a "big heart" and the decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra. "On the word of BJP chief JP Nadda, Devendra Fadnavis, showing a big heart, has decided to be part of the government in the interest of Maharashtra and the people of the state. This decision reflects his true dedication and attitude of service towards Maharashtra. I congratulate him from the bottom of my heart," Amit Shah said. Earlier on Thursday, Shinde and Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to stake a claim to form the government in the state. "After the swearing-in ceremony today, we will have a cabinet expansion and Shiv Sena and BJP leaders will take the oath. I will stay out of the government," Fadnavis said. "In 2019, BJP and Shiv Sena had an alliance and we got the required numbers in Assembly elections. We hoped to form the government but Shiv Sena chose to get into an alliance with those against whom Balasaheb protested throughout his life. Shiv Sena insulted the mandate of the people." "Shiv Sena MLAs were demanding that the alliance with Congress and NCP should be ended but Uddhav Thackeray ignored these MLAs and gave priority to MVA alliance partners, that's why these MLAs intensified their voices," he added. Uddhav Thackeray's resignation as Chief Minister on Wednesday came days after Shinde led a rebellion with at least 39 Shiv Sena MLAs. Shinde, who was also present at the press conference with Fadnavis, said the decision taken is committed to Bal Thackeray's Hindutva and for development work in the constituencies of the 50 MLAs supporting him. "A total of 50 MLAs are with us, including 40 MLAs from Shiv Sena...We have fought this battle so far with their help...I will not let even a scratch mar the trust that these 50 people have placed in me - let alone break that trust," Shinde said. "The decision that we have taken is committed to Balasaheb's Hindutva and for the development work in the constituencies of our MLAs. We have 50 MLAs with us," he added.The Shiv Sena leader further said that though BJP has 120 MLAs, Fadnavis did not take up the post of Chief Minister. (ANI)
"A Chartered Accountant has an important role in our economy. On CA Day, best wishes to all Chartered Accountants. May they keep working hard in furthering growth and transparency in the economy," PM Modi tweeted.

July 1 is celebrated as National Chartered Accountant Day in India. The day is observed in order to celebrate the formation of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on July 1, 1949.

The ICAI is the only licensing and regulatory body for the financial audit and accounting profession in the country.

PM Modi also wished doctors on the occasion of National Doctors' Day.

"Doctors Day greetings to all hardworking doctors who play a key role in saving lives and making our planet healthier," PM Modi tweeted.

National Doctors' Day is celebrated every year on July 1 in the memory of Dr BC Roy, who also served as the chief minister of West Bengal.

Last year addressing an event organized by Indian Medical Association on National Doctors' Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the doctors on behalf of 130 crore Indians for their services during the difficult times of the COVID pandemic. Acknowledging the doctor's contribution, the Prime Minister recalled their heroic efforts during the pandemic and paid homage to those who laid down their lives in the service of humanity. (ANI)